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

Harry Targ :
The intellectual impacts of historians Joyce and Gabriel Kolko

Posted on June 29, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

The ‘Limits of Power’ demonstrated that the United States was committed to expanding its capitalist empire across the globe.

Historian Gabriel Kolko, September 1970. Photo by Franz Maier / The Globe and Mail.

By Harry Targ | The Rag Blog | June 29, 2014

I have been teaching courses on United States foreign policy since 1966. I came of age politically during the Vietnam War and the modern civil rights movement but was not born into a left-leaning political environment.

My formative college experiences of foreign policy came from articulate professors who had embraced the skeptical but limited vision of the United States role in the world shaped by the theorists of “political realism.” I was exposed to a later edition of Hans Morgenthau’s classic international relations textbook, Politics Among Nations, which declared that politics was about the struggle for power. Big or small nations, powerful or weak political actors of all kinds, were engaged in the pursuit of power for purposes of material gain or just to achieve more power.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Gabriel Kolko, Harry Targ, Imperialism, Joyce Kolko, Limits of Power, Rag Bloggers, U.S. Foreign Policy, World History | 1 Comment

Tom Hayden :
Who is creating a terrorist threat?

Posted on June 25, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

The imminent danger is that Obama is preparing to go to war not to ‘save Baghdad’ but to attack the perceived threat of a Sunni jihadist ‘sanctuary.’

Demonstration Saturday, June 21, outside the White House. Photo from AP.

By Tom Hayden | The Rag Blog | June 25, 2014

Contrary to the original spin, there seems to be no need or rationale for “saving” Baghdad from invading ISIS hordes. As I predicted, the growing Shiite counteroffensive seems to be a sufficient deterrent. It appears that al-Maliki will be forced out politically, perhaps to be replaced by a new Humpty-Dumpty and a patchwork agreement to “reform” the Shiite regime.

The imminent danger is that Obama is preparing to go to war not to “save Baghdad” but to attack the perceived threat of a Sunni jihadist “sanctuary” in the vast zone from southern Syria into northern Iraq. It has been U.S. policy, however, that is partly responsible for fostering the terrorist sanctuary threat, if one actually transpires.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Arab World, Barbara Lee, Counter-terrorism, Drone Warfare, Iraq War, ISIS, Jihadist Sanctuary, Long War, Obama Foreign Policy, Rag Bloggers, Syria, Tom Hayden, U.S. Foreign Policy, War on Terror | Leave a comment

Bob Feldman :
People’s History of Egypt, Epilogue/Update, Section 2, November 2013-April 2014

Posted on June 25, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

Despite the brutal tactics of the counterrevolutionary Sisi military regime, a struggle for political, economic, and cultural democracy continues in Egypt.

People walk past huge banner for Egypt's army chief, Field Marshal al-Sisi in front of High Court of Justice in downtown Cairo

Eqyptians walk past banner showing Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in downtown Cairo, March 13, 2014. Photo by Amr Abdallah Dalsh / Reuters. Image from Al-Monitor.

By Bob Feldman | The Rag Blog | June 25, 2014

[With all the dramatic activity in Egypt, Bob Feldman’s Rag Blog “people’s history” series, “The Movement to Democratize Egypt,” which concludes here, could not have been more timely. Also see Feldman’s “Hidden History of Texas” series on The Rag Blog.]

According to a December 28, 2013 press release of Human Rights Watch, between July and December 2013 Egyptian government authorities “killed more than 1,000 pro-Muslim Brotherhood protesters; arrested thousands of its supporters, including the majority of its leadership; and engaged in a systematic media campaign to demonize the group” and “a Cairo court in September [2013}” then “found the Brotherhood to be an illegal organization.”
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Bob Feldman, Egyptian History, Egyptian Labor Movement, Egyptian Socialism, Gen Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Muslim Brotherhood, People's History of Egypt, Rag Bloggers | Leave a comment

Alan Waldman :
‘Exile’ is touching, thrilling, surprising three-hour Brit drama

Posted on June 23, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

Superb acting by award-winners Jim Broadbent, John Simm, and Olivia Colman, plus powerhouse writing, make this a must-see.

Exile is a British psychological thriller.

By Alan Waldman | The Rag Blog | June 23, 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.]

Exile is a terrific British psychological thriller TV series dealing with the topic of Alzheimer’s disease against a background of vile corruption. This gripping 2011 three-hour, three-part drama is available on Netflix and Netflix Instant streaming, and here too.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Alan Waldman, British Television, Criticism, Jim Broadbent, John Simm, Olivia Colman, Psychological Thriller, Rag Bloggers | Leave a comment

Jack A. Smith :
Obama’s foreign policy bait and switch

Posted on June 22, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

Obama focused on defending his policies from the warhawks instead of the ‘pivot’ to Asia and maintenance of unilateral global hegemony.

President Barack Obama deliverers commencement address at West Point on May 28. Image from U.S. News.

By Jack A. Smith | The Rag Blog | June 22, 2014

President Obama chose to ignore the most important strategic aspect of U.S. foreign policy in his major address May 28 at West Point graduation ceremonies. It was perhaps thought politically wise to emphasize current events rather than military preparations for a possible major future confrontation with China.

Instead Obama mainly focused on defending his policies against mounting criticism from warhawks in both parties variously demanding that the U.S. attack Syria, or Iran, or Venezuela, and adopt more provocative measures toward Russia. He was even criticized for not being tougher toward China, which is preposterous, as we shall discuss in this article when deeds, not words, are examined.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged American Exceptionalism, American Hegemony, China, Jack A. Smith, Obama Foreign Policy, Pivot to Asia, Rag Bloggers, Trans-Pacific Partnership, U.S. Foreign Policy, U.S. Imperialism, U.S. Military, War on Terror | 3 Comments

METRO | Alice Embree : Grassroots Leadership takes on the prison profiteers

Posted on June 21, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

The group helped end immigrant family detention at T. Don Hutto private prison and is challenging Travis County Sheriff Hamilton’s deportation policies.

Grassroots Leadership is challenging Travis County Sheriff Greg Hamilton deportation policies.

By Alice Embree | The Rag Blog | June 22, 2014

AUSTIN — Grassroots Leadership says that Texas is “ground zero” with “more incarcerated people, immigration detention beds, and for-profit prisons than any other state.” That is why the national organization, founded in 1980 by activist and musician Si Kahn, moved its program operations to Austin in 2012.

I spoke with Executive Director Bob Libal about Grassroots Leadership and the group’s current organizing efforts in Travis County, Texas, and nationally. They have a solid track record of success. They helped shut down the notoriously bad Dawson State Jail, end the immigrant family detention at the T. Don Hutto Detention Center, and stop the expansion of the private prison industry. They also have an ambitious agenda for the future.
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Posted in Metro, RagBlog | Tagged Alice Embree, Bob Libal, CCA, Criminal Justice Reform, Grassroots Leadership, Greg Hamilton, Hutto Prison, ICE, Immigrant Detention, Metro, Private Prisons, Rag Bloggers, Texas Prisons, Travis County | 2 Comments

Tom Hayden :
Are we seeing the ‘dismemberment’ of Iraq?

Posted on June 21, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

The other Hayden says Iraq is ‘dead’ and will be replaced by three ‘successor’ states.

Political cartoon by Patrick Chapatte / International New York Times. Image from The English Blog.

By Tom Hayden | The Rag Blog | June 21, 2014

Former CIA director Michael Hayden says Iraq is dead, “will not be reconstituted,” and will be replaced by three “successor states.” One of those, which Gen. Hayden calls “Sunnistan,” will become a safe haven for terrorists and should be treated like Waziristan, a zone of secret operations and drone strikes in the tribal regions of Pakistan.

The second, called “Shiastan,” should be shored up by recapturing the oil refinery north of Baghdad, and left in a sharply reduced space. The U.S. should “snuggle up comfortable” to Kurdistan, America’s only ally, where the pesh merga forces are competing for full control of the oil in Kirkuk.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Bush Legacy, Divided Iraq, Iraq War, Long War, Michael Hayden, Middle East, Rag Bloggers, Tom Hayden, U.S. Foreign Policy, U.S. Military, War on Terror | 7 Comments

METRO | Marlo Blue : Pacifica Radio on the brink

Posted on June 21, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

Money problems, political struggles, could lead to dismantling of iconic progressive radio network.

Pacifica Radio at war.

By Marlo Blue | The Rag Blog | June 21, 2014

HOUSTON — Once again the radio network for peace, Pacifica Foundation Radio, is at war. Plagued with lawsuits and unpaid bills, the enemy is “within” as factions line up to sell prime real estate on the Houston, New York, and Washington D.C., FM dials.

Pacifica has been called the “most powerful community radio network in America, and the only one devoted to an anti-establishment point of view.” Founded in 1949, it is a network of five politically progressive, non-commercial, listener-supported radio stations — KPFK (Los Angeles), KPFA (San Francisco), WBAI (New York), WPFW (Washington, D.C.), and KPFT in Houston.
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Posted in Metro, RagBlog | Tagged Community Radio, Duane Bradley, Houston, KPFT, Marlo Blue, Metro, Pacifica, Rag Bloggers | 4 Comments

METRO PODCAST | Thorne Dreyer : Visionary artist & storyteller Luis Guerra on Rag Radio

Posted on June 20, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

‘As the Huicholes of northern Mexico have demonstrated to me, art is (or should be) a way of praying, of making an offering to the gods.’

Rag Radio guest Luis Guerra in the studios of KOOP-FM in Austin, Friday, June 13. Photos by Roger Baker / The Rag Blog.

Interview by Thorne Dreyer | The Rag Blog | June 20, 2014

Our Rag Radio podcast features the amazing Luis Guerra, a painter, sculptor, writer, storyteller, and mystic who divides his time between between Real de Catorce, San Luis Potosí, and Austin, Texas..

