Jonah Raskin :
BOOKS | ‘In the Company of Rebels’

Posted on June 26, 2019 by Thorne Dreyer

Jonah reviews Chellis Glendinning’s memoir about her friends, lovers, and comrades.

By Jonah Raskin | The Rag Blog | June 26, 2019

At the very start of her new heartfelt book — In the Company of Rebels: A Generational Memoir of Bohemians, Deep Heads, and History Makers ($24.95, New Village Press) — about her friends, lovers, and comrades, Chellis Glendinning asks why one should bother to learn about “other generations’ attempts to bring justice, peace and beauty into this tattered world.”

Her answer a few paragraphs later is expressed in two words, “History rocks,” which might satisfy the needs of rock ‘n’ rollers and their ilk but probably won’t appeal to historians and scholars.

Imbued with the idea that her contemporaries — the rebels of the last 50 or so years — “have been sturdy, creative, courageous catalysts” Glendinning recounts some of the key movements of contemporary history and offers compact and compelling biographies of 46 individuals, some of them household names in lefty homes and others hardly known at all, or mostly forgotten.
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Lamar W. Hankins :
Reflections on patriotism, July 4, 1776 to July 4, 2019

Posted on June 25, 2019 by Thorne Dreyer

Only by helping create the change that makes liberty and equality possible can I feel patriotic.

Columbus lands on Hispaniola where he is met by Arawaks who were subjected to genocide, a pattern of suppression that continued with Native Americans. Image from Wikimedia Commons.

By Lamar W. Hankins | The Rag Blog | June 26, 2019

“A man’s country is not a certain area of land, of mountains, rivers, and woods, but it is a principle, and patriotism is loyalty to that principle.”  — George William Curtis, 19th Century writer and editor of Harper‘s

“Our country is not the only thing to which we owe our allegiance. It is also owed to justice and to humanity. Patriotism consists not in waving the flag, but in striving that our country shall be righteous as well as strong.” — James Bryce, British Member of Parliament and Ambassador to the U.S

I’m not sure when I began to feel patriotic about this country. From the age of 10, when I began learning about the history of mistreatment of “Negroes,” it was impossible for me to feel pride and love for a country whose government allowed and encouraged the enslavement of some people followed by massive discrimination against those same people.

Later, I learned about the destruction and subjugation of “Indians” in numbers rightly called genocide. Later, I found out about discrimination against others due to their ethnicity, their sexual orientation, and their birth into the poor and working classes that pushes them into multiple forms of impoverishment.
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Anne Lewis :
STORY & VIDEO PODCAST | Asilo, terror y el futuro #3: ‘Niños llorando’

Posted on June 20, 2019 by Thorne Dreyer

Basado en casos documentados por Jennifer Harbury…

ASILO, TERROR Y EL FUTURO #3 Niños Llorando from Anne Lewis on Vimeo.

Por Anne Lewis | The Rag Blog | 20 de Junio, 2019

“Tener hijos no le otorga inmunidad contra arrestos y procesamientos … Citaría al apóstol Pablo y su claro y sabio mandato en Romanos 13 de obedecer las leyes del gobierno porque Dios ha ordenado al gobierno para sus propósitos.” — El fiscal general Jeff Sessions.

“Crear psicosis no es la cura.” — Papa Francisco

Es difícil imaginar que los niños pequeños sean arrebatados de sus padres. Trae consigo flashes de escenas del Holocausto o, más cerca de casa, subastas de esclavos y escuelas residenciales de indios americanos.

La “tolerancia cero” fue heredada de la administración de Bush, continuó a través de Obama con familias alojadas juntas en cárceles privadas. Se suspendió, al menos parcialmente, en T. Don Hutto bajo una fuerte protesta social liderada por Grassroots Leadership, pero la idea de castigar a los padres a través de la separación y las privaciones dirigidas a los niños sigue siendo parte de la política de inmigración. En abril de 2018, la Administración de Trump implementó específicamente la separación de los niños de sus padres en la frontera.
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Anne Lewis :
STORY & VIDEO PODCAST | Asylum, terror, and the future #3: Crying babies

Posted on June 20, 2019 by Thorne Dreyer

Based on case stories of Jennifer Harbury…

ASYLUM, TERROR, and the FUTURE #3 Crying Babies based on cases stories of Jennifer Harbury from Anne Lewis on Vimeo.

By Anne Lewis | The Rag Blog | June 11, 2019

“Having children does not give you immunity from arrest and prosecution… I would cite the Apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13 to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained the government for his purposes.” — Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

“Creating psychosis isn’t the cure.” — Pope Francis

It’s hard to imagine young children being taken away from their parents. It brings with it flashes of scenes from the Holocaust or, closer to home, slave auctions and American Indian Residential Schools.

