LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL , GET READY FOR A RIDE, COME ALONG TO OUR NEW HOME- IT UNDER CONSTRUCTION - having the comments disabled under Chloe"s last post was the last STAW !!! NEW address is
We the Notes team is in the process of moving the blog roll Links. Making Template Decisons, and a lot of stuff. Cause its time. And i do have to say for me at least the Wordpress Module is more intuitive (for me) so here we go. All the past posts are there already, And so I hope you will come and comment.
PLEASE CHANGE YOUR LINKS with the new addy.
Thank - you all - Proudprogressive, ChloeElise, Anarchopagen and Blueheart
Disclaimer: ***No transexuals were harmed in the creation of this video***
'Sacrificed' by Chloe 2007 All Rights Reserved. Sacrificed by Chloe
Sampled Voice: (It's only after you have lost everything, that we are free to do anything.)
Verse 1: I've been burning in the water; I've been drowning in the flames. I've been trying hard to beat you at your games. I've been crying tears in silence; I've been crying tears in pain. Seems so pointless like I'm crying tears in vain.
Chorus: Sacrificed myself for you, but You don't hear a word I say. Gave up everything so you can Watch me fade away.
Verse 2: What more do you want from me? My sanity is not enough. Why must you torment me? All I want is love. I've given you everything; I've compromised my heart. You want all of me before I fall apart.
To many people who don't know me, I am a cultural taboo. Often called a "freak", "weirdo", "homo". The culture at large, says I'm sick. perverted,sexually depraved , a shock and twisted. Some call people with my condition, an "affront to both Providence and nature". Some people call me "Maurice", I don't know why, I don't even know anyone named "Maurice". Insults get hurled with a voracious sense of hatred towards me. They hate me, and they don't even know me. Soooooo, who is Chloe Elise? -
I'm a self taught musician, artist, actress, cinematographer, poet, animator, writer, activist, sister, friend. I am a daughter, a worker, tax payer, renter, licensed driver, researcher and deep thinker. All I really want to do is to live my life. Gentle to a fault,there' s no reason to fear me, but people do. I am a peacekeeper, yet people want to make war with me. I'm not an angry person, yet people are angry at me. I'm the most difficult issue a parent will ever have to face when raising a child, though I was an obedient child. YET, I am the whispered secret, a joke, an amusement, and a sideshow attraction. I embody the unknown, a catalyst of misunderstanding, curiosity and questioning. That's my current reality in today's culture. and I don't expect life to be easy because its not easy for anyone, but...
I am a proud transexual woman.
A human being, yet I'm not treated as a human being. When cut, I bleed. I am treated as an outcast. Society's "Pariah". A male to female transsexual, the sacrificial offering to the god of Western society's "moral values" and cultural taboos. I was, due to my biological imperative, forced to tell those that knew me of my condition. Now, everybody knows. There is no "transitioning in stealth" for me. It would be dishonest of me to transition in stealth; and dishonesty in not in my nature. So, since I am "male" (sort of) on the outside and female on the inside; my mind and body incongruent with each other, something had to be done about it. Something needed to happen, and words long overdue needed to be spoken. I have gone past the point of no return. There's no going back. I have too many things to say, sealed with lock and key in my heart since age 4, and I refuse to be silent any more. Silence = Death. Transition or die.
There's many of us out there. Transexuals, transgenders, gender-benders, consciously androgynous, genderqueers, gender-variant, two spirits, intersex, eunuchs. We are male. We are female. We're both. We're neither. We are a Third Gender. We're one of five sexes. We are all five sexes. We know who we are. We walk amongst the crowds of seemingly "normal" people, some of us never questioned. Some of us questioned sometimes. Some of us questioned constantly.
