Power to the Peoples!

If your town didn't celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day this week, here are some resources to help you establish it in your area:

https://www.zinnedproject.org/campaigns/abolish-columbus-day

Related Stories:

Free Indigenous Prisoner Leonard Peltier!

https://therealnews.com/free-indigenous-political-prisoner-leonard-peltier 

Indigenous Led Alliance Moves to Stop Bolsonaro's Ecocidal Destruction of the Amazon

https://therealnews.com/indigenous-led-alliance-moves-to-stop-bolsonaros-ecocidal-destruction-of-the-amazon

Indigenous Coalition Tells Biden Communities Need Clean Water and Climate Action

https://truthout.org/articles/indigenous-coalition-tells-biden-communities-need-clean-water-and-climate-action/

The US Has Used Conservatorships to Exploit Indigenous Peoples

https://truthout.org/articles/the-us-has-used-conservatorships-to-exploit-indigenous-peoples/

https://scheerpost.com/2021/10/11/happy-indigenous-peoples-day-from-those-who-made-it-possible/

More information on IPD below this week's article. Power to all Indigenous Peoples!

***

October 15th is the day for a #General Strike

https://octoberstrike.com/

A Week in View

by Coast Watcher

In Alabama over a thousand mine workers have been on strike for over over two hundred days, demanding higher pay and benefits. Nabisco workers recently won their strike after closing all the company’s plants in the US. Kellogg's workers are out on strike over pensions, healthcare and more. Hollywood is grinding to a stop over the IATSE strike. All the above labor disputes were voted for by over 98% of the workers concerned. Next Saturday will see a national general strike.

Things are turning at last. We are seeing a seismic shift in public attitudes toward the corporate world, with its pathetic wage structure, benefit cuts, ever demanding work hours and atrocious working conditions. The public is finally becoming aware that too many people are now finding they have to spend more money to work than they actually make in wages and salary.

The current COVID-19 situation is analogous to that pertaining during and after the Black Death of the fourteenth century. Europe’s population dropped by between 30-40%, leading to a chronic shortage of labor. The feudal system, which depended heavily on forcing workers to live and labor all their lives on land owned by the lord of the manor, suddenly faced a surviving population empowered by this shortage of labor and the lack of any effective means of coercing the people to work. 

That’s not to say things will be easy in our modern world. A steady increase in store prices began not long after COVID shut down the economy for several months. The capitalists saw far enough ahead to realize the threat their cozy system faced, and they’re trying to force people back to work through raising prices across the board. All we have to do is stay the course. Without labor, the rich will not get richer. Now is the time to pile on the pressure and force through real change for the better for the 99%. Strike!

BIO: Coast Watcher says it's time to strike while the iron's hot. The workers have been burnt  and the capitalists and their politician puppets have been throwing our human rights into the fire for far too long. Organize your place of work if you're not represented by a union. Don't cross picket lines. Support those workers who are on the picket lines with food, water, money, and your gratitude for their courage. Power to the people!

 

It’s a great time for the entire working class population to go on strike. #GeneralStrike

— DEMEXIT_HARD (@MonroePuzzle) October 11, 2021

Tired of working for the man? You can find a Workers' Co-operative in your area:

https://www.usworker.coop/directory/

 ***

Important Stories You Might Not Have Heard Anything About In The Mainstream Media This Week:

The Science of Propaganda is Still Being Developed and Advanced https://soundcloud.com/going_rogue/the-science-of-propaganda-is-still-being-developed-and-advanced

Julian Assange: Silence in the Face of CIA Murder Plots https://progressivehub.net/julian-assange-silence-in-the-face-of-cia-murder-plots/

 Assange and Donzinger Attacked (video) https://www.portable.tv/series/redactedtonight?v=86fddabd-b3a0-440c-8970-e9f45f48c2c8 

***

 

Osiyo,

Today — Indigenous Peoples Day (IPD) — marks the highlight of the Indigenous year. I hope you will join us as we gather to celebrate, heal, and re-Indigenize. This long weekend represents a reprieve from trauma, sadness, and grief as we travel with good hearts to see close family and distant relatives, celebrate together, and share our cultures. 

