Black History Month

Black History Month

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February 5, 2010
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This petition had 221 supporters

Why this petition matters

Started by james nordlund

Celebrate Black History Month by advocating and creating   :)

 

 

 

 

 

I hope your New Year is new, all the way through   :)

 

 

 

 

 

Citizen Direct: Supreme Court Undoes Democracy   :)

Take Action   :)

http://www.citizen.org/action/

In This Issue:

- Featured Story
- Wall Street Bonuses
- Fibromyalgia Drug
- New Jersey Trade Bill
- Online Free Speech
- Nuclear Renaissance?
- From Our Blogs
- Press Room Updates

Featured Story:
Shed a Tear for Democracy

 



 

February 2010

Featured Story

Shed a tear for democracy: Supreme Court decision will unleash flood of corporate money in elections. Following the controversial and highly unfavorable ruling in the U.S. Supreme Court case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which upended a century of campaign finance law, Public Citizen launched a campaign for a constitutional amendment to reverse the decision and already has gathered more than 27,000 signatures. Several lawmakers have introduced versions of an amendment; other solutions include public financing of elections and a law to give shareholders the right to veto political expenditures by corporations.

>> SIGN the petition for a constitutional amendment.
>> READ Public Citizen President Robert Weissman's statement.
>> WATCH Weissman's reaction to the decision.
>> LEARN MORE by viewing a recording of our webinar about the decision.
>> SUPPORT the campaign by making a contribution today.

 

Wall Street Bonuses

Wall Street is giving outrageous a bad name. Just 16 months after Congress and taxpayers rescued the failing financial industry, Wall Street giants have continued to act recklessly, giving themselves exorbitant bonuses in the process.

>> READ Public Citizen President Robert Weissman's statement.
>> TELL Congress to hold Wall Street accountable.

 

Fibromyalgia Drug

Dangerous fibromyalgia drug should be pulled from the market. The fibromyalgia drug Savella should be removed from pharmacy shelves because it increases blood pressure, heart rate and suicidal thoughts, Public Citizen told the Food and Drug Administration. READ the news release.

 

New Jersey Trade Bill

On his way out, Corzine dismisses public call for new direction on American trade policy. On his way out of office, lame duck New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine vetoed cutting-edge legislation that would have safeguarded job-creation programs, Buy America/Buy New Jersey procurement preferences and renewable source energy policies from being undermined by trade agreements. LEARN more.

 

Online Free Speech

Florida media company tries to muffle free speech, goes after Public Citizen attorney. The saga of a media company trying to stifle its online critics continues - the company is now trying to muzzle a Public Citizen attorney involved in the case. Boca Raton, Fla.-based Vision Media requested a gag order to silence one of our attorneys, who represents the message board on which criticisms were posted. READ more.

 

Nuclear Renaissance?

"Nuclear renaissance" dealt blow by South Texas Project troubles. After a Texas court ruled that CPS Energy could withdraw from a nuclear plant expansion project, the so-called "nuclear renaissance" got a wake-up call that its days could be numbered. The project ballooned from $5 billion to more than $15 billion in less than a year. LEARN more about the expensive and environmentally damaging nuclear push, and how Public Citizen is combating it.

 

From Our Blogs

Joke's on the Chamber: Yes Men spoof is protected political speech. When members of a parody troupe, the Yes Men, impersonated officials from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and held a press conference in the Chamber's name, it was a prank, not a trademark violation, Public Citizen argued in a recent court brief. In the faux conference, the Yes Men announced the supposed reversal of the Chamber's climate-change views - and when an actual member of the Chamber showed up, it caused quite the stir. Learn more.

 

Obama's path forward, or Bush's NAFTA for 'Nam? Obama's careful phrasing when it came to trade during his first State of the Union address leaves open the possibility that, rather than adopting Bush's trade policies as his own and passing NAFTA for 'Nam, Obama can push for a different kind of trade model and try out this new model with our trading partners in Asia and Latin America. Learn more.

 

Climate change will increase big hurricanes, scientists say. Mother Nature is getting fired up, and she won't quit until we listen. A new study says that the number of powerful Category 4 and 5 storms in the Atlantic could increase by 81 percent. It's time to do something. Learn more.

