prehistoric bones
The remains of at least 33 Natives were found less than a couple of miles away the other day. The bones date from humans who lived about 3000 BCE, and were found during construction of a multi-million dollar condo project.
Jacob and I went over to see the site last night. Obviously the place was guarded and we couldn’t do much but drive past it, but still. It was awfully surreal. Imagine what our current habitats looked like that long ago…that is, if you can even conceive time in this manner (which I think I cannot). This morning I lit some very special sage and sweetgrass in honor of the disturbance of more than 5,000 years.
Fast, days 1-2ish
So I’ve begun the SOA fast and I’m trying not to think too much about it. Probably I am thinking way too much about it. It’s going well though, much better (so far) than my water fast in Moklei last year. This time I prepared by eating only fruits n veggies and now am simply drinking juiced combos those foods. Am starting to get a slight headache but nothin major.
Had a little philosophical crisis today at work when I felt, more strongly than ever, the ridiculousness of a system where most folks work like dogs for a few minor folks to become rich. “That’s just the way it is” well, the same was once said of slavery, and the 7 day work week. Ah, well…
Time for a little relaxing fun maybe. So much of my time is usually spent on cooking, now what do I do?!
fast to close the SOA/WHINSEC
Close the SOA Fast!
A three day fast to bring attention to the atrocities of the School of the Americas begins tomorrow, April 25th. As Congress prepares to vote on the SOA/WHINSEC, local fasts nationwide will educate new members and put pressure on members who continually have not worked with our movement to close this school of shame. It’s not too late to join this solidarity action! Click on the image below (used to identify fasting participants) for more information, including fasters near you and instructions on beginning a juice fast.
The School of the Americas (SOA), in 2001 renamed the “Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation,” is a combat training school for Latin American soldiers, located at Fort Benning, Georgia. Initially established in Panama in 1946, it was kicked out of that country in 1984 under the terms of the Panama Canal Treaty. Former Panamanian President, Jorge Illueca, stated that the School of the Americas was the “biggest base for destabilization in Latin America.” The SOA, frequently dubbed the “School of Assassins,” has left a trail of blood and suffering in every country where its graduates have returned.
Over its 59 years, the SOA has trained over 60,000 Latin American soldiers in counterinsurgency techniques, sniper training, commando and psychological warfare, military intelligence and interrogation tactics. These graduates have consistently used their skills to wage a war against their own people. Among those targeted by SOA graduates are educators, union organizers, religious workers, student leaders, and others who work for the rights of the poor. Hundreds of thousands of Latin Americans have been tortured, raped, assassinated, “disappeared,” massacred, and forced into refugee by those trained at the School of Assassins.
gardening!
Just finished planting kale, collards, red onions, basil, red and jalapeno peppers. Hopefully the greens aren’t too low in the garden to do well. I don’t know much about gardening so this is all something of an experiment. My strawberries and garlic from a few weeks ago look awesome but unfortunately my germinating cherry tomatoes got left outside during a freak hail storm and I don’t see them fully recovering. They’ll just have to be replanted; it was my fault for being overeager and not heeding the generally accepted frost date for this area. I’m a little curious about the tap water in this area…the terracotta started turning white almost instantly after the strawberries were planted. Hmm. Something new to Google, perhaps…
oh no…it’s reached that point again, I always know it will, when I miss everyone from and everyplace in Moklei so bad it hurts…and it’s weird after barely seeing anyone this weekend with all the running around and event restructuring and whatnot….but last night all I could do before sleeping was think about the “cool” factor of the weekend versus my memories of daily life in Immokalee. Like the newcomers at HOB “the CIW is so cool!!” but which part is the cool part? The poverty, the exploitation, or the…well, the victory. All right. The CIW is pretty cool. Time for another rundown. I miss: spending all day sweating, in and out of the office, and then going to someone’s house for dinner. And spicy sauce from la michoacana. I even miss dinners at “la seis”. I miss Oannes like crazy. I miss waking up in the sun and putting on a movie while cooking lunch with the screen door open and sand blowing in. I miss drinking bloody marys, sitting on top of the dryer outside and watching the little lizards run in and out of the holes in the shed. I really miss sitting up late at night when everyone else went to sleep, on the couch at the convent, feeling some of my most intense feelings ever, then waking up in the sun, again, and everything being just like always.
The tour bus just called, asking for good buffets around the Louisville area. I feel better. Maybe things will be more or less, just like always.
today at work
I was training on “the register” so as to be more useful around the store when things get busy. Guess it’s been awhile since my customer service days (at least where monetary exchange takes place) because several things struck me during my 50 minute stint in the front of the store. The thing is I like customer service, because it generally involves one or both of the parties coming out more knowledgeable than when they first came in. About herbs, or grains, or health in general. It’s fun! So it was a surprise when
At one point a lady came to check out with a bunch of produce (significant because you have to look up and weigh every item). Jen was standing right there in case I needed help. After a few items the woman said, with a smile, “Sorry, but I’m in a huge rush. Could you possibly hurry this up?” Right away I stepped aside and let Jen take over, thinking that at least the woman had been nice about my lack of skill — though I thought I’d been going fairly quickly.
As soon as the lady left, Jen began talking about how rude that customer was, how I was doing fine and not to let that bother me. I pointed out how the lady spoke nicely and probably really did just need to get home and get to choir practice and cook her husband’s dinner (yes, people always tell you stuff like that in these places). Jen pointed out how the woman took her sweet time collecting herself before strolling out the door, and even as we spoke we saw her window-shopping down the way before meandering to her car. Jen says “That type of person doesn’t want to rush, they just want to rush you.” But she was so “nice” about it! Subtle power trip? Or subtle repressed-womyn aggression (“cooking my husband’s dinner”)?
This is totally one of those little things that actually point to something bigger. There’s something larger at work here because it isn’t just once in a blue moon…it’s a constant occurrence (at least at the register where money is exchanged — this doesn’t happen much in other places, say, when customers just want questions answered) . It’s the rare customer who comes up to a register concerned with what’s best for everyone involved, that’s not what capitalism teaches. The servers are part of the underclass, right, and every time this happens I can’t help but think…I dunno…it’s not about me having to deal with some mildly annoying or incovenient situations. That’s tiny compared to the larger-scale abuses of power that makes up an exploitative society. I was ready to be immediately apologetic because “the customer’s always right (therefore you’re wrong and don’t count)” and luckily there was a co-worker there to make me think about standing up for myself and analyzing the true situation at hand. Well Jen also talked about the woman’s ”bad” energy and negative aura permeating her being but maybe we’re all really just talking about the same things, just using vastly different terminology. I do find capitalism to have a terrible aura of bullshit.
