“Today, economic power has been captured by a small minority. But it has acquired this power only by accumulating the productive power of others. Their capital is simply the accumulated labour of a millions of working people, in a monetized form. It is this productive power that is the real capital, and it is this power that latently resides in every worker …” — Samabayaniti/The Co-operative Principles, 1928.
Duke Augustus: I like to remember that the 4th of July is a celebration of Independence, not of war. It is the celebration of activists coming together to speak out against human rights violations and crying “Enough! We will not take any more.” IN that vein, one of our greatest Americans,Frederick Douglass spoke on July 5, 1852:
What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?
Mr. President, Friends and Fellow Citizens: He who could address this audience without a quailing sensation, has stronger nerves than I have. I do not remember ever to have appeared as a speaker before any assembly more shrinkingly, nor with greater distrust of my ability, than I do this day. A feeling has crept over me, quite unfavorable to the exercise of my limited powers of speech. The task before me is one which requires much previous thought and study for its proper performance. I know that apologies of this sort are generally considered flat and unmeaning. I trust, however, that mine will not be so considered. Should I seem at ease, my appearance would much misrepresent me. The little experience I have had in addressing public meetings, in country schoolhouses, avails me nothing on the present occasion.
The papers and placards say, that I am to deliver a 4th [of] July oration. This certainly sounds large, and out of the common way, for it is true that I have often had the privilege to speak in this beautiful Hall, and to address many who now honor me with their presence. But neither their familiar faces, nor the perfect gage I think I have of Corinthian Hall, seems to free me from embarrassment.
The fact is, ladies and gentlemen, the distance between this platform and the slave plantation, from which I escaped, is considerable—and the difficulties to be overcome in getting from the latter to the former, are by no means slight. That I am here to-day is, to me, a matter of astonishment as well as of gratitude. You will not, therefore, be surprised, if in what I have to say. I evince no elaborate preparation, nor grace my speech with any high sounding exordium. With little experience and with less learning, I have been able to throw my thoughts hastily and imperfectly together; and trusting to your patient and generous indulgence, I will proceed to lay them before you. Continue reading Frederick Douglass speaks on the 4th of July→
Duchess Susanna writes: Did you see the rude headlines? What a waste of time. “Pippa wears see-through dress to Wimbledon”. Hope you did not get fooled. It was a black, crochet dress, that looked like something my Grandmother might have knit and/or worn.
I have been contemplating why everyone cares so much about what Pippa Middleton and Duchess Catherine wear. I guess it can be fun and sociable to dress like other women. Though, don’t we all have other women in our lives to emulate?
Fashion is such an important part of our selves and our cultural identity. I am more excited about fashion choices that can protect the earth, create justice, and celebrate peace and nonviolence. Instead of $1,300 leather purses, like the fancy one Duchess Catherine has been wearing, I prefer bags made from cloth or straw. (And, straw is “in” this season, too.)
The Duke and Duchess of Peace have not encountered any protests against them thus far.
Though, for Prince William and Duchess Catherine, there have been some protests criticizing the monarchy in general, Queen Elizabeth, and the cost of their tour.
from our royal tour in the land of Lilliput with William “Billy” Connolly, Jr., CBE. Sadly, the Duke and Duchess found themselves surrounded by much talk of wars and killing, much like Prince Williams talk of all the successful wars Canada and Britain partnered on. The Duke and Duchess were pleased that all the war talk ended on a sane musical note:
The Duke then took a walkabout (literally) down to the a local library to return the DVD
Today’s Royal Tour 4 Peace event was a sing-a-long. You can sing along, too…
Today, July 1, 2011, Prince William and Duchess Catherine attended a Canadian citizenship ceremony.
Some of the media coverage noted that new citizens to Canada pledge themselves as subjects to the Queen of England. The Duke and Duchess of Peace find that pledge to be problematic and undemocratic. The Duke and Duchess believe it is problematic enough for people to pledge alliance to a flag, as in America, especially knowing that to some people, the pledge means going to war at the command of the US government. But, it seems even worse, and somewhat humiliating, to be required to pledge allegiance to one person, an unelected leader.
So, for their Royal Tour 4 Peace, Duke Augustus and Duchess Susanna stayed home, and commemorated the days events by singing the song “Because All Men Are Brothers“. The song is about the dignity of all people, and speaks of defeating tyrants. The Duke and Duchess thought it was a good reflection on what it means to have people still subjected to royalty in the 21st century. Continue reading Royal Tour: The Duke and Duchess sing a hymn against tyranny→
Duchess Susanna and Duke Augustus at The Peace Pole in Lindenhurst
The Duke and Duchess have started their tour. While Prince William and Duchess Catherine chose to appear at The National War War Memorial, Duke Augustus and Duchess Susanna visited The Peace Pole in Lindenhurst.
Duchess Susanna was curious about the place the other royal couple was visiting, so, she did some research at Wikipedia. The National War Memorial in Canada was originally built to commemorate the First World War, though it was rededicated to include the Second World War and the Korean War. How sad to have a monument to war. It also seems ironic that part of the statue includes an allegory for peace and an allegory for freedom.
The Duke and Duchess of Peace do not believe that war is the path to peace, nor freedom. We wish that politicians and artists would offer more clear solutions to true peace, rather than to focus on past wars. Perhaps it is time to focus on peace. Continue reading The Duke and Duchess: First appearance on tour→
Duke Augustus: My attention was caught by an opinion piece in The Hindu titled Tagore and the idea of Cooperation which started with a quote from Nobel-Prize-winning Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore:
The Duke and Duchess of Peace have not encountered any protests against them thus far.
