Month: September 2020

Opinions

Naming the Violence

September 23, 2020 Carma Henry 0

     There is a term that was developed in the academic field of peace research, and it deserves far more currency in political discourse and everyday language than it currently receives.  It is called “structural,” or indirect, violence, and, as the name implies, it refers to violence that is embedded in social structures or institutions.  You can’t name a specific perpetrator as you would when an individual shoots, stabs, or suffocates another person.  But structural violence inflicts no less harm than its direct counterpart. […]

Opinions

The End of “Climate Change”

September 23, 2020 Carma Henry 0

     “Climate change” is over. No, not the relentless, catastrophic environmental crisis that is spreading like, well, wildfire around the world. That is definitely real and definitely far from over. What I am talking about is the anemic, wishy-washy term “climate change,” which does such a poor job of communicating the existential threat to the planet.  […]

Opinions

Defeating a Demagogue: A Reminder from History

September 23, 2020 Carma Henry 0

      It may be small comfort as we watch Donald Trump try to cheat and bully his way to a second term, but a recent study of his demagogic predecessor, Senator Joseph McCarthy, offers one. In Louis Menand’s review of the book by Larry Tye, appropriately titled Demagogue: The Life and Long Shadow of Senator Joe McCarthy, Menand points up elements of McCarthy’s behavior that describes Trump’s as well: the constant lying, the disdain for opponents, the “lazy, ignorant, and unprepared” approach to politics, the bombast and conspiracy mongering. […]

National News

IN MEMORIAM: How he lived

September 23, 2020 Carma Henry 0

Everyone is special in some way and everyone has a special place. There will be those who bring you joy. Some will challenge you. Others will hurt you. Still, others will make you wonder how you keep from going under or ask WTH. Brother Hashim made me a better person […]

National News

Keeping It Local: Community Leader Cassandra Welchlin Is Galvanizing Voting Power In Jackson Mississippi

September 23, 2020 Carma Henry 0

Coping with the day-to-day realities of a year like no other, Cassandra Welchlin, a community organizer, has worked to get single mothers the childcare they need, assisted foster care youths in accessing free Lyft rides and aided seniors with free food deliveries. With the presidential election around the corner, Welchlin’s work is focused on local and systemic change. “We don’t want anyone in office leading us that demeans our people,” she said. “A change has to come.” […]