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Articles by Gary Karasik
Free Labor!
A few weeks ago, I was driving east on Olympic Boulevard and stopped for a red light at Sawtelle. It was early afternoon, traffic was light, and I was the first car in the middle of three through lanes. As other cars stopped around me, I absent-mindedly surveyed them and was a little creeped out to see that I was hemmed in by Waymo taxis. I looked ahead just as another white Waymo crossed Olympic right to left.
We Hold These Hypocrisies to Be Self-Evident
This article is informed by the research and insights found in Furious Minds: The Making of the MAGA New Right by Laura K. Field (2025) and The Nation That Never Was: Reconstructing America’s Story by Kermit Roosevelt III (2022). No question can be answered correctly until it is framed correctly.
Going Deep: Beyond Belief-Meditation and Malaise
Part 5: Going Deep: Beyond Belief—Meditation and Malaise The media’s complicity in the undoing of America is complicated. They—the media—constantly proffer, and thus reaffirm, an anxiety-inducing narrative. This narrative, concocted by the VRWC (Vast, Right-Wing Conspiracy) that Hillary Clinton called out, implies irreconcilable differences (the language of divorce) between liberals and conservatives.
Going Deep: Beyond Belief-A Government of Men, Not of Laws
What makes America—the real one—great is not what we can do unto others but what we choose not to. Part 5: Going Deep: Beyond Belief—Mediation and Malaise Part 7: Beyond Belief—A Government of Men, Not of Laws Louis XIV, le Roi Soleil (the Sun King), is (dis)credited with saying L’etat c’est moi (“I am the state”). The archetypal absolute monarch, Louis was foremost among a posse of baroquely dressed racketeers and thugs who ruled Europe with an iron whim from the mid 1600s to the late-1800s.
Going Deep: Beyond Belief-Divide and Conquer
It’s common to blame the media after an election loss. That can be legitimate. But often it’s palliative; blaming others—scapegoating—is a topical balm for our mental bruising. Part 5: Going Deep: Beyond Belief—Mediation and Malaise Part 6 of 7: Beyond Belief—Divide and Conquer Hillary Clinton (J.D., Yale Law, 1973), saw the internal workings of the U.S. government from multiple, significant vantage points: First Lady (1993-2001), U.S. Senator (2001-2009), and Secretary of State (2009-2013).
Going Deep: Beyond Belief-Mediation and Malaise
There is a way to report on Trumpy behavior that minimizes his anti-democratic impact. It requires that the limping vestiges of non-partisan, for-profit media take a disciplined approach to golemic coverage. Part 5: Going Deep: Beyond Belief—Mediation and Malaise The media’s complicity in the undoing of America is complicated. They—the media—constantly proffer, and thus reaffirm, an anxiety-inducing narrative.
Going Deep: Beyond Belief-Can’t Stop Believin’
When I lived in Tallahassee, a friend was appointed to the Florida Commission on the Status of Women (FCSW). Charged with monitoring and reporting on issues of special concern to Florida women—child care, education, domestic violence, equal pay, women’s health—FCSW also recognized a Florida Woman of the Year (WoTY). During my friend's FCSW tenure, the state legislature flipped to Republican. Among the prerogatives of the new Speaker of the House was filling two FCSW vacancies.
Going Deep—Beyond Belief: Faith
Most of us refuse even to consider that our sense of reality could be a tape-delayed contrivance and that we could be—gasp—wrong about what we’re seeing. Willing suspension of disbelief, Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s pithy phrase is, like most catchphrases, clever, and reductive, minimizing—even trivializing—the insidious, unfathomable complexity of what we do before joining a narrative ménage. Or don’t do, which is suspend our disbelief.
Going Deep: Beyond Belief-Suspending Disbelief
We tell stories—we narratize—to explain and to rationalize both to others and to ourselves the random and sometimes violent events that unfold around us. After recent gains, an emboldened, less-constrained, and vast(er) right-wing conspiracy (VRWC) is incrementally going public. In the U.S., a more-assertive Conspirator-in-Chief—Make L’etat Moi Again—is nearly out of the covert closet.
