Sunday, October 15, 2006

Today, I'm actually defending the protest crowd

Posted by Mickey Z on 10/15 at 06:31 AM
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  1. Good morning, Mickey. Your post from Craig’s list is very similar to many that I have received in the past. I have not received any threats for quite a while now (unless you count the subtle ones from the government). Even threats from the government have decreased since I received one and greeted it with a smile and then I requested that the threat be put in writing. As far as categorizing those who protest, I don’t think you can. Dissenters come in every size, shape, age, gender, color, and even come from a wide array of global views. At the moment, it is a Republican who is posting one of my political articles from the PressAction site on his web site up here. Strange times we are living in.
    Last night C-span did a program about the Black Panthers. I think that we all could learn a lot from them.

    Posted by RMJ from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts  on  10/15  at  07:32 AM

  2. What do you think of this?
    http://tinyurl.com/ydxet7

    Posted by RMJ from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts  on  10/15  at  07:55 AM

  3. Good Sunday morning Mickey, RMJ and everyone. 

    I admire your courage, Rosemarie, to stand up and voice your opinions, no matter the consequence.

    To those who would silence you, I would ask, without free & open opposition, where would your democracy be?

    Posted by Canadian Observer from   on  10/15  at  09:20 AM

  4. Today’s post fits with today’s activities.  Youngfox and I will be going to Caledonia to join / enjoy a Potluck for Peace at the Six Nations reclamation site. 

    The Black Panthers make valid points, and valid demands; in the case of the Six Nations, they already struck a deal with the Colonial Opressors, only it was a long time ago and the present Canadian Government chooses to act as though it either no longer exists, or it’s still up for negotiation - but the federal govt. so far will not agree to grant them full Nation status today, despite that being part of the agreement with the Crown so many years ago.

    Today there will be a visit from a Richmond Hill couple who have no interest in the Caledonia dispute, but rather with the lack of violence and arrests on the part of the Ontario Provincial Police.  They’ve organized buses of people to be brought in and he plans to enter the reclamation site , to generally stir shit.

    Our media says the police are planning for violent conflict, but I am hoping the Clan Mothers will manage the situation peacefully.

    Sorry to be long winded and rather vague but, I feel rather passionately on behalf of these people who have overcome genocide and colonization and who are finally standing up for their rights. 

    I imagine it promises to be an interesting day.

    Posted by Amelopsis from Turtle Island  on  10/15  at  10:10 AM

  5. Hello Expendables. It’s sunny but still a little brisk here in Astoria.

    Hello CO. Long time, no see.

    Empress: I do hope either you or Youngfox will report back here when you can. What are bringing for the pot luck, btw?

    RMJ: The Black Panthers 10 points are saddening in the sense that 40 years have passed and things have only gotten worse. Interesting to note they do not focus solely on “black people” but also on “all oppressed people” both in and out of the U.S. That kind of talk is what gets you killed...just ask Malcolm and MLK.

    Posted by Mickey Z. from Astoria  on  10/15  at  10:18 AM

  6. Amelopsis...your post is very interesting to me.  Please see the link below and notice what it says about Bill Sorrell, my opponent. He is the incumbent Attorney General in Vermont.
    http://tinyurl.com/y64w9c

    Hi Canadian Observer. Thanks for saying that.

    Mickey...You are exactly right. Too many do not realize that the Panthers are supportive of ALL oppressed people. Race does not matter. Also, they are global, not limited to the usa. On C-span last night, they brought out an important point. They said that there has never been an investigation of the assassinations. They contrasted that to Ruby Ridge and Waco. While I watched last night I could not help but make the comparison between the Panthers and Guardian Angels. I wondered why the GAs were not more like the Panthers. I also wonder why the “peace movement” (better known as the “peace stagnation") does not join with those who still believe the message of the Panthers.

