Free range hen eating Wegmans apple pie.

 

Circle of Hope and Thanks

I am thankful today for Hope, the hope that we can all share right now,
that love can heal our world.
And I am thankful for the love that I feel right now.
It's burning inside me, and everyone.
We need to come together, and let our love burn like a big flame.
So that everyone can feel it.
And we can heal our Earth.

Today, as most Thanksgivings, I am thankful for my amazing family and for the good fortune that fate has dealt me in this life. The idea of good fortune fits in really well with what I've been feeling since the School of the America's protest I was part of in Fort Benning, Georgia last weekend.

For blog-fans not familiar with the School of the Americas (SOA), it's a special school where the U.S. government trains Latin American cadets in the art of assassination, kidnapping, torture, and mass executions. Graduates of the school are entrusted the sacred duty of protecting free markets and wealth by murdering priests, union members, artists, and entire villages of violent Marxist revolutionary terrorists (SOA in a nutshell, find more at www.soaw.org/).

I went down to Georgia with an eclectic group of peace-lovers from Syracuse to attend this non-violent protest that drew over 20,000 people this year. It was great. All weekend long, we convened to listen to testimonies from people that have seen the true face of Free Trade. Union leaders from Colombia spoke about the murder of activists who protest the dangerous work conditions in the coal mines run by U.S. based Drummond coal. Migrant workers told the story behind their search for work in the picking fields of U.S. farms. An indigenous Guatemalan man told us how he hid during a paramiltary raid on his village, and how he was the only survivor of the massacre. And Americans spoke of what they had seen and heard from the people in their visits to Colombia and Mexico and Guatemala, and how these connections had changed the course of their lives. Recognizing the violence and injustice behind NAFTA and U.S. military aid, American citizens are the only ones who can push our government to abandon the free trade model because the costs are just too high. The policies the United States has advocated in Latin America for over a century have spilled the blood of countless innocent victims (collateral damage, right?) and we the people, knowing what we know, need to continue making our collective voice heard, louder and louder until it can't be ignored.


The weekend was serious and the discussions were heavy, but at the same time, it felt as though the majority of the people I spoke with shared the hope that things could change. And we shared a joy that we were all there, 20,000 of us, fueled by a love of life and truth. And we heard stories from individuals from the U.S. and the Latin America who were organizing for their rights, challenge the system, and and working to build peace. I listened to a member of the Coalition of Immokalee workers. his words so full of determination, "No estoy satisfecho." We are not satisfied with the status quo, and we will work together to change things for the better.

Is the country still high on Obama's change? Let's see if he closes the School of Assassins in 2009. Or maybe we can give Guantanamo back to Cuba (not before excommunicating the demons of the islands' only from the only McDonalds). As commander in chief, Obama will have choices to make, the most important one being, who he will listen to. We the people need to make sure he hears us, and he needs no reason beyond justice to guide in his decision making. I want to invite Obama to take a trip wearing only his CITIZEN chat to Colombia or Mexico or maybe Syracuse, and then start making choices that will fix the power imbalance in this world.

On the long long drive back to Syracuse, I felt like I had in August after Spanish for Activists camp. Refueled and regenerated, ready to give all my energy to the struggle. Except it's a lot colder and I can't just go around singing revolution all day long. My personal challenge in the coming days and months is going to be figuring out, What can I do for the struggle? How can I be an agent of change in this world?

So it's Thanksgiving, and me and my mom just had a kick-ass dinner of free-range cow and fall fruits, including starring collards, sweet potatoes, acorn squash. I am very thankful this year, because I am full of the hope that our love for one another, that Namaste love that sees the light burning in everyone, that love for the Earth and all it's living things, will one day heal the world.


And don't shop tomorrow! Buy Nothing Day! We've got enough stuff.

Manna from Obama

In about 48 hours we'll know the consensus of more voices than this country has ever heard. The most beautiful thing that I've witnessed this election season are the reports of record breaking numbers of new voter registrations. I work for Citizen Action, who proudly registered close to 5000 new voters in the the City of Syracuse. If not for my job, who knows if I would've gotten infected with Obamamania. I got it cause I get it. Obama's gotten me and everyone else around (me, my dad, Oprah, the Southside of Syracuse) to truly believe that a CHANGE is possible. Just check the Daily Show interview: http://blog.indecision2008.com/2007/08/23/barack-obama-on-the-daily-show/).

As a society, we need to mold our politicians. We need to challenge them, from within and without, which means giving them a chance. And just doing it, VOTING ON NOV. 4th, because it's a right that we have in our country. Lots of people worked really hard to guarantee voting rights so that capitalist males weren't the the only voice in the running of our country. OK, they're still messing things up, but we the people can't let up, and voting is just one way that our dissent can be heard.

