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Right-wing Texas state Rep. Tony Tinderholt, who pushed for reopening the state amid the coronavirus pandemic and compared the shutdown to socialism, says he thought he was going to die after recently testing positive for COVID-19.

Though I am not quite back to 100% health, I am feeling much better and continue to self isolate and heal inside my home, Tinderholt wrote on Facebook on Friday afternoon. I praise the Lord for keeping my family safe and for sending an excellent medical professional who was not afraid to practice the medicine he felt was in the best interest of his patients.

According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Tinderholts treatment did not include hydroxychloroquine because doctors thought it would be too risky given that he has a titanium heart valve.

The Texas Tribune reports: I truly thought last Friday was gonna be my last, Tinderholt, an Arlington Republican, said in a text message to the Tribune. Tinderholt said his wife and two of his children also tested positive for the virus, though their symptoms were less severe. Tinderholt is a member of the hardline conservative House Freedom Caucus, which has frequently criticized Gov.Greg Abbotts response to the pandemic shutting down businesses and requiring masks in public as government overreach. In an April 24 letter to the governor, the caucus urged Abbott to fully reopen the state economy, arguing that the longer he waited to reopen, the longer it would take to recover.

Tinderholt also called for a special session of the Legislature to overturn Abbotts statewide mask mandate. In his own letter to the governor, Tinderholt said the Founding Fathers would be rolling over in their graves if they witnessed the massive growth in government power that occurred when people were gripped with fear in the early days of the pandemic.

Therefore, if we allow government to continue to grow one more iota over this level of threat, then we are ushering in the very foundations of socialism, Tinderholt wrote. The question I would encourage you ask yourself is this: do you want to be the governor who helped socialism take root in Texas or one who stood for freedom in the midst of great pressure? I know we both stand for freedom and personal liberty over socialist ideals. However, they will take root if we do not permanently change this course now.

Tinderholt is perhaps best known to the LGBT community for filing an ethics complaint against the first judge to perform a same-sex marriage in Texas. Tinderholt has been married five times, including one relationship that ended with a restraining order against him. The lesbian couple involved in Texas first same-sex marriage had been together for 30 years, and one of the women was gravely ill with ovarian cancer.

Last year, Tinderholt introduced a bill that would have made it possible for women to get the death penalty for having abortions.

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Right-Wing Texas Lawmaker Who Compared Coronavirus Restrictions to 'Socialism' Nearly Dies from COVID-19 - Towleroad

Kansas was never Wisconsins peer when it came to putting the levers of power into the hands of Socialists. And yet, as the authors point out, the Great Plains state was a locus of activity. Americas most widely circulated Socialist newspaper was published in Kansas, and Socialist presidential candidate Eugene Debs lived there for a time. Not unlike Milwaukees sewer socialists, Kansas gas and water socialism stressed practicality over ideologyat least among those Socialists elevated to public office. Many other Kansan Socialists squabbled fiercely and accomplished little. Much of When Sunflowers Bloomed Red is a reminder of the American lefts historic tendency to factionalize.

To read more book reviews, click here.

To read more articles by David Luhrssen, click here.

David Luhrssen lectured at UWM and the MIAD. He is author of The Vietnam War on Film, Encyclopedia of Classic Rock, and Hammer of the Gods: Thule Society and the Birth of Nazism.

Jul. 30, 2020

10:35 a.m.

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When Sunflowers Bloomed Red: Kansas and the Rise of Socialism in America (University of Nebraska Press), by R. Alton Lee and Steven Cox - Shepherd...

Jason van Tol

Words are vague entities, having different meanings for different people. Humour utilises this ambiguity, as in the undertaker who had to rehearse her job. This becomes pernicious, however, in political discourse. Consider that North Korea is officially the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, or that the Liberal party of Australia opposes a Bill of Rights.

Bernie Sanders, who is no longer in the presidential race, was an outspoken supporter of socialism, which generated much controversy both in the US and internationally. The most common criticisms of socialism, communism, and anything that might be considered leftist, are based on twentieth century history and the ugly regimes that perpetrated their injustices under the banner of those words.

