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

Alan Waldman :
‘Murphy’s Law’ is gripping Irish TV series about a gutsy undercover cop

Posted on January 20, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

James Nesbitt stars as a Northern Irishman whose daughter has been murdered by the IRA and who goes undercover to fight myriad dangerous criminals.

James Nesbitt goes undercover on Murphy’s Law.

By Alan Waldman | The Rag Blog | January 21, 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.]

Murphy’s Law stars multiple-award-winning Irish actor James Nesbitt, who is excellent as a London police detective who goes undercover to infiltrate groups responsible for murder, car theft, drug trafficking, blackmail, identity theft, money laundering, counterfeiting, smuggling, and more.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Alan Waldman, Criticism, Irish Television, James Nesbitt, Murphy's Law, Rag Bloggers | 2 Comments

Marilyn Katz :
Women vs. the Catholic Church, Round 2

Posted on January 20, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

Just whose rights was the Constitution written to protect? It is women, not institutions, who are at the center of this debate.

Graphic from Bilgrimage.

By Marilyn Katz | The Rag Blog | January 20, 2014

Exactly whom — or what — do the constitution’s guarantees of freedom protect? That’s the question that the Supreme Court has indicated it will take up when Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor surprised many, including me, by putting a temporary injunction against implementation of the aspects of the Affordable Care Act that require institutions to provide birth control coverage in its insurance offerings.

For those who might somehow have missed it, Judge Sotomayor’s actions came in response to a lawsuit filed by two organizations affiliated with the Catholic Church — both of which claim that the requirement violates the Constitution’s guarantee of freedom of religion.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Affordable Care Act, Catholic Church, Contraception, Marilyn Katz, Rag Bloggers, Religious Freedom, Separation of Church and State, Supreme Court, Women's Health | Leave a comment

Thorne Dreyer :
Austin Music Award-winning singer-songwriter Gina Chavez joins us on Rag Radio

Posted on January 20, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

Gina Chavez sings for us and talks Pope Francis, her mission work with young women in El Salvador, and the Internet-era music scene.

Gina Chavez in the studios of KOOP-FM in Austin, Texas, Friday, January 10, 2014. Photo by Roger Baker / The Rag Blog.

By Rag Radio | The Rag Blog | January 20, 2014

Austin Music Award-winning singer-songwriter Gina Chavez was our guest on Rag Radio Friday, January 10, 2014. She joined us in discussion and performed live on the show.

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 Activists, Austin Music Awards, Austin Musicians, Gina Chavez, Interview, Latina Musicians, Podcast, Rag Bloggers, Rag Radio, Singer-Songwriters, Thorne Dreyer | Leave a comment

Bob Feldman :
A People’s History of Egypt, Part 13, 1948-1949

Posted on January 20, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

The movement to democratize Egypt: King Farouk confronts Zionist forces, imposes martial law.

Egyptian King Farouk at Battle of Nitzanim, 1948. Image from Yad Vashem Photo Archive.

By Bob Feldman / The Rag Blog / January 20, 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.]

Despite its earlier business links with some pro-Zionist Egyptian businesspeople, in 1948 the Egyptian monarchical regime joined other Arab governments in attempting to block the eviction of Palestinian Arabs from Palestine and the establishment of a Zionist state in Palestine by militarily opposing the Zionist movement’s military forces.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Arab-Israeli War, Bob Feldman, Egyptian History, Egyptian Jews, King Farouk, Palestine, People's History of Egypt, Rag Bloggers, World History, Zionism | 5 Comments

Paul Krassner :
Predictions for 2014

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

The all-seeing and all-knowing one lifts the veil. Just a little. Enough for a peek.

Uh oh.

By Paul Krassner | The Rag Blog | January 15, 2014

Steve Jobs, the late founder and chief designer of the Apple Empire, will be honored posthumously by the Wall Street Journal for morphing the concept of planned obsolescence from a negative aspect of capitalism into a shrewd marketing virtue.
Toddlers who can turn the pages of an electronic magazine on iPad with the swipe of a finger will get frustrated and have tantrums trying to turn the pages of a physical print magazine.

