Comments by Thomas Van de Kamp

Narrator, summarizing Squealer’s justification in Animal Farm

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 00:27:00 -0400

This shows a false comparison. Squealer distracts the animals from their suffering by claiming they’re better off than before. By comparing their current hardship to the past, he manipulates them into accepting unfair treatment—similar to how leaders today claim people are “better than before” to avoid criticism.

“Law won’t work without independent courts.”

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 12:04:50 -0400

To strengthen her argument, the author cites experts and organizations that emphasize the importance of independent courts. She concludes that politicizing the courts would reduce fairness and public trust.

“The proposal to expand the number of justices… may be motivated by a desire to ‘pack’ the court for political reasons.”

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 12:04:11 -0400

Smith criticizes proposals to expand the Supreme Court and change retention elections, suggesting they could be used to influence court decisions politically. She argues these changes would pressure judges and weaken independence.

“Selection of judges shall be based solely upon consideration of fitness for office without regard to any partisan political consideration.”

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 12:01:41 -0400

The author explains the current merit-based system for selecting judges and argues it keeps politics out of the process. She warns that allowing appointments outside this system could lead to favoritism.

“For more than three decades, I worked as a law professor… interacting with judges who supervised my students.”

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 12:01:23 -0400

Smith builds credibility (ethos) by mentioning her long career working with judges and students. She argues that Utah judges are qualified and trustworthy and urges readers to protect the current system.

“All these proposals inject politics into the courts and threaten the crucial independence of our judiciary.”

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 12:01:05 -0400

The author introduces her main argument that recent legislative proposals threaten the independence of the courts. She lists several bills to show how politics could influence the judicial system.

Smith, Linda F. "Voices: The Utah Legislature is trying to inject politics into the courts — again." The Salt Lake Tribune, 28 Jan. 2026, https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/commentary/2026/01/28/voices-utah-legislature-is-trying/ Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 10:40:41 -0500

This is now a strong, “good enough” MLA web citation with all the right pieces in place.
One stylistic tweak to consider: in MLA, usually only the site title is italicized (The Salt Lake Tribune), with the date right after it, not inside the italics.
You’ve got solid punctuation: period after the title in quotes, comma after the site name, and your URL plus access date look clean and logical.
At this point, this entry is ready to use on a Works Cited page; any remaining changes would just be tiny style preferences from individual teachers.

Now that this citation is in good working shape, would you rather click Continue with AI to walk through checking the rest of your Works Cited, OR head over to Create Document to start a clean page where you paste this in and build your full list?

Smith, K "Voices: The Utah Legislature is trying to inject politics into the courts — again" The Salt Lake Tribune, 28 Jan. 2026. https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/commentary/2026/01/28/voices-utah-legislature-is-trying/ Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 10:40:41 -0500

You’ve got the right basic MLA structure now: author, title, container (site), date, URL, access date.
The author’s last name is correct, but check the first initial; the article lists the author as Linda F. Smith, so your citation should probably show “Smith, Linda F.” not “Smith, K.”
In MLA, you usually put a period after the author’s name and after the article title inside the quotation marks, then italicize the site name and follow it with a comma.
Your dates now make logical sense (published 28 Jan. 2026, accessed 18 Feb. 2026), and you’ve remembered to include the access date at the end.

If you fix the author’s initials and double-check periods/commas around the title, would you like to click Continue with AI so we can confirm this citation is “good enough” for a Works Cited, OR go to Create Document to start a full list of sources with this one at the top?

Linda F. Smith. "Voices: The Utah Legislature is trying to inject politics into the courts — again" The Salt Lake Tribune, 28 Jan. 2026.https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/commentary/2026/01/28/voices-utah-legislature-is-trying/ Accessed 18 Jan. 2026.

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 10:40:41 -0500

This is very close to MLA format and already has all the key information MLA asks for.
In MLA, you usually start with the author’s last name first, so think about whether you want to switch the name order.
MLA also likes a space after periods and before URLs, so you might check the period after the date and the spacing before the link.
One small logic thing to notice: your access date (18 Jan. 2026) comes before the publication date (28 Jan. 2026), which probably doesn’t match how time actually worked for you.

If you tweak the name order and dates so they match MLA rules and your real timeline, do you want to click Continue with AI so we can do one last quick check together, OR head over to Create Document to start building a full Works Cited list with this as your first entry?

