Politics

While reading through the Springfield Daily Republican to investigate early baseball games, I found an opinion piece discussing naturalized citizenship in the United States. This paragraph stuck with me in light of the current administration. The emphasis partway through is mine. The truth is that Mr. Cass and his party have receded from the doctrine always hitherto held by our government. The right of voluntary expatriation has always been the American doctrine. It is the true doctrine, for if there is any universally acknowledged civil right it is the right of each human being to choose his place of residence on the globe. This right is as unlimited as is the corresponding duty of each man to submit to the government and laws under which he has placed himself. When a foreigner becomes a citizen he is not admitted to half citizenship, but is wholly a citizen, endowed with all the rights, subject to all the liabilities and entitled to all the protection of a native born citizen. The constitution and laws make no distinction between the two classes, with the single exception that the president of the United States must be native born." ...

Enjoy these brief scenes featuring Artemis Diehl, an American businessman renowned the world over. ...

There are better sources for exploring exactly how the current political regime’s actions rhyme with other populist and fascist movements. Instead, let’s consider a story that is tamer while also being emblematic of current policies. In 1897, a state representative in Indiana attempted to legislate that a disproven mathematical statement was true and, in the process, implied that π is equal to 3.2.1 ...

Just as the brazen giant of Greek fame, With conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A fearless leader with a torch, whose flame Is the unleashed misery, and his name Torment of Exiles. From his warding-hand Burns world-wide scorning; his wild eyes command The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. “Bring, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries he With blazing lips. “Take back your tired, your poor, ...

Dear Representative DeLauro, I’ve never written to my representatives. I’ve voted in elections, chatted idly with friends at times, but otherwise admit to not being terribly participatory in the political process. I’m writing now because I am deeply concerned about recent policy decisions—or attempts at policy decisions—from the Trump administration that affect my friends and millions of Americans’ well-being. The rapid pace and nature of these changes threaten the democratic principles I believe we all value. ...

From a recent Chalkbeat article by Erica Meltzer and Marta W. Aldrich: Former Tennessee Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn has been named to serve as deputy education secretary in the incoming Trump administration. President-elect Donald Trump announced the pick in a post on Truth Social Friday evening. […] He also misstated her name as Peggy Schwinn, rather than Penny. We again enter a period of time where The Onion has its work cut out for itself. The next paragraph of this article is also pitch-perfect in its matter-of-fact approach to reporting on how ridiculous everything is. ...

The great kind of insight someone outside the United States can provide. The tough thing when I discuss Trump & Co. with friends is the disbelief and necessity of accepting that a good chunk of the country likes what is happening. Guy English on Mastodon: The least you all could do is to refrain from using “unAmerican” to describe the distinctly American things that are going to happen.

I’m fortunate to have been in seventh grade precisely when I was. Every four years in October, my middle school’s seventh-grade social studies classes held an election unit. Students were selected to be presidential, senate, and gubernatorial candidates; there were campaign managers, Secret Service agents, lobbyists, fundraisers, and speech writers.1 It was good-natured, well-constructed, thoughtful, and impactful. Twelve years old was a good time for this, too: we were mature enough to engage with some of the policies but not cynical or set in our ways beyond whatever influence our parents had over us. I don’t recall any personal conflicts. Everyone focused on embodying their roles as best as possible, and I had a tremendous amount of fun. ...

The oldest posts on this blog comprise a three-part series I wrote in fervor after the 2016 election. I was a college student who couldn’t drink alcohol yet but had learned a tremendous amount about the world while working as a residence advisor. I empathized with the experiences of others with incomprehensibly different life stories. I saw the fear, frustration, and numbness that came over people I loved and cared about. It was awful. ...

Last fall I read The Great School Rethink by Frederick Hess, who works with the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute. He focuses largely on education policy initiatives, many of which might be familiar: school choice, assessments, funding distribution, and curriculum adoption, among others. While I find these topics and the debates around them interesting, my main takeaway from reading this book was broader. It reminded me that a person is not static, and when we talk with someone we have to focus more on the thoughts they’re presenting and not conflate that with our notions of who the person is when taken as a sum of their parts. ...