Sunsara Taylor's Blog

"TIPS FOR TIM TEBOW"

2012-01-31T18:13:00.001-05:00

[Revolution #258. February 5, 2012] By Bob Avakian, Chairman of the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA Tim Tebow, quarterback for the Denver Broncos in the National Football League, is being widely, and seemingly endlessly, promoted—as an icon not only in the realm of sports but much more broadly. I have followed sports, including football, for many decades now, and I cannot recall ever

"Let's get down to basics: We need a revolution..."

2012-01-29T14:34:00.001-05:00

BAsics, 3:1 Let's get down to basics: We need a revolution. Anything else, in the final analysis, is bullshit. Now, that doesn't mean we don't unite with people in all sorts of struggles short of revolution. We definitely need to do that. But the proffering of any other solution to these monumental and monstrous problems and outrages is ridiculous, frankly. And we need to be taking the

Report from DC on Roe v. Wade anniversary: Taking on the “March for Forced Motherhood!”

2012-01-23T11:03:00.000-05:00

I arrived in DC yesterday midday with an impressive group of mostly young women. Some of them I have known for a while, both through the movement for revolution and through the more recent efforts initiating a new movement to End Pornography and Patriarchy: the Enslavement and Degradation of Women. One was a young woman who I had just met the day before up at a clinic in the South Bronx where

Another excerpt of Dr. Susan Wicklund and I Speaking about Why Abortion is NOT a "Wedge Issue"

2012-01-21T16:25:00.002-05:00

What Has Happened Since Abortion Dr. George Tiller's Murder?

2012-01-21T00:25:00.000-05:00

In honor of the upcoming Roe v. Wade anniversary (the Supreme Court decision which legalized abortion) I am posting more clips from the program held two years ago with Dr. Susan Wicklund and myself on Abortion, Morality and the Liberation of Women. This begins with Dr. Susan Wicklund describing the heightened threats and harassment against abortion providers and ends with quite a bit from me

A Call to Atheists and Secularists to Defend Women's Right to Abortion and Birth Control

2012-01-19T23:56:00.000-05:00

Signed by:Annie Laurie Gaylor, Freedom From Religion Foundation*; Sikivu Hutchinson, BlackSkeptics; Hemant Mehta, Friendly Atheist; Sunsara Taylor, Revolution Newspaper & sunsara.blogspot.com; Amanda Marcotte, Pandagon*, Norm Allen, former executive director of African Americans for Humanism*, and many others. Add Your Name Here: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/

If They Called It the “March for Forced Motherhood and Female Enslavement,” Then Would You Protest?

2012-01-17T23:44:00.004-05:00

We are fast approaching the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision which legalized abortion. Shamefully, each year, this anniversary is not marked by a massive celebration that women no longer die by the thousands in the back-alleys; not a celebration that women no longer are forced to foreclose their lives and dreams because of unwanted pregnancies; not a celebration of the

Women Need Late Term Abortions

2012-01-17T10:00:00.000-05:00

As we approach the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision which legalized abortion, it is important to speak frankly and unapologetically about the need women have for abortion on demand and without apology. In this youtube, from a program I spoke at together with Dr. Susan Wicklund, author of This Common Secret; My Journey as an Abortion Doctor, I speak about why women need late

I Hate Religion and Jesus is No Good Either! Read Your Damn Bible!

2012-01-14T16:49:00.002-05:00

Using Bob Avakian's book Away With All Gods! Unchaining the Mind and Radically Changing the World to challenge followers of Jesus to defend what Jesus actually said and what he actually did: uphold slavery, condemn divorce, blame sick people for their own illness, preach reconciliation between the oppressors and the oppressed and condemn people who don't believe in him to BURN IN HELL. Using

Interview on Michael Slate show: "End Pornography & Patriarchy: the Enslavement and Degradation of Women"

2012-01-14T00:55:00.001-05:00

On KPFK on Jan 13, 2012 - As the anniversary of Roe v. Wade approaches, I was on the Michael Slate show to talk about the call to End Pornography and Patriarchy: the Enslavement and Degradation of Women. The film I mention about the trafficking in women is "The Whistleblower." Here's the interview including calls from listeners: Listen Here

"Human Barbie," Sexualization of Girls, and a Call for PROTEST

2012-01-10T12:52:00.001-05:00

Just now someone sent this link to me with the subject line, “this is just obscene.” I had to stop and write something because, indeed, it IS obscene – on many levels! 'Human Barbie' Gives 7-Year-Old Daughter Liposuction Voucher The worst part of this story is not even the fact the mother of this 7 year old would give her a voucher for a future “boob job” and liposuction, it is the fact that

Jan. 8 - A Moment to Commit and Re-Commit to Resisting Torture, War and Crimes

2012-01-07T18:34:00.000-05:00

Please join us for an evening of dance performance & discussion on Sunday January 8 4:00 - 7:00 - NYC Real people are still suffering: tortured by the US government, living death in Guantánamo Bay, Bagram, and "black sites" around the world. Historian and investigative journalist Andy Worthington, world authority on these prisoners, talks about them and his work. Artists

Abortion Clinic Burned on New Year's Morning – Into the Streets for Abortion Rights On Roe V Wade!

