The Unwelcoming Society

The Unwelcoming Society

by C. A. Matthews

When my mother first got off the ship in the United States of America, I wonder… Did she feel welcomed?

It was right before the start of the second World War. Mom had lived in Brazil all of her young life. Now, her parents thrust her into a strange, new world full of different people, weather, flora and fauna. Being scolded by her mother to “speak only English,” she soon lost the ability to converse in Portuguese, remembering only snatches of songs and nursery rhymes in later years. Mom learned that she had to speak English only because now she was American, for better or worse.

Nowadays, it almost always seems to be “for the worse” whenever an immigrant attempts to enter the US. They may be desperate to escape persecution and violence in their home country, but once they arrive in the US or at its border, their fears not only aren’t relieved—they’re often magnified.

I wrote about the end of the infamous Title 42 program and the new Biden Asylum-Transit ban a couple of months ago in The New Title 42. The mainstream media’s continual emphasis on the urban myth of the US southern border becoming inundated with immigrant hordes after the pandemic ban was lifted has not happened. However, the re-traumatization of asylum-seekers seeking safety has just begun.

How welcoming is that?

From the terrorists masquerading as Customs Border Patrol agents at our borders, to the outright Jim Crow decrees from our state legislatures, it can’t get much more unwelcoming in the United States of America in the year 2023 CE. If you think I’m kidding, get a load of this:

A group of Chinese citizens who live, work, study, and raise families in Florida, as well as a real estate brokerage firm in Florida that primarily serves clients of Chinese descent, are filing a lawsuit to combat Florida’s discriminatory property law, SB 264. Signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, the legislation unfairly restricts most Chinese citizens — and most citizens of Cuba, Venezuela, Syria, Iran, Russia, and North Korea — from purchasing homes in the state. Unless the courts act, the law will take effect on July 1, 2023…

Today’s lawsuit argues that SB 264 will codify and expand housing discrimination against people of Asian descent in violation of the Constitution and the Fair Housing Act. It will also cast an undue burden of suspicion on anyone seeking to buy property whose name sounds remotely Asian, Russian, Iranian, Cuban, Venezuelan, or Syrian. 

Gov. DeSantis has argued that this law is necessary to protect Florida from the Chinese Communist Party and its activities. But this misguided rationale unfairly equates Chinese people with the actions of their government, and there is no evidence of national security harm resulting from real estate ownership by Chinese people in Florida. From Chinese Immigrants Sue Florida Over Unconstitutional, Discriminatory Law

This horrible law brings to mind the first immigration law passed in the United States, The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882:

From 1882 until 1943, most Chinese immigrants were barred from entering the United States. The Chinese Exclusion Act was the nation's first law to ban immigration by race or nationality. All Chinese people--except travelers, merchants, teachers, students, and those born in the United States--were barred from entering the country. Federal law prohibited Chinese residents, no matter how long they had legally worked in the United States, from becoming naturalized citizens… The Geary Act, passed in 1892, required Chinese aliens to carry a residence certificate with them at all times upon penalty of deportation. Immigration officials and police officers conducted spot checks in canneries, mines, and lodging houses and demanded that every Chinese person show these residence certificates. --From Digital History

We’re really come a long, long way in the good ol’ US of A, haven’t we?

Working in immigration advocacy, I am always shocked at how woefully ignorant most Americans are of how poorly we treat and have treated immigrants. Consider this sobering fact: It wasn’t until the middle of America’s involvement in World War II (1943) that Chinese-American persons—people of Chinese ancestry, born and raised in families that had lived for several generations in the US—were allowed to become naturalized citizens.

Just because your last name was Li or Chin, and it wasn’t Smith or Schmidt, you couldn’t vote even though you were born in the US, went to school all your life in the US, and raised your own family in the US. You and your children weren’t entitled to any benefits of citizenship simply because your ancestors were born far, far away, across a big, wide ocean. Funny how those “Smiths” and “Schmidts” whose ancestors also came across an ocean were able to claim US citizenship and vote without any problems, though.

Wonder what the big difference is between these two groups, persons of European ancestry and those of Asian ancestry? Hmm... Do you think it has anything to do with their skin color perhaps?

And you think the Chinese had (and still have) it bad? When did American Indians become US citizens? Their ancestors have dwelt on the North American continent for tens of thousands of years, but most who live within the boundaries of the USA were not able to call themselves American citizens until… No, not 1776 or 1865, but 1924. It actually took until the second decade of the twentieth century for Native Americans to be considered “American.” 

Now, convince me just how “welcoming” American society is if it can't even acknowledge the original inhabitants of this continent or keep any of the treaties it made with their leaders. I'll wait.

