Political Discourse 2020

Given the five-month war with Iran, the ICE invasions of U.S. cities, efforts by the Trump administration to fix the 2026 congressional elections, the skyrocketing of the prices of basic consumer goods, and the perpetual grifting of the Trump family—the Lincoln Memorial Pool Brouhaha should be one of our least concerns. As argued below, such is not the case. Let me explain.   In an effort to beautify Washington, D.C. according to the aesthetic tastes of Donald Trump, our beloved president decided to have The Lincoln Reflecting Pool floor painted “American flag blue.” The refurbishing of the pool was part of an architectural redesign meant to symbolize the president’s vision of turning the U.S. into a new “golden age,” in which, as Trump envisions it, the nation would become “hot” again. Based on the president’s prompting, in the desire to complete the project in time for the 4 th of July 250 th anniversary celebration, the selected no-bid contractor turned this into a rush job....

I previously wrote on the importance of Angie Parkinson’s political values and the intensity to which she adheres to them. Based on her seven-year service on the town council, I respect her capacity to focus on the complex pragmatics of town-based governance matters while remaining grounded in her core political values as expressed in a variety of public forums. I appreciate the unique focus she brings as a high school social studies teacher and how her position has opened her students to the greater world around them. I admire her openness to all people and her grassroots approach to coalition building and campaigning. In living out the mantra of thinking globally while acting locally, Angie Parkinson would add a tremendous amount of positive value to the CT legislature as the next 10 th District Assembly Representative.   Angie’s underlying political passion is based on an inner drive to root out injustice on any level. This desire sparks her belief that in a country as wealthy...

Many thanks to Maura Fitzgerald for so succinctly making the case for Rep. John Larson’s candidacy in the August 11 th Democratic primary against his main opponent, former Hartford Mayor, Luke Bronin. She is on target in pointing to Larson’s seniority as a major advantage against President Trump’s unrelenting effort to dismantle democratic governance. This is particularly the case with the so called Save America Act, aimed to prevent the “godless communists” of the “Dumocrat” party from winning congressional election in either house in 2026, thereby, upholding the MAGA vision for decades to come. It is this objective—of promising Republicans that if they passed the Act they would win elections for the next 100 years—which is the rot at the center of this legislative proposal.   What makes Larson’s reelection so vital is his seasoned experience in providing needed oversight, particularly in his passioned commitment to protect and expand social security benefits for millions of se...

  In 2015, the Obama administration negotiated an agreement with Iran which resulted in the regulation and reduction of that nation’s nuclear program capable of producing weapons ‑ grade material in exchange for sanctions relief. Specifically, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) plan was concluded by the governments of the U.S., China, Russia, France, the United Kingdom, and Germany, coordinated by the European Union. It resulted in a significant reduction of Iran ’ s ability to enrich uranium and sharply limited the amount of enriched material it was permitted to retain. It also established strict monitoring of its nuclear activities.   The agreement had the objective of extending that nation’s “breakout” time from a few months to a year before they would reach capacity to acquire the material and technical capability to build a nuclear weapon should the agreement be broken. At the time of the deal, Iran possessed a uranium stockpile that, if further enriched, co...

  With little prospect for normalcy to reassert itself in our deranged political culture, the new year unfolds upon us with three dominating stories: the intrusion into Venezuela, the killings by ICE of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota, and the reigniting of Trump’s obsession to control Greenland. This letter addresses the interrelated foreign policy issues.   The move to take out former Venezuelan President, Nicolos Maduro cannot be viewed in isolation but needs to be seen within a broader objective of exerting U.S. power in Latin and South America and the intrusion into the wider western hemisphere. Whatever other reasons offered, the least credible was that of preserving democracy in Venezuela. Equally dubious was the accusation that Venezuela was a primary source of fentanyl importation into the U.S., given that most fentanyl imports originate in Mexico.   A somewhat stronger case could be made for Venezuela’s role in facilitating cocaine shipments to the U...

With little prospect for normalcy to reassert itself in our deranged political culture, the new year unfolds upon us with three dominating stories: the intrusion into Venezuela, the killing by ICE of Renee Good in Minnesota, and the reigniting of Trump’s obsession to control Greenland. This letter addresses the interrelated foreign policy issues.   The move to take out former Venezuelan President, Nicolos Maduro cannot be viewed in isolation. It must be understood within a broader context that included the previous several month bombings of small vessel ships in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, the broader objective of exerting U.S. power in Latin and South America, and the intrusion into the wider western hemisphere, particularly Canada and Greenland. Whatever other reasons underlying the Trump administration’s push to remove Madruro, the least credible was that of preserving democracy in Venezuela. Equally dubious was the accusation that Venezuela was a primary source of fent...