The Measure of a True Visionary: Jane Goodall on the Indivisibility of Art and Science by Maria Popova

I find it fitting that the person who told me that Dr. Jane Goodall died was a young woman who is currently pursuing her undergraduate degree in the sciences. Dr. Goodall was an inspiration for her and for countless people like her. That was no passive inspiration either. Dr. Goodall generally spent a lifetime making the world a better, kinder place. Writing for The Marginalian, Maria Popova offers brief but compelling illumination of Dr. Goodall’s enormous impact. I’m also grateful that all my various feeds are filled with the great person’s own wise and wonderful words.

https://www.tumblr.com/diyentertainment/796262929424154624/rest-in-peace-to-jane-goodall-whose-tireless

The Commander in Chief Is Not Okay by Tom Nichols

This past week brought an appalling display that treated the most accomplished leaders of the U.S. military as props for grotesquely unqualified members of the executive branch to air their childish views and bigoted grievances. Writing for The Atlantic, Tom Nichols offers a valuable analysis of what was plainly revealed in the irresponsibly political showboating and verbal wanderings of the broken human being who currently holds the U.S. presidency. The nation is currently presided over by someone who is mentally unwell.

Government Workers Say Their Out-of-Office Replies Were Forcibly Changed to Blame Democrats for Shutdown by Leah Feiger and Vittoria Elliott

One of the favorite phrases of right-wingers exalting the United States is to proudly declare that it is “a nation of laws.” The rampant criminality of the current White House is proving that notion to be patently false. Reporting for Wired, Leah Feiger and Victoria Elliott provide details of executive branch leadership changing the out-of-office messages of federally employees who are not working because of the current government shutdown. Beyond being the height of weaselly, unethical behavior, the messaging that specifically blames the Democratic party is a clear violation of the Hatch Act. In a nation of laws, there would be repercussion for this. There won’t be.

Trump’s ‘Compact’ With Universities Is Just Extortion by Erwin Chemerinsky

And here’s some more illegality. The White House has no authority whatsoever to require institutions of higher learning to accede to a set of politically motivated demands in order to receive previously allocated federal funding. What’s more, several of the provisions in the compact sent to several universities this week — such as a prohibition school employees from participating in political speech — is expressly against the law. Erwin Chemerinsky, a law school dean, is blazingly clear about what is happening here. This piece is published by The New York Times.