Tragically Unlearned Lessons from World War I: the Christmas Truce of 1914

“Good morning; Good morning,” the General said

When we met him last week on our way to the line.

Now the soldiers he smiled at are most of ‘em dead,

And we’re cursing his staff – (those) incompetent swine.”

– An excerpt from Siegfried Sassoon’spoem “The General”, commenting on the standard use of World War I frontline soldiers as “cannon fodder”

 

“…the ones who call the shots (in war) won't be among the dead and lame,
And on each end of the rifle we're the same” -- John McCutcheon, from his powerful antiwar (and therefore censored-out) song “Christmas in the Trenches”

 

“The first casualty, when war comes, is truth”. -- Hiram Johnson (1866-1945)- a Progressive Republican US Senator from California, who died on Aug. 6, 1945, the day the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima.

 

 

Comment Period on Fracking Lease Auction

Trees

ow – December 27, 2019

Book Review: Beneath a Ruthless Sun: A True Story of Violence, Race and Justice Lost and Found by Gilbert King

Book cover Beneath the Ruthless Sun

I never really thought of Florida as part of the South. Today, the backbone of the Sunshine State is tourism, and it’s well known for its beaches, theme parks, and retirees. But it is the southernmost contiguous state in the country, and borders on two of the most racist states in America–Alabama and Georgia. Like the rest of the region, Florida was rigidly segregated and could be and often was a dangerous place for a black person.

It's Corporate Media, 'Moderate' Democrats, and the Oligarchy vs. Bernie Sanders and a Movement

For the United States, oligarchy is the elephant—and donkey—in the room. Only one candidate for president is willing to name it.

Out of nearly 25,000 words spoken during the Democratic debate last Thursday night, the word “oligarchy” was heard once. “We are living in a nation increasingly becoming an oligarchy,” Bernie Sanders said, “where you have a handful of billionaires who spend hundreds of millions of dollars buying elections and politicians.”

"The essence of a propaganda system is repetition. To be effective, it doesn’t require complete uniformity—only dominant messaging, worldviews and assumptions."

Sanders gets so much flak from corporate media because his campaign is upsetting the dominant apple cart. He relentlessly exposes a basic contradiction: A society ruled by an oligarchy—defined as “a government in which a small group exercises control especially for corrupt and selfish purposes”—can’t really be a democracy.

The super-wealthy individuals and huge corporations that own the biggest U.S. media outlets don’t want actual democracy. It would curb their profits and their power.

Starship Trumpers

Annual Hanukkah Vigil

Menorah with lit candles

Monday, December 23, 2019, 12:00 – 1:00 PM
Please join us. We need 9 people to hold our banners! And distribute literature about the Campaign for HR 2407 Children in Military Detention. More information: bit.ly/2Qp5vbf. Optional join us for lunch in Worthington.
Location: the northwest corner of 161 and North High, Worthington.

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