Anarchist in Chief Trump threatens to to hold funds from unequal cities he calls ‘anarchist’

A leader who shows up to a problem with a blowtorch instead of water … I live in a New York City neighborhood that’s quiet to the point where I can hear different species of birds — not unless they’re drowned out by the occasional foghorn. Far from being the anarchist jurisdiction that President Donald […]

Memorial day thought: what does American society come back from — or come back to — after coronavirus?

Here’s what “We’re in the same boat” means during a pandemic right now. Answer this: if someone has been aporophobic or racist — be it blatant, passive, willfully ignorant or plain hateful — for much of their lives, how is a coronavirus pandemic going to magically make them believe “we’re in this together” or “in […]

Senate hearing with Mnuchin and Powell is happening now — and you can see the most obvious B.S. about reopening the US economy

Right now, US Fed Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin are remotely testifying to the Senate Banking Committee about stimulus spending and the economy during the coronavirus pandemic. Mnuchin’s view is similar to that of his boss, President Donald Trump: they want scared and brave Americans to re-open the economy by leaving […]

They’re trying to downplay Ocasio-Cortez’ win this week — but we know better

While I thought the I’m-not-your-Liberal-donor-class flow of Congressperson-elect Alexadria Ocasio-Cortez was a refreshing breeze from the stale bullets spit by the ruling corporatist wing of the Party of No Guts, my crystal ball didn’t predict an Ocasio-Cortez primary victory over Rep. Joe Crowley in New York’s 14th Congressional district. However, I saw the seams bursting […]

West and Coates should look East

Can we not acknowledge that there are deep disagreements among us with our very lives and destinies at stake? — Dr. Cornel West in Ta-Nehisi Coates is the neoliberal face of the black freedom struggle, Guardian, Dec. 17, 2017 Quoting Dr. Cornel West’s words seemed to be a good initial approach as I partially unpack […]

Losing Alabama — the choice between Doug Jones and Roy Moore

Who is Alabama Senate candidate Doug Jones? Not sure if his supporters care to know much beyond the two most obvious things. He’s not his Republican opponent, Roy Moore. “He convicted the [1963 Birmingham] church bombers.” And there’s that ridiculous campaign piece designed to convince readers how Jones is sharp on the issues most important […]

WordCraft: The Performance of Becoming Human by Daniel Borzutzky

The 2016 National Book Award-winning poetry book, The Performance of Becoming Human by Daniel Borzutzky, describes a depressing and violent world of wars, societal dismemberment from the assault of free trade agreements, migrant crises, inequality, xenophobia, and dictatorial oligarchs. Borzutzky’s prescription for living in this mad world is to take on a “spiritual mission in […]

TEAM SNYDER LIED — THEY KNEW FLINT RIVER WAS WACK AND SHIPPED IN CLEAN WATER

“Appears certain state departments are concerned with Flint’s [water quality]. I will return the call.” Michigan Governor Rick Snyder’s Menace to Society moment has been accidentally brought to you in part by Mike Prysby, an engineer from the state’s Department of Environmental Quality, in January, 2015. Progress Michigan uncovered this email as well as others. […]

SUNDAY SMACK: WHY DO ONLY FEW PEOPLE KNOW THE REAL MLK?

” …Some respectable Negro leaders who are more concerned about being invited to the White House then invited to the cause of justice … ” — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. speech in Cleveland, OH, April 28, 1967 For a while, I’ve been writing about the Martin Luther King Jr. no one mentions. An MLK […]

WHAT IT MEANS WHEN GM EXECUTIVES PAY TO GET AWAY WITH KILLING PEOPLE

Six hundred dollars. That’s the figure I came up with when I tried to distill the meaning of General Motors’ nine hundred million dollar settlement with the US government to avoid being charged with knowingly selling cars with defective ignition switches — vehicles which I can arguably call pending death sentences — to you non-oligarchs. […]