In Marion, Kansas, yesterday morning, four local police officers and three sheriff’s deputies raided the office of the Marion County Record newspaper; the home of its co-owners, Eric Meyer and his 98 year old mother, Joan Meyer; and the home of Marion vice mayor Ruth Herbel, 80. They seized computers, cell phones, and other equipment. Joan Meyer was unable to eat or sleep after the raid; she collapsed Saturday afternoon and died at her home.
As Timothy Snyder wrote today, it's Trump OR the Constitution. If Trump continues to get away with no consequences for breaking the law and violating the Constitution, then it's likely we'll see more of this lawless thuggery.
Let us thank Trump for this disgusting action. It all started when he would whine about the press being mean to him or asking him nasty questions (all in his childish churlish whining voice like a little child). The name calling to erode confidence and instill doubt. He has single handedly created the world we are living in today by using hateful words and actions and making them the norm! He gave the ok and encouragement for hate to come out of the closet!
I am so dismayed by the number of hateful people in this country...it is truly astonishing. There should be absolutely no question that he is not qualified to run for office of any sort! None whatsoever! A convicted criminal is the republicans best choice? Let’s not forget he has been CONVICTED of sexual assault.
What concerns me the most is the enormous amount of hatred in the American closet in the first place. Trump might have released the genie from the bottle but he didn't create the genie.
Like a virus, hatred is contagious. Scholars of history, literature, science and human behavior have warned of this for centuries. Propaganda and fear spreads hate like a wildfire. We reap what we sow. Our brains are amazing because we can also grow love. We can stop the bullies. Putin is the worst of the worst right now, killing and killing to steal land. Biden is the best, encouraging what is best in us, bringing the good in the world together as one to stop the bullies, the hate. We must grow the good to overcome the hate.
Sam, I agree with you 150%. I have been on my soapbox for a long time about our lack of critical thinking skills being a part of our education for all our young students all the way up to and though higher education.
The low levels of that kind of teaching and training ( not the teachers- the curricula) has created a population of adults who are unable to discern truth from lies. And so here we are.
A few years back I became involved through my friend, author Chris Phillips..The Soc rates Cafe and other books. He opened a Socrates Group in Montclair New Jersey posting a small ad in the paper about the caFe and invited people to join. COMMUNITY ACTION BY FREE INVITATION.. We needed up with a packed room. People who were from 14 different countries. All walks of life.. professors, business people, students, etc etc. Ages ranged from 10 years old to a man in his 90s. It was SO much fun. A learning experience. Chris was the moderator, opening space for people to speak. The NY Times heard about us and one of their reporters came to witness and write about what we were doing. Front page of the Entertainment section. Chris went to teach in schools. Some elementary school immigrant children. We took 3rd grade school children who were familiar with the Socrates method to a Senior residence where the subject became 'what is home?...Chris Phillips has written other books and continues to hold cafes. He even held one in Saudi Arabia..I urge you and everyone, if you have place where you can create a Socrates Cafe to do so. Invite neighbors, teachers, students.. anyone you thing might enjoy it, Benefit from the connections. on makes...
Thanks Sam. I am going to do some searching about these ideas. I live in a small senior community where intelligent conversation is limited. My one neighbor who I interacted with passed away this year so not many other active brains in here that I have met. I am not an intellectual but I am a thinker so am starved for good conversation most of the time.
You are absolutely correct, Gina. This website https://thinkingispower.com/ is run by Melanie Trecek-King, an associate professor of biology at Massasoit Community College in Massachusetts. She should be at Harvard or MIT.* In my sometimes less than humble opinion, Prof. Trecek-King absolutely "nails" it. Misinformation is a formidable problem today. When I was in Texas at the family reunion a nephew of mine was convinced beyond any doubt that Trump had won the election. What are his sources of misinformation? Fox News, OAN (One American Network) and Newsmax, the latter two being undeniable conspiracy spreading vehicles.
Prof. Trecek-King wrote an article entitled "A Life Preserver for Staying Afloat in a Sea of Misinformation" published in the March/April 2022 edition of Skeptical Inquirer Magazine.
What is happening is appalling! Thank you, Richard! BTW, Gina and Richard.. check out the schwartzreport.net. It runs by donation. He was a medic during Nam, became a special asst to the highest ranking military officer in the nation, Admiral Zumwalt to create a program that opened the way for men and women who weren't wealthy to rise in the ranks to become officers. Before officers were from wealthy families. He went to work for Natl. Geographic and free lanced for The NY Times etc etc. He is a man of principles. For years, he's done experiments on remote viewing. One of his remote viewers, now deceased worked for years for the govt. Yes, it's real and he writes about that for Explore Magazine. Start with his blog! Get on his mailing list. He posts daily!
You are right, the hatred was "in the closet." Two Univ. of Kansas professors, DavId Norman Smith and Eric Hanley, researched the issue and published their findings in the peer-reviewed journal, Critical Sociology, in Feb. 2018 entitled "The Anger Games: Who Voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 Election, and Why?" You can google it. Their conclusion: Trump's support is because he represents their prejudices, and in particular: racism, misogyny and xenophobia, anything that is not native white Protestantism.
John, I agree and merely would add that Trump has shown a nearly unprecedented talent for connecting with others’ grievances as a means for providing cause to galvanize unequivocal support to shore up his own self-serving impulses. Though for entirely different ends, Dems need to cultivate a similar talent.
There were millions of people running around bearing a burden of heavy guilt. They were full of hate with no object to pin it on. Trump showed them all how to expunge that guilt without apology and with great pride and conviction. Trump showed them who to blame and who to hate. They never questioned the validity of that. They never looked back.
Susan, I believe your analysis rightly goes deeper than mine. I merely would note I was searching for text I could extend, particularly to Biden’s inadequacy, in my view, to connect with the 60% of working people living precariously from paycheck to paycheck, wherein family income is sustained only by more people working longer hours, while still weighted down by mortgage debt, credit card debt, and the like.
How can he connect to those people? They are all reading what most of us are reading. The horror stories. Biden’s communication skills so far have been ACTION. In my community there are big orange barriers on most streets and freeways I drive on. My tax dollars at work I’m thinking. Biden, I’m thinking.
The conviction in NYC was for slandering E. Jean Carroll, who made credible statements about his having raped her. The statute of limitations expiration prevented trying him for the rape -- hence, the civil suit for slander. She told the truth, which the judge said was entirely credible, and he did not. The $5 million judgement against him was the result of that jury trial's verdict.
However, being the arrogant fool he is, within one day after the judgement, he was bruiting again about what a "liar" Carroll is, and how he didn't know her, never met her, and if he did meet her, never did see her at Bergdorf Goodman, and if he did see her at Bergdorf Goodman, he never went into a dressing room and forced himself on her sexually, and if he did force himself on her sexually, it was mutually enjoyable and "sexy," so she has no right to claim otherwise. In a public forum on CNN, he raged, claiming Carroll was a "whack job," and the whole thing "a hoax."
E. Jean Carroll and her lawyer weren't having it -- they filed an amendment to a pending suit against him, and the judge agreed -- the compensatory damages now an additional $10 million. And that doesn't include the punitive damages, which could soar to as much as $100 million before it's over.
Bullies and rapists who double-down on lies have to bear the consequences when the law steps in.
SHIRLEY ELIZABETH BARNES: TOTALLY AGREE. And, in thinking about what's happening in America today--There are among us, those who still cannot believe or refuse to accept that someone like a Barack Obama was elected President of the United States. And they are consciously or unconsciously determined to see this doesn't happen again--in any way, shape, or form. Therefore--they are willing to put up with dRUMPf or dRUMPf-like alternatives that espouse or thinly veil the rhetoric. Sadly, this message is reinforced and/or incited by certain echo chamber TV chains and Local radio stations. Unfortunately, this mood and direction of those kind of people, could over-shadow and erase the laudable ideals of America.
Unfortunately, most of those "local" radio stations are not local at all. The AM band and much of the FM band has been occupied for years now by neofascist voices. They are in many places in rural America the only voices.
