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This Day in History

Zapatista Army Founded (1983)
The Zapatista Army of National Liberation is a revolutionary group founded in the southern state of Chiapas, Mexico. It views itself as the philosophical heir to the movement started by Emiliano Zapata in the early 20th century under the slogan "land and liberty." It represents indigenous people and is committed to opposing policies that hurt the working poor, especially farmers.

Why I'm Voting Blue (and not Green)

It is a perpetual struggle for me - to vote for the candidate or party I truly believe in (green/socialist) - or to choose the lesser of two evils (democrat). This election has been particularly difficult. However, I made my decision. I'm voting for Barack.



Even though I HATE that he vote in favor of FISA and hate that he doesn't support gay marriage, here are some things I do like:

I appreciate his decision to increase taxes for people who make over 250,000/year and decrease taxes for people making under 75,000/year - to do a little bit of wealth redistribution (I wish it was more).

I agree with his stance on hate crimes, flag desecration, the ERA.

I am glad he stands for corporate tax breaks, repealing subsidies given to companies that take jobs offshore, closing the tax loophole for US companies operating abroad, capping farm subsidies for Fortune 500 companies, and holding companies accountable for their work conditions and pensions.

I'm glad that he wants to reform health care (but wish his plan was stronger).

I love that he wants to work to end racial profiling (but am disgusted he wont go all the way to ban the death penalty).

I support his ideas for education reform, including increase teachers pay, college tuition breaks for public service, increase student integration, and work to provide college education for free.

I am behind him when it comes to funding research into alternative energy and requiring that the US move to renewable resources by 2002.

I believe in his desire to open diplomacy with Cuba, send aid to Congo, work to end the Genocide, and not enter countries with guns and flags waiving.

I agree with his demand to end torture, provide greater support for our veterans, restore habeas corpus to people abroad, and repeal 'don't ask, don't tell'.

While I wish that Obama's stances in many areas were stronger, I feel like I do not have the ability to vote for a third party candidate this year. While I may be privileged enough to withstand the repercussions of a McCain win, I have a responsibility to other Americans, who may not be so privileged, to enable a small degree of progress to be made under Obama.

FBI Don't Care About Black People

In 2007 the FBI decided to reopen the trials of the murders of black people during Jim Crow and the Civil Rights Movement. However, to date, 0 people have been persecuted. It is called the Cold Case Initiative - perhaps indicating the cold heart of people refusing to try white murders.

This same week a notorious Klansman - James Ford Steele - had his conviction of kidnapping two men overturned. He was sentenced in 2007 and released of responsibility because the statue on trying kidnapping charges had passed.

In other words, the longer you wait - the less people you have to hold accountable.

However, we don't mind holding innocent black people in jail for crimes they didn't commit. See The Innocence Project for more information. If we do release them we certainly wont help them get back on their feet.

The World is Dying of Cancer, and we are Treating it With Aspirin.

Our ineptitude at fighting global warming made front page news today as it was reported that another large ice shelf broke of the Artic. To demonstrate the drastic changes that have happened in the last years the BBC reports:

Ellesmere Island was once bounded by one giant ice shelf that covered almost 10,000 sq km (3,500 sq miles).
Now this expanse of ice has retreated into a string of much smaller, individual shelves, which together cover just under 1,000 sq km (400 sq miles). At 440 sq km (170 sq miles) in size and 40m (130ft) thick, the WHIS is the largest of the remnant shelves. Scientists have been studying the Canadian feature because of what it can tell them about Arctic history.

The Arctic is melting, polar bears are dying, the Antarctic is melting, people are being killed in Tsunami's and ever-more present hurricanes. In response, we give it a few pain killers: a few people drive a little less... or drive more in better cars. People have a lot of 'talks' about renewable energy.



At the same time, the cancer grows. We start drilling offshore and in the Arctic.

Solar power works. Wind power works. There is no reason that we can't treat this cancer with chemo and replace our energy systems. We have no choice. I hear the people making decisions say that "It is too much, too fast. It might hurt business". Friends, there will be no business if we don't change pace immediately.

Further loss of Arctic ice will see radiation absorbed by darker seawater and snow-free land, potentially warming the Earth's climate at an even faster rate than current observational data indicates.

Bribery WorldWide

Silence in China
The government is bribing parents of children killed in the Chinese Earthquake to remain silent about the disaster during the Olympics. Apparently they want to make sure that China has a pleasant face to the world.

Forced Rally in Darfur
Apparently the President in Sudan, now that he has been charged with genocide, is going into Darfur and forcing people to attend rallies. This is being done to show the world that he has supporters even in that region of the country. Its amazing how many people will believe it.

News Round Up

I had to take down my blog due to the need for anonymity and safety in research. I'll be hiding out here for a while.

Good news for employers. The labor department is trying to assist you in exposing your employees to more toxins and chemicals. (Though the details are secret). I have seen factories- thousands of workers already are ill from exposure. We need more regulation, not less. The government should be protecting citizens, not padding the wallets of corporations that will cut costs at the risk of harming workers. Evil. Simply evil.

More Proof the Government Led By Bush Don't Care About Black People
911 services are not reliable in Prince George's county, MD - home to many people of color pushed out of DC via gentrification. The lack of service lead to many homes being destroyed by fires and other disasters going unattended. Is it a lack of funding? Perhaps we could pay emergency services rather than build stadiums...

