Monthly Archives: July 2013

Cooper Union occupation ends with promises of consultation

Cooper Union students, who have been occupying the offices of the school’s president for more than two months, have announced that they’re moving out.  Free Cooper Union started when the Board of Trustees announced that they would begin charging tuition … Continue reading

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Martin, Zimmerman, judicial backlash and policy change: update

Yesterday I claimed that the disappointment and mobilization in the wake of unpopular judicial verdicts in the Rodney King and O.J. Simpson cases didn’t lead to changes in policy.  (That’s another disappointment!)  I asked for corrections. Lindsey Lupo, a political … Continue reading

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Zimmerman, Martin, and the Courts

Don’t count on the courts to produce justice, but sometimes it’s disappointment with the legal system that does make change. We expect too much from the courts and we’re constantly disappointed.  The trial in Florida could have ended with George … Continue reading

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Massive hunger strike in California prisons

An astonishing 30,000 prisoners in California prisons have refused meals.  The Corrections Department doesn’t call it a hunger strike until 9 meals have been missed, but what’s going on is pretty clear. A hunger strike reflects commitment and desperation; prison … Continue reading

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Social movements, governance, democracy, and Egypt

What are we to make of the military coup that the military refuses to call a coup in Egypt?  I’m generally ready to cheer the departure of an unpopular putative theocrat, but quite suspicious of the military deposing elected officials … Continue reading

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