Yes. But trace back the FUNDAMENTALS on as to HOW this happened? And WHY did people ALLOW this to happen? What were the messages of Fear that caused those who could have done something to avoid the present situation--decide not to speak out against it? There is an element/fear factor that manifests in questions like: And local TV/Radio stations are the carriers of the Fundament Message. Lots of issues impress Voting--but sub-texts include issues like:-EDUCATION: Questions like: (1)Are my kids going to be "bussed" to a school with lots of "minorities"--or will lots of "minorities" start overtaking our public schools? Or, ZONING: (2) WHO is that family that's moving in--2 blocks away" (3) Are those kids with those "Afros" and African braids going to "take over" our school system? (4) How can we establish a "Charter" school system in our community--and still find a way to get tax relief? HEALTH: (5)Will that fellow who's from India or wherever-- "that ties a 'rag' around his head" going to examine our girls and women? (6) SAFETY: Don't we need more jails? (7) Make sure EVERYONE--girls, women etc. learn to shoot. (8) CULTURE: Well, their music is "fun" and I like to dance to it--but I haven't ever invited them to dinner at my house. And (8)I don't think I'd really be ready to come to their house (apartment?) for dinner....
HOW IT SEEPS IN: Remember the song from Rogers Hammerstein, "YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFULLY TAUGHT"? Believe it or not, one of the first Directors I worked for who was really ad an exceptional intellect--in/intelligence, was designated as the the Secretary General, an African American (really the over-all Head) of a Law school in a developing country). I travelled there to be his "Admin Assistant."(In truth, I was a glorified secretary/schlepper.) His wife and I became very good friends. The Law School was initially funded by a prestigious American Foundation with contributing funds from a multilateral group of international agencies. My boss's wife told me that when they were younger--and he was taking courses in a Midwestern U.S. town--while there, they roomed in the home of a white American couple while he was studying. The white couple initially kept sneaking glances and trying to see the backs of the visiting couple. WHY? The white couple wanted to sneak a peek to see the TAILS of my friends!!! In their white folklore--that white couple had been told that Black people had TAILS!! Yes, TAILS. TRUE STORY!!!.
If you are referring to the civil suit brought and found in favor of E. Jean Carroll, that is not criminal, it is civil. A civil suit is “won” by a preponderance or weight of the evidence, not beyond a reasonable doubt like a criminal case. I agree our former president’s behavior has opened the door for outlandish behavior which can certainly lead to criminal conduct…as he and others are finding out.
I'm rewriting my answer to make it less yucky. The jury ruled Trump guilty of sexual assault. The judge, in response to a question afterwards, agreed one could call it rape. When asked why, judge said that while the jury declined to find guilt on the rape charge, what happened was, to the judge, a distinction without a difference.
Cool it on the ickily graphic, fake outraged comments about sexual assault. We have a LOT of women colleagues in common and women talk to each other, so I’d suggest you delete this conversation and don’t do it again unless you want me to get more detailed. Just cut it out.
Trump has definitely played a big role and he's cunning. But it takes others who respond to him. Much of what we're seeing is coming out of hip shot fear. Some comes from long time religious indoctrination.. But really sad to say, the US public school system lags behind. European education is often longer, more expansive and deeper when it comes to history and classes that teach about other societies and other languages. The school hours tend to be longer. People travel to other countries as the distance is fairly close and the mass transport and trains are good. Many people don't own cars, or if they do, they use them mainly on weekends. America is, geographically big and not everyone can afford to even travel out of their state. Gen Z and millennials are traveling more and they've afforded online jobs which allows them to do so. Traveling abroad gives one a deeper, broader understanding of the US and the world at large. That's not to say the Europe hasn't occasionally had their own 'clowns.' German public school children go to classes 9 hours a day. They study English for at least two hours a day as English tends to be the international trade language. And many speak French as it once was the international language of diplomats. Washington, Jefferson, Ben Franklin all spoke French. Then there are the guns. Italy has more guns per capita and have never once had a mass shooting. Once by an immigrant. Historically, America is a gun culture.
Research indicates that even some under developed European countries score higher than America in student performance.
Yes! Yes! Yes! I spent 10 years in France (earlier traveled fairly extensively in Europe). Began to think of Americans as the spoiled teenagers on the block. Only ignorance allows US to think of ourselves as special.
I agree! Not 100% but overall. I lived in Italy for years and traveled in Europe.. love the trains! Then several years in S. America. Mainly Brazil.. Heart and mind opening!!
My husband loved the trains too, particularly the TGV, which we rode all over France. Before Covid I rode the Polish equivalent between Białystok and Warsaw. But inner city trolleys and buses in Bordeaux and Munich I also remember as outstanding. Hoping we will not go maglev, but TGV when we finally get fast trains, if we ever do. Do you know that in France, with climate change, travelers arriving by plane on Air France must change to trains for in-country travel? That’s impressive. Maybe the French will revive the French Line too. Even steerage was a great trip.
"Italy has more guns per capita and have never once had a mass shooting."
See, that's the thing. America's problem is not "the gun" per se. It's that we have an extraordinarily violent culture. We resemble pre-World Wars Europe, in which rulers and the upper castes used violence--invasion and conquest, slaughter, mass rapes, amassing of all the money, and the Church to back it up--than the kindler and gentler postwar Europe we all admire.
Until we solve our cultural problem--IF we can solve it--we will get dumber and deader. The idea of that appalls me when there are such better options.
“May those who love us, love us. May those who hate us have God turn their souls. If He can’t turn their souls, May he turn their ankles so we can see them coming.”
What you say is true, Christine, but the reason that they support him is that he carries their banner of white Christian nationalism: hate, fear and violence. Trump's supporters are such that they favor authoritarianism built on racism over democracy. It's been that way at least since the Civil War among most of the South and now the Midwest.
The potential for hate is always there. They are ripe for a demagogue like trump or a trump lites who will give them license to voice their hatred. Which we have witnessed. Leaders with integrity and those haters would be kept quiet and under their rocks.
I've just read the excellent piece by Timothy Snyder and the important article that he gives a link to. I hope that Jack Smith has read it too! Professor Richardson's Letter is painful to read but so necessary to be aware of what happened in Kansas just recently as well as the Lovejoy story of 1837. Eric Meyer sounds like a good man, and he has the sudden death of his mother to deal with as well as the restoration of his newspaper. It's heartwarming that so many are wanting to help.
Thanks for this article, Ron. I had been wondering about whether or not Trump would need to be convicted of engaging in insurrection before being disqualified from holding office, and it looks like he would not. It is also encouraging to see that there are at least two Federalist Society law professors who apparently are not selective about applying textualist standards to their work.
NMorgan - "I overlooked it since it had the T word in the headline."
That is the point that I keep making (well, trying to anyway.) Refusing to consider a (any) source because of a personal bias is not very useful. If one is exposed to all sides (opinions), it is easy to come to the correct conclusion. I suppose is an easy cop-out to believe that exposure to a bad idea (opinion) is like a Covid exposure. It is not. The more one is exposed to differing opinions, the easier it is to separate the wheat from the chaff. With that process you can easily discover, within the first couple sentences of any article, it's value and that of the author. (And not, necessarily, of the Media) My triggers are any sentence that includes "those dirty rascals" or words to that effect. I need not read further. YMMV
Another rule I have is the need for a minimum of two independent sources.
As a last resort, I rely on Mediabias[dot]com and adfontesmedia[dot]com. That, for the most part, provides comfort that exposure to all sources is not going to contaminate me.
We must all contact our state secretaries to demand that Donald Trump not be allowed on the ballot to elect the president in 2024. We can do this as citizens. We must do this as citizens. It's our duty.
It would seem tfg’s statement about wanting to abolish the Constitution is all we need to prove his ineligibility. I’m going to write my state’s Secretary of State. This needs to be a National movement.
Go ahead. Write to your State's Sec. of State. It will be ignored. Better to throw the rascals out of the State governments that they have contaminated, when they come up for re-election.
Usually, their staff counts the letters. That is the extent of a good letter-writing campaign to elected officials. They get the numbers, but never see the letters. To bring about change, voters are better targets of letter (or postal card) writing campaigns as offered by Activate America which you can reach at https://www.activateamerica.vote/
Remember when tfg refused to show his financials as a candidate in 2015? Too bad Congress did not pass a law making financial disclosure the law and a prerequisite for ballot inclusion.
