Memorial Day 2026

Today is Memorial Day in the United States, a day for remembering the people who died while serving in the country's armed forces. And I want to honor two of my own relatives who fought Fascism...one died in World War I and the other fought valiantly in World War II.

My ancestors fought and died to make sure Fascism did not spread around the world and to the United States. I know both of these men (one of them an Italian immigrant), if they were alive now, would be appalled and outraged that Fascism is being welcomed back not only in countries around the world, but at home here in the United States, where Democracy should vanquish such things. My relatives died so the very thing that is happening now, wouldn't. And it makes me infinitely sad and frustrated that these men seemingly died for nothing...and that segments of the population of this country support the kind of nationalism, totalitarianism, disdain for facts and humanity, and suppression that are the hallmarks of Fascism.

 
I honor my brave relatives and all who fought Fascism. I truly hope that we can fight this frightening global movement to the right and ensure that they all died for the noble, uplifting principle of humanism.

"We are always at war. We spend twice as large a share of our GDP on the military as the world does in general. It’s the longest sustained period of open-ended combat in our nation’s history. And yet the country as a whole is barely affected. We have halftime ceremonies honoring the heroes. We let them get onto commercial airlines earlier, but we don’t think seriously about what they’re doing, the missions we’re asking them to undertake.

And, as a result, in my view, we have embarked on a series of unwinnable wars. We call people heroes and then send them to do things they can’t do....

When I was a kid in the ’50s and ’60s and then older in the ’70s, American pop culture reflected a country familiar enough with its military to make fun of it at times. You had shows like 'Gomer Pyle,' or 'Hogan’s Heroes,' or 'McHale’s Navy.'

You had works of art like 'South Pacific' or novels like 'Catch 22' and even movies like 'MASH,' respected the importance of the military and the important things it did that were heroic in the large scale, like World War II, but it was still made of real people with their real foibles.

But we — now we have started to have this artificially reverent view of the military that’s also distant and disengaged."
--James Fallows

Veteran's Day 2025

"Regardless of feelings on conflicts past or present or military action in general, it is best to understand that the men and women who are or have been in the Armed Forces do not choose their wars, but they do their work no matter what the cost."

"I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity."
--Dwight D. Eisenhower, Address before the Canadian Club, Ottawa, Canada, 1/10/46

Today, I want to honor my father who served in the Navy as well as two other relatives, veterans of two world wars, who fought Fascism...one died in World War I and the other fought valiantly in World War II. I am sure my relatives are rolling in their graves, after fighting and dying to make sure that Fascism did not spread around the world and to the United States. That was a time when Republicans thought Fascism was a bad thing.  I know both of my relatives (one of them an Italian immigrant), if they were alive now, would be appalled and outraged that Fascism is being institutionalized by the Republican party, and welcomed and encouraged by its supporters. My relatives died so the very thing that is happening now, wouldn't. And it makes me infinitely sad and frustrated that these men seemingly died for nothing...and that segments of the population of this country support the kind of nationalism, totalitarianism, disdain for facts and humanity, and suppression that are the hallmarks of Fascism. Their lives, struggles, sacrifices, and deaths deserve better and we, the ones they were fighting to protect, deserve better too.

Memorial Day 2025

Today is Memorial Day in the United States, a day for remembering the people who died while serving in the country's armed forces. And I want to honor two of my own relatives who fought Fascism...one died in World War I and the other fought valiantly in World War II.

My ancestors fought and died to make sure Fascism did not spread around the world and to the United States. I know both of these men (one of them an Italian immigrant), if they were alive now, would be appalled and outraged that Fascism is being welcomed back in so many parts of the world. My relatives died so the very thing that is happening now, wouldn't. And it makes me infinitely sad and frustrated that these men seemingly died for nothing...and that segments of the population of this country support the kind of nationalism, totalitarianism, disdain for facts and humanity, and suppression that are the hallmarks of Fascism.

 
I honor my brave relatives and all who fought Fascism. I truly hope that we can fight this frightening global movement to the right and ensure that they all died for the noble, uplifting principle of humanism.

