Thacker Pass is a project to mine Lithium on sacred lands of the Shoshone & Paiute in Nevada — and it is a serious threat to the native people's health, culture, and environment. The Bureau of Land Management should never have approved it, but the administration pushed hard for its approval and is defending it in court. The Thacker Pass project not only fails the basic … [Read more...] about Thacker Pass project — another travesty
indigenous people
How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States
Daniel Immerwahr. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $35 (528p) ISBN 978-0-374-17214-5 Reviewed by Doug Heath In How to Hide an Empire, Daniel Immerwahr, Associate Professor of History at Northwestern University, reframes the standard account of US history to incorporate events in all of the lands outside the conterminous 48 states that were brought under formal US rule, thereby … [Read more...] about How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States
The “Red Indian’s” Penultimate Speech to the White Man
Mahmoud Darwish A long time will pass for our present to become a past like us.But first, we will march to our doom, we will defend the trees we wearand defend the bell of the night, and a moon we desire over our huts.We will defend the imprudence of our gazelles, the clay of our potsAnd our feathers in the wings of the final songs. In a little whileyou will erect your world … [Read more...] about The “Red Indian’s” Penultimate Speech to the White Man
Notes from the Editors (Left Turn #2)
Left Turn is now published seasonally. On October 2, 2018, Amazon announced that it will implement a $15-an-hour across the board wage floor for all its 350,000 workers, including part-time and contract workers. It also announced a commitment to work to lift the national federal minimum wage (stuck at $7.25 per hour since 2009). It’s fair to say that pressure from … [Read more...] about Notes from the Editors (Left Turn #2)
Acknowledging the original inhabitants of this area
We are located in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, a small part of what was Lenni-Lenape territory for over 10,000 years. We understand that the Lenape were friendly and accommodating — until the settlers gradually, and often violently, forced them out. We acknowledge the injustice and mistreatment indigenous people faced (and still face) as a result of colonialism. We recognize … [Read more...] about Acknowledging the original inhabitants of this area
Colonialism
The U.S. was built through settler colonialism, which involves taking over lands already in use by other people, displacing the people and often destroying their cultures. (Sometimes the goal was simply to use the land for their own settlements; in other cases the goal was to extract minerals & other resources. In the U.S. & Canada, settlers not only made war on the … [Read more...] about Colonialism
Peter’s blog: ‘Thanksgiving’
At its best, Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday—a chance to reflect and appreciate life. Unfortunately, it is often dedicated to watching football, arguing politics, and consuming vast quantities of food—and, in the process, celebrating the myth of the 'first thanksgiving'. Try to find time to read these articles — it’s important to be aware as we make the everyday choices … [Read more...] about Peter’s blog: ‘Thanksgiving’