Petition: Stop a Regional War

 

From Standing Together: More than 300 missiles and drones launched into Israeli territory were not enough for our crazy government -- now, they are talking about Israel's response (to the Iranian regime’s response) that will ignite a regional war -- a war that will put us in shelters for months, will result in mass deaths in Israel and will drag the entire region into destruction. After six months of daily death, when the hostages are still in Gaza and hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes, we demand that we not be dragged into a regional war. Instead -- we need to reach a deal that will bring back the hostages, stop the war in Gaza, and cease all the fronts of war -- with Hezbollah, the Iranian Regime, and in Gaza and the West Bank. Add your signature to the petition and spread it far and wide!

SIGN THE PETITION

SIGN THE PETITION

Remembering Harry Hay on His Birthday

 

 

 

Born on this day in 1912: gay rights pioneer Harry Hay. From Wikipedia:

 

"Henry "Harry" Hay Jr. (April 7, 1912 – October 24, 2002) was an American gay rights activist, communist, and labor advocate. He was a co-founder of the Mattachine Society, the first sustained gay rights group in the United States, as well as the Radical Faeries, a loosely affiliated gay spiritual movement."

 

Homophobes like to circulate a picture of Hay at a 1986 pride parade, protesting the exclusion of the North American Man/Boy Love Association. They're trying to exploit the stereotype of gays as sexual "predators" on youth, but conveniently ignore the fact that Hay's perspective, like that of so many others, came from the other side of that relationship. As related in Positive Memories by T. Rivas:

 

"Harry Hay (1912-2002) was a leading American within gay liberation. When he was 14 years old, he met a merchant-seaman of about age 25. Rind writes:

 

"'One evening, when the two walked alongside the moonlit ocean, Hay was swept by the physical sensations. When Hay clasped the man's hand, the boy was afraid the sailor might respond violently. Instead, it turned into Hay's first lovemaking with an adult. When Hay revealed that he was only 14, the sailor panicked for fear of a lengthy prison sentence. Hay desperately tried to settle the man down, and when he did, the man gave the boy tips on how people like us should conduct themselves, which inspired Harry almost as vividly as the erotic memory of [the man].'

 

"Bruce Rind tells us that according to Hay's biographer Timmons, Hay always described it as the most beautiful gift that a fourteen-year-old ever got from his first love!

 

"According to another author quoted by Rind, Hay remarked, 'Wherever he is, I want him to know that my love and gratitude followed him all my days, and all of his.'"

 

(Source: Article by Bruce Rind “Blinded by Politics and

Morality – A Reply to McAnulty and Wright” in Censoring

Sex Research)"

FIRE: College Students Deserve Due Process Protections

From the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression:

This spring, the government is expected to make investigations of campus sexual misconduct less fair and less accurate.

The Department of Education will release new rules on how colleges investigate allegations of sexual misconduct. The rules are likely to deprive students of important rights during the fact-finding process — such as a live hearing, the cross-examination of witnesses, and the ability to have an attorney present.

These are rights that any of us would want in a process designed to determine guilt or innocence. And they’re especially important during high-stakes investigations on serious misconduct like sexual harassment. 

The stakes are high — too high to get wrong. Colleges must punish students guilty of sexual misconduct, and they must not punish students who are innocent. That’s why colleges need to use every tool in the toolbox to get it right and increase the likelihood of uncovering the truth.

And the American people agree. In our survey with IPSOS:

• 63% agreed that interviews conducted through written testimony are less insightful than in-person interviews.
• 68% say schools must conduct a hearing where both the accused and accuser may hear and contest evidence.
• 79% agreed that all students involved in these investigations should have the right to hire a lawyer.

Despite the popularity of these rights for a fair investigation, they’re all on the chopping block.

"Our polling shows that the public overwhelmingly rejects the false choice between protecting victims and upholding due process for the accused," said FIRE Lead Counsel for Government Affairs Tyler Coward. "Americans believe that campus sexual assault is a serious problem, but that scrapping basic standards of fairness and impartiality isn’t the answer."

Happy Birthday, Chip Delany!

 

Today is Samuel Delany's 82nd birthday. As related by Wikipedia, "Samuel R. 'Chip' Delany is an American writer and literary critic. His work includes fiction (especially science fiction), memoir, criticism, and essays on science fiction, literature, sexuality, and society."

This is one of a number of science fiction writers I haven't given as much attention to as I intend; I think the only novel of his I've read so far is Babel-17, which explores the relationship between language and thought. I did get to meet him once rather serendipitously several years ago, while I was running a Meetup group on Psychology and Social Change which was meeting at Robin's Bookstore. He happened to be in the store and saw us there, and we spent some time conversing. I also heard him at Temple University a number of years ago when he introduced a talk by Neil Gaiman, another great writer.

Wikipedia further notes:

"Delany's sustained thematic engagement with difference, normativity, and their potential subversions or reifications ... [place] him as an important interlocutor in the fields of Queer theory and Black studies.

[...]

He has commented that he believes that to omit the sexual practices that he portrays in his writing would limit the dialogue children and adults can have about it themselves, and that this lack of knowledge can be fatal."