The US is so “welcoming” that we don't even believe that having enough food to eat is a human right. Imagine that! We voted against that proposal in the United Nations, of all places. That attitude certainly goes a long way in explaining our homeless and hunger problems, doesn't it? It's not that Americans can't feed and house our own people, it's that we don't want to.

But it isn’t always about race and ethnicity in the US when it comes to being unwelcoming. Senator Rick Scott (another Floridian) this past week has decided that those who are professed “socialists” aren’t welcome in his state. This announcement has really put a crimp in my vacation plans. I wanted to go south and visit my aunt, uncle and cousins in Florida, along with my sister and brother-in-law who recently retired there. Senator Scott says he doesn’t want any of my no-good socialist money in his state. It’s not good enough for the likes of Florida, like Chinese people’s money isn't, or Cubans’, or Venezuelans’, Syrians’, Iranians’, Russians’, and North Koreans’ money.

If you are trans or non-binary, you’re not wanted in the Sunshine State, either. It’s almost as if your gender identification is seen as a contagious disease. Give Florida its due—they’re racist, fascistic, and terrified of people who don’t meet their expectations of what a boy or a girl is supposed to be like. You could call it “Equal Opportunity Bigotry.”

I know it’s not only the state of Florida that has passed these prejudiced decrees recently, but it is the perfect example of evil in action. Florida is full of hateful opportunists who are riding a wave of terror of “otherness” and hoping to make a profit while doing so. Look at what color Florida is on this map and what it stands for:

It's nothing to be proud of, in my opinion. I wouldn't be planning a vacation to Disney World or Universal Studios, in other words, unless you're a raving homophobic/transphobic, anti-Asian, anti-socialist. Then, by all means, go right ahead! (Just don't bother to return home. We can isolate all you bigots in Florida with a simple “border wall” at the top of the peninsula. We don't want your kind of “immigrant” in our states.)

A year ago, it was all “Hate the Russians! Love Zelensky! Who needs to spend billions on universal health care when America can spend it on the military-industrial complex and make our Congress members with insider stock trading deals richer!” And soon it will be, “Stop eating Chinese food and hate the Chinese! We’re at war with China over… over...”  

Gee, I forget! Why is the US mad at China? Is it because the have decent reserves of lithium? Silicon chip manufacturing? Or because they’ve been trying to bring about a diplomatic end to the conflict in Ukraine, saving lives and ending the madness in the process?  

It doesn’t take much to start a hate campaign against another country or ethnic or racial or political or gender group in the US. I sure wish our so-called “leaders” could do something to stop all this hate-mongering and sit down like rational adults and work out their differences with others in the best interest of every living thing on the planet before a nuclear war breaks out. (And no, corporations aren’t people, so they don’t count as “living things.”)

You could say that I’m just more than a little tired of the United States leading the way in all this worldwide nastiness; aren’t you?

The initials “US” are very appropriate. The initials “US” can also stand for the “Unwelcoming Society.” It's what we've become—or perhaps we've always been this way? It's time we stopped and took steps to reverse this horrid trend, don't you think?

 

Related Articles and Articles of Interest

Digital History: The Chinese Exclusion Act https://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=2&psid=3291

Chinese Immigrants Sue Florida Over Unconstitutional, Discriminatory Law https://popularresistance.org/chinese-immigrants-sue-florida-over-unconstitutional-and-discriminatory-law/

ICE, Homeland Security Accused Of Targeting Outspoken Migrant Worker For Deportation https://scheerpost.com/2023/05/27/ice-homeland-security-accused-of-targeting-outspoken-migrant-worker-for-deportation/

Afghan families traverse most of Latin America to seek asylum at the US border https://theworld.org/stories/2023-05-17/afghan-families-traverse-most-latin-america-seek-asylum-us-border

Why are these Afghan refugees still stuck in limbo? https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2023/05/24/two-years-after-us-withdrawal-afghan-refugees-still-stuck-in-limbo/ 

Dozens of GoFundMe Users Seek Funds to Flee States Passing Transphobic Laws  https://scheerpost.com/2023/05/31/dozens-of-gofundme-users-seek-funds-to-flee-states-passing-transphobic-laws/ 

Target Accused of “Selling Out the LGBTQ+ Community to Extremists”  https://scheerpost.com/2023/05/27/target-accused-of-selling-out-the-lgbtq-community-to-extremists-after-pulling-pride-merchandise/

 

Many transgender health bills came from a handful of far-right interest groups https://apnews.com/article/transgender-health-model-legislation-5cc4a7cb4ab69150f670d06fd0f361ab

About Quislings
https://popularresistance.org/about-quislings/

East Palestine, 100 Days Later
https://scheerpost.com/2023/05/25/east-palestine-100-days-later/

