By Mark Mamerow Artwork by Micheal DiMilo “Freedom Isn’t Free!” It’s a potent bumper sticker, conjuring up images of GIs slogging ashore through heavy machine gun fire at Normandy, saving our American freedoms from the fascists. Freedom sets America apart from other nations: freedom of thought and expression, freedom to assemble, freedom to worship, freedom to petition …
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Category:Politics
The Things We Carry
By Geoff Carter Artwork by Michael DiMilo America is sick—sick at heart, sick in the mind, and sick in the soul. And the worst thing about it is that we’re in a state of denial about our illness. We know something’s wrong, but we’re like the guy who keeps putting off going to the doctor …
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Colorblind
I’m a native of the greater Milwaukee area, infamous for being one of the most segregated areas in the country. According to a January 8, 2019 Brookings Institute study, “three out of four black residents in Chicago, Milwaukee, or New York would have to move in order to live in fully integrated neighborhoods with whites.” …
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Devolution
Artwork by Michael DiMilo This past weekend, my brother and took a trip to the family cabin in order to take in the pier, an autumn ritual. It’s a long ride to get up there, just under a four-hour trek, but the fall colors were just reaching their peak, so it was very scenic, although …
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The Big Burnout
Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter After Donald Trump was elected—and even before then (during the non-stop drama of his reality-TV campaign and election)—I was an avid consumer of political news. On cable TV, I followed Rachel Maddow, Chris Hayes, Anderson Cooper, Bill Maher, Joe Scarborough with Mika Brzezinski, and even, for as long …
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The Big If…
Artwork By Michael DiMilo Last week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that the House of Representatives would be commencing an impeachment inquiry against President Trump based on whistleblower evidence alleging the president had pressured Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate his political opponent, Joe Biden. After speaking to the urgency of the situation and the …
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Better than What?
Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Earlier this month, in the course of one twenty-four period, thirty-three people were killed during two mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio. According to CBS News, as of August 5th, there have been over two hundred fifty-five deaths resulting mass shootings in this country since …
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The Part You Won’t Recognize
Artwork by Michael DiMilo The controversy over the freshmen Congressional members of the “Squad”, ginned up by President Trump in inflammatory tweets last week, reminds me of how prominent black athletes who spoke out for black rights in the ‘60s and ‘70s were condemned by mainstream American culture. Muhammad Ali is the archetype for this …
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Brooding Parasite
Artwork by Michael DiMilo The brown-headed cowbird has a notorious reputation as a brood parasite, a bird that relies on other species to raise its own young. A cowbird will find a host nest, destroy or evict one of the original resident’s eggs, and replace it with one of her own. The host bird will …
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Won’t Get Fooled Again
Artwork by Michael DiMilo Everyone is familiar with the term “the one percent,” our name for the ultra-rich of American society. These are the ones who control nearly fifty percent of the wealth in this country, a figure that has been consistently and perniciously growing. Some projections suggest this elite club will control almost two-thirds …
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Full Measure
Artwork by Michael DiMilo Ah, Memorial Day: the harbinger of summer, the first family picnic, and the grill master’s opening day. Memorial Day also happens to be the holiday recognizing and honoring those who have made the ultimate sacrifice defending our nation and Constitution. It is a national salute to all the soldiers who have …
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Our Pre-existing Condition
Artwork by Michael DiMilo The release of the long-anticipated Mueller Report this past weekend was anticlimactic to say the least: a disappointment for some and a vindication for others. The report contained no smoking guns or bombshells, but also no acquittals—a fact that seemed to be lost upon our esteemed leader. In yet another presidential …
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