Politics

Rhetorical Criticism of the 2008 Presidential Campaign: Establishing Premises of Agreement in Announcement Speeches

by Emma Frances Bloomfield

Constitucionalismo Bolivariano

by Luiz Felipe Kling

South American politics have changed since Hugo Chávez started his “Bolivarian Revolution”, especially after Evo... more South American politics have changed since Hugo Chávez started his “Bolivarian Revolution”, especially after Evo Morales and Rafael Correa won the elections in Bolivia  and  Ecuador  respectively.  Since  all  three  leaders  made  new constitutions  and approved them by referendum, this article intends to analyze the political arena in which the  constitutional  processes  took  place.  To  understand  why  this  happened,  a  historical introduction  is  presented  and  later  a  brief  analysis  of  the  political  circumstances  that
allowed each of the countries’ leader to be empowered and then make their new Constitutions  approved  by  popular  voting.  The  second  goal  is  to  compare  the  three Constitutions,  looking  for  similarities  and  differences  in  fundamental  aspects  of  the State`s  structure.  This  article  wants  to  demonstrate  how  the  new  Constitutions  and  all
the structures around them can be better understood through historical knowledge with political analysis.

Análise Crítica do Governo Lula

by Luiz Felipe Kling

Ethnicity and machine politics

by Jerome Krase

This is a book I co-wrote with Charles La Cerra: Ethnicity and Machine Politics: The Madison Club of Brooklyn. Washington, D.C.: University Press of America, 1992.

Grievances Against the GOP from a (former?) Republican Woman by Katie German

by Feminism and Religion

Originally posted on the Feminism and Religion Project
This article is cross-posted at Confessions of a Thinking Woman.

I was raised in a conservative, Republican, military family. I support personal freedom and personal responsibility. I... more I was raised in a conservative, Republican, military family. I support personal freedom and personal responsibility. I support the military. I support a balanced budget. I support individual rights and the constitution. I support small government. But I find myself increasingly separated from the Republican Party, and this is why:

I cannot align myself with a party that repeatedly acts to restrict the rights of women, to deny women protection from abuse and violence, and to trample the rights of women to make their own medical decisions. I cannot support a party where individual rights and freedoms are only protected for people with a penis (so long as they are not gay).

The Legacy of Original Intentions: The Non Violence of Wonder Woman by Nick Pumphrey

by Feminism and Religion

Originally posted on the Feminism and Religion project

What would a superhero comic be without Pow, wham!, Zap, and even a Boom! (insert your own campy sound bites from... more What would a superhero comic be without Pow, wham!, Zap, and even a Boom! (insert your own campy sound bites from Batman).  Oddly enough, when psychologist William Marston created the character of Wonder Woman, he did not intend for her to be a violent character.  When villains shot their mere bullets, she simply would deflect them with her indestructible bracelets.  Instead of stooping to the level of her attackers, she would wield the lasso of truth, capture her foes, and force them to admit their malevolent deeds.  Meanwhile, creator William Marston was actually developing the first polygraph using changes in blood pressure as exemplified in Wonder Woman’s lasso.  Wonder Woman was not the first female superhero; however, she was the first non-violent one.  While other writers like Siegel and Shuster (Superman’s creators) were using their religion as inspiration, Marston drew on the women of his life as example.  He intended to have a peaceful, warrior woman, who was more than equal on grounds of “sex,” and could stop the tyranny created by war and hatred (i.e. men) without having to embrace it.  He wanted an example for young girls to idolize and a way for boys to embrace feminine power. 

Peace Begins at Home by Gina Messina-Dysert

by Feminism and Religion

Originally published on the Feminism and Religion project

I began my career in the field of social services as a woman’s advocate for rape and domestic violence... more I began my career in the field of social services as a woman’s advocate for rape and domestic violence survivors.  The motto for an organization I was employed with early on was “peace begins at home,” a significant point that must be acknowledged. While much attention around women’s involvement in peacebuilding efforts have been focused at the macro level, there has been little consideration of women’s efforts towards peace at the micro level.  Certainly, women’s involvement in formal peacebuilding processes at the larger public level is crucial.  This being said, we must not undermine the leadership roles that women play in their homes, their families, and their religious and immediate communities, and how those roles can have an incredible impact on greater society.

I would like to start off by defining “peace.”  It is a word that we all use quite frequently and often with different meanings......  Some would claim that peace equates the cessation of conflict.

1-2-3-4 Feminists Don't Want Another War by Carol P. Christ

by Feminism and Religion

Originally published on the Feminism and Religion project

War is a feminist issue for many reasons, most importantly because war is always war against women.
more War is a feminist issue for many reasons, most importantly because war is always war against women.

Patriarchy, war, rape as the “spoils” of war, and the taking of women and children as slaves in the wake of war arose together.  Recent blogs on Feminism and Religion have addressed the war on women—from the rape culture, to Humane Vitae, to the Catholic Church’s and other church’s  attempts to remove birth control from health care, to the tolerance of sexist hate speech in the culture at large. While the issue of Rush Limbaugh calling Sandra Fluke a slut is being focused on in the press, the drums of war are being sounded again in the Middle East:  the US is considering bombing Iran or supporting Israel if it decides to do so.  Feminists must stand together against war and the harm it does to women, children, and all living things.

No One Is Safe from the Parodist (Part 3) by Barbara Ardinger

by Feminism and Religion

Originally published on the Feminism and Religion project

Vader has lost the helmet and is now old and fat and speaks in a tenor voice. He’s obviously the smartest guy in the... more Vader has lost the helmet and is now old and fat and speaks in a tenor voice. He’s obviously the smartest guy in the room.

