MEDIA ROOTS – The upcoming G8 and NATO Summits to be held in tandem in Chicago this year between May 19 – 21, will greatly influence the direction the United States is headed in, as well as determine Americans’ democratic fortunes for generations to come.  Chicago will be the first city other than Washington D.C. to host a NATO summit, and it will be the first time in 30 years that any city has hosted the events together.

As socioeconomic pressure mounts and political ineptitude grows, the fate of America hangs in the balance.  The Occupy Wall Street Movement (OWSM) may be at a lull, but its state of hibernation shouldn’t be mistaken for an end to populist activism.  Economic conditions have not improved and U.S. citizens are becoming increasingly fearful, anxious, and desperate.   Come spring, protesters will likely start pouring into cities once again to demonstrate their dissatisfaction.  

The phrase “The Global Crossroads” stands prominently atop the Chicago G8/NATO homepage.   Are the global elite aware of just how significant this theme is for the “99%”?   The world has yet to see the conclusion of last year’s fierce spurt of democratic action when civil unrest and political activism engulfed wide swaths of the globe, and the temporary quiet could be compared as simply a two minute break in between rounds during a champion title fight.  Instead of countries in the Arab Spring having the light shed on their revolutionary processes, the United States could very well find itself on the world’s center stage this year. 

Throughout the Arab Spring phenomenon, President Obama admonished countries like Egypt, Syria, Tunisia and Libya for not protecting the civil rights of their respective citizenry and denounced every foreign leader for unleashing iron fisted tactics of repression on their own people that frequently resulted in bloodshed.  Although the United States purports to uphold these very lofty democratic protections and ideals that legitimate the moral superiority to forcefully export democracy abroad, the world began to see through this façade while observing the heavy handed police state repression against OWS protesters.  

Lt. John Pike, a.k.a. ‘The Pepper Spray Cop,’ became a notorious global icon of excessive police force against dissent in the U.S.  Unfortunately, last year’s events at UC Davis, NYC, and Oakland may have only been pre-game warm ups.  The G8/NATO Summit will put the Americas to the test, as the showdown sets up between the people’s desire to preserve and exercise their Constitutional rights versus the elites’ desire to squash them.  Just as in 1968, the whole world will be watching.

Mayor Richard J. Daley of Chicago, who branded the 1968 Democratic National Convention a day in infamy for the American psyche, is also responsible for bringing phrases like “storm troopers” and “Gestapo tactics” into the popular vernacular when referencing the police response to large rallies.  Up until 1968, the Chicago DNC riots held the distinction of being arguably the worst acts of police brutality during the 20th century.   For its time, the show of police force that Daley summoned was akin to a tyrannical regime. The book Battleground Chicago details the assembled forces of the Chicago police:

“The usual police contingent of 6,000 officers on the streets grew to 11,900 on twelve-hour shifts, up from the usual eight. The city requested the mobilization of 5,649 Illinois National Guardsmen, with an additional 5,000 on alert, bolstered by up to 1,000 Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officers and military intelligence officers. Waiting for signs of trouble in the suburbs would be 6,000 army troops, including members of the elite 101st Airborne Division. The men were to be equipped with bazookas and flamethrowers.”

Although some of the protesters did antagonize the police by swearing and throwing small projectiles at them, the heavy handed police response and irresponsible conduct that resulted was completely unprecedented. Police indiscriminately beat protesters with nightsticks, sprayed them with tear gas, and trampled on people’s civil rights.

On the night of August 28, 1968, the hysteria exploded into a culmination of the infamous Hilton Hotel riots. On orders from Mayor Daley, the police were told “to shoot to kill any arsonist or anyone with a Molotov cocktail in his hand.” They rushed the crowds of protesters and unleashed a brutal onslaught of epic proportions, crushing skulls and leaving pools of blood in their wake. The mayhem unfolded in front of TV cameras as the whole world watched. Curiously, in the wake of the violent standstill, public opinion polls showed that a majority of Americans supported Daley’s tactics.

