Wig in a Box - The Fall of the Berlin Wall

Today is the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. I visited Berlin and the still standing guardstand in 2004 while I was traveling through Eastern Europe not waiting tables. While traveling Poland and Hungary all the way south to Istanbul, I spoke with many people about their own observations of the volatile presidential election the US had a few years prior and the upcoming election the month after I landed in Krakow. But sometimes people just wanted to talk about democracy and what it meant to them to an American. It was a really intense time (Oct 04 - Jan 05) for me to be traveling as I was always in some conversation about the fate of my country. People I met wanted to take me out for beers so we could talk about what the actions of MY president were having on their own country, even with my statements that Bush as not MY president.

Some of the most profound conversations I had were with young Polish people who were benefiting from the fall of communism while their parents and grandparents were not or at least were in a cultural struggle to understand what democracy meant or could mean. The Christian Science Monitor published this article todayabout the mental freedom of east Germans when the wall fell.

In 1989, I was old enough to understand that something was happening, but not old enough to understand what was happening. I don't remember hearing about the 1988 Burmese student and monk massacres but I do remember some story telling about the Tiananmen Square massacres. I've always been extremely interested in history and politics and government, maybe these events during a time when I was just beginning to understand that a world existed around me was the foundation of this interest.

I’m sure you know where I’m going with this conversation, where does climate change fit in the long list of great human rights struggles and what lessons does our movement need to learn from the fall of the Berlin wall?

I read an article that discusses the ending of jihad to the falling of the Berlin wall. The article talks about east Germans being able to see their western counterparts have success and material items that they couldn't with a mix of the societal impacts of the Helsinki Accords of the agreement with the Soviet Union on the freedom of thought, conscience and religion. I think this is a much too simplistic view of terrorism, social impacts of mass illiteracy, and the now bursting anger in young and poor Muslim boys and men that is threatening the balance of our world. (Balance might not be a good word in this case as there can never really be a balance when it comes to peace and war)

Just like the fall of communism was a shift in reality for my parents generation, I think that global leadership on climate change solutions is my generations moment of shifting reality. What the climate change movement is missing is a thing like the Berlin Wall. The solutions and the problems of climate change are scattered and so connected that it is hard to wrap your head around it in many ways. I say scattered in the context of there being so many places that it impacts and so many ways in which to make a difference from ending mountaintop removal to new technology for cars and electronics, that it is hard to see how you fit into it. It is still an academics issue of sorts.

Without a one problem one location one solution campaign, it is difficult for people to feel accountable for their own actions and the actions of their neighbors. Just like in the Civil Rights movement in the US, shifts in societal norms come when a son can shame a father into action and then into a belief of why those actions are necessary. Climate change does not have a wall or footage of children walking out of school into the streets of fire hoses. It interesting to see footage of melting icecaps but I can’t touch that and I can’t understand what that means to my life. I can’t see the impacts of that walking to the grocery store and I've never dreamt of seeing an icecap in the first place.

We have been taught by organizations that are willing to make big compromises and not wanting to make moms and dads feel bad about their actions that exchanging your disposable plastic grocery bag for a canvass one that you bring with you is enough. Conserving water is enough. That turning out the lights is enough. That owning a reuseable water bottle is enough. But it isn't. The problem with climate change is that it is so easy to move the blame around and not be held accountable. Why can we get a tea-bagger protest in DC but not a climate change impacts protest? We have yet to build a movement that makes sense to people, but more importantly people are not angry enough.

I feel that having concerted efforts in the first impacted places would make a real difference for the rest of the population. The Maldives held a government climate meeting underwater not too long ago as a symbol of where their country is headed. As activists these are the types of events we should be doing in addition to the 350 day of action type events (not too mention the shutting down of sources of pollution like coal fired power plants and mountaintop removal facilities). And I'm tired of championing bullshit politicians that aren't really doing anything to help our country. Those of us in the movement are frustrated that we aren't able to make the case clear enough, but we too are scattered and too self-important to have honest and heated conversations that lead to a unified voice. Our calls for action is not how climate change solutions will be won, it will be won in the streets by pregnant moms alongside their angry family members.

We are beginning to see more civil disobedience demanding for climate change solutions. There have been several banner hangs throughout the US this year and in Barcelona last week African nations walked out of the debate because of the (in)action of developed countries who are not taking the impacts to developing nations seriously. Though we saw those types of walk outs many times during the Doha trade negotiations, which has still not been settled.

I do believe that these international talks are important but we must learn that they will not solve our problems. I believe that until we can make climate change real through creating urgency by shaming or applauding our neighbors (yes, the ones that live in the apartment next door) we will not see governments take action because there are no substantial consequences for their inaction.

No better way to celebrate the 20 year anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall than a viewing of Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

From a rainy, cold, and grey Amsterdam,
Renee Claire

You Don't Meet Nice Girls in Coffee Shops

Bored and lonely. These are two things that people spend their entire lives running from. People create all kinds of things, like Risk, to avoid being bored and lonely. Growing up I was often told that there is never a reason to be bored and if you are it just meant that you were boring. I often thought of these talks as child abuse, but as I have travel several parts of the world extensively on my own, I've come to realize that those moments are for processing what you have seen and experienced. You aren't ever really bored or lonely. I think that's what my mom was really trying to tell me when I whined how bored I was.

I've been traveling for two weeks, though its not really traveling since I have a job and an apartment. I've had a couple bored and lonely moments. Earlier this week I had a solo dance party, discovered some great new music and thought through some things for work. I've realized over the past ten years or so that I need these moments. I really need them and cherish them when they arrive suddenly. They have helped me to make very important decisions, such as the one that got me here, to Amsterdam. The many months leading up to making that decision were difficult, complex, and extremely frustrating but the decision wasn't.

Enough about my boring life, let's talk New Orleans and Barcelona.

The New Orleans office of ACORN was raided yesterday by Louisiana Attorney Generals office who seized computers and hard drives in a tax fraud and embezzlement investigation. In other New Orleans news, Campbell Brown did a follow up story to a young man, a 13 year old kid actually, she met in the days following Katrina. Brown met Charles Evans when he was 9 years old as he led her and her camera crew through the super dome asking anyone that would listen to please help his family and community. The story is of our own humanity but the comments at the bottom of the CNN page that discribe Evans' story tells something else. It etches out the story of why we didn't help New Orleanians in the those first few days. It whispers deep seated institutional racism that makes one wonder whether Americans will ever break free.

Here are a couple comments:

"this is so yesterday's news. Why not do "Unemployment victims of the current Obama's recession? or "Why can't Obama get anything done including fixing the economy?"

"Gee back to square one. I guess he never has figured out that working to support himself might be something to try. The Katrina "victims" have victimized this country for far too long."

"This is ridiculous, it has been four years since Katrina. These people are wallowing in their own filth because they are too lazy to actually improve their situation. It is time to actually take initiative, and get on your feet New Orleans."

"Why should we feel sorry for this kid? His grandmother made the choice to move back to NO...so now the rest of the country should go rescue him and save him from the horrors of the 9th ward? Crap. Get a JOB!!!!"

:He is a teenager. Grab a shovel, a hammer, a pick ax, or go stock groceries at the local store. There are plenty of people worse off than this guy. If he really wants to make the best of his situation he will, or he will keep looking for handouts."

"Not more Katrina victems....

Get over it, get a job, go to a shelter and deal with the bad situation you have. But DON'T blame it on a year old hurricane. I'm in Houston, we had Ike and we are over it. Matter of fact I've been in six different hurricanes and no time did I label my self a "Hurricane surivior and not get myself back on my feet. Heck I fought in two war OAF, OIF , and your a surivior from a rain storm? A rain storm?!

Why is New Orleans with billions pumped into it take ten times longer than Houston who got almost no aid after Ike taking so long? Or is it they just want more free aid....

Take control and rebuild and do it now...Just like Houston did."

Granted the comments bashing these above outnumber the negative ones posted. Give a read to them if you have a couple minutes. It's real overview of what our country is struggling with right now and how 4 years after Katrina we haven't been able to wrap our minds around what happened and why we let it happen and why we still can't mitigate the consequences. Not only are the kids and families that survived Katrina in turmoil, but so are the families of the boys that were flown back from Iraq the next morning to patrol the streets and keep any sort of peace. We brought kids back home to Louisiana (these kids joined the national guard and then found themselves in Iraq) from a violent experience to bring peace to a city with a history of hundreds of years of violence and poverty along racial lines. We just dump problems onto problems and then get confused when it doesn't sort itself upright. Then we see one kid make it and think, 'see he made it, everyone else deserves their sorrow'.

