Echoes of Dylan in the Wake of Scott Colom’s Historic Win in Mississippi

As evidenced by yesterday’s announcement of Scott Colom’s historic victory in Mississippi, the modern day pawns so slavishly devoted to Trump and white nationalism are increasingly being outnumbered by a new generation of political activists and regular citizens dedicated to carrying on the work of Medgar Evers as the slow arc of history relentlessly moves toward justice for all. The echo of Bob Dylan’s Only a Pawn in Their Game wherein he describes the apartheid state of 1963 Mississippi , eulogizes a fallen civil rights leader, and implicitly calls for action against the evil of Jim Crow ideology has resonated loudly for decades and embodies the spirit of the struggle against hundreds of years of oppressive racism.

A Musical Celebration

 I had the distinct pleasure to attend the Your Stray Dog concert on Saturday at the Kilowatt in the city’s mission district. Lead singer/guitarist/songwriter Michael Orlinsky Is pictured here flanked by Allison on keyboard/vocals/flute and Nike on bass with Carmelo on electric guitar and Jeff on the drums, prominent albeit slightly in the background. The synergy between Michael and Allison was particularly evident as they harmonized beautifully while taking turns finishing each other’s musical sentences! The band features a unique blend of indie rock and classical influences while producing original compositions with an occasional cover that kept the room rocking all afternoon. Although most songs were Michael originals, the performance also included tunes by Allison and Carmelo as the beat was faithfully maintained by Nika and Jeff throughout the set. Perhaps the singular characteristic of this group is their dedication to a collective musical vision as evidenced by a tight, mutually expressed and joyously celebrated sound…a classic example of the whole being greater than merely the sum of its parts! Saturday’s performance also was, in part, an inspired preview of YSD’s second album, scheduled to be recorded early next year in LA.

Proper Use of Political Power

 Given the mandate provided by the midterm election, a central challenge for the Democratic Party going forward will be to embrace their progressive base as an active part of a governing coalition; rather than just an electoral one.

The Change Close at Hand

 The DNC chairman, Ken Martin, recently suggested that the anticipated congressional power shift in the wake of today’s election will be led by Hakeem Jefferies and Chuck Schumer without including any notable progressive representatives. Excluding Bernie Sanders, Ro Khanna, AOC, Elizabeth Warren, Ilhan Omar, and Pramila Jayapal (just to name a few) in the discussion points to a persistent misconception within the core of current Democratic leadership that any success achieved is at once a vindication and affirmation of centrist ideological policies rather than an indication of the underlying and ever-expanding influence of its progressive base. 

The defeat and utter repudiation of the lawlessness of the Trump regime will be fueled by a broad coalition only partially comprised of party regulars. The champions of authentic political change so desperately needed at this time in our history will likely be led by the same progressive voices too long placated and/or ignored by the Democratic establishment. Authoritarian control must be countered by courageous action and policies on behalf of a people no longer content to be ruled by a heavy hand.

Let’s be clear…the fascist movement in America did not begin with Trump and will not end with his defeat. JD Vance and the corporate overlords/oligarchs that enable him have been standing in the wings anticipating their turn to assume the vanguard of this pernicious influence. Genuine Democratic opposition must actively assert its soon-to-be electoral mandate to begin a serious and full-throated resistance to the rising tide of authoritarianism that Trump, only in part, embodies.

The Time is Now for Authentic Change

As the crucial mid-term election looms in our immediate future, a prevailing reality continues to permeate the political landscape: the current authoritarian regime in Washington has become increasingly detached from the everyday concerns of the American public. This fact has rendered the Republican Party historically unpopular. Sadly, it is also true that the Democratic Party is seen as only marginally more favorable in the eyes of the electorate. This disaffection (particularly present among progressives and their younger counterparts) has been fueled by the Party establishment’s reluctance, to fully embrace and adopt (save an occasional placating rhetorical nod)) the widely popular progressive policies famously and consistently articulated by Bernie Sanders during his two presidential candidacies. The inevitable frustration has now reached critical levels of dissatisfaction, especially among a less patient younger group of progressives who are now demanding real, substantive change in the wake of the unparalleled corruption and lawlessness of recent Trump administrations. 

