The 3rd rally for Iran in a week- the third time's a charm?

Friends/family,

Today, I attended my 3rd Iranian solidarity rally in a week and it was a very good time. The turn-out was similar to last time and was as energetic if not more- thanks to the presence of a megaphone. The assembled protesters were a mixture of Persian-Americans and an increasing number of non-Persians- it heartened me to see a diverse array of people, an indicator of a widening base for the movement. We chanted for a nearly solid 3 hours and were clad in green. As is customary, we chanted mostly peaceful slogans, but once in a while an overly zealous individual would start a chant like "death to ahmedinejad" and other similar sentiments. I understand that this is a very emotional issue for them, but one must look to the Gandhi, Bhutto,and Dr. King to see the efficacy of non-violence and the fact that violence perpetuates violence, whether it be overt or intrinsic. I felt like we were well received by the motorists driving past the corner of 2100 and state- many approving honks, thumbs-up, and only a few random incoherent gestures, like the "bird" and a rather confusing exhortation to "go join the service" were noted.

I think that protests, like the last 3, have high efficacy on two levels, first- it lets other Utahns and indeed Americans know about what is going on in Iran- and then grassroots activism can follow and secondly- the Iranian people can see footage of our protests, combined with the hundreds around the world and that footage may give them the comfort of knowing that they are not alone in their struggle for the ideal of democracy and transparency. On a more subtle and idealistic level, I feel like it is generally right to speak out for justice and human rights even if the aforementioned two levels of efficacy never produce meaningful change.

Also today, I canvassed at the Arts festival with Lucy in support of comprehensive health care reform as proposed by President Obama. I believe in his plan because it will help end the highly unethical practice of excluding individuals from health insurance because of pre-exisisting conditions, while helping to insure 46 million (+) uninsured Americans without resorting to true socialism, while balancing costs in the private sector through competition. I also like that his plan includes eliminating wasteful practices by insurance agencies and taking simple money saving steps like switching to electronic medical records in order to save millions. We received a positive reaction overall- a lot of petition pages were filled up and we were approached by many individuals who had stories to tell about their lack of insurance, despite years of hardwork and their struggles to deal with rising medical costs and etc. There were many people who weren't interested and a few who were openly hostile, one guy taking it to the extreme by near-yelling at me about the impiousness of Obama's plan. The part I enjoyed most about the canvassing was interacting with people on a person-to person basis- hearing their stories, entering into their lives for just a moment. The experience made me realize how important health-care was to everyone's life, despite political persuasion, excepting several crack smokers who seemed to care less- while still wishing us "good luck with your efforts." I am especially passionate about this cause because I have a close family member who struggles with her insurance far too often- filling out stacks and stacks of paperwork when deathly ill- barely managing to get past them- this should not have to happen.

I am now looking forward to the next solidarity demonstration sometime next week, my birthday, and my upcoming trip to DC to take part in the Campus Progress National Conference.

For now,

Auf Wiedersehn

ps: Thank you to Matthew Rambo for letting me use his pictures in my blog

Remember Neda

Hey everyone,

Yesterday I attended two different demonstrations. I will talk about both individually.

1) The first rally was facilitated by High Road for Human Rights, an organization founded by a man I respect greatly, ex-SLC mayor Rocky Anderson. This rally was dubbed a "Torture Accountability Day." The turnout was moderate, some 50 or so people, and several organizations were represented, including Amnesty International, a personal favorite of mine. I felt that the rally started badly from the beginning, with some off-balanced sbelting of a selection of unfamiliar hippy ballads. The rally was then continued by a speaker who rambled considerably before narrowing down to a fragmented main point regarding the Geneva Conventions. The main issue I had with this rally was that, at least to my perception, the entirety of the responsibility for the crimes of torture were being heaped upon the shoulders of America alone. I felt that international instances of torture should've been discussed as well. Little will ever come from attacking only domestic policies without examining the truly global interconnectedness of problems. We must fight domestic torture as much as the torture of peaceful protesters in Iran and Sudan. I also objected to the attacks on George Bush, because such a tactic is not only pointless, but very well may be contra fitting to the objectives that the rally is trying to achieve- a unified stance against torture. A cause, even a noble cause like ending torture, will never resonate with the general public, if that cause is portrayed as divisive. A great deal of Republicans and Democrats alike do not advocate torture and such a stance should be spotlighted instead of spotlighting the schisms that may exist. I didn't stay for long, so I can't vouch for possible turn-arounds that may have occurred later on.