I love my country and I think that I respect people's opinions (or that people have the right to have opinions), but I get nervous that I just don't have what it takes to make a real difference sometimes. This story and the comments below are just a simple sketch of what our country really resembles. I have to say that many of the comments are from people who also survived Katrina or who went to New Orleans to help in some way and many are offering support to Charles, from providing a place to live, to help getting into a better school, to 'I don't know what to do but I'll give it a go anyway'. And I think that it shows we have a base of good people here, we just get lost in the details because we keep thinking that someone else out there with more authority is going to help correct these things. We keep looking to our politicians but they are barely worth anything. They are so stymied in their own search for power that they can't recognize their place to make real change happen.

Time for action for climate justice? Fuck yeah it is. See what happened in Barcelona this week.

Well . . its grey, cold and raining outside. Must be a Fall weekend afternoon in Amsterdam. I think I'll take a nap. Need to rest up for later.

Museum Night is tonight. All the museums throw parties until 6am! How will we pace ourselves?

Renee

Sunday Gumbo: All Things Savage

Savage: Mossville, LA is located a few hours north of where I was born and hosts so many polluting facilities that it has become known as Cancer Alley. Not too long ago a long time community activist, David Price, had an expected but rather routine kitchen fire, which eventually took his life this past August. The fire company could not appropriately extinguish this very routine kitchen fire in the same amount of time that another company in a more urban area would be able to because there is insufficient water hookups and low water pressure in the hydrants they do have. This area is a hub of polluting chemical facilities (14 in all) and there is not enough infrastructure to put out a routine kitchen fire in an appropriate amount of time and energy. Parish officials are refusing to hold community conversations with residents who are desperate need of better emergency response.

Not only are the chemical companies that are poisoning this community overlooking basic human rights but they are lobbying against chemical security reform. The American Chemistry Council is now on a full fledged attack against safer technology and upgrading chemical infrastructure. This has nothing to do with supporting the economy and ensuring jobs. This is a play for power and money. These companies do not care about jobs because they do not care about people. They don't care about Mossville and they do not care what your child in ingesting in his apple juice in the morning.

Savage Public Relations: The American Chemistry Council recently announced that it will be donating plastic water bottles to LA students as a way to teach the importance of recycling and drinking more water. Drinking water instead of sugary soda is good. Having a reusable water bottle instead of buying plastic bottles all the time is good. Having an organization that lobbies against the reduction of toxic chemicals in plastic and throws millions of dollars to attack organizations and communities that are trying to eliminate toxic chemicals in our bodies, products we purchase, and planet hand out plastic reusable bottles is shady public relations. It's hard to be positive about this one action when so much of what ACC does everyday is against healthy and safe communities.

When I speak about the importance of eliminating toxic chemicals in products, I speak specifically about the life cyle of each product. Where and how is it made? What happens when people come in contact with the finished product? Where and how is it disposed of? We must judge corporations the same way. If one day out of the year they hand out plastic bottles (which may or may not have leaching toxic chemicals) to poor kids, then on the 364 other days they strip communities of their rights to self perservation, clean water, clean air, and chemical security, what are they really doing? How important are those water bottles in the bigger picture? I say stop with the bullshit public relations, stop embarassing your families, and start doing real work that will actually make our communities safer and healthier.

Savage Love: I love Dan Savage. I first discovered him while I was working the graveyard shift at an all night diner. His column appears in the Washington City Paper and I began reading it during the time when Rick Santorum was spewing hate from all his orifices. If you don't know the column Savage Love, I'm not going to go into great detail here, but it's a sex column for today's sexuality, not some relationship column from the 50s. He is very graphic, non-judgemental, and very honest.

He's also a political commentator. And often weaves political themes into his sex advice. As we all know sex and politics is closely, very closely related in the United States. Especially if you are being told not to use condoms in your public school sex education class, if you get sex education classes at all, and then taught to condemn young parents (girls mostly) for being poor and of color and having babies.

Anyways, Dan Savage is awesome and I listen to his podcast all the time. Great commuting materials, though its very strange to be listening about the complexities of double penetration during rush hour on the DC metro. A good friend and I often quote things from his podcasts because he gives such great personal advice. How to feel confident in your personal decisions, how to show compassion to yourself and to the people around you, and how to get someone off in almost any situation and circumstance. All good things to know. Check his column out.