Sen. Kirk has outdone himself

Our "moderate" Republican Senator Mark Kirk, who has called for the mass incarceration of 18,000 young black men as a crime-fighting strategy, has outdone himself this time. Kirk, who has to legitimize himself with his anti-immigrant base, is now demanding criminal background checks on all unaccompanied children that have crossed the U.S. border with Mexico looking for sanctuary.

FREE WRITE...I thoroughly enjoyed last night's gallery exhibition, at Chicago Art Department in Pilsen, "The Artists Will Not Be Present", which featured creative writing, visual art, music, spoken word poetry, and performances by Chicago's incarcerated and court-involved youth. Special thanks to Free Write Jail Arts & Literacy Program director Ryan Keesling and his crew for all the hard work that went into to creating the exhibit.

SPINNING...While the mayor and his police supt. continue to spin the gun violence stats, we're already off to another bloody weekend in Chicago. This morning's Trib reports at least 2 dead, 16 wounded just since last evening.

DETROIT WATER BRIGADE...If, like me, you're looking for ways to support the activists who are protesting the shut-off of water to tens of thousands Detroit citizens who can't afford to pay their utility bills, check out the website of the Detroit Water Brigade.

I'm not surprised to find Rock guitarist Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine) on the front lines in Detroit. Morello, tweeted this week details about the July 18th nurses-sponsored march organized by Netroots Nation. 

Detroit: Turn on the Water. Tax Wall Street. Join the nurses-sponsored march, Netroots Nation, July 18, 12:30 pm, Cobo Convention, Detroit
— Tom Morello (@tmorello) July 8, 2014