Lately I’ve been doing the worlds-colliding bit by pondering how the of a presidential pardon prospect hangs over the Sean Combs trial. Only the most idealistic among us can deny that Diddy would be political catnip with dumb-ass niggas and rank misogynists.
He could be one finishing move of a MAGA base expander. Kakistocracy catnip. A potential Secretary of HUD, let’s not kid ourselves.
Now that I have your fucking attention, please note that your assignment is to make political indifference embarrassing. For extra points, deeply shame a MAGAt. Either is fine. But if you do the work in person and in front of others? Well, yer righteous and you’ll know it.
For reals, if troops aren’t stationed in Atlanta, Chicago and New York by next week’s end I will be happily surprised. We’re only at the beginning of this struggle, and our collective power is draining by the hour. Harsh reality aside, if The People can begin strenuously building up to that magical 3.5 percent rising up in protest, then the fight could grow less difficult.
I wish “if I’m being honest” would disappear from the vernacular. Just stop fuckin lyin, yo.
We’ve got to talk up, in our individual ways.
Now’s the time to obliterate the unwritten rule about separating politics from sports, whether watching the phenomenal NBA postseason or the early-season women’s league jockeying or you’re a sad-sack Giants fan. If you’re a regular traveler on this Sojourn, you most likely blend the two, even reflexively perhaps. But are you being full-throated on that text thread? Are you buttonholing your fantasy league competitors for their Saturday plans?
Have you even floated the general strike proposal?
Before you next check the waiver were or ESPN for the start time of OKC at Indy, get your sports peeps in check.
If you’re a media worker, use the full capacity of your ability to encourage “civic engagement.” Your corporate masters might actually let that language slide. The rare autonomous sports figure, however, can go deeper. For instance, Bill “The Podfather” Simmons might want to shelve a Rewatchables ep and instead publish an hour in which he dissects his past attitudes on race and their influence on his fandom.
It would be helpful. Responsible.
In covering the College Baseball World Series, camera operators must seek out and cover objector signage in the stands until their bosses explicitly forbid it.
Picketing MAGA media and shaming enabler podcasters are obvious activities with which to replace doomscrolling. Go further. Like, it need not be mentioned that ICE officials should be getting zero pussy—or ass—but their children must also feel ostracized. More, you say? If you’re a Democratic party figure don’t call tragically dire developments “unfortunate.” The enemy feeds on rote politeness and general wimpiness.
Speak forcefully. Shear your sentences of dependent clauses whenever possible.
Your Black friend who’s still posting ruminations on how they weren’t heard in a room full of white men? Tell them to stop embarrassing themselves and shelve that shit, lest we never have that conversation in public again.
It’s possible that the right-wing true believer one-third will offer America’s autocrat never-ending support. That means we must turn the electorate’s other 66.3 percent impossible to ignore. If legislators come to fear us more than they do POTUS, the tide turns.
This US chapter is ultimately not about Orange Julius. More than ever the issue is us—making the most of the best of us and showing how strong we can be.
The complex feelings that Myke Dodge Weiskopf stopped eating
Two dope Myke deeds: Austin-based producer Weiskopf combined with podcast legend Nick White to make my Lost Notes New Edition joint sing like little storytelling to my credit. He advised me not to take down the paywalls to my WCS content, a clarifying bit of advice.
Here’s a third deed: This week Myke made a slideshow—one tremendous use of Instagram—that is essential WCS in its engagement with the physical self. His story is also an exceptional Pride month post.
Now, take 10…
10 Slick Rick’s ‘Landlord’
The London-born rapper is always compelling, definitely one of the more musical voices in my MC pantheon. So, when I saw that his album Victory dropped this morning I was dead up on it. And Victory is sitting well with me. The song with Griggs is dope. And, on the “Cuz I’m Here” the rapper basically comes out. (Not so surprising, if you really sit with it. That wide-open Lil Nas X market can make a sexagenarian find their inner truth.)
Slick Rick also has a new complaint jam about tenants called “Landlord” and it is fucking me up in a major way.
Genius
Sent out “to all of the landlords in New York City, all across the world,” the song is a complaint about tenants, punching down at people who are behind on rent. The great MC’s regal persona always presented as classist, but hearing it all out in the open is gross af.
Many years ago I interviewed Slick Rick in a Bronx apartment that he happened to own. It’s possible that having been in the scene makes the material seem more interesting than it actually is?
Lil Hit
Oh, the happiness that will set upon the Bay Area as its debut Burger Week opens this Wednesday. One never forgets those first seven days of patties.
Burger Week
9 Where’s Barry’s skinny arse? But also General Kelley + Romney, et al?
What most galls me is that these are the motherfuckers who claimed to love this bitch America, yet I’m the one who’s gotta get people amped to fight? GTFO. Here’s a small sample of other people with platform who need to step up in opposition to the never-going-to-have-to-vote-in-another-election guy.
Reuters
Megan McCain. Tyrese Haliburton. Kim Kardashian. Steve Martin. The Rock. Adam Sandler. Every non-conformist wrestler not dependent on the WWE teat. Oprah. Taylor Swift. Ivanka Trump. Every general he wants to execute. All Japanese internment survivors.
Lil Hit
Five young people—including two minors—have been arrested in connection with the May 27 double homicide at a Bakersfield dispensary.
Bakersfield.com
The Full Herb Caen
To be clear, every week is “Burger Week” in Los Angeles…
Protest City’s Rian Dundon points out that the Portland unrest of 2020 elevated when 4547 sent in the military. POTUS made a meal of the chaos and is in Year 5 of dining out on it…
According to Reddit, that MAGA booth at the Beaverton farmers market isn’t official, but will be there on alternate Saturdays…
Based on all evidence, Pete Hegseth moves like he does—drank as he’s drank—because he’s sexually confused and has had some negative experiences with Black people. Proceed accordingly…
It feels important to remember that there was an actual John Rocker before Kenny Powers got dreamt up…
On last Friday’s Washington Week, Jeff Goldberg asked NY Times international reporter Thomas Friedman if there is any traditional American value that the Trump administration is upholding. The foreign correspondence institution emphatically responded, “No!” That Friedman did not say racism and Goldberg didn’t call him on that is precisely why the US press attack has been inadequate…
It’s not a reach to say Trump believes he’s honoring his father just as certainly Musk believes he’s done his White supremacist granddaddy proud…
To improperly cover this stuff is to commiserate with the Whites House…
White America will dance around its core issue to the bitter end. A slow and public suicide for it and sad collateral damage for the rest of us…
8 The prison slavery dividend
Writing as someone who’s not unworried about being deported to Rwanda, it feels past time to broaden the conversation about for-profit prisons and the US government’s investment in the industry.
The Nation
In March, Trump made epic cuts to the watchdog agencies that oversaw immigration detention.
The new model could be that first country to receive deported citizens. El Salvador’s prisons offers a “Zero Idleness” program, which requires over 40,000 incarcerated persons to construct infrastructure, make commercial goods, and harvest ag products.
Lil Hit
Seemingly out of nowhere, Washington State forward Cedric Coward has emerged as a potential lottery pick.
Athlon Sports
Imagine that the Sonics never moved
Mike Wise is on this episode of the podcast, talking hoops and his forthcoming Billy Mills book. We did not talk about his work getting the Washington football team's name changed. Nevertheless, we're going to sorta ease off of the White guy guests after this; sometimes they're hard not to book.
7 Just in time, opinionated Black men online are sucking less
FD Signfier’s consistency puts him among my favorite online intellectuals. He’s not a journalist, but dude keeps up with breaking trends as though he’s had some training.
Deonte Cowell’s Grits and Eggs podcast gets a lot of love in this exploration of the realm where pro-Tory Lanez conspiracy theorists and “Free Diddy” campaigners lurk. Cowell’s response to his bros’ embrace of Andrew Tate energy represents a new and better Black presence in the so-called manosphere.
FD Signifier B-Sides
“We’re probably closer than we’ve ever been to completely turning the table on red pill nonsense, at least within Black male spaces,” the podcast host said. “But at the same time it’s also obvious that the red pill is evolving and becoming a little more dangerous and insidious in ways that I don’t think people are paying attention to.”
In addition to Grits and Eggs, The Pivot is highlighted for its forward-looking takes on masculinity.
