Memorial Day, first known as Decoration Day, originated in the North after the Civil War to commemorate fallen Union soldiers. By the 20th century the holiday had been extended to honor all Americans who have died in all wars. I’ve always thought that the best way to honor the fallen is to make every effort to prevent needless deaths in the future.. That means avoiding unnecessary wars and engaging in combat only as a true last resort. In this vein, here are my Top Ten Memorial Day Songs. The list is highly debatable; songs about war and attendant suffering cut across all musical genres. Though I proudly claim some hippie roots I've omitted classics like “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?,“ “Blowin’ in the Wind,” ... Continue reading →
Don’t take your eyes of Chicago yet. The NATO protests may be over, but city politics are heating up. Chicago’s Public School teachers are negotiating a new contract, and an impasse could lead to the first teachers strike in the city since 1987. The target of the teachers’ ire is Mayor Rahm Emmanuel and a regimen of change that dates back to the days of now Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan. A strike before November? Teachers say they are ready for it. Their union is under new leadership and new allies, like Progress Illinois and Occupy Chicago, are at their back. Immediately following the NATO protests, the CTU is holding what it says will be a historic rally and march on the city Board of ... Continue reading →
Adam 'Ad Rock' Horovitz, Michael 'Mike D' Diamond and Adam 'MCA' Yauch of The Beastie Boys. Mark Mainz/Getty Images "I'm totally numb," Adam Horovitz of the Beastie Boys said bluntly, in his only interview following the death on May 4th of his bandmate Adam Yauch. Sitting in the New York office of the Beasties' publicist, only 10 days after Yauch's passing, Horovitz fondly recalled their lifetime together in punk, hip-hop and hijinks. He also struggled to describe his feelings after his friend's death and admitted that healing was slow in coming. "My wife is like, 'I want to make sure you're getting it out.' But then I'm walking the dog and I'll start crying on the street." Horovitz shook his head wearily. "It's pretty fucking ... Continue reading →
As John Nichols writes, the June 5 Wisconsin recall elections are nothing less than a "grassroots rebellion against the determination of Governor Scott Walker and his legislative lieutenants to destroy unions, slash public sector wages and benefits, cut education funding and tear open the social safety net." TO DO If Walker and his allies are removed from office, the results will be seen across the country as a rejection of the idea that cutting taxes for the rich while attacking unions and slashing services will somehow spur job growth. That's why The Nation is endorsing Tom Barrett for Governor of Wisconsin. A candidate whom Russell Feingold hails as “a lifelong progressive [who] stood with me in voting against the deregulation that led to the Wall ... Continue reading →
There’s been a lot of over-thinking it about poor Julia, the composite character created by the Obama campaign team. In my book, she’s a success despite the backlash, because, in keeping the focus all about policy, the infographic of her life got even her detractors to spell out the popular stuff that they’re against. Ross Douthat, usually a master of obfuscation, is forced to tick off the injustices: The list of Obama-bestowed benefits includes Head Start when Julia’s a tyke, tax credits and Pell grants to carry her through college and low-interest loan repayment afterward, guaranteed birth control when she’s a 20-something and government-sponsored loans when she wants to start a business, all of it culminating in a stress-free retirement underwritten by Medicare and Social ... Continue reading →
