We also link to an article on emerging efforts to quash dissent in the US, making protests against ICE, white supremacists, racists, and climate atrocities illegal, a chilling prospect to say the least.
I read an enormous number of articles while developing blog posts. I often devote half a day to distilling what I’ve read into a blog. This takes a good deal of time. So going forward, on Saturday, I’ll provide just two of the most important articles I’ve read over the past week along with events for the weekend. So now you’ll get a couple of articles on Saturday for your reading pleasure and a video or two on Sunday for your viewing pleasure.
Retake Our Democracy on KSFR 101.1 FM, Saturday, August 10 (TODAY), 8:30 am – 9 am. Today’s show is incredible. I speak for an hour with Scott Davis, who works for TEWA Women United and is a national trainer with A Call to Men. He is one of the most thoughtful and articulate people I know, and for a full hour we discuss some of the underlying factors that contribute to the terrifying number of mass murders committed almost exclusively by white males. This show needs to be heard by a lot of people — Scott is so adept at connecting dots between personal emotions and feelings and their source and the macro forces driving our culture and politics. The first half hour will be broadcast today at 8:30 am. The full show will be available by podcast on KSFR by Monday, 8-12 — go to KSFR.org, programs menu, scroll to podcasts, and then click on Retake Our Democracy. All 2.5 years of shows are there in chronological order.
Climate Defenders New Mexico meeting, Sat., Aug. 10, 10am-Noon, Santa Fe Downtown Library, 145 Washington Ave, Second Floor. The group is developing strategy to lobby at the 2020 Roundhouse Session to pass legislation to create carbon pricing in NM. How do we get the 2020 state legislature to adopt carbon pricing in transportation fuels? To answer that, the group will decide, among other things:
- How can we best collaborate with Climate-Xchange?
- How can we best support the students working toward this goal?
- How can we form a coalition with other New Mexico groups committed to reducing GHG emissions while protecting climate justice?
- What effort is needed from each of us?
EarthCare & Youth United for Climate Crisis Action Team (YUCCA) working meeting, Sat., Aug. 10, 12:30-2:30pm, 1420 Cerrillos Rd., Santa Fe. There will be minimal whole-group presentation and a good deal of working in teams to advance plans for the Sept. 20 General Strike. Even if you have not attended a meeting to date, this is a great way to get involved. Breakouts will be held for developing strategies related to schools, faith community, non-profits, media, and business. It is exciting to have this youth-led initiative in Santa Fe. Let’s get out there and support them!
Actions and Events in Support of Indigenous Populations. Unfortunately, the Cocteau event is sold out. But the march on Aug. 17, 2-4pm is an important way to show support for indigenous populations and indigenous rights. Monday, August 12, 6pm. Collected Works, 202 Galisteo, Nick Estes will speak about his new book, Our History Is the Future. If you are not familiar with Nick Estes, he is an extraordinarily articulate and candid indigenous activist and historian. This should be well worth your time.
Two Great Articles For Your Weekend Reading
Rebecca Solnit, in The Guardian, “Our forever war: how the white male hegemony uses violence to cling to power,” makes the connection between colonialism, racism, and the spate of racist and misogynist mass killings.
This is truly an eye-opening piece. I can’t possibly do it justice. The two excerpts below should spark your interest. She provides an articulate description of our national malaise with hints of what we need to do to change. Click here to read the full post.
We were never not at war. By we I mean the colonizers of this continent, who waged war first against Native North America’s original occupants and then entered into a state of war to keep kidnapped Africans subjugated in slavery. After the official Indian wars ended, we found other means to keep Native people confined and disempowered. After slavery officially ended, we found other means to keep black people impoverished and disempowered. Those means were forms of war.
One more quote from Solnit.
Six of the nine people massacred in Dayton were black. Black people were the targets in the Charleston church massacre in 2015. We’ve had mass shootings in synagogues and a Sikh temple and many attacks on Muslims. How does the definition of “we” become broader and more inclusive, rather than shrinking down to Christianity and whiteness and maleness? How do you launch a peace? How does love become more powerful than hate? How do we unravel the forces shaping these miserable young white men and reincorporate them into the broader society? How do we de-legitimize the entitlement to violence? What might inoculate lonely young men against the viral contagion of mass shootings that have spread since Columbine like a slow pandemic?
When Protesting Fascism Becomes A Crime…
Our President describes white supremacists as “good people” and labels those who oppose them as “GUTLESS RADICAL NUT JOBS” and “an organization of terror akin to MS-13.” We must be able to protest creeping fascism. The quote below is from a Truthout article that should serve as a canary in the coal mine. Moves are afoot on both state and national levels to make protest illegal. The Truthout article begins with Congressional efforts to declare Antifa, the anti white supremacist group, a terrorist organization. But as the quote below indicates, this is but one of many efforts to criminalize the act of protesting or resisting injustice. Click here to read the full article. Please read this article and share links on your Facebook feeds. We’ve been warned.
