The same systems that perpetuate the killing of schoolchildren in the United States perpetuate the killing of Palestinian children in Gaza: supremacy, the belief that some lives are more worthy than others; patriarchy, our culture of division, dominance, and violence; and capitalism, which values profit and power not just over any and all other things, but over all other ideals and even life itself.
We take no action to prevent the murder of one group, while we subsidize the murder of the other. This is America. This is what the U.S.A. stands for in the world. This is refusing to awaken. This is what your flag-waving represents to me.
Today is the fifth anniversary of the death of actor Chadwick Boseman, who died of colon cancer on August 28, 2020. He was 43.
In remembering and honoring Chadwick today, I share (with added images and links) the following article by Paige Boyd, published earlier today at Majicatl.com.
_________________
Five years ago, the world lost a monumental talent. Chadwick Boseman was more than an actor; he was a force of nature on screen, bringing dignity, strength, and profound humanity to every role. While he is globally celebrated for his iconic portrayal of King T’Challa in Black Panther, his body of work is rich with powerful performances that deserve the same level of recognition. As we remember his incredible legacy, let’s explore some of the roles that showcase the true depth of his remarkable skill.
The Understated Rebel: Sergeant Norman Holloway in Da 5 Bloods (2020)
In one of his final roles, Boseman plays “Stormin’” Norman, the revered, fallen squad leader of a group of Black soldiers in the Vietnam War. Appearing in flashbacks, his presence looms large over the entire film. He is the moral compass and the revolutionary heart of the group. Boseman portrays Norman not as a mythic figure, but as a grounded, intelligent leader whose influence transcends time. It’s a performance that radiates charisma and quiet power, proving he could make an indelible impact with limited screen time.
The Charismatic Athlete: Vontae Mack in Draft Day (2014)
Long before he was King of Wakanda, Boseman played Vontae Mack, a top football prospect in this fast-paced sports drama. Though a supporting character, he steals every scene he’s in. He infuses Vontae with an infectious confidence and an unwavering belief in his own worth. This role demonstrated his ability to command attention and convey ambition and star quality, offering an early glimpse of the leading man he was destined to become.
The Determined Lawyer: Thurgood Marshall in Marshall (2017)
Playing a legal giant like Thurgood Marshall is a tall order, but Boseman delivered a performance filled with swagger, intellect, and vulnerability. The film focuses on an early case in Marshall’s career, and Boseman captures the fire of a young lawyer fighting against a prejudiced system. He portrays Marshall not just as a historical icon, but as a brilliant and sometimes flawed man. His performance is a masterclass in conveying strength through conviction and sharp legal argument.
In this gritty revenge thriller, Boseman takes on the role of Jacob King, a man from Cape Town who travels to Los Angeles to find his missing sister. This performance is a departure from his more heroic roles, showing a darker, more visceral side of his talent. He moves through the city’s underbelly with a quiet but relentless intensity. Boseman’s portrayal is largely internal, conveying a world of pain and determination through his eyes and physicality, proving he could be just as compelling in silence as he was delivering a powerful speech.
In his final film role, Chadwick Boseman delivers a searing performance as Levee Green, an ambitious trumpeter with dreams of making it big. Boseman brings extraordinary emotional depth to Levee, masterfully channeling the character’s bravado, pain, and restless energy. His portrayal captures Levee’s vulnerability and simmering anger, revealing hidden scars beneath the charismatic surface. The intensity and rawness Boseman shows in this part are nothing short of breathtaking, particularly in the film’s gut-wrenching monologues and explosive confrontations. Through Levee, Boseman explores themes of hope, grief, and the lasting wounds of injustice, cementing his legacy as an actor who could illuminate even the most tragic complexity of the human soul.
A Lasting Legacy
Chadwick Boseman’s career was a testament to his dedication, versatility, and profound understanding of the human spirit. While Wakanda will forever be his kingdom, these roles highlight the immense range he possessed. He could be a leader, a fighter, a mentor, or a brother with equal conviction.
Five years on, his absence is still deeply felt, but his work continues to inspire. By exploring these performances, we not only appreciate his craft but also honor the full spectrum of his artistry. He was a gifted storyteller who gave his all to every character, leaving behind a legacy of excellence that will continue to move audiences for generations to come.
With hearts full of grief, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet stand with the families of Annunciation School and Parish, and with all who were impacted by today’s senseless violence. We grieve the loss of lives and the shattering of peace in a sacred place. Our hearts go out to the children, teachers, clergy, parishioners, neighbors, and first responders who endured this unimaginable tragedy.
At the heart of our charism is the belief that we are all one, that God’s love unites us beyond fear and division. We pray that the healing presence of our God of peace be poured out abundantly on every person touched by this tragedy. We entrust the souls of those who have died to God’s tender mercy, and we hold their families in love and prayer.
We echo the call of Archbishop Hebda and our wider Church community: gun violence must end. We join with people of all faiths in demanding change and working for peace so our communities can flourish free from violence.
The Minneapolis shooter, Robin Westman, is being reported as trans, and that detail is already being highlighted in coverage in ways that distract from the bigger picture. The truth is that identity here does not explain the violence. Less than one tenth of one percent of mass shootings involve a trans person, which makes it statistically insignificant. The overwhelming majority of shooters are right wing cis men, yet that pattern rarely drives headlines.
What we are seeing is the right wing predictably jumping on these reports to stir up their base. Rather than dealing with the real drivers of mass violence like guns being everywhere and extremist rhetoric spreading online, they zero in on a marginalized group. It is not about understanding the facts, it is about creating a convenient villain.
The bias is obvious. When shooters are cis white men, the story shifts to individual failings or vague nods to mental health. When a shooter is reported as trans, political operatives suddenly push the idea that it reflects an entire community. That is scapegoating, and it distracts from any real effort to prevent future shootings.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I can think of no TV series that so captures the political zeitgeist we’re living through, one dominated by the rise of fascism in the U.S., than Andor. Streaming on the Disney+ platform, Andor is a prequel to the 2016 film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which in turn serves as a prequel to the events of Star Wars: A New Hope (1977).
Among other things, Andor reminds us that resistance and rebellions to fascism, authoritarianism, and empire are built on hope.
Today I invite you to experience the story of “the Rebellion” in the Star Wars universe via the following epic 10-minute video by SWFT. It’s a video that artfully weaves together scenes from Andor, Rogue One, and the original Star Wars trilogy (A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi).
Following are excerpts from a piece that Garrett Graff published earlier today on Doomsday Scenario, his “regular column on national security, geopolitics, history, and – unfortunately – the fight for democracy in the Trump era.”
____________________
WThe United States, just months before its 250th birthday as the world’s leading democracy, has tipped over the edge into authoritarianism and fascism. In the end, faster than I imagined possible, it did happen here. The precise moment when and where in recent weeks America crossed that invisible line from democracy into authoritarianism can and will be debated by future historians, but it’s clear that the line itself has been crossed.
I think many Americans wrongly believe there would be one clear unambiguous moment where we go from “democracy” to “authoritarianism.” Instead, this is exactly how it happens – a blurring here, a norm destroyed there, a presidential diktat unchallenged. Then you wake up one morning and our country is different.
Today, August 25, 2025, is that morning. Something is materially different in our country this week than last.
Everything else from here on out is just a matter of degree and wondering how bad it will get and how far it will go? Do we end up “merely” like Hungary or do we go all the way toward an “American Reich”? So far, after years of studying World War II, I fear that America’s trajectory feels more like Berlin circa 1933 than it does Budapest circa 2015.
I debated in recent days whether this column should be written by our fearless foreign correspondent William Boot, who started satirically chronicling the backsliding of American democracy in January and the willful destruction of the federal government, but it seems more important to write plainly.
American fascism looks like the would-be self-proclaimed king deploying the military on US soil not only not in response to requests by local or state officials but over – and almost specifically to spite – their vociferous objections.
The president’s military occupation of the capital has escalated in recent days into something not seen since British troops marched the streets of colonial Boston — even though precisely nothing has happened to warrant it, the Pentagon has now armed the National Guard patrolling DC and armored vehicles, designed for the worst of combat, are patrolling the capital, where they’re colliding with civilian vehicles because war transports are not supposed to be on civilian streets. (Why a 14-ton MRAP is in any way necessary for a domestic police mission is its own worthy line of questioning!)
Word came over the weekend that the president is now drawing up plans and explicitly threatening domestic political opponents like the governors of California and Illinois with similar military occupations – exercising emergency powers in a moment where the only emergency is his own abuse of power.
Civilians who try lawfully to exercise their right to document the abuses of the regime are themselves arrested and charged with felonies through trumped-up charges teeming with official lies. The fact that this military takeover and federal occupation is being done to the city’s residents – and not on their behalf – is evident in how deserted DC has become as residents refuse to enter public spaces where they might have to interact with agents of the state.
America has become a country where armed officers of the state shout “Papers please!” on the street at men and women heading home from work, a vision we associate with the Gestapo in Nazi Germany or the KGB in Soviet Russia, and where masked men wrestle to the ground and abduct people without due process into unmarked vehicles, disappearing them into an opaque system where their family members beg for information.
[. . .] One could say that Trump has blown through the nation’s constitutional and political guardrails, but a more accurate assessment is that both Congress and the Supreme Court — who have, as I wrote earlier this spring, effectively rolled over and played dead when it comes to their constitutional duty to exert checks and balances – removed those guardrails helpfully in advance. [. . .] The response, meanwhile, by Democrats has been unconscionably weak. [. . .] National Democrats seem all invisible as the military takes over policing the streets of the capital and prosecuting its crimes. This should be a lay-up to oppose – the most basic duty of any congressional figure, and yet, “House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, along with other senior Democrats, have not been a part of any concerted effort to voice opposition to the occupation.”
[. . .] For years in covering the rise (and return) of Trump and Trumpism, I imagined there was some line that the GOP would not be willing to compromise for greed and power — some incident that would bring party leaders to their senses, some principle or red-line would be unwilling to trade or cross in pursuit of furthering Trump’s agenda. Even after January 6th, I held hope that might be the end. But then Eric Cantor’s buddy Kevin McCarthy showed up at Mar-a-Lago and the rehabilitation tour began.
It has led here, to this moment, where all three branches of the GOP-controlled government have been willing to torch the republic and democracy that generations of elected officials and citizens have tended for 249 years simply to please Donald Trump and avoid running afoul of his temper.
Where America goes from here is a story yet to be written. It will surely get worse — Trump’s push now is clearly focused on locking in an illegitimate claim to power. Whether we can come back from this moment is a story yet unknown. But it’s clear today America is different and, even if we fight our way back, it will never be the same again.
To read Garrett Graff's “America Tips Into Fascism” in its entirety, click here.
There are some crimes so heinous that they leave you numb, questioning the very value of existence.
Today Israel killed 20, including 5 journalists, in a double-tap strike on the Nasser Hospital, which it has attacked several times before. Israeli terrorists fired a tank round at the hospital and when rescuers and journalists rushed to the scene, the tank fired again, killing all of them instantly. The attack was captured on camera and broadcast around the world, so Netanyahu had to come out and claim that it was a mistake. Except, in the Hebrew press, they are bragging about it, and the unit that was involved is claiming that the attack was authorised at the top. This, incidentally, is the same unit that had killed 15 medics and then tried to hide the evidence by burying the ambulances underground.
Among those killed today is Mariam Abu Dagga, 33, who was not only an inspirational figure among journalists, she was known for her exceptional bravery and kindness. (There are reports that she had already donated her kidney to her ailing father).
