Rebecca Tarbotton, Presenté
I carry such sadness these days with the loss of Becky Tarbotton, an emerging, visionary, bold and charismatic leader serving as the Executive Director of the Rainforest Action Network. These tragedies are hard to bear. Why, how, it makes no sense. Just a freak accident that leaves us all weighed down in sorrow. I say “we” because Becky was core to a large extended community and family. We will all find ways to carry on with her passionate vision, being inspired by her dedication to justice. Becky was working hard to build bridges between movements. She always kept focus on the root causes and honoring the wisdom of indigenous and other impacted communities in creating resistance and solutions...

Michigan – Awakening the Sleeping Giant...
I was pulled from my “sabbatical” in Austin when I got a phone call from Bob King’s office at the United Auto Workers. They said “ We are in an emergency and we broke the emergency glass and your name came out…can you please come help?” I have a long history working with the UAW and Bob King’s team and this was clearly a big fight so it was pretty hard to say NO. I even knew this was likely a losing battle, but I took my own advice when fighting a big fight – Let’s give ’em hell as we go down! And that is what we did! Gov. Snyder made it easy through his dishonesty, his...

Making Nonviolence Work
by Starhawk An ecological understanding of violence sees it as a pattern of relationships that underlies all systems of domination and control. Such systems are characterized by: –the concentration of resources and the fruits of labor to benefit the few. –top-down decision making. Bosses who give orders and issue directives that others must obey. Violence underlies these systems. Violence is : –the capacity to inflict physical pain, harm or death. –the capacity to punish by restricting freedom and limiting choices. –the capacity to withhold vital resources or rewards. –the capacity to inflict emotional and psychological damage and to shame and humiliate. Systems of domination, no matter how powerful they seem, are unstable. They are inherently unsustainable, because to...
LOGRANDO QUE LA NO VIOLENCIA FUNCIONE
Un enfoque ecológico de la violencia la considera como una serie de relaciones que yace bajo todos los sistemas de dominación y control. Tales sistemas tienen estas caracterÃsticas: Ø Concentración de los recursos y resultados del trabajo para beneficiar a unos pocos. Ø Proceso vertical de toma de decisiones: jefes que dan órdenes y dictan directivas que los demás deben obedecer. La violencia le da una base a estos sistemas, y es: Ø La capacidad de infligir dolor, daño fÃsico o la muerte. Ø La capacidad de castigar restringiendo la libertad y coartando las opciones. Ø La capacidad de negar recursos o retribuciones vitales. Ø La capacidad de infligir daños emocionales y psicológicos, y de avergonzar y humillar. Los sistemas de dominación -sin importar lo...
HERRAMIENTAS PARA GRUPOS QUE USAN EL PROCESO DE CONSENSO...
Procedimientos para las reuniones Antes de la reunión: 1. Elegir un coordinador 2. Juntar los puntos de la agenda 3. Delegar responsabilidades para cada punto 4. Dividir la reunión en informes, decisiones y anuncios 5. Traer los materiales y elementos necesarios Durante la reunión: · Conectarse (juego, canción ritual, etc) · Presentaciones y chequeo de llegadas · Revisar los puntos de la agenda: Ø Establecer prioridades Ø Establecer roles · Elegir roles (o rotarlos) Ø Coordinador Ø Controlador del ánimo de la reunión Ø Controlador de la hora Ø Escriba · Revisar la agenda Ø Encarar un primer punto que sea fácil (ej: primero los informes, después las decisiones) Ø Dividir los temas extensos en partes más pequeñas para discutir y decidir · Tomarse pausas · Hacer anuncios · Establecer la próxima reunión · Cierre Herramientas para reuniones exitosas...