I read Reka Basu's column regarding the sidewalks in Windsor Heights and seriously who knew the mighty would rally with such determination, such vigor, such force. With their "booing and heckles" for those in support and their "cheers and claps" for the anti-sidewalk folks. What a feat, going door to door, passing out their misinformed flyers out like candy. I too, would eat it all up based on what it states, unfortunately most of it is inaccurate.
But I will say, it's admirable to see so many get behind an issue, but the delivery and message it sends is absolutely laughable.
The whole thing sort of reminds me of the poem "Where the Sidewalks End," by Shil Silverstein - I can't fully remember it all, but I know it is something like "There is a place where the sidewalk ends and before the street begins...we will walk with a walk that is measured and slow, we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go, for the children, they mark, and they children, they know, the place where the sidewalk ends...." I know there is more that I'm likely forgetting, but that is all I remember.
It started to get me thinking, the anger these folks are all worked up about, how walking past those signs makes my kids feel, so I wrote this little poem, I hope you enjoy.
There is a place in Windsor Heights
where the sidewalks end,
30 plus years it's been,
no connectivity you will find.
and the neighbors, well,
they don't mind,
leave it this way,
no need to sway.
Windsor Heights is just fine
Unique they say....
Kids safety? Blah,
just go away,
this is no concern of mine,
The school, that pesky school
with those darn kids and
school traffic
is to blame
for these sidewalk woes.
Can't you all just pick up and go?
Let's put out our pretty yellow signs,
shouting "No Sidewalks" here,
My yard is my yard with my lovely green grass
and shall not be touched by the filth of concrete
or your child's little feet.
Stay off, stay off
You are not welcome here,
get out of here, move away
you must not stay, we don't want you here;
where the sidewalk ends.
Of course, I am being sarcastic, but some of these comments are based off of things that have really been said at some of these meetings.
I joke about this simply because I don't get it, I don't get the depth of anger that some of these people have? I mean, there are some people (I won't say names) who would walk by our house and give a wave, maybe stop and say hi, but they don't do that anymore - why? Over sidewalks?
If the city was really going to make residents pay, I'd get it, and I don't think residents should bear the cost either, however, that isn't the case. And the only thing that passed, was the ordinance. They didn't pass "sidewalks," so please pull your panties out of your arse and stop.
Nothing on this is final - the estimate, was exactly that an estimate (over priced estimate, I will admit) and if the city is smart, they will get more than one bid. I have heard from city officials that they will be working to get community input, so if they do, then this is the chance the community can have a say. If you want a say in how the sidewalks progress, then be willing to be cooperative and find common ground. All of us, bad, pro-sidewalk folks, we simply want a safe route to school - we've been open to ideas, to alternatives, but you angry anti-sidewalk folks; it's your way or no way.
And really we are talking about sidewalks, let me say that again, we are talking about sidewalks - communities are currently being torn apart because of much larger issues - just turn on the news to see it, police shootings, protests, pipelines, and this little city in the Midwest wants to get worked up over sidewalks. Welcome to Windsor Heights!
Thursday, September 22, 2016
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
The makings of great conversations
So, when I worked from home and after I would pick the kids up from the school - I'd always ask them these five questions:
I come home after work and some days I feel disconnected from the kids and everything that is happening and often we are catching up with everything else, that I had forgotten about my five questions. It was only until, my wee man, said "I really miss you picking us up and are conversations after school" that it dawned on me.
So, digging around online and using questions we'd play on road trips - I typed up random questions, cut them into strips and put them in a jar. I even included some blank strips and told the kids, if they draw a blank one then they simply must make up a question. The questions range from whimsical, funny, to serious things and each night, each kid gets to pull one question and all of us answer it. Last night I put the jar in front of everyone, explained what it was and the kids loved it, my sweet pea asked if we could answer them all. I was glad they enjoyed it and what resulted was great conversations with my kids. The other rule was we couldn't repeat what someone else had said, so it helps add variety to the answers.
I love listening to my kids and their ideas, their struggles, their hopes and as they get older and closer to those preteen years, I want them to know that nothing is off-bounds when it comes to conversations. My hope is that they will feel comfortable coming to either me or the hubs with anything.
