Organizing & Activism (Also see Nonviolence, Outreach)

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Here are several smart articles about the Green New Deal

May 1, 2020 GlenAnderson 0

The Green New Deal was devised for good reasons. Before the 2018 election season ramped up, people wanted to stimulate populist constituencies – including those who were not yet active in the climate movement – to start supporting bold climate actions. For this purpose – and to generate support from the labor movement and from areas that needed jobs – a federal jobs program made sense. Now people do understand at a visceral level that we need bold actions for the climate AND youth organizing such as the climate strikes AND grassroots organizing to meet the needs of local communities, […]

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Learn about the Green New Deal from my MAY 2020 TV program. It’s also posted to this blog.

May 1, 2020 GlenAnderson 0

Here is an article about my MAY 2020 TV program about the Green New Deal. It is airing on Channel 22 of Thurston Community Television (TCTV, TC Media, for cable TV subscribers in Thurston County WA) three times a week all month long:  every MONDAY at 1:30 pm, every WEDNESDAY at 5:00 pm, and every THURSDAY at 9:00 pm throughout May 2020. A technical problem is preventing the TV program’s video itself from being linked to this blog, but I did type up a thorough summary of what we planned to discuss during the interview.  Our actual interview differed somewhat […]

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Obama did NOT do enough for the climate. See MLK’s quotation about real leadership.

May 1, 2020 GlenAnderson 0

I wrote this a good number of years ago, but it needs to be repeated now: President Obama says the climate crisis is serious, but he shies away from taking the bold Executive actions that this crisis requires. Instead, in mid-February 2013 he said he would wait to work out a bipartisan deal with Republicans in Congress. This is, of course, doomed to failure. A real leader would lead. Obama persistently refuses to act as boldly as the climate crisis requires. In early 1968, when Martin Luther King, Jr., was being criticized for taking a bold, unpopular stand against the […]

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Sign up NOW for my 6 practical workshops to help you organize at the grassroots for the climate

April 21, 2020 GlenAnderson 0

The climate crisis is serious, and powerful forces keep making it worse. But YOU can reverse those trends and proactively push to make progress to help the climate! I’m offering again my series of 6 workshops on Nonviolent Grassroots Organizing so YOU can empower yourself with insights, strategies, and practical ways to make progress on the climate – and, indeed, on the other issues YOU care about. Instead of dealing with technical scientific information, these workshops provide PRACTICAL information, insights, inspirations, resources and tools to HELP YOU ORGANIZE at the grassroots to build a strong movement to protect the climate. […]

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PART 2 of “Choose a Better Worldview to Build a Better World”

April 15, 2020 GlenAnderson 0

The December 2018 episode of “Glen’s Parallax Perspectives” TV program is PART 2 (following up on the November episode) of the topic, “Choose a Better Worldview to Build a Better World.”  The November program focused especially on problems with worldview that has been dominating the U.S., and the December program focuses more on solutions and how to achieve them. Cable TV subscribers in Thurston County WA can watch the December program on TCTV channel 22 three times a week all month long:  every Monday at 1:30 pm, every Wednesday at 5:00 pm, and every Thursday at 9:00 pm. Links for […]

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“Affordable Housing: Facts vs. Myths about the ‘Missing Middle'”

March 29, 2020 GlenAnderson 0

The April 2020 episode of “Glen’s Parallax Perspectives TV program helps the public understand the serious shortage of housing that is truly affordable for people who are not rich.  Local governments in Olympia and elsewhere want to solve the problem, but they have misdiagnosed the problem, so they have proposed the wrong solutions, such as the so-called “Missing Middle.” This interview and the compelling graphs we show help you understand the real reasons for the problem – and why the “Missing Middle” would NOT solve the problems. We need better solutions. For background Glen encouraged people to watch his March […]

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The “Back from the Brink” campaign promotes FIVE SMART CHANGES to reduce the danger of nuclear war.

March 19, 2020 GlenAnderson 0

Nuclear weapons are a VERY SERIOUS issue.  But grassroots people and many organizations are ORGANIZING SMART CHANGES in our nation’s policies in order to reduce the likelihood of nuclear war. The “Back from the Brink” campaign proposes five policy solutions to prevent nuclear war. See the website www.preventnuclearwar.org and this page about their five policy solutions:  www.preventnuclearwar.org/our-five-policy-solutions/   In 2017 two nationwide organizations – the Union of Concerned Scientists (www.ucsusa.org) and Physicians for Social Responsibility (www.psr.org) – created the “Back from the Brink” campaign. Some other organizations have joined the effort. The “Back from the Brink” campaign recognizes problems and […]

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Abolish nuclear weapons. Replace our nukes with simply leaving our shoes untied.

