Work Shall Set You Free

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2009/12/2009121992456163487.html


The "Work Means Freedom," sign from above the Auschwitz Death Camp museum has been stolen. You can link the article from English Al Jazeera above. An investigation is being done into the theft.

In my mind, I am starting to put a lot of shit together. The connections between the eugenics movement ("War on the Weak" by Edwin Black), to what is happening to the Crow Creek Indians in South Dakota, connected to WWII through eugenics, connected to corporations and fascism, to how we work today, to the Gulag system in Russia, to the Spanish Civil War, to George Orwell, to the current wars and the greed and need for corporations to steal the remaining resources of the world for the few, etc.

"Work Means Freedom." "Work Shall Set You Free." Maybe a corporation stole it to help motivate their workers?

I am currently listening to a biography of "George Orwell" by Gordon Bowker. I have yet to read "1984," but have read "Animal Farm" in high school which I also have coming in from the library in book and CD form. All of these things are becoming connected in my mind and I am unable to put the words clearly to blog. Eugenics, George Orwell, Spanish Civil War, current work environments of myself and those I Love, Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize, World War II, World War I, Vietnam, everything around me now and into the future, for a while anyway. I can't put it into words yet, what I am seeing in my head, but I will. Give me time. Maybe lots of words, maybe just one or two.

[side note: Listening to this biography of George Orwell, I see that he was a very strange fellow, and still rather amazing. He was very misogynist yet worked best with women. He was racist, hating Scots, yet lived among them and enjoyed their company. Goofy fella. But it made me remember a time at Aloha High School where I was taking an English Literature course taught by Dean Johnson who described the odd behaviors of, if I remember correctly, Edgar Allen Poe. Tim (last name forgotten) made mention that writers seemed like rather weird folk. Dean agreed. Tim then asked Dean if he was a writer. The whole class burst into laughter.]

Comments

Echo...Echo...Echo...Echo...Echo

Haloscan has been purchased by a company called Echo and is now charging for use of their comment software, which I would have to upgrade to without so much as being able to check it out. It is only 9.95 a year, but I just don't trust that, especially after using Haloscan for all these five or so years of writing these blogs.

So, as of December 29, Echo will more than likely obliterate all the comments posted on this blog and I will use Blogger's comments, which are just fine and cost nothing.

There's a friendly little heads up for youz all.

Theft of Crow Creek Land by the IRS

Shusli found this information on the Derrick Jensen Forum. We made mention of it on "Mitakuye Oyasin" yesterday as well. The land grab is so that a wind energy corporation can make money without having to pay anything to the Red Nig...er... Indians whom the land belongs to. Alleged green energy also seems to help contribute to Native American genocide, but ain't that the way the U.S. government works.

Also, check out this video made about other suffering that the Crow Creek have to put up with because they are Indians who aren't suffering enough according to the U.S. and corporations. It is disturbing (though you don't see dead bodies, you see what helps make dead bodies). Please help these folk as best you can.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGVc1QG63AM


Crow Creek Land Is Not for Sale

CROW CREEK RESERVATION, Friday, December 11, 2009—Brandon Sazue’s camper sitting in the middle of the prairie presented a lonely but inspiring image as we drove up Wednesday afternoon. Despite the bitter cold and wind, the young Crow Creek tribal chairman was taking a stand against the United States theft of any more Dakota lands, telling us “Crow Creek land is not for sale, and it never will be.”

Symbolically placing his camper under a wind data tower, Sazue has committed to remain on this parcel of land as long as it takes to achieve justice. The land is part of the 7,112 acres recently stolen by the United States government in what amounts to a 21st century land grab. Because the land is not currently held in trust, on December 4, 2009, the Internal Revenue Service used that as an opportunity to claim it and auction it off as a means to settle what they assert is a delinquent $3,123,790 tax bill. Though most of the Crow Creek reservation is situated within the poorest county in the United States, the land under dispute happens to contain world-class sites for the harnessing of wind power. As the world’s fossil fuels dwindle and alternative energy sources are increasingly sought after, Crow Creek lands also become increasingly more attractive to outside interests. Whoever develops the site for wind-energy stands to make a fortune. This connection is not lost on Chairman Sazue.

Anyone who understands the history of the Dakota people since invasion and conquest cannot help but be stunned by this attack on the tribal lands of people who have already suffered so much. After the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862, the U.S. federal government and the State of Minnesota initiated polices of genocide and ethnic cleansing against Dakota people in our beloved homeland. White Minnesotans hanged thirty-eight Dakota warriors, rounded-up and force-marched our populations to concentration camps in Mankato and Fort Snelling, then forcibly removed us from Minnesota to fulfill Governor Alexander Ramsey’s genocidal call for extermination or forced removal. Dakota people were loaded onto boats that went down the Mississippi River and then up the Missouri River on a journey that was so horrendous, a missionary at the time compared it to the Middle Passage of the slaves. Under gun and bayonet, our ancestors were brought to Crow Creek in 1863. Thus, Crow Creek began as a concentration camp.

The trauma to Dakota people only continued there. Within the first few months of arrival at Crow Creek, hundreds of Dakota people died from the dreadful conditions. In fact, the missionary John P. Williamson wrote “Nearly all the small children died in 1863.” The heartbreak from those events are still felt today. The people of Crow Creek live with that legacy, as do the rest of us with ancestors who were subjugated on these lands. After 1862, the United States government left our people with so little. Now, even what little we have is under attack again.

