anukkinearthwalker:

FREE MUMIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

why is he incarerated on some trumped up shit? because he would probably be the only person alive today that would rival the likes of a malcom or martin.

Big Brother ‘legal’ in US: Mumia Abu-Jamal exclusive to RT

RT has become the first TV channel in the world to speak to former journalist and Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal since he was removed from death row in January. Abu-Jamal will spend his life behind bars for killing a police officer in 1981.

Considered by many to be a flagrant miscarriage of justice, the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal has gained much attention worldwide. The defense claimed Abu-Jamal is innocent of the charges as the testimony of the prosecution’s witnesses was not reliable. For decades, supporters have rallied behind him.

After spending almost 30 years on death row, Abu-Jamal told RT’s Anastasia Churkina that “The truth is I spent most of my living years in my lifetime, on death row. So, in many ways, even to this day, in my own mind, if not in fact, I’m still on death row.”

RT: If you were not behind bars and could be anywhere else in the world, where would you be – and what would you be doing?

Mumia Abu-Jamal: Since my earliest years I was what one would call an internationalist. That is paying attention to what is happening in other parts of the world. As an internationalist I am thinking about life lived by other people all around the world. Of course as an African American I would love to spend some time in parts of Africa. But it is also true that I have many friends and loved ones in France. I would really like to bring my family, my wife and kids to come see our street in Paris.

RT: Being behind bars you seem to be watching world affairs much closer than most people who are free to walk the streets. Which event of the last 30 years would you like to be a part of, if you could?

MAJ: I think the first would probably be the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa. Because of course once being South African, it was also global, because it was the touch point of white supremacy versus the freedom and dignity of African people. So South Africa would be a logical first choice.

But wherever the people are fighting for freedom, that wins my eye and gets my attention and moves my passion.

RT: You turn 56 at the end of the month, which means you will have to spend more than half of your life behind bars. Most people cannot even begin to imagine that. What is it like? How has it changed you?

MAJ: The point and fact is I have spent most of my life, the bigger percentage of my life on death row. And it cannot but have had a profound effect on consciousness and on the way one sees and interacts with the world. I like to tell myself that I actually spent a lot of that time beyond the bars, in other countries and in other parts of the world. Because I did so mentally. But mental can only take you so far. The truth of the matter is that I spent most of my living years in my lifetime on death row. So, in many ways, even to this day, in my own mind, if not in fact, I am still on death row.

RT: Your story has really become a symbol for many of a flawed justice system. Do you personally have any faith left in a fair and free justice system? Considering your life has been so much affected by it?

MAJ: When I was a teenager and in the Black Panther party I remember I was going to downtown Manhattan and protesting against political imprisonment and incarceration and threats facing Angela Davis… When Davis attacked the prison system, she talked about perhaps 250,000 or 300,000 people imprisoned throughout all the US as a problem to be dealt with, a crisis, a situation that bordered on fascism. Fast forward 30-40 years to the present, today more than 300,000 prisoners in California alone, one state out of fifty. The imprisonment in California alone exceeds that of France, Belgium and England – I could name 4-5 countries combined.

We could not perceive back then of what it would become. It is monstrous when you really look at what is happening today. You can literally talk about millions of people incarcerated by the prisoner-industrial complex today: men, women and children. And that level of mass incarceration, really mass repression, has to have an immense impact in effect on the other communities, not just among families, but in a social and communal consciousness way, and in inculcation of fear among generations. So it is at a level and at a depth that many of us cannot even dream of today.

RT: You talk about so many important social and economic issues in your work; do you have a dream today? If you could see one of those aspects changed which one would you pick? What do you wish you could see happen in the United States?

MAJ: There is never one thing… Because of the system of interconnectedness and because one part of the system impacts another part of the system, and because, what Antonio Gramsci called hegemony of the ideological system impacts other parts of the system. You cannot change one thing that will impact all things. That is one of the lessons of the 1960s, because the civil rights movement was talking about integration and changing the schools. In point of fact if you look at the vast majority of working class and poor black kids in American schools today, they live and spend their hours and their days in the system profoundly as segregated as that of their grandparents, but it is not segregated by race, it is segregated by race and class.

The schools that my grandchildren go to are worse than the schools I went to when I was in my minor years and my teenage years. That’s a condemnation of a system but because former generations only concentrated on one thing or one side of the problem. The problem has really got worse and worse and worse. And while there is a lot of rhetoric about schools, American schools are a tragedy.

RT: You were monitored by the FBI at the age of fourteen, now with laws such as NDAA being passed in the United States when people are watched, detained and can be held, that has become easier than ever, do you think Big Brother has officially shown his face in this country?

