Martial Law has begun in the USA. In one way or another it has always been a shadow force and presence in the USA. Now, it is here marching through the streets: ICE and Homeland Security agents in our neighborhoods, the National Guard on the streets of major cities, and the complete impunity the Supreme Court has granted the president. We are now in the most dangerous time in US history. Today as I write, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, one of the most outspoken critics of the Trump administration, her house in Washington was raided by the Department of Justice.History is littered with the legacies of Martial law. The rise of the Nazi Party did not begin in 1932 or 1933. It began with the Versailles Treaty and the Weimar government: the failure of economic policy, the growing poverty, the Great Depression, and the massive war debts. In Spain, Franco would never have succeeded without the collusion of Italy and Germany, and succeeded Europe looked away. As Santayana said, “Those who cannot re… Continue Reading on Substack →

I created the series “Pentagon Man” in 2010. And unfortunately, it is even more true today.

We live in Girona, Catalonia, in the northeast of Spain near the French border. Most summer days hit the 90s—dry and hot—but the local parks offer a modest sanctuary. It is our custom to siesta.

Now I have to return to the US for a few months to tie up loose ends, and I dread it. The news is awful. The Thugocrazy of Rump and his acolytes grows worse every day—a senile man, flaccid with profound stupidity and narcissism, abetted by crowing mobs. Freedom for the January 6th rioters. Billions for genocide in Palestine. Fascism is not an abstract concept here; it is alive and real.

In Catalonia, I am happy and relaxed. People chat; they are friendly. Barely a cop in sight, and those I do see are relaxed, chatting with each other and passersbys. News of the US feels like a distant nightmare—until you read about American citizens arrested at airports and thrown into prison without due process. Germany in the 1930s.

The world is in a terrible strife – Palestine, Ukraine, Iran, and the mess in the USA. The question is – How do we maintain our sanity and joy when so much is crazy? Yet, I need to say, despite the maddnes there is so much that is extraordinarily beautiful and enchanting, not ignoring the difficult state of the the world, but in our own modest way endeavoring to help others. “My mission in life is simple, comfort the afflicted, afflict the comfortable” (as the saying goes). Or as our friend Pete Seeger said, “The world will change and transform not by the act of one person, but the actions of millions.

Friends,Thanks for being a supporter and reader. Let me know if there are stories, travel pieces, etc that catch your fancy. If you like what you read please share.Every week, I’ll be sharing one of my short stories, articles, and essays here. (Though I write a lot, I am a slow editor.) Over the decades, poetry, fiction, plays, essays, has always been one of the core elements of my life. I find that one of my great joys is as a storyteller. This past summer I had appeared and performed at the: Federation of European Storytellers, Swedish Story telling Festival, and the Stuttgard Festival.Sadly, the market for short stories has largely vanished — or at least the market for paid short stories. I don’t want to sound old, but back in the 1980s, I could write a story, submit it ten times, and generally receive a decent check. Those days are long gone.Even the great writer Ray Bradbury admitted that the market for short fiction — the one he once made a steady living from — had largely disa… Continue Reading on Substack →