2012-01-03T15:42:00.002-05:00

On January 1st, by 1:00 in the morning, an abortion clinic in Pensacola, Florida was engulfed in flames. By all accounts thus far, this was a case of arson. But chances are you have heard nothing about this. The fact that there has not been a single politician commenting on this violent assault on an institution that is essential to women's freedom and that this act of terror has not been

Listen Now to: The "Abortion Wars" Now Include Birth Control!

2012-01-03T08:48:00.000-05:00

My radio show from Dec. 31st, 2011 is now available to download and listen to. Please do so, let me know what you think, and share this with others. Then -- join me in DC to stand up for abortion rights on the anniversary of Roe V. Wade, the Supreme Court decision which legalized abortion. Saturday December 31, 2011 "Equal Time for Freethought" Listen/DownloadThirty-nine years after women won

January 2012: Stand Up for Abortion and Birth Control!

2012-01-01T10:10:00.005-05:00

Join us in Washington DC in front of the Supreme Court on January 23rd (to counter the "March for Life") starting at 11am IT IS TIME! January 22 and 23, on the 39th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court Decision which legalized abortion, come to DC to: Stand up for Abortion and Birth Control 39 years after women won the right to abortion, this fundamental right is hanging by a thread

Tune in Today 3-4pm EST, Dec. 31st

2011-12-31T08:00:00.004-05:00

This Saturday on Equal Time for Freethought, Join Sunsara Taylor for: The “Abortion Wars” Now Include Birth Control!End of Year Round-Up & Looking Forward For Women's Lives 99.5 FM in the NYC area or wbai.org streaming live 39 years after women won the right to abortion, this fundamental right is hanging by a thread. 2011 saw the greatest number of restrictions passed on women's access to

Should a Woman Feel Sad About Her Abortion? Fuck No!

2011-12-21T22:41:00.000-05:00

There is absolutely nothing wrong, tragic, unfortunate, or sad about a woman choosing to get an abortion. Nothing. Why? Because being forced to have a child against your will is enslavement. Period. Why else? Because fetuses are NOT babies. Fetuses have the potential to become babies, but until they are born they have no independent social or biological existence. They are a subordinate

Indiegogo.com/BAsicsEvent - A Success!!

2011-12-16T02:07:00.001-05:00

To all my blog followers: Here's the wonderful update on the determined effort to fund the upcoming film "Occasioned by BAsics: A Celebration of Revolution & the Vision of a New World." By the time of the deadline at midnite PST on Dec. 12, $25,002 was raised! Here's the final message from Indiegogo.com/BAsics event: WE MADE IT!! Thank you to the hundreds who contributed in large amounts

My Urgent Appeal -- Watch It, Donate, Spread It!!

2011-12-08T21:15:00.000-05:00

go to http://www.indiegogo.com/Occasioned-by-BAsics-A-Celebration-of-Revolution-The-Vision-of-a-New-Worldhttp://www.indiegogo.com/Occasioned-by-BAsics-A-Celebration-of-Revolution-The-Vision-of-a-New-World

Only 9 days left -- Be Part of Changing the Culture!

2011-12-04T16:46:00.000-05:00

Hey Y'all, Watch this trailer -- then go and make a donation. We are trying to get 70 new donations -- of any amount -- by Tuesday. You can make a big difference! Sunsara To make a donation, go here: http://www.indiegogo.com/Occasioned-by-BAsics-A-Celebration-of-Revolution-The-Vision-of-a-New-World

Give $10 today -- write a friend and let them know you did it in their name!

2011-11-22T22:18:00.000-05:00

Okay everyone -- I know that 99% of you can come up with $10 today. I mean in the next five minutes. I also know that you all have at least one friend (possibly two or three or four) who would be thrilled if you wrote them a little note saying that you gave $10 in their name to this awesome film that needs to be made and get out into the world. Just tell them... "Come on now, enough of this '

Sunsara Taylor Speaks at Protest Against Backpage.com for Facilitating Sex Trafficking

2011-11-17T16:59:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I joined the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women and others to protest Backpage.com for making millions of dollars off of paid advertisements which facilitate the trafficking and the prostituting of women. The overwhelming majority of women and girls in prostitution are tricked, coerced, or forced through male predation, outright violence, and/or desperation. The notion that

"Sex-Positive" Feminism and Sasha Grey; No Defense for Porn

2011-11-08T12:00:00.003-05:00

Re-posted [originally published 9/27/11] Recently, two college students (young women) insisted to me that it was wrong to oppose pornography because we should be "sex-positive." They also insisted that many women choose to go into pornography out of their own ambitions and that ought to be respected as a means of "empowerment." This is bullshit on so many levels. First, the vast majority of

Sex, pornography, prostitution, trafficking & the sexualization of young girls

2011-11-08T11:00:00.002-05:00

all spoken to in my radio program on Equal Time for Freethought - Nov 5, 2011 when I interviewed: - Meenakshi Gigi Durham, author of The Lolita Effect: The Media Sexualization of Young Girls and What We Can Do About It -Samantha Berg, National Coordinator of Stop Porn Culture and creator & moderator of Genderberg.com -Michelle Bart, Chair of Northwest Conference Against Trafficking Listen here

"Break On Through! To The Occupy! Hella Occupy Oakland!"

2011-11-07T18:30:00.002-05:00

Interview with a revolutionary (Revolution #249, November 6, 2011) The following report and interview is with someone who was part of Occupy Oakland nearly from the beginning and who was arrested in the police attack and destruction of the camp. Occupy Oakland has now come back, to the same place as before. Q: Can you tell us why people came together initially for Occupy Oakland? Hella

Outright Piggery from the Camp of Counter-Revolution

2011-11-07T18:29:00.003-05:00

from Revolution #249, November 6, 2011 Revolution is a serious and complex matter. It involves many different people coming together to unite on a common program of struggle, identifying and working toward the aims and means of fighting to make a radical change in the whole way humans interact with each other. Communists are fighting for a revolution which will bring an end to the power held by

BA EVERYWHERE... IMAGINE THE DIFFERENCE IT COULD MAKE!

2011-11-07T13:40:00.001-05:00

Announcing: A Mass Campaign to Raise Big Money to Get BA’s Vision and Works Into Every Corner of Society Revolution #250, November 13, 2011 “I hope he gets number one Amazon.com. We need to get this kind of word, this kind of conversation out—it needs to be disseminated, it needs to be in the mainstream more. We got to stop thinking that this kind of stuff just belongs at the very, very

2011-11-01T09:14:00.003-04:00

W e d n e s d a y , N o v. 2 7 : 0 0 p m R e v o l u t i o n B o o k sp r e s e n t s S U N S A R A T A Y L O R O N "The Woman-Hating Reality of Pornography and Why You Should Want No Part of It" This evening is the first in a series of talks by SUNSARA TAYLOR onEnding Pornography and Patriarchy; the Enslavement and Degradation of Women Coming up: Wednesday, November

Listen to the podcast on Atheist Talk radio Now!

2011-10-22T15:10:00.003-04:00

Why do all the world's major religions have patriarchy and the enslavement of women at their core? And why everyone who cares about equality and liberation for women should fight against the shackles of religion: Religion, Patriarchy, and Sexual Repression Atheists Talk, produced by Minnesota Atheists. ATHEIST TALK RADIO

"I will join Cornel West and Carl Dix…"

2011-10-22T14:14:00.000-04:00

A letter from a youth organizer who was part of yesterday's civil disobedience to stop "stop & frisk." It was read at a program at Revolution Books in NYC on Oct 19th. Dearest family, friends, and supporters: On October 21st I will join Cornel West and Carl Dix in a civil disobedience action targeted at stopping the illegal, unconstitutional "Stop and Frisk" policy by the NYPD. 600,000 stops

The New Jim Crow just met the new Freedom Fighters

2011-10-22T14:00:00.000-04:00

just received this statement from the Stop Mass Incarceration Network: From Up Against the Wall to Up in Their Faces . . . A Movement has begun toSTOP "Stop and Frisk" The New Jim Crow just met the new Freedom Fighters On Friday afternoon in Harlem people stood up and said "Enough!" to our youth getting jacked up and humiliated every day by the NYPD's Stop and Frisk program. Cornel West, Carl

"Why I Am Getting Arrested Today" by Carl Dix

2011-10-22T13:28:00.001-04:00

Statement from Carl Dix before yesterday's arrest in Harlem - appearing in Huffington Post Like most Black people in this country, I will never forget my first encounter with the police. Like most Black people in this country, it was not a pleasant experience. Before I take you down that memory lane with me, let me say up front that today I am joining arms with Cornel West and others to

"Herman Cain, Booker T. Washington, and Barack Obama"

2011-10-22T13:03:00.000-04:00

by Bob Avakian, Chairman of the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA Revolution #248, October 23, 2011 Herman Cain, the "Black conservative" candidate for President, calls to mind Booker T. Washington. Washington was promoted as a "responsible Negro" by the powers-that-be—and was actually the darling of open, aggressive white supremacists—during the period of Jim Crow segregation and Ku Klux

Historic Non Violent Civil Disobedience TOMORROW to STOP "Stop & Frisk" -- Be There, Spread the Word!!

2011-10-20T11:25:00.002-04:00

From “Up Against the Wall” toUp In Their FacesSTOP, STOP & FRISK! On October 21st at 1 pm be at the State Office Building in Harlem as: Cornel West, Professor, Author, Public IntellectualCarl Dix, Revolutionary Communist PartyRev. Stephen Phelps, Interim Senior Minister of Riverside ChurchRev. Earl Kooperkamp, Rector of St. Mary's Episcopal ChurchDebra Sweet, National Director of World Can't

Why are Carl Dix, Cornel West, Rev. Phelps, Rev. Kooperkamp, Rev. Wilks, and Prof. Jim Vrettos Getting Arrested on Friday?

2011-10-18T13:22:00.001-04:00

To put a STOP to the slow genocide of mass incarceration of Black and Latino youth and others -- and the constant harassment, humiliation, discrimination and brutality of the NYPD's "Stop & Frisk" program which is carried out 1,900 times every single day here in New York City. SPREAD THE WORD! BE THERE ON FRIDAY! WEAR BLACK!

Time to Intensify Outpouring of Resistance -- by Carl Dix

2011-10-17T12:59:00.001-04:00

from Revolution #248, October 23, 2011 Interview with Carl Dix about October 22, 2011 Time to Intensify Outpouring of Resistance The following is from an interview done on October 11 with Carl Dix: Revolution: Going into NDP, what is it about the situation today you would like to highlight in terms of both the ongoing and accelerating police murder and brutality as well as the need for

Sparkling Clean Occupation Continues!

2011-10-14T07:59:00.000-04:00

A big beautiful shout-out to all those who scrubbed and cleaned Zucotti Park last night and the more than a thousand folks who showed up starting at 6 am this morning to refuse to be evicted by the police! An absolutely beautiful challenge to the totally illegitimate authority of the police, the mayor, and the whole state behind them.

No Eviction for Occupy Wall Street -- Get Down There to Support

2011-10-13T23:29:00.000-04:00

I got the following email from Revolution Books: Hello friends of Revolution Books, We received the following emergency call, today. We feel that those that have been inspired by Occupy Wall Street would want to know about this. Whatever happens on Friday, we invite you to Revolution Books on Friday, 7 pm., to discuss the significance of the day's events. In addition, on Friday night,

Marlene Winell, Margaret Downey, Staise Gonzales, and myself at the Texas Freethought Convention/Atheist Alliance of America

2011-10-13T21:48:00.000-04:00

Hidden Camera Expose on "Crisis Pregnancy Centers"

2011-10-13T16:20:00.000-04:00

Check out this damning exposure of the bullshit told to women at the many, many crisis pregnancy centers throughout the country (many of them peddling straight up medial lies and funded by the government).

Revolutionary Prisoner responds to BAsics 3:16

2011-10-13T08:43:00.001-04:00

This is one of a series of letters from "those the system has cast off" responding to a challenge issued by Bob Avakian. Here is the link to many more responses from prisoners, youth, and others: http://revcom.us/a/247/voices-of-those-cast-off-by-system-en.html TX, Sept. 12, 2011 Dear Revolutionary Family, I first started getting into trouble with the law when I was five or six and I’ve

Are Corporations Corrupting the System… Or is the Problem the System of Capitalism?

2011-10-12T16:38:00.000-04:00

The following is a rush transcript, slightly edited, of a talk given by Raymond Lotta on October 7 at Occupy Wall Street in New York City: My name is Raymond Lotta. I am a political economist and writer for Revolution newspaper. And I promote the new synthesis of communism of Bob Avakian. The Occupy Wall Street movement is a great and momentous event. It is a fresh wind

Who did I meet at the Texas Freethought/Atheist Alliance of America Convention?

2011-10-11T12:16:00.000-04:00

Lots of interesting people! I met a slightly older white guy who wanted my thoughts on why there were so few women in his local atheist group. While I didn't feel in position to definitively answer, we discussed some of the factors in society and within his group that could lead to that situation. In the course of this, however, he told me the following story. He was walking past the

Diversity (and Black people specifically) in the Atheist Movement

2011-10-10T18:25:00.004-04:00

This second installment off the recent Texas Freethought Convention takes off from a panel called "Diversity in the Movement" which I was part of together with Dr. Sikivu Hutchinson, author of Moral Combat: Black Atheists, Gender Politics, and Secular America, Jason Torpy of Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers, and Rich Rodriguez, of Rational Response Squad. There are many

Atheist Alliance America & Texas Freethought Convention – Shout Outs!

2011-10-09T17:32:00.000-04:00

This past weekend has been the joint convention of the Texas Freethought Convention and the Atheist Alliance America in Houston, Texas. Somewhere around 700 people attended this conference – a very impressive and positive development in any place at this time of dangerous Christian fascism within the U.S. and rising fundamentalism throughout the world. But come on now: Everyone knows it is even

Speaking in Houston - October 7 and 8!

2011-10-06T16:31:00.001-04:00

Hey everyone! This Friday and Saturday I’ll be speaking at Atheist Alliance International – Texas Freethought Convention I’m on panels on both Friday & Saturday, including a talk called The Emancipation of Humanity and a World Without Gods; A Revolutionary Perspective if you're in Houston area...hope to see you there!

