KnoFear

            In light of the 101st anniversary of the October Revolution, it is worthwhile (and likely necessary) that we as communists, socialists, and fellow travelers alike address a topic which has effectively become our eternal modern cross to bear when it comes to debate: Venezuela. Venezuela and the progress/lack thereof it has made towards socialism has become an endless discussion point among us on the left and a ceaseless point of attack upon us from the hard right, regardless of how intelligent that point of attack tends to be. Deciding where we stand and where things look to be going in the future is increasingly difficult as the s

Greetings all! Now that I look at it, it really has been a while since I last posted something here. Needless to say, I’ve been working out some issues with this blog, along with struggling to get back into writing after an odd writer’s block. Regular posting will likely resume in the New Year, but to bide my time I’ll be posting my research paper I did for my economics of poverty class this past semester. It covers the link between unionization and inequality.   Unionization and Inequality: An Economic Analysis Introduction    Five years into an economic recession among most developed nations, the issues of income and w

Greetings all! This piece represents a conglomeration of work which I feel I may have overdone, in view of the length of time I used to write it. My return piece concerns the growing trend of Russian nationalism, a right-wing philosophy has been essentially the national policy of the Kremlin.   Russia for Russians: A Brief History Russian nationalism has been a mix of historic attitudes and Orthodox Church support for centuries now. In the past, tsars manipulated the xenophobia of Russian peasants generally to stoke support for non-Western varieties of modernization or expansion. Given that Russia was harshly dealt with by Mongol invaders,

Greetings all! In a break from my experiment with poetry (which appears to be going well so far), this week I’ve decided it is rightful to address the government shutdown. Seeing as this isn’t a very common event, I’d like to present some ideas for dealing with it, alongside with a slightly new approach to how I structure these pieces.   Introduction: What caused the shutdown? For those not living in the United States, the news of the shutdown of the government is likely not covered highly and/or not paid attention to. Even if it is, I’ve already had to explain to several people what’s going on this week, so I

Rising Son Born from your love, second to none. A house untouched by hate, by anger, a world none could disrupt. But you didn’t want me. When the other parents asked “Is that your kid?” you always confirmed. Whether you liked it or not, I was yours. When I was shit at sports, and other parents cringed, you too cringed and awkwardly smiled. When the other kids yelled at me, and shouted “You suck!” you just told me to look away, and we left. When I tried to draw, and couldn’t do more than stick figures, you seemed annoyed. But you showed nothing, nothing but that look of old disappointment on

Freezing Rain We met at 12, both in age and in time. Seventh grade, science class, period 6, just after lunch. We were friends right away, never a fight between us. We enjoyed every day, except riding that shitty bus. You told me you had AIDS, born with it, you said. Took your mother’s life, and your father, he just left. I assured you it was fine, that I’d never hate who you were. You shook my hand, you said, “It’s great to have a friend.” Two years passed us, flying right on by. Each good day getting better, each great day refusing to die. But you got sicker, “Just a small thing, no

The Village In a country called Syria,            A country I called home, We lived a quiet and peaceful life,            On the east side of Aleppo. My family, rooted here,            Countless generations from past to present. A world untouched by evil,            An existence untouched by strife.            And yet our world changed. They started chanting, demanding in the street,            “For freedom!” they shouted, and a man they intended to defeat. Assad, the man in power, his family in control for years,            Apparently the devil, one whom deserves no right to rule. They say we must rebel, we m

Maybe Maybe I could have been there,            for each time I missed it I hurt. Maybe I could have heard your voice,            and been soothed into a bittersweet surrender. Maybe I could have known you better,            and known a world through your eyes. Maybe I could have reached over to you,            and brushed my hand against what was not there, not for me.            But I never did. Maybe I could have seen what I was missing,            but I was blinded by what came before. Maybe I could have realized it sooner,            but we were too far apart for me to hear you cry. Maybe I could have been better for

I speak no greetings. Not tonight. This week, I address an issue of pure emotion. I tell of heartbreak, of loss, of anger, and of defeat. They say that things have changed, that we've moved on. That we’re beyond what once made us the worst among the crowd. That America is a haven, that we’re the best. We’re number one, they say. But in that decision handed down by that jury Saturday night, we can see that they are wrong.   If you’re unsure of what I’m talking about, let me inform you: George Zimmerman was found not guilty in his trial for the death of Trayvon Martin. It has been some time since the crime occurre

Greetings all! Tonight, I address a topic I've been meaning to write about ever since the very beginning. I have recently been reminded of just how widespread the problem of basic hunger is in the United States, and so I've decided to enumerate my thoughts around said problem.   Moving on, my attention to hunger needs has largely always been determined by how frequently news outlets I trust cover the issue. For the most part, this means my anger and idealism surrounding hunger comes to a boil every few weeks, unless a momentous event occurs. My interest peaked this morning, as I read an article about hungry children in Tennessee from the Was