Category: Beloved Community

There Are More of Us

While I was handing out “No Transmission Corridor” flyers, I learned again the adage, ‘There are more of us’. The majority of folks didn’t know about Dairyland’s proposal to bring what would be the highest transmission line in Wisconsin through the Driftless, but they were glad to find out, and thanked me for letting them know.

There were a few who didn’t care, but they learned something that will hopefully be nagging at them as they drive through our precious landscapes. And of course there were the very, very few who weren’t opposed to it – not for it, but not opposed to it. They’re the ones who don’t court independent thinking and are content not rocking the boat. But nonetheless, there it was again – that sweet knowing that we are the majority. 

We, the ones who care, the ones just waiting for that precious piece of knowledge and inclusion that allows us to stand for something. The ones who are still capable of feeling dignity and who love the earth unquestioningly. 

Corporate media has done a great job keeping us placated and ignorant. We’ve been fed lies about what is necessary and what is progress for decades. We’ve been told what is inevitable and have lost our clarity and our voice in the process. 

But now as we witness lies exposed, as we learn of neighbors viciously stripped from families and communities, as we see the extend the powerful will go to hide the grooming and raping of children, and as our earth is rocked by extraction, we are also witness to the rise of this: There are more of us. And I say bring it on.

Use time wisely. Look for people who want to know. Let’s widen the circle of our humanity with those who are waiting to be invited.

AND IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

“Another packed night, with probably over 600 people coming out in Charlotte, NC to be trained to join the safety patrols who are fanning out across the city each day to make sure that everyone can get to work and school safely… and home again at night. 
Every night, hundreds more people come out to find out how to plug in. 
And while CBP and ICE expanded their operations to other cities, so did we.” – Gwen Frisbie – Fulton

Read about the COP30 Climate Summit with over 1,000 Indigenous people registered for the event and their impact.

Survivors speak out in this video: World Without Exploitation. Bring abuse out of the shadows.

And learn more how to protect the Driftless:

Woke Isn’t Going Away

Are we paying attention yet? Government should be created to uplift people, not burden them. Social media is flooded by people announcing their letters from Quartz Health Insurance. Quartz is dropping their Medicare supplemental coverage for Vernon and other rural counties. 

It seems the federal cuts are making their way to our hometown folks. And the elderly and disadvantaged are taking a beating. The war on woke, that many cheered for, is now turning itself on everyone. Seems the Big Beautiful Bill may be destined to unite us after all. 

The soybean market has tanked thanks to that beautiful word “tariff”. Farming insecurity is leading to farmer suicide. Desperation is palpable.

And while ICE continues on its unchecked inhumane rampage, slowly but surely resistance to racist cruelty is growing. The vast majority of us are descendants of immigrants. Immigrants, Slaves and Indigenous people are the foundation of this country. To ignore the obvious is self-destruction, and that is indeed where we are heading unless we stop it.

How long can we live under the cloak of violence and hatred, how long can we ignore what is happening to our youth, to the elderly, to our marginalized friends?

If you have been biting your lip, hiding your tears or whispering your concerns about what is happening to us, it’s now time to find the courage to speak and to act. If you didn’t believe Project 2025 was coming for you, you were mistaken. Sitting this battle out is no longer an option.

My advice is simple: listen to independent journalists. Zeteo and Danielle Moodie are two of my favorites. The language may be harsh, but the clarity of purpose and the urgency of now is there. And show up for the nationwide action on October 18th in local towns and in your front yard. You are needed.

Image from: The Badger Collective

Being Human is a Practice

John Trudell was a Native American poet, activist, and as his biography states, a survivor of government repression and tragedy. Both he and Grace Lee Boggs, the Asian American activist, author and philosopher passed in 2015, but not before they left us with prophetic words and wisdom to help navigate this time.  

It’s easy to become disillusioned and numb. It takes courage and conviction in humanity to traverse these times. In this past week, people used social media to call forth the Rapture. I call that taking the easy way out. The quest for the pearly gates at the cost of the destruction of the earth and disregard of human beings is symptomatic. It means you’re unwilling to take responsibility for living. It means you have lost your dignity and the creative force needed to transcend this moment.

