Author: NorthDakotaDemocrat

   IMO This is not just another Y2K, Swine Flu, government or media-crying-wolf-again situation.

   I might have actually believed that myself had I not previously read a chapter of The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Plague in History, by John M Barry. My own copy arrived recently, from Powell’s and I’m about half way through it. (diary to come later)

   I would highly recommend reading of this book particularly if you are inclined to discount the possible severity of an avian pandemic. I sincerely believe that it is a necessity to educate ourselves on this issue.  

   As we have seen with our gov/FEMA response to Katrina, it is not likely we will be getting much help from that quarter. I think we will be on our own on this one and we ought to plan accordingly.

more:
Flu Pandemic to be discussed on Oprah

Bird Flu: The Untold Story (PG)

   You’ve heard reports, but is it really headed our way? How dangerous is it and can it be stopped? What you need to know now to protect your family. A huge eye-opener!

   Oprah’s guest is Michael T. Osterholm , Dr. Osterholm is director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP)

Many lives will depend on this man’s ability. This will be an opportunity for us to assess his capabilities.  

Local listings for Oprah’s show here

Feel free to post to dKos. I’ve not got the energy for it.

Cross posted at European Tribune

This evening’s theme: Path to Peace: Ethical Responsibilities in a Global Consumer

After hearing Kathy Kelly this Friday evening I have added her to my short list, well very short list, <10, of super-great speakers I’ve heard over a lifetime. Should you have the opportunity, I would highly recommend.

Disclosure:All of this from memory alone… it’s not a verbatim transcript… any mistakes are mine.

Kathy Kelly, a co-coordinator with Voices in the Wilderness (VitW), spoke in Fargo, ND at Presentation Sisters Convent. Since 2003 Presentation Peace Studies has been a project of the sisters.

In 1988 Kathy Kelly  was sentenced to one year in prison for planting corn on nuclear missile silo sites. Kelly served nine months of the sentence in Lexington KY maximum security prison.

In the spring of 2004, she served three months at Pekin federal prison for crossing the line as part of an ongoing effort to close an army military combat training school at Fort Benning, GA.

This evening, Kathy Kelly started out by explaining “… nuns give no visible sign of a desire to accumulate personal wealth.” She believes  Pacifism… has to do with living simply, with reverence… (for life)

The only other group of women living together without wealth as we enter 2006 is the concentration of women in US prisons. Currently one fourth of the world’s prisoners are in US prisons.

While in prison, due to her bunk location Kathy overheard numerous phone calls from women in prison.

Most still care about their families. They keep trying to talk with family members at home but are not usually successful.

[… discussed supply needs of prisoners ]

82% of the women are in for non-violent crime, one fourth are sentenced to more than 8 years. The men’s facility was designed for 800, it now has 1153, so the men are overcrowded. Their median sentence was 27 years.

If military might(as seen in the Iraq war) is right then why aren’t we seeing a better life for our people. (The latest projected estimates of…) the cost of the Iraq war is 2 Trillion… who is working on preventing a crash landing…

[…discussed end of oil, use of solar, wind.]

I’ve been to Iraq 26 times. I was in _?__ city with the Iraq Peace Team when the 2003 war commenced. As local authorities left the city looters were working their way towards that part of the city. The US Marines arrived before the looters, which I was thankful for.

We (Peace Team members) brought water and dates to the troups. So we all had a picnic… I went to visit with a marine who was sitting on the top of his tank reading a book. I said, What are you reading? He replies, Heart of Darkness, for the thirteen time. [author Joseph Conrad]

The marines were curious, and said,”Tell us your side of the story.” Many of the marines hoped to come back to Iraq to help with the reconstruction.

More after the fold;

[…]

Over the Christmas holidays the IMF decided Iraq had to pay back their debt that was incurred under Saddam Hussein. We ought to exchange our policy of “starve, bomb, occupy, threaten, force, and military power to a policy of fair play, a fair price for resources, and convert (internal) Iraq production to building a better life there.

Kathy feels the problem in the US is that,

… people have been coached to be in fear. I was in New York on 9-11. 9-11 was war.

