And So It Begins…
(Commoner Call & Lines of Resistance cartoon by Mark L. Taylor, 2017. Open source and free to use with link to www.thecommonercall.org )
Articles by Mark Taylor
Important Video! Straight Up – Michael Moore Just Laid Out A Blueprint For Resisting Donald Trump
The Commoner Call (1/23/17) On Inauguration day filmmaker Michael Moore – who not only predicted Trump’s win, he prediced the Midwestern state flip to the GOP – gave a talk to ctivists and provided the following advice for the resistance to come. It’s all good advice: Admit: We have to admit that the Republicans are good at what they do. They are strong, we are weak. “We look like such wimps,” Moore said, with a shake of his head. We have to admit it and then start standing up and getting some steel in our spines. Be A Thorn In…
The Oaf Of Office (Again)
In putting together the Friday Inaugural Day Commoner Call I made a mistake in posting the cartoon for the day so that I could see it but nobody else could. So we are giving it another try… (Commoner Call & Lines of Resistance cartoon by Mark L. Taylor, 2017. Open source and free to use with link to www.thecommonercall.org )
Commoner Call Reader Sends Photos Of Women’s Solidarity March In Mexico
All photos by Mike Olson and special to The Commoner Call, 2017. By Mike Olson The Commoner Call (1/23/17) Oaxaca de Juarez, Oaxaca Mexico – This gathering was called Women’s March In Solidarity With The Women In Washington D.C. Protests are not allowed by foreigners here but demonstrations by residents are common. We marched from Templo de Santo Domingo to the Catedral de Nuestra Senora De La Asuncion which is on the Zocolo here in Oaxaca. Crowd estimates vary but this observer estimates 450 people. A number of residents joined the march which had little publicity apart from the expat and long-term visitor…
Reminder Of What Is Important: A Soothing Collage Film Of Mother Earth For Troubled Times
By Carolyne Weldon NFB Blog (1/20/17) Regardless of what is happening out there in the world, it sometimes helps to remember that we always retain control of one thing: our minds. Whatever change might be hurtling our way, whatever uncertainties we may be forced to face, there remains this thing no one can take away from us or taint in any way: the tone and content of our inner thoughts. Instead of asking, how bad will this get? How will I be hurt by this? We can practice asking: what would I want this to look like? What small step can…
A Commoner Writes – What’s With All The Talk About White Men?
Hey Mark, What’s with all the white men references in your lead article (four times, including the title) [“In This Era Of Intolerance White Men Of Conscience Have A Special Duty To Speak Out Against Hate”, 1/20/17]? Are you suggesting that white women do not have a “special duty” to speak out? I found your piece very disconcertingly like a call to action from a men-only club. Carol Dagnon Editor’s Reply: Oh, no, it’s a time for all people – no matter their racial or ethnic background – to get active and speak out. It is just that I do believe…
In This Era Of Intolerance White Men Of Conscience Have A Special Duty To Speak Out Against Hate
“Silence is consent.” By Mark L. Taylor The Commoner Call (1/20/17) Since Trump’s minority victory there have been about a thousand reports nationwide of harassment and violence against the full range of minorities. American Muslims have been especially targeted and women wearing the hijab especially so. There was one incident that really stuck in my memory. Certainly the act itself was not the worst of what we have seen and it wasn’t just the action I found so disturbing as the inaction on display. The event happened three days before Christmas. A middle-aged white woman in a J.C. Penny store in a…
An Anthem Of Defiance: A Call To Resist
“I will face the man in the tallest tower.” The Commoner Call (1/20/17) Music has the power to heal and move and if ever there was a time for inspiring protest anthems this is it. Check out this new protest song, “I’m Gonna Walk It With You” by Brian Claflin and Ellie Grace. The rousing lyrics and singing style have echoes of traditional gospel protest yet the lyrics are powerfully crafted for the current crisis. “I will face the man in the tallest tower.” Indeed! Link to 3-Minute Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8boCrXOp9M Pre-release single available for download: http://www.claflinandgrace.com
The Life Of Muckraking Journalist George Seldes Is A Story Of Bold Resistance In Dark Times
By Mark L. Taylor The Commoner Call (1/19/17) Trump’s inaugural extravaganza will no doubt contain enough bombast and darkness for a 1950’s Grade B monster movie. If you are looking for some inspiration of how a citizen can stand for right in difficult times check out the 1998 documentary “Tell The Truth And Run”, a wonderful overview of the bold life of muckraker journalist George Seldes. As a witness to some of the greatest horrors and abuses of the 20th century, Seldes triggered the wrath of everyone from Gen. Pershing to Adolph Hitler, who tried to have him killed. Oh,…
A Commoner Writes: How To Resist State Voter ID Law
The Wisconsin Voter ID voter suppression law, is one of the worst affronts to the foundation of our Democracy in this state’s history. Why are people just accepting this abomination of a law? They don’t have to. You don’t have to. There is a way to object to it, and show your objection at the polls. Yes, it means you will have to step out of your comfort zone, and it may even require you to make the poll workers do a little more work, and the clerks to do the hard thing, not the easy thing. It will do…