I am constantly reminding myself to take off the Obamavision glasses. I believe that in his heart, Barack Obama believes that we need to heal the world and make it a better place and end our support for states that are guilty of using paramilitaries against their populations. While maybe he couldn't close the School of the Americas or end the Cuban embargo right of the bat, his presidency would allow the voice of popular dissent to be heard, in the streets and in the corridors where decisions are made. In the final debate two weeks ago, Obama made the direct link between NAFTA and human rights abuses by the Colombian government against Colombian labor union organizers. Could a President Obama ignore the thousands of protesters that arrive at Fort Benning, Georgia to demand that we stop teaching foreign soldiers how to violently suppress their populations? We need to make sure that we don't let ourselves be ignored after Nov. 4th.

A sad truth that we the people need to confront is that the riches that some people here have are the result of a very particular social arrangement. Let a select few make decision and develop a enforcement capabilities, and let the rest work really hard, sweat and bleed, and convince them to accept intolerable living standards. Disenfranchisement is more than just denying people the vote. It's a violent system, and we can't let it beat us, so we the people need to assault it from every angle, until we can reach a consensual arrangement, where no matter what my job is or how many babies I end up having, I can eat organic local food and never ignore a medical issue just because I'm scared of the doctors bill. It's a long way to the promised land, but I think we're on our way. And I trust Barack Obama, that he'll work to make sure that tomorrow is better than today, for as many people as possible. Our responsibility, as we the people, is to never stop challenging the system and molding our politicians. They're supposed to be working for us, right?


Syracuse and the rest of urban America are going crazy for Obama and the dream of affordable health care and better schools. Record numbers are participating in this years election because it's about time that things got better. Expectation of change are going to be high. If you live in Syracuse, you should call me and then you should get your booty into my office and help me call new voters and tell them to get their booty over to their assigned polling place and vote in this historic election. Let's make our collective voice heard. And then Wednesday, we can keep fighting the military-industrial complex, organizing for peace, and maybe make time for some yoga. It's a beautiful struggle, and election season is part of it.


Be sure to make your calender for November 9th to attend a very special event, "And Justice for All..." It's dinner and a movie, a date with the Detainment Task Force, an invitation to discuss immigration justice over beans and rice. Sunday, Nov. 9th @ 4:30, Plymouth Congregational Church, downtown. If you need more details, get in touch, ursula.rozum@gmail.com.

I'm ready for my Obama button!

I admit, I wanted it to happen. Tonight, Barack Obama convinced me that he is going to be a great President, if only we can give him the chance. I trust him. He wants what I want. I want health care. I want a trade policy which respects human rights over the rights of capitol. I want a President who will admit that the trade deals we have now are linked to human rights abuses,to forced migration, and to a loss of jobs here in the United States. I want a President who has a plan to address the injustices and the inequalities that exist in this country and in the world. I cried at the end of tonight's debate (for those of you oversees and totally disconnected from the Obamania and the election....the last Presidential debate before the big one, November 4th elections day.)

I am not a Democrat and I have serious doubts about the efficacy of the political system that we have right now. I think I'm registered in the Green party, I'm not even sure (cause what does it matter?) I know that I want our elected officials to make sure that we have quality education for everyone in this country. Barack talked about the need for early childhood education for all of our little toddlers and preschoolers. He wants to make sure our teachers are educated, that everyone can afford to go to college. I'm not really sure how he's gonna do it. But he wants to make it happen. And he admits it's going to be hard. But we can do it. Because we all want better schools. And if in 4 years, our schools aren't better, our kids aren't reading, we still can't afford to go to college or pay our loans. Or get jobs. Well, then we can vote for somebody else. And if the people in the city of Syracuse vote Maffei or Howie Hawkins into office, and they don't go to Washington and get us the Health Care they promised, or at least try, then in two years, we can vote for someone else.

You want Health Care,for all Americans NOW? Barack just gave us a plan tonight. It's not about the government telling you where to go to the doctor, it's about making sure that no one is denied access to the help they need. And he wants to give us the same quality of care that him and John McCain and other government employees have. Hell ya! I can go to work tomorrow at Citizen Action, and I can go to our event this weekend and get my volunteers pumped about voting, because we are going to choose candidates that are pledging to fight for the basic changes that we want, that will positively impact the lives of all Americans.

Obama came straight out and made the connection between Free Trade, human rights in Latin Amerca, job loss in the US and the forced migration of displaced workers from Latin America to the US. He acknowledged the need to renegotiate trade agreements. Maffei and Hawkins both oppose NAFTA. And if we want Barack to be successful in helping us fulfill the dreams that he has promised to work towards, he needs Congress to have his back.

