precept

"Most Black American liberals chose to remain in place and strive to make the United States live up to its stated precepts, even if that meant subjecting the nation to critique and themselves to danger."

“It’s about whether or not you are going to uphold the fundamental precepts of democracy.”

Trump has promised to violate these fundamental precepts, including by stating dozens of times that he will use the government to punish his enemies.

If these rules seem like precepts of a bygone age, that hasn’t stopped students from flocking to Benedictine and other conservative Catholic colleges.

By thumbing his nose at this time-honored precept, Trump has exposed our idealistic self-delusion in the face of the reality of wealth and power.