"We are always at war. We spend twice as large a share of our GDP on the military as the world does in general. It’s the longest sustained period of open-ended combat in our nation’s history. And yet the country as a whole is barely affected. We have halftime ceremonies honoring the heroes. We let them get onto commercial airlines earlier, but we don’t think seriously about what they’re doing, the missions we’re asking them to undertake.

And, as a result, in my view, we have embarked on a series of unwinnable wars. We call people heroes and then send them to do things they can’t do....

When I was a kid in the ’50s and ’60s and then older in the ’70s, American pop culture reflected a country familiar enough with its military to make fun of it at times. You had shows like 'Gomer Pyle,' or 'Hogan’s Heroes,' or 'McHale’s Navy.'

You had works of art like 'South Pacific' or novels like 'Catch 22' and even movies like 'MASH,' respected the importance of the military and the important things it did that were heroic in the large scale, like World War II, but it was still made of real people with their real foibles.

But we — now we have started to have this artificially reverent view of the military that’s also distant and disengaged."
--James Fallows

Hero

I stand with Zelensky and Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelensky by Daniel Berehulak / The New York Times

"Little Shrew (Snowflake)" An Animation by Kate Bush

Kate Bush released a beautiful animated video today. She tells the story at her site:

"In 2022, with war breaking out in Ukraine, I decided I wanted to make an anti-war animation. In particular, I hoped to draw attention to the children caught up in war.

I based the storyboard around the song, Snowflake, which was sung by my son when he was a child. I think his performance is extremely moving and although I‘d originally written the song to capture his beautiful descant voice before he entered adolescence, it has taken on a haunting new meaning within the context of this animation.

The original track runs for over seven minutes, but as animations take a long time to make, it made a lot of sense to shorten it to three or four minutes. I was concerned that the song might lose something by being edited so intensely but actually it’s held up pretty well.

I knew I wanted the featured character to be a child caught up in war, so I made a very rough, off the cuff story board.

Although I’d initially thought to make the character a human child – a little girl – I settled on the idea of a Caucasian pygmy shrew (Ukrainian shrew): a tiny, fragile little creature. I felt that people might have more empathy for a vulnerable little animal than a human…

This little shrew would take a journey on a moonlit, winter’s night through a war-torn city, initially unaware of what was going on around her in this land of the giants. She can sense that she’s being called by a kind of spiritual presence… HOPE.

She starts to search for HOPE. Sometimes hope is all there is to hang on to."

The wonderful story of the artist and animation team continues on her site here.

Kate concludes:

"There’s not meant to be an exclusive focus on the war in Ukraine, but it was that war that instigated the making of this animation. All wars leave horrific scars: ruined lives, families ripped apart, life-changing injuries, trauma and loss on a massive scale – but it’s the children who suffer the most in so many ways. Their past, present and future melt away into fear and uncertainty.

I would like to ask that if you watch the animation, please make a donation to War Child, or to another charity that aids children in war.

Even a tiny donation will help enormously. War can be an unimaginable horror for a child.

You could be hope for that child caught up in war. You could make a real difference.

Thank you for supporting this project,

Kate"

https://www.warchild.org.uk/
https://www.katebush.com/

LGBT History Month: WW II and Paragraph 175

For LGBT History Month, I would like to highlight an aspect of WWII that is not talked about much...not only the persecution, imprisonment, torture, and slaughter of gay men at the hands of the Nazis, but the continued persecution and imprisonment of gay men after the war at the hands of ordinary German citizens due to a monstrous law called Paragraph 175.

At the end of WWII, tens of thousands of people were liberated from Nazi concentration camps. But what is deliberately overlooked is the fact that gay male prisoners wearing the pink triangle (the Nazis’ symbol to brand homosexuals) were forced to serve out the rest of their sentence as it was laid out in this draconian law.

In an article for the news outlet Los Angeles Blade, journalist Karen Ocamb succinctly wrote:

"According to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the total number of those murdered by Nazis and their collaborators during the Holocaust was 17 million men, women and children: 6 million were Jews and 11 million were other ethnicities, including Soviets, Slavs, Poles and Ukrainians, Romanis/Gypsies (classified as enemies of the state, like Jews), the disabled – and homosexuals.

