The Rag Blog | The Latest in News and Views from the Progressive Front

Murray Polner :
The Iran deal and the new, U.S.-inspired Middle Eastern arms race

Posted on October 8, 2015 by Thorne Dreyer

Hey, world, step right up: American weapons are available for (nearly) everyone.

Political cartoon by Jim Morin / Miami Herald.

By Murray Polner | The Rag Blog | October 8, 2015

So who won the “war” about the Iran Agreement?

Millions were spent for a stream of ads on TV and radio and in major newspapers in the “war” over Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran. But one day while clicking through TV’s vacuous channels I picked up a local reporter visiting a Midwest diner asking diners what they thought of the Iran deal and was told they had never heard of it.

Back in the world, though, a bruising battle was on. Opponents were indifferent to the possibility of more war, which Obama said would result if the deal was rejected, meaning, I thought, so long as their kids didn’t have to fight. Supporters were branded Israel-haters and worse and several pro-deal Jewish Democrats were told they belonged in the ovens, the familiar consignment of adversaries to Auschwitz.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged American Jews, Arms Race, Iran Nuclear Treaty, Israel Lobby, Middle East, Murray Polner, Rag Bloggers | 1 Comment

Margaret Randall :
VERSE | Tango

Posted on October 7, 2015 by Thorne Dreyer

Thumbs dance a graceful tango
as right moves left
and left right across keys
in deliberate journey.

I look at the pianist’s feet
upon the pedals,
automatic underpinning,
cellular memory.

I observe the energy rising
from his center
through perpendicular torso,
hands exploding impossible hope.

I search his eyes
Oblivious to mine
because they already inhabit
a timeless destination.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Margaret Randall, Poetry, Rag Bloggers, Tango, Verse | Leave a comment

Elaine J. Cohen :
METRO | The new American ‘internment camps’: A bad idea that doesn’t go away

Posted on October 7, 2015 by Thorne Dreyer

‘Family detention’ is just a euphemism for ‘prisons incarcerating immigrant women and children.’

This sign marked the small office of BI Incorporated.

By Elaine J. Cohen | The Rag Blog | October 7, 2015

AUSTIN — According to my well-worn Webster’s, a euphemism is “the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant” and comes from the Greek. For those of us who have been working to change current USian immigration policies, it is a constant struggle to strip away the euphemisms employed throughout the system and lay bare the ugly realities that they obscure.

Who better to recognize and illuminate these euphemisms than the Japanese-Americans who were rounded up and placed in “internment camps” from 1941 until the first days of 1945? It was with this in mind that in early September, RAICES of San Antonio held the conference, “The New American ‘Internment Camps’ — A Closer Look at ‘Family Detention.’” The event was held at Our Lady of the Lake University.
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Posted in Metro, RagBlog | Tagged Elaine J. Cohen, Electronic Surveillance, Euphemisms, Family Detention, Immigration Policy, Japanese-Americans, Language, Metro, Private Prisons, Rag Bloggers, WWII Internment Camps | Leave a comment

Alice Embree :
Democracy and the frog in the well

Posted on October 1, 2015 by Thorne Dreyer

If our democracy makes your eyes glaze over,
Chile offers a refresher course on the possibility
of change.

Vote Frog! Drawing from Character Design Class.

By Alice Embree | The Rag Blog | October 1, 2015

A frog in the well knows nothing of the great ocean. That Chinese parable is about a frog living within the walls of a well that is told by a turtle of a great ocean. In junior high, I was that frog.

I was taught that democracy had a brand — U.S.A. My government classes explained that democracy had been perfected within our borders. The model was representative government with three branches providing balance — a Senate and a House in Congress, an Executive branch, and a Supreme Court. It was such a brilliant brand that it only made sense that we should export it to the world. And, if the rest of the world resisted, well we also had the most powerful military in the world.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Alice Embree, Chilean Politics, Democracy, Electoral politics, Participatory Democracy, Port Huron Statement, Rag Bloggers | 3 Comments

Alan Waldman :
TELEVISION | ‘Last Tango in Halifax’ is Brit series about romance between two 70-year-olds

Posted on September 30, 2015 by Thorne Dreyer

British national treasure Sir Derek Jacobi and veteran actress Anne Reid shine in this wonderfully written six-episode comedy-drama.

Last Tango in Halifax is television of rare quality.

By Alan Waldman | The Rag Blog | September 30, 2015

[In his Rag Blog column, Alan Waldman reviews some of his favorite films and TV series that readers may have missed, including TV dramas, mysteries, and comedies from Canada, England, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Scotland. Most are available on DVD, Netflix and/or Netflix Instant Streaming, and some episodes are on YouTube.]

