This is one of my posts where I “review” Star Trek episodes. I will be giving each one a star rating. I sometimes will make some comments about non-political parts of them that I like or don’t like. I’ll sometimes use the issues raised in the episode to discuss similar issues in real life. And I will sometimes simply high-light the progressive politics of ST. ST is in-line with the three original themes of this blog, as I explain in the first ST post where I offer some general thoughts about ST.
I have been more or less ignoring this- the need for me to become familiar with The Original Series. In general I don’t like much of what I’ve seen. In any case, I am now watching it and will be doing reviews of those episodes. I will be giving pretty low scores, probably no higher than three stars out of five- I just don’t like TOS.
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Friday’s Child” See this for a plot summary.
It portrays what could probably be called a “warrior society.” There’s a lot rules, taboos, a lot of glorifying death (and death is usually a punishment for this or that) etc. Crucially there is a belief that the strong survive, and others should not survive- a fairly right-wing belief (the episode is far from a StarFleet endorsement of Capellan society).
I usually don’t bother noting inconsistencies like this, but the Capellans seem to be nowhere NEAR as advanced (technologically, socially or politically) as they should be if Star Fleet is doing business with them.
I give it one star out of five.
“The Deadly Years” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it one star out of five.
“Obsession” See this for a plot summary
A non-political episode. I give it one star out of five.
“Wolf in the Fold” See this for a plot summary.
There is one very sexist part where Spock says that women are more easily and more deeply terrified than men. Obviously not an an example of ST’s progressive politics.
I give it two stars out of five.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Three More Poems
Below are three more poems. For an explanation of how and why I "write" the poems, see this.
For the rest of the poems click on the "lyrics" label at the bottom (there are at least four pages worth of posts, so click on the "older posts" at the bottom of the first page).
1. Nightmare on Bombay Street. About the anti-Catholic pogroms in 1969 that triggered The Troubles.
2. Take on the Klan. Guess what it's about.
3. Revolution with Honor. Republican struggle in N. Ireland.
“Nightmare on Bombay Street” based on “Stop Immigration” by No Remorse. Original lyrics are here.
1. Bombay St. was one of the main sites of the Aug. 1969 anti-Catholic pogroms (and one attempted pogrom) which are usually seen as the beginning of the conflict. In July, Aug, and September, and mostly during a period of 2-3 days, in Belfast, 1,505 Catholic families fled their homes (probably something like 18% of Belfast’s Catholic population, probably something like 1.8% of the North’s Catholic population). In one night alone 650 families were burnt or at least forced, out f their homes. For more, see this.
2. The security forces largely worked with the loyalist mobs to invade Catholic areas.
3. Fenian is bigoted term for Catholic and also for republican, although republicans have adopted it as their own term.
4. Even moderate sources have compared aspects of the North with aspects of Nazi Germany. For example, about 6 years ago the President of Ireland compared the transmission of hatred of Catholics from one generation to another with the same regarding anti-semitism in Europe. She retracted it under pressure, but is basically right.
5. The first two lines of the 2nd verse were difficult for me to alter. I came up with two versions of that. The one that is in the body of the poem probably makes the most sense. Immediately below is the 2nd version. I can’t nail down to what extent this happened, but I'm pretty sure that before, during, or shortly after the pogrom some Protestants who had been supporting the civil rights movement sort of abandoned the nationalist community. Those two lines are:
“Do you remember When many Protestants were our allies?
If only Ian Paisley hadn’t come around, spreading his hateful lies”
Let me know if you think the couplet above is better than the one below.
6. The Unionist government was very upper-class and completely Protestant. As far as the civil rights movement, some good material is here.
7. A no-go was an area where the security forces could not easily enter.
8. **78% of this version is me, 22 is the original.
9. I give this poem four stars out of five.
10. because I focused on West Belfast, it makes sense to kind of conflate that community with IRA supporters, since somewhere around 60% of that community supported the IRA and probably around 40% sort of supported the IRA.
11. UPDATE 6/19/11 The state compared to Nazi Germany is basically the unionists/Protestants state; the nationalists/Catholics were the ones being denied their rights.
12. UPDATE 6/27/11 This poem is not meant as an endorsement of armed struggle since 1997.
13. UPDATE 4/2/12 I made a tiny change to the 1st line of the 3rd verse.
14. No Remorse were British and supported the British and Unionist causes.
They flooded into our streets in Aug. ‘69
The state and the loyalists actively combined
Swarmed into west Belfast because they hate fenians
Their state reminded many of Adolf Hitler’s in Berlin
Chorus
Stop the hate
We want truth and reconciliation
Stop the hate
We want a united working-class and nation
Do you remember When they won in the South and we thought we were free?
If only it could be that way How happy we would be
We had a Government of bigots, Puppets of the Protestant upper-class
They rejected our civil and human rights, so in ‘68 we arose en masse
chorus
So we built barricades, and created a no-go
Like a phoenix, from the ashes the Provisionals arose
British imperialism and Orange society created this mess
But we’ll win in the end, because the Provisionals are the best
Chorus
*******
“Take on the Klan” based on “Join the Klan” by “The Klansmen” original lyrics are here.
1. I’m not sure if “one nation” is the best way to put it, but I got it from a very progressive and anti-racist song by Sacred Reich (don’t read anything into their name) called “One Nation.” And the flame I refer to is supposed to be the flame of anti-racism, of unity.