I was really moved by tonights debate. I am scared of what our future will look like is McCain wins this elections but I'm motivated by the hope of what good can come of people coming together, and figuring out how they can get what they want. And I believe that Obama is doing that. Obama is bringing us together. And what do they say about people coming together to get what they want?

The people united will never be defeated!

So, vote on Nov 4th! And talk about the election, talk about what you want to see happen. To everyone.

And call me if you want to get down with election fever in Syracuse cause Citizen Action needs your help.

Or if you're going to the School of the Americas protest, cause we gotta keep talking strategy on how we are going to make sure the Obama and the new Congress take a new direction on trade policy in the Americas, so that our relationships with other countries reflect a respect for human rights, labor rights, the environment, and local indigenous cultures.

Amen! Now what?

Ongoing flirtations with anarchism, the Green Party, and the outlaw

In a couple of hours I'm going in for an interview to work as a Voter Registration Canvasser. This is really exciting. Canvassing usually involves asking people for money for whatever campaign your working on. Not an easy job. And up until about a week ago, I was sure that voting was useless in this mock-democracy. I came close to packing my backpack for St Paul and braving the streets with the rebels who refuse to watch the Rich White Oligarchs (thank you, Daily Show) run our country. I was ready to boycott the November's general election, until I met Howie Hawkins, watched a few Kat Swift and Nader videos, and remembered that I'm a registered Green Party member. I'm proudly voting Green this year (more on Howie Hawkins later!). Nader reminded me that historically, 3rd parties have been around alongside radical social movements, helping to push ideas like abolition, women's suffrage, and a slew of other progressive victories that the status quo wasn't too keen on.

I became familiar the ins and outs of anarchism while I was still living in Ithaca, in great part due to innumerable chats with a really savvy co-worker who lent me his copy of “Abolish Restaurants” (yes, we were working in a restaurant.) For those of my readers (that's YOU!) who maybe don't feel like they have a grasp of the term anarchism, I can share those ideas which spoke to me. Anarchy is not total chaos and lawlessness, but rather focus on collective decision making and breaking down hierarchical power structures, those that brought us slavery, corporate farming, the defunct prison system, child labor, and sweat shops, among other capitalist methods of production that favor profits over people. It seems to me that the anarchist hates the system (of oppression) due to his/her(/what-ever-you-identify-as) love and respect of life in all it's forms. Anarchists are the new hippies. When not in the dumpster rescuing wasted food to share with the hungry, I've spotted them tending their gardens, fixing bikes, making-out, and the list of ways that we can defy the accepted norm of unquestioning consumption and cherish life continues. With their zeal for solidarity and uncontrollable urge to get in the face of the powers that be, anarchist are an necessary part of today's social justice movement. And I wish I could get them to vote for the Green Party! and come to Geneva on September 7th to stand up in solidarity with farm workers.

Why should we vote?
-Your might let you leave work early to exericse your civic duty!
-You don't have to vote for one of the two parties. It's a media circus, the general election, all about the money. We know that Democrats and Republicans alike get money from oil companies, the Cubans in Miami, the makers of high-fructose corn syrup, and the devil. But, you don't have to vote for a main stream party. If you weren't going to vote anyway, voting for a third party is not taking a vote away from Obama and giving it to McCain. The numbers tell them, that X number of us favor alternative energy, stopping the war in Iraq, etc.
-Our democracy is totally defunct and if people tried voting, maybe it would be a little more representative. I'm not sure how to abolish the electoral college and institute a parliamentarian system. I don't know how to get the electoral majority of the American people to pick a President that is for clean energy, peace, single-payer health care, education and freedom of speech and assembly But not voting isn't achieving anything.

In the next couple of hours, I'll need to think a little more about how I'm going to convince non-voters and low-income citizens why they should vote since the arguements for why we shouldn't are pretty convincing.

Some may say that 3rd party efforts are futile, but ask Ralph Nader, and he'll convince you that they can help achieve victories for Peace and Freedom. Maybe it has to get better EVEN WORSE before it can get better? I'm not sure. But that Howie Hawkins (www.howiehawkins.com), what a dreamboat. He's for fair trade, collective action, popular power, single payer health care, more money for schools, reduction of the military-industrial complex. All that and against the war! This guy wants what I want! Maybe he'll come to Geneva on Sunday, too! I can't make my anarchists friends vote, since it is against their stated principles. But if they did, they could vote or Howie and it could stay our little secret.