Going Deep: Beyond Belief-They
“They” is a useful pronoun.
Going Deep: Building Safety
Construction codes exist because government is tasked with protecting others from people like me who do stupid things they shouldn’t or stupidly don’t do things they should. A little over a year before January’s wildfires ravened vast swaths of Los Angeles, I almost torched our house.
Going Deep: A Musing
Republicans don’t complete their sentences. They are masters of the unsaid. Aloud they say, “We want smaller government,” leaving out, because we don’t want our money going to them. Or they say, “We want government off our backs,” leaving out, and onto theirs. Or, “Competition is good for business,” leaving out when it restrains our competitors.
JD Vance? What Were They Thinking?
Smiling ironically, a progressive friend shook his head. JD Vance? They can’t be serious. What were they thinking? I felt a bleak sense of déjà vu all over again: Wasn’t that the reaction we’d had to Donald Trump? Remember? We couldn’t—we refused to—believe that a significant tranche of Americans would seriously consider voting for a spoiled, whiny, racist bully with glaring impulse control issues and the boorish presence of a horny adolescent. Donald Trump? The Donald? Seriously?
How the West Was Lost
Never have I ever felt as out of sync with my chosen political cohort as after seeing LA Progressive readers’ opinions about Joe Biden’s candidacy. In an article published July 9th, Dick Price—who alongside Sharon Kyle co-publishes LA Progressive—summarizes a recent unscientific poll.
Suppose They Gave a Democracy and No One Came?
Egypt’s toying with a democratic façade began in 1952 when Gamal Nasser led a coup that toppled King Farouk. After the coup, Nasser became prime minister, while fellow coup plotter Mohamed Naguib became president. Soon after that, Nasser survived an assassination attempt by a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group that he then banned, imprisoning and torturing many of its members.
For Supreme Court, It's Fourth and Six
SCOTUS is about to punt. Not the ball. America. It’s fourth and six: Kavanaugh, Gorsuch, Barrett (three Trump), Roberts, Thomas, and Alito (three no Trump). All Republican appointees, all right-wing ideologues, all Catholics. This last is an intriguing data point. Given the right-wing bloc’s synchronized intolerance of abortion access, their religion is the stuff of conspiracy theories; make of it what you will.
Downplaying Hamas's Attack
Since Hamas attacked Israel on 10/7/2023, and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) counter-attacked, the IDF’s thousands of fish-in-a-barrel bombing runs, search-and-destroy ground assaults, and missile and drone strikes have maimed countless Gazans, killed 35,000 (and counting), and obliterated much of Gaza’s physical, cultural, and psychological infrastructure. Most of the injured and killed have been civilians.
The School for Scandal
The threats of protests and disruption were a godsend to administrators who were uncomfortable with the choice of Tabassum but initially couldn’t devise a graceful way out. Asna Tabassum, a hijab-wearing biomed student, was selected by the University of Southern California (USC) as this year’s valedictorian and was looking forward to giving the commencement address.
Rabbi Stragelove
Rabid religious extremists, enabled by immense infusions of U.S. aid—weapons, intelligence, and funding both direct and indirect—are piloting Israel’s ship of state, or more appropriately, its battleship of state. Far-right zealots are steering a dreadnaught bristling with unimaginably lethal armaments toward a confrontation that could catastrophically cripple civilization.
Original Sin: Consolidated Israel
Certainly there have been and are Israelis sincerely seeking viable compromises, but never has there been a consolidated Israel bargaining in good faith. More than a century ago, Zionist terrorists began a violent assault on Palestine. Either overtly or covertly, it has not stopped. In 1948, amid United Nations negotiations to divide the region, the Zionists unilaterally seized and occupied parts of Palestine, displaced its former inhabitants, and declared the birth of the State of Israel.
