Author: Op Ed

For China’s own sake President Xi Jinping should pressure Putin to end his war against Ukraine

For China’s own sake President Xi Jinping should pressure Putin to end his war against Ukraine

Posted by | Mar 13, 2022

Apologists of Russian President Vladimir Putin around the world continue to hold that he is a “realist” and “a rational actor,” and blame his invasion of Ukraine on the West breaking its 1989 promise to not expand NATO eastward. Following this line of argument, the most logical solution to the current conflict, they argue, is to allow Russia to reabsorb Ukraine into its sphere of influence. True realists, including those in Beijing, need to abandon this outdated and meritless argument as soon as possible. Putin is clearly no longer the merciless but rational autocrat he once was. Justifying Putin’s...

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Ukraine is the first military engagement of America’s Proxy Wars where a country wants to fight for itself

Ukraine is the first military engagement of America’s Proxy Wars where a country wants to fight for itself

Posted by | Mar 8, 2022

In statements addressing Western leaders, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly asked for help fighting the Russians. But in a way very unusual from the American experience. He has asked to be armed with weapons. Zelenskyy said that no one needed to die for Ukrainians, they will fight for themselves. They will fight for freedom, just give them the firepower to do it. “If Western politicians are scared, we are saying: Let us do it. Give us, the Ukrainians, warplanes and fighter jets, which we can use to protect ourselves, our children, our friends, our parents, our cities,...

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American Feudalism: How our nation went from “we the people” to “my feelings trump your rights”

American Feudalism: How our nation went from “we the people” to “my feelings trump your rights”

Posted by | Feb 27, 2022

Most Americans who are bent toward socialism do not identify themselves publicly as socialists. Nor do they employ the Marxian slogan that socialism is the wave of the future. Nonetheless, they have a way of looking at things that embraces the idea. The American approach to socialism is gradualist, piecemeal, and step by step; it is by way of govern­ment intervention, government-provided welfare programs, and government regulation and con­trol. These steps are called pro­gressive, are said to be in keep­ing with the contemporary situa­tion and modern needs, and are supposed to be pointed toward a brighter future. Those who...

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Celebrating a Black Greek-Nigerian immigrant who won the NBA title while stoking anti-immigrant fear

Celebrating a Black Greek-Nigerian immigrant who won the NBA title while stoking anti-immigrant fear

Posted by | Jul 26, 2021

The Bucks made history, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, the son of Nigerian parents who migrated to Greece, made the American Dream his reality. Unfortunately, that’s a dream that now hundreds of thousands of immigrant people in the United States feel is unobtainable, and it’s a dream that over 13 million undocumented people in the US know only exists in their sleep. While Giannis was born in Greece, because of his parents’ Nigerian background, he was denied Greek citizenship while he was growing up. This prevented him from getting health care, civil service jobs, and more. So he sold watches and...

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Textbook White Fragility: Wisconsin legislators seek to prevent historical truths from being taught in school

Textbook White Fragility: Wisconsin legislators seek to prevent historical truths from being taught in school

Posted by | Jun 19, 2021 |

A century ago, African American citizens of the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma, had their community decimated within the span of eighteen hours. Spurred by a rumor of alleged sexual assault of a white female by a Black teenager in an elevator, the Black neighborhood was under siege by a mob of whites fueled by jealousy and hate. Hours of unending gunfire, arson, looting, and physical violence emerged; while simultaneous dropping of turpentine bombs served as a horrific crescendo. Among the ashes lay the bodies of Black men, women, and children who had been killed by a deputized white...

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Megan O’Halloran: Wisconsin has a golden opportunity to meet the unprecedented needs of our students

Megan O’Halloran: Wisconsin has a golden opportunity to meet the unprecedented needs of our students

Posted by | Jun 16, 2021 |

I joked in 2020 that I longed for the “precedented.” Nearly everything about 2020 was unprecedented and not in a good way. However, I was recently filled with hope when I read that the projections for state tax collections have been revised upward by an unprecedented $4.4 billion through June 2023 in what the nonpartisan Wisconsin Policy Forum calls, “A Golden Opportunity.” We are in an historic moment. 2020 was bleak for many reasons. In the world of education, school districts incurred enormous expenses to meet the needs of children experiencing a global pandemic. Students and staff are to...

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