Truthout Daily Digest | Tuesday, 30 December 2014

Henry A. Giroux | Authoritarianism and the Assault on Public Education

Henry A. Giroux, Truthout: As public schools are privatized, succumbing to corporate interests, critical thought and agency are erased, and education emphasizes market values rather than democratic ideals. The emergence of larger radical social movements depends on public education maintaining its role as a democratic sphere.

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Liberals, Trojan Horses and the Myth of Police-Community Relations

Josmar Trujillo, Truthout: Instead of having a conversation about how we’ve codified racism through law enforcement, we’re given a thick layer of public relations in the name of community policing. At its core, “community policing” serves as a Trojan horse for more policing and more funding of it.

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Robert W. McChesney: “Capitalism as We Know It Has Got to Go”

Robert W. McChesney, Monthly Review Press: In Blowing the Roof Off the Twenty-First Century, McChesney makes an urgent and compelling argument for ending communication monopolies and building a post-capitalist democracy that serves people over corporations.

Read the Excerpt

The Five Best Labor Stories of 2014

John Logan, Truthout: These stories demonstrate that despite extremely serious challenges, there’s life in the US labor movement – the last, best hope for reversing skyrocketing levels of economic inequality and restoring some measure of justice and decency to the US workplace.

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It’s Time to Bring Domestic Violence Survivors Like Barbara Sheehan Home From Prison

Victoria Law, The Nation: Christmas is traditionally the time when state governors grant clemency to people in prison whose cases they find compelling – and many of the battered women behind bars have compelling cases.

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The True Costs of Corporate Welfare

The Daily Take Team, The Thom Hartmann Program: It’s unconscionable and morally reprehensible that an employee working for the largest retailer in the United States, or for a fast food giant, isn’t making enough money to survive and provide for their family. We need to stop rewarding businesses for screwing over their employees.

Read the Article

Amy Goodman | The Afghan War Is Not Over: More Than 10,000 Troops Continue the Fight

Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!: The US-led NATO occupation has formally ended its 13-year combat mission in Afghanistan. The move leaves Afghan forces in charge of security, though more than 17,000 foreign troops will remain, including more than 10,000 US troops.

Watch the Video and Read the Transcript

Saudis Tell Shale Industry It Will Break Them, Plans to Keep Pumping Even at $20 a Barrel

Yves Smith, Naked Capitalism: Saudi Arabia made it even more clear that it is not pulling out of its game of chicken with other energy-producing nations. The Saudis will keep pumping and, by implication, will force production cuts on others.

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Guatemalan Genocide Trial Set to Resume Amid Amnesty Battles

Jo-Marie Burt, North American Congress on Latin America: Under pressure from entrenched economic and military interests, Guatemala’s Constitutional Court undid its historic genocide ruling in 2013. The trial is set to resume on January 5, but faces last-ditch efforts to derail it.

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Okinawa: The Small Island Trying to Block the US Military’s “Pivot to Asia”

Christine Ahn, Foreign Policy in Focus: In November, the citizens of Okinawa delivered a landslide victory to Takeshi Onaga, who ran on a gubernatorial platform opposing the construction of a new US Marine Corps base in northern Okinawa. Onaga pledged “to stop construction using every means at my disposal.”

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Zombie Apocalypse and the Politics of Artificial Scarcity

Colin Jenkins, The Hampton Institute: If we are truly inclined to cooperate with one another, why is there so much division and turmoil in the world? The answer to this question may be found by assessing the creation of artificial scarcity as a means to maintain hierarchies.

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Life in the Crosshairs – How Some Public Feminists, Atheists and Other Activists Cope With Death Threats

Valerie Tarico, Valerie Tarico’s Blog: Fear has the power to paralyze and silence even strong, determined people, which is why threats of violence are such a potent, common and toxic presence in political discourse. Consequently, it is a wonder, and a gift to us all, when engaged citizens refuse to be silenced.

