I had bariatric surgery in 2008 and afterward, I came across a small book, Food Rules, that contained a list of very simple, easy to follow, tips for managing one’s weight. A couple of examples is, never order French fries. If you want fries, go to the trouble to do the work, make the mess, and clean it all up. Another is, nothing good for you comes through a drive-thru window.

Anyway, I love books like that. You learn valuable things and you don’t have to tie yourself to reading thousand-page textbooks.

Watching Rachel Maddow recently she had Yale professor Timothy Snyder as her guest. Early in the Trump presidency, Snyder had penned a small rules book, On Tyranny, and the two of them discussed a few of the book’s main points. Immediately I clicked onto Amazon and ordered myself a copy and in the coming days or weeks, maybe I can share a few with you.

Here’s one example that is very current at present. From his first day in office, Donald Trump has attacked American institutions. Snyder’s second rule is, “defend institutions.” He says:

“It is institutions that help us to preserve decency. They need our help as well. Do not speak of “our institutions” unless you make them yours by acting on their behalf. Institutions do not protect themselves. They fall one after the other unless each is defended from the beginning. So choose an institution you care about – a court, a newspaper, a law, a labor union – and take its side.”

Pretty damned simple, huh?