so….i was thinking, as i so often do…about “story”…indigineous peoples worldwide kept/keep their cultures alive through story…they kept/keep traditions alive through story…they kept/keep their peoples intact through…story…

i wonder about us here, in the United States…i want to know…what stories do we take the time to tell our children?  are we so busy that we’ve forgotten to tell our stories?  sadly it seems to me…yes…our children play video games while we as parents work 2, 3 jobs, trying to survive…what is survival if who we are as a people dies by the wayside?
who are we?  what is our story?  who are you?  what is your story? 

i am…just trying to understand….tell me your story….

life’s most precious moments come at us
from out of nowhere…
unexpected…real…
if they were on someone’s set agenda,
they wouldn’t be precious…
just something else to cross of as done, complete…
ahh, but those moments…those spontaneous smiles…
the hug from your child, the spoken pride from your father…
the squeeze of your best friend’s hand on yours…
those are left open, incomplete…and gladly so…
for they leave us with an opportunity to continue…to grow…
be ever vigilant…never write off as unimportant that which in
it’s simplicity, can mean all the world to you…
it comes in the still moments…the unexpected bouquet,
the lingering gaze into his eyes…
the world stops for that moment and it’s those precious moments…
yeah…those are worth slowin down for…

…but, i get why so many do….i get it, but i won’t let it stop me from pushing.  last night i was at an action at which we gathered folks together and we talked about what needed to be done to implement speed bumps in their neighborhood….we (acorn) worked our asses off and got speakers, telemundo and listeners together in the front yard of an individual tired of people speeding down her street…amazing what i heard….people are so resigned, they are angry and they are voicing their anger.  apparently, the issue of speed bumps has been brought up time and time again, yet, there are none on this street and blame for this inaction is pointed towards the fire department and the government.  petitions have been signed (3 times) yet, nothing has been done….so, my question is this…if you (the angry member of the community) can ask the city councilman/woman what the value is of a child’s life and why they can’t put forth the funds to set up speed bumps…may i ask, and with all due respect, what is the value of a child’s life in comparison to your time and effort?  you said you filled out 3 petitions but to no avail…so….fill out 4, 5, 6…whatever it takes…go to the meetings and find out what it takes to be productive…stop yelling and spouting your anger and find out the procedures that make things happen…don’t like the procedures?  find out what you can do to change them…after all….this is your country…your government…to yell and berate people because you feel them wrong, wrong, wrong…in the long run, does nothing.  however, quiet yourself a moment…listen…when you speak, speak from a place of passionate resolve rather than angry apathy…my fellow american…your views, thoughts and opinions do matter…present them with dignity and tenacious resolve and by God…you’ll make a difference…to stand at a gathering speaking with anger only brings more anger and ultimate ineffectiveness…i want to be effective…i ask that you be too….

it’s day 4…i’ve been running at night at the college near my house…can’t run anywhere else for two reasons….well, it’s night…so, if i should happen to hit any dark spots, danger may lurk…the second reason…oh, we have serial killers on the loose so, if i should happen to run on a well lit street, i could get shot…nice.  so, i drive to the track and run in circles…not a bad thing, i can guage better the distance, however, i’ve always been a cross country girl at heart…eh…it is what it is…at least i’m out…last night the muscle memory started to kick in…it was very subtle, but i felt my body actually “relish” what i was doing…i’m telling you, i was a running fool in my younger days, svelte, before i had 4 kids and let a dumbfuck of a machista man tell me i shouldn’t go out and do anything because my place is in the home…oooh…sorry, moment of vent….anyway….i’m doing it!  i’m beat this morning…but, after a day at work and dealing with my crumbchasers…night is my only available time…no more excuses…i’m taking whatever time i can get….if i could describe what i feel right now in just one word, eloquence would be lost because, the best i can come up with is…..ow.  yes, pain, the tearing down of muscles, lactic acid flowin amuck, walk slow and don’t poke my tummy kind of pain…but i’m doing it…

You work for me, Mr. President.

Did you forget? 

Did you take office with this knowledge in mind or,

Was your intention always about raping the American People?

Because, that is what you are doing.

You are a rapist, a murderer, a liar and a cheat.

You care nothing about what is important to us.

You choose to serve your own best interests and that of your rich cronies.

So, I choose to rise up.  I choose to rally the community and I choose to stand up

to you.

The odds may be strong against me, I don’t care. 

I look forward to being the annoying thorn in your pathetic side.

Every deed committed by you will be noted, every evil will be laid out for

all to see.

Secret service men won’t stop me, won’t stop us…We the People.

This country is ours, you’re only one man, you stole the seat in which you sit.

You won’t however steal my favor.

You can’t.  

Mr. President…

By the way, you’re fired.  Please, let the door hit your ass on the way out, it would be a pleasure to witness your fall from the imagined grace you stand on, your pedestal of folly. 

I started out by saying you work for me but, I must correct my position, you don’t work for me.

You never did.

You’re fired.

 

Signed,

 

We the People

She looked out at the sea of faces, breathed deeply and then she spoke.  She spoke with a passion that belied her tiny stature.  She had lived a long life and her status as elder demanded the audience to listen and weigh heavy her words, words borne of experience.  She spoke spanish, her every word translated.  My heart swelled with each strong statement she made, this little old lady from
San Diego.  She spoke of the battle for the rights of our undocumented.  She spoke of the need to stand up and stand strong.  Human rights are at stake and the need for unity is of the upmost importance.  We are young and old, black, brown, white, yellow and red.  We are so powerful as individuals, together we are unstoppable.  To think, how unconventional was this moment when Rosa, this little lady from San Diego stood up in front of such a diverse array of people.  Even more incredible, she spoke in spanish and we all responded to her power, nothing was lost in translation.  As I looked around me, I realized these are my brothers and sisters and we are united by more than intangible lines and legal status.  We are part of something greater, something sacred, the human race.  The danger is we allow this government to continue to divide us, to break apart the unity that is our birthright.  We’ve become afraid of each other, to look one another eye to eye.  This fear must be overcome.  The ignorance must be replaced with knowledge and accountability.  We as a people must pledge allegiance to something much more sacred than a flag.  We must pledge allegience to our own humanity.

