Weekly Free Speech Forum established Jan. 6, 1951
College of Complexes
The Playground for People Who Think
sustaining the academic tradition of “One Fool at a Time”
Every Saturday at 5:00 PM CT
Dapper's Restaurant
2901 W. Addison, Chicago, Free Parking The next open dates are:
CTA Route 152 Addison July 26, Aug 9 16, 23, 30
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Upcoming Presentations:
June
June 14th
A Complete, Accurate Story of US Cuba Relations 1898-2025
"What They Didn’t Teach Us in School"
Meeting # 3,822 - Walt Zlotow, President of the West Suburban Peace Coalition
In 1898 the US declared a successful war against Spain to expel that country from Cuba and the Americas and begin its exploitation of Cuba. Learn how American business interests dominated US-Cuba relations until the Cuban Revolution of 1956-59 when subsequent land reform injured American business and political pride. This resulted in US proxy war, attemped regime change assassination attemps, political and economic sanctions that all failed but continue to this day. Never found in America’s schoolbooks, this exploitation will be discussed by Walt Zlotow in “US Cuba Relations 1898-2025: What They Didn’t Teach Us in School.”
The speaker:
Walt Zlotow is president of the West Suburban Peace Coalition. He has followed US-Cuba relations for 8 decades, supporting the Cuban Revolution of 1956–59 that overthrew the Batista regime, a government which had brutalized the Cuban people with America’s backing for over 25 years. His sister-in-law is a Cuban national who immigrated to the US in 1969, marrying his brother in 1974. Zlotow visited Cuba in 2017 which inspired him to develop tonite’s talk. He blogs daily on anti-war and other subjects at www.heartlandprogressive.blogspot.com and WaltZlotow.Substack.com
June 21st
The Papal Encyclical RERUM NOVARUM –
Can Christianity and Capitalism Co-Exist, or
Are They at Odds with Each Other?
Meetings # 3,823 -collefe regular Tim Bolger
The speaker states that he will cover the following:
"Does Christianity approve of free market capitalism for personal profit? Or should the capitalist be made to share all the profits? Does someone who does no work get any profits? Why do many work hard but get few profits?
What if chasing profit isn’t the problem—but ignoring justice is? Before you defend capitalism or condemn it, ask yourself, does your faith shape your economics, or does your economics reshape your faith?
The answer to these question can be found in RERUM NOVARUM ENCYCLICAL OF POPE LEO XIII."
"The rich must religiously refrain from cutting down the workmen’s earnings, whether by force, by fraud, or by usurious dealing; and the poor should not put their trust in deceitful promises, or try to gain by riot what they cannot get by honest labor."
— Pope Leo XIII, Rerum Novarum (1891)
This piece explores the moral and theological implications of free-market capitalism through the lens of Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum, examining the balance between personal profit, social responsibility, and the rights of workers. It addresses whether Christian doctrine condones individual profit, the ethical obligation to share wealth, and why disparities in labor and reward persist in capitalist systems.
June 28th
Ibrahim Traoré, the revolutionary figure, with anti-colonial and Pan-Africanist sentiments, who has a campaign to rid his West African country of any Western influence, one of the least developed countries in the world
Meetings # 3,824 - Wes Urry
The speaker states that: "There are many stories about Ibrahim Traoré. Many are very colorful and flattering but factually incorrect, and still others are slanderous lies."
Background
Ibrahim Traoré is a military commander and president of Burkina Faso, a landlocked country in West Africa, with a population of 23 million, with the largest ethnic group the Mossi people. It was colonized by the French as Upper Volta, a self-governing colony within the French Community, which gained full independence in 1960. Renamed Burkina Faso, the “land of the honest / incorruptible men,” it remains one of the least developed countries in the world.
Since it gained its independence, the country has been subject to instability, droughts, famines and corruption. There have also been various coups, in 1966, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1987, and twice in 2022. There were also unsuccessful coup attempts in 1989, 2015, and 2023.
Burkina Faso is a state that is struggling to overcome the conditions it found itself in in the neo colonial era.
Under Traoré's administration, Burkina Faso has pursued a revolutionary and anti-colonial agenda, expelling French soldiers and strengthening ties with Russia.
Burkina Faso has nationalized its wealth by creating a state mining corporation, aiming for more control over its gold mining resources. This move immediately scored points with people who have been advocating that where the country’s wealth be distributed primarily within its borders.
It obtained control of two industrial gold mines formerly controlled by a British company, and in April 2025, granted an industrial mining license to the Russian company Nordgold for a new gold project.
July
July 5th
The Feasibility of Invasion and Annexation
of Canada as a US Territory
Meeting # 3,825 - internationalist Charles Paidock
A random collection of factors, many historical, that should be considered before attempting an assimilation of Canada as a new US territory.
July 12th
American Indian Association of Illinois
Meeting # 3,826 - Dr. Dorene P. Wiese, President
"The American Indian Association of Illinois was established in 2007 to inspire community development through culturally based education and programming. It is governed by an intergenerational group of all Native people rooted in their tribal cultures, living in off-reservation communities, working to improve the lives of all Native people and others who may benefit from understanding Native culture. AIAI has built unique programs such as the Medicine Shield Indian School and College program, which assists youth in public schools with tutoring, the arts of photography and media, technology skills, Native language, history instruction, employment preparation, as well as, college preparation, advisement, and scholarships for older youth and adults. As part of the AIAI-Chicago American Indian Museum Without Walls,they host a premiere performance company, called, the Black Hawk Performance Company, which includes youth and elders learning together in the performance of Native music and dance. Together they learn to prepare regalia, learn songs, practice various dance styles and enjoy their rich Native arts. An important service at AIAI is the Clara Pemberton Krause Senior Program. Because elders are so important, as the knowledge keepers in our community, AIAI strives to keep the most needy among them fed, housed, clothed, and receiving health care. In a big city like Chicago, this is no easy task, but AIAI believes that elders are the foundation of our community."
Information: http://www.chicago-american-indian-edu.org/
July 19th
How to End: income taxes and filings, the federal welfare complex, the national debt, wars, all political and Abrahamic divisiveness, seamlessly without chaos
Meeting # 3,827 - Derrick Michael Reid BS JD Esq, Libertarian running for the 2028 US Presidency.
Biography:
Reid graduated from UC Berkeley Engineering with 10 years design experience working on Shuttle, F16, and cruise missile navigation. Reid graduated from WSU Law School and was a patent litigator and prosecutor for 25 years. Reid has 10 years of monetary, 20 years of military, and 20 years of geopolitical self education. Reid has 3 years of emulatory combat experience. Reid ran for US Presidency in 2016 and the US Senate in 2018. Reid is an engineer, lawyer, systems analyst, monetarist, politician, military scientist, author, geopolitical analyst, theist, philosopher, commentator, and Libertarian running for the 2028 US Presidency.
July 26th
Open
Meetings # 3,828 - contact the Program Coordinator Charles Paidock if you would like to speak at cpaidock@hotmail.com or (312) 842-5036, (312) 714-7790 cell
August
August 2nd
A Republic, If You Can Keep It:
Useful Lessons from the Decline and Fall of the Roman Republic
Meetings # 3,829 - John Engle |
Description:
Few civilizations in history have earned more attention than ancient Rome. The very thought of it conjures images of the emperors whose portraits and statuary fill museums and whose reigns have provided endless fodder for film, television, and popular histories. Yet the story of Rome began nearly seven hundred years before the first emperor was born. Unfortunately, modern audiences tend to be rather hazy about the details of this pre-imperial period. All too often, Rome’s centuries-long history before the emperors is treated as little more than a prelude to the real action. This presentation aims to correct this error by shining a light on the Rome that came before, the Roman Republic (from res publica, “the public thing” or “commonwealth”), a Rome that was not ruled by a single man with absolute power, but rather governed by elected magistrates and democratic assemblies of citizens. It will explore how history's first true republic came to be, how it grew to be a world superpower, how its republican system gave way to tyrannical one-man rule—and what its contemporary successor, the American Republic, can do to avoid a similar fate.
Biography:
John C. Engle is a political strategist, communications consultant, and policy analyst. He currently serves as chief strategist at Purpose Brand, a strategic communications firm, and senior fellow of the New Hegemony Institute, a policy think tank focused on geopolitics and grand strategy. In his spare time, he serves as vice president of the League of Women Voters of Chicago.
August 9, 16, 23, 30
Open
Meeting # 3,830+ contact the Program Coordinator Charles Paidock if you would like to speak at (312) 842-5036, (312) 714-7790 cell, or cpaidock@hotmail.com
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