There is an article on the BBC about Tamir Rice, one the several black people who were killed by police in a brief period of time about a year ago and whose deaths were held up as undeniable examples of racist police violence.
After reading the article above about Tamir, consider this- Ohio is an "Open Carry" state. Below are some notes from a comment I made elsewhere on the Web about this.
***
There’s a widely read progressive comic strip called “This Modern World,” at- http://thismodernworld.com/comic-archive . A recent one is at- http://images.dailykos.com/images/118035/lightbox/TMW2014-12-03color.png?1417371188 that you should read.
The last part refers to a recent initiative by gun-rights advocates called “Open Carry.” There is more info at- http://www.splcenter.org/blog/2014/0...n-for-the-nra/ (please note that in the end, the NRA was officially okay with open-carry Texas. One of the sites for the movement is at- http://www.opencarry.org/ .
As far as I can tell, it IS overwhelmingly about white people with a racist double standard.
Some quotes from the front page of http://www.opencarry.org/ :
“I have to admit, initially I was a bit nervous about … the [open carry] law,
[b]ut to my surprise, we have not had one single incident as it relates to open-carry.”
Vicksburg, MS P
Police Chief Walter Armstrong, September 16, 2014
“We don’t suggest that people panic,
because there hasn’t been a problem with open-carry demonstrations in other cities.”
Palo Alto, CA police Lt. Sandra Brown, Mercury News, March 5, 2010
An article on this theme is at- http://www.salon.com/2014/12/15/gun_...dment_crusade/
ANOTHER ITEM THAT I DIDN'T KNOW EARLIER: Tamir Rice and John Crawford were killed in Ohio. Ohio IS AN OPEN-CARRY STATE!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sunday, October 11, 2015
Saturday, August 8, 2015
British Fools: Three more poems
I have three new poems ready to publish, and might have another 2-3 ready in about a week.
For more about my poems, see this. For the rest of the poems, click the "lyrics" label at the bottom of this post- there are several pages worth, so use the "older posts" link at the bottom.
1. Fash Are Fools. About fascists in America.
2. Troops Out. About dissent among British soldiers in N. Ireland.
3. Hitler's A Fool. About WWII.
“Fash Are Fools” based on “Reds Are Fools” by Kill, Baby, Kill original lyrics are here.
1. Brown is the color of fascism.
2. Partitioned basically means divided.
3. I give this poem 4 stars out of 5.
**4. 36% of this version is me, 64% is the original.
5. This is about the broad struggle against fascism and would be about 99% non-violent.
6. UPDATE 8/9/15 I made a HUGE mistake with the second line of the last verse but have now corrected it.
The struggle’s far from over, we’ve got a long, long way to go.
We haven’t won the fight yet, that's a fact that we all know.
Still too many people are supporting the brown lie,
but soon the truth will set 'em free and fascism will die.
The swastika’s a symbol for division and hate
A worthless, sick, corrupt nation is their ideal state
Like Apartheid, they want the working-class partitioned
And like Hitler, want the Left dead or imprisoned
We’ll never fly the swastika, no matter what they try
cause we all know that fash are fools, their ideology’s just a lie.
They hail the wrong ideals, a choice they will regret.
We’ll always keep on working till fascism is dead.
Nazism is genocidal, we’ve seen it once before.
The Jews were almost wiped out, a fact we can’t ignore.
Why are the Nazis still trying? They will never win
America belongs to the workers of all peoples, we are all each other’s kin
***********
“Troops Out” based on “Fools No More” by Skrewdriver, original lyrics are here.
1. The first 2-4 lines are about an IRA bmb attack at Narrow Water that resulted in 18 British soldiers being killed.
2. The red white and blue refers to the British flag.
3. One example of the lying to British soldiers is that they were told while training for deployment to the Six-Counties that the IRA would attack Protestant funerals.
4. The reasons why it shouldn’t matter that there’s a pro-British majority are described towards the top of this post.
5. Another part is the question of imperialism. Along with what I refer to in #4, I would also add that in multiple ways, the population in the South has to one degree or another since partition claimed the north as politically part of the Irish nation. For example, two of the three most recent Presidential terms have been filled by a woman from the North- without changing her nationality or anything like that, she was voted in as President of Ireland.
6. The original first line of the 3rd verse actually says “always” instead of “rarely.” But I can imagine a LOT of chickenhawks (in general, not just in Britain) waving the flag and a lot of veterans being less enthusiastic about that.
