Timothy Messer-Kruse
@profmk.bsky.social
Professor of Cultural Studies at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. Eclectic scholar of radicalism and culture. Currently writing a civics textbook from a critical perspective. https://blogs.bgsu.edu/tmesser/
A sure sign of spring is renewed attacks on CRT, DEI, and now in Kansas, "racial, ethnic or gender studies." In addition to the old white panic, this bill cracks down on "anti-racism" "social justice" and "cultural competence." What's next requiring cruelty?
www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/...
www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/...
www.kslegislature.gov
February 5, 2026 at 10:05 AM
A sure sign of spring is renewed attacks on CRT, DEI, and now in Kansas, "racial, ethnic or gender studies." In addition to the old white panic, this bill cracks down on "anti-racism" "social justice" and "cultural competence." What's next requiring cruelty?
www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/...
www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/...
NH GOP just dropped the most bonkers K-12 thought control bill yet. It is a greatest hits of all the worst ideas. The worst part is that at bills first hearing a GOP rep suggested amending it to apply to higher Ed too! Here is a sampler of its Orwellian ideas: 1/
gc.nh.gov/bill_status/...
gc.nh.gov/bill_status/...
Current Legislation Search
gc.nh.gov
February 4, 2026 at 9:48 AM
NH GOP just dropped the most bonkers K-12 thought control bill yet. It is a greatest hits of all the worst ideas. The worst part is that at bills first hearing a GOP rep suggested amending it to apply to higher Ed too! Here is a sampler of its Orwellian ideas: 1/
gc.nh.gov/bill_status/...
gc.nh.gov/bill_status/...
The NR says civics is needed because "progressives who dominate our faculties" teach that the Constitution was "written by racists to protect their power." So the founders weren't racist and tossing the Articles of Conf. had nothing to do with class power? www.nationalreview.com/corner/its-t...
It’s Time to Teach Civic Literacy | National Review
A good program in Texas is hoping to make a difference.
www.nationalreview.com
January 29, 2026 at 11:16 AM
The NR says civics is needed because "progressives who dominate our faculties" teach that the Constitution was "written by racists to protect their power." So the founders weren't racist and tossing the Articles of Conf. had nothing to do with class power? www.nationalreview.com/corner/its-t...
The Right failed in the marketplace of ideas—so now they are trying to discredit it: “universities also have a special role to play in the transmission of our intellectual inheritance…especially elements of that inheritance that grate against contemporary sensibilities.”
cfau.aei.org/five-reasons...
cfau.aei.org/five-reasons...
Five Reasons Viewpoint Diversity Makes Academic Sense - The Future of American University
By Jenna Silber Storey and Benjamin Storey January 26, 2026 Everyone seems to be talking about viewpoint diversity—but it is often unclear what exactly we are talking about. Do hiring committees need...
cfau.aei.org
January 28, 2026 at 3:41 PM
The Right failed in the marketplace of ideas—so now they are trying to discredit it: “universities also have a special role to play in the transmission of our intellectual inheritance…especially elements of that inheritance that grate against contemporary sensibilities.”
cfau.aei.org/five-reasons...
cfau.aei.org/five-reasons...
They say to understand politics follow the money. This excellent article does that for the expanding 'civic institute' scam. Tracing the money trail leads back to a shadowy network of right-wing billionaires like the Koch family.
prismreports.org/2026/01/27/c...
prismreports.org/2026/01/27/c...
Right-wing plot to set up ‘intellectual freedom centers’ at public universities
UNC-Chapel Hill and the University of Florida are part of the effort to push conservative ideology on college students in the guise of civics education
prismreports.org
January 28, 2026 at 12:04 PM
They say to understand politics follow the money. This excellent article does that for the expanding 'civic institute' scam. Tracing the money trail leads back to a shadowy network of right-wing billionaires like the Koch family.
prismreports.org/2026/01/27/c...
prismreports.org/2026/01/27/c...
Why is the prevailing response to ICE occupation in U.S. cities for Congress to "abolish ICE" when there is a much simpler solution: Congress can declare amnesty and permanent residency to all persons currently living in the U.S. We created the idea of "illegal" aliens. We can also undefine it.
January 27, 2026 at 1:13 PM
Why is the prevailing response to ICE occupation in U.S. cities for Congress to "abolish ICE" when there is a much simpler solution: Congress can declare amnesty and permanent residency to all persons currently living in the U.S. We created the idea of "illegal" aliens. We can also undefine it.
Anyone in the LA area on Mar. 19 is welcome to come out and hear civic education debated.
January 23, 2026 at 8:57 PM
Anyone in the LA area on Mar. 19 is welcome to come out and hear civic education debated.
The civic center on my campus asked if I would bring my undergraduates to talk on Federalist #10. All the speakers are five state legislators. Hmmm.... wonder why. Oh, did the new legislative session just begin?
January 23, 2026 at 10:40 AM
The civic center on my campus asked if I would bring my undergraduates to talk on Federalist #10. All the speakers are five state legislators. Hmmm.... wonder why. Oh, did the new legislative session just begin?
Don't condemn Americans for voting Trump into office. The line is that people are stupid and democracy doesn't work. But the USA wasn't meant to be a democracy but to balance elite interests (Senate, unelected Supremes, an electoral college). The problem isn't democracy because we don't have one.
January 22, 2026 at 10:42 AM
Don't condemn Americans for voting Trump into office. The line is that people are stupid and democracy doesn't work. But the USA wasn't meant to be a democracy but to balance elite interests (Senate, unelected Supremes, an electoral college). The problem isn't democracy because we don't have one.
Iowa GOP is about to ban the "study of subgroups of Americans" from required Intro to US History courses. This would, I assume include all ethnic studies, women's history, etc. So we have moved from anti-CRT to anti-anyone but white men in just 2 years.
www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/...
www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/...
Iowa Legislature - BillBook
Information pertaining to the Iowa Legislature as well as the Executive and Judicial branch in as much as they relate to the legislative branch
www.legis.iowa.gov
January 21, 2026 at 11:02 AM
Iowa GOP is about to ban the "study of subgroups of Americans" from required Intro to US History courses. This would, I assume include all ethnic studies, women's history, etc. So we have moved from anti-CRT to anti-anyone but white men in just 2 years.
www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/...
www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/...
So the NH lawmaker in charge of Ed policy and sponsor of last years law banning CRT because systemic racism is a myth is caught planning to racially segregate schools in a lawmaker group chat (with no push back). granitepostnews.com/2026/01/14/l...
Leaked Signal chat shows NH House education chair advocating whites-only schools
The group chat allegedly shows NH House Education Committee Chair Kristin Noble suggesting test scores would rise if students were split into white and
granitepostnews.com
January 15, 2026 at 1:24 PM
So the NH lawmaker in charge of Ed policy and sponsor of last years law banning CRT because systemic racism is a myth is caught planning to racially segregate schools in a lawmaker group chat (with no push back). granitepostnews.com/2026/01/14/l...
Reposted by Timothy Messer-Kruse
🧵 The autoworker at the Dearborn Truck Plant is a proud member of a strong and fighting union—the UAW. He believes in freedom of speech, a principle we wholeheartedly embrace, and we stand with our membership in protecting their voice on the job.
January 14, 2026 at 4:43 PM
🧵 The autoworker at the Dearborn Truck Plant is a proud member of a strong and fighting union—the UAW. He believes in freedom of speech, a principle we wholeheartedly embrace, and we stand with our membership in protecting their voice on the job.
“ the thing to do is to realize that we are an empire in decline, and we are writhing in this kind of irrationality, particularly in the international realm. And it will continue for another decade or two, until the power, American power, finally slips away.”
www.democracynow.org/2026/1/13/al...
www.democracynow.org/2026/1/13/al...
“Empire in Decline”: Historian Alfred McCoy on U.S. Aggression in Venezuela, Iran & Beyond
As President Trump threatens Iran, Venezuela, Mexico, Greenland and more, renowned historian Alfred McCoy says the United States is “an empire in decline,” following a predictable pattern of militaris...
www.democracynow.org
January 14, 2026 at 5:15 PM
“ the thing to do is to realize that we are an empire in decline, and we are writhing in this kind of irrationality, particularly in the international realm. And it will continue for another decade or two, until the power, American power, finally slips away.”
www.democracynow.org/2026/1/13/al...
www.democracynow.org/2026/1/13/al...
I had my 70 undergrads fill out a survey that among many things asked them to rate their politics and how many social media followers they had. Conservatism correlated strongly with higher numbers of followers. Not surprising but a reminder of the climate we live in.
January 14, 2026 at 2:58 PM
I had my 70 undergrads fill out a survey that among many things asked them to rate their politics and how many social media followers they had. Conservatism correlated strongly with higher numbers of followers. Not surprising but a reminder of the climate we live in.
Reposted by Timothy Messer-Kruse
Senate Bill 1 is reshaping Ohio public universities; 5 major changes
by Laura Hancock
www.cleveland.com/open/2026/01...
by Laura Hancock
www.cleveland.com/open/2026/01...
