Category Archives: politics

Anti-fracking activists struck by vehicle

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(I really wanted to take some time off, but there is just too much stuff going on…)

Natives protesting fracking on their land have been run over.  I’m unclear about the first paragraph and whether the persons were run over by SWN vehicles.  In the posted tweets, note the upside down Canadian flag (on the mylar balloon)–I have to wonder if that were purposeful, as they have flown the U.S. flag upside down as a signal of distress.   And support is growing around the world, with Ireland expressing their solidarity with the Elsipogtog.  Bless the Irish 🙂

In this link,  the journalists have rallied around Miles Howe, the journalist arrested three times so far:

The Canadian Association of Journalists issued a press release Monday calling on “the RCMP to either lay charges or stop harassing a journalist working in New Brunswick arrested for the third time on Nov. 28,” referring to Media Co-op’s Miles Howe.

“RCMP behaviour suggests they are unfamiliar with the charter rights of a free press and the allowances those rights permit journalists while covering controversial and volatile situations,” CAJ president Hugo Rodrigues said.

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More here.

This just in:  RCMP arrests Santa.  For shame.

Caption:  “Well, that about sums it up.”  Yep….except the politician needs to be wearing a blazer with all the corporate logos that sponsor him/her on it…..and their pockets full of cash they bribe with…

On a hot summer day, nothing sounds better than a cool drink of water….

(sorry for the visual, but you get the point…contaminated water is unappealing to look at as harmful to the body.)

Ways to help the Elsipogtog.  You can click on the picture to enlarge. More here.

The Warriors send their greetings and Thanks.

Blessings to the defenders of the water and land…

Haiti in turmoil…still…

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Haitians are protesting...but you wouldn’t know that listening to the nightly nooz…which has a morbid fixation on Obamacare and Obama’s popularity…because, you know, that is waaay more important than what is going on around the world, such as the First Nations protests or Haitian protests…or pretty much any protests around the world.

 

…and in my own backyard…Enbridge

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I found this piece on the deceptive PR by Enbridge.  Sadly, the article doesn’t go far enough and mention the pipeline coming through northern Indiana….just a stone’s throw away from Lake Michigan.

Three years?  Three freaking years to clean up an oil spill?  This alone should be reason enough not to trust Enbridge.  They don’t have the first clue on how to clean up after their many messes.  And they really don’t care….it costs money to clean up and they really don’t care about the environment, much to their protestations.

“We clearly can not accomplish all of that in the remaining weeks of 2013,” says Jason Manshum, an Enbridge spokesman. He blames the company’s difficulty in getting a local permit for a dredge pad near the Morrow Lake delta.   The company wanted to dump sludge from the river on the pad site.    People and businesses near the site fought against it.

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I don’t blame the folks fighting against having the sludge placed nearby.  See…Enbridge doesn’t have a plan in place for what to do when a leak happens.  I say dump the sludge on the properties of the Enbridge execs and let them deal with it.  I have a feeling that if this was the law, Enbridge and all the other energy companies would suddenly change their myopic views.

Last night, the Kalamazoo Board of Commissioners agreed to let Enbridge use part of a county park as part of the company’s plan to dredge a section of the river near Morrow Lake.

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<sigh>

Yeah…let’s contaminate a park…./snark

Note in the comments that pipelines are not subject to aggressive inspections or inspectors….

 

Speaking of the Native Tribes

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Continuing coverage of the Mi’kmaq protests in Canada~

The injunction is explained:

The above journalist was arrested.

His arrest, for the third time (he was not charged in either of the two previous arrests) is unacceptable and it appears to be the state’s preferred strategy for stopping him from getting the word out about protests in Elsipogtog.

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I think this is as clear a case as any for harassment.  Howe was not charged in the previous two arrests…so they’re going for a third…?

Here’s the video of his arrest.  Note the officer taking a video of the person who is taking the video of the officers arresting Howe.  Three officers for an unarmed person who is not resisting arrest?  Really?

The update below the video link states Howe has been released and is in good spirits.

Another article on more arrests.  What I don’t understand is that they had left the protest…and then they were arrested.

A note up for a rally tomorrow.

 

 

The Native American holiday

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Petula Dvorak has this up on the Native Americans and this holiday we celebrate.

The Native Americans I talked to said they’ve all heard of someone who doesn’t celebrate the holiday the way it’s presented in food magazines and Hallmark television specials. But all the people I talked to said they hold on to the original message that the Wampanoag had that day — a harvest feast to give thanks.

“Thanksgiving is like every day for us. Giving thanks is a big part of the native cultures. So the basic message of the holiday, that’s still part of who we are,” said Ben Norman, 32, a member of the Pamunkey tribe in Virginia.

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And that’s what it means to me, too—being thankful for every day and every meal and all that is provided for us.

The Native Americans recognize that all is connected.  What we do over *here* affects something over *there*.  We cannot take and take and take without there being repercussions.  The traditional Native Americans humbly acknowledge that with taking only what they need.

The Europeans described America as a wilderness.  The Native Americans knew better and carefully managed the great ecosystem–you could drink from any river or stream….the fish were plentiful because they weren’t overfished and they didn’t contain mercury and other toxins…you could breathe…

They were portrayed as heathens that needed “saving” by missionaries.  Instead of trying to understand their spirituality, the Europeans sought to force their religion upon them.  Native Americans don’t have Churches where one goes to pray once a week and then forget everything that is taught…rather, they see spirituality in everything they do—everything is connected to the Creator.

I just wanted to acknowledge their culture and all that was lost.

My other posts on Native Americans here, here and here.

 

 

More adventures in gluten free cooking

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So…there weren’t any gluten free pie crusts at the grocery, and I was going to go without pumpkin pie, my favorite at Thanksgiving.  But I just couldn’t imagine a Thanksgiving without it…

I saw rice flour was available, with a pie crust recipe, and decided to attempt it.  So, I’m following the recipe, and I get to the end, where you roll it out.  Then it says to cut the crust in slices, and put the slice into the pie pan.  I kid you not.  Normally, one just rolls out the crust and put it as a whole piece into the pie pan.  I thought, “well, this will be interesting…”  Some slices were put in place neatly, and others….well…let’s just say the crust looks like a patchwork quilt. Heh.  Oh well, I’m sure it will taste okay. (she says with fingers crossed).

Oh, and to Joe Donnelly–yeah, I will have a Happy Thanksgiving, thanks to my family.

While I’m working in the kitchen,  I have the TV station tuned to the 70s music station.  I hear some familiar notes…but it’s the middle of one of my favorite songs, Dialogue, Parts 1 and 2, by Chicago (Robert Lamm).  In perhaps the last ten years or so, I’ve only heard Dialogue on the radio once….even on the 70s stations.  I have to wonder at the reasons for it after this station cut off the first part of the song, which asks people to examine their consciences.  The song is as relevant today as it was when it was written:

Don’t it make you angry the way war is dragging on?
Well, I hope the President knows what he’s into, I don’t know

Don’t you ever see the starvation in the city where you live
All the needless hunger all the needless pain?

Thank you for the talk, you know you really eased my mind
I was troubled by the shapes of things to come

Well, if you had my outlook your feelings would be numb
You’d always think that everything was fine

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On to lighter subjects–we got about 3-4 inches of snow last night.  I love it. I think I’m the only person in Indiana who loves snow.  Pookie likes it, too–she’ll put her nose deep into the snow, and come up with a snow “beard”…looks so comical it makes me laugh.  They’ve got warnings for northern Indiana, however, with 7-10 inches expected in the northwest corner (lake effect from Lake Michigan).

Hope everyone has the comfort of food and those you love around you this holiday.

Many Blessings to you…

Suzuki showing support for First Nations

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David Suzuki is supporting the Elsipogtog protests.  Thank you, David!

Meanwhile, the trucks arrive in convoy. Another pic here.

Harper spies on the peaceful group. Note that their own intelligence says they do not see them as a violent threat….yet, they show up in riot gear and tear gas the peaceful protestors. I’m glad to read that they are also protesting Enbridge, which is in my own backyard.  “We want to keep the people and environment safe…”  bwahaha, that’s rich.  If you really cared about the environment, you wouldn’t be building a pipeline to begin with.

(DN also covered this happening in the U.S. towards nonprofit groups that big business perceives as threats. Big Brother has arrived.)

Lastly, this pic of a smiling female Warrior.

My other blogs on energy and fracking here, here, and here, and here.

 

The War against Teachers

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Reclaim Reform has this somber post up on the worldwide attack on the teachers, the teacher’s unions, and free speech, as well. The last video (world wide) really got to me–treating these folks like animals!  Take note that World Bank demanded the austerity measures….

The Good Enough Student

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Assailed Teacher has a great blog up on a student “Tammy” who does okay in school….but is struggling to pass a global test.  She must pass this one test in order to graduate.  Again, the “good enough” mothers analogy of Phyllis Chesler passed into my head…and I thought that “Tammy” is a “good enough” student.  Not perfect, but okay.    What really bothers me about all of this is that they are labeling kids as stupid who are quite all right.  They’re fine.  They understand concepts appropriate for their ages.  And yet, they are being put in categories that are not a true definition of their abilities.

Also, beneath this piece is an “interview” with Arne Duncan that’s pretty funny.  Too bad that it gets a little too close to the truth.