I’ve written a review of Darius Rejali’s massive study, Torture and Democracy (Princeton University Press, 2007):
“Hidden Torture, False Democracy.” International Socialist Review. September-October 2008.
You can read it online at: http://www.isreview.org/issues/61/feat-torturedem.shtml
This essay largely directs criticism toward Rejali’s idea of “democracy.” In a forthcoming piece for Make/Shift I will also examine his definition of “torture.”
Peter Little and I have an article in the latest issue of In These Times, taking on the gun control debate:
“Talking About Guns, Fighting About Race.” In These Times. September 2008.
You can see it here:
http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3857/talking_about_guns_fighting_about_race/
Most of the comments at the In These Times site concern the law enforcement aspect of our argument. Critics question whether the criminal justice system does, in fact, unfairly target people of color. I’ve addressed this issue at length in my book Our Enemies in Blue. A short excerpt appeared on the Bring The Ruckus site a few years ago, and is now archived at Infoshop.org:
http://news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=20060409132740815
If you enjoy the ITT piece, I’d also encourage you to read Little’s earlier article on the Portland Gun Show:
http://bringtheruckus.org/?q=node/52
He and I are already working on a longer piece on the same topic. I’ll let you know when it’s in print.
Sasha Abramsky and I will appear together on the WBAI program Equal Time for Free Thought on August 3. We’ll be discussing the US prison system and the roots of our peculiarly punitive culture. The interview will be archived here.
Meanwhile, Radovan Karadzic was arrested for war crimes last week. (Read the BBC’s profile of Karadzic) In 2007, I’d interviewed comics journalist Joe Sacco about his meeting with Karadzic — and mindbuck.com just re-posted the interview.
Otherwise, I’ve mostly been reviewing comics while I work on more involved research projects.
I reviewed Garfield Minus Garfield for Mindbuck.com. Check out the comic at https://garfieldminusgarfield.net/
I also wrote a review of Mike Carey’s God Save the Queen for the July issue of The Comics Journal. It’s not online, though.
The Anarchist Reading Group in New York City is reading my book Our Enemies in Blue. Their meeting is July 31 at Earth Matters Cafe (177 Ludlow Street).
For more information, visit:
http://anarchistreadinggroup.wordpress.com/