Deadheads for Darfur

Let's go run and see

2007-05-06T17:56:00.000-05:00

If you are in Northern California, check out David Dodd's upcoming events. In addition to releasing the paperback version of The Complete Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics, David will mention The Easiest Best Thing is Be Kind: "I've been trying to think of a good way to promote the Darfur relief
effort via the book [...] I love the little book. I would like to see it spread a bit." Unfortunately, he will not have copies of the book available. The events run from this Tuesday through June and will go as far south as Capitola and as far north as Petaluma.

Back home in South Florida, things have been quiet. No events are planned, but with summer on the horizon, we are ready for a new adventure. Contact the project for more details.

Perhaps the only bright spot of Florida's 2007 legislative session was the divestment of $1 billion from the Sudan and Iran. Still, there is much progress to be made.

Facts to chew on:
-Google Earth provides visuals of villages that have been attacked that
make the situation more "real"
-This is the first time a sitting president has called a mass killing a
genocide
-There is better evidence than ever that the Sudan and the US have an
intelligence-sharing program, despite the Sudan's role in keeping
Al-Qaeda alive
-We can make a difference quickly with appropriate intervention

On the radio: Don Cheadle and John Prendergast On Their "Mission To End Genocide In Darfur And Beyond"

So it goes

2007-04-30T18:41:00.000-05:00

Kurt Vonnegut says:

Hello, babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. At the outside, babies, you've got about a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies -- 'God damn it, you've got to be kind.'

In the meantime, we have sent in the last of the money to the Coalition. No new sales in well over a month. A full count of the money will be made available to anyone who wants to hear a sad story. Please help any way you can. It was never about the book, but I hope my readers will agree that the book will help put things in perspective for those with no background on the issue or for those who "get" Robert Hunter best.

I have the "tape" of Congressman Ron Klein speaking back in January, but it is low quality and needs work that I cannot give it. Any volunteers?

What good is spilling blood?

2007-03-16T20:40:00.000-05:00

March has blown me by. It seems time stands still when there isn't a show to look forward to. In any case, the people of Darfur have no shows to look forward to: international aid camps continue to fall apart under pressure and the world community remains paralyzed. The innocent people of Darfur need our help. I encourage you to write your local newspaper editor to thank him or her for the extensive front page coverage Darfur has been receiving, even if the coverage is on page 20 and is full of factual errors. Perhaps he will catch on if enough write in.

Back in 2001, the Sudan seemed to be a top priority for action, as General Wesley Clark told Amy Goodman:

He picked up a piece of paper. And he said, “I just got this down from upstairs” -- meaning the Secretary of Defense’s office -- “today.” And he said, “This is a memo that describes how we’re going to take out seven countries in five years, starting with Iraq, and then Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and, finishing off, Iran.” I said, “Is it classified?” He said, “Yes, sir.” I said, “Well, don’t show it to me.” And I saw him a year or so ago, and I said, “You remember that?” He said, “Sir, I didn’t show you that memo! I didn’t show it to you!”

Read the full interview

This week's court ruling on the Sudan's responsibility for the USS Cole bombing raises the possibility of war in the Sudan, at least according to my understanding of President Bush's foreign policy. It's an unfortunate state of affairs when a few American lives weigh more than that of hundreds of thousands of Africans (whether we are talking about the AIDS epidemic or genocide is irrelevant in this respect). Life is life to be protected, regardless of citizenship. For reasons I lay out in "Why Be Kind?", protecting human rights should be the sole purpose of government. That said, I still believe violent intervention is not the answer.

The two kinds of wars are wars of expansion/imperialism (to include surrogate wars such as the US/Soviet conflicts in Viet Nam, Afghanistan and Korea) and wars of extermination. The current situation Darfur fits into the latter category, but it was in part caused by Western expansion and interference in times of overt imperialism (rather than present puppet government structures). Africa is our mess to clean up, and we cannot work under the assumption that the cause and the solution (war) can be the same. Submit your ideas for non-violent solutions in Darfur below.

The Darfuri rebels as bad as Janjaweed and Khartoum, but most are still innocents in need of protection. In the Sudanese civil wars of the 20th century, the people of Darfur were rebels; the present situation is likely to be retribution for the rebellion. Is it possible the hate needed to carry out the extermination of a people springs from nowhere? It seems more possible that Khartoum teaches this hate through dehumanization much as Hutus or Nazis taught dehumanization. It follows that compassion is the opposite of hate. Try it out.

Kap'n Ken shared some words on compassion on his Web space this month:

The old sixties coin may be a bit tarnished and the Sex Drugs and Rock and Drool side rubbed down to where the lettering is all worn out, but the other side of Love Peace and Happiness still shines brightly, the lettering full ridged and fruitful.

Love peace and happiness; extended in practicality to the simple act of helping one another out, being kind and generous.

Practice this. Enjoy life. As Cassady said, "No one was ever happy, angry."
We were riding a wave in 64; riding it with our particularly unique surfboard bus; many others were riding the wave and, as Kesey says, "The sixties ain't over till the fat lady gets high."

Phil Lesh, too, is out to make the world better. He sees that music is important to this understanding:

It’s one of those things that, when it’s happening, it can’t be anything but fun. And it’s the most fun that you can have as a musician, because you’re making up polyphonic music on the spot. It’s not just one voice that’s being improvised, it’s everything. The whole musical texture, the whole thrust of it, the whole direction of it, how fast it moves, what kind of twists and turns it goes through, which directions it’s going in. Those are all things that are happening as a kind of consensus.

In a way, that’s a metaphor for a way that together, we can make the world better.

