Human Rights

No Image

“A Nonviolent Society for the Common Good”

December 3, 2017 GlenAnderson 0

In recent years American society has experienced a serious upsurge of anti-government rhetoric, including threats of violence against members of Congress – and in January 2011 an actual shooting. We have seen a continuation of war, torture and human rights abuses by our government, cutbacks in vital social and health services, a mania for privatizing public services, intolerance of minority races and religions, and an overall breakdown in the sense of our common humanity. Are these interconnected?  Do they have common roots? Can we find solutions that will resolve these problems and restore our public ethics and our common humanity? […]

No Image

“Causing and Exploiting Economic Crises”

December 3, 2017 GlenAnderson 0

What do Wisconsin’s Republican politicians, the political aftermath of 9-11, the Wall Street banking crash, and the federal budget crisis all have in common? In each case, a crisis (real or contrived) was used as the excuse to impose preconceived agendas of radical right-wing policies upon our political and/or economic lives. The Patriot Act, for example, was not a carefully crafted response to the 9-11 attacks. Rather, it was a massive collection of proposals for stripping away Americans’ constitutional rights to privacy, due process, and so forth. These proposals were too radical to ever be passed by Congress during normal […]

No Image

“Stories of Working for Peace and Justice”

December 3, 2017 GlenAnderson 0

For a long time the world has been suffering depressing news about war, violence, eco-nomics, human rights, environment, climate, and other issues. As a result, people who care about these issues can feel depressed and demoralized. But – over the years – people who persist in grassroots movements for civil rights, peace, labor, environment, and so forth keep saying that what keeps moving these move-ments ahead is people sharing their stories. The Olympia Fellowship of Reconciliation’s June 2011 TV program features personal experiences, stories and insights from six local people who have worked effectively for peace and social justice. The […]

No Image

“Teenagers Organize Peace and Justice Activities”

December 3, 2017 GlenAnderson 0

Our culture wants us to be afraid of Muslims, homeless people, immigrants – and young people. The Olympia Fellowship of Reconciliation’s August 2011 TV program gives you an opportunity to meet four teen-agers and a 21-year-old who is working with them. You can decide whether to fear them – or to respect them. But don’t decide until you have had the opportunity to get to know them during this hour. Every year starting in 2001 the Western Washington Fellowship of Reconciliation’s staff and volunteers have developed and carried out some creative and ambitious training for a select number of Puget […]

No Image

TV: “Occupy Wall Street, Olympia and Everywhere”

December 3, 2017 GlenAnderson 0

The democracy movement that swept Tunisia, Egypt, and many countries in the Arab world in 2011 also was demanding a fair economy instead of corruption by cronies in unaccountable governments. (See the Olympia FOR’s July 2011 TV program posted at www.olympiafor.org). Los Indignados in Spain, the anti-austerity protests in Greece, and other actions around the world are also related to this movement for democracy, human rights, and a humane economy. And now – with similar consciousness and demands – the Occupy Wall Street movement has swept the U.S., resulting in hundreds of local “Occupy” encampments, protests and other grassroots activities. […]

No Image

TV: “Women Share Experiences, Insights, Wisdom about Peace and Justice Organizing”

December 2, 2017 GlenAnderson 0

The peace and justice movement has accomplished a lot because of the wise and effective efforts of women throughout the world. Our local community is much better thanks to local women’s skillful and dedicated organizing. The Olympia Fellowship of Reconciliation’s July 2012 TV program features several local women to share their experiences, insights and wisdom about organizing for peace and social justice. Right now the world and our nation are facing huge problems related to war and other kinds of violence, economic crises rooted in dysfunctional and anti-human economic systems, many kinds of persistent social injustice, and worsening environmental and […]

No Image

TV: “How to Reform Prisons and Sentencing”

December 2, 2017 GlenAnderson 0

Many people have observed that a good way to judge a society is by how it treats the people on the bottom. People in prison are among those at the bottom of our society.  Many people want to grind them farther into the dirt and diminish their humanity. But what happens when they get out of prison? Society will reap what it has sown. Society’s contempt for them will flow back upon society at large. The moral and sensible solution is to break the cycle – to restore every person’s full humanity. If we want to live in a decent […]

No Image

TV: “Let’s Meet Our Arab Neighbors”

December 2, 2017 GlenAnderson 0

Although the whole world is interconnected in many ways, most Americans do not know enough about Arab culture, and most Americans don’t have enough friends from countries in the Arab world. If we did, we would be more likely to make peace instead of war. The Olympia Fellowship of Reconciliation’s September 2012 TV program is an enjoyable conversation with people whose roots are in different countries within the Arab world. We’ll learn something of Arab culture. And we’ll sow the seeds of peace. Locally, the Olympia-based Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice does a lot of good work, so […]

No Image

TV: “Nonviolence in the Real World”

December 2, 2017 GlenAnderson 0

It’s typical to assume that danger requires a “fight or flight” response: Either use violence or run away. When applied to foreign policy this leads us to rely on militarism and war. Domestically we end up with people arming themselves, passing “stand your ground” gun laws, and getting into fights. Movies and much of popular culture (and our foreign policy) rely upon “the Myth of Redemptive Violence,” the notion that prob-lems can be solved only by an ultimate confrontation in which the “good” person uses violence to triumph over the “evil” one. Movies show this as a shootout on a […]

No Image

TV: “Militarism Is the Problem, Not the Solution”

December 2, 2017 GlenAnderson 0

Since World War II – and especially since the Soviet Union collapsed more than 20 year ago – the US has been the world’s #1 military power. And, indeed, the US has used that military power continuously since the 1940s in many places throughout the world. The justifying buzz word has always been “national security” – as if a bigger military, more nuclear weapons, and more military attacks on other countries would make our nation more secure. But even after all of this, Americans still feel insecure. Indeed, when you look at how the US interacts with other nations around […]

No Image

TV: “ITTP Cracks the Cycle of Trauma in World Conflicts”

December 2, 2017 GlenAnderson 0

Wars and violent conflict occur in many places throughout the world. Also, torture occurs more often and in more places than ordinary people might assume. Experiencing any of these can traumatize a person, so a great many persons around the world have been traumatized by torture, war, or violent conflicts. What do traumatized persons need in order to recover? How can we support practitioners who are providing treatment for this trauma? The Olympia Fellowship of Reconciliation’s February 2013 TV program explores these concerns. Our two guests have worked extensively in this field: • John Van Eenwyk is an Episcopal priest […]

No Image

TV: “Creating a Sustainable Local Food System”

December 2, 2017 GlenAnderson 0

Increasingly, people are getting savvier about how to deal with food.  In our local community, more and more people are interested in sustainability, are growing good food locally, and are helping other people grow food.  The Olympia Fellowship of Reconciliation’s May 2013 TV program is all about “Creating a Sustainable Local Food System.” Three knowledgeable guests with interesting first-hand experience teach us a lot during this program: • TJ Johnson is a former Olympia City Council member, organizer of the October 2011 Food Summit, and a vigorous participant in the local food movement. The Food Summit attracted so many pre-registrants […]

No Image

“Restorative Justice and Restorative Practices”

November 30, 2017 GlenAnderson 0

Everybody knows that our criminal justice system is dysfunctional in many ways. Despite paying lip service to victims, the current system does practically nothing for them and focuses almost entirely on punishing offenders. Despite paying lip service to – QUOTE “corrections” UNQUOTE, the current system does NOT correct behavior, but merely punishes it. Jails and prisons diminish the inmates’ ability to live civilly, brutalize them, and turn them into hardened criminals. The Olympia Fellowship of Reconciliation’s April 2010 TV program explores “Restorative Justice” – a totally fresh alternative to our criminal justice system.  We also explore applying similar “Restorative Practices” […]