Lisa, thank you for again eloquently standing strong and shedding light on the darkness enveloping us. You’re right that Trump doesn’t care about antisemitism. He does not care about any values. Trump cares about the value of power. He cares about the value of money (with which he can buy power) and popularity (which gives him the power of tyrants). As Madison (echoing Montesquieu), fairly famously highlighted in The Federalist No. 47, “The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many” is “the very definition of tyranny.” Trump’s abuses of Executive Orders and other missives are intended (by Trump and “his” lawyers (who swore to support and defend our Constitution)) to permit Trump to usurp the power of tyrants. The target Trump chooses at any given time (a university, a student, lawyers, law firms, judges, journalists, the Press or immigrants) is almost irrelevant.
Does anyone remember what happened to New College in Florida? This was taken straight from a page in Victor Orban’s playbook. This was the strategy employed in Florida by DeSantis with New College. It was the test case to see if anyone would rise up against it and it worked. DeSantis took over what was a vibrant, inclusive, liberal arts college by replacing the board with right wing conservatives, making Cocoran the president, and turning it into another Hillsdale College. Of course 40% of the staff resigned. It takes us one step closer to losing our democracy the same way it happened in Hungary and we can’t let that happen. It won’t stop with Columbia. And it won’t stop with taking away free speech at universities.
Lisa, thank you for presenting SCOTUS precedent that supports our liberty and our Constitution.
Trump's pretense of protecting people while robbing them of their rights (freedom of expression and freedom of association) is reminiscent of another leader who used a very similar issue to divide and oppress people. What SCOTUS said about that then is relevant to this now. See West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnette (1943):
Those who begin coercive elimination of dissent soon find themselves exterminating dissenters. Compulsory unification of opinion achieves only the unanimity of the graveyard.
[ T]he First Amendment to our Constitution was designed to avoid these ends by avoiding these beginnings. There is no mysticism in the American concept of the State or of the nature or origin of its authority. We set up government by consent of the governed, and the Bill of Rights denies those in power any legal opportunity to coerce that consent. Authority here [in America] is to be controlled by public opinion, not public opinion by authority. . . .
If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein.
You're assuming Republicans care about the constitution, and laws. They don't and never have. They only care about white supremacy and their own wallets. They gave up their humanity a long time ago.
Lucius, the point of exposing more people to what our Constitution says and means (and what SCOTUS says it means) is not to assume that anyone cares. Even if people who are violating our Constitution don't care about it, they still can be sued or prosecuted for their knowing violations of individual rights that are secured by our Constitution or federal law. If people who are victimized by such violations don't know what our Constitution says and means, they might not have any idea that remedies and protections exist.
We saw similar attacks on academic freedom during the McCarthy era. I have wondered if the universities' reliance on GI grants played a role in acquiescence.
Higher education must not go the way of the legacy media, the corporations, etc. by bowing the knee. If readers have any connections with Columbia University, make your voice heard with resounding defiance.
They should take this opportunity to find a way to reduce the cost of private Ivy League education. And they should do the exact opposite of what the bloated orange mafia don demands.
Lisa, thank you for again eloquently standing strong and shedding light on the darkness enveloping us. You’re right that Trump doesn’t care about antisemitism. He does not care about any values. Trump cares about the value of power. He cares about the value of money (with which he can buy power) and popularity (which gives him the power of tyrants). As Madison (echoing Montesquieu), fairly famously highlighted in The Federalist No. 47, “The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many” is “the very definition of tyranny.” Trump’s abuses of Executive Orders and other missives are intended (by Trump and “his” lawyers (who swore to support and defend our Constitution)) to permit Trump to usurp the power of tyrants. The target Trump chooses at any given time (a university, a student, lawyers, law firms, judges, journalists, the Press or immigrants) is almost irrelevant.
I really hope all the people who refused to vote for Kamala because of Gaza are happy right now.
Does anyone remember what happened to New College in Florida? This was taken straight from a page in Victor Orban’s playbook. This was the strategy employed in Florida by DeSantis with New College. It was the test case to see if anyone would rise up against it and it worked. DeSantis took over what was a vibrant, inclusive, liberal arts college by replacing the board with right wing conservatives, making Cocoran the president, and turning it into another Hillsdale College. Of course 40% of the staff resigned. It takes us one step closer to losing our democracy the same way it happened in Hungary and we can’t let that happen. It won’t stop with Columbia. And it won’t stop with taking away free speech at universities.
Lisa, thank you for presenting SCOTUS precedent that supports our liberty and our Constitution.
Trump's pretense of protecting people while robbing them of their rights (freedom of expression and freedom of association) is reminiscent of another leader who used a very similar issue to divide and oppress people. What SCOTUS said about that then is relevant to this now. See West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnette (1943):
Those who begin coercive elimination of dissent soon find themselves exterminating dissenters. Compulsory unification of opinion achieves only the unanimity of the graveyard.
[ T]he First Amendment to our Constitution was designed to avoid these ends by avoiding these beginnings. There is no mysticism in the American concept of the State or of the nature or origin of its authority. We set up government by consent of the governed, and the Bill of Rights denies those in power any legal opportunity to coerce that consent. Authority here [in America] is to be controlled by public opinion, not public opinion by authority. . . .
If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein.
You're assuming Republicans care about the constitution, and laws. They don't and never have. They only care about white supremacy and their own wallets. They gave up their humanity a long time ago.
Lucius, the point of exposing more people to what our Constitution says and means (and what SCOTUS says it means) is not to assume that anyone cares. Even if people who are violating our Constitution don't care about it, they still can be sued or prosecuted for their knowing violations of individual rights that are secured by our Constitution or federal law. If people who are victimized by such violations don't know what our Constitution says and means, they might not have any idea that remedies and protections exist.
We saw similar attacks on academic freedom during the McCarthy era. I have wondered if the universities' reliance on GI grants played a role in acquiescence.
Higher education must not go the way of the legacy media, the corporations, etc. by bowing the knee. If readers have any connections with Columbia University, make your voice heard with resounding defiance.
Breaking News: Columbia grants restored after promise to teach White Superiority 101.
They should take this opportunity to find a way to reduce the cost of private Ivy League education. And they should do the exact opposite of what the bloated orange mafia don demands.
Should
I wish reporters would ask Republicans if any of their families and friends still talk with them.