Author Archives: Belden Fields

A Surprise from the French Left in the 2024 Legislative Elections

Many French people were very anxious prior to the second round of their July, 2024 legislative elections. Unlike the American two-party system, in the French multiparty system a candidate needs 50 percent or more of the vote to be seated … Continue reading

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Academic Freedom Cases at the U of I, Part 2

In the October/November issue of the Public i, I discussed two cases in which the University faced pressure to dismiss professors because of their speech or extramural writing. These cases go back to the 1960s but have recently been resurrected … Continue reading

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Posted in Academic freedom, Censorship, Free Speech, Israel/Palestine, Public Universities, Section, University of Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Academic Freedom Cases at the U of I, Part 2

Two Academic Freedom Cases at the U of I Revisited

Late last year, the University of Illinois Press published Dangerous Ideas on Campus by Matthew Ehrlich. It is an excellent book on two professors at the U of I, one of whom was fired, while the other was not. The … Continue reading

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Posted in Academic freedom, Censorship, Free Speech, Public Universities, University of Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Two Academic Freedom Cases at the U of I Revisited

D.J. Trump:Privileged Inciter-in-Chief

The federal anti-riot law (18 U.S. Code § 2101) was originally enacted in 1968 to silence and punish civil rights and anti-Vietnam War activists, but has been amended after constitutional challenges since then. It now states: Whoever travels in interstate … Continue reading

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The 2021 Illinois Police and Criminal Justice Reform Bill

On February 22, Governor Pritzker signed House Bill 3653. This bill, rather a composite omnibus of many bills, was sponsored by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus in both the Illinois House and Senate. Several of the individual bills were sponsored … Continue reading

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Police Unions: Solidarity and Accountability

The Police and Solidarity There are two major differences between police officers and other workers in both the private and public sector. The first is a truncated sense of solidarity, the second a lack of accountability. Unionized workers in both … Continue reading

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How Are Violent Police Held Accountable in Champaign County?

On April 10, Urbana Police officers threw an African American woman, Aleyah Lewis, to the ground and punched her while she was down. She had protested the arrest of a friend. Caught on video, this led many people in the … Continue reading

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Right-Wing Libertarian Minor at UI Springfield

In February of 2013, the University of Illinois at Springfield (UIS) adopted something called a “Liberty Studies” minor. There was dissent within the academic senate, but the proposal carried the day. The description of the minor begins, “It is a … Continue reading

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Remembering Willeta Donaldson

Urbana has lost one of its most distinguished citizens, Willeta Mae Hassell Donaldson. She passed away on February 2. Willeta, who worked at the University of Illinois in the Office of Admissions and the School of Social Work, also served … Continue reading

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We Need a Medicare for All Health Care System

The parasitic presence of private insurers in our health care system is one of the things that drives up overall medical costs in the United States, costs that are higher than in any other industrialized county, and with poorer results. Despite … Continue reading

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The 1968 Revolt in France: A Fifty-Year Retrospective

In early June, 1968, I witnessed the second round of the student and worker revolt of May and June, but I had been studying student politics in France since 1963. I can only give a sketchy account of the revolt … Continue reading

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Our County Nursing Home for Sale

(Belden Fields is the Chair of Friends of Champaign County Nursing Home) At its January 9, 2018 meeting, the Champaign County Board decided to put the Champaign County Nursing Home up for sale. All the Republicans voted in favor, and … Continue reading

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Announcement

[DAVE-please put this announcement on the same page as the article on the artist Nika if possible] ART THROUGH THE GENERATIONS ART EXHIBIT AT CHAMPAIGN COUNTY NURSING HOME 500 S. Bartell Road, Urbana SUNDAY, FEB. 25, 1-5 PM Come to … Continue reading

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Israel Anti-Boycott Act a Threat to Free Speech

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

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County Nursing Home Deserves and Needs Voters’ Support

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

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Letter to My French Friends

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

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

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

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In Memory, Honor, and Love of Gene Vanderport

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

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The Myron Scruggs Case and the Champaign Police Department

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

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France: The Power of Le Pens

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

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