Rise of the Right-Wing Leninists

Source: Libertarian Institute
by Thomas Eddlem

“The general MAGA reaction that Pretti and Good got what was coming to them is telling about how Republican politics in America has descended into a form of right-wing Leninism. After a man is flat-out murdered in the streets, on his knees, they reply, ‘But hey, look how the victim kicked off a $65 tail light on a police cruiser last week!’ How, even if you feel very strongly about enforcing federal immigration laws, does that even enter into the conversation in a rational world intent on keeping government within its constitutional boundaries? It’s a lot like a woman getting raped and all people on the sidelines afterward can talk about is how she had been caught shoplifting the week before. It’s entirely beside the point.” (02/24/26)

https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/rise-of-the-right-wing-leninists

Thomas L. Knapp

The decline of confidence in higher ed

Source: Expression
by Nate Honeycutt

“Americans’ confidence in U.S. colleges and universities remains near historic lows. Although some have suggested that public opinion about higher education may be stabilizing or rising, our latest survey finds little evidence of meaningful recovery.” (02/24/26)

https://expression.fire.org/p/the-decline-of-confidence-in-higher

Thomas L. Knapp

Not Forgetting the Victims: Club Epstein and Crimes Against Humanity

Source: CounterPunch
by Binoy Kampmark

“The Trump era of crude, vulgar might as the sole indicator of worth does not augur well for human rights advocates demanding investigations and prosecutions into the victims of Epstein’s predation. Even before President Donald Trump got the keys to the White House, there was impunity, complicity and permissiveness in the depravities of Club Epstein, a state of affairs tolerated, even encouraged by a ruling class bankrupted and soiled.” (02/24/26)

https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/02/24/not-forgetting-the-victims-club-epstein-and-crimes-against-humanity/

Thomas L. Knapp

WI: Schools & teachers file lawsuit against GOP-led Legislature seeking more funding

Source: SFGate

“A coalition of Wisconsin school districts, teachers’ unions, advocacy groups, parents, students and others announced a lawsuit Tuesday against the state Legislature, alleging that it’s failing to fund public schools adequately. The lawsuit, filed Monday in Eau Claire County Circuit Court, argues that schools are in crisis, with high-needs students facing the greatest risk. It asks the court to adopt a new finance system that meets the needs of districts unless the Legislature and governor enact one first ‘in a timely fashion’. School funding lawsuits have been brought for decades in states across the country with varying degrees of success. Fights over how and whether to reshape Wisconsin’s complex school finance system have usually taken place in the Statehouse. Now it will move to the courthouse, where this challenge will almost certainly end up before the liberal-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court.” (02/24/26)

https://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/wisconsin-schools-teachers-file-lawsuit-against-21938719.php

Steve Trinward

If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Don’t Join ‘Em

Source: Antiwar.com
by Alan Mosley

“Long before the current Iran standoff, America’s interventionist foreign policy had left deep scars. The Iraq War of 2003 – championed by a coalition of neoconservatives and assertive nationalists – killed and maimed hundreds of thousands of people, displaced millions, and cost the United States roughly half a trillion dollars. Brookings Institution analysts noted that war planners believed American power could swiftly conquer threats and spread democracy, but their expectations proved disastrously wrong. The war shattered Iraq’s infrastructure, destabilized the region, and contributed to the rise of extremist groups.” (02/24/26)

https://original.antiwar.com/alan_mosley/2026/02/23/if-you-cant-beat-em-dont-join-em

Thomas L. Knapp