The Occupation Will Be Tweeted

Update: Maybe this is why the media hasn’t been covering the story. The police and the politicians won’t let them. Media Can Avoid NYPD Arrest By Getting Press Pass They Can’t Get.

The MSM is beginning to cover the occupation of the United States by many of its own citizens with greater regularity and veracity since police officers in their zest to clear space are providing television and print outlets with gestapo photos of jack-booted policemen pepper spraying and assaulting individuals whose sole offense is sitting in one space too long. Prior to the use of force to arrest people for closing their own bank accounts, the usurpation of public (and some private) spaces in protest of the unequal siphoning of resources was only being detailed by modern journalists without credentials, the bloggers and tweeters and tumblrs, snapping pictures with iPhones and digital elphs and uploading those to the cloud where they shot around the world in a flash thanks to “social” media.

The ability of individuals to broadcast their experiences from tablets and cell phones is remaking journalism, citizenship, and government, from Tahrir Square to Washington, D.C. And though the corridors of power remain hallowed halls tread by elites with the good fortune to have been handed the keys, this new democratization of world citizenship is ushering in a new era of accountability which will transform who is being represented by legislators, and who is giving the orders to the aforementioned jack-boots.

Whether #OccupyWallStreet maintains its momentum remains to be seen. Whether the movement of individuals which has catalyzed the occupation of Los Angeles, Denver, Portland, Seattle, Barcelona, Madrid, London, San Francisco, Athens, Chicago, Atlanta, San Diego, etc. But the power of the people to document and distribute is real and is quickly calling into question the abuses of authority which until the advent of television were incidents isolated by locale. With the advent of television, those images, like the Edmund Pettis Bridge were broadcast, but it was still simply one-way distribution. From Davey D’s live-tweeting of the violence at Occupy Oakland to the video of students being pepper-sprayed at Occupy UCDavis, social media is creating an interactive, quick-response culture which empowers the oppressed, the silenced, the citizens to speak out, to speak truth to power, to shift the very nature of power itself.

As Efrain Nieves’ tweet heard round the world said, “Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” Yes, he was quoting Dr. King. But the fact that this sentiment has been retweeted across the globe in a matter of hours gives us a glimpse into the changing tide of communication, into the power of social media that is changing the world.

Related articles

• Tracing the Roots of #OccupyWallStreet (greatfinds.icrossing.com)
• #OccupyUCDavis: Police in Riot Gear Use Chemical Agent on Students (crooksandliars.com)
• How the Occupy Wall Street Protesters Can Defeat the Corporate Elite (alternet.org)

Education By Example

As a teacher, I have often wondered how best to involve parents in the education of their children.  In my school experience, I’ve often heard that children learn from what we do, as well as what we say.  And a couple of recent experiences in my own home, with my own children, have shown me exactly how important it is to be actively teaching my children, as my parents did for me, by being the type of involved parent in their curricular and extracurricular education: I need to educate them by my example.

A few days ago, in conjunction with the national observance of Columbus Day, my children were exposed to what I felt was a one-sided, celebratory portrayal of Colón. For reasons too numerous to mention here, it was important to me to address the presentation with the person who spoke, and to speak with and teach my own children that evening.  I talked to them both about what was missing from the presentation they witnessed, and about my speaking up and meeting with the presenter.

The lessons I hoped to impart were at least two-fold: first, that Columbus was an explorer who brought knowledge of the new continents back to Europe at a time when they could exploit that information, and then took slavery, disease and oppression back with him on his second journey to colonize in the name of Christianity; second, and more important, is that I taught them how to speak up, even to people who have authority over them, when they believe that something is wrong, or someone is wrong.

I’ve written before about the importance of teaching children that they can change the world only if they speak up, and that they have a moral responsibility to make the world a better place by speaking truth to power when necessary.  As a parent, it’s imperative that I make this lesson clear by acting in the same way I expect them to act.

The second event was a sixth-grade science project which landed (to my surprise) on our dining room table late the night before it was due. Tired as I and my wife both were, we both realized that this was an assignment that our son would need our assistance to complete, a truth that was confirmed by the title of the assignment, “The Family MythBusting Project”.

