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

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Let’s create a TRULY PEACEFUL foreign policy!

February 21, 2022 GlenAnderson 0

For many, many decades — regardless of which political party runs the Executive Branch or the Congress — the U.S. has had a BI-PARTISAN CONSENSUS that militarism should dominate our foreign policy.  Even when we don’t have an explicit “America First” president, our foreign policy ALWAYS seeks narrow nationalism with selfish political, economic and military domination over as much of the world as our government can manage. Politicians pay lip service to peace, but they always do what the paragraph above says. If we REALLY valued the principles of democracy, the public would have a strong voice in shaping foreign […]

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Gandhi quotation encourages underdogs pushing against the Establishment

January 21, 2022 GlenAnderson 0

Mohandas Gandhi (the “Mahatma”) was a very savvy and strategic organizers of nonviolent grassroots movements. He knew first-hand what it was like to organize against a powerful Establishment, such as the racist, oppressive, exploitative British Empire. See this brief quotation, which all of us underdogs should find encouraging as we organize uphill against powerful political, social and economic oppressors: Gandhi quotation encourages underdogs fighting the Establishment                  

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Bridging the gap between strategic and principled nonviolence

January 17, 2022 GlenAnderson 0

Some people think nonviolence is nice and ethical, but not strong enough to win results in the real world. Actually, “people-power” movements that are strictly nonviolent have been proven to be much more effective than movements that include some violence.  Nonviolence is a powerful methodology, especially when the organizers develop savvy nonviolent strategies to activate their principles. See this article about bridging the gap between strategic and principled nonviolence Stellan Vinthagen’s 2015 book “A Theory of Nonviolent Action” develops a new theoretical framework for what nonviolence is. https://wagingnonviolence.org/rs/2019/05/stellan-vinathagen-book-theory-nonviolent-action-review/          

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Martin Luther King urged a “Radical Revolution of Values” — Learn about this here.

January 17, 2022 GlenAnderson 0

Our society and our whole world are in several serious crises all at once. Powerful forces keep making things worse.  They want to intimidate us — to make us sit down and shut up so they can continue to oppress us. But better values do exist, and nonviolence is actually more powerful than The Establishment.  (My free online workshop series “Nonviolent Grassroots Organizing” helps us understand and use nonviolence in clever, strategic ways.)  Ever since the Civil Rights Movement’s era, I have appreciated Martin Luther King’s strong, bold, radical message and his methodology.  I have read his books and studied […]

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Martin Luther King recognized very serious problems, but he remained hopeful. We can be hopeful too — and keep pushing ahead!

January 17, 2022 GlenAnderson 0

The people reading this blog know a lot about the many problems — the many VERY SERIOUS problems — that endanger our world, our nation, and ourselves. It would be easy to sink into cynicism and despair.  Powerful forces want us to do that and to give up. But even while Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., recognized the horrible problems, he remained hopeful that we can indeed solve the problems.  We also need to stay hopeful — and stay strategically focused and active — until we win. I appreciate King’s “Testament of Hope.”  It still sounds as relevant today […]

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“America First” is morally wrong, cruel, stupid, dangerous, and counter-productive in many ways

January 16, 2022 GlenAnderson 0

Trump pushed an “America First” dogma, but the slogan pre-dated him by nearly a century.  Isolationists tried to pretend that the U.S. could exist by itself without regard to the well-being of the rest of the world.  They believed we could get away with being selfish. Also, that was the English language translation of Hitler’s slogan, “Deutschland uber alles,” which meant Germany over everybody else.   Selfishness and contempt for other people are morally wrong for reasons any decent person should immediately understand.  The “America First” dogma leads directly to cruelty toward other nations. The “America First” dogma also leads […]

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Christmas Eve & New Year’s Eve: Yes, Olympia’s peace vigils occur as usual both Fridays!

December 23, 2021 GlenAnderson 0

Olympia’s weekly peace vigils occur all year around, regardless of holidays and regardless of weather!   We warmly (!) invite you to join us FRI DEC 24 and FRI DEC 31 (and every Friday) from 4:30 to 6:00 (or as much of that time as you can spare) at the SW corner of 4th & Water downtown (across the street south from the Kissing Statue).  (This is for 2021, and our vigils will continue every week in the future too.) I’ll bring a good, varied selections of signs, or you may bring your own.  We support peace, human rights, nonviolence, […]

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Smart insights for strengthening our organizing for the climate

December 23, 2021 GlenAnderson 0

My notes here summarize some main points of the article I’ve linked below – and add some of my own thoughts:   The article I’ve linked below says that – although 70% of the public is worried about the climate – this has not translated into real organizing.  Instead of playing politics (nice words and political wheeling-dealing, but falling short of making the bold changes that are necessary, the article says we need to deepen the public’s concern with a profound “change of heart.” Instead of “transactional” politics, we need “transformative” politics.  Without a profound change of heart we’ll be […]

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Sign up NOW for FREE, PRACTICAL ONLINE WORKSHOPS to help you make more progress on issues YOU care about

December 18, 2021 GlenAnderson 0

ALL OF US — new people, experienced organizers, and everybody in between — can STRENGTHEN OUR SKILLS and add resources to our “toolboxes” so we can make more progress in working on our issues. That’s why I’m offering my 6 FREE ONLINE WORKSHOPS. Please see information on the flyer I posted at this link – and SIGN UP NOW! 6 practical workshops on Grassroots Organizing — 2022 JAN-FEB — FLYER.docx Let’s build strong nonviolent grassroots movements that will significantly move public opinion — and change the dominant paradigms — and push governments, big businesses, mainstream media, and other entrenched entities to do […]

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Nonviolent Grassroots Organizing Creates Light and Progress

December 9, 2021 GlenAnderson 0

Nonviolent Grassroots Organizing Creates Light and Progress Glen Anderson (360) 491-9093 glenanderson@integra.net The January 2022 theme for the Olympia-based publication Works In Progress (www.olywip.org) – “Where do we find light” – is a smart question to ask.  I recommend finding light in two places:  in ourselves and in the world around us. Contrary to the cynical assumption that human beings are inherently competitive and cruel (and contrary to the religious assumption that we’re doomed by “original sin”), powerful research affirms humans inherently want to cooperate and be good to each other.  I read the book Humankind: A Hopeful History written […]

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Proposing a Bold New Global Peace Movement Led by Women

November 18, 2021 GlenAnderson 0

The November 2021 episode of “Glen’s Parallax Perspectives” proposes a bold, new worldwide peace movement – and it will be much more successful if women lead it. The world is stuck in violence, militarism, systemic injustices, and ecocide.  The status quo is dominated by top-down systems of war and other kinds of injustices.  Wars do not work.  Nuclear war could instantly destroy us all.  Instead of top-down dysfunction, the world needs a very bold grassroots movement grounded in profound nonviolence.  The movement can succeed, especially if women to lead it on behalf of children and all of humanity. Glen interviewed […]