Examples of Parallax Views – Page 49 – Glen's Parallax Perspectives

Thomas Merton’s quotation about the violence in American culture

October 7, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

Thomas Merton, the pacifist philosopher, theologian and mystic, wrote this (probably during the 1960s): “The real focus of American violence is in the very culture itself, its mass media, its extreme individualism and competitiveness, its inflated myths of virility and toughness, and its overwhelming preoccupation with the power of nuclear, chemical, bacteriological, and psychological overkill. If we live in what is essentially a culture of overkill, how can we be surprised at finding violence in it? Can we get to the root of the trouble? In my opinion, the best way to do it would have been the classic way […]

To Achieve Social Justice, We Must De-Polarize Our Society

October 7, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

Oppressors like to use a “divide-and-conquer” strategy in order to keep the oppressed people from joining together to empower themselves to nonviolently fight against the oppressors. We need to recognize that tactic and refuse to let oppressors polarize us by race or religion or sexual orientation or any other factor. I wrote this article in 2018 and encourage people to read it and use its insights to de-polarize our society so we can join together to work for social justice: De-Polarize

“Let’s Understand the Islamic Faith”

October 1, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

The October 2018 episode of “Glen’s Parallax Perspectives” TV series helps us understand the Islamic faith. Islam is the world’s second most popular religion, but most Americans who are not Muslim do not understand it. Many of the things Americans think they know about Islam are not actually true. I invite you to watch this TV interview with three knowledgeable, articulate Muslims so you will gain a clear and accurate understanding. See the link below to watch the program — and the link below that to read a thorough summary of what we said and a list of sources for […]

5 Ways Small Actions Have Huge Power

September 22, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

Individuals might think they are too small and powerless to accomplish very much. But the article at this link explains that small actions can provide leverage that can accomplish huge positive results: https://www.ecowatch.com/small-actions-have-huge-power-2604264146.html?utm_source=EcoWatch%2BList&utm_campaign=324dd68e5b-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-324dd68e5b-85369701

U.S. govt’s “best and brightest” keep pushing us into unwinnable wars

September 22, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

For many decades U.S. foreign policy has been bi-partisan, reflecting the needs of U.S. business corporations around the world, and grounded in the myth of “entitlement” and “U.S. Exceptionalism,” the notions that the U.S. is unique in history in being the world’s ultimate savior, and therefore not bound by international law, and not subject to the constraints and realities that have confined other nations that were not the one Beacon of Liberty to save the world. The elite people who have shaped U.S. foreign policy for many decades share those assumptions, even if they have educations from elite universities and […]

Peace group creates an “Alternative Nuclear Posture Review” that would prevent nuclear war

September 22, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

The government and much of the public assume that we need nuclear weapons for our “national security. However, the truth is that nuclear weapons make us INSECURE because they could blow us all up. Presidents devise their nuclear weapons policies in the form of a “Nuclear Posture Review.” Trump released his already. It is recklessly dangerous. Now a peace organization that opposes nuclear weapons (www.globalzero.org) has created its own ALTERNATIVE “Nuclear Posture Review” that would actually make us MORE SECURE, not LESS. Instead of planning how to fight nuclear wars, this alternative promotes genuine deterrence. The author (a former nuclear […]

Republicans excuse Kavanaugh’s crime from age 17. Will they release all prisoners who committed crimes at age 17 or in 1982 or before, when Kavanaugh commited his crime?

September 21, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

Our nation’s prisons are full of prisoners who had committed felonies at age 17, were tried as adults, and were sentenced to very long sentences — sometimes life terms. Republicans say Brett Kavanaugh committed his crime at age 17, which was a long time ago, so he should be allowed to serve on the Supreme Court. That logic should COMPEL those Republicans to LIKEWISE release from prison ALL prisoners who had committed their crimes at age 17 or before, and ALL prisoners who had committed their crimes in 1982 (when Kavanaugh committed his crime) or longer ago. But MORE THAN […]

A Solid Case for Nonviolence as Ethical, Practical and Powerful

September 19, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

Please see this savvy, well organized 13-page essay at this link: A Solid Case for Nonviolence as Ethical, Practical and Powerful

Fresh insights into economic inequality: Challenge the “growth” assumption!

September 9, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

One of the activities of the Institute for Policy Studies (www.ips-dc.org), a multi-issue progressive think tank, is a project that challenges economic inequality. (See www.inequality.org). Their post on September 3, 2018, includes a link to this article: https://inequality.org/great-divide/degrowth-movement-economic-health/ The article offers fresh insights into economics. The article’s headline and sub-head say: The Degrowth Movement Challenges the Conventional Wisdom on Economic Health A coalition of academics and activists are taking on the dogma of growth and calling for a radical reorganization of the economy. I encourage people to read it and use its insights to promote economic justice, social justice, and […]

Congress should kick BILLIONAIRES off welfare!

September 9, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders has introduced legislation that would hold billionaires accountable for the extremely low wages they pay their employees. Currently, some of the biggest, most profitable businesses pay their employees so little that the employees must apply for welfare, food stamps, government-funded medical care, public housing, etc. Conservatives blame people for getting “welfare,” but actually our political/economic system allows these giant corporations to get “welfare.” TAXPAYERS ARE SUBSIDIZING THESE ABUSIVE BUSINESSES. Bernie Sanders’ legislation is named after Jeff Bezos, the richest man in the history of the world. His assets total $158 BILLION, and his wealth increases by […]

Why people support Trump — AND smart ways for us to organize against Trumpism

August 30, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

Read the insightful article at this link: https://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/here-are-15-reasons-why-trumps-supporters-will-never-abandon-him?src=newsletter1095784 Some of these 15 reasons are things we have already known. But some of these offer fresh insights that have not been discussed very much. We could make progress organizing against Trump and Trumpism by paying attention to these and devising strategies to reduce or counter those supports. EXAMPLES: 1. How could we reach out to the public, connect with their basic values and interests, reinforce good values and the broad public interest, educate them about some of the basic facts, and motivate people to pay attention and get engaged with politics […]

Nuclear weapons are still an extreme danger even after the Cold War

August 14, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

Some people think that nuclear weapons are less of a danger now that the Cold War has ended. Actually, the danger persists and is getting worse! They are still on hair-trigger alert. The U.S. is building “more usable” nuclear weapons and is threatening to use them. • After the Cold War ended, the public stopped paying attention. The numbers of nuclear weapons declined, but the U.S. still has a policy of willingness to begin a nuclear war (not merely retaliate), and the nuclear weapons are still on hair-trigger alert. Accidents, miscalculations, and – under Trump – moments of irrational anger […]

Electing Democrats will NOT protect us from nuclear weapons

August 14, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

• Both political parties have been funding nuclear weapons and have been supporting their use since the 1940s. Franklin D. Roosevelt started building them. Harry Truman dropped two on Japan, killing many thousands of innocent civilians. John Kennedy fully expected to use them during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. Barack Obama authorized the replacement of ALL U.S. nuclear weapons (at a cost of much more than $1 TRILLION). Congress’s Democrats have been funding nuclear weapons since the 1940s. The crisis is truly bi-partisan! • Overall, the U.S.’s foreign policy has been bi-partisan for many decades. Regardless of which political party […]

Accidents and “near-misses” with nuclear weapons occur often.

August 14, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

The government wants the public to think that safety precautions are adequate to protect us from nuclear weapons accidents and “near-misses,” but actually accidents and “near-misses” occur much more often than people realize. Since the 1940s, a great many accidents and near-misses have nearly caused horrible destruction, but the government and news media refuse to report them honestly. • Search the internet for “nuclear weapons accidents” and see startling information about a great many accidents that easily could have caused horrible destruction. See much information at http://www.atomicarchive.com/Almanac/Brokenarrows_static.shtml and even more examples at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_military_nuclear_accidents • Since 1950 there have been 32 […]

Nuclear weapons do NOT “deter” other nations or keep us safe.

August 14, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

Actually, they provoke other nations and could destroy us in just a few minutes. • Nuclear weapons do NOT protect us. The notion that having nuclear weapons will “deter” other nations from attacking us is fatally flawed. Nuclear weapons threaten other nations and provoke those nations into building their own nuclear weapons. Global tensions rise. The “deterrence” theory is a reckless psychological experiment full of errors at the human and technical levels. If anything goes haywire, nuclear weapons could destroy us in just a few minutes. The “deterrence” theory leads to mutual suicide! • The U.S. designed nuclear weapons for […]