Nation Topics - America | The Nation

This article reflects on David Horowitz and his book "The Professors: The 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America." The article describes Horowitz as a right-wing political reformer who wants to muzzle liberal professors that he believes are dominating faculties and bullying conservative students. The article names several contributors to the magazine who appear as some of the "101 Most Dangerous Academics." The author suggests that Horowitz is a man of questionable accuracy.

The article reviews the book "Solidarity For Sale: How Corruption Destroyed the Labor Movement and Undermined America's Promise," by Robert Fitch.

This article reviews the books "Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation," by Jeff Chang, "Why White Kids Love Hip Hop: Wankstas, Wiggers, Wannabes, and the New Reality of Race in America," by Bakari Kitwana, "Hip Hop Matters: Politics, Pop Culture, and the Struggle for the Soul of a Movement," by S. Craig Watkins, and "The Black Arts Movement: Literary Nationalism in the 1960s and 1970s," by James Edward Smethurst.

The article presents Michigan Representative John Conyers' views on America's national security budget. The author suggests that the U.S. should focus on destroying stockpiles of weapons worldwide. Financial statistics related to the war in Iraq are reviewed. The concept of a unified security budget is discussed.

Reviews three books. "Reforging the White Republic: Race, Religion and American Nationalism, 1865-1898," by Edward J. Blum. "Working Toward Whiteness: How America's Immigrants Became White--The Strange Journey From Ellis Island to the Suburbs," by David R. Roediger. "When Affirmative Action Was White: An Untold History of Racial Inequality in Twentieth-Century America," by Ira Katznelson.

The article discusses an advertisement found in the January 9, 2006 issue of "The Nation," announces a "Radio Nation" talk show that will be hosted by Laura Flanders on Air America Radio Network, and refers to articles by Katrina vanden Heuvel and John Nichols on the periodical's Web site.

This section offers observations on U.S. political parties. While more Democrats appear to be finding their voice on Iraq and core economic issues, the Democratic Leadership Council issued a memo telling Democrats to behave more like Republicans, claiming that Americans remain moderate to conservative. Yet they ignored data showing that Americans support universal healthcare, a higher minimum wage, re-evaluation of America's trade policy and an exit strategy for U.S. troops in Iraq. Senator Russell Feingold has forged a bipartisan coalition of senators to demand that the President George W. Bush administration revise the law to better protect civil liberties.

The article reports on the first annual Comedy Festival in Las Vegas, Nevada, featuring Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, who received The Comedian award, Gary Shandling and others. The festival was inaugurated with the taping of the TV special "Earth to America," an attempt by comedians to raise consciousness about the environment and other issues. Comedy post-9/11 is discussed.

The article reviews the book "America's Constitution: A Biography," by Akhil Reed Amar.

The article presents a discussion of racial segregation in the American public school system, adapted from the book "The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America," by Jonathan Kozol.