American History
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They Came for Me
First they came for the Communists And I did not speak out Because I was not a Communist Then they came for the Socialists And I did not speak out Because I was not a Socialist Then they came for… Continue reading
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The Last Days of Fear and Anxiety
This essay was originally published on October 11, 2024, one month before the election that returned Donald J. Trump to power. Thanks, America. “The moment we no longer have a free press, anything can happen. What makes it possible for… Continue reading
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9/11, 15 Years Sober, and a Stroke
On September 11, 2011, I woke up and swore I would never again pour alcohol down my throat, smoke a joint, or ingest any other controlled or uncontrolled substances. At the time, I told myself that the decision had nothing… Continue reading
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A Year of Living Dangerously
1968 was a time of contradictions. Not unlike now. There were many Americas. I lived many lies.It was a time of dissolving from a past that no longer existed into an unknown future filling Americans with both fear and hope.… Continue reading
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America, My Country Too
I was born in the United States of America and grew up here. The South Bronx.From an early age, I was taught that this nation was the greatest in the world. No doubts about it.In Catholic elementary school (1954-1962), we… Continue reading
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Breaking Eggs
There are many ways to break an egg. You can break an egg by cracking it on a flat surface like a countertop or the edge of a bowl, tapping two eggs together, or using a specialized egg-cracking tool. Each… Continue reading
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The Trumpism Virus
In her article “The Great Mortality,” writer Elisa Gabbert wrote about the plagues that are coming for us, even when we pretend we don’t want them. Ironically, the article was published less than two years before COVID-19. Gabbert wrote that… Continue reading
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DoomScrolling
My name is Antonio Ruiz, and I am a DoomScroller. There, I said it. “Doomscrolling (or doom scrolling) is the compulsive habit of continuously scrolling through social media or news feeds to consume negative, distressing, or alarming content.” Nuffield Health… Continue reading
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Those Illegals
We don’t care.There is no empathy left in us.No sympathy.No care in the universe.We know who they are.Where they came fromacross an oceanEnglandPortugalSpainFranceItalyGermanySo many lands We have enough pain in our worldwe cannotwill notassume the debt of their painWe refused… Continue reading
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Wisdom Earned
I recently celebrated my two-year anniversary of graduating from college at the age of seventy-five, with two degrees: an A.A. in English and a B.A. in English Creative Writing. Summa Cum Laude, baby.And so I’ve been thinking a lot about… Continue reading
