I looked to see if the April 22, 2025 letter from the American Association of Colleges and Universities/American Academy of Arts and Sciences got attention which is-- as you point out--a motivation.
And yes, here you go from the University Wire (https://www.uwire.com/) press releases that include the letter: or parts of it.
*Brown extolls its president for signing.
Paxson signs open letter condemning federal actions targeting higher education - The Brown Daily Herald Is Part Of University Wire, 2025.
*- (Bowdoin College): Zaki Signs Open Letter to Protect Higher Education from Government Overreach. Carlsbad: Uloop, Inc, 2025.
That is a good question, and I never thought about it until this timeline. To some degree I think they are done to reassure constituencies like university faculty. Also, they give cover to being in a group rather than standing up bravely alone on a topic. And then they can be cut and pasted all over for public relations. I liked this timeline highlighted the "1,500 historians call for removing President Trump from office" as it caused me to think that if historians insist on advocating for the way history should unfold then how can we be sure they are historians without a side in the issue? My day job is a historian of libraries--and that group has not made political statements (so far). But as a member of the American Library Association a lot of public statements we might make are debated. The debates take a lot of time, and everyone feels like they are doing something, but I can think of things to do with that time that might move us forward more effectively.
Fuck these scientists. They have created poison for Big Pharma that kills us all. We need to get back to family doctors who can prescribe whatever is needed to make people well instead of sending everyone to a specialist for an antacid. There hasn’t been a scientific breakthrough since penicillin and everything after has made everyone take lifelong medications. Treating but never curing. Making customers out of us all. Big Pharma needs to have advertising ripped off television. Vaccines need serious new study and staggered for newborns. Zero reason for a baby to get a Hepatitis shot. Everything needs to be opened and inspected. Open letters are always partisan and it’s just people angry about them not enjoying the comforts they always were used to.
To me, most of the open letters I see are reminiscent of the Buffalo Spring song "For What It's Worth" that includes the famous (to me at least) lines:
Singing songs and they carrying signs
Mostly say, "Hooray for our side"
I would pay more attention to them if the Hunter Biden Laptop letter had not received such enthusiastic press support, or perhaps even if the "Over 2,000 scientists urge..." had been published while Biden was still the President and Dr. Fauci was still in charge of our Covid response.
The pattern seems to be various managerial class cliques put these letters out. They all share the belief in the power of words, and words can be powerful. They can also be self-righteous, mendacious and over wrought.
Not wanting to be a smarty pants, but here goes. What is the summary of your article? None of this is new or news. The left has crafted the majority of these open letters. What are we to make of this obvious attempt by the left to add some weight to their argument? We all know by now what the left is attempting .
TWO IDENTICAL PARAGRAPHS!! DID YOUR DOG EDIT THIS? Shame!
Here’s a list of open letters — though certainly not complete — directed at Trump in his first and second terms.
November 29, 2016
Following Trump’s election as the 45th president, the Union of Concerned Scientists release an open letter to Trump and Congress. The letter, signed by 2,000-plus scientists — including 22 Nobel Prize winners — informs the president-elect and Congress that:
First, creating a strong and open culture of science begins at the top. Federal agencies should be led by officials with demonstrated track records of respecting science as a critical component of decision making. Further, recognizing that diversity makes science stronger, administration officials should welcome and encourage all scientists regardless of religious background, race, gender, or sexual orientation.
The Washington Post’s lead on the letter says: “Call it the opening shot in a brewing war over scientific integrity in the future Trump administration.”
November 29, 2016
Following Trump’s election as the 45th president, the Union of Concerned Scientists release an open letter to Trump and Congress. The letter, signed by 2,000-plus scientists — including 22 Nobel Prize winners — informs the president-elect and Congress that:
First, creating a strong and open culture of science begins at the top. Federal agencies should be led by officials with demonstrated track records of respecting science as a critical component of decision making. Further, recognizing that diversity makes science stronger, administration officials should welcome and encourage all scientists regardless of religious background, race, gender, or sexual orientation.
The Washington Post’s lead on the letter says: “Call it the opening shot in a brewing war over scientific integrity in the future Trump administration.”
I do a Substack on library history and did this a few times--(repeated parts of posts) but it was often because SS was acting wonky which it was yesterday. Posts were doubled up. Good news--The post can be edited so the archival is correct. Never hurts to have this noted. But I still think you would be mean English teacher.
