General Strike!

Today, I do no Work. No School. No Shopping. No Chores. No Banking.

Won't you join us?

No Post Today!

http://occupyoakland.org

Occupation News

The "Occupy" movement is too large to ignore now, and too important not to keep up-to-date about. Media blackouts are lessening, but in lieu of that, we are now getting a deliberate misinformation campaign. But you still do not see the coverage that the protests warrant on the news. I have been keeping up-to-date as best I can, and feel that it is a duty of mine to spread what I have learned. Below are links and videos on this issue.

Many people are doing what they can from where they are. People are moving their money out of the big banks and into credit unions. Did you know as few as 147 companies pretty much own everything and control the economy? They are speaking out and making demands. Even if many of us are weary. You, too can make a difference. Here is what others are doing:

Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, and others join in at Occupy Columbus Circle, NYC:

Protests at Occupy Maine are disrupted by someone throwing a chemical bomb to disrupt it.

A Marketing Professional orchestrates a Bank of America Walkout:

Children's author Lemony Snicket writes about the occupation and asks other authors to join in.

Videos are being produced that tell what we want as a movement:

Meanwhile, Bank of America pushes forward with record breaking profits and a plan to charge $5 per month to use your debit card.

One Marine versus 30 cops (after he watches them brutalize protestors and bystanders in NYC):

Occupy London blog reports that many Christian denominations are with them.

I encourage you to post your links to this important movement. Together, we can stay informed.

More on the Occupation

I have been accumulating photos and information about the growing "occupation" movements that originated in New York City and now have spread worldwide. It behooves all of us to seek out actual information about what is happening, and not be passive about getting news, especially on this.

As Gil Scott Heron quipped, "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised". Here is a video that talks about the gap between US domestic policy and foreign policy when it comes to people's movements:

My Son Is Not a Billboard, Nor Is He a Market!

Adweek has reported that by the time an American child is three years old, s/he will recognize, on average, 100 brands. This has to do with television and movies, of course, but also the burgeoning "digital device" toys that have now targeted the 0-3 "market".

This disturbs me greatly. As readers of my blog know, I am no fan of capitalism, particularly the imbalanced capitalism of the U.S. that has "socialized losses and privatized gains" (see left for full quote). Companies will do anything, it seems to suck us dry- even acting as parasites on our babies.

So I am firming up the rules surrounding my son starting here and now. Before moving to Ohio, there was no TV in our home. Now it is a focal point in the main living space. It will be either off or he will be in another space during waking hours. There is plenty of time for him to be exposed to what television offers- but all too often, he has witnessed glimpses of human cruelty, crass commercialism, or age inappropriate scenes before we manage to change the channel. And frankly, most of the problems I see are from commercials! What they are selling, this family is NOT buying.

We already have a firm rule that we do not want ANY licensed characters (be they Elmo or Spongebob- doesn't matter) in my son's life- no toys, no clothes, no books. We are not going to the children's parades that only serve to promote these characters and push more things for us to buy. No thank you. If he receives a toy, clothing item, or book with a Disney, Pixar, or any licensed character on it, we donate it to a homeless shelter or other charity. We have already offloaded 4-5 items he has been given, despite telling people of our preferences.

It irks me that often on the news, human beings are referred to as "consumers" as a matter of course- as though that is our sole purpose and activity. I certainly do not identify that way, and I want to keep my son in an ad-free zone as long as possible. I want him to learn actual human values first, before being exposed to exploitation and competition over cooperation all in the name of the all-mighty dollar.




Anyone else out there taking a stand like this? How do you navigate the outside world, which seems hellbent on indoctrinating our children?

Carnival of Natural Parenting: Money Matters

Welcome to the October Carnival of Natural Parenting: Money Matters
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants have shared how finances affect their parenting choices. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.
***

Dr. Cornel West, occupying Wall Street

I hate money.  I know all the self-help gurus tell me I need to cultivate a "healthy, respectful relationship with money" if I ever hope to make peace with it and make a decent living, but that's a load of crap, as far as I'm concerned. It assumes that nothing in the world will ever change- that we will live in a capitalist, exploitative society forever where most people work hard and get scraps. The fact is, I hate the whole system. The fact that it seems to be going down the tubes right now, while scary in the short term is probably the best thing for the vast majority of people.