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BuzzFlash Health Care Professionals Were “Legal Heat Shield” for Bush Administration’s Torture Project Bill Berkowitz, BuzzFlash at Truthout: The role of health care workers in facilitating torture is one of the sickening details uncovered by the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence’s 500-page executive summary of its investigation of George W. Bush’s administration’s torture program. Read the BuzzFlash Commentary Activists Permanently Shut Down Vermont Yankee Nuke Plant Read the Article at BuzzFlash Delaware-Size Gas Plume Over New Mexico Illustrates the Cost of Methane Leaking From Drilling Rigs Read the Article at The Washington Post Blackwater Lobbyist Will Manage the House Intelligence Committee Read the Article at Republic Report 2014 Was the Year We Finally Started to Do Something About Climate Change Read the Article at Mother Jones What Does It Mean to Be Anti-Police? Read the Article at The Nation A 17-Year-Old Rape Victim’s Demand for Justice Gains Momentum in Nepal Read the Article at Global Voices Kyle Orton and the Search for the NFL’s Liberals Read the Article at The Guardian

Don’t Bag Your Leaves: An Analysis of Nutrient Loss and Soil Depletion for Leaf Removal

Thank you for this wonderful post! I thought I was the only one who worried about this issue. Globally the loss and destruction of fertile topsoil is one of the biggest problems facing humanity and our continued survival. Unlike toxics, radiation or global warming it doesn’t get the sensational press but it’s quite serious. I have only seen this addressed in scholarly journals and UN Reports in regard to agricultural soils but as this article effectively demonstrates, it is a problem in nearly all human altered landscapes. The solution is not complex-but it will require a real shift in worldview for most colonized people.

The Druid's Garden

This is the time of year when the leaves all drop in their delightfully whimsical fashion.  And yet, it seems that fall is not an enjoyable time for many, especially if those leaves end up on the lawn. I’ve discussed problems with the practice of keeping a lawn before, and today, I’d like to look at our relationship to leaves and typical practices for dealing with leaves.  People spend quite a bit of their own energy and fossil fuel energy removing leaves from their lawns (raking, blowing, mowing, and so on).  These leaves seem to end up in three places for a typical American household in the sprawling urban and suburban areas:

1. In bags on the side of the roads for “compost” (most common in my area by far)
2. Blown onto the side of the road and left there and/or picked up by the city (more typical in urban settings)

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Retrospective

I’ve just discovered a wonderful blog. Coincidentally, the author posted this retrospective post today linking 10 of the most popular posts so I can easily introduce it to you all;-)

A Druid Way

It’s the end of the year, and like you may be, I’m taking a look back. If A Druid Way inspires or helps or informs others, I’m grateful. My intent is to be a witness to the journey – quite as quirky as yours is, I imagine – opinionated, cranky, full of starts and stops, false steps and helpful insights, along with the odd cul-de-sac, or three, where the unexpected rots, or blooms. That’s where I want to keep my focus.

That’s said, if others opt to read what you write (and why else do people blog, rather than keep a private journal?), you’re no longer talking only to yourself. Obsessing about how to increase your page views isn’t normally conducive to the flowering of intuition and creativity. But knowing what others find interesting can serve as a guide for future topics that may still have some juice in them.

Here, then, counting…

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The Oracle Report | Monday, December 29, 2014

PELCIANS HOLDING THE LINE FROM WISE OWL LAWRENCE

The Oracle Report – Monday, December 29, 2014

“The Mass Turn” – Capricorn 2014 Lunar Cycle: December 21, 2014 – January 19, 2015

OracleReport.com

“The Black Moon Transit of Virgo: November 27, 2014 – August 25, 2015”

OracleReport.com

Monday, December 29, 2014

First Quarter Moon Phase: take action; step out of comfort zone

Moon in Aries

Ruling Wisdom Goddess: Kali (The Reckoner)

Skill: mind your mind

Negative Imprint: distraction, shooting the messenger, refusing help or comfort, bargaining things away, trying to make the irrelevant relevant, lost in fantasy or illusion, feeling defeated, hopelessness, spiritual arrogance

Positive Imprint: tuning in, abstractions, innocence, fascination, reaching out to others, kindness, ideals, culture, peace, gentleness, blessings, cooperation, finding the best

Sabian Symbol for Lunar Month: an Indian chief claims power from the assembled tribe

Harmony and harmonics are the stories today. We are wise to be mindful of what kind of emotional/mental states we are emitting. We will quickly meet in the world whatever we are feeling inside. The principle of “like attracts like” is in full force, so what we put out is what we get back.

Talk of “harmonics” inevitably brings in the concept of “frequencies,” which often results in people “blanking out.” So let’s keep notions of frequencies grounded with the basics: frequency means how often.

When you get down to it, having the often-touted “high frequency” really means how much of the time one emits love. It indicates how often we are in the harmonic heart-mind space of connection with All That Is.

Today, the power of all of this is amplified exponentially.

This means we have an opportunity.

On the individual level in our lives, this energy will bring us outstanding opportunities for messages about what is truly fulfilling and what makes us happier. This information helps us to take on the mantle of our personal power – our sovereignty as free thinkers and creators. It helps us stand up straighter. It’s energy to realign, re-imprint and rectify. It unites worlds.

Realigning, re-imprinting, and rectifying energy is a daily practice for frequent readers of The Oracle Report. Every day brings celestial mechanics from the planets and opportunities to strongly imprint the positive or negative currents. Using awareness and wisdom, we are shifting the experience of life that has been heavily pressed toward the negative polarity over recent history. We understand that wherever each of us leans on the spectrum determines how we collectively lean.

On the collective level of humanity today, the energy is ripe for reclaiming or making up ground.

The energy has us reassessing all sorts of things. We want to make things more whole – to integrate or combine them to flow more easily. We want it to all come together. With this, people, places, and things that are refined are highly attractive today.

As part of this, group or team efforts are heavily favored because this usually makes things better. More eyes or minds or hearts on things gives an advantage. This means we need to be ready to make our contribution or be ready when opportunity strikes! Be bold.

Pay attention to what’s catching your fancy today. We are getting glimpses and trying to grasp things that we don’t quite understand, but it all starts with what allures us. Follow any impulses to read, investigate, or experience things.

It’s a great day for radiating harmony, so let’s get to work.

Thank you for supporting the Oracle Report. Blessings to all!

Copyright Oracle Report 2009 – 2014. All Rights Reserved.

Permission to repost is granted provided credit is given towww.oraclereport.com.

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NorthPoint Astrology Journal | December 29, 2014 to January 4, 2015 | Pam Younghans

