Click on the headline to link to a Bradley Manning Support Network website notice of a support rally in Quantico, Virginia on Sunday, August 8, 2010 at noon.
Markin comment:
I recently made the point (see, Wednesday, July 28, 2010
*A Tip Of The Hat To "Wikileaks"- Blessed Are The Whistleblowers- Troops Out Of Afghanistan Now!)that are important in whistleblower Manning's case in a commentary on the Wikileaks revelations reposted below. Free PFC Manning Now!
No bourgeois government, liberal, conservative, centrist or what not likes whistleblowers, in any shape, size or form, period, although we of the extra-parliamentary left certainly do if for no other reason that to see just how grimy and bad the inner workings of the governments we oppose propagandistically day in and day out really are. The Stalinists, as we also know were, and in places like China and Cuba today, are just slightly behind in their scornful attitude toward the species. Nevertheless more knowledge is always a good thing. As 19th century revolutionary, Karl Marx, was fond of saying, “ignorance never did anybody any good.” A very worthy tip of the hat to Wikileaks and to their whistleblowers.
Of course, that is not the end of the matter. The material provided here, unlike the Daniel Ellsberg-leaked Pentagon Papers during the height of the struggle against the Vietnam War, is not an expose of the Bush and Obama administrations' high inner-circle deliberations about the direction of the Afghan War. But, we will take what we can get. On the surface, at least, this material gives us plenty of ammunition to expose the duplicity of the Americans, the Pakistanis, and all factions of the Afghanis (including the Taliban) and, when the deal is finished, who knows who else. But here is the clincher- None of that material does us any good, or little good, if we don’t get a massive opposition organized (something coming off of last spring’s anti-war drive in Washington, D.C. on March 20th we have not done yet) to the Obama/Allied Afghan War policies. Thus- Obama- Immediate, Unconditional Withdrawal Of All U.S./Allied Troops And Mercenaries From Afghanistan (And Iraq)!
Sunday, August 08, 2010
Saturday, August 07, 2010
*On The Congressional Afghan War Supplementary Budget Vote-The Vote
Click on the headline to link to a website (via Boston Indy Media) for a list of those in Congress who voted for the Afghan(the extra dough, extra above and beyond the main dough, for the war).
Markin comment:
The website here suggests that the reader vote against those who voted for the war budget. I think we communists have a little more "robust" solution. In the meantime-Obama, Immediate, Unconditional Withdrawal Of All U.S./Allied Troops and Mercenaries From Afghanistan (and Iraq)!
Markin comment:
The website here suggests that the reader vote against those who voted for the war budget. I think we communists have a little more "robust" solution. In the meantime-Obama, Immediate, Unconditional Withdrawal Of All U.S./Allied Troops and Mercenaries From Afghanistan (and Iraq)!
*BAAM (Boston Anti- Authoritarian Movement) #36 Journal
Click on the headline to link to the latest BAAM Newsletter #36 (via Boston Indy Media).
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 around the street opposition to G-20 meeting in Toronto in June 2010. 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 around the street opposition to G-20 meeting in Toronto in June 2010. And, in any case, it is always good to see what the younger anarchist militants are up to.
*From Renegade Eye- On Afghanistan- A Guest Commentary
Click on the headline to link to an analysis form the In Defense Of Marxismwebsite (via Renegade Eye blog)on the current situation in Afghanistan.
Markin comment:
I would add here since the point was not made directly in the article- Obama,(and Cameron)- Immediate, Unconditional Withdrawal Of All U.S./British/ Allied Troops and Mercenaries From Afghanistan (and Iraq)!
Markin comment:
I would add here since the point was not made directly in the article- Obama,(and Cameron)- Immediate, Unconditional Withdrawal Of All U.S./British/ Allied Troops and Mercenaries From Afghanistan (and Iraq)!
*From The "SteveLendman Blog"- Bradley Manning:An American Hero
Click on the headline to link to a SteveLendmanBlog entry- Bradley Manning:An American Hero.
Markin comment:
This is a "no-brainer"-Free PFC Bradley Manning!
Markin comment:
This is a "no-brainer"-Free PFC Bradley Manning!
*From The PFC Bradley Manning Defense Website- Rally August 8th In Quantico, Va.- Blessed Are The Whistleblowers
Click on the headline to link to a Bradley Manning Support Network website notice of a support rally in Quantico, Virginia on Sunday, August 8, 2010 at noon.
Markin comment:
I recently made the point (see, Wednesday, July 28, 2010
*A Tip Of The Hat To "Wikileaks"- Blessed Are The Whistleblowers- Troops Out Of Afghanistan Now!)that are important in whistleblower Manning's case in a commentary on the Wikileaks revelations reposted below. Free PFC Manning Now!
No bourgeois government, liberal, conservative, centrist or what not likes whistleblowers, in any shape, size or form, period, although we of the extra-parliamentary left certainly do if for no other reason that to see just how grimy and bad the inner workings of the governments we oppose propagandistically day in and day out really are. The Stalinists, as we also know were, and in places like China and Cuba today, are just slightly behind in their scornful attitude toward the species. Nevertheless more knowledge is always a good thing. As 19th century revolutionary, Karl Marx, was fond of saying, “ignorance never did anybody any good.” A very worthy tip of the hat to Wikileaks and to their whistleblowers.
Of course, that is not the end of the matter. The material provided here, unlike the Daniel Ellsberg-leaked Pentagon Papers during the height of the struggle against the Vietnam War, is not an expose of the Bush and Obama administrations' high inner-circle deliberations about the direction of the Afghan War. But, we will take what we can get. On the surface, at least, this material gives us plenty of ammunition to expose the duplicity of the Americans, the Pakistanis, and all factions of the Afghanis (including the Taliban) and, when the deal is finished, who knows who else. But here is the clincher- None of that material does us any good, or little good, if we don’t get a massive opposition organized (something coming off of last spring’s anti-war drive in Washington, D.C. on March 20th we have not done yet) to the Obama/Allied Afghan War policies. Thus- Obama- Immediate, Unconditional Withdrawal Of All U.S./Allied Troops And Mercenaries From Afghanistan (And Iraq)!
Markin comment:
I recently made the point (see, Wednesday, July 28, 2010
*A Tip Of The Hat To "Wikileaks"- Blessed Are The Whistleblowers- Troops Out Of Afghanistan Now!)that are important in whistleblower Manning's case in a commentary on the Wikileaks revelations reposted below. Free PFC Manning Now!
No bourgeois government, liberal, conservative, centrist or what not likes whistleblowers, in any shape, size or form, period, although we of the extra-parliamentary left certainly do if for no other reason that to see just how grimy and bad the inner workings of the governments we oppose propagandistically day in and day out really are. The Stalinists, as we also know were, and in places like China and Cuba today, are just slightly behind in their scornful attitude toward the species. Nevertheless more knowledge is always a good thing. As 19th century revolutionary, Karl Marx, was fond of saying, “ignorance never did anybody any good.” A very worthy tip of the hat to Wikileaks and to their whistleblowers.
Of course, that is not the end of the matter. The material provided here, unlike the Daniel Ellsberg-leaked Pentagon Papers during the height of the struggle against the Vietnam War, is not an expose of the Bush and Obama administrations' high inner-circle deliberations about the direction of the Afghan War. But, we will take what we can get. On the surface, at least, this material gives us plenty of ammunition to expose the duplicity of the Americans, the Pakistanis, and all factions of the Afghanis (including the Taliban) and, when the deal is finished, who knows who else. But here is the clincher- None of that material does us any good, or little good, if we don’t get a massive opposition organized (something coming off of last spring’s anti-war drive in Washington, D.C. on March 20th we have not done yet) to the Obama/Allied Afghan War policies. Thus- Obama- Immediate, Unconditional Withdrawal Of All U.S./Allied Troops And Mercenaries From Afghanistan (And Iraq)!
Friday, August 06, 2010
*From The Blogosphere-The Latest From The "Further Left Forum" Blog
Click on the title to link to the blog mentioned in the headline.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Israel Destroys
Bedouin Village
By Brian Ennis
July 27, 2010
1300 police officers and security personnel guarded the area as bulldozers demolished a Bedouin village near Rahat.
Israeli security personnel and from the Israel Land Administration arrived at the Bedouin village of al-Arakib, near Rahat, Tuesday morning. The village is unrecognized by the state of Israel.
When the Israelis arrived they found large bonfires had been lit by the locals in protest.
They destroyed a total of forty-five structures. The residents watched as their lives were destroyed and some left-wing activists clashed with the authorities.
