@the-history-prof
#Resister. Progressive. An Educator since 1981 (Political Science and History). Husband & Dad. Creative & Talented (musician, singer, actor, and writer). Semi-retired, working as Adjunct Professor of History. 💙
"As of Mon. morning, of the 222 posts on Truth Social he made since the 2/28 video announcing the start of the war, fewer than 1 in 5 was about Iran.
"Leading into war, you want to bring Dems and Reps & war critics in if you can,” said an advisor to George W. on nat'l. security.
wapo.st/4uBa6Kr
Some info on the Iranian Islamic Republic.
The media should be more respectful--an ayatollah is the highest level of religious leadership in Shia Islam. You'd never know it from the media coverage.
What Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Meant to Iran, and What Comes Next
www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...
GIFTS CAN BE SHARED:
This disturbing article by Tom Nichols claims that after Venezuela & now Iran, Trump is suffering from "victory disease," like Napoleon & Hitler before him.
Nichols was a prof of natl. security at the U.S. Naval War College for 25 yrs.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
If you're a total nerd like I am, you might want to see the controlling documents discussed in the Times article below (my 1st post).
"The role of regional and subregional arrangements in implementing the responsibility to protect"
www.un.org/en/genocide-...
web.archive.org/web/20181222...
This is not an easy read (poorly organized), but worth it for those happy to see us decapitate Iran's leaders.
A new development in intn'l law is "Responsibility to Protect", & Iran's massacres of its dissenters qualifies. In this paradigm, morality trumps legality.
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/07/w...
How do I say this:
Just because you hate another country and its regime, & you like the outcome of bringing it down, it still BREAKS INT'L. LAW and IGNORES OUR CONSTITUTION.
Since coming to power in '99, Putin has accused us of hypocrisy for changing borders & regimes.
How do we tell him not to?
Here's a problem nobody is talking about:
When Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine 4 yrs ago, he was looking for regime change--autocrats don't like to have democratizing countries on their borders, esp. one with a common heritage.
Can we tell him he can't do it somewhere else when we do it?
Don't be offended by my comment below about the Ayatollah. In PolySci, we strive for precision in terminology, in order to discuss other cultures & faiths in a neutral way.
The regime was brutal, killing citizens in the street. Theocracies do not tolerate dissent (see: the Spanish Inquisition).
More crimes: a war violating intnl. law, the Constitution, & statute ('73--War Powers Res.); & an extra-judicial killing of Iran's leaders (I've yet to see even the media mention that the "Supreme Leader" was the highest cleric in Shia Islam, globally admired by Shia--a theocrat, not a dictator).
History is full of irony. Two aspects of Prarl Harbor which enraged Americans was that Japan had 2 negotiators in DC at the same time, & didn't declare war.
Yet Trump attacks Venezuela & Iran while negotiating, & without any warning.
Looking for Peace Prize?
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/01/u...
I'm no expert on int'l. But the UN Charter knows nothing about "regime change."
42 countries joined our coalition in '91 because the Charter allows resistance to an invasion (of Kuwait). Only 4 joined us in '03 to topple Saddam-- it was illegal.
So is today.
Peace prize?
GIFT:
wapo.st/4aNkoO8
GIFT ARTICLES CAN BE RE-POSTED:
Recommendations for protecting the midterms:
1) Become a poll worker (paid)
2) Become a poll watcher (unpaid)
3) Don't share unverified info
4) Donate to The Election Official Legal Defense Network (electioninnovation.org)
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/31/o...
Guantanamo is America's lasting shame. And when SCOTUS finally gave them access to the courts, we simply created "rendition"--sending prisoners to countries which practiced torture, so we could get info.
We preached human rights to the world, but abandoned the rule of law.
wapo.st/4ti0CTB
Mandami's election in NYC is the tip of the progressive iceberg. I see it in my students--they are all environmentally aware, they are tolerant of dissenting political opinions, and they are kind to the neuro-divergent, having gone to school with them.
Some I don't even know hold doors for me!
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/27/u...
