Author Archives: Jeff Kisling

Forgiveness

Posted on April 25, 2021 by Jeff Kisling

This morning’s prayers led me to reflections about forgiveness. This might be because we will be talking about Indigenous boarding schools at my Quaker meeting this morning. There were many terrible things about kidnapping native children and taking them far … Continue reading →

Posted in #NDAPL, Dakota Access pipeline, Des Moines Mutual Aid, First Nation-Farmer Climate Unity March, Quaker, race, Uncategorized, white supremacy | Leave a comment

The XR activists who took on oil giant Shell – and won

Posted on April 24, 2021 by Jeff Kisling

Below this story of yesterday’s victory of Extinction Rebellions (XR) activists is story of my friends from Bold Iowa who also argued the necessity defense in 2019. Six Extinction Rebellion activists have been acquitted in a landmark verdict at Southwark … Continue reading →

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Multisystem Failure

Posted on April 23, 2021 by Jeff Kisling

By far the largest system failing is our environment. The Biden administration announced the goal of greenhouse gas reduction of 50% from 2005 levels by 2030. It is an outrage that legislative proposals consistently fail to even begin to address … Continue reading →

Posted in capitalism, Des Moines Mutual Aid, Mutual Aid, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Religious Socialism

Posted on April 22, 2021 by Jeff Kisling

My friend Fran Quigley is director of the Health and Human Rights Clinic at Indiana University McKinney School of Law and has been teaching me about Religious Socialism. This began when he contacted me about writing I have been doing … Continue reading →

Posted in abolition, capitalism, Democratic Socialists of America, Religious socialism, socialism, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Time Stood Still

Posted on April 21, 2021 by Jeff Kisling

Yesterday time stood still. Images of crowds of people staring at their phones all over the country. Those inside focused on television, cell phone, tablet or computer screens. A collective silence. It’s almost too ironic to say a collective holding … Continue reading →

Posted in abolition, Black Lives, Des Moines Black Lives Matter, Friends Committee on National Legislation, Great Plains Action Society, prison, race, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

I hope you choose that path, no matter how hard it is

Posted on April 20, 2021 by Jeff Kisling

As a White person, it grieves me deeply to watch so many of us (White people) continue to try to hide behind our privilege. As I was thinking I would not have to enumerate the following atrocities, I realized there … Continue reading →

Posted in abolition, Black Lives, Des Moines Black Lives Matter, Des Moines Mutual Aid, police, prison, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Bail Bonds

Posted on April 19, 2021 by Jeff Kisling

I’ve recently written about the Des Moines Mutual Aid Bail Fund. Concentration camps versus abolition A Quaker friend reminded me that some early Friends (Quakerism began in the mid 1600’s) refused to be released from prison by posting bail. For … Continue reading →

Posted in abolition, Black Lives, Des Moines Black Lives Matter, Des Moines Mutual Aid, police, prison, Quaker, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Hassan Ramazani Kooshan

Posted on April 18, 2021 by Jeff Kisling

My friend Hussain Leo Kooshan is a Senior at Scattergood Friends School. He is asking for help so his younger brother, Hassan Ramazani Kooshan, currently living in war torn Afghanistan, can attend school in the United States. Following is Hassan’s … Continue reading →

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Concentration camps versus abolition

Posted on April 18, 2021 by Jeff Kisling

This is some follow-up related to yesterday’s post, Today Where I try to answer yesterday’s question, “what will you do?” I had forgotten to mention my reaction to writing the Des Moines Mutual Aid Bail Fund phone number on my … Continue reading →

Posted in abolition, Black Lives, Des Moines Black Lives Matter, Des Moines Mutual Aid, Mutual Aid, police, Quaker, Quaker Meetings, race, Uncategorized, white supremacy | Leave a comment

Today

Posted on April 17, 2021 by Jeff Kisling

Such a variety of things happened today, I can’t come up with a good title. So today. It was kind of a stream of conscious day. I have a routine that involves writing first thing in the morning. If it … Continue reading →

Posted in abolition, Black Lives, Des Moines Black Lives Matter, Des Moines Mutual Aid, police, Quaker, race, Uncategorized | Leave a comment