As you likely know, many places do not yet celebrate with us. They’re still celebrating Columbus Day, perpetuating the myth that Christopher Columbus discovered so-called America. Columbus arrived on October 12, 1492 on Taino homelands. This first voyage was a reconnaissance mission wherein he later established La Navidad in present-day Haiti — America’s first colony. The following fall, he returned with an invasion force of 17 ships and 1,500 soldiers. He found La Navidad destroyed by Taino People, who had retaliated against rapes and murders carried out by the Spaniards.

Watch: Giniw Collective’s Tara Houska talks about the journey of Indigenous Peoples of these lands historically until the present day.

European weapons (like cannons and muskets), armour, horses, and dogs soon overwhelmed the Indigenous warriors, who were armed only with clubs and spears. Celebrating Columbus, therefore, condones genocide and colonization. Many think of these issues as only existing in the past. But these systems, set in motion hundreds of years ago by Columbus and other conquistadores, continue. All Taino homelands, from Puerto Rico to the Bahamas, remain colonized today — many by the United States. 

To combat the Columbus-as-hero narrative, we’re working to replace Columbus Day with IPD everywhere. Our hope is that more people like you will come together with us, as Indigenous People focus throughout the long weekend on empowerment through solidarity and sharing pathways to action. 

Watch Tara Houska’s Ted Talk. As our skilled Anishinaabe relative points out, many of these struggles are deeply rooted in trauma. But today is about sharing successes within our sustained resistance to colonization. We see ourselves in the faces of our relatives while they reflect on Indigenous sovereignty, land and water rights, education, economic development, language preservation and promotion, and religious freedom. 

Our celebrations feature Indigenous poets, musicians, artists, singers, leaders, and performers from across Turtle Island, who offer their gifts. Everyone who attends an event can actively participate in round dancing and be uplifted by traditional prayers. The overwhelming feelings of celebration and open-heartedness are palpable. This is the chance for settlers and non-Natives to catch us in our most generous mindset. As we come together across nations to actively decolonize and re-Indigenize our communities and share our gifts, I hope you will join a celebration in your area.

Wado — thank you for your ongoing solidarity with our Indigenous nations.
Sarah Rose Harper
Social Media Coordinator
The Lakota People’s Law Project

***

 From Hip Hop Caucus:

Christopher Columbus didn’t just commit genocide against Indigenous people. He also set the precedent of cruelty and massacre which would haunt the American continents for hundreds of years; a precedent that is still active in the present brutality against Indigenous and Black communities.

Ceasing to honor a genocidal maniac won’t bring back the millions of lives lost to white supremacy and violent imperialism- but it will, at the very least, stop giving that maniac state sanctioned respect.

Write your representatives, and tell them that it is time to stop honoring a murderous criminal, and begin uplifting the beautiful contributions Indigenous communities make every single day.

President Biden, this year, has finally acknowledged the holiday which we should never have had to fight for. It’s time to go a step further, and ensure that this holiday is a permanent federal holiday- and that Columbus day is not one.

Tearing down statues and removing inappropriate holidays may seem small to some.

But we know it’s the difference between a society which gleefully uplifts murder, and one which is actively attempting to heal.

For Future Generations,

Rev Yearwood
President & CEO
Hip Hop Caucus

 ***

Stand Up for BIPOC Facing Climate Change Goal: 50,000 Did you know that approximately 74 million people of color live in counties with at least one failing grade for ozone pollution? While climate change is a global issue, centuries of oppression mean that Black people, Indigenous people and people of color (BIPOC) face the brunt of it.   In local terms, this oppression manifests as redlining, residential restrictions and unfair zoning laws. Globally, it comes through as economic and environmental discrimination. In the U.S., minority populations are more likely to live near toxic facilities and polluted areas than White communities. Despite making up 13% of the population, minorities in the U.S. are 38% more likely to be exposed to nitrogen oxide, a pollutant from cars, construction equipment and industrial operations.   Climate change isn’t going away soon, for any of us. But as fires, floods and pollution continue to get worse, the numbers show that the playing field isn’t level for BIPOC. Sign our petition today and tell the EPA to enact legislation that limits emissions in minority communities. Sign Today

 

Our Children Are Paying Attention

Lake Erie by Mirek/Photo by his mom Stefania/Meme layout by Crys

We say "Power to the people!" but do we really mean it? Do we really believe it? How can We the People, the 99%, the average guys ever hope to exert any power over those who oppress us when so much power rests in the hands of the few, the 1%, the elite classes?

