Columbia has never been powerless. With its endowment and alumni roster, it holds a premier position in what should be the front lines defending academic (and other) freedom. Think of all the state universities, especially those not considered "first-tier," that lack the wherewithal to fight back against tyranny. Columbia (and Yale and Harvard, et. al.) should be the vanguard of resistance.
The caving by the powerful threatens most of all. ABC settling Trump's lawsuit for supposed defamation; WaPo striking election endorsement; Zuckerberg...well, selling out his entire empire--it falls to the rest of us to punish these players for their capitulation.
If Columbia does as trump demands - "Implement permanent, comprehensive time, place, and manner rules to prevent disruption of teaching, research, and campus life." - then teaching, research and campus life will undoubtedly be disrupted.
trump must have been a completely miserable parent.
Write your elected representatives. Heck! Write every one you can. Tillis and Budd are mine. I just sent this off to them.
Dear Senator: I am one of a growing number of people in this country who are appalled at what is happening in this country under your Watch. Dismantling the government is not getting rid of waste, fraud, and abuse and we know it. Trump, Musk and his band of television personalities you have appointed to important government position are not going to do anything to help this country do what it needs to do on a daily basis, and you know it. I look forward to this continued push back that will replace you with a responsible individual who has this country as his or her first responsibility. You are warned: We do not want Vladimir as a model for our government and that is where we are headed with you as a US Senator. If you cannot protect us from King Trump and President Musk, we will find someone who can and will.
In my life, I've run into plenty of bullies and "big-guys-who-like-to intimidate-smaller-people". The ONLY way to deal with them is to STAND YOUR GROUND. They despise weakness and see civility and conflict avoidance as weakness. How have so many people in positions of power NOT learned that?
As a Columbia graduate class of 1974, I'm appalled beyond description by these demands and . . . even more by my alma mater's capitulaion to them. One of my classmates was Abbe Lowell, the infamous (and really good) defense lawyer.
Where are you, Abbe? Pro Bono 1st Amendment American hero time!
I remember once the Yale alums tried to make Stephen Mnuchin behave like a human being instead of a casino maw ... and I guess they thought they failed because no group of Ivy alums has tried since then to get any of this group of Confederate Republicans to behave more like the public servants they were elected to be and less like straight up kleptocrats.
Maybe it's time for a group of you distinguished Columbia alums to step up.
Keith Boykin is both an alum on faculty there now too; I'd hope he'd be willing to help ...
Columbia should very well know that those who prematurely bend the knee to would be dictators are the first on the list to be attacked by those very same dictators. They have already signaled their willingness to bow to power without a fight, they have proven themselves to be an easy target for bullying. They will suffer the consequences of giving in without a fight.
It is in Columbia's, and the country's, best interests to fight back and not give in. It's not about winning or losing; it is about resisting and fighting for what is right. Columbia will either be made an example of what happens to those who give in to the Trump administration, or it will be made an example of what happens to those who refuse to give in.
There is more dignity in not giving up to tyrants than there is in bowing the knee to them.
ABSOLUTELY. This is the classic Trump M.O., and the executive branch and Republican Congress (not to mention the tepid Democratic leadership) marches lock step with him.
I have noticed that besides the "Strong Men" dictators who he fawns over, the only people he tends to back away from are those who do not yield an inch to him. As an example, I have not noticed him doing much bullying of Michael Fanone.
Besides, he will never stop trying to destroy the intellectual elite, not matter what they do.
He goes out of his way to slap back viciously at those who allowed him (as James Comey once noted) to "devour [their] soul, a little bit at a time."
I found it very disturbing that out of what seemed like sheer contrariness and cruelty Trump once abruptly removed devout Catholic Sean Spicer from an overseas mission to meet the Pope, inviting what seemed to be a random friend of a friend to take his spot. Apparently, Spicer was crushed.
For those who believe, I suspect Trump even got a kick out of thwarting "God The Shepherd" from close contact with one of his lambs. He is one of the People of the Dark that delights in quashing goodness and desecrating innocence. Interestingly, Pope Francis quietly invited Spicer and his wife for a visit a few months later.... apparently he was very much aware of this act by Trump.
P.S. I wouldn't put it past The Orange Outrage to have chosen NOT to place his hand on the Bible out of a sheer desire to freak out his worshipful Evangelical followers at the Inauguration.
Columbia has never been powerless. With its endowment and alumni roster, it holds a premier position in what should be the front lines defending academic (and other) freedom. Think of all the state universities, especially those not considered "first-tier," that lack the wherewithal to fight back against tyranny. Columbia (and Yale and Harvard, et. al.) should be the vanguard of resistance.
The caving by the powerful threatens most of all. ABC settling Trump's lawsuit for supposed defamation; WaPo striking election endorsement; Zuckerberg...well, selling out his entire empire--it falls to the rest of us to punish these players for their capitulation.
a "punching balls" story...
many years ago, my grandson was getting picked up from school by his mom and he says, "I have a slip you need to sign so I can go to recess tomorrow."
His mom asks, "what did you do?"
his answer? "I got told on."
his mom, "...what for?"
grandson, "for punching this kid in the balls." (to be fair, the kid was bullying one of his friends)
mom: "seriously?? Why did you do that?!"
my grandson's answer?
