For Real... Boycotting Conference on Racism??

Peace Peace, so there is alot going on in the world right now, but one thing I have been following is the UN conference on Racism, and specifically the US boycotting it. The United States and other Western nations have boycotted due to pressure from the Israel lobby AIPAC which is concerned that the conference will come to an anti-Zionist conclusion. In order to understand this we need to be able to understand the difference between Zionism and anti-Sematism. Zionism is support for the political state of Israel and anti-Sematism is racism specifically aimed at Jews. This is important to note because anti-Zionism is often portrayed in the media as being anti-Semetic; when for the most part the stance taken is expressly opposed to the policies of apartheid adhered to by the Israeli government against Palestineans. However this is not the most important observation to make in this situation. It speaks volumes when the US, which just elected its first African American president refuses to partake in a conference addressing racism. After the election of Barack Obama it was heralded as a new day for America, there was constant talk of Dr. Kings dream being realized, and analysis being offered through a post racial lens. Nothing can be more dangerous. Racism is as real now as it ever was, and possible even harder to fight against as it has shifted its form. It is true we no longer have chatel slavery (we have exchanged the physical chains for invisible ones) and yes it is a very big deal that a Black man is now the president of the United States. However we can not be fooled to think that this some how means we live in a post racial world. All one has to do is look at this conference to see that Racism is alive and well. Let me pose a question... What must happen to a Black man to not hold an ounce of solidarity with the Palestineans? The answer Racism has changed its face, it now comes in a lighter shade of brown and prays to Allah. Another question... when will we see that our enemy is not a color but a mindstate? Obama has bought into a vision of America that is a violence to the rest of the world and he can not see his own freedom in the freedom of others. This is not a specific disease to Obama, many suffer from this. It is up to those that can see our futures are tied together to put a stop to the greed and shortsightedness that will lead to the destruction of life. This starts with not playing politics with the lifes of fellow humans and simply attending a conference. Ona Move

Knaan on the Somali Pirates

Why We Don’t Condemn Our Pirates in Somalia by Knaan

Posted on April 14, 2009 by Davey D

Why We Don’t Condemn Our Pirates in Somalia
By K’Naan , URB Magazine. Posted April 14, 2009.

Can anyone ever really be for piracy? Well in Somalia, the answer is: it’s complicated.

http://www.alternet.org/story/136481/why_we_don%27t_condemn_our_pirates_in_somalia/?page=entire

Can anyone ever really be for piracy? Outside of sea bandits, and young girls fantasizing of Johnny Depp, would anyone with an honest regard for good human conduct really say that they are in support of Sea Robbery? Well in Somalia, the answer is: it’s complicated. The news media these days has been covering piracy in the Somali coast, with such lopsided journalism that it’s lucky they’re not on a ship themselves. It’s true that the constant hijacking of vessels in the Gulf of Aden is a major threat to the vibrant trade route between Asia and Europe. It is also true that for most of the pirates operating in this vast shoreline, money is the primary objective. But according to many Somalis, the disruption of Europe’s darling of a trade route is just Karma biting a perpetrator in the butt. And if you don’t believe in Karma, maybe you believe in recent history. Here is why we Somalis find ourselves slightly shy of condemning our pirates.

Somalia has been without any form of a functioning government since 1991. And despite its failures, like many other toddler governments in Africa, sprung from the wells of post-colonial independence, bad governance and development loan sharks, the specific problem of piracy was put in motion in 1992.

After the overthrow of Siyad Barre, our charmless dictator of twenty-some odd years, two major forces of the Hawiye Clan came to power. At the time, Ali Mahdi, and General Mohamed Farah Aidid, the two leaders of the Hawiye rebels were largely considered liberators. But the unity of the two men and their respective sub-clans was very short-lived. It’s as if they were dumbstruck at the advent of ousting the dictator, or that they just forgot to discuss who will be the leader of the country once they defeated their common foe. A disagreement of who will upgrade from militia leader to Mr. President broke up their honeymoon. It’s because of this disagreement that we’ve seen one of the most devastating wars in Somalia’s history, leading to millions displaced and hundreds of thousands dead. But war is expensive and militias need food for their families, and Jaad (an amphetamine-based stimulant) to stay awake for the fighting. Therefore a good clan-based Warlord must look out for his own fighters. Aidid’s men turned to robbing aid trucks carrying food to the starving masses, and reselling it to continue their war. But Ali Mahdi had his sights set on a larger and more unexploited resource, namely: the Indian Ocean.

Already by this time, local fishermen in the coastline of Somalia have been complaining of illegal vessels coming to Somali waters and stealing all the fish. And since there was no government to report it to, and since the severity of the violence clumsily overshadowed every other problem, the fishermen went completely unheard. But it was around this same time that a more sinister, a more patronizing practice was being put in motion. A Swiss firm called Achair Parterns, and an Italian waste company called Progresso, made a deal with Ali Mahdi, that they could dump containers of waste material in Somali waters. These European companies were said to be paying Warlords about $3 a ton, where as in to properly dispose of waste in Europe costs about $1000 a ton.

In 2004, after Tsunami washed ashore several leaking containers, thousand of locals in the Puntland region of Somalia started to complain of severe and previously unreported ailments, such as abdominal bleeding, skin melting off and a lot of immediate cancer-like symptoms. Nick Nuttall, a spokesman for the United Nations Environmental Program, says that the containers had many different kinds of waste, including “Uranium, radioactive waste, lead, cadmium, mercury and chemical waste.” But this wasn’t just a passing evil from one or two groups taking advantage of our unprotected waters, the UN Convoy for Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, says that the practice still continues to this day. It was months after those initial reports that local fishermen mobilized themselves, along with street militias, to go into the waters and deter the Westerners from having a free pass at completely destroying Somalia’s aquatic life. Now years later, that deterance has become less noble, and the ex-fishermen with their militias have begun to develop a taste for ransom at sea. This form of piracy is now a major contributor to the Somali economy, especially in the very region that private toxic waste companies first began to bury our nation’s death trap.

Now Somalia has upped the world’s pirate attacks by over 21 percent in one year, and while NATO and the EU are both sending forces to the Somali coast to try and slow down the attacks, Blackwater and all kinds of private security firms are intent on cashing in. But while Europeans are well in their right to protect their trade interest in the region, our pirates were the only deterrent we had from an externally imposed environmental disaster. No one can say for sure that some of the ships they are now holding for ransom were not involved in illegal activity in our waters. The truth is, if you ask any Somali if they think getting rid of the pirates only means the continuous rape of our coast by unmonitored Western vessels, and the production of a new cancerous generation, we would all fly our pirate flags high.

It is time that the world gave the Somali people some assurance that these Western illegal activities will end, if our pirates are to seize their operations. We do not want the EU and NATO serving as a shield for these nuclear waste-dumping hoodlums. It seems to me that this new modern crisis is a question of justice, but also a question of whose justice. As is apparent these days, one man’s pirate is another man’s coast guard.

K’naan is a Somali-Canadian poet, rapper and musician.

Below are links to the interviews we did with Knaan a couple of weeks before all this drama unfolded

In the first clip he talks about Somali Pirates

In the second clip he talks about the US attempts to classify Somalis here in the US as Terrorists

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrwgiprDBtA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i67euACNhmA

FDA Blood Donor Restrictions

So we have a new issue we are trying to shed some light on, and organize around. Many of you may already know this and I am sure many of you will not, but since the 70's the FDA has made it illegal for any blood bank i.e. Red Cross to accept blood from homosexual men by asking the question: Since 1977 have you ever slept with a man who ever ,even once slept with another man. A simple google search and a few phone calls leads to uncovering what is a very shallow attempt at justifying discrimination. The guidelines were put in place as a reaction to the AIDS epidemic in amerika, and is rooted in the idea that AIDS is a gay disease. This guideline has been kept in place every year since, and we believe it is time to change this. The rationale used by the FDA to justify putting this guideline in place, and keeping it in place fails a simple and quick examination. They claim that the gay male population is the hardest hit, which is actually false, nearly half (48%) of the people living with AIDS in amerika are African Americans; this group also has the highest rate of newly effected people. There are no restrictions on other "at risk groups" such as men and women who have multiple partners, straight couples that engage in anal intercourse; it is worth noting that this act is the actual risk factor whether or not the couple is hetero or homosexual. With the current technology and testing capabilities the chances that HIV infected blood enters into circulation is negligible and the chances that that comes from a gay man is even smaller. The time has come to remove all discriminatory laws and regulations, and we believe removing this restriction is moving in that direction. We will be putting on shows, discussions and brainstorming sessions with the community around how we move forward with this. Please contribute your opinions and ideas to the conversation. More info to come. Peace Peace