No one really knows or seems to care how many LGBTQ people were killed, tortured, maimed or castrated, except, thankfully, the US Holocaust Museum. 'More than one million gay Germans were targeted, of whom at least 100,000 were arrested and 50,000 were convicted and imprisoned,' reports the Museum via Wikipedia. An estimated 5,000 to 15,000 gay men were imprisoned in concentration camps and died at high rates, according to a survivor. They were forced to wear identifiable pink triangles, as were those convicted of pedophilia and bestiality.

But unlike other survivors liberated from concentration camps as World War II ended, gays were persecuted and re-imprisoned under Germany’s anti-gay law, Paragraph 175."

Paragraph 175 is extensively detailed on a dedicated Wikipedia page, which states that:

"Paragraph 175 (known formally as §175 StGB; also known as Section 175 in English) was a provision of the German Criminal Code from 15 May 1871 to 10 March 1994. It made sexual relations between males a crime, and in early revisions the provision also criminalized bestiality as well as forms of prostitution and underage sexual abuse. While the Nazi persecution of homosexuals is reasonably well known today, far less attention has been given to the continuation of this persecution in post-war Germany.[4] In 1945, after the concentration camps were liberated, some homosexual prisoners were recalled to custody to serve out their two-year sentence under Paragraph 175.[7] In 1950, East Germany abolished Nazi amendments to Paragraph 175, whereas West Germany kept them and even had them confirmed by its Constitutional Court. About 100,000 men were implicated in legal proceedings from 1945 to 1969, and about 50,000 were convicted.[4] Some individuals accused under Paragraph 175 committed suicide. In 1969, the government eased Paragraph 175 by providing for an age of consent of 21.[8] The age of consent was lowered to 18 in 1973, and finally, in 1994, the paragraph was repealed and the age of consent lowered to 16, the same that is in force for heterosexual acts."

It remains heartbreaking that so many thousands and thousands of men were denied human treatment after a war that saw their humanity crushed to begin with. I recall going to the site of the Dachau concentration camp on a visit to Germany in 1988 where there were monuments to every persecuted and slaughtered religious or ethnic group, except gay men (lesbians were not included in Paragraph 175). In one of the interpretive libraries, I saw a pink granite triangle plaque on an easel with an accompanying petition to sign, urging the organization that oversees the Dachau site to place the small monument in memory of all those men. Even in 1988, we were still fighting to be recognized as having been in the camps at all. The survivors of the camps, in particular Dachau, did not want to be seen as having anything in common with what they clearly viewed as prisoners lesser than themselves, prisoners who, one suspects, they believed deserved to be there, and to have died at the hands of Nazis. It was not until 1995 that the plaque was allowed to be placed.

Memorial Day 2024

Today is Memorial Day in the United States, a day for remembering the people who died while serving in the country's armed forces. And I want to honor two of my own relatives who fought Fascism...one died in World War I and the other fought valiantly in World War II.

I am sure my relatives are rolling in their graves, after fighting and dying to make sure that Fascism did not spread around the world and to the United States. That was a time when Republicans thought Fascism was a bad thing, unlike today when they--and the last administration--support dangerous regimes in Russia and others around the world. I know both of these men (one of them an Italian immigrant), if they were alive now, would be appalled and outraged that Fascism is being institutionalized by the Republican party, and welcomed and encouraged by its supporters. My relatives died so the very thing that is happening now, wouldn't. And it makes me infinitely sad and frustrated that these men seemingly died for nothing...and that segments of the population of this country support the kind of nationalism, totalitarianism, disdain for facts and humanity, and suppression that are the hallmarks of Fascism.

 
I honor my brave relatives and all who fought Fascism. I truly hope that we can fight this frightening global movement to the right and ensure that they all died for the noble, uplifting principle of humanism.

"We are always at war. We spend twice as large a share of our GDP on the military as the world does in general. It’s the longest sustained period of open-ended combat in our nation’s history. And yet the country as a whole is barely affected. We have halftime ceremonies honoring the heroes. We let them get onto commercial airlines earlier, but we don’t think seriously about what they’re doing, the missions we’re asking them to undertake.

