I do not contact you via this media very often, however, I have created a petition that I think is worthy, to give thanks to a person for allowing a wonderful victory... Please sign our petition of thanks to George W. Bush, Jr., for allowing us to have CHANGE and chose CHANGE, by the failure of his presidency and administration... for electing President Obama! Thank you George! You are a hero!, lol, lol, lol... For real, do sign this, and I will forward our gratitude to Jr....
This petition is in relation to a internet site that works with artists on various levels... however, it seems that there has been much going on... very shady in manner... I created an account there, and have been treated, myself, unjustly... Please view the petition, and please do visit the site.. Overall, the format and what they proclaim to do is awesome... but I have found different upon joining, and from other members who have contacted me..
Genocide by the provisions of the convention of the United Nations in Dec. 1948 is defined as: "any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group, and includes five types of criminal actions: killing members of the group; causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; and forcibly transferring children of the group to another group."
Lyman Legters "The American Genocide" Policy Studies Journal, vol. 16, no. 4, summer 1988
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"...Let me remind you only of the witch-hunts of the middle ages, the horrors of the French revolution, or the genocide of the American Indians... in such periods there are always only a very few who do not succumb. But when it is all over, everyone, horrified, asks `for heaven's sake, how could I?' "
Albert Speer, Hitler's minister of war production, writing from prison in 1953.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hitler's concept of concentration camps as well as the practicality of genocide owed much, so he claimed, to his studies of English and United States history. He admired the camps for Boer prisoners in South Africa and for the Indians in the wild west; and often praised to his inner circle the efficiency of America's extermination - by starvation and uneven combat - of the red savages who could not be tamed by captivity."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Silence, repression, and disinformation are used knowingly - and unknowingly - to conceal truth; by abusers to keep their victims silent; by society so that people do not have to look at unpleasant facts of life.
This is true of every culture and race on our planet. Sexual, physical, emotional - and cultural abuse - thrive in this atmosphere; abuse of all kinds is perpetuated, generation to generation - ending only when society is forced to see the abuse in such a way there can be no denial, no excuses, no rationalization. Perhaps it is my own experiences of abuse that have made me sensitive to all kinds of abuse; maybe - had things turned out differently - maybe I too would have been one of the willfully ignorant, disdaining my roots and heritage. I do know that something extremely painful was experienced by my paternal grandparents, something so painful that they knowingly hid their past, their heritage, their American Indian blood from society - and trained their own children to do so also. I do know that the same methods my abusers used to keep me and my siblings silent has been used on my parents and grandparents to keep them silent about their heritage - and not just them. In my mind - and the minds and hearts of many of my friends - the enforced silence and stereotyping of American Indians - and any other culture - is abuse; social, cultural, and ethnic abuse, perpetuatedand enforced by silence and repression; viciously fed by the disinformation and stereotyping created by the writers of history, fiction, and the media. Do these terms and phrases sound familiar?
"Manifest Destiny, primitive savages, cowboys and indians, dirty injuns living in the dirt, bloodthirsty savages, can't even hold their liquor, the only good injun is a dead injun, Custer's last stand..."
Our culture, the American culture - and indeed the world culture - constantly propagates and perpetuates the stereotypical - and totally false - image of American Indians as backward, savage, brutal, uncivilized beings to this day. Talk to the people who are not natives, who live near any of the many reservations throughout North America - and you'll hear comments very similar to those heard throughout America prior to Martin Luther King... but directed at the American Indians... the "injuns," "drunken red men," the "uncivilized savages" who brutally murdered settlers... Many will object, saying "but they were savage and brutal, not only fighting among themselves, warring with each other and more; but they were even more savage and brutal to the settlers!" - and use that as a justification for suppression and brutalization of American Indian culture and people. Yes; those charges are indeed true - But don't forget too that the settlers - with very few exceptions - were making a concerted effort, with the help of the American government, to completely wipe out the Native Americans. Don't forget that the American government - and by extension, the American people - broke every single last one of the over 350 treaties signed with the American Indians; pushing the American Indians off into unwanted and unusable land - barren reservations - out of site and out of mind. I challenge you to look at every other culture on this planet. Which nation has not been guilty of warring against their neighbors? Which culture has not at one time or another been guilty of horrendous atrocities against their fellow man? Which people have not fought fiercely, desperately against invaders to defend their own way of life? The Romans against Carthage, the Gauls against Rome, Vikings and Gaels and Scotts and Eires and Mongols and Chinese; the War of the Roses and all the religious jihads of the centuries; the modern gang turf wars and the strife in Ireland; the pro-lifers against the pro-choicers: No culture is innocent; no people is innocent. That does not justify the spiritual and cultural genocide of any people anywhere; not the American Indians of both continents, not the Oranges or the Greens, not the Shiites or the Sihks or any other culture of this world. To this day, nearly every one in the world knows of Custer - to this day, Custer and his men are glorified in print and film as heroic soldiers who were slaughtered by the "savages" - much