Storming of the United States Capitol on 6 January 2021. Source: Tyler Merbler, Wikimedia / CC BY 2.0 In the days after the horrific insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, at least some participants are being brought to justice. Grievous miscalculations by the Capitol police and other law enforcement agencies left the seat of government poorly…
Early in the morning on January 7, 2021, the Senate Chaplain Barry Black offered a prayer following the certification of Joe Biden as the lawfully elected President of the United States. Chaplain Black’s prayer was the conclusion of a long and dark day in the history of the United States of America. Only hours before,…
A giant flag demanding “Make America Godly Again,” flanked by a Rambo-image of President Trump with a machine gun. A crowd peppered with flags and T-Shirts proclaiming Jesus 2020, Jesus Saves, “Jesus is My Savior, Trump is my President.” The White Christian nationalist undercurrents of the January 6, 2021 prayer rally and Jericho March on…
Trump Supporters, en route to US Capitol Grounds, at Union Station Columbus Circle and Delaware Avenue, NE, Washington DC on Wednesday morning, 6 January 2021 / Source: Elvert Barnes Photography / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0 A noose. A confederate flag. A Latin cross. A Jesus 2020 banner. These were the symbols deployed by…
Like many Americans, I watched the live images of the insurgent siege of the nation’s Capitol on January 6 with distress and horror. As the rioters were surging up the Capitol steps, I noticed among the numerous Trump flags a large banner with the word “Jesus.” (Apparently, other insurgents carried “Jesus Saves” and “Jesus 2020”…
Tear gas outside the United States Capitol on January 6th, 2021. Source: Tyler Merbler / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0 Over the last several months, the Republican party and its current leader have consistently trumpeted their strong commitment to law and order. Especially during this summer’s Black Lives Matter protests (and riots), as well as in…
This past Wednesday, a mob of Trump supporters — incited and emboldened multiple times by the President of the United States and his family — broke into the Capitol Building during a joint session of Congress and proceeded to loot the congressional offices. Composed of white nationalists and far-right conspiracy theorists, the rioters were met…
At every confirmation of a Supreme Court Justice, inevitably, commentators appear advocating 18-year term limits for Supreme Court Justices, under the assumption that regular and scheduled appointments will solve the confirmation battles. This approach is mistaken: while there may be advantages (and disadvantages) to Supreme Court term limits, even if term limits were imposed, we…
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic forced remote instruction, homeschooling was the fastest-growing educational choice in the United States over the past two decades. While many parents have kept their children enrolled in schools for online instruction, it appears that thousands of other families have chosen independent homeschooling this fall instead. These numbers will almost certainly…
Earlier this year, Harvard Magazine, the university’s alumni publication, interviewed Elizabeth Bartholet, professor at Harvard Law School and faculty director of its Child Advocacy Program, for an article titled “The Risks of Homeschooling.” In the article, Bartholet argued that unregulated homeschooling poses a danger to children, exposing them to risk of educational deprivation and even…