We have adopted corrupt systems that are failing us and either we can accept that and fight to change course – or we will go down in flames dreaming of the pearly gates. 

John Trudell told us to “Protect your spirit, because you are in the place where spirits get eaten.” He urged us to clear thinking and to discover our humanity. Grace Lee Boggs warned us not to struggle against existing institutions, but to “make a philosophical, spiritual leap to become more “human” human beings. I encourage everyone to become familiar with their works and those of other human beings that chose wisdom over ignorance and humanity over division.

We are up against a tidal wave of lies and beliefs that cut to the core of our humanity. Fighting back demands clarity and a firm grasp of who we are. We are human beings. Not slaves to an economy, not disposable to war, and not shackled to dogmas that do not serve us. 

Being human is a daily practice and it is our way out. Find your way to being human.

Lies On Steroids

Our collective history is filled with violence. When white settlers arrived on these shores they carried with them vestiges of what had been done to them. They brought persecution, conquering, and a kind of capitalism that requires a lower rung. Class struggle, theft of land, and when all else failed, the ultimate silencing of people who deemed to be different, or were different by design. The attempted cover-ups and twisting of history are not new. They’re simply now on steroids.

We refuse to believe what we know to be true: that we live on stolen land, that enslaved and impoverished people built this country and that the cowardice displayed from Congress to ICE is nothing more than a last-ditch effort to keep the LIE afloat.

When I drive through rural towns and see confederate flags, I want to yell, “Wisconsin was a Union state”. But I’m really thinking: “Your ignorance is showing”. And ignorance is more than not knowing history. The kind of ignorance we deal with today is deeper. We’ve lost a sense of self. We’ve lost human dignity. And unless and until we rediscover it within ourselves, we’ll never see it in the “other”. 

We’ve lost our sense of belonging to something greater. In doing so we cling to whatever flag suites us, whatever belief empowers us, or so we think. External power is an empty game, when you are hollow inside. That’s why it never works. People will be martyred and treated inhumanely, but power must succumb to benevolence, if only when we take our last breath. Recognizing our mutual humanity, acknowledging our history and refusing to carry it on are the solutions available to us.

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Listen to my conversation with Fatemeh Jamalpour on her new book For the Sun After Long Nights. For The Sun After Long Nights by two acclaimed Iranian female journalists, depicts the oppression of ethnic minorities and particularly of women since the 2022 Women, Life, Freedom Movement. It was an honor to be given a glimpse into the courage and deep love of their homeland and their sisterhood. Co-authored by Nilo Tabrizy. It will also air on WDRT, Wednesday, Sept 10 at 5 pm CST.

And if you are in the area: On Sunday, Sept 21 from noon to 5pm we will host Reclaiming Peace: A Community Celebration at Echo Valley Farm

Let in the Light

There’s a crack and the light is beginning to pour through. You can see it on the streets as more people realize the need to be visible. You can read it on social media as people are finding their voice. The hands-off rallies and gatherings have been peaceful, joyful events. They’ve become reunions of a sort. Reunions of the human family. Carrying signs that reflect the diversity of our woundedness and of our concerns, we greet one another in recognition of our mutual humanity. 

Some people have never thought of Trans rights or Palestinian liberation. Some have not considered a world without Immigrants. Some are fearful as their safety nets are being ripped away. Some are terrified by the brutality they witness from ICE agents or vigilantes turning racism into sport. People come to the rallies to learn, to make connections and, in some way, to say, “No more”.  Most importantly, we find we’re not alone.

Everyone who shows up wants to see a better day. That is our commonality.

May first is the international celebration of the working class. Each year Milwaukee’s Voces de la Frontera hosts a march and rally called A Day Without Immigrants. This year will be no exception. However, it is hoped that more white faces will buffer those who are made vulnerable due to the rhetoric and imposition of power. And let us not stop there. Let us continue to put ourselves on the line for our relatives of color. Let us confront the racism we have been steeped in, so that we can witness its end. Some of us are coming to the recognition this is not a game. There are no sides in humanity.

We are in this together and it’s time to let the light back in.

photo of Milwaukee May Day 2025 by Brandon Roost of Roost Photography / Milwaukee Wedding Collective

Capacity to Care

Of all the lessons I’ve ever learned, I’m grateful to those who demonstrated kindness and instilled a love for all of humanity within me. In my young life, Christian values had more to do with love and loving, rather than sin and fear of retribution. I could grow my capacity to care. And it felt good.

At a very young age, I learned about the kindness of St. Francis of Assisi, and participated in ripping sheets into bandages to send to leper colonies. It was empowering. And while the concepts of service to humanity or to the divine have transformed within me over the years, I know that the capacity to love and to care is something that can and should be practiced. The heart is indeed a muscle that can be stretched and can grow into a powerful resource. That is my anchor.

When the Pope chose the name of Francis, I hoped he would herald back a time when greed didn’t have such a hold on our lives. He didn’t disappoint. I don’t practice a faith, the hypocrisy is too much for me, but I was grateful as Pope Francis attempted to steer the ship back to the values of humanity that I hold in high regard. This is not meant to be a salute to Francis, but a salute to the qualities of human kind that we shared and that need to be uplifted now. 

Today, we’re steeped in judgement on ourselves and others. We use it as a mile marker to determine our place in the arbitrary hierarchy we believe God has made for us. From the perspective of Love, this is a ridiculous grid to live by. 

No two things can occupy the same space at the same time. Be occupied by Love.

Pope Francis and his capacity for care of Palestinians.

Changing the Rules of Engagement

If you are speculating on how dire things will be and not taking action to stop the harm, you are missing an intrinsic reality: This is still within our power to change. 

Most recently I learned of the president of Namibia, who let it be known that western travelers and others will now be required to pass through a visa process to enter her country. The 72-year-old is changing the rules of engagement and requesting dignity for her people. I was heartened by the clarity of the declaration. It was not made in retaliation. It was made in reclaiming humanity that has been in imbalance far too long.

It has long been said that patriarchy is in its waning days and we should expect a backlash. I guess we are in the midst of that backlash at this moment. But it does not make it right, nor does it mean we have to surrender our values and all that we have come to learn. We do not have to bow and grovel before ignorance.

This is a time that requires a fierce trust in humanity’s best angels. It requires a courage that withstands the grotesque distortion of values and remains resolute to higher truth.

It demands that we reach the reachable. And what should we invite them to consider? I would argue that we need not try indoctrination into a political party, or another religion. We should invite people to discover the strengths that we each hold, encourage everyone to celebrate their uniqueness and to honor the earth, our collective home. We need to beat the drums of our mutual humanity and call for the reachable to come back to the simplest of truths. We are alive and the power of peace is still available. 

In her new book Defund, Black Lives, Policing and Safety for All, Sandy Hudson invites us to re-examine our understanding of policing and to consider what gains can be made as we re-invest in humanity with dignity for all. This is a lively and compelling conversation that highlights the necessity for change. Take time to listen here.

You can find more of my podcasts on the transition to restore humanity at Changing the Narrative on WDRT. Thanks for listening and sharing.

Change Course

There’s no doubt we’re in for a ride as the chaotic upheaval of the government continues. Certainly, there’ll be people in need and hopefully we’ll find a way around failing systems to help. If you’re still falling in line with Republican or Democrat talking points, it may be time to consider the talking point that suffered the most in both parties’ rhetoric: our humanity.

When a government abdicates its responsibility to protect the welfare of its people by choosing instead to build wealth through military industry and resource theft, that government is not worthy of its people’s allegiance. Since October 2023, we have witnessed a government unyielding in its support of genocide. The hand off from Biden to Trump was seamless and now we are expected to complete the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians by a single decree of our president / king. 

And just as South Africa and others accused Israel of genocide, there is now a request for the International Criminal Court to investigate Biden, Blinken and Lloyd for their complicity in genocide by “aiding and abetting” Israeli war crimes in Gaza.

European nations are uniting in fierce opposition to Trump’s erroneous statements on Ukraine. And we must reckon with what appears to be another US resource grab in disregard for the sovereignty of Ukrainians – and what it could mean for other nations if Putin’s aggression continues with US approval.

