Today, Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) posted a picture of himself with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man whom the Trump administration says it sent to the notorious CECOT prison in El Salvador through “administrative error” but can’t get back, and wrote: “I said my main goal of this trip was to meet with Kilmar.
It's long past time for the Democratic party to wake up and realize where it lost it's strength. Bill Clinton took the side of the Wall Street bankers and we are reaping the consequences. Workers built the party and turned out to keep it strong.
I would suggest to all that we pay attention to and support David Hogg and
Leaders We Deserve. Primary the shit out of the Dems clinging to power and office for their own benefit, not ours or the nations'.
He needs to identify with a working party, not the democratic party. They are dead to me and a lot of other people I know. Aligning as a democrat is toxic unless you can convince a whole lot people that the dems are now the working party by changing their name and their brand. Also, AOC is right to harp on stopping Congress from engaging in stock buy backs. This guy should be adding that to his campaign messaging and vow to not engage if elected. Most politicians are in it to make money and not to serve their constituents.
Support the young, new Democrats, yes. But don't tear apart the only realistic alternative to the Republican machine. This is one of the reasons T got in for a second term - internecine warfare and "protest" votes.
Yes T got in bc people were looking for an alternative to the democratic party which for so long has been as self-serving as the republicans. Kamala did not reference workers in her campaign. She also failed to address the Palestine genocide. The workers went to T and those disgusted and horrified by Israel's actions stayed home. The only realistic alternative, now that people are finally awake is to band together as a working class party, those in the trades, service industry, retail, etc. are not being represented by either party. We are witnessing this in real-time with Schumer's capitulation. And the rest other than Booker, AOC, and Bernie failing to speak out. As far as tearing apart, too late, the democratic party is already fractured and needs to brand a new identity. This is THE moment while people are awake to what it means to participate in democracy and hopefully preserve it. Standing by is no longer an option., respectively, imo
okay, but there are several historical examples where it turned out to be necessary for progressives to create new party systems - including the shuttering of the whigs, & creation of the gop, which heather alluded to circa 1854-56. i can't be the only one who sees the cognitive dissonance in defending the democratic party as a mandatory party in all future social/political progress, when history has shown, many times, for structural change to sometimes be necessary.
We are in the biggest crisis of losing our Democracy and our Constitution since the beginning of our nation. It appears the Republicans have totally lost any standing of being a party for the working people - as vs the wealthy. I trust we will all focus on this together for the midterms and shift. I personally think if Biden had not run, like he promised, we would not be in this mess. So, let's get in some good leadership, but don't throw out the baby with the bath water.
Maga took over the Republican Party, it did not replace it. Systems are important and make for success, especially in a two party system. Rebrand, rededicate the Democratic Party, control the bully pulpit, support new people and new ideas, and remember your working class roots. But remember the Roman maxim about building on strong foundations. The foundation is there, it is strong, and upon it build a new architectural masterpiece. I see a Phoenix rising!
okay, but heather directly compared our current moment to that of the antebellum usa post-kansas nebraska act. did did lincoln, seward, stanton et al simply "rebrand" the whig party for the 1856 election cycle? or was there perhaps a need to forge new party system: one with the structural capacity & a clarity of purpose to address the sectional crisis over the institution of slavery? i think it's ahistorical to assert the democratic party - or any party structure - as inviolable, when there are numerous counter-examples in the country's history.
The stated goals of Bernie, AOC, the squad, are universal. There is nothing "extreme". It is the "right" that is extreme. Crushing the government and eliminating all the supports in the interest of gaining more wealth is EXTREME. Stop saying the party should move to the middle for the swing voters. That's a right wing tactic.
It takes a while to establish a major party and we have no time to spare. For example, a new party needs to petition to qualify for each state’s presidential election; established parties automatically qualify. Younger people need to band together and take over the Democratic Party to advance their agenda. Chuck Schumer and similar “leaders” are on their way out.
Carolyn, respectfully, who would you have us vote for? Sitting out an election got us trump. Voting for independent candidate got us trump. Although, I agree with you, the Democratic Party needs to return to supporting the working blue collar men and women that built this country, I have to vote Democratic. I was an independent voter, but I feel that I no longer have that luxury.
I wish we had a candidate like Nathan Sage in my state. I would vote for him in a heartbeat. I will try to donate to his campaign.
Hiro: Maybe I'm too unforgiving somewhere inside, but I'm not 'all in' with Liz Cheney. I would require something more to attain that level of comfort. Perhaps more time and actions.
Absolutely Carolyn, I heard a Wall St trader saying this week that insider trading is rife with even established Dems. He named Nancy Pelosi, saying “if we want some hot tips on where to invest, we look at what Nancy’s doing.”
Work is highly overrated. I am nearly 80 and I have been working as little as possible my entire life. Work does not make you good or smart or thoughtful or kind.more often it makes you bitter, resentful, jealous, disrespectful, self righteous. Get over yourself. We just elected a criminal crazy person who never worked a Day in his life.
Clinton wasn't the only one. After the 2008 fiasco, Obama repeatedly promised that those responsible would be "held accountable" and the only accounting done was the additional bonuses and higher salaries that banking executives got.
Yep; Your memory is at least as good as mine Dave. No wonder democrats former and present, along with independents get confused and angry. However, as I stated earlier in a message, the Dems are at least following the law and must be supported; by me too.
The idiom "throw the baby out with the bathwater" means to discard something valuable while attempting to get rid of something unwanted. It's essentially about losing something good while trying to get rid of something bad
It’s not the democrats. We as a voting public have lost interest in anything beyond our own self interest. Ours is not a democratic society, rather an ‘I got mine now you get yours.’ if only we could scream ‘UNCLE’! When we’ve had enough.
There's some truth to that Kirk. There are also solid reasons it's all become such a rat race to the bottom. Could it be, in large part that we've lived within a 'trickle down' supply side economic modeled regime for about 45 years, and it's effects poisoned us gradually ? Could it be that the push for profitability with always enhanced productivity has infected us all as well ? The cost of living and therefore the standard of living has slowly but steadily 'trickled down' and recently went into high gear since our loss of Biden. Do you or do you not consider that those factors - over time have infected us all with greater measures of desperation and resultant attitudes ?
Great memory Patty and one of the pivotal moments wherein the dems lost the working class - 'dirt on their hands working class.' Inaccurately, in their private meetings they point to this and tell voters, "See what the democrats brought you"? Yes, and it sadly left multitudes behind, who were only spoken for by none other than Ross Perot, in his 'Race to the bottom' speeches. As you and I know, there's much more to that story, and yet the 'rest of the story' doesn't completely exonerate democrats who were warned. I know they were warned - stridently.
Camilla, I'm so happy to hear that Jon Ossoff already has an $11,000,000 war chest for his reelection campaign. Neither he nor Raphael Warnock are showboats, but both represent us so well, and it appears that Ossoff's constituents are well aware.
Camilla, MTG is so ugly - in appearance and demeanor, and she's dumb as a stump! I still laugh at Jasmine Crockett's takedown about her being a "bleach blond, bad built butch body," or words to that effect. Even Marjorie couldn't manage a retort.
Warnock won his election even with trump's endorsement of Walker 9another idiot-doesn't even know where he lives-collects tax deductions only for Texas residents yet claims he lives (d) in GA.)
Karen, all true, but he appealed to those who equate a washed-up football idol to a strong alpha male. Who needs a brain for that? Fortunately, Warnock already had won the admiration of those who possess a brain and integrity, too.
Salspho, that is the crux of it.....be permitted to vote. We have voted by mail here in Oregon for years with few problems. Some R in the legislature wanted to change that and people wrote in testimony in the thousands. It went down like a lead balloon. I am married and have my birth certificate. I did ask my husband if we had our marriage certificate and we do. We were married in Freetown, Sierra Leone, and he wondered if they would accept it.
Seems that some republicans want women to add their married names to their birth certificate in order to vote. Might prove to be a problem for you. I hope this doesn't come to pass.
I am registered and I am not going anywhere. i have my birth certificate and we have our marriage license. However, it could be a real problem for lots of women who don't have either or a passport. All these documents also cost money.
Do you still have your passport ? I understood that is adequate, if only for now. They keep moving the goal posts, and you have to know that it's no coincidence.
Indeed they do Camilla. However, based on 'past' experience, the renewals are far simpler than origination. If you or others had one, at least check out whether or not the b_stards have messed that up yet. *Oh, and btw, have I mentioned that I adore the state of Georgia ? !
I think Fetterman is merely guilty of thinking of himself and position first, which sort of dovetails with being able to bring home any bacon for his constituents, at even the cost of absolute purity. We'll see..
Brilliant John, hopefully he’ll inspire others like him to find a platform - convince the tRump base and the swing voters to get these lying bastards out!
Thank you Kazz, for the heads up. Keep an eye on David Hogg and his
Leaders We Deserve. Also, with the conservaives quoted by Heather, it is getting a bit clear that Bob Dylan is right, AGAIN. " the times they are a changin' "
Yes! And the majority of Democratic congressional leaders need to see this and learn that they HAVE to appeal to the working class, and in the Midwest - rural areas. Too long have the GOP deceived the agricultural sector that they “work for them”. I call BS on that.
I could not get the sound on this, but the visuals alone tell a good story. Thank you, Kazz, for sharing this with us.and putting this guy on our radar.
LFAA has a huge following. I hope everyone will take the 2-3 minutes to look at this clip.
I think Nathan represents the core values that Americans believe in. Putting the politics and chaos aside, he represents what is good about our country and worth fighting for. Sounds like he would bring some much needed balance in the Senate. I wish he was running for Congress in WA-3.
Jazz, you are right on target about Sage’s add. He has a personality that convincingly commands good attention—not like the Trump toady called Joni Ernst. Hope Iowa begins their political rejuvenation by replacing an Ernst with a Sage, moving on to Grassley, the nonagenarian in due time. Conservative is conservative and so be it; but, any Trumpian struggles to qualify as humane these days.
There is a Day of Action, nonviolent of course, across the nation on April 19. Some of that will be protests, against regime evils or Tesla. Some will be civic actions, with people cleaning up their streets and parks, volunteering at soup kitchens, etc. Go to the usual sites for info, or instigate local nonviolent action yourself.
Cheers, J.! My family is working on an application for Canadian citizenship, based on the Superior Court's finding 2 yeaes ago that the "first generation" requirement is unconstitutional (we have 3 out of 4 grandparents who were born in Canada). We are hoping that the path will be cleared on April 25.
I am also applying for a Certificate of Canadian Citizenship. Both my parents were born in Canada about 30 miles north of where I live. My son is a dual U.S./Canadian citizen. My dad became a U.S. citizen. At age 14 my parents decided that I should be a U.S. citizen too since I was born in the states. My mom retained her Canadian citizenship.
Joan, as we are elderly, we plan to donate to the local food bank as our civic action. It is also my birthday and the best gift would be a massive showing of protests and civic action.
I joined the April 5th Hands Off rally and march and was glad to do so, but won't be able to participate tomorrow. I think having a nationwide rally scheduled once a month would be more effective in the long run, giving people an easier and more predictable way to fit these rallies into their lives. I can see the scattershot scheduling of one here and one there and too close together causing the resistance movement to ask too much of people trying to live their lives and take care of their families in this chaos and quickly lose steam.
That's why it's a Day of Action, not a Day of Protests. For some of us, showing up at a protest tomorrow works really well. For others, it's too soon or there is too much to do to arrange permits and such. In addition, we need a broad based mutual aid alliance to build the world that we would prefer to live in.
No. Both towns will be too crowded. Parking impossible. I am staging my own protest in front of Acton Town Hall 12 to 1. There may only be three of us! But I believe in critical mass. If we get a few hundred people in cars noticing, it is something. I have to do something.
George Soros is accused of doing so much. Let’s bring the real actions of people like Charles Koch and Robert and Rebecca Mercer into the light, as well as techno billionaires like Peter Thiel.
JennSH, Phil Balia generated a marvelously useful list of MAGAt donors just a day or two ago in his response to HCR’s LFAA: Phil Balla
Phil Balla
2d
Alphabetical order, as requested, Susan:
Miriam Adelson, Robin Arkley II (purveyor of hidden, untaxed bribes to Alito), George Birnbaum, Harlan Crow (a Clarence Thomas subsidizer), Larry Ellison, Wayne Huizenga (another Clarence Thomas subsidizer), Charles Koch, Leonard Leo, Bernie Little (another Clarence Thomas subsidizer), Timothy Mellon, Rupert Murdoch, Elon Musk, Paul “Tony” Novelly (another Clarence Thomas subsidizer), Dennis Prager, David Rivkin (defender of Alito medieval corruption and his contemporary corruption, too), Steve Schwartzman, Paul Singer, David Sokol (another Clarence Thomas subsidizer), Peter Thiel, Anthony Welters (another Clarence Thomas subsidizer) Jeffrey Yass, Jeff Zuckerberg and families DeVos, Kushner, Mercer, Sackler, Uihlein.
I wonder how many of these people are Heritaage Foundation members. It is the Heritage Foundation who chose all of trump's Supreme Court picks and are behind Project 2025. They are pulling all of trump's strings.
Yeah Allison, that’s one way the opportunity to manipulate or control lots of people (aka power) can bring people with lots of money together. Sadly it appears that it isn’t just religious beliefs or monetary beliefs or political beliefs...
Yes Jenn.. Koch and subsidiaries of Koch Industries are the absolute worst, and try their best to be invisible. Mercer's too ! Hit them in the wallet, again and again.
For years, I had no idea who Soros is. I still don't know much about him. If the MAGAs think he's paying us. it probably means that THEY are paying people to support Tr*mp - always projecting!
Ellen, uhhh yeah! That has been the MAGAt tactic for years now! That appears to be the full extent of their imaginations, except for evr new ways to deliver cruelty!
‘Twould seem, Bill that the 250th anniversary of Paul Revere’s ride through the night to warn the country that “The British are coming!” would be an exquisitely timely day for action!
And David, they WON’T LET THEM prove anything! Proof, facts, the law and the Constitution have become irrelevant to them! They need reminders in no uncertain terms!
This alone is sufficient grounds to commence Trump's impeachment - Judge Wilkinson: "The government is asserting a right to stash away residents of this country in foreign prisons without the semblance of due process that is the foundation of our constitutional order."
Thanks, HCR, your historical themes often resonates resoundingly with me, but the reminder of the Lincoln, Douglass quotes struck a powerful chord with me. It gives me renewed energy for the “fight” going forward.
Did you see yesterday's polls where Trump has dropped 10% among just Republicans? That's just the beginning, even the cross tabs are against him. Now Murkowski has said the quiet part out loud. Hope is the opposite of fear so be hopeful, not skeptical.
I wish I was encouraged as you. The Dems have no strong leadership for us to follow. My MAGA friends still say this country needs change and trump is making changes. So far I see zero regrets
Sandra.., when their 'pain' arrives they will be so conditioned to it (their pain) does arrive 'They' will be so conditioned to blaming the Dems that they won't even have a clue as to the real cause. I'll use ethanol as an example. We are all paying for it.., it has been SOLD to us.., over-all, it is not good for our environment.., it is a false boon to our farmers, and everone know it's bull-s--t. Same same with what's happening as we breathe. And nobody has the nuts to do anything.
Attorney Mitch Jackson is cranking out deeply documented essays on key issues dividing the country. This article is a study on the immigration system and how most of us (e.g., me) really do not understand this issue and its history. Below, a recent essay on crime, ⚖️
Interestingly, most of the immigrants from whom most of us are descended came without papers or had to meet far fewer entry requirements. Below is a link to a Latin American flic, sub-titled in English, about the immense suffering many immigrants go through. 😢
Yes, there are a thugs crossing the border and committing vicious crimes; they are a small percentage of all immigrants, documented or not. Instead of intimidating the community to track down these dastards, work with the peaceable immigrants, often our neighbors, to hunt them down. Such constructive collaboration would free up resources to cut the fentanyl supply chain -- mostly executed by Americans -- and combat human exploitation. 💡
Keep in mind that a large majority of 'unauthorized' immigrants have lived in the United States for more than five years. Additionally, such 'illegals' represent a decisive MINORITY of the U.S. immigrant population while these neighbors comprise a small percentage of the population. The country is NOT over-run by these productive participants of our republic. Trump, Vance, et al. harm us all when they harm the most vulnerable. 🤝
For reference sake, on April 2nd, I posted the following. In my social media post I included a pix of the chair referenced: Could it be that the 'tide' is finally turning; And that the sun is indeed rising ? Quoting a moment in our history as said by Ben Franklin, recorded by James Madison:
"Whilst the last members were signing it [i.e., the Constitution] Doct FRANKLIN looking towards the Presidents Chair, at the back of which a rising sun happened to be painted, observed to a few members near him, that Painters had found it difficult to distinguish in their art a rising from a setting sun.....
... '"I have said he, often and often in the course of the Session, and the vicissitudes of my hopes and fears as to its issue, looked at that behind the President without being able to tell whether it was rising or setting: But now at length I have the happiness to know that it is a rising and not a setting Sun."'
Hello Michele... Hopefully this one incident will turn out well for Abrego Garcia... However it will be just one Drop in the Ocean of Effort necessary to Defeat Trump, Trumpism, and the Injustices that Spawned Them... The Struggle Must Continue...
Yes, but IF Heather is right, and the tide is turning, Americans should use this momentum. Timing is essential, as Miyamoto Musashi stressed very often.
I think Heather is right that the tide of public opinion (and possibly political opinion) is turning (at least somewhat) but this country is the third biggest in the world and like gigantic aircraft carriers, it turns very slowly. I think this might turn out to be a good albeit small victory (as you state) but I am still gravely concerned that we are just starting down a VERY long road which will be filled with more "Garcia stories" and events that will challenge us.
If Trump learned on thing in term #1 it is that he needs and wants to keep as much sh*t dished out at the public as possible. It is relatively easy to handle ONE Garcia-like situation at a time. It is much harder to handle 2 or 5 let alone 25 at a time. And Trump easily has the means to keep enough balls in the air to overwhelm our side's folks to handle all of them at once.
So while there is room for optimism, I caution everyone to not be surprised if this continues to get worse before it gets even slightly better, except in occasional specific instances.
Don't mistake Trump's acquiescence in a single outrage for some general capitulation. That is highly unlikely to EVER happen.
There are already many Garcias. Every other person sent to El Salvador was sent with no due process. The New York Times reports that 90% of those men have never even been charged with a crime, let alone convicted. If Garcia is freed, we need to immediately demand that the rest of those in the El Salvador Gulag are also freed. Presumably, a small number are actually criminals and gang members. But even they deserve a trial, deserve due process. right now none of us are safe.
Especially not since Trump wants to offshore native born Americans to Bukele’s prisons. The people Trump sent there deserved due process, which is not a right limited to citizens. He will do the same to the rest of us who cross him.
Actually Michael, under the terms of the AEA (the Alien Enemies Act of 1798) you are incorrect to state that they "deserve a trial, deserve due process". That is precisely what is "up in the air" here, because that act clearly states that such due process is not at all required in the cases of enemies of the United States who are not citizens of the US and are present in our country during a conflict unlawfully.
Now I know there are a LOT of "gotchas" in that law (I have now read it thoroughly) and so many of them are based in a time which is so completely different than today that it really does require some legal analysis and decision making about how much of that law (if any) could actually be valid today, and then if it was, how that would interact with the current situation.
