no groundhog, just an opossum

Happy Groundhog day! The all powerful Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow today, which means winter continues for six more weeks. In Minnesota that could mean a lot longer, groundhog or not.

Punxsutawney Phil, February 2, 2009
Photo from groundhog.org.

I feel sorry for Punxsutawney Phil, who was awakened from hibernation. It's like when your alarm clock goes off early and you realize that you have a half hour of sleep left. Poor Phil is thinking screw you, "let me sleep. I see my shadow now let me go the f--k back to bed." I empathize, I like hibernating in winter too.

In the northland, groundhogs (or woodchucks) are still hibernating. Or they should be. It's still bleeping cold here. Last weekend there were no groundhog appearances, but there was a Virginia Opossum foraging in the backyard. It's North America's only marsupial. Kind of cute.

Virgina Opossum, in backyard

relive protesting the rnc without the pepper-spray

Two new films document the protests at the 2008 Republican National Convention in Saint Paul, Minnesota, "Ground Noise & Static and Terrorizing Dissent." Both are available online. You can relive protesting at the RNC without getting pepper-sprayed.

Terrorizing Dissent - Election Cut is an exposé of events at the RNC. "Featuring first-person accounts and footage from more than forty cameras on the streets, 'Terrorizing Dissent' focuses on the story of dissent suppressed. People charged with "conspiracy to riot in furtherance of terrorism" speak out against the government's campaign to manipulate media coverage and label civil disobedience and community organizing as terrorism."

Ground Noise & Static is a video report on the protests that occurred in connection with the 2008 Democrat and Republican National Conventions. From the filmmakers, "Ground Noise & Static is a manifesto. We went to Denver and St. Paul to take the pulse of the movement. Corporate media would cover the platitudes and posturing of the politicians, we were interested in something else, a story hidden in plain sight, captured in the now-classic street chant, 'This is what democracy looks like.' Ground Noise & Static is a joint effort of Franklin López of subMedia and PepperSpray Productions. It is the direct result of a wonderful collaboration with many indymedia-style activists and journalists who all pitched in for the common good and success of their various efforts to tell their 'Unconventional' stories."

Terrorizing Dissent RNC08 Election Cut Trailer

economic craptastic crisis

AlterNet has posted a special "Economy in Crisis" section to its website. It's official, we're all in the shitter together. We are all knee-deep in an economic craptastic crisis. Oh crap.

Anyone have a shovel? Any ideas on a sustainable economic plan?

my voice for choice, blog for choice day

I believe that all women have the right to control their fertility. They have the right to safe contraceptives and access to a safe and legal abortion. The reasons for having an abortion are many and complex. Abortion is a complicated issue. The religious right has added to that by demonizing reproductive rights. Abortion has been polarized as "pro-choice or pro-Life." I prefer the term anti-choice to pro-life, and they have described the pro-choice side as "pro-abortion," which is absurd.

I feel that the "pro life" movement is hoax. It is a blatant attempt to control women. After all, a patriarchy that can't control women isn't a patriarchy. If you don't want women to have abortions, then make the world a better place to raise children. Support health care for all (or at least for children). Support pre-school education, K-12, and post-secondary education. Ensure that all children are properly housed and fed.

Women are not subservient to men. We have control over our bodies. We can choose when to have sex and when to have children, period. Being pregnant does not mean forced motherhood. It's a fetus, not a baby. Abortion has always been and will always be. For thousands of years, women have worked to control their fertility. Before the 19th century abortion wasn't considered a sin. "Until the early part of the century, there were no laws against abortions done in the first few months of pregnancy. Prior to the 19th century, Protestants and Catholics held abortion permissible until the 'quickening' the moment the fetus was believed to gain life." (From "The History of Birth Control" by Kathleen London) So why the change now? Did things change during the Women's Rights Movement? Do women have "too much freedom" and does their sexuality need to be "reigned in?"

I believe that women around the world will never be equal without reproductive freedom. The patriarchal religious right has an overzealous cult-like worship of the fetus. With this belief, they have attacked abortion and birth control. They have tried to mandate abstinence-only sex education. It doesn't work, just ask Sarah Palin. Real equality, gender equality, means reproductive freedom. Women are the ones who have to "bear the burden of carrying a child," we are in control of our own fertility, not men.

Today is the 36th anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. Today and everyday, support the freedom of choice. Thank you to all the bloggers that blogged for choice today.

Some choice links
The History of Birth Control
Could this be a "new era for reproductive rights?"
History of abortion
Wikipedia history of abortion
Catholics for Choice Statement on the Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

SUPPORT CHOICE and reproductive freedom
1. Donate to pro-choice organizations
2. Voice your support for choice by blogging, writing letters to the editor, writing your local and congressional legislators, and talk to your friends
3. Support women around the world in their fight for gender equality and reproductive rights
4. Stay informed about reproductive freedom issues

can't america hear Gaza's cries? more than 400 children have died

Al Jezeera reported, "Ehud Olmert, Israel's prime minister, has announced a unilateral truce in the Gaza Strip." This will stop a 22-day offensive on the people of Gaza. More than 1,200 Palestinians are dead, more than 400 of them children. Lets repeat that again, 400 CHILDREN have died because of Israel's war on Gaza. Olmert said, "We have reached all the goals of the war, and beyond." How can killing more than 400 children be a goal?

Before the ceasefire a Palestinian doctor, from Gaza, working in Israel learned that three of his daughters were killed in an Israeli attack. Al Jazeera's Roza Ibragimova reported on the doctor's tragedy caught on Israeli TV. "Palestinian doctor Ezzeldeen Abu al-Aish was giving Israel's Channel 10 his daily account from inside the war zone in Gaza when three of his daughters were killed in an Israeli attack. In his report, he called for help as his house was attacked." (Caution, this video is really difficult to watch, but necessary to understand.)



I can't begin to understand the pain this man has endured. And for what? So Israel can feel "safe" by having bombed Gaza into submission? So the people in Gaza are completely without hope? I hope the world will investigate Israel's actions for war crimes. I believe they have committed a great atrocity by killing so many innocent people and children.

Olmert announces Gaza ceasefire

could we have a "do-over" on the mn senate election?

I'm disappointed with Democratic Senatorial candidate Al Franken. He and Senator Norm Coleman spoke at a pro-Israel rally at the Sabes Jewish Community Center in St. Louis Park on Jan. 11. They both endorsed Israel's war on Gaza. Congressional Representative Michele Bachmann also spoke at the event. Remember her? She went on Hardball with Chris Matthews and said that the media should investigate Congress for anti-American views. Other speakers included, U.S. Representative John Kline, megachurch preacher Rev. Mac Hammond, and former U.S. Senator Mark Dayton.

I regret voting for Franken. Before the primary I supported Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, and I wish he would have won the DFL primary and the general election. We need congressional leadership that understands the world, someone with a deeper cultural understanding. We need more leaders like U.S. Representative Keith Ellison, who is my representative. Representative Ellison understands the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. He gets it.

Watch the video of an interview with Representative Ellison on Al Jazeera.

top 10 humanitarian crises of 2008

"Health Crisis Sweeps Zimbabwe as Violence and Economic Collapse Spread," Doctors Without Borders

Doctors Without Boarders released their "Top 10 Humanitarian Crises of 2008."