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

Rabbi Arthur Waskow : Israel, Hillel, and Idolatry

Posted on December 18, 2013 by Thorne Dreyer

Harvard Hillel banned a speech by former Israeli Knesset Speaker Avraham Burg.

The spiritual issue:
Israel, Hillel, and idolatry

The Hillel International prohibitions make the State of Israel, and indeed only one version of it, into an idol.

By Rabbi Arthur Waskow | The Rag Blog | December 19, 2013

Recent controversies within Hillel International, the “home” for many Jewish college students of diverse backgrounds and beliefs, have made public in a sharper way a profound spiritual issue confronting American Jews and their “official” organizations.
Continue reading →

Posted in RagBlog | Tagged AIPAC, Avraham Burg, BDS Movement, Campuses, Free Speech, Hillel International, Idolatry, Israel, Judaism, Open Hillel, Palestinian Occupation, Rabbi Arthur Waskow, Rag Bloggers, Swarthmore College Hillel | Leave a comment

Paul Krassner : Is There a Doctor in the House?

Posted on December 18, 2013 by Thorne Dreyer

Doctors provide free medical care at the Riverside County Fair Grounds in California’s Coachella Valley earlier this year. Image from KESQ.com.

California tops in most uninsured:
Is there a doctor in the house?

The insurance industry has a preexisting condition known in technical terminology as greed.

By Paul Krassner | The Rag Blog | December 19, 2013

Although Coachella Valley in Southern California has become synonymous with music festivals, Goldenvoice, the company that produces those events, also helped sponsor the first massive four-day health clinic this year. Free medical, dental, and vision care was provided to nearly 2,500 uninsured patients at the Riverside County Fairgrounds.
Continue reading →

Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Affordable Care Act, Coachella Valley, Free Clinic, Health Care, Health Insurance, Medicare Advantage, Paul Krassner, Rag Bloggers, RAM CA | Leave a comment

Kate Braun : Winter Solstice Falls on Saturn’s Day

Posted on December 17, 2013 by Thorne Dreyer

Saturnalia by Ernesto Biondi, 1909.

Io Saturnalia!
Winter Solstice 2013

This seasonal celebration takes from many traditions, including the Roman Saturnalia, Druid customs, the German ‘Yule,’ and the birth of Jesus; and Queen Victoria popularized the lighted Christmas tree.

By Kate Braun | The Rag Blog | December 17, 2013

Saturday, December 21, 2013, marks Yule, the Winter Solstice, also the date observed as Saturnalia by the ancient Romans. Fittingly, this year’s Yule falls on a Saturday, Saturn’s Day.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Astrology, Ceremony, Christmas, Cultural Traditions, Kate Braun, Metaphysics, Rag Bloggers, Ritual, Saturn, Saturnalia, Winter Solstice, Yule | Leave a comment

Allen Young : Ralph Dungan, the ‘Good Liberal’

Posted on December 16, 2013 by Thorne Dreyer

Ralph Dungan in Chile, 1966. Photo from The Washington Post.

Discretion, valor,
and the ‘good liberal’

In the most patronizing tone, Mr. Dungan said if we opposed U.S. policy, we should ‘return to the U.S. and run for Congress.’

By Allen Young | The Rag Blog | December 16, 2013

The October obituary of Ralph Dungan, one of President John F. Kennedy’s top aides who later served as ambassador to Chile, reminded me of my one-time experience with this man referred to by a historian as a “good liberal.”
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Allen Young, American History, Chile, Deaths, Freedom of Expression, JFK, Liberals, Rag Bloggers, U.S. Foreign Policy, Vietnam War | Leave a comment

Ed Felien : A Good [Angry White] Man With a Gun

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Thorne Dreyer

Image from The L Magazine.

Pissed-off patriot:
‘A good man with a gun’

These angry white men are doing their best to bring back an idealized past that never really existed

By Ed Felien | The Rag Blog | December 12, 2013

“The only thing that stops a bad man with a gun is a good man with a gun.” — Wayne LaPierre, National Rifle Association

Paul Anthony Ciancia believed he was that good man. He believed he was a warrior against the traitors who were taking over our government, bankrupting our currency, and trying to establish a New World Order.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Alex Jones, Angry White Men, Conspiracy Theories, Ed Felien, Gun Violence, New World Order, NRA, Paul Anthony Ciancia, Political Violence, Rag Bloggers, Right Wing Extremists, Talk Radio | 2 Comments

BOOKS / Ron Jacobs : Matt Hern Writes With Bravado That Sports Do Matter

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Thorne Dreyer

Wait a minute people:
Sports do have meaning

Engagingly written, One Game at a Time is motivated by the belief that sports do matter as much as sports fans think they do.

By Ron Jacobs | The Rag Blog | December 12, 2013

[One Game at a Time: Why Sports Matter by Matt Hern (2013: AK Press); Paperback; 176 pp; $10.63.]

Earlier this fall the Boston Red Sox baseball team blew most preseason projections of their season all to hell when they bested the St. Louis Cardinals four games to two and won Major League Baseball’s World Series.
Continue reading →

Posted in RagBlog | Tagged American Society, Books, Matt Hern, One Game at a Time, Rag Bloggers, Ron Jacobs, Sports, Sportswriters | 1 Comment

Lamar W. Hankins : Right-Wing Rants and the Abominable Straw Man

Posted on December 10, 2013 by Thorne Dreyer

The abominable Straw Man argument. Image from Linda’s Bees.

Frosty the Straw Man:
How right-wing rants
poison political discussion

If we could have civil discourse about our disagreements and try to understand why we have differences of opinion, perhaps we would have fewer rants from all sides of the political divide.

