March 31, 2008 by Jay Taber.

Lacking the social infrastructure to nurture honest people and affect sane public policy, those who endeavor to disperse political power in the US are largely limited to ad hoc heroics. While admirable and noble, this inability to accommodate learning, mentoring, and memory within a framework of social continuity means no positive change will be lasting.

Networks of individuals and organizations have had an ameliorating effect on the insanity of US institutions and markets, but other than tribal political structures, there is no sustainable means for good faith involvement in public affairs. Political parties, universities, churches, lobbies, and unions are mostly part of a corrupt, exclusionary system.

Successful long-term engagement in constructing sanity thus requires imagining new structures, procedures, and relationships to those presently offered. Discussing this with family, neighbors, colleagues, and friends is a good way to start.

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March 28, 2008 by Jay Taber.

I often wondered how otherwise reasonable people in the US could believe in human equality and civil rights in our country, while at the same time opposing equality in Israel. Granted, ADL is much preferable to JDL, but the mindless support for Israeli exceptionalism by the former in some ways emboldens the latter. In this article, Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights‘ Laith Marouf examines the movement for academic boycott against Israeli Apartheid in North America and the UK. Encountering the usual threats, harassment, lawsuits and violence by the anti-democratic Zionist network, Marouf looks at how some students and faculty have overcome easily intimidated university administrations in taking a stand against racial discrimination.

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March 26, 2008 by Jay Taber.

Introduction

Effectively pursuing democratic ideals is a complex, difficult, and risky business. To truly make room for democracy, it is first necessary to circumscribe political violence. The public health model of community organizing, which grew out of my research and conversations with Paul de Armond, defines organized political violence as the suppression of free and open inquiry. Rendering ineffective those who practice political violence requires both training and structured reflective engagement.

This paper, which also serves as justification for my approach to an activist political science curriculum, relies heavily on the power of moral sanction — both in constraining violence, and in overcoming laziness, cowardice, and the desire for reassurance that leads people to accept and follow dangerous leaders. It also relies on a respect for the practice and results of research and analysis.

Moral positions, learned slowly over time through social interaction, observation, reflection, and study, are best internalized absent coercion or indoctrination. Moral lessons, conveyed by parents, pastors, teachers, and philosophers, are woven into the societal myths, laws, and codes of behavior that guide us through life. The evolution of human consciousness in defining and redefining morality, however, has encountered a formidable obstacle in the modern spectacles of consumerism and militarism, amid what I would term the perpetual carpet bombing of advertising, propaganda, and amusement. Devoting adequate attention to the discussion and consideration of moral values thus requires the creation of time, space, structures, and activities conducive to weaning and shielding people from these psychic intrusions.

The philosophy behind the public health model of community organizing is that the primary obstacles to engagement are ideological, and that the primary task in overcoming these obstacles is a communicative one. The purpose of this paper is to examine the efficacy of the public health model applied to social and political engagement, and ultimately to spark discussion of and experimentation with strategies and tactics that foster greater autonomy and accountability throughout our society.

Civil society leaders, as such, are burdened with the responsibility to plan and prepare for the eventuality of attack, consciously preparing themselves, their followers, and their allies to both endure and oppose the use of fear, hate, and revenge. Isolation of these social pathogens, inoculation of vulnerable populations, and education of those looking for certainty, comprise key elements of the public health model.

(Jay Taber — recipient of the Defender of Democracy award — is an author, columnist, and research analyst at Public Good Project.)

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March 24, 2008 by Jay Taber.

For socially conscious individuals, identifying with a movement’s goals or an organization’s objectives is an important part of protecting their sanity. Without that connection, thoughtful people will inevitably turn to self-destructive behavior.

The networks that comprise modern social movements, however, are not (as commonly thought) coalitions of non-profit corporate entities. Rather, they are comprised of indomitable individuals — sometimes affiliated with formal organizations — who more often than not are independent researchers, analysts and activists.

While these collegial networked relationships create a sense of ideological belonging, they do not sustain the movements with which affinity groups and individuals voluntarily identify. That, on the contrary, can only be accomplished through shared effort and mutual support. Finding each other jobs, promoting each other’s work, providing for each other’s needs—the kind of solidarity one sees in tribal societies.

