Stop Anti-Semitism — and Stop Islamophobia
We need to de-escalate the war in Israel-Palestine. Likewise, we need to STOP both Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. End hate crimes
Race
Death penalty: Recent PROGRESS toward abolishing it
2021 was the 21st consecutive year of Death Row population decline: https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/news/new-resource-bureau-of-justice-statistics-reports-2021-showed-21st-consecutive-year-of-death-row-population-decline Virginia’s abolition of the death penalty seems so secure now that the abolitionist organization is shutting down. More than two years ago both bodies of Virginia’s legislature voted to abolish it, and the governor signed the abolition bill into law. The November 2023 election continued a comfortable majority of abolitionists in both bodies. The abolitionist organization feels so secure that the death penalty is gone that they are shutting down. POLL: For the First Time, More Americans Believe the Death Penalty Is Applied Unfairly in the […]
UN Report Details Rampant US Human Rights Violations at Home and Abroad
The U.S.’s people, government, and mainstream media like to think that the U.S. is the world’s greatest beacon of liberty — and the world’s greatest champion of human rights. The facts prove otherwise. See this article published November 9, 2023: UN Report Details Rampant US Human Rights Violations at Home and Abroad Two-thirds of U.S. breaches of the civil and political rights covenant involve racial discrimination. https://truthout.org/articles/un-report-details-rampant-us-human-rights-violations-at-home-and-abroad/?mc_cid=e95b7e2b5b&mc_eid=d635d5c1bf Also see this information posted Oct. 24, 2023, by the Center for Constitutional Rights: The U.S. is NEGLIGENT in protecting human rights in the U.S.: https://ccrjustice.org/us-government-and-compliance-iccpr The Center for Constitutional […]
A strategically smart 3-step testimony for legislation to abolish the DP
Many times I have testified to Washington State legislative committees. In 2020 I did this again. I’m attaching below a slightly longer version of what I said. This document summarizes a strategically smart three-step process to convince people (legislators, the public, etc.) why it is important to abolish the death penalty — and why abolishing it would not endanger the public. A major obstacle in convincing the public and legislatures to abolish the DP is their fear that it protects our safety. My third point in this testimony points out that we could abolish it without endangering public safety. It […]
Death Penalty 101: Learn the “talking points” about why to abolish it: May 31 on Zoom for just one hour
Do you want to repeal the death penalty but don’t know the talking points? Have you gotten involved in the anti-death penalty movement but don’t know the history? This meeting is for you! Come learn about the history of the death penalty and the many arguments against it. There is a midday time and an evening time, both events will have the same content, so pick the time that works best for you to attend this virtual Zoom session. Death Penalty 101 Wednesday, May 31 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM – Register here 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM – Register here Virtual […]
Right-wing extremism is a serious threat to democracy in the U.S. and many other countries
The right-wing attacks on honest democracy in the U.S. are occurring in other nations too. They SERIOUSLY THREATEN democracy in the U.S. and elsewhere. Ordinary people need to organize smart strategies to protect honest democracy, human rights, immigrants, religious minorities, etc. Here are some recent relevant articles: It can happen here: Lessons from ‘Rise of the Nazis’ on 90th anniversary of Hitler’s coming to power: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/2/2/2149419/-It-can-happen-here-Lessons-from-Rise-of-the-Nazis-on-90th-anniversary-of-Hitler-s-coming-to-power?detail=emaildkre&pm_source=DKRE&pm_medium=email Right-wing extremists dominate some nations and promote chaos instead of competent governance: John Feffer wrote this article explaining that House Republicans, Euroskeptics, Vladimir Putin, and Jair Bolsonaro are the agents of a […]
Besides humanizing state-level prison sentences, FEDERAL SENTENCING LAW must be overhauled too.