Sazue’s stand in defense of the land is a rallying cry to the rest of the Oceti Sakowin (Seven Council Fires) of the Dakota Oyate (Nation). Though fierce winter weather has so far kept supporters from camping out next to Sazue, a steady stream of allies offering prayers, songs, food, supplies and encouragement continues throughout each day and even more people show their solidarity through phone calls and emails. We know more of our people will be coming. Like Chairman Brandon Sazue, we will not allow these lands to be taken. We will stand with him.

Waziyatawin, Ph.D.

waziyatawin@gmail.com



Crow Creek Supporters:

In addition to your presence and prayers, we need supplies at the encampment site. The first objective at the site is staying warm. We need people to help cut, haul or donate wood to keep a fire going, lumber for building windbreaks and shelters, sandbags, blankets, sleeping bags (especially those made for below 0 temperatures), hats, scarves, mittens, boots, tarps and tipis.

Oceti Sakowin and other Indigenous relatives, please bring flags from your communities to show solidarity with the Crow Creek Oyate. Everyone bring banners—7,100 acres is a lot of ground on which to maintain our presence.

In addition, we need food, flashlights, cookware, tools (shovels, axes, saws), concrete blocks, matches, and water containers.

We also need people who have other gifts to encourage these resistors to U.S. land theft. Drummers and singers, your presence and support would be most welcome.

Supporters may stay in the tribal hall. Please bring your own bedding and linens. Showers will be available at the motel.


If you can donate some goods, please
call this number to arrange a drop-off at a south Minneapolis location:

651.283.3495



DONATING MONEY....

Crow Creek Sioux Tribe
Attn: Chairman Brandon Sazue
P.O. Box 50
Ft. Thompson, South Dakota 57339

If you have any questions you can call:

Tribal Chairman's Secretary, Carol Quilt at (605) 245-2221

SIGNING THE ONLINE PETITION.....

"Crow Creek Sioux Land is NOT For Sale"
hosted on the web by PetitionOnline.com, the free online petition
service, at:
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/CrowCrek/
<http://www.petitiononline.com/CrowCrek/>

CONTACTING OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS.....

In Minnesota Contact:

Senator Amy Klobachar: 302 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC
20510, phone: 202-224-3244, fax: 202-228-2186. Metro Office: 1200
Washington Avenue South, Suite 250, Minneapolis, MN 55415, Main Line:
612-727-5220, Main Fax: 612-727-5223, Toll Free: 1-888-224-9043

Senator Al Franken, 320 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC
20510 (202) 224-5641. Saint Paul Office: 60 East Plato Blvd Suite 220,
Saint Paul, MN 55107 (651) 221-1016.

White House Comment Line: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414

Here’s a link that will take you to an email form:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

And one to the senate:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Telling Truth Gently

Here is a link to an excellent video called "Telling Truth Gently." I no longer know how to post a video from Youtube to a blog. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUtwbg6Bnmk

Those Who Do Not Listen

Recently, kk made this comment on my "Hey, Climate Change Deniers" post:

What I am saying is that the statistical sample that is being used to push the man made global warming case is too small.

Talk to youer community college econ guru and ask him about the statistical sample size used for the man made global warming crowd.

If I have a contrary view, you seem to respond to my comments with personal attacks.

Climatatic fluctuations are a natural occuring event. Through history, climate has always varied and always will. 100 years of climate data is like a grain of sand when compared to the actual age of the earth. A few years ago global warming was being blamed for causing our increase hurricane activity. The past few years have seen decreased hurricane activity, and now that is being blamed on global warming. Sorry, but they can't have it both ways.

I am getting a little tired of arguing and am about to just tell kk, "okay, kk, all those climate scientists and politicians, Nepalese, Virginians, Africans, indigenous, etc., they are all wrong and you are right," simply because I am getting tired of this argument.

First, let me take offense to you calling my friend, James Craven, who has a Ph.d. in economics and is not a "community college econ guru." Jim is the head of the economics department at Clark College in Vancouver, WA. He has also been offered a position at Xinua (sp?) University in China to teach their Ph.D. students economics, a position offered to only 4 people in the world once a year. It is the at least the second time this position has been offered to him. Jim is also the Solicitor General to the Blackfoot Traditional Government, wrote the Blackfoot Constitution and the indictment of the U.S. and Canada for the crimes of genocide against the Blackfoot Nation. He was also a judge on the child sex abuse tribunal in Canada (the U.S. still refuses to admit that they raped Indian children). He has also taught law and is an expert in indigenous and international law. He is currently editing a book he wrote on the genocide of Indians and how it is connected to U.S. economics. Here is his website. So, as far as that little snide comment goes, "community college econ guru," go f*** yourself.

Personal attack? Yes, I do take these things as personal attacks. It is not only you I get this type of response from, nor only this subject. I have toned down quite a bit, to be honest, after getting fired from Boydstun Metal Works in 2003 the day that co-King George started his illegal war against Iraq. I spoke out against the war, constantly, to everyone, and pointed them to various facts, figures, etc., to do their own research and prove me wrong. The only thing I got stumped on at the time was when some fella came up to me and said that Iraq had purchased some weapons grade uranium from Africa. I had not heard of that at the time, but looky at what came of that, eh. Proven lie. I didn't think it was possible at the time, because of the heavy regulation in the nuclear industry, and it turns out that it wasn't. Iraq didn't purchase the uranium and the documents were fabrications.

