“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” ? Buckminster Fuller When I look in the mirror and think about who should lead America out of this desert, this empty quarter in which America is stranded, I think of William Butler Yeats’s description of old age in his poem, Sailing to … [Read more...] about SAILING TO BYZANTIUM
The Omar/Talib Israel Controversy
For those of you who are news junkies like me, the news the trip to Israel requested by Congresswomen Rashid Talib and Ilhan Omar has illustrated how personalized and ineffective our diplomatic efforts are currently. Talib and Omar represent Congressional House seats in Michigan and Minnesota respectively. Talib was born in Detroit and is an American citizen although her … [Read more...] about The Omar/Talib Israel Controversy
Even if Democrats Dump Trump, They’ll Need to Ditch Mitch
he word in Colorado is that John Hickenlooper is being pressured to quit his futile presidential quest and run for the Senate in 2020. Good. A top newspaper in Texas is pleading with Beto O'Rourke to quit the presidential race and run for the Senate in 2020. Good. Democrats hither and yon are urging Montana Gov. Steve Bullock to quit the presidential race and run for the … [Read more...] about Even if Democrats Dump Trump, They’ll Need to Ditch Mitch
R.I.P Gil Christner: comedian, actor, comedy writer and Internet’s beloved “skippy the bush kangaroo” blogger
Americans are into celebrity but there are also many amazing people in various fields whose names they don't know who are powerhouses of creativity. There are some out there who don't become famous as a name brand but they're superb and busy comedians, actors, comedy writers. There are writers and bloggers who write under pseudonyms. Bloggers often do it to keep their real … [Read more...] about R.I.P Gil Christner: comedian, actor, comedy writer and Internet’s beloved “skippy the bush kangaroo” blogger
What’s behind the protests in Kashmir
Kashmiri Muslims shout slogans during a protest after Eid prayers in Srinagar. AP Photo/ Dar Yasin Sumit Ganguly, Indiana University India recently enacted a law which will end a special autonomous status given to the state of Jammu and Kashmir, known in the West as simply “Kashmir.” Amit Shah, India’s minister for home affairs, announced in … [Read more...] about What’s behind the protests in Kashmir
“Why setting a climate deadline is dangerous”
The August 2019 issue of Nature Climate Change features a commentary titled Why setting a climate deadline is dangerous. Here is an excerpt: "The imagery of deadlines and countdown clocks offers an illusory cliff-edge after which the world heads inevitably to its imminent demise. It promulgates the imaginary of extinction and the collapse of civilization. The impacts … [Read more...] about “Why setting a climate deadline is dangerous”
A Review of Indy Jones and the Raiders of the Last Temple of the Doomed Ark
I’m a Seattle Mariners fan and that revelation should call the remainder of my judgments and this review into question. Or at least I think I was a Mariners fan until this season pretty much sucked all the professional baseball watching joy out of me. I just gave up even trying to care this year. Even the allure of cheap tickets and a cordial Safeco, excuse me, T-Mobile field … [Read more...] about A Review of Indy Jones and the Raiders of the Last Temple of the Doomed Ark
5 Interesting Questions About the Future of Cryptocurrency
As Bitcoin celebrates its 10th anniversary, there's no better time to look back and reflect on the world's first digital currency. How has it evolved, and how is it likely to change in the future? Though Bitcoin still has a long way to go before it overshadows the dollar, the status quo is shifting in fascinating ways. With that in mind, here are five interesting questions … [Read more...] about 5 Interesting Questions About the Future of Cryptocurrency
#MoscowMitch Putin Parrot (Cartoon)
Trump’s climate denial could hasten the demise of his own empire
WASHINGTON -- Someday, in the not-so-distant future, sea-level rise could claim Mar-a-Lago. Perhaps President Trump -- by then no doubt disgraced, shunned and all but forgotten -- would still be around to see his beloved Florida resort wiped out by a "Chinese hoax." Of all the wrongheaded policies Trump and his Republican Party insist on pursuing, their stubborn denial of … [Read more...] about Trump’s climate denial could hasten the demise of his own empire
Trump’s China policy: incoherent, value-free
WASHINGTON -- A concern for human rights and democracy has often been seen as an add-on to our country's foreign policy, an attractive veneer over the usual realpolitik. But President Trump is demonstrating that a supposedly "America First" policy focused entirely on trade and divorced from a commitment to our values is incoherent. Trump is embarrassing our country -- and … [Read more...] about Trump’s China policy: incoherent, value-free
Liberty Cage (Cartoon)
Making money off of politics isn’t new – it was business as usual in the Gilded Age
Making money off of politics isn't new – it was business as usual in the Gilded Age The Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., whose profits go to the president and his family business. AP/Alex Brandon Jeff Broxmeyer, University of Toledo When the political leader “Boss” Tweed was arrested in New York on … [Read more...] about Making money off of politics isn’t new – it was business as usual in the Gilded Age
Trump and the Statue of Liberty (Cartoon)
First woman Secretary-General brings new hope to UN disarmament
Tatiana Valovaya, the first woman to be named Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Disarmament (CD), brings new hope to one the UN’s most vexed bodies which has been struggling against paralysis for almost two decades. An economist and former Russian journalist and diplomat, she is also the first woman to head the UN’s European headquarters in Geneva, … [Read more...] about First woman Secretary-General brings new hope to UN disarmament
TUCKER’S MELLOW (Cartoon, Column and Video)
Conservatives are going nuts defending Donald Trump’s racism. They argue that comments such as “send them back” or “infestation” aren’t racist. They sell the idea that there’s no correlation between him and mass shooters who echo his code words. They use false equivalency to deflect from Trump’s racism, like trying to tie Democrats to a mass shooter who never wrote a manifesto … [Read more...] about TUCKER’S MELLOW (Cartoon, Column and Video)
Guatemala’s next president has few plans for fixing rampant corruption, crime and injustice
Guatemala's next president has few plans for fixing rampant corruption, crime and injustice Alejandro Giammattei is a former prison official whose tenure was tainted by the 2006 mass killing of seven prisoners. He was accused but never indicted on conspiracy charges in those deaths. AP Photo/ Santiago Billy Naomi … [Read more...] about Guatemala’s next president has few plans for fixing rampant corruption, crime and injustice
‘Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor…’ Not Really! (UPDATED)
UPDATE: In another interpretation of Emma Lazarus’ poem and in a fresh attempt to rewrite recent history, acting Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Ken Cuccinelli on Tuesday floated the following, when asked about the words “Wretched, poor, refuse…”: Well, of course, that poem was referring back to people coming from Europe, where they had class-based … [Read more...] about ‘Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor…’ Not Really! (UPDATED)
Trump’s message to the world: Keep your tired, your poor, your huddled masses
WASHINGTON -- The erratic Trump administration has had just one consistent policy principle, one guiding North Star: punitive and often sadistic treatment of nonwhite immigrants. President Trump's claim that he supports legal immigration, as opposed to the undocumented "invasion" he rails against, turns out to be -- big surprise -- a lie. On Monday, the administration proved … [Read more...] about Trump’s message to the world: Keep your tired, your poor, your huddled masses
HATE IS NOT A GAME (Cartoon)
Email Clay Jones at [email protected] … [Read more...] about HATE IS NOT A GAME (Cartoon)