US Troops To Train Peruvian Armed Forces, Proves US Behind Coup  https://popularresistance.org/us-troops-to-train-peruvian-armed-forces-proves-us-behind-coup/

$1.1 Trillion Was Spent On Militarism And War Last Year
https://popularresistance.org/new-report-1-1-trillion-or-62-of-the-federal-discretionary-budget-was-spent-on-militarism-and-war-last-year/

 

Washington-Insider Jeffrey Sachs on US Provoking Ukraine War | SYSTEM UPDATE https://youtu.be/kU7UzrJeX6E

Ukraine: Why Negotiations Are the Only Rational Option in the Face of Climate https://scheerpost.com/2023/05/25/ukraine-why-negotiations-are-the-only-rational-option-in-the-face-of-climate-chaos-and-nuclear-dangers/

 

Yes, Those Bioweapons Labs in Ukraine are a Real Thing

https://joebrunoli.substack.com/p/yes-those-bioweapons-labs-in-ukraine-are-a-real-thing-fad3785f3818

Media's Complete U-Turn After Russia Wins Bakhmut
https://youtu.be/O3kr4ZZl5FA

Fossil Fuel Companies Owe $5.4 Trillion In Reparations, Study Says
https://popularresistance.org/fossil-fuel-companies-owe-5-4-trillion-in-reparations-study-says/

10 Years After Snowden: Some Things Are Better, Some We’re Still Fighting For https://scheerpost.com/2023/05/23/10-years-after-snowden-some-things-are-better-some-were-still-fighting-for/

The Democratic Party’s Crucifixion of Matt Taibbi https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/the-democratic-partys-crucifixion

Manufactured crisis over US debt ceiling sets stage for bipartisan assault on Social Security and Medicare https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/05/25/pers-m25.html 

Kissinger vs. ‘The Most Dangerous Man in America’ https://scheerpost.com/2023/05/28/kissinger-vs-the-most-dangerous-man-in-america/

Coming soon, the first book from The Revolution Continues blog:  The Little Red Book of Revolution

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More details to come. Power to the people!

Convinced Yet? (General Strike Now!)

 

"The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress." --Frederick Douglass

 

"The world is dominated culturally, economically and militarily by a regime that just killed women's rights protections because they make Jesus mad." --Caitlin Johnstone

Convinced Yet?

words and protest photos by C. A. Matthews

I hate to say, "I told you so," but I told you so. This is all getting a bit ridiculous. I discussed the history and likely outcome of the Supreme Court's recent ruling a little over a month ago in a piece entitled The Ministry of Truth v. Roe v. Wade. I followed up a week later at the first pro-abortion rights protests with Your Obedience Is Prolonging This Nightmare. Go back and read those two articles and then tell me that I'm not prescient. Go on. I'll wait.

Okay, now that you're back, and scratching your head over what we can do next to protect our human rights, let's get down to brass tacks. It might be too late. The damage has been done, and we can't overestimate the damage enough. Americans have sleepwalked into allowing the oligarchs, a.k.a. the 1%, a.k.a. the billionaires, a.k.a. the true rulers of our country and the world, into doing whatever the hell they want to whomever the hell they want, whenever they want.  Here are a few examples:

Equal rights/equal pay for women? Whatever! Put out the fire and put your bra back on, Grandma.

LGBTQIA rights and marriage? Excuse me? These persons don't exist in our perfect society ruled by white, hetero, cis-gendered males of wealth and privilege. Go back into your closets and shut the f*ck up.

Public schools? Desegregated public schools? To paraphrase a younger Joe Biden, "We aren't going to let our superior white offspring go to school in the jungle with all those brown and black kids." And besides, government school vouchers are good at religious schools now according to the Supreme Court. We only want our children associating with people going to heaven with us, not straight to hell where everyone who is not us automatically goes to upon death, an early death probably brought on by malnutrition caused by childhood poverty.

Yes, they'll be coming for more than just your or your friends' right to have an abortion. Count on it.

So, what are we to do? Voting harder doesn't work. Voting doesn't seem to work period. According to the infamous Princeton study, politicians don't even listen to us little people, the 99%. Money is what influences their actions. We'll never have as much money as the top 1% or even top 10%, so we'll never be able to influence politicians the way the wealthy can. 

Stop wasting your tears on feeling betrayed by "progressives" or "The Squad" or whoever lied to you to get your vote and/or a donation out of you. Their job is to manipulate you into thinking the system works for the poor and struggling of America. But the system is corrupt. It's broken. It's not worth saving.

Get over acting like "temporarily embarrassed millionaires" as John Steinbeck once put it. Even if you consider yourself "middle class," you are desperately poor compared to the billionaires who own everything, including our government. You ain't ever going to be allowed in their club, let alone dictate terms to them.

