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These are the times that try our souls. And here on LJ, there's plenty of trying going on.

I tend to go roaming around and friending a variety of people for my own obscure reasons, forgetting that when I post, I'm inviting you all to a party and not introducing you. So from time to time, things get a little snippy.

I'm beginning to realize I set the stage for these mis-meetings by raising political questions in a political time, and for that, I'm sorry. I wish everyone I like would like each other, but I know that's not going to happen.

If I could make rules of conduct for my LJ, it wouldn't be LJ. So let this stand as a warning: here you will hear things you might not want to hear (maybe not from me directly, but from someone. I guarantee it.)

This continues my tale from my last post, about getting escorted off the military base.

First, the event was a career fair, put on by the inner-city school district. 8th graders were bussed to the military base, where people representing different careers sat at tables--except for the military recruiters who wandered among the kids, chatting them up.

Second, the military have not been making their recruitment goals (wonder why) and are really pushing hard. We have had some activities lately publicizing the fact that students don't have to give their names to military recruiters.

Third, our organization had been completely upfront with the school district about who we are (Peace Resources--that's the letter head) and what we'd be doing.

Here's the description from the people who were there initially:

"We had arranged weeks in advance to participate in the
Career Quest as Peace Resource volunteers; all my correspondence with the
organizers identified me as the Peace Resource career fair liaison. I don't think anyone could have anticipated that we would be banned from participating
because we wore shirts that said 'Peace is Patriotic' at a public school
function.In fact, early on [we] were interrogated about our
purpose and our handouts by an extremely belligerent man who was more
interested in his questions than in any kind of communication. Among
handouts on Outward Bound and other nonprofits and peaceful careers, we
offered handouts containing questions students should ask recruiters
before making a decision about enlisting. They were not anti-military.
The 'shoving' incident actually constituted one of us lifting up a
belligerent official's name tag in order to identify him.
We were told, 'This is a military base; if you want to talk about peace, go to the church.'"

The article in the paper quoted a school district official as saying she "had no idea of what kind of group this was or what literature they'd be distributing." That is obviously false, but we figure that it is CYA.

Now what? Well, to me at least, the goal is to reach the kids and be sure they know all the options. Maybe it won't be very effective, but right now it's the best thing we can think of. It seems to me it would be best for us not to respond although the article was misleading. The more negative publicity we get on this topic, the harder it will be to get to the students. We don't need to deal with the military directly on this--most of the time we need to work with the schools. So I feel that it's best not to respond to the article or the harassment. But perhaps we need to file a complaint to cover ourselves legally.

I can tell that posting on this topic again may be inviting hostility from those who disagree, but I'm hoping for rational discussion. I'm confused about why people are so angry about this--wonder if I'm missing something about who's promoting it or something.

Why the Inauguration Day boycott, Not One Damn Dime? Well, of course it's not going to stop the corporations from rolling in their usual megaprofits, and of course the Shrub is not going to say, Oh, Gee, Mamcu's not shopping today, better get out of Iraq. Of course this is not the only action people should take.

Given that, why do it? And for that matter, why have marches and rallies and demonstrations? I'm sure Condy Rice won't shake in her boots at the thought of me taking to the streets with a sign (no sticks, of course). To me at least, the purposes of these little demonstrations are several:

1. To build community among those who share ideas. Anything we do as a group makes us feel more a part of that group or cause. Of course, if you think groups and causes are wrong, then I can see why this reason doesn't appeal.

2. To make people mindful of their own behavior. I think most boycotts work like this. I don't shop Walmart. Not ever. I know that other stores are bad, too, but Walmart is just over the top in the way they treat employees, communities, etc. So each time I choose to pay a few pennies more for a dish towel, I think about the choice. It may not matter to Walmart whether I live or die, but it's important to me that I keep in mind what's happening with my choices. So I spend a little more to get gas from Venezuela or coffee from the good guys.

3. To communicate to others about the consequences of choice. If we don't go to lunch with friends on Jan. 20, we'll need to explain why. Opens up dialogue.

4. Power of numbers, after all. If enough people do something, anything, it gets noticed. It does send a message. Maybe this particular thing will be too small to matter, but maybe not. Maybe all the marches, letters, boycotts, etc. eventually get numerous enough and big enough that someone finally pays attention. If not, nothing lost--or again, am I missing something?

So I can see why you might disagree or think it's not worth the trouble, but does it really do harm?

Read this if you haven't already:

http://www.livejournal.com/users/anniesj/331112.html

I really want to praise Annie for her last point, that she will not stop saying what she thinks just because she's been visited by the Secret Service. I also want to say that having an FBI file since the sixties hasn't hurt my life much.

A friend of mine who lived through the Chinese Cultural Revolution said once that Mao and the Red Guards didn't need Gestapo and KBG to intimidate the people: they just got the people so paranoid they did their work for them. Freedom of thought and speech are killed by betrayal.

The worst result of this kind of thing, of course, is that we all become afraid to say what we think. We distrust each other and sit in the silence of our own fear.

So let me too say what I think, knowing that my list is open and anyone can report me if they like. That is the only way we can break fear.

George Bush is probably the worst president that has ever held office. He has lied, cheated, stolen, and cost the world many lives. He should be removed from office by impeachment if not by election, since he will probably rig the election no matter how the people vote. He--or should I say the people who tell him what to do or say--has no legitimacy and is guilty of treason, in my sight, for leading the country into war for the personal gains of a few.

As a Buddhist I am non-violent. But as an American I will say what I think wherever I feel it's appropriate and will never be quiet out of fear.

