tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10703390.comments2023-07-20T13:08:25.645-07:00Hastings on nonviolenceTom H. Hastingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17098260278363929190noreply@blogger.comBlogger283125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10703390.post-54201945769968028312020-07-04T16:47:10.257-07:002020-07-04T16:47:10.257-07:00We could make a start by changing the national ant...We could make a start by changing the national anthem to America the Beautiful.Tedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04242348611703182776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10703390.post-488849046895938502019-06-27T18:34:00.702-07:002019-06-27T18:34:00.702-07:00Thanks, Genny. Stay healthy!!!Thanks, Genny. Stay healthy!!!Tom H. Hastingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17098260278363929190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10703390.post-36119087393413981862019-06-22T15:57:23.238-07:002019-06-22T15:57:23.238-07:00Tom, your post is clarifying and to quote Bob Dyla...Tom, your post is clarifying and to quote Bob Dylan: "right on target so direct". Love and respect, Genny Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12586739566527206287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10703390.post-88776454635771346872019-03-30T17:01:07.478-07:002019-03-30T17:01:07.478-07:00oh nooooo!!!oh nooooo!!!Patrick Nolenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03361293252640779842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10703390.post-76540197830219207172019-03-30T16:53:21.595-07:002019-03-30T16:53:21.595-07:00Too late! You are now known as HIPster!
Too late! You are now known as HIPster!<br />Tom H. Hastingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17098260278363929190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10703390.post-58356104939991627592019-03-30T16:51:50.520-07:002019-03-30T16:51:50.520-07:00Sorry, it is Patrick!
old old account name for b...Sorry, it is Patrick! <br /> old old account name for blogger for some reason. Patrick Nolenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03361293252640779842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10703390.post-80499704903116226872019-03-30T14:44:49.256-07:002019-03-30T14:44:49.256-07:00Dear HIPster, OK, I'm on assignment! Will do o...Dear HIPster, OK, I'm on assignment! Will do once a couple other brushfires are less wild...thanks!Tom H. Hastingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17098260278363929190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10703390.post-88430838472194476362019-03-30T13:53:54.139-07:002019-03-30T13:53:54.139-07:00a couple of thoughts.
I love the picture, very ha...a couple of thoughts.<br /> I love the picture, very handsome men in the blue vests! <br /> I like that you recognize a broad spectrum of interactions with the police. It is important to have a working relationship of some sort with any agent of the state, especially ones carrying firearms!<br /> I would love for you to do a post sometime on how to word a "non violent contract" for an event. something that explains what is asked and I, as an event organizer could crib and paste my name at the top and get everyone on board. The times I have had them in hand when dealing with police interaction it really has made a difference!Patrick Nolenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03361293252640779842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10703390.post-56054074784505932902017-02-23T01:19:09.383-08:002017-02-23T01:19:09.383-08:00You are correct, of course, Dora, and my intention...You are correct, of course, Dora, and my intention was to simply get it out there. I would add that we need to develop a global treaty outlawing war profiteering. Just as land mines have been outlawed, and biological and chemical weapons and just as international law has helped reduce many other human rights violations, outlawing war profiteering would remove the financial motive you mention. Tom H. Hastingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17098260278363929190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10703390.post-61483825690686108772017-02-22T23:50:29.703-08:002017-02-22T23:50:29.703-08:00The alternatives you have mentioned seem simplisti...The alternatives you have mentioned seem simplistically intelligent, and would appear to be easy to implement if everyone involved had the same capacity for wanting the same goal. Unfortunately, the financial needs of those involved are on many levels looking out for themselves, including us. It's all about the money after all, and it doesn't matter at what cost. The vicious cycle just continues to perpetuate the marginalization of the people that are in the way of the extremist individuals that you've mentioned.Dora Vhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08976178645971299153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10703390.post-60015332323359212852015-04-08T07:27:44.675-07:002015-04-08T07:27:44.675-07:00Thanks, Katy. One of my mentors, Dr. Kent Shifferd...Thanks, Katy. One of my mentors, Dr. Kent Shifferd, said many years ago that, "Nonviolence always works in the sense that when you choose it you succeed in avoiding adding to the level of violence in the world." When he said that it finally resolved all my doubts about efficacy because it made it so personal and so immediate. There are times I've clung to that almost as a psychological liferaft. Tom H. Hastingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17098260278363929190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10703390.post-36854696060212341822015-04-08T02:37:49.801-07:002015-04-08T02:37:49.801-07:00I recognized the "Parable of the tribes"...I recognized the "Parable of the tribes" in your description of the three approaches to conflict management: Surrender, non-violence, and violence. Non-violence is the only option the does not select for power, but it is also the only option that does not "work" when done unilaterally. I put "work" in quotations because I think that the commitment to non-violence must go beyond its use as a tactic, as it is not just a means to an end, but is itself a worthy end. Ideally, it should be pursued even when ineffective in the short-term, provided it is morally right. In that event, it will hopefully be a successful strategy in the long run.