As an “endless” war carries on; a genocide continues without consequence; as we grapple with the inhumanity of ICE; and too many are going hungry or without adequate care, hopelessness and fear are palpable. But we cannot let them win. There are attributes to be cultivated, things we have not tried, that could help us. First, we must confront two realities: one is our history of violence and oppression, the other is our compliance with it.
This confrontation of our history requires us to go deeper. Our “exceptionalism”has been built on indigenous conquest and slavery. Our refusal to demand equity and human dignity is telling. We are tied to systems which do not serve all of us. In fact very few are served and the trends towards de-humanization are escalating, not abetting. By recognizing our complicity to oppressive systems, we can extract ourselves from them and bring them to their rightful end. This takes courage and clarity and heaps of determination because at every turn we’re reminded that our compliance is needed to maintain the status quo. Then I ask myself, “What exactly am I agreeing to and participating in?”
And when I stop, when I listen to the simple cries of my heart, this is when I come back to being human. We have the opportunity to choose compliance with our humanity, nothing else. As people line up behind candidates and parties looking to belong, seeking solutions and comfort in ideas that have never served us; we can choose the belonging and comfort of being human. We can let that be our starting point. Life gets much simpler. We are built for this.
The beauty of living here in the Driftless is a gift. The day to day activities have challenges and rewards. Gratitude is a welcomed companion; it helps relieve the weariness of a world gone mad. Maintaining a practice of benevolence towards oneself and others is not a weakness; it is our super power.
It is a choice to live with dignity. In that choice there is little left to debate. One people, one planet, one love; and one effort to leave this beautiful earth better than we found it. That belonging is possible. We just need to go a bit deeper.
Take time for yourself. Take time to discover the best in us… This is a free ten week zoom, please register in advance.
Money and fear. They’re a bad combination. When money is used to sway people to take positions that are counter to their benefit, there’s no other word than “evil” to describe the intent and the outcome. Fear is the hammer and money is the force behind the swing. People who don’t even know the meaning of socialism are now obsessed with decrying it. Forget the facts that most of our society has thrived because of socialized principles. For those whose number one enemy is socialism, stop cheering on the Packers. Don’t call your fire department and definitely don’t cash that social security check.
We’re losing every safety net that was consciously createdby human beings who cared for one another and hoped the best for future generations. Roosevelt’s New Deal carried bold visions for economic, social and political reforms. We have squandered that capital – and wait until more of the “big beautiful bill” comes due later this year. Rural hospitals will pay that price. And now we have republicans and republican light vying for control. How much change do you think is going to come down that corridor?What kind of change? Who will benefit?
It won’t be Black or Brown people. It won’t be Trans and Gays. It won’t be those of lessor means.
I hate politics. Please don’t tell me “Vote blue no matter who”. That is the very thinking that keeps us on this merry -go -round. The “blue” we keep electing are incrementalists. The ones who placate us with “it will take a bit more time and a bit more money” while we continue paying the price.
We blew some chances Wisconsin, but the game ain’t over. Stand up and fight.
If Crowley can in fact beat Tiffany in November it will be with the help of 311,475 Hong supporters. In order for disenfranchised voters, independents and people tired of politics as usual to cross over in support of a “moderate centrist” some things will need to be addressed. If Crowley doesn’t want his name to follow the stupendous losses of Clinton and Harris, he will have to move the centrist needle left.
Here is a partial ask: state clearly the need for a moratorium on data centers in Wisconsin; address the health care needs for all without kicking the can for another time; and let us know how ICE will be dealt with by police in our state – will 287g be outlawed as Illinois has done? Let’s also get police out of our schools and address the lack of equity in voucher programs. But here is the absolute litmus test: Crowley must answer questions he dodged by his last minute refusal to attend the forum held by the Wisconsin Muslim Community Alliance in July. Is what is occurring to Palestinians in Gaza a genocide by Israel? Yes or no. At this point in time, if a candidate cannot answer that question, many of us will be taking a hard pass. Human life can not be subject to our incrementalism.
And that goes for Rebecca Cooke who hopes to unseat Derrick Van Orden in the third congressional district. No more kicking the can. Don’t let the primary win fool you. Cooke will not win if she continues on with Third Way mindsets.
Hold their feet to the fire. It’s still ours to win.
Politics has not held much weight with me. The game has always seemed too rigged, but something is definitely stirring that may prove to be enough to welcome a new day. The discourse is changing. People across the nation are feeling empowered to hope again.
It is time to remember the old childhood song, “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but names will never hurt”. The insults and lies are flying. We have met the supreme insulter in chief and his vitriol has emboldened far too many. But we are taking back our courage and dignity as human beings, and it shows.
We are standing empowered to demand what we want and need. And if you have a mind to vote, make sure you are certain of what and who you are giving your permission toward. Maybe this time we will demand the empowerment of everyone. The bots and AI commercials can’t rock you when you are committed to humanity.
Here are two podcasts from Changing the Narrative. The first is with Francesca Hong. the second with Emily Berge. I give time for people to express their humanity and invite them to express why they are engaged so passionately in whatever they do. These two people are unstoppable and regardless of the outcome in the Aug 11 primary, or the Nov 3 midterm, they will have made their mark on our culture and our politics. And it is good.
Please listen and share.
A Force For Good. Francesca Hong is running as an unapologetic Democratic Socialist on the Democratic ticket to be the next governor of Wisconsin. “We Make Better Possible, ” is proving to be a welcoming, big tent idea.
A Human Being Who Happens To Be a Politician Emily Berge is running to unseat Derrick Van Orden in the Third Congressional District challenging the notion that Washington insiders should pick the Democratic Candidate and has insisted on having a primary for the 3rd allowing local voters to decide.
This week has been a roller coaster with extreme temps and choking smoke dulling the senses and dimming the mind. But even in these wicked days every moment counts. Every drop of Good matters. Every step toward Clarity brings us closer to our home and to ourselves.
This photo is from a post by Gregory LaForme on the fires in Canada. Read his post below.
The week began with an interview with Francesca Hong for my podcast Changing the Narrative. I was and remain in respect of the humanity she brings to her campaign for Governor of Wisconsin. She has risen against tremendous odds to bring a sense of hope and dignity to our state. I welcome you to listen to our conversation.
If you have been reading my work over the years you probably know I have little faith in systems, and even less in politics. But my faith in the human spirit never waivers. Not in our ignorance, but in the wisdom that shines through when we take time to cultivate it.
The powers that be are throwing curve balls into this election. Both parties are sure they can sway the outcome, and perhaps they will. But that is still up to us. And the question will remain: Who do we want to be? Team Hong’s slogan, “We Make Better Possible” is not empty rhetoric. It engages and empowers We the People. And rise we must, while we still have choice.
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I also invite you to check out our nonprofit Echo Valley Hope e-news Revolution of Understanding. It is full of hope and actions of wonderful people striving to make a difference.
As Indigenous people endure the fires, with lives and communities upended and little help extended to them, let us remember: What happens to one, happens to all. Let us continue to find ways to lessen the suffering of all people and the earth. We can. These are matters of priority and choice.
CORPORATE PROFIT, GOVERNMENT NEGLECT: HOW FIRST NATIONS ARE BEING LEFT TO BURN IN ONTARIO
While northern Ontario communities breathe toxic smoke and face emergency evacuations, we need to talk about the man-made choices driving this crisis. This isn’t just a natural disaster. It is the direct result of corporate greed and severe government negligence.
Look at Namaygoosisagagun First Nation, also known as Collins First Nation, located northwest of Thunder Bay. Earlier this week, a fast-moving, massive wildfire completely consumed and destroyed the entire community in less than an hour.
Because it is a remote, fly-in community with no road access, residents were left with zero emergency government help as the flames advanced. Families, children, and elders had to drop everything, run to the beach, and pile into a handful of boats to watch their entire community burn to the ground from across the water.
