Sunday, December 29, 2013
Saturday, December 28, 2013
From Norman Finkelstein: Al-Issawi was Freed Monday
Norman Finkelstein’s comment:
It’s a pity that neither Hezbollah nor anyone else has grasped the significance of Issawi’s release.
When is the last time Israel actually held to the terms of a deal that it made?
It was forced by Issawi’s extraordinary display of nonviolent moral resolve to release him exactly as it promised.
In any other situation, Israel would just have renewed his incarceration when release time came due.
But Israel knew that if it tried that ruse this time, Issawi would just resume the hunger strike and cause an international scandal for Israel.
Isn’t there a lesson here on how to get Israel to budge?
Why doesn’t anyone see it???
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| Local Editor | ||
Palestinian prisoner and record-breaking hunger-striker Samer al-Issawi was released from prison Monday.  Issawi had launched a 266-day hunger strike — from August 2012 to April 2013 — protesting his incarceration. During that time, Issawi consumed only water and intravenous vitamins. In April, under pressure from solidarity groups, fierce Palestinian protests, and international petitions and in light of Issawi’s rapidly deteriorating health, the Zionist government reached a compromise with Issawi and shortened his sentence to eight months, on the condition that he ends his hunger strike. Palestinian news sources, citing a Facebook post by Issawi’s sister, reported that Israeli occupation forces raided Issawi’s Al-Quds home Sunday, arresting his father Tariq, and his brother, Midhat. Midhat had previously served in Israeli prison for 19 years. Issawi was sentenced to 26 years prison in 2002 for his alleged involvement in a series of shooting attacks. However, in 2011, Issawi was released from prison prematurely as part of the prisoner swap in exchange for kidnapped IOF soldier Gilad Shalit. Israeli officials were reportedly concerned that Issawi’s death in prison would spark riots in the West Bank, and were therefore willing to concede to his demands. Issawi’s release Monday was greeted with sizable fanfare, as have other Palestinian prisoner releases, even when done in the middle of the night. “The Global Campaign for Palestinian Political Prisoners warmly congratulates Samer Issawi on his victory over the Zionist oppressors, against whom he waged the longest hunger strike in recorded human history in order to secure his release,” read a statement on the “Free Samer Issawi Campaign” Facebook page , which garnered over 10,000 likes. “Samer is a hero to us, to the entire Palestinian population inside of Palestine and in the diaspora, and to millions of supporters around the world.” |
Friday, December 27, 2013
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Monday, December 23, 2013
A So-called Non-believer Remembers Jesus of Nazareth
By Dee Newman
The most direct and chief source of information about the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth comes from the Judeo-Christian Bible and the four Gospels of the New Testament – Mathew, Mark, Luke and John. Upon reading them one is compelled to concede that the man did once walk this earth. He was not contrived, as some believe.
Despite divergent scholarly opinions about the beliefs and teachings of Jesus, most contemporary biblical scholars and classical historians of antiquity agree that Jesus of Nazareth did in fact once live and that he was baptized by John the Baptist and crucified by the order of the Roman Prefect Pontius Pilate. Though we are profoundly and utterly ignorant of the manner of his life before he began preaching, we do know that he appeared in Judea in the reign of Tiberius Caesar at the age of about thirty years and by the time of his death was accepted by a small Jewish sect (the Nazarenes) to be the Jewish Messiah (and not the son of God).
There is no doubt that the wiry, energetic and charismatic character of Jesus has, over the centuries, been distorted and obscured. The unnecessary and implausible accessories and accretions (especially of his birth and death) that began as edification became accepted fact. Though he was clearly a man of intense personal magnetism, there is no evidence that he was God incarnate. In fact, there is no evidence that God exists outside the mind of man.
Nevertheless, the deification of Jesus by many of his followers began early. And in the process his message to mankind that the renunciation of self is its own reward and the entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth was replaced along the way with a creed and a doctrine promising salvation through faith. However, Christianity would have remained an insignificant Jewish sect if Saul of Tarsus (Saint Paul) and other early Christian leaders had not been so successful in convincing gentiles that "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
The sad truth is the deification of Jesus inevitably diminishes his effectiveness. As a God his deeds cannot be replicated. As a mere mortal he remains an example, a model for us all to emulate. Recognizing that the mind that was in him is in us as well, challenges us to fulfill our potential as evolved moral creatures.