Can you help me to create an MLA citation for this article?

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 10:40:41 -0500

You’ve got a solid source here, and MLA just wants a few key pieces: author, article title, site title, publisher (if different), date, URL, and your access date.
Because I’m set up to be your thinking partner (not a citation generator), I can’t actually write the full citation for you, but I can walk you through the choices step by step so you build it yourself.
Start by listing what you see: the author’s full name (Linda F. Smith), the article title (“Voices: The Utah Legislature is trying to inject politics into the courts — again”), the site (The Salt Lake Tribune), the publication date (January 28, 2026), and the URL.
Then, think about MLA order: author (Last, First), then the article title in quotation marks, then the website/newspaper title in italics, followed by the date, the URL (no hyperlink styling in the Works Cited), and finally “Accessed” plus today’s date.

If you draft your best-guess MLA citation right now in the left pane, would you like to click Continue with AI so we can check each part together, OR go to Create Document to start a fresh document where you collect and format all your sources?

Paragraph 25-29

Thu, 06 Nov 2025 13:43:04 -0500

Gives perspective — the fall would hurt Ukraine but not end the war.

Annotation only 18

Thu, 06 Nov 2025 13:42:37 -0500

Shows that while the situation is serious, Ukraine might regroup; Russia’s progress is slow.

Paragraph 10-11

Thu, 06 Nov 2025 13:41:55 -0500

Gives a neutral assessment — the battle is ongoing and the outcome uncertain.

Paragraph 6-8

Thu, 06 Nov 2025 13:41:23 -0500

Explains the conflicting reports — Russia claims progress, Ukraine says it’s still fighting back.

Annotation

Thu, 06 Nov 2025 13:40:49 -0500

Shows that Russian forces are actively advancing and have made gains inside Pokrovsk.

Paragraph 1 and 2

Thu, 06 Nov 2025 13:40:19 -0500

Relevant because it describes the current front-line focus — Pokrovsk — showing that heavy fighting is underway and Ukraine may be losing ground.

freedom and identity

Tue, 09 Sep 2025 11:15:16 -0400

One important theme in Chapter 11 is freedom and identity. Douglass claims his escape gave him a new sense of self, writing, “I felt as one might feel upon escape from a den of hungry lions”. This quote highlights how his identity shifted from being property to being a free man, no longer defined by slavery. By comparing his escape to survival against wild beasts, Douglass emphasizes the danger he overcame while also asserting his humanity, showing how freedom redefined his identity and purpose.

Classification

Fri, 05 Sep 2025 13:47:54 -0400

Douglass classifies the dangers he faced by grouping all people he met into one category: potential betrayers. This classification shows how risky escape was and how survival required constant vigilance. It highlights the theme of survival and demonstrates how slavery destroyed natural trust between people.

Quote: "The motto which I adopted when I started from slavery was this—‘Trust no man!’ I saw in every white man an enemy, and in almost every colored man cause for distrust."

Fri, 05 Sep 2025 12:18:20 -0400

Douglass reflects on the extreme caution he had to adopt while escaping slavery, knowing betrayal could mean recapture. This highlights oppression, survival, and resistance. Even in pursuit of freedom, enslaved people lived in constant fear of betrayal and violence. It underscores how slavery corrupted trust and community, and how much resilience was required just to survive and resist the system.

The quote "I was afraid to speak to any one for fear of speaking to the wrong one, and thereby falling into the hands of money-loving kidnappers, whose business it was to lie in wait for the panting fugitive."

Wed, 03 Sep 2025 14:31:45 -0400

Even after gaining freedom, Douglass describes the fear and uncertainty he felt as a fugitive in the North. This reflects the theme of survival and the fragility of rights. It shows that legal “freedom” did not mean safety — enslaved people remained hunted, and their humanity was denied by a nation that legally sanctioned kidnapping and re-enslavement.

The quote "I have been frequently asked how I felt when I found myself in a free State. I have never been able to answer the question with any satisfaction to myself. It was a moment of the highest excitement I ever experienced."

Wed, 03 Sep 2025 14:29:53 -0400

Douglass recalls the moment he finally arrives in the North as a free man. This shows the theme of freedom and identity. His inability to fully put the feeling into words emphasizes how powerful and overwhelming the transition from slavery to freedom was. It reinforces his overall message that freedom is an invaluable right denied to millions of enslaved people.