    Posted by RMJ from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts  on  10/15  at  10:40 AM

  7. I like these quotes....
    “We have two evils to fight, capitalism and racism. We must destroy both racism and capitalism.”
    Huey Newton

    “You can jail a Revolutionary, but you can’t jail the Revolution.”
    Huey Newton

    Posted by RMJ from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts  on  10/15  at  10:49 AM

  8. uh-oh
    Now I’m running a little bit late, and still not sure what I’m brining! Found out about the pot luck part a little late...maybe some cake(?) Foudn out about the pot luck part a little late and was a little too lethargic on that front! Also they’re asking for donations of food and blankets as the weather’s turning to winter and they keep a constant presence at the site (have been since April), so maybe some dried beans, or canned goods will be in order.
    RMJ - If I’m not mistaken, the Abenaki are one of the six nations.  They really have a very strong claim here, and MUCH more land than is being disputed in this particular instance....it’s why the govt. wants to ‘negotiate’, despite already having paid millions to the developer who had bought the land from the province and was building a subdivision on it.

    Gotta run, will be sure to drop in later smile

    Posted by Amelopsis from Canada  on  10/15  at  11:03 AM

  9. Hello all...fascinating stuff this weekend!  What I get for missing a day....

    Thanks for posting the contest, MZ.  If you can do so a time or two more, who knows which reluctant NaNovelists will come out.

    I loved the flash stories yesterday!  We truly are a creative bunch, and there’s plenty of room for more and more of this kind of writing here, right MZ?

    For anyone who wants to track my NaNo progress this year, you can go to the Website and search for “Mudge the Expendable.” My progress will be there, and I invite everyon to give it a whirl themselves, contest or no.  It’s amazing what excellent stuff (not necessarily writing, you understand) comes up as a result of NaNo!

    RMJ, when I was an agent we represented Eldridge Cleaver.  What a trip it was to hang around with him!  The nicest, most warmly compassionate man you could hope to meet.  He’d talk a lot about the days when he “was the man your mama warned you about,” and how hard it was to be seen as anything other than what he acknowledged was his worst self.

    I’m off to work on a writer’s big noveling breakthrough.  Wish us luck!

    Posted by Mudge from Austin, Texas  on  10/15  at  11:31 AM

  10. Mudge...WOW,I can’t believe that hung around with Eldridge Cleaver. That is amazing!!! I want to hear more. While I was hanging around the grocery store with the produce clerk, you were with Cleaver. See, you never cease to amaze me.

    Amelopsis...I did not follow the whole case of the Abenaki closely but my general impression is that the government wanted to pretend that they do not exist. If you can make someone invisible, they have no rights.  Also, there is a whole other issue with Hydro-Quebec. I did not follow that one closely either but I got the idea that the government was really sticking it to those people.

    Posted by RMJ from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts  on  10/15  at  11:55 AM

  11. Anyone have time to play today? This has been up for about 24 hours and no one has found the “secret code”.
    http://tinyurl.com/ykoqvq

    Posted by RMJ from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts  on  10/15  at  12:04 PM

  12. Okay, RMJ, I’ll give more Eldridge tales next Saturday.

    No time to play.  Will follow the link anon.

    xoxo

    Posted by Mudge from Austin, Texas  on  10/15  at  12:28 PM

  13. Rosemarie: couldn’t find the code, but the text is great.

    MZ: thanks for the post today. America: guaranteeing the freedom to be . . . a complete asshole on Craig’s list, I guess. Home of the brave . . . enough to call anonymously for the death of Cindy Sheehan. Wow.

    Posted by Keir from The Hague (Jackowski election hdqts)  on  10/15  at  03:33 PM

  14. PS: Rosemarie, who’s this produce clerk, then?

    Posted by Keir from The Hague (Jackowski election hdqts)  on  10/15  at  03:34 PM

  15. Hello again, everyone. Really feels like fall here now.

    Mudge, I will post your novel idea again next Saturday and then one more time before the end of October...and yes, we will definitely have more days like yesterday. I just hope we get more folks joining in.

    RMJ, I echo Keir. Enjoyed your statement but did not find the code.

