Activism
CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE
Ecotage
Gonzalo Vizcardo
GAY & LESBIAN COMMUNITY NOTES
Brother Vincent
Michael Bronski
INTERVIEW
Cartooning
Kyle Boggs
INTERVIEW
Refugee Crisis
Seth Kershner
Commentary
FROM THE WEB
Net Briefs 03-09
Various Contributors
FOG WATCH
Kafka Era
Edward Herman
ON SECOND STREET
Disquieting Silence
Dominique Bressi
CONSERVATIVE WATCH
Amway's Revival
Bill Berkowitz
EYES RIGHT
Anti-Union Campaigns
Chip Berlet
Culture
BOOK REVIEW
Sisters...
Andy Piascik
BOOK REVIEW
Illegal People
Ted Lewis
BOOK REVIEW
Darker Nations
Robert Ovetz
BOOK REVIEW
Banana Republic
Dennis Draughon
REEL POLITICK
Sundance 2009
John Esther
FILM REVIEW
Revolutionary Road
Mark Schroeder
Features
FOREIGN POLICY
Obama on Israel
Noam Chomsky
ECONOMIC POLICY
Recovery Plans
Jack Rasmus
SNATCH & GRAB
Land Giveaway
James Petras
Interviews
INTERVIEW
Community Activism
Laura Paskus
Zaps
FREE LISTINGS
Zaps 03-09
Various Contributors
NOTE: Z Magazine subscribers and sustainers have access to all Z Magazine articles here and in the archive. The latest Z Magazine articles available to everyone are listed in the Free Articles box at the top of the table of contents, and are starred in the list below. Questions? e-mail Z Magazine Online.
Banana Republic
Adventures in Amnesia
By Kirk Anderson; Molotov Comix, 2008, 199 pp.
One of the definitions of the term "banana republic" that prefaces the pages of cartoonist Kirk Anderson's new book, Banana Republic: Adventures in Amnesia, informs us that O. Henry, the short story writer famous for his use of surprise endings, was the person who coined the pejorative expression in 1904 in his only novel, Cabbages and Kings, wherein he described his fictional version of Honduras, named "Anchuria," as a desperate Latin American country plagued by the corrupt political machinations of the "Vesuvius Fruit Company," an obvious reference to the exploitative U.S. neocolonialism of the United Fruit Company.
Similarly, Anderson portrays the most recent American political landscape amid the fictional trials and tribulations of the beleaguered denizens of Amnesia, "the small backward Third World nation with hearts of silver and mines of gold." With the rabid rationalizations of the ruling juntas' Generalissimo Wally, Anderson has been able to successfully savage the profligate policies of the Bush administration while avoiding the use of any polarizing caricature of President Bush.
Banana Republic reproduces Anderson's complete collection of graphic political commentary that he serialized in weekly op-ed installments of the Minneapolis Star Tribune from October 2005 to November 2007, a surprisingly scathing pictorial indictment of some of the worst excesses of George W. Bush to have been featured in the pages of one of this country's most respected "family" newspapers for such a long run.
Anderson often personalizes his material by depicting the hardships suffered by Rita and Diego Meza, fictional characters who are nominal citizens living in Generalissimo Wally's world. Throughout the series we follow the Mezas as they first cope with and then later confront the dreadful dystopia they inhabit. Diego eventually becomes trapped in the fictional state's torture apparatus and Rita struggles to find help to fight the system and save Diego from repeated bouts of melon-balling. Several funny episodes revolve around Rita's unsuccessful efforts to rouse the Democratic members of Amnesia's government-in-exile, aka "Los Cause," who spinelessly carp about their dictator's excesses in the art deco splendor of their favorite greasy spoon, Miguel's Dining Car, fashioned after one of St. Paul's iconic restaurants.
Anderson's multi-panel, comic book styled cartoons, reproduced here in chronological order, provide a refreshing contrast to the rather tepid, single panel editorial cartoons that regularly appear on the editorial pages in most of today's newspapers.
