The ego is a social construct. What we experience as “I” is mostly composed of words, which are self-evidently social entities (In the beginning was the word). We even dream in words most of the time, don’t we? While the origin of the written word can be attributed to the development of taxation, the origin of oral language is unknown. There are many theories. (I even tried to read Chomsky, whom I regard as a political ally – OMG, way above my pay grade). You too can read the Wikipedia entry for “Origin of Language.” I love the idea that […]
Category: Culture
What’s wrong with this picture?
The 24/7 hullaballoo over Khashoggi being most likely assassinated by Saudi Arabian security forces is symptomatic of everything that’s wrong with the current political situation, and it’s not just Donald Trump, not just the Republicans. 6500+ civilians have been killed in Yemen, mostly from U.S. weapons sold to the Saudis. Our own Green Berets are clocking up a death toll on the ground there. 8.4 million people are starving. But the media is obsessed with the fate of one guy. Sure, maybe he was a good guy. A journalist. A bit of a celebrity. It might not have been the […]
My Summer Vacation
MY SUMMER VACATION: I went to Spain on vacation this summer. Traveling is overrated. It took us five days to get back to Oakland – don’t fly Norwegian Airlines. I was surprised how prosperous the country was, how fabulous their transportation system. Barcelona has 4 different ways to get where you’re going: subway, underground light rail, surface light rail, and buses. Subway trains were three minutes apart. I wasn’t aware until I returned that Barcelona and read the New Yorker that “Barcelona is the heart of a new global political phenomenon known as municipalism.” I read up on the Spanish […]
The Poor People’s Campaign
Happy Birthday, Malcolm X! Finally. The movement we have been waiting for since 1968 has sprung on the scene that for some time has been mired in hopelessness. Hundreds marched in 30 state capitols on June 14. Some 300 were arrested committing civil disobedience. This is a game changer. Check out the demands of this movement and see if you can find ways to disagree with them lol. (Isn’t that what we on the left do too much of?). End systemic racism. End poverty and inequality. End war and militarism. End ecological devastation. But not in the abstract. Each of […]
Cinco de Mayo
GUEST BLOG By Juana Bordas Cinco de Mayo is gathering steam as the Southwest’s favorite cultural holiday. Just as St. Patrick’s Day, Oktoberfest, and the Chinese New Year recognize our cultural mosaic, Cinco de Mayo celebrates the contributions of Mexican Americans and our relationship with our neighbors south of the border. So open up a cold Corona, order up some tacos, listen to some hot Salsa or Mariachi music and celebrate “El Cinco.” Since Latinos are the fastest growing group in America, the fiesta has just begun! Cinco de Mayo honors the brave Mexican Indians who – outnumbered 2 to 1 – smashed the French […]
Student Loan Strike?
Education should be free! Here’s a modest proposal. A college loan payment strike. Easy for me to say, since I have no such loans, but my son does. We can take our time. Set a date for the strike to begin, say Labor Day, 2019. Develop an organization. Get people to commit to joining the strike. Open an escrow account somewhere that the money can’t be seized (bitcoin? Cayman Islands?). People pay their loan installments to this special account. Assemble a legal team to advise us on how to protect our other assets from being seized by the government. Now […]
The Chi
The Chi is the best show on television for a long time, maybe ever. Lena Waithe has created a masterpiece of a Chicago Black community drama that rivals and perhaps exceeds both The Wire and Do the Right Thing. I don’t want to give it a full review until I’ve seen all of it, but I want to emphasize one of the key points the story is making. We all know that at least in some cases, the street violence in the Black community is orchestrated by the police, who snitch on their own snitchers to keep the cycle […]
Tear down all the walls!
It’s likely the spineless democrats are going to cave on the wall. The deal will be 800,000 dreamers for the wall. Democrats should draw a line at the wall. But they won’t. Maybe the best we can hope for is a commission to study the wall which we can defund once we take back Congress in November. We need to tear down all the walls. Not just those between countries, but those between us as individual humans. It’s the same struggle, the same wall against the “other,” when there is no other. Us is all there is. Instead of a […]
In Defense of Men
Men are dogs. We are. We have been so indoctrinated with sexism that we can’t see straight, we just think with our dicks. Don’t tell me you don’t, because I won’t believe you. What’s the first question? Boy or girl. With just a faint hint of a brighter smile if the answer is male. Men are more valuable than women in our society. Why? Because the capitalists need us to defend the empire. We are raised to kill or be killed. If you’re raised to kill or be killed, it’s important that you have as few feelings as possible, and […]
We Own Time
Talk about End Time. The Koch Brothers are buying Time Magazine. I would hope every self-respecting subscriber will cancel their subscription. Henry Luce was no prize but he was a flaming liberal compared to the Charles and David Koch-suckers. [Luce also owned Life, but it died, lol]. Neither Luce, nor Turner, nor Warner, nor the Kochs own Time. We own time. But, something I’ve been puzzling at for some time now: What is time? I’ve been obsessed with death lately. Maybe it’s because I’m getting old. It’s not a bad thing: I want to fucking understand it, okay? Is that […]