I
refuse to be silent any longer. I refuse to watch families torn apart, while
the president tells us to “stay the course.” … I refuse to
be party to an illegal and immoral war against people who did nothing to deserve
our aggression. I wanted to be there for my fellow troops. But the best way
was not to help drop artillery and cause more death and destruction. It is to
help oppose this war and end it so that all soldiers can come home.
—U.S. Army Lt. Ehren Watada
It's time for us to escalate public pressure and action
in support of the growing movement of thousands of courageous men and women
GI’s who have in many different ways followed the their conscience, upholding
international law, taking a principled stand against unjust, illegal war and
occupation and stood up for their rights. Widespread public support and pressure
will help create true support for courageous troops facing isolation and repression,
and help protect their civil liberties and human rights.--
Courage to Resist
"On June 22 [2006], U.S. Army First Lieutenant Ehren K. Watada became the first commissioned officer to publicly refuse deployment to the unlawful Iraq War and occupation. Lt. Watada has been formally charged with contempt towards President Bush, conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman, and missing movement.On August 24, the Article 32 pre-trial hearing investigator recommended a general court martial on all charges. On September 15, an additional charge was added.For the first time since 1965, the military is prosecuting an objector for his opinions. He faces over eight years in prison - over six years for First Amendment speech alone!" (text and photo from thankyoult.org)
In a speech printed in the Oregon PeaceWorker, Watada argues that the best way to to end the war is for the troops to stop fighting--and that the only way that can happen is if the American people show strong and unwavering support for the soldiers' decision to refuse. To that end, WE APPLAUD LT. WATADA'S REFUSAL, AND THAT OF ALL THE OTHER TROOPS WHO HAVE STOOD UP FOR THEIR BELIEFS AND REFUSED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE WAR.
SUPPORT FOR LT. WATADA'S DEFENSE IS URGENTLY NEEDED. THE WEBSITE THANK YOU LT.ORG HAS ARTICLES, A PETITION, DEFENSE FUND DONATION INFORMATION AND MORE. COURAGE TO RESIST HAS INFO ON THE GROWING WAR RESISTANCE MOVEMENT WITHIN THE MILITARY AND WHAT WE CAN DO TO SUPPORT IT. CHECK IT OUT AND HELP PUT AN END TO THE WAR.
REQUIEM FOR THE DEAD IN OAXACA (October 2006)As expected, the Mexican government has again chosen the path of violence and death over that of peaceful negotiation and dialogue--this time in the case of the teachers' movement in Oaxaca, a non-violent uprising that began as a strike and became a civil movement for democracy and justice. This mass movement has been up against against a corrupt local government bent on remaining in power no matter what, and a federal government that, in the face of challenges to its own legitimacy, has lately shown a renewed resolve to crush even (perhaps especially) non-violent expressions of dissidence. According to the latest reports today (10/30), the city is under seige, but the protesters, unarmed, are standing strong....
On Friday, October 27, NY Indymedia journalist Brad Will joined the ranks of the victims of state violence in Oaxaca. An independent reporter documenting the struggle on video, Brad died with his camera in his hand. The footage he shot at the moment of death (already available, like everything else these days, online) will no doubt make history; moreover, John Dickie, reporting in the Narco News Bulletin, suggests because of the international furor it has caused, Brad's death (at the hands of identified local officials) may actually help bring an end to the conflict. However, Dickie adds a troubling and provocative question: "does a gringo always have to die for the world to act?"
SOLIDARITY
WITH VICTIMS OF POLICE VIOLENCE IN ATENCO, MEXICOAll of this comes as the US government seals the border with Mexico and looks for ways to "punish" Mexicans and others living in this country without the benefit of legal sanction. Al Giordano of the excellent Narco News Bulletin has written a piece exposing the role of U.S. political consultants Dick Morris and Rob Allyn in shaping Mexican government policy, including the operation in Atenco. Giordano characterizes these sleazebags as "virtual rapists," but more importantly, his article reminds us that not only the recent violence in Atenco, but much of the deplorable economic, social and human rights situation in Mexico and Central America--the very forces that drive people to migrate in the first place--can be attributed to the legal and extralegal actions of our very own government and the corporations which it serves. Torture and terror: MADE IN USA.
