Cultural Survival (@CSORG) 4th Anniv of UN Declaration of Rights of Indigenous Peoples

Fourth Anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Greetings to all our friends, In the shadow of the tenth anniversary of September 11, 2001, many people failed to recognize another significant event. Four years ago, on September 13, 2007, the United Nations General Assembly signed into existence the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). The adoption of this declaration spanned and encompassed continents and has become a universal agreement for Indigenous Peoples rights and a blueprint for how Indigenous People worldwide should be treated. Meticulously detailed and crafted, the UNDRIP seeks to affirm and empower people who for centuries have systematically faced genocide and have continually experienced human rights violation. As Indigenous Peoples, our voices finally became quite clear through the 46 articles within the declaration. These articles were created specifically to protect our lands, languages, traditions and cultures and our right to self-determination as Peoples. Yet, Indigenous Peoples still need to advocate for UNDRIP's complete implementation.  Extractive industries and human rights violations continue to plague us and we must be ever vigilant and assertive of our rights. This is nothing new for us. For centuries, Indigenous Peoples have struggled to keep safe the affirmations of life that matter most to us: harmony, respect, relationships, hope, and dignity. For many who are not Indigenous, these are abstract and untenable values that are not considered where corporate or government interests are concerned. We must remind these people. We must remind them that these are values we have written into UNDRIP and we intend to have them nurtured and brought to life at every opportunity.   As this fourth anniversary of UNDRIP unfolds, Cultural Survival asks its members to think about ways in which we all, as human beings, might further these life-affirming values. We ask that you stand behind the message that Cultural Survival continues to send: we are all part of the human community and inextricably linked. The importance of UNDRIP's vision is simple, yet profoundly necessary for the sustainability of communities everywhere.        Suzanne Benally (Navajo and Santa Clara Tewa) Executive Director      Cultural Survival is a global leader in the fight to protect Indigenous lands, languages, and cultures around the world. In partnership with Indigenous Peoples, we advocate for Native communities whose rights, cultures, and dignity are under threat. For more information go to www.cs.org.

Hudson River Sloop Clearwater -- Barge Tour

For over 400 years the Hudson has carried Lenape, Dutch and English explorers and entrepreneurs; sloops, steamboats and warships; yachts and kayaks. This fall the river carries your ideas for the future aboard the Pennsylvania Railroad Barge # 399, an artifact of a lost industrial era remade as a floating town hall, exhibition space, and movie theater.    Clearwater is proud to support Our Hudson's Barge Tour 2011 this fall   and excited to announce the return of  Clearwater's Pumpkin Sail to the Hudson Valley.  Join us at the waterfront for a celebration for harvest time - a tribute to the river communities with food, music and history as the sloop Clearwater visits Hudson Valley rivertowns, offering education sails, public sails, and dockside programs.    Join us on the barge and help shape our future. How do we make our work, our land, our river, our food, and our downtowns greater and greener? See what people are thinking and doing. There is a real opportunity now to bring focus to the Hudson River Valley's long-spoken of but yet to be fully-realized potential. Visit Pennsy 399, to see how citizens up and down the Hudson are determined to restore the economic vitality of our riverfront towns while improving the health of the river and protecting our valley's world-renowned scenic beauty.      Rivertown Schedule     September 16 - 20 Kingston  Pennsy 399 50 Rondout Landing, near the Hudson River Maritime Museum    September 23 - 25 (Tentative) Newburgh  Pennsy 399 The City Dock    September 30 - October 2   Poughkeepsie  Pennsy 399  Clearwater Pumpkin Sail, October 2  In conjunction with Kids Expo  Southern end of Waryas Park at the tug dock   October 8th Rensselear Clearwater Pumpkin Sail October 7 - 10   Hudson Pennsy 399 Clearwater Pumpkin Sail, October 10 Water Street, northern end of the park    October 15th  Kingston Clearwater Pumpkin Sail October 16th Beacon  Clearwater Pumpkin Sail   In conjunction with Beacon Sloop Club's Pumpkin Festival        October 22nd  West Harlem Piers Park  Clearwater Pumpkin Sail      Sloop tours and dockside programs are free. Public Sails are 2 hours; $35 for members, $50 for non-members, and $15 for children 12 and under. Visit www.clearwater.org for sail information and to make your reservation. For more information about Pumpkin Sail, please contact Linda Richards at Events@clearwater.org, or call 845-265-8080 x 7105.        Click here to see the barge program schedule.    For more information about the Pennsy 399 events, please contact Helena Andreyko at  Helena@hudsonriver.org, or call 212-924-8290. Hudson River Sloop Clearwater 724 Wolcott Avenue Beacon, NY 12508 845.265.8080 www.clearwater.org Preserving and Protecting the Hudson River. Creating the Next Generation of Environmental Leaders

