War & Peace on Mobile Bay: Springtime for Warships

#USSMontgomery (#LCS 8) underway for builder’s trials @MadeinAL #MobileAL pic.twitter.com/231cl3HvvO — Austal USA (@Austal_USA) March 3, 2016 Mobile, Alabama. Pronunciation: MOH-BEAL I found the above photo posted March 3rd on Twitter under #MobileAL, and thought it striking. Uniquely illustrative of the America few actually see. The image of tranquil Mobile Bay, relatively sleepy downtown Mobile, … Continue reading “War & Peace on Mobile Bay: Springtime for Warships”

Mississippi Delta Bluesmen, as Relevant Now as Ever

Bringing together strands of recent thoughts … the blues… Recently I updated the “Got the blues so bad” mix/Nick’s True Blues Playlist – skewing heavily to the first bluesmen recorded vs later interpreters, the Southern backwoods “sundown comin’ & klan caught up to me at the crossroads” blues and that type of bluesman. Muddy Waters, … Continue reading “Mississippi Delta Bluesmen, as Relevant Now as Ever”

Thoughts in October 2014: Flu Vaccines, Political Example-Stories, Confederate Ghosts in the Fog, and Mobile, Alabama memories

“Down in Mobile they’re all crazy, because the Gulf Coast is the kingdom of monkeys, the land of clowns, ghosts and musicians, and Mobile is sweet lunacy’s county seat.”—Eugene Walter So I was in Mobile, AL, a port city as complex as it is old, the Confederacy’s “undefeated” city, and my hometown, and I move … Continue reading “Thoughts in October 2014: Flu Vaccines, Political Example-Stories, Confederate Ghosts in the Fog, and Mobile, Alabama memories”

Ebola outbreak directly related to our cousin mammals, environmental destruction

Ebola hemorrhagic fever affects much of the mammalian family tree: its spread should make us remember our intimate connection with other mammals and the environment All animals sustain themselves on an ecological tightrope of sorts, delicately balancing so many needs, including water, food, space and safety, all tied to the habitat they live in. You … Continue reading “Ebola outbreak directly related to our cousin mammals, environmental destruction”

Public Health Back on the Frontburner with Ebola Panic

Nick Analysis: Focus on Long-term Policy Choices This attack ad put out by “The Agenda Project,” an org that apparently exists solely to place anti-GOP TV spots, is aimed at the electorate voting in the upcoming decisive midterm races for House and Senate. And it is unique in several ways. Most obviously, the ad is … Continue reading “Public Health Back on the Frontburner with Ebola Panic”

We’re Not Just Coping with “The Great Recession.” This Is “The Great Change.”

The Damage Wrought by the Great Big Horrendous Financialization Ka-blooie is Real.  But this was (and is) Part of a Great Change. My friends, there’s no doubt we live in interesting times. This isn’t just a recession when budget sheets show big gaps, then the economy dips into a deep lull and then comes back … Continue reading “We’re Not Just Coping with “The Great Recession.” This Is “The Great Change.””

How Can the U.S. Constitutional System Cope When Big Fracking Bucks mean Big Toxin Dumping?

With New Forms of Toxic Waste from the Fracking Bonanza Piling Up, What Must Be Done? I really like the PBS documentary mini-series Constitution USA, because it brings forward the constitutional arguments that are so relevant to the problems we face in our country today.  It explores a worthy cross-section of important legal/constitutional debates with … Continue reading “How Can the U.S. Constitutional System Cope When Big Fracking Bucks mean Big Toxin Dumping?”

OMG! Invasive Species: Asian Carp Confound U.S. System

The Mississippi River watershed a post-aCARPalypse world, the Great Lakes fear Carpmageddon! Verb: zerg (third-person singular simple present zergs, present participle zerging, simple past and past participle zerged) (slang, video games, strategy games) To attack an opponent with a large swarm of units before they have been able to build sufficient defenses. From the game StarCraft (1998), in … Continue reading “OMG! Invasive Species: Asian Carp Confound U.S. System”

Bitesized History: the Code Noir and Mercantilism in Jewish Mobile, Alabama

Tidbits of Colonial Mobile’s Economic and Legal History Through a 19th century Jewish Lens The rare book “A History of the Jews of Mobile,” a brief monograph published by Springhill Avenue Temple rabbi Alfred Geiger Moses in 1876 on the Jewish history of my hometown Mobile, AL, and now available online, records some fascinating facts.  I’ll … Continue reading “Bitesized History: the Code Noir and Mercantilism in Jewish Mobile, Alabama”

In a Nutshell: America’s Regulatory Octopus and Non-working Toilets

Part of a new series, “In a Nutshell,” in which I try to explain an idea in 500 words or less. When the tentacles of regulation clog your toilet The Commerce Clause of Article I of the U.S. Constitution gives Congress the power “To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the … Continue reading “In a Nutshell: America’s Regulatory Octopus and Non-working Toilets”

In a Nutshell: Ted Cruz is a Liberal (What’s liberalism?)