2. The last two lines of the 2nd verse (I deleted the chorus) are about the “Battle of Hayes Pond.” I did one whole poem about that, with a lot of the background- you can find it here (it’s the third poem from the top).
3. Manning Marable was one of America’s very top scholars in African-American Studies. He passed away recently. There’s more of my thoughts on him, and links to some background here.
4. MLK is Martin Luther King.
5. I think I need to make this clear- this poem is about anti-racism in general, and you might say it leans away from violence (in a lot of cases I support anti-racist violence and have written poems about that, but this poem is different (as are a lot of others that use, for example, the word “fight”)).
6. I give this poem five stars out of five.
7. **44% of this version is me, 66% is the original.
8. UPDATE 6/19/11 Obviously there isn't a real Fourth Reich, but I know that a lot of fascists use that term when referring to their organization- and they have a VISION of the Fourth Reich, and that's being attacked, through education, dialogue, and public demonstrations. (12/11/11- Earlier I thought there was a problem with me conflating the KKK and the Nazis, but I'm pretty sure that's fine in this case)
9. UPDATE 6/19/11 As far as violence and non-violence, I almost forgot that the stuff about the Lumbee IS referring to a use of violence. But it was probably more acceptable to most anti-racists who stress non-violence then is the case with my SHARP poems. Anyway, the rest of the poem is about non-violence.
10. Skrewdriver were British and supported the British and Unionist causes.
Be an anti-racist, fight for what is right
taking down the Nazis and their “Fourth Reich”
Looking for a day, when there will be no KKK
Battles fought all across the U.S of A.
One Nation, the people's flame
Saving the country is the final aim
The racist terror tried to make a stand
The Lumbee men took down the klan
Anti-Racist banners held up high
Manning Marable’s spirit will never die
The sun is rising in the blue sky
Join the MLK Jr. march as it passes by
*****
“Revolution with Honor” based on “Blood and Honour” by Skrewdriver, original lyrics are here.
1. For some reason I took a huge amount of time to try and make this one perfect. I think it’s pretty good.
2. This is about resistaance in general by the nationalist community, including a few lines about those who resisted with force.
3. As a community, the nationalists kind of were alone in the sense that they didn’t have a fraction of the global support they should have had, but they had some, especially from America.
4. This takes place in the very early 1970s. At that time it was fairly accurate to talk about second-class citizenship. Some of the civil rights demands hadn’t yet been fully realized, the Stormont government was still unwilling to share power with Catholics, Sinn Fein was still an illegal party, internment was used exclusively against Catholics and left-wing and/or republican Protestants, etc.
5. To a very large degree, the nationalists were honorable in their different forms of struggle. There was very little that could be called anti-Protestant and to a very large degree civilians were not targeted by the republican paramilitaries (only about .2% of the IRA’s operations intentionally resulted in civilian death (most or all of the civilians they intentionally killed were less than completely innocent (see this for more))).
6. It probably goes without saying, but Irish pride within N. Ireland is different from white pride, although I have mixed info on how many nationalists in the North would say they have Irish pride.
7. During the conflict, the African National Congress had a good relationship with republicans and I readily assume, other nationalists. As far as the Sinn Fein and IRA part of that, see this.
8. I believe that the North, as it usually had low wages and a weak and divided labor movement, was (at least until mass violence broke out around 1970) an attractive place for investments.
9. The political centre of the nationalist community is, and probably sort of was back then, centre-left, and most believe/d in a secular state.
10. **76% of this version is me, 24% is the original.
11. I give this poem four stars out of five.
Achieveing freedom in the North of Ireland
Means marching and fighting for our demands
Even though we stand alone we will resist the Brits
For we won’t accept no second-class citizenship
(chorus)
For the revolution with honour
For our people and our pride
For the revolution with honour
British rule we will always defy
We look for inspiration to the ANC
When it comes to national liberation, we can all agree
Thousands have been killed at London’s hands
We will struggle and die to unite our Irish land
British imperialist hands around our community’s throat
Capitalists exploiting the North and sitting back to gloat
A democratic socialist Ireland, we will create
It won’t be no fucking Catholic state
For the rest of the poems click on the "lyrics" label at the bottom (there are at least four pages worth of posts, so click on the "older posts" at the bottom of the first page).
1. Nightmare on Bombay Street. About the anti-Catholic pogroms in 1969 that triggered The Troubles.
2. Take on the Klan. Guess what it's about.
3. Revolution with Honor. Republican struggle in N. Ireland.
“Nightmare on Bombay Street” based on “Stop Immigration” by No Remorse. Original lyrics are here.
1. Bombay St. was one of the main sites of the Aug. 1969 anti-Catholic pogroms (and one attempted pogrom) which are usually seen as the beginning of the conflict. In July, Aug, and September, and mostly during a period of 2-3 days, in Belfast, 1,505 Catholic families fled their homes (probably something like 18% of Belfast’s Catholic population, probably something like 1.8% of the North’s Catholic population). In one night alone 650 families were burnt or at least forced, out f their homes. For more, see this.
2. The security forces largely worked with the loyalist mobs to invade Catholic areas.
3. Fenian is bigoted term for Catholic and also for republican, although republicans have adopted it as their own term.
4. Even moderate sources have compared aspects of the North with aspects of Nazi Germany. For example, about 6 years ago the President of Ireland compared the transmission of hatred of Catholics from one generation to another with the same regarding anti-semitism in Europe. She retracted it under pressure, but is basically right.
5. The first two lines of the 2nd verse were difficult for me to alter. I came up with two versions of that. The one that is in the body of the poem probably makes the most sense. Immediately below is the 2nd version. I can’t nail down to what extent this happened, but I'm pretty sure that before, during, or shortly after the pogrom some Protestants who had been supporting the civil rights movement sort of abandoned the nationalist community. Those two lines are:
“Do you remember When many Protestants were our allies?
If only Ian Paisley hadn’t come around, spreading his hateful lies”
Let me know if you think the couplet above is better than the one below.
6. The Unionist government was very upper-class and completely Protestant. As far as the civil rights movement, some good material is here.
7. A no-go was an area where the security forces could not easily enter.
8. **78% of this version is me, 22 is the original.
9. I give this poem four stars out of five.
10. because I focused on West Belfast, it makes sense to kind of conflate that community with IRA supporters, since somewhere around 60% of that community supported the IRA and probably around 40% sort of supported the IRA.
11. UPDATE 6/19/11 The state compared to Nazi Germany is basically the unionists/Protestants state; the nationalists/Catholics were the ones being denied their rights.
12. UPDATE 6/27/11 This poem is not meant as an endorsement of armed struggle since 1997.
13. UPDATE 4/2/12 I made a tiny change to the 1st line of the 3rd verse.
14. No Remorse were British and supported the British and Unionist causes.
They flooded into our streets in Aug. ‘69
The state and the loyalists actively combined
Swarmed into west Belfast because they hate fenians
Their state reminded many of Adolf Hitler’s in Berlin
Chorus
Stop the hate
We want truth and reconciliation
Stop the hate
We want a united working-class and nation
Do you remember When they won in the South and we thought we were free?
If only it could be that way How happy we would be
We had a Government of bigots, Puppets of the Protestant upper-class
They rejected our civil and human rights, so in ‘68 we arose en masse
chorus
So we built barricades, and created a no-go
Like a phoenix, from the ashes the Provisionals arose
British imperialism and Orange society created this mess
But we’ll win in the end, because the Provisionals are the best
Chorus
*******
“Take on the Klan” based on “Join the Klan” by “The Klansmen” original lyrics are here.
1. I’m not sure if “one nation” is the best way to put it, but I got it from a very progressive and anti-racist song by Sacred Reich (don’t read anything into their name) called “One Nation.” And the flame I refer to is supposed to be the flame of anti-racism, of unity.
2. The last two lines of the 2nd verse (I deleted the chorus) are about the “Battle of Hayes Pond.” I did one whole poem about that, with a lot of the background- you can find it here (it’s the third poem from the top).
3. Manning Marable was one of America’s very top scholars in African-American Studies. He passed away recently. There’s more of my thoughts on him, and links to some background here.
4. MLK is Martin Luther King.
5. I think I need to make this clear- this poem is about anti-racism in general, and you might say it leans away from violence (in a lot of cases I support anti-racist violence and have written poems about that, but this poem is different (as are a lot of others that use, for example, the word “fight”)).
6. I give this poem five stars out of five.
7. **44% of this version is me, 66% is the original.
8. UPDATE 6/19/11 Obviously there isn't a real Fourth Reich, but I know that a lot of fascists use that term when referring to their organization- and they have a VISION of the Fourth Reich, and that's being attacked, through education, dialogue, and public demonstrations. (12/11/11- Earlier I thought there was a problem with me conflating the KKK and the Nazis, but I'm pretty sure that's fine in this case)
9. UPDATE 6/19/11 As far as violence and non-violence, I almost forgot that the stuff about the Lumbee IS referring to a use of violence. But it was probably more acceptable to most anti-racists who stress non-violence then is the case with my SHARP poems. Anyway, the rest of the poem is about non-violence.
10. Skrewdriver were British and supported the British and Unionist causes.
Be an anti-racist, fight for what is right
taking down the Nazis and their “Fourth Reich”
Looking for a day, when there will be no KKK
Battles fought all across the U.S of A.
One Nation, the people's flame
Saving the country is the final aim
The racist terror tried to make a stand
The Lumbee men took down the klan
Anti-Racist banners held up high
Manning Marable’s spirit will never die
The sun is rising in the blue sky
Join the MLK Jr. march as it passes by
*****
“Revolution with Honor” based on “Blood and Honour” by Skrewdriver, original lyrics are here.
1. For some reason I took a huge amount of time to try and make this one perfect. I think it’s pretty good.
2. This is about resistaance in general by the nationalist community, including a few lines about those who resisted with force.
3. As a community, the nationalists kind of were alone in the sense that they didn’t have a fraction of the global support they should have had, but they had some, especially from America.
4. This takes place in the very early 1970s. At that time it was fairly accurate to talk about second-class citizenship. Some of the civil rights demands hadn’t yet been fully realized, the Stormont government was still unwilling to share power with Catholics, Sinn Fein was still an illegal party, internment was used exclusively against Catholics and left-wing and/or republican Protestants, etc.
5. To a very large degree, the nationalists were honorable in their different forms of struggle. There was very little that could be called anti-Protestant and to a very large degree civilians were not targeted by the republican paramilitaries (only about .2% of the IRA’s operations intentionally resulted in civilian death (most or all of the civilians they intentionally killed were less than completely innocent (see this for more))).
