Columns

The Power of Nonviolent Resistance

In what may be the largest and most effective action of nonviolent civil disobedience in human history, thousands of men and women have shut down streets in major cities and thoroughfares, bringing a halt to large movements of international commercial shipments and disrupting trade in everything from food supplies to construction and machinery parts.

And what triggered this act of rebellion?
Anger over inflation?
Wealth inequality?
The soaring costs of healthcare?
The lack of affordable housing?
Racial discrimination?
Outbreaks of armed killings?
Out-of-control military spending?

Sorry, it was none of the above. The correct answer is:

Face-masks! 

Let 'er RIP: Litter Letters Later 

In the coarse course of his presidency, D. Trump allegedly destroyed countless documents, potentially violating the Presidential Records Act. The Former Guy also (allegedly) flushed documents down the Oval Orifice of his White House toilet. As a result, TrumpleThinSkin could face fines or imprisonment and criminal charges that could disqualify him from ever holding public office again. 

In celebration of this turn of events, Common Cause has posted a petition suggesting the Department of Justice investigate Trump's "apparent evidence-destroying crimes," including routinely ripping documents to shreds with his bare hands. Trump's cover-ups go well beyond the ochre hues of his faux-tanned face. His extended and well-documented political crimes should lead to a criminal trial. Here's wishing that the Ocher Ogre's political career ends with the same three letters that he appears to have loved so much—R.I.P. 

Google Glitches 

This will come as no surprise but …You can't trust everything you see on Google. 

Recently, we needed to replace a button-sized lithium battery for a TV remote and turned to Google to locate some local electronic shops. After checking the website of a store on University Avenue, we headed over for a visit—only to find the building dark and empty. The dilapidated storefront was apparently abandoned many months before—even though their website assured us the facility was "currently open." Disappointed, we headed for our second option, Batteries Plus in El Cerrito. Once again, the store was dark and the doors bolted (even though their Google-posted website assured us the facility was "now open"). 

Two "false positives" in one afternoon? Not a good record. In the future, we'll try calling the phone number listed on the webpage and wait to see if anyone answers. 

Hot Off the Presses 

A recent email from The Climate Reality Project begins with a chillingly memorable lightning-bolt sentence: "2021 was one of the hottest years on record—and yet, it could be one of the coldest years we’ll see again."  

The stark message continues: "July of last year was the hottest month ever recorded; Death Valley, California broke the record for hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth; and the US Pacific Northwest experienced the 'most anomalous' extreme heat event that scientists have ever seen. On top of that, climate-change-fueled disasters, including historic wildfires, floods, hurricanes, and droughts, made headlines year-round and in countries across the planet." 

Mushrooms Could Save Us! 

We've known for decades that greenhouse gasses cause global warming (and Big Oil has known about the problem since 1959). The latest data shows that the last seven years have been the hottest on record. One recent report warns that Earth's global temperatures are now "73% of the way to the horrific 1.5 degree threshold" that could spell an end to most living species. But here's a note of hope. We may have a new carbon-cutting tool—mushrooms!  

Researchers suggest that—like planting vast swaths of new forests—planting mushrooms and mycelium (a component of fungi) may offer a risk-free means of sopping up oil spills and dialing back climate change. Mycelium's ability to absorb CO2, makes it a perfect means to capture excess carbon from the air and sequester it underground. The Petition Site invites one and all to knock on the EPA's door on behalf of the mighty mushroom. 

No War with Russia 

On February 5, CODEPINK held one of more than 70 nation-wide "Peace with Russia" demonstrations to protest the Biden administration's threats against Russia and Biden's abiding affection for "warshopping"—i.e., the practice of worshiping at the feet of the US Arms Industry. 

