Category Archives: equality

….and a rainbow appears…

by

Over the Mi’maq protest.

Singing praise for judge’s ruling. SWN loses bid to continue injunction.

Drums are not weapons

Songs are not weapons

Feathers are not weapons

Here’s a good piece from the Guardian writer Martin Lukacs.  He said there has been media coverage of the event…perhaps in Canada, but in the U.S.?  Doing a quick search, I only saw one U.S. reference by a blogger. Otherwise….*crickets*  It’s pretty telling when you see the nightly news plastered with commercials from BP and other energy companies.  All the news that money can buy, folks…

Lukacs makes a good point with how the coverage is slanted towards painting the First Nations people as violent, but not forthcoming with the great harm fracking will cause….and how many people will die from cancer and other diseases caused by the benzene and mercury and other horrible stuff in the chemicals used.  And of course, the media fails to mention the resulting earthquakes.

From Lukac’s article:

But Premier David Alward, hell-bent on opening up the province to shale gas, has spurned consultation with First Nations and the rest of the population. His latest step is demonization. “Clearly, there are those who do not have the same values we share as New Brunswickers,” he cynically announced on Friday. But the opposition to the Premier’s shale gas agenda is not just a supposedly isolated Indigenous community: it is two of every three people in Atlantic Canada. Little wonder he has repeatedly rejected a referendum on shale gas. It turns out the residents of Elsipogtog aren’t criminal deviants. They are the frontline of a fight for the democratic and environmental will of New Brunswick

~~~~~~~~~

Now you’re talkin’.  The taxpaying public does not want fracking!

Stephen Harper’s history is a little warped, eh?  Um, I’m pretty sure there were people here before we ( “we” being Canada and U.S.)  before there were lines drawn by the Europeans.  And the people here were pretty much organized Nations.  They were here for 10,000 years and were much better stewards of the land and water.  You could drink from any stream.  There was no trash strewn across the land.  You could breathe.

Lukacs also brings up the repeated breaking of laws by those in power who then point fingers.  Do as I say, not as I do….

The fishing rights battles are eerily similar to the same battles in the U.S. with the Native Americans, having their boats rammed, and state officials created an atmosphere of incitement by showing films of Native Americans fishing in areas to the commercial fisherman who thought it should be theirs.  What was truly insulting to the Indigenous was the assertion by the Conservation Officers that the Native Americans would “overfish” the waters…when they had always practiced balance–they never took more than they needed.  If anything, it was the commercial fisheries that were destroying the fish populations.  The story is told in the book Now that the Buffalo is Gone by Alvin Josephy. Robert Satiacum was jailed for standing up for their rights.  Meanwhile, his wife and other women warriors defied the state officials by continuing to fish, using their wits to evade capture.  They were eventually caught, but I have to smile to myself in admiration of their wit and courage for fending them off as long as they could.

More pics here of the women warriors.

 

First Nations Protests in Canada

by

The picture here of the First Nations female Warrior is quite stirring….

The eagle feather she is holding is a sacred symbol of the indigenous.   It is a powerful symbol of the connection between God and Earth.

Crooks and Liars has this up on the protest.  It appears that it didn’t turn violent until the police began assaulting the protestors.  They claim there was a shot fired from the protestors….um hmmm….they all claim it was a peaceful protest.

More here.

While I’m looking at this, I’m thinking–these folks’ salaries are paid by taxes….and the taxpayers do not want fracking, for the most part….why are they going against what the taxpayers want?

More  here.

Peacefully protesting:

The scene of confrontation:

They weren’t doing anything.  As the woman said, the female Warrior was praying–not bothering them at all.

Why they’re there:

Act of Sovereignty:

This is like Church to them– a gathering where they sing songs to God.  They see the fight for the environment as a spiritual thing–the Earth is seen as a part of God and their “Mother”—so to pollute the Earth is seen as disrespectful towards God.    Also –they see everything on Earth as connected, so one has to consider every action in how it will impact another.

Balance is always sought…if you take something, you must also give something in return.

Rape victim’s house burned to the ground

by

Sweet Jesus, what is wrong with you??!

From the Anonymous link:

Two young girls have been raped in the town of Maryville, Missouri. Another high school football star, the grandson of a Missouri state official, has walked free. The people of Maryville turned their backs on these victims and one family has been forced to flee the town. Their house was later burned to the ground.

~~~~~~~~~

On January 8th, a 14-year-old girl named Daisy Coleman and her 13-year-old friend were both raped in Maryville. Evidence of this assault was captured on film. Daisy’s unconscious body was later dumped into her family’s yard, left alone for hours in freezing weather. One of Daisy’s attackers was initially in police custody, where he admitted to having sex with her while she was under the influence. He claimed it was consensual. The hospital states the young girl’s blood alcohol level was almost twice the legal limit and they discovered three tears inside of her body, 2-4 inches in length. When asked if a crime occurred, the Sheriff told the press, “Hell yes, it occurred… And did these boys need to be punished for it? Absolutely.”