What can we learn from Northern Ireland

"No Justice No Peace!!" if you are at all familiar with protests or rallies there is little doubt you have heard this being shouted in the streets. For some the rallies, the chants, and everything that goes along with them is nothing more than another annoying distraction. Even for some participating it is rather hollow, just another slogan for the hour or so before they go back to their seemingly comfortable existence. They have no intention of actually disturbing the peace now or anytime in the future. I have some theories about why this is, but I will save them for a different time. Today I want to focus on the spirit of this particular mantra, mainly because in other parts of the world it is anything but hollow. There are countless examples one could point to as evidence to back this up, lets use the most recent, the real IRA attacks in Northern Ireland. Now for the record and to clear up any accusations of..." I'm just an anarchist rebel who only wants to see chaos." I am in support of a free and sovereign Ireland, but I do not know enough about the real IRA to say I am a supporter. This actually brings me to the point. The argument about whether or not the attacks were justified is a fruitless conversation, and misses the underlying truth, there will never be peace in occupied territories.

It does not matter if we are talking about Belfast or Baghdad, Gaza, Oakland or north Minneapolis there will never be peace when the people of the area have no control and are constantly being manipulated and oppressed for the benefit of others. This occupying force can come in a number of forms: the United States military, the Police, or multi-national corporations, but without exception the common bond is control for selfish purpose. Our history is rich with instances of the United States (and other European white countries) using its military powers to impose policies beneficial to them but harmful for the invaded country; for a prime example look at our seizure of Mexican land we now call California, Colorado, Arizona etc. etc. you get the gist. The police perform much the same task on a smaller scale. Instead of a country the police control a specific population mainly poor black communities, but specifically poor. Whenever these communities have joined together to demand equality without exception the police are there to put them down. Still perhaps the most dangerous form of occupation comes in the form of multi-national corporations that operate for the sole purpose of profit, leaving entire populations living in conditions of crushing poverty. You only need to look at the effects of World Bank and IMF policies to see the proof of this. What is interesting is that in all cases without exception violence plays a major role in implementing these systems of control. Either through military attacks (Iraq), police violence(murder of Fred Hampton) or sponsored coups so favorable policies can be implemented (Pinochet in Chile) violence is an essential ingredient to maintaining the order, even when those dissenting are doing so non-violently (Civil Rights Movement, Gandhi in India). So, does it make sense then to expect those that have been the victims of constant violence to not react in the same way; I would say no. We can see this playing out currently in Northern Ireland and all across the globe in groups like the real IRA, Hamas, and the Zapatistas. In our own country we can see this manifested in street gangs; which are largely a response to domestic oppression and an often times justified feeling of marginalization due to exclusion from opportunities such as quality education, jobs, and healthcare. There then becomes an overwhelming feeling of anger, disrespect, and worthlessness that all get fulfilled with- in the gang. All of these are very real and current examples of the cause and effect relationship between imperialism and its resulting occupation and the violence that is seen in reaction to it (which interestingly enough dominates the news and mainstream discussion on the subject).
I want peace just as much as anybody and I know the only way to reach peace is to stop the manipulation and exploitation of those countries and peoples that do not have the privilege of a lack of melanin. Only when all peoples have the right to self-determination can there be realistic talks of sustainable peace world wide. But until then you can count on very real cries of "NO JUSTICE NO PEACE!!"

Whats Crackin With Us

Peace Peace so there is alot coming up these next couple of months. Make sure you get out there and support.

-Quest for the Voice semi finals and finals are coming up March 13th at Central and the 14th at the Capri.

- Spoken Explosion New School and Old School Walker Church

- April 3rd Minnesota Spoken Word Awards Varsity Theatre

-April 24th and 25th Poetic Assassins Eliminating Oppression One Ink Shell at a Time

Whats Coming Up

First we would like to thank everybody that cam out to our show at Bryant Lake Bowl. It was a real dope night good vibes good people you really can't ask for more! Plus we sold out! We got alot of stuff coming up so make sure you keep alook out for us. The next show is March 27th at the Capri theatre on the north side. Peace Peace