But the point is we are a long way from getting any ruling on those issues and until then, Trump may simply refuse to authorize their return until the case works it way through the courts. That could take a long time of course, or the courts could work their magic and make it happen in a few weeks. For the moment, Trump will backpedal as much as he can to keep this going slowly. The longer he can postpone a final decision, the longer he can make it really painful to the country to decided to bring those people back. It sucks, of course, but it may be a completely legal strategy.
You make valid points. But there was a ruling by the Supreme Court, and now the appeals court supporting the lower court - Judge Xinis is supported from the top. THIS is the THE tipping point in the US of A right now. Failure to return Garcia is a failure of the presidency and must be punished.
True, if he were a recent "immigrant" who came here illegally, there might be a case for his deportation. But he was here, protected by court order.
$Trump and fake Christian Bondi are violating the law. Bust 'em!
Well OK, but isn't it a question of whether or not Trump can even invoke the AEA? We are not at war, so who is he declaring an enemy? Trump loves to play the semantic game and then let someone else figure it out, staying in the gray area until he gets called out. Then he denies ever having done anything wrong. Even now, he's disavowing any knowledge of what "lawyers" are doing.
Right. Use an obscure 225 year old law that doesn't apply at all to get around due process and the rule of law. Trump has given the finger to the rule of law his entire life. What happened to Garcia can happen to anyone. We are the "Enemies", and none of us is safe. Every Democrat in Congress and the Senate should take a cue from Senator Van Hollen and not let this disappear from the Court of Public Opinion, even if it does take months or years in real courts, where real evidence and facts are presented under oath. Right wing media and Republican politicians are saying Garcia was a gang member (MS-13), even a "terrorist", and a "wife beater", and he deserves to be in a jail in a foreign country known for cruel treatment and torture. Yet, NO EVIDENCE to those statements has ever been certified in a court of law.
Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson, a Reagan appointee, is well known and highly respected by conservatives. His beautifully clear wording will go a long way to get Republican attention. HCR did well to quote him.
"It is difficult in some cases to get to the very heart of the matter,” he wrote. “But in this case, it is not hard at all. The government is asserting a right to stash away residents of this country in foreign prisons without the semblance of due process that is the foundation of our constitutional order. Further, it claims in essence that because it has rid itself of custody that there is nothing that can be done. This should be shocking not only to judges, but to the intuitive sense of liberty that Americans far removed from courthouses still hold dear.”
In his ruling the judge uses the phrase “ the heart of the matter” this seems to come from the title of a Graham Greene novel about as his always were a man tied with the ropes of moral and ethical conflict. He also wrote The Power and the Glory and my favorite The End of the Affair. He was a RC convert and went to confession a lot with usually a personal confessor. He was a very very imperfect man but he saw and at least tried to struggle with his moral and ethical failings . All or most of his novels on film.
If anyone chooses Roman Catholicism or thinks before they choose I would have them read at least four of his novels. And a very male , patriarchal and elite view of life. But also aware of the problems so at least that.
TS Eliot’s poem Ash Wednesday allot stead fir those with any Christian background or interest .Harold Bloom might struggled with him
because of antisemitism .
And now we have such active and diverse library and book shelves of so many voices. And since RFKJr put down poets read the current Ada Limon our Poet Laureate or the late Langston Hughes and Lucille Clifton. Read some Cold Mountain poems from old China . So so many . One way of resisting and then pass a favorite poem on.
Jon, you say that “…Trump easily has the means to keep enough balls in the air…” to handle everything, is it not the government’s money/means that is keeping him afloat? Is anyone following the money that the billionaires forked over to President Quid Pro Quo? QPQ would never spend his money! Are those “donations” his money?
You're absolutely right, Jon. Trump lives along the motto of his chief counselor Steve Bannon: "flood the zone with sh•t". And I don't know if its was Hitler or Goebbels who formulated the motto: "Attack, attack, attack, never give in, never back down, always attack", but that seems to be Trump's motto as well.
And if a race, like so many picture it, the Right think they are winning, but the Left is not running a silly race. Although if it were a race, we could win easily with so much support in the un-counted country; The reason we aren't "winning" is because we keep stopping to help those fallen along the way and left behind.
Thanks S ... I would liken it more to a Campaign... Seems that this a Counter-Revolution to the '60s... The Bill Maher Show was very enlightening as it relayed how Bill Maher got 'Turned', and revealed the Planning conducted by Steve Bannon & others during DJT's inter-regum of 2021-2025... We are now experiencing the brunt of their onslaught...
Yes, hopeful for Abrego Garcia but what about the many others that have been shipped off to the El Salvador Gulag of unending hell who don't have high profiles? There are many stories emerging from families whose loved ones have been swept up in these illegal abductions who are reported to have no gang affiliations. Gardeners, farm laborers, construction workers, restaurant workers - what happens to them? Never to be seen again? And the ones imprisoned in detentions at the borders, will they be disappeared too? This entire debacle needs to be remedied and stopped. Indeed, the effort must continue.
Just like all those children who were disappeared under Trump’s cruel and inhumane policies. All these years late and hundreds have never been located. Exactly what Putin is doing with Ukrainian children. Those are the monsters who should be locked up.
Not to be twee, but every monsoon starts with a single drop of rain. The fact that T---p is starting to distance himself from it - "the DoJ is handling that" shows that he thinks it's a loss in his perspective. Here's hoping that it's the start of many such "losses".
It's all part of the process. Rs getting worried about their voters, Rs seeing T---p back off. Every little bit moves us forward, especially if the courts hold firm. It's like the old joke: How do you eat an elephant? A bite at a time!
I think it is something more. I read (not fact checked) that trump had an account where he could receive money from foreign sources without going through the proper channels. I hope our President is not accepting bribes in exchange for decisions on tarriffs
Apache, when trump deflected a question by a journalist regarding Abrego, by saying he was not involved and to ask the lawyers at the DOJ, he recognized ha had list the battle. There're too many others to winn but we are on the right path. Finally a ray of optimism.
Apache, I am a lapsed Catholic. I believe in Jesus as savior, and the irony of this Holy Week and Jesus's message, when compared to many CINOs, it mind boggling. I wonder if they consider how LIBERAL He was?
Anyhow, I do pray for the end to hate, war, etc. My "evil twin" also prays that Trump be taken soon. Maybe I'm a CINO, too.
Van Hollen saved Garcia's life. It may take a lot to release him. But El Salvador wanted to show him "in good health". The Senator and the Press are keeping him from "disappearing".
But the major reason Garcia may never return is the report he will give on conditions in that prison. He is a danger to the Fascists.
Agree. That's been my concern from the beginning. We have a glimmer of hope but DJT has always found a way to stall and roadblock. This is the time to use the moment and press harder in resistance.
Agree. If only there would have been a way for Van Hollen to have literally handcuffed himself to Garcia and demand they return to the US together, with guarantees that he would be kept securely in the US until the charges are addressed. I fear for Garcia’s safety more now than before.
Some good news re the Garcia family. There has been established here in Rockville a gofundme platform. His family has received a lot of financial and emotional support.
I've been wondering how his life will be when he is returned, as I believe he will because he's become a hot potato in the Trump administration. I'm thinking about Ruby Freeman and Shay Moss--their lives have been destroyed. I could see MAGA targetting this man. In my hopes, there are lawyers who will defend him and sue the government for slander.
No, people are not disappeared, not in America. We are civilized. Everyone is entitled to due process. Please read the beautifully written response by Fourth Circuit Court judge Harvie Wilkinson. He is a Republican appointed by Reagan. It is why I am an American and love my country.
I am not sure what you think happened, but of course people are being disappeared or at least being made to appear to disappear.
Without the intense media scrutiny of the situation surrounding Garcia, he would have been left to sit out the rest of his life in the El Salvadoran CECOT prison. Fortunately his supporters (both legal and popular) have pressured the Trump administration enough to get El Salvador to at least acknowledge that they haven't killed him yet and that he is theoretically "enjoying" himself in the hell-hole they have him in. Trump has sort of washed his hands of it, pushing the responsibility (and the blame) on Bondi and her Justice Department.
One good thing about underlings, they will take the bullet for you if you insist, and Trump ALWAYS insists.
I' ve been posting this daily. El Salvador is bound by mutual extrdition treaties, including the OAS, which protects asylum.
If I were the ACLU I would have hired local counsel to bring a habeas corpus under Salvadorean law.
"Lawyers hired by the Venezuelan government filed a legal action Monday in El Salvador aimed at freeing 238 Venezuelans deported by the United States who are being held in a Salvadoran maximum-security prison.
"Jaime Ortega, who says he represents 30 of the imprisoned Venezuelans, said they filed the habeas corpus petition with the Supreme Court’s Constitutional Chamber. He said that by extension they requested that it be applied to all Venezuelans detained in El Salvador.
"The maneuver essentially compels the government to prove someone’s detention was justified.
"The Salvadoran government has been silent about the status of the Venezuelan prisoners since the U.S. government sent them more than a week ago, despite a U.S. federal judge’s verbal order to turn the planes around."
The ACLU has issued a statement chastising Rep. Riley Moore (R-W.V.), one of the Republicans that visited CECOT, for several pictures of him giving the thumbs up sign in front of the prisoners.
Great point, Daniel. Of course it doesn't deal with the Garcia case since he is Salvadoran and I ASSUME (at least theoretically) that a government would have the power (and be willing in most cases) to exert its authority over one of its own citizens. I pointed this out elsewhere that if Ed Snowdon somehow "accidentally" ended up back in the United States and in US custody, that there is about .1% chance that the US would ever give him back to Russia even if Putin pretty-pleased to get him back. (This doesn't necessarily apply to Trump's regime of course as who knows WHAT they would do?!)
The point is when your own citizens "run off" to elsewhere, and you want to get them back, and then somehow they show up, you are not going to let some other government stand on a flimsy argument when you have possession.
I'm not trying to dispute you here, Daniel, but my understanding of the 2019 decision was that it was NOT an actual form of asylum but rather a holding pattern for the case against him for deportation. I haven't had time to follow all the details to try to understand how it was scheduled to proceed, but it clearly wasn't a FINAL decision as in that case, he would not still be under a court order but would have been granted at least some sort of residence here in the US and that (as far as I can tell) has never been granted.
I hope in the next week I will have time to track the details down myself.
Anything not appealed is a final decision.You're right that it's a form of parole -- but in tgerms of administive finality it's binding on the government.
We used to [ante Trump] operate on the concept "color of law" so the US could ask ti intervene ala extradition. Asylum is in the OAS mutual treaty and maybe elsewhere.
Civilly, collateral attack, his family could file a civil rights case for wrongful detention and other torts and ask for damages. Get judgments.
First, never up never in. Everything in life is like this.
Second. never miss an opportumnity to make a record.
Third, Bukele's from the party that was supported by Fidel Castro and Nicagragua, his father was in essence the grand mufti of El Salvador, and I expect that does not go well with L'il Marco.
Fourth, we have a checkered history of extradition with El Salvador. I'm sure they don't want to jeopardize the contracts with Trump. Here in Baghdad By the Sea, El Salvador has banks that probaly contain the country's national treasury, attachable by judements.
Fifth, he makes a great target defendant.
Sixth, this is an opporunity to get OAS on our side.
If Abrego Garcia is released then the whole pack of cards that is Trump's immigration strategy collapses. There's a lot riding on this not happening, both for Trump and for Bukele. Trump is already distancing himself from the outcome so he's placing all the pressure on Bondi and Rubio. Rubio has been stepping up recently, threatening to walk away from the Ukraine/Russia peace negotiations if the two antagonists refuse to play ball. The Art of the Deal, eh?
Rubio is in deep doo doo at home. He is beholden to 1. Norman Braman 2. CANF - the Cuban American National Foundation 3. Trump 4. the US of A.
"Editor’s note: Miami healthcare CEO Michael “Mike” B. Fernandez wrote the following open letter to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and members of the Republican Cuban-American Miami-Dade congressional delegation: U.S. Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart, Carlos Giménez and Maria Elvira Salazar. For decades, I have stood with you in defense of the freedoms we cherish, those we were denied in the country of our birth and found in the grace of this one. I know what it means to flee tyranny. Like you, I carry that history in my bones and that pain in my heart. But like a growing number in our community, I have watched with dismay as the very values we once found sanctuary in are now being attacked by a previously unthinkable threat — the sitting president of the United States."
Who can forget Trump telling reporters they "have to talk to Michael Cohen" about Stormy Daniels? The man is such a coward, such a gaslighting idiot, so much the antithesis of Harry Truman and 'the buck stops here.' With Trump, the buck stops with the bus he dispatched to run somebody over before denying any knowledge or involvement in the matter whatever.
I do not know how any of his wormtongues can stop thinking about this nonstop. Everything this foul miscreant touches turns to shit --- and everyone he comes into contact with ends up under that bus as assuredly as the sun rises in the east. He'd gladly push his own children under it to save his own skin.
I am thankful to read of a parallel moment in history, however, that spelled the beginning of the end for a clique of arrogant, cruel enslavers. And yet, like so many, I am thinking of how exhausting it is, and will continue to be, to build a coherent, effective political movement based on outrage. Yet what else is there to do? We must be strong enough not to tire, not to flag, not to fail.
Love the Tolkien reference. What is the alternative but to vigorously resist? The loss of due process is horrifying. The loss of economic stability and international standing is mobilizing some very strange bedfellows. I keep thinking if CECOT will not accept women we should be on the forefront as this movement has done so much to reverse the rights of even bodily autonomy for women.
Along your with your observation, Corbin, It said to me that he is delusional, thinking he is Mr. businessman up in his tower of power. Justice Department = “the lawyers”.
Michael Cohen has a youtube channel and as he's pointed out, there are few people who know Trump better than he does.
I've subscribed to his channel mostly to support him. My feeling is that he got caught up in the glitter (most assuredly not gold!) of the Trump world, and as he got in deeper and deeper, was unable to extricate himself. He accepted his punishment which is something Trump never did.
Someone or several someones has a list of detainees. Trump administration officials have bragged since before the election that they have a list of over a million people they wish to deport. Has anyone been able to gain access to this information?
The Tuft's abduction shows a plainclothes person abducting the Tuft's student and there appears to be at least 3 other ICE agents. Trump loves to out his enemies by defaming them and releasing personal information about them.
Is anyone aware of a site that publishes the names and addresses of ICE agents and any other personal information about them? They are complicit in this mess and deserve to be outed. It's important to cut off the head of the beast which is Trump, but if ICE agents are fearful of their own safety maybe they will quit. It seems they usually have hoodies on or are masked when dealing with detainees. Let's start outing them, even if they're your friends and neighbors.
Theoretically, a great concept, but as a practical matter, not very likely to yield the results you hope for. The reason they dress as they do is PRECISELY to avoid what you are trying to accomplish, i.e., to "out" them. Its not illegal to do that (and certainly wouldn't be prosecuted if it were, by Trump's Justice Dept.). And there are penalties for publishing the private information of any government employee without authorization (as well there should be in normal times) to protect their safety.
So be very careful what you ask for. We don't need any more people being surprised, arrested and shipped out, at least not before we know what the courts (including SCOTUS) might say.
"In apparent defiance of a federal court ruling, a Florida Highway Patrol trooper arrested a Georgia man in north Florida under a new state law that targets undocumented immigrants who enter the state illegally — though it turns out the man is a U.S. citizen. Juan Carlos Lopez Gomez, 20, was arrested Wednesday under a new state law that makes it a misdemeanor for an undocumented adult who came to the U.S. without checking in with border authorities to enter Florida, according to a police report. But a federal judge in Miami had already blocked the state from enforcing that law through at least April 18, saying the statute is likely unconstitutional because it infringes on federal immigration authority."
When things go south (literally in this case) Trump denies knowledge as in Signalgate. He has an early adolescent mindset. If it’s not resonating with his base, he had no knowledge. Like Project 2025. This trope is getting old and worn out
I think he is self-aware. That is, he knows once he gets started, his weasel words and his just plain stupid phrasing won't help his cause when the subject is a specific legal point. So he punts to someone else (who might not be any better at it, but at least is not him).
I know I probably sound like a broken record, but I personally really HATE allusional conspiracy theories. They offer NOTHING in the way of fact and just wave their hands and suggest that "SOMETHING SUSPICIOUS" must have happened.
There was an investigation by the Manhattan coroner's office and the death was ruled accidential. There was evidence that several people had suggested that she get help in her apartment as she was 73 and starting to lose a few steps and not always aware of her surroundings. At least one of those people told her specifically before the accident (until proven otherwise) to be concerned about the stairs.
She was a champion skier when she was 20 years old on the Junior team. She did NOT ski regularly later in life. That is a skill that is NOT easy to maintain and to suggest that somehow because she had been a champion Jr. skier 50 years ago we should immediately assume foul-play from falling down the stairs 50 years later at the age of 73 is, at least without any concrete evidence, just nonsensical.
It is NOT very hard to die from falling down stairs. If you took a moment to look it up, approximately 12,000 people die ANNUALLY from stair falls. My in-law's father died from a stair accident. If you want to throw around vague allusions, you are certainly free to do that, but don't expect that you won't be called on it.
Did Ivana Trump die from foul play? I don't have ANY IDEA. But unless I had some actual evidence, I would mostly stick with the official results of the investigation until I did have something to disprove it. And that investigation said there was no foul play, that it was an accident pure and simple.
It isn’t supposed to happen, but Chicago police used to have a place where they would question and detain people they arrested, denying them access to counsel, and some other cities would do the same.
They certainly seem to be making it harder to find out where detainees are initially held, even in places that have no known private prisons or other confinement facilities.
I'm totally against private profit prisons in general, but am now looking back at Civil War History and the story of how Parole, Maryland got its name. I imagine it as a safer sort of detention facility with the interests of both sides in mind.
"...An honor system was set up where each side would take care of housing its own soldiers who had been designated as being on parole, meaning they would not fight in combat unless they were formally exchanged. The Confederates did not set up parole camps; they let their men go home and expected them to return to duty once officially exchanged. Parole camps were set up by the Union Army for its own soldiers who had been captured by the Confederacy, and then released on the condition that they would honor the terms and conditions of their parole..."
We are woefully lacking any form of civilization at this point. We are seeing people disappear on a daily basis. None have received due process and their new plans being put in place ate for a judge too look at a questionnaire and make a decision without every seeing the victim.
Why are so many congressional Republicans trekking to El Salvador?
These all-white men and all-white women eagerly pose for photographs in front of the now-caged, maybe forever-imprisoned immigrants of color illegally-renditioned from the U.S. MAGA racism triumphs.
Triumphs over law. Triumphs over due process. Triumphs over human decency.
See these white elites chorus for criminality and indecency as did their MAGA peers last summer in front of the New York courthouse where their racist-in-chief underwent his criminal trial. Their indecency chorus all donned cult leader’s same suits and ties, who got criminally convicted on all counts.
The lawlessness continues, as Putin continues his mass murder in Ukraine, as Netanyahu continues his mass murder on the West Bank and Gaza. As craven U.S. law firms, mainstream media, universities, and social media have paid millions in extortion to the lawless criminal.
Or, wait – decencies now newly challenging the herd lawlessness?
The shock and awe was designed to disorient, and while other countries are not, contrary to The President's claim, lining up to kiss the repellent orange posterior, a cadre of wealthy CEO's visibly were. Law firms and august universities, such as Columbia, have been folding like tissue paper. It's a lot to take in. Perhaps a sleeping giant is stirring. Perhaps some courageous (and angry) institutions, jurists, politicians and others have broken that ICE, and invited reason, decency, and justice to foregather and join the fray.
