A Poem

The following written prose is a gift from activist Joemae Santos,

The pride of the nation

The time you had privileges and had food was when others were suffering
The pain of the hot sun attacks our skin
as our flesh burns
along as gasoline burns
and the black smoke lands on her face and
it’s the word itim that enters others mouths
cause it’s best to be white
be embarrassed of
your skin
her skin
his skin
our skin
because it’s ugly
not nice to look at so
go back to working in the streets with a mile to walk
for decent cup of water
that’ll be empty before you get where your going
because it’s the heat like a net caressing our population
increasing the sweat that nurtures our land
ang lupa hiniram, NO “this land is your land” stuff cause
ever since Rizal’s time we’ve been tough
with nothing but the clothes on our backs
we worked till the rich were happy and satisfied with our pain
we are strong we fight for survival and die for necessities this is the
Filipino the ones who fought with pride
against others cause a fight was what they provoked
the joking matter of death spoke spoke
spoke like a speech that will never be forgotten
don’t ever forget the blood that drizzled
as the cold hearted hearts of our enemies beated
alongside the cries for help that pinoys and pinays
asked for back then
back then in history we were discovered
but lapu lapu sparked our defensive attitude
towards the many islands that can say
Salamat Ninoy at Cory for you made change that was greatly needed
we need to be given our needs
our lives at stakes with rain water at our knees
the houses that tremble and stand on nothing but a stick
with the protection from our trope from the scary scary man
that looks at me up and down and the
gossip that’s always being murmured from ear to ear and
the disgusted look people give you if you are poor rich
as to who
who huh will be accepted
but it’s the bone breaking
pride
thinkin’
sweatin’
tearin’
up person that walks through this land
like life is as easy as the gravel is like fire
while their feet sizzle like coal underneath Jollibee’s grill
but the child waits outside for maybe
just maybe someone will throw their half eaten burger
it’s starvation the lack of money is to much to
bear cause the cardboard bed beside the mango tree is painful
insects are easily feeding on me but I won’t
repeat that WON’T die off these islands without
a meaning cause it’s the meaning of pride
we have learned to carry and pass on to others because as a
Pinay my history will live
thru the children who beg
thru the jeepney that runs
thru the teen that works graveyard
thru the palenke that smells
thru the elders that protest
thru the land we have lived on and
No we will never give up on ourselves because
they are
we are
I are

Filipinos are worth dying for

Isreal Assault Leaves Several Dead, Continues Injustice in Gaza

After Israel assaulted a humanitarian aid ship bound for the Gaza strip, many have stood up to speak about this completely unnecessary act of brutality.

The question is, how does this influence the Middle East peace process, and where does this act lie in the continued struggle for justice in the Gaza strip?

Coverage of headlines from Democracy Now!

Flotilla Survivors Deported from Israel
Survivors aboard the flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip have begun to provide their accounts of the Israeli assault that left at least nine people dead and sparked an international uproar. Israel has begun deporting the 682 people seized from the ships during the assault. Many have challenged Israeli military claims that soldiers acted in self-defense after repelling onto the Mavi Marmara. Some say Israeli troops opened fire before boarding the vessel. Passengers on other ships in the flotilla say they were threatened at gunpoint.

Aid Ship Continues Gaza Trek as New Flotilla Planned
Despite the assault, another aid ship has set sail for Gaza intending to challenge the Israeli blockade. The ship is named after Rachel Corrie, who was crushed to death by an Israeli military bulldozer in March 2003. The European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza, meanwhile, has announced it’s planning a flotilla of even more ships than the first to set sail for Gaza in the coming weeks.

US Maintains Refusal to Condemn Flotilla Assault
The Obama administration has refused to condemn the Israeli assault. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton outlined the US stance in Washington.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: "The United States supports the Security Council’s condemnation of the acts leading to this tragedy, and we urge Israel to permit full consular access to the individuals involved and to allow the countries concerned to retrieve their deceased and wounded immediately. We urge all concerned countries to work together to resolve the status of those who were part of this incident as soon as possible. We support, in the strongest terms, the Security Council’s call for a prompt, impartial, credible and transparent investigation. We support an Israeli investigation that meets those criteria."

