Questions: Society & Politics

I do not think Mayor Zohran Mamdani should attend the 25th-anniversary 9/11 memorial ceremony at Ground Zero.

My objection is not that he is Muslim, nonwhite, or was born in Uganda. I share the concerns expressed by 9/11 families who created a petition asking that he not participate.

The petition cites Mamdani’s public record, including his past reluctance to unequivocally condemn “globalize the intifada,” his praise of Imam Siraj Wahhaj, comments concerning Anwar al-Awlaki, his appointment of Ramzi Kassem, and other political associations or statements the petitioners believe conflict with the solemn purpose of the ceremony.

I signed the petition because I agree that the 25th anniversary should center on the victims, survivors, first responders, and families—not another political controversy.

Mamdani can commemorate 9/11 separately as mayor. Others are free to disagree, but I think the families asking him to stay away deserve to have their reasons taken seriously rather than dismissed as racism or Islamophobia.

Petition:
https://www.change.org/p/please-sign-to-support-honoring-the-memory-of-those-lost-on-september-11th-with-dignity

Do you think Mamdani should attend the Ground Zero ceremony?

https://www.timesofisrael.com/an-unwelcome-guest-some-9-11-victims-families-want-mamdani-barred-from-tribute/

This isn’t a hypothetical division I invented. AP recently described an ongoing Democratic “tug-of-war” between the party establishment and its increasingly influential progressive/socialist wing, with that conflict already playing out in major 2026 primaries. Axios is also reporting friction over the 2028 presidential primary process itself.

Analysis: Have progressives peaked? The next few weeks will be crucial in Democrats’ tug-of-war - https://apnews.com/article/democrats-bernie-sanders-michigan-minnesota-18eab31fd7cf66048279f6ca3f2d2ef9

Dems' 2028 primary schedule angers some progressives - https://www.axios.com/2026/07/26/south-carolina-progressives-primary-2028

So my question is about what happens if that struggle remains unresolved going into 2028: could it divide Democratic voters enough to help Republicans win?

Three people were killed and four others—including a toddler—were wounded at the Bite of Seattle after police say two people exchanged gunfire outside the Seattle Center Armory.

Seattle Police:
https://spdblotter.seattle.gov/2026/07/27/gun-violence-at-seattle-center-takes-three-lives/

The DSA’s national program calls for taking steps toward fully abolishing the police and prison system:
https://program.dsausa.org/

To me, cases like this demonstrate why abolishing prisons is an extraordinarily reckless idea. Violent offenders do not disappear because prisons disappear. Society still needs a secure way to incapacitate people convicted of murder, rape, serious assault, and other dangerous crimes.

This is also why I keep telling people to read the whole DSA platform, rather than considering only popular proposals such as healthcare or housing. The same program also proposes major changes to the existing constitutional system.

Do you think a society can realistically function without prisons?

A candidate for governor of your state promises universal healthcare but also wants to rewrite your state constitution, abolish the state senate, and make the executive and judiciary subordinate to one legislature. Would you vote for or against them?