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

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.
Continue reading →

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.
Continue reading →

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

Harry Targ :
Progressives need to remember that history is complicated

Posted on January 28, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

In the words of Pete Seeger, “Though it’s darkest before the dawn, These thoughts keep us moving on…”

Arlo Guthrie and Pete Seeger. Image from Last.fm.

By Harry Targ | The Rag Blog | January 28, 2014

[This essay by Harry Targ first appeared at The Rag Blog on October 20, 2010. Moved by the passing of Pete Seeger, Harry reflects, “As we mourn the loss of our movement treasure, we each recall what Pete Seeger has meant to us.” Also see Rag Blog remembrances of Pete Seeger by Steve Russell, Lamar Hankins, and Harvey Wasserman.]

I became a radical in the 1960s. I kept putting off being active until the late ’60s but I slowly involved myself in the anti-war movement. When I started teaching around this time I noticed that many students became instant radicals; 19 year-old- kids going from lack of political awareness to militancy in a matter of weeks.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged American History, Arlo Guthrie, Folk Music, Harry Targ, New Left, Pete Seeger, Progressive Movement, Rag Bloggers, Sixties, Social Change | Leave a comment

Harvey Wasserman :
Remembering Pete and Toshi Seeger

Posted on January 28, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

So long, Pete & Toshi. It’s been amazingly great to know you.

Pete Seeger recording with the Rivertown Kids, June 2011. Image from RivertownKids.org.

By Harvey Wasserman | The Rag Blog | January 28, 2014

[Also see Rag Blog remembrances of Pete Seeger by Steve Russell, Lamar Hankins, and Harry Targ.]

Toshi and Pete Seeger defy description except through the sheer joy and honor it was to know them, however briefly.

Their list of accomplishments will fill many printed pages, which all pale next to the simple core beauty of the lives they led.

They showed us it’s possible to live lives that somehow balance political commitment with joy, humor, family, courage, and grace. All of which seemed to come as second nature to them, even as it was wrapped in an astonishing shared talent that will never cease to inspire and entertain.
Continue reading →

Posted in RagBlog | Tagged American Musicians, Clamshell Alliance, Deaths, Environmental Activists, Folksingers, Harvey Wasserman, No Nukes, Nuclear Power, Peace Activists, Pete Seeger, Rag Bloggers, Rivertown Kids, Toshi Seeger | 3 Comments

Jean Trounstine :
‘Kids for Cash’: Taking abuse of power to a new level

Posted on January 28, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

Hard to imagine that a judge could devastate families and delay so many lives? Well guess what…

Kids for cash: Taking abuse of power to a new level.

By Jean Trounstine | The Rag Blog | January 28, 2014

There are movies. And then there are movies — and by that I mean films that change the way we look at the world.

Kids for Cash is a movie that’s going to rock your understanding of what we do with kids in our criminal justice system — at least what we do when we have bad judges, bad policies, and a public that desperately needs to be educated. The movie is currently in previews across the U.S. and should hit your town in February, so be on the lookout.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Documentary Film, Film, Jean Trounstine, Judge Mark Ciavarella, Judge Michael Conahan, Juvenile Justice, Juvenile Law Center, Kids for Cash, Luzurne County, Pennsylvania Courts, Prison Reform, Rag Bloggers | Leave a comment

Alan Waldman :
Beloved Brit actor Robson Green is great in the excellent cop series ‘Touching Evil’

Posted on January 27, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

Created by distinguished scribe Paul Abbott, the series is intelligent, exciting, and well-paced.

British cop develops sixth sense.

By Alan Waldman | The Rag Blog | January 28, 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.]

The Original British version of Touching Evil aired 16 episodes from 1997-1999, eight of which are available on Netflix. It won three awards (including two TV Quick Best Actors for star Robson Green) and 10 nominations (including three BAFTAs and an Edgar). More than 92.4% of viewers rating it at imdb.com gave it thumbs up, and 28.2% rated it a perfect 10. All demos like it, but it was most popular with females 30-44.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Alan Waldman, British Television, Criticism, Paul Abbott, Rag Bloggers, Robson Green, Touching Evil, Vintage Television | 1 Comment

Bob Feldman :
A People’s History of Egypt, Part 14, 1949-1952

Posted on January 27, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

The movement to democratize Egypt: Bloodless coup sends Farouk into exile.

