Click on the headline to link to the latest from the "Belly Of The Beast"- The Fort Hood "Under The Hood" Website.
Markin comment:
When soldiers turn against the war, haltingly at first, half-fearfully at first, half-shamefacedly at first, then you know when you reach enough of them the war's days are numbered. Our problem right now is to get that "enough of them". But when we do... watch out!
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
*The Latest From The "Black Agenda Report" Website- Black Is Back,I Hope
Click on the headline to link to the latest from the "Black Agenda Report" Website.
Markin comment:
The headline says it all on this one-Black Is Back, I Hope.
Markin comment:
The headline says it all on this one-Black Is Back, I Hope.
*On Coming Of Political Age In The 1960s - A Personal View
Click on the headline to link to a "Wikipedia" entry for the 1968 Democratic Party nominating convention in Chicago, a seminal event in increasing the leftist political consciousness for many in that generation, including this writer.
Over the past several years I have spent some time, sometimes an inordinate amount of time, thinking through and writing about the course of my political evolution. Hardly a unique pursuit among professional politicians or wannabes of all stripes, except that in America that political evolution is somewhat freakish, if not bizarre. In the land of hard, bitter-hard, at times irrationally and over the top hard, anti-communism, of a frosty post- World War II Cold War that had many believing, including those in my own household, that next week the bomb, some bomb, was coming, FOB, and that there would be no tomorrow or worst yet believing it was better to be “dead that red” my trajectory, circuitous as it was, was leading toward a life time devotion to the ideals of that self-same hated communism. I have filled up many a post with one or another detail of that experience. I have been asked to write it up in some kind of memoir form so the kids now and in the future will know what it was all about, and have rejected the idea. Nevertheless, I have not regrets, no regrets at all, about my choice. Except that we should have won, and we still need to. Let me tell you some more of my story, at least the story of my political coming of age.
How does one really know, except by reflection and certain introspection long, long after the event, when one comes of political age? If anybody really cares about asking such a question. But after a life time of political activity I have a gut instinct that more people than you might think have both thought about the question and have come to a decision about it. And frankly, many have made the decision to avoid politics at all costs and to not touch it with that proverbial ten-foot pole. Alas, that was not my fate. I was the guy pulling to get his greedy little hands on the pole.
There are little signposts along the way, some meaningful some not, like my over-weaning interest in political news in 1956 when I was excited by the Adlai Stevenson for President campaign and was crestfallen when he lost. That, however, was a mere episodic thing, and in fact I was more than happy to be selected by my teacher to write, in magic marker “Eisenhower Wins” on the daily bulletin that we kept up with in the hall next to our elementary school classroom. Hell, maybe I was just sucking up to the teacher, who I may, or may not, have had a crush on. Or maybe wondering what it was that Julius and Ethel Rosenberg did that was so bad. Or why Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy was saying that there were “reds under every bed” in the Army. But this was all just passing noise to a growing boy’s real interest- how to get girls to like you. I swear half the political things I was interested in really came out of an attempt to appear sophisticated to the neighborhood girls. Why else would a young boy pore over a punishment paper for some infraction on democracy and what it means and insist, no demand, that he read it in front of the class. But again this is not really anything but a scatter-shot build-up to coming of age, politically.
Let's, maybe, take it from a difference perspective and see if it makes more sense. Having grown up in a dirt- poor working class family and living in those early days of the post- World War II “American Century” which promised unheard of prosperity after the trials and tribulations of the 1930s Great Depression and the World War II fight certainly made a deep impression on me. Living in an almost exclusively working poor/lumpen environment with all of its adverse pathologies, however, also can give one a much distorted world view. As I pointed out in a commentary last year it was a very long time before I knew that there was anything other than being poor, although I sensed it on the few occasions that I came up against middle class and rich kids. So early on I knew that there was an us, and them. And I definitely was with us-whatever that meant. But does that lead to political consciousness much less class consciousness? Given our few numbers today among those of my generation I think not. That is as much a prescription for lumpen criminal activity against the nearest and most vulnerable targets as of a desire to serve humankind.
So that is predicate-but how does that take us from what, in most cases, is a turning inward away from society rather than defiantly fighting the "monsters". That, my friends is not a simple story and do not believe those who give too quick an answer to how they developed their world views. It is a mix of impressions, understandings, misunderstandings and turning points. Hell, some of it is just happenstance, or at least it seems that way. How explain that in the heart of the Joe McCarthy-led “red scare” that I did not hate communists. I definitely did not, like others I knew, want to turn anyone I suspected of such views in to the government. In fact a quick run through of my political trajectory that I have made people laugh over is that when told that someone was a communist (meaning American Communist Party supporter) I said, in my best “family of the left” voice- "so what, that is one more for our side." When I finally did move left and was actively searching for those same communists to unite with I could only find them deep inside the Democratic Party. And when I seriously took up a Marxist worldview I dreaded running into them.
But enough of that. What do you make of this- In 1960 I distinctly remembered rooting for the Soviet Union to win more gold medals than the United States at the 1960 Rome Olympics. Or, being in a frenzy to get a copy of the “Communist Manifesto”, although for fairly long time as a political opponent of that world view. (Which I got by sending away to the Government Printing Office. The reason they offered it was that it was part of the ‘evidence’ from the famous 1960 San Francisco sessions of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) that were also were demonstrated against as one of the first acts of the 1960s rebellion in the North or West.) Or being non-plussed when a high school history teacher called me a “Bolshevik” (I really wasn’t… then) for some minor disobedience. Those are all well and good examples but let’s leave it at this. All of this was the stuff that made up, helter-skelter, the development of my political class consciousness. I like to think that all of it was natural for a working class kid. Hey, a theory that says labor must rule should be like moth to a flame for such a kid. I have never regretted sticking with my class. And I never have regretted my “softness” for the Russian Bolshevik Revolution. And to 'prove' it let me finish strong- Forward to new Octobers
Over the past several years I have spent some time, sometimes an inordinate amount of time, thinking through and writing about the course of my political evolution. Hardly a unique pursuit among professional politicians or wannabes of all stripes, except that in America that political evolution is somewhat freakish, if not bizarre. In the land of hard, bitter-hard, at times irrationally and over the top hard, anti-communism, of a frosty post- World War II Cold War that had many believing, including those in my own household, that next week the bomb, some bomb, was coming, FOB, and that there would be no tomorrow or worst yet believing it was better to be “dead that red” my trajectory, circuitous as it was, was leading toward a life time devotion to the ideals of that self-same hated communism. I have filled up many a post with one or another detail of that experience. I have been asked to write it up in some kind of memoir form so the kids now and in the future will know what it was all about, and have rejected the idea. Nevertheless, I have not regrets, no regrets at all, about my choice. Except that we should have won, and we still need to. Let me tell you some more of my story, at least the story of my political coming of age.
