2007 Points of Light
New America Media, Commentary, Sandip Roy, Peter Micek and Mark Schurmann, Posted: Jan 06, 2008
Editor’s Note: In some strange and sometimes hopeful signs from the last year, Nepal goes queer friendly; a Native American nation declares sovereignty; and wolves make a remarkable comeback from the endangered species list.
Return of the Wolf
Mark Schurmann
Watch out, Little Red Riding Hood. Once again, the howl of wolves can be heard in Yellowstone National Park.
Hunted to the brink of extinction by the 1970s, wolves have made a remarkable comeback – so much so that that in 2008, they will be taken off the national endangered species list.
It’s a cause for celebration. Though chimpanzees are genetically closer to us, and dolphins intellectually so, no animal seems to echo the human condition the way wolves do. Like us, wolves are pack animals (even more like us, they are sometimes solitary). Devoted partners, wolves mate for life: family values-minded Republicans take note.
Yet their survival is not only a testament to their cohesion and tenacity but to the efforts of that equally maligned though sometimes equally revered animal—the environmentalist.
Inspired by the works of Emerson and Thoreau, and working in the spirit of the Native American conviction to think seven generations ahead when making decisions, environmentalists have been as dogged in the pursuit of their beliefs as Christian evangelicals. The survival and success of wolves in the lower 48 may be the most concrete result of their efforts so far.
In fact, as the wolf population continues to rise, so too do the number of Americans that consider themselves environmentalists (this once cynical author among them). Polls taken in 2007 show that the environment continues to be a top concern among American voters. Given that, perhaps there’s hope for the polar bear, and the blue whale, and in contrast to a very grim and bloody 2007, hope for us humans in 2008 as well.
Nepal Goes Queer Friendly
Sandip Roy
From assassinations to broken ceasefires, South Asia has seen its share of flashpoints in 2007. But if there was one point of light, it has come from an unexpected source - Nepal.
Not so long ago, Nepal threatened to implode - an unpopular monarch, resurgent Maoists, protesters on the street. But on Nov. 21, 2007, the Nepalese Supreme Court ordered the government to end discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersexed people and amend all laws that discriminate against them. It even appointed a seven-member committee to study international practice on same-sex marriage. In one stroke, the Supreme Court did something remarkable - it recognized its LGBTI citizens as "natural persons." This in a country where not that long ago, gay activists were arrested for carrying condoms.
The Blue Diamond Society, Nepal's only group working on the rights of LGBTI people, brought the case to the Supreme Court. While political turmoil was threatening the very existence of Nepal, fighting for gay rights seemed like a pipe dream. Neither the monarchists nor the Maoists had much patience for the gays. The Maoists had attacked them, threatening homeowners who rented to gay tenants.
But the Blue Diamond Society plugged away, meeting with civil society groups, joining the democracy movement protests against the king and recognizing that the upheaval in the country and the drafting of a new constitution was an opportunity.
Change is afoot in the Himalayan kingdom, soon to become an ex-kingdom: The country's seven political parties have agreed to abolish the monarchy. The Maoists have rejoined the government in Nepal after a decade-long armed revolt that killed 13,000 Nepalese. Elections are scheduled for April 2008.
Not all is hunky dory. Nepal's fractious political parties haven't been able to provide good governance. But the gay activists showed something remarkable: you can realize your dreams by holding fast to your principles on fairness for all. (Remember, the U.S. Congress this year jettisoned the transgender in the hopes of passing an LGBT anti-discrimination bill.)
"Nepal will now provide an example to other nations," said Sunil Pant, the founder of the Blue Diamond Society. Is Washington listening?
Native American Tribe Declares Sovereignty
(Attention Undocumented Immigrants)
Peter Micek
Members of the Lakota Sioux Indian nation declared independence recently, renouncing all treaties with the United States. A delegation visited the State Department in Washington, D.C., to hand-deliver the news of their withdrawal on Dec. 17.
"We have 33 treaties with the United States that they have not lived by. They continue to take our land, our water, our children," said Phyllis Young, as reported in USA Today. Young helped organize the first international conference on indigenous rights in Geneva in 1977. In Sept. 2007, the United Nations passed a declaration on the human rights of the indigenous.
The new Republic of Lakota has even invited residents in the nearby states of Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming to renounce their U.S. citizenship and become members of the nation. Lakota will issue its own passports and driver licenses, and its residents would live tax-free.
Is this a bid for immigrant labor -- or a conspiracy to rid the United States of its undocumented?
Maybe this is an attempt to attract undocumented immigrants rejected from the United States. The delegation of Lakota got support from the Bolivian ambassador in Washington, D.C., and the Venezuelan government, according to a statement. (Is Mexico a silent partner?)
To be sure, there are problems the Lakota need to address.
The Lakota reservations are among the most impoverished areas in North America, according to the activists. Nearly all Lakota people live below the poverty line and unemployment hovers near 85 percent.
But why now, just when workers are being scared out of their jobs nationwide by U.S. Department of Homeland Security thugs?
To take this one giant leap further, is this a grand plan by high-level U.S. government representatives to trick the undocumented into joining the Lakota and moving there voluntarily? Could the Lakota have caved, cut a deal with the colonizers to welcome the "illegals" in a last-ditch effort to preserve their culture?
Stay tuned, kemosabe.
Other Points of Light:
Amidst World Oil Crisis, Brazil Declares Energy Independence
Mexico City Legalizes Abortion and Gay Marriage
Related Articles:
Ain’t No Mountain High Enough to Stop Gay Pride in Nepal
Tribe Debates Benefits of Fed Recognition
Cherokee Nation Ousts Blacks
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