Sai Werd Ink

WORLD PEACE OR PATRIOTISM?

2010-11-07T15:04:00.000-08:00

WORLD PEACE OR PATRIOTISM?
Ryan “BUGS” Williams- Virden
11-7-10

It’s a fairly normal Sunday for me, straighten up the house a bit, grocery shopping, and settle in to watch some football. As I sat down on my couch and flipped the channel to ESPN’s NFL Countdown Chris Berman greeted me with a task, to reflect on our veterans serving over seas in honor of Veterans Day. I took Boomer up on his challenge and reflected. I want to share those reflections with you.

Let me begin by stating plainly, as a sort of disclaimer, I wish no harm upon anybody, I am also not attacking any one individuals character or motivation. With that being said I find the hyper-patriotism of this week, and truthfully of our society generally extremely disturbing. Let’s take Berman’s challenge seriously, the fact of the matter is we have our military engaged in an illegal occupation of two countries, we have military bases in over 150 countries around the globe (imagine the idea of another country having a military base inside our borders), we are bombing Pakistan, and have aggressively attempted to make war as inconsequential as playing a video game. There is something wrong with this. War is death. In no way, shape, or form should that be celebrated, and I don’t feel that is a very radical stance. Regardless of your political leanings I believe most people would agree violence and death are not things worth elevating. However, what some will say is those things are necessary evils in order to preserve our freedoms, and those that participate in such endeavors should be honored as heroes. Unfortunately this could not be further from the truth. Beyond the legit moral antiwar stance (that should be honored and valued) if we honestly reflect on our military and its role we can see that the United States military has been used solely as a tool for expansion and the securing of American economic interest.

From the Revolution to Afghanistan and everything in-between the ability of the rich to get richer has been a major motivator for US involvement in conflict. I am not writing a book here so I will not go in to great detail but will offer some evidence to support my perspective. During the Revolutionary War only those White males who owned property had a voice, those few WASP’s that we so affectionately refer to as “founding fathers” were not concerned with freedoms in general as much as they were concerned with the freedom to not have to answer to England, and not insignificantly, not pay taxes to the crown. When they won independence they were quick to serve their own interests, and cared little about those left out. The Civil War was fought not because Lincoln was a great humanitarian that wanted to abolish slavery, but rather over the economic future of the United States-- would it be agriculture and slavery or industry and wage slavery? The Emancipation Proclamation did little to end slavery since it only applied to states that remained loyal to the Confederacy, it was people such as Frederick Douglass and other abolitionists that seized the moment and put pressure on politicians to pass the 13th amendment. Iraq just happens to be a strategic key to the Middle East and is sitting on huge amounts of oil; we got involved in Panama for control of the canal, in Indonesia and the south Pacific, in Latin America, the list goes on. Perhaps there is no greater evidence of this truth then our domestic wars, you know the “War on fill in the blank” poverty, drugs, terrorism- it doesn’t matter all of these efforts have resulted in a very few already rich people increasing their wealth at the expense of the very people the efforts were supposedly aimed at helping. The wealth gap has only grown, jails are full of non-violent black and brown folks whose only crime was pursuing one of the very few real economic opportunities available to them, and as we can clearly see Islamophobia is at a fever pitch (for more in depth analysis look into writings by Howard Zinn, Noam Chomsky, and Ronald Takaki).

This is all of course a cycle that depends on each aspect in order to function. The rich would never and indeed never have fought in their own wars, the majority of infantry and frontline soldiers have always been the poor. Therefore, it is necessary to keep a consistent supply of poor on hand. When you couple that with a pro-military media that can be counted on to send the right message you are left with a decent size pool of socialized young men and women to draw from- even when faced with a hugely unpopular, and drawn out war like Iraq. Shit you can even use videogames as a tool to desensitize future cadets to the realities of war, which as technology increases becomes easier to mask-- as the popular drone bombings, and disturbing videos released by Wikileaks of soldiers massacring civilians in Iraq illustrate.

We have a duty then, as people who care about not just our fellow citizens, but humanity as a whole to tell the truth about war, and more specifically the United States military. The media has no business promoting a pro-military message given the inevitable consequences of having to utilize an armed force. We pay lip service to ideas such as peace and equality, but actively promote the exact opposite when we turn a blind eye to reality. So after taking Chris Berman seriously and reflecting I challenge you to do the same, and ask that you challenge others, and so forth because it is only through those reflections and possible uncomfortable, tough conversations will we make progress towards a more peaceful world.

BE SUPERMAN...SUPPORT NORTH HIGH

2010-10-14T10:24:00.000-07:00

BE SUPERMAN SUPPORT NORTH HIGH
RYAN “BUGS”WILLIAMS-VIRDEN
OCTOBER 14TH 2010

Yesterday there was a lot of talk regarding North High School and Bernadia Johnson’s plan to recommend its closure to the School Board. It makes me happy that folks are talking about such an important issue. However, the discourse itself has left me very disturbed (see the comment section of the original Star Tribune Story from Wednesday) hence this writing. Let me be clear who I am writing this for, it is not those that are passionate about this issue in either direction, but rather those that are somewhere in the middle. The ones that pride themselves on seeing “both sides” of the issue, the ones that want to see education be the force for good that it should and think maybe shutting down North is a necessary reform measure. You are the people I hope read this and consider what I have to say; mainly- the closing of North is a Civil and Human Rights issue rooted in a history of systemic racism. Rather than shut the doors and wipe our hands we should see this as an opportunity to move towards equality.

I know right about now many of you are skeptical and think I am drawing some drastic conclusions. Allow me to expand on my assertion. The foundation for the rationale behind Johnson’s recommendation is that it is economic insanity to keep North open, there is simply not enough students. At face value the decision seems like a no brainer and it is true strictly speaking in terms of money, keeping North open is not viable. However, face value is hardly ever the most honest, and that is indeed the case here. There is context that cannot be ignored, mainly the racism that is underlying this entire conversation. We cannot view North, or make decisions regarding its future without considering the history of racism that has shaped both the school and surrounding community. It is nievete to think that North has existed in a vacuum free from the racism that has marked education- from lack of culturally responsible curriculum, to diversity of the faculty and staff, to bias standardized tests, to funding, there is no shortage of racism in public education, and North has been a victim of it. On top of the fore-mentioned race specific obstacles faced by North the school board has not been the ally it should have been. For proof of this we need to look no further than the elimination of a home zone for North, the closure of five elementary and middle schools on the north side since 2007, and the complete lack of promotion for the school coupled with the utter failure to push back from the perceptions of North High and the entire north side perpetuated by the media. Not to mention the Choice is Your’s program which essentially siphoned off North’s top students capitalizing off the racist perceptions and stereotypes of the community. The reality of North High is that it is far from the worst school in the district. It produces well- educated, well prepared for college, critical thinking youth that are passionate about their community, and the teachers and staff are among the best in the district.

Besides the context it is necessary to think about the impact of closing North High. If accepted the closure of North will leave the north side with one public high school and solidify the status of north side students as MTS bound, which I think is generally understood not to be the ideal path. When MCP moves into North’s building (which will be fall of 2011) we will see an even greater stratification. This cannot be acceptable to anybody who is concerned with equality and believes in quality public education FOR ALL.

The good news is while concerned people acted late, they acted and delayed the seemingly inevitable. I ask that you- the middle ground- join those concerned people in saying, No! We will not allow for this to happen there is simply too much history and hurt for us to add onto. This stance does not require that North continue to operate with 40 freshman and be an economic liability. The Board and Johnson need to reinstate North’s home zone, highlight the many North High successes, and tell the truth about what why the situation became so dire. There is little doubt that these things will result in a significant increase in North’s enrollment. For some this is not a convincing enough argument, in that case lets examine one other aspect. This decision, like so many before it has been made with little to no input from the community, there has been no impact statement done, nothing. This is the latest of a long line of things to happen TO the north side as opposed to WITH the north side. This is racist. Period.

We have a chance to take real anti-racist action. Rather than consider life- altering decisions through only an economic lens we can send the statement that more things matter than simply the bottom line, and we will not continue to exploit and capitalize off a legacy of oppression and inequality. Yes, it will take work and dedication but I’m sure you, and me, us, and we are up to the task.

BETRAYING HUMANITY

2010-09-12T14:01:00.001-07:00

BETRAYING HUMANITY
RYAN “BUGS” WILLIAMS- VIRDEN
SEPTEMBER 12TH 2010

One of my students, with a look of disgust on her face asked the question I absolutely hate fielding. She struggles to find the words and finally puts it, as plainly and painfully as she can “Why don’t people stop this?” I literally have no answer. I have theories, guesses, and assumptions, but no answer. This is of little comfort to my class of twelve, which by this point are all starring at me waiting for my response. I tell them the truth—I don’t know. They proceeded to shout out their own theories and we had a productive class, but I couldn’t shake the feeling from that question. It is so innocent and comes with an unmistakable sense of betrayal. As I sat on the crowded bus home attempting to understand why this feeling was nagging me I realized it wasn’t the question that prompted this reaction, but rather a truth that in many ways is much more painful—so many don’t share the feeling of betrayal that fueled the productivity of my class that day.

TRUTH TELLING

A truism in life-the truth hurts. Sometimes there is nothing harder to do than tell the truth. None of us like to hear about where we have messed up, or where we have inflicted harm towards others. We surely don’t enjoy hearing about a history of oppression and exploitation with us doing the oppressing and exploiting. So we don’t tell it. We tell at best partial truths that might acknowledge some poor decisions, but never by any means do we allow space for complete realities. We teach our youth Christopher Columbus discovered “the New World” and is worthy of our admiration. We leave out the ugliness of this “discovery” or that it is impossible to discover something already inhabited. We ignore evidence that Columbus did not consider the indigenous of Hispaniola his equal or worthy of his respect as illustrated in his early correspondence with Spain after encountering the Arawaks, "They should be good servants .... I, our Lord being pleased, will take hence, at the time of my departure, six natives for your Highnesses.” By 1560 less than 100 years after first contact the Arawak’s were extinct. We acknowledge slavery happened and that it was a terrible practice, but this is typically the extent. We continuously hold our founding fathers up as models of citizenship and solid character. Nowhere do we discuss to any significant degree the fact that George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and many others actually owned slaves, or that the White House was built by slaves. Nowhere do we see any respect or validity given to the slaves that rebelled such as Nat Turner, or other Europeans who fought for complete freedom like John Brown; both of whom were truly freedom fighters, and worthy of acknowledgment. We absolutely don’t consider the implications of structuring a nation without the voices of females, the poor, the LGBT Community, or people of color being present. We don’t critically engage the United States foreign policy, and never wrestle with the idea that perhaps our motivations were not as pure as we were told they were. Rather than try and tell these stories and right these wrongs the realities and voices of marginalized communities are coming under attack—Texas radically manipulated their curriculum to remove slavery, and Arizona made ethnic studies illegal. It is now conceivable that in Arizona it would be deemed illegal to teach a lesson on the internment camps set up in this country for Japanese Americans during World War II.

These omissions and glossing over is not accidental. If our historical narrative included the realities of all that make up this country it would be hard to imagine the inequalities we see today being allowed to persist, if form at all. For example, if we told the truth regarding slavery and the number of whites and blacks that worked together to end the horrendous practice, if we told the truth about the label white being used to cause political division and the subsequent practices such as: red lining, the GI bill, and other housing restrictions it is hard to imagine racial tensions, and race based discrimination being as pervasive as they are today.

CONSEQUENCES

Sadly the vast majority of Americans are left in the dark when it comes to these realities. This ignorance has very real effects and consequences. By severely limiting if not all together eliminating these voices, and refusing to consider these realities we strip those groups of their humanity. When the perspective of Native Americans is not present in our history books it becomes possible for Andrew Jackson to be considered a good man. When we don’t tell the truth about Abraham Lincoln it becomes possible to believe the Civil War was a moral rather than economic conflict. However, even more worrisome is the effect it has on the individuals receiving this information, and the messages internalized by those individuals. When we fail to be completely honest about our story and leave parts out we are sending a message, mainly that we are covering what is important therefore by default what is not covered must not be. This is why it is impossible to be neutral; we have already acted on our bias by choosing what to cover and what to leave out. When everything that is covered reflects the viewpoint and reality of Europeans it tells all non- Europeans they are not as worthy, their reality does not matter. When you grow up internalizing these messages it has tangible effects on your self-esteem, relationships, performance in school, etc. In the long run it has real effects on an individuals life and the quality of that life.

Another disturbing effect is the dumbing down of our citizenry, making us all more susceptible to manipulation and significantly easier to control. Perhaps the best example of this is in our economic curriculum. Economics is defined as the distribution of goods and resources. There are several economic systems yet with out exception our schools from high schools to universities fail to teach systems other than capitalism. If others are covered they are covered as failures and non-options. As a result we are left with a population that is largely economically illiterate and utterly incapable of critically thinking about economics. So when the wealthy that have benefited greatly from capitalism start screaming about communism or more recently socialism, they have a ready audience hanging to every word e.g. Tea Partiers. If we told the truth regarding systems of economics, and our commitment to ending poverty it is hard to imagine free market capitalism being accepted in any form given its history of utter failure in this country and around the world.

HEALTHY FEELING OF BETRAYAL

As I sat on the bus I longed to see the feeling of betrayal that was so unmistakable on my students face earlier that day. I wanted to see it on every last person riding that bus, on every face that blurred as the bus drove by. We have all been betrayed. We were told this country was founded on ideals of equality and freedom yet we live in a system that has minimalized or totally eliminated the realities of women, the poor, the LGBT community, and people of color. Leaving so many anything but equal or free. I came to one final realization on that bus-- I realized I don’t need to be able to answer my students’ original question; I need to be able to tell her people are stopping it.

RESTORING WHAT? DEFINING RACISM

2010-08-31T09:30:00.001-07:00

RESTORING WHAT? DEFINING RACISM
RYAN “BUGS” WILLIAMS-VIRDEN
AUGUST 31ST 2010

There has been plenty of uproar and discussion regarding race this weekend, mainly as a result of Glenn Beck’s “Restoring Honor” rally where he intended to “reclaim the Civil Rights Movement” from the liberals that have distorted it. Typically I would have attacked Beck with all sorts of claims of racism and attempted to back them up as best I could. Undoubtedly there would have been those that agreed with me, and there also would have been those that just as passionately distanced themselves from the claims of racism. Even if they disagreed with the rally and thought Beck was an idiot they would have been reluctant if not all together unwilling to see race playing a factor. As I was coming to this realization something else also hit me, the essay that needed to be wrote was not about race and racism as it pertained to Glenn Beck and his rally, but rather what exactly racism is and how we can develop a sort of working definition. Then move on to Beck. However, before we get to that lets address some things that will hopefully keep the lines of communication and consideration open. I am not pretending to be the authority on race, I do not have the answers all I have are some ideas to consider, and finally I am not attempting to label anyone a racist but will point out where I see collusion with racism and consequences of beliefs and policies I believe serve to further racism. So with that being said lets continue.

POWER AND PRIVILEGE

For many, racism is something of a relic. Yes, it may still exist today but for all intense purposes it is all bark and no bite; especially after the election of Barak Obama; only manifesting itself in the bigoted views of individuals that hold no true power. Our institutions are largely free from racism and overall we have a minimal if not negligible race issue. Sadly nothing could be further from the truth. So how is it such a significant number of people can have such polar views of something that would seem to be easy to spot? The answer seems to simple- we don’t know what racism is.

Yes, racism is lynchings, segregated restaurants and schools, it is shackles and chains, it is “The Bell Curve”, and it is the Ku Klux Klan. It is also the belief that people of color are inherently lazy, stupid, and violent, prone to having multiple babies out of wedlock and sapping the state dry of its resources. It is the achievement gap, which in my city, Minneapolis a city touted as a beckon of liberalism, is among the worst in the country. It is the manifestation of internalized beliefs surrounding people of color in ways that are both overt and covert. There is a truth here that we must collectively come to realize. We have to accept the fact that racism requires power and privilege and this is exclusively the property of whites in this country. If not the President of the United States, the pinnacle of power and respect in this country would not be subject to depictions of him as an African witch doctor, or the White House lawn being a field of Watermelons-- both of which were displayed proudly during protests by those that would later make up the Tea Party. This country is not a meritocracy people do not possess what they deserve, there are plenty of poor who deserve much much more, and there are plenty of rich folks that deserve none of the comforts they now enjoy. These disparities are a direct result of the oppression that is racism and the subsequent privilege awarded to all whites via white supremacy. If we can not acknowledge this fact and be conscience of how this dynamic effects our interactions on a daily basis with those that happen to have more or less melanin than we will never be able to be truly post racial.

COLLUSION

A significant part of understanding racism and a logical consequence of understanding racism as being largely a systematic rather than individual demon is white people being conscience of their collusion with systems of oppression. This is where talking heads such as Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh come into play. It is impossible to support either of these two or others that espouse similar worldviews and analysis without supporting racism; simply because the consequences of the beliefs, worldviews, and eventual policies supported by these people have a very real effect for people of color. For example when Glenn Beck says that he is “reclaiming the Civil Rights Movement” and invokes the memory of Martin Luther King Jr. while at the same time claiming that social justice and economic justice are euphemisms for Nazism he is directly disrespecting, distorting, challenging, and bastardizing the message and memory of the great Civil Rights leader, or how bout invoking MLK while calling the first black president a racist? This is motivated by racism and a shallow pathetic attempt to galvanize whites. When Rush Limbaugh says that universal health care is simply reparations this is racism. Both men are demonstrating a deep seeded anxiety toward people of color realizing equality. Where might this anxiety come from—maybe it stems from not wanting to lose the privilege they both enjoy so much. Maybe that is why they wax nostalgic about the times of the four fathers-- you know that time when women were invisible and the stolen Africans they were employing oh wait I mean forcing to work their fields were only 3/5ths of human beings. It is impossible to look at such things through a race conscious lens, and with any sort of decency make the above- mentioned claims- -simply impossible. This however does not stop some from trying, and what these arguments will rest on boils down to essentially two things 1st) neither one of these two openly uses epithets (sorry Dr. Laura) nor endorses a return to slavery or Jim Crow. This claim is surely debatable. And 2nd) they say they are not motivated by racism so we should believe them. Here again we see the mis-education around race manifesting itself. Internalized beliefs about the worth of people of color and how they should be treated counts as racism. As a matter of fact if these two and the others like them were not harboring racial resentment and fear then why wouldn’t they come out in support of reparations? Both say they are pro worker, business and free market; there is no better way than to show commitment to these ideals then by advocating for the paying of lost wages? Unless of course that requires coming off your own comfort, right? Well then surely these two patriots and lovers of our great freedom fighters will gladly advocate for France to return to Haiti the bogus penalty imposed on them for winning their freedom. No one could imagine tolerating England requiring such a penalty be paid from us. Oh wrong again, I guess freedom fighters only come in a pinkish hue.

Simply put if white people want equality as so many claim they do then they must be ready to give up some of their comfort and privilege. This includes reevaluating your loyalties and sensibilities, be conscience of what you’re feeling, where it might be coming from, and why you might be feeling it. Do so fully and honestly. Learn the history of our country from the perspective other than WASP and see how patriotic you feel, or what you think it means to “restore honor”.

FREEDOM...KIND OF

2010-08-17T20:28:00.000-07:00

FREEDOM… KIND OF
Ryan “BUGS” Williams-Virden
August 16th 2010

The idiocy of the right has gone beyond frustration, it is now insulting. If one need any evidence to back this claim turn on any news station and watch the stupidity that is the story of the “Ground Zero” mosque. How is it possible that such ignorance is allowed such leverage? How is it being tolerated? This has gone beyond even the veil of balanced coverage. It is plain and simple—in this country the freedom of religion is protected under the first amendment. The discussion/debate should end there however it does not; these windbags thanks to a history of privilege have enough resources to make their pathetic voices heard. Lets be clear about 9-11 it was planned and carried out by Al Qaeda not the Muslim world as a whole, and Muslims also died in the attacks. The right, as it always does has done its best to fan the fires of fear and spread ignorance, and while this might help explain how these disturbing reactions to not only the mosque but Islam as a whole it does not by any means explain why this blatant campaign of misinformation, lies, and fear mongering has been allowed to gain such traction. Harry Reid said today that he thought the mosque should be built in a different location and Obama implied the same. How is it that the President of the United States has to succumb to idiocy and hate? The answer is white supremacy or to be more specific WASP supremacy.
There is no escaping it-- this country was built on a foundation of racism and white supremacy. The Declaration of Independence, the constitution, the Bill of Rights and in truth every other document, system, institution, or decision was made by white men with only their interests in mind. While we have made strides to correct some of the more blatant contradictions (some is generous) we cannot escape the reality that the voices of women, poor, and people of color were left out of those discussions. It only follows then that until those voices are allowed all the freedoms and privileges afforded others there can be no real equality. Rather than accept this fact the right has done everything it can to push back from this effort. They vilified people of color, the LGBT community, immigrants, and any other group that is not the dominant in society, which is still WASP’s. More recently the object of the rights venom has been Muslims and the Muslim world. Apparently the obvious hypocrisy of such a stance is lost on the right. The historical fact of manifest destiny and the atrocities committed in the name of Christianity seem not to register. It is hard to imagine that a similar campaign would be half as successful if say Native Americans wanted to put an end to the building of churches. As a matter of fact when I asked random people this afternoon many had no idea why that would even possibly be considered while others actually laughed at the thought. What it comes down to is the feelings and dignity of people of color whether they be African slaves, or Arab Muslims do not matter as much as the sensibilities of white folks. This has to be unacceptable in order for us to ever take equality efforts seriously.

* Ryan "BUGS" Williams-Virden is a spoken word artist, playwright, author, organizer, and teacher from NE Minneapolis. He is the co-founder of Sai Werd Ink a literary organization dedicated to empowering marginalized peoples. He is also one half of Poetic Assassins a local spoken word duo. He can be reached atpoeticassassins@saiwerdink.com

2010-08-10T14:14:00.000-07:00

SCHOOLED? CHARTER SCHOOLS ATTACK ON PUBLIC EDUCATION
Ryan “BUGS” Williams-Virden
August 10th 2010

Ask almost anybody and they will acknowledge education is crucial to the development of the youth, of a healthy community, and indeed of a healthy democracy. In Minneapolis and across the country they will also be quick to agree that something needs to be done to improve our public education, specifically in urban areas. The debate comes in when we start to talk about how, and flesh out what that might look like. Increasingly charter schools are being touted as the solution; both the left and the right seem to be able to agree that charter schools will and should play a major role in the future of public education. As a matter of fact the Minneapolis school board just approved the sponsorship of a charter school with two campuses (one on the north side and another on the south) set to open in the fall of 2011, taking over the space now known as North High School. This charter, Minneapolis College Preparatory (MCP) is being billed as the premier option for students with college ambition, and as presumably the answer to the achievement gap and myriad of other problems facing Minneapolis public schools. However, a slightly deeper look reveals a totally different, and completely opposite scenario playing out.

