Author Archives: Thorne Dreyer

Ft. Hood GI Travis Bishop : Why I Won’t Go

Travis Bishop, opening for Toby Keith in Bagdhad, Iraq. Photo from MySpace. If I had deployed to Afghanistan, I don’t think I would have been able to look into another mirror again. By Travis Bishop / The Rag Blog / … Continue reading

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FCC Warrantless Searches : Coming to a Home Near You?

FCC’s Warrantless Household Searches Alarm Experts ‘Anything using RF energy — we have the right to inspect it to make sure it is not causing interference,’ says FCC spokesman David Fiske. That includes devices like Wi-Fi routers that use unlicensed … Continue reading

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Life During Wartime : Hole in One

Political cartoon by Joshua Brown / Historians Against the War / The Rag BlogThanks to Dr. S.R. Keister /The Rag Blog

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Got Work? College Grads Driving Cabs?

Grads at University of Pennsylvania commencement ceremonies May 18, 2009. Fewer than 20 percent of new graduates have landed work, compared to 50 percent two years ago. Photo by Matt Rourke / AP. The problem with higher education is that … Continue reading

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Vince Bell : The Life and Times of a Texas Songwriter

This is a fine book about Texas music, the singer-songwriter tradition, and a personal journey that ends triumphant in the here and now. By Joe Nick Patoski See ‘From Euphoria to Tragedy and Back’ by Michael Corcoran and ‘The Making … Continue reading

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David P. Hamilton : Obama, the Mixed Bag

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seems like he’s trying to get a fix on President Obama as he speaks to reporters at the White House, Monday, May 18, 2009. Photo by Chester Dharapak / AP. It is logical that as … Continue reading

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Congressional Health Care Hearings : Pure Flim-Flam

Dr. FlimFlam’s Miracle Cream, as sold by Sen. Max Baucus and the gang. Image of Dr. Zoidberg from Futurama Wiki. These hearings are pure flim-flam and the Senate will support a ‘health care plan’ largely dictated by the insurance and … Continue reading

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Noam Chomsky : The Torture Memos and Historical Amnesia

Photo from Foreign Policy.The torture memos and historical amnesia Unexceptional Americans: Why we can’t see the trees or the forest By Noam Chomsky / May 19, 2009 The torture memos released by the White House elicited shock, indignation, and surprise. … Continue reading

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What’s in a Name? ‘César Chávez Blvd’ and Dallas’ Own Border Fence

Supporters of renaming a Dallas street for César Chávez crowd a City Planning Commission meeting at Dallas City Hall.Dallas: Latino Heroes Need Not Apply right-wing, anti-immigrant forces… dig in their heels and draw their own border fence to block Latino … Continue reading

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Peruvian Rainforest : Tribes Blockade Roads and Rivers, Government Troops Move in

Huge parts of Peru’s rainforest are threatened by government deals with several multinationals. Photo by / Paul A Souders / Corbis. Ecology and culture at stake say environmentalists, as government plans to exploit rainforest for oil, gas and timber. By … Continue reading

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Howard Zinn : Obama Must Find the Courage to Fight the Old Ways

Obama the Politician must find the courage to act on a true vision — of a nation ‘that uses its resources, its wealth, and its power to help people, not to hurt them…’ Image from Cinie’s World. Finally, someone — … Continue reading

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Climate Change Disaster : Too Late for Prevention?

Flooding in Bangladesh in 2007. A serious rise in sea levels seems impossible to prevent. Photo by Sumaiya Ahmed / Flickr. Low-lying island nations like the Maldives — they’re goners now, let alone in a couple of generations, when they … Continue reading

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