International Affairs (Click to see specific nations and regions)

Peace group creates an “Alternative Nuclear Posture Review” that would prevent nuclear war

September 22, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

The government and much of the public assume that we need nuclear weapons for our “national security. However, the truth is that nuclear weapons make us INSECURE because they could blow us all up. Presidents devise their nuclear weapons policies in the form of a “Nuclear Posture Review.” Trump released his already.  It is recklessly dangerous. Now a peace organization that opposes nuclear weapons (www.globalzero.org) has created its own ALTERNATIVE “Nuclear Posture Review” that would actually make us MORE SECURE, not LESS. Instead of planning how to fight nuclear wars, this alternative promotes genuine deterrence. The author (a former nuclear […]

6 workshops on “Nonviolent Grassroots Organizing” Saturday mornings

September 21, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

Case study: About 50 years ago when my cousin was 16 years old, she wanted to make herself a dress, so she bought some expensive fabric but did not want to spend the time or effort buying or using a pattern for her sewing project. Without a pattern, she just started cutting. Of course, she ruined the fabric and did not end up with a dress. People who want to accomplish political or societal changes often make the mistake my cousin did. They start doing things without the necessary planning or skills. I’m offering practical workshops in “Nonviolent Grassroots Organizing” […]

The climate crisis is worsening, but people are taking good actions. Here are updates you have not likely seen.

September 16, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

Public Citizen (www.citizen.org), the excellent non-profit organization founded by Ralph Nader in 1971, announced this: On September 10, 2018, the head of the United Nations warned that the world is reaching a dangerous tipping point on the climate crisis.  United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called global leaders to work faster to deal with climate change and warned of grave risks of runaway global warming. See this article:  https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/10/climate/united-nations-climate-change.html?link_id=3&can_id=1d662460c0abb8939c5044c82927552b&source=email-florence&email_referrer=email_418174&email_subject=Florence     This simple chart came from www.popularresistance.org : Global Occurrences of Extreme Climate Events — up to 2018 This article from November 2017 explains and shows graphs about progress toward meeting […]

Our local weekly peace vigils attract attention and support!

September 15, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

One way to “think globally and act locally” is to participate in the three peace vigils that occur in Olympia every week! The Wednesday and Friday vigils downtown occur EVERY week, all year around, regardless of weather or holidays. The Thursday bannering at a local freeway overpass occurs when it is not too windy to hold the huge banner safely. Every Wednesday from 12 noon to 1 pm in the NW corner of Sylvester Park (Legion & Capitol Way) since March 5, 1980 Every Thursday from 11 am to 12 noon (current schedule might change in winder, and as weather […]

Update on NAFTA (9-6-2018) by Lori Wallach from Ralph Nader’s Public Citizen

September 9, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

NAFTA has been hurting workers and the environment in the U.S., Mexico and Canada since January 1, 1994. It is very unpopular for a variety of reasons.  Trump campaigned against NAFTA.  Now he is renegotiating it — perhaps with Mexico only instead of with all three nations because he has created conflicts with Canada. A number of non-profit organizations have been working hard on issues related to “free trade” during these decades.  One of the best is Public Citizen (www.citizen.org), which Ralph Nader had founded in 1971.  Their top expert on the issue is Lori Wallach.  Here is her article […]

URGENT! Sign this petition to save the UN’s nuclear disarmament summit.

August 20, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

The article at the link below explains that the United Nations is planning a global summit to restrict nuclear weapons. However, forces that support nuclear weapons are trying to prevent this bold step toward peace. Please read this article, including the list under the headline Value of the UN High Level Conference (Summit), so you can see how important this is. After the first paragraph is a link to a petition you can sign. Please sign the petition – and share it with other people! Urgent petition to save nuclear disarmament summit

Nuclear weapons are still an extreme danger even after the Cold War

August 14, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

Some people think that nuclear weapons are less of a danger now that the Cold War has ended.  Actually, the danger persists and is getting worse!  They are still on hair-trigger alert.  The U.S. is building “more usable” nuclear weapons and is threatening to use them. • After the Cold War ended, the public stopped paying attention. The numbers of nuclear weapons declined, but the U.S. still has a policy of willingness to begin a nuclear war (not merely retaliate), and the nuclear weapons are still on hair-trigger alert. Accidents, miscalculations, and – under Trump – moments of irrational anger […]

