Upcoming events for the week of July 12, 2015

UPCOMING EVENTS

07/13/15 to 07/25/15 DRONE QUILT PROJECT IN ASHEVILLE

The Drone Quilt Project will be shown at the Asheville Area Arts Council Gallery at Grove Arcade in Asheville from July 13 to July 25, Monday through Saturday from 10 AM to 6 PM. Veterans for Peace Chapter 099, WNC Physicians for Social Responsibility and Just Peace for Israel/Palestine will be co-sponsoring this event. The exhibit was created by Leah Bolger, former president of the national Veterans for Peace. Many contributions of drone panels were contributed from around our country. The exhibit movingly communicates the impact of the drone killings upon the loved ones of the victims. Join us as we remember the victims of US drone bombings. Please contact Ken at jonesk@maine.edu or call 207-233-3087 for more information.

07/13/15 COMMUNITY DISCUSSIONS ABOUT USE OF FORCE BY LAW ENFORCEMENT

The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office will host a series of community meetings for discussions about the use of force by law enforcement.  Time is 6 PM. Location is Roberson High School. The meeting will allow people to hear from Sheriff Van Duncan on the training and education that deputies receive regarding use of force, and Duncan will answer questions from community members about the topic. “We want to share with the public the law as well as the policies that we operate under when making use of force decisions,” Duncan said. “Being transparent with the public will hopefully create a shared understanding of law enforcement’s obligations as well as duties in protecting the public.” The question-and-answer portion of the program will be moderated by Lucia Daughtery of the Asheville-Buncombe Community Relations Council. This forum is free and open to the public.

07/13/15 TRANSITION ASHEVILLE SOCIAL

Transition Asheville Social: “Is Local Resilient? Scale, Sustainability and Resilience of the U.S. Food Supply” by Laura Lengnick. Most of the activity around sustainable and resilient community redesign has focused at the local scale, including newly emerging climate change adaptation efforts, but is local the foundation of a sustainable and resilient future?  Recent research suggests that reorienting development efforts to the regional scale may offer more sustainability and resilience benefits. Time is 6:30 to 8 PM. Location is Parish Hall at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church on Charlotte Street in Asheville.  This is from a Facebook post.

07/13/15 BUS TO VOTER RIGHTS MARCH IN WINSTON-SALEM

Bus tickets available to the Voter Rights Rally in Winston-Salem on Monday, July 13. $25 round trip from Asheville. Leaving at 1 PM and returning about 10 PM. Pick up location TBD. To purchase tickets via Paypal, go to Mountain Moral Monday website and scroll down to "Donate" link. Be sure to let us know how many tickets and names of riders. If you prefer to mail a check, make payable to Mountain Voices Alliance, PO Box 8052, Asheville, NC 28814. Please also include a note with number of tickets and names of riders, as well as a cell phone number. For more information, go the website listed above. This is sponsored by the Mountain People’s Assembly. 

07/13/15 MOVE TO AMEND BUNCOMBE COUNTY PLANNING MEETING

This meeting is going to be quite important to the future of our affiliate. There are some potential changes on the horizon. If you would like to have input regarding those potential changes, I encourage you to attend. The meeting will be held at the North Asheville Library on Merrimon in Asheville. Time is 7 PM. If you have any questions please contact Diana Kruk at mabco@movetoamend.org or  828-275-0680 (call or text).

07/14/15 VETERANS FOR PEACE MEETING

Time is 6:30 PM and location is VFP HQ at the Phil Mechanic Studios: 109 Roberts Street in Asheville. 

07/14/15 DUKE ENERGY COMMUNITY MEETING

Turn out to hear about Duke Energy’s planned transmission line. Duke Energy is hosting a series of community meetings to provide information on the construction of a transmission line from a planned natural gas-powered plant at Lake Julian to a substation in Campobello, South Carolina. The meetings follow the announcement in May that Duke Energy will retire the coal-fired plant there and replace it with a 650 megawatt gas-powered facility. Please come out to one of these meetings to learn more about Western North Carolina’s energy future and how this project might impact you. Time is 4 to 7 PM. Location is Western North Carolina Ag Center Boone Mountain Heritage Building at 1301 Fanning Bridge Road in Fletcher, NC.Note: Enter via Gate 5, Boylston Hwy. (280) just past the airport entrance. Please contact MountainTrue Southern Regional Director Mark Stierwalt at 828-692-0385 ext. 1004 or mark@mountaintrue.org with any questions or concerns.

07/14/15 OCCUPY WNC GENERAL ASSEMBLY MEETING

OccupyWNC General Assembly Meeting this Tuesday, July 14, 2015 from 7 to 8:30 PM held at Jackson County Justice Admin building, 401 Grindstaff Rd, Sylva, NC 28779, Room 246. Anyone is most welcome to join this Grass-roots movement working on local and national issues for social, political, environmental change and or support.

07/15/15 GREEN DRINKS

Join us July 15th, to hear from Sunil Patel of Patchwork Urban Farms. Learn how Patchwork is creating a movement to reconnect our lives with our landscapes, and find out how you can plug in. Patchwork is regenerating our urban landscapes and making the groundwork for a vibrant food and farming economy. The time for concerted action is now! Time is 5:30 for socializing and 6 PM for programming. Location is the Green Sage at 5 Broadway in downtown Asheville.

07/16/15 GARDENS UNITED TOUR

Join us on a guided tour of Garden's United urban farm, located at Pisgah View Apartments (Granada Street) in West Asheville. Learn about the history and vision of the one-acre plot, as well as, the many sustainable farm projects! $15 suggested donation. All proceeds go towards the farm project. Time is 5 PM. This was a Facebook event.

07/18/15 SIERRA CLUB ANNUAL PICNIC

Location is the Blue Ridge Parkway sheltered picnic grounds (Bull Mt. Rd. off Riceville Rd.) Time is noon to 4 PM. Directions: Exit 7 on I-240; go east on Tunnel Rd for 2 miles; turn north on Riceville Rd; go 1.3 miles and turn west on Bull Mt. Rd. The fenced-in, sheltered picnic area is on the left about ½ mile up the road. Please bring a potluck dish to share and your own settings. Drinks will be provided. 

07/18/15 GREEN GRANNIES SING FOR THE CLIMATE

Green Grannies Sing for the Climate at Pritchard Park at 5 PM. Google "Singfortheclimate" and come out and sing with us! This happens on the third Saturday of every month.