7. I believe that one factor behind the British presence is that N. Ireland does offer a well-educated but low-paid and politically weak working-class which are more or less divided by sectarian bigotry (almost all of which is aimed at Catholics and those who identify as Irish). More evidence for this is found in the following facts taken from the book Northern Ireland: the Orange State by Michael Farrell:
“In 1974 45% of all firms in Northern Ireland employing 500 or more workers were controlled from Britain, as were 28 out of 51 firms employing between 250 and 500 workers” p. 326
(See the 4th note for the poem here)
*8. 58% of this version is me, 42% is the original. (after I changed the chorus)
9. I give this poem 3 out of 5 stars.
10. UPDATE 8/16/15 Skrewdriver were British and supporters of the British and unionist causes in N. Ireland.
10. UPDATE 3/20/20 I realized that the chorus was written in the first person, not the second person, so I almost completely changed it.
11. UPDATE 3/20/20 The Troops Out Movement was a British anti-Partition group.
12. UPDATE 3/29/20 When I say thousands, that's an estimate for people from Britian who were more or less in a military or paramilitary group, the last 220-250 years of the six-county area that is now N. Ireland, and it's probably about 1,200, no more, so maybe hundreds would have been more accurate, but not much more.
Fire fills the air, there’s smoke in the sky
you’re knocked down, and 18 die
You're looking around, with fear in your eyes
Looking for the enemy and you still wonder why
Obey all your orders, British pride aflame
But in truth you’re a pawn in their imperialistic game
And your leaders are not honest with you
they lie, as they fly, the red white and blue
(chorus)
Don't be a fool anymore
Talk to the Troops Out Movement and learn the score
Thousands of Brits have died in this land
And it's never been for the good of the British working-woman or man
Many died for profit and political greed
But it's always the soldiers not the leaders who bleed
Without exception the tories are scum
Who lie to the people whilst they beat on their drums
And they claim it’s because there’s a Unionist majority
But it’s imperialism, capitalism, and just plain bigotry
(chorus)
It's rarely been those with the flags in their hands
Who have fought and have died in N. Ireland
Yeah, while the leaders stay home with their massive cigars
you were lucky if you were traveling in armored cars
They take all the fame, the businesses take all the pounds
By exploiting labor in British factories on Irish ground
And if you dare to object and ask them to cease
You'll get a visit from their political police
********
“Hitler’s A Fool” based on “Reds are Fools” by Kill, Baby Kill, original lyrics are here.
1. This is about the period shortly after D-Day in WWII.
2. Obviously it wasn’t the Nazis that committed genocide against the Indians, but what happened was very similar to what the Nazis planned for (and almost succeeded at) in Eastern Europe. That rhyming couplet was inspired by the title of a hardcore punk song called “John Wayne was a Nazi.”
3. The second to last line of the last verse kind of exaggerates what the Allies were doing to stop the Holocaust.
3. I give this poem four stars out of five.
**4. 51% of this version is me, 49% is the original.
5. UPDATE 8/9/15 As I was preparing this for publication, I knew there was some explanation I was forgetting to make. I exaggerate some how aware the Allies were about the Final Solution and A LOT how concerned white Americans were about American Indians and I probably exaggerate a little how concerned the Allies were about European Jews. But, having acknowledged that, I think it is a good poem.
6. UPDATE 1/24/16 I know that probably no more than half of the US military in WWII could have been called anti-fascist, but at the same time, as I say in another WWII poem, "although the Allied leaders are not consistent/Defeating the fascist states is important."
The war’s far from over, we got a long, long way to go.
We haven’t won the fight yet, that's a fact that we all know.
Still too many German soldiers are supporting the brown lie,
but soon our armor will take them down and the Nazi state will die.
The hammer and the sickle is a symbol of our allies
They beat back the nazis on land and in the skies
With bullshit propaganda Hitler pushes Germans to fight.
Fascism has taken Europe into a long night
We’ll never give them quarter, unless the white flag they fly
cause we all know that fash are fools, that their ideas are just a lie.
They started this fucking war, a choice they will regret.
‘cause we’ll always keep on fighting till they’re no longer a threat
Nazism is genocidal, we’ve seen it once before.
The American Indians are still recovering, a fact we can’t ignore.
Why is the SS still trying? We’re gonna smash those anti-Semites
Europe belongs to free peoples, and their democracy, and their human rights
For more about my poems, see this. For the rest of the poems, click the "lyrics" label at the bottom of this post- there are several pages worth, so use the "older posts" link at the bottom.
1. Fash Are Fools. About fascists in America.
2. Troops Out. About dissent among British soldiers in N. Ireland.
3. Hitler's A Fool. About WWII.
“Fash Are Fools” based on “Reds Are Fools” by Kill, Baby, Kill original lyrics are here.
1. Brown is the color of fascism.
2. Partitioned basically means divided.
3. I give this poem 4 stars out of 5.
**4. 36% of this version is me, 64% is the original.
5. This is about the broad struggle against fascism and would be about 99% non-violent.
6. UPDATE 8/9/15 I made a HUGE mistake with the second line of the last verse but have now corrected it.
The struggle’s far from over, we’ve got a long, long way to go.
We haven’t won the fight yet, that's a fact that we all know.
Still too many people are supporting the brown lie,
but soon the truth will set 'em free and fascism will die.
The swastika’s a symbol for division and hate
A worthless, sick, corrupt nation is their ideal state
Like Apartheid, they want the working-class partitioned
And like Hitler, want the Left dead or imprisoned
We’ll never fly the swastika, no matter what they try
cause we all know that fash are fools, their ideology’s just a lie.
They hail the wrong ideals, a choice they will regret.
We’ll always keep on working till fascism is dead.
Nazism is genocidal, we’ve seen it once before.
The Jews were almost wiped out, a fact we can’t ignore.
Why are the Nazis still trying? They will never win
America belongs to the workers of all peoples, we are all each other’s kin
***********
“Troops Out” based on “Fools No More” by Skrewdriver, original lyrics are here.
1. The first 2-4 lines are about an IRA bmb attack at Narrow Water that resulted in 18 British soldiers being killed.
2. The red white and blue refers to the British flag.
3. One example of the lying to British soldiers is that they were told while training for deployment to the Six-Counties that the IRA would attack Protestant funerals.
4. The reasons why it shouldn’t matter that there’s a pro-British majority are described towards the top of this post.
5. Another part is the question of imperialism. Along with what I refer to in #4, I would also add that in multiple ways, the population in the South has to one degree or another since partition claimed the north as politically part of the Irish nation. For example, two of the three most recent Presidential terms have been filled by a woman from the North- without changing her nationality or anything like that, she was voted in as President of Ireland.
6. The original first line of the 3rd verse actually says “always” instead of “rarely.” But I can imagine a LOT of chickenhawks (in general, not just in Britain) waving the flag and a lot of veterans being less enthusiastic about that.
7. I believe that one factor behind the British presence is that N. Ireland does offer a well-educated but low-paid and politically weak working-class which are more or less divided by sectarian bigotry (almost all of which is aimed at Catholics and those who identify as Irish). More evidence for this is found in the following facts taken from the book Northern Ireland: the Orange State by Michael Farrell:
“In 1974 45% of all firms in Northern Ireland employing 500 or more workers were controlled from Britain, as were 28 out of 51 firms employing between 250 and 500 workers” p. 326
(See the 4th note for the poem here)
*8. 58% of this version is me, 42% is the original. (after I changed the chorus)
9. I give this poem 3 out of 5 stars.
10. UPDATE 8/16/15 Skrewdriver were British and supporters of the British and unionist causes in N. Ireland.
10. UPDATE 3/20/20 I realized that the chorus was written in the first person, not the second person, so I almost completely changed it.
11. UPDATE 3/20/20 The Troops Out Movement was a British anti-Partition group.
12. UPDATE 3/29/20 When I say thousands, that's an estimate for people from Britian who were more or less in a military or paramilitary group, the last 220-250 years of the six-county area that is now N. Ireland, and it's probably about 1,200, no more, so maybe hundreds would have been more accurate, but not much more.
Fire fills the air, there’s smoke in the sky
you’re knocked down, and 18 die
You're looking around, with fear in your eyes
Looking for the enemy and you still wonder why
Obey all your orders, British pride aflame
But in truth you’re a pawn in their imperialistic game
And your leaders are not honest with you
they lie, as they fly, the red white and blue
(chorus)
Don't be a fool anymore
Talk to the Troops Out Movement and learn the score
Thousands of Brits have died in this land
And it's never been for the good of the British working-woman or man
Many died for profit and political greed
But it's always the soldiers not the leaders who bleed
Without exception the tories are scum
Who lie to the people whilst they beat on their drums
And they claim it’s because there’s a Unionist majority
But it’s imperialism, capitalism, and just plain bigotry
(chorus)
It's rarely been those with the flags in their hands
Who have fought and have died in N. Ireland
Yeah, while the leaders stay home with their massive cigars
you were lucky if you were traveling in armored cars
They take all the fame, the businesses take all the pounds
By exploiting labor in British factories on Irish ground
And if you dare to object and ask them to cease
You'll get a visit from their political police
********
“Hitler’s A Fool” based on “Reds are Fools” by Kill, Baby Kill, original lyrics are here.
1. This is about the period shortly after D-Day in WWII.
2. Obviously it wasn’t the Nazis that committed genocide against the Indians, but what happened was very similar to what the Nazis planned for (and almost succeeded at) in Eastern Europe. That rhyming couplet was inspired by the title of a hardcore punk song called “John Wayne was a Nazi.”
3. The second to last line of the last verse kind of exaggerates what the Allies were doing to stop the Holocaust.
3. I give this poem four stars out of five.
**4. 51% of this version is me, 49% is the original.
5. UPDATE 8/9/15 As I was preparing this for publication, I knew there was some explanation I was forgetting to make. I exaggerate some how aware the Allies were about the Final Solution and A LOT how concerned white Americans were about American Indians and I probably exaggerate a little how concerned the Allies were about European Jews. But, having acknowledged that, I think it is a good poem.
6. UPDATE 1/24/16 I know that probably no more than half of the US military in WWII could have been called anti-fascist, but at the same time, as I say in another WWII poem, "although the Allied leaders are not consistent/Defeating the fascist states is important."
The war’s far from over, we got a long, long way to go.
We haven’t won the fight yet, that's a fact that we all know.
Still too many German soldiers are supporting the brown lie,
but soon our armor will take them down and the Nazi state will die.
The hammer and the sickle is a symbol of our allies
They beat back the nazis on land and in the skies
With bullshit propaganda Hitler pushes Germans to fight.
Fascism has taken Europe into a long night
We’ll never give them quarter, unless the white flag they fly
cause we all know that fash are fools, that their ideas are just a lie.
They started this fucking war, a choice they will regret.
‘cause we’ll always keep on fighting till they’re no longer a threat
Nazism is genocidal, we’ve seen it once before.
The American Indians are still recovering, a fact we can’t ignore.
Why is the SS still trying? We’re gonna smash those anti-Semites
Europe belongs to free peoples, and their democracy, and their human rights
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Irish History, Today's World, and Our Education System
Just a quick link to a great article on another blog. I had no idea our education system was so bad in this area. The article touches on part of a theory I have, that to whatever degree our educational system and our media ignore Irish history and the situation in N. Ireland, it's partly or very much because of the potential of such material to get some Irish-Americans (almost all of whom are white) to think more critically about how people of color are treated in this world and in this country.
Anyway, there's a great article here.
Tom
Anyway, there's a great article here.
Tom
Thursday, March 5, 2015
No Surrender!!
Below are two new poems (for more on my poetry see this). They're both based on the same original and are both about the same thing.
For the rest of the poems, click the "Lyrics" label at the bottom.
“No Surrender (to the BA)” based on “No Surrender (to the IRA)” by Strikeforce UK, original lyrics are here.
1. This is basically set in the 80s, or the late 70s. and is about the IRA (it could be about other mainstream republicans also but I prefer to limit it to the IRA).
2. The BA is the British Army.
3. Westmacott was the highest-ranking British officer killed by the IRA and was with the elite SAS.
4. I give this poem four stars out of five.
**5. 43% of this version is me, 57% is the original.
6. UPDATED 1/15/16 Based on what might be called a fairly scientific look, only about .2% of the IRA's operations intentionally resulted in civilian death.
No surrender!
No surrender to the BA
Those evil bastards had better not stay
We stand within the nationalist community
We show the scum they cannot act with impunity
chorus
No surrender, no surrender, no surrender to the BA
No surrender, no surrender, no longer will they keep our freedom at bay
No surrender, no surrender, no surrender to the the British Army
No surrender, no surrender, we will drive them into the sea
loyalist terror attacks are going on still
And London don't give a fuck who they maim and kill
Herbert Westmacott went bye bye
And all you SAS fuckers are gonna die
chorus
No surrender!
We will smash that imperialist scum
No time to lose cos the battle's begun
We are of the global working-class
We won't back down and we’ll always kick ass
***********
“No Surrender (to the British Army)” based on “No Surrender (to the IRA)” by Strikeforce UK, original lyrics are here. (that gets the first line of the second verse wrong- it's what I have below)
1. This is basically set in the 80s, or the late 70s. and is about the IRA. (it could be about other mainstream republicans also but I prefer to limit it to the IRA).
2. The Rand was and is the currency of of South Africa.
3. During that 1.3 decade period, they were definitely pursuing revolution (ignoring conflict with the British state, I think what they probably had in mind was almost totally bloodless compared to most revolutions).
4. The Dail is the Irish Parliament. The second one was the first after the War of Independence. During it’s life there was the split which lead to the civil war and for decades until recently most (or almost all) republicans looked to it‘s surviving republican members for legitimacy. (It was only gradually, considering the violence and bitterness of the civil war, that many and then most and now almost all republicans recognize(d) the legitimacy of the Parliament and Government in Dublin in the last seven decades). (I think that mainstream republicans were a little slow to mostly and now totally or almost totally recognize the legitimacy of the state in the South)
5. I give this poem 4 stars out of five.
**6. 32% of this version is me, 68% is the original.
7. UPDATED 1/15/16 Based on what might be called a fairly scientific look, only about .2% of the IRA's operations intentionally resulted in civilian death.
8. Che is Che Gueverra, who has been credited with developing rural guerrilla warfare.
No surrender!
No surrender to the BA
We battle those bastards in the spirit of Che
Inspired by those who fight against the rand
We show the British scum that it's our land
No surrender, no surrender, no surrender to the BA
No surrender, no surrender, our revolution is underway
No surrender, no surrender, no surrender to the Brits
No surrender, no surrender, hit them with the blitz
Their terrorist attacks are going on still
And they don’t give a fuck who they maim and kill
Margaret Thatcher better wave bye bye
Cos Brit imperialists are gonna die
chorus
No surrender!
We will smash that British scum
No time to lose as the battle’s begun
We're loyal,to the second dail
We won't back down and we will never run
chorus
For the rest of the poems, click the "Lyrics" label at the bottom.
“No Surrender (to the BA)” based on “No Surrender (to the IRA)” by Strikeforce UK, original lyrics are here.
1. This is basically set in the 80s, or the late 70s. and is about the IRA (it could be about other mainstream republicans also but I prefer to limit it to the IRA).
2. The BA is the British Army.
3. Westmacott was the highest-ranking British officer killed by the IRA and was with the elite SAS.
4. I give this poem four stars out of five.
**5. 43% of this version is me, 57% is the original.
6. UPDATED 1/15/16 Based on what might be called a fairly scientific look, only about .2% of the IRA's operations intentionally resulted in civilian death.
No surrender!
No surrender to the BA
Those evil bastards had better not stay
We stand within the nationalist community
We show the scum they cannot act with impunity
chorus
No surrender, no surrender, no surrender to the BA
No surrender, no surrender, no longer will they keep our freedom at bay
No surrender, no surrender, no surrender to the the British Army
No surrender, no surrender, we will drive them into the sea
loyalist terror attacks are going on still
And London don't give a fuck who they maim and kill
Herbert Westmacott went bye bye
And all you SAS fuckers are gonna die
chorus
No surrender!
We will smash that imperialist scum
No time to lose cos the battle's begun
We are of the global working-class
We won't back down and we’ll always kick ass
***********
“No Surrender (to the British Army)” based on “No Surrender (to the IRA)” by Strikeforce UK, original lyrics are here. (that gets the first line of the second verse wrong- it's what I have below)
1. This is basically set in the 80s, or the late 70s. and is about the IRA. (it could be about other mainstream republicans also but I prefer to limit it to the IRA).
2. The Rand was and is the currency of of South Africa.
3. During that 1.3 decade period, they were definitely pursuing revolution (ignoring conflict with the British state, I think what they probably had in mind was almost totally bloodless compared to most revolutions).
4. The Dail is the Irish Parliament. The second one was the first after the War of Independence. During it’s life there was the split which lead to the civil war and for decades until recently most (or almost all) republicans looked to it‘s surviving republican members for legitimacy. (It was only gradually, considering the violence and bitterness of the civil war, that many and then most and now almost all republicans recognize(d) the legitimacy of the Parliament and Government in Dublin in the last seven decades). (I think that mainstream republicans were a little slow to mostly and now totally or almost totally recognize the legitimacy of the state in the South)
5. I give this poem 4 stars out of five.
**6. 32% of this version is me, 68% is the original.
7. UPDATED 1/15/16 Based on what might be called a fairly scientific look, only about .2% of the IRA's operations intentionally resulted in civilian death.
8. Che is Che Gueverra, who has been credited with developing rural guerrilla warfare.
No surrender!
No surrender to the BA
We battle those bastards in the spirit of Che
Inspired by those who fight against the rand
We show the British scum that it's our land
No surrender, no surrender, no surrender to the BA
No surrender, no surrender, our revolution is underway
No surrender, no surrender, no surrender to the Brits
No surrender, no surrender, hit them with the blitz
Their terrorist attacks are going on still
And they don’t give a fuck who they maim and kill
Margaret Thatcher better wave bye bye
Cos Brit imperialists are gonna die
chorus
No surrender!
We will smash that British scum
No time to lose as the battle’s begun
We're loyal,to the second dail
We won't back down and we will never run
chorus
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