That means there's only one thing left we can do. We can use our vast numbers to overtake and take down the super-wealthy minority from their position of power. We can even the score and even out the inequalities of our society. We can start by letting them know in no uncertain terms that We The People are in charge.

How do we take charge? Two words: General strike. 

Our super power is our labor. In case you haven't noticed, rich folks don't know how to do shit for themselves. They have slaves--I mean, wage slaves--to do everything for them… Everything from cleaning their mansions to mowing their estates to painting their fingernails to piloting their private planes to wiping their backsides. If We The Workers don't do the work, the one-percenters are effectively dead in the water, particularly if the captain of their yacht abandons ship with them on it in the middle of the ocean.

And a general strike doesn't have to be one big, long, dragged out affair that happens everywhere at the exact same time. A general strike can be a series of shorter strikes done in rapid succession and spread across a wide variety of industries and occupations. Medical workers can strike at the same time as teachers and fast food workers. The next week it can be civil servants, airline pilots, and telecommunication workers. And so on. The main thing is that workers are all agreed to keep inconveniencing the oligarchs until they capitulate to the workers' demands.

What if you're unemployed or retired or disabled? You can help the strikes by boycotting businesses and institutions that treat their workers disrespectfully and cruelly. You can use your voices and wallets to support strikers by helping them stay out on the picket lines for as long as necessary and relieving them from time to time. Just the fact that we are the majority of Americans gives us unspeakable powers over the tiny majority that hoards most of the material wealth on this planet.

So, get creative and stick it to the Man. The Man undoubtedly wants to stick it to us. 

The actions of the 1% wealth-hoarders indicate that they're aware of our great power. It's why they've been militarizing your local police. It's why they continue to build up our bloated military (while simultaneously raking in lots of profits from the military industrial complex). The only way they know how to keep us in line is by force and violence. The oligarchs long have been dreading the day when working class Americans woke up to the fact that they've never lived in a democracy. The US is actually a corporatocracy ruled by those who come into the world connected to great wealth.

There are very few Cinderella stories in reality--it's why it's a fairy tale. Reality is much harsher. Rich kids inherit a ton of cash and get to go to the exclusive schools. They automatically go to the top positions of government and industry upon graduation. Poor kids stay in poor jobs and sometimes become even poorer than their parents' generation.

We The People need not be shy about it any longer. We know we need to redistribute the wealth of our land to all the people. No American should go hungry, or without health care, or a roof over their head. There is more than enough for everyone. It's the distribution methods that are totally f*cked. It's the corrupt distribution of wealth in the US that allows the homeless to die on the streets when there are homes enough for all--and then some.

That's why it's so obvious that our politicians are on the take from the 1%. They gladly perpetuate this screwed up distribution system to keep the majority of us poor and struggling so that a mere handful can enjoy every creature comfort ever invented. Politicians can't wait to be in that top percentage group, too.

So here's a plan: General strike. Stop wasting time voting for those now currently in office backed by the corrupt establishment political parties. Support leaders who aren't in the pockets of Big Oil, Big Pharma, Big Ag, etc. Chase the oligarchy away. Tear down the system. Rebuild it back better. Be open to change and a new way of doing things that is truly democratic, not just pretend democratic like the mess we've got currently.

Convinced yet? If you are, get going!

If not, re-read this piece and ask yourself, "Why do I not believe I'm worthy of the human rights the Supreme Court has taken/will continue to take away from me?" Deep down, you know you are worthy. Leave behind the abusive relationships that make you feel unworthy of equality, liberty, and justice.

It's time. We need you on the picket line.

A telling quote:

That’s why America’s authoritarians are out of control. They are reveling in their power so much they’re flaunting it. They’re openly, gleefully saying that, next, they’re going to come for gays, kids, minorities of every kind, everyday marriages, families. When authoritarians are that open, my friends, you had better understand: it’s a message. They’re trying to humiliate you, because they are no longer afraid. They are only this open when they are unleashed to the maximum degree, and unafraid of any form of consequences whatsoever. --Umar Haque, If You're Scared For America, You're Still Not Scared Enough

Related articles:

When Joe Biden Voted to Let States Overturn Roe v. Wade https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/29/us/politics/biden-abortion-rights.html

Just Hurling Money at the Democrats Won't Save Abortion Rights https://www.rsn.org/001/just-hurling-money-at-the-democrats-wont-save-abortion-rights.html

How the Democrats Are Culpable in the Erosion of Abortion Rights https://www.gp.org/democrats_are_culpable

If You're Scared For America, You're Still Not Scared Enough  https://eand.co/the-end-of-roe-is-the-beginning-of-a-totalitarian-america-c9038f7d1d91  

