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

Lamar W. Hankins :
Opportunist Narvaiz Takes On Doggett Again in Gerrymandered 35th

Posted on December 22, 2013 by Thorne Dreyer

Congressional candidate Susan Narvaiz and friend. Image from Facebook.

Unsolicited advice, Dept.:
A Narvaiz strategy to defeat Doggett

Narvaiz is a political chameleon who says what she needs to say and does what she needs to do to protect herself from political accountability.

By Lamar W. Hankins | The Rag Blog | December 23, 2013

SAN MARCOS, Texas — Three years ago, when Susan Narvaiz was near the end of her last term as Mayor of San Marcos, I asked her in a public meeting for some information about the number of jobs created through the use of publicly-funded development incentives provided by the City Council. She said she had that information at her office and would get it to me. Even after a later reminder, I’m still waiting for that information. That promise and her failure to fulfill it about sums up what I expect from her in any political office.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Congressional District 35, Conservative Politics, Evangelical Christians, Gerrymandering, Lamar W. Hankins, Lloyd Doggett, Rag Bloggers, Religious Right, San Marcos, Susan Narvaiz, Texas Politics | Leave a comment

Steve Horn :
Keystone XL’s Houston ‘Fork in the Road’

Posted on December 22, 2013 by Thorne Dreyer

Houston’s refinery row. Image from Gulf Restoration Network / DaSmogBlog.

Keystone XL fork in the road:
TransCanada’s Houston Lateral Pipeline

Houston’s LyondellBasell refinery is retooling itself for the looming feast of tar sands crude and fracked oil bounty that awaits the Houston Lateral’s completion.

By Steve Horn | DeSmogBlog | December 23, 2013

Only Barack Obama knows the fate of the northern half of TransCanada’s Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. But in the meantime, TransCanada is preparing the southern half of the line to open for commercial operations on January 22.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged DeSmogBlog, Environment, Fracking, Houston Lateral Project, Houston Ship Channel, Houston's Refinery Row, Keystone XL Pipeline, Oil Business, pollution, Steve Horn, TransCanada | Leave a comment

Thorne Dreyer :
November Rag Radio Guests Include Spiritual Counselor, Citizens’ Advocate, Singer-Songwriter

Posted on December 19, 2013 by Thorne Dreyer

Rev. Bob Breihan, Methodist minister and longtime social activist, on Rag Radio, November 29, 2013. Photo by Roger Baker / The Rag Blog.

Rag Radio podcasts:
Thorne Dreyer interviews Rev. Bob Breihan,
Sam Daley-Harris, Doyle Niemann & Mariann
Wizard, Susan D. Carle, and Slaid Cleaves

Our November guests were a Methodist minister and longtime social activist, a noted citizens’ advocate, two staffers from the original Rag, the author of a book about the ‘movement that started the civil rights movement,’ and an acclaimed singer-songwriter.

By Rag Radio | The Rag Blog | December 20, 2013

Thorne Dreyer’s guests on Rag Radio in November 2013 included Methodist minister and longtime social activist, Rev. Bob Briehan; citizens’ activist and author Sam Daley Harris; progressive Maryland legislator Doyle Neiman with poet-activist Mariann G. Wizard, both staffers of the original Rag in the ’60s; Susan D. Carle, author of a groundbreaking study of nineteenth century social and legal activism; and noted Austin-based singer-songwriter Slaid Cleaves.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Doyle Niemann, Interview, Mariann G. Wizard, Podcast, Rag Bloggers, Rag Radio, Rev. Bob Breihan, Sam Daley-Harris, Slaid Cleaves, Susan D. Carle, Thorne Dreyer | Leave a comment

BOOKS / Alan Wieder : Paul Buhle’s ‘Radical Jesus: A Graphic History of Faith’

Posted on December 18, 2013 by Thorne Dreyer

Paul Buhle’s ‘Radical Jesus’:
Comic artists explore the history
and social message of Jesus Christ

By Alan Wieder | The Rag Blog | December 19, 2013

Paul Buhle, the noted historian, author, graphic novel publisher, and editor of Radical Jesus, is Thorne Dreyer‘s guest on the 200th edition of Rag Radio, Friday, December 20, from 2-3 p.m. (CST). Rag Radio airs and streams live on cooperatively-run KOOP 91.7-FM in Austin, Texas, and is rebroadcast and streamed on WFTE-FM in Mt. Cobb and Scranton, PA, Sunday at 10 a.m. (EST) and on KPFT’s HD-3 Channel in Houston, Wednesday at 3 p.m. (CST). The podcast of this show can be found at the Internet Archive.

[Radical Jesus: A Graphic History of Faith. Paul Buhle, Editor; Sabrina Jones, Gary Dumm, Nick Thorkelson, Artists (2013: Herald Press); Paperback; 128 pp; $24.99.]

Paul Buhle is one of the most prolific and insightful critics from the American left. While his topics at first glance appear incredibly eclectic, closer reading uncovers a sharp focus that thoughtfully challenges class disparity, racism, and imperialism in the United States and throughout the world.
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Posted in RagBlog | Tagged Alan Wieder, Biblical History, Books, Comics, Graphic History, Graphic Novels, Jesus Christ, Liberation Theology, Paul Buhle, Radical Gospel, Radical Jesus, Rag Bloggers, Religion, Social Justice | Leave a comment

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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.]
Continue reading →

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

Unsolicited advice, Dept.: A Narvaiz strategy to defeat Doggett

Narvaiz is a political chameleon who says what she needs to say and does what she needs to do to protect herself from political accountability.

Keystone XL fork in the road: TransCanada’s Houston Lateral Pipeline

Houston’s LyondellBasell refinery is retooling itself for the looming feast of tar sands crude and fracked oil bounty that awaits the Houston Lateral’s completion.

Rag Radio podcasts: Thorne Dreyer interviews Rev. Bob Breihan, Sam Daley-Harris, Doyle Niemann & Mariann Wizard, Susan D. Carle, and Slaid Cleaves

Our November guests were a Methodist minister and longtime social activist, a noted citizens’ advocate, two staffers from the original Rag, the author of a book about the ‘movement that started the civil rights movement,’ and an acclaimed singer-songwriter.

Paul Buhle’s ‘Radical Jesus’: Comic artists explore the history and social message of Jesus Christ

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

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

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.

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.

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Unsolicited advice, Dept.:
A Narvaiz strategy to defeat Doggett

Keystone XL fork in the road:
TransCanada’s Houston Lateral Pipeline

Rag Radio podcasts:
Thorne Dreyer interviews Rev. Bob Breihan,
Sam Daley-Harris, Doyle Niemann & Mariann
Wizard, Susan D. Carle, and Slaid Cleaves

Paul Buhle’s ‘Radical Jesus’:
Comic artists explore the history
and social message of Jesus Christ

The spiritual issue:
Israel, Hillel, and idolatry

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

Io Saturnalia!
Winter Solstice 2013

Discretion, valor,
and the ‘good liberal’

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

Wait a minute people:
Sports do have meaning

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

A people’s history:
The movement to democratize Egypt