Monthly Archives: November 2010

War on Terrors

Posted on November 29, 2010 by David S. Meyer

It doesn’t take violence, or even the threat of violence, to get on a government watch list.  This fall, the Inspector General of the US Department of Justice released a study that found a number of activists groups had been … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Science, Animals, and Terror

Posted on November 28, 2010 by David S. Meyer

Terror is a social movement strategy, but not a popular one in the United States.  Terror, and violence more generally, polarizes, and when people make choices, it’s not always on the side of the movement. Animal rights activism takes diverse … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Seizing the Moment

Posted on November 26, 2010 by David S. Meyer

The scanning controversy created enough attention that other groups tried to appropriate it for their own purposes.  People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), always entrepreneurial in the search for attention–and often very effective–has been pushing its concerns in … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Was Opting Out a Bust?

Posted on November 25, 2010 by David S. Meyer

Many people oppose the full-body scans now available at every airport, courtesy of the Transportation Security Agency (TSA). There’s a lot to object to: inconvenience, cost, radiation, inefficiency, delays, embarrassment. There are individual remedies available: don’t fly; opt for a … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Is the Tea Party Over? (part 2)

Posted on November 22, 2010 by David S. Meyer

What was the Tea Party anyway?  We remember the costumes, of course, and the upset victories in primary elections by some, uh, unusual candidates, but what was it about? Like all social movements in America, the Tea Party contains a … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

University Protests: Learning to Target

Posted on November 21, 2010 by David S. Meyer

University students everywhere are facing the fallout from the global recession.  In the United States, where public universities are supported (more and less) by state governments, higher education funding is on the table as states try to address their own … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Targeting: University Protests

Posted on November 19, 2010 by David S. Meyer

The global recession is still winding through government-sponsored programs in all of the rich countries.  When David Cameron’s government announced that it was tripling fees to attend university, students took to the streets–vigorously.  They knew who to blame; the Conservatives … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The Culture/Politics Thing (again)

Posted on November 18, 2010 by David S. Meyer

I thought that I was done writing about either Bristol Palin or Dancing with the Stars.  Dancing voters, however, sent her along to the show’s final round, at the expense of singer, Brandy, a somewhat older single mother.  The decision … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Activist Daughters

Posted on November 14, 2010 by David S. Meyer

If Bristol Palin’s activist resume is rather thin, there are notable famous daughters who made serious commitments and took risks to advance their views.  Certainly, they benefited from their parents’ visibility, but they also did their own activist work. Amy … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

Bristol: Tea Party Test of Strength

Posted on November 12, 2010 by David S. Meyer

Is the fix in for Bristol Palin on Dancing with the Stars?  Despite notching relatively weak scores from the judges, the viewers’ votes have kept Bristol on the dance floor–and the show–week after week.  She is now one of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment