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

Paul Buhle :
Reza Aslan’s ‘Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth’

Posted on February 6, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

Whose Radical Jesus? ‘Zealot’ is the story of a literary success.

Reza Aslan’s Zealot could have been called “Jesus Against Empire.”

By Paul Buhle | Truthout | February 6, 2014

[Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan (2013: Random House); Hardcover; 336 pp; $27.]

A better title for this best seller would be: Jesus Against Empire. If the devil can quote scripture, according to tradition, and if the recovery and analysis of assorted versions of what became Bible text (or did not) have become a scholarly big business, then we can hardly expect any version to be accepted by all.

Still, Reza Aslan himself is by now the kind of major media personality who appears on “The Colbert Report” (and what could be more major?) with views on subjects ranging from Iran (where he was born) to the silliness of Fox News on Christmas.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Biblical History, Books, C. Osborne Ward, Christianity, Jesus, Paul Buhle, Radical Jesus, Religion, Reza Aslan, World History, Zealot | 2 Comments

David Rovics :
Coca Cola’s ‘America the Beautiful’

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

Here’s my contribution to the discussion resulting from Coca-Cola’s multilingual ‘America the Beautiful’ Super Bowl commercial.

A still frame from the Coca-Cola commercial, “America the Beautiful.” Photo from Coca-Cola. Image from USA Today.

‘America the Beautiful’

By David Rovics | The Rag Blog | February 5, 2014

America is beautiful but it’s got a lot of ugly people
I heard one of them this morning on the radio
He interrupted the pop music programming
To tell us what he thought we needed to know
He said America is an English-speaking country
And that Coke commercial was just all wrong
You can’t interrupt an all-American football game
To have little brown girls sing an all-American song
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Advertising, Coca Cola, David Rovics, Diversity, Marketing, Poetry, Rag Bloggers, Right Wing Media, Super Bowl, Verse, Xenophobia | 1 Comment

Robert Jensen :
‘Declaring victory wherever we can’

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

An interview with Cynthia Kaufman on her book, ‘Getting Past Capitalism: History, Vision, Hope’

Cynthia Kaufman.

By Robert Jensen | The Rag Blog | February 4, 2014

[Getting Past Capitalism: History, Vision, Hope by Cynthia Kaufman (2013: Lexington Books); Paperback; 200 pp; $32.99.]

I’m fond of books that don’t claim to have The Answer but instead are useful guides in our search for answers.

Such a volume is Cynthia Kaufman’s Getting Past Capitalism: History, Vision, Hope, which expresses in clear, concise language thoughts that likely have been bumping around in the minds of many of us who reject capitalism. The book is particularly powerful because of its modesty; Kaufman promises no new grand theory and instead offers insights that we all can use in our daily lives.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Anarchism, Authors, Books, Cynthia Kaufman, Getting Past Capitalism, Interview, Leftists, Radical Thought, Rag Bloggers, Robert Jensen, Social Change, Socialism | 1 Comment

Lamar W. Hankins :
Pete Seeger: A life that enriched ‘you and me’

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

The world has been diminished by his passing, just as it was enriched by his life.

Pete Seeger with Bruce Springsteen at Obama inaugration concert, Lincoln Memorial, 2009. Photo by H. Darr Beiser / USA Today.

By Lamar W. Hankins | The Rag Blog | February 4, 2014

Several weeks ago, I began writing a column I intended to publish on the first Wednesday in May to mark the 95th birthday of Pete Seeger. But Pete died this past week before reaching that milestone. Among the handful of public figures in America during my lifetime that I consider heroes, Pete is prominent.

I must have been about16 years old when I discovered Pete Seeger. For a boy from Port Arthur, Texas, by way of Vidor, Pete was a revelation. He has always delighted me, challenged me, entertained me, encouraged me, educated me, and perked me up when I was feeling down.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged American Musicians, Deaths, Folk Music, Folksingers, Lamar W. Hankins, Obituary, Peace Activists, Pete Seeger, Rag Bloggers, Woody Guthrie | 1 Comment

Thorne Dreyer :
Award-Winning Rock Journalist Margaret Moser on Rag Radio

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

The irrepressible Margaret Moser, Austin Chronicle music writer and director of the Austin Music Awards, visits with us on Rag Radio.

Margaret Moser at the 2013 AMP Awards at the Moody Theater, Austin, April 21, 2013. Image from The Austinnot.

By Rag Radio | The Rag Blog | February 4, 2014

Rock journalist Margaret Moser, a prime mover behind the Austin music scene, was our guest on Rag Radio, Friday, January 24, 2014.

Rag Radio is a weekly syndicated radio program produced and hosted by long-time alternative journalist and Rag Blog editor Thorne Dreyer and recorded at the studios of KOOP 91.7-FM, a cooperatively-run all-volunteer community radio station in Austin, Texas.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Austin Authors, Austin Chronicle, Austin Music, Austin Music Awards, Austin Sun, Interview, Margaret Moser, Music Writers, Podcast, Rag Bloggers, Rag Radio, Rock Journalists, Thorne Dreyer | Leave a comment

Carl Davidson and Harry Targ :
In State of the Union, Obama pulled his best punches

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

The speech reflected the fact that Obama is ‘back in the game,’ but things still aren’t looking good for most of us.

President Obama delivers State of Union address, January 28, 2014. Photo by Chip Somodevilla / AFP / Getty Images.

By Carl Davidson and Harry Targ | The Rag Blog | February 3, 2014

In the lead-up to President Obama’s speech Chris Hayes, MSNBC host, presented a segment on the national mobilization of low wage workers in 2013. He described courageous work stoppages by fast food workers, campaigns by public employees, particularly health care and home care workers, and how seemingly isolated pockets of protest spread like wildfire across the nation.

This, Hayes suggested, stimulated progressive groups, selected Congresspersons, and visible pundits such as Robert Reich and Paul Krugman to reemphasize the economic crisis the American working class is facing, particularly youth, people of color, women, and older workers. Hayes suggested that we are on the verge of a new mass movement and that Obama would capture the spirit of this movement in his State of the Union address.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged 2014 State of Union, Barack Obama, Carl Davidson, Harry Targ, Obama Administration, Progressive Politics, Rag Bloggers | Leave a comment

Bob Feldman :
A People’s History of Egypt, Part 15, 1952-1953

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

After Nasser’s Free Officers coup, the Revolutionary Command Council consolidates power.

The Egyptian Free Officers after the coup, 1953. Image from Wikimedia Commons.

By Bob Feldman | The Rag Blog | February 3, 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.]

While not encouraging Nasser’s Free Officers military coup of July 23, 1952 — which set up the Revolutionary Command Council [RCC] — prior to the coup the anti-imperialist Democratic Movement for National Liberation [DMNL] secular left Egyptian activists had been supportive of the nationalist Free Officers military group that opposed British imperialism.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Bob Feldman, Egyptian Communists, Egyptian History, Egyptian Revolution of 1952, Free Officers Coup, Gamal Abdel Nasser, Middle East, People's History of Egypt, Rag Bloggers, Revolutionary Command Council, World History | Leave a comment

Alan Waldman :
‘The Sandbaggers’ was a gripping, very realistic Brit spy thriller series

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

Roy Marsden starred as a spymaster facing both dangerous foreign threats and agonizing political backstabbing.

By Alan Waldman | The Rag Blog | February 3, 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.]

Most North Americans have never heard of the excellent British spy series The Sandbaggers (1978-1980), although it had a cult following in San Jose, California, where station KTEH aired five runs of it.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Alan Waldman, British Television, Criticism, Ian Mackintosh, Rag Bloggers, Roy Marsden, The Sandbaggers, Vintage Television | Leave a comment

Jack A. Smith :
Obama defends NSA spying on Americans

Posted on January 29, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

Senator Obama pledged to dismantle the most intrusive aspects of Bush’s surveillance programs. Instead, President Obama secretly allowed those programs to expand.

President Obama, standing before a wall of U.S. flags, spoke on NSA reforms, January 17, 2014. Image from WSJDigitalNetwork.

By Jack A. Smith | The Rag Blog | January 29, 2014

When he ran for the presidency in 2007-08, Sen. Barack Obama pledged to dismantle the most intrusive aspects of President George W. Bush’s post-9/11 surveillance programs. Instead, since taking office in January 2009, President Obama has secretly (until a few months ago) allowed those programs to expand as well as adding a number of his own measures that increasingly jeopardize American civil liberties.

Ever since whistle-blowing NSA contractor Edward Snowden revealed the elephantine extent of the Bush-Obama Surveillance State’s domestic and foreign spying last summer, White House and NSA officials have sought through obfuscation and fabrication to minimize the impact of these disclosures. Public opinion against surveillance measures, however, has been slowly gaining over the months.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Civil Liberties, Edward Snowden, Glenn Greenwald, Jack A. Smith, Metadata, National Security Agency, Privacy, Rag Bloggers, Senate Intelligence Committee, Spying, Surveillance, Surveillance State, Whistleblowers | 1 Comment

Steve Russell :
Fallujah on fire again

Posted on January 29, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

Had the Iraqis been willing to sign the Status of Forces Agreement, our troops would as we speak be lined up to bleed over Fallujah for a third time.