The key role of US political and economic interests in fomenting violence in places like Atenco cannot be denied. Therefore, Tonalkalli joins many organizations and individuals in Mexico and the world in demanding:
UPDATE 5/4/06: THE EZLN HAS ANNOUNCED A "RED ALERT" FOLLOWING VIOLENT CLASHES BETWEEN POLICE AND FLOWER VENDORS IN ATENCO, EAST OF MEXICO CITY. THE FLOWER VENDORS ARE PART OF A LOCAL MOVEMENT THAT SHARES THE ZAPATISTAS' GOALS OF EQUALITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE. PLEASE CHECK THE SOURCES BELOW FOR THE LATEST ON THIS URGENT SITUATION.
Tonalkalli doesn't have a FAQ page, but if we did, one of questions on it would have to be, "Whatever happened to the Zapatistas?" In the 1990s, the revolutionary indigenous movement based in Chiapas, Mexico, was often in the headlines of mainstream newspapers, and, thanks to the Internet, international solidarity groups received updates on an almost daily basis. In recent years all that changed, for various complicated reasons; yet the Zapatistas carried on, transforming their movement from an an armed guerilla to a system of autonomous local government. Although--as critics are quick to point out--poverty and marginalization continue and old divisions have not been overcome, it is unfair to expect miracles, especially when the odds against them are so great. By no means perfect, the Zapatistas are nonetheless a model of patient struggle and perseverance in an international context far more disposed to another, more "final" solution to the problems of native communities, land and liberty.
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The Other Campaign
in Xalapa, Veracruz |
Photos: Galerķa
EZLN |
In January, the Zapatistas launched "The Other Campaign," a nationwide tour by spokesperson Subcomandante Marcos. Marcos, renaming himself "Delegate Zero," has been visiting cities, villages and communities across southern Mexico, listening to the grievances of hundreds of citizens' groups, presenting his own critique of the political and economic system, and calling for resistance. Thanks to Marcos's star persona, the campaign has been covered in the major media (if at all) as a kind of a circus based on 1960s aesthetics and equally outdated political thought. However, another group of journalists is working to present more in-depth coverage. The Amado Avendaño Figueroa Brigade (named after the late independent journalist and "governor in rebellion" of Chiapas) has been following the campaign and providing daily written, audio and video coverage that they call "The Other Journalism." Their efforts, available via the The Narco News Bulletin in English, Spanish and several other languages, are well worth checking out. (If you read Spanish, you also might want to check out the thoughtful coverage by the newspaper La Jornada, among others.)
So, what ever happened to the Zapatistas? Take a few minutes and go find out for yourself!
A
famous story* by Guatemalan writer Augusto Monterroso (1921-2003) reads in its
entirety: "When he woke up, the dinosaur was still there." In November
2005, Halloween may be over, but the monsters are still around... Scary, huh?
*"The Dinosaur" (1959)
Summer
2005. We've been away from the computer most of the time, taking in the scene.
In Mexico, where we visited in June, the political panorama remains the same--corruption,
hypocrisy, etc.-- yet with at least one interesting initiative going on: the
world's largest compost project. By law, residents of Mexico City will soon
have to separate their "basura orgánica"--yard and kitchen
waste--from their other garbage; it will be composted and used in the city's
gardens and green spaces. Will this work, in one of the world's largest and
most chaotic cities? Who knows, but here and there, people do seem to be making
the connection between environmental interests and their own. In Xalapa, Veracruz,
we were pleased to learn that the weekly organic market started in 2004 had
multiplied, with a total of four now in the area. In a region with declining
revenue from agriculture--and consequent increasing migration to the U.S.--many
farmers see organic production as a hopeful alternative. We wish them luck,
and hope to be back there soon to watch their progress.
Back in the USA, the news is everyday-calamitous as always. Most recent development:
the split between the AFL-CIO and two of its key unions, the SEIU and the Teamsters.
As far as I can figure out, the conflict is over strategy: the federation has
put most of its resources into politics--specifically, supporting the Democratic
Party--while the dissidents prefer to concentrate on organizing new sectors,
particularly service workers, and very particularly, employees of Wal-Mart,
a huge sector unto itself. More than anything, the conflict is indicative of
the major changes in our economy, especially the disappearance of domestic manufacturing
(where the labor movement used to be strong), and the difficulty of organizing
a fragmented, disoriented, and global workforce. The passages of the Communist
Manifesto in which Marx and Engels speak of new communications technologies
uniting the proletariat now seem absurd; who has time for revolution with that
cell phone ringing all the time? So many of us seem to be going around in some
kind of pressurized techno-bubble in which the external world figures hardly
at all. Since this is a prison we choose to live in, it it is difficult to be
anything but pessimistic. However, we can only wish the labor movement success
in its attempt at revitalization. Theirs, like that of pollution-choked Mexico
City in the area of waste reduction and that of the Veracruz campesinos in organic
agriculture, is an experiment in collective survival. May we all prosper.
Earlier this year, Outaouais Lubicon Solidarity began a campaign to push for a just negotiated settlement of Lubicon land rights. Every time a new oil or gas well or pipeline is approved for development in Lubicon Traditional Territory (which is almost daily), government officials have received a flood of mail calling attention to this urgent issue. In response to the OLS campaign, Canadian officials have argued that the Lubicon need to compromise their position in order to make a negotiated settlement possible. Readers who have followed the Zapatista movement in Chiapas and other native struggles can imagine what this means--that if the Lubicon would only give up their claims, the question would be settled! Lubicon supporters counter that perhaps it is the government that needs to compromise, and to recognize that human needs take precedence over corporate financial interests. In the meantime, the exploitation continues...and so does the resistance.
To read more about this campaign and find out how you can participate, click HERE.
Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to everyone
that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to
others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence
toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown, or to any
man or number of men -- go freely with powerful uneducated persons, and with
the young, and with the mothers or families -- re-examine all you have been
told in school or church or in any book, and dismiss whatever insults your own
soul; and your very flesh shall be a great poem, and have the richest fluency,
not only in its words, but in the silent lines of its lips and face, and between
the lashes of your eyes, and in every motion and joint of your body.
--Walt Whitman, from the 1855 preface to Leaves of Grass (submitted to Tonalkalli by Cuauhtemoc Mexica--gracias!)
What with all the problems in the Middle East, sometimes it's hard to remember that the Bush agenda is global, and that intervention in America's so-called "backyard" is ongoing, relentless, and extremely damaging. On Jan. 19, Condoleeza Rice unveiled her plans for freedom and democracy in Latin America: regime change for “leaders who do not govern democratically, even if they are democratically elected,” and a western hemisphere “bound by common values and free trade.” [Knight Ridder newspapers, 1/19/05] In other words, she intends to get rid of Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez, whom she considers “a negative force in the region” (despite enjoying a greater margin of popularity than Bush), as well as anyone else who fraternizes with the Devil—oops, I mean Fidel Castro—and/or stands in the way of U.S. economic interests. Hmm…I don’t remember learning that definition of “democracy” in my social studies classes—where did you go to school, Condi?
Well, you could argue that these ideas reflect the same policies the U.S.
government has been pursuing for about a century in Latin America, and that
maybe it’s even a relief to have them out on the table instead of hidden
away in top secret CIA memos. If so, I hope that it will be just as openly challenged
and opposed. The people of Latin America have the right to choose their leaders,
and as far as I can tell from recent elections in Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina,
etc., they’re making a lot more sensible decisions than we are.
Oh Colin, you were not that great either, but I’m afraid we are going
to miss you!