CHARTER SCHOOLS AND PUBLIC EDUCATION

Everybody has a right to a quality free and public education--this is a backbone of democracy. Regardless of race, class, gender, religion, or any other aspect of our humanity that servers to divide us, our education is suppose to be of the same quality, easily accessible, and free. This idea has come under a very severe and effective attack by proponents of the charter school movement. It is important to note not all supporters of charter schools are on a mission to dismantle public schools, but that does not change the reality of the consequences charter schools have on public education. The worldview behind charter schools is this-- competition is necessary in order to have quality. It adheres to a business mentality and model while dealing with education. The problem lies here, when creating competition you are also creating winners and losers, by definition if you are competing somebody will lose. This should be totally unacceptable when talking about the education of our youth and future leaders. Put simply charter schools are a thinly veiled attempt to privatize education. It is a part of the larger neo-liberal agenda to privatize the public sector under the guise of providing “choice”while the entire time asking the public to trust in the “free” market to provide equity. By exploiting the legitimate concerns and frustrations of many with public education those heading this movement have seized an opportunity to create enormous profit. This profit does not however come without a cost; it comes at the expense of students, teachers, and in the end all of us as members of the larger communities. The UCLA Civil Rights Project came to this conclusion after researching charter schools:
“The ability to choose assumes ready exposure to available school options. Research suggests that families’ access to the educational marketplace is unequally constrained by a number of factors, including contact with advantaged social networks, … language barriers, socioeconomic status and the ability of parents to arrange transportation for their schoolchildren. Education studies both in the U.S. context and abroad… all highlight a basic point. Unrestricted choice results in stratification….. On the other side of the process… significant private investment augments public support for charter schools. Targeted recruitment of students could help charter schools accomplish achievement promises made to these private funders. It follows that school choice… will almost always exacerbate inequality.”
When considering for-profit involvement it becomes even bleaker:
“For the quarter of charters that are run for profit, a focus on the bottom line compromises educational quality. When states hand money to private companies, their profit margin is the difference between the state funds and what they spend to provide the education. It stands to reason that if they can cut costs, a policy that tends to lower the quality of education, they can make more money. In Ohio, where more than half of the state’s charter money goes to for-profit companies, charters drastically lag behind traditional public schools. Only 8 percent of charters received a rating of excellent or effective, compared to 63 percent of public schools.”
The situation becomes no better when taking race into account:
“Another serious concern is the increase in racial segregation associated with charter schools. UCLA’s Civil Rights Project study found higher levels of segregation for Black students in charter schools than in public schools, even though public school segregation has been growing steadily for two decades. Other studies have documented increased racial segregation due to “school choice” programs in North Carolina and New Jersey.
Unlike magnet schools that were established to further school integration by bringing students from different parts of a city together, charter schools tend to further segregation because they make enrollment decisions without regard to the impact on the school system as a whole. Thus the “market-oriented model of choice” tends to further segregate students (in what is already a segregated school system) based on resources, abilities, language, and race.”
The reality of the situation is made quite clear charter schools are not the answer to the very real challenges facing our public education system. Charter schools result in: a large number of severely underserved students, overworked and unqualified teachers and staff juxtaposed to the few that benefited from those handful of charters that provide quality. Again if we look at the data we see that charters are in no way outperforming their public schools counterparts:
“A 2003 national study by the Department of Education under George W. Bush found that charter schools performed, on average, no better than traditional public schools. The study was initially suppressed because it hadn’t reached the desired conclusions. Another study by two Stanford economists involved an enormous sample, 70 percent of all charter students. It found that an astonishing 83 percent of charter schools were either no better or actually worse than traditional public schools serving similar populations. Indeed, the authors found that bad charter schools outnumber good ones by a ratio of roughly 2 to 1”
Again the picture is very, very, clear.

MCP AND MINNEAPOLIS

Lets talk about MCP and how it will affect public ed. in Minneapolis; here is an excerpt from the proposal presented to the school board:
“The MCP mission and vision is focused on college success:
Mission - The Minneapolis College Preparatory South and North Campus
mission is to instill in students the scholarship, discipline and
honor necessary to succeed in college and beyond.
Vision - The Minneapolis College Preparatory vision is to establish
the highest performing open-enrollment high school in Minneapolis with
an emphasis on serving low-income students and preparing them to
graduate from college. MCP seeks to create constructive change in
Minneapolis by serving up to 10% of MPS high school students and
sharing best practices in closing the achievement gap nationwide.”
At first glance this seems to be a great thing, who would argue against it? They are addressing many of the very valid concerns regarding public schools. This is all true, but nobody is asking the question why can’t public schools do this? And what about the 90% of students who don’t get the chance to attend MCP? What happens to them? What about the trained quality teachers? It is not a leap to say this is an attack on Minneapolis Public Schools and the public schools system as a whole. It is also not far fetched to envision a situation where the public schools left become a sort of second tier holding site and the students relegated to attending have one of three options 1) military 2) low wage, low skilled labor or 3) prison. Is this the future we want for education? Yes, we have very real problems, but the answer is not to turn our backs on 90% of the students the answer is to come together to create an innovative, more democratic system that meets the needs of our communities. As one of my comrades said, “the answer is reform not replacement”, and make no mistake about it charter schools are aiming to replace public education in this city, state, and country. New Orleans post Katrina is vacant of public schools, Milton Friedman’s final victory, and Detroit’s public schools have been gutted in favor of charters. We have an opportunity here and now to say no, we value public education and we will not allow it to be eliminated. The “choice” is ours.

* Ryan "BUGS" Williams-Virden is a spoken word artist, playwright, author, organizer, and teacher from NE Minneapolis. He is the co-founder of Sai Werd Ink a literary organization dedicated to empowering marginalized peoples. He is also one half of Poetic Assassins a local spoken word duo. He can be reached atpoeticassassins@saiwerdink.com

NOTES
This article provided the data in this essay, or at least the links to find the data originally by following its notes.
http://www.isreview.org/issues/71/feat-charterschools.shtml

TEA ANYONE?

2010-07-21T14:46:00.000-07:00

TEA ANYONE?
By: Ryan “BUGS” Williams-Virden
July 21st 2010

At this point it doesn’t matter what your opinions are regarding the Tea Party, the letter written by Tea Party chairman Mark Williams has exposed their collective racism (http://politicalcorrection.org/blog/201007150012). Let me be clear, I am not saying that every person that identifies as a tea party member is a racist; what I am saying is the ideologies, worldview, and eventual policies put forward by the Tea Party have racist consequences. While for many this is easy to understand and borderlines on the obvious; there are many for whom this is beyond hard to comprehend, it is absurd and is actually the product of reverse racism. It is this group I wish to speak with today.
Let me start by saying I see you, I know how you feel, I have family members who I love and respect that hold similar views and beliefs, I understand your frustration and your fears. With that being said I hope to be able to articulate my perspective in hopes that you will consider it fully and make any adjustments to your own that you deem necessary. Before I jump into it I want to address two of the most common rebuttals I am faced with, that I am just being emotional, and that I am biased. I assure you I am not simply reacting from a knee jerk, emotional place, but rather from a logical, fully evaluated position. Admittedly, I have faith in people and our capacity for compassion, love, and genuine desire to be good people. Many of my friends tell me this faith is misplaced-- which may or may not be true only time will tell. Dealing with the second charge, yes I am bias; we all are. It is impossible to be neutral. My bias is toward equality, which means when I evaluate positions and beliefs I am looking for how it helps or hurts efforts to create a more equitable world. Now that we have dealt with those lets move to the Tea Party.

RACE, EQUALITY, AND THE TEA PARTY

A common rebuttal to charges of racism is to cite examples of people you interact with that happen to be black or brown. Ask any person of color and they will tell you the number one response a racist gives is they “have a black friend”. Here is the dilemma, this person or organization more than likely truly believes they are not racist nor are they perpetuating racism. Many of them even believe racism is a terrible thing and deserves to be wiped-out. So understandably they are defensive to charges of racism. There is a truth at play here—people of color understand racism as more than your choice of adjectives, and relationships. People of color understand racism as existing in mentality, and thoughts. In short racism is more than if you don’t call black people niggers. In fact it is much more. Racism, while consisting of the very blatant dehumanizing attacks both verbal and physical also consists of the very covert non-obvious beliefs of whites. This is something people of color have known from the jump, but whites, by and large, have a very tough time coming to grips with. Naturally then they gravitate to organizations that reinforce their own understanding, and affirm their belief that they are not colluding with racism, on the contrary the real racists are the ones that made the original claim of racism. The problem is there is considerable evidence that racism is indeed more pervasive than individual beliefs and actions. Lets break some of this down.

Throughout the Jim Crow decades overt racism was still the norm; lynchings are common practice, racial epithets are accepted adjectives for people of color, and systematically barriers exist limiting opportunities and resources. Some of this changes during the Civil Rights Movement, public spaces are desegregated, voting and other rights are expanded to include people of color (although still not to women which is another essay). It is at this time many whites believe racism became a thing of the past, at least in its systematic form. If racism still exists it is on an individual level and is something they have little or no stake in. If we understand racism as being an individual character flaw then this stance could be accepted, however it is not. I am not going to go in to all the statistics but we see racism in areas of: education, housing, employment, criminal justice, and health. The achievement gap is disgraceful, foreclosures affected the black community disproportionately, the employment rate is double for blacks then it is for whites and wages are not equal, blacks and Latinos overpopulate our prisons, and people of color continually suffer from health issues at a much higher rate than whites. Put simply racism is power and privilege and it strictly belongs to whites. Many will say race has nothing to do with it, these discrepancies are due to personal choices, and while in some cases this might be the true there is no reason to believe whites are not making the same choices; so then why are they not seeing the same type of consequences? There is only one explanation that takes into account all the variables, race is at play and affecting the realities of both whites and blacks. There are very real consequences accompanied with accepting this conclusion, mainly that there is still major work to be done when it comes to ending racism, and that white people have a part to play. This is not something that is very comforting to a working class, struggling to make it white family. They are not trying to hear that they are benefiting from the color of their skin and that they should be working to end something they have been taught has nothing to do with them if they just don’t see color, and treat everybody the same. I know, my family was that family, and I could have very easily ended up a Tea Partier. A struggling family doesn’t want to hear about affirmative action, or social services that they have been told are going to families and people that don’t contribute and are just looking for handouts, significantly all of whom are black and brown. They believe they work hard for their money and others should do the same. They are right, they do work hard and others should too. What they are missing is that others are working hard and it is still not enough. What they are missing is there are people who are not working hard and are getting very wealthy doing so. They are missing something that has been purposefully kept from them, an accurate historical narrative. They are missing the truth about how our system works and always has worked. They don’t know about the legacy of slavery and how people of color (and ironically many of their own ancestors) were systematically kept from owning land and were therefore excluded from even the opportunity to accumulate wealth. They don’t know about Redlining. They have been told the playing field in equal and everybody has the same opportunity. They have been fed stereotypes and at some level are victim to them. They don’t see that they have more in common with the NAACP than the Tea Party.

This is what the Tea Party capitalizes on. They thrive off the fact many within their ranks know that they don’t have it as good as the should or could, and are pissed about it. So instead of an honest assessment of the situation, that would likely lead to solidarity with people of color the Tea Party promotes an atmosphere that labels people of color the enemy, whether it’s immigrants, or blacks they are to blame. They oppose policies that serve to level the playing field for people of color, and in actuality working class whites like affirmative action, a livable wage, fully funded public education, universal health care and other social services; or in one concise statement the Tea Party’s adherence to the free market and the dismantling of government. Here is where many of you might be tempted to turn away and write me off, others might have all sorts of rebuttals in mind. I ask for you to put those thoughts and feelings on hold briefly and hear me out.