As always, I enjoy reading your feedback.

End of the Month Buzz

2007-02-27T20:43:00.000-05:00

No worries: we are still here and up to (no?) good. I have been delaying a Web update waiting for the proper moment to copy and clean up the recording of Ron Klein speaking in January. I was pleased to see him follow up on his November promise to do something about the genocide by showing up at the rally-- not many representatives would spend a weekend as he did. Please show him you are grateful for his appearance, but remind him that words cannot stop the awful mess. More photos of the January even are available online at Jacob's Ladder.

February was unkind to Save Darfur's efforts. A drive for $200,000 fell some $100,000 short. The US Special Envoy to Sudan denied that the ongoing crisis merited the use of the term genocide.

Last week, David Gans received his copy of the book, and his blog write up gained ten new sales, bringing the total number of online sales to a meager 12 copies. Please contact me if you know of a way to publicize the book more effectively.

Unexpectedly, live sales of the book have been much better than online sales. The cash raised has not been unimpressive either. I will post figures soon.

Babbs says: "I got the book you did today and it is great." There you go. The Kap'n said so hisself. I thoroughly enjoyed his new chapbook "Lost a Bird, Gained a Bird." Support kind people and grab it. You won't be disappointed.

I have accepted a check made out to "Save Darfur Coalition". When you donate with such checks, you add the hassle of mailing them in. Instead, please visit SaveDarfur.org and click on the DONATE link or send checks by mail to:

Save Darfur Coalition
3246 Solutions Center
Lockbox #773246
Chicago, IL 60677

January Community Event

2007-02-05T21:39:00.000-05:00

Matt of The Grateful Dead Family Discography has given our project the title "featured new publication" on his homepage. Read his description here.

Grateful Dead News offers a rundown of the book with quotes pulled from various Web sources.

This Friday, Phil Lesh will perform at Slim's in San Francisco to benefit Darfur (specifically Doctors Without Borders). Phil has been well-known, especially in recent years for his work for various charitable causes, and he has excellent taste in music (of course).

The event last Sunday was full of surprises, among them a visit from Congressman Ron Klein and actual real-life newspaper reporters from three local papers (no reports have been yet been spotted). I regret being unable to meet the only Deadhead spotted by our crew, but future events are in the works for local coffee shops and other kind places.

David Dodd

2007-01-19T23:00:00.000-05:00

Thanks to David Dodd for mentioning us in his blog.

Free Community Rally

2007-01-18T22:12:00.000-05:00

Deadheads for Darfur will be in Boca Raton, FL on Sunday, January 28, 2007. We will have the first paperback copies of the book on sale. Because we placed a large order, our manufacturing costs were lower. Buying at the rally is cheapest for you, and even more money goes to Save Darfur! You can find more information here. We will share a table with Coral Springs for Peace (look for the paper dolls).

Kapn Ken Babbs, who contributed both a poem and the title for the book, was kind enough to link to us. Thanks, Kapn! If you like his work, I suggest "Metaphase Typewriter," which can be found in Spit In The Ocean #3.

A hardcover copy of the book is now available. This should be especially useful for libraries.

Easiest Best Thing Is Be Kind Published

2007-01-14T21:38:00.000-05:00

After several months of work, the book is finally available for purchase by the general public. Please visit our storefront for more information. If you see your name on the front cover, please contact me for your free copy.

This book is a study in the causes of genocide and the importance of compassion with help from many of the important figures from the Grateful Dead family.

100% of the royalties will be paid to:
Save Darfur Coalition
Post Office Box 18176
Washington, D.C. 20036

Alternately, you may donate directly to Save Darfur.

Thank you for your support!

Why Be Kind?

2007-01-12T23:57:00.000-05:00

The article "Why Be Kind?" is now available as an HTML file.

Publication Approacheth

2007-01-09T21:45:00.000-05:00

Tonight, I am putting the finishing touches on the book. Barring any last minute requests for changes from the authors, it will print as-is tomorrow. Those copies will be available locally (South Florida). Online ordering will begin sometime in the next week or two.

New Authors

2007-01-02T21:06:00.000-05:00

David Gans has contributed "Light that is one."

John Perry Barlow has allowed me to use "Dad's Invisible Guard-All Shield."

John W. Scott has contributed his new poem "Answers," and plans to offer suggestions and help for the layout of the book.

Candace Cunard contributed her poem "Scream."

Michelle Faerman's poem is called "dismal as she may be", and her prose (untitled) has been given the title "Dying Slow."

State of the project

2007-01-01T12:51:00.000-05:00

I am pleased to say that after a month of work, we have managed to put together a number of solid works by some of our favorite writers. You can still participate by sending me your poetry, prose, or original artwork by the end of the day.

The plan is to go to print about this time next week. The immediate availabilty of the book is questionable due to financial complications. 100% of the profits cannot go to Save Darfur if the money goes through me first (you know, those "taxes" and whatnot). We are working to correct this. The initial printing of 50 copies will be made available to South Florida residents on 28 January. We are also looking into distribution through Amazon.com and Borders books.

Our current writers, and what they contributed:

M. Luke Myers: Introduction
Ken Babbs: I Shook
David Dodd: Turn the words: Disprove a Maxim
Robert Hunter: Great Bell of the Atlantic
Steve Silberman: Original Face

Michelle Faerman: Untitled Poem, Untitled Prose
Grisha Krivchenia: Must We Ignore Darfur?, Beneath Ashes
Michael Svensson: How Dare I?
Jordon Kalilich: “I Am a Murderer”

We are in contact with David Gans, but his piece is still incomplete.