Tim Kaine

The selection of Tim Kaine is actually a fairly honest reflection of where the Democratic establishment stands in terms of being progressive...they are not!! Readers of this space were alerted to this repeatedly for at least the past year.
Kaine is the safe choice...the person most acceptable to and consistent with the orthodoxy of the party's establishment. With his engaging personality, centrist positions, and an ability to speak fluent Spanish, he promises to be an effective speaker on the campaign trail and to  provide a kind of accessible antidote to his often distant and guarded running mate. That said, Hillary has also rather arrogantly assumed that the millions of citizens dedicated to the principles set forth in the Sanders campaign will now follow with servile (loved Cruz's use of this term the other night) obedience in line with the Clinton ranks. She continues to either ignore the reality of the changing political landscape before her or simply dismisses it as irrelevant to her immediate political aspirations. Allow me to suggest that she would be making a mistake to do so on both counts.

That Which Matters

Okay, let's try this again...all lives will never matter until black lives also matter. For those more mathematically inclined, allow me to put it this way: Black lives that matter is a sub-set of all lives that matter...the larger whole has no meaning without the presence of all its component parts.

Our Beloved Warriors and the 2015-16 Season

In the wake of our beloved Warriors' monumental collapse in the final three games of the championship series and the agonizing ensuing days of untold personal trauma as I struggled to accept the reality of this catastrophe, let's now emerge with a degree of clarity.
In spite of a disappointing final three games, Stephan Curry is still rightfully the league's MVP. A 30 point scoring average over an 82 game season where he played only an average of approximately 3/4 of a game, led his team to the winningest record in NBA history, set an all-time record for 3 point shots by making over 400 of them (breaking his own record by well over 100), and, in the process, almost single handedly transformed how the modern game is to be played in the coming days clearly distinguishes him as the league's best player. I won't attempt to excuse his lackluster performance in the final games because I know that he would never do so himself but it is also a fact that Curry played with significant knee, ankle, and elbow injuries throughout the post season. The fact that he was selected the league's MVP by the first unanimous vote in the history of the league speaks volumes for itself.
Make no mistake...Lebron James was simply magnificent down the stretch in all facets of the game (his clutch block of Andre Igudala's will live on in NBA lore for years to come). He was clearly the MVP of the Finals. A sober evaluation of the season as a whole, however, will reveal that the Warriors' and Curry's accomplishments in the 2015-16 season were truly historic. All hail!!

In Response to Orlando and Gun Violence

Of all the opinions being proffered in the days following the tragedy in Orlando and during the ensuing discussion on gun violence, the one that stands alone in terms of sheer myopia is the notion that the best solution to curbing gun violence is allowing more people to have guns. The 'logic' goes something like this: If more guns are available, then more people will be able to properly defend themselves in the event of a potential mass shooting. This line of 'reasoning' does not take into account the perennial danger posed by having an armed population roaming the streets under the influence of untold amounts of internal disorders and external additives 24/7. Let's put it another way: fire fighters arrive at the scene of a conflagration and immediately bring out the high pressured hoses to extinguish the blaze only to have the civilian 'chief' intervene by suggesting that the only way to confront the raging fire in front of them is to apply large qualities of gasoline to it! Ask any clear thinking police officer if he thinks that his job will be made easier by indiscriminately arming the general population with more weaponry! Call me a hopeless optimist but I have to think that we, with the proper application of our collective intelligence, can at least improve upon this particular thought  pattern.

A Tribute to Daniel Berrigan

It's time for a brief tribute to the great American peace activist, poet, and human rights advocate, Father Daniel Berrigan who died recently at the age of 94. Remembered by many as one of the Cantonville Nine who were prosecuted for the theft and eventual destruction of draft board files (using napalm as the igniting fluid) in protest of the Vietnam War, he also was a prolific writer, a lifelong organizer, and a relentless champion for those who were denied their basic human rights and dignity by repressive regimes throughout the world. His life can be properly viewed as an ongoing resistance to the forces of death and destruction while embodying the principles of peace, compassion, and reconciliation in word and in deed. He provided a living example of a mode of being dedicated to finding, and indeed implementing, an alternative to reactive violence in response to provocation and thereby modeled a revolutionary option in the of pursuit conflict resolution. Together with his brother, Phillip, who preceded him in death in 2002, Daniel Berrigan provided a beacon of hope to a world often lost in the fog of war, misplaced values, and confusion. Rest in peace, gentle soul.

Reflections on Macbeth

Just saw the Berkeley Repertory Theatre's production of Macbeth with the excellent Conleth Hill in the title role, long time Rep contributor, James Carpenter, as King Duncan, and the incomparable Frances McDormand as Lady Macbeth. Front row seats afforded an intimate connection with the actors as they drew us into this epic tale of blind ambition, supernatural machinations, murderous betrayal, the descent into madness, and the inevitable undoing of the protagonists.
Hill's performance rendered this Macbeth at once heroically tragic and eminently accessible to the audience. His encounter with the specter of the murdered Banquo in the banquet scene was as brilliant as was his final 'life, full of sound and fury; signifying nothing' soliloquy.
McDormand was mesmerizing throughout, beginning in the opening scene as one of the witches who casts the ominous spell from 'the seeds of time'. She then thoroughly enthralled as both the ambitious and manipulative spouse of her accursed partner as well as the tormented co-conspirator who sinks slowly into madness. She exquisitely rendered the sleep walking scene with delicate nuance and stunning believability. It was an honor to witness this artist in all her glory from such a close perspective.
Of course, the other player on the stage was Shakespeare himself as we were taken on a lyrical journey into another time and then, by the sheer power and beauty of the language, transported beyond the limits of time and space into a place where the artist somehow manages to unite us all in the embrace of our common humanity.

Sanders vs the Democratic Establishment

In response to Van Jones' dialogue with party operative, David Axelrod regarding Bernie Sanders' recent victory in the Indiana primary....Should we be surprised that the apologists for the status quo (Axelrod being a leader of this band) continue in their efforts to minimize and downplay the significance of the Sanders candidacy?! Instead of embracing the emerging movement of which Sanders is reflective, they regard it as a threat to their existence (with some justification) thereby identifying themselves as out of touch with the reality of a powerful alternative voice. They do so at their own peril because the movement is not going away. On the contrary, it will only continue to grow in the ensuing years...either within a traditional structure (looking less likely) or as a new independent party, ready and willing to include all like-minded people within its ranks.
CNN is fond of parading a cadre of Democratic elites and loyalists (Axelrod, Begala, Brazil, Borgia, et al) to defend and support (with varying degrees of nuance) the status quo. The collective critique of Sanders' candidacy often is reductive to a condescending lecture on the political impracticality of real progressive change. This is often effected with a metaphorical pat on the head and a not-so-gentle suggestion that the Sanders people take their proper place at the children's table. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party forges ahead (with the appointed Clinton at the helm) with their neoliberal domestic agenda and the continuation of a neoconservative foreign policy which includes the criminal use of drone warfare, extra-judicial assassination, mass surveillance of millions of innocent citizens, and an ongoing policy of regime change as the centerpieces of their vision for America's future. While Mr. Axelrod and Ms. Brazil might give eloquent lip service to the contrary, make no mistake as to where their loyalties lie and where their influence is likely to lead us.