Silenced Again
by Cindy Sheehan
You know what is sad?
Since Obama was elected in 2008, I have been dis-invited from speaking in more than a few places; I have been rejected from speaking in more places; I am no longer asked to "sign onto" most "progressive" causes; and, of course, the "liberal press" has almost totally blacked out my message of peace, (no matter who's president) and justice out. What's really sad, is that's not the sad thing.
The sad thing is that I have gotten used to it and I am not even insulted or angry any longer when this happens. I get up and charge ahead with all steam possible despite all of the obstacles, and I really appreciate the people who are still with me in the principled struggle.
However, another "not interested" not-invite occurred this past weekend when 350.org (admittedly an Obama-loving organization) held a protest in Richmond, CA to oppose Chevron. My friend and campaign manager, Andy Conn, bugged the organizers for weeks to get me a few minutes on the speaker's platform. Denied--no reason, except for the questionable reason that there was "no room."
Excuse me, among other things, I spoke for worker control of energy on Labor Day last year in Richmond right after the last disastrous Chevron fire; my son was killed for big oil and its pursuit of complete ownership of ALL the world's fossil fuel supply; I just rode my bike 3500 miles to highlight this issue AND if I were still a Democrat, I am sure that I would have been welcomed with open arms.
Anyway, below is a video of what I said last year, and what I would have said this past weekend, if I were allowed to speak:
UPDATE I: I would like to amend this article, to instead of accusing 350.org of being "Obama lovers," I would like to accuse it of being "Capitalism lovers," and I am an unapologetic Socialist.
http://www.countercurrents.org/mickeyz270211.htm
http://www.swans.com/library/art18/berger02.html
http://www.systemiccapital.com/deep-green-resistance-an-interview-with-derrick-jensen-and-rachel-ivey/
How Not to Stop a Pipeline by Ralph Nader
Inconvenient Truths: 350.org gets funding from BIG OIL
http://www.countercurrents.org/mickeyz270211.htm
http://www.swans.com/library/art18/berger02.html
http://www.systemiccapital.com/deep-green-resistance-an-interview-with-derrick-jensen-and-rachel-ivey/
How Not to Stop a Pipeline by Ralph Nader
Inconvenient Truths: 350.org gets funding from BIG OIL
Cindy, this comes across as really arrogant and egotistical. Not every event is about you. This action prioritized the voices of the community of Richmond that have been affected DIRECTLY by the Chevron refinery, and I think the only non-local speaker was Bill McKibben, who's organization 350.org not only was very involved in the organizing of the event (though, did not "lead" the event at all), and who knowingly can bring a big crowd out.
ReplyDeleteJust because someone doesn't give you a stage doesn't mean you are being silenced. You taking the stage might mean someone else doesn't get to be on that stage, and organizers of the event apparently felt that prioritizing the voices of community members was more relevant to the event than someone who hasn't been involved in the event organizing, or that isn't from the community. To try to make this about party-politics is just crazy - it's not about elections (Democrats or otherwise)
And to call 350.org "Obama loving"? You must have missed the 1200+ people they organized to participate in civil disobedience at the White House in 2011, or the hounding they've been doing of Obama at every public event he's held over the past months calling on him to deny the Keystone pipeline permit. Or the statement they just signed on to criticizing Obama's stance on fracking and natural gas.
um, okie dokie.
Deletewould be cool if you could comment using your name...
DeleteI never comment anonymously, agree, or disagree as you do, I always use my name.
And of course 350.org and Bill McKibben love Obama--they get arrested with Obama buttons on their suits. Their signs have his logo for christ's sake.
It has been demonstrated time and again that 350.org and Bill McKibben have origins from - and connections to - the Rockefeller Brothers Foundation, and it isn't much of a leap from there to connect the dots to oil companies, chambers of commerce, candidates, and elected politicians. 350.org has worked with some of the most powerful advertising and marketing companies in the world to create savvy messaging for their symbolic campaigns, and the svelt use of language does a fine job of reaching those of us that care but don't have the time to research, while never really upsetting the applecart/Dems/Obama.
Delete350.org could have organized and used aggressive tactics on numerous occasions during the first term of the Obama Administration and actively chose not to do so.
Not during the first 9 (most malleable) months of the Obama administration.
Not during the height of the 2012 election cycle.
Not when Obama approved a large section of the already completed portion of Keystone XL.
Rather, what 350.org has done well (for industry) is focus activist energy on Keystone XL while more all-encompassing tactics that go beyond symbolism have been ignored. The great distraction has in no way slowed the exploitation of tar sands; the pipeline is already significantly complete; and emissions are at an all-time high.
No matter how "successful" one believes the arrest of 1200 pacified and smiling individuals at the White House was, to believe that it in any way threatens this Administration is folly.
Finally, two things here that are modus operandi for 350.org:
1. The silencing/rejecting of Ms. Sheehan is not unique. They have done this several times before, including an invite and dis-invite of one Mr. Ralph Nader to that "successful" spectacle in DC in 2011.
2. 350.org staffers are known to scour the web in search of dissidents to quiet them. They often do this anonymously. I suspect that is what we see here, Ms. Sheehan.
The fact of the matter is that the leadership of this action support reforming Chevron and not it's nationalization under worker and community control. They also refuse to call for the criminal prosecution and jailing of the managers and executives that continue to poison the workers and the community here and around the world.
DeleteThey want Chevron and the corporations to do the right thing. As everyone knows this will not happen and those who want to censor socialist and working class voices represent the interests of the liberal Democrats and capitalists. The idea that the US government is going to protect us from the oil companies is preposterous. Only working people and the masses of this country will be able to defend our health and safety.