Dr. Awad Abu Farikh, a spokesman and resident of the village, was quoted as saying that, "Today we got a close glimpse of the government's true face. We were stunned to witness the violent force being used. The black-clad special unit forces are the true face of Lieberman's democracy. This operation is the first step in the uprooting of many villages. We shall return to our villages, build our homes and not leave this place."
A spokesman for the Israel Land Administration said that anything that is rebuilt will be taken down.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Israel Destroys
Bedouin Village
By Brian Ennis
July 27, 2010
1300 police officers and security personnel guarded the area as bulldozers demolished a Bedouin village near Rahat.
Israeli security personnel and from the Israel Land Administration arrived at the Bedouin village of al-Arakib, near Rahat, Tuesday morning. The village is unrecognized by the state of Israel.
When the Israelis arrived they found large bonfires had been lit by the locals in protest.
They destroyed a total of forty-five structures. The residents watched as their lives were destroyed and some left-wing activists clashed with the authorities.
Dr. Awad Abu Farikh, a spokesman and resident of the village, was quoted as saying that, "Today we got a close glimpse of the government's true face. We were stunned to witness the violent force being used. The black-clad special unit forces are the true face of Lieberman's democracy. This operation is the first step in the uprooting of many villages. We shall return to our villages, build our homes and not leave this place."
A spokesman for the Israel Land Administration said that anything that is rebuilt will be taken down.
*From The Wilds Of Cyberspace-The Latest From The "National Jericho Movement" Website- Free All Class-War Prisoners!
Click on the title to link to the website mentioned in the headline.
Oppression Breeds Resistance, Resistance Breeds Repression
by Michael Novick, Anti-Racist Action L.A./People Against Racist Terror
The night before the verdict came in at the trial of BART officer Johannes Mehserle for the murder of a young Black father, Oscar Grant III, the LAPD raided the home of Wolverine Shakur, a/k/a T.A.C.O. (Taking All Capitalists Out), founder of the Black Riders Liberation Party. Under the authority of the parole officer supervising T.A.C.O., they lined up and handcuffed five members and an associate of the BRLP who were present at the time. They detained a 10-year-old child and ransacked the home, taking personal possessions, a laptop computer and cell phone, and Black Riders literature. T.A.C.O. was taken into custody for alleged parole violations and taken to the hole at the Men's Central Jail in L.A., with the intention of transferring him back into state prison.
The alleged parole violations T.A.C.O. is accused of amount to violations of his civil, constitutional and human rights of free speech and freedom of association. They make it a crime for him to have Black Rider literature and Black comrades. Like the original charges, they are politically motivated and unjustified. T.A.C.O. is once again a political prisoner because of his advocacy of African Inter-communalism and self-defense. The parole officer has admitted that he was violating T.A.C.O. under instructions from higher-ups, and that T.A.C.O. was specifically charged with “sending the Black Riders to the Oscar Grant trial.” The Black Riders did indeed smash the media blockade of the Mehserle trial in Los Angeles, turning out in large numbers to post up outside the court in support of Oscar's family and to organize community people at the courthouse. They did attract immediate media and public attention with their strong, disciplined presence.
The LAPD had already announced that they had a “secret tactical plan” to handle the possibility of any “disruptions” in response to the verdict on Mehserle for the murder of Oscar Grant. They saw the Black Riders as a threat to the plans to let Mehserle get away with murder and to contain or deflect people's righteous anger. Part of the plan was the staged arrest of the so-called Grim Sleeper serial killer suspect timed for the day the verdict would come in, to distract attention and paint the LAPD as saviors of the community. The pre-emptive arrest of T.A.C.O. was designed to disrupt the Black Riders' organizing around the case, which was channeling people's anger into revolutionary consciousness. But the arrest failed to accomplish that goal.
The Black Riders continue organizing both independently and within the L.A. Coalition for Justice for Oscar Grant, which they helped develop. The BRLP, which had smashed at court the day before, came back strong the next day despite T.A.C.O.'s incarceration, when the verdict came down after shenanigans delayed it. Several Black Riders spoke at the community protest in Leimert Park, where a couple of hundred people came out for the rally that had been called in advance for 5:00 PM when the verdict came down, despite the pigs' efforts to disorient the Riders and the community. Everyone there stood with the Riders and understood the transparent tactics of the pigs in violating T.A.C.O.'s parole.
There is a long history of illegitimate, repressive tactics by the LAPD to try to squelch community resistance to police violence and abuse of power. Back in the day, the pigs launched their war on the original Black Panther Party for Self-Defense with the COINTELPRO assassination of Alprentice Bunchy Carter and John Huggins at UCLA. The LAPD were stymied in their attempt to assassinate other BPP members by the military planning of Geronimo ji Jaga. A strong base of community support came out into the streets when the LAPD attempted to kill the L.A. Panthers on 41st and Central, as the Chicago pigs had executed Fred Hampton and Mark Clark days before.
After Geronimo and the Panthers were taken down by COINTELPRO, the police infiltrated the Coalition Against Police Abuse (CAPA) organized by former Black Panther Michael Zinzun around the police killing of sister Eulia Love over an unpaid gas bill. One Black pig provocateur who was planted inside CAPA in an attempt to spy on the community and disrupt or discredit resistance was later rewarded with a promotion to the FBI. The LAPD was hit with a court injunction preventing such political espionage, and forced to pay million-dollar damages to Zinzun and others.
Police illegality and criminality continued after the LAPD “red squad” was ordered to disband and destroy its illegally obtained espionage files. One officer involved secretly moved the files to his own garage and then turned them over to Western Goals, a private right wing, pro-fascist “think tank” connected to the John Birch Society and the white supremacist movement. Still later, police agents infiltrated communist forces organizing in the projects, entering into illicit sexual relationships with people organizing against a May Day police killing in order to carry out their political espionage and dirty tricks.
When that was exposed through lawsuits, the police espionage and infiltration was then transferred to new anti-gang and anti-terrorist task forces, or to units steeped in criminality and violence like the CRASH units operating out of Rampart, Seventy-seventh, and other divisions. CRASH officers were involved in frame-ups, “bad” shootings justified with drop guns, coerced confessions, drug thefts and even bank robbery. Yet thanks to the same Judge Perry who presided over the Mehserle trial for killing Oscar Grant, the only cop who went to prison was the one who blew the whistle, turning state's evidence after he got caught.
But for a dozen years now, the Black Riders Liberation Party, and especially its founder, General T.A.C.O., have been the concerted target of police repression, frame-ups, assaults and COINTELPRO type tactics in Los Angeles and elsewhere in CA. The LAPD hates the Black Riders because of the Riders' love for the people, expressed in such concrete survival programs as the Watch-a-Pig program and their gang truce efforts. They once took T.A.C.O. into custody on traffic warrants, and threatened to kill him while he was hogtied and handcuffed. LAPD, along with LA and San Bernardino sheriff's deputies and federal agents with armored personnel carriers, battering rams, helicopters and assault weapons, staged a raid on the home of BRLP members in San Bernardino. They sealed off four square blocks in hopes of provoking an incident in which they could shoot and kill members of the Black Riders. They pointed guns at little children and their care-givers.
Finally, failing to ever infiltrate or deviate members of the BRLP, they sent an undercover police agent, posing as a outside Middle Eastern sympathizer who could provide weapons. They succeeded, through a process of entrapment and frame-up, in bringing charges of conspiracy to possess (non-existent) weapons against T.A.C.O. and two other members, known as the Black Rider Three. Even more so than in the Oscar Grant murder trial, there was a complete media white out of that case, even though it was brought as a Homeland Security/USA PATRIOT style indictment with outlandish claims that the BRLP was planning attacks on police stations (never brought as a criminal charge). It was as a result of a plea bargain on that case, through which T.A.C.O. obtained the release of his comrades, that T.A.C.O. was on parole. Thus he was subject to the arbitrary jurisdiction of a P.O. who enabled the LAPD to stage their raid. But like their previous attempts at repression, this too will fail. As Chairman Mao said, “To be attacked by the enemy is a good thing.” The pigs' tactics are a mark of their vulnerability, not their power, and a sign of the fear they have of the Power of the People!
The Black Riders Liberation Party has raised the slogan of “Free General T.A.C.O. or the sky's the limit,” and is calling for an Inter-Communal Solidarity Committee, to organize in defense of T.A.C.O. and all political prisoners. Anti-Racist Action-Los Angeles/People Against Racist Terror (ARA-LA/PART) is committed to joining and helping build such an effort. We recognize that people of European descent who oppose racism and hate oppression and exploitation must fight as allies with African and other liberation forces against the common enemy of humanity, capitalist colonialism and imperialism. We urge all people who are tired of this wretched system to join such an effort.
Oppression Breeds Resistance, Resistance Breeds Repression
by Michael Novick, Anti-Racist Action L.A./People Against Racist Terror
The night before the verdict came in at the trial of BART officer Johannes Mehserle for the murder of a young Black father, Oscar Grant III, the LAPD raided the home of Wolverine Shakur, a/k/a T.A.C.O. (Taking All Capitalists Out), founder of the Black Riders Liberation Party. Under the authority of the parole officer supervising T.A.C.O., they lined up and handcuffed five members and an associate of the BRLP who were present at the time. They detained a 10-year-old child and ransacked the home, taking personal possessions, a laptop computer and cell phone, and Black Riders literature. T.A.C.O. was taken into custody for alleged parole violations and taken to the hole at the Men's Central Jail in L.A., with the intention of transferring him back into state prison.
The alleged parole violations T.A.C.O. is accused of amount to violations of his civil, constitutional and human rights of free speech and freedom of association. They make it a crime for him to have Black Rider literature and Black comrades. Like the original charges, they are politically motivated and unjustified. T.A.C.O. is once again a political prisoner because of his advocacy of African Inter-communalism and self-defense. The parole officer has admitted that he was violating T.A.C.O. under instructions from higher-ups, and that T.A.C.O. was specifically charged with “sending the Black Riders to the Oscar Grant trial.” The Black Riders did indeed smash the media blockade of the Mehserle trial in Los Angeles, turning out in large numbers to post up outside the court in support of Oscar's family and to organize community people at the courthouse. They did attract immediate media and public attention with their strong, disciplined presence.
The LAPD had already announced that they had a “secret tactical plan” to handle the possibility of any “disruptions” in response to the verdict on Mehserle for the murder of Oscar Grant. They saw the Black Riders as a threat to the plans to let Mehserle get away with murder and to contain or deflect people's righteous anger. Part of the plan was the staged arrest of the so-called Grim Sleeper serial killer suspect timed for the day the verdict would come in, to distract attention and paint the LAPD as saviors of the community. The pre-emptive arrest of T.A.C.O. was designed to disrupt the Black Riders' organizing around the case, which was channeling people's anger into revolutionary consciousness. But the arrest failed to accomplish that goal.
The Black Riders continue organizing both independently and within the L.A. Coalition for Justice for Oscar Grant, which they helped develop. The BRLP, which had smashed at court the day before, came back strong the next day despite T.A.C.O.'s incarceration, when the verdict came down after shenanigans delayed it. Several Black Riders spoke at the community protest in Leimert Park, where a couple of hundred people came out for the rally that had been called in advance for 5:00 PM when the verdict came down, despite the pigs' efforts to disorient the Riders and the community. Everyone there stood with the Riders and understood the transparent tactics of the pigs in violating T.A.C.O.'s parole.
There is a long history of illegitimate, repressive tactics by the LAPD to try to squelch community resistance to police violence and abuse of power. Back in the day, the pigs launched their war on the original Black Panther Party for Self-Defense with the COINTELPRO assassination of Alprentice Bunchy Carter and John Huggins at UCLA. The LAPD were stymied in their attempt to assassinate other BPP members by the military planning of Geronimo ji Jaga. A strong base of community support came out into the streets when the LAPD attempted to kill the L.A. Panthers on 41st and Central, as the Chicago pigs had executed Fred Hampton and Mark Clark days before.
After Geronimo and the Panthers were taken down by COINTELPRO, the police infiltrated the Coalition Against Police Abuse (CAPA) organized by former Black Panther Michael Zinzun around the police killing of sister Eulia Love over an unpaid gas bill. One Black pig provocateur who was planted inside CAPA in an attempt to spy on the community and disrupt or discredit resistance was later rewarded with a promotion to the FBI. The LAPD was hit with a court injunction preventing such political espionage, and forced to pay million-dollar damages to Zinzun and others.
Police illegality and criminality continued after the LAPD “red squad” was ordered to disband and destroy its illegally obtained espionage files. One officer involved secretly moved the files to his own garage and then turned them over to Western Goals, a private right wing, pro-fascist “think tank” connected to the John Birch Society and the white supremacist movement. Still later, police agents infiltrated communist forces organizing in the projects, entering into illicit sexual relationships with people organizing against a May Day police killing in order to carry out their political espionage and dirty tricks.
When that was exposed through lawsuits, the police espionage and infiltration was then transferred to new anti-gang and anti-terrorist task forces, or to units steeped in criminality and violence like the CRASH units operating out of Rampart, Seventy-seventh, and other divisions. CRASH officers were involved in frame-ups, “bad” shootings justified with drop guns, coerced confessions, drug thefts and even bank robbery. Yet thanks to the same Judge Perry who presided over the Mehserle trial for killing Oscar Grant, the only cop who went to prison was the one who blew the whistle, turning state's evidence after he got caught.
But for a dozen years now, the Black Riders Liberation Party, and especially its founder, General T.A.C.O., have been the concerted target of police repression, frame-ups, assaults and COINTELPRO type tactics in Los Angeles and elsewhere in CA. The LAPD hates the Black Riders because of the Riders' love for the people, expressed in such concrete survival programs as the Watch-a-Pig program and their gang truce efforts. They once took T.A.C.O. into custody on traffic warrants, and threatened to kill him while he was hogtied and handcuffed. LAPD, along with LA and San Bernardino sheriff's deputies and federal agents with armored personnel carriers, battering rams, helicopters and assault weapons, staged a raid on the home of BRLP members in San Bernardino. They sealed off four square blocks in hopes of provoking an incident in which they could shoot and kill members of the Black Riders. They pointed guns at little children and their care-givers.
Finally, failing to ever infiltrate or deviate members of the BRLP, they sent an undercover police agent, posing as a outside Middle Eastern sympathizer who could provide weapons. They succeeded, through a process of entrapment and frame-up, in bringing charges of conspiracy to possess (non-existent) weapons against T.A.C.O. and two other members, known as the Black Rider Three. Even more so than in the Oscar Grant murder trial, there was a complete media white out of that case, even though it was brought as a Homeland Security/USA PATRIOT style indictment with outlandish claims that the BRLP was planning attacks on police stations (never brought as a criminal charge). It was as a result of a plea bargain on that case, through which T.A.C.O. obtained the release of his comrades, that T.A.C.O. was on parole. Thus he was subject to the arbitrary jurisdiction of a P.O. who enabled the LAPD to stage their raid. But like their previous attempts at repression, this too will fail. As Chairman Mao said, “To be attacked by the enemy is a good thing.” The pigs' tactics are a mark of their vulnerability, not their power, and a sign of the fear they have of the Power of the People!
The Black Riders Liberation Party has raised the slogan of “Free General T.A.C.O. or the sky's the limit,” and is calling for an Inter-Communal Solidarity Committee, to organize in defense of T.A.C.O. and all political prisoners. Anti-Racist Action-Los Angeles/People Against Racist Terror (ARA-LA/PART) is committed to joining and helping build such an effort. We recognize that people of European descent who oppose racism and hate oppression and exploitation must fight as allies with African and other liberation forces against the common enemy of humanity, capitalist colonialism and imperialism. We urge all people who are tired of this wretched system to join such an effort.
*From The Wilds Of Cyberspace-The Latest From The "Citizen Soldier" Website
Click on the title to link to the website mentioned in the headline.
*From The PFC Bradley Manning Defense Website- Rally August 8th In Quantico, Va.- Blessed Are The Whistleblowers
Click on the headline to link to a Bradley Manning Support Network website notice of a support rally in Quantico, Virginia on Sunday, August 8, 2010 at noon.
Markin comment:
I recently made the point (see, Wednesday, July 28, 2010
*A Tip Of The Hat To "Wikileaks"- Blessed Are The Whistleblowers- Troops Out Of Afghanistan Now!)that are important in whistleblower Manning's case in a commentary on the Wikileaks revelations reposted below. Free PFC Manning Now!
No bourgeois government, liberal, conservative, centrist or what not likes whistleblowers, in any shape, size or form, period, although we of the extra-parliamentary left certainly do if for no other reason that to see just how grimy and bad the inner workings of the governments we oppose propagandistically day in and day out really are. The Stalinists, as we also know were, and in places like China and Cuba today, are just slightly behind in their scornful attitude toward the species. Nevertheless more knowledge is always a good thing. As 19th century revolutionary, Karl Marx, was fond of saying, “ignorance never did anybody any good.” A very worthy tip of the hat to Wikileaks and to their whistleblowers.
Of course, that is not the end of the matter. The material provided here, unlike the Daniel Ellsberg-leaked Pentagon Papers during the height of the struggle against the Vietnam War, is not an expose of the Bush and Obama administrations' high inner-circle deliberations about the direction of the Afghan War. But, we will take what we can get. On the surface, at least, this material gives us plenty of ammunition to expose the duplicity of the Americans, the Pakistanis, and all factions of the Afghanis (including the Taliban) and, when the deal is finished, who knows who else. But here is the clincher- None of that material does us any good, or little good, if we don’t get a massive opposition organized (something coming off of last spring’s anti-war drive in Washington, D.C. on March 20th we have not done yet) to the Obama/Allied Afghan War policies. Thus- Obama- Immediate, Unconditional Withdrawal Of All U.S./Allied Troops And Mercenaries From Afghanistan (And Iraq)!
Markin comment:
I recently made the point (see, Wednesday, July 28, 2010
*A Tip Of The Hat To "Wikileaks"- Blessed Are The Whistleblowers- Troops Out Of Afghanistan Now!)that are important in whistleblower Manning's case in a commentary on the Wikileaks revelations reposted below. Free PFC Manning Now!
No bourgeois government, liberal, conservative, centrist or what not likes whistleblowers, in any shape, size or form, period, although we of the extra-parliamentary left certainly do if for no other reason that to see just how grimy and bad the inner workings of the governments we oppose propagandistically day in and day out really are. The Stalinists, as we also know were, and in places like China and Cuba today, are just slightly behind in their scornful attitude toward the species. Nevertheless more knowledge is always a good thing. As 19th century revolutionary, Karl Marx, was fond of saying, “ignorance never did anybody any good.” A very worthy tip of the hat to Wikileaks and to their whistleblowers.
Of course, that is not the end of the matter. The material provided here, unlike the Daniel Ellsberg-leaked Pentagon Papers during the height of the struggle against the Vietnam War, is not an expose of the Bush and Obama administrations' high inner-circle deliberations about the direction of the Afghan War. But, we will take what we can get. On the surface, at least, this material gives us plenty of ammunition to expose the duplicity of the Americans, the Pakistanis, and all factions of the Afghanis (including the Taliban) and, when the deal is finished, who knows who else. But here is the clincher- None of that material does us any good, or little good, if we don’t get a massive opposition organized (something coming off of last spring’s anti-war drive in Washington, D.C. on March 20th we have not done yet) to the Obama/Allied Afghan War policies. Thus- Obama- Immediate, Unconditional Withdrawal Of All U.S./Allied Troops And Mercenaries From Afghanistan (And Iraq)!
*Songs To While Away The Class Struggle By- Phil Och's "There But For Fortune"
In this series, presented under the headline “Songs To While Away The Class Struggle By”, I will post some songs that I think will help us get through the “dog days” of the struggle for our communist future. I do not vouch for the political thrust of the songs; for the most part they are done by pacifists, social democrats, hell, even just plain old ordinary democrats. And, occasionally, a communist, although hard communist musicians have historically been scarce on the ground. Thus, here we have a regular "popular front" on the music scene. While this would not be acceptable for our political prospects, it will suffice for our purposes here. Markin.
***********
Markin comment:
This is a continuation of entries for folksinger/songwriter Phil Och's who back in the early 1960s stood right up there with Bob Dylan in the protest songwriting category. The entries on this date testify to that. However, early on I sensed something special about Dylan and never really warmed up to Ochs. His singing style did not "move" me and that counted for a lot in those days. The rest just turned on preference.
********
There but for Fortune Lyrics
Intro: G Cm G Cm G Cm
G Cm G Cm
Show me a prison, show me a jail,
G Em Am D
Show me a prisoner whose face has gone pale
Em C Am
And I'll show you a young man with so many reasons why
Bm G Am D
And there but for fortune, may go you or I
Show me the alley, show me the train,
Show me a hobo who sleeps out in the rain,
And I'll show you a young man with so many reasons why
There but for fortune, may go you or go I -- you and I.
Show me the whiskey stains on the floor,
Show me the dunken man as he stumbles out the door,
And I'll show you a young man with so many reasons why
There but for fortune, may go you or go I -- you and I.
[Extra verse... written by Noel Paul Stookey]
Show me the famine, show me the frail
Eyes with no future that show how we failed
And I'll show you the children with so many reasons why
There but for fortune, go you or I.
Show me the country where bombs had to fall,
Show me the ruins of buildings once so tall,
And I'll show you a young land with so many reasons why
There but for fortune, go you or go I -- you and I.
You and I,
There but for fortune, go you or go I -- you and I.
Here it is in French (supplied by William Curtis):
Je vois le prison
Je vois la nuit
Je vois le prisonnier qui pleure sa vie
Et je me dis souvent
Quand je m'endors dans tes bras
Ou va la chance, a toi ? a moi ?
Je vois des blessures
Jamais gueries
Je vois le vagabond
Quit dort sous la pluie
Je vois cet homme
Au coeur perdu
Qui boit pour ne plus voir
Ce qu'il est devenu
Je vois des villes
Dont les maisons
Un jour sous la guerre
Ont croule sans raison
***********
Markin comment:
This is a continuation of entries for folksinger/songwriter Phil Och's who back in the early 1960s stood right up there with Bob Dylan in the protest songwriting category. The entries on this date testify to that. However, early on I sensed something special about Dylan and never really warmed up to Ochs. His singing style did not "move" me and that counted for a lot in those days. The rest just turned on preference.
********
There but for Fortune Lyrics
Intro: G Cm G Cm G Cm
G Cm G Cm
Show me a prison, show me a jail,
G Em Am D
Show me a prisoner whose face has gone pale
Em C Am
And I'll show you a young man with so many reasons why
Bm G Am D
And there but for fortune, may go you or I
Show me the alley, show me the train,
Show me a hobo who sleeps out in the rain,
And I'll show you a young man with so many reasons why
There but for fortune, may go you or go I -- you and I.
Show me the whiskey stains on the floor,
Show me the dunken man as he stumbles out the door,
And I'll show you a young man with so many reasons why
There but for fortune, may go you or go I -- you and I.
[Extra verse... written by Noel Paul Stookey]
Show me the famine, show me the frail
Eyes with no future that show how we failed
And I'll show you the children with so many reasons why
There but for fortune, go you or I.
Show me the country where bombs had to fall,
Show me the ruins of buildings once so tall,
And I'll show you a young land with so many reasons why
There but for fortune, go you or go I -- you and I.
You and I,
There but for fortune, go you or go I -- you and I.
Here it is in French (supplied by William Curtis):
Je vois le prison
Je vois la nuit
Je vois le prisonnier qui pleure sa vie
Et je me dis souvent
Quand je m'endors dans tes bras
Ou va la chance, a toi ? a moi ?
Je vois des blessures
Jamais gueries
Je vois le vagabond
Quit dort sous la pluie
Je vois cet homme
Au coeur perdu
Qui boit pour ne plus voir
Ce qu'il est devenu
Je vois des villes
Dont les maisons
Un jour sous la guerre
Ont croule sans raison
*Songs To While Away The Class Struggle By- Phil Och's "Love Me, I'm A Liberal"- Some Songs Are Timeless-Ouch, Phil!
In this series, presented under the headline “Songs To While Away The Class Struggle By”, I will post some songs that I think will help us get through the “dog days” of the struggle for our communist future. I do not vouch for the political thrust of the songs; for the most part they are done by pacifists, social democrats, hell, even just plain old ordinary democrats. And, occasionally, a communist, although hard communist musicians have historically been scarce on the ground. Thus, here we have a regular "popular front" on the music scene. While this would not be acceptable for our political prospects, it will suffice for our purposes here. Markin.
***********
Markin comment:
This is a continuation of entries for folksinger/songwriter Phil Och's who back in the early 1960s stood right up there with Bob Dylan in the protest songwriting category. The entries on this date testify to that. However, early on I sensed something special about Dylan and never really warmed up to Ochs. His singing style did not "move" me and that counted for a lot in those days. The rest just turned on preference.
********
This may not be Phil's best song but time has done nothing to diminish its razor-edged point.
Love Me, I'm a Liberal Lyrics
E A E A
I cried when they shot Medgar Evers
E C#m
Tears ran down my spine
E A E
I cried when they shot Mr. Kennedy
F#7 B7
As though I'd lost a father of mine
E A E
But Malcolm X got what was coming
G#m A
He got what he asked for this time
E C#m A B7 E
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal
I go to civil rights rallies
And I put down the old D.A.R.
I love Harry and Sidney and Sammy
I hope every colored boy becomes a star
But don't talk about revolution
That's going a little bit too far
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal
I cheered when Humphrey was chosen
My faith in the system restored
I'm glad the commies were thrown out
of the A.F.L. C.I.O. board
I love Puerto Ricans and Negros
as long as they don't move next door
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal
The people of old Mississippi
Should all hang their heads in shame
I can't understand how their minds work
What's the matter don't they watch Les Crain?
But if you ask me to bus my children
I hope the cops take down your name
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal
I read New republic and Nation
I've learned to take every view
You know, I've memorized Lerner and Golden
I feel like I'm almost a Jew
But when it comes to times like korea
There's no one more red, white and blue
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal
I vote for the democtratic party
They want the U.N. to be strong
I go to all the Pete Seeger concerts
He sure gets me singing those songs
I'll send all the money you ask for
But don't ask me to come on along
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal
Once I was young and impulsive
I wore every conceivable pin
Even went to the socialist meetings
Learned all the old union hymns
But I've grown older and wiser
And that's why I'm turning you in
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal
***********
Markin comment:
This is a continuation of entries for folksinger/songwriter Phil Och's who back in the early 1960s stood right up there with Bob Dylan in the protest songwriting category. The entries on this date testify to that. However, early on I sensed something special about Dylan and never really warmed up to Ochs. His singing style did not "move" me and that counted for a lot in those days. The rest just turned on preference.
********
This may not be Phil's best song but time has done nothing to diminish its razor-edged point.
Love Me, I'm a Liberal Lyrics
E A E A
I cried when they shot Medgar Evers
E C#m
Tears ran down my spine
E A E
I cried when they shot Mr. Kennedy
F#7 B7
As though I'd lost a father of mine
E A E
But Malcolm X got what was coming
G#m A
He got what he asked for this time
E C#m A B7 E
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal
I go to civil rights rallies
And I put down the old D.A.R.
I love Harry and Sidney and Sammy
I hope every colored boy becomes a star
But don't talk about revolution
That's going a little bit too far
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal
I cheered when Humphrey was chosen
My faith in the system restored
I'm glad the commies were thrown out
of the A.F.L. C.I.O. board
I love Puerto Ricans and Negros
as long as they don't move next door
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal
The people of old Mississippi
Should all hang their heads in shame
I can't understand how their minds work
What's the matter don't they watch Les Crain?
But if you ask me to bus my children
I hope the cops take down your name
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal
I read New republic and Nation
I've learned to take every view
You know, I've memorized Lerner and Golden
I feel like I'm almost a Jew
But when it comes to times like korea
There's no one more red, white and blue
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal
I vote for the democtratic party
They want the U.N. to be strong
I go to all the Pete Seeger concerts
He sure gets me singing those songs
I'll send all the money you ask for
But don't ask me to come on along
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal
Once I was young and impulsive
I wore every conceivable pin
Even went to the socialist meetings
Learned all the old union hymns
But I've grown older and wiser
And that's why I'm turning you in
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal
*Songs To While Away The Class Struggle By- Phil Och's "Going Down To Mississippi"
In this series, presented under the headline “Songs To While Away The Class Struggle By”, I will post some songs that I think will help us get through the “dog days” of the struggle for our communist future. I do not vouch for the political thrust of the songs; for the most part they are done by pacifists, social democrats, hell, even just plain old ordinary democrats. And, occasionally, a communist, although hard communist musicians have historically been scarce on the ground. Thus, here we have a regular "popular front" on the music scene. While this would not be acceptable for our political prospects, it will suffice for our purposes here. Markin.
***********
Markin comment:
This is a continuation of entries for folksinger/songwriter Phil Och's who back in the early 1960s stood right up there with Bob Dylan in the protest songwriting category. The entries on this date testify to that. However, early on I sensed something special about Dylan and never really warmed up to Ochs. His singing style did not "move" me and that counted for a lot in those days. The rest just turned on preference.
********
Going Down To Mississipi Lyrics
I'm going down to Mississipi
I'm going down a southern road
And if you never see me again
Remember that I had to go
Remember that I had to go
It's a long road down to Mississipi
It's a short road back the other way
If the cops pull you over to the side of the road
You won't have nothing to say
No, you won't have nothing to say
There's a man waiting down in Mississippi
And he's waiting with a rifle in his hand
And he's looking down the road for an out-of-state car
And he thinks he's fighting for his land
Yes, he thinks he's fighting for his land
And he won't know the clothes I'm wearing
And he doesn't know the name that I own
But his gun is large and his hate is hard
And he knows I'm coming down the road
Yes, he knows I'm coming down the road
It's not for the glory that I'm leaving
It's not trouble that I'm looking for
But there's lots of good work calling me down
And The waiting won't do no more
No, The waiting won't do no more
Don't call me the brave one for going
No, don't pin a medal to my name
For even if there was any choice to make
I'd be going down just the same
I'd be going down just the same
For someone's got to go to mississipi
Just as sure as there's a right and there's a wrong
Even though you say the time will change
That time is just too long
That time is just too long
So I'm going down to Mississipi
I'm going down a southern road
And if you never see me again
Remember that I had to go
Remember that I had to go
***********
Markin comment:
This is a continuation of entries for folksinger/songwriter Phil Och's who back in the early 1960s stood right up there with Bob Dylan in the protest songwriting category. The entries on this date testify to that. However, early on I sensed something special about Dylan and never really warmed up to Ochs. His singing style did not "move" me and that counted for a lot in those days. The rest just turned on preference.
********
Going Down To Mississipi Lyrics
I'm going down to Mississipi
I'm going down a southern road
And if you never see me again
Remember that I had to go
Remember that I had to go
It's a long road down to Mississipi
It's a short road back the other way
If the cops pull you over to the side of the road
You won't have nothing to say
No, you won't have nothing to say
There's a man waiting down in Mississippi
And he's waiting with a rifle in his hand
And he's looking down the road for an out-of-state car
And he thinks he's fighting for his land
Yes, he thinks he's fighting for his land
And he won't know the clothes I'm wearing
And he doesn't know the name that I own
But his gun is large and his hate is hard
And he knows I'm coming down the road
Yes, he knows I'm coming down the road
It's not for the glory that I'm leaving
It's not trouble that I'm looking for
But there's lots of good work calling me down
And The waiting won't do no more
No, The waiting won't do no more
Don't call me the brave one for going
No, don't pin a medal to my name
For even if there was any choice to make
I'd be going down just the same
I'd be going down just the same
For someone's got to go to mississipi
Just as sure as there's a right and there's a wrong
Even though you say the time will change
That time is just too long
That time is just too long
So I'm going down to Mississipi
I'm going down a southern road
And if you never see me again
Remember that I had to go
Remember that I had to go
***Songs To While Away The Class Struggle By- Phil Och's "Here's To The State Of Mississippi"-Mississippi Goddam, Once Again
Click on the title to link to YouTube to hear the above-mentioned Phil Ochs song.
In this series, presented under the headline “Songs To While Away The Class Struggle By”, I will post some songs that I think will help us get through the “dog days” of the struggle for our communist future. I do not vouch for the political thrust of the songs; for the most part they are done by pacifists, social democrats, hell, even just plain old ordinary democrats. And, occasionally, a communist, although hard communist musicians have historically been scarce on the ground. Thus, here we have a regular "popular front" on the music scene. While this would not be acceptable for our political prospects, it will suffice for our purposes here. Markin.
***********
Markin comment:
This is a continuation of entries for folksinger/songwriter Phil Och's who back in the early 1960s stood right up there with Bob Dylan in the protest songwriting category. The entries on this date testify to that. However, early on I sensed something special about Dylan and never really warmed up to Ochs. His singing style did not "move" me and that counted for a lot in those days. The rest just turned on preference.
********
Here's to the State of Mississippi Lyrics
G Em D
Here's to the state of Mississippi,
G F
For Underheath her borders, the devil draws no lines,
G F
If you drag her muddy river, nameless bodies you will find.
G F
whoa the fat trees of the forest have hid a thousand crimes,
G Em Am D
the calender is lyin' when it reads the present time.