07/19/15 ETHICAL HUMANIST SOCIETY OF ASHEVILLE PRESENTATION

“Lessons from Jane: The Enduring Urban Wisdom of Jane Jacobs” will be presented by David A. Johnson, FAICP, at the Sunday, July 19th meeting of the Ethical Humanist Society of Asheville, 2 to 3:30 PM, at The Friends Meeting House, 227 Edgewood Road, Asheville, NC. A half century ago, a feisty New York journalist changed how we think about cities and economies. In her remarkable career, Jane Jacobs challenged established urban planning orthodoxies, defeated the bulldozers of Robert Moses and showed us how to look at and improve our neighborhoods. Informal discussion and refreshments will follow the presentation. All are welcome. For more information, contact: asheville@aeu.org or 828 687-7759.

07/19/15 FIRESTORM CAFE AND BOOKS EVENT

Join us for an afternoon with the editors and authors of a new book out from AK Press entitled "Dixie Be Damned: 300 Years of Insurrection in the American South". The book is a study of Maroon, Indigenous, White, Black, worker, farmer, slave, indentured, women and men wrestling against institutions of power for autonomy and self-determination. All of this in a region stereotyped to be backwards, slow, lazy, victimized and brutal. The editors do a smash-bang job of re-framing narratives of revolt by drawing on complex and erased examples of cross-subjectivity struggles and what they can teach us today about current uprisings in which we participate. Authors Saralee Stafford and Neal Shirley explore some of the examples that became chapters in the book, critiques of narrative histories and academia and what new ways forward might be towards an anarchist historiography. Copies of the title, "Dixie Be Damned," are available now at Firestorm Books & Coffee! Time is 12:30 PM and location is 610 Haywood Road in west Asheville. This was a Facebook event.

07/20/15 SWANNANOA VALLEY MLK MEMORIAL CORPORATION ANNUAL MEETING

We invite you to join us in sharing the life and teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as we strive to bring knowledge and awareness of his work to our Swannanoa Valley community. Click on the tabs above to learn more about our organization and activities. Our meetings are open to the public. We encourage you to join us on the third Monday of each month at the Carver Community Center, 101 Carver Avenue, Black Mountain, N.C. at 5:30 PM. Our Annual meeting is scheduled for Monday, July 20, 2015 at Mills Chapel Baptist Church on Cragmont Road, Black Mountain, N.C.  We will be recapping past events, electing officers and welcoming new board members.

07/21/15 MIND THE GAP TOUR

These informational tours are organized by Children First/Communities in Schools of Buncombe County. The tours are held each month and last about 1 hour. They are led by the Executive Director of Children First/Communities in Schools, Allison Jordan, and you get to meet some of the children that are served through the summer camp program, as well as become informed on all of the programs that are  provided, including our advocacy work. The goal is to alleviate the barriers of poverty experienced by local children and families. This includes food pantry, emergency financial assistance, clothing closet, and work on public policy at the local and state level. Time is 8 AM. To reserve a seat on the bus for the tour or for more information, contact Kaitlyn at KaitlynB@childrenfirstbc.org or call 828-259-9717.

07/21/15 COMMUNICATING COMPASSIONATELY CLASS SERIES

Communicating Compassionately with Yourself and Others, Creating Relationships and a World

That Value Everyone’s Feelings and Needs, Learn Skills and Consciousness for more satisfying

Connection and Communication with your family, your community, your workplace, your world. Join us for this 4 week class series with Roberta Wall, facilitator, mediator and coach, based on the work of Dr. Marshall Rosenberg and Nonviolent Communication. Dates are July 21 & 28 and August 4 &18. Time is 4 to 5:30 PM, location is Riverwalk conference room at Deerfield Retirement Community at 1617 Hendersonville Road in Asheville. To register, call or email Polly at (828) 775-6333 or polly.medlicott@gmail.com. Registration fee is $100 per person for all four classes. Please consider adding an extra $25 for scholarships for anyone who wants to join with more limited resources.

07/21/15 EMPATHY CIRCLE

Tuesday, July 21, 7:30-9pm: Empathy Circle/HeartSpeak Practice Group. Giving and receiving empathy is transformative! Drop in, voluntary love offering. 386 Kenilworth Rd. (park on Digges). More information: Cathy at 828-545-9681.

07/22/15 PANEL DISCUSSION/RECEPTION ON DRONE QUILT EXHIBIT

This will be held at the AAAC Gallery in the Grove Arcade in Asheville. Time is from 5 to 7 PM. Ken Ashe of Veterans for Peace and Bill Ramsey of Just Peace Israel/Palestine will be discussing drones and their impacts. Free and open to the public. Please contact Ken at jonesk@maine.edu or call 207-233-3087 for more information. [This event was on a different date in prior emails. That date was incorrect.]

07/22/15 GREEN DRINKS

Do We Know If Radiation Causes Cancer? Public opinion about this issue shows increasing concerns, especially in the last 5 years. Cancers have long and increasingly been associated with radiation, especially with Nuclear Power sources, not just Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima. Dr. Lewis E. Patrie, MD will relate his first experience with cancer due to radiation. Cancers have long been associated with exposure to detonation and testing of Nuclear Weapons including the “BabyTooth Study”. Regularly issued denials and criticisms of such reports abound. Part of the limitations of studies have resulted from inadequate information due to missed opportunities. What action would this situation justify? Lewis Patrie M.D. is a member of Western North Carolina Chapter, Physicians for Social Responsibility. Socializing at 5:30 PM and program starts at 6 PM. Location is The Green Sage in downtown Asheville.

07/23/15 MOUNTAIN TRUE LEGISLATIVE WRAP UP MEETING IN HENDERSONVILLE

Catch up on the environmental outcomes of this legislative session, current priorities, and how you can get involved in holding our lawmakers accountable to the public they serve. For more information and to RSVP at Mountain True website. Time is 6 – 8 PM and location is The Taproom at Monte’s at 2024-G Asheville Highway in Hendersonville (I saw another listing with a different location, so please check.)

07/23/15 DUKE ENERGY COMMUNITY MEETING

Turn out to hear about Duke Energy’s planned transmission line. Duke Energy is hosting a series of community meetings to provide information on the construction of a transmission line from a planned natural gas-powered plant at Lake Julian to a substation in Campobello, South Carolina. The meetings follow the announcement in May that Duke Energy will retire the coal-fired plant there and replace it with a 650 megawatt gas-powered facility. Please come out to one of these meetings to learn more about Western North Carolina’s energy future and how this project might impact you. Time is 4 to 7 PM. Location is Blue Ridge Community College – Henderson County Campus Technology Education and Development Center, Blue Ridge Conference Hall, Courtland, McIntosh and Gala rooms. This is at 180 W. Campus Dr. Flat Rock, NC. Please contact MountainTrue Southern Regional Director Mark Stierwalt at 828-692-0385 ext. 1004 or mark@mountaintrue.org with any questions or concerns.

07/24/15 JUST PEACE FOR ISRAEL/PALESTINE MEETING

This meeting will be at 3:15 PM at Brooks-Howell Home on Merrimon Avenue in Asheville. Meeting will be in the International Room, opposite the lobby desk.

 07/30/15 MOUNTAIN TRUE LEGISLATIVE WRAP UP MEETING IN ASHEVILLE

Catch up on the environmental outcomes of this legislative session, current priorities, and how you can get involved in holding our lawmakers accountable to the public they serve. For more information and to RSVP, go to Mountain True website. Time is 6 – 8 PM and location is Battery Park Book Exchange & Champagne Bar in the Grove Arcade.

07/31/15 ASHEVILLE BUNCOMBE FOOD POLICY COUNCIL MEETING

Meeting of the whole: A Celebration of Interdependence. We will gather to plant seeds for building on our ability to make to make change as a community, and to celebrate our growth as individuals and organizations dedicated to a sustainable food system and social justice. Are you concerned about food access, growing food, the ability of our national food system to provide for us locally? Let's talk. Each attendee must fill out their own RSVP no later than 7/26. Folks interested in participating must RSVP at the link below as soon as possible to guarantee a spot for attendance. http://goo.gl/forms/WUojzp231A. Time is 6 to 9 PM and location is Stephens Lee Recreation Center.

08/02/15 DISPLAY AT FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH IN ASHEVILLE

NC Peace Action is sponsoring a display of posters on the Hiroshima bombings in 1945. These will be at the First Congregational Church, UCC on Oak Avenue until 08/30/15. (Prior email said ‘July’ but I have been told it will be held in August.)

08/01/15 PEACE WALK FROM SWANNANOA TO OAK RIDGE - POTLUCK FOR THE PEACE WALKERS

August 1-August 8, Peace Walk from Swannanoa to Oak Ridge. Buddhist monks from the Great Smoky Mountains Peace Pagoda will lead a 7 day walk, 10 miles a day, from Swannanoa to Oak Ridge, TN to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Oak Ridge is where the bomb dropped on Hiroshima was built and where nuclear weapons work continues to this day. All are invited to join for the whole walk, or any part of it, for a day, even hours.  The walk will begin on the morning of Aug 1 and be followed with a potluck dinner in Asheville (at Asheville Friends Meeting at 227 Edgewood, off Merrimon, in Asheville at 6 PM) for walkers and others who are interested. All are welcome to the potluck. It will continue on the morning of Aug 2 from Vance Monument, west towards Oak Ridge. On Aug 8, walkers will join commemorative activities being conducted by the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance (OREPA). For more information, contact Ken Jones, jonesk@maine.edu.

08/05/15 SIERRA CLUB MEETING

Sierra Club meeting on Waterfalls & Wildflowers - join us for Timothy Spira's presentation on "Exploring Waterfalls & Wildflowers in the Southern Appalachian Mountains".  Tim's latest book is Waterfalls and Wildflowers in the Southern Appalachians: Thirty Great Hikes. Tim is emeritus professor of botany at Clemson University. Location is Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville, 1 Edwin Place, (corner of Charlotte & Edwin). Time is 7 PM.  Contact: judymattox@sbcglobal.net, or 828-683-2176 for more information.

08/06/15 COMMUNITY DISCUSSIONS ABOUT USE OF FORCE BY LAW ENFORCEMENT

The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office will host a series of community meetings for discussions about the use of force by law enforcement. Location is North Buncombe High School. Time is 6 PM. The meeting will allow people to hear from Sheriff Van Duncan on the training and education that deputies receive regarding use of force, and Duncan will answer questions from community members about the topic. “We want to share with the public the law as well as the policies that we operate under when making use of force decisions,” Duncan said. “Being transparent with the public will hopefully create a shared understanding of law enforcement’s obligations as well as duties in protecting the public.” The question-and-answer portion of the program will be moderated by Lucia Daughtery of the Asheville-Buncombe Community Relations Council. This forum is free and open to the public.

08/06/15 CLEAN ENERGY IN THE MOUNTAINS EVENT 

Clean Energy in the Mountains is back! Come have a beer with us on August 6th at Highland Brewing Company on Old Charlotte Highway in Asheville. This event will gather NC Sustainable Energy Association members and clean energy leaders from across the Southeast as we recognize the forward progress happening in the western North Carolina region and beyond. Enjoy local catering and a Highland beer while connecting with friends and colleagues. Please register by Monday, August 3rd. Find out how to register, or ask for more information from Christy at christy@energync.org or 919-832-7601 ext 111. Time is 5:30 to 8:30 PM.

08/06/15 CREATION CARE ALLIANCE GENERAL MEETING

All are welcome to take a moment to listen to one another, renew our spirits and learn about ways to engage the work of caring for creation.  Join us! Location is First Baptist Church of Asheville at 5 Oak Street in downtown Asheville and time is 5:30 to 7 PM. Be a part of the conversation. Call (828) 258-8737 or email: creationcare@mountaintrue.org for more information.

08/08/15 HIROSHIMA REMEMBRANCE IN OAK RIDGE TN

There will be more information to come on this event and there will likely be carpooling from Asheville.

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ONGOING EVENTS

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TUESDAY

Veterans for Peace have a weekly vigil at 5 PM at Pack Square, Vance Monument

WEDNESDAY

Haywood Peace Vigilers have a weekly vigil at 4 PM at Haywood County Courthouse in Waynesville

THURSDAY

Asheville Homeless Network meeting at 1 PM at A-Hope on North Ann Street in Asheville.  

Youth Outright Poetry Night at United Church of Christ on 20 Oak Street in Asheville at 5 PM

FRIDAY

Women in Black have a weekly vigil at noon at the City Hall in Hendersonville

Women in Black have a monthly vigil at 5 PM at Vance Monument in Asheville (first Friday only)

SATURDAY

Transylvanians for Peace and WNC Physicians for Social Responsibility have a weekly vigil at noon in front of the courthouse in Brevard. Call 884-3435 to confirm. 

Third Saturdays – Asheville’s Green Grannies invites the public to “sing for the climate” at Pritchard Park at 5 PM.

SUNDAY

Youth OUTright meeting from 4 to 6 PM at First Congregational United Church of Christ at 20 Oak Street in Asheville. Ages 14 - 23 only.

Other voices: Chelsea Manning

The CIA's torturers and the leaders who approved their actions must face the law

Chelsea E Manning

Successful intelligence gathering through interrogation and other forms of human interaction by conventional means can be – and more often than not are – very successful. But, even though interrogation by less conventional methods might get glorified in popular culture – in television dramas like Law and Order: Criminal Intent, 24 and The Closer and movies like Zero Dark Thirty – torture and the mistreatment of detainees in the custody of intelligence personnel is, was and shall continue to be unethical and morally wrong. Under US law, torture and mistreatment of detainees is also very illegal. Even the most junior level intelligence officials know that this is, and has been, the case for decades.