Applying this type of solidarity to citizenship within modern state constructs, requires conceptual tools and philosophical development generally unavailable in academia. As such, online hedge schools and the face-to-face discussions they hint at meet a social mental health need, but mostly receive no funding.

Given this undeveloped sense of solidarity, the intellectual services required to attain and maintain social sanity remain largely inaccessible. Turning this situation around necessitates freeing individual minds from the captivity of consumerism—especially eschewing the commodity of conventional activism.

(Jay Taber — recipient of the Defender of Democracy award — is an author, columnist, and research analyst at Public Good Project.)

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March 22, 2008 by Mirjam Hirch.

The fight for survival demands such an incredible amount of time and energy that fewer and fewer people have enough strength left for problem solving, let alone creative endeavours. Instability and the lack of natural or monetary resources is omnipresent in many regions of the world. To experience the peace of mind which is so necessary for being productive becomes a luxury enjoyed by only a handful of people. For the rest there is the experience of stress.
Injustice, discrimination, forced displacement, and other sorts of physical or psychological brutality take away the ability to think practically. It paralyses families, communities, whole nations.

Collective apathy seemed to be the word of the day on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the launch of the Iraq war in the United States.
Where are we all fighting for human rights and justice? Why this apparent failure to undertake proper self-care, allowing some to manipulate millions to do exactly what a consumer society demands them to do? Is the human collective globally suffering from learned helplessness, depression and cultural demoralization?

Sure some of the greatest gains in global justice come from the political arena- establishing full democracy and universal access to health care and education. However in an era where the idea of renewed and expanded social programs seems subject of an ideological barrier every one of us needs to take action, take control, get informed and stand up to any injustice experienced.
Self-empowerment is possible on all levels and starts with becoming more aware changing little things in our surroundings so that we discover our own strenght and ability to effect change.

Technorati Tags: human rights, justice, self-empowerment

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March 20, 2008 by Jay Taber.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel scapegoats Palestinians in speech to Israeli Knesset.

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March 17, 2008 by Rudolph Ryser.

Guest Contributor: Dr. Amy Eisenberg

{Editor: An Open Letter to the Director of the United Nations Office of the Commissioner on Human Rights by CWIS Associate Scholar Dr. Eisenberg offers an important plea for UN intervention.}

His Excellency Louise Arbour
High Commissioner for Human Rights
UNOHCHR

Dear High Commissioner Arbour and Partners in International Human
Rights protection,

I hope this message finds you and your good staff very well. I am deeply concerned about what is befalling the Tibetan people of Tibet. I visited Tibet in 2006 right before the Tibetan ani was shot dead by the Chinese near Nangpa Pass. I was serving as an International Expert in China where I conducted UNESCO-LINKS and UNDESA project research through the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues with the Kam Ethnic minority and relevant ministries responsible for ethnic development.

There were Chinese informants planted in the streets and monasteries of Lhasa therefore it is no surprise how rapidly the Chinese military took action today in
Lhasa. Tibetan people were watched and heavily scrutinized by Chinese informants and were imprisoned and severely punished. They are forbidden to have a photo of the Dalai Lama or speak his name in public. They love him very much and hope he returns to them. They are not free in their own land. They suffer daily because of Chinese abuses and racism toward them, which is very sad and unfortunate. I saw Chinese physically abusing Tibetan people while in Lhasa. I witnessed a Han boy who was abandoned by his parents. I took him to the local police as he was living outside of a monastery and the kind Tibetan people were assisting him with food, clothing and blankets.

I saw a Chinese man robbing a Tibetan woman. I saw a Chinese woman brutally beating a Tibetan worker at Norbulingka because she came late and wanted more tickets for her group of 7. The Tibetan man never fought back. The violent woman broke her umbrella by severely beating this man. I broke up the abuse and reported this to the police and the office at Norbulingka and documented this in writing however
nothing was done. Many Chinese are unfortunately very disrespectful of Tibetan people. I witnessed drunken Chinese men beating impoverished Tibetan people on the streets of Lhasa. I broke this up and informed the police. This is not acceptable for Chinese to enter the Tibetan holy land and impose their smoking, drinking, loud firecrackers and prostitution. I stayed in a Chinese hotel in Lhasa, which was filthy and disgusting. People had defecated in the shower room. Where is the pride and care? I left the hotel and went to stay at a Tibetan establishment, which was very clean, secure and inexpensive. Why should the Chinese be permitted to behave this way in the Tibetan holy land? It is a desecration of Tibetan culture and Tibetan life ways. This is not right and needs to be examined. There must be certain laws set down but the Chinese government feels that it makes the laws and denies the value of Tibetan faith. This is a core problem. They have destroyed so many holy places, which hurts all of us in a diverse and rich multicultural world. The Chinese are developing unsustainably and consider economics their focal point.. I saw this with my own eyes. I was awarded an International Expert Friendship Award by the Chinese government of Hunan for my contributions to Education for Sustainable Development and assisting the orphans
and poor and homeless elders of China.