One more idea that's been pulsing through my veins has been the Outlaw, who I find to be even sexier that the anarchist. Why sexy? It may be their "I do what I want" attitude. Or it could be the way they fearlessly get in the face of the system, stealing and cheating, because why not mess with the powers that be, since they are exploiting people, animals and the environment all
around the world. When I think of outlaws, I think of pirates, kinda like those described in the book Pirate Utopias, even though the book is a bit of a snooze. I'm thinking of those dudes and dudettes that terrorize whaling boats. I'm thinking bike pirates, that run red lights and stop signs (ok, I just want to be a pirate). I want to do soe more research on both historical and modern outlaws. Different than just criminals, these are folk that decide to live OUTside the LAW because they find the laws to be unjust an oppressive, kinda like Robin Hood.

Going back to the comment that outlaws are sexier than anarchists, maybe that's too absolute of a statement. The point is that I am very attracted to folks that challenge me to resist the excepted norms. Because who is it that decides how we should live? I decide how I should live. And you should be able to decide how you want to live. So take some spraypaint, throw it through a McDs window and then zoom away really quick on your home-made bike and go vote! And if you meet a pirate, ask if they want a hug!

Under Construction.

Sometime around the and New Years 2008, I started talking about writing a blog. The whole season was full of love and joy. In addition to the All-Star line-up of my friends and family Syracuse, I got to spend an entire week in New York City with some of my most beloved friend's from McGill. And I wanted to bring them all home with me, in my pocket or something. I was living, full-time, in Ithaca, a very magical place. The professional “enjoyeur” ( a franglish word I just created) I wanted nothing more than to share the joys of everyday life with all the wonderful people I get to see rarely.

Of course, little perceived obstacles began popping up all around. Lack of a computer. misplacing my digital camera. figure out how to get Linux to work on my Sony VAIO. work. yoga. Kahlua. Sunshine. Margaritas. Waterfalls. RIBs. And let's face it, being a professional “enjoyeur” also means I'm can be quite the procrastinator. But this time I'll write the blog. I just needed a topic, which I found at Spanish for Activists camp. This is about my personal effort to help build a strong and efficient social justice movement. While savoring life as best as I know how. Like right now, I'm enjoying some West African Style Peanut Brittle, at my new favorite night spot in Syracuse, Strong Heart cafe. All vegan all the time.

But how can I and how can we build the Revolution? With love and joy. We're bring down the system, reclaiming our communities, supporting our brothers and sisters around the country and around the world, quantifying our progress not through dollars and GDP, but how much pure love energy we can generate. We will sing it, dance it, and celebrate the fact that we are not alone, that there are people resisting and asserting their right to live in community and in dignity, at one with nature and the rest of the world.

As I mentioned, I spent last weekend at CUSLAR and CISPES' Spanish for Activists camp. There we were, all 40 or so of us activists from all over New York States and New York City, from all walks of life. Students, lawyers, community organizers, professional revolutionaries, some younger some older, all similarly concerned with creating a world that respects everyone's dignity. Como crear un mundo donde caben muchos mundos?

We spent all day together, in language class, listening to talks from the front lines of grassroots organizing. We shared delicious meals and sang and danced and communed in the forest. I imagine that this may have been what the Polish Solidarity camps of the 1980's looked like, minus the priests and the kielbasa (Spanish camp was all vegan, woohoo!). Compassionate and concerned individuals coming together to talk strategy and celebrate the existence of hope. The weekend could not have been quite as memorable if it hadn't been for the campfire sing-along that went into the wee morning hours.(Thank you, Rise Up Singing.) A sucker for the romance and magic that abound in the forest, I lost a bit of sleep admiring the stars, the rain, the cicadas, the morning dew, the wildflowers, and all the natural elements that make Willseyville, NY so similar to other spots along the 42N latitudinal line.

I finally got on the bus from Ithaca to Syracuse a couple days after Spanish camp to take part in the dramatic procession commemorating the dropping of the nuclear bombs on the civilian populations of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I was struck by the silence of those marching behind me as well as that those dotting the sidewalks of downtown Syracuse. The slow drumming at the head of the procession could not be ignored. This was a funeral procession for the 200,000 killed as a results of the bombings that opened the way to the nuclear age. Processions like this one, that I believe occur all around the world around this time, mourn not just the loss of life but the beginning of the nuclear age, with all the threats nuclear energy poses to peace and the health of our planet. More importantly, these procession are our collective voice challenging the Empire and the elites that have stolen the reigns of power. Come together. Power to the people. We don't need no more troubles.

I want to end this first installment of the blog by thanking you, my friends, for taking the time to read my thoughts and to encourage you to not sit idly because there are people out there doing bad things to other people and our planet. We have the opportunity to make some choices in our daily lives. Choose to do something. Choose not to buy that overpriced pair of jeans Made in Poor Country X. Think about what you put in your mouth and think about who you're giving your hard earned money to.

I hope to publish weekly, with bells and whistles and pictures of my dog, so check back next week and hold me to my word. It's a process. Evolving. Under construction.