Archive for June 7th, 2006

07
Jun

letter writing sunday #7

By vegankid 1 Comment
Categories: globalization, latin america, letters, politics and war

Yes, i’m well aware that it is Wednesday. But Sunday was a very busy day for me and i am just now getting around to writing a letter (an email, actually, but who cares). This week’s letter comes to us via Father Roy Bourgeois and the School of the Americas (SOA) Watch. If you only write one letter this year, make it this one. Why? Because the SOA has been used as a training tool for terrorist governments and paramilitaries for far too long. For years, people throughout Latin America have been tortured and murdered by graduates of the US Military’s School of the Americas. But now there is a real possibility of actually putting an end to it. How many times do we get burnt out getting involved in so many campaigns that seem to have no end? Well, this one has an end… if you are willing to take a very simple action. Imagine. We wouldn’t have to send 19- and 79-year-olds to prison for three months every year just for speaking out. We could put that energy into creating something far more beautiful and powerful.

Shutting down the SOA would probably be the greatest act of solidarity that those fighting for justice in Latin America have ever seen from folks in the US. Or at least the greatest show of solidarity in the last 25 years. And what does it cost you? Five minutes of your life? Slightly lower taxes? A clearer conscience? Not much at all.

Congress is set to vote this week, so read the statement from Fr. Roy and then take action!

Dear Friends in the Struggle,

This week marks a major milestone in the campaign to close the School of the Americas and a major victory for all of you who have contributed so much to this work. This is the time when we really need to keep the pressure on Congress.

Please take a few minutes today to call your Member of Congress and to ask them to support the McGovern Amendment to cut funding to the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, the place the world knows as the School of the Americas (SOA/WHINSEC). You can reach Congress at 202-224-3121 or toll free at 888-355-3588.

You can also email and fax your Representative right from the SOA Watch website: http://www.soaw.org/legislative

Right now and all day today, many SOA Watch activists and our partner organizations are on Capitol Hill, talking with Legislative Aides and Members of Congress and distributing information about the McGovern Amendment that will be introduced this week with the Foreign Operations Bill. Some of the groups that are walking the halls of Congress today are my order, Maryknoll, the Torture Abolition Survivors and Support Coalition (TASSC), the staff of the Methodist Church, the SHARE Foundation, Voices on the Border, Sister Parish, Voices on the Border, Pax Christi USA, Sisters of the Precious Blood, the RFK Center for Human Rights and others.

Labor unions and members are mobilizing this week to continue to build support for the McGovern Amendment. The United Auto Workers and the Steelworkers are both faxing Members of Congress to let them know how important a vote to cut funding to the SOA/WHINSEC is to union members.

Yesterday, veterans from around the country were flooding the phone lines of Members of Congress asking for them to take a real stand for human rights and military accountability by voting to cut funding to the School of the Americas/WHINSEC.

Please join us this week and add your voice to the growing wave of people speaking up for a more just world. Thank you for giving me hope.

For a victory,

Fr. Roy Bourgeois
School of the Americas Watch

07
Jun

stand by your man

By vegankid 9 Comments
Categories: media, race and sexuality

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) abides by a strict moral code. They adhere to a higher standard of news broadcasting. And should you disagree, your complaints will be dismissed as low-brow.

You may remember a couple of weeks ago when BBC radio host Chris Moyles decided to do his impersonation of a “big, fat black guy” for Halle Berry. Berry’s unrelenting stance that this racist impersonation deserved punishment and an apology really won me a lot of respect for her. But Ms. Berry, in the end, is just another Black womyn - not the BBC’s high-brow target audience. So the BBC’s Board of Governors decided unilaterally that Moyles’ impersonation was, in fact, not racist and that Ms. Berry was simply getting riled up over nothing. Another case of the hyper-sensitive, hyper-defensive Black womyn syndrome, of course. White people sure know how to serve us some justice, don’t we? We’re experts on what is and isn’t racist. We should be, right? After all, we created it.

Moyles continued as a BBC host without so much as a single act of castigation from the higher-ups. When you know you have that kind of immunity, why change? Well, Moyles stirred up some more contempt this week by exclaiming that he was getting rid of a cell phone ringtone because “it’s gay.” I didn’t even know cell phones could be gay. I suppose that would explain why mine likes to pretend its a vibrator and dance in my pants.

But don’t get out of your seats, yet, folks. You don’t have to worry. Because the BBC Board of Governors declared that “Chris Moyles, when using the word, had meant no offence to gay people. He was not being homophobic in his use of the word.” Phew! I was worried for a moment that the BBC was allowing a racist, homophobic asshole to host their morning radio show. Turns out that those gays are just too senstive (yeah, there’s news). Good thing i was wrong. Now we can all rest assured that the BBC continues to uphold the highest of standards. Now on to some real news.

07
Jun

more carnival fun

By vegankid 0 Comments
Categories: animals, carnivals, gender & sex and race

Fabulosa Mujer just published the Fifth Radical Women of Color Carnival. Its really great people, you should go check it out.

And Two Peas, No Pod put up the first call for submissions for the Third Carnival of Empty Cages. Its their first carnival, so lets show them lots of love by submitting posts. Here’s the call:

We are particularly interested in the life cycle of veg*nism:

1. The story of when and how people became a vegan or vegetarian.
2. The evolution of people’s reasons for staying a veg*n.
3. The most frustrating aspects of being a veg*n.
4. The most rewarding aspects of being a veg*n.
5. Whether or not people make much of an effort to “convert” others to veg*nism and what people think of this as a concept.

If you are not a veg*n, but your post is on topic, we would be happy to hear from you too. It would be great to hear from people from all over.

You can send submissions to nopod.blog (at) gmail (dot) com or by clicking on the submit button on this page.

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