Recently, I wrote a letter to President Obama apologizing for the embarrassing way he was treated when he visited families of the Umpqua Community College shooting here in Oregon. Today I received this thoughtful response, and I thought I would share it.
This is my personal blog, which is focused on creating peace. Come on in and kick off your shoes! I appreciate feedback and would love your thoughts and comments.
Showing posts with label rural. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rural. Show all posts
Dear Mr. President
This is a letter I am sending to President Barack Obama.
Dear Mr. President,
I know I speak for not only myself, but for many other Oregonians, when I offer a deep, heartfelt apology for the way you were treated when you visited our state. As as native-born Oregonian, I'm embarrassed and ashamed by one of the most unpatriotic things I have ever witnessed.
Dear Mr. President,
I know I speak for not only myself, but for many other Oregonians, when I offer a deep, heartfelt apology for the way you were treated when you visited our state. As as native-born Oregonian, I'm embarrassed and ashamed by one of the most unpatriotic things I have ever witnessed.
Tillamook for Love!
Ah, small town life. I live in a town where, if your house catches fire, a loved one dies, or you have a flood (which is common here), people will flock to your side with offers to help. Maybe it's because our little community is geographically isolated. We have the Pacific ocean on one side, and steep mountain passes and treacherous roads on all three other sides, which are prone to downed trees and landslides. We have learned to take care of our own here, and we pride ourselves on it. For several decades, our local high school has done a week-long charity drive that raises huge amounts and has received national attention. I'm proud of our neighborly spirit and resilience.
We also have a darker side. Our community, like so many other Oregon communities, was a Ku Klux Klan stronghold and a "Sundown Town," one that enacted a local ordinance requiring all black people to be out of town by sundown... or else. It's been well-known that Tillamook isn't the safest place to be different, i.e. black, Hispanic, non-English speaking, LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender), Athiest, or other non-Christian, just to name a few.
Many intolerant attitudes remain, and I'm not so proud of that. In 1996, a black student ended up leaving Tillamook after having hate speech scrawled across their locker and being otherwise harassed. Other local high school students were outraged, and created a county-wide declaration and held a march in support of the student. Still, things are slow to change.
For the last few years, I have been involved with the Rural Organizing Project, a statewide organizations that works in small rural communities to stand up for civil and human rights. About two years ago, I began coordinating an LGBT and Allies monthly social, to bring people together to create a community where all felt safe. It quickly became apparent to me that Tillamook is a very closeted community, still shrouded in fear and the kind of misinformation that supports oppression. I have long dreamed of a gay-straight alliance being formed at our local high school. We need to do far more than practice tolerance; we need to actively support all members of our community. Every kid has a basic right to a safe educational atmosphere, free from harassment and bullying. I have been on this soapbox for some time, and trying to find ways to build that support and create an active local voice for equality. But it's hard when people don't feel safe being who they are.
Something happened on Tuesday, May 19th, which was a game-changer in my sleepy little town, and it started with one teenage girl.
For months, two local men have basically terrorized downtown Tillamook. They are aspiring street preachers, whose method of preaching includes screaming abusive and hateful things at passers-by, yelling that people are going to hell, and calling young girls and women whores (like a teenager who had just left dance class with her parent). People had tried to reason with them, only to be screamed at abusively. Local businesses, who need all the business they can get in our depressed rural economy, have been none too happy at having potential customers driven away outside their doors. It came to a point that people largely ignored them, out of disgust and embarrassment. Until Tuesday.
They began their usual diatribe on the sidewalk, by the parking lot of an eye clinic and a dance studio full of children. This time, their focus was on homosexuality. They were yelling about gay sex, and one was holding a sign that read, "homo sex is a sin." Makaila Ragan, a local high school junior, heard them outside her mother's place of work, and decided enough was enough. With her mother's permission, Makaila made her own sign, which said, "I <3 Gays." She bravely walked out to the sidewalk and stood silently next to the two men, holding her sign. She endured being yelled at and verbally abused. Her mother was also verbally abused. Horrible, hateful things were said, but Makaila stood her ground and did not return hateful words.
Within minutes, she was joined by one of her friends from the high school, then another, then a crowd began to grow, and stood surrounding the two men, while holding signs about love and tolerance. I heard about the protest at my office right after a few of her friends had shown up and got a picture:
We also have a darker side. Our community, like so many other Oregon communities, was a Ku Klux Klan stronghold and a "Sundown Town," one that enacted a local ordinance requiring all black people to be out of town by sundown... or else. It's been well-known that Tillamook isn't the safest place to be different, i.e. black, Hispanic, non-English speaking, LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender), Athiest, or other non-Christian, just to name a few.
Many intolerant attitudes remain, and I'm not so proud of that. In 1996, a black student ended up leaving Tillamook after having hate speech scrawled across their locker and being otherwise harassed. Other local high school students were outraged, and created a county-wide declaration and held a march in support of the student. Still, things are slow to change.