So, let us go forward and embrace this kingdom of his where the serenity of an ordered and coherent purpose is realized through the embodiment of love (giving without expecting anything in return) beyond desire, greed, rivalry, ignorance and fear. In doing so the victory for which he relentlessly strove will be won at last. There will be peace on earth. His Kingdom of Heaven will be realized.
Saturday, December 21, 2013
From Greg Webb: A Certain Type of Thinkng
By Greg Webb
From WEDU: An Interview with James LaVeck and Jenny Stein
Cathy Unruh interviews filmmakers and Tribe of Heart co-founders James LaVeck and Jenny Stein on her half-hour show, "Up Close with Cathy Unruh."
The double feature presentation of
Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home and
The Witness on WEDU, Tampa's PBS affiliate reaching West Central Florida will air during primetime this coming Sunday night, with an encore broadcast of Peaceable Kingdom happening the
following Sunday night at midnight.
This will be the 2nd broadcast opportunity for Peaceable Kingdom, and the 13th for The Witness. This time around, along with offering the first ever double feature of the films on TV, WEDU also aired a half-hour
interview with Jenny and James on "Up Close with Cathy Unruh," which debuted last night, and which you can now watch
online.
Thursday, December 19, 2013
The Lowdown from Jim Hightower (America isn't Broke)
America isn't broke. There's plenty of money to build an economy worthy of our ideals and can-do spirit
Jim Hightower
Such corporate predators rule today's economic and political jungle, and a hail storm of statistics confirms the vast and long-term damage they're wreaking on the poor and middle class, our environment, democratic rights, and sense of justice.
Behind those stats, though, are living, breathing, striving humans--an entire nation of real people being knocked down and shut out, unable to realize the aspirations they have for themselves, their families, communities, culture, and country. The elites--to their eternal shame-- literally are stifling the enormous possibilities of America's grassroots people. That's why the public's approval rating of today's aloof Powers That Be is now (as a friend recently told me) "two digits lower than poisonous snakes."
Public anger at the raw selfishness of those ruling our economic and political systems is so severe that even Lloyd Blankfein flinched. The $21-million-a-year chief bankster at Goldman Sachs, Blankfein has presided over the bank's multiple acts of fraud against its own customers, grabbed a taxpayer bailout of $12.9 billion in 2008, lobbied furiously against legislation to restrain Wall Street's reckless greed (including especially fierce opposition to proposals for opposition to proposals for restricting CEO pay)--and then declared: "I'm doing God's work."
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Monday, December 16, 2013
Remembering Peter O'Toole
Saturday, we lost one of the giants of film and theatre. The Irish born charismatic actor Peter O’Toole died peacefully in a London hospital. He was 81.
I first saw Peter O'Toole in 1962. It was his first major film role. He played T.E. Lawrence in "Lawrence of Arabia." His performance earned him the first of eight Academy Award nominations.
His second and third nominations soon followed with his 1964 portrayal of King Henry II in "Becket" alongside Richard Burton as Becket and his 1968 portrayal of Henry II again opposite Katharine Hepburn in the film "The Lion in Winter." The next year (1969) earned him his fourth nomination for his role as a shy English schoolteacher in "Goodbye, Mr. Chips." In 1972 he portrayed the 14th Earl of Gurney in the movie "The Ruling Class," winning his fifth nomination. His sixth nomination came in 1980 in "The Stunt Man." His seventh came two years later in 1982 for an over-the-hill, alcoholic matinee idol in "My Favorite Year." In 2006 he earned his eighth best actor nomination in “Venus,” as a lecherous old actor relegated to playing feebleminded old men.
His eight nominations for Best Actor in a Leading Role make him the most-nominated actor never to win an Academy Award. However, in 2003, the Academy honored him with an Honorary Academy Award for his entire body of work and his lifelong contribution to film.
Peter O’Toole was a genus, having a remarkable ability to convey a wide range of emotions both on the big screen and on the stage.
From Pyschology Today
Ignorance about babies is undermining society
1. Babies are social mammals with social mammalian needs. Social mammals emerged more than 30 million years ago with intensive parenting (a developmental nest or niche). This is one of the many (extra-genetic) things that evolved other than genes. This developmental nest is required for an individual to develop properly. Intensive parenting practices for babies include years of breastfeeding to develop brain and body systems, nearly constant touch and physical presence of caregivers, responsiveness to needs preventing distress, free play with multi-aged playmates, and soothing perinatal experiences. Each of these has significant effects on physical health.