March 19, 2020 GlenAnderson 0

The U.S. government keeps promoting more nuclear weapons in order to make Americans secure. Instead of that, I propose that we ABOLISH NUCLEAR WEAPONS and INSTEAD, SIMPLY LEAVE OUR SHOES UNTIED. NEITHER POLICY PROTECTS OUR NATION, but my alternative policy offers two benefits: 1. We will save many billions of dollars. 2. And although either policy – nuclear weapons or untied shoelaces – could cause an accident, if an accident occurs, tripping on shoelaces will cause much less damage than a nuclear war. PLEASE SHARE THIS NEW POLICY PROPOSAL – and my reasoning – to other people. Also invite people […]

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3 smart books support nonviolent alternatives to nuclear weapons

March 17, 2020 GlenAnderson 0

Today I posted some information to my blog some information related to nuclear weapons.  Here is some information about three books I have not previously mentioned: #1: My blog post about Gene Sharp’s insights about power and nonviolence — http://parallaxperspectives.org/nonviolence-is-powerful-gene-sharps-theory-of-power-supports-nonviolent-action-and-nonviolent-resistance — made me think about his excellent, short book from 1970 (and 1985) titled, “National Security Through Civilian-Based Defense.”   In the 1970s and 1980s there was a small, exciting movement for “civilian-based defense,” which was also called “nonviolent national defense” and “transarmament.”  It proposed that instead of using military violence, we could convert to a nonviolent strategies for national defense, […]

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Connect with these info sources AND organized efforts to reduce the danger of nuclear war

March 17, 2020 GlenAnderson 0

A great many organizations are working for peace in a variety of smart ways.  Various organizations focus specifically on: Changing the U.S.’s foreign policy overall Changing U.S. foreign policy regarding specific regions of the world (Latin America, Iran, Burma, etc.) Opposing nuclear weapons Organizing and mobilizing people of various faith communities (Quakers, Jews, Lutherans, Muslims, Presbyterians, Catholics, etc.) Working through Congress Organizing at the grassroots level in local communities throughout our nation   I live and organize in the area near Olympia, Washington, so I recommend these resources: Currently I chair the Olympia Coalition to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (OCANW). We […]

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Yes, ordinary people DO have the power to prevent nuclear war and other calamities!

March 17, 2020 GlenAnderson 0

The world is facing extremely serious dangers, including — but not limited to — the climate crisis and the danger of nuclear war. These are very scary topics. Most people try to avoid thinking about nuclear weapons and the climate crisis.  But if we are to solve these problems, we MUST think about them — and we MUST get past the debilitating emotions and actually EMPOWER OURSELVES to solve the problems. When we reach out to the general public to inform them and engage them, we must recognize people’s feelings of fear, overwhelm, despair and disempowerment.  If we recognize those […]

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Nonviolence is powerful! Gene Sharp’s theory of power supports nonviolent action and nonviolent resistance

March 17, 2020 GlenAnderson 0

Gene Sharp was perhaps the world’s greatest researcher about the power of NONVIOLENCE in protecting populations from invaders, dictators and oppressors.  I have enjoyed — and learned much from — reading the books he wrote since the 1970s. For more than half a century, Gene Sharp has researched and written about nonviolence and how to use it effectively. I recommend the publications available at his website, the Albert Einstein Institution, www.aeinstein.org.  Many of them can be downloaded for free. When I conduct workshops about the power and practicality of nonviolence, I include insights from Gene Sharp’s thinking.  I encourage people […]

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Would YOUR non-profit org or faith community or group of friends host our fascinating, informative course on nuclear weapons?

March 7, 2020 GlenAnderson 0

Four knowledgeable, active members of the Olympia Coalition to Abolish Nuclear Weapons have carefully crafted a fascinating, engaging, informative course titled, “Nuclear Weapons Nowadays: What You Can Know and Do.”  It consists of four two-hour sessions with plenty of handouts. We are conducting it now at a local religious congregation, and we are eager to offer it again to other faith communities, non-profit organizations, or groups of friends (with preferably at least six participants, to make it worth the time and efforts of the four presenters). The course is presented by four active and well informed members of the Olympia […]

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More experts and organizations are urging pension funds and other entities to DIVEST from fossil fuels.

March 5, 2020 GlenAnderson 0

People USED TO THINK that investing in coal and oil companies would be safe investments.  Now THE OPPOSITE is true!  The climate crisis and the rapid transition from fossil fuels to green energy has changed everything — except some people’s thinking.   The climate advocacy group 350 Seattle (www.350seattle.org) has begun organizing vigorously for divestment from fossil fuels.  Recently they wrote this: Over 1100 institutions. More than $14 trillion. Fossil fuel divestment is, by far, the largest divestment movement in history — and yet Washington State remains deeply invested in the Exxons, Chevrons, and BPs of the world. Can you […]