Articles by GlenAnderson

About GlenAnderson
Since the late 1960s Glen Anderson has devoted his life to working as a volunteer for peace, nonviolence, social justice, and progressive political issues. He has worked through many existing organizations and started several. Over the years he has worked especially for such wide-ranging goals as making peace with Vietnam, eliminating nuclear weapons, converting from a military economy to a peacetime economy, abolishing the death penalty, promoting nonviolence at all levels throughout society, and helping people organize and strategize for grassroots movements to solve many kinds of problems. He writes, speaks, and conducts training workshops on a wide variety of topics. Since 1987 he has produced and hosted a one-hour cable TV interview program on many kinds of issues. Since 2017 he has blogged at https://parallaxperspectives.org He lives in Lacey near Olympia WA. You can reach him at (360) 491-9093 glen@parallaxperspectives.org
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U.S. gov’t makes nuclear weapons crisis worse. Instead, take these positive steps.

April 30, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

Information in this blog post came from a page 8-9 article in the April 2019 issue of the Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action (www.gzcenter.org), the 4 decades-old peace group located immediately next to the Trident nuclear weapons base in Kitsap County WA.  The article was written by Elizabeth Murray based on information provided by Bruce Gagnon, the coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space (www.space4peace.org), an amazingly informative non-profit organization and website. First I lay out THE PROBLEM.  Then I lay out SOME REMEDIES:   THE PROBLEM: Elizabeth Murray reported that at a recent […]

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News updates about Trump’s anti-immigrant question on the 2020 Census.

April 29, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

I have posted information several times about Trump’s intention to list a question about citizenship on the 2020 census.  That is a horrible idea for several reasons that I have stated in previous blog posts. Now in late April 2019 there is more news about that.   BACKGROUND AND PREVIOUS INFORMATION: http://parallaxperspectives.org/more-federal-judges-overrule-trumps-census-question-about-citizenship AND http://parallaxperspectives.org/updates-protect-the-2020-census-from-trumps-anti-immigrant-bias   NEWS IN APRIL 2019 On April 17, 2019, the national ACLU provided this information, which they encourage people to share widely.  (I’ve edited it only slightly here): Watch the video at the link at the end of this message, and share it with other people. […]

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Articles + videos: Greta Thunberg, Swedish teenager, speaks boldly to world leaders about climate crisis

April 29, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

An amazing 16-year-old from Sweden has spoken many times to groups of powerful leaders in many countries, including international gatherings.  Greta Thunberg has impressed people with her bold critique of the problems that led to the climate crisis — and her bold critique of powerful people and bodies that fail to take necessary actions. Her speeches have been videotaped and can be watched.  Some copies of her texts are also available.  Here are some links.   Greta Thunberg continues speaking boldly to world leaders. In April 2019 she spoke to some members of the UK’s House of Commons. The text […]

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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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U.S.’s “regime change” efforts have been disastrous.

April 26, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

The U.S. has OVERTHROWN many governments — including many democracies. Sometimes the U.S. claims we are protecting “human rights” or restoring “democracy.” But the truth is almost always the opposite. See examples at the “Peace” and “International Affairs” parts of this blog, www.parallaxperspectives.org   An April 22, 2019, article on www.commondreams.org exposed the U.S.’s horrible track record in the context of the Trump regime’s attempt to overthrow Venezuela’s elected president.  READ THE ARTICLE AT THIS LINK. In the article see this photo of a poster attached to Venezuela’s embassy in Washington DC:            

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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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Washington State’s tax regressive system is grossly unjust. The poor pay too much. The rich pay too little.

April 25, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

For decades Washington State has had THE VERY WORST tax system in the U.S.  It is horribly REGRESSIVE.  This means that poor people pay a high percentage of their income and rich people pay a low percentage. About 50 years ago I read a historian’s book chapter explaining how it was that Washington State has always opposed an income tax and supported a sales tax, while Oregon (our neighbor to the south) had a history of the exact opposite.  I don’t remember the historical reasons now, but the legacy continues to hurt Washington State and especially our poor and working […]

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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 […]

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We need an “Animal Society for the Humane Treatment of People.”

April 23, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

Various non-profit organizations bring people together to urge the humane treatment of animals. We also need to REVERSE that.   We need an “Animal Society for the Humane Treatment of People.”   Animals don’t discriminate. A dog will sniff any dog’s butt, regardless of what color the dog’s fur, whether it’s short-haired or fluffy, etc. Dogs and other animals should teach people how to treat other people humanely.