From Southwest Ledger By James Finck, Ph.D. For most of us this week winter has finally come. It seemed the perfect weekend for our first artic plunge as it was Wild Card Weekend in the National Football League, and I could hunker down with three days of football. As a Kansas City Chiefs fan, I … Continue reading When Boxing was King →

From Southwest Ledger By James Finck, Ph.D. When I was in college back in the 1990s, I like so many other students began getting my political commentary Monday through Thursday nights on Comedy Central with The Daily Show with John Stewart. While the show was not an official news show and Stewart, who had graduated … Continue reading ‘You were always Mom’s favorite:’ a historic tribute to Tommy Smothers →

An amendment meant to keep ex-Confederates from holding office after the Civil War is once again coming into play as Colorado and Maine have announced that former President Donald Trump will not appear on the ballot of their upcoming presidential primaries. The 14th Amendment, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution states, “No person shall be … Continue reading Deliberating the Constitutionality of Presidential Ballot Restrictions →

By James Finck, Ph.D. For many, the Gilded Age (1877-1900) is the most boring part of political history. All the presidents were bearded white men from New York or Ohio who are hard to distinguish. In fact, it was just as hard to differentiate between Republicans and Democrats, being that neither really did very much. … Continue reading History of American Political Parties, Part X: The Gilded Age →