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A few recent articles about democracy and our current crisis

August 29, 2020 GlenAnderson 0

Many people recognize that the U.S. is suffering a crisis that is seriously jeopardizing our Constitution, our democracy, and our freedom. Here are just a few articles from August 2020 that will remain relevant:   Our stressful times tempt people to “escape from freedom” and seek conspiracy theories, authoritarian leaders, etc.  When you open this link, be sure to click through all pages of this interesting article: https://www.opednews.com/articles/Mechanisms-of-Escape-from-by-Blair-Gelbond-Advertising_Alienation_Buddhism_Capitalism-200823-598.html   A few giant corporations have amassed huge wealth and political power — and are pushing the U.S. in wrong ways: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-08-18/monopoly-power-lies-behind-worst-trends-in-u-s-fed-study-says?emci=3e848430-6ae2-ea11-8b03-00155d0394bb&emdi=da0563eb-70e2-ea11-8b03-00155d0394bb&ceid=3273229   America is descending into fascism because this serves the […]

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“Let’s Boldly Create the Future We Really Want”

August 29, 2020 GlenAnderson 0

The June 2020 TV program for the “Glen’s Parallax Perspectives” TV series addresses the serious problems that we are experiencing and encourages people to boldly envision solutions. People know the status quo is bad – and they want to solve the problems. But nearly everybody is bogged down in feeling powerless.  They don’t feel empowered to solve the problems, and they don’t know how to proceed. This TV program — and the transcript I have posted at this link,  2020.06 BOLD FUTURE — TRANSCRIPT with MORE INFORMATION and RESOURCES — start by confronting the serious problems in our world, our nation, […]

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Trump is manipulating the 2020 Census AGAIN for his political purposes

August 25, 2020 GlenAnderson 0

Several times I have posted information to this blog about Trump’s cruel, racist, partisan manipulation of the 2020 Census.  Now he is doing it again in a different way. See background here in this post from July 30, 2020:  http://parallaxperspectives.org/trumps-latest-scheme-to-use-the-2020-census-to-hurt-immigrants-and-democrats See this NEWER INFORMATION: In early August 2020 the Coalition on Human Needs (www.chn.org) reported this: The Trump administration is planning to end the constitutionally required U.S. Census before it is even completed. Missing children and vulnerable people throughout our country would have a devastating two-fold effect for the next decade: cutting funding for a wide range of programs that have […]

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Here is what the Confederate flag, Confederate statues, etc., REALLY mean

July 30, 2020 GlenAnderson 0

For decades it has been VERY COMMON for people to wave the Confederate flag, attach bumper stickers with its image, etc., and to celebrate it as “heritage” but denying what it really means. Trump has even threatened to veto the entire military budget if it included an amendment to change the names of military bases that have been named after Confederate leaders. A century and a half ago — in the early 1860s — slavery divided our nation so extremely that the Southern states actually REBELLED against the United States and SECEDED FROM THE UNION and actually DECLARED WAR AGAINST […]

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U.S. House OVERWHELMINGLY voted NOT to move Pentagon money to better purposes.

July 30, 2020 GlenAnderson 0

On July 21, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 324 to 93 (with 13 not voting) to DEFEAT a proposal to move a mere 10% of military spending to human, environmental, and health needs.  Here are the lists of 93 YEA and 324 NAY votes:  http://clerk.house.gov/cgi-bin/vote.asp?year=2020&rollnumber=148  It’s rare for our local Representative Denny Heck (WA 10th Cong.Dist.) to vote correctly on such an issue, but in this case he was one of the 93 who voted to cut the Pentagon’s budget. MOST Democrats joined ALL Republicans (except for 13 Republicans who did not vote) in defeating this sensible proposal. NEITHER […]

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Trump’s latest scheme to use the 2020 Census to hurt immigrants and Democrats

July 30, 2020 GlenAnderson 0

The U.S. Constitution REQUIRES a Census — and explicitly EQUIRES counting all “persons.”  It does NOT say “citizens.”  Trump tried before — and he is trying again — to ABUSE the 2020 Census in order to hurt immigrants, hurt the communities where they live, and hurt Democrats.  Trump’s abuses are VIOLATING the Constitution.  But the Democratic Party refuses to impeach him about this.   Previously I had posted information to this blog about how Trump was trying to abuse the 2020 Census for his racist, political advantage.  See those posts.  SEE THIS for a collection of background articles: http://parallaxperspectives.org/wp-admin/post.php?post=2377&action=edit   NOW […]

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Many of Trump’s hard-core supporters are like CULT MEMBERS.

June 30, 2020 GlenAnderson 0

This two-part article explores the mindset of a typical hardcore Trump supporter. Part 1 of this article is here:  https://www.nationofchange.org/2018/11/26/exploring-the-mindset-of-a-typical-hardcore-trump-supporter/ Part 2 is here:  https://www.nationofchange.org/2020/01/03/exploring-the-mindset-of-a-typical-hardcore-trump-supporter-part-two/ “Other-blamers” — Psychology expert explains how Trump hijacks voters’ brains with his abusive personality style: https://www.alternet.org/2019/07/other-blamers-psychology-expert-explains-how-trump-hijacks-voters-brains-with-his-abusive-personality-style/?utm_source=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=531   When a racist mass shooting occurred in the summer of 2019 experts and lawmakers said we should call it what it was: ‘Trump-inspired terrorism’: https://www.alternet.org/2019/08/experts-and-lawmakers-say-time-to-call-racist-shooting-what-it-was-trump-inspired-terrorism/?utm_source=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1012   Conservative journalist George Will says the Republican Party has ‘become a cult’ of Trump: https://www.alternet.org/2019/06/veteran-conservative-journalist-george-will-the-gop-has-become-a-cult-of-trump/?utm_source=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=297   Trump’s true believers are hard to deal with: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/5/1823854/-WHY-THOSE-WHO-LOATHE-TRUMP-FIND-IT-SO-HARD-TO-ACCEPT-HIS-SUPPORTERS?detail=emaildkre   14 distinct cognitive flaws leading people […]

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Trump’s re-election goal is to keep the pandemic danger high and prevent voting by mail. Then sensible people STAY HOME and his loyal cult followers will turn out and vote.

