The Democratic National Convention was a carnival of inclusion: black, white, gay, straight, Christians, Jews, Muslims, cis-gendered and transgendered—all joined in proclaiming that “nothing can be wrong if it keeps our country strong” (with the implied corollary that the U.S. is “our” country). Its high point was Khizr Khan’s speech about his son, Humayun, who […]
Thoughts on Dallas and Baton Rouge
By James Murray The American liberal-left have almost universally condemned the recent martyrdom operations (I don’t know what else to call them) that occurred in Dallas and Baton Rouge. Such actions set back ‘the movement,’ we have been told. They occurred outside any mass base and without orders from any central committee, and are therefore […]
“Subgroups”: A dangerous premise
The most dangerous aspect of Rep. Steven King’s claim that Europeans have contributed more of value to world civilization than other “subgroups” is his view that “subgroups” exist over extended periods. Even among those denouncing him, few question his faulty premise. Cultures are not products of separate regions sealed off from one another. The Upper […]
Smash up the Mess!
Now that Sanders has capitulated (as many predicted he would), we are going to see new and interesting lines drawn. Perhaps the time has come to bring back Voltaire’s slogan, “Ecrasez l’infame!” (Smash up the Mess!)
How many?
How many of those condemning the shooting of the police in Dallas and equating Micah Johnson with the cops in Baton Rouge, St. Paul and elsewhere who routinely kill people for being black mean what they say, and how many are just saying it because they think they are supposed to? (I am referring to […]
Some Bullshit
In late December, 2014 the New York Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association coordinated a work slowdown that effectively brought street-level policing to a halt in New York City.For the previous month, diffuse direct actions that would come to be called “Black Lives Matter” had proliferated like the mythical “many-headed hydra”: no sooner had the police pushed an […]