But you know me, well, some of you do- and I like to focus on what went well and the possibilities that lie ahead.
I am always heartened by examples of people power- regular folks rising up to protect our planet, fight corporate greed and stand for fairness for the middle class and poor people. One dramatic example last year was the courage of the
Tar Sands Blockade- people taking to the trees against Tar Sands oil- the dirtiest and most devastating to our planet.
More locally, I am impressed with the strength of the anti-fracking movement. Read more
here- then submit your comments to the DEC
here until Jan 11 and go to Albany Wednesday! Let's give Cuomo a protest he cannot ignore- sign up
http://www.facebook.com/events/243510039113031/
And here is another petition to sign-
http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Ban_hydrofracking_in_New_York_State_US/?eBSQFdb
Prop 37 in CA, our right to know what we are eating and feeding our families was only narrowly defeated (3 percentage points), despite a $46 million dollar campaign by Monsanto and big food companies to mislead and misinform voters about the labeling of GMOs. The good news is they cannot keep fighting what is inevitable- the labeling of GMOs. If fifty other countries can do it, so can we! There are labeling initiatives in more than a dozen states with many eyes now focused on Washington state. Additionally, 15 states have come together to form the
Coalition of States for Mandatory GMO Labeling!
In addition to agreeing with Medea's ten favorite things about 2012 (below), I also think there is a spiritual renaissance that has gone into full swing in 2012. People are awakening to a higher consciousness that reconnects them to the earth and to our human family. I wrote about it here-
The Birth of the New Earth . Maybe that is what is behind the fact that
major conflicts and mass violence are actually down 50% world wide since the late 1980s.
Hang in there for 2013- May it be the year the people have their say and true democracy and fairness flourishes in this country and around the world!
There are many things to be thankful for in 2012, starting with
the fact that the world didn’t end on December 21 and that we don’t
have to witness the inauguration of Mr. One-Percent Mitt Romney. The
global economic crisis continued to hit hard, but people have been
taking to the streets around the world, from students in Chile to
indigenous activists in Canada to anti-austerity workers in Europe. And
while the excitement of the Arab world uprisings has been tempered by
divisions and losses, the struggles are far from over.
Here are some US and global issues that experienced newfound gains in 2012.
1.
While conservatives launched vicious attacks on women’s rights, it backfired—and fired up the pro-choice base!
US voters elected the highest number of women to Congress ever,
including the first openly lesbian senator (Tammy Baldwin), the first
Asian-American senator (Mazie Hirono) and first senator to make the
banks tremble, Elizabeth Warren! Voters also rejected 4 crazy candidates
who called for limiting a woman’s right to choose—including the
resounding defeat by Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill over Mr.
Legitimate Rape Todd Akin. Don’t forget that when Susan G. Komen for the
Cure announced it would no longer fund Planned Parenthood, it got so
heartily trounced that it caved in than seventy-two hours later. And
stay tuned for the
2013 global women rising—a billion of us demanding an end to violence against women on February 14!
2.
Immigrant rights groups, especially young Latinos,
mobilized and took great risks to force a change in attitude—and a thaw
in policy. They fasted and caravanned and marched and knocked
on doors. They pushed the administration and in June, just before the
election, President Obama announced a new immigration policy that
allows some undocumented students to avoid deportation
and receive work authorization when they apply for deferred action.
While not nearly enough, especially in light of this administration’s
record rate of deportations, a mobilized immigrant community with
significant voting power stands poised to make more impactful changes in
U.S. immigration policy next year.
3.
More money flooded the elections than ever before
(some $5.8 billion!), but most of it went down a big, black hole—and
unleashed a new movement for money out of politics. Billionaires wasted fortunes trying to sell lousy candidates and lousy ideas.
Looking
at the candidates supported by the biggest moneybags of all, Sheldon
Adelson, NONE were elected to office. Right-wing “pundits” like Karl
Rove proved themselves to be idiotic partisan hacks and the Tea Party
has been tearing itself apart. But best of all, from Massachusetts to
Oregon, Colorado to Illinois and Wisconsin, and Ohio to California,
citizens throughout the country voted overwhelmingly for their legislators to pass a constitutional amendment to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruling
and declare that only human beings – not corporations – are entitled to
constitutional rights and that money is not speech and campaign
spending can be regulated.
4. The marijuana genie is now out of the
bottle, with people across the country backing referendums seeking an
end to the decades of destructive, counterproductive drug wars. Colorado
and Washington voters legalized recreational pot, and medical marijuana
will be legal in Massachusetts. Voters in California passed Prop 34,
which restricts lifetime incarceration via the “three strikes” law to
violent or serious third offenses, a change that will help limit the
prison sentences of nonviolent drug offenders. Prominent leaders
including
Senate Judiciary Chair Patrick Leahy,
former President Bill Clinton and
President Obama
have hinted that they will reconsider the harsh criminal drug policy
that has cost so much money and so many lives while failing to curb drug
abuse.
