What’s the most important thing for us to understand going into the Iowa primary like tomorrow, a single vote that may be among the most important ones of 21st century? Who will lead us to reverse course as a society and as a species to prevent the end of life as we know it on the planet. In all the years that we have explored, observed, and listened to outer space, we have yet to detect the existence of even a single virus on any place except Earth. This scintillatingly beautiful thing that we call Life may be just that […]
I’ve thought and written a lot about reparations. Last year, I developed a blog called The Reparations Fund. To be honest, I became somewhat discouraged when I put a copy of my blog in the hands of Cornell West when he spoke in Oakland and never heard from him. I’m glad the issue has come up in the campaign. I agree completely with Ta-Nehisi Coates in his Atlantic article that “Reparations is not one possible tool against white supremacy. It is the indispensable tool against white supremacy.” I agree that Bernie should have responded differently when asked about reparations by […]
When the red scare heats up again to try to derail Bernie’s campaign, we need to have answers ready. There really haven’t been any communists in the world, at least not yet. What there have been is movements of people who want to focus on sharing rather than competing. That is so self-evidently the path of social evolution that I don’t think I need to argue it, at least not with the people likely reading this. These movements have in many instances seized the power of the state. USSR, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Cuba, Venezuela. With the exception of Venezuela, the […]
One of the first things Bernie needs to do on his first day in office is end the war on drugs. It could be done by executive order. Justice Dept.: no more enforcing drug laws period. I’ve been watching Narcos on Netflix. I’ve been re-watching the Wire recently. I’m hearing about 100,000 people in Mexico dying in the cartel wars. Fuck terrorism. It’s the war against drugs that is perpetuating the worst terror. LEGALIZE THEM! All of them. Heroin, cocaine, lsd, xtasy, methamphetamine, all of them. Do it just like medical marijuana in California, set up a system of phony […]
The human as an individual, as s/he exists today, in isolation and competition with fellow humans, is fully an artifact of Capitalism. Since at least the sixteen hundreds, people have considered themselves the center of the universe, of their reality. The new society that is slouching to be born puts the interests of the community above its individual members. Individualism doesn’t disappear. We will still have our adorable quirks and serendipities. They just won’t be primary. What will be primary is our connection to others, to our neighbors, to our community. This is the revolution Bernie is talking about. We […]