Knowing nothing about the project (my wife had a little more information that I did), I had to read the directions and help him navigate his academic work. By working with him – running to get supplies, asking him questions to see what he had learned, having him teach me what he knew, letting him stay up a little past his bedtime to finish and staying up with him working – we showed him that his education, that his work was important. While the veracity of Power Balance Bracelets isn’t life-changing (he determined that they don’t really work), the memory and impression of his parents spending the time with him, challenging and learning with him, supporting him as he educated himself will.

I started this blogpost by saying that I am a teacher.  Todos los padres son maestros.  All parents are teachers.  We teach children by our example what is important, what they should focus on, how they should interact with each other and others, and how they impact and affect the world.

If we complain about teachers, but don’t speak to the teachers themselves, then we are teaching them cowardice. If we have issues with their schools, and we take those issues to the schools, we are teaching them to be assertive and have an impact. If we speak Spanish at home but make sure they learn English, we are teaching them to have more tools in their toolbox. By speaking up for bilingual education in schools, for smaller class sizes, for qualified teachers, for equitable distribution of education resources and attention from local and national governments, for Mexican American Studies Departments and Curriculum, for Indigenous People Day and whole host of other issues, we are teaching our children that they have value, that their education has value, and they should raise their voices to secure their birthrights.

When we do that, that is the moment they learn. Es el momento en el cual entienden. We are educating them by example.

Related articles

• Toronto Schools Promote Multicultural Teaching and Learning (indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com)
• Barack Obama on Education (education.com)

Fear of a [Not White] Planet

Image via Wikipedia

A principal in Massachusetts is being attacked and disparaged because she had the audacity to acknowledge more than a single story. Far from the “e pluribus unum” approach she wants to take toward celebrations of Columbus over Indigenous People Day, or her aversion to celebrating ghouls and goblins instead of  All Hallow’s Eve at school, her detractors have no response or ideas except to simply hurl insults at her womanhood, intellect, citizenship and person.
They fear a not-white planet.
One of the comments on the article even proposes a “Hate White Male Europeans Day”, sarcastically offering that only that group is responsible for any and all advancements in the United States since they first set foot on it some five hundred plus years ago.
Sorry, it is a Not White planet.
Apologies, there is more than one story.
The reality check is that far from being “politically correct” (when did that become an epithet?) this principal is adhering to the most basic of American Ideals – that we are a nation of millions, multitudes of different hues and cultures, but out of the many, we are one.

Related articles

• The Single Story of Christopher Columbus (powerfulbeyondmeasure.wordpress.com)
• All Hallows’ Eve (theonlinephotographer.typepad.com)
• Indigenous People’s Day at OccupyMN (redantliberationarmy.wordpress.com)
• Indigenous Peoples’ Day (fulcrumbookblog.com)

Spreading the Word Goes Live!

Image via Wikipedia

Today is the inaugural broadcast of our internet radio show!  To listen in (and call in) click the link below.

Spreading the Word – blogtalkradio

We’ll be going live at 1pm PDT.

Today’s discussion will focus on The Myth of Race in Barack’s First Term.

In the last few weeks, the definition of race and the politics of identity have been sharply brought into focus. From the continued racial attacks on PresidentObama, to the definition of “The Other” in Arizona, to the vibrant community ofLatinos in Social Media and This Week In Blackness, the perception of self and projection of unity continue to weave their way in and out of our political and everyday lives. Does race exist? Or is it a paradigm that the historically disenfranchised have adopted to maintain a semblance of personhood and sanity? Join Reynaldo Macias and Lybroan James as they dive deep to find out.

We’ll be joined by Lybroan James, mathematician, scholar, and author of the blog for the love of math.