Minnesota Nice

I've been living in Minnesota for over 9 months now. I'm convinced that people outside of the state (barring those who have lived here, had relatives here, or are into the NPR Lake Wobegon show) have never heard of "Minnesota Nice". However, people here are convinced the world knows of their incredible niceness. So, I did some Google searching.

According to Wikipedia:

Minnesota nice is the stereotypical behavior of Minnesota residents to provide hospitality and courtesy to others. The term is also sometimes used in a derogatory way, to connote a sort of smiling stubbornness, forced politeness, false humility or passive hostility.

Stereotypes of Minnesotans often overlap with qualities of other people from the Upper Midwest, including the perception that many are quiet and do not wish to offend others or cause a disruption. Writer Garrison Keillor played with this image in a piece written for the radio program A Prairie Home Companion called "Wobegonics", the supposed language of Minnesotans which includes "no confrontational verbs or statements of strong personal preference, you know." Sometimes area residents who move away, or otherwise come in contact with others who don't subscribe to the ideal, say that they have to shed their "Minnesota nice" in order to interact properly with others or get out of troublesome situations. The generosity of state citizens has gained respect—the heavily-reported influenza vaccine shortage of fall 2004 did not strike the state as hard as elsewhere since many people willingly gave up injections for others.[1]

Minnesota Nice is a 2003 28-minute documentary by Jeffrey Schwarz about the Coen brothers' movie Fargo, a movie that displays some of the stereotypical behavior.

I dont need to go into the fact that most people do not consider hiding your opinions or pretending to like things nice, but I want to tell you about how Minnesota Nice can hurt other people indirectly.

Since living in Minnesota I have had my bike stolen, my wallet stolen, and three bike lights stolen. Now, the wallet was my own fault, I left it in the side of my backpack for easy picking. However, I believe that the bike and bike lights could have been prevented had someone not been too 'nice' to stop the thieves.

My bike was stolen out of the back of my truck. Someone (probably more then one person) tugged on the back of my locked topper long enough to bend the metal and get my bike out. Now, my truck was parked in a neighborhood with plenty of traffic. I'm fairly certain that someone probably saw these guys (or gals) do it. Unless they thought the guys (or gals) had accidentally locked themselves out of the trunk and offered to help them get in to rescue their bike, I'm not sure that it was 'nice' to allow it to happen.

The bike lights may be even more directly linked to Minnesota Nice. Two of the three had to be stolen during the day, while I was in my nearby office. This means that people with screw drivers are going up to bikes and taking off lights. Now, I can understand how people would grant others the benefit of the doubt and think they were simply working on their bikes, but that is a long shot given it is parked in an awkward place for repair (with very little room for maneuvering and surrounded by other bikes).

I guess I don't have a point so much as a rant about how Minnesota Nice does not extend to allowing you to keep the things you have purchased. I think I would find it nicer if whoever took my things would steal from the rich instead. I can't afford to keep buying lights, so I'm going to be riding in the dark. When I get hit by a car, we'll see how far Minnesota Nice goes. I hope that people wont think that I'm practicing stunts and be 'nice' enough to let me lay there.

Woman Sets Self on Fire to Protest Racism

I came across this information on another blog (found here).

Apparently, this woman had recently become bankrupt and the victim of institutionalized and personal racism. I can't find a news story to contribute an accurate portrayal of events.

What I found an important contribution was the comments below, especially that of theblacksentinal here. He was responding to someone who said that her actions were "beyond drastic":

Beyond drastic. Have you ever had to suffer day after day with the type of berating, racism, slander, ill treatment that this lady and millions of other blacks do daily? If not then you could not possibly know how desperate you feel to just have something make people open their eyes to what is going on.

In fact why does someone have to go to drastic measures just to be seen as a human individual with needs, wants and desires for equal treatment. Why does it seem that blacks all over this planet have to suffer the same fate at the hands of the same people whether they are in Belgium, U.S., Africa or any other nation.

I am just confused as to what the problem is that non black people are so consumed with the constant hate for those of the darker races.

I am sick as well, sick that it has to come to this for someone. Sick that equality is a joke to people. Sick that anyone has to suffer then show their suffering to the people they are living amongst who turned their head away from her suffering before this.

furniture ElhovoThanks
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http://www.whereintheworldiskrissyhaltinner.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/image002.jpg
This was also done by a woman in Rome.

http://www.whereintheworldiskrissyhaltinner.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/image001.jpg

furniture Bulgaria

If Kids Can Kill

Recently Nicolas Sarkozy revised the school curriculum in France. Specifically, he is mandating that fifth graders learn the life story of a French child who was killed in the holocaust. This has been met with massive outcry with people claiming that kids are too young to learn about such horror.

This seems ludicrous to me. There are places in the world where children are being trained as soldiers. There are places in the world where children are seeing violence on their streets daily. There are places in the world where genocide is occurring today. How can we stop it if we fail to tell our children about the horror which has happened in this world? Isn't educating children the best way to prevent such horror from happening again?

This is something I've struggled with. I was wearing a 'Stop Genocide in Sudan' shirt one day and a little girl asked me/her mother what genocide was. Her mom said she was too young to know and gave me the evil eye. What do you think? Is there an age in which you can be too young to learn about the horrors of the world? Is it not a weakness on the left that we overprotect children (there are a lot of evangelical kids and neo-Nazi children doing terrible things). What do you think?