Ban: Lifting Gaza Blockade Would Have Prevented Flotilla Deaths
All the permanent members of the Security Council except for the United States have called for Israel’s three-year blockade of the Gaza Strip to be lifted. On a visit to Uganda, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon renewed his demand for an end to the blockade.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon: "Had the Israeli government heeded to international calls and my own strong and urgent and persistent call to lift the blockade of Gaza, this would not have happened. Therefore, it is again very important and urgently required that Israelis would immediately lift this blockade of Gaza."

Thousands Worldwide Protest Flotilla Assault
Global protest, meanwhile, continues to grow in the aftermath of the assault. Tens of thousands of people turned out in rallies across the world Tuesday, from South Africa to Greece to Lebanon to England to cities across the United States. Here in New York, a large crowd marched on the Israeli consulate.

Remi Kanazi: "I think anybody, a person of conscience, should be here today to stand in solidarity with the Gaza boats, with the aid boats, with the people of Gaza. I mean, as an American citizen, my tax dollars are going to fund every single Israeli bullet, every Apache helicopter, Hellfire missile, cluster bomb, white phosphorus, and I think we need to stand up. It’s important to educate, but it’s also important to take action. And being in the streets or engaging in boycott, divestment and sanctions, we need to be engaged in the community, we need to be part of the grassroots, and we need to be moving things forward and standing in solidarity with Palestinian society."

US Student Loses Eye After Israel Fires on West Bank Protest
Meanwhile, an American college student has lost her left eye after being shot in the face by an Israeli tear-gas canister during a protest against the flotilla assault in the occupied West Bank. The student, twenty-one-year-old Emily Henochowicz, underwent surgery in a Jerusalem hospital on Tuesday. The Israeli peace activist Jonathan Pollack witnessed the attack.

Jonathan Pollack: "It was a spontaneous and quite small demonstration against the atrocious violence on that ship coming to Gaza, a hundred people at its largest at the beginning. And at the time Emily was shot, there were about, I don’t know, twenty people at most there. Emily was standing aside from where things were happening, and at some point the border police officers just started shooting indiscriminately, shooting directly at us tear-gas projectiles, one from a very small distance of about twenty, ten to twenty meters. Emily was hit in the face by one of those, and it was intentionally aimed towards us. There could have been no mistake, the small distance and the place where she was standing at."

Major Oil Spill Continues to Damage the Gulf Coast

It's been over a month since the Deepwater Horizon oil rig began shedding its pollutants throughout the Gulf of Mexico, and the onslaught to residents both human and non-human species alike continues unabated. Even the most cynical of activists didn't think this disaster would explode with the magnitude of impact it has brought to the Gulf Coast. Worst case scenarios painted by BP executives state up to 85.3 million gallons of oil may have already been spilled. Compare that to 10.8 that was Valdez!


It's funny to listen to President Obama call into question the leases for off-shore oil drilling expansion he recently allowed before this disaster first struck. Really, why now? Because national and world-wide media are covering what's quickly becoming one of the deadliest ecological disasters in history? Have "we" not learned that it's better to promote long-term, sustainable planning in the beginning rather than be forced to react with conscious thought after disaster strikes? Apparently the forward progression of renewable energy generation and "clean power" policy have not been felt at home enough for Obama to understand the travesty of nuclear power, "clean" coal, or continued exploitation of a finite and non-renewable, dirty source or energy like petroleum.


It's alarms me to find hope in this continued disaster, to an area of the US still economically, socially, and environmentally distraught from Hurricane Katrina. Couple this catastrophe with the failure of the US Government to rightfully aid and assist the ecosystems and community members devastated by that Hurricane, and you have to wonder how Louisiana will bounce back, again. Yet I can only hope that somehow, the continuous volume of pollutants that reach the US shoreline (never mind the greater oceanic health concerns) send a lasting message that, that's right, WE NEED CHANGE. And change does not equal business as usual, but rather the forward, progressive thinking many hoped Obama would (and perhaps still can?) bring to US politics, aka, the definition of business as usual.