USA vs. DEMOCRACY – Chicago, Illinois 1968

Despite it being a global beacon of free speech, the United States doesn’t encourage a culture of dissent and protest, and it has a long history of quelling its political activism with violence.  Look no further than the union busting efforts of the Pinkertons in the 19th century.  From the first day we can say the word “flag,” we’re ingrained with nationalistic propaganda that the United States is an infallible and just entity, and the only option given to us as children is to toe the establishment line.

Furthermore, differences exist between the mindsets of populations in the U.S. and Europe.  Europe has a much more mature history of political unrest and revolution.  They have learned the difficult lessons we have yet to learn and as a result, European governments fear their people, whereas in the United States, people fear their government.  How much will the people fear Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Chicago police force come May? 

For years, observers, such as economist Richard Wolff, have pointed out the stark contrast between the political diversity in European parliaments, with socialist, democratic-socialist, Greens, and other third-parties.  So, when economic meltdown occurs and austerity measures start to kick in to ‘bail out’ the banks, or siphon the people’s resources away, Europeans are more astute and well-informed to mount their resistance.  Whereas, in the US, prior to Wisconsin and Occupy, the two-party system kept everybody praying for the next election or the next saviour candidate.  Perhaps, this election year will be different with the Occupy Movement largely shunning the Wall Street Democrat Party’s overtures.

The anti-consumerist magazine Adbusters, one of the coordinators of OWS, put out a call to action to gather 50,000 protesters to descend on Chicago the weekend of the G8/NATO summit. According to their website:

“This time around we’re not going to put up with the kind of police repression that happened during the Democratic National Convention protests in Chicago, 1968 … nor will we abide by any phony restrictions the City of Chicago may want to impose on our first amendment rights.”

Unfortunately, Emanuel appears to be fervently following the lineage of Richard J. Daley by ‘rahmming through,’ if you will, a slew of draconian measures that will severely put the brakes on First Amendment rights.  Approved by the Chicago City Council in January, the new measures have affectionately come to be known as the “Sit Down and Shut Up” ordinances, already an ominous sign that points to tensions ratcheting up.  Evidently, Emanuel and other Chicago politicians have not learned history’s valuable lessons.

Some of the new “Sit Down and Shut Up” ordinances are: increased fines for civil disobedience (now $200-$1000 up from $25-$500), inclusion of passive resistance as a form of resisting arrest, the power to “deputize officers,” and requirement of $1 million in liability insurance for any large parade or protest, with each contingent needing to register one week in advance with the City.  Perhaps, the City of Chicago hopes that the increased fines will offset the enormous security costs of the event.

The total costs of the summit won’t be known until weeks after its completion.  However, the security cost is coming into focus.  To begin with, the Department of Homeland Security awarded a $54 million grant to Chicago.  The grant might only cover the basics, as there is an expectation that the host committee must additionally raise “between $45 million and $60 million in outside funds for supplemental security costs, delegation social events and related matters.”  The urgency for further financial backing may be fraying Emanuel’s nerves.  He will need sufficient funding to not only cover potential property damage but also to feed and house out-of-town cops.  Emanuel might look to corporate pockets for the extra millions needed, but is there a risk of the tab eventually being picked up by taxpayers?  He would be well-served to not drop the bill on the back of the “99%.”

Perhaps, Emanuel’s moniker of “Mayor 1%,” will be the new historical mark he’ll leave in the wake of the summit.  He’s well on his way, after receiving $4.9 million from the financial services industry for his mayoral campaign war chest.  This financial windfall continues his history as a beneficiary of the FIRE (financial, insurance, real estate) sector.  During his tenure as a member of the House of Representatives he received hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions from UBS, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, and Bank of America, among others.  There will clearly be a conflict of interest between his “99%” constituency and his “1%” vested interests come May, if it’s not already evident.

On the homepage of the G8/NATO summit, Mayor Emanuel states:

“Chicago is a magnet for those that think big.  There’s no better place for leaders to find solutions to the world’s biggest challenges than right here in the President’s hometown.”