I think that refusal is what got him so many fans. He was doing what so many citizens of this country wish to do. The spirit of caring for those unable to care for themselves has all but disappeared here. Ayn Rand's philosophy was embraced by those who do not have the soul to share and care about anybody but themselves. That is the spirit of Trump and Trumpism. It's all about me.
With all due respect, I submit that the more appropriate response is to overwhelmingly reject his candidacy by the ballot box. Otherwise we will truly face a civil war as his supporters in large numbers would insist that they were deprived of their constitutional right to vote!
With all due respect, Ira, why aren't all legitimate efforts to disallow Trump from representing this country by any means worthwhile pursuits by the citizens of the US?
The government is pursuing all legitimate efforts by virtue of Jack Smith’s superb complaints in two major cases and Georgia’s expected action next week. It does not benefit our legitimate reliance on the courts of law to exclude Trump arbitrarily from our democratic system of free and fair judicial process. The alternative of violent civil war is unacceptable! The reasoning of two legal scholars is no substitute for our democracy!
No one has suggested bypassing the courts, DOJ and 'the rule of law', about which there is legitimate fault to find. Citizens contributing their voices by contacting elected officials, the DOJ, etc., is part of our role as citizens of the US.
The name of Jan 6 Defendant 1078 should not appear on any official ballot; his jock straps can write that individual in. No deprivation of civil rights, just adhering to the requirements of Article 14 Clause 3. That individual is ineligible from holding any elected office. And if his followers riot as a consequence? Well, THAT is what the Insurrection Act (colloquially known as the FAFO Act) is for. I don't want to see that, but I didn't want them to riot and try it on Jan 6, either.
In your letter to your secretary of state, point out that the penalty of disqualification from office is not a criminal penalty. It is a deliberately political penalty for a political offense.
Point to the last sentence of Section 3: " But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability."
The conclusion to be drawn is that responsible political actors are fully empowered to remove the name of a known insurrectionist or rebel from the ballot. Let the offender attempt to recover his claim to hold office in the political arena of the United States Congress.
Your secretary of state is a responsible political actor, no?
Remember, under Section 3, no one goes to prison. There would be no offense against due process. (After all, the due process clause as applied to the states is found in the same Amendment XIV!)
It's really very simple. This is what can happen when someone already indicted, awaiting trial, is allowed to declare ''IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I'M COMING AFTER YOU,' without being remanded to the hands-on custody of the court, where a gag order can be enforced, by incarceration if necessary. Americans cannot be asked to surrender their Constitutional rights because of fear of violent reactions by the supporters of the indicted, defeated, former president, a group not unlike the criminal perpetrators of this present-day tragedy in Marion, Kansas and its historic precedent in Alton, Illinois.
My same sentiments emphasis on the Meyer Family. Peace be with you🙏☮️😔
The overall message is a gathering crowd shouting ...VOTE THEM OUT.
There has been over a very long scheming plan an execution of law and order and little accountability is forecast as one of our own failings too. A child learns by the time they are 3 what they can get away with and how to manipulate. This has been going on a lot longer than that.
This country is still a child. An experiment in the works and critical thinking needs self evident, and an apparent number of voters where the self evidence is colored/covered/criticized and questioned !
We are accordingly all presumed innocent , until proven guilty , but when the system has been rigged , waters muddied, and laws overlooked ...WE’RE IN TROUBLE.
If you’re a felon you can’t vote? ...correct? or maybe just in some states 😏?
But if you’re a felon you can run -or even BE PRESIDENT?
Talk about mixed messages! 😳🤦♀️
It’s the bad parent syndrome ‘ do as I say not as I do’?
Believe me. Trust me. Vote for me. “ I can shoot a person on 5th Avenue and get away with it” ...does this say also - [I] am above ethics, moral accounting, and the law.
It’s not too late but accountability’s time is nigh...
The only problem with Snyder's argument is that Trump has yet to be tried. The US Senate had the opportunity to at least prevent him from ever running for office again, twice, but (most) Republican senators failed in their constitutional duty. It is likely that the "January 6th" trial will occur before the 2024 election, but if that jury convicts Trump he will appeal. The fate of our democracy rests on an election that may or may not be free and fair. Frightening.
Points well made, and the chances of a free and fair election don't look good in many cases. In terms of the "January 6" trial, this is a letter of mine that was published in today's edition of The Ledger regarding that prospect: " Jack Smith, the Special Prosecutor, is not stupid. And, for Trump's attorneys to have even a small chance of persuading a jury that Trump didn't know that he had lost the election, they would have to prove that Trump is the most stupid man in America, perhaps the world. But, all of that is not going to be necessary, I think. And here's why.
Jack Smith, when he and his team drafted the indictment, they drew it up in such a way that they knew that they would have to prove to the jury that Trump did what he did knowing that he had lost the election. Why could they be so sure that they could prove this to the jury? I submit that they did this because there are several people extemely close to Trump who are not indicted: Mark Meadows, Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump. Not being indicted means that they are most likely cooperating. And then there are those who are indicted - Rudy Giuliani, for one. Would Rudy sing like a songbird if he could avoid spending the rest of his life in prison? Does the Pope count his beads? The same holds true for the others as well.
The case may not go to trial. When Trump and his attorneys are confronted with the evidence against him, they may cut a deal - Trump to spend the rest of his life confined to Mar-a-Lago.
I live in Los Angeles and went to a spot popular with tourists the other day and saw a man wearing a black tee shirt with large red letters “CNN IS FAKE NEWS”. It astonished me how many in our country have aloud themselves to be brainwashed and aren’t capable of actually thinking things through. If something comes out in the press that Trump doesn’t like, it’s automatically Fake News, without any justification. The irony here is that this man more than likely watches Fox News and it’s been proven that they really are Fake News and they’ve paid dearly with the $787M Dominion settlement. More to come on that front with Smartmatic. We can only hope that when this case is settled, it hurts Fox News dramatically.
I had a vivid dream last night, that might not be all that strange. I dreamed that TFG actually tore in half a pocket size version of the Constitution at one of his rallies, and the crowd (i.e. mob) cheered.
And, Ellen, you would have been right on. Make no mistake about it, they prefer shredding the Constitution and installing a white Christian Nationalist regime.
'Raid of Small Kansas Newspaper Raises Free Press Concerns'
'The search of Marion County Record’s office led to the seizure of computers, servers and cellphones of reporters and editors.' (NYTimes) excerpts
'Raids of news organizations are exceedingly rare in the United States, with its long history of legal protections for journalists. At The Record, a family-owned paper with a circulation of about 4,000, the police seized computers, servers and cellphones of reporters and editors. They also searched the home of the publication’s owner and semiretired editor as well as the home of a city councilwoman.'
'The searches, conducted on Friday, appeared to be linked to an investigation into how a document containing information about a local restaurateur found its way to the local newspaper — and whether the restaurant owner’s privacy was violated in the process. The editor of the newspaper said the raids may have had more to do with tensions between the paper and officials in Marion, a town of about 2,000 north of Wichita, over prior coverage.'
'The raid is one of several recent cases of local authorities taking aggressive actions against news organizations — some of which are part of a dwindling cohort left in their area to hold governments to account. And it fits a pattern of pressure being applied to local newsrooms. One recent example is the 2019 police raid of the home of Bryan Carmody, a freelance journalist in San Francisco, who was reporting on the death of Jeff Adachi, a longtime public defender.'
'In an email, Marion’s chief of police, Gideon Cody, defended the raid, which was earlier reported online by The Marion County Record and by Kansas Reflector, a nonprofit news organization.'
“I believe when the rest of the story is available to the public, the judicial system that is being questioned will be vindicated,” Mr. Cody said. He declined to discuss the investigation in detail.'
'On Sunday, more than 30 news organizations and press freedom advocates, including The New York Times, The Washington Post and Dow Jones, the publisher of The Wall Street Journal, signed a letter from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press to Mr. Cody condemning the raid.'
