President Trump’s Portland statements prove that there is little political difference between him and the KKK. He may as well don the white sheets and hood and burn a cross on the lawns of Portland residents. It’s become a cliché to label Trump a fascist, but we can’t afford fascism to take hold in … Continue reading President Trump’s Portland pronouncements is white supremacy proof in the pudding
Category: politics and culture
upcoming tests for democracy in september
It turns out that this month of September will have several critical tests for democracy coming up. The U.S. Senate will be voting on a constitutional amendment to overturning Citizens United most likely sometime this week. For the first time, every U.S. Senator will have to go on record as to whether they believe money … Continue reading upcoming tests for democracy in september
joe strummer sang about this border crisis hypocrisy 30 years ago
The image of Americans protesting against busloads of refugee children represents a new low in American hatred of the "other." To them, it matters little that these children are refugees and desperately fleeing for their lives. They are "illegals" that don't belong here--regardless of their needs, regardless of what U.S. federal law saws, and regardless … Continue reading joe strummer sang about this border crisis hypocrisy 30 years ago
your boss’s religious exemption and you
The US Supreme Court's decision in Burwell vs. Hobby Lobby has opened the floodgates for supposedly secular companies to claim a "religious exemption" from rights that employees and potential employees would otherwise enjoy. Suddenly, a new reality is emerging that when a company owner's religious beliefs conflict with that of their employees, the company owner … Continue reading your boss’s religious exemption and you
new internet discovery: noosa, “walk on by”
A new internet discovery has given me a new favorite song. At some point while on YouTube, I stumbled across this video showing time-lapse scenes of life in Madison. The time-lapse filming is incredible in and of itself but what blew me away was the song that accompanied it. The closing credits of the video … Continue reading new internet discovery: noosa, “walk on by”
lyft and uber: 20% tech, 80% talk, and 100% invasive species
How would you feel if a new company set up shop in your town and immediately proceeded to start breaking the city's laws? And when threatened with enforcement of such laws declared that your laws were outdated and needed to be changed? Now imagine a company whose very business plan involved deliberately breaking such laws … Continue reading lyft and uber: 20% tech, 80% talk, and 100% invasive species
the internet: a subsidiary of verizon?
On 14 January 2014, a federal court ruling paved the way for internet service providers such as Verizon, Comcast, AT&T, and others to decide which websites you can and can't access and which apps you can and can't use. This was in response to a legal challenge filed by Verizon last fall in which it … Continue reading the internet: a subsidiary of verizon?
suspended in time, between times
Nevertheless, this has still been a meditative time for me. I've turned inward a lot this month, and I feel like I'm preparing for a lot of changes--some that I'm initiating, and some that are hurtling my way
a capitol transformed
The Capitol has been occupied by peaceful protestors 24/7 for a couple of weeks now. I know many people who have chosen to sleep over at the Capitol as part of the occupation effort. The Capitol has always been open to the public, and people routinely cut through the Capitol to get from one side of the Square to the other. But I've never seen it look like this before...
battleground wisconsin, madison’s capitol square ground zero
Last week, I found myself constantly checking the news on my Android phone to keep up with the latest developments with the revolution in Egypt. This week, I've found myself constantly checking the news on my Android phone to keep up with the latest developments here in Madison.