President Biden signed the important Inflation Reduction Act into law. And, of course, Democratic Senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona held power to block this climate, medical care, and deficit reduction package. But they supported the bill, and each extracted a hefty price in exchange for their vote. This legislation, … [Read more…]
Many of us are trying to understand Trump’s appeal to so many white Americans. He has done significant damage to several American institutions, including the Department of Justice, the State Department, HUD, CDC, and the Judiciary, to name a few. And he has major psychological problems that are so evident as not to need so … [Read more…]
What roles do “equal opportunity” and “affirmative action” play as we try to address systemic racism? I was asked this question recently. I answer that neither of these ideas/practices is relevant to the struggle against racism. Neither should get in the way of addressing systemic or structural racism because neither blocks nor contests it. Each … [Read more…]
There are increasing cries that the United States needs to heal, reconcile, and move on. Please let us guard against the healing processes that occurred last time. On January 6th, afraid that their way of life was crumbling (under the onslaught of nonwhites and their friends) a broad cross-section of Trump’s cult attacked the capitol … [Read more…]
The U. S. A. was established on a system of white supremacy, meaning specifically the subjugation and subordination of people of African descent and Native peoples. Many people have fought and died trying to change this system, occasionally even having a little success, but never overturning white supremacy’s basic structure. Consequently, many if not most … [Read more…]
The recent second impeachment trial of Donald Trump shows once again the weakness of the Democrats, or at least how they continue to be played by the Republicans. McConnell and other Republican senators argued that Congress had no jurisdiction to try Trump since he was no longer in office. Therefore, they voted for acquittal even … [Read more…]
Collective bargaining is generally considered a good thing. All workers should have the opportunity to negotiate with employers to reach agreements on working conditions, benefits, and other aspects of workers’ compensation. However, some union contracts go beyond the terms and conditions of the workers’ employment. Police union contracts have created a system of protections for … [Read more…]
On January 6th, in the act of sedition, a mob took over the U.S. Capitol, and the police arrested only a few of the group. White supremacy in America is a principal reason that few of these rioters were arrested. These rioters were white. Black Lives Matter protesters are not. But there is more to … [Read more…]
A Trump mob carried out a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol this afternoon. They broke windows and doors as they illegally and unlawfully invaded the Senate, which was in a joint session with the House of Representatives. They disrupted the business of the Congress and hung around all afternoon, and very few were arrested. … [Read more…]
In case you missed George Will’s recent piece on Trump, here is an excerpt: “Dislike of him should be tempered by this consideration: He is an almost inexpressibly sad specimen. It must be misery to awaken to another day of being Donald Trump. He seems to have as many friends as his pluperfect self-centeredness allows, … [Read more…]