Throwing Mud In The Air Hoping It Will Stick

Everyone wants to be heard, everyone needs to be heard. We know things are not equal;  some voices get to be heard while others should be heard. Noozhishenh, my grandchild is one year old and her voice will not be heard and why shouldn't her voice be heard?  My Mom and Dad are dead and gone so their voices are not going to be heard. Some voices are in fact far beyond the grave; voices are heard even when dead and gone. Still we wonder about the message or if there is a message beyond just hearing the voice. We all know some of those dead voices like Elvis Presley, Martin Luther King Jr, John F Kennedy, John Lennon, Thich Quang Duc, Sacagawea, Ignatia Broker, Rosa Parks and many many others.  While some of the voices are still heard frequently, others are but a whisper in a loud room. Other's had their voices muted on purpose but still managed to be heard despite the effort. I think about Jamal Khashoggi and how prior to his death I had no clue who was or what he was saying.

The musician, the writer, the poet, the legislator, the famous, the infamous and the notorious may have their voices heard beyond their death and their time. Time is an interesting social construct; we have to measure and measure. Not all voices, the words of yesterday are diminished by time. We see the constant voices of various religious sectors. Some voices should still be heard ("I have a dream") while others we should hope never to hear every again ("Humanitarianism is the expression of stupidity and cowardice").

In the same fashion of Thich Quang Duc

I wonder how can we have our voice heard? Should it be even heard and by who? There are images I remember from years ago. I didn't know what the message was so in some cases I looked up what the message was, what the voice was saying. The voices resonate with us and that is why we remember them. Thich Quang Duc was a Monk. The government was doing wrong and Thich acted. He had his colleagues pour gas on him and Thich lit a match and burned himself up. His voice in the form of self-immolation.

Another voice we now hear is Jamal Khashoggi who was chopped up while other governments listen in? Poor guy all he wanted on his last day was to go and get documents so he could get married. He walked into an Embassy in Turkey and ended up never being seen again. His voice got him killed. He used his voice by speaking up against the Royal Powers of Saudi Arabia. There are other voices we still hear today not just because of the voice but a combination of events. So is that how we get our voice heard? Do we get shot, do we jump off a bridge, do we kill a rich businessmen or rich oligarchs, do we pour petrol over our bodies and burn? Or do we need to be like Jamal Khashoggi and be chopped up, carried away in luggage bags?

Some voices we will remember due to the strength of the message, while other voices for the joy we received from them. We will remember voices for the absurdity, the hatred, and some for the hope we get. Voices may have us smiling or laughing; "I'm just a hunk, a hunk of burning love." That is fine but some voices should just melt away with time. Do we really need to hear "My achy breaky heart" as one of the voices? I would rather wait in a three-hour long line to hear Gilbert Gottfried read the book 50 Shades Of Grey  than sit through another verse of Achy Breaky Heart.

I always wonder about the "voice of reason" and why it is hardly heard or remembered? If it is remembered it only resonates with a soft reception. It instills some emotional response in us but just dies there. We live in a time where the room for being heard is overwhelmingly crowded. The other problem with the voice being heard is there are powerful forces which control the volume and the message.  So the soft voice is not going to be heard. The reasonable voice, the positive voice is blocked by loud, obnoxious, the biased, the spiteful, the selfish and the hateful voice.

We are in a time when we need our voices heard.  The World is a wondrous place. The technical advances, the architectural achievements, are all fascinating and spectacular but still they can not compare to the beauty and splendour of Earth's nature. The magnificence of beautiful Earth is under a forceful threat. The threat impacts all of us today and all those yet to have a voice. The voices of the world are trying to be heard so the voices not yet heard or born will have a place. Where they will have a place where they can speak freely, walk freely, breathe freely, and live freely. There are many who have tried and are trying to have their voices heard. There was an Idle No More voice, an Occupy Wall Street voice, Black Lives Matter voice, Me Too voice, Anti-fascism voice, LGBTQ voice, Civil Rights voice, an Environmental voice and many other voices calling to be heard.  The problem with voices trying to be heard is there has be an ear to hear them. We have seen many voices being made to shut up and many voices just ignored, not even heard. For voices wanted to be heard it is the same as throwing mud in the air and expecting it to stick, not likely to happen. Especially with the disparity in voices. Money and power controls the world and so they have the loudest voice. They have the power with police forces, military support when they want only their voice heard. They shut up the voices of the poor, the marginalized, and the majority. It is imperative to keep your speaking your voice.

I say keep throwing the mud in the air. Somehow, some way it is going to stick.

Burning Earth

Living With Suicide Loss Is Crushing

The jokes still get told, the teasing still takes place, laughs still escape but the hurt is always there.
Just below the smile, there is the deep sadness. The "hey nice to see you" is a true sentiment but lurking in your mind is the loss, the grip of grief. Tears will not flow at every thought but the head hurts, behind the eyes the pain starts. You see the happiness in others and feel good for them, but there is a nagging pain, sharp and dull at the same time.

The people don't know. They can not see the hurt behind your eyes, your smile, your teasing, your laughter, your friendly nod.

My eyes still well up with a longing for the past. We live in the after and it is an unending pain, filled with sorrow, with regret, with why's.

