The Mason Missile, March 28, 2026

Greetings, Americans! I’m preparing for the upcoming primary elections in Pennsylvania, on May 19, here in Philadelphia. I’m working alongside other members of my Ward Committee, workaday Philadelphians active in the affairs of our neighborhoods. If you’re in Philadelphia, and you need voting information, look up the website https://vote.phila.gov/ . In Pennsylvania, contact https://www.pa.gov/agencies/vote. Trump and his minions are doing everything in their power to repress and discourage voting, particularly by groups they’ve been targeting for decades—ethnic and racial minorities, women, and LGBTQ+ people. Recently the Washington Post reported on a 17-page memo, from some trump-allied attorneys, revived the tired old lie that China manipulated the 2020 election; the memo proposed that the “President” declare a national emergency and take over states’ voting systems, and the memo also calls for hand-counting paper ballots—marked in public—and voter-identification rules. The proposal also includes banning mail-in ballots and voting machines. The US Constitution gives the STATES control over their several voting systems, with limited federal oversight. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/02/26/trump-elections-executive-order-activists/) (https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artI-S4-C1-2/ALDE_00013577/) (https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-says-hes-not-mulling-a-draft-executive-order-to-seize-control-over-elections-heres-what-we-know) Then, we have the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act; it would place all sorts of restrictions for people to vote, such as requiring photo IDs, birth certificates, it would also require monthly vote-roll purges, so people would have to start all over again with registering. This would place a burden on people trying to register, as so many people in this country don’t have access to their birth certificates or have a passport. It would deter so many Americans from even bothering to vote—but that’s the idea; the trump regimes and its allies want to keep people from voting, so that they can stay in power. It’s no different from the voting laws of the post-Civil War South, that prevented Black Americans from voting. (https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/new-save-act-bills-would-still-block-millions-americans-voting) (https://www.naacpldf.org/case-issue/save-america-act-saves-no-one-voter-suppression-bill-explained/) Oh, the good old days, when Republicans and conservatives championed “states’ rights,” that is, the right of the southern states to oppress minorities, and the big bad federal government didn’t meddle in this sacred right of the states. But now, a rightist-fascist regime is in Washington, and its party rules—for now—all three branches of government, and the regime is trying to control states’ voting systems. It’s never been about “big government—small government;” it’s rhetorical cover for attempts to make the government useful for All its citizens, and not a plutocratic-corporate elite. February was African-American History Month, where we celebrate the accomplishments of African-Americans; March is Women’s History Month, where we honor the accomplishments of women. In our service academies and our national monuments and parks, the reality of slavery in this country and the struggles of formerly marginalized groups are being eradicated by a racist-sexist-homophobic regime that denies the accomplishments, or even the existence, of such groups. When such groups tell their stories, and list their accomplishments, it gives them a sense of pride, and the Trump regime can’t stand that. Recently, Secretary of Weird, uh, War, uh, Defense Pete Hegseth intervened to prevent the promotion of four Army officers to one-star rank; two of them just happened to be Black, and two just happened to be female. It was all because Petey opposed anything that’s “woke”. I repeat, for the hundredth time, “woke” come from the Black experience, meaning to pay attention to your surroundings, and to the problems we’re facing; that’s it, period, full stop. The Trump crime family would prefer us to be comatose, ignorant, not paying attention to what’s going on. (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/27/us/hegseth-promotion-list.html) I take this time to pay my respects to my friend, teacher, and mentor, Fred Stefon, formerly on the faculty of Pennsylvania State University, Wilkes-Barre, who has recently passed away. Fred saw potential in me, this bullied, no-self-confidence kid, and he urged me along in my intellectual explorations, in a self-disciplined manner; he had faith in me when I didn’t have faith in myself. Thank you, Fred. I have had wonderful mentors in my life, and I think about them often: Fred Stefon, Harry Hyde, Jr., Harold Ash, Marty Berger, Alex Wollod, and Burhman Smith. I raise their name in honor. Let us continue to keep fighting the good fight for a genuinely free and democratic America, one we can be proud to call our country—and raise and mentor another generation to pick up where we leave off. Stay safe, stay strong, and stay together! Slava Ukraini! Am Yisrael Chai! Fuck Trump! America will be free! Bye!