[And with respect to the video issued by Osama bin Laden]… our adversary issued a video…  Bush and Kerry did not want to know… what Osama bin Laden’s issues were…  

1. Foreign bases in Muslim lands…
2. Stop the occupying Muslim lands…
3. Don’t take a people’s resources and leave them with nothing to build their society…
4. [Kathy referred to our founding fathers as desiring similar corrections to the British behavior.]

Kathy revealed another definition of the pottery barn principle,

…if you break it you go in the back and pay up, then get out of there before you break anything else… After the IMF move, a gallon of gasoline went from 6 cents, to 47 cents. I think we should pay reparations to Iraq… and get out now. We’ve got to stop creating more terrorists.

With the dollars we’ve sent to Israel they’ve constructed 200-400 thermo nuclear weapons. Iran has both oil and natural gas. (With regards to negotiation possibilities…) the US has not offered Iran anything worth bargaining for…

(When asked about Vietnam,) Dr Martin Luther King had said his message included all of the world’s poor.

The Peace Team organized the city’s shoe shine boys to sing the 2nd and 3rd verses of “We shall overcome…” in Arabic. We thought they’d better skip the first verse so as not to antagonize Saddam?

[…]

From the Q&A session:

We’ve been robbing or looting oil… it’s a finite set, now China needs more oil as their population booms…

We have a problem solving tradition in our country… it has to be we and us vs. the corporate media. We should not expect just a few “stars” to do everything; we should all contribute as much as we can…

We should look for sympathetic people in our communities, converse with them over coffee, see if we can’t get some more people to meetings, so they can be informed, and some of them will become activists, then a critical mass of activists will educate people…

[…]

I do not collaborate with the US government… what does the government want from us? Dollars. I have not paid taxes since 1979.

[Note to NSA: The author of this diary does not advocate not-paying-taxes, but encourages all individuals to consult proper legal, financial, and spiritual advisors, to name only a few, prior to making financial decisions.]

The most expensive piece of property she owns are her contact lens. If you don’t pay taxes you can’t own anything.

We don’t have an official draft, but we do have a poverty draft.

We need to look in the mirror and see ourselves as a society…how can we live more simply, to use fewer resources, so the [crunch] down the road won’t be so severe.

I planted Native American corn on a nuclear missile silo site, sat and waited to be arrested. The soldier stood behind me, guarding me with his rifle, after I was handcuffed. Since I’m so outgoing I have to talk, so asked him, Do you think the corn will grow? He says, I sure hope so ma’am. Many times you get these unexpected moments with people.

I’m hoping the next generation of college students will make an effort at rescuing our society… hopefully it’s not already too late.

[…]

We should be ready as a people to negotiate changes in our lifestyles… wind, solar energy… and not allow our inconvenience to inhibit us from doing that.

The people who run the criminal justice system earn 30-40 times more than the average worker… prisons use a racist approach. At Pekin the Mary Todd unit (Kathy’s unit) we got cleaning supplies, toilet supplies, [etc,] while other units’ supplies were taken off site by prison workers. The men’s facility at Pekin runs 3 shifts, making light bulb fixtures, (the old fashioned ones) with the pull string, which they sell to the US military for $ 37.00 each.

Guess who are the only ones who can buy shares in the federal prison stock? Only the members of AFGE, [American Federation of Government Employees]the federal workers union, that includes representatives and senators and their staff.

The criminal justice system has become a slave labor [manufacturing situation.]

…with corporate control over government there is a danger of fascism. Some of us now must take risks so that others in the future don’t have to.

Kathy Kelly is one amazing woman folks! And no doubt Voices in the Wilderness (VitW) could use some love.

Well, it looks like the Halliburton crew are not the only ones with their fingers in the till. So add another billion to the billions of dollars that have disappeared into this black hole. No wonder the situation continues to deteriorate.

See Independent

One billion dollars has been plundered from Iraq’s defence ministry in one of the largest thefts in history, The Independent can reveal, leaving the country’s army to fight a savage insurgency with museum-piece weapons.
The money, intended to train and equip an Iraqi army capable of bringing security to a country shattered by the US-led invasion and prolonged rebellion, was instead siphoned abroad in cash and has disappeared.

“It is possibly one of the largest thefts in history,” Ali Allawi, Iraq’s Finance Minister, told The Independent.

The purchases included scrapped Soviet-made helicopters, poorly made armored cars, cheap Egyptian knock-offs of MP5s, bullets as 3 times normal cost… etc.

