“‘If this insane spending bill passes, the America Party will be formed the next day. Our country needs an alternative to the Democratic-Republican uniparty so that the people will actually have a VOICE.’ (Elon Musk) … Elon’s third party, if it gained any traction, might ensure Democratic Party majorities as far into the future as foreseeable. I don’t really think Elon wants that, but he’s a businessman, he’s not a historian, so, as brilliant as he is in many ways, he is limited in his knowledge, as we all are. There is another way. It is the way of George Washington and our Constitution, and it is the way that I favor. … Mr. Washington, in his farewell address to the nation, warned the country against political parties; he did not believe we should even have them.” (07/02/25)
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by Dinah Megibow-Taylor
“In the wake of the Trump administration’s extralegal attack on Harvard University, which is essentially an attempted government takeover of a private school, the importance of academic freedom and institutional independence is clearer than ever. Had Harvard meekly complied with the demands in the hopes of maintaining its funding, it would’ve set a dangerous precedent for political interference in higher education. Enter the Kalven Report: the north star for institutions striving to foster academic freedom. Crafted by the University of Chicago in response to Vietnam-era foment, the report warns that a university, though it may have the constitutional right to speak about unrelated political issues, should not take an official stance on these issues because of the chilling effect it has on the ability of university community members to discuss and debate amongst themselves.” (07/01/25)
“We celebrate Independence on the Fourth of July. But the actual vote to secede from the British Empire and become ‘free and independent states’ – happened on July 2nd, 1776. Twelve colonies voted in favor. None opposed. New York abstained because its delegates had not yet received new instructions. The political connection to Britain was over. The deed was done. The resolution came from Richard Henry Lee of Virginia. He stood before the Second Continental Congress with direct instructions from his state: declare independence, pursue foreign alliances, and propose a plan of confederation. That wasn’t political theater. That was constitutional authority, exercised in plain view.” (07/01/25)
“‘Only a microscopic share of the funding for public broadcasting even comes from the government!’ If this is really true, the obvious retort is: ‘Then abolishing 100% of the funding will barely make any difference, so there’s no reason to keep arguing about this issue. Funding abolished, end of story.’ In fact, friends of public broadcasting should be happy to lose their miniscule funding, because this festering political battle is a major distraction from providing the high-quality programming their viewers so cherish.” (07/01/25)
“The Trump administration wants America paying attention to this sickening spectacle of mass deportations: broadcasting ICE raids featuring television personality Dr. Phil; meme-posting chained men sent to a gulag in El Salvador; and sharing Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem’s various ‘ICE Barbie’ photo ops. What the Trump administration doesn’t want, however, is for anyone to hold ICE agents accountable. Attempts by the public to keep tabs on ICE are provoking predictable and pathetic responses from the government. The latest cause of outrage is ICEBlock, an app that lets users share local ICE sightings. … ICE agents, of course, have reasons they’d prefer not to be located or identified. They have no desire to face protesters who mobilize in response to reports of their presence. They wear masks to avoid being held personally responsible for carrying out the regime’s desired acts of cruelty.” (07/01/25)
“PortKC has become Kansas City’s go-to agency for economic development incentives — but with a troubling condition. Applicants must sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), quietly embedded on page 16 of its Development Application Package. Why? Secrecy isn’t standard practice. The Economic Development Corporation — which oversees the TIF Commission and other incentive bodies — does not require NDAs.” (07/01/25)
“The U.S. government has fallen into the hands of people who lack proper metaphors; all they know is business. The nation should be ‘run like a business’ according to these unimaginative suits among the GOP, who haven’t read or studied enough to consider how the government might be run like anything else. The problem with this thinking is it will, by inevitably following the profit motive, lead to a terminal phase. With the House passage of President Donald Trump’s budget legislation ’One Big Beautiful Bill,’ the United States has reached the private equity looting stage of the metaphor. The logic of this scheme will collapse, but it might bring us all down with it. Two hundred and fifty years of civic investment in the United States of America is now over. Like all private equity firms, the Republican Party of 2025 is here to loot.” (07/01/25)
“Why should a student on a J-1 visa be treated differently from a coder on an H-1B, or a tourist on a B-2, or a man fleeing violence with no papers at all? These distinctions are as artificial as the lines on a map. Yet they are enforced with a level of fervor otherwise reserved for violent crime. As this issue went to press, total bans on travel from 12 countries and heavy restrictions on seven more were abruptly announced. The result is predictable: lost potential, ruined plans, stranded lovers, wasted talent. Restrictions on the free movement of people are not just economic blunders (though they are that too); they are acts of cultural vandalism and personal cruelty. This obsession with control bleeds back into travel itself. You can feel it at the airport, in the endless security lines and biometric scans.” (for publication 08/25)