- What made you smile?
- What made you laugh?
- What made you frustrated?
- What did you do to be helpful?
- What was something you learned?
I come home after work and some days I feel disconnected from the kids and everything that is happening and often we are catching up with everything else, that I had forgotten about my five questions. It was only until, my wee man, said "I really miss you picking us up and are conversations after school" that it dawned on me.
So, digging around online and using questions we'd play on road trips - I typed up random questions, cut them into strips and put them in a jar. I even included some blank strips and told the kids, if they draw a blank one then they simply must make up a question. The questions range from whimsical, funny, to serious things and each night, each kid gets to pull one question and all of us answer it. Last night I put the jar in front of everyone, explained what it was and the kids loved it, my sweet pea asked if we could answer them all. I was glad they enjoyed it and what resulted was great conversations with my kids. The other rule was we couldn't repeat what someone else had said, so it helps add variety to the answers.
I love listening to my kids and their ideas, their struggles, their hopes and as they get older and closer to those preteen years, I want them to know that nothing is off-bounds when it comes to conversations. My hope is that they will feel comfortable coming to either me or the hubs with anything.
Thursday, September 8, 2016
Of fact and fiction and the struggle to piece it together
Someone asked me, why I support what is taking place in Standing Rock, when it's pointless because the pipeline will go in and I simply said, "how can you not support it?" So, I thought I'd share my thoughts on the topic...
I shared previously how the family went up to Standing Rock to witness first-hand what was going on and to offer our support, even if our efforts were small. And our experience is something that will be with me forever, if ever there was a just cause, this is it. Since then, the camp has grown significantly with many other tribal nations and non-indigenous people coming to show their support to the Standing Rock Sioux. In fact, it has now become the largest gathering of Native Americans in over 100 years, seriously, let that sink in just for a moment.
When we were there, they spoke of the seven generation prophecy that the Onkwehonwe would rise up and demand that their rights and stewardship over the earth be respected and restored and it is the younger generation that is spearheading this movement.
Yet respect....that is the furthest thing that Standing Rock has been given even more so when you look at what took place last weekend. The Standing Rock Sioux submitted paperwork to halt construction due to cultural artifacts and ancestral burial sites and while it was submitted on Friday, the next day Energy Transfer (the company responsible for the pipeline) tore up the ground over a holiday weekend, in the same area where they just asked for construction to be halted, essentially destroying whatever sacred sites that were there, will this company ever be held accountable for what they did?
What is even more deplorable is this all occurred on the anniversary of the Battle of Whitestone Hill, when the Sioux Indians were attacked on September 3-5 of 1863 and an estimated 300 to 400 Sioux were wounded and killed and yet on the anniversary of this when protectors came up to pray at the construction site, what they saw was the company tearing up their sacred sites. So yes, they were upset and went through the fence, which resulted in the private security using attack dogs and pepper spray on the protesters. It was horrifying to watch it unfold, I had to excuse myself from the room I was in with my kids and cried. My soul ached and an anger so fierce boiled inside me. And then only to read the sickening statements that came out of the local law enforcement, who conveniently were not present while it was all happening. Here they were clearly spinning fiction from documented facts, it makes you question the motivation and yet there is no wonder why there is mistrust with law enforcement today.
We heard from one of the people we met at the camp, his text was simply, "today was tough."
There are 380 archaeological sites that face destruction along the 1,134 miles of the pipeline and the government is blatantly ignoring the pleas of the Native Americans, have they not endured enough or do we simply allow their history to be erased, important cultural and spiritual connections to their land.
When I stood on the ground of my ancestors in Aotearoa, I was overcome with emotion - it came over me like a wave, a spiritual connection that pulled at my soul and whispered, "you are here, you are home."
You learn these things through the connection to the land, through the people, through the history and I get what it is like not having that connection, but desperately yearning for it as if a piece of your soul is somehow missing.
So much of indigenous culture is passed down through language and oral stories, my grandfather was stripped of his, resulting in his children being stripped of their connection and then the connection lost, but it still burns inside of me, the desire to connect to the land, to the language.
