hello beautiful people, seems like sundays are a good day for updates. yesterday was officially the busiest day ever, it even topped last weekend, if y'all can believe THAT! 
for those of you that don't know, this weekend marks the fourth anniversary of the illegal occupation/war in Iraq. i am involved with the A.S.W.E.R. coalition (act now to stop war and end racism) and so we had a humble demonstration here. There are only three members, including myself, who are really active in the group, but in spite of this we managed to bring out 150 people. i know that doesn't seem huge considering that there were hundreds of thousands in DC, but it's not too bad for reno. we really should have demonstrated today instead, because i think we would have gotten more people out had it not been St. Patrick's day and all.
honestly, i think st. paddy's day is the stupidest holiday, and you'd think that taking a few hours to express opposition to a war would be more important than wearing an ugly green hat and drinking beer. but whatever, i'm not bitter, just baffled by people's priorities. i just don't get it. i can wear green and drink beer whenever i fuckin please.
but talking of beer....our first homebrewed batch was ready this weekend, and....... IT IS DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!
then last night, my band played, and it went really well!!!! seriously, all of our practicing really paid off, and it was one of the tightest sets we've ever played. people were stoked on it, so that is happy.
i feel prouder of my activist work than my small town rock and roll chick stuff though. i got roped into speaking at the demonstration yesterday. i decided to post my speech below. i know it's a bit lengthy but i hope you all will read it, and present me with some resolutions of your own (see end of speach). hope y'all have had a great weekend. i'll get around to posting some boobie shots again soon.
(Welcome). I am here speaking to you as a member of the Reno Chapter of the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition. I am also speaking to you as a member of your community who is concerned about what this war is costing us, locally, nationally and globally. More than 600,000 people have died as a result of this war. I do not want to break the body count down country by country, because no loss of life is less tragic.
I cannot even begin to express to kind of sadness I feel to know that a portion of my monthly salary has sponsored these deaths. Nationally we are spending 10 billion dollars a month on this war. The majority of our budget is being spent outside of our communities, destroying life. Imagine the possibilities that could be afforded to our communities if we were using 10 billion dollars a month at home. How many new schools could be built? How many people would be receiving affordable health care? How many new jobs would be available? How many workers would be able to earn a living wage?
This war is the second longest in US history, following the Vietnam war. I remember reading about communities banding together during the world wars; rationing goods, rolling bandages, and planting gardens because they knew it would help the fighting to end. Why aren't we rationing gasoline? Why isn't there a national call to encourage carpools? Why aren't there more community gardens?
I keep hearing "support the troops," and I whole-heartedly agree. I breathe a huge sigh of relief to know that one of my childhood friends is finally home from Iraq for good. What are we doing as a nation to support our troops? Soldiers are being sent back for more tours of duty than they had originally signed on for. They are receiving inadequate medical care, especially mental health care. One out of ten veterans of this war is affected by post-traumatic stress disorder. This condition they are suffering from is not being treated, and their families and communities are falling victim to this neglect as well. Our resources are stretched so thin that we can barely support our troops that are currently serving over seas. Now, Bush is calling for an additional 8,200 more.
Why aren't faster steps being taken to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels? I saw a bumper sticker that said it perfectly, "alternative energy IS homeland security."
But as long as we're on the subject of bumper stickers: They don't stop wars. I don't want to discredit the fact that we're gathering today by saying this, but it will take more than one day to end this war. 40 years ago, anti-war activists vowed to move from protest to resistance. In the process of helping to plan this event today, I have been asking myself how I might better resist the military industrial war complex. When I speak of resistance, I do not mean in a violent way. I believe that creativity and community are the best antidotes to war.
There are some creative efforts currently under way in this community that give me hope. The Great Basin food co-op sells locally grown produce, while the majority of food sold in grocery stores travels hundreds of miles. The Holland Project will provide a safe place for our community's young people to express themselves creatively later this year. The Reno Bike project is working hard to make Reno less reliant on cars. This is of course, just to name a few of the positive efforts at work in our city.
The Reno Chapter of the A.N.S.W.E.R Coalition is a very small one. Even though we are a small organization we were able to bring you all together today. We would be grateful to have your assistance in planning more actions and events. We welcome new ideas so that we can be a more powerful force in this community. There are sign up sheets at our table if you would like to volunteer some of your time. If you do not have time available, or if you are able, we will also be accepting donations.
Emma Goldmund once said, "if voting actually accomplished anything, they would have made it illegal by now." I would not go so far as to say that you shouldn't vote, but going to the polls every couple of years will not be a sufficient way to end this war either. In this capitalist society, every dollar is a vote. Unfortunately many of the powers that be will not be moved to make a change unless there is a financial incentive. LETS GIVE THEM ONE! I can't tell you specifically who to boycott, but I can encourage us to be discerning about where we put our money. I would also encourage us to think about what things we can do without.
As a member of your community, I thought I would share with you some of my personal resolutions to resist this war. I resolve to ride my bike instead of driving a car as often as possible. I resolve to support responsible agriculture. I resolve to think critically when confronted with commercial media that aims to frighten and distract me. I resolve to support businesses that have roots in my community instead of corporate chains. I resolve to practice peace and justice in my words and deeds. I would love to hear any resolutions that you all may have.
Thank you for listening, and peace be with you.
for those of you that don't know, this weekend marks the fourth anniversary of the illegal occupation/war in Iraq. i am involved with the A.S.W.E.R. coalition (act now to stop war and end racism) and so we had a humble demonstration here. There are only three members, including myself, who are really active in the group, but in spite of this we managed to bring out 150 people. i know that doesn't seem huge considering that there were hundreds of thousands in DC, but it's not too bad for reno. we really should have demonstrated today instead, because i think we would have gotten more people out had it not been St. Patrick's day and all.
honestly, i think st. paddy's day is the stupidest holiday, and you'd think that taking a few hours to express opposition to a war would be more important than wearing an ugly green hat and drinking beer. but whatever, i'm not bitter, just baffled by people's priorities. i just don't get it. i can wear green and drink beer whenever i fuckin please.
but talking of beer....our first homebrewed batch was ready this weekend, and....... IT IS DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!
then last night, my band played, and it went really well!!!! seriously, all of our practicing really paid off, and it was one of the tightest sets we've ever played. people were stoked on it, so that is happy.
i feel prouder of my activist work than my small town rock and roll chick stuff though. i got roped into speaking at the demonstration yesterday. i decided to post my speech below. i know it's a bit lengthy but i hope you all will read it, and present me with some resolutions of your own (see end of speach). hope y'all have had a great weekend. i'll get around to posting some boobie shots again soon.
(Welcome). I am here speaking to you as a member of the Reno Chapter of the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition. I am also speaking to you as a member of your community who is concerned about what this war is costing us, locally, nationally and globally. More than 600,000 people have died as a result of this war. I do not want to break the body count down country by country, because no loss of life is less tragic.
I cannot even begin to express to kind of sadness I feel to know that a portion of my monthly salary has sponsored these deaths. Nationally we are spending 10 billion dollars a month on this war. The majority of our budget is being spent outside of our communities, destroying life. Imagine the possibilities that could be afforded to our communities if we were using 10 billion dollars a month at home. How many new schools could be built? How many people would be receiving affordable health care? How many new jobs would be available? How many workers would be able to earn a living wage?
This war is the second longest in US history, following the Vietnam war. I remember reading about communities banding together during the world wars; rationing goods, rolling bandages, and planting gardens because they knew it would help the fighting to end. Why aren't we rationing gasoline? Why isn't there a national call to encourage carpools? Why aren't there more community gardens?
I keep hearing "support the troops," and I whole-heartedly agree. I breathe a huge sigh of relief to know that one of my childhood friends is finally home from Iraq for good. What are we doing as a nation to support our troops? Soldiers are being sent back for more tours of duty than they had originally signed on for. They are receiving inadequate medical care, especially mental health care. One out of ten veterans of this war is affected by post-traumatic stress disorder. This condition they are suffering from is not being treated, and their families and communities are falling victim to this neglect as well. Our resources are stretched so thin that we can barely support our troops that are currently serving over seas. Now, Bush is calling for an additional 8,200 more.
Why aren't faster steps being taken to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels? I saw a bumper sticker that said it perfectly, "alternative energy IS homeland security."
But as long as we're on the subject of bumper stickers: They don't stop wars. I don't want to discredit the fact that we're gathering today by saying this, but it will take more than one day to end this war. 40 years ago, anti-war activists vowed to move from protest to resistance. In the process of helping to plan this event today, I have been asking myself how I might better resist the military industrial war complex. When I speak of resistance, I do not mean in a violent way. I believe that creativity and community are the best antidotes to war.
There are some creative efforts currently under way in this community that give me hope. The Great Basin food co-op sells locally grown produce, while the majority of food sold in grocery stores travels hundreds of miles. The Holland Project will provide a safe place for our community's young people to express themselves creatively later this year. The Reno Bike project is working hard to make Reno less reliant on cars. This is of course, just to name a few of the positive efforts at work in our city.
The Reno Chapter of the A.N.S.W.E.R Coalition is a very small one. Even though we are a small organization we were able to bring you all together today. We would be grateful to have your assistance in planning more actions and events. We welcome new ideas so that we can be a more powerful force in this community. There are sign up sheets at our table if you would like to volunteer some of your time. If you do not have time available, or if you are able, we will also be accepting donations.
Emma Goldmund once said, "if voting actually accomplished anything, they would have made it illegal by now." I would not go so far as to say that you shouldn't vote, but going to the polls every couple of years will not be a sufficient way to end this war either. In this capitalist society, every dollar is a vote. Unfortunately many of the powers that be will not be moved to make a change unless there is a financial incentive. LETS GIVE THEM ONE! I can't tell you specifically who to boycott, but I can encourage us to be discerning about where we put our money. I would also encourage us to think about what things we can do without.
As a member of your community, I thought I would share with you some of my personal resolutions to resist this war. I resolve to ride my bike instead of driving a car as often as possible. I resolve to support responsible agriculture. I resolve to think critically when confronted with commercial media that aims to frighten and distract me. I resolve to support businesses that have roots in my community instead of corporate chains. I resolve to practice peace and justice in my words and deeds. I would love to hear any resolutions that you all may have.
Thank you for listening, and peace be with you.
VIEW 5 of 5 COMMENTS
i like IPA's ...yum hops! are you still doing just extracts?