Fast forward to today, I rarely talk about anything other than work and acceptable conversation at my current workplace. Recently, I stepped across that boundary a little bit and told a fella I assumed because of his looks (long hair, scraggly goatee) that he was somewhat of a lefty. When he asked me what I was doing for Thanksgiving, I told him I was doing a radio show called "Genocide Cover-Up Day." I told him of the document stating that the first annually celebrated Thanksgiving was for killing Indians. "I DON'T BELIEVE THAT!" "Even with documentation?" "I don't believe that!" He later informed me that I am not to say anything bad about cops in front of him, either. He Loves his men in blue. I have recently watched a video of cops beating, torturing, and murdering citizens for a common crime, not respecting coppers authority. Then there is the Brotherhood of the Strong here in Portland where cops have the backs of their buddies for any criminal activities they perform. And, well, I have a long list of information on those criminal organizations as well. But, I don't say anything because that could put my job in danger. I'm an at will employee, not union, and therefore can be fired for any reason at anytime.

So, that is why I take things like your comments personally. I'll probably get over that soon enough, as I grow to understand that there are many folk one cannot have a sharing of knowledge with. Heck, I've learned a lot from you in our conversation on this subject. I hadn't heard of the "Midieval Warming Period" nor have I heard of the increase in ice in Antarctica. I looked them up, and the Midieval Warming Period was only over Europe according to the studies done. Why, I wonder? You claim it was just natural. I assume you mean that whatever possible environmental causes that may have been produced by men in that area at the time are irrelevant. What is your proof on this? What does it have to do with the subject at hand (nothing according to the scientists)? You seem to state it as proof that the current climate change crisis is not caused by man. It is natural. You seem to insinuate that humans, especially civilized humans, have no effect on the natural environment.

I have heard of things like the Little Ice Age, but have not really looked into it. Sometimes wording of these things can be misleading. I may or may not study this. Again, what does this have to do with climate change today? You seem to be insinuating that since there were weather changes in the past that civilized humanity has no effect on their natural environment. That is like saying Indians killed each other in the past, therefore the U.S. genocide of Indians is OK today (yes, people actually do use that argument, unfounded as it is). You pointed me to the Harvard study on the Little Ice Age and the Midieval Warming. I haven't looked, yet, however, but I wonder if their conclusion is that since there are possibly naturally occurring climate changes in history that the current climate change is not caused by industrial and civilized humans because humans seemingly have no physichal effects on their surrounding environment.

Back even 20 years ago, I remember it being an unspoken agreement that when the issue of salmon destruction and possible salmon recovery on the Columbia River, that the issue of the dams was not to be brought up. We had the salmon wars in the '60's and '70's when the "never do anything bad or illegal" cops were beating the shit out of Indians, aka "Red Niggers." Why? Because anglers and their supporters alleged that it was Indian fishing that was depleteing the salmon. How did they come up with their conclusions? Because Red Niggers were fishing. Not the fault of the dams. Nor was it the fault, as it was actually found to be later, of the flouride dumped in the Columbia and its estuaries by the numerous aluminum smelters in the Northwest at the time. It was Red Niggers, and many anglers still believe that today. Few still look at the dams. Not the fault of man, the fault of Red Niggers, who aren't really human.

I have seen a video some 15 years ago of a Kwakiutl stream in Alaska that was being cleaned up. It used to have thousands of salmon come up it every year, but the stream was damaged by logging (which I'm sure you can explain that it wasn't), and the salmon runs were reduced to zero. In the third year of the clean-up process, they got some 400-500 salmon. It was crazy watching the salmon follow the three men up the stream as they cleared the way for them. It was like their memory was returning. Most amazing thing. Last I heard they were getting runs up to 40,000. There is a river near Chico, California that many activists keep industry away from and it is the only river that has runs in the tens of thousands every year in California.

Statistical sample? What statistical sample? I do remember about 20 years ago when I first started hearing about climate change, then called global warming, that the temps were rising rather slowly, blah blah blah. I didn't give a shit. Didn't sound like anything to me. What I did know, however, is that industrialization does have an effect on the environment to its detriment. Dams on the Columbia for example. Global blah blah blah...WHATEVER! However, the science I'm reading has nothing to do with the statistical sampling. It has to do with the shit in the atmosphere, and not just the excess of carbon, but far more serious shit up there as well. This shit has an effect on the climactic weather. I listen to what the sceintists say because I've heard how their data is gathered, what they do with it, how they figure out what it means, etc. Then I listen to the stories of the people. Some streams in Virginia folk used to be able to feed themselves off of from the fish 30 years ago. Those fish are GONE! now. Floods in Nepal where the folk there have only memories of snow in the winter, they now have rain. This, too, in the last 30 years. I've read stories of the old Indian folk from the Siletz rez that state it used to snow heavily every year, it is a rare year to have snow and even rarer for it to stick in the area these days. I watch the receding glaciers. etc.

You come here and say that climate change has happened allegedly naturally in the past, therefore the current climate change is not happening, and if it were, it is not manmade. You state that the statistical sampling is too small. Let me remind you of a statistical sampling you did fairly recently. Remember my post about the LOL woman being on her knees was sexist. Your statistical sampling to prove me wrong...you asked two women friends. You did not take into consideration the way their lives are lived or how they perceive the world and how it influenced their decision to inform you that a woman on her knees is not sexist, but that is what they told you. How many women are their in the world? A couple of billion? Yet I'm wrong because two women you know whose lives I know nothing about tell you it is not sexist. Did you ever ask them to get on their knees before you? I'm kinda curious if they did and whether or not they still considered a woman on her knees (notice that men in advertising are never on their knees) is not sexist.

There are questions that I have repeatedly asked that you are not answering. Why are there meetings like that in Copenhagen? Why are polticians wasting their time and our tax dollars trying to gain dominance over this issue to protect the environmental destruction they are going to continue to do? Why, if climate change is a lie or if it is NOT manmade as you seem to allege, are they even having these meetings? Why? Can you tell me, kk, why they are having meetings about a LIE!? I've looked into the information you've passed on to me, will you offer me the same consideration, or is your intellect so superior that your conclusions are simply unchallengeable?

Why are there so many scientists coming out that climate change is real and caused by industry for the most part because of the actual shit in the atmosphere is there because of industrial output? How can they be so wrong and you be so right? You insinuate that scientists are so stupid that they base their whole study on a statistical sampling. However, the scientists I read about and listen to haven't even discussed a statistical sampling. They discuss what is in the atmosphere, how it got there, and the effect it has or can possibly have. You state that scientists have found climate changes historically and your conclusion, not theres from what I can see, states that therefore climate change does not exist today or if it does it is not manmade. It happened in the past, therefore todays alleged climate change is a lie or at the very least not caused by industrialized civilized humanity.

Then there are the issues of how climate change is effecting folk, communities that live much closer to the land than I, are now having greater difficulties in sustaining themselves. They say that weather patterns have changed so drastically that these changes have damaged villages, killed people, effected animal and plant species, etc. All of this in the last decades especially. Either they are lying, or it is just a natural occurrence and all the data scientists and that these folk are stating is either wrong or fabricated.

The receding glaciers on Iceland, in the mountains, etc., not proof, at least not to you. The fact that scientists state that the Antarctic ice increase is part of climate change, you aren't listening to. The fact that parts of the Antarctic have melted means nothing to you. The fact that the Arctic ice has receded so much that ships can now pass over North America from one ocean to the other means nothing to you.

Your main insinuation which you have thus far backed with very little evidence other than historical information with no studies into the possibilities of why said climate changes occurred, are the basis of your conclusion that civilized/industrialized humanity has nothing to do with the current climate change (should it actually exist) and that it is a completely organic incident. Personally, I need something more, but I don't believe you will come to this discussion with more.

I do take these things personally, and I apologize for that. That will change soon enough because, really, kk, if you're right, no big deal, if I'm right, those scientists are right, those politicians are right, those living closer to nature are right, there ain't nothin' gonna be able to be done about it anyway.

Last night Shusli and I had a discussion that we believe that nothing can be done anymore. We believed, even up to a few years ago, that we could change the world, turn it into a better place. Now, we see that there is nothing to be done. Climate change is still gonna happen. Genocide is still gonna happen. Economic collapse is still gonna happen. There will probably be a massive die off of humans and all forms of flora and fauna. Now, we are trying to figure out the best ways to survive this when it happens. All we have to go on is that it is gonna happen. The U.S. economy and thus the global economy is in a shambles, the natural world is being destroyed, the U.S. is going to continue its genocidal behavior until the very end. If we survive this shit, how do we survive it? What do we do now? And I am hearing the tales of more and more one time hardcore activists that they have stopped because they believe the same way. I wonder if that is why there are hadly any protests (in the states anyway) anymore? I don't plan on making a study of it, but I do plan on gathering the stories of more and more folk that have and have not given up the fight.

So, like Mike Ruppert, there will come a time when I will just stop arguing. It's coming, It will be here soon, but I still cling to that crazy idea a bit that I can somehow make a difference. That we can all somehow make a difference and create some sort of positive global change, but really...ain't gonna happen.

So, there you go, kk, my long response to your comment.

One last thing, the science on the hurricanes, I haven't looked into, and neither, obviously, have you. I listened to it at one point a few years ago, but it became a blah blah blah issue to me. Personally, I do believe you can have it both ways. I do believe nature can be effected by humanity. We are all connected. "Mitakuye Oyasin," everything is related. But there again, I don't dismiss them out of hand. To me, that is like someone coming to me stating that their spouse beats them on average once a month, but most of the rest of the time they are rather nice. Can they have it both ways? Can they be treated nice and beaten by the same person? The answer is yes. So I don't simply dismiss shit out of hand because it doesn't seem to make sense to me. I could look into, but I probably won't.

Eugenics

I have always been fascinated by eugenics since I first heard about it. My knowledge has always been limited, mostly to the race hygiene movement of the Nazis and Americas work to eradicate its indigenous nations, but not much beyond. As I grew older, I realized that there were many more victims of eugenics and genocide than I ever wished to imagine, and have made a rather laymans study of the subject. Mostly I am curious about the intergenerational effects of genocide on my fellow humans and genocides that occur historically and today.

"Mitakuye Oyasin Radio Collective" member, James Craven (Blackfoot Solicitor General to the Traditional Government and Economics Head at Clark College) made mention on the program of the book by Edwin Black (author of "IBM and the Holocaust," a must read) called "War Against the Weak: Eugenics and America's campaign to create a Master Race."