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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged 2014, Humor, Paul Krassner, Predictions, Rag Bloggers, Satire | 2 Comments

Alice Embree and Phil Prim :
Remembering Judy Smith

Posted on January 14, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

Judith Hart Smith, 1944-2013

Judy Smith answers the women’s reproductive rights hotline at the University YMCA, next door to the Rag office, in Austin, Texas, 1970. Photo by Alan Pogue /The Rag.

Judy Smith was the face of feminism
at The Rag for many years.

Judy Smith, who had a great and lasting impact on all who knew and worked with her, died November 6, 2013, in Missoula, Montana, after a lengthy battle with cancer. Alice Embree knew Judy from the Austin women’s movement and, along with Phil Prim and photographer Alan Pogue, worked with her at Austin’s underground newspaper, The Rag.

By Alice Embree | The Rag Blog | January 14, 2014

Judy Smith was the face of feminism at The Rag for many years. She was tall, athletic, smart, and comfortable with leadership. She was a driving force for women’s liberation and a mentor to many women. Sarah Weddington in her book, A Question of Choice, credits Judy Smith as being instrumental in the decision to take Roe v. Wade to court. The case resulted in the 1973 Supreme Court decision protecting choice.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Abortion Rights, Alice Embree, Austin Activists, Austin History, Austin Women's Center, Deaths, Feminists, Judy Smith, Obituary, Phil Prim, Rag Bloggers, Reproductive Rights, Sixties, The Rag, Underground Press, Women's Movement | 5 Comments

Bill Meacham :
Learning from Zarathustra

Posted on January 14, 2014 by Thorne Dreyer

Zarathustra is appropriately called the First Prophet. He spoke of themes later to be found in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: a single universal God, the battle between good and evil, the devil, heaven and hell, and an eventual end to the world.

Image from Philosophy for Real Life.

By Bill Meacham | The Rag Blog | January 15, 2014

The universe, as they say, gave me an opportunity recently to read a couple of books on Zarathustra and Zoroastrianism. (Why we seem to want to personalize such events and attribute agency to them is a topic for another time.)

A few years ago I had traveled to Uzbekistan and seen for myself the land in which Zoroastrianism first arose, so I jumped at the opportunity to learn more. This essay is a summary and interpretation of what I found out. Don’t take it as an authoritative account of Zarathustra’s teachings; it’s just an account of some things that seemed noteworthy to me.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Bill Meacham, Cosmology, Ethics, Goodness Paradigm, Mysticism, Philosophy, Rag Bloggers, Religion, World History, Zarathustra, Zoroastrianism | Leave a comment

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.
Continue reading →

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.
Continue reading →

Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Books, Economic Rights, Human Rights, Human Rights Manifesto, Humanitarian Intervention, Neoliberal Capitalism, Neoliberalism, Rag Bloggers, Ron Jacobs | Leave a comment

James Nesbitt stars as a Northern Irishman whose daughter has been murdered by the IRA and who goes undercover to fight myriad dangerous criminals.

Just whose rights was the Constitution written to protect? It is women, not institutions, who are at the center of this debate.

Gina Chavez sings for us and talks Pope Francis, her mission work with young women in El Salvador, and the Internet-era music scene.

The movement to democratize Egypt: King Farouk confronts Zionist forces, imposes martial law.

The all-seeing and all-knowing one lifts the veil. Just a little. Enough for a peek.

Judith Hart Smith, 1944-2013

Judy Smith was the face of feminism at The Rag for many years.

Zarathustra is appropriately called the First Prophet. He spoke of themes later to be found in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: a single universal God, the battle between good and evil, the devil, heaven and hell, and an eventual end to the world.

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.

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Judy Smith was the face of feminism
at The Rag for many years.