Tag Archives: satire

Alan Haber on the origins of SDS, similarities to the Occupy movement, Ann Arbor at the height of McCarthyism, and why he never built that second bomb

By Mark | May 14, 2012

I spent yesterday morning with my friend Jeff, at the home of Alan Haber, the first president of Students for Democratic Society (SDS). We talked about Ann Arbor at the height of McCarthyism, the circumstances which gave rise to SDS, the drafting of the Port Huron Statement 50 years ago, and the opportunity that may […]

Posted in Ann Arbor, Civil Liberties, History | Also tagged 1959, Abbie Hoffman, Alan Haber, Angel Hall, armed self-defense, Arnold Kaufman, black bloc, blowing things up, bombs, Chandler Davis, Clement Markert, Derrick Jensen, FDR, Flint Sit-Down Strike, German American Bund, getting fired, House Unamerican Activities Committee, humor, Inter-Cooperative Council, Jeff Clark, League for Industrial Democracy, League of Industrial Democracy, loyalty oaths, Mark Nickerson, MLK, mooning, Nazi, non-violence, Occupy, Occupy Wall Street, participatory democracy, Paul Robeson, PIC, pipe bombs, Political Issues Club, Port Huron Statement, racism, revolution without executions, SDS, SLID, SNCC, social security, Social Security Act, soul power, Splinter Group, Stephen Tonsor, street theater, student activism, Student League for Industrial Democracy, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Students for a Democratic Society, tudent Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, violence vs non-violence, Weather Underground, welfare, woodworking, yippies | 26 Comments

On embracing a future without police and fire personnel

By Mark | May 2, 2012

I’ll admit that I was concerned when I first heard the news that we’d be laying off unprecedented numbers of police officers and fire fighters across the state. I understood, of course, that it was vitally important that our most wealthy citizens be allowed to stop contributing toward the greater good, but, being the Nervous […]

Posted in Mark's Life, Michigan, Observations, Other, Uncategorized | Also tagged Adam Besso, Bee Sting, empowerment, fire safety, gated comm, gated communities, Libertarianism, Mackinac Center for Public Policy, police, super hero, the growing gap between rich and poor, wealth inequality | 22 Comments

Introducing my new socially-responsible business idea… The Divine Justice Gun Shop and Family Empowerment Center

By Mark | March 5, 2012

I had a great business idea the other day, that I know is going to make me a fortune. It’s the perfect business for today’s lean, mean Michigan. It capitalizes on every trend. The idea… and I probably shouldn’t share this publicly, before the Kickstarter campaign even gets off the ground… is a chain of […]

Posted in Ideas, Mark's Life, Michigan, Uncategorized | Also tagged business, business ideas, churches, Emergency Financial Manager, empowerment, G Gordon Liddy, gun violence, guns, justifiable homicide, Mark's big ideas, new models for non-profits, new revenue models, police, Stewart Beal, war profiteering | 30 Comments

Is Mitt Romney a serial killer? A Super PAC formerly aligned with Stephen Colbert seems to think so

By Mark | January 15, 2012

Some folks feel as though Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, through their humor, are contributing, albeit unintentionally, toward the construction of the post-reality dystopian fantasy world that we now find ourselves living in. And, sometimes, I begrudgingly count myself among them. As much as I enjoy the work of both men, and appreciate the fact […]

Posted in Corporate Crime, Media, Uncategorized | Also tagged Americans for a Better Tomorrow Tomorrow, Attack In B Minor For Strings, Bain Capital, campaign finance reform, Citizens United, corporations are not people, corporations are people too, March to Keep Fear Alive, Mitt Romney, Mitt the Ripper, political ads, Restoring Truthiness, serial killers, Super PAC, The Definitely Not Coordinated With Stephen Colbert Super PAC | 6 Comments

Race to the bottom

By Mark | May 30, 2011

Our Governor tells us that, if we want to compete, we need to keep taxes low. That, he assures us, is the only way that we’ll be able to attract new businesses, and keep the ones that we’ve still got. While our Republican leadership in Lansing has taken some steps in that direction, I question […]