Embassy Protection Collective will refuse to turn over embassy to US puppet government: arrests expected The next two days will be crucial for the protection of the Venezuelan embassy in Washington, DC. The Embassy Protection Collective is prepared to stay at the embassy for the foreseeable future, for as long as it takes to protect the sovereignty of Venezuela from a coup led by the United States with its fraudulent puppet government that the entire world knows is a farce — unelected and illegal under Venezuelan and international law. We stand with the Venezuelan government and their legitimately-elected president, Nicolas Maduro. Continue reading

We need system change, not business as usual. As we celebrate Earth Day in 2019, we need to recognize that more than climate change threatens our environment and our very existence. We have passed or are approaching several Planetary Boundaries outside of which human society may not survive. Continue reading

I was attracted to the Extinction Rebellion by its call for net zero carbon emissions by 2025 – more in line what is needed to save life on the planet than what many other groups have been calling for. And the fact that it employs acts of civil disobedience as a main organizing tool and directly challenges the present actions by elected official everywhere as untruthful and grossly inadequate to the task. I attended the action at Rockefeller Center in January. Yesterday more than 60 were arrested in NYC near City Hall and the Brooklyn Bridge while the London CD protests enter their fourth day. Continue reading

The arrest of Julian Assange not only puts the free press in the United States at risk, it puts any reporters who expose US crimes anywhere in the world at risk. As Pepe Escobar wrote "Let's cut to the chase. Julian Assange is not a US citizen, he's an Australian. WikiLeaks is not a US-based media organization. If the US government gets Assange extradited, prosecuted and incarcerated, it will legitimize its right to go after anyone, anyhow, anywhere, anytime." Continue reading

The fire that partially destroyed the Iconic Cathedral, Notre Dame, though certainly sad, underscores some very important contrasts in priorities for people of faith in general, Christians in specific, and the public at large. The history, the architecture, and the stories associated with it have significant importance. However, it underscores some fundamental problems with what Christians prioritize and what people of wealth prioritize. Within hours of this occurrence, more than 300 million was raised for its restoration. Yet the very same rich people in France refuse to support paying more for social programs in France. It also underscores the irony of Victor Hugo's novel Hunchback of Notre Dame, a novel the highlights the Churches need to offer sanctuary to undesirables, immigrants, homeless folks and those whom society rejects, contrasted with the Wealthy and powerful, and racists' attitudes toward the very same people, and yet they mourn the destruction of this very Cathedral. The Yellow vest protests against austerity and Government corruption further contrasts this contradiction. Continue reading

Greens are political activists and can be found in every movement for economic, racial and environmental justice as well as peace. They do not organize as Greens but as people who are part of the popular movement. The article below about the week of protests against NATO highlights Greens who participated, often as organizers with other peace and justice activists. There were many more Greens at these events than are mentioned. I apologize to those who are omitted.  Last week was one of contrast over the issue of war and militarism as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) came to Washington, DC. “No to NATO” protests began on March 30 and continued until the meeting of NATO foreign ministers on April 4. While people were opposing NATO’s aggressive militarism, the two Wall Street and war parties were giving the NATO General Secretary standing ovations. Continue reading

The March of Return is a scream for life so that we may leave the walls of our prison. These are the words repeated by Ahmed Abu Artema in his many lectures and interviews. Abu Artema is the brain behind the most powerful expression of unarmed Palestinian resistance, The March of Return, which began on March 30, 2018, and has become a weekly occurrence in the Gaza Strip for close to a year. "Why would we die here in silence? We want our message to reach the world. We want to say to the world ‘here there is a people. A people searching for a life of dignity, human rights and freedom.'" Continue reading

And when political movements overflow the channels they normally flow through, they interact with entire societies in ways they don’t normally. That’s the good news. The bad news is that it’s already too late. It’s actually ...  many days late and a few trillion dollars short. The cries for action to prevent or reverse Climate Change are urgent and powerful. We face catastrophe if we don’t [fill in the blanks] in the next [number of years]. The problem is that we are already in the midst of catastrophe as we speak and [still] breathe. A hard look makes plain that — while the U.S. is frozen in a deadly downward spiral of austerity and war, while even essential services have been cut and many, many more are on the chopping block — what is required is a total social transformation. Continue reading