The “Ghost of Kyiv,” an ace pilot who heartened the Ukrainian resistance by shooting down a number of Russian aircraft on the first day of Russia’s invasion, was real after all.
I was just reading about this young pilot that lost his life defending his Country. God rest his soul. At 29, this young man was willing to give his all for his Country. That is a trait I find in few here and it's showing as democracy is fleeting under the hands of the minority.
Do you notice how the GOP players that consistently vote against the grain are the same faces. The GOP have become just too mundane in their begging for attention to be contrary.
As the clock ticks towards the midterms, we need to adopt the fight of the Ghost of Kyiv if we want to keep and further Democracy on our own soil.
It is my fear that the Jan 6 committee televised hearings will be “preaching to the choir”. Even in prime time, on all (or even several channels), I don’t believe Faux News will carry it except to disparage it as “lame stream, fake news”. I fear that the very people who need to hear it will be the ones who won’t. I hope I’m wrong.
What stuck with me was Jon’s discussing a revelation he had. He (and I and lots of others) was raised believing that “shining a light” on misdeeds would cause others to wake up and see The Truth. What he realized was that this wasn’t effective- that when the light shines on the misdeeds people who believed will ignore it, deny it, even double down in their convictions. The way to change is a slow drip.
I think more people were disturbed by Jan 6 than what is being reported, that the slow drip of the committee’s work is sending The Russian Agent Caucus to attack Disney and ban books in hope of distracting enough people.
Lastly, I think that the American Psyche is deeply uncomfortable with Russia, that all the fawning and praising of Putin made more people uncomfortable than true believers, and that’s why there has been no significant schism in support for Ukraine. We as a country have long been acclimated to Russia as our enemy or at best “frenemy”. This was the miscalculation that sent quite a few Trump supporters over to voluntarily fight for Ukraine.
I agree. We should be comforted to remember that many right wing conservatives have feared & detested Russia for much longer than they have loved Trump/Trumpism.
Fantastic letter today HCR. You’ve been knocking it out of the park this week. I am thankful for you each day.
Anyone not "deeply uncomfortable with Russia" after seeing Putin's barbarism either has no empathy or longs for someone like Putin to rule the United States — or both.
"Russian Agent Caucus" (not to mention Insurrection Caucus) is apt, and I would love to see some deep investigative journalism into ties (monetary or otherwise) between that group and Russian-authoritarian movement. These same faces seem to be far more than simple contrarians.
There really has been no solid explanation of the 360 done by so many Republicans - I'll add in Graham and McCarthy. In the end money is usually at the root of all evils so somebody needs to get digging!
Well at least it will give me some conversation openings with my gop neighbors..."hey, did you see that!?" "hey, what did you think about that!?" hey, did you know that?!"
That is what is turning the tide: They may pretend that they are immune to accurate information, but it seeps in, no matter how hard they try. And truth wins in the end, because it is, you know, true. We shouldn’t expect some sudden flash of light to open the eyes of the deluded all at once. It happens slowly, one mind at a time. Frequently, it seems as if it is not happening, and that’s when we have to keep the faith. It’s like walking across a broad plain toward distant mountains. Often, it looks as if the goal is no closer, until we turn around and see how far we have come. Just put one foot in front of the other.
Jon, your steady positivity is just so comforting. Please keep up the “slow drip“ of cheerleading for democracy. (That sentence could have used one or two more metaphors to mix in there.) Are you by chance related to Marjorie of PA?!
I think the other arm of Truth is Peer Pressure. Democrats have operated for several decades on the "Live and Let Live" model of Freedom and have been conditioned not to call out other ideologies, religions, etc. But this is different, and as Democrats finally speak up, call out lies and demand truths, I think the SLOW realization is dawning on Republicans that none of the rest of us believe or condone all the lies and treason, and that they are not the "cool kids" they thought they were! We need to speak up every day whenever and wherever we can!!
Alas, with inocuos intent, I mentioned last week’s soon to be US meeting with Zelensky in mixed company and got shut down without further discussion. Some souls have been set.
What if the people we need to mobilize aren't Fox "News" devotees but all the people who don't vote either because of the logistical hurdles in the way or because they believe (not without reason) that voting isn't worth the effort?
We only need a few more % of these non voters. I am uncertain how many Rep can be shaken out of their delusion. Just knowing TFG hired Paul Manafort, ( Putin’s man in Ukraine for a decade) should be enough, but what I think should be enough never is with this delusional base)
Once we realize that the non-voters the country needs are mostly not white, it starts to look doable. Stacey Abrams, among others, is on the right track. She's more than on the right track -- she's out in front.
Ted, as I see it the undemocratic minority, need I say traitors, need I say Christian Nationalists, need I say myopically self centered, need I say people who prefer to be cult followers are not reading or listening to even main stream media, much less reading Professors Richardson and Reich. Solve this problem and maybe we can attract “a few more % of these non voters”
People who don't vote is absolutely who we should be targeting. Over 81 million voters didn't vote in the last presidential election, and they weren't all Black or brown either. I met a white woman (in terrible physical condition) in her 50s last May who told me that the first time she ever voted was for Biden in 2020, because her sister warned her that if she didn't start voting Democrat, Republicans were going to start taking everything away. People like her are perfect targets for right wing propaganda, and there are millions just like her, who never voted until someone got to them.
"Relational organizing," as it's called now, is the key. We each have more influence with the people we know than with total strangers. Hell, these days I know something about just about everyone who's running from the top of the ballot to the bottom, but when I didn't, I often voted for down-ballot candidates mainly because a friend or co-worker told me they were good.
Susanna, Your absolutely correct! Furthermore, the Democrats need to aggressively, and loudly, fight against the "logistical" hurdles that are being put in place by the Repugnant Republicans. A chance conversation with a perfect stranger set me back on my heels when they said, "They never heard of any such actions to interfere with the right to vote???" I couldn't believe it!!!
Same as it has been since 1996, skewed to make Goebbels proud. In recent times, Rupert never showed chump as he really was, just a halo on a pile of Schitt. And the sheep bowed down
A few days ago on Nicole Wallace, Michael Steele suggested that the 1/6 committee should hire actors to create a "docudrama" about the insurrection with each phase of their report acted out in chapters. He thought that would appeal to some who otherwise won't watch. He also suggested that if the committee can't attract viewers who need to see it, then we, Dems, might as well close shop for the next many years.
It would probably work -- to the benefit of the MAGAts and insurrectionists. "Fake news" at its finest, performed by "crisis actors" (you know, like they accused the Parkland students of being)!
Maybe some of you didn't see how effectively the House managers of Impeachment 2 used video from 1/6 -- and that wasn't all that long after the event itself. The 1/6 committee has a lot more evidence now, and the talent to organize it effectively.
Great idea! But you would need the lead character to be male, very masculine with big muscles, straight with a beautiful wife and likes beer. Trumpanzees love that so they would be more inclined to watch. Helmsworth?
There should, coincidentally, be a mini-series on Netflix or HBO that runs right after the hearings! I say Gary Oldman for Mitch McConnell - and Sally Fields for Nancy Pelosi!
I think we should forget about the Fox News-watching Trump worshippers. The people that need to be convinced to vote (for Dems!) are those in the "reasonable middle", people who can sort out fact from fantasy and will understand what the Jan. 6 hearings are about. Of course, I'm assuming (and hoping) that there actually IS a reasonable middle. To convince them, if they exist, the Democrats will have to do more effective messaging, aside from the Jan. 6 hearings. So far they have not done a very good job, or perhaps ANY job, at messaging. I believe that even I could do better, and I'm a more or less defunct nerd.
Dem messaging sucks, and the Democratic Party has lots of problems, including mediocre Democrats like Manchin and loose cannons like Sinema, but as far as I can tell, *all* the stellar and effective politicians out there are Democrats. That's why I finally got involved as a Dem in 2016. Here's my advice: Put some serious effort into ensuring access to the ballot. The right wing is trying to restrict it for a reason: to keep people who lean Democratic from voting. Get out there and fight for accessible polling places, mail-in voting, same-day registration or election-day registration, etc. If you're in a blue state with decent access, support efforts in red states where access is under attack. And don't assume that your state has decent access just because it's mostly blue. MA passed a good VOTES Act, making permanent most of the reforms that were put in place during the worst of Covid, but same-day voter registration is being held up by Democratic legislators who are afraid they'll lose their seats if college students show up in the primary.
Glad to hear it! I'm sort of working in the other direction -- turning what I know as an activist into useful talk -- but I'll check it out. "Heather's Herd" reminds me of "the Horde" that followed Ta-Nehisi Coates when he was blogging regularly at the Atlantic. Talk about mind-expanding discussions!
I tried twice to reply a while ago and both times my message disappeared into cyberspace. Will try again for the last time. I didn’t expect such a response to my post (above). Yet another blog among the infinite number already out there would just get lost in the noise. I write letters to the editor and post replies to comments, as here, but usually to NY Times and LFAA, not useful for getting outside our bubble. I’ve also written several times to my congressman, James McGovern, D-MA (whose website says something like “contact Jim”, very undignified – other congressional websites are similar) and have gotten either no response or a nonsense response (“thank you for sharing your thoughts”). Occasionally I go to the Fox so-called-News website and reply to the comments there, but they are often so wacko that I doubt anyone is convinced of anything. My message would be twofold, both parts delivered simultaneously: (i) lay out the facts, e.g., about the Jan. 6 invasion, climate change, whatever, (ii) call out the Republicans who are saying that Jan. 6 was “an ordinary tourist day”. I would ask, while showing video of the occasion, “does that look like an ordinary tourist day? Do ordinary tourists come armed with gas masks and bear spray? Are you insane?” That last one isn’t very gentlemanly, but it’s time to get past that. We don’t have to be vicious, but should tell it like it is. We might also point out, when people talk complain about the Biden administration’s lack of progress on various issues, that the Republicans have quite openly said that their strategy is to block all of Biden’s agenda (McConnell: “100% focused”). When the Republicans say that the Dems are socialists, they should be called out: “You know that that’s not true. Why do you say it?” And on and on and on. It’s more important that the Democratic public figures say these things. They have a larger bullhorn.
It's not rocket science: be clear, be truthful, don't let the other side get away with nonsense.
I’m probably being naïve. As I said, a defunct nerd.
I met with a Montana governor in a time slotted appointment for 30 minutes. After listening to her and her advisors for 25 minutes and with no opening forthcoming I excused myself to the bathroom. They continued their discussion as I exited. There was no point in going back as the next appointment was queuing up. I received a nice form letter thanking me for my concerns. Aside from introductions my concerns were never expressed. My point is that your quiet voice addressing all of our concerns in a civil manner has been more appropriate than myriads of gobbledygook emanating from officious sources. Thank you.
I tried twice to reply a while ago and both times my message disappeared into cyberspace. Will try again for the last time. I didn’t expect such a response to my post (above). Yet another blog among the infinite number already out there would just get lost in the noise. I write letters to the editor and post replies to comments, as here, but usually to NY Times and LFAA, not useful for getting outside our bubble. I’ve also written several times to my congressman, James McGovern, D-MA (whose website says something like “contact Jim”, very undignified – other congressional websites are similar) and have gotten either no response or a nonsense response (“thank you for sharing your thoughts”). Occasionally I go to the Fox so-called-News website and reply to the comments there, but they are often so wacko that I doubt anyone is convinced of anything. My message would be twofold, both parts delivered simultaneously: (i) lay out the facts, e.g., about the Jan. 6 invasion, climate change, whatever, (ii) call out the Republicans who are saying that Jan. 6 was “an ordinary tourist day”. I would ask, while showing video of the occasion, “does that look like an ordinary tourist day? Do ordinary tourists come armed with gas masks and bear spray? Are you insane?” That last one isn’t very gentlemanly, but it’s time to get past that. We don’t have to be vicious, but should tell it like it is. We might also point out, when people talk complain about the Biden administration’s lack of progress on various issues, that the Republicans have quite openly said that their strategy is to block all of Biden’s agenda (McConnell: “100% focused”). When the Republicans say that the Dems are socialists, they should be called out: “You know that that’s not true. Why do you say it?” And on and on and on. It's not rocket science. And it’s more important that the Democratic public figures say these things. They have a larger bullhorn. Be clear, be truthful, and don't let the other side get the advantage with nonsense.
I’m probably being naïve. As I said, a defunct nerd.
I've on purpose lost touch with Republicans who deny Jan 6 was an attempted coup. I don't know their favorite websites. I'm afraid I'll get hacked if I connect with them.
Cathy, in order to refute it they will have to watch it! It will be like flood waters. Sink or swim. When rain hits the Salmon river you are not overwhelmed as much as you are transported to another world, an inescapable makeover. You see it coming from upriver. Your beautiful crystal clear water becomes milk. The fishing expedition is over.
I'll be looking for cracks in Fox's reporting. They can't completely ignore the Jan 6 report. Once they see what really happened, and viewers start questioning their opinions, watch who starts hurling themselves to the high ground. They will all say, "This is different then before! We were lied to! Trump is the devil!" Then a new party darling will emerge and it won't be anyone that actually embraced the lie. It might be Pence, but he isn't completely clean although they are already touring him as a hero for not getting into the car. He took the hit being VP for his party and is probably willing to run for president and probably take the hit for his party. Remember, one term presidents are the exception, not the rule. The Republicans don't have the energy to start a third "New Republican Party." They will just lower the volume on their base.
Just an interesting note. I was curious about when and why the Republicans began being called the Grand Old Party (GOP) because the current party is neither Grand nor particularly old, considering it is basically the confederate states of yore. Turns out it was only a few years after the Civil War! I read at ( https://www.history.com/news/election-101-why-is-the-republican-party-known-as-the-g-o-p) it was basically used like a term of endearment with the emphasis being on the grand, as in gallant, party, not the old party (having only recently emerged from the Whigs as a third party opposed to slavery). Also, it actually was first used in referring to the Democratic party pre Civil War! Nevertheless, today's Republicans are so far from being grand, or gallant, we should stop using the short hand of GOP when referring to the Republican party. Funny how the Democratic party, which is actually really old and lost the title in the 1870s because it could not justify the claim to it after the Civil War, has grown to become the grander party, beginning with FDR, broadened by the Kennedy's and Johnson, solidified by the election of Obama, and now President Biden might be democracy's savior. Fingers crossed for him (and all of us).
The Republicans and Fox have spent the last four decades (starting with Ronald McDonald Reagan) trying to tear democracy down. Like Putin, they must not win.
I find it particularly interesting that in the television commercials that are on right now as the primaries are coming up, NONE of the Republican candidates are calling themselves Republicans. Each and every one of them calls himself/herself a “conservative”. It’s like they are trying to distance themselves from the Republican party, while still being Republicans, and somehow fool the electorate.
I mean, if they really want to get people engaged, they’ve got to turn it into a reality show, maybe where the biggest offenders get voted off the island and taken directly to Leavenworth.
I think it might be a ratings buster...people on both sides will tune in to watch a train accident. I pray the train is Trump and not the committee's presentation.
My 17-year old daughter, who is on a high school exchange in Vienna, was just zooming with us yesterday. She is a reader and she was telling me that she was reading Nietzsche. Then she was talking to her dad and when I came back into the room she and he were discussing a list of philosophers and which theories they represented. I wondered whether she had been reading all of them so I asked. It turned out she has been listening to many different philosophers on Spotify. Spotify is really popular for the youth. She was telling me she had listened to Machiavelli's, The Prince on Spotify a couple of years ago and what she remembered on his philosophy about attacking an enemy. So, Spotify seems like it could be a good platform for reaching the youth. The listening has a way of capturing one's thinking that is different than when one has a visual image because those can be distracting from the message, as in YouTube. Spotify has the potential to be more like a radio show or a podcast. So, while it does cost something to create content. https://techcrunch.com/2021/08/24/spotifys-podcasts-subscriptions-service-is-now-open-to-all-u-s-creators/?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAANMgJD6A5z4SZ0euTZbX0wkgDXfdu5nAdXz4ZQEnTShiz8wv4QDKced8ydvQKLplu48LhUY5qRLoF_G7EyCkMoo_80MXmeVWfbS2VVm6tZyr6MbJFtsKW6jTCRg3fLSCRDoiiokINPg4sRv0iAzqIXlpR9M-eQlq6vvKeDCc5OIU It does not cost anything to use it, which is why it has a large youth audience.
If someone were to release videos with short snippets from the hearings to share on all social media platforms every evening (funds permitting), what do you all think would grab and hold the public's attention best: humor, drama, mystery?
I'm ask seriously, because I want to edit videos but I am stumped as to what which genre would work best. Sometimes I think mocumentary but then my serious side cancels that thought. I don't know if a news genre would work because most Americans it seems are tuning out the news as it is.
Thank you for your well-thought-out reply. I truly appreciate your opinion, and have to agree with you. When I think back on all those years watching Colbert and Stewart, I wonder if there were so insightful, astute but funny, what happened that we still ended up with trump?
George Carlin died. His most famous quote was “ Ladies & Gentlemen it’s a very big club and you and I ain’t in it ! “. I really don’t think TFG would have been elected if Carlin had still been alive and was performing.
Jon Stewart left the air just when Trump rode down the escalator. Some feel he might have made a difference—who knows. We have Trump due to schism created in the Democratic Party
I won't deny there was a schism but I think it originated from hostile anti-democratic forces coming from foreign adversaries and homegrown right-wing operatives.
Gus, I was having a similar thought as I was visiting with a really smart guy today and he pops open Colbert and the bit he sliced together from Hannity's hateful rant about Biden being such a looser piece from Trump. Very funny for sure. He went on to name who he regularly follows and they were the comedians from SNL, Kimmel, Colbert, Noah, etc. His culled sources are comedians doing a take on selected stuff in today’s new (somewhat as HCR is doing with history). Made me wonder, is comedy the let's version of Fox? Though he reads and is engaged, his quotes come from commedians, ocassional Maddow.
Humor: I don't think the committee is going to bring very much in the way of humor to their hearings. Not sure you will have a winning quip like in debates or convention speeches of yesteryear. Drama: That would require a John Dean type witness saying something really consequential, that will change even the most ardent Republican's belief - and there won't be a lot of those, if any. Mystery: What mystery does anyone expect? There won't be a Geraldo Rivera build up to a reveal nothing in the safe. Maybe you should go back and actually watch the Watergate hearings. How would you snippet it? Everyone alive and of voting age knows about two things: there were tapes of all of Nixon's conversations and John Dean's testimony. According to WAPO "The country was riveted. People watched at work, in department "stores — any place they could find a television. The barber planned to bring a TV to his shop during the upcoming week to watch Dean, who had flipped on Nixon and become a villainous character to Republicans." I expect we will be watching the villains again, waiting to hear them explain their treachery and stupidity. Maybe that falls under all three categories? Good luck to you. It is an interesting project.
It is heartening to read of Europe's unification on the stopping of the flow of Russian gas. Biden is doing great work. It hurts every day to see the bombing of a country which did not deserve to be invaded. Putin is a danger to the whole world. I hope that the Russians come to learn of this travesty. The Republicans who did not support the Senate and House on keeping pressure on Russia are not serving our country and the world. Shame on them.
In monetrary terms, the sale of Russian oil is more important to Putin than the sale of gas. Both need to be stopped to deprive the Russian government of their principal source of funding. It will hurt us and the Russian people but this has to be stopped.
Stuart, I would note, though you’re right, that it’s difficult as an American to stand in judgment, considering that rising inflation and gas prices, combined with Republican “weapons of mass distraction,” could determine the outcome of an election wherein our democracy is at stake.
Unfortunately, Barbara, somtimes real life is a bitch and doesn't conform to our best wishes. Without a massive effort to persuade people otherwise this might happen. The GOP "messaging" will start to seriously hurt the Dems on covid management and treatment too; anything and everything will be thrown at the ouhouse wall to see if it sticks. Facts are, as usual, not the question nor is the capacity for synthetic thinking and comprehension...emotions and personalized anecdotal evidence will be the drivers. The Dems are not living in the same world nor dealing with the same species of humanity.
Exactly correct, sir!!! Facts are not what will sway the "indies" and the "undecided" Repub messaging is all about emotion. Dem messaging seems to be afraid of stirring any emotion at all. The message has to connect with people before it can begin to resonate.
Democratic messaging must reach beyond CNN and MSNBC, beyond the late night TV hosts, and beyond the NYT and the WAPO, and magazines (New Yorker, Atlantic, etc.) that their followers already access. Let's see some commercials by veterans, country singers, rap and hip-hop stars, chefs (!) and athletes. There must be an organized effort to do this. It won't just happen on its own.
So what does this say of the Dems? A total disconnect with the world in which most people live. They seem to be looking down with kind concern from Mt. Olympus!
Well, I have to admit...I think too many persons in Dem leadership positions are as disconnected from the average (reasonably or moderately liberal) person as the fringiest of Republican rwnj's seem to be.
What's worst is that while Dem policies may actually help middle and working class people, they cannot seem to articulate what concrete benefits their legislation would confer in any sort of meaningful way.
The only messages that sway the Republican base (that is, the voters that make it possble for them to win elections) are messages that make it clear that the party will do everything it can to preserve systemic advantages for white people. Democrats oppose that goal so they can say nothing in support of it, nor should they, nor should any decent human being for that matter. As a result, no Democratic messaging strategy can change the minds of Republican voters. The only Democratic hope is to get all of their potential voters to cast ballots.
Not from Mt. Olympus, but from a Bernie hill here. Locally we have a person on the group Salem Progressives doing all she can to discredit the one person running in the new CD 6 who has a good chance of prevailing in the general. She favors the guy who calls himself a Democrat Socialist. A couple of us have tried to explain how socialist is the kiss of death. I did reference HCR's letter this week which gave some history about why this is so. One person on the thread is already a fan! Our ballots are here and we will be voting this weekend....vote by mail here in Oregon. It has worked well for many years.
"We are a species of Apes with Nuclear Weapons and no sense of the finite resources of this planet with our overpopulation of it. For seven decades I have lived with the impending demise of the world either with a bang or a whimper."
I've been warning people about overpopulation since I was 9 in the early '60s. And too many people think it's just the world's problem and not the US' problem. Among other things, here's a recent article from Nature, "Why deforestation and extinctions make pandemics more likely." https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02341-1
Stuart, Granting that hope has nothing to do with optimism, I do find hope with the tens of thousands who have joined together in the ever growing number of grassroots civic organizations committed to making a difference, not from the top down, but from the inside, bottom up, from citizens who persist because they believe their cause is right and just and moral.
I don’t think we should ever subjugate our humanity and compassion to what we pay at the pump when a supplier is bombing cities and murdering civilians for no reason. We need leaders to remind voters of these facts.
Ted, I couldn’t agree more. My response to Stuart stemmed from my feeling, as a citizen of a country whose elections largely could be influenced by rising inflation and gas prices, that I wasn’t in a position to pass judgment on the Europeans.
Barbara, I was thinking of Sen Rand Paul, and other Libertarians like him, who selfishly use inflation and gas prices as excuses not to help Ukraine, encouraging Americans to just “look away”.
Continuing partial schooling and job attendance online might help. While there are mixed reviews, some workers are not enjoying going back to the office so much.
@SLWeston, I can’t take credit for a phrase I heard on a news program. Hence the quote marks. Though the program’s host named the source, unlike the phrase, it didn’t stick with me.
Barbara--The phrase "weapons of mass distraction" has been around for a while. There were several books 10-15 years ago with that title, though they had quite different interpretations of what that meant and its significance for social/political life. More recently that title has been taken up by a podcast that I have not listened to.
Lynell, I did not invent the phrase “weapons of mass distraction.” Hence the quote marks. Though I first heard it used recently on a news program, when I googled it, I learned that the phrase had been used over several years in a number of different contexts. Hence it would be considered public domain, although I still would advise enclosing it in quotes.
Ah but Lynn, that means that you want people to take responsability not only for their own lives but of the political system too; one too many i'm afraid. Rights Yeh, obligations Nah!
Putin will lose internal support once his strategic reserves of dollars, military, and oil markets are depleted. He will have to print more rubles, so inflation will skyrocket in side Russia. Right? Turning away from Russian oil and gas is the key. Open talks to buy directly from the ‘Stan countries southern route would be another blow to the Russians. Right?
It does hurt and he is a danger. My 60's, peace-loving self looks at the unspeakable death and destruction and naively thinks- wouldn't it be nice if the gentleman could be escorted to The Hague where the International Court of Justice could respectfully request his full explanation for his actions, then proceed according to law.
As always, my thanks for this LFAA, Heather. Among its gems, one stands out for its significance:
"Biden added, 'What I want to make clear to the Congress and the American people is this: the cost of failing to stand up to violent aggression in Europe has always been higher than the cost of standing firm against such attacks. That is as it always has been, and as it always will be.' He was referring to the misguided attempt to appease Adolf Hitler by accepting Germany’s 1938 annexation of the Sudetenland rather than resisting. Appeasing dictators never stops them; it simply emboldens them to increase their demands. And by the time the European war broke out in 1939, Hitler had significantly strengthened Germany’s forces.”
You invariably highlight how history can and does repeat itself. The fact that our president has been able to enhance and renew our alliances with European countries is so reassuring.
Oh, and the vignette about Queen Leticia of Spain is such a bonus!
I simply adore that added anecdote. I can hear the cheers when they found the sausages.
Can you imagine, Rowshan? We would have been whooping it up in the aisles.
That kind of contrast of support (armored war vehicles and some tasty food) with a note of support can only come from a Queen. I feel so proud as a woman to feel my own fierceness of support for Ukraine and for the inalienable spirit of freedom over tyranny.
When I read that, Christine, my first thought was "why didn't anybody else think to send food along." And then it hit me: Women can be and are fierce but they also are nurturers to the nth degree.
Just imagine, Bill, how great we would feel if the Orange Slug were still in office. The Worst Lady would have sent a glowering photo, inscribed Be Best, while clad in her classy I Really Don’t Care Do U? Jacket, stuffed into a bucket of KFC.
That would bring a tear to my eye. /s
Fortunately, the world contains many fine women, like Queen Leticia. Good for her and Spain!
Hope Frankly, nor did I realize that Spain had a queen. Who is the king? ‘Sausage fingers?’ Now I am awaiting ‘Letitia’s branded sausages.’ Sounds like a royal snack while perusing the Prado.
“Hope”: my grandmother, born in Cuba, was named Hope and taught in Philadelphia public schools. My aunt also was named Hope. I had an early girl friend called Hope, but there hope soon expired (with a flicker some years later).
Thank you, Lynell! Love that Jamie Raskin. Wish more had his courage to stand up against these bizarre, whacky authoritarian wannabes. We really need to kick them out of office years, pronto.
Thank you, Lynell. And Jamie Raskin, asking that political-creep for proof of anything...hand me a spoon! If she wasn't halfway attractive physically, she'd have been dismissed long ago. She does such a dis-service to blondes everywhere... a total nitwit.
Thank you for your persistence in trying to make sense of what I have written, Lynell :)). Like you, I too am convinced she couldn't find her rear-end if it were'nt for mirrors. She sure seems dumb.
I read comments urging diplomacy to end the war in Ukraine. Since the Russians invaded in 2014, people have said there is no military solution only diplomacy. This is bullshit. There is ONLY a military solution to Russian aggression. Biden is correct. Russia must be destroyed so it can never threaten its neighbors again.
The useful idiots on the left promoting diplomacy include Chris Hedges, Noam Chomsky and Bill Blum. This article is about several others.
Allen, You're on top and way ahead of the '___ idiots'. You better believe me when I say many on the left support Ukraine's victory (from our hearts to our wallets) and the end of Putin. Salud, dear friend
Allen. Thinking of you and Tanya every day and hoping existence has become easier and much less threatening. Have you been able to stay in touch with your Ukrainian contacts?
There are so many millions of people worldwide in support of totally eliminating Russian’s criminal and inhumane aggression as an evil device to perpetuate mere greed.
Good morning, Allen. I fear you are right. Look at how Putin responded to the "diplomatic" visit from the UN chief. He bombed Kyiv as the chief was visiting Zelensky. So much for honoring diplomacy.....BTW, good to see you here. Hope all is well in Canada.
Hello Allen, My understanding is that Putin’s grab of Crimea in 2014 was “solved” diplomatically, which would make the calls by outsiders now for Ukraine to “resolve” this invasion “diplomatically” feel like a slap to your face. The saying “Fool me once, shame on You. Fool me twice, shame on Me!” springs to mind. I have a question about a statement you made in the middle of your post: “Russia must be destroyed so it can never threaten its neighbors again.” Do you think this can be gained by disempowering Putin? Or is it in your view a Russia People characteristic to dominate? If Putin were forced completely out of Ukraine and were crippled -power-wise - and someone like Navalny rose to run Russia, do you still believe they are a threat as a nation?
The Anschluss of Crimea was never solved. It was simply put on the back burner as Ukraine was in no position to deal with it and the rest of the world ignored it with a few sanctions thus emboldening Putin. Replacing Putin with eg Patrushev a likely replacement will make things worse. Russia must be deNazified and demilitarized and forced to face up to its crimes as Germany was, except Russia's crimes against neighbouring peoples and Russians themselves go back centuries.
I agree that diplomacy won't work. It will go nowhere because Putin doesn't believe there is a Ukraine and that the natural order of things is that Russia should still control all the territory it once did. There is no way to negotiate with that.
It isn't the best way to learn a bit of Russian history and current life, but there have been some interesting threads on Twitter, interviews with Fiona Hill and Timothy Snyder on other platforms and some young Russian YouTubers.
Allen, It is and was so good to see you. You seem fine and feisty, but I could be wrong and want to read the facts from Allen's point of view. I still read TC's newsletter but drew a break, so I can't comment there, and this is a large group. Don't know if I'll return to 'fine mess'. My decision has nothing to do with TC, and this isn't the site to write more about it. Do tell me how you are. I do not do Facebook, we'll think of another option. Did Tanya start her job? Be well feisty. Hope to hear from you again soon. 🟦🟨 🍎🪴 Salud!
We are fine. Tanya still has some stuff to do before a job but they will happen shortly. We are in touch with family and friends every day, Oldest granddaughter in Poland is volunteering with the Red Cross. Lucky loves his all in one parasite pill. If you drop it he will pick it up and eat it. The three cats sleep with our friend who looks after the house. I have a 27" screen and an all in one printer bought used on marketplace. A friend is bringing me an office chair. We were shopping the other day and when you walked in the store, Tanya said "Don't try to stop me". There was a display of little geraniums in little pots. She bought 7. Now she has plants.
Great news, Allen. I have plants...flowers, plants, trees, soil, worms... are dear friends since early in my life on earth. I gardened as young one and then for more that 20 years. Still young at heart but not in the knees. Try to imagine how wide my smile is at Tanya. It's good that you're in Canada for a while and that your animals have terrific god parents or parent. In addition to the political stuff, I've been in the power of a few poets, which is a relief as well as stimulating. Later, Allen. Cheers!
Allen, The evacuation of Mariupol floods, feel the struggle of keeping my head and heart above water. Please drop by when convenient. I would like to hear from you. Salud 🌻
I smile every time I run into this front page headline (true confession) It does not go well in the USA. Up or down, literally, depends of the voters this year.
Keep on Keeping on. Always happy to hear from you. 🕊️🍎 🗽
Wait, now, Janet — Chris Hedges, Noam Chomsky “using disinformation and downright lies”? I certainly hope that’s not true. Do you have examples? I hold both these people in high regard — I certainly hope , pray it’s not misplaced.
I too appreciate Chris Hedges and Noam Chomsky when they focus on America BUT when they excuse the same from other Empires, I think much less of them. I totally stopped reading Bill Blum
Allen, I find you where I can. My thoughts this morning are with Ukraine, with you, Tanya, your families, your pets and plants. Nothing could be like being physically with the Ukrainians be a hand, a helper, a feeder as well as a heart. With you! 🟦🟨🌻🟦🟨🌻💙💛🌻
"Biden added, “What I want to make clear to the Congress and the American people is this: the cost of failing to stand up to violent aggression in Europe has always been higher than the cost of standing firm against such attacks. That is as it always has been, and as it always will be.” Biden could have talked about failure to address Russian aggressions since Putin was in office. 1. Consolidation of Russian control of South Ossetia and intimidation of Georgia in 2003 after Georgia elected a pro-western government. (During GW Bush's presidency) 2. Continued acquiescence to Russia's control of Transnistria (During GW Bush's presidency), 3. Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 (During Barack Obama's presidency and after the 2013 Euromaidan protests in Ukraine). 4. Dombas area separatists get Russian support also in 2014. Bipartisan American foreign policy attention elsewhere allowed Putin to think that he could invade Ukraine without consequences. Credit to Biden for stopping this now. If Trump were President, we would be watching Putin move on from Ukraine to the Baltic and maybe more.
Even Sweden and Finland is getting the message. Russia is aspiring an empire from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. Lavrov is praising Finland and Sweden for staying neutral in service of peace, but all he is thinking of is Finland and Sweden as easy pray, and the simplest way to reach the Atlantic.
They’ll both be officially part of NATO soon…Putin and authoritarianism have already lost. The world is sickened and revolted by what Putin’s Russia and their supporters are doing in Ukraine. We have this chance now to band even more tightly together to send him and other would be dictators packing. It’s all happening…
Don't count your pennies yet. The Communist-party Propaganda machine runs silently and it runs deep. It recognizes few boundaries, if any. Witness what's happening here at home. Need I say more?
I too like to think it is all happening with Russia. Only that wars are not about the first battle, but about the last, and in the case of Russia not about the first war but about the second; thinking of Finland and Chetchnya. AND, what is NATO with Trump as president? Now that NATO is seriously on the table for Sweden, that question is hardly mentioned.
trump is done as disco….welcome Sweden and Finland to NATO (soon) and to the rebuilding of a Democratic Ukraine without Putin but instead a freely elected Russian president ready to rejoin the free world of nations
Keith Kuiper, I question whether they will become part of NATO. I’m beginning to believe they hold more clout and power by simply SIGNALING they would become part of NATO. That messes with Putin and yet still keeps them independent for the future.
I believe it essential and as proactive as humanly possible by joining forces with NATO by membership. I’ve always had the thought that an aggressive, primary purpose of Putin’s in all this is gaining access to the Arctic through territorial domination of the Baltic States. That bluff must be crushed.
Putin has plenty of access to the Arctic already—at least 13 deepwater ports along Russia’s northern shore and several military-industrial installations in the area.
Peace and freedom for the Ukrainian people. Glad to see our country doing the right thing and standing by them. Ukraine is an inspiration to the world for defending democracy.
“ Countries supporting Ukraine have begun to talk not just of defending Ukraine, but seeing Ukraine “win,” and weakening Russia’s ability to meddle in the affairs of other countries.” IF that becomes the end result, I would hope various leaders of various countries will recall the disastrous results of the Versailles Treaty. IF winning simply results in a gigantic humiliation of Russia, apart from the main goal of stopping Russian aggression in Ukraine, we can count on Russia coming back with far more dangerous warmongerings! The next step ought to involve some sort of investment in educating the Russian people about their responsibilities in any activity their government undertakes. Which is another way of saying that if Russia continues to be a tyranny and basically a one man ruled country, any peace treaty will be short lived and inconsequential in the long run. Which is another way of pointing out the fact that wars never ever solve problems. They are temporary bandaids. Whoever was most humiliated will come roaring back with a blind vengeance. Think uSA southern states!
The ongoing problems in the US southern states are still with us because the national government pulled back from defending the voting rights of black men after the civil war. White supremacy ruled again through terror for a long time.
Bluntly, we need Putin and cadre to lose. That will inevitably be humiliating for him and his. How can we make this a humiliation for him but not the Russian people in general?
My two adult daughters are teachers. Both graduated in HS 12th or 13th out of about 350 students, had composite ACTS of 30 and 29. Both attended a prestigious midwestern liberal arts college and secured teaching positions and have been teaching 10-14 years.
It is not that the teachers are not gifted--they are stymied at every turn by parents, administrators and in many cases, school boards. I know the attacks on school boards,; my complaint is the number of times they have been forced to give extra chances to bring up a grade to allow the student to compete in school athletics, or because a parent is at school becoming a thorn in the side of the administration. I have listened to them tell of students who should be placed in Special Ed, but the parent(s) disagree. I have listened over and over to stories of kids who do not turn in ANY homework, at all, and they are forced to give up class time for these students to do work--trying to get a quarter or semesters work done in class to get a minimum passing grade. They cannot take away cell phones anymore, these phones are used to cheat, indeed, one student has been caught texting MOM for answers to classwork and texts. I listened to another story of a student whose parent insisted that their childs IEP allowed her to come to class about 20 minutes late--almost daily--so grandma could drive her to Starbucks and get her extra large frappe/latte to bring into the class! I have heard of parents complaining that they were "unaware" their student was failing, although the district had record of dozens of texts, phone calls and letters that were ignored (how did they finally get her attention? Some industrious administrator reached out to her on FB!)
There are complaints that our schools are failing because they are teaching CRT, or alternative lifestyles--no mention of how kids are being failed by their parents, and teachers are forced into rolls they do not wish (nurse, mental health therapist, supplemental nutritionist, police as they by law must report signs of abuse, etc etc etc) And then they face the public who thinks they work a 6 hour day for 9 months of the year. HAH! Hours and hours are put in off the clock--grading, class planning, contacting parents, doing mandatory continuing education--I wish you could see every holiday when my daughters come home lugging a briefcase to work while the turkey cooks.
They love to teach. Many do, but leave because they are burnt out. And they can't afford to live on the salary they are granted by the community taxpayers.
And Mike, YOU have faced discrimination!! PLEASE do not blame women's opportunities for failing schools. And you do realize, a lot of teachers are male, correct?
We depend on a sense of service to replace the call of higher wages in industry. I’ve seen far too many engineering college professors move from teaching into industry, often doubling or tripling their salaries. We need to pay teachers enough so that they don’t have to work a second job.
My sister was one of those parents you describe. When her son was 16, he was on the varsity football team at the high school (he had gotten into bodybuilding and was much larger than boys older than he); he didn't like studying, and he hated reading. His teachers sent multiple warnings home, explaining that he wasn't meeting minimum expectations for passing, and every warning was tossed in the trash. There were no threats to remove him from the football squad, however (state championships were very important to the school's reputation). When the year ended, he was given the failing marks he'd earned.
My sister went into a righteous fury, and paid a visit to the high school, where she complained to the principal loud and long about the teachers' "incompetence" in the classrooms (a lie), how they'd failed to warn her that there was a problem with his grades (another lie), and how "nobody" had tried to help her son (biggest whopper of all). She threatened to take it up with the state's Board of Education, and said she'd "sue the pants off" the school, the principal, and every one of her son's teachers for having "ruined" his future with failing marks.
When the dust finally settled, she took out a second mortgage, bought a garage and gave it to her son, who dropped out of high school to run the business.
The garage went out of business, my sister lost her money, and her son had no marketable skills, no education, and no future to speak of.
That was more than 25 years ago. To this day she harbors a hard grudge against the "elites" who she believes set her son up for failure.
Private schools aren’t so different, from my experience in a for-profit school. Parents’ behavior was as you mentioned. Cheating was hushed up rather than dealt with, to keep the reputation the school had manufactured.
I suppose so. It has also been said that school principals and higher ups see avoiding conflict as their mission. A middle school student of mine was caught cheating. His elite private high school did, too, as he recruited other students to join his scheme. They expelled him. Last I heard, he got into medical school. Parents were doctors. I imagine he is in practice by now.
I taught for 22 years - 10 in a Catholic school and 12 in 3 different public schools.
My daughter is finishing her 6th year of teaching. When she first decided to become a teacher, I tried to encourage her to choose another profession. She’s smart enough to have chosen things like engineering or law school. She’s an amazing teacher, but dealing with parents, admin, school board and state rules is an uphill battle. On top of that, there’s the constant effort of maintaining classroom discipline with students who were never taught respect and responsibility at home. It’s exhausting.
She taught 6th grade math for 5 years in a high poverty middle school. She’s the perfect blend of caring/discipline, especially for that age. She gave her cell number to some students who had especially difficult home lives and got calls at home, resulting in calls like helping a student talk her father into surrendering rather than commit suicide by SWAT, or working with admin and police to identify a student who’d made a Snapchat threat to shoot up the school after a student called to tell her about it. She knows she made a huge difference in many students’ lives. She was torn about leaving that school and “her kids”, but finally chose a nearby school to be closer to her son and give up a 30 minute commute. She loves her new job, but still hears from some of her former students.
My sixth grade teacher in 1957 was a grey-haired woman with a law degree. Law firms would not hire her. Great teacher, though. Lack of pay and lack of respect for the teaching profession are the problems. It’s not like this worldwide.
Miselle. First Thank you for taking time provide a detailed picture of what bright teachers face. Thanks for disagreeing. It is appropriate and welcome.