Ironically, the real leaders, the ones who aren’t ideologically bankrupt or suffer from a lack of imagination, will be out in the streets and not in convention halls, fancy hotels or behind velvet ropes.  Come spring, the protesters will endeavor to water the seeds of democracy and grow organic ideals of freedom. The powers that be will try to stop this new generation of leaders with their battalions of paramilitary storm troopers, their LRADs, ADSs, and armored vehicles.

Chicago’s broad shoulders will be burdened, not only in terms of the city’s legacy, but in relation to the “global crossroads.”  How can America’s ‘Windy City’ still blow hot air about being exceptional, democratic, and free if those in power are viciously cracking down on its citizens who dare to exercise their Constitutionally-protected rights to free speech?

Democracy is not a right, it’s a privilege, and in order to maintain our rights healthy and strong, to prevent them from atrophying, they must be exercised.  The simultaneous G8 and NATO summits in Chicago will set the stage for what could be a very rambunctious summer and a scalding hot Republican National Convention in Tampa.  Despite whatever ordinances are passed, the people on the streets will not sit down and shut up.  The smallest indignity, like the one that occurred to Mohamed Bouazizi, has proven capable of catalyzing massive, widespread tilling of moribund lands, yearning for democratic change.  On December 17, 2010, Tunisian authorities confiscated Bouazizi’s fruits and vegetables and reportedly slapped him, leading him to commit self-immolation outside the governor’s office.  The first domino of the Arab Spring had fallen.  The American domino wavers, the disgruntled and angry masses will continue to fight for America, as their rights become eradicated, as their unions become busted and their public services privatized.

But will U.S. liberals and progressives line up to rationalise another four years of Obama-style US imperialism and domestic repression?  Without a radical and critical electoral analysis, protest movements render themselves supplicant, enabling an unresponsive Democrat Party to continue to handily take its constituency for granted and leave them organising another four years of protests to bemoan business as usual.

Polish activist Rosa Luxemburg once wisely said “those who do not move do not notice their chains.” So, will the chains come off or will Chicago succumb to the second pity? The stakes are high. So high that Chicago, and the fabled “city on a hill” might just come tumbling down.

Written by Adam Miezio

Photo by flickr user cikaga jamie

DISINFO – “Brace yourself, the American Empire is over, and the descent is going to be horrifying.” Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chris Hedges conducts an illuminating if depressing discussion on politics, poverty, and everything else regarding the way we live and where we are headed:

Chris Hedges on The End of the American Empire

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MEDIA ROOTS — Some of us will do our best to counter the two-party dictatorship, recognising they are both financed by the same Wall Street, corporate, paymasters with the obvious attendant consequences.  Yet, due to the grip corporate media has on the minds of hundreds of millions of people in the U.S., the anger against non-two-party candidates isn’t just coming from the two-party establishment leaders, but from its constituent voters as well.

Glenn Greenwald quotes a Matt Stoller essay about how “the anger [Ron Paul] inspires comes not from his positions, but from the tensions that modern American liberals bear.”  Greenwald continues, “Ron Paul’s candidacy is a mirror held up in front of the face of America’s Democratic Party and its progressive wing, and the image that is reflected is an ugly one; more to the point, it’s one they do not want to see because it so violently conflicts with their desired self-perception.”

Ron Paul has been deemed “more progressive” than Obama on civil liberties issues by the ACLU, and his strict non-interventionist foreign policy views makes him a much stronger opponent against the military-industrial complex than the President.  However, most progressives are still going to vote for Obama this year, even though he “advocates views…liberals and progressives have long claimed to find repellent, even evil.”

On New Year’s Eve, Greenwald cut through much of the U.S. Presidential Election spin cycle, as it further dumbs down the already embarrassing state of U.S. political discourse.  Our job is to understand our political process as clearly as possible in order to make informed decisions as voters.  To that end, this article is among the more thoughtful analyses of Election 2012 to date. 

