Donald the Terrible and His Oprichniki

BY HANK REICHMAN The image above is from an AI video that the GREAT (and demented) LEADER himself posted to social media.  It reminded me of an historical analogy I’ve been mulling over since I first saw videos of masked ICE thugs rampaging through neighborhoods, courthouses, and downtown squares, chasing down immigrants (documented or not)…

A red "no" symbol, tan figure of a courthouse, and tan gavel against a blue gradient background

The Danger of Deference to Trump

BY JOHN K. WILSON The AAUP has issued a new statement, “Against Anticipatory Obedience,” that warns colleges to avoid “acting to comply in advance” before repression is actually required by the Trump administration. The danger of anticipatory obedience applies not just to colleges censoring speech, but also to national organizations seeking to influence Trump’s actions.…

cover of Trump administration's 1776 Report with black background and red and white lettering

The 1776 Commission Makes a Declaration of Idiocy

BY JOHN K. WILSON On November 2, the day before he lost re-election (in a failed attempt to lure voters with his faux patriotism), Donald Trump signed an executive order creating the 1776 Commission, which worked quickly to produce a report before Joe Biden could take office and rescind this terrible idea and the terrible…

Why We Need Free Expression, Now More Than Ever

BY JOHN K. WILSON The attack on the Capitol by Trump terrorists which led to five deaths was a shocking, horrifying crime. Trump and his supporters deserve the strongest condemnation for their role in fabricating a lie about the election results and then calling upon a mob to fight for a coup to overthrow the…

Donald Trump’s Incredible Attack on Free Speech

BY JOHN K. WILSON Today, Donald Trump tweeted: “Too many Universities and School Systems are about Radical Left Indoctrination, not Education. Therefore, I am telling the Treasury Department to re-examine their Tax-Exempt Status…and/or Funding, which will be taken away if this Propaganda or Act Against Public Policy continues. Our children must be Educated, not Indoctrinated!”…

Against Street Protests

BY JOHN K. WILSON Like most Americans, I was sickened by the senseless violence and destruction across the country this weekend, just as I was sickened by the murder of George Floyd. In recounting the terrible acts this past week, let me start at the top, with the evil and incompetence of Donald Trump. In…

Donald Trump’s Dangerous Attack on Campus Free Speech

BY JOHN K. WILSON At 4:07pm ET today, Donald Trump signed an Executive Order imposing “free inquiry” on college campuses. In reality, this hypocritical order by an open enemy of free expression is nothing but a political tool that Trump wants to use to silence his ideological opponents. The Executive Order requires public colleges to…

PEN America v. Trump

POSTED BY HANK REICHMAN Today the writers’ organization PEN America, represented by the nonpartisan nonprofit Protect Democracy and the Yale Law School Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic, filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against President Donald Trump. The suit seeks to stop President Trump from using…