I'll throw a "Yes We Can" to that, and offer a few current resources to read about what's happening in the Gulf.





From Democracy Now!

BP Rejects EPA Demand to Use Less-Toxic Dispersants
The British oil company BP has rejected demands from the Obama administration to use less-toxic chemical dispersants to break up the massive spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Over the past month, BP has used about 715,000 gallons of the chemical Corexit, made by the Illinois-based company Nalco. The chemical is banned in Britain, and scientists have questioned its safety as well as effectiveness compared to other dispersants. Last week the Environmental Protection Agency ordered BP to switch chemical, but BP is now fighting that order. The dispute between the EPA and BP highlights the power the oil company has been granted in controlling the cleanup of the spill. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thad Allen was questioned on CNN about BP.

Candy Crowley: "And they say, why is BP in control now? They don’t trust BP, so why is BP in control of this?"

Thad Allen: "I don’t think it’s an issue of control. What makes this an unprecedented, anomalous event is access to the discharge site is controlled by the technology that was used for the drilling, which is owned by the private sector. They have the eyes and ears that are down there. They are necessarily the modality by which this is going to get solved. Our responsibility is to conduct proper oversight to make sure they do that."

On Sunday, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar visited the Houston command center where scientists for BP and the government have been working to plug the blown-out well.

Ken Salazar: "I am angry and I am frustrated that BP has been unable to stop this well from leaking and to stop this pollution from spreading. We are thirty-three days into this effort, and deadline after deadline has been missed."

Bipartisan Commission to Probe BP Oil Spill
President Obama has created a bipartisan commission to investigate the oil spill disaster. Heading the probe will be Democrat Bob Graham, a former US senator, and Florida governor and Republican William Reilly, a former Environmental Protection Agency administrator.

President Obama: “If the laws on our books are inadequate to prevent such an oil spill, or if we didn’t enforce those laws, I want to know it. I want to know what worked and what didn’t work in our response to the disaster and where oversight of the oil and gas industry broke down. We know, for example, that a cozy relationship between oil and gas companies and the agencies that regulate them has long been a source of concern.”

Despite Moratorium, New Offshore Drilling Permits OKed
The New York Times reports that in the days since President Obama announced a moratorium on permits for drilling new offshore oil wells, at least seven new permits for various types of drilling and five environmental waivers have been granted.

Other sources of information:

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2010/05/oil-spill-threatens-wetlands/1

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/25/science/earth/25spill.html?hpw

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/05/01/us/20100501-oil-spill-tracker.html?ref=earth

http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/globalbp_uk_english/homepage/STAGING/local_assets/bp_homepage/html/rov_stream.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/05/7-secrets-bp-doesnt-want_n_563102.html

http://unearthed.earthjustice.org/category/tags/oil?gclid=CIrh3dfg7KECFQykiQodClyCOw

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0524/BP-oil-spill-pushes-Louisiana-to-desperate-massive-berm-plan

http://beforeitsnews.com/news/49/024/Gulf_Oil_Spill:_EPA_and_U.S._Coast_Guard_Consider_BP_s_Scientific_Analysis_Of_Alternative_Dispersants_Insufficient.html

What Happened to Immigration Reform, Reflections on the 40th Earth Day, and Cell Phones that Fuel War

Please visit this site,
http://altoarizona.com/

and educate yourself and others on what is happening in Arizona. Before President Obama took office he swore to enact lasting immigration reform within his first 100 days of office. Obviously this is a more complex issue than that, and obviously his reform hasn't happened yet. But in order to be fully Holistic in the fight to bring peace, justice and sustainability to the US and the planet, this is an extremely important issue that must be dealt with appropriately.