It’s sloppy editing, it’s true, but I’d rather read sloppily edited truths instead of carefully crafted lies. So I suspect most commenters aren’t that bothered by it.
Mean teachers allow poor work. As a teacher putting up high goals so students reach up to achieve. We have lowered our levels to achieve so much that children and adults are closer to illiterate in all studies. "Mean" teachers push students beyond their known capabilities to achieve beyond their dreams.
It would be helpful if these reports on open letters provided some context. For example, there are about 6K colleges in the U.S., so signatories on the 4/22 letter represent less than 10% of potential signatories. Elsewhere, is 500 women scientists a lot? It doesn't seem so.
My own undergrad president signed both the 4/22 letter and joined the College Presidents for Civic Preparedness consortium, which conceptually are at odds. But there's nothing like safety in herds.
I'm generally not a fan of these letters. Sometimes, I just use them to figure out who seems reasonable (Great Barrington) and who is just an irredeemable lunatic.
Wasn't there also an open letter, in May of 2020, when a bunch of health 'experts' declared that it was akkshuallly ok for people to congregate in huge groups to protest what happened to George Floyd, because Covid akkshuallly wasn't transmittable during protests like this?
(But you still can't go to church, funerals, or to the hospital to comfort your sick love ones).
Proofreader is a good idea—sometimes I can write something that I think makes sense, but it takes another set of eyes to see the obvious defects. Tricks of the mind…
SLOW DOWN MATT!! Two editing blunders in the first paragraph?!!
"The open letter is a reliable way for organizations to make raise their political voices; hear's a look at some notable examples."
Should be:
"The open letter is a reliable way for organizations to "The open letter is a reliable way for organizations to {delete 'make'} raise their political voices; HERE'S a look at some notable examples."
Back in the day, mistakes like this would make the author look crude and uneducated; now they just make the author look like all the other crude and uneducated authors. Don't make me tell on you to Walter - I don't think he will treat you kindly! ;)
Yup, the First Amendment gives citizens "the right to petition the government."
I go further and take exception to the opening premises about objectives for open letters. The observation that during the runup to an election they're intended to plug for or against one (or both) of the candidates is right but the "fuck you" goal is not necessarily the case, though usually in the American political arena filled as it historically has been with lies.
You correctly list at least two examples that meet your criteria. The despicable former intelligence officals certainly has that objective and was not a petition to the government. As we know - some of us never believed it - they were being dishonest in an attempt to back Genocide Joe. My immediate response to anything war criminals Susan Rice and Anthony Lake are for is to be extremely dubious; their record has created a high bar to convince me. And, yes, as you've noted it wasn't only the DNC part of the 1% that engaged in this.
On the other hand, open letters pleading for consideration of policy issues can and do happen any time during an administration.
Anyway, maybe it's because I've a STEM background and socialize with scientists, my take is the 2K scientists have a legitimate concern. A bit of care needs to be taken but if you're not going to trust that they have some idea of what they're doing, you probably shouldn't drive a car, expect your phone or computer to work, or for that matter that a switch can turn the lights on or off. And for god's sake don't get in an airplane.
I certainly favor “investing in clean, low carbon energy and climate research” and am reminded of letters of that sort, often associated with demonstrations, from the late 1950s dealing with such matters as nuclear testing, nuclear war, the invasion and occupation of Vietnam, and more recently global warming (of course doesn't get much play in mainstream media).
As for Catholic Workers and the National Association of Korean Americans asking for a formal end to the Korean War, well we know a long line of presidents have refused to do that. Given Trump's posing himself as a peacemaker, it's a reasonable request before he locks himself into more belligerance with North Korea.
I looked to see if the April 22, 2025 letter from the American Association of Colleges and Universities/American Academy of Arts and Sciences got attention which is-- as you point out--a motivation.
And yes, here you go from the University Wire (https://www.uwire.com/) press releases that include the letter: or parts of it.
*Brown extolls its president for signing.
Paxson signs open letter condemning federal actions targeting higher education - The Brown Daily Herald Is Part Of University Wire, 2025.
*- (Bowdoin College): Zaki Signs Open Letter to Protect Higher Education from Government Overreach. Carlsbad: Uloop, Inc, 2025.
I'm going to write an open letter under the headline: "Please ... no more open letters."
Who reads ‘em, anyway?
