Category Archives: Uncategorized

Is the Tea Party Over (part III)

Posted on December 8, 2010 by David S. Meyer

Only the left went on the attack against President Obama’s compromise on extending the Bush-era tax cuts.  Faced with intransigence from the Republicans in the Senate, Obama cut a deal.  He endorsed a two year extension of historically low tax … Continue reading →

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Coming Out and Movement Politics

Posted on December 7, 2010 by David S. Meyer

An astonishing number of young men and women who came to the United States as children without government authorization are going public with their status.  When they come out, they acknowledge that they are breaking the law and put themselves … Continue reading →

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When Allies Disappoint

Posted on December 4, 2010 by David S. Meyer

This lame duck session in Congress seems like the last best hope for advocates of the DREAM Act, as well as the best shot for the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell through Congress–and not the courts.  Activists on both … Continue reading →

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Fasting for the DREAM

Posted on December 2, 2010 by David S. Meyer

Students in San Antonio are fasting in support of the DREAM Act, which would provide a path toward citizenship for young people who came to the United States (illegally) as children, and have attended college or served in the military … Continue reading →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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