Showing posts with label protest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label protest. Show all posts
Saturday, March 28, 2026
NO KINGS 3.28.26
I am marching today.
Each time I attend a rally and march, the crowd gets bigger and bigger. Protesting is a way to energize, to gather strength, to embolden your friends and neighbors to join. To be a wrench in the machine, to create a wall of resistance. The right don't like these marches and rallies ... which is exactly why we need to continue gathering and marching and protesting. I love my country and I am not going to watch it turned into a controlled, propagandist, intolerant regime ... that is not what the United States was ever meant to be.
https://www.nokings.org/
Here, below, is the Declaration of Independence. It reads like a current list of transgressions by the current occupant of the White House and his entire administration.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Sunday, March 15, 2026
Keith says "RESIST!"
"In 1988 Keith created the logo for an organization called Refuse & Resist! R&R! opposed censorship, war and police brutality. The organization dissolved in 2006 but this image still resonates very strongly today & is one of the most widely shared Haring images on the internet."
--The Keith Haring Foundation
https://www.haring.com/
Labels:
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Wednesday, March 4, 2026
Just finished reading...
"Giving Up Is Unforgivable: A Manual for Keeping a Democracy" by Joyce Vance (a Distinguished Professor of the Practice of Law at The University of Alabama, and former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama from 2009 to 2017 appointed by Obama).
A friend of mine gave me her copy of this uplifting book to read, saying that she found it to be a helpful antidote to the fear and disappointment many of us in the former United States of America are living with. And she was right, it was wonderful to be reminded that the government is not broken, the principles are not broken, Congress is not broken, the Supreme Court is not broken, the office of the President is not broken, the concept of Democracy itself is not broken...these things remain whole, innocent, waiting to be used in an ethical, moral way. It is some of the people within these positions and institutions that are broken. The bedrock is intact. But we the people have the power and obligation to remove and replace the broken ones with those who believe in the Constitution, Democracy, and the ideals of what we can continue to achieve as a Nation.
The book's blurb says:
We’re in this together.
For the past several years, Joyce Vance has signed off posts on her chart-topping Substack, "Civil Discourse", with these four words. In that time, she has guided readers through a continued erosion of democratic norms, the unprecedented felony conviction of an ex-president, and the constitutionally calamitous beginning to the second Trump administration. Here, Vance offers a blueprint for avoiding burnout and despair, and for strengthening our democratic muscle.
Giving Up Is Unforgivable is a clarion call to action, putting our current crisis in historical context and sketching out a vision for where we go next. Vance’s message is hopeful at its heart, even as it acknowledges the daunting challenges that lie ahead. She is the constitutional law professor you never knew you needed, explaining the legal context and the political history— and why the rule of the law still matters. At the same time, she empowers the reader to do something, both as individuals and collectively.
Consider this the birth of a countermovement to Project 2025, a rallying cry for citizen engagement to combat the second Trump administration and save American democracy.
Recommend? Yes, it is a wonderful, easy read: six succinct chapters allow her to make her case and outline a paradigm. If you could use some fortification against the daily onslaught of vicious cruelty and ineptitude, buy a copy and read carefully!
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/801635/giving-up-is-unforgivable-by-joyce-vance/
https://joycevance.substack.com/
A friend of mine gave me her copy of this uplifting book to read, saying that she found it to be a helpful antidote to the fear and disappointment many of us in the former United States of America are living with. And she was right, it was wonderful to be reminded that the government is not broken, the principles are not broken, Congress is not broken, the Supreme Court is not broken, the office of the President is not broken, the concept of Democracy itself is not broken...these things remain whole, innocent, waiting to be used in an ethical, moral way. It is some of the people within these positions and institutions that are broken. The bedrock is intact. But we the people have the power and obligation to remove and replace the broken ones with those who believe in the Constitution, Democracy, and the ideals of what we can continue to achieve as a Nation.
The book's blurb says:
We’re in this together.
For the past several years, Joyce Vance has signed off posts on her chart-topping Substack, "Civil Discourse", with these four words. In that time, she has guided readers through a continued erosion of democratic norms, the unprecedented felony conviction of an ex-president, and the constitutionally calamitous beginning to the second Trump administration. Here, Vance offers a blueprint for avoiding burnout and despair, and for strengthening our democratic muscle.
Giving Up Is Unforgivable is a clarion call to action, putting our current crisis in historical context and sketching out a vision for where we go next. Vance’s message is hopeful at its heart, even as it acknowledges the daunting challenges that lie ahead. She is the constitutional law professor you never knew you needed, explaining the legal context and the political history— and why the rule of the law still matters. At the same time, she empowers the reader to do something, both as individuals and collectively.
