Ralph Nader and Dahr Jamail: We Are the Middle of Forever: Indigenous Voices from Turtle Island on the Changing Earth

Ernest Smith Sky Woman 1936.jpg

By Ernest Smith via Wikipedia, Public Domain, Link

Dandelion Salad
March 13, 2023

with Ralph Nader

Ralph Nader Radio Hour on Mar 11, 2023

In a jam-packed program full of abundant insight, Ralph first welcomes back Dahr Jamail to discuss his work We Are the Middle of Forever: Indigenous Voices from Turtle Island on the Changing Earth about what we can learn from indigenous people who have survived incredible disruptions to the climate to their families and to their way of life.

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Cop City Is The Future They Want, Unwavering Resistance Must Be Our Answer, by Kenn Orphan

Avatar 2

Screenshot by Dandelion Salad via Flickr
Watch the video below

by Kenn Orphan
Writer, Dandelion Salad
Halifax, Nova Scotia
January 24, 2023

Over this past weekend I went to see the new Avatar movie. I had seen the first one and, although it had flaws, I saw the overall message as compelling. Fair warning, here is a small spoiler: Simply put, the plot is one where humans in the future, with the help of gargantuan and lethal military might, attempt to colonize a planet called Pandora. It is another solar system many light years from earth, and it possesses many extraordinary and rare minerals and resources, as well as incredible biodiversity and Indigenous societies. In the sequel, the humans of earth have returned, and their goal is nothing less than total colonization of the planet for the purpose of resettlement. Earth, as one cold hearted military general says, is dying.

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There is Room in the Tent for Everyone, by Kenn Orphan

San Francisco - Mission District: Building Bridges of Solidarity: Breaking Down Barriers

Image by Wally Gobetz via Flickr

by Kenn Orphan
Writer, Dandelion Salad
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Previously published on Jan. 15, 2022
January 17, 2023

When I was in college, I had the privilege of doing an internship in Los Angeles that was connected to a vibrant inner-city church. While I was there, I was introduced to some of the most radical leftist politics I’ve ever known. It was in this setting that I saw vibrant programs for the working class and for youth being implemented by Black churches. It is also where I learned about Liberation Theology, a Christian movement that was transforming communities all over Latin America at the time as a direct challenge to capitalism and American imperialism.

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Loving Nature Or Profiting From It: Take Your Pick, by Robert C. Koehler

Fire in the Sky

Image by Geoff Livingston via Flickr

by Robert C. Koehler
Guest Writer, Dandelion Salad
October 30, 2022

It’s fascinating how “interests” interfere with survival. We prepare for — and, of course, wage — war with an overwhelming percentage of our resources (to the benefit of the profiteers), but we plead poverty when it comes to helping people or, you know, saving the planet.

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Columbus, the Indians, and Human Progress, by Howard Zinn

Christopher Columbus Glazed Tile Painting - 9

Image by Anthony Catalano via Flickr

by Howard Zinn
Writer, Dandelion Salad
Originally published October 13, 2009
October 10, 2022

An excerpt from A People’s History of the United States.

Arawak men and women, naked, tawny, and full of wonder, emerged from their villages onto the island’s beaches and swam out to get a closer look at the strange big boat. When Columbus and his sailors came ashore, carrying swords, speaking oddly, the Arawaks ran to greet them, brought them food, water, gifts. He later wrote of this in his log:
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A Moment Of Silence, by Emmanuel Ortiz

"There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people" by Howard Zinn

Screenshot by Dandelion Salad via Flickr

Dandelion Salad

Thom Hartmann Program on Sep 11, 2017

Thom reads a powerful poem from Emmanuel Ortiz that touches on colonialism, the war on terror, racism and the legacy of slavery.

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How Nonviolent Action Is Protecting the Earth, by Rivera Sun

Climate protest

Image by Victoria Pickering via Flickr

by Rivera Sun
Writer, Dandelion Salad
January 30, 2022

In our efforts to build a culture of active nonviolence, Pace e Bene/Campaign Nonviolence has always urged people to practice nonviolence toward oneself, all others (including socially, culturally, economically and politically) and toward the Earth.

