Why the U.S. Executive Branch Is a Clear and Present Danger to Our Democracy by Fred Branfman

by Fred Branfman
Writer, Dandelion Salad
originally published on Alternet, July 16, 2013
July 21, 2013

Image by DonkeyHotey via Flickr

Edward Snowden’s revelations have illuminated the most critical political issue facing America today: how an authoritarian U.S. Executive Branch which has focused on war abroad for the last 50 years now devotes increasing resources to surveillance, information management, and population control at home, posing a far greater threat to Americans’ liberties than any conceivable foreign foe.

Redemption of the Prosecutor

Dandelion Salad

Image by Mael* via Flickr

bravenewfoundation on Jul 20, 2013

When prosecutor and devout Christian Preston Shipp began teaching in a Nashville prison, he never thought he’d be the one to get schooled. But the friendship he forges with one young prisoner puts his faith in the justice system—and in Jesus—to the ultimate test.

Go to RedemptionoftheProsecutor.org for more information! And please feel free to watch the film in HD.

This short documentary was made in partnership with the United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society; and the United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries.

How Can We Face A Future Of Climate Change If We Have Forgotten Our Past? by Lesley Docksey

Image by Dandelion Salad via Flickr

by Lesley Docksey
Writer, Dandelion Salad
July 18, 2013

Climate change along with the disastrous effects it will have on the earth and humanity is being ignored by much of society. I differentiate between the earth and humanity because many people only relate to the problems that humans might suffer, not fully understanding that what damages the earth also damages us. During the 1992 UN Earth Summit in Rio, media headlines were screaming “We’ve only got 20 years to save the earth!” An environmentalist dryly pointed out, “No. The earth will survive. We have 20 years to save humanity.”

Global Power Project, Part 6: Banking on Influence With Bank of America, by Andrew Gavin Marshall

by Andrew Gavin Marshall
Writer, Dandelion Salad
andrewgavinmarshall.com
Originally published on Occupy.com
July 17, 2013

Image by Rainforest Action Network via Flickr

This July, Bank of America was expecting to report an earnings increase of 32% from last year. The Washington Business Journal declared the bank among the top 10 “most improved brands” of the year. Bank of America is the second-largest bank in the United States following JPMorgan Chase.

So why does this bank deserve such an “improved” reputation? Perhaps it’s worth looking at a little of the bank’s record for some clarity.

Edward Snowden and Latin America Expose Washington’s Impotence in a Changing World by Finian Cunningham

Image by Infidelic via Flickr

by Finian Cunningham
Writer, Dandelion Salad
East Africa
Crossposted from Strategic Culture Foundation
July 17, 2013

One of America’s genuine heroes, Major General Smedley D Butler revealed in his memoirs the true, abhorrent nature of Washington’s foreign policy. Butler had led countless military operations in Central America and the Caribbean as a US Marines Corp commander in the era of “gunboat diplomacy” during the early 1900s. Years after his retirement, he spoke out candidly and ruefully of his highly decorated military service in a book entitled War is a Racket. Here is how Butler characterized with unsparing words his service for country in 1935, five years before his death:

Chris Hedges: The Radical Movements Have Been Destroyed, Part 5

Image by Dandelion Salad via Flickr

with Chris Hedges
Writer, Dandelion Salad
July 22, 2013

TheRealNews on Jul 22, 2013

On Reality Asserts Itself with Paul Jay, Chris Hedges says The Democratic Party used to watch out for the interests of labor and even for the poor. But that all changed under Bill Clinton. Although Obama, like Clinton, continues to speak in that feel-your-pain language of traditional liberalism, they’ve completely betrayed the very people that they purport to represent and defend.

Casting Out Demons by Chris Hedges

Image by Walters Art Museum Illuminated Manuscripts via Flickr

by Chris Hedges
Writer, Dandelion Salad
Truthdig
July 22, 2013

Noel Lyons, a member of the U.S. Ski Team from 1976 to 1981 and once one of the country’s top professional skiers, found herself in a Vail, Colo., hospital in the spring of 2010 after another round of binge drinking. “I had given up on myself,” she would say later. Her boyfriend and sister decided she needed rehabilitative help. Because their resources were limited, they turned to the free Total Freedom Program, a Florida ministry for women and men that identifies itself as Christian.