Dark days for freedom of speech

I personally do not follow any Gods or masters, I believe though in the realities of the rain and wind, the dark shadows that fall, light and shade.
The savage attack on the offices of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo are simply atrocious, it is an attack on our fundamental freedom of thought and expression, and Europes vibrant press culture. It is  a dark time  when voices are silenced in this horrific way. I personally follow too solidarity's breath, so this is why I must stand with the victims of this barbaric attack. This evil in religions disguise now spreads across our lands, and I cannot condone, a twisted exploitation of  sacred pieces of paper, that only seeks to divide people in the name of unreason, and does not represent the words and deeds of the majority of followers of Islam., we must support those muslims, who might be attacked because of what some madmen have tried to exploit.
This is not the first time that the offices of Charlie Hebdo  have been attacked,  and sadly unfortunately wont be the last time that it will be either .A magazine well known for its satirical content,  that has caused deep offence to many different faiths. Yet those  who kill for the mere reason of offence have done more damage to their faith and community relations, than anyone with a pen or a cartoonists brush.
Allahu Akbar the alleged attackers shouted ' God is Great' in Arabic, this is not an act of  religion though, it is an act of war, I express my sympathy with the victims,  and my condolences and compassions to all muslims who I believe will be as horrified as the world. I hope the French people also reject the persecution of innocents, and resist the temptation to resort to stereotyping.
And though I do not defend or endorse everything that has been published in this magazine,today though Je suis, Charlie Hebdo

Powerful Palestine Rises triumphantly

                                             
                                            image - Palestinian artist Imad abu Shtayeh                                       
                                           
As Palestine seeks to join the International Criminal Court, powerful Palestine rises triumphantly: Despite the destruction, they remain steadfast, the Palestinian  voice grows stronger day by day - they have  not lost their hope or their dignity. Even though they have experienced pain and loss in an unimaginable way, they will not give up  until they get their deserved freedom, and an end  to their ongoing repression. The survival of the Palestinian  people is their strongest resistance, they do not see themselves as victims, but a people whose hopes and aspirations grow stronger everyday.
The right of the Palestinian people to self-determination remains undiminished and it is up to the international community to respect their rights and remind Israel of its obligation to respect this.
Remember too  that the International Criminal Court  specifically  finds that "Crimes against Humanity" under  the Rome Statute of 2007, Article 7, states that these offences include murder, forcible deportation or transfer of members of a group, torture, persecution of members of an identified group (ie the Palestinians ) and the crimes of apartheid.
May 2015 bring Peace and freedom, this freedom means refugees finally being allowed to return home. A freedom  that means that the Palestinian people can move around without having to hide from checkpoints or walk around walls. A freedom that means not being discriminated against, not being denieid passes. A freedom that  means having a functioning economy, that has not been stolen by the occupier, that has seen it taking  over the Palestinians tourism, agriculture, industries, land and natural resources. A freedom that does not see friends and relatives killed or homes demolished.
From the rivers to the sea I hope Palestine will be free, we should all  keep asking for justice and dignity for today's generation of Palestinians and the next ones to come, but we should  also remember that freedom is never given voluntarily by the oppressor it must be demanded by the oppressed. This freedom must be allowed to prevail, as it did in South Africa, I strongly  believe that the arc of the universe is bent towards, this goal, even when at times, it does not seem to look this way. This is one of my dearest goals.

Onwards and Upwards

Sadly the country is still full of people who will continue to vote for the Conservatives in May, but if we have any sense at all, surely it is time to show them the door.Currently  in Great Britain Tax cuts are given  to the rich, bankers are getting 35% pay rises... and even last week I read that the government has nearly  doubled its intake of champagne, all paid for by us. Food poverty grows daily, and the governments plan for recovery will mean  that people on low incomes, things will get a whole lot worse, before it gets any better.
Their arrogance and lack of empathy  is astonishing. The sooner the Conservatives and their allies are consigned  to the dustbins of history the better.We must cleanse ourselves of the shreds of their corruption and  finally show the sheer magnitude of their rampant theft  and pillaging of our countries assets.
 The media I guess is part of the problem, because the media  is not going  to stand up against a system that its owners benefit from, a few voices get through but it is not enough. Sadly the opposition  is weak too, so I'm not holding my breath for a good outcome.
"The Revolution will not be televised"
Anyway happy new year/ blwyddyn newydd dda, hope  change is truly on its way, best wishes , heddwch/peace. One final determined push should do it.

Wounded Knee Massacre remembered

                                             
                                                         poster by Bruce Carter

Today in history, December 29th 1890 - The U.S 7th Cavalry carried out the Wounded Knee Massacre near Wounded knee Creek on the Lakota Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.The Native Indians had gathered to participate in a religious revival movement known as the Ghost Dance. Fearing large numbers of Indians gathered in one place, the U.S military tried to ban the ceremony and crush their right to assembly.
In the aftermath as many as 300 Lakota Sioux men, women and children were killed, many shot in the back while attempting to flee. Their bodies left to freeze  in a mass grave. It serves today as a constant   reminder  and example of the brutal mistreatment and oppression bestowed upon the Indians. Today I remember  these ancestors lost on December 29th, 1890, their peace on earth shattered, all those winters ago.
In 2008 a petition was  launched demanding that the U.S reclaim the medal of Honour  that was given to the 7th Cavalry  for their role in the massacre, and to remove any  recognition the U.S military bestowed to its entities for the massacre and to obtain  the return  of personal items taken from the Lakota people.
In 1973 the American Indian Movement (A.I.M ) occupied Wounded Knee, noting its historic significance - a 71 day stand off ensured with federal law enforcement officials. Leonard Peltier an A.I.M leader was asked  by traditional people at Pine Ridge  in South Dakota to support and protect them. He was later illegally arrested by means  of coerced and fraudulent testimony for the murder of 2 F.B.I agents. He is now one  of the longest held political prisoners in the United States, 37 years and counting .He is in declining health,so timing for justice is short.
An earlier post on the case can be found here:-

http://teifidancer-teifidancer.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/leonard-peltier-day.html.