The Creative Methods Workers Are Using to Stop Bosses' Abuse https://popularresistance.org/the-creative-methods-workers-are-using-to-stop-bosses-abuse/

What Overturning Roe v. Wade Means for Pregnant People in Pollution Hotspots  https://grist.org/health/what-overturning-roe-v-wade-means-for-pregnant-people-in-pollution-hotspots/ 

As Roes Falls, Criminal Defense Lawyers Sound Alarm About Mass Incarceration  https://www.npr.org/2022/06/16/1105291030/scotus-roe-v-wade-abortion-law 

GUIDE: How Will My State Be Impacted by the Overturning of Roe v. Wade? https://therealnews.com/guide-how-will-my-state-be-impacted-by-the-overturning-of-roe-v-wade

Green Party Calls for Mass Mobilizations to Protect Reproductive Rights https://www.gp.org/green_party_calls_for_mass_mobilizations_to_protect_reproductive_rights?

"A Revolutionary Ruling--And Not Just For Abortion"  https://scheerpost.com/2022/06/25/a-revolutionary-ruling-and-not-just-for-abortion-a-supreme-court-scholar-explains-the-impact-of-dobbs/

How Clarence Thomas' Concurring Opinion Suggests Other Rights May Be Vulnerable After Roe  https://www.alternet.org/2022/06/clarence-thomas-2657559336/

Fascist Republicans Kill Roe v. Wade, Useless Democrats Let It Happened https://www.directleft.com/p/fascist-republicans-kill-roe-v-wade

The Ministry of Truth v. Roe v. Wade  https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2022/05/the-ministry-of-truth-v-roe-v-wade.html 

Your Obedience Is Prolonging this Nightmare  https://bernie2016.blogspot.com/2022/05/your-obedience-is-prolonging-this.html

 

Seen on Twitter:

“You have to vote for Democrats to protect Roe!”

How many times did we hear this? Yet, Roe was just overturned with a Democratic majority.

If this doesn’t make you realize that Democrats are complicit with Republicans I really don’t know what will.

— K ☭ (@IbaraEleven) June 24, 2022

Radicalization is an appropriate response to your rights being stripped away. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.

— 🏳️‍🌈 Pinkerbun 🏴🚩🏳️‍🌈 (@PinkerbellPixie) June 24, 2022

The U.S. will not give you healthcare for you or your baby, it will not give you daycare, it will not feed, educate, or house your baby, BUT by any means necessary they WILL FORCE YOU to bring a child into this Hellhole they have created.😉🔥

— Petrichor Exulansis (@PetExula) June 24, 2022

Maybe someday, women in America will have as many rights as guns do.

— Jo 🌻 (@JoJoFromJerz) June 23, 2022

Bill Clinton could have codified Roe V. Wade into law.

Barack Obama could have could have codified Roe V. Wade into law.

Joe Biden could have Roe V. Wade into law.

THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY NEVER CARED ABOUT ABORTION RIGHTS.

— Danny Haiphong (@SpiritofHo) June 24, 2022

My Soviet grandmothers had access to free abortions in the 1950-60s unlike both their American contemporaries and American women in particular states in 2022. Kind of mindblowing, huh? Because it's not only a gender issue, it's a class issue, untenable under capitalist rule.

— katya (@kazbek) June 24, 2022

Just got another e-mail from @SpeakerPelosi wanting a signature and money to stand against the abomination that is the SCOTUS decision. I should give the party money so she can go campaign for an anti-abortion candidate and help defeat a pro-choice one? Not in this lifetime!

— Spunky to My Friends (@laflemm15) June 26, 2022

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Follow The Leaders?

Every once in a while, a great leader comes along to lead the people against injustice. If we're lucky, this person makes us feel safe following them and listening to their council. But what happens when our leaders act out-to-lunch, like they couldn't care less about our health and happiness? We're forced to become our own leaders and depend on ourselves. It's difficult and disheartening to say the least. We lose respect for those we were taught to trust. 

The following  are some musings on feeling leaderless followed by two press releases from a group who have decided to not wait on an unresponsive leadership. They've become their own leaders to take on the corrupt system. May we all do likewise.

Greens get ready to show their Pride!

 Follow The Leaders?

musings and photos by C.A. Matthews

Upon our return from the local Pride Parade, I felt exhausted but in a good way. The crowds that met our marching groups were large and friendly, the parade full of fun-loving and colorfully-dressed people. The Pride message is one of love and acceptance of all humanity. You should come away with a positive and optimistic view of the world after such a joyous experience.