G Em C G
Whoa here's to the land you've torn out the heart of,
G Em D G
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of!
Here's to the people of Mississippi
Who say the folks up north, they just don't understand
And they tremble in their shadows at the thunder of the Klan
The sweating of their souls can't wash the blood from off their hands
They smile and shrug their shoulders at the murder of a man
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of
Here's to the schools of Mississippi
Where they're teaching all the children that they don't have to care
All of rudiments of hatred are present everywhere
And every single classroom is a factory of despair
There's nobody learning such a foreign word as fair
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of
Here's to the cops of Mississippi
They're chewing their tobacco as they lock the prison door
Their bellies bounce inside them as they knock you to the floor
No they don't like taking prisoners in their private little war
Behind their broken badges there are murderers and more
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of
And, here's to the judges of Mississippi
Who wear the robe of honor as they crawl into the court
They're guarding all the bastions with their phony legal fort
Oh, justice is a stranger when the prisoners report
When the black man stands accused the trial is always short
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of
And here's to the government of Mississippi
In the swamp of their bureaucracy they're always bogging down
And criminals are posing as the mayors of the towns
They're hoping that no one sees the sights and hears the sounds
And the speeches of the governor are the ravings of a clown
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of
And here's to the laws of Mississippi
Congressmen will gather in a circus of delay
While the Constitution is drowning in an ocean of decay
Unwed mothers should be sterilized, I've even heard them say
Yes, corruption can be classic in the Mississippi way
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of
And here's to the churches of Mississippi
Where the cross, once made of silver, now is caked with rust
And the Sunday morning sermons pander to their lust
The fallen face of Jesus is choking in the dust
Heaven only knows in which God they can trust
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of
In this series, presented under the headline “Songs To While Away The Class Struggle By”, I will post some songs that I think will help us get through the “dog days” of the struggle for our communist future. I do not vouch for the political thrust of the songs; for the most part they are done by pacifists, social democrats, hell, even just plain old ordinary democrats. And, occasionally, a communist, although hard communist musicians have historically been scarce on the ground. Thus, here we have a regular "popular front" on the music scene. While this would not be acceptable for our political prospects, it will suffice for our purposes here. Markin.
***********
Markin comment:
This is a continuation of entries for folksinger/songwriter Phil Och's who back in the early 1960s stood right up there with Bob Dylan in the protest songwriting category. The entries on this date testify to that. However, early on I sensed something special about Dylan and never really warmed up to Ochs. His singing style did not "move" me and that counted for a lot in those days. The rest just turned on preference.
********
Here's to the State of Mississippi Lyrics
G Em D
Here's to the state of Mississippi,
G F
For Underheath her borders, the devil draws no lines,
G F
If you drag her muddy river, nameless bodies you will find.
G F
whoa the fat trees of the forest have hid a thousand crimes,
G Em Am D
the calender is lyin' when it reads the present time.
G Em C G
Whoa here's to the land you've torn out the heart of,
G Em D G
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of!
Here's to the people of Mississippi
Who say the folks up north, they just don't understand
And they tremble in their shadows at the thunder of the Klan
The sweating of their souls can't wash the blood from off their hands
They smile and shrug their shoulders at the murder of a man
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of
Here's to the schools of Mississippi
Where they're teaching all the children that they don't have to care
All of rudiments of hatred are present everywhere
And every single classroom is a factory of despair
There's nobody learning such a foreign word as fair
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of
Here's to the cops of Mississippi
They're chewing their tobacco as they lock the prison door
Their bellies bounce inside them as they knock you to the floor
No they don't like taking prisoners in their private little war
Behind their broken badges there are murderers and more
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of
And, here's to the judges of Mississippi
Who wear the robe of honor as they crawl into the court
They're guarding all the bastions with their phony legal fort
Oh, justice is a stranger when the prisoners report
When the black man stands accused the trial is always short
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of
And here's to the government of Mississippi
In the swamp of their bureaucracy they're always bogging down
And criminals are posing as the mayors of the towns
They're hoping that no one sees the sights and hears the sounds
And the speeches of the governor are the ravings of a clown
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of
And here's to the laws of Mississippi
Congressmen will gather in a circus of delay
While the Constitution is drowning in an ocean of decay
Unwed mothers should be sterilized, I've even heard them say
Yes, corruption can be classic in the Mississippi way
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of
And here's to the churches of Mississippi
Where the cross, once made of silver, now is caked with rust
And the Sunday morning sermons pander to their lust
The fallen face of Jesus is choking in the dust
Heaven only knows in which God they can trust
Oh, here's to the land you've torn out the heart of
Mississippi find yourself another country to be part of
*Songs To While Away The Class Struggle By- Phil Och's "A.M.A." Song"
Click on the title to link to YouTube to hear the above-mentioned Phil Ochs song.
In this series, presented under the headline “Songs To While Away The Class Struggle By”, I will post some songs that I think will help us get through the “dog days” of the struggle for our communist future. I do not vouch for the political thrust of the songs; for the most part they are done by pacifists, social democrats, hell, even just plain old ordinary democrats. And, occasionally, a communist, although hard communist musicians have historically been scarce on the ground. Thus, here we have a regular "popular front" on the music scene. While this would not be acceptable for our political prospects, it will suffice for our purposes here. Markin.
***********
Markin comment:
This is a continuation of entries for folksinger/songwriter Phil Och's who back in the early 1960s stood right up there with Bob Dylan in the protest songwriting category. The entries on this date testify to that. However, early on I sensed something special about Dylan and never really warmed up to Ochs. His singing style did not "move" me and that counted for a lot in those days. The rest just turned on preference.
********
A.M.A. Song Lyrics
G D G
We are the nation's physicians
D G
Yes, we give to our lobbies every day
D B C7
We will fight against disease when the money comes with ease
G D G
And when we get together we say
C G
Hooray for A.M.A.
C G D
And for us doctors gluts of higher pay
G D B C7
If you can't afford my bill don't you tell me that you're ill
G D G
'Cause that's the free enterprise way
We've divided up the sections of the body
Every day we specialize more and more
But we really love to stitch the diseases of the rich
We are sure there is a clinic for the poor
Hooray for the A.M.A
And for us doctors gluts of higher pay
If you can't afford my bill don't you tell me that you're ill
'Cause that's the free enterprise way
And our waiting rooms are getting pretty crowded
It is sad to see our patients sit and bleed
But if you must use our ointment then you must have an appointment
Or who'll pay for those magazines you read
Hooray for the A.M.A
And for us doctors gluts of higher pay, higher pay
If you can't afford my bill don't you tell me that you're ill
'Cause that's the free enterprise way
And now the government is getting too ambitious
Yes, we know they want to socialize us all
Well our oath was hippocratic but with money we're fanatic
So we'll see you in Canada in the fall [1]
Hooray for the A.M.A.
And for us doctors gluts of higher pay
If you can't afford my bill don't you tell me that you're ill
'Cause that's the free enterprise way
AMALGAMATED A.M.A.
In this series, presented under the headline “Songs To While Away The Class Struggle By”, I will post some songs that I think will help us get through the “dog days” of the struggle for our communist future. I do not vouch for the political thrust of the songs; for the most part they are done by pacifists, social democrats, hell, even just plain old ordinary democrats. And, occasionally, a communist, although hard communist musicians have historically been scarce on the ground. Thus, here we have a regular "popular front" on the music scene. While this would not be acceptable for our political prospects, it will suffice for our purposes here. Markin.
***********
Markin comment:
This is a continuation of entries for folksinger/songwriter Phil Och's who back in the early 1960s stood right up there with Bob Dylan in the protest songwriting category. The entries on this date testify to that. However, early on I sensed something special about Dylan and never really warmed up to Ochs. His singing style did not "move" me and that counted for a lot in those days. The rest just turned on preference.
********
A.M.A. Song Lyrics
G D G
We are the nation's physicians
D G
Yes, we give to our lobbies every day
D B C7
We will fight against disease when the money comes with ease
G D G
And when we get together we say
C G
Hooray for A.M.A.
C G D
And for us doctors gluts of higher pay
G D B C7
If you can't afford my bill don't you tell me that you're ill
G D G
'Cause that's the free enterprise way
We've divided up the sections of the body
Every day we specialize more and more
But we really love to stitch the diseases of the rich
We are sure there is a clinic for the poor
Hooray for the A.M.A
And for us doctors gluts of higher pay
If you can't afford my bill don't you tell me that you're ill
'Cause that's the free enterprise way
And our waiting rooms are getting pretty crowded
It is sad to see our patients sit and bleed
But if you must use our ointment then you must have an appointment
Or who'll pay for those magazines you read
Hooray for the A.M.A
And for us doctors gluts of higher pay, higher pay
If you can't afford my bill don't you tell me that you're ill
'Cause that's the free enterprise way
And now the government is getting too ambitious
Yes, we know they want to socialize us all
Well our oath was hippocratic but with money we're fanatic
So we'll see you in Canada in the fall [1]
Hooray for the A.M.A.
And for us doctors gluts of higher pay
If you can't afford my bill don't you tell me that you're ill
'Cause that's the free enterprise way
AMALGAMATED A.M.A.
Thursday, August 05, 2010
*From The Archives Of The “Revolutionary History” Journal-Liverpool: A City That Dared to Fight- A Review
Click on the headline to link to the “Revolutionary History” Journal entry listed in the title.
Markin comment:
This is an excellent documentary source for today’s militants to “discovery” the work of our forbears, whether we agree with their programs or not. Mainly not, but that does not negate the value of such work done under the pressure of revolutionary times. Hopefully we will do better when our time comes.
Markin comment:
This is an excellent documentary source for today’s militants to “discovery” the work of our forbears, whether we agree with their programs or not. Mainly not, but that does not negate the value of such work done under the pressure of revolutionary times. Hopefully we will do better when our time comes.
*From The Archives Of The “Revolutionary History” Journal-French Trotskyism in the Second World War
Click on the headline to link to the “Revolutionary History” Journal entry listed in the title.
Markin comment:
This is an excellent documentary source for today’s militants to “discovery” the work of our forbears, whether we agree with their programs or not. Mainly not, but that does not negate the value of such work done under the pressure of revolutionary times. Hopefully we will do better when our time comes.
Markin comment:
This is an excellent documentary source for today’s militants to “discovery” the work of our forbears, whether we agree with their programs or not. Mainly not, but that does not negate the value of such work done under the pressure of revolutionary times. Hopefully we will do better when our time comes.
*From The Archives Of The “Revolutionary History” Journal-Trotskyism in India
Click on the headline to link to the “Revolutionary History” Journal entry listed in the title.
Markin comment:
This is an excellent documentary source for today’s militants to “discovery” the work of our forbears, whether we agree with their programs or not. Mainly not, but that does not negate the value of such work done under the pressure of revolutionary times. Hopefully we will do better when our time comes.
Markin comment:
This is an excellent documentary source for today’s militants to “discovery” the work of our forbears, whether we agree with their programs or not. Mainly not, but that does not negate the value of such work done under the pressure of revolutionary times. Hopefully we will do better when our time comes.
*From The Wilds Of Cyberspace-The Latest From The "By Any Means Necessary" Website
Click on the title to link to the website mentioned in the headline for the latest news and opinion from that site.
Once More Around the Bloc: Tactics, Democracy, and Mass Politics‘If Protesting is a Conspiracy, Then We are All Proud to Conspire!’
Posted by rowlandkeshena on July 29, 2010
By Derrick O’Keefe. This appeared on Socialist Voice.
On July 17, 200 people marched and rallied in Vancouver, Canada to protest the police repression of protests during the G8/G20 summit meetings in Toronto June 25-27.
Speakers at the rally included representatives of Amnesty International and the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association, Derrick O’Keefe of the Vancouver Stopwar coalition, and New Democratic Party MP Don Davies.
Also speaking were three young people who took part in the protests and were arrested, including Montreal resident Natalie Gray, who was shot twice by police rubber bullets then detained and abused for 30 hours. Gray has retained noted civil rights lawyer Clayton Ruby and is suing the Toronto Police. Her talk at the July 17 rally has been published by rabble.ca.
All speakers delivered powerful affirmations of the right to speak out and organize against the policies of the G8/G20 summit gatherings, including the call by Toronto protest organizers and participants for a full and independent public inquiry into the police operation that cost more than $1 billion and incarcerated some 1,000 people.
The following is Derrick O’Keefe’s talk to the Vancouver rally.
hanks to everyone for coming out today. There are rallies like this one across the country today. There is a rally in Toronto, and I’ve heard that there are a lot of bubbles in the air heading over the police’s heads at this rally. Did you hear about this? A young woman was arrested in Toronto during the G20 summit for blowing bubbles, if you can believe that. What do we think of that? ["Shame!"]
Our idea of free speech includes bubble blowing – it’s not a chemical weapon. And this just gives you an idea of what happened in Toronto and what the atmosphere was. I went out to Toronto with the Canadian Peace Alliance. On my first night there, I spoke at a forum about Canadian foreign policy in Afghanistan and in Palestine. I was speaking on a panel with a journalist who writes for The Guardian, named Jesse Rosenfeld.
While we were having this ordinary public forum in a small art space on Bloor Street, we noticed there were police peeking through the windows, about six of them. Someone went out to ask the police, “What are you doing? This is a public forum.” They asked, “Are there any protesters inside?”
So they were treating everyone in Toronto that week as a potential protester, as a potential dissident and therefore as a criminal. This was the climate that was created, and it was obvious. They didn’t need any pretext, they didn’t need anything to justify what they did. This was planned. You could see in the days leading up to the weekend of protest that there were going to be mass arrests. There were 20,000 police officers in Toronto, that’s more than one for every protester who was out for the big day of action on Saturday, June 26.
What do we say about turning a major Canadian city into a police state? ["Shame!"]
What do we say about spending 1.3 billion dollars for a week-end of photo-ops for some of the biggest thugs and war criminals in the world? ["Shame!"]
What do we say to a government that would be party to ordering the biggest mass arrest in Canadian history and then stonewall and deny a full public inquiry?["Shame!"]
That’s why we’re here today.
I know some people have said that the police weren’t really doing their job, but if you think about it, in a society like ours with so many injustices, the police were doing their job, just in a little more over-the-top way than normal.
They were serving and protecting, but who were they serving and protecting at the G20?
They were protecting the criminals who were inside the fence, the criminals who are destroying our environment, the criminals who are waging illegal wars abroad, and the criminals who are attacking your rights every single day, who are attacking the poor people right across the country!
It wasn’t enough that they arrested over 1000 people. They arrested journalists. They arrested Jesse Rosenfeld, the young guy on the forum panel with me; on Saturday night, they punched him in the gut and hauled him away for witnessing a peaceful sit-in in front of the Novotel hotel where G20 delegates were staying.
They arrested bystanders who had just walked out of their homes to see what was going on.
And they even arrested some corporate media reporters live on the air – which helped the media coverage quality. But that is a real shame and an attack on free speech.
It wasn’t enough that they did these mass arrests – today there are still people in jail. I think it’s about a dozen people, facing conspiracy charges. I suppose that’s appropriate, because there was once a time in this country where you could be charged with criminal conspiracy just for getting together and talking about organizing a union. You could be charged with criminal conspiracy if you were a group of women getting together and talking about the fight for the right to vote, or the right to choose. They have always tried to criminalize dissent when people get together and fight for their rights.
We’re here to say that if organizing for social justice, if dissenting, if protesting is a conspiracy – then we are all conspirators, and we are proud to conspire! [Cheers, applause]
And as long as any one of our comrades, as long as any social justice activist is in jail in this country for organizing, we are going to continue to conspire, we are going to continue to protest, and we are going to continue to stand up for our rights! [Cheers, applause]
So let’s continue pushing for a public inquiry, but more importantly, let’s continue asserting our rights. Because you don’t win anything without constant protest, without constant vigilance. Every right that we have won has involved people going to jail, it has involved people going outside of the laws of day sometimes when those laws were unjust, and that continues to be the case today! [Cheers, applause]
We don’t have to beg for our right to protest, we don’t even have to politely ask. Everything we have in that Charter of Rights and Freedoms was demanded, was fought for, and was taken from the government of Canada. We will continue, every day if we have to, to take our rights and to assert our free speech from coast to coast to coast! [Cheers, applause]
So let’s finish up with a little more of that slogan, “This is what democracy looks like! Because this is what democracy looks like, and this is what political participation looks like!”
[Chants: This is what democracy looks like!]
Once More Around the Bloc: Tactics, Democracy, and Mass Politics‘If Protesting is a Conspiracy, Then We are All Proud to Conspire!’
Posted by rowlandkeshena on July 29, 2010
By Derrick O’Keefe. This appeared on Socialist Voice.
On July 17, 200 people marched and rallied in Vancouver, Canada to protest the police repression of protests during the G8/G20 summit meetings in Toronto June 25-27.
