Key Commands

I’m all about key commands. Sit. Stay. Lie down. I’m all over those. They serve a mutually beneficial purpose for both parties. Its those second tier commands…roll over. Shake? Or even third tier stuff, like dance. I will happily sit in front of you, I can see you perfectly when I’m sitting directly in front of you. No chance of sudden moves. Stay? Oh no problem. I’ll stay right here…in front of you. Like I said, no chance of any sudden movement.

I’m contained in a table top design. Four legs and supine spine. You have two legs and are all the shiftier for it. I got kicked from behind by a 2-legged boy. I’m what you call one of those small dogs that is often mistaken for an American football. Small dog alerts apply to me during windy days. So yes, I’ll sit and stay and make sure you have no plans to rear up behind me to catapult my ass anywhere.

I look you directly in the eye when we key command. I’m looking for your heart. It usually doesn’t take long, I’m looking you in the eye and there it is right there happy to say hello. Then you smile. You pet me on the head and scratch my neck, sitting and staying…in front of you. When we’re at that point, I’m fairly certain you will not be planning a sudden move to punt me through the house. Survived another round.

I lie down, too. On one condition, I have to be on top of you. If you’re sitting, I hop up and splay luxuriously across your lap, essentially I pin you down like a stealthy Olympic wrestler. If you’re standing, I lie on your feet like so many other stalwart peace warriors before me at their oppressors’ feet. I lie down with honor and in deference for all those small dogs that are, quite literally, the butt of 2-leggeds’ jokes.

Key commands serve a mutually beneficial purpose, that’s why I’m eager to do them! Now…roll over? Let me think about that…I will roll on my back, with my belly and private parts exposed for as long as it takes me to roll to the other side to my upright table top position. Are you kidding? Reckless. Not going to happen.

I don’t even want to think of the limitless potential for recklessness that ‘shaking hands’ and ‘dancing’ with 2 leggeds will expose me to.

Collective Priorities & Existing Power Structures

How should decisions be made about our collective priorities?

Stripping away the historical trauma, context, and inherent systemic inequalities of our reality: the way our society works is based on a social contract with one another and with an organization that we pay in return for public goods and services - whether it be roads, garbage pick up, etc. We call this organization the government. Collectively, we (ideally) choose how the government prioritizes needs and thus how money will be distributed across various line items.

In theory, the areas of life that the government will not/can not or does not provide/distribute, the private sector will or can offer at cost to any consumer, provided there is a demonstrated demand for the good or service.

When the government does not adequately address a group or issue, and the private sector cannot find an adequate market in those arenas to substantiate entrance into said market, the non-profit/third sector emerges. This alternative sector is filling gaps left void by government and private industry.

What would an ideal non-profit look like?

I guess it would be somewhat dependent upon what function/need the non-profit aims to fulfill. For service organizations, their mission intends to distribute and/or provide a service that which is not offered by public sector or is cost prohibitive in the private sector. For advocacy organizations, their mission is to alter the behavior towards a particular group or entity and eventually influence policy decisions regarding the group or entity.

Non-profits function within the system that created the need for the sector. The non-profits need funding to provide the good or service so where does that money come from if it hasn't been prioritized by the public sector and is not worthy of private investment? Quality of life improvements and justice efforts have been dramatically shifted to not-for-profit, community led efforts shifting the onus from public funds to an alternative funding stream, unattached to the budgeting whims of public spending.

But generally if a non-profit is filling a need, that need should be met in order for that non-profit to be successful. Therefore, the most successful non-profit is one that works its way out of a job. It is not necessarily in these organizations best interest to fully meet their intended purpose and therein lies the faulty design of the non-profit sector.

The inherently flawed design under which non-profits function is the fact that the service/public good/idea by its very nature has been designated a 'less than' priority.   The service/public good/idea is less than when it comes to how it is to be handled - i.e. government will not/can not address the issue and thus will be handled by a not-for-profit sector- and it is less than when it comes to who or what shall fund the efforts to address the issue - i.e. donations, charities, crowdsourcing, grants, etc.

There is a gap. The reality is that we collectively do not set the public agenda, and we do not set the course on how our public funds will be prioritized. The gap isn't necessarily all to do with funding, though the measured gaps in funding do add up to an entire society that is not valued equally. Our collective experience does not exist in isolation of historical context and systemic inequalities.  The gap is in the totality of a system maintaining a status quo where collective priorities are made to compete in a marketplace. The non-profit industry is writing the next chapter of the same book in which priorities are pre-determined to maintain the existing power structure.

