Dark Times – Page 3 – Life on the Wicked Stage: Act 3

What’s Next After No Kings Day? How About Blackout Black Friday

Blackout Black Friday

By most accounts No Kings Day 2 was a success in gathering large crowds. Around 7 million seems to be the accepted estimate. Did it have an impact? Sure. What kind of impact? Who the hell really knows.

If you’ve followed the thoughts I’ve been jotting down here you’ll know that I strongly believe that until we extend the energy from events like No Kings Day out of a weekend and into a work week, or have a general strike, we’re not going to see the level of impact that might actually change things. I stress the word “might.”

In the aftermath of No Kings Day 2 I was searching within the recesses of my brain for something, anything that could possibly move the needle. I came up with the idea of a Blackout on Black Friday. Don’t shop. Skip Prime Day and all of its variants. Don’t watch the sports. Don’t go to the movies. Stay off the Internet. Even a 10% drop in shopping and viewing metrics would have an impact. Even the threat of such an action would probably have an impact.

Then this morning on Mastodon I see this post from SharonPersists.

CleanShot 2025-10-21 at 09.23.08@2x.

I’m glad my brain isn’t the only one where these kind of thoughts are rattling around.

I’m sure there would be all sorts of friction given that this would be over a holiday weekend geared towards family and giving thanks. But I can’t think of a better time to turn it all off, spend time with family and friends, and possibly build on the momentum of other protests.

One way or the other this situation is going to require sacrifice before it comes to whatever end it will eventually come to. The only real choice we have is to make that sacrifice willingly, or have it continue to be thrust upon us.

I think of all of the Thanksgiving Day holidays in which I was producing and directing Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. After each performance I watched families leave filled with the Christmas Spirit, only to have that merely be a passing moment in time when the message didn’t stick. We need to find some way that sticks.

I’ll be emailing organizers about this idea. I hope you might do the same.

You can also find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above.

Artists Unite for Fall Of Freedom Campaign

Art matters. Artists are a threat to American fascism.

Much of the current focus building out of the simmering outrage at the actions of the Trump regime is centered on the October 18 NoKings rallies being planned across the country. From the sound of it the crowds will be large and widespread across the country. That’s all a good thing.

That said, I still wish and hope for and believe that more sustained efforts are going to be required before enough pressure might actually lead to progress.

One effort that might help, if given proper support and media coverage, is an national call to action by artists called Fall Of Freedom. You should certainly check out the website and how to get involved. Here’s an excerpt from the website:

Fall of Freedom is an urgent call to the arts community to unite in defiance of authoritarian forces sweeping the nation. Our Democracy is under attack. Threats to free expression are rising. Dissent is being criminalized. Institutions and media have been recast as mouthpieces of propaganda.

This Fall, we are activating a nationwide wave of creative resistance. Beginning November 21–22, 2025, galleries, museums, libraries, comedy clubs, theaters, and concert halls across the country will host exhibitions, performances, and public events that channel the urgency of this moment. Fall of Freedom is an open invitation to artists, creators, and communities to take part—and to celebrate the experiences, cultures, and identities that shape the fabric of our nation.

Art matters. Artists are a threat to American fascism.

I do happen to believe in that last statement. Art does matter, and artists are a threat to American fascism, or fascism wherever it raises its ugly head.

From an article in American Theatre magazine, here are some of the theatre artists and organizations already involved:

Playwrights David Henry Hwang, Dominique Morisseau, and Sarah Ruhl; director/organizer Annie Dorsen; and Julia Jordan of the Lillys. Theatre organizations involved include the August Wilson Center, National Black Theatre, the Public Theater, Broadway Advocacy Coalition, Woolly Mammoth, New York Theatre Workshop, Ensemble Studio Theatre, En Garde Arts, Crossroads Theater Company, IndieSpace, and more.

There’s a longer and growing list at this link.

I urge you to check out the website that includes ways to get involved and a toolkit for this national call to action.

Sunday Morning Reading

Everything you can imagine is different, yet it’s the same.

It’s a Sunday. It’s a Sunday in Chicago. The Cubs lost. (Not surprising.) The Trump regime continues its horrendous snatch and grab policies all over the city (Increasingly not surprising but still terrifying.) Leaves are falling, but somehow they feel dirtier and without the bursts of color we’re used to seeing beforehand. And the world marches on. Time for a little Sunday Morning Reading.

Neil Steinberg wrote a terrific piece about Chicago amidst all that’s going on called What A Lovely Day in Chicago. It’s a love letter. It’s an homage. It’s a snapshot. As he puts it “We need to remember that this is oppression for oppression’s sake, a practice built on lies. The city is fine.” That’s the odd thing. The city is fine. It’s the oppression that’s not.

