October 19, 2020
Trumpism Has Brought Democracy to Its Knees
In what we can only hope is its terminal phase, the Trump administration is doing everything it can to make a mockery of American democracy.
October 18, 2020
Will ‘Nones’ Bring a Progressive Future?
Someday, the coronavirus tragedy will be gone, wiped out by scientific vaccines. And Donald Trump will be just an unpleasant memory, an absurd reminder of what can happen when bigotry contaminates democracy.
October 15, 2020
Not Proud, Boys
On the eve of the presidential election, are men ready to stand up and yell fire in the national theater we call the United States? Let’s face it; all of us who recognize that manhood and masculinity are evolving must speak out about the intimidating alpha males who pose a grave threat to society, especially at this fraught moment when COVID-19 is ravaging the world…
October 14, 2020
Why women should not vote for Trump
Given his track record with women—dozens of allegations of sexual misconduct, horrible rhetoric about “grabbing them by the ^ussy” and more—it should not be a surprise that Donald Trump is no friend to female voters…
October 14, 2020
Columbus Day in Pretend America
Before the fake holiday known as Columbus Day completely disappears for another year, I want to grab hold of it for a moment and look at what it really has to offer us: a dizzying dose of historical realism.
October 13, 2020
A Voice and a Vote for the People of the World
It is now more evident than ever that the world lacks the structures necessary to successfully address the many global problems facing it…
October 13, 2020
Memories of Voter Suppression
Back in July 1962, when, according to Donald Trump, America was “great,” I was in the Deep South, working to register Black voters. It was a near-hopeless project, given the mass disenfranchisement of the region’s Black population that was enforced by Southern law and white terrorism…
October 12, 2020
The Menacing Threat of Hate and Political Violence
Matthew Shepard, just 21, was murdered in an anti-gay hate crime on October 7, 1998, taking five agonizing days to die of his wounds. Sadly, in 2020, the US has not learned the lessons underlying hatred and political violence.
October 12, 2020
Trust Science
Long ago, I concluded that no reliable evidence supports gods, devils, heavens, hells, miracles, prophecies and other supernatural stuff of religion. Those magic claims simply arise from the human imagination, I assume. Instead, I chose to trust the honest search of science to explain ultimate mysteries of existence.
October 11, 2020
Our Deranged President
Our Deranged President by Mel Gurtov 458 words In 2016 America’s electoral college gave Donald Trump the presidency. Within a few months we came to realize that this man has serious mental problems. Within a year, some psychologists concluded that Trump was a narcissist, among other afflictions. Now, nearly four years later—it has to be […]
October 9, 2020
What comes next is up to us
What if we stopped separating the looming national chaos into separate categories —racism, climate change, war, vote suppression, election theft, pandemic, science denial, white supremacy, police brutality, etc. — and tried looking at it all at once?
October 9, 2020
Ways to Advance Equal Justice in America
The struggle for equal justice for Blacks, under the banner of Black Lives Matter (BLM), has demonstrated widespread public awareness of and opposition to injustices. Yet, tragic unjust events recur.
Be Prepared for Violent Fascists and Political Violence
In the days following the first Presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden I observed two important lessons.
October 6, 2020
Why I don’t wish Trump well
I consider myself a caring person who does not like to see suffering in others. That includes human suffering but also extends to other sentient beings and creatures that may or may not experience pain as we understand it.
October 3, 2020
Trump Unmasked
“I just want to say that the end of the pandemic is in sight,” Donald Trump said Thursday night. A day later he was airlifted to Walter Reed Hospital, down with (reportedly) mild symptoms of COVID-19—so “mild” that he’s now going to stay “several” days instead of “a few” as initially reported.