Yet, despite such knowledge, in response to the horrific attacks on the US in New York, Virginia and over Pennsylvania on 9/11, the US developed and applied techniques (now public knowledge due to the recent US Senate report commonly referred to as the Senate Torture Report) that sought to inflict severe mental pain and suffering, or the threat of pain and suffering, on detainees in the custody of the CIA and portions of the Department of Defense. These programs were administered by officers acting under the color of law.

According to numerous public reports, including the Senate Torture Report, these programs were authorized at the highest levels of government, and carried out in far-flung foreign places to avoid domestic detection and to muddy the issues of custody status and jurisdiction. This clearly shows a premeditated and intentional conspiracy to knowingly violate US law, and to avoid any oversight and criminal liability.

The actions by CIA officers – both the ones discussed in the Senate Torture Report and the ones that might have not yet come to light – have gravely damaged the credibility of the US intelligence community for decades to come. More worringly, they also may have prevented the US from being able to quickly and effectively prosecute the very terrorists who these officers sought to help fight against. This is evident by the unending stalemate in the military commissions taking place at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

In my experience working as an intelligence analyst with my own pool of sources numbering close to 100, by far the most effective forms of human intelligence collection are rapport-building and direct questioning. As outrageously counter-intuitive as this might seem, the most hardened terrorists and criminals are often extremely willing to brag about the terrible things they’ve done, the unlikely places that they have been hiding, the important people that they know and deal with and the plans they have been working on for the future. Not only do these captured terrorists – even the hardened ones – sing, they often like to sing loudly and proudly. But, I am also wary of such embellishments.

And, even if detainees are not as cooperative, then the most legal coercive interrogation techniques often used by conventional law enforcement are just as effective against terrorists as they have been in typical murder and kidnapping investigations. Torture then – at least in my experience – has never been a part of the big picture of intelligence collection. It seems that smart and conventional methods are sufficient. But regardless of whether these techniques were ineffective and counterproductive, the techniques outlined in the Senate torture report were far outside the boundaries of what is acceptable for the US intelligence community. Their supposed effectiveness is irrelevant to the fact that torture is wrong.

It is important to hold the officers, supervisors and, to a lesser extent, the politicians involved in creating and executing these programs, accountable. To let their horrific actions go unanswered would send an awful message to the world: it is wrong to torture and mistreat people, except when those doing it have the supposed blessing of the law and with the permission of high-ranking supervisors and politicians.

Even after internal reports by inspectors general and investigation by the criminal division of the US Department of Justice – a department that had a moral, ethical and more importantly legal obligation to investigate and charge the officers involved under criminal statutes – the government declined to commit itself to criminal charges against those who either committed or authorized acts of torture.

Now, even though the possibility of holding the officers, supervisors and politicians involved accountable before the US courts may be passing in America, this should not be the end of the road. For example, the German Code of Crimes against International Law allows for the prosecution of individuals and crimes outside the territory of Germany by the German Federal Public Prosecutor. Such charges are now being requested by the European Center of Constitutional and Human Rights – though, currently, they name select high ranking officials. If such charges are actually filed, the German government could request for the extradition of these officers for trial.

The extradition treaty between the US and Germany outlines the offenses under which the extradition can occur as: those that are “punishable under the laws” of both nations; those that are punishable by “deprivation of liberty for a maximum period exceeding one year”; and for “attempts to commit, conspiracy to commit, or participation in” such offenses. Torture is clearly defined as one of these offenses. And, while the treaty precludes extradition for offenses that are deemed as “a political offense”, it also excludes “murder or other wilful crime, punishable under the laws of both [nations] with a penalty of at least one year”. Torture, then, is not deemed a political offense.

However, while the treaty does not bind either nation to extradite its own citizens – making automatic extradition impossible – under the law, the US Secretary of State has the power to order the surrender of any US citizen whose extradition has been requested. I believe that if such a request should come before the Secretary of State, then he (or she) is morally and ethically obligated to grant it or risk further degrading the credibility of the US before the rest of the world and implicitly endorsing other countries that still use torture as a political weapon against their own citizens.

This was originally published on The Guardian (UK) website.

300 years of fossil fuels and what it brought us

Other voices: Sioux Indian Chief

Luther Standing Bear was an Oglala Lakota Sioux Chief who, among a few rare others such as Charles Eastman, Black Elk and Gertrude Bonnin occupied the rift between the way of life of the Indigenous people of the Great Plains before, and during, the arrival and subsequent spread of the European pioneers. Raised in the traditions of his people until the age of eleven, he was then educated at the Carlisle Indian Industrial Boarding School of Pennsylvania, where he learned the english language and way of life. (Though a National Historical Landmark, Carlisle remains a place of controversy in Native circles.)

1) Praise, flattery, exaggerated manners and fine, high-sounding words were no part of Lakota politeness. Excessive manners were put down as insincere, and the constant talker was considered rude and thoughtless. Conversation was never begun at once, or in a hurried manner.

2) Children were taught that true politeness was to be defined in actions rather than in words. They were never allowed to pass between the fire and the older person or a visitor, to speak while others were speaking, or to make fun of a crippled or disfigured person. If a child thoughtlessly tried to do so, a parent, in a quiet voice, immediately set him right.

3) Silence was meaningful with the Lakota, and his granting a space of silence before talking was done in the practice of true politeness and regardful of the rule that ‘thought comes before speech.’…and in the midst of sorrow, sickness, death or misfortune of any kind, and in the presence of the notable and great, silence was the mark of respect… strict observance of this tenet of good behavior was the reason, no doubt, for his being given the false characterization by the white man of being a stoic. He has been judged to be dumb, stupid, indifferent, and unfeeling.

4) We did not think of the great open plains, the beautiful rolling hills, the winding streams with tangled growth, as ‘wild’. Only to the white man was nature a ‘wilderness’ and only to him was it ‘infested’ with ‘wild’ animals and ‘savage’ people. To us it was tame. Earth was bountiful and we were surrounded with the blessings of the Great Mystery.

5) With all creatures of the earth, sky and water was a real and active principle. In the animal and bird world there existed a brotherly feeling that kept the Lakota safe among them. And so close did some of the Lakotas come to their feathered and furred friends that in true brotherhood they spoke a common tongue.

6) This concept of life and its relations was humanizing and gave to the Lakota an abiding love. It filled his being with the joy and mystery of living; it gave him reverence for all life; it made a place for all things in the scheme of existence with equal importance to all.