Family settles 2nd lawsuit against Big Pharma. They found out that their grandmother's cells had been taken without permission, and used in labs all over the world. The family discovered this in 1973...wheels of justice are slow!!
Read about her in gift below:
Gift Article:
Her cancer cells, taken from her body without permission, have been at the core of treatments for hemophilia, influenza, leukemia, & Parkinson’s disease as well as the polio vaccine, tamoxifen, chemotherapy, gene mapping, & in vitro fertilization.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
GIFT ARTICLES CAN BE SHARED:
This wry essay is actually describing "crony capitalism," a system where business success depends on close, corrupt ties between business & gov't. elites, rather than on merit. Its traits: favoritism, subsidies, & favorable regs.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
Been teaching about Nazism since 1981. Folks hate comparisons with the Third Reich, but Trump's 2nd term warrants it.
"Ein volk. Ein Reich. Ein Fuehrer." One people, one nation, one leader." Part of Blood & Soil ideology.
Official websites should not be used for propaganda!
x.com/i/status/201...
Systems where opposition parties exist but can't win are called "competitive" or "electoral" authoritarian regimes. Incumbents use state resources & manipulate legal/electoral institutions to prevent a level playing field, keeping power while appearing democratic.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/25/u...
SAVE OUR DEMOCRACY!
The midterms will be canceled this Fall. We've grown used to troops in the streets: DC, LA, Mpls., etc.
He'll stage an incident, sparking nationwide protests (a la BLM), invoke the Insurrection Act, occupy all major cities, and cancel the midterms because of the "emergency."
The crimes continue: pardoning J6'ers, killing 2 citizens, warrantless arrests, etc.
When democracy returns, we shld set up a tribunal & try all of Trump's minions. Nuremberg created new intl. law: "crimes against humanity," etc.
Our tribunal, created by law, will define "crimes against democracy."
Thanks for including me! Together we can go back to the inclusive, civil society that we were building before Trump stopped us in '16.
“A functioning, robust democracy requires a healthy, educated, participatory followership, & an educated, morally-grounded leadership.” --Chinua Achebe
Thanks so much for including me!
Together, we can go back to the inclusive, civil society that we were building before Trump arrived in 2016.
“A functioning, robust democracy requires a healthy, educated, participatory followership, & an educated, morally grounded leadership.” --Chinua Achebe
I appreciate your honesty and your COURAGE. I know that Hollywood celebrities (a.k.a. the "coastal elite") become the victims of the MAGA digital mobs--death threats, doxxing, stalking--so I know it takes guts to speak up and be counted.
PS: I've always admired your work.
EXACTLY!!!
"If...Trump directed his subordinates to disobey a court order, he would be at war with the Constitution’s text, history, & most basic values... [If] POTUS held an effective veto over court judgments...would be a system of rule by an elected Napoleonic strongman."
docs.google.com/viewer?url=h...
GIFT ARTICLES CAN BE SHARED:
"Aakash Singh, an Assoc. Dep. Atty. Gen. : 'I want to just stress that an adverse decision from a judge is not a reason to stop doing what you know to be right,' Mr. Singh said. 'We are the ones charged with keeping America safe.' ”
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/23/u...
GIFT ARTICLES CAN BE RE-POSTED:
"Thanks to the Supreme Court, Trump can no longer introduce, modify, or remove tariffs simply by tapping out a social media post on his smartphone...tariffs imposed on grounds of economics, national security, or personal whim"
He is not Louis XIV!
wapo.st/3MTszRe
SHARE GIFT ARTICLE:
Would somebody please tell Donald that we don't do this in a democracy? Mao glowers over Tiananmen Square...Trump frowns over D.C.
The banner of Trump's face might be ok, but having the political MAGA slogan on a fed bldg. which we own is not!
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/19/u...
The rule of law wins! SCOTUS ruled against Trump's tariffs.
"Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties [tariffs]...To regulate commerce with foreign nations..."
--Article 1, Sec 8
SCOTUS: "Based on 2 words separated by 16 others in the IEEPA," POTUS claims tariff power--wrong!!