The Universe is Friendly

I've recently realized that though I spend a lot of time advocating for the rights of those without equitable access to resources, my heart hasn't been convinced that change is truly possible.

Last Friday or Saturday I started to tell myself, at the urging of my beloved lady-fair, that I had the right to choose whether the universe was friendly or the universe was hostile. Clearly, my own history indicates that I believed the universe was hostile, but I felt a movement in my own heart.

I know that my child will mimic what I do, say and believe. That said, I know that I have an amazing opportunity to choose to believe something different.

So, I choose that the universe is friendly.

The moment I started saying that, I've noticed things starting to happen. My best example, right now, is the opportunity I had earlier this week to present my thoughts on the War in Iraq to a group of activists at an Int'l Women's Day Peace March and Rally.

I was nervous in the hours leading up to it. But then I realized that I needed to do something that spoke to white people in a way that could move them to start thinking about infusing the peace movement with an anti-racist analysis.

I need them to do that because when my child is born, I don't want him to live his life as leftist pinko liberal who forgets that he's white. Rather, I need to do this because my child deserves to know that she's on a playing field that keeps people in potholes, and allows others to traverse a nicely paved way.

Here is my speech:

I was asked to address racism, from the perspective of the peace movement. I suppose the best way for me to start would be to say “This is a racist war.”

Monies and lives are being wasted away in unjust war. All these resources could be used to address deteriorating life conditions in the South due to Katrina and Rita, these resources could be used to alleviate embedded generational poverty, and they could be used to finally address the rampant racism throughout the United States.

Did Dr. King not say in his speech opposing the Vietnam War that “we need a radical revolution of values”? Forty years ago he said this, and look around. Has anything changed?

If this is truly a war against terrorism, why is capitalism, under the guise of Democracy and Patriotism, being shoved down the throats of People of Color all over the country and the world?

Well, its because this is a racist war.

A week ago someone asked me how I would define “peace”. I was dumbfounded when I realized that I had no idea how to do that. I have never been asked, nor have I ever thought to define it. Maybe I should have said something along the lines of the absence of war or perhaps even more telling, “the absence of fear.”

Whatever the definition is, which I’m not sure I would be able to tell you today, the question, as do most things I am unable to answer, made me think of my mother.

My mother, she did, and continues to do the very best she can all the time, and its taken me a long time to realize that I get to trust her wisdom, and though it is rare we’re in agreement, I have found that it’s a good learning opportunity.

My mother, she wouldn’t identify as a republican, though she high-fives her republican friends when they win money from me in cards, but she definately supports Bush. She’s married to a retired GI, and was married to a soldier for more than 20 years. She’s a veteran of the Vietnam War, and comes from a legacy of Chamorro’s (people from Guam) dying in battle for “rights” of white people. She hangs a US flag outside of her house in the morning, and takes it in at night. I would call her a patriot, because that is how she would identify, just like most Chamorros. And, just like most Chamorros, she celebrates an annual Chamorro holiday called Guam Liberation Day. It’s the day that the US Army delivered our island from hands of the Japanese during WWII. I think she’s entitled to feel some sense of appreciation for the US military (as are most Chamorros), of course, its taken decades of propoganda by the US to make the Chamorro’s forget that the US occupies the best land on the island and the island is being held captive by the United States.

Does this process sound familiar at all?

My mother, usually a big supporter of whatever military effort is going on in the world, a HUGE supporter of Nixon (I just like to tell people that), is starting to waver on her support of this effort. Yes, she does the yellow ribbon magnet, and American Flag next to her Guam flag on the back of her SUV. I don’t question her, she’s my mother and its her house and her car. But I’ve noticed our conversations have started to change

See, if peace can be defined as the absence of fear, then, based solely on my conversations with my mother, it makes me think about why she’s scared. Maybe she’s scared that my brothers and my cousins are going to be called up. If she was, I wouldn’t blame her. After all, aren’t people of color and poor people the first ones called upon to make sacrifices for their country?

This is a racist war.

