Yearly Archives: 2026

Hiroshima Nagasaki Commemoration

 in Current Events

Sunday August 9 — 7:00 pm – Omni Center There’s deep meaning to this annual event that changes over time. In 1945 when the US bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we were rolling out the first-ever method for the human race to totally destroy itself and its planet home. As if that weren’t bad enough, under the guidance of the patriarchal systems that have dominated the world for the last 10,000 years, we’ve gone on to develop an entire range of systems working toward that same end. We have a choice of self-destructions … if we keep choosing leaders drooling to use […]

SOVIET/RUSSOPHOBIA ANTHOLOGY #9, July 28, 2026

 in Dick's Newsletter 2026

Compiled by Dick Bennett https://jamesrichardbennett.blogspot.com/2026/07/omni-sovietrussophobia-anthology-9-july.html What’s at Stake: In his Preface to J. W. Fulbright’s book, The Arrogance of Power, Francis Wilcox describes Fulbright’s concept of “two Americas”: “One is the America of Abraham Lincoln and Adlai Stevenson, the other is the America of Theodore Roosevelt and the modern superpatriots…a dominant strand of democratic humanism and a lesser but durable strand of intolerant puritanism.”  Our ask is to make sure the dominant strand prevails, but the current trend is toward “a more strident and aggressive American policy.”  This warning was written in 1966. CONTENTSPart I: SovRussophobiaPart II: Peacemaking Part I: […]

Do you live in the Westfork, Winslow, Greenland area?

 in Current Events

Support for local progressives Omni guy Jimm Garlock would like to put up a sign in your yard. He’d like to be your Justice of the Peace in District 14 because he’s seeing just how much wise county government is needed. And if you live in the county you know wisdom has been lacking. Check out his website to see what kind of good stuff he supports. Contact Jimm at jimm@jimmforjp.com, or 479-879-0031 to offer your yard. His website is jimmforjp.com

Omni of the Future

 in Current Events

When the future is so uncertain, places like Omni Center are needed more than ever to help carry progressive values past these chaotic times. Abigail joins Omni determined to see that there will always be space to honor and defend peace, justice and the Earth for their generation. Please welcome them warmly! A Fundraising & Development Coordinator for Omni Hello! My name is Abigail Harmon, and I am the new Fundraising and Development Coordinator at OMNI! I am so excited to have a job where I can work on my passions every day: building mutualist community systems to meet people’s needs. I […]

NATO ANTHOLOGY #3, July 17, 2026

 in Dick's Newsletter 2026

Compiled by Dick Bennett for a Culture of Peace, Justice, Ecology, and Democracy https://jamesrichardbennett.blogspot.com/2026/07/omni-nato-anthology-3-july-17-2026.html What’s at Stake: NATO is a war institution that thrives upon fear and loathing of (Soviet) Russia, normalises militarism, encourages increased military spending, diverts resources from diplomacy and human welfare into weapons.   These anthologies on NATO bring activists, researchers, parliamentarians, and peace advocates from across the globe to explore the NATO crisis, the changing world order, and how we can build a future based on diplomacy, cooperation, and human security instead of war preparations CONTENTS NATO ANTHOLOGY #3 EXPANDING NATO:  Early History Edward Lozansky.  “How Bill Clinton […]

INTERDEPENDENCE DAY ANTHOLOGY #8 JULY 4, 2026

 in Dick's Newsletter 2026

Compiled by Dick Bennett for a Culture of Peace, Justice, and Ecology https://jamesrichardbennett.blogspot.com/2026/07/omni-interdependence-day-anthology-8.html #7 https://jamesrichardbennett.blogspot.com/2025/07/omni-interdependence-day-anthology-7.html#6 https://jamesrichardbennett.blogspot.com/2024/07/omni-interdependence-day-anthology-6.html #5 https://jamesrichardbennett.blogspot.com/2023/07/omni-interdependence-day-5-july-4-2023.html #4 https://jamesrichardbennett.blogspot.com/2020/07/omni-interdependence-day-international.html What’s at Stake:  US birthdays celebrate freedom from domination by the British monarchy, and FREEDOM as its fundamental principle.   But the Declaration of Independence exalts the value of equality, asserting that “All men are created equal,” and “all individuals are endowed with unalienable rights, including Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”  The most lamentable irony of our history is how this extraordinary idealism was deeply undermined by the Constitution that excluded enslaved people, women, and Indigenous people, and has […]

America at 250

America at 250: Harnessing the Anniversary for a National Reckoning

 in Current Events

What we fail to repair, we repeat. Nicole Carty – Nonprofit Quarterly June 23, 2026 Who controls the story of the past controls the future. So, it comes as no surprise that MAGA’s attempts to erase the history of enslavement and genocide are coupled with the rolling back of hard-won civil rights victories and the dismantling of the Voting Rights Act. From their iconography and propaganda to the ethnic cleansing campaign of Black and immigrant Americans, with the notable exception of White South Africans, the Trump administration is attempting to turn America back to a time when only wealthy white […]