Letter from Chip Northrup

Isn’t That What Bullies Do?

In fulfillment of a campaign promise (before invading Greenland, but after renaming the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of Freedom Fries) Trump has threatened to cut $400 million in federal funding to Columbia University, ostensibly on account of their “anti-semitic” policies.

Since Columbia offers a four year medical residency at Bassett Cooperstown, this is one turkey that may come home to lay an egg right here in River City. Not exactly clear what Columbia is supposed to do on behalf of the allegedly aggrieved semites, other than to promise to treat every minority on its diverse campus with equality and inclusion; which would be, of course, DEI, which is now verboten.

And now Trump threatens to withhold $170 million in federal funds because of Penn’s “transgender policy.” Catch is that the transgressing transgender in question, a Penn swimmer, has long since graduated and was subsequently ruled ineligible to compete on the Olympic team. Penn adheres to the NCAA rules, which ban transgender athletes. So not clear how Penn is supposed to comply. But it was a down day on Wall Street, so why not threaten another Ivy League university over basically nothing? Isn’t that what incompetent bullies do?

Chip Northrup
Cooperstown