General
Resist. Read.
“There is a reason that fascists burn books. They are afraid of critical thinking. They are afraid of thought. What you have learned here at Wesleyan is how to read…. Reading is the most subversive thing you can do.” That bright ray broke through the clouds of commencement-speech cliches. It’s from the writer Percival Everett’s…
Read MoreHow Much Power…
Habeas Corpus. What those two Latin words mean is simple: They mean the government can’t throw you in jail without a trial. Unless you’re guilty. That old doctrine that goes all the way back to the Magna Carta. The Founding Fathers wrote it into the Constitution, saying habeas corpus can only be suspended by Congress…
Read MoreThe News Lately
Let’s take a look at what’s been in the news. On X, a Trump post included a photo of a billboard with his picture on it beside five words: Trump was right about EVERYTHING. DHHS Secretary Bobby Kennedy issued a report telling us how to improve our healthcare – but there was a problem: The…
Read MoreTrumps and Bidens
Once-upon-a-time, not all that long ago, there were people in both parties who’d vote against a politician who tried to fool them by telling lies – and there were people in both parties who’d argue with someone on the other side, say, about taxes, and still call him their friend. Those days are all but…
Read MoreWho Is This?
At 16 he was arrested using marijuana. As a teenager he got kicked out of two boarding schools. When he was 29 he got arrested for heroin possession. Driving through upstate New York he saw a dead bear by the side of the road, stopped, loaded the bear in his van, drove on to New…
Read MoreSigns of Wisdom
This, Trump posted, is what Burj Khalifa looks like. He showed a photo of the Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai lit up at night by red, white, and blue lights, like a flag. Knowing the queasiness Trump felt when sheiks flew in grander jets than presidents, Qatar gave him a gift – a new $400…
Read MoreA Lovefest
Times change. Years ago, back in 2016, Ann Coulter wrote a book ‘In Trump We Trust.’ Last year, before the election, she said she’d vote for Trump despite the fact she couldn’t trust him. Times changed. Trump’s back in the White House, now, holding cabinet meetings – and they’re odd meetings: One by one the…
Read MoreWithout Bedrock
Bald head, hair shaved on both sides above his ears, skull shining, pedantic, certain he’s right, sitting in a restaurant Steven pointed across the room at the TV set above the bar. ‘There’s your friend John Bolton on TV. Criticizing Trump. You ought to tell him to shut up.’ I glanced at the TV, shrugged…
Read MoreThe Real Problem…
We’re trapped in a twisted time. The latest Fox News’ poll showed Trump dropping – so did half a dozen other polls last week. That wasn’t a shock. But in the next breath a stumble reared its head: The media pointed at practical but paper-thin explanations for Trump’s decline. Years ago, Arthur Finkelstein, an unusual…
Read MoreThe Wrong Fight
A risky move, landing in court, spurred a brawl – but give Trump credit: He’s outsmarting both Democrats and the press. Defying a judge’s order was a silly mistake. Trump could’ve made his case in court, won, and shipped Kilmar Garcia to an El Salvador prison. Instead charging out on a limb he threw ‘due…
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