Many thanks to Helen & Steve Mader, and Michael DeLang & Phyllis Feigenbaum for their generous financial contributions. Good readers, we are in April. Time to keep contributing, if you please.
On this Easter Sunday, Pope Francis and his flock gathered in St. Peters square and prayed for peace in Syria and the Ukraine, and an end to all wars and conflicts. Meanwhile, the Swans flock is a bit less sanguine. Walter Trkla is incensed by the continued role his country, Canada, plays in Western interventions, from Afghanistan, to Serbia, Iraq, and now Ukraine, and the hypocrisy of his prime minister. It seems that no amount of activism has stifled imperialist nation-building; in fact, its success has perhaps squelched the activist spirit. And if you believe the likes of Stephen Zunes, yours truly (Swans) has been infiltrated in a COINTELPRO-like manner and is inadvertently aiding the forces of imperialism. Seriously. Gilles d'Aymery explains that, and also offers some suggested reading for the unrepentant revolutionaries who continue to support Western nation-building.
As for Glenn Reed, he finds himself struggling in an entry-level job, and working with apathetic millennials whom he attempts to enlighten on the ground-breaking strides made by his generation, only to be blamed for the troubled world into which they were born.
Those millennials might benefit from reading Micky Z's Occupy this Book, which, as Gregory Elich points out in his review, offers a catechism of activism and is grounded in an urgent reality-call to action laced with ample doses of humor. They could learn a thing or two by wandering with Raju Peddada through an antique mall, where myriad objects and books tell our stories and remind us that nothing has really changed. They would also be inspired and educated by a stroll down the Bulgarian Danube with Peter Byrne and Gabri to explore the birthplace of the enigmatic polyglot writer and Nobel winner Elias Canetti, or by joining Guido Monte on his search for hidden words of real interior feelings.
We close with your letters, including Michael DeLang's thoughts on Jan Baughman's assessment that the American experiment in democracy has failed us, and the Stephen Zunes letter to which our Editor refers in his Blips.
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Walter Trkla: Ukraine And Canadian Prime Minister Harper's Hypocrisy
Canada's role in Western interventions continues, from Afghanistan, to Serbia, Iraq, and now Ukraine. More...
Glenn Reed: "Millennial" Apathy & A World On the Cusp
Working with apathetic "millennials" makes the author fear for theirs, and the planet's future. More...
Gilles d'Aymery: Blips #141
A few selected issues that landed on the Editor's desk, including a letter from Stephen Zunes alleging that Swans has been infiltrated by a COINTELPRO-like type in the form of Michael Barker, and some reading material for those unrepentant revolutionaries who continue to support Western nation-building, and more. More...
Gregory Elich: A Hammer Against Complacency
A review of Mickey Z.'s latest book, Occupy this Book, which urges us all to become activists. More...
Raju Peddada: The Vanished And Their Sold Memories - Part I
If antiques could talk, they'd tell each of our stories. More...
Peter Byrne: Looking For Elias Along The Danube
The author and his wife head for the Bulgarian Danube to explore the birthplace of the enigmatic polyglot writer and Nobel winner Elias Canetti. More...
Guido Monte: Vulnus
Guido Monte is searching again for hidden words of real interior feelings. More...
Michael DeLang's thoughts on Jan Baughman's assessment that the American experiment in democracy has failed us, and Stephen Zunes's allegations that Michael Barker's Ruling Class Peace is full of COINTELPRO-like lies and distortions and Michael should not be published on Swans. More...
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