Human Rights

Other states’ progress toward abolishing the death penalty

July 4, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

A strategically smart way to reduce the death penalty’s usage is to change laws to exempt people with severe mental illness.  See a page of information I wrote in 2005 and updated in 2013.  It’s at this link:  Mental Illness – Evolving Standards – April 2005 handout I have been pushing for that for many years, and I got the Washington Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty to push for such legislation.  Although we got a committee hearing a number of years ago, the bill did not pass out of committee. Some other states have been considering this approach.  One […]

Democrats help Republicans hurt immigrants!

July 4, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

Many people assume that Republicans are bad and Democrats are good, so all we have to do is replace Republicans with Democrats and our problems will be solved. WRONG! In many, many ways, Democrats are part of the problem.  Very often they actively go along with Republicans or timidly fail to oppose them.   Robert Reich’s July 1, 2019, article said the Democrats caved in to Republicans about the border, despite huge public concern:  https://www.nationofchange.org/2019/07/01/dems-cave-on-the-border/   This June 28, 2019, article reports that the highest-ranking Democrats in the Senate (Schumer) and the House (Pelosi) HELPED REPUBLICANS GIVE TRUMP $4.6 BILLION […]

TV: “Houselessness, Human Dignity, and the Right to Survive”

June 30, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

The July 2019 interview on “Glen’s Parallax Perspectives” takes a fresh look at problems and solutions related to homelessness. We dispel some of the myths that interfere with realistic understanding and smart solutions. Instead of talking about it from afar, one of guests (Jamie Joy) actually is homeless.  His first-hand experiences and insights help us understand the problems and solutions. Our other guest (Tye Gundel) co-founded a great local grassroots organization — “Just Housing” — in 2016 and has been working effectively with a variety of people and local governments to inform the public, advocate for compassionate and practical solutions, […]

Georgia Democrats Respond to GOP’s Total Abortion Ban With ‘Testicular Bill of Rights’

June 9, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

State legislatures have been attacking women’s rights, so in the spring of 2019 a Democrat in Georgia’s legislature took creative action. The article at the link below says:  “Georgia Democratic Rep. Dar’shun Kendrick wants to change the discourse around Republicans’ total abortion ban with legislation that would strictly regulate men’s reproductive health care.” The article says:  “Some of the legislation Kendrick has asked legislative counsel to draft includes requiring men to obtain permission from their sex partner before obtaining a prescription for Viagra or other erectile dysfunction medications; making it aggravated assault for men to have sex without a condom; […]

Replace the “national security” scheme with “TRUE Security.”

June 4, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

The U.S. is obsessed with “national security” and wastes about half of our discretionary budget on militarism, nuclear weapons, covert actions, and violence around the world. This obsession and waste cause much neglect and suffering within the U.S. as well as abuse and endless wars and suffering around the world. We must replace the wasteful, ineffective, and downright counterproductive “national security” scheme with a fresh approach:  “TRUE Security.” See this: TRUE Security TABLE.doc        

We’re All in This Together

May 24, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

Oppressors like to use “divide-and-conquer” strategies to disempower the 99%. The Olympian published an op-ed I wrote in May 2019. Here is the article as a Word document: BOC — 2019.05.16 FINAL version — We’re All in This Together Here is the article as it appeared on the editorial page on May 23, 2019: https://www.theolympian.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article230676584.html?     

Most of WA House members wanted to abolish WA’s death penalty, but House leadership failed.

May 17, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

The WA State Senate’s bill to abolish the death penalty passed the State Senate. The article at the link below says 54 House members wanted to pass it, but the House leadership (Democrat Frank Chopp) did not bring it up for a vote. Chopp has been opposing efforts to repeal the death penalty in WA State. House leaders said they wanted to focus on higher priorities than this bill. https://www.thenewstribune.com/latest-news/article229414449.html?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=fff8ef07-20b2-4c78-8559-6bca7143c5ca      