Challenging People to Think: Activism for Atheism

2011-10-06T16:25:00.002-04:00

[Originally published in On The Issues Magazine - fall issue on activism] by Sunsara Taylor People generally think of activism as something you do. But activism aimed at changing how people think is equally important. There is, after all, a profound connection between what people think, as well as how people think, and what they are willing – or not willing – to do. In particular, the belief

Raymond Lotta at Occupy Wall Street with the Constitution of the New Socialist Republic of North America (Draft Proposal) from the Revolutionary Communist Party

2011-10-05T22:38:00.001-04:00

Major March Occupy Wall Street -- Arrests Have Begun, Horses Out, Police are NOT part of the 99%

2011-10-05T20:36:00.000-04:00

Tonight a righteous march of the Wall Street Occupiers -- as well as students who walked out, unions, and many folks who have either never protested or not in some forty years. Reports now coming through that the police have begun to arrest. For what good fucking reason? Read the quote below -- the role of the police is to serve and protect this system that rules over the people...

"The role of the police..."

2011-10-05T19:24:00.000-04:00

Occupy Wall Street -- Mass Arrest and Yet the Masses Keep Coming...

2011-10-02T12:27:00.002-04:00

It is now confirmed that some 700 people were arrested yesterday in a protest by the Occupy Wallstreet crowd. It sounds like the police consciously led people into a situation where protesters would be penned in and mass arrested. This is similar to what was done by police in other mass arrest situations, particularly in Minneapolis during the last Republican National Convention. One arrestee

Sunsara Taylor at SlutWalk NYC Yesterday

2011-10-02T12:21:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was a beautiful outpouring of women, men and trans folks against rape, sexual assault, sexual shaming, and violence against women. Much more to be said -- but here is a quick video from me along the march route.

Today: Slutwalk NYC, Troy Davis funeral, & Occupy Wallstreet

2011-10-01T23:45:00.000-04:00

Today was a long and busy day. It was also a day that brought to the surface mass outpouring around some of the critical crimes of our time. Thousands of women and men marched against rape and shaming of women and women's sexuality in NYC's Slutwalk. This was a great thing to be part of. Beautiful people pouring out. Infuriating stories being shared. A lot of pride and defiance and positive

The Thing About Slutwalks... and a World Without Rape

2011-10-01T10:08:00.001-04:00

On the occasion of today's Slutwalk in NYC -- I am reposting this piece I did on Slutwalks. Its also available at: http://rwor.org/a/244/thing-about-slutwalks-en.html by Sunsara Taylor Posted Thursday, August 25, 2011 I'll admit, when I first heard about Slutwalks I cringed. I hate the word slut. It is too hateful. Too bound up with shaming women for their sexuality. Too linked to the deep

Free Troy Davis! The Whole Damn System is Guilty

2011-09-21T18:42:00.000-04:00

What does it say that a man for whom there is no physical evidence of his guilt is about to be executed? What does it say that despite 7 out of 9 witnesses recanting, the system is pushing ahead with his execution? What does it say that it has come out that police pressured witnesses to identify Troy Davis in the first place? What does it say that over a million people have signed a petition

Troy Davis -- An Illegitimate Execution Planned by an Illegitimate State

2011-09-20T11:27:00.000-04:00

I don't have a lot of time this morning to write about this and there is a lot of information available on the web, but let me say simply: IT IS TOTALLY FUCKED THAT TROY DAVIS IS SCHEDULED TO BE EXECUTED TOMORROW! 7 out of 9 witnesses against him recanted. Tremendous evidence points to his innocence and makes clear he did not receive anything approximating a fair trial or justice. This is the

Carl Dix on "Stop & Frisk" -- Challenges Ray Kelly to a Debate

2011-09-19T10:53:00.000-04:00

Pornography and the Military -- from a talk I gave at NYU

2011-09-19T09:19:00.002-04:00

The following is a question and answer from a talk I gave at NYU a couple years ago titled, "From the Burkha to the Thong; Everything Must, and Can, Change -- WE NEED TOTAL REVOLUTION!"

Remember George Tiller

2011-09-16T18:53:00.000-04:00

I recently did some writing on how abortion has become stigmatized and how we reverse this trend. I will let you know when this is published (it will be in about a week). In the course of it I had to review a lot of the history of how the right to abortion was won -- and then how the momentum in society has been reversed over the course of decades so that we ended up in a situation where almost

2011-09-11T18:53:00.000-04:00

"American Lives Are Not More Important Than Other People's Lives!" Bob Avakian

"Liberals have an Oedipal complex..."