of the world view of America and the American Indians has been formed by the media. I've met many from other nations who absolutely believe the stereotype promulgated by the media of all nations - not just the American media; people who visit America and are very surprised to find there are no cowboys walking down the streets of New York, no "Indians" sitting on corners in their blankets, puffing away on a pipe. It is not surprising, then, how few really know about how Custer treated, resolved the "Indian problem"... How few people of the world really know that he and his troops mercilessly massacred entire villages, raping and killing the women, brutally executing every one without exception; the grandmothers and grandfathers, the men and women, the teenagers - and the children and babies? Custer was not the only one who encouraged the atrocities and stood by as they were committed, not by a long shot. The history of the American Indians and the Settlers is rife with brutality and atrocities on both sides - But the bulk of the horror lays in the laps - and hands - of the settlers and the governments which encouraged the oppression and annihilation of the native populations. True - there have been some articles that have spoken the truth; a few years back National Geographic printed an article that exposed the truth not only about "Custer's Last Stand", but also about Custer's active attempts to completely wipe out American Indians... There have been a few films that have shown - or attempted to show - the Truth as it actually happened - and those were panned by the non-native critics and journalists. Many books have been written that expose the truth; that tell the story, the true story of how American Indians were ripped from the land, shoved off onto reservations that could not support them, made supplicants to a government that would rather ignore them - but how many really read those books? Oh no, that is too disturbing, too upsetting to the noble sensitivities of most... "it's a dying and lost culture, if it really was worth something, it wouldn't die out" seems to be the justification. Those books, articles and films are largely ignored by the masses of North America; at most, those who heard of or read of the attrocities only nod their heads sagely, commenting only "too bad that happened; yes, it was wrong - but it is in the past and there is nothing that can be done now." And; nothing has been done, nothing is being done... The languages, myths, art, spirituality, practices, and beauty of the Native American culture is fading into history to be lost forever; to be mused over in later years by the historically curious as a novelty... Spiritual and cultural genocide... as the Native Americans are faced with either being totally assimilated by the Western Culture - or dying out on the many reservations... kept there, out of the way and out of mind, by supposedly beneficent governments; ignored and forgotten by the citizens of those nations... Spiritual and cultural genocide, as the elders and parents helplessly watch their children leave to make a living in the "civilized" world, as those children and young adults willfully turn their backs on their heritage, language, and culture and willfully accept the stereotypical views of "civilization." Spiritual and cultural genocide, as the great civilized masses of North America - and indeed the world - scurry pell-mell into the next century, focusing on technology and consumer goods... as "save the whales" and "save the children" and "save the earth" become the battle-cries of the various subcultures... not that those are bad things; they aren't, and they are needed. But - the American Indian Cultures from southern-most tip of South America to the northenmost tip of Canada and Alaska are left behind, an afterthought, a mote of dust caught up in the tornado of "progress"... Relegated to symbolic and denegrating mascots for sports teams, insulting icons for various holidays, and stereotypical villains for the movie industry; shoved off - out of site and out of mind - to die out on reservations. Spiritual and cultural genocide by default and by intent, by marketing and media pressures, by willful and knowing ignorance... It is so easy to turn aside while saying "not my problem"... True, in recent years there has been a very mild awakening in some; many non-native Americans - not just caucasians - are realizing the American Indian culture is rich, complex, full of beauty and spirituality, possessing and practicing ways of life that did not harm the earth and environment; and now some seek to learn. Unfortunately, many who profess to want to learn are only "in it" to make a dollar; preserving and indeed teaching and sharing the many cultures is the last thing on their minds... Yet, there are some to whom preserving the culture; preserving the stories, art, ways of life, and spirituality of American Indian is indeed very important - and those few are doing what they can... But; it is so little, and so late... it is my hope that as I - and others - speak out and share what we can that the loss can be averted, that the people of North America and indeed the world can be awakened. In the years since 1950, many minorities in North America have had their causes heard, have had their injustices heard by the word; and have had some, if not all of their inequities addressed... But not the American Indians of both continents... Even my own Grandmother and Grandfather - he, a Cherokee; her, a Choctaw - turned their backs on their heritage because of the social, cultural, and economic pressures - as did their children, as did their son - my father. One of my earliest memories was the "session" with my Father and his parents that occurred after I had shared with my classmates that I was part Indian, after I had shared with them how to tell what animals made what tracks... the teacher had called my Father and said that I had been telling "fairy tales" about being part Indian... my Father asked me if I had, and I told him "yes"; I told the truth. He then told me to get in the car, and he drove to my Grandparent's house, where he told my Grandmother and Grandfather - his parents - what had happened. My Grandparents became very silent at first - and then stood up and came over to me - Grandfather then kneeled and held me by the shoulders, and told me:
"NEVER let it be known you are Indian; you can pass for white, so BE white - forget everything you know about being Indian, forget all of it - because if you do not, you'll be treated worse than [blacks]."
