Two years later, I'm no more optimistic than I was when I wrote Rose Burawoy, Political Scientist. Less, rather.
Recent Bluessky Posts- We are not saying we don't know. Many brave people on the ground are bearing witness and putting bodies on the line. From far away we applaud them. And organize for the midterms, I guess... January 19, 2026 Michael Froomkin
- No one takes any official action in response to this criminal assault? Law has collapsed, at least for now. January 19, 2026 Michael Froomkin
- Literally first 3 items on my feed today: 1. Trump wants to invade Greenland because Norwegians (sic) won't give him the Peace Prize; 2. Trump plans to send soldiers, national guard, FBI to MN; 3. Trump invites Russia & Belarus to join Gaza management committee. Happy MLK Day. January 19, 2026 Michael Froomkin
- Jotwell Conlaw: Lorianne Updike Schulzke, Adding Color to the Founding, JOTWELL (January 19, 2026) (reviewing James G. Basker & Nicole Seary, eds., Black Writers of the Founding Era: A Library of America Anthology (2023)), conlaw.jotwell.com/adding-color.... January 19, 2026 Jotwell
- There ought to be 500 members of the House ready to vote impeachment for this threat to invade a treaty ally and start a world war out of personal pique. There are not even three Republicans ready to save the world. Now what? www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026... January 19, 2026 Michael Froomkin
I didnt know of this blog two years ago but, after reading the original post and seeing how things have evolved, I would also say that there are more reasons for concern now than before. However, that doesnt mean that Im more or less pessimistic about the issue (state abuse) a truly concerned person cant afford such a feeling, its unpractical: the enemy feeds precisely on this kind of individual weakness. One example (of many, including Prof. Froomkins efforts from this blog) of the right approach (Ive done a search and havent been able to find any reference to her in this site): Jesselyn Radack (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesselyn_Radack). A brilliant lawyer with a promising career in the Justice Department, she was fired, smeared and blacklisted after blowing the whistle about the misuse of relevant information in the trial against John Walker Lindh (the American Taliban). Add to this multiple sclerosis and being the mother of three young children. Did she give up? No way. Shes suing the government and pursuing her legal career as a speaker, writer and teacher in legal ethics.
“Granite Shadow”
After 9/11 I understood (tho didn’t agree with) the desire to hurt someone who at least looked like the suicide bombers. Bush’s cowboy/bully approach obviously appealed to many folks as ‘strong leadership.’ But the bungling (?) of the Katrina aftermath (KatrinaGate?) has shaken me. Greed I understand. Revenge I understand. BushCo’s blandly ignoring the suffering and death of fellow Americans has truly shaken my foundation of optimism. Maybe the species that inherit the earth will learn from our mistakes. Shit.