Minority Rights
The idea of minority rights includes not only normal individual rights for members of racial, ethnic, class, religious, or sexual minorities, it also includes rights accorded to these groups as a whole.
Since a majority of people might want to discriminate against a minority group, special steps are needed to protect against the “tyranny of the majority”, which is just as oppressive as that of tyrants and despots.
The Bill of Rights
(Amendments 1–10 to the U.S. Constitution, Ratified December 15, 1791) Amendment I Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the … more
Israel – Palestine background
The complex and violent situation in Israel & Palestine deserves our attention and action. In the Middle East and elsewhere, war, terrorism, and violence destroy communities and people as they consume vast amounts of economic and natural resources. This alone … more
Equality Leads Us to a Sustainable Valley
by Adrian Shanker — If sustainability is a guideline to ensuring the preservation of our land and community for the foreseeable future, then surely sustainability must include how we as community members and leaders treat each other. This becomes an … more
Positive Change
by Sally Eiler Cordova — Before I was old enough to vote, I was a poll watcher for Eugene McCarthy. I found myself sharing space with a much older and decidedly conservative man who was a poll watcher for the … more