Review: There is Power in a Union

There is Power in a Union by Philip Dray

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Fantastic and comprehensive history of organized labor in America. Covers the labor movement from it's inception in 18th century pre-Revolutionary America up through the most recent struggles for undocumented immigrants to receive some measure of protection from exploitation.



Along the way you meet an interesting cast of characters who make the history of the American Labor Movement so fascinating.



Highly recommended!



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Review: The "S" Word: A Short History of an American Tradition...Socialism

The "S" Word: A Short History of an American Tradition...Socialism by John Nichols

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


An uneven look at the history of socialism and social democracy in America. The trouble I had with the book was the poor organization of the material. The author kept jumping from subject to subject in a seemingly random way.



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Coming soon! 30 days of ME!

I'll be doing a series of posts about me...  Not sure exactly when I'm going to start, but these will be the topics:

Day 01 → Something you hate about yourself.
Day 02 → Something you love about yourself.
Day 03 → Something you have to forgive yourself for.
Day 04 → Something you have to forgive someone for.
Day 05 → Something you hope to do in your life.
Day 06 → Something you hope you never have to do.
Day 07 → Someone who has made your life worth living for.
Day 08 → Someone who made your life hell, or treated you like shit.
Day 09 → Someone you didn’t want to let go, but just drifted.
Day 10 → Someone you need to let go, or wish you didn’t know.
Day 11 → Something people seem to compliment you the most on.
Day 12 → Something you never get compliments on.
Day 13 → A band or artist that has gotten you through some tough ass days. (write a letter.)
Day 14 → A hero that has let you down. (letter)
Day 15 → Something or someone you couldn’t live without, because you’ve tried living without it.
Day 16 → Someone or something you definitely could live without.
Day 17 → A book you’ve read that changed your views on something.
Day 18 → Your views on gay marriage.
Day 19 → What do you think of religion? Or what do you think of politics?
Day 20 → Your views on drugs and alcohol.
Day 21 → (scenario) Your best friend is in a car accident and you two got into a fight an hour before. What do you do?
Day 22 → Something you wish you hadn’t done in your life.
Day 23 → Something you wish you had done in your life.
Day 24 → Make a playlist to someone, and explain why you chose all the songs. (Just post the titles and artists and letter)
Day 25 → The reason you believe you’re still alive today.
Day 26 → Have you ever thought about giving up on life? If so, when and why?
Day 27 → What’s the best thing going for you right now?
Day 28 → What if you were pregnant or got someone pregnant, what would you do?
Day 29 → Something you hope to change about yourself. And why.
Day 30 → A letter to yourself, tell yourself EVERYTHING you love about yourself


Wish me luck!

My favorite video from election night!

I know people are quite amused by Tweety's attempts to get Michelle Bachmann to answer a simple question only to be thwarted by her zombie answers from the GOP talking-points manual.  But I think this exchange between Lawrence O'Donnell and Eric Cantor is so much more telling.  This guy will be the 2nd most powerful person in the House come January and he lacks even the most rudimentary understanding of economics.  These are our leaders.

H.P. Lovecraft on Republicans (1936)

“As for the Republicans—how can one regard seriously a frightened, greedy, nostalgic huddle of tradesmen and lucky idlers who shut their eyes to history and science, steel their emotions against decent human sympathy, cling to sordid and provincial ideals exalting sheer acquisitiveness and condoning artificial hardship for the non-materially-shrewd, dwell smugly and sentimentally in a distorted dream-cosmos of outmoded phrases and principles and attitudes based on the bygone agricultural-handicraft world, and revel in (consciously or unconsciously) mendacious assumptions (such as the notion that real liberty is synonymous with the single detail of unrestricted economic license or that a rational planning of resource-distribution would contravene some vague and mystical ‘American heritage’…) utterly contrary to fact and without the slightest foundation in human experience? Intellectually, the Republican idea deserves the tolerance and respect one gives to the dead.”