"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness - That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness." - The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776
Upon this great document a new nation was formed, the United States of America. It is good for us to reflect on these words as they guide our personal patriotism and humanity.
Photo coutesy of the Creative Commons
New Year Resolution for 2018
December 23, 2017
Let us resolve this year to be true to the American values of inclusion and fairness.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."
from the United States Declaration of Independece
I believe no finer words than these have ever been written.
Our fathers and grand-fathers fought in a great war to free Europe from Nazi domination in the 1940's. Many Americans had heard reports of atrocities visted upon the children of Israel but we didn't realize how horrific the situation was until the allies entered the concentration camps. Millions died in these camps; Jews, dissidents, intellectuals, as well as the mentally and physically challenged. Countless souls were tortured and abused, starved, and worked as slaves. All of these atrocities are well documented.
It was right for Americans to help free the survivors of these death camps and to liberate Europe.
Freedom of religion and speech are guaranteed in our own First Amendment. It reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people to peaceably assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." The Bill of Rights
However, Nazi Germany was not alone in using concentration camps to isolate minorities during World War II. We imprisoned many Japanese-Americans in concentration camps of our own as documented by the History Channel.
Fine words indeed, but they are too often forgotten. Consider the plight of immigrants to our nation.
"It's a trope to say America has a long tradition of welcoming immigrants. This is only partially true. It also has a long tradition of treating immigrants with open discrimination and even violent hostility."
PRI (Public Radio International)
Our history offers several examples of new groups of immigrants being greeted with bigotry and violence; Italians, Irish, Germans, and more. All have enrichened the culture and economy. For instance, Chinese immigrants were instrumental in building our railway system in the late 19th century. Many, such as Nikola Tesla, made highly significant contributions to global society. Yet this unfortunate cycle continues today.
Unfortunately immigants are not the only victims of our darker angels.
Consider the experiences of African-Americans who came to the New World against their own will as slaves to enrich our collective lives. Slavery was abolished at the end of the Civil War but this minority group has long been discriminated against. Jim Crow laws legalized segragation from the white majority while the Klu Klux Klan terrorized, brutalized, and killed for too many. Lynchings were commonplace in the early twentieth century and many of civil rights leaders have been killed. Too little is known of the Atlantic slave trade amongst the general population.
Worse yet is the demise of the First Nations. Their land was invaded. Foreign diseases decimated their population. Their hospitality was met with violence and displacement from the ancestral lands to reservations. Dee Brown's "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" should be required reading for high school graduation.
It doesn't have to be this way. We can try harder to live up to the high ideals of our forefathers. If not now, when?
I like to say the only time we have is right now. So here are a few resolutions to you can participate in.
First, Sierra Club South Dakota is beginning to work with Lakota Solar Initiative's Henry Red Cloud to bring more solar power to South Dakota reservations and train Native youth as solar installers. We will soon be making our initial financial contribution from our State Chapter Foundation but that will not sustain the effort for long so we are also woring with ActBlue to create an online fundraising campaign. Watch for it!
Second, we are resisting the administration's attacks on immigration and DACA and plan to build a wall between the United States and Mexico. You can help by contacting your federal representatives and letting them know how you feel. You can dial the Congressional switchgboard at (202) 224-3121.
Third, we reoslve to call on our members to register on any Muslim Registry created by our government as an act of civil disobedience.
Why not join us!
all Men are created equal
The clause "all Men are created equal" is profound.
Notice the word Men is capitalized giving it a broad meaning. The Continental Congress had a specific purpose in choosing this particular spelling as it refers to all mankind. It refers to both men and women, to christians, jews, muslims, and even atheists, to republicans, democrats, and independents, as well as to people of all colors, ethnicities, languages, and nations. Yes, all people are covered in this phrase.
We all have rights and deserve to be treated with respect by our governments, courts, and one another. Political tribalism is therefore unpatriotic as is any form of bigotry.
We owe it to ourselves to reserve judgement, to listen to one another seeking to understand each other's point of view and learn from one another.