'The Marion County Record is uncommonly aggressive for its size. Mr. Meyer said that the newspaper, which has seven employees, has stoked the ire of some local leaders for its vigorous reporting on Marion County officials, including asking questions about Mr. Cody’s employment history.' (NYTimes) See link to full article below. Sorry that I couldn't provide a gifted link.
Merrick Garland must immediately launch a Justice Department investigation. What’s happened in Kansas is a microcosm of what Republicans like Trump would do nationwide.
As decimated as local media is, journalists across the country are still trying to report the news and especially hold local officials to account.
I fully agree. Imma retired law enforcement officer and it pisses me off when officers take the law into their own hands. These officers, the magistrate that issued the warrants, all should be held accountable and charged with this woman’s death.
Those responsible for this outrage will rue the day they decided to stomp on the Constitution. Instead of suppressing revelations involving them, they have kicked the proverbial hornets nest. Media from around the country will descend on Marion, Kansas and find out more than the local journalists might have otherwise — and create a firestorm of publicity sure to trigger criminal investigations and lawsuits.
I speak from experience: take tangible steps to keep journalists from doing their job, especially when they're hot on a story like this, and you motivate them more than you can imagine.
Michael, I sure hope this comes to pass. I am so so so saddened that her last hours were fear and angst-ridden. I would have wished for her a more gentle passing, hopefully after a full life well lived. I can only imagine that those who precipitated this will carry the burden of “knowing” the impact of their actions.
The illegal raid produced the death of an elderly lucid woman whose dedication to truth now becomes a victim of murder. These so-called law and order henchmen must face a jury of their peers. If capital punishment still existed, they would each be executed. They must be made to serve imprisonment for a very long long time. Unconscionable!
Here's a good overview of what's happened, including reaction from various media outlets. It's by Tom Jones, who writes about journalism for the Poynter Institute.
Thank you. When those entrusted with law enforcement neglect or abuse the law, how can respect for law and rule of law be sustained in a society? A nation of laws, not of the whims of those with power. Respect is cooperative, and cuts both ways.
I was thinking the same thing, Ally, and you should know. Here in Salem and Keizer, we have a police problem in terms of too often some of them have sided with people like the Proud Boys. The ones in Keizer were particularly bad when the Flynn/Stone hatred show was in Keizer. I had read about the raid in Kansas, but had not realized that it had resulted in the death of editor's mother. That alone is a travesty aside from a completely illegal raid of a newspaper and the illegal seizure of computers, etc. I hope somehow all involved are brought to justice. Our local newspaper is a Gannett rag as is yours now. We do have some independent online newspapers and writers who give us some information. We take the local rag online mostly for the obits. Of course, since the SJ charges an enormous amount, often there is no obit although I see now and then a reference to look on a funeral home site.
Michele, I had a dear friend whose Mom passed this January; her mom was an avid genealogy enthusiast . When Fletcher wrote the original obit, it would have been $500. She rewrote it at said in the obit “the only reason for publication is to honor my mother’s wishes based on her interest in genealogy; the exorbitant price makes this an impossibility for my family.”
She. Went several rounds with the RG, but ended up with a good obit for $150.
I paid 120 for the bare basics several years ago in the SJ for an elderly friend. When the funeral person asked me if I wanted to write more, I said I wasn't going to give that rag any more than I had to. Good for your friend.
Ally, this must be painful for you to see and read about. I am certain you came across a few jerks in law enforcement but this is outrageous! No soul amongst thieves.
It has and hasn't as far as I can see, but corruption has become wide and deep. We are still not at the totalitarian state level across the board, but not for lack of trying my plutocrats, and POC still bear the brunt of our state-supported despotism.
"Nip the shoots of arbitrary power in the bud, is the only maxim which can ever preserve the liberties of any people."
– John Adams
FINALLY pursuing the crimes of powerful civil servants, after about four decades of throwing up our hands, may have turned a corner. Even impeaching Trump on substantiated grounds, while knowing that Republicans would cynically and corruptly kill the inquiry, was a step in that direction. Since the birth of the Republic, there has never been more at stake.
Prof. Richardson's letter today is chilling from the first paragraph. Then she moves effectively to the fight for "liberty of the press" in the Missouri and Illinois of that brave defender who paid with his life, Lovejoy. She concludes with the breathtaking calmness of the man who saved the country, Abraham Lincoln. Move over Gibbon. Make room for Richardson.
Michael, exactly. Freedom of the press is essential to having a vibrant democracy. It smacks of local authorities overreaching. I’m very glad that HCR is bringing it to our attention as well as sharing a historical parallel.
"No inference is here intended that the laws provided by the states against false & defamatory publications, should not be enforced. he who has time renders a service to public morals, & public tranquility, in reforming these abuses by the salutary coercions of the law. but the experiment is noted to prove that, since truth & reason have maintained their ground against false opinions, in league with false facts, the Press, confined to truth, needs no other legal restraint. the public judgment will correct false reasonings & opinions, on a full hearing of all parties; and no other definite line can be drawn between the inestimable liberty of the press, and it’s demoralising licentiousness. if there be still improprieties which this rule would not restrain, it’s Supplement must be sought in the Censorship of Public opinion." - Jefferson
Republicans are already doing these things, Michael. What about the "obtaining" (insert term: steal / theft / other,...) of contents from Hunter Biden's personal and private laptop by Fooliani who passed them onto others including the sick MTG who publicly displayed them with intentional malice? Or the theft of Joe Biden's daughter's personal and private diary by GOP operatives who sold it to the far right wing conspiracy group Project Veritas?
These were not newspapers but the illegal theft of personal info from private citizens for the purposes of political hit jobs is a far cry from obtaining a legal search warrant to obtain access to tfg's Twit account. So why do it legally when one can get away with it illegally?
I think MTG should be charged with any “revenge porn” statutes that may exist, I was really stunned that she pulled this egregious stunt. The woman is shameless and should be held accountable for her actions.
Amen to that, i think she should be held accountable and should be put in jail,, I have never seen anyone so ignorant and so arrogant in my life, she is a horrible insult to all the good women in the world, sometimes, I don't even think she is s woman, she is something that crawled out of a swamp somewhere and is some unknown species of a monster. She should be caged in a zoo somewhere.
The MTG exhibit, “Here, ladies and gentlemen is a MAGArilla. Caught in the wild while roaming the Mall in Washington D.C., c2023.
Although there are many archetypes of this creature in the area, they are varied in appearance but have similar qualities and temperament. This particular example displays the basic behaviors of M-rillas found in this species.
They usually appear human in form with slight but detectable differences.
More mature M-rillas have pronounced features such as “The Oligarch Hump”. Where it appears as if another group of humanlike creatures ride upon their backs. Another common feature is “Lying Mouth”. This feature is something both heard and seen. A shrill noise emits from a round (pie hole shaped) opening located in the head when appearing on the FOX entertainment savanna. No one is exactly sure of it purpose but some theories suggest it may double as a sphincter.
The geriatric MAGArillas are known to resemble rotted out tree stumps, dumpster fires and ATM machines that only accept deposits.
The MTG ‘rilla has low functioning cognitive abilities. It appears to have the usual MAGArilla penchant for violence and grossly exaggerated grievance issues along with deep rooted fantasies of being “above the law”. It also possesses a brain one third the size of its fully human counterparts, scientifically referred to as “Pea Brained.”
It can reach land speeds of up to 2 pipe bombs per insurrection.
The most outstanding features of the MTG MAGArilla are the 3 toed feet and frequent mispronunciation and use of the common language, something even the honking MAGA-gaggle find repulsive. Abandoned by its own, the MTG MAGArilla was found starving for attention and hiding from one of its natural enemies, Karma.
I so agree. As a female, I am embarrassed by her behavior and the behavior of some of the other female pols. I do agree with your assessment that she is a swamp monster. She belongs in jail.