2) The 2nd demonstration was a mourning demonstration for the peaceful protesters that have been killed in Iran. Some 30-40 individuals gathered by the roadside at Liberty park to raise candles and their voices for the unyielding protesters a world away in Iran. Chants of "freedom for Iran" and "democracy in Iran" were repeated throughout the evening. Young children lead the chanting at times, their bodies clad in green bandannas and armbands, supporting the revolution. The rally was exclusively Persian excepting the friends that I brought with me. Our Persian brothers and sisters were exceptionally welcoming, several people approached me and shook my hand, saying thank you on behalf of all Persians. I told each of the individuals who approached me that it was my honor and privilege to be there, and it was. This was the 2nd rally of the week for this cause, the third is to be held Saturday from 11-2 at 2100 south and State. I am committed to raising my voice for the protesters until another election is held, in which transparency and fairness abound.

Thanks for reading,

Cameron

"The Voice"-Rough draft

Here is the poem I wrote today about Neda Agha Soltan, may she rest in peace.

Neda, pure-deep-set eyes,
We could've been lovers
Neda, raven-black, beautiful black hair,
We could've been dearest friends.

The car, oppressingly hot
under the austere palm of
the authoritarian sun-
heat, not uncommon for
early June, -she-
Surrounded by swarthy-stark
Asphalt...
Creeping-like a desert lizard
across a vast sea of black sand the car lurches
slowly through traffic...
an ephemeral microcosm of green-
tattered fabric flailing
in the wind-
"dust" choking the lungs of a sick-
violent system,
engulfed by tidal demands of transparency-
...stop...

Our Ophelia steps out of her carriage to feel the free wind
{yearns for freedom}
-One can only fathom the brief thoughts that
fluttered----through her vibrant mind
Her brothers and sisters defying
a supreme decree,
heat-vicious heat
the vinegar-sting of tear gas,
the sickening swoosh of Basiji batons,
Screams and slogans
humming humming
a rumbling
murmur of revolution.
{one can only guess}-her thoughts-

Perhaps,
simply,
a song,
dwelling in her heart,
tapping her delicate fingers to the refrain-
a song of freedom, unbridled youth,
perhaps,
she thought of her fiancee-
a future life,
consummated by marriage and the thought
of growing old together... together...
then...

CRACK! the sound of skulls shattering,
but shrill...shriller,
silence, she's burning,
throbbing, hotter now,
a jealous June day
"It's burning me"
-ah ma cheri
slumping to the still- scalding pavement
-ah ma cheri
surrounded by doctors and fathers-
"open your eyes, stay with me!"
-ah ma cheri
you could be my sister-
your mouth is bleeding
-ah ma cheri
They're calling your name-
your words are mute, your voice is silenced
- ah ma cheri
you could've been my mother, cradling me-
-ah ma cheri
you were all of these to me.

Though your eyes-
opals of inexorable white,
were sewn by shaky-fearful hands,
your spirit has awoken a slumbering mass-
your courageous martyrdom speaks
as the un-ignorable voice of REVOLUTION.

Neda, your heart beats within us,
Neda, until the last of us-
you will endure...
Neda: remarkable, indelible.

* There is a great deal of symbolism in this poem...including Neda's hair color, though dark brown in life, her black hair symbolizes mourning in the poem. Ask me if you don't understand any symbols. The death of Neda, and the other peaceful protesters, has shaken me to the core. It is is unfathomable to think of such brutality. I hope the protests continue and I hope they are peaceful, following the example of Gandhi, Bhutto, and Suu Kyi.