Here’s the Call-in number for you to join us: (818) 369-0351

Related Articles

• My Parents Are Teachers (powerfulbeyondmeasure.wordpress.com)
• Let’s uncomplicate the racism issue (mysanantonio.com)
• Who Am I Really?? (openingmymouth.wordpress.com)
• You are what you look like: biracial, multiracial, black, white, well, most of the time (heloise8.wordpress.com)

Our Life Is Better

Martin Luther King, Jr. was an ordinary man.  He brushed his teeth.  He put on his pants one leg at a time.  He went to school.  He used a pen and paper to write down his ideas.  He believed in God.  He looked at the world with two eyes, smelled the world with his nose.  He loved his wife and he loved his children.  Martin Luther King, Jr. was an ordinary man.

In other ways, Martin Luther King, Jr. was extraordinary.  He went to college when he was fifteen years old.  The ideas that he wrote down with his pen and paper helped the government of the United States live up to its promises to its all of its citizens.  The words he spoke inspired people when he was alive, and continue to inspire people today, over forty years after his death.  He was the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize.  He was made a saint in the Episcopal Church.  Martin Luther King, Jr. was also extraordinary.

Both in his ordinary and extraordinary senses, though, Martin Luther King, Jr. was just one person.  He had one brain, one mouth, two eyes, two hands, two feet.  He couldn’t be in Washington, D.C. and Selma, Alabama at the same time.  He couldn’t give a speech at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church while he was giving a speech at a synagogue.  He couldn’t be in jail, arrested for civil disobedience, and speaking to the President of the United States at the same time, though he did all of these things in his lifetime.  He couldn’t teach people to be non-violent protesters, lead protests, write speeches, go to college, preach at his church, go on television, fight for civil rights, speak out against war, sleep, eat and be a good father all by himself.

He needed help.  Just as we all do, he needed to work with other people in order to accomplish all of the great things that he accomplished.  He needed parents to show him how to brush his teeth, and how to put on his pants, and to introduce him to God.  He needed teachers to instruct him how to use the paper and pen, and how to string his words together to express his ideas.  He needed other people who believed that the laws in the United States were wrong in order to get those laws changed.  He needed others who understood that each person is a child of God, deserving of love and respect and support, in order to battle for change in a non-violent and peaceful way.

Martin Luther King Jr. famously said, “Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice; say that I was a drum major for peace; I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter.” Who knows what a drum major is?  What is their job? Yes, they are the leaders of a marching band.  A drum major is the person out in front, usually in a crazy costume, keeping time for the band while entertaining the crowd.  Why would this ordinary, this extraordinary, man call himself a drum major?  Because he understood one simple thing:

Life is better when we work together.

As talented as he was, as talented as we all are, we can do much, much more when we work with (and for) other people.

This is a truth that allowed the founding fathers and other English colonists to form a new country called the United States of America; this is a truth that supported abolitionists who fought to end slavery in these United States; this is a truth that helped women gain full citizenship, and people working in hard jobs get fair pay to feed their families.  Working together is how people in the Civil Rights Movement, including Martin Luther King, Jr. changed the laws to make black people, brown people, yellow people, red people, Christian people and Jewish people equal in the United States.

And here at school, that truth holds, too.  From the soccer field to the basketball court; from class retreats to physics projects; from everyone throwing away their own trash and unplugging their chargers in order to help the planet; from putting on medieval town plays to performing the school musical;  Our life is easier when we work with (and for) each other.  And we can make a difference in the world when we find people to help us, or find people we can help, who share our goals.

And though we take this week to learn from Martin Luther King, Jr., his lesson is one that we can learn everyday from the ordinary, from the extraordinary, people around us.  People like Les Frost, who sets an example of love, respect and EKG for parents, teachers, staff and students each day; people like Howard Anderson who demonstrates by the smile on his face and the bounce in his step the blessing we have to be alive; people like Kristin Barberia, who reaches out each and every day to help us open our eyes, open our hearts and open our minds to the grace we can find in each other.

Dr. King said that he was a drum major, because he knew that the drum major needed help, too.  The drum major is nothing without the band.  Our life is better when we work together.