    Posted by Mickey Z. from Astoria  on  10/15  at  05:03 PM

  16. Hello again,

    Back from Six Nations land.  We arrived a couple hours after most people and stayed for a few hours.  Incident free. Some protesters (on the McHale side of the fence) did try to breach the no trespass zone, but the Six Nations are very organised and there were many people watching and so the attempt was abandonded. 
    The OPP(Ontario Provincial Police) are being very cautious to avoid an Ipperwash repeat, and so there were MANY of them present, none of whom really seemed to come near the Site Proper, but stayed up the road keeping the Protesters in check.  The march which was planned through to the site did not materialise, hence the lack of any violent confrontation. We remained on the site and didn’t venture into the town, but from our perspective there seemed to be a greater number of supporters for the Six Nations than there were for the case against them.

    There were many different ethnicities present showing their support for the Reclamation, and that was very good to see. 

    A group of men played a huge traditional drum and sang - truly a wonderful thing to behold.
    I’m sure that one or both of us will post up some photos soon, and I’ll post a link here in case anyone’s interested.

    RMJ - the Abenaki are not part of the Six Nations, but rather the territory of the Six Nations’ tribes used to run all the way into what’s now New England, hence my confusion...before the time of the Wampum there was regular travel and contact among them.

    And...I also didn’t find the secret code!

    Posted by Amelopsis from Canada  on  10/15  at  06:01 PM

  17. For the record, I was in the Marines, served my time in Viet Nam, and despise war. I guess I “piss off” the moron who was quoted on the main page here today. I am also a pagan/heathen and am working at becoming a political atheist as well.
    If anyone cares, at my little blog is an actual color image of this old fart by his computer desk. If anyone wants to check it out, here is my “plug” http://bear47.blogspot.com
    Sorry, I have yet to figure how to make the links “work” here.
    As General Smedley Butler said back in the 1930’s after serving in the Marines for 33 years. There are only two reasons for war; to protect our homes and defend the Bill of Rights. All other reasons for war are a racket.
    semper fi,
    charlie

    Posted by charlie from   on  10/15  at  06:45 PM

  18. Thanks for the update, Empress. Please do provide a link here. I, for one, am curious to know more about the protest and the situation that provoked it,

    Hey Charlie, glad to see you’ve decided to make this a regular stop. As soon as my friend Nancy re-works my links section, I will add your blog.

    RMJ: So...what’s the code?

    Posted by Mickey Z. from Astoria  on  10/15  at  07:07 PM

  19. Hey Expendables old and new… been enjoying all the posts and comments lately, just been caught up in things here. Going back to work tomorrow, thinking of the proofreading drudgery again… and okay, I held out as long as I could, but-- there’s no apostrophe in “Craigslist”. Sorry, just had to. Now to go try to find that forest for the trees…

    Posted by James from Hell's Kitchen  on  10/15  at  07:58 PM

  20. This is a bit off topic, but Mickey, I thought you would be interested:

    “Who needs cinematic frights and shocks when reality-or at least our perception of reality-is enough to leave us quivering in the fetal position?”

    -MickeyZ


    “The Grudge 2” debuted at No. 1, taking in $22 million during its first weekend.

    Maybe people aren’t so scared of society that they still need their artifical scares.

    Posted by TK from USA  on  10/15  at  08:03 PM

  21. Okay, James amd TK. So, I ‘m wrong. Won’t be the last time.

    Posted by Mickey Z. from Astoria  on  10/15  at  08:15 PM

  22. Ahhh, man-- you’re right about the stuff that counts, at least in my book and a good many other people’s. Have a good day here tomorrow if I can’t stop by. We’re discussing Notes From Underground in class tomorrow night, whoo-hooo!

    Posted by James from Hell's Kitchen  on  10/16  at  12:43 AM

  23. Speaking of hippies, here is a video that shows that hippies still know how to have fun dispite all their time spent at protests:

    http://peoplegeek.wordpress.com/2007/01/20/a-bike-race-lance-armstrong-could-not-win/

    Posted by Heather Flanagan from Port Townsend, WA  on  01/20  at  05:47 PM

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