Michael Austin

Professor-turned-administrator and political commentator. Author of six books including "That's Not What They Meant! Reclaiming the Founding Fathers from the American Right" (Prometheus Books).

“The Actual Vision”: A Poet’s Wish for the Day After Christmas

Well, so that is that. Now we must dismantle the tree, Putting the decorations back into their cardboard boxes -- Some have got broken -- and carrying them up to

By Michael Austin

December 26, 2014

“The Actual Vision”: A Poet’s Wish for the Day After Christmas

"The Height to Be Superb Humanity": A Poet's Christmas Greeting to a New Democracy

Walt Whitman (1819-1892) thought a lot about what it meant to live in a democratic society. He was born at a time when self-government was a new thing—an exciting

By Michael Austin

December 21, 2014

"The Height to Be Superb Humanity": A Poet's Christmas Greeting to a New Democracy

Walt Whitman (1819-1892) thought a lot about what it meant to live in a democratic society. He was born at a time when self-government was a new thing—an exciting

By Michael Austin

December 21, 2014

Only Obama Can Go to Cuba

According to the political legend, only Nixon could go to China. As a communist country, China was one of our Cold War enemies. Any president who attempted to normalize relations

By Michael Austin

December 17, 2014

Only Obama Can Go to Cuba

According to the political legend, only Nixon could go to China. As a communist country, China was one of our Cold War enemies. Any president who attempted to normalize relations

By Michael Austin

December 17, 2014

How to Lose a War on Terror

Discussions of the morality of torture have a bad habit of descending into a common game-theory scenario derived from the "Trolley Problem." It goes like this: imagine that

By Michael Austin

December 12, 2014

How to Lose a War on Terror

Discussions of the morality of torture have a bad habit of descending into a common game-theory scenario derived from the "Trolley Problem." It goes like this: imagine that

By Michael Austin

December 12, 2014

Do Terrorists Have Due Process Rights?

Let America be America again.Let it be the dream it used to be.Let it be the pioneer on the plainSeeking a home where he himself is free.—Langston

By Michael Austin

December 11, 2014

Do Terrorists Have Due Process Rights?

Let America be America again.Let it be the dream it used to be.Let it be the pioneer on the plainSeeking a home where he himself is free.—Langston

By Michael Austin

December 11, 2014

Torture Is Wrong: Once You Accept this, Most of the Talking Points Don’t Matter

"Once there are things you refuse to do, you have things to do."--Mencius Torture is wrong. I don’t intend to try to prove this by a

By Michael Austin

December 9, 2014

Torture Is Wrong: Once You Accept this, Most of the Talking Points Don’t Matter

"Once there are things you refuse to do, you have things to do."--Mencius Torture is wrong. I don’t intend to try to prove this by a

By Michael Austin

December 9, 2014

The Worst Hyperbole EVER!!!! Crisis, Rhetoric, and the Problems of Democracy

When logic and proportionHave fallen sloppy dead ---"White Rabbit," by Jefferson Airplane Obama is the WORST president ever!!!!! His immigration order is the BIGGEST EXECUTIVE POWER GRAB

By Michael Austin

December 2, 2014

The Worst Hyperbole EVER!!!! Crisis, Rhetoric, and the Problems of Democracy