How does one really know, except by reflection and certain introspection long, long after the event, when one comes of political age? If anybody really cares about asking such a question. But after a life time of political activity I have a gut instinct that more people than you might think have both thought about the question and have come to a decision about it. And frankly, many have made the decision to avoid politics at all costs and to not touch it with that proverbial ten-foot pole. Alas, that was not my fate. I was the guy pulling to get his greedy little hands on the pole.
There are little signposts along the way, some meaningful some not, like my over-weaning interest in political news in 1956 when I was excited by the Adlai Stevenson for President campaign and was crestfallen when he lost. That, however, was a mere episodic thing, and in fact I was more than happy to be selected by my teacher to write, in magic marker “Eisenhower Wins” on the daily bulletin that we kept up with in the hall next to our elementary school classroom. Hell, maybe I was just sucking up to the teacher, who I may, or may not, have had a crush on. Or maybe wondering what it was that Julius and Ethel Rosenberg did that was so bad. Or why Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy was saying that there were “reds under every bed” in the Army. But this was all just passing noise to a growing boy’s real interest- how to get girls to like you. I swear half the political things I was interested in really came out of an attempt to appear sophisticated to the neighborhood girls. Why else would a young boy pore over a punishment paper for some infraction on democracy and what it means and insist, no demand, that he read it in front of the class. But again this is not really anything but a scatter-shot build-up to coming of age, politically.
Let's, maybe, take it from a difference perspective and see if it makes more sense. Having grown up in a dirt- poor working class family and living in those early days of the post- World War II “American Century” which promised unheard of prosperity after the trials and tribulations of the 1930s Great Depression and the World War II fight certainly made a deep impression on me. Living in an almost exclusively working poor/lumpen environment with all of its adverse pathologies, however, also can give one a much distorted world view. As I pointed out in a commentary last year it was a very long time before I knew that there was anything other than being poor, although I sensed it on the few occasions that I came up against middle class and rich kids. So early on I knew that there was an us, and them. And I definitely was with us-whatever that meant. But does that lead to political consciousness much less class consciousness? Given our few numbers today among those of my generation I think not. That is as much a prescription for lumpen criminal activity against the nearest and most vulnerable targets as of a desire to serve humankind.
So that is predicate-but how does that take us from what, in most cases, is a turning inward away from society rather than defiantly fighting the "monsters". That, my friends is not a simple story and do not believe those who give too quick an answer to how they developed their world views. It is a mix of impressions, understandings, misunderstandings and turning points. Hell, some of it is just happenstance, or at least it seems that way. How explain that in the heart of the Joe McCarthy-led “red scare” that I did not hate communists. I definitely did not, like others I knew, want to turn anyone I suspected of such views in to the government. In fact a quick run through of my political trajectory that I have made people laugh over is that when told that someone was a communist (meaning American Communist Party supporter) I said, in my best “family of the left” voice- "so what, that is one more for our side." When I finally did move left and was actively searching for those same communists to unite with I could only find them deep inside the Democratic Party. And when I seriously took up a Marxist worldview I dreaded running into them.
But enough of that. What do you make of this- In 1960 I distinctly remembered rooting for the Soviet Union to win more gold medals than the United States at the 1960 Rome Olympics. Or, being in a frenzy to get a copy of the “Communist Manifesto”, although for fairly long time as a political opponent of that world view. (Which I got by sending away to the Government Printing Office. The reason they offered it was that it was part of the ‘evidence’ from the famous 1960 San Francisco sessions of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) that were also were demonstrated against as one of the first acts of the 1960s rebellion in the North or West.) Or being non-plussed when a high school history teacher called me a “Bolshevik” (I really wasn’t… then) for some minor disobedience. Those are all well and good examples but let’s leave it at this. All of this was the stuff that made up, helter-skelter, the development of my political class consciousness. I like to think that all of it was natural for a working class kid. Hey, a theory that says labor must rule should be like moth to a flame for such a kid. I have never regretted sticking with my class. And I never have regretted my “softness” for the Russian Bolshevik Revolution. And to 'prove' it let me finish strong- Forward to new Octobers
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
*The Latest From BAAM-The April 2010 Edition Of The Boston Anti-Authoritarian Movement Newsletter #32
Click on the headline to link to the latest BAAM Newsletter.
Markin comment:
As always, I disclaim any political kinship with this newsletter. However, I have many times found interesting articles there. This issue has a good article on the struggle in Greece. And, in any case, it is always good to see what the younger anarchist militants are up to.
Markin comment:
As always, I disclaim any political kinship with this newsletter. However, I have many times found interesting articles there. This issue has a good article on the struggle in Greece. And, in any case, it is always good to see what the younger anarchist militants are up to.
*The Latest From The "Veterans And Service Members Against The War" Website
Click on the headline to link to the latest from the "Veterans And Service Members Against The War" Website.
Markin comment:
When soldiers turn against the war, haltingly at first, half-fearfully at first, half-shamefacedly at first, then you know when you reach enough of them the war's days are numbered. Our problem right now is to get that "enough of them". But when we do... watch out!
Markin comment:
When soldiers turn against the war, haltingly at first, half-fearfully at first, half-shamefacedly at first, then you know when you reach enough of them the war's days are numbered. Our problem right now is to get that "enough of them". But when we do... watch out!
*The Latest From The "Daily Kos" Website- Know Thy Enemy
Click on the title to link to the "Daily Kos" home page. This site is valuable, mainly, to get the polls and other technical information that major American bourgeois party politics thrives on.
Markin comment:
This site is for bourgeois techno-politicos. At one time I would have stayed up all night to read this stuff. Fortunately, serious politics by Marx, Lenin and Trotsky saved my young hide. Still, "know thy enemy" (and what he or she is up to) is a good political policy, no matter the times.
Markin comment:
This site is for bourgeois techno-politicos. At one time I would have stayed up all night to read this stuff. Fortunately, serious politics by Marx, Lenin and Trotsky saved my young hide. Still, "know thy enemy" (and what he or she is up to) is a good political policy, no matter the times.
*Books To While Away The Class Struggle By-James T. Farrell’s “Studs Lonigan”- When A Man’s Grasp Does Not Exceed His Reach
Click on the headline to link to a "Wikipedia" entry for Irish- American writer, James T. Farrell.
Recently I have begun to post entries under the headline- “Songs To While Away The Class Struggle By” and "Films To While Away The Class Struggle By"-that will include progressive and labor-oriented songs and films that might be of general interest to the radical public. I have decided to do the same for some books that may perk that same interest under the title in this entry’s headline. Markin
Book Review
Judgment Day, James T. Farrell, Random House, New York, 1935
Over the past several years, as part of re-evaluating the effect of my half-Irish diaspora heritage (on my mother’s side) on the development of my leftist political consciousness I have read, and in some cases re-read, some of the major works of the Irish American experience. Of course, any such reading list includes tales from the pen of William Kennedy and his Albany sagas, most famously “Ironweed”. And, naturally, as well the tales of that displaced Irishman, the recently departed Frank McCourt and his “Angela’s Ashes”, a story that is so close to the bone of my own “shanty” Irish diaspora upbringing that we are forever kindred spirits. That said, here to my mind is the “max daddy” of all the American disapora storytellers, James T. Farrell, and his now rightly famous trilogy, “Studs Lonigan” (hereafter, “Studs”).
And in his storytelling of his people, the Chicago Irish, Farrell does not let us down. “Studs” is only marginally concerned with political issues, and then only of the bourgeois kind rampant amount the Irish in the early part of the 20th century when they were taking over local politics in a number of cities from their WASP guardians. However, he has hit so many “hot buttons” about “lace curtain” Irish sensibilities and the struggle against “shanty” Irishness that he, Kennedy, and McCourt could have easily compared notes for their respective works.
In the old suburban Boston Irish neighborhood where I grew up there were four basic male figures who dominated the local life: stage Irish in popular culture, if you will, but present nevertheless-the beat cop, the local gangster, the on-the-make politician, and the parish priest. We kids, at least, treated them all the same and with a certain cynicism, maybe a less so for the priest, depending on your age and the gravity of the sins that you carried around. Beyond those figures were the rest of us, trying to get by the day as best we could. Studs Lonigan is one of us, although, perhaps a little more full of himself than we were.
As we come to this third book of the trilogy with the advent of “Studs'” maturity, complete with the pressing adult problems with which we are all familiar; job security, money, women, marriage, and so on. With his demise, after what seems to have been a too short life one can say with certainty that he was a classic underachiever, except perhaps, in his day dreams. This type we too know from the old neighborhood, a little too closely for comfort at times. The old neighborhood was always filled with half-wise, “street smart” guys who spend more time dreaming of the "angles" than doing. However, it took James T. Farrell to fill in the blanks of that kind of life for his generation, and for ours as well. That is what makes these three books, an over one thousand page march, great literature.
Recently I have begun to post entries under the headline- “Songs To While Away The Class Struggle By” and "Films To While Away The Class Struggle By"-that will include progressive and labor-oriented songs and films that might be of general interest to the radical public. I have decided to do the same for some books that may perk that same interest under the title in this entry’s headline. Markin
Book Review
Judgment Day, James T. Farrell, Random House, New York, 1935
Over the past several years, as part of re-evaluating the effect of my half-Irish diaspora heritage (on my mother’s side) on the development of my leftist political consciousness I have read, and in some cases re-read, some of the major works of the Irish American experience. Of course, any such reading list includes tales from the pen of William Kennedy and his Albany sagas, most famously “Ironweed”. And, naturally, as well the tales of that displaced Irishman, the recently departed Frank McCourt and his “Angela’s Ashes”, a story that is so close to the bone of my own “shanty” Irish diaspora upbringing that we are forever kindred spirits. That said, here to my mind is the “max daddy” of all the American disapora storytellers, James T. Farrell, and his now rightly famous trilogy, “Studs Lonigan” (hereafter, “Studs”).
And in his storytelling of his people, the Chicago Irish, Farrell does not let us down. “Studs” is only marginally concerned with political issues, and then only of the bourgeois kind rampant amount the Irish in the early part of the 20th century when they were taking over local politics in a number of cities from their WASP guardians. However, he has hit so many “hot buttons” about “lace curtain” Irish sensibilities and the struggle against “shanty” Irishness that he, Kennedy, and McCourt could have easily compared notes for their respective works.
In the old suburban Boston Irish neighborhood where I grew up there were four basic male figures who dominated the local life: stage Irish in popular culture, if you will, but present nevertheless-the beat cop, the local gangster, the on-the-make politician, and the parish priest. We kids, at least, treated them all the same and with a certain cynicism, maybe a less so for the priest, depending on your age and the gravity of the sins that you carried around. Beyond those figures were the rest of us, trying to get by the day as best we could. Studs Lonigan is one of us, although, perhaps a little more full of himself than we were.
As we come to this third book of the trilogy with the advent of “Studs'” maturity, complete with the pressing adult problems with which we are all familiar; job security, money, women, marriage, and so on. With his demise, after what seems to have been a too short life one can say with certainty that he was a classic underachiever, except perhaps, in his day dreams. This type we too know from the old neighborhood, a little too closely for comfort at times. The old neighborhood was always filled with half-wise, “street smart” guys who spend more time dreaming of the "angles" than doing. However, it took James T. Farrell to fill in the blanks of that kind of life for his generation, and for ours as well. That is what makes these three books, an over one thousand page march, great literature.
Monday, April 05, 2010
*Books To While Away The Class Struggle By-James T. Farrell’s “Studs Lonigan”-Ain’t Got Not Time For The Corner Boys
Click on the headline to link to the "Literary Encyclopedia" entry for Irish-the American writer, James T.Farrell.
Recently I have begun to post entries under the headline- “Songs To While Away The Class Struggle By” and "Films To While Away The Class Struggle By"-that will include progressive and labor-oriented songs and films that might be of general interest to the radical public. I have decided to do the same for some books that may perk that same interest under the title in this entry’s headline. Markin
Book Review
The Young Manhood of Studs Lonigan, James T. Farrell, Random House, New York, 1934
Over the past several years, as part of re-evaluating the effect of my half-Irish diaspora heritage (on my mother's side) on the development of my leftist political consciousness I have read, and in some cases re-read, some of the major works of the Irish American experience. Of course, any such reading list includes tales from the pen of William Kennedy and his Albany sagas, most famously "Ironweed". And, naturally, as well the tales of that displaced Irishman, the recently departed Frank McCourt and his "Angela's Ashes", a story that is so close to the bone of my own "shanty" Irish diaspora upbringing that we are forever kindred spirits. That said, here to my mind is the "max daddy" of all the American disapora storytellers, James T. Farrell, and his now rightly famous trilogy, "Studs Lonigan" (hereafter, "Studs").