My Grandfather did not say "blacks", but instead used a well-known epithet... He told my Father never to let me forget that, NEVER to let anyone know - And my Grandmother, my father's mother, stood over me, shaking with anger, and told me "If you tell anyone you are Indian, I'll whup you so raw you can't sit down for a month"... I was six years old... only six years old... I never forgot that afternoon - the incredible fear, anger, and confusion expressed in his eyes and face, her eyes and face; I never forgot the way his hands grabbed and hurt my shoulders - never forgot the incredible and devastating contradiction of his words compared to the oh-so-many wonderful and magical times he took me out in the desert to teach me Indian ways and skills... He, who with my father gave me the birth name, the soul name that is so similar to my Tribal name of GhostWolf - caught in the paradox of wanting to maintain his heritage and pass it on; yet needing to make a living to support his family, his children - without being discriminated against... He, who for the first six years of my life took great joy in taking me out into the Mojave, showing me how to read the sky for weather, read the phases of the moon for crops and hunting, showed me how to not only read and identify the tracks of so many different animals, but also how to tell how long ago they had been there... Shaking, trembling, voice full of fear and anger - and yes, hate and shame - hurting me, telling me "NEVER let it be known you are Indian"... He, who had taught me so many truly wonderful things... Never taught me anything about my heritage, OUR heritage ever again... Thus this, my American Indian page... it is my hope to learn what I can of my heritage; learn who my People the Cherokee and Choctaw are and were... learn my People's ways and beliefs and culture... that I may treasure The Ways, that I may honor my People even though I start on the Path so late in life. That I may share with my son our roots, our Heritage - Our People...
Whenever you dance, wherever you dance, dance to heal the earth!
Dancing is power. Dancing is prayer. Some say that all is dance. Maybe. Now there's a big dance coming, a dance to heal the earth. If you're reading this, you're probably part of it. You take part whenever you do whatever you do to help heal the earth. When you recycle. When you choose to show love, to fight for justice, to bring healing, to bring out what is good in others. When you avoid cruelty and dishonesty and waste. When you are outraged. When you speak out. When you give. When you consider the generations to come. When you protest to the oppressors and encourage those who feel the cutting edge of injustice. And, of course, when you dance. There is a tree that all the prophets see, and whenever you let your love show, you make the flowers grow.
Soon this dance will be done in a big way, in the old way, on sacred ground. All living things will take part. If you want to, you can take part. No one is twisting your arm. You can stop any time you need to, and start up again whenever you're ready. If you've read this far, you probably know what I'm talking about. You've probably been doing it in one way or another for a good while. Soon will be the time to make no bones about it! Cut loose!
Anytime you dance, anywhere, whether at a party or in church, dance to heal the earth! Let your feet beat a healing rhythm into the earth. Let your feet beat a strengthening rhythm for those who struggle the hardest. Let your feet beat a life-giving rhythm for all peoples, regardless of race or national boundary, regardless of whether we're human or whether we're the trees, the air, the fish, the birds, the buffalo, the bear, the crow. We come out of hiding, we come back from the dead, and we dance, and our dance is a prayer, and our songs and our rhythms and our breath give life.
Is the music they're playing some mindless jingle? Never mind, as long as it's not bad music, and you can dance to the beat! Make your own words, and make the words a prayer. A prayer for the end of exploitation, a prayer for the end of lies, a prayer for healing, for justice, for life. Remember your prayer-song, feed it and let it get strong and pass it along. Dance and pray, whenever you dance, dance to heal the earth.
