The Jaded Hippy

"Developed" land is not better land

whatsername.gw.org@gmail.com (whatsername) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 06:31:00 +0000

Indians: Vallejo's plans for park desecration

"Plans by [the city of] Vallejo to turn a scraggly stretch of waterfront on the Carquinez Strait into a park with paved parking, trails and restrooms are infuriating local Ohlone Indians who say the 15-acre site is sacred and should be left alone.

The property is Glen Cove Park, a spot that was the site of a 3,500-year-old Ohlone village and shell mound where thousands of people were buried.

The settlement is one of the oldest Ohlone sites in the Bay Area and among the few that has eluded development. But for decades, Vallejo has wanted to convert the wildland to a park with a portion of the Bay Trail, picnic tables and a pastoral array of native plants.

'What we want to do is return it to what it was 100 years ago,' said Steve Pressley, maintenance and development manager for the Greater Vallejo Recreation District. 'As an agency, we have a responsibility to the public as a whole, and we need to consider all the components, not just the needs of Native Americans.'"

Of course, as it noted further along in the article, people already use this site as a park and are quite happy with it. So "responsibility to the public as a whole" is a shallow defense at best. Although, I plan to quote that bit in my letter to them as a reason why they should care what I think of their plans.

I'm not even going to get started on how the way the article is written is clearly meant to create sympathy for the city.

In addition, another story will probably be popping up soon putting Vallejo on the radar of bloggers/social justice minded news readers like you and me (hopefully more on that soon), so I want to make sure to spread the word on this. I can just see them using the noise on the other story to do some shady shit like this while we're distracted.

Please feel free to tell the Greater Vallejo Recreation District and tell them just what you think about paving over sacred Indian locations:

Shane McAffee, General Manager
smcaffee@gvrd.org
Telephone: 707-648-4603

Steve Pressley, Maintenance & Development Manager
spressley@gvrd.org
Telephone: 707-648-4602

Board of Directors
BoardofDirectors@gvrd.org

In their local community workshops [pdf] the GVRD asked participants to rank a selection of priorities, one being "Protect Native American sacred land." I think that should be number one. How about you?

"Free Native Extraction Service"

whatsername.gw.org@gmail.com (whatsername) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 08:26:00 +0000

Commenter here (and blogger in her own right) Cecelia pointed out this story, in the comments on my post at the racist events that have happened recently at UCSD.

The advertisement headlined “Free Native Extraction Service” was placed on the UsedWinnipeg.com website. The website is managed by Victoria-based company called Black Press. They operate a network of websites (47 in total) under the UsedEverywhere.com brand.
Referring to Native youth, it began: “Have you ever had the experience of getting home to find those pesky little buggers hanging outside your home, in the back alley or on the corner???” It goes on to offer “free extraction services to relocate them to their habitat,” and continues with other offensive remarks.
“We condemn this as a hate crime, and will join with others to see the perpetrators are brought to justice,” said Rector. “This ad could intimidate and incite violence against indigenous youth in North America, and we are joining with Manitoba Chiefs to call for an end to hate crimes such as these. We must all stand together to protect our youth.”

Link here

This is "post racial American" folks.

Because this needs to be said to my wider audience too

whatsername.gw.org@gmail.com (whatsername) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 11:26:00 +0000

"Apparently "Firefly" is antifeminist -.-"

fuckyeahfirefly:

helloxgoodbye:
Ugh! So much about this pisses me off. I could rant forever in response to this, but to sum up everything I feel quickly:
1) The person who wrote this clearly doesn’t understand the show. At all. She obviously watched it searching for reasons, and then, when she found none, forced it to fit her opinion. Which, it doesn’t. She also generalises, and accepts her personal opinions and experiences as fact.
and 2) She call herself a “feminist”, but, she is not. A feminist believes that men and women are equal, but she is an extremist, and seems to believe that women are better than men. In the comments she actually says “I hate men.” -.-
Anger! Anger! Is anyone else seething with anger?? If I were better at writing, I’d write her a kick in the face. ugh. anger.
and wtf was the “lesbian feminist” thing? just cause you are lesbian does not make you more of a feminist!
I want to just show her point by point how freaking wrong she is. ugh. ok… calming down for a bit…

Um, hi... I'm the woman who runs the Fuck Yeah Nathan Fillion tumblr so I know you've seen my SN pop up on your dash, reblogging your excellent Mal pictures and quotes.

So when I say what I'm about to say, I sincerely hope that you will take into account that, obviously, I'm a huge fucking fan of Whedon in general and definitely of Firefly specifically.

Allecto is not "crazy" or "just looking for stuff to get mad about".

I don't particularly agree with her on all of her points (no, really, I really, really, don't). In fact I'd go so far as to say that while I think she brings up some really interesting thoughts, questions and choices made in the show that should be taken seriously, just as often her analysis hinges on some extremely problematic ideas.

I'll give you a for instance: I completely and totally and vehemently disagree with allecto regarding her interpretation of Inara's character, who seems to be filling the role of "sex therapist/surrogate" often enough, and I think her labeling of Inara as a "prostituted woman" erases the character's agency, not to mention the agency of real life sex workers by association in the process. And I think that erasure operates very similarly to how she argues Whedon erased much of Zoe's agency, and that's pretty fucked up!

But that doesn't make her everything about her analysis "stupid," and just because she doesn't agree with your view of the show doesn't mean she's just so stupid that she "doesn't get the show."

Like all art, television is a subjective experience. And her experience was different from yours. But, again, that doesn't make it WRONG.

I've engaged in plenty of critique with Whedon's work, both favorable (like my Doctor Horrible series!) and not. He's not even close to perfect, and if you're emotionally invested in him being so, and being seen by others as such, you're going to be blindingly pissed off an awful lot.

But I mean for fuck sakes, Firefly is based in a world where the U.S. and China are supposed to be the basis for pretty much everything, and he had his characters speaking the wrong dialect and didn't cast a single Asian (much less Chinese) or mixed race character (and no I cannot take credit for realizing this, it was pointed out to me by women of color who I read online, though it was years ago and so I don't remember exactly who).

But yeah. Not. a. single. one.

And he has ADMITTED how fucked up that was, since then.

Because Joss Whedon is not perfect! He carries his own privilege and perspective and biases and life experiences into his work. And not all of that is going to be pretty, some of it is going to be (and has been) rather fucked up!

The same is true for any artist, and it should not prevent us from still loving their work while also being able to say "hey you can do this better" or "hey that was seriously messed up."

Because, and here's the thing a lot of the people I've seen respond with anger to this post seems to me to be forgetting: JOSS CREATED THIS SHOW.

Like, he DECIDED, purposefully, how the characters would be, what the plots would look like, etc. Everything in the show is the result of a conscious decision on his part or his writer's part and with his approval. So analyzing the CHOICES he made and what he DECIDED to present, with the thought in mind that had he wanted to he could have done something different, is vital to these discussions!

...Basically, what I'm saying is, if you disagree with her critique, that's fine/great/wonderful/perfectly acceptable to me, but how about you CRITIQUE IT! Meaning analyse her arguments and reply in kind, instead of just going "omg she obviously just is too stupid to GET IT!" and dismissing her out of hand.

And before you do that, you might want to examine your response to hers, because the amount of anger directed at her for the act of voicing her analysis of a television show seems really out of whack (you want to kick her in the face? what?). I'm pretty sure Joss Whedon doesn't need us white knighting on the internet for him...

Also, to all the lovely people whose comments I read in the "notes" on the tumblr post, talking about how much more feminist you and Firefly are than this writer is, while also calling her a BITCH and other choice words in the same breath, wow, that is pretty absurdly hypocritical. Just sayin'.

One last thing: Lesbian Feminism. Yeah, it's a thing. Not an unproblematic thing, but an established thing nonetheless.

Racism on UC Campuses

whatsername.gw.org@gmail.com (whatsername) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 22:48:00 +0000

Definitely a must read for all of us going to school in California...

A firestorm over racially and ethnically charged incidents at several University of California campuses spread Tuesday as UC San Diego announced a KKK-style hood was found on campus and students in Los Angeles and Irvine demonstrated against intolerance.

"What kind of campus promotes an environment that allows people to think it's acceptable to target people for their ethnicity, gender or sexuality?" said Corey Matthews, one of about 200 mostly minority UCLA students who held a lunchtime rally. "It's something about the tone of the environment that allows this."

At UC Irvine, about 250 people gathered for a "student solidarity speakout" to condemn the recent spate of racist incidents at UC San Diego that targeted black students and another incident last month at UC Davis, which targeted a Jewish student with a swastika carved on her door, said Marya Bangee, an event organizer.

The protests came on the same day UC San Diego announced the discovery of a white pillowcase fashioned into a KKK-style hood — the third racist incident around the campus in as many weeks — and a day after UC Santa Cruz officials found an image of a noose scribbled on the inside of a bathroom door.

Officials found the hood, which bore a hand-drawn circle and cross, on a statue of children's book author Theodor Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss, outside the main campus library late Monday. A rose had been inserted between the statue's fingers.

Detectives were analyzing the pillowcase for fingerprints and DNA evidence, a university statement said.

UC San Diego Chancellor Marye Anne Fox vowed to punish the culprits to the fullest extent of the law. "We will not tolerate these despicable actions," she said in the statement.

The hood came on the heels two other UC San Diego incidents: a February off-campus, student-organized "Compton Cookout" party that mocked Black History Month with ghetto stereotypes; and a noose found hanging from a library bookshelf last week.

LA Times

This shit has got to stop.

Statewide Day of Action

whatsername.gw.org@gmail.com (whatsername) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:56:00 +0000

Today is the day, fellow Californians!

While I know we can't all drop what we're doing and head out, if you can show up, please do.

Anyone living here right now knows that public education is under attack: with funding cuts, tuitions raised over and over, and lay-offs left and right.

