Monthly Archives: December 2009
Another Year Gone, Another Year Coming
So the second year of this site’s operation has almost come to a close, with its third anniversary coming up in the next few days.
This year has seen quite a bit of success for this blog since I transitioned it from Blogspot / Blogger to WordPress. For initial reason for changing the site I hosted it on was relatively superficial, but also somewhat practical. I did it because WordPress allows you to have pages at the top, which meant I could create permanent links to things I thought were important.
That said, I could not have anticipated the new found success of the site. Over the last 12 months viewership has gone up substantially, with only one month having less views than the one before it, and with an overall increase of over 400%.
This year also saw a slight change in direction for the site as its mission became clearer. Initially starting off with the name By Any Means Necessary, it focused on wide ranging revolutionary issues, however over the last few months I have transitioned to much greater focus on indigenous struggles and issues, and as such the name has changed to The Speed of Dreams, which draws on the letter by Subcomandante Marcos of the same name. I and the site remain firmly Marxist, but I have now infused it quite a bit with a deeply indigenous perspective, drawing on my own experiences in getting to know my own heritage and coming to terms with our forms of struggle and politics of contention.
Long Live Palestine – LowKey
One year on from the brutal invasion of Gaza by Israeli armed forces we should all remember and re-double our efforts to end colonialism in apartheid, in Palestine, in Africa and around the world.
Comrade Sa’adat Calls for a New Year of Struggle, Unity and Resistance
From the homepage of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
The imprisoned General Secretary of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Comrade Ahmad Sa’adat, sent greetings to our people marking the new year and the Christmas holidays, saying that the new year, 2010, can be a year to restore the unity of our Palestinian people, break the siege on our heroic people in Gaza, and bring the occupation war criminals to trial before international courts. He called for the new year to be a year of our inalienable right to resist, to drive occupation and settlement from our land, of the liberation of prisoners, of independence, self-determination and Jerusalem as our capital, and the right of refugees to return to their homes from which they were displaced.
Comrade Sa’adat met with his attorney on December 28, 2009 after being denied attorney visits for months, delivering his message to his attorney from the isolation cells where he is held in Ramon prison in the Naqab desert. The attorney who met with him, from Addameer, said that Comrade Sa’adat has high morale and great confidence in the ability of our people to end the internal national crisis and restore national reconciliation on a comprehensive basis.
He warned against “patching” or “mending” the Palestine Liberation Organization and its institution, saying that the PLO must instead be thoroughly rebuilt on a democratic basis, including all political forces, through elections based on proportional representation for all PLO institutions. He further emphasized the need to end all forms of negotiations with the occupier, saying that any negotiations, as well as the silence of Arab and international parties, only provide a cover of legitimacy to the ongoing aggression, expansion, racism and crimes of the occupier. He said that negotiations with the occupier provide a dangerous cover for the occupation’s crimes – the ongoing looting of our land and violation of Palestinian human rights and holy sites – and allow it to impose ‘facts on the ground’ that undermine basic rights of the Palestinian people and seek to eliminate national steadfastness and struggle. Read the rest of this entry
Palestine: What You Need to Know About Israel’s “Colonies”
A four-minute video by Anna Baltzer, Jewish-American volunteer with International Womens Peace Service in the West Bank
From World News Daily Information Clearing House:
Anna Baltzer, a young Jewish American, went to the West Bank to discover the realities of daily life for Palestinians under the occupation. What she found would change her outlook on the conflict forever. She wrote this book to give voice to the stories of the people who welcomed her with open arms as their lives crumbled around them. For five months, Baltzer lived and worked with farmers, Palestinian and Israeli activists, and the families of political prisoners, traveling with them across endless checkpoints and roadblocks to reach hospitals, universities, and olive groves.
Baltzer witnessed firsthand the environmental devastation brought on by expanding settlements and outposts and the destruction wrought by Israels Security Fence, which separates many families from each other, their communities, their land, and basic human services. What emerges from Baltzers journal is not a sensationalist tale of suicide bombers and conspiracies, but a compelling and inspiring description of the trials of daily life under the occupation. Anna Baltzer is a Jewish American graduate of Columbia University, Fulbright scholar, and two-time volunteer with the International Womens Peace Service in the West Bank, where she documented human rights abuses and supported the nonviolent resistance movement to the occupation.
Year In Review: 20 Questions for 2009
I first did this little exercise this time last year, and now I have decided it is a fun way to wrap up the year, so here it is: my second annual — 20 questions for 2009!
1. Did anyone close to you die?
No one personally close to me passed on this year, but there were many big names that did this year, many that people like me thought we all knew in some sense: Mary Travers, Crystal Lee Sutton, Norma Rae, Juan Almeida, Dr. George Tiller, Mercedes Sosa, Dr. Alan Berkman, Ronald Takaki, Mario Benedetti, Augusto Boal, John Hughes, Richard Aoki, Robert Robideau and Dennis Vincent Brutus, just to name a few.
