The Curse of Militarized Police

Ten years ago, I had my first taste of militarized police. For weeks and months at Standing Rock, Natives and other citizens of this country were brutally treated. I wrote then about my concerns that this was the tip of the iceberg. That was under Obama. Since that time, more and more police are equipped and trained to protect property over people, and now with ICE they have been given permission to destroy families, communities and take lives, as we watch.

The police execution of Corey Ruiz in broad daylight in Madison on July 22 was inevitable if you follow the trajectory of permission granted to those in authority. Couple that with decades of killings by police and now ICE and you have a tinder box waiting to be ignited. And the refusal of government to uphold the law on murder by police is without conscience or compassion. 

How long must a family wait for accountability? Emmett Till’s family waited 65 years and still there is none. How long must a community suffer the lack of dignity afforded them? 

What is even more heart wrenching are the people and bots who deny the victim’s humanity with cruel accusations and chiding. 

And to those who refuse to see what has always been true and is now on steroids, we are a lawless people who hide behind wealth and power. But there is hope. The marginalized and youth are not accepting our history to be our future. People are rising up, in large part due to the increased inhumanity, income disparity, and stripped safety nets. People want humanity to win. And no amount of power and arsenal will keep that tide from turning.

If you don’t like “Defund the police” or “Abolish ICE” and you’re OK with your tax dollars funding a genocide, you have betrayed yourself. It’s time to come back. Come home to your self and your humanity.

“No One Else should be hurt in Corey’s name”. Ruiz family statement:

“Corey was quiet, soft-spoken, and giving. He thought about other people before he thought about himself. He had a family who loved him. He was not alone in this world, and he was not without help. We ask that he not be reduced to a label he never carried.

“To the activists who have shown up for Corey, thank you. Keep fighting for justice, peacefully and together. Our family is not affiliated with any group, and you do not need our approval to demand accountability. Please work through our liaison rather than contacting our family directly.

“Our family did not organize or authorize the encampment at Williamson and Baldwin streets. We learned of it the day after it was set up. We were never asked, and we never agreed to the statement released in our name.

“The city cleared that intersection yesterday. We ask everyone at that corner and everyone wearing a badge to keep this peaceful. No one else should be hurt in Corey’s name.

 “This family has authorized one GoFundMe, and only one:https://gofund.me/1d3ee8937. Any campaign raising money for protest or advocacy work should say so plainly, and should not tell donors the money is going to Corey’s family.

 “We would welcome a respectful memorial for Corey that honors the man he was. 

 “We are asking for privacy while we grieve. Please work through our legal representatives and liaisons on any requests for our family.”

  • Courtesy: Senator Chris Larson / Facebook

Never Pass On A Chance To Be Human

Hummingbirds buzz me daily now. I have come to realize they are letting me know it’s time to refill their feeders. The old sheep can’t quite make it to the orchard, but they wait eagerly for the little green apples trees are letting go. Chicks follow me, expecting treats and their insistence is charming. The young saplings look weary from the heat and I feel their relief when I get to them with water. These are tiny acts of love and kindness that fill my cup and keep me human. In a world that challenges compassion and ridicules empathy, it is delicious to discover that our humanity has not been erased.

There is an opportunity that waits for us every day and really every moment, if we have the eyes for it. It’s the chance to be human. I’ve come to acknowledge that being human is not automatic. It requires something more than merely being alive. It is a conscious choice and a practice. 

I have found that I am most weary, not from the labors of my day, but of the missed opportunities to share my humanity and to delight in another’s. 

The shocking and horrid death of Corey Ruiz at the hands of the state brought new challenges. Accusations that this violence was inevitable and deserved played heavily and heartlessly. It was salt in our woundedness as human beings. It takes a tremendous effort to overcome the depth of sorrow that we feel and to seek the clarity needed for this moment.

And what is this needed clarity? It is the ability to walk in pain, sorrow and anger and not be swallowed by the abyss of hatred. It is the courage to find within us the determination to rise again. It is the choice to be human.

There is an outpouring of love and concern for the family and the community in Madison at this time of grief. The vigil continues there and the demands remain. From Wisconsin Bailout the People Movement.

This is Echo Valley Hope’s Board Statement:

Echo Valley Hope Board’s response to the killing of Corey Ruiz by Madison police on July 22. Echo Valley Hope will continue to support efforts to eradicate racism and violence in the systems that were created for our protection. The execution of Corey Ruiz, a Black man, by Madison police and witnessed by bystanders demands our united voices for change. We support voices demanding the abolishment of deadly force. We demand an independent investigation into this murder. We will continue to work to restore human dignity. Racism and violence must be abolished from our systems. No more excuses

For more statements from member groups of WNPJ on the killing of Corey Ruiz, visit the Facebook page.

Talk of Hope

This is from my book The Peace Warrior, a section called Talk of Hope from 2008.

Before I begin, I’ll clarify my meaning of “growing corn”. The meaning of the phrase, “Can you grow corn with it?” can be as basic as: “Will the land sustain you?” Or in philosophical terms it can mean: “Is all your talk ‘pie in the sky’ or will it deliver?”.

From The Peace Warrior:

“There’s a lot of talk about hope these days, talk about hope is good, growing corn is better. Talk about hope is a lot like reading a menu when you’re hungry. It’s not quite satisfying.

Me, I’m always hungry. I guess that’s why I like living on a farm. I know where my food is coming from. 

All this talk makes me hungry. Are you hungry? Do you know some hungry people? Are we ready to grow some corn?

Bring the kids who don’t know where milk comes from. Bring the old ones who remember. Bring the ones who like the dirt and the ones who aren’t sure.

I can’t think of a more singularly hopeful act right now than to grow corn. I’m not talking ethanol. I’m talking about going Green and feeding people. Talking about protecting and stewarding land so kids can see the stars. About sustained organics so “techno” food will be a fleeting and very bad idea. Talking about saving water, not just passing laws about it. Talking about saving seeds and ending hunger. Talking about inner city gardens and solar heating to keep us warm. Talking about the end of plastics and leaving oil in the ground, so our children need not go to war.”

There are prayers imbedded in hope. Or good wishes, for those who reject the notion of prayer. Either way, unactualized hope will never feed our longing. We are needed. Let’s get busy.

As I finished this piece for WDRT the news flash came about the execution of a young Black man, by Madison police. Numerous bystanders and witnesses video taped the encounter which included three loud shots to a body on the ground. People could be heard saying, “They killed him.” Immediately following the firsthand accounts of the killing came the slanted coverage of media and the police statements regarding the shooting and the young man. It took hours before they admitted he was dead. It took even longer before they named him. Corey Ruiz.

Corey Ruiz, however troubled, did not deserve to be executed. A family does not need to mourn. A community does not need to be divided by protecting or abolishing the police.

It is very clear we are in dangerous times. In too many cases law “enforcement” has become judge, jury and executioner. As painful as this is, what cuts even more deeply are the people who defend the actions of police and ignore the racism behind too many of them. It is time we address abolishing violence. It is time we reckon with our racist roots. It is past time we heal. “Keep hope alive” and speak up and show up if you are able. Do not let hatred win.

Photo from Wisconsin Examiner article: Madison police kill man in broad daylight in front of witnesses

Never Ever, Ever Give Up

This week has been a roller coaster with extreme temps and choking smoke dulling the senses and dimming the mind. But even in these wicked days every moment counts. Every drop of Good matters. Every step toward Clarity brings us closer to our home and to ourselves. 

This photo is from a post by Gregory LaForme on the fires in Canada. Read his post below.

The week began with an interview with Francesca Hong for my podcast Changing the Narrative. I was and remain in respect of the humanity she brings to her campaign for Governor of Wisconsin. She has risen against tremendous odds to bring a sense of hope and dignity to our state. I welcome you to listen to our conversation.

If you have been reading my work over the years you probably know I have little faith in systems, and even less in politics. But my faith in the human spirit never waivers. Not in our ignorance, but in the wisdom that shines through when we take time to cultivate it.

The powers that be are throwing curve balls into this election. Both parties are sure they can sway the outcome, and perhaps they will. But that is still up to us. And the question will remain: Who do we want to be? Team Hong’s slogan, “We Make Better Possible” is not empty rhetoric. It engages and empowers We the People. And rise we must, while we still have choice.

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I also invite you to check out our nonprofit Echo Valley Hope e-news Revolution of Understanding. It is full of hope and actions of wonderful people striving to make a difference.

As Indigenous people endure the fires, with lives and communities upended and little help extended to them, let us remember: What happens to one, happens to all. Let us continue to find ways to lessen the suffering of all people and the earth. We can. These are matters of priority and choice.

This is the post of Gregory LaForme on the Canadian fires:

CORPORATE PROFIT, GOVERNMENT NEGLECT: HOW FIRST NATIONS ARE BEING LEFT TO BURN IN ONTARIO

While northern Ontario communities breathe toxic smoke and face emergency evacuations, we need to talk about the man-made choices driving this crisis. This isn’t just a natural disaster. It is the direct result of corporate greed and severe government negligence.

Look at Namaygoosisagagun First Nation, also known as Collins First Nation, located northwest of Thunder Bay. Earlier this week, a fast-moving, massive wildfire completely consumed and destroyed the entire community in less than an hour. 

Because it is a remote, fly-in community with no road access, residents were left with zero emergency government help as the flames advanced. Families, children, and elders had to drop everything, run to the beach, and pile into a handful of boats to watch their entire community burn to the ground from across the water. 

Chief Helen Paavola stated that they survived it, but now they have absolutely nothing.

This tragedy was entirely preventable. The truth behind what led to this begins with spraying for profit, which creates the ultimate tinderbox. For decades, the province has permitted big forestry companies to aerially spray chemical herbicides, like glyphosate, over public Crown lands. They do this to kill off deciduous trees like trembling aspen, birch, and maple. They want to eliminate competition so profitable cash-crop conifers, like pine and spruce, grow faster for timber harvest.

But nature designed deciduous trees to act as natural firebreaks because they do not burn easily. By wiping them out to build single-species plantations, the government has created high-risk monoculture forests that burn far faster, leaving dead, chemically withered wood to serve as kindling.

While our forests became tinderboxes, the Ford government systematically stripped away the resources needed to fight the flames. Premier Doug Ford gutted the emergency forest firefighting budget, introducing deep permanent cuts. Years later, despite worsening climate risks, his administration quietly slashed tens of millions more from wildland firefighting and emergency preparedness. Because of these choices, Ontario’s frontline wildland firefighting force has shrunk year after year, leaving remote northern communities chronically short on emergency crews, pilots, and critical response capacity.

First Nations bear the brunt of these political and corporate calculations. Indigenous people make up only a small fraction of the population, but they account for the vast majority of all wildfire evacuations. Because many reserves are located in these targeted, fire-prone regions, these communities are on the front lines. Not only are they facing terrifying, long-term displacements from their homes, but the aerial spraying itself poisons their traditional territories. It obliterates native berry patches, destroys sacred medicinal plants, drives away moose populations, and risks local water contamination.

The bottom line is clear. We are sacrificing ecosystems, human health, and Indigenous treaty rights to protect corporate timber bottom lines and balance reckless provincial budgets. We cannot allow the government to underfund emergency services while actively making the landscape more dangerous.

Wake up and share this message. Talk to your local representatives and demand accountability for northern communities. Support the Traditional Ecological Knowledge Elders and organizations like Stop the Spray Canada who are actively fighting to end chemical forestry management.

#StopTheSpray #Namaygoosisagagun #OnPoli #DougFord#FirstNations #WildfireCrisis #EnvironmentalJustice #IndigenousRights#OntarioWildfires #ClimateNegligence

Keep Loving

I’ve often heard that what grows most prevalent around you may be what you need. Every year for the past twenty-five I’ve witnessed Nature’s care taking of my chosen home. Every year battles wage with unwanted invasives that if left unchecked upend the natural ecosystem. And then there are sweet victories when the cleared space allows the original wonders to emerge. I’m not one for chemical herbicides; the clearing of unwanteds is a labor of love. 

A visiting Mapuche elder once walked the land and told me, “As this land heals you’ll see purple flowers everywhere.” Healing has its own deep roots. Did she mean healing from the clear-cutting decades before, or was she referring to the disregard so many have for the land we inhabit, for the land that holds us and nourishes us? The amazing trees that shade us from intense heat and whose dead trunks and branches keep our fires going in winter. The delicious “weeds”, so bountifully given, from nettles to lamb quarters, purslane and others will always keep hunger at bay. Along with chicory and blackcaps that are springing up everywhere, there are the precious elderberry. (Elderberry tonic has been my go-to through the biting winters to maintain good health).

An honorable mention must also be given to the mushrooms that coexist with us; and the eager black walnuts that insist on expanding their territory even though they are forbidden in the apple orchard. (Black walnut’s roots have a knack of poisoning apple trees and other plants, but the early leaves make a great de-wormer for my sheep and their nuts are delicious, their wood is exquisite and so we co-exist).