 

Press Room Updates

Public Citizen commends OSHA's proposal to learn more about employees' ailments. A government proposal to require employers to track musculoskeletal disorders is a positive step that will help improve on-the-job safety. Public Citizen applauds this effort, as this recordkeeping will close an information gap and inform OSHA, employers and the public about patterns of workplace musculoskeletal disorders. This knowledge is critical to prevent this class of injuries, which afflict millions of Americans. Learn more.

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The 250th DNA Exoneration   :)

Today, Innocence Project client Freddie Peacock became the 250th person exonerated through DNA evidence in the United States.

This is a major milestone - a moment to reflect on how much we have succeeded in using these exonerations to reform the criminal justice system, and how much work we still have to do.
    Peacock was convicted in New York in 1976 of a rape he didn't commit based on an eyewitness misidentification and a false confession that police claim he made during an interrogation. Peacock, who has severe mental illness, was freed in 1982, but continued the fight to clear his name. With the help of the Innocence Project, he obtained DNA testing that proved his innocence and led to today's exoneration.

His fight to clear his name after release is the longest of any DNA exoneree to date - for 28 years Peacock sought a complete exoneration, even turning down chances to end his parole because he thought staying on parole might improve his access to appeals.

The Innocence Project hears from thousands of people each year, the vast majority of whom are still in prison hoping the truth will finally come to light. While we work tirelessly to review their cases, we are also committed to preventing wrongful convictions in the first place. Today, as we mark the nation's 250th DNA exoneration, you can help use this moment to raise awareness about the need to make our system of justice more fair, accurate and reliable.

Will you take action today? Take two minutes to send a letter right now to the editor of your local newspaper.

 

https://secure2.convio.net/ip/site/LteUser?lte.user=lte_write_letter&lte_id=1001



To mark the 250th exoneration today, the Innocence Project has released a new report: "250 Exonerated: Too Many Wrongfully Convicted" To host an event in your community marking the 250th DNA exoneration, email us at info@innocenceproject.org.

Read more about Freddie Peacock's case and take action today by sending a letter to the editor
                               

The Innocence Project - Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law
100 Fifth Ave. 3rd Floor - New York, NY 10011
www.innocenceproject.org

Manage your email subscriptionsDonate to the Innocence Project / Visit our website

 

 

 

 

 

Military hate group policy needs change   :)

Take Action   :)

http://www.splcenter.org/center/help.jsp

February 4, 2010

Report echoes SPLC's call for change in military hate group policy

 
The SPLC has long pointed out the dangers of extremism in the military, and in December SPLC President Richard Cohen wrote to the independent review board examining the Ft. Hood massacre about the need to amend Department of Defense regulations that have inadvertently permitted members of the military to participate in white supremacist activity. The review board has come to the same conclusion in its report, saying that in order to weed out extremists of all kinds from the military, hate group participation policy must be changed.

Limbaugh, Robertson and neo-Nazis find common ground on Haiti
Neo-Nazi leader Billy Roper announced a food drive for all Haitian citizens who agree to be sterilized. But he isn't the only one spewing anti-Haitian rhetoric. Intelligence Project director Mark Potok tracked reactions to the catastrophe from Rush Limbaugh and Pat Robertson. Limbaugh is advising his listeners not to donate to the relief effort, and Robertson believes that the earthquake was caused by Haiti making a pact with the devil.

Teaching Tolerance magazine examines the 'New Segregation' in U.S. schools
"We're back to buying into the belief that separate can be equal - and this time around we're not limiting segregated classrooms to race," says Lecia Brooks, Director of SPLC's Civil Rights Memorial Center. The latest issue of Teaching Tolerance reports that 50 years after Brown v. Board integrated classrooms, today's schools not only remain racially segregated, but are dividing along gender lines, sexual orientation and immigration status in the name of better education.

Remember a loved one on Valentine's Day
This Valentine's Day, give your loved one a truly meaningful gift - make a donation in their honor to help fight hate and teach tolerance using one of our new Valentine's Day e-cards.

Other ways to get involved

Stand strong against hate:

http://www.splcenter.org/center/petitions/standstrong/?splcnewsletter=dnewsgen-010410

Join the thousands of Americans on our interactive map who are standing strong against racism and intolerance.Follow us on Facebook and Twitter and ask your friends to join our cause. Stay informed: Subscribe to Hatewatch and receive updates about hate incidents and extremism around the country.Take advantage of corporate matching - contact your employer's HR department to see if they will match your contributions to SPLC.