The Iraqi Board of Supreme Audit says in a report to the Iraqi government that US-appointed Iraqi officials in the defence ministry allegedly presided over these dubious transactions.
Senior Iraqi officials now say they cannot understand how, if this is so, the disappearance of almost all the military procurement budget could have passed unnoticed by the US military in Baghdad and civilian advisers working in the defence ministry.
Government officials in Baghdad even suggest that the skill with which the robbery was organised suggests that the Iraqis involved were only front men, and “rogue elements” within the US military or intelligence services may have played a decisive role behind the scenes.

Supposedly Paul Bremer approved Ziyad Cattan as the defense ministry’s procurement chief. Shopping trips abroad were led by Mr Cattan, for whom an arrest warrant has been issued.

…Mr Bremer says he has never heard of Mr Cattan.

Right!

This situation is obviously totally out of hand, with serious ramifications for all of us, world wide.

Kudos to “Fran” at the European Tribune for the tip.

Have we forgotten legacies and lessons of Martin Luther King’s civil rights movement, Gandhi in India, Lech Walesa in Poland, Norwegian Resistance WWII, Argentina’s Mothers and Grandmothers of the Disappeared,  and many others…

We don’t have to reinvent the wheel here folks. Why not make use of 50 years of research on Strategic Nonviolent Conflict Strategy

198 METHODS OF NONVIOLENT PROTEST AND PERSUASION,Here for pdf

It’s obvious that we can wait no longer for our political process to work.

I have no doubt in my mind that the strategies contained in the links below will return traditional democracy to our republic. Got doubts? See the end of this diary for links to some of history’s well known nonviolent conflicts.

…the ruler can only rule with the consent of the cooperation of the people… since the people provide the ruler with the sources of his power, then the people can also withdraw their consent to be ruled by withholding the sources of the power they collectively provide to the regime… -Robert L. Helvey

more after the fold
All of the material below except [my comments, shall be in brackets] is transcribed by me from, Robert L. Helvey’s On Strategic Nonviolent Conflict: Thinking About the Fundamentals pdf download here

(…)Sources of power 1. Authority, 2. Human Resources, 3. Skills and Knowledge, 4. Intangible Factors, 5. Material Resources, 6. Sanctions  

Identification of Pillars of Support

…Those waging a nonviolent struggle against an authoritarian regime… must give keen attention to key institutions and organizations.   [Those discussed are Police, Military, Civil Servants, Media, Business Community, Youth, Workers, Religious Organizations, Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs)]

Obedience

…Obedience is at “the heart of political power.” A ruler cannot rule if the people do not obey. It is this insight upon which strategies for nonviolent struggle are based. If our purpose is to motivate the public to withdraw its consent to be ruled by dictators or other authoritarian regimes, we should understand why people are obedient in the first place. [Those discussed are Habit, Fear of Sanctions, Self-Interest, Moral Obligations, Superhuman Factors, Psychological Identification with the Rulers, Zone of Indifference, and Absence of Self-Confidence].

(…) Human beings are not genetically pre-disposed to be submissive. Obedience is primarily a combination of habits, fear and interests–and habit and interests can be changed and fear can be overcome.

[Some excerpts from Chapter Four, Mechanisms and Methods of Nonviolent Struggle]

Mechanisms- The ideas of strategic nonviolent struggle must move from the theory to practice in order to bring political and social change. Important in the transition from ideas to action is the selection by the opposition of the preferred mechanism, or process, for influencing attitudes and behaviors of the rulers. This decision will, in turn then influence the selection of methods for achieving the desired changes in the relationship between the people and their government.

Conversion- (…) Conversion is the primary mechanism for expanding and strengthening the pro-democracy forces. The skillful use of propaganda to contrast life under democratic and authoritarian regimes and news about current nonviolent actions occurring throughout the world are helpful in conversion efforts. … Most importantly, a vision of tomorrow” with a concept of how that vision could be achieve should be presented to the public.

[my emphasis here Most importantly, a vision of tomorrow” with a concept of how that vision could be achieve should be presented to the public.]

