Bettejo Dux, a resident of Kauai for over forty years, is an award winning writer, columnist, novelist, peace and environmental activist who knows, and loves Kauai with a passion that shows up in her work Check out the recent YouTube video of Bettejo's 84th Birthday bash and booksigning party at Birdies in Kalaheo; http://youtu.be/5iVelkZ_0eo |
Bettejo signs her novella for a fan at Birdies in Kalaheo... |
Hi, it's me Bettejo, with my weekly column right here at Kimo's blog and Ho'iki Community Television's Art and Entertainment site. If you know how to get here, please come in-let's be friends-and tell your friends, family and neighbors, how to come in, too.
Let's get lively. Let's get acquainted. Let's get known out there.
The company here-Jay, Julia and Kainoa-is delightful, The set is simple and perfect, great lighting-no close ups, Mr. DeMille. I will attempt to be entertaining. And Sassy. As long as I'm not profane or call names-which going's on are not my stele-I can say what I want. No more censorship, no more editors, no more mysterious black outs or displacements. I will try to have new current, controversial, conversations with you. Hope to include you in any of the issues or subjects I discuss. Be my guest.
Today I sit with two of my favorite writers, me-CHILDREN OF THE EXTINCTION-and Chris Hedges-DEATH OF THE LIBERAL CLASS. Remember writers not only write, they speak and read. I'll admit most of my friends are on bookshelves and I have a lot of them.
Chris-a respected journalist who tired of media suppression-said, and I quote:
"Governments are owned by corporations, run by psychopaths lying about an imaginary economy based on debt, fueled by illegal wars, destroying ecosystems, poisoning food and water, decreasing education, increasing prisons, manipulating the media, foreclosing homes, suppressing energy technology, making s struggle, starving, humiliating, and killing the world.
That's a mouthful, but does it sound truthful? Do we not experience-daily-this madness, right here on Kauai? Are these statements-perchance-part of the 'orthodoxy' we do not dare-or cannot, or are forbidden to express?
Let's think about property taxes. A hot topic. And let's think about the future.
Do you think there are those who see the future as a place where only the top 10% can afford to own property and homes and pay the taxes? They who live in gated ghettos for the rich or on small, useless but beautiful, gentlemen farms?
Where enormous corporations own vast acres of dollar crops spraying pesticide and herbal toxins in the air, which also foul the water in the oceans, the streams, rivers, and aquifers. Crops not to be eaten on Kauai by those of us who live here, but grown for profit. People be bleeped.
Where a large military, police and political force is present to control those of us who protest this destructive abuse and misuse. They will be assured roofs over their heads, water in their tubs and swimming pools, and power in their dwellings.
What's left of us, if lucky, will live in overcrowded-rigidly controlled-lower income ghettos and make beds, cook food, clean, moot clerk, dig ditches, mow lawns, and serve they who have the bucks to afford us. Classic third world structure envisioned for Kauai.
What think you? Care to talk about it?
Go to www.hoike.org scroll down and on the right of your screen click on Arts and Entertainment-
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