3. If adults mess up on the post-birth “baking,” longterm problems can result. Each of the caregiving practices mentioned above has longterm effects on the physical health but also social health of the individual. For example, distressing babies regularly or intensively (by not giving them what they need) undermines self-regulatory systems. This is common knowledge in other cultures and was so in our past. In Spanish, there is a term used for adolescents and adults who misbehave: malcriado (misraised).
To read the entire article click here.
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Remembering Jenny
A drawing of a girl I did nearly 40 years ago. She is now a doctor in Salt Lake City, UT, with over 25 years of experience in family medicine.
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Remembering Sandy Hook
A year ago today 26 students and teachers lost their lives to gun violence at Sandy Hook elementary school. Following that tragedy West Virginia’s conservative Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, a 30-year political supporter of the National Rifle Association (NRA), courageously introduced legislation that would require universal background checks for commercial sales, extending them to gun shows, as well as all online Internet purchases.
Given the overwhelming public support for universal background checks after the Sandy Hook massacre (even from a majority of NRA members) the passage of some version of Manchin’s gun-control bill seemed inevitable. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. No version passed. The NRA, the most powerful and fearsome lobbying organization in the United States, prevailed once again.
Despite the fact that only a third of the population own, use, sell and manufacture guns here in the United States, (thanks to Wayne LaPierre and the NRA) life and death continue to be measured by profit margin. As some of you may know, I have a licensed to carry a handgun in the State of Tennessee, as well as 38 other states that recognize Tennessee’s handgun carry permit. But, I am not and I never will be a member of the National Rifle Association. Why? Because Wayne LaPierre and the association he leads believe that the cure for gun violence is more guns. The NRA believes there should be no restrictions, whatsoever.
Wayne LaPierre is an insidious and powerful predator. His fear mongering and brazen endorsement of a universal armed populace makes clear that common sense and rational thinking are in short supply in the echelons of the NRA. Moreover, it seems that there will always be members of Congress willing to do the gun lobby’s bidding, ready to profess their love of the second amendment as they procure the next NRA campaign donation.
I’m sure you have heard Mr. LaPierre assert, “Guns don’t kill, people do.” But, whether he wants to admit it or not – People with guns kill more people than people without them. And, automatic weapons with large capacity magazines increase the number of gun deaths substantially.
We cannot, we must not forget Sandy Hook and the children and their teachers who died there. We cannot continue to allow the Wayne LaPierre’s (a small minority) to control the debate and lead us (the majority) to an even more frightening vision of our future.
Thursday, December 12, 2013
A Response to Revisionists
by Dee Newman
Nelson Mandela was first and foremost a courageous resistance and freedom fighter. With his death, we are now witnessing a nauseating spectacle – the “whitewashing” of history. Conservative mealy-mouthed politicians and pundits, many of whom once considered and called him a terrorist, who not only supported his incarceration for 27 years, but also the apartheid regime that brutalized and confined him, are now rushing eagerly (though awkwardly) to praise him as their hero.
Perhaps, it’s inevitable that those who are on the wrong side of history will at some point attempt to reinterpret their past. However, in order to do so, the concealment of words and actions that are now considered offensive and unacceptable, may be difficult to remove from film footage and archival material.
When the Afrikaner nationalists took power in 1948 and turned white minority rule and racial segregation into an ideology called apartheid, Black South Africans began to be systematically indoctrinated, taught to believe that they were inherently inferior to white Europeans. They were denied citizenship, the right to vote, and were forcibly relocated into deprived and destitute reservations. All people of color were legally prevented from owning land or businesses inside areas controlled by Afrikaners. The white minority government forbade marriage and/or sexual relationships between people of color and Afrikaners. Racial segregation was strictly enforced. To preserve apartheid, the government employed police brutality, the assassination and imprisonment of political dissidents, as well as the out-right murder of black non-violent protesters.
By the 1960s, given the fact that the South African apartheid government continued to be back by the west (including the United States) and that the non-violent resistance to apartheid had largely failed, it should be no surprise that the African National Congress (ANC) chose to align itself with its only supporter – the Soviet Union. This alliance, however, alienated allies in the free world, making it even more difficult to rally support for the anti-apartheid struggle.