This is a late post - 5:00 EST here on Sun but just saw an article that was not up early this AM when I first posted. Given the level of feelings for MTG here is yet another example of she and her team's open level of contempt for the people,...a settlement from the discovery that they literally pocketed / Stole $ raised for the families of those hurt by the recent train derailment in E Palestine, unbelieveable:
Saw that…and why am I not surprised? No wonder she and her buddies are so smitten w/ TFFG. Of course, as I recall, the article did not implicate her directly, so am only responding based on the company she keeps, the folks she professes to admire and the hateful BS she spews.
BK.....horrible to hear about the theft....this personal attack on President Joe Biden's daughter.....stealing her personal property. Instead of working on building up our country and encouraging our citizens and healing relationships here and worldwide....this is what the Republicans are spending their time and resources on.....
No wonder our "Good-standing " throughout the world is diminishing!!!
Don’t hold your breath waiting for the obsequious Garland to do the proper thing. Given a few months of journalistic pressure, perhaps he will appoint a special prosecutor to investigate this travesty.
Such is the state of equal protection under the law in America today. Trumpism has indelibly stained the Constitution and moral values of our nation. It will take many years of dedicated work to remove the stench.
“As decimated as local media is, journalists across the country are still trying to report the news and especially hold local officials to account.”
Not as much as one might hope this to be real. Many local newspapers and radio stations have been bought out by large corporations. These corporations then gut the staff including reporters to such an extent that there is little reporting of “local” news.
These newspapers are so short staffed the reporters still working at them have little to no time to do any investigative reporting.
I believe Gannett is one of the corporations that have bought out a large amount of the “local” media throughout the country. One affect of the monopolies of newspaper ownership is much (if not most) of the printed stories come from one source. The news becomes homogenized. Where I live the “local” newspapers stories (90+%) come from “USA Today”.
In that regard what you wrote (below) rings of truth. IMHO It’s not so much a ‘would do’ as an ‘already are doing’
“What’s happened in Kansas is a microcosm of what Republicans like Trump would do nationwide.“
We need anti-trust laws to be enforced to counter these media take overs by large corporations. I think I read the majority of all media in our country is currently owned by only four corporations. I’ll see if I can find the article which discusses / reports on the mass take over of the media by large corporations in the USA.
Found the article but it’s about the demise of newspapers. Here’s the title and the first two of paragraphs. Note the quote of Walter Lippmann in between the two paragraphs!
———-
What the Death of Newspapers Really Means
What fills the void is what’s threatening democracy.
by Eric Alterman
People treat the death of newspapers as a matter of concern only to journalists. This could hardly be more misguided. Responsible journalism is the foundation of our collective ability to address our problems as a society: to improve “the common good.” Almost all of that collective ability, historically, has come from newspaper reporting. As the then-wunderkind Walter Lippmann wrote in one of the most prescient articles ever, in a 1919 edition of The Atlantic:
“Men who have lost their grip upon the relevant facts of their environment are the inevitable victims of agitation and propaganda. The quack, the charlatan, the jingo, and the terrorist, can flourish only where the audience is deprived of independent access to information. But where all news comes at second-hand, where all the testimony is uncertain, men cease to respond to truths, and respond simply to opinions. The environment in which they act is not the realities themselves, but the pseudo-environment of reports, rumors, and guesses. The whole reference of thought comes to be what somebody asserts, not what actually is.”
But Lippmann was living in a relative informational paradise compared to today. Sure, there were those in his day who would eagerly excite the passions of the masses for nefarious purposes. But there were multiple daily newspapers in virtually every major city; dozens in New York City if you count the foreign-language press. Most important, sources of deliberate disinformation were as ants to the elephants when compared to today’s Murdoch empire, the Koch network, just about all of talk radio, pretty much every one of Facebook’s most visited sites, and all of the various sources promoting racism, sexism, antisemitism, islamophobia, and so on, in the wake of Trump’s takeover of the Republican Party. Their purpose is to undermine truth specifically for the reasons laid out in Lippmann’s prophetic piece, with predictably deleterious results for what remains of our democracy.
Agreed, with both positions. This is a microcosm of what the RepubliQans are doing nationwide, and the Justice Department must investigate. Local media has been decimated, both by the decline of local newspapers and by the acquisition of most of broadcast local news (at least in my corner of the world) by Sinclair media.
This is really sad news tonight. I respect the way you tied it in to the same type of thing that happened in our nations history. Excellent job on that, Dr. Richardson.
I want to comment on this recent occurrence. I’m a retired law enforcement officer. This crap makes me mad as hell. I spent 26+ years wearing the badge, protecting the citizens of the county, city, state which I worked in. I took an Oath, the sake as any other public official that takes a job, to uphold the laws of the State, Country, and the Constitution. The same oath every elected official, justice, takes. Yet, here we have these idiots taking the law in their own hands. Plus, their illegal actions caused the death of that woman. That’s murder, plain and simple. They lied to get the warrants. That’s a criminal offense. The magistrate that issued the warrants without the sworn affidavits violated the law. He/she should be held accountable as well.
Attorney General Garland needs to step in and assign a Special Prosecutor and top notch investigative team to this and dig away. This type of crap shouldn’t be tolerated one bit.
Now, with all this being said. I’m going to jump on my political bandwagon. If we don’t get all of these Republicans voted out of office in ‘24, ‘26, ‘28, and beyond, including every election in between, there will be more of this nonsense going on across this country. Not one American will be safe in their homes from thus happening to them.
One more thing. If we don’t keep Biden/ Harris in office next term, our economy will go to hell, again, our infrastructure will go to hell, worse than it is already (which Biden is trying his best to fix), and we will lose a hell of a lot more freedoms than we’ve lost already. Women’s tights have been backed up to the 18th century already. Our biting right are being hacked up that far in every Republican state in the nation. Immigrants can’t enter this country anymore. This nation was built by immigrating from other countries!
Thank you for commenting, as I agree with everything you wrote and you've saved me the effort of coherently expressing my outrage and disgust at this incident which resulted in the death of a 98 year old - I can only imagine her mental anguish after the raid and no doubt the strain it put on her heart. I have no words.
Well Marj, I suspect most people who comment here hope they will be understood and would prefer not to commit typos and grammatical errors.
When I post a comment and then reread it, if I notice a typo or other error, especially one that makes the comment unclear, I correct it with the edit function. I usually just ignore typos unless they are humorous or confusing. I don't exactly "feel a need" to correct typos, but it is a small --perhaps even useful -- service I can provide to other commenters, many of whom are frequent victims of autocorrect and tiny smartphone keyboards. I know I am, but I don't think it's anything to be ashamed of.
Probably they may have been, or are, educators. It’s in their blood. Just like me. As a law enforcement officer, every time I get taken out for a drive around, or to my doctors appointment by my caregiver, I point out every violation I see. Once that type of profession is in your blood, it’s there forever. No matter what.
Besides, I don’t look at it as a negative. I look at it as a positive and it strives me to be better with my writing.
A reminder to Daniel and others who may not be aware that one CAN go back and edit and fix typos. Click on the 3 dots to the right of "Reply" (I suppose one could call the dots an "ellipsis", but not everyone may be aware of that terminology). One will then see the word "Edit". If one clicks on it, your post will then reappear, ready for you to correct or amend. This is a feature available only for the original author of the post. Then hit "Save", and Bob's your uncle . . .
“Edit” feature must disappear after time. I tried to just edit this, but I’m not able to. Thanks for this advise. I wasn’t aware what those three dots meant. Actually, I never paid attention to them!
It's one of a number of very handy British-isms I picked up and simply means something is well and truly done. Similar in American English to: ". . . and there you are!"; or French, "et voilá!"; or Dutch, ". . . en klaar is Kees!"
Sorry about the typos. I don’t have a habit of ‘proofreading’ my writing. Especially when I’m so pissed off! I do hope you, and everyone, understood what words were SUPPOSED to be there.
I agree 100% with your sentiments and thank you for your honorable service in Law Enforcement. I do want to add that the typos ( auto correct I'm sure) added a moment of levity!
Well said, brother. My 28 years of law enforcement was in Oregon, and I know that "things are different" here than in the south. Still, I swore that oath, and as an honorably retired LEO, I am still bound by parts of that oath as they may arise.
This case merits federal investigation. Ms. Herbel's death is a homicide; I don't know how Kansas law articulates the responsibility for a death that takes place during or as a result of criminal conduct, but it does meet the criteria for Murder in Oregon. It needs to be investigated at the federal level primarily because of the complicity of local law enforcement but also because it is a violation of the fundamental First Amendment rights establishing freedom of the press.
Thanks, Daniel, I appreciate your comments and service. I thought you’d be interested in this story.Apparently the OC Sheriff was not pleased. Fl needs more LEO’s like you…
Kathy, what an article! This has DeSantis, and his minion appointed State Attorney written all over it. It’s quite obvious that DeSantis is replacing every person in authority in every important department with his ‘like minded’ people. Plus, it appears that this termination of this employee is racially motivated.
I’m saying that, as a white ex-law enforcement officer. Thus stinks of ‘racism termination’!
DeSantis needs to be impeached. He’s violated so many laws, pushed his MAGA agenda until he’s sickening! I’m sure glad I left Florida 6 years ago (almost now)!
Thanks for the history, HCR. I remember Elijah Lovejoy, but did not recall the details of the story. I stay here because of the way you draw the parallels between history and today, I guess many others do as well.
The death of the 98 yer old human being was a homicide -- a death committed during a string of felonies specifically Murder.
This appaling travesty is subject to a Wrongful Death action against all perpetrators involved. No immunity defense will save them. The state goes first then l the Federal civil rights action.
Sunday Morning UPDATE: Daily Beast's, PILAR MENENDEZ, reports two (2) agencies were involved in the raids (plural) on the Newsroom AND the reporters' personal homes. The entire five (5) person police vigilante gang & Sheriffs. The CHIEF of the "Police" insisted on going personally to each of the attack sites which meant over a 2 hour delay waiting for his personal appearance at the debacle at one home. Thank you HCR for your brave & accurate reporting of history.
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. I had heard nothing of this. What a horrible, outrageous thing to do. I hope that it soon gets national attention and the culprits are brought to justice.
MM, I am confused by your response…are you implying this “standard practice” is acceptable and should not be called out? Really, I do want to know what you mean.
I live in the South, and i am about ready to run to Canada, or somewhere in the New England area.. i am sick and tired of these ignorant, uneducated, MAGA creeps here. They have gotten on my last nerve.
Massachusetts would welcome you. But as TC says "Southernism" is everywhere. In "The County" of Maine, Upstate New York and even the proudly progressive Commonwealth of MA. But stay within a 30 minute drive of cities with lots of colleges, and you will be fine :)
My brother and sister moved to FL as did some friends. I am regularly asked when I will move to FL. I live in MA. Respectfully, I cannot imagine a day I will willingly move to FL.
I was searching things on the ''Google Earth'' thing about a month ago, and on that, you can go down to street level views on there, and i saw a house in a rural area in New Brunswick, Canada, and at that house was one of those tacky, ugly, Confederate flag flying their yard on a flag pole. I could hardly believe my eyes. So i suppose ''Southernism'' is up there too. Made me sick. I guess even some Canadians have been sucked into the MAGA cult too... very disappointing to me.
Sadly, yes, it's everywhere. I can't in good conscience call it "Southernism" because I know too many great people who live in the South . . . but surely there's a word for it. "Detestables" was a candidate till it got so heavily politicized.
Indeed, it is NOT only in the South anymore. I find it is less a "North vs South" mentality anymore, and has become endless varieties of "____ vs ____" on a whole national scale: "Urban vs rural", "Educated vs Uneducated", "Red vs blue", "People who love broccoli vs people who hate broccoli", and on and on and on ad infinitum. Pick your enemies. I live in Georgia too and yes, it can happen here, but to suppose for an instant it can't happen elsewhere is delusional. It does NOT have to be "standard practice" ANYWHERE if people stand up for what is right.
I've been here since 1995 and have no intention of returning to the North. I will continue to encourage people here and everywhere to vote blue in every election, up and down the ballot.
I moved from Chicago to Phoenix last year for family reasons, and find the people here the same as back North . . . most are pleasant to terrific, some are knuckleheads, and some are fire-breathing yahoos who shouldn't be wasting our oxygen. It's the Southwest rather than the South, but it's gone from deep red to purple/light blue in recent years. Like you, I'll stick around and help make light blue into dark.
My second choice would have been Arizona when I moved from New York, but I decided I wanted to experience four seasons, no matter how much I used to love the Sonoran desert.
I like cold weather and four seasons, so I get why you went that route. I moved here because my father was ill and, at 93, didn't have much longer to ride this planet around the sun. I sold everything and moved here to be with him and help my family care for him. I got almost a year of daily visits that I wouldn't have had otherwise, so the move was infinitely worth making: he was an outstanding man and father. Bonus: Now I get to hang out with mom, my sisters, and their kids.
The DOJ must get involved in this, right away. It transcends state politics, being a direct assault on the constitutional rights of the press. Federal marshals or the FBI need to arrest the police and the sheriff's deputies and the magistrate who issued the warrant for the criminal attack on the paper. This cannot stand.
‘The newspaper's first issue came off the press on September 24, 1869, just six months after Ulysses S. Grant had replaced Andrew Johnson as president and only eight years after Kansas had become a state.'
‘Since 1874, two families have been involved with the Record. The Hoch family owned it for 124 years. The Meyer family has been involved for more than 60 years.’ (Wikipedia)
'A conversation with the newspaper owner raided by cops' by MARISA KABAS (excerpts)
'Eric Meyer says his paper had been investigating the police chief prior to the raids on his office and home.'
'EM: It’s a very small rural community. I worked at the Milwaukee Journal for 20 years and then taught at the University of Illinois. And they'd say, where are you from? And I'd say I'm from Kansas. And they’d say where in Kansas? And I'd say, if you've heard of any place in Kansas, it’s 60 miles from there. It's kind of out in the middle of nowhere. We are on the boundary of an area code. We're on the boundary of three zip codes. We're on the boundary between two TV markets. It's a farming community that also has some resort activities. We have a couple of lakes which in Kansas is kind of unusual. But mostly it's a farming community.'
'But other than that, it's like a lot of small towns. We are unusual in that running the paper isn't my livelihood. I mean, I retired from the University of Illinois. I still have a pension from the Milwaukee Journal. I haven't even taken my social security yet. And I don't take a salary, unless I take a bonus at the end of the year if we made any money from the newspaper. So I don't get regularly paid, and it's not my livelihood. '
'I'm doing this because I believe that newspapers still have a place in the world and that the worst thing that a newspaper could do was shrink its reporting staff, stop reporting, fill itself with non-news when there's still news out there. And if you do a good job of providing news, you will get readers.
We try to be aggressive with the news and we try to be fearless with the news because as I say, we're doing this because we care about the community. And that's one of the points I've tried to make, is that it's really hard to commit journalism properly with people who don't care about the community they're serving. '
'MK: I just wanted to end with one last question: What do you think this raid on your paper and on your home says about the state of journalism in the country right now?'
'EM: I haven't been able to see enough of the outpouring from the people in this town. We've been getting incredible support from people outside this town. People in this town have been very supportive, but not publicly. And I talked to one person who said, “Oh, are you sure It's ok that I can talk to you because they might come and seize my computer?” They're afraid. They're really afraid that the police power is unchecked, and that they can be punished like this. And I think that's why I think it's important for us to fight this as much as we can, because it is destroying everything we're trying to do with democracy, which is to get people more involved.'
'We've been trying to get people involved because people are afraid that if they step up—in a small town particularly—they will get squashed. Someone will knife them in the back. They will tell all their friends to stop doing business with them, or they will shun them, or they won't take them to the country club.'
'It’s a way to dispirit people from becoming involved in government by making them think that if you do, there's gonna be consequences and they're going to be negative. And in a community that's largely a lot of older people, a lot of them have said, you know, I've fought all the battles. I don't want to have a new battle that I'm dealing with. So they'll all complain about something, but they'll do it very quietly. We won't hear about it. (TheHandbasket) See link below. Link is also in the Letter’s Notes/
‘The Marion County Record is a weekly newspaper published in Marion, Kansas, and serves as the official newspaper of City of Marion and Marion County. The paper publishes every Wednesday.’