You can donate to the Southern Poverty Law Center online.

We welcome your feedback.
Contact us online.

Or by mail:
Southern Poverty Law Center
400 Washington Ave.
Montgomery, AL 36104

 

 

 

 

What is the State of Your Union?   :)

Back to GP.org

Dear Green Party Supporter,

Take Action   :)

http://www.gp.org/action/index.shtml

Last week we asked some of the 117 Green Party candidates who have already declared their runs for office in 2010 to comment on the State of the Union, respond to the first year of the Obama Administration, and present some of the ideas that the President asked for in his speech.   

Here's what we heard back.  

Jill Stein, candidate for Governor of Massachusetts (http://www.jillstein.org) replied:

"The sobering message in President Obama's State of the Union speech: Help is not on the way. His prescription is a stiff upper lip for America's families struggling with double digit unemployment, home foreclosures and record un-insurance; for students facing brutal college debt and scarce job prospects; for ordinary citizens facing the threats of unending war and a planet warming faster than the worst scientific predictions...

On health care,  the President issued this invitation: "... if anyone from either party has a better approach that will bring down premiums, bring down the deficit, cover the uninsured, strengthen Medicare for seniors, and stop insurance company abuses, let me know." Has he forgotten? He was describing the attributes of single payer health insurance...

It was good to hear the President decry the Supreme Court decision to put our elections up for sale to the highest bidder,

http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=291

even if his concern may be partly in preserving Democratic Party financial advantages.  Unfortunately, the President will be a poor spokesperson for legislative integrity as long as he continues to praise highly flawed bills written by and for powerful moneyed interests.

It is up to the Green Party to provide the vision that America so desperately needs if it is to prevent Wall Street from cannibalizing our economy and destroying our planet.  Despite the rhetorical flourish,  President Obama is seeming more and more unequal to the task. Hope for change is now officially dead.  From here on, we need to talk less about hope and more about organizing.  Let 2010 be the year that democracy begins its recovery."

Sheldon Schafer, candidate for U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois' 18th District, (http://www.schaferforcongress.info) notes that:

"President Obama's talk about green energy and a green economy has turned out to be lip service. He could have turned that around during his State of the Union speech by announcing that he no longer backs the cap and trade scheme and will instead seek emissions reduction mandates, and by demanding an end to the mountaintop coal removal that is devastating West Virginia and other states and feeding climate change. Unfortunately, the actions of the U.S. delegation at the Copenhagen negotiations in December indicate that Mr. Obama is compromising on the real steps necessary to curb climate change..."

Lynne Williams, candidate for Governor of Maine (http://www.lynnewilliams2010.org) wrote:

"President Obama has realized that the American people are tired, upset, out of work and deeply in debt. But his solution appears to be to continue unlimited funding for war...Obama will not cut homeland security, so while we'll still be poked and prodded at the airport, there may not be adequate staffing in the air traffic control system to safely manage our plane once it's in flight. There could be cuts to public transportation, the arts, and other "non-essentials"...Programs supporting R&D and enrollments at post-secondary educational institutions could also be threatened.

America will never again be strong until it is again at peace. President Obama and Congress don't need to "reinvent" government. They simply need to return control of the government to its rightful owners, the people of this nation."

We, the organizers of hundreds of local and state Green Parties and the Green Party of the United States, are the rightful owners of our government.  Now is the time to present a new vision - a truly Green vision - for the state of our union and work to make it happen. 

Will you support this mission today?

 

 

The Green Party does not accept contributions from labor unions, corporations, or political action committees (PAC)s, therefore our sole source of support is our membership.  We depend on you to fund our everyday operations, campaign schools, ballot access drives, web outreach, phone and mail campaigns, and national meetings.  At our last national meeting in Durham, North Carolina, party members set a goal of recruiting 500 sustainers supporting the party with monthly contributions.  We currently have over 400 monthly sustaining donors.

Who will the 500th sustainer be?  Will it be you?  Will you take one minute to sign up for a monthly contribution through your credit or debit card?  If 500 sustainers were supporting the Green Party and its candidates with $20 monthly donations, our monthly expenses would be covered in full.  $10 a month, or even $5 a month goes a long way as well.  

