Author Archives: Belden Fields

Israel Anti-Boycott Act a Threat to Free Speech

Posted on September 2017 by Belden Fields

This article is about a bill introduced in both the U.S. Senate (S.720) and the House of Representatives (H.R.1697). These identical bills are both very complex and very dangerous to our civil liberties. They would outlaw “requests to impose restrictive … Continue reading →

Posted in Boycott, Foreign Policy, Israel | Comments Off on Israel Anti-Boycott Act a Threat to Free Speech

County Nursing Home Deserves and Needs Voters’ Support

Posted on February 2017 by Belden Fields

Much attention has been given to the election of local officials on April 4, but there is as issue that is equally pressing. That is the fate of the Champaign County Nursing Home (CCNH). Voters will be presented with two … Continue reading →

Posted in county goverment, health, the elderly | Comments Off on County Nursing Home Deserves and Needs Voters’ Support

Letter to My French Friends

Posted on January 2017 by Belden Fields

How could this have happened in the U.S.? The reasons are complex, some peculiar to the U.S. and some that are common to both the U.S. and Europe. The most significant one, that applies as well to Europe as here, … Continue reading →

Posted in 2016 election, France, Politics, Trump | Comments Off on Letter to My French Friends

State’s Attorney Rietz Goes Easy on Violent Police and Jail Officers

Posted on July 2016 by Belden Fields

Rape On March 30, 2015, there was a ceremony in the Champaign City Building during which Officer Jerad Gale was given the award for being “Officer of the Year.” About a year later, in May 2016 this same officer pleaded … Continue reading →

Posted in Justice, Police | Comments Off on State’s Attorney Rietz Goes Easy on Violent Police and Jail Officers

In Memory, Honor, and Love of Gene Vanderport

Posted on June 2016 by Belden Fields

It is difficult to write about an untimely death of someone whom one has known for almost half a century. Gene was my student, my comrade, and my friend since the late 1960s. Only a couple of years after my … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Rights, Justice, Labor/Economics, socialism | Comments Off on In Memory, Honor, and Love of Gene Vanderport

The Myron Scruggs Case and the Champaign Police Department

Posted on May 2016 by Belden Fields

by Belden Fields An  Ugly Image From the Past In the late 1960s, I joined the newly created chapter of the Champaign County ACLU and became the chair of its investigations committee. I received a call from a woman member … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Justice, Policing | Comments Off on The Myron Scruggs Case and the Champaign Police Department

France: The Power of Le Pens

Posted on January 2016 by Belden Fields

The Left has done well in some recent elections in Southern Europe- in Greece, Portugal, and, most recently, Spain. But not in France. The Socialists, who are now in power, took a terrible beating in the December 2015 regional elections. … Continue reading →

Posted in International, Politics | Comments Off on France: The Power of Le Pens

Man Sentenced to Prison by Fired Former Judge Has Sentence Reduced

Posted on September 2015 by Belden Fields

On August 13, Bidemi Ajobiewe, a Nigerian national who had been given six years in prison for an fatal accident on I-74 had his sentence reduced from six years in prison to 24 months of parole and time already served. … Continue reading →

Posted in Justice | Comments Off on Man Sentenced to Prison by Fired Former Judge Has Sentence Reduced

Police Lying

Posted on September 2015 by Belden Fields

Do Police Lie? The answer is that some police officers do indeed lie. The major conditions under which police lie are three: to frame a suspect, to protect themselves or fellow officers from detection or punishment of misdeed, and to … Continue reading →

Posted in Justice, Policing | Comments Off on Police Lying

DUI Judge Richard Klaus Fired

Posted on July 2015 by Belden Fields

In June, Champaign Country Associate Judge Richard Klaus was removed from his position by fellow Judges in the Sixth Judicial Circuit. This is the first time in 37 years that these judges have removed a colleague. The reason given was … Continue reading →

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