Also, even though I never knew any of them, I have felt every loss of my brothers and sisters in Iran, Iraq, Palestine, Latin America and all people who live under constant fear of U.S.-backed imperialist aggression or home brewed reaction. To quote the rapper Low Key, “I’m not related to the strangers on the TV, but I relate because those strangers could have been me.”
Hope and Change. Obama came to the presidency riding the crest of a wave of popular descent against the Bush era neoconservatism, and on the promise of bringing some sort of amorphous “hope and change.” Well Hope and Change are dead. A year on from Obama’s election we have seen the deaths of universal health care (real universal health care), the closure of Gitmo, pulling out of the war in Iraq and and serious ecologically friendly policies.
And of course there are the death of those who I shed no tears for, namely Bob Novak and Oral Roberts. However a number of those people who should be dead still live, among them Lou Dobbs, Paul Fromm and Gary McHale.
2. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
Universal health care (in the U.S., we already have it (sort of) in Canada), the troops out of Afghanistan and Iraq, an end to patriarchy and racism, freedom for the occupied territories of Palestine and Ireland, the end of Intelligent Design movement, an end to the corporate Olympics fiasco, true sovereignty for Onkwehonwe and respect for our land, lives, rights and cultures, and a radical alternative to the Democrats in the U.S., and the Liberals and NDP in Canada.
Torch Relay Blocked at Oneida
Torch relay makes brief detour, heads deeper into Ontario
By Martha Worboy, Canwest News Service, December 22, 2009
LONDON, Ont. — For the second day in a row the Olympic torch relay was forced to take a detour around a native reserve due to safety concerns.
A road blockade was set up by protesters leading up to the Oneida of the Thames reserve, an Oneida First Nation near London, Ont., where the flame was to make its 10th community appearance of the day.
“We will not visit Oneida as a faction of the community has pledged to disrupt the relay and prohibit us from entering the community,” the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games said in a news release.
VANOC made the decision in conjunction with the RCMP and the Ontario Provincial Police to ensure the safety of the participants and spectators would not be jeopardized in any way, according to Suzanne Reeves, director of communications for the Olympic flame relay. Read the rest of this entry
Victory! Platinex Surrenders Mining Claims in KI Territory
From Intercontinental Cry.
One $10 billion lawsuit, one ground-breaking counter lawsuit, 6 contempt of court charges, and Chief Donny Morris sitting in a boat…
The last four years won’t be soon forgotten by Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI), the People of Big Trout Lake. Especially now that the Toronto-based junior mining company, Platinex, who did everything in their power to develop a Platinum mine on KI’s traditional territory, has taken itself out of the picture. For good.
Earlier this month, the company reached an agreement with the Ontario government to surrender its mining claims on KI Territory in return for $5 million and a royalty stake in any future development in the region where the mine was proposed.
Following the announcement, KI Chief Donny Morris said, “I consider the decision of Platinex to not proceed with mining exploration in our territory as a major victory. My community was determined to stop Platinex and the Ontario government from arbitrarily imposing a mine at Nemeigusabins Lake.” Read the rest of this entry
Diversion of Olympic Torch on Six Nations
By Niki Thorne. Thanks to the Solidarity with Six Nations blog.
“We are Haudenosaunee people, and we stand strong for our sovereignty and our rights, and we will never give that up, not even for a day, not even for a celebration. We will never give that up.” (Ojistori:yo, also known as Melissa Elliot)
The action on Six Nations today to divert the olympic torch (for 7 reasons specific to why Six Nations should block the torch see below) went beautifully–there were no arrests, and the torch was prevented from entering the heart of the Grand River Territory. The celebrations organized by Band Council were relocated to Hwy 54 & Chiefswood Road, where all who wished to participate in the Olympic ceremony were able to do so.
Allies were encouraged to participate in this event, organized by the Hoskanigetah (Men’s Fire), Ahgongweh (Women’s Fire), Onkwehonwe youth and other concerned people to prevent the Torch from entering the heart of Grand River Territory. Allies were asked to be present to show bonds of peace, respect and friendship, but to stay back if there were attempts to push through with the torch–stopping the torch would ultimately be up to activists of Six Nations.
The physical presence of 30-40 individuals at the Riverbend on Hwy 54 ensured the organizers decision to reroute the olympic torch, and there was no confrontation. Six Nations people blocking the torch specifically noted that they were not ‘protesting’ but protecting the land and the people, and making a stand for the coming faces (future generations). Activists were not protesting athletics, or international competition, but are against the Olympics for breaching the Great Law of Peace, which gives Haudensaunee people the responsibility to protect the earth for future generations. Some specific reasons include: Read the rest of this entry
No Olympics on Stolen Land: Get Your Torch Off Our Land
Anti-Olympic Protesters bring their message of resistance across Canada; Olympic Torch shamed
Monday, December 21 2009, Vancouver Unceded Coast Salish Territories- Protesters are bringing their anti-Olympic message with chants of “No Olympics on Stolen Native Land”, “Get your torch off our land, we don’t want your Olympic scam” and “2010 Homes not 2010 Games” across Canada. In many instances, activists have successfully disrupted the Torch Relay, forcing delays and route cancellations, with at least four arrests associated with anti-Torch related actions.
