postscripts

Labor Day 2025

Happy Labor Day! Well, we're here - Labor Day, the unofficial end of summer. There's still a lot of beautiful weather ahead. I thought you might enjoy some old WITW posts and some new posts from the web as we ease out of summer and into fall.

What in the World? - Rolling Stones - I'd forgotten how bluesy some of the Stones' early songs were. Their music is timeless.

What in the World? - Random and Sundry - A collection of very short, light pieces written during the second half of 2024. I had fun re-reading them these many months after I posted them.

World Peace Day (aka International Day of Peace) is September 21. If you can't find an event near you, you can still join the "Peace Wave" - a moment of silence at noon in all time zones on Sunday Sep 21 to reflect on how important peace is in our lives and in our world. International Day of Peace A good, if symbolic, antidote to the ongoing wars in Gaza, Ukraine, and Sub-Saharan Africa.

A post at Mother Jones relates futurist Tracy Worlee's reflections on sci-fi writer Octavia Butler's chillingly prophetic Parable of the Sower and its sequel Parable of the Talents. Community and imagination will get us through these tough times. "No one should have to travel alone." - Octavia Butler, Parable of the Sower

Finally, a Labor Day post from AFSC. As the "big, beautiful bill" effects the greatest transfer of wealth upwards in American history by stripping benefits from the less well-off to provide tax breaks for the wealthiest, AFSC reminds us of the long struggle for worker's rights and economic justice. 4 highlights from AFSC's work for labor rights | American Friends Service Committee

October 2025

A Demand for Justice Playlist - Powerful calls for peace and justice, freedom and equality from Dylan, Springsteen, Wilco w Billy Bragg, Disturbed, Green Day, The Clash, The Decemberists, and Roger Waters

Gerhard Richter - the twenty-first century's Picasso

The World's Most Beautiful Bridges (2020) - an imaginary journey around the world via the world's most beautiful bridges

ICE Is Hounding Chicago Area Locals With Excessive Chemical Munitions (Mother Jones)

The Lies America Tells Itself About the Middle East (Foreign Affairs)

Taking Stock of the Roberts Court at 20—and the Shadowy Forces That Built It (Mother Jones)

Updated Stop Gaza Genocide Toolkit

Martin Luther King Day 2026

Next Monday, we celebrate the birthday of one of the great heroes of American history, the civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. Due to his efforts and those of many others in the civil rights movement, the United States became a true democracy in the 1960s. With the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1968, all Americans were protected in their right to vote, their right to employment, and their right to housing; and racial segregation was prohibited in schools and public accommodations.

First, though, a warning from Hannah Arendt, one of the most influential political theorists of the 20th century:

"The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists." - Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism (1951)

Arendt's warning is uniquely appropriate to the post-truth era, most recently demonstrated in the killing, smearing and attempt at covering up the truth of Renee Good's death in Minneapolis. It's hard to believe that this is happening in the United States, which is, on paper at least, still a democracy. It must make us all wonder where this country is going. Perhaps by reflecting on MLK's life, we can find some inspiration and hope to confront the current dark days of untruth, racist and xenophobic rhetoric, and deliberately stoked divisiveness.

Quotes (MLK)

Life's most persistent and urgent question is, "What are you doing for others?"
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

Music (U2)

What in the World? - In the name of love - eight live performance music videos from U2, one of the greatest rock & roll bands ever. Includes their tribute to Martin Luther King - PRIDE, (In the Name of Love). I never saw U2 in concert so chose only live performances. They put on quite a show. Microsoft's CoPilot AI arranged the songs in the order in which U2 might have played them in a concert.

WITW posts from the archives - Note: If the link does not bring you directly to these older posts, scroll down a couple of pages.

A Hero for the Ages (WITW, Jan 2020) - At the time he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, MLK was the youngest recipient ever to receive it...a look at his "I Have a Dream" speech and some of his most memorable quotes.

The Beloved Community: the philosophy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (WITW, May 2020) - For Martin Luther King, the ideal society was the Beloved Community, a term originally coined in the early 20th century by the founder of the Fellowship of Reconciliation. King's vision was informed by his theological training and by his admiration for the non-violent methods of Mahatma Gandhi. The Fellowship of Reconciliation was one of the groups I worked with during the Vietnam War years. I didn't realize it at the time but MLK, one of my all-time heroes, had been a member of the group.

Recent items of interest from the web (non-MLK)

Literary Hub » Renee Nicole Good, murdered by ICE, was a prize-winning poet. Here’s that poem.