2011-09-09T13:53:00.002-04:00

“Liberals have an Oedipal complex: It’s not that they want to sleep with their mothers—it’s that they willfully blind themselves.” — Bob Avakian

The Nation Institute Reflects On September 11th, A Tutorial in Liberal National Chauvinism

2011-09-09T09:04:00.000-04:00

Last night I attended a panel discussion at the New School in NYC featuring a a core of the heavy-weights at the Nation Magazine and frequent guests/hosts on MSNBC: Katrina vanden Heuvel, Melissa Harris-Perry, Eric Foner (okay, he's a professor/historian – not a personage of The Nation), Christopher Hayes, and John Nichols. The event was a reflection on how the U.S. has changed in the ten

Every 15 Seconds a Woman Is Beaten... Tyler Shields Makes Postcards of the Lynchings

2011-09-08T22:37:00.000-04:00

Throughout the ugly history of the U.S. there has been a long tradition of public lynchings of Black people. The widespread terror that every Black man and boy confronted every day; he knew that at any time of night or day he could be lynched for any reason or no reason at all by a mob of white men. It might not happen, but it always could happen and everyone knew that almost never was a white

"Let’s imagine if we had a whole different art and culture."

2011-09-03T13:50:00.001-04:00

BAsics 2:8 Let’s imagine if we had a whole different art and culture. Come on, enough of this “bitches and ho’s” and SWAT teams kicking down doors. Enough of this “get low” bullshit. And how come it’s always the women that have to get low? We already have a situation where the masses of women and the masses of people are pushed down and held down low enough already. It’s time for us to get up

The Whistleblower -- and Ongoing U.S. Involvement in Sex Trafficking

2011-08-29T13:16:00.001-04:00

First off, if you haven't seen the Whistleblower -- starring Rachel Weisz, Vanessa Redgrave, David Strathairn, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Anna Anissimova, Roxana Condurache, and Monica Bellucci -- go out and see it. Its an incredibly raw look at sex slavery -- the literal trade in women's bodies and flesh as commodities, as sources of enormous global profits, and as "things" for men worldwide to

Capitalist Disregard for Prisoners Revealed through Hurricane Irene

2011-08-28T20:17:00.000-04:00

Even if the worst of the potential destruction warned about through Hurricane Irene did not happen, the criminal nature of this system was revealed. Bloomberg openly and unapologetically admitted that he had no plan for how to evacuate Rikers Island should the need arise. During his last press conference of the day, the Mayor asserted that Rikers Island wasn't in Zone A. However, he still did

Rikers Island Prisoners: "Locked Up & Left Behind" -- What you should do now

2011-08-27T21:17:00.001-04:00

Take Action for Rikers Island Prisoners! Demand the City Create an Emergency Evacuation Plan New York City Mayor Bloomberg has announced that in the event of a hurricane, that he will not evacuate prisoners at Rikers’ Island, claiming instead to have a “contingency plan” in place. The experience of prisoners in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina shows that city authorities will abandon the

Bloomberg: EVACUATE RIKERS ISLAND!!!

2011-08-27T21:01:00.001-04:00

Solitarywatch.org is putting out the word -- New York City has no plans to evacuate prisoners from Rikers Island. This is important -- tweet it, spread the word: BLOOMBERG: EVACUATE RIKERS ISLAND!!! Locked Up and Left Behind: Hurricane Irene and the Prisoners on New York’s Rikers IslandAugust 26, 2011tags: Bloomberg, evacuation, Hurricane Irene, Rikers Islandby Jean Casella and James Ridgeway“We

Abortion, Let's NOT Leave Religion Out of It!

2011-08-27T16:19:00.003-04:00

Over and over and over again people tell me to leave religion out of the debate over abortion. "Many Christians believe in the right to abortion, at least in cases of rape or incest," I am often told, "So, why alienate them by bringing up religion?" It is true that a huge number of people who identify as Christian also support the right of women to abortion. It is also true that an even greater

Sunsara Taylor reads from BAsics

2011-08-24T16:32:00.000-04:00

"Good Without God; Ethics for Freethinkers": Important Dialogue, But Something Essential Missing

2011-08-24T14:05:00.003-04:00

Immediately before attending this past Saturday evening's panel discussion "Good Without God; Ethics for Freethinkers" sponsored by the New York Ethical Culture Society, I caught a clip of Rick Perry on a tv screen as I walked through the city. The rise of Perry as a "legitimate" candidate for the presidency only underscores my appreciation that such a panel was being held. There is a tremendous

Doing a Presentation in Prison on "Male Domination"

2011-08-18T11:32:00.001-04:00

Revolution online #243, August 21, 2011 Prisoners Revolutionary Literature Fund* received the following letter: Greetings in solidarity! I've been receiving Revolution for a while now. I relish each new issue. Revolution newspaper is my weekly dose of revolutionary reality. I am doing an AODA drug program here in the prison. Recently the subject of domestic violence, sex roles, and male

The NYTimes Whips Up More Moral Agonizing About Women's Reproductive Rights – Enough!