In spite of the fact that I wore a t-shirt with the slogan "You. Are. Loved.", I returned home pondering why this isn't always the case, however. There are those who don't unconditionally love the unwashed masses of which I'm a part of. Sure, they've got a use or two for us slobs, but that's about it. We were put on this earth to be used by them. We have to measure up to some imaginary impossible standard or else we're not to be rewarded or respected.

If you're thinking I'm talking about the one-percent, you're partially right. They definitely don't love or respect us, but what caused me to reflect deeply about those in positions of power were the two groups I was affiliated with for the Pride Parade. The larger leadership of these organizations doesn't always respect the sentiments and wishes of the rank and file members. And, in the end, feelings are hurt and lives are damaged, perhaps beyond repair.

In a perfect socialist utopia, where the workers would own the means of production--or have an equal say in the running of an organization--all would receive the benefits of feeling wanted and loved just as they are. Alas, this isn't how it pans out in reality, and it sucks. It totally sucks.

 (I'm probably not making a lot of sense so far, but stay with me. This is what you get for not submitting your own wonderfully written blog piece on a progressive topic. Please send one to us in the body of an email to thebernieblog2016@gmail.com  Thank you.)

I marched in this year's Pride Parade with a  group of about 75+ called "The United Methodists for Inclusion." Funny thing is, in spite of being called "United," the largest Methodist church body in the US (if not the world) isn't. Our Pride group hoped to demonstrate that not all in the denomination are qualified homophobes.

This past February the "minority conservative" faction enacted their long game plan and took over the worldwide UMC church body from within, passing measures that would outlaw "self-avowed practicing homosexuals" from serving as clergy or bishops and forbidding all from performing same-sex weddings. 

Currently the Rev. Anna Blaedel is being brought up on charges of…well, for being an openly LGBTQ human being of all things. The witch trials have begun.

Thing is, the leadership of the UMC had been pretty lax in punishing openly LGBTQ pastors and those who performed same-sex wedding ceremonies for the past fifty years. They played it cool thinking that with these times a-changing nobody would care what the paperwork said but knowing full well that a ticking time bomb of a paragraph existed within the Methodists' Book of Discipline that handles such things as prosecuting errant clergy. 

"Do no harm" Methodists would agree, but the progressives in leadership positions dropped the ball big time and have caused harm, in my and others' opinion. And now they and their conservative counterparts are scrambling to see who will get to keep the baby, that is, the United Methodist Church title/logo and the money and properties. Will there be an unfriendly split or a velvet revolution? Where is King Solomon when you need him to slice a baby in half?

It's like a very bad divorce and we, the children, or church members, are going to be the ones who suffer the most when our churches close down or are forced to do unpleasant things, like get rid of our gay pastors. LGBTQ members and their friends and family have left and are in the process of leaving their beloved UMC churches to worship where they feel wanted. Who can blame them? 

Our merry band of Pride Methodist marchers and rainbow flag wavers don't want our gay brothers, sisters and others to leave, but we're just the rank and file. What power do we really have? Where are all the progressive leaders in powerful positions on the international, national and local levels of the UMC to follow who oppose this conservative coup d'etat ? Some have stepped up, but many, many more will be needed especially here in the heartland of Homophobic America. We await these brave souls impatiently.

Another Pride group I supported (my husband marched with them in my stead) was our courageous Green Party candidate running for city council. I wish I could have cloned myself to march alongside Stefania Czech and add to her band of supporters, but I would have needed to clone myself dozens of times over to make a difference. 

On paper there are many more Greens living in the area. Surely some were free to join in? If they couldn't walk the whole parade route, they could have ridden on the People Called Women feminist bookstore bus to demonstrate how big the Green Party is in these parts. Where were they?

There's no way of knowing for certain what kept the Greens away Saturday. Local party leaders could have made an effort to rally the troops on Stefania's behalf though, right? They could have sent out a mass email or made phone calls to remind members that there is a Green candidate on the ballot and that she could use the numbers to bolster her image in the public's eye on the eve of the primary election.

But, once again, the rank and file are left to do things on their own. Frustration at the lack of help and feelings of unworthiness ensues. Why isn't leadership building up the candidate and actively supporting her run? Don't they want her to win?  Don't they want the voters to take the local, national and even international Green Party seriously?

As eco-socialists, aren't we all terrified of the climate catastrophe on the horizon? Shouldn't we all use our energy to help save the planet? Isn't electing an environmentalist like Stefania to office a step in the right direction to build a brighter future?  Why isn't it all hands on deck?

It seems endemic in the twenty-first century, this lack of taking responsibility for leading others. I'm perplexed--and it makes me worry that progressive movements in both the mainline church and eco-politics are in serious jeopardy. 

