Is the ISIS Bombing in Beirut a Product of US Policy in the Region? -- MUST WATCH

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https://youtu.be/P6Sn_3mzfME

“Occupation is Root Cause of Violence”: Jewish-Americans Protest at Israel’s Western Wall, Call for Boycott

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PLEASE GO TO THIS LINK AND READ ENTIRE ARTICLE (VERY WELL DONE):
http://www.salon.com/2015/11/10/occupation_is_root_cause_of_violence_jewish_americans_protest_at_israels_western_wall_call_for_boycott/?utm_content=buffer76bd0&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer



EnlargeCODEPINK activists protest at Israel's Western Well on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2015 (Credit: CODEPINK)

Jewish-American activists with the peace organization CODEPINK protested at Israel’s Western Wall (also known as the Kotel or Wailing Wall) on Tuesday morning. They unfurled a banner that read “American Jews support BDS,” referring to Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions, a peaceful global human rights movement called for by Palestinian civil society that seeks to use nonviolent economic means to pressure the Israeli government to end its illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories, grant equal rights to Palestinian citizens, and allow Palestinians who were violently expelled from their ancestral lands to return — as is required by international law.

After five minutes, plain-clothed Israeli authorities confiscated their banner and told them to leave. The activists, Ariel Gold and Ariel Vegosen, were part of a week-long CODEPINK trip to Israel-Palestine, where they witnessed firsthand what life is like for Palestinians living under military occupation.

{PLEASE CONTINUE READING AT ABOVE LINK}

AEI Hosts Bibi Netanyahu; Sane People Outside Ask Why? -- Video from @therealnews

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https://youtu.be/FCnCQVdzLRI

My first posting here of this video mistakenly said the protest was at Center for American Progress (CAP).  Though Netanyahu did go there this week, this video is outside the American Enterprise Institute's event, where he was getting some kind of prize.  Sorry for the mix-up.  And SCREW BOTH THE AEI & CAP for hosting him!

"What the Videos Show: Israel is Killing in Cold Blood" -- Barbara Erickson at TIMES WARP blog

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From Barbara Erickson's TIMES WARP blog

ORIGINAL AT:
http://timeswarp.org/2015/11/11/what-the-videos-show-israel-is-killing-in-cold-blood/

What is inspiring young Palestinians to attempt yet more stabbing attacks on Israelis? The answer, according to The New York Times, has nothing to do with the violence of military occupation, the abuse of Palestinian children or trigger-happy troops; it is merely a “loop-like dynamic” of attack and response inspired by video clips.

In a story today, Isabel Kershner reports that videos showing knife attacks and heavy-handed treatment of young detainees are inspiring Palestinian boys as young as 12 to attempt knife assaults. But in a significant omission, the article says nothing about disturbing videos that support a different take: Many Palestinians have been killed when they posed no possible threat.

Likewise, even as Kershner writes about youthful attackers, she (and the Times) have avoided any mention of the constant reports from rights groups over recent years that detail the abusive treatment of Palestinian children in Israeli custody. These include reports of troops arresting children as young as 6 and documentation of violence used against the young detainees. (Also see TimesWarp 1-13-14.)

Instead, readers are introduced to two cousins, 12 and 13, who played hooky from school yesterday in order to carry out a copycat stabbing attack in Jerusalem. Both were arrested; one was seriously wounded in the process; and both had watched video footage the night before of Israeli interrogators aggressively questioning another young teen, Ahmad Manasra, who was wounded after an alleged attack that left his cousin dead.

Kershner then devotes much of her article to rehashing the story of Manasra, who was featured earlier in a lengthy piece aimed at showing how Palestinians got it wrong when they claimed the boy had been killed. It appears to have the same purpose here: to undermine charges that Israeli troops have made false claims about knife attacks and have planted evidence.

She writes, “In several cases, with no video corroboration, Palestinians have insisted that no stabbings took place and have accused the Israeli authorities of planting knives at the scene.”

Several significant factors are missing from this statement: Although video evidence is unavailable in some cases, others are supported by credible eyewitness accounts contradicting official claims; rights groups, not only Palestinians, have charged Israeli troops with killing innocent victims; and video evidence does exist that bolsters many of the charges against Israeli forces.