Posted Sunday, December 28, 2014 NorthPoint Astrology Journal Your Guide to Planetary Energies for December 29, 2014 to January 4, 2015 By Pam Younghans Photo: Auroras over Tromsdalen, Norway onDecember 22, 2014 (credit: Truls Tiller, posted on SpaceWeather.com) IF EVER there was the right time to make life-changing New Year’s resolutions, this is it! As we discard our 2014 calendars and open our crisp new 2015 datebooks this week, we are also in the building phase of a significant lunar cycle, leading to a powerful and important Full Moon next Sunday. It’s interesting to look more carefully at the word “resolution,” especially as related to the planetary energies that we are working with. We have the prefix “re,” which means to do again, and the core word “solution,” which is either a method of dealing with a problem, an explanation for something or, in chemistry, a mix of two or more substances. USUALLY when we think of a New Year’s resolution, we think of finally putting our foot down about something, making a decision “once and for all” that we will change a pattern, break a habit, or improve our lives in some way. It’s interesting, though, to think of the word “solution” as a chemist might — a combination of substances. Then, when we add the prefix “re-” in front of it, we are adding the element of creating a new form, one that may be similar to a previous version, or perhaps one that is significantly different from anything we have created before — even if we seem to be using the same ingredients as we did previously. WHO HASN’T HAD the experience of using exactly the same recipe twice, and having the outcome be different each time? Humidity and other environmental differences aside, the main difference is us, and the energy we bring to the creative process. As we imagine the new year and how it might be different than the last, we may want to think about the process of “re-solution” as a form of alchemy, which is defined as “a seemingly magical power or process of transmuting.” The ability to transmute energy is one of the qualities of Pluto — and Pluto is a major influence as we begin 2015. THE NEW YEAR doesn’t waste any time in letting us know it’s arrived — things get lively on the very first day of 2015, with a Jupiter-Mars opposition on Thursday. This combination of planetary energies can inspire us to take action in a big way, especially in areas where we feel we must reclaim our freedom and independence (Mars in Aquarius) or in an effort to gain the personal fulfillment that has been lacking in our lives (Jupiter in Leo). There’s not a lot of tact associated with this opposition, and with Mars (the god of war) being involved, tempers can flare easily. We can use this energy to good benefit, however, as long as we stay mindful of what actions will be most beneficial in the long run, rather than letting a short-term emotional reaction define our trajectory. NEXT WEEKEND provides the biggest wave of transformational energy. The Sun will first square Uranus and then align with Pluto, making Sunday’s Full Moon (at 8:53pm PST) a powerful time for awareness and change. Pluto, as god of the underworld, is expert at bringing to the surface issues or truths that have been hidden or forbidden. Uranus, sometimes called the god of chaos, often brings events unexpectedly or suddenly. As we well know, these two planets have been at the heart of many important changes as they’ve been working with us over the past three years. NOW Pluto and Uranus, the two planets most associated with transformation and breakthrough (or breakdown), are playing primary roles in our first Full Moon of 2015. Their goals are to enhance our awareness of some core issues and to empower us to come into alignment with the river of change that is flowing through our lives. So, when we plan our New Year’s “re-solutions,” we will want to be thinking about new ways to define ourselves, not just externally, but from the inside out. Old solutions and established forms that came into being when we were in a different stage in our evolution will need to be reassessed. Some will need to be modified and others completely renovated, but their ultimate success depends on how well they align with the new, more enlightened vision we have for our lives — both as individuals and as a humanity. I’LL BE SPENDING New Year’s Day pulling together all the information I want to share at our teleclass on January 8. The class is called“At the Door of a New Age” andwill cover planetary energies for the first six months of 2015. I’m excited to talk with you about the possibilities that lie ahead of us in the new year! To help you get the most from the class, your registration confirmation email will include a pdf of monthly calendars I’ll be using. If you’d like to print the calendars before the class airs, you can then take notes directly on the calendars as you listen to the class, either live or by replay. The full class description is below, so please read on if you would like more information. Or, if you’re ready to sign up for the class, here’s the link: http://pam2015.eventbrite.com At the Door of a New Age Your astrology guide for January to June 2015 A 90-minute teleclass with Astrologer Pam Younghans and Wellness Educator Elsie Kerns Thursday, January 8, 2015 Live broadcast: 4pm PST | 5pm MST | 6pm CST | 7pm EST Also available by download after class airs | Fee: $25 THE FIRST 6 MONTHS OF 2015 hold enormous potential for spiritual growth and creative change, as the planets challenge each of us to make a quantum leap in some area of our lives. We’ve been working with the transformational energies of the ongoing Pluto-Uranus square for 3 years now. By the end of 2014, we will have experienced the exact aspect 6 times. But in each of those exact aspects, either Pluto or Uranus has been retrograde, leaving us to balance the need to resolve issues from the past with a strong desire to leap into the future. March 16, 2015 is the date of the 7th and final exact square between Pluto and Uranus – and on that date, both planets will be in forward motion. In other words, it’s all systems go, full speed ahead! In this 90-minute teleclass, I’ll explain more about what this final Pluto-Uranus square means, and how it relates to the title of the class, “At the Door of a New Age.” I’ll also talk about other exciting and potentially life-changing events in the first 6 months of 2015: The highly-energized line-up of planets in mid-March, which sees Mars aligning with Uranus and both planets trine Jupiter, right before the final Pluto-Uranus square – and just days before an eclipse and the solstice The Total Solar Eclipse on March 20 in the very last degree of the zodiac (29 degrees of Pisces), indicating a time of completion and the need to release old definitions of spirituality The Total Lunar Eclipse on April 4 that activates more events related to the Pluto-Uranus-Mars-Jupiter line-up in March The first months of Saturn’s transit through Sagittarius, and its return to Scorpio on June 14 I’ll also cover the significance of the New and Full Moons for each month, as well as Mercury’s retrograde phases, and other highlights of the first half of 2015. As before, the slideshow will include monthly calendars showing the most important planetary aspects. I hope you can join us, either “live” as the class airs, or by download afterward! To register: http://pam2015.eventbrite.com Blessings, Pam NorthPoint Astrology Blog: To read occasional posts and add your comments, please visithttp://northpointastrology.blogspot.com/. See you there! To Subscribe to the NorthPoint Journal: If you have been forwarded this issue of the NorthPoint Astrology Journal and would like to receive it directly every week, please click hereto access the “Journal” page of Pam’s website. Then, scroll down to the bottom of the webpage, fill out the subscription form, and click on Submit.

