Entries Tagged as 'Peace and War'
What Kind of Idiot Would Publicly Burn a Koran on 9/11?
September 7th, 2010 · 3 Comments · Diversity, Peace and War, propaganda, Social and Economic Justice
Tags: anti-islamic racism·dove world outreach center·general david petraeus·intolerance·muslim terrorists·terry jones
Martin Luther King, Jr., Glenn Beck, and the “Ground Zero Mosque” #blogboost
August 28th, 2010 · 7 Comments · censorship, Democracy, Diversity, Peace and War, propaganda, Protests and Crackdowns, Shel's Personal Life
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.
Tags: first amendment·freedom of assembly·freedom of religion·freedom of speech·glenn beck·march on washington·martin luther king jr.·sarah palin
Is SRI in Africa About to Come of Age?
June 21st, 2010 · 2 Comments · Business Ethics, Democracy, Ethics in Government, Peace and War, Social and Economic Justice, Socially Responsible Investing, Uncategorized
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.
Tags: arbenz coup guatemala·cia·Mossadeq coup iran·ron robins·socially responsible investing·sri·sullivan principles
Can A Journalist Whose Child is a Soldier be Objective About THAT War?
February 13th, 2010 · Comments Off · Media Ethics, Peace and War, propaganda
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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Obama’s Groundbreaking Middle East Speech
June 4th, 2009 · Comments Off · Peace and War, Politics
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 [...]
Tags: afghanistan·bzarack obama·cairo speech·egypt·feminism·iddle east·iran·iraq·islam·israel·muslims
Iraq Reconstruction Fraud “Bigger Than Madoff”
February 26th, 2009 · 1 Comment · Business Ethics, Ethics in Government, Peace and War
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 [...]








Poetry as an Organizing Tool? Oh , Yeah!
December 24th, 2009 · 1 Comment · 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, [...]
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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