Human Too

“If you are neutral in situations of injustice,” Bishop Desmond Tutu told us in 1984, the year I first manifested what might be called a political consciousness, “you have chosen the side of injustice.” Injustice, cruelty, oppression, and inequality refuse the position of neutrality; they will not recognize a central …

People of Every Land, How Can You Not Be Roused?

Today was the first day of the Democratic Socialists of America’s national convention.  It’s taking place in my own city of Chicago, and it’s the first convention since the DSA experienced unprecedented growth in the wake of the Bernie Sanders campaign and the election of Donald Trump.  In addition, it’s …

A People Disjointed Are Always Disappointed

Okay, thanks, Kerry — that’ll wrap up the checkins from the Calligraphy for Stalinists working group. Good job, everybody, and we’re all really looking forward to the “Merry Christmas from the Gulag” cards this year. Now, if there’s no other new business…yeah, Carl?  Well, that’s really old business, Carl, and …

Is It Any Wonder?

I wanted to like Wonder Woman.  I really, really did. I’ve always enjoyed the character, for any number of reasons:  the intriguing backstory of her creator and his motivations; her origin story, steeped in some of the stranger aspects of Greek mythology; her debut during the early days of America’s involvement …

Hey Ladies

Today’s question:  how good can a show about wrestling be if the wresting in the show isn’t very good? The answer, at least if the show under discussion is Netflix’s new series GLOW, is…well, pretty good, actually!  Maybe that’s because of the show’s many other strengths, or maybe it’s because of …

Superdelegates

In these exciting times when the only thing Americans love more than billion-dollar superhero movie franchises is petty intra-party political sniping, I thought it might be time to return to a favorite obsession of mind:  the ideological leanings of various comic book characters.  This has been explored in-universe a bit …

Concession Stand

Ladies and gentlemen, my constituents, citizens of my lovely home town of Fleenerville, voters, and Platinum V.I.P. Brunch Club Super-Tee level donors; my beloved wife Plovis, and my two wonderful sons Coho and Spelt, who flew in to support me tonight right after their Offal Studies final at Klumner State …