I don't know details but I read yesterday that the Big 10 Universities have created a mutual defense pact -- kind of an Academic NATO -- I hope that's true. Also that Stanford and Yale have written in support of Harvard. What continually foxes me is that, had the entire (or even most) of the GOP stood against Trump, he would be gone. If ALL the Universities and ALL the law firms said 'hell no' to Trump's demands they may have stopped him. Where is the collaborative courage?
They have not, at least not yet. That is a proposal to faculty to present to faculty senates to insist that university administration join such a compact. It’s a good effort. Together, we have a chance. Separately, not so much.
At the time, he was a Republican Congresscritter. Now he works for Donald Trump.
Anyway, has ICE gathered up the undocumented aliens that work for the Republican politicians and their friends and families? This includes the administration, Congress, SCOTUS and the myriad Republicans in state and local governments.
The employers stand liable. As a matter of fact, Donald J. Trum pas the poster boy for employer sanctions as my agency fined him for using illegal Polish workers on his jobsites.
Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA):
This landmark legislation established the foundation for employer sanctions, requiring employers to verify the identity and employment eligibility of their hires.
Form I-9:
Employers must complete and retain Form I-9, the Employment Eligibility Verification form, for each employee.
Enforcement:
ICE conducts audits of employer records to ensure compliance with immigration laws, including the proper completion and retention of I-9 forms.
Penalties:
Violations of IRCA can result in fines ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars per offense, depending on the type of violation and the employer's history of non-compliance.
Criminal Penalties:
In cases involving a pattern or practice of knowingly hiring unauthorized workers, or aiding and abetting unauthorized employment, employers may face criminal charges, including fines and imprisonment.
Discrimination:
Employers are prohibited from discriminating against individuals based on their citizenship or immigration status, and from requesting more or different documents than required for I-9 verification.
I-9 Audits:
ICE can initiate inspections, requiring employers to produce their I-9 documentation. Employers have a set time frame (usually three days) to provide the records.
Notice of Findings:
Following the inspection, ICE issues a written notice of findings, which can range from a notice of compliance to a notice of intent to fine for violations.
Whistleblower Protections:
Employees who report employer violations of immigration law are generally protected from retaliation.
Enforcement Actions:
ICE may take enforcement actions against employers who are found to be out of compliance with the law, including issuing fines or referring cases to the Department of Justice for criminal prosecution.
Increased Fines:
In recent years, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has increased fines for I-9 violations, reflecting a greater focus on enforcement.
Can we please refrain from using the term “illegal aliens”? Repeating right wing racist terminology is harmful. No humans are illegal. And no humans are aliens. We are all citizens of planet earth. It’s important to know that according to US immigration law, being in this country without proper documentation is not a crime. It is a civil misdemeanor like a parking ticket. Let’s don’t assist fascists by amplifying their vocabulary.
For that matter, if they were really serious about undocumented immigrants, they'd be going after those who HIRED them. If they couldn't get hired to work, a lot of them wouldn't likely be here.
So true, my laugh for the day. But he loves chaos, ass-kissing, and Vlad may have a tight squeeze. He loves being a hero for Elon and crew. Keeps him from that loser label that follows him like a shadow.
Case in point, Rep. Dan Meuser’s repellent comments after a man firebombed Gov. Josh Shapiro’s house when the family was asleep. The police knocked on the door and the governor and his family fortunately got out safely. The accused firebomber claims he did this over the governor’s opinions on the Israel/Palestine conflict, but Meuser baselessly suggested the governor’s house got firebombed because of Gov. Shapiro’s criticism of Trump.
A comment from the arsonist’s brother said that Balmer had urged the family to switch their votes to Trump. This was several days ago. No telling wherein lies the truth. Trump said he wasn’t a supporter, just a sick man.
Seems like a dream instead of a nightmare. You are right, the lawlessness continues, but a crack is a welcome change. Long time coming, and a sliver, but damn, any whiff of decency is so welcome. Makes me wonder what the evil will conjure to steal the headlines and halt momentum. Hope all protests on Sat are peaceful.
I love your optimism JDinTX, but "Long time coming"? Seriously?
We are not even THREE MONTHS into this "reign of terror" and you really think this is some kind of watershed event that will reverse the deluge? I seriously doubt that. I just see this as another random "blink" that we often see with this crazy man leading the country, something he will decide isn't worth his time, and he tosses it over to Pam Blondi, to let her and her minions try to figure it out. He will hail himself as the hero who "helped solve this problem" and then move right on to another 15 or 20 disasters having diverted our attention for at least a moment.
We are stuck with Trump for 3 years and 9 months more. Barring a heart attack or a successful "hit", there is virtually no way that is going to change (I would hope it would, but I see no likelihood of that happening). He is here for his term in office, and given the alternatives (JD Vance? Chuck Grassley?) there is unlikely to be anyone willing to see how much better THAT would be.
There will be 5 or 10 or 100 more Garcia-like stories in the near future, and at some point, we may reach a saturation point that everyone just throws up their hands and gives up. Of course, not all will, but my point is that fighting the government is a difficult, time-consuming and costly thing to do, even if you just have ONE thing to fight them on (there are examples galore from our history). If you have to fight them individually on dozens or more situations at the same time, even when they are almost identical, you can run out of runway really quickly.
I HOPE we have enough people to fight these outrageous acts and maybe some of them will be reversed (as they should be). But we will lose some also and that will require us to stand firm and continue the opposition. And we can keep our fingers crossed that the discomfort, even pain that all of us are going to feel over the next 1350 days will make enough people aware of what a disaster this is that they will vote to change it in 2026 and 2028.
The SAVE Act is designed to disenfranchise more voters. I am disgusted at the SCOTUS majority that will not protect the right to vote and eviscerated the Voting Rights Act, the politicians who keep themselves in power by gerrymandering and fat campaign contributions and the state level efforts to discriminate against specific groups of voters. They want to guarantee their own perpetual rule. We need a Voting Rights Act for the nation, and voting should be a fundamental right on the federal and state levels, with unbiased education (not from Fox or PragerU) about issues and candidates. Many of our schools no longer teach civics, and it shows.
We also need to limit political spending by the oligarchs. Musk and several other oligarchs bought Trump the Presidency and at least 3 Senate seats occupied by Democrats.
This is an area where we might disagree GJ. In an effective democracy, I am concerned about limitations on funding that reduce us to a limited political environment. I would be happy to see more money contributed to politics. What concerns me is not the amount (limitation) but its distribution. Political funding should be FAIR so that anyone can run for office and be supported at least somewhat proportionally by the whole electorate. For me the right way to do this is to require that a portion of all political spending be contributed to a central authority which fund all campaigns by balancing what each campaign raises on its own with a share of the total funding. Not strictly equal but much more equitable for both rich and poor candidates alike.
Itv would make it possible for even a very poor candidate to make some attempt at running for office and if they had an excellent message and good people maybe they would break through. It would envied a move away from an almost strict two party system to a larger number of voices being heard.
It won't eliminate rich candidates from sometimes dominating but we have seen situations sure the wealthiest candidate didn't always win (look at how Perdue was bounced out of the Senate in GA). more balance will make that even more possible.
That seems like a good possible part of the solution.
Elon Musk posted some very questionable ads in WI where his PAC flat out lied about the candidates. Do you think your solution would help to reduce the misinformation and disinformation out there?
Yup I agree almost 100% with this. In fact (and I know Phil will hate this LOL), but I am MUCH more concerned about our failures to teach civics in so many high schools than I am about humanities.
Humanities education can be provided by reading assignments and family or study group support, but competent civics education at the secondary school level requires some real objective instructors and those are often hard to come by except in schools (usually public schools). And while humanities can help inform peoples' political understanding, civics education is directly on target with that goal.
During the 60s and early 70s, there were big pushes in many public school systems (we had one in Arizona in that era) to increase the level and competence of civics education and my high school benefited from it tremendously. Despite being in Arizona, one of the more conservative states, my high school class of '68 was an amazingly progressive class given our location, and at various high school reunions, while certainly not 100% of our class by any means, there were many people in our class who I would have expected might turn out to be MAGA-like, turned out to be at least modestly liberal in their political leanings. I think that is one of the reasons that Arizona has become a purple state over the past decade or so, as people from my age group (boomers) and later (gen-X) became active voters in AZ politics. It even influenced Phoenix, one of the most conservative areas in AZ at one time, but no longer.
Jon, it's a both/and situation, regarding civics vs. humanities. You mentioned the real issue that overshadows all curriculum concerns.
The key to restoring meaningful education is strengthening the public school systems nationwide. And I would advocate for the elimination – or at the very least, strong regulation – of private schools, which are accountable to no one for admissions policies, curriculum design and scholastic achievement. Ditto for home schooling.
I don't know that private schools are always bad, but the public should nit be paying for them. And they need to be every bit as accountable to certain benchmarks as public schools; and I don't mean by multiple choice tests. Our potential of our posterity is worth a lot our effort, no?
Nice, Dale, pointing out things can be "both/and."
Jon says here that "fighting the government is a difficult, time-consuming and costly thing to do" because he can't imagine other complications also bearing at the same time.
This is the legacy of standardized testing, where all are supposed to think that, from choices A), B), C), and D), there's only one answer.
I am honestly not at all opposed to humanities in schools despite Phil's attacks against me. I have only objected to his single- mind obsessive focus on the reduction of humanities scholarship and the use of standardized testing as the sole cause for poor public education.
I think humanities education is important, as important as other parts of education. When I went to school in the 60s we had humanities as part of our curriculum. But we also had standardized testing and ib do not think that was a bad thing as Phil seems to believe. We have a VERY large education system in the US and before the 1950s the quality of education was incredibly random. Standardized testing was a way of tracking educational outcomes to try to equalize that problem. Was it totally successful? No, it wasn't (is anything?) Did it help? In most cases yes it did.
One thing it DID do is draw more attention at the gaps which did lead to efforts to improve the system. Eliminating standardized tests may, in my opinion, return us to the days when we can't tell which systems are doing a good job and which aren't.
I am in full support of efforts to remove private education and home schooling from feeding of the public funding for education. I do not oppose private education (although I would never send my children there even if I had unlimited resources) but if you want it, you should pay for it yourself. And yes. You should STILL have to contribute via taxes to everyone else public education.
"But then I am paying for something which I don't use". Damn straight. Good public education should be universal right and every tax payer should pay their share. If they don't want to use it, that's their choice but they don't get to opt out and not help pay for it.
I too think the humanities are important, as good literature is designed to get you to think. Unfortunately, the ignorami in charge don’t want us to think, but to engage in screen time.
My own way of thinking about humanities is broader than the arts, although I argue that the arts are a indispensable and powerful form of human communication and interaction that is waaaay underappreciated a key to our humanity (and we are fools to allow commercial interests to dominate them to the extent they do, and our culture with it). In my view, "humanities" and civics, are part pf the same thing.
I think we human beings live in two world that are really one, yet there is a permeable barrier. One world is the physical world, Kant's thing in itself. Galileo's alleged aside to the court of "And yet it moves", impacts on a billiard table, or a sandwich for lunch. The other is more hidden and interior. The realm of experience, the senses, our thoughts and our feelings (therefore I am). How the sandwich tastes.
We live in both worlds, and we tend to prosper to the extent that we stride and synchronize the two. And also, we can imagine. Wise interaction between the real and the imagined gave us this digital means to send my thought to others in space; gave us Beethoven and "Country" tunes, gave us the US Constitution.
Is it not self-evident that you cannot have a meaningful republic without a universal and ironclad right to vote? Is the right to vote worth dying for? Many, in many parts of the world, have thought so. Part of properly securing that right is seeing to it that people do not vote in prohibited ways that cheat others, but so far, all credible evidence has suggested that successful votes lacking authorization are virtually negligible, while actions that bar or significantly inhibit qualified voters from voting have proliferated. Nothing so defines a free, self-determining, society, of, by and for the people, as the right to vote. It is a basic human right that is necessary to protect them all.
"As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy. Whatever differs from this, to the extent of the difference, is no democracy." - Lincoln
I have been watching the Repub fiasco for decades. Bill Moyers saw where it could go. I watched Fox turn Goebbels, the tea party blame a half-black man for the W/Dickie fiasco, religion turn evil, our SC make the inquisition seem ok, rank-and-file repubs turn greedy cowards, racism go national, and tech money join old oligarchs to make chump our “glorious leader.” Just like Ronnie and the Nixon left-overs wanted. I am under no illusions and Pollyanna has never described me. A slice of optimism is all I can muster. My fear for my country and all of us, never abates these days. Every word you say is true. The speed of the chaos and the unexpected “creativity” of the evil is hard to fight. In fact, author of P2025 expected Dems to fold. And they did. Still a sliver, it is most welcome in my world. But we all must be prepared for the assault by what was our own government.
I was at the first Hands Off rally but I can't make this one. They were counting the attendees at the rally, but the one I attended in Blue Hill, ME, hundreds of cars drove by honking, waving and/or giving a thumbs up and they weren't counted. And there were only 8 MAGAs that gave the middle finger salute. All were white men between 30 and 50 years old and driving full size pick-ups. And they were all alone in their vehicles.
It was a great time and no cross words between anyone were uttered that I heard.
Gary .If you are in the BH area;. come join our peace vigil on Deer Isle . We have been there every monday at 4 on Rt 15 for over 25 years. Most welcomed. Island peace and Justice
Mimics what we found at the first of our Monday night protests at the WWI memorial in my town. Six Teslas and many others went by with horn honks and thumbs up - the only negative was a MAGAt in a big noisy pickup. We've continued the Monday night vigils, and the group is getting bigger.
I believe there will come a time very soon when Republicans regret those photographs. The changing political winds are likely going to blow in a strong Democratic, anti-MAGA majority into Congress in 2026. The images of MAGA Republicans standing before illegally imprisoned brown-skinned men will be powerful tools for Democratic challengers.
The obscenity of wealth could not be more pronounced right now; Kristi Noem posing in front of those caged men, sporting a Rolex watch and 25 pounds of hair, the mega rich women on that 10 minute, 500k a piece, tourist ride into space. Meanwhile, average Americans are fearing for their lives in one way or another. This is feeling very much like the excess and moral decay depicted in the works of F. Scott Fitzgerald, which tRump no doubt sees as the style of ‘great America’ he’s trying to bring back. He needs to remember that history repeats itself. Empires built on greed and corruption are destined to fail.
Actually, Kazz, mention of F. Scott Fitzgerald bids much wider resources we have.
I keep a list of several hundred novels, memoirs, movies, songs, histories, biographies, essay collections, poems and books of poems. One of the great things that distinguishes America is the sheer excellence and power of so many arts and humanities directed at the constant menace our rich have always augured.
Of course, no mere coincidence that, when Lewis Powell wrote his infamous memo in 1971, all those new far right foundations agreed that their starting point must be to get the schools void of those humanities. Then, boy, could the predations commence!
Couldn't agree more. I was watching the Kennedy Center Honors on YouTube the other night, the one where Aretha Franklin is paying tribute to Carole King with "Like a Natural Woman". The Obamas were in the audience, and the song brought Barack Obama to tears - me too, it was impossible not to be moved. Though given the times, I was also grieving the loss of the arts and the quality of performances now that tRump has intruded and appointed himself Kennedy Centre Board Chair.
Here's the Aretha performance if you haven't seen it - have the Kleenex ready.
definitely an endless supply of 'let them eat cake' moments at present. And -- petty alert -- did Kristi Noem and Lauren Sanchez get their big hair and big lips from Amazon?
Laurie, remind us me of an old Twilight Zone episode where women, in their late teens, could pick one of 2 or 3 female models they wanted to look like. Plastic surgery did the rest. They all ended up looking exactly alike, (there really was no choice at all).....and very " plastic". More and more women of means today are beginning to get that " plastic" look. I guess there is just too much pressure on insecure women to look a certain way in order to be accepted or to find a man or just to be noticed!! Lots of energy and money needed for upkeep! I always wonder what the lips will look like when they are 80?
Absolutely. Fitzgerald's short stories, too, are brilliant, almost prophetic critiques of the rise of oligarchy today. In particular, "The Rich Boy" and how wealth warps emotional development, and "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz", a warning about how obscene wealth sustains itself through denial and exploitation.
They will regret those photo ops when they realize how much they look like the white Southerners who smiled for the cameras with victims of lynchings hanging in the background.
I have heard much about the photo but have not seen it, and I didn't search for it because caging people and posing in front of it is morally reprehensible to me. But a question: did they all remember to wear their uniform, aka the blue suit with the overlong red tie?
We need to stop referring to Republican Congressians as Republican. They are MAGA radicals. By referring to them as Republican we insinuate that this is political, that it is Republican vs Democrats, that this is normal.
It's the same With DOGE. We should use Musk instead DOGE. Using DOGE, makes look like another government agency doing their job when it's Musk.
It was disturbing to read that only a minority of people now poll as thinking the "Republicans" are better stewards of the US economy than Democrats for the first time in a number of years. I mean, yeah, it's about time, but before Trump was elected I saw polls that indicated that a surprising percentage of Democrats and Independents bought the big lie on that particular issue. They have not been doing their homework.
Today's "Republicans" are busy demolishing the Republic; which is about as Orwellian as it gets. The public and the forth estate needs to be paying more attention. And us, to find ways to draw attention to discrepancies.
Though I find the events of today to be heartening, I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop. As bumbling and disorganized as this administration can be, when it comes to “sticking it to the libs”, or whomever the enemy du jour may be, there always seems to be a Plan A, B, C, and D in place. Their cruelty and corruption knows no bounds. I expect the next distraction to come shortly.
I believe he was right and that is the upside. The downside (because it is important to face it) is that the power of the people is highly diffused and the people in power know that, and can make it extremely painful until the power of the people can prevail. This is going to take some time, possibly a long time. It will take a will to fight politically even when we are faced with defeat after defeat.
Big wins do not happen overnight. Look at the struggles of the past.
The Civil War.
The Depression.
The fight for women's suffrage.
The fight to end the Vietnam War.
The fight for racial justice and equality.
NONE of those happened in three YEARS let alone three MONTHS. As I have said before, settle in folks and make sure your seatbelts are on. This is going to be a long and bitter fight.
They aren't our blood brothers yet but we need to thank the 7 Republican cosponsors to the senate bill that would strip Trump of tariff authority. S.1272 — 119th Congress (2025-2026) Cantwell, D, WA is main sponsor.
On the national security track, virtually all the Republican members of the armed services and intelligence committees openly oppose Trump's position vis a vis Ukraine. In the House, Don Bacon, R. NE, Mike Tunrner R, O, many others. E.G. https://bacon.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2616
A couple of weeks ago I published the letter Rick Scott sent me, in effect calling Trump a liar on Ukraine.
I would add Labor's right to organize as well here. There are some common things in all these struggles. Solidarity of purpose and tenacity. All were costly, in every sense of the word. It is surprising what committed people can endure in the face of defeat or loss or setback. Just ask the Ukrainians. Be ready for it.
But what would reversing course look like? We are not a Parliamentary form of government where you can oust the entire government just by taking a vote of no confidence. The President and their government serves for 4 years, like it or not, except for very extraordinary situations AND huge support for a change in the Congress. It is so radical that it has never happened before and is highly unlikely to happen now.
So i think this Presidency will last at least its required four years. With the power that he has, it will be a very dark time for all of us.
You've been drinking too much liberal kool-aid JL.
The public is mostly ignored even when focused, and that is not often.
This group is a minute segment of the opposition, and most of the rest of it doesn't seem to care all that much. We do, of course, but many of us tend to misconstrue that as some kind of massive population-wide movement.
It is not.
That is sad, of course, but we need to be realistic. I remember during the last few weeks of the election how many people here, with their heads stuck firmly in the sand, talked about how the victory of Harris would be awesome. Yet anyone looking at the polls could see that wasn't going to happen. Wishful thinking is a common trait, especially among liberals. And it can do us all a great disservice.
I still believe that we can work our way out of this morass, but it is NOT going to happen overnight, or because of one singular success in freeing one person from the outrages of the Trump cabal (something which has still yet to actually happen). It will take a long time and it will be painful. But we can prevail.
I just hope everyone has the tenacity to deal with the one small step forward, point nine steps backwards we are likely to be taking over and over for quite a long time.
I would seriously like to know what you are referring to here. In fact I majored in math and computer science and have spent a significant amount of my political time working on survey research so I actually do think I know "math" pretty well :-) What I wrote above is quite factual and I'd be more than happy to discuss specifics with you. But I'd really need to know more about your criticisms. Just saying you think I don't know math is rather obtuse and hard to understand.
Republican corruption is rooted in white supremacy and greed. Everything Trump does is to make HIMSELF one of the richest oligarchs. He doesn't give a damn about any of the other oligarchs unless they are willing to suck up to him.
He loves Putin and Orban because they were able to take over their countries governments and then enrich themselves and a few close associates.
But their willful ignorance (a form of stupidity) is also boundless. Let us pray that it brings their plots up short, before they drag us all down with them.
Marvelous letter, Heather! I am feeling hopeful & encouraged. We may just end up with an opportunity to put this country back together in new & fantastic ways!
It's late night here in Hawaii, and this is the most encouraging thing I have read all day. May MAGA descend like a rock into the Marianas Trench, with the rock tied to the leg of their leader.
Boy, that last paragraph packs a punch and describes us as well as them. Abe still speaks for me. Old and decrepit as I am. Going to a protest in Texas on Sat.
I felt that the crisis over Garcia would not be the catalyst. MAGAts are delighted that an immigrant is gone. I was wrong. People seem to finally see what the people in Germany went through before the war. What happens to my neighbor could happen to me. Has the fever broken. Take the lead Dems. Or we will have to depend on the first Republican to speak for us. But Abe speaks for the ages.
JD, I wish too. But, the real MAGAts will never see, because they no longer look. Their Bubble is opaque and they have gotten so used to the stench inside that they can't survive in the clean air of logical, human, democratic thought. But then I estimate that there are only about 27Million of them, and they will whittle themselves down to nothing slowly as one by one they emerge from the haze, or their children before them.
Wish my bros would, but they are mesmerized by bullschittery. So glad that he is keeping campaign promises. Totally ignoring the attack on SS that will affect one “bigly.” Cult definition. If they disappear, they leave seeds or spores, sad to say.
Too many seem too timid for thinking and speaking on their own, more comfortable repeating the chants of a destructive mob than those defending the progress of almost two and a half centuries.
Hope and Courage are rising. Let's continue the swell of truth, integrity, and doing what our Constitution states....we must keep up the pressure until these dictators and destroyers are gone from power!
For those whose narcissism is malignantly metastatic, we are objects; toys to be used however they please or smashed against the wall. Solidarity is our most potent resource, but you know it don't come easy.
The world, the skies, and our better aspirations are too beautiful, despite corruptions and dangers, to be allowed to be ruined by arrogant, puerile, bullies.
I really appreciate the (realistic) positivity as in:
"...Abraham Lincoln, who by then was speaking for the new party coalescing around that coalition, replied that Douglas “should remember that he took us by surprise—astounded us—by this measure. We were thunderstruck and stunned; and we reeled and fell in utter confusion. But we rose each fighting, grasping whatever he could first reach—a scythe—a pitchfork—a chopping axe, or a butcher's cleaver. We struck in the direction of the sound; and we are rapidly closing in upon him. He must not think to divert us from our purpose, by showing us that our drill, our dress, and our weapons, are not entirely perfect and uniform. When the storm shall be past, he shall find us still Americans; no less devoted to the continued Union and prosperity of the country than heretofore...”
Last night, on a radio program, we talked about the so-called "American Dream". The dream (turned into a nightmare by the combination of infinite billionaire greed, racism, and willful ignorance) cannot form unless it is built upon a foundation of the rule of law.
We are at a point in which the criminal-elect, and his corrupt incompetent Cabinet (the only qualifying attribute is pledging absolute fealty to the vindictive and idiotic desires of the tyrant would-be king), with state-sponsored kidnappings and disappearances, Elon Musk and others working to help themselves to a trove of taxpayer funds -our money, under the guise of "government efficiency,”, the racist demand to remove diversity programs and destroy academic freedom by threatening to withhold funding to educational institutions and crushing the general stability of the US economy with hourly changes in trade policy.
All this while threatening to destroy the very foundation of justice led by “deep-thinkers” like Pam “Bribe Me” Bondi, Kristi “Puppy killing” Noem, and Kash “Q” Patel.
It is well beyond time for people to take to the streets, attend town halls demanding answers (but not while standing in a puddle at an “MT” Greene event), and begin planning a prolonged general strike if a handful of GOP Congressional members still can’t find the courage to do what is right by advocating for an impeachment action. A work stoppage would have a chilling effect on the billionaires and money still supporting the subversion of our system in exchange for permanent tax cuts.
We are continuing to be driven toward an authoritarian system led by a criminal who failed multiple times in his personal life through bankruptcies and fraud settlements, and is now looking to cause the entire United States system to fail. The justice system in its present form is inadequate to address this situation -it will require political and societal courage, and a large team of special prosecutors and courts to address all who have driven the US system to the edge of the abyss.
Folliwing it all from the UK, that was another brilliantly clear Letter. Thanks Prof HCR.
And by the way, Trump is massively disliked here. Please don’t confuse his State visit with approval or groveling….it’s plain old diplomacy. Accordingly, he will be afforded the rare honour of kissing King Charles’ ass. And whilst doing so he can listen to the whole country enjoying the spectacle….hoots of derisive laughter!
Most people here have every faith that the USA will find a way through this nightmare. I just hope and pray that Ukraine survives to see the day.
Encouraging to see glimmer of reason and support for the rule of law. I’ve repeatedly pointed out the difference between the American and Russian peoples: the Russians have never known anything other than being serfs, subdued and oppressed in every possible way; Americans know and understand the country is a beacon of liberty—we may not agree on a whole range of stuff but the right to disagree vocally and publicly, our right to VOTE our conviction and influence changes on many levels that’s not given up without a fight.
The convicted felon and his mafia sidekix are treating our USA as a slot machine, as a dinner table to be ravished — I can add with rage and sorrow: as a woman to be raped!
Thank you Heather CR for offering ongoing and erudite teaching, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your writing.
i feel like this is a vast oversimplification of russian vs us history, as well as the public conception of social/political liberties which exist in both countries.
for one thing, the abolition of russian serfdom happened in 1861 (i.e., not too long before the 13th amendment's passage); granted, the demographic realities were very different - among other things, about the 35-40% of the russian population were serfs, vs around 12-15% of enslaved people comprising the late antebellum usa population. both countries had massive counter-reformation movements which acted through different official channels (e.g., jim crow was largely carried out by state/municipal gov'ts, vs. the top-down project of tsar alexander iii who essentially acted with unilateral authority, a la france's charles x during the bourbon restoration.) obviously, pre-soviet multi-party democracy was a very short-lived phenomenon (having barely lasted a dozen years under romanov meddling, a civil war, & subsequent provisional/bolshevik gov'ts.)
from the ussr onward, russians were fully integrated into the 20th/21st centuries; aside from the obvious differences in political freedoms/social contracts, it was still fundamentally a modern industrial society. there were state-funded healthcare/education/public utilities/infrastructure programs, consumer goods, pop culture/entertainment media, etc. post-ww2 soviet households' living standards increasingly kept pace with the west's.
the real material decline for most russians happens with the ussr's collapse, when the return of multi-party bourgeois electoralism also resulted in the shuttering of many soviet-era regulatory bureaucracies, & the wide-scale privatization of welfare programs, universities, energy utilities, etc. which was largely perceived to be at the behest of western gov't/business interests.
the rise of putin is comparable to trump/maga in many ways: both figures capitalized on periods of growing material precarity & compounding political, social, ecological crises. both promised to "restore the nation" by expanding the state's power to kill/surveil/detain people, as well as enriching themselves & the coalition of lumpen capital interests who benefit from their regimes. i don't get why we need to infantilize russian citizens, or invent some Slavic Freemason Conspiracy that trump is secretly the marshall petain of the kremlin's yankee vichy gov't, when we can point to the banal realities of capital accumulation, & decades of "means testing"/austerity programs/hollowing out all state functions which don't directly contribute to the violent enforcement of borders & property relations.
The Democratic framework we enjoy (up until now) in the USA cannot possibly be compared to the situation in Russia. Even before Putin, the system was utterly repressive.
I grew up in Denmark, educated there etc, in short I am a Dane. The contact between the USSR and European countries AFTER WWII was minuscule for several decades. My family had close contact with USSR engineers who came to the town I grew up in to oversee various projects built for and paid for by USSR. What the Russian engineers described didn’t sound anything but a blatant continuation of servitude shrouded in “for the good of the people.”
And I must disagree about living standard keeping pace with Western levels — not in the USSR we all knew growing up!
The repression NEVER ended — as long as there isn’t standard civil rights, it’s not correct to think of it as anywhere on par with USA.
Maybe if the convicted felon gets away with his rape of the USA then there’s more similarities between us and them. But what I was trying to emphasize is really the string and abiding element of individualism SO INGRAINED in Americans — a characteristic I’m not that enamored by BUT at this juncture, it’s of great value. And that, you cannot find as a consistent characteristic in Russia.
Well, I feel like I might be able to take a big breath of fresh air if they ruling group is going to have to behave. The sorry excuse for Congress may be on their way to finding some courage, a heart and help us keep hearth and home together finally. The wizard and crew are not good leaders. They have no interest in taking care of people in order to make life better for all people. I really don’t want to give up eating meat, but the dismantling of federal programs is quite terrifying. They apparently want to kill us off with bacteria and tornadoes. Congress needs to find its courage quickly.
And TcinLa, Greg Olear, Dan Rather, John Pavlovitz, David Brooks, Judd Legum, Robert Hubbell, Paul Klugman, and the many other voices who have not been silenced by threats, actions, and very real consequences.
Brian Tyler Cohen, Micheal Cohen, Marc Elias, Glenn Kirshner, the entire Medias Network including Tennessee Brando, "Belle of the Ranch", Jeff Tiedrich.........
I hope you're right that the tide is turning. Terrific Lincoln quote!
This guy Nathan Sage is part of that new wave, a Dem senate candidate from working class roots. His promo below is awesome.
‘We built the damn table,’ he states, ‘it’s time we had a seat at it!’
https://youtu.be/_exwupZcvhc?si=4IYiM_CVbmirQ2Nw
Thank You, Kazz!!! Go Blue Collar!!
It's long past time for the Democratic party to wake up and realize where it lost it's strength. Bill Clinton took the side of the Wall Street bankers and we are reaping the consequences. Workers built the party and turned out to keep it strong.
I would suggest to all that we pay attention to and support David Hogg and
Leaders We Deserve. Primary the shit out of the Dems clinging to power and office for their own benefit, not ours or the nations'.
He needs to identify with a working party, not the democratic party. They are dead to me and a lot of other people I know. Aligning as a democrat is toxic unless you can convince a whole lot people that the dems are now the working party by changing their name and their brand. Also, AOC is right to harp on stopping Congress from engaging in stock buy backs. This guy should be adding that to his campaign messaging and vow to not engage if elected. Most politicians are in it to make money and not to serve their constituents.
Support the young, new Democrats, yes. But don't tear apart the only realistic alternative to the Republican machine. This is one of the reasons T got in for a second term - internecine warfare and "protest" votes.
THe old adage, don't throw out the baby with the bathwater!
Yes T got in bc people were looking for an alternative to the democratic party which for so long has been as self-serving as the republicans. Kamala did not reference workers in her campaign. She also failed to address the Palestine genocide. The workers went to T and those disgusted and horrified by Israel's actions stayed home. The only realistic alternative, now that people are finally awake is to band together as a working class party, those in the trades, service industry, retail, etc. are not being represented by either party. We are witnessing this in real-time with Schumer's capitulation. And the rest other than Booker, AOC, and Bernie failing to speak out. As far as tearing apart, too late, the democratic party is already fractured and needs to brand a new identity. This is THE moment while people are awake to what it means to participate in democracy and hopefully preserve it. Standing by is no longer an option., respectively, imo
okay, but there are several historical examples where it turned out to be necessary for progressives to create new party systems - including the shuttering of the whigs, & creation of the gop, which heather alluded to circa 1854-56. i can't be the only one who sees the cognitive dissonance in defending the democratic party as a mandatory party in all future social/political progress, when history has shown, many times, for structural change to sometimes be necessary.
Are you implying schumer and his ilk are the only realistic alternative to the republican machine?
See below Jane; we're singing the same song. ↓ (or above ↑ however it is that these items post... lol)
We are in the biggest crisis of losing our Democracy and our Constitution since the beginning of our nation. It appears the Republicans have totally lost any standing of being a party for the working people - as vs the wealthy. I trust we will all focus on this together for the midterms and shift. I personally think if Biden had not run, like he promised, we would not be in this mess. So, let's get in some good leadership, but don't throw out the baby with the bath water.
The Republicans have lost all credibility and moral standing to be allowed in government at all, from President down to dog catcher.
I wrote my comment before reading you reply. Seems like we are on the same page :)
Maga took over the Republican Party, it did not replace it. Systems are important and make for success, especially in a two party system. Rebrand, rededicate the Democratic Party, control the bully pulpit, support new people and new ideas, and remember your working class roots. But remember the Roman maxim about building on strong foundations. The foundation is there, it is strong, and upon it build a new architectural masterpiece. I see a Phoenix rising!
okay, but heather directly compared our current moment to that of the antebellum usa post-kansas nebraska act. did did lincoln, seward, stanton et al simply "rebrand" the whig party for the 1856 election cycle? or was there perhaps a need to forge new party system: one with the structural capacity & a clarity of purpose to address the sectional crisis over the institution of slavery? i think it's ahistorical to assert the democratic party - or any party structure - as inviolable, when there are numerous counter-examples in the country's history.
The stated goals of Bernie, AOC, the squad, are universal. There is nothing "extreme". It is the "right" that is extreme. Crushing the government and eliminating all the supports in the interest of gaining more wealth is EXTREME. Stop saying the party should move to the middle for the swing voters. That's a right wing tactic.
Sad Patrick, but true.
It takes a while to establish a major party and we have no time to spare. For example, a new party needs to petition to qualify for each state’s presidential election; established parties automatically qualify. Younger people need to band together and take over the Democratic Party to advance their agenda. Chuck Schumer and similar “leaders” are on their way out.
Carolyn, respectfully, who would you have us vote for? Sitting out an election got us trump. Voting for independent candidate got us trump. Although, I agree with you, the Democratic Party needs to return to supporting the working blue collar men and women that built this country, I have to vote Democratic. I was an independent voter, but I feel that I no longer have that luxury.
I wish we had a candidate like Nathan Sage in my state. I would vote for him in a heartbeat. I will try to donate to his campaign.
Well, hopefully the democratic party will get their act together and run someone more progressive. I of course will vote dem.
Form a new party including AOC, and Liz Cheney.
The men won't vote for a woman, let alone two.
Hiro: Maybe I'm too unforgiving somewhere inside, but I'm not 'all in' with Liz Cheney. I would require something more to attain that level of comfort. Perhaps more time and actions.
Absolutely Carolyn, I heard a Wall St trader saying this week that insider trading is rife with even established Dems. He named Nancy Pelosi, saying “if we want some hot tips on where to invest, we look at what Nancy’s doing.”
Gobsmacking.
I'm often guilty of saying the quiet parts out loud.
Work is highly overrated. I am nearly 80 and I have been working as little as possible my entire life. Work does not make you good or smart or thoughtful or kind.more often it makes you bitter, resentful, jealous, disrespectful, self righteous. Get over yourself. We just elected a criminal crazy person who never worked a Day in his life.
Elected him twice. He says three times but he’s such a disgusting liar.
David Hogg is making some good trouble as DNC vice chair! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bajt0hvH3hw&t=9s
More Power to David Hogg. Become relatable or get out of your political seat.
Thanks for sharing and hopefully his strategy will work
Clinton wasn't the only one. After the 2008 fiasco, Obama repeatedly promised that those responsible would be "held accountable" and the only accounting done was the additional bonuses and higher salaries that banking executives got.
Yep; Your memory is at least as good as mine Dave. No wonder democrats former and present, along with independents get confused and angry. However, as I stated earlier in a message, the Dems are at least following the law and must be supported; by me too.
Absolutely, especially since the Republicans, so far, don't seem interested in a rational alternative to MAGA.
I fear we will go willy-nilly at this point. That has always been a Dem problem. I pray we don't throw out the baby with the bath water.
I would suggest fewer baths. Less risk. The babies will smell just fine until kindergarden.
The idiom "throw the baby out with the bathwater" means to discard something valuable while attempting to get rid of something unwanted. It's essentially about losing something good while trying to get rid of something bad
lol Ransome...
It’s not the democrats. We as a voting public have lost interest in anything beyond our own self interest. Ours is not a democratic society, rather an ‘I got mine now you get yours.’ if only we could scream ‘UNCLE’! When we’ve had enough.
Sometimes I feel this when we see all the bad behavior. Then there are the small kind things that usually do not make the headlines.
Truth
There's some truth to that Kirk. There are also solid reasons it's all become such a rat race to the bottom. Could it be, in large part that we've lived within a 'trickle down' supply side economic modeled regime for about 45 years, and it's effects poisoned us gradually ? Could it be that the push for profitability with always enhanced productivity has infected us all as well ? The cost of living and therefore the standard of living has slowly but steadily 'trickled down' and recently went into high gear since our loss of Biden. Do you or do you not consider that those factors - over time have infected us all with greater measures of desperation and resultant attitudes ?
NAFTA: Yet another piece of Republican legislation that a Democrat had to carry out. https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R42965#:~:text=The%20North%20American%20Free%20Trade%20Agreement%20(NAFTA)%20entered%20into%20force,law%20by%20President%20William%20J.
Great memory Patty and one of the pivotal moments wherein the dems lost the working class - 'dirt on their hands working class.' Inaccurately, in their private meetings they point to this and tell voters, "See what the democrats brought you"? Yes, and it sadly left multitudes behind, who were only spoken for by none other than Ross Perot, in his 'Race to the bottom' speeches. As you and I know, there's much more to that story, and yet the 'rest of the story' doesn't completely exonerate democrats who were warned. I know they were warned - stridently.
I love your twist on the U-M's Go Blue - my alma mater!
My Mom & Dad's, too! I am a very proud MSU grad, who later taught for UofM.
As a fellow MSU grad, are you concerned about the USAID scholarships that have been stopped halfway through their 90-day extension?
Best ad I’ve seen in a long time. I think this guy knows what he’s doing.
