Category Archives: Politics

Need for System Change

Posted on 06/13/2019 by Karen Aram

The time is long past due for American citizens to realize that our political and economic systems are untenable. Trump is awful, no question there. And for those who continue to support the Democratic candidates as the lesser evil—fine, that’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Elections, Foreign Policy, Immigration, Imperialism, Politics | Comments Off

Unacceptable Levels—Our Body Burden, Our Planet Burden

Posted on 05/08/2019 by Lois Kain

Our planet is drowning in synthetic chemicals. Our bodies have become synthetic chemical processing plants. A 2005 Environmental Working Group study of umbilical cord blood revealed that babies are born already pre-polluted with over 200 industrial contaminates. Hundreds of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, film, Politics, Public Health | Comments Off

Illiberal America: A Report Card

Posted on 03/12/2019 by David Prochaska

I never thought I would live to see the U.S. turn into the illiberal, authoritarian, populist, white-nationalist country it has already increasingly become in early 2019. Illiberalism Turns Liberal Democracy on its Head “Liberal democracy” is characterized in theory by … Continue reading →

Posted in bigotry, Democracy, Elections, Justice, labor, Media, Politics, Trump | Comments Off

Mayor Harold Washington: Champion of Race and Reform in Chicago

Posted on 12/12/2018 by John Palen

If you’ve read Robert Caro’s biographies of Lyndon Johnson, you know what it’s like to be kidnapped by a historian who’s also a great story teller. The reading lamp burns late. I’ve just finished a new book on Illinois history … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, African Americans, Chicago, Politics | Comments Off

Getting Money out of Politics and Beyond: A Call for a We the People Amendment

Posted on 12/11/2018 by Greg Coleridge

The midterm elections are over. Candidates have been elected and unelected. Ballot issues have been passed and rejected. What hasn’t changed one iota, however, are the catastrophic harms to people, communities, the natural world and our republican form of self-government … Continue reading →

Posted in Citizens United, Corporations, Elections, Politics | Tagged Citizens United, Corporations, Elections | Comments Off

Janus v. AFSCME Council 31

Posted on 05/04/2018 by Dan Gilbert

By Dan Gilbert Dan Gilbert teaches in the School of Labor and Employment Relations at the University of Illinois. In a matter of weeks the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule in Janus v. American Federation of State, … Continue reading →

Posted in labor, Labor/Economics, Politics | Comments Off

Understanding the Rise of the Right in Poland

Posted on 12/07/2017 by Richard Esbenshade

First of two parts On November 11, Poland’s Independence Day, some 60,000 people converged in a Warsaw demonstration organized by Polish extreme-right nationalist groups; large banners proclaimed slogans including “Pure Blood” and “White Europe.” The Interior Minister of the ruling … Continue reading →

Posted in Poland, Politics | Comments Off

Congress must end American support for Saudi war in Yemen

Posted on 12/07/2017 by Mark Weisbrot

By Mark Weisbrot The New York Times editorial board recently took an unusual position of denouncing what it called “war crimes” by a U.S. ally, in a war in which the United States is actively participating militarily. “Saudis try to starve … Continue reading →

Posted in International, Middle East, military, Politics | Comments Off

TRUMP EMBRACES 19th CENTURY ENERGY PLAN WHILE THE REST OF THE WORLD LOOKS AHEAD

Posted on 06/17/2017 by Pam Richart

On June 1, 2017, President Trump made it official: the United States would be withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accord. The 2015 Accord is an agreement among 195 countries to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Politics, Politics, Trump | Comments Off

Trump and the Resurgence of Antisemitism

Posted on 01/19/2017 by Michael Rothberg

I composed the following reflections-in-progress in the first week after the election in order to address the sudden prominence of antisemitism in mainstream American politics. Unfortunately, nothing that has happened since then leads me to think that these tentative thoughts … Continue reading →

Posted in 2016 election, Antisemitism, Israel/Palestine, Politics, Politics, Trump | Comments Off

Police Terror To Increase Under Trump

Posted on 01/19/2017 by Kadeem Fuller

In less than two months since the election of Donald Trump there has been a surge in violent islamophobic and xenophobic attacks in this country. While the rhetoric, actions and entire campaign of Trump has prompted conversations amongst scholars, activists … Continue reading →

Posted in Police, Politics, Voices of Color | Comments Off

Letter to My French Friends

Posted on 01/19/2017 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

Keep Loving, Keep Fighting: Meditations from the Days after Trump Presidency Was Declared

Posted on 01/19/2017 by Brett Ashley Kaplan

I’d wager that for all of you November 9, 2016 was a day of shock, revulsion, horror, disbelief, tears, confusion and a huge amount of fury. Like most of you, I had a very hard time focusing on anything but … Continue reading →

Posted in 2016 election, Politics, Trump, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Voices | Comments Off

Feminist Reflections on the 2016 Presidential Election

Posted on 01/19/2017 by Nancy Dietrich

By Nancy Dietrich and Julie Laut Nancy Dietrich lives in Urbana and is active in the C-U community. She is a founding funder of the UCIMC. Julie Laut lives in Urbana and serves on the board of the Unitarian Universalist … Continue reading →

Posted in 2016 election, Feminism, Politics, Trump | Comments Off

“Anti-Refugeeism without Refugees” in Eastern Europe

Posted on 11/18/2016 by Richard Esbenshade

Analysts of post-World War II, post-Holocaust Eastern Europe coined the term “Anti-Semitism without Jews” to characterize the uncanny persistence of prejudice in countries mostly cleansed of any actual Jewish presence. The category of “Jew” took on a symbolic character, incorporating … Continue reading →

Posted in International, Politics, Refugees | Comments Off

The Eugene McCarthy, George McGovern, and Bernie Sanders Campaigns

Posted on 10/16/2016 by Al Kagan

Bio-box: While a student, Al Kagan worked on the Eugene McCarthy campaign for president in New Hampshire, Indiana, Rhode Island, and Washington, DC., and experienced the 1968 Democratic Convention. He also did a bit of work on the Bernie Sanders … Continue reading →

Posted in National, Politics | Comments Off

Champaign County Facing Million Dollar Lawsuit for Jail Death

Posted on 10/16/2016 by Brian Dolinar

On August 8, 2016, attorney Shayla Maatuka sent a letter to Champaign County Board Chair Pattsi Petrie requesting a million dollar settlement for the wrongful death of Toya Frazier, who died in the Champaign County jail. The letter is a … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Rights, Politics | Comments Off

Orlando Shooter Was A Product of US Hyper-Masculinity

Posted on 07/14/2016 by Tariq Khan

Like so many others, I’ve been at a loss trying to make sense of the heinous act of anti-queer mass murder in Orlando. The following are some of my scattered thoughts on the topic, some of which I originally posted … Continue reading →

Posted in International, LGBTQA, National, Politics | Comments Off

Independence Day 2016

Posted on 07/13/2016 by Susan Shoemaker

We have just celebrated the independence of our nation with fireworks and other reminders of the “glories” of war. Only a few weeks ago I saw our president laying a wreath at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Somehow it doesn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in military, Politics | Comments Off

From the Arab Spring to the Syrian Civil War: Looking Again at the Modern Middle East

Posted on 05/27/2016 by Janice Jayes

It’s tempting to put the Arab Spring and the Syrian Civil War in separate boxes, but like other forms of compartmentalization, that only hides but doesn’t resolve the underlying problems. The dynamics that helped the Syrian War erupt into one … Continue reading →

Posted in Arab Spring, International, Politics, Syria | Comments Off