The retired Peruvian military officers Telmo Hurtado and Juan Rivera Rondón, who are accused of the August, 1985 murders of 69 peasants in the Ayacuchan village of Accomarca, were arrested yesterday in Miami on immigration charges. The School of the Americas Watch has launched a campaign to pressure Peruvian authorities to extradite the pair so … More Pueblos de Ayacucho
But though I was initially disappointed at being categorized as an extremist, as I continued to think about the matter I gradually gained a measure of satisfaction from the label. Was not Jesus an extremist for love: “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for … More Letter from Birmingham Jail
Beautiful Iran Please contemplate for a moment the beauty of a country we may be about to destroy. Link courtesy of Bet Blue. Axé.
I. The Nation, a publication the assiduous reader knows I follow with some regularity, has sent me this mail: Gary Tyler, black, now aged 48, is serving a life prison sentence in Louisiana State Penitentiary. He was convicted in 1975 for the murder of 13-year-old Timothy Weber, a white schoolboy who was shot during an … More Free Gary Tyler
This is International Women’s Day. I am in the office under a blizzard of paperwork. I refer readers to Twisty, Sylvia, Nezua, and Le Colonel Chabert, and to my very own posting of Rimarah Hare, who dances. Additional recommended reading is Ruth Rosen, The Care Crisis, and Pamela Colloff, The Beating of Billy Rae Johnson, … More Día Internacional de la Mujer
Julian, who identifies himself as a white, gay, Jewish man, posted a comment at The Primary Contradiction which could stand as a post of its own, so I am making it one. It is about selves, identities, categories, and power, and it is worth reading and thinking about. I have bolded the sentences and phrases … More On the Self-Determined Life
Watch this film and read Nezua’s excellent post on its contexts past and present. Axé.
A Quaker friend sent this message, by an unidentified author, for Martin Luther King Day. I am not a Christian, I have not yet become a pacifist (although I am rather sure that is the most rational path), and my perspective on King’s achievements is different from that of this writer. The message is well … More Bayard Rustin
Today and tomorrow are excellent days to listen to Why I Am Opposed to the War in Vietnam (1967). Our audio link is from the original speech, made in Atlanta. Here is the text read in New York a few weeks later. And here are some fragments: We must face the sad fact that our … More Martin Luther King
Here are Pete Seeger and the Weavers. The semester starts today and we will all be in our places. This one goes out to Slaves of Academe and Dissent, the Blog. My great-uncle Addison was a Wobbly, and he worked as a carpenter. My parents still have his hammer, and I am going to inherit … More Solidarity Forever
coldhearted scientist وداد 