Wall Street Occupiers.

I struggle to make ends meet, like most of us (some of us more than others). I am in grad school and my partner has been unemployed for three plus years, like many folks across the country. We have a toddler to support and raise. How do we do it? We get food stamps and other assistance in addition to my financial aid. It's not glamorous* and it doesn't pay all the bills each and every month. Am I ashamed? Absolutely not. I would rather my taxes pay for helping hungry people than killing people abroad. I say my taxes because I paid more in the last two years than Bank of America. (See what I mean about hating money? Click here to change where your money is kept and who gets access to it.)

How do we do it? We are currently staying with my partner's parents (also very unglamorous) while my partner finds a job in Columbus. Once he does, we will move there and be self-sufficient. Some of my less-frequent readers may not know that we moved from the (very expensive!) Bay Area last month in order to get our finances in order, as well as make deeper connections with family (Rowan's grandparents love that they get to spend so much time with him now). We were able to put much needed money into our aging car and pay off bills because we are not paying rent. I am ever-so-grateful to them for opening their home and hearts to us and allowing us to make a new start in a new (more affordable) state.

I moved to Ohio, gleefully and gladly, for my son's future. It will be easier here. Family to help with child care, cousins to play with, a lower cost of living, and cheaper homes when the time comes for us to settle down and buy a place. This is the one thing I wish we had the money for now- a down payment on a home with a small parcel of land to homestead upon. I yearn for things that are not luxuries- instead, they smack of stability, tradition, and finally a place to call HOME.

---

Anyone who talks about people "sitting on their butt and collecting welfare" (and being able to actually live with a roof over their heads, feed their family, and have a phone and transportation like everyone else) doesn't know what they are talking about. 

There is not a state in the United States that allows people to stay at home and collect welfare anymore. All recipients are required to report to a "job center" and put in 40 hours a week of resume prep, job hunting, and workshop attendance until a job is found. And no job can be refused (no matter the hours and if it works for your family or the pay), or welfare benefits will stop (most do anyway- once someone starts making minimum wage). 

My schooling, which applied towards these required hours in California- do not count in Ohio. Ohio is a state that would rather see people languish in minimum wage jobs for a lifetime, creating a permanent underclass of people, rather than allow them to get job training or attend school and lift themselves out of poverty. To get cash aid of $500 per month, they want BOTH of us to report to a job center for 40 hours a week and place our son in daycare (which we cannot afford). So we declined cash assistance from Ohio. Pray or light a candle for us that my partner finds a job soon.

***

Visit Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!

Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

(This list will be live and updated by afternoon October 11 with all the carnival links.)