Speakers at the rally included representatives of Amnesty International and the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association, Derrick O’Keefe of the Vancouver Stopwar coalition, and New Democratic Party MP Don Davies.
Also speaking were three young people who took part in the protests and were arrested, including Montreal resident Natalie Gray, who was shot twice by police rubber bullets then detained and abused for 30 hours. Gray has retained noted civil rights lawyer Clayton Ruby and is suing the Toronto Police. Her talk at the July 17 rally has been published by rabble.ca.
All speakers delivered powerful affirmations of the right to speak out and organize against the policies of the G8/G20 summit gatherings, including the call by Toronto protest organizers and participants for a full and independent public inquiry into the police operation that cost more than $1 billion and incarcerated some 1,000 people.
The following is Derrick O’Keefe’s talk to the Vancouver rally.
hanks to everyone for coming out today. There are rallies like this one across the country today. There is a rally in Toronto, and I’ve heard that there are a lot of bubbles in the air heading over the police’s heads at this rally. Did you hear about this? A young woman was arrested in Toronto during the G20 summit for blowing bubbles, if you can believe that. What do we think of that? ["Shame!"]
Our idea of free speech includes bubble blowing – it’s not a chemical weapon. And this just gives you an idea of what happened in Toronto and what the atmosphere was. I went out to Toronto with the Canadian Peace Alliance. On my first night there, I spoke at a forum about Canadian foreign policy in Afghanistan and in Palestine. I was speaking on a panel with a journalist who writes for The Guardian, named Jesse Rosenfeld.
While we were having this ordinary public forum in a small art space on Bloor Street, we noticed there were police peeking through the windows, about six of them. Someone went out to ask the police, “What are you doing? This is a public forum.” They asked, “Are there any protesters inside?”
So they were treating everyone in Toronto that week as a potential protester, as a potential dissident and therefore as a criminal. This was the climate that was created, and it was obvious. They didn’t need any pretext, they didn’t need anything to justify what they did. This was planned. You could see in the days leading up to the weekend of protest that there were going to be mass arrests. There were 20,000 police officers in Toronto, that’s more than one for every protester who was out for the big day of action on Saturday, June 26.
What do we say about turning a major Canadian city into a police state? ["Shame!"]
What do we say about spending 1.3 billion dollars for a week-end of photo-ops for some of the biggest thugs and war criminals in the world? ["Shame!"]
What do we say to a government that would be party to ordering the biggest mass arrest in Canadian history and then stonewall and deny a full public inquiry?["Shame!"]
That’s why we’re here today.
I know some people have said that the police weren’t really doing their job, but if you think about it, in a society like ours with so many injustices, the police were doing their job, just in a little more over-the-top way than normal.
They were serving and protecting, but who were they serving and protecting at the G20?
They were protecting the criminals who were inside the fence, the criminals who are destroying our environment, the criminals who are waging illegal wars abroad, and the criminals who are attacking your rights every single day, who are attacking the poor people right across the country!
It wasn’t enough that they arrested over 1000 people. They arrested journalists. They arrested Jesse Rosenfeld, the young guy on the forum panel with me; on Saturday night, they punched him in the gut and hauled him away for witnessing a peaceful sit-in in front of the Novotel hotel where G20 delegates were staying.
They arrested bystanders who had just walked out of their homes to see what was going on.
And they even arrested some corporate media reporters live on the air – which helped the media coverage quality. But that is a real shame and an attack on free speech.
It wasn’t enough that they did these mass arrests – today there are still people in jail. I think it’s about a dozen people, facing conspiracy charges. I suppose that’s appropriate, because there was once a time in this country where you could be charged with criminal conspiracy just for getting together and talking about organizing a union. You could be charged with criminal conspiracy if you were a group of women getting together and talking about the fight for the right to vote, or the right to choose. They have always tried to criminalize dissent when people get together and fight for their rights.
We’re here to say that if organizing for social justice, if dissenting, if protesting is a conspiracy – then we are all conspirators, and we are proud to conspire! [Cheers, applause]
And as long as any one of our comrades, as long as any social justice activist is in jail in this country for organizing, we are going to continue to conspire, we are going to continue to protest, and we are going to continue to stand up for our rights! [Cheers, applause]
So let’s continue pushing for a public inquiry, but more importantly, let’s continue asserting our rights. Because you don’t win anything without constant protest, without constant vigilance. Every right that we have won has involved people going to jail, it has involved people going outside of the laws of day sometimes when those laws were unjust, and that continues to be the case today! [Cheers, applause]
We don’t have to beg for our right to protest, we don’t even have to politely ask. Everything we have in that Charter of Rights and Freedoms was demanded, was fought for, and was taken from the government of Canada. We will continue, every day if we have to, to take our rights and to assert our free speech from coast to coast to coast! [Cheers, applause]
So let’s finish up with a little more of that slogan, “This is what democracy looks like! Because this is what democracy looks like, and this is what political participation looks like!”
[Chants: This is what democracy looks like!]
*From The Wilds Of Cyberspace- The Latest From The "Socialist Appeal" Website-“Socialism” No Longer a Dirty Word
Click on the title to link to the website mentioned in the headline for the latest news and opinion from that site.
Socialism” No Longer a Dirty Word
Written by Socialist Appeal
Tuesday, 06 July 2010
A recent Pew Research Center poll, arguably by the most respected polling company in the country, asked over 1,500 randomly selected Americans to describe their reactions to terms such as “capitalism” and “socialism.” Pew summarized the results of the poll with the title: “Socialism not so negative; capitalism not so positive.”
Only a narrow majority of 52% of all Americans react positively to “capitalism.” Thirty-seven percent say they have a negative reaction and the rest aren’t sure.
Among the “millennial generation,” those currently between 18 and 30, just 43% of Americans describe “capitalism” as positive, while 43%, describe “socialism” as positive. In other words, young people are equally divided between capitalism and socialism.
Among Democrats, 47% see capitalism as positive, while 44% see socialism positively. While it is impossible to know just what people understand by these terms, it is clear that interest in socialism is rising.
According to Boston College professor Charles Derber: “On nearly every major issue, from support minimum wage and unions, preference for diplomacy over force, deep concern for the environment, belief that big business is corrupting democracy, and support for many major social programs including Social Security and Medicare, the progressive position has been strong and relatively stable. If “socialism” means support for these issues, the interpretation of the Pew poll is a Center-Left country. If socialism means a search for a genuine systemic alternative, then America, particularly its youth, is emerging as a majoritarian social democracy, or in a majoritarian search for a more cooperativist, green, and more peaceful and socially just order.”
This comes at a time when the media tells us that the “Tea Party” represents the true face of protest and frustration in the U.S. The last thing they want is to give anyone the idea that the pent-up discontent can be expressed in a leftward direction. But sooner, rather than later, we can be sure it will, and in a big way.
Socialism” No Longer a Dirty Word
Written by Socialist Appeal
Tuesday, 06 July 2010
A recent Pew Research Center poll, arguably by the most respected polling company in the country, asked over 1,500 randomly selected Americans to describe their reactions to terms such as “capitalism” and “socialism.” Pew summarized the results of the poll with the title: “Socialism not so negative; capitalism not so positive.”
Only a narrow majority of 52% of all Americans react positively to “capitalism.” Thirty-seven percent say they have a negative reaction and the rest aren’t sure.
Among the “millennial generation,” those currently between 18 and 30, just 43% of Americans describe “capitalism” as positive, while 43%, describe “socialism” as positive. In other words, young people are equally divided between capitalism and socialism.
Among Democrats, 47% see capitalism as positive, while 44% see socialism positively. While it is impossible to know just what people understand by these terms, it is clear that interest in socialism is rising.
According to Boston College professor Charles Derber: “On nearly every major issue, from support minimum wage and unions, preference for diplomacy over force, deep concern for the environment, belief that big business is corrupting democracy, and support for many major social programs including Social Security and Medicare, the progressive position has been strong and relatively stable. If “socialism” means support for these issues, the interpretation of the Pew poll is a Center-Left country. If socialism means a search for a genuine systemic alternative, then America, particularly its youth, is emerging as a majoritarian social democracy, or in a majoritarian search for a more cooperativist, green, and more peaceful and socially just order.”
This comes at a time when the media tells us that the “Tea Party” represents the true face of protest and frustration in the U.S. The last thing they want is to give anyone the idea that the pent-up discontent can be expressed in a leftward direction. But sooner, rather than later, we can be sure it will, and in a big way.
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