Today in Labor History June 27, 1905: The Industrial Workers of the World (AKA IWW or the Wobblies) was founded at Brand's Hall, in Chicago, Illinois. The IWW was a radical syndicalist labor union, that advocated industrial unionism, with all workers in a particular industry organized in the same union, as opposed by the trade unions typical today. Founding members included Big Bill Haywood, James Connolly, Eugene V. Debs, Lucy Parsons, and Mother Jones. The IWW was and is a revolutionary union that sought not only better working conditions in the here and now, but the complete abolition of capitalism. The preamble to their constitution states: The working class and the employing class have nothing in common. It also states: Instead of the conservative motto, "A fair day's wage for a fair day's work," we must inscribe on our banner the revolutionary watchword, "Abolition of the wage system."
They advocate the General Strike and sabotage as two of many means to these ends. However, sabotage to the Wobblies does not necessarily mean bombs and destruction. According to Big Bill Haywood, sabotage is any action that gums up the works, slowing down profits for the bosses. Thus, working to rule and sit-down strikes are forms of sabotage. The IWW is the first union known to have utilized the sit-down strike. They were one of the first and only unions of the early 20th century to organize all workers, regardless of ethnicity, gender, nationality, language or type of work (e.g., they organized both skilled and unskilled workers). They also were subjected to extreme persecution by the state and by vigilantes working for the corporations. Hundreds were imprisoned or deported. Dozens were assassinated or executed, including Joe Hill, Frank Little, Wessley Everest and Carlo Tresca. And scores were slaughtered in massacres, like in McKees Rock railway strike, PA (1909); Lawrence Textile Strike, MA (1912); San Diego Free Speech Fight, CA (1912); Grabow, LA Lumber Strike (1912); New Orleans, LA banana strike (1913); Patterson, NJ textile strike (1913); Mesabi Range Strike, MN (1916); Everett, WA massacre (1916); Centralia, WA Armistice Day riot (1919) and the Columbine, CO massacre (1921). There was also the Hopland, CA riot (1913), in which the police killed each other, accidentally, and framed Wobblies for it.
There are lots of great books about the IWW artwork and music. The Little Red Songbook. The IWW, Its First 50 Years, by Fred Thompson. Rebel Voices: An IWW Anthology, by Joyce Kornbluth. But there are also tons of fictional accounts of the Wobblies, too. Lots of references in Dos Passos’, USA Trilogy. Red Harvest, by Dashiell Hammett, was influenced by his experience working as a Pinkerton infiltrator of the Wobblies. The recent novel, The Cold Millions, by Jess Walter, has a wonderful portrayal of Elizabeth Gurly Flynn, during the Spokane free speech fight. And tons of classic folk and protest music composed by Wobbly Bards, like Joe Hill, Ralph Chaplin, Haywire Mac and T-Bone Slim.
The sense of place is strong, without being overplayed . This is hot, dry, regional Australia, farming country and small towns, people who are interconnected with that place, and each other over many generations.
GREENWICH BARBERS. Retailers of sand from the pits at and about Greenwich, in Kent: perhaps they are styled barbers, from their constant shaving the sandbanks.
A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)
I finally read Ancillary Justice last night. Late to the party, but glad to have gotten here! I enjoyed the book but it also sort of felt complete to me. Can anyone tell me how the sequels are? @bookstodon#books
Way back in the 1980s, when I was in college, we had a tent city on the UC Berkeley campus to protest the Apartheid regime in South Africa. Lots of parallels to what's been happening on campuses recently with the Palestinian solidarity protests, including violent police crack downs.
During this time, author Kurt Vonnegut came to speak in support of the movement, and against Apartheid.
I recently found this amusing clip
of Vonnegut explaining the different types of character arcs a story can have.
I found this book that teaches Zionists on how to speak to non Zionists. it's important to read these books to understand their demonic way of thinking and counter it.
In this book they are teaching you how to lie effectively, deceive people and use emotion as a weapon.
“I’m the eighth deadly sin, Willful Insanity! Pride isn’t the root of all sin, because that’s me! All of you demons are weak-a**, pale reflections of me, because humans would have to be crazy to sin!”
--The Hunter's inner demon as she faced the invading legions of Hell, in my novel Demon for President!
Mystery and Mayhem: 🕵️♂️Travel the world with mystery (including paranormal mysteries), romantic suspense, and thriller novels this summer! Most are under $5, so get ready to binge! https://storyoriginapp.com/to/9YrMAgI #Mystery#books@bookstodon
44 Travels with Herodotus, Ryszard Kapuściński
Written by a Polish journalist this is a book in two strands. In one he reviews some of his past assignments, in the other he reviews his reading and relationship to Herodotus and his Histories. His interpretation of Herodotus was fascinating. He examines technique and proposes that Herodotus should be known as the first journalist and The Histories is the first piece of reportage.
I must re-read Herodotus. #books@bookstodon
Sassy & Sizzling Romances - Summer Afternoon Reads with Guaranteed HEAs! Whether you like sweet or steamy, angsty or adorable, these reads will fill a summer afternoon. https://storyoriginapp.com/to/f4K6rGw@bookstodon#books#romance#reading
RIBALDRY. Vulgar abusive language, such as was spoken by ribalds. Ribalds were originally mercenary soldiers who travelled about, serving any master far pay, but afterwards degenerated into a mere banditti.
A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)
Today in Labor History June 26, 1975: Two FBI agents and one member of the American Indian Movement (AIM) were killed in a shootout on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Undercover FBI agents framed AIM activist Leonard Peltier for the two FBI deaths. During the trial, some of the government’s own witnesses testified that Peltier wasn’t even present at the scene of the killings. Nevertheless, a judge him to two consecutive life terms. Peltier is still in prison and his health has been deteriorating. Peltier admitted to participating in the shoot-out in his memoir, “Prison Writings, My Life in the Sundance.” However, he denied killing the FBI agents. He became eligible for parole in 1993. Amnesty International, Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, and the Dalai Lama, all campaigned for his clemency. President Obama denied his request for clemency in 2017.
"The book didn’t want anyone to know it was there. If it were destroyed, everyone who’d survived in the story would be gone too. There would be no one left to remember the ones who had died. The balance of the world goes horribly askew when a story is confiscated; it becomes a darker, more ominous place." -- from 'The Book Censor's Library' by Bothayna Al-Essa; trans. Ranya Abdeirahman, Sawad Hussain
I'm thrilled to share that I'm in the final stages of preparing my Amazon Kindle ebook (ISBN-9781068638725) and paperback (ISBN-9781068638732) for release!
📚 My debut novel, "From Terror to Valor: Echoes and Shadows," has been an incredible journey filled with valuable lessons and insights.
Strong Women: 15 Biographies of Influential Women History Overlooked by Kari Koeppel, 2020
From 10th-century novelist Murasaki Shikibu to 19th-century self-made millionaire Madam C.J. Walker, you’ll learn about the early life, struggles, and successes of the innovators, changemakers, and ceiling-breakers who redefined what strong women were allowed to be.
There's no escaping stress. It appears on our doorstep uninvited in the shattering forms of death and divorce, or even in the pleasant experiences of promotion, marriage, or a long-held wish fulfilled. Anything that upsets the delicate balance of our daily lives creates stress. So why do some people come out of a crisis while others never seem quite themselves again?
Just posted a review of Death Holds the Key, the 2nd Itinerant Mendicant novel by Alexander Thorpe:
Slightly on the cosier side, the personalities, and interactions between the two main characters is a big part of the attraction of DEATH HOLDS THE KEY.