MAJ: If you look back it is clear that FBI and their leaders and their agents  knew that everything they did then was illegal and FBI agents were taught and trained how to break into places, how to do, what they called, black bag jobs and that kind of stuff, how to commit crimes. And this is what they were also taught, you’d better do it and you’d better not get caught, because if you get caught you are going to jail and we act like we don’t know you, you are on your own. What has happened in the last twenty and thirty years not just NDAA but the so-called Patriot Act has legalized everything that was illegal back in the 1950s-1970s. They legalized the very things that the FBI agents and administrative knew was criminal back then. That means they can look in your mail, they certainly can read your email, they tap your phone – they do all of that. But they do it in the name of national security. What we’re living today is a national security state where Big Brother is legalized and rationalized.

RT: You have described politicians once as prostitutes in suits giving your apologies to honest prostitutes. It is election season in the US right now and we want to ask who do people trust, who would you vote for?

MAJ: Nobody. I have seen no one who I could in good conscience vote for today. Because most of the people that are out there are from two major political parties and all I hear is kind of madness – a wish to return to days of youth to the 1950s or they talk about the perpetuation of the American empire, imperialism. What is there to vote for? How many people consciously go to the polls voting for imperialism, for more war or voting for their son or daughter or father or mother to become a member of the armed forces and become a mass murderer?

RT:You seem to have endorsed the Occupy Wall Street movement that has sprung out the US this year. Is this the type of uprising that you think could change America and do good to the United States?

MAJ: I think it is the beginning of this kind of uprising. Because it has to be deeper, it has to be broader, it has to address issues that are touching on the lives of poor working class people…It is a damn good beginning, I just wish it was bigger and angrier.

RT: You are the voice of the voiceless. What is your message to your supporters right now, to those who are listening to you?

MAJ: Organize, organize, organize. I love you all. Thank you for fighting for me and let’s fight together to be free.

The Annalyzer: Everyone should know what is being done to them: Nuclear War →

bromoryn:

The Nuclear Body Count

Nuclear Power is Neither ‘Cheap’ nor ‘Clean’

BY EDUARDO GONCLAVES

The Ecologist

The equivalent of a nuclear war has already happened. Over the last half-century, millions have died as a result of accidents, experiments, lies and cover-ups by the nuclear industry.

…

nonplussedbyreligion:

Sophia CAVE by David Hayward.

Sometimes, and frequently, you have to break away from everyone and everything, and with all your courage enter into the dark cave all by yourself, face your fears, and find the truth for yourself. ~ David Hayward (the naked pastor)

I’ve posted this before, and I’ll probably post it again at some point when I need to remind myself of this.  This is my absolute favorite David Hayward drawing, accompanied by my favorite quote of his.  I love every thing about this.  I talk about facing your fears all the time here.  I put this quote on my facebook page back in the days when you could have a little about statement on it.  It’s still up as my quote.  I was struggling with my faith.  I remember reading those words and asking myself what I was so afraid of.  If I walked into the big scary non-theist cave, what could possibly happen to me?  I’m so glad I entered my cave, at the end was the most amazing clarity and light.  

David, the actual artist and author of the quote had this to say about it:

SOPHIA “CAVE”: 

When I originally drew this image of of Sophia, some wondered if she was inside deciding whether or not to go out. That’s another part of the story, perhaps better captured in my drawing “Clearing”. I actually drew her standing outside before the entrance to the cave deciding whether or not to go in.

The cave often symbolizes the depths of our unconscious. It’s where the dark, mysterious and often frightening aspects of our personalities dwell. Since I left the church almost two years ago, I’ve almost felt forced to enter into my own cave to wrestle with my own unconsciousness. It has been dark. It has been mysterious. It has been frightening.

Religion often prevents us from submerging into the depths. Not always. But often. Religion either presents a a too negative, despairing and hopeless belief in human nature, or a too optimistic, positive and rosy one. If it is too negative then it provides a magical salvation from it, a means of escape, a denial of the facts, a miraculous rescue by a supernatural saviour. If it is too positive then it it also provides it’s own salvation, escape, denial, and rescue, but by the vehicle of our own thoughts and efforts.

Either way, we are prevented from really wrestling tooth and nail with the darker aspects and even the glorious aspects of our nature. We are told that we are never alone to fight our own battle with our own selves. But the truth is, in my opinion, that we are, in many ways, entirely on our own. It is our own personal project that we must accept.

The Cave represents, for me, the absolute necessity and immediate urgency of facing myself, to stop bullshitting, to quit avoiding the essential, and get to the real task of working out my own life with fear and trembling.

Enter the cave.

You can buy originals and prints of Sophia from my online gallery.