The Sound of Silence

My wife and I were in the car and heard it announced on the radio that Paul Simon would soon be singing "Bridge over Troubled Water" at the 9/11 memorial.

I said that it would be more appropriate for him to sing "Sound of Silence".

Imagine my surprise when I sat down to watch Paul Simon sing on TV, and he sang "Sound of Silence".

The reason I found his earlier song to be the more appropriate one, is that I thought it was a song which explores the "why" of such an incomprehensible occurrence, one which tries to plumb the despair and suffering which could induce 19 young men to deliberately end their lives in order to end the lives of thousands of others.

Whatever picture the media and those in power try to portray of the world, the truth -- and the future -- are told by the oppressed. It is in their vineyard that the "grapes of wrath" are stored. "The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls... tenement halls..."

The reason this is important is that today, millions of people are starving, while billionaires think of ways to privatize drinking water and destroy public education.

We need to fight man's inhumanity to man. We need to fight to make things right. We need to heed Simon and Garfunkel's clarion call to overcome the sound of silence. We need to listen to the whispers of the voiceless. We need to speak out.

Or else, in the words of Malcolm X, "the chickens are coming home to roost".

Here are the lyrics to "Sound of Silence"

A piece from NPR's website: "Musical Moment: Paul Simon Sings 'The Sound Of Silence'"

Michael Moore (our @MMFlint): "My Terrorists" -- The Excerpt Everyone's Talking About from "HERE COMES TROUBLE"

"My Terrorists" -- The Excerpt Everyone's Talking About from "HERE COMES TROUBLE" by Michael Moore
September 10th, 2011
Friends,
This week, I gave permission to London's Guardian newspaper to publish an excerpt from my new book, HERE COMES TROUBLE, before it hits the shelves next week (or, to put it another way, no American paper was going to run a 4,000-word piece from yours truly!).
This excerpt, which the Guardian entitled "I Was the Most Hated Man in America," is from one of my nonfiction short stories in the book, a story called "The Execution of Michael Moore." The publication of this piece has generated an intense reaction from those who've read it (mostly in the UK), so I thought those who live in my own country would also like to see it. Here is the link.
This story is from the first chapter in my book. It deals with terrorism after 9/11. Not terror perpetrated by al Qaeda, but terror and fear created by domestic terrorists who didn't want anyone questioning the actions of George W. Bush. They had a way of "dealing with" people like me, and I've decided to tell the whole story for the first time. You can read the condensed version from this Guardian piece, but, if you can, read the whole story when the book comes out Tuesday.
Thank you!
Yours,
Michael Moore
MMFlint@MichaelMoore.com
MichaelMoore.com
P.S. Hey -- just a heads up. Amazon has got HERE COMES TROUBLE for 40% off today. This is a steal for those of you who can no longer afford to buy books.
P.P.S. If you can, I'd love for you to support your local bookstore. And if you'd like an autographed first edition, then support the indie stores in my neck of the woods in northern Michigan who are selling and shipping them. Thanks!


Join Mike's Mailing List | Follow Mike on Twitter | Join Mike's Facebook Group | Become Mike's MySpace Friend