In a press release last month, Amnesty International said Israeli soldiers and police had resorted to “extreme and unlawful measures” and had “used intentional and lethal force without justification.” The rights group highlighted four cases of “what appear to have been extrajudicial executions.”

Amnesty pointed up one “especially egregious case” in which Israeli forces killed 19-year-old Sa’ad Muhammad Youssef al-Atrash in Hebron on Oct. 26 as he tried to retrieve an identity card on. As the youth reached into his pocket, a soldier behind Atrash shot him on the right side. The report continues, “The eyewitness said he was shot six or seven times and bled profusely as he lay on the ground for about 40 minutes afterwards, while soldiers failed to provide medical treatment.”

Times readers, however, are unlikely to know anything about Muhammad Atrash and how he died, nor are they aware of the Amnesty statements or of reports from other rights groups, including those in Israel and Europe, all of them charging Israel with unlawful killings.

Since the Amnesty release last month, Israel has continued to kill Palestinians, many of whom posed no possible threat, bringing the total to over 80 killed and some 8,500 wounded since the beginning of October. As of Oct. 31, eight Israelis had died and 115 had been wounded, according to the United Nations. These numbers, however, do not appear in Kershner’s story.

Last week Israeli forces shot and killed a 73-year-old grandmother as she drove through Hebron to meet her sister for lunch. A spokesman said she tried to ram soldiers with the car and that a knife was found in her car. Video footage shows a different scenario: Tharwat Sharawi was driving at a moderate speed and in no way aimed to hit soldiers when a barrage of bullets took her life.

The Times has made no mention of this video evidence, nor has it informed readers of other disturbing cases, also caught on video:

• A settler shoots and kills Fadi Qawasmi, 18, in Hebron on Oct. 17, and appears to hand a knife to a soldier, who drops it near the body.
• A mob chases Fadi Alloun in Jerusalem on Oct. 4, shouting, “Shoot him!” as he runs for his life. Police bring him down with a hail of bullets.
• Muhammad Ramadan al Muhtasib, 23, is shot multiple times and killed as he lies helpless on the ground in Hebron on Oct. 30. The army alleges that he tried to stab a soldier.
• Issra Abed, 30, is shot at a bus station in Afula as she stands with her hands over her head. After she lies wounded on the ground, a bystander approaches and kicks away a pair of sunglasses lying by her side. (Police said she was grasping a knife.)
• Dania Irsheid, 18, is shot and killed at a checkpoint in Hebron after passing through metal detectors and a revolving iron gate. Video footage show Israeli police giving her no assistance as she lies bleeding on the ground.
• Hadeel al Hashlamoun, 18, is shot at a checkpoint in Hebron on Sept. 22 and left to bleed to death. A video shows her being dragged by her heels along the ground.

In several of these videos the indifference of Israeli troops is striking. None of them attempts to help the victims, and in some cases witnesses report that settlers are allowed to take pictures of the dead and dying while Palestinian journalists and medics are turned away. One highly disturbing photo shows a smiling settler taking a photo of a dead Palestinian in Hebron on Oct. 29.

In this context, the report by Kershner is appalling. Although video evidence, eyewitness accounts and investigations by rights groups point to a pattern of trigger happy—even blood thirsty—security forces killing Palestinians with the slightest degree of suspicion, the Times has made no effort to inform readers of these findings. On the contrary, it places this misleading story by Kershner on page 1 above the fold.

Here we find another attempt to blame the victims, to paint Palestinians as the violent offenders, omitting even the numbers of dead and injured, which reveal a disproportionate death toll of 10 Palestinians for every one Israeli. The facts, however, seem to be of no account when it comes to protecting Israel. Given the choice between shielding this rogue state and reporting the news, the Times stands with Israel.

Barbara Erickson

"The Pentagon's Empire of Whining" -- Pepe Escobar in Asia Times

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PLEASE SEE ORIGINAL AT:
http://atimes.com/2015/11/the-pentagons-empire-of-whining/

EXCERPT:

Donald “known unknowns” Rumsfeld was a nasty piece of work (“iron-ass,” as Daddy Bush would have it). Fellow neocon and current Pentagon supremo Ash Carter – whose job will last shortly over a year – now runs the risk of forging a reputation as a discount diva on the lam.

Ash Carter

After eight days traveling in Asia, Ash hit the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California sounding like a stray ballistic whining missile. And he hit where it hurts: the Russia-China strategic partnership. How dare they? Don’t you step on my blue Pentagon shoes.