The Last Thing LA Needs Is a Competent, Compassionate Mayor
Over the past two decades we have watched with anguish as our human ecosystems—social, political, economic, and physical—have corroded. Nationally we have seen the rise and normalization of demagoguery and authoritarianism; locally we have seen deteriorating streets, sleep-walking police, and unhoused people living and relieving themselves on sidewalks. Our mayors between 2005-22, Antonio Villaraigosa (2005-13) and Eric Garcetti (2013-22), were optics-driven.
Original Sin: Land Theft
Since Israel’s founding, every effort by Palestine’s former occupants to take back what was stolen has been portrayed as a monstrous assault against Israel. See Parts 1 and 2: Anguished Cries and The Right to Exist Stripped of obfuscatory bloviation, a naked fact remains: Israel stole the land it sits on.
Original Sin: The Right to Exist
After many decades of brutal violence and bloodshed between Zionists, Mandatory Palestine’s British overseers, and Arabs, the League of Nations and then its successor the United Nations had been working to end the killing by outlining a two-state solution, one for Jews, one for Arabs. Amid a 1947-49 civil war, Israel short-circuited that process: On May 14th, 1948—75 years ago—Israel declared its independence.
Until Birth Do Us Part
“AMERICA IS DIVIDED!” “AMERICA IS POLARIZED!” “AMERICA IS IN CRISIS!” “CULTURE WAR!” Or so we’re told. But hold on: America has always been a land of diverse, firmly held opinions stridently expressed. The loud and proud expression of opinions is a pillar of our democracy; it’s who we are. America is not in crisis; America is in a crisis narrative widely circulated by mass media fog machines the way Big Agriculture disperses manure over endless tracts of genetically modified corn.
The Unbearable Whiteness of Being
In 2015, as a response to a diversity-free list of nominations for the 87th Academy Awards, April Reign created #OscarsSoWhite. In Hollywood, Reign’s hashtag resulted in earnest hand-wringing, angst, and piety. Public posturing and promises proliferated. Boards met. Deck chairs were rearranged. Boards remet. #OscarsSoWhite stirred much discussion, but as is typical of social media conflagrations, the public’s outrage was more broad than deep. Twitter’s fickle flock found new diversions.
Julian Assange Visits North Hollywood
Arranged by the ACLU of SoCal and shown at the Laemmle Noho 7 one night only, Ithaka follows the indefatigable John Shipton around the world as he tries to rally support for his son, imprisoned WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. As we follow Shipton, we learn about Assange and his case, and we meet Assange’s wife (and lawyer), Stella Moris, their children, and supporters.
Democrats for McCarthy!
Demoted to a narrow minority, House Democrats have an opportunity not only to govern effectively, but also to increase their chances of retaking the House in the next election cycle, a year in which Democratic prospects for retaining both Senate and Presidency are bright.
5 Mistakes to Avoid When Building Your Credit Score
Whether you're trying to build your credit from scratch or reestablishing it after a misstep, there are some things you should avoid doing if you don't want to fail in this task. Your credit score is one of the essential things in your financial life. With it, there are a lot of things that you can do, especially taking out a loan. As critical as establishing good habits to build your credit is, it's also essential to learn the things you need to avoid when building your credit score.
Could Ghost of Eugene McCarthy Haunt Biden’s Renomination
These days, conventional media wisdom says that President Biden will have a smooth path to renomination if he wants it. Don’t be so sure. Fifty-five years ago, pundits scoffed when a Democratic senator announced that he was running against incumbent Lyndon Johnson for their party’s presidential nomination. Eugene McCarthy launched his campaign to challenge Johnson’s continual escalation of the war in Vietnam.
Nuclear Fusion Will Change Everything. Really.
The paradigm has shifted. The announcement of a stable fusion reaction is a really big deal, maybe the biggest deal any of us will hear about in our lifetimes. The only thing bigger might be the discovery of intelligent extraterrestrial life. (Never mind the jokes.) In terms of its impact, the only comparable previous event is the harnessing of the wheel. Practical fusion is neither progress nor incremental improvement; it will change life on earth.
