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January 20, 1993, was a memorable day. It was the day of Bill Clinton’s first inauguration, and he was the first Democrat to win the presidency since Jimmy Carter’s ill-fated, single post-Watergate term in office. My parents, FDR-style Democrats who survived the Great Depression and fought World War II, had begun to think they wouldn’t…
Condoleezza Rice, who served as Pres. George W. Bush’s National Security Advisor and Secretary of State, recently turned down an invitation to deliver the commencement address at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, to the dismay of many would-be First Amendment scholars and free-speech purists. Her reason? The wide-spread student protests that greeted the…
There was a protest in my neighborhood yesterday. The president is in town, fundraising for the DNC. He’s staying at one of the city’s most expensive hotels in the heart of downtown San Jose, and the people gathered in the public square facing the hotel–La Plaza De Cesar Chavez –to demonstrate against the Keystone XL…
It’s a truism of politics that the people, parties, or organizations you choose to support will inevitably do something to betray your trust. Regardless of partisan allegiances or mission statements, the intersection of money, opinion, and cause is always a messy one, fraught with missteps and gaffes and broken promises. However, knowing this does little…
For part one in the series, click here and here. In the third segment of this three-part series, we will explore the current tensions between the Ecuadorian people; their president, Rafael Correa; and the international oil industry, as well as the future of the Yasuni-ITT initiative. A Jungle In Jeopardy: Rafael Correa & The Yasuni-ITT Initiative To…
The morning of Thursday March 27, 2014, Jamilah Lemieux was tweeting about Kobe Bryant’s latest comments in…
I’m not sure what I’m expecting from the New York Times nowadays. When a newspaper asks whether…
I didn’t want to really weigh in too much about the idiotic controversy that sprung up around…
In the cable news world everyone wants to seem like they’re fair and balanced. CNN makes fun…
January 20, 1993, was a memorable day. It was the day of Bill Clinton’s first inauguration, and he was the first Democrat to win the presidency since Jimmy Carter’s ill-fated, single post-Watergate term in office. My parents, FDR-style Democrats who survived the Great Depression and fought World War II, had begun to think they wouldn’t…
Condoleezza Rice, who served as Pres. George W. Bush’s National Security Advisor and Secretary of State, recently turned down an invitation to deliver the commencement address at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, to the dismay of many would-be First Amendment scholars and free-speech purists. Her reason? The wide-spread student protests that greeted the…
Thank you for reminding us, again, that you’re fans of the South Siders. Although, it was kind of a giveaway, what with the matching jacket and cap. Not to mention the faded “2005 World Series Champions” bumper sticker on your pickup truck. And the Sox flag you fly off your front porch year-round, rain, snow,…
On Tuesday, I wrote about the efforts of Northwestern University football players, led by their former quarterback, Kain Colter, to win the right to unionize under the auspices of the College Athletes Players Association (CAPA). Now, I’m not saying that piece had any influence on the National Labor Relations Board, but let’s just say it…
“My fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.” - John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961 “…Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore, never send to know for whom the bells tolls; it tolls for thee.” -John…
It’s delicious irony that Hobby Lobby’s 401(k) plan invests in pharmaceutical companies that provide contraception, while it’s been making headlines, and history, over the past year because it doesn’t want to give its employees access to health care plans that offer birth control. Notwithstanding, some say that this isn’t as devastating a tale of hypocrisy as…
The United States Senate failed on Wednesday to confirm Debo Adegbile as the assistant attorney general for civil rights. Adegbile’s nomination will not proceed to the Senate floor for a vote, because seven Democrats joined all of the Senate Republicans in voting 47-52 not to break the Republicans’ filibuster. This is the first judicial nomination that has…
The latest viral news story seems to have a perennial favorite of the American media consumer: a young, entitled woman making big mistakes in public. In New Jersey, an 18-year-old woman has sued her parents for $650 a week in support, high school tuition back pay, college tuition and legal fees. At first glance, the teen’s…
