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

Robert Jensen and Pat Youngblood :
Working for a realistic left politics in Texas

Posted on March 18, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

To our friends outside Texas, we ask: Is it really so much better where you live? Where in mainstream politics in the United States is there much sanity?

Image from Warming Glow.

By Robert Jensen and Pat Youngblood | The Rag Blog | February 18, 2014

AUSTIN, Texas — As left/progressive political organizers in Texas, we have for years listened to friends around the country ask, “How do you survive in such a crazy state?”

It’s true that the recent primary election results are cause for concern. Our likely next lieutenant governor, Dan Patrick, advocates that creationism not only be taught but “heralded” in schools and has warned that undocumented immigrants bring leprosy. And crazy campaign rhetoric turns into regressive policies, such as the Legislature’s assault on women’s health now being felt as clinics close.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged American Left, American Politics, Climate Change, Income Inequality, Mainstream Politics, Patrick Youngblood, Progressive Movement, Radical Activists, Rag Bloggers, Reactionary Politcs, Robert Jensen, Texas Politics, U.S. Foreign Policy, U.S. Imperialism | 4 Comments

Ron Jacobs :
The multi-pronged provocation of Crimea

Posted on March 18, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

After years of watching Washington and its NATO alliance entice and cajole traditionally Russian allies to join the western capitalist sphere, Moscow has recently begun fighting back.

Solider in unmarked uniform guards the airport in Crimea. Image from SundayWorld.com.

By Ron Jacobs | The Rag Blog | March 18, 2014

Recent events in the Ukraine are even more center stage since the voters there elected to become independent.

Although there are some questions about the complete veracity of the recent referendum, the common understanding seems to be that enough residents of Crimea no longer wish to be part of Ukraine. Whether or not they want to be independent or part of Russia (and whether or not they have much choice in the matter) remains the unanswered part of the equation.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Crimean Conflict, Crimean Referendum, Crimean War, Eastern European, NATO, Rag Bloggers, Ron Jacobs, Russia, Ukrain, Viktor Yanukovych, Vladimir Putin, World History | Leave a comment

Ed Felien :
Straight talk about Crimea

Posted on March 17, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

Was the referendum on Crimea’s independence legitimate? Does Catalonia have a right to secede from Spain? Scotland from Britain? Texas from Mexico?

A man walks past a billboard in Crimea that reads, “Stop Fascism.” Photo by Baz Ratner / Reuters.

By Ed Felien | The Rag Blog | March 17, 2014

Crimea is a dangling appendix to the Ukraine. It is connected by a narrow patch of land barely 10 miles across. The total area of the Ukraine is about 233,000 square miles. The total area of Crimea is about 10,000 square miles, so Crimea represents only 4.3% of the total area of the Ukraine.

Russia has based its naval fleet at Sevastopol in Crimea since 1783. After Ukraine got its independence in 1991 it signed a partition treaty with Russia in 1997 that allowed Russia to maintain its naval base and two air bases and station as many as 25,000 troops in Crimea.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Crimea, Crimean Conflict, Crimean Referendum, Eastern Europe, Ed Felien, Rag Bloggers, Right Sector, Russia, Ukraine, Ukranian Fascism, Vladimir Putin, World History | Leave a comment

Kate Braun :
Lady Moon brings intense water energy on the Vernal Equinox

Posted on March 17, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

Balance is an important consideration for this celebration: hours of daylight and darkness are equal, hence the term ‘equinox.’

Balance egg; turn off computer. Image from Friday Fun Facts.

By Kate Braun | The Rag Blog | March 17, 2014

“Pretty colors…everywhere / Mother Nature, she still cares…”

Thursday, March 20, 2014, is the Vernal Equinox. Lady Moon is in her third quarter in Scorpio, bringing intense water energy that balances Lord Sun’s position in fiery Aries as he continues his cycle of growth and prominence.

Balance is an important consideration for this celebration: hours of daylight and darkness are equal, hence the term “equinox.” The Wheel of Life has turned one-quarter of its total rotation and is now half-way toward the Summer Solstice; it is a good time for you and your guests to consider how you balance work, play, and spirit in your lives.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Astrology, Celebration, Kate Braun, Metaphysics, Rag Bloggers, Ritual, Spirituality, Vernal Equinox | Leave a comment

Tom Hayden :
The Taliban are winning

Posted on March 12, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

This war never should have happened because it was always unwinnable, unaffordable, and therefore unpopular.

Karzai meets with representatives of the Taliban. Image from Jihad Watch.

By Tom Hayden | The Rag Blog | March 12, 2014

The U.S. national security elite, mainstream media, and therefore most of the American people, are in strategic denial of the fact that the Taliban are winning the war in Afghanistan.