And in his storytelling of his people, the Chicago Irish, Farrell does not let us down. "Studs" is only marginally concerned with political issues, and then only of the bourgeois kind rampant amount the Irish in the early part of the 20th century when they were taking over local politics in a number of cities from their WASP guardians. However, he has hit so many "hot buttons" about "lace curtain" Irish sensibilities and the struggle against "shanty" Irishness that he, Kennedy, and McCourt could have easily compared notes for their respective works.
The story line for this second book of the trilogy is reflected in the headline to this entry, at least ironically. In the first book we leave our daydreaming, wise guy- affecting, just-hanging out with the guys "Studs" in his late teen years in the 1920s, a time when he is trying to figure out life's short-cut angles but, mainly, has, in fact, plenty of time for the corner boys. He works a little for old man Lonigan as a painter but, for the most part, he hangs around pool halls, speakeasies, and cat houses. Oh Studs dreams alright, or rather day dreams about being a great athlete, a war hero, a ladies' man, and the like but does not take step one to do anything about it. By the end of this second book it is clear that the struggle between his gentile "lace curtain" home life and his "shanty" ways that surfaced in the first book ("Young Lonigan") has tilted decisively toward the latter. "Studs" has, moreover, settled in as primarily a man of the neighborhood, the Irish neighborhood as it shifts in place in Southside Chicago with the migration of blacks, the hated 'n----rs', that appear as the main enemy to the narrow world view of the inhabitants of the Irish diaspora way of life then, and now. We'll pick up the story in the third book and see which ethos, in the end, wins the battle.
Note: Toward the end of the second book "Studs" and his cohorts attend a Catholic Church-sponsored mission. For those who have been through that process I need give no explanation but for those who have not this mission idea is to give one an extra chance to gain grace by attending meetings, ceremonies and the like over several days, usually conducted by an itinerant priest. Here the character is named Father Shannon and Farrell goes into great detail about the subject matter of his sermon at one night's session. That sermon exemplifies everything that the Roman Catholic Church stood for, and mainly still stands for: anti-abortion, anti-premarital sex; anti-marrying outside the religion; anti-raising the children outside of the religion; the necessity of avoiding about seven hundred sins, large and small; also alcohol, pool halls, rough talk, etc. Just about everything that "Studs" stands for in his young life. My point in making this note, however, is this: this sermon could have been delivered, and maybe was delivered, by some itinerant priest when I was young and went to such missions in the 1950s. Hey, they must go to school for that, right? If you can stand it, that sermon section alone is reason enough to read this book.
Recently I have begun to post entries under the headline- “Songs To While Away The Class Struggle By” and "Films To While Away The Class Struggle By"-that will include progressive and labor-oriented songs and films that might be of general interest to the radical public. I have decided to do the same for some books that may perk that same interest under the title in this entry’s headline. Markin
Book Review
The Young Manhood of Studs Lonigan, James T. Farrell, Random House, New York, 1934
Over the past several years, as part of re-evaluating the effect of my half-Irish diaspora heritage (on my mother's side) on the development of my leftist political consciousness I have read, and in some cases re-read, some of the major works of the Irish American experience. Of course, any such reading list includes tales from the pen of William Kennedy and his Albany sagas, most famously "Ironweed". And, naturally, as well the tales of that displaced Irishman, the recently departed Frank McCourt and his "Angela's Ashes", a story that is so close to the bone of my own "shanty" Irish diaspora upbringing that we are forever kindred spirits. That said, here to my mind is the "max daddy" of all the American disapora storytellers, James T. Farrell, and his now rightly famous trilogy, "Studs Lonigan" (hereafter, "Studs").
And in his storytelling of his people, the Chicago Irish, Farrell does not let us down. "Studs" is only marginally concerned with political issues, and then only of the bourgeois kind rampant amount the Irish in the early part of the 20th century when they were taking over local politics in a number of cities from their WASP guardians. However, he has hit so many "hot buttons" about "lace curtain" Irish sensibilities and the struggle against "shanty" Irishness that he, Kennedy, and McCourt could have easily compared notes for their respective works.
The story line for this second book of the trilogy is reflected in the headline to this entry, at least ironically. In the first book we leave our daydreaming, wise guy- affecting, just-hanging out with the guys "Studs" in his late teen years in the 1920s, a time when he is trying to figure out life's short-cut angles but, mainly, has, in fact, plenty of time for the corner boys. He works a little for old man Lonigan as a painter but, for the most part, he hangs around pool halls, speakeasies, and cat houses. Oh Studs dreams alright, or rather day dreams about being a great athlete, a war hero, a ladies' man, and the like but does not take step one to do anything about it. By the end of this second book it is clear that the struggle between his gentile "lace curtain" home life and his "shanty" ways that surfaced in the first book ("Young Lonigan") has tilted decisively toward the latter. "Studs" has, moreover, settled in as primarily a man of the neighborhood, the Irish neighborhood as it shifts in place in Southside Chicago with the migration of blacks, the hated 'n----rs', that appear as the main enemy to the narrow world view of the inhabitants of the Irish diaspora way of life then, and now. We'll pick up the story in the third book and see which ethos, in the end, wins the battle.
Note: Toward the end of the second book "Studs" and his cohorts attend a Catholic Church-sponsored mission. For those who have been through that process I need give no explanation but for those who have not this mission idea is to give one an extra chance to gain grace by attending meetings, ceremonies and the like over several days, usually conducted by an itinerant priest. Here the character is named Father Shannon and Farrell goes into great detail about the subject matter of his sermon at one night's session. That sermon exemplifies everything that the Roman Catholic Church stood for, and mainly still stands for: anti-abortion, anti-premarital sex; anti-marrying outside the religion; anti-raising the children outside of the religion; the necessity of avoiding about seven hundred sins, large and small; also alcohol, pool halls, rough talk, etc. Just about everything that "Studs" stands for in his young life. My point in making this note, however, is this: this sermon could have been delivered, and maybe was delivered, by some itinerant priest when I was young and went to such missions in the 1950s. Hey, they must go to school for that, right? If you can stand it, that sermon section alone is reason enough to read this book.
*The Latest From The "Iraq Veterans Against The War" Website
Click on the headline to link to the "Iraq Veterans Against The War" Website.
Markin comment:
When soldiers turn against a war, haltingly at first, half-fearfully at first, half-shamefacedly at first, then you know when you reach enough of them that that war's days are numbered. Our problem right now is to get that "enough of them" in both Iraq and Afghanistan. But when we do... watch out!
Markin comment:
When soldiers turn against a war, haltingly at first, half-fearfully at first, half-shamefacedly at first, then you know when you reach enough of them that that war's days are numbered. Our problem right now is to get that "enough of them" in both Iraq and Afghanistan. But when we do... watch out!
Sunday, April 04, 2010
*The Latest From The "Progressive Democrats Of America" Website
Click on the headline to link to the "Progressive Democrats Of America" Website.
Markin comment:
This internal "left" grouping within one of the two main imperial governing parties is a "bell weather" these days on the Obama presidency. Right now this recently passed, totally inadequate and, frankly, ugly heath care legislation has them back on the Obama team. The little "dust up " over the imperial war budget and Obama troop escalation in Afghanistan which had them screaming in the night a while back are on hold. Compare this slogan though to what passes for "progressive" health care legislation just enacted- Free, quality health care for all! Socialism, yes. Necessary, yes. Case closed.
Markin comment:
This internal "left" grouping within one of the two main imperial governing parties is a "bell weather" these days on the Obama presidency. Right now this recently passed, totally inadequate and, frankly, ugly heath care legislation has them back on the Obama team. The little "dust up " over the imperial war budget and Obama troop escalation in Afghanistan which had them screaming in the night a while back are on hold. Compare this slogan though to what passes for "progressive" health care legislation just enacted- Free, quality health care for all! Socialism, yes. Necessary, yes. Case closed.
*Books To While Away The Class Struggle By-James T. Farrell’s “Studs Lonigan”-William Kennedy, Your Father Is Calling You
Click on the headline to link to a "Wikipedia" entry for the Irish-American writer, James T. Farrell.
Recently I have begun to post entries under the headline- “Songs To While Away The Class Struggle By” and "Films To While Away The Class Struggle By"-that will include progressive and labor-oriented songs and films that might be of general interest to the radical public. I have decided to do the same for some books that may perk that same interest under the title in this entry’s headline. Markin
Book Review
Young Lonigan, James T. Farrell, Random House, New York, 1932
Over the past several years, as part of re-evaluating the effect of my half-Irish diaspora heritage (on my mother’s side) on the development of my leftist political consciousness I have read, and in some cases re-read, some of the major works of the Irish-American experience. Of course, any such reading list includes tales from the pen of William Kennedy and his Albany cycle, most famously “Ironweed”. And, naturally, as well, the tales of that displaced Irishman, the recently departed Frank McCourt and his “Angela’s Ashes”, a story that is so close to the bone of my own “shanty” Irish diaspora upbringing that we are forever kindred spirits. That said, here to my mind is the “ max daddy” of all the American disapora storytellers, James T. Farrell, and his now rightly famous trilogy, “Studs Lonigan” (hereafter, “Studs”).
Now my first kinship with James T. Farrell is not through literature, but rather through politics. For a period, and an important one at that, Farrell was a stalwart pro-communist, anti-Stalinist militant writer who served with distinction and honor on the John Dewey headed- Leon Trotsky Commission that tried to determine whether Trotsky was, or was not guilty, of serious crimes against his beloved Soviet Union during the height of Stalin’s Moscow Trials in the late 1930s. Farrell rendered further important services to the left-wing when he helped organize the defense of the leaders of the Socialist Workers Party during the beginning of World War II when the Roosevelt government had them jailed for opposition to that war. Thus, Farrell came with some good political credential in the eyes of this reviewer.
And in his storytelling of his people, the Chicago Irish, Farrell does not let us down either. “Studs” is only marginally concerned with political issues, and then only of the bourgeois kind rampant amount the Irish in the early part of the 20th century when they were taking over local politics in a number of cities from their former WASP guardians. However, he has hit so many “hot buttons” about “lace curtain” Irish sensibilities and the struggle against “shanty” Irishness that he, Kennedy, and McCourt could have easily compared notes for their respective works.
“Studs”, even at a young age, and this first book of the trilogy only goes up to his late teens, is already having his existential crisis at that tender age. And that crisis for him is the tension between that surface “lace curtain” Irish sensibility that both his father and mother are, in their own very familiar way (familiar to anyone who has had the least bit of traditional Irish upbringing), trying to instill and his natural inclination to go “shanty” (hang out on corners with the guys, drink, loaf, and chase girls, or at least dream of chasing girls).
For those who know, and even for those who don’t know, Farrell gives us a primer here of common Irish experiences; the central role of the Catholic Church in daily and weekly life, at least on the surface; the “virtues” of parochial school education received from the good battle-hardened sisters, amply loaded with words and weaponry; the need to keep the “dirty linen” of family life in the home, and away from inquisitive neighbors, especially those nearest; and, most importantly, the never-ending quest of what to do about girls (and for girls, boys, of course). That last point drives home, as it does for almost all of us, the real central problem of early teenage existence. Hey, all of this sounds to me like it could have been written today about Irish-American disapora kids, right? And that is what makes Farrell’s work resonant to our ears and our eyes ,and is such a good work of literature. More later, as “Studs” moves into manhood.
Recently I have begun to post entries under the headline- “Songs To While Away The Class Struggle By” and "Films To While Away The Class Struggle By"-that will include progressive and labor-oriented songs and films that might be of general interest to the radical public. I have decided to do the same for some books that may perk that same interest under the title in this entry’s headline. Markin
Book Review
Young Lonigan, James T. Farrell, Random House, New York, 1932
Over the past several years, as part of re-evaluating the effect of my half-Irish diaspora heritage (on my mother’s side) on the development of my leftist political consciousness I have read, and in some cases re-read, some of the major works of the Irish-American experience. Of course, any such reading list includes tales from the pen of William Kennedy and his Albany cycle, most famously “Ironweed”. And, naturally, as well, the tales of that displaced Irishman, the recently departed Frank McCourt and his “Angela’s Ashes”, a story that is so close to the bone of my own “shanty” Irish diaspora upbringing that we are forever kindred spirits. That said, here to my mind is the “ max daddy” of all the American disapora storytellers, James T. Farrell, and his now rightly famous trilogy, “Studs Lonigan” (hereafter, “Studs”).
Now my first kinship with James T. Farrell is not through literature, but rather through politics. For a period, and an important one at that, Farrell was a stalwart pro-communist, anti-Stalinist militant writer who served with distinction and honor on the John Dewey headed- Leon Trotsky Commission that tried to determine whether Trotsky was, or was not guilty, of serious crimes against his beloved Soviet Union during the height of Stalin’s Moscow Trials in the late 1930s. Farrell rendered further important services to the left-wing when he helped organize the defense of the leaders of the Socialist Workers Party during the beginning of World War II when the Roosevelt government had them jailed for opposition to that war. Thus, Farrell came with some good political credential in the eyes of this reviewer.
And in his storytelling of his people, the Chicago Irish, Farrell does not let us down either. “Studs” is only marginally concerned with political issues, and then only of the bourgeois kind rampant amount the Irish in the early part of the 20th century when they were taking over local politics in a number of cities from their former WASP guardians. However, he has hit so many “hot buttons” about “lace curtain” Irish sensibilities and the struggle against “shanty” Irishness that he, Kennedy, and McCourt could have easily compared notes for their respective works.
“Studs”, even at a young age, and this first book of the trilogy only goes up to his late teens, is already having his existential crisis at that tender age. And that crisis for him is the tension between that surface “lace curtain” Irish sensibility that both his father and mother are, in their own very familiar way (familiar to anyone who has had the least bit of traditional Irish upbringing), trying to instill and his natural inclination to go “shanty” (hang out on corners with the guys, drink, loaf, and chase girls, or at least dream of chasing girls).
For those who know, and even for those who don’t know, Farrell gives us a primer here of common Irish experiences; the central role of the Catholic Church in daily and weekly life, at least on the surface; the “virtues” of parochial school education received from the good battle-hardened sisters, amply loaded with words and weaponry; the need to keep the “dirty linen” of family life in the home, and away from inquisitive neighbors, especially those nearest; and, most importantly, the never-ending quest of what to do about girls (and for girls, boys, of course). That last point drives home, as it does for almost all of us, the real central problem of early teenage existence. Hey, all of this sounds to me like it could have been written today about Irish-American disapora kids, right? And that is what makes Farrell’s work resonant to our ears and our eyes ,and is such a good work of literature. More later, as “Studs” moves into manhood.
Saturday, April 03, 2010
*From The "HistoMat" Blog- A Haiti Website
Click on the headline to link to an "HistoMat" blog entry concerning a link from that site to a "Public Archive" site that will feature news from Haiti,past and present.
Markin comment:
Haiti, its history and its fundamental problems, problems that in the final analysis can only be addressed in the context of the in the wider situation outside Haiti, are on our minds today and this site may help to keep Haiti front and center in the future.
Markin comment:
Haiti, its history and its fundamental problems, problems that in the final analysis can only be addressed in the context of the in the wider situation outside Haiti, are on our minds today and this site may help to keep Haiti front and center in the future.
*The Latest From "The San Francisco Eight" Website- Drop All Charges Against Francisco Torres
Click on the headline to link to the "Free The San Francisco Eight" Website.
Markin comment:
Enough is enough! Drop All Charges (bogus on their face anyway) against Francisco Torres! This whole case, going all the way back to the 1970s, should be an object lesson for every new, and old, leftist militant about the relentless nature of the government's vendetta, using every resource at their disposal, when they get you (in this case fiery, militant Black Panthers)in their legal and lethal cross hairs. Think also of Mumia Abu-Jamal's and Leonard Peltier's cases that have that same relentless governmental vendetta feel to them. Free Mumia and Leonard Peltier!
Markin comment:
Enough is enough! Drop All Charges (bogus on their face anyway) against Francisco Torres! This whole case, going all the way back to the 1970s, should be an object lesson for every new, and old, leftist militant about the relentless nature of the government's vendetta, using every resource at their disposal, when they get you (in this case fiery, militant Black Panthers)in their legal and lethal cross hairs. Think also of Mumia Abu-Jamal's and Leonard Peltier's cases that have that same relentless governmental vendetta feel to them. Free Mumia and Leonard Peltier!
*From The "Max Shachtman Internet Archives"- "The Genesis Of Trotskyism" (1933)
Click on the headline to line to a "Max Shachtman Internet Archive" online copy of his 1933 work, "The Genesis Of Trotskyism".
Markin comment:
In his prime, under the guidance of James P. Cannon in the American Communist Party, especially in their work in the International Labor Defense, and later as a leader of what became the Trotskyist party in the United States, the Socialist Workers Party, Max Shachtman, knew how to "speak" Marxism. Later, after he turned the task of 'socialism' over to the U.S. State Department and kindred forces, he was still facile as a writer but the politics became ugly, very ugly, except perhaps to the late American Federation Of Teachers President, Albert Shanker. Here is an example of "high" Shachtman.
Markin comment:
In his prime, under the guidance of James P. Cannon in the American Communist Party, especially in their work in the International Labor Defense, and later as a leader of what became the Trotskyist party in the United States, the Socialist Workers Party, Max Shachtman, knew how to "speak" Marxism. Later, after he turned the task of 'socialism' over to the U.S. State Department and kindred forces, he was still facile as a writer but the politics became ugly, very ugly, except perhaps to the late American Federation Of Teachers President, Albert Shanker. Here is an example of "high" Shachtman.
Friday, April 02, 2010
*From The "SteveLendmanBlog"- The (Continued) Israeli Settlement Expansion Into Palestine
Click on the headline to link to a "SteveLendmanBlog" entry concerning the ever-continuing expansion of the Israeli settlements.
Markin comment:
I am, as I have mentioned before, always happy to link to this blog, especially when the subject is the intractable Palestinian situation, and the ever-expanding, provocative Israeli settlements. Every time that I even think about this situation it is clear that nothing short of socialism, and all that means about the changes in political consciousness on every side that would put that solution on the agenda in this situation, will settle this thing. But let us be clear, today the obligation of every leftist militant is encapsulated in this slogan- "Defend the Palestinian People"- and I would, add, the best way we can. More on this later.
