Category: Commentary
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Commentary: Fixing gerrymandering–Michigan’s ballot proposal
By Paul Rozycki “Politics is more difficult than physics.” – Albert Einstein Last month’s column took a look at the history and techniques of gerrymandering and its impact on American politics. It’s not hard to see that the process of drawing odd-shaped and unfair election districts favoring one party over another is a major problem…
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Commentary: How to win an election without votes? Gerrymander!
By Paul Rozycki The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything. -Joseph Stalin In a democracy the winners in elections are supposed to be decided by whoever gets the most votes. And that is usually true. However, the Soviet dictator’s words may be an ominous warning today.…
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Poem: Lexicon for a Tyrant
Lexicon for a Tyrant By Teddy Robertson You may wonder why I need a phrase book he travels to us, after all— unbidden on the screen. He comes with simple words, monosyllables from happy times with little ones huge great bad good win smart weak tough Soon come the chants— paroxytones of schoolyard taunts…
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Commentary: “Day Without Water” suggests “Flint Strong Stones” will not be silenced
By Michael Mascarenhas Special to East Village Magazine Oct. 12, 2017 marked the third annual “Imagine a Day Without Water,” a day dedicated to advocacy and awareness of water insecurity in the United States. Given the ongoing water crisis in Flint, the day provided an opportunity for Detroit and Flint activists to hold a press…
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Commentary on the mayoral recall: why your ballot will be different
By Paul Rozycki For the fourth time in as many mayors, Flint’s mayor is facing a recall election. However, unlike the recall of Woodrow Stanley in 2002, the near-recall of Don Williamson (before resignation) in 2009, and the attempted recall of Dayne Walling in 2010, this November’s recall election will be different—and may surprise voters.…
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Commentary: Is privatizing public services a trustworthy choice for Flint?
By Paul Rozycki During a recent East Village Crime Watch meeting, a major issue was the possibility of hiring D.M. Burr to provide private security for our neighborhood, in addition to the Flint Police Department, Mott Community College, and the East Village Neighborhood Watch. As Kim Owens reported in her recent EVM article, the company gave…
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Detroit 1967: a movie, a book, and a searing memory of when the riots hit Flint
by Harold C. Ford “A riot is the language of the unheard.” —Martin Luther King “The officer hit him and said, ‘We’re going to kill all of you black-ass nigger pimps and throw you in the river. We’re going to fill up the Detroit River with all you pimps and whores’” –from The Algiers Motel…
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Review: Love’im or hate’im, Michael Moore remembers Flint in rambunctious Broadway debut
By Donald Harbin Michael Moore is either loved or hated by people familiar with him. As a filmmaker (12 films) and author (8 books), television producer (3 shows) and outspoken political activist, he has produced enough material to offend many people, endear him to others, and leave some bewildered. With a new television show in…
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18 Flint people on the water crisis: A Village Life gathering at Woodside Church
By Jan Worth-Nelson A visit to Flint by a Boston film crew in July led to a gathering of 18 Flint residents invited by East Village Magazine to talk about their lives in the city and their reflections on the water crisis and its effects. Their comments that night, all filmed and on the record,…
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Commentary: Vote “yes” on the new city charter
As Flint residents get ready to vote on a new city charter, prepared after two years’ work by an elected nine-member charter review commission, EVM received two last perspectives, the one below advocating a “yes” vote, the other a “no” vote–that view, by Sally Kagerer, can be found here. Two other commentaries were posted earlier.…
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