For the last few years, I have been involved with the Rural Organizing Project, a statewide organizations that works in small rural communities to stand up for civil and human rights. About two years ago, I began coordinating an LGBT and Allies monthly social, to bring people together to create a community where all felt safe. It quickly became apparent to me that Tillamook is a very closeted community, still shrouded in fear and the kind of misinformation that supports oppression. I have long dreamed of a gay-straight alliance being formed at our local high school. We need to do far more than practice tolerance; we need to actively support all members of our community. Every kid has a basic right to a safe educational atmosphere, free from harassment and bullying. I have been on this soapbox for some time, and trying to find ways to build that support and create an active local voice for equality. But it's hard when people don't feel safe being who they are.
Something happened on Tuesday, May 19th, which was a game-changer in my sleepy little town, and it started with one teenage girl.
For months, two local men have basically terrorized downtown Tillamook. They are aspiring street preachers, whose method of preaching includes screaming abusive and hateful things at passers-by, yelling that people are going to hell, and calling young girls and women whores (like a teenager who had just left dance class with her parent). People had tried to reason with them, only to be screamed at abusively. Local businesses, who need all the business they can get in our depressed rural economy, have been none too happy at having potential customers driven away outside their doors. It came to a point that people largely ignored them, out of disgust and embarrassment. Until Tuesday.
They began their usual diatribe on the sidewalk, by the parking lot of an eye clinic and a dance studio full of children. This time, their focus was on homosexuality. They were yelling about gay sex, and one was holding a sign that read, "homo sex is a sin." Makaila Ragan, a local high school junior, heard them outside her mother's place of work, and decided enough was enough. With her mother's permission, Makaila made her own sign, which said, "I <3 Gays." She bravely walked out to the sidewalk and stood silently next to the two men, holding her sign. She endured being yelled at and verbally abused. Her mother was also verbally abused. Horrible, hateful things were said, but Makaila stood her ground and did not return hateful words.
Within minutes, she was joined by one of her friends from the high school, then another, then a crowd began to grow, and stood surrounding the two men, while holding signs about love and tolerance. I heard about the protest at my office right after a few of her friends had shown up and got a picture:
Makaila and a few friends about 5pm.
The crowd eventually spilled across the street to take up two street corners, while others drove by honking and shouting their support. Makaila and her friends vowed to stay on the corner until the two men left, and that's what they did. She stood on the corner with her sign from 4pm to 10:30pm that night, until they left. Here's a picture from 8:45pm:
In a small town like Tillamook, we like to joke that if you do something, everyone in the county will know by the end of the day. While gossip can be annoying, in this case it was a blessing. More than one pastor came down to the corner to lend support to the group. Local business owners thanked them for doing something about what had become a big problem. Parents and loved ones of LGBT people came down to express thanks and support. A Facebook group (Tillamook for Love) was created that night, that now has over 3,000 members from all over the globe. Local papers picked up the story about the petite, brave young woman who handled two bullies with class and wisdom. Her story has now been told in several national publications, as well as international publications, such as London's Daily Globe.
There have been follow up rallies, as well as planning meetings, by the cohesive and committed group of people who wish to change community norms. Our rally on May 23rd had over 75 people, some who had traveled from other areas, and a pastor and followers from a local church. Not everyone supports us, but more people do than we expected.
It has created a heated conversation in our small town, mostly around the line between free speech and hate speech. My focus is on two other issues: One is the difference one person can make, with a simple action. The other is the fact that there are many more caring, open-minded, non-judgmental people in Tillamook than any of us previously realized. And now we have found one another and will make things happen. We know who our allies are, there is a multitude of us, we are organizing, and we aren't going to back down!
We aren't going to put up with abuse, especially when it targets one group of people, often children, who are picked on already. We are going to be meeting, holding conversations, planning, coordinating, and backing each other up to speak out when we see hate in our community. Visitors come to our town, to enjoy the gorgeous coastal scenery and try the famous Tillamook dairy products. Instead of being greeted by two men screaming foul and vicious things "in the name of God," they will be met with tolerance and kindness. And our kids (speaking of God, God bless 'em) are creating their own culture at the high school. They are organizing, gathering together, and supporting each other. We adults have a moral obligation to support them in creating a safe community. We can all be deeply proud of these young people, who are completely committed to love and kindness, when it would be so easy to respond with anger and vitriol.
Statistics show that one in three teen suicides is an LGBT youth. There's something wrong in our society when someone is bullied to death, or wishes to die because someone has made them feel so wrong about being who they are. We want our kids to stop bullies, and apparently we have taught them well. They have banded together to stop adult bullies in the streets of our town. They have even formed what I like to call a response team to show up with signs, using the Facebook group to alert when the men are spotted.
A friend of mine referred to Makaila's actions as a "Rosa Parks moment." I guess my point in writing this is that these "Rosa Parks moments" don't happen in a vacuum. Her friends showed up, the community showed up, in my native town where I would have been less surprised if folks had thrown tomatoes at her. I grew up and went to high school here and saw the deeply ingrained racism and homophobia. I know many people who left this town for those very reasons. I can't be the only person giggling at the irony of Tillamook being hailed as a place of tolerance. At the same time I'm giddy with the potential for change, and I can feel the change in the air.
