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Saturday December 18, 1916
From The Masses: "Do You Believe in Patriotism?" Part II

In the March issue of The Masses, various Socialist writers responded to the question, "Do you believe in Patriotism?" Yesterday Hellraisers featured the answers to that question from two prominent Socialists women, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn and Sara Bard Field. Today's edition features the responses of John Sloan and Charles Erskine Scott Wood:

From John Sloan

If I had to love a country I could love no country but this, nor could I find a fitter one to hate.

I put Patriotism with the other isms,-Militarism, Anarchism, Capitalism, Individualism, Socialism, Dogmatism, Catholicism, Protestantism and Rheumatism (I had almost written Catechism), but I am answering your question. I hope that social progress will eliminate all isms-though in the case of Futurism we have a hard one to catch.

Patriotism licks the boot of capitalism and until the earth-worms get the latter's carcass, he will need patriots. As the wage system will never enable the people of any country to consume all their products with a profit to the owning class, foreign markets are a necessity to be fought for. Patriotism is a potent means of providing the fighters. Conscription is another powerful persuader and Our Country has both (see Dick military law passed by congress in 1903 and 1908).

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Friday March 17, 1916
From The Masses: "Do You Believe in Patriotism?" Part I

In the March issue of The Masses, various Socialist writers respond to the question, "Do you believe in Patriotism?" Today Hellraisers features the answers to that question from two prominent Socialist women, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn and Sara Bard Field. Tomorrow's edition will feature the responses of John Sloan and Charles Erskine Scott Wood. K. R. Chamberlin also offers an artistic answer to the question:

Artist K. R. Chamberlain on Patriotism

PATRIOTISM by K. R. Chamberlain.
The Editor, the Munition Maker and Investor: "Outrage! American Killed in Mexico! War!"
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If there's ONE topic that has been treated with a complete lack of respect in this presidential campaign, it's that of war. We have one party who thinks that the solution to political problems is to rain fire from the heavens like an avenging god, and another who thinks the same thing but likes to pretend that it doesn't really count if the body bags aren't on TV.

Let's forget for a moment that none of this was approved by the internationally recognised government of Libya.

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Monday February 28, 1916
From The Masses: The Munition Maker & Uncle Sam

This month's Masses expressed a few thoughts on the war now raging in Europe. We found the following drawing by Art Young to be especially relevant.

"It's a Great Country" by Art Young:

The munition maker has made us hated in Europe, and now we must buy munitions
from him to defend ourselves against that hatred.
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The House intelligence committee just accused the Pentagon of a cover-up, and this may turn into the first major scandal in the War on ISIS.

You wouldn't know it if you weren't paying close attention, but we have entered the largest military escalation since Obama's failed Afghan 'surge' in 2009-2010.
There are three critical differences between that surge and this one:

Last week, Republican front-runner Donald Trump made a most amazing statement when asked about terrorists.

Possibly the most important statement of the presidential campaign got ignored the other week. It was made by Donald Trump.