MR

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SALON – As I’ve written about before, America’s election season degrades mainstream political discourse even beyond its usual lowly state. The worst attributes of our political culture – obsession with trivialities, the dominance of horserace “reporting,” and mindless partisan loyalties — become more pronounced than ever. Meanwhile, the actually consequential acts of the U.S. Government and the permanent power factions that control it — covert endless wars, consolidation of unchecked power, the rapid growth of the Surveillance State and the secrecy regime, massive inequalities in the legal system, continuous transfers of wealth from the disappearing middle class to large corporate conglomerates — drone on with even less attention paid than usual.

Because most of those policies are fully bipartisan in nature, the election season — in which only issues that bestow partisan advantage receive attention — places them even further outside the realm of mainstream debate and scrutiny. For that reason, America’s elections ironically serve to obfuscate political reality even more than it usually is.

This would all be bad enough if “election season” were confined to a few months the way it is in most civilized countries. But in America, the fixation on presidential elections takes hold at least eighteen months before the actual election occurs, which means that more than 1/3 of a President’s term is conducted in the midst of (and is obscured by) the petty circus distractions of The Campaign. Thus, an unauthorized, potentially devastating covert war — both hot and cold — against Iran can be waged with virtually no debate, just as government control over the Internet can be inexorably advanced, because TV political shows are busy chattering away about Michele Bachmann’s latest gaffe and minute changes in Rick Perry’s polling numbers.

Read more about Progressives and the Ron Paul fallacies.

© 2012 Salon Media Group, Inc.

MEDIA ROOTS — For some of us who either have indigenous roots in the Americas going back to pre-Columbian times or have strong consciousness of colonisation and occupation, we know the terms occupy and occupation are loaded terms.  On one hand, we can understand contemporary Americans attempting to appropriate a term of oppression in defiance of the ruling-class, the 1%.

The fact that Occupy Wall Street caught on and evolved into the national then global Occupy Movement (OM) seems to reflect the popular desire of the U.S. working-class to do to their oppressors what has been done to them and to the proletariat the world over.  Yet, as Nietzsche has noted in Beyond Good and Evil, “Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And when you look into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you.”  

This resonates with the importance of the OM to develop its consciousness beyond its dominant culture.  Indeed, the OM has been as progressive as its participants.  Yet, indigenous consciousness, class consciousness, consciousness of White privilege, consciousness of racism and imperialism, all these factors must be incorporated and studied by OM general assemblies, especially as it goes mobile following Obama’s federalised police state crackdowns and dismantling of encampment sit-ins.  At this point, the die is cast.  The OM is here.  What’s in a name?  As it’s always been, the strength and character of a movement, even one aspiring toward horizontalism, is dependent upon the level of consciousness of its rank and file.

Thus, blogger Colin Donoghue provides a synthesis of thought considering Indigenous consciousness and Native American participation within the Occupy Movement.  Similarly, Morning Star Gali of the Achumawi band of the Pit River Nation and the Bay Area Native American Indian Network recently discussed efforts to decolonise Occupy Oakland.  (See transcript below.)

Messina

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COLIN DONOGHUE — What is now called the United States was founded on occupations of Native land, and in a sort of ironic way, the urban Occupy Wall St. campers being evicted from city parks across the country are getting a first-hand experience of what’s it’s like to be violently forced off the land, out of their small dwellings, dissolving their communities.  Of course the Occupy camp evictions and the police-brutality that has come with it (and preceded it), though inexcusable, is still nothing compared to the indiscriminate killing of Native Americans that occurred on this continent not too long ago, yet it would be productive to consider where similarity between the two events does exist, and what that means as far as understanding what the root cause of social-injustice really is, and what the most effective strategy against it is.

Many of the Occupy activists today seek to “evolve” the same imperial powers that committed genocide against Native Peoples around the world and have since gone on to massacre millions of other innocent women, men and children in other acts of mass-violence.  They believe the existence of these governments can still actually advance liberty & justice, they believe it is just a matter of somehow making these so-called democracies actually live up to that promise, like through more protest.  However, if the Occupy activists look at their nation’s history more through the eyes of Indigenous women & men, they would get a better understanding of what they are really fighting against, and therefore what their focus and plan of action should be.