And, as a result, in my view, we have embarked on a series of unwinnable wars. We call people heroes and then send them to do things they can’t do....

When I was a kid in the ’50s and ’60s and then older in the ’70s, American pop culture reflected a country familiar enough with its military to make fun of it at times. You had shows like 'Gomer Pyle,' or 'Hogan’s Heroes,' or 'McHale’s Navy.'

You had works of art like 'South Pacific' or novels like 'Catch 22' and even movies like 'MASH,' respected the importance of the military and the important things it did that were heroic in the large scale, like World War II, but it was still made of real people with their real foibles.

But we — now we have started to have this artificially reverent view of the military that’s also distant and disengaged."
--James Fallows

Memorial Day 2023

Today is Memorial Day in the United States, a day for remembering the people who died while serving in the country's armed forces. And I want to honor two of my own relatives who fought Fascism...one died in World War I and the other fought valiantly in World War II.

I am sure my relatives are rolling in their graves, after fighting and dying to make sure that Fascism did not spread around the world and to the United States. That was a time when Republicans thought Fascism was a bad thing, unlike today when they support dangerous regimes in Russia and China. I know both of these men (one of them an Italian immigrant), if they were alive now, would be appalled and outraged that Fascism is being institutionalized by the Republican party, and welcomed and encouraged by its supporters. My relatives died so the very thing that is happening now, wouldn't. And it makes me infinitely sad and frustrated that these men seemingly died for nothing...and that segments of the population of this country support the kind of nationalism, totalitarianism, disdain for facts and humanity, and suppression that are the hallmarks of Fascism.

 
I honor my brave relatives and all who fought Fascism. I truly hope that we can fight this frightening movement to the right and ensure that they all died for the noble, uplifting principle of humanism.

"We are always at war. We spend twice as large a share of our GDP on the military as the world does in general. It’s the longest sustained period of open-ended combat in our nation’s history. And yet the country as a whole is barely affected. We have halftime ceremonies honoring the heroes. We let them get onto commercial airlines earlier, but we don’t think seriously about what they’re doing, the missions we’re asking them to undertake.

And, as a result, in my view, we have embarked on a series of unwinnable wars. We call people heroes and then send them to do things they can’t do....

When I was a kid in the ’50s and ’60s and then older in the ’70s, American pop culture reflected a country familiar enough with its military to make fun of it at times. You had shows like 'Gomer Pyle,' or 'Hogan’s Heroes,' or 'McHale’s Navy.'

You had works of art like 'South Pacific' or novels like 'Catch 22' and even movies like 'MASH,' respected the importance of the military and the important things it did that were heroic in the large scale, like World War II, but it was still made of real people with their real foibles.

But we — now we have started to have this artificially reverent view of the military that’s also distant and disengaged."
--James Fallows

Banksy's Ukraine Stamp

To mark the grim first anniversary of Russia's attempted invasion and ongoing war, Ukraine has issued a postage stamp featuring an image of a Banksy mural the artist created on a demolished wall in the battered city of Borodyanka, northwest of Kyiv. The mural depicts a David and Goliath moment: a young boy uses a Judo flip on a larger, older man who resembles a certain leader...and in fact, the Cyrillic on the stamp translates as "FCK PTN."

Keep flippin' 'em Ukraine, the world stands with you, waiting for the tyrant to fall.

As far as I can understand, the stamps are available for purchase on the Ukraine postal service site. All proceeds go to humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.
https://www.ukrposhta.ua/en

A War Anywhere...

Poster by multimedia artist and professor at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design Piotr Szyhalski. About the image, he says:

"For all the territorial obsessions, and the constant desire to redraw and defend the borders, war seems so obviously not contained by them. It spills, it spreads, it infects all. When we look away, pretend it’s not us, or that it’s not here: violence seeps through. Corrupts. Its malignant influence gnawing away at our humanity.

In the 20th century alone we killed more people in wars and ideologically or religiously motivated carnage, than in the entire human history prior to 20th century combined. Looking at our current century so far does not give much confidence. Ukraine, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia, Syria, Iraq, Colombia, ... the list goes on, and on. And then there is the US, a country only 246 years old, yet at war almost constantly. Only 15 out of the 246 years we were not directly engaged in war somewhere, with someone, for some reason…"

Visit his Instagram to see more of his work:
https://www.instagram.com/laborcamp/
Or visit his shop to buy posters:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScEOz_HSKIJlmphFVMUpUufQx2h6N4SdIw2gZA6AuijJcjdPA/viewform

Artists For Ukraine at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery

The Tanya Bonakdar Gallery in New York and Los Angeles presents "Artists For Ukraine" from March 11 to April 8, 2022. The Gallery reps some very high profile artists who have donated works for sale on-line, with all proceeds going to organizations and charities that are helping Ukrainians refugees.

Tanya Bonakdar Gallery —its staff and artists — are shocked and appalled by the catastrophic human rights tragedy taking place in Ukraine. Our hearts go out to the innocent civilians, families, and especially children, caught in the crossfire of violent conflict. Unfortunately, empathy is not enough when confronting such challenging moments in history.

Tanya Bonakdar Gallery stands with Ukraine. With this announcement, we are launching a sale of important works by gallery artists with 100% of proceeds donated to relief organizations helping to alleviate the suffering of those seeking refuge from the conflict in Ukraine.

While we understand the limits of our influence and power in the context of this global conflict, we also believe that momentum starts with individual and local community activity. As a gallery, we have specific tools at our disposal. We have a platform. We have a certain power in communicating ideas. Even more, we are part of a community of artists, collectors and patrons who can help to raise funds so desperately needed right now.

Our gallery artists have been extremely supportive and generous in offering important work for this cause. We urge those who receive this message, and are in a position to collect, to consider one of these works for acquisition. Collectors will do so with the knowledge that the full purchase will be donated and all funds raised will be split evenly between the three organizations listed below.

For others interested in offering direct support for organizations involved in humanitarian efforts in Ukraine, we have included additional links at the bottom of the page.

Thank you in advance for your attention and support.

The image below is by Sabine Hornig. Intricate details from the cityscapes depicted in her commission for LaGuardia Airport are featured in individual photographs, digitally composed images that integrate succinct quotes from former mayor Fiorello La Guardia. Having famously described New York City’s unique image as “the entire world in microcosm,” La Guardia becomes a figure in Hornig’s work who embodies how leadership shapes our shared environment.

Please consider buying some art or donating to the organizations who are working to help victims of this shameful war.

https://www.tanyabonakdargallery.com/viewing-room/58-artists-for-ukraine/

Sabine Hornig's work can be seen here:
https://sabine-hornig.de/de#image-5

Citizen Brick Ukraine LEGOs

Citizen Brick, an independent LEGO retailer who creates their own fun minifigures, has created two new pieces to help Ukraine: all proceeds go to charities supporting Ukrainian refugees.

Their figure of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is $100 and worth every penny.

And the Molotv cocktail with the blue and yellow Ukraine flag is only $20.

Purchase these at the Citizen Brick website and help the victims of this insane war.

https://citizenbrick.com/

Memorial Day 2021

Today is Memorial Day in the United States, a day for remembering the people who died while serving in the country's armed forces. And I want to honor two of my own relatives who fought Fascism...one died in World War I and the other fought valiantly in World War II.

I am sure my relatives are rolling in their graves, after fighting and dying to make sure that Fascism did not spread around the world and to the United States. That was a time when Republicans thought Fascism was a bad thing, unlike today. I know both of these men (one of them an Italian immigrant), if they were alive now, would be appalled and outraged that Fascism is being institutionalized by the Republican party, and welcomed and encouraged by its supporters. My relatives died so the very thing that is happening now, wouldn't. And it makes me infinitely sad and frustrated that these men seemingly died for nothing...and that segments of the population of this country support the kind of nationalism, totalitarianism, disdain for facts and humanity, and suppression that are the hallmarks of Fascism.

 
I honor my brave relatives and all who fought Fascism. I truly hope that we can fight this frightening movement to the right and ensure that they all died for the noble, uplifting principle of humanism.

