Tag Archives: resistance

Now there are tanks

Fierce Planet Posted on by

Believe me I am aware of how strange it may seem that I, an old-fashioned peace activist who spent years working with Quaker pacifists, stand 100% with Ukraine as it wages a war of self-defense. My approach to this situation arises from discussions I’ve had with other activists about the nature of pacifist beliefs, and what it means to engage in nonviolent resistance. The discussions back then mostly focused on objections from those of us who were committed to a feminist vision of the future, a vision that definitely included the right of women to defend ourselves from predation. But … Continue reading →

This was predicted, and here it is…

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You might recall that I posted earlier about my certainty conservatives would begin to target people who provide or use medications for early-stage abortions: Medication abortion – will we lose that too? I was concerned as well that they might start to push against even informational pages like the one I keep on this site. Unfortunately, it looks like I was right, starting of course in the states where abortion has been banned. (gift link, no paywall for a while) Conservatives complain abortion bans not enforced, want jail time for pill ‘trafficking’ Six months after their Supreme Court victory, conservatives … Continue reading →

What have we done with the Internet?

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What it is, is up to us. — Howard Rheingold, author of The Virtual Community I think of myself as an OG Internet inhabitant, because I was one of the early commercial consumers who arrived online after NSFNet began to release control of the network to corporate actors. For me, that began in 1993. I had been hanging around bulletin board systems (BBSs) for a year or two, after peace activists I worked with started to use computers for communication and organizing. I ended up on a system I’d heard of some years before, The Well, created in 1985 and … Continue reading →

To the ones who keep the passion, respect…

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I’m writing a very personal post, which as usual means I’m half-blocked and writing very slowly. Can’t be helped, this is my only process. So while that goes on, let’s celebrate Jane Fonda, who at the age of 84, after five arrests and recent treatment for cancer, once again leads the Fire Drill protests that began years ago, before Covid. (gift link should get you past the firewall). Their goal is to increase awareness of the continual dangers of climate change, and to pressure Congress to take action now. Fonda retakes the Hill: ‘Cancer is scary, but the climate crisis … Continue reading →

Dreamers

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Look who we are, we are the dreamers We make it happen ’cause we believe it Look who we are, we are the dreamers We make it happen ’cause we can see it Here’s to the ones that keep the passion Respect, oh, yeah Here’s to the ones that can imagine Respect, oh, yeah     Jungkook of BTS opens the FIFA World Cup Ceremony with Qatari singer Fahad Al-Kubaisi and a dazzling host of dancers who appeared to be from all over the world. This is the first time a Korean performer has opened the World Cup. The song … Continue reading →

Now that’s impact…

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For this Iranian revolution. There are now over 274 000 000 (274 million) tweets on the Persian version of the Mahsa Amini hashtag. For context, since mid-2013, the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag has accumulated 63 000 000 (63 million) tweets. #IranRevolution — Marc Owen Jones (@marcowenjones) October 12, 2022

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Repression in Iran

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Authorities in Iran continue to crack down on the widespread protests that arose in the wake of Mahsa Amini’s death while she was in the custody of the morals police. We finally have an in-depth review of how the government has reacted to the protests, in the form of a well researched article on the evidence that the government’s response has been harsh and terrible. (WashPost gift link should get you past the paywall for a while). Tactics of repression: How Iran is trying to stop Mahsa Amini protests A visual forensics analysis shows authorities using indiscriminate force, making violent … Continue reading →

Update on Iranian protests

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From Sept. 20, this is the first video I saw from the protests in Iran. Unprecedented scenes in Iran: woman sits on top of utility box and cuts her hair in main square in Kerman to protest death of Mahsa Amini after her arrest by the morality police. People clap their hands and chant “Death to the dictator.” #مهسا_امینی pic.twitter.com/2oyuKV80Ac — Golnaz Esfandiari (@GEsfandiari) September 20, 2022 A report from Arash Azizi at Newsweek: Iran’s Regime May Have Just Sparked a Revolution On Sept. 17, Mahsa’s funeral in her native Kurdistan province was accompanied by massive protests which soon spread … Continue reading →