So socialism, as some people understand it, denotes Stalins gulags, the Khmer Rouges killing fields, Maos Great Leap Forward and the attendant deaths of millions. Those are all good reasons to be opposed to whatever ideological label is attached to them. But surely Sanders cant be suggesting those things; theyre pretty detestable policies to run on. Does socialism mean anything else?

In 1864 the International Workingmens Association, usually called the First International, held its first meeting in London. It was the peak body of socialists, communists, anarchists, trade unionists, and anyone participating in the working class movement.

The central goal of that movement has always been the abolishment of wage labour, or employment, since working under the direction and control of someone else is dehumanising and alienates workers from their work. In place of employment, the goal of the working class is control over their work by gaining ownership of the means by which they carry it out. So for example, those who work in a restaurant should own the restaurant and whatever tools, machinery, and other assets they use to do their job. This much was agreed upon by all of those in the First International.

The controversy, however, was about how to achieve this goal. On one side were those led by Karl Marx, who believed the working class needed to seize control of the government and use the state to accomplish its ends. On the other side were those led by Mikhail Bakunin, who believed that non-governmental means, from below, must be used.

These two sides are sometimes referred to as authoritarian socialism and libertarian socialism respectively, or more generally as Marxism and anarchism respectively. Occasionally one might also hear them referred to as right Marxists and left Marxists, though this can lead to confusion, and it is probably more accurate to think of them as top-down versus bottom-up socialists. Whats important to understand is that both are kinds of socialism with the same nominal goal, but with very different means of getting there. The tension between these two factions eventually led to a split in the International in 1872.

In his Statism and Anarchy, Bakunin famously, and presciently, proclaimed that following Marxs program of governmental, authoritarian means would result in a leadership becoming just as bad as the ruling class they had replaced.

Anyone who doubts this, Bakunin wrote, is not at all familiar with human nature. So despite the best intentions of Lenin, Mao, Pol Pot, and other authoritarian socialists, twentieth century history has proved Bakunin correct.

While significant changes in technology and social organisation have occurred in the past century-and-a-half, the basic antagonism remains between the minority who rule, and the majority who are ruled. This rift is not just a plaything of political philosophy; the injurious consequences of decision-making by the few, enforced by state-sanctioned violence, grow by the day.

Noam Chomsky, who is perhaps the foremost contemporary expositor of anarchism, has repeatedly identified the core principle of anarchism as the need for systems of power and authority to justify themselves, that the use of force is never self-justifying. But so long as we have economic domination, where most people must perform work, under the direction and control of their employer, to quote the Australian Government Fair Work Ombudsmans definition of employment, political democracy alone is insufficient in ensuring human freedom.

Moreover, the late Murray Bookchin posited that human domination of nature stems from human domination of one another, principally, but not exclusively, through economic relationships. It is only through local self-control, joined wherever hierarchy is necessary by democratic systems, that we might hope to create a world that is both desirable and sustainable.

Keeping the community together and the community voice loud and clear is what The Echo is about. More than ever we need your help to keep this voice alive and thriving in the community.

Like all businesses we are struggling to keep food on the table of all our local and hard working journalists, artists, sales, delivery and drudges who keep the news coming out to you both in the newspaper and online. If you can spare a few dollars a week or maybe more we would appreciate all the support you are able to give to keep the voice of independent, local journalism alive.

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What's in a Word? On the ends and means of socialism Echonetdaily - Echonetdaily

The same Circuit Court Attorney who recently released from jail 35 domestic terrorists who burned and looted downtown St, Louis, is now seeking to indict the McCloskeys. Late last week, authorities armed with a search warrant, seized the rifle that Mark McCloskey was shown holding during the confrontation.His wife's pistol was already in the possession of their attorney.Both weapons were legally owned by the couple. And look what is happening in other cities, such as Portland and Chicago with riots, looting, assaults, and murders escalating out of control.And the report is out now about the situation involving the burning down of the Minneapolis police station.

