Barth Keck
@keckb33.bsky.social
Retired English teacher, adjunct faculty/community college, columnist for www.ctnewsjunkie.com, media-literacy crusader, Baltimore native/New England transplant, lifelong Orioles fan, football coach, husband, dad, grandad, dog lover.
"No single policy [other than parental leave in the US] more clearly demonstrates that we value the sovereignty of the business owner, the financial impact on commerce, more than we value children and the women who give birth to them."
open.substack.com/pub/curmudgu...
open.substack.com/pub/curmudgu...
Why Do Teachers Have Such Lousy Parental Leave?
From March 2019
open.substack.com
January 30, 2026 at 12:23 PM
"No single policy [other than parental leave in the US] more clearly demonstrates that we value the sovereignty of the business owner, the financial impact on commerce, more than we value children and the women who give birth to them."
open.substack.com/pub/curmudgu...
open.substack.com/pub/curmudgu...
“The right’s echo chamber is so powerful and so hermetically sealed that even serious conservatives can fall for the administration’s disinformation.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/29/opinion/truump-ice-minnesota-noem-miller.html?unlocked_article_code=1.IVA.FR3o.oyvRn0t8dR2m&smid=url-share
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/29/opinion/truump-ice-minnesota-noem-miller.html?unlocked_article_code=1.IVA.FR3o.oyvRn0t8dR2m&smid=url-share
Opinion | What MAGA Sees in the Minnesota Mirror
www.nytimes.com
January 30, 2026 at 9:38 AM
“The right’s echo chamber is so powerful and so hermetically sealed that even serious conservatives can fall for the administration’s disinformation.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/29/opinion/truump-ice-minnesota-noem-miller.html?unlocked_article_code=1.IVA.FR3o.oyvRn0t8dR2m&smid=url-share
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/29/opinion/truump-ice-minnesota-noem-miller.html?unlocked_article_code=1.IVA.FR3o.oyvRn0t8dR2m&smid=url-share
“We’re in a moment where teachers are facing that risk that 15 years ago they didn’t face.”
https://ctnewsjunkie.com/2026/01/28/do-teachers-have-free-speech-ct-panel-grapples-with-the-issue-at-education-summit/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook
https://ctnewsjunkie.com/2026/01/28/do-teachers-have-free-speech-ct-panel-grapples-with-the-issue-at-education-summit/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook
Do Teachers Have Free Speech? CT Panel Grapples With The Issue At Education Summit | CT News Junkie
State Sen. John Kissel, R-Enfield, said teachers shouldn’t have to choose between basic American freedoms and their career.
ctnewsjunkie.com
January 29, 2026 at 11:00 AM
“We’re in a moment where teachers are facing that risk that 15 years ago they didn’t face.”
https://ctnewsjunkie.com/2026/01/28/do-teachers-have-free-speech-ct-panel-grapples-with-the-issue-at-education-summit/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook
https://ctnewsjunkie.com/2026/01/28/do-teachers-have-free-speech-ct-panel-grapples-with-the-issue-at-education-summit/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook
Cell phone videos undoubtedly can expose wrongdoing quickly, as we’re seeing with ICE. But they don’t come without issues. Great article here:
“If there is even the slightest bit of ambiguity, that just opens the door for people to interpret [video] according to their own existing attitudes.”
“If there is even the slightest bit of ambiguity, that just opens the door for people to interpret [video] according to their own existing attitudes.”
Bystander videos have shaped public perception for decades. The ability to now spread video widely can lead to real-time access and transparency, but experts say videos can't tell the full story. n.pr/3MbXvM6
How bystander videos of law enforcement have shaped public understanding
Bystander videos have shaped public perception for decades. The ability to now spread video widely can lead to real-time access and transparency, but experts say videos can't tell the full story.
n.pr
January 28, 2026 at 10:36 AM
Cell phone videos undoubtedly can expose wrongdoing quickly, as we’re seeing with ICE. But they don’t come without issues. Great article here:
“If there is even the slightest bit of ambiguity, that just opens the door for people to interpret [video] according to their own existing attitudes.”
“If there is even the slightest bit of ambiguity, that just opens the door for people to interpret [video] according to their own existing attitudes.”