Kazz, wo need a hundred like him, two per state. Not too much to ask right?
Georgia’s got our two already! 👍🏻
Camilla, I'm so happy to hear that Jon Ossoff already has an $11,000,000 war chest for his reelection campaign. Neither he nor Raphael Warnock are showboats, but both represent us so well, and it appears that Ossoff's constituents are well aware.
Nancy, yes, and we also know that MTG belongs NOWHERE NEAR the Senate.
Camilla, MTG is so ugly - in appearance and demeanor, and she's dumb as a stump! I still laugh at Jasmine Crockett's takedown about her being a "bleach blond, bad built butch body," or words to that effect. Even Marjorie couldn't manage a retort.
Egads.. That creature in what used to be known as a, or the consumate deliberative body ?
Warnock won his election even with trump's endorsement of Walker 9another idiot-doesn't even know where he lives-collects tax deductions only for Texas residents yet claims he lives (d) in GA.)
Karen, all true, but he appealed to those who equate a washed-up football idol to a strong alpha male. Who needs a brain for that? Fortunately, Warnock already had won the admiration of those who possess a brain and integrity, too.
Kazz- Thanks for the up lift of my spirit!🙏
Great quote: ‘We built the damn table,’ he states, ‘it’s time we had a seat at it!’
Whoa! Yes to that message. It should resonate with so many voters. Hopefully they will vote and be permitted to vote.
Salspho, that is the crux of it.....be permitted to vote. We have voted by mail here in Oregon for years with few problems. Some R in the legislature wanted to change that and people wrote in testimony in the thousands. It went down like a lead balloon. I am married and have my birth certificate. I did ask my husband if we had our marriage certificate and we do. We were married in Freetown, Sierra Leone, and he wondered if they would accept it.
Seems that some republicans want women to add their married names to their birth certificate in order to vote. Might prove to be a problem for you. I hope this doesn't come to pass.
I am registered and I am not going anywhere. i have my birth certificate and we have our marriage license. However, it could be a real problem for lots of women who don't have either or a passport. All these documents also cost money.
Do you still have your passport ? I understood that is adequate, if only for now. They keep moving the goal posts, and you have to know that it's no coincidence.
Passports have expiration dates.
Indeed they do Camilla. However, based on 'past' experience, the renewals are far simpler than origination. If you or others had one, at least check out whether or not the b_stards have messed that up yet. *Oh, and btw, have I mentioned that I adore the state of Georgia ? !
He seems like a "new" Fetterman. Let's 🤞 he's a better man.
Dear god, I hope not. We donated to Fetterman and now regret it.
I think Fetterman is merely guilty of thinking of himself and position first, which sort of dovetails with being able to bring home any bacon for his constituents, at even the cost of absolute purity. We'll see..
THIS guy I’ll give my money to! Thanks for this Kazz.
Brilliant John, hopefully he’ll inspire others like him to find a platform - convince the tRump base and the swing voters to get these lying bastards out!
That is exactly where the Democratic Party should be and I hope they get this message, too.
Thank you Kazz, for the heads up. Keep an eye on David Hogg and his
Leaders We Deserve. Also, with the conservaives quoted by Heather, it is getting a bit clear that Bob Dylan is right, AGAIN. " the times they are a changin' "
Yes! And the majority of Democratic congressional leaders need to see this and learn that they HAVE to appeal to the working class, and in the Midwest - rural areas. Too long have the GOP deceived the agricultural sector that they “work for them”. I call BS on that.
I could not get the sound on this, but the visuals alone tell a good story. Thank you, Kazz, for sharing this with us.and putting this guy on our radar.
LFAA has a huge following. I hope everyone will take the 2-3 minutes to look at this clip.
I think Nathan represents the core values that Americans believe in. Putting the politics and chaos aside, he represents what is good about our country and worth fighting for. Sounds like he would bring some much needed balance in the Senate. I wish he was running for Congress in WA-3.
agree and that goes for women, too.
I am going to share this video to my friends and family. Thanks, Kazz!
Jazz, you are right on target about Sage’s add. He has a personality that convincingly commands good attention—not like the Trump toady called Joni Ernst. Hope Iowa begins their political rejuvenation by replacing an Ernst with a Sage, moving on to Grassley, the nonagenarian in due time. Conservative is conservative and so be it; but, any Trumpian struggles to qualify as humane these days.
Are there protests across the nation on April 19?
There is a Day of Action, nonviolent of course, across the nation on April 19. Some of that will be protests, against regime evils or Tesla. Some will be civic actions, with people cleaning up their streets and parks, volunteering at soup kitchens, etc. Go to the usual sites for info, or instigate local nonviolent action yourself.
The theme of tomorrow's protests is this time"No Kings" and there are marches in all 50 states.
There will also be rallies in Canada! I will be attending one in Peterborough. My sign - Americans elected a dictator- is that what Canada wants?
Cheers, J.! My family is working on an application for Canadian citizenship, based on the Superior Court's finding 2 yeaes ago that the "first generation" requirement is unconstitutional (we have 3 out of 4 grandparents who were born in Canada). We are hoping that the path will be cleared on April 25.
Good luck!
I am also applying for a Certificate of Canadian Citizenship. Both my parents were born in Canada about 30 miles north of where I live. My son is a dual U.S./Canadian citizen. My dad became a U.S. citizen. At age 14 my parents decided that I should be a U.S. citizen too since I was born in the states. My mom retained her Canadian citizenship.
As first-generation, you should be a shoo-in, Joel.
Indivisible or 50501
Joan, as we are elderly, we plan to donate to the local food bank as our civic action. It is also my birthday and the best gift would be a massive showing of protests and civic action.
Michele, That's an excellent action. Well done!
I joined the April 5th Hands Off rally and march and was glad to do so, but won't be able to participate tomorrow. I think having a nationwide rally scheduled once a month would be more effective in the long run, giving people an easier and more predictable way to fit these rallies into their lives. I can see the scattershot scheduling of one here and one there and too close together causing the resistance movement to ask too much of people trying to live their lives and take care of their families in this chaos and quickly lose steam.
That's why it's a Day of Action, not a Day of Protests. For some of us, showing up at a protest tomorrow works really well. For others, it's too soon or there is too much to do to arrange permits and such. In addition, we need a broad based mutual aid alliance to build the world that we would prefer to live in.
We have one in Plymouth MA too tomorrow.
There's a march in downtown San Antonio tomorrow (April 19th).
In my neck of the woods, the focus is on history. "Shot heard 'round the world" stuff.
My sign: "NO KING". Seems timely to me. Both times.
It will also say "Free Garcia".
My sign: "How to Make America Great Again!" with a red circle and line over "TRUMP".
Are you going to Lexington/Concord? I've been planning to, but I think the parking situation will be difficult.
No. Both towns will be too crowded. Parking impossible. I am staging my own protest in front of Acton Town Hall 12 to 1. There may only be three of us! But I believe in critical mass. If we get a few hundred people in cars noticing, it is something. I have to do something.
I'll be in Nashua 12 to 2, otherwise I'd consider adding to your numbers! Cheers!
2nd Economic Blackout Day
I'm planning to go to one in Concord, NH
George Soros is accused of doing so much. Let’s bring the real actions of people like Charles Koch and Robert and Rebecca Mercer into the light, as well as techno billionaires like Peter Thiel.
JennSH, Phil Balia generated a marvelously useful list of MAGAt donors just a day or two ago in his response to HCR’s LFAA: Phil Balla
Phil Balla
2d
Alphabetical order, as requested, Susan:
Miriam Adelson, Robin Arkley II (purveyor of hidden, untaxed bribes to Alito), George Birnbaum, Harlan Crow (a Clarence Thomas subsidizer), Larry Ellison, Wayne Huizenga (another Clarence Thomas subsidizer), Charles Koch, Leonard Leo, Bernie Little (another Clarence Thomas subsidizer), Timothy Mellon, Rupert Murdoch, Elon Musk, Paul “Tony” Novelly (another Clarence Thomas subsidizer), Dennis Prager, David Rivkin (defender of Alito medieval corruption and his contemporary corruption, too), Steve Schwartzman, Paul Singer, David Sokol (another Clarence Thomas subsidizer), Peter Thiel, Anthony Welters (another Clarence Thomas subsidizer) Jeffrey Yass, Jeff Zuckerberg and families DeVos, Kushner, Mercer, Sackler, Uihlein.
I wonder how many of these people are Heritaage Foundation members. It is the Heritage Foundation who chose all of trump's Supreme Court picks and are behind Project 2025. They are pulling all of trump's strings.
Good question. Anyone know if there is a place to look up membership in Heritage Foundation?
Yeah Allison, that’s one way the opportunity to manipulate or control lots of people (aka power) can bring people with lots of money together. Sadly it appears that it isn’t just religious beliefs or monetary beliefs or political beliefs...
John, thanks for reposting this and thanks to Phil for generating it. I missed it. So many "helping" Uncle Tom.
You are flirting with “Jim Crow” lingo by remarking - ‘So many “helping” Uncle Tom.
We can always count on Phil.
Quite an impressive list of Scrooges- to everyone not in their banking group.
🥰💙💙💙💙💙🥰
Yes Jenn.. Koch and subsidiaries of Koch Industries are the absolute worst, and try their best to be invisible. Mercer's too ! Hit them in the wallet, again and again.
A parade of dummy dolls is in order. Do you need a permit for that?
I'll have to check that out. Thanks!
I'm going to a protest right here in western Maine. And let me assure the Repubbies, that Mr. Soros DOESN'T PAY ANY OF US to protest this regime!
We and likely over 100 others will be in Rockland , Maine tomorrow to hold signs and sing songs of protest and hope!
Hey, the Resistance is rising! About 400 came today!
Wishing you all a great day. Wish I could be there!
For years, I had no idea who Soros is. I still don't know much about him. If the MAGAs think he's paying us. it probably means that THEY are paying people to support Tr*mp - always projecting!
Ellen, uhhh yeah! That has been the MAGAt tactic for years now! That appears to be the full extent of their imaginations, except for evr new ways to deliver cruelty!
Hello fellow upstate NY'er!
Well said, T L nor does Soros (or Michael Bloomberg) advocate for the dissolution of the Constitution!
Yes! See 50501:
https://events.pol-rev.com/search
Plus Hubbell has 3 links in today's newsletter, in Concluding Thoughts.
‘Twould seem, Bill that the 250th anniversary of Paul Revere’s ride through the night to warn the country that “The British are coming!” would be an exquisitely timely day for action!
Our churches are ringing bells at 3:00 to celebrate that event. WA state. Pacific time
American Justice: Innocent until proven guilty.
Trump Justice: Guilty until proven innocent.
And David, they WON’T LET THEM prove anything! Proof, facts, the law and the Constitution have become irrelevant to them! They need reminders in no uncertain terms!
I really like this map for finding events: just keep zooming in and zooming in and ultimately the specific times and details of each event are linked:
https://www.mobilize.us/map/
Thanks, Marcia!
Well cant say for sure but here in IDho we will be on the street. Loud and clear
Yes!
Yes!
Yes!
Here's a good list of protests with places, dates, and times: https://www.newsweek.com/anti-trump-protest-locations-list-map-april-19-50501-2059609
That was a fabulous concluding quote
Love that quote, too!
This alone is sufficient grounds to commence Trump's impeachment - Judge Wilkinson: "The government is asserting a right to stash away residents of this country in foreign prisons without the semblance of due process that is the foundation of our constitutional order."
Thanks, HCR, your historical themes often resonates resoundingly with me, but the reminder of the Lincoln, Douglass quotes struck a powerful chord with me. It gives me renewed energy for the “fight” going forward.
I used to have the last line of this stanza from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem Loss and Gains pinned to my fridge:
But who shall dare
To measure loss and gain in this wise?
Defeat may be victory in disguise;
The lowest ebb is the turn of the tide.
Hope is back!
Did you see yesterday's polls where Trump has dropped 10% among just Republicans? That's just the beginning, even the cross tabs are against him. Now Murkowski has said the quiet part out loud. Hope is the opposite of fear so be hopeful, not skeptical.
https://youtu.be/Xy0qVlWYK9M
Nice to know that Lincoln in dark times could respond with hope & a bit of humor. Never capitulate to authoritarians. Unite & #Resist!
I wish I was encouraged as you. The Dems have no strong leadership for us to follow. My MAGA friends still say this country needs change and trump is making changes. So far I see zero regrets
Yes, Sandra, my maga friends say "the tree needs shaking" and I reply "the tree is breaking you idiot".
Sandra.., when their 'pain' arrives they will be so conditioned to it (their pain) does arrive 'They' will be so conditioned to blaming the Dems that they won't even have a clue as to the real cause. I'll use ethanol as an example. We are all paying for it.., it has been SOLD to us.., over-all, it is not good for our environment.., it is a false boon to our farmers, and everone know it's bull-s--t. Same same with what's happening as we breathe. And nobody has the nuts to do anything.
There are people having second thoughts but there are still many hardcore MAGA.
Break those shackles!
Attorney Mitch Jackson is cranking out deeply documented essays on key issues dividing the country. This article is a study on the immigration system and how most of us (e.g., me) really do not understand this issue and its history. Below, a recent essay on crime, ⚖️
https://mitchthelawyer.substack.com/p/the-crime-myth-why-immigrants-are
Interestingly, most of the immigrants from whom most of us are descended came without papers or had to meet far fewer entry requirements. Below is a link to a Latin American flic, sub-titled in English, about the immense suffering many immigrants go through. 😢
https://lnkd.in/eTEcvRn8 ('Sin Nombre' film.)
Yes, there are a thugs crossing the border and committing vicious crimes; they are a small percentage of all immigrants, documented or not. Instead of intimidating the community to track down these dastards, work with the peaceable immigrants, often our neighbors, to hunt them down. Such constructive collaboration would free up resources to cut the fentanyl supply chain -- mostly executed by Americans -- and combat human exploitation. 💡
https://lnkd.in/e2BWH5Xt ('Lone Star'; nuanced immigration flic set in Tejas.)
Keep in mind that a large majority of 'unauthorized' immigrants have lived in the United States for more than five years. Additionally, such 'illegals' represent a decisive MINORITY of the U.S. immigrant population while these neighbors comprise a small percentage of the population. The country is NOT over-run by these productive participants of our republic. Trump, Vance, et al. harm us all when they harm the most vulnerable. 🤝
https://lnkd.in/ewMZJqbf (2022 Pew Research.)
I came here to say that.
For reference sake, on April 2nd, I posted the following. In my social media post I included a pix of the chair referenced: Could it be that the 'tide' is finally turning; And that the sun is indeed rising ? Quoting a moment in our history as said by Ben Franklin, recorded by James Madison:
"Whilst the last members were signing it [i.e., the Constitution] Doct FRANKLIN looking towards the Presidents Chair, at the back of which a rising sun happened to be painted, observed to a few members near him, that Painters had found it difficult to distinguish in their art a rising from a setting sun.....
... '"I have said he, often and often in the course of the Session, and the vicissitudes of my hopes and fears as to its issue, looked at that behind the President without being able to tell whether it was rising or setting: But now at length I have the happiness to know that it is a rising and not a setting Sun."'
We better hope it's a rip tide. We have to get to them before they get to us.
https://www.patreon.com/posts/124165812?
Hope. Quiet beginning? Aw.
Bravo to brave Van Hollen. I’m so relieved Abrego Garcia is still alive. May he returned soon, and may this madness end.
Hello Michele... Hopefully this one incident will turn out well for Abrego Garcia... However it will be just one Drop in the Ocean of Effort necessary to Defeat Trump, Trumpism, and the Injustices that Spawned Them... The Struggle Must Continue...
Yes, but IF Heather is right, and the tide is turning, Americans should use this momentum. Timing is essential, as Miyamoto Musashi stressed very often.
I think Heather is right that the tide of public opinion (and possibly political opinion) is turning (at least somewhat) but this country is the third biggest in the world and like gigantic aircraft carriers, it turns very slowly. I think this might turn out to be a good albeit small victory (as you state) but I am still gravely concerned that we are just starting down a VERY long road which will be filled with more "Garcia stories" and events that will challenge us.
If Trump learned on thing in term #1 it is that he needs and wants to keep as much sh*t dished out at the public as possible. It is relatively easy to handle ONE Garcia-like situation at a time. It is much harder to handle 2 or 5 let alone 25 at a time. And Trump easily has the means to keep enough balls in the air to overwhelm our side's folks to handle all of them at once.
So while there is room for optimism, I caution everyone to not be surprised if this continues to get worse before it gets even slightly better, except in occasional specific instances.
Don't mistake Trump's acquiescence in a single outrage for some general capitulation. That is highly unlikely to EVER happen.
There are already many Garcias. Every other person sent to El Salvador was sent with no due process. The New York Times reports that 90% of those men have never even been charged with a crime, let alone convicted. If Garcia is freed, we need to immediately demand that the rest of those in the El Salvador Gulag are also freed. Presumably, a small number are actually criminals and gang members. But even they deserve a trial, deserve due process. right now none of us are safe.
I think of the young, gay hairdresser -- we haven't heard much of anything about him since his kidnapping.
Yes, I truly fear for his life.
Especially not since Trump wants to offshore native born Americans to Bukele’s prisons. The people Trump sent there deserved due process, which is not a right limited to citizens. He will do the same to the rest of us who cross him.
Actually Michael, under the terms of the AEA (the Alien Enemies Act of 1798) you are incorrect to state that they "deserve a trial, deserve due process". That is precisely what is "up in the air" here, because that act clearly states that such due process is not at all required in the cases of enemies of the United States who are not citizens of the US and are present in our country during a conflict unlawfully.
Now I know there are a LOT of "gotchas" in that law (I have now read it thoroughly) and so many of them are based in a time which is so completely different than today that it really does require some legal analysis and decision making about how much of that law (if any) could actually be valid today, and then if it was, how that would interact with the current situation.
But the point is we are a long way from getting any ruling on those issues and until then, Trump may simply refuse to authorize their return until the case works it way through the courts. That could take a long time of course, or the courts could work their magic and make it happen in a few weeks. For the moment, Trump will backpedal as much as he can to keep this going slowly. The longer he can postpone a final decision, the longer he can make it really painful to the country to decided to bring those people back. It sucks, of course, but it may be a completely legal strategy.
You make valid points. But there was a ruling by the Supreme Court, and now the appeals court supporting the lower court - Judge Xinis is supported from the top. THIS is the THE tipping point in the US of A right now. Failure to return Garcia is a failure of the presidency and must be punished.
True, if he were a recent "immigrant" who came here illegally, there might be a case for his deportation. But he was here, protected by court order.
$Trump and fake Christian Bondi are violating the law. Bust 'em!
Well OK, but isn't it a question of whether or not Trump can even invoke the AEA? We are not at war, so who is he declaring an enemy? Trump loves to play the semantic game and then let someone else figure it out, staying in the gray area until he gets called out. Then he denies ever having done anything wrong. Even now, he's disavowing any knowledge of what "lawyers" are doing.
Right. Use an obscure 225 year old law that doesn't apply at all to get around due process and the rule of law. Trump has given the finger to the rule of law his entire life. What happened to Garcia can happen to anyone. We are the "Enemies", and none of us is safe. Every Democrat in Congress and the Senate should take a cue from Senator Van Hollen and not let this disappear from the Court of Public Opinion, even if it does take months or years in real courts, where real evidence and facts are presented under oath. Right wing media and Republican politicians are saying Garcia was a gang member (MS-13), even a "terrorist", and a "wife beater", and he deserves to be in a jail in a foreign country known for cruel treatment and torture. Yet, NO EVIDENCE to those statements has ever been certified in a court of law.
Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson, a Reagan appointee, is well known and highly respected by conservatives. His beautifully clear wording will go a long way to get Republican attention. HCR did well to quote him.
"It is difficult in some cases to get to the very heart of the matter,” he wrote. “But in this case, it is not hard at all. The government is asserting a right to stash away residents of this country in foreign prisons without the semblance of due process that is the foundation of our constitutional order. Further, it claims in essence that because it has rid itself of custody that there is nothing that can be done. This should be shocking not only to judges, but to the intuitive sense of liberty that Americans far removed from courthouses still hold dear.”
Judge Wilkinson has more guts than John Roberts, that's for sure.
In his ruling the judge uses the phrase “ the heart of the matter” this seems to come from the title of a Graham Greene novel about as his always were a man tied with the ropes of moral and ethical conflict. He also wrote The Power and the Glory and my favorite The End of the Affair. He was a RC convert and went to confession a lot with usually a personal confessor. He was a very very imperfect man but he saw and at least tried to struggle with his moral and ethical failings . All or most of his novels on film.
If anyone chooses Roman Catholicism or thinks before they choose I would have them read at least four of his novels. And a very male , patriarchal and elite view of life. But also aware of the problems so at least that.
TS Eliot’s poem Ash Wednesday allot stead fir those with any Christian background or interest .Harold Bloom might struggled with him
because of antisemitism .
And now we have such active and diverse library and book shelves of so many voices. And since RFKJr put down poets read the current Ada Limon our Poet Laureate or the late Langston Hughes and Lucille Clifton. Read some Cold Mountain poems from old China . So so many . One way of resisting and then pass a favorite poem on.
Well, it is American Civil War II, and we just won our first battle.
Not yet (the battle, not the war). The war has been underway for awhile...
Jon, you say that “…Trump easily has the means to keep enough balls in the air…” to handle everything, is it not the government’s money/means that is keeping him afloat? Is anyone following the money that the billionaires forked over to President Quid Pro Quo? QPQ would never spend his money! Are those “donations” his money?
"His" DOJ is spending our money.
You're absolutely right, Jon. Trump lives along the motto of his chief counselor Steve Bannon: "flood the zone with sh•t". And I don't know if its was Hitler or Goebbels who formulated the motto: "Attack, attack, attack, never give in, never back down, always attack", but that seems to be Trump's motto as well.
It's a marathon, not a sprint.
And if a race, like so many picture it, the Right think they are winning, but the Left is not running a silly race. Although if it were a race, we could win easily with so much support in the un-counted country; The reason we aren't "winning" is because we keep stopping to help those fallen along the way and left behind.
Thanks S ... I would liken it more to a Campaign... Seems that this a Counter-Revolution to the '60s... The Bill Maher Show was very enlightening as it relayed how Bill Maher got 'Turned', and revealed the Planning conducted by Steve Bannon & others during DJT's inter-regum of 2021-2025... We are now experiencing the brunt of their onslaught...
Yes, hopeful for Abrego Garcia but what about the many others that have been shipped off to the El Salvador Gulag of unending hell who don't have high profiles? There are many stories emerging from families whose loved ones have been swept up in these illegal abductions who are reported to have no gang affiliations. Gardeners, farm laborers, construction workers, restaurant workers - what happens to them? Never to be seen again? And the ones imprisoned in detentions at the borders, will they be disappeared too? This entire debacle needs to be remedied and stopped. Indeed, the effort must continue.
Just like all those children who were disappeared under Trump’s cruel and inhumane policies. All these years late and hundreds have never been located. Exactly what Putin is doing with Ukrainian children. Those are the monsters who should be locked up.
A journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step. This one, if successful, will set precedent.
Baby steps.
Not to be twee, but every monsoon starts with a single drop of rain. The fact that T---p is starting to distance himself from it - "the DoJ is handling that" shows that he thinks it's a loss in his perspective. Here's hoping that it's the start of many such "losses".
Until the republicans are more afraid of their voters than they are afraid of trump nothing will change.
It's all part of the process. Rs getting worried about their voters, Rs seeing T---p back off. Every little bit moves us forward, especially if the courts hold firm. It's like the old joke: How do you eat an elephant? A bite at a time!
I think it is something more. I read (not fact checked) that trump had an account where he could receive money from foreign sources without going through the proper channels. I hope our President is not accepting bribes in exchange for decisions on tarriffs
I appreciate your use of capitalizing words. In the realm of metaphors, Ocean of Effort goes well with flooded zones.
Thank You Joan...
Apache, when trump deflected a question by a journalist regarding Abrego, by saying he was not involved and to ask the lawyers at the DOJ, he recognized ha had list the battle. There're too many others to winn but we are on the right path. Finally a ray of optimism.
INDEED the effort must continue--but FINALLY, I feel those drops together are causing a blue TSUNAMI.
Hello Miselle... Lets Pray To The Deity Of Your Choice, That We See A Blue TSUNAMI in 2026!!!...
Apache, I am a lapsed Catholic. I believe in Jesus as savior, and the irony of this Holy Week and Jesus's message, when compared to many CINOs, it mind boggling. I wonder if they consider how LIBERAL He was?
Anyhow, I do pray for the end to hate, war, etc. My "evil twin" also prays that Trump be taken soon. Maybe I'm a CINO, too.
Miselle, your Heart is in the Right Place... Indeed, Bill Maher used to call the Historical Christ, 'The Hippie Jesus'...
Look forward to Van Hollen's report.
Van Hollen saved Garcia's life. It may take a lot to release him. But El Salvador wanted to show him "in good health". The Senator and the Press are keeping him from "disappearing".
But the major reason Garcia may never return is the report he will give on conditions in that prison. He is a danger to the Fascists.
Agree. That's been my concern from the beginning. We have a glimmer of hope but DJT has always found a way to stall and roadblock. This is the time to use the moment and press harder in resistance.
And the lawsuit he will file upon his return.
Agree. If only there would have been a way for Van Hollen to have literally handcuffed himself to Garcia and demand they return to the US together, with guarantees that he would be kept securely in the US until the charges are addressed. I fear for Garcia’s safety more now than before.
If SCOTUS rejects birthright citizenship, there'll be a lot more stories like Kilmer's to cry about.
you have a point.. but we have to give him a larger threat then.
In sure Abrego is not the only one caught in this conspiracy.
Some good news re the Garcia family. There has been established here in Rockville a gofundme platform. His family has received a lot of financial and emotional support.
I've been wondering how his life will be when he is returned, as I believe he will because he's become a hot potato in the Trump administration. I'm thinking about Ruby Freeman and Shay Moss--their lives have been destroyed. I could see MAGA targetting this man. In my hopes, there are lawyers who will defend him and sue the government for slander.
Slander, and kidnapping.
Agree X 3!
From your lips to God’s ear, Michele. ❤️🙏🏻
No, people are not disappeared, not in America. We are civilized. Everyone is entitled to due process. Please read the beautifully written response by Fourth Circuit Court judge Harvie Wilkinson. He is a Republican appointed by Reagan. It is why I am an American and love my country.
I am not sure what you think happened, but of course people are being disappeared or at least being made to appear to disappear.
Without the intense media scrutiny of the situation surrounding Garcia, he would have been left to sit out the rest of his life in the El Salvadoran CECOT prison. Fortunately his supporters (both legal and popular) have pressured the Trump administration enough to get El Salvador to at least acknowledge that they haven't killed him yet and that he is theoretically "enjoying" himself in the hell-hole they have him in. Trump has sort of washed his hands of it, pushing the responsibility (and the blame) on Bondi and her Justice Department.
One good thing about underlings, they will take the bullet for you if you insist, and Trump ALWAYS insists.
I' ve been posting this daily. El Salvador is bound by mutual extrdition treaties, including the OAS, which protects asylum.
If I were the ACLU I would have hired local counsel to bring a habeas corpus under Salvadorean law.
"Lawyers hired by the Venezuelan government filed a legal action Monday in El Salvador aimed at freeing 238 Venezuelans deported by the United States who are being held in a Salvadoran maximum-security prison.
"Jaime Ortega, who says he represents 30 of the imprisoned Venezuelans, said they filed the habeas corpus petition with the Supreme Court’s Constitutional Chamber. He said that by extension they requested that it be applied to all Venezuelans detained in El Salvador.
"The maneuver essentially compels the government to prove someone’s detention was justified.
"The Salvadoran government has been silent about the status of the Venezuelan prisoners since the U.S. government sent them more than a week ago, despite a U.S. federal judge’s verbal order to turn the planes around."
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/lawyers-defend-30-venezuelans-deported-us-el-salvadors-supreme-court-2025-03-24/
https://apnews.com/article/el-salvador-deportees-us-venezuela-beb288b05df201e5fc42c3811fcf6c57
The US emabssy does referrals and there are a number of American firms that practice there.
The ACLU has issued a statement chastising Rep. Riley Moore (R-W.V.), one of the Republicans that visited CECOT, for several pictures of him giving the thumbs up sign in front of the prisoners.
https://www.acluwv.org/en/news/our-statement-rep-riley-moore-does-not-belong-congress
Yeah, that was pretty disgusting. Kristi Noem too, but then she kills dogs so this shouldn't be all THAT surprising.
Any picture of Noem posing prettily gives me a Pavlovian response (her poor dog).
Little Schmuppy Puppy.
she should be sent up to space and for way longer than 11 minutes.
Riley Moore’s act was shameful and disgusting.
Brought back bad memories and the horror of Abu Ghraib.
Moore probably knows a lot about prisons from his grandpa, Arch, former WVa governor and jailbird.
Shelly Moore Capito, our Republican senator from WV is Arch Moore’s daughter.
Interesting that he’s Arch Moore’s grandson!
Chastising is a looong way away from actually implementing real legal action. Fluff.
I am not impressed by ACLU chastising-
Great point, Daniel. Of course it doesn't deal with the Garcia case since he is Salvadoran and I ASSUME (at least theoretically) that a government would have the power (and be willing in most cases) to exert its authority over one of its own citizens. I pointed this out elsewhere that if Ed Snowdon somehow "accidentally" ended up back in the United States and in US custody, that there is about .1% chance that the US would ever give him back to Russia even if Putin pretty-pleased to get him back. (This doesn't necessarily apply to Trump's regime of course as who knows WHAT they would do?!)
The point is when your own citizens "run off" to elsewhere, and you want to get them back, and then somehow they show up, you are not going to let some other government stand on a flimsy argument when you have possession.
He received a form of asylum in the IJ hearing in the US.
You'd also think enterprising civil rights lawyers would be all over these cases.
I'm not trying to dispute you here, Daniel, but my understanding of the 2019 decision was that it was NOT an actual form of asylum but rather a holding pattern for the case against him for deportation. I haven't had time to follow all the details to try to understand how it was scheduled to proceed, but it clearly wasn't a FINAL decision as in that case, he would not still be under a court order but would have been granted at least some sort of residence here in the US and that (as far as I can tell) has never been granted.
I hope in the next week I will have time to track the details down myself.
Anything not appealed is a final decision.You're right that it's a form of parole -- but in tgerms of administive finality it's binding on the government.
We used to [ante Trump] operate on the concept "color of law" so the US could ask ti intervene ala extradition. Asylum is in the OAS mutual treaty and maybe elsewhere.
Civilly, collateral attack, his family could file a civil rights case for wrongful detention and other torts and ask for damages. Get judgments.
Bukele is hugely popular in El Salvador. He's actually impeached and removed judges on the country's supreme court for criticising his use of the military - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-56970026
and he makes deals with the criminal gangs - https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/bukele-has-defeated-el-salvadors-gangs-now-how-and-what-does-it-mean-region#:~:text=The%20legislature%E2%80%94where%20Bukele%20controls%20a%20supermajority%E2%80%94instituted%20harsh%20new,gag%20rule%20banning%20journalists%20from%20spreading%20%E2%80%9Cgang%20messages.%E2%80%9D
How do you rate Abrego Garcia's chances in a court in El Salvador?
First, never up never in. Everything in life is like this.
Second. never miss an opportumnity to make a record.
Third, Bukele's from the party that was supported by Fidel Castro and Nicagragua, his father was in essence the grand mufti of El Salvador, and I expect that does not go well with L'il Marco.
Fourth, we have a checkered history of extradition with El Salvador. I'm sure they don't want to jeopardize the contracts with Trump. Here in Baghdad By the Sea, El Salvador has banks that probaly contain the country's national treasury, attachable by judements.
Fifth, he makes a great target defendant.
Sixth, this is an opporunity to get OAS on our side.
If Abrego Garcia is released then the whole pack of cards that is Trump's immigration strategy collapses. There's a lot riding on this not happening, both for Trump and for Bukele. Trump is already distancing himself from the outcome so he's placing all the pressure on Bondi and Rubio. Rubio has been stepping up recently, threatening to walk away from the Ukraine/Russia peace negotiations if the two antagonists refuse to play ball. The Art of the Deal, eh?
Rubio is in deep doo doo at home. He is beholden to 1. Norman Braman 2. CANF - the Cuban American National Foundation 3. Trump 4. the US of A.
"Editor’s note: Miami healthcare CEO Michael “Mike” B. Fernandez wrote the following open letter to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and members of the Republican Cuban-American Miami-Dade congressional delegation: U.S. Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart, Carlos Giménez and Maria Elvira Salazar. For decades, I have stood with you in defense of the freedoms we cherish, those we were denied in the country of our birth and found in the grace of this one. I know what it means to flee tyranny. Like you, I carry that history in my bones and that pain in my heart. But like a growing number in our community, I have watched with dismay as the very values we once found sanctuary in are now being attacked by a previously unthinkable threat — the sitting president of the United States."
Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/op-ed/article304271841.html#storylink=cpy
Pickets at my Congresswoman's office. At CANF.
I don't know whether Rubio's wife is still on Braman's payroll.....
Thank you so much for this info, Daniel
Who can forget Trump telling reporters they "have to talk to Michael Cohen" about Stormy Daniels? The man is such a coward, such a gaslighting idiot, so much the antithesis of Harry Truman and 'the buck stops here.' With Trump, the buck stops with the bus he dispatched to run somebody over before denying any knowledge or involvement in the matter whatever.
I do not know how any of his wormtongues can stop thinking about this nonstop. Everything this foul miscreant touches turns to shit --- and everyone he comes into contact with ends up under that bus as assuredly as the sun rises in the east. He'd gladly push his own children under it to save his own skin.
I am thankful to read of a parallel moment in history, however, that spelled the beginning of the end for a clique of arrogant, cruel enslavers. And yet, like so many, I am thinking of how exhausting it is, and will continue to be, to build a coherent, effective political movement based on outrage. Yet what else is there to do? We must be strong enough not to tire, not to flag, not to fail.
Love the Tolkien reference. What is the alternative but to vigorously resist? The loss of due process is horrifying. The loss of economic stability and international standing is mobilizing some very strange bedfellows. I keep thinking if CECOT will not accept women we should be on the forefront as this movement has done so much to reverse the rights of even bodily autonomy for women.
Along your with your observation, Corbin, It said to me that he is delusional, thinking he is Mr. businessman up in his tower of power. Justice Department = “the lawyers”.
Michael Cohen has a youtube channel and as he's pointed out, there are few people who know Trump better than he does.
I've subscribed to his channel mostly to support him. My feeling is that he got caught up in the glitter (most assuredly not gold!) of the Trump world, and as he got in deeper and deeper, was unable to extricate himself. He accepted his punishment which is something Trump never did.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fA9AUJHDxsE
Spot on, Corbin! The essential mitochondria of Trump has always been cowardice wrapped in crassness.
Someone or several someones has a list of detainees. Trump administration officials have bragged since before the election that they have a list of over a million people they wish to deport. Has anyone been able to gain access to this information?
The Tuft's abduction shows a plainclothes person abducting the Tuft's student and there appears to be at least 3 other ICE agents. Trump loves to out his enemies by defaming them and releasing personal information about them.
Is anyone aware of a site that publishes the names and addresses of ICE agents and any other personal information about them? They are complicit in this mess and deserve to be outed. It's important to cut off the head of the beast which is Trump, but if ICE agents are fearful of their own safety maybe they will quit. It seems they usually have hoodies on or are masked when dealing with detainees. Let's start outing them, even if they're your friends and neighbors.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/10/tufts-student-ice-asthma-attacks
Theoretically, a great concept, but as a practical matter, not very likely to yield the results you hope for. The reason they dress as they do is PRECISELY to avoid what you are trying to accomplish, i.e., to "out" them. Its not illegal to do that (and certainly wouldn't be prosecuted if it were, by Trump's Justice Dept.). And there are penalties for publishing the private information of any government employee without authorization (as well there should be in normal times) to protect their safety.
So be very careful what you ask for. We don't need any more people being surprised, arrested and shipped out, at least not before we know what the courts (including SCOTUS) might say.
I have heard of at least one native born American citizen being illegally arrested for being Latino and a Spanish speaker.
"In apparent defiance of a federal court ruling, a Florida Highway Patrol trooper arrested a Georgia man in north Florida under a new state law that targets undocumented immigrants who enter the state illegally — though it turns out the man is a U.S. citizen. Juan Carlos Lopez Gomez, 20, was arrested Wednesday under a new state law that makes it a misdemeanor for an undocumented adult who came to the U.S. without checking in with border authorities to enter Florida, according to a police report. But a federal judge in Miami had already blocked the state from enforcing that law through at least April 18, saying the statute is likely unconstitutional because it infringes on federal immigration authority."
Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/immigration/article304461416.html#storylink=cpy
At least 2 immigration lawyers in Massachusetts received notices to self-deport
https://www.abajournal.com/news/article/at-least-2-immigration-lawyers-in-massachusetts-received-notices-to-self-deport?utm_source=sfmc&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weekly_email&promo=mk25ann&RefId=marketing&utm_id=1001370&sfmc_id=45491917
When things go south (literally in this case) Trump denies knowledge as in Signalgate. He has an early adolescent mindset. If it’s not resonating with his base, he had no knowledge. Like Project 2025. This trope is getting old and worn out
I think he is self-aware. That is, he knows once he gets started, his weasel words and his just plain stupid phrasing won't help his cause when the subject is a specific legal point. So he punts to someone else (who might not be any better at it, but at least is not him).
Jon, I believe you misread Molly’s tone.
Really? I am certainly open to re-understanding, but I thought her comment was very sincere. I will go back and look again. Thanks for the comment.
(trump) cheeto is the mafia boss and and it appears that his administration crew are all afraid of the orange man 🤬
Let's not forget Ivana Trump, 1st wife and mother of Ivanka.
Supposedly fell down the stairs in her apartment in NYC and died. She was a champion skier. It is very hard to die by falling down the stairs.
No follow up reporting on this incident. No medical proof this is what happened.
I know I probably sound like a broken record, but I personally really HATE allusional conspiracy theories. They offer NOTHING in the way of fact and just wave their hands and suggest that "SOMETHING SUSPICIOUS" must have happened.
There was an investigation by the Manhattan coroner's office and the death was ruled accidential. There was evidence that several people had suggested that she get help in her apartment as she was 73 and starting to lose a few steps and not always aware of her surroundings. At least one of those people told her specifically before the accident (until proven otherwise) to be concerned about the stairs.
