“I love Northern Ireland. I love the people. I love the place. They’ve been extraordinarily generous and hospitable to me and my wife, my family,” former senator George Mitchell of Maine told Jill Lawless of the Associated Press today at Queen’s University, located in Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland.
"Taking counsel from his brief time as a federal judge, he would not socialize with any of the different participants to avoid looking as if he were playing favorites. "
SCOTUS could pick up some pointers.
" 'I had no authority to impose it,' he told Kane. But two years of listening had paid off: all the different sides trusted him. 'He listened us to agreement,' one of the political leaders said."
2-years of listening...after centuries of hate and violence...
In our own time of trouble, with our fragile democracy challenged daily, our national mental health individually and as a nation in question, you know what, we learn anew...
I am a psychologist by profession. Fifty years plus of training and doing therapy, all the theories all the new developments in therapy and I do think that listening and hearing with respect and empathy and doing so humbly can make all the difference.
But we know the RW 6 will NOT listen-only their agenda matters to them-they've decided that THEY should determine the course of the country; to hell w/the actual law.
Actually Barbara, they ARE the Law. They write it, they revise it, they manipulate it, they parse it, they interpret it; with word salad judgements using language that is unintelligible to average citizens to create rulings that say whatever the (vulgar reference deleted, starts with F) they want, er what the MONEY BACKERS want
Congress can pass any law they can muster, but the Gsng of Six can invent opinions based on wholecloth Alito Nonsense and it sticks. Precedent? Be damned. Its now rule by decree
We need to expand the Court. I still have a clear and nasty image of Amy Comey Barrett's installation ceremony in the Rose Garden. So incredibly creepy.,
Friendly correction: That Super-Spreader Rose Garden event was the formal nomination ceremony. It was followed by the Senate hearings and confirmation after which she was immediately sworn in at the White House at night. Nothing weird or desperate about that, what with only eight days remaining until the election.
Thanks for the correction. I'm a gardener, so what really stayed in my mind was the super spreader in the Rose Garden. The whole thing was extremely disgusting. For a woman who purports to be moral in the extreme, it was an inauspicious beginning, to say the least. So sick of these people. I truly am.
But as Finley Peter Dunne’s Mr. Dooley observed (hokey accent in original), “Whither or not the Constitution follows the flag, the Supreme Court follows th’ illiction returns.” and so it does, eventually.
I did note that sentence about socializing also in contrast to some on the Stench Court. Thomas, where the focus is now, continues to make excuses and be arrogant. I wonder if that creep has ever taken responsibility for anything wrong that he has done. And two years of listening instead of shouting and twitting. I did also like that Biden commented on how fragile democracy is and tied it to January 6th. A while back I did read a book on British imperialism including what is now the Republic. It is easy to understand why things took the course they did.
Governing requires patience, diplomacy, and really hard work and compromise, something the Republican Party is no longer capable of. They have no new ideas, only the old standards of hate, fear, and tax breaks for the wealthy. It's not working.
We see in "Nature" a strong, inbred desire to dominate. Some argue that this legitimizes, but certain spiders may kill and eat their mates, and as a human practice most find this repellent. Some mammals kill each other's children or even their own. That makes a certain kind of sense from a strictly inborn behavior perspective, but we humans are a different animal, albeit one with a great overlap of features with others, and while I think I detect precedent for my own self awareness in my dog, there is a immense change type of thinking to a species that can build computer microprocessors and the Internet.
And it's not just the sophistication of our tools; it's the the degree to which we are what we learn, and while not exactly the "blank slate" William James proposed, our children's basic education is way more extended than that of other creatures, and in old age we are learning still. All creatures eat, but our food is always, to some degree, an art form, even a sandwich. All creatures procreate, but we make love in extended and creative ways. We sup from the Tree of Knowledge and recognize the consequences of our actions as beneficial or harmful to others, which ultimately aids the resilience of our species and our quality of life. We have articulate if imperfect insight into the experiences of other and resonate with empathy.
And some people still prefer a hierarchical society where they get to dominate; where it is winner takes all, and there are the superior people and the inferior people, masters and slaves, to which social justice and democracy are mortal enemies.
"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
In our own time of trouble, with our fragile democracy challenged daily, our national mental health individually and as a nation in question, you know what, we. learn anew...
I keep this close by to remind me and motivate me.
“A shift of fewer than 80,000 votes in three states (Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin) — or 0.06% of 137 million cast — would not just have made Hillary Clinton president.
The bottom line: Perhaps even more important for the long run, a young liberal Supreme Court might have ruled on America for a generation.
The WashPost's Philip Bump did the math about Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin back during the transition:
"Trump won those states by 0.2, 0.7 and 0.8 percentage points, respectively — and by 10,704, 46,765 and 22,177 votes. Those three wins gave him 46 electoral votes; if Clinton had done one point better in each state, she'd have won the electoral vote, too."
"But for 79,646 votes cast in those three states, she'd be the next president of the United States."”
It kind of makes you sick, doesn't it? Weak men hate powerful women. Eleanor Roosevelt said that a long time ago. People like DT and Putin are, at the core, weak because they rely on others to do their fighting for them. But for all their wealth and "power", I suspect neither is happy.
And then there's the hypocritical neo-fascist Joe Biden, who stole the Democratic nomination from Bernie Sanders:
Check the eye-popping discrepancies in the 2020 Massachusetts primary, which featured (according to the Edison exit poll) identical 4% swings away from both Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren in Biden's favor, giving Biden a whisker-thin win.
Over 700 + million awarded for lies by Fox News about voting machines lies from Fox News case. President Biden is as clean as every other President -can one be president among all the graft and corruptions in every place on earth -that's politics. We are so lucky
Biden won since the Republican party needs to find candidates. I recommend VP Mike Pense Republican,and Presidential Candidate Republican Liz Cheney.
OR anyone one who is ethical . PRESIDENT Biden and VP Harris should receieve medals for keeping American safe from the few Facist Republicans. Americans want the Congress and Senate to stop listening to deranged members and show some leadership. I hope some members of our Supreme Court can also recall ethical choices. We are all Americans so "love it or leave it" how ironic we were all told that when we opposed the war in Vietnam. write on, Heather. Sincerely, Linda
Maybe we can all agree on something quite simple,....that the word "conservative" should stop being used in ANY context referencing Fox "News" (and the entire GOP for that matter). In its place should be the word Extremist or equal.
In the aftermath of yesterday's admission of guilt by Fox in settling, knowing they would be declared Guilty of outright Lies in a court of law we find today main stream media's articles using their typical terms "conservative channel", "conservative media model", "conservative media bubble", etc. It is yet one more perversion of reality when the "conservatives" of even just as recent as the Obama years swore by family values & strong foreign policy but now swear by the AR15, lies are truth, books / education and science are evil, and that Russia is our ally.
There is Nothing "conservative" in Any of these things. Just say what it really is, ......Extremist.
Biden won the Presidency but he listens and works with both Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren and that is a huge difference from what we see with the Fascist Republicans. One reason why Sanders ran was to shift the dialog in America and he did that in many ways. Biden is a capable leader and ethical. Get behind him and push. Sanders and Warren are.
I frequently had students ask " who are you going to vote for.. ..." I would smile and continue with my duties. After a while an older student said why won't you talk politics with us.
"Because I don't argue with children. "
I refrain from conversations with the poorly read, and those exhibiting limited thinking and research before spewing the contents of a small and festered mind.
I didn't try to influence my students in either politics or religion because I was in a public school and it was separation of church and state and unprofessional to do so.
I influenced my students with simulations where they decided the issues that were relevant for our grade, and then our candidates developed platforms and we had debates, and we simulated all aspects of an election, while reading a book with characters who were having a school election. The children learned to run a campaign, develop slogans, design hats, pins, posters, and make short commercials. What I was teaching was critical thinking. We would then implement the things in their platforms, which were remarkably similar, just with different approaches. Things like water conservation, that led to developing a whole campaign to save the Great Lake right in our front yard, and to have more relevant books to teach inclusive histories, which we did, and spent time on. Of course, one notices that both teachers and parents values come through in these election simulations for fourth grade, and fifth grade. I find that later on in middle school children then run for student government which is not just a simulation. I think one does not have to discuss what the national parties and what the adults are doing, but have the children develop their own parties around their own issues. What I am saying is that one can teach children to think politically without using the adult political issues and situation. One can look at it on a student level and deal with their issues.
Oh, I agree. I taught high school government and i found that students came up with the issues and their own answers. I meditated and insisted on civility. This was some years ago in the nineties. I wanted them to think for themselves and tried to give them opportunities to do so, so no textbooks and quizzes. We did a lot of work in the library. I did have to give them a final as that was something we all had to do. On that I had a variety of opportunities for them to earn points and they could chose what they wanted to do and I sat down with each one of the individually to plan that. I also coached girls basketball for a while. If players wanted to pray that was fine, but it was their thing, not mine. I am thinking now about the football coach in WA who won out at the Supreme Court. So wrong as far as i am concerned.
“Stole the election”? Biden had 45 pledged delegates, Sanders had 29 and Warren 17. That’s not even close. And why are you still stuck in 2020? Even Sanders and Warren have moved on. And “Neo-Fascist”? Biden? The name calling is laughable. Remember when you point your finger at someone else, you’ve got three fingers pointing back at you.
As tabulated by Theodore de Macedo Soares, there was a consistent pattern of discrepancies between the official primary results and the Edison exit polls, in Biden's favor, throughout the Democratic primaries.
John Schmeeckle "Check the eye-popping discrepancies in the 2020 Massachusetts primary, which featured (according to the Edison exit poll) identical 4% swings away from both Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren in Biden's favor, giving Biden a whisker-thin win."
Not quite. You're getting confused over what that article said. If you care to share a direct quote, I'll share my thoughts. Part of the problem is that the article makes much of the fact that somebody appears to have misinterpreted de Macedo Soares in a twitter tweet.
You're missing the point; Ron Boyd mis-read that fact-check article; it simply doesn't say what Ron Boyd claims.
And you have no reason to dismiss Theodore de Macedo Soares as "right-wing," because he also points out Republican discrepancies from exit polls in Senate races, most notably in Alabama, as discussed here:
Heather's letter today has nothing to do with the U.S., with Joe Biden, with the 2020 election, with anything that you are persisting in trying to bring to the attention of this forum. Not only are you in the wrong room, but the wrong league of thinkers. Trolls and Bots don't think OR know how to listen.
“Hypocritical neo-fascist. . .eye-popping. . .whisker-thin” indicates a lack of seriousness. Name calling and loaded language weakens any point you may have had.
Exit polls are different from pre-election polls. And Edison polls are well regarded. If you read the linked article, you might have a further comment.
You misrepresent by saying "polls" rather than "exit polls." I think it is obvious that not all exit polls are equal. In this particular case, Edison polls are considered to be more reliable than most.
YOU need to read the book "Votescam: The Stealing of America," the first 39 pages of which are online here:
You take, my friend, the kind of position that seeks to criticize but fails to offer solutions, and is precisely what George Mitchell faced and overcame in bringing an end to the Troubles in Ireland. Note that the rear view camera, if you have one on you car, works only when you are backing up, not moving forward. Even Sanders and Warren (whom I supported) have moved on!
It's not about a single election; it's about a chronic disease in our electoral system. Your diagnosis of my approach is limited by an acute lack of information, which so far you have done nothing to remedy.
That six-year-old link offers some good ideas about where we must go to save the planet. But to start on that road, we need a government and population willing to accept that challenge.
Looking backward and criticiizing President Biden avoids doing that, drawing attention from what should be our real goals. 'Better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness.['
Don’t mistake my comment as trolling but rather a cynical approach to you using an “exit poll” in place of an actual vote in order to claim “an election theft”
Unless you can prove the voting was rigged, your accusation is cattle feed
Besides, Primaries are under the control of the party apparatus, which is not a governmental function
Nice try at disingenuous spin. The point is the pattern of discrepancies between the exit polls and the official results throught the 2020 primaries, consistently in Biden's favor, with Massachusetts being the most egregious example.
Thank you Heather. I can tell you that the peace brought about by Senator Mitchell, Bill Clinton and all the stakeholders in the North is a wonderful thing. I live in the Republic, but travelling to and fro from here to the
North( that’s what we call Northern Ireland) is so easy now. I remember travelling as a student in the 1980s, past pill boxes with British soldiers with weapons and camouflage was a spooky thing. Now you just drive on the motorway from Dublin to Belfast. Thank you the Americans who helped bring about this peace.
Christopher, I was a student at Trinity in Dublin in 77-78. I vividly remember my first trip to Belfast to visit friends. Since I am an American, I was immediately suspect - guns, money, other contraband. I was patted down, every part of my luggage was inspected and my guitar case was ripped to shreds. By the time I got across, I was so frightened I could barely speak. Safe to say that whatever naiveté I might have still had was gone in that moment. And the most valuable lesson? Speak only when spoken to. Those soldiers were as young and frightened as I was.
I can’t wait to come back to your beautiful country and drive that trip again. Siochan in Eirinn. What a blessing, even an uneasy one.
I read that while in Ireland President Biden unexpectedly met the priest who gave last rites to his son Beau. What a powerful moment that must have been.
Joe Biden is exactly what our country needed coming out of the Trump presidency. I hope that history will be kind to him.
I'm confident that history WILL be kind to Joe Biden. He accomplished some truly historic things with a supportive congress in two short years. Sadly, it wasn't even close to bipartisan support, but I think the public is far more supportive than is represented by Congress. The public is also complacent, but has been jarred awake by events over the last several years that are obviously ongoing even now. What I think we are learning painfully is that democracy is not only hard to establish, but it is also subject to assault when not actively maintained. We have not been vigilant. We have only begun to show signs of concern in the last three national elections due to the experience following the 2016 presidential election. What would convince me that the public is truly paying attention and playing their rightful and necessary part in the political process would be historically large registration and voting numbers, growing election by election, until we have 90+ % participation of eligible residents of this country. Even with all the current shenanigans carried out in multiple states to restrict the vote, there are literally tens of millions of complacent but eligible voters who don't show up on election day. It's easy to see when a lawn is untended. Right now, our state and national political landscapes are choked with weeds.
Making Election Day a holiday is overly simplistic. It ignores all the essential workers such as first responders, hospital staff, store clerks, etc. who all have to cover shifts on “holidays”.
A better solution is to copy New Mexico, which has early voting for two weeks before the election - Monday through Saturday. We vote at “Convenience Centers”, rather than individual precincts. There is at least one in every county, more depending on population numbers. In Albuquerque (Bernalillo County) we have about a dozen to choose from. A ballot for your precinct is printed on the spot. If there’s a long line at one, you can go to another. Local news updates us on technical problems at one center, recommending others nearby. Long lines at one prompt advice to go to another. On Election Day, there are more than twice as many open. It works well and allows voters access regardless of their work schedules.
A great idea Danielle. Another solution is to implement a universal vote-by-mail as in California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Vermont and Washington state.
Great post. Frankly I'd be content with 70% of the eligible electorate. Anything but a miserable 55%. If we do slip into dictatorship we can thank the 45% of the electorate too selfish to take an interest in their own government to take the time to THINK and VOTE.
I was taught by an old man who was the closest to a functional father I ever had that ideas trump facts, and beliefs trump ideas; and that beliefs tend to be based on emotions.
I agree. Beliefs are largely based on emotions. The trumpster understands this like an evangelical, fire and brimstone, preacher. And they use these emotional beliefs to rake in huge fortunes. What we need to do is use this "belief system" to ease their self doubt, show them a future in which they are valued. Just telling them the truth won't cut it, their emotions far outweigh their intellect. This is one of the reasons I was so devastated by the Dominion Fox settlement. Dominion won. Fox won. America lost. If there is one thing Murdoch knows how to do and do well it's catering to people's emotional belief system. Shame on the FCC for not revoking Fox's broadcasting license nationwide.
You are absolutely correct, and I too am dismayed that Dominion let Fox off. Money wins, ethics loses again. Ethics in our culture is the most and soonest disaposible quality. Ask anyone in the legal system. A friend was told by her attorney that principles don't pay. Thanks for your response.
Yes, again, facts are irrelevant when beliefs are implanted by their leader and attacked by rational argument. He has them convinced they are victims. I just had a thought which may be appropos - I had an apartment neighbor whom I could not communicate with. Finally after months of passing each other in the building I saw her at a laundromat where I was getting my laundry done. I introduced myself and remarked that she always wore a scowl. She was about 30 and very attractive. She burst out "How would you feel every day if you ran the YWCA bettered women's shelter and 80% of those who came for help went back to their abusive partner?" I was shocked, and asked why she thought they gave up. She said it was because these women could not imagine a futute without the abuse, the unknown was too vague, and they feared they would be found and dragged back home. So I am wondering if there is any validity in suggesting that his followers can't imagine admitting they might have been wrong to support him, that they would have to switch sides or not participate at all, that they feel they are part of a force of self-styled victims who would lose the support of their fellow Trump worshipers. Fear of that unknown. What do you think, and how would you approach this impasse? They shouldn't be ignored, should they?
Your response is very astute Ed. And I agree with the incident in the laundromat. For 14 years I was a part of a Social Services Agency. During those years I did see a lot of my recipients with "battered women syndrome". Many of them came from abusive homes during their childhoods and this further abuse met their expectations. It took a lot of support and counseling to help them permanently leave the abusive male. Sometimes it wasn't until that abuser went after the children before she'd make a permanent change. As to the MAGA crowd, I think most of the rank and file are less educated, more prone to evangelical type beliefs. They live in smaller, frequently rural communities where there are few individuals who look or act different. They cannot easily relate to us city dwellers, concerned about streets, highways, fair treatment of all etc. The MAGA lot feels we disrespect them and care nothing for their problems. What we need to let them know is we regard all citizens as Americans and we do respect them for doing the best they can. We should not approach them as though we consider them country bumpkins, but as fellow citizens with different needs, but needs all the same. Eventually they will understand the trumpster doesn't give two hoots in hell about their well being - and they will determine this on their own.
That fellow was absolutely right. We see that concept in play every single day in governing bodies all over the country from the town commissions to Congress and everything in between.
I live in Dakota County, Minnesota. In 2020, we had one of the highest voter turnouts in the nation at 93%. Young, old, wealthy, low income, New Americans, native borns, everyone I know here voted. Why?
Minnesota has same day voter registration, many many polling places, and on the rare
occasions in which I’ve had to stand in line, I have done so happily because my employers fully supported me voting early and coming in late. That isn’t a rare attitude here. (Minnesota often is in the top two of voter turnout in national elections. Its statewide, not just the Twin Cities.)
Contrast that with places where voter suppression is fully enforced. Few drop boxes for mail in ballots or very challenging rules to obtain one. Voter ID requirements that are burdensome or out of reach for low income residents. Fewer polling places in neighborhoods of color. And on and on and on. Not to mention that if I’m going to lose my job if I’m late to work, what do you think I’m going to prioritize?
Are there millions of complacent voters who just don’t care? Yup. But I’m much more interested in those who want to vote and can’t. Let’s focus our efforts there. And help them register to vote , get to their polling places, and work to repeal voter suppression laws. 90+ percent turnout is possible but not with the giant voter suppression efforts that are occurring. Let’s be aggressive in repealing those state by state and promoting and pushing voter’s rights laws nationally.
That is what we need . You are so right Sheila B. Jerry Weis too has step by step plans for getting voters out in Calif. He works with others to help teach the methods that promote action.
We owe those who work for us all a big thank you. 😇🎶🦋
Sheila, I’m also a Minnesotan who is proud of our voter turnout statistics. It can be done, in both blue and red districts, and it should be our national goal.
Biden is having to deal with many evil and corrupt politicians and their evangelical and ultra-rich patrons who do not believe in Democracy. Follow the debate about the Judiciary Committee or watch any Trump hate-speech.
Just Sayin' Writes Nathan’s Substack "What I think we are learning painfully is that democracy is not only hard to establish, but it is also subject to assault when not actively maintained."
Which is why democracies are not more popular... and why Benevolent Autocracies are so attractive.
Thank you, Ron, for gifting this article. I visited Singapore in 2002 and was very interested in the many innovative ways their benevolent leadership’s policies and programs reinforced public health. I agreed with the Singapore author, however, who said (paraphrased) If you want your children to be safe and healthy, Singapore is where you raise them. But if you want them to be creative and intellectually curious get them out of Singapore.
Sadly, I have come to believe that people in positions of power generally use that power to entrench and enrich themselves, whether in autocratic or democratic societies. Thus, many many guardrails and checks/balances are the only protection people have.
Even more sadly, we have allowed those guardrails to be corrupted and/or ignored. The checks are checking very little and the balances are very unbalanced.
Sometimes I am glad I won’t be here long enough to see America become a fascist autocratic state. Selfish of me, but I am too pessimistic to believe we are going to keep our republic.
I thought this article, with some of Lee Kuan Yew's thoughts about where Singapore might end up eventually, was interesting. It added an extra layer to the NYT article I had just read prior.
We also need to shut down Fox "news." I met up with a dear old friend who is not a complacent voter and now realizes that her anti-Hillary vote in 2016 was a mistake. And, she agreed, Desantis is not the answer either. "But I am really impressed with this new one, very straight forward man, Jim Jordan." Guess what plays in her living room day and night.
You might check the eye-popping discrepancies in the 2020 Massachusetts primary, which featured (according to the Edison exit poll) identical 4% swings away from both Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren in Biden's favor, giving Biden a whisker-thin win.
The numbers in the discrepancies between the official Massachusetts primary results and the exit poll deserve consideration and explanation, regardless of whether you want to shoot the messenger.
What a great read today. I remember the work of George Mitchell, was witness to some of it playing out at the time, and gave me pause that any faction in our country could consider chancing civil war. I was in Londonderry and Belfast in the 1990s as part of a EU disability and employment initiative. This was about the time Northern Ireland's economy had burned down and tanked. British troops were in fortresses, there were checkpoints for civilians, one lane into the airport, young men in military green carried assault weapons everywhere, the sound of sirens was in the air, and the people were grimly sober. I didn't mention to my family until I came home that the lobby in our hotel was blown up while we were off meeting at a neutral site, nor that the hotel next to where I lodged the last weekend there had to be evacuated. Some speakers were hinting hopefully about the progress of the talks. But, the sense of occupation, how closed was the economy, and places that were once filled with sounds and people were silent and empty. In 2014 we came back to a nation in recovery. The two things that most impressed me upon return were the contrasting vibrancy between Dublin (pulsating) and Belfast (muted) and the lingering sense in Belfast of the past not forgiven or forgot among our generation. Civil War has a lasting effect and makes this 25th Anniversary of the Good Friday Peace such an important point for inflection forward in the hands of the generation we saw emerging during our trip back.
As someone who was born in 'Northern' Ireland and who voted for the Good Friday Agreement in the referendum in the Republic of Ireland where I now live, I often say the greatest gift the United States of America ever gave to Ireland was a brilliantly humble man called Senator George Mitchell.
The dignity, decorum and authenticity of this man stands in stark contrast to the Before and After Trump era which has injected so much bile into the daily discourse of American politics and between families and neighbours who identify as Republican or Democrats.
It is so sad to watch, knowing from experience the inherent dangers that intemperate words carry, especially when uttered without due care and diligence and the necessary intellectual rigor one should expect from public officials and lawmakers.
The last episode of "The Derry Girls" was centered on The Vote. It left me sobbing long after the credits rolled. Even now I get tears in my eyes when I think about the horrors of that time and the miracle of the Agreement.
They were tough times, indeed, my friend. I was a schoolboy witness to the Bloody Sunday massacre and its cover-up. My book 'Eyewitness Bloody Sunday ' played a key role in the decision to establish a new Public Inquiry which became the longest running and most expensive in British legal history, and inspired Paul Greengrass's award winning movie 'Bloody Sunday'.
For me personally, one of the great tragedies of the so-called 'Troubles' was and, in many cases still remains, the amount of creative energy and intelligence invested in righting wrongs.
Sadly, Rupert Murdoch's British tabloids played an equally cynical and dishonest role in whipping up fears which narrowly succeeded in securing Brexit, an ongoing destabilising factor in undermining the successes of the GFA.
All a reminder that we must be vigilant in the ongoing struggle for democracy.
It fills me with sad-fury that so many in this country are willing to toss democratic principles out the door in favor of an autocracy. And not just any autocracy but one lead by the single most incompetent and venal person to every hold the title of President of the United States.
Peace is hard. War is easy. Compromise is difficult. Conflict is demoic. What George Mitchell did with the support of Bill Clinton will stand and has stood the test of time in humanity's time frame. It is and will be, much like the Middle East peace accord brokered by Jimmy Carter, Anwar Sadat, and Menachem Begin, a model for the future. We can always hope. Maybe Sudan can be next.
We are a lot closer to Northern Ireland than I ever could have imagined in the days of "The Troubles." The chasm between sides was beyond rational thought, cemented by hundreds of years of conflict and mistrust. And yet again our disagreements and prejudices deny questioning, as we grip tighter to them. "Blessed are the peacemakers....." indeed. We must remember statesmanship, and listen to each other as well.
Mitchell versus Santos: “It was the best of Georges, it was the worst of Georges.”
The nineties seem like a century ago, history will show that with the Good Friday Agreement and the resolution of the Serbia-Bosnia conflict, Bill Clinton’ administration helped European peace immensely.
Thanks to Senator Mitchell, Northern Ireland has peace and prosperity.
As a European who was a young adult in the 1990s, I didn't have to wait for history to catch up with that realisation: the Clinton administration was crucial to European post-cold-war peace.
My one big sadness is that it didn't extend to Russia - which was left - by Europeans and North Americans - to the cowboy capitalism that eventually delivered Putin.
“Cowboy capitalism.” I am about to read the story of the Dulles brothers of which the book review description is that their view of the world was just that. Thank you for the moniker.
I lived in Europe in the mid 1990s and the U.S. and the Clinton administration were highly respected for the work in Ireland and the Serbia-Bosnia conflict. I knew a woman from Serbia and she told me that, when she and her family and friends found out that the US was becoming involved, they knew that everything would eventually be OK.
Bravo again on your piece tonight. I too love the people and the place. And not an Irish bone in my body. Spending time in Belfast while the troubles had slowed but were still active was one of the most interesting experiences of my life. Staying with our "mixed marriage" friends...one Protestant, one Catholic...gave us an unusual perspective on the situation. It is clear to me that Senator Mitchell's skills in actually listening and providing a safe space for teaching by example so that adversaries learned how to listen to each other, was and probably still is the only way to ultimately eliminate violence between individuals and groups that feel rage because they have been unheard. Such a simple way to support peace.
President Biden’s trip to Ireland was about marking the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Peace Agreement, and his return to Ireland as president of the United States.
Peace and economic prosperity in both Northern Ireland and Ukraine were also on his mind and he strongly marked them as well.
‘BELFAST, Northern Ireland (AP) — President Joe Biden said Wednesday that Northern Ireland must “not go back” to the violence that scarred it for years before a U.S.-brokered peace deal 25 years ago, nudging politicians to resolve a political crisis that has left this part of the United Kingdom without a functioning government.’
‘Speaking of the economic growth Northern Ireland has experienced since the Good Friday Agreement ended 30 years of sectarian bloodshed, Biden said: “It’s up to us to keep this going.”
‘On his first presidential visit to Northern Ireland, Biden dangled the prospect of more American investment to help fuel economic growth — especially if Belfast’s fractious politicians resolve a stalemate that has put their government on pause.’
“The simple truth is that peace and economic opportunity go together,” Biden said during a speech at Ulster University’s new campus in Belfast. He said the glass-clad downtown building would have been unthinkable during the years of bombings and shootings known as “The Troubles’.(AP) See link below.
‘Biden, Blending the Personal and the Diplomatic, Thanks Ireland for Backing Ukraine’
‘In an emotional address to the Irish Parliament on Thursday, President Biden thanked the Irish people for their support of Ukraine, cited a favorite Irish poet and recounted old family stories amid a three-day trip that is both a personal journey and an exercise in global diplomacy.’
“Today, the United States and Ireland are standing together to oppose Russia’s brutal aggression and to support the brave people of Ukraine,” Mr. Biden said before a packed and enthusiastic legislative chamber.’
‘The president put his hand over his heart, relishing the kind of unanimous support he rarely gets from Congress. He beamed at an Irish lawmaker who was cradling an infant and, in his opening remarks, said his trip felt like coming home. He suggested that he was perhaps not ready to leave. (NYTimes) Link below, sorry that it cannot be gifted.
No need to repeat yourself, Schmeeckle: we all read your screed the first time. With all the Republican fascists we have to deal with on a daily basis, and who present a clear and present danger to the health of our nation, calling Biden a neo-Fascist is a hollow and egregiously false assertion not supported by the facts.
You might check the eye-popping discrepancies in the 2020 Massachusetts primary, which featured (according to the Edison exit poll) identical 4% swings away from both Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren in Biden's favor, giving Biden a whisker-thin win.
Nobody click on this bogus link, please. Just do an internet search for tdmresearch.com and you'll see it isn't a thing. At best there's just garden variety disinformation there, but someone a little more clever could have malware waiting there.
Bernie’s problem has always been he can’t tolerate anyone’s good ideas but his own, so he makes himself obnoxious to those who should be his friends, and then he can’t figure out why no one listens to him...
Actually listening is the key here. Too many people "pretend" to listen when all they are really formulating their own response. As in the words of the 'Sounds of Silence' "People listening without hearing" We all need to listen AND hear.
I listened to my friend like being caught in a hailstorm. We did not see eye to eye. Finally the storm passed. Although we still did not see eye to eye that he vent his spleen meant the elephant in the room could be mentioned finally. We were able to talk at last. Where it leads I have no idea. We are both cowboys. A friend, a third cowboy comes up for his 83rd birthday in August. We will rendezvous then. Being a cowboy is more Will Rogers and a lot less Hollywoody. I think if you take the time to think you’ll find “cowboy” is just a stripe of a different color. Color quips are so out of fashion nowadays. Read a little Will Rodgers and I think you might be able to sling poison more effectively. Charlie Russell wrote about them too if you prefer. At any rate the three of us still have a ways to go to settle the gun issue reasonably. You did not sling any poison Fay. Didn’t mean to imply that. Your to “ listen” is the way forward. Thank you.
When I taught communication skills for the Sheriff's Office in the in-service training, special teams training, and academy classes, one of the things that I pointed out was that there is a human design clue that signals the way to communication: two ears, one mouth. Hearing being twice as critical as talking.
Always liked that phrase, it is so true! Many years ago as a student & then supervisor, I took available opportunities to take communication & mediation workshops/classes so I could be better and more effective at my job (and life!)….it was eye opening, in the midst of the exercises instructors had us do, to discover the times I wasn’t listening effectively & how to recognize it happening…very good skills to learn & internalize.
They selected me as a negotiator because I could talk. I had to learn how to listen, and especially embrace the motto that "listening is not waiting your turn to talk".
Probably one of the most crucial things to learn—and sometimes SO hard (like wanting to interject/interrupt) to just sit and truly listen and be present with what the other person is saying. Helps teach patience too!
Bunny, ignore the idiots who sometimes show up on this site, who for some reason have latched onto your comment as a venue for their nuttiness. I hear you. And I, too, have been in Belfast and all over Northern Ireland at times when the situation was far from "settled," even long after the Good Friday Agreement. I was in Ireland (both the Republic and Northern Ireland) on a long research trip one summer when ongoing issues in both regions of the island started heating up again. That summer, the target in Belfast was Roma families--bigotry is not confined to religion, I'm afraid--but the difference 10 years after the GFA was that people were far less willing to use that as an excuse for further violence. It is also a shame that the current Tory government has been bound and determined to undermine the ongoing peace efforts by promoting the stupidity of Brexit and engaging in an extended temper tantrum re: the border between the R of I and the North.
Thanks Linda. I'm new to the site and hints about how to navigate are appreciated. Fortunately for me, I'm old enough to not take nutty comments seriously or personally. My heart aches for Ireland and also for us at this moment in time...."when will (we) ever learn"?
Thank you, Heather! In the summer of 1970, I took a ferry from Scotland with my American boyfriend, to Belfast. We got off the boat at night and were immediately told to go to our accommodation and not hang around the harbor area. We did just that, and got to a big youth hostel, totally empty. The hosts asked if were married (!) and since we said “no”, they put us in separate dorms. Huge empty rooms. So we got two beds pushed together and slept where we wanted. In the morning, we had to make a stop at the local hospital to help me with a bladder infection. Since we were hitchhiking, I wanted to get it resolved before we set out for our road trip. The hospital was surrounded by armored tanks, Scottish soldiers in kilts sitting high up on top and barbed wire everywhere. The doctors were lovely and very helpful. They gave me some antibiotics and we were on our way. As fate would have it, we got a ride immediately with a young woman driving to Cork, where we were headed to visit my sister, who was working at a hotel there. At the age of twenty, I am not sure how much we knew about the history of Ireland and its conflicts with Northern Ireland. But our Belfast experience left very vivid impressions. My father was Irish American and felt strongly about the struggle for Ireland’s independence. His people were from Killarney and all the people we met on our trip treated me like a long-lost relative. I am so happy to re-visit this history and grateful to learn again what a great man George Mitchell was.
You remind me of a drive from Dublin to Cork at Whitsun in 1963. Just outside Cork, face into the setting sun, we had a mishap with the hire car. A Cork family driving out of town to where there was room to wash their car stopped and came to our rescue. They took us into their home and family, found a motor mechanic although it was a holiday, fed the three of us and found places for us to sleep in their tiny home full of children. We never made jokes about Catholics again. My sister-in-law kept in touch with them for years and years.
The Irish are the salt of the Earth. Thank you, Anne-Louise, for your memory. My dad grew up Catholic and I always went to mass with his mother. But we know the dark history of the abuse of children, etc. No, he only joked about the Pope.....
In 1980, my new husband and I traveled the perimeter of Ireland seeking a picture of the land from whence a sole 14 year old travelled to America in the early 1900’s. She eventually became a mother of 8, losing 2 to the pandemic (?) and a husband to another woman and many grandchildren spread across Flatbush, Queens, Long island and eventually across the US. A tiny little spirited woman with a thick brogue and always a sharp funny comment on her lips
Joe Biden is a good listener, a wise man,and has more experience in government than most representatives and senators currently serving have, or will ever have.
