Rachel Lu
@rclu
Followers
2,922
Following
819
Media
30
Statuses
7,806
Associate Editor at Law & Liberty, Contributing Writer at America Magazine, Contributor at National Review. Catholic, Minnesota lake-dweller, mother of five.
St. Paul, MN
Joined March 2009
Don't wanna be here?
Send us removal request.
Explore trending content on Musk Viewer
Russian
• 1000550 Tweets
Putin
• 458791 Tweets
Macron
• 353149 Tweets
Tim Pool
• 346561 Tweets
Barnier
• 287701 Tweets
Chiefs
• 77839 Tweets
Hunter Biden
• 68127 Tweets
Rich Homie Quan
• 53411 Tweets
Judge Chutkan
• 52567 Tweets
Ravens
• 47821 Tweets
WE LOVE U ELVISH
• 46476 Tweets
#السعوديه_اندونيسيا
• 36847 Tweets
ESMAD
• 36816 Tweets
#TimnasDay
• 31783 Tweets
Cazeneuve
• 28270 Tweets
Alex Morgan
• 20368 Tweets
BACK AGAIN MV OUT NOW
• 18872 Tweets
Angola
• 15804 Tweets
Astro Bot
• 15045 Tweets
Sociedad Rural
• 13509 Tweets
منصور
• 11927 Tweets
المنتخب السعودي
• 10311 Tweets
Last Seen Profiles
Son: So what happened in France after all the Revolution stuff?
Me: Napoleon.
Son: Wait. I thought the Revolution was all about equality and stuff. Then they get this strongman dictator?
Yeah. You'll find utopian ideology doesn't always take you where you meant to go.
184
645
8K
@kalliend3
Right, if you're finding you need to execute people by the thousands to keep the smile train running, might've taken a wrong turn somewhere.
15
16
576
A younger son asked me, earnestly, why I'm so anti- Trump. The older boys know, but he was tiny in 2016.
I started with
@jaynordlinger
@NRO
. So many things to say here, but the first point to stress to a boy is that Trump is a man utterly without honor.
14
31
168
Just learned that Dick Miller, of Cornell's philosophy dept, has died.
Dick was an atheist with (I think) broadly Marxist commitments. As his TA, I once asked to move my section so I could attend a Good Friday service; he offered to pay a sub out of pocket. Never forgot that.
0
6
105
This from
@NoahCRothman
is roughly where I would land, which is why I saw the news yesterday, put my phone away, and took my son sailing (as planned).
There are no heroes here, lots of villains. America is beautiful, but we’re not taking care of her.
14
28
104
With their schools closed, millions of kids have just dropped out of sight. They might be playing video games 16 hours a day and living on licorice. Who knows.
If this isn’t a social justice concern, not sure what is.
10
20
95
It often seems to me that Christianity’s greatest rival in contemporary times is not Islam, atheism, materialism, certainly not liberalism, but rather political religion. Today the most virulent heresies, or false faiths, tend to appear in political garb.
12
7
88
Around town you now see a lot of “Black Owned” and “BLM” signs on stores and small businesses. It seems Twin Cities business owners, at least, do not see white supremacists as the primary threat.
3
18
62
This isn’t a silly concern, but you have to bear in mind that nobody ever converts for *fully adequate reasons*. The tent feels much bigger from the inside. At some point a convert looks back and thinks, well, I was an idiot obviously, but thankfully grace led me here.
1
4
55
I do not wish to move to Hungary. I do not wish to turn America into Hungary.
However, that whole thing about moms of 4 (or more) never paying taxes again? I could go for that.
8
3
52
If you haven't yet seen
@RadioFreeTom
's New Screwtape Letters at
@BulwarkOnline
, don't miss out. Very amusing, very pithy. I've just spent the better part of my evening enjoying it.
3
9
43
So, is this just me, or are many New Right writers prone to rhapsodizing about muscular men and beautiful women… with much less to say about virtue?
10
1
45
I can’t stop laughing at this post. I’m just imagining Hanania walking into the rent-a-car and sweeping the scene for the noble criminal so he can get top-notch service.
Often the nicest and most helpful person in a service job is a guy who has tattoos all over his head and neck and looks like he probably has spent time in jail. It shows that there’s often something noble in the criminal, he’s more alive than others around him.
