Author: Sahar

Brandeis: tribalism, funding, and fear.

Ben takes issue at the list of grievances at today’s demonstration:

I’m not sure I get it. It seems like they’re linking too many unrelated things together. There’s just no coherence to this set of grievances, as far as I can tell (not that some of the things mentioned are not legitimate concerns in and of themselves).

For reference, the event opposed the circumstances surrounding the events of the ‘incidents’ regarding:

the removal of Palestinian Art, Nadia Kim, Gravity Magazine, Jimmy Carter, Donald Hindley and Mamoon Darwish

I don’t know enough about the Gravity or Nadia Kim cases to make a judgement. So, putting those aside, we’re left with the removal of Palestinian Art, Jimmy Carter, Donald Hindley, and Mamoon Darwish.

These cases are absolutely connected. They are connected by their relationship with the Israel-Arab conflict, and the tension it creates on campus.

As I’ve written previously,

Brandeis is funded by rich right-wing Jews and rich left-wing Jews. The administration doesn’t want to offend the right-wingers, so it tends to do these outrageous things. Or at least, that’s the theory that I’m operating on.

Carter was invited by lefty professor. Brandeis first tried to un-invite him, realized that they couldn’t do that, then they invited Dershowitz to Brandeis as well and tried to set up a debate between Carter and Dershowitz, which Carter refused. The injustice? Administration trying to humiliate Carter, and trying to change the rules of the game after he accepted an invitation.

Palestinian Art Removal – Speaks for itself, really, though I will point out that no one owned up to the responsibility of decreeing that it must be moved. (Or else Jehuda did, I’m a bit unclear on the details)

Hindley is famous for being outspokenly opposed to these sorts of decisions (but also the Reinhartzs personally, I’m told). Many interpreted the “Hindley case” as Brandeis’ revenge.

Mamoon is a self-identified Palestinian.

Universities shouldn’t have a foreign policy, but it seems that Brandeis does, which creates tension.

I think one must concede that it is plausible that many, if not most, of these ‘outrages’ here on campus can be viewed through that lens by students. Regardless of my personal affiliations or beliefs, I think that these students are rational when they view these incidents as both injustices and emblematic/connected to a larger problem.
_______
Of course, I have a much more brief rejoinder to Ben: All these incidents feature the university not living up to its own rules. *

*Except for maybe Gravity and Nadia Kim. Again, I’m not too familiar with these issues so I don’t want to make any sweeping statements.

Furthermore, it would be wise of me to point out that the demonstration is geared towards influencing student attitudes and actions at least as much as it has the administration as an audience.

_________

I expect some people to disagree with me on this analysis. Cool. I fully expect that I might be wrong sometimes. Who is the bigger fool, the man who stays silent, fearing to be wrong, or the man who opens his mouth, makes mistakes, and comes out the wiser for the lesson? More on this in the letter from the editor.

Letter from the editor

A note:

You may disagree with our analysis of the happenings here on campus. That’s fine. We often disagree between ourselves.

The contributors to Innermost Parts and I write this, and everything else, in the spirit of trying to figure out what is going on, and appreciate your feedback, rebuttals, and responses. Please understand that our writings are grounded in that spirit of academic inquiry and conversation, and behave accordingly.

The Sounds of Silence

Exciting event today. Everyone must go:

This is not a protest.
This is not a protest.
This is NOT a protest.
This is a demonstration,
a demonstration expressing general concern in the campus community.
The reason for concern has become commonplace, routine, boring, and just straight old news.
Despite our community’s collective wisdom and diverse acumen, our method of handling emotionally stressful episodes on campus–often evoking sentiments surrounding sensitive identity categories– has been generally conflated with our way of doing homework: start thinking about it; procrastinate; look at it again because you got stressed out and nervous; have a grieving pow wow with some friends about it; procrastinate; repeat…

This cycle ends as the wounded graduate off or when another episode starts the cycle starting over.

Enough concerned people–disciplined, empathetic, and determined–can strike a chord of dissent that will reverberate across campus community lines, raising this conversation urgency to level orange. And hopefully, these new vibes will begin opening a space for the conversations that will prevent future art exhibits, Walaa part I’s, Gravity sanctions, Nadia Kim’s, Don Hindley’s, Mod 22: Walaa the sequel’s, and Mamoon’s to exist.

