First off, I was to recommend a piece by Tony Rettman called “The Warriors of a Failed Revolution.” And here is why.
Many people know that I co-authored three long articles on Patty Hearst and the SLA in Rolling Stone magazine in the mid 1970s.
One of the reasons those articles, which have been identified as the biggest scoop in the magazine’s history, succeeded is they were written in a narrative style, much like a mystery novel.
The pace was at times breathless and the revelations helped to resolve major questions people had at the time. Why did the group kidnap Hearst and how did they evade the national manhunt led by the FBI to catch them for so long?
Did Hearst voluntarily convert to the SLA’s revolutionary cause or was she a victim of Stockholm syndrome-type brainwashing?
Who were the people helping them avoid being caught and what motivated them to do so?
There are only so many answers to such questions that an article written in narrative style can supply — even three articles, which is how many Howard Kohn and I wrote. Of the three, the final one, which didn't appear until 1976, the year following the capture of Hearst and her colleagues, was by far the best — and in it we attempted to provide more of the context for the drama captured in the first two parts of our trilogy.
The reason I am recommending Rettman’s article is that he explores some of the additional people and groups swirling around in the Bay Area left of that era, especially those aroundStanford professor H. Bruce Franklin, the Revolutionary Union and Venceremos.
As Rettman notes in his well-written piece, there was a great deal of crossover between the SLA and these characters, including their shared commitment to fringe ideologies advanced by conmen, law-enforcement informants, and career criminals masquerading as revolutionaries.
The whole thing resonates today because we are living through a similar period but this time a mixture of misguided characters have emerged from the right-wing corners of our society to wage their “revolution” via acts like the January 6th riot at the U.S. Capitol.
It doesn’t matter from which end of the political spectrum these people originate, they have always been wrong and they always will be wrong.
Our society is deeply flawed and needs major reforms, but not the types envisioned by the SLA, the RU, the Proud Boys or the Oath Keepers.
Rettman’s piece is a reminder of that just when we need it.
TODAY’s NEWS:
Biden Expected to Nominate a Black Woman to the Supreme Court (NYT)
Biden: 1st Black woman justice on high court ‘long overdue’ (AP)
With Breyer’s retirement, the fight in a 50-50 deadlocked Senate begins (WP)
With Breyer retiring, Biden has his first opportunity to appoint a Supreme Court justice and fulfill his campaign pledge to tap the first Black woman to serve on the nation’s highest bench. Among the names floated so far are Ketanji Brown Jackson, a U.S. appeals court judge in Washington; Leondra Kruger, a justice on California’s Supreme Court; Michelle Childs, a U.S. district judge in South Carolina; Leslie Abrams Gardner, a U.S. district judge in Georgia; civil rights attorney Sherrilyn Ifill; and even Vice President Kamala Harris. Jackson is considered the most likely choice. [HuffPost]
U.S. and NATO Respond to Putin’s Demands as Ukraine Tensions Mount (NYT)
China backs Russia’s ‘security concerns’ in crisis with west over Ukraine (Financial Times)
Ukraine crisis: Nord Stream 2 pipeline could be axed, US warns (BBC)
Russia said the United States had shown it was not willing to address Moscow's main security concerns, set out during their standoff over Ukraine, but that both sides had an interest in continuing dialogue. So what are NATO's next steps if Russia invades Ukraine? (Reuters)
As it weighs action in Ukraine, Russia showcases its new military prowess (WP)
Russia remains open but ‘not optimistic’ over Ukraine talks (Guardian)
Yes, Omicron Is Loosening Its Hold. But the Pandemic Has Not Ended. — With spotty immunity in the population and a churn of new variants, the coronavirus is likely to become a persistent but hopefully manageable threat. (NYT)
U.S. coronavirus hospitalizations slow, with the Northeast showing a steep decline (WP)
Delta’s Not Dead Yet — Omicron may seem unstoppable, but its predecessor might still make a comeback. That could be bad news. (Atlantic)
Virus-ravaged Iran finds brief respite with mass vaccination (AP)
The BA.2 subvariant of the Omicron coronavirus variant, which is dominant in Denmark, appears more contagious than the more common BA.1 sub-lineage but there is no evidence that it causes more disease, Danish Health Minister Magnus Heunicke said in a national address. The BA.1 lineage currently accounts for 98% of all cases globally but in Denmark has been pushed aside by BA.2. (Reuters)
Even as U.S. cases drop, global vaccine inequity could prolong pandemic, experts warn (WP)
Study: Antivirals effective against Omicron (NHK)
America Is Desperate for Substitute Teachers — Omicron is making a bad shortage even worse. (Atlantic)
Senator Mitt Romney, a leading Republican critic of former President Donald Trump, will help raise money for Representative Liz Cheney, who is fighting for political survival after voting to impeach Trump and contesting his false stolen-election claims. (Reuters)
Dozens of local and state Republican leaders who showed their loyalty to Trump by casting fake electoral votes for him a year ago may now face prison time in return for that devotion. As investigators probe origins of the scheme to send “alternate” ballots to Congress from states narrowly won by Biden, the 59 ersatz Trump electors who claimed to be “duly elected and qualified” could face federal and state charges. [HuffPost]
Tesla's most important products this year and next will not be cars, CEO Elon Musk said, but software that drives them autonomously and a humanoid robot the company expects to help out in the factory. (Reuters)
Fed Signals Rate Increase in March, Citing Inflation and Strong Job Market (NYT)
Stocks swing to losses as markets react to the Fed’s interest rate plans. (NYT)
Study: Gas stoves worse for climate than previously thought (AP)
Afghanistan is "hanging by a thread," United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council, calling for countries to authorize all transactions needed to carry out humanitarian activities in the Taliban-ruled state. (Reuters)
In freezing Afghanistan, aid workers rush to save millions (AP)
Australia scientists find 'spooky' spinning object in Milky Way (BBC)
California’s monarch butterfly population has made a significant rebound, The Associated Press reports. (AP)
New focus in one of S.F.’s most notorious serial killer cold cases — Could San Francisco police be getting closer to the identity of the Doodler? (SFC)
Sorry, Right-wing Pundits, ‘Wag the Dog’ Is Just Nonsense. (Politico)
The road to Cooperstown is paved in nostalgia. Barry Bonds never stood a chance. (WP)
Learned Coworker Always Has Heard Good Things About Whatever Piece Of Media Being Discussed (The Onion)
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