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The following books by Robert Paul Wolff are available on Amazon.com as e-books: KANT'S THEORY OF MENTAL ACTIVITY, THE AUTONOMY OF REASON, UNDERSTANDING MARX, UNDERSTANDING RAWLS, THE POVERTY OF LIBERALISM, A LIFE IN THE ACADEMY, MONEYBAGS MUST BE SO LUCKY, AN INTRODUCTION TO THE USE OF FORMAL METHODS IN POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY.
Now Available: Volumes I, II, III, and IV of the Collected Published and Unpublished Papers.

NOW AVAILABLE ON YOUTUBE: LECTURES ON KANT'S CRITIQUE OF PURE REASON. To view the lectures, go to YouTube and search for "Robert Paul Wolff Kant." There they will be.

NOW AVAILABLE ON YOUTUBE: LECTURES ON THE THOUGHT OF KARL MARX. To view the lectures, go to YouTube and search for Robert Paul Wolff Marx."





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Saturday, February 25, 2017

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD

The Trump cabal has begun rounding up undocumented Americans for summary deportation.  With characteristic bullying bravado, Trump characterized this effort as “military,” a description he was then forced to walk back.  But be not misled – it is military in its spirit and inspiration, and I have no doubt the effort will be expanded, to the cheers of his supporters.  This morning, during my walk, I began to speculate on ways that I might seek to protect targets of this round-up were the opportunity to present itself.

There is, of course, historical precedent for such an effort in this country, namely the Underground Railroad that helped runaway slaves make their way to territories where they would be free.  America is a large and varied country.  There are cities, and in some cases entire states, prepared to serve as sanctuaries for prospective deportees.  It may become necessary – indeed it may already be happening – for networks of citizens to form who can help the undocumented to move from areas of maximum danger to areas of relative safety.

I invite anyone reading this blog who is aware of such efforts to contact me by email, which is relatively a good deal more private than a blog, to let me know whether there is anything I can do to assist such efforts.

Yes, I am aware that the Obama Administration deported upwards of two and a half million undocumented persons.  I did not support that action, and I hold no brief for Obama.  So let us not become distracted by the keeping of scores.  Our country is under siege, and such democracy as we have is at peril.


4 comments:

Ed Barreras said...

I'm posting a link to a blog post by Kevin Drum that offers some useful perspective on Obama's immigration policies. Deportations fall into two categories, removals and returns, and evidently, in light of this distinction, Obama's policies appear a good deal more humane than they've been portrayed. In fact, Drum claims that "the total number of people who were actually sent home [under Obama] was lower than any other president."

Of course, none of this compares to what will transpire under the current so-called president, who has declared open season on people who unlike him have been contributing to the economy with their work and tax dollars.

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2017/02/whos-deporter-chief

Anonymous said...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3__BnVpArpE

Chris said...

And Obama-Clinton backed Perez just won DNC chair over Sanders backed Ellison, after voting to continue to allow corporate lobbyist donations into the DNC.

This party is a fucking joke, and backing them in any fashion is only a roundabout way of ensuring more Trumpism. Sorry, I'm washing my hands of the Democratic party for good.

Jerry Fresia said...

I lean toward Chris' contempt for corporate Democrats; however, until or unless there are structural changes
which transform our two party system into a multi-party system, I think efforts to take-over the Democratic party
- perhaps through leftist primary challenges - ought to be considered.

Regarding the blog: excellent, necessary, and uplifting.