Consider this the birth of a countermovement to Project 2025, a rallying cry for citizen engagement to combat the second Trump administration and save American democracy.
Recommend? Yes, it is a wonderful, easy read: six succinct chapters allow her to make her case and outline a paradigm. If you could use some fortification against the daily onslaught of vicious cruelty and ineptitude, buy a copy and read carefully!
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/801635/giving-up-is-unforgivable-by-joyce-vance/
https://joycevance.substack.com/
Friday, February 20, 2026
"American Obituary" by U2
As someone living in the former United States of America, I tearfully thank you, U2.
The cover was photographed in Chapelle Saint-Pierre in the town of Villefranche-sur-Mer, one of my favorite places. The interior was painted by the legendary Jean Cocteau, previously here.
https://www.u2.com/
"American Obituary" is from the new U2 EP "Days of Ash" out now.
The cover was photographed in Chapelle Saint-Pierre in the town of Villefranche-sur-Mer, one of my favorite places. The interior was painted by the legendary Jean Cocteau, previously here.
https://www.u2.com/
Saturday, October 18, 2025
Thursday, July 17, 2025
"Toughen Up"
At a private fundraiser, President Obama gave a speech that expresses what many of us are thinking and feeling right now. As today is Good Trouble Day in honor of Rep. John Lewis on the fifth anniversary of his death with protests around the country (I will be attending one!), please read on...
Original MSNBC post on IG: https://www.instagram.com/p/DMGhdeVSVPw
President Obama: https://barackobama.com/
Democratic Party: https://democrats.org/
Original MSNBC post on IG: https://www.instagram.com/p/DMGhdeVSVPw
President Obama: https://barackobama.com/
Democratic Party: https://democrats.org/
Labels:
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Wednesday, June 11, 2025
Democracy at a Crossroads
I am proud of my governor for his fearless speech and actions. And he is right, the theatrical overreaction from the Empire of Darkness was for show, to intimidate, sow fear, and escalate the tension; the situation in L.A. was not dangerous. 98% of protests were peaceful. The L.A. Times published an article, here, refuting the idea that the city was on the verge of collapse and calling out the grotesque distortion of reality.
"California may be first but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next, democracy is next. Democracy is under assault before our eyes. This moment we feared has arrived."
https://campaignfordemocracy.com/
https://www.gov.ca.gov/
"California may be first but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next, democracy is next. Democracy is under assault before our eyes. This moment we feared has arrived."
https://campaignfordemocracy.com/
https://www.gov.ca.gov/
Labels:
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Friday, July 26, 2024
BEAUTY: Painting--BENKA
I just discovered the work of BENKA. His artist statement on his site explains it all:
BENKA opposes mankind´s dangerous game of underestimating the consequences of AI. Whether it is the digitization of our social relations through the invasion of smartphone screens, the progressive introduction of humanoids and cyber-surveillance, our contemporary society is facing a crazy mutation.
His artistic approach aims to expose the question of the robotization of our world. If we are still very far from a war against robots as seen in the series of Terminator, our time calls in his opinion to the questioning of our relationship to artificial intelligence. If A.I. has a considerable advantage in fields such as medicine or astronomy, on the other hand, it presents many drawbacks and raises both questions and concerns.
These numbers and letters in his paintings are captchas.
A captcha is a program that protects websites from bots by generating tests that humans can perform unlike malicious computer programs (robots). The captcha is used to verify, for example, that you are a human when connecting to an interface (login) or to avoid "SPAM" on your mailboxes for contact forms on your website.
These captchas are interpreted by BENKA and transformed into a symbol of his artistic struggle.
https://www.instagram.com/benka.1
BENKA opposes mankind´s dangerous game of underestimating the consequences of AI. Whether it is the digitization of our social relations through the invasion of smartphone screens, the progressive introduction of humanoids and cyber-surveillance, our contemporary society is facing a crazy mutation.
His artistic approach aims to expose the question of the robotization of our world. If we are still very far from a war against robots as seen in the series of Terminator, our time calls in his opinion to the questioning of our relationship to artificial intelligence. If A.I. has a considerable advantage in fields such as medicine or astronomy, on the other hand, it presents many drawbacks and raises both questions and concerns.
These numbers and letters in his paintings are captchas.
A captcha is a program that protects websites from bots by generating tests that humans can perform unlike malicious computer programs (robots). The captcha is used to verify, for example, that you are a human when connecting to an interface (login) or to avoid "SPAM" on your mailboxes for contact forms on your website.
These captchas are interpreted by BENKA and transformed into a symbol of his artistic struggle.
https://www.instagram.com/benka.1
Wednesday, November 9, 2022
"Our Flag" by Ibrahim Maalouf featuring Sharon Stone
Powerful.
