About Benj Demott

There was a time in my lifetime when an opposition to the economic inequality which fuels the Occupy movement’s fire had a significant champion in this land. But that was long ago, a fog-flogged far away – and burned with more fundamental fervor. In March 1968, when Robert F. Kennedy announced his candidacy for president, … Read more

Rev Howard’s letter in the S. Liar entitled “Newark Schools Need Your Support Now,” is simply a craven and hypocritical fronting for the Charter School takeover, Gov Christie, his Commissioner-Cerf (the out front new inferior-intendent of schools) Cami Anderson, and the far from Honorable Corey Booker, the virtual Mayor of Newark. (Virtual, because he only … Read more

A fox tail dangling from a leather belt. A key chain dangling from a leather belt. A leather belt with a personalized name buckle. Low top red Converse sneakers. High-top black Converse sneakers. Green suede Puma sneakers. Clamshell white Adidas sneakers. White Nike basketball athletic footwear. Blue chinos with the orange stripe running down the … Read more

In December, 2011 a tiny but vital Chicago program of the Illinois Humanities Council (IHC) launched an on-line auction to raise needed cash for its public programming. The Public Square was celebrating its Tenth Anniversary, and Bernardine and I had been on its Advisory Board from the start. We kicked in what money we could, … Read more

Winslow Homer’s painting “Near Andersonville” faces the first page of text in Perspectives by Incongruity — the new volume in the First of the Year series (which you may order now — see link under the cover photo on our homepage). History is moving fast, but with the GOP’s latest great white hopes competing with … Read more

This is the transcript of a talk Gar Alperovitz gave last fall at the Schumacher Institute. You can see/hear the speech here. The very first book I wrote — my Ph.D. thesis, basically — was on the bombing of Hiroshima. An odd place to start. The puzzlement for me was why this country and its … Read more

I have not participated in OWS. I view it from the outside as reflected or refracted through the media. Friends and family who have gone down to Zuccotti Park speak of the experience with enthusiasm. Anyone who believes that there is a gross disparity of wealth between the super haves and the have-nots must be … Read more