It’s an amazing gift this natural world.

This year, if the buds on the monarda plants have their way, the landscape will be a sea of purple. Monarda or bee balm is a wonderful anti-inflammatory. Native to Wisconsin it has been heralded as helpful with digestion and with coughs. And it’s a beautiful pollinator plant; just ask the bees.

What has all this taught me? The land, like all else, thrives on love. Keep loving.

The Same Watering Hole

It’s hot. People are being stretched to their limits. If not from the radical swings of Nature, from the ignorance of human beings. The earthquake calamity in Venezuela is exacerbated by international corporate theft of oil revenues. The people impacted are receiving little help. Hunger is taking hold, bodies remain trapped and hope is dissipating.  

From all accounts, Sudan is bracing for another wave of violence. Amnesty International and others point to a war that would end if outside forces stopped weaponizing both sides. This is a battle for the control of resources. It shows no mercy on innocent lives. And let us not forget the human slaughter that Israel continues in Palestine and now in Lebanon as the world watches in real time.

We’re in crisis that most media and elected officials refuse to acknowledge in any meaningful way. One has to dig deep to uncover the inhumanity. Here in Wisconsin, masked ICE agents are targeting people who are in full compliance with immigration laws. In Milwaukee, police are allowing ICE to override laws created to curtail their violent operations. Families are disrupted and dreams are crushed as deaths in ICE custody rise in the inhuman, for-profit facilities we have allowed.

But if you dig deep, you will learn that Native tribes fought for the closure of Alligator Alcatraz with the Miccosukee Tribe and environmental groups winning the case to end the detention center. You will hear of countries sending aid to Venezuela, and NGO’s risking all to help those in need. But you have to dig. Because those in power know that if the full picture of system collapse and human misery is shown, people will rise.

And People are rising. Despite the lies and the corruption. Despite the obscene wealth that knows no compassion, People are rising. Community action groups are springing up to fight data centers, transmission and pipelines, and to protect their immigrant neighbors. And people are voting. This battle to save our souls is not over. 

Those who recognize we share the same watering hole are asserting their humanity. And we will win.

To help with immediate needs of our immigrant friends and neighbors visit ACT WISCONSIN STATEWIDE COALITION

Staying Human

Life sometimes takes turns that require decisive attention and action.  When you have chickens, you can count on it.

We have free range chickens, really free range. They lay eggs in the darndest places and then the game of hide and seek is on. Because if we don’t find them, a predator will. And of course, there are hens who trick us and find a way to sit on five to fifteen eggs that we hadn’t found. We figure this out when the hen doesn’t make it back to the coop at night. And then the hunt is on, this time with a dog kennel in tow. 

One hen had been sitting on eggs inside a kennel for way too long, but she wouldn’t give up. We knew the eggs could not be viable, but her insistence made us slip another few eggs under her. One determined fellow finally made it out of the shell, which, from what I can tell, is no easy feat. The mama is completely devoted to its presence and it is a delight to watch.

And of course, there was the hen who decided to roost inside the coop high on the rafters. Every day we looked for a chick that might have fallen, but this mom was on it. Two chicks hatched and somehow landed softly. Mama hen took them outside and with little coaching walked them into a tiny coop set up for them. A couple eggs that had been left behind in the rafter were put near her. One never knows if the hen will accept an egg, but this mama ever so gently used her beak to pull them under her belly and into the warmth required to hatch. And voila, by morning there were four little chicks parading in the coop. 

But wait, there’s more in this busy week. Another hen didn’t come home and a storm was on the way. We had scoped out a nest of eggs and sure enough she was there, stone faced and determined. Luckily, we have many dog kennels. She was scooped up along with her fifteen eggs just before the all-night rain. In a few weeks, another brood will be enjoying their freedom.

There is joy in witnessing their effort, determination, and caring. They are brilliantly who they are meant to be and when permitted they teach us compassion and resourcefulness. So we’ll keep learning from and with them; staying sane and being human.

Enjoy the miracles that aren’t really miracles, my friends. It is simply life unfolding.

Juneteenth

Let’s celebrate that which is worthy of celebration!

Some things never took on me. As a teen I had a fierce reaction against the Vietnam war when most people were blindly in support, before the narratives changed and the body count rose. I remember at even younger years, I was not willing to mistreat or even speak poorly of children less advantaged. And I never understood the disregard and dehumanization of Black children who I counted as friends. I hated the stigmas on diversity or anything that smacked of difference issued by “God fearing, church goers”. Their hypocrisy was repugnant to me. It chased me from religion, but not from my Creator. 

