Last night, I had the occasion to speak with world-renowned hip-hop provocateur Boots Riley on a wide range of subjects spanning from his childhood in Detroit, spent in a household of Communist organizers, to his current work, organizing people in his neighborhood as a member Occupy Oakland. And, of course, we touched on his equally […]
Tag Archives: revolution
The biggest post-election losers… Or, six old white men that need to be set adrift on ice floes
Bobby Jindal, the Republican Governor of Louisiana, when asked a few days ago to reflect on the election, said, “We cannot be, we must not be, the party that simply protects the rich so they get to keep their toys.” Sure, he’s probably lying, but I still think it’s safe to say that this comment, […]
Alan Haber on celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Port Huron Statement with a new manifesto for the Occupy era
Yesterday, I shared three videos that were shot over the weekend with Alan Haber, the founder of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). In those videos, Alan and I primarily discuss the past. We talk about Ann Arbor in the 50’s, Haber’s initiation into revolutionary politics during the McCarthy era, the founding of SDS, and […]
How do you convey to people the seriousness of what’s happening to Michigan’s working class?
Why is it that we allow the Republicans to refer to themselves as the anti-tax party, when they keep demonstrating that they clearly aren’t? Sure, they’re all for the cutting of business taxes, inheritance taxes, and other taxes that would threaten to decrease the wealth of their party’s high-net-worth donors, but, invariably, those shifts in […]
Derrick Jensen on the necessity of armed revolution, the futility of conservation, and the inherent violence of science
A few nights ago, as a part of Eastern Michigan University’s weeklong “Activism and Education” festivities, noted author and environmental activist Derrick Jensen addressed students and members of the Ypsilanti community at Pease Auditorium. What follow are my very rough notes. As I spent half my time mopping sweat from my red, wrinkled brow, I’m […]