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

Mariann G. Wizard :
BOOKS | Trudy Stern’s lovely poetry reveals a finely-honed precision of expression

Posted on July 28, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

Trudy, who helped us start ‘The Rag’ in ’60s Austin, was a warm and generous friend. Somewhere along the way, she became a wonderful poet.

Trudy’s two collections reveal much of the same sensitivity friends saw in her years ago.

By Mariann G. Wizard | The Rag Blog |July 28, 2014

[Taurus in Lake Erie by Trudy Stern (2013: Saddle Road Press, Hilo, Hawai’i, Forty-Three North Chapbook Series); Ghost Dreams by Trudy Stern (2013, Local Color Editions, Buffalo, New York.]

If you are lucky, as I have been, sooner or later you will have the pleasure of seeing a dear friend from years past and feeling that, whatever profound intervening experiences you then may share, you’re picking up right where you left off. Love and loss, creation and destruction, youth and age; change is ceaseless but in some people there is an essential core that you feel you would know even in another life.

In another life, in a town that was nothing like the Austin of today, I knew Trudy Stern by her then-married name, Trudy Minkoff. She and her grad student husband, Bobby, and my husband George Vizard and I, came to know each other as peace and free speech activists around the University of Texas campus.
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Posted in Rag Bloggers, RagBlog | Tagged Austin History, Books, Ghost Dreams, Mariann G. Wizard, Poetry, Rag Bloggers, Sixties, Taurus in Lake Erie, The Rag, Trudy Stern, Verse | 3 Comments

Marilyn Katz :
Netanyahu’s Gaza game plan

Posted on July 25, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

Armed conflict will only lead to mounting numbers of dead on both sides.

In 1946, The New York Times called Yitzak Rabin, David ben Gurion, and others terrorists for their assassinations of British officers and civilians and the bombing of the King David Hotel. Image from Wikimedia Commons.

By Marilyn Katz | The Rag Blog | July 25, 2014

Unlike the finite death toll in the Malaysian jet downing, the numbers of dead in Gaza and Israel keep changing and mounting. As of this writing, the count is as follows: In Israel, 29 deaths, among them two civilians. In Gaza, nearly 700 killed, including 500 civilians and 100 children; 4,120 have been wounded. An additional 50,000 Gazans have been left homeless as a result of nearly two weeks of aerial bombings and an accompanying ground invasion.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Hamas, Israel-Gaza Conflict, Israeli Society, Marilyn Katz, Middle East History, Palestinian Occupation, Rag Bloggers, Terrorism, Zionism | 6 Comments

Murray Polner :
MEDIA | A very very loud silence

Posted on July 22, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

How is it that for 11 long days of the Gaza War, the New York Times editorial board chose to remain voiceless?

The mighty New York Times: Where was their voice?

By Murray Polner | The Rag Blog | July 23, 2014

Respect them or not, it is undeniable that The New York Times remains preeminent among its competitors and over the many decades has displayed courage in publishing the Pentagon Papers and in the high quality of its many investigative reports. No issue, however controversial, seemed untouchable.

So I ask: How is it that for 11 long days, its editorial board chose to remain voiceless during the Gaza War, with its pitiless air war, soaring rockets, a growing army of refugees, and ever-increasing civilian deaths? You can name virtually every conflict since the end of WWII and be absolutely certain that the Times’ editorial writers were on the job, advising, cajoling, criticizing, and commending — even apologizing after its initial support for the Iraq War.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Hamas, Israel-Gaza Conflict, Mainstream Media, Media Criticism, Murray Polner, New York Times, Print Media, Rag Bloggers, Zionism | Leave a comment

Alan Waldman :
Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry are hysterical in P.G. Wodehouse’s droll ‘Jeeves and Wooster’

Posted on July 22, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

A sagacious butler helps his rich twit master Bertie and his nincompoop pals out of all kinds of ridiculous jams.

Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry are Jeeves & Wooster.

By Alan Waldman | The Rag Blog | July 22, 2014

[In his weekly 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, and Scotland. Most are available on DVD and/or Netflix, and some episodes are on YouTube.]

Some of the funniest and most brilliant writing and acting in decades were seen on the Jeeves and Wooster series, broadcast on PBS’s Masterpiece Theatre and available on DVD and Netflix. It consists of four priceless seasons (1990-1993) and 23 episodes, all written by Clive Exton and adapted from 19 P.G. Wodehouse novels and stories (published from 1919 to 1974). You Tube has many free episodes, including this one.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Alan Waldman, British Television, Criticism, Hugh Laurie, Jeeves and Wooster, Rag Bloggers, Stephen Fry, Vintage Television | 1 Comment

METRO EVENT | Beverly Baker Moore: Thorne’s 69th Birthday Bash to be social event of the year!

Posted on July 20, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

So let’s raise a margarita to the old guy… and
party like it’s 1969!

Party like you did in 1969 (the Year of the Contortionist!). Poster by Carlos Lowry / The Rag Blog.

By Beverly Baker Moore | The Rag Blog | July 20, 2014

Event: Thorne’s 69th Birthday Bash
Place: Maria’s Taco Xpress
Address: 2529 S. Lamar Blvd.
When: Friday, August 1, 2014
Hours: 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.

AUSTIN — On Friday, August 1, our way-overworked Rag Blog editor and Rag Radio host, Mr. Thorne Webb Dreyer, will have made it around the sun 69 times. Whether you knew Thorne then, know him now, or know him not… come party with us Armadillo-tribe style.

Thorne Dreyer has been overworked (and dizzy!) since 1966 when he helped found Austin’s original Rag, a trailblazer of the ’60s underground press uprising. Forty years later, in 2006, The Rag rose again — like a reanimated zombie — and The Rag Blog now has followers all over the world. Dreyer also hosts and produces the syndicated Rag Radio, which has aired over 200 original episodes since 2009.
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Posted in Metro, RagBlog | Tagged Beverly Baker Moore, Leeann Atherton, Maria's Taco Xpress, Metro, New Journalism Project, Rag Bloggers, Rag Radio, The Rag Blog, Thorne Dreyer, Thorne's 69th Birthday Bash | 1 Comment

David McReynolds :
In opposition to Israeli actions, and to anti-Semitism

Posted on July 19, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

It is a grave error to attack Jews anywhere based on the actions of the Israeli government.

Protest in Lyon, France, July 16, 2014, against Israel’s bombing of Gaza. Demonstrations in Europe, especially in France, are becoming increasingly anti-Semitic. Photo by AFT.

By David McReynolds | The Rag Blog | July 20, 2014

In recent days there has been a flurry of anti-Semitic outbursts in France and elsewhere, clearly triggered by Israel’s military actions against the Palestinians in Gaza. I’m depressed enough about the whole situation that I have not yet written my own views on the tragedy of Gaza, but it is crucial that no one, anywhere in the world, should take out on a local Jewish community center or synagogue their justified anger against the Israeli regime.

Many Jews outside of Israel do support the Israeli actions, and many have openly opposed those actions. Indeed, some of the leading and sharpest critics of Israel have come from the Jewish community.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Anti-Semitism, David McReynolds, Israel-Gaza Conflict, Middle East, Peace Movement, Rag Bloggers, U.S. Foreign Policy, Zionism | 6 Comments

Posted on July 19, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

METRO EVENT | Beverly Baker Moore says ‘party like it’s 1969’ at Thorne’s 69th Birthday Bash, Aug. 1, at Maria’s in Austin.

Posted in RagBlurb | Leave a comment

Harry Targ :
The Central American refugees are 21st century descendants of imperialism

Posted on July 19, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

The popular narratives about the horrific migration ignore the history of U.S.-inspired violence in the region and the economic devastation caused by neoliberal economic policies.

TO GO WITH AFP STORY: MEXICO-MIGRATION -

A Guatemalan family crossing the border from Mexico. Photo by Omar Torres / AFP / Getty Images.

By Harry Targ | The Rag Blog | July 20, 2014

A military coup in Honduras

On Sunday, June 28, 2009, the Honduran military carried out a coup, ousting duly elected President Manuel Zelaya from power. Almost immediately leaders of Western Hemisphere nations condemned the actions taken in Tegucigalpa, the capital city. For example, former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (Lula) asserted that the days of military coups as a mechanism of the transfer of power were over in Latin America.

President Obama said on the following day that “it would be a terrible precedent if we start moving backwards into the era in which we are seeing military coups as a means of political transition rather than democratic elections…. The region has made enormous progress over the last 20 years in establishing democratic traditions in Central America and Latin America. We don’t want to go back to a dark past.”
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Border Crisis, Central America, Global South, Harry Targ, Honduras, Immigration Crisis, Manuel Zelaya, Neoliberal Economics, Rag Bloggers, Refugees, U.S. Imperialism, Western Hemisphere | 1 Comment

METRO | Melanie Scruggs : Charges of ‘environmental racism’ in Houston

Posted on July 18, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

Houston’s Office of Sustainability is squirming over accusations raised by a recent article in ‘Grist’ and by local environmentalists.

Demonstrators from Zero Waste Houston at Houston City Hall.

By Melanie Scruggs | The Rag Blog | July 18, 2014

HOUSTON — Brentin Mock’s recent article for Grist covering the controversy around the City of Houston’s “One Bin for All” proposal, which calls for replacing curbside recycling with unproven and threatening waste technologies, has City officials squirming. The headline alone cuts straight to the core of the issue: “Houston’s one-bin-to-rule-them-all recycling plan smells a little like racism.”

I gave some background on the proposal in a Rag Blog Metro article and our coalition Zero Waste Houston has issued a report on it. On July 10, the City accepted five bids from companies that would receive tax incentives to build the new waste facility that environmentalists and environmental justice advocates say threaten the environment and people of color.
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Posted in Metro, RagBlog | Tagged City of Houston, Environmental Activists, Houston, Melanie Scruggs, Metro, One Bin for All, Rag Bloggers, Recycling, Waste Disposal, Zero Waste | Leave a comment

Thorne Dreyer :
PODCAST | Best-selling author Jeff Sharlet and his father, political scientist Robert Sharlet

Posted on July 17, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

Jeff Sharlet, Molly Prize-winning journalist and author of ‘The Family,’ and scholar/author Bob Sharlet, join Thorne Dreyer on Rag Radio.

Best-selling author and journalist Jeff Sharlet.

Interview by Thorne Dreyer | The Rag Blog | July 17, 2014

Award-winning journalist Jeff Sharlet, author of The Family, and his father, political scientist and author Robert Sharlet, are featured on our Rag Radio podcast (see player below). It’s the first time the two have been interviewed together.

Robert Sharlet and Jeff Sharlet are collaborating on a memoir of Robert’s late brother, also named Jeff Sharlet, a Vietnam veteran who was a leader of the GI resistance against the war. Sharlet died in 1969 of kidney cancer thought to have been caused by exposure to Agent Purple while he was in Vietnam.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Anti-War Vets, GI Resistance, Interview, Jeff Sharlet, Journalists, Podcast, Political Scientists, Rag Bloggers, Rag Radio, Robert Sharlet, Searching for Jeff, The Family, Thorne Dreyer, Vietnam GI, Vietnam War | Leave a comment

Jack A. Smith :
Israel bombs Gaza civilians. Again.

Posted on July 16, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

In 2008-2009, Israel virtually crushed the tiny territory and its 1.7 million inhabitants, killing 1,400 Palestinians, while losing only 10 Israeli soldiers.

Israeli border officer fires a tear-gas canister at Palestinians protesting an Israeli missile strike on Gaza in 2008. Photo by Muhammed Muheisen / AP.

By Jack A. Smith | The Rag Blog | July 16, 2014

Once again, Israel has found a pretext to viciously bomb Gaza. The UN wants the bombing to end, deploring that 80% of the 200 Palestinians who have been killed so far have been civilian women, children, and men.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who leads the right-wing settler government, claims Israel acted in “self-defense” after three Israeli young men were allegdedly murdered by Hamas, the elected government in Gaza. He then declared Hamas launched an unprovoked rocket barrage. Israel therefore had no choice.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Gaza, Israel-Gaza Conflict, Israeli Occupation, Jack A. Smith, Middle East, Palestine, Rag Bloggers | 3 Comments

Alice Embree :
VERSE | Beyond Borders

Posted on July 15, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

Image from Jornada del Día Mundial del Agua 2010.

By Alice Embree | The Rag Blog | July 15, 2014

On the edge of memory
The slogan echoes
“El Salvador is Spanish for Vietnam”

U.S. weapons for
Right-wing death squads
Yield peasant massacres
And refugees

In recent memory
President Zelaya of Honduras
Kidnapped and removed from office
The State Department
Careful not to say “coup”
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Alice Embree, Central America, Detroit, Immigration Crisis, Poetry, Rag Bloggers, U.S. Foreign Policy, Verse, Water Privatization | 10 Comments

Trudy, who helped us start ‘The Rag’ in ’60s Austin, was a warm and generous friend. Somewhere along the way, she became a wonderful poet.

Armed conflict will only lead to mounting numbers of dead on both sides.

How is it that for 11 long days of the Gaza War, the New York Times editorial board chose to remain voiceless?

A sagacious butler helps his rich twit master Bertie and his nincompoop pals out of all kinds of ridiculous jams.

So let’s raise a margarita to the old guy… and party like it’s 1969!

It is a grave error to attack Jews anywhere based on the actions of the Israeli government.

The popular narratives about the horrific migration ignore the history of U.S.-inspired violence in the region and the economic devastation caused by neoliberal economic policies.

A military coup in Honduras

Houston’s Office of Sustainability is squirming over accusations raised by a recent article in ‘Grist’ and by local environmentalists.

Jeff Sharlet, Molly Prize-winning journalist and author of ‘The Family,’ and scholar/author Bob Sharlet, join Thorne Dreyer on Rag Radio.

In 2008-2009, Israel virtually crushed the tiny territory and its 1.7 million inhabitants, killing 1,400 Palestinians, while losing only 10 Israeli soldiers.

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So let’s raise a margarita to the old guy… and
party like it’s 1969!