Enough is enough!

I want to organize a movement to boycott the payment of federal taxes during the period of the government shutdown. If the federal government refuses to be accountable to its people, then I don't want to be accountable to the federal government.


One thing the government shutdown has not put a halt to is the federally recognized day of recognition in tribute to Christopher Columbus. The tribute every October is indicative of the short sighted, oppressive fallacy of US leadership. Another indication is the current shutdown.

The overt dysfunction of the US government is also a reflection of the overt dysfunction of the international power structure. For centuries, the international power structure has been dictated by the accumulation of resources, debt, conquest, and leveraging power.  Internally, the political paradigm of the US follows the same framework.  Polarized interest parlay for the ultimate goal of dominating the sphere of influence.

No one wins, though.  The dominated, obviously, don't win. But, the dominators never win either.  They have to keep fighting off any other faction looking for their chance to dominate.  And it keeps going...for centuries.

There are people affected by the shutdown. More than just politically though.  In New Orleans, there have been several reports of EBT machines being out of service; EBT machines process food stamp payments. There are thousands of people out of work.  There are people needing medical attention that can't be served.

This makes me feel helpless and at the whims of the governing body elected to serve our society's best interest. But the best interest of our society is dictated by that paradigm of accumulation... accumulation of resources, debt, etc.  Our society's best interest doesn't really include me except as a consumer.  So, if my consumerism is my leverage, I think it's time I start leveraging my power.

Enough is enough! I want a 21st century government that reconciles for its past crimes, like renaming today to Native American Day, and I want a government that abides by the same laws governing the populace.  The short sighted, oppressive fallacy of the US government will no longer dominate its people. We are the people, we are the government. There is no separation.  The further it is separated, the stronger we are going to stand to demand that the US government is for the people and not for the few.

Refuse federal taxation during the shutdown.
#notaxshutdown

Notes from Steep Ravine 2012

The sun is setting. Sliding down slowly casting a long reflection of itself on the vast sea. The sun is looking more directly on the Asian side of the world right now.

The sea just keeps going, in and out drawn forward then sucked back tilting and pulsing, squeezing out the debris while relenting to the rhythms of the earth upon which it dances. Ocean water - perfectly stretched fabric over the naked earth body.  A perfectly symbiotic relationship - the earth needing water for growth and nourishment, the water needing the earth to contain it & hold its shape.  Liquids need containers to hold shape or better yet liquids will always hold the shape of the container that which contains it.

The earth is not mysterious, it just is. She just is. The mystery of earth is that there is no mystery.  The mystery is in our disconnection from the nature of earth.  The disconnection from a culture that recognizes the cyclical nature of time; the disconnection from a time when the spirit of nature held a spot for the spirit of people.  Its not that the spot isn't still available, the spirit of man has a PR agent now.  The PR agent is telling mankind that we don't need that spot to be held for us. In  fact, not only do we not need it, but we got a God guy so far away from this nature spirit, that we are better than the spirit of nature. We've transcended the spirit of nature, we've evolved & become civilized.  As the term 'civilization' became synonymous with dominator, society manicured and covered up the spirit of nature.  Entire city-scapes have trace remnants of the natural world that ever existed there.

I always wonder about the city wildlife: pigeons, squirrels, rats, raccoons, opossums, etc. I never see those dead - unless there's that occasional unfortunate road kill siting which always feels surreal in the middle of a busy city street.  Almost as surreal as the tumbleweeds crossing the road out West.

Now its the part of the sunset when the light softens to an orangey pink and the lazy eyes of the world start to close for the night.  The shadows long like eyelashes dipping closer and closer to the sleepy horizon.

Reflections on Volunteering

As a Red Cloud Volunteer, I learned many lessons. A few pertinent ones that stick out:

• I learned that no one is less than
• I learned that things happen when they need to happen
• I learned that we are all related
• I learned that there is always something that will shock you, there will always be something in this world that you never thought you could have ever imagined to be true
• I learned that historical trauma is part of our collective story, that all that has happened before will always have an affect on what comes after
• I learned that the US government has failed to honor any treaties with native peoples in North America
• I learned that children are sacred - they are the most recent ones to join us so they require the most guidance and support to learn what it is to be a person
• I learned that its really hard to listen when everything is being so loud - patience is most difficult when all you want to do is shout back
• Trust your gut feelings; but make sure your hear agrees with your gut

Rising Tide Conference Blog: Rising Tide 8 - Save the Date!

