Opening my heart, and other important things...
First off, Booey wanted me to let you all know I was born on Friday/ not Thursday. I'm Loving and Giving and All That.
OK.
On to what I really wanted to write about.
Booey and I went to see Joules Graves last night... *so* inspiring. She rocked, and then she got us to sing like a gospel choir, and then she made me think.
I started thinking about how angry I've been and how that's driven how I treat my family, my self, my friends. I have to learn to be the change I want to see. It's not that easy.
On that note, my own Mama and many others will be Praying for George Bush tomorrow. I'm working toward getting my heart in the right place to do it.
We shall see.
Month: March 2003
-
-
Nuff politickin already, time for a Quiz!
A - Act your age? Not at all.
B - Born on what day of the week? Friday, I'm so loving and giving...
C - Chore you hate? Find a chore I *like*.
D - Dad's name? Geoffrey
E - Essential makeup item? Nothing is essential but all the makeup I like is by Benefit Cosmetics
F - Favorite actor? How do I pick just one? I do love Kevin Kline. I also love.... I can't pick!
G - Gold or silver? Silver, or white gold.
H - Hometown? Well, born in Manhattan but grew up mainly in Menlo PArk, CA
I - Instruments you play? voice.
J - Job title? Mom. Computer Software Program Manager, Herbalist.K - Kids? 1 girl, Rose Shirley Cybele Billie Camilla Pearl Fionna Petra Sylvie Poppy Aurora Grania Yashmina Isadora Victoria Shapiro 20 months
L - Living arrangements? Own a 5 bedroom house with husband and another housemate.
M - Mom's name? Patria
N - Number of people you've slept with? Uhhh... 15?
O - Overnight hospital stays? My birth, my breast surgery, Rose's Birth, My Gall Bladder Surgery.
P - Phobia? not really
Q - Quote you like? "No matter what the fight, don't be ladylike! God almighty made women and the Rockefeller gang of thieves made the ladies." --Mother Jones
R - Religious affiliation? I belong to no religion, but I am a Witch
S - Siblings?
Two younger sisters
T - Time you wake up? 6:30, these days. On a good day.
U - Unique habit? using wadded up paper napkins as a weapon
V - Vegetable you refuse to eat? Okra
W- Worst habit? carelessness
X - X-rays you've had? teeth, chest, both arms, both ankles
Y - Yummy food you make? soup, esp Carrot Ginger
Z - Zodiac Sign? Capricorn -
I'll post this once a week or so and put the events I plan to attend in bold... also the Mamas for Peace will be having a weekly counter-recruitment 2-5 on Wednesdays at the Capitola Military Recruitment Center... (that's my very own event!)
STOP WAR - PEACE ACTION RESPONSE TO WAR ON IRAQ
Produced by: The Resource Center for Nonviolence
515 Broadway Santa Cruz, California 95060
831/423-1626, fax 831/423-8716 information@rcnv.org
News bulletin:
"OPT IN" UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED BY SC SCHOOL BOARD!
MAJOR TRIUMPH FOR SANTA CRUZ YOUTH ALLIANCE!
On April 26th the Santa Cruz School Board unanimously adopted
a PRIVACY & TRUTH resolution proposed by the Santa Cruz High
School Youth Alliance that
requires:
1) Student contact information be released to military
recruiters ONLY when parents OPT-IN by giving written
informed consent to the school for such contacts, and
2) Full disclosure and TRUTH about military recruitment and
military service, by annually providing to all students
information about conscription and alternatives to military service.
Send congratulations and thanks to: The Student Alliance,
Coordinator Josh
Sonnenfeld: josh_lizard@yahoo.com, 831/423-1626 x306, 831/429-3942.
FRIDAY 3/28 -
* 8:30am, San Francisco SPIRITUAL GATHERING FOR PEACE:
Interfaith Prayer of Action supported solely by faith-based
organizations, Christian, Jewish, Moslem, Buddhist and other
religious communities. Gather at the Plaza of the Federal
Office Building, 450 Golden Gate Avenue, and San Francisco.
(East side of the building.) At 9 am a letter to government
leaders will be read followed by prayers. At 9:30 those who
choose civil disobedience will engage in a symbolic shut down
by blocking doors into the building. Those arrested will not
resist. Those who may be involved in civil disobedience are
asked to meet for preparation Thursday night, 7:30 pm at St.
Boniface church.
Info: Alan Solomonow, 565-0201 or the Buddhist Peace
Fellowship web site, http://www.BPF.org
* 4-6pm, Youth Action Coalition (YAC) Rally for Peace: SC
Town Clock, Pacific & Water Sts., Info: 831/423-1626 x306,
yacsantacruz@yahoo.com
SATURDAY 3/29th
* 1-3pm A Family Outing With a Cause -- "Human Need, Not
Corporate Greed" Leave SC Town Clock (Water & Pacific); to
Raymond St. Park (Raymond off 3rd in Beach Flats). 3-4:30pm,
walk from Park along West Cliff to Lighthouse.