There are no easy answers, but we can't afford to give up now. Our children are paying attention. They learn from our example.

Painting signs to promote the Lake Erie Bill of Rights

It's tempting to throw in the towel and walk away, but quitters never win and winners never quit. Fortunately, there will always be some small group of individuals willing to risk it all for the good of the public. This week we catch up once again with the ongoing story of one such activist group, Toledoans for Safe Water. Their mission? To ensure clean drinking water for millions and to hold the corporate polluters accountable for their actions.

Ambitious? Yes, but our children are paying attention. We can't live in fear forever. We have to act boldly while we can. We can't let our children down!

Toledo Voters Go To The Polls February 26

Toledo voters will be asked to vote on two charter amendments during a
special election on February 26. One of these charter amendments, the Lake
Erie Bill of Rights (LEBOR), is the first proposed rights of nature law to
advance in the United States that focuses on a distinct ecosystem. If
adopted, the measure will secure Lake Erie’s rights to exist and flourish.

This citizens' initiative was inspired by the 2014 water crisis in the
Toledo metropolitan area when a blue-green algal bloom poisoned the city's
water supply and left 500,000 people without drinking water for three days.
(Over 11 million in both the US and Canada obtain their drinking water from
Lake Erie.)

After months of delaying tactics from the Lucas County Board of Elections,
Toledo City Council and spurious legal challenges in the Ohio Supreme
Court, the measure is on the February 26 special election ballot, and early
voting has already begun. This citizens' initiative would not have happened
without the enthusiastic engagement of local activists from Toledoans for
Safe Water (TSW) and Advocates for a Clean Lake Erie (ACLE), as well as
moral and legal support from the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF).

How do those who live in neighborhoods near the lakeshore view this issue?
Point Place resident and TSW organizer Markie Miller stated, "The lake may
not be in everyone's backyard--but it's in our kitchens! The lake and the
communities that rely on her are powerless to the corporate driven harms
that burden taxpayers, the ecosystem, and the economy."

Photo by Stefania Czech

Her Point Place neighbor C. Jankowski agrees. "You can sue your neighbor if something they do harms you, but you can't sue the people dumping chemicals (in the lake) without permission. Hint: you won't get permission. That's what LEBOR is for."

LEBOR is opposed by Big Agriculture interests, especially concentrated animal feedlot operations, known as CAFOs, and over a dozen related lobbyist organizations. It is also opposed by a local construction trades union that has worked lucrative contracts at the nearby Davis-Besse nuclear power plant. These anti-LEBOR groups have used scare tactics such as saying taxes will have to be raised to enforce the law and that cleaning up Lake Erie could cost local jobs, but they offer no proof for their claims. In fact, the algae-filled lake has cost the local economy billions of dollars in tourism revenue and caused water bill rates to be raised in order to
cover the costs of making the water for safe for human consumption. Many
well-paying jobs could be created cleaning and maintaining the health of
Lake Erie for all to enjoy for generations to come.

LEBOR activists have pressed on despite the setbacks, as Ohio law states a
citizens' initiative that receives the required number of signatures must
be put before the voters. These determined citizens realize democracy
doesn’t come cheap, and they feel that the loss of our Great Lake's
environment--and the Toledo area's drinking water--will cost us all dearly.

You can learn more about LEBOR and CELDF at their web sites:
http://lakeerieaction.org 
https://celdf.org/

The pro-pollution/anti-clean water forces are out and spreading their malicious lies, of course.  And many will ask, "Why don't you just use the existing laws to prosecute the polluters and get them to clean up their mess?" The following article will show you why that tactic no longer works (if it ever did).

Complete Wiping Away of Clean Water Act: https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/12/07/complete-wiping-away-clean-water-act-trump-epa-rule-would-free-corporations-pollute

Here's a letter to the editor refuting the spurious claims of a corporate lackey.