"We are always at war. We spend twice as large a share of our GDP on the military as the world does in general. It’s the longest sustained period of open-ended combat in our nation’s history. And yet the country as a whole is barely affected. We have halftime ceremonies honoring the heroes. We let them get onto commercial airlines earlier, but we don’t think seriously about what they’re doing, the missions we’re asking them to undertake.

And, as a result, in my view, we have embarked on a series of unwinnable wars. We call people heroes and then send them to do things they can’t do....

When I was a kid in the ’50s and ’60s and then older in the ’70s, American pop culture reflected a country familiar enough with its military to make fun of it at times. You had shows like 'Gomer Pyle,' or 'Hogan’s Heroes,' or 'McHale’s Navy.'

You had works of art like 'South Pacific' or novels like 'Catch 22' and even movies like 'MASH,' respected the importance of the military and the important things it did that were heroic in the large scale, like World War II, but it was still made of real people with their real foibles.

But we — now we have started to have this artificially reverent view of the military that’s also distant and disengaged."
--James Fallows

Memorial Day 2020

Today is Memorial Day in the United States, a day for remembering the people who died while serving in the country's armed forces. And I want to honor two of my own relatives who died in World War I and World War II fighting Fascism.

I am sure my relatives are rolling in their graves, after giving their lives--on a battlefield in WWI and in the air during WWII--to make sure that Fascism did not spread around the world and to the United States. That was a time when Republicans thought Fascism was a bad thing, unlike today. I know both of these men (one of them an Italian immigrant), if they survived and were alive now, would be appalled and outraged that Fascism is being institutionalized by the current administration and welcomed and encouraged by this administration's supporters. My relatives died so the very thing that is happening now, wouldn't. And it makes me infinitely sad and frustrated that these men seemingly died for nothing...and that segments of the population of this country support the Neo-Fascism coming from The Monster. It's shameful.

I honor my brave relatives and all who fought Fascism. I truly hope that we can turn the tide and ensure that they all died for the noble, uplifting principle of humanism.

"We are always at war. We spend twice as large a share of our GDP on the military as the world does in general. It’s the longest sustained period of open-ended combat in our nation’s history. And yet the country as a whole is barely affected. We have halftime ceremonies honoring the heroes. We let them get onto commercial airlines earlier, but we don’t think seriously about what they’re doing, the missions we’re asking them to undertake.

And, as a result, in my view, we have embarked on a series of unwinnable wars. We call people heroes and then send them to do things they can’t do....

When I was a kid in the ’50s and ’60s and then older in the ’70s, American pop culture reflected a country familiar enough with its military to make fun of it at times. You had shows like 'Gomer Pyle,' or 'Hogan’s Heroes,' or 'McHale’s Navy.'

You had works of art like 'South Pacific' or novels like 'Catch 22' and even movies like 'MASH,' respected the importance of the military and the important things it did that were heroic in the large scale, like World War II, but it was still made of real people with their real foibles.

But we — now we have started to have this artificially reverent view of the military that’s also distant and disengaged."
--James Fallows

Memorial Day 2019

Today is Memorial Day in the United States, a day for remembering the people who died while serving in the country's armed forces. And I want to honor two of my own relatives who died in World War I and World War II fighting Fascism.

I am sure my relatives are rolling in their graves, after giving their lives--on a battlefield in WWI and in the air during WWII--to make sure that Fascism did not spread around the world and to the United States. That was a time when Republicans thought Fascism was a bad thing, unlike today. I know both of these men (one of them an Italian immigrant), if they survived and were alive now, would be appalled and outraged that Fascism is being institutionalized by the current administration and welcomed and encouraged by this administration's supporters. My relatives died so the very thing that is happening now, wouldn't. And it makes me infinitely sad and frustrated that these men seemingly died for nothing...and that segments of the population of this country support the Neo-Fascism coming from The Monster. It's shameful.

I honor my brave relatives and all who fought Fascism. I truly hope that we can turn the tide and ensure that they all died for the noble, uplifting principle of humanism.

"Love It If We Made It" by The 1975

The new video for "Love It If We Made it" by The 1975 is pretty devastating. Lyrics reference drug culture, racism, the new nonsensical world of post-facts, dying and dead immigrants, the looming death of our planet via climate change, the current culture's (and President's) stomach-churning obsession with fame and celebrity, Black Lives Matter, Trumpism and his revolting misogyny and breathtaking lies and cruelty and petty gossip mongering, and WW III happening right now, fought piecemeal all over the globe. The video images reference the death of the world's oceans by plastic, the destruction of cities and countries by their own regimes, the insane gun culture of the United States, the opioid crisis, the continued assault on people of color, the unethical for-profit prison system that has infected much of the world, ongoing homophobia, Harvey Weinstein and Brett Kavanaugh and the #MeToo movement started by women who have had enough of being sexual victims, the horrific Grenfell Tower fire, and white supremacists and the KKK. That is what this song and video is about while masquerading as a fun little pop ditty.

But the montage of the faces of young people must be--has to be--a direct call to action. The youth vote is the only thing that is going to turn the world around. THAT is what this song is about too. With the rise of xenophobic right-wing isolationists in the United States and around the world, with Trumpism ripping apart any shred of humanity left in the US, we MUST vote in the upcoming mid-terms. This is the first step in restoring sanity and humanist values. This is not a drill, this is not a test, this is not something that will blow over, this is not something that can be waited out, this is not a game, this is not a reality show. It is literally life and death at this point. We have had decades and decades of warnings to change the way we behave and now we hear the news: we have maybe 20 years left. After that, the seas will be too warm to support the oceanic food chain so no more food. More Category 5 hurricanes, more droughts, more wild fires. The rising waters will displace millions and millions of people--if you think there is an immigration problem now, just wait 20 years. Earth is really dying. We are killing ourselves. And the ones who are in power now are doing nothing to right the ship and reverse course. They don't care. They--and their supporters--don't care that we are going to be out of land, out of food, and out of luck. They don't care that people of color are being assassinated, they don't care that women are being raped, they don't care that children are shot en masse in their own schools (of course conservatives shriek about protecting fetuses, but once you are born, then they will destroy you). We need decency, sanity, the ability to think ahead and determine consequences. As John F. Kennedy said, we need leaders who believe in human dignity as the source of national purpose, human liberty as the source of national action, and the human heart as the source of national compassion. And when you see conservative leaders and their supporters siding with Neo-Nazis and white supremacists, denying a safe haven for those ravaged by poverty and war, giving--yet again--huge tax cuts and more money to the wealthy and more and more hardships for everyone else, deliberately telling lies to incite violence toward one of our most cherished manifestations of democracy which is a free press, blaming women for being victims of male violence, supporting child molesters and wife beaters and embezzlers and black-out drunk sex-assaulting judges for public office (they have admitted the only reason they do so is to annoy and incite the left, which is harming themselves as well), and trying to destroy any system of sane healthcare in favor of profit margins for insurance companies, it is clear that they are NOT the ones who will bring much needed dignity, purpose, action, liberty, or compassion to the United States.

If you or someone you know has ever thought or said, "I don't vote because my vote doesn't count" has to realize that 2/3 of the US population usually does not vote. If that missing 2/3 did vote, then their vote would matter tremendously (and we have seen proof so many times where a candidate won an office by only a handful of votes). Then they would wield power, and in order to wield power, you have to take it. You have to actually vote. If you or someone you know has ever thought or said, "Well, I'm not really into politics" has to realize that what is before us is not "politics." This is not partisan, this is about survival. We have a chance now. Maybe the last real, clear shot. I too, like The 1975, would love it if we made it, if we pulled through and were brave enough to create the world that the best part of ourselves strive toward.