Chief Helen Paavola stated that they survived it, but now they have absolutely nothing.
This tragedy was entirely preventable. The truth behind what led to this begins with spraying for profit, which creates the ultimate tinderbox. For decades, the province has permitted big forestry companies to aerially spray chemical herbicides, like glyphosate, over public Crown lands. They do this to kill off deciduous trees like trembling aspen, birch, and maple. They want to eliminate competition so profitable cash-crop conifers, like pine and spruce, grow faster for timber harvest.
But nature designed deciduous trees to act as natural firebreaks because they do not burn easily. By wiping them out to build single-species plantations, the government has created high-risk monoculture forests that burn far faster, leaving dead, chemically withered wood to serve as kindling.
While our forests became tinderboxes, the Ford government systematically stripped away the resources needed to fight the flames. Premier Doug Ford gutted the emergency forest firefighting budget, introducing deep permanent cuts. Years later, despite worsening climate risks, his administration quietly slashed tens of millions more from wildland firefighting and emergency preparedness. Because of these choices, Ontario’s frontline wildland firefighting force has shrunk year after year, leaving remote northern communities chronically short on emergency crews, pilots, and critical response capacity.
First Nations bear the brunt of these political and corporate calculations. Indigenous people make up only a small fraction of the population, but they account for the vast majority of all wildfire evacuations. Because many reserves are located in these targeted, fire-prone regions, these communities are on the front lines. Not only are they facing terrifying, long-term displacements from their homes, but the aerial spraying itself poisons their traditional territories. It obliterates native berry patches, destroys sacred medicinal plants, drives away moose populations, and risks local water contamination.
The bottom line is clear. We are sacrificing ecosystems, human health, and Indigenous treaty rights to protect corporate timber bottom lines and balance reckless provincial budgets. We cannot allow the government to underfund emergency services while actively making the landscape more dangerous.
Wake up and share this message. Talk to your local representatives and demand accountability for northern communities. Support the Traditional Ecological Knowledge Elders and organizations like Stop the Spray Canada who are actively fighting to end chemical forestry management.
Let’s celebrate that which is worthy of celebration!
Some things never took on me. As a teen I had a fierce reaction against the Vietnam war when most people were blindly in support, before the narratives changed and the body count rose. I remember at even younger years, I was not willing to mistreat or even speak poorly of children less advantaged. And I never understood the disregard and dehumanization of Black children who I counted as friends. I hated the stigmas on diversity or anything that smacked of difference issued by “God fearing, church goers”. Their hypocrisy was repugnant to me. It chased me from religion, but not from my Creator.
A favored aunt tried to help me “see the plight of white people”, offering books that spoke of being outnumbered and more. I felt sorry for her. I didn’t realize at the time she was unwittingly warning me of what was yet to come. That those Sunday worshiping, people of God were about to unleash hatred so vile as to make me want to withdraw from society as a whole.
But that’s not my fate. I choose instead to champion the truly Good in all of us. And however desperate the times appear; I’m committed to fulfilling my life’s purpose: to be fully human, fully alive. I’ve lived a life of questioning and choosing. And my choices, while not easily executed, have allowed a love of humanity and of the earth that I cherish.
Baraboo, Wiscsonsin will be celebrating Juneteenth for the third year. It’s a community refusing to surrender to the racism that has haunted it. Haunted all of us. I’ll be there again. This is what we need. To celebrate our stories of victory, to revel in the colors of the rainbow and to delight in our diversity which is our strength.
It’s time for the silent to waken. The line is drawn. We are either human or we are not. There is no other choice. Time to dance.
Abolish ICE. End racism. Choose humanity. Celebrate Juneteenth.
If your media intake is limited to FOX, MSN, CNN and the like, you’re being lulled into aggression or passivity. Facts in these arenas are designed to distract and divide. I want to direct you to your humanity.
If you’re among those holding your breath in hopes that some divine hand will reshape the current course of insanity, I would tell you to stop wasting your time. There’s no hero coming to save the day. The hope is that we, as individuals and collectively, will take the time to learn how we got here and find creative ways to revolutionize our communities, our nation and the world.
