Articles about politics

Congress Must Not Abdicate to Bush
Kendall Clark and Bijan Parsia
During a national tragedy, Congress seems too willing to capitulate its role to the President's ambition.
14 September 2001

Whose Equal Protection?
Kendall Clark
The majority pins its ideological power grab on specious equal protection claims while real disenfranchisement went on with little comment.
13 December 2000

Voting Matters?
Bijan Parsia
Some reflections on futility and usability.
5 November 2002

The Strange Values of President Bush
Kendall Clark
What does President Bush's opposition to ballistic fingerprinting say about his values?
24 October 2002

Freedom to Spew: Appropriate Responses?
Bijan Parsia
What can we do to oppose speech we hate?
19 March 2001

Bush's Order Creates Military Tribunals
Kendall Clark
Bush's executive order creates military tribunals as a justification for summary executions.
15 November 2001

Congressional Response to Terrorist Attacks
Kendall Clark
What has Congress done to respond to the terrorist attacks?
22 September 2001

Those who do not obey shall be destroyed
Bijan Parsia
Bush declares the Newest World Order.
23 September 2001

Bush Whacked #2
Collin Williams
Political satire of the planned missile defense system.
26 June 2001

Bad News: Noam Chomsky Archive
Kendall Clark
Monkeyfist hosts a Noam Chomsky archive.
21 June 2001

Strong Words and Strange Reasons
Bijan Parsia
Some tangled thoughts about the Jenna Bush flap reaction.
7 June 2001

Politics of Human Rights: The UN, US, and Sudan
Kendall Clark
The US gets its comeuppance in the UN and points the finger of blame at Sudan.
10 May 2001

Bushwhacked
Collin Williams
Bushwhacked, #1
3 June 2001

Give It Back
Niel Bornstein
Give your tax rebate to someone who deserves it.
31 May 2001

Hacking the Federal Government: Openness and the FOIA
Kendall Clark
The Freedom of Information Act is one of the most powerful tools in the citizen's toolkit. Learn to use it.
6 July 2000

Loathing Bush More
Kendall Clark
We loathe Gore but loathe Bush more!
23 October 2000

The Folly of Internet Voting, or Democracy and Disenfranchisement
Kendall Clark
During this rare interregnum of sorts, proponents of Internet voting press their case, while disenfranchisement rages on.
17 November 2000

If We Ran the Presidential Debates...
Kendall Clark
If the Monkeyfist Collective ran the presidential debates, they'd be different in three ways: first, no corporate sponsors; second, Nader, Buchanan, David McReynolds, and Harry Browne would be included; third, no softball questions.
3 October 2000

Vote Bore 2000!
Niel Bornstein
This billboard appeared in Charlotte, NC
22 October 2000

Fuzzy counts: Did Bush invent ballot counting procedures?
Bijan Parsia
Bush's self-coronation speech tries to build legitimacy out of distortion.
27 November 2000

Presidential Debates, Town Halls, and the Corporate Assault on American Democracy
Kendall Clark
Citizens face near insurmountable structures and forces of control of their access to politicians and candidates. These forces serve corporate interests, whose access is unlimited. This asymmetry is part of the assault on the very idea of the common good.
18 October 2000

Blame It on the Butterfly
Kendall Clark
Massive electoral and political confusion from the pedestrian Florida butterfly ballot.
9 November 2000

The Case for Concession
Niel Bornstein
May the better man give up.
10 November 2000

Who is the spoiler?
Bijan Parsia
Predictably, the (possibly) Losing Loyal Liberals want to blame Nader and the Greens for the (possible) Gore defeat. But is it right, correct, or prudent to do so?
9 November 2000

Election 2000 Wrapup
Niel Bornstein
Our correspondent summarizes the election.
8 November 2000

Third Party Spoiler!
Kendall Clark
A third party spoiler as predicted tip the race to Bush!
8 November 2000

Voting is Hard
Niel Bornstein
In which our correspondent meets his neighbors at the polls.
7 November 2000

A Modest Proposal
Bijan Parsia
A simple proposal that would simultaneously increase general citizen participation in and control over government and reduce that of the corps and professional lobbyists.
2 November 2000

