Interview with a Non-Scientist

 

Interview with a Non-Scientist

by C. A. Matthews

With the recent March to End Fossil Fuels in New York and the deadly floods in Libya and elsewhere, environmental crises and activism have been talked about in the both mainstream media and podcast outlets alike. Climate scientists like Peter Kalmus have preached the warning far and wide that burning fossil fuels has heated our atmosphere causing detrimental climate change and, more than likely, irreparable damage to our planet. Green Party presidential candidate Dr. Cornel West has elevated the climate emergency by actually speaking about it on the campaign trail, unlike others running for the same office who somehow think expanding oil drilling on federal lands is a good idea.

Sane persons ask, “What will it take for Big Oil to shut down forever and allow green energy to take over? Why won’t our elected officials listen to the concerned climate scientists instead of their obscenely wealthy corporate donors? Why does the mainstream media tolerate #ClimateHoax people at the expense of #ClimateEmergency people?”

Why indeed.

I decided to track down a climate crisis denier and ask them for their perspective on recent happenings in the weather. Perhaps their insights can answer these questions and clear up some of the confusion. To that end, I put out a call and received a response from one Freddie Flattearther. Here is the transcript of that interview:

 

The Revolution Continues: Welcome to the The Revolution Continues blog, Freddie. Thanks for taking some of your valuable time to talk with us.

Freddie Flattearther: Thanks for this opportunity. It isn’t usual that a communist organization is interested in hearing anything from the sane side of this climate change argument, so I must admit I was quite happy to oblige.

TRC: You’re welcome. We’re not exactly a “communist organization,” but we do pride ourselves on keeping an open mind and being one with the workers. So, let’s start by you telling us a little about yourself and why you feel you’re qualified to speak about the so-called “Climate Hoax” you claim is currently happening.

FF: You could say that I’m a proud non-scientist who knows tons more about the climate changing than any of these so called “climate scientists” out there. You wonder what they’re teaching in those colleges nowadays, but, whatever it is, it’s not commonsense.

TRC: It’s not commonsense? Please elaborate on why being a “non-scientist” makes you an expert in an area that others study for many years at a high level of academia?

FF: I call it the “They-can’t-see-the-forest-for-the-trees Syndrome.” Those eggheads can’t even look at their calendars and see the main reason why the climate is changing. You need an ordinary person like me whose mind hasn’t been contaminated with too much knowledge to explain it.

TRC: Please do.

FF: (Lowering his voice.) It’s so simple that even a child can understand it. The climate changes all the time. It’s called "the four seasons"—and I don’t mean the pop group with Frankie Valli from the 1960s or the big, fancy hotel chain, either.

TRC: So the massive floods, the unprecedented number of strong hurricanes so far this year, the unusual heat waves and droughts worldwide are all due to a simple change of the seasons? Is that correct?

FF: Well, not exactly. The seasons are changing, but they’re also getting both longer and shorter. Summer is about a month longer than normal I’ve observed over the last couple of years. Hence, we had a very intense hot spell in what used to be a month normally associated with spring. There’s also a big chance they’ll be a larger than average number of hurricanes occurring because summer is longer, so there’s more room on the calendar to squish them in. I call this the “Rubber Band Effect.” Eventually we’ll snap out of it.

TRC: How will we “snap out of it”?

FF: The giant rubber band wound around the core of the planet will eventually break, bringing things back to normal.

TRC: There’s a giant rubber band wrapped around the core of the planet? I wasn’t sure you believed in a round Earth with a core, what with your last name and all, Mr. Flattearther.

FF: My family used to believe in a flat Earth, but I’ve grown a little in my outlook over the decades. A flat Earth makes it hard to explain a lot of planetary events. However, the rubber band core explains earthquakes and the climate changing dramatically quite well.

TRC: This rubber band core explains the devastating earthquake in Morocco recently?

FF: Yes, that was the rubber band core being bounced hard by the giant who lives on the dark side of the moon.

TRC: (Clearing throat.) There’s a giant on the moon who bounces the earth’s core now and then?

FF: Yes, and he bounces it mostly when he’s bored. He’s grown very bored these past fifty years because we haven’t sent up any more spaceships to the moon for him to slingshot them around. It’s one of the biggest reasons why it’s been growing hotter lately.

TRC: (Nodding slowly.) Uh-huh. Explain how that works. And does this giant have a name?

FF: Those intense heat blasts come out of the giant’s mouth. He’s full of hot air, so I’ve given him the name of “Mr. Gassy.” And he is a stinker! His burping and farting explains why our air smells rather rank like rotten eggs sometimes, especially when the wind is blowing from the side of town where the oil refinery is located.

TRC: You don’t believe the obnoxious smells are coming from local manufacturing and/or the oil refinery itself?

FF: Nah, they couldn’t be. I know for a fact that our factories and our oil refinery only emit the purest of air.

TRC: (Raising an eyebrow.) Really? How do you know this to be true? Most people would say that the bad smells are indicative of the pollutants being spewed out of the smoke stacks.

FF: Of course it’s true! Why would Exxon or Chevron lie to us? They take care of little ducklings and goslings whenever they’re in need of a bath. There’s a TV commercial that shows this to be true.

TRC: You mean the dish soap commercial showing people washing oil off of wild birds’ feathers after they were got caught in an oil slick? Okay, I see where now you’re possibly getting your ideas. Do you always believe whatever you see or hear on television?

FF: For the most part, yes. There’s no reason for the big corporations to lie to us. They live on the same planet with us. Why would they pollute their own air and water, for instance? (Laughing.) I bet you don’t have a good answer to that!

TRC: No, I don’t. There is no good reason why anyone or any corporation would pollute their own air and water, but they do. As they say, “It's an ill bird that fouls its own nest.”

FF: See? I told you there’s no real reason to worry about a “climate emergency.” (Miming quote marks.) The corporations are looking after us like they look after those sick birds. We can trust them because they’re smart, unlike our politicians. They’re all a bunch of morons.

TRC: On that point, we’re agreed. Politicians are, for the most part, unethical morons, but how can we be so sure we’re not being duped by Big Oil, for instance?

FF: I’m sure they’re not lying to us, because if I ever found out they had lied about the quality of their product, gasoline, I’d stop buying so much of it for my Cadillac Escalade and buy one of those plug-in electric cars instead. I’d be downright angry if I ever found out how their products caused the earth to become hotter or dryer in the summer months or caused deadly flooding and storms where normally there aren’t any. Lots of people like me would stop buying gasoline, and that would put the oil companies out of business. They’re not stupid. They rely on people like me to stay in business.

TRC: They certainly do. So, you’re not angry about Mr. Gassy the giant bouncing the earth or batting it about?

FF: No, not really. It’s just the way he is. I just hope the US can nuke China soon so we can prevent the Chinese from sending any more space probes to the dark side of the moon. It annoys him.

TRC: Uh, yeah. Do you feel that nuclear war is winnable?

FF: All wars are winnable—if you have Mr. Gassy on your side.

TRC: Yeah, I thought you might say that. It’s been quite an experience chatting with you, Freddie Flattearther. Everyone, be careful out there and try not to get on the giant’s bad side. It seems the future of everyone on Earth is counting on it.

Related Articles and Other Interesting Links: 

 

Peter Kalmus speaking at the End Fossil Fuels march in NYC

https://youtu.be/1rJHlFME480?si=H4t1ymTZIsP3zyUx

Civil Society Reactions To United Nations Climate Ambition Summit https://popularresistance.org/civil-society-reactions-to-united-nations-climate-ambition-summit/

Climate Defenders Arrested While Blocking Entry To NY Federal Reserve  https://popularresistance.org/climate-defenders-arrested-while-blocking-entry-to-ny-federal-reserve/

The Climate March, Joe Biden, and AOC’s Dubious Endorsement
https://scheerpost.com/2023/09/19/the-climate-march-joe-biden-and-aocs-dubious-endorsement/

Mining the Sacred: Indigenous nations fight lithium gold rush at Thacker Pass https://youtu.be/uLO7ClVtlBA?si=UoZtSbEN-vY8Vs-I

A Guide To Six Greenwashing Terms Big Ag Is Bringing To COP28https://popularresistance.org/a-guide-to-six-greenwashing-terms-big-ag-is-bringing-to-cop28/

Chinese balloon was not spying, US gov't admits months after manufactured crisis  https://geopoliticaleconomy.substack.com/p/chinese-balloon-not-spying-us-media

This War Wasn't Just Provoked — It Was Provoked Deliberately
https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/this-war-wasnt-just-provoked-it-was

War Profiteers Are A Sign Of A Profoundly Sick Society
https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/war-profiteers-are-a-sign-of-a-profoundly