White Christians continue to wage a holy war against Arab Muslims. And, not unlike the time of the Crusades, people of color are portrayed as vile, evil, and wrong. In a world dominated the US imperialistic force, why would anyone disagree or even fight against that notion.

This is a racist war.

People of color are a battered people. Just in the last 100 years, the US has worked to prevent Nations of color from governing themselves.

They were communists, then they were nationalists, now they are. . . terrorists.

And its not the first time. If I’m not mistaken, and I’m not, this country has a nasty history of entering into racist conflicts. The United States is a nation deeply rooted in genocide, slavery, racism, and colonization. In fact, we are so engrossed in our dealing with the issues of the world, we are unable to see the purposeful creation of laws that support these racist morals. Most conflicts involving the military, that I can think of, in the last 100 years has been tainted by our racist policies, values and morals. This one is no different.

This is a long speech, content wise, and more than ½ of it is dedicated to this timeline that shows the greed and immorality and absolute refusal of the United States to allow People of Color to govern themselves. In effect, denying their rightful title of “human being”.

SOUTH DAKOTA, 1890 (-?) Troops. 300 Lakota Indians massacred at Wounded Knee.
CHILE, 1891 - Troops. Marines clash with nationalist rebels.
HAITI, 1891 - Troops. Black workers revolt on U.S.-claimed Navassa Island defeated.
HAWAII, 1893 (-?) - Naval, troops. Independent kingdom overthrown, annexed. NICARAGUA, 1894 - Troops. Month-long occupation of Bluefields.CHINA, 1894-95 - Naval, troops. Marines land in Sino-Japanese War.KOREA, 1894-96 - Troops/ Marines kept in Seoul during war.PANAMA, 1895 - Troops, naval/ Marines land in Colombian province.NICARAGUA, 1896 - Troops/ Marines land in port of Corinto.CHINA, 1989-1900 - Troops/ Boxer Rebellion fought by foreign armies.PHILIPPINES, 1898-1910(-?) Naval, troops. Seized from Spain, killed 600,000 Filipinos.CUBA, 1898-1902(-?) Naval, troops/ Seized from Spain, still hold Navy base.PUERTO RICO, 1898(-?) Naval, troops/ Seized from Spain, occupation continues.GUAM, 1898(-?) Naval, troops/ Seized from Spain, still use as base.
MINNESOTA, 1898(-?) Troops/ Army battles Chippewa at Leech Lake.NICARAGUA, 1898 - Troops / Marines land at port of San Juan del Sur.SAMOA, 1899(-?) Troops/ Battle over succession to throne.NICARAGUA, 1899 - Troops/ Marines land at port of Bluefields.OKLAHOMA, 1901 - Troops/ Army battles Creek Indian revolt.PANAMA, 1901-14 - Naval, troops/ Broke off from Colombia 1903, annexed Canal Zone 1914-99.HONDURAS, 1903 - Troops/ Marines intervene in revolution.DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, 1903-04 - Troops. U.S. interests protected in Revolution.KOREA, 1904-05 - Troops/ Marines land in Russo-Japanese War.CUBA, 1906-09 - Troops/ Marines land in democratic election.NICARAGUA, 1907 - Troops/ 'Dollar Diplomacy' protectorate set up.HONDURAS, 1907 - Troops/ Marines land during war with Nicaragua.PANAMA, 1908 - Troops / Marines intervene in election contest.NICARAGUA, 1910 - Troops / Marines land in Bluefields and Corinto.HONDURAS, 1911 - Troops/ U.S. interests protected in civil war.CUBA, 1912 - Troops/ U.S. interests protected in Havana.PANAMA, 1912 - Troops/ Marines land during heated election.HONDURAS, 1912 - Troops/ Marines protect U.S. economic interests.NICARAGUA, 1912-33 - Troops, bombing/ 20-year occupation, fought guerrillas.MEXICO, 1913 - Naval/ Americans evacuated during revolution.DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, 1914 - Naval/ Fight with rebels over Santo Domingo. MEXICO, 1914-18 - Naval, troops/ Series of interventions against nationalists.HAITI, 1914-34 - Troops, bombing/ 19-year occupation after revolts.DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, 1916-24 - Troops. 