Have you seen anything? Wear it out! Make it so that all can see what you see! Take a white T-shirt and mark it with your dreams. Is there anything you'd like to tell the world? Take your shirt and mark it with your song! This is the way it has been done, so you can do it too. Use any color except black (there are reasons for that that will become clearer later), and you'll probably find that a loose, pure cotton T is most comfortable for dancing in. Cos this is an actual dance, you dance hard, you sing and breathe hard and sweat. Wear it when you plan to go out dancing, to dance to heal the earth.
Some people do this dance while fasting, and dance for several days straight. But even a few minutes of dancing helps, and joins with all the other dancing going on, everywhere on Earth. Not everyone can fast these days. Besides, you never know when you're gonna dance, and you have to eat sometimes! But if you plan to dance, hold off eating till later, or just have a little. It's easier to dance if you don't have a hotdog weighing you down.
Some people say, do not do sacred things where people are drinking and partying. But all the universe is a sacred place. It really doesn't matter what others are doing, you can make a place sacred wherever you are, with your intention and your prayers. Some people use smoke to make a place sacred; a cigarette or incense stick will do fine. You can dance to heal the earth anywhere, even a party or a bar! The earth is everywhere, so you can dance anywhere to heal her. Only one thing. Please hold off drinking or using any other intoxicants till you're done. It works better that way.
The Lie has gone far enough. It spreads and makes everyone sick. Now is the time for this dance to begin. It, too, will spread, and it will bring healing to all. In the beginning, they say, the Creator put a rainbow in the sky, to let us know that Spirit never forgets. Now is the time for us to put a rainbow across the earth, to let the Creator know that we, too, remember.
Dance to heal the earth. Not just when you're dancing, but always. Live the dance, whenever you move, in all you do, dance to heal the earth.
With that said, I thought I would vent something that I find very disappointing by some Care2 members.
On a regular basis, I pop into the People Main page to give green stars to new members as a form of appreciation for a start to make a difference, and to encourage them and let them know some of us are watching.
Many times, as I view these members... I notice that others do the same as I do, however, they seem to use this method as a way to connect with women.... I am speaking of the male members.... they will pass out green stars to the ladies and skip the men.... I do not think that this is a truly proper way of using green stars.... to try and hit on women..... if you are sincere in what you believe, profess to believe, then your awarding of green stars should be passed out on an equal basis... You want to hit on women... do it in the singles area or in another area of the internet..... do not use Care2 to feed your selfish desires..... Care2 is about caring for all.... equally.
Greetings to all! I am back online and participating here at Care2 after almost a three year absence. I hope to become more involved here as time goes by.
I would like to invite you to my online community, where you will find me, if I am not online here. It is a free community and you will find the link below. It is a recreation of the same I had several years ago, A Rainbow of Spirituality.
RAVEN MEDICINE Raven-Those who carry raven medicine also carry a heavy responsibility to Spirit. Raven is the messenger of magic from the great void where all knowledge waits for us. He is also the symbol of changes in consciousness, of levels of awareness and of perception. He carries the mark of the shape-shifter. He is the carrier of healing energy from distances. Those of you who ask for messages of light and healing and prayer have asked for raven medicine.
What all of this means to us in the modern-day world is that raven medicine gives you the ability to get inside another's head and heart, and to understand them from the inside out, so to speak. You can "become" that other person because of the depth of your understanding of them, and it is not necessary to be in their physical presence for that to happen. Spiritual healers and counsellors who are skilled in their abilities are using raven power for they have a depth of understanding and empathy not shared by all. Because of this power, they have the ability to actually alter another's perception and behavior. They are able to work real magic in bringing peace, healing and understanding to others.
Here is the heavy responsibility, and the dangers, in raven medicine. As with all things, these powers can be used for dark purposes. It enables the carrier to manipulate and coerce others into doing their will to the detriment of the other. This medicine can be used for selfish and self-serving purposes for the ego and greed of the carrier. Because of the power of the levels in understanding others, a practitioner of the black arts can use raven for destructive purposes.
If you carry raven medicine, you must always use it in the light for the highest and best interests of others. You must use it for the good and well being of others, and never for your own selfish motives even though you may be tempted when times are bad. Raven medicine demands that you walk in the light in all things. That's heavy with responsibility for your own thoughts and deeds.
Lie down or recline comfortably with your arms at your side. Close your eyes and start mentally going down your physical body. Visualize your head, your ears, your eyes, nose mouth, chin, neck and so on, down to your toes. As you move through each part of your body, sense how each part feels, and whether there is any discomfort.
As you finally reach your toes visualize a white thread of light connecting and weaving each part of your body togethere energetically. Now call in the Goddess or God that you would like to help you in the healing. Personally, I like to use a male and female combination because it adds strength to the healing. (I also include my animal totem, Raven; you can call on animal and elemental energies if you feel the desire.) Feel the Divine energy of the Goddess and God as it enters and becomes part of you.