We're Being Prepared For The Ukraine War To Last Into The 2030s
https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/were-being-prepared-for-the-ukraine

 

Ukraine Follows Imperial Japan's Example in the Attrition of its Military https://ohiobarbarian.substack.com/p/ukraine-follows-imperial-japans-example

Australian Politicians Coming To US To Free Julian Assange
https://popularresistance.org/australian-politicians-coming-to-us-to-free-julian-assange/

US Sees Highest Ever Increase in Poverty https://consortiumnews.com/2023/09/22/us-sees-highest-ever-increase-in-poverty/

If The Facts Come Out, It Could Spell The End For Joe Biden
https://popularresistance.org/if-the-facts-come-out-it-could-spell-the-end-for-joe-biden/

'Silent Coup'—How corporations rule the world w/Matt Kennard | The Chris Hedges Report https://youtu.be/1xRrk-cYU-E?si=0o252v-vU6MR3E_D

Biden orders deployment of 800 soldiers to US-Mexico border https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/09/23/xsta-s23.html

Beyond the Border: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Presence at Racial Justice Protests in Summer of 2020
https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/FOIA/cbp-presence-racial-justice-protests-summer-2020

Citizen Groups Sue EPA for Using Black Neighborhoods as “Sacrifice Zones” https://truthout.org/articles/citizen-groups-sue-epa-for-using-black-neighborhoods-as-sacrifice-zones/

Striking Autoworkers at Stellantis Are Up Against a Yacht-Sailing Billionaire  https://truthout.org/articles/striking-autoworkers-at-stellantis-are-up-against-a-yacht-sailing-billionaire/

Boston March October 7 To Demand: Indigenous Peoples Day Now! https://popularresistance.org/boston-march-october-7-to-demand-indigenous-peoples-day-now/

Coming soon, the first book from The Revolution Continues blog:  The Little Red Book of Revolution

How can you get your e-copy? The easiest way is to subscribe to The Revolution Continues on Substack as a paying subscriber. Choose what level you'd like to subscribe online at: https://therevolutioncontinues.substack.com

If you'd like to help out in the meantime, buy me a coffee!  https://ko-fi.com/therevolutioncontinues

More details to come. Power to the people!

 

The Children Shall Lead

"The future is not something we enter.

The future is something we create." 

Leonard Sweet

The Children Shall Lead

by C.A. Matthews

It's the time of year where children take the lead on social activities. There are holiday parties, Christmas pageants, end-of-the-year award ceremonies, and of course, lots and lots of gift shopping. We as a society don't have any problems with putting the needs, wants, and desires of our children first during this particular season. 

This begs the question then: How come we don't put our children first the remainder of the year?

When people say, "Our children are our future," do they really mean it? If you state you prioritize your offsprings' health and happiness, then why protest when someone reveals how you aren't actually doing anything to protect the environment and curb greenhouse gases? Why does your twisted desire to make profits through ravishing Mother Nature--and possibly annihilating the human species--come first over your kids' very survival?

And when a child (that is, a young person) stands up to this hypocrisy, why do you act surprised and insulted? Surely you realize the consequences of your harsh actions against the environment, so there's no use in pretending to be astonished when Greta Thunberg lays out the scientific evidence demonstrating the foolhardiness of your activities. The Trumps of the world have nobody to blame for feeling uncomfortable about their poor choices except themselves.

Choosing Greta as Time magazine's "Person of the Year" really was a no-brainer. It is not kings or princes or presidents or popes or bishops who have taken the point on this all-encompassing issue of the Climate Emergency. It is a child, a commoner, a person without status or title. What better way to usurp the power pyramid and instigate the necessary worldwide revolution to save Planet Earth than by subverting it starting at the bottom? 

It is We of the 99% who will suffer--and currently are suffering--the cataclysmic destruction of our environment through wildfire, windstorms, and flooding. The revolution to stop this travesty must begin with those who have firsthand knowledge of it. It must start with us and not our so-called political leaders. 

Greta intuitively understands this and acts upon it. After all, it is her generation with the most to lose. Therefore, she is the perfect leader to rally the troops to fight the battle to save our precious home.

In this season where many pause to reflect upon the birth of a low-born child and the revolution of brotherly love he began among the ranks of the poor and oppressed, let us consider how fortunate we are to have such a child as Greta to lead her generation--indeed all of us--into a better and brighter future.

The children shall lead us. It's up to us old-timers to put aside our petty differences for the sake of humanity and follow.

The wolf shall live with the lamb,
    the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
    and a little child shall lead them.

Isaiah 11:6 (NRSV)

https://youtu.be/Ml3f0KeZnsY

Time Magazine said this about Greta:

That Thunberg is the youngest individual ever named TIME’s Person of the Year says as much about the moment as it does about her. The 92-year-old franchise is rooted in the so-called Great Man theory of history, the notion that powerful individuals shape the world. Historically that has meant people who worked their way up the ladders of major organizations and were at home in the corridors of power. But in this moment when so many traditional institutions seem to be failing us, amid staggering inequality and social upheaval and political paralysis, we are seeing new kinds of influence take hold. It is wielded by people like Thunberg, leaders with a cause and a phone who don’t fit the old rubrics but who connect with us in ways that institutions can’t and perhaps never could.

Related articles:

Dear Youth, Keep Challenging the Systems of Power – No Matter Who Tells You to "Chill".  https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2019/12/dear-youth-keep-challenging-systems-power-no-matter-tells-chill/

Don't Mock Greta Thunberg. Listen to Her (She's Right About the Science)
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2019-12-12/greta-thunberg-deserves-time-s-person-of-the-year-honor

Greta Thunberg Time Person of the Year https://www.businessinsider.com/greta-thunberg-time-person-of-the-year-environmental-activism-2019-12

Scientists Want to Make Harming the Environment a War Crime
https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/harming-environment-war-crime

Greta Thunberg: Climate Crisis "Not Just About Environment," But Also "Colonial, Racist and Patriarchal Systems of Oppression"
https://disrn.com/news/greta-thunberg-climate-crisis-not-just-about-environment-but-also-colonial-racist-patriarchal-systems-of-oppression

***

Photo credit: Patrick McElhenney

BREAKING: Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officials in paramilitary gear ARRESTED doctors attempting to offer flu vaccines to jailed children in San Diego. Tell CBP: stop denying medical care to jailed children.

16-year-old Carlos Gregorio Hernandez Vasquez had a fever of 103. Rather than send him to the hospital -- the CBP locked him into an isolation cell.
With proper care, the flu can be treatable. 

But Carlos was denied medical care and left to die alone in a detention center in Texas, laying in a pool of his own vomit on a cold concrete slab next to a toilet.
Immigration authorities did NOTHING as their security camera recorded Carlos's last moments. 

SIGN THE MOVEON PETITION: No child should die from the flu.
 
On Monday, Families Belong Together marched with Doctors for Camp Closure to the Chula Vista border station in San Ysidro, California, with 120 flu vaccines in hand. The doctors -- including the physician in charge of the California Medical Association -- volunteered their time and were ready to treat the children -- but the Trump Administration's Department of Homeland Security barred them from entering. 

For six hours, we stood in the driveway of the camp with the vaccines, but the metal gates remained closed. The CBP sent four police cars and five armed officers to keep watch on us as we peacefully stood vigil for the children who died. 

So, on Tuesday, we headed to the CBP headquarters in San Diego to demand they let the doctors in -- only for armed officers in full paramilitary gear to arrest six of us.

Photo credit: Patrick McElhenney

Children in detention are nine times more likely to die from the flu than the general pediatric population. But as flu season ramps up, the Trump administration has ignored demands from medical professionals and the Centers for Disease Control to vaccinate children in their immigration jails. 

Carlos was the third child to die of flu-related illnesses in immigration detention in the last year. His death was preventable.
 
Tell the Trump Administration: Withholding medical care from children and families in custody is appalling and inhumane.
 
We've got to stop throwing children in jails, we've got to undo the damage of the Trump administration's cruel immigration policies. But right now, we've also just got to give these kids urgent medical care.
 
We're keeping up on the pressure on the Trump administration and are doing everything we can to prevent more deaths in custody. 
 
Add your name: Demand flu vaccines for children and families in detention.
 
Thanks for all you do,
Paola Luisi
Families Belong Together Communications Director 

***

We're excited to announce the publication of World BEYOND War's new 3-part series of fact sheets on the impact of sanctions in Iraq, Cuba, and North Korea. You can view and download the fact sheets for free from our website.

The fact sheets are designed as printable handouts that can be used for tabling events, lobby meetings, and much more. Each reference is meticulously footnoted, so you can cross-check every fact and go to the original source for more details.


Simply put, sanctions can kill. Time and again, sanctions are utilized as a brutal tool of war and repression, destroying innocent communities. Some eye-opening statistics stand out from our research:

• According to UNICEF, sanctions on Iraq killed half a million children under the age of 5, due to restricted access to adequate food and clean water, which caused widespread malnutrition and disease. Likewise, 60,000 malnourished children are facing starvation in North Korea due to sanctions.
• The embargo on Cuba has cost the country over $130 billion in losses.
• A ban on employing North Korean construction workers in Russia, China, and other countries has eliminated tens of thousands of jobs.

The fact sheets document these statistics and much more, illustrating the widespread negative impacts of sanctions in Iraq, Cuba, and North Korea. View and download the full fact sheet series from our website.

A shout-out to volunteers Ben, Gayle, Gar, Joanne, Emily, Eleanor, and Alice for their assistance with detailed research, writing, editing, and graphic design for this fact sheet series!

Please utilize these fact sheets as an educational tool in your community and share them far & wide!

For questions or more information about our peace education programs and volunteer opportunities, email Greta at greta@worldbeyondwar.org.

For a world beyond war,

Greta Zarro
Organizing Director
World BEYOND War
greta@worldbeyondwar.org

***
From Friends of the Earth:

Bees are dying! You know it. I know it. And supermarket giant Kroger knows it. But Kroger is still selling food grown with bee-killing pesticides. And rather than addressing its role in bee declines, it’s rolling out a new slogan: “Fresh for Everyone!”

The truth is, Kroger’s policy is more like “pesticides for everyone.” Kroger’s new ad campaign is pure “bee-washing” -- featuring happy bees and happy families. Meanwhile, our 2018 research found toxic pesticides like glyphosate -- the key ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup® -- and bee-killing neonics in Kroger store brand foods.

Kroger can’t hide behind its fancy new branding. It must stop selling food grown with toxic pesticides. But we need your help pushing the supermarket giant to act. Can we count on your support?

Help save the bees: Tell Kroger to stop selling food grown with bee-killing pesticides NOW!

Beekeepers lost nearly half their hives this past year. 40 percent of wild pollinators are at risk of extinction. 75% of songbird species are in decline. And driving this crisis are toxic pesticides like bee-killing neonics, butterfly-harming Roundup®, and chlorpyrifos -- the second-most toxic pesticide to bees.

But these pesticides aren’t just hurting birds and insects, they’re also harming our health and putting kids at risk. Right now, Bayer-Monsanto is facing lawsuits from more than 40,000 people because they believe their exposure to RoundUp® caused their cancer.

But, thanks in part to Kroger, this pesticide is still ending up on our plates. Recent independent lab testing found that Kroger’s store-brand foods including apple sauce, spinach, cereal and beans contain toxic pesticides like neonicotinoids, glyphosate and organophosphates.

Even in trace amounts, these pesticides have been linked to reduced IQ, attention deficit disorders, autism, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and cancer. They have no place in the food on Kroger’s shelves.

Protect our children’s health and our environment: Tell Kroger to stop selling food grown with cancer-causing RoundUp®!

Scientists are warning that we’re in the middle of an “insect apocalypse.” Pesticides and habitat loss are hurting everything from bees and butterflies to the birds and other wildlife that rely on insects for food. We must get toxic pesticides like neonics and RoundUp® out of our environment and our food system.

Food retailers play a key role in turning this crisis around. Building on policies released by Costco and Aldi, Rite Aid just released the strongest retailer pollinator policy yet, encouraging its suppliers to phase out the use of glyphosate, neonicotinoids and organophosphates, including chlorpyrifos and expanding offerings of bee-friendly organic food. But while other companies are leading the way, Kroger is spending money on new ad campaigns with “happy bees” while real bees are suffering.

As the largest traditional grocery store in the U.S., Kroger has the power to change our toxic food system. It must go beyond a new branding campaign if it wants to make a difference for bees and kids. It must lead the way and phase out bee-killing pesticides. Otherwise, “Fresh for Everyone” will only mean toxic pesticides for everyone.

Help send 30,000 signatures: Demand Kroger make a firm commitment to stop selling food grown with toxic pesticides!

Standing with you,
Jason Davidson,
Food and agriculture campaigner,
Friends of the Earth

Why Science Matters

Why Science Matters

words and photos by Cindy A. Matthews

Picture this imaginary conversation everyone should be glad never took place in 1796:

Edward Jenner: I don't know, Pete. I thought about inoculating people with a small amount of pus from a cow pox lesion to prevent them from coming down with smallpox, but it's a lame idea.

Pete: What makes you say that, Ed? It's been noted by several scientists how milk maids who've contracted cow pox never come down with smallpox. Something about them developing immunity to smallpox because cow pox is a weaker version of it? You inoculation theory sounds like a great idea. We don't need yet another smallpox epidemic, do we?

Edward Jenner: No, we don't. Smallpox can be deadly, but why bother? People--especially children--will hate me for making them suffer through a scratch in order to prevent them from becoming sick later. Who wants to suffer some momentary discomfort for the prevention of an even worse sickness or death? Not me!

Pete: You can't allow people to get sick and possibly die because you want them to like you. The facts are the facts: Smallpox is deadly, and you have a good theory to test which, if successful, could save thousands--no millions of lives. We can't ignore the facts, Ed.

Edward Jenner: Can't we? Let's pretend we never had this conversation. I know--let's open a funeral parlor. We can make a lot of money burying the dead. Why cure people when you can make money off their suffering instead?

Smallpox was completely eradicated by 1980. Millions, perhaps billions, were saved. This is why science matters. 

Ignoring the facts about how we're destroying our biosphere through pollution, or causing climate change  (causing floods and droughts and, consequently, food shortages), or preventing cures for diseases from being developed and given freely to every human being who suffers (because profit is seen as more important than people) is why science matters--because science is all about facts.

Not alternative facts, but the actual facts. Science is about proving and repeating positive results, proposing theories, and testing hypotheses. Without the study of the sciences, our world would be filled with superstition and a lot of unnecessary suffering. The fact our world is still filled with superstition and a lot of unnecessary suffering further proves why science matters. Now is not the time to give up on science.

Denying the facts is a denial of problems. Mature, rational individuals know  denying problems doesn't make them go away. The problems just get bigger and harder to solve.  This week's March for Science focused the public's attention on the fact that our country needs to face facts. We can't allow selfish and greedy billionaires and corporations to continue to destroy our national parks and forests, pollute our air and waterways, poison our land and crops, and take advantage of our sick and elderly neighbors/loved ones by denying them adequate health care. It's time for us to stand up and speak out for our fellow travelers on spaceship Earth and protect the planet which gives and sustains our life.

I attended a  March for Science held in Findlay, Ohio. It was small in numbers but not in spirit. Marches for Science were held all around the US and around the world with hundreds of thousands in attendance. This coming week brings a Week of Action, leading up to the People's March for Climate, Jobs and Justice in Washington D.C. on April 29. I encourage you to take part in as many activities you can this week and to invite your friends to join you. Together, we can make an impact by sticking to the facts and by using science for the common good, not evil.

Take a stand for science today and put superstition behind you. A  more compassionate, safer, and healthier world awaits us. To quote a sign and popular meme: "There is no planet B." In other words, this is the only Earth we got. Let's keep it intact by sticking with the facts.

Here's a video compilation of March for Science-Earth Day 2017 events from Washington DC: https://youtu.be/S4i2N42TVRo



 
From the official March for Science web site about the Week of Action:

What an incredible day – thank you. Together, we showed the world that science matters. We sent an important message to our leaders: we will not sit still and let science be attacked. We know that science and its role in our lives is important. Because of you, they know, too.

Here's the good news: our movement is just starting. We want to tap into the incredible success of this event to continue defending science, with your help.
The March is just the beginning. Join the movement.

In the week following the March for Science (April 23-29), we will promote daily actions that serve our mission for supporters around the world to engage in together. This Week of Action will continue the momentum from the march and promote sustained, coordinated science advocacy.

The Week of Action is just one more step toward building a global movement that champions science for the common good. We will grow the network of local chapters around the world and partnering organizations, providing tools and sharing resources, and encouraging science and civic literacy outreach efforts.

We will also give you the tools to reach out to your elected officials so you can tell them why you marched for science.

Together, we will #keepmarching to defend and strengthen the role of science in society to better serve all of our communities.

Share the Week of Action.

We heard from a wide range of participants about why they marched for science. Now we want to use these stories to fuel a movement that protects science and its role in society. We know science has improved, and even saved, lives. Now, more than ever, it’s vital that we keep marching forward.
 