"Our Flag" by Ibrahim Maalouf with a spoken word section by Sharon Stone.
This nation needs a vacation
From the presentation of your hesitation
You cannot stop your disassociation
From the unethical beautification of your campaign negotiation YOU CANNOT STOP
With world wide domination
Well it’s not that easy to obtain without cessation
Of the complete dehumanization
Of what we stand for
Tell him people:
Don’t walk away boy
We’ve got something to say boy Our Country’s not a toy
Don’t walk away
You don’t get to turn your back and pretend that all you start won’t be the end
You were told to love honor protect and defend you’ve torn our hearts, our flag it cannot mend Other country’s trust was ours on lend
When will they ever believe us again?
And whose money do you think you spend? Stop pushing, stop pushing, stop pushing, stop pushing, stop pushing us to the end
Yeah, tell him people:
Don’t walk away boy
We’ve got something to say boy Our Country’s not a toy
Don’t walk away
One wonders what will be your complete undoing
Is it that you don’t remember what it is or for whom you are working?
We were considered the free world, where are we going?
Freedoms a gift, a treasure, a decency, not a coin
You can spend on graft, deceit and not repeat annoying
Phrases to brainwash unassuming children going
From channel to channel watching people dying
Buoying
Their spirits with convenient captures of coy
Reticent terrorists, fallen villains in front of millions of sad patriots who need more
Oh please tell him patriots:
Don’t walk away boy
We’ve got something to say boy Our Country’s not a toy
Don’t walk away
We want leadership with dignity and reverence for life
Memories provide possibility for more than death and strife
Roosevelt, Kennedy and King loved us too when unrest was rife
They were brave and true and wrote it with their life
Give us something real, a dream not just for you
A future without shame grief and despair
Wonder, love, brotherhood, education and care
America I love you, I treasure you and I am sorry for our mistakes
I want a leader who stands for our values, thoughts, mountains, skies, oceans, ozone and lakes
I’m unafraid to tell him:
Yes walk away boy
Cause we have something to say Our Country is not a toy
It’s time to walk away boy
Put your head down and walk walk on M*********** walk
United States of America, and democracy, I love you too...and I wish we were not at this point.
https://www.ibrahimmaalouf.com/en/
"Our Flag" by Ibrahim Maalouf with a spoken word section by Sharon Stone.
This nation needs a vacation
From the presentation of your hesitation
You cannot stop your disassociation
From the unethical beautification of your campaign negotiation YOU CANNOT STOP
With world wide domination
Well it’s not that easy to obtain without cessation
Of the complete dehumanization
Of what we stand for
Tell him people:
Don’t walk away boy
We’ve got something to say boy Our Country’s not a toy
Don’t walk away
You don’t get to turn your back and pretend that all you start won’t be the end
You were told to love honor protect and defend you’ve torn our hearts, our flag it cannot mend Other country’s trust was ours on lend
When will they ever believe us again?
And whose money do you think you spend? Stop pushing, stop pushing, stop pushing, stop pushing, stop pushing us to the end
Yeah, tell him people:
Don’t walk away boy
We’ve got something to say boy Our Country’s not a toy
Don’t walk away
One wonders what will be your complete undoing
Is it that you don’t remember what it is or for whom you are working?
We were considered the free world, where are we going?
Freedoms a gift, a treasure, a decency, not a coin
You can spend on graft, deceit and not repeat annoying
Phrases to brainwash unassuming children going
From channel to channel watching people dying
Buoying
Their spirits with convenient captures of coy
Reticent terrorists, fallen villains in front of millions of sad patriots who need more
Oh please tell him patriots:
Don’t walk away boy
We’ve got something to say boy Our Country’s not a toy
Don’t walk away
We want leadership with dignity and reverence for life
Memories provide possibility for more than death and strife
Roosevelt, Kennedy and King loved us too when unrest was rife
They were brave and true and wrote it with their life
Give us something real, a dream not just for you
A future without shame grief and despair
Wonder, love, brotherhood, education and care
America I love you, I treasure you and I am sorry for our mistakes
I want a leader who stands for our values, thoughts, mountains, skies, oceans, ozone and lakes
I’m unafraid to tell him:
Yes walk away boy
Cause we have something to say Our Country is not a toy
It’s time to walk away boy
Put your head down and walk walk on M*********** walk
United States of America, and democracy, I love you too...and I wish we were not at this point.
https://www.ibrahimmaalouf.com/en/
Labels:
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Ibrahim Maalouf,
music,
Our Flag,
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Sharon Stone,
spoken word,
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video
Tuesday, March 29, 2022
A War Anywhere...