Here will be links to things youll want to know about…

THIS IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:
come at 5:45 to Shapiro Campus Center, bring paper plates (to make face masks) with you and be silent… THIS IS NOT A PROTEST, this is demonstration.
-=-=-=–=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Knowledge Advancing Social Justice. For many students, these words are part of what
brought us to this school in the first place. However, as in all human institutions,
Brandeis itself suffers from imperfection, even in practicing the very ideals upon which
it was founded.

The demonstration today is in regards an ongoing situation at Brandeis University. We are
asking the student body to carefully consider these things?the removal of Palestinian
Art, Nadia Kim, Gravity Magazine, Jimmy Carter, Donald Hindley and Mamoon Darwish?and
consider the implications of the way the Administration and the student body has
responded. If one student?s rights can be so openly violated, if Professor?s rights are
so blatantly disregarded at an institution devoted to justice and human rights, then how
safe are your own rights?

In the past, the response of the Brandeis community has been to divide these issues and
argue over who is right and who is wrong. We are here today to show that these things are all pieces of the same puzzle. We demand that the university unite on all levels in dialogue about these issues. We demand that the administration foster the construction of a community based truth and justice rather than the destruction of the community through fear and dishonesty. We demand that the community hold the university responsible for due process and public justice. We demand that people do not stand aside, but instead stand together.

Great Lawn
5 pm-discourse and preparation
6 pm-Silent demonstration of solidarity and presentation of demands
11 pm-Reconvene in the SCC for an open discussion
All members of the Brandeis community are asked to attend

(emphasis mine)

It’s a very powerful insight to realize that all the controversy, outrages, etc are all linked. More on that later. This event has the potential for greatness. I know I’ll be there. Will you?

Transparency goes beyond elections

I was pleased to read the headline of the latest Justice Editorial, “Transparency is essential for our Union to function”

Too bad, then, that the editorial focuses wholly on the process of releasing election results. The Justice could have gone much farther than this weak issue.

We need to know about how the F-Board allocates money. We need to know how they come up with their decisions, certainly, but also be able to see how they handle conflicts of interest. Campus rumors have it that only Jordan Rothman ever recused himself from F-Board rulings. True or not, they breed distrust on campus. This F-Board secrecy has, at the very least, brought about the appearance of impropriety, which is prohibited by any serious ethics rules.

But issues relating to transparency goes way beyond F-Board. The Student Union Senate and E-Board proper are in no way in the clear. The Senate has a discretionary fund of $2,462.23. Rumors have it that the discretionary funding is used as a slush fund for the Senate. We can’t check how our money is being spent, so the Senate labors under the impression of improprietary conduct. Tut-tutting over an apathetic student body is merely blaming the victim.

This was a first step by The Justice, but the need for transparency on campus, or even in the Student Union, is way more sweeping.

Badly-advertised, critical events

So apparently yesterday there was a both a “State of Student Finance Address” and “Has the sun set on your rights” discussion.

I wouldn’t have known about the former except that my roommate was specially invited, and I didn’t hear about the latter until I was invited to it on facebook, about an hour before it started.

For ‘serious’, Student-Union run events, I’d expect there to be more advance warning / publicity. Or have I been living under a hole for the past few days?

Mike Gravel aftermath

You may now refer to me as Sahar Massachi, friend of Mike Gravel.

More news at 11. And by 11 I mean after I get a good night’s sleep.

edit– Granted, it didn’t go quite as I’d hoped. I really wanted to hear his critique of the American Empire and Military/Industrial complex. Instead I ended up as the vehicle through which he vented his frustration with the Democratic Party. Well, I didn’t wilt under all that; I’m still alive, I got to ask one of my many questions, and we bonded after the official lecture. All in all, a success.

The Festivals are coming

Brandeis is about to experience a festival bonanza.

Right now we’ve just started EarthFest 2008, which IP has previously covered.

That runs from Sunday April 6 to Wednesday April 16th.

Sunday, April 6th

Film Screening

Sunday, April 6th

Charles River Clean-Up

Wednesday, April 9th

Focus Brandeis

Thursday, April 10th

Green Jobs Forum

Friday, April 11th

Eco Shabbat

Sunday, April 13th

Congressman Edward Markey on Environmental Entrepreneurship

Tuesday, April 15th

Waste-Free Picnic

Wednesday, April 16th

Ross Gelbspan on Journalism, Activism and Climate Change

Starting this Wednesday April 9, and running ’till Sunday April 13, we also have the pleasure of experiencing the Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts.

It’s going to be epic – so much stuff going on I can’t even summarize.

Full schedule here

40 years ago yesterday.

Forty years ago yesterday, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King was shot and killed while he was in Memphis Tennessee supporting unionized sanitation workers.

I wanted to say something special yesterday. Something poignant and insightful about the man. No flash of brilliance came to me, so I said nothing.

Yet what worse way is there to honor a man than saying nothing? Dr. King was a radical, a peace marcher before it was popular. He was a man that fought for the end of America’s caste system, be it through class, race, or other stratifications. Dr. King faced an unyieldingly and illegally hostile FBI, an establishment that divorced him after he spoke out against Vietnam, an America that refused to listen when he argued that Northern institutional racism was seperate, but equal to Southern racism.

In his day, the establishment considered King a dangerous troublemaker. He was harassed by the FBI and vilified in the media. He began his activism in Montgomery, Alabama, as a crusader against the nation’s racial caste system, but the struggle for civil rights radicalized him into a fighter for broader economic and social justice. He recognized the limits of breaking down legal segregation. What good was winning the right to eat at a dime-store lunch counter if you couldn’t afford a hamburger and a Coke? (link)

I don’t have much interesting to say, but others do, and did.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gigsZH5HlJA[/youtube]
RFK, for one.

My favorite two articles yesterday – Dr. King, forgotten radical & The Other Side of the Mountaintop

Dr. King said this:

“The Southern aristocracy took the world and gave the poor white man Jim Crow,” King lectured from the Alabama Capitol steps, following the 1965 march on Selma. “And when his wrinkled stomach cried out for the food that his empty pockets could not provide, he ate Jim Crow, a psychological bird that told him that no matter how bad off he was, at least he was a white man, better than a black man.”

40 years later, compare to this:

Just as black anger often proved counterproductive, so have these white resentments distracted attention from the real culprits of the middle class squeeze – a corporate culture rife with inside dealing, questionable accounting practices, and short-term greed; a Washington dominated by lobbyists and special interests; economic policies that favor the few over the many. And yet, to wish away the resentments of white Americans, to label them as misguided or even racist, without recognizing they are grounded in legitimate concerns – this too widens the racial divide, and blocks the path to understanding.

Link of the day

Eagle Cam!

Update – Go to Springfest tomorrow:

Student Events and WBRS 100.1 FM proudly present Springfest 2008, featuring live music by…

The Pietasters
Minus the Bear
Jedi Mind Tricks
and special guests, STATE RADIO!

Join us for an afternoon of  *FREE* food, beer (for 21+ with ID,) activities, sunshine and live music.
When: Sunday, April 6th from 1-6pm
Where: The Great Lawn
*rain location: Levin Ballroom

Kerns’ secret weapon

The Vice President’s race was closer than people realize. The official tally had Mike Kerns up by about 75 votes. What the official tally doesn’t tell you, however, is how much more of a tight race it would have been if Mike did not deploy his secret weapons:

 

DFA:We get shit done.

 

Democracy for America, having previously endorsed Mike, worked throughout the night to get out the vote. DFA estimates that it persuaded upwards of 34 students who were either planning to sit the election out or were undecided to vote for Mike. That’s 34 confirmed new votes for Mike, and 34 is a conservative estimate.

Democracy for America was a significant factor in Mike’s success. DFA: We Get Shit Done.

Update- Mike responds: 

There is no question in my mind that DFA-as an organization and as the members who comprise it-determined the outcome of my election.

Full letter under the fold…

Continue reading “Kerns’ secret weapon”

Quote of the day

That is the point, isn’t it? We — the activists, the bloggers, the ones who spent hours upon hours at caucuses, who donated money we couldn’t afford — we’ve become so personally invested in the outcome of this race. And it is personal. I’m a woman who, for the first time, could actually see a woman in the White House. You’re damn right it’s personal.