In America during the past two centuries, activists have tried to reform this institution of extreme violence over and over, without understanding that this government, like all governments, not only tends to be extremely violent and destructive, it was founded on violence and destruction, and in fact continues to be violent and destructive on a daily basis, just by its very existence.  What do I mean by that?  We are actually always experiencing the violence and destruction of an ongoing eviction, an eviction from the Earth, an eviction from a natural way of life that harmonizes with Nature and each other.  These current Occupy camp evictions make partly visible once again how the 99% have all been prevented from living in harmony with Nature and each other, through the existence of social-systems, and the taxes and land costs that come with those systems of human farming.  Two excellent documentaries that also visually show this root injustice repeating are “Broken Rainbow” (about the Navajo in the Southwest) & “The Garden” (about community gardeners in South Central Los Angeles); in both you see the state bulldozing the gardens of low-income people trying to live more self-sufficiently and naturally….

“We no longer see ourselves within the webs and cycles of nature.  The loss of a direct relationship to the world terminates a once universal human understanding of our oneness with the natural world.  The principle of relatedness is at the heart of indigenous wisdom: traditional intimacy with the world as the immanent basis of spirituality. This understanding is an essential and irreplaceable foundation of human health and meaningfulness.”

“Twilight of the Machines” by John Zerzan,” p.124

Indigenous wisdom is desperately needed by those who think of themselves as citizens rather than humans, by those who are exploited and indoctrinated by social-systems, systems that are supposedly run by representatives who “serve” the masses.  The truth is a rearranging of those letters; they don’t serve us, but sever us, from the Earth and from each other, through taxation, land control/cost, hierarchy and division of labor.  Seeing through the deceitful promises of government, modern technology and industrialized society, we can reclaim our humanity and base our way of life on principle, on non-violence, equality and true freedom.

So yes, Occupy, but not to petition false masters to treat their slaves better, Occupy to break away the chains to the lie of so-called “representative” democracy.  Then we can unite and harmonize with the Earth, our true nurturing parent, and reject the false parental overlords who continue to deceive the masses into believing that they are better off with their “care.”

Read more about Native Americans & the Occupy Movement: Potentially a Powerful Partnership.

© 2011 Colin Donoghue

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THE MORNING MIX WITH TARA

Tara Dorabji (c. 45:12):  “You’re tuned in to The Morning Mix on KPFA.  I’m Tara Dorabji.  And those are the sounds of Los Guaraguao, some of our revolutionary freedom fighters, music makers, from El Salvador.  And right now I have with us in the house, in-studio, Morning Star Gali.  She’s a movement maker, human rights warrior, freedom fighter, mother, radio producer, friend, and compañera.  Welcome to KPFA.

Morning Star Gali (c. 45:41):  “Thank you so much for having me this morning.”

Tara Dorabji (c. 45:43):  “Yeah.  Thanks for being with us.  And, you know, just breaking down what’s going on with the Movement to Decolonise Occupy Oakland.  There was a big movement to actually have a name change.  And that was shot down.  So, break it down for us.  What’s going on?  How are folks working to decolonise the Occupy Movement?”

Morning Star Gali (c. 46:05):  “Yeah, definitely.  That’s a lot.  So, I’ll start first with October 10th when Occupy Oakland was first set up.  It was on Indigenous People’s Day.  And there was an effort made; on that day we have the annual Sunrise Gathering that takes place on Alcatraz Island and we had organised a protest that day over at Nady Electronics, at the headquarters there.  And so there was an effort made to insure that the timing would workout where we went to the Alcatraz Sunrise Gathering.  We protested at Nady Headquarters over on Shellmound Street in Emeryville.  And then later that afternoon was the kick-off for Occupy Oakland.  

“And from day one, recognising that on Indigenous People’s Day, you know, having Corrina Gould, who is Chochenyo Ohlone, and other Ohlone representatives there, really, blessing the area and giving their blessing to the Occupy Movement and also recognising from day one that there is this effort being made to decolonise these movements and that we really have an issue with the word occupy.  Our lands are occupied.  And we want them unoccupied.  And, so, there’s that effort being made to decolonise [Occupy] Oakland.  