"You're not your f***ing khakis. We are the all-singing, all-dancing crap of the world". - Tyler Durton 'Fight Club'
We're lawyers, doctors, psychiatrists, teachers, inventors, scientists, stockbrokers, grocery store shelve stockers, insurance agents, police officers, pastors, radio hosts, janitors, parents, WE ARE EVERYWHERE. We're neighbors, family, and friends. A lot of us are musicians; most go fairly unrecognized, invisible to the majority of society. Invisible to those that love our music. It's time to play "magician" , make the invisible become visible. Right before your very eyes. Every aspect of the video above, I did myself, and also play in a band. There is a vast world out there of transgender/transexual musicians. Many are excellent musicians, but none of them ever truly get the recognition they deserve, too far removed from the radar screen, we go unnoticed even after decades of Glam Rock, and gender bending icons Trex, David Bowie, and others. Some of my own personal faves. are Jade Starr, Dana International, and Genesis P-Orridge (of Throbbing Gristle fame). For more my spoken word videos/music/transadvocacy, check out my page on youtube. ***Soooo, stay tuned for future social/educational perspective posts, and information regarding my hearts work, trans-journal album 'Pariah'! Love and Peace, Chloe Elise P.S.: It's great to be back!! (and yeah, Rock and Roll can save your life)
P.P.S.: Due to a glitch in the Matrix, the author of this post is incorrectly displayed. It should read: "chloeelise", not "proudprogressive", as Chloe is the author of this particular post. Sorry for the nomenclature of confusion.
ANYONE viewing "some notes on living" using the browser Internet Explorer will only be able to view the first post. All side bar links are missing. This is NOT a problem for Mac Users , Firefox Users or other browsers. All browsers built off the Linex system are not having problems. This only effects Internet Explorer Browsers and it seems to be hit or miss....I will be contacting Blogger. There is a script error. To view this blog error free, you can download Firefox.
So much of the politics of social movement building involves "Deconstructing" things. That is fine for the enjoyment of lively debates around coffee tables or within the walls of universities. In fact its critical , one cannot know where we are going unless we know where we have been. BUT where the rubber meets the road,in the trenches with the blood and the beer ,its critically important that WE who seek social change, a more compassionate egalitarian society put our differences aside. All of us have a different way of speaking, different life experiences, different passions and pursuits that consume much of our personal energies. When it comes to social change however, UNITY is critical ! "Purists" will accomplish some important things,in certain areas and that is FANTASTIC. Hell i have devoted my life to GLBT cause , but now see a broader set of issues to devote myself to as well. Sustainable Living, PEACE, social/economic justice, liberty - globally for all people. So this song is a reminder to myself and others - "THAT IF YOU SMILE AT ME I WILL UNDERSTAND CAUSE THAT IS SOMETHING EVERYONE,EVERYWHERE DOES IN THE SAME LANGUAGE" We are a collage of people who care deeply about the same prize in general, and we need to work side by side, diligently in our areas of intrests, make our square in the quilt of change; and then sew em all together peacefully on the "left" and create the warm inclusive heavy blanket of Coalitions. We will freeze without coalitions,stitched together carefully section by section. And some patches of our "social change" quilt may not match exactly, that is OK, the blanket can still warm us all. The song above is beautiful. All of us can sing along in unison, and yes some will sing out of tune..its OK ! sing out, sing your song ! And bring on the love, bring it, to the "quiet" revolution sweeping this country in every state, in tiny cities and villages. And no, it will not be televised.
We yearn for a better world, a righteous world, but how to make it happen? It is terribly ambitious, daunting. Too much!
But all politics is local. Yes, it IS too ambitious to try and make a righteous world. So start small. Plant seeds. Create localized pockets of liberation. It has been said that all politics is local, and that is true. So if you want a righteous world, maybe start by working for a righteous community. Maybe “community” is to big and/or too abstract, and it is better to start by working for a righteous neighborhood.
Here is a terribly incomplete toolkit for such a mission-
Make friends with your neighbors! One of the hallmarks of our present society is the isolation of individuals. Talk with your neighbors. Invite them over for coffee, tea or barbecue. Identify common ideas and values. Break down barriers.
Reclaim the commons! Brainstorm projects that can make use of common areas, vacant lots, medians, etc in your neighborhood and use them for community gardens, street parties, etc. Do it with your neighbors.
