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Will you still do the right thing - even when it's illegal?

The line between legality and morality can sometimes be blurred, creating a tension that can be felt dramatically for some. It has shaped history and public conscience. But, what will you do if doing what is right becomes something that could land you in jail, or worse? Where is your line?  Would you have harbored slaves or helped with the Underground Railroad? Or would you watch as our black brothers and sisters were treated horrifically? Participating in the Underground Railroad would have been illegal under the Fugitive Slave Act. This is one example of a completely unjust act of the American government in history. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 required citizens to assist in the capture of escaped slaves, penalized anyone who helped fugitives with up to $1,000 fine (a huge amount then) and 6 months in jail. It also denied the alleged fugitives the right to a jury trial or even to testify on their own behalf. That last part is sounding eerily similar to current events. Levi Coff...
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What's happening with health research?

Health research in the United States is changing dramatically. The current administration is gutting funding, programs, and departments. What will be left? Oversight of federal research funding has intensified, including grants from agencies like the National Science Foundation. This raises concerns among researchers about potential limitations on academic freedom and the politicization of scientific research.  Elite institutions, such as Harvard University, are facing financial challenges due to proposed increases in endowment taxes and threats to their tax-exempt status. These measures could lead to reduced funding for research programs and student aid, potentially impacting the broader landscape of academic research.  There are now changes in vaccine approval processes. RFK Jr. has mandated placebo-controlled safety trials for all new vaccines. While intended to enhance transparency, public health experts warn that this requirement could delay vaccine availability and incre...
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Executive Orders

Anyone else have trouble keeping up with the Executive Orders and what they all mean? Goodness, I just can't follow along with everything. Well, here is a list of recent executive orders and what I think they mean: Crackdown on Sanctuary Cities: This order targets cities and states that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, often referred to as "sanctuary cities." The Department of Justice and Homeland Security are directed to identify these jurisdictions within 30 days. Non-compliant areas risk losing federal funding unless they align with federal immigration laws. Additionally, the order aims to prevent undocumented immigrants from accessing public benefits like Social Security and subsidized tuition. Supporters say it enforces immigration laws more uniformly across the country, could deter illegal immigration by reducing "safe havens", and it redirects federal funds to cities that fully comply with federal law. Critics argue it could punish ...
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V-Dem

I learned about V-Dem (Varieties of Democracy) today.  It's a research project that measures the quality of democracy in countries around the world. It provides detailed data on different aspects of democracy - like elections, civil liberties, and political participation - based on expert assessments and multiple indicators, going beyond just labeling countries as "democracies" or "not". V-Dem began in 2014 and is considered a very reliable source of information, especially in academic and policy circles. Based at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, V-Dem collaborates with hundreds of scholars and country experts. The data is transparent, peer-reviewed, and widely used by researchers, governments, and organizations like the UN and World Bank. Here are a few more examples of how V-Dem data is used: Academic Research - Studying democratic backsliding, the rise of authoritarianism, or the effects of elections and institutions on freedoms. It's often cited i...
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Eugenics

My brain was having trouble processing everything I was hearing and reading in the news today - well, every day for the last nearly 100 days. I needed an outlet. I needed to research. I needed to put my thoughts into one place. So, I decided to start this blog - kind of a diary, research notes, opinions, feelings, therapy....we'll see what it turns into.  So, the main topic on my mind today was eugenics. I heard a couple creators on TikTok discussing RFK Jr.'s recent speech and how it was eugenics. Honestly, I'd never heard about eugenics, and I feel like it's something I should have learned about in school. (Side note - I am often times ignorant about things, unfamiliar with terms and procedures, and uneducated about many, many things. This is why I like doing so much research.) Ok - back to eugenics. I had to look it up.  Eugenics: noun -  the study of how to arrange reproduction within a human population to increase the occurrence of heritable characteristics regarde...
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