About The Commoner Call

Standing Resolute, Together

“Publicity, discussion, and agitation are necessary
to accomplish any work of lasting benefit.”

– Robert “Fighting Bob” LaFollette

A beyond bizarre and deeply tainted 2016 election hacked up a truly dangerous president. With all branches of the government now in the paws of Republicans like Wisconsin’s Rep. Paul “I Got Mine” Ryan the need for information and action is greater than ever. It would be nice to think the mainstream media will fulfill its critical Constitutional role as the Fourth Estate but, as we witnessed during the election and over the past decades, the mainstream media has too often been a critical player in the creation of this crisis.

The Commoner Call brings attention to news, opinion and history too often ignored by the mainstream media. We publish original stories, columns, political cartoons, editorial illustrations and photos for use by progressive groups and activists.

The website name comes from the work of Mike McCabe, at Blue Jean Nation.

Looking at things from the vertical

Mike takes the standard horizontal “Right / Left” political paradigm – where we are divided by issues to the advantage of the ruling class – and tips it on a vertical axis. If we view politics from the vertical, a universe where a small number of greedy men at the top control more wealth and resources than the bottom 50% of the world we discover, no matter our differences on abortion or taxes, guns or immigration, we commoners all slide to the bottom together. Despite our differences on individual issues – when looked at from the vertical – we have far, far more in common than not. And, best of all, when we look around and then look up, guess what: There are far more of us than them!

And that’s what scares the hell out of the ruling cadre and why they stir so much division and suspicion among we commoners.

We are a tool for activists

The Commoner Call is not only be a source for news, it is a tool for activism. We believe in principle over party so we will pressure the corrupt Democratic Party neoliberal corporate hacks as much and whenever needed as we will the Republican party fascists.

If you have an event to promote, send us a press release. Got an opinion, send us a letter. Got a complaint, drop us a note. See a good article or piece of commentary, send us the link.

We post Mondays and Thursdays. If there is a special event or an emergency or critical action that needs to be taken we will publish bulletins, as needed. We will be refining the web site as we go along.

There is no charge, membership or subscription for The Commoner Call. There is no paid advertising. Nobody is getting paid a dime. We will take no money. It is all volunteer. We give our work away to the progressive community. That makes us independent.

The Commoner Call is a labor of love … and an act of compassionate defiance in the face of greed and growing tyranny.

Put The Commoner Call to work. Forward news from The Commoner Call to your contacts and get the word out about what is happening to our country. As the internet is slowly constricted and progressive sites see traffic blocked, small independent sites like The Commoner Call have a critical role to play in moving information to readers. Our original articles, commentary, cartoons and photos are published open source and are free to use with attribution and a link back to www.thecommonercall.org . For any change or modification in Commoner Call content please contact us to discuss it beforehand.

Original political cartoons and other art can be found on The Commoner Call “Lines of Resistance” page. This artwork is available for free for progressive groups to use in their educational and promotional efforts.

Stay strong, stand with your neighbors and back each other up for the hard times ahead.

In solidarity,

Mark L. Taylor, Editor
The Commoner Call & Lines of Resistance

PS – Mike McCabe explains the vertical model of politics in a short video we collaborated on a couple years ago. You can link to it at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytetlyVxhlQ

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Terms of Use

“The Commoner Call” is a free educational offering from the RoundRiver Institute LLC and is not receiving any financial support.

Please Note: This message may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material in this message is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

“The Commoner Call” is more than a news source -- it is an active tool of resistance and community-building. The information on this website is pulled from various sources and original content -- provided for you to put into action by forwarding to friends, contacts, and groups working to preserve the spirit of independence, compassionate human decency and peace. Stand strong. Resist!

The Commoner Call accepts no funding.
It is independently funded and provided for free.
All Commoner Call original cartoons, stories, and commentary are free for you to use to preserve and protect our Nation and the world for our children.

“The Commoner Call” is a free educational offering from the RoundRiver Institute LLC and is not receiving any financial support.
Please Note: This message may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material in this message is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.