Politics has to be about right and wrong or it’s just another business, and a rather nasty one at that.

The decline of the moral element in politics is the most deeply disturbing fundamental problem in our system of self-governance. Process is reduced to partisanship and legislators at all levels have difficulty working across party lines. And, yes, I blame Trump more than anyone.

Lots of charity work is also part of the John Calipari legacy in Kentucky, as Linda Blackford makes clear. kentucky.com/opinion/linda-…

“Techniques of persuasion deployed by Simpson’s defense lawyers were a harbinger of those deployed by populists such as Donald Trump today. In effect, they urged the jurors to disregard the facts… and back the group they identify with.” economist.com/united-states/… from The Economist

Journalism schools, take note: “Young adults who are coming up through the education system are less accustomed to this sort of open debate, this sort of robust exchange of views around issues they feel strongly about than may have been the case in the past.”--NYT Editor Joe Kahn

This is quite literally the opposite of what I - & every opponent of HB 509 - am saying.

No one cares about texts coordinating soccer practice pickup or home renovation designs.

We care about the work of the government being conducted in a way that is accountable to the public.

1966.

Western Kentucky University had integrated a full decade before the University of Kentucky did so. WKU integrated in 1956. The Southeastern Conference didn’t integrate until 1966, and Kentucky did not integrate until 1969.

I just asked my 78 year old father “who is in…

The race comes down to just how much America has lost its collective mind about its disastrous former president, Susan Susan Glasser Glasser writes. 'Time for a change' seems to be a stronger slogan than ever, based on recent elections. newyorker.com/news/letter-fr…

'If President Ford could see the current state of his former party he would be shocked and royally riled,' David Hume @Kennerly says in resigning from GRF Foundation after it thrice rejected giving its top award to Liz Cheney, perhaps in fear of Trump. politico.com/news/2024/04/1…

Last night I was privileged to give the annual Joe Creason Lecture in Journalism at the University of Kentucky. It is my attempt to sound a warning about the essential connection between democracy and journalism and the need to protect them both. irjci.blogspot.com/p/save-journal…

His big lie is that he lost unfairly. This is another version of that, but it's also his rebuttal to being indicted in four jurisdictions. Thinking people must reject that. Collusion hasn't been proven, but he certainly knew the Russians were helping him. washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/…

Details to follow.

Trump's Truth Social was rescued by emergency loans provided partly by a Russian-American businessman being investigated for insider trading and money laundering. Just one more Russian connection for the man who would be president again. Think about it. theguardian.com/us-news/2024/a…

Republican members of Congress say Russian disinformation has infected a substantial number of their colleagues. That is probably exacerbated by those lawmakers’ too-narrow sources of information. Leaders’ minds need to be open. axios.com/2024/04/07/rus…

'Fittingly for 2024, the eclipse will come over the border from Mexico into Texas and, in short order, be sent to New York,' writes Philip Bump in his weekly map-graph-and-chart column. s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?track…

NASA, beat this!

Thanks to @arnoldgarson for confronting us with the facts. open.substack.com/pub/arnoldgars…

A trial balance on the Kentucky legislature: Political agendas, external and internal, drive what happens and doesn’t happen nkytribune.com/2024/04/opinio…

Commentary from Teri Carter, after observing the Kentucky General Assembly. hoptownchronicle.org/whats-a-girl-t…

The base of the tower always has the strongest winds on campus because of, well, the tower.