The Rag Blog

Provide fully-funded public education through two years of college, including related child-care, when necessary

It is axiomatic today that the modern economy demands an educated, technologically-sophisticated workforce to a major extent. The rising economies of China and India are following the trail blazed by Korea, Canada, Japan, Israel, the European countries, and the U.S.A. in that regard. (The only example of an economy of an industrialized nation that is currently uncompetitive is the former U.S.S.R. – which probably offers one more proof that monolithic, centralized systems [empires] tend toward centrifugal disintegration and economic stagnation.)

The central and salient precursor to economic success (or survival for that matter) is now education. But there is no need to debate technical knowledge vs. “liberal arts”, “fine arts” vs. “natural sciences”, classical philosophy vs. biochemistry. It may be good policy at specific epochs to create incentives to attract more students into one or another fields; but in general we have our different tastes and talents, and there is more to society than just economic and technical develoment.

There is utility in almost every discipline. This morning on my way to work, I stopped for ten minutes to watch the Sun rise over the Cascade mountains, while I listened to an oboe/cello concerto on the radio. I certainly am glad that some people compose, play, record, and broadcast such music; just as I am glad that some people invented, improved, manufactured, and sold the instruments, recording devices, and transmission systems that allowed the music to reach me.

It is the case that many useful endeavors do not require an extended academic type of education. However, almost none suffer from too much education. I have been involved in control and improvement of processes in several industries over many years. The old Edward Deming advice to empower the workforce is standard wisdom in my opinion. The best advice and the greatest enthusiasm for improvements most often come from the shop floor. Unsurprisingly, in my experience the folks who joined the effort soonest were also the ones who came up with the most likely suggestions, and they were generally the best-educated.

Today, the “community colleges” teach many of the skills that were passed on via apprenticeship in the past. Adding academic rigor enhances some aspects of this training, as compared to the “old way”: there is more understanding of underlying principles, more knowledge of standard practices and codes, and more development of peripheral subjects that may apply to the field, such as mathematics or basic accounting or supervision.

Perhaps more important, in the academic setting there is usually some emphasis and information on safety and health-related subjects related to the work environment. I have substantial personal experience in this matter, having worked in foundries in the days when safety glasses were a personal choice and dust masks were almost non-existent. If someone had told me then, what I learned subsequently, I would have worn a respirator from day-one.

The point is that – as most people know – education of our citizens is an investment in both their personal well-being and that of the society at-large. Most social/political commentators like to say that an educated populace is a necessary condition for effective democracy. I certainly agree with that statement (although I am somewhat discouraged that it is not a sufficient condition).

As an example – according to all of the national opinion polls, for the last two years a majority of U.S. citizens have agreed that the war in Iraq is 1) going badly, 2) unnecessary, and 3) unwarranted. (There was a small swing in the opposite direction just after national elections were held in Iraq, but it did not last long.) Compared to the situation that people of my generation should remember, concerning the war in Viet Nam, this is a huge improvement in popular understanding of the situation. And it occurred in a much shorter time-frame. That seems to me to be a validation of increased education, if only in the sense that many of us learned the lessons of the earlier war.

Do you think that this is a naïve interpretation or a misinterpreted example? OK then – to what do you attribute the difference? Are we just more cynical now? Did Bush and company simply screw up more than Lyndon Johnson’s guys? From what I have observed over the last 40-some years, it all looks very similar: the false casi belli; the generals’ optimism; the ability to “win” battles via a massive firepower advantage; the guerrillas’ tactics and endurance, if not esprit; even the changes in U.S. strategy, tactics, and slogans. So why have the poll numbers shown strong (and increasing) resistance to the administration’s policies in Iraq?

Is it the liberal media bias? Media employees tend to be well-educated compared to the electorate as a whole, so maybe that’s why they have opposed the war and misled the U.S. public. The problem with that theory is that the overwhelming majority of the mainstream media have not opposed the war. If not neutral, the pundit crowd has leaned toward support of the war. If you point to the Blogs as a counter-example, they are a late phenomenon whose appeal and influence have been built and amplified by the fact that they represent the under-represented voice of the majority of citizens, who oppose the war.

What is left? Education in the very best sense of the word – education that teaches analysis of viewpoint, comparison of theory to facts, effective expression, some realistic appraisal of historical events, some skepticism. It may have brought us to the point where we can play a larger role in the development of real democracy. We can move forward in the political arena to supplant the groups that have ruled us for the benefit of a small minority – the American economic aristocracy.

