News

My First Book of Poetry

Brian K. Noe · January 1, 2025 ·

Don’t Walk | Walk: And Other Poems About Pretending to Sleep and Waking Up

Many years ago when I began writing for a living, I told my wife that I thought I would publish a book some day. Her response was to ask “Will this be an actual printed book, or one of those bullshit website things?”

Thanks to the revolution in self-publishing tools since then, it turns out to be an actual printed book.

I looked at several options for publication, and although I have reservations about Amazon, their KDP platform fit best with my goals for the project. I wanted wide distribution and low out of pocket costs to publish, but (most importantly) I wanted to be able to control the overall look of the finished product – in particular the fonts, and the layouts of the poems on the page.

The book is now available at this link.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DRZJDMTC

These poems were written over the course of several decades, and capture some of my journey from a failing marriage to building a life with my true love, from deep cynicism to the first hints of spiritual awakening.

Should you decide to read it, I hope that you find something of interest.

Refoundation

Brian K. Noe · October 18, 2017 ·

New Left Caucus Established

On April 29th of 2015, I became a member of the Left Caucus of the Democratic Socialists of America. The caucus had been established to push for a fairly specific program within DSA, many of which points were adopted at the organization’s Biennial National Convention this Summer (including withdrawal from the Socialist International and formal endorsement of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement).

Although the group was ultimately largely successful in accomplishing the goals it had established when first formed during the Summer of 2014, it was becoming clear for some months leading up to the convention that commitment of many long time members to the caucus beyond the accomplishment of those goals was beginning to fade.

I was delighted earlier this month to learn of a new group forming that proposes to be “The Radical Left Caucus of DSA” and after reading their points of unity and political program, I agreed wholeheartedly to an invitation to join the ranks.

The public announcement of the Refoundation Caucus was made today. You can learn more on the website.

We are a caucus of revolutionary Marxists active in Democratic Socialists of America. We wish to see DSA grow, flourish, and become a mass, independent socialist party in the United States. The times demand it. With the massive growth of DSA over the past year and a half, we believe we have a unique opportunity to build a movement and a party that can fight for and win socialism in the United States. We cannot let this opportunity pass.

I would invite all to review the points of unity and political program of the group, and to keep an eye on the site for position papers and statements to come. To my DSA sisters and brothers who are interested in being part of a vital and vigorous self-conscious left wing, I urge you to consider joining us.

As to the comrades who have been working so hard to organize and develop this caucus, I thank you.

Europe Is Up All Night

Brian K. Noe · April 16, 2016 ·

If a suspected terrorist sneezes in Europe, we see security camera footage repeated day and night with endless speculation and commentary on CNN, but there has been a virtual mainstream media blackout here in the United States of news about the French working class rising up over the past two weeks.

On March 31, thousands of French activists gathered at the Place de la République to protest French President François Hollande’s labor reforms, and they’ve been staying “up all night” ever since. The “Nuit Debout” protests are now spreading to Belgium, Britain, Spain and Germany.

Torture and Humiliation in Illinois

Brian K. Noe · February 22, 2016 ·

Abu Ghraib Comes Home

An elite Illinois Department of Corrections tactical unit called “Orange Crush” traveled from prison to prison, humiliating and terrorizing hundreds of Illinois inmates, according to a class-action lawsuit now before a federal District Court. They forced prisoners to march naked in single-file, tight formations, causing men’s genitals to press against the buttocks of men in front of them. They called the exercise “nuts-to-butts.”

The Belleville News Democrat reports.

Members of the tactical unit begin the tactic by running onto a prison tier when female guards are sometimes also present, “whooping,” banging on metal tables and shouting to prisoners: “Get butt-naked.”

The guards do this, according to the lawsuit, while dressed in orange fatigues, wearing helmets, carrying clubs and chanting “Punish the inmate. Punish the inmate.”

The prisons cited in the lawsuit are Menard, Illinois River, Big Muddy and Lawrence. It alleges multiple violations of the Prison Rape Elimination Act national standards, along with beatings, stress positions and other abuses reminiscent of Abu Ghraib.

Let’s call this what it is: state-sanctioned torture. The perpetrators, including the officials of IDOC under whose direction they operated, should all be behind bars themselves.