California has some of the most affordable public institutions of higher education, where you can get some of the best educating in the country, and this is because we made affordable public education a priority. But this seems to have slipped by the wayside the more and more into debt our state has gone.

While, yes, we need to fix our budget, cuts in education is not a solution. And cuts in valuable social justice departments (Women and Gender Studies, Ethnic Studies, etc.) is NOT the solution either, yet they are often the first to go. We need MORE of that kind of education, if we are to ever produce a populace who understands the connections that need to be made to create a sustainable state. The kind of state where everyone has a home, and food in their cupboards.

And I don't think I have to tell you how far we are from that simple standard right now.

So, like I said, if you can, please show up.

For a list of events that are happening near you please consult this site.

"Higher" education is a right, not a privilege.

*Update* To keep up to date on the happenings today in California (and in other states apparently?) check out this site: http://cbs4.com/national/California.students.protest.2.1538101.html

You can also follow my Twitter feed as I have been updating sporadically throughout the day.

2-1-1

whatsername.gw.org@gmail.com (whatsername) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 08:07:00 +0000

http://www.211.org/

2-1-1 provides free and confidential information and referral. Call 2-1-1 for help with food, housing, employment, health care, counseling and more.

I just stumbled across this service in one of my investigations on the internet!

FYI - All Haitian "Orphans" Had Parents

whatsername.gw.org@gmail.com (whatsername) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 08:07:00 +0000

Tumblr cross post:

amandaw:

meloukhia:

A reporter’s visit Saturday to the rubble-strewn Citron slum, where 13 of the children lived, led to their parents, all of whom said they turned their youngsters over to the missionary group voluntarily in hopes of getting them to safety.
Similar explanations were given by parents in the mountain town of Callabas, outside Port-au-Prince, who told the AP on Feb. 3 that desperation and blind faith led them to hand over 20 children to the Baptist group.

Earthquake in Chile

whatsername.gw.org@gmail.com (whatsername) — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 20:51:00 +0000

As many of you have probably already heard there was an 8.8 earthquake in Chile today, and I just want to throw some resources out there for people looking for family/friends or to donate to help with the relief. In addition, this earthquake has triggered a tsunami which is traveling through the Pacific. I will be updating with more info as I get it.

"The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration has a West Coast And Alaska Tsunami Warning Center. This is the “preliminary forecast model energy map” they generated showing possible routes of possible tsunami waves that might result from the 8.8 magnitude quake in Chile. CNN reminds us that tsunamis travel at approximately 500 miles per hour, and can travel unimpeded in the vast - and relatively land-empty - Pacific Ocean."

The Nation has a small round up of ways you can help.

And now for something fun...

whatsername.gw.org@gmail.com (whatsername) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 08:43:00 +0000

Anarcha, Betsy and Lucy - Mothers of Gynecology

whatsername.gw.org@gmail.com (whatsername) — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 21:56:00 +0000

And now for one of those periodic installments of "I posted this on my fun tumblr blog and actually now that I think about it I really should put it on the srs bzns blog too." h/t to guerrilla mama

Anarcha was an African American slave woman. She was one of the seventy-five slaves who worked the Wescott plantation, just on the outskirts of Montgomery, Alabama.

Anarcha went into labor one day. Three days later, she was still in labor. Dr Marion Sims was called in to assist the delivery. He writes in his autobiography that he used forceps on the fetus’s head but that he really didn’t know what he was doing since he’d had so little experience with the device. We don’t know whether the baby survived the ordeal. We do know that the mother experienced several vaginal tears from the birthing. She became incontinent afterwards due to the damage.

A few days later, the master of the plantation sent Anarcha to Dr Sims hoping he could repair the damage to his slave, as she could not hold her bowls or bladder. As her master’s chattel, her condition reduced her value considerably.

Sims took in the patient reluctantly. He put her up on his examination table, on her hands and knees and, using a modified pewter spoon to expand the walls of her vagina, he accidentally released the pressure that held her uterus in an awkward position. Anarcha felt immediate relief as the change in air pressure helped her uterus to relocate back into its proper position.

Through an agreement with her master, Anarcha became Dr Sims's guinea pig. She regularly underwent surgical experiments, while positioned on Sims’s table, squatting on all fours, and fully awake without the comfort of any anesthesia. It was commonly accepted that African Americans had a higher tolerance for pain than their white counterparts.

Commonly accepted but utterly wrong.

Anarcha’s fistula (from her vaginal tears) was repaired by Sims. Sims thus became the leading expert in repairing this damage that seemed to occur in a good number of births by slave women. Though Sims was sent many slave women with fistulas, we know from his biography that he experimented repeatedly on Anarcha, as well as two other slaves, Betsy and Lucy.

Anarcha was experimented upon, and drugged up later, not to ease her pain as much as to stifle her moans. It has been calculated that she had been operated on, perhaps, 34 times. She, Betsy, Lucy, and countless others helped Dr Sims hone his techniques and create his gynecological tools. Though on display in museums, many of Dr Sims’s tools have modern counterparts that are used today.