By Lamar W. Hankins | The Rag Blog | December 10, 2013

The Internet is a marvelous tool when used honestly and correctly, and with recognition of its limitations. Not a week goes by that I don’t find in my email inbox ridiculous and false political narratives about some atrocity or other going on in Washington or directed by Washington. Our politicians are purveying plenty of nonsense without anyone making up stories about what they do.
Continue reading →

Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Christmas, Commercialization, Lamar W. Hankins, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Martin Luther King, Misinformation, Rag Bloggers, Right Wing Politics, Robert M. Price, Saul Alinsky, Straw Man Argument, Urban Myths | 3 Comments

HISTORY / Bob Feldman : A People’s History of Egypt, Part 12, Section 1, 1947-1948

Posted on December 10, 2013 by Thorne Dreyer

Police crack down on strikers in Mahalla, 1947, killing three workers. Image from Hossam el-Hamalawy / Flickr.

A people’s history:
The movement to democratize Egypt

Part 12: 1947-1948 period/Section 1 — Anti-imperialist left grows; Muslim Brotherhood collaborates with Egyptian regime.

By Bob Feldman | The Rag Blog | December 10, 2013

[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.]
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Bob Feldman, DMNL, Egyptian Communists, Egyptian History, Egyptian Labor Movement, Islamic Fundamentalism, Muslim Brotherhood, People's History of Egypt, Rag Bloggers, World History | Leave a comment

Harry Targ : My Nelson Mandela

Posted on December 9, 2013 by Thorne Dreyer

Nelson Mandela, 1918-2013.

My Nelson Mandela

Real historic figures get lionized, sanitized, and most importantly redefined as defenders of the ongoing order rather than activists who committed their lives to revolutionary changes…

By Harry Targ | The Rag Blog | December 10, 2013

One of the ironies of 21st century historical discourse is that despite significantly increased access to information, historical narratives are shaped by economic and political interest and ideology more than ever before.
Continue reading →

Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Anti-Colonialists, Apartheid, Deaths, Harry Targ, Nelson Mandela, Radical Activists, Rag Bloggers, Revolutionaries, Social Movements, South Africa, World History | 1 Comment

Michael James : Back to Uptown, 1965-1966

Posted on December 8, 2013 by Thorne Dreyer

Two men, Uptown Chicago, 1966. Photos by Michael James from his forthcoming book, Michael Gaylord James’ Pictures from the Long Haul.

Pictures from the Long Haul:
Back to Uptown: Bye-bye California,
Chicago here I come, 1965-1966

I was glad to be back in Uptown, progressing along my path with another left turn and a big step into America.

By Michael James | The Rag Blog | December 9, 2013

[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.]
Continue reading →

Posted in RagBlog | Tagged California Highlands, Charlie Mingus, Community Organizing, JOIN Community Union, Memoir, Michael James, nostalgia, Pictures from the Long Haul, Rag Bloggers, SDS, Sixties, Travel, Uptown Chicago | Leave a comment

Alan Waldman : ‘Last of the Summer Wine’ Has Kept Millions Laughing for 37 Years

Posted on December 3, 2013 by Thorne Dreyer

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

British national treasure, Roy Clarke, created and wrote all 295 episodes of this droll series about three elderly Yorkshiremen with too much time on their hands.

By Alan Waldman | The Rag Blog | December 3, 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.]
Continue reading →

Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Alan Waldman, British Television, Criticism, Last of the Summer Wine, Rag Bloggers, Roy Clarke, Vintage Television | Leave a comment

Alice Embree : Chile and the Politics of Memory

Posted on November 19, 2013 by Thorne Dreyer

Me gustan los estudiantes. This painting by Austin’s Carlos Lowry is the cover art on the Fall 2013 NACLA Report on the Americas.

The contradictions of Chile
and the politics of memory

The elections in Chile take place as the country marks the fortieth anniversary of the bloody military coup that happened with covert U.S. assistance.

By Alice Embree | The Rag Blog | November 20, 2013

“[T]he battle over memory is a struggle over meaning…” — Steven S. Volk, “The Politics of Memory and the Memory of Politics,” Fall 2013 NACLA Report on the Americas.

On Sunday, November 17, Socialist Michelle Bachelet received 47% of the vote in a field of nine Chilean presidential candidates. She will go into a December 15 run-off with a candidate from the hard right, Evelyn Matthei, who received 25% of the vote. Bachelet will likely serve a second term as president of Chile. Continue reading →

Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Alice Embree, Camila Vallejo, Chile, Chilean Coup, Latin America, Michelle Bachelet, NACLA, Neo-liberalism, Rag Bloggers, Salvador Allende, Socialists, Student Movement, U.S. Imperialism | 2 Comments

The spiritual issue: Israel, Hillel, and idolatry

The Hillel International prohibitions make the State of Israel, and indeed only one version of it, into an idol.

California tops in most uninsured: Is there a doctor in the house?

The insurance industry has a preexisting condition known in technical terminology as greed.

Io Saturnalia! Winter Solstice 2013

This seasonal celebration takes from many traditions, including the Roman Saturnalia, Druid customs, the German ‘Yule,’ and the birth of Jesus; and Queen Victoria popularized the lighted Christmas tree.

Discretion, valor, and the ‘good liberal’

In the most patronizing tone, Mr. Dungan said if we opposed U.S. policy, we should ‘return to the U.S. and run for Congress.’

Pissed-off patriot: ‘A good man with a gun’

These angry white men are doing their best to bring back an idealized past that never really existed

Wait a minute people: Sports do have meaning