Greenspiration News: Silently speaking truth to power

Thu Jun 9 00:30:34 EDT 2011

Greenspiration News

“There’s a saying in the Talmud that’s been the motto for me for most of my adult life, “It’s not incumbent upon thee to complete the task but neither art thou free to resist thy part of it.” I take that to mean that I’m a decendent of a long line of social activists and social critics, hundreds and hundreds of them for hundreds of years, thousands of years before I ever came into existence. And that long after I’m dead there’ll be people doing the same kinda work that I’m doing. And my job is to do my piece of it; maybe it’s a little piece, maybe it’s a big piece. But somehow you gotta do your piece, otherwise there’s no significance in living, at least not for me.” – Paul Jacobs, a former Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies, a journalist, activist and co-founder of Mother Jones magazine, investigated the results of atomic bomb tests on civilians and soldiers who were unwittingly used as guinea pigs

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Senate page explains her brave Stop Harper protest on floor of Senate today

In an unprecedented protest Parliament page Brigette Marcelle (aka Brigette DePape) holds up a "Stop Harper" sign during the throne speech. 
"Harper's agenda is disastrous for this country and for my generation," Brigette Marcelle says. "We have to stop him from wasting billions on fighter jets, military bases, and corporate tax cuts while cutting social programs and destroying the climate. Most people in this country know what we need are green jobs, better medicare, and a healthy environment for future generations."
http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/judes/2011/06/senate-page-explains-her-brave-stop-harper-protest-floor-senate-today 

Silently Speaking Truth to Power
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/commentary/fast-facts-silently-speaking-truth-power

Michael Moore offers job to fired Senate page
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/story/2011/06/05/michael-moore-depape-harper-protest.html

"For a young person to do that and to do it peacefully, and quietly and with grace, I thought it was a very powerful moment. Every now and then there is an iconic moment where an individual takes action, and it inspires others ... I think that Canada and Canadians probably need to put aside the full respect thing and get to work on preventing their government from turning into a version of ours." – Michael Moore   http://www.michaelmoore.com/

Brigette dePape: Brigette Marcelle hopes to inspire "civil disobedience" to STOP HARPER
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgQJwd50i9A&feature=related

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The Harper Dictatorship

OK so this 4-minute video was produced pre-election, but I guarantee it’ll be the best laugh of your day.

http://www.torontomike.com/2008/12/harper_hitler_downfall_der_unt.html

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Beat Back The Tory Attack - June 10th in Ottawa - promo video

Wish I could be there!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhVBwTnr5HI

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Global Commission on Drug Policy launches groundbreaking report

The International Drug Policy Consortium ( IDPC ) just released a report by a Global Commission on drug policy that includes former heads of state, a former U.N. secretary-general and a business mogul, among others.  The report declares unequivocally that the "War on Drugs" has failed and makes  a series of sensible and provocative recommendations about how to deal in an effective and humane way with currently illicit drugs. Download the pdf here: Global_Commission_Report_English.pdf

On June 2, NGO’s (including the Canadian Harm Reduction Network) released a statement in support of the Commission’s report.  The statement is here:  www.aidslaw.ca.  This statement can contribute to an informed discussion of the direction Canada's government is proposing to take to address drugs and crime.  It is a failed approach, the efficacy of which is increasingly challenged in most democratic countries. 

The AVAAZ online petition, referenced in the IDPC Media Release below, now has over 580,000 signatures  -http://www.avaaz.org/en/end_the_war_on_drugs.
The report is available in English and Spanish.

For more information:

Associated Press: "High-level commission calls drug war a failure, recommends legal regulation of marijuana"
BBC News: "Global war on drugs 'has failed' say former leaders"
The Guardian: "War on drugs not working, says global commission"
Le Monde: "Un rapport pointe l'échec de la guerre contre la drogue"
Wall Street Journal: "Panel Calls War on Drugs a Failure"

Major International Leaders Plead for the US and the World to Get Smart and Stop the War on Drugs

The Commission on Drug Policy urged a shift from incarceration to consideration of a full range of alternatives, from decriminalization to legalization and regulation.

http://www.alternet.org/story/151197/major_international_leaders_plead_for_the_us_and_the_world_to_get_smart_and_stop_the_war_on_drugs?akid=7054.290405.a6CV34&rd=1&t=2
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The Epidemic of Mental Illness: Why?
by Marcia Angell

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2011/jun/23/epidemic-mental-illness-why/?pagination=false 

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Food crisis will create millions more hungry: Oxfam
Demand for food to rise 70-90% by 2050 as production capacity drops

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/05/31/oxfam-food-report.html

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Dangerous Toxins From Genetically Modified Plants Found in Women and Fetuses

http://www.responsibletechnology.org/blog/1412

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Centre for Science in the Public Interest (SPINET) slams Canada's food guide

Amidst the self-serving cackle of ads for fad diets and junk food, the 6-page Canadian Guide includes some good tips, but it also often muddies the waters by:
- Under-emphasizing the nutritional primacy of (non-starchy) minimally processed fruits and vegetables, which should comprise nearly half of our diet, and whole grains, which should make another third; and
- Perpetuating fence-sitting on the adverse health effects of consuming red meat, cheese, and refined grains.

http://cspinet.org/canada/pdf/canadasfoodguide-vs-usfoodplate.pdf

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Algonquins of Barriere Lake vs Section 74 of the Indian Act

Barriere Lake Solidarity has produced this video to help bring attention to the current struggle by the Algonquins of Barriere Lake (ABL) against the Canadian Government's imposition of Section 74 of the Indian Act. By enacting this obscure piece of the Act, the Canadian Government is attempting to take control of the community by imposing band council elections on the community. The ABL have always had their own customary government.

Watch the 4 minute video:  http://vimeo.com/23103527

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Despite Intelligence Rejecting Iran as Nuclear Threat, U.S. Could Be Headed for Iraq Redux

Seymour Hersh says the US might attack Iran based on distorted estimates of Iran's nuclear and military threat -- just like it did with Saddam in Iraq.
Video interview: http://www.democracynow.org/2011/6/3/seymour_hersh_despite_intelligence_rejecting_iran

Transcript:  http://www.alternet.org/story/151196/seymour_hersh%3A_despite_intelligence_rejecting_iran_as_nuclear_threat%2C_u.s._could_be_headed_for_iraq_redux?akid=7054.290405.a6CV34&rd=1&t=5

And here’s an article by same Seymour Hersh:

Iran and the Bomb: How Real is the Nuclear Threat?

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/06/06/110606fa_fact_hersh
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100 Amazing Places That Will Be Destroyed by Climate Change

“100 Places to Remember Before They Disappear" highlights what will be lost if we don't take action now on global warming.

Interactive map with photos and video. Exquisite images. http://www.100places.com/en/the100places0/

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