Bonjour Mes Amis. Ca va? Phrase of the day: pied-a-terre. From the French: apartment or condominium, often located in a large city and not used as an individual's primary residence Again, these properties are not the primary residence, by definition. Hmm. Who could afford such a place in New York City? When not fixing potholes, washing down the subway and providing pet food for their humans in need, Mayor Mamdani has made Governor Hochul his sometime progressive partner.

There is an old joke: If all the economists were laid end to end, they still wouldn't agree. Some disciplines continue to do studies and research but have large areas of consensus. Such as the earth is dying and vaccines save lives. Just to cite two of many. There are some truisms inre economics. Trickle down is a cruel joke. And billionaires are not job creators. Mostly a few people manipulate markets and companies. Or they offer a host of poor paying and dangerous work

I know what you are thinking. Abdul El Sayed only won by one percentage point. Yes, the polls having him in a much better position were wrong. And yes, there is a sizeable - but still a minority - Muslim population in that state. Many of whom stayed home in 2024 over Biden/Harris' policies inre Israel and Gaza. Of course, this administration is far worse, but that's a whole different bunch of voters. Back to the Michigan Senate primary election last Tuesday. PAC money p

A little music accompaniment. Mitch McConnell, you are certainly less of a threat to democracy now than you ever were as an elected official who showed up to work. Who could have foreseen that you, an 84-year-old with repeated health scares, would ever die in office? Oh wait, the Republican controlled Kentucky state legislature that removed the power of the Governor (a Democrat) to appoint US Senate vacancies seems to have. That happened last year. The Constitution - reme

It is time to fight back. Not, “an eye for an eye,” or “the ends justifies the means,” but we must mount resistance. Trump is illegally building a ballroom. Illegal here means that a judge in a court of law has blocked it. Clearly Congress has crawled away from insisting that they control governmental spending, and this monstrosity is certainly not a “national emergency.” Several states need to send local or state police to arrest the contractors. Carefully. No one gets

Watch our Zoomchat with Tia Welcome to the Don't Shop on Tuesday (DSOT) Zoomchat hosted by Jacob Kravetz and Barrie Friedland. Today we're joined by Tia, founder of Urban Reads Bookstore, and publisher of State vs. Us magazine, who has made it her life's mission to improve literacy, especially for the incarcerated and children of color, who disproportionately lack the resources and support systems to become confident readers.This Summer she is bringing the "Black Line Literac

I don't watch professional sports. (Calm down- if you like it, enjoy.) Teams are great for their host cities. Games generate increased economic activity, and fandom gets woven into the local ethos. The athletic prowess is wonderful. But then- cue scary music- there are the owners. Greedy rich folks- often nepo babies and billionaires whining and demanding. I want a new stadium that you pay for. Give me more tax breaks. I'm moving the football team away in the middle of t

First a shout out to Melat Kiros- the Democratic candidate for Congress in Colorado. Move over Mamdani and welcome her to the table. Oh Congressman Jeffries- you want to be Speaker- maybe not. Now to the topic at hand, I would like to pay homage to President Rutherford B Hayes. Didn't see that coming, did you? Not relevant, but as a young man he was quite the fox. Trust me/ look at him. However, instead of his looks, let's focus on his belief that the government shou

I was going to write about the defecting pool- see what I did there. Of course, we at DSOT won’t be sidetracked from the real issues. We still want answers about the illegal and immoral war that Trump is losing/has lost to Iran. And his million + inclusion in the Epstein Files. Plus his corruption/cruelty/stupidity/ and massive incompetence. The now green, poisonous, once-beloved National Monument is emblematic of this man and his administration: Done without following manda

Too many people there are upset about immigrants. And the far right is gaining power. Prime Minister Nigel Farage could be a real possibility. The only silver lining is if that occurs he can be ousted in less than two month's time. (Can we do that here? Please. Oh wait,there is a mild iteration that has never worked. It is called impeachment and the GOP/Senate keeps failing.) Speaking of removing a PM/Keir Starmer: What in the world is wrong with you? You are part