She was a champion skier when she was 20 years old on the Junior team. She did NOT ski regularly later in life. That is a skill that is NOT easy to maintain and to suggest that somehow because she had been a champion Jr. skier 50 years ago we should immediately assume foul-play from falling down the stairs 50 years later at the age of 73 is, at least without any concrete evidence, just nonsensical.
It is NOT very hard to die from falling down stairs. If you took a moment to look it up, approximately 12,000 people die ANNUALLY from stair falls. My in-law's father died from a stair accident. If you want to throw around vague allusions, you are certainly free to do that, but don't expect that you won't be called on it.
Did Ivana Trump die from foul play? I don't have ANY IDEA. But unless I had some actual evidence, I would mostly stick with the official results of the investigation until I did have something to disprove it. And that investigation said there was no foul play, that it was an accident pure and simple.
Thank you Jon. I appreciate receiving all your information. Thank you for your time and expertise.
I can now close my concerns that there was foul play.
Kindest regards-
Rachel
trump)
I think it was Judge Wilkinson's words that put the lump in my throat.
His words came right from my heart.
YES!
Wilkinson's response was awesome, and precisely needed because, yes, people are being disappeared, abducted, etc, with absolutely NO due process.
It isn’t supposed to happen, but Chicago police used to have a place where they would question and detain people they arrested, denying them access to counsel, and some other cities would do the same.
They certainly seem to be making it harder to find out where detainees are initially held, even in places that have no known private prisons or other confinement facilities.
I'm totally against private profit prisons in general, but am now looking back at Civil War History and the story of how Parole, Maryland got its name. I imagine it as a safer sort of detention facility with the interests of both sides in mind.
See https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=232510 and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parole_camp
"...An honor system was set up where each side would take care of housing its own soldiers who had been designated as being on parole, meaning they would not fight in combat unless they were formally exchanged. The Confederates did not set up parole camps; they let their men go home and expected them to return to duty once officially exchanged. Parole camps were set up by the Union Army for its own soldiers who had been captured by the Confederacy, and then released on the condition that they would honor the terms and conditions of their parole..."
Civilized. I think not. This administration is the MOST uncivilized ever.
We are woefully lacking any form of civilization at this point. We are seeing people disappear on a daily basis. None have received due process and their new plans being put in place ate for a judge too look at a questionnaire and make a decision without every seeing the victim.
Abrego Garcia is a litmus test for the rule of law. Dead or Alive.
Great - Schrodinger's government 😶
This is the government your teacher warned you about.
And it’s why they want to keep students from learning about the many times we failed people and didn’t live up to our ideals.
A concentration camp by any other name......
Long live both.
It absolutely is!
Sadly, you've already failed that test.
Why are so many congressional Republicans trekking to El Salvador?
These all-white men and all-white women eagerly pose for photographs in front of the now-caged, maybe forever-imprisoned immigrants of color illegally-renditioned from the U.S. MAGA racism triumphs.
Triumphs over law. Triumphs over due process. Triumphs over human decency.
See these white elites chorus for criminality and indecency as did their MAGA peers last summer in front of the New York courthouse where their racist-in-chief underwent his criminal trial. Their indecency chorus all donned cult leader’s same suits and ties, who got criminally convicted on all counts.
The lawlessness continues, as Putin continues his mass murder in Ukraine, as Netanyahu continues his mass murder on the West Bank and Gaza. As craven U.S. law firms, mainstream media, universities, and social media have paid millions in extortion to the lawless criminal.
Or, wait – decencies now newly challenging the herd lawlessness?
The shock and awe was designed to disorient, and while other countries are not, contrary to The President's claim, lining up to kiss the repellent orange posterior, a cadre of wealthy CEO's visibly were. Law firms and august universities, such as Columbia, have been folding like tissue paper. It's a lot to take in. Perhaps a sleeping giant is stirring. Perhaps some courageous (and angry) institutions, jurists, politicians and others have broken that ICE, and invited reason, decency, and justice to foregather and join the fray.
I don't know details but I read yesterday that the Big 10 Universities have created a mutual defense pact -- kind of an Academic NATO -- I hope that's true. Also that Stanford and Yale have written in support of Harvard. What continually foxes me is that, had the entire (or even most) of the GOP stood against Trump, he would be gone. If ALL the Universities and ALL the law firms said 'hell no' to Trump's demands they may have stopped him. Where is the collaborative courage?
Go Green!! https://statenews.com/article/2025/04/msu-faculty-join-call-for-big-ten-mutual-defense-compact-against-trump-administration
Made me proud to be a Spartan.
Academic NATO, indeed.
Ahhh collaboration with other organizations and nations, lauriemcf! Kryptonite to the MAGAt regime.
They have not, at least not yet. That is a proposal to faculty to present to faculty senates to insist that university administration join such a compact. It’s a good effort. Together, we have a chance. Separately, not so much.
Esquire published a story in September, 2018 about Devin Nunes's family using illegal aliens as farm workers.
https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a23471864/devin-nunes-family-farm-iowa-california/
At the time, he was a Republican Congresscritter. Now he works for Donald Trump.
Anyway, has ICE gathered up the undocumented aliens that work for the Republican politicians and their friends and families? This includes the administration, Congress, SCOTUS and the myriad Republicans in state and local governments.
Let's rat out their hypocrisy when we see it.
The employers stand liable. As a matter of fact, Donald J. Trum pas the poster boy for employer sanctions as my agency fined him for using illegal Polish workers on his jobsites.
Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA):
This landmark legislation established the foundation for employer sanctions, requiring employers to verify the identity and employment eligibility of their hires.
Form I-9:
Employers must complete and retain Form I-9, the Employment Eligibility Verification form, for each employee.
Enforcement:
ICE conducts audits of employer records to ensure compliance with immigration laws, including the proper completion and retention of I-9 forms.
Penalties:
Violations of IRCA can result in fines ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars per offense, depending on the type of violation and the employer's history of non-compliance.
Criminal Penalties:
In cases involving a pattern or practice of knowingly hiring unauthorized workers, or aiding and abetting unauthorized employment, employers may face criminal charges, including fines and imprisonment.
Discrimination:
Employers are prohibited from discriminating against individuals based on their citizenship or immigration status, and from requesting more or different documents than required for I-9 verification.
I-9 Audits:
ICE can initiate inspections, requiring employers to produce their I-9 documentation. Employers have a set time frame (usually three days) to provide the records.
Notice of Findings:
Following the inspection, ICE issues a written notice of findings, which can range from a notice of compliance to a notice of intent to fine for violations.
Whistleblower Protections:
Employees who report employer violations of immigration law are generally protected from retaliation.
Enforcement Actions:
ICE may take enforcement actions against employers who are found to be out of compliance with the law, including issuing fines or referring cases to the Department of Justice for criminal prosecution.
Increased Fines:
In recent years, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has increased fines for I-9 violations, reflecting a greater focus on enforcement.
WELL DONE and recalled Daniel! Similar sauce for the goose as for the gander?
Can we please refrain from using the term “illegal aliens”? Repeating right wing racist terminology is harmful. No humans are illegal. And no humans are aliens. We are all citizens of planet earth. It’s important to know that according to US immigration law, being in this country without proper documentation is not a crime. It is a civil misdemeanor like a parking ticket. Let’s don’t assist fascists by amplifying their vocabulary.
For that matter, if they were really serious about undocumented immigrants, they'd be going after those who HIRED them. If they couldn't get hired to work, a lot of them wouldn't likely be here.
Yes, the slave masters.
https://www.patreon.com/posts/124165812?
Perhaps "others have broken that ICE".
I saw what you did there! :-)
I won't hold my breath, but I hope you're right.
Harvard! And the big 10 schools have created their own “NATO”….
Phil, smashing norms, ignoring laws and glorifying cruelty appear to be the goal.
Deliberate and carefully planned. Chump is the bull in the china shop. Following a script.
He's not much good at following a script either.
So true, my laugh for the day. But he loves chaos, ass-kissing, and Vlad may have a tight squeeze. He loves being a hero for Elon and crew. Keeps him from that loser label that follows him like a shadow.
Watch out, Anne-Louise. He's got the biggest script coming.
He's going to invoke the 1807 law for enacting military rule, and finally destroy the U.S. democracy he hates.
I’ll repeat my 3 pillars of Trumpism: Greed Cruelty Lies. Oops 4 : Othering
One more pillar: revenge
Case in point, Rep. Dan Meuser’s repellent comments after a man firebombed Gov. Josh Shapiro’s house when the family was asleep. The police knocked on the door and the governor and his family fortunately got out safely. The accused firebomber claims he did this over the governor’s opinions on the Israel/Palestine conflict, but Meuser baselessly suggested the governor’s house got firebombed because of Gov. Shapiro’s criticism of Trump.
A comment from the arsonist’s brother said that Balmer had urged the family to switch their votes to Trump. This was several days ago. No telling wherein lies the truth. Trump said he wasn’t a supporter, just a sick man.
Gail, is there a difference, after all, between being "a supporter" and being “just a sick man?"
Good point, lol.
It’s hard to say, but Trump has followers who would absolutely be willing to do this sort of thing.
How many of the ICE agents were in the Capitol on January 6th?
Hopefully the answer is zero, but if pardoned blankly pardoned them, it's likely he'd hire them to detain people.
I was thinking about the sort of person who must lack all ration and empathy— and willing to carry out T’s bidding. Homo Sapiens are a mixed species.
…Trying to be “MEN,” Mary, at least as MAGATs have defined themselves. Apparently empathy has become a liability in MAGA world.
Seems like a dream instead of a nightmare. You are right, the lawlessness continues, but a crack is a welcome change. Long time coming, and a sliver, but damn, any whiff of decency is so welcome. Makes me wonder what the evil will conjure to steal the headlines and halt momentum. Hope all protests on Sat are peaceful.
I love your optimism JDinTX, but "Long time coming"? Seriously?
We are not even THREE MONTHS into this "reign of terror" and you really think this is some kind of watershed event that will reverse the deluge? I seriously doubt that. I just see this as another random "blink" that we often see with this crazy man leading the country, something he will decide isn't worth his time, and he tosses it over to Pam Blondi, to let her and her minions try to figure it out. He will hail himself as the hero who "helped solve this problem" and then move right on to another 15 or 20 disasters having diverted our attention for at least a moment.
We are stuck with Trump for 3 years and 9 months more. Barring a heart attack or a successful "hit", there is virtually no way that is going to change (I would hope it would, but I see no likelihood of that happening). He is here for his term in office, and given the alternatives (JD Vance? Chuck Grassley?) there is unlikely to be anyone willing to see how much better THAT would be.
There will be 5 or 10 or 100 more Garcia-like stories in the near future, and at some point, we may reach a saturation point that everyone just throws up their hands and gives up. Of course, not all will, but my point is that fighting the government is a difficult, time-consuming and costly thing to do, even if you just have ONE thing to fight them on (there are examples galore from our history). If you have to fight them individually on dozens or more situations at the same time, even when they are almost identical, you can run out of runway really quickly.
I HOPE we have enough people to fight these outrageous acts and maybe some of them will be reversed (as they should be). But we will lose some also and that will require us to stand firm and continue the opposition. And we can keep our fingers crossed that the discomfort, even pain that all of us are going to feel over the next 1350 days will make enough people aware of what a disaster this is that they will vote to change it in 2026 and 2028.
The SAVE Act is designed to disenfranchise more voters. I am disgusted at the SCOTUS majority that will not protect the right to vote and eviscerated the Voting Rights Act, the politicians who keep themselves in power by gerrymandering and fat campaign contributions and the state level efforts to discriminate against specific groups of voters. They want to guarantee their own perpetual rule. We need a Voting Rights Act for the nation, and voting should be a fundamental right on the federal and state levels, with unbiased education (not from Fox or PragerU) about issues and candidates. Many of our schools no longer teach civics, and it shows.
I can only hope that Schumer is correct and that it will die by filibuster.
We also need to limit political spending by the oligarchs. Musk and several other oligarchs bought Trump the Presidency and at least 3 Senate seats occupied by Democrats.
This is an area where we might disagree GJ. In an effective democracy, I am concerned about limitations on funding that reduce us to a limited political environment. I would be happy to see more money contributed to politics. What concerns me is not the amount (limitation) but its distribution. Political funding should be FAIR so that anyone can run for office and be supported at least somewhat proportionally by the whole electorate. For me the right way to do this is to require that a portion of all political spending be contributed to a central authority which fund all campaigns by balancing what each campaign raises on its own with a share of the total funding. Not strictly equal but much more equitable for both rich and poor candidates alike.
Itv would make it possible for even a very poor candidate to make some attempt at running for office and if they had an excellent message and good people maybe they would break through. It would envied a move away from an almost strict two party system to a larger number of voices being heard.
It won't eliminate rich candidates from sometimes dominating but we have seen situations sure the wealthiest candidate didn't always win (look at how Perdue was bounced out of the Senate in GA). more balance will make that even more possible.
That seems like a good possible part of the solution.
Elon Musk posted some very questionable ads in WI where his PAC flat out lied about the candidates. Do you think your solution would help to reduce the misinformation and disinformation out there?
Yup I agree almost 100% with this. In fact (and I know Phil will hate this LOL), but I am MUCH more concerned about our failures to teach civics in so many high schools than I am about humanities.
Humanities education can be provided by reading assignments and family or study group support, but competent civics education at the secondary school level requires some real objective instructors and those are often hard to come by except in schools (usually public schools). And while humanities can help inform peoples' political understanding, civics education is directly on target with that goal.
During the 60s and early 70s, there were big pushes in many public school systems (we had one in Arizona in that era) to increase the level and competence of civics education and my high school benefited from it tremendously. Despite being in Arizona, one of the more conservative states, my high school class of '68 was an amazingly progressive class given our location, and at various high school reunions, while certainly not 100% of our class by any means, there were many people in our class who I would have expected might turn out to be MAGA-like, turned out to be at least modestly liberal in their political leanings. I think that is one of the reasons that Arizona has become a purple state over the past decade or so, as people from my age group (boomers) and later (gen-X) became active voters in AZ politics. It even influenced Phoenix, one of the most conservative areas in AZ at one time, but no longer.
Jon, it's a both/and situation, regarding civics vs. humanities. You mentioned the real issue that overshadows all curriculum concerns.
The key to restoring meaningful education is strengthening the public school systems nationwide. And I would advocate for the elimination – or at the very least, strong regulation – of private schools, which are accountable to no one for admissions policies, curriculum design and scholastic achievement. Ditto for home schooling.
I don't know that private schools are always bad, but the public should nit be paying for them. And they need to be every bit as accountable to certain benchmarks as public schools; and I don't mean by multiple choice tests. Our potential of our posterity is worth a lot our effort, no?
Nice, Dale, pointing out things can be "both/and."
Jon says here that "fighting the government is a difficult, time-consuming and costly thing to do" because he can't imagine other complications also bearing at the same time.
This is the legacy of standardized testing, where all are supposed to think that, from choices A), B), C), and D), there's only one answer.
I am honestly not at all opposed to humanities in schools despite Phil's attacks against me. I have only objected to his single- mind obsessive focus on the reduction of humanities scholarship and the use of standardized testing as the sole cause for poor public education.
I think humanities education is important, as important as other parts of education. When I went to school in the 60s we had humanities as part of our curriculum. But we also had standardized testing and ib do not think that was a bad thing as Phil seems to believe. We have a VERY large education system in the US and before the 1950s the quality of education was incredibly random. Standardized testing was a way of tracking educational outcomes to try to equalize that problem. Was it totally successful? No, it wasn't (is anything?) Did it help? In most cases yes it did.
One thing it DID do is draw more attention at the gaps which did lead to efforts to improve the system. Eliminating standardized tests may, in my opinion, return us to the days when we can't tell which systems are doing a good job and which aren't.
I am in full support of efforts to remove private education and home schooling from feeding of the public funding for education. I do not oppose private education (although I would never send my children there even if I had unlimited resources) but if you want it, you should pay for it yourself. And yes. You should STILL have to contribute via taxes to everyone else public education.
"But then I am paying for something which I don't use". Damn straight. Good public education should be universal right and every tax payer should pay their share. If they don't want to use it, that's their choice but they don't get to opt out and not help pay for it.
I too think the humanities are important, as good literature is designed to get you to think. Unfortunately, the ignorami in charge don’t want us to think, but to engage in screen time.
My own way of thinking about humanities is broader than the arts, although I argue that the arts are a indispensable and powerful form of human communication and interaction that is waaaay underappreciated a key to our humanity (and we are fools to allow commercial interests to dominate them to the extent they do, and our culture with it). In my view, "humanities" and civics, are part pf the same thing.
I think we human beings live in two world that are really one, yet there is a permeable barrier. One world is the physical world, Kant's thing in itself. Galileo's alleged aside to the court of "And yet it moves", impacts on a billiard table, or a sandwich for lunch. The other is more hidden and interior. The realm of experience, the senses, our thoughts and our feelings (therefore I am). How the sandwich tastes.
We live in both worlds, and we tend to prosper to the extent that we stride and synchronize the two. And also, we can imagine. Wise interaction between the real and the imagined gave us this digital means to send my thought to others in space; gave us Beethoven and "Country" tunes, gave us the US Constitution.
They are related. You won’t have one without the other.
Is it not self-evident that you cannot have a meaningful republic without a universal and ironclad right to vote? Is the right to vote worth dying for? Many, in many parts of the world, have thought so. Part of properly securing that right is seeing to it that people do not vote in prohibited ways that cheat others, but so far, all credible evidence has suggested that successful votes lacking authorization are virtually negligible, while actions that bar or significantly inhibit qualified voters from voting have proliferated. Nothing so defines a free, self-determining, society, of, by and for the people, as the right to vote. It is a basic human right that is necessary to protect them all.
"As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy. Whatever differs from this, to the extent of the difference, is no democracy." - Lincoln
I have been watching the Repub fiasco for decades. Bill Moyers saw where it could go. I watched Fox turn Goebbels, the tea party blame a half-black man for the W/Dickie fiasco, religion turn evil, our SC make the inquisition seem ok, rank-and-file repubs turn greedy cowards, racism go national, and tech money join old oligarchs to make chump our “glorious leader.” Just like Ronnie and the Nixon left-overs wanted. I am under no illusions and Pollyanna has never described me. A slice of optimism is all I can muster. My fear for my country and all of us, never abates these days. Every word you say is true. The speed of the chaos and the unexpected “creativity” of the evil is hard to fight. In fact, author of P2025 expected Dems to fold. And they did. Still a sliver, it is most welcome in my world. But we all must be prepared for the assault by what was our own government.
Jon Rosen,
Hopefully NOT....
I hope they are bloodless, but huge, and very loud.
I was at the first Hands Off rally but I can't make this one. They were counting the attendees at the rally, but the one I attended in Blue Hill, ME, hundreds of cars drove by honking, waving and/or giving a thumbs up and they weren't counted. And there were only 8 MAGAs that gave the middle finger salute. All were white men between 30 and 50 years old and driving full size pick-ups. And they were all alone in their vehicles.
It was a great time and no cross words between anyone were uttered that I heard.
Gary .If you are in the BH area;. come join our peace vigil on Deer Isle . We have been there every monday at 4 on Rt 15 for over 25 years. Most welcomed. Island peace and Justice
Mimics what we found at the first of our Monday night protests at the WWI memorial in my town. Six Teslas and many others went by with horn honks and thumbs up - the only negative was a MAGAt in a big noisy pickup. We've continued the Monday night vigils, and the group is getting bigger.
