Pete Ellertsen culture wars, immigration, postcolonialism, racism, rule of law, social media

Why George III gets a bum rap: Trump’s comic-opera tyranny flirts with state terror and gives real kings a bad name

d r a f t 'No Kings' rally at Illinois Statehouse, Springfield, Oct. 18 (photo Debi Edmund). When the Trump regime first announced it would send “military troops” (whatever they meant by that) to Chicago, the reaction from Capitol Fax readers in Illinois was immediate and withering. Subscribers to the state government newsletter include lawmakers, state agency officials and … Continue reading Why George III gets a bum rap: Trump’s comic-opera tyranny flirts with state terror and gives real kings a bad name

Pete Ellertsen culture wars, historiography, politics, rule of law, social justice

You think a grand jury will indict a ham sandwich? Baloney! Here’s reason to hope Anglo-American law can survive Trump

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATrOEdcu230 Chris Hayes, 'All In with Chris Hayes,' Aug. 27, 2025, MSNBC. NO Freeman shall be taken or imprisoned, or be disseised [unlawfully dispossessed] of his Freehold, or Liberties, or free Customs, or be outlawed, or exiled, or any other wise destroyed; nor will We not pass upon him, nor condemn him, but by lawful … Continue reading You think a grand jury will indict a ham sandwich? Baloney! Here’s reason to hope Anglo-American law can survive Trump

Pete Ellertsen church&state, culture wars, faith, immigration, pluralism, racism, rule of law, social justice

Church historians sparking resistance to Trump regime’s cruelty, emerging autocracy (spiritual direction April 2025)

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/8KbfUJslr2Q Kristin du Mez and Jemar Tisby react to DEI ban (Convocation Unscripted). Editor’s (admin’s) note: Lightly edited copy of email I wrote in advance of this month’s appointment with my spiritual director, giving her a heads-up on what I’d been journaling on since our last meeting and, more to the point, helping me focus over … Continue reading Church historians sparking resistance to Trump regime’s cruelty, emerging autocracy (spiritual direction April 2025)

Pete Ellertsen anti-Semitism, culture wars, immigration, Islamophobia, media ethics, pluralism, racism, rule of law

Timothy Snyder sees antisemitic, fascist parallels in Trump’s tactics against Ukranian president, Palestinian student

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t39_pRTAni4 Washington Post, Feb. 28, 2025 (YouTube). Editor's (admin's) note. This post started out journaling about Timothy Snyder's warning about the Trump regime's flirtation with antisemitic and Russian fascist tropes. As Snyder commented on similar tropes in Trump's attempt to deport a Palestinian activist at Columbia, it morphed into my thoughts on what I believe … Continue reading Timothy Snyder sees antisemitic, fascist parallels in Trump’s tactics against Ukranian president, Palestinian student

Pete Ellertsen historiography, politics, rule of law

Finding a sliver of hope in Trump’s porn star hush money verdict, Magna Carta and a 13th-century Latin pun: ‘Where there is no law (lex) there is no king (rex)’

Quotation from my PhD dissertation, UT-Knoxville, March 1975. A moment I've been anticipating for nearly a decade arrived today. Not only that, it also reaffirmed a faith I've had for 50 years. The moment came about 3:30 p.m. (CDT) when a criminal court jury in New York City convicted ex-President Donald Trump on 34 counts of … Continue reading Finding a sliver of hope in Trump’s porn star hush money verdict, Magna Carta and a 13th-century Latin pun: ‘Where there is no law (lex) there is no king (rex)’

Pete Ellertsen culture wars, Islamophobia, politics, rule of law

A reminder, without mentioning Trump’s name, that Hitler won Germany’s last free election with 37.4 percent of the vote

David Lee Preston, Twitter (now "X"), Dec. 7, 2015 Comes now Adam Gopnik of the New Yorker and gives powerful evidence it's time to start taking the comparisons of ex-President Donald Trump and Hitler more seriously, Godwin's Law notwithstanding. Godwin's Law, similar to a logical fallacy known as the Reductio ad Hitlerum, holds that sooner … Continue reading A reminder, without mentioning Trump’s name, that Hitler won Germany’s last free election with 37.4 percent of the vote

Pete Ellertsen church&state, culture wars, rule of law

Did Justice Thomas violate 28 USC 455 during the Supreme Court’s latest no-good, very-bad week?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGEzX8o4qwE MSNBC, Dec. 8, 2022 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGEzX8o4qwE&t=131s) 28 U.S. Code § 455 - Disqualification of justice, judge, or magistrate judge(a) Any justice, judge, or magistrate judge of the United States shall disqualify himself in any proceeding in which his impartiality might reasonably be questioned.(b)He shall also disqualify himself in the following circumstances:[...](4) He knows that he, … Continue reading Did Justice Thomas violate 28 USC 455 during the Supreme Court’s latest no-good, very-bad week?

Pete Ellertsen church&state, culture wars, journal, Roger Williams, rule of law

Money changers in the temple? Justice Alito’s leaks show dangers of too-cozy relationships between church, state

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LN_TcmU1-k4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LN_TcmU1-k4 [Roger] Williams described the true church as a magnificent garden, unsullied and pure, resonant of Eden. The world he described as “the Wilderness,” a word with personal resonance for him. Then he used for the first time a phrase he would use again, a phrase that although not commonly attributed to him has … Continue reading Money changers in the temple? Justice Alito’s leaks show dangers of too-cozy relationships between church, state