"he said he didn't have any weak spots! I just showed him he did!"
the moral of this story?
they've ALWAYS got weak spots.
A bit off topic, but is everybody aware that the president ordered Arlington Cemetery to remove the names of those buried there? Trump hates America.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/14/us/politics/arlington-cemetery-website-dei.html
Trump did say that Americans Who Died in War Are ‘Losers’ and ‘Suckers’
Wait for the Trump National Golf Course at Arlington: why waste prime real estate on losers and suckers?
Ahhhh so that is how they plan to New College all the universities
Comment before reading article:
Even IF the protesting kids were "anti-semitic" that's not a crime. Otherwise the entire basket of deplorable Xtian nationalists would be in prison.
Also of course there's the irony of calling protesters "terrorists" while the J-sixers walk free.
If Columbia does as trump demands - "Implement permanent, comprehensive time, place, and manner rules to prevent disruption of teaching, research, and campus life." - then teaching, research and campus life will undoubtedly be disrupted.
trump must have been a completely miserable parent.
Write your elected representatives. Heck! Write every one you can. Tillis and Budd are mine. I just sent this off to them.
Dear Senator: I am one of a growing number of people in this country who are appalled at what is happening in this country under your Watch. Dismantling the government is not getting rid of waste, fraud, and abuse and we know it. Trump, Musk and his band of television personalities you have appointed to important government position are not going to do anything to help this country do what it needs to do on a daily basis, and you know it. I look forward to this continued push back that will replace you with a responsible individual who has this country as his or her first responsibility. You are warned: We do not want Vladimir as a model for our government and that is where we are headed with you as a US Senator. If you cannot protect us from King Trump and President Musk, we will find someone who can and will.
In my life, I've run into plenty of bullies and "big-guys-who-like-to intimidate-smaller-people". The ONLY way to deal with them is to STAND YOUR GROUND. They despise weakness and see civility and conflict avoidance as weakness. How have so many people in positions of power NOT learned that?
I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of people in positions of power are fine with bullying as long as they can get in on the action: suck up, punch down.
Phil Ochs knew what was up, in an earlier generation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_AdEgRpxS8&ab_channel=kotuhell
He had such a fine voice.
Ta, Gary. Columbia, oy gevalt.
As a Columbia graduate class of 1974, I'm appalled beyond description by these demands and . . . even more by my alma mater's capitulaion to them. One of my classmates was Abbe Lowell, the infamous (and really good) defense lawyer.
Where are you, Abbe? Pro Bono 1st Amendment American hero time!
It's definitely that.
I remember once the Yale alums tried to make Stephen Mnuchin behave like a human being instead of a casino maw ... and I guess they thought they failed because no group of Ivy alums has tried since then to get any of this group of Confederate Republicans to behave more like the public servants they were elected to be and less like straight up kleptocrats.
Maybe it's time for a group of you distinguished Columbia alums to step up.
Keith Boykin is both an alum on faculty there now too; I'd hope he'd be willing to help ...
Part of teaching people to think is teaching them to resist evil.
Columbia should very well know that those who prematurely bend the knee to would be dictators are the first on the list to be attacked by those very same dictators. They have already signaled their willingness to bow to power without a fight, they have proven themselves to be an easy target for bullying. They will suffer the consequences of giving in without a fight.
It is in Columbia's, and the country's, best interests to fight back and not give in. It's not about winning or losing; it is about resisting and fighting for what is right. Columbia will either be made an example of what happens to those who give in to the Trump administration, or it will be made an example of what happens to those who refuse to give in.
There is more dignity in not giving up to tyrants than there is in bowing the knee to them.
Yup. This is all happening EXACTLY as we predicted before the election.
Congratulations, America. You just dumbed yourself to death.
Thank you, JVP, for reminding everyone what happens when "good people" stay silent
https://youtu.be/PSq8nTjUpms?si=y7EERrwRlP6aq2rg
ABSOLUTELY. This is the classic Trump M.O., and the executive branch and Republican Congress (not to mention the tepid Democratic leadership) marches lock step with him.
I have noticed that besides the "Strong Men" dictators who he fawns over, the only people he tends to back away from are those who do not yield an inch to him. As an example, I have not noticed him doing much bullying of Michael Fanone.
Besides, he will never stop trying to destroy the intellectual elite, not matter what they do.
He goes out of his way to slap back viciously at those who allowed him (as James Comey once noted) to "devour [their] soul, a little bit at a time."
I found it very disturbing that out of what seemed like sheer contrariness and cruelty Trump once abruptly removed devout Catholic Sean Spicer from an overseas mission to meet the Pope, inviting what seemed to be a random friend of a friend to take his spot. Apparently, Spicer was crushed.
For those who believe, I suspect Trump even got a kick out of thwarting "God The Shepherd" from close contact with one of his lambs. He is one of the People of the Dark that delights in quashing goodness and desecrating innocence. Interestingly, Pope Francis quietly invited Spicer and his wife for a visit a few months later.... apparently he was very much aware of this act by Trump.
P.S. I wouldn't put it past The Orange Outrage to have chosen NOT to place his hand on the Bible out of a sheer desire to freak out his worshipful Evangelical followers at the Inauguration.