“Strengthening animal cruelty laws isn’t just about punishing abusers. It’s about declaring compassion’s a value worth defending.”
https://ctnewsjunkie.com/2026/01/27/as-animal-cruelty-cases-rise-in-connecticut-advocates-push-to-elevate-starvation-to-a-felony/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook
https://ctnewsjunkie.com/2026/01/27/as-animal-cruelty-cases-rise-in-connecticut-advocates-push-to-elevate-starvation-to-a-felony/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook
As Animal Cruelty Cases Rise In Connecticut, Advocates Push To Elevate Starvation To A Felony | CT News Junkie
Connecticut lawmakers and animal welfare advocates, including Desmond’s Army, a volunteer nonprofit of animal law advocates, unveiled a legislative package aimed at tightening the state’s response to ...
ctnewsjunkie.com
January 28, 2026 at 10:29 AM
“Strengthening animal cruelty laws isn’t just about punishing abusers. It’s about declaring compassion’s a value worth defending.”
https://ctnewsjunkie.com/2026/01/27/as-animal-cruelty-cases-rise-in-connecticut-advocates-push-to-elevate-starvation-to-a-felony/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook
https://ctnewsjunkie.com/2026/01/27/as-animal-cruelty-cases-rise-in-connecticut-advocates-push-to-elevate-starvation-to-a-felony/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook
My new op-ed:
"If we haven’t reached the tipping point, we’re very close. The proliferation of misinformation that I’ve denounced for more than a decade has morphed into blatant propaganda employed by the executive branch of the United States government."
ctnewsjunkie.com/2026/01/26/o...
"If we haven’t reached the tipping point, we’re very close. The proliferation of misinformation that I’ve denounced for more than a decade has morphed into blatant propaganda employed by the executive branch of the United States government."
ctnewsjunkie.com/2026/01/26/o...
Opinion | ICE Propaganda Campaign Threatens Democracy Itself | CT News Junkie
Columnist Barth Keck: If we haven’t reached the tipping point in this country yet, we’re very close. The proliferation of misinformation that I’ve been denouncing for more than a decade in this space ...
ctnewsjunkie.com
January 26, 2026 at 11:48 AM
My new op-ed:
"If we haven’t reached the tipping point, we’re very close. The proliferation of misinformation that I’ve denounced for more than a decade has morphed into blatant propaganda employed by the executive branch of the United States government."
ctnewsjunkie.com/2026/01/26/o...
"If we haven’t reached the tipping point, we’re very close. The proliferation of misinformation that I’ve denounced for more than a decade has morphed into blatant propaganda employed by the executive branch of the United States government."
ctnewsjunkie.com/2026/01/26/o...
My warning in 2024:
“Fear is lodged deeply within the American psyche. Today, it’s the dread of the outsider—‘the other’—that politicians exploit to gain power. “
https://www.courant.com/2024/08/26/opinion-we-cant-surrender-our-principles-to-the-latest-iteration-of-fear/?share=ta0t2otuewprnerdrpoa
“Fear is lodged deeply within the American psyche. Today, it’s the dread of the outsider—‘the other’—that politicians exploit to gain power. “
https://www.courant.com/2024/08/26/opinion-we-cant-surrender-our-principles-to-the-latest-iteration-of-fear/?share=ta0t2otuewprnerdrpoa
Opinion: We can’t surrender our principles to the latest iteration of fear
Illegal immigration is clearly a problem in the United States. But the issue is longstanding and complex, and it won’t be solved by fear mongers spewing hateful rhetoric.
www.courant.com
January 23, 2026 at 9:38 AM
My warning in 2024:
“Fear is lodged deeply within the American psyche. Today, it’s the dread of the outsider—‘the other’—that politicians exploit to gain power. “
https://www.courant.com/2024/08/26/opinion-we-cant-surrender-our-principles-to-the-latest-iteration-of-fear/?share=ta0t2otuewprnerdrpoa
“Fear is lodged deeply within the American psyche. Today, it’s the dread of the outsider—‘the other’—that politicians exploit to gain power. “
https://www.courant.com/2024/08/26/opinion-we-cant-surrender-our-principles-to-the-latest-iteration-of-fear/?share=ta0t2otuewprnerdrpoa
In my latest essay, I ruminate on the art of coaching football:
"Is there one best style for coaches in the 21st century?"
medium.com/@barthkeck/f...
"Is there one best style for coaches in the 21st century?"
medium.com/@barthkeck/f...
Football Chronicles 2026: What Coaching Style Works Best? (Chapter 2)
During this “championship season” of college and pro football, I’ve been intrigued by the variety of styles exhibited by winning coaches…
medium.com
January 22, 2026 at 10:18 PM
In my latest essay, I ruminate on the art of coaching football:
"Is there one best style for coaches in the 21st century?"
medium.com/@barthkeck/f...
"Is there one best style for coaches in the 21st century?"
medium.com/@barthkeck/f...
“In any authoritarian society, the possessor of power dictates, and if you try and step outside, he will come after you.”
- Salman Rushdie
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/20/us/politics/subpoena-minnesota-democrats-immigration.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
- Salman Rushdie
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/20/us/politics/subpoena-minnesota-democrats-immigration.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
Prosecutors Subpoena Minnesota Democrats as Part of Federal Inquiry
www.nytimes.com
January 20, 2026 at 7:37 PM
“In any authoritarian society, the possessor of power dictates, and if you try and step outside, he will come after you.”
- Salman Rushdie
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/20/us/politics/subpoena-minnesota-democrats-immigration.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
- Salman Rushdie
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/20/us/politics/subpoena-minnesota-democrats-immigration.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
“The brutality shown by our own govt against peaceful protesters, people who are doing what civil rights marchers did when they marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge and were met with the same kind of brutality from people wearing badges but doing injustice,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-CT.
Remembrance Meets Resolve At CT’s Annual MLK Commemoration #ctnewsjunkie #ctpolitics
Remembrance Meets Resolve At CT’s Annual MLK Commemoration
Jeffrey Hines, director of diversity and inclusion initiatives at UConn, keynoted the event, which also included music, personal reflections and comments from state civil rights and elected leaders.
dlvr.it
January 20, 2026 at 2:58 PM
“The brutality shown by our own govt against peaceful protesters, people who are doing what civil rights marchers did when they marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge and were met with the same kind of brutality from people wearing badges but doing injustice,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-CT.
“Misogyny is the beating heart of a fascism that violently safeguards and shores up white male authority—by punishing any social subordinate who questions the designated authority figures.”
I tried to write about what this fascist moment feels like as an abuse survivor, especially in light of the mansplaining we've been getting for a decade. This is the result.
We Were Right About Trump and It Doesn’t Feel Good
It feels abysmal in part because some still aren't listening
nobody-wants-this.ghost.io
January 18, 2026 at 11:44 AM
“Misogyny is the beating heart of a fascism that violently safeguards and shores up white male authority—by punishing any social subordinate who questions the designated authority figures.”
I wrote this on the eve of the '24 election. It's more relevant today for obvious reasons:
"Where is today’s Margaret Chase Smith? Who among current Republicans has been willing to state their own 'declaration of conscience' against Trump’s blatant fear-mongering?"
ctnewsjunkie.com/2024/11/05/a...
"Where is today’s Margaret Chase Smith? Who among current Republicans has been willing to state their own 'declaration of conscience' against Trump’s blatant fear-mongering?"
ctnewsjunkie.com/2024/11/05/a...
Analysis | The GOP's Lack Of Conscience: Where Is Today's Margaret Chase Smith? | CT News Junkie
Columnist Barth Keck says the campaign that ends today, along with its endless – and utterly baseless – claims of immigrants invading the country "from prisons and jails, insane asylums and mental ins...
ctnewsjunkie.com
January 17, 2026 at 8:03 PM
I wrote this on the eve of the '24 election. It's more relevant today for obvious reasons:
"Where is today’s Margaret Chase Smith? Who among current Republicans has been willing to state their own 'declaration of conscience' against Trump’s blatant fear-mongering?"
ctnewsjunkie.com/2024/11/05/a...
"Where is today’s Margaret Chase Smith? Who among current Republicans has been willing to state their own 'declaration of conscience' against Trump’s blatant fear-mongering?"
ctnewsjunkie.com/2024/11/05/a...
“Power is not a means; it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship.”
- George Orwell, 1984
- George Orwell, 1984
Breaking: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey are being investigated by the Trump DOJ for allegedly obstructing law enforcement activities, two U.S. officials told WCCO.
It's unclear how Walz and Frey allegedly obstructed law enforcement or what they were allegedly obstructing.
It's unclear how Walz and Frey allegedly obstructed law enforcement or what they were allegedly obstructing.
Department of Justice investigating Gov. Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Frey, U.S. officials say
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey are under federal investigation, two U.S. officials told WCCO on Friday afternoon.
www.cbsnews.com
January 17, 2026 at 12:33 PM
“Power is not a means; it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship.”
- George Orwell, 1984
- George Orwell, 1984
“This episode has only created uncertainty and confusion for families and healthcare providers. I hope this reversal serves as a lesson learned. Congress holds power of the purse.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/health/samhsa-funding-cuts.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/health/samhsa-funding-cuts.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
Pure cruelty:
“Trump is cutting nearly $2 billion in funding to 2,000 programs nationwide that provide addiction prevention, treatment, recovery and mental health services.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/health/samhsa-funding-cuts.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
“Trump is cutting nearly $2 billion in funding to 2,000 programs nationwide that provide addiction prevention, treatment, recovery and mental health services.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/health/samhsa-funding-cuts.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
Trump Cuts $2 Billion in Federal Funding for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services
www.nytimes.com
January 15, 2026 at 3:56 AM
“This episode has only created uncertainty and confusion for families and healthcare providers. I hope this reversal serves as a lesson learned. Congress holds power of the purse.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/health/samhsa-funding-cuts.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/health/samhsa-funding-cuts.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
Pure cruelty:
“Trump is cutting nearly $2 billion in funding to 2,000 programs nationwide that provide addiction prevention, treatment, recovery and mental health services.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/health/samhsa-funding-cuts.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
“Trump is cutting nearly $2 billion in funding to 2,000 programs nationwide that provide addiction prevention, treatment, recovery and mental health services.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/health/samhsa-funding-cuts.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
Trump Cuts $2 Billion in Federal Funding for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services
www.nytimes.com
January 15, 2026 at 12:58 AM
Pure cruelty:
“Trump is cutting nearly $2 billion in funding to 2,000 programs nationwide that provide addiction prevention, treatment, recovery and mental health services.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/health/samhsa-funding-cuts.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
“Trump is cutting nearly $2 billion in funding to 2,000 programs nationwide that provide addiction prevention, treatment, recovery and mental health services.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/health/samhsa-funding-cuts.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
My recent essay about the youth hockey brawl that went viral:
"What in the world is such a charade supposed to teach first- and second-graders? It’s a monumentally stupid idea that will now result in serious consequences for the adults responsible."
medium.com/@barthkeck/f...
"What in the world is such a charade supposed to teach first- and second-graders? It’s a monumentally stupid idea that will now result in serious consequences for the adults responsible."
medium.com/@barthkeck/f...
Football Chronicles 2026: What’s the Point of a Youth Hockey Brawl? (Chapter 1)
Author’s note: This is the 1st installment of “The HK Cougar Football Chronicles” for the new year (2026). As an assistant coach, I share…
medium.com
January 14, 2026 at 3:15 PM
My recent essay about the youth hockey brawl that went viral:
"What in the world is such a charade supposed to teach first- and second-graders? It’s a monumentally stupid idea that will now result in serious consequences for the adults responsible."
medium.com/@barthkeck/f...
"What in the world is such a charade supposed to teach first- and second-graders? It’s a monumentally stupid idea that will now result in serious consequences for the adults responsible."
medium.com/@barthkeck/f...
"[Kids are] being bamboozled by glitzy media and music, convinced that their own swagger will save them. And then it doesn’t. In fact, they’re a generation that almost certainly will experience less prosperity and fewer prospects than their parents’ generation."
How do students develop a general picture of the country where they live? teacherinastrangeland.blog/2026/01/06/w...
Where Do Kids Get Their Information?
Their music and media tell them individualism will pull them out of squalor. The people behind those messages shove the economic ladders from underneath them. (Jose Vilson) One of the m…
teacherinastrangeland.blog
January 11, 2026 at 2:57 PM
"[Kids are] being bamboozled by glitzy media and music, convinced that their own swagger will save them. And then it doesn’t. In fact, they’re a generation that almost certainly will experience less prosperity and fewer prospects than their parents’ generation."
