What’s Happening Is Not Normal. America Needs an Uprising That Is Not Normal.
By David Brooks
Opinion Columnist
In the beginning there was agony. Under the empires of old, the
strong did what they willed and the weak suffered what they must.
But over the centuries, people built the sinews of civilization: Constitutions to restrain power, international alliances to promote
peace, legal systems to peacefully settle disputes, scientific
institutions to cure disease, news outlets to advance public
understanding, charitable organizations to ease suffering, businesses
to build wealth and spread prosperity, and universities to preserve,
transmit and advance the glories of our way of life. These
institutions make our lives sweet, loving and creative, rather than
nasty, brutish and short.
Trumpism is threatening all of that. It is primarily about the
acquisition of power — power for its own sake. It is a multifront
assault to make the earth a playground for ruthless men, so of course
any institutions that might restrain power must be weakened or
destroyed. Trumpism is about ego, appetite and acquisitiveness and is
driven by a primal aversion to the higher elements of the human
spirit — learning, compassion, scientific wonder, the pursuit of
justice.
So far, we have treated the various assaults of President Trump and
the acolytes in his administration as a series of different attacks.
In one lane they are going after law firms. In another they savaged U.S.A.I.D. In another they’re attacking our universities. On yet
another front they’re undermining NATO and on another they’re
upending global trade.
But that’s the wrong way to think about it. These are not separate
battles. This is a single effort to undo the parts of the
civilizational order that might restrain Trump’s acquisition of
power. And it will take a concerted response to beat it back. [...]
What is happening now is not normal politics. We’re seeing an assault
on the fundamental institutions of our civic life, things we should
all swear loyalty to — Democrat, independent or Republican. [...]
It’s time for a comprehensive national civic uprising. It’s time for Americans in universities, law, business, nonprofits and the
scientific community, and civil servants and beyond to form one
coordinated mass movement. Trump is about power. The only way he’s
going to be stopped is if he’s confronted by some movement that
possesses rival power.
It is time for revolution in the streets.
Lou Bricano wrote:
What’s Happening Is Not Normal. America Needs an Uprising That Is Nothttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/17/opinion/trump-harvard-law-firms.html
Normal.
By David Brooks
Opinion Columnist
In the beginning there was agony. Under the empires of old, the
strong did what they willed and the weak suffered what they must.
But over the centuries, people built the sinews of civilization:
Constitutions to restrain power, international alliances to promote
peace, legal systems to peacefully settle disputes, scientific
institutions to cure disease, news outlets to advance public
understanding, charitable organizations to ease suffering, businesses
to build wealth and spread prosperity, and universities to preserve,
transmit and advance the glories of our way of life. These
institutions make our lives sweet, loving and creative, rather than
nasty, brutish and short.
Trumpism is threatening all of that. It is primarily about the
acquisition of power — power for its own sake. It is a multifront
assault to make the earth a playground for ruthless men, so of course
any institutions that might restrain power must be weakened or
destroyed. Trumpism is about ego, appetite and acquisitiveness and is
driven by a primal aversion to the higher elements of the human
spirit — learning, compassion, scientific wonder, the pursuit of
justice.
So far, we have treated the various assaults of President Trump and
the acolytes in his administration as a series of different attacks.
In one lane they are going after law firms. In another they savaged
U.S.A.I.D. In another they’re attacking our universities. On yet
another front they’re undermining NATO and on another they’re
upending global trade.
But that’s the wrong way to think about it. These are not separate
battles. This is a single effort to undo the parts of the
civilizational order that might restrain Trump’s acquisition of
power. And it will take a concerted response to beat it back. [...]
What is happening now is not normal politics. We’re seeing an assault
on the fundamental institutions of our civic life, things we should
all swear loyalty to — Democrat, independent or Republican. [...]
It’s time for a comprehensive national civic uprising. It’s time for
Americans in universities, law, business, nonprofits and the
scientific community, and civil servants and beyond to form one
coordinated mass movement. Trump is about power. The only way he’s
going to be stopped is if he’s confronted by some movement that
possesses rival power.
It is time for revolution in the streets.
You're scaring the shit outta me.
Lou Bricano wrote:
What?s Happening Is Not Normal. America Needs an Uprising That Is Not Normal.
By David Brooks
Opinion Columnist
In the beginning there was agony. Under the empires of old, the
strong did what they willed and the weak suffered what they must.
But over the centuries, people built the sinews of civilization: Constitutions to restrain power, international alliances to promote
peace, legal systems to peacefully settle disputes, scientific
institutions to cure disease, news outlets to advance public
understanding, charitable organizations to ease suffering, businesses
to build wealth and spread prosperity, and universities to preserve, transmit and advance the glories of our way of life. These
institutions make our lives sweet, loving and creative, rather than
nasty, brutish and short.
Trumpism is threatening all of that. It is primarily about the
acquisition of power ? power for its own sake. It is a multifront
assault to make the earth a playground for ruthless men, so of course
any institutions that might restrain power must be weakened or
destroyed. Trumpism is about ego, appetite and acquisitiveness and is driven by a primal aversion to the higher elements of the human
spirit ? learning, compassion, scientific wonder, the pursuit of
justice.
So far, we have treated the various assaults of President Trump and
the acolytes in his administration as a series of different attacks.
In one lane they are going after law firms. In another they savaged U.S.A.I.D. In another they?re attacking our universities. On yet
another front they?re undermining NATO and on another they?re
upending global trade.
But that?s the wrong way to think about it. These are not separate
battles. This is a single effort to undo the parts of the
civilizational order that might restrain Trump?s acquisition of
power. And it will take a concerted response to beat it back. [...]
What is happening now is not normal politics. We?re seeing an assault
on the fundamental institutions of our civic life, things we should
all swear loyalty to ? Democrat, independent or Republican. [...]
It?s time for a comprehensive national civic uprising. It?s time for Americans in universities, law, business, nonprofits and the
scientific community, and civil servants and beyond to form one
coordinated mass movement. Trump is about power. The only way he?s
going to be stopped is if he?s confronted by some movement that
possesses rival power.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/17/opinion/trump-harvard-law-firms.html
It is time for revolution in the streets.
You're scaring the shit outta me.
| Sysop: | Keyop |
|---|---|
| Location: | Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, UK |
| Users: | 483 |
| Nodes: | 16 (2 / 14) |
| Uptime: | 208:44:31 |
| Calls: | 9,602 |
| Files: | 13,682 |
| Messages: | 6,153,475 |