Blog Template

The Civics Lessons They Never Teach Anymore 0
- Culture
- February 6, 2017
Following Neil Gorsuch’s nomination to the Supreme Court, my morning commute was wall-to-wall with it, including plenty of weasel words (e.g., Senator Schumer’s fixation on tarring him as “outside the mainstream”) and heat (e.g., Congresswoman Pelosi’s assertion it was “a very hostile appointment”). One talking head quipped that the acute divide was because Americans weren’t
READ MORE
Should we Subsidize Universities that Restrict Free Speech?0
- Culture
- February 6, 2017
Trump has threatened to cut-off Federal aid to the University of California, Berkeley, after protests and property destruction on and around the campus blocked right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos from speaking. The University of California system “receives billions of dollars from the federal government to fund a variety of programs, notably research, student aid and healthcare programs.”
READ MORE
Should Teachers Have a Working Knowledge of the Constitution?0
- Culture
- February 6, 2017
Given that only 1 in 4 American high school seniors are proficient in civics and 1 in 10 are proficient in U.S. history, one would think that schools would sense an urgency to beef up their offerings and emphasis in these areas. But while that may be the case in some states, it doesn’t seem
READ MORE

Reagan Biographer: Trump is Last Hope of Reaganism 0
- History
- February 6, 2017
Republicans today idolize Ronald Reagan more than any historic figure with the possible exception of Jesus. He is the gold standard of GOP politics, quoted on the stump by would-be lawmakers at the local, state, and federal levels, wonks at policy centers, and Bible-toting evangelicals. In the Washington Post on Monday, on what would have
READ MORE
Is Tribalism the Worst Idea in History?0
- Culture
- February 3, 2017
My student, the color drained from his face, explained that a blood feud had just begun that would continue for generations. I had been teaching an MBA class when this student — a Kurd from Turkey — received an emergency phone call from home. In his village, police had responded to one neighbor’s complaint that
READ MORE
Protesters at Berkeley Reminiscent of French Revolution Mobs 0
- History
- February 3, 2017
Wednesday night at the University of California at Berkeley, a huge mob of protestors successfully prevented political activist Milo Yiannopoulos from speaking at a planned event. Armed with bricks and fireworks, they vandalized university property and used police barriers as battering rams. The group successfully breached at least one of the doors, swarmed the venue,
READ MORE