The Decision to Murder Jordan Edwards

As the car carrying then-alive teenager Jordan Edwards departed a house party where everyone in the vehicle collectively felt was no longer safe to remain, Balch Springs, Texas police officer Roy Oliver’s calculations went from zero to I-need-to-kill-somebody within sub-seconds. Or perhaps Oliver was able to arrive at his deadly conclusion so quickly because he […]

94 Percent — The Sad Truth About Democrats and the Obama Economic Recovery

Hillary Clinton blaming the calendar for why she’s not your President today elucidates my earlier points about the Democratic Party running from salvation — as if they’ve discovered a shortcut to redemption. The calendar fails to adequately explain one of several reasons why traditionally-Democratic voters either switched parties or stayed home last November: the economic […]

Racial Segregation and Death Through Secession — Jefferson County, Alabama Schools and the Rest of America

We’re witnessing an social crisis in Jefferson County, Alabama — a county with one of the worst measures of income inequality [PDF, page 15] in a state with one of the worst measures of income inequality, nestled in a country whose Gini Coefficient among industrialized nations is embarrassingly topped by only Mexico and Chile — that […]

Fire Spicer; Shut Down Pepsi; United Still Not Down

Politics aside, US Press Secretary Sean Spicer should be fired for being an idiot. President Trump is free to choose any Conservative he wants to serve as his mouthpiece. I’m just asking that he chooses among the smart ones. No need for me to break down Spicer’s waves of failing “Assad worse than Hitler” remarks […]

The MLK Speech You’ve Heard Before (But Not Really)

I’m recognizing the 49th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s assassination by posting his final speech — better known to many as “I have Been to the Mountaintop” — since many of us only know two minutes of it. Along with the media-saturated “I Have a Dream” speech by MLK, just playing the climax of […]

DNC Doesn’t Want to Be Saved

In another Democratic National Committee move that didn’t surprise me by any measure, unofficial Obama favorite, Clinton family ally and former Labor Secretary Thomas Perez was elected to serve as the imploded political party’s chairperson yesterday. Perez’s win over his more more Progressive opponent, Representative Keith Ellison, confirms a thought that’s been droning in my head for the past […]

Wordcraft: Strangers in Their Own Land by Arlie Russell Hochschild

Listening to the replay of Tanya Free’s recent radio show reminded me that I should share my thoughts about Arlie Russell Hochschild’s National Book Award-Nominated work, Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right. (Ahem) I did commit to posting about each NBA shortlisted finalist entry … During the latter part of […]

Charles M. Blow to Trump Cheerleader I’m Not Your Petting Zoo Animal

I love Charles M. Blow. I may not always agree with him, but he’s on point most of the time and his fiery writing reflects a constant synchronization of signals with the African diasporic struggle. If you have no idea of what I just said, watch how the NY Times columnist regulated President Trump supporter and […]

Sunday Smack: Can Your Personal Medical Data Put You in Jail?

We could simply praise the brilliant police work that led to the arrest of Middletown resident Ross Compton for allegedly setting his home on fire. Or we can be alarmed by what appears to be a pillar stripped away from Americans’ Fifth Amendment rights. The case involves Compton dialing 911 last September to report waking […]

Coons, Trump and Saving Chicago

I’m going to break an editorial rule for this blog and cover more than one main idea — namely cooning and lowering the City of Chicago’s crime rate. You’ve shamed those so-called Black leaders for attending Donald Trump’s debut Black History Month event as President of the United States. I disagree. I don’t instantly think […]