RIP Howard Zinn

http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/01/howard_zinn_his.html

:(

aw jeez

boo

A book page forever burned in my memory:

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i191/fluxion23/zinn-history-p1.png

RIP, Professor.

It's not right to respond to terrorism by terrorizing other people. And furthermore, it's not going to help. Then you might say, "Yes, it's terrorizing people, but it's worth doing because it will end terrorism." But how much common sense does it take to know that you cannot end terrorism by indiscriminately dropping bombs? - Zinn

:( :( RIP

RIP

Timed right, I fear.

http://www.alternet.org/news/140035/howard_zinn:_changing_obama's_military_mindset/

People say, “What, are you a dreamer?”

And the answer is, yes, we’re dreamers. We want it all. We want a peaceful world. We want an egalitarian world. We don’t want war. We don’t want capitalism. We want a decent society.

We better hold on to that dream—because if we don’t, we’ll sink closer and closer to this reality that we have, and that we don’t want.

RIP :-(

RIP

in this week's Nation collection of Obama Year One comments:

I've been searching hard for a highlight. The only thing that comes close is some of Obama's rhetoric; I don't see any kind of a highlight in his actions and policies.

As far as disappointments, I wasn't terribly disappointed because I didn't expect that much. I expected him to be a traditional Democratic president. On foreign policy, that's hardly any different from a Republican--as nationalist, expansionist, imperial and warlike. So in that sense, there's no expectation and no disappointment. On domestic policy, traditionally Democratic presidents are more reformist, closer to the labor movement, more willing to pass legislation on behalf of ordinary people--and that's been true of Obama. But Democratic reforms have also been limited, cautious. Obama's no exception. On healthcare, for example, he starts out with a compromise, and when you start out with a compromise, you end with a compromise of a compromise, which is where we are now.

I thought that in the area of constitutional rights he would be better than he has been. That's the greatest disappointment, because Obama went to Harvard Law School and is presumably dedicated to constitutional rights. But he becomes president, and he's not making any significant step away from Bush policies. Sure, he keeps talking about closing Guantánamo, but he still treats the prisoners there as "suspected terrorists." They have not been tried and have not been found guilty. So when Obama proposes taking people out of Guantánamo and putting them into other prisons, he's not advancing the cause of constitutional rights very far. And then he's gone into court arguing for preventive detention, and he's continued the policy of sending suspects to countries where they very well may be tortured.

I think people are dazzled by Obama's rhetoric, and that people ought to begin to understand that Obama is going to be a mediocre president--which means, in our time, a dangerous president--unless there is some national movement to push him in a better direction.

do you have to turn every thread into a Bam thread

yeah, I can see how the last published words of a noted political thinker are irrelevant, my bad.

Disappointed how little coverage/discussion this has received in the UK - guess he's a minor figure here.

I was pleased to see him in the flesh a couple of years ago, hosting a series of celebrity readings from Voices of a People's History. It was being filmed for PBS, I think. Obviously he was preaching to the choir there but it was nice to see him get a bigger ovation than any of the Hollywood names on the bill.

do you also feel like pissing on Zinn's grave?

― Rage, Resentment, Spleen (Dr Morbius), Thursday, January 28, 2010 3:55 AM (12 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

well where is it?

― his power told him (about the fish) (gbx), Thursday, January 28, 2010 3:56 AM (12 hours ago) Bookmark

wow

hey, an honest Democrat.

I didn't see this last month:

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/notion/504250/howard_zinn_s_the_people_speak_on_tv_this_sunday

ITT some reflexive anti-Morbs BS

I totally lol'd when gbx posted it but I didn't know Zinn was actually dead

xpost That's the one I saw in Boston. Josh Brolin reading from Johnny Get Your Gun was terrifyingly good.

Shakey becomes alarmed when his grave-pissing duties are usurped

exactly

altho Zinn was allright, no grave-pissing required there

I mean its not like he was some no-talent bimbo or rightwing uber-asshole

Howard Zinn died? How you like them apples.

I lump Zinn obits that put Damon & Affleck in the third paragraph in the same category as Jean Simmons obits that headline her as "Guys & Dolls actress."

You mean rather than KISS frontman?

people ought to begin to understand that jaymc is going to be a mediocre poster--which means, in our time, a dangerous poster--unless there is some national movement to write him better jokes.

*stands and applauds*

a+++ all around

It is sad when people like howard zinn or studs terkel die because they were great men and I'm not sure who is around now that could replace them?

I'm sure the average MoveOn member would suggest Maddow & Olbermann.

BLOGGERS

I liked the Times obit, though quoting Arthur Schlesinger on Zinn's lack of objectivity is kind of sheesh.

dunno what to say about this. very sad. RIP.

video etc:

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/actnow/522580/goodbye_howard_zinn

I didn't know or remember that he'd been history chair at Spelman College.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/29/us/29zinn.html?ref=obituaries

:(

Bob Herbert gets shit for being a boringly predictable liberal, but at least NYT didn't let Edward Rothstein write about Zinn (I hope):

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/30/opinion/30herbert.html

http://www.faithmouse.com/howard_zinn_pancakes.jpg

http://socialistworker.org/2010/02/11/defending-howard-zinn

socialistworker.org circling the wagons

this is old and not really prompted by anything, but here's nader eulogizing (kinda) zinn

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvoPc6seigE

http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/07/30/howard_zinn_fbi_file/index.html

It's definitely a kind of badge of honor. When I was growing up I knew a few people who had done a lot of demonstrating in the 60s and had FBI files on them and it always increased their stature in my eyes -- someone that threatening to the FBI! But those files tended to be 15-20 pages. 400 is amazing, I've def gotta sit down and read some of it sometime soon.

what if it's just "a people's history of the U.S." in loose-leaf form

ex-Indiana Governor Daniels not a fan of Zinn

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/higher-education/ap-exclusive-emails-show-ex-gov-daniels-sought-to-quash-political-opposition-in-ind-schools/2013/07/16/499bb81e-ee80-11e2-bb32-725c8351a69e_story.html?hpid=z4

Emails obtained by The Associated Press through a Freedom of Information Act request show Daniels requested that historian and anti-war activist Howard Zinn’s writings be banned from classrooms and asked for a “cleanup” of college courses.

....
“This terrible anti-American academic has finally passed away,” Daniels wrote. “The obits and commentaries mentioned his book, ‘A People’s History of the United States,’ is the ‘textbook of choice in high schools and colleges around the country.’ It is a truly execrable, anti-factual piece of disinformation that misstates American history on every page.

“Can someone assure me that it is not in use anywhere in Indiana? If it is, how do we get rid of it before more young people are force-fed a totally false version of our history?”

Scott Jenkins, Daniels’ education adviser, quickly responded by noting it was being used at Indiana University in a course for teachers on the Civil Rights, feminist and labor movements.

“This crap should not be accepted for any credit by the state. No student will be better taught because someone sat through this session.

good thing he's in charge of Purdue now. he has such a passion for education!

tbh i am not a huge fan either but that is appalling.