By CATHERINE RAMPELL Washington Post Column It's almost funny, in a twisted sort of way. Election after election, Republicans have based their core political appeal on fear. And yet -- as dual gun massacres this weekend starkly illustrate -- they refuse to offer solutions to any of the mortal threats Americans actually face. President Trump's closing (losing) message … [Read more...] about What are Republicans afraid of?
Joe Biden: Trump ‘Has Fanned the Flames of White Supremacy’ (Updated)
Joe Gandelman on Monday published the statement made by former President Barack Obama mourning the victims and grieving with the families of the latest mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton, but also powerfully condemning and rejecting the hate and fear speech that incites such violence. Today, in an even more eloquent, powerful and perhaps defining speech in Burlington, … [Read more...] about Joe Biden: Trump ‘Has Fanned the Flames of White Supremacy’ (Updated)
The Internet And Scandinavian Jazz
I've been pondering the events of the past couple of weeks and listening to different theories about what got us to where we are Somebody on the radio I was listening to made an interesting point which I think covers half the story He talked about being back in high school and there was the stereotypical kid who had completely different musical taste from everyone … [Read more...] about The Internet And Scandinavian Jazz
Toni Morrison: The Power of Language
Toni Morrison, the first African-American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature died yesterday in Bronx at the age of 88. The most celebrated of her many novels and essay collections are “Song of Solomon,” which received the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1977, and “Beloved,” which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1988. Many of her writings appeared regularly on The New … [Read more...] about Toni Morrison: The Power of Language
Blame Gaming
David Donar. All rights reserved. Copyright Donar, Political Graffiti … [Read more...] about Blame Gaming
Sensible gun reform requires taking the Senate
WASHINGTON -- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and the Republican Party may not have pulled the triggers, but they still bear some responsibility for the weekend's atrocities. The only way to keep military-style weapons of war out of the clutches of would-be mass killers is to take away McConnell's power -- which means electing a Democratic majority in the Senate next … [Read more...] about Sensible gun reform requires taking the Senate
Dirty White Boy (Column, Cartoon and Video)
When I was working at The Free Lance-Star in 2001, I tried to get cartoons past my editors that were against profiling Muslim-Americans after 9/11. I didn’t have a lot of success. While not officially endorsing profiling, the paper didn’t rail against it. Even then, the majority of terrorist attacks on Americans were committed by white males. When I pointed out to my editors … [Read more...] about Dirty White Boy (Column, Cartoon and Video)
From across the globe to El Paso, changes in the language of the far-right explain its current violence
Law enforcement officers walking to the scene of a shooting at a shopping mall in El Paso, Texas, on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019. AP/Rudy Gutierrez Arie Perliger, University of Massachusetts Lowell The recent shooting attack in which a young white man is accused of killing 22 people in a Walmart in El Paso fits a new trend among perpetrators of far-right … [Read more...] about From across the globe to El Paso, changes in the language of the far-right explain its current violence
Trump doesn’t just pollute the social environment. He IS the environment.
By GEORGE F. WILL Washington Post Columnist "It is remarkable by how much a pinch of malice enhances the penetrating power of an idea or an opinion. Our ears, it seems, are wonderfully attuned to sneers and evil reports about our fellow men." -- Eric Hoffer WASHINGTON -- It is 1,218 miles from the Aaron Bessant Park Amphitheater in Panama City Beach, Florida., to the … [Read more...] about Trump doesn’t just pollute the social environment. He IS the environment.
Former President Barack Obama’s Full Statement on Recent Mass Shootings and the Gun Issue
Former President Barack Obama has issued the following statement in the wake of recent mass murders and calls for gun control and an end to racist rhetoric. Here is his statement via Twitter: … [Read more...] about Former President Barack Obama’s Full Statement on Recent Mass Shootings and the Gun Issue
A booming international movie market is transforming Hollywood
A booming international movie market is transforming Hollywood China is projected to surpass the U.S. in box office receipts in 2020. DGArt3D/Shutterstock.com Weiko Lin, Emerson College Marvel’s “Shang-Chi” – the studio’s first Asian superhero movie – is a sign of the times. Destin Daniel Cretton, who is of Asian … [Read more...] about A booming international movie market is transforming Hollywood
Racist Rhetoric (Cartoon)
Stop blaming video games for mass killings
Stop blaming video games for mass killings The research doesn’t say what some lawmakers suggest every time there’s a mass shooting. Fredrick Tendong/Unsplash, CC BY Christopher J. Ferguson, Stetson University In the wake of the El Paso shooting on Aug. 3 that left 22 dead and dozens injured, a familiar trope has … [Read more...] about Stop blaming video games for mass killings
Please, I’d Like to Stop Writing about Innocents Killed by Guns
Another day, another massacre—this time two, in just 13 hours. By Michael Winship I’m sitting here typing away at the dining room table in the home of friends a few miles along the road from Newtown, Connecticut. In a span of just thirteen hours, there have been mass killings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio. Many more are wounded. Lone, young white gunmen have … [Read more...] about Please, I’d Like to Stop Writing about Innocents Killed by Guns
#MoscowMitch Welcome (Cartoon)
Political polarization is about feelings, not facts
Political polarization is about feelings, not facts Animosity between partisan voters has grown in recent years. Gutzemberg/Shutterstock.com Robert B. Talisse, Vanderbilt University Politicians and pundits from all quarters often lament democracy’s polarized condition. Similarly, citizens frustrated with polarized … [Read more...] about Political polarization is about feelings, not facts
On guns and white nationalism, one side is right and one is wrong
When one side proposes ways that human beings might begin to solve a deadly problem while the other side leaves it up to God, you know which side is right. When one side proposes solution after solution to contain gun violence -- and offers compromise after compromise to get something done -- while the other side blocks action every time, you know which side is … [Read more...] about On guns and white nationalism, one side is right and one is wrong
White Nationalist Terrorism is the Gravest Security Threat
White nationalist terrorism is the gravest security threat facing America and Americans today. It also afflicts Europe, Oceania and the world at large. It is a global movement that relies mostly on the internet to radicalize young white men to believe they are engaging in an apocalyptic war against some racial or religious "invasion" whose goal is either "race mixing" or … [Read more...] about White Nationalist Terrorism is the Gravest Security Threat
MAGA MANIFESTO (Cartoon)
On El Paso, and Before Dayton…
Once again, I cannot find adequate words to express my feelings as to what is happening to our beloved nation, to our “great society.” As so often and so regularly is said now, “thoughts and prayers” – while sincerely expressed by most -- just do not seem sufficient or pertinent anymore. My good friend did find words to express his views and feelings -- even before … [Read more...] about On El Paso, and Before Dayton…