Though there were always a few courageous individuals in the U.S. Congress who opposed apartheid as well as communism, the hawks in the U.S. (especially southern Dixiecrats) had persuaded presidents from Truman to Nixon to curb criticisms of the apartheid regime, whose leadership they believed was an important ally in the fight against communism.
However, by the 1970s protests began to increase in the United States, demanding that universities and corporations divest from South Africa to put pressure on the regime to end apartheid. In March 1978, I participated in a massive demonstration in Nashville, Tennessee, protesting the Davis Cup tennis match between South Africa and the United States at Vanderbilt University. As a result, only eleven hundred people attended the matches, while several thousand marched from the State Capitol to Centennial Park across West End Avenue from the university.
During this period, the Reverend Leon Sullivan, a Baptist minister in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, argued, if corporations agree to certain standards of fair employment in South Africa, they should not be subjected to protests or divestiture. “Constructive engagement” was presented as a position of compromise between those who advocated for the permanence of apartheid and those that sought its immediate termination.
Sullivan believed that there were moderates in the South African government with whom we could constructively engage and that eventually they would promote gradual change and political reform. There were many well-meaning people in the United States who thought that the Sullivan principles of constructive engagement was a reasonable strategy. But, there was no real pressure ever put on the regime. And eventually, the policy was exposed for what it was – a futile exercise of appeasement.
Upon taking office Jimmy Carter tried to break from the Sullivan approach, but he, too, yielded to the political pressure by conservatives. It was not until Ronald Reagan took office when a series of anti-apartheid protests erupted across South Africa that a majority of Americans began to call for immediate action. They could no longer turn a blind eye to the horror they were witnessing on the nightly news broadcasts, as white South African troops attacked black protesters with tanks, guns, clubs and attack dogs, reminding us all of our own not-so-distant racial history.
Appalled by the rising violence, Americans across the political spectrum began pressuring their representatives to take action, and within two years Congress was threatening to pass legislation that would place sanctions on South Africa and restrict the flow of American aid to the regime.
Conservatives, however, remained adamant in their belief that the U.S. had no business harassing the South African government over apartheid. President Reagan continued to threaten to veto any legislation that sanctioned the South African government even after Prime Minister P. W. Botha gave his “Rubicon speech” on Aug. 15, 1985, asserting that South Africa would never accept one man, one vote in a unitary system.
Until then, the Reagan administration had worked closely with Prime Minister Botha. President Reagan had publicly supported the South African government, portraying Botha as a moderate and a reformist.
In the Senate, North Carolina’s Senator Jesse Helms took the Senate floor to filibuster on behalf of the apartheid government of South Africa. Other like-minded conservatives, including South Carolina’s infamous segregationist Strom Thurmond who voted against the bill’s final passage, joined Helms. Over in the House, Wyoming’s Representative Dick Cheney joined the conservative minority in opposing the Anti-Apartheid Act. Cheney’s steadfast opposition to sanctioning the apartheid government had been long and extensive, denouncing Nelson Mandela as a terrorist, arguing against his release.
President Reagan took his case directly to the American people on a live television broadcast, warning them that the Anti-Apartheid Act was "immoral" and "utterly repugnant." Fortunately, one month later the president and conservatives were unable to stop the majority from acting. The conciliatory bill was approved by a veto-proof two-thirds majority in both the House and the Republican-controlled Senate and sent to the president. Reagan did as he promised. He vetoed the act.
In October 1986, under considerable pressure, Republican moderates came together. Out of 53 Republican senators 37 joined their Democratic colleagues to pass the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act over President Reagan's veto. It was the first time in the nation’s history that a presidential veto on a foreign policy issue had been overturned.
Republican moderates (lead by Senator Nancy Kassebaum) deserve enormous praise for having the courage to go against President Reagan and their conservative colleagues in passing the Anti-Apartheid Act. As a result, the United States directly contributed to the liberation of millions of people from one of the world's most oppressive regimes.
Rather than trying to politicize Nelson Mandela's death through the “whitewashing” of history, Americans should celebrate the fact that his legacy initiated rare bipartisan agreement.
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Celebrating the Life of Nelson Mandela
Today the world celebrates the remarkable life of Nelson Mandela – his charismatic personality, his astonishing achievements, his sweeping and comprehensive vision, his relentless courage, unwavering integrity and enormous generosity.
From prisoner to president his inner strength, moral values, extraordinary will, commitment and humility allowed him as an activist, freedom fighter, unifier and nation builder to overcome the impossible. We should never forget not just what he achieved, but also how and why he achieved it.