Voter Disobedience: Solidarity and Disloyalty
Bijan Parsia
A study of the Nader/Gore dispute in light of Thoreau's Civil Disobedience.
31 October 2000

Gored Liberals, Wasted Votes, and Selling Out
Bijan Parsia
Some thoughts on the malestrom of "tactical voting" arguments.
30 October 2000

Nice Guys Don't Mock the People They Execute
Bijan Parsia
Continually cropping up is the claim that Bush is a nice person. He's not.
25 October 2000

Tax Cuts
Collin Williams
Indecision 2000
25 October 2000

The Only Real Choice, Vote Nader 2000
Collin Williams
Nader 2000 animated gif
22 October 2000

Hypodermic Death Machines Repeat a Monotonous Tone
Kendall Clark
A moment of joyful dissent in Austin.
18 October 2000

Master Debaters
Niel Bornstein
A better answer for Cheney's snide comment.
6 October 2000

Raking Gore's Muck
Kendall Clark
Al Gore is the only realistic choice for President in 2000. So say many white progressives. And yet Gore stinks from his own political muck. Cockburn and St. Clair's new book demonstrates why.
18 September 2000

Language and Power: Robert Coover's The Public Burning
Jeremy Bushnell
Jeremy Bushnell offers a fine review of a fascinating book, Robert Coover's The Public Burning, a Pynchonesque telling of the story of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.
7 September 2000

A Non-declaration of Peace
Bijan Parsia
President Clinton addresses Columbia in his native tongue: Newspeak.
31 August 2000

Secretaries of Imperialism: From Adams to Albright
Kendall Clark
Secretary of State Albright's latest statement on Cuba is yet another episode in a long history of American imperialistic propaganda.
30 August 2000

What Gore won't give
Bijan Parsia
Gore could gain some progressive credit by doing what he just will never do: treat the protesters well.
15 August 2000

Book: The Fire Next Time, James Baldwin
Kendall Clark
A great read for the beginning of African American History Month, which starts today.
1 February 2000

Fourth of July
Kendall Clark
What is the promise of American liberty?
4 July 2000

Education and Profit
Kendall Clark
For-profit education is ruinous, and we will regret it.
28 June 2000

Anti-protest Propaganda Intensifies
Kendall Clark
The Washington Times continues its ignoble tradition of antidemocratic propaganda.
24 May 2000

We're killing Gary Graham today
Kendall Clark
No prisoner goes to his death alone, a little bit of every one of us goes with every one of them.
26 June 2000

Green Convention Over the Web
Kendall Clark
Do the Green thing over the Web.
22 June 2000

Anyone else see this coming?
Kendall Clark
I never understood the Buchanan-Fulani alliance; now that it's over, I still don't understand it.
19 June 2000

Terrorism? What Terrorism?
Niel Bornstein
Kendall Clark analyses the National Commission on Terrorism's report to Congress.
14 June 2000

Green Party Ballot Triumph in Texas
Kendall Clark
Green Party of Texas reinvigorates grassroots democracy.
30 May 2000

Farmers Push for Cuba Policy Change
Niel Bornstein
It's Lobby vs. Lobby in an embargo-busting battle royale!
24 May 2000

Chomsky Lecture in New Mexico
Kendall Clark
A Chomsky lecture in New Mexico proves a spur to thinking about politics and family.
16 May 2000

Wither compassion?
Kendall Clark
Will some journalist ask George W. these questions?
12 January 2000

United Students Against Sweatshops
Kendall Clark
The all-students-are-slackers myth is horseshit; but since the mainstream media ignores campus activism, you'd have to be on a campus regularly to even know about it.
24 February 2000

The Politics of Breastfeeding
Bijan Parsia
A political, social, economic, and historical look at breastfeeding.
2 March 2000

Twelve Soldiers Fight The War For Freedom
Niel Bornstein
Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech.
31 March 2000

Corporate Arrogance on the Web
Kendall Clark
Corporatization of the Web continues apace...
9 May 2000

Red Ken Elected
Niel Bornstein
The former Labour MP got elected despite (or perhaps because of) being booted from the party.
5 May 2000

I Had No Idea
Niel Bornstein
A preponderance of political poseurs.
3 May 2000

Niel's Prediction
Niel Bornstein
You heard it here first!
27 April 2000

Feds Rescue Hostage in Dramatic Pre-Dawn Raid
Niel Bornstein
Monkeyfist's take.
23 April 2000

National Review's Right-Wing Fantasies
Kendall Clark
The National Review's Reality Distortion Field is working overtime.
18 April 2000

Mf: Evil of Two Lessers, Part II
Kendall Clark
Have a second helping of steaming hot Monkeyfist content.
18 April 2000

Worker-CEO Earnings Gap Grows Wider
Kendall Clark
Oh, but they're worth it; who else lacks the requisite moral sense necessary to exploit foreign workers while firing domestic ones? That takes extraordinary talent. Most people are too decent!
18 April 2000

US Congressman Finds Facts in Iraq
Niel Bornstein
Someone in congress noticed that we're killing Iraqi children!
17 April 2000

You'll get my contribution when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers
Mike Billips
Dirtbag Republican Tom Delay is prying his pesticide-stained fingers into the sacred privacy rights of gun owners.
13 April 2000

Senate Rejects Gas Tax Rollback
Niel Bornstein
The Senate stupidly does smart things.
11 April 2000

The Evil of Two Lessers (Part One)
Kendall Clark
Original Monkeyfist content; get it while it's hot!
5 April 2000

Mike Moore's Letter to Elian Gonzalez
Kendall Clark
Michael Moore writes "a letter to Elian".
3 April 2000

The Torture Reporting Handbook
Kendall Clark
It's a terribly sad thing that we need such a book, but since we do, I'm glad it's on the Web.
31 March 2000

Free Speech? Not in America.
Kendall Clark
Free speech in America is sometimes a sick joke.
29 March 2000

Open the Debates, Boycott Budweiser
Niel Bornstein
It's crappy beer anyway. Think globally, drink locally!
30 March 2000

Davos SUCKS
Kendall Clark
Davos is undemocratic, secretive and elitist.
18 January 2000

Senate to Vote on Flag Desecration Amendment
Niel Bornstein
Congress is poised to amend the first amendment. Stop them!
24 March 2000

Army Psyops Setting CNN Editorial Policy?
Kendall Clark
During the Kosovo so-called "humanitarian intervention" Army Psyops personnel "interned" at CNN.
20 March 2000

Howard Zinn on Free Speech in America
Kendall Clark
Zinn takes a hard look at American tendencies toward denying free speech.
21 March 2000

Leonard Peltier is Running for President
Niel Bornstein
The imprisoned Native American activist is looking for a slate of electors in all 50 states.
21 March 2000

Have you seen this man?
Kendall Clark
H. Rap Brown is on the run.
19 March 2000

Government Grants Gun Maker Sweetheart Deal
Niel Bornstein
Well, waddaya know? It turns out guns do kill people.
18 March 2000

Vermont Leads the Nation
Kendall Clark
Vermont now leads the nation in civil rights.
17 March 2000

The Corporate Death Penalty
Niel Bornstein
When a corporation commits a crime, give it the death penalty!
14 March 2000

Gabrielle Palmer's The Politics of Breastfeeding
Bijan Parsia
A political, social, economic, and historical look at breastfeeding and strong critique of the formula/medical complex by Gabrielle Palmer.
9 March 2000

Save the Arts in Georgia!
Niel Bornstein
Governor Barnes' Education Bill would kill middle-school arts programs.
9 March 2000

The Campaign is Over. In March!?!
Niel Bornstein
In which the author ruminates on the sorry state of our electoral system.
9 March 2000

Watch out for the flying pigs
Kendall Clark
When Dave Winer starts saying things I agree with, watch out for flying pigs.
9 March 2000

Peace Without Profit: How the IMF Blocks Rebuilding in Mozambique
Kendall Clark
Massive flooding in Mozambique is only part of the problem there; IMF strangulation makes it worse.
6 March 2000

Equal Access to Georgia Ballots!
Niel Bornstein
A Georgia law would give voters a choice by helping to put third parties on the ballot.
6 March 2000

Constitutional Trivia
Niel Bornstein
The Bill of Rights originally had 12 articles. What happened to the other two?
5 March 2000

