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| "I have a dream!.... No, wait. That's not the line." |
Out of the Mouth of Mickey
Any of you who are activists or agitators for social change on any level have probably heard a million times things like: "What are you so worried about?" "You have to see the glass as half full and enjoy life" etc. etc. These folks, who probably mean well, don't see that you can have a social conscience and work to make the world a better place and still enjoy your life. In fact, you appreciate your blessings even more. The fact that they miss the point so badly makes me a little sad. That's why "spreading the word" is so important. It all makes me think of Mickey Rourke, as the nutty rogue cop in "Year of the Dragon," when he says: "How can you care too much?" That's how I've always felt and as long as there's one person suffering or one child hungry, I'll be quite content to feel rather intense about trying to make a difference.
Hurricane Irene
I've been tracking this angry lady quite closely because my son lives back East. He just turned nine and we spoke on the phone a few minutes ago. "We hardly got anything!" he told me, a little disappointed not to have a bit more excitement in his Sunday. Of course, Irene is no joke for a lot of people who have to pick up the pieces in her wake. I'm very leery of the political mileage that Obama and others get out of stuff like this. The speeches, the grim predictions, the somber summaries -- all from their ivory towers and safe havens. Is there an election simmering on the stove top by any chance? (NOTE: Did you realize that Obama raised a BILLION dollars for his first presidential campaign? Think about how sick that is and what it says about our bogus "democracy." I know some people on the East Coast who could use a taste of that kind of money right now.)
Guest Writers for "House on Fire"
You may have noticed that Code Pink founder and super-gutsy lady Medea Benjamin gave me use of her most recent piece (on the new MLK monument in D.C.) for "House on Fire." I'm very grateful to her; she's a really great person. Well, I've lined up some other big names for "guest appearances." Some of these blog posts will be in the format of "5 Questions for..." So keep checking back. In addition, a couple of my closest friends, who have expertise and special insights into certain activism areas, will also be appearing as guest writers. Tryin' to mix it up a bit here, people!
Click here to read "No Way to Honor Dr. King" by Medea Benjamin
Remember Unions?
When I first started out in the workforce, a long time ago, I worked in blue collar, union jobs. And that seemed about right to me. As I've said before: Unions aren't perfect but they're a hell of a lot better than the alternative! Well, in some good news reported on DemocracyNow.org on Friday, the National Labor Relations Board has come out with new regulations that will require most employers in the private sector to actually put posters on their bulletin boards informing employees about their rights, under federal law, to unionize. Spread the word on this one!
DemocracyNow.org
The Verizon Strike
45,000 Verizon workers are now back at work and kudos to them for gutting it out against a major, and majorly greedy, corporation that was trying to slash their benefits. The final deal is still being thrashed out but put this down as a win for struggling workers and proof that being in a union, and having courage and solidarity, mean something.
You can read more at the Communications Workers of America website
A Win in Wisconsin as Well
You have to tip your hat to the working people of Wisconsin -- and their many supporters -- who refused to let ratbag Governor Scott Walker kill collective bargaining. 10,000 of them (some say many more than this) took over the Capitol at one point and People Power forced recall elections that added pro-worker Democrats to the WI senate and showed that the not-so-good governor isn't nearly as popular as he thought he was.
Click here to visit the We Are Wisconsin website
People Power Across the Middle East
The pro-democracy uprisings that have swept the Middle East in recent months are a fascinating situation that has ramifications for global democracy, and they're making despots from Saudi Arabia to Washington D.C. pretty nervous. No way to predict how it will all play out but when you look at the long list of countries involved you can at least say that something significant has happened and that the power really does lie with the people. And when they decide to take to the streets, they can create history and make our phony leaders look like the weaklings they really are.
Norman Solomon -- An Honest Man Headed for DC
Don't forget to throw your support behind Norman in his run for Congress. I'm as cynical as anyone when it comes to politicians. But Norman is an activist and a wonderful human being, not a career politician. He's a good chance of winning his district and, once he gets to Capitol Hill, the cat will be among the pigeons. Onward!
Click here to see Norman Solomon's campaign site
Take care,
Adrian
IF YOU FOUND THIS BLOG POST INTERESTING you might also like to take a look at BITS & BITES -- July 24, 2011
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