Anarcha, Betsy, and Lucy left no written legacy. Slaves were forbidden to read and write, a crime punishable by death.

And though science today looks back on Sims’s work ambiguously, truly unsure as to his level of success, or whether he should be credited as the father of gynecology, we now know who the mothers of modern gynecology were: they were the nameless and faceless slave women upon whom Dr Sims experimented.

Today we have just three names: Anarcha, Betsy, and Lucy. It is our hope that these names will never be forgotten.

International Wellness Directory

For non commercial use: You may copy, print, reprint, and/or transfer this entire article, if and only if it is unmodified and in its complete state with this copyright notice attached and all the links work properly.

The Further Adventures in Education

whatsername.gw.org@gmail.com (whatsername) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 09:26:00 +0000

So part of the program I am getting my BA from includes a semester's long internship at an organization of our choice (well, a non-profit organization that applies to our field/major). We got a list of such places that others had worked with in the past and had good experiences with at the end of last semester (or the beginning of this one but I went to the earlier meeting).

I've chosen a prison abolition organization that works out of the Bay Area. This means a bit of a commute for me (and of course being an internship this is unpaid so, really, I'm paying money to do it) but I want to gain some knowledge and experience in this field so, you know, it's an investment.

This org is a pretty small firm, founded by lawyers and run mostly by interns! I'm not going to be a lawyer so I'm going to be working with issues of legislation and public policy as well as possibly helping with human rights documentation. One interesting feature of the org structure is that it has adopted a corporate structure, with a board of directors who (I gather) everyone else answers to. 60% of that board of directors are either people in prison right now or who have been in the last 5 years, because the people who know best what people in prison need are people who have been or are there. This makes sense! It's one of the features I'm liking about the org.

I also like their "three-pronged approach" to achieving their ultimate goal: human rights documentation, direct services to people in prison, and media/policy/legislation work. They oppose reforms that strengthen the prison industrial complex, but support those that will make life safer and better for people on the inside if they will not strengthen the PIC as well.

Their primary work is direct service to people in prison, which is how they began, but they have good stuff going on with all three branches this semester, some of which I'm sure I'll end up telling you all about. They also organize with people on the outside for community based solutions instead of policing/imprisonment, to meet the needs that seem to lead eventually to crime: lack of housing, jobs and food.

Thus far I have also noticed that there are some communities not being served by them. For instance, this group primarily organizes in so-called women's prisons. Which means 1) working with people the STATE considers "women" i.e. trans men and cis women and 2) this work doesn't include immigrant detention facilities. Also, because they have made a conscious decision to be spread by word of mouth and not to be associated even slightly with the prisons they work in (a good idea, imo) there seems to be some question of how to reach out to more communities that are even within "women's prisons" (for instance, as far as I can tell they deal only with English or Spanish speakers, which leaves relatively small but still significant populations out).

I've been going back and forth for at least a week on whether I "accept" these chosen limitations, or about under what conditions I might accept them, and why.

We did a reading in another class not long ago that talked about the importance of coalitions, and that groups/movements who put up an all-encompassing umbrella tend to simply replicate the systems of oppression we're trying to fight against (I think the so-called LBGT movement is a good example, trans people, gender variant people and intersex folks all seem to get tacked on as an after thought and then almost entirely left out of meaningful work).

This author (Bernice Johnson Reagon) said it seems that what is more effective is groups who have a rather narrow focus, but then work in coalition with other groups with their own narrow focuses, to serve all the communities we want to bring from the margins to the center.

And, ok, this makes sense to me. Though it also seems to run the risk of leaving some communities entirely ignored; not just sort of token-ishly included but mostly ignored. And I'm not sure which is "better".

What worries me about this strategy, is how well do we actually do coalition work in practice?

How often is the "narrow focus" used as an excuse to ignore the communities we're choosing not to help directly?

Like, this org that I'm working with claims to work in coalition with other groups with a similar mission, for instance one which center trans women, trans men, gender variant and intersex people in prisons. And in looking at work they've done together I'll admit some of it is quite interesting, like a conference (the first of it's kind, reportedly) which centered the experience of trans people (the four letters from prisoners in the printed booklet were from trans women) in prison and conceptualized ways to end the criminalization/policing/abuse of trans people/communities. Which potentially sounds great! But was it, really? Because we all know how intent and impact can differ wildly.

And what is the process for deciding which groups we help and which we don't?

I tend to fall back on Barbara Smith on this one, which is that who we should help are those who are most exploited in our communities (a "bottom-up" approach). From my years in this "politics blogging" thing that I've done, those people seem to usually be: trans women of color, indigenous peoples and "illegal" immigrants (and as should be obvious there is a lot of overlap between these groups).

So, were I setting up my own organization, this is probably who I would want to work with.

But, thankfully, for the class portion of this experience, the whole point is to be thoughtful and critical about the org we place ourselves with. What do we like, what do we not like, who does what work etc etc. So I have every incentive to think critically about these things.