Speech for the Repeal of the McCarran Act

by Richard Wilbur

As Wulfstan said on another occasion,
The strong net bellies in the wind and the spider rides it out;
But history, that sure blunderer,
Ruins the unkempt web, however silver.

I am not speaking of rose windows
Shattered by bomb-shock; the leads touselled; the glass-grains broadcast;
If the rose be living at all
A gay gravel shall be pollen of churches.

Nor do I mean railway networks.
Torn-up tracks are no great trouble. As Wolfstan said,
It is oathbreach, faithbreach, lovebreach
Bring the invaders into the estuaries.

Shall one man drive before him ten
Unstrung from sea to sea? Let thought be free. I speak
Of the spirit's weaving, the neural
Web, the self-true mind, the trusty reflex.

Bush, from the debate last night:

"Another example would be the Dred Scott case, which is where judges,
years ago, said that the Constitution allowed slavery because of
personal property rights.

That's a personal opinion. That's not what the Constitution says. The
Constitution of the United States says we're all -- you know, it
doesn't say that. It doesn't speak to the equality of America.

And so, I would pick people that would be strict constructionists.
We've got plenty of lawmakers in Washington, D.C. Legislators make
law; judges interpret the Constitution."

Chief Justice Roger B. Taney (strict constructionist), from the majority opinion in Dred Scott v. Sandford:

"The change in public opinion and feeling in relation to the African
race, which has taken place since the adoption of the Constitution,
cannot change its construction and meaning, and it must be construed
and administered now according to its true meaning and intention when
it was formed and adopted....

....Upon the whole, therefore, it is the judgment of this court, that
it appears by the record before us that the plaintiff in error is not
a citizen of Missouri, in the sense in which that word is used in the
Constitution; and that the Circuit Court of the United States, for
that reason, had no jurisdiction in the case, and could give no
judgment in it. Its judgment for the defendant must, consequently, be
reversed, and a mandate issued, directing the suit to be dismissed for
want of jurisdiction."

The Constitution of the United States, article IV, section IV:

No person held to service or labor in one state, under the laws
thereof, escaping into another, shall, in consequence of any law or
regulation therein, be discharged from such service or labor, but
shall be delivered up on claim of the party to whom such service or
labor may be due.

I went back, for the first time since I retired, to my former college today, to take the woman who was my assistant to lunch. It was too familiar being there. I didn't feel relief at not having to stay, but I didn't feel longing to stay either. It was just a place I'd been a lot before. Well, maybe I was a bit glad not to have to stay.

Still waiting to hear when we travel to China. At this point it gets a bit irritating, since I have to put all other plans on hold. And if we had some advance time, we could get upgrades to first-class for the trip back, but those will all be sold by the time we get tickets, so we'll be in steerage, for 19 hours, with a baby who doesn't know us. Ugh.

Below are items unrelated to the above!

Poem xposted to greatpoets

( Last-Minute )

( Back to the I Ching: The Army )

( Revolution )

I've been getting some email from some people in my old school. I knew they'd need to contact me sometimes about details of unfinished business, and that's fine--I tried to leave everything tied up, but know that's not possible. But this is different--it's a brand-new problem. The administration made a faculty member cancel a section of the minority lit course that had been publicized as focusing on gay and lesbian literature--not because of enrollment, but because of content.

This totally infuriates me on several levels: academic freedom, free speech, and of course the idea that it's fine to look at other minorities but not these. Having a gay son makes me identify with this a bit, too. Adding to the complexity for me is the fact that the instructor of the course is a guy that I'd really had some difficult dealings with in the past over completely unrelated issues, and in those cases had taken the side of the administration (still think I was right then).

I did help rewrite the petition to reinstate the course or offer it next semester, but have since decided that I'm no longer paid to get tied up in knots over what happens there. I'm able to ignore other things, even including the fall off in enrollment and possible cancellation of the program that was my baby, but find it more difficult with this one. Now is not the time, but I think eventually as a citizen and taxpayer I will find myself at least sending an email.

But another part of me says drop it completely, that's the old life. Forget it.

My yoga teacher usually directs us to dedicate our practice--ultimately to the whole world, that all may be content and free of suffering--but also specifically: to someone we respect, to someone in need(see many books on yoga and Buddhism for why this is a thing to do).

I chose at the beginning of class to dedicate my practice to the victims of torture in Iraq. It was a good class--I was really able to concentrate, find a steady core, as well as make progress with difficult (for me) poses. Many good friends in that class make it a really peaceful and joyful time.

By the final meditation, though, I realized I had turned to dedicating the practice to the soldiers who did the torture. They are the ones really in need of light.

Not saying this in the sense of wanting my own spiritual insights recognized--I think I'm still pretty much in the darkness. But just noting what you can learn from the practice itself--whether yoga, meditation, or whatever.

( Doonesbury and Get Fuzzy spoilers for today's strips )

In other news, I seem to be having a quagmire experience of my own at work. Just when I should be cleaning out my bookshelves and taking long lunches, all the nutcases find my office. Sorry to be so short on compassion, but a lot of what I get is attempts at manipulation. Like the ones (and I see them every semester) who turn in papers that can easily be located on the papers-for-sale sites and then try to convince me that it was just a coincidence, or they forgot to cite that as a source! Word for word, and it's a coincidence? Also obnoxious are the ones who think intimidation is the route to go--big guys who stand over me and shout. Like I'm going to say "0ooh I'm so scared! Of course I'll make your teacher give you an A."

And of I can tell it's this time in the semester when I have to keep a box of tissues by the guest chair in my office. "Oooh if you cry, of course I'll just have to give you credit for work you didn't turn in."

And the worst of it is, some of them are faculty.

Clearly it's time to go! Cynicism has overwhelmed me.