I think Beck and Palin are despicable. I also think they have every right to hold their gathering of the lunatic fringe. And I’m aware that I’ve taken plenty of stands over my career for which others would paint me as “lunatic fringe.” Some of them are now mainstream, such as aiming for zero waste, repurposing rooftop space into food and energy collectors, and getting the heck off fossil and nuclear power sources—but they sure weren’t 30 or 40 years ago. I would not have granted then, and don’t grant now, the right of others to tell me how to think, and I don’t claim that same privilege against others whom I disagree with. The right to try to convince them, certainly—but NEVER to dictate what is or is not acceptable thought.
I remember holding a lone protest in front of the local courthouse when the U.S. bombed Lybia. The first day, I got a lot of middle fingers and angry shouts.
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Tags: first amendment·freedom of assembly·freedom of religion·freedom of speech·glenn beck·march on washington·martin luther king jr.·sarah palin
Worldwide, SRI now accounts for 1 of every 9 dollars invested. However, even though Africa was a pioneer in this field (not just with the Sullivan Principles but also the Johannesburg Stock Exchange’s first-in-the-world SRI index), it has lagged—but rapid growth appears to be imminent.
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Tags: arbenz coup guatemala·cia·Mossadeq coup iran·ron robins·socially responsible investing·sri·sullivan principles
Since I’ve often been critical of President Obama, it’s nice to point out two bits of positive news you probably haven’t heard on national media: First, this press release reports that the bailout is actually working; the government has now been repaid more than the amount outstanding–and if I’m understanding this correctly, the program should [...]
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Tags: bailout·barack obama·nuclear disarmament·tarp·washington spectator
Yes, we elected him knowing that he had pledged to focus the war effort on Afghanistan instead of Iraq. We also elected him to reform Wall Street, push through meaningful healthcare restructuring (NOT the wimpy thing he worked so hard to get through), move the economy forward and convert it to renewable and clean energy sources. I voted for hm in spite of his Afghanistan pledge, not because of it.
Unfortunately, while breaking so many of his campaign promises or soaking them in so much compromise that they disintegrate, this is the one he has chosen to keep. OK, Barack—you made “good” on this campaign promise. Now it’s time to proclaim victory and get the hell out. The lives of Americans and Afghanis are too precious for this nightmare to continue.
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Tags: afghanistan escalation·barack obama·barcack obama·campaign promises·peace
Very interesting post from Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR), raising the question about whether a journalist with a son in the Israeli army can be neutral and objective in covering the war where his son is a soldier. Rather than tell you what I think in my usual blunt and loud way. I’d like [...]
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For the last 28 years, I’ve lived in or just outside Northampton, Massachusetts. About ten years ago, Northampton established the position of City Poet Laureate, with a two-year term. Until two years ago, the post was mostly ceremonial. The official poet would occasionally show up and read a poem to mark some event or other, [...]
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Tags: arnold Schwarzenegger·bob dylan·bruce springsteen·civil rights·john lennon·leopold senghor·leslea newman·northampton massachusetts·pete seeger·poet laureate·poetry·sarah palin·vaclav havel·vietnam war
Woke up this morning to the startling news that US President Barack Obama has been awarded the Nobel Peace Price–and a perceptive entry on Huffington Post wondering why. After all, he has initiated a slow and limited timetable for withdrawing from Iraq, pretty much continuing the “progress” of his predecessor–and has made very clear his [...]
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Tags: afghanistan·barack obama·iraq·nobel peace prize
It is so amazing for me to watch a major foreign policy and development speech by a sitting US president and actually agree with more than 80 percent of it–yet that was the case for Obama’s speech in Cairo, Egypt. Even under Clinton, I was lucky if I agreed with him 25 or 30 percent [...]
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Tags: afghanistan·bzarack obama·cairo speech·egypt·feminism·iddle east·iran·iraq·islam·israel·muslims
We’ve known for quite a while that the reconstruction effort in Iraq is rife with incredible corruption. Under the Bush administration, there were basically no safeguards, and stories of money diverted into the pockets of US looters were legion. Still, I had no idea it was this bad. According to Patrick Cockburn of the respected [...]
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Tags: iraq reconstruction corruption obama
February 14th, 2009 · Comments Off · Peace and War
Blackwater, a company heavily tarnished with a reputation for corruption and violence, a company that has done a lot of the heavy lifting for the Bush administration in Iraq, a company that was defeated in its plan to turn a US-Mexico border region into an armed camp…one of the most powerful private armies in the [...]
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Poetry as an Organizing Tool? Oh , Yeah!
December 24th, 2009 · View Comments · Arts & Entertainment, Democracy, General Commentary, Peace and War, Politics
For the last 28 years, I’ve lived in or just outside Northampton, Massachusetts. About ten years ago, Northampton established the position of City Poet Laureate, with a two-year term. Until two years ago, the post was mostly ceremonial. The official poet would occasionally show up and read a poem to mark some event or other, [...]
[Read more →]
Tags: arnold Schwarzenegger·bob dylan·bruce springsteen·civil rights·john lennon·leopold senghor·leslea newman·northampton massachusetts·pete seeger·poet laureate·poetry·sarah palin·vaclav havel·vietnam war