Many Chinese behaviors in Tibet are not acceptable. While in Nepal in 2006, I informed the UN Peacekeepers that assistance is needed in Lhasa because of the Chinese abuses I witnessed in my travels there. There must be a time of healing and mutually respectful dialogue and genuine respect. Many Chinese believe that they are racially superior. This is a fallacy, which the government is perpetuating. Too many innocent people have been hurt and killed in Tibet. I urge UNOHCHR to please take action to keep the peace. The Chinese almost confiscated our legitimately purchased train tickets to Tibet. My friend from Australia lost his ticket to Chinese police because this teacher in China was traveling alone to Tibet. These Chinese policies are unethical. People are bought and sold on the streets and pay offs are common. It is a disgrace. Why should China have the privilege of hosting the international peace games? I am boycotting them and Chinese goods.

Dalai Lama is a peaceful and honest man. He is certainly not responsible for the violence. He calls for peace, respectful dialogue and calm. We suffer when our Tibetan people are hurt and are not living in freedom and peace and have to flee their homes and live in refugee communities. Tibetan people have the right to live in peace and freedom in their sacred lands.

Please help the Tibetan communities now. I fear that more lives will be taken by the Chinese military by its brute force and ideology of superiority and that they have a right to harm innocent peacefully protesting people. I am strongly opposed to violence. My family survived the Holocaust but many members that remained in Poland did not. I cannot accept the Chinese policies toward the Tibetan people, who keep
our world in balance with their prayers.

I urge the UNOHCHR to please enter Tibet and assist to keep peace. Many Chinese are unethical and very disrespectful of Tibetan prayers and culture. They walk counter clockwise around the holy Johkang Temple when it is clear and respectful to walk clockwise. Many Chinese ignore this custom and defy this by walking counter clockwise. This is culturally insensitive and disrespectful. This is the problem: Widespread disrespect by Han Chinese toward Tibetan people and their cultural norms and traditions. The Chinese government perpetuates this norm.

Dalai Lama is not a separatist as he is portrayed. I shared with my ethnic minority graduate students at Jishou University in Hunan his teachings. They did not know that he was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize. They are kept ignorant and uninformed. This is not fair to the ethnic peoples of China. They should have the right to read and see and hear international news that is not screened through biased Chinese media.

Please see our website of photos of our work in Asia with indigenous peoples of Tibet, Nepal and China by my team member, John Amato RN: www.pbase.com/jamato8

The Chinese have trashed Chomolungma by using the toilets as garbage dumps. They honk their horns excessively and speed on the unpaved road, which
frightens wildlife and impacts Tibetan horsemen and their pony carts leaving them in the dust. This is unethical and inappropriate for a protected area. I recommended that only emergency vehicles should be permitted at Base Camp.

Please enter Tibet to prevent the escalation of violence by the Chinese toward peaceful Tibetan people. Chinese have and will torture and kill Tibetan people. Their policies and human rights abuses are extreme and intolerable. We cannot stand by watching
and waiting. We need to enter and stand to protect the Tibetan people. This is very real and serious.

Justice needs to prevail. I am very concerned that we will wait too long as we did with Burma and Darfur. We must act early and prevent further abuse and damage. The Holocaust in Tibet is a reality. We saw the violent history and injustices by the Chinese and we do not want this to occur again.

I am available to assist immediately if I can help you. I have friends in Tibet, China and Nepal and in Tibetan communities of these countries and in the USA. We want peace and understanding and respect. Many Chinese regard money as more important than life and spirit. This is a problem that is very real. It is spoiling the opportunities for a better way. Tibet was a peaceful place and now there are fire crackers,
filth and prostitution. We cannot accept this in the holy city of Lhasa. It is sacred ground but many Chinese do not respect this.