Why is the denial “strategic”? Because our government and military establishment cannot easily admit failure without damaging our superpower status and their multiple careers. However, such a denial also risks never learning the lessons.

Defeat has multiple possible meanings. It doesn’t mean the insurgents will overrun Kabul any time soon. It is possible, however, that the Afghan security forces will implode along with the Humpty-Dumpty regime of President Hamid Karzai.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Afghanistan War, Al Qaeda, Anti-War Sentiment, Hamid Karzai, Imperialism, Military Intervention, Public Opinion, Rag Bloggers, Taliban, Tom Hayden, U.S. Foreign Policy | Leave a comment

Michael James :
‘Rising Up Angry’: Porch climbers, greasers, popcorn girl, and a family, 1968-’69

Posted on March 12, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

After my work in Uptown, I focused on bringing the movement, the revolution, to working class white kids, who had been overlooked by organizers.

Greasers, Kankakee River State Park, Illinois, 1969. Photos by Michael James from his forthcoming book, Michael Gaylord James’ Pictures from the Long Haul.

By Michael James | The Rag Blog | March 12, 2014

[In this series, Michael James is sharing images from his rich past, accompanied by reflections about — and inspired by — those images. This photo will be included in his forthcoming book, Michael Gaylord James’ Pictures from the Long Haul.]

In September of ’68, while liquored up on Jim Beam, I took in the reactionary flick Wild in the Streets at a rinky-dink theater in Yellow Springs, Ohio. This was a tale of wild-ass, rebellious, fascist hippies under 30 overthrowing the over-30 elders deemed worthless to the New World Order.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Chicago, Community Organizing, Michael James, New Left, Pictures from the Long Haul, Rag Bloggers, Rising Up Angry, SDS, Sixties, Wild in the Streets, Working Class Organizing | 11 Comments

James McEnteer :
Iguanas trek to Buddha Ball

Posted on March 11, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

Their ancient primitive bodies soak up the subtropical heat in desert cactus hills or along the humid grapefruit coast.

Iguana (and iguana) head for Buddha Ballpark. Image from USA Today.

By James McEnteer | The Rag Blog | March 11, 2014

They come by the tens of thousands, from near and far. No one really knows how many there are or where each odyssey begins. Iguanas young and old join this annual ritual, but the old outnumber the young by a huge margin. Their ancient primitive bodies soak up the subtropical heat in desert cactus hills or along the humid grapefruit coast.

Lizard skin hangs in folds from their jaws. Their hooded lids blink in the blinding sunshine their bodies seem to crave. Unlike their tropical vegetarian cousins these northern species are omnivorous. They will eat almost anything, including nachos, hot dogs, and kettle corn.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Baseball, Baseball Fans, Buddha Ball, James McEnteer, Rag Bloggers, Ritual, Spring Training | 1 Comment

Bob Feldman :
A People’s History of Egypt, Part 19, 1976-1989

Posted on March 11, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

U.S.-aligned Sadat regime answers labor uprising with mass arrests; Sadat assassinated; poverty worsens.

From left: Menachem Begin, Jimmy Carter and Anwar Sadat at Camp David, September 7, 1978. Image from Jimmy Carter Library / Wikimedia Commons.

By Bob Feldman | The Rag Blog | March 11, 2014

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

In January 1977, the U.S. government-aligned Sadat regime again made mass arrests when mass demonstrations broke out in Cairo and the 12 other main Egyptian cities. The demonstrators were protesting the Egyptian government’s efforts to take away food subsidies the government had been providing for Egypt’s still-impoverished masses.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Anwar Sadat, Bob Feldman, Egyptian Communists, Egyptian History, Muslim Brotherhood, People's History of Egypt, Rag Bloggers | Leave a comment

Alan Waldman :
Dramatic Brit series ‘Chancer’ introduced me to dynamic leading man Clive Owen

Posted on March 10, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

Owen is a lovable con man who helps pals out of jams, plots against slimy villains, and romances lovely ladies in this fine 1990-’91 series.

Chancer recounts the adventures of likable con man and rogue Stephen Crane.

By Alan Waldman | The Rag Blog | March 10, 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, and Scotland. Most are available on DVD and/or Netflix, and some episodes are on YouTube.]

Chancer is a British television drama that offers us theft, gambling, plots and counter-plots, revenge, betrayal, imprisonment, insider trading, embezzlement, paternity questions, suspected arson, and seduction — all the things American audiences crave.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Alan Waldman, British Television, Chancer, Clive Owen, Criticism, Rag Bloggers, Vintage Television | Leave a comment

Tom Hayden :
Is a new Cold War upon us?

