The environmental movement was raging in the 70s and momentum was chugging along with the creation of the EPA and increased environmental protections being passed in the congressional halls. The environmental movement was a non-partisan issue with both Republicans and Democrats supporting the first Earth Day in 1970. Enter the New Right, who painted environmentalContinue reading “Burning Sage”
Author Archives: jjhansen22
Day Off in Kyoto, Got Bored at the Temple
Society has progressed so far in the last few hundred years; we have invented electricity, airplanes, and yet the one thing we have not been able to figure out is stubbornness. That leads us to the continued scientific reality that climate change is real and there is quite a bit of consensus surrounding this reality.Continue reading “Day Off in Kyoto, Got Bored at the Temple”
Economic Rapture
The great economic rapture, as I am calling it, did not start with the Great Recession but this moment in time marked a change from the conservative consensus to a government interventionist model. Obama was the facilitator in this change not only with policy but also with rhetoric. For example, during his campaign Obama highlightedContinue reading “Economic Rapture”
The Great Liberation
The Iraq War and the general “War on Terror” are often thought of as only combating terrorism, but in reality, that is not the entire case. Sure, on the surface level, that was a goal but there was something else behind this move. Former Army Colonel Andrew Bacevich proposes that this is the case andContinue reading “The Great Liberation”
So Long, Fallwell, Auf Wiedersehen, Good Night!
Jerry Fallwell was a prominent figure in the Christian right, or what I would now call Big Eva, in the latter half of the 20th century. A proponent of the “moral majority”, Fallwell was in part instrumental to Republican success in the Sunbelt throughout this time with this message. A successful southern mega pastor, heContinue reading “So Long, Fallwell, Auf Wiedersehen, Good Night!”
Bethlehem to Burgers: The Forgotten Man in Western Pennsylvania
Blue-collar workers experienced a torrid time in the United States during the period of deindustrialization of the 1970s and 80s. No greater area was hit than the Western Pennsylvania region by these changes. As someone who used to live in this part of the country, I can tell you that the sentiments in this articleContinue reading “Bethlehem to Burgers: The Forgotten Man in Western Pennsylvania”
Baseball Caps and Pigeons
Throughout history and popular culture there has often been a division manufactured between what are known as the “elite doves” and the “hardhats”. In part this is due to protests and counterprotests that were taking place during this time-period. However, if you talked to the so called “hardhats” it was found that they often agreedContinue reading “Baseball Caps and Pigeons”
The War on the Working Class
The Vietnam War was a great tragedy that impacted the American psyche for a multitude of generations. The lasting impact of this foreign debacle has informed foreign policy decisions in the half-century since first involvement. However, while elites in the Foreign Policy establishment have pushed this rhetoric, they were not the ones who sacrificed theirContinue reading “The War on the Working Class”
SONG, SONG OF THE NORTH!
To help explain the title of this blog and for fun I wrote the chorus to mimic the song of the south by Alabama. For your reading pleasure: Song, song of the North. Eat a pizza pie with all its warmth. Seeeegggrigating our schools. Because we are overt racist ghouls. Now to the serious stuff.Continue reading “SONG, SONG OF THE NORTH!”
Highway to War
South Dakota during the Cold War period is an excellent example of what President Eisenhower dubbed the “military-industrial complex”. What is the military-industrial complex? Simply put this is the relationship between defense companies/contractors and the government. Used by Eisenhower as warning against the influence of outside forces on the process of government. During this periodContinue reading “Highway to War”
Will Wright 