Category Archives: Uncategorized

NASCAR, race, and the Confederate flag–plus a query about Great Neck South

NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) officials announced a ban on the Confederate Battle Flag at its events.  At  once,  the  decision  was  a response  to nation-wide demonstrations sparked by the police killing of George Floyd. The organization … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Statuary impacts: complex causality, the limits of social science, and striking Gen. Lee’s statue

In the wake of a dozen days and nights of protest against racialized police violence, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam ordered the removal of a statue of General Robert E. Lee, that has loomed over the state capital’s Monument Park for … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Chains of change

In an expression of commitment and principle, served with a chaser of trolling for the president, Mayor Muriel Bowser renamed the plaza in front of the White House, and commissioned artists to paint BLACK LIVES MATTER in broad capital (or … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Police, provocation, and protest

Bad policing poked an old open wound in American life, one that had suffered continual poking and scratching over the past few weeks, months, years, and turned thousands of people out into the streets in protest. Bad policing of the … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Protest, Riot, and Rebellion in Minneapolis

Protesters took to the streets of Minneapolis in response to the police killing of George Floyd. And they stayed. Some wore masks and tried to observe public health protocols for social distance. Some carried gas masks. Some broke windows of … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Exercising the right to protest, COVID-19

“Government won’t do squat.”* That’s the slogan I imagine for the open up protesters in Clearwater, Florida exercising their right to protest against the closure of their gyms. Frustrated that they can’t get to the weight stack or the cardio … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

We NEED a New Deal; make it Green!

The normalcy we reach after getting through the #coronacrisis won’t be the same as the one the ended in February. Now is the time to push for policies that shape the new normal we want. (It should certainly include sufficient … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Are the Open-Up protests winning? What does winning mean? COVID-19

Dramatic, often confrontational, protests by small groups to “open up” seem to be working. The protests certainly haven’t enjoyed the support of most Americans. A substantial majority of Americans oppose a quick lifting of restrictions on public life and are … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Gavin Newsom, Jonah, protest, and the preparation paradox, COVID-19

Gavin Newsom, governor of California–where I live–has done a pretty good job in managing the awful coronacrisis. He’s acted quickly and decisively, taken strong measures informed by science and data, and has explained his decisions. It’s been a hassle: after … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Kent State shootings, anniversary (repost)

(This is a repost of a report on the Kent State shootings, on occasion of the 50th anniversary. It’s almost hard to remember a moment when students were present on college campuses, much less assembled together in groups. At the … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment