Tag Archives: American Society

James Retherford : Sweeping Away the Snow

Art by Mark Fiore. See link to animation below.Citizens of the earth:Best wishes in bad times By James Retherford / The Rag Blog / December 29, 2009 Pardon me if I use this greeting to sweep away the usual seasonal … Continue reading

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Dark Ages Redux : Trickle Down Feudalism

Doge Enrico Dandolo preaching the Crusade. Gustave Doré (1832-1883) / Wikimedia Commons.The reincarnation of the Dark Ages:White evangelicals are the new Crusaders In place of mote-defended castles surrounded by thatched-roof shanties will be ‘gated communities’ (sporting high-tech surveillance to keep … Continue reading

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James Howard Kunstler : A Blue Christmas with Avatar and Tiger

Blue Christmas What is most amazing about Mr. Cameron’s holiday blockbuster is the explicit message that America is a society that deserves to be punished (and humiliated!) by others who manage their own relations with reality better than we do. … Continue reading

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Health Care : Senate Clowns Come Up With a Deal

Same old song. Harry Reid’s committee comes up with a health care deal. Image from Liberal Street Fighter.Health care and the Senate:The circus comes to town By Dr. Stephen R. Keister / The Rag Blog / December 10, 2009 Mark … Continue reading

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John Ross : Days of Dementia in Obamalandia

The Zhu Zhu virtual hamster: Dementia in Obamalandia. Photo by Rex Larsen / The Grand Rapids Press.On the loose in Obamalandia:Days of Dementia (‘Is the war over yet?’) Yes, Baracko, the economy is booming again for Chinese-made mechanical hamsters but … Continue reading

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Harry Targ : Legitimacy Crisis and the Vietnam Syndrome

Public suspicion of government on the rise:The return of the Vietnam Syndrome By Harry Targ / The Rag Blog / November 3, 2009 I teach a course on United States foreign policy. I was just finishing up a discussion of … Continue reading

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James Howard Kunstler : Our Gods are not Happy

Rough beast, preparing to slouch. Art by Alex “Rhino” Voroshev.Thinking the unthinkable:Cornpone Hitlers and the agony of ordinary people By James Howard Kunstler / November 3, 2009 A side-trip to the local mall — where else to buy ammo around … Continue reading

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Jonah Raskin : Fear and Loathing without Hunter S. Thompson

Gonzo man: Hunter S. Thompson. Illustration by Ralph Steadman / The Badger.Where is Hunter S. ThompsonNow that we need him? At times he could he cynical and depressed, but he also had clarity of vision and a commitment to tell … Continue reading

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Photographer Roy DeCarava : ‘The Sound I Saw’

Photographer Roy DeCarava. Photo by triggahappy76 / Flickr.Roy DeCarava : 1919-2009 Photographer Roy DeCarava, who died Oct. 27 at age 89, dedicated his 60-year career to capturing images of African Americans. His subjects ranged from daily life in his hometown … Continue reading

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Barbara J. Berg : Getting Real about Women’s Progress

Women at work: White Oak Mill in Greensboro, NC. 1909. Photo courtesy of the National Museum of American History.‘A Women’s Nation Changes Everything’The (feel-good) Shriver Report …instead of celebrating how far women have come, we should be asking why, after … Continue reading

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Health Care Reform and the ‘Independent Voter’

In the health care debate:‘Independent’ usually means ‘misinformed’ By Dr. Stephen R. Keister / The Rag Blog / October 16, 2009 As witness not of our intentions but of our conduct, we can be true or false, and the hypocrite’s … Continue reading

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U.S. Schools : Segregation Worse Today Than in the 1950’s

“The Problem We All Live With” by Norman Rockwell. Photo courtesy of the Detroit Institute of Arts.U.S. schools are more segregated today than in the 1950s In California and Texas segregation is spreading into large sections of suburbia as well. … Continue reading

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