That is a good question, and I never thought about it until this timeline. To some degree I think they are done to reassure constituencies like university faculty. Also, they give cover to being in a group rather than standing up bravely alone on a topic. And then they can be cut and pasted all over for public relations. I liked this timeline highlighted the "1,500 historians call for removing President Trump from office" as it caused me to think that if historians insist on advocating for the way history should unfold then how can we be sure they are historians without a side in the issue? My day job is a historian of libraries--and that group has not made political statements (so far). But as a member of the American Library Association a lot of public statements we might make are debated. The debates take a lot of time, and everyone feels like they are doing something, but I can think of things to do with that time that might move us forward more effectively.
Lol
Fuck these scientists. They have created poison for Big Pharma that kills us all. We need to get back to family doctors who can prescribe whatever is needed to make people well instead of sending everyone to a specialist for an antacid. There hasn’t been a scientific breakthrough since penicillin and everything after has made everyone take lifelong medications. Treating but never curing. Making customers out of us all. Big Pharma needs to have advertising ripped off television. Vaccines need serious new study and staggered for newborns. Zero reason for a baby to get a Hepatitis shot. Everything needs to be opened and inspected. Open letters are always partisan and it’s just people angry about them not enjoying the comforts they always were used to.
After the first sentence, the 3 word sentence, there is significant merit in the points you made in this post.
I really love the expanded coverage.
Losers write strongly worded letters.
Liars write open letters.
Hahaha!!
No letters criticizing Biden. Enough said.
To me, most of the open letters I see are reminiscent of the Buffalo Spring song "For What It's Worth" that includes the famous (to me at least) lines:
Singing songs and they carrying signs
Mostly say, "Hooray for our side"
I would pay more attention to them if the Hunter Biden Laptop letter had not received such enthusiastic press support, or perhaps even if the "Over 2,000 scientists urge..." had been published while Biden was still the President and Dr. Fauci was still in charge of our Covid response.
The pattern seems to be various managerial class cliques put these letters out. They all share the belief in the power of words, and words can be powerful. They can also be self-righteous, mendacious and over wrought.
Not wanting to be a smarty pants, but here goes. What is the summary of your article? None of this is new or news. The left has crafted the majority of these open letters. What are we to make of this obvious attempt by the left to add some weight to their argument? We all know by now what the left is attempting .
I read MT's article today which refers to this Timeline and it gives more context. I knew about the academic ones but not that there were so many.
TWO IDENTICAL PARAGRAPHS!! DID YOUR DOG EDIT THIS? Shame!
Here’s a list of open letters — though certainly not complete — directed at Trump in his first and second terms.
November 29, 2016
Following Trump’s election as the 45th president, the Union of Concerned Scientists release an open letter to Trump and Congress. The letter, signed by 2,000-plus scientists — including 22 Nobel Prize winners — informs the president-elect and Congress that:
First, creating a strong and open culture of science begins at the top. Federal agencies should be led by officials with demonstrated track records of respecting science as a critical component of decision making. Further, recognizing that diversity makes science stronger, administration officials should welcome and encourage all scientists regardless of religious background, race, gender, or sexual orientation.
The Washington Post’s lead on the letter says: “Call it the opening shot in a brewing war over scientific integrity in the future Trump administration.”
November 29, 2016
Following Trump’s election as the 45th president, the Union of Concerned Scientists release an open letter to Trump and Congress. The letter, signed by 2,000-plus scientists — including 22 Nobel Prize winners — informs the president-elect and Congress that:
First, creating a strong and open culture of science begins at the top. Federal agencies should be led by officials with demonstrated track records of respecting science as a critical component of decision making. Further, recognizing that diversity makes science stronger, administration officials should welcome and encourage all scientists regardless of religious background, race, gender, or sexual orientation.
The Washington Post’s lead on the letter says: “Call it the opening shot in a brewing war over scientific integrity in the future Trump administration.”
And where is proof that diversity makes science better?
Ha! I thought I was reading a Babylon Bee headline. “ 500 scientists say they are so diverse they don’t have to do science —- whatever that is.”
Uh guys - my comment was intended to show Matt that he had the same paragraph in twice - a 'cut-and-pasto' error, if you will ;)
I do a Substack on library history and did this a few times--(repeated parts of posts) but it was often because SS was acting wonky which it was yesterday. Posts were doubled up. Good news--The post can be edited so the archival is correct. Never hurts to have this noted. But I still think you would be mean English teacher.
It’s sloppy editing, it’s true, but I’d rather read sloppily edited truths instead of carefully crafted lies. So I suspect most commenters aren’t that bothered by it.
Not Matt though--guest article by Greg Collard.
One of those statements you’re supposed to take as self-evident, along with the multitude of “rights” tacked onto Jefferson’s correct and short list.
0
You would be the meanest English teacher.
Yeah, I would insist on correct spelling and grammar - the horrors! ;)
Kathleen
Mean teachers allow poor work. As a teacher putting up high goals so students reach up to achieve. We have lowered our levels to achieve so much that children and adults are closer to illiterate in all studies. "Mean" teachers push students beyond their known capabilities to achieve beyond their dreams.
I loved my mean teachers.
Me too! It made me push myself beyond my self imposed limits. We need more mean teachers (and "mean" parents) go above and beyond!
"Quitters never Win, Winners never Quit"
-Vince Lombardi
Speak for yourself. Many of us knew the 51-Stooge letter was a fraud the moment it was published.
It would be helpful if these reports on open letters provided some context. For example, there are about 6K colleges in the U.S., so signatories on the 4/22 letter represent less than 10% of potential signatories. Elsewhere, is 500 women scientists a lot? It doesn't seem so.
My own undergrad president signed both the 4/22 letter and joined the College Presidents for Civic Preparedness consortium, which conceptually are at odds. But there's nothing like safety in herds.
I'm generally not a fan of these letters. Sometimes, I just use them to figure out who seems reasonable (Great Barrington) and who is just an irredeemable lunatic.
Thanks for these great examples Matt.
Wasn't there also an open letter, in May of 2020, when a bunch of health 'experts' declared that it was akkshuallly ok for people to congregate in huge groups to protest what happened to George Floyd, because Covid akkshuallly wasn't transmittable during protests like this?
(But you still can't go to church, funerals, or to the hospital to comfort your sick love ones).
Best comedy I've read in months.
Are you serious with that subtitle? "make raise"? "hear's a look"?
Yikes! Fixing now
Whew! Thanks.
Need a proofreader? Glad to help for early access.
My apologies. I’m quite embarrassed. Not happy at all.
Proofreader is a good idea—sometimes I can write something that I think makes sense, but it takes another set of eyes to see the obvious defects. Tricks of the mind…
Great Barrington Declaration?
SLOW DOWN MATT!! Two editing blunders in the first paragraph?!!
"The open letter is a reliable way for organizations to make raise their political voices; hear's a look at some notable examples."
Should be:
"The open letter is a reliable way for organizations to "The open letter is a reliable way for organizations to {delete 'make'} raise their political voices; HERE'S a look at some notable examples."
Back in the day, mistakes like this would make the author look crude and uneducated; now they just make the author look like all the other crude and uneducated authors. Don't make me tell on you to Walter - I don't think he will treat you kindly! ;)
Yup, the First Amendment gives citizens "the right to petition the government."
I go further and take exception to the opening premises about objectives for open letters. The observation that during the runup to an election they're intended to plug for or against one (or both) of the candidates is right but the "fuck you" goal is not necessarily the case, though usually in the American political arena filled as it historically has been with lies.
You correctly list at least two examples that meet your criteria. The despicable former intelligence officals certainly has that objective and was not a petition to the government. As we know - some of us never believed it - they were being dishonest in an attempt to back Genocide Joe. My immediate response to anything war criminals Susan Rice and Anthony Lake are for is to be extremely dubious; their record has created a high bar to convince me. And, yes, as you've noted it wasn't only the DNC part of the 1% that engaged in this.
On the other hand, open letters pleading for consideration of policy issues can and do happen any time during an administration.
Anyway, maybe it's because I've a STEM background and socialize with scientists, my take is the 2K scientists have a legitimate concern. A bit of care needs to be taken but if you're not going to trust that they have some idea of what they're doing, you probably shouldn't drive a car, expect your phone or computer to work, or for that matter that a switch can turn the lights on or off. And for god's sake don't get in an airplane.
I certainly favor “investing in clean, low carbon energy and climate research” and am reminded of letters of that sort, often associated with demonstrations, from the late 1950s dealing with such matters as nuclear testing, nuclear war, the invasion and occupation of Vietnam, and more recently global warming (of course doesn't get much play in mainstream media).
As for Catholic Workers and the National Association of Korean Americans asking for a formal end to the Korean War, well we know a long line of presidents have refused to do that. Given Trump's posing himself as a peacemaker, it's a reasonable request before he locks himself into more belligerance with North Korea.