PeaceVoice

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“What a cynicism to talk about “crisis” as a phenomenon of a month or a year or two, when every day about 125,000 die from system-produced hunger and curable-preventable diseases! Much of the responsibility lies buried in an economism privileging the transaction system above the basic needs of the actors. Economics as a “science” is capital and system, not needs and human oriented. Capital-ism is exactly that, not a human-ism. And yet, there is a crisis on top of the permanent crisis. With a credit squeeze in an ailing finance economy transactions suffer, and so do the actors, even more than before. How come?….”

Author: Johan Galtung, professor of Peace Studies in Stavanger, Norway and Founder of TRANSCEND, a peace and development network

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“Today, everyone who subscribed to or purchased their Sunday Oregonian received, unbidden, a copy of Wayne Kopping’s Obsession: Radical Islam’s war against the West, a packaged DVD that purports to show us the threat of worldwide radical Islam. It is disturbing and contains enough fact and truth to spur a logical and correct rejection of the ghastly beliefs and conduct of radical Islamicists……”

Author: Tom H. Hastings, professor in Conflict Resolution Program at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon

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“There seems to be some confusion amongst the pundits about who ‘won’ the first presidential debate on September 26. Winning a debate was once about demonstrating intellectual command over the facts and logic surrounding an issue. Americans are trained to look past the depth of arguments, however, to the shallow ad hominem jabs, and the talking heads reinforced that once again. So, all right. In an attempt to look toward actual, predictable effects of a McCain victory, we key off the debate to five notches in the key of catastrophe being cut and buffed by McCain…..”

Author: Tom H. Hastings, professor in Conflict Resolution Program at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon
Published in: Southwest Portland Post in Portland, Oregon
Date: September 27, 2008

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“Iran’s nuclear program has a complex history. It began in the 1950s with President Eisenhower’s offer of training and technologies as part of his Atoms for Peace program, when it was widely believed that nuclear power could produce electricity “too cheap to meter.” In 1974, the Shah of Iran stated his belief that Iran’s oil reserves would eventually be depleted, and with German help initiated plans for the construction of the Bushehr nuclear reactor…..”

Author: Joseph Gerson, American Friends Service Committee in New England
Published in: Oregon Herald (Internet)
Date: September 28, 2008

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“On May 27, in a major public address delivered at the University of Denver, Republican presidential candidate John McCain took what appeared to be a strong stand in favor of nuclear arms control and disarmament. In the speech, McCain argued that “it is our responsibility to build” a world in which there are “far fewer” nuclear weapons “than there are today.”….It was certainly a very impressive speech, if it is to be taken seriously. But is it?
McCain, it should be noted, voted against the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty in 1999, thus helping to block its ratification and to ensure that it became the first U.S. security-related treaty to go down to defeat in 80 years. ….”

Author: Lawrence S. Wittner, Professor of History at the State University of New York/Albany
Published in: History News Network of George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia
Date: June 2, 2008

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“In an election year, aren’t we supposed to be evaluating the legacy of the past two terms?
In this case, we have a man whose approval ratings are subterranean. Who’s sunk us into an endless war based on impeachable lies. Who’s dragged our national honor into the toxic mud. Who’s brought us to the brink of depression. Who’s dropped the dollar into the toilet. Who wants more handouts for terror-target nuke reactors and more tax breaks for CO2-spewing oil barons….”

Author: Harvey Wasserman, senior editor of www.freepress.org and author of “Solartopia!”

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“It was still dark on Earth Day, 1996, and we were out in the northern boreal forest of Wisconsin at a military facility, committing felonies. Indeed, by the end of the day we were charged with two felonies each, and facing 15 years in prison each. Sabotage (10 years) and Destruction of Property (5 years). All in a day’s work for peace and the Earth….”

Author: Tom H. Hastings is with the Portland State University Conflict Resolution Masters degree program
Published in: Oregon Herald in Portland, Oregon
Date: April 19, 2008

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“Jimmy Carter, I have just learned, is going to Damascus to talk to the Hamas leadership—the very people whom the current Israeli government refuses to talk to. Or, if it does talk, it is always from a top-dog standpoint. Someone may point out that the Palestinians have been a bottom-dog position pretty much since 1948, but their situation has very much worsened in recent months….”

Author: Fred Struckmeyer is Chair of the Philosophy Department at West Chester University in West Chester, Pennsylvania
Published in: Joplin Independent website
Date: April 19, 2008

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“Massive federal deficits, not enough money for social programs. Where have all our tax dollars gone?
In FY2007, $549 billion or 52.7% of discretionary federal funds went to the military. Discretionary funds exclude expenditures for Social Security, Medicare, and federal highways since these programs are paid from dedicated taxes maintained in separate trust funds, as well as interest paid on the national debt which is not “discretionary.” Discretionary funds are derived from our income taxes, corporation taxes, excise taxes, and estate taxes….”

Author: Randy Schutt, Vice-President of Cleveland Peace Action
Published in: Oregon Herald in Portland, Oregon
Date: April 19, 2008

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“Men must stand up and be equal partners to end violence against women.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon proclaimed recently as he launched UNITE, the new U.N. campaign to end this scourge on society:
“I call on men around the world to lead by example: to make clear that violence against women is an act perpetrated by a coward, and that speaking up against it is a badge of honor. No country, no culture, no woman, young or old, is immune,” he said….”

Author: Dee Aker, Emiko Noma and Laura Taylor, with the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice at the University of San Diego
Published in: San Diego Union-Tribune
Date: March 14, 2008

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