American society is terribly polarized. People of good will need to practice nonviolence and solve our nation’s problems. I compiled many quotations that are excellent resources to help us do that. Please see this document: QUOTATIONS from many persons about de-polarizing and using nonviolence to solve problems
For a very long time the U.S. had a “War Department,” but we conducted very few foreign wars. In 1947 Congress changed it to the “Department of Defense,” and we have conducted many, many wars since then, including our 2-decades-long Endless War against “terrorism.” Sensible people want to replace the U.S.’s chronically aggressive and violently militaristic foreign policy. The diagram linked here can help us figure out strategies for doing that. It is fun to bring a few friends together to work through this exercise together. Also, it can be useful for you to work with it alone. Creative insights […]
For a number of years now, our society has been hurt by sloppy thinking, oversimplification, and the distortion and denial of reality. To get out of our current mess, we need to think more clearly. We must stop lumping people together into wholesale stereotypes. Reality is more complex than that. You DO support reality, don’t you? Let’s avoid the seductive trap of binary thinking (“us” vs. “them,” etc.). We will not save our nation by merely defeating the people we think are wrong. The people who were defeated simply go underground and come back again: Example #1: After World War […]
Throughout the past four years Trump has done many, many bad things. Some of Trump’s damage is irreversible (lives lost by his incompetent mismanagement of the pandemic, ecosystems destroyed and cancers caused by his environmental deregulations, families broken apart by cruelty to immigrants, and much, much more). But Biden can REVERSE many of Trump’s cruel and corrupt actions — especially those Trump accomplished by executive actions and by “reinterpretations” of federal laws and regulations. A variety of good organizations are recommending good actions that Biden should take promptly. Here are just a few. I might compile more recommendations for Biden […]
My November 2020 TV program (“How to De-Polarize American Society”) explored how to heal the extremely serious divisiveness that has been escalating throughout American society. You can watch the video interview and/or read the thorough summary I typed up at the “TV Programs” and “Nonviolence” parts of this blog. The thorough summary ends with some resources that could help us de-polarize American Society. I am providing many more resources below — and also the blog post about QUOTATIONS regarding de-polarization. See that on this blog’s “TV Programs” and “Nonviolence” parts. Also see EVEN MORE resources at this link: 2020.11 De-Polarization — […]
Recently I posted to my blog a short notice that Trump’s coup is ALREADY FAR UNDERWAY and included links to two excellent nationwide organizations working to protect honest democracy from Trump’s coup: http://parallaxperspectives.org/trumps-coup-against-electoral-democracy-is-far-underway-these-two-resources-can-protect-us Some very savvy organizers and writers have provided some additional information, resources and encouragement. The blog post you’re reading now connects you with some of these. We already know about “denialism.” Despite much hard evidence, some people deny the climate crisis, Trump and his followers were denying the reality of Coronavirus, and so forth. Now — again despite much evidence — some people are pretending that Trump is […]
In addition to the November 2020 TV program and a subsequent post about “Compassionate Listening,” here are TWO ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES to learn more about it and to use it in your daily life: A Taste of Compassionate Listening serves as a prerequisite for further trainings. It’s also a good refresher of CL basics. It will occur Monday November 2, 2020, from 4:00to 6:30 PST/7 to 9:30 EST. Register and more info here. Compassionate Listening in Polarizing Times is taught by the two women who are guests on the November 2020 TV program (Susan Partnow and Rachel Eryn Kalish. It will run […]
If you are finding value from — or are simply intrigued by — the wise, compassionate insights that the two women I interview in my November 2020 TV program (“How to De-Polarize American Society,” http://parallaxperspectives.org/how-to-de-polarize-american-society), you might want to sign up for the introductory online course in “Compassionate Listening” that another person is offering on 6 Mondays from November 9 through December 14. See information at this link: https://www.compassionatelistening.org/events-1/healing-our-world-from-the-inside-out-intro-to-compassionate-listening-w-tom-mcsteen When you click a link there to get more information, you will see more than this exciting summary: Compassionate Listening is a practice that reaches deep into the heart of discord or […]
