“Politics 2019, or The Hope Games.”
It’s early yet. But the politics of this, the Trump era, has formed the framework of the clashes to power. Democrats, especially after the age of Obama, are enmeshed in a battle, the parameters of which they do not know. That’s because Trump has transformed U.S. politics fundamentally as the old formulas no longer function.
Democrats are exercising the politics of poli-tests, careful not to hurt each other’s feelings or self-esteem. This may be seen in how they and their media allies castigated Julian Castro for suggesting that Joe Biden was suffering from Alzheimers.
Think of how he, speaking of Trump, handled his Republican challengers in 2016. He destroyed them one by one. Who among Democrats will face and fight with the real will to win? I haven’t seen them yet. And the politics of niceness will not prevail. “Politics,” said Chinese leader Mao Zedong, “is war without bloodshed.” Perhaps, but it is a war, a battle, conflict. Who prevails is who fights hardest, not who is the sweetest.
From imprisoned nation, this is Mumia Abu-Jamal.
These commentaries are recorded by Noelle Hanrahan of Prison Radio.
![Prison Radio is sharing an abbreviated version of a press release covering recent racist incidents at SCI Rockview in PA and the organizing to demand accountability. We are reaching out to people incarcerated at Rockview as well as recently transferred folks, inviting them to call, in hopes of hearing commentaries from them.
Benner Township, PA.-
On November 24th, 2023, imprisoned people at SCI Rockview found two nooses hanging in the CO’s office, displayed visibly for many prisoners to see. When the prisoners asked the staff why the nooses were hung, they were told it was a joke.
By December 4th, prisoners filed a grievance to document what they saw, noting that the hanging of the nooses was “unethical, racially motivated, hateful, [a] deliberate debasement of black inmates" and “unsafe for inmates, staff, [and] the whole prison in general.” In the grievance, they demanded that Sgt. Mosser and CO Richard be fired and investigated for a hate crime, and for CO Kirchner to get therapy. Captain Andrews, the head of security, denied the grievance.
The sergeant and COs are still working in the prison to this day, with no repercussions...
As of March 10th, prisoners have reached out to Pennsylvania officials at the Dept. of Corrections in a letter campaign, sending 100 copies of the grievance. Copies of the letter also were mailed to Governor Shapiro, Senator Fetterman, Senator Street, and various advocacy groups. The demands for relief in the original grievance have now become the platform of demands for this campaign. About 20 of the 100 letters were withheld by the prison.
Activists on the outside are joining forces with prisoners to elevate their demands, flooding the phone lines of DOC offices, assisting with outreach to media, and circulating the stories of prisoners who have found unity in opposition to the facility's virulent institutional racism.
In any other workplace, hanging a noose would be grounds for immediate termination. However, Nicki Paul, the superintendent's assistant and "grievance coordinator" informed the public that they self-investigated their staff and found they did nothing wrong.
Read the full article at i
https://conta.cc/4ayDxlB](https://www.prisonradio.org/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)