FREE MARKET AND RACISM

This is perhaps the hardest argument for people to accept. That the free market is actually something we should be weary of, or worse that it promotes racism. All you have to do is turn on the TV to receive a constant dose of pro- free market testimonials. There is even no shortage of people of color who support the market; even Obama has sworn his allegiance. This however does not mean that the consequences of free market practices are not harmful or racist. What it does mean is that it is complicated and in order to understand it we must be diligent. First lets define what the free market is. The free market is essentially the unregulated relationship between producer and consumer. It means that what is produced, how much of it is produced, and what the prices are is determined by what the consumer wants, how much of it the consumer will buy, and how much the consumer will pay for it. At first glance there appears to be nothing wrong with this system, but lets dig deeper. Fundamentally consumers do not dictate what is produced. Yes, we can have an effect but that effect is minimal. Cash crops have always dictated what got produced and how much of it. This is the nature of capitalism-- produce what is going to make money. Increasingly marketing has accelerated the decline in power the consumer has over what is being produced. Today the reality is we buy what is produced, not vice versa. Another fundamental flaw lies with who has the ability to consume. Slaves had no purchasing power, poor whites had very little, so it follows what was being produced was what those relatively few white men with money desired. This is still the case today in so much as poor people, mostly people of color, are given to consume a product that puts money in the pockets of wealthy white men, an example is Wal-Mart or McDonalds. Often times poor people have no choice but to eat at McDonalds or shop at Wal-Mart due to their economic situations, it matters little that McDonalds is nearly void of nutrition and is extremely unhealthy or that Wal-Mart consistently exploits workers, you buy what you can afford. People of color and poor whites were also excluded from making the market work for them through entrepreneurship by means of discrimination or simply not having enough capital or credit to qualify for loans. Something others had accumulated through no means of their own. So we can see clearly the free market is not so free when you are dealing with those at the bottom of it. The reason it has sustained this long is because it serves the top extremely well. If you are lucky or more likely privileged enough to be in a position to do so the free market can make you very wealthy, very quickly. The problem is it always comes at the expense of others. This is why Milton Friedman the guru of free markets always needed a crisis to implement free market economies “Only a crisis - actual or perceived - produces real change. When that crisis occurs, the actions that are taken depend on the ideas that are lying around. That, I believe, is our basic function: to develop alternatives to existing policies, to keep them alive and available until the politically impossible becomes politically inevitable.” In Chile this crisis was a CIA backed coup of the democratically elected president Salvador Allende, in Britain it was a ridiculous conflict off the coast of South America, and here in the US it was 9-11, in Iraq it was the shock and awe campaign, it was Katrina, it was the panic created before the bailout. Without exception free market policies have needed a dramatic event that leaves people distracted in order to be implemented. I believe this is because people by and large want equality and they can see that the free market will not provide that. Those that support the free market here in the US do so because they believe it will allow for them to get wealthy while not harming others. It is because of racism and its dehumanizing tactics combined with greed that the reality of those that are indeed being harmed by the free market has become irrelevant.

HOW DID WE GET HERE AND WHAT CAN WE DO

When we view racism as being systematic and more than individual biases we begin to make sense of the situation. Race became a major factor in the United States because of the need for cheap labor, of course cheap means free when dealing with slavery. Many whites didn’t own slaves and were not benefiting from the despicable practice. Never the less those very same whites would be instrumental in shaping race in the country. What ever way this group went the country would go; this was not lost on those in power and they offered this group incentives coming in the form of rights and opportunities in return for their allegiance; it is textbook divide and conquer. This is by no means the birth of racial tension, but it is a major contributing factor and one that is still affecting our realities today; we see this legacy manifesting in the rhetoric of the Tea Party. In a very real way being white can be considered credentials for membership into a club. Like all clubs not everybody is treated equal or afforded the same perks, but they are members regardless. There is a sense of loyalty to the fellow members, and one would not openly side against the club, hence the term race traitor. If we were collectively historically literate we would see through this nonsense immediately. We would know that Irish, Greek, Italian, Slavic, Turk, Polish, (the list goes on) were once not considered white and therefore were not included in the club. It is only when for political survival it became necessary to expand the definition of white that we see immigrants from these communities being allowed access. Make no mistake those in power are not ignorant of these facts; that is why education remains a major battlefield. In order to maintain the status quo the education must stay diluted. The recent banning of ethnic studies by Arizona, and massacring of the curriculum in Texas are current examples of attempts to control the narrative. The Tea Party counts on a collective ignorance, an undying commitment to free markets by the media and those in power, and our basic need for self -preservation. They count on racism, and please understand that is exactly what it is when the realities of millions of people is not worthy of consideration, when the very people who were never allowed to own property or accumulate wealth get blamed for their poverty and circumstances-- that is racism. The good news is we can deconstruct this monster; we can reject the free market. We can start to change the framework of the conversation simply by asking one question “how will this effect the realities of others?” If we can make this simple change there is hope. Ironically once again the struggle will be largely shaped by the decision many low- income working class whites make (however, it is my belief the struggle will not be decided by this group). Will it be the Tea Party, and free market uninhibited selfishness, or will it be a more evolved brave decision to examine the reality of all peoples at long last and demand equality for all humans.

Sai Werd Ink Presents Poetic Assassins Red D.O.T.T. Tour

2010-07-15T12:59:00.002-07:00

The Poetic Assassins need your support! Any donation helps (every dollar counts) and please pass this along http://kck.st/dAOFOJ

The Poetic Assassins are a spoken word collective based in the midwest. We are also the founders of a literary organization by the name of Sai Werd Ink. The mission of Sai Werd Ink is to promote equality through increasing literacy. We believe that the most powerful tool a human possesses is their voice and ability to be heard. To this end Sai Werd Ink uses the art of spoken word to run workshops, residencies and of course perform. The Poetic Assassins are award winning performers (VERVE grant awarded by Bay Area poet Paul Flores, Urban Griot award best spoken word collective and best production). We have performed at events including Peace Jam with Desmond Tutu, Standing on the Shoulders of Giants (40th anniversary of Morril Hall takeover for civil rights at the University of Minnesota), Hip Hop Against Homophobia, Lectured and Performed at From Vices to Verses: facilitated discussions and workshops with The Loft, and the national organization Freedom School. We have run workshops and/or performed at institutions like: University of Minnesota, Colorado College, University of Iowa, Mckendree University, and Slippery Rock University among many others.

To this extent, we are trying to raise funds to go on tour. We have planned to do a 5-10 university spoken word tour. These funds will help with airfare, lodging, and food for the two artists. We recently debuted our album Red D.O.T.T. (Death of the Truth) and want a chance for others to hear our messages. Colleges are in the following main states: California, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Florida, & Hawaii!!!!!

What Others Have Said About Poetic Assassins:

"It was a really great experience. You made us all feel like we were a
part of something powerful"

"...your performance was unlike anything I've ever experienced. It was amazingly beautiful, energizing, and inspirational."

"The performance was AH-MAZING!!! I've never seen or heard anything like
it. It was very powerful and moving."

"The spoken word of Poetic Assassins is not only powerful, it is
educational. But it is not the sort of education that you can get in
school-it is better, and they are clearly passionate about their messages!"

Poetic Assassins Links
Who are The Poetic Assassins- http://www.youtube.com/watch...
Truth Serum Video- http://www.youtube.com/watch...
CD Release Party and Interview- http://www.youtube.com/watch... l

Sai Werd Ink Presents Poetic Assassins Red D.O.T.T. Tour

2010-07-15T12:59:00.000-07:00

The Poetic Assassins need your support! Any donation helps (every dollar counts) and please pass this along http://kck.st/aeIUZE

The Poetic Assassins are a spoken word collective based in the midwest. We are also the founders of a literary organization by the name of Sai Werd Ink. The mission of Sai Werd Ink is to promote equality through increasing literacy. We believe that the most powerful tool a human possesses is their voice and ability to be heard. To this end Sai Werd Ink uses the art of spoken word to run workshops, residencies and of course perform. The Poetic Assassins are award winning performers (VERVE grant awarded by Bay Area poet Paul Flores, Urban Griot award best spoken word collective and best production). We have performed at events including Peace Jam with Desmond Tutu, Standing on the Shoulders of Giants (40th anniversary of Morril Hall takeover for civil rights at the University of Minnesota), Hip Hop Against Homophobia, Lectured and Performed at From Vices to Verses: facilitated discussions and workshops with The Loft, and the national organization Freedom School. We have run workshops and/or performed at institutions like: University of Minnesota, Colorado College, University of Iowa, Mckendree University, and Slippery Rock University among many others.

To this extent, we are trying to raise funds to go on tour. We have planned to do a 5-10 university spoken word tour. These funds will help with airfare, lodging, and food for the two artists. We recently debuted our album Red D.O.T.T. (Death of the Truth) and want a chance for others to hear our messages. Colleges are in the following main states: California, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Florida, & Hawaii!!!!!

What Others Have Said About Poetic Assassins:

"It was a really great experience. You made us all feel like we were a
part of something powerful"

"...your performance was unlike anything I've ever experienced. It was amazingly beautiful, energizing, and inspirational."

"The performance was AH-MAZING!!! I've never seen or heard anything like
it. It was very powerful and moving."

"The spoken word of Poetic Assassins is not only powerful, it is
educational. But it is not the sort of education that you can get in
school-it is better, and they are clearly passionate about their messages!"

Poetic Assassins Links
Who are The Poetic Assassins- http://www.youtube.com/watch...
Truth Serum Video- http://www.youtube.com/watch...
CD Release Party and Interview- http://www.youtube.com/watch... l

Tom Emmer Town Hall

2010-07-14T23:17:00.001-07:00

This afternoon hundreds of people crammed into Ol’ Mexico to hear how Tom Emmer the Republican candidate for governor would explain his comments regarding implementing a tax credit in Minnesota. A move that would lower the minimum wage of the thousands of servers in the state, the vast majority of whom can barely make ends met as is let alone survive any cuts to their income. When confronted with these realities this afternoon Mr. Emmer repeatedly offered shallow, unsatisfying rhetoric. His argument and rationalization breaks down to this:
If the business owner can save money on wages the cost of food will go down and there will therefore be more customers. Implying that the cut in wages could be made up with increased tips.
This argument is absurd on many levels first it assumes that because owners save money on wages they would lower the cost of food, something that we all know is far from a for gone conclusion. It doesn’t take much to imagine 6 months into a Tom Emmer lead Minnesota him arguing that business owners have the right to set their prices as they will and the market will regulate them. Forgetting his “promise” to all the servers in those restaurants that would now be making 3$ an hour. This is the fundamental issue with Emmer, his supporters, and his party. The reality of poor and working class people is not something they are capable of or willing to consider. They speak as if people are not struggling to provide life’s necessities for their families and themselves. One of the participants hit the nail on the head when she stated that it seems Emmer is only concerned with those that own property. There was no mistaking the energy tonight; people are feed up with the arrogance, and selfishness that underlies Emmer and his party. Perhaps this is why the town hall ended a full 30 minutes prior to its scheduled time. Emmer consistently stressed he was there for a discussion. Well Mr. Emmer one half of a discussion requires listening and you continue to fail miserably at this crucial point. Sadly, I don’t anticipate this changing. My hopes are that those who voiced their concern this afternoon will continue to do so and claim the power that is rightfully theirs.