On the Streets of Havana, Hope That a Lack of Oil to Steal Staves Off a U.S. Attack, (Drop Site News)

War ‘Back in Vogue’: Pope Leo’s Stark State of the World Address (Letters from Leo)

Miscellany

Readings - short passages from the web and recent works (last updated Jan 11, 2026)

Useful Link - A Calendar of Wisdom: Leo Tolstoy - if you'd like a daily dose of wisdom

Midsummer Memo (June 2026)

"You're allowed to think about the worst possible scenario, but you gotta go out there and do something about it."

- Jalen Brunson after the Knicks' 29-point comeback in Game 4

A couple of thoughts on the world at large after the exhilaration of the Knicks' historic championship run...

The subversion of the 2026 midterms picks up. The recent raid on the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, the largest voter registration organization in the state, may be the most egregious attempt to intimidate voting rights advocates yet. In a clear abuse of power, 100 FBI agents and other federal officers raided the office of the voting registration group. They then fanned out to the homes of volunteers, board members, and staff. Agents seized phones and computers, scooped up papers, and questioned startled citizens. The rationale? According to a search warrant, a hunt for "voter registration fraud." Voter fraud, as studies have consistently concluded, is rarer than getting struck by lightning.

Politicizing the FBI to Intimidate Voters | Brennan Center for Justice - The Brennan Center for Justice reports on the significance and the threat of the raid. And they have some advice on how to "do something about it."

Stand up for those working to register and mobilize voters, ensure they have the best legal advice and follow the rules.
Redouble efforts to protect election officials facing abuse.
Encourage states to step up, by passing legislation to make doubly sure that ICE and other federal law enforcement agencies cannot wreak havoc at the polls.
Lift up the nonpartisan work of police, prosecutors, and sheriffs through the Committee for Safe and Secure Elections, which brings together election officials and law enforcement to train officials around the country.
Unite against efforts to interfere in elections or intimidate voters.

US-enabled war crimes in the Middle East continue. The United States is sending unconditioned aid to Israel, an apartheid nation guilty of genocide against the Palestinian people and led by an accused war criminal. The most recent tallies of the dead from the War on Gaza and the attacks on Iran and Lebanon:

Gaza - c. 73000 killed to date - at least half of the victims were women and children. More than 1000 Palestinians have been killed since the October 2025 "ceasefire". Israel’s deliberate targeting of Gaza children part of genocide: UN inquiry | Gaza News | Al Jazeera
Iran - c. 3,600* Many deaths are still uncounted due to destroyed medical facilities, lack of electricity, and mass‑casualty sites still being excavated. Netanyahu finally found a US president stupid enough to join him in illegally and immorally attacking Iran with no provocation whatsoever. One of the most outspoken opponents to the war from the very start of the conflict has been the first American Pope, Leo XIV. Pope Leo XIV slams US-Israeli war in Iran, demands peace talks | AP News
Lebanon - over 4000. Lebanon Latest: Israeli attacks surge despite ceasefire efforts | Israel attacks Lebanon News | Al Jazeera

That these 80,000* dead have not been "news" is a tribute to the powerful Israel lobby, led by AIPAC. The lobby has been pouring money often under deceptively named PACs into the Democratic primaries across the country. Their effort to keep the Democratic Party in thrall to their distorted message and keep the money flowing to Israel in spite of its utter disregard for international law may yet pay off. One political leader unafraid to call them out is New York Mayor Zohran Mumdani, who delivered what some called the ‘Best sports speech in history’: Zohran Mamdani praised for inspirational speech at Knicks championship parade - Yahoo Sports In the run-up to the New York primaries being held today, he has denounced the influence of dark money from the Israel lobby, reminding us that opposition to apartheid and genocide is not antisemitism. Mamdani defends criticism of AIPAC | CNN Politics

How you can "do something about it": If you get a chance to vote in the New York primaries today or in any primary in future - vote for the Justice Democrat or the most progressive candidate, someone not beholden to AIPAC.

*Corrected figures. The original post mistakenly set the total dead and injured in Iran as the death toll.