Having never done anything like this in any practical way I am also set to learn A LOT. And it's going to be incredibly intense, I can already tell. They get a ton of letters and phone calls from people all over the state, all over the country, and in both men's and women's prisons, and so one of the first things I'm going to be figuring out is exactly what services we can offer and which we can't. And they prepared us for the fact that there will be a lot of people we simply can't help (for instance apparently they get a lot of stuff about child custody, which isn't an area of expertise for any one in the org so it's not something they can handle). So these questions aren't going away, though they will probably get more specific (and numerous) as I do the work.

Over the next few months it seems a lot of the stuff that I have been thinking about, listening to, writing on and learning for the last few years will be tested. Can I apply what I know in a practical setting? How will my various privileges rear their ugly heads? Am I capable of doing this work effectively and keeping some semblance of emotional stability? And if I am capable of that, am I also capable of keeping what good work I see from infringing on my ability to think critically as well (because I have a tendency to get very invested in the work I do)?

21 Guns with American Idiot Cast!!! Official Video!

whatsername.gw.org@gmail.com (whatsername) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 08:08:00 +0000

Books I will be reading this semester

whatsername.gw.org@gmail.com (whatsername) — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 04:24:00 +0000

Harriet Jacobs. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Published in 1861, this is an autobiographical novel that Jacobs published under the pen name "Linda Brent." The manuscript was edited by Lydia Maria Child, a popular white female novelist in the sentimental style.

Octavia Butler. Kindred. First published in 1979, this is a time-travel novel by Butler, the most well-known African American woman writing science fiction. The “present” of the novel is 1976, and the “past” is in the nineteenth century.

Nora Okja Keller. Comfort Woman. Keller’s is a mother-daughter novel, where the chapters jump back and forth between Becca, who is mixed-heritage Anglo and Korean, an American citizen growing up in Hawaii, and her mother, called Akiko, who grew up during the Japanese occupation of Korea which only ended in World War II.

Linda Hogan. Solar Storms. Linda Hogan is a Chickasaw writer who has published several novels and books of poetry. Solar Storms is set in a native community north of Minnesota and takes place in the early 1970s. It draws our attention to the James Bay Hydroelectric project in Canada, and its affect on First Nations peoples.

Alicia Gaspar de Alba. Desert Blood. This is a mystery novel which draws our attention to the murders of women in Juárez, Mexico (across the border from El Paso, Texas). The accidental detective is Ivon Villa, a Chicana lesbian who is supposed to be writing her dissertation.

Maythee Rojas, Women of Color and Feminism. Which I'm a few pages into and loving.

Marysol Asencio, Ed., Latina/o Sexualities: Probing, Powers, Passions, Practices, and Policies. Which I haven't started yet, but it's brand new, which is pretty cool.

And then the normal slew of ereserves readings, and two pretty good looking anthologies that I'll only be reading a couple selections from.

It's shaping up to be a good semester, I think. If you follow my Tumblr you'll probably be seeing some quotes popping up from these now and again, because, like the one I was reading last night: "Coalition Politics: Turning the Century" by Bernice Johnson Reagon, just made me want to throw quotes around all over the place, so, if they're all that good you might be getting some of that sporadically.

Last but not least, Grad school app goes in on Monday and next month the app for a fellowship I'm seriously considering is due, so, busy busy busy... But if you miss me I can often be found on Tumblr or Twitter. :)

African migrants rebel against racist attacks

whatsername.gw.org@gmail.com (whatsername) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 05:34:00 +0000

With a hat tip to Womanist Musings where I read this all too familiar story, happening in what is to me a new context.

By Monica Moorehead

The worldwide capitalist economic crisis is hitting tens of millions workers hard to one degree or another, be they in the poorer nations or the rich capitalist countries. Many of these workers are forced to migrate from their beloved homelands to look for work that will provide a decent wage to help them and their families survive.

Immigrants are amongst the most exploited and oppressed workers. They make tremendous profits for the capitalists. Not only do the bosses pay them starvation wages with no benefits, but many face political and social injustice, especially racism. The recent developments in Rosarno, Italy, are a prime example of this outright bigotry and repression.

In Italy sign reads: ‘We are people like you,
don’t let them kill. 6 are dead.’

On Jan. 7, African migrants, including some from Nigeria and Togo, rebelled against racist attacks by white Italians and the police in this working-class town near the western coast of Calabria. Many of these workers, who are both documented and undocumented, work in the citrus groves in the poorly developed southern part of the Italian peninsula.

Characterized as “rioting” by bourgeois news sources in order to demonize the justifiable nature of the rebellion, some African immigrants were provoked to rebel when an immigrant was shot by a vigilante in a nearby city. It has been reported that organized crime figures helped to instigate the attacks.

The immigrants used rocks to fight back and torched cars against the vigilantes and the police. Some migrants were shot with pellet fire and beaten with metal rods, warranting surgery.

