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On Deciding Not to Pul the Trigger
First published at CounterPunch If soldiers in a war zone can avoid killing innocent civilians in a split second, why couldn’t a federal agent do the same thing in an American city? I didn’t imagine when I joined the Army and volunteered for the infantry that one of my duties would involve anything resembling census… Continue reading
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The Mark Kelly “Sedition Scandal” and a President Who Doesn’t Understand the Oath
First published at The Political Prism. President Trump has a long history of disparaging members of the military who disagree with him. Back in 2015, he shrugged off John McCain’s five and a half years as a POW with “He’s not a war hero… I like people who weren’t captured,” and kept sniping at him… Continue reading
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The Costs of War: A Mother’s View
Note: This essay was written by my mom, Teri Wills Allison, more than twenty years ago (twenty-one, to be exact) while I was a young infantry squad leader serving in Iraq. It was originally published at TomDispatch and later reprinted in The Nation and other outlets. I’m sharing it here again because her words still cut straight to the truth… Continue reading
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Political Violence and the Paradox of Free Expression
This essay originally appeared at TCS “If there be time to expose through discussion the falsehood and fallacies, to avert the evil by the processes of education, the remedy to be applied is more speech, not enforced silence.”—Justice Louis Brandeis I wasn’t exactly Charlie Kirk’s biggest fan. I found him to be an annoying, performative… Continue reading
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Beside the Golden Door
First published at CounterPunch “Let nature do the freezing and frightening and isolating in this world. Let men work and love and fight it off.” —Jack Kerouac I woke up early this morning, like I do most mornings—especially in cities where I don’t have a mailing address. It’s not that I’m a “morning person” by… Continue reading
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Buck Up and Do Your Damnedest
“You’re sick of the game!” Well, now, that’s a shame. You’re young and you’re brave and you’re bright.“You’ve had a raw deal!” I know — but don’t squeal, Buck up, do your damnedest, and fight.It’s the plugging away that will win you the day, So don’t be a piker, old pard!Just draw… Continue reading
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Trump’s Third-Term Talk Is a Warning We Shouldn’t Ignore
This essay was first published at TCS After nearly a decade of Donald Trump dominating America’s frontal lobe, most of us have developed the survival skill of rolling our eyes and moving on. Ten years of Trump noise will do that to a body. We’ve watched reality TV bleed straight into the Oval Office until… Continue reading
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Skipping Due Process in the Name of Expediency Is Just State-Sponsored Kidnapping
This piece was originally published at The Political Prism. I’m not a lawyer, and I don’t play one on TV. I didn’t even stay at a Holiday Inn last night. But I can read and as I understand it, and as the Supreme Court has repeatedly affirmed, due process of law applies to everyone on U.S.… Continue reading
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The Line They’re Willing to Cut: How a Budget Proposal Could Cost Some Queer Kids Their Lives
An edited version of this essay was published at HuffPost Personal I remember reading a story late last year about a 16-year-old kid in Alabama who called the LGBTQ crisis line instead of going through with a suicide pact that he and three of his friends had made. The 2024 election had just been called for Donald… Continue reading
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The Gospel of Retribution, According to Donald
This essay was first published at TCS I’m not a practicing Christian… and unlike some people, I don’t pretend to be. I’m not here to explain the Gospel, but I know enough about Easter to be pretty sure it’s not a day meant for what reads like a meth-fueled hate sermon from a senile old… Continue reading
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