Info: SC Peace Coalition, 423-1626 x308. Bring picnic, water
and a blanket to sit on.
* 6pm, Taize Prayer Service for Peace, First United Methodist
Church, Watsonville, 229 Stanford St., Info: 724-4434
SUNDAY 3/30th
* 11:30am, Cesar Chavez Day in Salinas - Demonstrate for
Peace, Better Pay and Working Conditions. Bus and carpool
from SC County Building (Ocean & Water), loading 10:45am,
depart 11am. Only bus reservation is a ticket; buy at RCNV
515 Broadway (@Ocean), 423-1626.
* 5pm, Iraq Action Network (IAN) Planning Meeting, RCNV 515
Broadway (@ Ocean). This is a representative coalition with
people from various groups coming togethr to network & coordinate actions or plan for joint actions.
Info: 831/423-1626 x302
* 7pm, Santa Cruz Peacemakers of RCNV. New people welcome to
get involved in working for peace. Informmation: 831/423-1626
x302 or web page
FUTURE DATES -- Starting Monday 3/31, Use RCNV Calendar Page
* SUNDAY 4/6 -- EVERYBODY DANCE Party & RCNV Benefit with
Extra Large, Road Hogs Smokin' Bananas, and diva Anna Mosity.
Moe's Alley, 6-11pm, tickets sliding scale $10-20 advance,
$12-25 door. Tickets at RCNV, 515 Broadway, 831/423-1626.
* SUNDAY 4/6 -- Palm Sunday Walk for Peace - 10 Sites that
Call for Global Peace & Justice. Starts at Government
Building, 701 Ocean, SC; Sponsor Interfaith Coalition for
Peace & Justice. Info: 831/423-1626 x103
* FRIDAY 4/11, 12noon (Civilian) Weapons Inspection Team
(WIT) at Lockeed Martin; Meet at County Building (Ocean and
Water) for Rally and Press Moment, then carpool and bus to LM
in Bonny Doon to inspect for weapons of mass destruction.
Nonviolent civil disobedience planned by inspectors; others
needed to witness and support. Info: Justin 459-6887,
justin@cruzio.com. To sign up for nonviolence training in
preparation for this event, call 423-1626 ext. 103.
THE IRAQ ACTION NETWORK (IAN)The Iraq Action Network is made
up of local peace and justice groups, including the Santa
Cruz Peace Coalition, Santa Cruz Women's International League
for Peace and Freedom, Santa Cruz Peacemakers of the Resource
Center for Nonviolence, the Quakers Peace and Social Order
Commission, Art and Revolution, Bill Motto Post of the VFW,
Labor for Peace, Justice and Civil Liberties, and members of
several other local groups. IAN Meetings: Sundays at 5 p.m.
at the Resource Center for Nonviolence. return to top
NONVIOLENCE GUIDELINES for all participants in RCNV actions:
1) We will not harm anyone, but will be nonviolent in words
and actions.
2) We will treat every person with respect.
3) We will not damage or deface property.
4) We will not carry any weapons.
5) We will not bring or use any alcohol or drugs, other than
for medical purposes.
6) We will not resist arrest. -
My sister Mandy's blog got me thinking, and here are the comments I made to her. (read her blog too, to really understand whats going on...)
Mandy,
I love you and I understand, you're far from the only working person who missed necessary hours and did not get paid. I don't think, though, that the cops saying that the $$$ they will charge the city for the demonstrations is really the demonstrators fault, at least not those who refrained from any form of violence or property damage. The $$$$ mainly comes from there having been waaaay more cops than were needed for peaceful protests. That said, I do understand that poor people missing work, and social services being cut, are hardly the right things to come out of a well intentioned peace action in a time when peace actions are so desperately needed.
We need to be thinking a lot about this. Obviously we must continue to counter the war machine, as fiercely as ever, before they move on yet another country, waging their global war of terror. Right?
But! We don't want to keep young people who just moved to a strange city away from their crappy but necessary $8/hr job, nor deprive already struggling city services of necessary funds.
So what do we do! I suggest we redouble our dedication to non violence, and as much as our anger might make us want to do it, we truly avoid property destruction. This will pull the rug FUTHER out from under the cops ridiculous assertations of how much help they need, less police on the scene means less traffic and MUCH less money spent.
OK.
Moreover, I think we need to consider actions that have real consequence without causing difficulties for the communities we live in. JohnF has a point, but really, what do we serve by making life harder for the poorest of our own people.
We have done an action here in SC, where we target the local military recruiting center. It has not blocked traffic, ever, or kept people from work (unless they work in the center itself)and it has been very peaceful, there was one day when people chose to get arrested, every other day it has just been a picket and a friendly offer to young persons considering enlisting to look at another point of view. Very successful action, could be adopted at Recruiting Centers all over with great results avoiding the impacts described above I suspect.
