Care to Disagree or Dare to Disagree With Great Thinkers: America is NOT an Experiment

Cornel West is an American philosopher, theologian, political activist, and public intellectual, widely known for his critiques of racism, capitalism, and U.S. political culture.

Wikipedia

One time, I heard him call America “an experiment”.

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I CARE AND DARE TO DISAGREE.

America is NOT an "experiment". It's one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. But it's no different from any other country that has CORRUPTION in its system. Borrow an observation from the Apostle Paul. "Every time you want to do good, EVIL IS ALWAYS PRESENT." Yes. It's a struggle. But every time the Boogie Man shows up are you just going to lie down and take it?! If there is anything IN THIS WORLD worth fighting for, it's YOUR HUMAN RIGHTS. Be glad you can fight for them in America. Cause in some other countries, the struggle is a 100 times harder! (Recycled from my Facebook memories May 2020, because IT'S STILL RELEVANT!)

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A Few Bio Facts and Career Highlights About Mr. West

• Born: June 2, 1953, Tulsa, Oklahoma. 

• Education: BA from Harvard; PhD in philosophy from Princeton (first Black person to earn a Princeton philosophy PhD). 

• Philosophical focus: Race, democracy, ethics, religion, and class struggle. His work blends Christianity, Black church traditions, democratic socialism, and neopragmatism. 

• Notable books: Race Matters (1993), Democracy Matters (2004), Brother West (memoir). 

• Teaching career: Has taught at Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Dartmouth, and Union Theological Seminary. 

• 2024 presidential run: West ran as an independent candidate in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, emphasizing justice, democracy, and anti-imperialism. 

• 2025–2026 public commentary: He has remained a prominent voice in national debates, appearing in interviews, lectures, and panels discussing democracy, authoritarianism, spirituality, and U.S. politics. 

• Academic role: As of 2026, he holds the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Chair at Union Theological Seminary. 

• Black Lives Matter Grassroots: In 2025, he joined the Board of Directors for Black Lives Matter Grassroots. 

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Public voice and influence - West is known for:

• Moral critique of U.S. politics, often warning of “neofascism” and “democratic decay.” 

• Advocacy for justice, especially regarding race, poverty, and global suffering. 

• Cross-ideological dialogue, including public conversations with conservative scholar Robert George on civic friendship and democracy. 

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Why he matters?

Cornel West remains one of the most recognizable left-wing intellectuals in the U.S., shaping debates on democracy, race, capitalism, and spirituality. His mix of scholarship, activism, and prophetic rhetoric makes him a unique figure in American public life.

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DO I MATTER?

I don't care if I do or not. I'm exercising my free speech while I still have it.

SOURCES:
Dr. Cornel West
Source New Mexico
NewsBreak
Yale Daily News
Real Change

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It's 2022 and Iranian Women Have Started a Revolution (NOT!) (An Opinion Piece)

Negin Shiraghaei is a Iranian-British entrepreneur, activist, and a former news anchor at BBC. She published an article titled Are Iranian women defining the point of no return?  The article presents her point of view and at the end of the article she provides a link who might be interested in helping this protest and cause.

"When women collectively fight for their rights and teach their children to do the same, change becomes inevitable."

This woman has impressive credentials and her beliefs and points of view are very clearly expressed in this article.  However ... 

I respectfully disagree.

It's not a big deal for women to cover their hair. I went to Catholic school. The nuns always covered their hair. But when you get KILLED for not covering your hair?? Surely, one must know that this is not about “hair coverings”. It's about DOMINATION and OPPRESSION … POWER and CONTROL. And there are men who call their law enforcement “MORAL”? It's a yoke of oppression based on RELIGION.

Right at the moment, there are women protesting in the streets of Iran, but it will come to naught. WHY? Because as long as there is such thing as “morality police”, they get to call the shots. International public opinion does NOT sway them. They answer to Allah. Can you dig it?

If an Iranian woman wants freedom to live her life and be herself, she needs to LEAVE IRAN. She can stay there and cut off her hair. She can fight and die! But it makes no sense to beat your head up against a brick wall.

A female revolution in Iran? Be realistic. Women in so-called free countries are still hollering about gender inequality.