Highlighted Aspects for This Week . =”#3300cc”> MON: Neptune semisquare Mercury;TUE: Jupiter quincunx Mercury;THU: Jupiter opposite Mars; FRI:Chiron semisquare Venus; SAT:Uranus square Sun, Venus enters Aquarius, Sun conjunct Pluto, Chiron semisquare Mercury; SUN:Saturn sextile Venus, Chiron sextile Sun, Mercury enters Aquarius, Full Moon 8:53pm PST, Sun square North Node About the Journal Astrologer Pam Younghans writes this NorthPoint Astrology Journal based on planetary influences and guidance received. Her hope is to offer perspectives and insights that will assist you in utilizing current energies to enhance your life experience and accelerate your spiritual and personal growth. Astrology Readings To schedule your personal astrology reading with Pam, please e-mail pam. Or, see the “Readings” page atwww.northpointastrology.com to learn more about personal astrology readings. Please feel free to share this NorthPoint Journal with people you think may enjoy it. When doing so, please forward it in its entirety, including all contact and copyright information. Copyright NorthPoint Astrology 2014. All Rights Reserved.

Truthout Daily Digest | Sunday, 28 December 2014

Green Neocolonialism, Afro-Brazilian Rebellion in Brazil

Santiago Navarro F., Renata Bessi and Translated by Miriam Taylor, Truthout: The Afro-Brazilian Quilombola people were forced from their land in Brazil in order to make way for eucalyptus plantations, which produce toilet paper destined for Western markets. But they are resisting by replanting native trees and food crops, and working for a post-eucalyptus reality.

Read the Article

Killer Drones Are a Lethal Extension of American Exceptionalism

Marjorie Cohn, Olive Branch Press: “Like his predecessor, Obama defines virtually the entire world as a battlefield, ostensibly obviating the necessity to provide due process before execution,” the author writes in this introduction toDrones and Targeted Killing.

Read the Excerpt

In Black Lives Matter Protest, Corporate Rights Trump Free Speech

Brendan Fischer, PR Watch: Minnesotans protesting police violence and institutional racism could face “staggering” fees and criminal charges for a protest at Mall of America, with the city of Bloomington announcing plans to force organizers to pay for the mall’s lost revenue during the exercise of their free speech rights.

Read the Article

Truthout Interviews Joe Macaré on Keeping the Independence in Independent Journalism and Truthout

Ted Asregadoo, Truthout: What does it take to make sure that Truthout remains independent from corporate sponsorship and advertisements? Truthout publisher Joe Macaré talks about how Truthout is able to maintain its journalistic independence.

Watch the Video

Tiny House Living: How Two Families Made It Work

Liz Pleasant, YES! Magazine: How do you fit a full-sized family into a tiny house? The Morrisons and Kasls found that the benefits of life in 200 square feet outweigh the difficulties – teenagers, sleepovers, alone time and all.

Read the Article

Despite Enduring a Lifetime of Violence, Kelly Savage Emerges as an In-Prison Activist

Victoria Law, Waging Nonviolence: After enduring a lifetime of violence and abuse and then facing the rest of her life behind prison walls, it would be easy for a person to become bitter, disillusioned and self-destructive. But rather than sinking into despair, Kelly Savage has instead become an in-prison activist.