So Russia is guilty of undertaking “challenging activities” at sea, in the air, in space and in cyberspace. Not to mention “nuclear saber-rattling.”

Ash once again enumerated all those “pillars of the international order” that Russia-China are allegedly violating; peaceful resolution of disputes, freedom from coercion, respect for state sovereignty and freedom of navigation. Considering Exceptionalistan’s recent record in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria and myriad assorted latitudes, one can always count on the Pentagon to bolster the annals of hyper-unrealism.

Sing the Eagle Home (Free Leonard Peltier)

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https://youtu.be/ObI_RqXvFY8

Recorded on Len Wallace's third album, "Midnight Shift". Original song dedicated to Leonard Peltier. Performed with voice, stretch drum and accordion.

"Noam Chomsky & Abby Martin: The Empire's Election Extravaganza" -- Abby Martin Interviews Noam

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https://youtu.be/YUc8ukdVtMs

After a crisp and clear analysis of U.S. imperialism, Noam criticizes Bernie because he is not trying to build a movement.  Then Noam says, however, that Bernie is doing "good and courageous things."  

How can that be?  This is a contradiction that Noam refuses to see in every presidential election.   Noam is into lesser evils.  Too bad, because so many people look up to him. 

In my opinion, it is better to be straight with people and let them know the grounds on which they need to fight.  Not lead them into laying down and accepting the mediocrities (most of which are threatening their very lives) thrust upon them by the ruling elites. 

"Outspoken Guantanamo Detainee Finally Walks Free, Years After Being Cleared Of Any Wrongdoing"-- by Kevin Gosztola

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http://www.mintpressnews.com/outspoken-guantanamo-detainee-finally-walks-free-years-after-being-cleared-of-any-wrondoing/210868/

EXCERPT:

In 2012, Aamer likened his treatment to the torture in George Orwell’s “1984,” which became a favorite book of his while at Guantanamo.

“There is so much to say about the evil they do in this place, specially the small things that no one pay attention to it but one thing you need to know,” Aamer stated. “They control the air we breathe. Control the light, control the noise, control the food, control the water. They control everything and they use it against me any time they want. All that you need to know about this place you just need to read ‘1984’ by George Orwell.”

What the U.S. did to Aamer was deeply inhumane. He was robbed of the opportunity to see his children grow up. His children were robbed of an opportunity to have a father while they grew up. And yet now he is better off than dozens of Guantanamo prisoners who remain at the facility.

There are 112 prisoners, about half who face no charges and are cleared for release. They continue to “live to die,” as Aamer put it, while Aamer and his family fortunately get into share in each other’s warmth for the first time in over thirteen years.

"Iran Agrees to Political Transition Where Assad is Not the Main Focus" -- @VijayPrashad on @therealnews

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https://youtu.be/-rA6AZ1EWFQ

Justin Trudeau Has Israel's Back -- WARNING, Might Make You Sick!

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https://youtu.be/OTvO_SeTvrU

Found on The Angry Arab Newservice

Are Multiple U.S. Wars the "Natural Order of Things"?

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TRANSCRIPT:
https://www.popularresistance.org/bi-partisan-wars-in-seven-countries/

"Feeding Everyone No Matter What"

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https://youtu.be/_Lpz40xaDxM

So humans can survive an agricultural collapse. I wonder if capitalism will still accrete the benefits of these ideas to the elites?  No doubt.  But at least the playing field will more level.  Will you worry about arming yourself or feeding yourself?  Feeding yourself,  is my guess.

The Single-State Solution is Already Here -- Gideon Levy

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FROM HAARETZ VIA PORTSIDE (LINK AT BOTTOM):

Here is irrefutable proof that the one-state solution should not even be considered: the bloodshed, hatred and fear currently washing over the country. Advocates of the two-state solution and, especially, those who seek no solution, those Israelis who saw the one-state solution as treason and heresy, are now proclaiming victory. “There, that’s what the binational state will look like,” they are saying. “It will be a bloody, endless civil war.”

The same intimidatory arguments that were used for years against the two-state solution (the “Auschwitz borders”) are now being enlisted against the one-state solution. Now, as then, everything is judged according to the contours of the current, depressing reality, and it doesn’t occur to anyone that another reality is possible.

The nationalists say, “An agreement will never be possible with those bloodthirsty people.” The center-left says, “There’s no way to live together.” The common denominator is racism, and the assumption that the hatred will last forever. To this we must add the arguments over the Jewish state’s sanctity and the end of the Zionist project. In short, one state means the end of the world.

And now to the facts. One state already exists here, and has done so for 48 years. The Green Line faded long ago; the settlements are in Israel, and Israel is also the settlers’ land. The fate of the two million Palestinians who live in the West Bank is decided by the government in Jerusalem and the defense establishment in Tel Aviv, not by Ramallah. Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, the coordinator of government activities in the territories, is their ruler far more than Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is. They are clearly part of the binational state and have been its subjects, forcibly, for some three generations. This state has three regimes: democracy for the Jews; discrimination for the Israeli Arabs; and apartheid for the Palestinians. But everyone lives in one inseparable state.

The binational state that was born in 1967 is not democratic. In fact, it’s one of the worst states in the world, because of the military dictatorship it upholds in part of its territory – one of the most brutal, totalitarian regimes in existence today. It is also one of the most racist states, since it determines its residents’ rights based solely on their nationality. This is the one state that is washed in blood right now, and will continue to be washed in blood as long as it remains in its malicious, nondemocratic format.

Those who say the current bloodbath is proof that Arabs and Jews can’t live together base this on the current state of injustice. And they’re right. If Israel continues to be a state of iniquity, Jews and Arabs will never be able to live together in peace. But the growing few advocating the one-state solution are not thinking of this state – quite the opposite. They wish to undermine it and establish a different, more just and egalitarian regime. When that is established, the hatred and despair will most likely be forgotten.

One may not want to believe this, of course, but one must not deceive. You cannot deny the possibility of life together with arguments based on the existing conditions. Blood is being spilt because of the injustice, and stems from it. How can you rule out in advance the possibility that in a democratic, egalitarian state, different relations will be formed? There are quite a few historic precedents of hatred and horror that dissipated when the injustice dissipated.

We could go back to the two-state solution, of course. Not a bad idea, perhaps, but one that has been missed. Those who wanted a Jewish state should have implemented it while it was still possible. Those who set it on fire, deliberately or by doing nothing, must now look directly and honestly at the new reality: 600,000 settlers will not be evacuated. Without evacuation, there will not be two states. And without two states, only the one-state solution remains.

Now, of all times, out of the fire and despair, we must start talking about the last way out: equal rights for all. For Jews and Arabs. One state is already here, and has been for a long time. All it needs is to be just and do the right thing. Who’s against it? Why? And, most important, what’s the alternative?

Gideon Levy
Haaretz Correspondent
 

- See more at: http://portside.org/2015-10-20/single-state-solution-already-here#sthash.hr28N1f2.dpuf

"Civil action Filed in US Against Former Israeli PM Barak over Gaza Flotilla Death"

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IT SHOULD BE A CRIMINAL COURT, BUT AT LEAST THERE WILL BE SOME KIND OF ACCOUNTABILITY FOR FURKAN!  LINDA

http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/civil-action-filed-us-against-former-israeli-pm-barak-over-gaza-flotilla-1843731484#block-disqus-disqus-comments

Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak is being sued in a US federal court for his involvement in the Israeli army's raid on the Gaza flotilla in 2010, a team of lawyers announced on Wednesday.

The lawsuit is being brought by the family of Furkan Dogan, a 19-year-old American citizen, who was on board the flotilla filming when he was shot five times, including once at point blank range in the head, the lawyers said.

The complaint accuses Barak of "international terrorism".

"This is a case brought by the parents Furkon Dagan," Dan Stormer, one the lawyers representing the Dogan family, told reporters in a news conference on Wednesday evening.

Stormer added that case will be brought under a host of different US laws, including Alien Tort Claims Act, the Torture Victims Protection Act, and the Anti-Terrorism Act.

On 31 May 2010, Israeli security forces raided the flotilla in international waters. According to lawyers representing the Dogan family, these soldiers were led and commanded by Ehud Barak, the minister of defence at the time. The attack killed 10 activists on the Mavi Mamara, one of the flotilla's ships.

The lawyers also stressed that the soldiers took command of the floatilla and towed every ship to the port of Israel, where they arrested the activists for illegally being in an Israeli port. The lawyers added that activists were tortured during that time.

