Today in Labor History May 18, 1781: Tupac Amaru II was drawn and quartered in Plaza Mayor del Cuzco, Peru. Tupac II had led a large indigenous uprising against the Spanish conquistadors. As a result of his heroic efforts, he became an inspiration to others in the fight for indigenous rights and against colonialism. The uprising began because of “reforms” by the colonial administration that increased taxes and labor demands on both indigenous and creole populations. However, there was also an ongoing desire to overthrow European rule and restore the pre-conquest Incan empire. And though this would merely replace one feudal power with another, there were also Jacobin and proto-communist elements to the rebellion. Most of the Tupamarista soldiers were poor peasants, artisans and women who saw the uprising as an opportunity to create an egalitarian society, without the cast and class divisions of either the Spanish or Incan feudal systems.

The uprising began with the execution of Spanish colonial Governor Antonio de Arriaga by his own slave, Antonio Oblitas. Tupac Amaru II then made a proclamation claiming to be fighting against the abuses of Spain and for the peace and well-being of Indians, mestizos, mambos, native-born whites and blacks. They then proceeded to march toward Cuzco, killing Spaniards and looting their properties. Everywhere they went, they overthrew the Spanish authority. Tupac’s wife, Michaela Bastidas commanded a battalion of insurgents. Many claimed she was more daring and a superior strategist than her husband.

However, despite their strength and courage, the rebels failed to take Cuzco. The Spaniards brought in reinforcements from Lima. Many creoles abandoned the Inca army and joined the Spanish, fearing for their own safety after seeing the wanton slaughter of Spanish civilians. In the end, Tupac was betrayed by two of his officers and handed over to the Spanish. However, before they killed him, the Spanish forced him to watch them execute his wife, eldest son, uncle, brother-in-law, and several of his captains. They cut out both his wife’s and son’s tongue before hanging them.

As a result of Tupac’s leadership and success against the Spanish, he became a mythical figure in the Peruvian struggle for independence and in the indigenous rights movement. The Tupamaros revolutionary movement in Uruguay (1960s-1970s) took their name from him. As did the Túpac Amaru Revolutionary guerrilla group, in Peru, and the Venezuelan Marxist political party Tupamaro. American rapper, Tupac Amaru Shakur, was also named after him. Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda, wrote a poem called “Tupac Amaru (1781).” And Clive Cussler’s book, “Inca Gold,” has a villain who claims to be descended from the revolutionary leader.

#tupac #indigenous #uprising #colonialism #genocide #inca #peru #torture #books #poetry #novel #fiction #author #writer @bookstadon

To pay for their $3.8 trillion tax plan, which includes possibly trillions in tax cuts and extensions for the wealthiest Americans, Republicans want to cut $700 billion from Medicaid and other federal health programs. If passed into law, these cuts — some which come in the form of work requirements for Medicaid — could cause as many as 8.6 million Americans to lose their health insurance.

Some prominent Republicans may see many of these Medicaid recipients as adult layabouts,
but it’s more likely that these cuts will affect low-income children, seniors and Americans with disabilities,
who rely on Medicaid for health and home care.

As the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities notes, rural areas in particular depend on Medicaid spending.

Nearly half of all children in rural areas, 47 percent, receive health insurance through Medicaid.

Rural hospitals, which have struggled to stay afloat in the face of broad and overlapping challenges, also rely on Medicaid to stay open and provide needed services to isolated areas.

House Republicans also want to slash the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to reduce so-called waste, fraud and abuse.
(In truth, SNAP is among the most efficient federal assistance programs in operation.)

Again, these cuts
— which will effectively pay for tax benefits for people with higher incomes
— will most likely hit children and other vulnerable populations hardest.

And as with the proposed Medicaid cuts, this will hit hard for rural areas, where roughly one in seven households receive SNAP benefits.

These estimates are likely to understate the extent of the damage,
given the Republican Party’s interest in work requirements and additional scrutiny to prove eligibility.

nytimes.com/2025/05/17/opinion…