On the weekend of Jan. 10, more than 1,000 African workers were transported to detention centers, which are nothing more than jails, for an indefinite amount of time with no charges.

Thousands of African workers pick fruit during the harvest season for many hours a day for less than $200 a week. This is work that many native-born Italians feel would be degrading for them to do.

The rebellion reflects the deepening economic crisis in Italy and Europe in general: In the absence of a strong anti-racist, pro-working class movement against the bosses, migrants are being scapegoated for the loss of jobs. Public statements and policies of the xenophobic, right-wing government of Silvio Berlusconi have given the green light for these racist attacks to intensify.

Treated as social outcasts, these African migrants are forced to live in makeshift shanty towns with much of the housing being subhuman. On behalf of the tourist industry, a majority of these makeshift houses have been bulldozed at the same time these workers are being detained.

A spokesperson for the International Organization for Migration in Italy, Flavio Di Giacomo, commented, “This event pulled the lid off something that we who work in the sector know well but no one talks about: That many Italian economic realities are based on the exploitation of low-cost foreign labor, living in subhuman conditions, without human rights.” (New York Times, Jan. 11) He went on to describe the conditions of the African migrants as “semi-slavery.”

The Italian section of the Anti-imperialist Camp, commenting on the rebellion of the African workers in Rosarno, while recognizing the extreme poverty of the region, made it clear that “We must be on the side of the Black laborers, no ifs or buts. ... It is a good thing that they have risen in rebellion, demonstrating that if they are human beings, the others are no more than pigs.” (campoantimperialista.it)

This is not the first time that African migrants have been targeted in southern Italy. In 2008, six Ghanians were killed, execution-style, resulting in a rebellion near Naples.

Puzzlements in Online Community Building, Blogging, Tweeting, etc.

whatsername.gw.org@gmail.com (whatsername) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 01:35:00 +0000

while there is a specific thing-that-happened which served as a catalyst for what I'm puzzling through at the moment, I'm going to do something that often annoys me when-others-do-it and remain vague. partly this is because of the nature of the thing-that-happened and the fact that as I write I know people are doing their own puzzling out of what to do about it. partly because I do not want to "call out" anyone. that's been done, and for the my part, I said what I felt I needed to say at the time. of course, I don't understand every facet of what's going on for everyone involved, so it very well might be that I didn't speak to half the issues I should have. I'm uncomfortably aware of that fact.

Still. I feel as ok as one can when they have people-that-matter-to-them on both sides of a heated exchange. the sort of heated exchanges that our ability as a social justice community to actually practice justice kind of hinges on, because they exist at the points in time and space where we can be oppressive, or not. Where kyriarchal standards make it easy to marginalize those Others. Where everyone is fighting to make sure that doesn't happen but maybe we're doing it anyway because ffs that's how we're trained to do things. Anyone trying to do anything else is unlearning right along with learning too. That's not easy. That's where mistakes happen. Of course, it's also where growth happens.

but what I'm thinking more about is more general than just this ongoing situation, because what this all brought to the forefront of my attention is the borders we create. the position i've tried to create for myself since getting into this intersectional blogging thing is one where i take seriously the needs people say they have. to trust people. To trust especially, people I have been conditioned Not to Trust. to use what space I have to promote those voices (this is especially applicable to RTing on Twitter or reblogging on Tumblr, both of which I have kept more active on than I have here as this is my "serious" blog).

Now one of my basic assumptions that we're all going to fuck up at some point. I've seen other people say this sort of thing before, in all sorts of contexts; that if you refuse to associate with people who fuck up, you won't have anyone left to work with. We're all mired in the same kyriarchy, we're all imprinted in some way by it. And it's not that I'm going "oh well" and just ignoring it when people fuck up, it just means that when they do I don't immediately write them off (sometimes I do, but it has to be pretty massive repeated unrepentant fuck ups).

but something that has bothered me in watching many such situations where we are trying to figure this shit out (and by "we" I mean people I can see have a history of engaging on any variety of social justice minded issues, stories, work, etc. aka are promoting a philosophy I identify as working towards the same or similar goals as me and others) is that I don't see a lot of consistency (in the community at large), as I understand it, with what kinds of public statements are received as appropriate and/or helpful.

For instance, I will look at two posts with what I consider to be about the same level of harshness, or controversy, or whatever, "NO BULLSHIT" kind of posts, you know? And one will be heartily agreed with and the other will be belittled or responded to with (what oftentimes seems to me defensiveness and) anger. and as far as I can see both writers (almost always women) are doing essentially the same thing: "this thing you are doing hurts me, or hurts a group I am a part of, STOP DOING IT NOW!"

And some people do this in a way I personally would not, some do it in a way I would and have, but from my vantage point, I'm having a hard time telling the difference in message (which is what I look at, because TONE isn't the important thing, right? it's not a valid criticism, so I've read quite often, which makes sense to me). But DOES there ever come a point where it is too much? Is it important to cultivate safe space so that people don't feel intimidate speaking up? And what does safe space really mean in situations like this? Is it "unsafe" to be informed bluntly the true impact of something on another person? These are the borders I'm trying to figure out.

and i have reached an impasse with this, i hope it will be talked about more by others, because I've been trying to come to terms with this stuff on my own and it's just not working.

