Eugene V. Debs, who went to jail for opposing World War I. (Buyenlarge/Getty Images)
Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day often get equated, but there is an essential distinction between the two. Veteran’s Day honors all who have served the American military in wars. Memorial Day honors those who’ve perished. It’s an annual reminder that wars have grave human costs, which must be both recognized and minimized.
Those costs are not inevitable. We ought to also set aside time to remember those throughout American history who have tried hardest to reduce them, to prevent unnecessary loss of life both American and foreign: war resisters.
New Orleans has removed the last of four Confederate statues in recent weeks. Workers wore bulletproof vests and face coverings to conceal their identities as they used a crane to remove the statue from its pedestal. New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said threats and intimidation necessitated the overnight work and extra safety precautions. White nationalists have staged a series of protests and issued threats in the lead-up to the memorials’ removals. Though the four most prominent Confederate monuments have been removed, activists are calling for New Orleans officials to remove all monuments, school names and street signs in the city dedicated to white supremacists. We speak with Malcolm Suber, co-founder of Take ’Em Down NOLA.
The state of Vermont delivered some good news to us! Their legislature passed a bill legalizing recreational marijuana. Although their Republican Governor is a self-proclaimed “marijuana skeptic” and may veto it, the passage of the bill is a victory in and of itself seeing that it marks the first time recreational marijuana has passed legislatively.
“Bryce Reeves, one of three Republican candidates for lieutenant governor, has released a TV ad that depicts two cowled and head-scarved “terrorists” who frighten a suburban mother and her two children.
The ad, titled “Safety,” portrays terrorists, wearing camouflage jackets and carrying black bags, dashing to a vehicle as the mother — in a driveway across the street — drops a bag of groceries and then comforts the children. “This is the America Obama left behind,” Reeves, a state senator from Spotsylvania, says in a voice-over. “Terrorists living here. FBI investigating ISIS nationwide. Frightening families.” Reeves, then facing the camera, introduces himself and says he “helped pass anti-terrorism legislation here in Virginia.”
As President Trump prepares to mark 100 days in office, we spend the hour with the world-renowned linguist and dissident Noam Chomsky. Amy Goodman spoke to him on Monday night at the First Parish Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The conversation addressed climate change, nuclear weapons, North Korea, Iran, the war in Syria and the Trump administration’s threat to prosecute WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Amy Goodman began by asking him about the Republican Party.
Jeff Sessions recently indicated that he would not crack down on states that have legalized recreational marijuana because the Justice Department doesn’t have the resources needed to do so. Nonetheless, he’s been averse to legalization, and has repeatedly stated that he believes it’s dangerous. He recently found out, however, that Americans aren’t buying into his reefer madness, and he was “surprised” by this. Seriously, Jeff?
William Melvin “Bill” Hicks (December 16, 1961 – February 26, 1994) was an American comedian, social critic, satirist and musician. His material, encompassing a wide range of social issues including religion, politics, and philosophy, was controversial, and often steeped in dark comedy. He criticized consumerism, superficiality, mediocrity, and banality within the media and popular culture, which he characterized as oppressive tools of the ruling class that keep people “stupid and apathetic”
At the age of 16, while still in high school, he began performing at the Comedy Workshop in Houston, Texas. During the 1980s, he toured the United States extensively and made a number of high-profile television appearances; but it was in the UK that he amassed a significant fan base, filling large venues during his 1991 tour. He also achieved a modicum of recognition as a guitarist and songwriter.
Hicks died of pancreatic cancer on February 26, 1994 in Little Rock, Arkansas, at the age of 32. In subsequent years – in particular after a series of posthumous album releases – his work gained a significant measure of acclaim in creative circles, and he developed a substantial cult following. In 2007, he was voted the fourth greatest stand-up comic on Channel 4’s list of the 100 Greatest Stand-Ups, and he maintained that ranking on the 2010 list.
Our nation’s drug war is leading us to lock up more people than ever.
Those charged with a non violent drug crime face fines and incarceration. More people are arrested for drugs than for rape, murder and robbery combined. And minorities are being railroaded into this system at much higher rates than their white counterparts even though drug use between both groups is about the same.
Always Question Authority 