<br /><br />I believe the human race is capable of overcoming its penchant for greed and power, but don't think it will happen without a lot of struggle, sacrifice, and time. I'm looking forward to learning more about how to support non-violent conflict resolution in our culture.Katy TWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02294800415468814255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10703390.post-918120505236413992015-02-17T05:24:13.291-08:002015-02-17T05:24:13.291-08:00Wow, just wow. If this (bringing guns to campus) i...Wow, just wow. If this (bringing guns to campus) is the thinking on the "liberal, west coast" and at a university, no wonder we are in such trouble. I'm sorry.<br /><br />Sometimes it seems like one step forward, two steps back, but if we keep going, some time it will be two steps forward and only one step back.Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07837390645712515106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10703390.post-25201816982198305782015-01-28T13:25:23.606-08:002015-01-28T13:25:23.606-08:00well said. Among the other objectionable policies ...well said. Among the other objectionable policies was his support for the Bahrain monarchy and other feudalistic kleptocracies in the region.<br />Michael BeerMichael Beerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08597123993735676855noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10703390.post-89733347537757645642015-01-04T13:50:08.123-08:002015-01-04T13:50:08.123-08:00Sorry, not sure if this went through the first tim...Sorry, not sure if this went through the first time...<br /><br />Your article was great, and has generated an interesting discussion between myself and another person who generally advocates for diversity of tactics. He has one question I couldn't answer: "I would love to see examples of provocateurs actively seriously breaking the law as opposed to just advocating it in order to make arrests on more serious charges." Any leads?Jake Donaldsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04254146795194567799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10703390.post-50088256983787771422014-12-27T08:49:37.246-08:002014-12-27T08:49:37.246-08:00Thank you, Scott, for your kind words. I was hopin...Thank you, Scott, for your kind words. I was hoping to prove you incorrect with regard to Black Lives Matter, but their blog includes the justification for violent revolution with these words from one of their spokespeople: "under conditions of white supremacist terror, revolutionary violence can be an expression of Christian love." http://blacklivesmatter.com/strange-fruit-revolutionary-violence-and-a-love-on-fire/<br />I get that this can be justified under Just War doctrine, and I also know that everyone who takes up arms against the US will be crushed, at least those within the US. This struggle can either be cathartic and bloody or disciplined and victorious, but not both. I am fearful for black youth who are persuaded to take up violence; nonviolence is risky enough, but at least it can win.Tom H. Hastingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17098260278363929190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10703390.post-74866026786531241522014-12-27T08:08:55.530-08:002014-12-27T08:08:55.530-08:00There are many organizations that are supporting t...There are many organizations that are supporting the effort to limit police brutality, but I haven't seen any organizations that make this explicit point yet prominently on their web site. Nor did we hear public official and civil rights leaders' explicit condemnations of the very common incitement to violence in street protests before the police deaths. And we're far from getting this kind of explicit focus on the challenging stance of nonviolence as the key to getting efficient activism to happen, from a practical and spiritual standpoint. <br /><br />Thank you for the clarity and rare internal processing cycles spent on this subject.Scott Wagnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04466053976501617269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10703390.post-52226758391973489922014-12-22T14:06:46.606-08:002014-12-22T14:06:46.606-08:00Thanks, Kelly. I usually ignore comments but this ...Thanks, Kelly. I usually ignore comments but this is too important to let misdiagnoses and misconceptions stand. Thanks for your note of sanity.<br />Tom H. Hastingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17098260278363929190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10703390.post-42783997038205041082014-12-22T14:00:45.139-08:002014-12-22T14:00:45.139-08:00I am stunned that both Timothy Martin Flanagan, an...I am stunned that both Timothy Martin Flanagan, and annemm are both not only condoning violence, but actively working to incite more violence in the comments of a nonviolence blog and post. <br /><br />This is a tragic loss of human life period. The lack of compassion and empathy is astounding.<br /><br />The only true path to justice is through peace/nonviolence, it is a proven "soul force" which is extremely powerful.Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07837390645712515106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10703390.post-66674214414214694912014-12-22T10:25:21.630-08:002014-12-22T10:25:21.630-08:00I'm buying into no such logic and you overlook...I'm buying into no such logic and you overlook two things (both of which are covered in my blog post).<br /><br />One, there have been many calling for violence against police, either in self defense or in retaliation. Obviously, any reasonable observer will say those are the minority voices, the fewer, but they certainly documentably exist and need to be confronted if the movement is to grow.<br /><br />Two, the shooter not only clearly resonated with those who called for violence, he used the plural when he Instagramed his intentions. "I will" is radically different from "Let's." <br /><br />The movements which have achieved serious public policy change have almost always first changed public discourse by earning sympathy and recruiting participation. A movement which tolerates big talk of violent retribution invites rejection by mainstream society and opens itself to charges of incitement, if not complicity, with such horrific events as this shooting. Tom H. Hastingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17098260278363929190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10703390.post-36544876329823462902014-12-22T10:16:14.930-08:002014-12-22T10:16:14.930-08:00You're buying into the same flawed logic as th...You're buying into the same flawed logic as the NY policeman's union who have taken the opportunity of their colleagues' death to declare war on peaceful protestors. What causality is there between anti-police rhetoric and this man's actions? Others want to draw a straight line from nonviolent anti-police brutality protest and this man's actions using the same reasoning. How do you account for Brinsley shooting his girlfriend? Was that inspired by the overzealous whites allies of Blacks? We don't know whether he was crazy, ill, bad or angry. It's a further stretch to say that a certain group of people incited him to attempted murder and murder.annemmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08512811812673059989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10703390.post-60187737472994170652014-12-22T00:35:20.292-08:002014-12-22T00:35:20.292-08:00Lots of quotes, but not a single bit in your comme...Lots of quotes, but not a single bit in your comment that addresses the actual strategic points of my blog post. Your analysis is a lot of bluster--what you are going to do to the cops who come in your home. Good grief. That has zero salience to the strategic path I'm trying to discuss. You say "the nutcase" who executed two cops had nothing to do with the movement. Tell that to the cops. Tell that to the average American. That is my point. People like you rant on about using violence and you are shocked when you are held accountable when, guess what, someone does. You call yourself a peace person but your analysis is pure reactionary leftwing tedium. The standard analysis of you and your ilk is the same same same choice that mainstream media frames for the American voter; Do you want to use violence or just surrender? Violence is a morally, ethically, and strategically poor choice, every single time.Tom H. Hastingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17098260278363929190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10703390.post-31947124664742932652014-12-21T22:56:55.680-08:002014-12-21T22:56:55.680-08:00“The likelihood that your acts of resistance canno...“The likelihood that your acts of resistance cannot stop the injustice does not exempt you from acting in what you sincerely and reflectively hold to be the best interests of your community.” <br />― Susan Sontag<br /><br />Fortunately, the world is not divided between the violent and and the nonviolent. The human condition includes a whole glorious profusion... a continuum between love and hate, violence and nonviolence, peace and war, ignorance and truth. <br /><br />The pretense that any who choose to defend themselves are violent, may certainly be accepted by Quakers or other sorts... but sometimes in the course of human events, reality intercedes.<br /><br />“I'm for truth, no matter who tells it. I'm for justice, no matter who it is for or against. I'm a human being, first and foremost, and as such I'm for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.” <br />― Malcolm X<br /><br />Self-defense certainly matters. Only a rank fool would have stood by and allowed Adolph HItler to continue with his slaugher of innocents. At a certain point <br />one has to choose between surrendering to violence or standing up for justice.<br /><br />When cops are thugs who murder, rape and torture at will... they must be stopped. And they will not stop because we hope so. We must hold them accountable. They must be arrested, indicted and do the time for their crimes. <br /><br />And if they enter my home and threaten me or my family, they will certainly be met with active resistance instead of surrender. <br /><br />“We must learn that passively to accept an unjust system is to cooperate with that system, and thereby to become a participant <br />in its evil.” <br />― Martin Luther King Jr.<br /><br />The nutcase who shot two cops had nothing to do with the new civil rights movement afoot in America. He had more in common with the gangs of thugs in blue with badges... who beat on citizens and murder at will because they can. He was sick. To pretend he was anything more is ingenuous. <br />His crimes were his own. <br /><br />This is no time for fingerpointing or playing the blame game. We are up against an armed force who are backed by corrupt officials and the corporate press. <br /><br />We must continue to fight the <br />good fight, organizing resistance, marching, holding rallies, and defending ourselves when or if that becomes necessary. <br /><br />No fear, no compromise and no surrender. Values matter and we must not become part of any sort of surrender to fascism. <br /><br />~Tim Flanagan, editor, writer <br />and semi-retired educator...<br /><br />“In keeping silent about evil, in burying it so deep within us that no sign of it appears on the surface, we are implanting it, <br />and it will rise up a thousand fold in the future. When we neither punish nor reproach evildoers, we are not simply protecting their trivial old <br />age, we are thereby ripping <br />the foundations of justice <br />from beneath new generations.” <br /><br />― Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn<br /><br /><br /><br />Writingresourcehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03581231222950321433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10703390.post-74331230591834789872014-09-23T07:04:47.669-07:002014-09-23T07:04:47.669-07:00Thanks for your observation. Peace teams need supp...Thanks for your observation. Peace teams need support and volunteers, all of which will most often come from an already-stressed civil society, but that's reality. Yes, we need so many more of them. Tom H. Hastingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17098260278363929190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10703390.post-92105974383669811962014-09-23T06:49:53.077-07:002014-09-23T06:49:53.077-07:00Your remark that peace teams are "almost neve...Your remark that peace teams are "almost never" supported by any government intrigued me, since I just read it (9/23) in the context of having just yesterday read news reports about the abusive treatment by Turkish police of Turkish Kurds desperate to cross the border or in some way contact and provide aid to the new flood of Syrian Kurdish refugees.<br /><br />Here, on the Syrian-Turkish border, in the face of yet another ISIS campaign of massacre, is Erdogan's opportunity to make fundamental changes in Turkey's reputation and its domestic social system by standing up for the Kurds. But, no, he lets his police bully them.<br /><br />What an opportunity for peace teams to make a difference!Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06321162354653413646noreply@blogger.com