Advocacy & Activism
For people in a democratic or holistic society to make informed decisions, we cannot rely on business or government to act outside their narrow self-interest to provide information we need. Individuals and organizations that advocate and press for change are key to a healthy democracy, one of the reasons the Bill of Rights provides such strong protections for freedom of expression and freedom from repression.
MLK’s Final Speech
I Have Been to the Mountaintop Martin Luther King, Jr. April 3, 1968, Memphis, Tennessee “Thank you very kindly, my friends. As I listened to Ralph Abernathy in his eloquent and generous introduction and then thought about myself, I wondered … more
Chocolate: The Bitter Truth
Fair Trade isn’t just about coffee. Many commodities are subject to abuse by large trading corporations and large growers. Coffee is perhaps the largest volume, but tea, chocolate, sugar, bananas, and many others are also important. Chocolate is subject not … more
Support Authentic Fair Trade
Join with Us to Support Authentic Fair Trade by Phyllis Robinson – Small Farmers, Big Change, January 7, 2012 Deep controversies in the Fair Trade movement have been simmering over the past decade. Today, the situation has reached a boiling … more
Using Television and other Business Models to Protect the Environment
Environmental degradation caused by human activity is rapidly rendering the planet uninhabitable. For thousands of generations the planet’s resources were sufficiently plentiful and resilient to withstand our destructive activities. No longer. When Jefferson was president there were less people in … more
Occupy Wall Street’s Moral Ground
By Kathleen Moore in Yes! Magazine, November 1, 2011] Much of the Occupy movement’s power comes from a simple moral message: It’s wrong to wreck the world. It’s wrong to wreck the health and hopes of others. The Occupy Wall … more
Bethlehem Police Supports Occupy Bethlehem
The following statement by the Bethlehem Police Department is a positive response to the Occupy! movement. We’ve posted it here because it is also a good recap of the reasons why protest is not only important, but is also protected … more
Afghanistan – Ten Years of War
Following is a message from Afghan activist and former member of the Afghan parliament Malalai Joya: Message on the Tenth Anniversary of NATO’s War and the Occupation of Afghanistan I would like to thank all supporters and anti-war movements around … more
vs. Power Lines
Peter Crownfield wrote on Oct 6, 2011 re: “Power line being fast-tracked”: The Express-Times doesn’t seem to realize that this power line will do nothing whatsoever to improve power supplies to this region….. Express-Times Thursday, October 06, 2011, 4:00 AM EDITORIAL … more
Statement from the NYC General Assembly
Following is the first collective statement from the New York City General Assembly, issued October 5 2011. As we gather together in solidarity to express a feeling of mass injustice, we must not lose sight of what brought us together. … more
Tim DeChristopher’s Statement to the Court
Grist | 27 Jul 2011—Before being sentenced on various charges involving a Bureau of Land Management auction of oil leases, Tim DeChristopher addressed the prosecution and the judge. Here’s what he had to say: Thank you for the opportunity to speak … more