• Money Matter$ — Jenny at I'm a full-time mummy shares her experiences on several ways to save money as a parent.
• A different kind of life... — Mrs Green from Little Green Blog shares her utopian life and how it differs from her current one!
• Show Me The Money! — Arpita of Up, Down & Natural shares her experience of planning for parenting costs while also balancing the financial aspect of infertility treatments.
• Material v Spiritual Wealth - Living a Very Frugal Life with Kids — Amy at Peace 4 Parents shares her family's realizations about the differences between material and spiritual wealth.
• If I Had a Money Tree — Sheila at A Gift Universe lists the things she would buy for her children if money were no object.
• Financial Sacrifices, Budgets, and the Single Income Family — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama looks at the importance of living within your means, the basics of crafting a budget, and the "real cost" of working outside of the home.
• Overcoming My Fear of All Things Financial — Christine at African Babies Don't Cry shares how she is currently overcoming her fear of money and trying to rectify her ignorance of all things financial.
• Confessions of a Cheapskate — Adrienne at Mommying My Way admits that her cheapskate tendencies that were present pre-motherhood only compounded post-baby.
• Money Matters — Witch Mom hates money; here's why.
• Money? What Money?! — Alicia C. at McCrenshaw's Newest Thoughts describes how decisions she's made have resulted in little income, yet a green lifestyle for her and her family.
• What matters. — Laura at Our Messy Messy Life wishes parenting through play was her only responsibility during the day.
• Making Ends Meet — Abbie at Farmer's Daughter shares about being a working mom and natural parent.
• Poor People, Wealthy Ways — Sylvia at MaMammalia discusses how existing on very little money allows her to set an example of how to live conscientiously and with love.
• The Green Stuff — Amyables at Toddler In Tow shares how natural parenting has bettered her budget - and her perspective on creating and mothering.
• Jemma's Money — Take a sneak peek at That Mama Gretchen's monthly budget and how Jemma fits into it.
• 5 Tips for How to Save Time and Money by Eating Healthier — Family meal prep can be expensive and time-consuming without a plan! Dionna at Code Name: Mama shares five easy tips for how to make your cooking life (and budget) easier.
• Belonging in the Countryside — Lack of money led Phoebe at Little Tinker Tales towards natural parenting, but it also heeds her from realizing her dream.
• Total Disclosure and Total Reform — Claire at The Adventures of Lactating Girl gets down to the nitty gritty of her money problems with hopes that you all can help her get her budget under control.
• Save Money by Using What You Have — Gaby at Tmuffin is only good with money because she's lazy, has trouble throwing things away, and is indecisive. Here are some money-saving tips that helped her manage to quit her job and save enough money to become a WAHM.
• Two Hippos & Ten Euros: A Lesson in Budgeting — MudpieMama shares all about how her boys managed a tight budget at a recent zoo outing.
• ABBA said it — Laura from A Pug in the Kitchen ponders where her family has come from, where they are now and her hopes for her children's financial future.
• Money vs. Time — Momma Jorje writes about cutting back on junk, bills, and then ultimately on income as well ~ to gain something of greater value: Time.
• An Unexpected Cost of Parenting — Moorea at MamaLady shares how medical crises changed how she feels about planning for parenthood.
• 5 Ways This Stay at Home Mom Saves Money — Charise at I Thought I Knew Mama shares 5 self-imposed guidelines that help her spend as little money as possible.
• Frugal Parenting — Lisa at My World Edenwild shares 8 ways she saves money and enriches her family's lives at the same time.
• Conscious Cash Conscious — Zoie at TouchstoneZ shares her 5 money-conscious considerations that balance her family’s joy with their eco-friendly ideals.
• Money, Sex and Having it All — Patti at Jazzy Mama explains how she's willing to give up one thing to get another. (And just for fun, she pretends to give advice on how to build capital in the bedroom.)
• Money could buy me ... a clone? — With no local family to help out, Jessica Claire at Crunchy-Chewy Mama wants childcare so she can take care of her health.
• Spending Intentionally — CatholicMommy loves to budget! Join her to learn what to buy, what not to buy, and, most importantly, where to buy.
• New lessons from an allowance — Lauren at Hobo Mama welcomes a follow-up guest post from Sam about the latest lessons their four-year-old's learned from having an allowance.
• How to Homeschool without Spending a Fortune — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now shares tips and links to many resources for saving money while homeschooling from preschool through high school.
• It's Not a Baby Crisis. It's Not Even a Professional Crisis. — Why paid maternity leave, you may ask? Rachael at The Variegated Life has some answers.
• "Making" Money — Do you like to do-it-yourself? Amy at Anktangle uses her crafty skills to save her family money and live a little greener.
• Money On My Mind — Luschka at Diary of a First Child has been thinking about money and her relationship with it, specifically how it impacts on her parenting, her parenting choices, and ultimately her lifestyle.
• Spending, Saving, and Finding a Balance — Melissa at The New Mommy Files discusses the various choices she and her family have made that affect their finances, and finds it all to be worth it in the end.
• Accounting for Taste — Cassie at There's a Pickle in My Life shares their budget and talks about how they decided food is the most important item to budget for.
• Money Matters... But Not Too Much — Mamapoekie at Authentic Parenting shares how her family approaches money without putting too much of a focus onto it.
• Parenting While Owning a Home Business — In a guest post at Natural Parents Network, Lauren at Hobo Mama lays out the pros and cons of balancing parenting with working from home.
• Crunchy Living is SO Expensive...Or Is It? — Kelly at Becoming Crunchy talks about her biggest objection to natural living - and her surprise at what she learned.
• Mo' Money, Mo' Problems — Sarah at Parenting God's Children shares how a financial accountability partner changed her family's finances.
• The Importance of Food Planning — Amanda at Let's Take the Metro discusses how food budgeting and planning has helped her, even if she doesn't always do it.
• Kids & Money: Starting an Allowance for Preschoolers — Kristin at Intrepid Murmurings discusses her family's approach and experiences with starting an allowance for preschoolers.