Sign up to be a sustaining donor today and we'll send you a specially-designed pin with the Green Party logo.  You can proudly show your support of the party that represents your valuesWe hope you'll help us reach 500 monthly sustainers.  But, if you are unable to give a monthly gift please donate what you can today to strengthen our voice so that we can make our vision a reality.  With your help we can provide support for candidates, spread the Green message and work for a more just and sustainable world.  If you have given recently, please consider giving more.  And, if you haven't given in some time, please make today the day you give.

Email: gpinfo@gp.org

Office: PO Box 57065 Washington, D.C. 20037 202-319-7191 or toll-free (US): 866-41GREEN

We are not the alternative - we are the imperative. Rosa Clemente

 

 

 

 

Abolition Times   :)

Take Action   :)

http://www.ncadp.org/index.cfm?content=3

Elaine Jones presenting the Lifetime Achievement Award to Professor Anthony G. Amsterdam

NCADP Annual Conference Shows Movement to Oppose Death Penalty Grows Broader and Deeper

Political conservatives joined progressives, law enforcement officials joined exonerated former death row inmates, families of death row prisoners joined family members of murder victims and leaders from a multitude of faith communities at the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty's annual conference in Louisville, Kentucky earlier this month.

The conference, entitled "Training for the Long Run: Building Bridges to Wider Audiences," convened more than 400 participants from 40 states in a united effort to end capital punishment -- NCADP's largest annual conference in recent years. The energy was palpable and the momentum of the movement clearer than ever. The tone for the conference was set with a panel discussion on "The State of the Death Penalty," and an exceptional opening address by Executive Director Diann Rust-Tierney that focused on the need to continue to build common ground across diverse political parties, racial backgrounds, and faith communities, and to be part of the overall criminal justice solution that addresses' victims' and society's needs.
 
Celebrating a year in which New Mexico became the third state in as many years to abolish the death penalty, the conference was built around a series of panels that highlighted different constituencies organizing around their concerns about the death penalty and addressed practical alternative solutions to violent crime. A panel on political conservatives and the death penalty featured Montana's Republican Senator Roy Brown, who shepherded an abolition bill through his State Senate, and Revs. Matt Randles and Barry Lynn. A law enforcement perspective was featured on a panel that included current and former police officers, including Ron Hampton, head of the National Black Police Association. Nationally known author and victims' advocate Susan Herman addressed the failures of the current criminal justice system in responding to the needs of victims of violence. And the movement's connections to youth and the hip-hop movement were explored by Rev. Lennox Yearwood in a passionate address that brought attendees to their feet.

Activists were further energized at the conference by Sister Helen Prejean, known internationally for her advocacy and pastoral work with death row prisoners and victims of violence, and by an interfaith Praise and Healing Ceremony co-sponsored by Louisville's Interfaith Paths to Peace. In addition, a handful of "Voices of Experience" put a human face on the movement, with brief remarks from well-known activists like Bud Welch, Henderson Hill, Vicki Schieber, Martina Correia and others. Participants attended dozens of workshops, and also translated their values and learning into specific action by making videos, writing letters to the editor and submitting formal comments to legislative committees and state corrections agencies at the "Abolition Action Center."

NCADP's Annual Dinner, which closed the last full day of the Conference, opened with the high energy and festive pageantry of a local youth drum corps and featured Award presentations to key movement figures. The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to New York University School of Law Professor Anthony G. Amsterdam. Former NAACP Legal Defense Fund Director-Counsel and President Elaine Jones, presenting the award to Prof. Amsterdam, noted there is no one in the country who has had or is having a more profound impact on the legal attack on capital punishment. Jones added that no one is more respected or beloved for the extraordinary intellect and skill that they bring to this issue as well as a host of other civil rights issues.

Among the countless cases that Professor Amsterdam has participated in over the years, he is perhaps best-known for litigating the landmark case of Furman v. Georgia, which led to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1972 overturning all existing death sentences.

Governor Bill Richardson and Representative Gail Chasey of New Mexico received the Abolitionist of the Year Awards and the New Mexico Coalition to Repeal the Death Penalty was awarded the Lighting the Torch of Conscience Award, for winning repeal of the death penalty in their state. These prestigious and highly anticipated awards were great cause for celebration.

