Sentimental Journey: It Was 10 Years Ago Today

Let's take a journey back in time. Just a short one, but for us it is hard to believe it is so long ago.

The year was 2003, and the drums of war were beating in the United States. The US had already invaded Afghanistan in retribution for the attacks of September 11, 2011 - even though the majority of the alleged attackers were Saudis. But we all knew that Iraq was next. Under constant hectoring and pressure to produce proof of weaponry they didn't have, even the Iraqis must have known the US was coming to say hello. Around the world, there were some who thought this was a good war to start - especially the manufacturers of weaponry and the oil industry. But there was a growing vocal opposition to the impending madness.

In those heady days, several people had come together after meeting through opposition to US military adventures. Among them were Beth Moore, Sheila Samples, and Les Blough. Les had been writing for a political debate forum called the Fray. And as their activism together grew, so did their desire to do things more concrete in addition to organizing protests, marching and carrying signs at rallies. Out of their discussions, the idea of this website evolved. From the outset, it was clear that Les would be the driver behind the site and eventually a disagreement arose among the group - Les refused to endorse the Democratic Party of the United States, believing that support for either of the mainstream parties was tantamount to sleeping with the enemy. Early on, Axis of Logic identified and targeted 'Global Corporate Empire' as the enemy of the people. All the participants, except Beth, parted company with Les over his refusal to be compromised by the corrupt American political system. Beth stayed with the project a while longer as an editor, but eventually she left to do other things.

In the meantime, the site was being constructed. The ideas about content came from Les; the professional design - and the name - came from Fariba Agheli. One evening, Les and Fariba were preparing posters to take to an anti-war protest in Washington the next morning. George W Bush had started using Canadian David Frum's phrase 'the Axis of Evil' to refer to Iran, North Korea, and Iraq - as though those countries were in any way connected - in his bid to market an attack on Iraq as a necessity. Fariba scribbled down “Axis of Logic,” as a counterpoint to “Axis of Evil,” and the name of the site was chosen. Over the years, Fariba has redesigned the site to give it the current attractive and easily accessed face it has today. She has exceptional website and IT skills.

Today, May 18, is the 10th anniversary of the day axisoflogic.com went live. To this day, the site refuses to participate in the American electoral system other than to actively encourage citizens to stay home on election day and withhold their votes. And, to this day, it continues to devote itself to fostering hope for a better world.

On April 14, 2004, Axis republished an article by Paul Richard Harris carried on News From the Front, a division of YellowTimes.org. In the next few months, further articles by Paul were republished and eventually he was asked if he would assume some of the editorial duties. As it happens, that was right around the time that Beth Moore was beginning to ease herself away from the site. So from early 2005 to now, the site has been managed and edited entirely by Les Blough and Paul Richard Harris. Les hails from the United States, but moved to Venezuela 6 years ago; Paul is Canadian and has always lived there even though he has travelled extensively, much of it through socialist and Third World countries. And even though there is a strong bond of love, brotherhood, and common cause, Les and Paul only met in person for the first time in January 2012 when Paul travelled to visit Les in Venezuela (you certainly wouldn't want to travel from Venezuela to Canada in January).

And what a ride it has been. We have written many of our own articles, but we have also been blessed with a large number of writers who contributed their work to our effort. And, just to be clear, 'contribute' is the right word - no writer has ever been paid, nor have the editors ever been paid. This site is funded mostly by ourselves, with occasional small donations from readers and writers. We have consistently refused advertising for income on our pages. It is our mission to showcase the work of progressive writers and thinkers - but we can't pay them.

In Memoriam
It would show bad faith, we think, if we didn't begin with our thanks to all the writers who have contributed. First and foremost, our eternal gratitude to those whose deaths saddened us and took passionate and thoughtful voices from our midst: Robert Thompson, W. Vic Ratsma, Shahid R. Siddiqi. These men had big thoughts and all their work continues to be hosted on our site - and will be for as long as we are here.

