Don't like the politics? Write your congressman. And vanilla scones.
RWL #436
Greetings from The University of New Hampshire1! I had a lovely trip down to the Philadelphia area this past weekend with my father to visit my sister and her family, and to sponsor my nephew as he made his confirmation with the Catholic Church. We visited two museums in Philly that I would recommend. The first was the Mutter Museum, a “historical medical library”, owned by the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. Going into the Mutter is a fascinating trip through time, as the collections on display are largely of human remains that had been collected for study by medical students and physicians. It reflects a time before effective photography, computer models, and so forth. But it also reflects a time when a very different ethic about the treatment of human remains. The Museum does a nice job (maybe a bit overboard) dealing with the ethical questions of its own collection.
The other museum was the Museum of the American Revolution. This museum is a contemporary look at the Revolution, and takes the stance that the Revolution is ongoing. I have to confess, that wording is a bit too Marxist for my taste, but I get the idea. I think they are saying that the freedoms and privileges of a classical liberal democracy continue to expand, which I agree with.
With current events, I am forced to consider what it means to be an American and what are American values. I was deeply disappointed by the apparent pivot being conducted by the Trump administration to abandon Ukraine and rewrite history such that the Ukrainians started the war. The recent vote in the UN where the US sided with Russia is shocking. I am very concerned that the Trump administration intends to abandon NATO and the post-WWII liberal order.
For those of you who feel this way, I want to recommend (again) Peter Zeihan’s excellent 2022 book, The End of the World Is Just the Beginning: Mapping the Collapse of Globalization. Zeihan sees the American-led, liberal world order as in decline going as far back as Clinton, accelerated greatly by Obama, and continued by Trump 1 and Biden. Now the pedal is to the medal. I follow Zeihan’s daily briefings and I sometimes post his videos here, so this name may be familiar. From Zeihan’s perspective we (Americans) will probably be OK. But it is wrong to do this and runs against what I believe America stands for. And “probably OK” is not the inheritance I want to leave my grandchildren.
The liberal world order refers to classical liberalism, not Progressivism. Progressives have come to be known as “liberals” in the United States, but Progressives aren’t necessarily liberal. Liberalism refers to a set of values that are premised on respect for individual freedom, the right to participate in political processes, and protection of political minorities, amongst other things. Liberalism stands opposed to the traditional authoritarianism of kings. Our Founders, those who started the Revolution, were not fans of mass democracy. They feared the election of a demagogue who would become a tyrant, a fear I talk about with my colleague Dr. Sue Sigelakis in my conversation about St. Thomas Aquinas and his book De Regno. Unbounded democracies tend to oppress minorities and vote themselves out of existence (by electing a tyrant). The American-led world order was one that promoted liberal democracy, not simply democracy, which thinkers going back to Ancient Greece recognized as simply mob rule. Liberalism binds democracy by forcing it to recognize the rights of minorities as individuals.
In addition to my concerns about foreign policy, I am concerned about the Trump Administration’s efforts to remove guardrails around policy, such as the firing of numerous inspectors general. The structure of the US government was created by the Founders to slow decision making and force it to be consensus-based. But that requires Congress, in particular, to be active. In my opinion, Congress has progressively given way to an “imperial presidency” since the New Deal. This decades-long trend has gotten us here, and I believe it needs to be reversed. (Don’t get me wrong - it was started by a Democrat and Democratic presidents have helped pave the way to where we are today. Biden’s student loan efforts, despite Supreme Court rulings, are just one example.) Congress is supposed to be the most powerful branch of the Federal government, but as we watch President Trump sign a flurry of executive orders and Congress stands idly by, I think we can see which branch has the de facto power.
There isn’t a lot that any one of us can do to change the way the world is moving. I have seen many of my friends posting Ukrainian flags and memes on social media. While that is all fine, I would suggest writing to your congressman and senator. It only takes a minute, and you can do it through the Congressional website.
Congressmen: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative
Senator: https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm
My understanding from people who work in the policy world is that our representatives aren’t necessarily moved by any one letter, but their staff keep track of the volume and sentiment of the letters they receive, and this helps shape their actions on policy. I’ve written to both of mine to express my concern. I hope you consider doing the same.
But you know what we can control? Having delicious scones. Back when I was in my PhD program I used to go to my local Starbucks sometimes to study - just for a change of place. One of the things I got addicted to were their mini vanilla scones. I recently found a copycat recipe for their scones. Mine aren’t quite as pretty, but if I may say, they tasted better. Probably because they weren’t three days old by the time I bought them. Check it out!
As usual, willing good for all of you!
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Read
What: ABC News, Americans voted for Trump, but don't support his agenda
https://abcnews.go.com/538/americans-voted-trump-support-agenda/story?id=119136603
Why: Trump remains close to the peak of his popularity - about 50%, but when people are asked about the policies he is implementing, his policies range in popularity. I don’t necessarily agree with the conclusion of this article that Americans are dissatisfied overall with his policy positions (yet), but I think its likely this will continue to slide as people feel the actual impact. (thanks to CA for the link)
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What: NYT, Trump’s Decision to Fire the JAG Generals Gives the Game Away
Why: I am a fan of the author, David French, who is a conservative thinker and writer. He is also a former Army JAG. In combat zones and at high levels, JAGs play an important role in keeping American leaders from violating the laws of war. Our military is not a gang of murderers and rapists, the way the Russian Army is. Bad things happen in war, and sometimes our soldiers cross the line. The JAG Corps helps keep these things from happening, and when they do, helps correct the situation by prosecuting crimes. It’s part of what makes our forces effective. Enemy combatants would rather be captured by us than by forces that do not enforce the law of war. By weakening our upholding of the laws of war, we weaken our forces.
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Watch
What: WSJ, How Trump Is Testing the Boundaries of Presidential Power (7 min)
Why: A good discussion of divided government and how President Trump is attempting to increase the power of the presidency.
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Listen
What: Foreign Affairs, What Happened to Bidenomics? (48 min)
(link)
Why: President Biden’s economic plans - to transform the economy - resulted in a bout of inflation that angered the country. His unlawful attempt to forgive student loans did the same. These were unforced errors.
“He traces a stark disconnect between Biden’s lofty goals and real economic performance, especially as it shaped voters’ lived experience. That disconnect opened the way for Donald Trump’s return to the White House.”
It occurred to me, after nearly 10 years of writing this newsletter, that when I write my “greetings from UNH" that people might think I am speaking on behalf of the institution. That is very funny. I’m not sure that the UNH president could pick me out in a line up. So please understand that all opinions expressed here are my own, and do not represent the institutional positions of UNH. It’s akin to me writing, Greetings from America! And someone saying I am writing on behalf of the US government. As much as I might want it to be so, no one of reasonable judgement is going to believe it to be so.