Peace Activists in the United States have launched a campaign they hope will result in an international ban on weaponized drones. Their new website will tell you more than you want to know about the deployment and lethal effects of these airborne killing machines. It also has suggestions for action
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Paul S. Graham: Just say “No!” to NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has embarked on a dangerous plan to expand its reach and military strength by the year 2030. Not only does this increase the risk of world war, it promises to rob even more of the precious resources that member states would have available for social
Continue readingPaul S. Graham: The New Cold War, Canadian Foreign Policy and Canada’s Peace Movement
On Feb. 27. 2021, Peace Alliance Winnipeg hosted a webinar entitled “The New Cold War, Canadian Foreign Policy and Canada’s Peace Movement.” It featured presentations by: Radhika Desai, a Professor at the Department of Political Studies, and Director, Geopolitical Economy Research Group, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada. She is the
Continue readingThings Are Good: Ithaca New York Provides a Model to Defund the Police While Supporting the Police
I find it baffling that the same organization which investigates murders also spends their time directing traffic. Others find this problematic too. Thanks to the strong efforts of Black Lives Matter over the past years (and in Canada let’s not forget Idle No More) calls to defund the police by
Continue readingThings Are Good: In Denver, Defunding the Police Resulted in a Better City
The city of Denver was already planning to limit the scope of the police before the calls for defunding gained momentum the start of this year. Denver accelerated their plans though, and the results are already so promising that other cities should start copying what Denver has done. Instead of
Continue readingThings Are Good: Defund the Police, Spend Taxes on Better Things
vote In my life team I have seen nearly every public service get defunded except the police, meaning people who would otherwise be housed, have mental care, or otherwise not be neglected end up in confrontations with the police. This is not working well for anybody. Yet defunding the police
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: CHINA VS THE WEST? No, it is freedom vs empire – of any kind
“Delegates from American companies, including ADM, Cisco, ExxonMobil, FedEx, Warner Bros, Xcoal, General Motors, and PepsiCo, were told by Ning Jizhe, a vice-chairman of the commission, that China always welcomed more investment from American companies. Ning said the US business community should “seize the opportunities brought by China’s booming economy
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Covid-19 In Perspective: An Open Letter
The following letter I wrote and sent out in response to a virtual town hall meeting this evening with our local MP and a local environmental group. I am sharing it here because I think it summarizes a contextualization of covid-19 and other major issues which is critically and urgently
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: US 2020 Election: One Choice Only – The Oligarchy
Chris Hedges states there is no choice in the 2020 US election if it is a choice between Trump and Biden: both are a vote for the consolidation of the oligarchy. Now that sums it up perfectly well. Mind you, it was the same in 2016. People in Germany felt
Continue readingOne Gem in the LIberal Package
With promises flying about right and left as the election approaches, one gem emerged from the Liberal package: “We will establish the Canadian Centre for Peace, Order, and Good Government, which will lend expertise and help to people seeking to build peace, advance justice, promote human rights and democracy, and
Continue readingPaul S. Graham: Why you should care about Venezuela
Most Canadians imagine Canada to be a force for good on the world stage. Polite, reasonable, peace-loving and progressive. At least, that is how we like to imagine ourselves. Winnipeg, July 20, 2019: Dr. Maria Páez Victor at the 14th Forum, World Association of Political Economy. Photo: Paul S. Graham
Continue readingPaul S. Graham: Make Peace an Election Issue
Aug. 6, 2019: Winnipeggers gather in the shadow of the Manitoba Legislative Building to commemorate the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on Aug. 6 and 9, 1945. Lanterns for Peace is a ceremony that is held annually in Winnipeg and hundreds of cities worldwide. Photo: Paul S. Graham Picking
Continue readingAkaash Maharaj - Practical Idealism: A Dream Worth Fighting For
The arc of history may bend towards justice, but there is nothing inevitable about progress. Societies can and do regress as well as progress. They can be dragged backwards by their lowest fears, as well impelled forward by their highest ideals.
Continue readingPaul S. Graham: 2018 in review at youtube.com/redriverpete
2018 was not my most prolific year in terms of video output, but it provided, nonetheless, some interesting and useful insights into the struggle for peace and human rights in various parts of the world. Here is a rundown of the past 12 months and as we like to say
Continue readingAkaash Maharaj - Practical Idealism: The Mosaic Institute and the Arc of History
While the arc of history may bend towards justice, there is nothing inevitable about progress. Societies can and do regress, as well as progress; they can be pulled backwards by their lowest fears, as well impelled forward by their highest ideals.
Continue readingPaul S. Graham: What is really happening in Venezuela?
Professor Steve Ellner. Photo: Paul S. Graham Mainstream media and government sources in Canada and the United States have provided an extremely unbalanced picture of Venezuela, portraying it as a dictatorship when in fact the governing party has won re-election consistently over the past (almost) 20 years in contests deemed
Continue readingPaul S. Graham: Have we finally learned how to stop worrying and love The Bomb?
Slim Pickens on the set of Dr. Strangelove or How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb. Last year, the United Nations voted overwhelmingly to abolish nuclear weapons. On July 7, 2017, 122 member countries voted to approve the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Opponents of
Continue readingThings Are Good: Why the Parkland Shooting can Change the Gun Conversation in the USA
Out of the tragedy of the Parkland school shooting might come some good. You might be sceptical as Americans are used to schools being attacked by gunmen and we’ve heard before that the most recent shooting will change things. Indeed, school shootings are still so common that the Onion runs
Continue readingPaul S. Graham: Solidarity with Venezuela
Winnipeg, Dec. 6, 2017 – Professor Johnny Márquez, speaking at Winnipeg’s historic Ukrainian Labour Temple on the political and economic situation in Venezuela. Photo: Paul S. Graham When it comes to Venezuela, the mainstream media is awash with lies and distortions and the Canadian government is complicit (with the United
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