This is not a political post arguing for one side or the other. It is me trying to observe and make sense of the ongoing drama happening between the federal government and high education institutions.

• It is also impossible to get to the “truth”. We do not even have the whole facts, and there does not seem to be a way to get the whole facts. So everyone involved is acting (or reacting) largely based on their beliefs and some (but not all) facts, which itself is a unfortunate fact.
• Governments often take wrong actions or make wrong decisions. But they almost always act out of their convictions. In other words, they are clear about their intentions. In this case, it is, or seems to be, about getting bad foreign students out of the country, and to publish universities that are explicitly or implicitly promote antisemitisms. But underneath there may be other hidden motives, or even personal ones, but again we will probably never know.
• As I mention in an early post titled “To straighten a bent stick, you must bent in the other way“, in carrying out an action to correct a previous action, the actor tends to over-act. And then those overactions get over-reacted, and the whole thing can go out of control. In other words, we are all human. That is perhaps why most shootings in America are not premeditated and are simply arguments that go sideways (I learned this from two Chicago economists in this podcast).
• There is a Chinese saying that “If you eat someone else’s food, your mouth becomes softer.” That is just saying: If you take someone’ money, then you are the slave of the giver. It is important to note that an giver always gives out of his/her/its convictions. The giver almost always want to support something by giving. And therefore it is not wise to expect the giver to exert no influence.
• Laws are malleable and subjective to interpretation. Therefore it is not clear which side will win eventually in court. It will depends on lots of details, and lots of arguments. For example, did the US government follow the law? What exactly is the law? What do you mean “follow” the law? Either way it will be a good dose of legal education for me.
• Having said that, this ongoing fight also makes me realize that above all this we depend on having a lawful society. Everyone needs to respect and obey the judiciary system, otherwise there is no hope of having a functioning democratic and prosperous society. And so far I sense both sides are following the rule of the game here, i.e. challenge each other through the court system. That is a good thing.
• Talk about bigotry, I see bigotry on both sides. I also realize we humans are never balanced or impartial.
• It is almost impossible to see or say right now right here who is on the right side. The only way is by looking back years or decades later and reflecting on what has transpired.