7) It was good for the skin to touch the earth, and the old people liked to remove their moccasins and walk with bare feet on the sacred earth… the old Indian still sits upon the earth instead of propping himself up and away from its life giving forces. For him, to sit or lie upon the ground is to be able to think more deeply and to feel more keenly. He can see more clearly into the mysteries of life and come closer in kinship to other lives about him.

8) Everything was possessed of personality, only differing from us in form. Knowledge was inherent in all things. The world was a library and its books were the stones, leaves, grass, brooks, and the birds and animals that shared, alike with us, the storms and blessings of earth. We learned to do what only the student of nature learns, and that was to feel beauty. We never railed at the storms, the furious winds, and the biting frosts and snows. To do so intensified human futility, so whatever came we adjusted ourselves, by more effort and energy if necessary, but without complaint.

9) …the old Lakota was wise. He knew that a man’s heart, away from nature, becomes hard; he knew that lack of respect for growing, living things soon led to lack of respect for humans, too. So he kept his children close to nature’s softening influence.

10) Civilization has been thrust upon me… and it has not added one whit to my love for truth, honesty, and generosity.

The above comments came from this link.

Not one more

Statement from Rev. William Barber, II

NC NAACP President Responds to Momentum Behind Removals of Confederate Flag

DURHAM, NC - In the last two weeks, several corporations have decided to discontinue their sales of merchandise bearing the Confederate flag symbol. State governments have also begun to debate the appropriateness of the flag's placement on public property in the 21st century, 150 years after the Civil War. Reflecting on this new momentum to remove Confederate flags, NC NAACP president Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II has issued the following statement: 

Our position has always been that the Confederate war flag belongs in a museum -- not over or on our state house or on state-issued license plates. It is a symbol of terror, hatred and treason to America's ideal.

Our position, however, is that not only should the flag come down, but we must work together to dismantle racism and structural systems of oppression.  Our society's commitment to address racism cannot stop with the removal of symbols -- however odious they are -- but must also include opening the path to upward social mobility for those who are trapped at the bottom due to blocked opportunities and the hoarding of economic resources by a small minority. 

In other words, politicians can't get a pass on addressing systemic policy racism simply because they have reluctantly moved to remove the flag in the wake of the Charleston massacre. Nine lives and the blood of nine of God's children and all of the blood of the martyrs is too much hurt for a symbolic action, alone, against racism that does not go deeper into structural and systemic change. If we don't address this, then the flag may come down, but opportunity barriers and racism will still wave over and run through the political terrain of our democracy.

We need to deal with the substance of policies. As long as we pass voter suppression laws, unjust environmental laws, laws that underfund public education and cause re-segregated, high-poverty schools, laws that block Medicaid expansion and a living wage, as long as we promote the racially applied death penalty and a broken criminal justice system, systemic racism still exists and continues to wave its ugly shadow over our body politic.

The work of bringing down racism is not over when we bring down only this flag. 

Upcoming events for the week of July 5, 2015

UPCOMING EVENTS

All during July:  DISPLAY AT FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH IN ASHEVILLE

NC Peace Action is sponsoring a display of posters on the Hiroshima bombings in 1945. These will be at the First Congregational Church, UCC on Oak Avenue all during July.

07/06/15 DINNER WITH PROGRESSIVES

Please join us this Monday night at Green Sage in Westgate in Asheville. This Monday is an open forum with three announcements:  Democracy Now Intern Kim Hoang will give a brief announcement about the Civics of Justice film series; Bridget McCurry will talk about voter registration in WNC and the introduction of new methods being used and Randy Bernard, regional coordinator for MoveOn will talk briefly about the 2016 election and MoveOn's involvement. Dinner is at 5:30 PM and program will be  from 6 to 7 PM. Please RSVP with Cheryl so she can give a headcount to Green Sage. Her email is ctorengo@gmail.com.  

07/07/15 ASHEVILLE TRANSIT COMMITTEE MEETING 

Time is 3:30 to 5 PM and location is First Floor Conference Room at Asheville City Hall.

07/07/15 INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE PLANNING MEETING

The next meeting will be held at North Asheville Community Center at 37 E. Larchmont Road in Asheville in the basement level. Time is 6 PM.

07/08/15 CIVICS OF JUSTICE FILM SERIES

Democracy North Carolina and Working Films are collaborating to launch the Civics of Justice Films Series. The month-long screening series will bring newly released and award-winning documentaries to ten cities across North Carolina during the month of July. The screenings and dialogues will help local community members develop a deeper analysis of the relationship between civic engagement and issues including criminal justice and policing, environmental justice, and economic justice. This film will be “Ferguson: A Report from Occupied Territory”. The film documents the aftermath in Ferguson, Missouri following the death of Michael Brown and highlights the complexity of local municipal politics and the activism of Black Lives Matter.  After the Department of Justice released a blistering report finding systematic racism and prejudice against blacks in the Ferguson Police Department, protests continued, the police chief and several Ferguson officials resigned, and two police officers were injured in a shooting. This problem, however, is not unique to Ferguson. St. Louis County is made of around 90 municipalities, each with their own police departments and courts. Residents report similar discriminatory treatment at the hands of law enforcement. And with so many different jurisdictions, a small infraction like an expired license plate can turn into dozens of fines and eventually warrants. Those in St. Louis who live below the poverty line are faced with the reality of buying food or paying fines. The documentary turns to the residents of St. Louis County to tell what it’s like to be racially profiled and under siege. Following the one-hour film, there will be a discussion and Q&A. Other sponsoring organizations include the Racial Equity Institute, Green Opportunities, Mountain People’s Assembly and the Racial Justice Coalition. Free and open to the public. Location is A-B Tech in Ferguson Auditorium at 340 Victoria Road in Asheville. Time is 6 to 8 PM. This is a Facebook event, and you can RSVP at the Asheville Civics of Justice Film Screening.

07/08/15 GREEN DRINKS

A Solution to Climate Change that will Grow our Economy. Citizens’ Climate Lobby believe that politicians don’t create political will, they respond to it! This international grassroots advocacy organization has worked tirelessly over the past few years focusing on national policies to address climate change. Brad & Steffi, lead organizers for two local CCL chapters, will explain how their proposed solution, called Carbon Fee & Dividend, will work to mitigate carbon emissions as well as grow our economy, jobs, and GDP. Brad Rouse is a lead organizer and Congressional Liaison for the Citizens’ Climate Lobby and an independent consultant in the fields of energy policy, energy planning, and energy efficiency. Steffi Rausch is lead organizer for the Asheville Citizens’ Climate Lobby as well as owner of Evolv, a local web design & development company. Location: The Green Sage at 5 Broadway Street in downtown Asheville. Socializing: 5:30 PM Programming: 6 PM

07/08/15 JUST PEACE IN ISRAEL/PALESTINE MEETING

This meeting will be at 9:30 AM at Black Mountain Presbyterian Church at 117 Montreat Road in Black Mountain.

