By Harry Targ - 01.18.15
Karl Marx in The German Ideology argued in the 1840s that the ideas of the ruling class are the ruling ideas. Almost one hundred years later theorists from the Frankfort School elaborated on Marx’s idea by developing the theory of the “cultural apparatus.” German sociologist Max Horkheimer wrote:
One function of the entire cultural apparatus at any given period has been to internalize in men [and women] of...
Read MoreHarry Targ - 11.17.14
“The numbers show a conservative blueprint for success: seven straight months of job growth with unemployment under 6 percent and a state that leads the nation in new manufacturing jobs. Plus, throw in tax cuts and a budget surplus for good measure” summarizing an interview with Governor Mike Pence. (David Brody, CBN News, “GOP Eyes Indiana’s Pence as Presidential Contender,” www.cbn.com/cbnnews/politics/2014, June/Indianas-Gov-Pence-a-Presidential-Contender-For-2016/)
Read MoreBy Harry Targ - 10-12-14
From Wartime Alliance to Deadly Global Conflict
I do not believe history repeats itself but I find myself looking back to the past for lessons which might be relevant today. For example, during World War II an “unnatural alliance” between the United States (the new imperial hegemon), Great Britain (the old one), and the former Soviet Union (the revolutionary challenger to capitalist hegemony) formed to defeat fascism in Europe. It was in the interests of all three nations to do so.
Read MoreBy Harry Targ - 09.03.14
Post-modernists talk about “discourses,” “narratives,” “tropes,” and verbal “deconstructions.” They should be commended for suggesting how words are used to mobilize, inspire, deceive, promote self-interest, and, too often, justify killing everywhere. Former Arkansas Senator, J. William Fulbright in describing how he was tricked by his old friend President Lyndon Baines Johnson to support a resolution authorizing escalating war in Vietnam said: “A lie is a lie. There is no other way to put it.”
Read MoreBy Harry Targ - 08.10.14
A Military Coup in Honduras
Sunday, June 28, 2009 the Honduran military carried out a Coup ousting duly elected President Manuel Zelaya from power. Almost immediately leaders of Western Hemisphere nations condemned the actions taken in Tegucigalpa, the capital city. For example, former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (Lula) asserted that the days of military coups as a mechanism of the transfer of power were over in Latin America.
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