We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Congressional Pressure Can Help End the War, Saving Many Lives

from Just Foreign Policy. Don't know if you believe in letters to your US Congress people, but I occasionally write them. To the right of this article is a convenient way to send an email to your representatives protesting another bill to authorize $33 billion more for the war in Afghanistan. Funny isn't it that in contrast to the recent health care bill, this one will likely fly through Congress, and the media won't even bother to report it.