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16
Sep

around the world #3

By vegankid 0 Comments
Categories: africa, around the world, asia, class, globalization, latin america and war

Cross-posted at Taking Place

This is a long one cuz i thought that i published #3 about a month ago, but turns out it was sitting in my draft box. So here is a month-long trip around the world. Let’s get our hands dirty and take the reality tour that Global Exchange refuses to by starting at the Battle of Oaxaca, where rumors of a class uprising and an overthrowing of the government are abound.

Don’t throw away that police sheild you just stole quite yet. Cuz next we are going down to Chile where the locals teach those of us in the US how you really commemorate September 11th. Just to be safe, you may want to bring that shield along for some frequent flier miles as we hop on over to South Africa where the Cleaning Workers’ Strike started and is now being supported worldwide.

Heading north, the US has been accused of illegal mercenary operations in Somalia. The operations broke UN rulings and may also involve British “security firms”. Now over to Sudan, where the government has been indiscriminately bombing civilians. Ok, people, its time we start taking the genocide in Sudan seriously.

Pack your bags for a long bus ride over to the Ivory Coast, where the government of the country’s largest city, Abidjan, has resigned after massive protests. The protests were in response to 400 tons of toxic oil-refining waste that spilled from a ship, the Probo Koala. As of September 12th, six people had died because of the waste and more than 9,000 had gone in for medical attention.

Once again, we’re going to stop off in Lebanon. After landing in the recently re-opened airport, we see that weeks of bombing have not broken the spirit of the Lebanese people, as bloggers like Jamal Ghosn continue to share their experience with us.

Protestors in Palestine are being used as test subjects as Isreali forces have turned the weekly nonviolent protests against the construction of the Aparthied wall into a testing ground for experimental weapons. And as if the people of Palestine didn’t have enough to worry about with the persistant attacks from Isreal, civil workers are now on strike due to lost wages.

I tell ya, Palestinians just can’t get a break. Refugees in Iraq find themselves under attack with nowhere to go. But Palestians are far from the only ones without a break in Iraq. With a government of talking heads and your country’s money-maker being stolen, what can you expect? Many find themselves in the scope of some confused soldier”who are the real terrorists?”

Afghanistan isn’t doing any better as it descends into chaos. The Taliban forces are being funded by increased Opium sales. Maybe the Bush Administration should try the tactic it used back in early 2001 - pay the Taliban to fight in the War on Drugs. Not to worry. We know that the US military isn’t very good at the whole “stability” thing, so once again we send in the private contractors. At least I assume that’s why Coca-Cola moved into Kabul. Or maybe that’s just as far as they could run when they were chased out of India.

Speaking of India, lets go join the, um, celebrations? The government gave in to environmentalists demands after the start of a nationwide strike, but it wasn’t quite as simple as that. As 30,000 protestors tried to storm into the offices of London-based Asia Energy, paramilitary forces shot into the crowd killing six and injuring hundreds. The shootings sparked days of rioting ending in the government agreeing to a moratorium on open pit mining, build a monument at Phulbari in memory of the deceased and grant amnesty to all the demonstrators who broke the law during the protests.

On to more mining troubles, we find ourselves in the Phillipines, where Lafayette’s gold mine is set to poison the oceans (and the local people) with tons of natrium cyanide. Lafayette was already ordered to halt its operations last year after two mine spills, and now activists are working to preemptively stop the devastation.

We find another campaign to protect the water and the local people as we travel to Canada. Native groups are teaming up to protect the water supply against the booming oil and gas development. About 200 First Nations representatives from Alberta, British Columbia and the Northwest Territories gathered for a three-day strategic conference to talk about how to protect their local lands and water supplies from this encroaching threat.

Back down in the US, all kinds of crazy things are going on. The Bush Administration decided it would be a good idea to start up those old rusty factories that used to pump out landmines. Since all the PR funds were spent killing people, the best makeover idea that the Pentagon could come up with is to rename the landmines “networked munitions systems.” Everybody likes networks rights?

I’m hoping they’ll place those “networks” along the Indiana border to protect us from all those terrorists that are apparently trying to kill us sweet, innocent, corn-eating Hoosiers. I’m not so much afraid of the Taliban, tho, i’m more scared of the terrorists in Georgia (the state, not the country). I don’t even know how to tie the rest of this trip together, so let’s just fast-forward through our vacation slides, shall we?

The US is threatening Argentina, Venezuela, and Brazil with sanctions. The US doesn’t like losing and that’s just what we are doing with the WTO and the FTAA. So now the government is puffing up its chest and saying “stop it you big meanies.” I tell ya, don’t come knocking on the White House this Halloween. Cuz apparrently all they know to give out is ass-whoopins and sanctions.

While we’re on the topic of how much the US hates people, the immigration tinderbox may be the one thing that can end this East Coast-West Coast rivalry (cuz nothing will be left if this fire isn’t extinguished). And just then you thought the flame that Columbus lite has died down, some young buck gives it a little puff. Some White folks aren’t able to read a newspaper or walk outside to see how pervasie racism is. Instead, they need to adopt a child of color to see their own racism.

Walmart says fuck the working class, we’re goin’ yuppy. Since we can no longer put the working class in Walmart, we gotta put em somewhere. Some are building prisons to do the job, but some ain’t convinced its gonna work. Many of those arguing for more prisons are also pushing for this whole War on Drugs thing to get them there - .

Having just celebrated the anniversaries of Hurricane Katrina and September 11th, we get to see all the wonderful things we’ve learned from both experiences. For example, we learned that neither the government nor its private contractors care about actual people. We learned that governments lie and then when they are forced to face their lie, they run. And we learned that the GOP needs a new PR firm. Ok, i admit, we haven’t really learned much. But we did learn that energy companies can engauge in some sketchy pratices. Alright, also not news. What about how we learned that some companies bribe their way to political favors? Geez, don’t you forget anything. Fine, so you already knew that. Whoop-di-doo.

In animal-related news, scientists, once again, reaffirm that eating meat is a global warming issue. And speaking of meat, the horse industry lost the smackdown. Whoo!

Oh, one last thing. The fight for internet freedom has officially started.

09
Sep

i’m a week late

By vegankid 2 Comments
Categories: class

Dear diary,

One of the things i love about the blogosphere is that when you’re feeling like you’re alone, it as easy as a few clicks of the button to know you ain’t. I’m having kinda a shitty day. Nothing extraordinarily shitty, just your average shitty day. Most working folks will know what i’m talking about. Its the day(s) that comes up every month, usually around the 1st. Yup, the day when you are watching every fucking penny because you just paid rent, bills, and bought a week’s worth of groceries that have to last you at least two.

But since i work for myself, i’m not as regular as others. I’m about a week late. Partly cuz i didn’t pay my rent until the 5th (i was really pushing it last minute to come up with the security deposit), partly cuz banks like to fuck over folks with no money, partly cuz we need a good ol’ fashioned mutiny against landlords, and partly cuz i fucked up my money management (again). I know, that’s a lot of parts. But i like cooking and i’m not one for measuring cups and shit, so i use parts (you know, 1 part flour, 2 parts sugar).

Not a lot stresses me out. But money always has. I don’t know why i let it get to me so much, but it does. Ok, that’s a lie. I know why it gets to me, i just don’t wanna talk about it right now. So let’s go through those parts instead.

Don’t get me started on the fucked up concept of rent. Its expensive and i pay a lot of it now that i finally got sick of years and years of doing other people’s dishes and cleaning up their beer bottles. I pay even more (in the form of deposits) cuz i live with animals and cuz i don’t have good credit.

I mismanaged my money (again) when i forgot about the direct bill pay on my car insurance (for a vehicle i no longer have). The company charged my old bank account (which i keep forgeting to close) and because there was no money in that account, i got a $35 overdraft fee. That really never made any sense to me. “You don’t have any money, so give me money!!!” That’s why i left the fuckers. No heart. I’m now with a local credit union that actually seems to care a little. If i overdraft on that account, they give me some cusion time to pay it. And if i don’t, its a $5 overdraft fee. Banks make SHITLOADS of money. They don’t need to be making poor folks poorer by charging us a ton of money we ain’t got and then making our credit all bad so we have to pay higher deposits, premiums, rates, etc. In my honest opinion, banks are good for one thing - campfires. There, i said it.

I won’t get into the landlord thing completely, just the part that applies to this particular day. You see, i was two months late on my phone bill so this morning they shut it off. Because i am a freelance web developer and i’m in the middle of finding clients, i need a way to talk to people. Well a few months ago i finally got around to asking my last landlord in NC for the return on my pet deposit ($100). This morning, i finally received my answer. But the letter went to my mom’s house since i didn’t know where i was gonna be living when i originally wrote the letter. My mom called me to say that a letter had come. i recognized the name and just assumed it was my check. So i used the $100 i thought i was about to receive later today to pay my phone bill. I figured i could easily go a weekend with no money. I’ve gone much longer.

Well my mom came down and gave me the letter. No check. Here is what it said:

“Neither Lara nor I received the deposit to which you refer. If you have proof you provided Lara or myself with a check for the deposit please send a copy and I will review it.”

