Responsibility is the ability to respond to fused violence with a fused resistance. It is the understanding that we cannot peacefully coexist with a system that requires the destruction of the earth and the erasure of its people. Our task is to build a new world in the shell of the old. We are called to live 'in the virtu of that life and power that takes away the occasion of all wars-and all empires.
Category: Quakers
The Quaker Conundrum
This is an interactive web page about the concept of the NewCO (new conscientious objector)
Why Indigenous Leadership is Essential
One of the main lessons I've learned is the necessity of having Indigenous-leadership for this work.
Spiritual condition now
We Friends opposing war should refuse any kind of military service; Friends opposing conscription should refuse to cooperate with the Selective Service System....Holding CO status "blinded us to the evil of the draft itself." 1968 Richmond Declaration on the Draft.
Processing what happened
Part of what I've been led to do is to spread the word about this Indigenous-led opportunity which allies can support. It is absolutely essential that decolonial efforts be Indigenous-led for several, interwoven reasons, primarily because these efforts are fundamentally about reclaiming sovereignty, restoring traditional knowledge, countering historical oppression, and building future systems that oppose colonial-capitalist structures, such as the Hub.
Scattergood and Great Plains Action Society Part 1
Sam Taylor has been my main contact at Scattergood. We talked a bit about the GPAS project, which he and the school have been connected with, including hosting people who were going to be working on the project this week. Besides me, Phil is also staying here. He had not been to Scattergood before. Sikowis and Sam have been having conversations about ways Scattergood students can be involved with GPAS's work in Iowa City.
The Inward Compass
To implement he NewCO (New Conscientious Objector), Quaker meetings will rely on our historic process of using queries to guide us..
Quaker support during the First Nation-Farmer Climate Unity March 2018
As I prepare to go to Iowa City to help build the Healing Justice House of the Great Plains Action Society, I'm reminded of the other time Iowa Quakers supported Indigenous led acts.
Truthsgiving
It is ironic that the Great Plains Action Society's invitation to us to help renovate a house for their Healing Justice Center in Iowa City is occurring just after the Thanksgiving holiday.
You would, wouldn’t you?
The way to be a NewCO is to join with others to replace the current systems of injustice. The NewCO is about building beautiful communities of Mutual Aid, where wellness and safety are practiced. Indigenous leadership from the beginning is essential.