The Unmasking Antifa Act was introduced in 2017 by former Rep. Daniel Donovan and was specifically intended to make the use of masks by protesters illegal. During the protests of oil pipelines at Standing Rock, bills started to be introduced to make protest blockades illegal, starting in Oklahoma in 2017. Over the past two years, dozens of bills have come forward to limit protest rights in response to Black Lives Matter (BLM) and the organizing against ICE deportations. Many state bills were introduced to essentially make it legal to hit protesters with your car.
Truthout
In solidarity,
Paul & Roxanne
Categories: Uncategorized
Too bad no one was paying attention back in 2015, especially here on the local level. Social media was flooded with “Antifa” sightings” right here in Santa Fe. Our local media encouraged it, it was good for their advertising metrics, on Fake book. Even now our local media is providing a both sides false narrative about “gun violence”,and white supremacy. A trip to Southern NM, shows how many “small businesses” rely on selling guns, and many were sold for transport to Mexico. The jobless rates don’t reflect how many people are “Gun Dealers.” It is a cottage industry here.
Netflix has another documentary, “The Family” A dangerous and subversive group that helped elect T -rump. A group that has compromised our elected representatives going back decades. It explains a lot, perhaps how we got here. A toxic blend of male supremacy, perverted xtiantity, and capitalism, justified by a belief that the powerful are “anointed by god.” It makes a lot more sense that the other conspiracy theories they are floating around out there.
Why won’t the Governor call a Special Session? This is a really serious topic, and if it could prevent a few deaths or prevent the frightening of children, and the toxic stress we are all under, it would be well worth it. There is plenty of cleaning up to do after the last administration essentially looted this state. The federal institutions that were supposed to be protecting us, are either non functional or taken over by the corporations, the legislature should be working on a strategy to deal with that. Instead we have more denial.
Check this out! https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/more-gun-laws-won-t-make-streets-or-stores-safer/article_99efa4e9-11dc-5a1e-ab4c-8fb9552b75a7.html
“Parental responsibility” that is a really good one. A false narrative the tech companies ran when they were busted red handed stealing data from children, and using it to addict them to social media. They paid a bunch of academics and propagandists to “study” that. We should asking why they would even run that article this week. A little bit of red meat for white supremacists and the misinformed, to keep the advertisers happy.
Great interview! White males are viewing the many mini revolutions that have occurred during my lifetime (I’m 76 yrs old) through the passing paradigm (Power Over – white male power over everyone & everything, else including Nature) through dualism. So the white males are viewing the changes as if either Other has taken power (entitlement) from white males. Since the lifestyle of working class white males has dropped significantly, the men blame Other – women, minorities, etc. Actually, the superrich driven by their greed are responsible for the severe drop in wages, benefits. Those of us who have been excluded from real power have demanded not Power Over, but Shared Power. There’s a big difference.
Are all white males racist stinking pigs no matter who they are or where they have been – or are there some white males that are designated by the liberal progressives to be “okay”. I have been in fact eliminated from jobs and such and told on many occasions to not take it personally – nice – in fact there is a sick self rightious sadism in all this – yes I must be the enemy – I am so sorry to even have been on your mailing list. I have contaminated it – I should not vote as I would contaminate the ballot box – though my votes might be similar to many of you – in fact to me this historically and anthroplogically ignorant crap is exactly what got Donald Trump elected and the political right has a hay day with – and you wonder why you cannot get support in the rust belt and in rural America and such – you steriotype in your own version of neo Capitalistic identity politics – true to neo-capitalism it is win-lose – and I guess in your world I must lose – funny, I have worked cross culturally and even taught multi-cultural education to future teachers that included gender and such and this as stated by Marge above and your headline to this is not what this course was about – so be it – and you wonder why recommendations like the green new deal cannot get traction. Then you lose elections and such and you play victim which is fun for you folks to – sounds like S/M politics – It is a disgrace – is this the future that the petite bougouse upper middle class liberals/progressives are advocating – pathetic – well pardon me, but you can take me off your mailing list as I apparently only contaminating it with my stinking white male presence.
Not any talk about Boycotting any of it. There is an awful lot of denial going around!
https://www.grabyourwallet.org
It looks like you all hit a nerve with that guy, who posted above.
As a white female, I understand my privilege. My husband is a white male, and yes, he too understands that comes with privilege. As whites, we are commonly unaware of our privilege. White male privilege does not imply that all white men are “racists or stinking pigs” or “enemies”; it does, however, imply that they do, in many cases, hold privilege without even being aware of it. Hearing about white privilege does not make me furious; it makes me more aware and, I hope, considerate and understanding.
Check out Darcia Narvaez. She’s got insight on this stuff. https://www.opednews.com/articles/Relational-Disconnection-a-by-Darcia-Narvaez-Ph-Mental-Illness_Murder-181226-365.html