May she rest in peace.

*** pictures from -http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/06/23/iran.neda.profile/index.html#cnnSTCPhoto

A day in solidarity with the demonstrators in Iran

Friends,

I spent the day demonstrating in Salt Lake City to show my support for the mostly-peaceful demonstrators in Iran, who are being severely punished for their promulgation of ideas and yearning for a transparent democracy. I encourage you to go online and read about the ongoing protests and the massive human rights abuses that the government of Iran (GOI) is committing against the activists. Stories have come in about government plans dropping boiling water on protesters, doctors being tortured, a unique crystalline tear-gas being used in order to prevent one from washing out the painful substance- up to 150 dead. I am glad that Obama spoke out against today's atrocities saying, in paraphrase, that the violent crackdown by the GOI was not acceptable.

Today's rally was inspiring, 150 + people braved the rain and wind to show their support for democracy everywhere, chanting mostly non-violent slogans such as "freedom for Iran", "democracy for Iran" and "human-rights." We marched from the City and County Building to the Capital, receiving approving honks and thumbs-ups as we marched forward. The air was pregnant with hope and optimism, yet tinged with sorrow at the loss of life and ongoing repression in Iran. I was inspired that the demonstrators defied the Supreme Leader's exhortation to give up the protests or else- what courage. I will continue taking the streets with the local Iranians and their concerned cohorts until a new election is called in Iran.

Regarding the Burma "house arrest" party last night: About 8-9 people gathered at my house to have a symbolic birthday party for Nobel peace prize laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who was forced to spend her 64th birthday in prison for no crime. We ate traditional Burmese Dessert, watched short films on Burma and Suu Kyi, wrote letters to our representatives regarding Burma, signed petitions, ate good food, and socialized about activism and beyond. We raised a little over $30 for the cause, and more importantly, opened minds to a cause that they never knew about- empowering a few people at a time. I was extremely happy that people showed up- it was difficult to say the least to get people to come- everyone is so "busy" with day to day life I suppose. All in all the past two days were wonderful and I plan to keep the activism going with continued fundraisers for the Vumilia mill and for my second trip to Kenya, amongst other initiatives!

Pictures were taken by Vincent Longa, view them here: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1588411916&ref=profile#/album.php?aid=117974&id=772622753

Keep up with the news and keep serving.

Respectfully,

Cameron

The Spirit of Satyagraha

Hey everyone,

I've changed my blog around a bit to include my grassroots activism here in the states and beyond Kenya. I will post pictures from, and a description of, my "house arrest" party that I am holding tonight to raise awareness about the undeserving arrest of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel peace prize laureate in Burma. I am also accepting donations to go to the U.S. campaign for Burma and their efforts to free Suu Kyi.

For those who don't know, Suu Kyi is the head of the National League for Democracy (NLD) a human rights supporting political party in Burma that advocates democratization and compliance with international law. She was placed under house-arrest in 1989 prior to the upcoming elections, which her party ended up winning with 82% of the parliamentary seats. The brutal military Junta of the country ignored the will of the people and brutally cracked down on peaceful protests that resulted from their refusal to recognize the election results. Suu Kyi has been placed under defacto house-arrest ever since that date. While Suu Kyi has been imprisoned the military Junta has burned down some 3,300 ethnic minority villages and brutally killed peaceful Buddhist monks- destroying or defiling their sacrosanct monasteries and other holy buildings in the process. The ethnic minorities in the eastern portion of the country are being especially persecuted, women are targets of horrific sexual violence and children are abducted into the largest child-soldier containing army in the world, which numbers approximately 70,000 children.

