Tag Archives: Constitution

Patriotic conflict at UC-Irvine unflagging

Posted on March 13, 2015 by

Amazingly, national interest in the flag conflict at the University of California, Irvine, where I teach, is unwavering.  More than a few people seem to think that there is political mileage in beating up on a few students who sponsored … Continue reading →

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Uniting against the US: BLM and Cliven Bundy

Posted on April 21, 2014 by

Cliven Bundy, a rancher in Nevada, has been grazing his cattle on public land in Clark County for free for more than twenty years.  (The story is all over, but you can find a succinct summary at the new site, … Continue reading →

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Cannabis contention and the election

Posted on July 24, 2012 by

Medical marijuana is available legally in California, but not in the United States.  Last year, President Obama’s Justice Department followed US law, raiding Oaksterdam University (“America’s first and premier cannabis college”), which promises high quality training for those involved in … Continue reading →

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What courts can/ will do

Posted on February 7, 2012 by

Today’s news provides more data on the extent and limits of the judiciary as a venue for social movements: A federal appellate panel (9th district) has upheld District Judge Vaughn R. Walker’s decision to strike down California’s ban on same … Continue reading →

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Martin Luther King and dead heroes (King Day again)

Posted on January 15, 2012 by

Martin Luther King died young enough and dramatically enough to be turned into an American hero, but it was neither his youth nor his death that made him heroic. In his rather brief public life, beginning in Montgomery at 26, … Continue reading →

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Occupy the Constitution

Posted on January 2, 2012 by

At least several hundred protesters marched after the Tournament of Roses Parade, drawing some cheers, some boos, and extensive media coverage.  (Occupy the Rose Parade and the Hollywood Alist estimated 5,000 Occupy marchers.) Parades are occasions for spectacle and theater, … Continue reading →

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The Tea Party’s electoral dilemma

Posted on June 29, 2011 by

Our Constitution presents a recurring dilemma for social movements: routine elections.  Right after the Republicans won massive gains in the 2010 elections–and the Tea Party claimed a great deal of credit for those victories–conservative activists shifted their attention to the … Continue reading →

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Dead Heroes, Martin Luther King, and Original Intent

Posted on January 19, 2011 by

In the fall of 2001 I sat on a committee charged with planning the program for Martin Luther King Day here at UC Irvine.  American armed forces were then just entering Afghanistan, seeking Osama Bin Laden, and fighting to oust … Continue reading →

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The Constitution and Reading Aloud

Posted on January 6, 2011 by

My first grader is starting to get bored of reading aloud in class.  Like most members of Congress, she can read faster than she can listen, and having to slow down as every reader stumbles through the words gets tiresome.  … Continue reading →

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