New York Times Endorses McCain, Gore
Niel Bornstein
The Gray Lady picks the "best" men in the presidential primaries.
5 March 2000

To Spoil or Not To Spoil
Niel Bornstein
In which the author tries to decide what to do on primary election day.
2 March 2000

Update: Supreme Court Protest on Monday
Kendall Clark
A eyewitness account of what it was like on Monday, Feb 28, at the death penalty protest at the Supreme Court.
2 March 2000

A16: Mobilization for Global Justice
Kendall Clark
Non-violent protests planned for April 16th meeting of World Bank and IMF.
1 March 2000

Civil Rights and the "Hacker Menace"
Kendall Clark
As predicted here last month, lawmakers move toward restricting civil liberties to combat the "hacker menace".
1 March 2000

Odell Barnes: Texas Killing an Innocent Man?
Kendall Clark
Some of the forensic evidence used to convict Odell Barnes, scheduled to die in Texas today, appears to have been planted by police.
1 March 2000

Dealth Penalty Abolition Protest at Supreme Court
Kendall Clark
Protests at Supreme Court in opposition to death penalty.
28 February 2000

President Albright?
Niel Bornstein
The Secretary of State has been mentioned as a candidate for the next presidency of the Czech Republic.
28 February 2000

Demonstrations for Diallo
Kendall Clark
Thousands demonstrate in NYC, demanding justice for Amadou Diallo.
28 February 2000

The dirt on everybody
Bijan Parsia
All the presidential candidate scandals that're fit to HTTP.
26 February 2000

Cops Acquitted of Diallo Murder
Kendall Clark
41 shots, 19 wounds but no one is responsible?
26 February 2000

The next Seattle...
Kendall Clark
Where is the next Seattle going to be? Stay tuned to Monkeyfist for details.
25 February 2000

W's Voice
Niel Bornstein
When it comes to tweedle-dum and tweedle-dumber, it's obvious which one George Walker Bush is.
23 February 2000

Clinton fatigue, my butt
Mike Billips
The New Republic's Sean Wilentz puts paid to the conventional foolishness about "Clinton fatigue."
23 February 2000

South Carolina poll scandal
Kendall Clark
Salon.com reporter is naive or just stupid? Perhaps both.
22 February 2000

U.S. and E.U. Military Exports to China Since the 1989 Embargo
Niel Bornstein
Thought the law meant no munitions could be sold to China since the Tiananmen Square massacre? Wrong!
20 February 2000

Dying for Growth, Jim Yong Kim
Kendall Clark
Dying for Growth explodes the myths of the WTO, IMF and their ilk: that development loans improve the developing world; that "big government" is the enemy of people; that free markets are a cure-all or reall free at all.
15 February 2000

...the enemies he keeps
Rob Beauchamp
It's hard not to like the McCain when you find out who doesn't.
15 February 2000

Michael Eric Dyson, I May Not Get There With You : The True Martin Luther King, Jr.
Kendall Clark
Dyson takes on the unjustified and misleading deification of MLK in order to show MLK to be a real moral hero.
14 February 2000

Noam Chomsky, Latin America: From Colonization to Globalization
Kendall Clark
A new Chomsky book is an event to celebrate.
14 February 2000

Two million is too many!
Kendall Clark
Why with less than 5% of the world's population does the US have 25% of the world's inmates?
11 February 2000

Robert Trout Remembers the Birth of McCarthyism
Niel Bornstein
50 years ago yesterday, the little-known senator from Wisconsin began a campaign of red-baiting.
10 February 2000

Seattle PD WTO Suspect Snitch Page
Kendall Clark
These people ought to be given medals.
10 February 2000

Clinton Stinks of Cash
Kendall Clark
His money grabbing ruined my nice evening drive... Grrr!
10 February 2000

Free speech and corporations
Kendall Clark
You can't say what you want about corporations? You can't say bad things about corporations?
10 February 2000

Haider Protests in Europe
Kendall Clark
Europeans don't piss and moan; they take their fights to the streets.
9 February 2000

Now, if we could only get them off TV
Mike Billips
A University (sic) of Georgia study shows that (at least in Georgia), the rate of tort lawsuits is dropping, juries are less likely than judges to side with plaintiffs, and $1 million verdicts are extremely rare.
9 February 2000