Tom Emmer Town Hall

2010-07-14T23:16:00.001-07:00

Why Oscar Grant Matters to Us All

2010-07-09T09:25:00.000-07:00

This is my fourth attempt at writing this. I can't seem to find the words. Like many of you I am outraged at the verdict in the Oscar Grant trial. However, I am not surprised. Some will say that a conviction of any sort is a victory. I can't buy that. I mean this execution was caught on tape, an acquittal would have been too blatant, but this is not far from it, too blatant that is. Can you imagine any of us shooting another human being, claiming we thought our gun was a taser and this being acceptable to the point we only have to serve a max of four years. I personally know people who have served more time for selling weed. Maybe it's me but I think the taking of a life is more severe than selling marijuana, a drug that is proven to be less dangerous than tobacco or alcohol, not to mention all the prescription drugs that are legal because white people own the production. I don't want to get into all the ways this outcome is unjust and racist. I think those are fairly clear. What I do want to focus on is why this matters. This entire tragedy is just one of the many that happens across this country every single day. How many Oscar Grants happen that don't get video tapped? How many have to deal with police harassing their community? If we do not confront these issues right here right now we will continue to see more and more Oscar Grants. The time has come to rethink how we police our communities. It is time to start sacrificing our own comforts and put ourselves on the line for a greater cause, because the truth is it will only be a matter of time before your city is Oakland, and your brother, friend, sister, father, cousin, maybe even you are Oscar Grant. No Justice No Peace

Class Reflections

2010-06-10T07:54:00.000-07:00

bell hooks wrote a book “Class Matters” in it she discusses the idea of class, and how she has struggled with her climbing of the “social ladder”. I have read my fair share of books, and I can truthfully say not many have spoke to me in such a personal way before. I grew up the eldest son of a waitress and a cook, neither with any real education to speak of other then real life. I grew up knowing what it meant to work and earn what you have, few things in our house were valued over work ethic. My parents worked their asses off to make sure my brothers and I got the best education, so we could go to college and didn’t have to “go through this shit”. I will never forget those days or lessons, and I am proud of my class background. Perhaps that it why it was/is so difficult, and I struggle now with admitting that I have it better. I am a college graduate of a private institution and a teacher, I am not rich by any means and still live paycheck to paycheck, but I have a TRA, I have enough left with every check to go on a date with my wife or to go visit her family in California and Arizona, if we save a couple pay periods. I am not waiting tables for minimum wage and being treated as if I am disposable, a feeling that far too many know far too well. However, with all of this being true I still identify with the working class, and I always will. I will never use my degree for social capital or to play savior to those that sacrificed for me to be here. I understand that people and relationships not money are what make this life worth living. I went to college with the idea that I would get my parents out of their circumstance, I would buy their house, send them on vacations (my mom is dying to see California), and they wouldn’t have to struggle anymore; while I still have those goals it is so much more. I want to use my degree in order to dismantle the system that caused this struggle. I want all my people, all those I grew up with who are now either drunk at the palace, killing other poor people in the Middle East, or have “made it” and never come back to NE to know that they are valuable and honored not because of their bank account, degrees, skin color, gender, or how many "terrorists" they kill in the name of the flag, but because they are human and have god in them. I want them to know that it is off of their backs that wealth is made, and maintained in this country. I want them to know that when they can’t fall asleep at night because they are stressed over money they are not alone, and it is not right. I want them to know the Power of You is more than a two year ride to MCTC, but something that can truly change our world. I want them to know the police will never protect my interests, and that the schools don’t talk about my heroes either. I want them to know when I say us I mean exactly that- us, and above all I want all those people who have taken advantage of us, and continue to do so to know that we are here and we will not take it anymore. I understand completely now, class is a mind state, experience, and value system as much as it is a paycheck, so this is my promise to my wife, my brothers, my parents, my grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, old friends and new ones, our daughters and sons that will inherit our legacies, all those that feel me deep in their stomaches- I will always keep my mind right. There is no war but the class war!

In solidarity
Ryan “BUGS” Williams-Virden

Human Rights and Israel

2010-06-01T10:38:00.000-07:00

In the aftermath of the Israeli attack on humanitarian aid ships destined for Gaza I thought I would share some thoughts regarding the entire Israel- Palestine conflict.

For quite some time now a point of contention between myself and those that either are, were, or could potentially be my friends is Israel; specifically Israel's occupation of Gaza and the West Bank. As expected they attempt to write off my critiques and analysis as being radical, and without any real merit. Some have even gone as far as suggesting anti-semitism is the basis for my analysis. They fail to differentiate between anti-semitism and anti-zionism. They believe what the media tells them that any and all critiques of Israel are based in a deep hatred of the Jewish people. This is of course not simply a paranoid stance, but rather one based in a history of oppression and racism against Jews. However, what needs to be made clear is that Israel is a political state, and a repressive one at that. When I speak of Israel I am speaking of that political state and its policies, not the Jewish people as a whole. There are facts that can not be disputed here and are worthy of being discussed widely, something that does not happen due to, in my opinion, the relationship between the US and Israel. All one needs to do is have a basic understanding of human rights to see that Israel is in violation. Have there been acts by Palestinians that have resulted in violence, yes, but for the great majority of those acts they are in response to an occupation and a history of dehumanization. What would you do if you were a victim of apartheid? For most a pro-active response (which can mean being an aggressor in certain isolated instances) is understandable- especially when it means going up against tanks with a pocket full of stones.

What I am getting at is this- if we truly want to see an end to the violence then the solution is clear- hold Israel responsible for its policies by cutting off aid, observe and respect the UN declarations that have been passed down regarding this issue, recognize Hamas as a legit political party that was voted to power democratically, and above all stop looking for solutions that serve America and our allies economic interests.

In solidarity

Ryan "BUGS" Williams-Virden

White Supremacy and Education

2010-05-13T19:56:00.000-07:00

I feel like I’m beating a dead horse, maybe preaching to the choir, or better yet talking to a wall. There is something fundamentally wrong, and we have ignored it, made excuses and apologies for it, some of us have even succumbed to it in order to better our own circumstances. It starts out with small concessions, that one time you gave him a pass, the time you told yourself it didn’t matter whether or not you showed up, whether or not you spoke out because hey it wouldn’t change anything anyway, right? Wrong. We are seeing now in the 21st century, the effects of our negligence, we now have, in the United States of America, a state that has made it legal to assume somebody is a criminal based solely on the color of their skin, and how well they fit a stereotype (the issue of somebody being illegal on stolen land will have to wait for a different time). Beyond that the very same state has now stated publically their commitment to white supremacy by way of the education system. To fully understand Arizona’s recent ban on ethnic studies we must put education in a larger context. Education has always been a major battleground in the struggle for equality, there is truth in all the clichés. Those in power have always recognized this, and have acted accordingly; think the Dukes, Vanderbilts, Rockefellars, etcetera. Throughout history we see the powerful attempting to dictate what is included in curriculum and how that curriculum is delivered. There has always been a fear of a well educated under class.

Lets jump back to current day Arizona where it is now illegal to teach "the overthrow of the United States government" or "resentment toward a race or class of people." Or curriculum "designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group" or that seeks to "advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals." It is hard to know exactly where to start when taking a critical look at this law so lets start with the first portion- I believe Thomas Jefferson and his pals mentioned something about this in the Declaration of Independence, correct me if I’m wrong but it went something like this “when a significant amount of abuses and usurpations would cause absolute despotism, it is mankind's right and duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security…” it is quite ironic that many that support this law often throw around the founding fathers, and their admiration for them, only to proceed to ignore their very words- or given the history of exclusion and privilege that our founding fathers enjoyed perhaps they are more like them then we would like to admit? Of course this is all given the very unlikely circumstance that a course is advocating the overthrow of the United States government. Moving on we find even more troublesome provisions. What does it mean to promote resentment, how can it be wrong to direct a class towards a group of people that for decades if not centuries had been systematically excluded from curriculum? These are just a couple of the endless questions that no doubt many are asking. It is not a far stretch of the imagination for a lesson on slavery to be in violation of this law, given that most people of color have a valid anger with whites after learning about the disgusting practice. Of course in typical privileged fashion there's a lack of understanding that the majority of our institutions in this country were designed by WASPS for WASPS, and have effectively resulted in the consolidation of power to that particular ethnic group, to use the bills language.

What I hope is clear is that at its very best this law is extremely problematic and regardless of its supporters intentions it will only serve to further entrench white supremacy within our education system, the first place we need to purge it from. Our education should be inclusive of all and their realities. This has to include a more honest narrative- we have to accept that Columbus was not a good man, and is guilty of igniting a genocide, we must admit that we instigated a war with Mexico for the land we now call the Southwest United States, we must be honest about the implications of the Monroe Doctrine and our intent when it comes to South America. Our histories need to include John Brown, Nat Turner, Sally Hemmings, Ella Baker, Assatta Shakur, Mumia Abu Jamal, and Eugene Debs. We need to teach about redlining and Jim Crow, and the Willie Lynch Theory, and COINTELPRO. Above all we need to have a population that can understand the effects of all of these figures, ideologies, and policies in order to better relate to the world and in the end make it a place we would all want to pass down to the next generations.

In solidarity,

Ryan "BUGS" Williams-Virden

Blackface at Bethel University

2010-05-11T09:52:00.000-07:00

I can hear it now “ why do they always have to make a big deal about things. It was only a joke” or something akin. Well let me help to try and explain why a white student dressing up as rapper lil Wayne complete with Blackface is a big deal.

I won’t go into the entire history of Blackface, although for many this history would be useful. I will instead give a brief synopsis so we can all better put this incident in an appropriate context. From the 19th century until the civil rights movement Blackface was used as a tool to perpetuate stereotypes of Blacks as being stupid, slow, and lazy while portraying physically overemphasized features such as lips. From minstrel shows to Blackface branching out on its own it has always been a way to dehumanize, demoralize, and attack through racist stereotypes, African Americans.

While minstrelsy in its official capacity has disappeared, we see Blackface manifest itself continuously on college campuses. Whether it is at a “pimps and hoes party”, as a Halloween costume, at a “Compton cookout”, or most recently on the Bethel University campus as lil Wayne. Even if it is true that the offending parties were ignorant of the history and implications of their actions it is hard to believe that their actions were not motivated by latent racism; that subconsciously they didn’t hold a feeling of superiority. It is only racism that allows for one to believe it is ok to put on another human beings identity, culture, and skin color only to make light of it all. It matters little what the intent was- there is no escaping the impact- which is racist.

For an institution to have a stated anti-racism policy is a great thing, but it is only as great as its enforcement. This is the point Bethel University finds itself, a stated commitment to anti-racism and a blatantly racist event. It is up to them to demonstrate now how committed they are, not only to the policy, but to those on campus that the policy is in place to benefit, the staff and students of color along with their white allies. Please join those that feel strongly about this issue to outpressure on the administration to take the appropriate steps ensuring not only no similar events happen, but that the underlying ideologies that rationalize and make apologies for those who participate are appropriately combated.