Progressive leaders appear to be daydreaming at times, off in their own worlds, more concerned with keeping their titles or impressing others of their status than they are about keeping the human beings they lead together and on track. Sometimes they act like they don't care about the level of stress they're placing--or could place--upon their followers' shoulders. 

Are our leaders scared of actually leading?

When you play the game of "Follow the Leader" you expect someone to step up and take charge. You don't expect them not to lead. Followers need a leader. There's no excuse for letting them down. 

Our planet isn't going to wait on us to get our act together. The extinction clock is ticking as the atmospheric carbon levels rise. Souls are at risk. Lead--or get out of the way for the rank and file to take command before it's too late.

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Lake Erie Bill of Rights Court Case Heats Up as Algae Bloom Grows

Aug 13, 2019

A new motion from the City of Toledo cites ‘fatal’ flaws in the corporate lawsuit against LEBOR. Petitioners file amicus brief supporting the City

The City of Toledo has exposed serious errors and misrepresentations in Drewes Farms Partnership’s (DFP) federal lawsuit against the City of Toledo and the Lake Erie Bill of Rights (LEBOR). Through briefs opposing motions by plaintiff DFP and intervenor-plaintiff State of Ohio, the City argues DFP’s rush to overturn LEBOR suffers from “fatal procedural flaws,” misrepresentations, and defects that require the lawsuit’s dismissal.

Citing the ongoing landmark court case Juliana v. United States, the City has come out in favor of “Toledoans’ due process rights to a clean and healthy environment.” Petitioners with Toledoans for Safe Water filed an amicus brief, supporting the City, particularly its argument that DFP’s and the State’s lawsuit “undermine[s] the right of local community self-government established by the City’s Charter and the Ohio Constitution.”

The day after Toledo residents passed LEBOR in February 2019, DFP claimed it was personally injured by the vote. However, LEBOR only governs activities within the City of Toledo. The City points out that not only does DFP not own any land it farms, but none of that land lies within the City.

“It is the City and its residents that have been injured. The state has failed to protect Lake Erie,” stated Markie Miller of Toledoans for Safe Water. Since 2014, the City has spent over $527 million to protect its water supply, including during the 2014 drinking water crisis that was caused by toxic algae blooms in Lake Erie. The lake is currently experiencing severe algae blooms.

In response to the State’s arguments that the City and its residents had no authority to pass LEBOR or defend Lake Erie, the City reiterates its jurisdiction over two miles of the lake’s Maumee Bay, and its power to strengthen state protections. LEBOR does not replace state or federal law or regulations, the City argues. Rather, it builds on them to provide additional protections for the lake.

The State has also argued that LEBOR will undermine its authority to protect Lake Erie. “The state has repeatedly failed to protect Lake Erie. Any claim that it can’t protect the lake if we do, rings hollow,” stated Miller.

The City strongly rejects DFP’s argument that the corporation’s First Amendment speech is being chilled by LEBOR. “Conversely,” the City writes, “the real chilling effect would occur if the Court granted DFP’s Motion and considered its request for attorney fees, since this would give DFP – a non-resident – the ability to use a speculative and theoretical future injury to nullify a citizens’ initiative petition and vote of the Toledo electorate.”

“We are happy to see the City standing up for LEBOR and Toledoans’ rights to a clean and healthy environment,” says Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF) Ohio Organizer Tish O’Dell. CELDF assisted in drafting petitioner’s amicus brief. “The lake is experiencing toxic blooms right now. The people of Toledo decided at the ballot back in February that they are done accepting being poisoned for corporate profits. Instead of being able to go forward with the law the people passed, an agricultural corporation and the State of Ohio sued the city on speculative claims. It’s time for the judge to end their lawsuit. We need to recognize our dependence on the lake – not the other way around. LEBOR is about recognizing rights of the Lake and stopping the harm before the Lake is completely dead.”

To read the City’s motions and petitioners’s amicus brief visit: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/14573310/drewes-farms-partnership-v-city-of-tole

 https://celdf.org/2019/08/media-statement-lake-erie-bill-of-rights-court-case-heats-up-as-algae-bloom-grows/?fbclid=IwAR0w9-vYK1_yoiAz515taj_ksG-pofHEsDBpZADGwOEpVFQ6Z-IHI0i5Ic0

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/14573310/drewes-farms-partnership-v-city-of-toledo-ohio/?fbclid=IwAR16UMPbqPVnWDUNY8qDb-9cSwaEoQQCQ2WSgmCVwK-gF_K1nCJJpWsWVc4

Activists Defend Lawsuit Enforcing Lake Erie Bill of Rights, Rights of Toledoans

Plaintiffs seek to Address Unlawful Conduct of the State in Failing to Protect Lake Erie, Ohioans

August 19, 2019

On Friday, three Toledoans filed their response in the pro se (without an attorney) lawsuit against the State of Ohio seeking a declaration from the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas that the Lake Erie Bill of Rights (LEBOR) is enforceable in its entirety under the Ohio Constitution. Plaintiffs Mike Ferner, John Michael Durback, and Bryan Twitchell of Toledo are seeking to uphold and protect LEBOR, a charter amendment approved by 61% of voters in February 2019.