*emphasis mine

veggieveggielove:

-inspired:

Man Lives on cliff and talks down suicide jumpers for last 50 years

Meet the Australian Who’s Saved 160 People from Suicide

Don Ritchie lives across the street from the most famous suicide spot in Australia: A cliff known as “The Gap.” Most people would move, but Ritchie’s stayed for almost 50 years—saving an estimated 160 people from suicide.

So what’s his big secret? Ritchie wakes up every morning and looks out the window for “anyone standing alone too close to the precipice.” If he sees someone who looks like they might be contemplating a jump, he walks over and… strikes up a conversation.
He just gives them a warm smile, asks if they’d like to talk and invites them back to his house for tea. Sometimes, they join him.

“I’m offering them an alternative, really,” Ritchie says. “I always act in a friendly manner. I smile.”

Ritchie’s house might be the worst real estate ever. One person a week commits suicide at the “the Gap,” the cliff he lives across from. It’s protected only by a small, one-meter fence, despite its legendary reputation as a suicide spot dating back to the 1800s.

But the former life insurance salesman says he doesn’t feel “burdened” by the fact that people are always contemplating jumping to their deaths outside his house. In fact, he and his wife Moya see it as a blessing: “I think, ‘Isn’t it wonderful that we live here and we can help people?’”

Ritchie, who basically sounds like the nicest guy in the entire world, is 84, and has spent much of the last year battling cancer. But, as you might expect for a dude who’s managed to live across from a fucked-up, tragic place, and not become a casualty himself, he’s optimistic: “I imagine somebody else will come along and do what I’ve been doing.” I hope so.

This is unbelievable. This man is such a hero.

cheatsheet:

Frontpage: Wednesday, May 16th

1. Mladic War Crimes Trial Begins: The trial of Ratko Mladic, the man accused of being responsible for the bloodiest genocide in Europe since World War II, began on Wednesday at The Hague, 17 years after the Bosnian conflict ended. Mladic is charged with 11 counts, including two counts of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity during the Bosnian conflict, including the massacre of 8,000 Muslims in Srebrenica. 
2. Greeks Pulling Funds From Banks: Greeks are withdrawing euros from banks over fear of the country exiting the single currency and the rapid devaluation they would suffer as a result. In a meeting between Greek President Karolos Papoulias and political leaders, Papoulias spoke of the “fear that could develop into panic” at the country’s banks as the political parties failed to form a coalition government and a new election was announced. 
3. Romney Wins Nebraska, Oregon Primaries: And the winner is … Mitt Romney! The former Massachusetts governor had no problem running to victory in both Nebraska and Oregon on Tuesday night, winning nearly 70 percent of the vote in the Cornhusker State with three quarters of precincts reporting. 
4. Facebook IPO Could Top $16B: Facebook will increase the size of its initial public offering by 25 percent, a source told Reuters on Wednesday—meaning the company could raise as much as $16 billion before its shares go public on Friday. If the IPO is increased, it will be the third-largest initial share sale in history, after Visa and General Motors. 
5. Russian Cops Break Up Protest Camp: Russian police ousted political protesters from a campsite in Moscow early Wednesday morning, a day after a judge ordered the site be cleared because of complaints from neighborhood residents. Police had initially said they wouldn’t move in until noon against “OccupyAbai,” named after the statue of a 19th-century Kazakh writer in Chistye Prudy park, but instead swooped at 5:30 a.m. 

Read More Cheats

Photo: JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon attends a session at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 27, 2011. (Vincent Kessler / Landov) Read: “Dimon’s Unshakbale Hubris.”

lastrealindians:

How to Raise (Terrible) Children

By Twyla Baker-Demaray

If there is anything Native people know, it’s having babies.  We LOVE to have babies.  Or well, maybe we just love to … never mind.  That’s a whole other topic.  At any rate, we still tend to have larger families than the mainstream, of all shapes and sizes, blended or not blended, with multiple generations in one household.  As a parent, I’ve learned a thing or two about raising a kid (or seven), which I thought I’d share.  In the revered tradition of some tribes, your teacher may end up teaching you in a ‘backwards’ or ‘Trickster’ manner; that is, by embodying the opposite  of a life teaching.  Whether it was the avarice and greed of Coyote, or the harsh wit of Spider, Natives had all manner of ‘sacred clowns’ teaching us how not to live.  If you look closely, you’ll see that they continue to do so to this day.  In honor of this tradition, I thought I’d offer some advice for those of you wishing to raise ungrateful, socially-stunted children into anti-social, ill-prepared adults.  You’re welcome (that is, if you said ‘thank you’– more on that later).