Here's another important link to get you involved, http://dreamact.info/.

"Over three million students graduate from U.S. high schools every year. Most get the opportunity to test their dreams and live their American story. However, a group of approximately 65,000 youth do not get this opportunity; they are smeared with an inherited title, an illegal immigrant. These youth have lived in the United States for most of their lives and want nothing more than to be recognized for what they are, Americans." Read on through the website link above...

Of course by now we know everyday is Earth Day, but reflecting on its 40th anniversary, what better way to share some thought then hit a few beaming points.

Here's a link to an interesting video that activist have put together in an attempt to showcase the numerous problems going on with Canada and their oil sands project(s).

http://avatarsands.org/newyork.html

And in California, a committee has approved a bill to ban single-use plastic grocery bags. This one simple step could have a huge impact for the health of our planet, and help reduce and educate individuals on the destructive and very real nature of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Sign the petition to lend your voice to support:

http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/action/oceans/bag-ban?id4=es

And lastly, here's a note from Amnesty International. It certainly speaks to specific legislation that I hope is passed, but with the failure of the political system to always enact what is says it will, and most importantly make those words and policy felt by those most impacted, I hope this will at least spread some knowledge, and maybe activate a few of you out there:

The Conflict Minerals Trade Act (H.R. 4128), introduced by Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA) on November 19, 2009 in the U.S. House of Representatives, seeks to improve transparency and reduce the trade in conflict minerals coming from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in order to promote the larger policy goal of supporting peace and security in the DRC.

The DRC is rich in natural resources, including large deposits of columbite-tantalite (known as coltan), cassiterite, wolframite and gold, which are used in everyday technology such as cell phones, laptops and digital video recorders and in jewelry. The mines from which these minerals are extracted are most often under the control of armed groups, especially in the volatile eastern part of the country, where conflict has been ongoing for many years despite the presence of a United Nations peacekeeping mission, MONUC.

The most recent report of the United Nations Group of Experts on the DRC found that armed groups in eastern DRC continue to control and profit from the extraction and trade of these minerals. Both the conflict and the mining of minerals itself have led to grave human rights abuses, including sexual violence, child and slave labor, and mass displacement.

If enacted into law, H.R. 4128 would mandate the production of a ?Congo Conflict Minerals Map,? which would map mines currently under the control of armed groups in the DRC. In addition, the bill would mandate the Secretaries of State and Commerce to work with interested parties, including commercial entities, to determine best practices to ensure due diligence and documentation on the origin and supply chain of potential conflict minerals. H.R. 4128 would specifically ensure that the minerals used by companies do not directly finance conflict, result in labor or human rights abuses, or damage the environment, by mandating the creation of a ?Potential Conflict Goods List? and the regular auditing of facilities that are engaged in the trade in minerals from the DRC.

Most importantly, H.R. 4128 would require that individuals or companies be subject to penalties if found guilty of entering conflict minerals into the United States by fraud, gross negligence or negligence. H.R. 4128 would greatly advance the goals of regulating and stemming the flow of conflict minerals, thereby limiting the ability of armed groups to benefit from conflict minerals and perpetuate the conflict.

Nuclear Arms Reduction, Off Shore Drilling, Health Care, and other important stories

After signing a historic nuclear arms reduction pact, thoughts still circulate as to whether the US will in fact roll back the arsenal of nuclear weapons it harbors, or if this is merely a way to probe at North Korea and Iran for the weapons they hold.

Questions have arisen as a recent interview with Defense Secretary Robert Gates stressed that the US would never use nor threaten to use nuclear weapons, except if they were brought under attack, or if a country with nuclear weapons didn't play by their rules.

I have to say I really like the pact, but wonder what the undertones are?

Food for thought:

http://act.truemajorityaction.org/p/7002/taf_globalzerobb?tell_a_friend_KEY=354

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/4/8/despite_landmark_arms_reduction_treaty_with

Another important article I read yesterday,

http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/national/89788407.html ,

brings up the continued failure of the US government to foster actual justice for Native American Tribes. It has always been the case, since colonization commenced, that the US has done whatever they wished to Native people. Why would the government not bestow Tribal recognition upon this group of people, simply because their histories do not fall neatly within the bureaucratic means that's "easier" for them to interpret?

