"The reality is not that I lack respect for the law; it’s that I have greater respect for justice. Where there is a conflict between the law and the higher moral code that we all share, my loyalty is to that higher moral code."
Tim DeChristopher, July 26, 2011
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A poll conducted by Elon University during the last week of February, 2013, found that up to 76% of North Carolinians support reforming our state cannabis laws.
It is my opinion that cannabis legalization may be the single most important issue facing our state and our nation today. No other issue addresses health, jobs, climate change, and human rights issues (to name but a few) as does the legalization of cannabis.
Why?
“One day we must ask the question, ‘Why are there forty million poor people in America?’ And when you begin to ask that question, you are raising questions about the economic system, about a broader distribution of wealth. When you ask that question, you begin to question the capitalistic economy. And I’m simply saying that more and more, we’ve got to begin to ask questions about the whole society. We are called upon to help the discouraged beggars in life’s market place. But one day we must come to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring. It means that questions must be raised. You see, my friends, when you deal with this, you begin to ask the question, ‘Who owns the oil?’ You begin to ask the question, ‘Who owns the iron ore?’ You begin to ask the question, ‘Why is it that people have to pay water bills in a world that is two thirds water?’ These are questions that must be asked.”
~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Tag Archives: military-industrial complex
American Priorities: Profits Before People
Anytime someone tells you we cannot afford the postal service, social security, medicare, educational funding, welfare programs, single-payer healthcare systems, or anything else good for human society, they are either lying to you or are themselves the victim of misinformation. We cannot afford these things only because we continue to fund and fight wars of imperialism in the name of capitalism, all over the planet. It’s simply a matter of priorities.
NATO: A Bad Idea Whose Time Has Come And Gone
David Swanson is a prominent American peace activist and the author of “When the World Outlawed War,” “War Is A Lie” and “Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect Union.” He blogs at http://davidswanson.org and http://warisacrime.org. I found the following piece posted at Vermont Commons. The Method to the Post 9/11 Madness, by David Swanson To your average educated careful consumer of U.S. news media, our militarism looks like ad hoc reactionary responses. A crisis flairs up … Continue reading
While We’re on the Subject of Militarized Law Enforcement…
Speaking of military drones and our fascist police state: The ubiquitous fantasy of “homeland security,” pushed hard by the federal government in the wake of 9/11, has been widely embraced by the public. It has also excited intense weapons- and techno-envy among police departments and municipalities vying for the latest in armor and spy equipment. In such a world, deadly gadgetry is just a grant request away, so why shouldn’t the 14,000 at-risk souls in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, have a closed-circuit-digital-camera-and-monitor … Continue reading
Spending on Mars or the Military, No Contest
I watched the launch this morning of NASA’s latest probe to Mars, a new rover the size of a car, called, appropriately enough, Curiosity. I’ve always loved our space program, and cannot understand people who deride our exploration of the cosmos as a waste of money. I used to think it must be very painful to go through life being so utterly unimaginative, but the longer I live the more I realize it’s far more painful to have to live … Continue reading
World’s Biggest War Machine
The United States spends more on it’s military than most of the rest of the world combined. It’s no wonder we not only don’t have universal healthcare, but universal college education, cures for cancer and AIDS, and have the largest prison population on the planet too. Land of the free? Home of the brave? I think not!
Dr. King Did Not Stand For Endless War
Following is an excerpt from a speech delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., April 4, 1967 at Riverside Church, New York City entitled Beyond Viet Nam – A Time to Break the Silence. A high ranking military official recently blasphemed the name and legacy of Dr. King, saying that were he alive today Dr. King would support our current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The General Strike, Part 13 – Revolutions, Old and New
The General Strike, by Ralph Chaplin, 1933 Revolutions, Old and New The onward march of the machine process has not only changed the method and tactics of warfare, it has also changed our concept of the methods and tactics of revolution. It has done this by making old weapons obsolete and by making new weapons available. Warfare used to be an art; now it is an industry. The ancient art of arms is now practiced chiefly for sport. Nowadays a … Continue reading →