Electing Democrats will NOT protect us from nuclear weapons

August 14, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

• Both political parties have been funding nuclear weapons and have been supporting their use since the 1940s. Franklin D. Roosevelt started building them. Harry Truman dropped two on Japan, killing many thousands of innocent civilians. John Kennedy fully expected to use them during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. Barack Obama authorized the replacement of ALL U.S. nuclear weapons (at a cost of much more than $1 TRILLION). Congress’s Democrats have been funding nuclear weapons since the 1940s. The crisis is truly bi-partisan! • Overall, the U.S.’s foreign policy has been bi-partisan for many decades. Regardless of which political party […]

Nuclear weapons violate international law in several ways

August 14, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

• Nuclear weapons violate International Law in many ways. They violate the United Nations Charter. The U.S. has been violating the 1970 Non-Proliferation Treaty. In 1996 the World Court ruled against nuclear weapons. In 2017 the United Nations passed a treaty prohibiting them, and 50 nations signed it promptly. • The U.S. Constitution’s Article VI declares that “all treaties … shall be the supreme law of the land.” When the U.S. violates the United Nations Charter, various treaties and various aspects of international law, the U.S. is thereby violating the U.S. Constitution. • After World War II, the U.S. led […]

Stop the government from wasting $1.7 TRILLION on new nuclear weapons

August 14, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

• Nuclear weapons are horribly expensive. The U.S. government is planning to spend $1.7 TRILLION over the next 30 years to replace all of our nuclear bombs, missiles, submarines, etc., with brand new ones, including some designed to be more “usable.” To pay for them, Congress will want to cut many billions of dollars from useful pro-grams that help people. • On October 31, 2017, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that the Obama Administration’s 2017 plans for nuclear forces would cost $1.2 trillion (in 2017 dollars) over the 2017–2046 period. Other expert sources have estimated even higher amounts. Trump […]

Accidents and “near-misses” with nuclear weapons occur often.

August 14, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

The government wants the public to think that safety precautions are adequate to protect us from nuclear weapons accidents and “near-misses,” but actually accidents and “near-misses” occur much more often than people realize.  Since the 1940s, a great many accidents and near-misses have nearly caused horrible destruction, but the government and news media refuse to report them honestly. • Search the internet for “nuclear weapons accidents” and see startling information about a great many accidents that easily could have caused horrible destruction. See much information at http://www.atomicarchive.com/Almanac/Brokenarrows_static.shtml and even more examples at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_military_nuclear_accidents • Since 1950 there have been 32 […]

Nuclear weapons do NOT “deter” other nations or keep us safe.

August 14, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

Actually, they provoke other nations and could destroy us in just a few minutes. • Nuclear weapons do NOT protect us. The notion that having nuclear weapons will “deter” other nations from attacking us is fatally flawed. Nuclear weapons threaten other nations and provoke those nations into building their own nuclear weapons. Global tensions rise. The “deterrence” theory is a reckless psychological experiment full of errors at the human and technical levels. If anything goes haywire, nuclear weapons could destroy us in just a few minutes. The “deterrence” theory leads to mutual suicide! • The U.S. designed nuclear weapons for […]

Since 1964 voters have elected presidents who promised peace, but they always gave us more war.

August 13, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

Regardless of political party, in almost every case, the presidential candidates who have been winning from 1964 onward have been the ones who campaigned for peace.  Voters have rejected the presidential candidates who seemed more hawkish. 1964:  Do you remember the famous TV ad in which a little girl was pulling petals one by one from a daisy, and her counting turned into the announcer’s countdown to a nuclear explosion?  Lyndon Johnson (D) used this to frighten voters away from Barry Goldwater (R), who was much more hawkish overall and specifically seemed recklessly willing to start a nuclear war.  In […]

Senate must publicly expose Trump’s nominees & turn public opinion against Trumpism.

August 9, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

Trump keeps nominating horribly corrupt, incompetent and dangerous right-wing nominees for powerful positions in the federal government.  Democratic senators simply vote “no” but fail to take stronger actions, so these Democratic senators trap themselves in a simple defensive role.  When they do that, Trump is free to keep throwing horribly corrupt, incompetent and dangerous right-wing nominees at us, one after another. Democratic senators must STAND UP for humane values, honesty, and the broad public interest.  They must PUBLICLY EXPOSE Trump’s nominees as horribly corrupt, incompetent and dangerous right-wing extremists.  They must REACH OUT TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC and TURN PUBLIC […]