New Special Counsel Jack Smith
If you’re feeling a bit of deja vu all over again (apologies to Yogi Berra) after Attorney General Merrick Garland’s appointment of a new special counsel to investigate Donald Trump, join the club. In 2017, former FBI Director was appointed as a Justice Department special counsel to investigate Trump in connection with Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
Peace for Our Time
The Russian invasion of Ukraine ought to end quickly, but calls for imposing on Ukraine a peace-at-nearly-any-price settlement are wrongheaded. Even those proposing it know this on some level, repeatedly stressing “negotiated” in their proposals, as though third-parties talking it over beforehand make it okay to force a militarily weaker nation not only to cede territory, but also to give up its sovereign right to chart its own destiny.
Georgia Runoff: Loud Visible Democrats vs. Quiet “Covert” Republicans
The margins are razor thin in Georgia’s Senate runoff that ends on Tuesday, according to interviews with dozens of party insiders, grassroot organizers and voters at polls and rallies across the state during the past week. It appears that Sen. Raphael Warnock, the Democratic incumbent, is ahead as early voting concluded on Friday – a sentiment affirmed by CNN’s latest poll that spoke to voters from Thanksgiving weekend through Tuesday.
US Railroad Workers ‘Under The Thumb’
Probably the most important US labor event of 2022 has been the 115,000 US railroad workers and their unions attempt to bargain a new contract with the super profitable Railroad companies. As of December 2, 2022, however, that negotiations has not turned out well for the workers. The US government—the Biden administration and Democrat controlled US Congress with the help of virtually all the Republicans—have repeatedly intervened on the side of the management in the negotiations.
What We Could Have Been Doing in the Shadows
After Russia and so many other oppressed nations threw off their oppressors, we could have allowed new societies to form, develop, and flourish. We could have helped nurture whatever systems of government arose organically out of local history, lore, mythology, and environment. We could have watered whatever took root. We could have exported democracy, not capitalism. We could have helped.
Ye Cannot Serve Both Love and Hate
“The shooter is Mormon,” I texted my husband the moment I learned the man who’d killed five and injured eighteen at a Colorado Springs LGBTQ bar was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My husband texted a single word back a moment later. “Arggg!” After writing the first book on the Upstairs Lounge fire, an arson at a French Quarter gay bar that killed thirty-two people in 1973, I react to news of bar deaths with an added degree of horror. Happy Land. The Station. Pulse.
What Role Does Truth Play in a Democracy?
In the Age of Donald Trump, what is truth? Is truth just a matter of opinion? Are your facts the same as my facts, or are they alternative facts? Is there any objectivity to the news? Can you pick the description of the world you want to believe? Does truth depend on who’s telling the story? This is an old dilemma. "Quid est veritas?" (“What is truth?”) asked Pontius Pilate, as he interrogated Jesus of Nazareth, in a classic bureaucratic cop-out. Pilate did not want to know the answer to his question.
Potential China Brazil Cooperation: Overcoming Brazil's Economic Crisis
The election victory of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as the president of Brazil for a third term on October 30 is expected to revise the relations between Brasília and Beijing. Brazil is going through a serious economic, political, social, and environmental crisis.
Private Equity in Health Care - Rotting from the Inside Out
Private equity has succeeded in depicting itself as part of the productive economy of health care services, even as it is increasingly being recognized as being parasitic. The essence of this toxic parasitism is not only to drain the host’s nourishment, but also to dull the host’s brain so that it often does not even recognize that the parasite is there. This is the illusion that health care services in the United States suffer under today.
Disappearing America: Indoctrination Nation-Part 6
Dr. RichardWolff’s description of socialism as a longing for something more exposes a vulnerability in socialism that is easily exploited: Socialism’s attraction is, for many, shallow. Socialists want more, but who doesn’t? And once their longing is satisfied, those drawn to socialism by shallow desires drift off. FDR-era and later tweaks to Democratic Capitalism, once codified into law and regulation, filled many of the quality-of-life craters that inspired people’s longing for more.
