Feature Archives

Though technically legal, over seventy percent of the French people feel that the way President Macron pushed through legislation raising the retirement age was a violation of their democratic rights. He relied on Article 49.3, which allows legislation to pass without voting. Even though the Constitutional Assembly claimed the increase was legitimate, working people continue to reject the "reform." Huge demonstrations have wracked the country.

On March 21, an extreme wind and rain "atmospheric river" smacked San Francisco as demonstrators showed up and cut up for climate justice. Elder activists portrayed our anticipated climate future with street theater in front of Wells Fargo headquarters and sang out new lyrics to tunes familiar to their generation. A coalition of environmental groups that organized the event included a new movement of people aged 60 and beyond called Third Act.

The news of Chevron’s record profits and record oil and gas production in the U.S. comes as data from the Bureau of Land Management reveals that President Biden approved more oil and gas drilling permits in his first two years in office than former President Trump. Legislation is under consideration in California to establish a windfall profits cap on how much oil refiners can make in profit per gallon of gasoline.

On October 27, Elon Musk purchased the social media company Twitter for $44 billion. He proceeded to gut infrastructure and slash workers, including unionized janitorial staff. Musk welcomed back avowed neo-Nazis while banning leftist accounts and critical journalists. A series of protests have been held at Twitter's headquarters in San Francisco. A huge mural was painted on the street: "No Free Speech or Democracy with Oligarchy."

On August 27, anti-LGBTQ+ bigots, Proud Boys, and other white nationalists held a Straight Pride rally in the Central Valley town of Modesto, California. After announcing their rally location weeks ahead of time, only thirty alt-righters showed up at the Planned Parenthood location. There they faced about two hundred reproductive justice and LGBTQ-rights supporters who shouted down the small group of right-wing extremists.

Alan Clements has been on a quest for freedom that’s taken him to Myanmar, Yugoslavia, Australia, Bali, and even to Santa Cruz. He’s been a Buddhist monk, a performer, and an investigative journalist in areas of war and extreme conflict. Clements’ books, stage performances, and World Dharma meditation retreats have always grappled with the challenge of living open-hearted and authentic in a world of suffering and violence. His latest book — Extinction X-Rated — is part autobiography and partly a “dark satire about good and evil.”

Actions marking May Day across Northern California demanded worker rights, housing for all, and racial justice, expressing solidarity with the Chilean general strike. Marches and rallies were held in San Francisco, Oakland, San José, Fresno, Mountain View, and other cities. In Oakland, a vacant house was reclaimed and a nighttime march called for abolishing the police. In Alameda, protesters rallied outside the homes of those who called police on Mario Gonzalez.