There have been follow up rallies, as well as planning meetings, by the cohesive and committed group of people who wish to change community norms. Our rally on May 23rd had over 75 people, some who had traveled from other areas, and a pastor and followers from a local church. Not everyone supports us, but more people do than we expected.
It has created a heated conversation in our small town, mostly around the line between free speech and hate speech. My focus is on two other issues: One is the difference one person can make, with a simple action. The other is the fact that there are many more caring, open-minded, non-judgmental people in Tillamook than any of us previously realized. And now we have found one another and will make things happen. We know who our allies are, there is a multitude of us, we are organizing, and we aren't going to back down!
We aren't going to put up with abuse, especially when it targets one group of people, often children, who are picked on already. We are going to be meeting, holding conversations, planning, coordinating, and backing each other up to speak out when we see hate in our community. Visitors come to our town, to enjoy the gorgeous coastal scenery and try the famous Tillamook dairy products. Instead of being greeted by two men screaming foul and vicious things "in the name of God," they will be met with tolerance and kindness. And our kids (speaking of God, God bless 'em) are creating their own culture at the high school. They are organizing, gathering together, and supporting each other. We adults have a moral obligation to support them in creating a safe community. We can all be deeply proud of these young people, who are completely committed to love and kindness, when it would be so easy to respond with anger and vitriol.
Statistics show that one in three teen suicides is an LGBT youth. There's something wrong in our society when someone is bullied to death, or wishes to die because someone has made them feel so wrong about being who they are. We want our kids to stop bullies, and apparently we have taught them well. They have banded together to stop adult bullies in the streets of our town. They have even formed what I like to call a response team to show up with signs, using the Facebook group to alert when the men are spotted.
A friend of mine referred to Makaila's actions as a "Rosa Parks moment." I guess my point in writing this is that these "Rosa Parks moments" don't happen in a vacuum. Her friends showed up, the community showed up, in my native town where I would have been less surprised if folks had thrown tomatoes at her. I grew up and went to high school here and saw the deeply ingrained racism and homophobia. I know many people who left this town for those very reasons. I can't be the only person giggling at the irony of Tillamook being hailed as a place of tolerance. At the same time I'm giddy with the potential for change, and I can feel the change in the air.
Of course a Rosa Parks moment, while beautiful, doesn't excuse us from maintaining action. If anything, it's a call to action. There will be resistance, and tough choices. One young friend of mine has lost his job for participating in Tillamook for Love, on his own time. There is still intolerance, and a solid need to remain steadfast in our common mission, which is create a safer and more loving community.
Our youth are ready to take this on. Are we ready to stand alongside them?
Each one of us has a circle of influence, whether it is our church, our friends, our workplace, online, or any other place we have a presence. Come join the group, be part of the conversation, and part of positive change. We have a responsibility to not let these young people down, as well as their children and grandchildren. What a golden opportunity! If it can happen in this little dairy town, it can happen anywhere. Let's make it happen!
Each one of us has a circle of influence, whether it is our church, our friends, our workplace, online, or any other place we have a presence. Come join the group, be part of the conversation, and part of positive change. We have a responsibility to not let these young people down, as well as their children and grandchildren. What a golden opportunity! If it can happen in this little dairy town, it can happen anywhere. Let's make it happen!
Organizing for Peace
What were you doing in 1992? I was going through a divorce, and on welfare, with three small kids. I was living in the small rural town where I grew up, and unbeknownst to me, a movement was being born right under my nose.
That year, a group called Oregon Citizen’s Alliance, headed by extreme conservative and homophobe Lon Mabon, proposed a measure designed to deny civil rights to lesbians and gays in Oregon, and all hell broke loose. Measure 9 said all governments in the state should not support homosexuality - or "pedophilia, sadism or masochism" - in any way and that they "must assist in setting a standard for Oregon's youth which recognizes that these behaviors are abnormal, wrong, unnatural and perverse and they are to be discouraged and avoided." (The group had already succeeded in 1988 in repealing former Governor Neil Goldschmidt’s executive order banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in state government, via Measure 8. The 1988 measure also prohibited protection for lesbian and gay workers from job discrimination. In 1992, the Oregon Supreme Court overturned it, declaring it unconstitutional.)
Although their rallying cry was “no special rights,” Measure 9 was really about no rights whatsoever, not even the right to live and exist in our society. This created arguably one of the most hotly contested elections in Oregon history. More people voted in this election than in the presidential election.
At kitchen tables across Oregon, groups were coming together to talk about LGBT rights, and they were starting to organize. In larger urban areas, it was easier to find like-minded people, but in the small, rural areas of the state pockets of awareness were forming. Small, isolated towns were forming human dignity groups in response to this attack on our fellow citizens. I had a “No on 9” sign in the front window of my house, much to the annoyance of my next door neighbor, a very conservative Christian, whose lawn was peppered with “Yes on 9” signs.
Meanwhile, a small group was traveling across Oregon, from kitchen table to kitchen table, connecting ideas and people. The Rural Organizing Project was born. By connecting like-minded people who had been geographically isolated from one another, local human dignity groups, under the statewide umbrella of the Rural Organizing Project, banded together and soundly defeated Measure 9. Many younger people in Oregon have never even heard of the OCA, or Lon Mabon, but those of us who remember will do whatever we must to prevent the hostile takeover of state law and government by hate groups. Perhaps we should thank Lon Mabon, the creepy little bigot for kicking a hornet’s nest of fair-minded activists.