Christiane Amanpour is a journalist from Iran. Yes. She did refuse to cover her hair when she was going to interview a top Iranian official. But she left Iran a long time ago, when she saw “the changes” coming; and she has no plans to ever go back! That's an UNDENIABLE FACT.

You may want to believe that Iran is at a turning point in its modern history. However, it's not even close to a turning point!

Countries with brutal regimes that disregard the human rights of its citizens NEED TO BE OVERTHROWN!

Read the history books.

• Some countries end up getting divided like North and South Korea. The South Koreans believe in freedom and independence. The North Koreans are ruled by a ruthless dictator who likes to play with nuclear weapons and even kills his own relatives.

• Some countries or peoples don't even exist any more, like the Aztecs and the Mayans. Remember them? The “great civilizations” that performed human sacrifices. Somebody needed to stop them!

The only way countries like Iran change is IF they get invaded and occupied by another country with a completely different ideology regarding freedom and human rights.and that country takes over!

No country on this planet is PERFECT. But some countries treat their citizens better than others. Iran is not one of those countries where you stay and fight. YOU RUN!! If you want to live.

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I was lucky. So many didn’t get a chance to live their life to their full potential https://t.co/jJYiIcqwUD

— Anousheh Ansari (@AnoushehAnsari) September 26, 2022

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Understanding American Politics (An Opinion Piece)

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS: This is an opinion piece I wrote on August 30, 2012. The content became unpublished because either the site was shut down or the blog was deleted. I managed to salvage an old copy and I am republishing here just to keep a record of a conversation I had with myself 8 years ago. Nothing much has happened after that date to change my views. Except that I don't hear anybody talking about the Tea Party anymore.

Photo by Little Tree on Unsplash

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A nice person invited me to a gathering to discuss the happenings at the Republican Convention. I declined the invitation.

I declined because – just as I don’t vote – I also never pay any attention to those Conventions – Republican or Democrat.

All that stuff BEFORE the election is just balloons with hot air rising up to the ceiling and confetti trashing up the floor.

The outcome of the elections is always the same. Whoever ends up in the oval office either: (a) cheated his way in, (b) bought the seat, or (c) was actually elected by the people who voted!

I’m clear on the agenda of the political parties because that never changes.

• The Republicans are like The Mafia. You’re either in the organization or you work for the organization. They’re not like the forefathers. They’re more like the godfathers.

• Whereas the Democrats. … Eh! They just wanna party!! And they don’t see why those Republicans can’t just let them have FUN!!! Why they gotta be old farts, stick-n-da-mud party poopers?! I mean the forefathers already got US our freedom! Right? Why can’t we just enjoy it?

• The Independents are trying to be the sober-minded, sensible, conscientious, responsible citizens. THEY TRY!!! They try to tell both of the “children” that being selfish and immature is not a good thing! They try to persuade them and to get them to understand that DECISIONS must be made which are for the GOOD OF ALL THE PEOPLE, in order for democracy to really work!

• The Tea Partiers are … God only knows! Seriously!

Of course, these are just my observations. I could be wrong. :)

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Thomas M. Magstadt also has an understanding of politics that he developed into a book, over 500 pages: Understanding Politics. A book he has written and rewritten a few times. When I penned these thoughts and observations, he had published the 10th edition. As of January 1, 2020, the 13^th Edition has been published. This is his basic premise: “Politics is a gateway to a broader and better understanding of human nature, society, and the world.”

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Uh huh. That’s his angle? OK. I can see how a person could write a book based on that premise. But I’m specifically aiming at American politics. Still, the book is probably a worthwhile read.

** By the way, for democracy to work, you must also be able to exercise your freedom of speech. And if any of the party members don’t agree or don’t like what I say in public, when I exercise my freedom, just remember … y’all be publicly trash-talking and talking trash too! I don’t like a lot of what I hear coming out y'all's mouths either!! But you’re welcome here at my blog.

*** An alternate title for this blog post would be: "No Matter What! I Always Cheer for the Red, White, and Blue!"

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More of MY Opinion Pieces:

A Nation in Decline (An Opinion Piece)

Who Should Be the Next President of the USA? (An Opinion Piece)

2020 US Presidential Election (An Opinion Piece)

Illegal Immigration in the USA: A Proposed Solution (An Opinion Piece)

Politics Versus Religion: It’s About Faith.  (Not Opinion)