Nonviolence (Also see Peace, Conflict Resolution, Organizing & Activism)

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 […]

Smart insights to distinguish “conflict” from “abuse.”

July 17, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

Someone sent me an e-mail expressing support for “Conflict is Not Abuse” from Sarah Schulman. I searched for information about the book and found this very insightful article. It offers smart, practical and compassionate ways out of the traps that many people — especially progressives — get into regarding how we deal with social justice issues at an interpersonal level. Rather than try to summarize her helpful insights here, I encourage you to read this information about her book: https://www.thestranger.com/books/2017/01/10/24792575/sarah-schulmans-conflict-is-not-abuse-is-a-guide-to-keeping-the-peace

U.S. Militarism Promotes Gun Violence. To reduce gun violence here, reduce military violence worldwide.

July 10, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

“Climate deniers” refuse to acknowledge the human causes of the climate crisis. Likewise some people try to blame gun violence on far-fetched causes such as popular music or pornography, even though those are common in other rich nations with very little gun violence. Deeply embedded in U.S. culture is an excessive willingness to use military violence. The U.S. has a long history of mistakenly thinking that violence solves problems. The U.S. has started wars to dominate other nations, especially since the 1898 Spanish American War. In the past 120 years the U.S. military has overthrown dozens of nations. We have […]

To protect immigrants, let’s de-polarize the U.S.’s political culture.

June 30, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

Many problems that are plaguing the U.S. are rooted in various kinds of polarizations. Oppressors use a “divide-and-conquer” strategy to disempower ordinary people so the oppressors can grab more power and enrich themselves financially. They polarize us by pitting race against race, religion against religion, straight people against LGBTQ people, and native-born people against immigrants. They also polarize us by emphasizing nationalism, so they pit nation against nation. They promote wars and nuclear weapons. All of these polarizations draw from the same roots. In order to protect immigrant rights — and all people’s rights — and in order to prevent […]

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

June 17, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

Oppressors often use a “divide-and-conquer” strategy to keep populations divided so the oppressors can dominate them. This has been happening in the U.S., as it has in other countries. The remedy is for people to recognize and expose the oppressors’ scheme — and to bring all demographic groups together to de-polarize our society. Unfortunately, some people who are oppressed buy into the polarization and get angry and vengeful against other demographic groups that have been set up by the oppressors as polar opposites. These people unwittingly serve the oppressors’ interests in keeping the population divided. The real remedy is to […]

Better than defeating Trump’s supporters, let’s heal them and convert them to better values. And let’s heal ourselves too.

June 4, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

In the past few decades the U.S. has become increasingly polarized — and increasingly rigid — and mutually hateful to the people on the “wrong” side of issues. This is NOT sustainable for democracy, nor for a free society, nor for human rights. People in each of the two big political parties want to DEFEAT members of the other party through dynamics that seem warlike or genocidal. Trump has escalated the polarization horribly, not only across political parties, but also across races, nationalities, religions, sexes, sexual orientations, economic classes, and other demographic variables. THIS IS NOT SUSTAINABLE, but people in […]

Visualize — and create — a government “of the people, by the people, for the people.”

June 4, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

On June 4, 2018, Trump tweeted, “I have the absolute right to PARDON myself.” His statement and statements by Rudy Giuliani and some other extreme Trump loyalists expose the Trump regime as a dictatorship. The Trumpists think he is above the law, and that he can simply disregard the Constitution in his pursuit of power and wealth. Since he started running for President in 2015, Trump has commanded — and mainstream news media have utterly yielded — the power to be every day’s #1 news story. Trump has tricked everyone into talking about him all the time. (Yes, I’m […]

9 Ways Authoritarianism Is Taking Hold Under Trump

May 31, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

As you know, I read a huge amount of information. Thom Hartmann’s article at the link below consolidates much solid information into CRUCIALLY IMPORTANT information that the American people need to understand. Trump and Trumpism are imposing horrible authoritarianism upon the U.S. This is an extremely serious — actually existential — danger to American freedom and constitutional democracy. Trump’s authoritarianism abuses many aspects of American society. The article below connects many of the issues we care about, including peace, social justice, environment/climate, economics, and so forth. The article ends with a call for nonviolent organizing to rise up against Trump’s […]

Trump’s military threats actually STRENGTHEN the govts of Syria, Iran, North Korea

May 26, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

When a nation is threatened with being attacked by another nation, the population rallies behind its current leader, even if that leader is bad. Syria, Iran and North Korea have bad leaders. But it is better to support a bad leader than to be conquered by the Trump and the U.S. Therefore, Trump is actually strengthening the bad governments of Syria, Iran and North Korea.

Two creative nonviolent ways to protest the abuse of the environment

May 26, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

Here is a creative nonviolent way to protect forests from abuse: Women are marrying trees in Mexico. See this article: https://www.treehugger.com/conservation/why-are-women-marrying-trees-mexico.html Excessive plastic is an environmental problem. Here is a simple solution anyone can do to nonviolently resist excessive packaging: In about 1969 a friend used to unwrap packages after paying for them at the retail stores. He said he did not want to buy the packaging — just the products inside. The stores could throw away the unnecessary packaging. Perhaps we need a NATIONWIDE MOVEMENT to force companies to STOP EXCESSIVE PACKAGING.

How can we challenge this dominant but destructive economic assumption?

May 24, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

Embedded very deeply in our American culture — and many other nations’ cultures too — is an assumption that is embedded so deeply that nobody recognizes it, let alone challenge it. The assumption is this: It is OK if what I do kills people, so long as I’m making money from what I do. At the surface level — the explicit level — if you were to ask people whether it is moral to kill other people, they would say “no.” But below the surface — at the implicit level — our society tolerates behaviors that knowingly kill people because […]

Profound Nonviolence for a Truly Just Society

May 15, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

In slightly more than three pages, the article at this link provides wisdom, compassion, insights, and encouragement to fix our society’s problems. I believe you will find that reading this is a good use of your time. Here is the link: Profound Nonviolence for a Truly Just Society

My response to federal gov’t questions about the military draft

April 22, 2018 GlenAnderson 0

Early in 2018 a federal government commission exploring the future of the military draft invited comments. I submitted the responses shown below through this government website: http://www.inspire2serve.gov/content/share-your-thoughts The Commission’s website asked these questions. (My answers are listed below them.) The Commission seeks to learn more about why people serve and why people may choose not to serve, as well as ways to increase the number of Americans in military, national, and public service. The Commission welcomes comments from the public on any aspect of the Commission’s mission, including the following questions: 1. Is a military draft or draft contingency still […]

To reduce gun violence, even banning guns is not enough. We need PROFOUND NONVIOLENCE.