Posts under ‘Current Events’

Way back in 1977, Jerry Mander published a book entitled Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television. In the book, he asserts: 1. While television may seem useful, interesting, and worthwhile, it actually lays the foundations for autocratic control by altering the physical and mental reactions of viewers to their environment. 2. By setting up [...]

On April 4, 1967, one year before he was murdered, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered a speech entitled Beyond Vietnam – A Time to Break Silence before the members of the congregation of Riverside Church in New York City. In it, he delivered a powerful rebuke to the leadership of the nation, a leadership [...]

I started this blog in September, 2008 because I was terrified of what Sarah Palin represented. For quite awhile, I struggled to put into words what I stood for, politically. I studied conservatism, liberalism, and a lot of other “isms” and have come to the conclusion that I am none of the above. I am [...]

In the wake of the violence in Tucson, there has been, as is so common in these times, an awful lot of finger-pointing. For a long time, I’ve deplored hatred and bigotry and many of my posts reflect those feelings. I’ve not posted much lately, because I’m busy with other things in my life right [...]

On November 28th, I posted an excerpt from Chris Hedges’ book, Death of the Liberal Class. I was so impressed with that excerpt that I bought a copy of the book and am reading it now. All I can say is that Chris Hedges is spot on. He nails it. I am going to post [...]

I’m posting this piece, not because I agree with the author’s prescription for change, but because it illustrates the frustration so widely spread these days. Organizing “radical acts of civil disobedience to disrupt our current political system” will bring about repression, not change. Lots of us voted for change in 2004, 2006, 2008, and last [...]

I came across this most excellent analytical piece while reading responses to a blog post. Note well: this article was written in May, 2003, seven-and-one-half years ago. Tell me, is this an eerily prescient article or not? Sheldon Wolin is the author and the article appeared in The Nation magazine on May 19, 2003: Inverted [...]

I’m on a temporary roll! I’ve posted pieces by Chris Hedges before, to cries of despair from some of my readers, who think that Mr. Hedges is too pessimistic and too dark. Perhaps he is, but we live in pessimistic and dark days and he is merely forcing us to look in the mirror, which [...]