After passing historic health care reform, which is by no means perfect, but is a definite step towards a more just path, why would the president open up vast tracks of ocean for oil exploration? Was it not ironic that he told us about this exploration right after the House and Senate passed the health care overhaul? Seems fishy to me.

Here are a few highlights of the heath care bill, but we have a LONG way to go as the "bottom" tier of people in the US are still left with the burden (surprise, surprise).

"Insurance companies will no longer be able to refuse to pay for treatment of children's pre-existing conditions.

Health care plans will allow young people to remain on their parents' insurance policy up until their 26th birthday.

Insurance companies will be banned from dropping people from coverage when they get sick, and they will be banned from implementing lifetime caps on coverage.

People who are uninsured because of pre-existing conditions will have access to affordable insurance through a temporary subsidized high-risk pool.

Small businesses that choose to offer coverage will begin to receive tax credits of up to 35 percent of premiums to help make employee coverage more affordable."

In the meantime, visit the Surfrider Foundation's website, or any other solid environmental group's page to see how you can voice your dissent regarding another step towards no energy independence for the US, and business as usual for the fossil fuel industry.

Offshore Drilling Myths

1. New technologies will prevent oil spills.

Try telling the Australians that. In August 2009 a state-of-the-art rig using "new technology" spilled 2000 barrels of oil a day for 10 weeks into the fragile East Timor Sea.

2. Offshore drilling is good for the economy and will create jobs!

Our beaches are economic engines. One oil spill would devastate the local coastal tourism industry and the livelihood of people working in the fishing industry.

3. We won't be reliant on foreign oil.

We'll still have to import at least 40% of our oil to meet our daily consumption needs.

4. We'll have a long-term supply of oil.

It won't be enough. Offshore drilling will only give us about 18 months of supply at our current rate of consumption.

Check out this fact sheet as well:

http://www.surfrider.org/nottheanswer/factsheet.pdf

Also, check out this blog if you get a chance, and educate yourself and others on the continued threat of GE food,

http://weblog.greenpeace.org/makingwaves/archives/genetic_engineering/

Lastly, it astounds me that I continually get asked why I do not consume meat products, even though it's obvious it tastes oh so good. Put simply, it's just one way to lessen my ecological footprint, period. I never stopped because steak tastes bad:

http://www.montereyherald.com/state/ci_14838682?nclick_check=1

For the Earth, all its people and species...do whatever you can, with whatever you have.

Nuclear Energy: The most destructive "environmental" argument for "clean" power

Well, "clean coal" is also pretty bad, but anyone that can sift through the propaganda put out by the coal industry (and President Obama) can see how flawed and polluting "clean coal" is. But nuclear power continues to make headlines as the argument for an energy source that creates zero carbon emissions continues to percolate mainstream American media.

Today, President Obama is holding another rally for healthcare reform. Although he continues to get beat down by those opposing reformation and restructuring of this horrendously flawed system, at least he continues to argue that a public option be put on the table. I almost heard that sense of hope in his voice yesterday as he continued to attack the healthcare industry and its capitalistic malice that is clearly putting their desire and drive for profit over the care of patients. Here's a quote:

“And they will keep on doing this for as long as they can get away with it. I mean, there’s no secret. They’re telling their investors this: ‘We are in the money; we are going to keep on making big profits, even though a lot of folks are going to be put under hardship.’ So how much higher do premiums have to rise until we do something about it? How many more Americans have to lose their health insurance?”

Good critical comments. But why can't there be continuity with regard to how Obama goes about achieving sustainability through environmental, economic, and social means?

