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rachelcohen24.bsky.social
Rachel Cohen
@rachelcohen24.bsky.social
380 followers 1.2K following 53 posts
Deciding whether to let it all burn, fight for something better, or take a nap at any given moment 🙃
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rachelcohen24.bsky.social
#NoKings Sylva, NC, population 2,700 🤘✊ @indivisible.org @indivisiblecgwnc.bsky.social
A couple hundred protesters in Sylva NC
October 18, 2025 at 8:46 PM
rachelcohen24.bsky.social
We’re all in in Asheville! #HandsOff @indivisibleavl.bsky.social
Hands off protest in Asheville, NC
April 5, 2025 at 5:53 PM
rachelcohen24.bsky.social
This very email truly inspired me:
11:41 It is literally unbelievable that whoever in the communications department wrote this email on behalf of Katrina Armstrong dared to claim that Columbia's values are "academic freedom, free expression, open inquiry, and respect for all". Capitulating to the administration's demands is a stain on the institution and renders the allegiance to these values a farce. • You have sacrificed academic freedom in the name of pursuing an artificial ideological balance, which you must know deep down will never pacify the current administration anyway. By agreeing to what clearly amounts to a receivership over the Center for Palestine Studies and the Department of Middle East, South Asian, and African Studies, you have abandoned academic freedom and open inquiry. • University leadership has made it clear over the past year that free expression is • University leadership has made it clear over the past year that free expression is only allowed up to the point that donors or politicians become offended. Concern for the comfort of Jewish students has eclipsed concern for both the first amendment rights of pro-Palestinian protesters and the literal human rights of Palestinians being slaughtered. Zionist students (Jewish or otherwise) may feel intellectually uncomfortable being criticised for their commitment to Zionism in the face of internationally recognized war crimes, but that discomfort should not be an excuse for conflating anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism or curtailing others' freedom of speech or assembly. Integrity is worth more than any amount of federal funding. The school's reputation has been sullied, perhaps beyond repair. I am ashamed to have earned my graduate degree from Columbia and will not hesitate to steer any young person who asks my advice towards alternative institutions of higher learning that effectuate the values that Columbia claims to uphold.
March 22, 2025 at 3:51 PM
rachelcohen24.bsky.social
Just received the most ridiculous form letter response from Tillis’ office after emailing about how distressed I am that Congress is allowing the illegal exercise of unchecked executive power:
Dear Ms. Cohen: Thank you for contacting me about executive branch nominations by President Donald Trump. I appreciate hearing from you. The American people delivered a clear message that they want the country to move in a new direction by electing Donald Trump as President. Now that the new Senate majority has been sworn in, our top priority must be considering and confirming President Trump's Cabinet nominees. I look forward to working with President Trump, fulfilling the Senate's advice and consent role, and confirming his nominees as quickly as possible. In addition to the Cabinet posts, there are over 1,000 positions that require Presidential nomination and Senate confirmation. However, not all Presidential nominees and appointments are subject to Senate confirmation. For example, Presidential cabinet positions, the secretaries of the various agencies, ambassadors, and federal judges do require Senate confirmation, while most employees of the White House do not. Thank you again for taking the time to contact me. Please do not hesitate to reach out again about other important issues. Sincerely, Thom Tillis
February 5, 2025 at 6:52 PM
rachelcohen24.bsky.social
November 13, 2024 at 7:21 AM