"Now is not the time..." -- an oft-repeated phrase that George W. Bush employed to avoid any action that did not suit his agenda. We're hearing touches of it still, whether it's the Democrats dodging a Truth Commission (since the truth of their complicity would be revealed) or the conservatives attempting to prevent health care reform in the context of the current economic crisis. The time to act, they all say, is...later. Will we heed their cautious advice, or make demands in the People's best interest? Charles Marowitz tells the story of the Bonus Army of the Great Depression, which demonstrates that when hopes are frustrated and poverty, injustice, and hunger combine, there is a collective combustion that explodes. Yet, in light of the new tent cities mushrooming around the good old USA, Michael Doliner wonders whether a new crop of guys reminiscent of Genet's hoodlums will grow up from this misery. Similarly, Gilles d'Aymery demonstrates the banality of Twitter; a painful experiment in the Web's latest dumbing-down craze that even journalists and politicians are embracing. In these difficult times, the likes of Senator Claire McCaskill would rather tweet about her Taco Bell order than, say, her stance on US war crimes, single-payer health care, climate change -- issues that are simply too complicated to discuss in 140 characters.
As for climate change, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar recently channeled his predecessor Dirk "the dodo" Kempthorne in skirting the Endangered Species Act's requirement to protect the polar bear habitat. Jan Baughman continues to cartoon on behalf of the threatened bear that's clinging to the audacity of hope that our government will respond seriously to its plight. Martin Murie's take on climate-change greenwashing, market-based ecology, and the gutting of the ESA would likely dash the polar bear's hope; so too would Michael Barker's analysis on the bedfellows on the board of General Electric, where the military-industrial complex, the World Wildlife Fund, and so-called liberal philanthropists work in cahoots. Both Murie and Barker remind us that activists must challenge liberal foundations if real change is to happen. We're also well advised to consider the French pioneers of animal traction, which according to Graham Lea could bring the greater efficiency of new-technology machines drawn by animals to the slow food movement.
From Ghana, Femi Akomolafe updates us on the antics of his country's politicians, who continue their audacity of looting, pilfering, and corruption despite public uproar; while Peter Byrne takes us to Turkey as seen through two books that explore its efforts to join the European Union and its women's rights reforms of the honor-killing tradition. In poetry, Guido Monte travels the deep forests of Dante and Rimbaud, and Marie Rennard invokes a hundred crows and her whimsical imagination to build paradise. From the culture corner, Raju Peddada explores societal differences in the definition of sexy, and we close with your letters, challenging Charles Marowitz's take on journalism and journalists; praise for our George Bernard Shaw retrospective and Louis Proyect's recent book review; Art Shay's and Martin Murie's opposing positions on pilotless drones; and an unsolicited touch of xenophobia rarely (thankfully) seen in these pages.
As always, please form your OWN opinion, and let your friends (and foes) know about Swans. It's your voice that makes ours grow.
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Charles Marowitz: The History Lesson
America's World War One veterans were promised a bonus for their service, to be paid in 1945, but when the Great Depression hit they took to the streets of Washington to demand their much-needed money, demonstrating that when hopes are frustrated and poverty, injustice, and hunger combine, there is a collective combustion that explodes. More...
Michael Doliner: Guys Tried On For Size
The author ponders, in light of the new tent cities mushrooming around the good old USA, whether a new crop of guys reminiscent of Genet's hoodlums in The Thief's Journal will grow up from this misery. More...
Gilles d'Aymery: What Are You Doing?
Gilles d'Aymery demonstrates the banality of Twitter; a painful experiment in the Web's latest dumbing-down craze that even journalists and politicians are embracing in order to avoid discussing US war crimes, single-payer health care, climate change -- issues that are simply too complicated to address in 140 characters. More...
Jan Baughman: Polarizing Global Warming Politics
Editorial cartoon: The Obama administration is carrying on the tradition of its predecessor, leaving the polar bear threatened, but not protected, with nothing left but the audacity of hope that it will take a serious approach to combating global warming. More...
Martin Murie: Greenwashing
Working over greenwashing and our less than feeble efforts to slow climate change. More...
Michael Barker: General Electric: War Corporation, Liberal Hangout, Or Both?
Examination of the liberal connections maintained by members of the board of directors of the leading military contractor, General Electric Company. More...
Graham Lea: La Vie d'autrefois
Organic farmers and proponents of the slow food movement in France have considerable knowledge and skill, but have yet to seize the opportunities available to use the greater efficiency of new-technology machines drawn by animals. More...
Femi Akomolafe: Ghana: The Audacity Of Looting - Update
Femi Akomolafe continues his reporting on the looting, pilfering, and corruption of Ghanaian politicians, whose audacity prevails despite public uproar. More...
Peter Byrne: Turkey On Trial
Turkey as seen through two books that explore its efforts to join the European Union and its women's rights reforms of the honor-killing tradition. More...
Guido Monte: Selva Oscura
Monte goes along the deep forests of Dante's and Rimbaud's verses... More...
Marie Rennard: How To Build Up A Paradise
Polesy for the earth-bound music worth sticking around for rather than risking a paradise without blues or jazz. More...
Raju Peddada: What Does It Mean To Be Sexy?
The author explores the definition of sexy, which he concludes is more than just skin deep. More...
Challenging Charles Marowitz's take on journalism and journalists; praise for Swans' George Bernard Shaw retrospective and Louis Proyect's review of Skateboards Will Be Free; Art Shay opposing Martin Murie's position on pilotless drones, to which Murie responds; and an unsolicited touch of xenophobia rarely seen in these pages. More...
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