By |

nottingham_curtain_bethsmI am here on the first leg of my journey and a few sips into my glass of wine.  I am meeting with my student around 10:15 or so to get to know her and talk about our plans for the morrow.  I decided to journal about the happenings of each day on my blog and instagram beautiful moments.  I saw the moon tonight and she was beautiful on her way out of her full phase.

I thought about my life under that moon and how many moons have gone by since my conception moment… So much to be said, so much gratitude and curiosities flowing through me.  Right now I am sitting in a historic house in Freds’burg, VA and this room is dainty and comfortable.  Glass doorknobs, black and white motif with crystal lamp, minstrel scene on the wall, complete with lute player and then.. a soccer poster…. Not sure why the last is included but hey.. soccer’s not all that bad.  (Okay, proper foot ball.)

This trip is consisting of visits to six schools in 5 days.  There were going to be 7, but one seems to have dropped out.  We’ll see.  I’m visiting all of the colleges where Democracy Matters (the political, non-partisan organization I work for) has interns.  Those interns are learning to be grassroots organizers on their campuses, highlighting specifically the problem of MONEY ruling our ELECTIONS.  We talk about this issue and how it relates to and completely dictates how other issues are experienced in this country.  Everything from our environment and how when The Pan American Petroleum Company (presently Amoco)  pays half a million dollars to a congressperson, that congressperson is then obliged to be at Amoco’s disposal – completely undermining the rights of citizens to have a say in whether their water will be contaminated by fracking practices.  This is one example of how money in politics is a bad idea.  My students do the work of spreading this message across their campuses and my tour visits are meant to boost participation and recruitment to join Democracy Matters, and to reach out to students who may have otherwise never heard of this issue. (Believe me, indifference is not the case, nor is apathy, it is a complete and utter dis and misinformation of the masses in this country that keeps people from knowing all the information they need to be COMPLETELY disgusted with our current state of affairs.)  But anyway… that rant could go on for days!! (and will..)

There’s a couple staying here who are from Berlin.  They flew into NY 3 weeks ago, then flew to Texas and are driving all the way up the East Coast.  Kate and … I can’t remember his name but he is tall and red’haired with a short beard.  What an adventure they must be having.  Reminded me of my friend B. who’s living in Germany.  I haven’t seen or heard from him in years.  He was one of those people you meet and feel like you knew all along.  Those rare times I treasure so closely.

Right now I am content with my surroundings, feeling the first warm pangs of wine entering my temples.  I look forward to tomorrow and all the learning that will happen when I step up to the courage plate and give it all I’ve got.

By |

Tune in tonight from 9-11pm EST (I’ll be calling in at 9:30) and listen from anywhere in the world http://tunein.com/station/?stationId=134452, or 1090 on your am dial if you’re close to Brooklyn College. Sex and Politics is a live call-in talk radio show.HeaderBW4

ATTENTION FRIENDS: I will be talking about the work I do with Democracy Matters and issues relating to money in politics to education, equal rights, ETC.

xoxo – wish me luck.  Never done this before.  Slightly excited, slightly nervous.  I LOVE this feeling. Teaches us courage and so many other virtues.

Check out the radio show online and on Facebook: http://sexandpolitics.podbean.com  https://www.facebook.com/SexAndPolitics

By |

strong-public-schoolsI sent this in to be published last night:

We The People Deserve Fair Elections

Are you okay with the fact that North Carolina politicians receive huge donations from wealthy contributors and give tax breaks to the rich and corporations while they cut funding for schools, public safety and for other critical, life-saving services?  If you want a government that cares about and listens to ordinary North Carolinians, then I have good news. There is a coalition of organizations in our state right now working to take back our democracy advocating average citizens speaking out against these injustices who want to get this private money out of OUR election system.  “We the people” are being railroaded by wealthy campaign donors like Art Pope (billionaire CEO of Roses, Maxway and other chain discount stores) whose political money is silencing the overwhelming majority of North Carolinian voices, all the while implementing new laws restricting our right to vote!

Until this year, North Carolina had a public financing option for our Supreme Court races.  Currently, in state legislative races Connecticut, Maine, and Arizona, and city races in New York City, among others, the citizens have fair representation because candidates are not ruled by big dollars but by the needs of the people.   Imagine politicians spending time talking with you and solving problems, instead of using precious hours each day raising money from wealthy contributors. It means that highly paid corporate lobbyists lose their clout! It means that if you have good ideas, you can run for office even without millions in your bank account!