We must COMPLETELY RE-THINK federal sentencing law: Tackling Excessive Sentences Thousands of people in federal prison are serving severe, outdated sentences that Congress no longer believes are fair. A 2022 Supreme Court decision that seemed to broaden the availability of reduced prison time has been interpreted inconsistently, extending uncertainty on this issue. In the short term, carefully crafted rules can allow judges to offer relief on a case-by-case basis. But ultimately, ending unjust penalties will require a top-to-bottom rethinking of federal sentencing law. Congress must pass the “SECOND LOOK” legislation to reduce some sentences: A man who had been […]
To solve political-social-economic problems, we must organize PEOPLE-POWER grassroots movements
Several years ago, a guest on one of my TV programs said that only 5% of democracy is about voting, while 95% of democracy is about organizing grassroots movements. I agree. People who have official power (politicians, big businesses, etc.) want ordinary people to feel powerless and get out of the way, so they themselves can make all of the important decisions. Alice Walker said, “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” If ordinary people actually did recognize our power — and our huge potential to organize strategically from the grassroots […]
Strategically smart messages toward abolishing the death penalty
Building a movement to abolish the death penalty – both through changing public opinion and then through passing legislation – requires strategically smart messaging. Below I’m attaching something I wrote that uses 3 smart steps to help people recognize that the status quo is broken and to decide we can abolish the death penalty without sacrificing public safety: Fact #1: The death penalty does not deliver what it promises. Fact #2: The death penalty makes existing problems worse and it causes more problems. Fact #3: We can let go of the death penalty and still be safe. I wrote […]
Here is what a REAL “Christian nation” would look like
Right-wing Christians and most Republicans keep saying they want the U.S. to be a “Christian nation.” But they do NOT want it to be the kind of society that Jesus was actually promoting. Jesus NEVER objected to abortion or homosexuality or immigration. What Jesus REALLY kept teaching and practicing are ethical, humane, loving, compassionate actions: Feed the hungry Heal the sick Welcome the stranger (and the foreigner and other ethnic groups) with equal human dignity as ourselves Instead of attacking LGBTQ persons or persons who want abortions, Jesus REPEATEDLY LAMBASTED: Rich people who failed to share with the poor Self-righteous […]
Nonviolent Ways to Heal Our Society’s Dysfunction — Watch Glen’s TV program online or on cable
The February 2023 program on “Glen’s Parallax Perspectives” TV series provides insights and inspiration to help people solve problems that have been getting worse in our society. After mentioning some serious problems, we pivot toward proposing some smart nonviolent ways to solve the problems. This TV interview is positive, upbeat, creative and practical. Rivera Sun is the expert guest who helps us explore these topics. Rivera Sun is an author, activist, and the Programs Coordinator for Pace e Bene / Campaign Nonviolence. People in Thurston County WA who have cable TV can watch it on channel 22 three times a […]
Martin Luther King, Jr., said these things about various issues
When people refer to MLK as the “Reverend Dr.,” they are recognizing that he did indeed earn a Ph.D. in philosophy in addition to completing formal theological studies and being ordained. He thought clearly and wisely. Below I’m sharing with you some things he said about several different issues — and always grounded in humane ethics. On April 4, 1967, King spoke about the Vietnam war and overall U.S. foreign policy to an audience at Riverside Church in New York City. Many of the things he said there have been quoted widely. He explicitly denounced the injustices and […]
Martin Luther King strongly opposed nuclear weapons — and publicly since 1957
Martin Luther King, Jr., understood the connections among a variety of issues and how they intersected with race, economics, peace, and so forth. He publicly stated his opposition to nuclear weapons many times. He wrote this in an Ebony Magazine article way back in 1957: “I definitely feel that the development and use of nuclear weapons of war should be banned. It cannot be disputed that a full scale nuclear war would be utterly catastrophic. Hundreds and millions of people would be killed outright by the blast and heat, and by the ionizing radiation produced at the instant of the […]
Vietnam War: Here are a few interesting resources.
One of Martin Luther King’s most powerful and insightful speeches exposed the cruelty and stupidity of the U.S.’s war in Vietnam. His “Beyond Vietnam” speech on April 4, 1967 (exactly one year before he was murdered) put the war in the context of the U.S.’s long-standing foreign policy — and also in the context of the U.S.’s failure to provide real democracy for African Americans in our nation, even while our government falsely claimed that we were creating democracy in Vietnam. The speech was very, very controversial at the time because many people did not yet understand the connections. Every […]
“Choose a Bold, Humane Future” — Glen’s November 2022 TV program
The November 2022 program on “Glen’s Parallax Perspectives” TV series provides many fresh insights that can inform and empower you to take bold, positive actions on issues you care about. The American people know serious problems exist. Public opinion polls keep showing that increasing majorities say our nation is “on the wrong track.” So what do we do about it? Take small steps only? Or solve the big problems? Our November 2022 TV interview is positive, upbeat, creative, and encouraging. Besides working to stop what we oppose, what if we also worked equally hard and skillfully to accomplish what we […]