Occupy Wall Street September 17th

While I cannot be there, I hope
thousands can.

While I don't normally talk about politics on this blog (and may lose some of my readership as a result of this post), I feel the dire need to do so today. Starting tomorrow, gods willing, thousands will occupy Wall Street in tents for several months. They do so because banks, corporations, and governments have collaborated far too long to take away our livelihoods, our welfare, and our civil liberties (more here). They have hijacked our system and the "American Dream" for the vast majority of us.

I know it is hard to talk about "class" in this country (and when you do, most people snicker and think as you as some kind of holdover from the naive 1960's or even more out of date, the 1930's in the unions' heyday). Class is the unspoken disparity. We talk about race, gender, even sexual orientation these days. But class is where people that should interests in common divide- due to some serious media manipulations.

I believe that there is truly a war on the poor and working class happening all over the world as we speak. Right now in the US (I'll speak mainly to my country in this post), politicians and corporations have already took away our right to elect representatives in the state of Michigan. The governor there has created an executive order to replace any democratically elected official- for any reason- and replace them with anyone of his choosing. So far, he chooses corporate cronies.

They are cutting according to their priorities, which does not include
you or me. Their priorities are loopholes for the wealthy
(individuals and corporations).

The governor of Wisconsin has tried hard to take away the power of collective bargaining (thank the gods for the court system, at least in that state). Collective bargaining is the only thing that works against monied corporations who would have us all working in 1800's conditions once more for subsistence (or lower) wages. I kid you not- they are looking to roll back wages, undo years of struggle by slashing benefits and pensions, and take away our power to organize to get them back.

While many younger folks in the US have been trained to think of unions as passé and corrupt, the fact is they are the ones who have protected us- working conditions, health care benefits, living wages, paid time off and even the concept of the weekend- these all come from the blood, sweat, and tears of union activists. And these things are being dismantled now- as surely as the government tried to bring down the unions themselves. (I'll address the most common rebuttal I hear lately in regards to resurrecting unions: Yes, some union officials have been corrupt. So have some government officials, police officers, and business men- what is the point of invoking that argument when you don't call for the abolition of all these things? The problem is that everyday affected people have lost control of our government and our organizations.)

The governor of New Hampshire wants to restrict minimum wage.

Corporate lapdog pundits are talking about how the poor should not have the right to vote. 

Fox News tries to appease its working class folks by convincing them that "poor" does not mean what it used to. In one argument, they argue that because over 90% of the poor in the United States "have a refrigerator" they aren't "really poor". (See video link immediately below for actual footage from the station.) Notice they didn't say "own a refrigerator". They chose their language carefully to be accurate, but still untrue. You see, the vast majority of poor people rent their homes where landlords are required to have working appliances for their use. This kind of manipulation is nothing new for Fox.

While the wealthy may have always felt this way about the poor, what has changed is that they feel that they can do this, with the help of our government, right out in the open. They have become emboldened, because so many working people have bought into the right wing rhetoric that divides us. I say to you now- if you must work to make a living (whether that is a university professor or a garbage collector), you are working class. Your interests are not those that would strip of of our sufferage, our civil liberties (especially the right to peacefully assemble), and our ability to feed our families.

While corporate profits are at an all time high and the wealthy pay less in taxes at any time in our history, unemployment is much higher than the reported 9%. (These figures do not take into account those that were denied unemployment compensation in the first place, those who have dropped off the rolls because they have exhausted their benefits and still have not found a job, and those that are underemployed and are no longer eligible for compensation as a result.)

If you can make it to New York, by all means do so. You have my blessing. If you cannot, stand up for working people where you live, support those who are at home and abroad.