07/11/15 CITIZEN’S CLIMATE LOBBY MEETING

Next monthly meeting will be on Saturday, July11th from 12:30 - 3 PM at Kairos West Community Center at 742 Haywood Road in west Asheville. At this meeting we will discuss our Lobby days in Washington DC and next steps to get a city & county resolution done to work from the ground up in our state. Please come and volunteer for the many opportunities that we provide to make REAL change in the world we live in! Guest Speaker: Patrick Carolan, Executive Director of Franciscan Action Network. Now that the Pope has released his encyclical on climate change, how can we best leverage Francis’ message for policy action? In the run up to the Pope addressing Congress and the UN in September, what messages should we be putting forward in the media? For answers, we’ll turn to Patrick Carolan, Executive Director of the Franciscan Action Network, a grassroots organization amplifying the justice efforts of Franciscans and Franciscan-hearted people around the country. Contact Citizens Climate Lobby - Asheville Chapter at asheville@citizensclimatelobby.org for more information.

07/11/15 MALAPROPS PRESENTATION

A professor of economics at Southern Methodist University, Dr. Ravi Batra and his work have appeared in the New York Times, Newsweek, and the U.S. News and World Report, among many others. His book, End Unemployment Now “offers practicable solutions to many of the economic problems plaguing America,” according to Publishers Weekly. Dr. Batra is the author of several other books including The New Golden Age: The Coming Revolution Against Political Corruption and Economic Chaos. Time is 7 PM, and location is Malaprops in downtown Asheville.

07/13/15 to 07/25/15 DRONE QUILT PROJECT IN ASHEVILLE

The Drone Quilt Project has been approved by the Asheville Area Arts Council and will be exhibited at their Grove Arcade gallery from July 13 to July 25, Monday through Saturday from 10 AM to 6 PM. Veterans for Peace Chapter 099, WNC Physicians for Social Responsibility and Just Peace for Israel/Palestine will be co-sponsoring this event. Join us as we remember the victims of US and Israeli drone bombings. Please contact Ken at jonesk@maine.edu or call 207-233-3087 for more information.

07/13/15 COMMUNITY DISCUSSIONS ABOUT USE OF FORCE BY LAW ENFORCEMENT

The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office will host a series of community meetings for discussions about the use of force by law enforcement.  Time is 6 PM. Location is Roberson High School. The meeting will allow people to hear from Sheriff Van Duncan on the training and education that deputies receive regarding use of force, and Duncan will answer questions from community members about the topic. “We want to share with the public the law as well as the policies that we operate under when making use of force decisions,” Duncan said. “Being transparent with the public will hopefully create a shared understanding of law enforcement’s obligations as well as duties in protecting the public.” The question-and-answer portion of the program will be moderated by Lucia Daughtery of the Asheville-Buncombe Community Relations Council. This forum is free and open to the public.

07/13/15 TRANSITION ASHEVILLE SOCIAL

Transition Asheville Social: Is Local Resilient? Scale, Sustainability and Resilience of the U.S. Food Supply by Laura Lengnick. Most of the activity around sustainable and resilient community redesign has focused at the local scale, including newly emerging climate change adaptation efforts, but is local the foundation of a sustainable and resilient future?  Recent research suggests that reorienting development efforts to the regional scale may offer more sustainability and resilience benefits. Time is 6:30 to 8 PM. Location is Parish Hall at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church on Charlotte Street in Asheville. 

07/13/15 BUS TO VOTER RIGHTS MARCH IN WINSTON-SALEM

Bus tickets available to the Voter Rights Rally in Winston-Salem on Monday, July 13. $25 round trip from Asheville. Leaving at 1 PM and returning about 10 PM. Pick up location TBD. To purchase tickets via Paypal, www.mountainmoralmonday.org and scroll down to "Donate" link. Be sure to let us know how many tickets and names of riders. If you prefer to mail a check, make payable to Mountain Voices Alliance, PO Box 8052, Asheville, NC 28814. Please also include a note with number of tickets and names of riders, as well as a cell phone number. For more information, go the website listed above. This is sponsored by the Mountain People’s Assembly. 

07/14/15 VETERANS FOR PEACE MEETING

Time is 6:30 PM and location is VFP HQ at the Phil Mechanic Studios: 109 Roberts Street in Asheville. 

07/15/15 GREEN DRINKS

Join us July 15th, to hear from Sunil Patel of Patchwork Urban Farms. Learn how Patchwork is creating a movement to reconnect our lives with our landscapes, and find out how you can plug in. Patchwork is regenerating our urban landscapes and making the groundwork for a vibrant food and farming economy. The time for concerted action is now! Time is 5:30 for socializing and 6 PM for programming. Location is the Green Sage at 5 Broadway in downtown Asheville.

07/18/15 SIERRA CLUB ANNUAL PICNIC

Location is the Blue Ridge Parkway sheltered picnic grounds (Bull Mt. Rd. off Riceville Rd.) Time is noon to 4 PM. Directions: Exit 7 on I-240; go east on Tunnel Rd for 2 miles; turn north on Riceville Rd; go 1.3 miles and turn west on Bull Mt. Rd. The fenced-in, sheltered picnic area is on the left about ½ mile up the road. Please bring a potluck dish to share and your own settings. Drinks will be provided. 

07/19/15 ETHICAL HUMANIST SOCIETY OF ASHEVILLE PRESENTATION

“Lessons from Jane: The Enduring Urban Wisdom of Jane Jacobs” will be presented by David A. Johnson, FAICP, at the Sunday, July 19th meeting of the Ethical Humanist Society of Asheville, 2 to 3:30 PM, at The Friends Meeting House, 227 Edgewood Road, Asheville, NC.

A half century ago, a feisty New York journalist changed how we think about cities and economies. In her remarkable career, Jane Jacobs challenged established urban planning orthodoxies, defeated the bulldozers of Robert Moses and showed us how to look at and improve our neighborhoods. Informal discussion and refreshments will follow the presentation. All are welcome. For more information, contact: asheville@aeu.org or 828 687-7759.

07/21/15 MIND THE GAP TOUR

These informational tours are organized by Children First/Communities in Schools of Buncombe County. The tours are held each month and last about 1 hour. They are led by the Executive Director of Children First/Communities in Schools, Allison Jordan, and you get to meet some of the children that are served through the summer camp program, as well as become informed on all of the programs that are  provided, including our advocacy work. The goal is to alleviate the barriers of poverty experienced by local children and families. This includes food pantry, emergency financial assistance, clothing closet, and work on public policy at the local and state level. Time is 8 AM. To reserve a seat on the bus for the tour or for more information, contact Kaitlyn at KaitlynB@childrenfirstbc.org or call 828-259-9717.

