Tag Archives: politics
A Belated Review Of Anita Hill’s Autobiography
So, finally, after owning it since I think 1999 (Myopic $8.99) and even putting it out in the 2-hour garage sale — it had been a decade and still it languished unread! — I went and fished Anita Hill’s Speaking Truth To Power out of the box in the garage and WHAT A PAGE TURNER.
Occupy The Rust Belt: Notes From The Pittsburgh Protest
On October 15, I marched with Occupy Pittsburgh, the city’s first action in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street. I watched excitedly as the crowd grew throughout the day, building from a modest gathering when my partner and I arrived at Freedom Corner at 10:00 a.m., to a rally in the low thousands by the time the march reached Market Square at 1:00 p.m.
Mitt Romney’s American Wasteland Tour
In Mitt Romney’s estimation, the best way he can play to his strengths is to ONLY talk about the economy and how LOTS of shit’s gone real bad on Obama’s watch. And really, why not. Since politics is about winning elections and has nothing to do with solving problems, Romney’s just following the rules, right?
Anyhow, Elspeth Reeve over…
Hippies Fight Back During People’s Park Uprising
Also called “Bloody Thursday,” the People’s Park Uprising was, at its core, a battle over citizens’ appropriation of unused land at the University of California, Berkley. But when Governor Reagan delegated crowd control duties to his chief of staff, Edwin Meese III, violence escalated.
Peaceful Robots Armed To The Teeth
On Friday, during a visit to Carnegie Mellon’s National Robotics Engineering Center (NREC), President Obama said: “One of my responsibilities as Commander in Chief is to keep an eye on robots. And I’m pleased to report that the robots you manufacture here seem peaceful. At least for now.” A key adviser then whispered in the president’s ear, reminding him…
Anti-Censorship Campaign Gets Down And Dirty
To make a point, the new anti-censorship ad campaign for Reporters Without Borders purposefully blurs the line between decency and reality: Vladimir Putin sleeps on the job engages in thoughtful self-examination; President Obama gives a reassuring pat on the arm to smiles while groping Hillary Clinton; and David Cameron calls on a reporter signals his explicit discontent.
When Political Attack Ads Intentionally Stoke Controversy
Earlier this week conservative political group Turn Right USA was hoping that a video featuring rappers, AK-47s, and stripper poles could tilt California’s special congressional election in favor of the Republicans next month. In the video — titled “Give us your cash, B–ch!” — and its accompanying website, the group claimed that Democratic candidate Janice Hahn increased gang violence in…
Donald Trump’s American Dream Machine
Donald Trump is a person. Like some people in America, he is famous: First for his success as a real estate developer, then for his Milton Bradley board game “Trump,” and more recently for his NBC television program “The Apprentice.” A little while ago, he said he was interested in running for president. This interest, as sometimes is the case,…
The Omega Suites: An Inside Look at Execution Chambers
Pictured above is an electric chair at Greensville Correctional Facility in Jarratt, Virginia, photographed by Lucinda Devlin in the early 1990s. According to Forward Thinking Museum, “Devlin belongs to that generation of American photographers who pioneered the fine art of color photography. Her work is noted for the attention given to composition, the balance between delicate light and intense color,…
Rumsfeld 88: The Future That Never Was
Last night’s Daily Show interview with Donald Rumsfeld fascinated me. He was there to shill his new book “Known and Unknown,” an 815-page memoir that chronicles his career in government. And he did so like a master salesman, of course making sure to plug his website — Rumsfeld.com (which makes all the source documents for the memoir available for…
Fashion Illustrator Humor Chic Tackles Politics
It’s uncertain what exactly Italian fashion illustrator AleXsandro Palombo (aka Humor Chic) is going for with his latest round of illustrations. Best known for skewering the fashion industry with his work (i.e., I Love Anorexia), Palombo has gone decidedly political here. He’s cast Anne Frank as a super heroine, armed and sexy; and dressed Hitler in Louis Vuitton. Perhaps the…
Five Years Late: George W. Bush Cares About Kanye West
Next Monday, Matt Lauer’s interview with George W. Bush will air on NBC. Bush is on the circuit to hustle his new memoir, “Decision Points.” Yesterday, in advance of the televised interview, excerpts of the transcript were made available to the press. The transcripts are fairly boring, but there is a bright spot. It turns out Bush isn’t all that…
The United States of Basil Marceaux Dot Com
In an age where political upstarts use every tool available to gain exposure, Basil Marceaux is decidedly lo-fi — despite the Web 1.0 “Dot Com” in his name. As one of the Republican candidates for governor in Tennessee’s upcoming mid-term elections, Mr. Marceaux is a curious case. In a recent televised address aired on WSMV-TV, it’s hard to tell…
Blowing Off The Commonwealth
Last night I should have left the house to cast my vote in the Pennsylvania primary. However, I decided against it. Not sure if it was my lingering depression that kept me from the polls, the endless rain, or a total lack of faith/interest in government. Either way, I said fuck it. Instead, I spent the evening with my…
The Presidential Pardons of George W. Bush
With less than two months left in office, the exit of George W. Bush brings to mind the topic of presidential pardons. History has shown that outgoing presidents use their waning days in office to…
