There was a girl who was a friend of mine at Huntingdon, Mary Jo, who wrote a poem entitled, "Genuflection." Lord have mercy.

This is an interesting article from Inversion magazine concerning Laura Nyro, Angela Davis, and Anita Brookner.

"The first condition of freedom is the open act of resitance...In that act of resistance, the rudiments of freedom are already present."- Quote from Angela Davis

Britain is considering legalizing prostitution. Kudos for Britain!

A most urgent matter has arisen in Haiti. Father Gerard Jean Juste has been detained by the Haitian government in what basically can be defined as a political kidnapping and has been sitting in jail since December of this past year. He is in poor health, suffering from Leukemia, and is in need of medical attention which he may not be recieving in prison. The Haitian government needs to be pressured to release him. You can read about this story here

Two Octobers ago, I had the great fortune to sit in on Susan's Fatness Studies symposium, which I believe was the first of its kind. It dealt with exactly the kind of capitalistic, consumer-culture,Eurocentric values which are to be found in the "Behaving Fatly" article in the Exponent.

S.K. pointed out me today a terribly unprogressive,inhumane, and consumeristic column in today's exponent that expounded that fat people were going to die. She is planning to respond to this...I am waiting to see what she has to say.

I just finished rereading Cornel West's article on Malcolm X and Black Rage. I think one thing that I definitely have embraced is the concept of cultural hybridity. Malcolm was a beautiful man and a god.

I was just thinking about a tea that my Aunt Carolyn's sister(Uncle Archie's wife), Aunt Bea, gave when I was a little boy. It has always stayed in my memory as a very grand,beautiful experience. She prepared a beautiful luncheon and had a very nice and comfortable home. I will always remember that affair.

In a Gallup Poll taken just recently, fifty-eight percent of the public consider George Bush's second term a failure and fifty-three percent believe he misled the public on the war. Bush defends himself by talking up a "thriving economy." Haha haha!! I dont know whether to laugh or tell that man to go to hell(again).

Cindy Sheehan in Venezuela

January 26, 2006

Cindy Sheehan, Mother Courage

I share my pain with all the mothers who are victims of the empire

PEDRO DE LA HOZ, Special Correspondent

CARACAS-- "There is no difference between my pain and that of an Iraqi
mother or another that has lost a son or daughter to hunger, misery or
lack of medical care in the impoverished and plundered countries. I
share my pain with all the mothers who are victims of the empire's
policies."

Cindy Sheehan is like a burning flame. Months ago she became a real
Mother Courage to the world. It is impressive how this pale, blond and
gentle woman --never before involved in public affairs-- has been had
able to systematically denounce her government's war against Iraq, where
her son Casey died.

Currently in Caracas, Sheehan is one of the most prominent participants
at the World Social Forum. With the help of Joel Suarez of the Martin
Luther King Center in Havana, Granma conducted a brief interview with her.

It stands out that Cindy uses the word "empire" to refer to the US
government. "Empires --she explains-- have always existed; unfortunately
we have perfected this insane concept of pursuing world hegemony at any
cost."

What began as an example of one person's pain has become not only a
symbol but also a way of confronting the foundations of the system
itself. Cindy describes it this way:

"For me, peace and justice have to go together. I hope the occupation of
Iraq ends as soon as possible, but that is not enough. We need a
philosophy of peace to prevail in the world, that there be no more
military ventures. However, for this to take place there must be a more
just world where wealth is equally distributed and where human dignity
is respected; a world in which the human being is really human and
overcomes racial and religious prejudices."

"I know --she clarified-- that those are lofty goals, but I won't give
them up. It is the way I can honor my dead son."

I asked Sheehan to comment on the situation at the US Guantanamo Naval
Base, a 21st century concentration camp.

"It is shameful that such a thing could exist at this time in history.
Not even the most minimal human rights are respected there. We have also
learned with horror that these practices are not only conducted in that
territory that the United States occupies without the consent of the
Cuban people. I was shocked by the news that soldiers from my country
have concealed torture camps in other countries allied to the empire."

A Brazilian colleague joined in the conversation introducing an
interesting twist by asking Sheehan her opinion of Condoleezza Rice and
Hillary Clinton, asking if they had shown solidarity with the losses
faced by US mothers.

"I don't think those women have maternal instincts, not even true human
instincts. I call them 'women' in quotation marks. Rice is convinced
that the war in Iraq is correct and should be waged in all its intensity
against the growing resistance movement. Clinton wants to solve the
problem by sending more troops, exposing both us and Iraqi mothers to
death. Both women are totally removed from the feelings of the majority
of US mothers."

Why is Cindy here in Caracas at the World Social Forum?

"It's the kind of event where many ideas are exchanged and the best are
promoted. I believe that talking about our movement, of the struggle we
are fighting, is of great value in the ears of the young people."

Cindy pauses and then continues:

"In the end, it's about no more mothers losing their sons to the whims
of a ruler."

I want to teach a class that I would call, The History of Politics since the Rise of the Catholic Church. I think that would be a terribly intriguing course.

I am sitting back and watching with great interest as Hamas takes control in Palestine.

There is a quite alarming discussion being had on the Afro-American studies listerv concerning the high numbers of Afro-American women who are dying from terminal illnesses(such as cancer,lupus, diabetes) at a frightening rate. Someone did a count and the number of black women in academia that were lost in the past decade alone is quite alarming. Indeed, here are links to obituaries for just a few of them.

Joann Grant

Claudia Tate

Barbara Christian

June Jordan

To Be Young, Gifted, and Black

Composed and Sung by Nina Simone

To be young, gifted and black,
Oh what a lovely precious dream
To be young, gifted and black,
Open your heart to what I mean

In the whole world you know
There are billion boys and girls
Who are young, gifted and black,
And that's a fact!

Young, gifted and black
We must begin to tell our young
There's a world waiting for you
This is a quest that's just begun

When you feel really low
Yeah, there's a great truth you should know
When you're young, gifted and black
Your soul's intact

Young, gifted and black
How I long to know the truth
There are times when I look back
And I am haunted by my youth

Oh but my joy of today
Is that we can all be proud to say
To be young, gifted and black
Is where it's at

I am definitely going to have fun this semester.

Two reports from separate government agencies state that the U.S. military is overextended into what they term a "thin green line." Donald Rumsfeld says no.Someone is lying and I think it is Donald Rumsfeld.

Mary J. Blige is a great singer.

I must say that Lafayette does have two wonderful representatives in the Indiana Legislature. Sheila Klinker and Joe Micon are not only great legislators, they are great people and magnificent humanitiarians.

Sympathies go out to Sean Penn and family as his brother, Christopher Penn, was found dead today.