Two important articles to read: http://crosscut.com/2010/03/09/science-environment/19646/

and http://www.grist.org/article/2010-03-08-dont-buy-the-greenwashing-of-nuclear-power/

Both spell out the main tenants of the greenwashing that focuses any dialogue on nuclear energy generation; the waste. There is simply no where to put it, and beyond that, creating it is simply as environmentally destructive as just about anything. The waste does not go away, and while I championed Obama's call for dismissing Yucca Mountain as a nuclear waste dump, and I do hope that sticks, if these power plants are created waste will be created, and some communities will face the burden.

Read these articles, continue educating yourself, and learn why nuclear anything is greatly opposed to any justice, peace or sustainability efforts on this Earth.

I have to say I love this quote in the Grist article: "President Obama has justified his proposed $55 billion in taxpayer-backed loan guarantees for new nuclear reactors by misrepresenting nuclear reactors as the largest "carbon-free" energy source in the United States. That's like saying McDonald's should be put in charge of a nationwide obesity campaign because it's the largest restaurant in the U.S. that sells salads."

Seriously. No Nuclear ANYTHING for a better world! It's that simple, there are other options.

The Olympics, the Klamath, and much more...

As I've been away for the last month, I always find it difficult to report on the many stories that continuously unfold each and everyday. Here's a shot at touching on a few points from the last month, bringing us into March 2010...

The Olympics reduced their ecofootprint, but what about their social footprint?

And did they really reduce their ecofootprint at all? Apparently several sources say they did(http://www.carbonfund.org/site/newsletter/entries/Winter_Olympics_Reduces_Its_Environmental_Impact/ ), but what I'm more concerned with is how the houseless community was treated in the run up to the games. Please read this and decide for yourself: http://secondgenerationradical.blogmatrix.com/:entry:secondgenerationradical-2010-02-12-0000/
...greenwashing alive and well...

If this article is true, and I pray it is, the removal of the Klamath dams represent one of the greatest recent victories I can think of for the promotion of peace, justice and sustainability.

http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_14432469?source=rss

With the removal of the dams we have a chance to see the health of this mighty river return, as well as the hopeful return of the health of the vastly impacted salmon. The peace fostered to Native American communities represents actual justice to their communities, who have been deeply effected by the loss of their traditional way of life through the loss of salmon and the loss of this spiritual river.

Sustainability, overall, takes a step forward with a move to bring justice to Native people, ecological health to the river and its non-human species, and the hope for a multi-lateral policy decision to make peace with the many diverse sides over this highly contested land-use conflict. If the Klamath and all its many ingredients can finally feel justice, then there's hope for the many difficult roads ahead!

President Obama, again states that he plans to greatly reduce the amount of nuclear weapons held by the US. GREAT! But why then does the US follow this statement with saying they will not commit to declaring the US would never be the first to strike in an exchange of war with a nuclear bomb?!? Does that commitment then make any sense at all?

http://article.wn.com/view/2010/03/01/Obama_is_rethinking_US_nuclear_policy/?section=TopStoriesWorldwide&template=worldnews%2Findex.txt



While Chile rebuilds from their massive earthquake, think about donating financially if you can, or doing whatever you can, in anyway to send prayers, or do anything to help these people in some way,

http://donate.worldvision.org/OA_HTML/xxwv2ibeCCtpSctDspRte.jsp?section=10339 , but let us also not forget the continued strife of Haiti as well,

https://shop.thehungersite.com/store/item.do?siteId=220&itemId=40883&adId=43159&placementId=118873&origin=

And what happened to the Clean Water Act? Now because of a Supreme Court Ruling thousands of polluters say the law doesn't apply to them anymore?!? Although like NEPA, in that the law itself is inherently flawed but offers necessary protection and policy under the largely flawed US environmental system, now it seems a large step has been taken in the wrong direction.

http://www.environmentalleader.com/2010/03/01/companies-skirt-clean-water-act/

And this month's TIME magazine asks whether the war on the Taliban will be triumphant or not. I beg each any ever person to read the amazing book Three Cups of Tea and answer that one for yourself.

For the happiness, well-being and freedom of all...