6. It probably goes without saying, but Irish pride within N. Ireland is different from white pride, although I have mixed info on how many nationalists in the North would say they have Irish pride.
7. During the conflict, the African National Congress had a good relationship with republicans and I readily assume, other nationalists. As far as the Sinn Fein and IRA part of that, see this.
8. I believe that the North, as it usually had low wages and a weak and divided labor movement, was (at least until mass violence broke out around 1970) an attractive place for investments.
9. The political centre of the nationalist community is, and probably sort of was back then, centre-left, and most believe/d in a secular state.
10. **76% of this version is me, 24% is the original.
11. I give this poem four stars out of five.
Achieveing freedom in the North of Ireland
Means marching and fighting for our demands
Even though we stand alone we will resist the Brits
For we won’t accept no second-class citizenship
(chorus)
For the revolution with honour
For our people and our pride
For the revolution with honour
British rule we will always defy
We look for inspiration to the ANC
When it comes to national liberation, we can all agree
Thousands have been killed at London’s hands
We will struggle and die to unite our Irish land
British imperialist hands around our community’s throat
Capitalists exploiting the North and sitting back to gloat
A democratic socialist Ireland, we will create
It won’t be no fucking Catholic state
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Star Trek: The Original Series Reviews G
This is one of my posts where I “review” Star Trek episodes. I will be giving each one a star rating. I sometimes will make some comments about non-political parts of them that I like or don’t like. I’ll sometimes use the issues raised in the episode to discuss similar issues in real life. And I will sometimes simply high-light the progressive politics of ST. ST is in-line with the three original themes of this blog, as I explain in the first ST post where I offer some general thoughts about ST.
I have been more or less ignoring this- the need for me to become familiar with The Original Series. In general I don’t like much of what I’ve seen. In any case, I am now watching it and will be doing reviews of those episodes. I will be giving pretty low scores, probably no higher than three stars out of five- I just don’t like TOS.
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Catspaw” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it one star out of five.
“I, Mudd” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, although Mudd’s sexism kind of deserves to be noted. Mudd is basically the villain, so it is progressive.
I give it two stars out of five.
“Metamorphosis” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, with one thing worth mentioning. It’s kind neat for us to meet Cochrane in TOS, considering we know about him from First Contact and kind of from Enterprise. (UPDATE 2/18/19 I guess I mean ME)
I give it two stars out of five.
“Journey To Babel” See this for a plot summary.
At one point Spock’s mom explains to Kirk that on Vulcan, men dominate the women. This is the second time we’ve heard something about that, so now I feel very comfortable saying that Vulcan society is very sexist. Should they be members of the Federation? I have mixed feelings about criticizing another culture’s treatment of women, but I think it's usually-always important to do so (I think there are good ways to do that and probably some bad ways to do it). I’m not sure if it’s something that should have prevented Vulcan from joining the Federation. I guess two factors would be: A) was the sexism codified in law, and B) was there some women’s rights organization on Vulcan that wanted their planet kept out of the Federation.
I’ve found many Star Trek episodes that talk about people with a multi-cultrual background (i.e. half human, half Vulcan, or in the real world, for example, half white, half black) and how they have trouble being accepted by one or both of the groups that they’re a part of (I guess you could say they’re part of a third group, for example, people who are half black and half white). I also remember reading that Zack de La Rocha of Rage Against The Machine experienced something similar. And (while getting my Ethnic Studies degree) I don't remember hearing or reading anything saying that this is not a problem; I have a vague memory of something supporting what I said, but I wasn’t sure of this and asked someone familiar with it if such people DO have that sort of trouble. He made me think I had an exaggerated sense of how many people experience it. But in this episode of ST, it’s again raised, in relation to Spock. I’m not saying that writers of ST episodes are experts, but I’m starting to think that I was closer to being right than my friend suggested I was.
There is one bit of socialism. At least one Federation diplomat believes that admitting a new planet into the Federation will result in the wealth of that planet being used to benefit it’s inhabitants.
I give it two stars out of five.
I have been more or less ignoring this- the need for me to become familiar with The Original Series. In general I don’t like much of what I’ve seen. In any case, I am now watching it and will be doing reviews of those episodes. I will be giving pretty low scores, probably no higher than three stars out of five- I just don’t like TOS.
Lastly. multi-culturalism is such a pervasive theme in ST that I only comment on it when it goes beyond the norm (i.e. inter-species partners).
“Catspaw” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode. I give it one star out of five.
“I, Mudd” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, although Mudd’s sexism kind of deserves to be noted. Mudd is basically the villain, so it is progressive.
I give it two stars out of five.
“Metamorphosis” See this for a plot summary.
A non-political episode, with one thing worth mentioning. It’s kind neat for us to meet Cochrane in TOS, considering we know about him from First Contact and kind of from Enterprise. (UPDATE 2/18/19 I guess I mean ME)
I give it two stars out of five.
“Journey To Babel” See this for a plot summary.
At one point Spock’s mom explains to Kirk that on Vulcan, men dominate the women. This is the second time we’ve heard something about that, so now I feel very comfortable saying that Vulcan society is very sexist. Should they be members of the Federation? I have mixed feelings about criticizing another culture’s treatment of women, but I think it's usually-always important to do so (I think there are good ways to do that and probably some bad ways to do it). I’m not sure if it’s something that should have prevented Vulcan from joining the Federation. I guess two factors would be: A) was the sexism codified in law, and B) was there some women’s rights organization on Vulcan that wanted their planet kept out of the Federation.
I’ve found many Star Trek episodes that talk about people with a multi-cultrual background (i.e. half human, half Vulcan, or in the real world, for example, half white, half black) and how they have trouble being accepted by one or both of the groups that they’re a part of (I guess you could say they’re part of a third group, for example, people who are half black and half white). I also remember reading that Zack de La Rocha of Rage Against The Machine experienced something similar. And (while getting my Ethnic Studies degree) I don't remember hearing or reading anything saying that this is not a problem; I have a vague memory of something supporting what I said, but I wasn’t sure of this and asked someone familiar with it if such people DO have that sort of trouble. He made me think I had an exaggerated sense of how many people experience it. But in this episode of ST, it’s again raised, in relation to Spock. I’m not saying that writers of ST episodes are experts, but I’m starting to think that I was closer to being right than my friend suggested I was.
There is one bit of socialism. At least one Federation diplomat believes that admitting a new planet into the Federation will result in the wealth of that planet being used to benefit it’s inhabitants.
I give it two stars out of five.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Irish Republican Army- Now in Poem Form!!
(the title is inspired by something on The Simpsons)
Below are four more poems. I explain my kind of poetry here. For the rest of the poems, click on the "lyrics" tag below, there's at least four pages of poems, so click on "older posts."
I think that's it.
“Flying Columns” based on “Pride of a Nation” by Skrewdriver. Original lyrics are here.
1. This is about the IRA’s 1950s Border Campaign. For more on that see this (this page has a lot of information that I would normally put in the notes).
2. I’ve read that another mistake they made was ignoring Belfast - that meant they were not much of a threat to the State (I’ve also read of two explanations for not carrying out operations there, but one doesn’t really make sense). And beyond what the article says, they also failed to mobilize popular support and mass struggle alongside the armed campaign.
3. The Provisionals were the republican movement known in recent decades simply as Sinn Fein and the IRA; they came into existence in late 1969/early1970.
4. **55% of this version is me, 45% is the original.
5. I give this poem four stars out of five.
6. I don’t know how close i am to being accurate about what Volunteers during this campaign were wearing.
7. Skrewdriver were British and supported the British and Unionist causes.
8. Definitely about the IRA.
They won support in the North before the battle began
The day is getting closer, and they’re perfecting their plan
As they march towards the battlefield, the enemy is near
The first fight is coming, and their committment is sincere
(chorus)
Pride of a nation, freedom's salvation
Pride of a nation, they fought for our liberation
A uniform of green, with the tri-color and black mask
Their honor was their dedication, to complete their Northern task
They fought against such massive odds, earning glory in the fields
And in ‘57 many in the South responded to the republican appeal
Chorus
When the offensive stalled, the campaign was going nowhere
They brought it to an end and admitted they were in error
The fire would be rekindled, the flames would fill the skies
Like a phoenix from the ashes, the Provisionals would arise
******
“Freedom Fighters” based on “We Fight for Freedom” by Skrewdriver, original lyrics are here.
1. The Provisionals is an earlier term for what we now call simply Sinn Fein and the IRA.
2. The tri-color is the Irish flag.
3. Volunteers are members of republican paramilitaries. The 3 rd line refers to a volley of shots fired at a funeral for a Volunteer.
4. The Starry Plough is the flag of socialist republicanism.
5. **46% of this version is me, 54% is the original.
6. I give this poem three stars out of five.
7. This is not meant as an endorsement of armed struggle since 1997.
8. About the IRA.
9. In the first verse, the first half and the second half are about different things.
10. Skrewdriver were British and supported the British and Unionist causes.
Out of the ashes, the Provisionals arose
They charge at the enemy, their courage overflows
Our tri-colors are flying, our rifles aimed at the sky
As we say farewell to a Volunteer who has died
(chorus)
We're fighting for freedom, our destiny hangs by a thread
We're fighting for freedom, the flag of our nation at our head
We're fighting for freedom, the land of our ancestors must be united
We're fighting for freedom, British imperialism will be smited
Our enemies ranks are a mixture of imperialists, and unionists
We’re radical republicans, ready to resist, with the raised fist
We fight for our people, we fight for a future of light
For the dark surrounds us, so we must win this fight
Heed the sounds of battle, the screams of the wounded are loud
The warriors stand and they fly the Starry Plough
We know that victory will soon be ours, as we gaze at the sight
The flags of our nation are raised in victorious flight
*******
“Irish Republican Army” based on “European Skinhead Army” by No Remorse, original lyrics are here.
1. This is set in 1971 when barricades were put up around some Nationalist areas to keep the security forces out.
2. Probably about half of nationalists supported armed struggle at that point, probably about half of those people were supporting the Provisional IRA (probably a large minority sort of supported the IRA- After what happened in Aug '69 they probably liked having an armed IRA around if needed).
4. Many, probably a large majority, of Unionists workers are, (at least) in the mid- and long terms, sabotaging themselves with their sectarianism. It weakens the labor movement and the left and is more or less responsible for the fact that workers in the North are poorer than workers in Britain. They benefit from sectarian discrimination in pay and employment but don’t see the large picture where uniting Ireland and thus undermining sectarianism will likely transform Ireland into a democratic socialist state with equality between Catholics and Protestants. (for why that is likely, see the bottom half of this . You might also read this, which is about breaking down sectarian divisions)
5. In Aug. of 1969 there was one major pogrom and some minor ones, and an attempted major pogrom against the Catholic community. There’s more on that here and here.
