Dan Kalb

Christopher Hitchens: ”In 1786, when the United States was barely a country, it was having its sailors taken as slaves by the Barbary states, the states of the Ottoman Empire and North Africa. Tripoli, shores of Tripoli. Ships stopped, its crews carried off into slavery. We estimate 1.5 million European and American slaves taken between 1750 and 1815. Jefferson and Adams went to their ambassador in London and said, why do you do this to us? The United States has never had a quarrel with the Muslim world of any kind. We weren't in the crusades. We weren't at war with Spain. Why do you do this to our people and our ships? Why do you plunder and enslave our people? The ambassador said very plainly, Mr. Abdul Rahman said, because the Quran gives us permission to do so, because you are infidels, and that's our answer. Jefferson said, well, in that case, I will send a navy which will crush your state, which he did. Islamic fundamentalism is not created by American democracy. It's a lie to say so. It's a masochistic lie, and it excuses those who are the real criminals, and blames us for the attacks made upon us.”

These four well-qualified Democratic candidates should find a journalist-moderator and organize their own debate on the same evening (not at the same time) at a venue in downtown L.A. (not too far from USC) or on Zoom. They can even invite one of the lesser-known GOP candidates for Governor. @BettyYeeforCA @XavierBecerra @AVillaraigosa @TonyThurmond

Democrats excluded from USC gubernatorial debate urge rivals to boycott in solidarity latimes.com/politics/story…

@HawkEmDownChris Elvin Hayes

Age yourself by naming an NBA power forward you grew up watching. I’ll start: Tim Duncan.

@OleTimeHardball I love Koufax and all the rest, but Satchel Paige should be on this list.

Who is your all-time favorite Starting Pitcher? 1. Sandy Koufax 2. Bob Gibson 3. Tom Seaver 4. Steve Carlton 5. Warren Spahn 6. Nolan Ryan 7. Greg Maddux 8. Pedro Martinez 9. Randy Johnson 10. Write in another SP

Saddened about the revelations of serious sexual misconduct by former UFW leader Cesar Chavez. My heart goes out to the victims/survivors of decades past. Here is a partial list of distinguished American leaders of Hispanic/Latine descent who could be considered as naming replacements for the various institutions, schools, roads, holidays, etc. currently named for the late #CesarChavez: #DoloresHuerta  #IsabelAllende  #RobertoClemente  #MiguelContreras  #JovitaIdár  #SylviaMendez  #RitaMoreno  #MarioObledo  #EllenOchoa  (if you don’t know who some of these people are, please look them up.)

The labor rights activist said she stayed silent for 60 years out of concern that her words would hurt the farmworker movement. eastbaytimes.com/2026/03/18/csa…

Saddened about the revelations of serious sexual misconduct by former UFW leader Cesar Chavez. My heart goes out to the victims/survivors of decades past. Here’s a partial list of distinguished American leaders of Hispanic/Latine descent who could be considered as naming replacements for the various institutions, schools, roads, holidays, etc. currently named for the late #CesarChavez: #DoloresHuerta  #IsabelAllende  #RobertoClemente  #MiguelContreras  #JovitaIdár  #SylviaMendez  #RitaMoreno  #MarioObledo  #EllenOchoa  (if you don’t know who some of these people are, please look them up.)

In the wake of sexual abuse allegations against civil rights icon Cesar Chavez, groups began pushing to rename some of the dozens of California sites named for the labor leader. sfchronicle.com/bayarea/articl…

Saddened about the revelations of the serious sexual misconduct by former UFW leader Cesar Chavez. My heart goes out to the victims/survivors of decades past. Here is a partial list of distinguished American leaders of Hispanic/Latinx descent who could be considered as naming replacements for the various institutions, schools, roads, holidays, etc. currently named for the late #CesarChavez: #DoloresHuerta  #IsabelAllende  #RobertoClemente  #MiguelContreras  #JovitaIdár  #SylviaMendez  #RitaMoreno  #MarioObledo  #EllenOchoa  (if you don’t know who some of these people are, please look them up.)