However, by the end of our latest legislative session, Art Pope used his new position as the Budget Director for Governor Pat McCrory, along with a very small group of ideologically driven politicians, to completely gut our Judicial Fair Elections program.  DESPITE the fact that over 93 percent of North Carolina voters believe that campaign contributions can affect a judges ruling (according to a 2011 poll from the nonpartisan N.C. Center for Voter Education.)  This complete and utter disregard of our voices is leaving us in the dark.  We need accountable and representative government., not one beholden to the money that pays candidates’ campaigns.  This is a non-partisan issue.  Money floods our election system and drowns out ALL of our voices.  But there is something that YOU can do and something that North Carolina is doing right now, to make this legislature and governor accountable to their electorate.  Thousands of people across this state have been protesting at Moral Monday rallies, standing up for their rights, and making it known that we will not re-elect those who are tearing apart our foundation of Democracy.

Alamance County is hosting a Moral Monday event, Monday October the 28th, from 5-6:30pm at the Burlington Historic Depot Amphitheater.  We will be rallying to show both our complete disapproval of the actions of our legislature and governor and also rejoicing the efforts of ordinary citizens to stand up and be heard.  We are inviting you to join us in our mission to bring to light the harsh injustices that have been hidden beneath the surface here in North Carolina.  Uncovering the truth that corruption and money are silencing people like us and keeping us from the Democracy that we fight for and deserve.  We should be able to run for office with the support of our communities, not because of how much money we can raise to outspend our competition.  If ordinary citizens had the resources to run for office independent of special interest money,  it could lead to the break we need from the powerful hold that money has on our democracy.

The truth is that with YOUR help, a more accountable North Carolina government could be within our grasp,  even though powerful corporate donors are fighting to retain their grip on our political process. That’s why we need you! Minorities, veterans, the elderly, women, the disabled, unemployed, students, and all working people across the state have an important role in deciding whether North Carolina will have a political system where everyone’s voice is heard. If you want your representatives in Raleigh to listen to YOU, join our Moral Monday rally in Burlington, October 28th to show your support for a fair and inclusive democracy. North Carolinians deserve a state government that is of, by and for the people of North Carolina  —   not one bought and paid for with big campaign checks. Together we can do it! Forward together, not one step back!

NC Schoolteacher blog: http://allisunrae.wordpress.com/2013/07/30/moral-monday/

Video about NC voting rights http://vimeo.com/41520430

By |

As of late, I have been drifting in and out of fogginess and realistically evaluating things in my life.  Musically, I have felt distanced, yet engaged.  There are new songs, there are beautiful memories seeping up into my words.  I’m missing dear ones who aren’t here.  I am very much appreciating those who are, those who know and support me with their words and spirits.  I have learned yet again what my own voice sounds like and with that I have found an eagerness to start.  Anything.  All things.  And do them well and with the passion of right now.  I played a humbling show this past Tuesday with a local singer/songwriter, Paul.  He truly added so much depth to my songs, I was caught unaware of just how nice it would be to have someone who can dance around my melodies and make them sound so soft and amazing.  That was a inspiring night.  Last night was inspiring also.  Two dear friends were married yesterday in a sweet, intimate and rainy afternoon.  It was lovely, truly lovely to see all the smiling faces and to be able to dance and dance.  Exchanges of love like that often create a feeling of both joy and solitude because when I see love, I see my grandparents and I often doubt I will ever be lucky enough to be with someone like my grandfather and be someone like my grandmother…  Future is the future though, for many good reasons it is shrouded in the unknown.  Best it stay that way, else I may either retreat to hermitude or climb the highest, shooting star mountain shouting for joy that I know it will come true.

September 17th show @ The Eddy

I wrote this this morning, after waking around 7:15, smiling because last night was so heart-warming.

September 22, 9:17am

The first breezes of fall just caught my wandering eyes

I breathe in the smell of garlic, fresh basil, oregano, thyme, sage, and rosemary on my fingers

I love reading Maya Angelou’s cookbook – her stories are so beautiful, raw, truthful, and I can feel them

Not just words on a page

I can taste them and swallow them and their scent envelopes and inspires me to make and create luscious, rich dishes to make men quake and women moan

Autumn is here and I am moaning myself

The world around me is blowing in the soft, swift gusts of wind

I feel freer than I have in a long time

The autumn veil lifted from my eyes

Clearness tinges my heartbeat

By |

20130731-165439.jpg

Maine was beautiful and playing music and learning music is a divine rejuvenator. I learned a jazz chord progression and many new songs. Sang and played at Moosehead Lake’s The Birches and Easy Street tavern in Hallowell, Maine, and for Ladies Night @ the famous Dancing Saxin’ Bobby Watson’s place.

The Loons sang us to sleep most nights on our Lake-a-daisical tour of Panther Pond, Moosehead and Maranacook Lakes. I looked for moose but to no avail, they remain an illusive fantasy…

Traveling back was tiring but now that Im back, it’s time to turn the page and full-steam ahead as per usual. Playing a private reunion gathering of friends tomorrow night and looking forward to singing more of the words that floated into my head on this wondrous trip to Maine.

Many thanks to Phil Cheney for being my loving traveling companion. Also thanks to our trip comrades Maxwell, Ami, and Krekel. Such a wonderful time with ya’ll. Shouts out to Emil, Maisy, Fabian and crew for your gracious hospitality and love of good things and fun times. Blessings to all.

20130731-165610.jpg

By |

Dear Defenders of the Land and Idle No More,

I’m a grad student and work for a national non-profit (Democracy Matters) in North Carolina, in the US. I stand in solidarity with your work and with Idle No More. My heart hurts when I hear of the continued struggle to maintain treaties that are constantly broken, the poverty that engulfs Indigenous people across this land. From “Canada” to “Mexico” and further into South America… this has been a time of turmoil since the landing of Columbus and the attempt to ” rid the land of the problem” of Indigenous people has never stopped. I understand a lifetime of broken promises and physical, sexual, and mental abuse. Women should be able to protect their children rather than protect the perpetrators.  They should be able to feel strong enough to stand on their own two feet to say NO.  Poverty and an exploitative political/economic system breeds this type of violence against women and children, and against ourselves (worse than just the excuse “this has been going on since humans began” which is NOT so). The capitalist system is at its heart exploitative and reaches deep into our hearts to convince us of its legitimacy, making us all violent, our men helpless and aggressive, and our women complacent and cowering, even when we know it is wrong and we should be strong and fight.  Poverty breeds alcoholism and substance abuse, the need to mentally escape because reality is just too hard to face. Poverty breeds contempt and heart disease and capitalism is fueling the downfall of the Earth. We are watching the greatest catastrophe unfold before our eyes.

Since the 60s and AIM (American Indian Movement) and Civil Rights movement, the US has realized that the BIGGEST threat to the corporatocracy and elitist control is the realization that we are ALL in this together. Poor, elderly, Indigenous, minority, imprisoned, you name it. Their biggest fear is that we ALL come together and realize that we are being manipulated into blaming each other for being poor and not blaming the true responsible parties. We’ve been told to look horizontally, not vertically.

Rekindling the flame of AIM and the anti-war and civil rights movement of the 60’s cannot only be done by informing people of what is actually happening on the ground (they turn their heads and ignore if they have their own bread and milk to eat). Our media is controlled by 3 or 4 companies, we’ll NEVER get any truth from them, be it about Israel and Palestine, drones, Tar Sands, Occupy Wall St, Indigenous rights etc. This is a systemic problem. We must make this a campaign of shedding light on the wrongdoings AND ACTING thoughtfully and skillfully towards our goal – unhinging the goal of money from our hearts and wrapping ourselves in our communities and families and homes and shared interests as THE MAJORITY, non-violent, all of us human with the right to stand up and say NO MORE!

Stealing lands, enslaving millions, and imprisoning millions  is what rich, white people have been doing (by force, murder, rape, slavery, and then moving on to broken treaties and making their stealing legal) for several hundreds of years. All the while, justifying it for the sake of PROGRESS. This is no progress. The pipeline is no progress, it is regression and degradation of this planet to the Nth degree. Photo I took of this poster on the NY subway.

Photo I took of this poster on the NY subway.
Photo I took of this poster on the NY subway.

I am but one person drowning in an ocean of manufactured ignorance and consent in this country – people who choose to ignore the problem, those who don’t know there is a problem and to those who know and feel totally overwhelmed by it’s magnitude and feel helpless. We’ve all been lied to and had our lives stolen from us. There are others like me who feel the same – and we are working together to change things – although we are moving too slowly. At this point, I think it will take a hell of a lot more poverty, struggle, and exposing the true culprits of our plights to get anyone who isn’t politically motivated to realize that they are living in a political world – that ALL of this affects them. Some distinct parts of this country may know about this systemic problem, Idle No More, and Defenders of Land, but the VAST MAJORITY of people do not know about this (or have been kept from or lied to about it) and I hope that the word will continue to spread. Your campaign is wonderful and I have forwarded it to everyone I know, twice.

Tonight I will light a fire and hope my smoke reaches you.