Tag Archives: social change

RIP Tony Benn, Lifelong War Critic

Remembering British MP Tony Benn, a Lifelong Critic of War and Capitalism + Never be afraid of getting old | Dandelion Salad.

Tony Benn about to join the March 2005 anti-wa...
Tony Benn about to join the March 2005 anti-war demonstration in London

democracynow.org – Tony Benn, the former British Cabinet minister, longtime Parliament member and antiwar activist, has died at the age of 88. He was the longest-serving member of Parliament in the history of Britain’s Labour Party, serving more than half a century. He left Parliament in 2001, saying he planned to “spend more time on politics.” In 2009 he appeared on Democracy Now! to talk about the war in Afghanistan and Britain’s fight for a nationalized healthcare system.

“You’ve got to judge a country by whether its needs are met and not just by whether some people make a profit,” Benn said. “I’ve never met Mr. Dow Jones, and I’m sure he works very, very hard with his averages. We get them every hour. But I don’t think the happiness of a nation is decided by the share values in Wall Street.”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tE8CI012O1I]

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10 of the best Tony Benn quotes – as picked by our readers | Politics | theguardian.com.   Continue reading RIP Tony Benn, Lifelong War Critic

Peace Song for 7/8/2012: Phil Ochs tribute to Woody Guthrie

Bound for Glory” a song by Phil Ochs, which tells the story of Woody Guthrie, is the Peace Song of the Day for July 8th. The Duchess heard this song played today on “Woody’s Children” radio show, on 90.7FM WFUV radio from New York City. The song was played in honor of Woody Guthrie‘s 100th birthday, which will be on July 14th, 2012.

This song is the finale for the Peace Song of the Day project. Yes! We started the project back on July 9, 2011. (Unfortunately, there is not a song posted for everyday. But, we did our best, and may figure out how to fill in throughout this next year.)

Tomorrow will be an “encore” post to the project. The Duchess will reflect on her year of song-searching and share lessons learned. And, also, tomorrow, we will announce our new, upcoming, daily project.

For now, hope you enjoy the video. And, maybe you will learn the song for Woody’s birthday?

Continue reading Peace Song for 7/8/2012: Phil Ochs tribute to Woody Guthrie

Did you hear about a Gas Boycott Day for April 15th?

Well, some folks are saying Don’t Buy Gas on April 15th, so we can send the oil companies a message, and lower the price of gas.

And, some of us believe it can work. (See a fun video from April 2012 below).

Some folks are having doubts. Though, I say whenever you can use your own spending power to send a message — however personal or small — you should try. Put your money where your mouth is!

Continue reading Did you hear about a Gas Boycott Day for April 15th?

Passover and Easter: 10 Ways To Foster Peace For The Holidays

The Spring Holidays are a perfect time for sharing and celebrating, as well as for learning and inspiring positive change.

Kimberly and Ian Wilder, the team behind Peace Couple, share interesting holidays. One of us is from a Jewish tradition, and the other is from a Christian tradition. Both of us resonate with Buddhism, and ancient, earth-based celebrations of the seasons.

Both Easter and Passover are Spring Holidays that celebrate renewal. Passover also celebrates Freedom.

We made a list in order to share some ideas and links for inserting peace and nonviolence into the Spring holidays.

10 Ways to foster peace for Easter and Passover

1. Put a tomato on your Seder plate. Continue reading Passover and Easter: 10 Ways To Foster Peace For The Holidays

Don’t you wanna ride this Love Train?: Peace Song for 3/5/2012

“Love Train”, written by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, and performed by The O’Jays, is the Peace Song of the Day for March 5th.

More about this song: Continue reading Don’t you wanna ride this Love Train?: Peace Song for 3/5/2012

Comic Strip: The Peace Couple and Occupy

Peace Couple Occupy Cartoon Continue reading Comic Strip: The Peace Couple and Occupy

Where your friends are waiting: Peace Song for 12/9/2011

The Last Church On The Left” by Sonny Meadows is the Peace Song of the day for December 9th. You can find this song on the album Tolerance.

There are many reasons why we love this song! Besides our admiration for Sonny Meadows, this song is also a tribute to one of our heroes. The song describes a favorite memory: Susan Blake, welcoming people to the PeaceSmiths Cofffeehouse. Susan June Blake, who passed away in 2007, was the long time Coordinator of PeaceSmiths, and a dear friend of Ian and Kimberly.

Continue reading Where your friends are waiting: Peace Song for 12/9/2011