Check out this great post over at Muslim Reverie:

George Orwell, author of “1984”, once wrote: “Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present controls the past.”

Such holds true about the history of “Thanksgiving.” Those who are indigenous to the land we now call the “United States of America” have been long misrepresented, demonized, and effectively marginalized in American history textbooks in favor of glorifying European colonialism. Why does a democracy, such as ours, refuse to teach that 10 to 30 million Natives were unjustifiably slaughtered in the name of conquest and imperialism? Where is our “free market of ideas” when selective and biased history is being taught in our educational institutions? continued

Read the full post at http://thumpandwhip.com. Telemundo’s Maria Celeste hammers Lou Dobbs for his lying about illegal immigrants supposedly bringing leprosy into the U.S. He says it was a reporte…

Have some fun! We should all sing together – it’d make the place more fun. And for the record – my cutie is the cutiest!

We need to take an honest look at immigration holistically, looking at the causes, rather than simply being stuck on the effects. Being stuck on the effects seems to be a tactic used by the anti-immigrants in order to keep the debate away from any sort of humanistic feel.

Before this country had its western laws it had immigrants. The lack of laws made the country wide open to anyone that wanted in. Today, however, we have laws to keep too many people from entering the country because we’ve done all the taking we needed to – now it’s time to put up walls.

One problem with most debates on immigration is they focus on the victim (whom I believe to be the migrants themselves) rather than the reason. Another problem is the fact that misinformation continues to plague the news and the debate itself.

Those purporting to ‘solve’ the immigration issue makes it seem as if coming to this country is like sneaking into a movie theater. In this analogy their solution is to take out some of the seats and make the movies so terrible nobody would want to watch them in the first place.

In a recent article from The Ledger titled Three Goals For Immigration Reform we see this.

One way to do so is to make coming here illegally less attractive. Taking away the allure of jobs in this country is a good way to do that. If residents of other nations can’t expect to get jobs here, they won’t come.

First we have to realize the fact that not all undocumented immigrants arrived here “illegally.” Many arrived here on visas and simply stayed longer than they were supposed to. So will we deny visas to those wanting to study here? Will we deny visas to those wanting to work here? Will we make it illegal for people from other country to go to school here?

Next, the use of the word allure is somewhat odd to me. Rarely does one see the word allure alongside the mention of work. If nothing else this only exemplifies the desperation and determination of those looking to support their families. Work, as it is referred to here, is not some button pushing desk job; rather it is generally a low level minimum wage employment at the types of places that hang “help wanted” signs on their doors.

The relationship between jobs eluded to with the favorite expression “Americans don’t want” and the pay they offer should be no surprise considering they often exist in areas where the output is expected to be cheap. If there were no dollar menus or super-sized gluttonous portions Americans wouldn’t frequent the fast-food establishments no more then they’d shop at Wal-Mart if the clothing section was priced like an Express or Macy’s.

It is this “I want it cheap” mentality that fuels the underground workforce and contributes to both the need to leave one’s country and the availability of work in the US. When shady businessmen meet with a drooling consumer base the two can often meet in agreement while the workers suffer in the malaise of hard work and marginalization. Who cares about the workers when products are cheap? This is where the problem with undocumented labor begins. Not only does this desire for cheap create the market domestically, but it also fuels the economy abroad which brings people here in the first place. Why not come to the destination where you can be paid more for the same type of work and get more for your money?

If a true patriot wants to see how much influence they have on the rest of the world they need only look at the labels of all the items they own, from their car to their underpants. Because the world thrives on consumerism and buying power we are all influencers of how workers here and abroad are treated. If you want a one-dollar bag of tube sox because you like to wear them only once, you can have them, but at a price. That price takes its toll on another human being – a person you’ll probably never meet, never see, and probably can’t even smell, over all the chemicals, on the very item they made for you.

Some politicians have said that if illegal immigrants are denied jobs, they will go back to their native lands on their own, but that’s unlikely to be a complete solution.

If illegal immigrants are denied jobs? Well, they’re not and they will never be because our economy depends on them – the American way of life depends on them. Why not simply treat each other as human beings and not deny anyone the ability to live their lives? How can we dispose of a system that brought in the very people that built this country?

Illegal immigrants have come to this country in violation of our laws. It’s reasonable to expect them to pay a penalty for violating our laws before they can be allowed to stay. And, once they are allowed to stay, it would be reasonable to expect them to make a contribution to this nation before they are allowed to earn citizenship.

