Texas latest state to attempt to control what state universities teach
If you haven’t seen the 2006 movie Idiocracy, don’t worry; you’re living it. The movie shows a nation whose citizens are so dumbed down that they fall for any nonsense, challenge learned scholars with BS opinions and create a society that is literally killing itself with its own ignorance. We’re seeing this Idiocracy in action as Texas has joined Florida and Ohio in seeking to give gubernatorially appointed boards the power to control university curriculum and eliminate degree programs. In a word, folk who possess no subject matter expertise will be making curriculum and degree program decisions. That’s like a person with zero medical training or expertise (Robert F. Kennedy Jr.) running the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Isaac Kamola, director of the Center for the Defense of Academic Freedom at the American Association of University Professors, put it this way: “It’s an existential attack on higher education that we’re facing… Political operatives have basically used their positions of power — political power, economic power — to demand that the institutions conform to their ideas.” And nine times out of nine, their ideas reflect an anti-science, anti-facts, anti-humanity slant.
Law and disorder
One of Trump’s first moves in his second term in office was to threaten all big-time law firms that had represented clients Trump saw as against his interests with being barred from entrance into federal buildings. In other words, they wouldn’t be able to practice law. So, several of the biggest and most respected law firms in the country made deals with Trump. They dropped the clients and lawsuits he didn’t like. They pledged billions of dollars of pro bono (free) legal services to Trump’s billionaire buddies. In essence, he bought off a huge chunk of the judicial system that blocked so much of his anti-democracy agenda during his first term. Amazingly, though, not all law firms chose to be slaves to this new system of “justice.” Additionally, an army of judges declared Trump’s gangster move unconstitutional, and a handful of law firms said, if we made that deal, it would equate to selling our souls and justice itself to the devil. And several major corporations that hire law firms moved their business to the law firms that stood on justice, on principle and on business. Judges, lawyers and clients are recognizing that any law firm that refuses to stand and fight for themselves will never fight for their clients.
Get into it, get involved
During a recent episode of the Defender Roundtable, while discussing the madness that is the Trump administration, the conversation turned to what we’d like to see resistance from the Democratic Party look like. Defender Culture and Lifestyle Reporter Laura Onyeneho suggested that the national Democratic leadership form a Shadow Cabinet that would counter every anti-democratic executive order, policy and proposed bill with an alternative policy/position that’s for “We the People.” Powerful idea. But we can’t leave all the work of resistance to politicians. So, when the daily barrage of anti-Black, anti-Democracy attacks makes you “wanna holla,” remember what James Brown called us to do: “Get into it; Get involved!” A recent Word In Black article reminded readers that the answer to any social challenge is not giving up, but rather, organizing. We each must join the fight. How? Find one of the many organizations in your community doing good work and in need of help, and join. And get busy. The enemies of humanity have historically thrived when good people do nothing. Good people, do something. Get into it; Get involved!
