On Saturday, Kansans held a virtual Town Hall with one of our missing Senators — Jerry Moran. Since he refused to meet us, we had an empty chair with his photograph taped to it. Over the course of 2.5 hours, 32 people from many walks of life expressed our concerns — about the ongoing coup, the legislative branch’s abdication of its responsibility, the effects that President Musk’s wanton destruction of our government is having and will have on the people of Kansas.
- You can read more about the town hall in the Kansas Reflector today (25 Feb.)
- Or, if you like, you can watch the full 2.5-hour broadcast, an edited version, or just me — thanks to Dave Kendall, who edited the video, and to Laura Mead, who (along with Dave) organized the event.
The Town Hall as originally broadcast (2.5 hours)
A shorter version of the Town Hall (82 minutes)
Just me (3 minutes)
And here’s the text of what I said —
Good afternoon. Philip Nel speaking from Manhattan, Kansas — which has been my home for 25 years now. Thanks to Dave and Laura for organizing this. And thanks, of course, to the photograph of Senator Moran taped to an empty chair for joining our town hall today. We appreciate your time.
So, we’re entering our fourth week of Elon Musk’s administrative coup. And my main question today is: When will you, Senator Moran, be standing up for our democracy? When will you be upholding your oath of office?
With no understanding of how government works, Musk and his team are destroying systems that keep us safe. Firing air traffic controllers. Firing people trying to contain bird flu. Firing National Nuclear Security Agency people who secure nuclear weapons. Now that USAID has been shut down, how many people have died? How many will die — not just abroad but here. USAID monitors and contains disease outbreaks around the world… which prevents those diseases from reaching us here in Kansas. Or… it used to.
Musk’s recklessness is profoundly dangerous. Destruction is not efficiency. I would hope that you’d know the difference between destruction and efficiency and, for that matter, between legal and illegal.
Because Elon Musk’s destruction of our government is also illegal. Elon Musk does not have the power of the purse. Congress — which includes the Senate, you know, where you work — congress has the power of the purse. Or it used to.
Why has the legislative branch of government, your branch of government, ceded all its power to the executive branch — indeed, to an unelected South African billionaire who is now effectively our executive branch —?
Where is your patriotism, Senator Moran? For that matter, where is your spine?
In April, I will need to fly for business. If any those planes crash, I hope that you, Senator Moran, can live with having another death — my death — on your conscience. Because you and all who stand by while Musk destroys our government will be responsible.
Fascism is here, Senator. And you are fiddling while America burns.
Stop fiddling. Stop Musk’s coup. Stand up for democracy.
Thank you again for your time today.
Related (on the blog unless otherwise indicated)
RESIST
- “Language Matters: DEI” (23 Feb. 2025)
- “No More Kings! Protest Musk’s Coup, on Presidents Day 2025” (16 Feb. 2025)
- “Another World Is Possible” (19 Nov. 2024).
- “You Are Not Alone: A Letter to My Students After the 2024 US Election” (6 Nov. 2024).
- “Resolutions for a New Academic Year: A survival guide for higher education in perilous times” (Chronicle of Higher Education, 5 Sept. 2017)
- “The Public University in an Age of Alt-Facts: Remarks on Receiving a Higuchi Award” (13 Dec. 2016)
- “Surviving Trumpism, Restoring Democracy” (12 Nov. 2016)
CHILDREN’S LITERATURE & EDUCATION
- “Defending the Right to Read: Resources for Opposing Book Bans” (1 Jan. 2024).
- “Why Are People Afraid of Multicultural Children’s Books?” (Geschichte der Gegenwart, 21 May 2023). See also the related blog post.
- “Breaking up with your favorite childhood classic books” (Washington Post, 16 May 2021).
- “Seuss, Racism, and Resources for Anti-Racist Children’s Literature” (9 Mar. 2021).
- “Trump is a liar. Tell children the truth” (Public Books, 15 Oct. 2019). See also the related blog post on the essay.
- “Migration, Refugees, and Diaspora in Children’s Literature” (ChLAQ) (11 Dec. 2018). Blog post announcing special issue of the Children’s Literature Association Quarterly on this subject, including excerpts from my introduction.
- Refugee Stories for Young Readers (Public Books, 23 Mar. 2017). Francesca Sanna’s The Journey and other contemporary refugee tales for children.