This past weekend was a vile and grotesque display of idolatry in the midst of America’s decaying empire. The parade of horribles started on Friday with the crowning of the first paper Trillionaire, Elon Musk, when his company SpaceX went public for $1.75 trillion, in a rushed IPO, with dubious investment rules, which experts say is likely vastly overvalued. The valuation itself is so ludicrous some have even suggested it undermines the overall stock pricing system itself. An

As one Maine voter succinctly stated is that she was not looking for a boyfriend. This is the aftermath of some leaked information and then a hit piece by the NYT focused on Graham Platner's marriage, infidelity and dating history. Wow- men cheat. Stop the presses. Half of marriages fail but that is not the real point. To put elected officials in the friend zone or as a potential partner disrupts any and all critical thinking. I will for the moment bury the lede. More on P

Every Child Deserves Books to Escape Into Watch our Zoomchat with Paula Hendry Welcome to the Don't Shop on Tuesday (DSOT) Zoomchat hosted by Jacob Kravetz and Barrie Friedland. Today w'ere joined by Paula Hendry, a retired school teacher and librarian, who has dedicated much of her life to bringing greater access to reading for the children of Maryland. DSOT believes in the transformative and emancipatory power of reading and books, so we are thrilled to discuss all things

Last week at Harvard’s Class Day speech political commentator and comedian Ronny Chieng proclaimed that the graduating class’s great task would be to destroy AI and the data centers being ​built across the country. This Luddite cry was met with cheers and raucous applause, reflecting the growing, and now majority, sentiment of deep skepticism, distrust and fear at the Advent of AI. Especially when it comes to building large AI data centers in their local communities. The AI

Belated homage to Memorial Day. For his part, the president is creating more war dead and injured soldiers. Mike Johnson sent House members home because there were enough votes to stop this illegal and immoral war in Iran. Now to the barely whispered opposition from anywhere except us, the citizens who are demanding change. I reject 100% of Republicans and 92.75% of Democrats. Um Senator Cassidy, finding your conscience and voice after you lost the primary election is too

A group of men - no DEI as many now weaponize - borrowing from John Locke and the Magna Carta wrote a Declaration of Independence and then a framework for government, the Constitution. That latter document had to be amended immediately ten times, which is now called the Bill of Rights. There are 10 of them- not just #2. And for the love of life, stop misinterpreting that one. But I digress. The Constitution was and continues to be an imperfect document. The Founding Fa

Watch Part 1 of our Zoomchat with Charlie Cooper Watch Part 2 of our Zoomchat with Charlie Cooper After that, check out our other "Zoomside" Chats below: Watch our Zoomchat with David at IAM Watch our Zoomchat with Ronda Cooperstein on 3/17/26 Watch our Zoomchat with Kristin and Nate of Redneck Housing Relief Watch our Zoomside Chat with Jean Salvatore Watch our Zoomside Chat with David Crisafi Watch our Zoomside chat with Paul Friedman Watch our Zoomchat with Diana

I know what you are wondering. How could an old, tired, lazy man riddled with dementia, unconcerned/unaware of policy issues, focused on a Louis XIV style ballroom create so much damage so quickly. Well, he has a grotesque guidebook, Project 2025 and a posse of enablers. But at least he has a wise and dedicated array of cabinet advisors. Oh wait, each and everyone of them is awful. Every single one. Ronald Reagan did nominate people to be cabinet secretaries whose beliefs a

Thank you Charlie Cooper Watch Part 1 of our Zoomchat with Charlie Cooper Watch Part 2 of our Zoomchat with Charlie Cooper

(Note: when #DSOT writes the weekly email, there is always the task to pick among seemingly infinite examples of chaos, corruption, cruelty and war. Choosing one topic means we can’t cover everything. Just know we aren’t trying to ignore everything else that is happening.) I am, generally speaking, not a conspiracy theorist nor believer. Do I think that there will be massive illegal, scary and downright dangerous factors affecting voting in November? Yes, because the GOP k

