high school librarian, “eagle-eyed” according to @ReliableSources, and founder of @projectciv. Strong opinions loosely held. Opinions are mine.
Nashville
Joined June 2009
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Amanda Smithfield retweeted
It would have been easy for NHJ not to write that desperately sad article about New York City public schools and her decision to send her daughter to a troubled one. I respect her for writing it and for writing it honestly and in a way that wasn’t an exercise in self-flattery.
Amanda Smithfield retweeted
This behavior is especially unacceptable for law students. What do they think? That they can interrupt and disrupt their opponents in court? Nope. They'll be forced to listen and respond with reason, not disruption.
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Amanda Smithfield retweeted
Important story, must share on Twitter! We need to get screens out of classrooms. But if we don't understand what learning is, we will fall just as hard for the next silver bullet solution, which might be "no screens." @karenvaites @mattyglesias @KelseyTuoc
Amanda Smithfield retweeted
Nobody has the right to shout someone down, hijack an event, or block others from listening.
Protesting outside is protected.
So is disagreement.
But if you want to challenge a speaker, ask questions or organize your own event.
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Amanda Smithfield retweeted
This point from @GovCox is so important: over the last 50 years America has been indoctrinated to believe that only presidential politics matters - which has justified a consolidation of power that's destroying checks and balances.
The subsequent point from @EzraKlein is also important: thanks to the nationalization of media & destruction of local media, more and more people are obsessed with national politics & aren't interested in what's happening in their own community. Which is extremely bad.
Very good interview here: nytimes.com/2025/09/19/opini…
Amanda Smithfield retweeted
Erika Kirk forgives her husband’s assassin and says: “The answer to hate is not hate. The answer, we know from the Gospel, is love and always love—love for our enemies and love for those who persecute us.”
Amanda Smithfield retweeted
“Free speech belongs to everyone or it belongs to no one” - @glukianoff
Watch his full TED Talk on the importance of free speech — and how protecting it benefits everyone: t.ted.com/fKhlHjt
Amanda Smithfield retweeted
Yup. Also the birthright citizenship decision isn't a major win for Trump. He has still lost all the birthright injunctions and will almost certainly lose on the merits soon enough. Oh, and there are other options for injunctions as well. There have been lots of overreactions to this decision.
Amanda Smithfield retweeted
Progressives must be consistently for free speech & not censor books because they disagree with the views of the author. What's next? Will the store no longer sell the Republic because Plato accepted slavery as part of ancient Greek society?
A bookstore in San Francisco announces it will no longer sell titles by J.K. Rowling, including her popular “Harry Potter” series, due to the author’s anti-transgender views and advocacy. nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-pop-…
Amanda Smithfield retweeted
"Free speech makes you safer. Free speech cures violence. Free speech protects the powerless. And even 'bad' people can have good ideas." My talk from April at @TEDTalks 2025 in Vancouver is live!
Amanda Smithfield retweeted
When did it become 'progressive' to hold students back, instead of helping everyone achieve?
This approach was rejected in San Francisco and if it was on the ballot, it would be rejected anywhere else.
Amanda Smithfield retweeted
I don’t understand why blue books and handwriting are necessary solutions in 2025. Schools should build testing rooms with computers that lack connections to the outside world.
Amanda Smithfield retweeted
Bone chilling.
A court ordered Kilmar Abrego Garcia to stay in the United States.
The Supreme Court ruled 9-0 that he was illegally removed. Trump is pretending he won the ruling 9-0.
1/ You may not think this case means anything to you. But let me tell you why it does.
Amanda Smithfield retweeted
The test for free speech is whether you’ll accept people expressing views that you find reprehensible or objectionable - because you realize the principle is more important than your feelings.
Amanda Smithfield retweeted
This is a depressing story that follows naturally from a dumb law.
1,100 books is a lot of books. And doesn’t appear this is focused on removing age-inappropriate books from elementary schools, but rather removing hundreds of books from high school libraries.
At least 1,100 books have been removed from Tennessee public school libraries — most of them quietly — since #tnleg passed a stricter content law this spring. chalkbeat.org/tennessee/2024…
Amanda Smithfield retweeted
Had a great time visiting with the next generation of people preparing to make their political voices heard!
I challenged @HumeFoggKnights in trying to join their @MLKRoyals peers in earning the @tnsecofstate Anne Dallas Dudley award for voter registration rates.
More than 130 @HumeFoggKnights seniors turned in their voter registration forms Thursday after Mayor @freddieoconnell spoke and answered their questions about voting trends, the opportunity to make their voice heard, and the transit plan that will be on the ballot in November.
