FUNDRAISING DRIVE: Green is the color of hope and hope means meeting a fundraising goal of $4,000 for 2010. That money, evidently, does not pay for wages, only the operating costs of the endeavor and the opportunity to keep bringing original humanist and radical thoughts to the wider realm. Jan Baughman and Gilles d'Aymery have sacrificed for 15 years to make this "sweetest dream" a reality. Unfortunately, they never had a wealthy mentor or someone willing to match funds -- a sad happenstance, but a plain reality...
Thank you very much to Beverly Holley and Phil Fine for their enduring friendship and their recurring generosity. Still, another $650 are needed. If you want to make a difference and help Jan and Gilles carry on, please Donate now! Thank you for your attention and for reading Swans.
A Special Issue: Perspectives on 2010
As December draws to a close it is time for our year-end review -- a tradition that has evolved over 15 years and which will endure so long as our voices are not silenced. The collusion between government and big business to shut down WikiLeaks is the latest example of the hypocrisy of freedom of speech. Jan Baughman's editorial cartoon depicts the 12 months of a less-than-amusing year, beginning with January's "freedom of speech" Supreme Court decision that handed unprecedented political power to corporations. From January to December, the elite triumphed and trampled over the masses. Some day, once we have been bled completely dry, a resistance will surely mount, and as Louis Proyect demonstrates, it is interesting to consider the same kind of intractable contradictions America is facing that brought down the USSR. Proyect asks whether the ruling elites can remain hegemonic when it shows so little capacity for acting in its own long-term interests. Gilles d'Aymery answers that question (as does Francis Shor) in his trip to Absurdistan -- the kingdom of the investors and creditors that have taken hostage the economy and captured the body politic.
2010 was an all-American political disappointment to say the least for both Harvey Whitney, Jr. and Charles Marowitz, from the nonsensical economic strategy to the Republicans' outmaneuvering of President Obama. Jonah Raskin endeavors to impart in his students the survival skills they will need to navigate the growing storm; Raskin recalls his own life underground in the 1970s, an era that today's generation cannot fathom. Gallic protests continued throughout 2010, and Marie Rennard reviews the presidency of Sarkozy, who sees himself as a new de Gaulle while everyone but him knows that those days are gone. Reporting from Italy, Peter Byrne considers the year in dissent, while Fabio De Propris finds the bad year for Roman walls symbolic of the crumbling European economy. Maxwell Clark shares a brief study of capitalist and otherwise temporality from a contrarian perspective, and Guido Monte and his students collected valuable year-end messages in a bottle from Tiziano Terzani. We close with Graham Lea's opposing perspective on peak oil and Gilles d'Aymery's "The Economy Is Not Coming Back -- The Reasons it Shouldn't," and our best wishes for the holidays. We'll be back in two weeks to start off the New Year with our customary Infamous Predictions™.
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Jan Baughman: America 2010: Out/In
2010 retrospective: A not-so-amusing editorial cartoon and commentary on the lowlights of 2010. More...
Louis Proyect: The Autumn Of The Hegemon
2010 retrospective: As the war in Afghanistan became America's longest in history and the jobless economy teeters on the brink, it is worth considering the similarities between the demise of the USSR and the intractable contradictions facing the U.S. More...
Gilles d'Aymery: The Slow Agony Of Absurdistan
2010 retrospective: A trip to Absurdistan -- the kingdom of the investors and creditors that have taken hostage the economy and captured the body politic. More...
Harvey E. Whitney, Jr.: Political Amnesia
2010 retrospective: A year of political and economic amnesia, in which the historically-failed arguments for cuts in both government and taxes for the wealthy prevailed. More...
Charles Marowitz: The Jig Is Up
2010 retrospective: The end of hope, in which the American system out-maneuvers President Obama. More...
Jonah Raskin: The Sweetest Dream
2010 retrospection: Remembrance of life underground in the 1970s, an era that today's generation cannot fathom. More...
Francis Shor: On The Road To Nowhere And Beyond
2010 retrospective: Dying empire, manifest destiny, and the end of the American Century. More...
Marie Rennard: A Year Of Gallic Protests
2010 retrospective: A view from France on the presidency of Sarkozy, who sees himself as a new De Gaulle; everyone but him knows that those days are gone. More...
Peter Byrne: The Year In Dissent
2010 retrospective: A review of The Verso Book of Dissent and the year's notable dissenters, including Arundhati Roy. More...
Fabio De Propris: The Fall Of The House Of Pompeii
2010 retrospective: A bad year for Roman walls was symbolic as the European economy crumbles. More...
Maxwell Clark: Other Rhythms? A Contrarian View
2010 retrospective: A brief study of capitalist and otherwise temporality from a contrarian perspective. More...
Guido Monte: Terzani's words: year-end messages in a bottle
2010 retrospective: The students of the high school 'Liceo Classico G.Meli' of Palermo, Sicily, travel along the phrases and the ideas of Tiziano Terzani to offer a perspective of the year 2010. More...
Graham Lea's opposing perspective on peak oil and Gilles d'Aymery's "The Economy Is Not Coming Back -- The Reasons it Shouldn't." More...
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