Lil Hit
On July 1, revenue sharing comes to college athletics. If you thought NIL deals shook up the university game, wait to you see how big a wave $2.8 million makes when it hits athletic departments.
Associated Press
The funding requests of other Substackers can get pretty elaborate, I’ve discovered. Some people even do wish lists. I don’t even know what I would ask for. So, let me merely say that it takes a long time to find the right mix of stories and try to distill them, frame them. Plus: The images. Do not sleep on the images. Or the polls, even if you never voted.
My point is:
Tipping is acceptable and even encouraged.
6 Remember that poisonous bill? Republicans still aim to push it through
It’s intended that you forget that the main piece of Trump legislation sailed through the house and was headed toward possible Senate passage, with minimal changes. Then Rand Paul and a few other senior chamber Republicans made noise. Then the inevitable Musk blow up came and damaged the terrible bill’s passage still more.
Senate Republicans have bill in a rewrite phase. Who pays for SNAP benefits is the top concern they’re negotiating with the administration about. In the end, the delays and appearance of Whites House fallibility might matter as much as the concessions. Don’t forget.
Capital Chronicle
A new report from the Congressional Budget Office that shows the proposed changes to SNAP, higher education aid, tax law, and Medicaid wouldn’t actually help to reduce deficits over the coming decade—as stated—but raise them by more than $2.4 trillion.
Total fucking liars.
Lil Hit
Humboldt County came in third on this list of places in America where you’re most likely to disappear. “Some cases are investigated, others simply fade into silence, swallowed by the redwoods.”
INKL
Caen you feel my heart?
Trump feasts on Americans’ subpar ability to gauge proportional response…
The YouTube channel for Northern Cali’s ABC 10 ran Trump’s dishonest and inflammatory Monday speech to Ft. Bragg soldiers uninterrupted yesterday…
Embarrassingly late, it’s occurred to me that a majority of Americans will never touch ground in the maze of urban complexity that is LA even one time…
Yet so many have fiercely-held, poorly-informed opinions of the place…
Vaguely related: I’m consuming all-time high levels of Tyler Perry content…
Which is to say “any”…
Rappers have a tremendous ability to activate young people, but we hadn’t heard much from that community since halftime of the Super Bowl. Then Doechii spoke up upon receiving her BET Award…
Tell your fam to check Reddit for reports of ICE sightings in their town. Meta buries such posts…
Anyone who claims to be talking ANTIFA activities and isn’t discussing how to upend The Pretext King’s flow of manufactured storylines is no more serious about reversing the threat than the late-night TV clowns who participated in the branding of POTUS’s would-be signature legislation…
Downtown LA’s Santee Alley is where I bought my outfits for last fall’s Glendale tutoring gig and where the ICE raids began last weekend…
5 Harris taking heat from Mayor Antonio
Probably because he’s 72 and trailing in the early polls, former LA mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has been the Democrat running for governor who has attacked Vice President Kamal Harris as “the embodiment of Democratic Party rot.”
Politico / Cal Matters / LA Times
Villaraigosa said the VP ought to answer for the questions that Original Sin—Jake Tapper’s book that suggests an inside cover-up of President Biden’s mental fitness—has provoked. “This cover up directly led to a second Donald Trump term — and as a result, all Californians are paying the price,” said Villaraigosa.
Lil Hit
To the surprise of no one, Oregon bud is represented in New York’s unlicensed cannabis scene.
KOIN
Jack Boulware's enduring naïveté
“What Jack Boulware fails to realize” repeats a phrase—or a sentiment, at least—that’s known to any scribe who’s regularly written opinion for a legacy news outlet
Hiero on KEXP
Love pure hip hop? Then, this performance from Oakland’s Hieroglyphics ought to get you amped. Show your children, but they might not be get it.
4 If Portland stays ready it won’t have to get ready
In this useful piece of reportage, “OPB reached out to local and state officials in Oregon, as well as Portlanders who protested in 2020, to find out what they learned from the federal law enforcement deployment during that time and what it might mean if tensions rise locally.”
California and Washington and everybody else who’s going to have face down these bastards in the future, know that Portland is at least thinking about what next steps look like.
Oregon Public Broadcasting
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