Clearly, this call for significant, authentic, and transformative recalibration of our political life does not exit in a vacuum. It’s  antecedents can be traced to Clinton’s embrace/extension of Reagan’s neo-liberal domestic policy and his neo-conservative/imperialist foreign agenda, which  was dutifully continued through the Democratic administrations of both Obama and Biden. This thread has been fully adopted and advanced by a Democratic Party establishment in spite of significant (and popular) opposition, first by Sanders and now by a growing number of progressive voices ready to facilitate the necessary transformation of FDR’s political party into one dedicated to the values of economic freedom, restoration of a viable middle class, the existence of genuine democratic institutions embodying an actual bottom up model of operation, and the enactment of programs and policies that address real human needs instead the rapacious hunger of runaway capital.

These, of course, are big picture and achievable objectives. In the short term, the success of this transformation will depend on the Democratic Establishment’s  renunciation of corporate underwriting, a full-throated adoption of a grassroots/people-oriented/publicly financed system of  democratic governance, and the realization that its future viability will depend on a commitment to a lasting coalition with the progressive forces already abundantly present in their midst and perfectly poised to create a serious and formidable counter movement in opposition to the current Republican vision of corporate fascism. 

We can take an important step in that direction by wresting control of Congress in November with our eyes fixed on much more significantly impactful outcomes awaiting us in the near future. Indeed, together and united we will not be divided. Let us now stand together in solidarity as we pursue the vision and implementation of a true democracy. 

Calling All Despots

 Memo to Trump and all would-be dictators:  In any nation aspiring to be free, the function of the press is not to be ‘friendly’ to the existing order; but rather to scrutinize and critique it.

MSM’s Misplaced Emphasis

In the wake of Bo French’s racist post regarding East Asian students at U of Texas, and the resulting endorsement of his opponent for the office of Texas Railroad Commissioner (Jon Rosenthal) by long-time Republican strategist Karl Rove, allow me to reflect briefly on this occurrence. Despite MS Now’s lavish attention to Rove’s announcement, we suggest that the popular mainstream news outlet might have been better served if it also pointed out that Rove also conspicuously failed to endorse James Talarico whose opponent in the Senate race in Texas (Ken Paxton) has openly supported French in the past and currently refuses to disassociated himself from French’s racist post. Highlighting Rove’s decision in the Railroad Commissioner’s race is one thing, failure to acknowledge his lack support for Talarico in the more visible and important contest for the Senate is quite another. Sadly, Ms Now missed an opportunity to expose Rove’s selectively safe political choice. 

Trump’s Taint in the World Cup

In aftermath of USA’s recent exit from the World Cup, I actually feel bad for Balogun as well as for the entire team because Trump’s arbitrary interference in a process that had already been adjudicated. It put an inordinate/unnecessary amount of pressure/focus on an  individual player and his team. The post match celebration of the Belgium team and the uncharacteristic poor performance by the USA speaks volumes about Trump’s ability to negatively influence just about everything thing he touches.

 

A Birthday Obscenity

As we prepare for the garish spectacle of cage fighting on the front lawn of the White House in a shameful commemoration of our nation’s 250th birthday, we might also observe a latter day Caligula gorging himself on a feast of self aggrandizement while the circus unfolds. 

Clarity Amid Deliberate Governmental Misstatements

Memo to the Press Secretary Caroline Levitt: Trump’s speech to the Jan 6 insurrectionists is an example of incitement to violence; not the constitutionally protected expression of ideas in opposition to governmental policies and actions by journalists, lawmakers, and ordinary citizens. To suggest otherwise is to either seriously misunderstand the concept of free speech in a democratic society or, more likely, to deliberately distort and manipulate the facts in service to mendacity, deception, and the pursuit of perpetual obfuscation. Dissent is not a crime; it is eminently patriotic! 

An Unserious Head of State

 Trump’s recent characterization of the attack on Iran as an ‘excursion’ underscores the cavalier and reckless attitude this administration has taken regarding a decision with clear dire and deadly consequences. War is not a game!

Identity Revealed

In the immediate wake of the US bombing of Iran, Hegseth gleefully announced that ‘death and destruction’ would reign supreme over its people. Make no mistake: these are the words of an international war criminal; not a responsible leader. 