Last Tango in Halifax is television of rare quality — funny, moving, engaging and utterly charming — so naturally it is British. In it, childhood sweethearts Alan and Celia, both widowed and in their 70s, fall for each other all over again when they are reunited over the Internet after nearly 60 years. As their lives collide for a second time, the couple laments what might have been.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Alan Waldman, British Television, Criticism, Darek Jacobi, Last Tango in Halifax, Rag Bloggers | 1 Comment

The Rag Blog :
METRO EVENT | ‘De Novo’ is gripping, insightful documentary play on immigration

Posted on September 24, 2015 by Thorne Dreyer

De Novo illustrates the experience of an undocumented immigrant youth.

Event: De Novo: A Documentary Play on Immigration
What: Theatrical performance and discussion
Date: Friday, October 16, 2015
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Where: Utopia Theatre in the School of Social Work, University of Texas at Austin
Address: 1925 San Jacinto, Austin TX 78712
Admission: Free and open to the public

AUSTIN — De Novo, a documentary play on immigration, will be performed at 7 p.m., Friday, October 16, 2015, at the Utopia Theater in the UT-Austin School of Social Work, 1925 San Jacinto.

De Novo, a documentary theater piece written by Jeffrey Solomon and produced by Houses on the Moon Theater Company, was crafted from immigration court transcripts, letters, and interviews conducted by the theater company with so-called “alien” children (and their advocates) in immigration proceedings in New York, Arizona, Colorado, and Los Angeles.
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Posted in Metro, RagBlog | Tagged Documentary Theater, Immigration, Metro, UT-Austin | Leave a comment

Elaine J. Cohen :
METRO | Vital statistics: Documentation and dignity

Posted on September 23, 2015 by Thorne Dreyer

It is hard to conceive of dignity if one is stateless or forced to live in poverty, at the edges of abundance.

San Antonio birth certificate.

By Elaine J. Cohen | The Rag Blog | September 24, 2015

A few weeks ago The Rag Blog‘s Alice Embree asked me if I had heard any first-hand reports about the denial of birth certificates to children born in the U.S. to mothers without U.S. documentation. I responded with an emphatic, “No.” The women and children I had visited at the Karnes Family Detention Center and with whom I continue to be in touch did not fall into this group. I had heard nothing from them or from women I have come to know at Posada Esperanza.

Days later I received an invite to the next Community Potluck hosted by Grassroots Leadership’s Detention Visitation Team. The guest speaker was Virginia Raymond, attorney and advocate for immigrants held in Immigration Detention. Her topic was about the current lawsuit about the refusal to give birth certificates to the parents of children born in the U.S. if the parents did not possess acceptable identification.
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Posted in Metro, RagBlog | Tagged 14th Amendment, Elaine J. Cohen, Immigrant Detention, Immigrants' Rights, Metro, Rag Bloggers, Undocumented Immigrants, Victoria Raymond | Leave a comment

Ken Wachsberger :
Joe Grant: Happy birthday and goodbye, friend

Posted on September 23, 2015 by Thorne Dreyer

Joe Grant, the publisher of ‘Prisoners Digest International,’ was one of the unsung legends of the underground press.

Joe Grant. Photo courtesy of Jeff Scott Olson, 2015 / Azenphony Press.

By Ken Wachsberger | The Rag Blog | September 23, 2015

It’s always jarring to receive Facebook birthday reminders for friends who you actually know and love when you know that they died within the past year. September began that way for me.

Joe Grant was one of the unsung legends of the underground press. He was a dear friend and a hero. He also was a thief, a scoundrel, a hustler, a counterfeiter, and a liar. But he was lovable. He had a warm heart, amazing energy, a sharp mind, talent as a gifted artist, and a progressive politics. I loved him.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Joe Grant, Ken Wachsberger, Obituary, Prisoners Digest International, Prisoners' Rights, Rag Bloggers, Remembrance, Sixties, Underground Press | 1 Comment

Kate Braun :
The Fall Equinox celebrates the bounty of Mother Earth

Posted on September 21, 2015 by Thorne Dreyer

This is a season to focus on balance, harmony, and prosperity in all the areas of life.

While balancing the egg, contemplate its greater meaning.

By Kate Braun | The Rag Blog | September 21, 2015

“…teach the world to sing in perfect harmony…”

Wednesday, September 23, 2015, is the Fall Equinox, also known as Mabon, Harvest Home, Second Harvest, and Cornucopia. This is a season to focus on balance, harmony, and prosperity in all the areas of life. It is a time to celebrate friends and family, a time to enjoy the season’s bounty, a time to recognize goodnesses in your life.

Decorate yourself and your celebratory area with autumn colors: red, orange, russet, maroon, brown, deep gold, and violet provide the range of choice available. Use gourds, pine cones, acorns, apples, autumn leaves, and ivy for further decoration. Cerridwyn is the Celtic water-oriented Goddess of Autumn. Her symbol, a cauldron, would serve well as a centerpiece. Filled with apples, nuts, and autumn leaves it will enrich the energies brought to the table.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Celebration, Fall Equinox, Kate Braun, Metaphysics, Rag Bloggers, Ritual, Spirituality | Leave a comment

Hugh Grady and Thorne Dreyer :
METRO | Remembering David MacBryde, philosopher, activist, and friend

Posted on September 17, 2015 by Thorne Dreyer

A sweet man of peace, The Rag Blog’s David
MacBryde passed away in Berlin, Wednesday, September 9.

