Contributors
D. S. Mitchell | Sonnet Gomes | T.K. McNeil | Megan Wallin | James Moore | Ross Turner | Jones William | Brett Kondratiew | Micheal Leonard Douglas | David Shadrick | Megan Rees | Catherine Cate Rees-Hessel | Wes Hessel |
D.S. Mitchell (aka) “Calamity”
Editor/ Contributor
A Portland, Oregon Childhood
I am a white female. I grew up on Portland, Oregon’s iconic SW Park Blocks. I graduated from Lincoln High School in 1964. I grew up in “near” poverty. My mother was a union member, my father was self-employed. They divorced when I was twelve.
With the Help of a Couple Scholarships
But I was blessed. Everybody said I was “really” smart. So when I graduated from high school I headed to college. I, like many others of my generation, was the first person in my family to go to college. With the help of several great scholarships, I got my BS in Social Science/Political Science in 1972 from Portland State University. Not a particularly useful degree, in itself. (Continued at the bottom of the page) ……Back to Top
Sonnet Gomes
Sonnet Gomes is a geologist by profession and a writer by passion. His interests are diverse. From polar ice melt to politics; from Australian aborigines to astronomy, he finds interest in everything. His roots are South Asia. He attended and subsequently graduated from Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama. Later he moved close to the capital. He still loves to yell “War Eagle”! but, today, helping her daughter Anastasia smile and speak again after a traumatic brain injury has become the center of his life. …Back to Top
Trevor McNeil (aka) T.K. McNeil
T.K. was Raised in the wilds of the far North. He has spent many years reading widely and thinking deeply. He eventually moved to the sunny West Coast. He earned concurrent degrees in Social Psychology and Art History. His hobbies include debate, study of non-traditional religions and formulating original, modernized iterations of classic philosophy. He works to European Folk Metal and firmly believes that modern Western Yoga is really just breathing for show offs. T.K. McNeil writer and general provocateur sparks the pages of Calamity Politics with his humor and well-deserved indignation. …Back to Top
Megan Wallin
Calamity Politics is excited to welcome Megan Wallin as a featured contributor. Megan is a writer with roots in the Pacific NW who prefers black coffee to lattes, boots to heels and thoughtful discussion to snarky political rants. Besides writing for Calamity Politics, she has also contributed to the LA Post Examiner and reviewed Independent short films. When life gives her lemons, she eats them and makes weird faces. This well-known West Coast writer adds personality to Calamity Politics. Watch for Megan’s contributions. …Back to Top
James Moore
A retired teacher and self-proclaimed fitness nut, Jim is also an over thinker. Rather than relying on headphones or ear buds to tune out during workouts, Jim prefers to think and solve. His advice is always free which guarantees his readers will get their money’s worth. Jim always reserves the right to change his mind since he does not align himself to any political party. He believes we jumped the shark electing Trump, elect too many leaders who lack the courage or skill to follow common sense, and worries the only thing we may have to offer the world in another generation is a massive military based economy willing to be hired out by any of our smarter allies to do their dirty work. Don’t ask him what he thinks of the average voter. Jim also writes for the Los Angeles Post-Examiner as well as works multiple part time jobs. He is married and enjoys life in Ventura County with his wife and five dogs, two cats, and home gym. …Back to Top
Ross Turner
Ross Turner is a writer, artist, and sustainability activist. Born and raised in Massachusetts, Ross received a BFA in Illustration from Massachusetts College of Art and Design before relocating to the magical land of Oregon. Now 31, he lives in Portland with a very special cat and enjoys drawing, running, learning languages, retro games, and of course, writing. …Back to Top
William Jones
Jones, 30, grew up in Pasadena, CA. He has a BA in Arts & English and a Certificate in Editing from the University of Southern California. Jones has written professionally for the last six years. He has written copy for technical manuals, web sites, personal bios, blogs, non-fiction and fiction stories. He takes pride in being able to bring the material, no matter the topic, to life in a dynamic way. Jones lives with his wife, two great kids and a dog in Los Angeles, California, where he enjoys, reading, swimming, traveling and volunteering for environmental causes. Jones’s first piece for Calamity Politics was “Affordable Housing.” …Back to Top
Brett Kondratiew
Brett was lucky enough to grow up on Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach. I so envy the beach life. Brett now 58, lives on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. Brett obtained his BA at the University of Technology in Education; with a dual major, English and Physical Education. Brett is married and has 2 boys, ages 18 and 21. In his time off, Brett fishes and kayaks. Mr. Kondratiew’s first article entitled, “Trust in Government In Trump’s America,” was released 12/5/2018. …Back to Top
Michael Leonard Douglas
