POLITICS

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Democracy in Crisis?

by Harvey Asher, Ph.D. July 4, 2014

Today’s political scene finds democracies everywhere in serious trouble. Are we looking at a permanent deterioration of democracy as a workable form of government? Is the great experiment over? Hardly. Keep your lab coats buttoned and read on. Here’s the short view: According to a recent report by the non-partisan research organization Freedom House, 2013 […]

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Feckless or Reckless

by Harvey Asher, Ph.D. March 18, 2014

Predictably, neo-conservatives are blaming President Obama’s vacillation and weakness in dealing with Benghazi, Iran, and Syria for Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. The portrayal of Obama as indecisive dates from the September 11, 2012, attack on Benghazi, a tragic, isolated event carried out by terrorists against a poorly protected embassy. And yet, Obama’s conduct of foreign […]

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Round and Round the Mulberry Bush: Keeping an Eye on the Weasels

by Harvey Asher, Ph.D. February 3, 2014

image via The latest economic data show workers’ wages and salaries growing at the lowest rate relative to corporate profits in U.S. history. Yet in “America’s Inequality Problem,” a January 20, 2014, column for The New York Times, David Brooks says, “. . . raising the minimum wage may not be an effective way to […]

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We’re Off to See the Wizard – Charles Krauthammer Revealed

by Harvey Asher, Ph.D. January 13, 2014

Things That Matter, Pulitzer Prize winning columnist Charles Krauthammer’s latest series of essays, for the most part previously published in the Washington Post, soared to the top of best seller lists in 2013. The collection’s popularity rides on his record of being stylistically engaging, sometimes humorous, and seemingly compassionate, logical, and objective. For admirers like […]

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Congress Holds Its Breath Until We All Turn Blue

by Harvey Asher, Ph.D. October 16, 2013

Government shutdowns, contrary to popular perception, are not rare occurrences. Between 1976 and 1996, the United States government partially shut down 16 times. The 1996 shutdown lasted 27 days. It followed President Clinton’s vetoing of a Republican budget that called for substantial cuts to social programs, including Medicare and food stamps. Confrontations among politicians at […]

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Momentum in Chicago – The Movement to Stop Climate Change

by Meagan Braganca August 5, 2013

image via Jay Hood You could say I’m environmentally aware. I seem to know at least a little bit about a broad range of current issues: fracking – KXL – Pebble Mines – endangered gray wolves – Atrazine – whale hunting – GMOs, just to name a few. But a different sort of precipitously evolving […]

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And Justice for All?

by Shannon Murfree July 17, 2013

As the Zimmerman verdict really sinks in for most Americans, I too felt compelled to share my opinion on it. First off, this verdict did not surprise me. The prosecution didn’t seem to have a very strong case. All the defense had to do was introduce reasonable doubt, which seemed easy to do, since there […]

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Of Terrorism and Terrorists

by Harvey Asher, Ph.D. June 14, 2013

In his recent address on foreign policy, published in the New York Times on May 23, President Obama announced that fundamental changes were called for in the assumptions that have kept the United States at war for more than a decade, during which time 7,000 soldiers have made the ultimate sacrifice and we have “spent […]

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ART VS ART – Heroes and Villains – Celine’ vs. Johnny Rotten

by Tony Shea June 3, 2013

Memorial Day this year coincided with two milestone dates of interest, the birth of famed French novelist Celine, and the 36th year anniversary of the Sex Pistols release of their magnum album Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols. The Sex Pistols were, of course, fronted by Johnny Rotten setting up this edition of […]

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Sex Crazy – The Marquis de Sade

by Tony Shea May 31, 2013

“To judge from the notions expounded by theologians, one must conclude that God created most men simply with a view to crowding Hell.” Marquis de Sade Sunday marks the 173rd birthday of the Marquis de Sade, so we here at Shea Magazine are throwing him a party. But the Marquis won’t be blowing out the […]

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Reflections on Black History Month

by Harvey Asher, Ph.D. March 26, 2013

In a February syndicated column, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Cynthia Tucker called for an end to Black History Month. Separating black history from America history, she said, minimizes “the myriad ways in which black Americans’ accomplishments are part of the national mosaic [by making] the contributions of a few well-known black men and women seem like […]

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Roe V Wade in the Shifting Winds

by Harvey Asher, Ph.D. February 26, 2013

Our resident political historian examines the factors surrounding the abortion issue in the United States. Please note that Shea Magazine expresses no opinion either for or against the practice of abortion. TS The American debate on abortion will not be decided by legal rights or moral wrongs. These kinds of arguments, strident though they may […]

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What on Earth Were They Thinking – The Framers of the Constitution and the Second Amendment

by Harvey Asher, Ph.D. February 6, 2013

The problem with many of the current attempts to interpret the Second Amendment is that nothing in it actually applies to the arguments we’re having today.  Can individuals own guns?  If so, which individuals, which guns, for what purpose, and how many?  Can governments control the buying and selling of guns? If so, should that […]

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