Now take each part of your body, and go back over it, imparting the divine healing energy of the Goddess and God to each part. After going over each part, go back and focus on the parts that have discomfort. Use the Divine energy to balance the discomfort, and bring them back into equilibrium. Visualize a healthy body, free of pain and disease. Just be aware of the discomfort until you no longer sense. It.
Feel yourself become pure light. Your body, mind, and spirit become One within the spectrum. The blue light spreads out over your body and neutralizes all negativity. Feel all disease within your body being cleared out and neutralized. Again focus on the parts where you have problems, and visualize the blue light pouring over those parts of your body. Use expectation, desire, and merging, to deepen the effect of the healing. Keep bathing your body in blue light until the negativity is washed away.
Next, use green light to impart healthy new patterns into your body. Feel the healing energy of the Goddess and God flowing through your, building new positive patterns within your body.
Next, feel a brilliant gold light filling your body, empowering you to your fullest. Like the warmth of a sun, it bathes your body in its healing and invigorating warmth. Each part of your body becomes whole again, filled with warm healing light.
For a moment, you move your awareness beyond the confines of your human body into your light body, which knows no pain or suffering. As you become pure light, you leave behind all your physical limitations and move into a boundless Otherworld. In all aspects, you are always light, no matter what your present physical form.
Once more, feel the Divine healing light pass over your body imparting each part with its healing energy. Visualize your body as healthy and whole. Keep this image firmly in your mind as you move back to the present moment. See and sense each part of your body as being more alive, feeling more healthy than it was before.
Please feel free to comment on this healing technique and let me know how it works for you if you use it.
Africa's Witch Children
(1 of 5) Aired November
23, 2009 on C4 - Play
all videos:
http://bit.ly/7oRQHQ - A
year ago, Dispatches told
the story of how children
in Africa's Niger Delta
were being denounced by
Christian pastors as
...http://www.care2....
I am very
THANK-FULL for
m great
FRIENDS!!!
*yes* *hug*
As you prepare
to enjoy your
bounty . . .
take a moment to
think of those who are
STARVING!!! . . .
http://www.change.org/act
ions/view/a...
Sean Goldman is still in
Brazil! Please make sure
that you have signed the
petition demanding the
return of this child to
his father. Currently,
the petition has over
55,000 signatures but
needs as much support as
possible.
click here
Also, please v...
The author is Professor
Robert Watson of Lynn
University who was
once a writer for the New
York Times.
Professor Watson writes:
Hi friends,
I am always being asked
to grade Obama's
presidency. In place of
offering him a grade, I
put togethe...
Salinity and the Murray
River, from my own
experience: I visited my
inlaws in Mildura every
year while my children
were growing up. When my
daughter was 2 we took
the paddleboat cruise on
the "Mighty Murray". I
was shocked to learn then
that the Murra...
Greetings,
Welcome to the November,
2009 issue of A Path to
Light from The Serene
Way. Again we thank
Michelle for the
wonderful picture on this
month’s newsletter.
If you have a picture
that you’d like to
submit for our
newsletter, fee...
Signs of Caring Too Much
(posted by Mel selected
from
Caring.com).Compassion
fatigue –aka
caregiver
burnout–is what
happens when a
well-intentioned
caregiver crosses a
hard-to-see line from
One-Who-Helps to
One-Who-Needs-Help. And
it can ...
FOREVER I-SOUL-8-DAs I go
deeper into exploration
of MySelf, I am finding
it a pleasure also to
look at words and go
deeper into them too.
Some of course offer
great depth, alternative
symbolic understanding
and meaning way beyond
the everyday useage....
A Few Hunger Facts(taken
from the list
at www.Bhookh.com&nb
sp;-click daily to donate
food, free) 1.
Hunger remains the No.1
cause of death in the
world. Aids, Cancer
etc. follow. 2. There are
820 million chronically
hungry people in the...
Watch this video.Popular
Australian radio
announcer Jackie O.
narrates a new video
exposing the abuse of
millions of animals in
Australian factory farms.
Animals Australia invites
you to share this with
friends.Find out how you
can help free animals ...
Please sign our petition of thanks to George W. Bush, Jr., for allowing us to have CHANGE and chose CHANGE, by the failure of his presidency and administration... for electing President Obama! Thank you George! You are a hero!, lol, lol, lol... For real, do sign this, and I will forward our gratitude to Jr.... 
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