Why Even Failed Activism Succeeds By David Swanson http://warisacrime.org/content/why-even-failed-activism-succeeds I enjoy reading histories of past activism, including memoirs by long-time activists, such as Lawrence Wittner’s new book, Working for Peace and Justice. Almost every such account includes belated discoveries of the extent to which a government was been spying on [...]
Confessions of a Drone By David Swanson http://warisacrime.org/content/confessions-drone They told me I was the best, better than any human. I didn’t hesitate. I didn’t flinch. I didn’t think. It wouldn’t have occurred to me to think. I’d been taught to value obedience above all else, and I did so, and they loved me for it. [...]
By Rob Kall (about the author) Those are phrases used to describe politics. Things are getting uglier. I’m finally coming to face the reality that voting only feeds into the illusion the system creates that different candidates really make a difference. The truth is, voting for the lesser of two evils only moves us towards the next [...]
Global Dimming This is a film that demands action. It reveals that we may have grossly underestimated the speed at which our climate is changing. At its heart is a deadly new phenomenon. One that until very recently scientists refused to believe even existed. But it may already have led [...]
Anna Hazare, an anti-corruption activist, whose hunger strike garnered international attention, is sick – and his movement seems to have lost momentum [EPA] Six months after millions of Indians took to the streets protesting against corruption, the government has rejected anti-corruption legislation. Anna Hazare, an anti-corruption activist, whose two-phase fast-unto-death catapulted him to national hero [...]
Anna Hazare, an anti-corruption activist, whose hunger strike garnered international attention, is sick – and his movement seems to have lost momentum [EPA] Six months after millions of Indians took to the streets protesting against corruption, the government has rejected anti-corruption legislation. Anna Hazare, an anti-corruption activist, whose two-phase fast-unto-death catapulted him to national hero [...]
The news that there is a campaign or at least surveillance on Australian environmental activists and probably what amounts to out and out spying shows the Labor Party at its most sycophantic to corporate interests that no doubt will be heralded as the ‘national interest’. However, there are [...]
We are beginning a new year, and the silence in Congress is still deafening. Will there ever be a debate about what should be done to deal with climate change? Oh, you don’t “believe” in it? If you do not, please, suspend that belief system for just a few minutes and [...]
During the final official day of the United Nations climate change talks in Durban on Friday, more than 150 activists “occupied” the conference as they marched through the halls calling for a fair, legally binding agreement before being told to leave by U.N. security. Protesters were careful not to disrupt the actual negotiations [...]
Occupy London activists are angered at a police document that lists them with terrorist organisations. Photograph: Matt Dunham/AP Police have angered Occupy London activists after listing the movement among terrorist groups in an advisory notice sent to the business community in the City. The document issued by City of London police, headed “Terrorism/extremism update for the City of London business community”, [...]
“The choice is not between violence and nonviolence but between nonviolence and nonexistence.” “Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude.” “Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can’t ride [...]
By James Petras We live in a time of dynamic, regressive, regime changes. A period in which major political transformations and the dramatic roll back of a half century of socio-economic legislation are accelerated by a prolonged and deepening economic crises and a world-wide financier led offensive. This essay explores major ongoing regime changes that [...]
I’m Thankful for Occupy By David Swanson http://warisacrime.org/content/im-thankful-occupy I’m thankful that a growing number of us reject the idea of a mysterious being to which we should be thankful, and for the concomitant growing assumption of responsibility for our own fate. I’m thankful that there are so many people doing so many things for [...]
Now Is the Nonviolence Moment Now is not the moment to declare “We tried nonviolence and it didn’t work.” The purpose of a nonviolent movement is not to prevent police violence. The purpose is to change the society. And there is always every expectation that the police will be ordered to [...]
Very recently I had the opportunity to speak, regrettably briefly, with a woman who is lending her support to the Occupy movement in Seattle. Every little bit helps when you are facing the forces of rampant and incorrigible authoritarianism. From my own experience in the 60s it first becomes very obvious thatthe [...]
UBS building under occupation by Occupy London today. Photograph: Peter Walker for the Guardian Occupy London takes over empty UBS bank – live Protesters escalate demonstration with ‘public repossession’ a day after ignoring Corporation of London’s demand for them to leave St Paul’s reddit this Comments (665) This page will update automatically every minute: On | Off [...]
Captured in international waters en route to Gaza: An eyewitness account By Lina Attalah * Inside the Tahrir boat to Gaza Friday morning, as everyone sat opposite computer screens, updating the world about our trip, David Heap, one of the boat’s organizers, made a grand entrance to our make-shift media center. “50! We’re 50 [...]
Occupy By David Swanson http://warisacrime.org/content/occupy-winter-our-discontent Can occupations survive a winter of global weirding, escalated police brutality, and the corporate media‘s venom? Should they? In some parts of the country there will be no cold weather. In others, police abuses will result in larger occupations, not smaller. And it’s certainly possible that for the first time [...]