This understanding is partially rooted in an experience he and a friend had at the age of six -- which he has described as having been "a big help" later when he was coming to terms with his homosexuality, "when I was seventeen or so" -- which is described in the interview at the url pictured below.

ADD YOUR NAME: Tell RFK Jr. the people deserve an open debate on Palestine!

I've endorsed this call by the Jill Stein presidential campaign.

 

The people have made their position clear: Nearly 75% of Americans want an end to Israel’s genocide in Gaza and a permanent ceasefire.

Joe Biden and Donald Trump have made themselves clear as well. Each of them will continue unconditional support for Israel no matter how many war crimes they commit.

Voters deserve to hear from every candidate and know who represents their interests. So when I heard Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. say that Palestinians are “the most pampered people (by international aid organizations) on the planet” – I challenged him to a debate on Palestine.

ADD YOUR NAME: Tell RFK Jr. the people deserve an open debate on Palestine!

ADD YOUR NAME

I look forward to challenging Kennedy on his assertion that Palestinians are “pampered” and that Gaza should be “leveled.”

After signing, please share this petition widely to make this debate happen and bring these issues to light.

And if you are able, please make a contribution to our campaign to help us reach as many people as possible!

In solidarity and gratitude,

Jill

Review: That’s Funny, You Don’t Look Anti-Semitic

 

This book was written by a Jewish communist named Steve Cohen in 1984, but I only learned of it recently. It’s a look at the history of anti-Semitism on the Left, especially the English Left, and why there’s been so much resistance to fully acknowledging and addressing it.

He sees this largely as having to do with a failure to understand the unique characteristics of modern anti-Semitism as a form of racism, which is not merely prejudice but a totalizing ideological world-view built around a conspiracy theory.

I must admit that before reading this I had no idea of how bad it has gotten in some cases. Not only major English socialist and labor organizations, but some of the great figures such as Marx and Lenin, have apparently been affected – although in Cohen’s view Trotsky was a notable exception.

Perhaps I’ve had less occasion to experience such things since my Jewish ancestry is only on one side and so is less noticeable, but I wonder if perhaps there’s been less of this here in the States than in Britain. I can only think of a few occasions on which I’ve noticed anti-Semitism at Left events, and it was coming from peripheral people, not leaders or organizers. For instance, during the Q & A after a 2004 screening of the film Peace, Propaganda, and the Promised Land, someone asked a question about the influence of “Jewish lobbies,” and one of the co-chairs, at the time a comrade of mine in the socialist group Solidarity, interjected to point out that the problem isn’t “Jewish lobbies” but the Israel lobby (which by the way consists largely of evangelical Christians). In a couple other instances, I’ve intervened myself in response to problematic statements.

Cohen powerfully argues the importance of recognizing and consistently engaging with this problem, first of all simply as a matter of principle for socialists as humanists and working-class internationalists, but also because the failure to do so both discourages many Jewish people from identifying with socialism and cedes propaganda ground to Zionism. Before I read this book I was already pondering the failure to have public events responding specifically to recent incidents of anti-Semitism in Philadelphia, and after reading it I feel that I should do so myself if I hear about any more, even if it’s just me holding a vigil, simply to remind people how it’s done.

Thanks to my friend Nancy Lebovitz for bringing this book to my attention. Thanks also to my friends in Platypus Philadelphia for telling me about Moishe Postone’s essay, “Anti-Semitism and National Socialism,” which offers a persuasive analysis of the origins and unique characteristics of anti-Semitism in terms of Marxian concepts, and may help explain why the Left hasn’t done a better job of combating it.

Free Julian Assange! (Petition)

This message comes from independent Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.:

Our nation stands at a critical juncture, where the very essence of democracy and free speech hangs in the balance.

Individuals like Daniel Ellsberg, John Kiriakou, Chelsea Manning, Edward Snowden, and Julian Assange have bravely exposed government corruption, shedding light on injustices that threaten the core principles of our society.

But instead of honoring these truth-tellers, our government has chosen to persecute them.

As a staunch advocate for freedom of speech and transparency, I am reaching out to you today with an urgent plea: join us in demanding the immediate release of Julian Assange.

Julian Assange, a journalist and publisher, has languished behind bars for 13 years for his role in uncovering the truth about governmental wrongdoings, from torture at Guantanamo Bay to anti-democratic actions by the DNC.

It's a travesty that exposing crimes has become a greater offense than the crimes themselves. We cannot allow this injustice to continue.

Sign the Petition

On my first day in office, I pledge to pardon Julian Assange and launch a thorough investigation into the corruption and crimes he has exposed. Additionally, I will issue an executive order to put an end to any attempts by federal agencies to silence political speech.

But I cannot do this alone. I need your support.

By signing our petition, you'll join a chorus of voices demanding justice for Assange and protection for whistleblowers everywhere.

Together, we can ensure that the voices of truth are heard and that those who dare to speak out against injustice are not silenced.

Please take a moment to add your name to our petition and share it with your friends, family, and colleagues. Every signature brings us one step closer to securing Julian Assange's freedom and safeguarding our fundamental rights.

Thank you for your unwavering commitment to justice and liberty.

Sign the Petition









Sincerely,


Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.