Publius II is a citizen exposing truths our constitution forgot as experienced through our bodies, even when our minds, out of ignorance or self-preservation, resist their power over us.
MANY OF US BEMOAN THE unprecedented political depredations we are experiencing today, from perceived abuses of power to the public, violent suppression of dissent. Parallels in history may not indicate repetition, but they are certainly instructional when examining their similarities. The Whiskey Rebellion of 1794 In 1791, Treasury Secretary Alexander
Most people who knew me growing up would agree that I wore my feelings on my sleeve. My first experience with romantic vulnerability proved it. She was a freshman, and I was a senior in high school. Her older sister was one of my classmates; both were farmer’s daughters.
federalist, constitution
In my last missive, I explained how democratic governance is diminished because: 1) two Senators are elected for every state without regard to population, 2) the president is chosen by the Electoral College instead of the popular vote, and 3) districts for members of the House of Representatives are gerrymandered
FEB 22, 2026 In my upcoming book, American Democracy Through the Looking Glass, I ask if there is a hill upon which I would stand and defend commonly held principles of humanity. I answer that question here. Because our government continues a relentless campaign to silence the truths our bodies
On democracy and republicanism Previously, I explained how democracy is an association using a representative form of rule that rests on the foundational principle of equality. I also described how any democratic association that excludes young children due to their immaturity remains democratic because the exclusion is designed to protect
On democracy, republicanism, populism and the tyranny of the majority The most fundamental principle of democracy is majority rule as determined by a majority of the people voting in the affirmative for a candidate or issue. Gaining a majority of the popular vote using the rule of one-person-one-
history, politics
As I wrote earlier, the word “democracy” is derived from demokratia, a Greek word with a clear etymological history describing a form of self-rule as practiced in ancient Athens. By showing that even a pure democracy excludes some of the population within an association of people, most notably young
history, politics
My previous post about democracy ended with the question: Are we really in jeopardy of losing our democracy? Answering this question requires me to search for and establish what single, immutable quality, if any, must be the foundational bedrock of democracy, without which it would be or become something entirely
It is neither rhetorical nor an exercise in semantics to ask, “What is democracy?” Recently, the word has come to occupy an outsized and frequent presence in our lexicon, most often in the context of something that is in danger of being lost due to the divisive political climate. To
Of Structures and Systems The American Revolution was the violent expression of 18th century republican sentiment “to resist and overthrow tyranny.”[i] After living under the oppression of the British monarchy and successfully throwing off its shackles on July 4, 1776, many of the founding fathers who framed the U.
federalist, constitution
After the U.S. Constitution was drafted in June 1787, it was sent to the "several states" for ratification (acceptance and approval) by special conventions organized expressly for that purpose. Immediately thereafter, some supporters of the new Constitution, known as federalists, began writing persuasive articles to convince people