I read it twice and have saved your stark picture of challenges faced by good teachers.
I take what I wrote back. I am sure your daughters are bright, educated and motivated.
But. They are in a system with some disease not of their own making.
“But over time, public school education began to become less effective because it became bad”. Public education “became bad” after the Supreme Court ruled on Brown vs Board of Ed. White Americans suddenly didn’t want their tax dollars supporting education for black and brown citizens. The underfunding and disparagement of public education has been the kool-aid of choice for many white Americans since. Public Education and all those “least academically gifted” teachers worked to battle against unbelievably harsh forces since then. Underpaid, disrespected, underminded, overworked, and embattled, they showed up to work dealing with children suffering from conditions completely out of their control. Your belief that “Those that can’t Do, Teach” is insulting. I agree Education is THE way to strengthen democracy. But it’s not so much that schools have failed because women have more choices, rather it’s that schools have failed because we don’t really believe “All Are Created Equal” and thus deserve a quality education.
A big reason for the exodus of brilliant women from teaching into science/engineering jobs is economic; here in the US, we don’t pay teachers a wage commensurate with their knowledge and importance.
I sincerely wish there was a way to eliminate your comment. There is no humor in it. I cannot remember being so insulted as an educator and leader in public education.
My husband would agree with you regarding his education in deep East Texas. There were some wonderful women educators who taught both him and his parents (same teachers.) However, you lost me at your description of teachers in these recent times. Insulted, actually. As a retired high school educator with a total of 49 years in the classroom (includes 12years subbing post retirement,) I can vouch for the marvelous job the women I know and are associated with through my teaching and membership/involvement with the international society of key women educators…Delta Kappa Gamma. They are well educated, all with continuing graduate work and degrees. They are formidable proponents of the importance of a good education for a strong country, and they are visibly active in their communities, states, and countries promoting and fostering literacy, continuing education, and stable environments for students. Enough with the “those who can’t, teach.” We are the backbone of our democracy and proud of it. Teaching is/was a calling; certainly not a plan to get rich. We are the strong base of the Women’s March, League of Women Voters, and innumerable active civic groups for maintaining democracy. Guess you pushed my buttons this morning.
Mike did for me as well, and I generally am one of his strongest supporters. I think he was not giving full thought to his posted comment, I am giving him the benefit of the doubt here.
They used to (pre-DJT) lock people up for treason or do MTG and others just view Russian butchery as alternative facts. These Senators are monsters!!!!!!
BTW, speaking of WW II, today in 1945, Hitler committed suicide. Perhaps Putin, Orban et al will emulate their hero.
Something going on with Substack! this LFAM episode still hasn't reached my e-mail. Previously it would be on my phone 20 minutes after hitting FB. How come it gets onto Substack 2 hours late and it still isn't distributed to subscribers?
Substack couldn’t be more buggy and still have any internet presence, they must be making money so why haven’t they fixed their multiples of problems, I tried to ❤️ one of your earlier posts and it resisted my multiple efforts until I gave up in frustration. This happens every day! Especially as a thread evolves.
The majority of the time I am unable to read the comments although I am a subscriber. I get the message that something went wrong (duh) and then the web site crashes. Any ideas on how to fix this? So frustrating! Thanks.
I think we should start referring to this congressional group (+ Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, Etc) as The Russian Agents & Useful Idiots Caucus.
“…with only 10 Representatives, all Republicans, voting against it. Those ten included Representatives Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Dan Bishop (R-NC), Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Ralph Norman (R-SC), and others who also voted against last week’s House resolution “expressing support for Moldova’s democracy, independence, and territorial integrity” in the face of Russian threats.”
OK, I've got one question and wasn't sure where to put it, so here goes. Can someone explain to me just what is motivating those ten congresscritters to vote they way they do? I mean I just don't get it. Is this just 'performance politics' to get noticed? Is there any moral convictions behind their actions? Someone, somewhere help me understand these people.
Those nut-jobs have eagerly accepted the protection of the 'party' they have chosen. Now, enters the "fear factor", should they even think about changing course (leaving? Uh uh).
How is it possible that "Those ten included Representatives Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Dan Bishop (R-NC), Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Ralph Norman (R-SC), " are so reliably on the wrong side? Of history? Of decency? Do they reflect the views of their constituents in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, etc? Is it a coincidence that these state seem to be most interested in restricting voting?
The extent of ‘leaks’ about Cawthorn is impressive. The Republicans must be keeping a lot of people employed, spying on each other. One of those photos of Cawthorn seemed to be taken by a camera within his own car! It’s enough to lend credibility to Cawthorn’s outlandish claim about cocaine orgies. Why else would a party that tolerates everything else he has done turn against him?
That little boy should get the boot from Western Carolinians but who knows if they will. Many rural, the tiniest of towns exist in those areas. I know, I was born and raised there. I pray the people there are paying attention. I have my doubts, but hope I’m wrong.
We have the same problem in rural northern Michigan and the U.P. regarding our oil-owned U.S. Rep Jack Bergman whose actual residence is Louisana. But, when getting signatures for his opponent, Democratic candidate Dr. Bob Lorinser's petition, one of our "Go Home Bergman" folks discovered that a lot of Republican voters she met actually were very disatisfied with Bergman. And when they heard from her what Dr. Bob stood for (he's a moderate), they signed his petition and said they'd vote for him. We have a lot of doors to knock on - working on the messaging now.
It’s astounding that such coordination within the US and internationally is not being proposed to deal with the climate emergency. . It shows how taken for granted the notion of military geopolitical threat remains as our only priority. Meanwhile scientists have now modeled a great mass extinction of all oceans. Life by 2300. Essentially this would starve much of the human race and lead to untold other consequences.
"Appeasing dictators never stops them" Duh! Two things kids learn-if you give in to a bully he just comes after you for more and two: when the bully is picking on one kid on the playground, to shut them down, the rest of the kids need to go stand with the victim. Doesn't matter if it is elementary school or countries. Human behavior doesn't change because of the age of the participants.
Agree 1000%, Sally. I was just talking with a parent about their child’s aggressive behavior toward others. I stated that it is the tendency of adults to immediately intervene in a bullying situation with children and address the bully first, and sometimes even lose opportunity to check on the victim. It is imperative to check on the victim first even if it’s feelings that have been hurt and there is no physical injury. There is a part of bullying that incorporates the craving for attention. And it is satisfied when everyone gets in a huff and is focused on the bully.
True with Ukraine also. Our focus is first and foremost on the Ukrainian people. I celebrate efforts such as World Kitchen and feeding them as much as I understand why weapons must be provided to the Ukrainian forces.
Thank you Heather.
I was just reading about this young pilot that lost his life defending his Country. God rest his soul. At 29, this young man was willing to give his all for his Country. That is a trait I find in few here and it's showing as democracy is fleeting under the hands of the minority.
Do you notice how the GOP players that consistently vote against the grain are the same faces. The GOP have become just too mundane in their begging for attention to be contrary.
As the clock ticks towards the midterms, we need to adopt the fight of the Ghost of Kyiv if we want to keep and further Democracy on our own soil.
Be safe. Be well.
We need to see the Jan 6 committee on tv. All tvs, prime time.
With viewers hanging on every episode and discussing the next day......like, survivor, or Dallas or? I hope the ratings are "through the roof!"
It is my fear that the Jan 6 committee televised hearings will be “preaching to the choir”. Even in prime time, on all (or even several channels), I don’t believe Faux News will carry it except to disparage it as “lame stream, fake news”. I fear that the very people who need to hear it will be the ones who won’t. I hope I’m wrong.
A few months ago I listened to this Podcast - SmartLess, they did an interview with Jon Stewart. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jon-stewart/id1521578868?i=1000536712335
What stuck with me was Jon’s discussing a revelation he had. He (and I and lots of others) was raised believing that “shining a light” on misdeeds would cause others to wake up and see The Truth. What he realized was that this wasn’t effective- that when the light shines on the misdeeds people who believed will ignore it, deny it, even double down in their convictions. The way to change is a slow drip.
I think more people were disturbed by Jan 6 than what is being reported, that the slow drip of the committee’s work is sending The Russian Agent Caucus to attack Disney and ban books in hope of distracting enough people.
Lastly, I think that the American Psyche is deeply uncomfortable with Russia, that all the fawning and praising of Putin made more people uncomfortable than true believers, and that’s why there has been no significant schism in support for Ukraine. We as a country have long been acclimated to Russia as our enemy or at best “frenemy”. This was the miscalculation that sent quite a few Trump supporters over to voluntarily fight for Ukraine.
I agree. We should be comforted to remember that many right wing conservatives have feared & detested Russia for much longer than they have loved Trump/Trumpism.
Fantastic letter today HCR. You’ve been knocking it out of the park this week. I am thankful for you each day.
Anyone not "deeply uncomfortable with Russia" after seeing Putin's barbarism either has no empathy or longs for someone like Putin to rule the United States — or both.
Both
"Russian Agent Caucus" (not to mention Insurrection Caucus) is apt, and I would love to see some deep investigative journalism into ties (monetary or otherwise) between that group and Russian-authoritarian movement. These same faces seem to be far more than simple contrarians.
And include GOP senators like Rand Paul and Ron Johnson.
And Mitch
There really has been no solid explanation of the 360 done by so many Republicans - I'll add in Graham and McCarthy. In the end money is usually at the root of all evils so somebody needs to get digging!
Hi Regina -
I agree with you and Jon Stewart.
That's why QAnon was so potent I bet. They, the creators behind QAnon, even called the messages "Q-Drops."
Well at least it will give me some conversation openings with my gop neighbors..."hey, did you see that!?" "hey, what did you think about that!?" hey, did you know that?!"
That is what is turning the tide: They may pretend that they are immune to accurate information, but it seeps in, no matter how hard they try. And truth wins in the end, because it is, you know, true. We shouldn’t expect some sudden flash of light to open the eyes of the deluded all at once. It happens slowly, one mind at a time. Frequently, it seems as if it is not happening, and that’s when we have to keep the faith. It’s like walking across a broad plain toward distant mountains. Often, it looks as if the goal is no closer, until we turn around and see how far we have come. Just put one foot in front of the other.
Jon, your steady positivity is just so comforting. Please keep up the “slow drip“ of cheerleading for democracy. (That sentence could have used one or two more metaphors to mix in there.) Are you by chance related to Marjorie of PA?!
❤️
I think the other arm of Truth is Peer Pressure. Democrats have operated for several decades on the "Live and Let Live" model of Freedom and have been conditioned not to call out other ideologies, religions, etc. But this is different, and as Democrats finally speak up, call out lies and demand truths, I think the SLOW realization is dawning on Republicans that none of the rest of us believe or condone all the lies and treason, and that they are not the "cool kids" they thought they were! We need to speak up every day whenever and wherever we can!!
Alas, with inocuos intent, I mentioned last week’s soon to be US meeting with Zelensky in mixed company and got shut down without further discussion. Some souls have been set.
Try them one at a time in private. Maybe pert group pressure prevailed.
What if the people we need to mobilize aren't Fox "News" devotees but all the people who don't vote either because of the logistical hurdles in the way or because they believe (not without reason) that voting isn't worth the effort?
We only need a few more % of these non voters. I am uncertain how many Rep can be shaken out of their delusion. Just knowing TFG hired Paul Manafort, ( Putin’s man in Ukraine for a decade) should be enough, but what I think should be enough never is with this delusional base)
Once we realize that the non-voters the country needs are mostly not white, it starts to look doable. Stacey Abrams, among others, is on the right track. She's more than on the right track -- she's out in front.
Ted, as I see it the undemocratic minority, need I say traitors, need I say Christian Nationalists, need I say myopically self centered, need I say people who prefer to be cult followers are not reading or listening to even main stream media, much less reading Professors Richardson and Reich. Solve this problem and maybe we can attract “a few more % of these non voters”
Support for Public Education is what fixes this. Not overnight, but would help.
Yep, when I heard that it was beyond enough. But then so was the escalator ride
I'd like to see a profile of a typical trump supporter. There must be a way to connect.
ie, democracy isn't a spectator sport?
Then we would see a beautiful giant blue tsunami that could not be denied by all the election fraud in the world. Behold, the silent majority speaks!
They would deny it at the same time as it drowned them......first we need an earthquake!
Ironical
What would qualify as an earthquake? Perhaps if Maxwell sings, mountains would tumble.
What a vision
People who don't vote is absolutely who we should be targeting. Over 81 million voters didn't vote in the last presidential election, and they weren't all Black or brown either. I met a white woman (in terrible physical condition) in her 50s last May who told me that the first time she ever voted was for Biden in 2020, because her sister warned her that if she didn't start voting Democrat, Republicans were going to start taking everything away. People like her are perfect targets for right wing propaganda, and there are millions just like her, who never voted until someone got to them.
"Relational organizing," as it's called now, is the key. We each have more influence with the people we know than with total strangers. Hell, these days I know something about just about everyone who's running from the top of the ballot to the bottom, but when I didn't, I often voted for down-ballot candidates mainly because a friend or co-worker told me they were good.
Susanna, Your absolutely correct! Furthermore, the Democrats need to aggressively, and loudly, fight against the "logistical" hurdles that are being put in place by the Repugnant Republicans. A chance conversation with a perfect stranger set me back on my heels when they said, "They never heard of any such actions to interfere with the right to vote???" I couldn't believe it!!!
Yep. And once you get into serious political wonkery (that would be me), it's easy to lose touch with people who don't breathe politics 24/7.
Wonkery❣️
Clueless and in denial. They will beat our best of intentions...
HA! Strangers say the strangest things, eh?
Same as it has been since 1996, skewed to make Goebbels proud. In recent times, Rupert never showed chump as he really was, just a halo on a pile of Schitt. And the sheep bowed down
A few days ago on Nicole Wallace, Michael Steele suggested that the 1/6 committee should hire actors to create a "docudrama" about the insurrection with each phase of their report acted out in chapters. He thought that would appeal to some who otherwise won't watch. He also suggested that if the committee can't attract viewers who need to see it, then we, Dems, might as well close shop for the next many years.
Steele’s plan would definitely work and the Committee should really take that into consideration.
NO! NO! NO! NO! No offense, but No.
Why not???
It would probably work -- to the benefit of the MAGAts and insurrectionists. "Fake news" at its finest, performed by "crisis actors" (you know, like they accused the Parkland students of being)!
Many decades if not centuries
They would just claim that it was phony
Maybe something like the 911 stories/documentary.
One person at a time explaining what it was like, then cut to the video clearly showing the mob and individual violence of the perpetrators.
Maybe some of you didn't see how effectively the House managers of Impeachment 2 used video from 1/6 -- and that wasn't all that long after the event itself. The 1/6 committee has a lot more evidence now, and the talent to organize it effectively.
Great idea! But you would need the lead character to be male, very masculine with big muscles, straight with a beautiful wife and likes beer. Trumpanzees love that so they would be more inclined to watch. Helmsworth?
Not Helmsworth. They would love Scott Bao though. 😆
I stand corrected and that is hysterical!😂. Thank you Marlene I promise to do better. ☺️
There should, coincidentally, be a mini-series on Netflix or HBO that runs right after the hearings! I say Gary Oldman for Mitch McConnell - and Sally Fields for Nancy Pelosi!
😄 Not sure Oldman’s voice could go that deep and boy, there would be so many prosthetics just for the triple chins!
I like having Sally Fields for Pelosi but even Lady Gaga, too.
I think we should forget about the Fox News-watching Trump worshippers. The people that need to be convinced to vote (for Dems!) are those in the "reasonable middle", people who can sort out fact from fantasy and will understand what the Jan. 6 hearings are about. Of course, I'm assuming (and hoping) that there actually IS a reasonable middle. To convince them, if they exist, the Democrats will have to do more effective messaging, aside from the Jan. 6 hearings. So far they have not done a very good job, or perhaps ANY job, at messaging. I believe that even I could do better, and I'm a more or less defunct nerd.
That Raskin fellow got us off to a real good start, and he looks like a nerd too. I’m gonna gather me up a herd of nerds to get rid of those turds.
Yes, Raskin was really good.
I’de pay attention to hear J. Howitzer fire for effect.
Dem messaging sucks, and the Democratic Party has lots of problems, including mediocre Democrats like Manchin and loose cannons like Sinema, but as far as I can tell, *all* the stellar and effective politicians out there are Democrats. That's why I finally got involved as a Dem in 2016. Here's my advice: Put some serious effort into ensuring access to the ballot. The right wing is trying to restrict it for a reason: to keep people who lean Democratic from voting. Get out there and fight for accessible polling places, mail-in voting, same-day registration or election-day registration, etc. If you're in a blue state with decent access, support efforts in red states where access is under attack. And don't assume that your state has decent access just because it's mostly blue. MA passed a good VOTES Act, making permanent most of the reforms that were put in place during the worst of Covid, but same-day voter registration is being held up by Democratic legislators who are afraid they'll lose their seats if college students show up in the primary.
FYI a group of HCR Substackers has formed to turn good talk here into activism. For more info, email:
heathersherd@gmail.com
Glad to hear it! I'm sort of working in the other direction -- turning what I know as an activist into useful talk -- but I'll check it out. "Heather's Herd" reminds me of "the Horde" that followed Ta-Nehisi Coates when he was blogging regularly at the Atlantic. Talk about mind-expanding discussions!
So, J. Horowitz, start a blog and write to media outlets’ letters to the editor and opinion columns. You have power. Use it.
I tried twice to reply a while ago and both times my message disappeared into cyberspace. Will try again for the last time. I didn’t expect such a response to my post (above). Yet another blog among the infinite number already out there would just get lost in the noise. I write letters to the editor and post replies to comments, as here, but usually to NY Times and LFAA, not useful for getting outside our bubble. I’ve also written several times to my congressman, James McGovern, D-MA (whose website says something like “contact Jim”, very undignified – other congressional websites are similar) and have gotten either no response or a nonsense response (“thank you for sharing your thoughts”). Occasionally I go to the Fox so-called-News website and reply to the comments there, but they are often so wacko that I doubt anyone is convinced of anything. My message would be twofold, both parts delivered simultaneously: (i) lay out the facts, e.g., about the Jan. 6 invasion, climate change, whatever, (ii) call out the Republicans who are saying that Jan. 6 was “an ordinary tourist day”. I would ask, while showing video of the occasion, “does that look like an ordinary tourist day? Do ordinary tourists come armed with gas masks and bear spray? Are you insane?” That last one isn’t very gentlemanly, but it’s time to get past that. We don’t have to be vicious, but should tell it like it is. We might also point out, when people talk complain about the Biden administration’s lack of progress on various issues, that the Republicans have quite openly said that their strategy is to block all of Biden’s agenda (McConnell: “100% focused”). When the Republicans say that the Dems are socialists, they should be called out: “You know that that’s not true. Why do you say it?” And on and on and on. It’s more important that the Democratic public figures say these things. They have a larger bullhorn.
It's not rocket science: be clear, be truthful, don't let the other side get away with nonsense.
I’m probably being naïve. As I said, a defunct nerd.
I met with a Montana governor in a time slotted appointment for 30 minutes. After listening to her and her advisors for 25 minutes and with no opening forthcoming I excused myself to the bathroom. They continued their discussion as I exited. There was no point in going back as the next appointment was queuing up. I received a nice form letter thanking me for my concerns. Aside from introductions my concerns were never expressed. My point is that your quiet voice addressing all of our concerns in a civil manner has been more appropriate than myriads of gobbledygook emanating from officious sources. Thank you.
I tried twice to reply a while ago and both times my message disappeared into cyberspace. Will try again for the last time. I didn’t expect such a response to my post (above). Yet another blog among the infinite number already out there would just get lost in the noise. I write letters to the editor and post replies to comments, as here, but usually to NY Times and LFAA, not useful for getting outside our bubble. I’ve also written several times to my congressman, James McGovern, D-MA (whose website says something like “contact Jim”, very undignified – other congressional websites are similar) and have gotten either no response or a nonsense response (“thank you for sharing your thoughts”). Occasionally I go to the Fox so-called-News website and reply to the comments there, but they are often so wacko that I doubt anyone is convinced of anything. My message would be twofold, both parts delivered simultaneously: (i) lay out the facts, e.g., about the Jan. 6 invasion, climate change, whatever, (ii) call out the Republicans who are saying that Jan. 6 was “an ordinary tourist day”. I would ask, while showing video of the occasion, “does that look like an ordinary tourist day? Do ordinary tourists come armed with gas masks and bear spray? Are you insane?” That last one isn’t very gentlemanly, but it’s time to get past that. We don’t have to be vicious, but should tell it like it is. We might also point out, when people talk complain about the Biden administration’s lack of progress on various issues, that the Republicans have quite openly said that their strategy is to block all of Biden’s agenda (McConnell: “100% focused”). When the Republicans say that the Dems are socialists, they should be called out: “You know that that’s not true. Why do you say it?” And on and on and on. It's not rocket science. And it’s more important that the Democratic public figures say these things. They have a larger bullhorn. Be clear, be truthful, and don't let the other side get the advantage with nonsense.
I’m probably being naïve. As I said, a defunct nerd.
I've on purpose lost touch with Republicans who deny Jan 6 was an attempted coup. I don't know their favorite websites. I'm afraid I'll get hacked if I connect with them.
How about your state senator, Mallory McMorrow. on a daily panel?
I am beyond impressed with her❤️ If only we could get more Dems to stand up and do/say what she did.
Mallory speaks firmly for very important Voters; how about Mallory as a Witness of Michigan plots?
https://youtu.be/34-JCkVuKJ8
Cathy, in order to refute it they will have to watch it! It will be like flood waters. Sink or swim. When rain hits the Salmon river you are not overwhelmed as much as you are transported to another world, an inescapable makeover. You see it coming from upriver. Your beautiful crystal clear water becomes milk. The fishing expedition is over.
I predict it will be totally ignored, no mention of the hearings. Although admittedly that won’t be easy.
I'll be looking for cracks in Fox's reporting. They can't completely ignore the Jan 6 report. Once they see what really happened, and viewers start questioning their opinions, watch who starts hurling themselves to the high ground. They will all say, "This is different then before! We were lied to! Trump is the devil!" Then a new party darling will emerge and it won't be anyone that actually embraced the lie. It might be Pence, but he isn't completely clean although they are already touring him as a hero for not getting into the car. He took the hit being VP for his party and is probably willing to run for president and probably take the hit for his party. Remember, one term presidents are the exception, not the rule. The Republicans don't have the energy to start a third "New Republican Party." They will just lower the volume on their base.
Just an interesting note. I was curious about when and why the Republicans began being called the Grand Old Party (GOP) because the current party is neither Grand nor particularly old, considering it is basically the confederate states of yore. Turns out it was only a few years after the Civil War! I read at ( https://www.history.com/news/election-101-why-is-the-republican-party-known-as-the-g-o-p) it was basically used like a term of endearment with the emphasis being on the grand, as in gallant, party, not the old party (having only recently emerged from the Whigs as a third party opposed to slavery). Also, it actually was first used in referring to the Democratic party pre Civil War! Nevertheless, today's Republicans are so far from being grand, or gallant, we should stop using the short hand of GOP when referring to the Republican party. Funny how the Democratic party, which is actually really old and lost the title in the 1870s because it could not justify the claim to it after the Civil War, has grown to become the grander party, beginning with FDR, broadened by the Kennedy's and Johnson, solidified by the election of Obama, and now President Biden might be democracy's savior. Fingers crossed for him (and all of us).
The Republicans and Fox have spent the last four decades (starting with Ronald McDonald Reagan) trying to tear democracy down. Like Putin, they must not win.
I find it particularly interesting that in the television commercials that are on right now as the primaries are coming up, NONE of the Republican candidates are calling themselves Republicans. Each and every one of them calls himself/herself a “conservative”. It’s like they are trying to distance themselves from the Republican party, while still being Republicans, and somehow fool the electorate.
Here or ‘there,’ Rupert Murdoch has much to answer for.
In spades!
Even better - stream it on Netflix
Youtube
I mean, if they really want to get people engaged, they’ve got to turn it into a reality show, maybe where the biggest offenders get voted off the island and taken directly to Leavenworth.
Horrors to the reality show, haven’t we sunk low enough
What if the loser went to Huntsville instead.
That worked with Watergate because there were only four channels. It won't work now.
I fear you are correct, but fervently hope you are wrong.
Or it could work better. Flood the cyber field with the reality.
Think you are correct Ted, must be digital Byte Size.
Understand but, these "Hearings" (Seeing-is-Believing) must be fit for the very small screens: cell phones.
I think it might be a ratings buster...people on both sides will tune in to watch a train accident. I pray the train is Trump and not the committee's presentation.
Oh well
Four channels and the Honesty in Reporting structure.
And on Utube etc as the young nolonger watch standard tv
My 17-year old daughter, who is on a high school exchange in Vienna, was just zooming with us yesterday. She is a reader and she was telling me that she was reading Nietzsche. Then she was talking to her dad and when I came back into the room she and he were discussing a list of philosophers and which theories they represented. I wondered whether she had been reading all of them so I asked. It turned out she has been listening to many different philosophers on Spotify. Spotify is really popular for the youth. She was telling me she had listened to Machiavelli's, The Prince on Spotify a couple of years ago and what she remembered on his philosophy about attacking an enemy. So, Spotify seems like it could be a good platform for reaching the youth. The listening has a way of capturing one's thinking that is different than when one has a visual image because those can be distracting from the message, as in YouTube. Spotify has the potential to be more like a radio show or a podcast. So, while it does cost something to create content. https://techcrunch.com/2021/08/24/spotifys-podcasts-subscriptions-service-is-now-open-to-all-u-s-creators/?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAANMgJD6A5z4SZ0euTZbX0wkgDXfdu5nAdXz4ZQEnTShiz8wv4QDKced8ydvQKLplu48LhUY5qRLoF_G7EyCkMoo_80MXmeVWfbS2VVm6tZyr6MbJFtsKW6jTCRg3fLSCRDoiiokINPg4sRv0iAzqIXlpR9M-eQlq6vvKeDCc5OIU It does not cost anything to use it, which is why it has a large youth audience.
Linda, please adopt me! I’m just a few decades older than this amazing daughter of yours. 😉
FYI a group of HCR Substackers has formed to turn good talk here into activism. For more info, email:
heathersherd@gmail.com
TFG would see that as another feather in his hat. Ratings are is life blood ! 😂
Yes, but would the irony escape him as he's escorted jail?
If someone were to release videos with short snippets from the hearings to share on all social media platforms every evening (funds permitting), what do you all think would grab and hold the public's attention best: humor, drama, mystery?
I'm ask seriously, because I want to edit videos but I am stumped as to what which genre would work best. Sometimes I think mocumentary but then my serious side cancels that thought. I don't know if a news genre would work because most Americans it seems are tuning out the news as it is.
Tracy, as a humorist my opinion is that the threat to our democracy is too gravely consequential for humor in the report we have all been waiting for!
I love Colbert and Kimmer--but their funny 'bits' relieve the strain in small doses, and are mostly directed at the bad guys with precision.
We must not treat this subject--and justice for those who continue to destroy our country--as funny for ratings.
The backfire would ruin our sacrifices, MY sacrifices, to save this country and the planet we live on.
Even my hero Al Franken knows when to stop with the jokes. With all due respect, that's what I think.
