Category Archives: Politics

Late Night Tuesday, November 3rd, 2020 (a poem-prophecy in which I predict the election result for those with ears to hear)

Posted on May 18, 2020 by Santi Tafarella

LATE NIGHT TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3RD, 2020 I. Yeats has a question, and I just love Barbara Stanwyck, don’t you? So the first thing I’m getting is this: White is the color of loose saints’ robes and of atheism, and blue-white … Continue reading →

Posted in aesthetics, atheism, beauty, climate change, coronavirus, donald trump, meditation, poetry, Politics, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

With Stormy Daniels, The Power of Sex–Not the Russians, Not the Majority of Voters–May Finally Achieve Trump’s Unraveling

Posted on March 9, 2018 by Santi Tafarella

Did Donald Trump pay Stormy Daniels to help him win the presidency or was he just keeping a secret from his wife? If it’s the former, he has foisted a fraudulent marital persona before the country to achieve election and … Continue reading →

Posted in beauty, Bernie Sanders, brexit, donald trump, feminism, hillary clinton, Politics, Ted Cruz, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Tariffs Are for Friends of Trump–But Not the Rest of Us

Posted on March 8, 2018 by Santi Tafarella

Jeffrey Dorfman’s recent essay for Forbes on Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs is titled, “On Steel Tariffs, the Math Just Doesn’t Add Up.” But the math actually adds up just fine from the vantage of the connected rich. Tariffs are … Continue reading →

Posted in Bernie Sanders, brexit, donald trump, hillary clinton, Politics, Ted Cruz, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

If Trump Now Fires Mueller, Collusion with Russia Will Be Happening Every Day in Real Time

Posted on February 17, 2018 by Santi Tafarella

Trump is a traitor who won’t defend the integrity of his own country’s election system from Russian election hackers. Think about that. After the indictment of thirteen Russians Friday, Trump is now literally assisting them in a cover-up if he … Continue reading →

Posted in Bernie Sanders, donald trump, feminism, hillary clinton, Politics, Uncategorized | 20 Comments

Trump Slurs His Speech–Again

Posted on January 5, 2018 by Santi Tafarella

It’s not just the fact that President Trump was put on video yesterday in place of a face-to-face encounter with the press, it’s that, when you actually watch it, the screen cuts suggest the possibility that this was pieced together … Continue reading →

Posted in Bernie Sanders, brexit, donald trump, hillary clinton, Politics, Ted Cruz, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

A Life-Affirming Talk on Sustainable Community Building

Posted on November 19, 2017 by Santi Tafarella

I like this.  

Posted in atheism, beauty, climate change, donald trump, Politics, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

THE HATE POTATO: Will Trump Hatred Absent Hillary Hatred Prove to Be the Deciding Election Factor in 2018 and 2020?

Posted on October 26, 2017 by Santi Tafarella

Something this morning in an analysis of data at The Washington Post by James Hohmann strikes me as extremely hopeful for Democrats. It may prove, in 2018 and 2020, that what holds the Democratic coalition together to beat the fractured Republican … Continue reading →

Posted in atheism, Bernie Sanders, climate change, donald trump, feminism, hillary clinton, Politics, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Trump and Authoritarianism

Posted on May 16, 2017 by Santi Tafarella

Clarity. A must-view, short video from Vox surveying some of the political science data on authoritarianism and its relation to Trump. A really excellent summary.

Posted in atheism, Bernie Sanders, brexit, climate change, donald trump, edward feser, feminism, God, hillary clinton, Politics, science, Ted Cruz, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

The Enlightenment Under Attack: Free Desiree Fairooz

Posted on May 11, 2017 by Santi Tafarella

A woman, it appears, may soon go to jail for a year for laughing at Jeff Sessions. Her name is Desiree Fairooz. A quote from a recent article at CNN’s website: [T]he notion of an American citizen going to jail … Continue reading →

Posted in atheism, atomism, Bernie Sanders, brexit, david hume, donald trump, edward feser, feminism, hillary clinton, Lucretius, Politics, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

“Siloviki”: Yale’s Timothy Snyder Nails The Stakes Surrounding Trump’s Firing Of James Comey

Posted on May 11, 2017 by Santi Tafarella

A hijacking. A Putin-like coup. Is this where it’s going? The below quote from Yale Holocaust historian Timothy Snyder is the most chilling I’ve run across since the firing of James Comey. It clearly articulates exactly what is at stake: … Continue reading →

Posted in atheism, Bernie Sanders, brexit, donald trump, hillary clinton, Politics, Ted Cruz, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Trump’s America Is Not My America

