Opinion

When former US President Barack Obama used an old cliché to denigrate his political opponent, the late US Senator, John McCain, he triggered a political controversy lasting several days. 

“You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig,” Obama said at a campaign event in 2008. The maxim indicates that superficial changes have no bearings on outcomes and that modifying our facade does not alter who we really are.

American politicians are an authority on the subject. They are experts on artificial, rhetorical and, ultimately, shallow change. Once again, Washington’s political make-up artists are busy at work. 

When will we as a nation admit it? Barbara Lee was right.

She was the only member of Congress to vote against the Authorization for the Use of Military Force back in 2001, following the 9/11 disaster, which allowed George W. Bush to invade Afghanistan. A year later she voted against a second AUMF that launched the invasion of Iraq and Bush’s alleged Global War on Terror, a.k.a., our endless war to pummel evil into dust and sweep it out of the universe.

When Hillary Clinton endorsed Nina Turner’s main opponent last week, it was much more than just an attempt to boost a corporate Democrat. Clinton’s praise for candidate Shontel Brown was almost beside the point.

I was planning to go on a trip to Venezuela as an international delegate from the US working class section for “The Congress of the Peoples (El Congreso de los Pueblos)” conference, which was also the bicentennial for an important battle for the independence of Venezuela, led by the liberator Bolivar, the Battle of Carabobo in 1821. People from all over the world were coming, not just from this hemisphere, I was especially looking forward to meeting comrades from Libya, a country whose history I have studied extensively, and which is still suffering the consequences of the NATO invasion 10 years ago. It is interesting to note that June 23rd Micaela Bastidas, who is mentioned in the speech, and I was unaware of till after writing it, had her birthday. The conference was from June 21st-24th. I also mention Evo Morales, who I later found out was present at the conference. There were logistical problems in the last moment and I could not go, but I plan to go in the fall. This is the speech I would have gave had I been able to go. There were many speakers, I did a video reading it, but it was unable to be shown.

Taken aback by growing employee resistance and turnover, Amazon recently suffered the embarrassment of backing away from its intention to force all staff to return to the office five days a week, instead allowing them to work a hybrid schedule. Apple’s plan to force its staff back to the office has caused substantial internal opposition and churn.

Taken aback by growing employee resistance and turnover, Amazon recently suffered the embarrassment of backing away from its intention to force all staff to return to the office five days a week, instead allowing them to work a hybrid schedule.

Taken aback by growing employee resistance and turnover, Amazon recently suffered the embarrassment of backing away from its intention to force all staff to return to the office five days a week, instead allowing them to work a hybrid schedule.

Mexico once had a problem with a local provincial government promoting illegal immigration from the United States into Mexico in order to engage in the illegal slavery of illegally trafficked people. The locality involved was called Texas. For years, Mexico let Texas get away with its lawlessness and immorality, including not paying taxes, and including killing Mexican soldiers. Then it sent an army to lay down the law. Texans warned each other that soldiers were coming “to give liberty to our slaves, and to make slaves of ourselves” (meaning to end the actual enslavement of anyone and to require that people abide by laws and pay taxes).

In that “the show must go on” spirit, live theater is returning to Los Angeles’ stages. On what used to be its adjoining parking lot, The Fountain Theatre has built an impressive Outdoor Stage, an open air, socially distanced 99-seater. So, to reverse Joni Mitchell’s admonishment in “Big Yellow Taxi”: “They paved a parking lot, And put up a playhouse.” Along with the excitement of seeing old familiar faces who’d survived the plague year-plus, your humble scribe looked forward to reviewing his first play, in person, in about 15 months.

54

Sunrise.

Toby rolled out of his bed and walked to the front door. He opened it and looked down, expecting to see his pile of papers, delivered to him by one of the nicest guys on the planet, Jake Adler, his circulation boss for the Bugle. Mr. Adler took care of his few carriers. Most had been replaced by married couples who drove cars.

Instead of seeing his pile, there was nothing.

Thankfully, it wasn’t raining. Toby hustled down the steps to the sidewalk. He saw Mr. Adler’s car, double-parked, just down the street to his left. He didn’t see Mr. Adler. He knew the car well because his dad had one, just like it, same color and everything.

He ran back up the stairs to inside the door and put on flip-flops, and hustled back down the stairs and onto the sidewalk toward Mr. Adler’s car.

Toby came even with Mr. Adler’s car and the one it was double-parked next to. The cars looked weird, though.

He walked slowly into the street, behind Mr. Adler’s car. The car looked like it had rolled down the hill, backwards, into the car parked on the curb. Toby cautiously walked up to the driver’s window and looked inside.