8-year Marine occupation.CUBA, 1917-33 - Troops. Military occupation, economic protectorate. PANAMA, 1918-20 - Troops. 'Police duty' during unrest after elections. HONDURAS, 1919 - Troops. Marines land during election campaign.GUATEMALA, 1920 - Troops. 2-week intervention against unionists.
CHINA, 1922-27 - Naval, troops/ Deployment during nationalist revolt.HONDURAS, 1924-25/ Troops/ Landed twice during election strife.PANAMA, 1925 - Troops / Marines suppress general strike.CHINA, 1927-34/ Troops/ Marines stationed throughout the country.EL SALVADOR, 1932/ Naval/ Warships sent during Faribundo Marti revolt. WORLD WAR II, 1941-45/ Naval,troops, bombing, nuclear/ Fought Axis for 3 years; 1st nuclear war.DETROIT, 1943/ Troops/ Army puts down Black rebellion.IRAN, 1946/ Nuclear threat/ Soviet troops told to leave north (Iranian Azerbaijan).YUGOSLAVIA, 1946/ Naval/ Response to shooting-down of U.S.plane.URUGUAY, 1947/ Nuclear threat/ Bombers deployed as show of strength.GREECE, 1947-49/ Command operation/ U.S. directs extreme-right in civil war.CHINA, 1948-49/ Troops/ Marines evacuate Americans before Communist victory. PHILIPPINES, 1948-54/ Command operation/ CIA directs war against Huk Rebellion.PUERTO RICO, 1950/ Troops, naval, bombing, nuclear threats/ Independence rebellion crushed in Ponce.KOREA, 1951-53(-?)/ U.S.& South Korea fight China & North Korea to stalemate; A bomb threat in 1950, & vs. China in 1953. Still have bases.IRAN, 1953/ Command operation/ CIA overthrows democracy, installs Shah.VIETNAM, 1954/ Nuclear threat/ Bombs offered to French to use against siege.GUATEMALA, 1954/ Command operation, bombing, nuclear threat/ CIA directs exile invasion after new gov't nationalizes U.S. company lands; bombers based in Nicaragua.EGYPT, 1956/ Nuclear threat, troops/ Soviets told to keep out of Suez crisis; Marines evacuate foreignersLEBANON, 1958/ Troops, naval/ Marine occupation against rebelsIRAQ, 1958/ Nuclear threat/ Iraq warned against invading Kuwait.CHINA, 1958/ Nuclear threat/ China told not to move on Taiwan isles.PANAMA, 1958/ Troops/ Flag protests erupt into confrontation.VIETNAM, 1960-75/ Troops, naval, bombing, nuclear threats/ Fought South Vietnam revolt & North Vietnam; 1-2 million killed in longest U.S. war; atomic bomb threats in 1968 and 1969.CUBA, 1961/ Command operation/ CIA-directed exile invasion fails. CUBA, 1962/ Nuclear threat/ Naval Blockade during missile crisis; near-war with USSR.LAOS, 1962/ Command operation/ Military buildup during guerrilla war.PANAMA, 1964/ Troops/ Panamanians shot for urging canal's return.INDONESIA, 1965/ Command operation/ Million killed in CIA-assisted army coup.DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, 1965-66/ Troops, bombing/ Marines land during election campaign.GUATEMALA, 1966-67/ Command operation/ Green Berets intervene against rebels.DETROIT, 1967/ Troops/ Army battles Blacks, 43 killed.UNITED STATES, 1968/ Troops/ After King is shot; over 21,000 soldiers deployed in US cities.CAMBODIA, 1969-75/ Bombing, troops, naval/ Up to 2 million killed in decade of bombing, starvation, and political chaos.OMAN, 1970/ Command operation/ U.S. directs Iranian marine invasion.LAOS, 1971-73/ Command operation, bombingU.S. directs South Vietnamese invasion; 'carpet-bombs' countryside.SOUTH DAKOTA, 1973/ Command operation/ Army directs Wounded Knee siege of Lakotas.MIDEAST, 1973/ Nuclear threat/ World-wide alert during Mideast War.CHILE, 1973/ Command operation/ CIA-backed coup ousts elected marxist president.CAMBODIA, 1975/ Troops, bombing Gascaptured ship, 28 die in copter crash.ANGOLA, 1976-92/ Command operation/ CIA assists South African-backed rebels.IRAN, 1980/ Troops, nuclear threat, aborted bombing/ 8 troops die in plane crash. Soviets warned not to get involved in revolution.LIBYA, 1981/ Naval jets/ Two Libyan jets shot down in maneuvers.EL SALVADOR, 1981-92/ Command operation, troops, advisors/ Overflights aid anti-rebel war, soldiers briefly involved in hostage clash. NICARAGUA, 1981-90/ Command operation, naval/ CIA directs exile (Contra) invasions, plants harbor mines against revolution.LEBANON, 1982-84/ Naval, bombing, troops/ Marines expel PLO and back Phalangists, Navy bombs and shells Muslim and Syrian positions.HONDURAS, 1983-89 - Troops. Maneuvers help build bases near borders.GRENADA, 1983-84 - Troops, bombing. Invasion four years after revolution.IRAN, 1984 - Jets. Two Iranian jets shot down over Persian Gulf.LIBYA, 1986 - Bombing, naval. Air strikes to topple nationalist gov't.BOLIVIA, 1986 - Troops. Army assists raids on cocaine region.IRAN, 1987-88 - Naval, bombing. US intervenes on side of Iraq in war.LIBYA, 1989 - Naval jets. Two Libyan jets shot down.VIRGIN ISLANDS, 1989 - Troops. St. Croix Black unrest after storm.PHILIPPINES, 1989 - Jets. Air cover provided for government against coup.PANAMA, 1989-90 - Troops, bombing. Nationalist government ousted by 27,000 soldiers, leaders arrested, 2000+ killed.LIBERIA, 1990 - Troops. Foreigners evacuated during civil war.SAUDI ARABIA, 1990-91 - Troops, jets. Iraq countered after invading Kuwait; 540,000 troops also stationed in Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, UAE, Israel.IRAQ, 1990-? Bombing, troops, naval. Blockade, air strikes; 200,000+ killed in invasion of Iraq; no-fly zone, large-scale destruction of Iraqi military.KUWAIT, 1991 - Naval, bombing, troops. Kuwait royal family returned to throne.LOS ANGELES, 1992 - Troops. Army, Marines deployed against anti-police uprising.SOMALIA, 1992-94 - Troops, naval, bombing. U.S.-led United Nations occupation during civil war; raids against one Mogadishu faction.YUGOSLAVIA, 1992-94 - Naval. NATO blockade of Serbia and Montenegro.BOSNIA, 1993-95 - Jets. bombing. No-fly zone patrolled in civil war; downed jets, bombed Serbs.HAITI, 1994-96 - Troops, naval. Blockade against military government; troops restore President Aristide to office three years after coup.CROATIA, 1995 - Bombing. Krajina Serb airfields attacked before Croatian offensive.ZAIRE (CONGO), 1996-97 - Troops. Marines at Rwandan Hutu refuge camps, in area where Congo revolution begins.LIBERIA, 1997 - Troops. Soldiers under fire during evacuation of foreigners.ALBANIA, 1997 - Troops. Soldiers under fire during evacuation of foreigners.SUDAN, 1998 - Missiles. Attack on pharmaceutical plant alleged to be 'terrorist' nerve gas plant.AFGHANISTAN, 1998 - Missiles. Attack on former CIA training camps used by Islamic fundamentalist groups alleged to have attacked embassies.IRAQ, 1998-?/ Bombing, Missiles. Four days of intensive air strikes after weapons inspectors allege Iraqi obstructions.


