Danny Keener

Bio

My name is Danny Keener, and I am an English teacher at Santa Ana College and Chaffey College. My students ask me all the time if I am a conservative or a liberal. My answer is always the same: I don't think of myself as a conservative; I don't think of myself as a liberal; I simply think of myself as thinking for myself. And I ask them to do the same.
Immigration Reform 2013: Republicans Singing a Different Tune But Aren't Serious About Change
By Danny Keener
Because of the president’s recent victory over his opponent, Mitt Romney, republicans find themselves trying to figure out how to regroup and adapt their party to appeal to a broader demographic. President Obama specifically enjoyed a 44% advantage…
Why a College Degree is Worth In, Even in These Economic Times
By Danny Keener
Currently, the unemployment rate in America sits around 7.7%. While this number is up from just a few months ago, it still leaves much to be desired and has people who find themselves out of work thinking about what they might be able to do to…
Cal State Fullerton Manhunt: Armed Robbery Suspects Set Off Campus Wide Lockdown
By Danny Keener
Wednesday night, as I enjoyed the company of a long time friend, our time together was abruptly interrupted by a call from a professor at California State University, Fullerton. My best friend, Rob Piluso, was set to give a speech to creative…
Marijuana Legalization: Top 4 Reasons To Legalize Hemp Too
By Danny Keener
In the recent elections, we saw two different states legalize the use of marijuana, a progressive piece of legislation and a slippery one to be sure. This is great news for those who enjoy smoking pot, but what those who wish to use hemp? Is that…
Why the Current Education System is Failing Future Generations: A Note From a Teacher
By Danny Keener
I have noticed many articles on PolicyMic recently that discuss the issue of education. More specifically, I have noticed articles that have dealt with “the failing public education system.”  Many of these articles have been written by people who…
Prop 29 Loses Due to Big Tobacco's Money and Lies
By Danny Keener
The primary elections across the country have been intriguing. The one that steals the show is the battle for recall in Wisconsin, but other things are happening around the country — other very important things. Take, for example, California. Some…
ALEC Dropped by Kraft, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Intuit In Response to the Trayvon Martin Case
By Danny Keener
ALEC, the conservative lobby group, has come under fire recently for its involvement in helping write the “Stand Your Ground Law.” In a piece I wrote about a year ago, I voiced my dissent of the way this group practices writing legislation as “model…
Santa Monica Pepper Spray: Top 10 Reasons Why Police Should Not Use It On Peaceful Protesters
By Danny Keener
The recent incident at Santa Monica College serves to highlight a growing problem in this country—the use of pepper spray on protesters. Before the advent of this spray, police only had two options: shoot or do not shoot. Now, with different means…
With War on Women, Rick Santorum Seeks to Rollback Freedom and Turn America into a Theocracy
By Danny Keener
Recently, social conservatives, (i.e. Rick Santorum) have been promulgating policies that promote religious fervor in government and seem to reach for a kind of theocracy this country has never seen before.  In fact, the theocratic rule and blending…
Rupert Murdoch News of the World Scandal Shows Need for Integrity in Media
By Danny Keener
PBS Frontline recently ran an episode called "Murdoch's Scandal," detailing the whole News of the World debacle. With all of the intrigue of a spy novel (corrupt police, phone hacking, crooked politicians), this story has managed to disgust as much…
What 'Hunger Games' Teaches Us About American Politics
By Danny Keener
Authors never write anything for pure entertainment purposes. Everything always has a deeper meaning. Hunger Games phenomenon is not excluded from this truth. The author, Suzanne Collins, certainly seems to have something to say about the current…
Independents React Favorably to President Obama's State of the Union Address
By Danny Keener
As party politics have grown increasingly divided, more and more people are identifying themselves as independents. Thus, any candidate must win over the majority of independent voters in order to ensure victory in November. President Obama's State…
Best of 2011: Corporations Have Stranglehold On U.S. Politics, Especially the Group ALEC
By Danny Keener
The 2012 elections are fast-approaching, and the dirty political tricks are already starting. In America we are born with the First Amendment right to free speech. However, we are increasingly seeing that our voices, though still effective in…