Thursday, November 30, 2006
Lock Arms for Peace
I am currently reading the book, "Native America Discovered and Conquered," by Robert Miller, assistant professor of Law and Indian Law Expert at Lewis and Clark College. The book is about the Doctrine of Discovery which is a series of papal bulls stating the alleged natural right of Euro Christians over everybody else and how it effected Indians historically to the present. Euro Christians gave themselves the right to take everything from those who do not believe the same way by use of force especially those that have exploitable resources. Robert describes how the Doctrine of Discovery became Manifest Destiny after the Americans took over the current occupational government in this nation. Americans then imposed a "final solution" for the Indians that brought about the general destruction of indigenous peoples in this nation by 98%.
Using the patterns created by the Doctrine of Discovery, it is easy to see that the same laws are being used to legitimize the U.S. war on the people of Iraq. The ideas have been given different names in Iraq like; "bringing them freedom and democracy" and "war on terror."
The Doctrine of Discovery is seen as an international law. The only legitimate laws are laws that can "be enforced;" stress on Force. The U.S. used its military might to force Indians to live under conditions imposed by their laws and used this might to legitimize their theft of our land, resources, culture, people, and crimes such as Genocide. Today, they use their political might and various policing forces to CONTINUE to FORCE Indians to live under those conditions in order to extract our resources and keep us oppressed. The same is being done in Iraq.
Imagine what it would have been like for Indians to watch their familes and friends die from deliberately set smallpox plagues or one of the many massacres enacted by this nation. Imagine what it is like for an Iraqi citizen to fear walking out of their front door. Imagine what it is like to fear that someone may invade your home with the use of force and kill you, hurt you, or take you away whether or not you did anything wrong. Imagine what it is like for Iraqi's to live under the conditions of a destroyed economy by an occuptional force that claims to bring them freedom and democracy. People in Iraq are FORCED to live under these conditions. NO ONE! should be FORCED to live under such conditions.
I participate in a weekly anti-recruiting vigil. One day I was asked by a blonde white male passer by, "Do you like living in the land of freedom?" Being a white male, he doesn't have to live under the conditions of "freedom" imposed upon indigenous peoples in this nation. For example: Indians were freely taken to boarding schools where they were freely beaten, raped, torutured, and murdered for horrific crimes such as speaking their own language...here...in the land of allged "freedom of speech." I don't live in the "land of freedom." I live in the land of privilege. For the freedom of others to be destroyed in order to protect my "alleged freedom" is not freedom, that is privilege.
I urge you to do your part to change the world and vote in this resolution. A vote for this resolution may not see real benefits right off, but it will be a step in the right direction for people to live in peace in this world, especially those who don't live under the condtions of privilege. It will be an inspiration to others to do their part if you do your part and lock arms the 268 or so other cities that have voted in similar resolutions. Lock arms for peace, my brothers and sisters.
Using the patterns created by the Doctrine of Discovery, it is easy to see that the same laws are being used to legitimize the U.S. war on the people of Iraq. The ideas have been given different names in Iraq like; "bringing them freedom and democracy" and "war on terror."
The Doctrine of Discovery is seen as an international law. The only legitimate laws are laws that can "be enforced;" stress on Force. The U.S. used its military might to force Indians to live under conditions imposed by their laws and used this might to legitimize their theft of our land, resources, culture, people, and crimes such as Genocide. Today, they use their political might and various policing forces to CONTINUE to FORCE Indians to live under those conditions in order to extract our resources and keep us oppressed. The same is being done in Iraq.
Imagine what it would have been like for Indians to watch their familes and friends die from deliberately set smallpox plagues or one of the many massacres enacted by this nation. Imagine what it is like for an Iraqi citizen to fear walking out of their front door. Imagine what it is like to fear that someone may invade your home with the use of force and kill you, hurt you, or take you away whether or not you did anything wrong. Imagine what it is like for Iraqi's to live under the conditions of a destroyed economy by an occuptional force that claims to bring them freedom and democracy. People in Iraq are FORCED to live under these conditions. NO ONE! should be FORCED to live under such conditions.
I participate in a weekly anti-recruiting vigil. One day I was asked by a blonde white male passer by, "Do you like living in the land of freedom?" Being a white male, he doesn't have to live under the conditions of "freedom" imposed upon indigenous peoples in this nation. For example: Indians were freely taken to boarding schools where they were freely beaten, raped, torutured, and murdered for horrific crimes such as speaking their own language...here...in the land of allged "freedom of speech." I don't live in the "land of freedom." I live in the land of privilege. For the freedom of others to be destroyed in order to protect my "alleged freedom" is not freedom, that is privilege.
I urge you to do your part to change the world and vote in this resolution. A vote for this resolution may not see real benefits right off, but it will be a step in the right direction for people to live in peace in this world, especially those who don't live under the condtions of privilege. It will be an inspiration to others to do their part if you do your part and lock arms the 268 or so other cities that have voted in similar resolutions. Lock arms for peace, my brothers and sisters.
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