A letter to my son

Yarn Spinner

In 2001, I wrote  this letter to my son, the war had just begun.

My son, your birth began on the day American and British warplanes started to bomb Afghanistan. I cried out of joy and fear. You were born at 04.05 GMT, in Manchester whilst the American and British warplanes were reloading for another bloody sortie. Alas my son, you had to be born into America’s ‘war on terror’. A war, we have been promised, like no other we have ever seen – one without end.

Now my son, you have come into a world, where millions of hungry are fleeing in terror, from those who claim they are out to defend freedom and civilisation. You have been born in a world in which a white life is worth more than a black one; a world in which American life, is worth more than a country and even perchance the…

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The Myth of US Democracy

Words of wisdom from Asad Zaman in Pakistan, suggesting the question: “While fantastic that truth and awareness has become global, how will humanity respond, what good solutions will become presented, upon learning such disturbing, vital, and massively-consequential facts?”

WEA Pedagogy Blog

The vision of a government of the people, by the people and for the people is enchanting, and powerfully attractive to the masses yearning to be free. However, the title of Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz’s article, Of the 1%, by the 1%, and for the 1% is a far more accurate description of the reality of US democracy. Prophetically, Eisenhower had warned against the threat to democracy posed by the powerful military-industrial complex. Today the power of a tiny minority to control the US, and thence the world, exceeds his worst nightmares.

In 2010, the US Supreme Court ruled to allow corporations to spend money on political campaigns. In 2014, the Supreme Court removed certain limits from such political spending, effectively making it legal for corporations to buy elections. It is now reported that industrialist mega-donors, the Koch brothers, are planning spend close to a billion dollars to fund their…

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A few things DC taught me abut ethnicity

Sam Smith's Essays

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Creative Actions – Violinist Lili Haydn, Poet Matt Sedillo, Filmmaker Peter Joseph, Bus Stop Bench Project

Legal Experts sent letter to Congressional Leaders blasting TPP as “undermining democratic norms”

An excellent explanation of impossible-to-ignore major defects of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) – providing undeniable reasons for extreme caution, thorough examination and exhaustive debate/amendment in Congress.

The Secular Jurist

By Robert A. Vella

On Thursday, Greg Sargent of The Washington Post examined the most contentious and disturbing aspect of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement that President Obama has been pushing along with his corporatist allies in the Republican Party.  A provision known as the Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) would essentially allow multinational corporations to circumvent the environmental, labor, and consumer laws of participatory countries by creating a super-national arbitration process where such businesses could seek compensatory damages for unrealized profits.  The effect of this provision would obviously subordinate the sovereignty of nation-states to an unelected global authority, and would weaken the ability of free peoples to govern themselves as they see fit.  Furthermore, corporate-friendly ISDS rulings would leave taxpayers financially liable.

Sargent referenced a letter recently sent to the Democratic and Republican leaders of Congress by five highly respected legal experts which expressed their grave concern about the…

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David Korten: Capitalism, Socialism… Or A New Story?

THE ONENESS of HUMANITY

by Jerry Alatalo

David Korten is 77 years-old. His most recent book “Change the Story, Change the Future: A Living Economy for a Living Earth” (February 2015) is available for purchase on amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/Change-Story-Future-Living-Economy/dp/1626562903/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1430419723&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=davis+korten

After referring to David Korten’s 1994 book “When Corporations Rule the World” in comments on articles about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) for the book’s and Mr. Korten’s prophetic nature, it seemed possibly beneficial to find any recent talks by him. Fortunately a 1-hour, 20-minute talk on Earth Day April 22, 2015 at Seattle University was found on Todd Boyle’s YouTube channel, and that is the topic of this post.

Mr. Korten is one of the founders of Yes! Magazine: http://www.yesmagazine.org

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A partial transcript/description of David Korten’s talk at Seattle University on the 45th Anniversary of Earth Day, April 22, 2015, followed by the video…

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“…turning to a living economy, for living human beings, on a living Earth. (On the) 45th anniversary…

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One Global Police Force: Possible And Beneficial For World Peace?

EDITOR’S NOTE: The views expressed in this post do not reflect the views of all our writers at League of Bloggers. 

Did Albert Einstein take his most important discovery to his grave?

THE ONENESS of HUMANITY

Posted on February 2, 2015

by Jerry Alatalo

“Not one statesman in a position of responsibility has dared to pursue the only course that holds out any promise of peace, the courage of supra-national security, since for a statesman to follow such a course would be tantamount to political suicide.”

Last written words of ALBERT EINSTEIN (1879-1955) – German born, Swiss-American scientist

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The scientist and intellectual known world-wide left this Earth and humanity with the message of an international military/security organization being the only course to peace. After the sixty years since the passing of Albert Einstein, has the time arrived for humanity to seriously consider his thoughtful suggestion?

Whether the peace development concept Einstein offered in his last days gets called a military or law enforcement/police force is a small consideration in contrast to the very significant positive benefits of establishing such a force. Nearly every man or woman having an awareness…

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Newly Discovered 1964 MLK Speech on Civil Rights, Segregation and Apartheid South Africa (must-read/listen)

Change the names Martin Luther King Jr. referred to in this previously unheard 1964 London speech, and find Dr. King’s utterly profound, visionary message still applies on Earth now in 2015.

Dandelion Salad

Dandelion Salad

I highly recommend listening to the entire speech on the audio player below or reading the entire transcript. ~ DS

Image via Cocoabiscuit

Democracy Now! on Jan 19, 2015

On Dec. 7, 1964, days before he received the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, King gave a major address in London on segregation, the fight for civil rights and his support for Nelson Mandela and the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa. The speech was recorded by Saul Bernstein, who was working as the European correspondent for Pacifica Radio. Bernstein’s recording was recently discovered by Brian DeShazor, director of the Pacifica Radio Archives. Today is the federal holiday that honors King.

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H.G. Wells: The young are the food of war

For peace, against war: literary selections

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Anti-war essays, poems, short stories and literary excerpts

H.G. Wells: Selections on war

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H.G. Wells
From Mr. Britling Sees It Through (1916)

But what he perceived very clearly and did his utmost not to perceive was this qualifying and discouraging fact, that the war monster was not nearly so disposed to meet him as he was to meet the war, and that its eyes were fixed on something beside and behind him, that it was already only too evidently stretching out a long and shadowy arm past him towards Teddy – and towards Hugh….

The young are the food of war…

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Was there no Greater Peace possible; not a mere recuperative pause in killing and destruction, but a phase of noble and creative living, a phase of building, of discovery, of beauty and research? He remembered, as one remembers the dead, dreams he had once dreamt of…

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Sanders Fights the TPP