We are seeing the best of humans being eliminated by the most worthless of fascists.
The idea that independent working-class campaigns can never succeed was garbage five years ago, and it’s toxic waste today. My organization, Revolutionary Workers, Seattle’s working people, rank-and-file union members, and I are living proof of this. We won four elections and unparalleled working-class victories with me as an independent socialist – no thanks to most of the labor and NGO leaders, and certainly no thanks to the Democratic Party.
The Democratic Party has always been a party of the capitalists. Today, it has also become a party of genocide, with its lowest approval rating in 35 years.
Trump and the Republicans are also deeply unpopular.
Working people are furious and fired up to fight against both the genocidal anti-worker parties of the billionaires.
For a supposedly socialist publication to tweet this out at such a time is a criminal abdication of responsibility.
There’s more to this sordid story.
The op-ed’s author, Dustin Guastella, is a leader of the Teamsters union. The Teamster President Sean O’Brien spoke at the Republican National Convention, kissing up to Donald Trump and the equally horrifically anti-worker and Zionist Senator Josh Hawley. The union leadership is also currently pouring tens of thousands of dollars into right-wing Republican candidates.
Jacobin is promoting a five-year-old article by a labor leader who is currently hugging openly anti-worker right-wing politicians.
The working class needs to dispense with all the various snakeoil salesmen and build class-struggle campaigns and the antiwar movement independent of both Democrats and Republicans.
I’m running for the U.S. Congress against genocidal Democrat Adam Smith. I’m fighting to end the genocide, end all U.S. military funding to Israel, and end the brutal Israeli occupation. I’m also campaigning for free healthcare for all, funded by taxing the rich, and for national rent control. Join us at KshamaSawant.org.
This past week the Democratic Party in Minnesota took the unprecedented step of revoking the Minneapolis chapter’s endorsement for mayor, which went to democratic socialist state senator Omar Fateh after he won the overwhelming support of delegates at the chapter’s endorsing convention last month. You may recall that I attended this event as a voluteer with the Fateh campaign.
The Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, or DFL, as the Democratic Party is known in Minnesota, cited a “flawed” voting process in its decision to revoke its endorsement of Fateh.
“Twenty-eight party insiders voted to take away our endorsement behind closed doors,” Fateh said in response to the announcement.
Fateh is taking on incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey, who is running for his third term. The democratic socialist has drawn comparisons to Zohran Mamdani, who clinched the Democratic nomination for mayor of New York earlier this year.
At its deepect level, the revoking of Fateh’s DFL endorsement is a surfacing of the long-standing fault lines within the Democratic Party that are increasingly threatening to tear it apart. They are fault lines between progressives and liberals/moderates, between the needs of the people and monied interests, between actual democracy within the party and a heavy-handed undemocratic approach by party elites and their consulting groups.
Back in 2020 these fault lines were readily seen both nationally and locally. The image above depicts prominent members of the Democratic Party, many of whom were candidates in the 2020 presidential race, as opposing members of the Avengers superhero group. It’s actually a play on the poster for the 2016 movie Captain America: Civil War. Progressives Bernie Sanders, Nina Turner, Marianne Williamson, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Jessie Jackson are pictured at left in opposition to “moderates” Joe Biden, Amy Klobacher, Pete Buttigieg, and Andrew Yang.
In Minnesota that year, the fault lines emerged in the contest between progressive Democratic state representative Ilhan Omar and her liberal (so-called “centrist”) Democratic challenger Antone Melton-Meaux. Just before the election (which Omar won), artist and community organizer Ricardo Levins Morales wrote a thoughtful and insightful commentary on the deeper meaning and signifance of the Omar/Melton-Meaux race. At one point he noted the following.
