Columns, The Gospel of Kindness and Hole
If you can, consider attending your local No Kings protest tomorrow: https://www.nokings.org/
This week, I’m going to send out my recent column about imposing consequences on fascist leaders. If you’d like to submit your own writing, feel free to look at the newspaper contact lists I’ve compiled: https://slaughterfreeamerica.substack.com/p/how-to-write-letters-to-newspapers-6eb
Anyway, it’s time for (Cell) Culture Talk. Here’s what I’ve been reading, watching and listening to lately.
Book — The Homebrewed Christianity Guide to Jesus by Tripp Fuller. If you enjoy the author’s podcast, you will probably enjoy this text, which has a similarly jocular tone. Fuller explores some of the ways Jesus has been understood throughout history. While the author has his own opinions, he’s not overbearing.
Book — Flights by Joel Whitney. This is a fascinating collection of vignettes, centered on government repression of leftists. Certain stories don’t quite seem to fit the theme of ‘radicals on the run,’ which is advertised by the book’s subtitle. I assume, in these cases, the writer is just following his interests.
Audiobook — The Gospel of Kindness by Janet M. Davis. The text, read by Ann Richardson, is a masterful telling of the American animal movement from the Second Great Awakening to World War II. Davis also chronicles activists often self-defeating attempts to influence the treatment of animals abroad.
Movie — September 5. It’s an excellent historical thriller, featuring an ensemble cast as ABC journalists seeking to cover the terrorist attack at the 1972 Summer Olympics. Tim Fehlbaum directed, co-produced and co-wrote the the film, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
Music — Live Through This by Hole. I was a big Nirvana fan in high school, but I don’t think I got into Courtney Love’s band until college. This remains a great record. Miss World is probably the highlight for me. Thankfully, the self-destructive sentiment is much less immediately relatable than when I first heard it.