Portside

The protests in Ferguson, Missouri mirrored images from the Civil Rights Movement 50 years earlier. But that’s where the similarities ended.

Brother Earth (Boots Riley). Playing for Change: La Bamba. Sarah Jones: The Future. Colbert: No Boots on the Ground in Iraq. 300 Years of Fossil Fuels in 300 Seconds.

"… the question of unity brings up a hard subject, a subject all of us know about but few want to- acknowledge -- race. Because the reality is that while a young man named Michael Brown died just a short distance from us in Ferguson, from gunshot wounds from a police officer, other young men of color have died and will die in similar circumstances, in communities all across this country. … Because the reality is we still have racism in America."

This is a test - please ignore

Syria, Iraq, ISIS and the increased role of the U.S. (once again) has prompted wide-spread opposition, discussion and disagreements by those on the left. Yesterday's Congressional vote on war appropriations, with many who have opposed the Afghanistan and Iraq war, now voting for a new war, shows this lack of clarity and unity. Two long-time activists for peace and social justice, Seymour Joseph and James E. Vann sent Portisde opposing perspectives.