New Prison and Jail Population Figures Released by U.S. Department of Justice

May 17, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

The Sentencing Project (www.sentencingproject.org) is a long-standing expert non-profit organization that researches our criminal justice system (especially prison sentencing) and provides advocacy to promote fairness.  They are highly credible.  I have been financially supporting them for many years. The Sentencing Project released this information on April 25, 2019: New Prison and Jail Population Figures Released by U.S. Department of Justice By yearend 2017, the United States prison population had declined by 7.3% since reaching its peak level in 2009, according to new data released by the Department of Justice. The prison population decreases are heavily influenced by a handful of […]

Insightful articles about liberation aspects of Christianity

May 11, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

The Winter 2019 issue of the Veterans for Peace publication (at this link — http://www.classwars.org/PeaceTimesWinter2019.pdf ) — ends with an amazingly smart article about liberation as the core message of what Christianity is supposed to be about. The article starts on the final page (page 24) and continues two pages earlier (page 22).   This article — https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/22/1828233/-What-kind-of-Christian-was-the-Rev-Martin-Luther-King-Junior?detail=emaildkcs — supports the kind of Christianity that MLK believed and practiced.  The article’s beginning starts slow, but it improves when it lays out seven principles.  The author cites an article by someone else, and it is in the context of being an “evangelical.” […]

Political parties and serious problems

May 9, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

Both of the big political parties cause serious problems. Republican Party leaders deliberately and enthusiastically make problems worse. Republican Party members obediently follow along. Democratic Party members want to solve problems (Green New Deal, Medicare for All, Impeach Trump, promote diversity in the party, etc.) Democratic Party “leaders” refuse to solve those problems. Dem “leaders” rebuff their members – and wonder why Dems don’t win more elections.

Republicans and the Religious Right want to impose their theocracy upon the U.S.

April 30, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

The U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment PROTECTS our right to practice — or NOT practice — any religion with freedom from any governmental support or opposition.  The “separation of church and state” is clearly required. For 75 years an excellent organization — Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, www.au.org — has been protecting us from abuse by people who want to impose their religion upon us, and it has been protecting religion from governmental interference too.  It works both ways. But some people want to tear down the “wall of separation” and use our tax dollars to fund […]

Restore and protect felons’ right to vote

April 30, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

Elections would turn out MUCH BETTER if people were not denied their right to vote.  This pertains to people of color, poor people, students living outside of their home districts, and people who have been convicted of felonies.  Only Maine and Vermont allow imprisoned felons to vote, and some are allowing people to regain their voting rights after being released from prison.  Those reforms need to be strengthened and expanded to all states. Here are some items to help with that:   SIGN THIS PETITION:  On April 28, 2019, Democracy for America (www.democracyforamerica.com) sent this e-mail (edited here to reduce […]

Several reasons why the right wing has built its power at the expense of liberals and the Left

April 30, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

The article at this link provides insights into the effectiveness of RIGHT-WING MEMES — and why the Left falls short in that:  https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/04/right-wing-groups-are-training-young-conservatives-to-win-the-next-meme-war/?utm_source=mj-newsletters&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=econundrums-2019-04-08   The Left had raised the issue of “globalization,” but the Right stole the issue and converted it into right-wing nationalism, racism, and anti-immigrant hysteria.  This allowed Trump and right-wing extremists to gain power in various countries that used to be “liberal democracies.”  This article provides insights:  https://fpif.org/sieg-heil-deja-vu-understanding-the-global-rise-of-the-extreme-right/   In the U.S and elsewhere, the dominant economic and political systems are not working, so mainstream (“white”) people feel victimized.  The right wing has promoted the current conservative […]

Yes, we can organize more effectively at the grassroots for many important issues.

April 26, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

Globally, nationally, and locally, we are confronted with very serious problems. Some people feel overwhelmed and disempowered, so they feel powerless to solve the problems.  But that only allows the horrible problems to get worse. I strongly support the opposite approach:  Recognize that WE CAN INDEED LEARN HOW TO ORGANIZE EFFECTIVELY at the grassroots level (“Think globally and act locally”) to solve the problems. Sometimes people and organizations merely vent or flail about with random activities without a clear strategy for how to make the political and social changes we want.  We can do better than that! Specifically, I seek […]