So the jokes will still get told, the teasing will take place, the laughs will still be heard.
It is what the living do.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXbEFTv9zr0

Canadians And Their Blood Lust

Canadians have an itch they can't scratch but are desperate to do so. It is the rumination of revenge, hurting, inflicting pain and killing. Canadians have a pent up aggression and wait for a chance to unleash. British Columbia's Vancouver City is viewed as "cool, laid back welcoming place" to visit and live. Vancouver is an example of Canada's repressed angry and hate. When Guns & Roses had a concert cancelled at GM Place, the fans rioted and this gave the police the opportunity to whip and beat anyone who was in the area. The police went "beat them up" wild. Vancouver showed pent up anger and hate when their hockey team lost the final game of the Stanley Cup. Burning, smashing and some looting took place in downtown Vancouver over a hockey game loss.  Rioting is not limited to Canada and that is true, the thing is Canada has sold an image of peaceful existence, welcoming country and of the moral conscience of the world. In reality Canada is not the noble state it promotes. Canada will boast it is a great country and it is funny because the first thing they refer to is the Land, abundant and beautiful. Yet Canada is killing the same landscape with all the raping for resources. Canada loves the image of being cool groovy even boring (as Madonna has said). We know beneath all the hype, Canada is beastly.

We have seen glimpse of Canada's nature throughout modern history: denying MS St Louis port, essentially sending 904 Jews to their death. Imprisoning 90% of the Canadian Japanese population. The Ban on Black Immigration, as well as the move to Eugenics. Despite the shameful facts of Canada's actions, there are those who truly believe Canada is a Haven of good decent folk. There are no doubt very good people all throughout the world. We don't have to go far to find good samaritans, people doing their best to treat the Earth and people with kindness, generosity and mindfulness. We are neighbours to the some of those people. So why is it we are witnessing so much ugly in the world? We see the unending wars, the displacements of people, the killing of children, the whole mindset of "just for me?"

Has the ugly always been part of who we are? I mean Canada in comparison of many other countries is peaceful, right? So why do we see the Canadian public foaming at the mouth rabid with hate for the Indigenous community?  Canada is in the midst of a long going difference of opinion; who has title to the Land? Canada does not believe Indigenous peoples have Title. This is because of Canada's lust for Oil, Forestry, Water and Minerals. The lust for the resources is playing out in the public view. While people are fine with Indigenous people being showed off in museums, in displays, public ads for travel and in art; the public does not want the Indian to be seen and heard. The Indians have never stopped with their stance of belonging to the Land.

So while the Indigenous community is saying "Hey there buddy, wait up on that screwing up the Land here", the everyday laid back Canadian is saying "kill em all, little and big, nits make lice" or words to those effects. Death threats towards Indigenous youth, Indigenous Land Protectors has become very common, has become an everyday happening. There is a glee happening with the average Canadian publicly wanting Indians to be run over by trains, by Semi-trailer trucks and by "scalping" them. Indigenous folk (a few of them) are surprised their colleagues, their neighbours, their local police officer, their school teacher and their political leaders are openly calling for violence against them. Can you imagine that, Canadians are wanting Indians killed? The police are ready to shoot at Land Protecters. Most of the Indigenous population is aware of Canada's disdain and their hate.  Canada has a blood lust and they are openly sharing it with the world.

Young Family Facing Death Threats

Facebook Post:

"Just run them over.”
“Plow through them with the trains.”
“Bunch of welfare bums should be working not protesting.”
“Everybody protesting better shut off their heat and stop driving.”
“Let’s have kill an Indian day and get rid of them once and for all.”
“Bunch of criminals should just be arrested! I have the right to go from A to B! They’re infringing on my rights! They’re violating the law!”
“Kill them!”
“Shoot them!”
“Bring back scalping!”

This is Canada. This is your Canada. These are the words of your fellow Canadians. These are the words and the dangerous acts of ongoing genocide that Indigenous people have to live through every single day. This is racism, it’s hate, and it’s division. And it needs to stop. When you hear someone spreading hate, put a stop to it. Tell your friends the truth that this is not ok to act like this. It’s unacceptable. But most of all their hate is founded upon ignorance and fear.

If you think these protests are about pipelines then you’re profoundly wrong and ignorant. Wet’suwet’en gave CGL three alternative routes to put their pipelines through their land that would be the least damaging to the areas they value the most such as the rivers for the salmon that feed their people. CGL refused those options because they would cost more and take longer to build. So now they’re trying to divide the country and force a pipeline through a land that doesn’t belong to them nor does it belong to Canada. So this is about Indigenous sovereignty. I repeat, the protests are about INDIGENOUS SOVEREIGNTY!!! The right to govern our own lands as we see fit.

Most of Canada is unceded Indigenous territory. Meaning it does not belong to Canada. And the parts of Canada that have treaties were under the agreement that we would share this land so that the settlers could have the opportunity to give their families healthy long lives for as long as the rivers run clean, the grass was green, the air was fresh and the Earth was respected. It was upon those agreements that the settlers made the treaties, the laws that predate Canada, and it was under those laws that both sides knew that if the agreements were broken then that was the end of the treaty, we would no longer share our land and war would begin.

Since Canada began, those treaties have been broken over and over and over again. The genocide of Indigenous people has gone on for over 150 years. Yet, we still remain peaceful. Sure, we are blocking up railway and roads and making a big ol’ stink but we are doing so peacefully as we always have and you, you’re continuing colonialism, genocide and hatred instead of putting that energy towards something that really matters and that is CHANGE!

Now you can sit there in the past, letting the government divide you and direct all your hate towards a people who’ve done nothing to you but allow you to share in their land so you can live long healthy lives. Or you can be a better Canadian, learn about Indigenous people, learn the true history of Canada and realise that you too hold a sacred place in our medicine wheel. You too are a part of Turtle Island. You too have within you the 7 Grandfather Teachings that we live by: Truth, Humility, Honesty, Courage, Respect, Wisdom, and Love.

So Canada. This is your challenge. You either grow as human beings and begin your decolonisation journey towards a better and healthier future for all living beings on Turtle Island. Or you stay stuck in this cycle of hatred and genocide. We’ve waited over 150 years. We’ve got generations of patience. And we will continue to be your Indian Problem, until you realise that we are the Indian Solution to everything that’s messed up in this country.