                                           Leonard Peltier

Lakota accounts of massacre at Wounded Knee

Lawrence Ferlinghetti ( b 24/3/19) - Pity the Nation

Pity the nation 

Pity the nation whose people are sheep,
and whose shepherds mislead them.
Pity the nation whose leaders are liars, whose sages are silenced,
and whose bigots haunt the airwaves.
Pity the nation that raises not its voice,
except to praise conquerors and acclaim the bully as hero
and aims to rule the world with force and by torture.
Pity the nation that knows no other language but its own
and no other culture but its own.
Pity the nation whose breath is money
and sleeps the sleep of the too well fed.
Pity the nation — oh, pity the people who allow their rights to erode
and their freedoms to be washed away.
My country, tears of thee, sweet land of liberty.

What if it was you?

Happy Boxing Day.

To coincide  with this  day, a major date in the hunting calender, the League against Cruel Sports is launching a new national ad campaign  to portray the cruelty of hunting with dogs for sport. The hard hitting film asks the question, What if it was you? and shows the cruelty of hunting from a hunted animals perspective.

As many as 80% pf the public think that fox hunting should not  be made legal again.

The pro-hunt lobby it seems is completely  out of touch with modern British society. It is now time for the pro-hunt lobby to respect the  law, respect our wildlife and respect the will of the British people. The cruelty and casual disregard must not be allowed to return.

Today across the country it is pissing down, but there are still those riding horseback, who hope for fox hunting to return I hope they all get a good soaking, and have a thoroughly miserable time, and all get thrown off their horses..

The Tory's are also hoping for a repeal  of the fox-hunting  ban  if they win 2015 election, offering a free  vote in the next in the next Parliament in May. They must be stopped in their tracks.

Meanwhile

AND REMEMBER :-

I have a dream

'On the night before Christmas, we'll all  be about,
while the people are sleeping, we'll realise our clout,
we'll expropriate goods, from  the stores, because that's fair,
and distribute them wide, to those  who need care.'


All I guess I really want  for Christmas is the abolition of white supremacist, capitalist, heteropatriarchy, and the end of David Cameron and his coherts power, Dave, who this morning  expressed his commitment to Christian values, saying "giving and sharing and taking care of others at home and around the world was something Britain could be proud off." Oh the bloody  hypocrite. The same  David Cameron who wants to stop us all from fighting for our rights. Let's all put our faith into action, and next year kick the Tories out. Real progress can only be achieved, if the Conservatives power is taken away. This day, coming soon, is the one I will truly celebrate. Together let's kick out the Tories.


Anyway Merry Crimbo.... blog will probably be quiet, for a bit, the library I use will be closing for its mandatory holiday season. Thanks for all who have supported blog, another world is not only possible, it is inevitable. Despite it all, have a good one.
Best wishes...heddwch/peace.

Oh ,by the way,

Father Christmas says Free Palestine

On the threshold (a poem for the Winter solstice )

We remember, old friends
the warmth of breath,
on the threshold now
of new beginnings,
escaping the darkness
bridging the void,
lighting  fires to rekindle
the glow from within,
releasing again

the eternal surge and flow,
of humanity's embrace,
hands stretched out
travelling light,
mapping the invisible
on this shortest day,
toasting new beginnings
setting course on paths of freedom,
as moon's shadow casts its seed
and the night dances
with the cathedral of earth
and the white bones of winter,
yuletide brings gentleness to restore 
to allow all things to become possible.

Sleaford Mods - Jolly F*cker

Ready for Christmas.... Fuck... I'm never bloody ready for christmas, it's all a illusion, as they  smash us up, over and over again, don't leave us with many crumbs, as coldness and starvation takes hold, but those tory blighters  will still be  having a toast, sitting comfortably in their cozy homes, filling their bloated faces  with cake. Yes the spectacle of consumerism and distraction draws close, but in these times of austerity and crisis, it is crucial to remember  that the seeds  of a better society already lie embedded  in the contradictions of the current one. In these dark times, when  hope seems lost, we must constantly remind ourselves that the seeds for  a better world already  lie deep in the scorched earth of the present one. As they continue  building their walls of oppression, tommorrow we  must carry on confronting and challenging head on, let us be the  spirit of revolution reincarnated, striking down upon the  scrooges of our time, as  darkness seems to envelop the world.
Bah humbug, merry crisis and a happy new fear. Hope the future is brighter, reignites all with passion and integrity.

Lights out for Gaza

Switch off your lights tonight 7pm -8 pm in solidarity  with Palestinian families in Gaza.
Currently  they only get electricity for 6 hours a day.Power off for 18 hours.
Today there  is a global solidarity campaign highlighting this problem and the innocents  living with  a blockade on the Gaza strip and  its ongoing power crisis.
The Palestinians in Gaza suffer from power shortages for long hours, that has been exasperated after the last Israel war.
Combined  with poor electricity infrastructure, there is shortage of  industrial fuel to generate power and technical  issues with Gaza's power plant, linked with Israel's recent bombing campaign.
Daily life is a constant battle for the deprived residents of  one of the worlds most densely populated places on earth.