Food Justice: Monsanto, Factory Farming, And Beyond

On May 25, 2013, millions marched against Monsanto across the globe. I took part here in New York City, of course, and was fortunate to have the opportunity to lead a teach-in called: “Food Justice, GMOs, & the Vegan Option (Eat Like a Revolutionary).” The ostensible goals of this event included: Present GMOs as much more than a single issue. Suggest that GMOs offer a powerful entry point for outreach to the mainstream. Provide facts to be used for such outreach. Explain why there’s more to food justice than... Read article

The United States of Propaganda (What We’re Up Against)

“The 20th century (was) characterized by three developments of great political importance: the growth of democracy, the growth of corporate power, and the growth of corporate propaganda as a means of protecting corporate power against democracy.”- Alex Carey Recently, while at an event marking the 1,000th day of imprisonment for Bradley Manning, I began to ponder the long and storied role of propaganda that led up to his demonization and incarceration. Yes, propaganda… “A scientific method of managing behavior” Given... Read article

Earthlings Unite?

“In a world where everything is living, nothing can be thrown away. Where would you throw it to?” – Clark Strand, Seeds from a Birch Tree It is the duty of the oppressor to divide, to differentiate, to cultivate and promote false distinctions and then profit from the inevitable false conflicts these distinctions provoke. It is the duty of the oppressed to resist. In that spirit, I identify myself not by gender, by skin color, by class, language, or sexual orientation. I am not the sports team I root for,... Read article

Banned in Vermont

An interview with advocacy journalist and author Rosemarie Jackowski… I’ve known radical grandma Rosemarie Jackowski (RMJ) for several years now and even interviewed her in 2005 about her arrest and court case. In light of her unique story and her tireless commitment to justice, I (and others) have encouraged her to write a book for years. Well, I’m happy to say, RMJ has delivered as only she can with Banned in Vermont. A wide ranging collection of essays, memoirs, and more, Banned in Vermont shines a light... Read article

An interview with author Kirsten Alene

“Love in the Time of Dinosaurs” Mickey Z. Dinosaurs and insightful writers…or am I being redundant? Well, I’m happy to say reports of their mutual demise have been greatly exaggerated. Case in point: Love in the Time of Dinosaurs by Kirsten Alene. The Portland, Oregon resident is the author of Chiaroscuro (2009), a poetry chapbook and “several stories and poems currently circulating the worldwide web.” Most recently, she’s penned the above-mentioned Love in the Time of Dinosaurs,... Read article

An interview with poet, Andrew Rihn

“America Plops and Fizzes” Some guy named Percy Shelley once said poets were the “unacknowledged legislators of the world.” So, I’m thinking maybe Percy’s been hanging out in Canton, Ohio with Andrew Rihn, author of the inventive new poetry collection, America Plops and Fizzes from sunnyoutside press. #8 Sometimes the best things in life are broken. Rihn’s no Ivory Tower purist or coffeehouse boor. Sure, he’s the got the English degree from Kent State and six chapbooks to his... Read article

Why are you so negative? (and other FAQ)

FAQ: Why are you attacking me for my way of life? MZ: That’s easy: Our way of life is really a “way of death” and is directly responsible for the current global crises I write about. We also might want to agree to save the word “attack” for, say, those living under the US taxpayer-funded predator drones, cruise missiles, and depleted uranium shells. Let’s save it for countless victims of child abuse. Let’s save “attack” to describe the reality of one rape every 46 seconds... Read article

A Conversation with Derrick Jensen

“We need to stop this culture before it kills the planet” As you begin reading this interview, take a look at the nearest clock. Now, dig this: Since yesterday at the same exact time, 200,000 acres of rainforest have been destroyed, over 100 plant and animal species have gone extinct, 13 million tons of toxic chemicals were released across the globe, and 29,158 children under the age of five died from preventable causes. Worst of all, there’s nothing unique about the past 24 hours. It’s business as... Read article

Beat Your Daisy Cutters Into Daisies

Seed bombs are compressed balls of soil and compost that have been impregnated with wildflower seeds. When jettisoned onto construction sites, abandoned lots, etc. seed bombs become a method of protesting and combating urban sprawl. The BLU-82B or “Daisy Cutter” bomb has been described as “the largest conventional bomb in existence and is 17 feet long and 5 feet in diameter, about the size of a Volkswagen Beetle but much heavier. It contains 12,600 pounds of GX slurry (ammonium nitrate, aluminum powder, and polystyrene)... Read article

Downsize or Modify? A Conversation with Noam Chomsky

While Noam Chomsky surely needs no introduction, as they say, that doesn’t mean interviewing him has to follow a blueprint. So, after seeing him in a video called “Are We Running Out of Oil?” I decided to initiate a conversation about the future…or perhaps lack thereof. What will happen if activists don’t kick things up a few thousands notches and provoke massive changes in the way humans currently live? Chomsky and I, of course, agree it’d be best to create such change and learn the answer... Read article

Planet Overkill

“Everything in excess is opposed to nature.” – Hippocrates Back in the Cold War days, a useful myth was that of extreme Soviet supremacy. Surely, if the godless communists, hell bent on world domination, were allowed to surpass US military might…well, you get the picture. Author Edward Herman once defined the “Soviet threat” as “a large and formidable beast of prey, the size of whose claws and fangs varied with the demands of the Military-Industrial Complex.” As journalist Ken... Read article

Are You Ready for the Revolution?

For a while in 2001-2, I worked the night shift at a midtown Manhattan corporate gym (cue the shame and self-loathing) at which I met several interesting characters. One evening, for example, I was wearing a Yankees t-shirt with the name “Justice” emblazoned on the back (for former Yank David Justice ), when a woman named Mary—perhaps in her late 60s—asked me if I were a Yankee fan. I told her I was…but my real reason for wearing the shirt was all about the word “justice.” She smiled and... Read article

The United States of War Criminals

“People from poorer places and poorer countries have to call upon their compassion not to be angry with ordinary people in America.” – Arundhati Roy More than half (53.3%) of US tax dollars go to a criminal enterprise known as the US Department of Defense (sic), a.k.a. the worst polluter on the planet. We hear about tax cuts this and budget that and all kinds of other bullshit from the US government and the corporations that own it…but the reality remains: Roughly one million tax dollars per minute... Read article

Stone Age Brain, Space Age Culture

I was recently asked to do a short reading at Art House Astoria (where I will be leading a writing workshop or two very soon). This is what I chose to read: Huddled around flickering candles and eating food before it could spoil, longtime neighbors introduced themselves, discovering similarities and answering the question of the day: “Where were you when the lights went out?” They were asking this, of course, during the big blackout of August 14, 2003, but I’m getting a little ahead of myself. This story begins... Read article

Why aren’t you happy?

True happiness is out there. Pop songs, sit-coms, Julia Roberts movies, even commercials make it crystal clear that others have it all figured out. Love, sex, money, looks, health, and more—tied up neatly in anywhere from 30 seconds to 90 minutes. Others have it all. So, why has happiness eluded you? Could it be you have the wrong job? The wrong skin color? The wrong body? The wrong attitude? Are you just too stupid and lazy to get it? Don’t you realize all those brave men and women are over there dying so you can be... Read article

When Criminals Vote

Election Day is mental illness in plain view—unabashed, unfettered lunacy not even trying to masquerade as sanity. If we woke up, it would take perhaps 3-5 seconds to recognize this: Obama is a heinous criminal. His Republican rivals (sic) are heinous criminals. Then again, the same can be said for the volunteer soldiers and all those who give the orders; the law enforcement types and all those who give the orders; the judges; the professional liars who stock the media ranks; and, of course, the humans that comprise... Read article

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