Remembering the London Bombings and Non-Violence – July 8, 2012

Posted

 “It is only the small groups, who know that they cannot get sufficient popular support, that resort to methods of violence, imagining in their folly that they can gain their ends this way.”   — Jawaharlal Nehru

The BBC’s historical news programs are quite excellent—I just finished listening to a piece about the London terrorist bombings of 2005, while eating breakfast. A London resident, originally from El Salvador, talked about her experience of being in a car on the London Underground that was bombed and hearing this took me back to that day (and the day before)…

People tend to be quite taken aback when they learn that the majority of individuals on Texas Death Row have many far Right Wing viewpoints on issues concerning society, politics, religion, etc. Sad, but true.

Chris Hedges Interview and Social Struggle – July 2, 2012

Posted

“In the promulgation of the totalitarian belief system, at first we are told we all have a right to an opinion, in short, a right to believe anything. Soon, under the iron control of an empowered totalitarian movement, facts become worthless, kept or discarded…Lies become true. And once the totalitarians are in power, facts are ruthlessly manipulated or kept hidden to support the lie.”  — Chris Hedges, American Fascists

Once the effects of the earlier gassing wore off I got up, flipped on KPFT and listened to an interview with Chris Hedges on Sonali Kolhatkar’s show Uprising. While listening to it I did my mix of Yoga, strength training, jujitsu and Shaolin Qi Gong. I find Chris Hedges’ work interesting and thought provoking—though I do not agree with all of his positions and tactics and strategy—and several thoughts came to mind while working out and listening to the interview.

A Gesture Of Appreciation…And A Gassing – June 30, 2012

Posted

INSIGHTS FROM TEXAS DEATH ROW

“Our hands imbibe like roots, so I place them on what is beautiful in this world.”

St. Francis of Assisi

Well-Well-Well!—Happy Birthday to me/Happy Birthday to me/Happy-Happy-Happy-Happy Birthday to Me! Yesterday was the best birthday I’ve had since I’ve been locked up. I went to a legal visit and did an immense amount of legal work, which is a very good thing. Then I came back and immersed myself in the lovely little stacks of envelopes I received for my birthday that were filled with all sorts of love, inspiration and solidarity. This means very much to me—words can just never begin to properly express how much so.

Solitary Confinement And The Mentally Ill – June 26, 2012

Posted

“My experience was hell. I always liken it to something that you would consider to be your worst nightmare. I had to go through that experience every day for 18 years. And it was just no way to live.”    – Anthony Graves, on Democracy Now!, 6.22.12

There has been much talk in the media lately about the effects solitary confinement, which of course is a very good thing. It never ceases to amaze me how far prison officials will go to deny the reality of what goes on in solitary. They deny everything. And this is something to keep in mind that is rarely discussed: 95% of the horrible things that go on in solitary units are never revealed. We are talking about highly isolated worlds—buildings that are completely shut off from the outside world and even the rest of the prison.

Love Is….. – June 23, 2012

Posted

Waking up to Erykah Badu’s “A Lovely Thing”. The KTSU station is coming in and this is rare. I absolutely love Erykah—her music is filled with so much soul, Earth rhythms, musical passion and just pure beauty. Ah, now the Soul—R&B classic “Love & Happiness” by Al Green is on…

“The Power of Love…” People often are struck by the fact that I experience, that I feel, and am filled with so much love and happiness in this wretched environment.

Janis Joplin On KPFT – April 15, 2012

Posted

On Sunday Blues plays all day on 90.1 KPFT quite a beautiful thing.

Right now Janis Joplin is singing a song I really like. “Don’t turn your back on love…” “Get it while you can…” A good message. 

You should go, listen to this song, and when you’re doing so ask yourself if you’re cultivating love in your life, spreading love, embracing love, utilizing love as a guiding principle in all you do.

Trayvon Martin – April 13, 2012

Posted

So, George Zimmerman, the murderer of Trayvon Martin has finally been arrested. This case, this situation, is so very sad in so many ways. Last night I got a newspaper with a picture of Trayvon in it. It’s the first picture I’ve actually seen of him, and when I saw it, I froze and tears came to my eyes as I thought “a child, he was just a child!”