Jack Fruchtman
The persistence of a paranoid style
A standard definition of paranoia is when a person experiences a deep, anxious fear of threats or conspiracies founded on delusion and irrationality. In...
The new Congress, the next president
In the days before the next Congress convenes on Jan. 3 and the inauguration of the new president, 17 days later, the House and...
Violating law and principle
As of now, the Trump campaign has lost more than 30 lawsuits, and won two on minor technical grounds, with no impact on the...
Americans and the rule of law
For over 40 years, I told my classes that Americans were not a particularly revolutionary people. By and large, they accepted the vote of...
Some lessons from Judge Barrett’s confirmation hearing
During her confirmation hearing, like most nominees to the Supreme Court since 1987, Judge Amy Coney Barrett declined to set forth her views on...
An election with, without the president
The worst-case scenario concerning President Trump’s recent bout with COVID-19 is unthinkable, even though his doctors released him to return to the White House...
RBG, her constitutional legacy
Tributes to the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg have rightly focused on her leadership in promoting human rights, especially gender equality, throughout her entire...
A modest plea for precision, Part Two
In these pages, I recently set out some basic ideas concerning terms and phrases used without precision by politicians and the media. They say...
A modest plea for precision
Sometimes when speaking and writing, we may use words and phrases so loosely that we overlook their true meaning. This is particularly true during...
America’s founders and Confederate generals
A wide gap separates Confederate generals memorialized on plaques, statues, and monuments, and the American founders and framers of the Constitution. It is no...
Independence Day, 2020 — a time to unite
Fourth of July celebrations commemorate the most American of all holidays. We have traditionally invited friends and family to join us for cookouts, parades,...
The Trump social media executive order
Last week, Twitter added fact-checking labels, then a warning, to several tweets by President Trump. The president responded by signing an executive order that...
The coming climate
One possible good outcome of the pandemic and its impact on the economy is having the cleanest air and water in decades, thanks to...
Congressional action, congressional deadlock
One remarkable outcome of COVID-19 is the recent congressional cooperation. Since March 6, the body has passed four major measures, costing trillions of dollars,...
Patriot’s Day 2020
Today, as I write this, is Patriot’s Day in Massachusetts. It is a holiday in a few states, but Massachusetts is key because it...
What to read these days?
Mysteries, crime stories, histories, classic literature, even philosophy may be on our reading list these days as we worry through the crisis caused by...
The Electoral College is here to stay
Politics and primaries have rightly taken second place to concerns about COVID-19. But recently, as we move toward the presidential election, renewed criticism has...
Electric cars, the EPA, and us
The Island has become a major leader in combating climate change, especially regarding carbon emissions. Massachusetts has designated several towns as green communities, which,...
‘Dr. Zhivago’ for our time
Should anyone believe that Russia today is different from the old Soviet Union, they should have watched “Dr. Zhivago,” the motion picture adapted from...
Church and state, again
A few weeks back, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case that could once again redraw the line separating church and state....