Showing posts with label speech. Show all posts
Showing posts with label speech. Show all posts

24 November 2013

Salary Cap

edited Monday 9 December 2013

In light of the facts of industrial overshoot: society currently depends on more resources than the planet can sustainably provide for, and a massive extinction of species is underway, et al.. And considering the horrible and horrendous things (like pollution and war) that have been going on in the name of accumulating wealth: what do you think, might a salary cap, or perhaps even an overall wealth cap, be considerable as reasonable and responsible social protections? Whad'ya think?!

I recently got to speak about this with Kenrick Ward, of the Your Daily Hour With Me TV program, here's some of how the conversation went, starting at about 12minutes and 20 seconds into the episode:
YDHWM 1154 Magical Realism 131115
YDHWM 1154 Magical Realism 131115
Thank you!

Additional thoughts:
Maybe true that no matter how meritorious, nor hard-working, beyond a certain point—no amount of salary or wealth makes sense? What would seem like reasonable amounts?

08 March 2011

Asmaa Mahfouz

This is the transcript of a speech by Asmaa Mahfouz, posted to the Internet approximately one week prior to the massive Tahrir Square, Cairo rally of the 25th of January. I pulled this from Democracy Now!. There is more information on DN! about Ms. Mahfouz here, and here.

17 July 2010

Peace Vigil Report (re-posted from OlyBlog)

Peace Vigil Report

Richard and Me
Richard and Me at the Peace Vigil
July 16, 2010
Percival Landing Olympia Peace Vigil—For some reason, although there were mostly acknowledgments of approval, there were more than the usual number of passerby who registered disapproval. One individual, who "did two tours in iraq," (and I believe them) verbally accosted me from an open car window with three or four young children in the vehicle. Another asked, "where is your green card."
There is more info about the vigil available here: olyblog.net/thought-bandit
I was asked to show my green card—and I am white! I can't believe it. I can only imagine what black, brown, and other people of color are experiencing these days. Racism is hate speech, and there are laws against hate speech. Hate speech does not belong in public, nor in society in general.
Please ask the Obama Administration to enforce laws against racist hate speech. If you're on facebook, you can find more info here:
White House Enforce Laws Against Hate Speech. If you're not on facebook, then please consider contacting the White House, information at whitehouse.gov.
—Berd
p.s. here is another photo from the vigil that shows the recent hazy polluted air quality:
Can't See the Olympic Mountains for the Haze

07 July 2010

Beyond Vietnam, April 4, 1967—Speech by Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr.

I downloaded the following from here: http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/45a/058.html
Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence
By Rev. Martin Luther King
4 April 1967

Speech delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on April 4, 1967, at a meeting of Clergy and Laity Concerned at Riverside Church in New York City

16 March 2010

Rachel Corrie, 1979 to 2003

Here's a video that shows parts of a 5th Grade speech given by Rachel. I never met Rachel. I moved to Olympia in October of 2002. Rachel was killed in March of 2003. Rachel's death was an important event for me. My heart went out, as with so many others, with sadness - especially considering the surrounding horrible situation in Israel/Palestine.

The Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice

05 September 2009

Health Care for ALL



Another concrete step that President Obama and the Executive Administration, and Congress, could take is to provide health care for all.

19 February 2009

Against Hate: Against Violence

It astounds me how someone who is (or claims to be) against racism can be hateful.

I am against hate. I believe that hate and fear underlie many social ills, including racism, prejudice, intolerance of personal differences like age, gender, sexual preference, religion, ethnicity, and race.

So hate in and of itself is the problem. There is no good hate.

It's very frustrating to see supposed progressives, or radicals, engaging in hateful behavior. Very sad.

Healing is in order.

Definitions of Hate:

The most simple definition is "intense feelings of dislike."

From Wikipedia: "Aristotle viewed hate as a desire for the annihilation of an object that is incurable by time."

Also from Wikipedia: "In psychology, Sigmund Freud defined hate as an ego state that wishes to destroy the source of its unhappiness."

Wikipedia again: "In a more contemporary definition, the Penguin Dictionary of Psychology defines hate as a "deep, enduring, intense emotion expressing animosity, anger, and hostility towards a person, group, or object.""

On Hate Speech, from Wikipedia:
Hate speech is a term for speech intended to degrade, intimidate, or incite violence or prejudicial action[citation needed] against a person or group of people based on their race, gender, age, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, language ability, ideology, social class, occupation, appearance (height, weight, hair color, etc.), mental capacity, and any other distinction that might be considered by some as a liability. The term covers written as well as oral communication and some forms of behaviors in a public setting[citation needed]. It is also sometimes called antilocution[citation needed] and is the first point on Allport's scale which measures prejudice in a society. Critics have claimed that the term "Hate Speech" is a modern example of Newspeak, used to silence critics of social policies that have been poorly implemented in a rush to appear politically correct.
I am against hate, and against violence. Until we can learn to sit down and resolve our differences in a constructive manner, there will always be people, even those supposedly working for justice, who will oppress and beat down on those with whom they have differences.
Violence is the Problem, NOT the SolutionThomas Merton: "I am against war, against violence, against violent revolution, for peaceful settlement of differences, for nonviolent but nevertheless radical changes. Change is needed, and violence will not really change anything: at most it will only transfer power from one set of bull-headed authorities to another."
Hate and violence are unacceptable and intolerable. In Peace, Berd