Rethinking Genocide

Dominant cultures share common threads. They forcibly and systematically destroy cultures and peoples who are different. They do this by killing and torturing, separating children from families, forcing indoctrination on the young, and by the rape and murder of women and girls. They do it with swift first strikes and then gradually through police tactics, court injustice, social crimes and environmental destruction. The governments of these dominant cultures carry on the atrocities for generations. Education and religion are used to maintain the status quo and to create an illusion that “all is as it should be.”

Since WWII we have termed this cultural and human destruction as genocide. In 1948, the Untied Nations created the legal definition of what was then coined the “crime of crimes”.

Ideas take time to take hold. This week dominant culture took a blow with the release of Canada’s National Inquiry into the epidemic of murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls.  Exhaustive studies and final conclusions prepared by professional Indigenous women were presented to the Canadian government.

Within the findings is the declaration that the Canadian government by omission and commission engaged in the genocide of Indigenous people.

As one survivor put it, “You can’t un-hear the truth.”

Here are a few words from the final damning report: “These violations amount to nothing less than the deliberate, often covert campaign of genocide against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA [two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex and asexual] people.”

Humankind must find a way to end the perpetuation of violence on Indigenous peoples.  Dominant cultures everywhere must grapple with the racist and sexist attitudes that are upheld throughout their systems and policies. The United States has developed an institutionalized apathy that needs to be challenged.

Kudos to all who are fighting this inhuman disease however you are called to do so.

 

For more on the report and its findings and to give credit for the photo used visit Eagle Feather News.

On Soundcloud. Thanks to WDRT for airing “Consider This.”

No Time Like the Present

As I race to cut hay between rainfalls to ward off the scarcity in the mules’ paddock, I remember the words, “No time like the present”.* And as I debate which tasks are more important and which should never be omitted, regardless of how tired I feel or how late the hour, the words ring again to assure me of my choices. There is no time like the present.

As the refrain dances in my head and in my heart, I realize it is my Mother’s voice. These were often the words she used to get my lazier self up and at it – whatever “it” might be.

Choosing a life on the land really drives the point home. Choosing a life of community magnifies it. Once in team training I was reminded that every voice matters and that if you are not being heard you must find a way to be heard. There is no blame in this. There is only effort.

We are living through a unique time. There has been a predominant voice. It has been a controlling voice. It has often been without kindness. This dominant voice is now being challenged as voices, too often silenced, are finding their way to be heard. There is no need to blame.  But there is a need to listen.

There is no time like the present. Modern physics challenges this notion and while their notions of time may hold truth, my reality is singular. This is our time. And for each of us there is no time like it. Every moment, every choice, every smile, every tear, every cup of appreciation filled is unique.

Acts of kindness seem to lengthen time. Giving myself to this moment surely makes it sweeter.  There must be more than hope in the phrase, “No time like the present.” There must be action.

 

* This adage was first recorded in 1562. It was amplified by John Trusler to “No time like the present, a thousand unforeseen circumstances may interrupt you at a future time”.

Thanks to WDRT for airing “Consider This” each Thursday at 5:30 pm CST.

You can listen to it on Soundcloud.

Fostering Community

It’s an art to be able to listen to another point of view and not have it run through the filters of our own personal belief. It’s an art. And it’s possible. The fabricated spin of our differences crumble when we are willing to see the humanity of another.

We’re at it again. The political sideshow is on: the posturing, the endless stream of money, and the division, essential to the existence of our two-party system, is in full swing.

But there is an antidote to this nightmare called politics. It’s called “community”.

I ventured to Wikipedia to look up “civic duty” and was surprised to see that it was distinctly separated from the explanation of “community engagement”.

This division in our thinking is problematic.

This week I attended three meetings. One was a town board meeting designed to address procedure and policy. The other two were meetings to uncover the needs of the communities we live in and to find fruitful ways to help one another.

Community spirit was lacking in the board meeting. The policies considered and enacted were not designed to help the community at large, but rather to support a few individuals and their economic gain. The other two meetings were collaborative, and allowed the free flow of conversation, even in disagreement. The spirit of unity, which is the foundation of community, was strong.

Could it be that by limiting our civic engagement to procedures, policies and votes we have left out the most significant ingredient: community?

Could it be that our political apathy and angst is a direct result of fragmentation and isolation among us?

Maintaining our independent silo is in direct conflict to creating what Dr. Martin Luther King referred to as “Beloved Community.”

And if this is so, what steps can we each take to foster community once more?

 

Consider This is heard on WDRT   every Thursday at 5:30 pm CST or here on Soundcloud.

Help One Another

The small rural towns of the Coulee region are about 8 to 10 miles apart. A now defunct rail system helped build the once thriving communities. Today ten miles can spell isolation to elderly, farmers, farmhands and their children.

In winter months it’s not so noticeable. We all seem to enjoy hunkering down and when we do see one another winter gives us something to complain about. But the buzz of spring is upon us and with it comes the local farmers markets. These markets serve many purposes. For some vendors it is a means to bring in a bit more cash, for others it is a chance to share their art, or a chance to catch up with neighbors and shake those winter blues.

The floods of last year left many wounds and one is fear. Fear that the old towns and the old ways of life are leaving. Well, it is true that new flood planes have destroyed landmark buildings and businesses, but the spirit of kindness that is a pillar of this region lives on.

So this is an invitation to you: Get out to the markets this season. Get to meet your farmers and craftspeople. If the musicians come out you can listen to some great music and enjoy the throwback to a simpler time. Mark your schedule to visit one or more markets a week. They’re only ten miles or so apart. Share your dollars locally to help keep our economy alive and well. And introduce yourself to your neighbors. It is always good to make new friends.

There are many visitors to our region who come to bask in the beauty of it. The people here and what we do are part of that beauty.

Rediscover the Coulee. Support the farmers markets. And help one another.

Here are a few of the markets in our area (I will add information as I get it):

Ontario Farmers Market Saturdays beginning May 25 from 9 am until 1 pm

Sparta Farmers Market  Saturday mornings 8 am- noon

Viroqua Farmers Market Saturdays mornings 8 am – 12:30pm

La Farge Farmers Market Saturdays 9am- 1 pm

Cameron Park Farmers Market, La Crosse Friday evenings 4-8pm and Saturday mornings

 

photo of the marvelous heirloom apple blossoms at Echo Valley Farm

Cloak of Belief

I avoid confrontation when it comes to belief. I don’t mind an interesting debate of facts and I relish a good conversation of shared knowledge. But belief, well you know the saying…everybody has one.

Belief is that insidious master who lays claim to you without showing papers of ownership. It comes along in our young years while our brains are being washed and sticks around like a nasty virus until we take the time to shake it off.

The ugly reality is that we have politicized our beliefs. It’s not enough to feel superior; we work hard to reduce the rights of those we deem different or lessor. It’s not enough to have enough; we ensure we remain on top through the exploitation of people and land.  And how do we justify these abnormalities: We believe. We latch onto the beliefs that satisfy us and ignore the ones that might actually make us think and allow us to feel our humanity.

My pet peeve these days are the Zionist Christians so eager for Eternal Life that they are willing to let their trumped up Christian president and his henchman march us into a war with Iran. Or that these same people are OK with the genocide and apartheid of the Palestinian people by the state of Israel – paid for and sanctioned by the United States government. Or how they ignore the fact that Saudi Arabia is behind the annihilation of Yemen, allowing innocent people to starve to death – also paid for and supported by the United States government.

These same people are quick to jump on the ‘hate queers’ bandwagon, proudly proclaim their racial bigotry, and praise God all in one mouthful.

Forget the kingdom of heaven on earth. We are too busy creating hell.

I ask you: Where have these Christians gone?  They are buried under a cloak of belief.

 

Tell the Senate “No War with Iran” by signing here.

Beyond Tolerance

There is an affliction haunting human beings throughout the world. Some refer to it as hatred. Some argue it has always been among us. Some proclaim that it will always be. Decades of reflection and numerous experiences of being “the hated”, as well as discovering the need to check my own ability to hate, I have come to the conclusion that we must go beyond tolerance.

Tolerance means that while you may hold differing opinions and beliefs you are graciously allowing others to do the same. And while that may look good in polite society it has done little to undermine the currents of hate promoted by faith leaders, political tyrants, and street gangs looking for triumph.

No, it is time we move beyond self-righteous tolerance. We must be willing to see in “the other” our own selves at every turn. It is time for our humanity to be championed. And with that comes the multi dimensional spectrum of diversity, which is the human condition and our human right. We are, each and every one of us, unique and special, a gift to be enjoyed.

We teach our children to fear the other and then confuse them with the notion of tolerance. Let us begin with the very real truth that has eluded us in our affliction; we are one people, one planet.

We wring our hands as we learn of each violent act of hate, but continue to participate in the very cultures that allow it to be. It is up to each of us, this reclamation of our humanity, this championing of the voice of clarity and the wisdom of peace.

No religion, clergy, political or charismatic leader will be able to save us from this moment of despair until we do this.

Go beyond tolerance.

Discover the splendor of being human.

 

Thanks to WDRT for airing “”Consider This” each Thursday at 5:30pm CST. Or you can listen here on Soundcloud.

Thanks to Meg Novick for the photo.

Dependency

The Amish had it right. They did not want to become dependent on electricity. It wasn’t to make their lives harder. It was to not become dependent on a government or any other body who would seek to rob their independence or their character.

I have been thinking of this a lot lately as I weigh the urgent need for immigration reform in this country. There are many people who do not want to live in the United States, but would like to work here for a while and return to their countries of origin.

Considering labor shortages on farms and elsewhere, this would make good sense. But the current short-term work programs are severely outdated. Even the George W. Bush Center’s website, “A Nation Built by Immigrants” suggests the need for new worker programs.

Instead the current administration urges us to fear these people. We are encouraged to ignore our sense of humanity and continue to allow the separation of children from parents, overcrowded and dehumanizing detention centers, and perhaps worst of all, we ignore simple solutions because of our fear.