What Mayor-Elect Karen Bass Faces!
If you want a job where the barriers to success are daunting, you should consider becoming the Mayor of Los Angeles. This is what Mayor-elect Karen Bass will confront when she replaces Eric Garcetti in January 2023. Many of the urban problems she will inherit are beyond the powers of LA’s Mayor. In particular, the charts below explain why the housing crisis is getting worse, and why local elected officials, like Karen Bass, respond with compassionate speeches followed by police sweeps.
Leading Journalists Push Biden to Free Assange
On November 28, the editors and publishers of five international media outlets released a joint letter— under the title “Publishing is Not a Crime”—calling on the U.S. government to end its prosecution of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. The date was significant. Twelve years prior, on November 28, 2010,the same five newspapers—The New York Times, The Guardian, Le Monde, El Pais and DER SPIEGEL—each published revelations in cooperation with Wikileaks that made headlines around the globe.
Ukraine Nuclear Threats: Hyped or Real?
The United States, Russia, France and the UK, possess most of the world’s nuclear weapons. Since “nuclear war cannot be won” — as the heads of these states have repeatedly admitted — the same countries should be racing to ratify the Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Instead, most are spending enormous sums on expanding their arsenals, and publicly announcing their plans for the “first use” of their H-bombs.
One Thing to Know About the Railroads
Yesterday, the House approved legislation to avert a nationwide rail strike by forcing railroad workers to abide by a tentative agreement that the Biden administration helped broker earlier this year. (The proposal failed to win the approval of the workers at all of the unions involved.) The measure now goes to the Senate, where leaders in both parties say they will move quickly to avoid a disruption to the nation’s rail service.
Disappearing America: More For Me-Part 5
Dr. Richard Wolff calls socialism a longing for more. Capitalism is a longing for more for me. It impersonates social science but is a quasi-religion that manipulates cherry-picked data to morality-wash greed. It is a church erected to the greater glory of what it pleased Adam Smith, the Machiavelli of greed, to call self-interest but is, at its core, simple selfishness, just as socialism is at its core, simple sharing.
Could Evangelical Lobbying Threaten SCOTUS Independence?
Recent exposés have uncovered an emerging pattern of improper lobbying of right-wing Supreme Court justices by wealthy evangelicals. They reveal serious threats to the independence of the judiciary. But equally alarming is that the Supreme Court is unconstrained by a code of judicial ethics.
8 Reasons Why the Time for a Ukraine Ceasefire and Peace Talks Is Now
As the war in Ukraine has dragged on for nine months and a cold winter is setting in, people all over the world are calling for a Christmas truce, harkening back to the inspirational Christmas Truce of 1914. In the midst of World War I, warring soldiers put down their guns and celebrated the holiday together in the no-man’s land between their trenches.This spontaneous reconciliation and fraternization has been, over the years, a symbol of hope and courage.
Disappearing America: It’s Only Faire
Underlying FDR-era Democratic Capitalism were the economic theories of John Maynard Keynes, who posited that strategic government intervention in the economy would have long term positive consequences. He didn’t advocate full-on, generalized central planning—he colored within capitalist lines overall—but his economic philosophy skewed toward the greater good for the greater number.
Major Media Support Julian Assange Release
The five major media outlets that collaborated with WikiLeaks in 2010 to publish explosive stories based on confidential diplomatic cables from the U.S. State Department sent a letter Monday calling on the Biden administration to drop all charges against Julian Assange, who has been languishing in a high-security London prison for more than three years in connection with his publication of classified documents.
Start with Your Sandwich If You Want to Address Climate Change
As COP27 met this month, the looming effects of climate change are again in the headlines. Devastating wildfires, hurricanes, droughts and sea level rise now affect more than 6 in 10 Americans within their local communities. Billions of dollars have been committed through the Inflation Reduction Act and various state measures, including California’s most recent budget, which provides $37 billion for climate-related projects.
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