Category Archives: History

The past, embedded in the present

Fierce Planet Posted on by

This article, by Jeb Lund in Rolling Stone, really should be read in full. It is a clear description of the ways in which Confederate ideology and the violence of white supremacy, have sculpted our political landscape, and continue to infect the conservative movement to this day. The Charleston Shooter: Racist, Violent, and Yes – Political How could it not be political, when the Republican Party has weaponized its supporters and made violence a virtue? …And nothing — nothing — emphasizes that overreach and theft like black people. Mendacious twit and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley issued a statement saying, … Continue reading →

Take down the flag

Fierce Planet Posted on by

I also have lived in the South, have much family that lives there still, and have traced my father’s family back to Civil War veterans. And yet I am a Yankee, I admit. So it will come as no surprise that I don’t care what some random backwoods dude in Mississippi thinks about his heritage. The Confederate battle flag is the very symbol of slavery and treason and not for one day should it ever have been allowed onto any government place or entity. The South lost and it’s good that it did. That reality should be reflected by governments … Continue reading →

A massive failure of the private sector

Fierce Planet Posted on by

Over at Salon, Andrew Leonard interviews Joseph McCartin, a Georgetown University professor who writes on the history of the labor movement. The whole interview is worth reading, but this portion really struck me for its clarity on the economic situation we find ourselves in these days. …an even more important factor is basically a 20- or 30-year period of failure in the private sector. What we are really looking at here is a private sector that for quite a long time now has not generated a lot of rising income for the great majority. It has not generated stable benefits … Continue reading →