I wrote this in the wake of the college protests, but it applies to all peaceful protests. There’s a formula—and it has a strong historical track record. theconversation.com/campus-protest…

A small sample from the long, good-humored line of protesters stretching blocks in Henrietta, NY—one of many Rochester-area suburbs showing up with demonstrations throughout the day.

Seems like a good time to remember the importance of caution in forming one's beliefs. Bad beliefs: Misinformation is factually wrong – but is it ethically wrong, too? share.google/QItKuT0mi3QlqY…

COVID booster done—quick and easy at my pharmacy, thanks to New York State’s responsible governor.

"Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech." - Benjamin Franklin

Jane Goodall was one of the lights of this world. There is much to be pessimistic about today, and though her passing is sad, it does us good, especially at this moment, to reflect on a life well lived and on what humanity can be at its best.

Time for my yearly PSA: Columbus Day is to Italian immigrant heritage what Papa John's is to pizza—a contrived abomination. theconversation.com/how-columbus-d…

We can have no fellowship with tyrants. Rather, there can only be a clear severance of ties. -Cicero (On Duties)

Big, friendly, and peaceful No Kings anti-fascist turnout from all ages, with lots of veterans present, in the Rochester area once again today.

I'm reminded of when Jane Goodall observed parallels between Trump’s behavior and chimpanzee "dominance rituals." If we continue that reasoning, now that Trump is resorting to the AI equivalent of flinging feces, we can infer that the protests made him feel caged and vulnerable.

Here is a sad truth: Our contempt for political opponents incentivizes bad politics. Another good piece on our polarization problem by Robert Talisse: theconversation.com/blame-the-shut…

From a moral/political philosophy view, this President is utterly boring—pure ego, pure corruption. All you can do is condemn. Not philosophically interesting. The only interesting question: how did Americans put this immoral narcissist in office again?

At this point, the American public is entitled to adverse inference regarding the Epstein files. In other words, you should assume that they are as bad for Trump as they could conceivably be.

Anyone else feel like an expatriate in their own country right now?

"We should never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was "legal" [...] it was "illegal" to aid and comfort a Jew in Hitler's Germany. [...] Had I lived in Germany at that time, I would have aided and comforted my Jewish brothers." —Letter from a Birmingham Jail

Everything happening in Minnesota is a nightmare--but combined with Pam Bondi’s attempt to obtain voter rolls in Minneapolis, this story demands laser focus. 👇theguardian.com/us-news/2026/j…

GOP AGs have outrageously succeeded in getting a judges’ guide to basic climate science scrapped as “biased.” In truth, they’ve confessed: if courts consider legitimate science, fossil fuel interests cannot win. nytimes.com/2026/02/10/cli…

Imagine a bridge is out in a storm. Now imagine someone intentionally removes the sign alerting drivers of the danger ahead. Is that person now negligent for the harms caused by their action? theguardian.com/us-news/2026/f…