35
6
115
0
1
41
Interviewed my MIL this morning about her life. For family history purposes. Born in ‘38 in a small Taiwanese village, she ended up working seven years in Kai-shek’s household before coming to America in the 60s.
Her story is remarkable. Grateful she let me get it on record.
4
1
40
As a former Mormon, I have a high appreciation of Trinity Sunday. Orthodoxy and orthopraxy are connected, and we should never take either for granted.
“God Immortal, be adored!”
2
0
40
Last night’s family movie: The Fugitive.
My 14yo commented, “I think this movie really played to Harrison Ford’s greatest strength: being chased.”
Han Solo, Indiana Jones, the cop in Witness. He’s got a point there.
2
4
40
Thinking how surprised I’d have been if I’d known a year ago that I’d be ringing in 2019 with this little guy (currently 3 days old).
4
0
37
A child was instructed to draw pictures of "things your mom likes" as part of a present. He came up with two things: Aristotle, and fitness.
I mean, yeah. No arguments.
3
0
40
Was working on a piece today when I realized: I basically want the old Reformicon agenda back. I thought it was smart ten years ago, and I still do.
5
5
38
@xan_desanctis
After my first was born, I got tired of people wanting me to “admit” that the things I’d done before (doctoral program, traveling world etc) were mostly silly diversions prior to discovering True Bliss. Actually those things were great. Which takes nothing away from my kids.
0
0
34
Started working for Liberty Fund two years ago today.
So, things may not look great for liberty across the globe, but I’m sure it would’ve been much worse if I hadn’t joined the cause.
2
0
38
Proud of my dad, even though he tested positive for Covid at the last second and couldn't come to receive his award!
Professor Steven Smith of
@USanDiegoLaw
will receive our 2022 Religious Liberty Scholarship Award tonight at the Notre Dame Religious Liberty Summit’s awards gala in Rome, Italy.
#ReligiousLiberty2022
0
2
8
4
1
38
Even when it’s supportive, I’m not really a fan of pro-natalist rhetoric that makes parenthood sound like a personal project or lifestyle choice.
It’s more of a vocation, and you do it mainly for other people, not because family life is your jam.
4
2
37
It just don’t feel quite fair. The left gets to ditch its ghastly party leader. And we’re stuck with ours, apparently, until the sky falls.
3
1
35
I love going to Dick’s Sporting Goods, because the salesmen refer to me as an “athlete”. Thanks for seeing my inner potential, Dick’s. Nobody else ever did.
1
2
34
Got to this one late, but if you haven't read
@McGillPatterson
on "Protestant Franco," you shouldn't miss it. Is it just me, or does it feel like things are unraveling in some corners of the right? From
@LawLiberty
3
17
33
It's been a good spring for family-related books, but
@CRPakaluk
's stands out even so. Instead of telling us why people don't have kids, she tells us why they do.
Here's my review of Hannah's Children,
@LawLiberty
:
0
9
33
This is the clearest and most appalling example of how Trump is actively offended by self-sacrifice. It honestly seems to infuriate him to be reminded that there are people in this world with a sense of honor. From
@NRO
:
4
8
32
Very grateful for everything
@lee_trepanier
has given to
@LawLiberty
. I’m happy for him, but sad for us.
On my final day, a deep sense of gratitude and thanks for having been at
@LawLiberty
. Many thanks to
@Reinsch84
,
@briansmith1980
,
@JohnGGrove1
as well as
@rclu
and
@Liberty_Fund
for the opportunity. I look forward to reading
@LawLiberty
as a reader, as all of you should, too!
10
16
112
3
4
32
Went on a date with my husband, suggested to tween son he might rustle up some dinner for his brothers. (He does cook breakfast sometimes.)
Returned home, asked the brothers what he’d done. “At six pm, he gave us each a protein bar.”
Excellent. Dinner and dessert all in one.
2
0
31
Here's something many people don't know about me. I actually have some pretty strong anti-liberal sympathies/sensibilities. MacIntyre and my dad (law professor Steven D. Smith) were major intellectual influences. At 25 I became a Catholic at an FSSP (Latin traditionalist parish.
4
0
30
My son reports that a wondrous thing was served in the cafeteria at lunch. He describes it. “Ah,” I say. “It’s a walking taco.”
He’d brought cold lunch. “I hope,” he rhapsodizes, “I get to try one someday.”
Made walking tacos for dinner. If only heroism were always so easy.