This is a racist war.

The Military, for many from my island, is the avenue to economic opportunity. Truly, it is, but at what cost? What is the cost for my cousin Dawn, a single mother with 2 young children who enlisted to get off the island and away from an abusive husband. When, in May, she’s being shipped out.

Guam Liberation Day. I cringe everytime I think about it. But, now I wonder, what would it really mean for my mom, my people and people of color in the US for us to be truly liberated?

The peace movement is powerful, and can be more powerful yet. The left has the opportunity to make this movement anti-racist. Can it? Will it?

It better, or nothing will change. The next conflict we find ourselves engaged in as a country will feel so much like this, like Vietnam, like Korea, WWII. “This country needs to have a radical revolution of values.”

The citizens of this country have decidedly turned against and are opposed to this war. I stand at the front line of that revolution with you, and I refuse to move.

BECAUSE, this is a racist war.

AND, my people have been told to move for 500 years. No More.

She's EEENNNNOOOOOORRRRMMMMMOOOOUUUUUSSSSSSS

She really is! Beautiful, but enormous. Every day she gets larger and larger now. Poor grrrl is starting to get even more uncomfortable.

We tried to install our infant seat in the back seat. I'm not convinced I did it right. I know I need to go to the police station to get it checked out, but I really don't want to be there any more than is absolutely necessary. It gives me the heeby jeebies.

Prostoglandin

Its that stuff that can rubbed on a pregnant belly to get the baby to come faster. Its also in sperm. I, clearly, do not have that readily accessible, but its interesting to know that I could go to my neighbors house with a measuring cup and ask for a donation to help us get our baby to come.

I've been very busy attending a childbirthing class. Its interesting. I don't have a problem with the teacher/doula lady person talking about prostoglandin, its important for us to know that if the baby is late, they'll rub it on birthing mother's belly. My issue is her raising her eyebrow glancing out at the other "couples" and saying you can find prostoglandin in sperm. "So you know that means husbands"! Hee hee hee.

I mean, really. Was that necessary?

So Childbirthing classes.

The intent is to have as natural a labor as possible. Even though from week 7 some of the docs at FAHC have been telling us that the baby will have to be born by Cesaerean Birth, and I'm not convinced that they are open to us having this baby naturally.

Because of this, I sometimes feel like this class is a total waste of my time. Then I look over at my partner, and she's totally into it. If this is what she needs for her own peace, then I'll play the game.

"I don't think of you as being 'white'!"

Aww shucks! Am I supposed to say "Thank you!" to that? Really now. Saying that you don't see the color of my skin is like saying that you don't see me.

It must be quite a luxury to go through life being "color blind".

There are only two things more annoying than white folks saying that they don't see color:
(1) People who drive around with dream catchers on their car rear-view mirrors. Unless you sleep in your car, you are more than appropriating the beliefs of a people, you are bastardizing centuries of magic, lore, religion and culture you oppressive wanker.
(2) People in Vermont that boast Confederate Flags on their cars or in their windows. YOU ARE IN NEW ENGLAND not Texas you backwards idiot. Get with it.

Is this what people who look like my child are going to be teaching?

All this business about teaching tolerance doesn't provide people with the opportunity to get at the real crux of racism. Rather, it teaches us to have love fests, be nice, hug each other and everything will be alright.

Yuck. What kind of a world am I bringing my child in to? My baby will have the full benefits that being a white person in the US allows. Will s/he stand in front of me whenever I get attacked b/c I'm a person of color? Will I let my child stand up for my rights as a human being? Or will I continue on this path of contempt for white people that fills my guts with rage and my thoughts with envy and anger?

Who says there's no manual for raisin' babies. . .

I've been tasked, by my white partner, to read the book You are Your Child's First Teacher. I'm not sure if I should. My people learn everything from our ancestors. We watch our parents care for our younger siblings, learn how to prepare their food by being walked through it. We learn how to change diapers by cleaning and changing our cousins, neices or nephews.

I can read this book. But how can I teach my child about my people, his/her people, if I'm steady trying to rear according to the values of another person?

Brown People Don't Have White Babies

You hear it everywhere, you probably even think it. I know I do. How is it that a white person can have a baby that is a person of color, but a POC can't seem to have a white baby?

Maybe that'll change. My partner is due April 5th 2006 - when I will become a brown mama to a white baby.