Category Archives: Rag Bloggers

Mike Davis : Christopher Dorner and the Exterminating Angels

“Exterminating angel” overlooking a Gothic cemetery in Comillas, Cantabria. Image from Nitehawk Hatched. Exterminating angels If Dorner had been standing on a skyscraper ledge or holding Rupert Murdoch hostage, the world might have paid more attention to the injustices that … Continue reading

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Steve Russell : The Unlikely Story of Dr. Wahoo, Professor Illiniwek, and RGIII

Chief Illiniwok, the long-embattled mascot of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, was retired in 2007. Illiniwok was opposed by American Indian groups and others for perpetuating cultural stereotypes. Native American caricatures live on as mascots in Cleveland and Washington, … Continue reading

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RAG RADIO / Thorne Dreyer : Civil Liberties Lawyer and Author Marjorie Heins

‘First Amendment Hero’ Marjorie Heins. Rag Radio podcast:Civil liberties lawyer Marjorie Heins,author of ‘Priests of Our Democracy‘ By Rag Radio | The Rag Blog | February 14, 2013 Coming next week: Jonah Raskin reviews Priests of Our Democracy. Marjorie Heins, … Continue reading

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Alan Waldman : ‘MI-5’ is a Gripping, Timely Brit Counterspy TV Series

Waldman’s film and TVtreasures you may have missed: Enjoy 10 seasons of a great, well-made thriller ripped from the headlines. By Alan Waldman | The Rag Blog | February 13, 2013 [In his weekly column, Alan Waldman reviews some of … Continue reading

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BOOKS / Ron Jacobs : The Panthers and ‘Black Against Empire’

Black Against Empire:The legacy of the Black Panther Party “We didn’t preach to the people, we worked with them.” — Former Black Panther Mumia Abu Jamal By Ron Jacobs | The Rag Blog | February 12, 2013 [Black against Empire: … Continue reading

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Harry Targ : Celebrate the ‘Historical Revisionists’ / 1

Historian William Appleman Wiliams circa 1986. Image from Oregon State University Libraries Special Collections / Daily Barameter / The Nation.Celebrate the ‘Historical Revisionists’ / 1 William Appleman Williams’ classic text, The Tragedy of American Diplomacy, broke new ground in the … Continue reading

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Lamar W. Hankins : Drone Assassinations and Our Misguided Foreign Policy

Political cartoon from AFP / Getty Images.Drone assassinations:The latest misguided U.S. foreign policy The American belief in technology as our savior, even in carrying out assassinations, knows no bounds. By Lamar W. Hankins | The Rag Blog | February 11, … Continue reading

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Bob Feldman : Union Growth in Texas Followed by Crackdown, 1940-1953

After a 1953 CIO-led strike in Port Arthur, Texas Gov. Allan Shivers, here shown addressing a campaign rally in Austin, led a move to make membership in the Communist Party illegal. Image from AlternativeHistory.com.The hidden history of Texas Part 12: … Continue reading

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Anne Lewis : UT-Austin Ponders Privatizing Staff

Members of the Make UT Sweatshop-Free Coalition gather at the UT-Austin Tower Wednesday, February 6, to protest the University’s consideration of job privatization for staff members. Photo by David Maly / The Horn.‘Culture war’ at UT-Austin: President Powers considers privatization The … Continue reading

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Nancy Miller Saunders : They Tried to Tell Us

Vietnam veterans testify at the Winter Soldier Investigation in 1972. Image is a screen grab from the film, Winter Soldier, produced by the Winterfilm Collective.Winter Soldiers:They tried to tell us We as a nation did not want to know the … Continue reading

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RAG RADIO / Thorne Dreyer : ‘Austin Noir’ with Musician and Author Jesse Sublett

Musician and author Jesse Sublett, on right, with Rag Radio host Thorne Dreyer, in the studios of KOOP-FM in Austin, Texas, Friday, February 1, 2013. Photo by Charlie Martin / KOOP.Rag Radio podcast:‘Austin Noir‘ with musician and writer Jesse Sublett, author … Continue reading

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IDEAS / Bill Meacham : Free Will or Free Won’t?

Image from InspireD2.Free Will or Free Won’t? Human beings act on their desires and beliefs, and the way we predict what people will do is not by examining their brain waves but by understanding what they want and what they … Continue reading

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