“On October 31st, there was a declaration of Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples that was passed with a vote of 97% by the General Assembly of Occupy Oakland.  And some of the text of that stated that there was an effort being made to decolonise [Occupy] Oakland.  So, the proposal that was submitted on December 4th was just the next step forward with it.  

“We knew that it was going to be a contentious issue.  We knew most likely that it wouldn’t pass.  But it was really about bringing the conversation to light for people and to talk about why we weren’t comfortable with occupation and with the term occupy being used.  And, really, that it was very nauseating to many of us to continually sit through the general assemblies and hear these claims made about, ‘we need to occupy everything’ and ‘we need to continue the occupation on lands that have been occupied for over 500 years.’  And, so, it didn’t pass just by a slight margin.  It was 1 ½% that was needed to make the friendly amendments that would have changed it to Unoccupy Oakland or Liberate Oakland or Coexist.  There were, really, a number of great suggestions.  

“So, we do plan in the future to bring it up in the future again.  And, at the time, there were also indigenous solidarity teach-ins that were taking place.  And there’s a number of them that are coming up as well.  So, we’re asking folks to get engaged and kind of plug in.  

“There was a really successful action that was held this past weekend by a number of folks involved with the Decolonise Oakland efforts and also the efforts to protect Rattlesnake Island up in Elem Pomo territory.  So, that was really beautiful ‘cos we really reached out to the Decolonise Occupy Oakland folks and really had the support of a lot of folks where we marched up to the territory of the one-percenters, up to [millionaire developer] John Nady’s home.”

Tara Dorabji (c. 49:40):  “We’re talking with Morning Star Gali.  She’s here with us in-studio about the efforts to, really, decolonise the Occupy Oakland Movement.  The Occupy Movements across the Americas and, you know, one of the things, I mean, it struck me—Occupy.  When I hear the word Occupy, I see the soldiers.  There’s a sense of occupation.  And, so, how do you see?  I think that there’s a real difference, like, people who have never been occupied, people who have never lived in an occupied land, people who have had a certain privilege, perhaps, perspective like that word.  It’s gonna resonate, perhaps, differently.  

“And, so, how do you see within the Occupy Oakland Movement; how are you seeing a shift taking place within the organising?  Is it happening?  Are people becoming more aware of the intensity of that word and its impact on folks?  How do you see that dialogue continuing to move forward?”

Morning Star Gali (c. 50:42):  “I definitely think that it’s moving forward in a very positive way.  We have seen even over the past weeks where people’s emotional attachment to the word occupy and what that looks like in terms of branding and people really felt like, ‘Oh, if we change the name then what does that look like in terms of us distancing ourselves from the movement? And people won’t recognise, you know, people are very familiar with Occupy Oakland.’  

“But there have been name changes.  Sedona, Arizona, they did change their name to Decolonise Sedona.  Albuquerque, New Mexico changed to Unoccupy Albuquerque.  And their initial proposal was to decolonise.  Up in Seattle, they also had a proposal put forth to decolonise Occupy Seattle.  And it also didn’t pass up there.  But the QPOC Caucus up there decided that they were gonna go forth and call themselves.  And that they didn’t need permission.  They didn’t need anybody’s permission in what they wanted to name themselves.  And, so, since then they’ve been Decolonise Occupy Seattle.”  

Tara Dorabji (c. 51:57):  “We’re talking with Morning Star Gali about the Movement to Decolonise.  And, so, is the main thrust then in people’s resistance to changing the name, really, the branding?  Is that, sort of, the central impetus for keeping the occupy word in there?”

Morning Star Gali (c. 52:15):  “I feel like that’s definitely one of the stronger arguments that they have, which is interesting because it’s only here in the U.S. where the term Occupy is being used.  And there was argument that over in Egypt and in Tahrir Square that the connection’s made with what’s going on.  And we’re like, ‘No, wait a minute. They’re not calling themselves Occupy.’  You know?  And what would that look like in Palestine, over Gaza, a huge banner that read Occupy Palestine?  And the colonialism here is deep, that entrenched, that people don’t see that it’s problematic.  