Thank you for your well-thought-out reply. I truly appreciate your opinion, and have to agree with you. When I think back on all those years watching Colbert and Stewart, I wonder if there were so insightful, astute but funny, what happened that we still ended up with trump?
George Carlin died. His most famous quote was “ Ladies & Gentlemen it’s a very big club and you and I ain’t in it ! “. I really don’t think TFG would have been elected if Carlin had still been alive and was performing.
Jon Stewart left the air just when Trump rode down the escalator. Some feel he might have made a difference—who knows. We have Trump due to schism created in the Democratic Party
I won't deny there was a schism but I think it originated from hostile anti-democratic forces coming from foreign adversaries and homegrown right-wing operatives.
* they were not there. Sorry 'bout the typo. An accomplished typist I'll never claim to be.
Gus, I was having a similar thought as I was visiting with a really smart guy today and he pops open Colbert and the bit he sliced together from Hannity's hateful rant about Biden being such a looser piece from Trump. Very funny for sure. He went on to name who he regularly follows and they were the comedians from SNL, Kimmel, Colbert, Noah, etc. His culled sources are comedians doing a take on selected stuff in today’s new (somewhat as HCR is doing with history). Made me wonder, is comedy the let's version of Fox? Though he reads and is engaged, his quotes come from commedians, ocassional Maddow.
I agree, 100%
Humor: I don't think the committee is going to bring very much in the way of humor to their hearings. Not sure you will have a winning quip like in debates or convention speeches of yesteryear. Drama: That would require a John Dean type witness saying something really consequential, that will change even the most ardent Republican's belief - and there won't be a lot of those, if any. Mystery: What mystery does anyone expect? There won't be a Geraldo Rivera build up to a reveal nothing in the safe. Maybe you should go back and actually watch the Watergate hearings. How would you snippet it? Everyone alive and of voting age knows about two things: there were tapes of all of Nixon's conversations and John Dean's testimony. According to WAPO "The country was riveted. People watched at work, in department "stores — any place they could find a television. The barber planned to bring a TV to his shop during the upcoming week to watch Dean, who had flipped on Nixon and become a villainous character to Republicans." I expect we will be watching the villains again, waiting to hear them explain their treachery and stupidity. Maybe that falls under all three categories? Good luck to you. It is an interesting project.
Well, if this is any indication, I know a few folks who only watch colbert and Jimmy kimmel for the news
I love this vision.
Fierce! May our spirit be as such.
United, Linda! 🗽
You and I were thinking the same. I just can’t call them that Party any longer.Nothing good about a Party that attacks it’s Democracy.
A “Cult of personality” is still a cult.
"Do you notice how the GOP players that consistently vote against the grain are the same faces."
I've taken to calling them "The Usual Suspects".
Here, here!
It is heartening to read of Europe's unification on the stopping of the flow of Russian gas. Biden is doing great work. It hurts every day to see the bombing of a country which did not deserve to be invaded. Putin is a danger to the whole world. I hope that the Russians come to learn of this travesty. The Republicans who did not support the Senate and House on keeping pressure on Russia are not serving our country and the world. Shame on them.
In monetrary terms, the sale of Russian oil is more important to Putin than the sale of gas. Both need to be stopped to deprive the Russian government of their principal source of funding. It will hurt us and the Russian people but this has to be stopped.
Stuart, I would note, though you’re right, that it’s difficult as an American to stand in judgment, considering that rising inflation and gas prices, combined with Republican “weapons of mass distraction,” could determine the outcome of an election wherein our democracy is at stake.
Unfortunately, Barbara, somtimes real life is a bitch and doesn't conform to our best wishes. Without a massive effort to persuade people otherwise this might happen. The GOP "messaging" will start to seriously hurt the Dems on covid management and treatment too; anything and everything will be thrown at the ouhouse wall to see if it sticks. Facts are, as usual, not the question nor is the capacity for synthetic thinking and comprehension...emotions and personalized anecdotal evidence will be the drivers. The Dems are not living in the same world nor dealing with the same species of humanity.
Exactly correct, sir!!! Facts are not what will sway the "indies" and the "undecided" Repub messaging is all about emotion. Dem messaging seems to be afraid of stirring any emotion at all. The message has to connect with people before it can begin to resonate.
Democratic messaging must reach beyond CNN and MSNBC, beyond the late night TV hosts, and beyond the NYT and the WAPO, and magazines (New Yorker, Atlantic, etc.) that their followers already access. Let's see some commercials by veterans, country singers, rap and hip-hop stars, chefs (!) and athletes. There must be an organized effort to do this. It won't just happen on its own.
Authors.
So what does this say of the Dems? A total disconnect with the world in which most people live. They seem to be looking down with kind concern from Mt. Olympus!
I’m a Dem, no connection with Mt. olympus
Well, I have to admit...I think too many persons in Dem leadership positions are as disconnected from the average (reasonably or moderately liberal) person as the fringiest of Republican rwnj's seem to be.
What's worst is that while Dem policies may actually help middle and working class people, they cannot seem to articulate what concrete benefits their legislation would confer in any sort of meaningful way.
The only messages that sway the Republican base (that is, the voters that make it possble for them to win elections) are messages that make it clear that the party will do everything it can to preserve systemic advantages for white people. Democrats oppose that goal so they can say nothing in support of it, nor should they, nor should any decent human being for that matter. As a result, no Democratic messaging strategy can change the minds of Republican voters. The only Democratic hope is to get all of their potential voters to cast ballots.
Not from Mt. Olympus, but from a Bernie hill here. Locally we have a person on the group Salem Progressives doing all she can to discredit the one person running in the new CD 6 who has a good chance of prevailing in the general. She favors the guy who calls himself a Democrat Socialist. A couple of us have tried to explain how socialist is the kiss of death. I did reference HCR's letter this week which gave some history about why this is so. One person on the thread is already a fan! Our ballots are here and we will be voting this weekend....vote by mail here in Oregon. It has worked well for many years.
FROM MY LATE REPLY TODAY:
"We are a species of Apes with Nuclear Weapons and no sense of the finite resources of this planet with our overpopulation of it. For seven decades I have lived with the impending demise of the world either with a bang or a whimper."
I've been warning people about overpopulation since I was 9 in the early '60s. And too many people think it's just the world's problem and not the US' problem. Among other things, here's a recent article from Nature, "Why deforestation and extinctions make pandemics more likely." https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02341-1
Oh they Do seem to have plans...to seriously reduce the population ...and not too kindly.
Amen!
Stuart, Granting that hope has nothing to do with optimism, I do find hope with the tens of thousands who have joined together in the ever growing number of grassroots civic organizations committed to making a difference, not from the top down, but from the inside, bottom up, from citizens who persist because they believe their cause is right and just and moral.
A convergence of top down and bottom up are essential requiements to create a tidal wave effect.
Agreed. Hence, our sustained efforts to open up a dialogue, the lifeblood of democracy in my view, with Democratic leadership.
Sometimes I wonder if tRumps followers are employees at his brothels, casinos and golf courses and all their clients ?
I don’t think we should ever subjugate our humanity and compassion to what we pay at the pump when a supplier is bombing cities and murdering civilians for no reason. We need leaders to remind voters of these facts.
Ted, I couldn’t agree more. My response to Stuart stemmed from my feeling, as a citizen of a country whose elections largely could be influenced by rising inflation and gas prices, that I wasn’t in a position to pass judgment on the Europeans.
Barbara, I was thinking of Sen Rand Paul, and other Libertarians like him, who selfishly use inflation and gas prices as excuses not to help Ukraine, encouraging Americans to just “look away”.
Ted, I had understood the types of figures that had provoked your initial comment and thoroughly share your viewpoint.
Continuing partial schooling and job attendance online might help. While there are mixed reviews, some workers are not enjoying going back to the office so much.
Oooooh, “weapons of mass distraction” — nicely served, Barbara Jo.
@SLWeston, I can’t take credit for a phrase I heard on a news program. Hence the quote marks. Though the program’s host named the source, unlike the phrase, it didn’t stick with me.
Barbara--The phrase "weapons of mass distraction" has been around for a while. There were several books 10-15 years ago with that title, though they had quite different interpretations of what that meant and its significance for social/political life. More recently that title has been taken up by a podcast that I have not listened to.
Tom, Thanks for your comment, I would note, after picking up SLWeston’s post, I googled the phrase and discovered the same.
Barbara, may I use that "weapons of mass distraction" line? It's perfect.
Lynell, I did not invent the phrase “weapons of mass distraction.” Hence the quote marks. Though I first heard it used recently on a news program, when I googled it, I learned that the phrase had been used over several years in a number of different contexts. Hence it would be considered public domain, although I still would advise enclosing it in quotes.
Thanks for the explanation, Barbara Jo; and will follow your advice.
It will require leadership and explanations, freedom is not free is one simple framework.
Ah but Lynn, that means that you want people to take responsability not only for their own lives but of the political system too; one too many i'm afraid. Rights Yeh, obligations Nah!
The politics of responsibility. This I agree with.
Ok professor
Sorry! Was that what it sounded like?
No!
Putin will lose internal support once his strategic reserves of dollars, military, and oil markets are depleted. He will have to print more rubles, so inflation will skyrocket in side Russia. Right? Turning away from Russian oil and gas is the key. Open talks to buy directly from the ‘Stan countries southern route would be another blow to the Russians. Right?
It does hurt and he is a danger. My 60's, peace-loving self looks at the unspeakable death and destruction and naively thinks- wouldn't it be nice if the gentleman could be escorted to The Hague where the International Court of Justice could respectfully request his full explanation for his actions, then proceed according to law.
They are our enemy, they want back in charge, fear that and resist with all your might
For me, he and they are stuck in another reality.
As always, my thanks for this LFAA, Heather. Among its gems, one stands out for its significance:
"Biden added, 'What I want to make clear to the Congress and the American people is this: the cost of failing to stand up to violent aggression in Europe has always been higher than the cost of standing firm against such attacks. That is as it always has been, and as it always will be.' He was referring to the misguided attempt to appease Adolf Hitler by accepting Germany’s 1938 annexation of the Sudetenland rather than resisting. Appeasing dictators never stops them; it simply emboldens them to increase their demands. And by the time the European war broke out in 1939, Hitler had significantly strengthened Germany’s forces.”
You invariably highlight how history can and does repeat itself. The fact that our president has been able to enhance and renew our alliances with European countries is so reassuring.
Oh, and the vignette about Queen Leticia of Spain is such a bonus!
I simply adore that added anecdote. I can hear the cheers when they found the sausages.
Can you imagine, Rowshan? We would have been whooping it up in the aisles.
That kind of contrast of support (armored war vehicles and some tasty food) with a note of support can only come from a Queen. I feel so proud as a woman to feel my own fierceness of support for Ukraine and for the inalienable spirit of freedom over tyranny.
Salud!
When I read that, Christine, my first thought was "why didn't anybody else think to send food along." And then it hit me: Women can be and are fierce but they also are nurturers to the nth degree.
It is a wonderful thing!!! What a woman!
Salud, Christine! It would have been an on-the-spot barbecue!
Great women shine!
Here’s to “girl powers!!”
My eyes got a little wet when I read the part about the Spanish sausages.
Just imagine, Bill, how great we would feel if the Orange Slug were still in office. The Worst Lady would have sent a glowering photo, inscribed Be Best, while clad in her classy I Really Don’t Care Do U? Jacket, stuffed into a bucket of KFC.
That would bring a tear to my eye. /s
Fortunately, the world contains many fine women, like Queen Leticia. Good for her and Spain!
Rowshan Queen Letitia’s letter and sausages in the box of armaments made my day. The Latin derivation of Letitia is ‘joy, gladness.’
Yes, the Spanish sausages was a fine addition.
Gads! I'm embarrassed to say I did not know Spain had a queen. That tidbit alone was worth reading.
I know, Hope. I can never get past Ferdinand and Isabella sending Columbus to America.
Good one, Lynell! ;-)
Hope Frankly, nor did I realize that Spain had a queen. Who is the king? ‘Sausage fingers?’ Now I am awaiting ‘Letitia’s branded sausages.’ Sounds like a royal snack while perusing the Prado.
“Hope”: my grandmother, born in Cuba, was named Hope and taught in Philadelphia public schools. My aunt also was named Hope. I had an early girl friend called Hope, but there hope soon expired (with a flicker some years later).
Hola from Esperanza, Keith!
That caught my attention as well.
Morning, all!! Morning, Dr. R!! Another masterpiece from Jamie Raskin: https://twitter.com/FFantmette1/status/1520221525005246465?s=20&t=x14U2D91w-0zl8F7UD8aiw
Thank you, Lynell! Love that Jamie Raskin. Wish more had his courage to stand up against these bizarre, whacky authoritarian wannabes. We really need to kick them out of office years, pronto.
Right you are, Pensa. Jamie's the real deal.
I would call that a shredding of a shameful twit.
Magnificent, Rep Raskin and thank you fabulous Lynell.
🗽
Takes one to know one, fabulous Christine!
TY, Lynell! There is a grand canyon-sized intellectual and behavioral gap between the "gentle lady" and Jamie Raskin.
Carol, that's the understatement of the year.
Carol, he is so down-to-earth, too!
Wow.....just WOW. Raskin certainly can dish out the truth.
Morning, Pam! Easy to dish out when it's the truth, don't you think? More of this, please, we say to our silent majority of lawmakers!
Hey, Lynell. Raskin is my hero for many reasons. I'll add this Marjorie 3 names bashing to the list.
Good good Morning, my wonderful friend! Raskin, my hero, smashed “the gentle lady’s” face in the mud. Thanks for this reveal.
Morning, Marlene. Love the visual you project!
Good Morning and Thank You Lynell for sharing this! Go Rep. Raskin! Speak Truth Loudly!
Yes! Yes, Michele; and more of the same!
Lynell Raskin took Queen Letitia’s sausages and rammed them up Gangrene Greene’s wazoo!