Que viva la free shit! Find ways to share and give without seeking compensation. ORGANIZE a free market in your community where people can bring what they don't need and give it to people who do need it, where people can come and share knowledge and share skills. Circulate the rumor that money is shit and we can live in a loving and giving utopia if we really want it.
Divert the waste stream! Capitalism seeks to maximize consumption, and it does so in part by maximizing waste by such means as disposability and planned obsolescence. So we have landfills choking with crap while people live in want. Fuck that! With some creativity, you can find ways to divert that waste stream to productive purposes, keeping crud out of the landfills, helping your friends and neighbors, and sabotaging capitalism by reducing need and showing that many good things can be had for free. I take computers and monitors that are being obsoleted by businesses and schools, I load them with the wonderful anti-capitalist Linux operating system, and give them out to the community, for free. Net result? Computers stay out of landfills, folks get computers who would ordinarily be economically excluded from the virtual world, and I keep alive the rumor that WE CAN DO IT, and we can do it for free. Many organized groups are doing this. Food not Bombs takes produce that would otherwise be discarded, cooks it into healthy, tasty vegan meals, and gives it out in public to any and all who want it (along with subversive literature ;-) ). Food not Lawns organizes people to permaculture their yards and common areas into productive, perennial food forests. Get the book, Food not Lawns, by Heather Flores and find out how you can use guerilla gardening to grow a conscious community along with your vegetables.
Practice consensus with those who you work with. We are taught that “democratic process” is the be-all , end-all, but it is a cultural artifact and a divisive one, a process where “majority rule” makes a world of winners and losers. As does our economic system. Go to www.foodnotbombs.net to get a good book on consensus process.
Forget the politicians. We can do this. We are the ONLY ones who can. Remember what Emiliano Zapata said about leaders and politicians -
“ We all look for leaders, strong men without faults. But there are no such men. There is only ourselfs.”
Our Country's history is filled with Capitalistic abominations. The founders were pretty ruthless motherfuckers yes they were ! And its important that we know the "Peoples History of the United States", its not taught in schools. (see the link) The genocides of First Nation People, the disgusting practice of slavery, a wound still not healed. The exploitation of white indentured servents and labor. The pitting of human against human. So much oppression codified into law, still lingers in our culture now. What I see going on in New Hampshire and across this country could be an awakening. (A Ray of Light) We currently have a government as bad or worse as it was under Andrew Jackson. Andrew Jackson, a lier , cheater and capitalist PIG (another war criminal) used "private contractors" at extra cost to the tax payers to implement the Trail of Tears and other genocides. These contractors stole money and dispensed their services with cruelty. Sounds familiar doesn't it ? Yes the system at its root is corrupt.
Can we change it - can WE CHANGE IT ? ...the only way we will ever change it is learn our real history. Not the glossed over shite we get taught, build solidarity amongst ourselves to fight unbridled capitalism. Its always been a fight between labor, the common people, and the elite. Government, the founders, all elitists, have always done just enough to placate the "middling class" just enough to suppress outright rebellion, pitting poor against poor, a standard practice for centuries! Nowadays the middle class is kept in line by virtue of being debt slaves. Yes we have a lot to change, many,many public policies and values. Greed is NOT GOOD. The Free Market does not fix everything...not hardly.
I want to believe that slowly we can reverse gigantic forces, push them back, through new laws, tax codes, and make life better for least among us who toil and live on Turtle Island. If we don't try to get a more populist president, , the coming depression(and it is coming) will be that much more painful. We need "viable" populist candidates, , to deliver new initiatives for the people. ie an inclusive ENDA bill , the end of "Abstinance Only" education and "No Child Left a Dime". Our social, moral, financial and political bankruptcy. KBR detention centers built, (and for who?). We have a patriot act that makes us all suspects, 2.2 million people already in prison. Christofascists running amok in our public sector, special homegrown terrorist bills, emergency signing statements, that could impose martial law in a heartbeat AND the list goes on and on....will a new president deliver us from these ills ? NO, not without our continued insistence that things change in America.
