I was angry all day yesterday. The Abrego Garcia case gets to me on a personal level because of the refusal of Trump 2.0 to rectify a mistake. Adding to my outrage was the doubling down on lies about an unjustly imprisoned man. It’s un-American but so are they.

Repeat after me: Free Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

I’ll save the anger for tomorrow morning. It’s important to focus on something positive and important that happened after MAGA gangsters tried to extort Harvard University. Alan Garber, the president of the oldest university in the land, stood his ground and wrote a defiant epistle to the Harvard community:

“Late Friday night, the administration issued an updated and expanded list of demands, warning that Harvard must comply if we intend to “maintain [our] financial relationship with the federal government.” It makes clear that the intention is not to work with us to address antisemitism in a cooperative and constructive manner. Although some of the demands outlined by the government are aimed at combating antisemitism, the majority represent direct governmental regulation of the “intellectual conditions” at Harvard.

I encourage you to read the letter to gain a fuller understanding of the unprecedented demands being made by the federal government to control the Harvard community. They include requirements to “audit” the viewpoints of our student body, faculty, staff, and to “reduc[e] the power” of certain students, faculty, and administrators targeted because of their ideological views. We have informed the administration through our legal counsel that we will not accept their proposed agreement. The University will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights.

The administration’s prescription goes beyond the power of the federal government. It violates Harvard’s First Amendment rights and exceeds the statutory limits of the government’s authority under Title VI. And it threatens our values as a private institution devoted to the pursuit, production, and dissemination of knowledge. No government—regardless of which party is in power—should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.”

Fuck yeah, academic freedom.

Repeat after me: Not everything sucks.

I never thought I’d write a post whose title was Fuck, Yeah Harvard, but shit is crazy right now. I’ve been known to mock, tease, and skewer Harvard grads for being pompous prats a la Frasier Crane. Instead, I find myself praising Harvard. It’s a funny old world.

Fuck yeah, Harvard.

Fuck yeah, academic freedom.

Repeat after me: Not everything sucks.

In the immortal words of Neil Finn, “Everything is good for you, if it doesn’t kill you.”

The last word goes to Crowded House: