DRAFT -- You can't go home again

There is a price to be paid for speaking out and telling the tuth

In this newsletter, I have sought to bring to bear my expertise and experience in analyzing the facts (always from multiple and reputable sources) and clearly stating my conclusions. I have spoken out about the rise of fascism in the United States and the lawlessness of Donald Trump and his administration in repeatedly violating the Constitution, the law, and in essence the entire concept of the Rule of Law.

Some of my friends, going back as far as high school, disagree with my opinions, without, however, showing the courage to engage in reasoned argument based on hard facts. Some of this may be due to fear of somehow becoming associated with a strong critic of the Trump administration. Fear is rampant in the land.

That might explain why they don’t post their disagreements in the Comment section—publicly. It does not explain why they don’t engage with me and voice their criticisms privately, by phone or email.

So, some of my oldest friends don’t answer my phone calls and voicemails or my emails.

Maybe they simply lack the courage to engage in serious argument and discussion. Or maybe they just don’t want to be asked to support my publications.

I suspect that many if not most of them have strongly-held opinions, which however—unlike my views based on rigorous analysis of the facts—are not based on careful and reasoned analysis.

I suspect this may be true of millions of people who hold strong opinions supportive of Trump and his administration.

They want to hols on to their strong beliefs,but don’t have the courage to engage in serious reasoned debate with Trump’s critics.

That is a big reasons Trump—like all authoritarians—is trying to shut down his critics—however mild and nuanced their criticism may be.

For those old friends who disagree with me, I encourage them to answer my phone calls and voice messages and emails, and if they’ve blocked my number to unblock it.

Call me.Email me. Have the courage to engage in serious discussion with me. Have the courage of your convictions. Moreover, old friends have other things to talk about besides politics.

That goes for everyone in the country. Engage with your critics.

Try to understand. For a journalist or a historian, there is no option other than to pursue the truth,and to speak that truth to power, to the world, and ultimately for the historical record.

For a lawyer like myself who believes in law, having seen what lawlessness is like in authoritarian countries, there is no option other than the dedicated pursuit and defense of the Rule of Law.

For an international lawyer like myself who believes in international law, having studied history and the horrors of way, and having followed those horrors over many recent decades and months, there is no option other than the vigorous defense of the United Nations Charter and international aw.

There is no option other than the defense of international humanitarian law (the law of war), and demands that those responsible for committing war crimes and crimes against humanity—whether they be Russians, Israelis, or RSV and Army forces in Sudan—be brought to justice.

Let’s talk.

FURTHER READING

Thomas Wolfe, You Can’t Go Home Again (New York: Schribner, 1934).

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James Rowles is a former Lecturer on Law at Harv Law School and professor of international law at other universities.

He studied the history of Nazi Germany at Stanford, and has studied and worked on human rights, judicial reform, and access to justice projects in many countries in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and in Afghanistan and Russia. At Harvard Law School, he taught a course on “Law, Human Rights, and the Struggle for Democracy in Latin America”.

At the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) of the OAS, he worked on human rights cases involving forced disappearances, executions, and torture in a number of authoritarian countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Recent Books by the Author

James P. Rowles, The Rape of American Democracy: Republican Actions and Democratic Failures, 2016-2021 (2024). Available on Amazon, and from IngramSpark by clicking on a link here.

James P. Rowles, Don’t Be Stupid. Pay Attention, Damn It! Advice for Undecided Voters and Voters Leaning Toward Trump (2024). Available on Amazon,and from IngramSpark by clicking on a link here.

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