Transcribing the Past

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1856: Article by Robert Owen on Slavery

- April 11, 2026

An article by Robert Owen, published in 1856 in his Millennial Gazette SLAVERY is a grave offence against the slave, his owner, society, and the pure and undefiled religion of love and charity, taught by Christ, but not yet in practice by his professed disciples. The infant slave at birth possesses all the divine qualities of humanity fresh from his Creator, and of every shade of colour, is capable of being made a good and valuable citizen of the world. These infants are capable of being so placed, trained, educated, and employed, by a new combination of rational surroundings, that they may be made to become at maturity far more valuable and much better members of society than any citizen now living in any country. Better and of more value, because all of every country have been to this day mis-placed, mis-trained, mis-educated, mis-employed, and mis-governed, and in consequence have been forced to become far more inferior, and of much less value to society, than all of humankin...

1884: An Irish Anarchist in France

- March 29, 2026

An Irish Anarchist in France, in the Glasgow Evening Citizen (5 March 1884) AN IRISH ANARCHIST IN FRANCE. The London Times Paris correspondent, telegraphing last night, says: - Morphy, the young Irishman who has on several occasions appeared before the tribunals for writing anarchical documents, was tried to-day for an article in a Socialist newspaper offensive to morality, in the guise of comments on passages in the Bible. He was fined 500 francs.

1969: Extract from the Left Hand of Darkness

- March 22, 2026

“How does one hate a country, or love one? Tibe talks about it; I lack the trick of it. I know people, I know towns, farms, hills and rivers and rocks, I know how the sun at sunset in autumn falls on the side of a certain plowland in the hills; but what is the sense of giving a boundary to all that, of giving it a name and ceasing to love where the name ceases to apply? What is love of one's country; is it hate of one's uncountry? Then it's not a good thing. Is it simply self-love? That's a good thing, but one mustn't make a virtue of it, or a profession... Insofar as I love life, I love the hills of the Domain of Estre, but that sort of love does not have a boundary-line of hate. And beyond that, I am ignorant, I hope.” ― Ursula K. Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness

1886: Expropriation An Essay by Kropotkin

- March 07, 2026

Expropriation An Essay by Kropotkin Published in La Revolte in 1886 Translated by Henry Glasse No Social problem is more important for Revolutionists than that which deals with the expropriation of the rich in favour of the people, and the appropriation of all wealth by the latter. We invite all our comrades to study this problem under all its aspects, and to disenss it unceasingly, in view of its realization, which must sooner or later force itself upon us, as the definite success or temporary failure of the Revolution depends upon the manner in which this expropriation is applied. As a matter of fact, no Socialist can doubt that any revolutionary effort is condemned in advance if, it does not correspond with the interests of the great majority, and find means for satisfying its requirements. It is not enough to have a noble id al: man cannot live on great thoughts and lofty discourses alone; he requires bread; the stomach has more rights than even the b...

Statement by Iran Labor Confederation - Abroad / کنفدراسیون کار ایران - خارج از کشور on the Ongoing War and the Urgency of Revolutionary Action

- March 03, 2026

Statement by Iran Labour Confederation - Abroad / کنفدراسیون کار ایران - خارج از کشور on the Ongoing War and the Urgency of Revolutionary Action Statement sourced from here The killing of Ali Khamenei, alongside a number of senior figures from the IRGC and the ruling apparatus, is an exceptional development in Iran’s current trajectory. It is a decisive blow to the heart of the repression machine and the backbone of the Islamic Republic. For millions in Iran, the death of a man who for decades symbolised massacre, suppression, poverty, militarism, and rule through blood has triggered a moment of release — a mix of long-contained rage and explosive relief. People’s presence in the streets and the broader social reaction reveal the depth of hatred that years of crime and slaughter have accumulated inside society. This is not joy in war. It is not joy in bombardment or in the killing of children. It is not joy in foreig...

2001: Hunter S. Thompson's Response to the War on Terror

- February 28, 2026

From Hunter S. Thompson’s ESPN page 2 column one week after 9/11. We are At War now, according to President Bush, and I take him at his word. He also says this War might last for "a very long time." Generals and military scholars will tell you that eight or 10 years is actually not such a long time in the span of human history - which is no doubt true - but history also tells us that 10 years of martial law and a wartime economy are going to feel like a Lifetime to people who are in their twenties today. The poor bastards of what will forever be known as Generation Z are doomed to be the first generation of Americans who will grow up with a lower standard of living than their parents enjoyed. That is extremely heavy news, and it will take a while for it to sink in. The 22 babies born in New York City while the World Trade Center burned will never know what they missed. The last half of the 20th century will seem like a wild party for rich kids, compared to what's com...