Michael grew up in Birmingham, England. Michael has an undergraduate degree in Arts, with a major in Design. “I am a 31-year-old writer who resides in Nairobi, Kenya, with my wife, my son, and my 8-year-old dog. I have been a writer for 8 years now and completed multiple articles in a variety of topics but mostly current affairs events. I am a fitness addict and would like to venture into the business either as a writer, a trainer or both. I enjoy traveling a lot and writing is not only my hobby but my profession.” In addition to contributing to Calamity Politics, Michael manages a freelance writing company, WritersInc. Michael’s first piece for Calamity Politics was, “Animal Cruelty Linked to Human Rights.” …Back to Top
David Shadrick
Writing has always been a passion for me. From my first 6th grade creative writing class through writing a science fiction story for my brother in the 9th grade (he got an “A”) I’ve loved writing. I’ve been a stringer, wrote pro wrestling columns for the San Angelo Standard Times webpage and written a number of short stories and books. I have also worked as an editor and proofreader for several publications including Asia Cable and Calamity Politics. I love long walks on the beach, rainy nights and pina coladas. Watch for my articles and my videocasts. …Back to Top
Megan Rees
Megan Rees is a Pittsburgh, PA, native, who is now based in Hanoi, Vietnam, where she is a performer, English, and drama teacher. She has been instructing in Asia for nine years, and also has pioneered teaching drama empowerment, a team-building and individual growth series of theatrical exercises. …Back to Top
Cate (Catherine) Rees-Hessel
Cate (Catherine) Rees-Hessel (formerly known as Anna Hessel) is a progressive multi-racial woman of faith. She is an award-winning essayist and has won numerous pageant titles. Anna writes a monthly newspaper column, as well as everything from features to reviews of dance, opera, and theater, for a community newspaper in the Chicagoland area, and is a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. Ms. Hessel studied theater, dance, and pre-law at Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and is married to fellow journalist Wes Hessel.…Back to Top
Wes Hessel
Wes Hessel is a progressive man of faith and a graduate of Grove City College in Pennsylvania with a BA degree in Communication Arts and Computer Systems. He is a newspaper features writer and editor, as well as a theater and opera reviewer, in the Chicago area for a community paper. He is married to fellow journalist Anna Hessel, and is the designated husband in her newspaper column. …Back to Top
D. S. Mitchell (aka) “Calamity”- continued
…Back to School
My original intent had been to continue my college work at Lewis & Clark Law School, working toward a doctor of Jurisprudence. However. things did not go as planned. My full-time job as parent, a short-term, out-of-state assignment, and physical exhaustion, halted my education for nearly a decade. Ten years later, my life and intentions had changed. In 1982, I returned to Clark College, Vancouver, WA and obtained an Associate Degree in Nursing. After graduation I worked for the next 35 years as a Registered Nurse in hospitals in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, California and Nevada. I retired from nursing in 2015.
A Roosevelt Democrat
I have never missed voting in an election since I came of voting age. My mother called herself a “Roosevelt Democrat”. I am a passionate progressive in the vein of Bernie Sanders/Elizabeth Warren/Eleanor Roosevelt. I believe in political activism. If you have a political agenda, which we all do, it is necessary to speak up.
“I hate government”
It amazes me to hear people say, “I hate government” or “I hate the ‘effing government sticking its nose in my life”. “There are too damn many regulations”!
“What is it you don’t like? ,” I ask. “Good roads, mail delivery, clean water, safe medications, public transportation, safe air travel, bank regulators, your social security check, Medicare or Medicaid? Because, that’s what government is, and that is what it does for its citizens.”
A Progressive Political Blog
My political activities before starting Calamity Politics LLC, were sporadic at best and limited at worst. I campaigned for a friend in his losing campaign for Mayor of Portland, Oregon in 1980. I also volunteered and campaigned for another friend to help him win his seat in the Oregon State Senate in 1984 and again in 1988 (Oregon State Senators serve four year terms). In 1992 and 1996, I was a campaign worker for Bill Clinton in his two presidential runs. In 2018 I was an activist, organizer, and campaign committee worker for John Orr, in his losing primary run for Oregon Dist. #32 State Rep position. Other than those efforts, I have silently lived my life, and my biggest contribution to politics was to consistently and religiously donate to, and vote for progressive candidates in every election since reaching voting age.
Why, now?
So, why am I now becoming a vocal activist at 74 years of age? Why am I screaming from the roof tops? Why am I going to Town Hall Meetings to talk to my elected officials? Why am I writing and calling and emailing my elected officials? Why am I fighting with my relatives? Why have I stopped speaking to my neighbor? Why have I started writing a political blog?
