Tag Archives: History

Books : Dick Reavis Sees John Howard Griffin in Available Light

Pardon for the Cult of Black Like MeBy Dick J. Reavis / The Rag Blog / May 27, 2008 In November, 1959, with the help of doctors and dyes, a white Texan briefly became a black man in Dixie as … Continue reading

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Austin’s Legendary Oat Willie’s, In Art

Oat Willie’s, Austin’s venerable sixties headshop, a living monument to counterculture history in one of the true birthplaces of the sixties counterculture, recently observed its fortieth birthday with a gala celebration at Austin’s Moose Lodge. Hosted by founder and proprietor … Continue reading

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Michael Rossman, Berkeley Activist from 60s, Dies at 68

Ron Anastasi and Michael Rossman carrying the Free Speech banner from Sproul Hall to demonstration outside the Regent’s Meeting. November 20, 1964. Photo by Ronald L. Enfield.Free Speech Movement leader dies at 68By Kristin Bender / May 17, 2008 BERKELEY … Continue reading

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D. Reavis : A Bridge to Earlier Times in Texas

Bridge at Eagle Pass, Texas / Piedras Negras, Coah., MexicoPostcards and Border WallsBy Dick J. Reavis / The Rag Blog / May 5, 2008 In 1986 I drove every mile of every road on the official highway map of Texas: … Continue reading

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Books and the Culture : The Serendipity Wrangler

Bill Wittliff and the Southwestern Writers Collectionby Stayton Bonner [This article first appeared in the April 18, 2008 issue of the Texas Observer] The Southwestern Writers Collection is located on the top floor of the Alkek Library on the Texas … Continue reading

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Now, It Seems, We’re a Nation of Cowards

See below. Courtesy of the National Archives.George W. Bush’s Version of the Nuremberg TrialsBy David von Ebers In many respects, the war crimes trials held at Nuremberg, Germany, in the aftermath of World War II represented the pinnacle of American-style … Continue reading

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A People’s History of American Empire

Howard Zinn, The End of Empire?by Tom Engelhardt / April 14, 2008 In Iraq, in Afghanistan, and at home, the position of the globe’s “sole superpower” is visibly fraying. The country that was once proclaimed an “empire lite” has proven … Continue reading

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If You Think the Current Squabbling Is Bad

Knives and Pistols Drawn: Lively Fight at Texas Democratic County Convention San Antonio, Texas, May 28, 1892 – The Democratic County Convention today, for the purpose of selecting delegates to the State, Congressional, Senatorial, and Judicial Conventions, was one of … Continue reading

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An Economic Allegory

The Emperor CultBy Tim Case “Most of the harm in the world is done by good people, and not by accident, lapse, or omission. It is the result of their deliberate actions, long persevered in, which they hold to be … Continue reading

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A Thousand Spirited Marchers Fill Streets of Austin

Photo by Nancy Simons / The Rag BlogMillion Musicians March:Second-Line Style Musical Parade Protests Iraq WarBy Thorne Dreyer / The Rag Blog / March 16, 2008 AUSTIN — On a balmy Saturday afternoon in Austin, Texas – the little sweet … Continue reading

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