Monthly Archives: November 2008

In November, 52 % of California voters passed Proposition 8, which denies same-sex couples the right to marry. The initiative overturned a May ruling by the State Supreme Court that struck down a 2000 ban on same-sex unions. As with … Continue reading →

I am the welder. I understand the capacity of heat to change the shape of things. I am suited to work within the realm of sparks out of control. I am the welder. I am taking the power into my … Continue reading →

I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but I’m not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant. This quote truly sums up the nature of most public conversations about ‘the chief.’ … Continue reading →

I celebrate the holiday of Thanksgiving. This may surprise those people who wonder what Native Americans think of this official U.S. celebration of the survival of early arrivals in a European invasion that culminated in the death of 10 to … Continue reading →

The October 2008 edition of the Public i detailed the systematic torture perpetrated by Chicago Police officer Jon Burge and other officers under his command from 1972 to 1993. On October 21, 2008, Sergeant Burge was arrested at his home … Continue reading →

Sports — that’s another crucial example of the indoctrination system, in my view. For one thing because it — you know, it offers people something to pay attention to that’s of no importance. [Sports] keeps them from worrying about things … Continue reading →

The Earth extends her arms to us; Revealing through her nature the changing condition of our existence. She bends and twists, Deflecting the swords of Our foolishness, Our arrogance, Our gluttony, Our deceit. Unbridled by red alerts or amber warnings, … Continue reading →

Naomi Klein spoke at the University of Illinois in late October about a liberation movement that began in South America on September 11, 1973. It was a liberation movement for the international corporation. The current American economic crisis is a … Continue reading →

Like millions of others around the world, I shed tears at 10:00 CST on November 4 when Barack Hussein Obama became the 44th president of the United States. I cried because my daughters, first time voters, were able to see … Continue reading →

As an historian of American educational history I am still in amazement of the recent political events. November 4, 2008 will go down in history as a milestone moment in American history. For the first time in the history of … Continue reading →

In 1963 four little girls, Denise McNair (11 years old), Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, and Addie Mae Collins, all 14 years old, were preparing for their lessons at the 16th Street Baptist Church when BOOM! A bomb exploded in the … Continue reading →

On October 15, Rich Trumka, the Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO spoke to, and answered questions from local AFL-CIO delegates to the Champaign County AFL-CIO. Also present were apprentices from two of the local craft unions. The AFL-CIO had been working … Continue reading →

When Gordon Brown, the current Prime Minister of Great Britain, announced that his government’s response to the financial crisis was to “recapitalize” British banks by buying shares in them, while at the same time extending deposit guarantees, it amounted to … Continue reading →

On October 29th, the Rally for Quality Education brought together various unions, students, campus workers and allies. Over 200 people showed up to display their opposition to increasing tuition, wage cuts and limitations on the freedom of speech. Also being … Continue reading →

With the newly opened Urban Outfitters on Green Street, we are not only inviting yet another huge corporation to suck money out of our community; we are also furthering our town’s gradual corporatization. Urban Outfitters is a unique corporation because … Continue reading →

Forty years ago, in 1968, Project 500 brought a large number of African American students to this campus for the first time. While this was a welcome response to demands that had been make upon the university by campus and … Continue reading →