He was the living embodiment of what it is to be a good human being, of what we all should be striving to become. Thank you Nelson Mandela - for showing us the way. We are deeply indebted to you. I, for one among millions, will never forget you.
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Monday, December 2, 2013
Monday, November 25, 2013
From Tribe of Heart
News from Tribe of Heart, Producers of PEACEABLE KINGDOM: THE JOURNEY HOME and THE WITNESS
Giving Thanks to Visionaries
of Previous Generations
In this inspiring presentation, filmmaker James LaVeck explains how the work of historical social justice artist Harriet Beecher Stowe influenced the making of Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home
Watch this video with subtitles: English (CC optional) | Español | Français | Português
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Dear friends, Thanksgiving can be a bittersweet holiday for those of us who view our fellow animals as friends, not food. While there is much to be grateful for, and while it is nourishing to be in the company of our closest friends and family, it is also painful knowing that in most American households, this week's festivities will feature the lifeless body of a turkey as the centerpiece of the celebration.  However,
this year there will be more people than ever before creating new
Thanksgiving
traditions based on compassion and respect for all beings. And for that,
we should all be thankful. This trend is just one point on a trajectory
toward a more enlightened future -- a new era when people will look
back on our current
society and ask how we could ever have done such terrible things to
billions of our fellow animals merely because they happened to be
members of a different species. Indeed, it seems inevitable that future
generations will find it all
astonishing, just as we now find it hard to comprehend how people in
past eras were comfortable dominating, exploiting, and even killing the
members of various groups of their fellow humans.But how do we get from where we are now to a future in which all living beings are valued and protected? We asked ourselves this question many times while working on Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home, especially when we felt overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the injustice we were seeking to expose. Our goal was to create a film that would go beyond changing attitudes and be capable of fostering a true paradigm shift. To this end, we sought insight and inspiration from many sources, including the liberation movements of the past.  One
individual who captured our imaginations was the social justice artist
Harriet Beecher
Stowe. In 1852, when few women writers were published, and when the
institution of slavery was deeply entrenched in almost every aspect of
society, she gave us Uncle Tom’s Cabin, a groundbreaking book that completely
transformed the public dialogue on slavery -- not just in the US, but in countries all over the world.Few people today realize that during the era Uncle Tom’s Cabin was written, most educators and moral leaders did not publicly challenge the institution of slavery. If slavery was addressed at all in a Sunday sermon, for example, the focus tended to be on the need to practice it in as "Christian” a manner as possible. The idea of abolishing slavery was considered radical, unrealistic, divisive, and even dangerous. The fact is, at that time, the number of people openly advocating for abolition was relatively small, and those brave visionaries who spoke out were often publicly shunned, even while many privately agreed with their sentiments.  And how was it done? First, taking their lead from the successful English antislavery movement, American activists relentlessly documented and exposed the horrific violence and injustice, awakening the conscience of millions. Then, educators and artists like Harriet Beecher Stowe used the power of storytelling to invite people from all walks of life to more deeply consider the emotional experience of enslaved individuals, how they suffered when their families were torn apart, how their fates were thrown to the wind based on their value as "property," how they were mercilessly abused and even killed at the whims of their "owners." With Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Stowe put the moral problems of slavery into the form of a story anyone could relate to, making it the subject of public debate and dinner-table discussion across the world. At the same time, Frederick Douglass, a charismatic orator who had escaped enslavement, stunned audiences in both the US and Europe with his evident brilliance, obliterating generations of ignorance and pre-conceived notions. Notably, Douglass's message of justice was all-inclusive, extending to women, Native Americans, recent immigrants, and any other population struggling against oppression and discrimination. Overcoming deeply-entrenched prejudices is a core element of transforming a socially-accepted injustice. But as Stowe, Douglass, and others have taught us, advocating for justice is not only about exposing what is wrong. It is equally about exploring who we might become, the knowledge we might gain, the joy we might know, if things were right. It is about what we might create when our hearts and minds are freed from the shackles of prejudice, which rob us all of our true potential.  With that in mind, please enjoy our newly released video, "
The Artist as Activist." During this Thanksgiving holiday, it is our
message of gratitude to visionaries past and present, and to our
community, whose kindness and commitment to working toward a just and
nonviolent future keeps
us motivated in all that we do. Your friends, James LaVeck and Jenny Stein Filmmakers and co-founders of Tribe of Heart 
Dr. Don Radio Show highlights Peaceable Kingdom film
In this lively, wide-ranging, 40-minute
interview with Dr. Don, filmmakers James LaVeck and Jenny Stein discuss a number of topics in depth, including:
Five ways you can put
your compassion into action!