A Crew of Confederates
If you have been watching TV, reading the newspaper, checking the internet, talking to your friends, are a living breathing human being, you know why. Donald J. Trump, and their wrecking crew of Republican confederates in the Congress, most pointedly Kevin McCarthy, Matt Gaetz, and Marjorie Taylor Green. M
A Progressive Course
I have become so disturbed by the unfolding events I feel compelled I must speak out. And, in some cases scream out. I urge everyone who feels the pain of what is happening in our country, to RESIST the backward-looking, red capped, “MAGA” crowd and turn your sights on 2024, and bring this country back on to a forward-looking, PROGRESSIVE course. I have spent the last fifty years of my life working and supporting a progressive political social vision. Calamity Politics also known as Calamity News and Politics is a result of those deep held beliefs.
Foreign Government Interference
Now, here I am in my seventies, horrified, as I watch the slow laborious work of four generations of concerned progressives being demolished, day-after-day by a corrupt, power-mad Supreme Court wiping away 50 year of settled law. Judicial reform is way past needed. Action needs to be taken, and that action needs to come soon.
Whores and Traitors
Corrupt billionaires, and their harem of shameless whores in the US Congress must be stopped. How that happens will be up to us. Us on the ground. The political bloggers, the newspaper reporters, the TV commentators. But we can’t do it by ourselves. If you are angry and want to get control of this runaway train we need people who will speak up and speak out. Our very democracy is at stake. We need progressive candidates, we need protesters in the street every weekend, and most importantly we need voters committed to a decent lifestyle for all Americans, not just the few. Like Joe says, “we need to build from the middle out not the top down.”
Write it Down and Throw it Away
So, please join me mostly daily for political and social rantings and ravings. I truly believe it is the only way I will be able to maintain my sanity. My Mom always said, write it down, get it out, and then throw it away. I think I’ll write it down, but I’ll leave it up to my readers to decide if they want to throw it away. I’m hoping my posts and the posts of other contributors will fire you up, and get you off your butt. We’ve got plenty of things to fight for, and if my political blog can help ignite the fire, I’ll be here screaming about the corruption and degenerative incompetence of Donald Trump and his destructive policies as long as I can. The thought of that man getting another four years in office should chill us all to the bone. So fight the oligarchs, defeat the MAGA’s and protect American democracy.
Make a Commitment
The 2022 mid-term election was an emphatic rebuke of Trump and Trump policies. The promised red wave never materialized, allowing the Democrats, to continue their control of the Senate, and although the GOP has a majority in the House it is a very weak majority. I have no hope for the 30% of the country that form Trump’s immovable base but, there are many who have left the Republican Party and now call themselves Independents. I believe it will be those middle of the roaders who hate extremism that will keep Trump out of the White House in 2024. Whatever your level of commitment you can do one or all of the following; organize, vocalize, run for office, protest, resist, persist, start your own political blog, donate and vote.
Emerging From a Nightmare
The looming 2024 election is even more chaotic than I ever imagined. Trump is still doing everything possible to throw doubt on the results of the 2020 election and every time he opens his mouth he is taking this country back in time. We need a leader for the future not the past. 2024 like 2020 will be an election that defines our future. I am hopeful that we as a country can emerge from this nightmare, better and stronger, but I am not confident of that result.
Calamity Politics LLC
We have many talented writers contributing to Calamity Politics LLC. Not only do we opine and commentate but we discuss numerous current issues of health and wellness, social and political headlines, including health topics, such as vaccinations, mental health, student loan debt, AI, sex trafficking, income inequality, universal health care, bitcoins, professional wrestling and much more. Please join us as we talk about the most important issues of our time. Please come visit and stay awhile.
Thank you and all my love to the Resisters and those committed to fair government.
D. S. Mitchell (aka) “Calamity”
And What About the Name?
PS A very nice lady asked me how I came up with the name Calamity Politics. I thought it was obvious; but in case you are also curious about the name. The name Calamity Politics is a joke (maybe only to me). You know, every election is described ‘as the most important election of our lifetime’, every issue will ‘decide the fate of the nation’…so, every issue is a ‘calamity if we can’t make it happen this time’. ‘If not this time, it will never happen.’ ‘OMG it’s a calamity! Battle stations! Pitchforks and shovels to the front of the line!’
Pitchforks and Shovels
Anyway, that’s the root of the name. Significantly, I believe that every election is the most important of our time, and we need pitchforks and shovels to the front line every election. I also figured it worked no matter what party was in power, because with the 24 hour news cycle it’s a calamity if Kim Kardashian has a pimple on her bum. Imagine the calamitous excitement that cutting 1.4 trillion dollars off of Medicare and Medicaid will create.–Love, DSM …Back to Top
