Censorship
TENNESSEE’S SPRING LEGISLATIVE session featured a barrage of draconian bills—almost all of which passed. In the words of Democratic State Representative Gloria Johnson, “We have a ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill worse than Florida’s” and “a vigilante abortion bill worse than Texas’. A bill that makes your friends and family $10k if they rat you out.” Add to that
Far Right
From NPR Book banning is not new — in the U.S. alone the practice goes back to Puritan times, when Thomas Morton’s book New English Caanan and others opposing this way of life were tossed from Massachusetts. But the American Library Association said Monday that this year there have been more challenges to books than they have seen since
Democracy
The real – and far scarier – reason Republicans think Biden is illegitimate. Many conservatives don’t think the 2020 election was stolen. But they believe democracy itself has betrayed America, by allowing the ‘wrong’ people to take charge. From The Guardian Earlier this month, Team Trump claimed in court that their efforts to nullify Joe Biden’s victory
Fascism
An interesting read for it’s insight into Bannon and the like. Most have probably never heard of Aleksandr Dugin or the global Traditionalist tendency to which he belongs. But the Russian thinker — and his analogues in Brazil, America, and beyond — have appeared to exercise real influence on the global right from a position
Capitalism
A treacherous alliance is growing that will undermine democratic institutions in the US and elsewhere. The United States presents itself as the beacon of democracy in contrast to the autocracies of China and Russia. Yet American democracy is in danger of succumbing to the same sort of oligarchic economics and racist nationalism that thrive in
Democracy
Don’t expect a dramatic fascist storming of the Capitol building or a military takeover when our crisis comes to a head. Americans are not exactly known for nuance. Maybe it shouldn’t surprise us then that the rightwing protests that turned into a riot at the US Capitol building on 6 January 2021 were immediately described