Guess Who Gets to Rebuild in New Orleans?

Mikaela says:
Not poor people!

Here's Democracy Now's summary of the NY Times article:

Over 77,000 Katrina Home Loan Applications Rejected
The New York Times is reporting hundreds of thousands of Gulf Coast families are being denied government loans to rebuild homes lost or damaged in Hurricane Katrina. According to the Times, the Small Business Administration -- the federal agency in charge of the main disaster recovery program for businesses and homeowners -- has processed only a third of the 276,000 loan applications it has received. Of those that have been reviewed, the government has rejected 82 percent of home loan applications – over 77,000 rejections. In New Orleans, approved loans appear to be heavily tilted towards wealthy neighborhoods over poor ones. Herbert Mitchell, director of the Small Business Administration’s disaster assistance program, told the Times the government could not risk taxpayer money by lending to people with low incomes or poor credit history. Mitchell said: "We're just dealing with the demographics in the area."

Sounds bad, doesn't it?

Here's what the NY Times article is headlined:

Loans to Homeowners Along Gulf Coast Lag

Lag? Lag? 82% rejection rate is a "lag"? Lag for whom? Not for upper income people! Talk about burying your lead! Talk about blatant whitewashing!

Here's quotes from the actual story that garnered that oh-so-benign headline:

And [the Small Business Administration (S.B.A.)] has rejected 82 percent of those it has reviewed, a higher percentage than in most previous disasters, saying that many would-be borrowers did not have incomes high enough, or credit ratings good enough, to qualify. The rejections came even though the Federal Emergency Management Agency has referred more than two million people, many of them with low incomes, to the S.B.A. to get the loans.
...

To a large degree, that high rejection rate appears to reflect a mismatch between existing government aid programs and the large number of low-income people affected by this year's hurricanes. Despite the widespread poverty in the most damaged regions, the Small Business Administration has not adjusted its creditworthiness standards, which are roughly comparable to a bank's.

In fact, the loans that have been approved appear to be flowing to wealthy neighborhoods in New Orleans but not to poor ones, according to a list of loans released by the government and mapped by The New York Times.

Remember what the government's own report found about bank funding: It's racist.

Sounds like a good model for the SBA!

To read alternative ways to rebuild, remember m-pyre's suggestions here and here and here and here. Needless to say, it ain't lookin' good! Uh, Congress? Can we do something? Quickly?

P.S. Bush just asked for another $1.5 billion. He says it's for rebuilding the levees. Who do you think that's really for? I'm guessing not poor, black homeowners. I'm thinking business owners. Safe bet, no? I bet you anything New Orleans is going to get a whole slew of new sports stadiums and a new downtown harbor a la Boston.

What Bush Will Be Remembered For: Unbelievable Hypocrisy

Mikaela says:

Bush was asked in an interview what he hopes to be remembered for.

BUSH: You mean, just kind of a blanket statement?

Fox's HUME: Yes.

BUSH: I hope that first, as a person, I'll be remembered as a fellow who had his priorities straight: his faith, his family and his friends are a central part of his life.

Secondly, I hope to be remembered, from a personal perspective, as a fellow who had lived life to the fullest and gave it his all. And thirdly, I'd like to be remembered as the president who used American influence for the good of the world: bastioning freedom and fighting disease and poverty, by recognizing to whom much is given, much is required and that -- that I wasn't afraid to make a decision.

He's President of the most powerful country in the world (although he's doing his damndest to undermine this), and his top priorities are faith, family, and friends? Is that why he goes on vacation so often?

And LASTLY he wants to be remembered as someone who makes decisions, right or wrong?

Yep, that about sums it up, doesn't it?

But really, what Bush will be remembered for is the deadly hypocrisy that led to a war in Iraq, the undermining of public education, massive corporate takeover of government, and the spread of dictatorships and terror around the globe. Woo-hoo! Go America.

I mean, really. We go to Iraq to spread freedom and end up imprisoning thousands of Iraqis with no system of justice and torture them by directive of our Secretary of Defense. No hypocrisy there. We defame torture and then kidnap and fly citizens of other countries to countries where we know they will be tortured? Hmmm... We say torture is not acceptable and then add an Army training manual for how to torture within international law? We say no torture ever, except for our CIA? Really?

Here are some of the latest tidbits of hypocrisy.

Bush on Cheney:

And the good thing about Dick Cheney is when he discusses a topic with me and he gives me his advice, I never read about it in the newspaper the next day. And that's why our relationship is so close and his advice is so valued.

This depite the fact that Cheney's office is embroiled in the CIA operative leak scandal that led to Libby being indicted and forced to resign!

Bush on Rove:

[W]e're still as close as we've ever been. We've been through a lot. When I look back at the presidency and my time in politics, uh, no question Karl had a lot to do with me getting here.

Only, where's HERE, exactly? The lowest approval rating of an incumbent President? At war in two countries? In the midst of White House scandal? Maybe Bush is really telling us who the leaker really is. It's an admission of Rove's guilt! Finally!

Last night, Bush declared Tom Delay innocent of money-laundering charges. This, despite Bush's insistence that he can't comment about on-going investigations, which has been his reason for NOT commenting on scandal in his own White House about his closest (and the country's top) advisors.

But it's okay for a Texas buddy? What the hell!

Bush on Iraq:

We will not leave until victory has been achieved.

As Iraqis stand up, we will stand down.

Peter Baker: "What he did not do was reconcile those two ideas. Will U.S. soldiers withdraw from Iraq only after the insurgency has been vanquished? Or will they withdraw when Iraqi security forces become adequately trained to take over the battle themselves? Or somewhere in between?

Seeing straight...past the propaganda

marjorie says...

We are so propagandized in this country we can hardly see straight…it takes a supreme effort at times. What brings this up for me this morning? An article a friend emailed me about Hugo Chavez winning the UNESCO’s José Martí Prize, which is a prize awarded for contributions to “unity and integration of Latin America and the Carib-bean.” And the award was made in Havana no less.

Hmmm…could it truly be that the United Nations is honoring a despot at an awards ceremony in a totalitarian country that tortures its citizens??

Well, if you listen to the relentless U.S. media characterization of both Chavez and Cuba you’d probably think that.

But to the rest of the world we’re a bunch of nuts. After all, our Vice President is at this very moment lobbying Congress hard to *not* ban torture…

Enviro Justice

Mikaela says:
Environmental injustice is alive and well. Katrina ripped open a window to expose conditions all along the polluted Mississippi where communities of color disproportionately share in hosting noxious industries.

From Democracy Now:

African Americans 80 Percent More Likely Than Whites To Live in Polluted Areas
[G]overnment records analyzed by the Associated Press show that African-Americans are nearly 80 percent more likely than whites to live in neighborhoods subjected to dangerous industrial pollution. Carol Browner, who headed the Environmental Protection Agency during the Clinton administration, said: "Poor communities, frequently communities of color but not exclusively, suffer disproportionately. If you look at where our industrialized facilities tend to be located, they're not in the upper middle class neighborhoods."

We're facing this issue right here in Albuquerque in the South Valley's Mountain View community, which compared to the rest of the County is poorer and less educated and has a higher percentage of Hispanic families. Mountain View houses the vast majority of the County's industrial businesses, from auto recyclers to petroleum farms, often right next to residential neighborhoods. There have been so many spills and accidents, residents can no longer drink water from their own wells. Businesses are pushing back against efforts to regulate dumping and require safe business practices to protect nearby residents.

What are we willing to do to create livable communities for all residents? How much are we as a society prepared to see environmental injustice for what it is and take steps to change it?

To read more about environmental racism in general:
Annotated Bibliography

To do something about it here:
Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP)

To work toward environmental justice regionally:
Southwest Network for Environmental and Economic Justice

NM supports privatizing the Space Age

Mikaela says:
Now millionaires can launch themselves into space from New Mexico!

Hmmm... a different version of outsourcing. I wonder how long it will take Bush and Co. to set up an illegal goulag on Mars? Talk about harsh extradition!

NM and a private concern from London will build a $225 million spaceport near White Sands. From NY Times:

38,000 people from 126 countries had paid a deposit for a seat on one of its commercial spaceflights, including a core group of 100 "founders" who have already paid the full $200,000 for a ticket. It plans to begin flights in late 2008 or early 2009, using the base in Mojave, Calif., from which the first manned private rockets reached space last year.

Virgin Galactic said it had chosen New Mexico as the site for its headquarters because of its steady climate, free airspace, low population density and high altitude. All those factors can significantly reduce the cost of the spaceflight program.

Lack of Info

Mikaela warns:
I feel a rant of unsubstantiated claims about media coming on. Read no further if you want ACTUAL justification for gut-level disgust about the state of things.

I'm a quick peruser of four news sources, as I'm sure my entries make clear. First and foremost, I scan Democracy Now to digest what to look for in the big papers. Then I click first on NY Times -- cause it's the New York Times! (Although, I've been consistently disappointed and downright disgusted with its vapid reporting lately. These days, I check Washington Post first.) Then I check out Washington Post. Then, if I'm still dissatisfied, I go to the LA Times. I'll admit it; I'm doing this during work before settling into my work day. I need news fast! I read more than one paper to minimize myopia and to gain a broader survey of what's on the radar for respected media outlets. That's the idea, anyway.

You wonder why m-pyre's postings have been a bit thin lately (okay, damn near comatose)? Yes, we're all busy, and yes, our lives are changing tectonically as some of us finish degrees (hurray!) and some of us search for new direction and one of us (okay, me!) try desperately to keep my nose to the thesis grindstone. But on my part, it's also a dearth in news coverage of the stories I'm hungry to know about. Sure, the newspapers are still filled with all kinds of stories. But the ones that I want to know about? Silence.

Dan Froomkin from the Washington Post has been the only one consistently remembering to ask, "Where's Rove? Why isn't Bush talking? Why isn't anyone dissatisfied with the silence enough to force them to talk or at least offer up more satisfying (i.e. more truthful) answers?"

His stuff's buried, though. I never can find him if I'm looking for him, and I usually only read him when there's a link displayed under the Opinion heading on the main page. Otherwise? Hard to find. Maybe I'm just an idiot.

But shouldn't it be easier? Shouldn't there be more stories?

What happened to the information that the Bush administration has been waging a propaganda war in Arab countries much like the propaganda he paid for here in our very own country? (NY Times very much comes through on this story documenting the extent of the propoganda but misses the opportunity to explore why this is deeply unethical, or even report that criticism.) Where's the outrage? Or the analysis?

What happened to the Downing Street memos?

Why is the heading "Fitzgerald Watch" when the story is all about Rove and Novak?

Can someone with more objectivity and wisdom, maybe more time to think about this carefully and critically, please explain all this to me?

That said, here's the link to Froomkin's amazing run-down of all things Bush related.

And here's his White House Briefing, which is fast becoming my main source of the news I care about:

• Bush on plans to attack Iran and Syria: "The long run in this war is going to require a change of governments in parts of the world," Bush told the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia, a nonpartisan educational group, on Monday. He didn't name names but noted that Iran and Syria have become obstacles to freedom in 'a tough neighborhood.' "
• Bush on Katrina and racism: "Somebody I heard -- you know, a couple of people said -- you know, said, 'Bush didn't respond because of race, because he's a racist.' That is absolutely wrong. And I reject that. Frankly, that's the kind of thing that -- you can call me anything you want -- but do not call me a racist. Secondly, this storm hit all up and down. It hit New Orleans. It hit down in Mississippi too. And people should not forget the damage done in Mississippi."
• Bush on where he gets his news: "I don't see a lot of the news. Every morning I look at the newspaper. I can't say I've read every single article in the newspaper. But I definitely know what's in the news. Occasionally, I watch television. ... But I'm very aware of what's in the news. I'm aware because I see clips. I see summaries. I have people on my staff that walk in every morning and say, 'This is what's -- this is how I see it. This is what's brewing today,' on both the domestic and international side. Frankly, it is probably part of my own fault for needling people, but it's a myth to think I don't know what's going on. And it's a myth to think that I'm not aware that there is opinions that don't agree with mine. Because I'm fully aware of that. . . .

  I read the newspaper. I mean, I can tell you what the headlines are. I must confess, if I think the story is, like, not a fair appraisal, I'll move on. But I know what the story's about."

• Bush on whether or not he's in a bubble: "Look, I, I, uh, I feel like I'm getting really good advice from very capable people, and that people from all walks of life inform me and inform those who advise me. And I feel very comfortable that, that I'm very aware of what's going on. ... I'm interested in the news, I'm not all that interested in the opinions."

NM at the Nation's Capitol

Mikaela says:
New Mexico's holiday tree was selected to be placed in front of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.

Do you think this was about our governor? Or because we're still considered "exotic"?

Or because they figure they should do this now before all vestiges of our living cultures are polluted to death by natural gas interests increasingly gaining power within New Mexico and nationally as the rhetoric moves to vilify oil and foreign dependence and valorize national resources (without a concomitant understanding or acknowledgement or moves to mitigate of the pollution this will cause for our own communities)?


Granted, all energy production pollutes the communities whose resources we use. Even solar panels cause pollution because of the highly toxic chemicals used to produce them.

Still, it's a beautiful tree. And it's nice to know that maybe a few more people will discover the state that's usually missing from the panopoly of 50.



I have to wince a little at the "decorative" use of culture imported for holiday viewing. It rankles a little in the same way that the Mardi Gras discussion hits me as a massive co-optation of the living culture of vibrant people who are not being compensated (or even considered worthy of planning efforts to mitigate impacts caused by the dominant cultures that take from them) for this "celebration" taking.



Yeah, happy holidays, New Mexico. You make a beautiful tree. Keep that gas and coal coming! Thanks for ornamenting our capitol.

1954-2005

Maggie says:
Stanley Tookie Williams was executed last night by the State of California. Arnold Schwarzenegger: The Terminator, indeed.

I can't think of much of anything to feel except absolutely terrible. Were Tookie's victims more honored through his own death than they were by his anti-gang work that actually prevented gang violence? In the wake of his nominations for a Nobel Peace Prize, Tookie's state-sanctioned murder only makes him a martyr. And us, murderers no better than him in his youth.

