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But they are no longer setting the terms of the country’s politics. By refusing to engage with the impeachment trial, Biden and his team escaped the trap of letting Trump continue to drive the national narrative. Instead, they are making it a priority to protect voting rights. At the
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Trump did not call off the rioters for several more hours. * February 12, 2021 - Letters from an American
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[Trump's] lawyers claimed the riot was premeditated, pointing to pipe bombs that were planted before the rally. “You can’t incite what was already going to happen,” said Mr. Van der Veen. * Impeachment Briefing: A combative defense
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It includes, obviously, the reason the first republic and its Constitution, so revered, lasted about as long as the USSR, a mere seventy-four years, before dissolving into the bloodiest conflict of the nineteenth century. For my part, I always considered this a pretty weak foundation on which to erect unconditional
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In the summer of that year, a newspaper circulated an extract of a letter from a prominent white Bostonian who had assisted Hall on this very matter. The unnamed author of the letter reports that he had been visited by a group of free Black men who had been kidnapped
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In 2017, Bob Dylan was asked about how he was referenced in the song. “A jester? Sure, the jester writes songs like ‘Masters of War’, ‘A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall’, ‘It’s Alright, Ma’ – some jester. I have to think he’s talking about somebody else. Ask him.” * American
Writing
1 I visited the Surf in 2003, as part of an all Iowa tour, going to landmarks all over my newly adopted home state. It was a good, fun trip, which is I guess why I look so happy in the picture. Going to the Surf seemed less morbid than
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Short squeezes have a long history on Wall Street. In 1862, Cornelius Vanderbilt squeezed out short sellers in Harlem Railroad, and used his power to gain full control of the New York railroad business. * Musings on Markets: The Storming of the Bastille: The Reddit Crowd targets the Hedge Funds!
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Democracy is a request from a War Board, in the middle of a morning in the middle of a war, wanting to know what democracy is. * E. B. White on “The Meaning of Democracy” | The New Yorker
Writing
I finished reading another book! That's two this year. I mean, I'm reading all the time, but mostly articles, web pages, Reddit posts, Tweets. Since the derecho, I've finished two actual books. This one was Against the Grain, by James C. Scott, which is
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This a great takedown of a white guy mansplaining black history. Note, the author of this piece is also white, and I'm white. After watching Ansari last night, I'm thinking a little more about the circle of white people talking about race. But this piece has