In 1993, the Rural Organizing Project held a Rural Caucus and Strategy Session, bringing together human and civil rights activists from all across the state, and the permanent organization was formed. On June 8, 2013, the 20th annual ROP Rural Caucus and Strategy Session was held in Woodburn, and for the first time, I was able to attend. I was honored and humbled to be in the company of people who had spent decades defending the rights of others. This year’s was the largest ever, with over 160 people in attendance.
I firmly believe that in the absence of justice there is no peace, and there is no peace activism that does not include the responsibility for social justice. I came away from the caucus believing more firmly than ever before that, while peace rallies are great, every single one of us can be a peace activist every single day. We all have our niche in which we can create peace through social justice.
Some of the issues discussed: preventing corporate takeover, treatment of the homeless, LGBT rights, immigration reform, the drones program (and of course war), privatization of public services, fair housing, marriage equality, Guantanamo Bay, self-sufficient living, economic justice, creating welcoming communities, poverty and hunger, youth leadership.
I left with a packet full of information on a variety of issues, feeling empowered and happy. You don’t have to sign every petition, attend every rally, or march every march to be an activist. But if you can find something, one thing, that matters to you… that’s where it begins. Everyone who was there had their passion. I had the privilege of hearing so many voices, and it was overwhelming, but in a good way.
I am hoping, over the next few blog posts, to highlight a few of the efforts taking place, some of the partnerships that are being formed, and maybe some stories of how they got started. But for now, I’ll simply share the overriding values identified by the Rural Organizing Project… democracy, human dignity, justice, and solidarity… and encourage you to go to their website and learn more:
In closing, I will share my all-time favorite story about my dad. When I was growing up, my dad was not known for his open-minded spirit. He used to remind me of the character Archie Bunker off the TV show All in the Family. At about age 68, he quit drinking and I saw his demeanor become kinder. At age 72, he went completely and irreversibly blind from macular degeneration. In 1992, at the height of the OCA debacle, he was 76 years old and eating lunch with my mom at the local senior meal site. The discussion turned to politics, and inevitably to Measure 9. My brave dad, in spite of his blindness, in spite of his awareness that since World War II, he had lived in an extremely conservative community, STOOD UP, and spoke out loudly and boldly to his peers AGAINST Measure 9. My dad, who I had once compared to Archie Bunker, took one small action that will forever define him in my book as an activist. I have never been so proud as I was of him when I heard about it from my mom. He didn't define himself as an activist, but he believed in fairness.
My dad would have turned 98 yesterday. He passed away in 1994. For the past 19 years, I have tried to live in a way that would make him proud, but most of all, to be as brave and outspoken about my truth as he was that day. That one moment changed my perception of him forever, and sometimes all we need is one moment to speak out for justice to create peace.
Bread and Peace
My tiny rural town has a thrift bakery that has been there for decades. Within walking distance are three low-income apartment complexes. Historically, our economy has relied on four industries: dairy farming, fishing, logging, and tourism. The local dairy industry has been largely dominated by a handful of local pioneer families, the fishing and logging industries have fallen into decline, and the tourism industry has consisted mostly of minimum-wage hospitality jobs, many of which are seasonal.
This paints a bleak picture for our local economy, and underscores the need for a low-cost place for families to buy whole-grain bread, eggs, dairy, and other staples. The Tillamook Franz Bakery Outlet has been that place. In recent months, sales have suffered, leading the corporate office in another town to announce the store’s pending closure.
For over half of the last year, the road on both sides of the store were nearly impassible, due to a construction project that seemed to take forever. The road was closed, and even when it was reopened, the roads were still difficult. People continue to avoid that stretch of road even now, as driving it entails negotiating an obstacle course of manhole covers that jut inches above the unfinished pavement. In the local paper, a spokesman for the store’s parent company minimized the impact of the road closure on sales; locals know better.
It hadn’t occurred to me that there was any chance of the corporation changing their minds about closing the store, but I thought if they were going to close it, they ought to at least hear the truth of the matter: YES, that road closure DID matter, and locals are very upset about the closure and the impact it will have on our community. On a whim, I looked up the company online, and called. To my surprise, I encountered a friendly CEO who answered his own phone. We had a nice chat, and to my surprise, he has agreed to reconsider the closure if sales improve. I was impressed, so I posted details of the call to my Facebook page, encouraging people to shop at the store, and call the CEO to tell him of the commitment to keep it open.
A friend of mine created a Facebook event, using my original post, to “Save Tillamook Franz Bakery Outlet,” and as of this writing 270 people have signed onto this event to demonstrate their commitment to help keep this local asset. There is also a write-up in the local paper. The outcome remains to be seen, but I have high hopes. I joked with the reporter from the paper, who is a friend of mine, that here I stand week after week at peace vigil, and sometimes feel so hopeless, but one call to a bread store… ! It has kind of taken on a life of its own.