Suu Kyi has been called a modern day Gandhi for her avocation of peaceful, non-violent resistance (Satyagraha) and her unyielding dedication to democracy and human rights. Gandhi may be a fitting allusion, but when I think of Suu Kyi, another remarkable human being comes to mind: Benazir Bhutto. Benazir had to suffer through numerous years of detention in the most despicable conditions solely for advocating human rights, rule of law, and democracy in repressive Pakistan. She was repressed by the brutal military dictatorship lead by Zao as Suu Kyim is repressed by the Burmese military Junta. Aung San Suu Kyi is a true inspiration for all of those around the world who are being threatened, or indeed punished, for valuing the noble ideals of human dignity and the inherent right of happiness and equality for every member of the human family. I urge all of you to research this remarkable woman and learn from her paragon example of the modern day practice of Satyagraha.

Also, I've been following the pro-democracy, anti-fraud, demonstrations in Iran very closely. I am heartened by their love of democracy and yearning for better relations with the west, a remarkable occurrence in a country that has been ruled by a hardline Islamic theocracy since 1979. The protesters are showing incredible courage by defying no-assembly laws and protesting peacefully against the seemingly rigged elections. Protesters are marching by the hundreds of thousands in near silence to shed light on ubiquitous voting irregularities and government repression. We, as citizens of the greatest democracy in the world, must reach out to the demonstrators through Facebook, Twitter, e-mail and let them know that are hearts are with them in their quest for essential human rights and democracy.

Other events in the world that have caught my attention are, amongst others:

Sudan: The NY Times reports that the U.N.'s special rapporteur for Human rights has documented that aerial attacks on Darfuri citizens is still occurring, a finding which contradicts claims that the Genocide is over. In fact, I think that the GOS has slowed down the genocide in order to disrupt the CPA mandated elections in the south- report have roiled in that the GOS is helping to fuel inter-tribal warfare in the south in order to bring chaos to the region.

Somalia: Al-shabab, the Islamic terrorist group, continues to wreck havoc in Somalia, killing hundreds and displacing thousands. Current Vanguard documents that 50,000 people fled Somalia to Yemen in 2008, a journey which killed 2,000 or more.

USA: Obama continues to receive heat for everything, despite his hard-work on multiple projects at once: Gitmo, health-care, 2 wars, the economy, foreign relations with Iran and N. Korea. I applaud Obama's efforts at helping to lead the passage of clean energy bills and comprehensive health-care while giving the LGBT community more rights, not enough, but more. Well done Mr. President.

This is all for now, more later.

With optimism,
Cameron Morgan

Kibera slums: a recollection

Readers,

I thought that I had to tell about my last day in Kenya and the life-changing experience that occured. Life-changing is a term that is over used and is far past the point of cliche- however, this time I must say I mean it. On the last day of my volunteer trip in Kenya, Saturday, June 6th, several volunteers and myself bought hundreds of bananas at 5 ksh each and distributed them to individuals in the Kibera slum. The Kibera slum houses 10 million people in a space of approximately 15 miles. We hardly witnessed the tip of the iceberg, or in this case, the most immense poverty that I have ever imagined. Kibera has been dubbed the largest slum in Africa and it is horrible in its size and its very nature. Each "house" is made of sticks and mud and is cramped next to another similar "house." Open sewers cut a path through mounds and mounds of garbage and human excrement. The smell is overpowering and I can imagine that disease is rampant there. Children and adults alike snatched the bananas eagerly from our hands- it is appalling to see starvation at its most horrid apogee. Flies and mosquitos, encouraged by the refuse, swarmed by the thousands around us as we walked horror-stricken. I remarked that the slums reminded me of the Christian notion of hell- I can imagine no worse condition on this Earth.

I can never view poverty or wealth the same. Most remarkable, is the fact that 10 million people live that poverty and have to deal with it and survive and maybe even have a happy life- that is a courage that I shall never quite know. I will post pictures as soon as I get them. I hope you all feel fortunate for your wealth, whatever degree it is, I know that I do.

I write this blog to open up eyes and hearts, but most importantly, to paint a picture of the greatest strength and courage one can fathom, found amongst Hellish conditions.

May any of us contain a portion of their courage and drive.

