I thought so too! The multicultural penguins all seem ok and hanging out together

Oh no, that last line. So many terrible things now.

I really do think that part of the dysfunction in our political moment is that we have erected too many barriers between those wielding state power and juries.

We have juries for a reason, as a way for the community to render informed judgement.

Let a jury decide.

I saw that article and thought of you — the database also used legal records, which reminded me of your work on WW1 conscription tribunals.

Trumpism is fundamentally opposed to everything academia is about - critical thinking, reasoned debate, advancement and sharing of knowledge. Universities can’t reach accommodation with Trumpism without sacrificing everything that makes them universities. The only option is to push back.

But this email went out to millions of parents who are not hip to that, and a similar number of former scouts I assume, all of whom are aware of what it takes to earn a badge

They are proposing cutting support for Scouting troops on military bases which will probably anger a lot of serving military who were scouts themselves and want their kids to be too. I feel like this is poking something with a stick that should not be poked.

I assume so too but they apparently said that the scouts were insufficiently meritocratic now. Which was probably not the right language to use if you didn’t want to piss off every kid who ever got a badge for anything