Look at those eyes. Just look at them.

Happy bumpers

Maggie says:
Thanks to CafePress, my car's now the proud owner of a bumper sticker that couldn't be more perfect for my obnoxious, look-on-the-bright-side self. For all you other glass-half-fullers, I highly recommend some self-affirmation with this little number:


While I was there I ran into another sticker so cute, so nerdy, so perfect for three Ms I know, that I ordered, well, three of them. So wave if you see us m-pyre gals tooling around town with these on our bumpers:

Riveted by "The Agronomist"

Maggie says:
I watched "The Agronomist" this weekend. Actually, I experienced "The Agronomist" this weekend. It seeped into my bones and took me to another place. Do watch it.

For those not in the know, "The Agronomist" tells the story of Jean Dominique, legendary independent radio journalist and founder of Radio Haiti, who was assassinated in April 2000 outside his studio. The film also tells the story of Michele Montas, Jean's widow and partner at Radio Haiti until the end. Jean Dominique was an amazing man, a true loss to humankind. A Paris-trained agronomist, he returned to his country commited to using his knowledge to advocate for peasant farmers, a commitment he maintained throughout his life. He transformed Radio Haiti from a little-known radio station into a bastion of independent news and connection for Haitians in periods of intense disconnection from each other and the rest of the world. Radio Haiti broadcast in Creole (the first station to ever broadcast in the "uneducated language" of Haiti rather than in French) in order to better communicate to the people, and it steadfastly provided independent news to Haitians from within the country and from the rest of the world, another very new practice.

"The Agronomist" celebrates the importance of a free and independent media in the most serious of ways: by portraying what a threat free thought is in countries of oppression. Radio Haiti was a station run by and for the people of Haiti. It refused to be a mouthpiece for various administrations, despite the murders, tortures, bombings, shootings, and periods of exile experienced by its staff members. Radio Haiti was always seen as a problem by various dictators or US-backed administrations because at the helm of Dominique and Montas, it simply would not give in to pressure to change its way of operating. The station became a symbol for Haitian people - a symbol of freedom, of success in hard times, and of dogged persistence. The station's slogan - "we have stumbled but not fallen" - embodied the struggles of all Haitians to remain free through generations of oppression. When Jean and Michele returned to Haiti after their first exile during the last of the Duvaliers' reign (they were notoriously known as Papa Doc and Baby Doc, as many of you know), 70,000 Haitians arrived at the airport to greet them. 70,000 people.

U.S. guilt is woven throughout this documentary. We see so clearly - and I hope like hell that people who are completely unaware of our guilt in Haiti along with many, many other countries will see this - that when our country involves itself in another with less-than-democratic intent, absolute chaos erupts. In Haiti, our country turned the Army into murderers, the provisional government into dictators. We take bad and make it worse, and for what? No where, at no time, will the U.S. admit to the profiteering on our hands, the blood spilled because we muddled and interfered with what was not ours.

Some of the most heartbreaking scenes in this film show boats filled with would-be Haitian refugees, desperately trying to reach the U.S. and escape the brutality and oppression of their country. We watch the Coast Guard turn them away in international waters and the point hits home: our country is responsible for creating unimaginable circumstances in the lives of Haitians, yet they still choose to believe we will help them, take them in, save them from the horror that is on our hands. If only our country actually lived up to the country they thought we were. But no. We are terribly unfair, unabashedly indifferent. As damning as the evidence about the School of the Americas and the CIA is, what's most damning is still those boats, those people, desperately wanting to believe that we will help them.

Jean Dominique was a man more democratic than his country, a voice for the people and no one else. His unwavering demand for human rights lives on. So does our unwavering guilt.

Technorati tag: the agronomist, jean dominique, haiti

Mayor's Monomaniacal All-Ages, Some Venues, Prohibition

Mikaela says:
Joe Anderson posted a letter about the Mayor's proposal to ban all alcohol sales from all-ages shows here. Although that effort by the mayor failed, rest assured he's still got tricks up his sleeves.

A cyber-friend in Albuquerque's own Unit 7 Drain, who plays often at the Lauchpad, posted this to his blog in October:

So yesterday, I was jogging down Central, and I noticed Chavez's campaign HQ, I went in and asked if I could speak to someone about this "no alcohol at all ages proposal" , they directed me to the campaign manager's office.

I asked what this proposal was about, the guy said "the mayor whats to keep alcohol away from kids" I said "so this applies to the Journal Pavillion and State Fair too, right?" He said, "no just places where there is a bar atmosphere". I responded "kids have gotten alcohol lots of times at the Jounal, they have been cited many times, my underage sister has had beer handed to her several times @ the Fair. Why are you picking on the Launchpad?" He said "it is the adults with alcohol, not the Launchpad. We just want the kids to be away from the adults with alcohol" I said "but there are adults with alcohol around all the kids @ the Journal and State Fair, why is that OK?" He said "we just don't want anywhere where there is a bar atmosphere"

It was like talking to a robot. (a robot with very limited understanding and poor programming) I could see in his eyes that he knew it was BS. But he was following his programming. There were two teen-aged girls in his office while he and I were having this conversation. They knew it was BS also. It is strange how someone can go against what they know is right. It is like these people are in a really big, socially accepted CULT. It was just interesting to see someone spewing bullshit right to my face, and maintaing their own straight face while they do it. "

-ride captain ride
-little bobby

It is one thing to want our children to be safe; it is another to use our children as the justification for our own selfish goals. The Mayor needs to come clean about why he's really so interested in this issue. The fact that he's not doing more to keep alcohol sales to minors from happening EVERYWHERE, starting first with the places where it happens the MOST completely undermines his credibility on this issue.

My first guess: he's politically and monetarily connected to the Journal Pavilion and can't/won't screw with them.

Second: he's politically and monetarily at odd with Launchpad/Sunshine owner Joe Anderson, who's on the opposite side of development issues that Mayor Marty's moneycrew falls on.

It's okay, Marty. You can admit it. Let's just all be honest and have a conversation about what we want to do together. That's democracy, right? Is that idea really so scary to you that you have to hide behind teenagers?

Come on out. Let's talk about this. Our community has the right to make a decision together, knowing where each of us stands and why.

Like New Orleans, Albuquerque teeters on a development decision-point. The more we can force all the players to be transparent about their own stakes in these decisions, the better informed our decisions can be. Them's the rules of the game. Let's all remember that. Even if the power does lie with the moneyed, the community can re-balance the power by banding together to demand accountability. That's how it works.

As Marjorie says, democracy humanizes capitalism. That's the role and power of community.

Anybody got the skinny on Marty's latest?

To Mardi or Not to Mardi

Mikaela pontificates:
That's New Orlean's question.

The businesses want the show to go on. They say, 40% of New Orlean's budget comes from Mardi Gras. Throwing the party means more money to help return city services and get residents home.

But whose Mardi Gras is it? Tourism is based on culture, yes? But many of the rightful owners of this culture -- those who can authentically lay claim to it -- were bused and flown other places, and they haven't been asked to return.

On NPR, when they were interviewing the President of the Marketing and Convention Visitors Bureau, he was very deliberate when he said tourist industry businesses were the first to step up and help residents, and now they want Mardi Gras to continue to recuperate funds that can bring "some" of them home. I wonder if he includes poor black residents in that "some" or not. I have my suspicions. The some in this case is not even as much as its parts.

He made it out as though tourist industry supports the people. But whose culture supports the tourist industry? Can there be an industry without them? Should there be?

Technorati tag: katrina, new orleans, mardi gras

Katrina Response: race & class *were* factors

marjorie says...

There are congressional hearings happening on the role of race and class in the response to Hurricane Katrina. Democracy Now has excerpts that are fascinating.

In this transcript, community members argue that they WERE held in concentration camps:

REP. JEFF MILLER: May I ask you a question? You mention -- you talked about the parishes. And this is something that I have heard people talk about. Is it true that some parishes are refusing to allow temporary housing of certain peoples within their parishes?

LEAH HODGES: Very true. Very true. Particularly true of [inaudible] and Jefferson Parish. Jefferson Parish is where the Causeway concentration camp was housed, where we experienced the Gestapo-type oppression, as opposed to being rescued. We were three minutes away from the airport. They could have taken us to the airport. Those military vehicles could have taken us to any dry, safe city in America. Instead, they dumped us at a dumping ground, sealed us in there, and they backed up all their authority with military M-16s.

And there were thousands and thousands of people. On the last day we were in there -- and let me tell you something -- they hand-picked the white people to ride out first. Yes, racism was very much involved. They hand-picked the white people to ride out first. Every day, the crowd got darker and darker and darker until finally there were only – there were 95% people of color in that place.

REP. JEFF MILLER: Miss Hodges, would you be offended if I respectfully asked you not to call the Causeway area a concentration camp?

LEAH HODGES: I am going to call it what it is. If I put a dress on a pig, a pig is still a pig.

REP. JEFF MILLER: Are you familiar with the history?

LEAH HODGES: Yes, sir, I am. And that is the only thing I could compare what we went through to: a concentration camp.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: And that's the truth.

LEAH HODGES: And everybody in the place with me, the lady sitting next to me was there, my mother was there, my younger brother was there, my two sisters; we ran into others. That is the point, that they broke up families and dispersed us.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: That's right.

LEAH HODGES: And they stood over us with guns and enforced their authority, and yes, they tortured us. And then they used various forms of torture. And yes, I know what a concentration camp is. I'm a college-educated woman.

REP. JEFF MILLER: Not a single --

LEAH HODGES: And I love the study of history.

REP. JEFF MILLER: Not a single person was marched into a gas chamber and killed.

LEAH HODGES: They died from abject neglect. We left body bags behind. Pregnant women lost their babies.

In this transcript, Cynthia McKinney takes the Democractic Party to task:

AMY GOODMAN: Harry Alford, president and CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce. After three hours of moving testimony, the hearing came to a close. The Republican chair of the committee was about to end the proceedings before he was interrupted by Congress member Cynthia McKinney.

REP. TOM DAVIS: Let me just thank this panel. Thanks for your patience and sitting through it. Thank you for the dialogue, and we very much appreciate this information.

REP. CYNTHIA McKINNEY: Mr. Chairman, don't bang the gavel yet, because I would like to have concluding words.

REP. TOM DAVIS: Ah, yeah. Ms. McKinney.

REP. CYNTHIA McKINNEY: I would like to thank you, Mr. Chairman, for allowing us to have this day.

REP. TOM DAVIS: You can take as much time as you want on that comment.

[laughter]

REP. CYNTHIA McKINNEY: Because were it left up to—I'll get in trouble now—but were it left up to the Democratic leadership, we would not have had this day, because we wouldn't be here. The Democratic leadership has instructed us to boycott this panel, because we can't trust the results or the report of this panel. But if we participate as our constituents voted us to do up here, we can at least insure that there's more integrity than by boycotting it.

And so I would like to thank my chairman for giving us the opportunity to invite people who don't have the opportunity to come and testify before Congress, except for Barbara, of course, she comes up here a lot. But, we’ve heard from people for whom getting here has been a struggle, whether it's just because they are Katrina survivors at the armory, and it was a struggle for them to get to the armory, or if they are Katrina survivors living in New Orleans still, determined to stay there and maybe every once in a while get a glimpse of their member of Congress.

We are here to serve all of the people of this country, and too rarely do we hear from all of the people. But thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Mr. Shays, for staying here throughout the entirety of this hearing to hear what my people—my people—have to say. Because the road that we walk is not paved. Or as some great poet said, life for us ain’t been no crystal stair.

REP. TOM DAVIS: Thank you. Cynthia, thank you very much.

AMY GOODMAN: Congressman Tom Davis of Virginia thanking Democratic Congressmember Cynthia McKinney, who called for the hearing on race and class as it relates to Hurricane Katrina.

Technorati tag: katrina, new orleans

We're still here

Maggie says:
...just busy. And battling cold/flu. And overworked. And stressed about the holidays. And stressed about how to get everything done. Not in that order, and not each item for each of us, but you get the picture.

I spent two days in bed this week sick as a dog. And it's freezing in my place because I can't bring myself to turn on the $heat$, which doesn't help anything. But it's a whirlwind before I leave for North Carolina next week to make it home in time for my brother Lane's college graduation.

Three items to quickly mention:

• Martin Heinrich being elected as City Council President deserves a big YAY!!! for him and a YAY!!! for ABQ progressives
• Check out this incredible review of "Brokeback Mountain" in the Times yesterday. I cannot wait to see this movie and am resigned to the fact that I'll be watching it alone in NC at a matinee rather than with the hordes of friends (and my movie pal in particular) who are anxiously awaiting it here. Why can't ABQ get movies to come to town at least somewhat on par with the rest of the country? Grrrr....
  
• After tonight's potluck/final presentation extravaganza, my undergraduate class will officially end and I will officially begin hopelessly missing them. :-( More confirmation that I am, indeed, very lame.
  

Never fear, m-pyre will perk up soon. Promise.

New Mexico: Raise the Wage

marjorie says...

We're getting another chance to raise the minimum wage, this time at the state level. I urge you all to call your state representatives ASAP and let them know that you support Raising the Wage. Here is a newsletter article from New Mexico Voices for Children about this effort:

Raise New Mexico’s Minimum Wage to $7.50 – Expand Opportunity to All New Mexicans

New Mexico’s sagging wage floor needs to be fixed. Fourteen states, and the District of Columbia have already raised their state minimum wage, to establish a wage floor above the federal minimum wage of $5.15. 82% of Americans believe the federal minimum wage should be raised, according to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center.

We have an opportunity in the 2006 legislative session in New Mexico to take a very meaningful step towards expanding economic opportunity to all New Mexicans. New Mexico Voices for Children has joined a broad, statewide coalition, New Mexicans For A Fair Wage, calling for an increase in the state minimum wage to $7.50, indexed to inflation so that it increases as the cost of living does, with no preemption of local wage ordinances, such as Santa Fe’s.

What better way to create a family and business friendly environment than to fix our poverty wage floor?