6. The Starry Plough is the flag of republican socialism.
7. Gerald McCauley was a member of the IRA’s youth wing. Without being armed he was part of Nationalist resistance during the West Belfast Aug. 1969 anti-Catholic pogrom. He was killed and the area he was defending, Bombay St., was burned out.
8. Valhalla is part of Norse mythology, it's a place where warriors go after they die, although there seems to be some debate about exactly who gets in- only people who die in combat? Anyway, the fascists love it and have sort of taken over the concept, but a friend told me that he likes the idea of the left claiming it and specifically said that if such a place exists, Che and others like him are probably there. (Do I believe in Valhalla? You could say I’m sort of an agnostic on that question and am sort of solidly a Christian. The way I see it, this is pretty flexible, don't take it too seriously, and one way to think about it is that if you believe in Heaven and would rather these people went there instead of Valhalla, maybe they can do both, spend some time in Valhalla and some time in Heaven; but my friend and I do like the idea of reclaiming it from the fash)
9. RA is Republican Army, and is pronounced “raw.”
10. **77% of this version is me, 23% is the original.
11. I give this poem four stars out of five.
12. Definitely about the IRA.
UPDATE 3/18/15 13. I added "and mothers."
14. UPDATED 2/5/16 Based on what might be called a fairly scientific look, only about .2% of the IRA's operations intentionally resulted in civilian death.
15. No Remorse were British and supported the British and Unionist causes.
UPDATE 4/18/20 the old last two lines are "With our comrades in battle or in Valhalla/We fight for Ireland, because we are the RA." The new lines are below. I don't think this more than slightly changes what % of it is me.
16. The Jewish Combat Organization, referred to by it's Polish acronym ZOB, carried out the rebellion in the Warsaw Ghetto during WWII.
17. Hallah is a kind of Jewish bread.
Man the barricades, resistance has exploded
We're armed and ready, locked and loaded
We've got the people’s support, we've got the guns,
We never lose, we’ll fight til we’ve won
Chorus:
Irish Republican Army,
We stand together in a people’s war
Irish Republican Army,
We fight for freedom as our fathers and mothers did before
This is our land, we want it united
working-class unionists are so short-sighted
Another pogrom, we won’t allow
We raise our fists and fly the starry plough
For McAuley and for Bombay Street
We will fight until our victory’s complete
If we fall in battle and go to Valhalla
We'll meet the Jewish Combat Organization and try some Hallah
******
“Withdrawal” based on “Repatriation” by Final War, original lyrics are here.
1. This is set in the early 1970s. At some point, early in that period, I’m not sure exactly when, there were huge numbers of British troops coming into the North, and they started building more military installations, as the situation worsened.. The BA is the British Army.
2. As far as it being imperialist, I go into that quite a bit here, in the paragraph which is about 40% the way down from the top, and which starts with- “For a few reasons I'm.”
3. There had been 2-4 armed attempts at liberating the North since the formation of the state, attempts that went nowhere. Many senior members of the IRA in the 1970s we’re committed to a long war and fighting til victory. UPDATE 9/25/11 I have a theory (probably a very accurate one) of why they DID stop significantly short of victory- I explain that here.
4. The deployment of British troops on the streets of N. Ireland in August 1969 was seen in different ways. To a large degree their immediate effect was to save Catholic communites from being attacked beyond what they had already experienced (see this and this). But they also rescued the State from falling apart. And they made it difficult for the IRA to get support from Nationalists for an armed campaign against the British Army and government. In some cases the BA was accused of pointing their weapons at the Catholics, and some IRA members were arrested, after their communities had experienced what were pogroms (or attempted pogrom, in Derry).
5. Plantation is a word for a new colony (so it’s not a perfect fit with that line, but close enough).
6. I believe that one reason the British wanted to retain N. Ireland is that the labor movement and the left were weaker there than in other areas of the UK, because of sectarianism.
7. I’m not sure if “peace-keeping” is the right way to describe the initial presence of the British troops, but I think it’s fairly accurate (I know that the rest of the conflict London would often talk about the BA as if they were peace-keepers, but this is different- the first 9 months they were fairly close to being peace-keepers).
**8. 72% of this version is me, 28% is the original (that includes the chnages I made in the fourth verse (As far as i can see, there is not a chorus).
9. I give this poem four stars out of five.
10. I believe that there should be a period of gradual change; so, the 2nd line of the 2nd verse shouldn’t be taken literally.
11. About the IRA.
12. This version, although it seems like it needs more, has one anti-right line, which is to some degree in conflict with the politics behind the original. I talk about why that’s important here.
UPDATE 9/3/11 I earlier got confused and thought that the original was by a Dutch or Belgian band; it's actually an American band. I need to add something more to "twist" the original lyrics; I'll add something soon.
UPDATE 9/25/11 I have just created an anti-racist line to "twist" the lyrics enough that I feel comfortable with this poem. The last word of the 3rd line of what is the 4th verse ("Tories") and the entire line below it are new.
The problems with the Orange Order are described here. Bigotry weakens the working-class, the labor movement, and the left.
As instability and resistance spreads, the BA settles in
their transports fly into Belfast again and again
the British Army are on an imperialist crusade
we’re going to put an end to it, ‘cause we’re the IRA
We've been doing this for many decades
This time we won’t stop til their transports fly away
it's time to take action, time to make a stand
send ‘em back to their own island
British withdrawal must start today
British withdrawal it is the only way
British withdrawal that is our demand
British withdrawal take them right out of our land!
What do you think brought them here from their foreign nation?
The need to stabilize and secure their imperial plantation
the Tories want a pool of cheap labor for the capitalists
Like the KKK and racism, the Orange Order gives them an assist
A brief peace-keeping operation is all they thought it would be
But now we’ve started a popular insurgency
we've had enough British rule, can’t take it anymore
Let’s push them out and Ireland will be united once more
Below are four more poems. I explain my kind of poetry here. For the rest of the poems, click on the "lyrics" tag below, there's at least four pages of poems, so click on "older posts."
I think that's it.
“Flying Columns” based on “Pride of a Nation” by Skrewdriver. Original lyrics are here.
1. This is about the IRA’s 1950s Border Campaign. For more on that see this (this page has a lot of information that I would normally put in the notes).
2. I’ve read that another mistake they made was ignoring Belfast - that meant they were not much of a threat to the State (I’ve also read of two explanations for not carrying out operations there, but one doesn’t really make sense). And beyond what the article says, they also failed to mobilize popular support and mass struggle alongside the armed campaign.
3. The Provisionals were the republican movement known in recent decades simply as Sinn Fein and the IRA; they came into existence in late 1969/early1970.
4. **55% of this version is me, 45% is the original.
5. I give this poem four stars out of five.
6. I don’t know how close i am to being accurate about what Volunteers during this campaign were wearing.
7. Skrewdriver were British and supported the British and Unionist causes.
8. Definitely about the IRA.
They won support in the North before the battle began
The day is getting closer, and they’re perfecting their plan
As they march towards the battlefield, the enemy is near
The first fight is coming, and their committment is sincere
(chorus)
Pride of a nation, freedom's salvation
Pride of a nation, they fought for our liberation
A uniform of green, with the tri-color and black mask
Their honor was their dedication, to complete their Northern task
They fought against such massive odds, earning glory in the fields
And in ‘57 many in the South responded to the republican appeal
Chorus
When the offensive stalled, the campaign was going nowhere
They brought it to an end and admitted they were in error
The fire would be rekindled, the flames would fill the skies
Like a phoenix from the ashes, the Provisionals would arise
******
“Freedom Fighters” based on “We Fight for Freedom” by Skrewdriver, original lyrics are here.
1. The Provisionals is an earlier term for what we now call simply Sinn Fein and the IRA.
2. The tri-color is the Irish flag.
3. Volunteers are members of republican paramilitaries. The 3 rd line refers to a volley of shots fired at a funeral for a Volunteer.
4. The Starry Plough is the flag of socialist republicanism.
5. **46% of this version is me, 54% is the original.
6. I give this poem three stars out of five.
7. This is not meant as an endorsement of armed struggle since 1997.
8. About the IRA.
9. In the first verse, the first half and the second half are about different things.
10. Skrewdriver were British and supported the British and Unionist causes.
Out of the ashes, the Provisionals arose
They charge at the enemy, their courage overflows
Our tri-colors are flying, our rifles aimed at the sky
As we say farewell to a Volunteer who has died
(chorus)
We're fighting for freedom, our destiny hangs by a thread
We're fighting for freedom, the flag of our nation at our head
We're fighting for freedom, the land of our ancestors must be united
We're fighting for freedom, British imperialism will be smited
Our enemies ranks are a mixture of imperialists, and unionists
We’re radical republicans, ready to resist, with the raised fist
We fight for our people, we fight for a future of light
For the dark surrounds us, so we must win this fight
Heed the sounds of battle, the screams of the wounded are loud
The warriors stand and they fly the Starry Plough
We know that victory will soon be ours, as we gaze at the sight
The flags of our nation are raised in victorious flight
*******
“Irish Republican Army” based on “European Skinhead Army” by No Remorse, original lyrics are here.
1. This is set in 1971 when barricades were put up around some Nationalist areas to keep the security forces out.
2. Probably about half of nationalists supported armed struggle at that point, probably about half of those people were supporting the Provisional IRA (probably a large minority sort of supported the IRA- After what happened in Aug '69 they probably liked having an armed IRA around if needed).
4. Many, probably a large majority, of Unionists workers are, (at least) in the mid- and long terms, sabotaging themselves with their sectarianism. It weakens the labor movement and the left and is more or less responsible for the fact that workers in the North are poorer than workers in Britain. They benefit from sectarian discrimination in pay and employment but don’t see the large picture where uniting Ireland and thus undermining sectarianism will likely transform Ireland into a democratic socialist state with equality between Catholics and Protestants. (for why that is likely, see the bottom half of this . You might also read this, which is about breaking down sectarian divisions)
5. In Aug. of 1969 there was one major pogrom and some minor ones, and an attempted major pogrom against the Catholic community. There’s more on that here and here.
6. The Starry Plough is the flag of republican socialism.
7. Gerald McCauley was a member of the IRA’s youth wing. Without being armed he was part of Nationalist resistance during the West Belfast Aug. 1969 anti-Catholic pogrom. He was killed and the area he was defending, Bombay St., was burned out.