Read the Article

Feds Bar Companies’ Long-Distance Lawsuits Against Soldiers

Paul Kiel, ProPublica: In the latest move against companies targeting military customers, federal regulators prohibit two Virginia-based lenders from suing out-of-state debtors in Virginia courts.

Read the Article

“Employee Engagement” Is No Substitute for a Union at Volkswagen

Alexandra Bradbury, Labor Notes: There’s no bargaining in Volkswagen’s new policy. On closer inspection, it looks more like something anti-union forces have been angling to try. In fact, it’s suspiciously similar to what Tennessee legislators imposed on teachers.

Read the Article

Selma Portrays the True Martin Luther King Jr: A Radical Despised by the Political Establishment

Zaid Jilani, AlterNet: Selma has won nearly unanimous praise from film critics – partly for its unflinching look at King as a true radical who upset not just a fringe of racists in the South, but the entire political establishment. The film is particularly relevant right now, in light of recent protests against police brutality.

Read the Review

Top 10 Progressive Policies We’d Love to See Enacted in 2015 (but Probably Won’t Be)

Robin Marty, Care2: The new year would be an amazing time to pass some real legislation that could decrease the gap between the rich and poor and the haves and the have-nots. Sadly, with a new, even more conservative Congress to be sworn in this January, the odds of that happening are pretty slim.

Read the Article

This week in Speakout:

The National Committee to Free the Cuban Five is overjoyed that the Cuban Five are home, forever free from the unjust imprisonment and cruel punishment that denied them their freedom for 16 long years, while Jack A. Smith applauds the overdue policy changes that led there; El Grito de Sunset Park and Bronxites for NYPD Accountability reflect on how the fight against police brutality is just and must continue; George Ygarza reports how hundreds of delegates from all corners of the globe descended upon Lima to be heard in regard to their struggles in confronting climate change in their respective regions; Ken Peeples reveals how the United States government actually really hates press freedom;Mike Miller describes the six pillars of effective anti-poverty policy; Jason Flores-Williamsargues that a culture of torture is the very soundtrack of our lives; Walter Shapiro explains the crash course Americans got on the mischief that can transpire when Congress actually fulfills its duties; the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation notes that more than 5 million signatures have been garnered for a Nuclear Zero Campaign; Arnold Oliver says the break in hostilities in the trenches of Belgium and France on Christmas a century ago was actually a mutiny, not a truce; and more.

Read the Articles

BuzzFlash

The BuzzFlash commentary for Truthout will return soon.

After 13 Years, US-Led Afghanistan War Is Officially Over, but Nightmare Goes On

Read the Article at Common Dreams

AirAsia Indonesia Flight to Singapore Goes Missing With 162 on Board; Search for Jet Suspended

Read the Article at The Washington Post

At Least 24 Killed in Malaysia, Thailand Floods as 200,000 Evacuated

Read the Article at Al Jazeera America

Malaria Is Killing Thousands More Than Ebola in West Africa

Read the Article at the Associated Press

The Mysterious Case of Prisoner 212

Read the Article at The Intercept

“I Can’t Breathe” T-Shirts See High School Basketball Team Disinvited From Event

Read the Article at the Associated Press

How Canadian Oilmen Pinkwash the Keystone Pipeline

Read the Article at The Daily Beast

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Dozier School

My local newspaper has been doing in depth stories on the Dozier School for Boys in north Florida, and on the excavation of the unmarked graves of boys murdered there.

I’ve been too ill lately to write or keep up with my blog but I have to share this. It’s simply too much to contain without shattering.

I’ve been living in the South since the 1970’s.  I’m not unaware of what the people here are capable of,  nor how often they have engaged in horrors and cover-ups thereof. 

But the juxtaposition of the recent deaths of unarmed black people by police with this nearly one hundred years of state sanctioned horror of poor children,  black and white,  and early on both male and female, is so chilling. It is not surprising so much as deeply shocking and horrifying.

When some people are seen as less valuable-poor people,  black people, women,  children,  “criminals”; it naturally follows that violence against them is condoned.

We may decry the terrible governments of various other nations from Syria and Libya to Cuba and North Korea but the inherent violence of our own country seems likely to be much greater than anything we point at “over there”.

From the residential schools for destroying Native Nations by stripping the children of language, culture,  home, family, human dignity and very often of life itself to the modern justifications of torture at Abu Ghraib,  “black sites” and Guantanamo bay and drone strikes that terrorize civilians in various nations and all the horrors like Dozier, lynching,  legal marital rape and beatings and of course genocide and slavery as well as our modern prison industrial complex inside America- how can we even hold up our heads to accuse other countries?

Often innocent children tortured to death in state run “schools” yet we can all name multiple criminals from corporate and bank executives to local stalkers and killers who are walking free enjoying life. 

Where is the America that we are sold as children in school?  Where are the shining ideals that draw immigrants from across the globe?

I grew up “colorblind” in the best possible sense of the word.  Not a white privilege based shallow view but a worldview rooted in my own mixed race,  and the people close to me being so many different ethnicities and cultures that I grew up seeing everyone as individuals rooted in their ancestors,  creative beings unique but connected on multiple levels and in various ways.

Difference was never ignored it simply was not ever a cause for demeaning someone.

Very few white children acknowledged me as human in the small town where I spent much of my childhood.  How much of that was due to racism and how much to my difference as an autistic/Aspie I guess I will never know.
The black children noticed my difference but did not shun me for it.

That small southern farm town in the 1970’s wasn’t appreciably different from any other small southern farm town in earlier decades.

So when I read these stories about Dozier,  the little boys who were murdered don’t feel like abstract history to me. They  appear to my inner senses as I read clothed in the faces, the laughs, the smells, the jokes and the tears of my childhood. 

I can’t even imagine what reading this must be like for those whose own brothers come to mind.

How can we allow the monsters among us to suppress the truth, to maintain the status quo?  How can we face the America that says little boys who are poor or black or both are expendable,  disposable-whether that America exists in 1934, 1964 or 2014?

(This same question applies to rape, domestic and other violence against women, against immigrants,  prisoners-or anyone.)

Violence is a sickness.

Power over and control cannot exist without suffering and crushing of spirits. Without allowing murder and rape to go unprosecuted. 

I know these things are the facts of how America came to be. But I also know that we will never come closer to the shining ideals we claim to espouse until we shine bright light onto these nightmares and clean the filth out of our country past and present. 

This isn’t a war as some have claimed between black and white people.  It’s not a contest as to whether police officers OR black people deserve life because obviously both do. These are false dichotomies set up only to distract and prevent change.

The fact, despite all the power plays, propaganda and manipulation out there, is that we have to stop seeing violence,  power over and control as solutions. 

We have to recognize the past, and the present reality.  But then we have to evolve and transcend the limitations imposed by it.

To me as a child,  as to all children not programmed to hate and fear, another child of any color,  size, shape,  culture, intelligence level or ability level was a potential new friend.

To my understanding it is that open hearted nature that we all shared as children not arguing that will prove most valuable in creating a better future than this nightmare we call our past.

I was shocked that there are people alive right now who actively oppose and seek to stop the investigation of the Dozier School.  It was that combined with the disturbing descriptions of events at the school,  that drove me to write this instead of resting sensibly.

I’m praying for everyone affected by the violence-which really is all of us even those seemingly protected. Because benefits derived from another’s suffering are soul-destroying and societies based on violence are never fair to anyone.

I know a better future is not only possible-it is coming!  I know this because I know so many amazing people who are determined to make it happen.  I have faith in them,  and in the Universe/God/Goddess/Creator.

But facing what has been and is takes all of it plus some courage and tears too.
Blessings,
ohnwentsya

Truthout Daily Digest Saturday, 27 December 2014

Challenging Bedrock Law: “Dillon’s Rule” in Detroit and Beyond

Simon Davis-Cohen, Truthout: Detroit and other city governments have been effectively dissolved. In the Motor City, all governing power resides in one man – Kevyn Orr – the state-appointed “emergency manager.” He performs all functions of local government, unilaterally.