But I also know that when I went to my caucus in February, and I watched two very old black men sitting together, smiling, beaming, I choked up because I imagined — and could appreciate — they probably felt the way I did.

linky linky

More thoughts about Mike Gravel

Like Phil, I was contacted by the Brandeis Hoot, who asked me some questions on Mike Gravel. Here’s what I wrote back (rather in a hurry, I might add):

1. What do you think of Mike Gravel coming to Brandeis? Should students go to hear him speak?

Mike Gravel is an important historical figure and took principled and brave stands in the Nixon years. I applaud his patriotism and his fight against the imperial presidency in those years. I hope every
Brandeis student will take the time to see him.
Continue reading “More thoughts about Mike Gravel”

Voting today…

Vote.
In such a small campus, every vote really does count. We here at InnermostParts.org strongly suggest voting Mike Kerns for Vice-President. A strong advocate of endowment transparency here at Brandeis University, Mike is the chair of the Social Justice committee on the Student Union, the guy bringing us bikes for cheap rental next semester, gender-neutral housing, and other goodies. Mike is a genuinely good guy, a former Democracy for America organizer, and a big proponent of Social Justice.

Mike’s opponent, Jordan Rothman, is also a genuinely nice guy. Jordan is also a strong proponent of transparency at the Brandeis student union. However, Mike has a clear history of active, positive, progressive change both Brandeis and New York City.

I, Sahar Massachi, am also running for office; if you elect me to F-Board, Continue reading “Voting today…”

Events today

Besides voting, things you should do today:

1.Locally Grown Food Banquet: 6:30-8:30pm, Sherman. More info on facebook.

2. In Mixed Company, hosted by the Mixed Herie Club.

“In Mixed Company” is a collection of performing arts pieces centered on the mixed herie experience. The event features poetry, monologues, and a short play.

10:00pm-11:00pm, Shapiro Campus Center Atrium.

More info on facebook. Don’t miss it!

Primary Election results

It’s coming down to:

Executive Board 

President: Jason Gray vs Justin Kang
Vice President:Mike Kerns vs Jordan Rothman
Treasurer: Max Wallach wins.
Secretary: Tia Chatterjee wins.

Finance Board:

Yuki Hasegawa vs  Emily E. Moignard vs Julian Olidort vs Jahfree Lemuel Bandele Duncan vs  Nicole Cordero vs   Sara I. Enan vs  Devora Rotter vs Sahar Massachi

On a personal note, thanks to everyone who voted for me. We’ll continue to press this campaign until the final round of elections: Tuesday April 1

Other results: 

JUNIOR REPRESENTATIVE TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Jonathan A. Kane

JUNIOR REPRESENTATIVE TO THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Sarah A. Bernes

JUNIOR REPRESENTATIVE TO THE UNDERGRADUATE CURRICULUM COMMITTEE
Michelle S. Barras

SENIOR REPRESENTATIVE TO THE UNDERGRADUATE CURRICULUM COMMITTEE
Julia S. Simon-Mishel

Watch The Corporation tomorrow

Event tomorrow (Saturday). Watch The Corporation. What is this film about?

The film charts the development of the corporation as a legal entity from its origins as an institution chartered by governments to carry out specific public functions, to the rise of the vast modern institutions entitled to some of the legal rights of a person. One central theme of the documentary is an attempt to assess the “personality” of the corporate “person” by using diagnostic criteria from the DSM-IV; Robert Hare, a University of British Columbia Psychology Professor and FBI consultant, compares the modern, profit-driven corporation to that of a clinically diagnosed psychopath. The film focuses mostly on the corporation in North America, especially in the United States.

facebook event here.

Where: The Airplane Lounge in East
When: Saturday, 6-10pm.

Rumor has it that there will be pizza.

If this is succesful, hopefully the idea of community movie screenings will catch on.

Workshop TONIGHT and a question

I get email:

Professional Activism Workshop:

This Friday the 28th at 7pm in the ICC the Muslim Students association
will be holding a professional activism workshop covering the topic:
“Pursuing social justice in the work environment”

Here’s a question: Student Union races have the first round of voting this weekend, March 30. What races are you most interested in? Who are you rooting for?

Personally, I’m very torn between Jason Gray and Justin Kang. And of course I’m excited about my own candidacy. Sahar Massachi for F-Board!

The Congressmen are coming!

SEA is sponsoring something they call EarthFest (like an Earth Week, only slightly longer).

Check this out:

Sunday, April 13th – Panel of Speakers, Congressman Markey, 4-6:30 P.M.
A panel preceded by Congressman Edward Markey, chair of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, will speak and then be followed after refreshments by a panel discussing the profitability of the green revolution. This panel will feature Mr. Steven Strong, President and Founder of Solar Design Associates, who will discuss his projects at the UN and the White House and Dr. Mark Rentschler, Director of Institutional Greening Programs for the NGO Green Seal.

