The enslavement of Africans and African-Americans. The Pequot War. The Olowalu Massacre. The Trail of Tears. The Mexican War. The Civil War. The Sand Creek Massacre. Wounded Knee. I've seen this Feb. 9 Vox.com post from Ezra Klein, titled "The rise of Donald Trump is a terrifying moment in American politics," a few times already in my … Continue reading Donald Trump is scary because America is scary
Tag: Barack Obama
One more thing about Obama’s speech
Inaugural Addresses–and all political speeches in general–are masterpieces of ambiguity. Low on specifics and high on lofty euphemisms and well-worn cliches, they seek to both reassure voters and provide sufficient cover for later, quite possibly nefarious actions. President Barack Obama's address today (click here to watch it, here to read it) was no different. One … Continue reading One more thing about Obama’s speech
Lingle apparently wants it both ways
Skeptic though I am of all things political, I must admit–in this first hour of Barack Obama's presidency–to feeling a bit contented at the state of our nation and its government. I'm sure it will pass in due time. In other news, I just noticed some strangeness surrounding our own Governor Linda Lingle's official statement … Continue reading Lingle apparently wants it both ways
7 days to go
Like many of my friends and neighbors, and much of the rest of the world (we're talking just about every conscious person out there), I'm looking forward to a time now slightly less than a week away when George W. Bush will no longer be President of the United States. That this will be a … Continue reading 7 days to go
BREAKING NEWS: Irony is dead
Seriously, it's hard to draw any other conclusion after reading this story in today's Honolulu Star-Bulletin about the growing national gaze being thrust upon some baby President-elect Barack Obama held during his recent Oahu vacation (click here for Oahu blogger Ian Lind's back story on the baby in question). Umm, politicians posing with babies was old … Continue reading BREAKING NEWS: Irony is dead
Stalker nonsense
I know I'm probably in the minority here, but I really don't care that President-elect Barack Obama left his Kailua vacation rental at 7:15 this morning for a workout at Kaneohe or that "his shirt was soaked when sweat" when he reappeared at 8:10. I don't care that his neighbors are sitting on "lawn chairs" … Continue reading Stalker nonsense
Obama’s nutty OC antagonist
And now to plug yet another of my former OC Weekly colleagues. On Monday, according to this Associated Press story, the Supreme Court trash-canned some New Jersey wad's attempt to overturn Barack Obama's presidential election, saying Obama is not a U.S. citizen because his dad was a British national. This is well known. But did … Continue reading Obama’s nutty OC antagonist
The numbers are in
I love ProPublica, a website entirely devoted to investigative news. Today they posted a fantastic new rundown of statistics on what exactly the Bush Administration has accomplished. Some stats show real progress over the last eight years (AIDS funding is up!) while others show some real decline in society (deportations are way up, too!). With … Continue reading The numbers are in
Ask for Obama by name
Nice to read today that Barack Obama has officially reached that uniquely American achievement of becoming a brand. "While many local tour companies now are offering visits to the old stomping grounds of President-elect Barack Obama, at least a dozen companies are using the Oahu-born politician's name in their trademark or trade name," reports today's … Continue reading Ask for Obama by name
Linda Lingle’s the one!
Somehow, 49 governors and governors-elect managed to attend President-elect Barack Obama's big meeting in Philadelphia today. Guess who didn't show? That's right, our own lovely and talented Linda Lingle, governor of the Great State of Hawaii. During the election, Lingle repeatedly made herself look a lot dumber than she is by publicly denigrating Obama's Hawaii roots. Now … Continue reading Linda Lingle’s the one!
Anthony Pignataro 