He could be our champion if the MAGA caucus in both houses would stop their belligerent poisonous vitriol and allow him to listen them back to democracy.
We need to give our President four more years to try, if he is willing--especially while George Mitchell is still alive to give him some personal advice and counsel. Bill Clinton would also be a great resource.
We could help the process and the President in two ways: First, by asking him to do it; and second, by clearing out the worst congressional offenders come 2024.
We could become a movement, as Snyder would say....
Mitchell didn't solve an intractable situation like Northern Ireland by eliminating one of the parties. You have your MAGA, Northern Ireland has its DUP (and believe me, these guys are annoying to the Nth degree). In order to get everyone round the table without guns and flags, it took a long time, and the kind of openness that can only happen by accepting a party exactly where it is.
I remember the DUP ranting on about Papists and jezebels and their loyalist pals doing drive-by shootings - and I remember IRA bomb scares in London and them using taxi drivers to blow up pubs in NI, with the blessing of Sinn Fein. I remember the children dying due to sectarianism.
The cure to sectarianism isn't more sectarianism, as Mitchell understood. You might not like the MAGA politicians or base - neither do I ! - and they don't like you, but they are part of your polity and you have to find a way of living with them; and they will have to find a way of living with you. The USA needs a George Mitchell to bring that about.
Yup. Hate yer guts Annis. How dare you speak with such utter wisdom. Reminds me that the road to town is sometimes muddy but it’s still the road to town.
Annis, I'm advocating the reduction of a nihilistic, insanely intractable caucus by voters--not the whole party. Thought that was clear enough. We should not have to "live with" the MAGAt politicians. They, not their base, are attempting to destroy our democracy.
Annis, I get your point. You earned it. And we are in danger of something similar happening right here. I just want to activate voters who are represented by folks like MTG from my state and George Santos, Matt Gaetz, et al. People who are recognized grifters, who do not represent anyone but themselves. If they only have a constituency of one?Vote them out, make it a little easier to save this country....
Grifters definitely have no place in politics (or the judiciary!)... call them out for that! But differences of opinion and worldview are another thing - and inevitable (even in a place as small as Northern Ireland - let alone in a big diverse country like the US).
Call me an idealist, but sincere differences of opinion--and compromise between leader statesmen/stateswomen--have the best chance to find acceptable results for the most people. Usually....
Presently, we do not have that here--and it is not very likely that Americans would accept an "outsider" in the manner that the factions in Northern Ireland did; nor would Americans, who are accustomed to instant gratification, likely grant the extensive time for the process. If we can't abide a supply chain Christmas presents lag, could we endure 5 years of negotiation to save democracy? These are my thoughts and anxieties as I ponder the usefulness of my original comment.
Annis, Thanks for exchanging thoughts, and I wish for you happiness in your Iife, and joy in your labors!
The hypocritical neo-fascist Joe Biden stole the Democratic nomination from Bernie Sanders:
Check the eye-popping discrepancies in the 2020 Massachusetts primary, which featured (according to the Edison exit poll) identical 4% swings away from both Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren in Biden's favor, giving Biden a whisker-thin win.
Here's another issue that paid neo-fascist minions don't want you to think about:
Davison Budhoo, in his 1988 resignation letter from the International Monetary Fund, confessed his guilt in "our own peculiar Holocaust":
"To me resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind’s eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. ...The blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers....
"The charges that I make touch at the very heart of western society and western morality and post-war inter-governmental institutionalism that have degenerated into fake and sham under the pretext of establishingand maintaining international economic order and global efficiency....
"Will the world be content merely to brand our institution as among the most insidious enemies of humankind? Will our fellowmen condemn us thus and let the matter rest? Or will the heirs of those whom we have dismembered in our own peculiar Holocaust clamor for another Nuremberg?
"I don’t mind telling you that this matter has haunted me; it has haunted me particularly over the past five years. It has haunted me because I know that if I am tried I will be found guilty, very guilty, without extenuating circumstance...."
This is what I'm trying to accomplish with my documentary that's in it's early stages of production..."Monumental Struggle". Reconciliation in a community that is divided over a 100 year old Confederate Monument, that got moved to the Cross Keys battlefield in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. Some people embrace the idea. For others I'm getting pushback from people in Talbot County who say "it's too soon", you're "tearing off the scab"...many on both sides say "it's impossible"...which is what they also said about moving the monument.
Reconciliation was the theme of the 50th Anniversary Reunion for Vets of Gettysburg. 50,000 old white men came together...mostly peacefully...a few got in a knife fight over Jeff Davis. They came back home and erected a confederate monument...that got moved a year ago.
George Mitchell proved peace & reconciliation can be accomplished. BRAVO. There is a national conference in Gettysburg this 4th of July week of the Braver Angels. 90 years after the 1913 reunion. My goal is to get representatives of all the diverse sides of this from Talbot County to attend and begin the Reconciliation process...and take that back home...and spread it out. We will document that...and tell that story. Watch for more details on my page. THANKS HCR for your dedicated work. You inspire me every day.
I had the good fortune to meet Senator George Mitchell in Portland, Maine in 1980 or '81, where I was living then. I was participating in a Veterans Center for US military veterans, and Sen. Mitchell met with us to listen to our stories. I was very impressed with his dignity and his manner. Everything I learned about him during that period left a lasting impression that he is a fine human being.
“The different sides called him to vent about the other sides, and Mitchell listened.”
It seems that a lot of the disenchantment with politicians is based in the belief that none of them listen to anyone who doesn’t have a lot of money to contribute.
If only we could convince them that Biden, and the people that he’s gathered around him, are listening and are trying hard to make their lives better.
Our politicians like Jordon, MTG, Santos, and Boebert are too clueless to what they are even fighting for to talk or listen or compromise. They’re just troublemakers.
There’s other names that can be added to this list. And, you are so correct. What this bunch represents can’t be put in print here, but a clue is the solid food, after it’s traveled through the horse!
"Taking counsel from his brief time as a federal judge, he would not socialize with any of the different participants to avoid looking as if he were playing favorites. "
SCOTUS could pick up some pointers.
" 'I had no authority to impose it,' he told Kane. But two years of listening had paid off: all the different sides trusted him. 'He listened us to agreement,' one of the political leaders said."
How emotional adults deal with controversy.
2-years of listening...after centuries of hate and violence...
In our own time of trouble, with our fragile democracy challenged daily, our national mental health individually and as a nation in question, you know what, we learn anew...
“He listened us to agreement.” A profound lesson for governments and friendships alike.
I am a psychologist by profession. Fifty years plus of training and doing therapy, all the theories all the new developments in therapy and I do think that listening and hearing with respect and empathy and doing so humbly can make all the difference.
At this moment in THIS country - there is very little listening - VERY little! And yes it sure should be and IS a profound lesson!
Dear J L Graham, I always enjoy your comments and you are SO right, SCOTUS could sure pick up some pointers!
But we know the RW 6 will NOT listen-only their agenda matters to them-they've decided that THEY should determine the course of the country; to hell w/the actual law.
Actually Barbara, they ARE the Law. They write it, they revise it, they manipulate it, they parse it, they interpret it; with word salad judgements using language that is unintelligible to average citizens to create rulings that say whatever the (vulgar reference deleted, starts with F) they want, er what the MONEY BACKERS want
Congress can pass any law they can muster, but the Gsng of Six can invent opinions based on wholecloth Alito Nonsense and it sticks. Precedent? Be damned. Its now rule by decree
And when a 5-4 decision was made, it was really one justice's opinion which mattered.
We need to expand the Court. I still have a clear and nasty image of Amy Comey Barrett's installation ceremony in the Rose Garden. So incredibly creepy.,
You meant to say,... Amy Phony Barrett, right?
Amy Coathanger Barrett. Loathsome.
Friendly correction: That Super-Spreader Rose Garden event was the formal nomination ceremony. It was followed by the Senate hearings and confirmation after which she was immediately sworn in at the White House at night. Nothing weird or desperate about that, what with only eight days remaining until the election.
Thanks for the correction. I'm a gardener, so what really stayed in my mind was the super spreader in the Rose Garden. The whole thing was extremely disgusting. For a woman who purports to be moral in the extreme, it was an inauspicious beginning, to say the least. So sick of these people. I truly am.
But as Finley Peter Dunne’s Mr. Dooley observed (hokey accent in original), “Whither or not the Constitution follows the flag, the Supreme Court follows th’ illiction returns.” and so it does, eventually.
Or reality of changed times!
That was also the first thing I thought of while reading it.
The problem is Colette Wismer, most of them are brought by the GOP and their enablers!
I did note that sentence about socializing also in contrast to some on the Stench Court. Thomas, where the focus is now, continues to make excuses and be arrogant. I wonder if that creep has ever taken responsibility for anything wrong that he has done. And two years of listening instead of shouting and twitting. I did also like that Biden commented on how fragile democracy is and tied it to January 6th. A while back I did read a book on British imperialism including what is now the Republic. It is easy to understand why things took the course they did.
“All the immense progress we see around us was built through conversation and compromise, discussion and debate, voting and inclusion."
This is precisely what democracy requires but Republicans abhor.
Governing requires patience, diplomacy, and really hard work and compromise, something the Republican Party is no longer capable of. They have no new ideas, only the old standards of hate, fear, and tax breaks for the wealthy. It's not working.
We see in "Nature" a strong, inbred desire to dominate. Some argue that this legitimizes, but certain spiders may kill and eat their mates, and as a human practice most find this repellent. Some mammals kill each other's children or even their own. That makes a certain kind of sense from a strictly inborn behavior perspective, but we humans are a different animal, albeit one with a great overlap of features with others, and while I think I detect precedent for my own self awareness in my dog, there is a immense change type of thinking to a species that can build computer microprocessors and the Internet.
And it's not just the sophistication of our tools; it's the the degree to which we are what we learn, and while not exactly the "blank slate" William James proposed, our children's basic education is way more extended than that of other creatures, and in old age we are learning still. All creatures eat, but our food is always, to some degree, an art form, even a sandwich. All creatures procreate, but we make love in extended and creative ways. We sup from the Tree of Knowledge and recognize the consequences of our actions as beneficial or harmful to others, which ultimately aids the resilience of our species and our quality of life. We have articulate if imperfect insight into the experiences of other and resonate with empathy.
And some people still prefer a hierarchical society where they get to dominate; where it is winner takes all, and there are the superior people and the inferior people, masters and slaves, to which social justice and democracy are mortal enemies.
"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
Emotionally intelligent.
Our SC has too many fools on board
“We learn anew with every generation that democracy needs champions.”
Amen! Democracy needs champions to help bend the moral arc of the universe toward justice.
In our own time of trouble, with our fragile democracy challenged daily, our national mental health individually and as a nation in question, you know what, we. learn anew...
Or a few more good souls to the polls.
I keep this close by to remind me and motivate me.
“A shift of fewer than 80,000 votes in three states (Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin) — or 0.06% of 137 million cast — would not just have made Hillary Clinton president.
The bottom line: Perhaps even more important for the long run, a young liberal Supreme Court might have ruled on America for a generation.
The WashPost's Philip Bump did the math about Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin back during the transition:
"Trump won those states by 0.2, 0.7 and 0.8 percentage points, respectively — and by 10,704, 46,765 and 22,177 votes. Those three wins gave him 46 electoral votes; if Clinton had done one point better in each state, she'd have won the electoral vote, too."
