World
Modern Abolitionists – All
I remember trout fishing in the mountains just east of Salt Lake City when we lived there in the '60s. Beautiful, clear, achingly cold streams in mountain valleys so picturesque you almost didn't care if you caught any fish at all. The prize might well have been just breathing in the view along with the cool, clean air. One hot afternoon I followed a small feeder stream away from the river I had been fishing. About a hundred yards or so up the ravine the small stream literally disappeared under a dark, thick wall of shrubs and scrub oak. I spread some branches ...
Gaza Absurdity
“If the Nuremberg laws were applied, then every post-war American president would have been hanged.” Noam Chomsky
In this statement, Professor Chomsky (author, political activist and social critic) was referring to the legal principles used to prosecute the Nazi war criminals after WW2. This statement certainly is appropriate for the Biden administration's support for the genocide in Gaza. Biden's shameful and illegal funding, supplying and enabling of Israel's war crimes in Gaza are the most egregious of the many war crimes committed by our country.
Donald ...
COOPERATION 106
cooperation [ koh-op-uh-rey-shuhn ]
an act or instance of working or acting together for a common purpose or benefit
mutually beneficial interaction among organisms [nations] living in a limited area [planet Earth]
It was back in November of 2024 that I wrote COOPERATION 105 in this series. There has been so much turmoil in the ensuing 3 months that it has been hard to imagine any sort of cooperation in the U.S. or globally. Yet the urgency for cooperation has only grown – in the U.S. and globally.
Donald Trump, of course, moved into the ...
Realigning the U.S. Towards Dictatorships is Dangerous
The new administration is realigning US foreign policy in a dangerous direction. Instead of traditional alliances with democratic countries, current leadership has expressed admiration for, and aligned interests, with dictatorial leaders. Principle among these countries is Putin’s Russia. Russia, is basically a failed state. Putin’s leadership has handed power to an billionaire class (oligarchs), who he has given license to to exploit the wealth of the state as long as they remain loyal to him. Education and research have declined. Life expectancy is years ...
U.S. IMMIGRATION
Under the U.S.Immigration and Nationality Act (USINA) of 1980 a refugee is a [person] who, generally, has experienced past persecution or has a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Individuals who met this definition were considered for refugee status. That definition also applied to those who were already in the United States. Since the passage of the Refugee Act the United States has admitted more than 3.1 million refugees.
Prior to USINA refugee admissions ...
WHAT I WANT YOU TO KNOW
What I Want You To Know is a radically honest film about veterans, moral injury, and the post-9/11 wars. It offers an intimate journey alongside veterans as they share deeply personal stories from their deployments, exploring truth and justice in the context of their wars. Their depictions of moral injury provide a unique and critical perspective on the cost and consequences of war.
Catie Foertsch Producer / Director, Impact Campaign Director
Travis Weiner Executive Producer, Iraq veteran
Tommy Furlong Executive Producer, Afghanistan ...
Genocide in Duluth
Authors note: As I was finishing this article the news of a tentative ceasefire in Gaza was announced. This is good news, but there is no indication this agreement will result in peace in the region. The root causes of the conflict are not being addressed. The blockade of Gaza is not being lifted. Hamas remains in place. Israel's attitudes toward Palestinians remain unchanged. The U.S. support for Israel remains unconditional and likely to get worse with the new administration. Therefore, the message of this article remains relevant.
“If the U.S. and Israel can spin ...
WE ARE LESS SAFE
Americans share many of the same values. One of these is personal safety, and we look to the government to help us ensure that safety. Trump and his billionaire backers, however, have been hollowing out our government and making us all less safe.
We just suffered the first fatal commercial air crash in 16 years. This comes on the heels of Trump sowing chaos at the FAA. Under pressure from Elon Musk the FAA Director resigned and has yet to be replaced. Trump froze the hiring of Air Traffic Controllers and then disbanded the Aviation Safety Advisory Committee. He then ...
CODEPINK
In the past week, we have seen the US propaganda machine completely expose itself. In protest of the incoming TikTok ban, Americans have been flooding the Chinese social media app RedNote. Through interacting with Chinese citizens, new RedNote users have learned that the US government has been completely lying about China!
Labeled “TikTok refugees” by Chinese netizens, local users have embraced the newcomers with open arms and a lot of humor. Not only that, but this cross-cultural moment has opened a vacuum for people-to-people interactions, allowing Chinese citizens ...
Are You Really Listening?
Considering we live in a two-party system; I loved Kamala, and I was happy to vote for her. She is such a smart woman, and I loved the joy and the happiness that was expressed in her campaign and in her speeches. The lines to see her were so long! I loved the joy she brought and the hope. Her infectious smile made you happy just to look at her. Kamala is a highly educated and capable woman, and we would elect her to the White House. The first female ever to hold this position. She painted a picture of how it could be for all of us.
But would it? Was she ...