In keeping with the tradition started by Howard Zinn. The following podcast is from an event held here in Amsterdam on February 16th, 2010. Voices of a People’s History of the US features those voices that we normally don’t get to hear from in the history books. Speeches by rebels, revolutionaries, agitators, organizers, enemies of the state and more. Music to go along with it.
Special thanks to Jim, Cecilia, Shailoh, and Alice who read in this particular recording. As well as Pete, Carly, Tess, and Sarah who read in the first half that is not featured in this recording.
Howard Zinn has died. The wonderful man who wrote books and gave speeches and walked picket lines and spoke out against war and tyranny… he has died. The human who through his work, taught me so much about who am I, what I am passionate about, how the world came to be as it is.. learning about the world from the powerless instead of the powerful.
Howard Zinn has died and I never got a chance to thank him in person. I never got a chance to let him know, like so many throughout the world, I will continue to speak out, I will continue to try and give voice to the voiceless. I would have liked to tell him in person, but instead I will just continue the tradition…
“People in all countries need the spirit of disobedience to the state. The state that is not a metaphysical thing. But a thing of force and wealth. And we need a kind of declaration of interdependence among people in all countries of the world who are striving for the same thing.” – Howard Zinn 1970
There are so many beautiful and inspiring photographs of when the Berlin wall came down, everyone who remembers it talks about what a great moment in history it was.
After hearing such testimony I feel a great sense of shame and disappointment that 20 years later, we still have walls dividing cities, nations, and people. And while you’d think these walls would be on the verge of being torn down like the Berlin wall was not long ago, instead they get longer and they build more of them.
Which begs the question, have we learned anything since the fall of the wall?
Hugh Timmerman has been gathering facts based on his own memory of living under occupation in world war II Holland. The events that took place before his eyes and in his family home would forever be burned into his memory and remain something he wanted to better understand. More than 65 years later his research and his travels have helped him piece together the story of the allied plane that crashed on his property, as well as the stories of all the soldiers that died on his family farm.
This month Hugh returned to the Netherlands from his home in Canada, to celebrate his 50th wedding anniversary. Together we sat down to do this podcast, part 1 of 2, on what he remembers from his childhood during the war, his experience as an immigrant in Canada, and how he went about putting together this book.
Lots of non podcast related action getting in my way this week.? But its just as well I know lots of people want to bask in the light of positive feelings and relief after Obama’s swearing in. And as many of you know, I have a tendency to try and poo-poo the popular sentiments of the day. So again, its good that I’m busy and you can enjoy this very big happening.? As I was reminded.. or rather.. yelled at by an American several years my senior: You don’t realize how it used to be, you didn’t live it. Of course I argued back that one needn’t live every part of history to undertstand it… but still.. maybe I deserved to be yelled at. Some choose to do it in the comments of this site, some as I sit watching an innaugeration, either way is valid.
The Wire gives alot of great examples of the type of behavior and power struggles that take place in all levels of life.? In this video, I look at 2 particular Wire characters and who they represent, and juxtapose that with what is happening in the middle east. Yes, Im serious.
In keeping with the tradition started by Howard Zinn. The following podcast is from an event held here in Amsterdam on February 16th, 2010. Voices of a People’s History of the US features those voices that we normally don’t get to hear from in the history books. Speeches by rebels, revolutionaries, agitators, organizers, enemies of the state and more. Music to go along with it.
Howard 
There are so many beautiful and inspiring photographs of when the Berlin wall came down, everyone who remembers it talks about what a great moment in history it was.