The deepest political fault line separating Melton-Meaux from Omar is the one between the struggle for inclusion and the struggle for transformation, a long-standing divide within colonized, exploited and marginalized communities. Inclusionists demand equal participation at all levels of the empire and its institutions while transformationists call for fundamental change. Under the racial capitalist politics of the United States, competition among populations is necessary to keep the threat of real solidarity at bay. The price of inclusion, therefore, is always betrayal.
Fast forward to today. Many Minneapolis residents feel betrayed by what they see as Mayor Jacob Frey’s record of broken promises, excessive vetoes, and loyalty to wealthy donors. These residents are ready for change, for the type of transformation that Levins Morales so eloquently spoke of back in 2020.
Omar Fateh is seen as a change agent. As one supporter recently posted on Facebook: “Omar has shown he’s not just another politician – he’s a movement. While others cling to insider deals and big-money donors, he’s standing firmly with working people, amplifying the voices of residents who are too often ignored. The establishment may try to block him, but the people of Minneapolis are rallying behind him because they see in him an incoming mayor who fights for justice, equity, and real change.”
I’ll close with four more insightful perspectives on the Minneapolis mayoral race and what it reveals about the Democratic Party and its fault lines.
_____________________
The decision to revoke Omar Fateh’s endorsement will ultimately harm the DFL party.
By withdrawing this endorsement, the party is effectively acknowledging that THEIR process was flawed. A process that was managed by DFL-selected officers.
This decision is both unfair and illogical. If the officers responsible, all dedicated DFL volunteers, erred in their actions and judgments, the appropriate course of action would be to suspend those individuals and outline a strategy to rectify their mistakes.
A truly democratic, equitable and intelligent approach would involve owning up to the oversight and allowing ALL candidates access to the advantages of the DFL endorsement. This embodies inclusion.
The DFL stands to gain significantly from endorsing all candidates. Especially when we have a good group of recognized Black leaders running. Their endorsement will encourage greater voter registration, greater voter participation in a highly democratic area, bolster party promotion, and enhance overall recognition and support of the DFL. Bringing more individuals into the fold translates to increased numbers, recognition and growth for the party.
It's truly disheartening to see how the prevailing deficit mentality of powerful people behind this decision is only sowing seeds of division, bitterness and discord. These actions threaten to further divide our communities and our collective efforts to grow the Party. It could have dire consequences for the DFL.
Omar Fateh’s campaign remains robust, and I firmly believe that this revocation will not undermine his standing; rather, it has galvanized our determination to back him even more wholeheartedly.
The DFL risks losing a substantial amount – its credibility and probably the enthusiastic support of critical constituencies. I’m worried about the Party’s future.
– Patricia Torres Ray via social media
August 21, 2025
The controversy around the DFL party nomination of Omar Fateh is illustrative of the fault lines around monied interests in politics roiling both the national and state Democratic parties, tinged with our own Minnesota brand of racism and classism. After all, if a white man named Jacob – supported by the corporate power structure – had won the party nomination no one would be complaining about the flawed process at the convention, and the process is always flawed. This is simply a case of corrupt Frey allies unwillingness to accept their loss and are blaming the process instead of the candidate's inability to garner support. I’m concerned about the message this action sends to people of color in the party, and especially in our East African community. While Ilhan Omar’s success is something to be proud of, it feels like representation in the party is okay as long as it’s not local and as long as it doesn’t upset the status quo in city politics. I hope it leads to increased activism rather than nihilism, and I suspect that it might.
– Brian Geving via social media
August 23, 2025
8/25/25 UPDATE . . .
I want to take a moment to say thank you.
When the DFL made the unfair decision to overturn our endorsement win, I didn’t know how folks across Minneapolis would respond. But then hundreds of you showed up on Saturday to rally, knock doors, and show this campaign the kind of love and energy that can’t be ignored.
That support means everything to me – and it shows that despite what party insiders may do behind closed doors, this movement is alive and stronger than ever.
But now we need to turn this energy into action. We’re building toward November, and to keep up the fight, we need the grassroots support that has always fueled our campaign. If you’re able, will you make a donation today to help us come back stronger than ever.