Kenyan activist Wangari Maathai's important work fighting deforestation shows the deep connections between struggles for the environment, for democracy, and for women's rights. In these dark times, Maathai's efforts are a beacon of hope. Tlazohkamati!
For more on Wangari Maathai click HERE.
I
copied that line off a song on Steve Earle's recent album "Revolution."
It sounds like a good thing to say right about now, doesn't it? Probably it
always feels like the right thing to say, ever since the word "revolution"
took on its present meaning, sometime in the 18th (?) century. Samuel Adams
in Boston, 1773: The revolution starts now. Marx and Engels in Paris, 1844:
The revolution starts now. Che and Fidel in Mexico, 1956: The revolution starts
now. The Zapatistas in the Lacandon jungle, c.1984: The revolution starts now.
Steve Earle and Tonalkalli, November 3, 2004: The revolution starts now.
Where does it start? Where does it end? What is a revolution, anyway, in light of so many historical disasters?
I keep thinking about Colin Powell, not the real Powell but one I have invented: one who dances out of the White House in drag with one ecstatic phrase on his lips--"fuck you, Dick Cheney!"--and leads the married gays, Muslims, disenfranchised Blacks, and otherwise disaffected (why not start there in D.C. with the 90% that voted against the administration?) in a great Halloween parade of rebellion. James Brown and Bob Marley on the soundtrack. The point of this fantasy being that no action of protest should pretend to be reasonable; everything we do from now on should be outrageous, cathartic, and unexpected. Remember the great poet Audre Lorde, her famous line "the master's tools will never dismantle the master's house"? Time for some new tools...maybe a new house.
So the big show is over. Let the carnival of dissent begin.
The other day I was reading an article in which a Brazilian film critic called Che Guevara’s Travel Notes (AKA The Motorcycle Diaries) a “blog avant la lettre.” I thought that was funny, but also somewhat misguided, since the travel diary was certainly a legitimate genre before anyone ever heard of the Internet. Were Marco Polo and Columbus also writing "blogs"? Isn’t it possible to understand the past without resorting to the vocabulary of the present?
A long time ago I used to publish, if you can call it that, a hand-written, hand-drawn, photocopied magazine. That’s what punk publications were called, even if they weren’t glossy or sold on newsstands: “magazines.” Some people called them “fanzines,” since their immediate predecessors were the publications that came out of fan culture—fan club magazines and science fiction fan magazines. But we weren’t fans; in fact, the punk scene did away with the idea of “fans” by showing how anybody could be in a band and there was no essential difference between the kids on stage and those in the audience. Later someone came up with the idea of labeling our small publications “zines”—magazines in the diminutive. My friend Ian rebelled against this by naming his publication “maga,” and most of my friends stuck with “magazines.” Who’s to say that, just because ours were small and homemade, they were inferior to Time and Newsweek?
Now with the Internet, things have changed once again. With Tonalkalli, I don’t have to count pages, cram things together to make sure I don’t go over a one-ounce postage rate, or constantly try to score free copies. Everything goes out into Cyberspace, photos, bright colors and all. The challenges are different: the technology first of all, which is constantly changing (and in my experience, malfunctioning). And then the mechanism for getting it out to readers. It’s not something to hand out at a show or sell at a record store—it’s just there, and that is kind of weird. It’s not a specialized product that will pop up in searches; it’s more like if you were to come over to my house and I were to show you some of my latest books and pictures, and talk about culture. Maybe someday technology will advance enough so that I can offer you a cup of coffee too.
In the magazine days, a guy once called one of my publications “the best of the deep underground.” I think that’s where Tonalkalli is at too: deep underground. Not a zine or a blog; an experiment in communicating with my far-flung community in a new way. I hope that my old friends will tune in now and then, and maybe contribute their own ideas. And hopefully some interesting marginalized stuff—out-of-print books, punk recollections, weird poetry, I don’t know what else yet—will find a good home. Deep underground, maybe, but energized by Tonalli, the light of the sun.