Glen's Parallax Perspectives

Experts say evidence proves the U.S. is a dying democracy. “Regime change” here?

July 27, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

Experts now rank the U.S. among the world’s DECLINING DEMOCRACIES. This article provides information: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/7/7/1778307/-Experts-now-rank-the-United-States-among-the-world-s-declining-democracies?detail=emaildkre Here is another article about this, drawing from the same original information: https://www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/news/monkey-cage/wp/2018/07/03/one-third-of-the-worlds-population-lives-in-a-declining-democracy-that-includes-americans/ A former intelligence officer says we’re in serious danger of losing American constitutional republic forever. Putin manipulated the US’s 2016 election. Trump is Putin’s tool. This is very scary! Many Americans are tired of hearing about Russia, but this is the real story. Read the article at this link: https://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/former-intelligence-officer-malcolm-nance-were-cusp-losing-american-constitutional?src=newsletter1094168 A constitutional law professor wrote this strong article about the constitutional crisis Trump has been causing. Read the article […]

More about Trump’s blatantly racist, xenophobic, partisan “citizenship” question in 2020 census

July 27, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

Recently I posted several news items — and action alerts — about Trump’s decision to add a question on the 2020 census asking about each person’s citizenship. That post explained why it is blatantly racist, xenophobic and partisan. See that post at this link: http://parallaxperspectives.org/urgent-info-and-action-alert-protect-the-2020-census-from-trumps-abuse Now here are two more news items: #1: A lawsuit was filed to stop the “citizenship” question. A judge said the case can move ahead because there is enough evidence that the “citizenship question” could illegally discriminate. Here is the link to an article about this progress in that lawsuit: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/census-citizenship-question-lawsuit_us_5b59efa5e4b0b15aba96689f?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=__Politics_072618&utm_content=__Politics_072618+Version+A+CID_e1b9fde71c1a334ec6b1d6600b7ccca6&utm_source=Email%20marketing%20software&utm_term=A%20judge%20said%20a%20lawsuit%20challenging%20a%20citizenship%20question%20on%20the%202020%20census%20can%20advance&ncid=newsltushpmgnews__Politics_072618 #2: A […]

Democracy’s threats are deeper than Russia.

July 27, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

Mainstream media and the official Democratic Party want us to think that Russia is the main threat to American democracy. The actual threats are different and much more deep-seated. While Russia clearly did bad things to American democracy during the 2016 election — and before and since — focusing on Russia is a clever distraction promoted by people who want us to ignore the much more serious threats. Trump won in 2016 largely because so many Americans were disgusted with the status quo. Over the years, public opinion polls kept showing increasing numbers of people saying the U.S. is on […]

Stop the Endless Wars. Repeal the 2001 AUMF.

July 27, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

For decades the Cold War allowed our nation’s militarists — and the weapons manufacturing corporations that fund them — to stampede the U.S. media and politicians and public into decades of recklessly wasteful military spending, including several wars and proxy wars and thousands of nuclear weapons. They said that this is Priority #1, so we could not afford bold efforts to end poverty, take care of the environment, or do other crucial work. When the Cold War ended, those same vested interests — our nation’s militarists and the weapons manufacturers — and conservative elements that opposed solving our nation’s social […]

Community Affirmation: Peace, Not Nuclear Weapons

July 27, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

This Community Affirmation was affirmed at the June 1982 International Religious Convocation for the Second United Nations Special Session on Disarmament. It remains timely today. Community Affirmation We who live in the shadow of the mushroom cloud and the dangers of bullets on our streets Today declare our hope in the future. From the diversity of our religious traditions We have come to renew our belief in the holiness of the earth and the sanctity of all life. We declare we are at peace with all people of good will. We need no leader to define […]

Declaration of Independence from Nuclear Weapons

July 27, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

This document was created in 1985 and is still an important and positive alternative to our current crisis. May we all join in! Dozens of persons (including me) signed this document on Fourth of July weekend of 1985 in a ceremony outside the Trident Nuclear Submarine base at Bangor in Kitsap County WA. Ten years later dozens more signed it in a renewal of the original ceremony. MAY WE ALL JOIN TOGETHER IN AFFIRMING IT NOW, decades later! Declaration of Independence from Nuclear Weapons We are people living in the shadow of nuclear annihilation. We recognize that our present way […]

ACLU’s “People Power” movement can help you protec civil liberties and civil rights.

July 27, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

While the American Civil Liberties Union (www.aclu.org) works hard in court rooms and in Congress and state legislatures, they also are increasingly organizing and supporting people to volunteer effectively at the local grassroots level. I encourage you to consider working with their People Power campaign (www.peoplepower.org). They can help you work on voting rights, immigrant rights, racial justice, and many other areas of concern.

Voters do want prosecutors to be PROGRESSIVE, not “tough-on-crime.”