Hate Groups On The Rise

Brian K. Noe · February 19, 2016 ·

The number of extremist groups operating in the United States grew in 2015 according to the Southern Poverty Law Center’s annual census of hate groups and other extremist organizations.

Much of this growth can be attributed to the shameful bigoted rhetoric of Donald Trump and other candidates within the GOP. It’s not an exaggeration to say that the Republican party has become one of the leading national advocates for hatred.

Click here to download the full report in PDF format.

Enter the Brownshirts

Brian K. Noe · November 23, 2015 ·

With GOP presidential candidates amping up the xenophobia, it was only a matter of time until bigots with firearms began to organize. Saturday saw armed protestors assemble at a Mosque in Irving, Texas.

The Dallas Morning News spoke to organizer David Wright.

“They’re mostly for self-defense or protection,” Wright said, eyeing his 12-gauge. “But I’m not going to lie. We do want to show force. … It would be ridiculous to protest Islam without defending ourselves.”

A protester with a bandana over his face showed off his AR-15 to traffic. A 20-year-old who wants to join the Army and ban Islam in the United States carried a Remington hunting rifle…

Read the Report: Armed protesters gather outside Islamic Center of Irving | | Dallas Morning News

More Than A Quarter of Republicans Would Close All Mosques

Brian K. Noe · November 20, 2015 ·

With the news that GOP presidential hopeful Donald Trump is in favor of establishing a national database of Muslims in America drawing comparisons to Hitler, a new poll released by Public Policy Polling shows that Republicans are right in step with him.

Donald Trump floated the idea this week of shutting down all the mosques in the United States. 27% of Republican primary voters support that concept with 38% opposed, and 35% unsure on the issue. Among the top GOP hopefuls supporters of both Cruz (41/27) and Trump (37/27) support shutting down the mosques while backers of Carson (17/43), Rubio (25/37), and Bush (12/45) oppose doing so.

The latest poll confirms broad support in the GOP nationally for extreme views noted in a poll of Iowa two months ago.

Only 49% of Republicans think the religion of Islam should even be legal in the United States with 30% saying it shouldn’t be and 21% not sure. Among Trump voters there is almost even division with 38% thinking Islam should be allowed and 36% that it should not.

Decent Americans must stand up now, while there is still a Constitution to defend.

Sanders and the Second Bill of Rights

Brian K. Noe · November 19, 2015 ·

In September of 2012, I wrote about FDR’s 1944 State of the Union Address which proposed a “Second Bill of Rights.”

I wonder what might happen if President Obama were to make these rights the foundation of his bid for re-election. Would the American people rally to such a program? Would we recognize that political rights alone cannot ensure liberty and justice for all? Would we recognize that today our freedom is most threatened, not by the government, but by the tyranny of the marketplace? Would we recognize, at long last, that there is no democracy without economic democracy?

Today, at Georgetown University, Bernie Sanders appears to have taken up the challenge, putting Roosevelt’s speech at the center of his own campaign.

Sander’s speech begins about one hour and eight minutes into the video.

You can read the full text of the speech here.

I can’t say that I agree with everything Senator Sanders said in this speech, but it is certainly refreshing, even heartening, to hear a presidential candidate make such a vigorous defense of Social Democracy in this era where political discourse in the United States seems limited to the range between Neoliberalism and Fascism.

I wonder what will happen next.

Pope Francis’ Historic Speech to America

Brian K. Noe · September 24, 2015 ·

Pope Francis made history today by becoming the first Pope ever to address a joint session of the United States Congress. He mentioned four great Americans from the past, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton, saying that each of them helped build a better future for the people of the U.S.

The full text of the Holy Father’s speech to Congress is available at the link below. There’s also an audio version available on the site.

Read and Listen: Pope Francis makes historic address to U.S. Congress | Vatican Radio

The High Cost of Low Wages

Brian K. Noe · April 25, 2015 ·

The Center for Labor Research and Education at the University of California at Berkeley has produced the first report to examine the cost to the 50 states of public assistance programs for working families. It turns out that we spend nearly $153 billion dollars a year to subsidize the low wages at McDonald’s, Wal-Mart and the like.

Download a PDF of the Briefing.