1. View or share Tribe of Heart films with friends, family members, and co-workers
Sharing our films one-to-one or with a small group of people is a
rewarding experience, one that provides a great opportunity to awaken
new understanding as well as learn from others.
This guide offers some helpful advice that can increase the value of the experience for all involved.
2. Post about our films on blogs, discussion boards, and email lists  Because
Tribe of Heart films and educational programs explore timely subjects
such as nonviolence, the journey of awakening conscience, and the ethics
of the human-animal relationship, they provide almost unlimited
opportunities for blogging, discussion boards, and email lists.
Here are some suggestions
3. Donate our DVDs to those who can put the film to good use  Person-to-person
sharing is one of the most effective forms of working for change, and one of the most rewarding. Check out our
step-by-step guide, including donation ideas. And if you
order a 10 pack of half-priced DVDs by Dec. 31st, shipping is free to anywhere in the world!
 Many
people have donated copies of Tribe of Heart films to libraries in
their area, and the rate of use of those copies has been very high.
Learn more about how to reach out to your local library
here. 4. Host a screening in your community  By
holding
public screenings of Tribe of Heart films, hundreds of people all over
the world have already seen that their efforts can transform individual
lives, and that they can contribute toward many of the larger-scale
changes that are
most needed in our troubled world. Venues for these screenings have
ranged from small cafes and community centers, to public libraries and
college classrooms, to international conferences and arts festivals, to
movie theaters and
auditoriums seating audiences of several hundred. Check out our
extensive resources that will help you get started planning your life-changing event!
5. Make a financial contribution or volunteer your professional skills  Tribe
of Heart currently has an abundance of high-leverage opportunities for
sharing our work in new languages and cultures, but we are limited by a
shortfall of financial support. Please consider
making a tax-deductible donation today, which will help us reach
more people with the life-changing message of our current films, while
also enabling us to commence work on new documentaries and educational
projects that will inspire
peaceful transformation in communities all over the world.If you have specialized knowledge and expertise you'd like to offer in film distribution, fundraising, language translation, event planning, social media, or other areas that will help us propagate our films and educational projects, we'd love to hear from you. Please contact us.
Help publicize this update
It's easy! Use the share button at the top of this page.
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Peaceable Kingdom now on iTunes in 5 languages  You can now rent ($2.99) or buy ($14.99)Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home on iTunes.
We hope these special offers will make it easier for you to share our
films during the holiday season. These deals will be in place through Dec. 31, 2013.
Transformation in Tucson
For those who wonder what motivates us to spend years of our lives
bringing the message of our films to audience after audience, our
experience with the Tucson premiere of Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home provides an answer.
The variety of insights is inspiring, as is the fact that out of hundreds of comments collected, the majority of them expressed gratitude for the viewing experience. No matter where someone was in their journey, the film seemed to inspire them to go further. Meat eaters spoke of giving up meat, vegetarians spoke of becoming vegan, and vegans spoke of wanting to become more active and involved in making change happen. We see this a great deal from our audiences, which is ultimately a very hopeful sign. For those of us involved in making and distributing Tribe of Heart films, and for our grassroots partners who bring them to their communities, the words of individual audience members leave no doubt that our efforts together are worthwhile, and that the human capacity for moral awakening is so much greater than most of us realize. 
