Discover Top Posts Tagged with #george farah

George being absolutely obessed with his arms again.

#george farah #bodybuilding #flexing #biceps

Essa Obaid and George Farah

Rashida Tlaib Donor- Dead Since 2009

When news media started scrutinizing Rashida Tlaib’s campaign donations, they found one that was disturbing: George Farah donated $2,500 to her. George Farah died in 2009. There is an explanation other than a dead man rising.

George S. Farah Sr was a Michigan business owner in Flint. He was a real estate developer and community leader in that city. He died on Feb 1, 2009 of heart failure. But…

View On WordPress

#campaign donations #Federal Election Commission #George Farah #Gisele Farah #Rashida Tlaib

Formative Reads

As I wrote recently, a friend asked me for some recommended reading regarding American politics and political history. As a result, I’ve decided to share five books, most of which are fairly short, and a bonus sixth that have had a major impact on my understanding of the world. If you’d like to share some book recommendations and how they have impacted you, please do so! We can all learn from each other and benefit from our collective experience and knowledge.

So, without further ado, here’s my list:

1. A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn If you can believe it, I didn’t really learn much about social history and historiography until my first (and only) semester attending as a master’s history degree student. This is a foundational read in itself because it analyzes American history through a lens foreign to most of us because history is usually taught through the memorization of great battles, powerful men, and important dates with--for some--abstract and thematic analysis. For me, this book represents the more advanced historical learning I experienced towards the end of my undergraduate education and my brief flirtation with graduate studies in the field.

2. The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein Naomi Klein’s work unveiling how neoliberal elites have used and manufactured crises to implement free market economic structures abroad and then later in the United States has shaped my political outlook more than any other book I’ve read in the last five years. I may have referenced this book more than any other in my political essays. More importantly, for the general population, she helps expose the United States’ less pleasant role in the world--a role we often don’t hear about.

3. Profit Over People: Neoliberalism and Global Order by Noam Chomsky I picked up a few Chomsky books when I was at Powell’s in Portland several years ago. When I started reading him, I was kind of blown away by his analysis. This is a short, quick read that complements Klein’s book really well. If you don’t know what neoliberalism is, read those two books, and you’ll learn more than you’d ever want to know about neoliberalism without actually reading Milton Friedman yourself. 4. Why We Can't Wait by Martin Luther King, Jr. I read this one in college, and I still have it on a bookshelf, another quick and illuminating read. I often have little patience for arguments from Democrats that we must accept incremental change, and I wonder if part of my impatience towards that argument derives from reading this book. King’s advocacy of non-violence also resonates with me. This book provides essential historical perspective whose value and message, sadly, is still relevant today. The radicalism in King’s work may often be whitewashed, but that boldness can easily be found when more thoroughly consuming his words, both written and verbal.

5. No Debate by George Farah So many people in this country have no idea how far the Democratic and Republican parties have gone to shut out any alternative voices in elections at the local, state, and federal level. Farah’s book explains the tip of the iceberg, mainly focusing on how the two parties have overtaken the whole presidential debate process, negotiating behind the scenes to sanitize the process and shut out independent candidates. Again, this is just the tip of the iceberg. If you want to know more about how the parties limit your options within your state, reach out to local third party members and activists, assuming you have at least one third party in your area.

Bonus fun read: America (The Book): A Citizen’s Guide to Democracy Inaction by Jon Stewart et al. My first political coming-of-age occurred during the George W. Bush years, so I would be remiss if I did not include a book that encapsulates that time. It’s a very enjoyable read, as well. That’s it, y’all! I’m looking forward to hearing your recommendations and any formative experiences you’d like to share. Peace, Tom