Rising Tide Conference Blog: Rising Tide 8 - Save the Date!

Response from Sr. Vitter RE: chained CPI for Social Security benefits

Dear Ms. ---,

Thank you for contacting me in opposition to using a chained Consumer Price Index (CPI) for measuring inflation in the United States.  I appreciate hearing your thoughts on this important issue.

As you know, people receiving Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits get an automatic cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) determined by the increases in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). The chained CPI is an alternative calculation developed to account for the changes that people make in the types of goods that they purchase in response to price changes. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics, the chained CPI "is designed to be a closer approximation to a cost-of-living index than the existing BLS measures," and using the chained CPI for Social Security was recommended by the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform and the bipartisan Policy Center's Debt Reduction Task Force.

Like you, I firmly believe we must keep the promise of Social Security and give Louisiana seniors the security and peace of mind they deserve.  Social Security provides a critical foundation of income for retired and disabled workers, and Congress has a duty to ensure that Social Security is protected, not just for the current generation, but for generations to come.  Rest assured that I will continue to focus on protecting and ensuring solvency for Social Security in the U.S. Senate and will keep your concerns in mind.

Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts on this important issue.  Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future about other issues important to you.

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Receiving this oversimplified explanation of the chained CPI and social security benefits, I began to wonder if Senator Vitter and his family could survive a monthly income chained to the current CPI for at least six months.  Its very convenient for authorities to make decisions about income figures when there is little to no personal attachments at stake.

#whatisatstake #votethemout

Cloud Princess!

Black Out

Only qualified individuals and our affiliates authorize financial institutions the right to deny countries of the world civil rights.

On a recent flight from San Francisco to New Orleans, my seat was fliered by an eager credit card company looking to lure my business with the promised reward of flight miles.  The back of the credit card application was a page of caveats, rules, and notices.  

The anger I feel at the industry designed to make money by trading money is shadowed by my disgust at industries exploiting people to maximize their profit. Looking hard enough at this credit card flier, the black out popped out almost instantly. “Only qualified individuals and our affiliates authorize financial institutions the right to deny countries of the world civil rights.”

I put the flier back in the seat pocket in front of me, blacking-out boxes around the phrases and shock lines around the boxes. I hope someone found it and sees it as clearly as I did.

Sunday Garden Therapy

Enjoy these Sunday afternoon garden shots.

Debt Currency

There is an elephant in our country’s room.

Radical extremism has long played a pertinent role in US history. Since the inception of this country, radical extremists have been an inconvenience to the status quo.  We can easily point to the radical extremism clearly declaring the need for independence in 1776,  “That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government…” 

But calling it radical extremism makes it scary.

We can call it revolutionary.  Revolutionary like the labor movement of the late 19^th century and early 20^th century when tireless efforts brought awareness to hazardous work conditions and made advances like establishing Labor Day to honor workers.  The unfortunate correlation in the early 1900s between immigrant populations and poor labor conditions meant that organizing against big companies required a lot of momentum. People must have been pushed to their limits of acceptability, opened to their ultimate vulnerability and attempted to stand resiliently.  This resilience translated into another kind of revolutionary thought to those under fire for poor work conditions.

Anarchists. The labor movement only made so many advances for the rights of workers, wealth equity, living standards, and the movement had a tangential arm of extreme radicalism.  Anarchists were pushed to their edge concluding the only appropriate response to the subversion of workers were schemes of mass vandalism.  Vandalism has not proven to destroy systems, and vandalism proved to isolate workers rights sympathizers further alienating the anarchists.

The Red Scare. In the 1920s, the folk heroes of Sacco and Vanzetti served as the quintessential message to anarchists in the US - that justice will not be blind for immigrants choosing the wrong associates.  Intense national political repression in our country followed the outcries from the organized workers.  The message became clear across the country: either you were for US or you were against US and if you were for US, you assimilated so you weren’t called a ‘commie.’

US history weaves a fabric of oppositional forces threaded together with the common bond of protecting inexorable rights.   But when it comes to admitting injustices perpetrated on others whether it be calling immigrants illegal, or breaking treaties with native tribes, or turning hoses and setting bombs off on people, our country is painfully resistant to acknowledging any form of a dishonorable past.

Consider why Christopher Columbus and the true origins of Thanksgiving are now fabled tales of glory in American society?  Consider how those in power continuously challenge our limits of acceptability regarding human rights violations?