Accommodation- (…) The lesson here is that elections are too important to the regime to lose since that defeat would mean the loss of legitimacy both at home and in the international community. For the same reason, elections are also too important for the democratic opposition to lose. Preparations should be made to insure that the public is prepared to validate their votes at the ballot box with carefully planned measures to thwart the regime’s efforts to rig the results.

Coercion- (…) Coercive demands that challenge the very existence of an oppressive government should be made only after careful planning and an objective analysis of the chance for success has occurred.  (…) Attempts to coerce without the capacity to impose the threatened sanctions can result in the loss of momentum of the democratic struggle… It is imperative that the capabilities assessments be reviewed during the planning and execution of major nonviolent campaigns to avoid such adverse consequences to a movement.

Disintegration- (…) Once the opposition recognizes that the balance of power has shifted in its favor, the regime should be attacked on a broad front by using stronger methods of noncooperation and intervention. If these attacks are sustained, the regime will disintegrate, as the sources of power needed for maintaining its rule will no longer be available.

Methods of Nonviolent Action

Protest and Persuasion- (…) … serve to put the public on notice that the nonviolent opposition movement is challenging the government for specified abuses.

Noncooperation- Noncooperation is the most powerful category of the nonviolent methods available to opposition movements. Wise selection and planning for this group of actions within a strategy enhances the likelihood of removing sources of power from the regime…No government can survive without the cooperation of the people. The message that noncooperation seeks to convey is that “we, the people, will no longer help the government to function…Noncooperation on the international level as well as within the country’s borders can help the supporters of political change. [Examples follow]

Social Noncooperation – Every person in the country can practice social noncooperation. Avoiding social interactions with … members of the regime can be devastating to officials and members of their families…. Shunning sends a message that the people cannot tolerate those who support the regime. It should, however, be used with care and precision. If it is used incorrectly, it could interfere with ongoing efforts to move regime supporters into the ranks of the opposition. (…)

Economic Noncooperation- [for examples and discussion see source material]

Political Noncooperation- (…) Declarations, manifestos, and other documents rejecting the presumed authority and therefore the legitimacy of a regime can be used to convince the public that the regime has no right to exercise authority. These acts of protest are then followed by boycotts of government institutions, work slowdowns by civil servants, and innumerable opportunities for civil disobedience by the general public, which, if widely and consistently carried out, can neutralize or even disintegrate the power of an authoritarian regime.

Intervention- Nonviolent actions whose intent or effect disrupts established behavior patterns, policies, relationships or institutions are acts of intervention. (…) …US history… Lunch counter sit-ins during the US civil rights movement were highly visible and effective actions (…) Acts of intervention can weaken and possibly accelerate the collapse of the regime’s pillars of support. With a well thought-out strategy, supporting plans can be quickly adjusted to exploit present opportunities. Without a strategy and plans that anticipate needs for adjustment, there may be a loss of momentum.

Security Concerns- It is prudent to assume that at some point every opposition group waging a struggle against a government will be targeted and penetrated by the regime under attack. While infiltration can be a serious problem, government informants can also be used as a conduit for sending selected information to the government. [See examples] (…) There are some activities that need to be protected from the disclosure to the opponent. (…) The Serbian resistance group OTPOR developed a leadership that was unknown to most of its members. The leadership never met as a group but only briefly with one another as was required.

[END On Strategic Nonviolent Conflict: Thinking About the Fundamentals]Order paperback Here or download book on(pdf)   Here

FAQ on Nonviolent Strategy
Nonviolent struggle can be used in a variety of circumstances for a variety of objectives. Applications of Nonviolent Action

Please download as much as you can, as quickly as you can, as we all know how fast documents get disappeared these days.

Publications in many languages availableArabic Azeri Belarusian Burmese Burma (Chin) Burma (Jing-paw) Burma (Karen) Burma (Mon) Chinese (Mandarin) Danish Dutch English Estonian Farsi French German Hebrew Indonesian Italian Japanese KoreanKyrgyz Latvian Lithuanian Macedonian Norwegian Polish Portuguese Russian Serbian Spanish Swedish Tamil Thai Tibetan Ukrainian

Numerous pdf downloads downloads

Note links below for various well known nonviolent conflicts

A Century of Nonviolent Conflict

India 1930, Denmark 1940, Nashville 1960, Poland 1980, Chile 1983, South Africa 1984, Others

(Cross posted at European Tribune)