Grist From the Mills

Madison, I love you, but you’re bringing me down

Recent decisions by city leadership and behavior from certain activists have turned a tense and complicated situation into a toxic one Vol. 93 In This Issue: ESSAY | VOTE. PLEASE! | NOW READ THIS | TRAVELOGUE/FINAL FRAME I’ve spent most of the past month traveling for work. I’m exhausted and

A cardboard sign hanging from a balcony reads "Justice for Corey"

Focus on preventing police violence in the first place

Mandating body-worn cameras for Madison's police may be one tool in the toolbox for increased accountability but focusing on it as a panacea is another example of misdirected energy. Vol. 92 IN THIS ISSUE: ESSAY | NOW READ THIS | LISTEN UP | SPORTS | FINAL FRAME “At times in the

A rainbow Pride flag flaps in the breeze along a rocky shore.

A vacation with a side of hate crime

We went camping to escape the world’s problems and the world’s problems found us anyway. Plus: Dolly Parton, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, and new music from a friend. Vol. 91 In This Issue: ESSAY | NOW READ THIS | MOVIE REC | LISTEN UP | FINAL FRAME Some weeks,

Francesca Hong, a middle-aged woman with long black hair, stands with crossed arms and wearing multiple friendship bracelets.

Francesca Hong and the centrist bogeyman of "electibility"

Vol. 90 In This Issue: ESSAY | TAKE ACTION | FINAL FRAME As the August 11 primary in Wisconsin draws ever closer, if one listens closely, it’s possible to hear the great wailing and gnashing of teeth coming from many of the state’s most prominent centrist Democrats. They are seemingly

A hand-painted image of a Black man in white robes with angel wings is placed at the memorial to Corey Ruiz in Madison. It's surrounded by candles and flowers.

The process behind the demands

The boring (but crucial) business of navigating state and local bureaucracy in order to effect change and enforce accountability in the police shooting death of Corey Ruiz (and beyond) Vol. 89 (special edition) Corey Ruiz was shot and killed by a Madison Police Department officer on July 22. An outpouring

A bundle of flowers lays on the ground. A card with "Rest in power, Corey" written on it lays on top.

On hometown horror and turning communal grief into action

Vol. 88 In This Issue: ESSAY | TAKE ACTION | NOW READ THIS | FINAL FRAME My heart is heavy and hurting. There is some small comfort in knowing that I am hardly alone in that fact, or the specific reason for it. I was laid up sick in bed last week Wednesday

Recommendations for the overwhelmed

Vol. 87 In This Issue: ESSAY/RECOMMENDATIONS | NOW READ THIS | FINAL FRAME First: Petition to make June into Queer Vacation Month. Yes, Pride, of course…but also, please just let us rest. I am tired. (This is a very short way of explaining why I haven’t written anything here

A group of people stands along a roadside holding signs in the air that hold messages of support for music and LGBTQ+ rights.

“When walls are built, music simply plays over them”

Vol. 86 In This Issue: ESSAY | ME, ELSEWHERE | NOW READ THIS | FINAL FRAME Have you heard of the Streisand Effect? The term comes from an incident in 2005 when Barbara Streisand tried to suppress the publication of a photograph of her Malibu home, taken to illustrate the problem of cliffside

Alas, the left isn’t immune from loud, obnoxious grifters

Vol. 85 In This Issue: ESSAY | NOW READ THIS | I WON A THING! | FINAL FRAME I’m so tired of loud, obnoxious “liberal” men who think they’re the only ones who can save us. Current example/reason for my deep, Marge Simpson-like groans: Minocqua Brewing Company owner and

A rocky red landscape is dotted with low, bushy green trees and a bright blue sky overhead.

In the Land of Enchantment

Vol. 84 In This Issue: ESSAY | NOW READ THIS | PHOTO GALLERY There’s been a lot on my mind lately. Hard to know what to focus on long enough to write about. So much pain and stress and suffering in the world around me. People everywhere under threat, all of

Close-up shot of a person using a hot iron to put text on a black t-shirt. The text reads, "Abolish ICE."

No more police cooperation with the ICE agenda

This post originally appeared at The Recombobulation Area, part of the Civic Media network. FUN NEWS: A column I wrote for the RC last year has won a Milwaukee Press Club award for "Best Single Editorial, Statement of Editorial Position or Opinion" category! Many thanks to Dan for

A white man carries a Confederate battle flag through a lobby inside Congress during the January 6 insurrection.

The Trump regime doesn’t need to import its form of terrorism. It’s an American original.

Vol. 82 In This Issue: Essay | Take Action | Now Read This | Final Frame | REMINDER: I'd be very grateful if you'd take a few moments to fill out this quick survey about this newsletter. It'll help guide my work for you going forward! Thank you.