How does this connect with some of the other 15 points of the campaign? First, it is an important part of the redirection of tax policy described in Point # 1 in that several of the ensuing points of the program will require government investment in research or updated technical expertise – not to mention a lot more expert workers and designers: Photovoltaics engineers, materials specialists, environmental laboratory technicians, wind turbine installers, geothermal heat pump systems developers – the list is long and the need is great.

It interfaces with Point # 2 – Universal Public Service – in that the complementary benefit adds up to a 4-year college grant. There is also the opportunity, for those who need it, to ease into the choices that are generally made at this stage of Life. The first two years of post-secondary education typically entail general courses of broad academic scope. This two-year phase, plus required Public Service, can serve as an introduction to a wide range of specialties that can be pursued in subsequent periods of academic specialization.

As to the mechanics of this proposal, here are some suggestions. There would be some minimum of academic experience and achievement in the traditional sense to qualify for this grant, but the threshold would be lower than current acceptance standards. The grants would be pegged to some average of state university cost structures. If the student attends a more expensive school, then the grant can be applied toward the particular costs.

Lastly, the main topic of this paper is modified by the phrase, “including related child-care, when necessary”. Perhaps the part about “related child-care” needs no explanation. Why is the phrase further modified by “when necessary”? Because this is not a required part of the overall 15-point program, such as Universal Public Service. Individuals can decide to go straight to work, to start a family, to sit on their butts, rather than undertake post-secondary education. The idea here is to guarantee some reasonable level of financial support for those who want to participate.

We are not in the same situation now as the one within which we older folks grew up. It is very expensive, and, therefore, it is discouraging for the majority of our youth to attend college nowadays. There is a lot of time taken from study to work in order to support oneself during this experience. It is no longer a case of “I walked three miles in the snow to get to school, and, if I could do it, they can do it”. When I attended the University of Texas, in-state tuition for a 12 credit-hour semester was $50. We’re not in that Texas any more.

Paul Spencer

UN-PRESIDENT’S DAY: UNTIL YOU CHANGE HOW MONEY WORKS, YOU CHANGE NOTHING
By Carolyn Baker

Conversely, a sustainable economy is de-centralized and locally-focused, relying on small, well-managed local banks; food supplies which are grown, financed, and distributed locally; community ownership of land and resources; local commerce and industry; and above all, financial transparency.

Read the rest here.

Thanks to Charlie Loving.

9. The Neocons – “There’s No Al-Qaeda Organization”

Movement for a Democratic Society Conference. (2/17/07) What happened?

What didn’t happen.

Before the conference, a small group of dissidents complained via the MDS list-serve about national office staff domination by an illegitimate cabal who were controlling the conference and marginalizing Al Haber who was advocating greater internal democracy. My own initial evaluation of this was to advocate that all parties quit quibbling and get on with the important work to be done. I was told that I didn’t understand the issues involved. Then the dissident Haber supporters put out a highly verbose call for support that included a threat of physical violence at the conference if their demands were not addressed.

This was a terminal turn off for me. On arrival at the conference, we met Bruce Rubinstein, Paul Buhle and other alleged cabal members. They seemed entirely reasonable and businesslike. They also had a convincing story in regards to Haber’s actions that was not flattering.

The Haber dissidents did show up and immediately made a nuisance of themselves, disrupting the schedule of speakers at the very first opportunity. But it was also immediately obvious that their pre-conference efforts had gained them no recruits. They remained 5 people at most out of almost 200. They were eventually quelled and the proceedings continued. After all the speeches had been given and the business part of the program began, they renewed their onslaught. It failed utterly. Haber, however, did nothing to control their aggressiveness or distance himself from them. As a result, when it came to electing 3 vice chairs of the MDS Board, a position to which he was nominated, he came in last. Haber definitely suffered from his association with these unruly disruptors. I tend to feel that he’s a good man who got used by some not so good people with suspicious agendas.

I cannot help but wonder where these guys came from. It was immediately obvious that they were a tiny minority and their complaints had no traction. Yet, they persisted, at times in a rude and disorderly manner. Such actions cause me to suspect sinister motives. Their harshest and most telling critics were the young SDS speakers who denounced their activities with undiluted scorn. And these students, representing SDS, which is considered to be the main show, had clout. In sum, this group of dissidents were a disruption that was managed and marginalized with no effect other than to be a mild bummer during an otherwise uplifting event.

What did happen.

This was a coming out party, much of it for show, with a little business, although important business, tacked on to the end. The show included a series of speakers, all interesting, some inspiring. It kicked off with Tom Good, SDS/MDS organizer from NYC giving a review of SDS and MDS growth since its refounding almost a year ago. It was basically a description of accelerating growth and militancy coast to coast, but not centered in the elite universities that were the strongholds of the old SDS.

Good was followed by Mark Rudd, ex-leader of the famed 1968 Columbia student strike and subsequently of the Weather Underground. He basically denounced many of the decisions of his past, especially “the insane decision made unilaterally” by the Weather leaders who controlled the national office of SDS after the 1969 Chicago convention, to “kill off” SDS for not being sufficiently revolutionary. He actually said that although they were not, the Weather leaders should have been paid by the FBI for doing its work for it. He then moved on to denounce violence as a tactic, or even its discussion. Besides the moral arguments, violence inevitably led to isolation and invited repression from a government which has more weapons for such now in era of the “War on Terrorism” than it did back then. Rudd closed by pointing out that the earlier SDS surged from a minor organization to a major one when it took the lead of the student movement against the war in Vietnam. The new SDS should do the same in relation to the student movement against the war in Iraq. In this vein, he advocated counter recruitment, support of GI resisters and outreach through militancy. He also advocated SDS autonomy, not yoked to MDS.

Rudd was followed by Columbia Black history professor, Manning Marable, who gave the most riveting speech of the day. It was a sweeping analysis of the nature of the problem we face, globalized capitalism supported by American imperialism. A principal manifestation of this is “globalized aparteid”, the racialized domination by the primarily white developed world over billions of non-white poor. This system is a manifestation of the ideology of neo-liberalism, which he characterized domestically by the evisceration of the public sector by privatization and the elimination of government regulation and services. The war in Iraq is not an aberration foisted upon us by radical neo-conservatives. Debt growth and declining profits from domestic enterprises have forced US capitalists to export capital in search of lower waged labor and lack of environmental regulation, leading to a more aggressive foreign policy. In brief, neo-liberalism fosters more aggressive imperialism, leading to US troops currently being stationed in 59 different countries. Neo-liberalism also leads to “new racial domain of the 21st century” that includes mass unemployment in non-white communities (in reality 40-50%) and the mass incarceration of excess non-white workers (“warehousing redundant labor”) and their consequent disenfranchisement, over a million citizens including a third of all adult black males in Mississippi. A related manifestation is the prison-industrial complex with 2.3 million now behind bars in the US, the highest rate of incarceration of any nation in the world. Add those on parole or probation and the figure reaches 6 million. Most new prisons are located in Republican congressional districts where non-voting prisoners are counted as residents, resulting in those districts receiving more government money and increased representation. What is to be done? Opposition to imperialism in foreign policy and defense and expansion of the public sphere domestically. Marable’s analysis was comprehensive and his presentation dramatic. He rocked.

Marable was followed by a panel of New York area SDS members. They denounced the “egotistical” bickering among MDS members and listed their needs from MDS: mentorship, money, professional skills (e.g., lawyers) and networking. These four young representatives spoke with confidence and authority.

After lunch, Barbara Ehrenreich spoke, primarily about her new book, “Dancing in the Streets.” This concerned the evolution of the “carnivalization” of demonstrations, involving masking, music, theater, costuming, etc. These festive elements enhance solidarity, foster individual creativity and help us visualize a better world. This was an interesting point, but I would have liked hearing a broader perspective and something about her hopes for MDS. Ehrenreich was followed by Judith Malina, co-founder of the Living Theater and the day’s last speaker. Not surprisingly, her presentation was poetic, spontaneous, flamboyantly dramatic and charmingly brilliant, reading a wonderful poem written for the occasion. She urged the incorporation of the arts in our struggle.

At this point, we proceeded to the business part of the conference. This included the approval of the members of the MDS Board. Probably 20 of the 50 were on hand. Noam Chomsky, Angela Davis and others had sent messages of solidarity. Those on hand spoke of their qualifications and desire to participate. All were approved. In addition, Al Haber was added to the Board. Then Board members present voted on their chairperson and 3 vice-chairs. Manning Marable and Al Haber were nominated for chairperson with Marable winning by near acclamation.

There were 5 nominations for Vice Chairpersons. The winners were Boston historian Paul Buhle, radical hip hop artist, the 30ish Jessie Zurel, and Judith Malina. Haber was nominated for this position too, but came in last. He had been seriously damaged by his dissident supporters. Having Manning Marable assume this role was a huge rush. This man is brilliant, dynamic and African-American. SDS never had non-white leadership. I spoke with him afterwards about opposition to the “war on drugs” being an obvious component of his analysis. He emphatically agreed, greeted me as “comrade” and inspired me with his genuineness, warmth and energy.

