I am hoping we do not have to learn about how bad the second wave is before it is too late. History (Straight from Wikipedia) Timeline First wave of early 1918 The pandemic is conventionally marked as having begun on 4 March 1918, with the recording of the case of
Continue readingTag: history
Writings of J. Todd Ring: The War On Democracy
(Comment below after listening to the most important three minutes of info you are likely to hear in decades, or have likely ever heard. Noam Chomsky on The Crisis Of Democracy, via Spotify, is linked below. But note this important synopsis of my political analysis, which pretty much accords with Chomsky’s,
Continue readingScripturient: Lessons from History
It is common practice to look back and conflate the events of the past with those of the present, seeking parallels, resonance, and answers from previous events that help explain today’s. We learn from others, from their experiences, and we like to find commonalities in our shared experiences, even from
Continue readingwmtc: the deadliest organized-crime and terrorist enterprise in the history of humanity: the catholic church
In the entire history of human beings on this planet, has there ever been a criminal enterprise more devastating — to as many people, over as long a period of time — as the Catholic Church? The largest empires of the world — Roman, Spanish, Dutch, British, American — lasted
Continue readingpolitics – Christy's Houseful of Chaos: Little House on the Prairie Books and the Problem of Messy History.
It is a perennial questions in homeschool circles, whether one should read the Little House on the Prairie books with one’s kids or whether the racism in it makes those books ones that should be put aside. The books have the heroine’s mother saying “The only good Indian is a
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: The Art of Civilized Torture – The Legacy of Dan Mitrione
This is where ‘patriots’ and others accuse me of hating the West and America. Good. Our inflated sense of being the ‘good guys’ and on the right side of history shields us from the monstrous atrocities that have been and are being committed in our name. The very truth
Continue readingwmtc: wmtc "what i’m reading" posts to celebrate black august 2020
I thought Black August was something newly created by Black Lives Matter, but it turns out it has existed since the 1970s. I’m sorry I haven’t heard about it sooner, and I thank the Movement for Black Lives for bringing it to my attention. Black August commemorates the rich history
Continue readingwmtc: rotd: love and labor in alliance
Revolutionary thought of the day: Wherever capitalism appears, in pursuit of its mission of exploitation, there will be socialism, fertilized by misery, watered by tears, and vitalized by agitation. It will also be found unfurling its class-struggle banner, and proclaiming its mission of emancipation. Love and labor in alliance, working
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: The truth about history
What is historical truth? To get at the truth of history, we must know it and we must understand it, and these are two very different things. We can know history by simply accessing a balanced set of facts, but to understand history, we must understand the people who made
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Who Are The CIA?
Who are the CIA? This will tell you everything you need to know. Here’s where things really started to go wrong: 1947, the National Security Act, which created the National Security Council and the CIA, giving the CIA sweeping, ultra-secretive, unconstitutional powers, and near limitless budget through the legalized, covert
Continue readingwmtc: john lewis and c.t. vivian, rest in power
What a sad and moving coincidence, that two great freedom fighters died on the same day. I chose these photos as a reminder that doing the right thing may involve breaking the law. Canadians, who over-value a superficially peaceful society, frequently need reminding. As a remembrance of these two men,
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: political graphic nonfiction: this place: 150 years retold
This Place: 150 Years Retold, foreward by Alicia Elliott. In keeping with my posts about political graphic nonfiction, here is a quote from This Place. The book is an anthology of 10 stories by 10 or 11 writers and illustrators. Each writer prefaces their story with context, including something about
Continue readingwmtc: essential reading on anti-racism: "we can’t tinker around the edges. we need to dismantle systems."
During the current focus on systemic racism, this is likely the best essay I’ve read. It’s written in a US context, but it applies to Canada, both for Indigenous people and black Canadians. I hope you’ll read it and share it. * * * * * What the Courage to
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: John Grey – The Woke Have No Vision of the Future
Is this the future we are heading toward? A new ‘utopian’ state of anarchy? I certainly hope not. This excerpt describing what the author describes as the ‘woke uprising’ after the killing of George Floyd: “The key scenes in the woke uprising that followed the killing of George
Continue readingwmtc: rest in power, larry kramer
We activists like to paraphrase the legendary labour activist Joe Hill by saying “First mourn, then organize”. Larry Kramer, who died yesterday at the age of 84, defined the phrase. He taught a generation — he taught an entire culture — how to use grief as fuel, how to channel anger
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Gender, Hierarchy, Civilization & Collapse: A Few Thoughts
What did Sumeria ever do for us? Invented writing, our concepts of time, irrigation, cities, created the first literature…little stuff like that. Sumeria predates ancient Egypt, Babylon, Greece, and Biblical times, though it was a completely forgotten civilization until very recently. The civilization spanned roughly 3,500 years, between 5,500
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Kindred Spirits & “Civilization”
Thinking about questions of human society and what is “civilized” or “civilization” makes me realize again how much I agree with Chomsky, Gandhi and Thoreau. They have all been deeply critical of what is called Western “civilization”. It also makes me think it’s time to read Vine Deloria Jr. All
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: The end of civilization? I’d like to see its beginning
Civilization? Technology does not define it. Morality does. That makes all empires uncivilized, because they are based in conquest, plunder, mass murder and theft. Amazing… Scholars still talking about the Roman Empire as civilized and civilizing… By what definition? Because they had sewers? I agree with Gandhi, Western civilization,
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Musings On History: Goths, the Fall of Rome, and the Future of Humanity
I love a good mystery. Who were the Goths? Where did they come from? How did they manage to sack Rome and defeat the most powerful empire the world had ever seen? What is their true cultural, mythological, spiritual, philosophical and ideological history? (Genetic history means little, since we
Continue reading