Don’t get distracted by a carrier group wandering around Southeast Asia. Get real about preventing war.
932 Words
By Patrick T. Hiller
During further escalation of tensions between the United States and North Korea, pundits and other experts are trying to figure out what was behind the false information on the U.S. carrier group allegedly heading to the Korean Peninsula to send a strong signal to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Resistance gone mainstream
905 Words
By Patrick T. Hiller
When reality show celebrity Donald Trump won the 2016 Presidential election, many of us who professionally and passionately work for peace and justice knew that it was once again time to ramp up nonviolent resistance.
Guns Against Grizzlies at Schools or Peace Education as Resistance?
839 Words
By Patrick T. Hiller
The inauguration of a new President is looming and incoming administration officials like billionaire Betsy DeVos—Trump’s pick for Secretary of Education–are stumbling through confirmation hearings with a mixture of deceit and ignorance.
Why Aleppo is the symptom of what is wrong with how we deal with atrocities
847 Words
By Patrick T. Hiller
“Never again!” is once again brought to our attention as we are facing killing and suffering of civilians on a large scale. The Syrian city of Aleppo is under siege and the United Nations warns that the city may be totally destroyed in two months.
A derailed oil train opens the path for living democracy
800 Words
By Patrick T. Hiller
Last week a train carrying crude oil in 14 tankcars derailed in the tiny river town of Mosier, Oregon—42,000 gallons spilled, 32,000 gallons burned, and 10,000 gallons clogged the municipal wastewater plant.
There’s Nothing Collateral About a Toddler Washed Ashore
815 Words
By Patrick T. Hiller
The heartbreaking pictures of three-year-old Aylan Kurdhi symbolize everything that is wrong with war. Following #KiyiyaVuranInsanlik (humanity washed ashore) is a painful confrontation with what some might call the collateral damage of war.
I don’t know any of the 13 activists who lowered themselves from the St. John ’s Bridge in Portland, Oregon, nor any of the dozens of kayakers paddling in the Willamette River below them, but they succeeded in a temporary blockade of the Shell-leased Arctic-bound icebreaker MSV Fennica. I know that the activists participated in our democracy—they were nonviolent and far more civil than many members of Congress.
The day the historic nuclear deal between Iran and the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, China, France and Germany (P5+1) was reached, President Obama declared that “the world can do remarkable things when we share a vision of peacefully addressing conflicts.” At the same time, Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Javad Zarif expressed his appreciation of a “process in order to reach a win-win solution … and open new horizons for dealing with serious problems that affect our international community.”
It is easy to be a cynic listening to some of the more nonsensical chatter coming out of Congress. Despite the most comprehensive international agreement between the United States and its P5+1 partners (the members of the UN Security Council and Germany) with Iran on its nuclear program, the calls to bomb Iran are still too loud for them to be dismissed.
Don’t get distracted by a carrier group wandering around Southeast Asia. Get real about preventing war.
Don’t get distracted by a carrier group wandering around Southeast Asia. Get real about preventing war.
932 Words
By Patrick T. Hiller
During further escalation of tensions between the United States and North Korea, pundits and other experts are trying to figure out what was behind the false information on the U.S. carrier group allegedly heading to the Korean Peninsula to send a strong signal to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Read more
Resistance gone mainstream
Resistance gone mainstream
905 Words
By Patrick T. Hiller
When reality show celebrity Donald Trump won the 2016 Presidential election, many of us who professionally and passionately work for peace and justice knew that it was once again time to ramp up nonviolent resistance.
Read more
Guns Against Grizzlies at Schools or Peace Education as Resistance?
Guns Against Grizzlies at Schools or Peace Education as Resistance?
839 Words
By Patrick T. Hiller
The inauguration of a new President is looming and incoming administration officials like billionaire Betsy DeVos—Trump’s pick for Secretary of Education–are stumbling through confirmation hearings with a mixture of deceit and ignorance.
Read more
Why Aleppo is the symptom of what is wrong with how we deal with atrocities
Why Aleppo is the symptom of what is wrong with how we deal with atrocities
847 Words
By Patrick T. Hiller
“Never again!” is once again brought to our attention as we are facing killing and suffering of civilians on a large scale. The Syrian city of Aleppo is under siege and the United Nations warns that the city may be totally destroyed in two months.
Read more
The Wars Have Come to U.S. Soil
The Wars Have Come to U.S. Soil
867 Words
By Patrick T. Hiller
The tragic night of July 7, 2016 was the most visible manifestation of U.S. wars reaching our own soil. To be clear, I am not talking about the absurd and insulting notion that there is a war between the #BlackLivesMatter Movement and the police. This racist intellectual nonsense has been spewed by commentators like Rush Limbaugh labeling #BlackLivesMatter a terrorist group, former Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) tweeting “This is now war. Watch out Obama. Watch out black lives matter punks. Real America is coming after you,” or in the New York Post’s headline of “Civil War”. These reactions are not only despicable in their tone and message, they are entirely missing the point.
Read more
A derailed oil train opens the path for living democracy
A derailed oil train opens the path for living democracy
800 Words
By Patrick T. Hiller
Last week a train carrying crude oil in 14 tankcars derailed in the tiny river town of Mosier, Oregon—42,000 gallons spilled, 32,000 gallons burned, and 10,000 gallons clogged the municipal wastewater plant.
Read more
There’s Nothing Collateral About a Toddler Washed Ashore
There’s Nothing Collateral About a Toddler Washed Ashore
815 Words
By Patrick T. Hiller
The heartbreaking pictures of three-year-old Aylan Kurdhi symbolize everything that is wrong with war. Following #KiyiyaVuranInsanlik (humanity washed ashore) is a painful confrontation with what some might call the collateral damage of war.
Read more
31
JulThe icebreaker and #ShellNo: How activists determine the course
By Patrick T. Hiller
I don’t know any of the 13 activists who lowered themselves from the St. John ’s Bridge in Portland, Oregon, nor any of the dozens of kayakers paddling in the Willamette River below them, but they succeeded in a temporary blockade of the Shell-leased Arctic-bound icebreaker MSV Fennica. I know that the activists participated in our democracy—they were nonviolent and far more civil than many members of Congress.
Read more
16
JulDeal with the Deal. Nuclear Nonproliferation, Sanctions Relief, Then What?
The day the historic nuclear deal between Iran and the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, China, France and Germany (P5+1) was reached, President Obama declared that “the world can do remarkable things when we share a vision of peacefully addressing conflicts.” At the same time, Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Javad Zarif expressed his appreciation of a “process in order to reach a win-win solution … and open new horizons for dealing with serious problems that affect our international community.”
Read more
15
MayIran Nuclear Talks. A fresh tone in Washington with a breath of Oregon
It is easy to be a cynic listening to some of the more nonsensical chatter coming out of Congress. Despite the most comprehensive international agreement between the United States and its P5+1 partners (the members of the UN Security Council and Germany) with Iran on its nuclear program, the calls to bomb Iran are still too loud for them to be dismissed.
Read more