As the United States wealth gap increases and countless marginalized people face the terror of hatred unleashed and run amuck, we shouldn’t ask, “How did we get here?” In a country whose entire history has been one of attempted genocide of Indigenous people, cruelty of enslaved people and the scapegoating of anyone who challenged the normalcy of the “divine right of kings” – the question should be: “How do we emerge from this horror?” 

It’s beyond time for us to acknowledge, challenge and change the storyline of empire that has been our history. Yes, we have been led by high ideals but time and again we have surrendered those ideals. Whether out of fear of the powerful or the desire to climb the ladder, we have squandered beloved community. We have sacrificed our humanity, our individuality and our human family and for what? Changing course is still an option. It will require a commitment toward peace and peace building. It will require a truth telling and courage to face the backlash that will surely, is surely, coming. It will require a restoration of each individual’s humanity and the reinvigoring of community. It is possible and it is happening for some of us. We can remain frozen in the fear of this moment of violence and repression or rekindle and support the ideals of liberty and equity for all. Choose. 

Thinkin’ Bout us

There are fundamental understandings of living that I have come to accept. That we, human beings, are basically Good, and unfortunately, we have the choice not to be. That being alive is a gift to be cherished regardless of the difficulties, and yet, we often forget how precious it truly is. That all beings are my relatives and cultural differences are a beautiful mosaic to be appreciated, not feared and destroyed.

The great experiment in plurality, which was the only hope for our exceptionalism, is being dismantled. Ruthless greed has taken the place of high vision. Fear has removed the dream of brotherhood. False truths have robbed too many of their ability to think and reason. And hopelessness has found a home in too many hearts.

We the People have been here before. Our collective histories, both written and oral, confirm this and teach us “to make a way out of no way”. It is essential now that we rediscover who we are, not who we were told to be. Like the last of the coals that still carry the glow of warmth and light, we must protect those embers. We must feed them and breathe new life into their flames.

Grace Lee Boggs warned us that it was “time to grow our souls”. I think we are now in the battle to save our souls. I am not referring to any religious doctrine or ideology, but instead to the direct and encompassing action to know ourselves, discover our strengths and be fueled by our passions for life.

I’ve been thinkin ’bout us. 

There are ways out of this mess. Know who you are. Respect for others will follow. Co-create in community and with land. Everything we need here. We got this.

“To make a revolution, people must not only struggle against existing institutions. They must make a philosophical/ spiritual leap and become more ‘human’ human beings. In order to change/ transform the world, they must change/ transform themselves.” ~ Grace Lee Boggs

“I think people are really looking for some way whereby we can grow our souls rather than our economy. I think that at some level, people recognize that growing our economy is destroying us. It’s destroying us as human beings, it’s destroying our planet. I think there’s a great human desire for solutions, for profound solutions – and that nothing simple will do it. It really requires some very great searching of our souls.” ~ Grace Lee Boggs

Graceful Defiance

Twenty-three years ago, I took on coexisting with some land, and gratefully I’m still learning. You recognize that where human footprints have trod the earth becomes less pliant. You learn that every season has a new story to tell and every plant, tree and animal that abides with you is eager to teach. 

Areas that were disturbed by human touch quickly give way to so called invasives. And left unchecked some plants will crowd and eventually weaken others. You find that your good intentions imposed on the land are often unnecessary and unfulfilling.

And you hold the trees close to your heart as friends. The old heirloom orchard holds amazing lessons in diversity and I am certain the ciders we make are among the best anywhere. 

One tree captures my heart. Often ignored, it’s adjacent to the road and I am certain has endured horrible toxicity from asphalt and salt. But still it remains. I’m sure they tore through its life veins as they lay telephone lines. But still it remains.

This tower of the ages, this testament to the will of life is a white pine. And I’m guessing it was planted when the original house was built over 170 years ago, when the road was nothing more than a one lane pass, next to a sweet little stream.

The white pine is a symbol of strength, protection, and longevity. It was under a white pine that five nations of the Haudenosaunee forged an alliance through the Great Law of Peace. That Great Law still guides People towards unity and to the consensus decision making essential to the benefit of all. 

In graceful defiance, we are urged to learn what remains possible. In unity and in Peace within ourselves, with one another and the Earth.