Back in the fall, I was hangin' with my friend and his 5 year-old daughter, and he asked her, "Honey, what does a superhero do?" "He fights the bad guys" she answered like any 5 year year old. This friend of mine is a very enthusiastic canvasser for an environmental non-profit. Later, we asked his daughter "What does Daddy do?", she answered "He fights the bad guys!" Daddy's in the superhero business, working to keep poop out of water and pesticides out of schools. This super-cute exchange reminded me that we all need to do our part to stop the evil forces from destroying our world.
I always dread being asked "so what do you DO?" Although they are probably referring to my job, I'm tempted to answer "Oh, you know, I'm a superhero." which then requires a little explanation, since not everyone is as concerned about the corporations and politicians that are profitting from the destruction of life around the world. Luckily, I just started waitressing again, so I'll be servin' up BBQ with a smile by day. And at night? My superhero battery needs a little recharge.
Maybe I'll start with:
Raw Dragon Rolls
1 Collard Green leaf - stalks cut off the bottom (4-6 inches long leaf)
1 Tbs. Raw Almond Butter
3 Tbs. Kimchi - preferrably fresh, without the fish
measurements can be altered to cooks preference
Lay the collard creen, darker side down.
Smear the almond butter all over the leaf.
Add the kimchi, make sure to strain the liquid back into the jar.
Roll up the leaf (fold natural end of leaf over, then roll like a little sushi roll or burrito)
Mmmm. Enjoy.
If you let these sit in a tupperwear and then eat them as a snack in the park or at work, the juice from the kimchi does a nice thing to the collards.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Monday, May 4, 2009
Originally, folks from CUSLAR (the Ithaca based Committee on US-Latin American Relations) asked me to write a reflection for their newletter on the Witness for Peace retreat I attended the first weekend of April.If you want peace and justice,you’ll have to work for it.
Witness for Peace (WfP) held it’s annual retreat deep in the Poconos Mountains of Pennsylvania. Over seventy activists and Latin America enthusiasts convened to discuss what the Obama presidency portends for U.S.-Latin America relations. In the 80’s, Witness for Peace brought hundreds of people to Nicaragua to expose the true nature of U.S. involvement in the Contra war. Today, WfP leads delegations of U.S. citizens to Latin America to witness the negative effects of U.S. military aid and trade policies on the lives of innocent people.
At the retreat, return delegates reflected on their trips. They met Colombian flower pickers that are exposed to toxic pesticides for $8 per in order to supply the U.S. with cut flowers. The coffee grower in Nicaragua complained of poverty level wages, even for coffee that is certified Fair Trade. Mexico migrants said that since NAFTA flooded the Mexican market with cheap corn, they can no longer earn a living wage growing corn and thus have to seek employment in el norte. Their stories are distinct, but their message is unified: “Please tell your government that its policies cause us great suffering.”
The retreat focused on specific policy changes we can work to achieve this year. These include: ending the travel ban to Cuba; closing the School of the Americans; debt cancellation for impoverished countries; halting military aid to Colombia, and renegotiating NAFTA and CAFTA. Although the current political climate seems favorable, significant change requires sustained efforts across the country. Witness for Peace provides the tools for citizens to inform their communities and engage their elected officials to pursue a policy in Latin America that values human rights and sustainable development.
At the recent Summit of the Americas, Obama made plans to meet with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe to discuss military aid and the U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement. Colombia is the largest recipient of US military aid in the Western Hemisphere and, currently, has the world’s largest population of internally displaced persons. Through ‘Plan Colombia’, the U.S. has given over six billion taxpayer dollars to Colombia. Most of the money goes to arm and train the country's military, notorious for killing innocent civilians and then dressing them to appear to be guerrillas. Drug War policies implemented thus far have proved futile. Coca fumigation has destroyed the food crops of subsistence farmers yet, today, Colombia grows more coca than when the fumigations began seven years ago.
In preparation for the annual ‘Days of Prayer and Action for Colombia’, retreat attendees made paper dolls - each one representing one thousand of the 4 million displaced Colombians. Ben, our tireless organizer, convinced us that people around the country were making the dolls and talking to their Congressional representatives about the humanitarian crisis in Colombia. On April 20th, 2009, four-thousand dolls arrived en masse in front of the White House, asking Obama to make a “radical” change in policy towards Colombia and to help eradicate the displacement crisis. Organized advocacy efforts such as these, in conjunction with lobby visits, call-in days, letter writing, and other educational efforts, guarantee that politicians will no longer be able to feign ignorance regarding the human cost of our foreign policies.