Read the Article

The Disunited States: A French Writer Navigates 1930s United States

Patrick Glennon, Truthout: In his recently translated book, The Disunited States, Vladimir Pozner reveals the alienation, class antagonism, racism and sexism endemic to this country in the 1930s – and how little has changed.

Read the Review

Jeopardy Has Not Attached: Killer Cops Can Still Be Indicted

James Marc Leas, Truthout: Protests should continue to demand justice for Michael Brown and Eric Garner. The officers who killed them can still be indicted and tried for murder under state law in Missouri and New York.

Read the Article

Everything You Need to Know About the Radical Roots of Wonder Woman

Christopher Zumski Finke, YES! Magazine: The hero and her alter ego, Diana Prince, were the products of the tumultuous women’s rights movements of the early 20th century, and her enigmatic creator believed women were destined to rule the world.

Read the Article

Looking Back, Moving Forward: 2014 Year in Review

Making Contact, National Radio Project: The year 2014 saw social movements ranging from pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong to the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States. Making Contact brings an update on some of these movements that made major news this year.

Listen to the Radio Report

Unearthing the Truth: Mexican State Violence Beyond Ayotzinapa

Jesse Franzblau, NACLA: Declassified files on migrant massacres reveal impunity and Mexican state complicity in human rights atrocities that predate the recent Ayotzinapa disappearances.

Read the Article

What the US Should Learn From Russia’s Collapse

Miriam Pemberton, OtherWords: It’s time for communities that are dependent on Pentagon contracts to work on strategies to reduce their economic vulnerability as defense spending dwindles. The time to start planning an economic transition is now.

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Why Obama Won’t Reach an Agreement With Iran

Gareth Porter, Middle East Eye: The Obama administration has no obvious incentives to reach an agreement with Iran on its nuclear program because the United States is getting most of what it wants already under the status quo.

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It’s Not Even 2015, but the 2016 Republican Presidential Race Rumors Have Begun

Robin Marty, Care2: It’s still 2014 for at least another few days, but that hasn’t stopped the 2016 presidential speculation from jumping to an accelerated start, with news that another Bush may be tossing his hat in the ring.

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BuzzFlash

The Buzzflash commentary for Truthout will return soon.

NSA Fesses Up to Improper Surveillance of US Citizens

Read the Article at The Huffington Post

Evil Torturers Catch a Break: How Americans Got Distracted From a National Travesty

Read the Article at Salon

US Prepares to Accelerate Detainee Transfers From Guantánamo Bay Prison

Read the Article at The Washington Post

After Scrutiny, CIA Mandate Is Untouched

Read the Article at The New York Times

Doubts Persist on US Claims of North Korean Role in Sony Hack

Read the Article at NPR

ACLU Accuses NSA of Using Holiday Lull to “Minimize Impact” of Documents

Read the Article at The Guardian

On Racial Issues, Americans Are Divided Both Black and White and Red and Blue

Read the Article at The Washington Post

Celebrating Afrikan-Onkwehón:we Unity: The Hidden History of the Seminole Anticolonial Struggle

Thank you for sharing this! So much important history is kept hidden because the colonizers know that the awareness of ANY alternative society or possible outcome other than the “arrow of history ever rising” would utterly destroy their ability to dominate and control people. Osceola was naturally one of my heroes as a child growing up in Florida. I love reading about the real history that shows how the characterization of black and indigenous peoples as “simple”, “ignorant”, “childlike” and helpless before the superior military strength of the invaders is complete propaganda with no basis in fact.

The manuscript of survival – part 431

Thank you Aisha!

aisha north

For now, you have already attained so much of what you came here to do, but there is still a while yet before you can see the full scope of your accomplishments. Indeed, you will all find yourself wallowing in frustration at one time or another in the time ahead, and the reason for that will be the simple fact that you all know at a higher level of your being that what you see around you in no way resembles the reality you have already stepped into energetically. In other words, what you SEE is not what you have, and as such the gap between the two is one that will be difficult to navigate for many of you in the time ahead.

For now is when the challenges arise, the ones that are born from the certitude that you already know that your mission to this planet has…

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