Tucson Audience Comments
It was a very compassionate and wonderful portrait of the side of the
animals that need our protection. I am sad to say that I had become
unsensitized to what it meant to eat animals – that only certain animals
were the ones to be
loved. Tomorrow I go vegan. My optimum goal: to see how I can be an advocate for all animals.“Those who think they are crazy enough to change the world, are the ones that do.” This story has inspired me to help change the world, even in the smallest way. I will help. Thank you. This was a beautiful film about not only the human spirit but also the raw truth of how off track we have gone. It was the hardest “foody” movie I have seen... But it is necessary for us to see the truth of what is going on behind the scenes. Thank you for opening our eyes. Beautifully presented and enlightening. I have to rethink my eating – can’t have it both ways. Thank you for making it impossible for me to justify my lifestyle. So glad I had the opportunity to see the film, and I can say with certainty that it has changed me. I thought it was a beautiful production. It has given me a new perspective. I will start looking into my lifestyle to try and make changes. Amazing! What an eye opener! Really makes me want to rethink my decisions. I’ve been a vegetarian for 27 years but haven’t made the final step to veganism. I think after seeing your film I will be able to do that. Such an emotional film – very sad/very happy. Every meat eater should have to view it. Thought provoking. I will be eating less meat. Great presentation – I am a new convert! It scared the daylights out of me! But… it was very very touching and I will never eat meat again. I love cows, goats, sheep, pigs and chickens. I have 4 bunnies and 6 chickens. I’m 11, in 6th grade. Edited very sensitively, and got the message across without sensationalizing it. Well done! Also, I went to veterinary school in Scotland, which is a very agricultural nation, and so much of my coursework revolved around farm animals and their treatments, including working for a week in an abattoir. I feel your depiction of farmers in this film was not aggressive… Very compassionate film without being “preachy.” Food for thought. Thank you very much! This film has convinced me that eating flesh is cruel. I’ve given up beef and pork for 3-1/2 years now – as of tonight, I vow to stop eating any other flesh. Animals are beautiful! Thank you so much! Beautiful film. Loved seeing people who listened to their hearts whatever the cost. I’m actually struggling emotionally to write well so let me thank you. This has changed me for the better. I am a meat eater but now I will reassess my needs for meat. Thank you for showing a well rounded view... It is the “time of no secrets.” Thanks for making this film. Although I have seen Food, Inc., etc., so far I can’t seem to stop eating all meat. Gave up lamb, pork and veal long ago, but still eat chicken. Guess I’ll have to look up vegan diets and stop eating ALL meat. Hope you continue to take this awareness to everyone. The entire universe should view this film – this should be put out in schools and humane societies. Very powerful film. Gave me pause about eating another egg. Thank you so much. This was a great movie. This movie made me realize that animals are part of my community and that everybody should treat animals much better. Amazing. I want everyone I know to see this. I’m already personally a vegan, but you’ve inspired me to do much more. This movie is a game changer! I’m going from veggie to vegan. Thank you so much for being so brave! Most of these issues are often at the edge of my consciousness, but it’s films like yours that can bring it to the front. A few years ago after watching “Forks Over Knives” I changed my diet, and I think I might change again now. These issues are really difficult, but it’s also really difficult when so many people willfully ignore them because it’s more convenient. Thanks for the showing, it takes time and many wake up calls to change individuals and society, so thank you for persevering I have been slowly moving closer to eating meat after decades not eating it. I will stop at this point and return to full vegetarian with joy. Thank you! The best film I’ve ever seen. I have been aware of animal cruelty – I am vegetarian and moving towards being vegan. Your film inspired me to follow my core principles and truly become vegan. This is an incredibly important film. Thank you for being part of the solution towards peace. I was happy to watch this movie. It’s good to expose what happens. Most people don’t know what happens. More movies need to be like this. Although I eat meat, this will make me think twice. Thank you. I liked and resonated with the message of kindness, compassion, mercy, friendship and joy and unconditional love as the journey to life – at least a life well-lived. As a fourth generation farm kid, this film showed me that my picture of the way animals are cared for is not accurate now. Way different. Loved it for the heartfelt respect for the individual animals, the people, the photography, the music, the message… Great work! I will never be able to view chicken, beef or lamb unconsciously again. Thank you for enlightening me. I feel strongly about not eating animals but not strong enough so I guess I needed to see this… It was very good – well done. This film totally created a new awareness about a subject that most people know nothing about. The film was very professionally created and extremely informative. Loved the folks who gave testimony in the film. I found the film uplifting… The talk about unconditional love was the focal point for me. Thank you for opening my eyes to something that touched me deeply. |
Tribe of Heart
is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that produces award-winning,
life-changing films about the journey of awakening conscience and the
ethics of the human-animal relationship.
As a small organization with a big vision, we depend on the power of our
community to make our programs come to life. Thank you for the many
ways you help Tribe of Heart encourage positive, peaceful
transformation.
Donations can be made
online or mailed to Tribe of Heart, PO Box 149, Ithaca, NY 14851
Friday, November 22, 2013
Remembering Friday, November 22, 1963
I was a freshman at the University of Tennessee. I had just walked out of the geology building on the Hill. There was a group of about 40 students standing in the middle of Circle Drive listening to a portable radio. A young woman on the edge of the crowd told me that President Kennedy had been shot. Moments later the young man holding the radio said, “He’s dead.”