Sunday, April 13th – Senator John Kerry, Noon-2 P.M.
Senator John Kerry will discuss his experiences with environmental and sustainability
legislation in the United States Senate.

Full EarthFest schedule under the fold…

(hat tip to ARCblog)

Continue reading “The Congressmen are coming!”

War profiteers on our doorstep

Take a look at this:

WASHINGTON – The Navy is cutting funding for a long-range weapon designed by Waltham-based Raytheon that has repeatedly failed to perform in field tests despite $600 million worth of research over the past decade.

Raytheon is headquartered right in Waltham?

Raytheon, the fifth largest defense contractor in the world?

Hopefully we haven’t heard the last of this…

InVest resolution before the student union

InVest , the coalition to promote a transparent and sustainable Brandeis Endowment,  is trying to introduce its resolution to the Student Union right now.

Update: 10:18
The InVest resolution passed unanimously. I must say I was very impressed with the professionalism, preparedness, and general good presentation by the InVest crew. Kudos!

Brandeis Students Against the War: More than just a protest

Brandeis Students Against the War (BSAW), the umbrella organization of Democracy for America, Students for a Democratic Society, Brandeis Democrats, and Amnesty International, the people who organized last wednesday’s protest event, has done something smart.

BSAW has leveraged its contacts with people who showed up to its event to create a sizeable facebook group. This shows sophistication: rather than start a new group and wait for people to join, they used their existing contacts to jumpstart their membership. We’ll keep on eye on their future activities.

Twirling Towards Freedom

The power to tax is the power to destroy.

The power of the purse is the power to create.

I am committed to creating and cultivating a stronger activist culture, a stronger progressive culture on campus. I want Brandeis University to conform to the ideals of the great Justice Louis Brandeis: values of activism, empowerment, true democracy, honest government. Brandeis valued the public good, the freedom of speech, and the rights and dignity of the individual. Justice Louis Brandeis was famous for his staunch opposition to concentrated power, his strong defense of individual liberty, and his dedication as a public advocate.

We are straying off that path.

The power of the purse is the power to create and to cultivate, to energize and engage.

Whenever I talk to leaders of activist groups on campus, the complaint is the same: “f-board fucked with us.” “f-board won’t fund our projects”. “f-boad really shortchanges activist groups”

Over at the Student Union, funding for “social justice” is 40% of the funding for E-board “outreach”, and less than 15% of the funding for the nebulous category of “services”.

We are straying away from our ideals.

At a time of low confidence in the Student Union, at a time following the Mike Goldman disgrace, at a time when the Student Union feels the need to spend seven times as much money on public relations than on social justice, we need more transparency in government, not less. The Student Body deserves to know what its elected officials are up to.

And yet, the Finance Board refuses to disclose its recusals. Essentially, the F-Board assures us: “Don’t worry, we’ll handle all conflict-of-interest cases ethically. Trust us. And also we refuse to let you check up on us as well”. I’m sorry, but after Mike Goldman, blind trust (which is never good enough) must clearly become a thing of the past. As they say in the industry, “Trust, but Verify”. Without the latter, we cannot have the former.

The power of the purse is the power to create. That great power cannot operate in the dark.

“Sunlight is the best disenfectant” –Justice Louis Brandeis

For all these reasons, it is time to announce that I, Sahar Massachi, am running to become a member of the Finance Board of the Student Union of Brandeis University for the 2008-2009 term. I run on the principles of openness, integrity, and transparency. I run to re-nurture the activist spirit on campus. I run because I am a patriotic Brandesian: I may not agree with current policy and trends, but I love the founding principles of this University and will fight deeply to defend them.

I have no great wish to work long hours throughout the year. The idea of cutting my vacation early due to F-Board responsibilities is not a pleasant one. I have no love of finances or long meetings. Yet I am no armchair general, asking others to run for office while I do not. I am not very good at getting elected for things; I believe in my cause, so I will try regardless. If you also believe in the cause of F-board transparency and a more perfect Union, won’t you please lend me a hand?

Confused by this whole Subprime mess? The intarblag can help.

It’s a big internet out there.