The federal minimum wage is $5.15 per hour which translates to a gross of $10,712.00 per year…before taxes. For one to be considered living in poverty, one must earn $20,000.00 or less per year. We have people all over this nation making minimum wage which translates to…we have people all over this nation living in poverty.

In almost 10 years, our federal government has not raised the minimum wage…not once. Yet, Congress has given itself 9 raises in this time…the most recent within the last couple of weeks. Does anyone see that there is something fundamentally wrong here? How is it that the government which is supposed to look out for our best interests can shoot down a minimum wage increase and then turn around and give itself a raise? I’ll tell you how it can be…this government does not give a rat’s ass about us. This government does not have our best interests at heart…and people, this is partially our fault. We are not showing up at the polls…we are not using our right to vote and thusly we are not voicing our views, wants and demands.

Because the federal government does not want to do right by us…we are taking this to the states…each one individually. We, ACORN and others are making noise and rallying the communities to step up and take charge of the situation…as one speaker said, “we are handling our business”. This weekend we marched through the streets of Columbus, OH to demand that the wage be increased from $5.15 to $6.85. Recently, we in Arizona, turned in 290,000+ signatures to put this measure on the ballot and raise our minimum wage. We are taking a stand one state at a time.

It is a national disgrace that our government should refuse to consider the needs and desires of it’s own people. We must take charge of our own needs, we must implement our own desires. This is our country…we must vote and voice our views and hold ourselves accountable. The power of one is multiplied a thousand fold when pulled into the power of many…people, this is OUR COUNTRY!

Stand up people, stand up and be counted…stand up and HANDLE YOUR BUSINESS.

We the People of the United States-
brown, red, yellow, white and black…
we must awaken our sleeping masses-
we must take this country back.
Freedom is in danger of becoming
a dream of the past-
I say to thee, we must step up
and do something fast.
When big business and hidden agendas
are running the show-
We the People must rise and tell
this government NO.
You serve US, Congress with your
pockets so deep-
Your promises to us, we DEMAND
that you keep.
Our masses must gather and gather
strong-
We have power in our numbers to
correct all that is wrong.
One by one we must exercise
our sacred right-
We must use our vote, our most
powerful weapon in this fight.
This president has proven
time and again-
that We the People do not
matter, we do not matter to him.
His evil reign has caused such strife
and destruction-
We the People must come to OUR
OWN defense and protection.
VOTE, my people - brown, red,
yellow, white and black…
We must awaken our sleeping
masses and TAKE OUR COUNTRY BACK!

here we have a conversation of sorts…sailor is a caucasion male who will at times express his opinions about, well…anything…la aragonesa…yeah, that would be me…parris is an african american male who from time to time will verbally kick ass when the need arises… sailor wrote: i am sick and tired of hearing how bad the us is because over a 140 years ago we had slaves. get over it. i am sorry that your ansestors sold you to the english to be brought over here as slaves. and to say you are as great as our founding fathers because some of them owned salves is pathetic. how may invetions do you have? what great documents have you published? what armies have you lead to create a country? you cant judge people of 200 years ago using todays standards. to do so shows a lack of knowledge. la aragonesa wrote: perhaps you should educate yourself…your lack of knowledge is evident… http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/features/storyofafrica/index.shtml http://inventors.about.com/library/blblackinventors.htm http://www.littleafrica.com/resources/inventors.htm http://ctl.du.edu/spirituals/Literature/time.cfm you could stand to do your own research before you jump on a thread telling people to get over it…here’s a lesson to glean from history…your actions today may very well have long standing effects…your children and your children’s children will be affected by the choices you make… what we must do…all of us…is recognize the truth of what happened and then forge a new future…to deny this anger that wells deep in the black man’s soul is to invalidate the oppression and severe abuse suffered by his ancestors…when you look back at your family lineage, do you feel a sense of pride? many of us do…we have traditions and stories that fill us with our own sense of self worth…tell me, what do you think those stories sound like when told by a black man to his children? he can tell them about his african history, about rich traditions and such…but, he can’t ignore the slavery that took part back in time…how do you teach your children about their past and skip over this part? my god…i can’t even imagine it…a mother telling her daughter about her great, great grandparents and how they were beaten, sold, raped, torn from each other, etc., etc., etc., and, don’t forget…slavery was abolished but the bondage continued…it just took different forms…that’s not something you can just “get over” you tell our black brothers and sisters to “get over it”…and then you turn around and question what contributions he/she have made toward this country…how do you expect them to “get over it” if the attitude of the white man is that the black man hasn’t given anything to this country? “i am sorry that your ansestors sold you to the english to be brought over here as slaves.” more often than not, they weren’t just sold to the english so much as the english captured, kidnapped and forced them into bondage… and, i want to point out something…you want the black man to get over something that happened to his ancestors, yet you speak in terms of “you”…even you aren’t over it…this happened to their ancestors…not the black man of today…how about first you “get over it”? parris wrote:  One word…three letters for this entire reply. W.O.W. This is the best reply I’ve read in a long time. SSG PaRrIs