Timothy Burke’s The News: Reign of Error expands on a piece by Henry Farrell that says that institutions and communities need to coordinate their resistance to Trump. As Burke puts it one of the obstacles is that “the closer that institutions get to one another in character and mission, and the less necessary it is to be competitive, the more that they are overwhelmed by the narcissism of small differences.” It’s an excellent dissection that reveals why some in higher places of different sectors might be holding their tongues while their mouths are agape at what’s going on around us.

Empywheel thinks The Nativists Are Getting Restless: How The Comey Prosecution May Backfire. I’m not sure it matters in the end if the point is do damage as loudly as possible.

David Todd McCarty asks the question Is Your Imagination Robbing You of Real Experiences? Cogito, ergo sum?

I wrote a play years ago about John Brown and Harpers Ferry, one of those moments in American history that we seem to want to forget, yet never goes away. Robert S. Levine tells us Why Donald Trump Wants To Erase John Brown’s Fiery Abolitionist Legacy (and Why He Will Fail.)

There was so much craziness about the Nobel Peace Prize this year given, well you know why. So much so that many of the other awards were overlooked. The Nobel Prize for Literature went to Hungarian author Lázló Krasznahorkai. I have several acquaintances who adore his work and were tremendously excited. I did some reading on Krasznahorkai and stumbled up on this 2011 piece by James Wood called Madness and Civilization about the author. Worth your while.

On the Artificial Intelligence beat, Sora is the latest thing everyone has an immediate love/hate relationship with. But this isn’t about that. Sarah Perez says It’s Not Too Late For Apple To Get AI Right. Frankly, I think it’s too late for any of these companies to get it right, unless “right” is about winning the con game.

Resting my case on that last statement, Alexandra Jones looks into the connections folks can’t make in real life and are turning to AI for in ‘I Realized I’d Been ChatGPT-ed Into Bed’: How ‘Chatfishing Made Finding Love On Dating Apps Even Weirder.”

And as Autumn continues its march, New Englanders Are Fed Up With Leaf-Peeping Tourists Ruining Their Fall, so says Jared Mitovitch.

(Image is a photo I took last Fall)

If you’re interested in just what the heck Sunday Morning Reading is all about you can read more about the origins of Sunday Morning Reading here. If you’d like more click on the Sunday Morning Reading link in the category column to check out what’s been shared on Sunday’s past. You can also find more of my writings on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome.

Change The No Kings Day Protests Into Something Larger

Turn it into the No Kings Blackout

Forgive me. I’m dreaming again.

October 18 is shaping up as another crazy day in America. The organizations behind “No Kings” protests have targeted that day for another nationwide series of protests against the policies and ineptitude of the Trump regime. For brand recognition and a lack of creativity this one is called “No Kings Day 2.”

No KINGS 2.0_20250902163649172202.png.

That said, the Trump regime and its cronies are trying to brand these efforts as a “Day of Hate.” So I imagine we’ll see all kinds of mischief.

That’s all well and good and I’m glad to see this kind of organizing from the “No Kings” movement. But as I’ve said before, these efforts need to extend far beyond a day of protests. Until they extend into the week and keep going I don’t believe they’ll change the dynamic.

Of course I could be wrong, depending on what happens with the government shut down that’s now in effect and if Congress ever chooses to come back in session again.

I still think folks should think bigger. Why not encourage people to just shut down and stay in for the weekend or longer. Turn off the TVs and the computers. Do no shopping. Do no traveling. Make it a “No Kings Blackout.”

Just like with protests in the street you’ll never mobilize everyone, but if enough people turned off and tuned out for a period of time there might be a chance for a larger impact than expecting large turnouts. Encourage folks to stay home and read a book or rake some leaves.

Of course, that takes away one of the motivations behind any protest, which is to seek and draw attention. So, as I said, it’s just a dream on my part.

Apple’s Freezing Out Another ICE Related App: DeICER

Apple continues working for ICE

I’ve linked to coverage about Apple purging apps that are designed to help those looking to protect themselves from the Trump regime’s ICE actions including ICEBlock and Eyes Up. Add another one to the list, this time the app is called DeICER.

According to Pablo Manríquez of Migrant Insider, DeICER is a “civic-reporting app used to log immigration enforcement activity.”

Manríquez goes on to suggest that Apple effectively is treating federal immigration agents as a protected class of individuals. HIs article also includes an account of an interview with the app’s developer Rafel Concepcion over Apple pulling the app and the app’s intended purpose. It is worth a read.

