Author Archives: David Green

The Economic and Political Context of Student Debt

Posted on 01/31/2014 by David Green

Alan Collinge, author of “The Student Loan Scam: The Most Oppressive Debt in U.S. History and How We Can Fight Back,” recently spoke to students at Lincoln Hall on the UI campus. His argument is detailed, persuasive, and heartbreaking; it … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Politics, Youth | Comments Off on The Economic and Political Context of Student Debt

Consumer Debt’s Central Role in Finance-led Capitalism and Class Warfare-An Organizing Opportunity

Posted on 10/18/2011 by David Green

“For at least five thousand years, popular movements have tended to center on struggles over debt—this was true long before capitalism even existed. There is a reason for this. Debt is the most efficient means ever created to take relations … Continue reading →

Posted in Labor/Economics, Politics | Comments Off on Consumer Debt’s Central Role in Finance-led Capitalism and Class Warfare-An Organizing Opportunity

Understanding the Phoney Debt Crisis: Intergenerational Myths and Economic Realities

Posted on 08/23/2011 by David Green

Understanding the Phony Debt Crisis: Inter-generational Myths and Economic Realities David Green (davidgreen50@gmail.com)lives in Urbana. He regularly contributes to News from Neptune, both on UPTV and WEFT-FM. Before discussing the inter-generational mythology that pertains to the phony debt crisis, three … Continue reading →

Posted in Labor/Economics, Uncategorized | Comments Off on Understanding the Phoney Debt Crisis: Intergenerational Myths and Economic Realities

Racial Disparities Reflect Laws and Policies

Posted on 01/27/2011 by David Green

In her recently published book, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, civil rights lawyer Michelle Alexander connects the legacies of slavery and Jim Crow to the mass incarceration of African-American males. “The American penal system … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Football Game Flyover on 9-11 Promotes War

Posted on 10/05/2010 by David Green

A recent internet-driven furor in response to my letter protesting an outburst of militarism at a University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) football game on September 11th has prompted the following reflections on freedom of speech, militarism and war, and the responsibilities … Continue reading →

Posted in Education | Leave a comment

Human Services in Hard Times: State Budget Deficits Threaten the Most Vulnerable Among Us

Posted on 07/05/2010 by David Green

Government-funded human services are defined in specific terms in relation to statelevel administrative structures and the state’s annual budget. These services do not technically include significant portions of the budget devoted to health care and education. Human services—thus narrowly defined— … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Ben Fletcher IWW

Posted on 05/05/2010 by David Green

Born in Philadelphia in 1890, Ben Fletcher was the most important African American labor leader in the most influential union of the early 20th century, the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). This was no small accomplishment considering that this … Continue reading →

Posted in Labor/Economics, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

”Students For Justice In Palestine” Question Israeli Studies

Posted on 11/04/2009 by David Green

On a visit to Israel in 2007, then Chancellor Richard Herman expressed his opposition to a boycott of Israeli academics supported by Great Britain’s University and College Union. Herman stated that “Scholarship and research must remain fluid and borderless, unconstrained … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Human Rights, International | Leave a comment

The Persistence of Racial Conflict in American Labor Unions: The Case of Henry Bell

Posted on 06/26/2007 by David Green

On January 20, 2006, Henry W. Bell III, a 41-year-old African-American journeyman electrician, resident of Champaign, and member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 601, filed a civil lawsuit against his union. Bell’s allegations of racial discrimination against … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The U.S., Israel, and Lebanon: Historical Roots and Patterns of Conflict

Posted on 11/25/2006 by David Green

The destructive and lethal forces unleashed this past summer by the United States and Israel upon Lebanon are not surprising in light of their historical roots in at least four patterns of conflict: First, the unwillingness of Israel and its … Continue reading →

Posted in International | Leave a comment