I'm against it

A No Kings Day meditation.

New York City, March 28, 2026.

The last year has been a nonstop assault by the Trump administration on human decency, democracy, science, and nearly everything else I value. I am terribly upset by all of it, but feel helpless, most of the time. I know that in this, I am similar to many, many others, so I’ll use the pronoun “we” for a moment:

We go to protests, call our representatives, sign petitions, give money to causes we believe in. But we’re not political organizers, though we’re grateful to those who are. We have demanding jobs, families, responsibilities. We’re acutely aware that we’re privileged, in that we have these things and no one (yet) has come to take them from us. But while that’s the case, we have to function. Life has to go on.

And one can’t be outraged all the time. It’s painful and exhausting. I follow the news closely enough to know what’s going on, but not nearly as closely as I could, or as I have in the past.

I have also found myself limiting my own public statements. Over the last dozen years or so, until this most recent year, I had been writing a few op-eds a year, including a few political ones. While I mostly tried to resist the temptation to become the kind of public intellectual who opines far outside their expertise, during Trump’s first term I started to feel that I had a historical obligation, as someone with a public platform, however small, to go on record. The compromise I found was to write about political topics if, when, and to the extent that I could make some kind of logical connection to climate, or to science generally; and even then, to distinguish when I’m speaking as a scientist, and when as a citizen with an opinion. I’ve written a few things like that. I’ll probably write more.

But I haven’t written one in over a year (unless you count a relatively spontaneous defense of NCAR, published here on substack). I stopped in part because the outlets I used to write for either don’t exist any more, or the editors with whom I had relationships have left. But also, the last year’s attacks on science and academia have been so intense — with both my own institution, and my own field of science in particular, being singled out for special punishment — that I’ve felt that just continuing to do the work that we do is itself a meaningful political act. I’ve focused much of what discretionary time and effort I have into developing new ways to enable and support that work. (More on that another time.)

As for social media: I won’t tell anyone else not to share their views frequently on their platform of choice, but for me individually, that level of engagement with the algorithms leads to a toxic downward spiral. Also, I’m convinced that social media’s destruction of a shared truth has played a big role in creating this disaster of a timeline, and I don’t want to be part of that dynamic.

Substack is a compromise, somewhere in between social media and real writing. I’m still figuring out how I feel about it. But in any case, I didn’t get on here to write about politics, at least not mainly. My immediate purpose was to write about my uncle Sumner Crane. I needed a forum where I could post his art and get some feedback, as a way of working towards the proper book that he deserves, and that’s mostly what I’ve been doing for the last few months.

I don’t feel any shame about it, most of the time. Art is just as important to me as science is. I wouldn’t want to live in a world without either, no matter what else happens in the world. What I’m trying to do here is a form of art; or, at least, it’s about art, Sumner’s in particular; and before long it’ll be about science too, and the connections between them. So far, this is bringing me great joy, and some wonderful human connections. My therapist says it’s keeping me sane, and he’s probably right.

But it does make me uncomfortable, some weeks. When the headlines are filled with constant outrages inflicted by my country’s government on so many people, within and without its borders, posting only about an obscure artist who died decades ago can feel a bit like closing my eyes, sticking my fingers in my ears, and singing loudly.

I know that people around the world are looking at the U.S. and trying to understand how we can possibly be ok with what’s happening. We here can wonder that about each other also, and future generations will look back at us and do the same. It’s important to make clear, as often and as loudly as we can manage, for all these audiences, and for ourselves, that we, very very many of us, aren’t ok with it.

No Kings Day protests, hopefully, send that message. But I feel an obligation to speak out as an individual also. Not because I have any original insight, nor because any professional expertise I have particularly matters, nor because I expect it to have any material effect. Just to be on the record.

So here is a public statement.

I am against most wars, invasions and unprovoked threats to other nations, especially without the approval of Congress. I am very much against the present war being waged on Iran.

I am against these actions of ICE: detaining and deporting people without due process, terrorizing communities, murdering people (U.S. citizens or otherwise), and blaming the victims.

I am against the withdrawal of the U.S. from international treaties and organizations and the rules-based international order.

I am against corruption: that is, individuals, companies or nations influencing government policy by giving money or favors to individuals holding public office.

I am against government attacks on universities, media, law firms, and other institutions of civil society.

I am against control of or interference in U.S. elections by the federal government, and especially by any political party.

I believe that immigrants, in general, are good for this country, and should be treated as such. Except for indigenous people, we are all descendants of immigrants here, and would do well to remember that.

I believe that we owe both future and present generations our best possible effort to transition away from fossil fuels in favor of cleaner energy sources. I am against government policies and actions that oppose that transition, and for those that favor it.

In short, I’m against most of what the current Presidential administration and its allies, within and without the federal government, are doing.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.