A Letter to the Editor in regards to "Two Ballot Measures A Costly Opinion Poll"

Tom Troy in his column uses a specious argument in an attempt to trick voters into believing their votes don't count, and therefore, they should not bother to vote on February 26. To whit, he claims that because a turnout to a special election is historically "low" then somehow the issues presented on that election ballot are not as "worthy" as those on an election ballot that traditionally gets a larger voter turnout (such as a presidential election). 

If this is the case, then the next logical argument Mr. Troy could make is "Why do we have elections every year--why not only have them every four years or more?" One could further argue from his proposition that why should we bother having elections at all since they cost the taxpayers money. Let's just appoint a dictator of Toledo to make all the decisions for its citizens, shall we? It's "less costly" than having a special election, correct? 

 Since I'm assuming Mr. Troy isn't advocating for a dictatorship and the end of the democratic process in Toledo, one has to question his motives for using such weak and outright duplicitous claims that the special election is costing Toledoans an outrageous sum of money. 

Can we put a price on democracy, Mr. Troy? 

Besides, the special election would not have been necessary if the city of Toledo, the Lucas County Board of Elections and the state Supreme Court hadn't been under the influence of moneyed interests such as the Big Ag lobbyists and the trade union member, Josh Abernathy, who filed a frivolous lawsuit in a vain attempt to overturn the Ohio constitution which gives citizens the right to create and pass citizens initiatives with a mandate of the people. 

Mr. Troy is obviously on the side of the corporations who have bribed and paid off our local, state, and perhaps even national politicians to such a  point that these "public servants" seem willing to risk our health and safety--and the lives of our children and grandchildren--by allowing further toxic contamination of our drinking water in Lake Erie. 

Shame on you, Mr. Troy, for insinuating that our children's lives and our very democracy have a price tag!

More on the Lucas County Board of Election and their shenanigans to keep LEBOR off the ballot:

Column Ignored the Malice of the Election Board.
http://opinion.toledoblade.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/2019/02/10/tom-troy-column-ignored-malice-of-elections-board/stories/20190208097

Head of Lucas County Dems Appoints Self to Scandal-Ridden B.O.E.
https://www.toledoblade.com/opinion/editorials/2019/02/11/new-hope-for-lucas-county-elections-board/stories/

***

Are you paying attention? You can bet our opposition is!

The Revolution Continues has been targeted by anti-progressive trolls and hackers. It's difficult to fight against their blocks to prevent readers from sharing our web site link since these trolls/hackers have access to corporate cash. But you can help us out by donating to keep the blog ad-free and functioning. The editor pays for internet, electricity, etc., out of her own pocket, and she would like to be able to pay her contributors, so your generous monetary gifts are appreciated. 

Please consider donating a buck, $5, $10 or $20--any amount you can give to keep this progressive site going. Help us become a strong alternative voice protesting against the corrupt establishment and its paid-off corporate mouthpieces. Give to TRC today. Thank you.

You can donate via Paypal at http://paypal.me/camatthews 

And thanks to a generous reader, we have a  domain name. Please share the link: http://therevolutioncontinues.com  

Power to the people--not the corporations!

***

From Friends of the Earth:

As you read this, hundreds of Friends of the Earth members are showing up at Congressional offices across the country as part of the Green New Deal week of action. These supporters, along with thousands of our progressive allies, are turning out to deliver more than 100,000 signatures urging Congress to transform our economy and energy systems through a Green New Deal.

But for our movement for a Green New Deal to succeed, we need to demand our Representatives’ attention both online and offline. Which is why we’re counting on you to support today’s in-person action takers with a social media action of your own.

Can you take two minutes to back up fellow volunteers in the fight for a Green New Deal with a simple Tweet?

Help flood your Representative's Twitter feed with messages for real climate leadership and a Green New Deal!

Our movement for a Green New Deal is powerful, but so is our competition. Right now, dirty energy companies are doing everything they can to water down or block any plans for a Green New Deal in Congress. And if you tuned in to the State of the Union earlier this week, you probably noticed that Donald Trump failed to even mention climate change -- demonstrating yet again his commitment to fossil fuels and polluters over people and our planet.

Meanwhile, environmentalists like you know that in order to avert the worst impacts of climate chaos, we need a strong Green New Deal that must:

1. Halt all new fossil fuel extraction, transitioning us to 100% renewable energy;
2. Rapidly decarbonize our agriculture and transportation sectors;
3. Ensure a fair and just transition led by impacted workers and communities;
4. Uphold Indigenous rights; and
5. Pass a national jobs guarantee.

With so much at stake, it’s truly up to us to keep the pressure on Congress for real solutions that match the urgency of the climate crisis. Sharing a Tweet is really quick, but it makes a huge impact -- just at the moment when we need it most. Will you take action to defend communities and our environment today?

Send a Tweet to your Representative and tell them to support a strong Green New Deal!

Throughout this week, thousands of people signed and delivered petitions, made phone calls, and took to the streets to support a Green New Deal that lives up to our demands for justice and climate action.

Now, we’re in the final stretch of our week of action -- and we need your help to create a level of public pressure that Congress can’t ignore. By adding your voice, you can play a critical role in the fight against climate chaos and for a Green New Deal.

This is a quick and simple way you can help tell Congress that we need robust climate action and renewable energy NOW. All you have to do is click the link below, login in to Twitter, and hit “Tweet” to post your message. What are you waiting for?

Click here to send your Tweet: Help flood your Representative’s social media with messages for real climate leadership and a Green New Deal!

Standing with you,
Liz Butler,
VP of organizing and strategic alliances,
Friends of the Earth

*** 

Right now, two of the world’s biggest mining companies want to mine Apache sacred lands just an hour east of Phoenix in Oak Flat, Arizona.

If Congress lets them get away with it, they will be violating indigenous people’s rights and creating a toxic trash dump that will release airborne chemicals for miles around the site.
SIGN THE PETITIONActivists and indigenous people had successfully stopped companies from mining Oak Flat for a decade before Congress snuck the sale of the lands into a bill funding the military.

After so many votes rebuffing pro-mining interests when the deal was debated openly, Congress sneakily put Oak Flat up for sale.
But the sale can still be stopped.
Sign our petition to tell Congress you condemn the immoral and unconstitutional seizure and sale of Oak Flat and you don’t want the site to be built as planned in 2020.

On Saturday, the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival joins the Apache Stronghold in Arizona on their Fifth Annual March to Oak Flat. Because:

• The Apache Stronghold’s struggle is the struggle of families in Detroit whose water was shut off.
• The struggle of disenfranchised people in Kentucky, where 9% of the state can’t vote.
• The struggle at the border, where federal workers are pawns in a battle for a wall while land is secretly sold off to multinational corporations on the other side of the fence.

Corporate America has shown it is willing to ignore the needs of the poor in almost every way, including by dumping toxic chemicals on the poor and indigenous people again and again.

Meanwhile, the U.S. federal government acts unaccountable to its own treaties with native and indigenous people. From the Doctrine of Discovery that was used to justify the takeover of indigenous lands to the ongoing attempt to undermine tribal sovereignty and steal native people’s resources, the U.S. has been assaulting the very right of indigenous people to exist.

We are all people of conscience -- Apache, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, people of other faiths and not of faith -- who refuse to be silent while Congress and corporate interests attempt to destroy indigenous people’s right to political independence and their very right to exist. 

We can’t afford to waste another moment: Sign the petition to demand Congress protect Oak Flat.
We stand in solidarity with the Apache Stronghold. Our fight is one.
Forward together, not one step back!

Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II and Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis
Co-Chairs of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival

***

From Good Jobs Nation:

BREAKING NEWS: General Motors laid off 4,000 salaried employees starting last week. This is only part of an overall plan to lay off 15% of their American workforce and close down many plants altogether.

Here’s the bottom line: Trump has rewarded companies who have offshored jobs with $115 billion in federal contracts (over $700 million of which went to GM) — on top of a massive tax break — without doing anything to prevent top executives from pocketing the money and betraying American workers.

Trump could have acted to save thousands of jobs if he cared to do so. He doesn’t.

Add your name here to demand that Trump publicly take responsibility for his betrayal of GM workers, and sign an executive order to prevent public money going to companies that offshore our jobs