I am not the first to mess with Shakespeare. In 1680, a hack named Nahum Tate rewrote King Lear to give it a happy ending (Cordelia marries Edgar and they assume the throne), and in 1699, Colley Cibber “adapted” Richard III. In the 19th and 20th centuries, Shakespeare’s plays were operacized, balletized, and Broadwayized (The Boys from Syracuse, West Side Story) In 1868, French operatic composer Ambroise Thomas wrote a Hamlet in which Ophelia sings a long aria and dies. After wild applause, she gets up and sings some more. I’ve seen this opera.

Occupy Movement and politics of educated hope

by Henry Giroux

WOMEN ARE NOT SLUTS, RUSH, DOUCHE-BAG IS NOT FUNNY, JON, AND SEXISM IS MORE THAN “INAPPROPRIATE,” MR. WHITEHOUSE SPOKESPERSON! by Carol P. Christ

by Feminism and Religion

Originally published on the Feminism and Religion project

Why is it OK to insult women, our bodies, and our sexuality in ways that it is no longer OK to insult other groups?more Why is it OK to insult women, our bodies, and our sexuality in ways that it is no longer OK to insult other groups?

The recent controversy over Rush Limbaugh’s rant about Sandra Fluke would not be so important if Limbaugh were not the “voice” allowed to say things that Republican politicians cannot say in public. Republican politicians wish to appeal to men who would say exactly what Rush said, while watching Fox News or over a beer with their buddies.

The Virgin-Whore split is alive and well in our culture. Sandra Fluke  finally did get to testify in a hearing called by Nancy Pelosi.  She  assumed a woman’s right to choose when and with whom we have sex and whether and when we will have children, but she did not focus on sexual freedom. One of her examples was a married woman who could not afford birth control and another was a woman who needed birth control pills for reasons having nothing to do with sex or sexual activity. She did not appear in Congress in a mini-skirt (though she should have had every right to do so) but in a business suit. Yet she was called a slut and a prostitute and asked to post porno films of herself on the internet.

Analysis of the 1989 PvdA Campaign Broadcast

by Jasper Aalbers

For the elections of 1989 the Dutch Social-Democrat party PvdA had Theo van Gogh  direct a short film that was to... more For the elections of 1989 the Dutch Social-Democrat party PvdA had Theo van Gogh  direct a short film that was to be its campaign broadcast. Elsewhere I have described the developments in visual strategies in PvdA broadcasts over the last forty years. Considering the period between 1982 and 1994 I have stated that the broadcasts reflect the more moderate political attitude of the PvdA, after years of polarization.  There are however some difficulties with the 1989 broadcast when we try to understand it in this context. In this analysis I will examine the broadcast as well as the political-historical context in order to gain an understanding of the function of the broadcast in the PvdA campaign.

Development of visual strategies in PvdA campaign broadcasts, 1963-1994

by Jasper Aalbers

Political broadcasts of the Social-Democrat Party in the Netherlands (PvdA) are, when the entire period from 1963 to... more Political broadcasts of the Social-Democrat Party in the Netherlands (PvdA) are, when the entire period from 1963 to 1994 is considered, of great interest. The PvdA has been a relatively stable and large political party in these forty years. They had however also to cope with the consequences of the polarization of politics in the 1970’s and the de-ideologization in the 1980’s. It is remarkable to see how these changes in political culture are reflected in the visual strategies of PvdA broadcasts over the years. In this article I will demonstrate, through a discussion of 4 broadcasts (one from each decennium), that PvdA broadcasts have come to serve as the confirmation of the image of the party as a left-wing worker’s party. This image is no longer a realistic depiction of the actual political situation however.

A Theoretical Framework for Studying Dutch Political Broadcasts

by Jasper Aalbers

In this article I propose a theoretical framework within which the political broadcast can be studied and that can... more In this article I propose a theoretical framework within which the political broadcast can be studied and that can account for the question how the political broadcast has been able to survive despite its apparent failure as a programme genre.

Misyurov D.A. Dialectical formulas based on the binary notation as the development formulas // Credo New. 2012. №2

by Dmitry Misyurov

The article suggests dialectical formulas based on the binary notation as the development formulas: formula with... more The article suggests dialectical formulas based on the binary notation as the development formulas: formula with dominant and the non-dominant elements; universal formula; formula with symbolic weight of elements; tautological formula. For example, it suggests an opportunity to use the dialectical formulas for modeling and artificial intelligence creation, etc.

“There is a serious and sustained threat from international terrorism to the UK and UK interests’ overseas (National Counter Terrorism Security Office website). Critically assess British counter-terrorist efforts, comparing them with the US, with a particular emphasis on the role of the intelligence agencies.”

by Robert Melhuish

Happy Families or Strained Relations?: Trans-Tasman Responses to Terrorism

by Brigid Magner

Women being “Raped too much?”: Fox News, Liz Trotta, and Rape Culture by Gina Messina-Dysert

by Feminism and Religion

Originally published on the Feminism and Religion project

I may be a bit late to the conversation, but it is impossible for me not to comment on the infuriating statements made... more I may be a bit late to the conversation, but it is impossible for me not to comment on the infuriating statements made by Liz Trotta on Fox News about the staggering 64% increase in sexual assaults against women in the military since 2006.  Responding to reports from the Pentagon about women serving in combat, Trotta complained that money is being wasted on women in the military who are “raped too much.”  The statements by the Fox News pundit well demonstrate the existence of rape culture within our society and the continued problem of victim blaming and double victimization experienced by women who have been raped.

Last wake-up call

by Sardar Anwaruddin

The ethical is political

by Rena Lederman