Progressives rooted in nonviolence softened the hearts of Trump supporters who invaded their campaign rally: Nowadays our society is so polarized — and right-wingers are trying so hard to intimidate other people — that we need to share the positive examples of conflict resolution that have been occurring. HERE IS A GREAT EXAMPLE of how a progressive Democratic campaign rally softened the hearts of Trump supporters who invaded it: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/10/19/1987688/-Flag-Waving-Trumpers-Crash-Qasim-Rashid-for-Congress-Event-What-Happened-Next-Will-Inspire-You?detail=emaildkre How to face right-wing violence while defending the election — a conversation with George Lakey: As Americans prepare to stop a coup, concerns for safety are rising. Longtime trainer George […]
Here is info about the NOVEMBER 2020 episode of “Glen’s Parallax Perspectives” TV program. Please publicize it in whatever ways you can. Thank you! How to De-Polarize American Society The November 2020 interview on “Glen’s Parallax Perspectives” TV series (also watchable on your computer) is very timely now in late 2020 — and beyond. Our nation is sharply polarized regarding politics and public policy issues. Many Americans recognize that we must heal the extreme polarization that is tearing our country apart. Three guests share their insights and remedies so all of us can help to de-polarize our nation. Thurston County’s […]
More and more people are alerting the public and organizing nonviolent actions to protect honest democracy from Trump’s coup, which is already underway and will likely proceed beyond election day. I’ll send you info about that today, but right now you can SIGN UP FOR TONIGHT’S “ACTION HOUR” on Zoom so you can take quick actions to protect the election and stop Trump’s coup. Here is information I edited from an organizer of TONIGHT’S “ACTION HOUR” on Zoom: Join with other people to take preventative action to stop Trump’s coup and support a free and fair election! Register now […]
We Need Universal Single-Payer Health Care Now! The September 2020 interview on “Glen’s Parallax Perspectives” examines our nation’s persistent failure to provide health care for everybody, persistent failure to control costs, and chronic injustices in paying the bills. The U.S. spends twice as much per capita than other nations do, but many millions of Americans have no health care at all, and Americans’ health outcomes are worse than other nations. Two knowledgeable guests explain the problems in clear, understandable ways – and they propose a smart, cost-effective way to cover everybody with high quality health care at lower cost than […]
We need a Green New Deal right now: https://medium.com/discourse/why-we-need-a-green-new-deal-right-now-fa719cd34d30 Buy the book, “WINNING THE GREEN NEW DEAL”: I always buy from locally owned bookstores instead of national chains. Here is information from the publisher: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Winning-the-Green-New-Deal/Varshini-Prakash/9781982142438?utm_source=author_site&utm_medium=author_site&utm_campaign=winning_the_green_new_deal&utm_content=&emci=cab9f2c4-dfe6-ea11-8b03-00155d0394bb&emdi=8a934de6-e0e6-ea11-8b03-00155d0394bb&ceid=33653 Naomi Klein: The Green New Deal Is Changing the Calculus of the Possible. She says big ideas are the only ones that can realistically tackle the climate crisis. https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/naomi-klein-green-new-deal-climate-change/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily%2002222019&utm_term=daily Yes, we really can fix our problems. In the 1930s the New Deal was bold and significantly helped solve our nation’s problems then. Now we must pass the GREEN New Deal. Strongly urge […]
Elected officials, newspaper editorial boards, and other official power-holders shy away from making the bold, humane changes for social and economic justice because they say those bold reforms are not “politically feasible.” Our job is to organize strategically from the grassroots to build movements that expand the range of what is “politically feasible,” so our demands will become obviously necessary instead of dismissed as unrealistic. Instead of lamenting “ain’t-it-awful,” let’s change the awful realities by organizing strategically savvy grassroots movements! I encourage you to SIGN UP NOW for the series of 6 weekly workshops starting on YOUR CHOICE of […]
For decades, knowledgeable people have known that nuclear power is bad in many, many ways. Now, although some people claim nuclear power is a viable alternative to fossil fuels, knowledgeable people explain why it is BAD FOR THE CLIMATE TOO. Here are links to a few articles about nuclear power, including its harm to the climate: Nuclear reactors make climate change worse: https://beyondnuclearinternational.org/2020/09/13/nuclear-reactors-make-climate-change-worse/ Sea level rise threatens nuclear power waste sites: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0301421519306937?fbclid=IwAR1dcJcWD_R3T85TrUktUk3ozmEfvEqw52YKNskyDXEFuohheQK58RZir8U&via%3Dihub Click link to tell Congress that nuclear power is NOT a remedy for the climate crisis: https://org2.salsalabs.com/o/5502/t/0/blastContent.jsp?email_blast_KEY=1433809 The non-profit organization that provided the link […]
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