I honor my background, by honoring my ancestors and I am very proud of my heritage - I am a mixture of great cultures (Maori, English/Scottish, and Irish/English) and as a result of my background, it's important not to forget what has occurred in history. So often, we pretend that what happened so long ago as a result of white settlement to indigenous people across the world is history and shouldn't be spoken about, but we are here as a result of this history and therefore are a part of the larger story. It is the complete attitude that "it doesn't matter," that is the injustice.
I wish I could say that we have evolved and that history won't repeat itself, but look around at what is happening, what is taking place. What we continue to do in the guise of "progress," we are raping our resources, we continue to take till there is no more, we have lost touch with nature and have replace it with distractions and take no responsibility for the greater good. We distance ourselves and tell ourselves, "it's not my problem," thereby cutting ties to any connection. So, I ask, how is that working? For most, perhaps the saying "ignorance is bliss," is true, but I can't ignore what is happening.
Right or wrong, I am completely honest with my children about everything - before we went to Standing Rock, we talked openly about what was going on, about the issue and asked if they were comfortable in going with us. They were hesitant but also felt it was important to show support. So, even after we left we still talk about what is going on, the hubs left yesterday to go up to Standing Rock and all of us were a bit disappointed we couldn't join him. My sweet pea says, "Mommy, I'm really upset and angry with America right now and I'm not proud to be an American, I'm afraid, what my future is going to be like, what the world is going to be like?"
It took a moment to let her words sink in and decide how I was going to respond. I told her that I too am scared about their future, but that I'm hopeful. I told her that she should be proud because Americans as a people stand up for what they believe in, whatever view (right or wrong) and that is something she mustn't forget. I told her that she and her brother have the ability to shape their future, that change starts with each one of them and as a result, they can make an impact. I told her to look at what was happening at Standing Rock, the message that the younger generation was speaking about and what they are protecting. And I reminded her that she should never feel like she can't make a difference, I reminded her that great social change starts with one individual spreading that idea. I told them to always be open and to always question everything, even if it is questioning me or daddy. I don't know if it was the right response, but I believe we all have a responsibility for our future, we all have a part, even if we don't know what that part is.
Right now, my part is standing with Standing Rock and all of the other people who are standing up.
There are pockets of protectors along the four states this $3.7 billion pipeline crosses and people everywhere are protesting and everyone should be standing with these protectors. There are many across the world that are behind this cause, but to say I'm not bothered by the indifference shown by most Americans about it, would be a lie.
Sometimes I wonder if people really understand what is at stake here. We have a private corporation that has been granted the right to take private land from land owners and the land owners can either get on board with the project and remain quiet or in the eyes of the corporation and law enforcement become the "enemy." And what other people seem to miss is that "we" the people are not going to benefit from the crude oil that this pipeline is exporting, it is not helping us become less dependent on oil because the company is selling it. And then there is the water issues, how is it, that those protecting our water are activists, but the company that is going to contaminate our water seen as "normal," in what world does this make sense? And to simply believe this pipeline will not leak, is absurd. Leaks happen, it is unavoidable. In fact, any advance leak detection equipment that is used is only capable of detecting leaks as small as .10 gallons per hour, by this, it means that a pipeline can lose one gallon every ten hours (2.4 gallons per day, 876 gallons per year) without being detected. According to various state pollution control agencies, it only takes one gallon of crude oil to contaminate 1 million gallons of water. And this pipeline is going under the Missouri River, the Standnig Rock Sioux Tribe's main source of water. Would you want this pipeline under your water source? According to the EPA, 14,000 oil spills are reported each year - are we simply suppose to ignore the statistics that pipelines leak or must we wait till it is too late?
You can continue to believe this is not your problem, but I urge you to look closer, to learn what is taking place, what is happening. We live in an age where information is right at our fingertips, other than what is being fed to you. Only then can you decide where you should stand.
