This is not poetry – This is protest

This is not poetry – This is protest

What do you see when you look out into the world I see people who have lost their way

I see families disconnected

children without guidance

elders left without voice

boys thrown to war and abandoned in the sorrow of its aftermath I see children sold to men I see death visited on the innocent self indulgence and greed Status hungry ladder climbing empty eyed vultures Taking whatever lies before them That they decide they want

And if, by their deceptions, they weave a plan and pry your treasures from your grip It’s your fault Because you didn’t play the game as dirty as them

My question to you is

what happens when we all decide to play dirty

What happens when we all buy into the narcissistic mantra of our time And simply take what we want When we want it

what are we left with

or rather

what are we left without

and what have we have left our children without

we have left them without meaning

Beyond their need

That moment

that

when they lay their hands on it

passes through them like wind

and they are left

in desperate search

of the next moment

the

next

empty

moment

life is supposed to mean more

it offers more

than a moment

if we make the choice

to pick it up

this is not poetry

this is protest

pick it up

Big Mama

Introducing the poetry part of our project. Much love to Big Momma our resident poet.

Our voices rise from

Dirt and stone

Blood and sweat

Tears and loss

Ages of sorrow

Crying into histories veins

Some think the battle will

Never be won

But I believe the battlefield

Is a single heart

And that heart

Lives out its transformation

In the life it shows the world

And we are joined

In an understanding

Of our better nature

We bail out Bear Sterns, but this is still happening

How do we justify this? Capitalism, racism, classism, you can add any ism that you want, at its finest. You can order the entire video on Greg Palast's website.

When Unions do good!

Now this is what I'm talking about. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) will be shutting down the West Coast ports in order to protest the Iraq invasion. This is good to see that a Labor Organization is stepping up to try and do something to stop this global injustice. I hope other Unions join this action to protest the invasion and show solidarity with the Sisters and Brothers in Iraq. The Iraqi Labor Movement is also fighting the corporate monsters that are there to pillage the Iraqi resources. I love the labor movement, but as you all get to know me, I love a non-hierarchal labor movement. When I see stories like this, I have no problem lending my support. So to my Sisters and Brothers with the ILWU, good luck and in solidarity I will stand with you on May Day.

peace, love and solidarity
djsquared

When we fail ourselves...

The earth used to be a great place to live. Things are changing and we really need to take a step back and look at ourselves and what we do and by what we do, I mean how we systematically destroy the very place where we live. I just read a piece in the NY Times on how Australia's rice crop has dropped by 98 percent this year. It is hard to imagine the impact of this unspeakable tragedy when we live in the good ol' US of A. When we live here, we have it all. By all I mean food, housing, and democracy. Oops, maybe we don't and this is why we need to look at what we do and how we fail ourselves when we let tragedies of this magnitude occur. It is ok for people to starve to death, because people need wine to drink and capitalism and corporations succeed in changing the very perspectives of people. When I state that we fail ourselves, I mean all of humanity, future generations, and all that is on this Earth.

peace,
djsquared

Welcome to Labor and Politics Left: Our Voices

Hey all,
Welcome to Labor and Politics Left: Our Voices. This is the start of a new media project that will discuss just what the title says. You may recognize me from radioActive sanDiego and I am still part of that beautiful audio collective. This is a separate project that will engage other aspects of my activism by bringing in other commentators that will enhance this project. I cannot interview everyone all of the time. This blog will deal with labor issues that are not reported in mainstream media, politics and how it affects the labor movement, poetry, a project titled "Women of Color," and special comments from the Commander. The goals for this project are simple: give another venue to people and movements that have no voice in the corporate mainstream media.

peace, love, and solidarity
djsquared