Lots of supporters driving by, in Texas on 4-5. No dissenters that I saw. I was surprised.
Better than last time, better every time. For a while I thought the whole country was in a coma or MAGAtified. More “woking” up.
I believe there will come a time very soon when Republicans regret those photographs. The changing political winds are likely going to blow in a strong Democratic, anti-MAGA majority into Congress in 2026. The images of MAGA Republicans standing before illegally imprisoned brown-skinned men will be powerful tools for Democratic challengers.
My fantasy is a strong midterm swing then simultaneous impeachment of T and V.
Also need to impeach Rep. Mike Johnson.
We can dream
For a court to convict them of multiple crimes, including against humanity.
The obscenity of wealth could not be more pronounced right now; Kristi Noem posing in front of those caged men, sporting a Rolex watch and 25 pounds of hair, the mega rich women on that 10 minute, 500k a piece, tourist ride into space. Meanwhile, average Americans are fearing for their lives in one way or another. This is feeling very much like the excess and moral decay depicted in the works of F. Scott Fitzgerald, which tRump no doubt sees as the style of ‘great America’ he’s trying to bring back. He needs to remember that history repeats itself. Empires built on greed and corruption are destined to fail.
Actually, Kazz, mention of F. Scott Fitzgerald bids much wider resources we have.
I keep a list of several hundred novels, memoirs, movies, songs, histories, biographies, essay collections, poems and books of poems. One of the great things that distinguishes America is the sheer excellence and power of so many arts and humanities directed at the constant menace our rich have always augured.
Of course, no mere coincidence that, when Lewis Powell wrote his infamous memo in 1971, all those new far right foundations agreed that their starting point must be to get the schools void of those humanities. Then, boy, could the predations commence!
Couldn't agree more. I was watching the Kennedy Center Honors on YouTube the other night, the one where Aretha Franklin is paying tribute to Carole King with "Like a Natural Woman". The Obamas were in the audience, and the song brought Barack Obama to tears - me too, it was impossible not to be moved. Though given the times, I was also grieving the loss of the arts and the quality of performances now that tRump has intruded and appointed himself Kennedy Centre Board Chair.
Here's the Aretha performance if you haven't seen it - have the Kleenex ready.
https://youtu.be/8cF0tf35Mbo?si=9iYb-i0MhRxilgMO
I've watched that several times on Y/T. Tears every time.
Another one that always gets me is Heart's tribute to Led Zeppelin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cZ_EFAmj08
And finally, Adam Lambert's performance of "Believe" for Cher.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PzQHZLiUPs
I could go on, but nobody wants puffy, red eyes.
Yes the Led Zeppelin tribute I rewatch regularly, always gets me. I’ll check out Adam Lambert’s performance. Thank you!
definitely an endless supply of 'let them eat cake' moments at present. And -- petty alert -- did Kristi Noem and Lauren Sanchez get their big hair and big lips from Amazon?
Hahaha, surely. And faces from Tupperware.
😂👏
Laurie, remind us me of an old Twilight Zone episode where women, in their late teens, could pick one of 2 or 3 female models they wanted to look like. Plastic surgery did the rest. They all ended up looking exactly alike, (there really was no choice at all).....and very " plastic". More and more women of means today are beginning to get that " plastic" look. I guess there is just too much pressure on insecure women to look a certain way in order to be accepted or to find a man or just to be noticed!! Lots of energy and money needed for upkeep! I always wonder what the lips will look like when they are 80?
Trump’s destructive capacity reminds me of Fitzgerald’s description of Tom and Daisy Buchanan and their capacity for destruction and retreat.
Absolutely. Fitzgerald's short stories, too, are brilliant, almost prophetic critiques of the rise of oligarchy today. In particular, "The Rich Boy" and how wealth warps emotional development, and "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz", a warning about how obscene wealth sustains itself through denial and exploitation.
It’s OK Kazz, it is highly unlikely tRump ever read F Scott Fitzgerald or would even recognize his name.
They will regret those photo ops when they realize how much they look like the white Southerners who smiled for the cameras with victims of lynchings hanging in the background.
I have heard much about the photo but have not seen it, and I didn't search for it because caging people and posing in front of it is morally reprehensible to me. But a question: did they all remember to wear their uniform, aka the blue suit with the overlong red tie?
:/
We need to stop referring to Republican Congressians as Republican. They are MAGA radicals. By referring to them as Republican we insinuate that this is political, that it is Republican vs Democrats, that this is normal.
It's the same With DOGE. We should use Musk instead DOGE. Using DOGE, makes look like another government agency doing their job when it's Musk.
They are Nazis. Not MAGA. Not GOP. They are Nazis. Full stop.
It was disturbing to read that only a minority of people now poll as thinking the "Republicans" are better stewards of the US economy than Democrats for the first time in a number of years. I mean, yeah, it's about time, but before Trump was elected I saw polls that indicated that a surprising percentage of Democrats and Independents bought the big lie on that particular issue. They have not been doing their homework.
Today's "Republicans" are busy demolishing the Republic; which is about as Orwellian as it gets. The public and the forth estate needs to be paying more attention. And us, to find ways to draw attention to discrepancies.
Though I find the events of today to be heartening, I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop. As bumbling and disorganized as this administration can be, when it comes to “sticking it to the libs”, or whomever the enemy du jour may be, there always seems to be a Plan A, B, C, and D in place. Their cruelty and corruption knows no bounds. I expect the next distraction to come shortly.
The public is powerful when focused. Perseverance furthers.
As Senator Cory Booker has said:
"The power of the people is always greater than the people in power."
I believe he was right and that is the upside. The downside (because it is important to face it) is that the power of the people is highly diffused and the people in power know that, and can make it extremely painful until the power of the people can prevail. This is going to take some time, possibly a long time. It will take a will to fight politically even when we are faced with defeat after defeat.
Big wins do not happen overnight. Look at the struggles of the past.
The Civil War.
The Depression.
The fight for women's suffrage.
The fight to end the Vietnam War.
The fight for racial justice and equality.
NONE of those happened in three YEARS let alone three MONTHS. As I have said before, settle in folks and make sure your seatbelts are on. This is going to be a long and bitter fight.
Everything happens much faster now than ever before. It's the electronic age.
I have Feathers of Hope and Jon should too.
They aren't our blood brothers yet but we need to thank the 7 Republican cosponsors to the senate bill that would strip Trump of tariff authority. S.1272 — 119th Congress (2025-2026) Cantwell, D, WA is main sponsor.
On the national security track, virtually all the Republican members of the armed services and intelligence committees openly oppose Trump's position vis a vis Ukraine. In the House, Don Bacon, R. NE, Mike Tunrner R, O, many others. E.G. https://bacon.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2616
A couple of weeks ago I published the letter Rick Scott sent me, in effect calling Trump a liar on Ukraine.
26 senate Republicans and dozend of Houe members voted to fund Ukraine. The chair of the senate committee, Roger Wicker, R MS. https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/17/roger-wicker-trump-foil-defense-00294328
Many more are confronting Musk.
Thanks, Daniel!
I would add Labor's right to organize as well here. There are some common things in all these struggles. Solidarity of purpose and tenacity. All were costly, in every sense of the word. It is surprising what committed people can endure in the face of defeat or loss or setback. Just ask the Ukrainians. Be ready for it.
But what would reversing course look like? We are not a Parliamentary form of government where you can oust the entire government just by taking a vote of no confidence. The President and their government serves for 4 years, like it or not, except for very extraordinary situations AND huge support for a change in the Congress. It is so radical that it has never happened before and is highly unlikely to happen now.
So i think this Presidency will last at least its required four years. With the power that he has, it will be a very dark time for all of us.
Unless they've already voted for the people in power.
You've been drinking too much liberal kool-aid JL.
The public is mostly ignored even when focused, and that is not often.
This group is a minute segment of the opposition, and most of the rest of it doesn't seem to care all that much. We do, of course, but many of us tend to misconstrue that as some kind of massive population-wide movement.
It is not.
That is sad, of course, but we need to be realistic. I remember during the last few weeks of the election how many people here, with their heads stuck firmly in the sand, talked about how the victory of Harris would be awesome. Yet anyone looking at the polls could see that wasn't going to happen. Wishful thinking is a common trait, especially among liberals. And it can do us all a great disservice.
I still believe that we can work our way out of this morass, but it is NOT going to happen overnight, or because of one singular success in freeing one person from the outrages of the Trump cabal (something which has still yet to actually happen). It will take a long time and it will be painful. But we can prevail.
I just hope everyone has the tenacity to deal with the one small step forward, point nine steps backwards we are likely to be taking over and over for quite a long time.
You and your type do not know math.
I would seriously like to know what you are referring to here. In fact I majored in math and computer science and have spent a significant amount of my political time working on survey research so I actually do think I know "math" pretty well :-) What I wrote above is quite factual and I'd be more than happy to discuss specifics with you. But I'd really need to know more about your criticisms. Just saying you think I don't know math is rather obtuse and hard to understand.
Best regards, Jon
Republican corruption is rooted in white supremacy and greed. Everything Trump does is to make HIMSELF one of the richest oligarchs. He doesn't give a damn about any of the other oligarchs unless they are willing to suck up to him.
He loves Putin and Orban because they were able to take over their countries governments and then enrich themselves and a few close associates.
But their willful ignorance (a form of stupidity) is also boundless. Let us pray that it brings their plots up short, before they drag us all down with them.
It will, and be a biggie. The dissent will spur more horror. It’s all they know.
Marvelous letter, Heather! I am feeling hopeful & encouraged. We may just end up with an opportunity to put this country back together in new & fantastic ways!
It's late night here in Hawaii, and this is the most encouraging thing I have read all day. May MAGA descend like a rock into the Marianas Trench, with the rock tied to the leg of their leader.
Boy, that last paragraph packs a punch and describes us as well as them. Abe still speaks for me. Old and decrepit as I am. Going to a protest in Texas on Sat.
I felt that the crisis over Garcia would not be the catalyst. MAGAts are delighted that an immigrant is gone. I was wrong. People seem to finally see what the people in Germany went through before the war. What happens to my neighbor could happen to me. Has the fever broken. Take the lead Dems. Or we will have to depend on the first Republican to speak for us. But Abe speaks for the ages.
JD, I wish too. But, the real MAGAts will never see, because they no longer look. Their Bubble is opaque and they have gotten so used to the stench inside that they can't survive in the clean air of logical, human, democratic thought. But then I estimate that there are only about 27Million of them, and they will whittle themselves down to nothing slowly as one by one they emerge from the haze, or their children before them.
Wish my bros would, but they are mesmerized by bullschittery. So glad that he is keeping campaign promises. Totally ignoring the attack on SS that will affect one “bigly.” Cult definition. If they disappear, they leave seeds or spores, sad to say.
I cannot understand why GOP members
Especially in the senate
Cling to power they are unwilling to use.
That's the riddle of the century.
Too many seem too timid for thinking and speaking on their own, more comfortable repeating the chants of a destructive mob than those defending the progress of almost two and a half centuries.
Hope and Courage are rising. Let's continue the swell of truth, integrity, and doing what our Constitution states....we must keep up the pressure until these dictators and destroyers are gone from power!
For those whose narcissism is malignantly metastatic, we are objects; toys to be used however they please or smashed against the wall. Solidarity is our most potent resource, but you know it don't come easy.
The world, the skies, and our better aspirations are too beautiful, despite corruptions and dangers, to be allowed to be ruined by arrogant, puerile, bullies.
I really appreciate the (realistic) positivity as in:
"...Abraham Lincoln, who by then was speaking for the new party coalescing around that coalition, replied that Douglas “should remember that he took us by surprise—astounded us—by this measure. We were thunderstruck and stunned; and we reeled and fell in utter confusion. But we rose each fighting, grasping whatever he could first reach—a scythe—a pitchfork—a chopping axe, or a butcher's cleaver. We struck in the direction of the sound; and we are rapidly closing in upon him. He must not think to divert us from our purpose, by showing us that our drill, our dress, and our weapons, are not entirely perfect and uniform. When the storm shall be past, he shall find us still Americans; no less devoted to the continued Union and prosperity of the country than heretofore...”
Thank you, Professor Richardson.
Last night, on a radio program, we talked about the so-called "American Dream". The dream (turned into a nightmare by the combination of infinite billionaire greed, racism, and willful ignorance) cannot form unless it is built upon a foundation of the rule of law.
We are at a point in which the criminal-elect, and his corrupt incompetent Cabinet (the only qualifying attribute is pledging absolute fealty to the vindictive and idiotic desires of the tyrant would-be king), with state-sponsored kidnappings and disappearances, Elon Musk and others working to help themselves to a trove of taxpayer funds -our money, under the guise of "government efficiency,”, the racist demand to remove diversity programs and destroy academic freedom by threatening to withhold funding to educational institutions and crushing the general stability of the US economy with hourly changes in trade policy.
All this while threatening to destroy the very foundation of justice led by “deep-thinkers” like Pam “Bribe Me” Bondi, Kristi “Puppy killing” Noem, and Kash “Q” Patel.
It is well beyond time for people to take to the streets, attend town halls demanding answers (but not while standing in a puddle at an “MT” Greene event), and begin planning a prolonged general strike if a handful of GOP Congressional members still can’t find the courage to do what is right by advocating for an impeachment action. A work stoppage would have a chilling effect on the billionaires and money still supporting the subversion of our system in exchange for permanent tax cuts.
We are continuing to be driven toward an authoritarian system led by a criminal who failed multiple times in his personal life through bankruptcies and fraud settlements, and is now looking to cause the entire United States system to fail. The justice system in its present form is inadequate to address this situation -it will require political and societal courage, and a large team of special prosecutors and courts to address all who have driven the US system to the edge of the abyss.
Folliwing it all from the UK, that was another brilliantly clear Letter. Thanks Prof HCR.
And by the way, Trump is massively disliked here. Please don’t confuse his State visit with approval or groveling….it’s plain old diplomacy. Accordingly, he will be afforded the rare honour of kissing King Charles’ ass. And whilst doing so he can listen to the whole country enjoying the spectacle….hoots of derisive laughter!
Most people here have every faith that the USA will find a way through this nightmare. I just hope and pray that Ukraine survives to see the day.
And go Judge Xinis , good for you.
Somehow, I get the feeling King Charles will be massively unimpressed with Mango Mussolini.
Encouraging to see glimmer of reason and support for the rule of law. I’ve repeatedly pointed out the difference between the American and Russian peoples: the Russians have never known anything other than being serfs, subdued and oppressed in every possible way; Americans know and understand the country is a beacon of liberty—we may not agree on a whole range of stuff but the right to disagree vocally and publicly, our right to VOTE our conviction and influence changes on many levels that’s not given up without a fight.
The convicted felon and his mafia sidekix are treating our USA as a slot machine, as a dinner table to be ravished — I can add with rage and sorrow: as a woman to be raped!
Thank you Heather CR for offering ongoing and erudite teaching, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your writing.
I appreciate your writing, too, Ingrid! "...treating the USA as a slot machine..."!
Thanks 🙏🏻
i feel like this is a vast oversimplification of russian vs us history, as well as the public conception of social/political liberties which exist in both countries.
for one thing, the abolition of russian serfdom happened in 1861 (i.e., not too long before the 13th amendment's passage); granted, the demographic realities were very different - among other things, about the 35-40% of the russian population were serfs, vs around 12-15% of enslaved people comprising the late antebellum usa population. both countries had massive counter-reformation movements which acted through different official channels (e.g., jim crow was largely carried out by state/municipal gov'ts, vs. the top-down project of tsar alexander iii who essentially acted with unilateral authority, a la france's charles x during the bourbon restoration.) obviously, pre-soviet multi-party democracy was a very short-lived phenomenon (having barely lasted a dozen years under romanov meddling, a civil war, & subsequent provisional/bolshevik gov'ts.)
from the ussr onward, russians were fully integrated into the 20th/21st centuries; aside from the obvious differences in political freedoms/social contracts, it was still fundamentally a modern industrial society. there were state-funded healthcare/education/public utilities/infrastructure programs, consumer goods, pop culture/entertainment media, etc. post-ww2 soviet households' living standards increasingly kept pace with the west's.
the real material decline for most russians happens with the ussr's collapse, when the return of multi-party bourgeois electoralism also resulted in the shuttering of many soviet-era regulatory bureaucracies, & the wide-scale privatization of welfare programs, universities, energy utilities, etc. which was largely perceived to be at the behest of western gov't/business interests.
the rise of putin is comparable to trump/maga in many ways: both figures capitalized on periods of growing material precarity & compounding political, social, ecological crises. both promised to "restore the nation" by expanding the state's power to kill/surveil/detain people, as well as enriching themselves & the coalition of lumpen capital interests who benefit from their regimes. i don't get why we need to infantilize russian citizens, or invent some Slavic Freemason Conspiracy that trump is secretly the marshall petain of the kremlin's yankee vichy gov't, when we can point to the banal realities of capital accumulation, & decades of "means testing"/austerity programs/hollowing out all state functions which don't directly contribute to the violent enforcement of borders & property relations.
The Democratic framework we enjoy (up until now) in the USA cannot possibly be compared to the situation in Russia. Even before Putin, the system was utterly repressive.
I grew up in Denmark, educated there etc, in short I am a Dane. The contact between the USSR and European countries AFTER WWII was minuscule for several decades. My family had close contact with USSR engineers who came to the town I grew up in to oversee various projects built for and paid for by USSR. What the Russian engineers described didn’t sound anything but a blatant continuation of servitude shrouded in “for the good of the people.”
And I must disagree about living standard keeping pace with Western levels — not in the USSR we all knew growing up!
The repression NEVER ended — as long as there isn’t standard civil rights, it’s not correct to think of it as anywhere on par with USA.
Maybe if the convicted felon gets away with his rape of the USA then there’s more similarities between us and them. But what I was trying to emphasize is really the string and abiding element of individualism SO INGRAINED in Americans — a characteristic I’m not that enamored by BUT at this juncture, it’s of great value. And that, you cannot find as a consistent characteristic in Russia.
Well, I feel like I might be able to take a big breath of fresh air if they ruling group is going to have to behave. The sorry excuse for Congress may be on their way to finding some courage, a heart and help us keep hearth and home together finally. The wizard and crew are not good leaders. They have no interest in taking care of people in order to make life better for all people. I really don’t want to give up eating meat, but the dismantling of federal programs is quite terrifying. They apparently want to kill us off with bacteria and tornadoes. Congress needs to find its courage quickly.
Hard to find something you never had
Bless you. Tonight I am invigorated by you and James Fallows. Both of you make me stand up and cheer.
And TcinLa, Greg Olear, Dan Rather, John Pavlovitz, David Brooks, Judd Legum, Robert Hubbell, Paul Klugman, and the many other voices who have not been silenced by threats, actions, and very real consequences.
Thom Hartmann, Robert Reich and Gil Duran.
So many to add. glory
Joyce Vance, Mary Trump, Marisa Kabas, and Qasim Rashid too.
So many, adding up…
Yes!
Brian Tyler Cohen, Micheal Cohen, Marc Elias, Glenn Kirshner, the entire Medias Network including Tennessee Brando, "Belle of the Ranch", Jeff Tiedrich.........
Great additions!
Wish I had time for them all, but so glad their messages are getting out. The competition is fierce, hateful and rich
https://fallows.substack.com/p/dominoes-are-falling?utm_campaign=posts-open-in-app&triedRedirect=true