Planned in the next few weeks are also some actions around the Lockheed Martin complex here in Bonny Doon. These will also avoid traffic snafus (there's no traffic there) and only inconveneince the people who work for LM, since its in the middle of nowhere. Of course there will be a police cost, but if, as I suspect, true non violence is used, they will have no excuse for that other than their own insecurity.
I dont mean to go on and on, I am just trying to say that there is a way to protest as a citizen, and be a member of the community as well. Of course I do see that part of the point of the SF demos the first day or two was to STOP regular things from happening, but I think it may have been a bit of a classist plan, to assume people have the luxury to take the day off. Of course people in Baghdad have no luxury at all.
Just some thoughts.
lots of love from your big sis,
Issy -
Another broken promise... sorry friends.
I've been called, or one of my friends has been called, in the past week
Pinko Commie
Terrible Mother
Fucking Hippie
Iraqi Hippie
Sand N***er
and many more.
Wow. And all I do is stand on a sidewalk with a sign, ususally one that says "War Is Not Healthy For Children and Other Living Things". -
All we are saaaaaying.... is give peace a chance, and put the bunnies back!
Well, a great weekend, even thougb it all feels somewhat in vain today.Sigh.
Saturday, we drove up to the city to the peace march, and it was a lovely day. The march was smaller than the last, and had a more urgenmt feel. I am having a lot of misgivings about the organization that sponsored it, International ANSWER
They seem pretty anti-semetic to me, (they wouldn't let Michael Lerner speak at their last demo) and also they seem to support Milosevic!?!?!?! Still was a good march, and I dont have to agree with people to see eye to eye on a specific issue I suppose. It was still an awesome day, complete with visits with my sister and beloved friend Charlotte (we are planning a sideline biz with babe-o-tanicals, Pagan andJewish themed stuffed toys. Little Torah Scrolls and Venus of Willendorfs and Green Men and Mezzuzahs! YAY!)
photos:
Rosie and Mandy and I in front of some banner (not ours)
Rosie and I in the crowd at Civic Center
So Sunday was both the realtor open house and the anti-war toy demo, the demo was great! Indymedia came, and 10 of us picketers were there with three kids, it was very good, we filed a formal letter of complaint and I will be speaking to the manager of the store today.
[Photos from Picket] [Picket Report]
Then last night we went to the candlelight vigil down at the lighthouse with my parents and our family friends Mary andf George. There were firedancers, which was very cool, it was pretty unorganized, which was ok. Some people sang and spoke... there must have been 200+ people there and it was only one of three vigils in SC last night.
The people don't want your war, Mr Bush.
(for a more eloquent elaboration on the former sentiment, see Michael Moore's most recent letter to Governor Bush)
Oh, and if you're wondering where to go to protest, check out :
United for Peaceor in Santa Cruz, the Resource Center for Non Violence. -
Am I a real activist now?
So people are actually planning to attend my demo! Here's the story...
In short...
Protests are intensifying over the arrival of heavily armed soldiers at Kmarts, Walmarts, and Rite Aids around the country. The soldiers are not guarding the retail giants from attack. They are toy soldiers armed with assault rifles and machine guns, and they have replaced the traditional front-and-center chocolate bunny in children's Easter baskets. Whether the Christian holiday or the pre-Christian Ostara is your style, Easter is a holiday about life, birth, rebirth, joy, and above all peace.
In New York on Sunday, a 28-year-old mother was arrested at the Astor Place Kmart in downtown Manhattan. She was wearing a sweater fringed with cellophane grass, white pants, plush slippers, fuzzy white rabbit ears.
Amy Hamilton-Thibert, the 28 year old mom arrested Sunday, and other activists across the nation, are calling for demonstrations at every Kmart that is still carrying the baskets. Kmart corporate has decided to let each local store decide whether or not to carry the baskets, so our demonstration could really have an effect.
Join us, 3pm, Sunday March 16th (this sunday) outside the Kmart on 41st avenue in Capitola, just east of Highway 1. Bring your bunny ears, non-violent spirits, and creative signs!
Sponsored by Santa Cruz County Friends of Chocolate Bunnies.
(actually, *any* Kmart that is still carrying the things will do. List ok Kmarts here: Look for "Store locator" at bottom of screen)
It looks like lots of people and even some press are coming. Bring your bunny ears!
More info at:
http://www.webactive.com/pacifica/demnow/dn20030314.html
http://www.lionlamb.org/whatsnew.html
http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0310/baard2.php -
The Memory Hole is an incredibly interesting site about "holes" in the media, etc. Veeeeery interesting reading. Thanks as always to Tom Tomorrow for the fantastic linkage.
Recent Comments