The Poet’s Response to the Recent Attack on Iran

Dylan’s composite poetic memo to Trump, Netanyahu, Putin, et al in the wake of another illegal military action against a sovereign nation with whom their respective countries are not at war:

‘Come you masters of war….That never done nothin’ But build to destroy You play with my world Like  it was your little toy…..But I see through your eyes And I see through your brain Like I see through the water That runs down my drain…..You’ve thrown the worst fear That can ever be hurled Afraid to bring children Into the world For threatening my baby Unborn and unnamed You ain’t worth the blood That runs in your veins’

And in a later verse: ‘….who gonna to take away his license to kill?’ 

An Orwellian Nightmare Come to Life

 As if it emerged from a grotesque Orwellian fever dream, Trump’s Board of Peace has gathered representatives from some of the most brutal authoritarian regimes around the world. To think that an equitable or peaceful future for Gaza and/or the Palestinian people writ large could be achieved by the current occupant of the White House and his fellow morally challenged allies from the likes of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan, Israel, Turkey, Hungary, Indonesia, or Belarus is to stretch the limits of credibility. This is especially underscored by the fact that no traditional western ally has been included in, or agreed to be a party to, this group save the presence of Sigrid Kaag from the Netherlands. 

Consideration of Trump as a leading advocate for peace is especially ironic in the wake of recent instances of the wonton murder of sailors in the Caribbean, the illegal US invasion of the sovereign country of Venezuela, the unjustified murder of American citizens by ICE agents inside the our own boarders, and the massive assemblage of US warships in the waters just outside Iran, which is another sovereign nation with whom we are not at war that now finds itself directly in the crosshairs of the American military. These are violations of domestic and international law; crimes for which the perpetrator should and must be held accountable. Instead, he seeks to be recognized as a man of peace and reconciliation on the world stage. Somewhere, Orwell is lowering his head after observing the current enactment of his dark vision.

A Call for Responsible Policing

In the aftermath of the ruinous Trump regime, the restoration of the rule of law must feature an emphasis on conscientious, compassionate, and professional law enforcement in contrast to the blatant thuggery so shamefully put on display recently by ICE agents throughout our country. Their actions are an insult to the thousands of dedicated law enforcement officers who continue to act in the public interest by honorably providing essential police services on behalf of the people to whom they must be accountable. In the just, post-fascist society that we rightly deserve, these guardians of civil order, in contrast to the murderous actions of Trump’s Brown Shirts, must be faithful to their constitutional mandate to serve, protect, and be answerable to their fellow citizen-employers. 

A Simple Question of Accountability

 A lingering question for the  DOJ: why are not the persons responsible for the murders of Renee Good,  Alex Pretti, and the 150 boat operators slaughtered on the high seas either currently in custody or actively being prosecuted?

In Defense of Democracy Against Its Existential Threat

In a democratic environment, an opponent with whom one might disagree is your adversary; not your enemy. In the current authoritarian climate, we are being told to regard our fellow citizen as a mortal threat. In Trump’s fever-dreamed version of fascistic fatalism, this notion is applied more broadly to designate certain sovereign states as enemy territories subject to invasion by a federalized militia acting on behalf of a single leader’s delusional conception of the national political landscape. This is done at the expense of otherwise free-thinking citizens suddenly caught in the crosshairs of a militarized and thoroughly unaccountable governmental force. These are the ingredients for nationwide civil unrest as Americans are turned against each other by the sinister manipulations of a regime dedicated to the maintenance and expansion of a perennial autocracy acting on behalf of narrow corporate interests while democratic values and institutions are summarily discarded into the dustbin of history. We cannot allow this dark vision of our future to prevail! Now is the moment to stand tall against these destructive elements and reassert our full faith, confidence, and collective will in the pursuit of freedom over oppression. Rise, resist, and reclaim our national identity as an open, inclusive, tolerant, multicultural, just, and forwardly directional people. 

A Distinction Without a Difference

 Replacing Greg Bovino with Tom Holman is analogous to removing Hermann Goring in favor of Heinrich Himmler.

Of and By the People

 Let’s take a moment to celebrate the courageous spirit of the citizens of Minneapolis as they respond to the murderous tactics of Trump’s SS with steadfast expressions of determined collective resistance.

A Call to Action

When a country no longer recognizes the legitimacy of domestic or international law, enacts lethal violence upon its citizens with impunity, kidnaps, jails and detains individuals without the benefit of due process, and otherwise devalues human life altogether it forfeits its claim as a functioning democracy. 

