Truth

"...Pray first. Then fight. But for Truth. Not for Fame. Not for Glory, or the Game..." --Saul Williams.

Yesterday, at work, being jostled around in the truck all day put me in a very unpleasant place of pain all day long. Although I was feeling better without so much lung pain, after about 15 minutes in the truck, it felt like the skin on my back had been rubbed off with sandpaper. Suffering through this, I also had to suffer through my co-worker telling me how much he is willing to give up to the man, saying that he could be puking all over the place and HE would still come in to work. My only chance for any kind of respite throughout my day of work would be lunch when we got to Harrisburg.

Not having listened to the radio since about Corvallis, about 3 or 4 hours previous, my super tough extremely fantastic and know it all (in his mind anyway) companion decided it was a good time to hear the Irish Catholic radio station. This was a nice form of RESPITE BE GONE! I had to suffer through these folks singing about how they basically lay on their backs and spread their legs for some unseen saviour to have his way with them. Pardom me, Christian folks. I don't mean to offend. I also don't like folks attempting to shove thier religion or anything else for that matter down my throat without giving me a chance to decide for myself. This is called coercion. "Hi little girl. Want a piece of candy?" Don't think you are the only ones that do it, either. There are folks in the Native ways of life that do the same shit. Drives me nuts. I don't let them put anything in my mouth without my permission either.

Anyway, the Irish preacher comes on and starts talking about the book of John and some conversation Jesus had with some folks at the temple or something. They were asking Jesus who is dad was because they had heard it wasn't Joseph. The preacher kept on talking about the Truth. The preacher also kept saying that tything and going to the church and being good didn't mean you were gonna get on the good side of god. Only what HE himself believed was a good Christian was gonna be the type of person to make it into heaven. Was this the Truth? What did he mean by truth? That god was the father of Jesus because he went around Joseph's back and got his wife pregnant? The preacher kept talking about Truth, but never telling us what this truth actually is. Is he somehow privvy to it while we worthless lowlifes are not?

Reading Shusli's latest post about the Phoenix and her burning and rebirth from the ashes of her past in the alleged non-violent peace movements brought the idea of Truth back to the forefront of my mind, and maybe I was supposed to hear that asshole try to shove something down my throat I didn't want there. Sometimes, there is a reason for things. You see, Shusli brought up a truth not looked at within such alleged movements. This opened up a powerful discussion on the Portland Indy Media forum about the forms of violence within the alleged non-violent peace movements. Specifically, misogyny. Truth is, there is tremendous violence within parts of the alleged non-violent peace movement. But when you get to be king, or "dictator" as Tom Hastings put it to at least one of his classes at PSU, you get to define the terms of violence and non-violence to fit the purposes of getting those hot bodied female students to find your ugly ass attractive. Then you can play with their hearts and toss them aside at will. There has been so much testimony that I've heard directly and indirectly about both Peter Bergel (Peaceworker) and Tom Hastings and their treatment of women that I know pretty much that neither are non-violent nor do either one treat women with any form of respect, of course, unless they are kneeling before their greatness.

Shusli brought this to the forefront and posted it on a public forum, and victims of the forms of violence that have come out of the non-violence movement have come forward to discuss the bullshit that the self-proclaimed kings of peace have been attempting to shove down the throats of folks for many a year now. Shusli brought forth a Truth. Truth is that women have been taking these forms of violence from the self-proclaimed kings of peace for years. Peter Bergel's reputation for treating women like shit proceeded him many years before I met the offensive asshole. That's not peace. That's "I'm the great Peter Bergel, King of Peace, and if you don't kneel before me...I will make you pay, Bitch!" Truth is, he has made many a woman pay.

Shusli may have lost friends, but she has also gained friends, at least in spirit. So many folks have just been waiting for someone to open that door. So many folks I beleive have been "taking it for the cause" because they believe in what they WANT to be the outcome, but Truth is, if Peace won and these folks were kings, Holy Shit, I would hate to see what would happen to the women. "OK, you! Young hot bodied college student type wench. Come here and enjoy kneeling before me. Yeah...that's it..." Yes, I am trying to put something in the mouths of these alleged Peace types, but honestly, when all the evidence is in and honestly assessed, that is pretty much what it is all about for them.

Tom Hastings and a poet who visited Iraqi refugee camps and wrote a book of poetry did an interview/call in on KBOO radio's "Voices from the Edge" about these camps. Oddly, both of these guys are white, and ODDLY, there was an ACTUAL survivor of these camps in town who has lived in Portland for the last six months who was lecturing about these camps the next night. Having an actual Iraqi refugee camp survivor talk, however, is not as important as white men who know so much better than say...someone with dark skin and ACTUAL experiences. Anyway, Tom has been with a woman named Rhoda for about a year or more now. Rhoda quit or retired from her job of 19 years to help him work on whatever peace projects he has going. Tom...did not mention her once. Rhoda has made a actual sacrifice for what she believes in and with NO GLORY to herself. Although I hate Tom, to me, Rhoda is rather admirable, though my hunches are she is rather misguided. Rhoda believes in something and took actual steps in her life to follow up on that belief. She made sacrifices. She has taken chances. She is not receiving any glory nor any mention from the great king of peace, though she is probably a very important member of his team, as it were. And of course, if Tom actually did mention her, those hot bodied young female students just might not find his ugly face that attractive.

My wife, Shusli, is an amazing and very wise woman. She is very humble about this, and when I tell her and let her know that her voice, actions, ideas, wisdom, and so much more are appreciated, she feels rather uncomfortable about this praise because she doesn't do the work she does for personal glory. Truth is, she is very awesome and one of the most amazing people I have met. I am PROUD and VERY HAPPY to be her husband. Maybe that is some of the Truth that preacher man was talking about. Shusli has the power and wisdom to bring up some uncomfortable bits of Truth that people would rather stayed in the closet and could be used to further oppress women and minorities should the peace movement actually gain a grip on this nation. "Meet the new boss. Just the same ass the old boss," --The Who. It seems to me that the Truth Shusli is putting forth to you all out there on this near anniversary of the current form of war crimes and genocide in Iraq is that there really isn't a whole lotta difference between the kings of war and the kings of peace.

Thank you, my Beautiful and Wonderful Wife, Shusli, for your willingness to take personal risk and make statements publicly and openly about the truth behind parts of the non-violent peace movement. There are many honest, non-violent, peace types out there, but the kings of peace are out there for their own personal gain and peace is just a back drop in the great story of their lives. Shusli was willing to talk about this because she has SUFFERED under the hands of these folks. Not only has she suffered, but so have many others. So, with her admirable bravery in making herself vulnerable to a community that has many folks amongst them that she loves and that could possibly lose their respect, she has brought up a Truth folks don't want to look at but should. Shusli, my Wife, is one of my heroes. I admire her greatly and am PROUD to be her husband.

Undoubtedly the Kings of Peace will be marching in Portland this weekend. Remember when this war first broke out the people of Portland took over the streets. Shusli participated in the blocking of I-84. 2nd and Burnside belonged to the people. This weekend, will Portlanders follow the rules of the kings that own us and stay peaceful and quiet as thousands of innocent folks continue to be murdered here and abroad by our genocidal government? Guess we'll find out Saturday. The Kings of Peace, I'm sure, will be there and playing by other kings rules.

One last bit of Truth.

I was talking about the World Trade Centers with a friend of mine one day. He asked if I remembered that plane that crashed before it hit the White[man] House. "You mean the one that was shot down," I blurted out accidentally. He looked at me funny. He said he had a friend that was in military intelligence and the guy found out that it was shot down by one of our jets. I told him that I had a friend who was ex Army Intelligence. He looked at the evidence offered and concluded that the only way some debris could make over a certain mountain range is if the plane was hit by a rocket while still at altitude.

Truth, it's a funny little thing.