Many people are overwhelmed at the idea of creating peace. It feels so daunting, so universal, yet peace is created in simple ways. Feeding the hungry creates peace, even if it’s just trying to keep low-cost food accessible to low-income families. It can be other simple acts, such as making a phone call, writing a letter, interrupting a hateful remark, or sticking up for someone being bullied. When we expand our definition of peace to include social and economic justice, and bringing comfort to others, it becomes so simple. Peace can be a lifestyle! Life, after all, is comprised of a series of individual moments; it’s how we spend those moments.
On this Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I am reminded that every single one of us, with each simple deed, is part of a larger process, the big picture. To me, as corny as it may sound, this is bigger than a bread store. It’s about the inspiration we can provide to one another. I have been touched by the huge response to this by people who care enough about their community to take one small action. Whether or not the bread store survives, the effort to save it has brought people together to do something good, and that IS a big deal. The way we build community is the way we build peace: one action at a time. Every small act of kindness counts, just like the ocean is made up of billions of tiny drops of water. It’s when they band together, they become powerful. For every Gandhi, for every Rosa Parks, for every Martin Luther King, there are countless others of us and we ALL make a difference.
“An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
This paints a bleak picture for our local economy, and underscores the need for a low-cost place for families to buy whole-grain bread, eggs, dairy, and other staples. The Tillamook Franz Bakery Outlet has been that place. In recent months, sales have suffered, leading the corporate office in another town to announce the store’s pending closure.
For over half of the last year, the road on both sides of the store were nearly impassible, due to a construction project that seemed to take forever. The road was closed, and even when it was reopened, the roads were still difficult. People continue to avoid that stretch of road even now, as driving it entails negotiating an obstacle course of manhole covers that jut inches above the unfinished pavement. In the local paper, a spokesman for the store’s parent company minimized the impact of the road closure on sales; locals know better.
It hadn’t occurred to me that there was any chance of the corporation changing their minds about closing the store, but I thought if they were going to close it, they ought to at least hear the truth of the matter: YES, that road closure DID matter, and locals are very upset about the closure and the impact it will have on our community. On a whim, I looked up the company online, and called. To my surprise, I encountered a friendly CEO who answered his own phone. We had a nice chat, and to my surprise, he has agreed to reconsider the closure if sales improve. I was impressed, so I posted details of the call to my Facebook page, encouraging people to shop at the store, and call the CEO to tell him of the commitment to keep it open.
A friend of mine created a Facebook event, using my original post, to “Save Tillamook Franz Bakery Outlet,” and as of this writing 270 people have signed onto this event to demonstrate their commitment to help keep this local asset. There is also a write-up in the local paper. The outcome remains to be seen, but I have high hopes. I joked with the reporter from the paper, who is a friend of mine, that here I stand week after week at peace vigil, and sometimes feel so hopeless, but one call to a bread store… ! It has kind of taken on a life of its own.
Many people are overwhelmed at the idea of creating peace. It feels so daunting, so universal, yet peace is created in simple ways. Feeding the hungry creates peace, even if it’s just trying to keep low-cost food accessible to low-income families. It can be other simple acts, such as making a phone call, writing a letter, interrupting a hateful remark, or sticking up for someone being bullied. When we expand our definition of peace to include social and economic justice, and bringing comfort to others, it becomes so simple. Peace can be a lifestyle! Life, after all, is comprised of a series of individual moments; it’s how we spend those moments.
On this Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I am reminded that every single one of us, with each simple deed, is part of a larger process, the big picture. To me, as corny as it may sound, this is bigger than a bread store. It’s about the inspiration we can provide to one another. I have been touched by the huge response to this by people who care enough about their community to take one small action. Whether or not the bread store survives, the effort to save it has brought people together to do something good, and that IS a big deal. The way we build community is the way we build peace: one action at a time. Every small act of kindness counts, just like the ocean is made up of billions of tiny drops of water. It’s when they band together, they become powerful. For every Gandhi, for every Rosa Parks, for every Martin Luther King, there are countless others of us and we ALL make a difference.
“An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
Peace Out Loud
This is a post I have really been looking forward to writing ever since I started my blog, because it’s about who I really am, what I stand for, and why I decided to start a blog.
I work for a non-profit that helps violence survivors and part of our goal is to educate and raise awareness to help our community to prevent violence. In my spare time, I am a peace activist, as much as I have time to be while playing a very active role in the lives of my grandchildren. I wouldn’t have any of this any other way!
Every Friday evening, a small group of us stands peace vigil in our small, rural town… often only two of us, but that’s okay. We stand as a human reminder that yes, there’s still a war going on, several in fact, and they need to stop. We stand for the people who can’t: the troops who are sent far from their families to fight in a battle that isn’t theirs, for those who won’t come home (on all sides of the battle; the “enemy” has family too), and for those living in the war zones. There are other reasons why we stand; I’ve been doing it for a couple of years now, and my friend Linda has been standing since the very beginning of the war, shortly after 9/11. Maybe the biggest reason is the need to, literally, take a stand for peace.
When I started, a couple of years ago, I noticed that we were frequently flipped off, screamed at, etc., by passers-by. But I felt very passionate about why I stood and those people only made me stronger. Over the past several months, I have experienced a change in attitude. More people honk, and give us thumbs up and other positive feedback, than ever before, and the rude gestures and remarks are fewer and further between. I think people are beginning to get as fed up as we are.
