Corona, The Great Unmasking
Off the treadmill. Hamsters off their wheels. We had to stop. The Great Pause in which we would have not in a thousand years “indulged” ourselves, except for Corona’s visit, … Continue reading
Does the New US Political Spectrum Signal a Renaissance of Democracy?
Rather than a “crisis” of representative democracy as many journalists and academics have contended since November 2016, the recent opening up of the political spectrum in the United States and … Continue reading
How We Will Come to Appreciate Donald Trump
Sometimes the sense of external oppression acts as a challenge and arouses intellectual energy and excites courage. – John Dewey The United States will experience a significant economic boom over the … Continue reading
The Silver Lining: Twelve Gifts from Trump to Progressives
A shorter version appeared on openDemocracy here. Now that they have had some time to mourn, clamor, or lick their wounds, progressives should begin to see the silver lining from … Continue reading
A European Europe?
[Also on SpeakOut 5 Feb, 2015] With the frenzy in Europe and parts of the United States, after the Pegida demonstrations and the Charlie Hebdo attacks, it is worth pausing to … Continue reading
Why can’t they love our bombs?
In honor of Dr. King, I want to remind us of something he certainly would have. 2015 begins the 25th year of our bombing of Iraq–yes, 25–the 15th of our … Continue reading
Plus ça change?
Can you guess which American party had this platform and when? The conditions which surround us best justify our cooperation; we meet in the midst of a nation brought to … Continue reading
The Mideastern Roots of Modern Democracy
[First appeared May 26th Daft Blogger. More on humility soon.] Is it possible that it was not the rediscovery of Greek thought that brought equality, human rights and democracy to … Continue reading
Google Palestine & Sociological Jurisprudence
[First appeared May 13, 2013 on Fair Observer. Start with comments there.] Google’s decision Friday May 3rd to change google.ps’s tagline to “Palestine” implicitly recognized it as a state. It … Continue reading
The Arabic in Everyday English
Below is a list of everyday, non-specialized words in the English language that are of Arabic origin. They can be put into three categories: 1) words that refer to plants, … Continue reading
Om Kalthoum “The Lady”: What is it about the Blues?
This post is off topic to ask a (quasi-rhetorical) question. Umm Kulthum (or Om Kalthoum) was an Egyptian singer, notoriously popular during the middle of the 20th century. Her funeral … Continue reading
Remembering Mubarak: Tahrir, Zuccotti, & Future Democracy
Today marks the two-year anniversary of Hosni Mubarak’s departure. At the end of 2011, Time’s Person of the Year was “The Protester,” and the issue was wrapped in Tahrir Square. … Continue reading
Squaring The Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street
“Democracy is the safest of all states.” Aristotle (Politics) Aristotle can be dismissed as a racist, misogynist, or xenophobe. He may be all those and a dry writer, but few … Continue reading
Unriddling Lochner: Pound’s Legal Philosophy Explains a Ton of Anomaly
Jurisprudence (philosophy of law) sounds like quite an intimidating word; but, as Roscoe Pound ably demonstrates, knowing a bit about what law is and what law sets out to do … Continue reading
The Egg Came First: Plato’s Parmenides or How Progress Exists in Philosophy
Plato’s dialogue “Parmenides” is notoriously enigmatic. Viewing it through the proper (wide-angle) lens, however, it is quite readable and well worth the effort. In it, the philosopher critiques his own … Continue reading
Inspiring Story: Albert R. Hall, A Real Wisconsin Hero
This is a story of the power of one dedicated individual, a story that could restore your faith in politics. This is a story about how a modest farmer, of … Continue reading