"They left people in stress positions for as long as 12 hours, they prevented them from having access to family members. They prevented them from having toilet facilities, they beat them they tortured them, they gave them no medical treatment, and they treated them in a way that can only be described as torture," said Stormer.

Unprecedented lawsuit

Barak was giving a speech in southern California on Tuesday night when he was served with legal papers, according to a press release from the lawyers involved in the case.

This marks the first time in which an Israeli and former prime minister has been sued in the US.

Rodney Dixon, another lawyer representing the Dogan family, said: "We have for a number of years since the attack in 2010 been pursuing every possible legal avenue to obtain justice for the victims on the floatilla. We have gone to the International Criminal Court in the Hague, the ICC, and we have gone to several national jurisdictions to seek to launch criminal proceedings."

"Our legal work has been based on the long line of international precedents based on Nuremburg and Tokyo and recently Ugoslavia and Rwanda tribunals, which have all consistently held military and political leaders are not beyond the law. They can be held accountable for their actions. They are not entitled to indiscriminately target civilians as occurred that night on the flotilla," he added.

However, this suit does not necessarily mean Barak will be arrested. If he is charged guilty in court, he will most likely have to pay some sort of compensation, said Haydee Dijkscal, an American lawyer who works at the Hague and is part of the international team representing the Dogan family.

"There is not a long history of these types of cases. I can’t imagine that this will be anything less than tens of millions. It will be a massive reward," added Stormer.

Barak knew floatilla was solely humanitarian

As part of the flotilla, more than 700 human rights activists travelled on six ships in an attempt to bring humanitarian supplies to Gaza. The complaint argues that Barak planned and commanded the attack and interception of the flotilla. 

"Barak is responsible and liable of the common plan, design and scheme unlawfully to attack the six vessels of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla and the civilian passengers on board which constituted ascts of international terrorism and result in extrajudicial killings, torture and cruel inhuman and other degrading treatment in violation of customary international law," the complaint filed in a US Federal Court in Central California says. 

Stormer believes that Israel deliberately knew that the floatilla was a humanitarian effort prior to the attack.

"They had every reason to believe that there are unarmed civilians who were there solely for purposes of humanitarian aid. They had every reason to believe that there are approximately 700 unarmed people solely for humanitarian purposes. Did they know that this particular young man was there? Not only did they not know, they did not care who they shot. They did not care who they killed, they did not care who they tortured. They did it to everyone on that flotilla," he told MEE.

According to Hakan Camuz, a spokesperson for the Dogan family, the stuff confiscated by Israeli soldiers during was "all humanitarian aid, including toys for children as well as pharmaceutical materials".

 

Barak has admitted responsibility for the attack.

- See more at: http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/civil-action-filed-us-against-former-israeli-pm-barak-over-gaza-flotilla-1843731484#block-disqus-disqus-comments

Long-time Friend of Stand Up Seattle Ivy Williams on Cover of Real Change Newsletter -- Ivy Is Fighting Against Slumlords

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I didn't happen to pick this one up so it was a surprise!  I met Ivy at the Demo mentioned in the article.  Slumlord Carl Haglund was greeted with outrage!

http://realchangenews.org/issue/october-14-2015

There are few such great fighters for the working class than Ivy!

She works with http://safeinseattle.org.

"Violence In Israel And The Palestinian Territories: It's The Occupation"--Seattle Vigil Against Occupation, Saturday, 10/17, Noon-2pm

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https://youtu.be/Z4th92-J32Q

VIGIL AGAINST ISRAEL'S OCCUPATION

Saturday, Noon-2pm

4th & Pine St. Seattle

VoicesforPalestine.org

H/T Mai Odeh

WHEN I SEE THEM I SEE US -- Black Palestinian Solidarity

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https://youtu.be/xsdpg-9cmSw

"America's Unofficial Religion — The War on an Idea" -- @AbbyMartin on The Empire Files

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https://youtu.be/VTr0Gom85wg

Obama, Bring Leonard Peltier Home! Seattle Demands Clemency for Leonard Peltier NOW! #FreeLeonardPeltier

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"Reproducing State Violence: Planned Parenthood, the Hyde Amendment and Indigenous Struggle" -- Kelly Hayes -- BRILLIANT!

Tweet Link to original (written by Kelly Hayes):  http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/33045-reproducing-state-violence-planned-parenthood-the-hyde-amendment-and-indigenous-struggle

Reproductive care has always been a complex topic for people of color in the United States. Since the beginnings of colonization - through the horrors of slavery and the forced sterilization efforts of the last century - our ability to control whether or not we bring life into the world and how we are allowed to interact with our offspring once they are born has been either challenged or completely wrenched from our grasp. It is not surprising that this set of varied experiences, tied together by a thread of oppression, would yield different responses by those affected. Some of us reject any effort to impose any further control of our bodies, and some view abortion as being inextricably connected to this country's long-term efforts to control the number of Black and Brown children born into it.

I know that some view all life - including the unborn - as sacred, and oppose abortion on such grounds. I am further aware that some fervently debate when life actually begins. So to simplify what I am trying to convey, I will plainly offer that, in my opinion, life does begin at conception, and that this does not alter my position on abortion in the least. I am pro-choice. I do not believe that all life is sacred, or that we live in a world in which such a principle is treated as fact in any instance outside of societal efforts to control what happens inside the bodies of those who are able to bear children.

As an Indigenous woman, I view any state control of my body as an act of colonial violence. I see restrictions on abortion access no differently than the forcible sterilization of Native women or the mass theft of our children. When the same force that has occupied our land and raped and ravaged our communities - the very force that has robbed us of our heritage and made a mockery of our culture - attempts to control any aspect of our bodies, that act is nothing short of state violence. It is the oppressive will of a power structure that would occupy both our land and our bodies.

Reproductive domination is the theft of Native agency, which has always been at the heart of our experiences as Native people living the grotesque realities that this society masks with its myth of US greatness. As Nicolle Gonzales, a Diné midwife and health-care advocate recently reminded us, the government's efforts to annihilate us through forced sterilization continued through the 1970s, when "the Indian Health Service oversaw the nonconsensual sterilization of approximately 40 percent of women of childbearing age."

This theft of Native reproductive agency is a culturally and historically embedded aspect of the colonial experience.

Last week, Pope Francis captivated much of the country with his visit to the United States. Like many liberals who are enthusiastic about topics like combating climate change, the pope established during his visit that he is unwilling to do anything more than pay lip service to Native struggle. His canonization of Junípero Serra was an insult to Native people everywhere, and proved that any claims the pontiff might make about regretting the crimes committed against Indigenous people are utterly hollow. It's important to note, however, that the Catholic Church's position on reproductive rights and care also reflect that same reality.

From the doctrine of discovery's influence of manifest destiny, to the Church's present support of legal measures that would control how and when women - especially Brown and Black women - bring life into the world, or choose not to, the hierarchy of the Catholic Church has been representative of oppression and social control grounded in supremacy. Acknowledging as much is not a condemnation of Catholics as individuals. It is merely a statement of fact conveyed by one whose people have been subject to that oppression and control, and its horrific consequences, ever since colonialism and Christianity reached our shores.

The fact is, the Catholic Church's relationship with Native peoples has both fed and mirrored that of the US government. Just as Serra's missions perpetuated the enslavement, torture, rape and murder of Native people, so too, has the power structure of this society.

And now, the issue is forced birth and access to reproductive health care. Both conservatives within this government and a pope celebrated by a liberal fandom the world over are demanding that those who can bear children - including those whose ability to do so has already been historically twisted, controlled and stolen - submit to the will of a hierarchy of white men who would decide what happens to our bodies.

This is colonial violence. It is domination. It is the suppression of our liberation. And it cannot be permitted.

If Native people who are able to bear children embrace faiths or ideologies that steer them away from abortion, that is their right - a right that should be protected by any means necessary. But the same is true for all aspects of reproductive choice. We must reclaim our bodies from the state. We must defend ourselves against the further infliction of colonial violence.

We must not allow any aspect of our humanity to be the province of this government.

Every Native life is a victory against colonialism, but so is every act that affirms our self-determination. We are freedom fighters, born in resistance, and this government continues to make battlefields of our bodies. We must repel their invasion. We must do this because the survival of our people is not enough. We must have the freedom to choose how we live and what we bring into this world.

As a Native woman, my liberation demands that the Hyde Amendment be abolished, and that efforts to defund Planned Parenthood be thwarted. Native people must be free to decide the course of our own destinies because our freedom will never be realized as long as the state-sanctioned control of our bodies is allowed to continue.