Posted on March 5, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

From the residue of the old Soviet Union, a new nationalist, nuclear-armed, resource-rich Russia has risen to challenge Western claims of triumphalism.

Obama-Putin face-off. Photo by Evan Vucci / AP.

By Tom Hayden | The Rag Blog | March 5, 2014

Haven’t the Republicans, the neoconservatives, and the mainstream media been telling us all these years that America won the Cold War? They spoke too soon. From the residue of the old Soviet Union, a new nationalist, nuclear-armed, resource-rich Russia has risen to challenge Western claims of triumphalism. The new Cold War is upon us, and the American elites have no suggestions except to fight it again.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Cold War, Lindsey Graham, Obama Foreign Policy, Pussy Riot, Rag Bloggers, Russia, Russian Nationalism, Soviet Union, Stephen F Cohen, Tom Hayden, U.S. Foreign Policy, Ukraine, Vladimir Putin | Leave a comment

Thorne Dreyer and Bob Simmons :
VIDEO | Austin’s ‘Underground Goes Overboard’ with Ayers and Dohrn

Posted on March 5, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

Bill and Bernardine lead an engaging and often very funny community conversation at The Rag Blog’s launch party — all captured on Bob Simmons’ video!

Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn host an entertaining and provocative discussion at The Rag Blog‘s launch party for its new website, January 17, 2014. Video by Bob Simmons / The Rag Blog. You can also watch it on YouTube.

By Thorne Dreyer | Video by Bob Simmons | The Rag Blog | March 5, 2014

AUSTIN, Texas — The Rag Blog launched it’s new website (TheRagBlog.com) before a large and receptive crowd at an event billed as “The Underground Goes Overboard,” a lively “launch party” held at Austin’s 5604 Manor Community Center on January 17, 2014.

The event, produced by the Friends of New Journalism, featured live performance by the Melancholy Ramblers, ample beer and barbeque, and an hour-long presentation by activist-scholars — and former Weather Undergrounders — Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn, who had been our guests on Rag Radio earlier that day.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Austin Activists, Bernardine Dohrn, Bill Ayers, Bob Simmons, New Left, Peace Movement, Rag Bloggers, Sixties, The Rag, The Rag Blog, Thorne Dreyer, Underground Goes Overboard, Video, Weather Underground | Leave a comment

Mariann G. Wizard :
VERSE |’Texas gay marriage: Soon come?’

Posted on March 5, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

Ah, Gay Paree! Image from first Gay Marriage Show in Paris, 2013. Photo by Francois Guillot / AFP.

Texas Gay Marriage: Soon Come?

By Mariann G. Wizard | The Rag Blog | March 5, 2014

Candidates claiming to support the Constitution
need to get hip: Love’s sweet institution
will soon be respected in fair distribution.

Today’s headlines say gays may marry here;
this makes me feel glad, if not fully queer!
I congratulate warmly dear friends lez and gay;
I’m delighted for you on this wonderful day.
But as marriage comes to you, tread carefully, please:
like any rosegarden, it’s buzzing with bees!
Continue reading →

Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Gay Marriage, LGBT, Mariann G. Wizard, Poetry, Rag Bloggers, Verse | 1 Comment

To our friends outside Texas, we ask: Is it really so much better where you live? Where in mainstream politics in the United States is there much sanity?

After years of watching Washington and its NATO alliance entice and cajole traditionally Russian allies to join the western capitalist sphere, Moscow has recently begun fighting back.

Was the referendum on Crimea’s independence legitimate? Does Catalonia have a right to secede from Spain? Scotland from Britain? Texas from Mexico?

Balance is an important consideration for this celebration: hours of daylight and darkness are equal, hence the term ‘equinox.’

This war never should have happened because it was always unwinnable, unaffordable, and therefore unpopular.

After my work in Uptown, I focused on bringing the movement, the revolution, to working class white kids, who had been overlooked by organizers.

Their ancient primitive bodies soak up the subtropical heat in desert cactus hills or along the humid grapefruit coast.

U.S.-aligned Sadat regime answers labor uprising with mass arrests; Sadat assassinated; poverty worsens.

Owen is a lovable con man who helps pals out of jams, plots against slimy villains, and romances lovely ladies in this fine 1990-’91 series.

From the residue of the old Soviet Union, a new nationalist, nuclear-armed, resource-rich Russia has risen to challenge Western claims of triumphalism.

Bill and Bernardine lead an engaging and often very funny community conversation at The Rag Blog’s launch party — all captured on Bob Simmons’ video!

Texas Gay Marriage: Soon Come?

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