Category: Culture
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The GOP And The Neo-Confederacy
The American Civil War is proof. It’s no good winning a war if you’re going to lose the peace that follows. While the North got the war’s “W” in real time, the Confederacy, in the long term, got the “W” that counts. Reconstruction should have begun to undo slavery’s myriad harms – to the slaves…
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Fade To White
What in the world do white people in America want? Oh, right – to be the only people in America whose opinion – or votes – matter. You know, like how it was when the country started. Back then, the only men (created) equal to rich, white, Christian men were other rich, white, Christian men.…
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Here’s Why Democracy Is Going To Win In America
I’ll own it. I’m hopelessly optimistic; about some things; and America is one of them. Our outlook seems bleak right now. Hell, our outlook is bleak. That’s because the forces opposed to American democracy have put all their cards on the table. We are living through their Hail Mary, last ditch chuck toward the end…
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“Things Both Sides Don’t Do #245,991 – Nikki Haley Edition”
Yesterday, Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley attended a town hall in New Hampshire. A citizen asked her a very simple question. “What was the cause of the United States Civil War?” Gosh, even as the Confederate states seceded, they rattled their sabres and said “we’re going to war over slavery!” They were quite proud of…
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“If You’re A Viper”: Harry Anslinger, Cannabis, Racism & Jazz
NOTE: This was originally written as part of “BLUNT TRUTHS”, an extended series about the history of cannabis prohibition I did for Weedmaps News. Across 13 installments and 25,000 words, I wrote about how one man – Harry Anslinger – invented America’s attitude toward cannabis. And that attitude sat squarely upon racism’s shoulders. “If You’re…
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Drowning In A Sea Of Schmucks
In Yiddish, according to Leo Rosten in his essential The Joys Of Yiddish, “schmuck” can mean three things: a penis, a fool or a son of a bitch. Looking around at the various problems pushing humanity to the precipice, I see plenty of penises, fools and SOBs. Plenty of schmucks. Hell, they’ve surrounded us as…
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Oh, To Be A Rich, White Sociopath!
Last night Elon Musk demonstrated (yet again) that not only is he a rich, white sociopath, he’s the poster boy for Rich, White Sociopaths! Elon The Rich, White Sociopath Even before he got to last night, Elon has consistently demonstrated a sociopath’s consistent disregard for right and wrong or the rights and feelings of others.…
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Is Winning An Election And CHEATING To Win Really The Same Thing?
Here in America, we’ve managed a remarkable piece of gymnastics. We’ve equated cheating to win election with not cheating to win election. Both are just “different ways to run”. In theory, democracy is a marketplace of ideas. The good ideas should, ultimately, succeed while the bad ones fail. The bad idea crowd (like the ones…
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Jews’ Refusal To Convert Is Antisemitism’s Root Cause
If you pore over history and histories searching for the root cause of antisemitism, you won’t find it. That’s a curious thing considering the answer’s so obvious. From their first entrance on the world stage, Jews have been outsiders to whatever cultures they lived beside. Take the Romans. They considered the Hebrews “outsiders”. What, from…