“But I do feel like we’re making those steps forward.  I mean four to five years ago, even, if we were to put it out there.  The first day of the Occupy Movement there were those big banners that said ‘Welcome to Oscar Grant Plaza on Ohlone Land.’  And, so, just even that recognition, that’s, really, a huge step forward.  You know?  And, really, calling that out and letting folks know that this isn’t something that’s in the past, that these cultures are no longer alive.  We are here and we are very much present as California Indian people.  There are struggles that are currently taking place, as far as the desecration of our sacred sites and the effort to protect them.  So, I feel like we’ve really been able to bring those conversations into light and to talk about the fact that, as indigenous peoples, we are the original 99% resisters, that we are here and this is what we’ve been experiencing and, so, to really connect those struggles across the board.”

Tara Dorabji (c. 54:02):  “We’re talking with Morning Star Gali about the shift, the need, the Movement to decolonise the occupiers.  And in our last couple of minutes, you know, this is, sort of, a watershed, in a way, of activism and a different wave of resistance coming up right now in the U.S.  And from your perspective as a mother, as an indigenous woman, as someone that has really come up and done a huge amount of organising on the ground in all the spots—I know I can always call on Morning Star, she’ll be there—what do you think is the most strategic thing for the movement to do right now?  Where do you see the pulse?  Where do you see the need to go?  And where do you see the place to strike?”

Morning Star Gali (c. 54:44):  “Well, it’s interesting because a lot of the kind of resistance with the name change was, ‘Why now? Why are you bringing this up now? It’s not the time. Why are we wasting our time focusing on this?’  And we were just like, ‘Wait a minute. Wait a minute. You need to hold up because if now is not the right time, when is it?’  You know?  This is a conversation that’s long overdue.  And, so, where is the movement going from here?  If we’re talking about being inclusive of all the 99%, when recognising that indigenous peoples feel that they can’t participate and a number of people feel they can’t participate in this movement under the label of occupation, we need to have that conversation of what that looks like and how to be inclusive across the board, especially to the First Nations People, whose land that this is.

“And, so, as I mentioned this past weekend there was a really successful action that took place in marching on [millionaire developer] John Nady’s house in Piedmont.  I feel like that’s a really great direction of where we’re going, whether with the Port Shutdowns, which I heard was like a 5% loss to Goldman Sachs, making those connections that with indigenous peoples that are on the front lines here, this is what we’re experiencing on an everyday basis.  So, we need to make those connections and have those further dialogues and conversations.  And that’s what Decolonisation Movement is about.”

Tara Dorabji (c. 56:19):  “Great.  Thank you so much for joining us and coming in the casa this morning.”

Morning Star Gali (c. 56:22):  “Thank you.”

Tara Dorabji (c. 56:23):  “And today’s Morning Mix was produced by, myself, Tara Dorabji with help from Anthony Fest.  Just a heads up that next Monday, December 26th, we’ll be airing a special from the most densely militarised land on Earth, Kashmir.  So, tune in for that next Monday on The Morning Mix.

“I just want to say happy solstice to you all out there.  It’s been an honour being with you on the airwaves over this last year.  If you have any feedback for me, you can hit me up at [email protected].  You are listening to KPFA, 94.1 FM, 89.3 KPFB in Berkeley, 88.1 KFCF in Fresno, online all the time, KPFA.org.  Up next is Democracy Now!.”     

Transcript by Felipe Messina

Point of information:  Morning Star Gali says it’s only in the U.S. that the term Occupy is being used.  Yet, we are mindful of Occupy Toronto, Occupy Montreal, Occupy Jamaica, Occupy Amsterdam, Occupy Bucharest, etc.

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MEDIA ROOTS — On November 30, 2011, at the Arlene Francis Center for Spirit, Art, and Politics in Santa Rosa, CA, Alternative Radio founder David Barsamian gave a talk entitled “Media, Propaganda, and Censorship.” 

The event was sponsored by Peace and Justice Center of Sonoma County, Media Freedom Foundation, Project Censored, and Media Roots.

MR

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Photo by Shannonyeh Photography