Today, Six Nations community members have declared that the Olympic Torch will not pass through their territory. A Declaration by the Onkwehonwe (people) of the Grand River Territory states “This land is not conquered. We are not Canadian… We hereby affirm our peaceful opposition to the entry and progression of the 2010 Olympic torch into and through our territory.”
In the coming weeks, dissenters are also expected to converge in Kitchener, Calgary, Edmonton, Stratford, and Guelph.
In Toronto over 250 people took to the streets on December 17, blocking major intersections and forcing the cancellation of the Torch in parts of downtown Toronto. A banner dropped directly across the stage read “Gego Olympics Da-Te-Snoon Nishnaabe-Giing Ga-Gmooding” (“No Olympics on Stolen Native Land” in Anishinaabemowin). (Visit http://www.facebook.com/l/9c773;torontotorch.blogspot.com or email torchblock@gmail.com) Read the rest of this entry
Olympics Shut out Native Businesses, Outsources Production of Native Crafts
Native businessman upset at VANOC’s outsourcing of aboriginal products
Sunday, December 20, 2009, By Damian Inwood, The Province/Canwest News Service
www.theprovince.com/sports/2010wintergames/Native+businessman+upset+VANO…
The First Nations owner of a North Shore company says Vancouver 2010 has “stolen” the authentic aboriginal product brand and put it on items made in China.
“Our branding has been usurped or appropriated or stolen by this monster organization — and now their suppliers stand to profit to the tune of millions of dollars,” said Shain Jackson, owner of Spirit Works Ltd.
“Our biggest issue with the Olympics is this: If you Google the term ‘authentic aboriginal products,’ the first item you see is the 2010 site.”
That web page includes a selection of T-shirts, baseball caps and purses manufactured offshore.
Jackson says they don’t look like anything produced by aboriginal people. And while 2010 sponsors like HBC stand to make millions of dollars in sales, Jackson says his business is nearing bankruptcy.
Spirit Works specializes in items like bentwood cedar boxes and jewelry inlaid with abalone. Read the rest of this entry
Remembering the Children in Unmarked Graves
From The Tundra Drums.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Some Alaska Natives who died at the boarding school or hospital in Tacoma, Wash., were buried in unmarked graves.“All we have are death certificates or official correspondences, not personal views,” said Amber Santiago, who works with the tribe’s historic preservation department. “We just have the white people’s perspective. ” Read the rest of this entry
Young Onkwehonwe United Rally for a Youth Centre on Six Nations
November 22, 2009, Young Onkwehonwe United (YOU) and supporters gathered on Six Nations to rally for a youth centre. Youth questioned the priorities of band council in allocating funding for a second Bingo Hall and a new police station before funding a youth centre.
Hamilton FreeSkool Practical Solidarity, and CUPE 3903’s First Nations Solidarity Working Group are inspired by the work YOU does to empower the community and the youth, stand in solidarity with YOU through bonds of peace, respect and friendship, and support the right of the youth to determine their own struggle.
Klamath Justice Coalition Halts Logging on Karuk Sacred Sites
From Intercontinental Cry.
The Klamath Justice Coalition organized a blockade in northern California this week, to stop a U.S. Forest Service logging contractor from damaging any sites held sacred by the Indigenous Karuk Nation.
Before daybreak on December 16, members of the indigenous-led Coalition gathered at Orleans Mountain Lookout Road within the Six Rivers National Forest and set up a large fire in the roadway.
Fortunately, the logging crew took the moral and legally responsible path and turned back without involving the police. Read the rest of this entry
Klimaforum: A People’s Declaration on Climate Change
System Change, not Climate Change! Statement issued by Klimaform09 in Copenhagen, December 10, 2009
Summary
There are solutions to the climate crisis. What people and the planet need is a just and sustainable transition of our societies to a form that will ensure the rights of life and dignity of all peoples and deliver a more fertile planet and more fulfilling lives to future generations.
We, participating peoples, communities and all organisations at the Klimaforum09 in Copenhagen, call upon every person, organisation, government and institutions, including the United Nations (UN), to contribute to this necessary transition. It will be a challenging task. The crisis of today has economic, social, environmental, geopolitical and ideological aspects interacting with and enforcing each other as well as the climate crisis. For this reason, we call for urgent climate action:
- A complete abandoning of fossil fuels within the next 30 years, which must include specific milestones for every five-year period. We demand an immediate cut in GHG of industrialised countries of at least 40% compared to 1990 levels by 2020.
- Recognition, payment and compensation of climate debt for the overconsumption of atmospheric space and adverse effects of climate change on all affected groups and people.
- Rejection of purely market-oriented and technology-centred false and dangerous solutions such as nuclear energy, agro-fuels, carbon capture and storage, Clean Development Mechanisms, biochar, genetically “climate-readied” crops, geo-engineering and reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD), which deepens social and environmental conflicts.
- Real solutions to climate crisis based on safe, clean, renewable and sustainable use of natural resources, as well as transitions to food, energy, land and water sovereignty.
