Archive for the ‘Politics’ Category
On Borders
Lately — perhaps because of the border wall arguments here in the U.S. and the Brexit controversies in the U.K., I’ve been thinking about the Anglo-Scottish border. If you take the LNER from London to Edinburgh now, and you pay close attention, you might notice when you cross the border. If not, you may notice […]
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Why the Millennials Kill
The generation slightly younger than I am (the millennials, or adults currently under 40) have been blamed for ‘killing’ a number of industries or service providers, including: Overpriced third-rate restaurants Artificially expensive rocks Sexually exploitative restaurants Home ownership Slow, expensive sports Pointless laundry additives Non-renewable, planet-choking energy It’s become such a common theme in news […]
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The filibuster now only remains for legislation. While it is an internally undemocratic extra-legal remnant that deserves to die. On the other hand, the first 43 Senators to sign on to the filibuster represented 53 percent of the population, illustrating how undemocratic the structure of the Senate is (and meaning that the Senate’s minority stood […]
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When President Obama was preparing to nominate a Supreme Court justice, Mitch McConnell said that the people should have a voice; the people said they’d rather have Hillary Clinton choose, but the Electoral College elected President Trump. By the McConnell standard, the Senate should refuse to consider any nominee put forward by a President elected […]
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Dear Students, I write this unofficially, as really I have no official ‘voice’ either for the department or the university, but there are some things coming from the recent election that really need to be said. Frankly, if I were many of you, I’d be feeling a bit scared right now. The President Presumptive (amazingly, […]
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I Voted for Her
I stand proudly with what I said about my vote on Election Day, and I refuse to believe that we live in a country where most people do not share these underlying views. (In fact, it appears that by the popular vote, a majority share not only the views, but the vote.) I believe that […]
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As has been widely reported, blowhard and presidential candidate Donald Trump has belittled John McCain’s (R, AZ) (Silver Star, Legion of Merit With Combat Distinguishing Device and one star, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star with Combat Distinguishing Device and two stars, Purple Heart with one star, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal with one star and numeral ‘2’, […]
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The Traitors’ Flag
The horrific racist terrorism at Emanuel AME church in Charleston, brought a quick reminder that the battle flag of the Army of Northern Virginia was still being flown by the South Carolina state legislature. A great fracas has ensued, including my early contribution here: Much of the debate has focused on the post-1865 meaning of the […]
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Rick Perry has recently announced that he is running for the Republican nomination in the 2016 Presidential election. Here are three reasons to vote for him: You believe that the only way to create jobs is to win the race to the bottom for worker rights, protections, and pay. You believe that breathable air is a luxury […]
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Charlie Hebdo has come out with their first issue since their offices were so brutally attacked by Muslim fundamentalist terrorists. Unsurprisingly, they took an unrepentant tone. When the cover image was first released to the press, I heard a brief interview on the BBC World Service with a Muslim cleric who said that while he was not overly offended […]
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withamouthfullofstones 