Prime Minister Gamal Abdel Nasser (right) and President Muhammad Naguib celebrate the Egyptian Revolution of 1952. Image from Bibliotheca Alexandrina / Wikimedia Commons.

By Bob Feldman | The Rag Blog | January 27, 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.]

By the late 1940s, Egypt’s “playboy king,” Farouk, had become “notorious for womanizing — often with shocking flagrancy — and gambling, passing much of his time at night clubs,” according to Jason Thompson’s A History of Egypt.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Bob Feldman, Egyptian History, Egyptian Revolution of 1952, Gamal Abdel Nasser, King Farouk, People's History of Egypt, Rag Bloggers, World History | Leave a comment

Kate Braun :
Candlemas can sweep us into our future

Posted on January 27, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

Lord Sun is in Aquarius and winter is fast a-fleeting as we celebrate Candlemas with reflected light.

Let light transform darkness on Candlemas.

“…do do be do, do be do, be do be do be do…”
— Swingle Singers scatting Bach

By Kate Braun | The Rag Blog | January 27, 2013

Sunday, February 2. 2014, is Candlemas/Imbolc/Brigit’s Day/Candelaria.

Lord Sun is in Aquarius; Lady Moon is in her first quarter, in Pisces. Aquarius is the sign that can see the “next trend” before anyone realizes there is a “next trend” developing; Pisces is the sign that incorporates all the signs of the Zodiac; first quarter moons are when we can best lay plans, both short- and long-term, to fulfill our aspirations.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Astrology, Candlemas, Ceremony, Groundhog Day, Kate Braun, Metaphysics, Rag Bloggers, Ritual, Spirituality | Leave a comment

Dave Zirin :
Richard Sherman’s refusal to be a brand

Posted on January 26, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

If you’re going to root against the Seahawks, please do it for the right reasons. Not so Richard Sherman gets some kind of lip-buttoning comeuppance.

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman. Photo by Mark Samia, Flickr. Image from The Nation.

By Dave Zirin | The Rag Blog | January 26, 2014

I was done writing about Super Bowl bound Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman. I was done writing about the polarizing, perspicacious, Pro Bowler who with one iconic post-game interview morphed into our latest national Rorschach test about racism and sports. I was done partly because I had already written about him and partly because others have said it better. (Find great articles about Sherman and race here, here, and here.) Continue reading →

Posted in RagBlog | Tagged African-American, Dave Zirin, Football, Professional Sports, Racism, Rag Bloggers, Richard Sherman, Seattle Seahawks, Sports, Sports Marketing, Super Bowl | Leave a comment

Steve Russell :
ALEC: All power to the (corporate) people

Posted on January 22, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

Those who serve in legislative bodies seldom read what they vote on and virtually never write the bills they drop into the legislative sausage machine.

ALEC provides legislators with ready-made laws. Image from EdVotes.org.

By Steve Russell | The Rag Blog | January 22, 2014

Cheap shots have been taken at the Affordable Care Act — Obamacare — on the ground that most of the Congress that voted for it never read it. The shot is true. What makes it cheap is ignorance.

Cheap shots were taken within my tribal government at former Principal Chief Chad Smith because, working on a law drafting project for the tribe as a young lawyer, he started with a photocopy of the Oklahoma law on the same subject. As best I can tell without asking Smith directly, the shot is true but, again, what makes it cheap is ignorance.
Continue reading →

Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Affordable Care Act, ALEC, American Indians, Chubbing, Congress, Corporate Personhood, Legislation, Lobbyists, NRA, Obamacare, Rag Bloggers, Steve Russell, Trayvon Martin, Tribal Government | Leave a comment

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.

In the words of Pete Seeger, “Though it’s darkest before the dawn, These thoughts keep us moving on…”

So long, Pete & Toshi. It’s been amazingly great to know you.

Hard to imagine that a judge could devastate families and delay so many lives? Well guess what…

Created by distinguished scribe Paul Abbott, the series is intelligent, exciting, and well-paced.

The movement to democratize Egypt: Bloodless coup sends Farouk into exile.

Lord Sun is in Aquarius and winter is fast a-fleeting as we celebrate Candlemas with reflected light.

If you’re going to root against the Seahawks, please do it for the right reasons. Not so Richard Sherman gets some kind of lip-buttoning comeuppance.

Those who serve in legislative bodies seldom read what they vote on and virtually never write the bills they drop into the legislative sausage machine.

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