The events of Charlottesville have me thinking about my role as an historian and teacher. This was reinforced by these comments by James Alex Fields Jr.’s high school history teacher. I don’t think any one teacher can be responsible for the ideas of a single student.…
An old division is rearing it’s head again in the Democratic Party. It’s gone public in the disruption of Bernie Sanders’s speeches by #blacklivesmatter protesters, first at Netroots Nation in July and then again in Seattle on Saturday (see here).…
In honor the 4th of July weekend, I’m sharing this post I wrote last year at this time:
I recently had the opportunity to sing “American the Beautiful.” The lines that most hit me are in the third verse:
…Oh, beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life!
In part to be contrary, I’m going to suggest that to get this nation moving in a positive direction, we need to have a radical discussion about the basic economic realities that most Americans are facing, including the impact of race and class in our hyper-stratified society.…
If you had a popular platform from which to launch a national discussion, what topic would you choose for the nation to address?
What makes it so crucial? Why do you think it has been either overlooked or under-addressed? If you could also pressure Congress to actually act, what are the changes you would encourage them to make?…
Growing up, I never really paid attention to the political positions of my family. I think this was due in part to the fact that my family was never really political, or at least were never vocal about it. So for me, I can’t really point to anything specific about where I get my political roots.…
The short answer to Jacob’s first question, the one political scientists would tell you, is that I inherited most of my political beliefs (especially my party affiliation) from my parents. They were both moderate-to-liberal Democrats. The same goes for my religious beliefs and the way they influence my political perspective.…
My political journey began on the severe religious right side of the spectrum. Conservative values were correct; liberal ideas were a virus, a degradation of society – the embodiment of an evil that threatened to ruin mankind. Most people grow up, experience a wide world with new ideas, and gain a broader perspective than their upbringing offered.…
Last week, the Obama administration decided to engage the threat of ISIS(or ISIL) in Syria. For all intents and purposes, it’s safe to say we are going to war in Syria even if the administration won’t. The big debate surrounding the decision, which is filled with memories of a not-to-distant war-filled past, is whether or not these militants pose a real threat to the US.…
On September 10, President Obama outlined a basic framework for U.S. intervention against ISIS. He explained that reasons for engagement as well as a four-part strategy, including:
I’m fully in favor of parts 1, 3, and 4.…
Header image by Tom Plewe © 2015
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