Two helicopters went down of the coast of Africa. First clue I had that the US was even there.
Summer Pulse 2005.
Huge US Naval operation off coast of China.
7 Aircraft Carrier task forces of a total of 12.
Wow, when I was in the navy during the big Reagan build up for a 700 ship navy, it was 7 and that was a LOT, but 12, sure says a lot about US global expansion intentions.
13 years in Thailand working with the Akha and not a peep out of Laos. Figured I had to get over there. Then I see this one article by a fellow named Tom Fawthrop, about the Akha dying like flies in Laos. So it was time to investigate.
And what a story comes out. The US forced a drug eradication program on the Lao Govt. Hides behind UNODC and "internationalizes" a lot of the project to hide the blame and silence potential critics. They do this by getting other countries to take part of the project, the EU, etc.
And the Akha die. Like flies. Thousands of them. Babies, elderly, children. Fever and starvation. The white people from the western countries stand around making excuses.
Brings up the issue of activism, and knowing what to do about "it".
Reminds me of an old saying, "meet, bleat and retreat".
First one has to care.
That includes a committment to action, which requires time and money. If one doesn't want to open their wallet and give money, forget it, take a business plan down to the bank and tell THEM how you are going to open a new "what's it shop" but you don't need money.
Get to know someone who is directly involved in a hands on ground level project addressing the issue.
If the project involves people who are being adversely effected, then get to know these people specifically.
Concerned about profiling and drug war and prisons? Then get to know some inmates. Face to face at the jail, at the local FED or STATE installation.
Make SURE you know people who are of OTHER RACES than yourself. What is their life experience? What is being done to them? What does it feel like to have a tail light out at 11pm if you are BLACK in America? A Mexican with no papers, at 2AM when there is a knock on the door?
I once told a friend, that I thought it would really SUCK major time to be anything but WHITE WHITE WHITE in america, because the assholes who stole the whole place and set the whole gig up 1. didn't care about anyone else 2. even if you didn't fit, wouldn't be as much likely to notice if you were AT LEAST WHITE.
So,
Look for how the local press protects WHITE ELITE EXCLUSIONARY attitudes in the press, zoning codes, business licenses, medical pricing, outlawing everything to "protect", old cars, building permits, all things that effect the poorest first. Hiding behind "protecting the public" while for many poor people there is a housing shortage.
Make note every time the cops are flexing their muscle about a technicality.
Hey, I'm in Laos, and the fucking Keizer Oregon cops came by to tell my folks who are 84 that my pickup truck couldn't be parked in front of the house any more because I was "storing" it there, since I hadn't driven it in a while. Well, no one else parks in front of our house, so what friggin business is it of theirs? This is what an asshole place the western world is becoming. Like an Asian man said in Portland. "In Asia we don't like the cops and we avoid having anything to do with them. They are corrupt. But in America the cops are ALL OVER YOU ALL OF THE TIME."
Yeah, no shit, welcome to democracy and the world of the New Fascist Order.
So if THAT is happening to white people, you can imagine what twisted hell they have been making happen to anyone who isn't WHITE LIKE THEM.
And then do something about it, give people hell, forget being nice, the powers that be can kiss your ass, and let them know it.
Remember, the US is the country with the MOST guns, pointed in the WRONG direction.
Stand up for people in public. You see a black man get pulled over in a white neighborhood. Slow down. Stop. Get out of your car, watch. Bring your VIDEO camera.
Start a website, learn to use a video camera on the fly and post the videos. Learn to use Indymedia sites.
Post to a list of blogs.
USE bumper stickers you design yourself.
Paint your car. I got to mention this one because it is just going WAY TOO FAR.
I got this pickup truck in the US and I painted on it, "STOP Thailand's Genocide Against the Akha" The white people thought I was nuts. Except for all the people who came and asked me what THAT was all about and said they went to the website to find out for themselves and never heard of the Akha let alone the fact that the US was busy killing them.
Gets people all excited when you paint your nice looking truck with a hand lettered sign, if that is all you can afford. Sane NICE people don't do that.
We have a ton of Activist links on the left side of our website www.akha.org Take a look, modify tactics, but it all boils down to getting in the face of the powerful and the arrogant who think they can do what they want to anyone.
Run an email list, publish both electronic and paper newsletters. Pass out and post flyers, always have a camera, video, pen and paper, and ideas. Publish home grown books, by home grown means.
Make a personal committment to spend your time and money on people less fortunate than yourself, comfort the afflicted, afflict the comfortable.
Make plans, get results. If one isn't getting results.......well, we call that gasbagging. Be hard on yourself, don't accept failure. The least fortunate out here, when things fail, they die, simple enough.
If the government is killing people in a far away land or at home, one should know what they are paying for.
Vientiane, Laos