Listen to or download the podcast of our June 13, 2014, Rag Radio interview with Luis Guerra here:
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Posted in Metro, RagBlog | Tagged Austin Artists, Chicano Activists, Interview, Latino USA, Luis Guerra, Metro, Podcast, Rag Bloggers, Rag Radio, Storytellers, Texas Writers, Thorne Dreyer | Leave a comment

Jonah Raskin :
BOOKS | El Paso poet Bobby Byrd soars

Posted on June 20, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

In ‘Otherwise, My Life Is Ordinary,’ Bobby Byrd has taken ordinary things and people and turned them into something extraordinary.

El Paso resident Bobby Byrd founded Cinco Puntos Press.

By Jonah Raskin | The Rag Blog | June 20, 2014

[Otherwise My Life Is Ordinary: Poems by Bobby Byrd (May 2014: Cinco Puntos Press, El Paso); Paperback; 121 pp; $15.95.]

British poet Tony Connor once told me, “A poet at 17 is 17. And a poet at 71 is a poet.” Connor published his first book of poetry, With Love Somehow, in 1962 at the age of 32. I met him in 1965 when he published his second book, Lodgers. His eighth book, Metamorphic Adventures, came out in 1996. Connor has stayed the course.

So has Bobby Byrd, the Memphis-born poet who has lived in El Paso, Texas, with his wife and children, since 1978. Soon after the Byrds arrived in El Paso, Bobby and his wife, Lee, founded Cinco Puntos Press, which has published half a dozen of Bobby’s books, including White Panties, Dead Friends & Other Bits and Pieces of Love; The Price of Doing Business in Mexico; On the Transmigration of Souls in El Paso; and most recently, Otherwise, My Life Is Ordinary. Son Johnny Byrd runs the press these days.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Bobby Byrd, Books, Cinco Puntos Press, el paso, Jonah Raskin, Poets, Rag Bloggers, Texas Writers | 3 Comments

Posted on June 20, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

METRO PODCAST | Visionary artist and storyteller Luis Guerra joins Thorne Dreyer on riveting episode of Rag Radio.

Posted in RagBlog, RagBlurb | Leave a comment

Lamar W. Hankins :
Bowe Bergdahl, the ‘universal soldier,’ and the true cost of war

Posted on June 19, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

As long as there are people who will agree to fight to kill others for the whims of a nation state’s leaders, we will continue to have war.

Universal soldier: GI in Afghanistan. Photograph by Max Whittaker / Corbis. Image from The Guardian.

By Lamar W. Hankins | The Rag Blog | June 19, 2014

He’s five foot two and he’s six feet four
He fights with missiles and with spears
He’s all of thirty-one and he’s only seventeen
Been a soldier for a thousand years
— “Universal Soldier” by Buffy Saint-Marie

Reading about Bowe Bergdahl in the papers since his release from captivity on May 31, made me think of another soldier, whose memorial service I attended on June 9. Jack had been in Special Forces for many years. He had learned Arabic and Farsi as part of his training, which included joint operations with the British, the Saudis, the Australians, and others in parts of Africa he didn’t talk much about.

He did not serve in Afghanistan, but he was in both of the Iraq wars. From the time of the first Iraq war, the one that George H. W. Bush had the good sense to end as soon as its measured purpose — driving Saddam Hussein’s forces out of Kuwait — had been accomplished, Jack had neurological symptoms associated with what came to be called Gulf War Syndrome.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Afghanistan War, Anti-War GIs, Iraq War, IVAW, Lamar W. Hankins, Peace Movement, PTSD, Rag Bloggers, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, Taliban, U.S. Foreign Policy, U.S. Military, Universal Soldier, War Resisters | 5 Comments

The ‘Limits of Power’ demonstrated that the United States was committed to expanding its capitalist empire across the globe.

The imminent danger is that Obama is preparing to go to war not to ‘save Baghdad’ but to attack the perceived threat of a Sunni jihadist ‘sanctuary.’

Despite the brutal tactics of the counterrevolutionary Sisi military regime, a struggle for political, economic, and cultural democracy continues in Egypt.

Superb acting by award-winners Jim Broadbent, John Simm, and Olivia Colman, plus powerhouse writing, make this a must-see.

Obama focused on defending his policies from the warhawks instead of the ‘pivot’ to Asia and maintenance of unilateral global hegemony.

The group helped end immigrant family detention at T. Don Hutto private prison and is challenging Travis County Sheriff Hamilton’s deportation policies.

The other Hayden says Iraq is ‘dead’ and will be replaced by three ‘successor’ states.

Money problems, political struggles, could lead to dismantling of iconic progressive radio network.

‘As the Huicholes of northern Mexico have demonstrated to me, art is (or should be) a way of praying, of making an offering to the gods.’

In ‘Otherwise, My Life Is Ordinary,’ Bobby Byrd has taken ordinary things and people and turned them into something extraordinary.

As long as there are people who will agree to fight to kill others for the whims of a nation state’s leaders, we will continue to have war.

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