Month: November 2024

A Poem For Thursday

Ars Poetica

Kenyatta Rogers

After Amiri Baraka and Stefania Gomez

Poems are bullshit unless they are broken 
like a horse, like a dog kicked in the ribs, 
Like your favorite toy that’s missing an arm.

Love can make you feel used.
I want the poem that limps back to me.
Poems should hurt like love,
like ice water on your teeth
like a massage to smooth out a cramped muscle.

Give me the poem that’s like leather.
Give me the poem that smells like gasoline.
I want a poem that is a warning,
a poem that makes me check to see
if I left the shotgun by the door,
a poem that’s a runny nose, a sneeze, a poem
that’s the moment the sky turns green.

Copyright © 2024 by Kenyatta Rogers. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on November 20, 2024, by the Academy of American Poets.

I hope you check out more about this poem, and the poet.

I like Nan Mykel’s presentation of Things

POST ELECTION Poem

Peace & Justice History for 11/21:

November 21, 1945
200,000 members of the United Auto Workers went on strike against General Motors, the first major strike following World War II. The UAW’s demand for a 30% wage increase was based on the increase in the cost of living during the war (28% according to the Department of Labor), the wartime freeze on wages, and the cut in the average workweek with the disappearance of overtime pay in manufacturing.

But the UAW also considered profits and prices a subject for negotiation, a position rejected by GM. The union did not merely say that labor was entitled to enough wages to live on. It also said that labor was entitled to share in the wealth produced by industry. “… Unless we get a more realistic distribution of America’s wealth, we won’t get enough to keep this machine going.”–Walter Reuther, UAW President
More about the strike 
November 21, 1973
President Richard Nixon’s attorney, J. Fred Buzhardt, revealed the existence of an 18 1/2-minute gap in one of the subpoenaed White House tape recordings of Watergate conversations made by President Richard Nixon in the days after the Watergate break-in.The erasure was blamed on an accident by Nixon’s private secretary, Rose Mary Woods, but scientific analysis determined the erasures to be deliberate. White House Chief of Staff Alexander Haig later attributed the gap to “sinister forces.”

Rose Mary Woods, demonstrating how she might have created the Watergate tape gap
More about Rose Mary Woods 
November 21, 1974
Both Houses of Congress voted to override President Gerald Ford’s veto of updates to the Freedom of Information Act. Originally passed in 1966, it required federal agencies to release information upon request to citizens and journalists.The amendments put an end to governmental resistance to compliance, including excessive fees, bureaucratic delays, and the need to sometimes resort to expensive litigation to force the government to share copies of documents.
Ford advisors Chief of Staff Donald Rumsfeld, his deputy Dick Cheney, and government lawyer Antonin Scalia advised him to veto it.

Chief of Staff Donald Rumsfeld, President Gerald Ford
and Deputy Chief of Staff Richard Cheney April 28, 1975
What was the dispute? 
November 21, 1975
The Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities, led by Senator Frank Church (D-Idaho), issued a report charging U.S. government officials were behind assassination plots against two foreign leaders – Fidel Castro (Cuba) and Patrice Lumumba (Congo), and were heavily involved in at least three other plots: Rafael Trujillo (Dominican Republic), Ngo Dinh Diem (Vietnam), Rene Schneider (Chile).

Senator Frank Church, left, chairman of the Senate Select Intelligence Committee,
displays a poison dart gun as co-chairman Senator John Tower (R-TX) watches.

The committee, a precursor to the Senate Intelligence Committee, was established to look into misuse of and abuse by intelligence agencies, particularly the CIA and FBI, some of which had been revealed by the Watergate investigations.
  
