Nov 21-23, Trenton and Raven

Today I sang a song that a 7 year old girl wrote. I've already forgotten some of the words, I gotta get better at recording these things...

When I am happy
I go to the woods
In the woods I am happy
The sun shines bright

When the sun shines brightly
My heart feels happy
And when I'm happy
i go to the woods

-Raven Cassandra

Looking into the eyes of babes sure renews my commitment to fighting as hard as I can to change the world and make it right.




Raven's mother suffers from Lupus, and works hard to make a loving home for her two beautiful children. In this economy, things are ridiculously tough. Raven's father is a combat veteran of the Afghanistan war. Because he left the Marine Corps under General Discharge, he is not recognized as a Veteran by the VA, nor is he entitled to the benefits he should have. This very hard-working couple is doing their best to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table, and are facing certain eviction without a definite place to live, mere days after Thanksgiving. On the bright side, both have potential opportunities on the horizon.

This is NOT how it should be. People with this much love, and loving service to others, deserve to enjoy more quality time together. They deserve a permanent home in which to raise their children without the threat of landlords' power trips or cutbacks at work, without the threat of starvation or having nowhere to go.


This is why we Occupy. This is why we must fight for a better world. Everyone deserves a chance at happiness. It's even in that constitution! But how can we be happy if the earth is poisoned? If all the woods are gone? If the water is bad for us? WE ARE 65-90% WATER!!! If we must struggle to cope with all the down sides of trying to live good lives within this faltering system, we've at least got to have some nature for respite.




I spent Monday in Trenton, after driving from Florida straight through the night to Baltimore and doing a quick round of sleeping, working, laughing, and dancing there. Unfortunately, I didn't get to meet with the NYC to DC OWS march, though they were in town the one night I was as well. I really applaud what they've done, what a beautiful sojourn...

In Trenton, though, I was blessed to meet some incredible people. What was going to be a non-violent action to influence the DRBC vote became a celebration rally, as the vote was cancelled, presumably due to public influence (thank you if you used your voice to contact the governors! you did right by the water and the world and the future of the planet depends on these actions!)

from Josh Fox's invitation to the celebration we had two days ago in Trenton,

...I think we have to look forward.  And realize that we can’t go home again until we have built the community that we would like to live in for all of us across the globe fighting extreme energy.  That if the folks in Dimock, PA or in Ft. Worth or in Wyoming or Queensland, Australia are getting fracked. Then we are all getting fracked.  And that we can’t go home until they can too.

And this is true in more than just metaphor.

....

We may win in the Delaware River basin, we may avoid fracking there.  But we may lose the entire eco-system of the river in a short time thereafter due to destruction from climate change.  If fracking reigns supreme from PA to the UK, our goose is cooked.  Which is why, beyond all metaphor, we can’t go home again.  Even if we were to unequivocally ban fracking in the river basin or in New York state or in one or another region.   It has to be stopped all over the planet

I want to write about my experience in Trenton, as it was powerful both personally and more broadly. But Ms. Iris Marie Bloom has already said most of what I was wishing to say, here:

...it could be that the four elements which were key strengths of today’s rally — a marker event and turning point along the way, will not be identified in so many words among the hundreds of news accounts of today’s events. So, allow me to lay it out.
Those four elements are: broadening the circle, deepening understanding, intensifying commitment, and introducing direct action with the potential for civil disobedience into the mix of tactics and strategies.

I wish I could write more, the details are rich, but I have been spreading myself a bit too thin. Much love to you all.


Thanksgiving. <3