1.         Be sure to…READ THE REST HERE:  http://www.lastrealindians.com/2012/05/16/how-to-raise-terrible-children/

The more time you spend thinking about how your body looks, or what you’ve eaten or haven’t eaten, or any of that stuff, the less time and brainspace you have to think about and plan your creative work; notice inequalities and plot revolution; pay attention to what other people need and respond to that; feel your feelings; come up with big visions, schemes and plans; meditate, pray, or otherwise feed your spiritual side; or do any one of a million other things that can help you enact your potential in the world. When you catch yourself going there, think about what else you could be doing with that mental space, and USE IT.

—  Danya Ruttenberg here (via hellyeahscarleteen)

Kinsey Hope Can't Focus For Shit: socialismartnature: Oakland police execute Alan Blueford MORE THAN 100... →

socialismartnature:

Oakland police execute Alan Blueford

MORE THAN 100 San Francisco Bay Area activists and members of the Black community in Oakland, Calif., came together May 12 for a march for justice for Alan DeWayne Blueford, an 18-year-old high school senior gunned down by…

Kinsey Hope Can't Focus For Shit: Red Summer of 1919 & Other History America Should Discuss →

karnythia:

I see a lot of “slavery is over, black people should move on” rhetoric on the internet. And mostly I roll my eyes & keep it moving. But I notice that people who say these things lack historical knowledge. They don’t know about the Red Summer in which race riots broke out in 36…

As far as I’m concerned, if a Black man & woman make a marriage work in amerika, they’ve accomplished a miracle. Because everything is against them. Just being poor is one of their biggest obstacles. Most of the arguments are about money. It’s hard as hell to be loving & caring when you can’t pay the bills & you don’t know where the next dollar is coming from

— Excerpt from “Assata” (Ch 4. Pg 73)

(Source: dope-spread)

Kinsey Hope Can't Focus For Shit: Open Letter from African women to the Minister of Culture: The Venus Hottentot Cake →

naijaboi:

An Open Letter from African women to the Minister of Culture: The Venus Hottentot Cake

Posted: 22 Apr 2012 05:48 AM PDT

Tweet

Cross-Post with Black Feminists UK and Honestly Abroad

We the undersigned women of African /African descent and our…

humanrightswatch:

The US must stop sexual violence against immigrant farmworkers.

Hundreds of thousands of immigrant farmworker women and girls in the United States face a high risk of sexual violence and sexual harassment in their workplaces because US authorities and employers fail to protect them adequately.

In a new 95-page report, Human Rights Watch documents rape, stalking, unwanted touching, exhibitionism, or vulgar and obscene language by supervisors, employers, and others in positions of power. Most farmworkers interviewed said they had experienced such treatment or knew others who had. And most said they had not reported these or other workplace abuses, fearing reprisals. Those who had filed sexual harassment claims or reported sexual assault to the police had done so with the encouragement and assistance of survivor advocates or attorneys in the face of difficult challenges.

Farmworkers described experiences such as the following:

• A woman in California reported that a supervisor at a lettuce company raped her and later told her that she “should remember it’s because of him that [she has] this job.”
• A woman in New York said that a supervisor, when she picked potatoes and onions, would touch women’s breasts and buttocks. If they tried to resist, he would threaten to call immigration or fire them.
• Four women who had worked together packing cauliflower in California said a supervisor would regularly expose himself and make comments like, “[That woman] needs to be fucked!” When they tried to defend one young woman whom he singled out for particular abuse, he fired all of them.

© 2011 AP Photo

syeddahjan:

Abbottabad, Pakistan

(Source: jhanzebjzb)

climateadaptation:

My energetic climate buddy Ben Jervey created a kickstarter! It’s an education themed project aimed to help folks understand where electricity comes from. Of course, it includes the impacts on the environment and tools to help fix the system. Donate a few bucks, reblog if you can. And follow askjerves:

So, here goes: yet another Kickstarter plea. I’m working on this pretty big project with the incredible folks at Focus the Nation, and we need dough to turn a basic Energy 101 primer into a kickass interactive e-version. 

Anyone who knows me knows how much I hate to ask for anything (even clicks, let alone money), but I really, sincerely think this is a really important project. It’s the most exciting thing I’ve ever worked on, and I think that The Watt? An Energy 101 primer could be a super useful tool for climate and clean energy advocates. 

The basic mission here is to combat energy illiteracy. The basic reason is that you can’t advocate for something you don’t understand. 

So, please, if you care a lick about one of the biggest most fundamental challenges of our time, throw a few ducats our way. Promise to make it as awesome as possible. 

In a misogynistic society, it makes sense for the rapist to sue the raped. →

Dominique Strauss-Kahn has filed a countersuit against a housekeeper at a Midtown Manhattan hotel who accused him last year of rape, saying her statements about him had damaged his political career.

(Source: sonofbaldwin)