Markin comment:
I am, as I have mentioned before, always happy to link to this blog, especially when the subject is the intractable Palestinian situation, and the ever-expanding, provocative Israeli settlements. Every time that I even think about this situation it is clear that nothing short of socialism, and all that means about the changes in political consciousness on every side that would put that solution on the agenda in this situation, will settle this thing. But let us be clear, today the obligation of every leftist militant is encapsulated in this slogan- "Defend the Palestinian People"- and I would, add, the best way we can. More on this later.
*The Latest From The "Hands Off Honduras Coalition" Website
Click on the title to link to a "Hands Off Honduras Coalition" entry on the current situation there.
Markin comment:
Look at the blog entry submitted by "Renegade Eye" for March 8, 2010. Every militant should stand in solidarity with the seriously under-reported democratic struggles going on in Honduras for almost two years now.
Markin comment:
Look at the blog entry submitted by "Renegade Eye" for March 8, 2010. Every militant should stand in solidarity with the seriously under-reported democratic struggles going on in Honduras for almost two years now.
Thursday, April 01, 2010
*The Latest From The "Workers World" Website
Click on the title to link to the "Workers World Party" Website.
Markin comment:
Hey, didn't I just do this post with the ANSWER entry. Oh, I forgot, there was a split in this organization over...? The other group got ANSWER. Another, oh well, here.
I don't run into this group much anymore but at one time they had some influence in Boston. If one is aware of the concept, born of the old "New Left" of the 1960s(or maybe of the Stalinist old "Old Left" of the 1930s), about multi-vanguardism this group has always made that idea a badge of honor. For those not aware of that concept it meant, and means today, in practice, that each oppressed nation, gender, race, group, sub-group and, I suppose, individual does their own thing for their oppressed group (or self) and we will all meet up, collectively I assume, in the great by and by of the revolution.
You see Lenin, as well as many other old, old "Old Lefts", were all wrong in assuming that it was necessary to face one enemy, the capitalist state, with one workers party fighting for all of the oppressed and their special needs. Of course Lenin and his friends made a revolution and the poly-vanguardists have made a...?
Markin comment:
Hey, didn't I just do this post with the ANSWER entry. Oh, I forgot, there was a split in this organization over...? The other group got ANSWER. Another, oh well, here.
I don't run into this group much anymore but at one time they had some influence in Boston. If one is aware of the concept, born of the old "New Left" of the 1960s(or maybe of the Stalinist old "Old Left" of the 1930s), about multi-vanguardism this group has always made that idea a badge of honor. For those not aware of that concept it meant, and means today, in practice, that each oppressed nation, gender, race, group, sub-group and, I suppose, individual does their own thing for their oppressed group (or self) and we will all meet up, collectively I assume, in the great by and by of the revolution.
You see Lenin, as well as many other old, old "Old Lefts", were all wrong in assuming that it was necessary to face one enemy, the capitalist state, with one workers party fighting for all of the oppressed and their special needs. Of course Lenin and his friends made a revolution and the poly-vanguardists have made a...?
*The Latest From The ANSWER Coaltion Website- A Post Washington March 20th March Wrapup
Click on the headline to link to the "ANSWER Coaliton" Website.
Markin comment:
I will have more to say on this march later when I have a chance to think it through and compare it with other marches, from other campaigns. I still stand by my statement that, fair or foul, this demonstration was important as a start to the post- Afghanistan troop escalation Obama war policies. The real question is the way we will oppose those policies in the future and how we will develop a strategy to deal with the glaring lack of marchers, more than the already long committed anti-warrriors who formed the core of the Washington march, in future actions. We are small, in a similar way as in the early anti-Vietnam War period, but we do not have to stay that way. We do, desperately, have to reach the youth or we are doomed. That is an abiding weakness. More, later.
Thousands take to the streets to demand:
U.S. out of Afghanistan and Iraq now!
On Saturday, thousands of people converged at the White House for the March 20 March on Washington—the largest anti-war demonstration since the announcement of the escalation of the Afghanistan war. By the time the march started at 2 p.m., the crowd had swelled up to 10,000 protesters.
Transportation to Washington, D.C., was organized from over 50 cities in 20 states. Demonstrators rallied and marched shoulder to shoulder to demand “U.S. Out of Iraq and Afghanistan Now,” “Free Palestine,” “Reparations for Haiti” and “No sanctions against Iran” as well as “Money for jobs, education and health care!”
Speakers at the Washington rally represented a broad cross section of the anti-war movement, including veterans and military families, labor, youth and students, immigrant right groups, and the Muslim and Arab American community.
Following the rally, a militant march led by veterans, active-duty service members and military families made its way through the streets of D.C. carrying coffins draped in Afghan, Iraqi, Pakistani, Somali, Yemeni, Haitian and U.S. flags, among those of other countries, as a symbol of the human cost of war and occupation. Coffins were dropped off along the way at Halliburton, the Washington Post, the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs and other institutions connected to the war profiteering, propaganda, and human suffering. The final coffin drop-off was at the White House—the decision-making center of U.S. imperialism.
The demonstration received substantial media coverage. It was featured in a major story on page A3 on the Sunday Washington Post (click here to read it). An Associated Press article on the March on Washington was picked up by a large number of newspapers and media outlets in the United States and abroad.
Joint demonstrations in San Francisco and Los Angeles drew 5,000 protesters each.
In San Francisco, the demonstration included the participation of UNITE HERE Local 2 hotel workers, who are presently fighting for a contract; students, teachers and parents who have been organizing against education budget cutbacks; and community members and activists who have been engaged in a struggle to stop fare hikes and service cuts.
In Los Angeles, demonstrators marched through the streets of Hollywood carrying not only coffins but also large tombstones that read “R.I.P. Health care / Jobs / Public Education / Housing,” to draw attention to the economic war being waged against working-class people at home in order to fund the wars abroad. Essential social services are being slashed to pay for the largest defense budget in history.
The March 20 demonstrations mark a new phase for the anti-war movement. A new layer of activists joined these actions in large numbers, including numerous youth and students from multinational, working-class communities. A sharp connection was drawn between the wars abroad and the war against working people at home. Though smaller than the demonstrations of 2007, this mobilization was larger than the demonstration last year—the first major anti-war action under the Obama administration. The real-life experience of the past year has shown that what we need is not a change in the presidency, but a change in the system that thrives on war, militarism and profits.
These demonstrations were a success thanks to the committed work of thousands of organizers and volunteers around the country. They raised funds, spread the word through posters and flyers, organized buses and other transportation, and carried out all the work that was needed on the day of the demonstration. We took to the streets in force even as the government tried to silence us with tens of thousands of dollars in illegal fines for postering in Washington, D.C., and felony charges against activists for postering in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
We want to especially thank all those who made generous donations for this mobilization. Without those contributions, we could not have carried out this work.
March 20 was an important step forward for the anti-war movement. We must continue to build on this momentum in the months ahead. Your donation will help us recover much-needed funds that helped pay for this weekend's successful demonstration, as well as prepare for the actions to come. Please make a generous donation to support the anti-war movement.
Markin comment:
I will have more to say on this march later when I have a chance to think it through and compare it with other marches, from other campaigns. I still stand by my statement that, fair or foul, this demonstration was important as a start to the post- Afghanistan troop escalation Obama war policies. The real question is the way we will oppose those policies in the future and how we will develop a strategy to deal with the glaring lack of marchers, more than the already long committed anti-warrriors who formed the core of the Washington march, in future actions. We are small, in a similar way as in the early anti-Vietnam War period, but we do not have to stay that way. We do, desperately, have to reach the youth or we are doomed. That is an abiding weakness. More, later.
Thousands take to the streets to demand:
U.S. out of Afghanistan and Iraq now!
On Saturday, thousands of people converged at the White House for the March 20 March on Washington—the largest anti-war demonstration since the announcement of the escalation of the Afghanistan war. By the time the march started at 2 p.m., the crowd had swelled up to 10,000 protesters.
Transportation to Washington, D.C., was organized from over 50 cities in 20 states. Demonstrators rallied and marched shoulder to shoulder to demand “U.S. Out of Iraq and Afghanistan Now,” “Free Palestine,” “Reparations for Haiti” and “No sanctions against Iran” as well as “Money for jobs, education and health care!”
Speakers at the Washington rally represented a broad cross section of the anti-war movement, including veterans and military families, labor, youth and students, immigrant right groups, and the Muslim and Arab American community.
Following the rally, a militant march led by veterans, active-duty service members and military families made its way through the streets of D.C. carrying coffins draped in Afghan, Iraqi, Pakistani, Somali, Yemeni, Haitian and U.S. flags, among those of other countries, as a symbol of the human cost of war and occupation. Coffins were dropped off along the way at Halliburton, the Washington Post, the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs and other institutions connected to the war profiteering, propaganda, and human suffering. The final coffin drop-off was at the White House—the decision-making center of U.S. imperialism.
The demonstration received substantial media coverage. It was featured in a major story on page A3 on the Sunday Washington Post (click here to read it). An Associated Press article on the March on Washington was picked up by a large number of newspapers and media outlets in the United States and abroad.
Joint demonstrations in San Francisco and Los Angeles drew 5,000 protesters each.
In San Francisco, the demonstration included the participation of UNITE HERE Local 2 hotel workers, who are presently fighting for a contract; students, teachers and parents who have been organizing against education budget cutbacks; and community members and activists who have been engaged in a struggle to stop fare hikes and service cuts.
In Los Angeles, demonstrators marched through the streets of Hollywood carrying not only coffins but also large tombstones that read “R.I.P. Health care / Jobs / Public Education / Housing,” to draw attention to the economic war being waged against working-class people at home in order to fund the wars abroad. Essential social services are being slashed to pay for the largest defense budget in history.
The March 20 demonstrations mark a new phase for the anti-war movement. A new layer of activists joined these actions in large numbers, including numerous youth and students from multinational, working-class communities. A sharp connection was drawn between the wars abroad and the war against working people at home. Though smaller than the demonstrations of 2007, this mobilization was larger than the demonstration last year—the first major anti-war action under the Obama administration. The real-life experience of the past year has shown that what we need is not a change in the presidency, but a change in the system that thrives on war, militarism and profits.
These demonstrations were a success thanks to the committed work of thousands of organizers and volunteers around the country. They raised funds, spread the word through posters and flyers, organized buses and other transportation, and carried out all the work that was needed on the day of the demonstration. We took to the streets in force even as the government tried to silence us with tens of thousands of dollars in illegal fines for postering in Washington, D.C., and felony charges against activists for postering in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
We want to especially thank all those who made generous donations for this mobilization. Without those contributions, we could not have carried out this work.
March 20 was an important step forward for the anti-war movement. We must continue to build on this momentum in the months ahead. Your donation will help us recover much-needed funds that helped pay for this weekend's successful demonstration, as well as prepare for the actions to come. Please make a generous donation to support the anti-war movement.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
*From "The Rag Blog"- The Bush (Oops) Obama War Drums Tattoo On
Click on the title to link to a "The Rag Blog" entry concerning a notorious Texas outfit that has just received a big contract for services rendered In Iraq.
Markin comment:
This article points out the underbelly of continuity (and, in some cases, the worsening of the situation from the Bush era) from one of the two American imperial political parties to the other down below the daily headlines. Think about the drastic increase in immigrant roundups and deportations, Afghanistan, Wall Street bailouts, and on and on, including the above-cited story. Jesus, we need a break, a big break with these bums. Break with the Democrats now! Read on.
Markin comment:
This article points out the underbelly of continuity (and, in some cases, the worsening of the situation from the Bush era) from one of the two American imperial political parties to the other down below the daily headlines. Think about the drastic increase in immigrant roundups and deportations, Afghanistan, Wall Street bailouts, and on and on, including the above-cited story. Jesus, we need a break, a big break with these bums. Break with the Democrats now! Read on.
*From The "HistoMat" Blog- From The Pen Of George Bernard Shaw
Click on the title to link to an "HistoMat" blog entry concerning George Bernard Shaw's views on communism.
Markin comment:
I will, and gladly, go see any play that George Bernard Shaw wrote, but I am still waiting, impatiently, for he and his Fabian associates', the Webbs, Cole, Brailsford, Wells, etc., vision of the slow, very slow and methodical road to socialism (never) to occur. Hurry along now, better yet, let's talk Bolshevik to take our communist birthright sooner.
Markin comment:
I will, and gladly, go see any play that George Bernard Shaw wrote, but I am still waiting, impatiently, for he and his Fabian associates', the Webbs, Cole, Brailsford, Wells, etc., vision of the slow, very slow and methodical road to socialism (never) to occur. Hurry along now, better yet, let's talk Bolshevik to take our communist birthright sooner.
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