The Marines were told to take Fallujah. Twice. “OO-RAH” was their response. Image from TheSleuthJournal.

By Steve Russell | The Rag Blog | January 29, 2014

The New York Times reported that Al Qaeda has taken control of the Iraqi city of Fallujah, for the first time since the U.S. Marines hauled down the Stars and Stripes over the memory of the Second Battle of Fallujah at the end of 2004, having first spilled their blood earlier in the year in the indecisive First Battle of Fallujah in April.

It was a nasty bit of business, taking Fallujah, and it inspired a famous song written by Billy Joel and performed by Cass Dillon.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, Fallujah, Hamid Karzai, Iraq History, Iraq War, John Kerry, Lance Corporal Dominic Esquibel, Middle East, Rag Bloggers, Status of Forces Agreement, Steve Russell, U.S. Foreign Policy, U.S. Marines, U.S. Military, Vietnam War | Leave a comment

Larry Ray :
Pentecostals, Baptists, and ‘naked images’

Posted on January 28, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

Too much naked truth for Mississippi prison workers when they get zapped by body scanners.

Here’s looking at you, kid! Graphic by Larry Ray / The Rag Blog.

By Larry Ray | The Rag Blog | January 29, 2014

GULFPORT, Mississippi — Here’s looking at you, kid!

There ought to be a law! And there might be one shortly to protect Mississippi prison workers from anyone sneaking a peek at their private parts.

Some Mississippi prison guards and other civilian prison workers are now required to stand in front of surplus TSA airport X-ray body scanners installed in the prison as they report for work. It is apparently part of their daily work check-in routine to be scanned for hidden contraband, and this has upset State Rep. Dennis DeBar of Leakesville. Not the contraband checks, but the X-ray machine that can see through workers’ clothes!
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Body Scanners, Dennis DeBar, Larry Ray, Mississippi, Privacy, Rag Bloggers, Religious Right, X-Rays | Leave a comment

Lamar W. Hankins :
When conscience rules…

Posted on January 28, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

There may be a silver lining to religion-based attacks on the ACA.

Protesters in Philadelphia rally against contraception mandate in ACA. Photo by Alex Brandon / AP.

By Lamar W. Hankins | The Rag Blog | January 28, 2014

The legal cases filed against the Affordable Care Act requirements that health insurance include contraceptive coverage have opened, potentially, a Pandora’s Box.

The Catholic order of nuns — Little Sisters of the Poor — object to having to provide such health insurance to their employees at nursing homes that the religious order operates. Likewise, Hobby Lobby Stores and Conestoga Wood Specialties, and as many as 40 other businesses, have lodged similar complaints in federal courts against the ACA because the owners of those companies, like Little Sisters, have religious objections to the contraceptive requirement.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Affordable Care Act, Contraception, Freedom of Conscience, Health Care Reform, Health Insurance, Lamar W. Hankins, Rag Bloggers, Religious Freedom, Separation of Church and State, Supreme Court | Leave a comment

Whose Radical Jesus? ‘Zealot’ is the story of a literary success.

Here’s my contribution to the discussion resulting from Coca-Cola’s multilingual ‘America the Beautiful’ Super Bowl commercial.

‘America the Beautiful’

An interview with Cynthia Kaufman on her book, ‘Getting Past Capitalism: History, Vision, Hope’

The world has been diminished by his passing, just as it was enriched by his life.

The irrepressible Margaret Moser, Austin Chronicle music writer and director of the Austin Music Awards, visits with us on Rag Radio.

The speech reflected the fact that Obama is ‘back in the game,’ but things still aren’t looking good for most of us.

After Nasser’s Free Officers coup, the Revolutionary Command Council consolidates power.

Roy Marsden starred as a spymaster facing both dangerous foreign threats and agonizing political backstabbing.

Senator Obama pledged to dismantle the most intrusive aspects of Bush’s surveillance programs. Instead, President Obama secretly allowed those programs to expand.

Had the Iraqis been willing to sign the Status of Forces Agreement, our troops would as we speak be lined up to bleed over Fallujah for a third time.

Too much naked truth for Mississippi prison workers when they get zapped by body scanners.

There may be a silver lining to religion-based attacks on the ACA.

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