Apparently, at least 13 officers were inside the building at the time it was attacked. Some wrote what they thought might be final texts to family members and loved ones.These officers feared they would be killed.Ordered to stand down to protesters, some of them had carefully counted their ammunition to make sure they would have bullets for themselves to avoid being beaten to death.

Our Constitution protects free speech, assembly, and peaceful protests. These are cherished rights. But the First Amendment does not give license to demonstrators to transform themselves into criminals who engage in acts of violence or other lawless conduct.As Leo Terrell stated, this must be stopped, and it must be stopped NOW!And in the St. Louis case that may be happening with word from Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt that he considers the action by the Circuit Court Attorney as a case of "Making politically motivated decisions not based on law." AMEN!

Now to close on a humorous note:A prince was put under a spell so that he could speak only one word each year.If he didn't speak for two years, the following year he could speak two words, and so on. One day he fell in love with a beautiful lady. He refrained from speaking for two whole years so that he could call her "My Darling." But then he wanted to tell her he loved her, so he waited 3 more years. At the end of these five years, he wanted to ask her to marry him, so he waited another four years. Finally, as the ninth year of silence ended, he led the lady to the most romantic place in the Kingdom and said, "My Darling, I love you! Will you marry me?"and the lady said, "Pardon?"

Have a really great day.!

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Reece Gardner: Replacing the Constitution with Socialism Neuse News - Neuse News

Letters from Readers| Florida Times-Union

Democratic Party is moving

the nation into socialism

In 1944, Norman Thomas, six-time presidential party candidate for the Socialist Party of America, said that the American people will never knowingly adopt socialism.

However under the name of "liberalism" they will adopt every fragment of the socialist program until one day America will be a socialist nation without knowing how it happened.

Today Democratic Party socialists are widely embedded in our government at all levels. They include Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a majority in Congress and key civil service officials.

They proudly proclaim that, if elected, they will transform America into a socialist nation.

Our country is now engaged in a war for total control of America: capitalism vs. socialism. If we vote for Democratic Party socialists in November we shall join nations that are run by socialists and communists.

The only group large enough to defeat socialism at the ballot box is the Republican Party.

If Americans do not turn out to vote for President Donald Trump and the Republicans we will not save our cherished Land of Liberty.

Liberty lost will never be restored! God bless America.

Jane Kenny, St. Augustine

John Lewis was America at

its best. Trump? Not so much

When world leaders and their citizens watched as a horse-drawn caisson covering the flag-draped coffin containing the remains of civil rights legend and Congressman John Lewis cross the Edmund Pettis Bridge in Selma, they watched America at its best.

They were honoring a man who 50-some years ago attempted to walk across the same bridge with hundreds of fellow Black Americans demonstrating for civil rights, knowing that Alabama State Police were waiting with clubs and dogs to attack them.

America can admit when we are wrong. President Donald Trumps refusal to visit the bier of Lewis while he was in state at the U.S. Capitol shows the world America at its worst.

A small-minded, thinned-skinned, petty, egotistical, self-proclaimed leader of the free world is ensuring he will never be remembered with any reverence when his time comes.

Rick Mansfield, Ponte Vedra Beach

To improve relations, media

should stop mentioning race

The vast majority of American citizens would like to see much better racial relations in our country, especially between Blacks and whites.

To this end, I suggest that the news media should stop referring to race in the news.

No useful purpose is served by mentioning the race of individuals involved in any event whether it be crimes, sports, entertainment, etc.

If the individual in the newsworthy event was not black, then race would not be mentioned.

In my opinion, this type of reporting the news only stirs the pot of distrust and hatred.

Roderick Schlosser, Jacksonville

Note to readers: The Times-Unions longtime policy is to mention race when it is relevant to a story. Editorial Page Editor Mike Clark

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Letters: Democrats are socialists, Trump is no John Lewis and media should never mention race. - The Florida Times-Union