Author: Leo
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The Stupid Apocalypse: Notes from the Edge of Absurdity
Six months ago I compared the United States to Weimar Germany and wrote from a place of fear. Today, I write from a place of exasperated clarity: we now live in an age of absurdity so grotesque, not even the Marx Brothers could parody it. With due process discarded, ICE unleashed, and the federal government…
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Why trump Isn’t The Next Hitler
trump is often compared to Hitler, but the comparison falls apart under scrutiny. Hitler’s rise was fueled by economic success and mass participation in atrocities. trump, by contrast, is an incompetent authoritarian whose policies actively harm his own supporters. While he weaponizes racism and grievance politics, his economic failures will likely erode his base before…
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Jury Duty and Lessons Learned
Jury deliberations tested my expertise in negotiation and conflict resolution. Legal language like “substantial motivating reason” caused confusion, leading to deadlocks. Some jurors resisted logic outright, while others were too fatigued to argue. The defense attorney’s strategy? Overwhelm us with irrelevant testimony. The plaintiff’s attorney? Frame questions in ways that guaranteed resistance. In the end,…
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Jury Deliberation and Social Dynamics
Jury deliberations split into two camps—pro-plaintiff and pro-defendant—while a shifting group of undecided jurors kept us deadlocked. The pro-plaintiff side argued their case, but the pro-defendant group largely refused to explain their stance beyond insisting the defendant did nothing wrong. In the end, we reached a compromise: a small financial award, not as compensation, but…
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Jury Duty and Workplace Dysfunction
I was sure my union background would get me dismissed from jury duty, but I made it onto the jury anyway. The case? A workplace termination that exposed how HR often takes the fall for executive mismanagement. Neither side presented a strong case, and the real issue was clear: had leadership acted decisively, there wouldn’t…
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Don’t Trust the D— in DOGE
Absurdist TV once seemed far-fetched—until Trump and Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) started firing federal workers without authority. Much like the Don’t Trust the B–– in Apartment 23 episode where a random woman takes over People magazine, Musk plays the boss while the government plays along. Justice is slow, and institutions may correct themselves—but…
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Living in Post-History
After 9/11, pundits declared irony dead. Now, it feels like history itself is under attack. Trump and his billionaire allies dismantle institutions while the media treats it as politics as usual. His supporters and critics alike react as if every blunder is part of a master plan. But in the trenches, away from ivory towers,…
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Are courts really fair?
Sitting in a jury selection room, I kept hearing the same question: Can you be fair? The word “fair” carries emotional weight, yet the court seems to use it as a stand-in for impartiality. But can a juror truly judge laws they don’t fully understand? Observing the process, I realized fairness is more complex than…
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Your tired, your poor …
I attended a training for immigrants on handling encounters with ICE, surrounded by over 100 people, with an overflow room watching via video feed. Later, watching Mo on Netflix reinforced the brutality of detention. History reminds us that American citizens, too, have been targeted in mass deportations. White supremacy thrives on fear, perpetuating cruelty. I…
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Exhortations to a Young Mother
This week, inspiration felt elusive, but a conversation with my niece reminded me of life’s pressing questions. As a young mother, she worries about raising a child in a chaotic world. Our talk touched on resilience, curiosity, and the importance of modeling kindness. I shared that challenges—like eating an elephant—are best faced one bite at…
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