Historian, author, editor, educator Remy Benoit's ongoing weblog for Veterans, writers, students, others who believe in learning from and making history. Thousands of articles and posts and a free writing seminar, Using History for Healing and Writing.
—"The best works by living writers on the heart of New Orleans." Miz' Remy is the author of Annie.
10 most recent articles out of 5,207.
12 Simple Steps for Gong Green in 2012 | Our Constitution Itself Holds the Cure to Stop the Buying of Elections! | Wayne Drash: Poor, but feeding the rich | Cities and States Take on Citizens United to Say Democracy is NOT for Sale | Who does the US belong to? The People or Big Oil? | Have you asked yourself why... | Tanuka Loha: American Paradox | Alan Cohen: What you make of it. | Norman Lear: Fighting the Good Fight | Monte L. Witcher: Cleared Hot: A Story of the Battle of Observation Post 4.
by Remy Benoit
From World Watch Institute at Mother Earth News 12 Simple Steps for Going Green.
We are being buried in empty campaign rhetoric, divisive, delusional, and destructive. The simple fact is 1% has too much, wants more, and wants you to believe by letting them not pay their fair share they are helping you. Well, here there are buds on the rose bushes, on the Dawn Redwoods; the robins are back and we can take all the campaign rhetoric and throw it on the compost to enrich it with its dirge of "me first, you be quiet."
I am just out of the ICU and hospital. If I wasn't paying outrageous sumss for insurance, I would be dead. Just that simple. NO ONE SHOULD BE WITHOUT MEDICAL CARE. NO ONE SHOULD BE HUNGRY. NO ONE SHOULD BE HOMELESS WHILE OTHERS HAVE NUMBEROUS HOMES. That is not the American dream; living on the street, going hungry, not having medical care, being unable to find a job, NOT BEING ABLE TO CARE FOR YOUR CHILDREN: THOSE THINGS ARE NOT THE AMERICAN DREAM.
Platitudes, double speak, empty promises, are not helpful. The suits the prospective candidates are wearing could feed a family for a month in comparable cost.
We do not need a man older than me whose record is already unacceptable. We need new paradigms; we need to grow food in our fields, in our kitchens, on our patios and share it. We need to stand up and help each other with car repairs, health care, whatever it takes for us to make it.
We have to look around and ask what we have that we don't use that someone else can and give it to them.
We need to make these prospective candidates know that empty words, empty promises equal empty stomachs. Just that simple.
Thursday, January 26 2012 | Permanent link | Comment | Print
by Remy Benoit
James Marc Leas at Truthout Constitutional Amendment Not Needed; Congress Already Has a Remedy.
If you are tired of billions of dollars making their votes more important than yours, tell your Congressman to read the Constitution and stand up for democracy. There is something more important than power and dollars, and that is freedom. Every day your rights are being infringed upon; every day your vote counts less, unless you say NO MORE!
Tuesday, January 17 2012 | Permanent link | Comment | Print
by Remy Benoit
From Wayne Drash, CNN, at RSN Poor, but feeding the rich.
Each time I go to the market the prices have gone up. We don't buy any prepared foods, make our own bread, and I just picked 5 oranges from my greenhouse where I am growing food. There is something so sadly and dangerously missing in our country and that is soul and heart and compassion on the part of the 1%. Can they not see that there is only so much that one needs, that others must eat, have a roof over their heads?
What are our soldiers coming home to? No jobs, foreclosed homes, post-traumatic stress to make re-adjustment just so much more difficult. Where are those who sent these men and women to war when it comes to them coming home and needing help?
Where are those who own these mega corporations to which they have managed to apply personhood when they fail to recognize that there are real hurting, breathing people around them that their greed has destroyed the lives of?
I am already tired of the campaigning, the outpour of platitudes, double speak, and endless requests for donations when the rest of us struggle to pay medical bills, the electric, the mortgage, the food. They want us to donate to the wealth they already have; to work they are not doing for us; to compassion that they don't have.
What is spent by Citizens United to buy elections would be better spent to create jobs and feed people.
These people are not giants, not heroes, they are insatiable power and wealth addicts.
Sonewhere we must in this coming year show the 1% that power with is life; power over is destruction, and destroyers do come to the day when the price for the destruction must be paid.
Call it 'what goes around, comes around'; call it karma; call it weighing the heart against a feather as the old Egyptian way, the bill must
be paid. The bill will be oh so high. We are all one; we are responsible for each other as part of the whole; we can no longer permit rampant cells in the One to devour us. We don't need politicos, tried and true only to their own power and wealth, not ours, proven to be so many, many times over. To rid the One of these rampant cells we must set the example, live the compassionate life, help one another with love, with peace, with communication-real communication, not election blather that goes nowhere, says nothing, accomplishs nothing but division and pain.
We don't need or want that pipeline; we do need our Gulf, our levees, our roads, our dams, our bridges rebuilt.
We don't need endless war. We need real statesmen who don't us the "fists" of guns and drones and bombs, but responsible, construction action. We need them to understand that war is a failure of diplomacy, a horrid, insane thing that eats lives, eats dreams, eats hopes, eats possible accomplishments that will never be, and eats the earth herself.
We need to grow beyond where we are quagmired in endless words that say and do nothing from our leaders.
And one other thing. Why ask people what $40 today means to them; what food it puts on the table, what shoes it buys, what tiny bit of a medical bill it pays, and then send out a mailing asking for donations STARTING at $50? The gap there in reality, in compassion, is so blatant.