If the fire in your belly has been all but extinguished, I would suggest to you to find the fighters among us who have not given up. The clear eyed, passionate truth tellers. The marginalized who are no longer controlled by corporate money and the empire. Free your mind and your heart will thank you.
Because we’re not born to be enslaved. We’re born to enjoy the magnificence of this creation. We’re not born to enslave others or to control their uniqueness in any way. We’re not here to destroy the garden, but to co-create with it.
There are people challenging the status quo of hate and fear. I count myself among them. I seek out their wisdom. Not to follow or mimic, but to fuel my thirst for peace and justice, so I can carry on.
Lastly, I have come to appreciate the independent journalists and creative minds on Substack. Many have been driven from corporate media of their outspoken criticism of inhumanity and injustice. Danielle Moodie, Wajahat Ali, Joy Reid, Jared Yates Sexton, Katie Phang, Trita Parsi and Alisa Valdes-Rodriquez are a few of my favorites.
Still other are artists and activists seeking community and the chance to be heard. Take time to catch the poetry, photography and heart of Mustava Santiago Ali and Justin Mott. You can find all of these and many more on my profile page at Substack. Discover and share the diversity of thought and will that is our right and our heritage as human beings.
When we know one another, when we see each other’s humanity, we will change course.
The robins have returned unaware of the snow dump and deep freeze that would welcome them back to Wisconsin. I watched one perched high on a tree. It seemed he was trying to catch a bit of sun that was beginning to break the darkness. Feathers puffed, I wondered if we shared the same bewilderment of a world gone mad. I took birdseed and water to their haunts, hoping to help them ward off the bitterness, and realizing I was helping myself as well.
What can be done when leaders and echo chambers continually batter us with ignorance and beat the drums of war? What can be done? One drop of kindness in whatever way means a lot.
The doubt maker is busy spinning dark thoughts and doom. But the sun has already begun to warm the air and the birds are flocking to grab whatever nourishment they can, as they sing… Yes, they still sing in spite of it all.
The $tate of the Union is scheduled for Tuesday, February 24. Groundswells of people, including Congressional members, will be tuning it out. What better way to steal the thunder of one who feasts on false accolades than to ignore him? Media will be paid to record, regurgitate and correct or bolster every line, saving us our precious time. After the speech we will be force fed false stories of grandiose exceptionalism as they desperately try to have us not look behind the curtain of illusion. Bets could and should be made on how many times the Epstein files are mentioned. Odds are not at all. And there will unlikely be no mention of our “peace” president’s blockade on Cuba that is crippling that sovereign nation. Nor will we learn any more clarity on the possibility of going to war with Iran and what role Israel plays in our ongoing militarism.
And this administration has refused to reel in the inhuman acts of the mercenaries called ICE, paid for by the “big beautiful bill” with Congressional approval. Our tax dollars are funding Department of Homeland Security detention centers that are essentially prisons, and one must wonder, if criminal deportation is the point, why are so many prisons necessary?
We live in an imperialist and racist nation. One that hid the truth of Native American genocide and the anguishes of slavery. We’ve allowed the myths of grandeur to cloud our vision and to promote this grotesque new normal we are living in.
But as the realities of child rape and sex trafficking through the elite world cabal comes to light, surely, we are ready to say, “We’ve had enough”.
It’s time for a revolution of kindness. Kindness to ourselves, to our children and to the children and people throughout the world harmed by imperialism, environmental extraction and debauchery.
It’s time for a worldwide human revolution. Let’s stop letting ignorance lead. Do something meaningful during the $tate of the Union that will help bring power to its knees. Not listening to there $tate of the Union is a start. Create a new narrative of love, community, diversity and joy. Because we can.
The twisted threads of violence and hate are not new to us. They’ve been woven into the fabric of this nation from its beginning. To continue to deny the presence of white supremacy or to whitewash it in any way only prolongs the agony of its existence. To ignore misogyny or the usury of capitalism as destructive forces in our society keeps us from stepping into our rightful place as human beings, capable of choice and of peaceful coexistence.
