Category Archives: Real Utopia

The website is realutopia.org. It is an international group that I am part of.

The Right to Migrate and the Right to Stay at Home

Events, Real Utopia, Reflections on Current Events, talks, Talks, , ,

by Peter Bohmer. February 1st,

ZNET Forum, Immigrant Solidarity with Avi Chomsky, Zafiro Patiño, me!

Immigrant Justice by Peter Bohmer

I will address how to build immigrant justice, including the right to migrate and right to stay at home while challenging and changing the strong anti-immigrant sentiments of ½ the population in the United States. This anti-immigrant ideology and agenda are a central part of the right-wing agenda, not only in the U.S. but much of Europe, Australia, Canada and in many countries in the global south such as Argentina, Mexico, Colombia and South Africa. It is acquiesced to by centrist parties such as the Democrats here, Macron in France and the Christian Democrats in Germany. An example at home is the horrific Laken Riley bill that was just signed into law by Trump, with the vote of 46 Democrats in the House and 12 Democrats in the Senate.  This bill supports immediate detention by the Department of Homeland Security for undocumented immigrants being charged, not even convicted, for minor property crimes such as shoplifting and burglary. It empowers State Attorney Generals to sue federal government if an unauthorized immigrant has been charged with a crime in their state. The Democratic Party controlled Senate had opposed this bill in the last session. This is part of the fear mongering about immigrant crime, although a recent National Immigration of Justice study (nij.ojp.org) of Texas found undocumented immigrants were arrested at less than ½ the rate of U.S. born citizens…

A letter to Young Activists

Interviews, personal, Real Utopia, Writings, , ,

by Peter Bohmer. May 14, 2024

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“If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom and yet deprecate agitation are men who want crops without plowing the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the roar of its mighty waters.” Frederick Douglass

I have been an activist for reform and revolutionary transformation since 1967. For me, being an activist has meant directly involving myself in activities  groups,  and organizations in order to change policies at a local and national level and to raise consciousness about the causes, consequences and solutions to  poverty and the inequality of income and  wealth, police brutality and repression, U.S. militarism and intervention in other countries,  climate justice, for  quality health care and housing for all, and for reproductive rights. This in addition to solidarity with liberation struggles and ending capitalism and ending capitalist alienation, exploitation, and oppression. Being anti-racist has also been central to my theory and practice since the 1960’s, strongly influenced by the Civil Rights and Black Freedom Movement and in the 1970’s, the Chicano and American Indian Movement (AIM).

What follows is link to my letter!

Letter from a lifelong activist for radical transformation

My life in 2023, End of the Year Letter

personal, Real Utopia, Reflections on Current Events, ,

My Life in 2023!

letter by Peter Bohmer,

January 4, 2024

Dear friends and family,

Rather than writing you individually, I am writing all of you a letter about my life in 2023. I would love to hear from you. This letter is a little less personal and more political than I planned but I hope you stick with it.

I wish you all a happy, healthy, and fulfilling year. We have just ended 2023 in the midst of the horrific Israeli attack and destruction of Gaza and the murder and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians with total US government complicity and support. The massive and active opposition to Israeli and US aggression is impressive and growing, including in the U.S. and among many Jewish people. Let us do what we can to deepen and broaden this movement.

Even in this time of sadness, let us find happiness by connecting with our friends. Friends and human connection are very meaningful and so important to me. You are a central part of my life, and this letter is a part of maintaining this relationship whether you are in Olympia or thousands of miles away. For those outside of Olympia, I hope to see you more in person. I do spend a lot of time on the phone with a few of you. For example, I speak many times a week to my close and longtime friend, Michael Albert.

I am doing well personally and physically although horrified by the Israeli war on Palestine and especially the mass killing of children, the starving of the population and the destruction of hospitals and homes. Since October 9th, I have been actively opposing this war and US support for it. More later in this letter. I have also although to a lesser extent opposed the Russian invasion of the Ukraine.  …

End pf Year Letter 2023

Global Justice and Participatory Socialism

Real Utopia, talks, Talks, Videos, Writings, , ,

We live in a world of obscene economic inequality within and between nations. In this essay, I will address what a participatory socialist society[1] would mean for global justice and equity.

A guiding principle is that the quality of life would be the same within and between societies[2].

A goal is global equity, the same quality of life within and between nations (societies), with diversity of cultures, diversity of what is produced, in the kinship sphere, etc.

There is no moral justification for the quality of life being better because one lives in one society rather than another, it is an accident of birth.  Global equity should be a principle of groups and individuals advocating in favor of participatory socialism.,,I am including both the text and the video of my talk. https://znetwork.org/zvideo/global-justice-and-participatory-socialism/

[1] I am using the term, participatory socialist. Many of the authors in this text use the term participatory society. The difference is over terminology, not over the vision.

Global Justice and Participatory Socialismrev28202023