Category: Politics
-
12. The Right Side of History?
In just three months, the harm wrought by the Trump administration has already surpassed the most pessimistic forecasts before his re-election. Never in living memory have the worst American tendencies been so unrestrained. Amid the shock and awe of the Project 2025 juggernaut–– never has the political opposition been so feeble. Never has American media,…
-
11. Acknowledging a Shared Humanity
A recent CNN interview did not pry any answers from the architect of Trump’s draconian deportation plan–– but it did reveal his character. Throughout the interview, Stephen Miller dodged questions, talked over the host and smirked. In response to Jake Tapper’s repeated queries about the impact of mass deportation on US agriculture––Miller claimed that the…
-
8. Take #1 on the New Reality
From the mid-morning of November 6th 2024, I was on a long-distance bus on the Yucatan peninsula travelling between Campeche and Palenque, in eastern Chiapas. Even though I had purchased 5 Gs of cellular data for emergency use, I promised myself a news blackout through the day. In fact, I had timed my Mexican getaway…
-
7. Blackness Ten Times Black?
In the growing ominousness of the upcoming US election, I can’t resist checking the polls at least twice a day. While Trump’s abominations have smashed through every threshold of decency, the loyalty of his supporters has grown fiercer. Still, polls suggests that Trump and Harris are in a statistical dead heat. I seize upon every…
-
Q. Notes on Exodus and Exile (con’d)
I recall once hearing the theme from ‘Exodus’ in a dream from which I awoke in sobs. The version I had heard could have been either of the two that were popular in 1961. Most stirring was the instrumental–– with the dual pianos of Ferrante &Teicher. It was stunning in stereo. The other was a…
-
Q. Notes on Exodus and Exile (intro.)
Introduction: In April 2022, on the final day of a guided tour of Jordan, my wife and I looked down over the Jordan Valley from Mount Nebo. In the bible, the area was referred to as the land of Moab. The 800-metre hill, just a few kilometers east of the present Israeli border, was believed…
Coprolites in Amber (etc.) 