I have heard and read some about the eugenics movement. In Oregon, there were many sterilization programs for various races, handicapped, and those deemed "feebleminded." Thus far, some five years ago, Oregon apologized to the folk with down syndrome for sterilizing them for the "master race," so far...not to Indians or the others they attacked with eugenics, at least not that I recall. No reparations, no taking of responsibility, no justice, no healing, no making amends... "Sorry about trying to wipe you people off of the face of the earth so we of the master race wouldn't have to deal with you. There, all better (for us of the master race)."

Anyway, the introduction and first chapter of the book are rather disturbing! One thinks they know a rather lot about the disgusting behavior of the nation they live in when they make a study of it can still be shocked and disgusted at new discoveries they make. Example: It is mentioned that the Carnegie and Rockefeller Foundations heavily funded the eugenics movement even during the Nazi regime. Harvard and Yale universities and many other institutions of academia were involved in this alleged pseudoscience.

The first chapter, and maybe if white folk read it they can get an understanding of what I've been talking about all these years, is called "Mountain Sweeps." It deals with the "hill billies" being rounded up in Virginia in the '30's by the sheriff, taken to various hospitals, and sterilized. Many of them were not told what was happening, just that it had to happen. These poor folk were seen as "feebleminded" and thus were slated for sterilization.

Over 50,000 documents were studied in creating this book with more researchers helping on this project than can fit in the ackowledgements section. The research was so thorough, that they checked it with other well known research and found that there were many errors in the research already done.

Edwin, in the intro, has asked that his book be taken as a whole, not picked at and bits of info used to create points of discussion in favor or against one thing or another, thus, until I am finished with this book, you will find occasional reviews of it here and there on this blog.

Hey Climate Change Deniers!

I heard on "Democracy Now" that the Nepalese are having villages wash away by heavy rains because, well, they used to get snow. Must be a left wing conspiratorial lie according to many folk who believe climate change to be a lie.

I am bringing this issue to the forefront again because on a previous post, "Climate Change Ain't Real?" kk posted a comment that Antarctic ice is on the increase, and thus, I looked it up on one of them there internet thingys and came up with this:

Objection: Sure, sea ice is shrinking in the Arctic, but it is growing in the Antarctic. Sounds like natural fluctuations that balance out in the end.

Answer: Overall, it is true that sea ice in the Antarctic is increasing.

Around the peninsula, where there is a lot of warming [PDF], the ice is retreating. This is the area of the recent and dramatic Larsen B and Ross ice shelf breakups.

But the rest of the continent has not shown any clear warming or cooling and sea ice has increased over the last decade or so.

This is not actually a big surprise.

In fact, it is completely in line with model expectations that CO2-dominated forcing will have a disproportionately large effect in the north. The reasons lie in the much larger amount of land in the northern hemisphere and the fact that the ocean's thermal inertia and ability to mix delay any temperature signal from the ongoing absorption of heat. The local geography also plays a dominating role. The circumpolar current acts as a buffer preventing warm water from the tropics from transporting heat to the South Pole, a buffer that does not exist in the north. You can read some more details about that here.

Does it "balance out" in the end? Not really. Sea ice in the Arctic is reaching dramatic record lows. There are other components of the cryosphere that we can look at as well, permafrost, the Greenland ice sheet, global glacier mass, and these all carry the Global Warming signal.

One must look at the balance of evidence, not just those bits one likes. And this balance is clearly in agreement with all other indicators that warming is real and rapid.

So all you climate change deniers best get your butts over to Copenhagen and expose the lies them there indigenous folk are spreading around about their subsistence being damaged because of climate change. It must be their own damned faults, right? Maybe there were doing too many drugs are they are a buncha alcoholics maybe, you think? Maybe they ate some hallucinogens and dreamed it all because deniers say climate change is a lie because Rush, Hannity, and Colmes have told them so, and we all know them good ole white guys (except Hannity, being Irish, which wasn't considered white by white folk until recently) don't need to back up anything they say with facts. In that way, they is like duh Pope!

And again, reality check...Why where there those meetings in Japan and Brazil prior to this one in Copenhagen? If it is a lie, why the heck is the U.S. government wasting our tax dollars on going to these things? Why did the U.S. fix it so developing nations have to take the brunt of the climate change issue? Of course, we all know the U.S. government doesn't want to take any responsibility for its actions, especially those that are criminal, or worse yet, may reduce the wealth of a billion by $.25. Why, climate change deniers, is the U.S. government wasting our tax dollars on a lie instead of just handing our money over to billionaires like they did the bankers? Why?

DOOM! DOOM! DOOM!

Shusli and I have seen several gloom and doom movies recently.

"The Road," based on the Cormac McCarthy book of the same name, is about a catastrophic event that leaves a family of 3 intact. The father and son survive, and it is a story about their journey down the road to get to the coast where, for some reason, they believe that they will be safe. Very dark and cruel, it gives one ideas of the possibilities of worst case scenario. Things to think about. How does one survive such a thing.

"2012" had John Cusack in it, and Woody Harrelson as a doomer living in the woods. The special effects and Woody are what made this movie for me, other than that, it sucked. It was fun watching the crazy special effects and Woody as the crazy doomer. It is about a government program to save the wealthy and the master race (eugeneics is slightly mentioned near the end) in order to stave off the complete annihilation of humanity. Did I mention the special effects and Woody Harrelson?