In addition, the Kentucky Dept. of Public Advocacy  was presented with NCADP's  Outstanding Legal Service Award by Stephen Bright, President and Senior Counsel of the Southern Center for Human Rights., Longtime abolition advocate, lawyer, lobbyist and author Carl Wedekind and musician Steve Earle were celebrated and honored as well. Earle, who received NCADP's first Shining Star of Abolition Award, closed the conference with a stirring acoustic solo performance that left the crowd spellbound.
 

 

Annual Conference Spurs Media Coverage of Abolition Movement


Pre-and-post conference media coverage was highlighted by a national AP article about how more political conservatives are joining the abolition movement, which ran in dozens of major daily newspapers around the country and was posted on thousands of websites.

Other coverage included:

an interview with MVFHR's Susannah Sheffer with Public News Service regarding mentally ill prisoners on death row;an overview of the conference in The Record, Kentucky's Catholic archdiocese newspaper;a TV feature story on death row exoneree and NCADP Board member Juan Melendez's speaking to local high school students;a Louisville Courier-Journal feature story on the interfaith healing service which concluded the conference;an article in the Louisville City Hall Examiner regarding the Kentucky Department of Public Advocacy, the winner of NCADP's 2010 Outstanding Legal Service Award; andKCADP director Donald Vish's guest editorial on Louisville television station WAVE-TV3. A blog post from the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty that has been seen all over the globe.

NCADP announced their 2011 Conference would be in Chicago, Illinois.

 

Kansas Moves Abolition!

As we noted in an Action Alert sent earlier today, the Senate Judiciary Committee in Kansas passed a bill to abolish the death penalty today!

http://blogs.kansas.com/gov/2010/01/29/senate-judiciary-panel-passes-bill-to-eliminate-the-death-penalty/

The Committee had hearings last week to review the state's death penalty law and consider abolition. NCADP staff and consultants have been working actively with our Affiliate, the Kansas Coalition Against the Death Penalty. Kansas abolition coordinator Donna Schneweis says her state should rethink capital punishment, given its costs, and that other states have abolished it within the last three years, most recently New Mexico.

Texas Commission Meets, Ignores Elephant In The Room

As Abolition Times is going to press, the Texas Forensic Science Commission, which readers will recall was on track to examine the evidence in the case of likely innocent Cameron Todd Willingham when Governor Rick Perry sacked four members and derailed the investigation, is scheduled to meet today. However, rather than carry on with their work, the new chairman, a close political ally of the Governor, is focusing on internal administrative procedures. Further delay in examination of the Willingham case is expected, as Perry's handling of the case has become a political hot potato in Texas.

Observers are criticizing the decision to hold the meeting in Harlingen, far from major city public scrutiny and making it difficult to attend in person. However, the Innocence Project is live-streaming the meeting. NCADP continues to urge you to participate in the Shouting From The Rooftops campaign by making videos, writing letters to the editor, and sharing information about the case.

Cost of Death Penalty May Undergird Conservative/Liberal Alliance On Ending Capital Punishment

A recent op-ed column in the Springfield News-Leader by local Reverend Dr. Roger Ray notes that liberals and conservatives may have several points of agreement on repealing capital punishment, particularly the cost issue.

 

Other Death Penalty Legislative Activity

Alabama's legislature is considering a death penalty moratorium, and The Birmingham News supports the action. Oklahoma State Senator Constance Johnson has filed a measure to create a state commission on wrongful convictions - the first step in her plan to abolish capital punishment. 

Capital Punishment in Indiana

Could the death penalty be on the wane in Indiana? A defense attorney in the state discusses the indications in a Fox News-Indianapolis story.

 

Another Posthumous Pardon Sought In South Carolina

Last year, two uncles of African American national radio talk show host Tom Joyner were posthumously pardoned in South Carolina. The state had executed them in the early 1900s for a murder they didn't commit. Now, another posthumous effort is being made in South Carolina, this time to clear the name of a 14-year-old African American boy executed 65 years ago after he "confessed" to murder, even though there was no written record of the confession and no witnesses to the crime.

Today, we continue to see death sentences unfairly and arbitrarily imposed on people of color. Click here to listen to the Death Penalty Information Center's new podcast on race and capital punishment for more information. 