Standing Strong This Friday, May 1st, (May Day) we have a chance to demonstrate powerful solidarity and organizing while taking action in the fight against the oligarchy, authoritarianism, and our unrepresentative government. With the background roar of the war of aggression with Iran and the massive security failure resulting in an assassination attempt of the Trump and his cabinet at the White House Correspondence Dinner it may have been hard to concentrate on anything else

With wars in the Middle East and our democracy being dismantled daily, it might be easy to let Earth Day pass by on April 22 nd without remark or action. After all, this Administration is wholly uninterested in climate change, environmental safety, or the health of the planet. In 2026 alone Trump started an aggressive, environmentally destructive war, and his version of celebrating Earth Day was to dismantle the National Forest Services, d estroying generations of knowl

​ Together We Can Go Far Watch our Zoomchat with David of IAM Welcome to the Don't Shop on Tuesday (DSOT) Zoomchat hosted by Jacob Kravetz and Barrie Friedland. Today we're joined by David DiMaria, organizer at the IAM Union to discuss the power of unions to advocate for the unrepresented, how unions are dealing with an antagonistic Trump administration, as well as practical considerations, opportunities and challenges in organizing unions in the work place. From the its ince

I love crows. A flock is called a murder. Don’t worry, it’s just branding, they aren’t ICE agents. Crows don’t shoot puppies, or murder American citizens and others seemingly without consequence. It’s true, crows are predators. They primarily eat insects but also small animals and the eggs of other birds, such as pigeons. Survival in nature may appear cruel but there are no Stephen Miller crows. Just saying...Back to their attributes These birds can count to 10/use tools

Trump is more unpopular than ever and growing increasingly desperate. His policies have flopped, and the public disapproves of his agenda. As we pointed out last week, the bottom has been falling out on Trump’s approval for all but his most hardcore cult members. https://www.dontshopontuesday.com/post/trump-how-low-can-you-go And how could they not? Rising prices, an already sluggish economy slows, and people's hopes for their futures dimming. All the while Trump is still co

Donald Trump has an approval rating of 33% and the disapproval number is 62% . This marks a new (and well-deserved) low for Trump, but also begs the question - how can so many people still like him? Let’s review where we are: The impact of this administration has hurt every aspect of our country from governmental programs, the planet, separation and balance of power, actually the entire Constitution, the rule of law, science and medicine, as well as inflation, the cost of

​ Can We Get to A World Beyond War? Watch our Zoomchat with Ronda Cooperstein on 3/17/26 Welcome to the Don't Shop on Tuesday (DSOT) Zoomchat hosted by Jacob Kravetz and Barrie Friedland. #DSOT is checking in again with friend of the show, Ronda Cooperstein, co-chair of the Baltimore Chapter of World Beyond War . In this chat we discuss the growing catastrophe of the illegal war of aggression against Iran, how we got here, what might be next, and how we can take action today

WHAT A DICTATOR WANTS It all seems to be falling apart rather quickly: Losing and unwanted and unpopular Wars of of aggression, ongoing - if less flagrant - ICE violence and repression, skyrocketing prices (especially at the gas pump ), and a partial government shutdown preventing funding of the Department of Homeland Security over said ICE Goons dragging on now for months and leading to images of long lines and dysfunction in the nation's airports. With so many unpopular po

​We’re more than 3 weeks into Trump and Netanyahu’s illegal and disastrous war of aggression, and the conflict is going even worse than we predicted. The administration was full of hubris from previous “successful” military attacks, ignored US intelligence and listening instead to Netanyahu and walked completely unprepared , without even real objectives, into a conflict they weren’t ready for. Rather than the quick decapitation and regime collapse, Trump foolishly expected,

Sadly there are many people who hurt/torture or kill animals. If your child is doing such- worry. If it’s a cabinet secretary…Some people actually go to prison for the crime of animal cruelty, law enforcement have seen a link between such behavior and violent criminal acts. Which brings us to Kristi Noem. Not only did she shoot and kill the family puppy that she failed to train but then bragged about it as if this demonstrated leadership. She was not prepared for the massi

