Category Archives: Politics

Anything that involves power relationships between people and groups.

Reclaiming “Redneck” From History

Blogging again after a busy year off. :) The term redneck is usually an insult these days, used by urban, hip, coastal people who went to college for at least four years, vote for Democrats, and work at high-paying high-status … Continue reading

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The Oroville Dam, California, and the US

As of Thursday night, Lake Oroville stands at 32 ft (9 M) below the emergency spillway intake. The California Department of Water & Power (DWP) has managed to do this despite additional rain/snow in the last 24 hours because the … Continue reading

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It’s Time to Quit Taking the Bait

Donald Trump’s first ten days in office have made it clear that he plans to govern as he has run his businesses and show: create chaos and let the “winners” claw their way to the top. It was probably unrealistic … Continue reading

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A LOONNNNGGG Six Months

It’s been a very long last six months. The US election was a disheartening drag for reasons I won’t bother to repeat. Health issues raised their ugly heads. I’m diabetic, which complicates any health issue. Four days after the election, … Continue reading

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Rethinking Racism in America

This month The Atlantic published an article titled “The Racist History of Portland, the Whitest City in America”. I react badly to race-baiting, and the title of this article sounded like race baiting to me. However, I went to college … Continue reading

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Not a Normal Presidential Election

This presidential election year has shaped up to be something I never anticipated. A candidate I both distrust and disagree with on fundamental issues is running against a demagogue who is utterly unqualified by education, temperament or character to be … Continue reading

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The Woman I Wish I Could Vote For

In the past few months, as a flood of desperate people have escaped Syria and other intolerable places and flooded into Europe, I’ve watched German Chancellor Angela Merkel rise above a massive flood of panic and xenophobia that is sweeping … Continue reading

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On “Cultural Appropriation”: Sanity at Last!

As an undergraduate in the early 1980s, I studied German and Russian literature in college. Over my adult lifetime, however, I’ve felt increasingly out of place in the humanities. I’m not leftist. I don’t think capitalism is a bad word, … Continue reading

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Profiles in Courage: Military Officers Who Opposed Torture After 9/11

The American Civil Liberties Union has posted a web page that tells the stories of a number of military officers and CIA employees who objected to the US use of waterboarding and other forms of torture after 9/11. I just … Continue reading

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The Senate Report on CIA Torture of 9/11 Terrorism Suspects

There’s very little in the redacted executive summary of the Senate’s report on CIA “enhanced interrogation techniques” that is news to me, or most people who have been following this story for the past decade. I’ve been rather quiet because, … Continue reading

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