😂😂😂
LOL, thanks for this great visual, Keith!
Thank you for sharing! I needed to hear this today and I wish this could be streamed on prime time television for all to see.
Streamed on prime time TV, wouldn't that be wonderful.
THANK YOU for that, Lynell. I have forwarded it on to like minded people.
So did I.🙂
You go, LouAnn!
Excellent, Miselle!
Thank you, Lynell. And Jamie Raskin, asking that political-creep for proof of anything...hand me a spoon! If she wasn't halfway attractive physically, she'd have been dismissed long ago. She does such a dis-service to blondes everywhere... a total nitwit.
There is NOTHING attractive about this Nazi female bully.
Not being blonde, I'll have to defer to you MadRussian. However, I'm pretty sure having proof is not one of her strong points. Just my two cents!
Thank you for your persistence in trying to make sense of what I have written, Lynell :)). Like you, I too am convinced she couldn't find her rear-end if it were'nt for mirrors. She sure seems dumb.
Thank you
Morning, Vivian! You're welcome.
Wow!
Wow is right, J!
Morning Lynell.
Evening, Stuart! Wishing you well, always.
Many thanks Lynell my thoughts go with you too.
Morning, Lynell. Thanks for the link.
Morning, Ally!
Wow! Good morning, Lynell and thank you!
Afternoon, Daria! That Jamie Raskin sure is a knockout, as in overwhelmingly appealing. Wish we could clone him!
Amen, Lynell!
Love that Guy!!!!💯
I'm in that line, LouAnn!
Let's Start One🙂🙃
I read comments urging diplomacy to end the war in Ukraine. Since the Russians invaded in 2014, people have said there is no military solution only diplomacy. This is bullshit. There is ONLY a military solution to Russian aggression. Biden is correct. Russia must be destroyed so it can never threaten its neighbors again.
The useful idiots on the left promoting diplomacy include Chris Hedges, Noam Chomsky and Bill Blum. This article is about several others.
www.thedailybeast.com/meet-the-sneakiest-defenders-of-vladimir-putins-ukraine-invasion-and-chinas-xinjiang-repression
Allen, You're on top and way ahead of the '___ idiots'. You better believe me when I say many on the left support Ukraine's victory (from our hearts to our wallets) and the end of Putin. Salud, dear friend
Perfect description of our support, Fern. Fierce.
Allen. Thinking of you and Tanya every day and hoping existence has become easier and much less threatening. Have you been able to stay in touch with your Ukrainian contacts?
There are so many millions of people worldwide in support of totally eliminating Russian’s criminal and inhumane aggression as an evil device to perpetuate mere greed.
Salud, Allen. 🇺🇦🇺🇸🇨🇦
Good morning, Allen. I fear you are right. Look at how Putin responded to the "diplomatic" visit from the UN chief. He bombed Kyiv as the chief was visiting Zelensky. So much for honoring diplomacy.....BTW, good to see you here. Hope all is well in Canada.
Hello Allen, My understanding is that Putin’s grab of Crimea in 2014 was “solved” diplomatically, which would make the calls by outsiders now for Ukraine to “resolve” this invasion “diplomatically” feel like a slap to your face. The saying “Fool me once, shame on You. Fool me twice, shame on Me!” springs to mind. I have a question about a statement you made in the middle of your post: “Russia must be destroyed so it can never threaten its neighbors again.” Do you think this can be gained by disempowering Putin? Or is it in your view a Russia People characteristic to dominate? If Putin were forced completely out of Ukraine and were crippled -power-wise - and someone like Navalny rose to run Russia, do you still believe they are a threat as a nation?
The Anschluss of Crimea was never solved. It was simply put on the back burner as Ukraine was in no position to deal with it and the rest of the world ignored it with a few sanctions thus emboldening Putin. Replacing Putin with eg Patrushev a likely replacement will make things worse. Russia must be deNazified and demilitarized and forced to face up to its crimes as Germany was, except Russia's crimes against neighbouring peoples and Russians themselves go back centuries.
Allen. Correct. Diplomacy is a way to continue to grow Russian aggression, not dampen it.
Back to Saarland in 1936....speaking softly and carring a wilting flower.
I agree that diplomacy won't work. It will go nowhere because Putin doesn't believe there is a Ukraine and that the natural order of things is that Russia should still control all the territory it once did. There is no way to negotiate with that.
It isn't the best way to learn a bit of Russian history and current life, but there have been some interesting threads on Twitter, interviews with Fiona Hill and Timothy Snyder on other platforms and some young Russian YouTubers.
Here's some of the good reading via Twitter on Russia-Ukraine history, including the venerable Timothy Snyder:
https://twitter.com/NewYorker/status/1520012363512315904?s=20&t=k8JiE8B3gheXSm4rjiyvIw
https://twitter.com/TimothyDSnyder/status/1520410684839841793?s=20&t=k8JiE8B3gheXSm4rjiyvIw
https://twitter.com/TheStanislawski/status/1520421209355296768?s=20&t=k8JiE8B3gheXSm4rjiyvIw
Thank you Allen.
Allen, It is and was so good to see you. You seem fine and feisty, but I could be wrong and want to read the facts from Allen's point of view. I still read TC's newsletter but drew a break, so I can't comment there, and this is a large group. Don't know if I'll return to 'fine mess'. My decision has nothing to do with TC, and this isn't the site to write more about it. Do tell me how you are. I do not do Facebook, we'll think of another option. Did Tanya start her job? Be well feisty. Hope to hear from you again soon. 🟦🟨 🍎🪴 Salud!
We are fine. Tanya still has some stuff to do before a job but they will happen shortly. We are in touch with family and friends every day, Oldest granddaughter in Poland is volunteering with the Red Cross. Lucky loves his all in one parasite pill. If you drop it he will pick it up and eat it. The three cats sleep with our friend who looks after the house. I have a 27" screen and an all in one printer bought used on marketplace. A friend is bringing me an office chair. We were shopping the other day and when you walked in the store, Tanya said "Don't try to stop me". There was a display of little geraniums in little pots. She bought 7. Now she has plants.
Great news, Allen. I have plants...flowers, plants, trees, soil, worms... are dear friends since early in my life on earth. I gardened as young one and then for more that 20 years. Still young at heart but not in the knees. Try to imagine how wide my smile is at Tanya. It's good that you're in Canada for a while and that your animals have terrific god parents or parent. In addition to the political stuff, I've been in the power of a few poets, which is a relief as well as stimulating. Later, Allen. Cheers!
Standing with you, Fern and Allen/Tanya❣️
Allen, The evacuation of Mariupol floods, feel the struggle of keeping my head and heart above water. Please drop by when convenient. I would like to hear from you. Salud 🌻
All is well with Tanya and I our families and friends and critters
'U.S. Intelligence Is Helping Ukraine Kill Russian Generals, Officials Say' (NYTimesHeadline)
I smile every time I run into this front page headline (true confession) It does not go well in the USA. Up or down, literally, depends of the voters this year.
Keep on Keeping on. Always happy to hear from you. 🕊️🍎 🗽
Allen, I think that we're all 'critters'. Happy you are keeping on. 🕊️
Wait, now, Janet — Chris Hedges, Noam Chomsky “using disinformation and downright lies”? I certainly hope that’s not true. Do you have examples? I hold both these people in high regard — I certainly hope , pray it’s not misplaced.
I too appreciate Chris Hedges and Noam Chomsky when they focus on America BUT when they excuse the same from other Empires, I think much less of them. I totally stopped reading Bill Blum
Allen, I find you where I can. My thoughts this morning are with Ukraine, with you, Tanya, your families, your pets and plants. Nothing could be like being physically with the Ukrainians be a hand, a helper, a feeder as well as a heart. With you! 🟦🟨🌻🟦🟨🌻💙💛🌻
Fair points, Janet. And well taken.
"Biden added, “What I want to make clear to the Congress and the American people is this: the cost of failing to stand up to violent aggression in Europe has always been higher than the cost of standing firm against such attacks. That is as it always has been, and as it always will be.” Biden could have talked about failure to address Russian aggressions since Putin was in office. 1. Consolidation of Russian control of South Ossetia and intimidation of Georgia in 2003 after Georgia elected a pro-western government. (During GW Bush's presidency) 2. Continued acquiescence to Russia's control of Transnistria (During GW Bush's presidency), 3. Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 (During Barack Obama's presidency and after the 2013 Euromaidan protests in Ukraine). 4. Dombas area separatists get Russian support also in 2014. Bipartisan American foreign policy attention elsewhere allowed Putin to think that he could invade Ukraine without consequences. Credit to Biden for stopping this now. If Trump were President, we would be watching Putin move on from Ukraine to the Baltic and maybe more.
Good president = good decisions. We the People have to make sure that the best leaders receive and maintain the support of the majority of Americans.
(Sweden)
Even Sweden and Finland is getting the message. Russia is aspiring an empire from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. Lavrov is praising Finland and Sweden for staying neutral in service of peace, but all he is thinking of is Finland and Sweden as easy pray, and the simplest way to reach the Atlantic.
They’ll both be officially part of NATO soon…Putin and authoritarianism have already lost. The world is sickened and revolted by what Putin’s Russia and their supporters are doing in Ukraine. We have this chance now to band even more tightly together to send him and other would be dictators packing. It’s all happening…
Don't count your pennies yet. The Communist-party Propaganda machine runs silently and it runs deep. It recognizes few boundaries, if any. Witness what's happening here at home. Need I say more?
They’ll try ….but they’ll never win
You must not live in a sea of red
I too like to think it is all happening with Russia. Only that wars are not about the first battle, but about the last, and in the case of Russia not about the first war but about the second; thinking of Finland and Chetchnya. AND, what is NATO with Trump as president? Now that NATO is seriously on the table for Sweden, that question is hardly mentioned.
trump is done as disco….welcome Sweden and Finland to NATO (soon) and to the rebuilding of a Democratic Ukraine without Putin but instead a freely elected Russian president ready to rejoin the free world of nations
Keith Kuiper, I question whether they will become part of NATO. I’m beginning to believe they hold more clout and power by simply SIGNALING they would become part of NATO. That messes with Putin and yet still keeps them independent for the future.
I believe it essential and as proactive as humanly possible by joining forces with NATO by membership. I’ve always had the thought that an aggressive, primary purpose of Putin’s in all this is gaining access to the Arctic through territorial domination of the Baltic States. That bluff must be crushed.
Go NATO!
Putin has plenty of access to the Arctic already—at least 13 deepwater ports along Russia’s northern shore and several military-industrial installations in the area.
Hope so!!😇
Peace and freedom for the Ukrainian people. Glad to see our country doing the right thing and standing by them. Ukraine is an inspiration to the world for defending democracy.
Слава Україні (Glory to Ukraine)
I love this letter so much. Thank you this one especially. 💕 I'm so proud of Spain!
Yes, Gailee! You must be.
“ Countries supporting Ukraine have begun to talk not just of defending Ukraine, but seeing Ukraine “win,” and weakening Russia’s ability to meddle in the affairs of other countries.” IF that becomes the end result, I would hope various leaders of various countries will recall the disastrous results of the Versailles Treaty. IF winning simply results in a gigantic humiliation of Russia, apart from the main goal of stopping Russian aggression in Ukraine, we can count on Russia coming back with far more dangerous warmongerings! The next step ought to involve some sort of investment in educating the Russian people about their responsibilities in any activity their government undertakes. Which is another way of saying that if Russia continues to be a tyranny and basically a one man ruled country, any peace treaty will be short lived and inconsequential in the long run. Which is another way of pointing out the fact that wars never ever solve problems. They are temporary bandaids. Whoever was most humiliated will come roaring back with a blind vengeance. Think uSA southern states!
The ongoing problems in the US southern states are still with us because the national government pulled back from defending the voting rights of black men after the civil war. White supremacy ruled again through terror for a long time.
Bluntly, we need Putin and cadre to lose. That will inevitably be humiliating for him and his. How can we make this a humiliation for him but not the Russian people in general?
Look at WWII. The Nazis were soundly defeated. Remaining ones were put on trial. Then the country was helped to rebuild its economy, not its military.
I agree (the "Like" button isn't working).
'Worked for me (see, I like you!). 'Reboot computer?
They humiliated themselves
As the world turns, oh, burns.
This once, I don't agree with you entirely, Mike.
My two adult daughters are teachers. Both graduated in HS 12th or 13th out of about 350 students, had composite ACTS of 30 and 29. Both attended a prestigious midwestern liberal arts college and secured teaching positions and have been teaching 10-14 years.
It is not that the teachers are not gifted--they are stymied at every turn by parents, administrators and in many cases, school boards. I know the attacks on school boards,; my complaint is the number of times they have been forced to give extra chances to bring up a grade to allow the student to compete in school athletics, or because a parent is at school becoming a thorn in the side of the administration. I have listened to them tell of students who should be placed in Special Ed, but the parent(s) disagree. I have listened over and over to stories of kids who do not turn in ANY homework, at all, and they are forced to give up class time for these students to do work--trying to get a quarter or semesters work done in class to get a minimum passing grade. They cannot take away cell phones anymore, these phones are used to cheat, indeed, one student has been caught texting MOM for answers to classwork and texts. I listened to another story of a student whose parent insisted that their childs IEP allowed her to come to class about 20 minutes late--almost daily--so grandma could drive her to Starbucks and get her extra large frappe/latte to bring into the class! I have heard of parents complaining that they were "unaware" their student was failing, although the district had record of dozens of texts, phone calls and letters that were ignored (how did they finally get her attention? Some industrious administrator reached out to her on FB!)
