The Nation

Amy Treptow came to Washington to tell her story of climbing out of poverty. Some elected officials were more interested than others. 

“I have sung for rich and poor, for Americans of every possible political and religious opinion and persuasion, of every race, color, and creed.”

As a luge competitor at the 2006 Winter Games, I saw the dehumanization and corporate domination behind the Olympic ideal.

The country is awash in conformist state worship, fueled by the shrill narrative of a war on terror. 

The recent chemical spill is the latest chapter in a very old story: total capitulation to industry by state officials. 

The main characters in Melville’s Moby-Dick and Benito Cereno represent the dark, corrupting branches of American imperialism.  

They’ve been competing for decades—but now they’re proudly and publicly out.