Four countries that have nearly eliminated gun deaths

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland, Florida. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. Author: Coral Springs Talk from Coral Springs, United States.

Anyone who believes that all human beings are hopelessly and incurably aggressive and that nothing can be done to halt the growing number of mass shootings in this country should read Chris Weller’s article in Business Insider.

And please don’t try to tell me we the people can’t move our country in the same  directions as Australia, the UK, Norway, and Japan if we become more active, more educated about political candidates, more willing to speak out on behalf of nonviolence, more willing to speak truth to power.  No community, however rich or white, can be safe from gun violencse while the NRA owns such a large percentage of our Congress.   Do you care about your kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews? if so, maybe it is time for you to become a gun control activist.

Lewis Randa: Inspiring a socialist alternative

 

Stone memorial to civilians killed in war. Courtesy of the Peace Abbey.

by Kathie MM

In a chart in a recent post entitled 100 Living Peace and Justice Leaders, the characteristics attributed to peace and justice leaders and models included:

nonviolence,

inspiration,

tolerating struggle,

empathy & compassion,

integrity,

courage,

and a purpose-driven life.

In honor of Valentine’s Day, 2018, I want to honor one man who exemplifies all those characteristics: Lewis Randa, founder of the Life Experience School  and the Peace Abbey

Here are brief examples of each of those characteristics in Lewis’s life:

Nonviolence: Lewis explains, “Martin Luther King said, ‘If you haven’t found something worth dying for you’re not fit to live.’ Nonviolence is something I’d be willing to die for. I don’t torture myself over whether I’ve done a good job or bad job.” (verdict:superb job)

 Inspiration: From the founding of The Life Experience School for special needs children and young adults in 1972 (his alternative service as a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War) to his current nonviolent resistance to any governmental move to use nuclear weapons against North Korea, Lewis has inspired multitudes.

Tolerating struggle: The nonviolent civil resistance in which Lewis has engaged his entire life has consistently demanded tolerating struggle; add to that his engagement in the stone walk— the project involving hauling a one-ton granite stone memorializing civilians 500 miles in the US, many miles in Ireland, and then later, under the able leadership of Dot Walsh, substantial distances in Japan and Korea.

Empathy & compassion: Because of  empathy and compassion for all living creatures,  Lewis is a vegetarian—as is the rest of his family — and a proponent of animal rights   (You just have to read Emily the cow’s story!)

Courage: Being a conscientious objector in wartime, promoting conscientious objection to war, advocating for interfaith harmony in a nation that is increasingly intolerant of non-Christian faiths,  and his willingness to speak out for peace and peacemakers to a government embroiled in violence testifies to his courage.

To learn more about a purpose-driven life, just watch this inspiring video,  and add meaning to your own life by joining Lewis’s peace-seeking letter-writing campaign to Chairman Kim Jung-un.

 

How to overcome gridlock

Ballot Drop Box, 28 December 2016, This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. Author: Paul Sableman.

By Dr. Neil Wollman

Note from Kathie MM:  This is a lightly edited version of an article by Dr. Wollman originally published by National Issues Forums in 2013—a message as important as ever in 2018.

In the face of recent partisan government gridlocks, let’s consider a new way to make some policy decisions. What if citizens voted not only for candidates in presidential elections, but also for policies directly affecting their own welfare—including budget priorities? A strong, definitive public voice on contentious issues could reduce government gridlock and perhaps even avert a government shutdown!

One advantage of public referenda or initiatives would be giving legislators political cover to cross party lines and get government working. Who knows, maybe legislators would start working together.  But beyond this, voter turn-out could increase and some measure of faith in government might be restored as people feel their voices being heard. Candidates for political office would be pushed to discuss policies that were up for a vote. Once elected, they would be more beholden to the public’s interests and less able to claim a policy mandate simply because they won.

In Colorado, ballot initiatives are now common practice , and they energize and engage the voting public. Over more than 20 years, Colorado citizens have supported measures like a strong ban on gifts from lobbyists to politicians, the first renewable energy mandate, campaign finance reform, increased K-12 funding, and term limits.

Many details must be addressed if direct democracy is to be implemented on a national level. How many items should be presented, and how would they be chosen? Should the closeness of a vote affect implementation? Should items involve very broad issues or relatively specific policies? Would the President and Congress be bound by a vote or required to follow particular guidelines in considering voting results? Would there be “referenda” (introduced by legislators) or “initiatives” (initiated by citizens)?

Admittedly, this process likely requires a constitutional amendment, initiated by Congress or by a constitutional convention called by state legislatures (all amendments thus far went through Congress first). So, indeed, which groups and leaders must be brought on board before this system is approved?   Citizens’ groups, media, public interest groups, and others will need to pressure Congress to bring this proposal to fruition. A sympathetic president would surely help. A non-partisan commission, including both government and non-government constituencies, could work through the details and enlist those needed to implement the proposal.

This would not be a perfect system (none is). However, if you find merit in this proposal, discuss it with your neighbors, elected officials, and others. Interested organizations could collaborate to make direct democracy a reality. Many Americans are dissatisfied with our current political system. Let’s give real democracy a try.

Neil Wollman, Ph.D., Senior Fellow, Bentley Alliance for Ethics and Social Responsibility; Bentley University; 260-568-0116

Are you standing up?

by Kathie MM & Deborah Belle

Message for the times: Stand Up!

Stand Up!, Gordon Whitman tells us, “is a guide to answering the knock at your door asking you to join other people to change the world.” Millions of people are doing just that; activism is resurging at every level of society, including your community. Join in.

A local example:

The evening of Trump’s State of the Union address, the Social Action Committee of Temple B’nai Brith in Somerville offered a compelling program. The evening began with a screening of Frontline’s “Betting on Trump” (www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8X4qDDgj20&list=PL_pPc6-R9ZzZAb_MFeVVSWlt2L3YyqpL), which focused on Trump voters in a declining coal mining town, a dying industrial city, and a drought-stricken farming area. These were not racist, anti-immigrant, or hateful people, but rather desperate family members seeing themselves abandoned by political leaders offering no hope for change.

The evening’s discussant was Michael Connolly, who grew up in public housing, attended college on a football scholarship, and ran successfully in 2016 for the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

Mike pointed to some remarkable realities: The life expectancy of middle-aged U.S. white men has  declined in recent years. Over the last 10 years, the suicide rate in Massachusetts has risen 50 %. Nationally, all the gains in private wealth have gone to the wealthy. In Boston, the wealth of the average person of color is $8. The majority of people under 35  have no faith in capitalism.

Mike pointed to the rise of neo-liberalism, which takes from the public realm to give to the private sector, and promotes austerity as the solution to problems. The state of Massachusetts is now operating with a budget more than $3 billion smaller than 15 years ago.

Mike argued that we should be working toward a society where all people are guaranteed healthcare, housing, and education. Just think! For only $300 million a year, we could make all public universities and community colleges tuition-free in Massachusetts.

Some audience members had gathered signatures to put the Fair Share amendment on the 2018 ballot. The amendment would levy a 4% tax on people with incomes over a million dollars, raising revenues of $2 billion annually. Those revenues would allow Massachusetts to provide a decent life to many more of its citizens.

If you would like to see greater educational opportunity, less income inequality, and a more just society, be another first responder to Stand up with others who seek those goals.