Because our minimum wage is still so low, we need to take a significant step to make a difference to expand opportunity in our state. $7.50 is a significant step forward.

Fourteen other states and the District of Columbia have increased their minimum wage. What’s happened? Have economies crumbled? Are low-income workers worse off? No.

Increasing the minimum wage has not slowed job growth in any state.

Let’s look at what happened in Santa Fe when the minimum wage was increased to $8.50. Job growth in Santa Fe’s hotel, restaurant and ‘hospitality industry’ has actually accelerated above job growth in other industries in Santa Fe. And the people receiving Santa Fe’s new minimum wage of $8.50 are mostly concentrated in the hospitality industry. So, not only is business not harmed by an increase in the minimum wage, it seems to be helped.

123,000 working New Mexicans and their children would directly benefit from a wage increase to $7.50 per hour. The extra money for medicine, food, school supplies, gasoline, home heating costs and other essentials will mean the difference between deprivation and basic care for our families. The equation is simple. When the minimum wage goes up, poverty goes down.

The vast majority (about 80%) of the people who will benefit from an increase in New Mexico’s minimum wage are adults working full time, supporting a family. Nobody who works full-time should live in poverty.

If the path to the American dream is hard work, then we must make hard work pay. The choice is ours. Call your legislator today and tell him or her to vote yes to make work pay. Join New Mexicans For A Fair Wage by calling Lyn Wilson-King at 244-9505x16.

Democracy in Venezuela

marjorie says...

Have folks been following the news in Venezuela? Opposition parties pulled out of last weeks elections alleging that the vote would not be sufficiently secret. And the U.S. press actually report it as if what they say really is true.

Please. To the U.S. press: Get A GRIP and stop thinking we have no historical memory.

SO…let’s remember a few crucial details:

1. Venezuela is 80% poor. The remaining 20% control the vast majority of the media and the wealth of the country.
2. Hugo Chavez has overwhelming support by the vast majority of the people in the country. Yes, poor people, who have no media and no wealth but do get to vote.
3. There is an ongoing effort to get rid of Hugo Chavez by the small percentage of the population that doesn’t like him. They have:
1. Attempted to depose him in a coup in 2002 (which the population refused to allow).
2. Attempted to economically ruin the country in 2003 by shutting down businesses (which they failed at).
3. Have him recalled in a referendum in 2004 (which they lost).
4. Pulled their measly parties that have practically no support out of the congressional elections in 2005 (because they knew they’d be trounced).

In every single case Hugo Chavez has maintained broad democratic support.

At every single juncture the SMALL opposition has received relentlessly positive media coverage, in the private media of Venezuela (which they own) and in the U.S. press here. This in spite of the fact that they are obviously undemocratic. And they are incredibly dishonest. The Carter Center ratified the 2004 referendum--they were very clear that it was a very clean election. And yet, the opposition continues to shrill that there was fraud. Now, they pull out of the election to give the impression that the election wouldn’t be fair even though the government conceded their demands for how the voting would happen and the OAS clearly stated that the election was quite fair.

Given that they own the media in Venezuela, it’s not surprising at the coverage there. But given that the media in the U.S. is supposedly “free” and “fair” you’d think we’d see more favorable coverage and less coverage that regurgitates the U.S. government line. Just because our government doesn't like Chavez doesn' t mean he shouldn't be president.

To the U.S. press, not to mention the Venezuelan elite,

THIS is how you spell it: D-E-M-O-C-R-A-C-Y.

Give the man his due.

Technorati tag: venezuela, hugo chavez

Watching and waiting

Maggie says:
A strange weekend of alternating moments of connection and internalizing... but sometimes that's a perfect combination. Saw The Squid and the Whale last night, which is amazing. Literally, after the first thirty seconds of the opening scene, I whispered "this movie is already awesome." It's that good. And the night before that, a simply wonderful gathering with a simply wonderful hostess. Weekends like this one, connections remind us that our allies are all around us; internalizing firms up our own strength.

Currently in a Flying Star booth updating my resume, I'm eavesdropping on this idiotic Young Republican type trying to explain in very patronizing terms to the two terribly young girls sitting with him why repealing all taxes would actually benefit the poor. Because, you know, "The only reason I don't volunteer all my time at Joy Junction is because I'm too busy working to make up the lost money I waste on the sales tax when I shop at Wal-Mart." Mmm-hmmm. And the only reason I'm not sitting in a corporate cubicle working right now is because it's more fun job-shopping with my conscience. Can we all just admit who we are and where we stand? Can this crew-cut loud-mouth just go ahead and show his cards to these girls before they begin to think he's a good guy? And can't he find a better place to get his kicks and feed his ego than an audience of young girls who aren't yet ready to talk back to him?

Yet despite this idiot two booths down, it's a good Sunday. Good stories in the papers today, and this photo to marvel at: Amazing! In Hong Kong, more than a quarter-million people hit the streets to demand speedier democratic reforms. Anson Chan, a politician who before today was seen as a moderate and is now being called "Hong Kong's conscience," decided to join the march and stand up for her beliefs.

"I feel that there are moments in one's life when one has to stand up and be counted, and for me, I believe this is one of these moments."

How about it, Americans? What's going to finally make you stand up and be counted? If not now, when? How much more will it take?

In days and nights full of movies and dinners and conversations and action and thoughts, I wonder at the state of things, but more importantly, at the state of the people who stand by and watch without saying anything at all.

Speaking with a Recovered Language

Mikaela says:
Some New Mexican chicanos got stuck in a Catch-22. Their parents were shamed from speaking their mother tongue in public school, where only English counted.

Their children grew up hearing Spanish but were not taught or encouraged to speak.

Now in adulthood, these same Chicanos try to recover their mothers' discouraged tongue. But how? Talking at family get-togethers is often too embarrassing -- how can you show how much you never learned to say? How can you say all that's in your heart when only English words come to mind on cue?

Local author Demetria Martinez bravely takes on this very dilemma in her new book, Confessions of a Berlitz-Tape Chicana.

2/3 of m-pyre are ardent Demetria fans (we're working on the other...). Check out Maggie's post here.

I've taught with Demetria over the years at the Voces creative writing program for teens at the National Hispanic Cultural Center and worked with her on the Harwood Arts Center Poetry Anthology being put together as we speak. Look for publication soon. Not only is she a brilliant poet, she believes strongly in sharing her gift and her perspective, teaching others to use their own voices to express their experiences and make room for new realities to unfold.

Demetria is whip-lash smart, with cutting insight into politics, personal interaction, and cultural relations. Best of all, she has a sense of humor that calls into question all the things that we take way too seriously to actually make progress on. Personally, I think that's her biggest gift.

But you don't have to take my word for it; you can meet her and see for yourself! She's having a talk and book signing at the National Hispanic Cultural Center on December 7 at 7 pm.

December 7
Confessions of a Berlitz-Tape Chicana-
A talk and book signing with author Demetria Martínez

Author, activist, lecturer and columnist, Demetria Martínez wields
her trademark blend of humor and irony to give voice to her own
“tongue-tied generation” in this notable series of essays.
7pm, Salón Ortega, Free Admission

She's a unique voice that speaks to many common challenges. Not to be missed!

Cyberspace Redefines Sense of Place?

Mikaela says:
We know from our excellent ABQ blogs -- DukeCityFix in the forefront among them -- that a cacophany of voices with different perspectives can give us an enriched sense of the city and the landscape of politics and culture we all call home.

It appears that's a national trend, even in cities as complex and mythologized as L.A. From today's LA Times:

"Blogs comprise a really neat way of discovering L.A. in its complexity.... L.A. is juxtaposition incarnate, and most of our lives are too," says Baird-Hu. "Blogging is a way of sharing my connection to the world. So much of media has been one way for so long, and blogging allows media to be so much more dynamic than that."

Blogs are best known for their ability to bend political discourse and unravel shoddy journalism. But some experts think the blogs' collage of life in Los Angeles — and other cities — could eventually recalibrate our sense of place, redefining not only how others see us but also how we see ourselves.

Welcoming Alterdestiny to ABQ

Maggie says:
M³'s friend Erik is wisely moving from Santa Fe to Albuquerque tomorrow, and he's bringing his blog Alterdestiny with him!

Erik's been quiet lately (like someone else I know... ahem...), but keep checking on him while he gets settled into his new place. Sooner than not, I'm sure he'll be bringing us more of his political/historical/musical/sarcastic analysis that we've come to know and love.

Welcome, Erik!

Israel/Palestine Talk by Mark Rudd and Marla Painter

Mikaela recommends:

For those interested in a thoughtful discussion of recent events and future solutions in the Israel/Palestine conflict, Mark Rudd (former Weather Underground member and current peace advocate) and wife and activist Marla Painter will hold a discussion at the Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice on Monday, Dec. 5 at 7 pm.

Many people have expressed interest in the report we wrote last summer on our July trip to Israel and the Occupied Territories. If you want to check it out, look on my website, www.markrudd.com

There is a lot left to be said, especially be people who feel that we were not fair to Israel. We intend this discussion to be an open dialogue, not one intended just to hammer Israel and her supporters.

Hope to see you there Monday evening. Please come with questions and opinions on all sides.

Thanks,

Mark

Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice
202 Harvard SE
Monday, Dec. 5
7 PM

Let him be a symbol

Maggie says:
Virginia Governor Mark Warner granted clemency today to what would have been the 1,000th prisoner executed in the U.S. since the reinstatement of capital punishment in 1976. The man, Robin Lovitt, was given a life sentence without chance of parole rather than the lethal injection he'd been scheduled for. He was convicted of stabbing someone during a robbery.

The 1,000th prisoner in line for execution is now a North Carolina man, Kenneth Lee Boyd, convicted of killing his estranged wife and her father. The next opportunity to spare someone's life rather than support state-sponsored killing resides with NC Governor Mike Easley. It's a case many of us will be watching closely.

Who is willing to be the symbol for an arbitrary justice system that kills and saves with stereotypical abandon? More importantly, who is willing to not be that symbol, no matter what it takes?

Politics of Theatre

Mikaela says:
Hah! Made you look!

Okay, this post has nothing to do with politics... FOR ONCE!

This is much more serious: this is about comedy!

Horror comedy, to be specific (and oxymoronic...and mysteriously charming).

Even more specifically, about local theatre gods of Tricklock Company.

Their latest offering starts this Friday, December 2, 8 pm:

Love and Beauty, a Comic Massacre.

Show runs Friday, December 2nd - Saturday, December 17th 2005
Thursdays & Saturdays -8:00 PM

Within the walls of the Father Harrington Memorial Hospital for the Mentally Ill and Criminally Upset, a cacophony of carnivorous evils is methodically killing the inhabitants of the madhouse –doctors, patients, cooks… NO ONE IS SAFE! -including a beautiful young woman seemingly abandoned within the cavernous walls. A dashing young doctor is the damsel’s only hope for survival –or is he??? With mystery, comedy, gore & more, Love & Beauty is an unforgettable, incomparable horror comedy that will have you choking on your own tears of laughter!!!

Cost:$15.00/General - $12.00/Students & Seniors

General Information & Fees: Reservations recommended.

Tricklock Performance Space
118 Washington Avenue (1/2 block south of Central)
(505) 254-8393
chad@tricklock.com

Intelligent Design?

marjorie wants to know...

Were folks following the “intelligent design” debate in Kansas and Pennsylvania last month? Supplanting the term creationism with “intelligent design” is pretty smart, don’t you think? You all should read their stuff, believe me, it’s great propaganda.

So, again, thinking about the differences among us--what exactly is the disagreement?

According to the intelligent design people, it’s about Objectivity in the sciences. They contend that the concept of evolution is taught in a way that overtly rules out an intelligent creator. Is this true? Or is evolution presented in a way that leaves the possibility open?

Most scientific folks I know will say there is no evidence that an intelligent being created the universe. Suspending our biases for a moment, could there ever be evidence of a creator within the system?

According to the intelligent design folks, logic says that such a complex and beautiful natural system could *only* have been created at the hands of an intelligent creator. And, they believe that the current way evolution is taught in the schools in effect indoctrinates young people to think there is NO “intelligent creator” -- you know, GOD.

I recently flew back to Albuquerque in the company of a visiting theoretical research biologist at Los Alamos, who very generously shared all sorts of sweets he had snagged at a conference while we discussed god, jesus, intelligent design, and gender. He’s a devout Christian, of the born-again variety, and the conversation we had was a rare one for me. I felt perfectly at ease, as if he considered everything I said and was open to really hearing my perspective. He professed to me that all the evidence, in his mind, showed that nature was intelligent--that it could only have been produced by a creator. He said that this didn’t make evolution wrong; rather that evolution was a design mechanism, essentially.

My questions to him: Given the statistics that show people in the United States overwhelmingly believe in God, why is this such an issue for the folks who push to teach intelligent design in the classroom? Doesn’t the suggestion of intelligent design in the classroom inject an element of religion, of the supernatural, into science classrooms that are intended to solely rely on direct evidence?

To my first question, he replied that many people are simply afraid of losing control. I thought this was a very revealing statement. Seemingly, he didn’t include himself in that group, although I couldn’t help but note that he uses the intelligent design language himself. To my second question, he simply didn’t reply. I don’t think he can reply to that second question because that would show a conflict between his religious beliefs and his scientific standards.

In truth, we are embroiled in an enduring historical conflict between concrete natural science and supernatural belief systems. For me, much of this is about the separation of church and state, and protecting the rights of minorities (in this case, those who aren’t Christian) to not be subjected to religious dogma. But where do we draw the line, and is our insistence that the concept of intelligent design stay out of the classroom its own form of indoctrination? For me, this is the most important question.

Things that Make You Go Hmmmmm...

Mikaela says:
On Woodward and PlameGame from Washington Post:

Although he has spoken to CNN's Larry King and the Village Voice in the past week, Woodward declined several requests for an on-the-record interview with The Post, saying only that "I think the work speaks for itself."

On eroding freedom in America from Democracy Now (who got it from Washington Post):

Report: Pentagon Expands Ability to Spy At Home
The Washington Post is reporting the Pentagon has expanded its ability to spy on citizens within the United States. According to the Post, the Bush administration is considering allowing a little known Pentagon agency called the Counterintelligence Field Activity to investigate certain crimes domestically . The Pentagon is also pushing legislation on Capitol Hill that would create an intelligence exemption to the Privacy Act, allowing the FBI and others to share information gathered about U.S. citizens with the Pentagon, CIA and other intelligence agencies. Kate Martin of the Center for National Security Studies, said such an exemption would remove one of the few existing privacy protections against the creation of secret dossiers on Americans by government intelligence agencies." Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon said "We are deputizing the military to spy on law-abiding Americans in America. This is a huge leap without even a [congressional] hearing."

On Karl Rove and PlameGame from Washington Post:

A second Time magazine reporter has agreed to cooperate in the CIA leak case and will testify about her discussions with Karl Rove's attorney, a sign that prosecutors are still exploring charges against the White House aide.

Pre-holiday News/Soap Day: A Wash

Mikaela says:
Probably not speaking to too many of you out there, but today's news cycle reminds me of holiday Soaps: nothing happens. In the lives of people whose every moment screams drama, on holidays -- it all comes screeching to a halt, and all they ever show is people sitting around a table, smiling at each other, even if tomorrow they will return to scheming to steal each other's children and wives.

I looked at all my papers today -- the old standbys -- and no one had anything good. Does the holiday affect newspapers like Soaps?

Apparently so.

Just look at the list of top e-mailed stories from today's NY Times:

1. This Is Your Brain Under Hypnosis
2. Thomas L. Friedman: George Bush's Third Term
3. Op-Ed Contributor: Organic and Then Some
4. Making Artists: Video Games Are Their Major, So Don't Call Them Slackers
5. Native Foods Nourish Again

The first isn't news.
The second is an editorial.
The third wasn't even written by a staff member.
The fourth? Come on!
The fifth is a fluffy holiday food piece!

Here's what I really hope some reporters will track down during the holiday break, after taking a rest and enjoying their families:

• Whatever happened to the revelation about the first Downing Street memo, especially in light of the new Downing Street leak about Bush wanting to bomb Al Jazeera (by the way -- isn't bombing media outlets against international law? Why isn't that reported prominantly in any of the stories about this???)

• What's happening on the oil industry front? So they lied to Congress about not being involved with Cheney's energy task force... Can someone please connect the dots to show all the subsidies that we gave them in the recent Energy bill that led to record profits and oh, I don't know, REVERSE THEM?

• What's up with Woodward? Whose side is he on, anyway? What good is being in bed with the White House -- I mean, embedded in the White House -- if you don't actually EXPOSE anything? What's he waiting for? What's his angle?
  

• For that matter, what's up with Karl Rove? Someone should be tailing that guy. Where's the papparazzi with you need them? You know left in darkness for a second, this guy cooks up super daring deeds of nefarious evilitude -- stay on him!

• And somebody please tell me what's up with Condi Rice! Now her staff is implicated in the Plame Game. What's her role?

• Last but not least, what's up with that little whiner Scott McClellan? Has he wiped all that egg off his face yet? Did anyone get a good photo? No one? What is it with you people? This is classic Dynasty shit!
  

Happy Holidays. Blah blah blah.

Now get back to work and get me some goddamn news! Inquiring minds want to know.

Massachusetts rocks

Maggie says:
This makes me miss Massachusetts terribly. What a great state! Politics in the Bay State are amazing; you just sit back and watch the fireworks. Needless to say, I doubt this would happen in any of the other 49... And why not? Kudos to Joe Kennedy, who's steadily done great, under-the-radar work for years that truly helps folks who need it.

Venezuela sending cheap oil to Massachusetts

Two non-profit groups sign deal to aid low-income residents

Thousands of low-income Massachusetts residents will receive discounted home heating oil this winter under an agreement signed Tuesday with Venezuela, whose government is a political adversary of the Bush administration.

Full story.

"We will not walk in fear, one of another"

Maggie says:
After seeing Good Night and Good Luck a few weeks ago, I was struck by how understated the movie is. As timely as it is, it doesn't saturate you with preachiness, with modern parallels, with lecturing. Instead, the movie presents itself and then sits back, imagines your conversations but doesn't aggressively start them for you. The conclusions to draw are all yours, as they should be.

In my head, long after seeing the movie, I kept going back to Edward R. Murrow's bravery in the face of Senator McCarthy's bloodthirsty extremism. A day later, it hit me: back in high school, I'd "borrowed" a book of Murrow's broadcasts from my dad's bookcase. And sure enough, I still have it in my bookcase, now dusy and worn. Flipping through In Search of Light: The Broadcasts of Edward R. Murrow 1938-1961 is fascinating first because Murrow guides us through so much history but second, because we can truly see how low our standards for media and reporting have sunk.

Without lecturing, without preaching, without making pains to note how differently this might be handled today, I offer the following passage. I think you'll agree that Murrow's words - like the movie - stand on their own.

March 9, 1954

No one familiar with the history of this country can deny that congressional committees are useful. It is necessary to investigate before legislating. But the line between investigation and persecuting is a very fine one, and the junior senator from Wisconsin has stepped over it repeatedly. His primary achievement has been in confusing the public mind as between the internal and external threat of Communism. We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law. We will not walk in fear, one of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine and remember that we are not descended from fearful men, not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate and to defend causes which were for the moment unpopular.

This is no time for men who oppose Senator McCarthy's methods to keep silent, or for those who approve. We can deny our heritage and our history, but we cannot escape responsibility for the result. As a nation we have come into our full inheritance at a tender age. We proclaim ourselves, as indeed we are, the defenders of freedom - what's left of it - but we cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home. The actions of the junior senator from Wisconsin have caused alarm and dismay amongst our allies abroad and given considerable comfort to our enemies. And whose fault is that? Not really his; he didn't create this situation of fear, he merely exploited it and rather successfully. Cassius was right. "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars but in ourselves."

Connection and consumerism

Maggie says:
Fresh from teaching (being taught by?) yet another fabulous class (I'm telling you, my CRP 265 undergrads are downright brilliant), I'm pondering community, connection, and place. The official topic was local economic development, but as tends to be the case with our group, we talked up and down and around and eventually came back to ourselves: how can we make a difference? What can planners do about this? How can we make our communities be everything we want them to be? What do we do when it seems like no one cares anymore, and the battle is too big? What can one person do against an entire culture built on consumerism, profit, and convenience?

For me, the answers are always the same; they're always inside. I carry my values on my sleeve. They make my heart so full it feels like it can burst sometimes, but I know what I believe and I can only operate from that place. I believe in a future of strong communities and connections that are richer than Wal-Mart, heavier than subsidy giveaway packages, and truer than Applebees, our "Neighborhood Bar and Grill." Why fake community, I ask myself, when we still have a chance to save the real thing?

I surround myself with books like Going Local (a must-read, by the way) and How Wal-Mart is Destroying America, yet I don't need them to know what the answers are. The answers are in all of us, they're in those values that make my heart as heavy as it is. One person believing in something is so much more powerful than a group of people believing nothing much. When in doubt, think small. Each connection we make, each time we share a thought or an idea, each time we purchase something conscientiously, each time someone else sees us make a decision with our hearts and not our perceptions of saving money and/or time, we do a little something. And lots of little somethings add up to something pretty big.