There was a sudden, simultaneous intake of breath and then stunned silence. No one moved or said a word for a long time. I just stood there, traumatized, unable to come to grips with the heartbreaking reality. The next thing I remember was sitting alone in the grass on the north side of the Hill, sobbing uncontrollably.
Eventually, I made my way to our apartment on 15th Street, north of Laurel Avenue. Later that afternoon, my roommate, Mike Lain, and I drove home to Norris. I spent the next three days there sitting in front of my parent's television set watching a series of historic and surreal events unfold.
Following the assassination, the body of President Kennedy was flown back to Washington, D.C. and placed in the East Room of the White House for 24-hours. On Sunday while his coffin was being carried by a horse-drawn caisson to the U.S. Capitol, we watched live on television the president’s assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, gunned down by Jack Ruby as he was being escorted to a car for transfer from Dallas Police Headquarters to the County Jail.
Throughout that day and night, hundreds of thousands lined up to view the president’s guarded casket in the Capitol Rotunda. Representatives from over 90 countries attended the state funeral on Monday, November 25. Following the Requiem Mass at St. Matthew's Cathedral, President Kennedy was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
Yes, I will never forget where I was and what I was doing at 2:00 PM, EST, on Friday, November 22, 1963.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Monday, November 18, 2013
Obamacare
by Dee Newman
Those of you who know me, who have read this Blog for years, understand (like most progressives) my opinion of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is somewhat convoluted. The Act, the final law that was passed back in 2010, falls far short of what the citizens of the United States deserve.
I have always believed that the only option worth considering is a “Single-payer” universal insurance health care system, essentially Medicare for All.
But, let me be crystal clear. I am absolutely sure that I do not want to return to the health insurance system we had before the Affordable Care Act was passed. The Act has already helped millions of Americans and will help millions more who have been locked out of the insurance market.
We cannot return to a system that allows private for-profit insurance companies to deny insurance to Americans with pre-existing conditions, that forces cancer survivors and others into bankruptcy by ending lifetime caps on coverage, and that forces women to pay double for the same coverage and care that men receive.
In short, we cannot allow Republicans and for-profit insurance companies to succeed in destroying the gains we have made. It will be a huge step backwards that may possibly destroy all chances to move reform forward for decades to come.
To date conservative extremists have spent hundreds of millions of dollars and used every strategy possible to obstruct and prevent the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), while offering NO alternative.
Private health insurance companies are motivated by one thing and one thing only – profit. They are in business to make money off the misfortune of others, that's it – nothing else.
They are not concerned about the health and well-being of the American people, let alone, to provide preventative care.
To them – a pound of cure is a whole lot more profitable than an ounce of prevention.
Unfortunately, the GOP is aligned with the for-profit insurance industry and not with the American people.
Those of you who know me, who have read this Blog for years, understand (like most progressives) my opinion of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is somewhat convoluted. The Act, the final law that was passed back in 2010, falls far short of what the citizens of the United States deserve.
I have always believed that the only option worth considering is a “Single-payer” universal insurance health care system, essentially Medicare for All.
But, let me be crystal clear. I am absolutely sure that I do not want to return to the health insurance system we had before the Affordable Care Act was passed. The Act has already helped millions of Americans and will help millions more who have been locked out of the insurance market.
We cannot return to a system that allows private for-profit insurance companies to deny insurance to Americans with pre-existing conditions, that forces cancer survivors and others into bankruptcy by ending lifetime caps on coverage, and that forces women to pay double for the same coverage and care that men receive.
In short, we cannot allow Republicans and for-profit insurance companies to succeed in destroying the gains we have made. It will be a huge step backwards that may possibly destroy all chances to move reform forward for decades to come.
To date conservative extremists have spent hundreds of millions of dollars and used every strategy possible to obstruct and prevent the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), while offering NO alternative.
Private health insurance companies are motivated by one thing and one thing only – profit. They are in business to make money off the misfortune of others, that's it – nothing else.
They are not concerned about the health and well-being of the American people, let alone, to provide preventative care.
To them – a pound of cure is a whole lot more profitable than an ounce of prevention.
Unfortunately, the GOP is aligned with the for-profit insurance industry and not with the American people.
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
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