Hillary endorses heroin use, frequent masturbation in campaign opener
Rob Beauchamp
Rudy Giuliani believes the pre-event music at Hillary Clinton's official campaign kick-off provides some clues to her hidden agenda.
8 February 2000

Umberto Eco's Chilling Prognostications from Davos
Niel Bornstein
The novelist makes some predictions in his address at Davos. Appropriately, considering the setting, they aren't pretty.
8 February 2000

Fascism on the Democratic Stump
Kendall Clark
What are they so afraid of?
7 February 2000

The Prison Industry
Kendall Clark
Prison labor for corporations is abominable. It puts regular joes out of work and exploits the very people that should be getting rehabilitated all for greater corporate profit.
7 February 2000

Non-voting as Civil Disobedience
Niel Bornstein
Why don't more people vote?
4 February 2000

Chimp Rights Now!
Niel Bornstein
Do animals have rights?
4 February 2000

Vaporize Your Enemies! Nuclear Blast Mapper
Kendall Clark
Vaporize your enemies for fun and profit.
3 February 2000

Can I come, too, George?
Mike Billips
The New Republic looks at Orrin Hatch's bizarre ex-candidacy.
1 February 2000

Egalitarian Protest of CEOs at Davos
Niel Bornstein
POTUS is the egalitarianistest of all!
1 February 2000

Report: CIA Stalled Internal Investigation
Niel Bornstein
Wen Ho Lee wasn't the only guy to ever download secrets to his personal computer; unlike John Deutch, he just happened to be Chinese.
1 February 2000

The Republican Mosh Pit
Kendall Clark
How did Michael Moore start a mosh pit for Republican presidential candidates?
31 January 2000

Say, buddy, got train fare to Davos?
Mike Billips
The New Republic does a take on Roger Milliken, the billionaire South Carolina textile magnate who provides funding to anti-free-trade groups.
31 January 2000

Protests at Davos
Kendall Clark
Protests in Davos on Saturday, but the AP wire reports should be read very critically.
31 January 2000

Blackfoot Nation to declare its independence?
Kendall Clark
Blackfoot Nation meeting to consider declaring its independence of the United States and Canada.
31 January 2000

Jubilee 2000: A debt free start for a billion people
Kendall Clark
31 January 2000

Media Giant Bertelsmann Concedes Nazi Past
Kendall Clark
Bertelsmann, on of the largest English-language publishers in the world, admits Nazi past.
30 January 2000

Online Petition: Free All Political Prisoners in U.S
Kendall Clark
Sign a petition expressing support for freeing of political prisoners in America.
30 January 2000

Ustashe and Catholic Church?
Kendall Clark
Did the Catholic Church aid and abet Ustashe?
30 January 2000

SOTU Propaganda
Kendall Clark
Clinton's 2000 SOTU was full of lies, half-truths and distortions, two of which were particularly tiresome.
28 January 2000

It's the Slavery, Stupid
Rob Beauchamp
Miami Herald columnist Leonard Pitts explains what the Civil War was all about.
28 January 2000

Congress opts for censorship
Kendall Clark
Drug war's failure got you down? Why not violate the Constitution and censor drug speech?
27 January 2000

Dan Savage licks Bauer's doorknob
Mike Billips
Salon magazine article shows how point-of-view journalism is often more informative than the "objective" variety.
27 January 2000

Book: Canaries on the Rim: Living Downwind in the West
Kendall Clark
Canaries on the Rim tells an ugly story of environmental spoilage in the West.
26 January 2000

CD: The Prison Industrial Complex, Angela Davis
Kendall Clark
26 January 2000

CD of the Week: Free Market Fantasies, Noam Chomsky
Kendall Clark
Originally released via AK Press/ Allied; re-issued December 1999 by AT. A refutation of the fantasies marketed as the "American Dream." The gulf between reality and a "free market" where entrepeneurs can compete on a level playing field is growing da
26 January 2000

The Politics of Micro Radio
Kendall Clark
The politics of Micro Radio don't look good.
25 January 2000

