When I begin to despair or feel overwhelmed by national news, one of the most helpful responses I know is to turn my focus back to my local community and local politics—not just because local events have a more immediate impact on me, but also because I can have a more immediate impact on local […]
Overwhelmed by national news? Try independent local news. Read More »
The trouble with talking about getting “back to normal” is that time doesn’t run backwards. It runs forwards. We can no more return to a pre-Covid world than we can return to typewriters or gas lamps or steam trains or diplomacy without the threat of nuclear weapons. The fact that Covid is likely to be
There is no “back to normal.” There’s only forward to whatever comes next. Read More »
President Biden. Vice President Harris. And all Americans. These words remain the work of all of us: “I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully and to the best of my ability, preserve, p/rotect and defend the Constitution of the United States.“
No contritionOr regret. The mob?Stormed lives?Totally appropriate. Sidestepped questions?Deadly riot?Totally appropriate. Defiance.Assault.Violence. Ransacking.Anger.Violence. His mob.His anger. He should leave.Leave everyone alone. Found poetry from “In first public appearance since the Capitol siege, Trump expresses no contrition for inciting the mob,” The New York Times, January 12, 2020
No Contrition (a found poem) Read More »
One of the things I’ve learned, as I’ve become more politically engaged the past four years, is just how important local elected officials are. It’s primary time here in Arizona, so I thought I’d talk about why a few of the most-overlooked, county-level offices on the ballot matter in all communities, as well as giving
Why downballot candidates matter Read More »
Because as powerful as the “I Have a Dream” speech is, many of Martin Luther King, Jr’s other words were powerful, too. “A true revolution of values will lay hand on the world order and say of war, ‘This way of settling differences is not just.’ This business of burning human beings with napalm, of
Some less frequently quoted words from Reverend King Read More »
Split Borders Parents are property, Children an immediate danger. Mean, this humanitarian crisis. The democratic republic Separating parents from children— Families fractured by policy. Unconstitutional, Cruel, Unlawful, A violation Of due process and Equal protection. Vexing. The administration appeared Unprepared for the fallout “The child has rights,” a spokesman conceded. “This is a complex situation.”
Split Borders (a found poem) Read More »
Unprecedented A choreographed Freewheeling wager. Flattery, Cajolery, And a slickly produced video. A bulletproof confrontation. Diplomatic language, Recycled statements, Verifiable missiles. Sleep well tonight! A showdown with diplomacy: Three hours of meetings Plus a lunch of prawns and crispy pork. Provocative vague details, A thumping soundtrack Of benevolent peacemakers: An inspirational view. Aides fidgeted. Reality
Unprecedented (a found poem) Read More »
War Crimes Honored The camp, Holding 32,000 Union soldiers— The fifth largest city in the Confederacy— Was dire. The prisoners, Never issued clothing, Wore their uniforms until the pieces fell off, Lived in holes they dug in the ground. One reportedly used a pocket knife To amputate his own gangrenous feet. The death toll reached
War Crimes Honored: A found poem Read More »
Asylum In a bare compound off a dirt road: Bureaucrats Borders Migrants. They want to escape: Dust Joblessness Poverty Persecution. If the answer is yes, They are spared the risky journey Through the desert And on the deadly boats. “We’re here to stop people from dying,“ Said the deputy, But few are actually approved. The
Asylum: A found poem Read More »