Part II of this thing I’m working on is ready. Part I was called “Here’s Why Intolerance and Extremism happen.” It was about demagogues and artists (and more). In Part II, I quote the lyrics to three songs . . . terikanefield.com/heres-why/ 1/

Okay, whew. I've been writing. Some light summer beach reading . . . NOT I begin by going over familiar territory: The authoritarian personality, what the neuroscientists tell us about our political differences. I need this because the new stuff requires context, so please stick with me. . . 1/

Popping into say sorry I've been MIA so long. A combination of traveling, family commitments, and getting involved in what you might call a local political issue has taken my time. But I am working on a piece of writing that feels ambitious. I will share it when it's ready.

Hi, everyone, I am traveling so I haven’t been posting (or writing) much. Here is a first for me: The New York Times Book Review did a full review on my latest book. Here is a gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/07/04/b... 1/

I started reading when the ebook dropped at midnight; it's excellent. I learned a lot just reading the prologue. I love how @terikanefield.bsky.social uses court cases to show how the amendments have been interpreted and reinterpreted over the years. #BillOfRights #UShistory #books #law

(Trying again because of typo. . .) Hello Bluesky Peeps. I have a birth announcement. (Yeah, I know it's corny, but I've been creating birth announcements for each book, beginning with my firstborn novel in 2001. Back then I didn't have photoshop.) And now, a moment of reflection . . . 1/

In honor of the special occasion, I have a blog post ready: All About the Tenth Amendment. (No, really, it IS all about the Tenth Amendment) The history of the Tenth Amendment explains (almost) everything happening in American politics and government today. terikanefield.com/its-all-abou...

After working all morning to get the blog post done, I needed a break. My favorite 3 year old challenged me to a game of hide and seek. Where CAN he be? (I'm sure his eyes are closed, which naturally makes it harder for me to see him.)

I have a blog post ready. It's here: terikanefield.com/your-brain-o... When the Guardian, the Telegraph, and @jenmercieca.bsky.social recommended The Ideological Brain by Leor Zmigrod, I figured I should get a copy and read it. So I did. I'll start with a 2 picture summary of the book ⤵️ 1/

I just realized it's April 23. That means it's the anniversary of the Farmville, Virginia Motion High School student strike. What? You don't know about that? Well, in 1951, Barbara Johns was fed up with the deplorable conditions in her segregated school, so she organized a strike. 1/

And thanks, @goodreedaj.bsky.social for the lovely review. agoodreedreview.com/2025/04/05/b...

So I saw Wicked, Part I. Anyone else like it? It was so woke. And it was about democracy and fascism. (Or maybe if you spend e enough time thinking about democracy and fascism, everything is about democracy and fascism. Or maybe everything IS about democracy and fascism🤔 ) 1/

This is fascinating.

“Modern critics of democracy describe it this way: Majority rule is the equivalent of two wolves and a sheep voting on the dinner menu.” Author @terikanefield.bsky.social traces the appeal of monarchy throughout history ⬇️: terikanefield.com/part-5-do-th...

Oh, and some news. My upcoming book is a Junior Library Guild selection. I haven't received my certificate or the gold sticker that goes on the books, but I've been assured they are on their way. And the first trade review (Kirkus) was quite positive: www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews...

Hello Bluesky Peeps: I have a new blog post ready called "Do the People Want a King?" Usually I write a short intro but it seems to me a blog post called "Do the People Want a King" needs no further introduction. terikanefield.com/part-5-do-th...

“Specifically the founders feared that a demagogue, or a leader of the people, would lead the people to disaster.” *Excellent* essay by author/historian/attorney/former teacher/former “Twitter Mom” @terikanefield.bsky.social ⬇️: terikanefield.com/part-4-socra...

I started out writing about the trial and execution of Socrates. That brought me to the nature of subversiveness and the role of subversive elements in a democracy. 🎶 Come gather 'round people wherever you roam . . . "🎶 terikanefield.com/part-4-socra...

Philosophical question: If I can't stop tinkering with the words in a blog post, does that mean I will never be finished? Okay, that's it. Time to stop and publish. One moment here . . .

Hello, Bluesky Peeps, I have another blog post ready. As coincidence would have it, I was reading Book VIII of the Republic and considering a blog post about the interplay of democracy and oligarchy when Biden gave a speech warning of a rising oligarchy. terikanefield.com/democracy-ol... 1/

If you haven’t yet started reading Teri Kanefield’s recent blog posts exploring the contemporary American political situation through a philosophical (and literary) lens, you really need to do so. You won’t regret it.

Perhaps "Bluesky mom" needs an explanation. Several years ago, one of my Twitter followers asked me to adopt him. I didn't want to play favorites, so I adopted all my followers and warned them that, as siblings, they all needed to get along. I guess that transferred to Bluesky.

Hi, Bluesky Peeps, I have my next blog post ready. terikanefield.com/destination-... In November I set out on a philosophical journey for perspective on today's politics. When I started this series, I switched to monthly instead of weekly because these posts take so long to write . . . 1/

Hi, Bluesky Peeps, I have my blog post ready. terikanefield.com/chapter-1/ Last month, I talked about a philosophical journey for perspective on today’s politics. Plato is always a good place to start. I’ll also talk about TV lawyers and the spirit of liberty because . . . it follows. 1/

Okay, this is a cool thing. I'm not a techie, but here's what I gather from my techie friends. A protocol called Activity Pub allows servers from different social media platforms to interact with each other. So if you have a Bluesky account you can follow Mastodon or Threads accounts. 1/

So anyway, I had this idea that everyone, particularly young people, should learn what is taught in law school. I also had the idea that the way it is taught to young people is boring. It wasn't until law school that I realized how interesting this stuff is. The result ⤵️ (I am cross-posting)

I have also updated my website, which I always do in advance of a new book: terikanefield.com Working on a website is like writing a book. Every time I look at it I find something else to improve. Eventually, there is only one solution: Stop looking at it!

Thank you, Eubie! I've reduced my blogging from once weekly to once monthly. I also stopped commenting on the latest news, which I don't think is helpful and serves only to raise the temperature. This means fewer social media posts and more time to think about my responses to the latest events.

So it looks like there is a mass migration from Twitter. Right?

Hi, everyone. I am back from my blogging sabbatical with a new blog post. I'm proud of this one: Why I am setting out on a journey and inviting you along. From the picture that comes up, you might think we're going to Chile. Well, somewhere almost as good. terikanefield.com/why-i-am-set...

Hi, everyone, I have some sad news about JJ and a bit about the Supreme Court. Earlier in the week, before sadness struck, I wrote a few pages about the Supreme Court in answer to a question. I included that. Click here to read: terikanefield.com/some-sad-new...

I have this weekend's blog post ready: I started to write about mundane things like arrest procedures and arraignments, and then I got caught up in more interesting issues like why we even have criminal law. It's here: terikanefield.com/criminal-law... 1/

My weekend blog post is ready: terikanefield.com/criminal-law... I resisted the urge to address the latest social media rage meltdown. Instead, I followed a suggestion from readers and started a general series about criminal law and procedure to offer perspective on current events. 1/

For this week's blog post, I wrote All About Appeals. terikanefield.com/all-about-ap... I suspect I know why people have been asking about appeals. There was what you might call a high-profile criminal conviction this week. 1/

Hello Bluesky Peeps: I have my weekend blog post ready. It's a fun one because I answered a question about juries and I wrote about the Zenger trial. What? You've never heard of the Zenger trial? See: terikanefield.com/musing-about...

In response to people telling me that I'm overestimating the ability of people to decode legal news, I attempt to prove this: If people stop listening to legal pundits, they won't feel confused and they won't feel they need help from lawyers to decode the news.  terikanefield.com/beware-the-l...

I could have called this one, “Why you don’t need a lawyer to answer your questions about issues in the news.” Mostly it’s about former TV pundit Peter Arenella’s scathing assessment of legal punditry (University of Chicago Legal Forum, 1998). terikanefield.com/beware-the-l... 1/

I have my weekend blog post ready: terikanefield.com/the-ninth-am... This time it's fun with Constitutional Law: Reproductive Rights and the Ninth Amendment. (I know the joke for May 4th is May the Fourth be with you. I prefer Metaphors Be With You)

This week's blog post took me a long time. About 3 hours ago, I was sure it made sense. Then I kept working. I hope it still makes sense LOL. terikanefield.com/wheres-the-b... I discuss the criminal liability for behaving like a bucket of slime and offer a few mind-bending legal puzzles.

Today is an important anniversary. 73 years ago, on April 23, 1951, in Farmville, VA, Barbara Johns led a walkout of her segregated high school to protest the unfair and deplorable conditions of her school. What?! You don’t know who Barbara Johns was? 1/

I have my weekend blog post ready: terikanefield.com/trumps-first... Good advocates organize their cases around a theme or focal point called the theory of the case. Ahead of Trump's first criminal trial, I offer an analysis of what we know so far about the theories of the case.

This week's blog post: Sex, Lies, and Falsified Documents: Trump's First Criminal Trial (but it's mostly about Michael Cohen) terikanefield.com/sex-lies-and...

This week, I analyzed the heated comments to last week's blog post on the firing of Ronna McDaniel. I found it all so interesting that I kept thinking about it. You see, something unusual happened last week in the comments to my blog post. . . terikanefield.com/the-ronna-mc... See more

I took some time to think about the Ronna McDaniel hiring and firing. The result is that I have written another blog post that has me going against the current. terikanefield.com/the-ronna-mc...

Spotted at @comixexperience.bsky.social: a GN on disinformation by @terikanefield.bsky.social, a must-have in a world w/ Faux News and the Musk Rat’s lie machine.

This week, I continued the history of voting rights. I also shatter a few myths, including the "progressive presumption." terikanefield.com/the-progress... This history offers perspective on what is happening today. As Faulkner said, "The past isn't dead. It isn't even past."

I have my weekend blog post ready. You don’t have an affirmative Constitutional right to vote. (Did you know that?) The right to vote was not (affirmatively) included in the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, or any other Amendments. For more, see: terikanefield.com/the-right-to...

For an answer, read: terikanefield.com/can-democrac... I am not commenting specifically because the misinformation echo chamber producing such views is too far gone. It is not redeemable. Instead of trying to inject facts or reason, I wrote a series explaining the nature of the echo chamber.

I finished my series. The parts are linked. I added a few sections and revamped the conclusion. It's about legal pundits and the Outrage Industry. Click here to start: terikanefield.com/can-democrac... 1/

His parents don't understand why he (and his three-year-old sister) say that chocolate milk is so much better at my house. "Mommy you don't do it right! Aunt Teri's chocolate milk is better!" Certainly. I let them sit on the counter and help. . . 1/