There are complaints that our schools are failing because they are teaching CRT, or alternative lifestyles--no mention of how kids are being failed by their parents, and teachers are forced into rolls they do not wish (nurse, mental health therapist, supplemental nutritionist, police as they by law must report signs of abuse, etc etc etc) And then they face the public who thinks they work a 6 hour day for 9 months of the year. HAH! Hours and hours are put in off the clock--grading, class planning, contacting parents, doing mandatory continuing education--I wish you could see every holiday when my daughters come home lugging a briefcase to work while the turkey cooks.
They love to teach. Many do, but leave because they are burnt out. And they can't afford to live on the salary they are granted by the community taxpayers.
And Mike, YOU have faced discrimination!! PLEASE do not blame women's opportunities for failing schools. And you do realize, a lot of teachers are male, correct?
We depend on a sense of service to replace the call of higher wages in industry. I’ve seen far too many engineering college professors move from teaching into industry, often doubling or tripling their salaries. We need to pay teachers enough so that they don’t have to work a second job.
My sister was one of those parents you describe. When her son was 16, he was on the varsity football team at the high school (he had gotten into bodybuilding and was much larger than boys older than he); he didn't like studying, and he hated reading. His teachers sent multiple warnings home, explaining that he wasn't meeting minimum expectations for passing, and every warning was tossed in the trash. There were no threats to remove him from the football squad, however (state championships were very important to the school's reputation). When the year ended, he was given the failing marks he'd earned.
My sister went into a righteous fury, and paid a visit to the high school, where she complained to the principal loud and long about the teachers' "incompetence" in the classrooms (a lie), how they'd failed to warn her that there was a problem with his grades (another lie), and how "nobody" had tried to help her son (biggest whopper of all). She threatened to take it up with the state's Board of Education, and said she'd "sue the pants off" the school, the principal, and every one of her son's teachers for having "ruined" his future with failing marks.
When the dust finally settled, she took out a second mortgage, bought a garage and gave it to her son, who dropped out of high school to run the business.
The garage went out of business, my sister lost her money, and her son had no marketable skills, no education, and no future to speak of.
That was more than 25 years ago. To this day she harbors a hard grudge against the "elites" who she believes set her son up for failure.
You cannot fix stupid.
Correct. And. As all Honda Motorcycle Shops have posted: Stupid Hurts.
Lordy, I remember so many incidents akin to that
That's sad in a lot of ways. H. sapiens. Big brains. Too many of 'em don't know how to use 'em.
Thank you.
Private schools aren’t so different, from my experience in a for-profit school. Parents’ behavior was as you mentioned. Cheating was hushed up rather than dealt with, to keep the reputation the school had manufactured.
That’s a shame. So, basically it comes down to entitlement—due to either paid tuition or athletic performance.
I suppose so. It has also been said that school principals and higher ups see avoiding conflict as their mission. A middle school student of mine was caught cheating. His elite private high school did, too, as he recruited other students to join his scheme. They expelled him. Last I heard, he got into medical school. Parents were doctors. I imagine he is in practice by now.
Miselle, you nailed it!
I taught for 22 years - 10 in a Catholic school and 12 in 3 different public schools.
My daughter is finishing her 6th year of teaching. When she first decided to become a teacher, I tried to encourage her to choose another profession. She’s smart enough to have chosen things like engineering or law school. She’s an amazing teacher, but dealing with parents, admin, school board and state rules is an uphill battle. On top of that, there’s the constant effort of maintaining classroom discipline with students who were never taught respect and responsibility at home. It’s exhausting.
Danielle, Please tell her that the best teachers have students that remind them decades later of their positive influence.
She taught 6th grade math for 5 years in a high poverty middle school. She’s the perfect blend of caring/discipline, especially for that age. She gave her cell number to some students who had especially difficult home lives and got calls at home, resulting in calls like helping a student talk her father into surrendering rather than commit suicide by SWAT, or working with admin and police to identify a student who’d made a Snapchat threat to shoot up the school after a student called to tell her about it. She knows she made a huge difference in many students’ lives. She was torn about leaving that school and “her kids”, but finally chose a nearby school to be closer to her son and give up a 30 minute commute. She loves her new job, but still hears from some of her former students.
My sixth grade teacher in 1957 was a grey-haired woman with a law degree. Law firms would not hire her. Great teacher, though. Lack of pay and lack of respect for the teaching profession are the problems. It’s not like this worldwide.
Kind of like Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Yes
Truth on steroids
Miselle. First Thank you for taking time provide a detailed picture of what bright teachers face. Thanks for disagreeing. It is appropriate and welcome.
I read it twice and have saved your stark picture of challenges faced by good teachers.
I take what I wrote back. I am sure your daughters are bright, educated and motivated.
But. They are in a system with some disease not of their own making.
But it sounds unsolvable?
Brava, Moselle, for saying it like it is!
“But over time, public school education began to become less effective because it became bad”. Public education “became bad” after the Supreme Court ruled on Brown vs Board of Ed. White Americans suddenly didn’t want their tax dollars supporting education for black and brown citizens. The underfunding and disparagement of public education has been the kool-aid of choice for many white Americans since. Public Education and all those “least academically gifted” teachers worked to battle against unbelievably harsh forces since then. Underpaid, disrespected, underminded, overworked, and embattled, they showed up to work dealing with children suffering from conditions completely out of their control. Your belief that “Those that can’t Do, Teach” is insulting. I agree Education is THE way to strengthen democracy. But it’s not so much that schools have failed because women have more choices, rather it’s that schools have failed because we don’t really believe “All Are Created Equal” and thus deserve a quality education.
"Those that can do. Those that can do more teach." As a retired teacher, I can attest to the accuracy of that adage.
I really like this two sentence summary.
I love it! I wish that we paid teachers the same as they do in Nordic countries.
A big reason for the exodus of brilliant women from teaching into science/engineering jobs is economic; here in the US, we don’t pay teachers a wage commensurate with their knowledge and importance.
Correct.
Michelle. Your post is dead center of one origin of the problem.
I sincerely wish there was a way to eliminate your comment. There is no humor in it. I cannot remember being so insulted as an educator and leader in public education.
Christine. Hang in. I am deleting the comment. I was wrong and I gave the wrong impression. One minute.
Done. It is gone.
My husband would agree with you regarding his education in deep East Texas. There were some wonderful women educators who taught both him and his parents (same teachers.) However, you lost me at your description of teachers in these recent times. Insulted, actually. As a retired high school educator with a total of 49 years in the classroom (includes 12years subbing post retirement,) I can vouch for the marvelous job the women I know and are associated with through my teaching and membership/involvement with the international society of key women educators…Delta Kappa Gamma. They are well educated, all with continuing graduate work and degrees. They are formidable proponents of the importance of a good education for a strong country, and they are visibly active in their communities, states, and countries promoting and fostering literacy, continuing education, and stable environments for students. Enough with the “those who can’t, teach.” We are the backbone of our democracy and proud of it. Teaching is/was a calling; certainly not a plan to get rich. We are the strong base of the Women’s March, League of Women Voters, and innumerable active civic groups for maintaining democracy. Guess you pushed my buttons this morning.
Mike did for me as well, and I generally am one of his strongest supporters. I think he was not giving full thought to his posted comment, I am giving him the benefit of the doubt here.
Thanks Miselle. I was not thinking broadly when I posted and I have deleted the offense.
I am glad to hear New England remains on Jefferson’s plan for enlightened voters. 😊
They used to (pre-DJT) lock people up for treason or do MTG and others just view Russian butchery as alternative facts. These Senators are monsters!!!!!!
BTW, speaking of WW II, today in 1945, Hitler committed suicide. Perhaps Putin, Orban et al will emulate their hero.
William,
Here's hoping!!
Something going on with Substack! this LFAM episode still hasn't reached my e-mail. Previously it would be on my phone 20 minutes after hitting FB. How come it gets onto Substack 2 hours late and it still isn't distributed to subscribers?
Substack couldn’t be more buggy and still have any internet presence, they must be making money so why haven’t they fixed their multiples of problems, I tried to ❤️ one of your earlier posts and it resisted my multiple efforts until I gave up in frustration. This happens every day! Especially as a thread evolves.
We here are experiencing the same delays. Don't know what's up.
The majority of the time I am unable to read the comments although I am a subscriber. I get the message that something went wrong (duh) and then the web site crashes. Any ideas on how to fix this? So frustrating! Thanks.
Try signing out of substack and signing in again. Or delete the account and start over?
Apart from complaining, i don't know. To me it's a Black Hole.
Same. Sometimes very late in the day.
Today it showed up just fine here, but very late yesterday.
It just arrived on my phone.
Mine also arrives later and gets put into other folders rather than Primary.
Delays here too.
Same here.
I think we should start referring to this congressional group (+ Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, Etc) as The Russian Agents & Useful Idiots Caucus.
“…with only 10 Representatives, all Republicans, voting against it. Those ten included Representatives Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Dan Bishop (R-NC), Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Ralph Norman (R-SC), and others who also voted against last week’s House resolution “expressing support for Moldova’s democracy, independence, and territorial integrity” in the face of Russian threats.”
The Russian Agents & obsequious, servile, and subservient Idiots Caucus
Just simply “The Confederate Causus”.
OK, I've got one question and wasn't sure where to put it, so here goes. Can someone explain to me just what is motivating those ten congresscritters to vote they way they do? I mean I just don't get it. Is this just 'performance politics' to get noticed? Is there any moral convictions behind their actions? Someone, somewhere help me understand these people.
Power, they had a taste, and are addicted. Need intervention (or deprogramming) pronto
Love congresscritters!
Those nut-jobs have eagerly accepted the protection of the 'party' they have chosen. Now, enters the "fear factor", should they even think about changing course (leaving? Uh uh).
"Useful idiots" an expression? No no. A old definition, coined by 'the force' whose presence does exist within US.
the “proPutin Sedition Caucus”
How is it possible that "Those ten included Representatives Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Dan Bishop (R-NC), Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Ralph Norman (R-SC), " are so reliably on the wrong side? Of history? Of decency? Do they reflect the views of their constituents in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, etc? Is it a coincidence that these state seem to be most interested in restricting voting?
Take a look at their paycheck stubs. Rubles?
Rubles, yes.
Actually there is evidence that many Republicans are tired of MTG's schtick. Let's hope so.
I'm hoping she will not be allowed to run after her poor "I don't remember" testimony.
Amen
I certainly hope they are. And I'm hoping Western North Carolinians feels equal distaste for Cawthorn.
The extent of ‘leaks’ about Cawthorn is impressive. The Republicans must be keeping a lot of people employed, spying on each other. One of those photos of Cawthorn seemed to be taken by a camera within his own car! It’s enough to lend credibility to Cawthorn’s outlandish claim about cocaine orgies. Why else would a party that tolerates everything else he has done turn against him?
That little boy should get the boot from Western Carolinians but who knows if they will. Many rural, the tiniest of towns exist in those areas. I know, I was born and raised there. I pray the people there are paying attention. I have my doubts, but hope I’m wrong.
We have the same problem in rural northern Michigan and the U.P. regarding our oil-owned U.S. Rep Jack Bergman whose actual residence is Louisana. But, when getting signatures for his opponent, Democratic candidate Dr. Bob Lorinser's petition, one of our "Go Home Bergman" folks discovered that a lot of Republican voters she met actually were very disatisfied with Bergman. And when they heard from her what Dr. Bob stood for (he's a moderate), they signed his petition and said they'd vote for him. We have a lot of doors to knock on - working on the messaging now.
Best of luck to you!
WNC is weary of Cawthorn…
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/29/us/politics/madison-cawthorn.html?unlocked_article_code=AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACEIPuomT1JKd6J17Vw1cRCfTTMQmqxCdw_PIxftm3iWka3DJDmwTiPkORJCH_0bRZKF4IN460zWAQ9kEO7YwWPx11OkZP1BoT0PghKq4r6k_And_r5OvDCRx1ojRXLs8_Hi0ZDXnJLokzvjh50iMdWXrDKbAgiYgdBJj9cRmd1qh0HwNzv3VA6UijIkFqPQlAZh-QDcFZzDb_KW7TkUjZ6jVK03U-QI0WOpGWDzMn9f667gIcAlaDVuuX2ooqC9nq4saYIVLSf65ex0we8P-gqETDnhpLeqqBZ4yQ4vTltZ6oIRqoACitZNc2p6gbFMTfzg&smid=url-share
YAY!!
Great! What is your source? I want to read good news about her smirky self.
It was on NBC nightly news with Lester Holt.
I really LIKE your comment!!
Not my view. In my view he should be arrested and charged, pending trial. But he's "not in my district" so my view doesn't count?
It’s astounding that such coordination within the US and internationally is not being proposed to deal with the climate emergency. . It shows how taken for granted the notion of military geopolitical threat remains as our only priority. Meanwhile scientists have now modeled a great mass extinction of all oceans. Life by 2300. Essentially this would starve much of the human race and lead to untold other consequences.
Species that wipe out their food supply go extinct. We're on-track.
Stepan Tarabalka, rest in peace.
"Appeasing dictators never stops them" Duh! Two things kids learn-if you give in to a bully he just comes after you for more and two: when the bully is picking on one kid on the playground, to shut them down, the rest of the kids need to go stand with the victim. Doesn't matter if it is elementary school or countries. Human behavior doesn't change because of the age of the participants.
Agree 1000%, Sally. I was just talking with a parent about their child’s aggressive behavior toward others. I stated that it is the tendency of adults to immediately intervene in a bullying situation with children and address the bully first, and sometimes even lose opportunity to check on the victim. It is imperative to check on the victim first even if it’s feelings that have been hurt and there is no physical injury. There is a part of bullying that incorporates the craving for attention. And it is satisfied when everyone gets in a huff and is focused on the bully.
True with Ukraine also. Our focus is first and foremost on the Ukrainian people. I celebrate efforts such as World Kitchen and feeding them as much as I understand why weapons must be provided to the Ukrainian forces.
And Doctors Without Borders also!