My Page: Nick Gier
Tibetans Struggle with an Orwellian GovernmentOn the even of the 49th anniversary of the Dalai Lama's flight from Tibet on March 31, 1959, Tibetans are venting their frustration about 60 years of oppression by Communist China. Since the invasion, an estimated 1 million Tibetans have been killed and 6,000 monasteries destroyed. Read 1,100-word version at www.home.roadrunner.com/~nickgier/tibet.htm. [more]
Progress in Iraq is Temporary or IllusoryIt's been a while since I've sorted through my Iraq file, so this column took more time than I thought. I also apologize for its length. As we continue to waste $12 billion a month and precious American lives, I have concluded that progress in Iraq is temporary, as the cases of Mosul and Basra demonstrate; or, as the rise of an Iraqi-Iranian Shiite alliance proves, illusory. [more]
Americans Rise Up Against Alien InvadersI'm still gathering material for my column on the 5th anniversary of the Iraq war, but in the meantime I finally put down all the ideas that have been rumbling around in my head about "what if aliens invaded right down . . .?" Don't say it is not possible given my rather far fetched premise. [more]
The Meterley Report: Always Giving 3.37 Inches More Than YardleyIn a previous post discussed the Yardley Report done for the University of Idaho. In a section of "Faculty Culture" Yardley Research Group insulted and libeled the faculty and its recommendations would undermine undergraduate education on the Moscow campus. This version is a little less serious. [more]
Liberal Religion and Abraham LincolnWhile living in New Salem, Illinois, Abraham Lincoln associated with the town's skeptics and free thinkers. He was not an atheist, but he referred to the deity as impersonal Providence rather than a personal God. The death of his son Willie and the carnage of the Civil War may have changed his views about divine activity in the world, but he remained a firm religious liberal all of his life. [more]
Quick Settlement of Mexican Wal-Mart Worker Strike is SuspiciousThe one-day strike at three Wal-Mart affiliated business in Cabo San Lucas appeared to be a big victory against the controversial retailer, but the workers have joined a union that has had a cozy and corrupt history with Mexican businesses. [more]
Indonesia: Rich Hindu Past and Moderate Muslim FutureAfter ruling Indonesia with an iron fist for 32 years, and being supported by the U.S. in his efforts, former President Suharto died last month. A 1991 trip to Bali gave me good insights about this moderate Muslim nation and its future [more]
The Tribulations of Providing and Obtaining an AbortionPerhaps Montanan Susan Wicklund has been mentioned on New West before, but her appearance on the Diane Rehm Show on January 8, 2008 inspired me to write my annual Roe v. Wade column on this brave woman. [more]
Douglas Wilson’s Religious Empire: Part FourAvid readers of "Unfiltered" will be familiar with most of the material in this series. I've brought it all together at the request of the moderator of "Talk-to-Action," a national blog dedicated to tracking and critiquing the Religious Right. All four columns with links can be read at www.class.uidaho.edu/ngier/WilsonEmpire.htm. [more]
The Gay Man Who Organized the 1963 March on WashingtonAs a politically active black man in 1950s and 1960s, Bayard Rustin had, in addition to his race, three strikes against him: he was a pacifist; he was a Communist; and he was openly homosexual. Read more about this remarkable civil rights worker below. [more]
