Moss Henry

Spiritual Death

moss — Wed, 02 May 2012 17:35:50 +0000

Last Sunday, on 60 Minutes, Jose Rodriguez, former head of the CIA’s Counterterrorism Center, justified torture, euphemistically called “enhanced interrogation techniques”. John Brennan, a Counterterrorism Advisor to the White House, spoke publicly Monday about the use of drones as a wise, efficient and ethical way to kill terrorists, comparing it to the targeting of German and Japanese commanders in WW II.

But since WW II, while we have been in an almost constant state of war, Congress has not declared war. Not once. Yet the Constitution specifically reserves that right to Congress. Somehow it has become acceptable for us to go to war anyway, arguing only over logistics. We invade, bomb, torture, kidnap, detain and kill people we “identify” as terrorists in other sovereign nations, violating international boundaries and laws. And we kill civilians in the process.

These are war crimes plain and simple but many Americans are hypnotized by our own rhetoric, the sanitized Disney version of our history and American Exceptionalism. In 1968, during the Vietnam War, Dr. Martin Luther King said this country was approaching spiritual death. The statements of Jose Rodriguez and John Brennan indicate that our government is indeed at that point. We are in the presence of true madness, where war is peace, bad is good, and the inmates are running the asylum.

Trayvon Martin

moss — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 18:14:45 +0000

The murder of Trayvon Martin doesn’t raise new questions it highlights old ones. Had the killer, George Zimmerman, been a black vigilante who killed a white child, he would have been arrested, quite likely beaten or shot for “resisting arrest” and jailed without bail assuming he wasn’t already dead.

Racism in this country continues unabated, fueled by ignorance, arrogance and fear, the fire stoked by the rhetoric of white superiority. Genocide directed at Native Americans, slavery, lynchings, Chinese Exclusion Laws, the internment of Japanese-Americans, Jim Crow and the anti-immigrant sentiment now flooding our airwaves all point to this hatred of the “other”. Now add Muslims to the list. And when these “others” die or suffer, their lives are not valued as much as the lives of white people. This is madness, ugly racism, toxic to everyone. The land of the free, the home of the brave? Hardly.

My heart goes out to the family and friends of Trayvon Martin, a child like any other. Our child

Occupy: Encampments or not?

moss — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 23:54:35 +0000

I am wondering if those who have been involved with the Occupy Movement or followed it closely believe it’s valuable/essential that there be an encampment. Are you more likely to be active if there is? Or does it seem like a stage that was useful but can now be left behind? Please feel free to . . . → Read More: Occupy: Encampments or not?

Some thoughts about the Death Penalty

moss — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 23:48:06 +0000

Americans recoil at the thought of human sacrifice, ritual killing to appease an angry or powerful god. It seems so primitive, so barbaric. And yet we have the death penalty here, now, in these “civilized” times, justifying one murder with another. I believe such executions reflect the Old Testament dictum of an eye for an eye, a punitive god’s version of justice. It’s not so different than the beliefs of those earlier cultures. Admittedly those executed under the death penalty are supposed to be guilty, but often that’s not true as recent DNA tests have shown. What really has been gained by killing Troy Davis, Stanley “Tookie” Williams and so many others? Enlightened nations have discontinued the awful practice of executions. Perhaps if Americans thought about the death penalty as institutionalized ritual sacrifice we might finally consign it to the scrap heap of history where it belongs.

Cleveland Wrecking Ball

moss — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 06:10:31 +0000

Sixty Minutes aired a segment tonight showing abandoned homes in Cleveland being bulldozed, at taxpayer’s expense, after vandals had stripped them. Abandoned houses bring down property values, the economic justification for the destruction. Banks foreclosed on the homes, refusing to lower the principal so homeowners could stay and they would get something for the property, As it is, they apparently get nothing. Then they walked away from them seemingly without penalty or consequence. I don’t understand how they can do it. And they are not held accountable. Again! Banks were key players in creating the economic meltdown, including the housing bubble. To allow them to get away with this, is unconscionable.

We have a crisis of homelessness in this country and these houses, structurally sound, expensive to build and utilizing precious resources are being ripped down. Communities are shredded and people forced out. There are many similarly empty homes in Sonoma County. Common sense and compassion lead me to say, “Let’s put people in those houses and let them pay what they can.” What do we have to lose?

Pepper Spray, etc.

moss — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 19:19:11 +0000

The recent incidents of police brutality against peaceful protesters highlight a number of things:

Our government’s enthusiasm for protests elsewhere does not extend to our own citizens, no matter how justified the cause. In fact, democratic movements are a threat to US policies which often support dictators. That hypocrisy remains stable from administration to administration. Real democracy in this country has never existed and is a threat to the established power structure.

The police use overwhelming force to intimidate peaceful protesters. When police are abusive, other officers do not intervene, becoming, in effect, accessories and accomplices. Police officers are not held accountable for criminal actions because they are in uniform. When police are caught on camera as they are so often now, they receive mild reprimands rather than the consequences that would apply to anyone else. This must be one reason they continue to abuse people. Although part of the 99% who are being used by those in power, the police are captured by their role and the code of silence that pertains in police departments around the country.

This situation is dangerous to any country that calls itself free. A badge and uniform are not a license to commit crimes with impunity. We need civilian oversight of police activities and consequences commensurate with the crimes committed.

Occupy SR 11/5/11

moss — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 00:02:55 +0000

I was at Occupy Santa Rosa today and was amazed at the number of tents! There must have been 100. The encampment seems well organized and the energy is really positive. That so many people are committed to staying there, I find very moving. The determination and focus is inspiring.

Many locals come out during the day, supporting the Occupiers in various ways: with donations of food, supplies, money, holding signs along the avenue, playing music and just being present. A community is evolving.

Today is Move Your Money Day and pickets marched at four of the major banks: B of A, Chase, Citibank and Wells Fargo, encouraging patrons to take their money out of these “too big to fail” predatory banks and move it to local banks and Credit Unions. This is a great idea and anyone can do it. If lots of depositors make the switch, the banks will certainly be impacted. They’ve already backed off from charging fees for debit cards.

I hope you will go down to Occupy Santa Rosa and get involved.

Occupy Santa Rosa 10/29/11

moss — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 02:46:57 +0000

A great day at Occupy Santa Rosa! Protesters have not been able to sleep at the encampment without the possibility of being awakened and cited during the night. Sleep deprivation and stress have been serious issues as a result. But Occupiers had decided on Friday to set up tents today after a 2:00 march, knowing that it could lead to arrests. I felt considerable trepidation as I headed over there for the rally. A large crowd, perhaps 1500-2000 people, showed up and we began with a ritual to claim the land as sacred. Then a representative from the City Manager’s office addressed the crowd and let us know that the police had been asked to “stand down” and allow the tents to go up. We roared approval and the sense of relief was palpable. Victories are indeed sweet. Our subsequent march through downtown had an extra zing of energy. When I left this evening ten tents and a few other structures had been erected.

I’m inspired by the tenacity of those who are staying at the encampment. It’s not easy with traffic going by on a busy street, lights at all hours, cold nights, one porta-potty and no running water. I want to thank those who are doing it.

It takes a lot to maintain an Occupation and I hope you will support it any way you can. Please go by and see it for yourself.

Occupy All Streets

moss — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 20:59:30 +0000

I have been following the Occupy Movement with excitement and a sense of hope that’s been missing for a long time. The breadth of the Movement is reminiscent of the 1930′s when so many Americans were affected by the Depression that huge numbers of citizens were mobilized. And change happened.

The commitment to non-violence and democratic procedures is an essential aspect of the Occupy encampments and creates an atmosphere of safety and respect. This is in sharp contrast to the violence perpetrated recently by the Oakland Police Department and the serious injury to Scott Olson, the young Iraq War vet now hospitalized with a skull fracture. We are all Scott Olson and my heart goes out to him. I wish him a fast and complete recovery.

I urge everyone to support local Occupy Movements. Now is the time for us to step forward and speak out.

I have written a rap which expresses my thoughts and feelings about the current situation. I’ve been working on recording it and hope to release it soon. Here are the lyrics:

Occupy All Streets

1) The kids are coming from everywhere to occupy the streets

Confronting the bankers and brokers who are hiding in their fancy suites

They’re stakin’ out a territory for the ninety-nine percent

Who’ve been stabbed in the back by Wall Street and betrayed by the government

2) The kids made a list of why they’re pissed: unemployment, racism, war

Corporate control of everything, a system rotten to the core

Environmental destruction and those crushing student loans

Schools and healthcare broken down, foreclosures on people’s homes

Chorus

The revolution will not be televised but it’s alive and kickin’ on-line

Forget FOX and the major networks, they’re way behind the times

It’s Facebook, You Tube and Twitter, videos, blogs and text

From cell phones, web-cams, laptops and who knows what’s comin’ next

The revolution is on its way, it’s comin’ to a city near you

Check your local listings for time and place and do what you have to do

Open your heart, open your mind, it’s time, it’s way past time

3) The desperately poor and the homeless are growin’ in every town

The middle class is sucking wind and it’s close to going down

Jobs are scarce and wages are low unless you sign up for the endless wars

But fighting and dying for the empire, that’s not what these kids are for

4) And the rich men hidden by glass and steel, would like to control the scene

So they call out their boys in uniform, the teeth of their machine

So many people speaking out now are gettin’ busted by the cops

Pepper-sprayed and slammed down hard but their voices will not be stopped Chorus

5) The world has been waiting for those of us who are living in the belly of the beast

To climb on board this train that started in the Middle East

Americans are wakin’ up, we’re tired of this ugly deal

With one percent livin’ like kings and queens, takin’ everything they can steal

6) So the kids just keep on coming, the poor, the unemployed

Those with hope for the future and a planet that’s not destroyed

Gay and straight, every color, young and old in the street

Democracy and justice on their lips and, man, the taste is sweet Chorus

Davis and the Death Penalty

moss — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 17:52:59 +0000

The execution yesterday of Troy Davis despite the serious doubts about his guilt leaves me saddened. More blood spilled. What it is it about the United States that leaves us committing legalized murder along with countries like China, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. The discrepancy between our rhetoric and our reality is stark. For example, many in this country say that we are and should be a Christian nation but often don’t live in accordance with Jesus’ teachings. Would Christ support the death penalty? Wars? Torture? No.

I’m not a biblical scholar but I wonder if there’s confusion between the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament God demands an eye for an eye and bids his people smite their enemies and slaughter them. Jesus is the antithesis of that: turn the other cheek, love thy neighbor as thyself. Would it perhaps be more accurate to say that those who call themselves Christian and yet support Old Testament values are not Christians at all? Then our policies make more sense.

My heart goes out to both the Davis and McPhail families. I don’t believe either has gotten justice.