The cartoons collected in Anderson's new book aren't concerned so much with making jokes about the fickle fates or just deserts of transient political and cultural personalities as they are with shedding light on the misdeeds of our government. For readers unfamiliar with recent current events, each episode is flanked by a short introduction and explanation of the various news topics addressed in the cartoon that follows. National political concerns are not the only issues covered. Many of the cartoons also reference certain deplorable local issues, such as the Minnesota Vikings' "sex boat scandal," NorthWest Airlines' labor unrest, and the extravagant lifestyle of a certain Twin Cities' mega-church pastor who espouses a decidedly free market gospel.
This collection is full of cartoons that will both delight and incense readers through many successive viewings. Anderson's attention to detail is among the many reasons why Banana Republic is such an engrossing graphic commentary. In one panel the name of a pictured newspaper, the Post-News-Stenographer, speaks volumes about Anderson's opinion of the feeble efforts of our republic's so-called "fourth estate." Another panel shows soldiers reminiscent of Robocop, with "War-Mart" labels on their chest armor, standing in for Blackwater mercenaries at a company retreat, with such agenda items as "Meet & Greet," "Making Your Brutality Work For You," "Q&A: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome," and "Finding Time For Family."
Howard Zinn recently described Kirk Anderson an "outrageously bold and talented cartoonist" for his ability to inform and amuse readers with his "hilarious characters and funny dialogue, along with an education in recent history."
With our own banana republic's most recent regime change, it is still too early to tell whether the political conditions that Anderson wryly depicts will be remembered as snapshots recollected from a perilous time or as cautionary tales about the dangerous excesses inherent in any imperial presidency, but it is certain that Kirk Anderson's magnum opus will be well remembered in the annals of political cartooning for its timeless pertinence, artistic craft, and astute editorial assessments.
Z Magazine Archive
Announcements
OCCUPY TOGETHER - Occupy Together is the unofficial hub for the various occupations springing up across the country in solidarity with Occupy Wall St. Towns and cities worldwide are participating.
Contact: http://www.occupytogether.org/.
MAY DAY - May 1 is May Day, also International Workers Day, celebrating the successful fight of workers for rights such as the eight-hour workday. A General Strike is called for May Day by many groups, and events are planned worldwide.
Contact: http://maydayunited.org/; http://www.may1.info/; info@maydayunited.org.
LABOR - The 2012 Labor Notes Conference, themed Solidarity for the 99%, will be held May 4-6, in Chicago. Thousands of union members, officers, and grassroots labor activists will attend the event, which features workshops, meetings and organizing opportunities.
Contact: 313-842-6262; http:// labornotes.org/conference.
MARIJUANA MARCH - On the first Saturday of May (this year: May 5) marijuana legalization activists will hold informational and educational events, rallies and marches in over 300 cities around the world.
Contact: http://globalcannabismarch.com; http://cannabis.wikia.com.
AMERICAN MUSLIMS - KinderUSA will celebrate its 10th Anniversary with a Fundraising Banquet Dinner in Los Angeles on May 5. The keynote speaker will be Norman Finkelstein. KinderUSA was founded as a group of concerned humanitarians and physicians, and has become a leading American Muslim charity organization helping families through health development and emergency relief.
Contact: http://www.kinder usa.org/.
SEXUAL VIOLENCE - SWAN (Service Women’s Action Network) will present Truth and Justice: The 2012 Summit on Military Sexual Violence in Washington, D.C. on May 8. The conferences will give survivors the opportunity to share their stories with congressmembers, policy experts and the general public; with key panels by military law and policy experts on major topics involving military sexual violence and survivors’ access to justice.
Contact: http://truthandjustice summit.org/.
MEDIA - The Alliance for Community Media Youth Summit 2012 will be held May 8 at Pierce College in Philadelphia, PA. The summit will consist of four one-day symposia that provide a public forum for discussion about media and news literacy in America. Participants will include educators, community leaders, media professionals, journalists, nonprofit leaders, policymakers and students.
Contact: http://www.allcommunitymedia.org.
MOMS/BOMBS - Moms Against Bombs and the Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action will honor the long history of women’s resistance to injustice, war and nuclear weapons on May 12. A full day of activities is planned, including Orientation to the Trident Nuclear Weapons System, Nonviolence Training, Action Planning and Preparation, Mother’s Day Proclamation for Peace, and a Vigil and Nonviolent Direct Action at the Bangor Trident Submarine Base.
Contact: Anne Hall, 206- 545-3562, annehall@familyhealing.com; gznonviolencenews@yahoo.com; www.gzcenter.org.
MOTHER’S DAY/PEACE - The Mother’s Day Walk for Peace began in 1996 for families who had lost their children to violence. On a day that celebrates mothers and children, the Walk became a place for families and friends to feel support and love with thousands of others who pledge their commitment to peace.
The day has also become a way for thousands of people to financially support the work of the Louis Brown Peace Institute. Mother’s Day is May 13.
Contact: http://www.kintera.org/faf/home/; http://www.ldb peaceinstitute.org/.
BRECHT FORUM - The Beginning Is Near: An Evening with Michael Moore & Cornel West, a special benefit for the Brecht Forum, will be held May 18 at Hunter College in New York City.
Contact: https://brechtforum.org.
LABOR - The Pacific Northwest Labor History Association’s 44th annual conference, A Century of Bread and Roses, is scheduled for May 18-20 in Tacoma, WA.
Contact: PNLHA, 2402-6888 Station Hill Drive, Burnaby, BC, V3N 4X5; 604-540-0245; pnlha@shaw.ca; www.pnlha.org.
HOMELESSNESS - PM Press and First Presbyterian Church will host author Summer Brenner at the Conference on Homelessness on May 19 in Palo Alto, CA.
Contact: First Presbyterian Church, 1140 Cowper Street, Palo Alto, VA 94301; http://www.pmpress.org/.
NATO/G8 - The Coalition Against NATO/G8 War & Poverty Agenda is organizing protests at the NATO and G8 meetings being held in Chicago, May 19-21. A legal, permitted, family-friendly march and rally are planned for May 19. An Occupy Chicago month-long occupation is being planned to begin May 1. The Network for a Nato-Free Future and American Friends Service Committee will also be hosting a Counter-Summit for Peace and Economic Justice May 18-19 at People’s Church in Chicago.
Contact: http://cang8.wordpress.com/about/; http://www.natofreefuture.org/.
ANARCHY FEST - A month-long Festival of Anarchy is scheduled for May in Montreal. The festival includes The Montreal Anarchist Bookfair (May 19-20).
Contact: http://www.radical montreal.com/;http://www.anarchist bookfair.ca/.
TRUTHDIG - Truthdig.com will be gathering May 20-25 in New Mexico with other concerned people to assess current prospects for progressive change. Speakers include Dennis Kucinich and Chris Hedges.
Contact: http://www.truthdig.com/event/santafe.
FEMINIST SCI-FI - The feminist science fiction convention WisCon 36 is scheduled for May 25-28 in Madison, Wisconsin, featuring discussion and debate of sci-fi/fantasy ideas relating to feminism, gender, race and class.
Contact: WisCon, c/o SF3, PO Box 1624, Madison, WI 53701; concom35@wiscon.info; www.wiscon.info.
MULTICULTURE - The 25th Annual National Conference on Race & Ethnicity in American Higher Education (NCORE) holds its annual conference May 29 -June 2 in New York City.
Contact: Southwest Center for Human Relations Studies, 3200 Marshall Avenue, Suite 290, Norman, OK 73072; 405- 325-3694; www.ncore.ou.edu.
BIKING - Bikes Not Bombs is holding its 24th annual Bike-A-Thon and Green Roots Festival in Boston, MA on June 3, with several bike rides scheduled, music, exhibitors and more.
Contact: Bikes Not Bombs, 284 Amory St., Jamaica Plain, MA 02130; 617-522-0222; mail@bikesnotbombs.org; www.bikesnotbombs.org.
RADIO - The 37th Annual Community Radio Conference is scheduled for June 13-16 in Houston, TX with discussions and workshops.
