The Mason Missile, January 30, 2022

Greetings, Americans! Over the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, Torah portion Beshalah, Exodus 13:17-17:16; after the Israelites left Egypt for the Promised Land, Pharaoh is angry that he let them leave slavery under him, and he orders an elite chariot unit to attack them. The Israelites, terrified by the chariots, and they turn against Moses, saying, “Is it for a lack of graves in Egypt, that you brought us here to die in the wilderness?”, and talked about going back into slavery in Egypt. Moses tells the people to not fear, “The LORD will battle for you.” God tells Moses, “Tell the Israelites to go forward,” and Moses lifts his rod over the Red Sea, and the water part to let the Israelites through. After they cross to the other side, the Egyptian chariots attack, but God allows the waters of the sea to come down on them. Pharaoh was originally frightened by death of the first born, including his son; rulers seldom do handle problems until it affects them personally; he therefore “gets tough” and tries to reassert his power over the Israelites, his former slaves. Tyrants, both political and economic, hate it when their once-docile subjects challenge their tyranny; when the once-oppressed people make gains, they old regime temporarily pulls back, but they plot again to take their former power back and put their subjects back down. That’s what the MLK weekend is about-the ongoing fight against tyranny and for freedom and justice-it never ends. Any advance towards a more just and democratic society isn’t guaranteed, and that its defense is ongoing. Upcoming is African-American History Month, and we’re up against efforts to force school boards throughout the country to ban books dealing with Black History or LGBTQ+ issues, acting like they’ll hurt white people’s feelings-this, from the faction that mocks people protesting racial and religious attacks as “snowflakes” and telling them to just put up with it. The latest of this is from Tennessee, where the McMinn County School Board ordered the banning of the graphic novel Maus by Art Spiegelman, depicting the horrors of the Holocaust- depicting the Jews as mice and the Nazis as cats.( https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/holocaust-novel-maus-banned-in-tennessee-school-district) This came the day before Holocaust Memorial Day. The board complained about so-called “bad language” and a picture of a naked woman! Can a person be more ignorant? More stupid” One genius on the board said “It shows people hanging, it shows them killing kids, why does the educational system promote this kind of stuff? It is not wise on healthy.” It’s because it’s HISTORY, dumbo, a terrible historical event, and people have to learn about it, so we don’t go through that again! These are the deep thinkers deciding on your kids’ education, Americans. Still,their favorite enemy-of-the-month remains the evil “Critical Race Theory,” which (as I’ve said for the HUNDRETH time!) is a 40-year-old study about race as a social construct, which is pervasive throughout the legal system and in our politics, and not an individual attitude. It came about from the work of such legal scholars as Derrick Bell, Kimberlé Crenshaw, and Richard Delgado, examining such patterns of discrimination as which areas of a city are “redlined”, which decides the residents’ ability to attain a loan, for one thing. It is also a tool for sociologists and literary experts to see the effects of racism in school funding, policing, utilities, advertising, movies, and so forth. (https://www.edweek.org/leadership/what-is-critical-race-theory-and-why-is-it-under-attack/2021/05) It is prevalent in law schools and graduate studies, and not-repeat, NOT! - taught to kindergarten kids to make them hate themselves. The conservative reaction to CRT has always been the logical fallacy of “exaggerated extrapolation,” that it would cause such terrible things as discrimination against white people, gay activism in schools, the Black Lives Matter movement, and school shootings. This is immature, unwilling to confront one of the greatest stains and impediments to the development of our democracy. Plus, the conservative attitude has always been self-centeredness, believing that everything should be as THEY want, whether it’s schools, neighborhoods, and sexuality; they don’t do a thing, they’re not forced to do a thing, yet they demand the right to penalize an dpolice other people’s behavior.; it’s all about them, and they’re like little kids who don’t want to share. This is what we’re dealing with in our politics and in our country; it’s gone on all through our history, taking different forms, different eras, and different power relations within our country. We must never give up our part of the fight; we must study the news, organize, educate ourselves on the issues, and finally, get out there and VOTE, and not allow anything or anyone to stop us. Our forebears went through this so that we can vote and have our rights, and I believe they’re looking on us; can we let them down? Stay safe, stay strong, and stay together! America will be free! Bye!