Image by david_shankbone via Flickr #Occupy and the #Climate Movement How are the #occupy movement and climate change connected? Fossil fuels enable the current economic system to continue because it is global and requires a lot of fossil fuels for production and transportation. Multi-national corporations won’t do well if we stop burning fossil fuels. Failure [...]
About the Author Naomi Klein Naomi Klein is an award-winning journalist, syndicated columnist, fellow at The Nation Institute and author of the… Also by the Author The Most Important Thing in the World (Occupy Wall Street, Activism) The task of our time is to insist that we can afford to build a decent society—while at the [...]
The following interview with Chomsky has been translated from German to English using a net based Google translation service. As a result it is not possible to say the translation is accurate. George Ikners ikners.com Campus TIME: Professor Chomsky, you are not only one of the most cited scientists in the world, you are [...]
Some of the participants pose for a photo during the opening of the third Arab Bloggers Conference in Tunis [EPA] Bloggers say Arab Spring has gone global Prominent Arab bloggers, who meet in Tunis, say their methods are being picked up by activists in the West. Yasmine Ryan Last Modified: 04 Oct 2011 00:08 TUNIS, Tunisia [...]
The artificial forests of the future – big picture Giant fly-swats and freight containers may help prevent catastrophic climate change, say engineers. TheInstitution of Mechanical Engineers has come up with some ideas for what “artificial forests” – technologies that absorb CO2, in a similar way to trees – could look like in the future. [...]
Filmmaker: Rodrigo Vazquez In the isolated Andean communities of Peru, poor indigenous peasants used to live in a state of economic and social apartheid. Entire families lived on less than a dollar a day. A few years ago, Juana, an indigenous peasant, organised a football team for women in the Andes, opening a path to her community’s participation [...]
Everything you need to know about climate change – interactive Our one-stop guide to the facts of global warming, from the science and politics to economics and technology, drawn from our ultimate climate change FAQ You can view this site at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/interactive/2011/aug/15/everything-know-climate-change Related articles Why does climate change? Causes and Timescales (timesunion.com) Forest ecosystem in changing climate [...]
Saudi arrests hardline cleric al-Ahmed: activists By Amena Bakr | Reuters – Sat, Jul 9, 2011 RIYADH (Reuters) – Hardline Saudi cleric Sheikh Youssef bin Abdallah al-Ahmed, known for his controversial views on Saudi society, was arrested on Friday, Saudi activists told Reuters on Saturday. Interior Ministry officials were not immediately available to comment. “The sheikh was arrested on Friday and [...]
Airlines: We cannot return pro-Palestinian activists denied entry to Israel More than 100 political tourists from Europe are waiting in a holding facility to be deported. By Zohar BlumenkrantzTags: Palestinians West Bank Gaza flotilla The foreign airlines operating in Israel say they will have a hard time flying large groups of pro-Palestinian activists who were refused entry [...]
AMY GOODMAN: In this exclusive broadcast, we are the only daily global news hour that is broadcasting on television, radio and the internet daily from the Bella Center, from inside the COP15, the climate change summit. But we’re going to go right now to the People’s Climate Summit, the Klimaforum, that’s taking place in the [...]
From mass campaigns to direct debit activism: protest politics in Australia today Chain Reaction #95, summer 2005/6 From mass campaigns to direct debit activism: protest politics in Australia today One of the most notable changes in activism in Australia over the last 10 years has been the rapid rise of anti-corporate politics. [...]
Syria‘s defiant women risk all to protest against President Bashar al-Assad Women on the frontline of demonstrations against Syria’s brutal regime are now being targeted by security forces Share147 Comments (35) Peter Beaumont guardian.co.uk, Saturday 21 May 2011 18.45 BST Article history ‘The regime has been rattled’. A human rights activist and lawyer describes the [...]
There can be little if any doubt that Noam Chomsky is possibly the world’s greatest living thinker. You can access his thoughts on a great deal of topics at Chomsky.info. As you can see the site is very well organised to allow you to get access to material you feel is important in your search [...]
What MoveOn tries to do with domestic American politics, Avaaz applies globally. Its weekly meeting of staff, held via a Skype conference call, gives a taste of its ambitions. With the Guardian listening in, several of the 35 Avaaz staffers join the call from their bases in San Francisco, Toronto, Mexico City, Rio, London, Paris, [...]
AMY GOODMAN: Our guest for the hour is Naomi Klein, journalist and author. Her latest book, The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism. She’s writing a new book on climate change and the climate change deniers. Naomi, take it from there. NAOMI KLEIN: Yeah, I mean, the book is not about the deniers, but it [...]
