From the Southwest Ledger By James Finck, Ph.D. As I prepare to hit the half-century mark next year, certain things are starting to change. Doctor appointments are much longer than they used to be, and I now take many more pills. Trying to guard undergraduates on the basketball court is proving impossible.The other day I … Continue reading An Annotated History of Pensions →

Southwest Ledger By James Finck, Ph.D. New songs stirring the pot and getting people worked up is nothing new, but every so often a song comes out that stirs the pot in the opposite direction. Most times when musical artists get in trouble over their lyrics it is because they are pushing the boundaries of … Continue reading Aldean might be proud to be an Okie from Muskogee →

Southwest Ledger By James Finck, Ph.D. In 1968, the incumbent president Lyndon B. Johnson seemed a shoo-in as the Democratic candidate for president. Even with falling approval ratings, he was strong enough to keep a tight grip on his party -- or so he thought. As formidable as Johnson was, there was one name he … Continue reading With Robert Kennedy Jr., it’s ‘like father, like son’ →

Southwest Ledger By News Staff on Monday, August 14, 2023 By James Finck, Ph. D. Once again news coverage is swamped with allegations of Trump’s criminal activities.  This time he is accused of trying to overthrow the last election and retain power. If true, then it is a serious attack on the very fabric of our democracy. … Continue reading Box 13 and Fraudulent Elections →

From Southwest Ledger An incident happened last month at Stanford University that has unfortunately become all too common across college campuses. This particular incident occurred when Judge Kyle Duncan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit was invited to speak to law students.  Instead of allowing him to give his remarks, other … Continue reading Free Speech Movement →

From Southwest Ledger In December 2022, outgoing Oklahoma Attorney General John O’Connor dropped a bombshell opinion that, if upheld by the courts, has the potential to change education forever.  He wrote his opinion at the request of the Statewide Virtual Charter School Board who asked if the restrictions against religious organizations sponsoring charter schools remained … Continue reading Questions about Religious Charter Schools →

From Southwest Ledger A few weeks ago saw the indictment and guilty plea of Hunter Biden, son of President Joseph Biden, on two counts of misdemeanor tax evasion. While these were the first crimes the younger Biden has been charged with, they are far from the only ones to which he has been linked.  Republicans … Continue reading Problematic Presidential Children →

This semester as I am teaching a class on the Cold War, it seems as if the major comparison we are discussing is the war in Ukraine. I am grateful this war is still on students’ minds, as often with tragedies like Ukraine there is a great deal of emotion at first that wanes over … Continue reading New Cold War →

For a couple of years scientists were trying to convince FDR of the need to work on an atomic bomb. FDR and his scientists did not think it possible and so deemed it not necessary for funding. Finally in 1939 Albert Einstein sent a letter, hoping his name would lend some weight, which it did. … Continue reading Class Notes →

Twitter has been an ongoing story since the Trump presidency and ramped up even more when Twitter suspended Trump’s account after the events of Jan 6, 2021. Many felt Twitter was wrong in suspending Trump’s account, citing free speech. Of course, Twitter is not the only social media platform that has come under attack for … Continue reading First Amendment and Twitter →