Vegan in Bellingham

  I have been so moved by the many Palestinians in Gaza who are supporting their community while also experiencing the same hardship and dangerous conditions as those around them. There are a number of individuals and groups who are doing amazing work, embodying compassion and love in all of their actions. I hope to write about more of them in the coming days. And to start things off tonight, I want to share with you some information about one particular group whose members are doing all they can to take care of both the animals and the people while they are all suffering from the unrelenting violence of this genocide.  They are called the “ Cruelty-Free Kitchen ,” and they were founded by five wonderful people: Walid, Amjad, Abood, Mahmoud, and Mo. From their fundraiser page:  “With support from our donations, the kitchen has successfully distributed thousands of meals, ensuring that hundreds upon hundreds of people—mostly children—are able to leave with food in the...

Those who are being starved, whose rights to freedom and safety have been stolen, who are under the constant threat of violent attacks, should not also have to fundraise for their very survival.  And we who are not experiencing this, we who reside in relative safety, especially those of us in the countries responsible for sending the weapons and the bombs that fuel this genocide, bear the responsibility to do all we can every day to support the people who are trying to survive. While also doing all we can in every moment to end this violence.   This is the most urgent thing. There are also other important things that we can be doing along side this. But this is the most urgent thing. Because conditions are dire. They surpassed being in a crisis state of emergency long, long ago.  Today I went to a meeting in my community, to try and connect with others who are trying to find more ways to end the genocide, to support Palestine and justice for Palestine. I was heartened to ...

On Christmas day, a student named Mahdi  posted on Twitter:  "The harsh truth is that you are all living your lives while no one truly sees us." He pointed out how we are in our homes with our families, sleeping at night, going to work the next day, letting our lives continue on normally. " But for us, there is no life. No one notices as we starve, we die, we burn, and are torn apart. To them it makes no difference." I said that I understood why he felt this way. But I also told him that "many of us exist in two worlds, unable to be fully present in our lives, overwhelmed by emotion and grief and pain at not being able to stop this." I told him we carry this with us everywhere, in all that we do. I told him he mattered to us, always. And others echoed what I was trying to express.    This morning I attended an online event hosted by a Doctors Against Genocide , a global coalition of healthcare workers  who are "dedicating to succeeding where governmen...