We are not just the users of cultural tools. We are the passers-on. And whether we like it or not, we will be judged by the sharp tools we allow to proliferate.

After a reporter asked Donald Trump about the “eyesore” tent, he ordered it dismantled. The Peace Vigil, which had outlasted multiple administrations, wars, and Cold War threats, was silenced because its persistence offended the aesthetics of power.

This isn’t governance. It’s message-sending. These actions don’t just punish individuals—they warn the rest of us. Organize, and you’ll be audited. Speak, and you’ll be charged. Align with the wrong cause, and you may be erased.

This will be paywalled for some - apologies in advance - but I have to share it. Stanley's views are starling and impossible to discount....