Rex Smith

Murals tell a story that must be preserved In the face of Trump's reign of destruction, we have a responsibility to save

Murals tell a story that must be preserved
www.upstateamerican.com/p/murals-tel...
From last weekend’s column, a suggestion that the destructive impulses of the current administration put at risk a lot that we ought to value.

What we didn't learn from the 20th president Imagine if Donald Trump had taken different lessons from Mark Twain

What we didn't learn from the 20th president
www.upstateamerican.com/p/what-we-di...
Belatedly last weekend's column, with thoughts on missed opportunities for America (and a bit of a TV review, too).
Another edition of The Upstate American -- on a whole new topic! -- will publish on Saturday.

Giant skeletons and fake balls of string What do our consumption habits say about America's values these days?

Giant skeletons and fake balls of string
www.upstateamerican.com/p/giant-skel...
What do we value, and why? That's what last weekend's column from The Upstate American explored. (Bonus scolding here for fans of chintzy outdoor holiday decor!) Watch for the next edition, coming Saturday.

On a flight toward failure, or another chance? Our democracy is imperiled, but capitulation to decline is not inevitable

On a flight toward failure, or another chance?
www.upstateamerican.com/p/on-a-fligh...
Experts have a sense of the steps that precede business failure. Can you likewise measure the decline of American democracy? That troubling notion is the subject of last weekend's column. Next edition: Saturday.

A sign for our times, and a call to action What a birthday present from an artist friend said to me

A sign for our times, and a call to action
www.upstateamerican.com/p/a-sign-for...
What's this sign about? Read last weekend's column (which you may have missed) to find out. And then check in on Saturday, when another edition of The Upstate American will publish for our free and paid subscribers.

How to save America's golden age Athens and Rome once led the world, but their time passed. Has ours, too?

How to save America's golden age
www.upstateamerican.com/p/how-to-sav...
From last weekend, just ahead of No Kings Day protests. Another edition of The Upstate American will publish on Saturday.

Farmers keep going. So do soldiers. And us? Lessons of the fall in a time of national distress.

Farmers keep going. So do soldiers. And us?
www.upstateamerican.com/p/farmers-ke...
Last weekend's column was inspired by a nearby farmer friend. You've got to admire farmers for both their perseverance and trust in the coming season.
Another edition of The Upstate American will publish Saturday.

Lessons of Argyll in facing today's tyrant An ancestor's steadfastness offers inspiration. Maybe it is even passed down to us.

Lessons of Argyll in facing today's tyrant
www.upstateamerican.com/p/lessons-of...
A review of Saturday’s column for those who missed it: How an ancestor stood up to tyranny in his time. And shouldn't we?
Another edition of The Upstate American will publish on Saturday.

Violence is not our inevitable future The next step after Charlie Kirk's assassination may depend upon our expectations

Violence is not our inevitable future
Sharing last weekend's column for those who have missed it: "So the burden falls on each of us to confront our own fears and temper our tendency to awfulize our opponents."
www.upstateamerican.com/p/violence-i...

Seven words for the resistance Like learning to discern a wine's flavor, we must understand how we describe our objectives in order to confront Donald Trump's authoritarian rule

Seven words for the resistance
If you want to evaluate a wine or a gin, you need vocabulary. Last weekend's column tries to provide that for the Resistance to American authoritarianism. (Another edition of The Upstate American will publish on Saturday.)
www.upstateamerican.com/p/seven-word...

Buttering up the Boss of America Donald Trump loves flattery, but those of us who aren't so inclined have other tools at our disposal

Buttering up the Boss of America
www.upstateamerican.com/p/buttering-...
Last weekend's column, for those who missed it: How "buttering up" became a thing and why we must worry that it's the main way people connect with our president. Another edition of The Upstate American will publish on Saturday.

How the arts challenge Trumpism The human spirit is sustained by exposure to the arts. That's not good for would-be autocrats.

How the arts challenge Trumpism
www.upstateamerican.com/p/how-the-ar...
There are some messages in this classic musical set for the Kennedy Center that resonate in Donald Trump’s America. Posting the weekend column for those who missed it; another edition of The Upstate American publishes Saturday.

Galloping backwards in Trump's America In countless ways, the president wants to return us to earlier times. What do you suppose he is afraid of?

Galloping backwards in Trump's America
www.upstateamerican.com/p/galloping-...
Reposting last weekend’s column for folks who missed it: Why do people want to turn away from progress? What are the implications for Americans? Another edition of The Upstate American will publish on Saturday.

A nation, its food and its morality There's a line linking the gutting of global aid with our complicated approach to food

A nation, its food and its morality
Maybe it is America's food abundance that makes us so casual about its misuse?.Here's last weekend's column, in case you missed it. Another edition of The Upstate American will publish on Saturday.
www.upstateamerican.com/p/a-nation-i...