A favored aunt tried to help me “see the plight of white people”, offering books that spoke of being outnumbered and more. I felt sorry for her. I didn’t realize at the time she was unwittingly warning me of what was yet to come. That those Sunday worshiping, people of God were about to unleash hatred so vile as to make me want to withdraw from society as a whole.

But that’s not my fate. I choose instead to champion the truly Good in all of us. And however desperate the times appear; I’m committed to fulfilling my life’s purpose: to be fully human, fully alive. I’ve lived a life of questioning and choosing. And my choices, while not easily executed, have allowed a love of humanity and of the earth that I cherish.

Baraboo, Wiscsonsin will be celebrating Juneteenth for the third year. It’s a community refusing to surrender to the racism that has haunted it. Haunted all of us. I’ll be there again. This is what we need. To celebrate our stories of victory, to revel in the colors of the rainbow and to delight in our diversity which is our strength.

It’s time for the silent to waken. The line is drawn. We are either human or we are not. There is no other choice. Time to dance.

Abolish ICE. End racism. Choose humanity. Celebrate Juneteenth.

Waking With the Sun

As Solstice draws near.

There are certain things I wish for you, for all of you. I wish that you will know the joy of waking with the sun. Of hearing the sweet morning songs of birds letting us know they made it through the night. Of watching deer saunter with their fawns in toe. Of checking on fruit of trees to see how the harvest might be. I wish for you the peacefulness of resting in the evening, contented with another day of loving. I wish for you to sleep, as if you are in the arms of your Eternal Mother, with confidence that you are loved. And should your sleep be disturbed let it be by the brilliance of a moon that calls you to behold its beauty or by the stars teaching us we are never alone.

I wish these things and so much more for you. And more than this, because these are just the finite musings of one heart. I wish that you find fulfillment in your every waking moment in whatever path you choose.

It’s in loving that we learn who we are. It’s in the pursuit of heaven on earth that we are given the opportunity to co-create with all of life. And when others speak of God, you will not have to define the term or accept anyone’s creed, because you will be at rest in your own Knowing.

These are my wishes for you.  That counting your blessings with each passing breath is not a challenge or a chore, but life completed. That you may forgive all who try to stuff your heart into a box and strip your mind of its wings… and may ignorance never succeed in squelching your aspirations towards living.

My wish for you is peace.

250 Years

And we are still here…

As the swirl of BS continues and it seems harder to find hints of humanity, compassion and kindness, remember this: The United States was born as a republic led by an aristocracy of white men. Yet the Declaration of Independence offered some of the highest human ideals ever written: All men are created equal and the right to the pursuit of happiness – unless of course you were Indigenous, a Slave, or a Woman. For these lofty ideals to become true for all required that equality, equity and the pursuit of justice would become a relentless effort. Two hundred and fifty years of blood, sweat and tears from some of the most courageous and passionate people brought us tremendous victories.

This struggle made by (primarily) marginalized Peoples must be the pride of this nation, not its castaways. And while the arrogant attempt to erase our history and whitewash our struggles, it’s incumbent upon us to celebrate the 250 years of valiant courage and unbridled wisdom of those who resisted injustice.

The stories of persistent valor that are handed down, whether written or verbal, in song or in art, must be held as sacred and continue to be shared. Teach our children the legacy of which they can be proud. Remind them that our Native siblings are still here despite attempted genocide. Remind them of the resiliency of all who were brought here against their will to be enslaved. Help them understand that socialism, feared by the elites, gave us fire departments, the post office, public schools, unions, better working conditions and so much more. 

Let’s stop wasting time on the small minded, the greedy and the power hungry.  They have risen from time to time, but have never triumphed. We know their history intimately. We carry the scars. It is time to uplift and honor those who never allowed ignorance to win. However daunting the challenge, we cannot sacrifice the gains that humanity has made. We must persevere.

Let’s come together to celebrate the true victors. The ones who never surrendered their love or their humanity. Let’s begin again. And all that is now being done to destroy human dignity can be undone. Do not despair. We will rise stronger; our light will be brighter.

And let us acknowledge that this country was and remains imperfect, and rather, see it as a work of art, perhaps never to be finished but always available for our love and corrections. We are living in a time of correction. Your voice and your clarity are needed.

Find one another. Humanity is calling.