This recent filing is in response to the State’s motion to dismiss the case. The State has argued that Article I, Section 2 of Ohio’s constitution – which states, “All power is inherent in the people….and they have the right to alter, reform, or abolish the same, whenever they may deem it necessary” – “cannot be the foundation for a cause of [legal] action.” The plaintiffs assert that this interpretation renders the phrase meaningless. The State has undermined the democratic rights of Toledo voters, and “failed to protect Lake Erie and all those who depend on her,” the plaintiffs argue.

Local activist Mike Ferner said, "The State wants us to believe first, that citizens can be pacified by what it considers just pretty words in Ohio’s constitution and second, that it has sole authority to protect Lake Erie and has done so. We hope what the State claims in its motion will sound as outrageous to Judge Goulding as they do to the three of us and to anyone with a brain in their head."

Pointing to dubious court decisions from American history like Dred Scott v. Sandford, in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled African-Americans were never intended to be American citizens, and Plessy v. Ferguson, in which the U.S. Supreme Court upheld racial segregation, the plaintiffs’ motion calls on the court “to stand on the right side of history.” Today, the plaintiffs write, “American law is failing to respond to the seriousness of ecological collapse, this lawsuit presents the court with another opportunity to bring Ohio law to the higher standard being held by the people demanding the necessary legal change required to adequately and immediately address the current climate and environmental crisis.”

“Ecological reality is more important than the legal ideology” that has prevented natural systems from being recognized as rights-bearing entities, Ferner, Durback, and Twitchell state. 

The Lake Erie Bill of Rights, a first-in-the-nation Ecosystem Rights of Nature initiative passed by local residents, enshrines in the Toledo City Charter the legal rights of the Lake Erie watershed and ecosystem to exist and flourish. This forms the basis of a new legal framework for addressing environmental issues by giving citizens standing to hold major polluters accountable on behalf of Lake Erie.

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From Care Petitions:

Newark, New Jersey is on a path to become the next Flint. Drinking water in the city is so contaminated with lead, some residents have already resorted to using bottled water for all their basic needs. We need the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to step in and fix the causes of lead contamination before the problem gets worse. Like in Flint, lead is leeching into the drinking water from very old pipes. But in Newark, the problem is compounded by the fact that the local water filtration plant isn't actually getting lead out of the water. This has profound effects on people living in the community that will last lifetimes. Lead can cause neurological disorders and even death. Children who drink lead-contaminated water can suffer from developmental problems that don't go away, even after the water is cleaned up. It's already taken more than a year for government officials to admit that there's a problem. But this admission hasn't lead to actual solutions. Giving out bottled water is a bandaid on a bullet wound. Just ask Flint: years after their contaminated water made national news, families still must use expensive bottled water to do everything from cooking to showering and drinking. Many folks in these communities don't have the means to pick up and move somewhere else with safer water. Most importantly: they shouldn't have to. The Environmental Protection Agency has an obligation to ensure that all Americans, regardless of where they live, have safe drinking water. Even the Trump Administration has said this is a priority. But clearly it's going to take our voices to make sure they put real muscle behind a solution. Sign the petition to tell the EPA to make cleaning up Newark's water supply a priority. Thank you, Emily V. The Care2 Petitions Team

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Tell Congress: "We demand you regulate PFAS - chemicals that have been shown to impact reproductive and immune systems and even cause cancer. You are meant to protect us! We will not accept putting our lives at risk in the interest of business." ADD YOUR NAME

It’s simple: companies shouldn’t be able to profit off of giving people cancer.

Yet 3M and DuPont have known since the 1960s that chemicals they use in cookings spray, Teflon, and more, called PFAS, are toxic to humans. They even tested their own employees for them in the 1970s. But they kept on selling them to the American people.

PFAS are called “forever chemicals” because once they have been created, they are extremely hard to get rid of. We demand accountability.

ADD YOUR NAME: Tell Congress to regulate PFAS now!

Democrats are calling for hearings to get accountability. We need to know what these companies knew, and when they knew it. And we need to get them to stop poisoning the American people.

Donald Trump’s EPA is making it harder to fight corporations poisoning Americans. That’s why we need Congress to act now!

ADD YOUR NAME: Tell Congress to regulate PFAS now!

Thank you for pushing with us.

Team Progress America

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