8. Valhalla is part of Norse mythology, it's a place where warriors go after they die, although there seems to be some debate about exactly who gets in- only people who die in combat? Anyway, the fascists love it and have sort of taken over the concept, but a friend told me that he likes the idea of the left claiming it and specifically said that if such a place exists, Che and others like him are probably there. (Do I believe in Valhalla? You could say I’m sort of an agnostic on that question and am sort of solidly a Christian. The way I see it, this is pretty flexible, don't take it too seriously, and one way to think about it is that if you believe in Heaven and would rather these people went there instead of Valhalla, maybe they can do both, spend some time in Valhalla and some time in Heaven; but my friend and I do like the idea of reclaiming it from the fash)
9. RA is Republican Army, and is pronounced “raw.”
10. **77% of this version is me, 23% is the original.
11. I give this poem four stars out of five.
12. Definitely about the IRA.
UPDATE 3/18/15 13. I added "and mothers."
14. UPDATED 2/5/16 Based on what might be called a fairly scientific look, only about .2% of the IRA's operations intentionally resulted in civilian death.
15. No Remorse were British and supported the British and Unionist causes.
UPDATE 4/18/20 the old last two lines are "With our comrades in battle or in Valhalla/We fight for Ireland, because we are the RA." The new lines are below. I don't think this more than slightly changes what % of it is me.
16. The Jewish Combat Organization, referred to by it's Polish acronym ZOB, carried out the rebellion in the Warsaw Ghetto during WWII.
17. Hallah is a kind of Jewish bread.
Man the barricades, resistance has exploded
We're armed and ready, locked and loaded
We've got the people’s support, we've got the guns,
We never lose, we’ll fight til we’ve won
Chorus:
Irish Republican Army,
We stand together in a people’s war
Irish Republican Army,
We fight for freedom as our fathers and mothers did before
This is our land, we want it united
working-class unionists are so short-sighted
Another pogrom, we won’t allow
We raise our fists and fly the starry plough
For McAuley and for Bombay Street
We will fight until our victory’s complete
If we fall in battle and go to Valhalla
We'll meet the Jewish Combat Organization and try some Hallah
******
“Withdrawal” based on “Repatriation” by Final War, original lyrics are here.
1. This is set in the early 1970s. At some point, early in that period, I’m not sure exactly when, there were huge numbers of British troops coming into the North, and they started building more military installations, as the situation worsened.. The BA is the British Army.
2. As far as it being imperialist, I go into that quite a bit here, in the paragraph which is about 40% the way down from the top, and which starts with- “For a few reasons I'm.”
3. There had been 2-4 armed attempts at liberating the North since the formation of the state, attempts that went nowhere. Many senior members of the IRA in the 1970s we’re committed to a long war and fighting til victory. UPDATE 9/25/11 I have a theory (probably a very accurate one) of why they DID stop significantly short of victory- I explain that here.
4. The deployment of British troops on the streets of N. Ireland in August 1969 was seen in different ways. To a large degree their immediate effect was to save Catholic communites from being attacked beyond what they had already experienced (see this and this). But they also rescued the State from falling apart. And they made it difficult for the IRA to get support from Nationalists for an armed campaign against the British Army and government. In some cases the BA was accused of pointing their weapons at the Catholics, and some IRA members were arrested, after their communities had experienced what were pogroms (or attempted pogrom, in Derry).
5. Plantation is a word for a new colony (so it’s not a perfect fit with that line, but close enough).
6. I believe that one reason the British wanted to retain N. Ireland is that the labor movement and the left were weaker there than in other areas of the UK, because of sectarianism.
7. I’m not sure if “peace-keeping” is the right way to describe the initial presence of the British troops, but I think it’s fairly accurate (I know that the rest of the conflict London would often talk about the BA as if they were peace-keepers, but this is different- the first 9 months they were fairly close to being peace-keepers).
**8. 72% of this version is me, 28% is the original (that includes the chnages I made in the fourth verse (As far as i can see, there is not a chorus).
9. I give this poem four stars out of five.
10. I believe that there should be a period of gradual change; so, the 2nd line of the 2nd verse shouldn’t be taken literally.
11. About the IRA.
12. This version, although it seems like it needs more, has one anti-right line, which is to some degree in conflict with the politics behind the original. I talk about why that’s important here.
UPDATE 9/3/11 I earlier got confused and thought that the original was by a Dutch or Belgian band; it's actually an American band. I need to add something more to "twist" the original lyrics; I'll add something soon.
UPDATE 9/25/11 I have just created an anti-racist line to "twist" the lyrics enough that I feel comfortable with this poem. The last word of the 3rd line of what is the 4th verse ("Tories") and the entire line below it are new.
The problems with the Orange Order are described here. Bigotry weakens the working-class, the labor movement, and the left.
As instability and resistance spreads, the BA settles in
their transports fly into Belfast again and again
the British Army are on an imperialist crusade
we’re going to put an end to it, ‘cause we’re the IRA
We've been doing this for many decades
This time we won’t stop til their transports fly away
it's time to take action, time to make a stand
send ‘em back to their own island
British withdrawal must start today
British withdrawal it is the only way
British withdrawal that is our demand
British withdrawal take them right out of our land!
What do you think brought them here from their foreign nation?
The need to stabilize and secure their imperial plantation
the Tories want a pool of cheap labor for the capitalists
Like the KKK and racism, the Orange Order gives them an assist
A brief peace-keeping operation is all they thought it would be
But now we’ve started a popular insurgency
we've had enough British rule, can’t take it anymore
Let’s push them out and Ireland will be united once more
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