Poster by multimedia artist and professor at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design Piotr Szyhalski. About the image, he says:
"For all the territorial obsessions, and the constant desire to redraw and defend the borders, war seems so obviously not contained by them. It spills, it spreads, it infects all. When we look away, pretend it’s not us, or that it’s not here: violence seeps through. Corrupts. Its malignant influence gnawing away at our humanity.
In the 20th century alone we killed more people in wars and ideologically or religiously motivated carnage, than in the entire human history prior to 20th century combined. Looking at our current century so far does not give much confidence. Ukraine, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia, Syria, Iraq, Colombia, ... the list goes on, and on. And then there is the US, a country only 246 years old, yet at war almost constantly. Only 15 out of the 246 years we were not directly engaged in war somewhere, with someone, for some reason…"
Visit his Instagram to see more of his work:
https://www.instagram.com/laborcamp/
Or visit his shop to buy posters:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScEOz_HSKIJlmphFVMUpUufQx2h6N4SdIw2gZA6AuijJcjdPA/viewform
Monday, June 8, 2020
Sunday, June 7, 2020
Thursday, July 19, 2018
BEAUTY: Soft Sculpture--Natalie Baxter
Natalie Baxter is an artist with a cause. She is an activist and protests via her amazing soft sculpture works that shine a light on the realities of life in the United States at this particular point in time. Her bio on her website says:
"Natalie Baxter (b. 1985) explores concepts of place-identity, nostalgic Americana, and traditional gender stereotypes through soft sculpture and video. Baxter’s work playfully pushes controversial issues, creating an accessible entry point for unpacking matters of tension in today’s political and social landscape."
Betsy Greer, author of Craftivism, commented on Baxter's series entitled Bloated Flags. “In the run up and wake of the 2016 election, the United States came full cycle with its reality television dreams based on opulence over substance, quick quips easy to quote and a lust for drama over authenticity. These flags by Natalie Baxter illustrate this coming to terms with a change in pace by sharing what our nation’s flag may feel like it’s become, bloated, flashy and familiar in shape alone.”
Top to bottom: Aggressive Nationalism; America, Current Mood; First Month; Fly False; Lil' Glory; Nasty Woman; People Will Think You're Making a Trump Flag (a yuge one); People Will Think You're Making a Trump Flag
174 guns make up Baxter's Warm Gun series. Her artist statement says, "Warm Gun examines the United States’ issues of gun violence and masculinity through a collection of colorfully quilted, droopy, caricatures of assault weapons, bringing 'macho' objects into a traditionally feminine sphere and questioning their potency." Beyond that, I feel it also makes a statement as to how so many people in this country think of guns as toys, just another thing to have like a phone or a car...just a cute little plush toy one can buy at the mall...
Top to bottom: Anything You Can Do; Barb; Joie; Manchester; Racist McShootface; Second Date; Shady Side; Spring Break
And what does America love as much as its guns? Why, money of course!
Thanks Natalie for your amazing work and continuing to make important statements despite the trolls!
http://www.nataliebaxter.com/
"Natalie Baxter (b. 1985) explores concepts of place-identity, nostalgic Americana, and traditional gender stereotypes through soft sculpture and video. Baxter’s work playfully pushes controversial issues, creating an accessible entry point for unpacking matters of tension in today’s political and social landscape."
Betsy Greer, author of Craftivism, commented on Baxter's series entitled Bloated Flags. “In the run up and wake of the 2016 election, the United States came full cycle with its reality television dreams based on opulence over substance, quick quips easy to quote and a lust for drama over authenticity. These flags by Natalie Baxter illustrate this coming to terms with a change in pace by sharing what our nation’s flag may feel like it’s become, bloated, flashy and familiar in shape alone.”
Top to bottom: Aggressive Nationalism; America, Current Mood; First Month; Fly False; Lil' Glory; Nasty Woman; People Will Think You're Making a Trump Flag (a yuge one); People Will Think You're Making a Trump Flag
174 guns make up Baxter's Warm Gun series. Her artist statement says, "Warm Gun examines the United States’ issues of gun violence and masculinity through a collection of colorfully quilted, droopy, caricatures of assault weapons, bringing 'macho' objects into a traditionally feminine sphere and questioning their potency." Beyond that, I feel it also makes a statement as to how so many people in this country think of guns as toys, just another thing to have like a phone or a car...just a cute little plush toy one can buy at the mall...
Top to bottom: Anything You Can Do; Barb; Joie; Manchester; Racist McShootface; Second Date; Shady Side; Spring Break
And what does America love as much as its guns? Why, money of course!
Thanks Natalie for your amazing work and continuing to make important statements despite the trolls!
http://www.nataliebaxter.com/
Labels:
activism,
art,
beauty: soft sculpture,
fabric,
flag,
gun violence,
irony,
money,
Natalie Baxter,
protest,
soft sculpture
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