3
1
30
My 10yo just pitched his first inning. Watching him strike out his first batter was pretty amazing.
2
0
30
Politics would be more interesting right now if we spent less time on Joe Biden, and more on Andrew Yang.
@xan_desanctis
contributes to this effort here:
2
8
30
Lee is a fantastic colleague, and for selfish reasons I’m quite sad that he’s leaving us
@LawLiberty
. But very happy for him.
@AssumptionUMA
is fortunate indeed!
It has been a privilege to lead such a fantastic department at
@SamfordU
. While I depart with sadness, I am looking forward with excitement to join the
@AssumptionUMA
family on July 1 to contribute to its mission of a Catholic liberal arts education.
37
12
177
1
4
30
Our
@LawLiberty
symposium on
@kvallier
's new book on integralism is up! This was a fun one to edit. It explores the theoretical interest of integralism, while acknowledging the impracticality. Contributions from
@ThomasDHowes
@StMichael71
and Kai Weiss.
0
11
29
"Mr. Dunning-Kruger, your table is ready."
Even if you already believed the central claim, this is kind of devastating. It's odd how much nostalgia I feel today for GWB, simply on the grounds that he wasn't an awful person. From
@charlescwcooke
@NRO
:
5
6
28
Gave a lecture at U Madison Monday (as part of series on Conservative Thought) on feminism & anti-feminism. It was fun; students were engaged & curious.
Was especially pleased that I could answer so many questions in part by recommending books from fellow
@FairerSexFD
writers.
2
3
28
What I learned from J.R.R. Tolkien: Never trust anyone who lives in a tower.
2
6
23
It’s getting lonely in the pews with four of five sons vesting to serve, and my husband lectoring.
On the bright side, my covert plan to take over the Church and run it through my menfolk, is proceeding swimmingly.
2
0
26
Here’s my day. I woke up at six and worked for five hours. Then went to Target Field to see a double header, first the Twins, then our high school boys. (Both Twins and Aggies won!) Now off to see La Boheme.
I’ll be honest: I haven’t lived a lot of days quite like this one.
5
0
26
I like Benedictine College. I know a lot of people there, and it seems like a vibrant Catholic community. I expect winning a reputation as the Heart of Catholic Darkness will be good for their enrollment; I hope it speaks to a bright future!
2
0
26
The Lus are writing an alternative Opening Ceremony. Ours features Charlemagne, the Carolingian Renaissance, Otto the Great, the Normans, and a lengthy ode to Scholastics. Entering on hot air balloons.
Followed by Joan of Arc and the Vendée counterrevolution. Dieu, Le Roi!
3
1
25
Jason Riley
@jasonrileywsj
is no great fan of Trump, but he is a fan of the economic gains Black Americans made during his presidency.
@LibertyEthics
reviews his latest here for
@LawLiberty
:
2
10
23
If the kids don't stop distracting me, I'm never going to finish this incredibly moving essay on how family should come first.
3
1
23
When I was a kid, it was just Black Friday. Then came Cyber Monday, now Giving Tuesday. So, can I propose “just go buy yourself what you really want” Wednesday? I mean, we might as well at this point.
Finally, Bankruptcy Thursday will round out the week.
2
1
23
So interesting to talk to
@Yascha_Mounk
about his new book on identity politics, here on the
@LawLiberty
podcast.
If you’ve read Mitchell, Hanania, Caldwell etc on this general subject, you should read Mounk’s book too, for balance.
2
8
24
This is clearly a very complex issue but I must strenuously reject the claim that "when you privatize Christianity, it dies." God is above the state! Grace does not require the government's sanction to do its work.
Liberals spent three generations telling us you could privatize Christianity and the result would be good for everyone.
We’ll, it wasn’t good for everyone.
1 It was bad for Christians because when you privatize Christianity, it dies.
2 It was bad for liberals, because
64
198
905
2
0
24
"Working with writers must be a pain. The most famous ones especially, I bet."
Now and then. But you know, it's easier to build a writing career if you let editors help you instead of antagonizing them. You'd be surprised how many talented people have actually figured that out.
3
3
24
It’s been really delightful to attend and speak at the
@ISI
@ClaremontInst
Summit this week. This was truly the full spectrum of right-wing personalities. I have much to chew on now, and offer sincere thanks to
@Heritage
for inviting me down.
1
3
24
Our new editor
@JohnGGrove1
opens a new era
@LawLiberty
with this insightful essay on the misguided paradigm that makes our politics so dysfunctional today.
0
6
24
8yo son: I keep seeing commercials telling people to vote. But really, if you need a TV commercial to persuade you, should you be voting anyway?
Score. Already following in my elitist ways.
1
0
23
Though I'm not fully decided, there's plenty of ground to argue that Imane Khelif
1) Is (or can reasonably be seen as) a woman
2) Has done no wrong here but
3) Should not have been permitted to compete.
6
0
24
My latest
@LawLiberty
is uncharacteristically harsh. The book was so absurd that I could not critique it evenly; I put the author on the couch instead. I am aiming at a serious point, though, about social justice and integrity.
1
5
23
As a new mom I learned something about myself: I'm miserable if I'm not writing something.
Not everyone has those compulsions, but some do, and they may be mothers. Sounds like a beautiful book by
@cat_ricketts
, reviewed by
@HootenWilson
@FairerSexFD
:
1
8
24
Gave a local talk last night on Catholic political thought, tracing a thread from John Ireland through Maritain and Murray. It was fun, audience seemed engaged.
I think there may now be a receptive audience for a message other than “despair, withdraw, break all the furniture.”
3
2
23
I know a great many people who have jumped straight from "Trump is the ideal person to reform our politics" to "our politics/nation are beyond reform."
I would invite you to consider a middle position. Trump was not the ideal person to reform our politics.
5
0
24
I have reviewed a banned book! It was
@RyanTAnd
's When Harry Became Sally, now banned by Amazon. Can we celebrate that for
#BannedBookWeek
?
#BannedBookWeek
is nonsense. With a few regrettable exceptions, most of the “books” being “banned” are ideologically indoctrinating pornography. My latest for
@IWF
.
@ginnygentles
@bethanyshondark
@YoungVoicesOrg
0
11
19
4
4
23
Drive carefully. The life you save may be your own.
Reading Flannery O’Connor with my teenager, who expected a writer beloved of so many nice Catholics to be… not like this.
4
1
23
Pretty good from
@NRO
.
I woke up this morning thinking, “it’s time to return to the seamless garment!” It was once prudent to isolate the abortion issue, but now connecting abortion to other dehumanizing trends (like MAID) may be the right approach.
2
6
23
Hail to the new chief! (Or is it, meet the new boss, same as the old boss?)
Seriously, excited for a new chapter at L&L.
A bit of professional news today. I’m extremely honored and excited to take the wheel at L&L, with gratitude to
@Reinsch84
and
@briansmith1980
, for all they’ve done to build it into such a great magazine.
32
15
138
1
1
23
This, from
@EsotericCD
@NRO
, echoes many of my own thoughts these days. I can’t even tell people Trump definitely won’t win. Many other Republicans would have a better chance, but he *might* just pull it off and… heaven help us. What a disaster.
3
3
23
Thinking on the past 20 years, and why the right can't seem to decide how much (or whether?) it cares about freedom.
True story: I'm a "zombie Reaganite" who originally read Hayek because angry right-wing populists insisted that I must.
@LawLiberty
2
9
23
My husband and I were married in a Tridentine nuptial Mass. Every member of our family was baptized in the Tridentine form. So much Latin in our family history! And chant! Gregorian chant at every turn!
I’m just mentioning in case anyone’s making a watch list. That’s Lu, L-U.
3
0
23
Is Heidegger the defining philosopher of fascism? I consider the question here in my review of Richard Wolin’s new book
@NRO
:
3
4
21
@DLingist
@StevenReilly20
The boys like military history. An older brother was assigned a paper last year on whether Napoleon was a great man, which was discussed at the dinner table. It’s not really weird.
1
0
23
It’s a good thing Trump picked J.D. Vance, cause I sure have learned a lot this past week about the worldview of the conservative Catholic.
3
0
22
Presently honoring the time-honored Minnesota tradition of freezing to death at first spring baseball game.
1
1
22
America is warming to marijuana legalization. I'm guessing we'll come to regret that. My latest at The Week:
91
5
19
Once upon a time, I wanted to become an intellectual historian. Life took me in other directions, but Samuel Gregg’s lovely little book on faith and reason,
reminded me why the dream was so sweet. Read my review
@LawLiberty
:
1
6
21
In just a few weeks, my youngest will start kindergarten and my eldest high school.
I still remember when it felt like we'd never get this far.
1
0
21
Reading the story of Fr Damien and the Molokai leper colony, with my kids. They ask when events transpired. Around 150 years ago, I say
“Oh,” says my 6-year-old. “So not that long ago.”
Score one for classical education.
0
2
20
My latest in National Review, on recreational pot and why some voters are rejecting it.
@NRO
@learnaboutsam
4
6
15
I’ve taken my kids to countless festivals and fairs featuring giveaways marked with corporate logos. Most of them are in the trash within 2 weeks. You know what stays? Socks. We might go on wearing the socks for years.
Just an FYI in case you’re trying to pick a giveaway item.
1
1
19
Pro-lifers need to take advantage of short-term gains to prove to the world (but especially women) that a pro-life culture can be good for them. My latest
@TheWeek
:
4
5
20
Son: Are you one of the best editors at
@LawLiberty
, do you think?
Me: Oh, I’m totally top 5.
Son (appreciatively): Wow!
(There are only four of us. Don’t tell him.)
0
1
21
Watched Terminator 2 with the family. Now the boys are running all over the house saying “hasta la vista, baby,” and I’m right back in the 90s.
2
0
21
It's perfectly reasonable to hold both that:
1) The political right today is grappling with real and important questions, and even some of the mistakes are probably necessary/inevitable, and
2) Some existing currents are very bad, dehumanizing, and maybe kind of fascist.
2
2
18
My oldest 3 boys (aged 9, 6, 5) are doing a wrestling mini-camp at school. I mainly wanted to channel their cabin fever into an activity, but imagine my shock when 6yo asked last night, "Do you have any chores for us tonight? Coach says we're supposed to ask."
I love this sport.
0
0
19
As a fusionist/FreeCon/conservatarian, I've been accused of hubristic attachment to failed principles/institutions. To me, these critics seem like the ones lacking in epistemic modesty. Is it reasonable to launch aggressive reforms to problems we've barely begun to understand?
4
3
20
I know it's not a Catholic Bible, but some days, you just need your King James.
4
0
20
France was smelling victory. Then they smelled… Curry.
Congratulations Team USA!
0
0
19
Some Catholic thinkers today argue that we must reject liberal norms for the sake of securing the common good. But can illiberalism achieve the common good?
@StMichael71
thinks otherwise. From
@LawLiberty
:
1
11
20
Went to a concert tonight. The Emperor Concerto. We used to go to classical concerts before we had kids, but this was the first one since, well, the birth of our eldest. (He’s 13 now.) Took two of the boys.
It was wonderful. Apparently I still enjoy this.
1
0
19
@CRPakaluk
Very happy for him! And as a mother of growing sons I find this kind of news so uplifting. It’s not all gloom, sometimes they turn out!
1
0
19
I have to agree with
@JonahDispatch
that Liz Magill's smirking is the part of the exchange you can't forget.
Both Gay and Magill were incompetent, disingenuous, and offensive in many ways, but the smirk is the jaw-dropping "what's wrong with you" moment.
2
1
18
Whatever my failings as a human being, I did just successfully parallel park a van. So there’s that.
2
0
18
@DominicJPino
And cars are especially great at expanding access for those who might otherwise be marginalized: the sick, disabled, elderly, or caretakers of small children. If you're young and fit, maybe you do pretty well with a bicycle, but when that's the norm, many are just stuck at home.
11
0
19
Really enjoyed this piece on Roger Scruton, from
@JohnGGrove1
. It's a good, thoughtful Friday read. From
@LawLiberty
:
1
5
18
A must-read from
@SpencerKlavan
on the truths that great novelists see and reveal. From
@LawLiberty
:
1
5
17
Went sprawling yesterday while playing backyard football. Feet got tangled up with my son's when I was going for a pass.
Today my husband notices a big bruise. "How'd you do that?"
It's... a football injury! I have a football injury!
In your 40s, you gotta milk these things.
1
0
18
I was halfway through this column when I realized that the policy approach I was recommending was largely a Reformocon redux. So I shrugged, and made the column about that.
It’s still worth trying. From
@LawLiberty
:
2
7
18
Amazing! All three of my boys won today. The Lu crew collectively is 7-0 on this baseball season!
Not sure what to do with this; I think of baseball as fundamentally an exercise in coping with failure.
1
0
18