Later, I asked Bruce Rubenstein, a Connecticut product liability lawyer who was once in the Weather Underground, about the level of commitment of the absent Board members. He said all were committed but the level varied. Some would speak to us and for us if given enough advance notice, for example Chomsky, who is generally booked up to 2 years in advance. Others would do committee work as well. He also pointed out that none of them, Zinn, Davis, Ferlingetti, et al, would be willing to join any other political organization.

In sum, I may have wished for better attendance – some, including Gavan Duffy, couldn’t make it because of miserable weather throughout the Northeast. And the dissidents didn’t exactly enhance the vibe. But at the end of the day I felt elated.

Alice Embree, Sally and I then left with Mark and Marla Rudd, Tom Good, Starhawk and others for dinner at the famous and funky Katz’s New York deli. Later, we walked over to a “party” at the Yippie center on Bleeker Street that turned out to be an over extended rap on some new drug made from an African root they were advocating as a cure for hard drug addiction. That was followed by a deafening punk rock band. We left. But Haber was there and bridges seemed to be being repaired.

What can MDS become? What you make it. Shortly, I’ll give you my take on what that could be.

David Hamilton

NYPD Spy Tactics Exposed: Democracy Now! Airs Exclusive Police Surveillance Footage Recorded From Blimps, Helicopters and “Lipstick Cams” During Republican National Convention

* Eileen Clancy, member of I-Witness Video, a project that assembled hundreds of videotapes shot during the Republican National Convention in 2004.

Read and listen to all of it here.

Chris Hedges on “American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War On America”

[snip]

CHRIS HEDGES: And there’s a bill now in the Texas state legislature that will abolish all mention of evolution in school textbooks and make Bible study mandatory in public schools. And the role of creationism is extremely important in this movement. It’s not just wacky pseudoscience. It is really a war against truth. It is not about presenting an alternative. It’s about saying facts are interchangeable with opinions, that lies are true, that we can believe whatever we want. And once they successfully elevate creationism, which, of course, is a myth — I mean, teaching creation out of the Book of Genesis is an absurdity. The writers of the Book of Genesis thought the earth was flat with rivers of above and below us. But what it does is destroy the possibility or sanctity of honest, dispassionate, intellectual and scientific inquiry. And when they do that, they have made a huge step towards creating a totalitarian state.

Read all of it and/or listen to it here.

Although it isn’t necessary to look far to find them ‘swiftboating’ themselves.

The Bush Administration: Against the War Before They Were For It

Notes From My Purple State: Kansas Says No to Divestment
by Jesse Zerger Nathan‚ Feb. 15‚ 2007

Still, outcry is growing. And one strand of activism is a burgeoning conglomeration of grassroots organizers, business leaders, and Christian activists who’ve combined forces to call for divestment from Sudan and companies doing business in the country.

Read the rest here.

And on that note, why does this not surprise us?

Accused Terrorist Is Big GOP Donor
Published on Monday, February 19, 2007.
Source: ABC’s – The Blotter

Alishtari, aka Michael Mixon, was paid for his efforts to collect and transfer the funds, which included $25,000 sent from a bank in New York to a bank in Montreal, Canada, the indictment alleges.

Source

Voiceprint UK: Great British Music on DVD
by E. “Doc” Smith‚ Feb. 16‚ 2007

Guitar greats like John Martyn, Steve Hackett of Genesis; Hawkwind; King Crimson and Asia alumni John Wetton and Steve Howe, are captured in a variety of live performances, and lovingly restored.

Read the rest here.

Iraq Gasps and Iran Coughs
By Dan Lieberman
Feb 18, 2007, 21:02

One reason is to shift the blame from the previous military and defense department officials who managed the conflict to newly appointed military leaders in CENTCOM and Iraq, to new Secretaries in the defense and state departments and also to the hapless Iraqi government. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will have John Negroponte, the newly appointed Undersecretary of State, suffer the political heat from the perceived Iraq failure. Even President Bush has carelessly made himself (or has he been talked into making himself?) a “fall guy.” After always insisting he followed the dictates of his civilian and military advisors in his decisions, he has suddenly revealed that he is the “decider” and like Harry Truman, “the buck stops here.” Secretary Rumsfeld, many Generals, and Secretary Rice couldn’t be more satisfied.

Read the rest here.

US ‘Iran attack plans’ revealed
BBC
Monday, February 19, 2007

The BBC’s Tehran correspondent France Harrison says the news that there are now two possible triggers for an attack is a concern to Iranians.

Read the rest here.