Ways you can voice your support:
Learn more about Dakota Access
Learn more about Standing Rock Sioux Tribe
Sign the White House Petition to stop DALP
Sign the the petition on Change.org
Donate supplies to the camp
Call the Army Corps of Engineers and ask they reverse the permit: 202-761-5903
Contact your elected representatives
Share
I'm including this song, Love Letters to God because if you listen to the lyrics, I feel it is appropriate for those at Standing Rock
“Civil disobedience, as I put it to the audience, was not the problem, despite the warnings of some that it threatened social stability, that it led to anarchy. The greatest danger, I argued, was civil obedience, the submission of individual conscience to governmental authority. Such obedience led to the horrors we saw in totalitarian states, and in liberal states it led to the public's acceptance of war whenever the so-called democratic government decided on it...
In such a world, the rule of law maintains things as they are. Therefore, to begin the process of change, to stop a war, to establish justice, it may be necessary to break the law, to commit acts of civil disobedience, as Southern black did, as antiwar protesters did.”
― Howard Zinn, You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train: A Personal History of Our Times
I shared previously how the family went up to Standing Rock to witness first-hand what was going on and to offer our support, even if our efforts were small. And our experience is something that will be with me forever, if ever there was a just cause, this is it. Since then, the camp has grown significantly with many other tribal nations and non-indigenous people coming to show their support to the Standing Rock Sioux. In fact, it has now become the largest gathering of Native Americans in over 100 years, seriously, let that sink in just for a moment.
When we were there, they spoke of the seven generation prophecy that the Onkwehonwe would rise up and demand that their rights and stewardship over the earth be respected and restored and it is the younger generation that is spearheading this movement.
Yet respect....that is the furthest thing that Standing Rock has been given even more so when you look at what took place last weekend. The Standing Rock Sioux submitted paperwork to halt construction due to cultural artifacts and ancestral burial sites and while it was submitted on Friday, the next day Energy Transfer (the company responsible for the pipeline) tore up the ground over a holiday weekend, in the same area where they just asked for construction to be halted, essentially destroying whatever sacred sites that were there, will this company ever be held accountable for what they did?
What is even more deplorable is this all occurred on the anniversary of the Battle of Whitestone Hill, when the Sioux Indians were attacked on September 3-5 of 1863 and an estimated 300 to 400 Sioux were wounded and killed and yet on the anniversary of this when protectors came up to pray at the construction site, what they saw was the company tearing up their sacred sites. So yes, they were upset and went through the fence, which resulted in the private security using attack dogs and pepper spray on the protesters. It was horrifying to watch it unfold, I had to excuse myself from the room I was in with my kids and cried. My soul ached and an anger so fierce boiled inside me. And then only to read the sickening statements that came out of the local law enforcement, who conveniently were not present while it was all happening. Here they were clearly spinning fiction from documented facts, it makes you question the motivation and yet there is no wonder why there is mistrust with law enforcement today.
We heard from one of the people we met at the camp, his text was simply, "today was tough."
There are 380 archaeological sites that face destruction along the 1,134 miles of the pipeline and the government is blatantly ignoring the pleas of the Native Americans, have they not endured enough or do we simply allow their history to be erased, important cultural and spiritual connections to their land.
When I stood on the ground of my ancestors in Aotearoa, I was overcome with emotion - it came over me like a wave, a spiritual connection that pulled at my soul and whispered, "you are here, you are home."
You learn these things through the connection to the land, through the people, through the history and I get what it is like not having that connection, but desperately yearning for it as if a piece of your soul is somehow missing.
So much of indigenous culture is passed down through language and oral stories, my grandfather was stripped of his, resulting in his children being stripped of their connection and then the connection lost, but it still burns inside of me, the desire to connect to the land, to the language.
I honor my background, by honoring my ancestors and I am very proud of my heritage - I am a mixture of great cultures (Maori, English/Scottish, and Irish/English) and as a result of my background, it's important not to forget what has occurred in history. So often, we pretend that what happened so long ago as a result of white settlement to indigenous people across the world is history and shouldn't be spoken about, but we are here as a result of this history and therefore are a part of the larger story. It is the complete attitude that "it doesn't matter," that is the injustice.
I wish I could say that we have evolved and that history won't repeat itself, but look around at what is happening, what is taking place. What we continue to do in the guise of "progress," we are raping our resources, we continue to take till there is no more, we have lost touch with nature and have replace it with distractions and take no responsibility for the greater good. We distance ourselves and tell ourselves, "it's not my problem," thereby cutting ties to any connection. So, I ask, how is that working? For most, perhaps the saying "ignorance is bliss," is true, but I can't ignore what is happening.
Right or wrong, I am completely honest with my children about everything - before we went to Standing Rock, we talked openly about what was going on, about the issue and asked if they were comfortable in going with us. They were hesitant but also felt it was important to show support. So, even after we left we still talk about what is going on, the hubs left yesterday to go up to Standing Rock and all of us were a bit disappointed we couldn't join him. My sweet pea says, "Mommy, I'm really upset and angry with America right now and I'm not proud to be an American, I'm afraid, what my future is going to be like, what the world is going to be like?"
It took a moment to let her words sink in and decide how I was going to respond. I told her that I too am scared about their future, but that I'm hopeful. I told her that she should be proud because Americans as a people stand up for what they believe in, whatever view (right or wrong) and that is something she mustn't forget. I told her that she and her brother have the ability to shape their future, that change starts with each one of them and as a result, they can make an impact. I told her to look at what was happening at Standing Rock, the message that the younger generation was speaking about and what they are protecting. And I reminded her that she should never feel like she can't make a difference, I reminded her that great social change starts with one individual spreading that idea. I told them to always be open and to always question everything, even if it is questioning me or daddy. I don't know if it was the right response, but I believe we all have a responsibility for our future, we all have a part, even if we don't know what that part is.
Right now, my part is standing with Standing Rock and all of the other people who are standing up.
There are pockets of protectors along the four states this $3.7 billion pipeline crosses and people everywhere are protesting and everyone should be standing with these protectors. There are many across the world that are behind this cause, but to say I'm not bothered by the indifference shown by most Americans about it, would be a lie.
Sometimes I wonder if people really understand what is at stake here. We have a private corporation that has been granted the right to take private land from land owners and the land owners can either get on board with the project and remain quiet or in the eyes of the corporation and law enforcement become the "enemy." And what other people seem to miss is that "we" the people are not going to benefit from the crude oil that this pipeline is exporting, it is not helping us become less dependent on oil because the company is selling it. And then there is the water issues, how is it, that those protecting our water are activists, but the company that is going to contaminate our water seen as "normal," in what world does this make sense? And to simply believe this pipeline will not leak, is absurd. Leaks happen, it is unavoidable. In fact, any advance leak detection equipment that is used is only capable of detecting leaks as small as .10 gallons per hour, by this, it means that a pipeline can lose one gallon every ten hours (2.4 gallons per day, 876 gallons per year) without being detected. According to various state pollution control agencies, it only takes one gallon of crude oil to contaminate 1 million gallons of water. And this pipeline is going under the Missouri River, the Standnig Rock Sioux Tribe's main source of water. Would you want this pipeline under your water source? According to the EPA, 14,000 oil spills are reported each year - are we simply suppose to ignore the statistics that pipelines leak or must we wait till it is too late?
You can continue to believe this is not your problem, but I urge you to look closer, to learn what is taking place, what is happening. We live in an age where information is right at our fingertips, other than what is being fed to you. Only then can you decide where you should stand.
Ways you can voice your support:
Learn more about Dakota Access
Learn more about Standing Rock Sioux Tribe
Sign the White House Petition to stop DALP
Sign the the petition on Change.org
Donate supplies to the camp
Call the Army Corps of Engineers and ask they reverse the permit: 202-761-5903
Contact your elected representatives
Share
I'm including this song, Love Letters to God because if you listen to the lyrics, I feel it is appropriate for those at Standing Rock
“Civil disobedience, as I put it to the audience, was not the problem, despite the warnings of some that it threatened social stability, that it led to anarchy. The greatest danger, I argued, was civil obedience, the submission of individual conscience to governmental authority. Such obedience led to the horrors we saw in totalitarian states, and in liberal states it led to the public's acceptance of war whenever the so-called democratic government decided on it...
In such a world, the rule of law maintains things as they are. Therefore, to begin the process of change, to stop a war, to establish justice, it may be necessary to break the law, to commit acts of civil disobedience, as Southern black did, as antiwar protesters did.”
― Howard Zinn, You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train: A Personal History of Our Times
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