Again, we need to remember that not all undocumented immigrants entered this country illegally. As for the penalty, haven’t they already paid enough of a price by wanting too much to provide for their families and having to live in the shadows?

This article suggests that undocumented immigrants should pay into the social security system without receiving benefits, as a punishment or fine for being here without permission. However, they already pay into this system without receiving benefits. How much more must they pay?

Until politicians or reporters will speak about this issue without messing up the facts and leaving out important data we’ll get nowhere. When we approach this issue from a humanistic perspective we will see the light begin to shine and we’ll get closer to a world where everyone can work together, have a beautiful life, and get along.

From Pearls of Wisdom

1. Each morning upon rising, and each evening before sleeping, give thanks for the life within you and for all life, for the good things the Creator has given you and for the opportunity to grow a little more each day. Consider your thoughts and actions of the past day and seek for the courage and strengthto be a better person. Seek for the things that will benefit others (everyone).

2. Respect. Respect means “To feel or show honor or esteem for someone or something; to consider the well being of, or to treat someone or something with deference or courtesy”. Showing respect is a basic law of life.

a. Treat every person from the tiniest child to the oldest elder with respect at all times.

b. Special respect should be given to Elders, Parents, Teachers, and Community Leaders.

c. No person should be made to feel “put down” by you; avoid hurting other hearts as you would avoid a deadly poison.

d. Touch nothing that belongs to someone else (especially Sacred Objects) without permission, or an understanding between you.

e. Respect the privacy of every person, never intrude on a person’s quiet moment or personal space.

f. Never walk between people that are conversing.

g. Never interrupt people who are conversing.

h. Speak in a soft voice, especially when you are in the presence of Elders, strangers or others to whom special respect is due.

i. Do not speak unless invited to do so at gatherings where Elders are present (except to ask what is expected of you, should you be in doubt).

j. Never speak about others in a negative way, whether they are present or not.

k. Treat the earth and all of her aspects as your mother. Show deep respect for the mineral world, the plant world, and the animal world. Do nothing to pollute our Mother, rise up with wisdom to defend her.

l. Show deep respect for the beliefs and religion of others.

m. Listen with courtesy to what others say, even if you feel that what they are saying is worthless. Listen with your heart.

n. Respect the wisdom of the people in council. Once you give an idea to a council meeting it no longer belongs to you. It belongs to the people. Respect demands that you listen intently to the ideas of others in council and that you do not insist that your idea prevail. Indeed you should freely support the ideas of others if they are true and good, even if those ideas ideas are quite different from the ones you have contributed. The clash of ideas brings forth the Spark of Truth.

3. Once a council has decided something in unity, respect demands that no one speak secretly against what has been decided. If the council has made an error, that error will become apparent to everyone in its own time.

4. Be truthful at all times, and under all conditions.

5. Always treat your guests with honor and consideration. Give of your best food, your best blankets, the best part of your house, and your best service to your guests.

6. The hurt of one is the hurt of all, the honor of one is the honor of all.

7. Receive strangers and outsiders with a loving heart and as members of the human family.

8. All the races and tribes in the world are like the different colored flowers of one meadow. All are beautiful. As children of the Creator they must all be respected.

9. To serve others, to be of some use to family, community, nation, and the world is one of the main purposes for which human beings have been created. Do not fill yourself with your own affairs and forget your most important talks. True happiness comes only to those who dedicate their lives to the service of others.

10. Observe moderation and balance in all things.

11. Know those things that lead to your well-being, and those things that lead to your destruction.

12. Listen to and follow the guidance given to your heart. Expect guidance to come in many forms; in prayer, in dreams, in times of quiet solitude, and in the words and deeds of wise Elders and friends.

Claiming Nidal Hasan’s shooting of his fellow soldiers sets back the Muslim community is as irresponsible as claiming all Muslims involved in a crime are terrorists.  First and foremost we must focus on finding answers by viewing each other as human beings.  Knowing that around 140 soldiers have committed suicide over the past year it is not hard to see the stress these men and women have to deal with on a daily basis.

The major issue with claiming he has set back Muslims is our failure to focus on the victims – to focus on the act itself.  Claiming he has set back Muslims marginalizes the victims transforming them from human beings, with friends and family in mourning, into a group of names simply born for the purpose of filling Hassan’s narrative.  This is not how we should be viewing this act.  The only people Hasan has set back are those families who must love what was and not what is.  To find out how we prevent this type of tragedy we must look far beyond any one faith and look into the ticking of the human mind.