2011-08-14T15:02:00.002-04:00

Against the backdrop of a record breaking number of restrictions on abortion being proposed and passed at the state level, as high profile national politicians cut budget deals over the lives of women, as Christian fascist shock troops target courageous abortion doctors, the New York Times has decided to feature yet another article calling into question the morality of women who make their own

What's Wrong with Catcalling Women?

2011-08-13T16:24:00.001-04:00

Recently a young woman asked me, “How do you explain to guys how frustrating it is to be hit on all day long? Whenever I tell them to imagine what it would be like, not to be hit on just once in a while, but every day everywhere you go, they always say, 'That would be great! I'd have sex with every woman who propositioned me!' They just can't imagine why women would find this oppressive.”

The Thing About Slutwalks... And a World Without Rape

2011-08-07T01:01:00.002-04:00

I'll admit, when I first heard about Slutwalks I cringed. I hate the word slut. It is too hateful. Too bound up with shaming women for their sexuality. Too linked to the deep trauma experienced by millions of women and young girls every single day throughout the world. Too much part of the cultural DNA that says, “She deserved it,” or, “She was asking for it,” or, “She's dirty,” or, “You

Some Principles for Building a Movement for Revolution

2011-08-06T12:45:00.000-04:00

“At every point, we must be searching out the key concentrations of social contradictions and the methods and forms which can strengthen the political consciousness of the masses, as well as their fighting capacity and organization in carrying out political resistance against the crimes of this system; which can increasingly bring the necessity, and the possibility, of a radically different

"I'm Troy Newman, Bitch" -- More Misogyny from the Head of Operation Rescue

2011-08-05T07:26:00.002-04:00

You gotta love World Can't Wait and Summer of Choice for not letting this slide -- and what a great sign!

Tune in Sat, Aug 6th 3-4pm EST, for my interviews with Sikivu Hutchinson and Mara Hvistendahl

2011-08-03T22:57:00.001-04:00

August 6th3:00 to 4:00 pm, ESTWBAI radio, Pacifica in New York99.5 FMstreaming live at wbai.org This week on Equal Time for Freethought, I talk with two guests:Mara Hvistendahl and Sikivu Hutchinson Sikivu Hutchinson is the author of Moral Combat; Black Atheists, Gender Politics, and the Values Wars. She has published fiction, essays and critical theory in Social Text, Black Agenda Report,

My Thoughts on the Secular Student Alliance Conference

2011-08-02T17:16:00.002-04:00

Last weekend I got to spend a couple days at the http://www.secularstudents.org/ conference. Anyone who has checked out the Constitution for the New Socialist Republic (Draft Proposal) from the Revolutionary Communist Party – with its emphasis on really promoting science, intellectual ferment, atheism, and the unfettered search for the truth (as part of an overall economic and social system

A Waitress's Abortion Story

2011-08-01T21:40:00.002-04:00

Last night, after a beautiful march in support of abortion rights, a group of close to twenty of us went out for food and drink. About half way through our evening, our waitress asked us why there were so many of us together and what the occasion was. In response to our answer, that we were in town to defend abortion rights and Doctor Carhart, she immediately opened up about her own abortion

Tune in for my debate with Derrick Jones of National Right to Life at 6:20 pm EST TONIGHT

2011-08-01T15:43:00.005-04:00

Check it out here: http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/08/02/54080170.html at 6:20 pm EST Its really good -- he is just spewing lies, but I think the debate overall was very clarifying as to who really cares about women, the truth, and the interests of humanity (hint: it was the communist... not the anti-woman crusader). ________________________________________________________ To support Sunsara's

Talking to the Abortion Rights Activists in Germantown, MD

2011-08-01T15:38:00.001-04:00

Its been interesting talking to the people who have turned out to stand with Dr. Carhart. Women who work to end domestic violence – or at least to support women who have been abused and want to get out of those relationships. Women who do work against sexual violence and rape; they know deeply the trauma of having one's body and most intimate emotional and physical space violated. Young

Updates from Dr. Carhart's Clinic -- Germantown, MD

2011-08-01T11:44:00.000-04:00

About 220 people "Walked for Choice" yesterday in the beastly Maryland sun in support of Dr. Leroy Carhart. Spirits were high and people had come from as far away as California as well as from Mississippi, Illinois, Kansas, Virginia, Florida and numerous other places. A good core of unapologetic young women and others turned out from the Germantown area, a number of them expressing their

Join me at: SEX SLAVERY in CAMBODIA

2011-07-26T23:12:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, July 27, 7pm Revolution Books presents SEX SLAVERY in CAMBODIA * Photographers JENNIFER MACFARLANE and JESSE PESTA bring back images and stories of women and girls enslaved in the brothels of Cambodia. * They will be joined by SUNSARA TAYLOR, from Revolution newspaper, who has written and spoken broadly on the liberation of women, including in a national tour "From

2011-07-25T09:29:00.002-04:00

"The whole point of principle is that you have to fight for it when it is not easy to do. There is no need for principle if the only time you apply it is when it doesn't matter." Bob Avakian -- from BAsics

Abortion Doctor LeRoy Carhart Is a Hero -- Operation Rescue Threatens Him

2011-07-19T09:20:00.005-04:00

Why YOU should be in Maryland July 31-August 7 by Sunsara Taylor A determining focal point in the battle for abortion rights and the lives of women begins July 31 in Germantown MD. One of the most courageous and prominent abortion providers in the country is being targeted by one of the most hateful, fascistic, anti-woman groups in the country. Anyone who cares about the future for women needs

TONIGHT! "Infidelity Keeps Us Together" Really? On what basis and to what end?