07/21/15 PANEL DISCUSSION/RECEPTION ON DRONE QUILT EXHIBIT

This will be held at the Grove Arcade Gallery from 5 to 7 PM. Ken Ashe of Veterans for Peace and Bill Ramsey of Just Peace Israel/Palestine will be discussing drones and their impacts. Free and open to the public. More information to follow. Please contact Ken at jonesk@maine.edu or call 207-233-3087 for more information.

07/23/15 MOUNTAIN TRUE LEGISLATIVE WRAP UP MEETING IN HENDERSONVILLE

Catch up on the environmental outcomes of this legislative session, current priorities, and how you can get involved in holding our lawmakers accountable to the public they serve. For more information and to RSVP http://action.mountaintrue.org/page/s/2015-legislative-wrap-ups. Time is 6 – 8 PM and location is The Taproom at Monte’s at 2024-G Asheville Highway in Hendersonville (I saw another listing with a different location, so please check.)

 07/30/15 MOUNTAIN TRUE LEGISLATIVE WRAP UP MEETING IN ASHEVILLE

Catch up on the environmental outcomes of this legislative session, current priorities, and how you can get involved in holding our lawmakers accountable to the public they serve. For more information and to RSVP http://action.mountaintrue.org/page/s/2015-legislative-wrap-ups. Time is 6 – 8 PM and location is Battery Park Book Exchange & Champagne Bar in the Grove Arcade.

07/31/15 ASHEVILLE BUNCOMBE FOOD POLICY COUNCIL

Asheville Buncombe Food Policy Council will host a Meeting Of The Whole: A Celebration of Interdependence. Time is 6 - 9 PM and location is Stephens Lee Recreation Center in Asheville. We will gather to plant seeds for capacity building and strengthening our local food security movement in a Collective Impact framework, and to celebrate our growth as a community dedicated to a sustainable food system.

08/01/15 PEACE WALK FROM SWANNANOA TO OAK RIDGE

August 1-August 8, Peace Walk from Swannanoa to Oak Ridge. Buddhist monks from the Great Smoky Mountains Peace Pagoda will lead a 7 day walk, 10 miles a day, from Swannanoa to Oak Ridge, TN to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Oak Ridge is where the bomb dropped on Hiroshima was built and where nuclear weapons work continues to this day. All are invited to join for the whole walk, or any part of it, for a day, even hours.  The walk will begin on the morning of Aug 1 and be followed with a potluck dinner in Asheville (time and place TBD) for walkers and others who are interested. It will continue on the morning of Aug 2 from Vance Monument, west towards Oak Ridge. On Aug 8, walkers will join commemorative activities being conducted by the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance (OREPA). For more information, contact Ken Jones, jonesk@maine.edu.

08/05/15 SIERRA CLUB MEETING

Sierra Club meeting on Waterfalls & Wildflowers - join us for Timothy Spira's presentation on "Exploring Waterfalls & Wildflowers in the Southern Appalachian Mountains".  Tim's latest book is Waterfalls and Wildflowers in the Southern Appalachians: Thirty Great Hikes. Tim is emeritus professor of botany at Clemson University. Location is Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville, 1 Edwin Place, (corner of Charlotte & Edwin). Time is 7 PM.  Contact: judymattox@sbcglobal.net, or 828-683-2176 for more information.

08/06/15 COMMUNITY DISCUSSIONS ABOUT USE OF FORCE BY LAW ENFORCEMENT

The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office will host a series of community meetings for discussions about the use of force by law enforcement. Location is North Buncombe High School. Time is 6 PM. The meeting will allow people to hear from Sheriff Van Duncan on the training and education that deputies receive regarding use of force, and Duncan will answer questions from community members about the topic. “We want to share with the public the law as well as the policies that we operate under when making use of force decisions,” Duncan said. “Being transparent with the public will hopefully create a shared understanding of law enforcement’s obligations as well as duties in protecting the public.” The question-and-answer portion of the program will be moderated by Lucia Daughtery of the Asheville-Buncombe Community Relations Council. This forum is free and open to the public.

08/06/15 CLEAN ENERGY IN THE MOUNTAINS EVENT 

Clean Energy in the Mountains is back! Come have a beer with us on August 6th at Highland Brewing Company on Old Charlotte Highway in Asheville. This event will gather NC Sustainable Energy Association members and clean energy leaders from across the Southeast as we recognize the forward progress happening in the western North Carolina region and beyond. Enjoy local catering and a Highland beer while connecting with friends and colleagues. Please register by Monday, August 3rd. Find out how to register, or ask for more information from Christy at christy@energync.org or 919-832-7601 ext 111. Time is 5:30 to 8:30 PM.

08/06/15 CREATION CARE ALLIANCE GENERAL MEETING

All are welcome to take a moment to listen to one another, renew our spirits and learn about ways to engage the work of caring for creation.  Join us! Location is First Baptist Church of Asheville at 5 Oak Street in downtown Asheville and time is 5:30 to 7 PM. Be a part of the conversation. Call (828) 258-8737 or email: creationcare@mountaintrue.org for more information.

08/08/15 HIROSHIMA REMEMBRANCE IN OAK RIDGE TN

There will be more information to come on this event and there will likely be carpooling from Asheville.

08/20/15 COMMUNITY DISCUSSIONS ABOUT USE OF FORCE BY LAW ENFORCEMENT

The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office will host a series of community meetings for discussions about the use of force by law enforcement. Location is Owen High School. Time is 6 PM. The meeting will allow people to hear from Sheriff Van Duncan on the training and education that deputies receive regarding use of force, and Duncan will answer questions from community members about the topic. “We want to share with the public the law as well as the policies that we operate under when making use of force decisions,” Duncan said. “Being transparent with the public will hopefully create a shared understanding of law enforcement’s obligations as well as duties in protecting the public.” The question-and-answer portion of the program will be moderated by Lucia Daughtery of the Asheville-Buncombe Community Relations Council. This forum is free and open to the public.

08/25/15 MONTREAT COLLEGE REMEMBRANCE OF MLK

In the last weekend of August, at the Anderson Auditorium, Montreat College, there will be a week of remembrance of  Martin Luther King’s address at Montreat in 1965.  There will be nine speakers; the main speaker will be U.S. Representative John Lewis. More information to follow.

