I. Boyhood Violence ome of my earliest memories involve shoving, hitting, being hit by, being choked by, scratching, biting, kicking, being kicked by, and being held to the ground by other boys. Though siblingless, I grew up next door to two best friends who were like older brothers, both larger than me. Being the runt, I resorted to aggressive overreactions of physical … [Read more...]
Crime of the 21st Century
Perpetrators of Apocalypse, or, The Seven Circles of Hell
ime to have a talk / it will not be fun / buckle up. Feel free to skip to the end at any point for pleasant pictures of adorable animals. You and I are witnessing the twenty-first century’s great crime: a global holocaust whose first victims have already perished. And I mean holocaust, from Greek holókaustos, translated as “whole” and “burnt” – the whole enormity of life … [Read more...]
iii. Fall of the Oil Oligarchy
We will only topple American oligarchy if we overthrow the reign of oil
rogress is not inevitable. Democracy is not preordained. Throughout our history, organized labor, active citizens, journalists, academics, and political and cultural leaders have made progress in pushing back oligarchic rule. Although elites have at times reclaimed ground, as in the past forty years, many of the foundational policies of the New Deal and Progressive eras remain … [Read more...]
ii. American Oligarchy, Then
his isn't our first rodeo. The United States has suffered oligarchy before. There have been two periods of oligarchic domination prior to this current episode. The country has endured regional oligarchic conditions of course: some southern and mid-Atlantic founding colonies were home to a landed, slave-owning aristocracy. Old money dynasties have dominated … [Read more...]
i. American Oligarchy, Now
To defeat it, we must name the enemy, and its name is oligarchy
he United States is an oligarchy. We all know it. We stretch our vocabularies to avoid calling it that. Such verbal contortions abound: it’s the special interests influencing Washington. Progressives: it’s the billionaires! Nativists: it’s the Davos class! Left and right (together): globalization! The Establishment! Everybody grumbles about “money in politics,” even those … [Read more...]