Dimensionally Barrett

In a kind of push to simplify things, I’m going to introduce this series on “Stuff to Do”.  One of the recurring questions I hear is “what can I do?”, and I think while that comes from a very genuine place, all too often the implication is that everything is so overwhelming that the brain short-circuits. That’s completely understandable. I’m not going to list everything all over the country, but I am going to concentrate on Texas, Harris County, and Houston issues.  On any given day, when I open Bluesksy or even Facebook (still), there are postings by individuals and organizations, petitions to be signed and, of course, larger nationwide efforts like the upcoming protest on Saturday, April 19. Another reason I’m doing this is because reposting stuff on Bluesky or Facebook takes time. I want to give people regular one-stop shopping, at least from my end, so there’s that. Anyway, I’m going to try this out for awhile. I may still multiple post on social media, but for ease of use...

“Set a good example of what America means for the generations to come. They will need it.” Snyder begins the chapter with what patriotism is not. It is an extensive list and much of it feels specific to a figure with whom all are familiar. For example, It is not patriotic to: Dodge the draft and mock war heroes Ask working families to finance one’s own presidential campaign, and then spend their contributions on one’s own companies To admire foreign dictators To say that Bashar al-Assaad and Vlaadimir. Putin are superior leaders To call up on foreign leaders to intervene in American presidential elections To share an adviser with Russian oligarchs To appoint a National Security Advisor who likes to be called “General Misha” and then pardon him for his crimes To refer to American soldiers as “losers” and “suckers” To take heather care form families  To golf your way through a national epidemic in which half a million Americans die To try to end democracy There is more, but this give...

Before I begin, it’s newsworthy that a group of Democratic representatives have been blocked from entering USAID headquarters and the White House just announced that Elon Musk is “a special government employee.” Over the weekend, thousands protested the Regime en masse. I’m leading with this, because this is what defending the constitution and the institutions of governance looks like and what we are all likely going to be called on to do in the months to come. I also want to point out that these protests haven’t been well-reported by legacy media. This is adjacent to what we’re seeing play out in real time as our institutions, including the fourth estate, are under attack or under the thumb of oligarchs.  In some ways, none of this surprises me. The country has been on track for something like this for decades, if not a full century. Nesrine Malim at the Guardian has a strong piece (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/feb/03/donald-trump-american-exceptionalism-guantan...

On this Election Day Eve, I don’t feel compelled to exacerbate handwringing nor even to traffic in hope, though, if you read the previous entry , you’ll find that I’m certainly not un-hopeful. I don’t want to spend a lot of time on building an argument for how or why I look on the current historical moment that we are all part of as I do. Aurelius put it better than I ever could: ”This is a fine saying of Plato. That he who is discoursing about men should look also at earthly things as if he viewed them from some higher place: should look at them in their assemblies, armies, agricultural labours, marriages, treaties, births, deaths, noise of the courts of justice, desert places, various nations of barbarians, feasts, lamentations, markets, a mixture of all things and an orderly combination of contraries.” (The Meditations, VII; 48) This isn’t to say that one assumes an aristocratic, above-it-all, attitude; simply to recognize that what is unfolding moment by moment is part of a greater...

Huh, the Supreme Court building...looking morally vacant. I hope no one was surprised by the SCOTUS ruling on limited immunity regarding the 45th president's criminal cases. I'm unpleasantly shocked that it finally happened, but now that's passed, all I can think of right now is ruminating on how it's all come to this. Essentially, the ruling paves the way for any number of possible futures of governance in this country. I don't feel like reading tea leaves, but in the short term, it has rendered holding power at the highest level accountable nearly impossible.  The ruling is vague enough to tie up cases in what is to be considered "official business" at any given point in a president's tenure, but no matter how you may want to spin it, its meaning is clear; the president cannot be tried for criminal acts while in office. The president is now quite literally "above the law" and this, to anyone paying attention - and I'll definitely be rev...

  For this update, I want to telescope out and look at what is happening among our policy makers and legislators in the U.S. in response to the National Unity Government (NUG)’s search for recognition and establishment among international bodies. At the same time, there’s a question of who is doing what exactly to support the Burmese people and the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM). These are not two unrelated elements. And last, I’m offering merchandise to support the International Campaign for the Rohingya. Recognize the NUG “[D]emocratic countries should expressly stand with the people of Myanmar in their struggle for democracy” - Scholars for Myanmar Open Letter The first issue that comes to mind is the NUG’s reluctance to include Rohingya representation as part of its structure. In an exchange earlier this month, Kyaw Moe Tun, Myanmar’s permanent representative to the United Nations did not commit to this inclusion before the US House of Representatives Committee on Fore...