Speaking of Woody Harrelson, Shusli and I went to see "Zombieland" at the Laurelhurst Saturday. If you want your gloom and doom with a lot of fun and zanyness, this is one heckuva film and we enjoyed it a lot. It not only had the Twinkie searching Woody Harrelson, but also Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin. This movie was a hoot and absolutely fun. The Big BM himself, Bill Murray made a special appearance in the film. I highly reccomend this movie.

"Religulous" is a film by Bill Maher. I believe I reviewed this film before on this blog, but even so, Shusli and I watched it last night, Shusli for the first time. It is a documentary film by Bill Maher which preaches doubt. He has doubt in all religion. He questions. He questions heavily many folk from the big 3 (christian, islam, and jew) and expresses his doubts. My favorite was his conversation with Jesus, the man playing Jesus anyway, at the christian theme park in Florida. He starts the film by standing in the exact spot where he says christianity claims that the world will end and Jesus will come down and save the worthy and let the rest of us burn.

So, there are some excellent and not so excellent (2012) gloom and doom films for you all to see. Have fun before the real stuff hits, anyway.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Rubbing the sleep from my eyes
as I hurtle down the early morning freeway,

a single icicle hangs
from an overpass
like the last
cold, wet, slippery,
handhold
of civilization.

and the sun will soon rise
on another day,
give rise,
rise up,
give rise,
to another day,
sunrise
on the last
cold, wet, slippery
handhold
of civilization

2.

everytime I step from my truck
the cold surrounds me
weaves its way through my clothes
and wraps around my skin
like a warm blanket

"the cold will make you tough,"
I've heard it said.
"the cold will make you tough."

Human Rights and Allegations of Peace

Today is the anniversary of the signing of the UN Declaration on Human Rights.

Article 23 is one of my favorites because it illustrates that the United States Government, since it is a union busting organization, has no right to lecture others on human rights. Not to mention the violation of all the others against folk at home and abroad as well as complicity in so many violations as well.

Article 23.

• (1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
• (2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
• (3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
• (4) Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.

Another thing that tickles me is the Obama acceptance speech of the Nobel Peace Prize, stating that, and hopefully I didn't write the quote down incorrectly: "The instruments of war do have a role to play in the role of peace." I guess that means folk can run rampant in the streets screaming "PEACE" while shooting one and all with a shotgun or some such weapon. The book "1984" was becoming highly recommended by many folk on the BOO concerning this speech.

Of course, Henry Kissinger won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973. Here is some of what was read in Henry's absence in acceptance for the prize (read by Thomas R. Byrne, ambassador to Norway from the U.S. at the time):

The Nobel Peace Prize is as much an award to a purpose as to a person. More than the achievement of peace, it symbolises the quest for peace. Though I deeply cherish this honour in a personal sense, I accept it on behalf of that quest and in the light of that grand purpose.

Carpet bombing Vietnam and Cambodia, "grand purpose." Increased slaughter of Afghanis for the drug trade and Wall St., "grand purpose."

Kissinger is also wanted for war crimes.

Tom Watson, former CEO of IBM, whose technology helped the Nazi's in their genocide of the Jews, Sinti, Roma, mentally handicapped, etc. (and he knew it), was the head of the Carnegie Foundation for International Peace and his quotes are still recited today.

Well, US, violator of human rights. Nobel Peace Prize and Carnegie Foundation for International Peace, BULLSHIT! Time for the people to take over the world and stop these genocidal bastards giving each other pats on the back for their criminal behaviors.

Climate Change Aint Real!

That's why all those nations are having that big huge conference in Copenhagen, because climate change aint real. Rush Limbaugh and corporate owned scientists have said so, and we all know they wouldn't lie!

That's also why the U.S., U.K., and Denmark are trying to be top dog in the climate change arena giving most if not ALL the power to the wealthy nations to do whatever they want to the world...humanity be damned.

Thank you all you deniers for saying its not real. That means all the glaciers and polar ice caps are still in place and all that information is just propaganda from the left, enit.

Anyway, here is part of the article from Commondreams about the leaked document where next week the U.S. and its corporate owners can run completely amok with pollution and emissions because armageddon is just around the corner anyway, eh!

Copenhagen Climate Summit in Disarray after 'Danish Text' Leak

Developing countries react furiously to leaked draft agreement that would hand more power to rich nations, sideline the UN's negotiating role and abandon the Kyoto protocol

by John Vidal in Copenhagen

The UN Copenhagen climate talks are in disarray today after developing countries reacted furiously to leaked documents that show world leaders will next week be asked to sign an agreement that hands more power to rich countries and sidelines the UN's role in all future climate change negotiations.

The UN Copenhagen climate talks are in disarray today after developing countries reacted furiously to leaked documents. (Photograph: Attila Kisbenedek/AFP/Getty Images)

The document also sets unequal limits on per capita carbon emissions for developed and developing countries in 2050; meaning that people in rich countries would be permitted to emit nearly twice as much under the proposals.

The so-called Danish text, a secret draft agreement worked on by a group of individuals known as "the circle of commitment" - but understood to include the UK, US and Denmark - has only been shown to a handful of countries since it was finalised this week.

To read the whole article, click here.

The Phillipines

Today commemorates the December 8, 1941 attack on the U.S. occupied Philippines by the Japanese which eventually lead to the Bataan Death March. Douglas Macarthur, aka "Dugout Doug," managed to escape to Australia protecting his own hide at the expense of his men and the 99 nurses he left behind on Corregidor. Thankfully, especially to those who Love torture like that I hear is shown in the popular show "24" (which I've never seen), Doug had the foresight to incorporate Japan's famous "Unit 731." Unit 731 used to torture folk to death to see how much they could endure before they died. Now we have torture in Iraq, Guantanamo, Afghanistan, in U.S. prisons. Doug abandoned his men and women to go on and have a long life and career.

Yesterday was Pearl Harbor Day, a day I figured everyone else would remember so I made no mention (I used to work for two survivors of Pearl Harbor; Dan Mercer and Ken Hewlett). Today is the anniversary of the attack on the Philippines.

Thanks, Doug.

Gulag: A History

"Man is a creature that can get used to anything, and I think that is the best definition of him."

--Fyodor Dostoevsky
The House of the Dead


I finally finished Anne Applebaum's Pultzer Prize winning book, "Gulag: A History."

It is the story of the Gulag slave labor/prison system set up after the Russian Revolution of 1917 and was made even more horrific under Stalin. She follows the Gulag system to its official end in 1991.

I Love the darker side of history because so many people refuse to look at it. Maybe they're scared of it, I don't know. Folk refuse to look at the real history of the U.S. dealing with the indigenous.

This amazing book taught me a lot of history I never knew.

After WWII, there were many prisoners Russia wanted back that were no longer in their territory. In Austria, for example, there were 20,000 Cossack prisoners. The Brits forced marched them to the trains at bayonette point (mostly women and children). The Cossacks knew what awaited them in Russia under Stalin, execution or the Gulag. When crossing a bridge, women were throwing their children into the water then jumping to their deaths behind them. One man in a park killed his wife, children, then committed suicide himself. The Brits didn't have to force the Cossacks back, but you know how they are.

Survival in the Gulag throughout its existence was quite amazing. Folk could make tools from the simplest things. They were also mostly starved, many to death. These forced labor camps did all sorts of things from lumber, creating canals and roads, etc. In the end, however, the maintenance of the system was more costly than it was worth.

There were all sorts of poltiical prisoners. Stalin practiced all sorts of clearances and ethnic cleansings.

Women were often raped, many were gang raped to death on the transport ships in the '30's, and stacked like cord wood at their doorway threshold until the guards decided it was time to stop. Many women whose names are long forgotten were tossed into the sea after being raped to death on these ships.

But the system always breaks, can never take the weight of such constant oppression. After Stalin's death in '53, it all started falling apart.

In '54, there was a revolt in the Kenrig camp that lasted for 40 days. The men broke a whole in the wall that separated the men from the women and one and all actually got along well. The men (especially the criminal sort) didn't rape the women, there was a beautiful cooperation. Couples were getting married if they weren't already. One woman was quoted as saying it was the most free she had ever felt (even after her time was served). Just before dawn on June 26, 1954, the Soviets attacked using 5 tanks and heavily armed personell. First they sent in the tanks immediately claiming the lives of six women by running them over. The soviet official dead is something 45, the witnesses claim well over 500 with over 1000 wounded. The 1 nurse and 1 doctor worked for 13 hours straight when the doctor collapsed. 6 hours into the operations, the nurse, whose hair had only started turning gray, had gone completely white.

In the end, the Gulag system fell. The resistance won, but it took generations...generations.

A must read in my opinion.

Collapse

On Thursday, Shusli and I went to see Mike Ruppert and the new movie out about him called "Collapse."

With Michael Moore's film, "Capitalism: A Love Story," he tried to get some Wall St. type to describe derivative banking. Mike Ruppert made it almost understandable. You have a physical product, it is work "a". It can increase in value 10 times. That would be 10a. You borrow money on the 10a amount, then bundle your 10a with other 10a's and make a great big package deal on which you borrow more, all the while it is only worth "a" or whatever amount of real "a's" you have. In other words, you can have a billion dollar bank, but it's only real capital could be 50 million.

Mike Ruppert does a great job of describing as simply as possible the banking system. The reality behind it.

Mike has been an LA cop and exposed the CIA dealing in drugs and became a whistle blower. He's been an investigative reporter and had a news letter called "From the Wilderness" to inform folk of such governmental BS. The guy doesn't just pull this stuff out of his ass like say, Hannity and Colmes would. He uses documentation and expresses the facts of these documents and offers his analysis.

The movie's main point, however, is peak oil. That means we have reached the halfway point of oil. We have used up over half of the oil in the earth. With demand increasing and resource decreasing, we don't have a lot of time. Mike points out 80% of everything manufactured requires oil to do so. Food requires transportation. That transportation required oil to be created (some 7gallons of oil in every tire). Plastics. Etc. Welcome to planet earth, have a nice day.

His suggestion is mostly community. We will need each other to stay alive. Things could happen abruptly, we may ease into it, it may be something inbetween, but it is coming. Some areas will do better than others. Who knows what is gonna happen, but it is good to have the information in order to help with the future generations who will be surviving on this planet.

Afterward, Mike had a Q & A. The one thing that sticks out in my head is he was asked about Obama's surge in Afghanistan (war is not humanitarian). Mike said it is for the opium. Wall St. pays the interest on its loans with money from the drug trade. Afghanistan grows some 95% of the worlds opium. The banking system that has a controlling interest in the U.S. government wants control of that money.