Part of a new series, “In a Nutshell,” in which I try to explain an idea in 500 words or less. What is a liberal? I think of liberalism as beginning with the belief that the citizen is sovereign and has certain inalienable rights, inalienable meaning they are indestructible and unconditional, not contingent on kings, … Continue reading “In a Nutshell: Ted Cruz is a Liberal (What’s liberalism?)”

George Washington’s Ideas about Technology and Transportation Infrastructure Offer Lessons for Today’s U.S.

An Independence Day post (belated) – bloggery for the Founders We would do well to mark the 4th not with the flag-waving militarism and “fighting for freedom” boo-yahs that typify so many public Independence Day events, and focus on the thing that Independence Day was really commemorating: the Declaration of Independence (adopted prior to large-scale … Continue reading “George Washington’s Ideas about Technology and Transportation Infrastructure Offer Lessons for Today’s U.S.”

Law and Order: When Is It Wrong To Follow The Law?

When law-breaking is moral and obedience is immoral Philosophical contradictions (cognitive dissonance) There have always been contradictions in the predominant (deeply right-wing) currents of political/moral thought in the state I call home, Alabama, that I have never made sense of. For example, one moment a conservative is the most believingest true believer of American ingenuity … Continue reading “Law and Order: When Is It Wrong To Follow The Law?”

VP Biden Accidentally Suggests U.S.-Asia Influence Waning

December 5th, 2013, Vice President of the U.S. (VOTUS) Joseph R. Biden, speaking to a conference room-full of PRC diplomats and dignitaries after meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, made an accidentally revealing comment: The United States has a profound stake in what happens here, because we need—we are, and will remain—a Pacific power, diplomatically, economically, and … Continue reading “VP Biden Accidentally Suggests U.S.-Asia Influence Waning”

New news items related to my blog posts, November 2013

Updates on stories I’ve presented As we say goodbye to November, here is a summary of November news items that add to, echo, or relate to, past posts from my blog. 1. Tea Partier fears about being in China’s debt On November 11th, I published an essay on the blog: Beijing’s Marshall Plan for the … Continue reading “New news items related to my blog posts, November 2013”

The Accursed 113th Congress: Are Our Democratic Institutions Broken?

ac·cursed 1: being under or as if under a curse 2: damnable Source: Merriam-Webster’s dictionary – accursed I am probably one of the few bloggers who would notice our worst. Congress. ever. is also the 113th Congress, and feel a gut feeling that the correlation isn’t really… entirely coincidental.  Too many horrendous events have happened … Continue reading “The Accursed 113th Congress: Are Our Democratic Institutions Broken?”

That Time Mobile, AL Made The Front Page of the New York Times

And how The Times missed the story It’s not exactly surprising that the New York Times missed the story: their writers too often cling to conventional wisdom like a drunk grabbing a lamppost, not for illumination as much as desperately-needed support.  Don’t get me wrong, the Times sometimes has great coverage and is valuable as one of the … Continue reading “That Time Mobile, AL Made The Front Page of the New York Times”

Turning Around America’s “Food Deserts”

Tackling the problem: two videos about creative solutions The last time I wrote about food and food policy, it was in the context of the invisible fist… commenting on one of the most Orwellian stories to date, the brutal closure of raw food sellers by SWAT teams enforcing draconian regulations against non-corporate unpasteurized milk and cheese. … Continue reading “Turning Around America’s “Food Deserts””

Beijing’s Marshall Plan for the United States

So, I’ve been considering the real causes of “red state” radicalism, and wrote an entire post on my attempts to grok the rapidly changing political landscape. I learned a great deal from my investigation, which you can read here.  But I want to go deeper on the economic roots of the situation, so I’m writing … Continue reading “Beijing’s Marshall Plan for the United States”

Tech guy on House Committee Hearing on Healthcare.gov: “it’s like watching my 1-year-old argue with my cat”