Contact: National Federation of Community Broadcasters, 1970 Broadway, Suite 1000, Oakland, CA 94612; 510-451 -8200; conference@nfcb.org; www.nfcb.org.
PEOPLE’S SUMMIT - The People’s Summit for Social and Environmental Justice during Rio+20 is an event by global civil society that will take place between the 15 and the 23 of June at Flamengo, in Rio de Janeiro—alongside the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), Rio+20.
Contact: contato@rio2012. org.br; http://cupuladospovos.org.br/en/.
ADC CONFERENCE - The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ACD) holds its annual conference June 21-24 in Washington, DC, with panel discussions and workshops on civil rights, media, the Mideast, etc.
Contact: ADC, 1732 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Washington DC, 20007; 202-244-2990; convention@adc.org; www.adc.org/convention.
MEDIA - The 14th annual Allied Media Conference will be held June 28-July 1 at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI. Participatory workshops and skillshares will emphasize DIY alternative media to advance visions of a just and creative world.
Contact: Allied Media Projects, 4126 Third St., Detroit, MI 48201; www.alliedmediacon ference.org.
LA RAZA - The annual National Council of La Raza (NCLR) Conference is scheduled for July 7-10 in Las Vegas, with workshops, presentations and panel discussions.
Contact: NCLR Headquarters Office, Raul Yzaguirre Building, 1126 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036; 202-785-1670; www.nclr.org.
PEACESTOCK - On July 14 the 10th Annual Peace- stock: A Gathering for Peace will take place at Windbeam Farm in Hager City, WI. Peacestock (formerly “Pigstock”) is a mixture of music, speakers, and community for peace. The event is sponsored by Veterans for Peace, Chapter 115 and has a peace-themed agenda.
Contact: Bill Habedank, 1913 Grandview Ave., Red Wing, MN 55066; 651-388-7733; billhabedank@yahoo.com; http://www.peacestockvfp.org.
POPULAR ECONOMICS - The Center for Popular Economics is holding its 2012 Summer Institute July 23-27 at Columbia University in New York City. No background in economics is needed for this intensive training. This year’s theme is Economics for the 99%.
Contact: Center for Popular Economics, PO Box 785 Amherst, MA 01004; 413-545-0743; programs@populareconomics.org; www.populareconomics.org.
CUBA/PASTORS - The 23rd annual Pastors for Peace Friendship Caravan to Cuba is scheduled for
July1-July 31. Volunteers will travel across the U.S and Canada collecting aid and educating about the unjust blockade against Cuba, before an orientation in Texas July 15-18, followed by an education program in Cuba July 21-29, and finally a return back to the U.S. People can participate by attending or hosting local events, donating materials, or sponsoring a traveler.
Contact: IFCO/Pastors for Peace, 418 W. 145th St., New York, NY 10031; 212-926- 5757; cucaravan@igc.org; www.pastorsforpeace.org.
COMMUNITY MEDIA - The Alliance for Community Media 2012 National Conference is scheduled for July 31-August 2 in Chicago. Hands-on workshops and skillshares will be offered by this grassroots coalition of community media groups. This year’s theme is Collaborate!
Contact: ACM, 1760 Old Meadow Road, Suite 500, McLean, VA 22102; www.alliancecm.org.
VETERANS - Veterans for Peace is holding the 27th annual convention August 8-12 in Miami, FL. This year’s theme is, Liberating the Americas: Lessons from Latin America and the Caribbean.
Contact: Veterans For Peace, 216 S. Meramec Ave., St. Louis, MO 63105; 314-725-6005; www.vfpnationalconvention.org
COMMUNITIES - The Communities Conference is a networking and learning opportunity for co-operative or communal lifestyles, with workshops, events and entertainment; scheduled for August 31-September 3 at the Twin Oaks Community in Louisa, Virginia.
Contact: Twin Oaks Communities Conference, 138 Twin Oaks Road, Louisa, VA 23093; 540-894-5126; conference@ twinoaks.org; www.communitiesconference.org.
