Comix Nation Comix Nation
Sep 10, 2014 / Matt Bors
Snapshot: 15 Versus the Five-O Snapshot: 15 Versus the Five-O
Fifteen times ten—that’s 150, the number of cities in which rallies were held in the struggle for a $15-an-hour minimum wage by the “Fight for 15” campaign. In addition to the demonstrator pictured here in Chicago, hundreds of protesters were arrested across the nation.
Sep 9, 2014 / Jim Young
Mitch McConnell’s 47% Moment Mitch McConnell’s 47% Moment
In remarks made at a secret Koch donor conference and leaked to The Nation, the Senate minority leader doubles down on obstructionism and crony capitalism.
Sep 3, 2014 / The Editors
Why Congress Must Impose Limits on the Use of Force in Iraq Why Congress Must Impose Limits on the Use of Force in Iraq
If we don’t act now, constitutional restraints on presidential warmaking will be eviscerated.
Sep 3, 2014 / Robert Naiman
The Republican Playbook for Cutting Anti-Poverty Programs The Republican Playbook for Cutting Anti-Poverty Programs
Paul Ryan’s poverty plan uses old tricks to make deep cuts.
Sep 3, 2014 / Mike Konczal and Bryce Covert
Will Scotland Choose Independence? Will Scotland Choose Independence?
Fed up with Thatcherite and New Labour politics, Scots have grown farther apart from their southern neighbors.
Sep 3, 2014 / D.D. Guttenplan
‘Unhiring’ Steven Salaita ‘Unhiring’ Steven Salaita
In early August, the website Inside Higher Ed reported that at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), an official offer of a tenured professorial appointment had been rescinded by a top administrative officer. That alone would have been unusual, but concerns grew after sources close to the decision-making process reported that Chancellor Phyllis Wise was responding to calls and e-mails about Professor Steven Salaita’s acerbic and emphatic anti-Israel tweets. Once scholars heard of this, protests erupted: 17,000 signatures have been gathered criticizing the decision, and 3,000 professors are boycotting UIUC. The American Association of University Professors issued a statement declaring that social media expression is private and protected speech, and that the use of “civility” as a litmus test—which the university now admits in rescinding the hire of Salaita—is unacceptable. Please support our journalism. Get a digital subscription for just $9.50! The University of Illinois board of trustees insists that “speech that promotes malice is not an acceptable form of civil argument if we wish to ensure that students, faculty and staff are comfortable in a place of scholarship.” However, the US Department of Education has determined that students’ “comfort” is not as important as free debate. There are three important issues here. First, universities are increasingly being asked to shut down criticism of Israel. Second, a review of Salaita’s teaching evaluations at his former college, Virginia Tech, shows enthusiastic appreciation of his teaching and interactions with students. Hence, the trustees’ decision is based entirely on a hypothetical potential harm to students caused by his allegedly offensive tweets. Third, the chancellor and trustees at UIUC have broken a covenant with their faculty. Faculty governance is the mainstay of the educational process. Many trustees, on the other hand, have no background in higher education; they are there primarily to safeguard and grow the endowment. What is startling about the Salaita case is that the board let its protection of the bottom line completely overshadow the university’s educational mission and hid these financial motives behind the notion of “civility.” Read Next: Noam Chomsky on the BDS movement
Sep 3, 2014 / David Palumbo-Liu
Comix Nation Comix Nation
Sep 3, 2014 / Matt Bors
Snapshot: Desperate Crossing Snapshot: Desperate Crossing
The US-Mexico border is only one of many places in the world where people risk death in search of a better life. Below, the Italian navy recovers the bodies of African refugees who drowned while crossing the Mediterranean.
Sep 3, 2014 / Antonio Parrinello
Renewing the Struggle for Racial Justice, Post-Ferguson Renewing the Struggle for Racial Justice, Post-Ferguson
We must face the true causes of the chasm between white and black America.
Aug 27, 2014 / The Editors