In solidarity
Ryan “BUGS” Williams- Virden

Open Letter to 80's Babies in Minneapolis

2010-03-04T18:02:00.000-08:00

“Every generation must out of relative obscurity discover its mission, fulfil it or betray it” Frantz Fanon

Comrades we are dropping the ball. There is no other way to put it. These are serious times, and we are lacking a serious approach. Yes we have random events that on the surface appear to be struggling for equality etcetera etcetera, but that is only a veneer, and a thin one at that. For some time now I have felt this way. I have participated in the protests, marched in the marches, and I am left only this- an overwhelming feeling of disappointment. Take this afternoon for example, there was a demonstration organized in solidarity with the national call to protect public education. In other states campuses were being occupied and there was real action being taken. Here, it was a far different story, middle class white folks stood around and listened to un-motivating speakers tell them what they already knew (ironically in front of Morrill Hall the site of actual student action 40 years ago) then marched across Washington Ave to Coffman to hear more stories and tidbits of information that for the most part served no greater purpose. Those that happen to be in the path simply walked by wondering what was going on. I ask is this what we have become? Where is the sacrifice? Why was that group not marching through the halls where classes were being conducted to hold professors and students alike accountable for not supporting this national movement? A even better question- why were we not bringing this message to the people who actually make the decisions? This is typical of demonstrations now a days, middle class whites organize the events, and end up hanging around telling each other about what is wrong, what they would like to see done about it, but when it comes time to sacrifice at any level they hide behind a veil of compromise and commitment to non-violence. The time has come to stop waiting for others from generations past to tell us what to do and how to do it. It is our time. It is time for us to come together, articulate our positions and be willing to back those up with sacrifice. It is time to stop asking permission to be pissed. Be pissed and do something about it. The torch is being passed- catch it! And always remember:

“Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress." Frederick Douglass

In solidarity
Ryan "BUGS" Virden

Terrorism

2010-02-25T09:30:00.000-08:00

I have purposefully waited a significant (in my estimation) period of time to write this. It was my equivalent of counting to ten- attempting to calm down. I thought maybe the media would do their job, and we would see some progress from this vital group. Sadly neither has happened (at least to any degree that would be notable). As a matter of fact most people I have spoken with don't even know who Joseph Stack is. For those people I will say this Joseph Stack is the man that crashed a plane into an IRS building in Austin, Texas. He had a sort of manifesto/ suicide note/ explanation all ready to go describing his reasons for this act. Put simply he was disgusted with the government and wanted to inspire others to similar acts in order to send a message (http://www.businessinsider.com/joseph-andrew-stacks-insane-manifesto-2010-2 for the whole statement). There have been many reactions to this event, all the ones you would anticipate are present ranging from extreme grief to admiration. There is something missing from the analysis- something so superficial about the discussion

One can not help but notice the parallel to 9/11 in regards to weapon of choice, a plane. We all remember the coverage (justifiably) that event received. Compare that to Joseph Stack there was coverage, but nothing even close to the 9/11 scale. Also the tone of the coverage is decidedly different- most of the coverage Stack has received has revolved around IF this was a terrorist attack. Many stations have even entertained comments praising the attack. Can you imagine stations giving space for people to rationalize 9/11. In fact years after 9/11 even the mention of "chickens coming home to roost" causes outrage (see Jeremiah Wright). This discrepancy illustrates fundamental issues the United States as a whole refuses to deal with appropriately. Mainly we have an issue with consistency, this is the true foundation of our country- the Declaration of Independence guaranteed equality to all... except non-whites and females. We see this inconsistency manifest in countless ways throughout history, and we see it now in the definition of terrorism- apparently only Arab Muslims can participate in terrorism. By no stretch of the imagination would a military occupation of sovereign nations qualify.

How long will we allow this inconsistency?

Hope

2009-12-20T22:03:00.000-08:00

A little over a year ago millions of people, mesmerized and energized by the message of change and hope delivered by Barack Obama, made him President of the United States. Undoubtedly that act in and of itself has changed history for the better, and is rightly recognized as a milestone. However it is time now to demand those promises of change and hope be kept; to this point they have been nothing but a cruel joke. In fact as 2009 comes to an end we have witnessed the complete betrayal of these ideas with the failure of real health care reform, and the joke that was the Climate Change summit in Copenhagen (not to mention the troop escalation and so on).

As I am writing this- the Senate is planning a midnight vote on a bill that can hardly be called health care reform, which is predicted to pass (I will not take the time now to make an argument for why this is a terrible bill as I have wrote previously regarding that issue). Obama is just returning from Copenhagen where extremely rich, Western countries continued the practice of exploiting the Global South, and selling our’s and our grandchildren’s future for short- term profit, to be topped off with blatant blackmail and bullying by the United States. It has become clear Obama is a talented politician nothing more nothing less. Many of those who were so hopeful (many for the first time) are now instead disillusioned and overwhelmed by powerlessness. It is these people I write this for. Take heart family, there is hope as long as there is breath in our lungs. The hope was never with Obama, it was with us. The millions who made their voice heard electing the first African American President. That hope cannot be taken away, it can only be given away. Refuse to do that! Get involved and stay involved in our communities, organize, organize, organize. If you believe health care is a human right then make that known, call your elected officials, have your friends do the same, and if they don’t listen then vote them out! Vote for the people that represent you and your people. The time has come to stop choosing the lesser of two evils. If the candidates don’t represent your interest then run yourself. It is time to move past this failed two party system- that has so clearly turned its back on us. Above all love and respect yourselves and each other. We are deserving of happiness, and have every right to demand equality. We will not be free until we are all free!

In Solidarity,

Ryan “BUGS” Virden

Congratulations! Wait really???

2009-10-09T07:53:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning to some disturbing news. The headline reads "Nobel Stunner: Obama Wins Peace Prize". The cited reasons for granting Obama the prestigious award include: his initiatives to reduce nuclear arms, ease tensions with the Muslim world, and his efforts to focus on diplomacy rather than unilateralism. To many these might seem to be excellent reasons to award Obama the prize, and indeed they are, however these are not the entirety of Obama’s resume nor are they even 100 percent accurate. Let’s look at this through a different lens.

To many Barack Obama was and is an anti-war president. Many anti-war groups backed him during the campaign as did many individuals claiming to be pacifists. This has lead to a widespread belief that he himself is anti-war (one would think this should be a prereq of sorts for the Nobel Peace Prize). This however could not be farther from the truth. Currently we are bombing Pakistan, considering ratcheting up the war in Afghanistan, and supporting Israel. Not to mention the hypocrisy of stock piling nuclear weapons while demanding non-proliferation from other countries. If these are not enough let’s look at some closer to home examples of the violence supported by Obama and his administration: single payer universal healthcare was not even considered, housing is still not considered a human right, a livable wage has yet to enter the political discussion. As Gandhi famously stated "poverty is the worst kind of violence". In the interest of fairness these are not new to Obama or his administration these have long been characteristics of the American Empire.

I don't write this to try and burst any bubbles, or be a "hater". I am not looking for reasons to "bitch"; I do not want to find the negative in everything, or anything similar to these responses. The truth is actually quite to the contrary- I want a world of peace, a non-nuclear world. I want a world free from war and oppression, free from greed and poverty. I just received a text from my fiancée which says it the best “the wonders of the world we may never understand, but the mind possesses the capability of imagination, which is far more interesting. The world we can imagine can become our reality. Never give up, never stop fighting, keep revolting because God gave us a voice and life gave us the right!" I ask only this- that we have the courage to recognize and speak truth even in the face of facades that make it easy to become comfortable.

In Solidarity,

Ryan "BUGS" Virden

For clarity

2009-08-25T11:02:00.000-07:00

In the last posting I mentioned what I saw as two major flaws in the right wings cries of socialism when asked about not only Obamas health care, but apparently his overall economic philosophy. I would like to take some time to expand on how ridiculous this is, mainly because we are still seeing and hearing these often times ignorant and misinformed claims being made quite passionately.

From what I can see the major argument being made goes something like this... the constitution limits government involvement in the citizens lives, the health care reform bill equates to a government take over, violating the constitution and will leave us with national socialism in all areas, similar to Nazi Germany. Included in this group are those people that are waving copies of the constitution at town halls, because we apparently need a visual for the argument, or the ex-marine that demanded his congressman uphold the constitution, implying the health care bill was in violation of it. These arguments are so foolish and illogical if it wasn't so scary it would be comical. Lets deconstruct the lunacy. First and most importantly to view the constitution as a fixed document with no flexibility is absurd, it was written in 1787, pretty sure our world has changed since then. Health care is actually a great example of this, in 1787 the field of medical science was lacking to put it lightly, costing little money. It only makes sense with all the advancements that have been made in medical science, and what we know now about health that we spend money on it. Perhaps we can treat these peoples illness with similar tactics as the time they would like us all to stick too....where are the leeches? This also goes for the idiots bringing loaded guns to rallies; when the second amendment was penned there is no chance that AK-47s and automatic weapons were being imagined in the wildest of imaginations. Certainly the new massive potential for death needs to be considered. But hey if you want to adhere to the 2nd amendment that's fine, but then don't get all pissy when groups like the Black Panthers or MOVE arm themselves, after all they are just exercising their rights.

This brings me to the next aspect. This is not so much about ignorance as it is hypocrisy. A major aspect that, if not out rightly expressed is underlying these arguments, is one of free markets over a planned economy. The connection is made that free markets equal democracy and controlled economies (socialist) equal tyranny. This is hearkening back to the cold war and the red scare. It was foolish then, and is even more foolish now as we have clear proof free markets can not be left to there own devices (see the presidency of Ronald Regan or the current recession). However, beyond that simple observable fact there is another issue.... these very people who are so adamant about keeping the government out of their lives have no problem calling the police when in danger, calling the fire department if their house is on fire, sending their kids to public school, and maybe, just maybe (but I doubt it) they utilize the public library! You guessed it all of these things fall under the category of socialized! See as a country we have decided that some things are not a commodity and should be made available to everybody such as: saving your house if it is on fire, or calling the police if you have been a victim of crime. The problem, as I have stated before ,is health does not fall under that category, plain and simply there is too much money to be made from it. Imagine if we applied this way of thought to the above mentioned situations... you have just lost somebody to a violent crime and rather than calling 911 right away you have to consider how you will pay for the police to investigate- instead of calling the fire department when you come home to your house being on fire you have to borrow the money it will take to get them out to your house. Foolish right? Then I ask why do we take this approach with our health?

To deal with the Nazi comparison is simple. We live in a democracy which is a political philosophy. It is in no way an economic one. Nazi Germany was not a democracy, that is why the Nazis did what they did, not because of the economic system they chose. In fact material democracy (true socialism) is, in my opinion, the purest expression of democracy.

To sum it all up, the constitution was not written in stone for a reason ,and it should reflect our reality, secondly we already have socialized many many things and health should be included on that list!

Ryan "BUGS" Virden

R.I.P. Universal Health Care You Never Had a Chance

2009-08-17T21:29:00.000-07:00

Today, for many, marked the death of the embattled public option. Amidst some of the most ridiculous ignorance to ever hit national television the familiar drumbeat of anti-socialism could be heard invoking the fear instilled by Reagan, Nixon and the rest of the usual suspects. Nevermind the logical sense that a single payer system makes or the examples that have come out of its success from places like Britain, or endorsements from people like Stephen Hawkin. Today lets identify the reason for the resistance.

This last weeks news coverage has been dominated by the town halls taking place across the country. By far the majority of people at these town halls were skeptical of the proposed bill, mainly because they were/are afraid of government taking over health care, and of socialism in general. Lets look at some of these fears and arguments. First, we live in a democracy (at least that is what they tell us, and that is indeed the belief of those attending these meetings) in a democracy the government is made up of the people... so then I ask -how can it be a bad thing for the government to meet the peoples needs? Unless of course the said democracy is an unhealthy one. The second problem with many of these arguments is this, socialism is accepted in many, many other areas, the police, fire department, public schools, libraries, parks, all of which you would be hard pressed to find support for dismantling (with the possible exception of the police). The fact of the matter is this- Republicans are taking advantage of the ignorance and miseducation of many of their supporters in order to serve the needs of big business, specifically the insurance companies. The largest lobbying group in the country belongs to the health care industry. There is no way, without a huge popular movement, that health care reform would be passed if it did not increase their profits. Which is exactly what would happen with this current bill (see "health insurers have already won" http://www.democracynow.org/). They knew they could count on the deeply seeded fears and prejudices of the Republican party's base. Enter this past week, and any of the examples of racism, hatred, stupidity, and foolishness that you would like. Capitalism runs on private ownership and free market. It is not concerned with anything but profit, the idea of human rights is antithetical to capitalism. Therefore as long as there is the current mix of a) deep fear of anything anti-capitalist and b) the lack of a viable non-capitalist political party there is little hope of ever seeing a single payer system in this country, or for that matter the realization of other human rights such as housing. It is worth noting we could pay for single payer now simply by diverting funds from military spending, but alas due to the imperialism and exploitation necessary for capitalism's continuation this is not even considered in this country.