If not now, then when? In the aftermath of a disaster, we're often told it's not time to ask questions

If not now, then when? www.upstateamerican.com/p/if-not-now...
Even now, there’s a lot we don’t know about the terrible flooding over Independence Day Weekend in the Texas Hill Country. Here’s last week’s column, in case you missed it. Another edition of The Upstate American publishes Saturday.

There is no room at Rushmore It's not just geology that precludes Donald Trump from enshrinement

There is no room at Rushmore www.upstateamerican.com/p/there-is-n...
It's about leadership: If you missed this week's column while celebrating Independence Day weekend, here's a chance to catch up. (Another edition of The Upstate American will publish on Saturday morning for subscribers.)

Ranting replaces leadership in America How Pete Hegseth channels his boss, as well as 17th-century Christians

Ranting replaces leadership in America
www.upstateamerican.com/p/ranting-re...

After the protest, we must hold our course The history of demonstrations in America holds lessons for where we go now

After the protest, we must hold our course
www.upstateamerican.com/p/after-the-...
Why do some protests evolve into genuinely impactful movements, and others don't? Some thoughts on that here, in last weekend's column. And another edition of The Upstate American will publish on Saturday.

The parade is only part of the show What do we do now, with reality catching up to a play-acting approach to governing?

The parade is only part of the show www.upstateamerican.com/p/the-parade...
Last weekend's column, for those who missed it -- with a bit of history offered. Another edition of The Upstate American will publish on Saturday for subscribers.

Dissing patriots, displeasing gods How renaming a Navy ship reveals a nation's misplaced priorities

Dissing patriots, displeasing gods www.upstateamerican.com/p/dissing-pa...
Each of my columns ventures somewhere from my Upstate home; last weekend's went from hunting in southern Indiana to Greek polytheism (and to American repression). Another edition of The Upstate American publishes on Saturday.

Hope is a thing with a diploma Relying on resurgent conscience and good journalism to do battle with Trumpism

Hope is a thing with a diploma www.upstateamerican.com/p/hope-is-a-...
Hope found at the intersection of two embattled worlds: journalism and higher education. That’s reported in last weekend’s column, here in case you missed it.
Another edition of The Upstate American will publish on Saturday.

Good neighbors, please step up now An increasingly isolated people now find their nation similarly needing connections

Good neighbors, please step up now
www.upstateamerican.com/p/good-neigh...
We need a large-scale return to neighborliness in the face of the unfolding disaster provoked by our federal government. It's last weekend's column -- and another edition of The Upstate American will publish on Saturday.

Here's your burger, Pop. And a lesson, too. Don't delude yourself into thinking your big talk is enough to combat Trumpism

Here's your burger, Pop. And a lesson, too. www.upstateamerican.com/p/heres-your...
It’s sometimes surprising to note that you’re aging. Maybe there’s something to learn? Here's last weekend’s column, in case you missed it. (Subscribe!) Another edition of The Upstate American drops Saturday morning.

If the daffodils can make it, so can we Amid the chaos of Trump's assault on America, there are reasons for hope

Here's last weekend's column, for those who missed it -- with some thoughts on how we can find hope in today's America. Another edition of The Upstate American will publish on Saturday.

If the daffodils can make it, so can we www.upstateamerican.com/p/if-the-daf...

Listening to peepers and wood frogs Trust in the dependability of government is falling, but there are steps we can take

Drawing some lessons from early spring, here's last weekend's column, for those who missed it. Another edition of The Upstate American will publish on Saturday. (You can subscribe, of course!)

Listening to peepers and wood frogs www.upstateamerican.com/p/listening-...

Hearing a woodpecker and a philosopher Both nature and literature offer advice on how we can resist Trumpism

Hearing a woodpecker and a philosopher
Here's last weekend's column, drawing from an inspiration just outside my window. Another edition of The Upstate American will publish Saturday (click below to subscribe).
www.upstateamerican.com/p/hearing-a-...

Trump proves Nietzsche was right Aid cuts bring turmoil to religious charities. Who will care if even they don't?

Trump proves Nietzsche was right
www.upstateamerican.com/p/trump-prov...

Ignorant leaders and rotting grain The USAID debacle is one element of a broad attack on American values that we must not tolerate

Ignorant leaders and rotting grain

So many outrageous acts in Washington nowadays demand pushback. One linked to my heritage was the topic of last weekend's column, offered again here.
Another edition of The Upstate American will publish Saturday morning.
www.upstateamerican.com/p/ignorant-l...

How to fight today's Inquisition Small individual acts can counter the cruelty that characterizes Trump's return

How to fight today's Inquisition
Just getting up to speed on BlueSky, so here's last weekend's column, with a look forward.
Another edition of The Upstate American will publish on Saturday.
www.upstateamerican.com/p/how-to-fig...

Huddled masses, yearning for comfort In Trump's troubled America, we need to protect our capacity for happiness

Huddled masses, yearning for comfort

Here's last weekend's column, for those feeling angry or scared or upset, and in need of comfort. Another edition of The Upstate American will publish Saturday (subscribers get it then!).
www.upstateamerican.com/p/huddled-ma...