The elephant in our country’s room, is us… all of us.  Its time that we acknowledge that we are all, in fact, in this together and that we are all responsible for shaping the society in which we live.  Its time that we acknowledge our current paradigm of determining that certain demographics are less than, is not working out in our society’s best interest.  Its time that we redefine our limits of acceptability for the way we can and will treat one another.

Its going to take the radical extremism of compassion, open minds and collaboration to once and for all stand up and declare that we are ALL equal and there is NO such thing as less than.  

Archived Article from 2010 on Don't Ask Don't Tell

I've been reading through my past op-ed pieces and found this one and felt it an appropriate post following pride weekend around the world...

With all the recent buzz about DADT, a sampling of marines were surveyed as to whether there would be an issue with openly gay active duty soldiers within their ranks.  I am offended that a survey like this was even administered. What if that survey, instead, questioned whether there would be an issue with openly Italian active duty soldiers, or Jewish, or whatever. Imagine don’t ask don’t tell was about religion instead of sexuality. But now that I say that out loud it doesn’t seem like we’re heading too far from that anyway. According to the survey, the majority of marines reported that having openly gay soldiers in their ranks would affect morale and would be negative overall for the force. Is it reasonable to think that because we are willing to question the legitimacy of gays in the military that we will soon be questioning the legitimacy of Muslims and those that practice Islam in the military?

There is something so arbitrary about excluding people from military service based on specific non-physical attributes.  My theory is if people willingly submit themselves to such a lifestyle, willingly strip their physical identities – hair and clothes -  for the uniformity of soldier solidarity, and willingly take oaths of fidelity and integrity to the cause of furthering the American agenda, then it doesn’t really matter what color, race, creed, ethnicity or sexual orientation this military force is comprised.  They’re all given the mission to hold the course of our American world superpower epoch.  And at this point, with massive rifts looming over the path forward for domestic governance, WikiLeaks airing out dirty foreign policy laundry, and economy-destabilizing wars in progress, I think those who hold strong to the notion that American colors don’t run should also want to fortify our military coffers with as many able bodied persons as possible.  

My Peace

I'm reading a book called "Peace Pilgrim: Her Life and Work in Her Own Words." The inscription is "lovingly dedicated for all seekers." Peace Pilgrim, an elderly white lady, walked over 25,000 miles from the 1950s to her death in 1981 for peace. She'd still be walking today if she were alive.

As articulated by Peace Pilgrim, there are certain preparations (top left corner), relinquishments (bottom left), and purifications necessary (top right corner) to nurture and grow inner peace. I realized that preparations for peace directly coincide with relinquishments and that both feed into internal purifications.  They're all connected.

The preparations invite an articulation of 'What's your story?' because I cannot be an 'escapist' and I cannot stand by 'sucking your thumb.' These engagements with self can feel like 'CHAOS' because it seems like realizing inner peace can move at the speed of a 'turtle.'

The relinquishments are a recognition, an admonition if you will, that I am 'flawed.' But it takes 'baby steps' and 'listening to nature' to move toward center.

The purifications are of the mind, body, motivations, and forgiveness. It is a process and purifications are continual because we are human, flawed, and continuously seeking 'The Source.'

At the center is me, an energetic and present human. I am subject to 'CHAOS' but I want my 'vibe machine' to be 'ultra optimistic' so that I can be a 'green faerie.' So I beg the universe to 'give it to me' and I will 'Smile on.' I know I am lucky to be 'World Wise:' and I have to remind myself to keep my heart open.

At the core of it all is 'everyday magic' because every time I open my heart, light shines through. The more I keep my heart open, the more willing I am to feel.

Feelings often hurt as bad as physical pain, so I feel scared to let myself hurt that bad. I'm protecting myself from pain. But those feelings don't go away, they stay latent until I'm ready and willing to be present with those feelings. When I'm willing to engage with my feelings, I'm willing to not be afraid of those feelings that might hurt. When I'm willing to not be afraid of my feelings, I am closer to inner peace.

Writing Patterns

I recently completed a semester at the University of New Orleans as a PhD student in the Dept of Political Science. While writing my final papers for 3 classes on various topics of political interest, I painted this color splash as a means to visually approximate my brain patterns in the midst of writing.

I like to think that the spaces in between are where my independent thoughts squeeze out; the loudest noise represents the socialization, colonization, education, conditioning, and occupation of my self. My goal is to grow the spaces in between and cut down the noise.