With humble optimism,
Cameron

"Your name is God here..." The last blog

Friends/Family,

This is my last blog in this multifaceted and always surprising country. I know
that I am going to miss it- especially the children, with their optimistic attitudes and indefatigable smiles. I feel that this was one of the most profound experiences of my life- I was able to serve other human beings nearly seven days a week while spending time with wonderful people: humanitarians, compassionate individuals- all valuable and memorable friendships.

So, the IDP camp project was a huge success in a very unexpected way. We recruited a total of 13 volunteers, not including our drivers, to go to an IDP camp called Vumilia, which means perseverance- an appropriate sobriquet without a doubt. We planned on distributing food, which we did, and setting up a car wash, the latter of which we decided against after meeting with village elders. We decided, after laborious negations, to buy a large plot of land and help finance a mill for grinding Maize, Corn, into flour. This mill will be better because the car wash industry is saturated in that area, but mills are needed- so there will be more of a market for the Maize. The land we purchase will also be used for future businesses and other projects that will help lift the camp residents out of their poverty. Altogether, the project will cost $3,333 or 250,000 ksh, which is manageable- we negotiated a 3 payment schedule beginning in two months time, if we can guarantee ourselves that we can raise all of that money- which I am confident that we can easily do. Basically, the mill is the result of many hours of negations with camp elders, locals, and within the group. I received at least $358.19 from my paypal account drive- thank you all for donating.

Distributing food at the camp was a little bit different from last time, as it was in the dark and we had more volunteers. The camp, which was heretofore divided, united together to get the food without our prompting- a major victory in itself! We distributed a similar amount of food as last time and gave clothes, bottles, and other necessary items to the residents. A man came up to me as I was tearing paper to give to residents to use as a jerry-made bowl. He said I looked like Jesus and called me such (this comment is very common around Kenya- I've been called Jesus many many times). He then asked my real name and i told him. He responded by saying that "your name is God here." I was really touched and humbled- it gives strength to the old axiom that food is God to starving people. After distributing food we retired for a night at a local hotel, which was much better than any American motel 6. We stayed up late, burning the midnight oil. I am going to miss the volunteers here, I feel like we have become friends in this short amount of time. In the morning we engaged in all of the aforementioned discussions.

Another memorable and fulfilling moment occurred today at Tunza's orphanage. I saw another "caning" episode where several children were beaten on their hands for a seemingly insignificant offense. I immediately set up a meeting with the head teacher. Dave and I talked with the HT about the dangerous effect that corporeal punishment has on the mental health, educational achievement, and motivation of the affected children. We explained that children will learn to be more aggressive, less compassionate and empathetic and more inclined to fear the school at which they were beaten. We continued to explain that such a act was found repulsive by volunteers and that it is harmful to all parties. The head teacher promised to abolish the practice and to discover better disciplinary methods to utilize. We repeated this call to the head master of the school who echoed the same lines, excepting that he left room open for extreme cases. I was heartened by the talks and I have hope that the 2 gentlemen will follow their word and help end this horrendous practice. Today was my last day teaching- I miss the kids already, especially Jane and Class 5.

I can't explain how beautiful it was at the IDP camp- the scenery is breathtaking. I felt completely at peace, gaping at the sheer unfathomable grandeur of unblemished nature and the eye-straining fields of Maize that swayed proudly in the strong wind. I felt that I could do this work the rest of my life and be incredibly happy. I should apply for the UNHCR, I know that I would love it. We also had the chance to stop by Lake Naviasha and watch the sun set behind the color-imbued clouds. I have a strong sense that there is a persistent and complex spirit that resides amongst these people, may it not be swept away in violence again.

I am now going home to help fund raise further for the Maize Mill and work on STAND projects. I have been galvanized further by this trip and I hope that my energy will rub off on some other grassroots activists. There's so much to say, but myriad words can never get close. I am changed. To what? I am not sure. All that I know is that I want to keep serving and that I know have more insight and knowledge to do so.

With hope and gratitude,
Cameron