Daily Davos Web site
Kendall Clark
Dailydavos.com is a Web site published by Newsweek.
24 January 2000

NY Times is Shocked, Shocked! to Learn Nomination Process is Undemocratic
Niel Bornstein
The Times seems to see a small problem with the huge number of early primaries.
24 January 2000

It's Granny D.'s Birthday
Kendall Clark
Granny D. is walking across America to bring attention to the problems of campaign finance reform. Oh, yeah, she's 90.
24 January 2000

Bayard Rustin
Kendall Clark
Bayard Rustin is the most important Civil Rights leader you've never heard of.
24 January 2000

Hey, it's a free country.
Rob Beauchamp
Unaccountably, not even the most desperately poor and discriminated-against Americans are availing themselves of the opportunity to live in Cuba.
22 January 2000

Paradises Lost and Found
Kendall Clark
21 January 2000

The Sources of George W. Bush
Kendall Clark
George Bush's political ambitions, in Texas and nationally, float upon a never-ending tide of scummy money.
21 January 2000

Hmm, Socalist paradise?
Mike Billips
A contrary opinion on the relative merits of young Elian's homeland.
21 January 2000

Elian Gonzalez is For Sale!
Kendall Clark
The rabid right-wingers who have essentially kidnapped Elian Gonzalez have now put him up for sale.
21 January 2000

Someone remind me why Cuba is so terrible?
Kendall Clark
I'd rather be poor or a person of color in Havana than in Washington D.C.
20 January 2000

The Rich Get Richer
Kendall Clark
How can any politician take credit for this? The gap between rich and poor is shameful; why are Clinton and Gore so proud?
20 January 2000

New Abolitionist Society
Kendall Clark
The New Abolitionists are traitors to the "white" race, and it's a damn good thing!
20 January 2000

Clinton says Confederate flag should come down
Mike Billips
South Carolinians have a peculiar definition of "Southerner."
19 January 2000

Davos and the Propaganda of Inclusion
Kendall Clark
To understand the talk of inclusion in Davos, you have to understand what the implied boundaries of globalization are.
19 January 2000

Star Wars Boondoggle
Kendall Clark
"Star Wars" technology is a defense contractor boondoggle to the tune of $3.3B in the present budget and as much as $55B since 1983.
19 January 2000

Take Down the Rebel Flag
Niel Bornstein
It's time the Southern states recognized the hate behind the Confederate battle flag.
19 January 2000

Those Krazy Kubans
Niel Bornstein
Michael Moore takes on the U.S.'s Cuba policy.
19 January 2000

"Letter From the Birmingham Jail"
Kendall Clark
MLK's historic "Letter From the Birmingham Jail"
17 January 2000

The Real MLK
Niel Bornstein
Barry Saunders is tired of the "I Have a Dream" speech.
17 January 2000

THE DEBT: What America Owes Blacks
Kendall Clark
Randall Robinson makes a compelling case for black reparations.
17 January 2000

"Reason" gets it wrong
Niel Bornstein
This article is full of holes. That doesn't mean that I agree with eco-terrorism, though.
17 January 2000

"Martin and Malcolm and America: A Dream or a Nightmare?"
Kendall Clark
James Cone explores the meaning of Martin and Malcolm for America.
17 January 2000

Sleeping Through a Revolution
Niel Bornstein
We must all learn to live together as brothers - or we will all perish together as fools.
17 January 2000

Living Wage Campaign
Kendall Clark
ACORN's Living Wage Campaigns seek to raise the standard of living of workers around the country by insisting that employers pay a living wage.
13 January 2000

British End Ban on Openly Gay Soldiers
Niel Bornstein
The government announced a code of conduct for the military today that ends its ban on openly gay men and women serving in the armed forces.
13 January 2000

What have you done about democracy?
Kendall Clark
12 January 2000

Free Lori Berenson
Kendall Clark
11 January 2000

Elvis and Tricky Dick Save America
Kendall Clark
11 January 2000

Fascism in the Heart Land
Kendall Clark
11 January 2000

U.S. Landmine Hypocrisy Exposed
Niel Bornstein
11 January 2000

Federal Rx: Marijuana
Christopher Largen
George McMahon smokes government pot. Legally.
10 December 2001