Recommended Reading: Defeating a Dictator
This Week's Recommended Reading on Substack: Scot Nakagawa, Kate Manne, Chris Geidner, Joyce Vance, Amanda Moore, and Melissa Ryan
This Week's Recommended Reading on Substack:
Scot Nakagawa writes that “across all of these cases - separated by decades, continents, languages, and political systems - the strategic logic is identical: Arts and culture were not deployed to illustrate a political argument. They were deployed to create an emotional reality that made political participation feel desirable, joyous, and socially rewarding.”
Kate Manne writes that “friends, I am tired. I have lost sleep and time and productivity. Much as I try to shrug these things off instantly, it always takes me at least a day or two—and considerable social support—to regroup and regain my usual equanimity. Our minds can tell us, accurately, that we are above these indignities; but our bodies often react despite ourselves to the onslaught.”
Chris Geidner writes that “the Trump administration will keep pushing to act outside the law. Every person in the other branches who decides to ignore that reality, well established at this point, is choosing to empower that lawlessness. They will be remembered for their failure to play their proper role in our constitutional structure.”
Joyce Vance writes that “We now understand Trump’s operating principles at DOJ: He runs the show, his enemies get indicted even when the cases are bogus, and his friends get forgiveness no matter what the crimes they’ve committed are. The idea that this administration would have ever defended the convictions of the January 6 insurrectionists is laughable in hindsight, because it’s Trump’s Justice Department. Todd Blanche is just the puppet. Donald Trump is pulling the strings.”
Amanda Moore writes that “to further make up for lost personnel from the mass firings and resignations that have plagued the office, the DOJ has been recruiting government attorneys beyond JAG to spend time as prosecutors at USAO-DC. Now, this effort appears to include attorneys who were hired to work for the Department of Homeland Security, representing the state in deportation proceedings.
Please Consider Becoming a Paid Subscriber, and Support Melissa Ryan:
“…the reality is things aren’t great right now. Without going into details, my family has been through a lot over the past few years with some serious financial and emotional setbacks. Realistically, I don’t know how much I’m going to be able to work as I undergo treatment. And that’s before even thinking about how much insurance will or won’t pay for my treatment.”