“Zero tolerance” was inherited from the Bush administration, continued through Obama with families housed together in private prisons. It was at least partially discontinued at T. Don Hutto under strong social protest led by Grassroots Leadership, but the idea of punishing parents through separation and hardship directed towards children remained part of immigration policy. In April 2018, the Trump Administration specifically implemented separation of children from their parents at the border.
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The Rag Blog :
METRO EVENT | Akwasi Evans: ‘Speaking Truth to Power, a Tribute’

Posted on June 19, 2019 by Thorne Dreyer
Event: Celelebration of Akwasi Evans’ life
What: Evening of art, poetry, music
When: Sunday, June 23, 2019, 6-10 p.m.
Where: Kenny Dorham’s Backyard
Address: 1106 E. 11th, Austin TX 78702
Bands: Riders Against the Storm (RAS), Harold McMillian and Friends, SHERi Mogul.
Admission: Open to the public
Sponsors: SouthPop, DiverseArts, and Six Square

Also see “Akwasi Evans: Poet, Publisher, and Born Rebel” by Mariann G. Wizard on The Rag Blog.

AUSTIN –Friends and family will celebrate the life of beloved Austin journalist and activist, Akwasi Evans, this Sunday, June 23, 6 p.m.-10 p.m. at Kenny Dorham’s Backyard.

Evans was a steadfast voice and champion for East Austin with his newspaper, NOKOA: The Observer.
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Mariann G. Wizard :
Akwasi Evans: poet, publisher, and
born rebel

Posted on June 19, 2019 by Thorne Dreyer

Publisher of Austin community newspaper, ‘NOKOA: The Observer,’ is dead at 70.

Akwasi Evans with bullhorn. Image courtesy SouthPop.

By Mariann G. Wizard | The Rag Blog | June 19, 2019

Also see “METRO EVENT: Akwasi Evans: Speaking Truth to Power: A Tribute,” on The Rag Blog for more details.

Akwasi Evans, an Austin activist and community publisher for half of his 70 years, passed away from complications of prostate cancer on April 18, 2019, at his Austin home. An online obituary covers the basics of early life, family, and his life and work in Austin.

Other obits and news of Evans’ death appeared in the Austin American-Statesman, Austin Chronicle, KUT-FM, and a piece by his longtime friend, golf partner, fellow publisher, and radio co-host Tommy Wyatt in The Villager.

Each report brings to light new perspectives on Evans’ service to his chosen community. At his funeral, over 200 family, friends, and political associates, people from all walks of life, heard him eulogized by Dr. Nelson Linder, president of Austin’s NAACP, and eight ministers. Yet it’s not enough. Akwasi’s passing leaves a huge hole in Austin’s progressive community, and filling it seems highly unlikely, as he was a uniquely dedicated man who called himself a born rebel.
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Anne Lewis :
STORY & VIDEO PODCAST | Asilo, terror y el futuro #2: Feliz cumpleaños número 18

Posted on June 11, 2019 by Thorne Dreyer

Basado en casos documentados por Jennifer Harbury…

ASILO, TERROR Y EL FUTURO #2 Feliz Cumpleaños Número 18 from Anne Lewis on Vimeo.

Por Anne Lewis | The Rag Blog | 11 de Junio, 2019

El sábado por la mañana, en la estación de autobuses de Greyhound en Harlingen, una venta en casa a una cuadra, y una mujer sin hogar camina en frente de un lado a otro delante de la estación. Llamadas de pájaros y edificio del Bank of America al fondo. Se nos dice que no podemos filmar dentro.

Este es uno de los lugares donde las familias se quedan después de la detención en las hieleras, si tienen familiares que las patrocinarán. Los voluntarios los recogen en las estaciones de autobuses a lo largo de la frontera, evalúan sus necesidades médicas, los cuidan en refugios, les brindan información sobre ayuda en el camino y los devuelven a la estación para su viaje al norte, al este y al oeste.
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Anne Lewis :
STORY & VIDEO PODCAST | Asylum, terror, and the future #2: Happy 18th Birthday

Posted on June 11, 2019 by Thorne Dreyer

Based on case stories of Jennifer Harbury…

ASYLUM, TERROR, and the FUTURE #2 Happy 18th Birthday from Anne Lewis on Vimeo.

By Anne Lewis | The Rag Blog | June 11, 2019

Saturday morning at the greyhound bus station in Harlingen — yard sale a block down the street — a homeless woman paces back and forth in front of the station; bird calls and Bank of America building in the background. We are told that we cannot film inside.

