R.I.P. Howard Zinn -radical U.S. historian and anti-war activist.

international | anti-war / imperialism | other press Friday February 05, 2010 14:31 by Ciaron O'Reilly - Catholic Worker/Plowshares

VID (58 mins) - "America's Holy Wars"

VID 58 minutes - Howard Zinn was an American historian, social critic, and activist. He is best known as author of the best-seller A People’s History of the United States. In one of his last lectures before his death last week, he spoke at Boston University on November 11 2009, on the subject of American “Holy Wars.”

http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2010/1/8/howard_zinn_t..._wars

Sad to hear of the passing of radical U.S. historian Howard Zinn. I have just viewed the above lecture that captures Zinn's wisdom, gentle humour and peace he embodied in old age. His journey from a bombadier over Dresden to radical educator and nonviolent anti-war resistance is quite amazing. In this lecture he tackles the rarely questioned Holy Wars of U.S. history
-the revolutionary war
-the civil war
-and WW2

I heard him once in a New York bar along with Alan Ginsberg and Norman Mailer at an evening in memory of the then recently departed Abbie Hoffman. They have all since passed.

He is sorely missed as the U.S. wars on Iraq and Afghanistan grind on with little resistance or debate in civil society.