In addition, the Michiana area was enriched by widely available periodic news sheets from the political left (for example, the Daily World, the Underground Press Service, the Liberation News Service), from advocates of the "Social Gospel" (various committees for conscientious objectors, the American Friends Service Committee), and voices from nationwide African-American communities (from the Chicago Defender to The Black Panther). In 1964, I.F. Stone's Weekly was the only journal to challenge Lyndon Johnson's account of the Gulf of Tonkin incident, and continued a factual opposition to the war through 1971.
With the start of 2009 comes, for many, a new sense of optimism. George W. Bush will no longer be president on January 20th.It's going to take a long time to undo the disasters he and his ilk perpetrated on the world, from the economic plunder by Wall Street and the bankers, the erosion of civil liberties, minority opportunities, and human rights, offensive wars and militarism, the continuing war against the worldwide union movement, the growing environmental hazards, and the war against quality, low priced, public education. This list could go on for pages--books, even. The people of Michiana, together with the rest of the American people, aided by voices of reason from the rest of the world--for indeed, many actions and events, large and small, that we undertake here in Michiana resonate throughout the world--will renew the unfinished business of realizing the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. (Take a look at it, an inspiring document. "'Way back then" people were saying "Yes we can!")
This blog aims to be a place where Michiana activists can discuss the "what to do and why." Voices of hopelessness, violence and intolerance have no place here. We need to look for solutions; sometimes we already know them and the tough part is figuring out how to implement them. To those whose only counsel is "refuge in the lord" I reply with Benjamin Franklin that "God helps them who help themselves." Love, justice, and righteousness are not grounded only in religion; sometimes religion is an impediment to universal rights. We can talk about it; we can talk about prejudice, about hate. We can register the fear we have. Two psychologists, Kathlyn and Gay Hendricks, said of fear:
The key principle can be stated simply: what you resist, persists. If you hold fear at arm's length, if you seal it out of your awareness, you sentence yourself to living every moment in a prison of fear. The more you try to seal it out, the more it pervades your life.
We can talk about it; it might be real. The solution--resolution--may be really difficult.
As this blog discovers other Michiana resources we will try to point to them. If there are files that are too cumbersome for direct inclusion here, I have a terabyte of space in another location that will be of service.
I may edit this introduction further as the role of this blog develops; but for now, here it is.
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