As time went by, I decided that reading about peace and standing vigil was nowhere near enough. I started using my Facebook page to promote peace. It started with a month-long effort to post a song about peace each day; this ended up going on for several months, at which point, I switched to posting a peace/anti-war quote each day. I continue to do this daily.
I have become much more outspoken than I used to be; to be honest, I can’t NOT be outspoken about a life or death issue that impacts every human on earth. I have not shied away from posting videos and photos showing the real devastation of war that network TV doesn’t want the public to see. I have promoted sites and efforts to resist the military draft, because our young people deserve better than that.
It takes more than the bombing to stop to create peace, although that’s a start. I see peace as a very holistic thing. Peace, like violence, can occur on all levels. Individual peace leads to more peaceful interpersonal relationships. It’s hard to be hateful and angry at others when you are happy with yourself. Once you reach the point of not carrying that anger and fear and malcontent, it’s much easier to create peace on a larger level. An example is speaking out against racism, and in favor of more peaceful means of communication. Violence becomes unthinkable and abhorrent. All the things that we as humans fight about seem petty and childish. On a global level, I really do believe that peace can be achieved. But it starts within each of us to care enough to talk about it.
Peace is about so much more than peace signs and hippies and tie-dye… it’s a way of life. It’s not wishful thinking; it’s faith in action. It isn’t always easy. It means choosing non-violence, no matter how justified violence may seem. It means respecting people, even if they are being disrespectful. It means being open to new ways to handle conflict that respect the person and the situation, then teaching it to our children and to others. Finding the good in someone you are angry with is a victory, not a weakness. And it means understanding the concept of karma: that revenge is pointless, because the person who hurt you has already created bad energy and you don’t need to go and create it too. It means listening, mediating, negotiating, and putting pride aside. These are values that traditionally have not been valued in our society, but I believe that, like many things, things are starting to change. Each generation seems to inch its way a little closer. The struggle for equality and civil rights didn’t begin or end in the 60’s; it’s on a continuum, and old, intolerant beliefs continue to be challenged and dismantled. I believe this is growing, as younger generations see the futility and stupidity in the previous oppressive behaviors.
Obviously, none of us are perfect, and we all fall short, but these are my goals in my daily life. Peace is hard work. But it can be habit-forming, because it feels good to live with purpose. We do each make a difference, you know. It’s just a matter of what kind of difference we make.
Peace can be created consciously. So how do we work more effectively toward world peace? I believe the keys are education and non-judgment. That takes effort, and it means having an open mind and doing research. If I hear something inflammatory about a particular group of people, I tend to distrust it immediately. After all, are you the same as every other person of your skin color, gender, religion, etc.? Of course not, and nobody else is all the same either. Whenever I hear stereotyping, I discount it, because I don’t believe in stereotyping. The best weapon against hateful thinking is facts. When I hear something that sounds like hate propaganda, I research it and refute it with facts. Needless to say, not everyone enjoys being corrected when they are trying to justify hateful beliefs, but I think it’s important to prevent the spread of misinformation. This is especially true when hateful stereotyping has led to violence, such as the racial profiling and hate crimes against people of Middle Eastern descent after 9/11. We can do better than this.
Another way to promote peace is by talking to combat veterans, especially in these most recent wars. Hear the truth, instead of the prime-time television pablum you have been fed. Realize that our money is being used to prop up the false concept of American exceptionalism, which essentially means, “we are Americans so we are better than you.” This kind of concept does not create peace. It causes resentment, and rightfully so. We are not better, and we are all just human. I am always baffled by people who refer to themselves as Christians who ascribe to this type of thinking… I don’t think Christ (the Prince of Peace) would be pleased with this arrogance.
This is also part of the reason I refuse to pledge allegiance to the flag. While others recite the verse they are told to recite, I stand with my hand over my heart and silently pray. I pray for those innocents we have killed, I pray for the American soldiers needlessly in harm’s way, and I pray for forgiveness of our nation’s warlike ways. First of all, I have a hard time picturing Christ pledging his allegiance to ANY flag, and I do try to live my life by those principles. I believe Christ saw the big picture, and was not caught up in nationalism. I cannot in good conscious be for global peace while supporting this thinking. I support my nation and those in it, just like I support other humans, but I will not support the drone strikes, the land mines, the obscenely huge war budget, the signing of the NDAA, the invasion and occupation of other countries under false pretenses, and the boosting of despotic regimes that has been carried out under this flag with my tax dollars. It makes me ashamed.
Needless to say, some have called me unpatriotic. I’d like to differentiate between patriotism and nationalism. Nationalism doesn’t question anything; it pledges blind allegiance, on the assumption that the government will do what is right. Patriotism wants what is actually best for the people. It wants justice, and fair laws, and equal rights. Nationalism cares about being number one. Patriotism means wanting to represent your country with pride by being the kind of person your country can be proud of. Therefore, I consider myself deeply patriotic. I value ALL human lives, not just American lives… kind of like Jesus would do.
