Hollow Mockery: Douglass, Jefferson, and 250 Years of a Promise Unkept
“Your 4th of July is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license . . . your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery.”
— Frederick Douglass (1852)
Out of Office: Two Months of Deliberate Political Ignorance
Nick Allison I’ve been on vacation for the past two months. It was only supposed to be one month when I planned it. In a country where paid vacation is perhaps the most coveted and least distributed benefit in our particular version of capitalism—doled out by corporate masters who have spent decades training us to…
The Costs of War: Twenty-One Years Later
In 2004, my mom wrote about what war costs—not just for those who fight, but for those who wait, worry, and live with the aftermath. Twenty-one years later, I’m sharing her words again, along with my reflections as a veteran, son, and father.
Starting Over
Adam Hinds For years, I’ve written across different formats and through different outlets. One of my favorites has always been The Chaos Section. I enjoy the freedom that writing brings. But I’ve always lacked focus. That changes now. A Decade in the Nonprofit World I’ve spent the past ten years working in and around nonprofit…
View from the Sixth Floor: On Privilege, Disparity, and Knowing When You Have Enough
In the wealthiest country in human history, people are dying because they can’t afford insulin while billionaires buy elections. The ladder has no visible top and a functionally invisible bottom, and almost everyone is looking up at someone while looking down at someone else.
Amateur Hour in the Executive Branch: Veterans on the War in Iran and the Commander in Chief Who Started It
At the end of March, with the Iran war entering its second month and the casualty count already climbing, I attended the No Kings protest in Austin looking for veterans. I found plenty of them. After the piece ran at Slate I heard from several others who weren‘t at the protest but wanted to add…
I Went to Prison Straight and Came Out Human
The Supreme Court just made it easier for licensed therapists to tell queer kids that who they are is a disorder that needs fixing. Cynthia Tarana has some firsthand experience with what environment actually does to a person’s sexuality.
What We Can’t Afford: Healthcare, War, and the Lie We Keep Believing
We can afford a billion dollars a day for another war in the Middle East, but making sure a working mother can take her sick kid to the doctor? That’s where we draw the line on fiscal responsibility.
Ego, Activism, and the People Who Just Do the Work
I came across a Beto O’Rourke post featuring a friend of mine at a voter registration event in Austin, someone who had never once mentioned they were doing that work. It made me think about ego, activism, and what it really means to show up.
The Land of Missed Opportunities: On Capitalism, Healthcare, and Beating the War Drum
If you can count on anything in aMERICA, it’s that we will buy the lie, or at the very least, “purchase a smidge of truth.” From Hilly Kristal and CBGB to Luigi Mangione and Muhammad Ali, Cynthia Tarana moves through capitalism, healthcare, and the ever-beating war drum—and wonders why we keep choosing Empire over each other.
If Democrats Write Trump a $50 Billion Check for Iran, They’re Giving Up the Only Leverage They Have Left
The Trump administration wants $50 billion to fund an unauthorized war in Iran. Democrats have one tool left to stop it, and some of them are thinking about giving it away.
“We Will Live in a Fascist Country”: Beto O’Rourke on the Stakes of 2026 Midterms
Beto O’Rourke recently sat down with Jeremy Wallace on Texas Take, the political podcast from the Houston Chronicle, for a wide-ranging conversation about the 2026 midterm elections, executive power, and the future of American democracy. The full interview runs close to an hour. What follows is a single uninterrupted excerpt in which O’Rourke lays out what he believes…
A Party That Seeks to Nationalize and Control Elections Has Entered Fascist Territory
Like most everything authoritarian regimes do, this latest sideshow stems from a place of fear. Trump is arguing for federal control because some states are producing outcomes that frighten him.
Minneapolis witness Stella Carlson breaks her silence on Alex Pretti’s killing
Local Minneapolis resident Stella Carlson, the woman seen in the background of multiple videos of the fatal federal shooting of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti, has now spoken publicly for the first time. Carlson was wearing a distinctive pink coat and filming on her phone as the shooting unfolded. She described what she witnessed in…
the chaos section 