It goes on to say that evidence was captured on film.  Good God, what depraved evil person would not only commit raping a woman, but then take glee in it by filming it?   what the hell is wrong with our society that men hate women so much?

I’m sure she was blamed for drinking…as I posted before, it doesn’t give him the right to rape her.  If she is intoxicated and cannot give her consent with a clear mind, he should take her home.  What is wrong with our society that it is okay to take advantage of the situation?  Why is she blamed and not his violence?

Even more appalling are the girls that participate in the hate:

At a dance competition, Melinda Coleman says, a girl arrived wearing a homemade shirt: Matt 1, Daisy 0.”

~~~~~~~~~

No doubt Daisy was the target of a jealous girl who perhaps wanted to date Barnett.  You can have him, lady.

Lastly, the comments section just left me sad—-especially about the ones on small towns.  Um…Daisy and her family lived in a small town, too, and were products of that small town as well as the Neanderthals.  I was raised in a small town.  I was raised Republican.  After going through my own metamorphosis, I realize some of what I was brought up to believe were not in keeping with my inner feelings and not in keeping with what Jesus taught.  Yet, those comments lump all of us together as if we are all mean and hateful.

And it also ignores that these crimes happen in large towns, as well.    It’s unfair and prejudiced thinking.

Group Hatred towards women

by

Stoning of women by a group continues in many countries.  Be sure to click on the link to the Independent–many countries and religions practiced this barbaric ritual–not just followers of Islam.

Again, the culture is the problem–women not seen as equals, but sub-human.  And while I’m reading these stories, I’m wondering why the men who also “committed adultery” are not also stoned??  The article goes on to say that men are stoned, but are buried up to their waists, to allow them to escape, while women are buried up to their chests.

And just because women are not stoned in other cultures does not relieve them of other ways of “stoning” a woman–by words and actions of derogatory nature.

The Cyrus/Thicke misogyny comes to mind.  I admire Gloria Steinem for her work on women’s equality, but disagree with her sentiments on Cyrus.  As she speaks in the video, saying that it’s too bad that we have to be nearly naked to be noticed, I’m wondering WTH?  Gloria knows what it feels like to be degraded as a Playboy bunny.  She says we need to change the culture….and I’m thinking the misogyny in the media is a huge part of the problem!!  Therefore, Cyrus and Thicke are reinforcing misogyny. 

The importance of Education **edited

by

If anyone ever doubted the significance of an education, perhaps Malala’s story and her passion can cast all doubt aside that fighting for the United States public education system is worth it.  It’s for the poor. It’s for the middle class.  And, as Malala so aptly points out–an education is what keeps women from being imprisoned (either emotionally or physically).

**edited to put just the clip of Malala on here.  I messed up with putting the entire Daily Show clip.  Sorry for the graphic  — I missed that one.

The Economic War of Israel

by

Edward Teller has one of the best posts up I’ve seen on the situation in Israel. There are ways of waging war that don’t require planes dropping bombs…

Max Blumenthal explains in the 2nd video  how control of food is tantamount to control of people.   A poignant point he makes was the destruction of the herds of Buffalo to starve out the Native Americans.  They were forced to adopt the grain-based diet including fry bread, which we now know is very unhealthy, especially if one is gluten intolerant.  As Blumenthal highlights, the Native Americans now have issues with diabetes.  I would go a step further and say this also may be linked to alcoholism….as I believe there is a link with diet and alcoholism.

Henry Kissinger’s words flashed in my mind as Blumenthal spoke of the Israelis destroying chickens, and other livestock so that the Palestinians could not provide for themselves.   More quotes of Henry Kissinger.

I skipped over the first video to see his take on the market.   When I viewed it, I was stunned, to say the least.  American rightwing talking points about President Obama not being a U.S. citizen, of being a Muslim, and calling him a n***er, etc.  Wow.  Just wow.   And the gal who said she was “politically aware” but didn’t know who Benjamin Netanyahu was? For real?

Annie Lennox speaks out on music p_rn

by

I am glad that women are speaking out against the misogyny being marketed as music and  “entertainment”.  It is disturbing that a woman participates in it and even takes pride in being degraded in a live sex show.  Like I said in my previous post, I wonder how many women were raped because of Miley Cyrus and others like her.    And I’m not letting Thicke off the hook—he is every bit as culpable.  Yet, you don’t hear anyone speak out against his misogyny.