In Chicago, these are dangerous and confusing times, even more so depending on who you are, what you look like and where you live. With a largely unhelpful media, it is challenging for anyone concerned to find accurate info or, as in the case of Eyes Up, preserve what they may have seen or recorded. Do note that recording info with smartphones is one of the methods of resistance Illinois and Chicago officials are encouraging citizens to perform in the face of these actions.

Even so, there are areas of Chicago wherein you would never know this kind of thing is happening. Local independent media is stepping up its game, but unfortunately doesn’t have the reach that large outlets do.

Apple isn’t alone in their cowardly actions. Google is also pulling apps of similar ilk. Both companies are referring to their respective App Store guidelines in their defense of their actions with Apple telling Concepcion,

Information provided to Apple by law enforcement shows that your app violates Guideline 1.1.1 … because its purpose is to provide location information about law enforcement officers that can be used to harm such officers individually or as a group.

These ICE enforcement actions want to project toughness in their aim to intimidate and harass, but by and large each of these maneuvers to hide what they are doing only serves to show how afraid those responsible for these actions actually are of the chaos, fear, and harm they are causing, regardless of the chest-thumping content they are creating on their raids.

The only ones who appear more afraid are Apple and the other big tech and media companies that keep going along to get along.

Apple Bans “Eyes Up” A Video Archival App For Perserving Video of ICE Actions

Stephen Miller wishes he had Apple’s plenary powers

Apple is at it again as it works hard to keep in the evil regime’s favor, banning yet another app. The latest target, Eyes Up is “dedicated to preserving video evidence of ICE abuses until it can be used in court.”

250919 broadview ICE ew 245 a441d7.

According to the report from 404 Media, the developers of Eyes Up state that unlock ICEBlock, an app Apple banned last week that allows uses to track ICE actions, Eyes Up does not do real-time tracking of ICE Actions.

The Eyes Up website is still up and can be used for the same video archiving purposes with content uploaded from TikTok, Instagram or X and include “a mix of professional media reports and user-generated clips of ICE arrests.”

Apple’s cowardly capitulations and its own plenary actions here are bad enough. As wrong as they are, they seem beyond odd, given that ICE itself has camera crews filming their actions and creating content about their actions to broadcast as it seems fit in its own promotional videos. Talk about a disconnect.

Zach Bryan’s Bad News Gets Under MAGA’s Thin Skin

Country singer Zach Bryan is teasing the MAGAts as he teases his new song, Bad News.

The teaser of the song swipes at ICE and ends with a powerful lyric that I imagine is the full song’s hook:

Got some bad news

The fading of the red, white, and blue

If he included that in the teaser, his target is no secret. You can check out the teaser of the song below.

Bryan is no slouch of a Country singer, filling stadiums, selling lots of his music to a large following. Here’s hoping his instincts reach some in that large audience with this song of protest, beyond the MAGAt reactionary force that’s already all over this effort.

Sunday Morning Reading

Winter is coming. Or is it here?

It’s a Sunday and that means it’s time for Sunday Morning Reading. Fall is beginning its march towards Winter, but the chill in the unusually warm Chicago temperatures this weekend aren’t weather related. Some of that is reflected in today’s selections as well as other topics, some that feed the soul, while others fuel the fires.

Shutterstock 632908457.

It’s tough to watch what’s going on in the streets of some of our cities and towns, and there’s no denying what Ian F. Blair points out That The United Police State of America Has Arrived.

Another Ian, this time Ian Dunt, discusses The Politics of Drawing a Moral Line, sketching a parallel between events in Britain and the Ezra Klein interview with Ta-Nehisi Coates. By the way, I encourage you to listen to that interview. It’s not easy, but nothing is these days.

Chicago’s Neil Steinberg comments that Next, Dyeing the River Green Will Be Cast As A Terrorist Act. I don’t think he’s far off.

On the Artificial Intelligence front, what was bound to happen happened when OpenAI released Sora, its tool for creating short movies, or better yet (worse yet?) putting yourself into one. That followed quickly on the heels of the uproar over the creation of Tilly Norwood, an AI actress created out of bits and bytes, and her creator seeking talent agent representation. Hollywood producers and bean counters are thirsting over better bottom lines ahead. Maureen Dowd has an interesting look at When A.I. Came For Hollywood.

Meanwhile one of the tech overlords, Peter Thiel, is obsessed with the antichrist and thinks tech is the only way to keep whatever that is from destroying us all. Laura Bullard takes a look at what’s behind Thiel’s obsession. Don’t be surprised at where Thiel drew some of his inspiration in The Real States, and Real Story, of Peter Thiel’s Antichrist Obsession.