Early Saturday morning Trump and Netenyahu d eclared a preemptive war of aggression against Iran, launching a large-scale bombing campaign which quickly killed s everal dozen high level Iranian officials , including the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei , and a school full of children. Who cares that we were in the middle of negotiations, and the Iranians had already agreed to Trump’s demands for a deal? The Trump regime has repeatedly shown America to be a rogue nation,

​ Not Waiting for Relief, Making Their Own Watch our Zoomchat with Kristin and Nate of Redneck Housing Relief Welcome to the Don't Shop on Tuesday (DSOT) Zoomchat hosted by Jacob Kravetz and Barrie Friedland. #DSOT is checking in again with friends of the show, Kristin and Nate Cerepak, founders of Redneck Housing Relief ( https://redneckhousingrelief.com/ ).For the last year and a half, since hurricane Helene hit North Carolina, they have been tireless working to bring shel

Money Talks. A billion dollars stolen is a billion dollars earned (inflation has recently raised this idiom from a penny.) The absolute shamelessness of this administration in stealing our money. There is a Yiddish word: chutzpah. New definition, Trump has paid very little taxes during his lifetime. Some of that information was leaked. Instead of feeling abashed, trump said he would sue the IRS over the leak. For 10 billion dollars. That must be a lucky number beca

You're an all-around wonder, And all that jazz . Can you imagine if this country had stayed static since its inception? Only white landowning males could vote, we’d still have slavery, and women would be functionally property of their fathers or husbands. One could argue that it was the influx of migration seeking the promise of what America could be and the awareness of other countries and philosophies that helped to generate the movement which ultimately ended slavery

​ Saving Cats and Community Watch our Zoomside Chat with Jean Salvatore Happy new year political stone-cutters. We have another great conversation for you, this time with friend of the show, Jean Salvatore, founder of Shadow Cats TNR. ShadowCats is an amazing organization that helps humanely manage wild cat populations through trap, neuter, and release or re-homing. https://shadowcatstnr.org/ In this conversation we discuss the progress Shadow cats as an organization has ma

Back in 2018, DSOT was originally founded in response to the first Trump term’s family separation policies at the border . At the time, some individuals disagreed with our ​description of these d etention centers as concentration camps, feeling the terminology was hyperbolic, and histrionic even though we were housing children in cages. We can now observe with the fullness of time the evolution of this regime’s cruelty and violence confirming that those original detention ce

Despite what the ruling class will insist, this country cannot function without workers, the real value creators. Jeff Bezos is off prancing around with wife #2: putting Venice in further peril and becoming the sole lead sponsor of the Met Gala. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of underpaid workers get the product out and delivered at nearly unbelievable speeds. Could and should Bezos double or triple the pay of hourly workers and increase the wages of low level salaried em

It was supposed to be a weekend of solidarity and triumph, celebrating when tens of thousands of Minnesotans held a one day general strike on Friday, January 23 rd demanding ICE end its occupation of Minneapolis. Despite freezing temperatures Minnesotans rallied in huge, inspiring numbers , as always peaceful, despite the constant provocations of the invading ICE force. The collective response from the Twin cities has been nothing short of miraculous. The very next day ICE

Please explain to me why institutions, media, fabled schools and universities, the GOP, most Democrats- Chuck and Hakeem deserve a special shout out here- the Supreme Court, Nobel Prize winners and more kowtow to Trump? And why/how did he get re-elected? Did the criminal convictions, the validation of sexual assault, the looming trials for treason and taking classified documents, the seditious riot-did that counter his disastrous first term? New word: hybristophilia- a

The Barbarity is the Goal Last week Renee Good, 37 year old mother from Minneapolis, was killed in her own neighborhood by veteran ICE agent Jonathan Ross while peacefully observing ICE activities in the city. Ross shot Good in the head three times, and the numerous angles of video footage clearly show Ross wasn’t acting in self-defense or fearing for his life. Instead, this appears to be a cold-blooded killing, as R oss’ own footage of the incident shows . The brutality of