Two Deeper Issues to Consider So, I’m a little behind the curve on this one, as it happened in the late morning of October 24th and has been blogged and tumbl’d and tweeted about a bajillion times and now is a week old and largely forgotten… but that’s all right, since my blogging is all … Continue reading “Tech guy on House Committee Hearing on Healthcare.gov: “it’s like watching my 1-year-old argue with my cat””

What Right-wing Radio Reveals About the Shutdown Fiasco and the Republican Party

Learning about views you disagree with iTunes gives you the ability to tune in to pretty much any radio station across the country, so during the government shutdown I listened in to the right-wing echo chamber that is talk radio, trying to understand what’s going on, what’s driving the Tea Partier rage. Very few activists … Continue reading “What Right-wing Radio Reveals About the Shutdown Fiasco and the Republican Party”

Insightful Blogging in the Wake of the Gov’t Shutdown

October 2013 Roundup: Acts of Bloggery in the Shutdown’s Wake My picks for the blogosphere’s most valuable insights into the shutdown insanity: Moral lens: The 8 immoral ways the government shutdown is hurting the needy | On Faith – the shutdown inflicted pain on people already struggling and making due on government aid amidst the post-2008 “economic realignment,” … Continue reading “Insightful Blogging in the Wake of the Gov’t Shutdown”

My Take on the Great Gov’t Shutdown of 2013

I’ve blogged about many historical events over the years, deeply exploring significant events for Medicaid and health care reform, for state politics, for national politics…and I think the current federal government shutdown is one of the most significant political events I’ve covered.  I think it represents a major turning point. Fiorello LaGuardia famously said “There is … Continue reading “My Take on the Great Gov’t Shutdown of 2013”

Chaining down the money you’ve earned: the debate over Chained CPI

The debate over Chained CPI has been heating up all over the country and all over the web. What’s Chained CPI? Congressman Ellison explains. Rep. Ellison recorded this video in December. If he were recording today, he’d mention that PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA is the driving force behind Chained CPI, despite its intense unpopularity on all … Continue reading “Chaining down the money you’ve earned: the debate over Chained CPI”

A Note on Robert Bork and the End of Busing as a Desegregation tool

It’s been a while since I blogged about racism, but this blog has a broader mission to shine a light on the concerns of unheard, marginalized groups everywhere, which is why, in the past, I’ve written about things as far-flung and diverse as an effort to fund safehouses for LGBT youth being hunted down by … Continue reading “A Note on Robert Bork and the End of Busing as a Desegregation tool”

How ACA “ObamaCare” Exchanges Work: A Nick Animation

I made the above animated vignette to explain how the health insurance exchanges being established under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), online marketplaces for “shopping” for health insurance, roughly, will work. People will begin signing up for health insurance plans on the exchanges October 1st, and those plans will go into effect Jan 1st, 2014. … Continue reading “How ACA “ObamaCare” Exchanges Work: A Nick Animation”

High-Speed Rail Vital for PWD and the Nation; Why Have the Promises Evaporated?

High-Speed Rail (HSR) would help everyone and boost the economy but would disproportionately benefit PWD—people with disabilities—because for a significant percentage of us, it’s difficult to impossible to use the airlines. And with the TSA confusing the grit you get on your hands operating a manual wheelchair with “bomb residue” again and again, fewer PWD … Continue reading “High-Speed Rail Vital for PWD and the Nation; Why Have the Promises Evaporated?”

Bribeocracy Update: the Quid Pro Quo status quo—Revolving Door

Bribeocracy Update Winter/Q1 2013 I want this blog to be a useful source of information you’ll not get from TV or other web sites. You certainly don’t hear about Medicaid issues like “aging out” of most in-home support at age 21, and how it impacts the ventilator-dependent population, on other blogs. You won’t get in-depth … Continue reading “Bribeocracy Update: the Quid Pro Quo status quo—Revolving Door”

Wow!! Obama appointments sold to highest bidder

Dear reader: We’re facing really horrible corruption in our government; it’s getting so bad, we’re nearing like end-stage Byzantine Empire type corruption, with the rot of corruption undermining every government bureaucracy, every political appointment, and the decay reinforced by a corrupt people and the government feeding it back to people in this demonic loop. This … Continue reading “Wow!! Obama appointments sold to highest bidder”

Living in Zomerica

How I’ve Changed Since Moving to New York City or… Living in Zomerica I started out and made my name as an activist in Alabama, where the left is deeply influenced by Martin Luther King Jr. I always spoke in the language of Biblical and , sometimes overtly, very much in the tradition of the … Continue reading “Living in Zomerica”