The call to occupy Wall Street:


Some international (Valencia, Spain- 2011) inspiration (although the stats on the video apply specifically to the US). We are not alone in this fight. It is happening all over the world.

Extremism worldwide

Oslo

The world is a scary place right now, is it not? Terrorists, extremists, polarized politics, and violence plague us. People are blaming one another for problems and not working together for the benefit of all.  People are rioting and looting because they feel like they have no options in life. And in many ways in the culture that we have developed in "western, industrialized" countries, this is true. The gap between wealthy and poor has been widening for decades. More and more people are hungry and uncared for.

London

This inequality has lead to revolutions and protests in Syria, Egypt, Wisconsin, Michigan, Spain, Greece, London, and Manchester. (I am sure that there are more than this short list.) I believe that this economic situation has created terrorism and extremism. Here in the US, the threat for homegrown terrorism is higher than it has ever been, due to gaps in equality, extremists taking advantage, and the rest of the population living in a state where they value competition over cooperation.

Spain

I know that many blame religion, but extremism of any stripe can step in when people feel powerless. The attack on Norway was done by a Christian extremist- yes, but more than that, he was afraid of what a pluralistic socity would mean for him- he thought it meant losing what little power he did have. The attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon were done by Muslim extremists, yes. But in reality, religion has little to do with these attacks. The attacks on US soil targeted centers of global oppression- big finance and US colonial military power.

Wisconsin

Further, these kind of attacks stem from a place where people feel that their way of doing things trumps everyone else's. The Oslo Bomber feared Muslims and their culture and wanted them exterminated, deported, or violently assimilated. The mere existence of "others" (simply being) is a threat to him. He hated the "cultural marxists and multiculturalists" who are "aiding and abetting" cultural genocide (most significantly in efforts to accommodate Islam within Europe). The challenge, as [Anders Behring Breivik] sees it, seems to be to eliminate Islamic migration to Europe, assimilate or force emigration of Muslims, and to excise all Islamist or Arab influenced culture, art, and architecture from European countries.

So what can we do? We can say no and we can say yes.

Say No to a Culture That Embraces Violence and Hates Difference

Did you know that in our (broken) popular culture video games ) the ones that we often let our kids play) helped the Oslo bomber prepare his horrible plot? We are desensitizing ourselves to violence and death and helping others learn how to kill effectively when we allow such "games" in our homes.Violent video games in my home? Hell no.

I have a friend whose sons (all under the age of 6) play these with their father (as well as watch violent TV and cartoons) and all they want to do is play fight. They always polarize their toys (This is the bad guy- I am going to kill him!") and it makes me sad and frightened all at the same time. These kids also have nightmares inspired by what they see. I want something different for Rowan- and that is going to be hard, because I am swimming upstream, against the tide of a culture that sees violence as mainstream and OK.

I also choose not to have a TV in my home, because I feel most of the programming is designed for brainwashing us to believe competition is better than cooperation, capitalism is freedom, violence is normal, and difference is something to be despised. I do not want my son exposed to those dynamics at a young age. When he is older, we will watch together, so that I can help decode the messages that he is seeing. I want to raise a critical thinker.

I am also saying no to a segregated society- I want to have friends of all ages, races, religions and other cultural markers of difference. I want my son to grow up in that world, so I need to actively cultivate it. which brings me to saying yes:

Saying Yes to Diversity, Cooperation, and a Culture That Sustains Life

After the Oslo bombing, Al Jezeera ran an op-ed called, Faced with Inhumanity, We Must Be More Human. I concur. While we are afraid, we must continue to reach out to one another and build a new society in the decaying shell of the old. We must learn how to care for ourselves and others we include in our tribe (and we must build those tribes!) Hard work is ahead for all of us that value life and love.

We must go out of our way sometimes to meet people who think or live differently than ourselves. Making friendships that span that divide is even harder. But if we want a society that embraces diversity, then we must do it on a micro level first.

I am teaching my son about the myriad seemingly invisible (only because we take it for granted) ways the world cooperates for his benefit. I am teaching him cooperation and working and playing with others. I am modeling non-violent communication, non-capitalist ways of being, and how to create.

What are you doing to say no and yes to a better world?