Category: international

  • Making Our Own Mandate

    Almost 7 in 10 (68.6%) eligible Americans did not vote for Republican presidential candidate, which belies all those mandate claims. That reality must be repeated by Democrats over and over and over.

    An emerging concern is the extent to which elected officials will allow the legislative usurpation by the executive branch as illustrated in the birthright citizenship order for example or the IG firings or the funding halt memo. These and all other such efforts must be challenged by Democrats and Republicans.

    Surely everyone who cares about this country will eventually recognize the threat posed by this administration both at home and abroad. Until then, liberals must quickly find some credible leaders, and get them to the front of their stages.

    Our future — both as a nation and even in its global contributions the world — depends upon that.

  • Secularism Indeed

    I had an unexpected experience at a recent secularism and literature mini-symposium.

    This event, which was moderated by the UIC English Department Head, included three other presenters, two local and one with some Chicago connection. The moderator offers initial observations, the presenters read papers aloud, and then the audience asked questions.

    I am genuinely interested in functions for literature beyond literary studies journals and college English classrooms. I expected something about secularism and literature in the present tense. What I got unexpectedly intrigued and repulsed me.

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