This is one of the places where families are left after detention in hieleras — if they have relatives who will sponsor them. Volunteers pick them up at the bus stations along the border, assess their medical needs, take care of them in shelters, provide them with information about help along the way, and return them to the station for their trip north and east and west.
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Steve Rossignol :
A marker for Covington Hall

Posted on June 6, 2019 by Thorne Dreyer

William Covington Hall was a major organizer of the IWW in Texas and Louisiana.

Covington Hall marker. Photo by Steve Rossignol / The Rag Blog.

By Steve Rossignol | The Rag Blog | June 6, 2019

William Covington Hall stands out in southern socialist and labor history as one of the paramount organizers of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) in Texas and Louisiana. Writer, poet, labor organizer, orator, newspaper editor — Covington Hall is perhaps best remembered for his efforts to organize lumber workers in the East Texas and Western Louisiana piney woods in the first two decades of the 20th Century.

But for all his notoriety during those years, Covington Hall died in relative obscurity on February 21, 1952. For the longest time the location of his gravesite was unknown and unmarked[i]. It was time to resolve the oversight.
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Ed Felien :
China has already won the Trade War

Posted on May 22, 2019 by Thorne Dreyer

Trump is playing a short game, and China is (as always) playing a long game.

Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, November 2017. Image from
Wikimedia Commons.

By Ed Felien | The Rag Blog | May 22, 2019

A trade war is when a country raises tariffs (taxes) on a product coming into the country. The business selling that cheaper foreign product then has to pass that tariff (tax) onto the consumer, and this can make the product cost the same as an American-made product.

Big retailers like Walmart and Target have been lured to China to produce their goods. They’ve invested billions in creating a manufacturing infrastructure. The Chinese provided Special Economic Zones where U.S. capitalists could build factories, hire workers at low wages, and the workers even agreed to a no strike pledge. The only hitch in all this was that the Chinese government owned 52% of the factory.
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Anne Lewis :
STORY & VIDEO PODCAST | Asilo, terror y el futuro #1

Posted on May 21, 2019 by Thorne Dreyer

Basado en casos documentados por Jennifer Harbury…

ASILO, TERROR Y FUTURO from Anne Lewis on Vimeo.

Por Anne Lewis | The Rag Blog | 21 de Mayo, 2019

Leer este articulo en inglés.

El problema está en las realidades que nos ocultan. Siempre ha sido así… Al final, es nuestro gobierno, y la tortura está siendo usada en nuestros nombres y se financia con nuestros impuestos. Somos responsables.

AUSTIN — El febrero pasado, fui a una fiesta en Austin, para celebrar la visita de Larry Daves, el abogado de los trabajadores. Jennifer Harbury de Welasco habló de lo que sucedía en la frontera entre Estados Unidos y México. Yo había traído mi cámara para quizá grabar un video de Larry, pero la cámara permaneció en su maleta. Después, me arrepentí por no haber grabado a Jennifer. Su habilidad para contar estas historias de la miseria humana, sin caer en sentimentalismos, es devastadora. Me quedé abrumada.

El esposo de Jennifer, Efraín Barnaca Velasquez, luchó en la resistencia Maya y fue “desaparecido” en marzo de 1992. Fue torturado por dos años y medio y asesinado por un miembro del ejército guatemalteco, pagado por la CIA y entrenado en la Escuela de las Américas. Jennifer expuso a los torturadores de su esposo ante el mundo y después escribió sobre la experiencia.

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Anne Lewis :
STORY & VIDEO PODCAST | Asylum, terror, and the future #1: Asylum claim

Posted on May 15, 2019 by Thorne Dreyer

Based on case stories of Jennifer Harbury…

Asylum, Terror, and the Future #1 Asylum Claim from Anne Lewis on Vimeo.

By Anne Lewis | The Rag Blog | May 15, 2019

  • Read this article in Spanish.
  • Read and watch the videos of the stories in this series here.

    • The problem, of course, lies with the realities concealed from us. This has always been the case… In the end, however, this is our government, and torture is being utilized in our names and supported by our tax dollars. We are responsible.

    AUSTIN — Last February I was at a party to celebrate a return visit to Austin of radical labor attorney Larry Daves. Jennifer Harbury from Weslaco began to talk about what was going on at the U.S./Mexico border. I had a camera there to perhaps film Larry, but the camera stayed in its case. Afterwards, I kicked myself for not filming Jennifer. Her ability to express a wailing narrative of human misery with total lack of sentimentality was devastating. I was overwhelmed.

    Jennifer’s husband, Efrain Barnaca Velasquez, a Mayan resistance fighter, “disappeared” in March 1992. He was tortured for two and a half years and murdered by CIA-paid, School of the Americas-trained members of the Guatemalan army. Jennifer exposed her husband’s torturers to the world and then wrote about it.
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