How can you tell Riley Fox does NOT play in a Big 4 Conference?
“You can’t waste the time you have,” he said. “You get lot of work done on the bus. All our classes are in person, but the work is online, so you just take out your computer and get stuff done.”
www.courant.com/2026/01/11/d...
“You can’t waste the time you have,” he said. “You get lot of work done on the bus. All our classes are in person, but the work is online, so you just take out your computer and get stuff done.”
www.courant.com/2026/01/11/d...
Dom Amore’s Sunday Read: CT high school star now scoring big for Yale; DC’s threes in NBA, and more
Conard-West Hartford’s Riley Fox is making a sophomore breakthrough for Yale basketball; Donovan Clingan hitting threes in NBA. Sunday Read.
www.courant.com
January 11, 2026 at 2:13 PM
How can you tell Riley Fox does NOT play in a Big 4 Conference?
“You can’t waste the time you have,” he said. “You get lot of work done on the bus. All our classes are in person, but the work is online, so you just take out your computer and get stuff done.”
www.courant.com/2026/01/11/d...
“You can’t waste the time you have,” he said. “You get lot of work done on the bus. All our classes are in person, but the work is online, so you just take out your computer and get stuff done.”
www.courant.com/2026/01/11/d...
“While the exact dollar figure and logistics of any payment are unclear, U.S. officials, including White House aides, have discussed figures ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 per person.”
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/trump-administration-mulls-payments-sway-greenlanders-join-us-2026-01-08/
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/trump-administration-mulls-payments-sway-greenlanders-join-us-2026-01-08/
Exclusive: Trump administration mulls payments to sway Greenlanders to join US
The idea of directly paying residents of Greenland, an overseas territory of Denmark, offers one explanation of how the U.S. might attempt to "buy" the island of 57,000 people.
www.reuters.com
January 9, 2026 at 1:24 PM
“While the exact dollar figure and logistics of any payment are unclear, U.S. officials, including White House aides, have discussed figures ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 per person.”
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/trump-administration-mulls-payments-sway-greenlanders-join-us-2026-01-08/
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/trump-administration-mulls-payments-sway-greenlanders-join-us-2026-01-08/
“The federal government now speaks with the voice of the right-wing smear machine: partisan, dishonest, and devoted to vilifying Trump’s perceived enemies rather than informing the public.”
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/01/ice-defense-minnesota-killing/685549/
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/01/ice-defense-minnesota-killing/685549/
First the Shooting. Then the Lies.
The Trump administration has perfected the smear campaign.
www.theatlantic.com
January 9, 2026 at 9:47 AM
“The federal government now speaks with the voice of the right-wing smear machine: partisan, dishonest, and devoted to vilifying Trump’s perceived enemies rather than informing the public.”
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/01/ice-defense-minnesota-killing/685549/
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/01/ice-defense-minnesota-killing/685549/
“Gov. Lamont and health officials announced a state subsidy program to offset the loss of federal premium tax credits that lapsed at the end of 2025.”
https://ctnewsjunkie.com/2026/01/07/lamont-state-health-care-enrollment-up-as-ct-works-to-soften-federal-subsidy-elimination/
https://ctnewsjunkie.com/2026/01/07/lamont-state-health-care-enrollment-up-as-ct-works-to-soften-federal-subsidy-elimination/
Lamont: State Health Care Enrollment Up As CT Works To Soften Federal Subsidy Elimination | CT News Junkie
According to Access Health CT, enrollment is running 3% to 5% higher than at the same point last year, despite the expiration of federal subsidies.
ctnewsjunkie.com
January 8, 2026 at 11:14 AM
“Gov. Lamont and health officials announced a state subsidy program to offset the loss of federal premium tax credits that lapsed at the end of 2025.”
https://ctnewsjunkie.com/2026/01/07/lamont-state-health-care-enrollment-up-as-ct-works-to-soften-federal-subsidy-elimination/
https://ctnewsjunkie.com/2026/01/07/lamont-state-health-care-enrollment-up-as-ct-works-to-soften-federal-subsidy-elimination/
George Orwell’s 1984 has officially arrived in 2026 America:
“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”
“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”
January 6, 2026 at 10:25 PM
George Orwell’s 1984 has officially arrived in 2026 America:
“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”
“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”