June 30, 2020 GlenAnderson 0

Put these few facts together: Democratic candidates are more likely to win when large numbers of people vote. In a number of states ruled by Republicans, those states do several things to reduce voter turnout — and to make it hard for racial minorities, young people, and poor people to vote, because those people tend to vote for Democrats. Voting by mail significantly increases voter turnout.  Trump and Republicans strongly oppose this, because they want to SUPPRESS voter turnout. The Coronavirus pandemic makes it dangerous to vote in person (in the 45 states that do not have voting by mail). […]

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What Erich Fromm wrote about Fascism in 1941 pertains to the U.S. under Trumpism now.

June 28, 2020 GlenAnderson 0

In 1941 Erich Fromm wrote this about the Fascism that had emerged in Europe: “When Fascism came into power, most people were unprepared, both theoretically and practically. They were unable to believe that man could exhibit such propensities to evil, such lust for power, such disregard for the rights of the weak, or such yearning for submission.” Fromm wrote this about the Fascism that had emerged in Europe by 1941. He could scarcely have imagined that Trumpism would repeat those evils in the U.S.A. with the 2016 election. See this blog’s section on “Trump and Trumpism.”  

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Trump, Republicans and conservatives keep making the pandemic WORSE AND WORSE!

June 28, 2020 GlenAnderson 0

Republicans are NOT “pro-life.”  They keep sacrificing people’s lives to the Coronavirus pandemic in order to help businesses produce and sell. Trump, Republicans and conservatives show horrible negativity and denialism against the honest science that we need in order to save our lives. Here are just a few examples from late June 2020: This article explains the late June 2020 surge in new Coronavirus cases: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/the-us-s-new-surge-in-coronavirus-cases-explained/ar-BB162ob2?ocid=spartan-ntp-feeds   Trump’s crazy psychology: Zero empathy for victims. Coronavirus victims are simply “losers.” And more … Although we know a lot about Trump’s bizarre psychology, this article provides more information: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/6/25/1955974/-Trump-believes-anyone-who-dies-from-Covid-19-is-a-loser?detail=emaildkreicymi   New COVID […]

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Voters are much more progressive than the institutional Democratic Party and its timid Joe Biden.

June 23, 2020 GlenAnderson 0

Public opinion polling shows majorities of the public — especially Democrats but also large numbers of Independents and Republicans — urging VERY BOLD public policies, such as: Getting big money out of political campaigns Providing a nationwide system of good quality health care for every person Strong actions to protect the climate Protecting ordinary people from big business’s abuses Sharply reducing police violence And much more … During the 2020 primary election season, Bernie Sanders campaigned on boldly progressive issues, and he won huge numbers of votes from many kinds of people, including the working class, minorities, and other segments […]

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These interesting items show that the U.S.’s democracy and government are NOT functioning adequately.

June 23, 2020 GlenAnderson 0

The U.S.’s government and democracy are SERIOUSLY DYSFUNCTIONAL in several ways. Ordinary people need to understand the problems and organize from the grassroots up to solve these SYSTEMIC PROBLEMS. Both political parties have been negligent and have caused the problems, and neither political party is solving them.     See this information about problems with the U.S.’s democracy, and how to solve them: See this article — https://thefulcrum.us/big-picture/american-academy-of-arts-and-sciences — and see this thorough 84-page report:  https://www.amacad.org/ourcommonpurpose/report     Instead of “checks and balances” — and instead of accountability — Trump is FIRING THE WATCHDOGS that we need in order to […]

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Trump’s seriously dysfunctional psychology keeps getting worse — with VERY DANGEROUS implications.

June 16, 2020 GlenAnderson 0

I keep seeing more and more information about Trump’s serious psychological problems.  Trump’s bizarre, reckless, hate-filled rhetoric and behavior are alarming — and DANGEROUS for our nation and for the world.  Also, many psychologists and psychologists keep writing and speaking about his psychological disabilities and dangers. He is absolutely obsessed with bragging about himself and what an excellent job he is doing as President.  He said his performance regarding Coronavirus would rate 10 on a 10-point scale.  Even when he is supposed to be honoring somebody else, he exploits that occasion and focuses largely on praising himself.  He wasted taxpayers’ […]

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We can recognize our political angers and frustrations — and harness them to SOLVE the problems.

June 15, 2020 GlenAnderson 0

Much of our nation – across the entire political spectrum – is very angry right now. This is a reality. Instead of escalating in back-and-forth escalations (or circular firing squads), we can recognize the reality that much anger exists. If we recognize that reality we can harness our own anger and move toward solving the underlying problems.  See the practical information below. (FULL DISCLOSURE: I myself have been angry about political matters for more than half a century. But instead of wallowing in anger and cynicism, I keep learning, keep sharpening my analysis, and work with other people to actually […]