Some of the other outstanding writers who have graced these pages - many continue to appear regularly - include: Ghali Hassan, James Petras, T.J. (Tim) Coles, Arturo Rosales, Siv O'Neall (whose impeccable translations from several languages into English have helped immensely - Siv is the only non-editor at Axis to have editorial privileges - we don't know where we'd be without her), Britta Slopianka who dedicates her work to the demise of the death penalty in the US, our resident poet and essayist Mankh, Beth Moore, John N. Cooper, Jim Miles, Eric Walberg, Dana Gabriel, Michael Feltham, Jess Ghannam, Dr Gerry Lower, Lee Salisbury, Zdzislaw Zmijewski, William James Martin and Mazin Qumsiyeh (both of whose insightful articles about Palestine were sorely needed), Carlos Herrera, Lisa McBride, and others whose absence from this list will surely make us feel embarrassed later.

Opposition
Axis of Logic maintains the ability for readers to comment on articles, and has done so for several years. We've received a wide array of commentary - ranging from praise, to general agreement, to mild disagreement, to strong displays of hatred and violent language. It is very rare that we censor our readers, deleting only those remarks that clearly cross the line with racial hatred or advocate violence.

Many of our critics have been very thoughtful, even persuasive, and we have not been shy about admitting to our own faults and errors. More than once we've found it necessary to retract or to apologize; but we consider it a sign of our professionalism and maturity that we are willing to do so without hesitation.

Republishing
Axis of Logic has no financial resources, so we rely on the kindness of writers to donate their labour. And we freely republish articles carried by other websites that we believe deserve a wider audience. Occasionally, we'll publish something that is contrarian in an effort to get people talking about a subject that needs to be aired - and our readers usually rise to the occasion.

The Age Old Question: Why Are We Here?
The obvious answer to that is that the fight isn't over - far from it. Every day, it seems, some new evil raises its head somewhere on the planet, while the long-standing evils just keep chugging along. And we've committed ourselves to trying to rouse the world out of its lethargy before it is too late for all of us.

Regardless of who we are, where we are, what our background or beliefs, we all share one common goal – the desire for all people to live a happy life. For the greatest part of us, that happiness is elusive. Those who are progressive want that to change, which is the only reason for the existence of this website.

Axis of Logic strives to bring clarity, as the slogan under our logo states. We try to cover news that is not being covered at all by corporate media, and we try to publish from a slant that is not beholden to government or corporate interests. Axis carries a lot of editorial comment written by people who don’t see the world through rosy glasses, and who don’t believe the goal of reporting is to hide the truth. We try to say who’s to praise and who’s to blame, we try to stimulate debate, even when it’s unpopular or unpalatable, because we hope to engage our audience. It isn’t that we are always trying to convince anyone on any given subject; but we do want to encourage people to think and talk about ideas and issues. We know we don’t hold a monopoly on the truth, or on the best answer to every question – but we do believe that no one else does either. Intelligent debate and discussion is the only way we can arrive at those best answers, those best policies, those best laws – and maybe that will help lead us to a world where many more people can lead happy lives.

The editors of Axis of Logic are taking this opportunity to do two things:

First, we wish all of you good spaces in all your faraway places. May you have joy and freedom from want, may you find peace. May you share with a neighbour or a stranger, for no reason other than because it seems like the right thing to do.

Second, we wish to thank you. If you have contributed financially, if you have shared one of our articles or news pieces with someone else, if you have taken the trouble to leave a Readers’ Comment on the site, or if you have just read what we published and gave it some thought, we thank you. Our reading audience is measured in the millions, and each of you has played a part in reminding us why we do this.

Les Blough is an Axis of Logic editor and columnist, based in Venezuela. He can be reached at les@axisoflogic.com

Read the Biography, Essays and Poetry of Les Blough here.

Paul Richard Harris is an Axis of Logic editor and columnist, based in Canada. He can be reached at paul@axisoflogic.com.

Read the Biography and additional articles by Axis Columnist, Paul Richard Harris

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