Creating humane worker programs would be one solution. Another would be to remove United States military from these countries, and instead offer aid to help them rebuild.

Many of the immigrants and asylum seekers are being forced from their homelands and ways of life because of extraction of resources – resources that our government and military pay heavily to protect. This “protection” has in recent years cost the lives of numerous environmental activists trying to protect their homelands and their communities.

No, it is not the immigrants we should fear; it is our ignorance. We must move towards becoming citizens of the world and realize how our choices directly affect others. Let us end our dependency on stolen resources protected by blood money. On this, the Amish had it right.

Seeking Asylum

I would like to clarify some misunderstandings regarding asylum seekers. An asylum seeker is not an illegal immigrant. An asylum seeker is one who because of the very real fear of violence, displacement, hunger or other persecution is forced to leave their home country in search of shelter in a foreign country.

Adopted in 1948, Article 14(1) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights guarantees all people the right to seek asylum. These people are known as refugees. This is international law, yet each individual country creates unique pathways for asylum seekers. Today we are in the midst of a humanitarian crisis on our southern border. Thousands of people, families and children are seeking asylum in the United States due to the inhuman conditions of life in their home countries. How we treat these people is within our domain.

When an asylum seeker enters our country at a legal port of entry and proves through documentation the facts of their case, they begin a process, which may take months to complete. During that time they have two options. If they can find a sponsor, they are allowed to live with that sponsor. They are not allowed to work and must strictly adhere to all court dates, check ins and other policies set forth by ICE. If they do not have a sponsor they are forced to reside in a detention center.

I am sponsoring a young family who were granted the possibility to seek asylum in the United States. Their journey has been ongoing for the past three months. They speak very little English and are at the mercy of strangers and a very complicated system.

Kindness and compassion must not slip away as bureaucracy steps in. Respect is imperative. At the end of the day we are all human.

 

 

The photo shown is of the ankle bracelets that must be worn at all times by asylum seekers.

Resiliency

The melting snow that brought the most recent flooding added to the widening creeks and changed topography of the Driftless. As I surveyed the battered roads and considered where to place culverts, I realized we are embarking on a dynamically changing time. The new flood planes have already forced many from their homes with more likely to come. And discussions of relocating businesses have taken on a whole new meaning as rural towns face the inevitable decisions that lie ahead.

Politicians talk of dams. And I wonder if they are seriously considering this costly and limited solution that seems akin to putting a finger in the dyke.

It makes much more sense to me to hear old time farmers talk about growing varieties of grasses that root deep into the soil and help absorb runoff, rather than build costly fixes like dams.

Then came the news of the wipeout in Nebraska and surrounding Midwestern states. Water is showing us who is king. We have gone horribly astray as we tried to outmaneuver Mother Nature instead of living in sustainable harmony with her.

Unprecedented flooding has also crippled the Pine Ridge, Rosebud and Cheyenne River Reservations wiping out roads and corrupting water supplies. Help there is also desperately needed.

We are being forced to reckon with this new reality. We are being asked to think in new ways and to help one another.  We are coming to the realization of the preciousness and the destructive nature of water and the clock is ticking.

Here in the Driftless we are cleaning up our waterways. We are helping neighbors relocate; and we are talking about community in very real terms.

The differences among us are melting along with the snow and that is how it needs to be as we face this new day and discover our resiliency.

 

Check this site for more updated information on recovery / resiliency efforts in the Driftless.

You can listen to the hour WDRT program  “Conversations” with Jen Schmitz as we discuss resiliency and recovery happening in the Driftless.

You can listen to this WDRT broadcast of “Consider This” on Soundcloud

Engaging Community

A quote by Helen Keller reads: “Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much.”

The obvious truth of these words can only be known as we engage in community. And while it appears that some are lost in independent silos and more interested in entertainment than in civic responsibility, that has not been my experience.

Even before the horrible floods that devastated our region last year, many were engaged in trying to find ways to curb the rising tide of farm loss, homelessness and hunger, and the isolation of people due to drug and alcohol abuse.

Then came the floods making mockery of our efforts and forcing us to reckon with the reality that there is very little we can do alone. We need one another.

And so I, like many, have sought community and ways to lend a hand. It is not always easy to offer support. As a whole we have learned to be distrustful. We have bought the story line that says, “Pull yourself up by your bootstraps” and we are ashamed to admit it does not always work. The truth is, we need one another.

Today it seems we are engaging in a great renaissance of community. For me it involves organizing the Ontario Farmers Market. Or showing up to discuss the importance of protecting the natural resources in our area from unwanted usury. It means writing these two-minute posts for our community radio station in hopes that someone will be inspired to act.

This renaissance of caring means we must be willing to listen to one another as well as ensure that we are heard. If we do, we just might find this quote by Margaret J. Wheatley to be true,  “There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.”

 

photo: planting trees, 2016

you can listen to Consider This on WDRT Community Radio every Thursday, 5:30pm, CST or listen hear on Soundcloud