On Their Tab

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IMG_4878

IMG_4878 (Photo credit: joelogon)

Can you hear that? In the distance? Can you feel the drumbeat in the ground? Is it coming from Iran? Maybe it’s Syria. For a while I thought it was North Korea, but I don’t think so. Can you hear the drums of war getting louder and louder? I can. I can hear it in the rhetoric of our leaders. I can hear it in the facile rationalizations of our “liberal” media. I can hear it in the militaristic cheer leading of family members’ Facebook posts. I hope I am wrong, but it seems inevitable that some time soon we will be sending our troops across the sea, again, despite the fact that we still have not paid for our last two adventures, both of which we have not finished. Indeed, the fear created by our debt hawks here probably has so many Americans eager for the release of bloodshed. Continue reading →

A Life of Peace

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Richie Havens 280519720010

Richie Havens 280519720010 (Photo credit: Heinrich Klaffs)

We rarely are allowed to remember those who come to us to teach peace. As children we are taught of all the generals and warlords throughout history. You leave high school knowing Hannibal, the Caesars, George Washington, Robert E Lee, Ulysses Grant, MacArthur and Patton. We learn all the wars, especially the American wars and are generally given the impression that military might and the willingness to kill are the marks of a good and strong society. Too seldom to we learn about men of peace in our schools. Aside from Christ and Siddhartha, men who are tied to the founding of religions with all sorts of other baggage attached, who might you have learned about as a student? You were of course taught about King, and if you were lucky, Gandhi. There is no room for others in our endless curricula of worshiping the sword. Continue reading →

The Primal Urge(s)

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Peace Party (UK)

Peace Party (UK) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It is hard to come up with words when horror rears its ugly head. I find myself envious of those who manage to do so both prolifically and with grace in the face of terrible days like today. So many people hurt and killed here and abroad, it becomes hard to believe we can ever get past our baser instincts. When does it become OK to target innocents for violence, for your religious or political beliefs, or for your “security?” What cold, cruel logic do you have to follow in order to approve of two groups of people being terrorized at any time much less during what should be a happy occasion? Continue reading →

Ten Years Later

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Iraq War Demonstration

Iraq War Demonstration (Photo credit: Misserion)

 

It is astounding how much can change in a decade and equally amazing how some things do not change. Ten years ago I was still deep in the closet about my gender identity. Ten years ago I was in college studying political science and international relations. Ten years ago I thought, despite my distrust of the motives of our leaders, that sending our military into Iraq was a good idea.  Continue reading →

Finding Common Ground In Our Differences

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If I haven’t mentioned this before, though I am pretty sure I have, being trans is not for the faint of heart. We face being ostracized by our families, harassment at work, confusion in public spaces and even violence. We are often marginalized even by those that fight for the disenfranchised. In particular we often experience some rather brutal rhetoric from the radical feminist community. Continue reading →