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Why we need trolls: Even offensive clowns like Milo Yiannopoulos can be good for the left
Sep 22, 2016 | Civil Liberties, Conservativism, Extremism, Internet Culture, Political Ideologies
Published: Salon (September 22, 2016) Breitbart columnist Milo Yiannopoulos is perhaps the most famous troll in the world right now, in large part because he was banned from Twitter last month and because the head of Breitbart News is now the CEO of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. This, of course, makes it all the more disappointing that Yiannopoulos repeatedly flaked on me when I tried to...
The troubling and counterproductive trend of liberals policing free speech: We cannot silence those we disagree with
Aug 5, 2016 | Civil Liberties, mic, Millennials
Published: Salon (August 5, 2016) co-authored with Mark Schierbecker When Donald Trump was asked last November to give his opinion on the student-led protests at the University of Missouri, he called them “disgusting,” adding to Fox Business News that “I think the two people that resigned are weak, ineffective people. […] Trump should have been the chancellor of that University. Believe me....
The Significance of Mike Pence
Jul 16, 2016 | Abortion, Civil Liberties, Conservativism, Elections, Elections - Presidential (2016), Gay Rights and Other LGBTQIA Issues, Immigration, mic, Political Ideologies, Political Parties, Republicans
Published: The Good Men Project (July 16, 2016) As The New York Times recently reported, there are an awful lot of social issues in which Donald Trump doesn’t now or didn’t in the past line up with his new vice presidential running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence. These range from abortion and gay rights to whether smoking kills people. Considering that Trump has flip-flopped on a number of issues...
Jews have a special responsibility to fight Donald Trump
Jul 9, 2016 | Civil Liberties, Class Issues, Elections, Elections - Presidential (2016), Jewish Experiences, mic
Published: Quartz (July 9, 2016) Donald Trump’s anti-Semitic tweet—I’m sorry, his allegedly anti-Semitic tweet—is still in the news in the US, and with good reason. The presumptive Republican nominee has repeatedly refused to apologize for linking Hillary Clinton, corruption and Judaism all in one ill-advised meme. Meanwhile, his Jewish son-in-law Jared Kushner is being publicly pressured by one...
America has had a tyrant like Trump before: We fought a revolution to get rid of him
Jul 4, 2016 | Civil Liberties, Elections, Elections - Presidential (2016), History, Immigration, Military-Industrial Complex/Security State
Published: Salon (July 4, 2016) As America celebrates its 240th anniversary, the Donald Trump campaign confronts us with the vivid possibility that our democracy could look vastly different if he’s elected. No, I’m not implying that Trump is another Adolf Hitler. You don’t need to be a latter-day Fuehrer to hold positions antithetical to the spirit of the Declaration of Independence. That said,...
A First Amendment Pioneer’s Take on the Second Amendment (republished after the Orlando mass shooting)
Jun 12, 2016 | Civil Liberties, Gun Control, Liskula Cohen, mic
Published: GirlieGirlArmy (June 12, 2016, July 3, 2014) co-author: Liskula Cohen Editor's Note: This was republished because, at a time when the media is fanning the flames of Islamophobia, we need to remember that if it wasn't for our lax gun control laws and belligerent pro-gun culture, that mass shooter may have never had a firearm in the first place. I have, shall we say, an interesting...
Could Gary Johnson end the drug war? Libertarian candidate’s presidential bid could put sane drug policy in our grasp
Jun 2, 2016 | Civil Liberties, Criminal Justice/Prison-Industrial Complex, Elections, Elections - Presidential (2016), Marijuana Legalization and the War on Drugs, mic
Published: Salon (June 1, 2016) A recent survey found that Gary Johnson, the former New Mexico governor who was just nominated to be the Libertarian Party’s presidential candidate, does surprisingly well against Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and Republican candidate Donald Trump. Although his 10 percent is nothing compared to Clinton’s 38 percent and Trump’s 35 percent, it’s enough to...
On the Police
May 26, 2016 | Civil Liberties, Criminal Justice/Prison-Industrial Complex
Published: The Good Men Project (May 26, 2016) As a progressive, I've found there is an argument that seems to be effective in debates with conservatives on law and order issues. What I'll say is that police officers have an inherent civic responsibility to be responsive to the concerns of their left-wing critics because they are, in a literal sense, the most important and powerful agents of the...
Captain America’s freedom fail: How the powerful few justify answering only to themselves
May 6, 2016 | Arts and Entertainment, Civil Liberties, mic
Published: Salon (May 6, 2016) “If we can’t accept limitations, we’re boundaryless, we’re no better than the bad guys.” So says Iron Man (aka Tony Stark) in “Captain America: Civil War,” perhaps one of the most politically nuanced films ever released as a tentpole in a blockbuster franchise. This is a movie with a distinct social message, one that merits detailed analysis, but in order for that...