GODDAMNMOTHERFUCKINGPRICKASSPIECESOFSHIT!!!! That was my response. So what did i do? Well i got online and looked at my account history. Sure enough, there it was. Check #533. But here’s the problem - because its so old, i can no longer print a free copy off the internet. No, i gotta PAY MONEY to have the fuckers at the bank send me a copy of the check so that i can buy a mother fucking stamp and send it to the pricks in New Jersey and say “now gimme my money, dick!” So now i spent $100 without knowing when my next paycheck will be.

Don’t feel bad for me, tho. I just bought a new computer. Granted, i bought it using a payment plan, but you can’t feel bad for someone who just bought a new computer. Besides, i’ve got food in my fridge, a neighbor who gives me a ridiculous amount of tomatoes, and i just found a nearby grocery dumpster (i may go visit after i’m done writing this), as well as a couple of pear trees and an apple tree. And there is a rad food pantry here if the dumpsters run dry. I’ve got a few leads on potential clients and my phone is working again, so i’ll be fine. But this roller coaster ride of emotion attached to class wears me out. I’d be fine living hand-to-mouth if the majority of what was in my hand wasn’t going to a bank or a landlord or an insurance company. I’ve got a pitchfork, who’s ready for mutiny? Ooh, i just heard gunshots, sounds like i got a neighbor that’s ready for mutiny, too.

So that’s what had me stressed out all day. I feel better just getting it off my chest, but it also felt good when i got online and found this great post from bfp about being poor and being trans and piny’s wonderful follow-up. Its great to hear other people talking about class and how it affects their lives. Its especially nice to hear trans identity mixed into that conversation. I’ll be sure to add my two cents over at these discussions, but i had to get this out first.

07
Aug

sunday letter writing #14

By vegankid 0 Comments
Categories: class, environment, food and letters

We got a few quick letters this week to make up for my absence last week. First, brownfemipower brings us an email writing campaign from the United Farm Workers about the animal abuse at Threemile Canyon Farm. To make things interesting, supervisors at the dairy “farm” (i use that term lightly here) have been passing around a petition that denies that any animal abuse has taken place. Well, they have the right to petition, but what they don’t have the right to do is to threaten to fire any worker that doesn’t sign the petition. If you want some testimony from workers about the animal abuse and some of the legal background, you can check out the Humane Farming Association’s report [PDF].

Also on the worker front, but this time from Earthjustice, we have another email writing campaign. The EPA has proposed the phase-out of Azinphos Methyl and Phosmet over the next four years. Here’s what Earthjustice has to say about these two pesticides:

Five years ago, the Environmental Protection Agency found that two pesticides — azinphos methyl and phosmet — pose “unacceptable” poisoning risks to workers exposed to them when they work in orchards. These two pesticides are highly toxic neurotoxins, derived from nerve agents used during World War II, and attack the human nervous system. Exposure can cause nausea, dizziness, vomiting, seizures, paralysis, loss of mental function, and even death. Farmworker families and communities are exposed to organophosphates through “take-home” exposures on clothing, cars, and skin.

The EPA is now holding a comment period to hear from the public. They have already waited five years to even think about taking action to protect workers, don’t let them wait any longer.

And last but certainly not least, another campaign from the UFW. As we all know, its been a hot summer. A really hot summer. But most of us don’t have to spend the day bent over in the middle of a field without so much as a tree within walking distance. That’s the fate of many California farmworkers. And that’s why on June 15, the state issued the first permanent heat stress regulation in the country. The regulation states that companies must provide workers with shade, water, training for working safely in the heat, and the right to take paid breaks when feeling the effects of such high temperatures. This was a huge victory for farmworkers, but of course its not an easy one.

Carl Borden, a lawyer for the California Farm Bureau, told a newspaper, “That could pose compliance issues for employers in certain situations where you may have dozens [and] dozens of employees out there working (and asking for shade) and essentially it requires the erection of a number of shade canopies, for example…That can be somewhat daunting if we’re talking about a field situation.” Cry me a river, Mr. Borden. Is it really asking that much for agribusiness companies to take some of the billions of taxpayer subsidies they’ve received to buy a few tents? Its in their interest, too. At least six California farmworkers have died this summer because of the heat. And it doesn’t take a genius to know that a living farmworker can harvest more produce than a dead one. But the California Farm Bureau is not Mensa, its a bunch of lawyers and, well, bureaucrats, so they need you to send them an email to inform them that you are paying them to treat their workers fairly, not so they can buy themselves a second Hummer.

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