• February 15, 2012

HOWARD ZINN IS DEAD, TOO: Howard Zinn, the historian and author and one of the last remaining leftists from the Leftists Had Balls era, has died at 87. Cause of death is “whatever old people die of.” (Heart attack. Yikes!) You should read some of his old books, or at least this funny McSweeney’s thing someone wrote a few years ago, same difference. Also: LIVEBLOGGING/TWATTING AT 8:30! [Boston Globe]

{ 26 comments }

HipHopOpotamus January 27, 2010 at 7:15 pm

Saw him speak as an undergrad… and by ‘saw’ I mean, watched him on a screen in the second theater because the first one filled. Save for his introduction as one who had “touched so many students… and not only students, but parents and teaches as well,” it was great. /sad

Suds McKenzie January 27, 2010 at 7:18 pm

and he just wanted to live long enough to hear this speech. …cruel world

dogscantlookup January 27, 2010 at 7:23 pm

damn damn DAMN!

Lionel Hutz Esq. January 27, 2010 at 7:24 pm

But what will Glen Beck talk about now that Socialism is actually dead?

tunamelt January 27, 2010 at 7:28 pm

*sigh*

Way Cool Larry January 27, 2010 at 7:39 pm

He was definitely better than most, but ultimately didn’t go far enough in the deeper issues of conspiracy– like Chomsky, obnoxiously mocked the idea that 9/11 was an inside job.

Pat Pending January 27, 2010 at 7:39 pm

crap. Time to haul out Declarations of Independence and A People’s History of the United States. Actually, no hauling necessary. Great reading.

Fox n Fiends January 27, 2010 at 7:41 pm

That dude abided.

hunter.blatherer January 27, 2010 at 7:44 pm

He is not dead. His literature and perspective is alive and will thrive.

And for the snark:
Now he’ll NEVER be able to reconcile the Edwards’ and save the poors!!!

bitchincamaro January 27, 2010 at 7:45 pm

I’ll chug the whole bottle if BO namechecks him tonight. R.I.P. Professor.

SayItWithWookies January 27, 2010 at 7:48 pm

Wow. I’m not mentioning anybody else today. Except Newt Gingrich. And Dubya. And Cheney.

Howard Zinn was great and I loved A People’s History of the United States. At least he lived to see the scourge of the Dubya administration over, if not the war crimes trials.

lumpenprole January 27, 2010 at 7:48 pm

Imagine the agitprop obit montage that Beck will slap together as soon as someone explains to him who Zinn was. Hope it’s awesome.

Neilist January 27, 2010 at 7:54 pm

Oh, gesh. Zinn’s BRAIN died YEARS ago.

Shortly before he started writing “A People’s History, etc.”

Which was, of course, poorly researched and badly written Trash History.

He may have been a nice man. But as a historian, he was strictly second tier (if that).

Oldskool January 27, 2010 at 7:56 pm

Didn’t he more or less predict the underwear bomber on The Daily Show?

Long Form Def Certificate January 27, 2010 at 8:46 pm

I prefer his grandson’s (?) books on bicycle repair.

Brendan M. January 27, 2010 at 8:52 pm

And tonight, Nobama will twist the knife in our collective libtard heart.

[re=502311]Way Cool Larry[/re]: As stupid as Neilist, but at least funnier.

dogscantlookup January 27, 2010 at 8:53 pm

[re=502327]Neilist[/re]: but guns, guns are still good?

Lawndarts January 27, 2010 at 8:56 pm

this is sad

S.Luggo January 27, 2010 at 9:22 pm

[re=502313]Fox n Fiends[/re]: Word.
*****
“the Leftists Had Balls era”
The pre-Cambrian?

restlessleg January 27, 2010 at 9:24 pm

I’m very grateful that he lived.

Radiotherapy January 28, 2010 at 12:00 am

[re=502327]Neilist[/re]: The man was a bombadier in WWII, indeed a terrorist –in its most sanitized form.

Randall Jarrell (1945)
The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner
From my mother’s sleep I fell into the State,
And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze.
Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life,
I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters.
When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose.

These experiences, that few of us can ever touch, inspired his ardent anti-war stance. He went on to write a book, The Peoples History in which we see America from the dark underbelly. If you ever want to ostracize yourself in front of 99% of American family and friends, just point out a simple fact that Zinn elucidated: the US government has used terrorism as a tactic, maybe as effectively as anyone, throughout its history. The only thing worse you can say is that you’re atheist.

Howard Zinn was as brave and true an American as there ever was.

BarackMyWorld January 28, 2010 at 12:28 am

[re=502327]Neilist[/re]: Go ahead and name one factual inaccuracy. Go ahead.

[re=502311]Way Cool Larry[/re]: Because on the one hand you have a mountain of evidence describing minute by minute how al Qaeda pulled it off, and on the other hand you have known crackpots claiming “it looked to ME like a controlled demolition.” Not hard to decide who to side with, there.

Lazy Media January 28, 2010 at 8:58 am

Wow, somebody as obnoxious and wrong as Chomsky. Nice job, Howard.

Potater January 28, 2010 at 10:09 am

Sure is O’Keefey around here.

TubeCity January 28, 2010 at 1:14 pm

A People’s History of Death:

[not even crickets]

R.I.P.

Cape Clod January 28, 2010 at 2:11 pm

And J.D Salinger has kicked the bucket too. Hmmm, if these things really happen in threes, then either Ann Coulter or Glenn Beck need to croak so that we can have some balance.

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