Raising Funds for History Commons 2.0
We appreciate your contributions.
Over the next few months, the History Commons will begin working towards making some dramatic upgrades in the website, including revamping the web application, and adding much more content and information. These changes will, we trust, make the History Commons a much more effective resource for you and your fellow users. While you may not see the results of these changes for some time, they will, when finished, completely transform the site to make it far more usable and comprehensive. To help move this process forward, we need your financial support like never before. We accept donations through PayPal, credit cards, and personal checks. We sincerely appreciate all you do to make the History Commons a viable resource for information and citizen activism.
Please make your tax-deductible donation today.
You can help steer the transformation of the History Commons by making your comments and observations on the History Commons blog. Over the next few weeks, we will begin polling our users to determine what they want to see in the new and improved “History Commons 2.0.” You are a valuable part of the History Commons, and we want to know what you think. Post to us on the History Commons blogs–the links are below. Thanks again.
Project Contributors Needed
The History Commons needs new authors to cover several issues, most importantly global warming/climate change and the push by the Obama administration for a comprehensive health care policy. It would also be interesting to document the current “birther” theories. You can volunteer through this link. Thank you!
8 Projects Active
Some of our most active authors and project managers are returning after some well-deserved time off. Expect a wider array of contributions in the coming weeks.
Iraq Occupation
Blackmax documents the 2004 interrogation of captured Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, where an FBI interrogator teased and cajoled reams of information from Hussein without torture, or even harsh treatment. Read more.
War in Afghanistan
Rye writes of US troops killing and menacing civilian villagers, and President Karzai pardoning heroin traffickers. Read more.
Complete 9/11 Timeline
Matt continues to document events from the day of the attacks. Read more.
Prisoner Abuse and Torture
Blackmax documents efforts by the Bush administration to establish a link between al-Qaeda and Iraq through the torture of prisoners. Read more.
Loss of Civil Liberties
Probably the most active project this week. Blackmax covers Abraham Lincoln’s use of military commissions, the attempt by the 2004 House leadership to gain near-absolute control of the chamber, Bush administration attempts to gain political control of the Education Department, and then-Vice President Cheney’s successful attempts to gain power within the White House itself. Read more.
US Health Care
Blackmax documents the FDA’s attempt to restrict access to the controversial “morning after” pill, and the tortuous legal proceedings that culminated in a federal judge rejecting the FDA’s arguments. Read more.
US International Relations
Blackmax covers the dominance of Bush administration foreign policy by a small, insular core of ideologues. Read more.
A.Q. Khan’s Nuclear Network
KJF explores the sharp dissension among US officials in 1981 over Pakistan’s nuclear program. Read more.
History Commons Blogs and Social Networking
The History Commons has lively discussions among contributors and users at the History Commons Groups Blog. News and information for the site can be found at the History Commons Site Blog. Join the discussion!
The History Commons is now on Twitter! Keep up with the latest events by following historycommons, and don’t be shy about sending some tweets our way. Also, site administrator Blackmax is firing up some social networking on behalf of the Commons. You can follow him on Twitter at max_hcommons, and on Newsvine at Max Black’s Newsvine page. Caveat: Nothing Blackmax posts or tweets is “official” History Commons commentary or recommendations. It’s just Max. Other contributors and admins who would like their social networking information to be available can e-mail or tweet Max to get listed here.<
Thanks for reading. This week it's Thanksgiving in Burkina Faso; Bolivia, Jamaica, Cote d'Ivoire, and Bhutan celebrate their independence; Iraq marks the end of the Iran/Iraq War with Peace Day; the United Nations marks International Day for the World's Indigeneous Peoples. Shintoists observe the Hiroshima Peace Ceremony. Christians around the world mark the Transfiguration. And Americans celebrate the birthday of Smokey the Bear. Remember, only you can prevent forest fires!
“Your timeline has been invaluable to me over the years. I’m certainly aware of — and flattered by — your citations from my book.” — Philip Shenon, former New York Times reporter and author of The Commission
History Commons Groups 
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