This Week’s Actions & A Look Back at a Week of Important Blogs

By paulgibson51 on November 27, 2017 • ( 0 )

I can’t recall five more important blogs in a single week. What’s more, all but one has an entirely national focus and so would be relevant to any and all friends and family. I’d highly encourage sharing. Also today, a call to action for the Ranked Choice Voting hearing on Tuesday. At the end of the blog, an inspiring 4 minute video of Rise Up, from a 15 year old kid wise beyond his age.

Blogs for the Week: A Look Back at Racism, Sexism, Capitalism and Colonization

Can We De-Colonize & De-Capitalize Our Minds and Invent a New Path Forward? YES! Magazine to the rescue. Just when I was feeling a bit lost, along comes such a hopeful YES publication with on article on decolonizing our minds and another on escaping the chains of capitalism and inventing more cooperative local economies. Click here to read the blog.

Court Rejects City’s Delaying Tactics on Ranked Choice Voting But City May Appeal. Time to Make Calls. Teresa Leger de Fernandez, attorney for the plaintiffs, was magnificent. The Asst. City Attorney tried every dissembling maneuver possible. And he still lost. While the Judge gave the City one more chance to explain why it should not implement RCV, the judge really narrowed what is left to appeal. Info on how to call the City Attorney, the Mayor and your Councilors to stop the nonsense. Click here.

Thanksgiving Message of Hope and Challenge. We have a four-day break from routine, time away from the bustle. This post suggests how to restore yourself and center your commitment to meeting the challenges ahead. We examine the four headed beast of colonialism, capitalism, racism and sexism and offer hope for the future in addressing these ‘isms.’ If not you, who? If not now, when?

A Path to Sustainable Justice: Connecting the Dots of Oppression. Building on Thanksgiving’s blog, today we point to evidence that a fundamental challenge to the status quo is building on several fronts: Occupy, Black Lives Matter, Standing Rock, and #Metoo are movement that are not questioning isolated injustices but the far more important systemic injustices that are the inevitable consequence of colonialism, racism, capitalism and sexism. Connect those dots and we can build a stronger movement. Click here to read the blog

James Baldwin 50 Years Ago Hammers Home the Message from the Last 2 Blogs. Excerpted from the William F Buckley-James Baldwin debate in 1965. I have included a powerful 3 minute clip from that debate that includes relevant historic video clips and then below that the full 58 minute debate. We have had messengers who got it right for a long time. It is time to act on those messages. No commentary today. Please spend your time listening not reading. Click here to review the videos.

Opportunities, Events & Actions for the Week of Nov 27-December 3

Ranked Choice Voting District Court Hearing. Tuesday, Nov 28, 9am at 225 Montezuma. Judge Thomson has clearly directed the City to implement RCV by March 2018 and in the hearing on the 21st asked that the plaintiff and the City consider only two things at this Evidentiary Hearing: 1) verify that the software works; and 2) is RCV constitutional. Our Attorney Teresa Leger has been right every time so far and she assures us that both these conditions will be easily met. We need a strong showing at this hearing. And as importantly, the City Council and the Mayor need to be flooded with calls and emails insisting that the legal maneuvering cease. . Click here for background info, speaking points, and contact information for the Mayor, City Attorney, and City Councilors. And call / email them today. With five candidates and no RCV our next Mayor could be elected by less than 25% of the vote and there are four progressives running who could split the vote and yield a totally unacceptable result.

CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 2 CANDIDATE FORUM. Tuesday, November 28, 6:30 to 7:45 pm. Center for Progress and Justice, 1420 Cerrillos. Wards 4B, 4C, and 4D, which together make up City Council District 2, invite all District 2 residents, and all interested others, to attend this forum to meet the candidates for our open City Council seat: Nate Downey, Carol Romero-Wirth and Joe Arellano. The candidates will answer questions about their priorities for Santa Fe during the next 4 years, how they plan to work with the city government under the new structure (strong mayor), and similar matters.

This place isn’t progressive enough. Let’s change that.

Roundhouse Activism Team. Th. Nov. 30, 6-8pm, at Roxanne and Paul’s. We are still finalizing our list of priority bills and now will be creating the statewide survey through which we hope to get input from voters throughout the state.. At this meeting we will incorporate input from Speaker Egolf, Senators Wirth and Stefanics, Representative McCamley and others as we finalize our list of priority legislation for 2019. This is a tremendous group of folks who are really getting it done. Join us. Please RSVP by emailing us at volunteer4retake@gmail.com for directions.

500 Years: Life in Resistance. At the Jean Cocteau for One Week. Grand Opening with Director Pamela Yates and Producer Paco de Onis present for Q&A. Friday, Dec. 1,7pm. There will be a party/reception to meet the filmmakers at Pranzo after the screening. From a historic genocide trial to the ousting of a president, 500 YEARS tells a sweeping story of mounting resistance in Guatemala, through the actions and perspectives of the majority indigenous Mayan population, who now stand poised to re-imagine their society. Today, in the exact areas where massacres were perpetrated, communities have been replaced with international mega-projects like open pit mines, massive hydroelectric dams, and sprawling agri-businesses, which continue to destroy Mayan lands. While indigenous peoples of Guatemala are no strangers to oppression and ravaging of land, with the recent events, change finally seems possible when their movement is met with concern for the devastation of the country’s natural land and more importantly, the general public’s will to end corruption. 500 YEARS, the much anticipated third film from Director Pamela Yates, continues the epic saga of indigenous resistance in Guatemala that began with When the Mountains Tremble (1983), followed by Granito: How to Nail a Dictator (2011). All three films will have premiered at the Sundance Film Festival over a 33-year period.Here’s the link to buy tix: http://jeancocteaucinema.com/500-years/. The Trailer for the film appears at the bottom of this blog. Given that our son is living in Guatemala, we’ll likely make this event.

Retake Our Democracy on KSFR every Saturday at 11am. On Nov 18, I will be interviewing Maria Perez, Coordinator for FairVoteNM. We will be discussing Ranked Choice Voting in Santa Fe. I am not sure who I will interview for the December 2 show, but I’ll post it here when I confirm the guest. If you miss any of the shows, they are available on the KSFR website by podcast, so you can go back and binge listen to Retake Our Democracy by clicking here. It usually takes a few days for a new show to be posted, so be patient.

Retake Takes Action. Date/Location TBD, but likely the first week of December from 6-7:15pm. Rippel Metal is located at 1222 Flagman Way in the Baca Railyard area just behind Santa Fe Modern . Retake’s Local Research and Activism Team is shifting from research to direct community service. Join Jennifer Johnson & Tracey Enright who are co-chairing this shift and explore options for direct community group service on projects in Santa Fe, with a lens on under-served communities. This is the kickoff of what could become just another way that you can get in the game and work with others to advance justice in New Mexico.