We must abandon our prejudices. We too often listen for what we want to hear from others and then shutoff our minds and ears when we believe our suspicions are confirmed. For instance, I was once publicly declared anti-semetic because I chose not to dropout of college and travel to Israel to live in a kibbutz. The person pitching the idea didn't want to hear that I was dedicated to finishing my degree. In her mind anything other than "yes" was anti-semetic. Her closed-mindedness lost her an opportunity to gain a friend.
When you travel across South Dakota on I-90 you will pass the statue called Dignity. Take a break at the rest area by Chamberlain to visit her and think about these matters. Are you treating every person you encounter with the dignity we all deserve?
Recall the Golden Rule, "So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew, 7:12).
Photo courtesy of the Creative Commons
Net Neutrality
Forwarded by John Davidson
Journalist Robin Andrews explained it clearly: "Net neutrality, as a basic principle, guarantees that internet service providers (ISP) and government-run agencies ensure that all legal websites are treated equally, and access to them is open to everyone that has a connection to the Web." —http://www.iflscience.com/policy/fcc-set-destroy-net-neutrality-america-before-christmas/
Net neutrality is essential for political organizing and political participation in the digital age. It is democratic and fair. It is in the national interest. It enables people to access information and sites necessary for communication, education, research, and employment.
"The threat to net neutrality highlights the reliance on social media and an independent press for political organizing in the digital age. Should net neutrality be eliminated, those avenues will likely become curtailed for much of the public or driven out of business due to loss of revenue. Without the means to freely communicate online, citizens will be far less able to challenge the administration. It doesn't matter what cause someone prioritizes: The elimination of net neutrality will impede the ability to understand the cause, discuss it and organize around it." — https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/gutting-net-neutrality-is-a-death-knell-for-the-resistance/article37088279/?utm_source=facebook.com
PLEASE
(1) Write your members of Congress:
(2) Write the FCC commissioners:
- Ajit Pai, Chairman. Ajit.Pai@fcc.gov.
- Mignon Clyburn, Commissioner. Mignon.Clyburn@fcc.gov.
- Michael O'Rielly, Commissioner. Mike.O'Rielly@fcc.gov.
- Brendan Carr, Commissioner. Brendan.Carr@fcc.gov.
- Jessica Rosenworcel, Commissioner. Jessica.Rosenworcel@fcc.gov.
Protect net neutrality. Neutrality on the Internet is the only way to allow democratic participation in communication, education, employment, community and public service, and to access to health, safety, and other information.
Do NOT allow a few corporations to rule the Internet, to censor what we see, to charge higher fees and deliver less.
None of the Internet Service Providers invented or developed the Internet and the Web.
U.S. taxpayers paid for the early development. The defense and research network called ARPANET was online from 1969 into 1989. That became the Internet. Research, development, and expansion was courtesy of government—taxpayer—funding.
The World Wide Web arrived in 1991, courtesy of Tim Berners-Lee in particular. Berners-Lee, often while working at CERN (European Particle Physics Laboratory) in Switzerland, designed a global hypertext database with each data package having a universal and unique identifier and this on as a network he called the World Wide Web. He made the Web available on the Internet in 1991.
Berners-Lee, a Brit, championed Web openness to the point of not filing for intellectual property rights, not taking royalties, and not selling his invention. He gave the Web to the public. He gave us net neutrality!
Do NOT give this global public resource to a few corporation no matter how much they "donated" to politicians and no matter how much they spend in advertising and hiring trolls to promote their greedy objective.
Of course, the ISPs want to charge the public—you and me—more and deliver less.
But the service is already lousy!
The United States ranks 47th in the world in mobile Internet speed. While the US ranks higher in fixed broadband speed, our nation is not among top nations globally, according to Speedtest.
Montana ranks among the states with the slowest Internet speeds. That is when and where a person can even get online in Montana.
The Internet should be regulated as the public utility it has become.
But first, protect net neutrality.
Don’t let the Federal Communication Commission give corporations the power to censor what you see by determining access and access speeds by how much you can pay. You and I cannot afford to pay what corporations and the 1% can pay. We will suffer if we lose net neutrality.
One brave FCC commissioner asks you to fight for net neutrality. NOW. See her plea in the Los Angeles Times at http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-rosenworcel-fcc-net-neutrality-repeal-20171122-story.html/.
PLEASE write members of Congress and the FCC commissioners NOW.
Sincerely,
Anne
