Passport: A Manifesto

Passport: A Manifesto

This is your passport I hold in my hand:
a hemisphere, half red ink, half blue–
as yet untorched by terror, but polluted

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This is your passport I hold in my hand:
a hemisphere, half red ink, half blue–
as yet untorched by terror, but polluted

perhaps by the gaze of the future. For
example, the shadow of the parachute of
my desire, this rip-cord of your photo-

blink, your eyes translated into these
flashing sad idioms. Take this blank page
for the remainder, the last boring national

tattoos. Wave me through these invisible
brackets of lightning. Stars shatter on
the epaulets of all the uniforms, the hats

and coats of countries that no longer exist.
I wear your insignia, therefore I wear death’s
insignia. Which means that nothing can hurt me.

And with these wings and flames, I pledge
allegiance to nothing: I can go anywhere.

Become a Sustaining Donor This September

Between the reemergence of right-wing red-baiting and Donald Trump’s use of the chilling National Security Presidential Memorandum–7 to criminalize left political organizing, we’re seeing McCarthyism reborn before our eyes.

This assault on democracy cannot be ignored or wished away. Resisting it requires bravery in the face of threats and repression, a steadfast commitment to the truth, and the unwavering belief that we can—and will—overcome this darkness.

We must have an independent media that sets the record straight, unearths corruption and abuses of power, and advances a politics of justice and dignity for all if we’re to win this fight.

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Onward,

Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editor and Publisher, The Nation

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