Category: Historically Speaking

STATE OF THE UNION THEATRICS

From Southwest Ledger Presidential guestlist now pushespolitical agenda above heroism By James Finck, Ph.D.On March 7, 2024, President Joe Biden gave his third official State of the Union Address to Congress where he used his time to criticize his predecessor, talk about border security and tout his economic successes.As has become tradition, Biden invited several … Continue reading STATE OF THE UNION THEATRICS →

Reviewing “Modernizing Women: Gender and Social Change in the Middle East”

From Southwest Ledger In her book, “Modernizing Women: Gender and Social Change in the Middle East,” Valentine M. Moghadam thoroughly examines the conditions of women in the Middle East—especially around the time of the Arab Spring of 2010—and reviews the plight of Middle Eastern women in history. Moghadam wrote that she wants to show, “how … Continue reading Reviewing “Modernizing Women: Gender and Social Change in the Middle East” →

Mayorkas’ Impeachment Charges Echo Those of Former Sec. of War with Ties to Oklahoma

From Southwest Ledger Last month Congress made the historic decision to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. With immigration being one of the hottest political issues of the day, Republicans impeached the secretary on charges of being “engaged in a pattern of conduct that is incompatible with his duties…[and] has failed to faithfully uphold his … Continue reading Mayorkas’ Impeachment Charges Echo Those of Former Sec. of War with Ties to Oklahoma →

Reviewing Stephen Kinzer’s “All the Shah’s Men: AnAmerican Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror”

From Southwest Ledger With much of the turmoil in the Middle East centered around Iran, it is worth reviewing Stephen Kinzer’s 2008 book “All the Shah’s Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror” to help understand the nation of Iran as well as find some possible answers. Iran has become number … Continue reading Reviewing Stephen Kinzer’s “All the Shah’s Men: AnAmerican Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror” →

Presidential Competence in an Age of Instantaneous Interaction and Decisiveness

By James Finck, Ph.D. A bombshell was dropped earlier this month when Department of Justice Special Counsel Robert Hur released his findings on President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents. The good news for Biden was Hur does not plan to bring charges. However, the bad news was that even though Hur concluded that Biden … Continue reading Presidential Competence in an Age of Instantaneous Interaction and Decisiveness →

Father, son give insightful review of Temple Grandin

From Southwest Ledger I rarely get personal with my articles, but this week’s subject resonates with me. One of the hardest days of my life was when a doctor confirmed to my wife and me what we already suspected – that my son, my oldest child had autism. We knew that not all was lost. … Continue reading Father, son give insightful review of Temple Grandin →

Are Super Bowl Commercials Shaping Our Country? If So, At What Cost?

From Southwest Ledger By James Finck, Ph.D. In 1984, Democrats needed a candidate to challenge the very popular Republican incumbent President Ronald Reagan. Democratic frontrunner Walter Mondale, an ex-U.S. senator and state attorney general from Minnesota who had also served as Jimmy Carter’s vice president, seemed as though he would be a shoo-in for the … Continue reading Are Super Bowl Commercials Shaping Our Country? If So, At What Cost? →

Challenging the sitting president: ‘Is democracy still America’s sacred cause?’

From Southwest Ledger By James Finck, Ph.D. During his Valley Forge speech earlier this month, where he stated this election is about whether democracy would survive, President Joe Biden asked, “Is democracy still America’s sacred cause?” Biden believes former president and Republican frontrunner Donald Trump wants to end democracy while his campaign aims to preserve … Continue reading Challenging the sitting president: ‘Is democracy still America’s sacred cause?’ →