Fall Issue Editorial

Our fall issue comes out at a dangerous moment with an incompetent, megalomaniacal president feeling cornered by mounting possibilities of prosecution and dwindling support. As we go to publication, the government is in a state of shutdown with threats of the declaration of a national "state of emergency" which could, thanks to the National Defense Authorization Act expanded by two presidents, have dire consequences.

This Fall saw the mid-term election of a significant number of progressive social democrats to Congress. The resistance they face from old-guard corporate Democrats is as much an obstacle as that of still powerful Republicans, but the future and the will of the majority is on their side.

Poems in this issue speak with anger at the blatant misogyny of this administration. The poems, "Deconstruction" and "Simple Addition" rail against the nomination and seating of an arrogant frat-boy rapist on the Supreme Court, and to the ugly anti-woman attitudes represented by Trump, Pence and Republicans. The diversity of those elected in the mid-terms to state governments and to Congress, and the rise of outspoken women herald an important change. This may well be a turning point for the rise of women to power. As important as that is, it needs to be part of a progressive wave against the rule of money which exploits, impoverishes and oppresses us all.

Many of the poems in this collection come out of increasingly hard times. Especially hard-hit are the elderly poor, minorities, women and immigrants. Also addressed in the poems, "On the Radio," "Still Preying" and "Mudflaps & Backward Ballcaps" is the poisoning of minds by the right-wing disinformation machine. In many places, too many of our co-workers have been turned against their own interests by the destructive tribalization of politics, the hate-filled scape-goating and the anti-labor nonsense pushed by talk radio, FOX and allied evangelic preachers.

Also in this issue, among poems trying to make sense of what has become of our country, are poems focused on labor struggles and on our commitment to go beyond resistance in fighting for a more just and livable world. That is what this journal is about. What has made the corporate disinformation machine so powerful goes back in essential ways to its primary founder -- Roger Ailes. He understood the power of culture in shaping our identity, our perceptions and our loyalties. He misused his talents and we are living with the tragedy of his success. We too understand the power of culture, but unlike Ailes, we are not promoters of the corporate agenda and do not have the backing of the billionaire ruling class. All we have is each other.

This issue marks our annual fund raising season. We don't like to add to the burden of begging, but without the financial support of our readers, we cannot continue. Good writing and reader support are what has kept us in print for much of the last two decades. You will find a slip of paper asking for donations in this issue and the next. You can also donate via our website. We hope you will continue to support this project.

Beyond donations, we also need to expand our outreach. Consider buying a prescription for co-workers you think could benefit. This can be done anonymously. You can pass around back issues or leave them where others can find them. I like to leave them in laundromats where a captive audience of working folk will see them. As blowback to the insanity of the Trump debacle and the growing climate disaster fertilize progressive anger, this could be our time.