Thank you for your support.   
-- The March for Science team

***

The Global Green Gathering 

a report by Dr. Jill Stein

I just got back from Belgium, the Netherlands and the Global Greens gathering in Liverpool, England, where nearly 2,000 Greens from over 100 countries came together to learn, connect, and get inspired to build our movement for people, planet and peace over profit!

The good news from Western Europe and Liverpool is that the Green movement is growing worldwide. From recent successes in countries like the Netherlands and Austria, to struggles for real democracy in places like Rwanda, South Korea and Russia, members of the global Green family are in the middle of the action.

And it does feel like a family, because Greens from all over the world share the same values and are eager to help each other succeed in solving the problems we all face and creating the better world we know is possible.

Here are some highlights from my time in Liverpool:

Green successes in the Netherlands and Austria

We were invigorated hearing about the recent success of the Dutch Greens, who nearly quadrupled their seats in parliament in the recent election, and the Austrian Greens, who helped Alexander Van der Bellen defeat the far right to become the first Green President!  Both campaigns were strongly pro-refugee and pro-human rights, inspiring young people and members of oppressed communities to vote and stop the racist, xenophobic far right from gaining power.

Global Alliance for Real Democracy and Proportional Representation

Many of the countries where Greens have been most successful, such as Germany, have proportional representation voting systems. (For example, a party that gets 15% of the vote gets 15% of seats in parliament). But others are still struggling with the obsolete first-past-the-post system, including Canada, England, and the US. I took part in a panel discussion on the global fight for real democracy, where we heard from New Zealand Greens about the successful campaign to move from first-past-the-post to proportional representation, and shared ideas about how we can fix our broken voting systems and bring about real democracy.

South Korean Greens oppose US-led nuclear arms race

I heard from South Korean Greens about how the US is installing an unwanted, destabilizing "missile defense" system, based on an agreement with the corrupt, recently impeached South Korean president. This missile defense system, known as THAAD, is widely believed to enable a potential nuclear first strike by the US. THAAD is therefore escalating nuclear tensions between the US and both North Korea and China. Watch our conversation about this nuclear arms race and how we can work together for peace in the Korean peninsula on our Facebook page.

Russian Greens struggle for democracy against official repression

I had a fascinating conversation with Olga Tsepilova, a member of the Green Russia faction of the party Yabloko, one of the only democratic opposition parties in Russia remaining from the 1990s. She told how politicians who oppose the Kremlin are kept out of power by ballot access laws, hostile bureaucracy, and media blackouts, painting a picture not unfamiliar to US Greens. Watch our conversation about the Russian Greens’ valiant struggle for democracy on our Facebook page.

Rwandan Greens challenge dictatorship in the heart of Africa

One of the most  amazing stories I heard was that of Dr. Frank Habineza, who worked for years to register the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda, now the country’s only opposition party. Even after their vice presidential candidate was brutally assassinated in the last election, he is running for President this year to give a choice to Rwandans who don’t support the current president, who has been in power since the 1990s. Watch our conversation about the Rwandan Greens’ courageous stand for democracy on our Facebook page.

These are just a few highlights from what was a truly inspiring gathering of Green family from across the globe. One thing was clear: for a better world to be possible, a better US is necessary. I left the Global Greens gathering more committed than ever to building an America, and a world, that works for all of us.
 

Bringing the fight for voting justice to federal court

From the beginning of the recount effort, we made it clear that we were committed to ensuring the integrity of the election. Our goal was not to change the outcome or to help any one candidate, but simply to verify that the official results matched the will of the voters. In that spirit, we are continuing the fight for voting justice in federal court, challenging the unfairness of Pennsylvania’s election system as a whole.

Pennsylvania’s system forces voters to use unreliable machines that frequently fail and which leave no paper trail of the vote - making it impossible to hold the system accountable to a standard of accuracy and honesty. The system also prevents voters from taking meaningful action to ensure that their votes are counted. This is simply not fair. We have not only a right to vote, but a right to have our votes counted.

For these reasons, we continuing the litigation original begun during the recount on behalf of voters who swear that they were disenfranchised in this year’s election by the state of Pennsylvania. See our latest brief here.

The political establishment doesn’t want anyone to raise the question of whether our election system is fair. But that has never deterred us before, and it won’t stop us now.

We are proud of the campaign that we ran. We are proud of the recount demands that we made. And we are proud to continue the fight for voting justice in federal court.

It’s in our hands,

Jill Stein

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