But, here I am, puzzling out loud. Unfortunately I don't know if I'm even being coherent, or, worse, maybe I'm talking out my ass in an exceedingly clueless manner. But hey, where better to do that than on one's own blog? eh?

Ways you can help in Haiti UPDATED

whatsername.gw.org@gmail.com (whatsername) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 01:48:00 +0000

A lot of people are on this way quicker than me, so below you will find links to their posts which together provide a slew of ways, big and small, that you can help the earthquake recovery work now going on in Haiti.

Don't know what I'm talking about? Check it out: Haiti Rocked By Worst Quake In 200 Years.

How you can help:
via Angry Black Bitch
via Vivir Latino
via Feministe
via The Wild Hunt
*UPDATE*:
via Wandering Stars
via Enough, this is a great, comprehensive list of orgs and all other information one might need in informing themselves and deciding if and/or how to give a donation.

For my part, after doing some research I decided to send small donations (between 5 and 10 dollars) to: Partners in Health, OxFam, Doctors Without Borders, and the Humane Society. Every little bit helps.

All Bay Area readers!

whatsername.gw.org@gmail.com (whatsername) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 19:03:00 +0000

I got this in my email this morning:

PLEASE COME OUT TO SUPPORT ETHNIC STUDIES IN OUR SCHOOLS! PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!

40 years in the making...

Remember how Ethnic Studies changed your life? Now it's time to give back!
Please forward this email to our allies and get involved in our campaign!

THIS TUESDAY 1/12!

Urgent First Action for Ethnic Studies in our
San Francisco Unified School District High Schools!

A right to reclaim and remember our his/herstories!
A right to create change in our schools and communities!
A right for a better and more hopeful education and future for all!

Forty years after the fight for Ethnic Studies at SFSU, we are continuing the fight for funding to pilot a 9th grade Ethnic Studies course in the SFUSD
during the 2010-11 school year.

This Tuesday, we will be mobilizing in front of the SFUSD building to proudly present our proposal and resolution for Ethnic Studies in our SFUSD high schools
to the School Board members.

In this current budget mess, we need as many allies, students, parents, educators, and community based organizations in support of the course to attend and show the School Board members we want and need this course for a better and more hopeful education and future for ourselves, loved ones, and communities!

We need to pack the room with supporters!

When:
Tuesday January 12, 2009 at 5p.m.

Where:
Irving G. Breyer Board Meeting Room
555 Franklin Street, 1st Floor
San Francisco, CA 94102

Please wear RED to show our unity and passion for Ethnic Studies!
Bring your best signs and banners of support!
Food will be provided!

MORE WAYS YOU CAN HELP...

Write a letter of support to the School Board and email it back to us by
Monday 1/11 to present to them on Tuesday the 12th!
(campaignforethnicstudies@gmail.com)

Join us and speak to the School Board members Tuesday the 12th during public comment about why you believe Ethnic Studies is needed!
(1 minute maximum)

Sign our online petition!
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/ethnic-studies-now

Join our Facebook Group!
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&gid=222082912768

Follow us on Twitter for up to date news and actions!
http://twitter.com/campaignforeths

We hope to see you all on Tuesday!
Stay tuned for more important actions later this month!

In Solidarity,
Campaign for Ethnic Studies

---

The Campaign for Ethnic Studies is proudly supported by:
HOMEY (Homies Organizing the Mission to Empower Youth), The Filipino Community Center, POWER (People Organizing to Win Employment Rights, JACL (Japanese American Citizens League), The College of Ethnic Studies at SFSU, College of Education at SFSU, Pin@y Educational Partnerships, San Francisco Freedom School, ALAY (Active Leadership to Advance the Youth), Chinatown Community Development Center, Angel Island Association, Balboa High School, Mission High School, Thurgood Marshall High School, Washington High School, Lincoln High School, June Jordan High School, & Denman Middle School

Pregnant, In Prison, and Denied Care

whatsername.gw.org@gmail.com (whatsername) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 23:33:00 +0000

By RACHEL ROTH
December 10, 2009

Over the past year, incarcerated women and their allies have achieved a remarkable string of victories against inhumane treatment. First, they persuaded the Bureau of Prisons to issue a new policy in October 2008 limiting the use of restraints on women who are in labor, giving birth or recovering after childbirth; the Marshals Service, which transports people in federal custody, followed suit. Next, they won legislation in the spring and summer of 2009 restricting the use of restraints on pregnant women in New Mexico, Texas and New York. Finally, they successfully petitioned the US Court of Appeals Eighth Circuit for a rehearing of the full court in a case from Arkansas, which resulted in a ruling in October that shackling women in labor is unconstitutional.