July 27, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

In almost every state, the voters elect their local prosecuting attorneys. For many years prosecutors were elected and re-elected by being “tough-on-crime,” and public opinion seemed to support “lock-em-up-and-throw-away-the-key” policies. Mainstream media kept reinforcing that stereotype, and both of the big political parties bought into it. We were very stuck. But finally people are paying attention to the RESEARCH that PROVES those “tough-on-crime” laws and policies DO NOT WORK. Also, voters want to replace those with fair and just reforms. Besides being seriously biased by race and economic class, they are grossly unjust and they waste taxpayers’ money. Now the […]

Monday July 30, 7:00 pm: Meet and hear Peace Walkers against nuclear weapons

July 25, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

Meet & hear Peace Walkers against nuclear weapons July 30 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm PDT Traditions Café, 5th & Water SW, Olympia Meet and hear the people who are walking from Eugene, Oregon, to Bangor, Washington, when they pass through Olympia on Monday July 30. This is the 14th year that members of the community at the Ground Zero Center for Nonviolence (www.gzcenter.org) have walked for peace and nuclear disarmament. Olympia’s people enjoy connecting with them when they walk through our town. Join us this evening to celebrate the wonderful history of disarmament activities in western Washington. We […]

Many individuals add up to strong “people-power!”

July 25, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

I enjoy sharing with people a story I heard about 40 years ago. We need to internalize this story’s message, let it inspire us to persist in organizing nonviolent grassroots movements for peace, human rights, the climate, and so forth — and share this story with other people. Here is the story: Two birds were enjoying a conversation while perched on a branch. One of them mentioned that each individual snowflake weighs practically nothing. A snowflake can land on a branch, and the branch does not move at all. Another snowflake can land without the branch noticing it. And another […]

3 existential crises need our vigorous action now!

July 25, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

Many issues demand our attention and action. Right now, THREE stand out as EXISTENTIAL CRISES. We must solve these in order to protect human civilization from destruction: #1: Nuclear weapons are increasingly likely to destroy the world: Decades after the Cold War ended, nuclear weapons still persist. Giant corporations and the politicians they own have convinced Obama and Trump to BUILD ALL NEW NUCLEAR WEAPONS to replace the U.S.’s ENTIRE ARSENAL with new bombs, missiles, submarines, bombers, etc. They are projected to cost $1.7 TRILLION cost over the next 30 years, so to pay for this, Congress will be slashing […]

Norway’s Prime Minister rebuffed Trump’s stupid immigration statement

July 21, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

In January 2018 when Trump referred to Haiti and African countries as “shithole” countries, he said he’d be OK with having immigrants come from [white countries such as] Norway. Immediately Norway’s Prime Minister rebuffed Trump’s racist ignorance by saying more people are going from the U.S. to Norway than from there to here. Here is an article about that: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/1/24/1735614/-A-quick-message-from-Norway-s-Prime-Minister?detail=emaildkre Trump pretends to like Norway. Wouldn’t he be surprised to find out what Norway really has? A peaceful foreign policy! Health care for everyone! High taxes for rich people and corporations! A huge social safety net! A truly humane and […]

A public school district PUNISHES its LBGT students by FORCING them to read the Bible.

July 21, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

A public school district is PUNISHING its LGBT students by FORCING them to read the Bible. This is wrong on so many levels! 1. A public school district is wrong to punish LGBT students. 2. No public school district should be promoting any religion. 3. A religion’s scriptures should be a joy to read and ponder. Forcing people to read them totally destroys the value of scriptures. Such an authoritarian command paints religion as a punishment, so it is actually hurting religion. 4. The U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment guarantees freedom of religion. Specifically, the Constitution prohibits government from imposing any […]

Freedom of Religion Does NOT Give Permission to Hurt Other People

July 21, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

In 1993 the U.S. Congress — with broad support by congressional members of both big political parties and much grassroots support across the political spectrum — passed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) to explicitly protect people’s free exercise of religion. This is especially important for religious minorities. Example #1: Suppose your employer expects you to work on your holy day. The RFRA supports your effort to exchange that work day for a different day. Example #2: Suppose your religion expects you to wear something special on your head or grow your beard out, but your employer or some law […]

U.S. govt’s official thinking about nuclear weapons: Utterly Bizarre and Bi-Partisan

July 21, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

Do you remember “With enough shovels …”? President Reagan’s Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Strategic and Theater Nuclear Forces was T.K. Jones. He believed we could easily survive nuclear war. Here is what he said we should do if a nuclear attack was coming: “Dig a hole, cover it with a couple of doors and then throw three feet of dirt on top…. It’s the dirt that does it … if there are enough shovels to go around, everybody’s going to make it.” This is utterly preposterous on several grounds, including: If you are in the little hole you […]