Thorne Webb Dreyer, Editor
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Tag Archives: American Society
LAMAR HANKINS / COMMENTARY / The death and life of Charlie Kirk
Charlie Kirk. Creative Commons image. By Lamar Hankins / The Rag Blog / September 21, 2025 It should be axiomatic to any freedom-loving person that no one should be harmed for their beliefs, views, or opinions. Yet our country, the … Continue reading
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POLITICAL OPINION | Blowback: The forever wars are
coming home
I see a desire for violence as catharsis in many protesters on the Left and Right today. By Mike Giglio | The Rag Blog | Sept. 16, 2021 This article was first published by The Intercept on September 9, 2021, … Continue reading
Posted in RagBlog
Tagged American Society, Mike Giglio, Norman Mailer, Political Opinion, Political Violence, The Intercept, Thorne Dreyer
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VERSE | TRUE HOMELAND
TRUE HOMELAND Why is this sweet world we live in so torn between chaos and Zen with extremes at either end like enemies and lifelong friends starvation and stock dividends a young child’s death yet love transcends are we really … Continue reading
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Tagged American Society, Donald Trump, Larry Piltz, Poetry, Rag Bloggers, Verse
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RAG RADIO PODCAST | An exclusive interview with U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders
‘This country is moving very fast toward an oligarchic form of society where a small number of people have incredible wealth and incredible economic power.’ Interview by Thorne Dreyer | The Rag Blog | April 21, 2015 UPDATE: On Thursday, … Continue reading
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Who is Eric Fair and what did he do?
With all our folk tales about our innate goodness and freedom-loving ways, the Real America has always tortured when it wished to do so. By Murray Polner | The Rag Blog | February 2, 2015 Before we Americans become bored … Continue reading
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Tagged Abu Ghraib, American History, American Society, CIA, Enhanced Interrogation, Eric Fair, Murray Polner, Rag Bloggers, Torture
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Contradictions in this political moment
It’s unclear what the contradiction between reaction and resistance will bring in the months ahead. By Harry Targ | The Rag Blog | December 7, 2014 On contradictions Political philosophers influenced by the writings of Marx and Engels emphasize … Continue reading
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On democracy: ‘Can we talk?’
The United States’ political system, we are told repeatedly, is the gold standard for the world. By Harry Targ | The Rag Blog | October 21, 2014 Through her decades of entertaining on stage and screen, [Joan] Rivers developed numerous … Continue reading
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Tagged American Society, Campaign Finance, Democracy, Electoral politics, Harry Targ, Rag Bloggers, Voter Suppression
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America: You’ve got three more years to drive normally!, Part 2
The estimate of three years of easily affordable driving depends primarily on how long the current fracking boom, which is holding down the global oil price, can be sustained. By Roger Baker | The Rag Blog | October 1, 2014 … Continue reading
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Ferguson: Living through the replay
We seem repeatedly surprised by the anger generated by educational inequity, vanished jobs, income disparities, lost affordable housing, and racial and ethnic profiling. By Mercedes Lynn de Uriarte | The Rag Blog | August 26, 2014 Like many other Americans, … Continue reading
Posted in RagBlog
Tagged 1967 Race Riots, American History, American Society, Cultural Stereotypes, Ethnic Studies, Ferguson, Kerner Commision, Mainstream Media, Mercedes Lynn de Uriarte, New America Media, Racial Profiling, Rag Bloggers, Sixties, Texas Board of Education, UT School of Journalism
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The forms of violence and the meanings
of Ferguson
From police violence to economic despair, to lack of political representation, to cultural rationales for state violence, the basic characteristics of American society are uncovered. By Harry Targ | The Rag Blog | August 21, 2014 In addressing violence, researchers, … Continue reading
Posted in RagBlog
Tagged American Society, Ferguson, Harry Targ, Michael Brown, Police Violence, Poverty, Racism, Rag Bloggers, Violence
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SPECIAL REPORT | The Drug War: ‘Against the Wind,’ Part 1
Marijuana prohibition is a house of straw. During the past month, the winds of change have started to rip that house apart and now the DEA may be reevaluating cannabis’ status as a ‘dangerous drug.’ By Mariann G. Wizard | … Continue reading
MICHAEL MEEROPOL / COMMENTARY / Sleeping Giant: Thoughts on the results of the November 4 elections
Image from Pix4Free.org. By Michael Meeropol / The Rag Blog / November 18, 2025 The following is an expanded version of a commentary delivered over WAMC-FM on November 7, 2025, by Michael Meeropol, Professor Emeritus of Economics at Western New … Continue reading →