This was Rodney King’s plea in 1992, when he was physically assaulted by the LA cops during that year’s race riots. Thirty-two...
Community Organizing10
Banishing the “I’m Not Being Productive” Guilt
“I feel guilty because I have all this time at home and I’m not being productive.” This is a common response I’ve been hearing from friends and seeing on Facebook postings. Enough! Let’s put an end to these harsh self-judgments. The “productive” path right now is to give yourself time to adjust to the coronavirus’ mandated [...]
Pat Taub
When It Feels Like the World is Coming to An End . . .
Statements made by those for whom the coronavirus poses survival issues: “I can’t afford health insurance. How will I manage if I get the coronavirus?” “The restaurant where I work has closed. How will I pay my rent if I’m out of work for weeks or months?” Responses from those whose lifestyle choices have been affected: “I’m [...]
Pat Taub
Don’t Give Up!
If you care about justice and human dignity, last week was a very bad week. The Senate’s impeachment trial turned into a farce. While we were distracted by the Senate’s circus, Trump was busy adding to his list of egregious crimes: gutting the clean water act and adding six African countries to his travel ban. As our country morphs [...]
Pat Taub
Global Climate Strike: Young and Old Together
GUEST POST by JANET WEIL On a gray morning, we climate strikers massed together in downtown Portland, Oregon–and I was getting claustrophobic. Unlike the lively but small turnout of youth activists in downtown Los Angeles I wrote about for WOW last March, the turnout for the Global Climate Strike here, as around the world, was huge. [...]
Pat Taub
Green New Deal Video, Kate and Oscar, Queer Eye & More
A Brilliant Green New Deal Video The Internet is burning up with a wonderful graphic video endorsing the Green New Deal. The video illustrates the many positive things we can do to save our planet from extinction. I think it got over 4 million hits on the first day! The video is narrated by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and drawn by the award [...]
Pat Taub
Pondering My Activist Slump
In church this Sunday the progressive minister quoted the biblical passage: “To whom much is given, much is expected.” I squirmed in my seat reflecting on my white privileged lifestyle, feeling guilty about how little I’ve done to protest the Orange Monster’s wrecking machine. It’s not like I’m unfamiliar to activism. I was [...]
Pat Taub
Reporting from the Las Vegas Women’s March
January 2017’s women’s marches were largely celebratory as pink-hatted women across the country turned out in record numbers to protest the Trump presidency. A year later women have learned it’s not enough to gather in solidarity. We need an action plan. This past Sunday’s Las Vegas Women’s March rose to the challenge with the theme, [...]
Pat Taub
The Choice is to Cooperate or Struggle Alone
Guest Blog by Toni Kief Responding to a challenge, I started to write at the age of 60. I stumbled along with a shared project and when it was over I had a new passion. I was in sore need of inspiration, so I searched online and discovered Meetup.com. I found a group just starting out, the Writers Kickstarter and signed on. We were a group [...]
Pat Taub
Engaging with Fear
The Trump wrecking machine is getting crazier by the day, leaving a frightened populace in its wake. Our increasingly unhinged president raises the ante through his racist speeches, threats to bomb the country du jour, attacks on the environment, ICE’s immigration raids, and railings against anyone who doesn’t agree with him. While [...]
Pat Taub
What I Learned in Iceland
I was prepared for the soaring natural beauty of Iceland but not for what it taught me about the power of community. This tiny Northern country, the size of Kentucky with just 350,000 people, a third of which live in the capital of Reykjavik, and the other two thirds in small fishing villages or in remote farms, has a long history of a rapid [...]
Pat Taub