Fresno moved Thursday to remove Cesar Chavez’s name from a major boulevard, becoming one of the first major California cities to take formal action against the labor leader’s public legacy since sexual abuse allegations against him surfaced this week. sfchronicle.com/california/art…

For patriotic Americans of good faith, this should be clear: Republicans must without reservation condemn and reject the Nazi sympathizers remaining in their midst. Democrats must unequivocally condemn and reject those on the left who defend US-designated terrorists and call to “globalize the intifada.” Neither party should in any way accommodate these kinds of toxic and dangerous extremists.

Saddened about the revelations of the serious sexual misconduct by former UFW leader Cesar Chavez. My heart goes out to the victims/survivors of decades past. Here is a partial list of distinguished American leaders of Hispanic/Latinx descent who could be considered as naming replacements for the various institutions, schools, roads, holidays, etc. currently named for #CesarChavez: #DoloresHuerta  #IsabelAllende  #RobertoClemente  #MiguelContreras  #JovitaIdár  #SylviaMendez  #RitaMoreno  #MarioObledo  #EllenOchoa  (if you don’t know who some of these people are, please look them up.) @NoelGallo5 @OUSDLibraries @latineyoungdems

@HawkEmDownChris The Three Stooges Peter, Paul, and Mary Maddux, Glavine, Smoltz

Without googling, can you name a famous trio?

LIVE NOW: Join @AGRobBonta and me as we make a major announcement to fight back against the Trump administration's illegal anti-science and pro-pollution agenda. twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1…

New Terner Center brief highlights five big themes & 11 key issues at the intersection of CA #housing and #climate policy: static1.squarespace.com/static/69389cc… Check out the whole Center for Law, Energy & the Environment at Berkeley Law Climate Vote series: climatevote.org/climateissues

I am a Democrat. I served in the Clinton administration. I did not vote for Donald Trump and am highly unlikely to support him or his acolytes in the future. I also have serious disagreements with many of the Trump administration’s domestic and foreign policies. But it is profoundly disturbing that a growing segment of the far left appears to be almost rooting for Hamas, Hezbollah, the Iranian regime, and other forces fundamentally opposed to the United States and our allies. This seems to reflects a corrosive strain of anti-Americanism, dressed up in postcolonial theory, that risks blinding us to the moral realities of our world and the nature of our adversaries.

@OleTimeHardball How ‘bout Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, and Monte Irvin? Also, Ernie Banks should be on the list.

Top 50 baseball players of All-Time Too high: J. Robinson, Rose, Ryan, Jeter Too low: Bench, Schmidt, Speaker

EnviroVoters has dual endorsed Tom Steyer and Katie Porter for California Governor. Voters are clear that the climate crisis is driving an affordability crisis, and they are demanding corporate accountability. Read our statement here: bit.ly/477LXRz

@Strandjunker Some people running for office cannot afford to work for 18 months for free. Agreed that having the identified experiences would be beneficial to be sure, but people need to make a salary to pay for basic living expenses.

Before becoming a politician, one should complete a mandatory 1.5 years of social service, divided into three-month periods: — in nursing care — in a daycare center — in a school — in a medium-sized company — in retail — on a farm All unpaid and voluntary, of course.

I had to stay home today — all my green clothes are in the hamper. #stpatricksday #StPatrickDay2026

@BillieJeanKing Congresswoman #PatsyMink and Senator #BirchBayh deserve tremendous thanks and appreciation for Title IX — One of our country’s most important and consequential laws relating to gender fairness and discrimination. May their memories be a blessing and an inspiration to us all.

It was 7 years ago this week when Indiana Senator Birch Bayh passed away. Senator Bayh wrote Title IX, whose 37 words changed history for girls and women in the U.S. Title IX barred sex discrimination in education and greatly expanded sports programs for women. Thank you, Senator Bayh. Your legacy lives on. 📷: AP

@LizaRosen0000 Sadly, in many Middle East and Northern African countries, this rings true.