Nonviolence (Also see Peace, Conflict Resolution, Organizing & Activism)

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Democratic Party FAILS TO CHALLENGE Trump’s foreign policy!

July 31, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

Many times every day now I receive e-mails from various parts of the Democratic Party asking me to donate money.  Their opening request invites me to choose my favorite presidential candidates — and sometimes to identify the issues that I care about the most. They list many DOMESTIC issues (jobs, gay rights, college debt, etc.), but ALMOST NEVER ASK ABOUT FOREIGN POLICY or the federal budget’s domination by military spending or the U.S.’s perpetual violations of human rights around the world. This implies that THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IS WILLING TO GO ALONG WITH TRUMP’S FOREIGN POLICY! A few of these […]

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Groups working to reduce gun violence ALWAYS NEGLECT to oppose war and military violence, which set the tone for gun violence within the U.S.

July 30, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

Just now I responded to an e-mail survey sent out by a prominent nationwide non-profit org that works to reduce gun violence throughout the U.S. They asked what their top priority should be. I said they should work to stop all of the U.S.’s war’ and de-militarize our foreign policy. I told them that the U.S.’s addiction to war and military violence create a culture that assumes shooting people is a good way to solve problems. The U.S.’s persistent militarism sets the tone for gun violence within the U.S. This really is “the elephant in the room” that the anti-gun […]

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Links to several articles about warhawk John Bolton

June 9, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

This article about “John Bolton, Pyromaniac” says it would be crazy to hire a chronic pyromaniac to be fire chief, but that’s what Trump did to the U.S. when he hired John Bolton to be his National Security Advisor.  See this article:  https://inkstickmedia.com/john-bolton-pyromaniac/”   The article at the following link says, “The Most Dangerous Man in the World Is Trump’s National Security Adviser,” and it also says, “On Venezuela and Iran, Donald Trump is the adult in the room next to John Bolton.”  Here is the link:  https://www.asiatimes.com/2019/05/opinion/the-most-dangerous-man-in-the-world/?_=2265639   This article says, “Fear the Mustache: Why Bolton Makes Even Donald Trump […]

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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        

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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?     

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Korean people — North and South — want peace. Don’t let the U.S. gov’t reduce them to a bargaining chip.

May 17, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

Technically, the Korean War never ended. A ceasefire occurred in the early 1950s, but the war never officially ended. The De-Militarized Zone (DMZ) has been the most heavily militarized border for more than half a century. Unlike many nations, the people of Korea – North and South – are all THE SAME ethnic group. The boundary is a cruel Cold War relic that divided families. Virtually all Koreans want to be together. This article notes the one-year anniversary of an important joint statement for peace and reconciliation. Since the early 1950s the U.S. government has arrogantly played politics instead of […]

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64-page booklet with thorough info on the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) from 2015 from the Arms Control Association

May 17, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

In case anyone wants VERY THOROUGH information about the “Iran Nuclear Deal” (the JCPOA), you might click this link and read all or some of the 64-page booklet produced by the Arms Control Association, an expert organization. Or you might want to save it for future reference. We need to educate the public and Congress in order to prevent Trump from actually starting the war against Iran that he is eager to provoke. https://www.armscontrol.org/sites/default/files/files/Reports/ACA_Iran-BB_2015%20Aug6_FINAL.pdf      

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Debunking the Myths of War — Here is a great resource!

May 11, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

The non-profit organization World Beyond War (www.worldbeyondwar.org) takes a bold stance: War is not necessary and is never good. We need to debunk the myths that keep war and militarism going. We can indeed choose peace. Debunking Myths of War See their powerful new PowerPoint presentation at this link:  Debunking-the-Myths-of-War1 On April 29, WBW’s Organizing Director Greta Zarro presented a talk on “debunking the myths of war” for the Beyond War & Militarism Committee in Syracuse, NY. In making the case for war abolition, the talk dispelled the myths that war is inevitable, necessary, beneficial, or just.    

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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 […]

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URGENT: Tell the U.S. gov’t to STOP draft registration.

April 26, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

NOW IS THE TIME TO TELL THE GOVERNMENT TO STOP DRAFT REGISTRATION — and abolish the draft agency (Selective Service System) altogether. For a few years the government has been studying what to do about draft registration:  End it?  Include women?  Require everybody to serve in some way or another? I have posted information about this on my blog:  http://parallaxperspectives.org/category/military-service-recruitment-draft-conscientious-objection Here is a late April 2019 update on the military draft registration hearing: Edward Hasbrouck (a draft resister and active member of Courage to Resist (www.couragetoresist.org) is an invited panelist on April 25 at the National Commission on Military, National, […]

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Several insights into NONVIOLENCE are inspirational and practical.

April 25, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

“Nonviolence offers many ways to create permanent, long-term positive changes that would enable us to rebuild social institutions on a more humane and sustainable basis. . . . Each of us, whatever our station in life or relation to activism, can carry out his grand ‘experiment with truth’ according to our own capacities and the situation we confront.”  Michael Nagler wrote this.  He writes a lot of good materials about nonviolence.  Although Amazon lists many of his books, I encourage people to buy them from locally owned bookstores:  https://www.amazon.com/Michael-N.-Nagler/e/B001JS2SXE/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1548914216&sr=1-1&eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=c837e75d-37a4-4438-9de5-33bd77f131eb&pldnSite=1   “Revolutionary change does not come as one cataclysmic moment (beware […]

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June 17-21, 2019: Learn how to mediate disputes.

April 25, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

The Dispute Resolution Center of Thurston County (the DRC at 360-956-1155 www.mediatethurston.org) offers TRAINING IN HOW TO MEDIATE DISPUTES. I highly recommend this 40-hour Professional Mediation Training during one week in June (17th through 21st), 2019.  It runs Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  It can help you strengthen your relationships at home, at work, and beyond.  The insights are practical in our daily lives.  I encourage people to take this training even if you do not think you’d want to be one of the DRC’s volunteer mediators. This fun and highly interactive 40-hour training will acquaint […]

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Do not let assumptions about “human nature” interfere with the bold social and political reforms we are working toward.

April 25, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

Sometimes when we work to significantly improve our society or our politics, people will try to inhibit our efforts by saying, “You can’t change human nature.” They assume that “human nature” is fixed and impervious to improvement. Actually, history has proven otherwise. People have indeed made radical progressive changes, and we can accomplish more. We do not need to “change human nature.” If we change our society so it will function better, people will change for the better too. So, for example, instead of assuming that “human nature” causes people to be greedy, let’s change our economic system and our […]

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PREVENT Trump from starting a stupid, counter-productive war against Iran.

April 23, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

If you disagree with somebody, the proper way to resolve the conflict is to TALK and use DIPLOMACY and perhaps use a MEDIATOR. The U.S. government sometimes — and especially Trump nowadays — chooses military violence instead. That only backfires. The U.S. keeps bogging itself down in unwinnable wars in many places. These wars waste our tax dollars, which we should be spending for useful purposes. These wars kill and injure many people in other countries. These wars turn world opinion against us. These wars subvert human rights and constitutional rights.   Trump has been trying to start a war […]