Don Belton, a professor of English at Indiana University, was tragically killed by an assailant who, many in his local queer community are concerned, may seek to use a variant of the notorious "gay panic" defense. They are also concerned that hateful, racist, and homophobic remarks have been circulating on messaging boards under articles about Don's murder. >>

President Obama recently gave two speeches that should be seen as signposts of contemporary U.S. empire. Their continuity with American exceptionalist rhetoric of the past is striking, underlining the extent to which Obama is trapped within the paradigms of the past. >>

No one could stop the red tide that flooded across New York, Washington, Los Angeles, and San Francisco yesterday.  Santacon took hold of the streets in these and other cities across the globe.  With anarchist roots in the San Francisco Cacophony Society, Santacon has morphed into a global flash mob of partying and politics. While there is something suspiciously patriarchal about a guy in red taking credit for all the work that usually un-sung mothers put into Christmas morning, one can't help but think that this carnival may bode well for other anarchist self-organizing events.... >>

We are right around the corner from the 10th anniversary of the street protests that erupted on the streets of Seattle. To commemorate this anniversary, there are a slew of talks, screening, and events around the country. In NYC on Sunday at the Change You Want to See there will be a double movie screening and on Monday at CUNY graduate center there will be a panel discussion. There are a few pieces that have also come out marking this anniversary, all of them worth a read. One of the most interesting pieces is by Josh Fiet who writes about the clampdown on civil liberties following the heels of the protests, which I see, among other things, as testament... >>