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Chris Hedges: The Framing of Leonard Peltier

Free Leonard Peltier

Image by Neeta Lind via Flickr

Dandelion Salad

with Chris Hedges

Originally on RT America on Jan 29, 2022

Enema of the State on Mar 20, 2022

On the show, Chris Hedges discusses the Leonard Peltier case with Kevin Sharp, a former federal judge, and one of Peltier’s lawyers.

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How a Battle for a Piece of Forest in Nova Scotia Echoes the Global War for Our Biosphere, by Kenn Orphan

Autumnal Magic

Image by Korona Lacasse via Flickr

by Kenn Orphan
Writer, Dandelion Salad
Halifax, Nova Scotia
January 19, 2022

2021 was a year that few would want to relive. Mounting climate change fueled catastrophes dominated much of the news around the world. Here in Canada, it was no different. Fires and record heat decimated large swaths of land in British Columbia and Alberta. Then the floods came. Decades of clearcutting old growth forests have led to a seemingly never-ending stream of disasters. In years to come, this existential crisis will only grow. But there is nothing natural about these disasters. This is just one part of a global attack on our biosphere for the profit of a few.

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There is Room in the Tent for Everyone, by Kenn Orphan

San Francisco - Mission District: Building Bridges of Solidarity: Breaking Down Barriers

Image by Wally Gobetz via Flickr

by Kenn Orphan
Writer, Dandelion Salad
Halifax, Nova Scotia
January 15, 2022

When I was in college, I had the privilege of doing an internship in Los Angeles that was connected to a vibrant inner-city church. While I was there, I was introduced to some of the most radical leftist politics I’ve ever known. It was in this setting that I saw vibrant programs for the working class and for youth being implemented by Black churches. It is also where I learned about Liberation Theology, a Christian movement that was transforming communities all over Latin America at the time as a direct challenge to capitalism and American imperialism.

Continue reading

Reflecting on the Dawn of Everything, by David Swanson

Dawn

Image by Dandelion Salad via Flickr

by David Swanson
Writer, Dandelion Salad
Let’s Try Democracy, Nov. 30, 2021
December 1, 2021

The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity by David Graeber and David Wengrow is, I think, a terrific contribution to human knowledge and guide to pursuing more of the same — as well as a notable accomplishment for the Davids of the world, who have perhaps been falling a bit short lately. A few of the points it documents and persuades of are:

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The Council of All Beings, by Rivera Sun

Enjoy the silence in the redwood forest

Image by hans-juergen via Flickr

by Rivera Sun
Writer, Dandelion Salad
October 17, 2021

Winds of Change is the third novel in the Dandelion Trilogy by Rivera Sun. It’s a wild tale of resistance and resilience, people-powered democracy movements and the race for climate justice.

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Columbus, the Indians, and Human Progress by Howard Zinn

Christopher Columbus Glazed Tile Painting - 9

Image by Anthony Catalano via Flickr

by Howard Zinn
Writer, Dandelion Salad
Originally published October 13, 2009
October 11, 2021

An excerpt from A People’s History of the United States.

Arawak men and women, naked, tawny, and full of wonder, emerged from their villages onto the island’s beaches and swam out to get a closer look at the strange big boat. When Columbus and his sailors came ashore, carrying swords, speaking oddly, the Arawaks ran to greet them, brought them food, water, gifts. He later wrote of this in his log:
Continue reading

Chris Hedges and Steven Donziger: The Anonymous Executioners of the Corporate State

Chevron's Toxic Legacy in Ecuador's Amazon

Image by Rainforest Action Network via Flickr

Dandelion Salad

with Chris Hedges

RT America on Oct 9, 2021

On the show Chris Hedges discusses the ongoing persecution of human right lawyer, Steven Donziger.

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Chris Hedges: Corporate Tyranny: Chevron VS Donziger

Chevron's Toxic Legacy in Ecuador's Amazon

Image by Rainforest Action Network via Flickr

Dandelion Salad

with Chris Hedges

RT America on May 29, 2021

On the show this week, Chris Hedges talks to Steven Donziger, the human rights environmental justice attorney about the grim reality when we confront the real centers of power.

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