If you are anything like me this way, and are being blasted as unpatriotic, take comfort in the fact that you are in prestigious company: Albert Einstein, Helen Keller, Mark Twain, many of the Founding Fathers, Howard Zinn, Albert Schweitzer, Ralph Waldo Emerson… well, you get the idea, and I’m sure you can think of many of your own. In other words, people who didn’t settle for the status quo. It’s called thinking for yourself, and that’s a good thing.
I decided a while back I really wanted to write a book about war and privilege. It occurred to me that with my busy schedule, that would be a Herculean project at best. I don’t have the time to do the research to complete it in any reasonable time period. I suddenly realized that a blog would promote peace in a meaningful way, and in doable chunks. Best of all, it can morph and change and stay caught up with current events, unlike a book. I was hooked!
As soon as I decided to write a blog, ideas started to fly into my head, except for what to call it. A couple of days later, I was standing on the corner at my Friday night vigil when the phrase “Peace Out Loud” came into my head. It was perfect! After all, for peace to be effective, it needs to be spoken about, practiced mindfully, and lived out loud.
My goal with this blog is for every post to be in some way connected to peace. It may be personal peace, it may be world peace, or anything in between. Some of it may be very political, but it’s impossible to talk about peace without talking about such realities. Peace isn’t some lofty ideal to me, it’s a practical matter, which requires practical discussion about both the spiritual and the worldly.
At the end of the day, I always come back to myself and examine how I have behaved. Some days I get an “A,” and some days an “F.” We’re all a work in progress. Like a novice gardener, I’m starting with a small plot and dreaming big. Why not? I may be dreaming big and starting small, but I’m starting, and I’m learning, and that’s what counts. I’ll never be Gandhi, but it doesn’t matter. We only get a few decades on this planet to do what needs to be done, and my intention is to grow and learn while I’m here, and leave it nicer than when I came.
I am humbled and grateful to have the opportunity to share my thoughts and ideas. A big thank you to everyone who reads my blog, and I always welcome your feedback, thoughts, ideas, and dreams. Thank you for coming to visit, and I wish you peace!
I work for a non-profit that helps violence survivors and part of our goal is to educate and raise awareness to help our community to prevent violence. In my spare time, I am a peace activist, as much as I have time to be while playing a very active role in the lives of my grandchildren. I wouldn’t have any of this any other way!
Every Friday evening, a small group of us stands peace vigil in our small, rural town… often only two of us, but that’s okay. We stand as a human reminder that yes, there’s still a war going on, several in fact, and they need to stop. We stand for the people who can’t: the troops who are sent far from their families to fight in a battle that isn’t theirs, for those who won’t come home (on all sides of the battle; the “enemy” has family too), and for those living in the war zones. There are other reasons why we stand; I’ve been doing it for a couple of years now, and my friend Linda has been standing since the very beginning of the war, shortly after 9/11. Maybe the biggest reason is the need to, literally, take a stand for peace.
When I started, a couple of years ago, I noticed that we were frequently flipped off, screamed at, etc., by passers-by. But I felt very passionate about why I stood and those people only made me stronger. Over the past several months, I have experienced a change in attitude. More people honk, and give us thumbs up and other positive feedback, than ever before, and the rude gestures and remarks are fewer and further between. I think people are beginning to get as fed up as we are.
As time went by, I decided that reading about peace and standing vigil was nowhere near enough. I started using my Facebook page to promote peace. It started with a month-long effort to post a song about peace each day; this ended up going on for several months, at which point, I switched to posting a peace/anti-war quote each day. I continue to do this daily.
I have become much more outspoken than I used to be; to be honest, I can’t NOT be outspoken about a life or death issue that impacts every human on earth. I have not shied away from posting videos and photos showing the real devastation of war that network TV doesn’t want the public to see. I have promoted sites and efforts to resist the military draft, because our young people deserve better than that.
It takes more than the bombing to stop to create peace, although that’s a start. I see peace as a very holistic thing. Peace, like violence, can occur on all levels. Individual peace leads to more peaceful interpersonal relationships. It’s hard to be hateful and angry at others when you are happy with yourself. Once you reach the point of not carrying that anger and fear and malcontent, it’s much easier to create peace on a larger level. An example is speaking out against racism, and in favor of more peaceful means of communication. Violence becomes unthinkable and abhorrent. All the things that we as humans fight about seem petty and childish. On a global level, I really do believe that peace can be achieved. But it starts within each of us to care enough to talk about it.
Peace is about so much more than peace signs and hippies and tie-dye… it’s a way of life. It’s not wishful thinking; it’s faith in action. It isn’t always easy. It means choosing non-violence, no matter how justified violence may seem. It means respecting people, even if they are being disrespectful. It means being open to new ways to handle conflict that respect the person and the situation, then teaching it to our children and to others. Finding the good in someone you are angry with is a victory, not a weakness. And it means understanding the concept of karma: that revenge is pointless, because the person who hurt you has already created bad energy and you don’t need to go and create it too. It means listening, mediating, negotiating, and putting pride aside. These are values that traditionally have not been valued in our society, but I believe that, like many things, things are starting to change. Each generation seems to inch its way a little closer. The struggle for equality and civil rights didn’t begin or end in the 60’s; it’s on a continuum, and old, intolerant beliefs continue to be challenged and dismantled. I believe this is growing, as younger generations see the futility and stupidity in the previous oppressive behaviors.
