Today in Labor History January 11, 1911: Leonard Abbott, Alexander Berkman, Emma Goldman opened the first American Modern School in New York City. They modeled it after the Modern Schools that anarchist Francisco Ferrer had created in Spain. 1909, Ferrer was wrongfully convicted of fomenting an insurrection. He was executed in 1909, leading to worldwide protest. The creators of the American Modern Schools designed them to counter the discipline, formality and regimentation of traditional American schools. Regular working people ran the schools for the children of workers. They sought to abolish all forms of authority, including educational, with the goal of creating a society based on free association and free thought. By the time of the World War I in 1914, Modern Schools were operating in Philadelphia, Detroit, New York, Seattle, Portland, Chicago and Salt Lake City, with more soon to follow in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston and Paterson. They taught classes in English, Yiddish, Czech, Italian and Spanish. Some of the students at the original New York Modern School were visual artist Man Ray and early birth control advocate Margaret Sanger’s son. Organizers of the Modern Schools believed that learning was a life-long process that never ended. Therefore, parents were encouraged to participate in the operation of the schools and to attend evening and weekend lectures. Some of the speakers at these lectures included Clarence Darrow, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, Jack London, Upton Sinclair, and Man Ray. The schools also served as cultural centers for the promotion of unionism, free speech, sexual liberation, and anti-militarism. The last Modern School in America was in Lakewood, New Jersey. It operated from 1933 to 1958. Two of its last students were the sons of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg who were accused of giving secrets of the atomic bomb to the Soviets.
John Pilger wasn't just a writer, professor, award-winning documentary filmmaker and investigative journalist, too. His work is outstanding since he was a brave war reporter and had the guts to speak Truth to the power (much like #JulianAssange ). While he couldn't change the situation with his 2002 doc film #Palestine is still the issue https://piped.video/watch?v=2VysTdcRUYc
he pointed out the cruelties and missing justice over two decades ago.
His reports and analytics been possible in a time window when #independent and #FreePress weren't just labels like in the end of 2023. December 30th., got a black cross in our calendar since it was the day we had to start missing his #AntiWar reports, unique documentaries, wise questions and comments. Wherever he is, may #JohnPilger find #Peace if it wasn't possible on this planet.
Here is the last part of this clip, where they talk about CBS canceling them. They were telling the audience what was going on & being funny at the same time. #Comedy#SmothersBrothers#TommySmothers#Antiwar
Today in Labor History December 23, 1947: Pres Truman pardoned 1,523 WWII draft resistors. However, he let the remaining 14,282 war resisters continue to rot in prison. John Wayne was one of the most famous World War II draft dodgers. However, he never served time. On the contrary, while other leading men, like Clark Gable, were fighting to protect the interests of Capital, Wayne was busily scooping up their roles and making a name for himself in Hollywood.
Today in Labor History December 23, 1921: President Warren Harding issued a "Christmas amnesty," freeing Eugene V. Debs and 23 other political prisoners who had been imprisoned for their opposition to World War I under the Sedition Act. Debs was a founding member of the anarchosyndicalist union, the IWW, a socialist, and a 5-time candidate for president of the US. In the 1912 election, he won 6% of the vote. He also led the 1894 Pullman Strike of over 250,000 railroad workers.
Across the country, pro-Israel groups and billionaires are trying to stop the #antiwar movement pushing for a #ceasefire in #Gaza by bringing down its elected leaders, including Rashida #Tlaib and Ilhan #Omar. These are fights the Left can win with popular support.
#Iranian singer, Mehdi Yarrahi, was awarded the best pop singer prize from Iran's Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance in 2019. This is his #antiwar song about his homeland, Khuzestan, during the #Iran-#Iraq War of the 1980. Iran government #censors this song.
As someone who was bombed as a teenager, this is what I would have wanted people in the West to do. Block the weapons factories.
Trade unionism is not just about monetary compensation. It’s about realizing that workers run the world already and we can decide how it’s run if we want to.
In 2005, the AFL-CIO spoke out against the U.S. war on Iraq. After criticism, Harry Bridges of the ILWU declared the principle: “Interfere with the foreign policy of this country? Sure as hell! That’s our job, that’s our privilege, that’s our right, that’s our duty!”
The duty to interfere with murderous foreign policy remains. Some in the #labor movement rise to meet it. Others don't.
Today in Labor History November 14, 1918: Striking workers were gunned down in Granges, Switzerland during a General Strike of over 250,000 workers. Some of their demands were universal women’s suffrage, a 48-hour week, old age and disability insurance, and forcing the rich to pay off the nation’s debt. Women still did not have full suffrage until 1990 in some parts of Switzerland.
Harry Patch was the last surviving combat soldier who fought in the trenches during World War I. He died in 2009 at the age of 111.
Patch compared the experiences of war to seeing “hell upon this Earth.”
This is about the disconnect between US govt’s #AntiWar propaganda & fugly realities that soldiers & civilians faced in US war on #Vietnam.
"Come on Wall Street, don't be slow
Why man, this is war au-go-go
There's plenty good money to be made
By supplying the Army with the tools of its trade"
This song is about the universal shared sentiment of soldiers who are deployed to wars, far away & the longing to return, to their families.
It's an upbeat track with very somber messages.
This was released during the US invasion on Iraq & Afghanistan. It's about how US Govt continues to sacrifice its citizens in their ongoing bloodthirsty wars in foreign countries.
This song is #AntiWar - it asks people to think long & hard about what/who they're fighting for, when it comes to war & to think about fighting harder for things that help humanity, more than sacrificing your life for corrupt, warmongering governments.
1st time I saw GD was in a basement in Fernwood here in Victoria
This energetic #AntiWar song is about how millions of men in #WWI went to fight in a war that was supposed to end all wars. They discovered one fact about it, and that was that #WarIsHell.
Inspired by a book set in #WWI - “Johnny Got His Gun”. That was made into a movie in 1971 & that film inspired this metal track. Focused on a war veteran who lost all of his limbs in addition to most of his senses & confined to a hospital bed. Despite all of this he is still very much alive; while he desires to die.