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

Jack A. Smith :
Why the U.S. wants to stay in Afghanistan

Posted on January 13, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

The U.S. is supposed to withdraw troops by the end of the year, and the American people overwhelmingly want us to leave, but President Obama intends to retain a military presence.

U.S. marine in Afghanistan. Photo by Finbarr O’Reilly / Reuters.

By Jack A. Smith | The Rag Blog | January 13, 2014

The U.S. is supposed to withdraw all its troops from Afghanistan by the end of this new year. But despite public opinion polls to the contrary, President Obama is seeking to leave several thousand Special Forces troops, military trainers, CIA personnel, “contractors” and surveillance listening posts for 10 more years in Afghanistan until the end of 2024.

The CNN/ORC International survey released Dec. 30 shows that 75% of the American people oppose keeping any U.S. military troops in Afghanistan after the scheduled pullout Dec. 31. Indeed, “a majority of Americans would like to see U.S. troops pull out of Afghanistan before the December 2014 deadline.”
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Afghanistan War, Afghanistan Withdrawal, Central Asia, Hamid Karzai, Jack A. Smith, Obama Foreign Policy, Public Opinion, Rag Bloggers, U.S. Foreign Policy, U.S. Military | Leave a comment

Thorne Dreyer :
December guests on Rag Radio include ‘Radical Jesus’ editor, criminal justice blogger, Chicano novelist

Posted on January 13, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

Our Rag Radio podcasts feature interviews with historian and graphic nonfiction publisher Paul Buhle, Texas blogger and prison reform advocate Scott Henson, and fiction writer Daniel Chacón, author of ‘Hotel Juárez.’

Novelist Daniel Chacón in the KOOP studios, Austin, Texas, Friday, December 6, 2013. Photo by Roger Baker / The Rag Blog.

By Rag Radio | The Rag Blog | January 13, 2014

Thorne Dreyer’s guests on Rag Radio in December 2013 were Paul Buhle, Scott Henson, and Daniel Chacón. You can read descriptions and listen to podcasts of all three shows below.

Rag Radio is a weekly syndicated radio program produced and hosted by long-time alternative journalist and Rag Blog editor 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 Chicano Authors, Criminal Justice, Daniel Chacon, Hotel Juarez, Interview, Literature, Paul Buhle, Podcast, Radical Historians, Radical Justice, Rag Radio, Scott Henson, Texas Bloggers, Thorne Dreyer | Leave a comment

Dawson Barrett :
Kurt Cobain, King of the Outcast Teens

Posted on January 12, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

Kurt Cobain. Image from deviantART.

In recognition of the anniversary of the death of Nirvana leader Kurt Cobain, a host of retrospectives will recognize both the raw potency of Cobain’s songwriting and the tragedy of his heroin use and suicide. They will hide that Nirvana was a band of rebels.

By Dawson Barrett | Portside | January 12, 2014

This April marks 20 years since the death of Nirvana leader Kurt Cobain, one of the most iconic cultural figures of the late 20th century. In recognition of that anniversary, a host of retrospectives will recognize both the raw potency of Cobain’s songwriting and the tragedy of his heroin use and suicide.

Echoing the tired, sexist tropes of “John and Yoko” and “Sid and Nancy,” many will also associate Cobain’s downfall with his wife, Courtney Love. These tabloid narratives will overshadow Nirvana’s political and cultural significance. They will hide that Nirvana was a band of rebels.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Courtney Love, Dawson Barrett, Homophobia, Kurt Cobain, Nirvana, Political Correctness, Popular Culture, Punk Rock, Rebel Culture, Sexual Assault, Suicide | Leave a comment

Alan Waldman :
The 17 best films I saw in 2013

Posted on January 11, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

My favorite films seen in 2013 include Saint Misbehavin’, Philomena, About Time, and the French film, The Well-Digger’s Daughter.

Saint Misbehavin’: The Wavy Gravy Movie.

By Alan Waldman | The Rag Blog | January 11, 2014

I saw 17 excellent films in theatres, on cable/dish TV and via Netflix and Netflix Instant streaming. A few are somewhat older films I just saw in 2013. And I haven’t seen some highly reviewed and nominated films, such as 12 Years a Slave, Dallas Buyers Club, Her, August: Osage County and Inside Llewen Davis, so I will list them next year if I believe they merit that.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Alan Waldman, Criticism, Film, Rag Bloggers | Leave a comment

Ron Jacobs :
Julie Wark’s ‘Human Rights Manifesto’ points finger at neoliberalism

Posted on January 11, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

Julie Wark has written a manifesto for justice and it is clear for now that we as a species have failed.