I’m a Simple Guy

That being said, I’m struggling to understand a couple of political realities…

1. Why do the Democrats, who control both houses of Congress, need sixty votes to pass anything in the Senate?
2. How does a woman who gives speeches insulting the President’s use of a teleprompter do softball interviews with crib notes on her hand?
3. Why are politicians allowed to say things that are factually untrue without any consequence, either from the electorate or “the fourth estate” which is charged with brining us news?
4. How come being the adults in the room means Democrats have to bargain from the middle while Republicans can just whine and say NO?
5. Who the f&$ is Tom Tancredo, and why doesn’t he have to take a literacy test? or a citizenship test? or a history test?
6. When is Don’t Ask Don’t Tell going to be repealed?
7. Who’s the next minority group of citizens that will be legislatively discriminated against?
8. How long after reading Three Cups of Tea and Stones Into Schools will the Commander in Chief apply some of the basic ideas to our wars and struggles in Pakistan and Afghanistan?

Having moved to Twitter over the last several months, my political thoughts have become quick and fluid, and easily expressed in under 140 characters each.  But I’ve been watching Sen. Olympia Snowe, Rep. John Boehner, ex-Gov. Sarah Palin and others running around lying this week, while President Obama and Greg Mortenson and Richard Clarke are running around trying to accomplish, trying to help, trying to get things done.

That “hopey changey thing” that I voted for is working out for me just fine.  Maybe it’s just because I’m such a simple guy.

No, Mr. President. I Won’t Look The Other Way

“In releasing these memos, it is our intention to assure those who carried out their duties relying in good faith upon legal advice from the Department of Justice that they will not be subject to prosecution.”

-President Barack Obama, April 16, 2009

I concur with President Obama most of the time.  But he’s wrong today, and he’s messing it up for everyone.  The memorandum from President Bush’s administration that he released today outline torture: the decision to authorize, the proscriptions and applications, the “limitations” and durations of.  To quote Howard Feinman, they are “a window into a heart of darkness.”

Part of my support for him until this time was the necessity for rectification, for redirection, for a return to the ideals that fundamentally support the United States of America.  And my support of him was based on the deeply held belief that CHANGE meant holding people responsible for the decisions they chose to make, the actions they chose to take, and the values that those actions expressed.

Releasing the memos with the right hand, and exonerating the torturers with the left hand while claiming that he is “looking forward not looking back” is an offense against those ideals which he has espoused almost as great as the former president claiming divine authority to invade Iraq.

No, Mr. President.  I won’t look the other way.

Frankly, I’m embarrassed that you are.  There are prosecutors in Spain who understand that the treatment of people in United States’ custody under the Bush Administration, under the purview of Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld and Alberto Gonzales and John Yi and George W. Bush, was torture and constituted criminal activity, if not crimes against humanity.

Forgive the profanity . . . it is the result of believing that truth, justice, honor, integrity and equality are not simply cool logos on t-shirts, but the reason that my ancestors fought, bled and died on these and other shores.  And those ideals were shat upon by the elected leader of this nation and his coterie for eight years.

I supported you, Mr. President, because I believed that you were intent upon restoring if not those perfected ideals, at least domestic and international responsibility to pursue those ideals.  Today’s duel decisions call into question that intent.  Not because it is simply a decision you’ve made that I disagree with.  I don’t believe that any president would make decisions I agree with 100% of the time unless I were elected to that office myself, which is obviously not the case.

Today’s decisions literally give cover to the prison guards, literally allow the torturers to continue on the payroll that I fund, and leave the ideals for which I struggle and teach each day laying on the floor of Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay with their heads bashed in, and leave me gasping for air wondering how to teach my children about justice, about morality, about right and wrong when one of the primary examples I use each day cowers behind rhetoric of progress while allowing regress to fester with impunity.

Loving my country and being a patriot means speaking truth to power, and yours is as has often been said, the most powerful office in the world.  We as a people cannot afford to simply look forward.  That is the ridiculous attitude that lets idiots claim racism no longer exists because you were elected.  Releasing the document which catalogues torture without holding the torturers accountable is moral cowardice, which means that they did the right thing if only because they got away with it.  You have become accomplice after the fact by your failure to hold them accountable.

It is important that we move forward, that we look to the future and the reconstruction of our nation.  But it is equally as important that those responsible for the current state of the union face the consequences of their actions.

No, Mr. President.  I won’t look the other way.

And neither should you.

Bush-era interrogation memo: No torture without ‘severe pain’ intent

Rights groups criticize CIA immunity on interrogations

Future of the U.S. depends on torture accountability

Memos reveal harsh CIA interrogation methods

President Obama’s Statement on the Memos

My Cup of Tea

I teach seventh and eighth graders. I asked my students what they thought the purpose of our class is . . .  this is what I got:

“ We are here not only to learn about others’ stories, but also [to learn] how to write our own.”

Education is the key to empowerment – that’s why slave owners in the South forbade literacy among slaves; that’s why the Taliban forbade the educating of girls; that’s why I am a teacher of his- and her-story.  Access to information coupled with expectations of success and responsibility to succeed both allow and motivate children to improve themselves and the world we live in.

Greg Mortenson understands this necessity, too, though he’s too old for my class.  He is writing the stories of thousands of boys and girls in Pakistan and Afghanistan, an area of the world that we as Americans only pay irritated attention to when we pay attention at all.  Better said, he is helping them to write their own stories.

His book, Three Cups of Tea, should be the next book you read. Period.

Those of us fortunate enough to have internet access, to learn our letters indoors, to be taught, and who can conceive of a world beyond our immediate dwelling because we’ve been shown that it is here have a responsibility to make those gifts a reality for each person on this earth.  It is our responsibility to lift up our fellows, to insure that none of us lives in squalor, in poverty, in ignorance.

“From those to whom much has been given, much is expected.”

“Dr. Greg” is giving life to that message, is giving a foundation and walls and roofs to those words.  The translation of that spirit into physical acts is usually where human beings fall short.  The words are said, but the body doesn’t move to make them incarnate.  Greg Mortenson is making them real.

There are many people I look to for inspiration – Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Barack Obama.

I’ve just added one more, because Greg Mortenson and his mission are my cup of tea.

Beside Every Good Man Is . . .

 

A Good Woman

 

 

 

Playing the Race Card

A fellow blogger called me a “hyper-sensitive weenie”  for stating in a logical, detailed fashion how the New York Post turned into a racist rag on my birthday.  South Carolina’s Governor’s spokesman responded to  House Majority Whip James Clyburn by saying he is playing the race card.  Attorney General Eric Holder stated that we are “a nation of cowards when it comes to discussing matters of race.”  The blogosphere has been atwitter with criticism.  When then-candidate Barack Obama noted that he “doesn’t look like the other presidents on the dollar bills,” the McCain campaign accused him of playing the race card.

Why is it when black folk want to talk about issues of race, or racism, prejudice or discrimination, they are accused of playing the race card?  All of these black men who raised the issue of race have been immediately “taken to task” for speaking on the issue, but white politicians only want to discuss it on Martin Luther King’s birthday, or maybe in a speech during February when they can say how far we’ve come.  Latino politicians speak a little more openly, but mostly from a “can’t we all get along” perspective with the black community.

The discussion about race is long and deep, and is usually held in homogeneous groups.  The election of Barack Obama, a black man with African and Anglo heritage, is allowing us to hold these conversations more openly . . . but with the knee jerk guilt of many majority citizens, when it comes to policy issues (Governor Jindal is taking federal monies for Louisiana to help repair from Bush’s FEMA disaster with Katrina, but he doesn’t want to accept stimulus funds which would directly impact and improve poor black communities in New Orleans) our discussions morph into debate and end in demagoguery.

I like to play blackjack.  But just because I’m talking about black, Jack, doesn’t mean I’m playing the race card.

Update:  The NAACP is calling for the cartoonist’s and the editor’s firings.

Holder ‘nation of cowards’ remark blasted, praised

New York Post apologizes for, yet still defends, chimp cartoon

Visible Man

Clyburn: Opposition To Stimulus Is Slap In Face

Happy Birthday to Me – Post-Racial America?

The racial divide v. the generation gap