Confederacia in New Orleans
Racism rears its ugly head in various ways across the United States. The Catholic Worker community in New Orleans confronts historical tributes to racism that have taken the form of statues. The New Orleans City Council recently voted to remove four statues, three commemorating Confederate soldiers and one commemorating a post-Civil War insurrection by a local White League to take control of the Louisiana state government in 1874. This White League controlled the state capital for three days before Federal troops dispersed them. When these White Leaguers came to power in 1891 after the end of Reconstruction (in which the federal government ensured the rights of blacks) they passed laws curtailing the voting rights of African Americans. Currently, the fate of the statues is being decided by the courts, as a number of groups are trying to prevent their removal. Below is a poem that ponders the present situation in New Orleans by Henri André, a friend of the New Orleans Catholic Worker.
Confederacia by Henri André Fourroux II
Those statues convinced certain murderers to murder African-Americans.
Flag wavers wrapped in flags like togas longed still to win.
The lynchers lynched the people with guns, rifles and badges.
The council tore down those statues to stop black people from bleeding when they wandered in the trajectories of the bullets.
Some whites whined dispossessed They lamented their lost privilege They accused the council
The council unveiled in the circle to the metropole: an angry big fat ugly armless, Statue named Confederacia,
fat ugly armless statues.
You may catch sight of a crow that lights on Confederacia’s head
in the street and tears at roadkill or squashed strange fruit.
Henri Andre Fourroux III Copyright@2016 Printed with permission
For background on historic statue http://www.commondreams.org/news/2
JOKES
I can’t believe I forgot to go to the gym today. That’s 7 years in a row. After many years of studying at a university, I’ve finally become a PhD…or a Pizza Hut Deliveryman, as people call it. Last night a Chinese man came to my favorite bar. I asked him if he knew how to fight Kung Fu. He said, “Why do you ask me that? Is it because I am Chinese?” “No it’s because you’re drinking MY beer!” Dentist: “You need a crown.” Patient: “Finally someone who understands me.”
They threw me out at the cinema today for bringing my own food. But come on, the prices are way too high, plus I haven’t had a barbecue in months! One state official to another: “I don’t know what people have against us. We haven’t done anything!” ”We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office.” ---Aesop
Did you hear about the New Age Catholic Church? They've got an organic gluten-free Communion wafer called I Can't Believe it's not Jesus! What is Donald Trump's favorite dog? The Border Collie. Did you hear about the Norwegian who almost got rich in the skin care business? He created Oil of Ole! What do you call a dead spruce, pine or hemlock? A nevergreen. I was worried but I feel much better now. My IQ test results were negative.
What do you call a blonde skeleton in a closet? The winner of last year's hide-and-seek contest. i asked for a smart phone. They said, "No, that's only for smart people!"
INTERESTING FACTS
Every day 7 children and teens die from gun violence. Every month 50 women lose their lives from domestic abusers with guns. Every year 33,000 people are killed with guns. Today 1.7 million children live in homes where guns are unlocked and loaded. In all of Europe there were only 67,000 gun related deaths. ---Associated Press
Although diplomatic relations have been restored and some US travel restrictions have been relaxed, the bulk of the blockade legislation on Cuba still remains in place. The blockade is still costing the island $4.7 billion annually and more that than $125.873 billion since it began 55 years ago-----Cuba Solidarity Campaign 2/15/17
Mississippi lawmakers are advancing a proposal to add firing squad, electrocution and gas chamber as execution methods in case a court blocks the use of lethal injection drugs."
In 2005, 500 Mexican soldiers came from the border to the U.S. to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina delivering 184,000 tons of food and supplies. They also delivered 7,000 meals, and they provided medical help. All the Mexican soldiers returned to Mexico in 20 days. ----Associated Press
The energy company behind the disputed Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) has reported hundreds of thousands of gallons of spills from pipelines between 2015 and 2016. Energy Transfer Partners and its subsidiary Sunoco have filed 69 accidents over the past two years. ---EcoWatch, 2/15/17
Heavily armed white guys take over a federal facility for 41 days. They were acquitted. Unarmed native Americans defend their own land from corporate destruction were maced, beaten, arrested, kept in dog kennels, charged with trespassing and rioting. Where is justice here?
Salary of retired U.S. presidents: $180,000 for life. Salary of House/Senate members: $174,000 for life. Salary for Speaker of the House: $223,500 for life. Salary of Majority/Minority Leaders: $193,400 for life. Average Salary of a teacher: $40,065. Average salary of a soldier: $38,000 plus benefits of housing, food, health and education Salary of a Catholic Worker: $0 for life!
In Bolivia, a state of emergency over drought conditions has now been in place for over 100 days. Scientists say the drought is fueled by the retreat of Bolivian glaciers as a result of global warming. ----Democracy Now, 2/15/17
United Nations children’s agency, UNICEF, is warning as many as 1.4 million children could die this year from famine in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen.
In 2014, law enforcement officers took more property from Americans—$4.5 billion—than burglars did. --- AlterNet, 2/15/17
Israel arrested 6,440 Palestinians in 2016, among them 1,332 children, including girls, and 164 women. At the end of 2016, 7,000 Palestinians were in Israeli prisons, 300 were children.---- Palestinian and Jewish Unity, 2/3/17
Percentage of U.S. apartments under construction that are unaffordable for those making less than $75,000 a year : 83 Percentage change since 2006 in the number of U.S. cities that have banned living in vehicles : +143
Portion of Americans aged 18 to 34 who live with their parents or other family members : 2/5. Estimated portion of Americans born in 1980 who will go on to earn more than their parents did : 1/2 Of those born in 1940 who did : 9/10 ---Harper’s Index
The Pentagon has admitted that U.S. warplanes fired depleted uranium munitions during air raids in Syria, despite a vow not to use the toxic and radioactive weapons in the battlefield Thousands of children were born deformed due to this.---Democracy Now, 2/17/17
Little Caesars founder Mike Ilitch paid the rent of civil rights icon Rosa Parks for 11 years.---Salon, 2/16/17
++++++++++++++
WE ARE STILL LOOKING FOR SOMEONE WHO IS WILLING TO WORK IN THE BABY AND CHILDREN CLOTHING SHED ON MONDAY AND WEDNESDAY MORNINGS. WE ARE ALSO IN NEED OF A DRIVER FOR DOING PICK UPS WITH OUR FLATBED TRUCK. PLEASE CALL US AT 414-342-0158 OR 414-344-5745. Thanks so much!
++++++++++++++
SAT., MARCH 4 ----MARCH AGAINST PIPELINE EXPANSION starting at UW-Whitewater University Center, at 2 p.m.
WEDS., MARCH 8 ----INERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY RALLY, 5 p.m. at Federal Courthouse, 517 E. Wisconsin Ave.
THURS., MARCH 9----PRAYER VIGIL AT ICE, Knapp & Broadway, starting at Noon. We pray that no one is denied a place in the U.S. and those who have been detained or deported will be reunited with their families.
SAT., MARCH 4 -----STAND FOR PEACE at intersection of North Ave. & 92nd St. from Noon to 1 p.m. Fly kites, not drones
SAT., MARCH 11----STAND FOR PEACE at 16th St. & Wisconsin Ave. from Noon to 1 p.m. We will be making anti-nuke signs after this action. Please join us!
TUES., MARCH 14-----NO MORE GUNS! VIGIL at Noon to 1 p.m. at Brew City Shooters’ Supply, 43rd & Lincoln. Owning a gun means that you are willing to shoot another person. The more guns out there the more shootings will occur.
MONDAY, MARCH 20 at 8:30 a.m.-----TRIAL for Roberta and Don, who took part in a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Minneapolis MN crying out for an end to the police killing of African Americans in the cities. They joined 22 other Catholic Workers and were charged with trespassing and blocking traffic.
TUES., MARCH 28 ----CLOSE R.O.T.C. AT MARQUETTE U. VIGIL FROM 11:45 A.M. TO 1 P.M. AT 15TH ST. & WISCONSIN AVE. No Christian institution should be teaching violence contrary to the command of Christ to love, not kill, our enemies; and do good, not harm, to those who harm us.
NOTES FROM 21ST STREET: We have many ethnic festivals at the Summerfest grounds at our lakefront. People flock to hear the music, taste the food, and purchase items made by another culture. The richness of another culture delights most people. Why then do we fear someone other than people like ourselves to be our neighbor? In an age of distrust and persecution of people of other cultures we must keep speaking to the beauty and strength those cultures lend to our society. I believe we are richer, not poorer, when we allow people to come to our country. I close with a line from a Bob Marley song; “One Love, One Heart, Let’s Get Together, and Feel Alright.” Peace, Roberta
Racism rears its ugly head in various ways across the United States. The Catholic Worker community in New Orleans confronts historical tributes to racism that have taken the form of statues. The New Orleans City Council recently voted to remove four statues, three commemorating Confederate soldiers and one commemorating a post-Civil War insurrection by a local White League to take control of the Louisiana state government in 1874. This White League controlled the state capital for three days before Federal troops dispersed them. When these White Leaguers came to power in 1891 after the end of Reconstruction (in which the federal government ensured the rights of blacks) they passed laws curtailing the voting rights of African Americans. Currently, the fate of the statues is being decided by the courts, as a number of groups are trying to prevent their removal. Below is a poem that ponders the present situation in New Orleans by Henri André, a friend of the New Orleans Catholic Worker.
Confederacia by Henri André Fourroux II
Those statues convinced certain murderers to murder African-Americans.
Flag wavers wrapped in flags like togas longed still to win.
The lynchers lynched the people with guns, rifles and badges.
The council tore down those statues to stop black people from bleeding when they wandered in the trajectories of the bullets.
Some whites whined dispossessed They lamented their lost privilege They accused the council
The council unveiled in the circle to the metropole: an angry big fat ugly armless, Statue named Confederacia,
fat ugly armless statues.
You may catch sight of a crow that lights on Confederacia’s head
in the street and tears at roadkill or squashed strange fruit.
Henri Andre Fourroux III Copyright@2016 Printed with permission
For background on historic statue http://www.commondreams.org/news/2
JOKES
I can’t believe I forgot to go to the gym today. That’s 7 years in a row. After many years of studying at a university, I’ve finally become a PhD…or a Pizza Hut Deliveryman, as people call it. Last night a Chinese man came to my favorite bar. I asked him if he knew how to fight Kung Fu. He said, “Why do you ask me that? Is it because I am Chinese?” “No it’s because you’re drinking MY beer!” Dentist: “You need a crown.” Patient: “Finally someone who understands me.”
They threw me out at the cinema today for bringing my own food. But come on, the prices are way too high, plus I haven’t had a barbecue in months! One state official to another: “I don’t know what people have against us. We haven’t done anything!” ”We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office.” ---Aesop
Did you hear about the New Age Catholic Church? They've got an organic gluten-free Communion wafer called I Can't Believe it's not Jesus! What is Donald Trump's favorite dog? The Border Collie. Did you hear about the Norwegian who almost got rich in the skin care business? He created Oil of Ole! What do you call a dead spruce, pine or hemlock? A nevergreen. I was worried but I feel much better now. My IQ test results were negative.
What do you call a blonde skeleton in a closet? The winner of last year's hide-and-seek contest. i asked for a smart phone. They said, "No, that's only for smart people!"
INTERESTING FACTS
Every day 7 children and teens die from gun violence. Every month 50 women lose their lives from domestic abusers with guns. Every year 33,000 people are killed with guns. Today 1.7 million children live in homes where guns are unlocked and loaded. In all of Europe there were only 67,000 gun related deaths. ---Associated Press
Although diplomatic relations have been restored and some US travel restrictions have been relaxed, the bulk of the blockade legislation on Cuba still remains in place. The blockade is still costing the island $4.7 billion annually and more that than $125.873 billion since it began 55 years ago-----Cuba Solidarity Campaign 2/15/17
Mississippi lawmakers are advancing a proposal to add firing squad, electrocution and gas chamber as execution methods in case a court blocks the use of lethal injection drugs."
In 2005, 500 Mexican soldiers came from the border to the U.S. to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina delivering 184,000 tons of food and supplies. They also delivered 7,000 meals, and they provided medical help. All the Mexican soldiers returned to Mexico in 20 days. ----Associated Press
The energy company behind the disputed Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) has reported hundreds of thousands of gallons of spills from pipelines between 2015 and 2016. Energy Transfer Partners and its subsidiary Sunoco have filed 69 accidents over the past two years. ---EcoWatch, 2/15/17
Heavily armed white guys take over a federal facility for 41 days. They were acquitted. Unarmed native Americans defend their own land from corporate destruction were maced, beaten, arrested, kept in dog kennels, charged with trespassing and rioting. Where is justice here?
Salary of retired U.S. presidents: $180,000 for life. Salary of House/Senate members: $174,000 for life. Salary for Speaker of the House: $223,500 for life. Salary of Majority/Minority Leaders: $193,400 for life. Average Salary of a teacher: $40,065. Average salary of a soldier: $38,000 plus benefits of housing, food, health and education Salary of a Catholic Worker: $0 for life!
In Bolivia, a state of emergency over drought conditions has now been in place for over 100 days. Scientists say the drought is fueled by the retreat of Bolivian glaciers as a result of global warming. ----Democracy Now, 2/15/17
United Nations children’s agency, UNICEF, is warning as many as 1.4 million children could die this year from famine in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen.
In 2014, law enforcement officers took more property from Americans—$4.5 billion—than burglars did. --- AlterNet, 2/15/17
Israel arrested 6,440 Palestinians in 2016, among them 1,332 children, including girls, and 164 women. At the end of 2016, 7,000 Palestinians were in Israeli prisons, 300 were children.---- Palestinian and Jewish Unity, 2/3/17
Percentage of U.S. apartments under construction that are unaffordable for those making less than $75,000 a year : 83 Percentage change since 2006 in the number of U.S. cities that have banned living in vehicles : +143
Portion of Americans aged 18 to 34 who live with their parents or other family members : 2/5. Estimated portion of Americans born in 1980 who will go on to earn more than their parents did : 1/2 Of those born in 1940 who did : 9/10 ---Harper’s Index
The Pentagon has admitted that U.S. warplanes fired depleted uranium munitions during air raids in Syria, despite a vow not to use the toxic and radioactive weapons in the battlefield Thousands of children were born deformed due to this.---Democracy Now, 2/17/17
Little Caesars founder Mike Ilitch paid the rent of civil rights icon Rosa Parks for 11 years.---Salon, 2/16/17
++++++++++++++
WE ARE STILL LOOKING FOR SOMEONE WHO IS WILLING TO WORK IN THE BABY AND CHILDREN CLOTHING SHED ON MONDAY AND WEDNESDAY MORNINGS. WE ARE ALSO IN NEED OF A DRIVER FOR DOING PICK UPS WITH OUR FLATBED TRUCK. PLEASE CALL US AT 414-342-0158 OR 414-344-5745. Thanks so much!
++++++++++++++
SAT., MARCH 4 ----MARCH AGAINST PIPELINE EXPANSION starting at UW-Whitewater University Center, at 2 p.m.
WEDS., MARCH 8 ----INERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY RALLY, 5 p.m. at Federal Courthouse, 517 E. Wisconsin Ave.
THURS., MARCH 9----PRAYER VIGIL AT ICE, Knapp & Broadway, starting at Noon. We pray that no one is denied a place in the U.S. and those who have been detained or deported will be reunited with their families.
SAT., MARCH 4 -----STAND FOR PEACE at intersection of North Ave. & 92nd St. from Noon to 1 p.m. Fly kites, not drones
SAT., MARCH 11----STAND FOR PEACE at 16th St. & Wisconsin Ave. from Noon to 1 p.m. We will be making anti-nuke signs after this action. Please join us!
TUES., MARCH 14-----NO MORE GUNS! VIGIL at Noon to 1 p.m. at Brew City Shooters’ Supply, 43rd & Lincoln. Owning a gun means that you are willing to shoot another person. The more guns out there the more shootings will occur.
MONDAY, MARCH 20 at 8:30 a.m.-----TRIAL for Roberta and Don, who took part in a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Minneapolis MN crying out for an end to the police killing of African Americans in the cities. They joined 22 other Catholic Workers and were charged with trespassing and blocking traffic.
TUES., MARCH 28 ----CLOSE R.O.T.C. AT MARQUETTE U. VIGIL FROM 11:45 A.M. TO 1 P.M. AT 15TH ST. & WISCONSIN AVE. No Christian institution should be teaching violence contrary to the command of Christ to love, not kill, our enemies; and do good, not harm, to those who harm us.
NOTES FROM 21ST STREET: We have many ethnic festivals at the Summerfest grounds at our lakefront. People flock to hear the music, taste the food, and purchase items made by another culture. The richness of another culture delights most people. Why then do we fear someone other than people like ourselves to be our neighbor? In an age of distrust and persecution of people of other cultures we must keep speaking to the beauty and strength those cultures lend to our society. I believe we are richer, not poorer, when we allow people to come to our country. I close with a line from a Bob Marley song; “One Love, One Heart, Let’s Get Together, and Feel Alright.” Peace, Roberta