Peace Blogs

A great animation explaining the cost of war. At least 53% of our tax dollars now goes towards war, an ammount greater than any other country. We're still paying off the debt from all of our previous wars, debt which is going to the banks who loaned the money to pay for the wars. And it doesn't look like the government will stop any time soon.

"Tax Dollars At War" is a brilliant visualization of a radio interview about U.S. military spending as a proportion of our national budget. The dialogue comes from a Flashpoints interview with Dennis Bernstein and Dave Lindorff. It is produced by Softbox, animated and directed by Chris Fontaine.

The movement that exploded in Tunisia, sparking demands for immediate change and empowering the people to make those changes themselves... then matured in Cairo and Madrid and in many places around the world throughout the Spring and Summer, even touching briefly down on Madison... has now arrived in time for Autumn in America.

What it is, and what does it mean? I don't know. We're still figuring that out. But at this point, I think it's clear that this is a profound and historic global movement taking place. I believe this represents a great change in society, spawned by the internet, which created new abilities and opportunities that humanity has never had before - whether it be the organizing through social networks, or the direct transmission of information to the masses through Twitter, or the equality that exists and the irrelevance of borders and separations, or the ability to educate yourself on any topic encouraging people to think for themselves and see different perspectives. This seems to be going beyond merely Revolution 2.0, and is moving towards a Humanity 2.0....

In July, the Arab Spring had turned into the Israeli Summer. What started in Tunisia, and then spread to its neighbor Egypt (this time freeing the Egyptians themselves from Pharaoh), had now crossed the Red Sea and arrived in the Holy Land.

The movement for change jumped across the Mediterranean Sea, landing in Spain on May 15th. That was the day that over a hundred thousand people throughtout Spain, led mostly by the youth, joined together to demand a real democracy and economic justice. There were demonstrations in Barcelona and Granada and over 50 cities. But the largest demonstration was in Madrid, where over 50,000 people marched from Plaza de Cibeles to Puerta del Sol, the central public plaza of the city.
Their motto was: "We are not goods in the hands of politicians and bankers."

Inspired by events unfolding in the Middle East, the protesters decided to stay in Puerta del Sol and set up a camp, which would evolve into a community, and then a movement. Some even called the occupation "Yes We Camp", in reference to the American election of Obama which also had inspired people around the world. The protests grew, especially thanks to student groups and Facebook and Twitter, beyond anyone's expectations....

Musician, teacher, filmmaker, and game designer, John Hunter has dedicated his life to helping children realize their full potential. His own life story is one of a never-ending quest for harmony. In India as a student, inspired by Ghandi's philosophy, he began to think about the role of the schoolteacher in creating a more peaceful world.

Hunter created an interactive teaching model called the World Peace Game. He begins the game by telling his students, "I'm so sorry, boys and girls, but the truth is we have left this world to you in such a sad and terrible shape, and we hope you can fix it for us... and maybe this game will help you do it."

Inspired perhaps by what was happening in Egypt, the spark for Wisconsin's protests came on February 11th, when Gov. Scott Walker threatened to call in the National Guard to crack down on workers upset that their bargaining rights were being taken away. Labor and progressive groups were driven to action, and within a week there were over 100,000 protesters filling the streets of Madison, and occupying the state capitol building. It proved to be bigger than anyone would have expected.

Maine State Senator Diane Russell visited the demonstration, saying "I can't explain it, but there is something magical happening in Madison. I was awe struck."...