By Ron Jacobs | The Rag Blog | January 11, 2014

[The Human Rights Manifesto by Julie Wark (2013: Zero Books); Paperback; 193 pp; $19.95.]

Julie Wark has written a manifesto for justice. Simply titled The Human Rights Manifesto, her book examines the UN Declaration of Human Rights and compares it to the current situation. In doing so, it is clear that we as a species have failed.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Books, Economic Rights, Human Rights, Human Rights Manifesto, Humanitarian Intervention, Neoliberal Capitalism, Neoliberalism, Rag Bloggers, Ron Jacobs | Leave a comment

Ted McLaughlin :
Why Congress can’t understand your financial struggle

Posted on January 11, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

For the first time in this country’s history, more than half of the members of Congress are at least millionaires.

Chart by OpenSecrets.com. Image from jobsanger.

By Ted McLaughlin | The Rag Blog | January 11, 2014

The figures above are for Congress in 2012, and represent the median net wealth of the members of Congress (meaning half of the members of Congress are worth more than the figure shown and half are worth less).

These are the most recent figures available because the members must submit a financial statement in May of each year, and it takes a substantial amount of time for the good folks at OpenSecrets.org to comb through those reports and decipher them. These figures are from the reports submitted in May of 2013 (and reflect their finances for the previous year).
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Concentration of Wealth, Congress, Congressional Wealth, Corporate, Corporate Power, Lobbyists, Rag Bloggers, Ted McLaughlin | Leave a comment

Lamar W. Hankins :
The ubiquitous influence of religion in America

Posted on January 10, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

Beginning with the push against the Communist menace in the 1950s, which led to the increased use of “In God We Trust” on our coinage , religion has increasingly pushed its way into public policy.

By Lamar W. Hankins | The Rag Blog | January 9, 2014

If you have been an adult any time in the last 60 years, you should be aware that religion is perhaps the most ubiquitous institution, after government, among Americans.

Beginning with the push against the Communist menace in the 1950s, which led to the increased use of “In God We Trust” on our coinage in spite of the irony of having such graven images associated with God, religion has increasingly pushed its way into public policy.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Abortion Debate, Abortion Rights, American Society, Contraception, Health Insurance, Lamar W. Hankins, Rag Bloggers, Religion, Separation of Church and State, War on Religion | Leave a comment

Alan Wieder :
Bill Ayers’ ‘Public Enemy: Confessions of an American Dissident’

Posted on January 7, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

In his ongoing journey, and with his new memoir, ‘Public Enemy,’ Bill Ayers continues to bring the radical ‘spark’ forward.

Image from Uprising Radio.

By Alan Wieder | The Rag Blog | January 7, 2014

Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn will speak at “Underground Goes Overboard,” a launch party for TheRagBlog.com, at 7 p.m., Friday, January 17, at the 5604 Manor Community Center in Austin. They will also be Thorne Dreyer’s guests on Rag Radio earlier that same day, from 2-3 p.m. on KOOP 91.7-FM in Austin and streamed live. Go here for other stations and times, and for podcast information.

[Public Enemy: Confessions of an American Dissident by Bill Ayers (2013: Beacon Press); Hardcover; 240 pp; $24.95.]

“They just don’t get it.” Yes, the phrase is overused, yet, all too appropriate when addressing the continuing critiques, from both the left and the right, of Bill Ayers.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Alan Wieder, American History, American Radicals, Bernardine Dohrn, Bill Ayers, Books, Memoir, Public Enemy, Radical Activists, Rag Bloggers, SDS, Sixties, Vietnam War, Weather Underground | Leave a comment

Michael James :
Like a Bruegel Painting, 1966

Posted on January 7, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

The JOIN Community Union was our effort in Uptown, Chicago, to build solidarity and create an organized force for change, especially among poor people of Southern origin.

SNCC’s Curtis Hayes (Muhammad) and SDS’s Susan Lum in Uptown, Chicago, 1966. Photos by Michael James from his forthcoming book, Michael Gaylord James’ Pictures from the Long Haul.

By Michael James | The Rag Blog | January 6, 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.]

UPTOWN, Chicago in 1966. I called it “Hillbilly Harlem.” Uptown was the regional capital of poor Southern white migrants moving to the North. The migration of Southern whites began when they came north in the 1940’s for war industry work, and accelerated after WWII when factories flourished in and around Chicago.People arrived from rural and urban areas throughout the South, with the majority coming from Appalachia.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Agitprop, Chicago, Community Organizing, JOIN Community Union, Memoir, Michael James, nostalgia, Pictures from the Long Haul, Rag Bloggers, SDS, Sixties, Uptown Chicago | Leave a comment

Bob Feldman :
A People’s History of Egypt, Part 12, Section 2, 1947-1948

Posted on January 7, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

The movement to democratize Egypt: Except for their religious beliefs, Jews shared lifestyles with those of Muslim background.

Jewish home in Egypt. Image from BBC Watch.

By Bob Feldman / The Rag Blog / January 6, 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.]

Prior to the Zionist movement’s establishment of the State of Israel on Palestinian land in 1948 and subsequent eviction of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian Arabs from Palestine during the late 1940s, between 65,000 and 80,000 Egyptians of Jewish religious background lived in Egypt. Around 64 percent of Egyptians of Jewish background lived in Cairo and around 32 percent lived in Alexandria, according to the Egyptian census of 1947.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Bob Feldman, Egyptian History, Egyptian Jews, People's History of Egypt, Rag Bloggers, World History, Zionism | Leave a comment

Kate Braun :
Waxing Crescent Moon is time to set new goals

Posted on January 3, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

Moon Musings: The Waxing Crescent Moon — which falls on January 4–5, 2014 — is a time to set goals for positive changes in your life.

Waxing crescent moon. Image from Wikimedia Commons.

By Kate Braun | The Rag Blog | January 3, 2013

Waxing moons are times to set new goals, recognize new objectives, promote new growth, and set forces in motion to help you achieve these goals, objectives, and growth. The first weekend of 2014 is an auspicious time to start workings, both long- and short-term, with the goal of manifesting positive changes in your life. On Saturday, Lady Moon is in Aquarius, the sign that foreshadows coming trends and emphases; on Sunday, Lady Moon is in Pisces, the sign that incorporates energy from all the signs of the Zodiac; either of these days will generate nicely positive energy to facilitate your intentions.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Astrology, Ceremony, Kate Braun, Moon Phases, Rag Bloggers, Spirituality | Leave a comment

Alan Waldman :
‘A Bit of Fry & Laurie’ was brilliant British sketch series

Posted on December 27, 2013 by Thorne Dreyer

Waldman’s film and TV
treasures you may have missed:

This was most people’s first exposure to the highly original comic genius of English national treasures Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, who wrote and performed many classic sketches.

By Alan Waldman | The Rag Blog | December 27, 2013

[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.]

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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged A Bit of Fry & Laurie, Alan Waldman, British Television, Criticism, Rag Bloggers, Sketch Comedy, Vintage Television | Leave a comment

The U.S. is supposed to withdraw troops by the end of the year, and the American people overwhelmingly want us to leave, but President Obama intends to retain a military presence.

Our Rag Radio podcasts feature interviews with historian and graphic nonfiction publisher Paul Buhle, Texas blogger and prison reform advocate Scott Henson, and fiction writer Daniel Chacón, author of ‘Hotel Juárez.’

In recognition of the anniversary of the death of Nirvana leader Kurt Cobain, a host of retrospectives will recognize both the raw potency of Cobain’s songwriting and the tragedy of his heroin use and suicide. They will hide that Nirvana was a band of rebels.

My favorite films seen in 2013 include Saint Misbehavin’, Philomena, About Time, and the French film, The Well-Digger’s Daughter.

Julie Wark has written a manifesto for justice and it is clear for now that we as a species have failed.

For the first time in this country’s history, more than half of the members of Congress are at least millionaires.

Beginning with the push against the Communist menace in the 1950s, which led to the increased use of “In God We Trust” on our coinage , religion has increasingly pushed its way into public policy.

In his ongoing journey, and with his new memoir, ‘Public Enemy,’ Bill Ayers continues to bring the radical ‘spark’ forward.

The JOIN Community Union was our effort in Uptown, Chicago, to build solidarity and create an organized force for change, especially among poor people of Southern origin.

The movement to democratize Egypt: Except for their religious beliefs, Jews shared lifestyles with those of Muslim background.

Moon Musings: The Waxing Crescent Moon — which falls on January 4–5, 2014 — is a time to set goals for positive changes in your life.

Waldman’s film and TV treasures you may have missed:

This was most people’s first exposure to the highly original comic genius of English national treasures Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, who wrote and performed many classic sketches.

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Waldman’s film and TV
treasures you may have missed: