From the Southwest Ledger By James Finck, Ph.D. On the morning of Oct 7, the nation of Israel was attacked by rocket fire coming from the Gaza Strip in southern Israel. The missile attacks acted as a screen as thousands of Hamas militants viciously attacked towns and cities in southern Israel killing more than 1,000 … Continue reading Hamas: A History of Violence →

From the Southwest Ledger By James Finck, Ph.D. Over the years I have written about the election of 1800 many times in my columns; it is my favorite election because it is the most important. Suffice to say it was the first time the nation had a change at the top, from Federalist to Jeffersonian … Continue reading History of American Political Parties, Part V: An Era of Good Feelings →

By James Finck, Ph.D. While the writers’ strike in Hollywood has captured the nation’s attention out of fear that our favorite shows might be delayed, a potentially more important strike is the one in Michigan with the United Auto Workers striking against General Motors, Ford and Stellantis. While losing our favorite shows is hard, shutting … Continue reading Standing in a picket line may not makeBiden the most pro-union president →

From the South West Ledger By James Finck, Ph.D. While political parties officially started under the George Washington administration with the introduction of Alexander Hamilton’s economic plan, they really took root when Washington stepped down leading to the first contested election in 1796. They organized for the first time as parties to nominated candidates for … Continue reading History of American Political Parties, Part IV: The First American Party System →