Learn from the modern abolition movement and the wisdom of uplifting communities to abolish the need for policing. It makes total sense. There is hope there. There is courage there. There is vision.
It’s weary making listening to politicians argue the necessity for militarized police or insist that change must come slowly. They invite us into their complicity with a system that has fed class struggle. A system that has divided us through artificial stereotypes of race. A system that rebukes those who challenge it by imprisonment and worse. And now they are debating the reform of ICE and too many are refusing to demand it be abolished. Kicking the can down the road to surface once more. There is no way to reform a policing system that has roots in slave capture or of Indigenous genocide. The roots of ignorance run deep and we must not be tricked again.
The police state is a profit-making machine and we, through our government, are footing the bill, both financially and in the damage to our souls. To continue to allow the very loud but very few voices to dominate this transition is foolish at best, self-destructive at worst. Both political parties have benefited from allowing militarized policing to thrive. Our collective willingness to supply and and fund the genocide of Palestinian people was a precursor to what we are witnessing on our streets today.
Ask yourself why you believe and have faith in militarization? Do you recognize that fear has been induced into our psyche and shaped our decisions for generations? Can you see how it keeps us from our humanity and fuels this moment of violence?
The money poured into militarization and ICE could go a long way towards the healing that we desperately need.
Kudos to the people who are coming to these understandings and putting their bodies on the line. Kudos to the ones who are standing up to family and friends who have bullied with fear and untruths. Kudos to all who are taking a stand, in whatever way, for our mutual humanity.
There is no easy path towards our healing. There is no more waiting for those who refuse to live in a good way. We must, with everything in our beings, forge on. We must participate in this great unraveling, this untangling of the threads of injustice, and reject the leadership of hate and deceit.
We must acknowledge our history and make a conscious choice to live differently. It is not only possible. It is essential.
Demand accountability. We are still being played. Removing one henchman for another as the head of ICE in Minneapolis yet the grotesque acts of violence continue. Main stream media remains complicit, as do the leadership of both parties.
Listen to marginalized voices. For once. Step into your humanity.
I gain strength listening to the voices of those unafraid to speak truth. However hard. I gain strength acknowledging what I have known all along. It will take more of us to bring about the change we know must surely come. Pay attention. Participate in this transformation. Wherever you are.
I’ve been thinking a lot about trajectory. So, I took a moment to look up the word. “The path of a flying object moving under the action of given forces”. In Latin, it roughly translates to “throw across”. I found this over simplification rather boring and so I read on about the trajectory of life. It referred to the overall path one’s life is taking, with an emphasis on cumulative choices and experiences that can be intentionally guided or altered.
Now that’s more like it. Intentionally guided choices, not the throw of the dice take-what-comes theory of life. But the reminder that our relationship to life’s experiences, however harmful, however elated, can be altered by our choice. That I am not a victim to circumstance; I have the free will to perceive and the gift of conscious choice to steer my trajectory. And while I may not be able to alter the external, I most definitely can choose the path of my soul.
How I think and what I choose to give my attention to is my hidden power. And once I arrive at my knowing about any given subject, it’s my duty to preserve my compass and maintain the chosen trajectory of my life. It is my duty and my responsibility to hold the course of the Good within me. And that need not have words, nor does it need to be seen.
Today confusion challenges us. We’re easily motivated by consumptive greed and fall prey to power and the seemingly powerful. And in doing so we forgo the discernment that is gifted to us at birth.
Be clear about your goal. And do everything you can to keep it in line with your highest possibility. It is available to you.
The good news is while it’s easy to get lost; it is as easy to right ourselves. Seek wisdom within. Choose your trajectory wisely.
As I looked for images of trajectories, arrows and such, I came across this little image and the author was “youth hostel” and they gave it freely “to the world”. Whoever you are, thank you. We share a similar trajectory. It captures my piece precisely. Even the smile.
let kindness win 