Continuing on the Artificial Intelligence beat, Bullsh*t Warning from John Warner, examines how to think about writing in the age of AI.

Mathew Ingram asks So What’s So Great About Reading Books?

And to wrap things up this week, take a look at Christopher Michael Hefner’s On Letting Go Of The Idea Of The Tortured Artist.

I included the image above from Fotgraf Petrova Olga on Shutterstock of an empty playground because I noticed this week that Chicago’s parks and playgrounds are empty of the laughter and life we usually experience due to ICE activity throughout the city before Winter begins to set in. There’s a different chill in the air this Fall.

Empty Parks In Chicago Thanks to ICE

Dark times on bright days

One of the effects of the ICE occupation in Chicago is seeing empty parks. Parks that used to be filled on beautiful weekend mornings with soccer games, flag football games, families with kids in strollers, folks on bikes, and folks just out for a walk or a beautiful day in the park,.

That’s not the case this Fall in my neighborhood. Which isn’t surprising given what we’re hearing from other neighborhoods.

Apple Ices Ice Tracking App

The big chill continues freezing Apple

Apple gave itself another public relations black eye last night by agreeing with U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and pulling the ICEBlock app from the App Store. 404 Media has more on the story here.

Piece of ice cube melting.

ICEBlock has proven to be a popular, and much needed app in these days when ICE agents are working to fulfill Donald’s Trump mass deportation fantasies with too large of the population cheering him on. It allows users to pinpoint ICE activity on the app for others to see and possibly avoid the area and take precautions.

The developers of ICEBlock are saying they will fight the expulsion, sharing the following email from Apple with 404 Media:

Hello,

We are writing to let you know about new information regarding the latest approved version of your app, which could impact its availability on the App Store.

Upon re-evaluation, we found that your app is not in compliance with the App Review Guidelines. Specifically, we found your app is in violation of the following:

1.1 Objectionable Content
Apps should not include content that is offensive, insensitive, upsetting, intended to disgust, in exceptionally poor taste, or just plain creepy. Examples of such content include:

1.1.1 Defamatory, discriminatory, or mean-spirited content, including references or commentary about religion, race, sexual orientation, gender, national/ethnic origin, or other targeted groups, particularly if the app is likely to humiliate, intimidate, or harm a targeted individual or group. Professional political satirists and humorists are generally exempt from this requirement.

Information provided to Apple by law enforcement shows that your app violates Guideline 1.1.1 because its purpose is to provide location information about law enforcement officers that can be used to harm such officers individually or as a group.

For this reason, your app will be removed from the App Store. Customers who have previously downloaded this app will continue to have access to it on their devices, but they will be unable to re-download this app from the App Store or restore this app from a backup if they delete it from their device. Additionally, customers will be unable to purchase in-app purchase products and any auto-renewable subscriptions will be canceled. The TestFlight version of this app will also be unavailable for external and internal testing and all public TestFlight links will no longer be functional.

Best regards,
App Review

In a statement to CNBC Apple said:

We created the App Store to be a safe and trusted place to discover apps. Based on information we’ve received from law enforcement about the safety risks associated with ICEBlock, we have removed it and similar apps from the App Store.

Apple has in the past pulled other apps from App Stores after government pressure from other countries, always stating that they have to follow the laws of the countries that they operate within. To my knowledge this is the first time this has happened in the U.S.

Apple and its CEO Tim Cook remain under intense scrutiny for blatantly undisguised subservience to the Trump administration on a number of fronts to avoid tariffs and other threats wielded against the company. But they are not bending their knees alone. AG Bondi pointed out other apps available on Google’s App Store that provide similar services saying “Your move, Google.”

Let’s face it. Both Apple and Google, as well as other big tech and media companies, have proven to be easy (too easy) marks for this criminal regime’s bully boys and girls. Their capitulation has taken the wind out of any progressive sails that these companies previously used to cultivate and build brand loyalty, creating new legacies that will last longer than any zig-zagging line on a profit-loss chart. This latest capitulation certainly continues to put a chill on any good will sympathies users have for these companies and their products.

That said, Apple and Google know well their dominance of the mobile operating system market leaves the vast majority of consumers with little choice in this topsy-turvy new world bound by the inertia of every day life as much as gravity. Certainly there are other options out there, but the number of users willing to jump through the hoops to get away from this capitulating corporate behavior is small, and at the moment I dare say insignificant. That will remain the case because there certainly doesn’t appear to be an opportunity for alternative mobile operating systems to surface, capture attention, and take hold, given the current environment.

Chilling times indeed.