These developments send a strong signal to the rest of the country to stop subjecting women to this dangerous and degrading practice. But what happens to pregnant women in prison before they wind up in chains at a hospital?

Read the rest at The Nation

Abortion Access and the Military

whatsername.gw.org@gmail.com (whatsername) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 20:57:00 +0000

There Are No Coat Hangers in Iraq

via ouyandan

The ACLU is interested in hearing from servicewomen, military dependants, and their health care providers about difficulties accessing abortion due to military policies. If you have any information, or would like to share your story with us, please contact us at rfp@aclu.org or 212-549-2633, or write to us at Reproductive Freedom Project, 125 Broad St, 18th Fl., New York, NY, 10004. Any information you provide will be treated as confidential.

Also, anyone who knows me personally may contact me if they feel more comfortable, and I will contact the ACLU on their behalf. Also, if you are pregnant active duty, and have been told that you have no rights or choices about how and when you give birth, and that you are not allowed to decline any medical procedures or services during your childbirth procedure, and would like to talk to the ACLU, I am willing to also contact them on your behalf. Your name can be kept confidential.
Active Duty does not mean you have to give up your reproductive autonomy. I want to help.

More Occupation Info

whatsername.gw.org@gmail.com (whatsername) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 08:06:00 +0000

In Response to Criticisms Over Our Inclusion of an Antiwar Demand

First of all, we’d like to reiterate that our demands as they appear on this blog, in their entirety, were and are a political statement, and/or indictment of the capitalist system, and are representative of our belief that no issue can be truly isolated from any other.

Despite this fact, we HAD actually given President Corrigan a list of our campus-specific demands, which he ignored anyway. The campus specific demands were as follows:

1. That the 93 million dollar recreation center not be built. We see the recreation center as a move to gentrify and privatize campus, since it would require another mandatory fee hike.

2. That union painters be rehired.

3. That the Ethnic Studies Resource Center be reopened.

4. That we are given full disclosure of the budget. We need transparency to understand how the cuts have been implemented and how they will be implemented in the future.

5. We demanded that President Corrigan attend the General Assembly and have an open discussion with students to address these grievances, among others.

To read their FAQ regarding this issue click to read on.

Update on the Occupation

whatsername.gw.org@gmail.com (whatsername) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 08:01:00 +0000

Just a really quick update since I am still doing some finals work (BUT THE END IS IN SIGHT OMG).

So at 3am that morning the police basically arrested everyone who was barricaded inside and dispersed the protesters outside. Then this afternoon we (the students) all got a letter from the President of the Uni telling us what irresponsible people the protesters were and how he really really is invested in "free speech" but that he still couldn't let that go on.

Interesting.

And that's the last I've heard. :)

The Occupation of San Francisco State

whatsername.gw.org@gmail.com (whatsername) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 07:52:00 +0000

This morning I got a call from the SF emergency line telling me that classes normally held in the Business building were canceled. "Odd," I thought.

It wasn't until this evening that the word spread and I happened to see it, the Business building is being occupied by some radical left wing nutcase students (aka, my kind of people)!

So, I am spreading the word. This is becoming more and more common as the budget crisis here gets worse. When this was tried at UC Berkeley the police did not take too kindly to it. Please keep your thoughts focused on the safety of these students. I'll bring updates on what I see tomorrow when I am on campus, though it will already be a busy day for me.

The occupiers also have a Wordpress blog up, so check it out! we are still here.

Patrick Stewart on violence against women

whatsername.gw.org@gmail.com (whatsername) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 01:21:00 +0000

Patrick Stewart here is talking to Amnesty International about his childhood experiences with domestic violence. It might be triggering for some, as he is quite candid. It was a bit triggering for me. But I love that he is speaking out about this, because, well, he was Picard, and so I have that weird feeling of some sort of relationship to him through growing up watching him. So, anyway, I'm sharing.

21 Guns with American Idiot Cast!!!

whatsername.gw.org@gmail.com (whatsername) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:35:00 +0000

SQUEE!

So, if you aren't as awesome as me and haven't gotten to see American Idiot the musical yet, check out this new version of 21 Guns that Green Day recorded with the cast!

It's fabulous, and I'm pretty sure that's Rebecca Naomi Jones (aka WHATSERNAME w00t!) on lead vocals.

Click HERE to launch the music player!

I almost never write poetry...

whatsername.gw.org@gmail.com (whatsername) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 08:25:00 +0000

I was having an argument about this story about Alma Chacon and was musing on the pure absurdity of national borders and who is "legal" and "illegal" within those artificial boundaries and my brain just started getting all poetical, so....thought why not share... (If it's not clear, I was thinking about these things from Alma's and other mestizas and indigenous folks' perspective.)

"Illegal"

How can I be
Illegal
On the land my people come from?

"Illegal"
You declare me
As you pave over the bones of my ancestors.

A line drawn
Treaties signed
By people who were visitors to our country.

Now you declare me the visitor
Me the intruder
Me the unwanted guest.

But your economy thrives
on my bent back

And the ones in charge,
they know it.