June 6th. Sunday: Shawna the “antiquarian” and I met Ted Timreck the anthropologist (producer of the History Channel Segment “The Red Paint People”) at the Beekman Arms and went in search of a stone structure in the wilderness of darkest Rhinebeck, NY which Shawna had seen seven years ago. We spent several hours marching up and down steep hilly pathways in the forest behind Shawna, our guide, but we could not find the stones. Our discussions however turned out to be important, and we all realized the importance of the stones. We found a pile of loose stones, and Ted filmed me talking about other similar piles in Rhinebeck which local lore says are cairn burials of late 19th century Mohicans. He used that clip for a new film on stone structures. Ted then treated us to a light lunch at Schermy’s Diner on Main Street, and we had a great chat, swapping tales and ideas. Ted as a filmmaker is trying to overcome the racial stereotype that Eastern Algonquins were/are backwards and primitive and incapable of creating stone structures. I as an Ethnic Algonquin am trying to help. Algonquins are the landkeepers for much of North America, and are by tradition, extremely peaceful people. What befalls the Algonquins is therefore important to the entire world as they are in a powerful position to pray for peace to emanate from the United States (and Canada) if and when it is possible. Certain “official” powerful offices seem determined to keep alive the myth that the Algonquins were a few scattered beggars with no culture, people that we are better off without. The opposite is true. Even though we didn’t find our “quarry” (sorry for the pun) our conversation increased our enthusiasm for the task. What we didn’t know was that an amazing discovery had been just a hundred feet away from us at one point, and we didn’t know. Since I’d been fasting, I was quite pooped when I got to Shawna’s, and had to rest. I was so zonked that when I awoke I had no idea where I was at first. Shawna has an amazing collection of books, I read from Mercia Eliadie’s Shamanism. Then we talked about peace and justice issues for an hour, and it helped inspire me to start this blog.
Author: mopress
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Pritchard's Preface
Posted by Evan Pritchard at http://www.peacefile.org/wordpress
June 6th is the first day of my Peaceblog Diary to be posted. In this Peaceblog I will attempt to record some of the more significant events of my life as I work with others for peace and justice here in the US and Canada, and around the world. Peacefile webmaster Greg Moses and I discussed the various types of blogs via email and I suggested this was perhaps the “real” blog, the day to day nitty-gritty work trying to keep people informed and inspired towards peaceful solutions. As Gandhi said, peace must be re-won every day. These recorded here are a few of the highlights of each day, and perhaps a few low lights as well. I have always enjoyed reading other people’s blogs, but have had trouble finding the time to do my own. I like blogs where people write deeply about very small, but moving incidents; blogs that go on for a page or two about the cat coughing up a hair ball, but in a way that makes you really care about their cat. This is not that kind of blog; but maybe some will find it amusing and inspiring as well. It is an ‘action’ blog, of one person working for change in concert with many others.
I have kept some notes from the previous five months of what I nicknamed “my Promethean Year” back in January; the name has turned out to be fitting, as it has been a struggle to keep my light shining amid such chaos and darkness as many are experiencing now. I will attempt to create and post a back file of significant moments earlier in 2004 as well, as time permits.
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Counterpunch readers respond:
Dear Greg–
A friend emailed me your story about the workers of Nasiriyah and the WCP of Iraq. I was thrilled to read your well-written and rare report on the third and only progressive alternative in Iraq. I have been doing solidarity work with the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq (OWFI) for the past year, and as you may know, this courageous women’s organization is also openly affiliated with the Worker Communist Party of Iraq. In addition to their amazing work organizing factory workers and the unemployed, WPI is also the only party that actively supports and fights for women’s equality in Iraq. Iraqi women have a long history of militant activism and this is why they enjoyed more rights than women in most Middle Eastern countries. And it never ceases to amaze me that one of the results of the US occupation and proclaimed “liberation” is to turn back the clock on Iraqi women’s hard-earned rights by 50 years. How Bush manages this PR campaign in the face of what’s happening to women in Iraq is one of the great feats of the modern age.
Our solidarity committee is a small group of 8 (very dedicated) women and we have had a steep up-hill battle against the left in NYC, trying to get them to support the progressive grassroots struggle in Iraq and look more critically at the likes of al-Sadr and company, especially as they relate to women.
So I just wanted to say thank you for your article (which I’ve sent over my large email list) Writings such as yours can make a big difference.
Best Regards,
Jennifer Fasulo
Solidarity with Organization of Women’s Freedom in
Iraq (SOWFI)sowfiorg@hotmail.com
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Dear Greg,I was impressed by your coverage of the UUI and Worker Communist party and would encourage you to read more articles and press releases by the WCPI. I think your right on target when you disclosed the dualistic perspective of war, that I think many on the Left, here in the states, have on the Iraqi war. In an attempt to gain political momentum through campaigning against the US/Brit occupation, and ultimately to appeal to ordinary working Americans, American Left groups such as the ISO, synthesizes the “Iraqi resistance” with “socialist resistance,” because it’s an easy sell for them. Especially when they are focused on “racism” and “plundering” as the characteristic of imperialist war. A) Analyzing Iraqi society as a modern-capitalist society with a strong economy and work-force, B) communicating with Iraqi laborers, forming international support groups and representative committees, and C) strengthening the, for the most part untold secular-civil protest of laborers, is the real and complex task of progressive people around the world. It may seems easier but is really less effective, to just wave a “US out of Iraq” banner and latch on to nationalist “anti-imperialist” movements grounded in Iraq.
A telling case in point is the Iranian revolution of 1979. A popular revolution turned “Islamic” as Khomeini, funded by the then marginalized traditional petty-bourgeoisie of Iran, “nationalized” the revolution via politico-religious categories and founded a new enemy: not capitalism, the SAVAK or corporatism under the Shah, but the “Great Satan, America.” Technically, Iran was an example of “self-determination.” An historic _expression of a foreign power (the Shah being US’s puppet) being booted out by Iranian themselves. What was the outcome of that heroic independence: 23 years of theocratic rule….and the total Islamicization of society! This is why we can’t afford to critically or uncritically support what many on the left color as “national liberationist,” since the local bourgeoisie will remain in power and preserve the capitalist mode of production, patriarchy, and isolationism.
Haydar
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Mr. Moses,
I don’t have much to say, except thank you for writing your wonderful
article in Counterpunch on the Iraqi labor movement. Like you, I now
want to know much more about brave these people. If you discover anything
else, please write another article!
Brian Callaci (American studying in London) -
Iraq: A Spiral of Conflict
Iraq is in a race against time. Currently, the spiral of conflict is outpacing the political
dialogue and consensus-building required to conduct successful elections, adopt a viable
constitution, and form a legitimate national government.Click to access iraq-report02.pdf
IRAQ AS A FAILED STATE: A SIX MONTH PROGRESS REPORT (Report #2: October 2003 through March 2004) PAULINE H. BAKER, THE FUND FOR PEACE: Washington, D.C., MAY 25, 2004.
MoPress 