What a wonderful article. You remind us of what public service is at its finest. Presidents from U.S. Grant through Barack Obama worked to preserve, protect, expand and defend these sacred places against those who would destroy them in the name of profit. As you point out, today these places are in unparalleled danger as the concept of public service has been replaced by that of private gain. The current administration has replaced the phrase “In God We Trust” with “Greed Is Good.” Like the Patriots of yesteryear, it’s up to us to stand up and be counted. If we don’t make our voices heard and our votes count then we won’t be celebrating our independence much longer.
I mean no disrespect in this statement towards anyone...this is just an observation 👁
Living next to the Cherokee Nation in WNC
I look south and see that they just opened up a poisonous federal prison encampment named Alligator Alcatraz right next to the Seminole Miccosukee Nation. It’s a place to house “Others” who need to be caged. Similar to partitioning off wild places...but, I digress ~~~~~
This mentality that seeks to privatize and monetize, attack and destroy Mother Earth’s wonderful creations; also has decided to privatize and monetize the cruel incarceration of humanity, attacking and destroying lives because they are unwanted and unworthy of preservation and concerned care. I wonder if they thought of the optics from inside the indigenous nation. As they look out from their end of the telescope and see another barbed wire stockade that was typically used to “manage their affairs” not so long ago...Oh say, I can see ...where it all happened here in WNC just down at the end of river road... back in the days when too many trails of tears, that watered their land, lands that they were ordered to relinquish, magnificent lands that were unjustly occupied and disrespected; lands that were under their stewardship, gifted by the Divine... I wonder if today’s ruling class can connect the dots?
So it’s the same ego-mind that is filled with inclinations towards riches and power; that can destroy pristine lands and cruelly treat another of God’s children. These are the faulty thought processes that kill, steal, and destroy . These are the ideas that need to be adamantly rejected.
To these potentates of pomposity...nothing is sacred.
Let me just say...it would have been infinitely better if the country that I come from would have reminded undiscovered. Imagine the maturity of the forests, the potential of life affirming soil, the structured purity of the waters, and the cleanliness of the fresh air. All of these benefits without the ethnic cleansing and attempted Genocidal loss of life.
I’m willing to admit we were not very good stewards of the land...we should have never meddled in the indigenous models of “Oneness with All of Creation”.
Considering the behavior of my generation that has helmed this ship of fools sine 1953...
I see nothing to celebrate and light sparklers to commemorate. You can count me out... We have been behaving badly and are unworthy unfaithful stewards of this land.
I see many connections between the loss of medical care, privatization and the selling off of protected lands. I’m hearing more and more from credible people about sneaky things happening that are part of a concerted effort toward oligarchic-run “freedom cities.” They are something straight out of the twilight zone or it’s a wonderful life where the corporation owns the land, the food, water, hospitals, schools. Look at the money being pushed to privatize everything. Look at the constant threats to primary the congress and using oligarch money to make threats. We must fight every part of this and use our numbers to defund oligarchs and to protect as much public land as possible.
As the first and hopefully not last! Indigenous steward leader Deb Haaland spoke wisely and might have headed us towards an indigenous guided path for our public lands. I believe they should be unable to be sold off no matter the administration! This was the assumption when they were set aside.
This willingness to destroy what is true and beautiful is just another reason for all who care to consider mechanisms to dislodge this regime that threatens every element of our existence. Their primary skill is monetization of everything and everyone. They have discovered in an industrial scale way to cancel institutions by defunding them, to make money off of kidnapping and torturing and disappearing, and of course selling off our lands for parts.
There is no sense within this regime of the future. We who still hold out hope for the future generations may have to defend iit with our lives. I’m not sure how that is going to play out.
Can we start by Recalling them all?
And simultaneously gather writings such as this to establish that future administrations are under the people’s control.
Refounding this country to reset the proper sharing of power between a just judiciary, a representative SC, a people’s House in Congress w term limits and no stock portfolios, a wise president who we would trust with our lives. Okay that is Polar opposite to what we have, I know. But maybe we can all see it much better given how craven this lot is … we see clearly the guardrails that need to be added and an awful lot are an our taking money out of politics! They should not be lucrative jobs that make you a millionaire. They should not be of interest to billionaires. Because there should not be a way to make money off of our shared governance and lands.
What a wonderful article. You remind us of what public service is at its finest. Presidents from U.S. Grant through Barack Obama worked to preserve, protect, expand and defend these sacred places against those who would destroy them in the name of profit. As you point out, today these places are in unparalleled danger as the concept of public service has been replaced by that of private gain. The current administration has replaced the phrase “In God We Trust” with “Greed Is Good.” Like the Patriots of yesteryear, it’s up to us to stand up and be counted. If we don’t make our voices heard and our votes count then we won’t be celebrating our independence much longer.
Damn straight
I mean no disrespect in this statement towards anyone...this is just an observation 👁
Living next to the Cherokee Nation in WNC
I look south and see that they just opened up a poisonous federal prison encampment named Alligator Alcatraz right next to the Seminole Miccosukee Nation. It’s a place to house “Others” who need to be caged. Similar to partitioning off wild places...but, I digress ~~~~~
This mentality that seeks to privatize and monetize, attack and destroy Mother Earth’s wonderful creations; also has decided to privatize and monetize the cruel incarceration of humanity, attacking and destroying lives because they are unwanted and unworthy of preservation and concerned care. I wonder if they thought of the optics from inside the indigenous nation. As they look out from their end of the telescope and see another barbed wire stockade that was typically used to “manage their affairs” not so long ago...Oh say, I can see ...where it all happened here in WNC just down at the end of river road... back in the days when too many trails of tears, that watered their land, lands that they were ordered to relinquish, magnificent lands that were unjustly occupied and disrespected; lands that were under their stewardship, gifted by the Divine... I wonder if today’s ruling class can connect the dots?
So it’s the same ego-mind that is filled with inclinations towards riches and power; that can destroy pristine lands and cruelly treat another of God’s children. These are the faulty thought processes that kill, steal, and destroy . These are the ideas that need to be adamantly rejected.
To these potentates of pomposity...nothing is sacred.
Let me just say...it would have been infinitely better if the country that I come from would have reminded undiscovered. Imagine the maturity of the forests, the potential of life affirming soil, the structured purity of the waters, and the cleanliness of the fresh air. All of these benefits without the ethnic cleansing and attempted Genocidal loss of life.
I’m willing to admit we were not very good stewards of the land...we should have never meddled in the indigenous models of “Oneness with All of Creation”.
Considering the behavior of my generation that has helmed this ship of fools sine 1953...
I see nothing to celebrate and light sparklers to commemorate. You can count me out... We have been behaving badly and are unworthy unfaithful stewards of this land.
If I were a referee
I would throw the penalty flag
On the ruling class
In the home of the “brave”
And land of the “free”
How’s that for some
4th of July cornball
✌🏼❤️🙏🕉
I see many connections between the loss of medical care, privatization and the selling off of protected lands. I’m hearing more and more from credible people about sneaky things happening that are part of a concerted effort toward oligarchic-run “freedom cities.” They are something straight out of the twilight zone or it’s a wonderful life where the corporation owns the land, the food, water, hospitals, schools. Look at the money being pushed to privatize everything. Look at the constant threats to primary the congress and using oligarch money to make threats. We must fight every part of this and use our numbers to defund oligarchs and to protect as much public land as possible.
As the first and hopefully not last! Indigenous steward leader Deb Haaland spoke wisely and might have headed us towards an indigenous guided path for our public lands. I believe they should be unable to be sold off no matter the administration! This was the assumption when they were set aside.
This willingness to destroy what is true and beautiful is just another reason for all who care to consider mechanisms to dislodge this regime that threatens every element of our existence. Their primary skill is monetization of everything and everyone. They have discovered in an industrial scale way to cancel institutions by defunding them, to make money off of kidnapping and torturing and disappearing, and of course selling off our lands for parts.
There is no sense within this regime of the future. We who still hold out hope for the future generations may have to defend iit with our lives. I’m not sure how that is going to play out.
Can we start by Recalling them all?
And simultaneously gather writings such as this to establish that future administrations are under the people’s control.
Refounding this country to reset the proper sharing of power between a just judiciary, a representative SC, a people’s House in Congress w term limits and no stock portfolios, a wise president who we would trust with our lives. Okay that is Polar opposite to what we have, I know. But maybe we can all see it much better given how craven this lot is … we see clearly the guardrails that need to be added and an awful lot are an our taking money out of politics! They should not be lucrative jobs that make you a millionaire. They should not be of interest to billionaires. Because there should not be a way to make money off of our shared governance and lands.
wow! Well said, Will! Thank you.
Great article
Beautiful! Thank you for the history and continued inspiration!
Thank you Will! Great content, this land is our land and worth standing up for