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ONGOING EVENTS

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TUESDAY

Veterans for Peace have a weekly vigil at 5 PM at Pack Square, Vance Monument

WEDNESDAY

Haywood Peace Vigilers have a weekly vigil at 4 PM at Haywood County Courthouse in Waynesville

THURSDAY

Asheville Homeless Network meeting at 1 PM at A-Hope on North Ann Street in Asheville.  

Youth Outright Poetry Night at United Church of Christ on 20 Oak Street in Asheville at 5 PM

FRIDAY

Women in Black have a weekly vigil at noon at the City Hall in Hendersonville

Women in Black have a monthly vigil at 5 PM at Vance Monument in Asheville (first Friday only)

SATURDAY

Transylvanians for Peace and WNC Physicians for Social Responsibility have a weekly vigil at noon in front of the courthouse in Brevard. Call 884-3435 to confirm. 

Third Saturdays – Asheville’s Green Grannies invites the public to “sing for the climate” at Pritchard Park at 5 PM.

SUNDAY

Youth OUTright meeting from 4 to 6 PM at First Congregational United Church of Christ at 20 Oak Street in Asheville. Ages 14 - 23 only.

Rev. Dr. Barber's words

Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II

June 24, 2015

[The Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II is the architect of the Forward Together Moral Monday Movement, president of the North Carolina NAACP and pastor of the Greenleaf Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Goldsboro. This is the sermon he gave after the Charleston massacre.]

A deeper meaning of forgiveness in the Christian nonviolent tradition reveals a critique that knows when the perpetrator has been caught but the killer is still at large.

There is a scripture that says we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against the powers and rulers of the darkness. Within the nonviolent faith tradition, it has always been clear that hate cannot drive out hate and evil cannot drive out evil. And so the Christians at the Charleston Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church who were able to forgive the murder of nine of their fellow worshipers 48 hours after losing their loved ones are consistent with their faith. Jesus said as he was being murdered by the state, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

But this forgiveness should not be misinterpreted as a dismissing of the greater evil. The forgiveness in Charleston is also an act of resistance to the attempts to lay the blame for this horror at the feet of one man. If America is serious about this moment, we cannot just cry ceremonial tears while at the same time refusing to support the martyred Reverend Pinckney and his parishioners' stalwart fight against the racism that gave birth to the crime.

The perpetrator has been caught, but the killer is still at large: the deep well of American racism and white supremacy that Dylann Roof drank from. These families are challenging the schizophrenia of American morality, which allows political leaders to condemn the crime but embrace the policies that are its genesis.

Many South Carolina politicians and others around the nation are decrying the killings but steadfastly refusing to quell their divisive race-implying rhetoric. They have condemned the violence but have not ceased their push for policies that promote race-based voter suppression; adversity toward fixing the Voting Rights Act; cutting public education in ways that foster resegregation; denying workers living wages; refusing Medicaid expansion; allowing the proliferation of guns; and flying the Confederate flag, a symbol of slavery, racism, and terrorism against African-Americans, at the state Capitol.

Some even use racial code words to criticize the president, all in the name of taking their country back and preventing its destruction. And they refuse to admit that there is a history of racialized political rhetoric and policies spawning the pathology of terroristic murder and violent resistance.

When they were murdered, Reverend Pinckney and his parishioners were advocating for a better life for people of all races. They were standing with fast-food workers demanding a living wage. They were calling for the Confederate flag to come down. They were fighting against voter suppression and for funding public education, expanding Medicaid to allow the poor and near-poor of all races to have healthcare. They were mobilizing for police accountability and marching for justice in the recent killing of Walter Scott, an unarmed African-American man shot in the back by a police officer in North Charleston.

These brave family members are telling America that you cannot focus only on Dylann Roof and absolve the nation of its historic sickness. In a profound way, they are saying that giving the killer the death penalty is not going to fix what ails us. Arresting one disturbed young man will not bring “closure” or “healing” to a society that is still sick with the sins of racism and inequality, where too many perpetuate the slow violence of undermining the promise of equal protection under the law, which preachers like Denmark Vessey, Martin Luther King, and Clementa Pickney fought for.

These family members are asking us to forgive the sinner but hate the sin. They are issuing a clarion call born of their pain and loss to create a society that truly embraces justice and equality, that ends the policies of racism and poverty that guarantee there will be more Dylann Roofs and more acts of terror, because only then will we apprehend the real killers.

In light of this, I believe real healing would be writing and passing a bipartisan omnibus bill in the name of the nine Emanuel Martyrs that implements Medicaid expansion, raises public education funding, passes living-wage requirements and new gun-control laws, removes the Confederate flag from the South Carolina Statehouse, and restores the Voting Rights Act.

The very seat Reverend Pinckney held in the state Senate is in jeopardy as long as Section 5 of the VRA has been gutted. And even if it passed, the current reform bill in the US House would exempt Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee from coverage. If we want closure, let us name a VRA restoration bill after the Emanuel Nine.

We have no choice. We must see transformative action, not temporary ceremonial displays. Until we deal with the issues of race, poverty, and violence that threaten to tear our nation asunder, it is not just America’s soul that is at stake, but America itself.

Pope Francis speaks

Truth

Drop the charges against Bree

Email from Color of Change:

Early this morning, a multiracial group of Carolinians led by teachers and activists took down the Confederate flag from the South Carolina capitol grounds — within an hour the state had raised the hateful banner once again in time for an 11 A.M. white supremacist rally. Bree, the Black woman who climbed the pole and cut down the flag, was arrested and taken into custody by Capitol Police. She should be promptly released from jail, any charges should be dropped, and the legislature should immediately vote to permanently remove the flag. 

According to a statement from the activists they took down the flag because:  

"We could not sit by and watch the victims of the Charleston Massacre be laid to rest while the inspiration for their deaths continue to fly above their caskets." 

The Confederate flag was born out of a government defending the enslavement of Black people and resurrected as an emblem for whites violently opposing racial integration. Any government that recognizes the flag is declaring that it cherishes a history of racial terror. Taking down the flag is just one step but one that strikes a blow at the visible symbol of white supremacy. Make no mistake about it, however, racism isn't just a flag or words it's baked into our economy and inequities in our democracy and criminal justice system. 

In Bree's own words: 

"It's time for a new chapter where we are sincere about dismantling white supremacy and building toward true racial justice and equality."

South Carolina officials have sided with white supremacists in choosing to restore the flag before a planned rally. The legislature must immediately vote to permanently remove the Confederate flag from the capitol and all state buildings.

This is a petition to sign to drop the charges against Bree and her companion.

March from Selma to DC

Sure wish I could go on this one.

More war in Iraq

I guess really ending our war of aggression on Iraq was not good enough. So now our President is sending more troops there and doing some more bombing.

May God forgive him for this evil. I certainly do not.