By far the majority of people want to do the right thing by each other, there are countless examples of this I could point to. The problem is the people profiting from our collective ignorance. Make no mistake this is deliberate, and if we truly want to create a better world this will have to be the first thing that changes. Educate yourselves and each other and together maybe we can revive not only health care but create a truly beautiful world. Peace Love Respect

Ryan "BUGS" Virden

the federally budgeted (see below) military expenditure of the United States Department of Defense for fiscal year 2009 is[1]:
Components
Funding
Change From FY08
Operations and maintenance
$179.8 Bil.
+9.5%
Military Personnel
$125.2 Bil.
+7.5%
Procurement
$104.2 Bil.
+5.3%
Research, Development, Testing & Evaluation
$79.6 Bil.
+4.1%
Military Construction
$21.2 Bil.
+19.1%
Family Housing
$3.2 Bil.
+10.3%
Resolving and Management Funds
$2.2 Bil.
-18.5%
Total Base Spending
$515.4 Bil.
+5.7%

Not included in the DoD budget is $23.4 billion to be spent by the Department of Energy to develop and maintain nuclear warheads.[3]

What are we waiting for?

2009-08-06T08:54:00.000-07:00

So I just got done reading about how Obama is stepping back his support for the illegally ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya. People this is a vital moment in our history, not just as americans, but Humans. The United States has a long, ugly history of interference in Latin America, including violence and intimidation against the people of this region. The fact that Obama has not cut off support to Honduras speaks volumes. If President Obama was as dedicated to Democracy as he and the rest of the Democrats led us to believe then it would be absolutely necessary to not only cut off support to a country that used it's military to overthrow the Democratically elected President, but to speak out against it publicly and with conviction. Instead what we have is the same tired politics from a new politician. There should be little doubt regarding the true reason behind the refusal to take action and show true support for Democracy... President Zelaya is a friend to Venezuela and Bolivia, two socialist countries with immense popular support among the poor and indigenous of their respective countries. This poses a threat to american capitalism something that can not be tolerated by the powers that run this country. I ask, when will we, the people of this country, decide that enough is enough and live up to the potential of our own Democracy? What are we waiting for? If we do not put down our distractions, if we don't get over our own fear about what we have to lose, we will lose more than we could ever imagine... our humanity. It does not take much,even if you just write a letter expressing your concern, or talk to a friend about it, you are raising awareness... the first step. Ona move! Ya Basta

In hope and solidarity
Ryan "BUGS" Virden

An Open Letter: Listen White People!!!!

2009-07-21T08:28:00.001-07:00

Dear White Person,
Let me start by apologizing if this comes off as too rough, but I believe it is necessary. STOP IT! Please! Stop saying you had nothing to do with slavery therefore you have no privilege, or you are poor and struggling so "how the hell do you have privilege" you do, end of story! It has nothing to do with your personal experience, it is simple you never have to consider your race. YOU have never had your skin color associated with evil, YOU have never been considered 3/5 of a human simply due to your skin color, YOU have never been systematically excluded from housing, education, or jobs because you were white. YOU HAVE however been able to blend in with the crowd at any college, walk into a corner store without being followed, drive your car without having to worry about being pulled over for being brown, been able to identify physically with the vast majority of the characters in your American History book, saw yourself in the heroes of Disney movies, in the 43 previous presidents, in the majority of CEO's, YOU get to be a jury of your peers, YOU also get to call the police when you see two black men struggling to open the front door to a house in a neighborhood and city that well let’s just say lacks diversity, YOU also get to be the cop that arrests one of those two men for disorderly conduct even though it is his home, he is a professor at Harvard, and one of the most well respected thinkers of the time; when he becomes a little irritated at you not leaving his home after he has proven it to be so. YOU get to claim that he is being ridiculous when he says race played a part in how he was treated. YOU will go on Fox news and woof all day and night about who the hell knows what, as long as it makes you feel comfortable. White people if we don't start acknowledging our privilege and actively working against it WE will never see an end to the hate and anger that has dominated our country for so long. WE will only see more and more Fong Lee's, Oscar Grants, Sean Bells. WE will have more and more Assata Shakurs, Mumia Abu Jamals, Leonard Peltiers, and Troy Davis. WE will see more events like what happened to Professor Gates in Cambridge. PLEASE white people do your part!!

In suspended hope,

Ryan "BUGS" Virden

Lets not judge Iran quite yet

2009-06-22T07:24:00.000-07:00

Peace, there is little doubt that if you are reading this you have read or heard or are in some way familiar with the events taking place in Iran. I am not going to pretend to shed any light on this situation or to act like I have some sort of knowledge that others don't. I have never been to Iran, and will leave the political evaluation up to those better suited. I have however lived in the United States all my life, and spent a considerable amount of my education studying the history of our country. Given this I feel like there is something missing in our discussion of the current Iranian situation. It seems that in all our commentary and disgust (which, I think is often the appropriate emotion) we forget that we are less than a year removed from robocops patrolling downtown St. Paul, from our own assault on basic rights like dissent, just ask the RNC 8. We also have our own fraud issues just ask Al Gore or any non-white in Florida, or for that case non-whites anywhere. Now I am not trying to justify what is taking place in Iran, all I am saying is that before we allow President Obama to claim a position of authority on allowing the freedom of speech etc. we hold ourselves to the same standard. Professor Chomsky calls it the principal of universality... if we wouldn't want it done to us don't do it to anybody else and vice versa... Jesus called it the golden rule, but I think doing the right thing will do. So yes, be upset, be outraged, demand a more see through process, demand rights be observed, do this all for Iran and the Iranians, but don't leave out America and Americans.

Live Poetry

2009-06-11T18:05:00.000-07:00

It’s one of those nights… you know the ones where you want to go to sleep, but every time you close your eyes your mind goes into overdrive. Yeah it’s one of those nights. Instead of fight it I got up and decided to enjoy some poetry maybe that would rest my mind (I knew better). I found myself listening to one of my favorite pieces “Poetic Bloodline” by Gemineye. I had heard the piece close to 1,000 times, but tonight it was like the first time, and as I sat there trying to sort out in my head what was different it hit me…. I understand it. The piece is an ode to the poets of the past framed in an encounter Gemineye is having with God in which poetry is the tool that has been, and will be used again to create change and bring positivity (of course there is more to it like being a poet is a sacred charge not to be disrespected by misrepresenting yourself, but that is a whole different issue any way back to the point). One of the lines in particular struck me “I need poets to take the world back and undo the curse”, and I understood then more clearly than ever before why the world needs poets. We have a responsibility, an opportunity to leave this world a better place in a way that very few have the chance to ever even think about. Our job is to be the voice for those who cannot use or do not have their own. It is up to us to tell the stories of those who would otherwise be easily forgotten, to unveil the beauty in the seemingly ugliest places, it is up to us to manifest love and freedom. It seems so often we lose ourselves in slam scores or booking shows or writing the illest metaphor or whatever, that we forget our only true responsibility is to live as honestly as possible. This is the true meaning, I think of taking art to action without this everything else is hollow. Now it is not my place to tell anybody what this does or doesn't look like I am simply saying without connecting the art to your community, and eventually the larger community of humanity, we have missed the point.... we missed what God told Gemineye and what Gemineye in turn showed me, mainly poetry has a purpose, and that purpose is to create and build community. It is important to note that I believe all of us in some way or another are poets, whether we write or just get up every morning to face the daily grind we make something beautiful and unique. Our pencils might be a smile to a stranger or not lying to a friend, but somehow we are all contributing to the creation of our reality, and it is important to remember we share in the responsibility of living honestly and representing our community. I believe that when we truly own this responsibility greed, and hate and all the other things that serve to keep us so numb to one another lose their hold, and will eventually disappear. Notice this does not demand time from schedules, or money, just a commitment to positivity and community. So to my fellow poets, writers, humans I thank you and encourage all of us to Live Poetry. Sai Werd

Fong Lee Verdict

2009-05-29T11:24:00.001-07:00

First let me say to the family of Fong Lee my thoughts and energy go out to you. Now to all the people like me, who feel that this case is much bigger than one person, one family or even one community let me say this... What are we going to do? For those of you that are not familiar with the case, Fong Lee was murdered by Officer Jason Andersen of the Minneapolis police. He was shot eight times. Yesterday it was decided that he (Andersen) did not use excessive force; based mainly on trivial differences in accounts, and on testimony from the police departments expert stating, what matters to determine if excessive force was used or not is if Officer Andersen perceived Fong had a gun. It is important to note this was a civil case not even a criminal trial, in essense Andersen has already gotten away with murder, literally. We will get into the implications of this later, and I will not get into the details of the case here as they can be easily found by anyone interested enough to do a Google search. I would prefer to use this time and space to examine the implications and possible responses to it (side note: while any action would be a response I think it is important that the response is not reactionary).

Lets start with what I believe is the most ridiculous claim, and perhaps the most disturbing aspect to come out of this debacle (at least in terms of implications for the future). The idea that what is key is whether or not Officer Andersen perceived Fong had a gun. If this is the standard we are holding for the taking of life, we are in serious trouble. It is not unrealistic to imagine a similar case five years from now where another young non-white male has had his life ended by the MPD, and we are told it is acceptable because he was thought to be a gang member and the officer perceived he had a gun. This should scare everybody if for no other reason then we don't need to look five years in the future, on the contrary just a few months in the past, to a Bart station in Oakland and a young man named Oscar Grant. Add this to what can only increase the aura of invincibility enjoyed by police forces across the country, and we are not far at all from what can only be described as an occupation.

I am not going to pretend to have any big ideas for what we should do as concerned citizens. I will say this we need to do something. Please if you feel the same way find the time and energy to make it known because believe it or not
next time it could be you. Ona Move!
Peace Love Respect!

Day of Awareness for Troy Davis

2009-05-15T08:46:00.000-07:00

So I am just going to be honest, today has sucked, actually most of this month has sucked. This is mainly because money is funny, more so than it normally is. So I am sitting at work this morning talking to my fiance and trying to figure out what to say to ease the irritation and frustration we were both feeling. I couldn't think of anything. Then it hit me... about 20 minutes to late, but it hit me... things could always be worse, and not in the cliche kind of way. I could be Troy Davis right now and literally be running out of options to save my life. For those of you who are not familiar Troy Davis is currently on death row in Georgia and is running out of time on a 30 day stay of execution he was issued. Troy was convicted of killing a cop with no physical evidence linking him to the crime. Since his conviction all but two witnesses that testified in his trial have recanted, and stated that they were threatened and intimidated by the police to testify in the first place. One of the two witnesses that has not recanted is the other possible suspect. This case is yet another example of the failure of our "Justice" system. Please take the time today to talk to somebody about Troy Davis or do something to add your voice to change.
Peace Love Respect

Justice For Troy Davis

For Real... Boycotting Conference on Racism??