David MacBryde in Berlin. Photo courtesy of Connie Moreno.

AUSTIN — I lost a dear friend last Wednesday and The Rag Blog lost its “man in Berlin.” David MacBryde, a warm and funny man who played an important role in the struggle for peace and justice in ‘60s and ‘70s Austin — and was a contributor to Austin’s original underground newspaper, The Rag — died of cancer, September 9, 2015, in Berlin, where he had been living since 1981.

David, who had roots in the Quaker Church and continued his social activism through all his years in Germany, studied physics and mathematics at Yale and philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin. He was active with the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and Austin’s Armadillo Press, an IWW print shop. He was a UT shuttle bus driver and helped organize a militant drivers’ union.
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Posted in Metro, RagBlog | Tagged Austin Activists, David MacBryde, German Activists, Hugh Grady, Metro, New Left, Obituary, Rag Bloggers, Remembrance, SDS, Sixties, The Rag, Thorne Dreyer, UT-Austin | 8 Comments

Michael Simmons :
Steve Earle: ‘Mississippi, It’s Time!’

Posted on September 16, 2015 by Thorne Dreyer

With this song, son-of-the-South Earle aims to help convince the Magnolia State to eradicate the Confederate symbol from its flag.

‘Mississippi: It’s Time‘ is Steve Earle’s passionate musical response to the Confederate flag controversy.

By Michael Simmons | The Rag Blog | September 16, 2015

“It’s largely about empathy,” says Steve Earle of his mandate as a songwriter. “The job is about empathy whether you’re writing love songs or political songs.” The musician, author, actor, and activist’s newest song hit iTunes on September 11 and it clearly shows how empathy can be the prime motivation for the political. Entitled “Mississippi, It’s Time,” it’s his response to the Confederate flag controversy that flared following the church massacre of nine black Americans in Charleston, South Carolina, in June.

After photos of the serial killer brandishing said flag surfaced, both Alabama and South Carolina removed it from statehouse grounds. The last holdout is Mississippi which incorporates it in the design of their state flag. Son-of-the-South Earle is aiming to help convince the Magnolia State to eradicate the offensive symbol.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Civil Rights, Civil War, Confederate Flag, Michael Simmons, Mississippi: It's Time, Protest Songs, Racism, Rag Bloggers, Singer-Songwriters, Steve Earle, Texas Musicians | Leave a comment

Johnny Hazard :
Mexico’s missing students: Report debunks
official account

Posted on September 14, 2015 by Thorne Dreyer

The report documents local, state, and federal participation in the many hours of violence against the students.

Relatives and friends of disappeared Mexican students shown waiting for release of human rights report. Photo by Omar Torres / Agence France-Presse/Getty Images.

By Johnny Hazard | The Rag Blog | September 14, 2015

MEXICO CITY — The long-awaited report of the Grupo Interdisciplinario de Estudios Independientes, formed under the auspices of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, was released on Sunday, September 6, almost a year after the atrocities of September 26 and 27, 2014.

It belies almost all of the assertions of the Mexican government, including the theory that the students were burned in a landfill in the city of Cocula, adjacent to Iguala, after local police turned them over to drug gang members. The report documents local, state, and federal participation in the many hours of violence against the students.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Disappeared Students, Enrique Peña Nieto, Human Rights Report, Johnny Hazard, Mexican Massacre, Mexico City, Rag Bloggers | 1 Comment

Hey, world, step right up: American weapons are available for (nearly) everyone.

‘Family detention’ is just a euphemism for ‘prisons incarcerating immigrant women and children.’

If our democracy makes your eyes glaze over, Chile offers a refresher course on the possibility of change.

British national treasure Sir Derek Jacobi and veteran actress Anne Reid shine in this wonderfully written six-episode comedy-drama.

It is hard to conceive of dignity if one is stateless or forced to live in poverty, at the edges of abundance.

Joe Grant, the publisher of ‘Prisoners Digest International,’ was one of the unsung legends of the underground press.

This is a season to focus on balance, harmony, and prosperity in all the areas of life.

A sweet man of peace, The Rag Blog’s David MacBryde passed away in Berlin, Wednesday, September 9.

With this song, son-of-the-South Earle aims to help convince the Magnolia State to eradicate the Confederate symbol from its flag.

The report documents local, state, and federal participation in the many hours of violence against the students.

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If our democracy makes your eyes glaze over,
Chile offers a refresher course on the possibility
of change.

A sweet man of peace, The Rag Blog’s David
MacBryde passed away in Berlin, Wednesday, September 9.