Category Archives: Polity

Refuse Avenue (new poem—an homage to Dylan)

Posted by Caleb Coy on

[The following poem is a Dylanesque homage, and is most certainly a nod to “Desolation Row”. But it is also intended to stand on its own.]

Refuse Avenue

I hear they’re making it into a movie
From the book based off of the trial
The pearl stilettos auctioned off
The blood run down the aisle
Enter the captive jury
On the brink of a crucial vote
To whom our hearts belong this week
And who must jump the boat
The picketers collide in the cross-hairs
The gutters are starting to brew
As the boys and I spend a penny
Down on Refuse Avenue
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Book Review: Created Equal by Joshua Berman

Posted by Caleb Coy on

“All men are created equal.”

It’s one of the foundational beliefs of our country, one that nobody dares question. But some things we sometimes can’t help but question: What does it mean to be equal? If we are born different, how are we still equal? Where did we get the idea that all men [and women] are created equal? This question becomes important when we consider that when this phrase was written into the US Constitution, “men” was defined as white, land-owning males. So how we define equality and how we put it into practice are important questions. And for some reason, we have this idea that the idea of everyone being equal is new. Like, within the past 200 years new.
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Tree Shaker: Nelson Mandela Biography Open Response for English Teachers

Posted by Caleb Coy on

Nelson Mandela passed away on December 5 of this year.  It was around this time of year a year ago that I read a biography of his, Tree Shaker, by Bill Keller.  I read this book in order to create a sample assessment for students.

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Edward Snowden Deserves a Medal, Not Execution

Posted by Caleb Coy on

Edward Snowden deserves a medal, not execution.  His government betrayed the spirit of its architects, and he exposed them.  Of course he committed treason, but not against his country.  He committed treason against a government that betrayed its people, and for that, he is one of the bravest young men alive.

 

http://www.buzzfeed.com/dorsey/glenn-greenwald-blasts-msnbc-hosts-misleading-white-house-ta
And Glenn Greenwald is a rare beam of light in this day and age.

 

EXCLUSIVE: CIA didn’t always know who it was killing in drone strikes, classified documents show

Posted by Caleb Coy on

EXCLUSIVE: CIA didn’t always know who it was killing in drone strikes, classified documents show

In more proof that “Central Intelligence Agency” is an oxymoron, official documents show that, indeed 25% of those killed in strikes were identified as “other combatant” based on “circumstantial evidence”.  The document betray’s the Central Infidel Agency’s policy of “kill first; ask questions later”.

It’s time to take more money from the US military and put it in places that will actually do some good in the world.

The Big V: The Memorial that Heals

Posted by Caleb Coy on


You probably know this is a photo of “the wall,” the most famous section of the Viet Nam war memorial in DC. It was designed by Maya Lin, a Chinese American architect. The purpose of the design was to create the image (when seen from above) of a giant wound, not a sign of victory, but a sign of hurt, of pain. Many people objected to this “non-triumphant” design, as well as the idea of an Asian designing it  (even though Lin was Chinese and not Viet Namese, and by heritage only, having no prior allegiances to another nation). I can’t think of a more appropriate way to go about it.
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