To learn more about Witness for Peace, visit their website, www.witnessforpeace.org. It’s full of educational resources, action opportunities, and first-hand analysis of the adverse effects of U.S. policy in Latin America.
Power to the People
The progressive reforms that have coming out of Albany recently have been a long time coming. Leading up to the November election, grassroots groups across the state worked tirelessly to Get Out the Vote. Tanika Jones of Citizen Action of Syracuse will tell you, however, that “voting is just the first step. People need to take action if they want to see real change. Elected officials need to remember that they work for us.” Democrats took the majority of the state senate in January. Since, grassroots groups having been fighting to pass reforms that improve the quality of life for New Yorkers and that make sense economically.
When Governor Patterson proposed cutting healthcare and education spending by $6.5 billion, the Fair Share Coalition responded by mobilizing an army of canvassers and volunteers. Beginning late November, people around the state incessantly lobbied their Senators, wrote letters, orchestrated demonstrations and ultimately, succeeded in convincing the State Senate that New York needs fair share tax reform. The progressive income tax (PIT) will rise for those earning more than $300,000, with a further increase for those earning more than $500,000. Rolling back the tax cuts of the past 30 years, the PIT is expected to raise roughly $4 billion annually.
In 1973, New York passed what were considered then the nation’s harshest drug laws. Thirty five years of mandatory prison sentencing for non-violent drug related crimes proved to have a disproportionately negative effect on communities of color. The practice of locking up addicts has cost NY state $500 million annually. For decades, former inmates, families, and diverse advocacy groups have faught to “Drop the Rock.” A staunch advocate of drug policy reform, Governor Patterson was arrested at a 2002 demonstration in front of Pataki’s office . This year, legislators and community activists are celebrating a reform to the Rockefeller Laws that acknowledges that drug use is a public health problem and should be treated as such. Judges will have the discretion to sentence first-time non-violent offenders to treatment instead of prison.
The new Bottle Bill expands New York's bottle return law to include water bottles, a quarter of all beverages sold in New York, and is forecasted to generate around $115 million annually. It took groups like NYPIRG nine years of canvassing and lobbying to pass this common-sense legislation which will reduce litter and increase state revenues.
Unfortunately, most just causes don’t have the funding to hire talented canvassers and community organizers. For significant changes to occur, it remains up to those that recognize where the government has gone wrong to speak out. The recent reforms are proof of a political shift occurring in New York State, not just in the Senate but in the street. We the people are learning how to harness our collective power.
The progressive reforms that have coming out of Albany recently have been a long time coming. Leading up to the November election, grassroots groups across the state worked tirelessly to Get Out the Vote. Tanika Jones of Citizen Action of Syracuse will tell you, however, that “voting is just the first step. People need to take action if they want to see real change. Elected officials need to remember that they work for us.” Democrats took the majority of the state senate in January. Since, grassroots groups having been fighting to pass reforms that improve the quality of life for New Yorkers and that make sense economically.
When Governor Patterson proposed cutting healthcare and education spending by $6.5 billion, the Fair Share Coalition responded by mobilizing an army of canvassers and volunteers. Beginning late November, people around the state incessantly lobbied their Senators, wrote letters, orchestrated demonstrations and ultimately, succeeded in convincing the State Senate that New York needs fair share tax reform. The progressive income tax (PIT) will rise for those earning more than $300,000, with a further increase for those earning more than $500,000. Rolling back the tax cuts of the past 30 years, the PIT is expected to raise roughly $4 billion annually.
In 1973, New York passed what were considered then the nation’s harshest drug laws. Thirty five years of mandatory prison sentencing for non-violent drug related crimes proved to have a disproportionately negative effect on communities of color. The practice of locking up addicts has cost NY state $500 million annually. For decades, former inmates, families, and diverse advocacy groups have faught to “Drop the Rock.” A staunch advocate of drug policy reform, Governor Patterson was arrested at a 2002 demonstration in front of Pataki’s office . This year, legislators and community activists are celebrating a reform to the Rockefeller Laws that acknowledges that drug use is a public health problem and should be treated as such. Judges will have the discretion to sentence first-time non-violent offenders to treatment instead of prison.
The new Bottle Bill expands New York's bottle return law to include water bottles, a quarter of all beverages sold in New York, and is forecasted to generate around $115 million annually. It took groups like NYPIRG nine years of canvassing and lobbying to pass this common-sense legislation which will reduce litter and increase state revenues.
Unfortunately, most just causes don’t have the funding to hire talented canvassers and community organizers. For significant changes to occur, it remains up to those that recognize where the government has gone wrong to speak out. The recent reforms are proof of a political shift occurring in New York State, not just in the Senate but in the street. We the people are learning how to harness our collective power.
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