I'll close with a music video that has nothing to do with any of this. I fancy myself a Green Day fan, so I don't know how I forgot this one from years ago. I heard it recently on Sirius XM. It's a masterpiece of self-searching. It's a short punk version of a theme explored at great length in T.S. Eliot's "Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock". Of course, Eliot's J Alfred is much older than the protagonist of "Oh Love". But get this...Eliot wrote his masterpiece when he was 22. Billie Joe Armstrong turns in a powerful vocal performance - one of his best. Here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f096L1RNhr4

Two weeks until the midterms

The midterms are our last chance to slow down Trump's hateful and lawless agenda and, in the process, save our democracy. Over the past several months, we've witnessed:

an unprecedented attack on the right to vote (The plot to subvert the midterms)
the weaponization of the DOJ to threaten freedom of speech and assembly (“Trump’s War on the Left”: Jack Crosbie of Rolling Stone on the Prairieland Nine, NSPM-7 & More | Democracy Now!)
a campaign of voter intimidation aimed particularly at Hispanics (Mullin says ICE could go to polling sites despite legal limits)
a raid on the home of a political opponent (Ilhan Omar’s Office Slams Trump Deportation Plot as ‘Authoritarian Move to Silence an Opponent’ | Common Dreams)

Winning control of Congress is an absolute must if this march towards an authoritarian state is to be slowed. In spite of the glee exhibited by Democrat-leaning websites at the prospect of Democratic control of Congress, it will be a close contest. I'm sticking with my prediction of a relatively slim 7-vote majority in the House and, at best, a 2-vote majority in the Senate. (The Midterms)

Notes from a No Kings Rally

On Saturday, I attended a No Kings rally in the nearby town of Hackettstown. I haven't seen an estimate, but it looked like 100 - 125 people gathered at the Civil War Memorial there, one of the many heavily Republican bastions in western New Jersey. The theme of this weekend's rallies was early voting, and Saturday’s activities were designed to focus on helping eligible voters understand their voting options and develop plans to cast their ballots.

In addition to this non-partisan effort, there was an active and vocal contingent looking to flip our district's House seat, currently held by Republican Tom Kean, Jr. This is one of the "toss-up" races critical to taking control of the House - Kean won the 2024 election with about 52% of the vote. Kean's 2026 campaign may be typical of other toss-up races in that there is at least one "false flag" operation attempting to siphon votes from the Democratic candidate. As one of the speakers at the rally noted, there is a candidate on the ballot running under the banner "No Genocide in Gaza" (or something like that). "No Genocide" is actually a "party" run by a Republican operative. The intent is clearly to take votes from the centrist Democrat Rebecca Bennett. They pulled the same thing in the Democratic primary - a shadow group called her the only Democrat in the primary who did not demand the defunding of ICE.

Unlike in the 2024 election, when Kamala Harris was going to win NJ without my vote*, I will be voting for Bennett. She is not at all assured of winning NJ-07. I truly hope Bennet is not just another corporate/AIPAC Democrat. But the stakes are too high and the outcome too uncertain to vote for a third-party candidate this time.

Another speaker at the rally was a feisty 20-something "influencer" currently being sued by Trump for her online criticism of his regime. The daughter of a Lebanese immigrant, she related how her young son cried after the electorate incredibly put Donald Trump and the Republicans back in office in 2024 ("You said the good guys would win.") She also related how bereft she felt living in Hackettstown at the time ("How could my neighbors vote so overwhelmingly for this man?"). The No Kings rally gave her hope. It gave me hope too as car after car after truck after truck loudly beeped their approval as they passed us at the rally.

The last time Democrats controlled both houses of Congress under a Republican president was in GWB's second term (Jan 2007- Jan 2009). Bush used the veto 12 times to block legislation aimed at advancing the Democrats' agenda and maintained his grip on foreign policy including pursuit of the Iraq War. Bush’s Iraq surge, surveillance expansions, and domestic priorities went forward largely intact. Democrats were able to pass several significant pieces of domestic legislation — minimum wage, ethics reform, student aid, energy policy, and major financial‑crisis laws.

Control of the 120th Congress will not stop Trump either, but it may be enough to slow his agenda and result in a few pieces of legislation for the common good. Most importantly, if Democrats win control of the Senate, they will be able to stop Trump's appointment of a young conservative extremist to the Supreme Court to replace an old conservative extremist (Thomas is 77 and Alito is 75).

So, check your voter registration status. Make sure no one has screwed with it and that you know your polling place. How to confirm your voter registration status | USAGov. And vote - early if possible but if you cannot, absolutely get it done on Election Day.

I close with a pic from the rally.

*In 2024, I voted "uncommitted" in the Democratic primary and for the Green Party candidate in the general election because of Harris's unwillingness to distance herself from Biden's Gaza policy.

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