Obviously, none of us are perfect, and we all fall short, but these are my goals in my daily life. Peace is hard work. But it can be habit-forming, because it feels good to live with purpose. We do each make a difference, you know. It’s just a matter of what kind of difference we make.
Peace can be created consciously. So how do we work more effectively toward world peace? I believe the keys are education and non-judgment. That takes effort, and it means having an open mind and doing research. If I hear something inflammatory about a particular group of people, I tend to distrust it immediately. After all, are you the same as every other person of your skin color, gender, religion, etc.? Of course not, and nobody else is all the same either. Whenever I hear stereotyping, I discount it, because I don’t believe in stereotyping. The best weapon against hateful thinking is facts. When I hear something that sounds like hate propaganda, I research it and refute it with facts. Needless to say, not everyone enjoys being corrected when they are trying to justify hateful beliefs, but I think it’s important to prevent the spread of misinformation. This is especially true when hateful stereotyping has led to violence, such as the racial profiling and hate crimes against people of Middle Eastern descent after 9/11. We can do better than this.
Another way to promote peace is by talking to combat veterans, especially in these most recent wars. Hear the truth, instead of the prime-time television pablum you have been fed. Realize that our money is being used to prop up the false concept of American exceptionalism, which essentially means, “we are Americans so we are better than you.” This kind of concept does not create peace. It causes resentment, and rightfully so. We are not better, and we are all just human. I am always baffled by people who refer to themselves as Christians who ascribe to this type of thinking… I don’t think Christ (the Prince of Peace) would be pleased with this arrogance.
This is also part of the reason I refuse to pledge allegiance to the flag. While others recite the verse they are told to recite, I stand with my hand over my heart and silently pray. I pray for those innocents we have killed, I pray for the American soldiers needlessly in harm’s way, and I pray for forgiveness of our nation’s warlike ways. First of all, I have a hard time picturing Christ pledging his allegiance to ANY flag, and I do try to live my life by those principles. I believe Christ saw the big picture, and was not caught up in nationalism. I cannot in good conscious be for global peace while supporting this thinking. I support my nation and those in it, just like I support other humans, but I will not support the drone strikes, the land mines, the obscenely huge war budget, the signing of the NDAA, the invasion and occupation of other countries under false pretenses, and the boosting of despotic regimes that has been carried out under this flag with my tax dollars. It makes me ashamed.
Needless to say, some have called me unpatriotic. I’d like to differentiate between patriotism and nationalism. Nationalism doesn’t question anything; it pledges blind allegiance, on the assumption that the government will do what is right. Patriotism wants what is actually best for the people. It wants justice, and fair laws, and equal rights. Nationalism cares about being number one. Patriotism means wanting to represent your country with pride by being the kind of person your country can be proud of. Therefore, I consider myself deeply patriotic. I value ALL human lives, not just American lives… kind of like Jesus would do.
If you are anything like me this way, and are being blasted as unpatriotic, take comfort in the fact that you are in prestigious company: Albert Einstein, Helen Keller, Mark Twain, many of the Founding Fathers, Howard Zinn, Albert Schweitzer, Ralph Waldo Emerson… well, you get the idea, and I’m sure you can think of many of your own. In other words, people who didn’t settle for the status quo. It’s called thinking for yourself, and that’s a good thing.
I decided a while back I really wanted to write a book about war and privilege. It occurred to me that with my busy schedule, that would be a Herculean project at best. I don’t have the time to do the research to complete it in any reasonable time period. I suddenly realized that a blog would promote peace in a meaningful way, and in doable chunks. Best of all, it can morph and change and stay caught up with current events, unlike a book. I was hooked!
As soon as I decided to write a blog, ideas started to fly into my head, except for what to call it. A couple of days later, I was standing on the corner at my Friday night vigil when the phrase “Peace Out Loud” came into my head. It was perfect! After all, for peace to be effective, it needs to be spoken about, practiced mindfully, and lived out loud.
My goal with this blog is for every post to be in some way connected to peace. It may be personal peace, it may be world peace, or anything in between. Some of it may be very political, but it’s impossible to talk about peace without talking about such realities. Peace isn’t some lofty ideal to me, it’s a practical matter, which requires practical discussion about both the spiritual and the worldly.
At the end of the day, I always come back to myself and examine how I have behaved. Some days I get an “A,” and some days an “F.” We’re all a work in progress. Like a novice gardener, I’m starting with a small plot and dreaming big. Why not? I may be dreaming big and starting small, but I’m starting, and I’m learning, and that’s what counts. I’ll never be Gandhi, but it doesn’t matter. We only get a few decades on this planet to do what needs to be done, and my intention is to grow and learn while I’m here, and leave it nicer than when I came.
I am humbled and grateful to have the opportunity to share my thoughts and ideas. A big thank you to everyone who reads my blog, and I always welcome your feedback, thoughts, ideas, and dreams. Thank you for coming to visit, and I wish you peace!
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