Posted on March 15, 2017 by Santi Tafarella

I don’t like the phrase “not my president.” I understand the sentiment, but I think it would be a more accurate reflection of that sentiment to say, “not my America.” Trump’s America is not my America in exactly the same … Continue reading →

Posted in aesthetics, atheism, Bernie Sanders, climate change, donald trump, feminism, God, hillary clinton, Politics, science, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

The Tools of Manipulation vs. The Tools of Critical Thinking

Posted on March 13, 2017 by Santi Tafarella

In a recent article at The New York Times (“Why We Believe Obvious Untruths”), two cognitive scientists, Philip Fernbach and Steven Sloman, claim that dispersed knowledge is a ready and overriding explanation for why people profess belief in foolish things … Continue reading →

Posted in aesthetics, atheism, atomism, Bernie Sanders, climate change, david hume, donald trump, edward feser, feminism, God, hillary clinton, philosophy, Politics, science, Uncategorized | 7 Comments

“A Neutral Color Or Yellow?” A Poem On The Problem Of Fence Sitting In The Age Of Trump

Posted on March 5, 2017 by Santi Tafarella

A NEUTRAL COLOR OR YELLOW?   If the emperor Says he has clothes, And has no clothes, Is silence suspended Judgment or cowardice? _____ Per Wikipedia: “On 10 May 1933, in an act of ominous significance, the students burned upwards … Continue reading →

Posted in aesthetics, atheism, beauty, Bernie Sanders, climate change, donald trump, feminism, meditation, philosophy, poetry, Politics, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

What Time Is It? (Another Poem for Daniela Vargas)

Posted on March 2, 2017 by Santi Tafarella

WHAT TIME IS IT?   There are times When silence Does not mean Neutrality, Nor fairness, Nor indecision, Nor open-mindedness, But consent And approval; Indifference And cowardice. Our time is one Of those times.  

Posted in aesthetics, atheism, beauty, donald trump, feminism, hillary clinton, meditation, philosophy, poetry, Politics, Ted Cruz, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Question (a poem for DREAMer Daniela Vargas, in the United States since age seven, arrested in retaliation for exercising her free speech, 2017)

Posted on March 2, 2017 by Santi Tafarella

QUESTION What does it mean If a tree falls In a forest On a person And no One makes a sound?

Posted in aesthetics, beauty, donald trump, feminism, hillary clinton, meditation, philosophy, poetry, Politics, Ted Cruz, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Camille Paglia Trolls the Oscars

Posted on February 24, 2017 by Santi Tafarella

Camille Paglia has, it seems to me, a persistent issue with confirmation bias. In the linked article below, she once again arrives with a dubious thesis that she then (predictably) locates a few snippets of anecdotal evidence for, rarely (never?) … Continue reading →

Posted in aesthetics, beauty, donald trump, feminism, hillary clinton, Politics, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Let Gorsuch Through

Posted on February 1, 2017 by Santi Tafarella

This is the wrong fight. Let him through. Let the Democratic senators express their concerns and make their points, but this is not the man to filibuster. Don’t behave like Republicans have over the past eight years, supporting left-leaning iterations … Continue reading →

Posted in atheism, Bernie Sanders, brexit, climate change, donald trump, feminism, hillary clinton, Politics, Ted Cruz, Uncategorized | 11 Comments

Steve Bannon’s Vision in a Nutshell–and California as the Counter-Model

Posted on February 1, 2017 by Santi Tafarella

Steve Bannon’s chief goals are outlined in the link below to a recent Washington Post article. Among them is a large strategic vision grounded in national sovereignty. Bannon thinks that Western countries have surrendered ever increasing degrees of sovereignty to … Continue reading →

Posted in atheism, Bernie Sanders, donald trump, feminism, hillary clinton, Politics, science, Ted Cruz, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Robert Young is Probably Wrong. Trump Neutrality Endangers Resisters. And That’s Why Scientists Should March on Washington

Posted on January 31, 2017 by Santi Tafarella

The more people who peel off, the more dangerous it becomes for those remaining in the streets who resist. So this is hard for me to read. I post a link to the below article by Robert Young, not because … Continue reading →

Posted in atheism, atomism, Bernie Sanders, brexit, climate change, david hume, donald trump, hillary clinton, Lucretius, Politics, science, Ted Cruz, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Felony Charges Brought Against Six Journalists

Posted on January 25, 2017 by Santi Tafarella

Fascism? What else do you call this? Six journalists–journalists–reporting on the inaugural protests have been roped into the felony charges brought against some of the property damaging protesters themselves. This should be extremely alarming for anybody who cares about the … Continue reading →

Posted in atheism, Bernie Sanders, climate change, donald trump, feminism, hillary clinton, Politics, Ted Cruz, Uncategorized | 2 Comments