I suggest you all see this movie. It is done in the Spalding Gray "Swimming to Cambodia" style and you will learn a lot. You will become aware. You will have information closer to the truth than Rush Limbaugh would give you. Information you can use to move forward, keep aware, help the future generations and each other.

Salesman of the Year [edited 12-05-09 1:30 pm]

Shusli needed a new car, and unfortunately the car dealer we wanted to deal with didn't have anything she wanted in her price range. On Craigslist, she found a few cars from lots on 82nd. She wound up purchasing one from a place on 1705 SE 82nd. Oddly, it doesn't seem to have a name. The number we have to the place doesn't reverse on yellow pages.

Legally, cars have to pass DEQ when bought off of a lot, and this one doesn't. Shusli made arrangements to take the car in on Thursday for them to take it to a mechanic and was told it would be back on Friday. So, we took it in and I was told again by the young fella who we dealt with that the car would be back in our hands on Friday.

We didn't hear anything by Friday afternoon, so I called and found out that they didn't have an appointment for the mechanic until 5pm that afternoon.

After Shusli was available, she called the fella and told him what she was told. We were both getting rather angry. So, Donnie (or Donny) hangs up on my wife. She calls back, and he again treats her like shit over the phone. I was so pissed, I drove over to the lot and demanded Shusli get her money back. Donnie being the salesman of the year and probably the owner of the lot says he isn't giving the money back. After heated exchanges between us, he yanks off his jacket and calls me out. "C'MON! RIGHT HERE! RIGHT NOW! RIGHT NOW!"

Oddly, I wasn't scared by his behavior, as pissed off as I was, but logic came into my mind and in a timeless moment a voice said in my head, "you are on his property, with his witnesses (some four of his employees) and even if I get bested I would still be the one going to jail and we would still be left in dealing with Donnie in getting Shusli's car fixed, as well as me in jail and who knows how else he'd treat Shusli like shit.

"I don't want that. I want my wife's money back!"

We decided to take the car back when Donnie informed us that the car was still parked where we left it with the keys in it. That's right, folks. Donnie informed us that the car was left on the road with the keys in it overnight. Shusli's car. A car she paid her hard earned money for. What kind of car dealership is this? I think it is pretty obvious to tell.

Shusli, in her anger, went back to Donnie, shoved the keys in his face and demanded he get the car fixed. He stated he wouldn't deal with her (as I was putting myself between them) but he would deal with me. I didn't pay for the car. "I BOUGHT THE CAR WITH MY MONEY YOU'LL DEAL WITH ME AND YOU'LL FIX MY CAR!" is somewhat close to what Shusli said, and we came home.

Car dealerships are known to treat women like shit, and Donnie on his lot at 1705 SE 82nd Ave., Portland, Oregon, with seemingly no name for the lot, seems to treat women rather disrespectfully as well.

Shusli and I discussed this afterward, and it seems pretty clear to us that Donnie treated my wife like shit simply because she is a woman. Since car dealers are known to treat women like shit on a regular basis, I think it is safe to assume that such is true. It is more readily apparent with Donnie telling Shusli that he would deal with me and not her. Why? It wasn't my money that paid for the car. My name isn't on the bill of sale. Donnie would not have liked dealing with me (heck, he tried to get me to fight him on his property) because as I was screaming in his face during our argument he "TREATED MY WIFE LIKE SHIT I WANT HER MONEY BACK!" And that is exactly what I would have kept on stating until he again threatened me with a fight and again, one of his employees would have to stand between us.

Shusli and I both have had to deal with angry people in our jobs. There are ways to handle these situations. Should I have behaved like Donnie at my work toward a customer, when I got back to the warehouse, my boss would simply inform me that I could pick up my last check the next day. What I would have expected from Donnie is, "I'm sorry, Mam. My employee misinformed you and I sincerely apologize for that, but we won't have it into the mechanic until 5pm tonight. I apologize for the inconvenience, what can I do to help you out as your car will be getting fixed longer than you were informed it would be?" Nnnnnnope! Instead, I get threatened with a fight for defending my wife from a fella who is treating her like shit on the phone for his employee misinforming her of the real situation in getting the car fixed. So, he calls me out, on his property, with his witnesses (and who knows what they would have done to Shusli if Donnie bested me and Shusli was upset and swinging too). Not good people in my opinion.

I have one angry customer on one particular route. When they are upset with our product, I make sure they get taken care of. That's my job. Then they may go to a fellow restaurant owner and state, "yeah, we've had problems with these folks, but they always get us taken care of." They like me and my company because we always make sure they are taken care of to the best of our abilities.

Now, on the opposite end, Shusli and I bought our Toyota Camry from Pat Twyman's, around 38th and Powell. These folks are absolutely wonderful and are known for their customer service. They are excellent people, always friendly, and treat you well. They have a strong reputation in the used car market as upstanding folk who will treat you well. If you are looking for a used car in P-Town, go to Pat Twyman's.

Go go Donnie's at 1705 SE 82nd, and it is a good chance you won't be treated too well and maybe, if you don't appreciate his treating you or your loved one like shit, he may even call you out.

Two Dates I Forgot to Memorialize

The October 10, 2oo6 bombing of Forward Base Falcon in Iraq by the resistance alleging to have killed over 300 U.S. soldiers. The U.S. government says it never happened, despite evidence to the contrary, and has fairly successfully kept it under wraps.

Kristallnacht, November 9-10 1938, the Night of Broken Glass when the oppression of Jews in Germany became truly overt.