Senate Bill 1 is reshaping Ohio public universities; 5 major changes
From eliminated degree programs to disbanded DEI offices, changes enacted by the controversial Senate Bill 1 have transformed Ohio's higher education landscape and prompted neighboring states to recru...
www.cleveland.com
January 9, 2026 at 3:39 PM
Senate Bill 1 is reshaping Ohio public universities; 5 major changes
by Laura Hancock
www.cleveland.com/open/2026/01...
by Laura Hancock
www.cleveland.com/open/2026/01...
Quoted in Aisha Baiocchi's excellent article on the GOP rage for civics centers that I've long called affirmative action for conservatives.
www.chronicle.com/article/the-...
www.chronicle.com/article/the-...
The Influential Center Filling the Ranks of America’s Civic-Thought Schools
The Jack Miller Center says “nearly all the deans and directors” of burgeoning civics programs on college campuses belong to its prominent network.
www.chronicle.com
January 9, 2026 at 10:45 AM
Quoted in Aisha Baiocchi's excellent article on the GOP rage for civics centers that I've long called affirmative action for conservatives.
www.chronicle.com/article/the-...
www.chronicle.com/article/the-...
Announcing the first textbook to meet the requirements of Ohio's SB 1. UNPATRIOTIC CIVICS examines the mandated 'founding documents' without sentimental myths. a.co/d/1DouSQT @stopsb1oh.bsky.social @honesty4ohioed.bsky.social @osuaaup.bsky.social @ohaaup.bsky.social
January 8, 2026 at 2:32 PM
Announcing the first textbook to meet the requirements of Ohio's SB 1. UNPATRIOTIC CIVICS examines the mandated 'founding documents' without sentimental myths. a.co/d/1DouSQT @stopsb1oh.bsky.social @honesty4ohioed.bsky.social @osuaaup.bsky.social @ohaaup.bsky.social
Dear Bluesky friends, I'm refreshing all my online info in preparation for my book launch in a couple weeks and I would very much like one of you who knows how to edit Wikipedia to add some missing books to the publications list on my Wiki page. I've placed the list on the next page. Thanks! 1/3
January 5, 2026 at 12:57 PM
Dear Bluesky friends, I'm refreshing all my online info in preparation for my book launch in a couple weeks and I would very much like one of you who knows how to edit Wikipedia to add some missing books to the publications list on my Wiki page. I've placed the list on the next page. Thanks! 1/3
This is what you get when you have a constitutional structure designed to facilitate minority rule and a political party that has learned how to exploit this essence fully.
January 3, 2026 at 8:19 PM
This is what you get when you have a constitutional structure designed to facilitate minority rule and a political party that has learned how to exploit this essence fully.
2025 is in the books:
2 1/2 marathons (1 age group win)
4500 bike miles
1000 run miles
100 swims
2 70.3 triathlons
1 book
1 article
1 Chronicle Review essay
2 book reviews
1 conference paper
2 all-campus awards
1 PhD student graduated
But I’d trade it all not to have had to write 2 obits.
2 1/2 marathons (1 age group win)
4500 bike miles
1000 run miles
100 swims
2 70.3 triathlons
1 book
1 article
1 Chronicle Review essay
2 book reviews
1 conference paper
2 all-campus awards
1 PhD student graduated
But I’d trade it all not to have had to write 2 obits.
December 31, 2025 at 1:17 PM
2025 is in the books:
2 1/2 marathons (1 age group win)
4500 bike miles
1000 run miles
100 swims
2 70.3 triathlons
1 book
1 article
1 Chronicle Review essay
2 book reviews
1 conference paper
2 all-campus awards
1 PhD student graduated
But I’d trade it all not to have had to write 2 obits.
2 1/2 marathons (1 age group win)
4500 bike miles
1000 run miles
100 swims
2 70.3 triathlons
1 book
1 article
1 Chronicle Review essay
2 book reviews
1 conference paper
2 all-campus awards
1 PhD student graduated
But I’d trade it all not to have had to write 2 obits.
Weird... I began updating my syllabi for the Spring term and checked the university calendars and MLK Day is just a blank. Probably just a glitch in the software...
December 22, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Weird... I began updating my syllabi for the Spring term and checked the university calendars and MLK Day is just a blank. Probably just a glitch in the software...
Being a boomer who watched Sanford & Son and listened to the Grateful Dead, when the WaPo advertises its new product I think of something else...
December 17, 2025 at 2:19 PM
Being a boomer who watched Sanford & Son and listened to the Grateful Dead, when the WaPo advertises its new product I think of something else...