Holiday season is upon us, and for me this always represents the paradox of being genuine as a consumer. I adore gift-giving, but there's a delicate balance between being generous and partaking in the mass rush to buy something, anything, to put under the tree. I want us to be better balancers. I want us to make sure that our everyday choices are represented in our holiday choices. I want us to remember that these holidays are about people and personal connections, and I want us to savor every moment of being with loved ones and being in a moment of memory.

In class today we handed back grades for a recent project. I get all touch-feely in my write-ups, giving them a page on everything I liked about what they did and offhand things they inspire me to ponder. One group today received this line: "You guys actually like people, and it shows." How simple is that: do you like people or not? Because if you genuinely do, then everything you attempt will be softer, kinder, more intimate, more human. And if you don't, well... isn't that how we ended up with so many impersonal boxes surrounded by seas of asphalt, surrounded by isolated subdivisions where people drive into garages and lock their doors behind them? How did things get so bad, if not for the fact that we stopped liking each other as much as we once did?

This Thanksgiving, this Christmas, I want to focus on how much I like people, how much I love my friends and family, how much I love feeling good about goodness, and how recognizing and praising small community victories makes me better equipped to lash out in outrage and action against all that's so wrong. I want to be still with how much I like people, and then let that simple fact wash over me and help influence everything I try to do in this time when more than ever, we need people who are just willing to try.

supporting our troops

marjorie says...

I often find myself pondering what the real difference is between me and my conservative friends and family. For instance, today I got this email from one of them:

RED FRIDAYS ----- Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing Red every Friday. The reason? Americans who support our troops used to be called the "silent majority". We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for God, country and home in record breaking numbers. We are not organized, boisterous or over-bearing. We get no liberal media coverage on TV, to reflect our message or our opinions.

Many Americans, like you, me and all our friends, simply want to recognize that the vast majority of America supports our troops. Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday -and continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that.. Every red-blooded American who supports our men and women afar, will wear something red.

By word of mouth, press, TV -- let's make the United States on every Friday a sea of red much like a homecoming football game in the bleachers.

If every one of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, co-workers, friends, and family. It will not be long before the USA is covered in RED and it will let our troops know the once "silent" majority is on their side more than ever, certainly more than the media lets on.

The first thing a soldier says when asked "What can we do to make things better for you?" is...We need your support and your prayers. Let's get the word out and lead with class and dignity, by example; and wear some thing red every Friday.

IF YOU AGREE -- THEN SEND THIS ON -- IF YOU COULD CARE LESS -- THEN HIT THE DELETE BUTTON --- IT IS YOUR CHOICE. WE LIVE IN THE LAND OF THE FREE, ONLY BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE

First, let me say that if I were to send a message back, I would love to ask my dear relative if she’s ever seen Fox television. Surely she would feel really good to know that she is represented by an entire news network that is immensely popular…considering her current belief that she has no representation in the “liberal” media.

So, let’s think about the notion of “support."

What is really meant by this word that is used so much by just about everyone? There’s the usage in these sorts of messages, by pro-war people, and there’s the usage by anti-war people as almost a mantra.

In general, I think the term “support” is used politically to bolster ones opinion about WAR. Regarding pro-war and anti-war people, my personal belief is that almost all conservatives are pro-war people, and that liberals go either way.

I think anti-war people use the term “support” defensively, to signify that: they don’t hold soldiers responsible for warmaking, that they want them all to come home safely, that they want them to have proper pay and health care. EVEN if the war is wrong itself.

And, I think pro-war people use the term “support” to signify that: they support the troops while anti-war people don’t and that being anti-war is unpatriotic. And there is a strong subtext that being anti-war can be equated with being liberal…which is untrue, but that’s another issue.

Regarding pro-war people:

Many use these sorts of arguments to impugn the morality of those on the other side of the fence. They do it as a way to claim ownership of “true” morality, to make their own interpretation of the meaning of patriotism “right”, with its huge religious subtext.

Note how the author of the above message says it:

"Americans who support our troops...are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for God, country and home..."

and:

"If every one of us who loves this country will share this ... It will not be long before the USA is covered in RED and it will let our troops know the once "silent" majority is on their side more than ever..."

Notice how the author claims anyone who "loves" this country or "supports" our troops.

Where does this type of terminology leave those of us who are not of a certain persuasion? OUT IN THE COLD. It makes us immoral, regardless of what religion we profess.

And many liberals buy into it, hence the defensive mantra of “I Support the Troops” and the increasing exhortations of Democratic Party leadership that Democrats need to talk about their “faith” more often.

Regarding anti-war people:

Let’s be clear, many of us do care about the health and wellbeing of the troops. But some of us don’t care, and some of us dislike the people who serve in the armed forces. There is diversity among us.

For those of us who do care, we really need to step up and work to mitigate the conditions that many veterans live in, often due to the experiences of their service. Sure, we’re anti-war but we live in a war-making society that requires some of us to be soldiers. This is a structural reality.

We’re all hurt by it, and some troops are hurt in very special ways. It’s our duty and responsibility to care for these people, and our government is very poor in this area.

We need to really understand what we say when we say that we support the troops, and we need to push back at the pro-war people. Who really supports the troops? Is sending young people barely out of puberty off to KILL other humans on the other side of the planet caring for them, supporting them?

STOP being defensive and realize that if there is a moral high ground, we’re on it. We don’t need to talk more about our “faith”, we do need to talk about what support really means.

Eminent Domain Still On the Rocks For Seaside Town

Mikaela says:
New York Times today has a great article on where things stand in the town that precipitated the recent Supreme Court ruling upholding the right of local governments to seize private property by eminent domain for private economic development.

It appears that all the hoopla surrounding the court case has called attention to the injustice of taking from the poor to give to the rich.

Development has stalled, and many served with eviction notices are going about their lives in defiance -- even putting money into re-roofing!

Sandra Day O'Connor's parting gift of a hearty and robust dissent opinion to the 5-4 ruling has spawned a flurry of state law-making around the use of eminent domain. At least she's making us stop and think about the legitimate use of this formidable power, especially in the light of the atrocities committed in its name in the years of urban renewal. Will the new conservative court be able to do the same?

Toot, toot

Maggie says:

Someone's gotta say it. As of this afternoon, Marjorie and I have finished all the requirements for our master's degrees. We're done. Theses approved. On our way toward... something else. A chapter closing, a new one opening. Done.

My final push can be solely credited to listening to Death Cab for Cutie's "Soul Meets Body" 5,000 times over the last stretch of writing. And how about deciding to restructure the entire thing after my defense and less than a week before the final version was due? Ahhh... I love those tough decisions that wreak havoc on your sense of sanity. But it's a better paper now (not that I'll be able to stand looking at it again for a while...). Time to move on.

Back to everything I've been neglecting: old friends, family, pets, my living space, my cooking habits. And of course, this little old blog (which we just found out is being used as a recruiting tool for the CRP program, hilariously!).

Welcome me back, little old blog. I hope you missed me. I'm here to stay.