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

It’s Still Up To Us

In January, 2020, I wrote much of this in response to the saber rattling over Iran. And now the war hawks are at it again.

Our history is full of people who have championed peace and diplomacy over war. We have honored those people and those ideals. Yet time after time we have allowed lies and greed to lead us into endless and inhumane wars.

Recent flagrant disregard of international law has opened the door for retaliation and the escalation of death and destruction. Leaders toss around nuclear options as if we could all relocate to another planet.

The fumbling assertions and disagreements within the Trump administration demonstrate the dangerous incompetency at the helm.

This president continues the legacy of past presidents, which is to be led by those who make money on weapons and war. When they speak of protecting United States interests, they are speaking of oil. If we allow this escalation of war and the stealing of resources, we are complicit.

But make no mistake it is Congress who declares war, not the president. And it is the people of the United States who can still determine their collective history.

Therefore, it is imperative we stand for peace and diplomacy in whatever means is available. It’s also imperative that we end our financial ties to the industries of weapons and oil and stop funding Israel’s war machine. And to evangelicals hoping for fulfillment of prophecy, I say, “Snap out of it”. We need your kind hearts; we need your love of humanity.

We must demonstrate to a world very uncertain of our motives but very certain of our ability to create chaos and death, that we, the people, are ready to change course.

It‘s still up to us.

There’s still time for peace.

photo from the Truthout article from January 8, 2020.

Not Always As It Seems

Have you noticed round growths on oak trees? I had seen them a few years ago, and looked them up and promptly forgot what I read. Now they’re reappearing and since we’re trained to be alarmed by the unusual, I began reading up on them again. It turns out most authorities agree they are harmless, just unsightly. But unsightly is enough for many people to seek ways to eradicate them.

Apparently, insects and mostly non stinging wasps lay their eggs on the tree and these balls, or more reverently known as galls, develop like a cocoon to protect and to feed the larva. Once the insects mature and fly the coop, the galls dry and drop from the tree. That is, if human beings can wait that long. Most articles state galls are harmless and then give numerous methods of removal. Some include pesticides.

As someone who’s not willing to sacrifice benefit for unsightly, I kept reading until I found a delightful article on these galls, of which there are many types. This article did not even hint at removal. In fact, it talked about the fun to be had with the galls once they drop. It even explained an interesting human use for the galls. It seems some clever wench about the 4th Century AD found a way to make ink from the gall, combining its acid with iron sulfate and gum Arabic. This amazing discovery was used in the writing of the first Bible and continued on to be used in the writing of the Declaration of Independence. Even the original United States Postal Service used it until replacing gall ink with chemicals.

What can be learned here? Let’s forego premature evaluation based on appearance and stop losing our collective memory to superficiality and looking good. Wisdom, it’s in our DNA. Dig a little.

Never Again Must Be Now

We’re still in Ramadan and our Palestinian friends are engaged in daily fasts and prayers, while stories of starvation and tents bombed in the night haunt them. While heightened renewal of violence in the West Bank and Gaza robs humanity of its dignity, here we face the disruption of families and disappearance of immigrants and students by ICE, adding to the human nightmare. Israel, Russia and now the US are purveyors of violence and terror.

What will it take for us to resist the self-inflicted wounds of hatred and greed which underscore our lives? If you’re still waiting for superman; you’re ignoring the most important truth of all. You’re the one you’ve been waiting for.

Regardless of the politics you hold; it is incumbent upon us to challenge violence in all forms. It’s imperative that we become a human shield for peace with our words and actions to end the inhumanity. It’s not a time to cower.

We’re fed storylines to drive fear and to have us reject empathy and compassion. Our sense of normalcy is being erased and replaced with dystopia. Our politicians stand in lock step with Israel and supply weapons and money in the billions, and they allow the deportation policies causing suffering for many. Both parties vote to continue the downward spiral of human dignity. But where do we, as individuals, stand?

Colonialism, the theft of land and the subjugation of people have been the human history. It does not have to be our future.

For people of peace and justice, there can be no room for debate. Our government is eradicating free speech and using the label of “terrorist” to dissuade those of conscience into silence. We cannot be silent.”Never again” needs to be now and for everyone.

Take back your power. Be human.

Take back our collective power. Vote, Wisconsin, Tuesday April 1

“NonViolence and NonCooperation” is the theme of this WDRT Conversation with author and nonviolence activist Rivera Sun. This hour is packed with historical facts and an enthusiastic call to action as we reclaim our humanity. Take a listen! Photo from our first meeting in 2015.

https://www.wdrt.org/?post_type=post&p=14055

From Vision to Reality

This is the month we celebrate the life of Martin Luther King, his wisdom and his humanity. We reflect on his vision of a country united in compassion, love, justice and peace. We do this in stark contrast to the vitriol of division that has swept through and consumes our land.

We do this as ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) seeks to locate itself in our communities in fulfillment of the campaign promise to have swift deportations of our friends, neighbors and co-workers on day one. We do this as the federal government ignores international laws of human rights. By detaining people accused of crime, but not allowing due process through our judicial system, we are not only disregarding international law, but the laws of our own Constitution.

As current anti-immigrant legislation is passing through Congress, we witness our elected officials sign on to mandatory detention for minor offences and empower states’ attorney generals to weaken immigration policies and block visa programs.

Driven by unjustified fears and old bigotries, too many of us will be ignoring the inhumanity that will be ushered in.

This, as the media continues to squelch the cost to our economy as we lose this vital workforce. This, as we will thrust human beings into illegal and inhuman conditions while they await their fate. This, as we forgo our own humanity and diminish the humanity of our friends, neighbors and co-workers.

There are many working to ensure migrant workers are aware of their rights in this reckless time. One is WISDOM WISCONSIN. It’s a faith based, predominantly Christian, statewide network of volunteers who are refusing to be complicit.

From their website: Support Immigrant Rights in Wisconsin! No matter where we come from, what our color, how we worship, or what our immigration status is, we are all in Wisconsin, and we all want to provide for our families.

WISDOM brings together people from across racial, geographic and economic lines to demand fair and safe immigration processes for all families, just like we won civil rights in our past. By joining all in together, we can make Wisconsin a place that honors all families, no exceptions.

From ZETEO: Challenging the mischaracterizations and lies.

Know Your Legal Rights When Dealing with ICE Immigration Enforcement: The US Constitution provides rights for everyone, regardless of immigration status. Right against Unreasonable Search and Seizure (4th Amendment) is based on personhood, not on citizenship.

1. Right to Due Process

2. Right to legal counsel

3. Right to be with family

4. Right against unreasonable search and seizure

5. Right to education

“I do not consent to any searches, I will not speak without a lawyer present”

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

― Martin Luther King Jr., I Have a Dream: Writings and Speeches That Changed the World

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., center, leads a group of civil rights workers and Selma black people in prayer on Feb. 1, 1965 in Selma, Alabama after they were arrested on charges of parading without a permit. More than 250 persons were arrested as they marched to the Dallas County courthouse as part of a voter registration drive. (AP Photo/BH)

Affirmation of Resilience

The Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves held in confederate states on January 1, 1863. But it wasn’t until the passage of the 13th Amendment in 1865 that slavery was abolished in the entire country.

The Civil War ended in April and on June 19th of 1865 the Union Army made its way to Galveston, Texas to remind slave owners of their duty to set people free. Hence the celebration now recognized as our national holiday, Juneteenth.

Ah, but that slow boat to progress grinds on.

It wasn’t until the passage of the 14th Amendment in 1868 that formerly enslaved people were granted citizenship, due process and equal protection. Voting rights were granted to all male citizens by the 15th Amendment in 1870.

In October 1913, W.E.B. Du Bois and the NAACP celebrated the African diaspora and the progress made towards freedom. These celebrations have continued. They signify times of reflection and pride throughout the United States and Caribbean nations. They are an affirmation of the resilience of the People.

In the ongoing struggles of systemic racism and the whitewashing of our history, the continued resurgence of Juneteenth showcases the strength and the courage of our Black family.

It was an honor to participate in Baraboo’s first ever celebration of Juneteenth. Music, poetry, family, faith, food and brutal honesty mingled with love in the heart of Baraboo, and hosted by Humility, Inc.

“We Do This ‘Til We Free Us” is Mariame Kabe’s determined title to her book on human abolition / emancipation and community. We have so very much to learn from one another. Maybe next year I’ll trek to Milwaukee where Juneteenth has been celebrated for the past fifty- three years.

Let us never turn back the clock.

Milwaukee’s Juneteenth celebration – photo by Angela Harris

Tag: history