Wednesday, January 11 2012 | Permanent link | Comment | Print
by Remy Benoit
From Brooke Jarvis, YES! at RSN Sticking It To Citizens United.
From the Louisville Triple Crown.com by Kim Jong Paul Rep. Yarmuth proposes Constitutional Amendment to Combat Citizens United Decision.
MONEY TO INFLUENCE ELECTIONS ON A COLOSSAL SCALE IS NOT FREE SPEECH, IT IS ABUSE OF THE DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM. AS CORPORATIONS DO NOT BREATHE, EAT, LAUGH, CRY, MAKE LOVE, GET SICK, DIE THEY ARE NOT PEOPLE. ENOUGH DOUBLE SPEAK. PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE, JUST THAT SIMPLE. ONE PERSON, ONE VOTE, NOT MILLIONS TO BUY VOTES.
Tuesday, January 10 2012 | Permanent link | Comment | Print
by Remy Benoit
From the Guardian at RSN XL Pipeline Oil Chief Threatens Obama.
Does the environment mean nothing to these people?
Guess we know the answer to that.
Saturday, January 7 2012 | Permanent link | Comment | Print
by Remy Benoit
there are 35 million homeless Americans?
Have you asked yourself who is REALLY responsible for that?
Have you asked yourself who of the above are running for office?
If you haven't, it is time you did.
Wednesday, January 4 2012 | Permanent link | Comment | Print
by Remy Benoit
Human Rights Now at RSN American Paradox: 18.5 million vacant homes and 35 million homeless.
Monday, January 2 2012 | Permanent link | Comment | Print
by Remy Benoit
It is 2012 and I am still not used to the 2000 numbering, a child of the last century who came of age in the tumultous 60's. There was a dream, a vision there that today seems more challenged than ever; but a dream, an idea, a word that is placed into the air does come to term.
We face great challenges: war, famine, climate change, water shortages, robber barons, unemployment, Constitutional integrity. What the outcome of these things and all other is, well, is, as always, up to us to choose.
From Alan Cohen at Innerself.com What you make of it.
Blessings for peace, abundance, health, and joy.
Miz' Remy
Sunday, January 1 2012 | Permanent link | Comment | Print
by Remy Benoit
At RSN Fighting the Good Fight.
It is New Year's Eve. Tomorrow we wake with a clean slate for the way of life we make. We can choose to continue be exploited by an insatiable few, or we can build a sense of local, national, or international community. As one dear friend of mine, Former Sgt. Christopher Gaynor tells me: Act locally, think globally.
Saturday, December 31 2011 | Permanent link | Comment | Print
by Remy Benoit
Dear Ms. Benoit,
It is with great pleasure and honor, that I present to you the book " Cleared Hot" a story of the battle of Observation Post 4. This epic story of the brave Marines of Delta Co. 3rd. light armored infantry is a story about a true incident that occurred during the first gulf war. On January 29, 1991, Delta Company was surprise attacked by an over whelming superior in numbers force of Iraqi main battle tanks, reinforced with infantry. Twenty one LAV 25's supported by 8 LAV tow variants engaged this tank force, head on outnumbered Delta Co. went toe to toe at point blank range to repulse the attack into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. At stake as well was a trapped platoon of reconnaissance Marines which had been over run at the "Berm entry Gates" of Observation Post 4.
Heroic action by Marines and the commanders on the ground at OP-4 won the day, after an all night fire fight, and air attack, Delta Company was eventually able to save all the trapped platoon of Marines on the berm, but not without the loss of 11 US Marines from Delta Company. The morning of January 30, 1991, reveled the intensity of the most incredible exchange of fire between the 2 forces. I was a driver on one of the LAV 25's that night, my vehicle gunner expired all rounds but save 10 from the gun magazine from our 25 mm chain gun. It was an unbelievable battle, of which I was able to record on tape while fighting this battle. Readers will be privy to this tape through my web site Cleared Hot.. They will receive login and passwords to the battle audio in their book.
I wrote this book as to let this story be told, and not to simply slip away in time. The events,and the Marines, as well as the huge loss of men on the Iraqi's side, should be remembered in the annals of history. I have been moved by the memory of this day, and following morning to find the discipline to write about it. Now it is here for all to study and reflect.
On February 24, 1991, 1 month later the ground invasion would take place. My company, drew the nickname "Tip of the Spear" I was there in the lead element of the 100 hour blitz into downtown Kuwait. I am writing my second book entitled "WolfPack, Invaders of Kuwait" about this invasion. I also made a descriptive tape of the entire invasion, this to will be included with my next book.
This is real history Ms. Benoit, at a bulls eye level. I'm proud to share my story with you. I am grateful for your help more than words can express. This is a tale of remembrance of the brave US Marines that were my brothers, we lost.
Thank you,
Monte L. Witcher
Saturday, December 31 2011 | Permanent link | Comment | Print
Continue to Archive
Both Sides of the Wall: Reflections of the West Point Class of 1968 (Edited by Remy Benoit).
Read Jerry Wenstrom's review of Loving.
Rhea and Jordan Devereaux had it all: undying devotion, a tender love, and a grand passion. And then the Vietnam War separated them. Follow the course of their love across time and space. Journey with them through the steaming jungle; dance with the Mardi Gras revelers while revolution unseats Louis XVI and protestors on the Washington Mall scream, Hell, NO. We won't Go. Sail with Laffite's pirates into Devil's Isle and rejoice as an unconditional and timeless love emerges victorious.
Purchase a signed first edition of Loving for $20 including S&H:
