Out of simplicity, I'm combining accounts! Follow me and my work @itsandrewrusso.bsky.social

This is the culmination of 2 regimes w/ unaccountable leaders, not concerned w/ rules or morality. A theocratic authoritarian regime built on suppression against a budding authoritarian regime dispensing with norms and laws. Both lead by regimes and people with no accountability. Can not end well.

a cookie monster says " so share it maybe " ALT: a cookie monster says " so share it maybe "

Many thanks to new followers and readers! As I like to joke, I suck at #marketing. If you find my work, never paywalled and always researched from a variety of reputable sources, interesting. Share it with someone. It means alot. lecternmedia.org

Facing East: Hubris, Wealth, and the Banality of Indifference Lessons from Roman Folly in the Middle East

I just finished edits on a tale of hubris, arms, and wealth. This week, I look to Carrhae in 53 B.C.E and the man that lead an empire there - Marcus Licinius Crassus - to inform us about the events of today. open.substack.com/pub/lecternm...

Terrorizing into Acquiescence Freedom, Liberty, and Lessons from La Terreur

In this essay, I mull over the lessons from the Reign of Terror - the spectacle of the guillotine and the corruption of freedom - and consider what they can inform us of today. open.substack.com/pub/lecternm...

"many of [the condemned] looked up firmly on the menacing instrument of death, beholding for the last time the rays of the glorious sun, beaming on the polished axe; and I have seen some young men actually dance a few steps before they went up to be strapped to the perpendicular plane" - Coming soon

Why Revisiting Ken Burns’s The Civil War Is a Necessary Action Today Imagine stepping into a lecture hall where the past is not a dusty relic but a living conversation.

This week a simple one. I encourage you to revisit, watch, and learn from Ken Burns's masterpiece, The Civil War.

open.substack.com/pub/lecternm...

How America Built and Destroyed the Ability to Handle Disasters From Coordination to the Alamo Approach

Dropping at 2015 CET: open.substack.com/pub/lecternm...

And We Thought Nation States Were a Bad Idea The Spread of Intolerance - A Broad Response

In this first response essay of the New Year, I offer a call to action to tackle the paradox of tolerance. It’s time to stop claiming “They can’t do that!” and start asking, “What must we do to stop this?” Join the discussion; always free, never a paywall.

open.substack.com/pub/lecternm...

I always tell students you can learn a lot about times, past and present, in music. NWA's lyrics on injustice in the 90s could easily fit into today's context. Tin Soldiers and Nixon coming packs a punch. Who research's that? Historiography of lyrics and artists? #edusky #academicsky

And We Thought Nation States Were a Bad Idea The Spread of Intolerance - A Broad Response

In this first response essay of the New Year, I offer a call to action to tackle the paradox of tolerance. It’s time to stop claiming “They can’t do that!” and start asking, “What must we do to stop this?” Join the discussion; always free, never a paywall.

open.substack.com/pub/lecternm...

Here’s a link to the 13-volume report. Volumes 3 through 5 on South Carolina were especially impactful at the time.

onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/metab...

Well that's a new horror for a society already grappling with plenty. Great reporting on the continuing repercussions of opening our AI pandora's box. #aigovernance #edusky

A Renewable Future How China and Uruguay Set the Example

Bread. Uruguay. China. In this short form essay, I respond to the new drive for oil by some. The world is, indeed, looking beyond it. The 21st century drive to Sustainable Energy is, I suggest, a sovereignty pursuit. lecternmedia.substack.com/p/a-renewabl... #greensky #edusky #climate

First, economic downturns for nations unable or unwilling to transition. Second, what I like to call a hazards disparity as some places are “cleaner” than others, gaining benefits to health outcomes and living conditions. (3/3)

The world stage is, again, focused on energy and minerals. There are a number of remarkable articles you can read detailing the place of Venezuela and Greenland. As I tell students, clinging to the energy sources of the past is going to lead to two problems. (2/3)

Launching today at 8:15PM CET: Sun, Wind, Oil - Cases of Energy Transition and Sovereignty. A simple short-form write up on China and Uruguay. Here's a quick preview: (1/3)

The response to yesterday's piece confirmed something for me. That people are hungry for language that matches what they're experiencing. "Democratic backsliding" feels too gentle. "Fascism" triggers unproductive debates. While important, semantics don't stop either.

Researchers and practitioners need different questions than the ones our current frameworks offer. Only then can we identify tools to restore public-serving administration. For leaders navigating similar challenges, this matters b/c accurate diagnosis precedes effective strategy. #democracy #edusky

Administration of the Public Executive-As-Ruler in Public Administration

One thing that surprised me writing this piece: how inadequate our vocabulary is for what's happening. We keep reaching for terms like "authoritarian" or "corrupt" but they don't quite fit. #academisky #democracy

Lectern Media | The Professor | Substack University-level analysis of democracy, education, and the environment, translated into accessible language without the rage and clickbait. Click to read Lectern Media, by The Professor, a Substack…

If you work in a federal agency, or had worked there, you understand that you're not just navigating inertia or dysfunction, but deliberate transformation far beyond executive policy redirection. I'll be posting more on this soon, so please join me at lecternmedia.substack.com for more #governance

What happens when executive authority over public administration changes; not by a political party, but by a regime oriented toward extraction and survival? As someone who studies these questions, I've been tracking a pattern that our conventional frameworks struggle to name. #democracy #edusky

Lectern Media | The Professor | Substack University-level analysis of democracy, education, and the environment, translated into accessible language without the rage and clickbait. Click to read Lectern Media, by The Professor, a Substack…

Normal transitions preserve administrative infrastructure; policy direction changes. Now, administration is changed, serving regime survival & private gain. If this resonates, subscribe to Lectern Media for longer form analysis on governance, the environment, and democracy (🧵 3 of 3) buff.ly/lsoZ3bV

Norm erosion, unrestrained power, and fealty are not just weakening institutions but re-purposing them for control and extraction. Theories of traditional public administration need as much refinement now as practical responses. "But isn't this just normal political change?" No. (🧵 2 of 3)

Conventional argument say rules are being broken, accountability is needed, and laws need to be respected. But they are missing something crucial - the game has changed. We're not witnessing institutional strain, but experiencing a fundamentally different kind of regime take shape (🧵 1 of 3)

Last article of the year is coming Monday. The article discusses the nonprofit sector and civil society. What it does, how becoming business like influenced the sector, and challenges the sector faces today. No click bait, no rage bait. #edusky #academicsky #writing

As we come to the end of the semester, I have a "tell me what you want to learn" module for dead week. Students request anything related to the course, I research it, upload lessons. Its hard, but wow, a student wants to know more about the Great Molasses Flood and it makes me happy. #Boston #edusky

Yes. In discussion with other faculty its not just the "hard" censoring via law and state violence, but the soft Biopolitical style that is happening simultaneously. The possibility of a threat or retort is enough to self censor and, I'd argue, is more insidious than law or policy.

Thanks for the kind words. Its quite shocking to read through all of it; that was only a selection.

The Chilling Effect: Self-Censorship and the Reshaping of Academic Freedom Quotes from a new survey of academics

What's happening in academia? From the responses of academics: self-censorship, fear, and the chilling effect. New short-form article based on survey results of academics across the US. #edusky #academicsky @npr.org @theguardian.com