Author name: davidswanson

The Alien and Sedition Acts were laws created in 1798 to carve out exceptions to the 1791 Bill of Rights, by banning statements against the government, making it harder to become a citizen, allowing the imprisonment and deportation of non-citizens, and — the bit that is still on the books (albeit, I think, pretty clearly unconstitutionally) — allowing the imprisonment of non-citizens during wars or “invasions” or “predatory incursions.” Be prepared for the rest read more

Late last century I figured out that I needed to work on a job dedicated to making the world a better place. I know not everyone can find such a job if they try. I appreciate all the other useful jobs that millions of people do — if not the useless and destructive ones that millions of other people do. But I do want people to use some of their spare time to help out with the cratering world. In every moment of the past quarter century there have been people diligently creating catastrophes read more

Approaching 50 years since the end of the American War, as the Vietnamese call it, and something over 70 years since the start of it, depending when you start the clock, truth and reconciliation remain incomplete. I don’t mean for the people of Vietnam, who seem, from what little I know, in general to have a better grasp of both truth and reconciliation than the U.S. government or corporate media. I also don’t mean truth and reconciliation between governments, which really don’t traffic read more

Thomas A. Bass’s new book, Return to Fukushima, makes an overwhelming case for the absolute idiocy of pursuing nuclear energy, reveals the disaster at Fukushima to be worse than you’ve probably heard, and disturbingly establishes the likelihood that many of us will eventually be living in Fukushimas if humanity doesn’t get rid of the nukes.

The case against nuclear energy that is made here can be roughly divided into six points.

One, “What today are called civilian reactors began — like read more

By Medea Benjamin and David Swanson, April 4, 2025

We are passionate supporters of all but one of the items on the Hands Off agenda for the April 5 rallies. We couldn’t agree more that the corrupt U.S. government should stop destroying, privatizing, firing, and read more

Washington DC has one stand-out superlative advantage over anyplace else I've seen or heard of. Its name is Busboys And Poets. A big part of why the U.S. public is able to pressure the U.S. establishment to the extent that it can, is Busboys And Poets.

Remarks at Center on Conscience and War event on March 29, 2025.

I’ve admired and collaborated with the Center on Conscience and War for many years and worked with many of its board members and Counseling Director Bill Galvin and former Executive Director Maria Santelli. Maria was for about 10 years on the Advisory Board of World BEYOND War, where I’m the executive director. We’ve benefitted greatly from her advising. So I’m happy to be asked to speak about the Center on Conscience and read more

By Canadian Foreign Policy Institute, March 29, 2025

Despite all main political parties advocating for doubling Canadian military spending, militarists are in crisis over Donald Trump’s threats and opposition to the Canadian forces subservience to the U.S. military. Executive Director of World BEYOND War, David Swanson, joined Talking Foreign Policy to discuss Canada’s ties to the US war machine, how NATO won’t defend Canada and alternatives to militarism.

Ralph welcomes journalist Chris Hedges to talk about his new book “A Genocide Foretold: Reporting on Survival and Resistance in Occupied Palestine.” Then, Ralph speaks to David Swanson of World BEYOND War about what his organization is doing to resist this country’s casual acceptance of being constantly at war. Finally, Ralph checks in with our resident constitutional scholar Bruce Fein.

According to pretty much every media outlet and peace group, and the United Nations, and Wikipedia, the war on Yemen just turned 10. Happy Birthday!

Not so fast! Ten years ago was 2015. It was in 2009 that the U.S. military began regularly sending missiles into human beings in Yemen, with the peak in that practice coming in 2012. We learned about this from people in Yemen, not from our “representative” and “democratic” government in the United States. But that doesn’t read more

On Tuesday the director of U.S. so-called “national intelligence” Tulsi Gabbard listed the dangers threatening us. No climate collapse. No ecosystem destruction. No nuclear war. No disease pandemics. No poverty. No fascistic tendencies. No AI, even though the billionaire in chief says there’s a 20% chance robots will kill us all within 10 years. No gun industry. No kakistocracy. read more

I want to recommend three new books about abolishing police and prisons. And I want to recommend multi-issue abolitionism beyond those two institutions.

What else would I abolish? Well, a list might start with war, fossil fuels, militaries, prisons, nuclear energy, police, nuclear weaponry, campaign bribery, health insurance companies, the death penalty, the livestock industry, Wall Street, borders, poverty, the NSA, the CIA, the United States Senate, Fox News, MSNBC, the Star Spangled Banner, read more

“This is blatantly illegal and dangerous beyond belief. Our national security is in the hands of complete amateurs. What other highly sensitive national security conversations are happening over group chat? Any other random people accidentally added to those, too?” — Senator Elizabeth Warren

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I can’t exactly call it good news. But some opportunities are opening up to work for a better world in a better way.

Millions of people in the United States, from brilliant authors and pundits to your average “I’m not political” Joe or “I don’t do activism” Jane have spent their lives making an exception. Documenting and denouncing the crimes and abuses of governments has been the rule, often strictly accurately, often with exaggeration or fabrication. read more

David Hartsough, whom we have just lost to cancer at the age of 84, was a giant in the world of recent and not so recent peace activism and not just peace activism. While nobody focused more on highlighting and promoting the work of others, and on organizing and funding and supporting the work of others, David Hartsough’s own story is one of the most remarkable to be found in the genre of lives lived to their fullest for the good of all.

Parts of David Hartsough’s story are told in his 2014 read more

Dear Democratic Party,

Your new approach strikes me as not terribly different from your old approach. Would this be a fair and accurate summary of your new approach? Make any corrections or additions you like, please.

1. Have no policy platform.
2. Be pro-war military veterans.
3. Be accepting of the Republican agenda.
4. Seem authentic and humble.
5. Tolerate stupidity well.

I’m not trying to slant it. Again, change it and expand it how ever you like.

Got it perfected? Want to toss in any of this toxic wa . . . er . . . I mean inciteful collection of wisdom?

All right, now, here’s a challenge.

I challenge you to poll people on which approach they read more