Archive for November 28th, 2007

Rethinking power—our own

jess November 28th, 2007

(Frances) Sitting here just after sunrise in a Sonoma, California coffee shop, I’m filled to the brim with the presence of the extraordinary people I’m encountering on this tour.

The themes of power and peace surround me. Just two nights ago, at San Francisco’s legendary City Lights bookstore, there in the front row were Jan and Dave Hartsough—friends of 30 years. I was overjoyed to see them. Dave is a founder of Nonviolent Peaceforce — a nonpartisan and unarmed peacekeeping force of trained civilians. In conflicts, members use proven nonviolent strategies to help protect human rights, thereby enabling local peacemakers to carry out their work.

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Getting a Grip on Technology, Government, and Change

admin November 28th, 2007

(Mark, Media Marketing Director) Bernie Sanders posted an interesting article on global heating on The Nation today. It’s worth a visit, but the gist is: we can fix our climate problems with new technology.

“[T]he situation is by no means hopeless.”

I resonate with the content of Sanders’ article, especially the need to keep a positive frame of mind and to strive after solutions that are substantive, not what Frances calls “random acts of sanity,” but which are genuine efforts made with every belief that we are, indeed, hope in action. Still, there is an even deeper need I fear Sanders doesn’t address.

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