The Mason Moment Jan. 17, 2022

I speak about fighting homelessness, and the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and how we must keep it going.I screwed up the opening credits, sorry.

The Mason Moment, January 4, 2022

I speak about the danger of censoring library books dealing with race and LGBTQ+ issues, and of rededicating ourselves to preserving our democracy.

The Mason Moment with John Oliver Mason, December 31, 2021

The Mason Missile, January 28, 2021

Greetings, Americans! Last month I went to the Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center in West Philadelphia, to the ER. (I won’t mention why, too disgusting.) I received great care there, which is important since my health insurance from the time with the city has run out. Next year, I’ll be eligible for Medicare, and I’m active in the cause of a national health insurance system for ALL Americans, “Medicare for all.” Health, like education, is a necessity and not a luxury. Are you keeping track of all the strikes and other labor actions going on in the country? The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the US Department of Labor, workers, due to the pandemic, now realize their importance in the working of the company. Before, the inability of workers to change jobs has been one means of controlling them, to take away their power and autonomy; a submissive working class has always been the billionaire class’ goal. (https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2021/10/19/1047032996/why-are-so-many-americans-quitting-their-jobs) (https://www.al.com/business/2021/11/the-great-resignation-2021-americans-leaving-jobs-in-record-numbers.html) (I’ve mentioned earlier the need for a national health insurance system, “Medicare for all.” Corporations use their health care plans to keep employees from leaving the job and going somewhere else; there would not be that kind of a problem with “Medicare for all.”) Are workers finally realizing their power through organizing? The workers at the Kellogg cereal facilities, members of the Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union-like the one in Lancaster, PA-have voted to ratify the new contract, which calls for no concessions or takeaways, no two-tier system, a path to full employment, a pause in plant shutdowns, cost of living raises, and improvements in the pension system. (https://bctgm.org/2021/12/21/kelloggs-strike-ends-bctgm-members-ratify-new-contract/) Plus, Amazon reached an agreement with the National Labor Relations Board; allowing union organizers to meet with workers after their shifts and to notify workers of their right to organize; and to not retaliate against workers for union activities. (https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/amazon-settles-nlrb-helping-pave-path-union-organization-rcna9834) (https://www.huffpost.com/entry/amazon-nlrb-settlement_n_61c4cd61e4b0d637ae8ba8f3) Workers in a Starbucks store in Buffalo, NY, also voted to form a union. (https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/amazon-settles-nlrb-helping-pave-path-union-organization-rcna9834) These low-income employees, such as store workers stocking shelves, truck drivers delivering goods, and hospital housekeepers cleaning rooms during COVID, are finding out how important they are in the community, and they value themselves enough to demand better, for themselves and their families. We cannot rely solely on elected officials, no matter how pro-worker or pro-people they are; after we finish our New-Year’s revels, we have to let them know, and each other know, that we can and will band together to protect our democracy. One way is the upcoming series of Days of Remembrance and Action for the January 6 riot, the trumpist effort to overturn the decision of the American people through violence and terror. The Republicans have tried to whitewash the memory of that terrible day, saying either it was “antifa,” or tourists on holiday. We must remember the real story of January 6, reminding ourselves of what trump and the Republicans tried to do-destroy our democracy-and rededicate ourselves to registering to vote, learning about the issues of the day, and actually voting, and no letting ANY thing stand in our say to the polls. The Republicans and their corporate pimps think we won’t stand up for ourselves; let’s give them ONE rude awakening. You can sign up for the Day of Remembrance at https://jan6unityday.org/. Stay safe, stay strong, and stay together! America will be free! Happy New Year!

The Mason Moment, December 27, 2021 (Sequence 1)

I speak about starting now to make 2022 a great year, and of banding together for our rights.

The Mason Moment, December 12, 2021

I speak about resisting book banning, the need to discuss racial issues like adults, and organizing to vote.