2011-07-08T14:48:00.004-04:00

FRIDAY, JULY 8, 2011 7:00 PM"Infidelity Keeps Us Together" Really? On what basis and to what end?A REVOLUTION BOOKS Free Wheeling Discussion with Sunsara Taylor & Andy Zee The New York Times Sunday Magazine Cover Story, July 3,2011, "reconsiders marriage:""The mistake that

An Answer to Ross Douthat

2011-06-29T13:02:00.004-04:00

On June 26, the New York Times ran an op-ed from Ross Douthat which highlighted the horror of there being 160 million girls missing from the world today, largely owing to sex-selective abortions. However, rather than indicting this as a horrible outgrowth of deeply entrenched male-supremacy and patriarchy, Douthat places the blame for this on women's right to abortion and the few hard-won

people in this country...

2011-05-10T13:04:00.000-04:00

From Revolution #232, May 15, 2011.

wishing for a revolutionary counter-culture?

2011-05-04T19:46:00.001-04:00

If you are revolted by the superficiality and sanitized nature of American culture with its "me, me, me" and its "consume, consume, consume" mantras... if you are longing for something defiant, visionary, danceable, melodic-yet-hard-rocking and really fucking relevant... if you are wishing that there was a revolutionary counter-culture that more people, particularly young people, were

WCBS Atlanta asks Sunsara Taylor to call in on Good Friday!

2011-04-24T15:11:00.002-04:00

This last Friday, Altanta talk-show host Derrick Boazman asked Sunsara to call in. They wrote: "It’s a Tell the Truth Friday and in our discussion of Easter and Good Friday, the notion of atheism came up. Thats when we called our good friend Sunsara Taylor to give us her views on her belief. Click the audio link to hear the extraordinary conversation…" Here's the show Sunsara begins about

Apr 27: Searching for an alternative to empire and fundamentalism

2011-04-19T21:07:00.002-04:00

An Urgent Exchange: U.S. Empire Islamic Fundamentalism Both Deadly. Is There Another Way? Wednesday, April 27 6:30 pm Tishman Auditorium, The New School, 66 W. 12th Street, New York CityDownload flier.Invite your friends via Facebook.Co-sponsors: The Platypus Affiliated Society & World Can’t Wait Participants: Sinan Antoon, Wafaa Bilal, Laura Lee Schmidt, Sunsara Taylor “If you are

"If you have had a chance to see the world as it really is,

2011-04-10T21:49:00.004-04:00

"If you have had a chance to see the world as it really is, there are profoundly different roads you can take with your life. You can just get into the dog-eat-dog, and most likely get swallowed up by that while trying to get ahead in it. You can put your snout into the trough and try to scarf up as much as you can, while scrambling desparately to get more than others. Or you can try to

"without stifling the critical spirit..."

2011-04-09T22:56:00.000-04:00

“It is easy to have a society where a privileged intellectual elite has considerable freedom to grapple with ideas—as long as they stay within certain confines and don’t fundamentally challenge the existing order…. The hard thing is turning all of this upside down without stifling the critical spirit, the wrangling over ideas and theories and so on. Because we have also seen from history that

"If you can conceive of a world without America...

2011-04-08T23:11:00.002-04:00

—without everything America stands for and everything it does in the world—then you've already taken great strides and begun to get at least a glimpse of a whole new world. If you can envision a world without any imperialism, exploitation, oppression—and the whole philosophy that rationalizes it—a world without division into classes or even different nations, and all the narrow-minded, selfish,

"the need to be amazed"

2011-04-07T23:58:00.001-04:00

quote of the day... "People look at what religion calls "the heavens." They look at the stars, the galaxies. They can see a small part of the vastness of the universe, and they can imagine the greater vastness of the universe. Or they can look on a small scale, look with a microscope and see a small microbe or whatever, and be amazed by what goes on internally within that. They can ponder

quote of the day: "Look at all these beautiful children who are female in the world."

2011-04-06T23:43:00.000-04:00

Quote of the Day. 8 days until April 11: "A Celebration of Revolution..."

2011-04-03T23:25:00.001-04:00

"Internationalism--The Whole World Comes First." included in BAsics, from the Talks & Writings of Bob Avakian Buy your tickets now for "On the Occasion of the Publication of BAsics, A Celebration of Revolution and the Vision of a New World"April 11 7pm @ HarlemStage