Yet, as we all know, the internet is not a dump truck. It is a series of tubes. And now, in true Monty Hal style, you can choose which tube to use and understand what Atrios calls “The Big Shitpile”

Tube A contains an imaginary conversation between an economist who understands the subprime mess and another who doesn’t. Pretty detailed but still understandable.

Tube B contains the recent New York Times explanation of the mess. Short, easy to understand, concise.

Tube C, the best tube of all, uses cartoons and profanity to make it all very clear.

Hope that helps.

Reactions to the pro-peace event

Yesterday went great. But, as Lavar Burton says, you don’t have to take my word for it.

Lev S. Hirschhorn, one of the main organizers of the event:

That was a fantastic protest, I was really impressed by everyone’s dedication. Our very rough counts estimate that at our largest we had about 120 people present.

Father Cuenin and Alex Kern will be holding another vigil tomorrow (as they do every thursday), from 12:10 PM to 12:30 PM in the peace circle. Lets all show up and keep the energy alive!

The Daily News Tribune –

“Five years” was scrawled across her face.Liza Behrendt displayed her war opposition with face paint as she led her fellow students on a march across the Brandeis University campus yesterday.

“Brandeis has a history of social activism. We felt that if we didn’t hold something on campus we’d be neglecting that legacy,” she said. “We really want people to think about the human impact of this war.”

And, my favorite, on the front page of the highly-excellent TPMCafe:

My office is at Brandeis University. Today as, I walked down the curving path that carries everyone through campus, I noticed that, lining the path, at very short intervals, were small American flags. A sign explained that there was one for every 10 American soldiers who had died in Iraq.

It’s a long path. There were hundreds of flags.

By the time I made it across campus, tears were running down my face. It’s not the Vietnam Memorial, but I found it profoundly moving nevertheless. I send my admiration to the students who organized it.

…

And we had to walk through it simply to cross the campus. There is no way to avoid that path: you were surrounded by a numbing repetition of death, death, death. I found that turning the American flag into that meaning was simultaneously affecting and respectful.

That last blurb was written by E.J. Graff, “Senior Researcher at the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism … Resident Scholar at the Brandeis Women’s Studies Research Center, ” and, most intriguingly,” a senior correspondent for The American Prospect and a contributor to TPMCafe.com.” A contributor to TPMCafe and TAP on campus? Brandeis just got so much cooler.

Never forget – we students occupy a space of cultural symbolism. Our actions reverberate farther than just across campus. The world is watching.

Locally Grown Food Banquet coming soon

I get email:

Locally Grown Food Banquet
When: April 1st, 2008 @ 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Where: Sherman Function Hall
The night will consist of:
-An opening panel discussion with different community leaders and
Brandies professors.
– Following there will be a meal consisting of local, organic, and
fair trade foods. All prepared by Brandeis Students!”

After emailing Stephanie Sofe, I was informed that this event will be free. Excellent.

War stories

More eloquent, better informed writers than I have written about the failures and lessons of the war. I do not presume that I can outdo them on insightful analysis. I do, however, have something that no one else has. For five years, I alone have borne the story of my own experience with the Iraq war. For the nearly the entirety of my teenage life, the Iraq war has loomed, omnipresent but simultaneously far-off, in my civic and political consciousness. It has had, I suppose, a similarly large effect on all of us who came of age in these modern times. Perhaps my story is a typical example of my generation. Perhaps my story is as unique as every one of us.

Today, on the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, I’d like to share some of that story with you, as honestly as I can. Perhaps you might like to share, as well.
Continue reading “War stories”

Pro-Peace rally today

Assuming it rains, people will be reading the names of the dead starting 2:15 in Shapiro Center, or possibly earlier in Usdan.

Big event will be 5:15 in Shapiro Campus Center. People will be handing out mini-fliers at Rabb, etc before that.

The big speech

Here at Innermost Parts, we try to stay away from commenting on purely national politics. For this, however, I’m willing to make an exception.

Obama just gave an amazing “JFK-esque” speech on race and politics in America.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrp-v2tHaDo&feature=user[/youtube]

Honest. Authentic. Longer than half and hour.

Still, this is a really amazing speech. Marc Ambinder says:

This wasn’t a speech by committee… Obama wrote the speech himself, working on it for two days and nights…. and showed it to only a few of his top advisers.

First time I’ve actually learned something, really learned something from a political speech.