We must push for the Bill of Rights , the expansion of the Constitution to uphold the rights of the individual, not the Corporations, restore Habeas Corpus, the FCC must return the airwaves to the public. We need to demand that issues of economic/social justice get dealt with swiftly. No politician will do a damn thing for this country unless we demand it. That means calling, writing, resisting, marching, building local co ops, affinity networks and yes voting too. Its time this pendulum swings not to the middle but to the LEFT. The middle is not ok, its fascism really. Electing a new President is only the first step. We gotta send a message that America wants to turn left. We want some mixture of Democratic Socialism. And a Government that serves us, not itself.
Lets Carry ON right through to New Hampshire and on and on...a new day , a new way, yep, now witness the quickness with which we get along !
Well this morning i am one happy camper. First of all we are gonna see historic voter turn out in the general election, i feel it in my bones. Russell Simons who had thrown his support behind Kucinich , who now is throwing his support behind Obama , this is fan freaking tastic ! America is ready for a Black President ! Secondly Nader through his support behind populist Edwards and thats great too, because the Nader "base" as troublesome as it has been in the past is still VERY large and ultra populist. OK so we got two change agents in the running who have a great shot, and would actually make a fine team. Edwards could accept a VP slot, thus keeping his populist bonafidies with pride. Also, the VP slot would free him to go after those corporate laws and "rights" which undermine our economy. Soooo yeah Hillary go lick your wounds, it was very telling to see Madeline Albright there next to her on the Iowa podium nodding about change. (as if!) Keep it up Clintons surround yourself with the old guard , America is moving on , wants a new cast of characters who are diverse. Leaders who will utilitize both life experience and professional qualifications to slowly but surely not capitulate or" go along to get along" BUT rather begin to reel in the Corporate raping our workers and manufacturing base. and redistribute our taxes back to the common good in public sectors. - schools, jobs, health care and civil rights. America is purple, not red or blue, the people are sick of the of the chasim between Uber rich and working class. Its also telling that dispite Mitmo's money he lost , and Huckabee, clueless as he is, has a humanitarian tone, and he won, and it wasn't the Evangelicals that put him over the top, nope it was the disgust with the other rethug candidates...yep.... sooooo Spin away Clintons , we ain't buying it. Though still hoping for Edwards to get the nomination I'd be equally thrilled if he got VP and WE had President BarackObama. Yeee Haw... America is going "BLUE " or should i say purple, and not with Bush dog democrats. The people are starved for change; the youth will vote in record numbers, they're not nearly as prejudice or afraid as their parents may be, not towards people of color or lgbt, and they want the hope of decent jobs and the access to college. With Obama and Edwards no one will get left behind, cept maybe the corporate greed mongers and they have done enough damage ! Thank you people of Iowa !
Hugo Chavez (BBC profile) a Noam Chomsky "fan" pictured here with BBC reporter Greg Palast is committed to healing Venezuela. Venezuela is recovering after being ravaged by the IMF ,the World Bank and their policies of Disaster Capitalism launched the "strong Bolivar" today. The New currency is part of his economic program of returning Venezuela to the Venezuelans. The Bolivar is listed at 2.15 to the dollar. Of course you can bet the USA will be spreadingpropaganda about Chevez and the horror of DE privatizing his country. To Anyone with even a cursory knowledge of Venezuela's history , it ought be clear what drives the usa nuts is that Chevez is a Democratic Socialist, uniting with other Latin American Countries with a committment to return those countries back to their people (especially the Indigenous People). Latin America is becoming "shock proof". No longer vulnerable to Economic Hit Men sent by multinationals. - Viva La Revolution ! - You watch , our news will try to portray this as a bad thing , but don't be fooled , its fantastic ! Some critics complain Venezuela is at 20% inflation. Makes me wonder what OUR true inflation rate is...who among us isn't paying a lot more for just about every thing. esp food, housing and fuel ? As for oil... hmmm.. lets see that would make a barrel of oil at 100 bucks, well over 200 dollars. Get ready people , we are in for and interesting ride and the USA has some really bad Karma building after being a bad player on the Global Playgroud for the last few Centuries. Simon Bolivar is pictured on the new 100 Bolivar. Type rest of the post here!