As one of the invited speakers (representing Environmentalists Against War and World BEYOND War) I was happy to have a public occasion to vent. Here are some out-takes: 

• "As if the world weren't scary enough, now we've got Joe Biden squinting away like he's Clint Eastwood playing Dirty Harry and boasting about 'taking out; an ISIS leader in Syria. ["Taking out"? Like a political assassination is on par with a dinner date?"] Biden's acting like a rogue cop, stalking the world, looking for people to kill. But, to be fair, Joe is just acting like every other US president in the 21^st Century." 

• "Breaking News: The geopolitical tussle over Ukraine is partly a battle over control of oil and the pipelines needed to move it. NATO—like the Pentagon—is an oil-fueled, carbon-spewing, climate-cooking creation of Washington's rogue empire." 

• "If you think about it, NATO's core principle of 'collective defense' resembles the playbook of a Mafia drug cartel. 'An attack on one is an attack on all' is a policy based on threats, enforced by fear, and intended to protect regional control over economic power and geopolitical control." 

• "The International Military Council on Climate and Security confirms that the world's armies are the 'single largest consumer of hydrocarbons.' The Pentagon's slogan could be: 'We fight Wars for Oil so we can fight wars for oil.' But the Pentagon is exempt from reporting its greenhouse gas emissions. If the Pentagon were a country, it would rank 47^th among the world's national polluters. Even NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg admits: 'There is no way to reach Net Zero without also including emissions from the military.'" 

In their call for a House resolution for a New 21^st Century Foreign Policy, Reps. Barbara Lee and Pramila Jayapal write 'War is never the answer—unless the question is how to turn a profit for the arms industry.' They point out that 'nearly half of the $14 trillion spent on the Pentagon since 2001 went directly to private contractors—and about a third of all contracts to just five corporations,' Lockheed Martin, Boeing, General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon." 

Barbara Lee and Pramila Jayapal Challenge US Foreign Policy 

Two Congressional activists—our own Barbara Lee and Pramila Jayapal—have joined forces to introduce a resolution calling for a "Foreign Policy for the 21st Century" that envisions "a more peaceful US foreign policy." 

In a column posted on the Foreign Affairs website, Lee and Jayapal made their case with a radical honesty rarely heard in the halls of governance. 

"For the past two decades," they wrote, "the US foreign-policy establishment has led the country down a path of militarism that has caused global devastation and left the nation woefully unprepared to confront the true security needs of the modern world, all while enriching a select few. 

"The greatest threats to America’s security — pandemics, climate change, economic inequality, authoritarianism — cannot be defeated at the barrel of a gun. It’s time to stop relying on the same old playbook and instead forge a foreign policy that works for everyday people. 

"The climate crisis cannot be addressed by a war machine that emits more greenhouse gases than most countries. Inequality, poverty, authoritarianism, white supremacy, nuclear weapons—these are the real threats facing everyday people in the United States and abroad and not one can be eradicated by a Cruise missile." 

In response to the "old, failed strategy," the congresswomen are calling for the following reforms:
"slashing the bloated Pentagon budget; taking war-making powers out of the hands of the executive branch and giving them back to Congress; limiting arms sales and security assistance to human-rights-abusing regimes; and holding the United States accountable to international law — to name a few." 

For a link to the complete resolution, now before Congress, click here. 

Valentines for Peace and Justice 

On February 14, Win Without War activists hand-delivered Valentines to the following Reps who have co-sponsored the resolution: Jamaal Bowman [NY-16], Andre Carson [IN-7], James P. McGovern [MA-2], Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez [NY-14], Ilhan Omar [MN-5], Donald M. Payne Jr. [NJ-10], Ayanna Pressley [MA-7], and Eleanor Holmes Norton [DC-At Large], Raúl M. Grijalva [AZ-3], Sara Jacobs [CA-53], Henry C. "Hank" Johnson Jr. [GA-4], Alan S. Lowenthal [CA-47], Jan D. Schakowsky [IL-9], Mark Takano [CA-41], Rashida Tlaib [MI-13], Nydia M. Velazquez [NY-7], Bonnie Watson Coleman [NJ-12], Judy Chu [CA-27], and Eleanor Holmes Norton [DC-At Large].