We Lost an Important Voice Yesterday

Howard Zinn died yesterday.

Howard Zinn, the Boston University historian and political activist who was an early opponent of US involvement in Vietnam and whose books, such as "A People's History of the United States," inspired young and old to rethink the way textbooks present the American experience, died today in Santa Monica, Calif, where he was traveling. He was 87.

Noam Chompsky said:

Both by his actions, and his writings for 50 years, [Howard Zinn] played a powerful role in helping and in many ways inspiring the Civil rights movement and the anti-war movement.

He immeasurably affected me and my life. I never missed a chance to see him speak and bought most of his books and videos, including his Emma Goldman play and his comic book!

As important as Dr Zinn was to a couple generations of Americans, I will be surprised if the MSM spends any time on reflecting on his accomplishments and influence. Howard Zinn is certainly more important to the changes we made in the United States in the '60's and '70's -- and his life and work should be celebrated more than Michael Jackson's, but I doubt it will be.

We have some really screwed up priorities.

h/t backbonecampaign.org for pix

Haiti

No one can see the pictures coming out of Haiti after this devastating earthquake without feeling heartbroken for these people. Send money, yes. Pray for them, yes. But if we want to do something that will help the systemic poverty of Haiti we need to pass the Jubilee Act for Responsible Lending and Expanded Debt Cancellation.

Last year in May, the Times Online had an excellent article about how debt, starting with the reparations demanded by France have crippled this country. Today, Haiti owes the World Bank $1.6m a month! Now is the time to get this important Act passed.

Intellectually Dishonest

Are the Republithugs being intellectually dishonest, simpleminded, or deliberately obtuse on this Harry Reid is a racist thing? I'm not a big fan of Senator Reid and I hope a progressive Dem replaces him but it has nothing to do with his comments about 'light skinned' and 'negro dialect' -- it has EVERYTHING to do with his handling of Senators Landrieu and Nelson during the health care negotiations and his chumminess with Lieberman.

Republicans have been pouncing on Reid's comments and calling for Reid's resignation from the Senate leadership. They compare Reid's comments to Trent Lott's 2002 comments that America would have been better off had then-segregationist Sen. Strom Thurmond been elected president in 1948, which resulted in Lott being forced to leave the GOP leadership. There is a clear difference between the comments, of course: While Lott's words were interpreted as an argument that segregationist policies would have been better for America than integration, Reid was discussing a political strategic reality.

Joe Ritchey over at Fundamental Truths like me has noticed Joe Scarborough's obsession with this:

The irony here is the more Joe talks the more clear it is that it is him that has a racial issue not Harry Reid. . . . But Scarborough along with his other old white boy cohorts Pat Buchanan and Mike Barnacle dig a deeper and deeper hole for themselves by trying to claim some anti Republican bias as if there is no difference in the remarks. His biggest argument to justify his point are unprovable hypothetical, "what would happen" if it was a Republican that said it.

I find it amazing that in a effort to politically destroy Harry Reid by claiming racism, Scarborough is showing clearly how totally clueless about race he is.

Chuck Todd has joined the chorus claiming the two events are the same. Crooks and Liars captured Todd's Tweet:

Why is Reid surviving while Lott didn't? Dems are rallying around Reid; GOPers let Lott whither on vine.

Idiot.

Liz Cheney and Michael Steele are in the same sinking boat as Scarborough and Todd. It's telling when George Will is the voice of reason in this cluster-@#$%.

NEWS FLASH -- Healthcare Works for Multimillionaires

Rush Limbaugh has chest pains and is rushed to a hospital in Hawaii, by the way a state that requires all employers to provide their employees with health insurance.

But back to Rush: “Based on what happened to me here,” Rush Limbaugh told reporters about his hospital visit, “I don’t think there is one thing wrong with the American health care system. It is working just fine.”

Thank GAWD!! A multimillionaire, high profile person can receive decent health care. Isn't America great?! Well no need for any health care bills from Congress.