"But for 79,646 votes cast in those three states, she'd be the next president of the United States."”
https://www.axios.com/2018/06/28/hillary-clinton-2016-election-votes-supreme-court-liberal-justice
It kind of makes you sick, doesn't it? Weak men hate powerful women. Eleanor Roosevelt said that a long time ago. People like DT and Putin are, at the core, weak because they rely on others to do their fighting for them. But for all their wealth and "power", I suspect neither is happy.
Yes, this summary paragraph caught my attention as well. Beautifully stated, very relevant.
And then there's the hypocritical neo-fascist Joe Biden, who stole the Democratic nomination from Bernie Sanders:
Check the eye-popping discrepancies in the 2020 Massachusetts primary, which featured (according to the Edison exit poll) identical 4% swings away from both Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren in Biden's favor, giving Biden a whisker-thin win.
https://tdmsresearch.com/2020/03/04/massachusetts-2020-democratic-party-primary/
You're in the wrong room for that comment, son, borrowing one of the worst pages from the republican playbook.
After a brief internet search for TDM Research I find your link highly suspicious.
Take your blowhard somewhere else.
Republican playbook? The Republicans don't make noises about election poll discrepancies because they're doing the same thing, especially in Alabama:
https://tdmsresearch.com/2020/12/14/2020-u-s-senate-elections/
Over 700 + million awarded for lies by Fox News about voting machines lies from Fox News case. President Biden is as clean as every other President -can one be president among all the graft and corruptions in every place on earth -that's politics. We are so lucky
Biden won since the Republican party needs to find candidates. I recommend VP Mike Pense Republican,and Presidential Candidate Republican Liz Cheney.
OR anyone one who is ethical . PRESIDENT Biden and VP Harris should receieve medals for keeping American safe from the few Facist Republicans. Americans want the Congress and Senate to stop listening to deranged members and show some leadership. I hope some members of our Supreme Court can also recall ethical choices. We are all Americans so "love it or leave it" how ironic we were all told that when we opposed the war in Vietnam. write on, Heather. Sincerely, Linda
Maybe we can all agree on something quite simple,....that the word "conservative" should stop being used in ANY context referencing Fox "News" (and the entire GOP for that matter). In its place should be the word Extremist or equal.
In the aftermath of yesterday's admission of guilt by Fox in settling, knowing they would be declared Guilty of outright Lies in a court of law we find today main stream media's articles using their typical terms "conservative channel", "conservative media model", "conservative media bubble", etc. It is yet one more perversion of reality when the "conservatives" of even just as recent as the Obama years swore by family values & strong foreign policy but now swear by the AR15, lies are truth, books / education and science are evil, and that Russia is our ally.
There is Nothing "conservative" in Any of these things. Just say what it really is, ......Extremist.
I have long used the words radical regressive because that's what they are and this point that means they are the party of death.
The DEATHEATERS like in Harry Potter!
Indeed. They destroy everything which is why I call you know who death star.
Biden won the Presidency but he listens and works with both Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren and that is a huge difference from what we see with the Fascist Republicans. One reason why Sanders ran was to shift the dialog in America and he did that in many ways. Biden is a capable leader and ethical. Get behind him and push. Sanders and Warren are.
I am a "retired" teacher.
I frequently had students ask " who are you going to vote for.. ..." I would smile and continue with my duties. After a while an older student said why won't you talk politics with us.
"Because I don't argue with children. "
I refrain from conversations with the poorly read, and those exhibiting limited thinking and research before spewing the contents of a small and festered mind.
I didn't try to influence my students in either politics or religion because I was in a public school and it was separation of church and state and unprofessional to do so.
I influenced my students with simulations where they decided the issues that were relevant for our grade, and then our candidates developed platforms and we had debates, and we simulated all aspects of an election, while reading a book with characters who were having a school election. The children learned to run a campaign, develop slogans, design hats, pins, posters, and make short commercials. What I was teaching was critical thinking. We would then implement the things in their platforms, which were remarkably similar, just with different approaches. Things like water conservation, that led to developing a whole campaign to save the Great Lake right in our front yard, and to have more relevant books to teach inclusive histories, which we did, and spent time on. Of course, one notices that both teachers and parents values come through in these election simulations for fourth grade, and fifth grade. I find that later on in middle school children then run for student government which is not just a simulation. I think one does not have to discuss what the national parties and what the adults are doing, but have the children develop their own parties around their own issues. What I am saying is that one can teach children to think politically without using the adult political issues and situation. One can look at it on a student level and deal with their issues.
Oh, I agree. I taught high school government and i found that students came up with the issues and their own answers. I meditated and insisted on civility. This was some years ago in the nineties. I wanted them to think for themselves and tried to give them opportunities to do so, so no textbooks and quizzes. We did a lot of work in the library. I did have to give them a final as that was something we all had to do. On that I had a variety of opportunities for them to earn points and they could chose what they wanted to do and I sat down with each one of the individually to plan that. I also coached girls basketball for a while. If players wanted to pray that was fine, but it was their thing, not mine. I am thinking now about the football coach in WA who won out at the Supreme Court. So wrong as far as i am concerned.
Does that mean you don't talk to yourself?
“Stole the election”? Biden had 45 pledged delegates, Sanders had 29 and Warren 17. That’s not even close. And why are you still stuck in 2020? Even Sanders and Warren have moved on. And “Neo-Fascist”? Biden? The name calling is laughable. Remember when you point your finger at someone else, you’ve got three fingers pointing back at you.
As tabulated by Theodore de Macedo Soares, there was a consistent pattern of discrepancies between the official primary results and the Edison exit polls, in Biden's favor, throughout the Democratic primaries.
John Schmeeckle "Check the eye-popping discrepancies in the 2020 Massachusetts primary, which featured (according to the Edison exit poll) identical 4% swings away from both Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren in Biden's favor, giving Biden a whisker-thin win."
𝘈𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘔𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 34% 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘝𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘑𝘰𝘦 𝘉𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘷𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨.
https://www.factcheck.org/2020/03/no-huge-red-flag-that-fraud-occurred-in-mass-primary/
Not quite. You're getting confused over what that article said. If you care to share a direct quote, I'll share my thoughts. Part of the problem is that the article makes much of the fact that somebody appears to have misinterpreted de Macedo Soares in a twitter tweet.
I believe FactCheck over a rightwing research paper any day!
You're missing the point; Ron Boyd mis-read that fact-check article; it simply doesn't say what Ron Boyd claims.
And you have no reason to dismiss Theodore de Macedo Soares as "right-wing," because he also points out Republican discrepancies from exit polls in Senate races, most notably in Alabama, as discussed here:
https://tdmsresearch.com/2020/12/14/2020-u-s-senate-elections/
Troll somewhere else.
Schmeeckle is a virus. If you see his name, just scroll on.
Heather's letter today has nothing to do with the U.S., with Joe Biden, with the 2020 election, with anything that you are persisting in trying to bring to the attention of this forum. Not only are you in the wrong room, but the wrong league of thinkers. Trolls and Bots don't think OR know how to listen.
What an absurd thing to say. HCR quoted Biden's hypocritical praise of democracy.
You didn't listen to what HCR had to say. You know a lot about trolls and bots; which one are you?
Look to your own house, Mister. It's rotting and rancid.
My own house? I'm an old-school FDR Democrat.
The Republicans don't make noises about election poll discrepancies because they're doing the same thing, especially in Alabama:
https://tdmsresearch.com/2020/12/14/2020-u-s-senate-elections/
Desperate to get some troubles going here at home, are we?
Here at home?
The Republicans don't make noises about election poll discrepancies because they're doing the same thing, especially in Alabama:
https://tdmsresearch.com/2020/12/14/2020-u-s-senate-elections/
Schmeeckle is a virus. If you see his name, just scroll on.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. rips the Deep State in his presidential campaign announcement speech:
-
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/watch-rfk-jr-tells-deep-state-nice-try-fire-alarm-interrupts-his-presidential
“Hypocritical neo-fascist. . .eye-popping. . .whisker-thin” indicates a lack of seriousness. Name calling and loaded language weakens any point you may have had.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. rips the Deep State in his presidential campaign announcement speech:
-
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/watch-rfk-jr-tells-deep-state-nice-try-fire-alarm-interrupts-his-presidential
Nice photo of you posted here!? Relevance? Basta!
??
Polls? "Polls," you say? Polls are like pols. You can't trust them. "Trust them?" I ask.
Exit polls are different from pre-election polls. And Edison polls are well regarded. If you read the linked article, you might have a further comment.
YOU who places so much faith in "polls" need to read the book "COUNTING: How We Use Numbers to Decide What Matters" by Deborah Stone.
You are being mislead.
You misrepresent by saying "polls" rather than "exit polls." I think it is obvious that not all exit polls are equal. In this particular case, Edison polls are considered to be more reliable than most.
YOU need to read the book "Votescam: The Stealing of America," the first 39 pages of which are online here:
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Votescam/ZxpZCgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PT9&printsec=frontcover
Oh Lord, you want to believe you’re serious, right? Exit polls? First Grade Tucker. Seriously? No wait, not
Trollish sneering is a poor fig leaf for obstinate refusal to engage with unpleasant information. Here's a different example of an exit poll:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/08/exit-polls-2022-elections/
You take, my friend, the kind of position that seeks to criticize but fails to offer solutions, and is precisely what George Mitchell faced and overcame in bringing an end to the Troubles in Ireland. Note that the rear view camera, if you have one on you car, works only when you are backing up, not moving forward. Even Sanders and Warren (whom I supported) have moved on!
It's not about a single election; it's about a chronic disease in our electoral system. Your diagnosis of my approach is limited by an acute lack of information, which so far you have done nothing to remedy.
My outline of big-picture solutions is here:
http://earthwarning.org/index.php/what-should-we-do/
That six-year-old link offers some good ideas about where we must go to save the planet. But to start on that road, we need a government and population willing to accept that challenge.
Looking backward and criticiizing President Biden avoids doing that, drawing attention from what should be our real goals. 'Better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness.['
Don’t mistake my comment as trolling but rather a cynical approach to you using an “exit poll” in place of an actual vote in order to claim “an election theft”
Unless you can prove the voting was rigged, your accusation is cattle feed
Besides, Primaries are under the control of the party apparatus, which is not a governmental function
Nice try at disingenuous spin. The point is the pattern of discrepancies between the exit polls and the official results throught the 2020 primaries, consistently in Biden's favor, with Massachusetts being the most egregious example.
Did you officially register for the exit poll, hummmm?
The point is, exit polls don’t decide squat. Biden won a primary. Go complain to Southern Baptist Preachers
Thank you Heather. I can tell you that the peace brought about by Senator Mitchell, Bill Clinton and all the stakeholders in the North is a wonderful thing. I live in the Republic, but travelling to and fro from here to the
North( that’s what we call Northern Ireland) is so easy now. I remember travelling as a student in the 1980s, past pill boxes with British soldiers with weapons and camouflage was a spooky thing. Now you just drive on the motorway from Dublin to Belfast. Thank you the Americans who helped bring about this peace.
Síocháin in Éirinn. Peace in Ireland. Thank God!
Christopher, I was a student at Trinity in Dublin in 77-78. I vividly remember my first trip to Belfast to visit friends. Since I am an American, I was immediately suspect - guns, money, other contraband. I was patted down, every part of my luggage was inspected and my guitar case was ripped to shreds. By the time I got across, I was so frightened I could barely speak. Safe to say that whatever naiveté I might have still had was gone in that moment. And the most valuable lesson? Speak only when spoken to. Those soldiers were as young and frightened as I was.
I can’t wait to come back to your beautiful country and drive that trip again. Siochan in Eirinn. What a blessing, even an uneasy one.
I read that while in Ireland President Biden unexpectedly met the priest who gave last rites to his son Beau. What a powerful moment that must have been.
Joe Biden is exactly what our country needed coming out of the Trump presidency. I hope that history will be kind to him.
I'm confident that history WILL be kind to Joe Biden. He accomplished some truly historic things with a supportive congress in two short years. Sadly, it wasn't even close to bipartisan support, but I think the public is far more supportive than is represented by Congress. The public is also complacent, but has been jarred awake by events over the last several years that are obviously ongoing even now. What I think we are learning painfully is that democracy is not only hard to establish, but it is also subject to assault when not actively maintained. We have not been vigilant. We have only begun to show signs of concern in the last three national elections due to the experience following the 2016 presidential election. What would convince me that the public is truly paying attention and playing their rightful and necessary part in the political process would be historically large registration and voting numbers, growing election by election, until we have 90+ % participation of eligible residents of this country. Even with all the current shenanigans carried out in multiple states to restrict the vote, there are literally tens of millions of complacent but eligible voters who don't show up on election day. It's easy to see when a lawn is untended. Right now, our state and national political landscapes are choked with weeds.
I think election day should be a national holiday or if not that, do it like they do in Spain, it is always on a weekend and it is more than one day.
Making Election Day a holiday is overly simplistic. It ignores all the essential workers such as first responders, hospital staff, store clerks, etc. who all have to cover shifts on “holidays”.
A better solution is to copy New Mexico, which has early voting for two weeks before the election - Monday through Saturday. We vote at “Convenience Centers”, rather than individual precincts. There is at least one in every county, more depending on population numbers. In Albuquerque (Bernalillo County) we have about a dozen to choose from. A ballot for your precinct is printed on the spot. If there’s a long line at one, you can go to another. Local news updates us on technical problems at one center, recommending others nearby. Long lines at one prompt advice to go to another. On Election Day, there are more than twice as many open. It works well and allows voters access regardless of their work schedules.
A great idea Danielle. Another solution is to implement a universal vote-by-mail as in California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Vermont and Washington state.
Great post. Frankly I'd be content with 70% of the eligible electorate. Anything but a miserable 55%. If we do slip into dictatorship we can thank the 45% of the electorate too selfish to take an interest in their own government to take the time to THINK and VOTE.
I was taught by an old man who was the closest to a functional father I ever had that ideas trump facts, and beliefs trump ideas; and that beliefs tend to be based on emotions.
I agree. Beliefs are largely based on emotions. The trumpster understands this like an evangelical, fire and brimstone, preacher. And they use these emotional beliefs to rake in huge fortunes. What we need to do is use this "belief system" to ease their self doubt, show them a future in which they are valued. Just telling them the truth won't cut it, their emotions far outweigh their intellect. This is one of the reasons I was so devastated by the Dominion Fox settlement. Dominion won. Fox won. America lost. If there is one thing Murdoch knows how to do and do well it's catering to people's emotional belief system. Shame on the FCC for not revoking Fox's broadcasting license nationwide.
You are absolutely correct, and I too am dismayed that Dominion let Fox off. Money wins, ethics loses again. Ethics in our culture is the most and soonest disaposible quality. Ask anyone in the legal system. A friend was told by her attorney that principles don't pay. Thanks for your response.
Yes, again, facts are irrelevant when beliefs are implanted by their leader and attacked by rational argument. He has them convinced they are victims. I just had a thought which may be appropos - I had an apartment neighbor whom I could not communicate with. Finally after months of passing each other in the building I saw her at a laundromat where I was getting my laundry done. I introduced myself and remarked that she always wore a scowl. She was about 30 and very attractive. She burst out "How would you feel every day if you ran the YWCA bettered women's shelter and 80% of those who came for help went back to their abusive partner?" I was shocked, and asked why she thought they gave up. She said it was because these women could not imagine a futute without the abuse, the unknown was too vague, and they feared they would be found and dragged back home. So I am wondering if there is any validity in suggesting that his followers can't imagine admitting they might have been wrong to support him, that they would have to switch sides or not participate at all, that they feel they are part of a force of self-styled victims who would lose the support of their fellow Trump worshipers. Fear of that unknown. What do you think, and how would you approach this impasse? They shouldn't be ignored, should they?
Your response is very astute Ed. And I agree with the incident in the laundromat. For 14 years I was a part of a Social Services Agency. During those years I did see a lot of my recipients with "battered women syndrome". Many of them came from abusive homes during their childhoods and this further abuse met their expectations. It took a lot of support and counseling to help them permanently leave the abusive male. Sometimes it wasn't until that abuser went after the children before she'd make a permanent change. As to the MAGA crowd, I think most of the rank and file are less educated, more prone to evangelical type beliefs. They live in smaller, frequently rural communities where there are few individuals who look or act different. They cannot easily relate to us city dwellers, concerned about streets, highways, fair treatment of all etc. The MAGA lot feels we disrespect them and care nothing for their problems. What we need to let them know is we regard all citizens as Americans and we do respect them for doing the best they can. We should not approach them as though we consider them country bumpkins, but as fellow citizens with different needs, but needs all the same. Eventually they will understand the trumpster doesn't give two hoots in hell about their well being - and they will determine this on their own.
That fellow was absolutely right. We see that concept in play every single day in governing bodies all over the country from the town commissions to Congress and everything in between.
"The True Believer" by Eric Hoffer
I’d like to see rank-choice voting. I think, if I am understanding it correctly, it would make it possible for more than the voices of two parties.
I live in Dakota County, Minnesota. In 2020, we had one of the highest voter turnouts in the nation at 93%. Young, old, wealthy, low income, New Americans, native borns, everyone I know here voted. Why?
Minnesota has same day voter registration, many many polling places, and on the rare
occasions in which I’ve had to stand in line, I have done so happily because my employers fully supported me voting early and coming in late. That isn’t a rare attitude here. (Minnesota often is in the top two of voter turnout in national elections. Its statewide, not just the Twin Cities.)
Contrast that with places where voter suppression is fully enforced. Few drop boxes for mail in ballots or very challenging rules to obtain one. Voter ID requirements that are burdensome or out of reach for low income residents. Fewer polling places in neighborhoods of color. And on and on and on. Not to mention that if I’m going to lose my job if I’m late to work, what do you think I’m going to prioritize?
Are there millions of complacent voters who just don’t care? Yup. But I’m much more interested in those who want to vote and can’t. Let’s focus our efforts there. And help them register to vote , get to their polling places, and work to repeal voter suppression laws. 90+ percent turnout is possible but not with the giant voter suppression efforts that are occurring. Let’s be aggressive in repealing those state by state and promoting and pushing voter’s rights laws nationally.
That is what we need . You are so right Sheila B. Jerry Weis too has step by step plans for getting voters out in Calif. He works with others to help teach the methods that promote action.
We owe those who work for us all a big thank you. 😇🎶🦋
Sheila, I’m also a Minnesotan who is proud of our voter turnout statistics. It can be done, in both blue and red districts, and it should be our national goal.
Biden is having to deal with many evil and corrupt politicians and their evangelical and ultra-rich patrons who do not believe in Democracy. Follow the debate about the Judiciary Committee or watch any Trump hate-speech.
Just Sayin' Writes Nathan’s Substack "What I think we are learning painfully is that democracy is not only hard to establish, but it is also subject to assault when not actively maintained."
Which is why democracies are not more popular... and why Benevolent Autocracies are so attractive.
"𝘐𝘯 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘺, 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘺 𝘧𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘷𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩. 𝘛𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵-𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘴 — 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘢𝘹𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘴 — 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘶𝘯."
[Gift Link -- good for two weeks]
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/12/opinion/international-world/singapore-autocracy-democracy.html?unlocked_article_code=GY6O4j1xPa9ctKwTR6beKd_Qi9677iO_2O1t339IJOoqSYWlgyoEu0y3TI_oWCtA-4J6G0MUiTWh2ADmgIRxzoSjDPcqaXsEBZ5Nvf1VUeT-67m_gd3qZDqVQWNywNOa8Wv4DmCs69u6nKErnLE55rFN7gEWctE8E_kgN_zEOW5qv-cGDRSnijh_yiIRafZxYVS_AghNjzgeJYwgL7ULLf0KJFraxPocLtTXMlPedpLlxUY3Fl8HcJxqKUDxra5Ww3hJKKsK5i3af1Qvsi1fxMdUJ3ZEG0CCF2KJvDKgQVH8aRvr83LDkMZKIREFNYArsENIGuQhkiEhPdpaUOzkSzdZ2GI5v-wls17QtyeFCZ5CyMyrWK9FXm3gEg&giftCopy=4_Disclaimer&smid=url-share
Thank you, Ron, for gifting this article. I visited Singapore in 2002 and was very interested in the many innovative ways their benevolent leadership’s policies and programs reinforced public health. I agreed with the Singapore author, however, who said (paraphrased) If you want your children to be safe and healthy, Singapore is where you raise them. But if you want them to be creative and intellectually curious get them out of Singapore.
Sadly, I have come to believe that people in positions of power generally use that power to entrench and enrich themselves, whether in autocratic or democratic societies. Thus, many many guardrails and checks/balances are the only protection people have.
Even more sadly, we have allowed those guardrails to be corrupted and/or ignored. The checks are checking very little and the balances are very unbalanced.
Sometimes I am glad I won’t be here long enough to see America become a fascist autocratic state. Selfish of me, but I am too pessimistic to believe we are going to keep our republic.
I thought this article, with some of Lee Kuan Yew's thoughts about where Singapore might end up eventually, was interesting. It added an extra layer to the NYT article I had just read prior.
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/singapores-future-according-to-lee-kuan-yew
We also need to shut down Fox "news." I met up with a dear old friend who is not a complacent voter and now realizes that her anti-Hillary vote in 2016 was a mistake. And, she agreed, Desantis is not the answer either. "But I am really impressed with this new one, very straight forward man, Jim Jordan." Guess what plays in her living room day and night.
"Impressed with this new one, very straight forward man, Jim Jordan" Oh, my goodness*. How does one see that in the Senator from Ohio?
*paraphrase for an utterance of blasphemy, vulgarity, and profanity.
Thanks Ally. I was stunned. And thank Goddess I had finished my dinner or I would have needed a Heimlech.
Friendly correction: Jordan is a representative, not a senator. Ohio's senators are the marvelous Sherrod Brown and the execrable JD Vance.
Thank you.
Straightforward. Bullies are straightforward.
😳 😳 “Gym Jordan” doesn’t get thru the Faux colored lenses?
The hypocritical neo-fascist Joe Biden stole the Democratic nomination from Bernie Sanders:
https://tdmsresearch.com/2020/03/04/massachusetts-2020-democratic-party-primary/
Give it up, Schmeeckle. One comment is enough.
Derek, John read that for propaganda to become effective, it has to be repeated
Tell John that this audience doesn’t “Tucker”
You might check the eye-popping discrepancies in the 2020 Massachusetts primary, which featured (according to the Edison exit poll) identical 4% swings away from both Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren in Biden's favor, giving Biden a whisker-thin win.
https://tdmsresearch.com/2020/03/04/massachusetts-2020-democratic-party-primary/
I don't think you're going to find much sympathy for your comments on this forum...
The numbers in the discrepancies between the official Massachusetts primary results and the exit poll deserve consideration and explanation, regardless of whether you want to shoot the messenger.
Ya think? 🤫
Schmeeckle is a virus. If you see his name, just scroll on.
What a great read today. I remember the work of George Mitchell, was witness to some of it playing out at the time, and gave me pause that any faction in our country could consider chancing civil war. I was in Londonderry and Belfast in the 1990s as part of a EU disability and employment initiative. This was about the time Northern Ireland's economy had burned down and tanked. British troops were in fortresses, there were checkpoints for civilians, one lane into the airport, young men in military green carried assault weapons everywhere, the sound of sirens was in the air, and the people were grimly sober. I didn't mention to my family until I came home that the lobby in our hotel was blown up while we were off meeting at a neutral site, nor that the hotel next to where I lodged the last weekend there had to be evacuated. Some speakers were hinting hopefully about the progress of the talks. But, the sense of occupation, how closed was the economy, and places that were once filled with sounds and people were silent and empty. In 2014 we came back to a nation in recovery. The two things that most impressed me upon return were the contrasting vibrancy between Dublin (pulsating) and Belfast (muted) and the lingering sense in Belfast of the past not forgiven or forgot among our generation. Civil War has a lasting effect and makes this 25th Anniversary of the Good Friday Peace such an important point for inflection forward in the hands of the generation we saw emerging during our trip back.
Yes, you remember those fortresses! Ferrying tropes by helicopter because it was too dangerous to transport them by road.
That should read troops...
Agree, President Biden is an excellent leader who I appreciate every day.
As someone who was born in 'Northern' Ireland and who voted for the Good Friday Agreement in the referendum in the Republic of Ireland where I now live, I often say the greatest gift the United States of America ever gave to Ireland was a brilliantly humble man called Senator George Mitchell.
The dignity, decorum and authenticity of this man stands in stark contrast to the Before and After Trump era which has injected so much bile into the daily discourse of American politics and between families and neighbours who identify as Republican or Democrats.
It is so sad to watch, knowing from experience the inherent dangers that intemperate words carry, especially when uttered without due care and diligence and the necessary intellectual rigor one should expect from public officials and lawmakers.
Don, beautifully written. Thank you for voting for the Good Friday Agreement in the referendum. God Bless you. God Bless Ireland, north and south.
Thank you Elizabeth. We have a lot in common through writing and photography. And our desire to slay the authoritarian dragon
You got that right! Maybe I’ll come visit you in Ireland someday….
Thank you Don, so well said. We need more people like George Mitchell in politics today to help keep democracy strong!
The last episode of "The Derry Girls" was centered on The Vote. It left me sobbing long after the credits rolled. Even now I get tears in my eyes when I think about the horrors of that time and the miracle of the Agreement.
They were tough times, indeed, my friend. I was a schoolboy witness to the Bloody Sunday massacre and its cover-up. My book 'Eyewitness Bloody Sunday ' played a key role in the decision to establish a new Public Inquiry which became the longest running and most expensive in British legal history, and inspired Paul Greengrass's award winning movie 'Bloody Sunday'.
For me personally, one of the great tragedies of the so-called 'Troubles' was and, in many cases still remains, the amount of creative energy and intelligence invested in righting wrongs.
Sadly, Rupert Murdoch's British tabloids played an equally cynical and dishonest role in whipping up fears which narrowly succeeded in securing Brexit, an ongoing destabilising factor in undermining the successes of the GFA.
All a reminder that we must be vigilant in the ongoing struggle for democracy.
Thank you for your insights. Very powerful.
It fills me with sad-fury that so many in this country are willing to toss democratic principles out the door in favor of an autocracy. And not just any autocracy but one lead by the single most incompetent and venal person to every hold the title of President of the United States.
Isn't that the truth. Here's my email address: donmullan@yahoo.co.uk I hope we meet sometime. Best wishes, Don
Peace is hard. War is easy. Compromise is difficult. Conflict is demoic. What George Mitchell did with the support of Bill Clinton will stand and has stood the test of time in humanity's time frame. It is and will be, much like the Middle East peace accord brokered by Jimmy Carter, Anwar Sadat, and Menachem Begin, a model for the future. We can always hope. Maybe Sudan can be next.
We are a lot closer to Northern Ireland than I ever could have imagined in the days of "The Troubles." The chasm between sides was beyond rational thought, cemented by hundreds of years of conflict and mistrust. And yet again our disagreements and prejudices deny questioning, as we grip tighter to them. "Blessed are the peacemakers....." indeed. We must remember statesmanship, and listen to each other as well.
Thank you, Craig. Yes, "blessed are the peacemakers!"
It is indeed an interesting parallel.
Mitchell versus Santos: “It was the best of Georges, it was the worst of Georges.”
The nineties seem like a century ago, history will show that with the Good Friday Agreement and the resolution of the Serbia-Bosnia conflict, Bill Clinton’ administration helped European peace immensely.
Thanks to Senator Mitchell, Northern Ireland has peace and prosperity.
As a European who was a young adult in the 1990s, I didn't have to wait for history to catch up with that realisation: the Clinton administration was crucial to European post-cold-war peace.
My one big sadness is that it didn't extend to Russia - which was left - by Europeans and North Americans - to the cowboy capitalism that eventually delivered Putin.
We're having our own problems with "cowboy capitalism" in the U.S. A very apt description.
And their cattle they manage are non-whites and women.
I think we are the origin of cowboy capitalism.
“Cowboy capitalism.” I am about to read the story of the Dulles brothers of which the book review description is that their view of the world was just that. Thank you for the moniker.
Might we say, "cowboy and Indian capitalism." ?
I lived in Europe in the mid 1990s and the U.S. and the Clinton administration were highly respected for the work in Ireland and the Serbia-Bosnia conflict. I knew a woman from Serbia and she told me that, when she and her family and friends found out that the US was becoming involved, they knew that everything would eventually be OK.
Do I sense a pattern developing? Democrats helping to resolve conflicts peacefully since Carter. . .
Bravo again on your piece tonight. I too love the people and the place. And not an Irish bone in my body. Spending time in Belfast while the troubles had slowed but were still active was one of the most interesting experiences of my life. Staying with our "mixed marriage" friends...one Protestant, one Catholic...gave us an unusual perspective on the situation. It is clear to me that Senator Mitchell's skills in actually listening and providing a safe space for teaching by example so that adversaries learned how to listen to each other, was and probably still is the only way to ultimately eliminate violence between individuals and groups that feel rage because they have been unheard. Such a simple way to support peace.
President Biden’s trip to Ireland was about marking the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Peace Agreement, and his return to Ireland as president of the United States.
Peace and economic prosperity in both Northern Ireland and Ukraine were also on his mind and he strongly marked them as well.
‘BELFAST, Northern Ireland (AP) — President Joe Biden said Wednesday that Northern Ireland must “not go back” to the violence that scarred it for years before a U.S.-brokered peace deal 25 years ago, nudging politicians to resolve a political crisis that has left this part of the United Kingdom without a functioning government.’
‘Speaking of the economic growth Northern Ireland has experienced since the Good Friday Agreement ended 30 years of sectarian bloodshed, Biden said: “It’s up to us to keep this going.”
‘On his first presidential visit to Northern Ireland, Biden dangled the prospect of more American investment to help fuel economic growth — especially if Belfast’s fractious politicians resolve a stalemate that has put their government on pause.’
“The simple truth is that peace and economic opportunity go together,” Biden said during a speech at Ulster University’s new campus in Belfast. He said the glass-clad downtown building would have been unthinkable during the years of bombings and shootings known as “The Troubles’.(AP) See link below.
‘Biden, Blending the Personal and the Diplomatic, Thanks Ireland for Backing Ukraine’
‘In an emotional address to the Irish Parliament on Thursday, President Biden thanked the Irish people for their support of Ukraine, cited a favorite Irish poet and recounted old family stories amid a three-day trip that is both a personal journey and an exercise in global diplomacy.’
“Today, the United States and Ireland are standing together to oppose Russia’s brutal aggression and to support the brave people of Ukraine,” Mr. Biden said before a packed and enthusiastic legislative chamber.’
‘The president put his hand over his heart, relishing the kind of unanimous support he rarely gets from Congress. He beamed at an Irish lawmaker who was cradling an infant and, in his opening remarks, said his trip felt like coming home. He suggested that he was perhaps not ready to leave. (NYTimes) Link below, sorry that it cannot be gifted.
https://apnews.com/article/biden-good-friday-agreement-northern-ireland-789692911eeecd153495236e868e5b8dTroubles
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/13/world/europe/biden-ireland-ukraine-speech.html#:~:text=In%20an%20emotional%20address%20to,an%20exercise%20in%20global%20diplomacy.
The hypocritical neo-fascist Joe Biden stole the Democratic nomination from Bernie Sanders:
https://tdmsresearch.com/2020/03/04/massachusetts-2020-democratic-party-primary/
No need to repeat yourself, Schmeeckle: we all read your screed the first time. With all the Republican fascists we have to deal with on a daily basis, and who present a clear and present danger to the health of our nation, calling Biden a neo-Fascist is a hollow and egregiously false assertion not supported by the facts.
You might check the eye-popping discrepancies in the 2020 Massachusetts primary, which featured (according to the Edison exit poll) identical 4% swings away from both Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren in Biden's favor, giving Biden a whisker-thin win.
https://tdmsresearch.com/2020/03/04/massachusetts-2020-democratic-party-primary/
Nobody click on this bogus link, please. Just do an internet search for tdmresearch.com and you'll see it isn't a thing. At best there's just garden variety disinformation there, but someone a little more clever could have malware waiting there.
Helga "you'll see it isn't a thing. At best there's just garden variety disinformation there"
Which is exactly what my research also found.
Helga -- you can report his comments.
"Don't look behind that curtain!"
--The Wizard of Oz
The Republicans don't make noises about election poll discrepancies because they're doing the same thing, especially in Alabama:
https://tdmsresearch.com/2020/12/14/2020-u-s-senate-elections/
Plop
...said the stinky troll
Schmeeckle is a virus. If you see his name, just scroll on.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. rips the Deep State in his presidential campaign announcement speech:
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https://www.zerohedge.com/political/watch-rfk-jr-tells-deep-state-nice-try-fire-alarm-interrupts-his-presidential
And Bernie's misogyny threw the election to Trump.
Because he could not allow himself to admit a woman beat him.
Same reason he torpedoed Elizabeth Warren.
Bernie’s problem has always been he can’t tolerate anyone’s good ideas but his own, so he makes himself obnoxious to those who should be his friends, and then he can’t figure out why no one listens to him...
Great point!
But I think it's misogyny.
Bernie wasn't some newbie in 2016. He knew as well as anyone when Hillary had enough delegates which I believe was May.
But he lies to his supporters and tells them they can turn it around at the convention.
I really think Bernie can't lose to a woman.
Actually listening is the key here. Too many people "pretend" to listen when all they are really formulating their own response. As in the words of the 'Sounds of Silence' "People listening without hearing" We all need to listen AND hear.
I listened to my friend like being caught in a hailstorm. We did not see eye to eye. Finally the storm passed. Although we still did not see eye to eye that he vent his spleen meant the elephant in the room could be mentioned finally. We were able to talk at last. Where it leads I have no idea. We are both cowboys. A friend, a third cowboy comes up for his 83rd birthday in August. We will rendezvous then. Being a cowboy is more Will Rogers and a lot less Hollywoody. I think if you take the time to think you’ll find “cowboy” is just a stripe of a different color. Color quips are so out of fashion nowadays. Read a little Will Rodgers and I think you might be able to sling poison more effectively. Charlie Russell wrote about them too if you prefer. At any rate the three of us still have a ways to go to settle the gun issue reasonably. You did not sling any poison Fay. Didn’t mean to imply that. Your to “ listen” is the way forward. Thank you.
When I taught communication skills for the Sheriff's Office in the in-service training, special teams training, and academy classes, one of the things that I pointed out was that there is a human design clue that signals the way to communication: two ears, one mouth. Hearing being twice as critical as talking.
Always liked that phrase, it is so true! Many years ago as a student & then supervisor, I took available opportunities to take communication & mediation workshops/classes so I could be better and more effective at my job (and life!)….it was eye opening, in the midst of the exercises instructors had us do, to discover the times I wasn’t listening effectively & how to recognize it happening…very good skills to learn & internalize.
They selected me as a negotiator because I could talk. I had to learn how to listen, and especially embrace the motto that "listening is not waiting your turn to talk".
Probably one of the most crucial things to learn—and sometimes SO hard (like wanting to interject/interrupt) to just sit and truly listen and be present with what the other person is saying. Helps teach patience too!
Ally, that advice is important even for those of us who have had or are having children. " Teach your children well..." as the song goes.
Bunny, ignore the idiots who sometimes show up on this site, who for some reason have latched onto your comment as a venue for their nuttiness. I hear you. And I, too, have been in Belfast and all over Northern Ireland at times when the situation was far from "settled," even long after the Good Friday Agreement. I was in Ireland (both the Republic and Northern Ireland) on a long research trip one summer when ongoing issues in both regions of the island started heating up again. That summer, the target in Belfast was Roma families--bigotry is not confined to religion, I'm afraid--but the difference 10 years after the GFA was that people were far less willing to use that as an excuse for further violence. It is also a shame that the current Tory government has been bound and determined to undermine the ongoing peace efforts by promoting the stupidity of Brexit and engaging in an extended temper tantrum re: the border between the R of I and the North.
Thanks Linda. I'm new to the site and hints about how to navigate are appreciated. Fortunately for me, I'm old enough to not take nutty comments seriously or personally. My heart aches for Ireland and also for us at this moment in time...."when will (we) ever learn"?
Because they have been unheard. Yes.
Thank you, Heather! In the summer of 1970, I took a ferry from Scotland with my American boyfriend, to Belfast. We got off the boat at night and were immediately told to go to our accommodation and not hang around the harbor area. We did just that, and got to a big youth hostel, totally empty. The hosts asked if were married (!) and since we said “no”, they put us in separate dorms. Huge empty rooms. So we got two beds pushed together and slept where we wanted. In the morning, we had to make a stop at the local hospital to help me with a bladder infection. Since we were hitchhiking, I wanted to get it resolved before we set out for our road trip. The hospital was surrounded by armored tanks, Scottish soldiers in kilts sitting high up on top and barbed wire everywhere. The doctors were lovely and very helpful. They gave me some antibiotics and we were on our way. As fate would have it, we got a ride immediately with a young woman driving to Cork, where we were headed to visit my sister, who was working at a hotel there. At the age of twenty, I am not sure how much we knew about the history of Ireland and its conflicts with Northern Ireland. But our Belfast experience left very vivid impressions. My father was Irish American and felt strongly about the struggle for Ireland’s independence. His people were from Killarney and all the people we met on our trip treated me like a long-lost relative. I am so happy to re-visit this history and grateful to learn again what a great man George Mitchell was.
You remind me of a drive from Dublin to Cork at Whitsun in 1963. Just outside Cork, face into the setting sun, we had a mishap with the hire car. A Cork family driving out of town to where there was room to wash their car stopped and came to our rescue. They took us into their home and family, found a motor mechanic although it was a holiday, fed the three of us and found places for us to sleep in their tiny home full of children. We never made jokes about Catholics again. My sister-in-law kept in touch with them for years and years.
The Irish are the salt of the Earth. Thank you, Anne-Louise, for your memory. My dad grew up Catholic and I always went to mass with his mother. But we know the dark history of the abuse of children, etc. No, he only joked about the Pope.....
In 1980, my new husband and I traveled the perimeter of Ireland seeking a picture of the land from whence a sole 14 year old travelled to America in the early 1900’s. She eventually became a mother of 8, losing 2 to the pandemic (?) and a husband to another woman and many grandchildren spread across Flatbush, Queens, Long island and eventually across the US. A tiny little spirited woman with a thick brogue and always a sharp funny comment on her lips
Joe Biden is a good listener, a wise man,and has more experience in government than most representatives and senators currently serving have, or will ever have.
He could be our champion if the MAGA caucus in both houses would stop their belligerent poisonous vitriol and allow him to listen them back to democracy.
We need to give our President four more years to try, if he is willing--especially while George Mitchell is still alive to give him some personal advice and counsel. Bill Clinton would also be a great resource.
We could help the process and the President in two ways: First, by asking him to do it; and second, by clearing out the worst congressional offenders come 2024.
We could become a movement, as Snyder would say....
Mitchell didn't solve an intractable situation like Northern Ireland by eliminating one of the parties. You have your MAGA, Northern Ireland has its DUP (and believe me, these guys are annoying to the Nth degree). In order to get everyone round the table without guns and flags, it took a long time, and the kind of openness that can only happen by accepting a party exactly where it is.
I remember the DUP ranting on about Papists and jezebels and their loyalist pals doing drive-by shootings - and I remember IRA bomb scares in London and them using taxi drivers to blow up pubs in NI, with the blessing of Sinn Fein. I remember the children dying due to sectarianism.
The cure to sectarianism isn't more sectarianism, as Mitchell understood. You might not like the MAGA politicians or base - neither do I ! - and they don't like you, but they are part of your polity and you have to find a way of living with them; and they will have to find a way of living with you. The USA needs a George Mitchell to bring that about.
Yup. Hate yer guts Annis. How dare you speak with such utter wisdom. Reminds me that the road to town is sometimes muddy but it’s still the road to town.
AND a healthier ,more “judicious” SCOTUS?
Annis, I'm advocating the reduction of a nihilistic, insanely intractable caucus by voters--not the whole party. Thought that was clear enough. We should not have to "live with" the MAGAt politicians. They, not their base, are attempting to destroy our democracy.
Did an equivalent to faux News (on 24/7)in everyone’s homes and every military base exist back then?
460 years of propaganda in every aspect of life and community... try that.
Annis, I get your point. You earned it. And we are in danger of something similar happening right here. I just want to activate voters who are represented by folks like MTG from my state and George Santos, Matt Gaetz, et al. People who are recognized grifters, who do not represent anyone but themselves. If they only have a constituency of one?Vote them out, make it a little easier to save this country....
Grifters definitely have no place in politics (or the judiciary!)... call them out for that! But differences of opinion and worldview are another thing - and inevitable (even in a place as small as Northern Ireland - let alone in a big diverse country like the US).
Absolutely agree with you Annis.
Call me an idealist, but sincere differences of opinion--and compromise between leader statesmen/stateswomen--have the best chance to find acceptable results for the most people. Usually....
Presently, we do not have that here--and it is not very likely that Americans would accept an "outsider" in the manner that the factions in Northern Ireland did; nor would Americans, who are accustomed to instant gratification, likely grant the extensive time for the process. If we can't abide a supply chain Christmas presents lag, could we endure 5 years of negotiation to save democracy? These are my thoughts and anxieties as I ponder the usefulness of my original comment.
Annis, Thanks for exchanging thoughts, and I wish for you happiness in your Iife, and joy in your labors!
Bravo! I fully agree.
Yea Gus. He is the herd boss and the bunch quitters will eventually come out of the ravines they ere hiding in as the herd moves to better grass.
The hypocritical neo-fascist Joe Biden stole the Democratic nomination from Bernie Sanders:
Check the eye-popping discrepancies in the 2020 Massachusetts primary, which featured (according to the Edison exit poll) identical 4% swings away from both Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren in Biden's favor, giving Biden a whisker-thin win.
https://tdmsresearch.com/2020/03/04/massachusetts-2020-democratic-party-primary/
I’m tired of rereading this posting.
Just think how easy it is to cut and paste
Then think how easy to see it, then skip it
Exactly! Wave it away like the gnat it is.
Then DON"T READ IT, Craig! The bot is a copy-and-paster. We can also report him.
Duly reported.
I tend to think this might be David Carroll in disguise?
Thanks Miselle
Judith, I think it's a troll, but thanks!
Here's another issue that paid neo-fascist minions don't want you to think about:
Davison Budhoo, in his 1988 resignation letter from the International Monetary Fund, confessed his guilt in "our own peculiar Holocaust":
"To me resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind’s eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. ...The blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers....
"The charges that I make touch at the very heart of western society and western morality and post-war inter-governmental institutionalism that have degenerated into fake and sham under the pretext of establishingand maintaining international economic order and global efficiency....
"Will the world be content merely to brand our institution as among the most insidious enemies of humankind? Will our fellowmen condemn us thus and let the matter rest? Or will the heirs of those whom we have dismembered in our own peculiar Holocaust clamor for another Nuremberg?
"I don’t mind telling you that this matter has haunted me; it has haunted me particularly over the past five years. It has haunted me because I know that if I am tried I will be found guilty, very guilty, without extenuating circumstance...."
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oJzvpfFzIKu76oE1CkzZlarRiVpYIggFMFzSt6OgHx0/mobilebasic
Surprised that my heartfelt idealistic fantasizing would attract the attention of a troll....
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. rips the Deep State in his presidential campaign announcement speech:
-
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/watch-rfk-jr-tells-deep-state-nice-try-fire-alarm-interrupts-his-presidential
Plop
fizz
This is what I'm trying to accomplish with my documentary that's in it's early stages of production..."Monumental Struggle". Reconciliation in a community that is divided over a 100 year old Confederate Monument, that got moved to the Cross Keys battlefield in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. Some people embrace the idea. For others I'm getting pushback from people in Talbot County who say "it's too soon", you're "tearing off the scab"...many on both sides say "it's impossible"...which is what they also said about moving the monument.
Reconciliation was the theme of the 50th Anniversary Reunion for Vets of Gettysburg. 50,000 old white men came together...mostly peacefully...a few got in a knife fight over Jeff Davis. They came back home and erected a confederate monument...that got moved a year ago.
George Mitchell proved peace & reconciliation can be accomplished. BRAVO. There is a national conference in Gettysburg this 4th of July week of the Braver Angels. 90 years after the 1913 reunion. My goal is to get representatives of all the diverse sides of this from Talbot County to attend and begin the Reconciliation process...and take that back home...and spread it out. We will document that...and tell that story. Watch for more details on my page. THANKS HCR for your dedicated work. You inspire me every day.
Thank you Heather.
“We learn anew with every generation that democracy needs champions.”
Amen.
George Mitchell is a lovely man and fine politician. How excellent he is in Northern Ireland for this celebration!
I had the good fortune to meet Senator George Mitchell in Portland, Maine in 1980 or '81, where I was living then. I was participating in a Veterans Center for US military veterans, and Sen. Mitchell met with us to listen to our stories. I was very impressed with his dignity and his manner. Everything I learned about him during that period left a lasting impression that he is a fine human being.
Where are our fine human beings today...where do we go to learn anew...?
Look in a mirror Ray. I think you’ll like what you see.
They are out there...the two Justins being 2 of them, in addition to Biden.
“The different sides called him to vent about the other sides, and Mitchell listened.”
It seems that a lot of the disenchantment with politicians is based in the belief that none of them listen to anyone who doesn’t have a lot of money to contribute.
If only we could convince them that Biden, and the people that he’s gathered around him, are listening and are trying hard to make their lives better.
Our politicians like Jordon, MTG, Santos, and Boebert are too clueless to what they are even fighting for to talk or listen or compromise. They’re just troublemakers.
There’s other names that can be added to this list. And, you are so correct. What this bunch represents can’t be put in print here, but a clue is the solid food, after it’s traveled through the horse!
Or the male bovine.
💩
I'm really glad someone remembers the monumentally tough work, and success, of George Mitchell.