5. This year marked momentous wins for gay rights.
Massachusetts, Maine, and Washington legalized marriage equality, and
Minnesota defeated a restrictive state constitutional amendment that
would have upheld a ban. Now, one-tenth of states in the U.S. uphold
marriage equality. Thanks to activist pressure, on May 9 President Obama
became the first sitting president to endorse marriage equality for
same-sex couples. Several prominent leaders in the Democratic Party
followed his lead, and muted
conservative responses only served to demonstrate how far
public opinion has shifted on the issue.
6.
Climate activists have been kickin’ up a storm. Anti-coal
activists have helped retire over 100 coal plants, victories that will
save lives and clean our air and water, while wind energy hit a historic
milestone of 50,000 megawatts.
The global
anti-fracking movement mounted effective campaigns that has led to local
bans in the US and Canada, national moratoriums in France and Bulgaria,
and tighter regulation in Australia and the UK. The grassroots campaign
to stop the Keystone Pipeline has awakened a new generation of
activists (don’t forget the upcoming February 17-18 President’s Day
Climate Legacy/Keystone XL rally
in Washington, D.C.). And on the national front, in August the Obama
administration issued new miles-per-gallon rules on car manufacturers,
mandating that Detroit nearly double fuel efficiency standards by 2025.
7.
Unions have been hard hit by the economic crisis
and political attacks, but worker’s gains made in 2012 show potential
muscle. The Chicago teachers’ strike in September, lasting for
seven school days, led to an important victory for public education.
Walmart workers staged the
first-ever strikes
against the biggest private sector employer in the United States and
heralded a new model of organizing, with workers and community members
coming together to support better conditions in the stores and
warehouses even before the workers join a union. And in another example
of worker/community organizing, student activism allied with union
advocacy in San Jose, California led to a ballot initiative that will
raise the minimum wage from $8 to $10 per hour for everyone working within the city limits.
8.
On the foreign policy front, opposition to drone warfare is on the rise.
After years of silence about the use of lethal drones overseas, the
public began to learn more and the level of anti-drone activism
skyrocketed. Now there are protests all over the country, including army
bases where drones are piloted and manufacturing plants, and US
activists have hooked up with drone victims overseas. US attitudes, once
overwhelmingly pro-drone, are beginning to change, becoming more
aligned with the global opposition to drone warfare. And the increased
global opposition is leading to a rethinking of US policies.
9.
The international movement for Palestinian human rights has gained unprecedented momentum.
In November the United Nations endorsed an independent state of
Palestine, showing sweeping international support of Palestinian demands
for sovereignty over lands Israel has occupied since 1967. The Boycott,
Divestment, Sanctions call by Palestinian civil society gained
international traction as well, with economic, cultural and academic
victories. Several different Christian denominations and college
campuses voted to divest from Israeli occupation, the Technical
University of Denmark dropped scientific collaboration projects with an
Israeli settlement, the South African ANC endorsed the BDS call, Stevie
Wonder cancelled a performance at a “Friends of the IDF” fundraiser, and
much more. The grassroots call for Israel to adhere to international
law has never been louder.
10.
After nearly 15 years of house arrest, Burmese
opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi was
elected to Parliament! Suu Kyi’s party, the NLD (National
League for Democracy), swept the April by-elections, winning 43 of the
44 seats it contested. After decades of abuse, the military-dominated
government released hundreds of political prisoners, enacted laws on
forming trade unions and freedom of assembly, eased official media
censorship, and allowed the opposition to register and contest
elections. President Obama’s November visit, the first by a sitting US
president, was an acknowledgement of the reforms. There’s still need for
pressure, as hundreds of political prisoners remain, ethnic conflict
continues, and Burmese military still holds too much power. But 2012 was
a good year for the Burmese people.
There will be no time to rest in 2013, since the wealthy are already
pushing to protect their profits to the detriment of the environment,
workers’ rights and our democracy. But just as the massacre in Sandy
Hook has led to a reinvigorated fight for gun control, so 2013 will
surely mark a renewed effort to build stronger coalitions to spread the
wealth, reverse global warming and disentangle ourselves from foreign
wars. And with the presidential elections behind us, the time is ripe
for building a progressive movement that is not tied to any political
party but can put pressure on the entire system. Let the organizing
begin!!!
Medea Benjamin is cofounder of www.codepink.org and www.globalexchange.org. Her latest book is Drone Warfare: Killing by Remote Control.