2009-04-22T09:58:00.000-07:00

Peace Peace, so there is alot going on in the world right now, but one thing I have been following is the UN conference on Racism, and specifically the US boycotting it. The United States and other Western nations have boycotted due to pressure from the Israel lobby AIPAC which is concerned that the conference will come to an anti-Zionist conclusion. In order to understand this we need to be able to understand the difference between Zionism and anti-Sematism. Zionism is support for the political state of Israel and anti-Sematism is racism specifically aimed at Jews. This is important to note because anti-Zionism is often portrayed in the media as being anti-Semetic; when for the most part the stance taken is expressly opposed to the policies of apartheid adhered to by the Israeli government against Palestineans. However this is not the most important observation to make in this situation. It speaks volumes when the US, which just elected its first African American president refuses to partake in a conference addressing racism. After the election of Barack Obama it was heralded as a new day for America, there was constant talk of Dr. Kings dream being realized, and analysis being offered through a post racial lens. Nothing can be more dangerous. Racism is as real now as it ever was, and possible even harder to fight against as it has shifted its form. It is true we no longer have chatel slavery (we have exchanged the physical chains for invisible ones) and yes it is a very big deal that a Black man is now the president of the United States. However we can not be fooled to think that this some how means we live in a post racial world. All one has to do is look at this conference to see that Racism is alive and well. Let me pose a question... What must happen to a Black man to not hold an ounce of solidarity with the Palestineans? The answer Racism has changed its face, it now comes in a lighter shade of brown and prays to Allah. Another question... when will we see that our enemy is not a color but a mindstate? Obama has bought into a vision of America that is a violence to the rest of the world and he can not see his own freedom in the freedom of others. This is not a specific disease to Obama, many suffer from this. It is up to those that can see our futures are tied together to put a stop to the greed and shortsightedness that will lead to the destruction of life. This starts with not playing politics with the lifes of fellow humans and simply attending a conference. Ona Move

Knaan on the Somali Pirates

2009-04-15T07:35:00.001-07:00

Why We Don’t Condemn Our Pirates in Somalia by Knaan

Posted on April 14, 2009 by Davey D

Why We Don’t Condemn Our Pirates in Somalia
By K’Naan , URB Magazine. Posted April 14, 2009.

Can anyone ever really be for piracy? Well in Somalia, the answer is: it’s complicated.

http://www.alternet.org/story/136481/why_we_don%27t_condemn_our_pirates_in_somalia/?page=entire

Can anyone ever really be for piracy? Outside of sea bandits, and young girls fantasizing of Johnny Depp, would anyone with an honest regard for good human conduct really say that they are in support of Sea Robbery? Well in Somalia, the answer is: it’s complicated. The news media these days has been covering piracy in the Somali coast, with such lopsided journalism that it’s lucky they’re not on a ship themselves. It’s true that the constant hijacking of vessels in the Gulf of Aden is a major threat to the vibrant trade route between Asia and Europe. It is also true that for most of the pirates operating in this vast shoreline, money is the primary objective. But according to many Somalis, the disruption of Europe’s darling of a trade route is just Karma biting a perpetrator in the butt. And if you don’t believe in Karma, maybe you believe in recent history. Here is why we Somalis find ourselves slightly shy of condemning our pirates.

Somalia has been without any form of a functioning government since 1991. And despite its failures, like many other toddler governments in Africa, sprung from the wells of post-colonial independence, bad governance and development loan sharks, the specific problem of piracy was put in motion in 1992.

After the overthrow of Siyad Barre, our charmless dictator of twenty-some odd years, two major forces of the Hawiye Clan came to power. At the time, Ali Mahdi, and General Mohamed Farah Aidid, the two leaders of the Hawiye rebels were largely considered liberators. But the unity of the two men and their respective sub-clans was very short-lived. It’s as if they were dumbstruck at the advent of ousting the dictator, or that they just forgot to discuss who will be the leader of the country once they defeated their common foe. A disagreement of who will upgrade from militia leader to Mr. President broke up their honeymoon. It’s because of this disagreement that we’ve seen one of the most devastating wars in Somalia’s history, leading to millions displaced and hundreds of thousands dead. But war is expensive and militias need food for their families, and Jaad (an amphetamine-based stimulant) to stay awake for the fighting. Therefore a good clan-based Warlord must look out for his own fighters. Aidid’s men turned to robbing aid trucks carrying food to the starving masses, and reselling it to continue their war. But Ali Mahdi had his sights set on a larger and more unexploited resource, namely: the Indian Ocean.

Already by this time, local fishermen in the coastline of Somalia have been complaining of illegal vessels coming to Somali waters and stealing all the fish. And since there was no government to report it to, and since the severity of the violence clumsily overshadowed every other problem, the fishermen went completely unheard. But it was around this same time that a more sinister, a more patronizing practice was being put in motion. A Swiss firm called Achair Parterns, and an Italian waste company called Progresso, made a deal with Ali Mahdi, that they could dump containers of waste material in Somali waters. These European companies were said to be paying Warlords about $3 a ton, where as in to properly dispose of waste in Europe costs about $1000 a ton.

In 2004, after Tsunami washed ashore several leaking containers, thousand of locals in the Puntland region of Somalia started to complain of severe and previously unreported ailments, such as abdominal bleeding, skin melting off and a lot of immediate cancer-like symptoms. Nick Nuttall, a spokesman for the United Nations Environmental Program, says that the containers had many different kinds of waste, including “Uranium, radioactive waste, lead, cadmium, mercury and chemical waste.” But this wasn’t just a passing evil from one or two groups taking advantage of our unprotected waters, the UN Convoy for Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, says that the practice still continues to this day. It was months after those initial reports that local fishermen mobilized themselves, along with street militias, to go into the waters and deter the Westerners from having a free pass at completely destroying Somalia’s aquatic life. Now years later, that deterance has become less noble, and the ex-fishermen with their militias have begun to develop a taste for ransom at sea. This form of piracy is now a major contributor to the Somali economy, especially in the very region that private toxic waste companies first began to bury our nation’s death trap.

Now Somalia has upped the world’s pirate attacks by over 21 percent in one year, and while NATO and the EU are both sending forces to the Somali coast to try and slow down the attacks, Blackwater and all kinds of private security firms are intent on cashing in. But while Europeans are well in their right to protect their trade interest in the region, our pirates were the only deterrent we had from an externally imposed environmental disaster. No one can say for sure that some of the ships they are now holding for ransom were not involved in illegal activity in our waters. The truth is, if you ask any Somali if they think getting rid of the pirates only means the continuous rape of our coast by unmonitored Western vessels, and the production of a new cancerous generation, we would all fly our pirate flags high.

It is time that the world gave the Somali people some assurance that these Western illegal activities will end, if our pirates are to seize their operations. We do not want the EU and NATO serving as a shield for these nuclear waste-dumping hoodlums. It seems to me that this new modern crisis is a question of justice, but also a question of whose justice. As is apparent these days, one man’s pirate is another man’s coast guard.

K’naan is a Somali-Canadian poet, rapper and musician.

Below are links to the interviews we did with Knaan a couple of weeks before all this drama unfolded

In the first clip he talks about Somali Pirates

In the second clip he talks about the US attempts to classify Somalis here in the US as Terrorists

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrwgiprDBtA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i67euACNhmA

FDA Blood Donor Restrictions

2009-04-07T07:37:00.000-07:00

So we have a new issue we are trying to shed some light on, and organize around. Many of you may already know this and I am sure many of you will not, but since the 70's the FDA has made it illegal for any blood bank i.e. Red Cross to accept blood from homosexual men by asking the question: Since 1977 have you ever slept with a man who ever ,even once slept with another man. A simple google search and a few phone calls leads to uncovering what is a very shallow attempt at justifying discrimination. The guidelines were put in place as a reaction to the AIDS epidemic in amerika, and is rooted in the idea that AIDS is a gay disease. This guideline has been kept in place every year since, and we believe it is time to change this. The rationale used by the FDA to justify putting this guideline in place, and keeping it in place fails a simple and quick examination. They claim that the gay male population is the hardest hit, which is actually false, nearly half (48%) of the people living with AIDS in amerika are African Americans; this group also has the highest rate of newly effected people. There are no restrictions on other "at risk groups" such as men and women who have multiple partners, straight couples that engage in anal intercourse; it is worth noting that this act is the actual risk factor whether or not the couple is hetero or homosexual. With the current technology and testing capabilities the chances that HIV infected blood enters into circulation is negligible and the chances that that comes from a gay man is even smaller. The time has come to remove all discriminatory laws and regulations, and we believe removing this restriction is moving in that direction. We will be putting on shows, discussions and brainstorming sessions with the community around how we move forward with this. Please contribute your opinions and ideas to the conversation. More info to come. Peace Peace

What can we learn from Northern Ireland

2009-03-16T07:24:00.000-07:00

"No Justice No Peace!!" if you are at all familiar with protests or rallies there is little doubt you have heard this being shouted in the streets. For some the rallies, the chants, and everything that goes along with them is nothing more than another annoying distraction. Even for some participating it is rather hollow, just another slogan for the hour or so before they go back to their seemingly comfortable existence. They have no intention of actually disturbing the peace now or anytime in the future. I have some theories about why this is, but I will save them for a different time. Today I want to focus on the spirit of this particular mantra, mainly because in other parts of the world it is anything but hollow. There are countless examples one could point to as evidence to back this up, lets use the most recent, the real IRA attacks in Northern Ireland. Now for the record and to clear up any accusations of..." I'm just an anarchist rebel who only wants to see chaos." I am in support of a free and sovereign Ireland, but I do not know enough about the real IRA to say I am a supporter. This actually brings me to the point. The argument about whether or not the attacks were justified is a fruitless conversation, and misses the underlying truth, there will never be peace in occupied territories.

It does not matter if we are talking about Belfast or Baghdad, Gaza, Oakland or north Minneapolis there will never be peace when the people of the area have no control and are constantly being manipulated and oppressed for the benefit of others. This occupying force can come in a number of forms: the United States military, the Police, or multi-national corporations, but without exception the common bond is control for selfish purpose. Our history is rich with instances of the United States (and other European white countries) using its military powers to impose policies beneficial to them but harmful for the invaded country; for a prime example look at our seizure of Mexican land we now call California, Colorado, Arizona etc. etc. you get the gist. The police perform much the same task on a smaller scale. Instead of a country the police control a specific population mainly poor black communities, but specifically poor. Whenever these communities have joined together to demand equality without exception the police are there to put them down. Still perhaps the most dangerous form of occupation comes in the form of multi-national corporations that operate for the sole purpose of profit, leaving entire populations living in conditions of crushing poverty. You only need to look at the effects of World Bank and IMF policies to see the proof of this. What is interesting is that in all cases without exception violence plays a major role in implementing these systems of control. Either through military attacks (Iraq), police violence(murder of Fred Hampton) or sponsored coups so favorable policies can be implemented (Pinochet in Chile) violence is an essential ingredient to maintaining the order, even when those dissenting are doing so non-violently (Civil Rights Movement, Gandhi in India). So, does it make sense then to expect those that have been the victims of constant violence to not react in the same way; I would say no. We can see this playing out currently in Northern Ireland and all across the globe in groups like the real IRA, Hamas, and the Zapatistas. In our own country we can see this manifested in street gangs; which are largely a response to domestic oppression and an often times justified feeling of marginalization due to exclusion from opportunities such as quality education, jobs, and healthcare. There then becomes an overwhelming feeling of anger, disrespect, and worthlessness that all get fulfilled with- in the gang. All of these are very real and current examples of the cause and effect relationship between imperialism and its resulting occupation and the violence that is seen in reaction to it (which interestingly enough dominates the news and mainstream discussion on the subject).
I want peace just as much as anybody and I know the only way to reach peace is to stop the manipulation and exploitation of those countries and peoples that do not have the privilege of a lack of melanin. Only when all peoples have the right to self-determination can there be realistic talks of sustainable peace world wide. But until then you can count on very real cries of "NO JUSTICE NO PEACE!!"

Whats Crackin With Us

2009-03-11T13:20:00.000-07:00

Peace Peace so there is alot coming up these next couple of months. Make sure you get out there and support.

-Quest for the Voice semi finals and finals are coming up March 13th at Central and the 14th at the Capri.

- Spoken Explosion New School and Old School Walker Church

- April 3rd Minnesota Spoken Word Awards Varsity Theatre

-April 24th and 25th Poetic Assassins Eliminating Oppression One Ink Shell at a Time

Whats Coming Up

2009-03-09T08:23:00.000-07:00

First we would like to thank everybody that cam out to our show at Bryant Lake Bowl. It was a real dope night good vibes good people you really can't ask for more! Plus we sold out! We got alot of stuff coming up so make sure you keep alook out for us. The next show is March 27th at the Capri theatre on the north side. Peace Peace