We need your intervention now. I am here to assist and will go to Lhasa and China to speak with the leadership if I can help you. I speak fluent Mandarin and some Tibetan.

Thank you for your consideration. It is time to act for peace and equity. We must assure that Tibetan people will not be harmed by violence.

Technorati Tags: China, Tibet, UN High Commissioner

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March 17, 2008 by Rudolph Ryser.

The Peoples’ Republic of China aggressively conducts a policy toward Fourth World nations that can only be described as “genocidal.” China must be held accountable for its attacks on Tibetans seeking their independence from Chinese assimilation. China must be held accountable for its attacks on Uyghurs seeking an independent East Turkestan from Chinese assimilation. China must be held accountable for its provision of weapons and support to the Sudanese government attacks destroying in whole or in part the peoples of Dafur in western Sudan most of whom are living as refugees in eastern Chad. China must be held accountable for its use of petroleum in the delta region of Biafra southeast of Nigeria that destroys the life giving environment of the Ijaw, Ogoni, Ibbio and Igbo peoples. China has even threatened the thirteen tribes of Taiwan by demanding control over their territories.

China’s crony-capitalist mentality and policies hiding behind a one-party communist state are responsible for genocidal disasters that demand global sanctions. In Tibet, the Chinese government carries out the destruction of Tibet’s culture, Tibetan lives, and the ability of Tibetans to exist as a people by military means and an overwhelming transmigration program replacing Tibetans with Han Chinese. The recently opened railway from China to Tibet accelerates China’s deliberate efforts to destroy Tibet. The use of military attacks on Tibetans is clearly aimed at intimidating people into submission–not to mention the destruction of lives and property. China’s policy toward Tibet can only be described as the total destruction of Tibetan peoples, their culture and way of life–to commit genocide against the Tibetans.

My readers can help hold China accountable by logging on to FreeTibet. Do it NOW! Support the Tibetan Government NOW by logging.

You can hold China accountable by logging on to the East Turkistan Information Center and becoming informed about how the Uyghur people are defending against China’s assimilationist policies.

You can hold China accountable in Darfur and Biafra, Tibet and East Turkestan by contacting the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights demanding that the Commission on Human Rights condemn the government of the Peoples’ Republic of China for it aggressive policy of genocide! Demand that your government “Sanction China” for its genocidal policies.

When countries get a “pass” despite their blatant policy of genocide all of humanity is in danger. China is committing genocide. Athletes planning to participate in the China sponsored Olympics must “Sanction China” by withdrawing from participating in the Olympics. Ordinary citizens can “Sanction China” by boycotting products made in China…just read the lable and buy something else. Support with your money, your political will and your emails each of the peoples now under attack by China.

It is time that practitioners of Genocide suffer punishment. Once it was said, “Never Again.” Indeed governments have become the main practitioners of Genocide. Genocide is indeed being practiced with impunity. The people the world over must draw the line now and demand…no force…the issue…Genocide, Never Again!

(c) 2008 Center for World Indigenous Studies

Technorati Tags: China, Tibet, Uyghur, Biafra, Darfur

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March 16, 2008 by Jay Taber.

In this Time/CNN article, we get a glimpse of the type of psychological warfare we can expect as the transnational corporate pals of Western media intensify their looting of the African continent. With approximately half the world’s unmined minerals, ores, and fossil fuels located there, we can also anticipate Western governments to continue pouring ever more armaments into the hands of gangster heads of state in order to assure that pro-democracy and self-determination movements of Fourth World nations are thoroughly crushed.

Not that Western media has ever refrained from promoting white supremacy; it’s just become more subtle and brazen. How else could they keep a straight face suggesting former colonies, founded on slavery by brutal empires, were a benign influence on the bedrock aboriginal nations forced into the subjection of colonially-constructed modern states?

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March 16, 2008 by Jay Taber.

Algonquin negotiator Bob Lovelace jailed by Ontario court for opposing illegal mining on Algonquin lands. University professor Lovelace and Algonquin chief arrested at tribal blockade after Ontario provincial government issued mining permits in violation of Canadian constitution.

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