Joseph Weber
@joeyboy.bsky.social
Longtime journalist, author, retired professor
Who is the real swine?
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Who is the real swine?
Trump's misogyny may -- at last -- be catching up with him
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November 20, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Who is the real swine?
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Is "intellectual diversity" really diverse?
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Is "intellectual diversity" really diverse?
An Indiana case tests what intellectual exchange means in the Trump era
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November 14, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Is "intellectual diversity" really diverse?
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"But, as we see widening gaps nationally between haves and have-nots, the verses offer no comfort. ....They seem inadequate when we see a government giving billions in tax breaks to the ultrarich and corporations."
The poor shall always be with us
But, in time and with the right change, they could fare better
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November 13, 2025 at 10:58 PM
"But, as we see widening gaps nationally between haves and have-nots, the verses offer no comfort. ....They seem inadequate when we see a government giving billions in tax breaks to the ultrarich and corporations."
"As we honor the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform – past and present – today, it’s worth noting the deep flaws that mark their current commander-in-chief and his deputies. He has long had those flaws on display."
Unfit to serve
Donald J. Trump tarnishes Veterans Day
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November 11, 2025 at 9:59 PM
"As we honor the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform – past and present – today, it’s worth noting the deep flaws that mark their current commander-in-chief and his deputies. He has long had those flaws on display."
“For us in her family, Abi’s choice to put herself on the line to help the West Bank Arabs was not a welcome one. The danger was obvious and the gain elusive. The effort ... seemed at best idealistic and at worst provocative, even though the RVHR has been doing this for some 20 years.”
A harvest of worry
Israel's intractable conflict hits home with a daughter's visit there
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November 7, 2025 at 7:31 PM
“For us in her family, Abi’s choice to put herself on the line to help the West Bank Arabs was not a welcome one. The danger was obvious and the gain elusive. The effort ... seemed at best idealistic and at worst provocative, even though the RVHR has been doing this for some 20 years.”
"Still, none of his absurd rhetoric could outweigh the anti-Trumpist results in California, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Georgia and Mississippi."
The Big Loser
As Dems sweep the election, a red-faced president proves indecorous
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November 5, 2025 at 9:13 PM
"Still, none of his absurd rhetoric could outweigh the anti-Trumpist results in California, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Georgia and Mississippi."
"But, at least in some quarters, smart people such as Burroughs are seeing the assault for the petty and destructive effort it is. The fight is far from over, but this round has gone to the better side." open.substack.com/pub/josephwe...
The last bulwark
Some courts stand tall against Trump's depredations
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September 5, 2025 at 2:32 AM
"But, at least in some quarters, smart people such as Burroughs are seeing the assault for the petty and destructive effort it is. The fight is far from over, but this round has gone to the better side." open.substack.com/pub/josephwe...
"Aside from winning splashy headlines, does it help a potential president to imitate Trump’s buffoonery? Or would grace and class sell better to those in the electorate who find the schoolyard taunts and WWE-style crudeness tiresome and unworthy of anyone in – or prospectively in – the White House?"
Can "going high" work again?
Gutter level politics has a long history, but we seem to hit new lows daily
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August 26, 2025 at 1:26 AM
"Aside from winning splashy headlines, does it help a potential president to imitate Trump’s buffoonery? Or would grace and class sell better to those in the electorate who find the schoolyard taunts and WWE-style crudeness tiresome and unworthy of anyone in – or prospectively in – the White House?"
"Some 76 years on, at least one political leader seems to be doing his best to make Orwell’s vision a reality — of sorts."
Entering the reality-distortion zone
Trump's truth-scrapping efforts reach deep
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August 13, 2025 at 1:27 AM
"Some 76 years on, at least one political leader seems to be doing his best to make Orwell’s vision a reality — of sorts."
"But these deals beg several enormous questions. How will extracting the hefty sums of cash advance education at these schools, for instance? .... If the administration truly aimed to improve higher education, wouldn’t it be making more money available ... not imposing brutal penalties?"
“Education’s purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one.”
But Malcolm Forbes's famous admonition holds no brief in Trumpworld
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August 9, 2025 at 2:11 AM
"But these deals beg several enormous questions. How will extracting the hefty sums of cash advance education at these schools, for instance? .... If the administration truly aimed to improve higher education, wouldn’t it be making more money available ... not imposing brutal penalties?"
Whose history is it?
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Whose history is it?
Trumpists try to rewrite the American story, but plenty of smart folks stand in the way
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July 15, 2025 at 3:22 AM
Whose history is it?
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"The croaking raven doth bellow for revenge"
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"The croaking raven doth bellow for revenge"
So says Hamlet. And the bellowing in Trump's Washington is loud.
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July 10, 2025 at 2:30 AM
"The croaking raven doth bellow for revenge"
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A tale of two Dons
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A tale of two Dons
Trump appears to have exceptional role models
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July 3, 2025 at 11:24 PM
A tale of two Dons
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The sins of the past
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The sins of the past
Trump's assault on higher education threatens to repeat them -- or worse
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June 29, 2025 at 3:36 AM
The sins of the past
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The "end of the beginning?"
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The "end of the beginning?"
Trump's attack leaves us with uncertainties aplenty
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June 24, 2025 at 1:40 AM
The "end of the beginning?"
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Long live democracy or long live the king?
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Long live democracy or long live the king?
The would-be monarch is fighting hard but just may lose
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June 17, 2025 at 3:48 AM
Long live democracy or long live the king?
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Go West, young man (and woman)
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Go West, young man (and woman)
But will the gutting of exchange programs let them come to the U.S.?
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June 4, 2025 at 12:22 PM
Go West, young man (and woman)
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"There are none so blind ..."
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"There are none so blind ..."
Sometimes, misinformation is a choice
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May 6, 2025 at 5:13 PM
"There are none so blind ..."
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'You say you want a Revolution, well ...'
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'You say you want a Revolution, well ...'
If they're going to change the world, universities need to do more
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May 1, 2025 at 3:34 PM
'You say you want a Revolution, well ...'
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"Trump’s demagogic promises of restoring a 1950s culture in which a high school degree and a well-paying assembly line job guarantee the American Dream seem as fictional as his vows to cut grocery prices and scale back inflation. The sepia-toned nostalgia he trades in is nonsense."
Failing grades
Trump is setting us back with his war on education
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April 24, 2025 at 12:39 AM
"Trump’s demagogic promises of restoring a 1950s culture in which a high school degree and a well-paying assembly line job guarantee the American Dream seem as fictional as his vows to cut grocery prices and scale back inflation. The sepia-toned nostalgia he trades in is nonsense."
When down is up
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When down is up
As Trump terrorizes international students, he endangers us all
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April 18, 2025 at 2:19 AM
When down is up
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When taking aim at the king ...
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When taking aim at the king ...
Trump has a fight on his hands, at last
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April 15, 2025 at 10:16 PM
When taking aim at the king ...
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The "deep state" has a long history open.substack.com/pub/josephwe...
The "deep state" has a long history
Trump is little more than the John Birch Society in action
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April 4, 2025 at 8:02 PM
The "deep state" has a long history open.substack.com/pub/josephwe...
"Soon enough, Chung will have to surface to face the full might of Trump’s government. If the university had truly educated her – and so many others – perhaps she would not be feeling the weight of that crushing burden."
The harsh cost of ignorance
Did Columbia fail a promising student now facing foreign exile?
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March 25, 2025 at 4:35 PM
"Soon enough, Chung will have to surface to face the full might of Trump’s government. If the university had truly educated her – and so many others – perhaps she would not be feeling the weight of that crushing burden."