Boston MA, August 19th 2017: the week after Charlottesville: up to 50 white supremacists staging a “free speech” rally are met by some 40,000 counter-protesters and community members. Richmond VA, September 7: The CSA II (Confederate States of America II) lead a failed rally in when only seven of their people show up. Gainesville FL, Oct. 19th: white supremacist Richard Spencer and some 40 supporters are drowned out by hundreds when he tries to speak. Murfreesboro TN, Oct. 28

This article previously ran in Mountain Xpress. ASHEVILLE — Chances are you’ve seen the pictures on TV, online or in the local paper — swarms of protesters, signs in hand, gathered in the public square or before a government building, mouths open in mid-scream at some bastion of bureaucratic power. With political tensions running sky high across the United States, movements outside the historical mainstream such as Black Lives Matter, antifa and the tea party have captured na

This article originally ran in the Pacific Standard. After the tragic massacre in Las Vegas, Nevada, on October 1st, a debate about guns and gun ownership that has become unfortunately commonplace ignited once more. Liberals made their standard argument: More restrictions on gun ownership are necessary (such as stricter regulations on bump stocks and universal background check legislation) to help prevent mass shootings. Those on the right insisted, as they typically do, that