Posted by Bunny.
In response to yesterday's diary entry, a reader wrote:
"Hi Bunny... I want to learn about those events or at list acknowledge them but it's really hard to find the things that you meant. Can you give the name of the events/wars that you listed - Hawaii (1893), Iran (1953), Guatemala (1954), Chile (1973), Mystic (1637), Sand Creek (1864), or Yucca Mountain). I will so appreciate it."
Fair enough. Here's a quickie list.
Hawaii, 1893: overthrow of Hawaiian government w/ direct support of U.S. military. Five years later the U.S. annexed Hawaii and over a 100 years later Native Hawaiians still don't have their land or sovereignty back.
Iran, 1953: "Regime change" as we like to call it. Mossadegh deposed via CIA covert ops (Operation Ajax) and the U.S.-friendly Shah installed.
Guatemala, 1954: President Arbenz overthrown via U.S.-orchestrated coup d'etat. Long line of U.S.-friendly dictators maintained afterwards.
Chile, 1973: President Allende overthrown via U.S.-assisted coup d'etat. U.S.-friendly dictator (Pinochet) assumes power.
Mystic, Connecticut, 1637: Massacre of Pequots.
Sand Creek, Colorado, 1864: Massacre of Cheyenne and Arapaho.
Yucca Mountain, Nevada: Massacre of Native Lands (i.e., the U.S. government is trying to put the largest nuclear waste dump ever designed into these mountains; read the Treaty of Ruby Valley (1863) - the Western Shoshone never ceded Newe Sogobia to the United States). I put this in the list because it is directly connected to 500 years of genocide, exploitation, and disrespect of Native peoples and lands.
This is only a tiny sampling, obviously there are many more.
If you want to learn more about the ideological foundations that tends to produce these kinds of occurrences, I recommend Facing West: The Metaphysics of Inidan-Hating & Empire Building by Richard Drinnon. Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States, 1492-Present is also a good place to start.
E-mail number two:
"Hi Pinky, I've been meaning to ask you and I don't mean to be too personal but are you by any chance a lesbian? I was wondering if that was the reason why you have made several references to gay rights on your website. Best, Dana"
I'm not Pinky but I'll answer anyway: We talk about gay rights sometimes because we don't like discrimination, not because of our own sexual orientations.
Next e-mail:
"Do you guys eat meat?"
Answer: Pinky is a vegetarian. A few months after Pinky decided to do that Kim also decided to become a vegetarian. When we’re not traveling I usually don't eat "meat" but if I'm hungry and some bird comes lazily walking by of course I'll have a go at it. Mimi eats whatever.
That's enough e-mails for today.
~Bunny.