Just now at the age of 76, for the first time in my life, I was the victim of a crime. It was done largely over the internet, through emails, texts, and digital bank transfers, and I never laid eyes on the perpetrator, or spoke with her over the phone, or knew her address.
The Bag I’m In
Things being as they were, when it became clear COVID would close the gym, I started hunting something new to punch. A heavy bag, I should say, besides being a fit way for any sentient being to respond to the world, aids your average septuagenarian’s anaerobic condition, hand-eye co-ordination, and balance – so’s he don’t fall on his nose when going down the hall for the night squirt.
The Life of Little Richard and Deaths of Despair (A Review of Six Reports on the American Grind)
Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism, Anne Case and Angus Deaton, 2020.
The Meritocracy Trap, Daniel Markovitz, 2019.
On the Clock, Emily Guendelsberger, 2019.
A Collective Bargain, Jane McAlevey, 2020.
the case for A JOB GUARANTEE, Pavlina Tcherneva, 2020.
A Brief History of Fascist Lies, Federico Finchelstein, 2020.
Reasons to be Fearful: A Response to Fredric Smoler
I very much appreciate Mr. Smoler’s arguments in “They Are Not Us: More Thoughts on German Resistance to Nazism,” his well-considered response to my interview with filmmaker Hava Beller. I would like to clarify a few points.
On Diversity and Tolerance: James Fitzjames Stephen vs John Stuart Mill
First of the Month readers might not warm to a Victorian criminal lawyer and judge who believed that law and morals were inseparably linked and for whom capital punishment was the bedrock of an effective system of justice. Offenders would emerge from the court presided over by James Fitzjames Stephen (1829-94) with their character in shreds and facing either a long and harsh period of incarceration, or the gallows. The judge, Stephen believed, was merely the servant of the public’s sense of righteous indignation, and was duty bound not to disappoint.
However, law enforcement was only the day job for Stephen; he doubled as a prolific and combative writer who waded into every controversy – political, literary, theological, and scientific – that unsettled his age. He has recently featured in Russell Jacoby’s perceptive book, On diversity: the eclipse of the individual in a global age, as the robust critic of John Stuart Mill.
Grazing with the Goats
So much was unique about the Lakers’ championship run in this year of the bubble, the suspension of play, the interpenetration of NBA business and progressive political action, the back-to-back erasures of 3-1 series leads by the inspired Denver Nuggets. So much that we might fail to appreciate the degree to which we were witnessing the majestic raising of the bar for dominant duos in league history, just as the Lakers’ 16-5 playoff record proved their greatness.
A Few Thoughts on Amy Coney Barrett, Our New Supreme Court Justice
As noted above, she’s a done deal. So Democrats should not waste time trying to besmirch her character, focusing on her religion, trying to box her into a corner on how she will vote on hypothetical cases.
The Plot Against Democracy: Barton Gellman’s Scoop on Trump’s Electoral Strategy
Barton Gellman’s Atlantic piece about Trump’s plan to break America is online. You should read it soon.
Fire on the Mountain (California Daymare)
When we woke up Tuesday morning, it was still night.
Suck it the Fuck Up
Kristi Coulter posted the following resonant comments on Facebook after RBG’s passing…
Quick Q for all the straight, non-disabled white guys who are posting “RIP America” and “Here comes Gilead” and otherwise rolling over and playing dead tonight: what’s it like to be so fucking weak?
Stanley Crouch Faces the Music
Stanley Crouch died today. We hadn’t been in touch much the past few years. I’d heard he was sick. I don’t know the ailment. I’m sad and shocked. Sad. I always liked him. We got along. I don’t know why. People like you, and you think okay, I like you too.