Marianne Williamson on The Keith Edwards Show
– 8/17/25
Author and former presidential candidate Marianne Williamson has been positively shaping the conversation around politics and spirituality for decades. I’ve come to greatly appreciate her informed and insightful perspective.
Recently, Williamson was a guest on The Keith Edwards Show. It’s a great 30-minute interview with a woman whom I consider the “Cassandra of U.S. politics,” and whom philosopher and social critic Cornel West says is “one of the few in the higher echelons of public life and public conversation who understand the intimate relation between the spiritual and the social, the personal and the political, and the existential and the economic.”
Continues West: “It’s very rare that people have this synoptic vision, [one that ensures that] spirituality, morality, and integrity sit at the center and at the beginning of any serious discussion about the relation of a self and a society.”
Just such a discussion takes place in Keith Edward’s interview with Marianne Williamson.
I established The Wild Reed in 2006 as a sign of solidarity with all who are dedicated to living lives of integrity – though, in particular, with gay people seeking to be true to both the gift of their sexuality and their Catholic faith. The Wild Reed's original by-line read, “Thoughts and reflections from a progressive, gay, Catholic perspective.” As you can see, it reads differently now. This is because my journey has, in many ways, taken me beyond, or perhaps better still, deeper into the realities that the words “progressive,” “gay,” and “Catholic” seek to describe.
Even though reeds can symbolize frailty, they may also represent the strength found in flexibility. Popular wisdom says that the green reed which bends in the wind is stronger than the mighty oak which breaks in a storm. Tall green reeds are associated with water, fertility, abundance, wealth, and rebirth. The sound of a reed pipe is often considered the voice of a soul pining for God or a lost love.
On September 24, 2012,Michael BaylyofCatholics for Marriage Equality MNwas interviewed by Suzanne Linton of Our World Today about same-sex relationships and why Catholics can vote 'no' on the proposed Minnesota anti-marriage equality amendment.
"I believe your blog to be of utmost importance for all people regardless of their orientation. . . . Thank you for your blog and the care and dedication that you give in bringing the TRUTH to everyone."– William
"Michael, if there is ever a moment in your day or in your life when you feel low and despondent and wonder whether what you are doing is anything worthwhile, think of this: thanks to your writing on the internet, a young man miles away is now willing to embrace life completely and use his talents and passions unashamedly to celebrate God and his creation. Any success I face in the future and any lives I touch would have been made possible thanks to you and your honesty and wisdom."– AB
"Since I discovered your blog I have felt so much more encouraged and inspired knowing that I'm not the only gay guy in the Catholic Church trying to balance my Faith and my sexuality. Continue being a beacon of hope and a guide to the future within our Church!"– Phillip
"Your posts about Catholic issues are always informative and well researched, and I especially appreciate your photography and the personal posts about your own experience. I'm very glad I found your blog and that I've had the chance to get to know you."– Crystal
"Thank you for taking the time to create this fantastic blog. It is so inspiring!"– George
"I cannot claim to be an expert on Catholic blogs, but from what I've seen, The Wild Reed ranks among the very best."– Kevin
"Reading your blog leaves me with the consolation of knowing that the words Catholic, gay and progressive are not mutually exclusive.."– Patrick
"I grieve for the Roman institution’s betrayal of God’s invitation to change. I fear that somewhere in the midst of this denial is a great sin that rests on the shoulders of those who lead and those who passively follow. But knowing that there are voices, voices of the prophets out there gives me hope. Please keep up the good work."– Peter
"I ran across your blog the other day looking for something else. I stopped to look at it and then bookmarked it because you have written some excellent articles that I want to read. I find your writing to be insightful and interesting and I'm looking forward to reading more of it. Keep up the good work. We really, really need sane people with a voice these days."– Jane Gael
"Michael, your site is like water in the desert."– Jayden