We're f******g in a car, shooting heroin
Saying controversial things just for the hell of it
Selling melanin and then suffocate the black men
Start with misdemeanours and we'll make a business out of them
And we can find out the information
Access all the applications
That are hardening positions based on miscommunication
Oh f**k your feelings
Truth is only hearsay
We're just left to decay
Modernity has failed us
And I'd love it if we made it
Yes, I'd love it if we made it

And poison me daddy
I've got the Jones right through my bones
Write it on a piece of stone
A beach of drowning three-year-olds
Rest in peace Lil Peep
The poetry is in the streets
Jesus save us
Modernity has failed us
And I'd love it if we made it
Yes, I'd love it if we made it

And I'd love it if we made it

Tell me something I didn't know
Consultation
Degradation
Fossil fuelling
Masturbation
Immigration
Liberal kitsch
Kneeling on a pitch
"I moved on her like a bitch"
Excited to be indicted
Unrequited house with seven pools
"Thank you Kanye, very cool"
The war has been incited and guess what?
You're all invited
And you're famous
Modernity has failed us
And I'd love it if we made it
And I'd love it if we made it
And I'd love it if we made it
Tell me something I didn't know

https://the1975.com/

Memorial Day 2018

Today is Memorial Day in the United States, a day for remembering the people who died while serving in the country's armed forces. And I want to honor two of my own relatives who died in World War I and World War II fighting Fascism.

I am sure my relatives are rolling in their graves, after giving their lives--on a battlefield in WWI and in the air during WWII--to make sure that Fascism did not spread around the world and to the Unites States. That was a time when Republicans thought Fascism was a bad thing, unlike today. I know both of these men (one of them an Italian immigrant), if they survived and were alive now, would be appalled and outraged that Fascism is being institutionalized by the current administration and welcomed and encouraged by this administration's supporters. My relatives died so the very thing that is happening now, wouldn't. And it makes me infinitely sad and frustrated that these men seemingly died for nothing...and that segments of the population of this country support the Neo-Fascism coming from The Monster. It's shameful.

I honor my brave relatives and all who fought Fascism. I truly hope that we can turn the tide and ensure that they all died for the noble, uplifting principle of humanism.

Finland...

...sending you strength and solidarity after the government confirmed the most recent attack as one of terrorism.

Instead of creating post after post sending condolences and heartsick grief for each individual attack, I think I should just preemptively say to the entire world, "Sorry for the knife/car/van/gun/bomb attacks" that are going to continue to happen. Where is it all going? I send us all strength and solidarity.

Barcelona...

...with broken hearts, we send you sympathy and love.

Yes, it just keeps coming. Cities around Europe and around the world under siege from outside forces and ideologies. But in the United States, we turn on each other, on ourselves...

Charlottesville, Virginia...

...thinking of you with sympathy for such a senseless loss of life.

As I say in the description of this blog, "I am dedicated to posting the positive, the fascinating, the beautiful, the interesting, the moving, and the inspiring and uplifting. Sometimes I post cultural as well as personal observations, milestones, and remembrances. And just like life, all of these things may often have a bit of melancholy or even sadness in them, which is what makes our time here so lovely and bittersweet and precious."

And I feel I would be remiss if I did not recognize this most recent tragedy here in the United States which these days is not feeling so united at all. I hope I am not right, but I have a feeling we might look back at this event as one of the infamous triggers for the Second Civil War. Oh, it won't be fought like it was the first time. This kind of Radical Republican Terrorism will make the Second Civil War a completely different affair.

The fact that such a thing is looming on our horizon should give us even more incentive to protest against and conquer the kind of hatred, inequality, fear, bigotry, and racism we are seeing infect our culture... although I am personally feeling more than a little frustrated since all the usual avenues like voting, writing members of congress, and protesting in the streets have been tried. Because of the Monster-in-Chief, I think we will see a rise in Radical Republican Terrorism--they feel he is on their side and he won't denounce them. But if certain factions and groups of United States citizens will not share basic tenets of humanism or participate in our social compact (the voluntary agreement among individuals by which, according to any of various theories, as of Hobbes, Locke, or Rousseau, organized society is brought into being and invested with the right to secure mutual protection and welfare or to regulate the relations among its members), we cannot allow them to hurt, maim, or murder. At this moment in history, we are at a fork in the road--not just the United States but everywhere in the world. You can see down each road if you stop and think and take it to its logical conclusion.
We will see in the next few years which road we head down.

It's times like these that make me seek out and treasure the good things, the beautiful things, the things that make our time here worthwhile.

“I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce and agriculture in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain.”
--John Adams