Fidel Castro / Patrice Lumumba / Rafael Trujillo / Ngo Dinh Diem / Rene Schneider
Read more  
November 21, 1981
More than 350,000 demonstrated in Amsterdam against U.S. nuclear-armed cruise missiles on European soil.
November 21, 1985
A full-scale summit conference, the first of five between the President Ronald Reagan of the U.S. and General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev of the Soviet Union concluded. There was optimism over beginning a more productive and cooperative relationship between the two countries, each of which had thousands of nuclear warheads targeted at the other.The U.S. had proposed building a space-based anti-ballistic missile system, commonly known as “Star Wars,” which the Soviets had strongly opposed as an escalation of the nuclear arms race.In an unofficial meeting the previous evening, President Reagan had noted that he and Gorbachev were meeting for the first time at this level and had little practice. Nevertheless, having read the history of previous summit meetings, he had concluded that those earlier leaders had not accomplished very much. Therefore, he suggested that he and Gorbachev say, “To hell with the past, we’ll do it our way and get something done.” Gorbachev concurred.
Reagan and Gorbachev at their first summit
November 21, 1986
National Security Council member Oliver North and his secretary, Fawn Hall, began shredding documents that would have exposed their participation in a range of illegal activities regarding the sale of arms to Iran in an attempt to free hostages, and the diversion of the proceeds to an insurgent Nicaraguan group known as the contras.
Fawn Hall
Oliver North
More on Fawn Hall 
November 21, 1995
China officially charged well-known human rights activist and political dissident Wei Jingsheng with trying to “overthrow the government.” Wei had not been seen for a year and a half after disappearing into police custody after meeting with a U.S. assistant secretary of state for human rights and humanitarian affairs.“If the people allow the power holders, in the peoples’ name, to violate and ignore the rights of some of the people then, at the same time, they are giving the power holders the power to violate the rights of all the people.”
“ Most people wait until others are standing to make their move, very few are willing to stand up first or to stand alone. That’s why my friends call me a fool! But I don’t have any regrets.” – Wei Jingsheng

Wei Jingsheng
He had been imprisoned previously for his involvement with the Democracy Wall movement, including years in solitary confinement. He had also spoken out on behalf of the Tibetans.

https://www.peacebuttons.info/E-News/peacehistorynovember.htm#november21

Not a happy camper

Yesterday morning after not sleeping all night I wiped the hard drives and reinstall Windows from an old version of Windows 10 I have.  One computer, the XPS which I just added 64 GB of ram to, seemed to be going wonderful, with no hiccups or problems.  Sadly the Inspiron computer just wouldn’t install windows or other programs correctly.  So last night I went to bed about 9 pm.   The XPS seemed ready for finial steps.  That was last night when I shut them all down.

However this morning when I went to start the computers, the XPS refused to start windows.   The computer started and the bios would work but windows wouldn’t start.  It seems something was preventing the boot manger from working.   Even trying to reinstall windows wouldn’t let the boot manager start.  In fact when I install a new version of windows and I delete the partition set up by the last installation.  However it was not deleting them and as soon as I tried to reinstall the partitions would reappear.   Well I was not out of tricks yet.  I pulled out another older version of Windows 10 and partitioned the C drive.   I could have done it with the same USB Windows install stick I had been using but I worried if there was a problem with that USB stick software.   Then installed the even older version of Windows.  Then I took the newer version and repeated that.  Then spent an hour setting up settings.   However after spending the morning doing updates and even installing some licensed programs which I do at the last as some of them have a limit to how many times they can be installed.  The full stop hard wall happened that screwed everything I had done on both computers.

Well shit and damn.  I have a keyboard and mouse that works on three different devices so I have my keyboard set to each computer and my phone.   My mouse I set the third device to what ever third device I am working on. But during all this I couldn’t get the flow system from the company to work.  That moves the mouse from monitor / computer by going to the edge of the monitor so that I had to manually change the computer via a button on the bottom of the mouse.  That meant I had to pick up the mouse and use the button every time I switched computers.  That is not something I can keep doing.  I race between computers hundreds of times an hour.  So I sat here and thought.  Each computer I dumped and reloaded and did the updates for hours over the last several days.  I figured out a workaround.  Since I had already done clean installs, I went into settings, to recovery and set both computers to “recover Windows from the cloud”, that would reset settings that were preventing my programs from working.  

Yes, yes, yes!   Well it worked.  It is 3 pm and I am sitting here typing on the blogging computer and watching Sam Seder on the other.  Once the recovery was done I installed the Logitech program for the mouse / keyboard which worked fine.  Then I installed the Norton antivirus malware, then installed my VPN, Nordvpn with its anti-malware, advance browser protection, and ad and tracker prevention.  So far everything is working grand.  

I am on day three with 6 hours sleep.  I stopped eating yesterday morning.  Yes I am tired, yes I got sick to my stomach this morning.  Yes my blood sugar got too low and I had to take glucose tablets.   But when I am focused on a problem food and sleep wait until I get it all fixed.  So all I have to do today is install all my licensed programs and clean the computers up.  

One last thing.  Several days ago an elderly lady I gave a printer to because she is poor and did not have one.  It is a nice brother printer that in its day was expensive but I had bought a new one and it was in my hoarder closet of electrical parts / equipment gathering dust. The printer’s computer was in error mode with an unable to clean error.   Sadly that is part of the built-in obsolescence of our for-profit businesses.  The error is caused due to the sponge that the print head uses to clean itself after use so ink doesn’t run all over the desk and the floor. Since they don’t bother to put a sensor in the sponge it is much easier (cheaper) for manufactures to simply put in a number of pages that will shut the machine down.  Once you get to that number the “brain” in the printer assumes the sponge is full.   If you know the magical steps and the correct numbers to input, you can clear the number of pages back to zero and your printer works again.  And tech people can charge you big money for doing this.  Sadly I did not like that game years ago and even as poor as Ron and I are, I only took donations for my skills as a technician.   

So either to your joy or bad disappointment after 3 days and 6 hours of sleep and only two meals even as Ron threatened to force feed me, I am back online with my computers fully running.  Oh during the time I worked on the two main computers I had the big 55 inch TV in my office on the wonderful swing arm Ron mounted running off my Xbox One and a small barely able to function laptop that I used to write most of this.  Hugs and loves to all.  Scottie

Reblog from Ten Bears

Wodin’sday Waste of Words …

All the links are worthy; today I’m partial to both the one about a Trump-proof climate action Pres. Biden could take that would benefit the entire world, and the story about the “Indian peach”.

NoVember 20, 2024

Honoring Lives Lost: Transgender Day of Remembrance 2024

I have only a little to add to Janet’s eloquent observance post. But I want to say, especially to those who believe that people would not die if they kept “their business” to themselves, that these people were doing no more than any person does: they were just trying to get by. Every human bleeds the same color blood as every other human, and all of us humans are the same: human. It is way past time for people to be treating every other human as they themselves want to be treated.

Publisher of raided Kansas newspaper delivers advice to journalists: ‘Make democracy great again’

By: Sherman Smith – November 18, 2024 1:45 pm
Eric Meyer delivers remarks during the Kansas Press Association Hall of Fame ceremony on Nov. 15, 2024, in Topeka.

 Eric Meyer delivers advice to journalists in a speech at the Kansas Press Association Hall of Fame ceremony on Nov. 15, 2024, in Topeka. (Evert Nelson for Kansas Press Association)

Publisher of raided Kansas newspaper delivers advice to journalists: ‘Make democracy great again’

TOPEKA — The editor of the Kansas newspaper raided by police last year has a message for journalists struggling with their sense of purpose.

Go on the offensive.

Eric Meyer, editor and publisher of the Marion County Record, delivered remarks Friday as he was inducted alongside his mother, Joan, into the Kansas Press Association Newspaper Hall of Fame.

“I think this is a time when we have to establish for the people of this country the fact that we are important, that we have things that we can tell them that they will want to know, that they will want to change their positions about,” Meyer said.

