International Affairs (Click to see specific nations and regions)

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 […]

Democrats fail to satisfy their voters, but Republicans do.

August 9, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

Democrats say nice things but almost none of them follow through if elected, so Democrats are not the answer. Republicans are more ignorant and more corrupt, but at least Republicans “deliver” to their “political base.” From that standpoint, Trump has been fantastically effective as a politician. He has vigorously delivered to racists, sexists, oil companies, big business, polluters, and right-wing religious extremists. For many years in the past several decades Democrats had held the Presidency and both houses of Congress.  Just imagine if Democrats had acted as boldly as the Republicans are doing now.  Just imagine if Democrats had really […]

Nuclear power is NOT an alternative to fossil fuels. Here is why Vietnam REJECTED nuclear power.

August 9, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

Some people who are concerned about the climate urge nuclear power as an alternative. However, that is not really practical for a number of reasons, including the 12 very compelling reasons in the document at the link below. Nuclear power is not only extremely dangerous and extremely expensive, but it entails huge costs and responsibilities that are usually ignored or downplayed in advance. Vietnam was considering nuclear power, but a delegation from other nations talked with them and presented 12 very compelling points listed in this article. With this information, Vietnam decided to REJECT nuclear power. Other nations and regions […]

A court victory for civil resistance vs. nuclear weapons!

July 27, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

On May 12, 2018, Mother’s Day, members of Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action blocked the road leading into the Trident Nuclear Submarine base at Bangor in Kitsap County WA.  (They were on the county’s side of the line, not on the federal side.)  On Friday July 27 the defendants had their mitigation hearings.  Larry Kerschner, a Vietnam veteran who is now a pacifist living in Centralia WA presented his statement to Judge Jeffrey J. Jahns.  Larry was pleased and surprised when the judge responded to Larry’s statement by reducing his $68 fine to zero.  The judge reduced all the […]

Larry Mosqueda’s insightful article explains the immigration crisis

July 27, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

On July 27, 2018, Larry Mosqueda published at CounterPunch his new article about the current immigration “crisis.”  His article corrects the misunderstandings that are widespread throughout the U.S. government, mainstream media, and the general public.  He invites us to share it with other people, so I’m sharing it with you through my blog, www.parallaxperspectives.org. You will be able to read it in the August 2018 issue of Works in Progress, Olympia’s progressive monthly newspaper.  See a paper copy or www.olywip.org Here is the link to read it at CounterPunch:  https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/07/27/on-the-origins-of-the-current-immigration-crisis-at-the-border/  

Experts say evidence proves the U.S. is a dying democracy. “Regime change” here?

July 27, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

Experts now rank the U.S. among the world’s DECLINING DEMOCRACIES.  This article provides information:  https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/7/7/1778307/-Experts-now-rank-the-United-States-among-the-world-s-declining-democracies?detail=emaildkre   Here is another article about this, drawing from the same original information:  https://www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/news/monkey-cage/wp/2018/07/03/one-third-of-the-worlds-population-lives-in-a-declining-democracy-that-includes-americans/   A former intelligence officer says we’re in serious danger of losing American constitutional republic forever.  Putin manipulated the US’s 2016 election.  Trump is Putin’s tool.  This is very scary!  Many Americans are tired of hearing about Russia, but this is the real story.  Read the article at this link:  https://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/former-intelligence-officer-malcolm-nance-were-cusp-losing-american-constitutional?src=newsletter1094168   A constitutional law professor wrote this strong article about the constitutional crisis Trump has been causing.  Read the article […]

Democracy’s threats are deeper than Russia.

July 27, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

Mainstream media and the official Democratic Party want us to think that Russia is the main threat to American democracy.  The actual threats are different and much more deep-seated. While Russia clearly did bad things to American democracy during the 2016 election — and before and since — focusing on Russia is a clever distraction promoted by people who want us to ignore the much more serious threats. Trump won in 2016 largely because so many Americans were disgusted with the status quo.  Over the years, public opinion polls kept showing increasing numbers of people saying the U.S. is on […]

Stop the Endless Wars. Repeal the 2001 AUMF.

July 27, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

For decades the Cold War allowed our nation’s militarists — and the weapons manufacturing corporations that fund them — to stampede the U.S. media and politicians and public into decades of recklessly wasteful military spending, including several wars and proxy wars and thousands of nuclear weapons.  They said that this is Priority #1, so we could not afford bold efforts to end poverty, take care of the environment, or do other crucial work. When the Cold War ended, those same vested interests — our nation’s militarists and the weapons manufacturers — and conservative elements that opposed solving our nation’s social […]

Community Affirmation: Peace, Not Nuclear Weapons

July 27, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

This Community Affirmation was affirmed at the June 1982 International Religious Convocation for the Second United Nations Special Session on Disarmament.  It remains timely today.   Community Affirmation   We who live in the shadow of the mushroom cloud and the dangers of bullets on our streets Today declare our hope in the future.   From the diversity of our religious traditions We have come to renew our belief in the holiness of the earth and the sanctity of all life. We declare we are at peace with all people of good will.   We need no leader to define […]

Declaration of Independence from Nuclear Weapons

July 27, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

This document was created in 1985 and is still an important and positive alternative to our current crisis.  May we all join in! Dozens of persons (including me) signed this document on Fourth of July weekend of 1985 in a ceremony outside the Trident Nuclear Submarine base at Bangor in Kitsap County WA.  Ten years later dozens more signed it in a renewal of the original ceremony.  MAY WE ALL JOIN TOGETHER IN AFFIRMING IT NOW, decades later! Declaration of Independence from Nuclear Weapons We are people living in the shadow of nuclear annihilation. We recognize that our present way […]

Monday July 30, 7:00 pm: Meet and hear Peace Walkers against nuclear weapons

July 25, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

Meet & hear Peace Walkers against nuclear weapons July 30 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm PDT Traditions Café, 5th & Water SW, Olympia Meet and hear the people who are walking from Eugene, Oregon, to Bangor, Washington, when they pass through Olympia on Monday July 30.  This is the 14th year that members of the community at the Ground Zero Center for Nonviolence (www.gzcenter.org) have walked for peace and nuclear disarmament. Olympia’s people enjoy connecting with them when they walk through our town. Join us this evening to celebrate the wonderful history of disarmament activities in western Washington. We […]