All posts by Peace Couple

Happy Martin Luther King Day!

Happy MLK Day!

Poetry fills me with hope and inspiration. So, I was very happy to have stumbled across this poem while sorting through a National Geogrpahic Society anthology of world poems. The poem is from South Africa. Though, it sounds like words that Martin Luther King, Jr. might have sang in his heart.

(Excerpt below. Found the full poem at another writer’s blog: Where the Rainbow Ends here.)

Where the Rainbow Ends

…There’s no such tune as a black tune.
There’s no such tune as a white tune.
There’s only  music, brother…

by Richard Rive

Continue reading Happy Martin Luther King Day!

Nonviolent movements are the most Successful Way to overthrow a Dictator

In 2008, Dr. Erica Chenoweth and Dr. Maria J. Stephan did a landmark study, Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of
Nonviolent Conflict  in 2008 showing that nonviolent movements are more successful than violent movements and have become increasing so. The introduction of this 2008 study states that:

Our findings show that major nonviolent campaigns have achieved success 53 percent of the time, compared with 26 percent for violent resistance campaigns. There are two reasons for this success. First, a campaign’s commitment to nonviolent methods enhances its domestic and international legitimacy and encourages more broad-based participation in the resistance, which translates into increased pressure being brought to bear on the target. Recognition of the challenge group’s grievances can translate into greater internal and external support for that group and alienation of the target regime, undermining the regime’s main sources of political, economic, and even military power.

Second, whereas governments easily justify violent counterattacks against armed insurgents, regime violence against nonviolent movements is more likely to backfire against the regime. Potentially sympathetic publics perceive violent militants as having maximalist or extremist goals beyond accommodation, but they perceive nonviolent resistance groups as less extreme, thereby enhancing their appeal and facilitating the extraction of concessions through bargaining.

Our findings challenge the conventional wisdom that violent resistance against conventionally superior adversaries is the most effective way for resistance groups to achieve policy goals. Instead, we assert that nonviolent resistance is a forceful alternative to political violence that can pose effective challenges to democratic and nondemocratic opponents, and at times can do so more effectively than violent resistance.

 

 

International Day of Conscientious Objectors May 15th

International Conscientious Objection Day From the International Conscientious Objectors Day on War Resisters League:

Every year, 15th May is International Conscientious Objectors day.

Around the world campaigners will be remembering the generations who refused to go to war, and raising awareness of the many who continue to be persecuted and imprisoned for refusing to kill and be part of military structures.

Please join an event (they will be listed here nearer the time), hold your own, and spread the word about the day!

Please send us your events so we can list them here!

You can use the hashtag #CODay (o #díaOC en español)

New Year’s Day 2015 treat (organic and delicious)

We had wanted to have something special for New Year’s Day 2015 (1/1/2015). Here is a photo of our lovely, midday snack…

Organic tea, organic raspberries, and holiday chocolate.
Organic tea, organic raspberries, and holiday chocolate.

Details of our yummy, holiday snack:

Kimberly drank Numi  Tea Organic Rooibos; Ian drank Zhena’s Gypsy Tea Organic, Fair Trade Chocolate Chai

They shared Driscoll’s organic raspberries from the regular grocery store and chocolate which was a delicious gift from a family member.

What will be our 2016 treat?

Happy Thanksgiving: Two Chances for Alice’s Restaurant

Alice’s Restaurant is experiencing a 50th Anniversary bump.

Tune in to your local radio station at noon to hear Arlo Guthrie’s famous Thanksgiving, Draft Resisting, Garbage Dumping, Epic.

And, at 8pm, you can watch an Alice’s Restaurant special program on PBS.  More info, and some links at our onthewilderside website: here

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Check out our PeaceCouple post on “The Genius of Alice’s Restaurant”: here (with preview below)

Reflections from December 2012, excerpt from “The Genius of Alice’s Restaurant”

… I realized a little after 12 noon this Thanksgiving that Arlo Guthrie has had a much broader cultural impact in terms of bringing a progressive message to the general population than his father, Woody Guthrie…

Sept 2015: Occupy Celebrates 4th Anniversary with NYC events

Occupy Wall Street celebrates its 4th Anniversary in New York City with blackpeacea full day of protests, marches, speakers, and music.

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Some FaceBook links and a schedule with events and speakers is below.

Summary: Stuff is happening in NYC all day today. Most events are at Zuccotti Park. Be at Zuccotti at 5pm for the big Assembly visioning meeting. Then, at 7pm at Zuccotti, gathering and special speakers. (But, check other schedules, and stay alert for all the actions going on!)

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Assembly at 5pm
at Zuccotti Park…

https://www.facebook.com/events/418102105061232/

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Full schedule of activities
posted on #OWSS172015 4 year anniversary FB… Continue reading Sept 2015: Occupy Celebrates 4th Anniversary with NYC events