He added, in a nod to the results of the presidential election: “Let’s not make America great again. Let’s make democracy great again.”

Police raided the Marion County Record newsroom and the home where Meyer lived with his mother in August 2023 under the false pretense that journalists had committed a crime by looking up a public record. Joan Meyer, the 98-year-old co-owner whose profane clash with police officers was captured on camera, died a day after the raid from stress-induced cardiac arrest. The raid spawned five civil lawsuits and a criminal charge against the police chief who led the attack on a free press.

Meyer said he is “an odd duck” because he retired to run a newspaper, rather than retire from it. He returned to Kansas during the COVID-19 pandemic to take over the publication his parents had operated for decades. After teaching journalism for 20 years at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Meyer wanted to practice what he had been preaching — that journalism is still vital. (snip-MORE)

Peace & Justice History for 11/20:

November 20, 1816
The term “scab” was first used in print by the Albany (N.Y.) Typographical Society.
A scab is someone who crosses a union’s picket line and takes the job of a striking worker.
 
Read The Scab by Jack London 
November 20, 1945
The International War Crimes Tribunal began in Nuremberg, Germany, and continued until October 1, 1946, establishing that military and political subordinates are responsible for their own actions even if ordered by their superiors.Twenty-four high-ranking Nazis were on trial for atrocities committed during World War II, ranging from crimes against peace to crimes of war, to crimes against humanity. The Nuremberg Trials were conducted by judges from the United States, the Soviet Union, France, and Great Britain.The Nuremberg defendants
Read more 
November 20, 1959
The United Nations proclaimed “The Declaration of the Rights of the Child,” because “the child, by reason of his physical and mental immaturity, needs special safeguards and care, including appropriate legal protection, before as well as after birth.”
Read the text of the Declaration 
November 20, 1962
President John F. Kennedy issued an executive order forbidding racial discrimination in public housing.
November 20, 1969
Eighty-nine American Indians seized Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay, offering to buy the island from the federal government for $24 worth of beads (the alleged price paid to the Canarsee Delaware Indians for Manhattan Island; it was actually 60 Dutch guilders).
Their numbers swelled into the hundreds at times; the General Services Administration, which had responsibility for the site of the former federal prison, and Coast Guard gave them the opportunity to leave the island peacefully.They were reclaiming it as Indian land by right of discovery, and demanding fairness and respect for native peoples. The occupation lasted for more than a year. Said Richard Oakes, a Mohawk from New York, “We hold The Rock.”
Indian people and their supporters wait for the ferry.
Photo/Ilka Hartmann
 
a new entrance to Alcatraz; Photo/Michelle Vignes 
Read more about the occupation 

LaNada Boyer (formerly Means) inside one of the Alcatraz guard barracks where occupiers lived from 1969-71. Much of the graffiti from 30 years ago remains throughout the island today. Photo by Linda Sue Scott.
November 20, 1977

Egyptian President Anwar El-Sadat addressed the Israeli Knesset (parliament).
“I come to you today on solid ground to shape a new life and to establish peace. “But to be absolutely frank with you, I took this decision after long thought, knowing that it constitutes a great risk….”
Text of Sadat’s speech to the Israeli Knesset 
Listen to the speech 
November 20, 1987
SANE (The Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy) and FREEZE (the campaign to freeze all testing of nuclear weapons) merged at their first combined convention in Cleveland, Ohio, becoming the largest U.S. peace organization.
Peace Action today 
November 20, 1993
The U.S. Senate approved the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), creating the world’s largest trade area covering Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.

https://www.peacebuttons.info/E-News/peacehistorynovember.htm#november20

Midweek Poetry

Personal Poem Esther Belin

When I walk around downtown Durango
I sometimes find myself searching for the location
Of shops and restaurants no longer there

With quiet intention, I will walk past familiar places:
Carver’s, Brown’s Shoe, Maria’s Bookshop

When in deep thought, I walk into the Animas
Chocolate Company – and like the numerous times
Before, the rows of truffles within the case

Deeply absorb me – the chocolatier’s artistry of
Small batch truffles, neatly arranged

Multi-colored, diversely shaped, shiny speckled &
smooth surfaced, gold dusted, nut-layered
globes rotate into my thoughts, a lasso spiraling

my focus like a funnel, like a warm caress leading me
by the hand, a lover’s scent lingering in the air

I do not buy a tray of truffles, nor an Americano coffee,
or any discounted chocolate tucked in the bin
by the east wall – rather I deeply absorb into

The something missing from this morning – the lingered
Yearning, the inability to coax last night’s thoughts:

Come forth & sing! Strands of hair beneath my pillow
Lost (or loose among) – inventoried in last month’s
Balance sheet – Did I?

O Asphyxiation – how You applaud My lapses
The lapping of consummating downtown walks

This evening there is a ruckus on Main St.
I lift my head, and see Nancy who just came from
The Pride event at the 11th St. Station

She’s covered with rainbow hearts &
We split one down the middle and pose

Click
Click
Click again

The goofiness, the anointing of laughter, the
Hug in broad daylight on Main St. in this

Mountain desert, tourist-tangled, tousled about
Like miners searching for a Mother-lode-of-
Gold town, the place I call home

Copyright © 2024 by Esther Belin. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on November 19, 2024, by the Academy of American Poets.

More about this poem and this poet.

Six Native American Women Making a Difference in Indian Country

By Kaili Berg  November 15, 2024

Native American Heritage Month is a time to recognize and celebrate the individuals who dedicate their lives to advocating for Indigenous rights, environmental justice, cultural preservation, and social equity. 

Their work drives meaningful change, often in the face of systemic barriers and historical injustices. Here are some Indigenous activists and advocates making an impact on their communities and the world. 

Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo) – U.S. Secretary of the Interior

Deb Haaland made history as the first Native American to serve as a Cabinet Secretary in the United States. As Secretary of the Interior, she oversees policies affecting public lands, natural resources, and tribal sovereignty. Haaland’s leadership marks a turning point in addressing the federal government’s obligations to Indigenous nations.

Sharice Davids (Ho-Chunk Nation) – U.S. Representative

Sharice Davids made history in 2018 as one of the first two Native American women elected to the U.S. Congress and the first openly LGBTQ Native American to serve in Congress. Representing Kansas’s 3rd Congressional District, she focuses on issues such as economic development, education, and healthcare, advocating for policies that benefit both Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities.

Shannon Holsey (Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican) – Tribal Leader, Advocate

Shannon Holsey, President of the Stockbridge-Munsee Community, is a prominent voice for Native sovereignty, economic development, and political representation. Holsey frequently advocates for Native inclusion in state and federal policymaking, highlighting issues like health care equity and voting rights.

Allie Young (Diné) – Founder, Protect the Sacred

Allie Young founded Protect the Sacred to mobilize Indigenous youth during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Her “Ride to the Polls” campaign encouraged Native voter turnout in historic numbers. Young’s work empowers young people to embrace their culture and become leaders in their communities.

Winona LaDuke (Anishinaabe) – Environmental Activist

Winona LaDuke is a known advocate for Indigenous environmental justice, focusing on issues such as land reclamation, renewable energy, and food sovereignty. As the founder of Honor the Earth, she has led efforts to stop oil pipelines like Line 3 and protect Indigenous lands and waterways.

Judith LeBlanc (Caddo) – Director, Native Organizers Alliance

Judith LeBlanc leads the Native Organizers Alliance, a national network dedicated to building grassroots movements in Indigenous communities. Her work focuses on strengthening sovereignty, addressing climate change, and empowering Native nations through political and social advocacy. (snip)

https://nativenewsonline.net/currents/six-native-american-women-making-a-difference-in-indian-country