What we should be looking at here is the fact that the man who committed this act was trained by, and was surrounded by, the idea that violence is the answer to solving our problems.  We’ve been at war for nearly a decade because our country believes war is the answer.  So why wouldn’t an emotionally distraught man use bullets to do his speaking, his weeping, to provide his catharsis?  This is only natural because violence is the answer.

Per the past actions of the United States, when a country you’re fighting won’t concede and relent you simply strap an atomic bomb on a plane and drop it on ever man, woman, and child that happen to live in one of their major metropolitan areas.  In this act you don’t worry about who dies because those 220,000 human lives are not important.  What’s important is your end result.  For Hasan the bullets where the tears of a distressed man, not the preaching from a religious zealot.    Of course, having a Muslim terrorist within our armed forces makes for a better story than one in which a man has simply gone mad.  It allows us to cuddle closer with fear and to keep us moving headlong into a battle which, through the last administration, seemed very much like the days of old – Christians versus Moors.

Separating us into factions is important to those in power, especially in a case like this, because they must not allow us to see we are all human beings made from the same blood, brains, neurons, and hearts.   We must not see simply that the armed forces are just that – armed.  They are ready to kill for the sake of our country regardless if anyone is attacking us or not.  They will follow orders regardless of who gets killed in the process.  Surely soldiers do not want to kill those not involved in the war, woman and children, but women and children do get killed – many of them do.  To train one to kill you must make them a bit cold because thinking to much about it would create a huge problem on the battle field.

As long as violence is the ultimate act to secure what our country wants we cannot expect that acts like that perpetrated by Hasan will cease.  If you teach your citizens that bullets bring about the change you want their cold jaded hearts just might decide the problem is internal.  They just might decide to kill the very ones they are trusted to protect and serve with.

Have to love this video. Way to go Robert!!

As Police Chief William J. Bratton was recently recognized for his great service to the city of LA we’re reminded today that brutality was allowed to take place under his watch. Today we find out that the officers who beat participants in the 2007 May Day rally will not be prosecuted.

If we believe the “official story” then what essentially happened is a small group of anarchists provoked the police into drudging through a crowd of thousands like an army through enemy territory. Is this justice or just a group of bullies waiting for any reason to attack? Watching this video it is apparent these officers were enjoying the activities. While their training refuses expression their drawn, exploding rifles and swinging batons are all the expression we need. At their best these officers displayed a gross lack of self control and sound judgment. At their worst they demonstrated how the very people in which we entrust our safety to go completely rabid and become or worst nightmares.

Watching the video is truly disturbing. If this says anything to the public it’s that the police can go completely mad on a crowd if less than one percent of those in it provoke an attack. Given our country’s use of the atomic bomb I can’t say I’m surprised. To attack hundreds of innocent people because of the actions of a few seems to be an American mantra.

LA Indy Media had this to say about the event:

The local major media news outlets are all reporting that “anarchists” caused the melee by throwing some bottles. First, I would like to pose this question: Are empty plastic water bottles really a threat to anyone let alone police officers in full riot gear? Second, Should there not be some sort of maturity factor involved in officer response and conduct? Third, The “anarchists” as they are so eloquently called (simply because they wear bandannas over their respective faces I assume) were the ones trying to keep the peace.

My Testimony: An Unedited Version!

My name doesn’t matter. Where I was born, however, is of great importance….

I was born in a small town in Guanajuato, Mexico. Acambaro, the place where my parents and most of my family members claim their heritage, is also the only link to a past that I have yet to dismantle.

I say this because I, like many, was brought to a country at an age in which our future was to become one of an American. At the age of six months I tagged along with my parents and came to Oakland, where I was to reside for 19 years. Little did I know back then that the border that we crossed was not going to be the last obstacle we were to face. (full story)

With the country’s use of war as a toll for “positive” change it’s no surprise its citizens feel that hatred, intimidation, and murder and good tools to use against those you don’t agree with. When we’re able to find a better way to bring about positive social change we’ll see let’s violence. As long as this country uses brute force its citizens, like children, will follow their example.

New York Region

Report Cites Culture of Ethnic Hatred in Suffolk County

By KIRK SEMPLE

Published: September 3, 2009

The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups nationwide, said that intolerance was inflamed by some public officials.