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This is your government on war.An unnatural, synthesized invention, war courses through Congress, city halls and the Oval Office. Paranoia, fear, consumption, degradation, enslavement, betrayal and suffering – these are the family values of a nation on war. Our government’s addiction consumes the domestic budget, leaving little for health, education or infrastructure. It invades privacy and creates enemies through paranoia and fear, painting its opposition as savage, barbaric, shady, and justifying oppression, enslavement, torture and murder. It desecrates the natural world, poisoning the veins of the Earth and its abundance, waging chemical warfare and extracting the resources to do so. We need an intervention, an American Awakening, to end the inevitable suffering of the American people – indeed, the global village – at the whims of mega users. Want to protect the Fourth Amendment? Want to protect them all? Call for a 28th Amendment – an amendment to abolish the slavery of addiction, an amendment to abolish war. Section 1. The American people, in accordance with the promotion of international justice, peace, human rights and dignity, hereby renounce the use of organized, armed force to resolve intra- and inter-state conflict; neither war nor war-making processes shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. Section 2. Congress shall neither make nor approve war, nor approve of the use of military force, as a means for resolving intra- and inter-state conflict. Section 3. The United States shall neither make nor keep locations of detention for prisoners of war, and all prisoners, upon recognition, shall be released to their respective home nations or non-military, judicial courts. (from http://www.peacevoice.info/tag/barack-obama/, by Erin Niemela. Published also in: Truth Out http://truth-out.org/speakout/item/16983-how-not-to-wage-war, Common Dreams https://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/06/11-8, New Clear Vision http://www.newclearvision.com/2013/06/18/addicted-to-war/ et al. Date: June 11,12,13,14,18,2013)
"Once again the United States government is ignoring history and trying to solve an intricate political crisis, the rise of the so-called Islamic State (I.S.), by aerial bombardment. The bombing by the U.S. and its “allies” must stop, as must the threat of further military escalation. Bombing is a blunt, indiscriminate tactic that kills innocent civilians and often drives innocent bystanders to support the very foes we bomb... "The origins of the I.S. lay, in part, in previous misguided U.S. policies. I.S. has garnered widespread support in the Sunni regions of Iraq because of the sectarian nature of the U.S.-backed, Shiite government of former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. This government, and its alleged more “moderate” successor, have excluded Sunnis from real political voice and from any leadership role in the armed forces..." (See the entire statement at the website above).
The Poor Are More Ethical Than the 1% Thom Hartmann... "The rich love to demonize the poor, but it turns out that the wealthy are the ones who need a little shaming. Paul Buchheit over at Alternet compiled various reports, studies, and analyses, and found clear evidence that the poor are way more ethical than the one percent [extremely wealthy]. In fact, after reviewing all the data, Paul found clear correlations between wealth and unethical behavior, between wealth and a lack of empathy, and between wealth and being unproductive. In other words, the rich work less, care less, and cheat more often than the working poor." For more on the poor, see my page Poor and Poverty
"In essence, all of these [successful] countries themselves financed the necessary investments in physical capital and, even more, in human capital [education], which the latest research holds to be the key to long-term growth' (Picketty, p. 70). If this is true, then why are we forcing the students to pay for higher education? For more, see Value of Higher Education.
Eliminate War
The Democratic and Republican parties are both representatives of the ruling rich – the tiny circle of the ultra-wealthy who control our society by virtue of possessing the wealth we have created over the course of generations. These capitalists and their representatives are constitutionally incapable of offering a solution to the crises created by their system. They can only take more flesh off our hides, imprison and deport more of us, invade yet more countries, and intensify the destruction of our communities and our planet. Their system is driven by the hunger for profits and organized by the chaos of markets. That which does not produce profits is of no consequence to them. When profit cannot be obtained, wealth will not be put to any use. When they run out of the means to extract profits their whole contraption seizes up or bursts. Socialist Action opposes the right of this tiny minority to rule society. We advocate the democratic rule of the majority organized on the basis of human need instead of profit. We are campaigning in support of a mass united movement of working people to fight for our common needs. We call for placing the biggest banks and corporations under public ownership through democratic workers committees. This will allow working people to organize the economy in the interests of human need. We can eliminate military spending and massive waste in other sectors like marketing, bureaucracy, redundancy, and speculation. We can create full employment and shorten our work hours while increasing pay. We can reorganize the economy to rapidly slow the climate crisis by reducing world carbon emissions by 90% in a matter of years. Working people at the helm can do all this and much more. For more, see Quotes on Politics.
Get Out Of The MilitaryFor more, see Military Draft, Conscientious Objector information, Consientious Objection Fact Sheet, Quaker Site on Conscientious Objectors
War on Terror?
No Free Market in US
Capitalism is a disease of society
"His magnum opus was the Ecology of Freedom (1982). "The domination of nature by man stems from the very real domination of human by human," he wrote. "The long-term solution to the ecological crises is a fundamental shift in how we organise society, a new politics based on face-to-face democracy, neighborhood assemblies and 'the dissolution of hierarchy'"....more Lack of Patriotism
Mad As Hell About |
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"I am for a revolution that brings under strict civilian control the military, the security and surveillance apparatus including the CIA, the FBI, Homeland Security and police and drastically reduces their budgets and power. I am for a revolution that abandons imperial expansion, especially in the Middle East, and makes it impossible to profit from war. I am for a revolution that nationalizes banks, the arms industry, energy companies and utilities, breaks up monopolies, destroys the fossil fuel industry, funds the arts and public broadcasting, provides full employment and free education including university education, forgives all student debt, blocks bank repossessions and foreclosures of homes, guarantees universal and free health care and provides a living wage to those unable to work, especially single parents, the disabled and the elderly" [Chris Hedges, 2/15/16, Truthdig].
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Why liberal? Russell Jacoby facetiously wrote the following in The Nation (April 4, 2005: 11-16): "Conservatives complain relentlessy that they do not get a fair shake in the university, and they want parity--that is, more conservatives on faculties. Conservatives are lonely on American campuses as well as beleaguered and misunderstood. News that tenured poets vote Democratic or that Kerry received far more money from professors than Bush pains them. They want America's faculties to reflect America's political composition. Of course, they do not address such imbalances in the police force, Pentagon, FBI, CIA and other government outfits where the stakes seem far higher and where, presumably, followers of Michael Moore are in short supply. If life were a big game of Monopoly, one might sugggest a trade to these conservatives: You give us one Pentagon, one Department of State, Justice and Education, plus throw in the Supreme Court, and we will give you every damned English department you want."
The above quote reflects certain facts: well-educated people tend to be liberal. In addition, caring people tend to be liberal. If you are mean-spirited, selfish, greedy and into violence, you will probably get a job as a policeman, a businessman, or soldier and be very conservative. I think these facts argue for the basic goodness and rightness of liberalism. If you are still in doubt, read some of the topics in my Progressive Index above.
Retired, Spring 2009.
Awarded Professor Emeritus status by the ACC Board shortly thereafter at least in part for the following accomplishments:
Hired in fall of 1989. Promoted to full time tenure track in Spring, 1990. Promoted to full professor 1995. (18 years).
Won the NISOD award in 1994 for team teaching with Ellen Shull in English.
Won a $4 million dollar NEH Challenge Grant in 1994. Was not funded due to federal budget cut backs.
For the first ten years also taught Philosophy as an adjunct (in addition to full time in the library) at PAC.
Developed and maintained the PAC LRC website since 1998 (10 years).
Part of the first group of faculty at PAC to receive Internet Certification to teach online in 1999.
Has taught information literacy since 1992 until now. (23 years)
Was a Summer Fellow at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in 1993.
Served as secretary of the Faculty Senate in 1995-6.
Helped develop the Information Research Certificate program in 2000. It later became an Achieving the Dream initiative.
Recipient of the Department of Education Success Grant for Spring, 2002.
In 2003 began developing the Library Technology Assistant program, an Occ/Tech program, which is now a successful online certificate and academic degree program. (The academic program was discontinued in Summer, 2015)
Recipient of the GROW Award for the highest percentage increase of graduates in Palo Alto College for the Library Technology Assistant program in 2007-8.
Served 12 years as chair of the teaching faculty in the LRC: 1997-2008.
Retirement hobby is ancient comparative linguistics, especially studying the classics in English, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew.
North Texas State University. BA in English, Philosophy and Latin.
Trinity University. ABD for MA in Philosophy.
Universtiy of Texas at Austin. MLIS in Library Science.
University of Texas at Austin. ABD for PhD in Higher Education, focus on student success and HE history.
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co@dadbyrn.comColby Glass, MLIS, Professor Emeritus