 

Thousands Comment On Flaws In Proposed California Lethal Injection Protocol

According to the ACLU of Northern California, more than 12,000 comments were submitted in response to a request for public input on California's proposed lethal injection protocol. The state must now respond to the substantive issues raised in the comment period.

 

Upcoming Events of Interest

The monthly meeting of GCADP (Gainesville (Florida) Citizens for Alternatives to the Death Penalty) will take place on Tuesday, February 2, at 6:00 p.m. at Hurley House behind St. Augustine's Catholic Student Center, 1738 W. University Ave. For further directions or more information email mark1343@juno.com.

Georgians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (GADP) Lobby Day, February 16, 2010, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Georgia State Capitol.  Click here for details.

 

2010 TCADP Annual Conference "Seizing the Momentum: Building Capacity, Community, and Coalition" - February 20, 2010, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. - Highland Park United Methodist Church, 3300 Mockingbird Lane, Dallas, Texas - Co-Sponsored by the Southern Methodist University Human Rights Education Program - Conference information.

"The Voice of the Exonerated: Innocence and the Death Penalty" featuring death row exonoree Shujaa Graham and Terri Steinberg, mother of Virginia death row inmate Justin Wolfe. February 25, 2010, from 7 to 9 p.m. Shujaa will share his powerful story on being wrongfully sentenced to death and Terri will provide an overview and update on Justin's case, in which he has a strong innocence claim. Sponsored by Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (VADP). Epiphany Lutheran Church, 5521 Old Mill Road, Alexandria, VA 22309

Fourth World Congress Against The Death Penalty, February 24 - February 26, 2010, International Conference Center, Geneva Switzerland.

If you are having an anti-death penalty event, please email msummers@ncadp.org with the details for inclusion in this calendar.

Get involved!

If you received this email from a friend, sign up for NCADP's email list.

You can join our efforts to Shout from the Rooftops,

http://www.ncadp.org/index.cfm?content=96

about the innocent and executed. And help us serve victims of violence by making a contribution to Rachel's Fund, or set up your own Rachel's Fund page.

Support one of our many partners around the country or in your state:

Equal Justice USA Witness to Innocence ACLU Capital Punishment Project Amnesty International Murder Victims Families for Reconciliation Murder Victims Families for Human Rights Journey of Hope... From Violence to HealingPeople of Faith Against the Death PenaltyCatholic Mobilizing NetworkYour State Affiliate 

IN THIS ISSUE

FEATURED: NCADP Annual Conference Shows Movement to Oppose Death Penalty Grows Broader and Deeper

Annual Conference Spurs Media Coverage of Abolition Movement

Kansas Moves Abolition!

Texas Commission Meets, Ignores Elephant In The Room

Cost of Death Penalty May Undergird Conservative/Liberal Alliance On Ending Capital Punishment

Other Death Penalty Legislative Activity

Capital Punishment in Indiana

Another Posthumous Pardon Sought In South Carolina

Thousands Comment On Flaws In Proposed California Lethal Injection Protocol

Upcoming Events of Interest

Get Involved!

Abolition Times is an information service for supporters of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.

Contact us at Margaret@ncadp.org. Please join NCADP on Facebook or LinkedIn, follow us on Twitter, read more on our website, blog, or at the Huffington Post, and contribute online.

 

 

 

 

Advocating and art, some twigs of my poetree  :)

 

A Weaver Of Life

Happy Birthday
To a student of Christ's and Ghandi's.
One who had a dream that someday
We'd live in the promised land and
Took us by the hand.

Yet, we won't get there
If you don't break your chains,
Refusing to be a pawn in their games.
We can't turn our back to those
Unchosen, on the outside or in,
Simply 'cause they can't afford.

We can bring them with us, if we,
Resisting, everyday, their common
Delusions, not be a link in that chain.
The chains that keep our humanities
Growth arrested, our potentials
Unexplored; our thoughts,
Feelings, and deeds flawed.

If you don't refuse
To be the chains that bind you,
We'll never break the chain.
The chain that murders.
The chain of delusions.
The chain of death.

 

 

eagle

Above..., and beyond..., they fly,
Betwixt earth and sky,
Feathers fully feeling the wind,
Reality, on high, at once message, messenger,

As betwixt the profane and sacred,
In the mundane, realism, we walk.

 

 

Injustices

Addressing, not addressing them
have costs, the former is individual,
the latter is global, as well.

 

 

ends or means

Neither do I embrace.
Rather, the struggle well run,
Which uplifts us uncrowned,
Every moment humans race!

 

 

Responsibility

If you don't exercise it,
Its Siamese twin sister, freedom,
Will wither, like a muscle, as well.

 

 

YOU CAN

Talk the talk, walk the walk, and even
Be the be, but, if you don't vote the vote,
You'll never be livin' in a democracy!

 

 

Amadou

Your living was a gift.
Your life taken shows us
All how we're not being.
Taking our own lives,
In effect, by not doing
All we can.

You may be dead, yet,
Still, you give us insight,
That we're not fully alive.

May your memory be
A constant reminder of
What we lose when
We fail to be;
That being everything.

(For Amadou Diallo, who was assassinated by NYPD with 41 bullets (as a message
to Africans, et al), when he complied with their request "to show them id", by
reaching into his back pocket for his wallet.)

 

 

Carry On

'We will never stop
'Til we get our freedom.'
The song sings, while them that kill it,
Greed driven, avarice ridden, never
Filling their enlarging hole inside, for,
They can't be, nor hide
Their poverty or deathly stride,

Murder to die.
These murderers of life
For delusional profits and pleasures,
Why aren't they tried?
Delusions are sweet,
Illusions sweeter.

So, what do we do?
Their choosing is losing their potential
To grow, and personal power in the
Moment so, we show the growth, and
Walk towards the dream,
We're realizing for both.

While life, here and now, is the point
Made with art, in our hearts,
Our beings are the heart of the point.
So, it is I stand and say,
The murder stops here.
Turning our back to the convolution,
We walk, evolution's way.

 


multumultum

As machinations of
Travailing winds,
Miraging, veil and mirror
Narcissistic nihlistic
False-ego, as self,
We evince to be!

 

 

C'est La Unvie

A million monarchs lie dead, though,
No less sociological programming of
Upper-middle to rich classes with
Decadence, affluence, inclusion, is.
No less societal determination of
Middle to lower, being excluded by
Division and conquering, privation.
Yet, they, on wing no more, still
flyIn our spirit's eye, heal humanities'
Heart. While their silent cry echoes
The 33,000 species extinct each year,
A rate not seen since the last ice age
Ensued; does it move you?
Does your curiosity ask why?
Will you, on this 33rd Earth Day, allow
A tear for all life's fallen? Consider
The losses economic apartheid incurs,
Mirrored by the divide human-centricity
Has levied? Our underlying duplicitous
Disregard for life, greed and oil fueled,
Won't abate for our existence, will you?

( For the beautiful butterflies, et tu, mon amis, written one and a half years
before the 33rd. )

   


Write On!  Well, what do you think, et al?


Related Actions, the urls :)

Have an activist/advocate, sociological to political poem you want feedback on,
make a pledge, post your poem in it, and discuss it, as well as other's poems
:)


Act/Art: New Year's poetree    :)

http://womensrights.change.org/actions/view/actart_new_years_poetree

http://www.change.org/profile/189788/actions

http://www.change.org/profiles/reality


Art/Act: Good Poetry Month, Write On :)

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DisabledGreensNews/message/8537


art, post/discuss poem :)

http://socialentrepreneurship.change.org/actions/view/art_postdiscuss_poem


Art/Act For Poetry Month :)

http://socialentrepreneurship.change.org/actions/view/artact_for_poetry_month


Opportunity / Teachers :)

http://education.change.org/actions/view/opportunity_teachers

 

 

 

 

 

New actions, updated daily, to Help Haiti  :)

Help Haiti in every way   :)


These Actions, on Change.org, the urls   :)

Help Haiti in everyway   :)

http://globalhealth.change.org/actions/view/help_haiti_in_everyway

http://www.change.org/profile/189788/actions

http://www.change.org/profiles/reality


Advocate for Indigenous globally   :)

Advocate for Indigenous   :)

http://globalhealth.change.org/actions/view/advocate_for_indigenous


On DisabledGreensNews and discussion   :)

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DisabledGreensNews/message/8962


Thanx.

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