Three Poems to Get You Through the Drought Three Poems to Get You Through the Drought
"Outside, the ground separates, / breaking open like sores..."
Sep 3, 2014 / Books & the Arts / Richard Kreitner and Back Issues
How the Government Created ‘Stop-and-Frisk for Latinos’ How the Government Created ‘Stop-and-Frisk for Latinos’
Indiscriminate stops and mobile fingerprinting in the Big Easy represent a frightening new frontier in immigration enforcement.
Sep 3, 2014 / Zoë Carpenter
Why Hillary Clinton Is Wrong About Obama’s Foreign Policy Why Hillary Clinton Is Wrong About Obama’s Foreign Policy
“Don't do stupid stuff”—his shorthand for avoiding unnecessary entanglements—actually has deep roots in US strategic thinking.
Sep 3, 2014 / Michael T. Klare
Mitch McConnell’s 47% Moment Mitch McConnell’s 47% Moment
In remarks made at a secret Koch donor conference and leaked to The Nation, the Senate minority leader doubles down on obstructionism and crony capitalism.
Sep 3, 2014 / The Editors
Minneapolis Has Long Been Fractured by Racial Inequity. Can a New Mayor Change That? Minneapolis Has Long Been Fractured by Racial Inequity. Can a New Mayor Change That?
Mayor Betsy Hodges wants to make Minneapolis live up to its progressive hype.
Sep 3, 2014 / Gabriel Thompson
Why Congress Must Impose Limits on the Use of Force in Iraq Why Congress Must Impose Limits on the Use of Force in Iraq
If we don’t act now, constitutional restraints on presidential warmaking will be eviscerated.
Sep 3, 2014 / Robert Naiman
The Republican Playbook for Cutting Anti-Poverty Programs The Republican Playbook for Cutting Anti-Poverty Programs
Paul Ryan’s poverty plan uses old tricks to make deep cuts.
Sep 3, 2014 / Mike Konczal and Bryce Covert
Will Scotland Choose Independence? Will Scotland Choose Independence?
Fed up with Thatcherite and New Labour politics, Scots have grown farther apart from their southern neighbors.
Sep 3, 2014 / D.D. Guttenplan
‘Unhiring’ Steven Salaita ‘Unhiring’ Steven Salaita
In early August, the website Inside Higher Ed reported that at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), an official offer of a tenured professorial appointment had been rescinded by a top administrative officer. That alone would have been unusual, but concerns grew after sources close to the decision-making process reported that Chancellor Phyllis Wise was responding to calls and e-mails about Professor Steven Salaita’s acerbic and emphatic anti-Israel tweets. Once scholars heard of this, protests erupted: 17,000 signatures have been gathered criticizing the decision, and 3,000 professors are boycotting UIUC. The American Association of University Professors issued a statement declaring that social media expression is private and protected speech, and that the use of “civility” as a litmus test—which the university now admits in rescinding the hire of Salaita—is unacceptable. Please support our journalism. Get a digital subscription for just $9.50! The University of Illinois board of trustees insists that “speech that promotes malice is not an acceptable form of civil argument if we wish to ensure that students, faculty and staff are comfortable in a place of scholarship.” However, the US Department of Education has determined that students’ “comfort” is not as important as free debate. There are three important issues here. First, universities are increasingly being asked to shut down criticism of Israel. Second, a review of Salaita’s teaching evaluations at his former college, Virginia Tech, shows enthusiastic appreciation of his teaching and interactions with students. Hence, the trustees’ decision is based entirely on a hypothetical potential harm to students caused by his allegedly offensive tweets. Third, the chancellor and trustees at UIUC have broken a covenant with their faculty. Faculty governance is the mainstay of the educational process. Many trustees, on the other hand, have no background in higher education; they are there primarily to safeguard and grow the endowment. What is startling about the Salaita case is that the board let its protection of the bottom line completely overshadow the university’s educational mission and hid these financial motives behind the notion of “civility.” Read Next: Noam Chomsky on the BDS movement
Sep 3, 2014 / David Palumbo-Liu
Why Firing David Gregory Won’t Change ‘Meet the Press’ Why Firing David Gregory Won’t Change ‘Meet the Press’
The Sunday classic is chasing ratings off a cliff.
Sep 3, 2014 / Column / Eric Alterman