We are witnessing the dissolution of our civil society and rapidly replacing it with a repressive authoritarian government led by a madmen and enabled by his cadre of spineless enablers. It is our patriotic duty/mandate to vigorously resist this regime by whatever means available. Rise up and defy!! 

The Face of Authoritarian Rule

Various studies on the those abducted and imprisoned by ICE operatives have determined that between 87 and 92 percent have no criminal record whatsoever. So much for the contention of targeting only dangerous criminals. As this lie is exposed, their real intent is clear: produce fear and intimidation among the population through the use of unchecked violent force. 

The Terrorists Among Us

 I agree that we are in the midst of a full scale attack from a large contingent of domestic terrorists. And they are very identifiable: the ones wearing masks and riot gear while wielding and using firearms against the citizens of America.

Totalitarian Violence

 Whether on the high seas of the Caribbean or on the streets of Minneapolis, the Trump Administration is enacting an open policy of murder in the furtherance of its agenda. As a consequence, it is attempting to normalize lethal force as an acceptable means to achieve its objectives. Make no mistake, we are now living in a lawless authoritarian state requiring vigilant and persistent resistance.

First Reaction to ICE Atrocity in Minneapolis

Immediately suspend all ICE operations until the killing in Minneapolis is properly investigated and adjudicated! 

Expanded Accountability

Over the past week, the lawless Trump regime has managed to proliferate the instances of international criminality that have been on full display through the grotesque extrajudicial executions of seafarers in the Caribbean. The latest addition to its reign of terror in Latin America was the illegal incursion into a sovereign country that posed no imminent threat to the US and the summary abduction of Venezuela’s president and his wife. Their removal was accompanied by declared intentions of usurping governmental countrol of a foreign nation while also seizing its oil reserves, both of which constitute clear contraventions of long-standing international law and commonly practiced norms. 

 To be clear, the US practice of enacting regime change and/or illegal foreign interventions has a long and sordid history. Just to name a few examples under past administrations representing both major political establishments: 1)the CIA’s orchestrated overthrow of the democratically elected Prime Minister of the Republic of Iran (Mohammad Mosaddegh) and the insertion of the Shah in 1953, admittedly to protect western oil interests from perceived threat 2)the US sponsored coup etat in Guatemala the following year resulting in the outster of its democratically elected president….both actions taken during the Eisenhower years. 3)the 1961 US backed invasion of Cuba (during the Kennedy administration) by paramilitary units of Cuban exiles in a failed attempt to overthrow the Castro regime, an operation known as the Bay of Pigs. 4) military escalation of the Viet Nam War based upon the lie that US naval vessels were subject to unprovoked attacks in the Gulf of Tonkin during the Johnson/McNamara regime, an action resulting in the subsequent death of tens of thousands Americans as well as Vietnamese casualties numbering well over a million. 5)the CIA enabling of democratically elected Chilean President Salvador Allende’s assassination and the subsequent installation of the brutal fascist dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, under the auspices of the Nixon/Kissinger regime. 6)the invasion of Iraq (a country with whom we were not at war) based upon the pretext/falsehood of its possession of weapons of mass destruction, orchestrated and manufactured by the Bush/Chaney cabal resulting in the deaths of thousands of Americans and millions of Iraqi civilians. 7)the active complicity by the Obama/Clinton regime in the 2009 overthrow of the democratically elected Honduran President Zelaya, resulting in the installation of yet another authoritarian ruler and 8)the same administration’s relentless and largely covert campaign of drone warfare in the continuation of the so-called ‘war on terror’, especially in Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen without a declaration of war by Congress as prescribed by law.

 While the above instances of American regime change and applications of imperial ambition were largely carried out covertly, perhaps the Trumpian iteration of this time-honored practice is differentiated by its overtly brazen, open, and ostentatious display of entitlement in the violation of international law and the blatant assault on the concept of world order. It is imperative that he and his current accomplices be made accountable for their misdeeds while we also remain conscious of our past behavior as a nation as a necessary precursor to changing the paradigm/arc of history toward a more just world. In so doing, we might then send an authentic message to the likes of Trump, Putin, Xi JinPing, and all others with nefarious imperial designs: the day of the international bully is fading and that the principles of national sovereignty, universal human rights, the rule of law, and an embrace of our common humanity are now to be the celebrated hallmarks of a new civilized world.