Also people should realize that this issue is not just about the United States but US imperialism and the support for a military budget with over 700 bases around the world. This empire will not be reformed and those who want to make Chevron better are really not telling the truth to people about the nature of these corporations. They control the politicians and that is why they are not accountable.
One important point that was left off the platform was the complete failure of Ca-OSHA and the State government to keep the Chevron unit shutdown until it followed the law. Instead they gave them a license to re-open without even requiring that there be strict enforcement standards. There are only 162 OSHA inspectors in California for 18 million workers. Does anyone believe Chevron will regulate themselves.
Again this points out that the futile plan of the RPA to sue Chevron is really a ruse. Chevron will spend hundreds of millions of dollars on lawyers and will write this off and keep doing business as usual.
While people were chanting for the arrest the Chevron executives this had no real push from the organizers of the rally and that was another reason Cindy was not allowed to speak since she would have given a voice to these demands and that was something the organizers were not interested in.
It is also not a surprise that the issue of public control of energy is not allowed to be raised from the platform. In Latin America and other countries around the world these private companies face demands for nationalization but here in the US the kept opposition refuses to whisper about the need to take the energy industry out of the hands of the corporate criminals. It was absolutely no accident that Cindy was prevented from speaking since she has publicly raised this issue.
Also to those who say that there were more qualified speakers this is BS. Cindy's son was killed for these oil companies and her fight for justice is absolutely tied to the role of these destroyers of the environment.
It is time that his censorship and blacklisting of socialist speakers end in the environmental movement and this was yet another example of the real political role of those who say they want to represent the community and the people of the US.
Steve Zeltzer
United Public Workers For Action
www.upaw.info
Well stated, Mr. Zeltzer.
DeleteHi Cindy:
ReplyDeleteI am Ann Marie Davis. Losing your son must have tested you in ways beyond what I can imagine.
I an obscure poet of no rank and no publisher, and I spoke at the rally. I was the first to speak reading one of my poems. Do you know what? I’m very used to being ignored. Being ignored never feels good to me. I am a very good poet but I have learned that being a very good doesn’t entitle Dillard Davis’ daughter to speak anywhere. But this was a good day for me.
I did go to some organizing meetings. I use public transportation because I don’t have a car. I didn’t go to a lot of meetings because I don’t always have money for the public transportation, and sometimes I don’t like riding my bicycle across a town or two.
This may have contributed to why I was not part of the meeting where the decision was made on who would speak. I was one of the people who handed out flyers. I didn’t speak much, if at all, during meetings, I only listened. The meetings were open to anyone who wanted to join.
So I wanted to speak. I sent them an email. They replied back. The planners told me that there was no room, that they were overbooked, as they told you. At that time, I didn’t consider myself silenced because of my political party. It has become part of my nature to use Occam’s Razor when trying to discern what is going on. As you may know, Occam’s Razor states that among competing hypotheses, the hypothesis with the fewest assumptions should be selected. In other words, the simplest explanation is usually the correct one. Occam’s Razor doesn’t always work for me, but on average, it does. So, I assumed they were indeed over booked. That in combination that I was not a crowd draw, like say, Alice Walker, made them say no, I concluded. I was disappointed, but I consoled myself by telling myself that the movement to control climate change is much more important than my feelings.
I then replied with another email with my poem attached. I said that should someone drop out, I would love to read. Someone dropped out. The committee had connected with my poem. I read. Maybe there was a conspiracy to silence you, and maybe the planners are part of the liberal left who are trying to silence you because you are not a Democrat. Then again, maybe they were overbooked. I am not a fan of Obama any longer. I voted for him. Now, my view is that he must have lost his damn mind to consider approving the pipeline. I can only speak for myself. I feel like shit for thinking that he would be the change we were looking for.
I don’t have a video of me speaking. I do have a copy of the poem below. It went over well, if I may say so.
Really, Ralph Nader was also silenced by 350.org? Hmmm...Bill McKibben wore an Obama button on stage? No criticism of Obama allowed?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.counterpunch.org/2011/09/14/how-not-to-stop-a-pipeline/
By the way, thanks for reading my blog and participating in the discussion!
Cindy
Your response indicates that you have not read my post. If you did read my post and if you did respond to anything I have said, you would be responding to a grass roots 350.org organizer, an actual person.
ReplyDeleteYou would be communicating with me directly. You would not be citing an article. Instead, you would be speaking and responding to a human being in an organization that you are attempting to negatively portray with innuendos.
That is what I would consider participating in a discussion. I invite you to do that.
Decisions of who will speak are always political, just like the decision of which voices to include in a newspaper or magazine.
ReplyDeleteCindy Sheehan represents a certain political perspective. Not including her voice, when it was available, means that this perspective was purposefully excluded. Thank you Cindy for explaining what happened. Several times in the past I have wondered where you were with respect to a particular issue or action. Now, at least in this instance, I know where you were. Now I can see that sometimes when you appear to be going off on your own, you really aren't.
Obviously, this post has struck a nerve with nervous Democrats.
ReplyDeleteAs far as me not being at any of the planning meetings, that's true, but A) I was riding my bike across the country for peace and environmental sustainability for 3 MONTHS and B) When Bush was in office, that didn't matter, I would have been invited anyway.
350.org gets funding from the ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION which equals Standard Oil WHICH EQUALS CHEVRON. Obviously, it's okay to rock the boat a little, but the BIG OIL FUNDERS won't allow any serious waves to be made.
Ann Marie,
ReplyDeleteThis is a fabulous poem. Thanks so much for sharing it.
Nancy Jones