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Category Archives: RagBlog
Wendell Potter: Health Insurance Executive Speaks the Truth
Health Care Fit for AnimalsBy Nicholas D. Kristof / August 26, 2009 Opponents suggest that a “government takeover” of health care will be a milestone on the road to “socialized medicine,” and when he hears those terms, Wendell Potter cringes. … Continue reading
Texan Creekmore Fath : He Paddled His Own Canoe
Creekmore Fath with former law partner — and U.S. Congressman — Bob Eckhardt. Photo by Alan Pogue.So Long to the ‘Communist Threat’:Creekmore Fath, last of a generation of progressive activists I met Fath during… future U.S. Sen. Ralph Yarborough’s losing … Continue reading
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Tagged LBJ, Progressive Democrats, Red-Baiting, Texas, Texas Observer, Texas Politics, UT-Austin
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For the First Time: A Two-State Israel/Palestine Solution with a Specific Time Line
Prime Minister Salam Fayyad announced the plan, the first of its kind from the Palestinian Authority, in his Ramallah office. Photo: Abbas Momani/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images.Palestinians Plan State, but Will Netanyahu Block it?By Juan Cole / August 26, 2009 … Continue reading
Tom Hayden : On the Death of Ted Kennedy
Ted Kennedy, right, with Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams, worked for an Irish peace. Were he alive today, the Democratic Party would be less likely to drift away from its progressive legacy in the name of victory at any price. … Continue reading
Posted in RagBlog
Tagged American History, Democratic Party, Edward Kennedy, Progressive Democrats, Tom Hayden
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BOOKS / Covering for the Bosses : Labor and the Southern Press
Dixie Media Versus Unions How Southern media have strengthened the region’s corporatocracy. By Roger Bybee / August 26, 2009 [Covering for the Bosses: Labor and the Southern Press by Joseph B. Atkins, 224 pp, University Press of Mississippi, July 1, … Continue reading
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Tagged Books, Labor History, Labor Unions, Mainstream Media, Mass Media, the South
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Whole Foods : Investment Group Calls for John Mackey’s Head
Investment group calls for Mackey’s head; Whole Foods tries damage control CtW Investment Group calls on Whole Foods board to remove Chair and CEO John Mackey; Says damage caused by WSJ op-ed shows Mackey is a ‘liability’ See full text … Continue reading
Posted in RagBlog
Tagged Austin, Business, Health Care Reform, Investments, Social Action, Whole Foods
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Backlash : Whole Foods Rep Takes Serious Dip
Whole Foods Buzz As the Whole Foods Boycott grows on Facebook, brand perception is dropping By Jennifer Van Grove / August 25, 2009 As the Whole Foods Boycott on Facebook continues to swell — the group now has over 27,000 … Continue reading
Pirate Radio and the FCC : Blue Meanies in Austin
Blue Meanie (with antennas at alert) / Yellow Submarine.TAB conference in Austin:Keeping it legal By Jim Radio / The Rag Blog / August 25, 2009 AUSTIN — The Texas Associaton of Broadcasting (TAB) annual conference was held here in Austin … Continue reading
Posted in RagBlog
Tagged Austin, FCC, Freedom of Expression, Internet Radio, Pirate Radio, Texas
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Austin Buses : Fare Hike Means More Traffic, Pollution
Waiting for a bus on the Rio Grande campus of Austin Community College. Photo by Alberto Martinez / Austin American-Statesman. Transit officials in Austin refuse to even acknowledge the relationship between fare hikes and ridership loss. Their estimates for the … Continue reading
Extraordinary Rendition: Not Yet Obsolete
Lebanese man is target of first rendition under Obama Contractor Raymond Azar is arrested in Afghanistan, hooded, stripped and flown to the U.S. His alleged crime? Bribery. A human rights activist calls the case ‘bizarre.’ By Bob Drogin / August … Continue reading
BushCo: It Was Worse Than We Thought
Bush Admin. Worse Than Our NightmaresBy Juan Cole / August 21, 2009 It was worse. Back in the bad old days of Bush’s corrupt gang, we on the left were pilloried for suggesting that the administration was manipulating terrorism-related news … Continue reading
A Letter from Dick Motherfucker
Photo of the author by Alan Pogue.A LETTER: 211 DAYS and countingBy Dick Motherfucker / August 18, 2009 To my Compatriots, comrades, partners, friends and lovers, Some Q’s: Ain’t it about time yet? Snap out of it! How long are … Continue reading