‘Over the years, the newspaper has won numerous awards from the Kansas Press Association, National Newspaper Association and various trade and industry associations. It twice won the national Edward Arnold Award for outstanding newspaper design. As editor, Meyer won virtually every statewide journalism award available: for public service, for mentoring and for lifetime achievement as a master editor.’
‘Editorially, the newspaper was instrumental in building or preserving numerous public improvements, including Marion Elementary School, Marion Reservoir, Marion's dike and levy, Marion County Hospital District No. 1 (which operates St. Luke Hospital), the Hill School on the National Register of Historic Places, Butler Community College of Marion, Warrior Stadium in Marion and Marion Public Library. ‘(Wikipedia) See link below.
Haven't heard that song in a long time, Barbara. Today I was thinking about
the large number of Americans who aren't paying attention to climate change.
Many of them think what's happening is 'normal' climate activity. Gun violence, loosing our rights due to Republican state legislators and The Supreme Court...a whole lot of lying going on, too...you name it!
Yeah, Fern, it is so so so hard to be paying attention (like for DECADES) and see so many (not all) who blissfully ignore what’s plain as day in front of them. Still, I keep at it….and another song (which I have posted here a number of times, as it’s my anthem): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bmzimxfqgfw. And it has a danceable reggae back-beat to it!
Vietnam years, Fern. It was a chilling piece by Buffalo Springfield. Stills, Young, and Messina went on to produce their own incredible music. Thanks for posting the lyrics and to Barbara for stirring the soul.
Barbara, thank You for posting that link to "For What It's Worth".
It's one of my all-time favorites.
I keep hoping we will see a resurgence of the cultural support for Rights, and for doing what's right, that we experienced in the '60s and early '70s.
I keep hoping for the kinds of music, and literature and poetry, and films and theater, and the Arts in general, that lifted our spirits and changed our lives half a century ago.
I think what I fear most is a widespread failure of imagination.
David, I am hopeful in seeing the stirring of our youth (David Hogg. Maxwell Frost, Katie Porter, etc.) stepping into the cauldron of politics…we need ALL of us…the seasoned “oldsters” (like Biden/Pelosi/Raskin/Lee/Schumer/Thompson/etc etc etc) who have dedicated their life to public service, not self-aggrandizement or financial gain….the mentors who will pass the torch to the younger generation. Just today, listening to an interview with the youngest Congressional rep (Frost), that $$$$$ is an impediment to service to our country in the legislature. It should NOT be that way….it should NOT be that only persons from well-to-do families have a shot at representing the public….after all, most of the public doesn’t have the means to do so. If we want a truly representative legislature we need ALL segments (dare I say “class”) of our society represented.
I appreciate the specific references to the up-and-coming public servants.
I heard an interview recently with Maxwell Frost, currently our youngest Member of Congress, iirc. I was extremely impressed. Oh, to be represented by a young progressive, of which we have too few. (One of my previous Representatives from Wisconsin was Speaker of the House, and I am happy to report that I had trouble recalling his name just now!)
I would add one more thought: the task of the "conservatives" is simple -- they only need to maintain (or degrade) the status quo. The task of the Progressives, however, is far more difficult -- they need to lead the way into a better world and a brighter future for everyone, essentially inventing our future. They need our help.
“The organization, through a political action committee and super PAC, plans to recruit and support candidates under age 30 to run for state Legislatures, and candidates under age 35 to run for Congress”
Kathy, I saw David interviewed on an MSNBC segment very recently where he talked about this. Our young people are living with the impact and tragedy of “the powers that be” largely dithering and arguing about critical issues (gun violence, climate change, homelessness, voting rights, etc) instead of proactively dealing with them, despite an overwhelming percentage of us being like-minded on solutions—tho’ there ARE those in elected positions who are trying & propose legislation, only to see it stymied. I admire that his terrible experience has galvanized him to action and to organize for change.
JB is timeless, his messages delivered with conviction. Also “Looking East”, and more recently “Downhill from Everywhere”. His body of work from beginnings to now a testimony to the “American Condition”
This Buffalo Springfield song takes me back to those days when many of us were feeling these words and inspired to protest what was happening in our world. It does feel like we are reliving it now.
Thanks for including excerpts from the Marisa Kabas interview with Eric Meyer that HCR cites at the bottom of today’s letter. I read the interview and was somewhat encouraged by Meyer’s comment that response to this unlawful situation has resulted in an increased number of new subscriptions to the Marion Record from all over the country. An online subscription is only $34.99 PER YEAR! I thought I’d include the link here, should others in this Substack also wish to support independent, local journalism through this means:
One of their headlines online was the unlawful raid they were subjected to; I am sure they will continue in business. But I am not subscribing to give them money. (In the interview, Mr. Meyer said they don’t need money.) I subscribed to express my solidarity with independent journalism and to communicate to the Marion corrupt police that people around the country are aware of what happened and are siding with the truth.
With intimidation of the press, can voter intimidation be far behind especially aided by gerrymandering and states refusing to obey court decisions and aided and abetted by an indicted criminal that wants to be America's first illiterate dictator.
The difference between Lovejoy and Meyer is an important one however. In the latter’s case it was two police agencies and a magistrate involved in this unconstitutional act. And I am absolutely positive that those jackbooted thugs will be covered by qualified immunity and we will see this happen across the country over and over again will little repercussion as the boys in blue (who are mostly trump supporters and increasingly infiltrated by white supremacists) learn that there is no cost to doing so.
You're probably right about police acting unconstitutionally but where does that leave the REPUBLICAN'TS as one minute they are defending the police and the next defunding them and the justice department. REPUBLICAN'TS are stuck again as they are trying to have both sides of the argument.
Don't look for consistency or logic. MAGA REpubs are 100% propagandists. Look how they complained that US Attorney Weiss not being made a special counsel was evidence of Biden's manipulation of the DOJ and then they turn around and complain that Weiss being made special counsel is evidence of Biden's manipulation of the DOJ!
William: it’s totally consistent. “Defend the police” when they violate their Oath and attack the Left. “Defund the police”when they refuse to attack the Left - or investigate a Republican.
Talk about a powerful reminder from history! The recent events definitely bring to mind the unwavering commitment to free speech and press freedom. It's fascinating how this echoes back to the past, where brave souls like Elijah Lovejoy stood up for the principles that are the bedrock of our democracy. The parallels between then and now are striking - the determination to hold onto our rights in the face of adversity is truly remarkable. Let's hope that the current situation sparks a similar sense of unity and determination to uphold the values that make our nation strong.
I was appalled when I read this story on my Memeorandum news feed. The world needs to know what happened in Kansas. Great thanks for writing about it and for connecting it to earlier chapters in our history. And condolences to the the Meyer family. They deserved better.
My condolences to the Meyer family.
As Timothy Snyder wrote today, it's Trump OR the Constitution. If Trump continues to get away with no consequences for breaking the law and violating the Constitution, then it's likely we'll see more of this lawless thuggery.
Let us thank Trump for this disgusting action. It all started when he would whine about the press being mean to him or asking him nasty questions (all in his childish churlish whining voice like a little child). The name calling to erode confidence and instill doubt. He has single handedly created the world we are living in today by using hateful words and actions and making them the norm! He gave the ok and encouragement for hate to come out of the closet!
I am so dismayed by the number of hateful people in this country...it is truly astonishing. There should be absolutely no question that he is not qualified to run for office of any sort! None whatsoever! A convicted criminal is the republicans best choice? Let’s not forget he has been CONVICTED of sexual assault.
What concerns me the most is the enormous amount of hatred in the American closet in the first place. Trump might have released the genie from the bottle but he didn't create the genie.
Like a virus, hatred is contagious. Scholars of history, literature, science and human behavior have warned of this for centuries. Propaganda and fear spreads hate like a wildfire. We reap what we sow. Our brains are amazing because we can also grow love. We can stop the bullies. Putin is the worst of the worst right now, killing and killing to steal land. Biden is the best, encouraging what is best in us, bringing the good in the world together as one to stop the bullies, the hate. We must grow the good to overcome the hate.
You're right, Trump didn't create what's been loosed in America. Most of the violence is FEAR based. Poor education.
Sam, I agree with you 150%. I have been on my soapbox for a long time about our lack of critical thinking skills being a part of our education for all our young students all the way up to and though higher education.
The low levels of that kind of teaching and training ( not the teachers- the curricula) has created a population of adults who are unable to discern truth from lies. And so here we are.
A few years back I became involved through my friend, author Chris Phillips..The Soc rates Cafe and other books. He opened a Socrates Group in Montclair New Jersey posting a small ad in the paper about the caFe and invited people to join. COMMUNITY ACTION BY FREE INVITATION.. We needed up with a packed room. People who were from 14 different countries. All walks of life.. professors, business people, students, etc etc. Ages ranged from 10 years old to a man in his 90s. It was SO much fun. A learning experience. Chris was the moderator, opening space for people to speak. The NY Times heard about us and one of their reporters came to witness and write about what we were doing. Front page of the Entertainment section. Chris went to teach in schools. Some elementary school immigrant children. We took 3rd grade school children who were familiar with the Socrates method to a Senior residence where the subject became 'what is home?...Chris Phillips has written other books and continues to hold cafes. He even held one in Saudi Arabia..I urge you and everyone, if you have place where you can create a Socrates Cafe to do so. Invite neighbors, teachers, students.. anyone you thing might enjoy it, Benefit from the connections. on makes...
Thanks Sam. I am going to do some searching about these ideas. I live in a small senior community where intelligent conversation is limited. My one neighbor who I interacted with passed away this year so not many other active brains in here that I have met. I am not an intellectual but I am a thinker so am starved for good conversation most of the time.
You are absolutely correct, Gina. This website https://thinkingispower.com/ is run by Melanie Trecek-King, an associate professor of biology at Massasoit Community College in Massachusetts. She should be at Harvard or MIT.* In my sometimes less than humble opinion, Prof. Trecek-King absolutely "nails" it. Misinformation is a formidable problem today. When I was in Texas at the family reunion a nephew of mine was convinced beyond any doubt that Trump had won the election. What are his sources of misinformation? Fox News, OAN (One American Network) and Newsmax, the latter two being undeniable conspiracy spreading vehicles.
Prof. Trecek-King wrote an article entitled "A Life Preserver for Staying Afloat in a Sea of Misinformation" published in the March/April 2022 edition of Skeptical Inquirer Magazine.
What is happening is appalling! Thank you, Richard! BTW, Gina and Richard.. check out the schwartzreport.net. It runs by donation. He was a medic during Nam, became a special asst to the highest ranking military officer in the nation, Admiral Zumwalt to create a program that opened the way for men and women who weren't wealthy to rise in the ranks to become officers. Before officers were from wealthy families. He went to work for Natl. Geographic and free lanced for The NY Times etc etc. He is a man of principles. For years, he's done experiments on remote viewing. One of his remote viewers, now deceased worked for years for the govt. Yes, it's real and he writes about that for Explore Magazine. Start with his blog! Get on his mailing list. He posts daily!
Thank you Richard. I looked it up and bookmarked it.
And fear of extinction, unadmitted.
...and believing the US could do no wrong.
The hate is in your souls for all the wars and deaths which you forgot to notice.
You are right, the hatred was "in the closet." Two Univ. of Kansas professors, DavId Norman Smith and Eric Hanley, researched the issue and published their findings in the peer-reviewed journal, Critical Sociology, in Feb. 2018 entitled "The Anger Games: Who Voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 Election, and Why?" You can google it. Their conclusion: Trump's support is because he represents their prejudices, and in particular: racism, misogyny and xenophobia, anything that is not native white Protestantism.
John, I agree and merely would add that Trump has shown a nearly unprecedented talent for connecting with others’ grievances as a means for providing cause to galvanize unequivocal support to shore up his own self-serving impulses. Though for entirely different ends, Dems need to cultivate a similar talent.
There were millions of people running around bearing a burden of heavy guilt. They were full of hate with no object to pin it on. Trump showed them all how to expunge that guilt without apology and with great pride and conviction. Trump showed them who to blame and who to hate. They never questioned the validity of that. They never looked back.
Susan, I believe your analysis rightly goes deeper than mine. I merely would note I was searching for text I could extend, particularly to Biden’s inadequacy, in my view, to connect with the 60% of working people living precariously from paycheck to paycheck, wherein family income is sustained only by more people working longer hours, while still weighted down by mortgage debt, credit card debt, and the like.
How can he connect to those people? They are all reading what most of us are reading. The horror stories. Biden’s communication skills so far have been ACTION. In my community there are big orange barriers on most streets and freeways I drive on. My tax dollars at work I’m thinking. Biden, I’m thinking.
And also Barbara, look what happened in Ohio yesterday (day before?).
W O W. ! People are hearing and seeing the truth now, all over.
The conviction in NYC was for slandering E. Jean Carroll, who made credible statements about his having raped her. The statute of limitations expiration prevented trying him for the rape -- hence, the civil suit for slander. She told the truth, which the judge said was entirely credible, and he did not. The $5 million judgement against him was the result of that jury trial's verdict.
However, being the arrogant fool he is, within one day after the judgement, he was bruiting again about what a "liar" Carroll is, and how he didn't know her, never met her, and if he did meet her, never did see her at Bergdorf Goodman, and if he did see her at Bergdorf Goodman, he never went into a dressing room and forced himself on her sexually, and if he did force himself on her sexually, it was mutually enjoyable and "sexy," so she has no right to claim otherwise. In a public forum on CNN, he raged, claiming Carroll was a "whack job," and the whole thing "a hoax."
E. Jean Carroll and her lawyer weren't having it -- they filed an amendment to a pending suit against him, and the judge agreed -- the compensatory damages now an additional $10 million. And that doesn't include the punitive damages, which could soar to as much as $100 million before it's over.
Bullies and rapists who double-down on lies have to bear the consequences when the law steps in.
SHIRLEY ELIZABETH BARNES: TOTALLY AGREE. And, in thinking about what's happening in America today--There are among us, those who still cannot believe or refuse to accept that someone like a Barack Obama was elected President of the United States. And they are consciously or unconsciously determined to see this doesn't happen again--in any way, shape, or form. Therefore--they are willing to put up with dRUMPf or dRUMPf-like alternatives that espouse or thinly veil the rhetoric. Sadly, this message is reinforced and/or incited by certain echo chamber TV chains and Local radio stations. Unfortunately, this mood and direction of those kind of people, could over-shadow and erase the laudable ideals of America.
Ms Barnes:
Unfortunately, most of those "local" radio stations are not local at all. The AM band and much of the FM band has been occupied for years now by neofascist voices. They are in many places in rural America the only voices.
Yes. But trace back the FUNDAMENTALS on as to HOW this happened? And WHY did people ALLOW this to happen? What were the messages of Fear that caused those who could have done something to avoid the present situation--decide not to speak out against it? There is an element/fear factor that manifests in questions like: And local TV/Radio stations are the carriers of the Fundament Message. Lots of issues impress Voting--but sub-texts include issues like:-EDUCATION: Questions like: (1)Are my kids going to be "bussed" to a school with lots of "minorities"--or will lots of "minorities" start overtaking our public schools? Or, ZONING: (2) WHO is that family that's moving in--2 blocks away" (3) Are those kids with those "Afros" and African braids going to "take over" our school system? (4) How can we establish a "Charter" school system in our community--and still find a way to get tax relief? HEALTH: (5)Will that fellow who's from India or wherever-- "that ties a 'rag' around his head" going to examine our girls and women? (6) SAFETY: Don't we need more jails? (7) Make sure EVERYONE--girls, women etc. learn to shoot. (8) CULTURE: Well, their music is "fun" and I like to dance to it--but I haven't ever invited them to dinner at my house. And (8)I don't think I'd really be ready to come to their house (apartment?) for dinner....
HOW IT SEEPS IN: Remember the song from Rogers Hammerstein, "YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFULLY TAUGHT"? Believe it or not, one of the first Directors I worked for who was really ad an exceptional intellect--in/intelligence, was designated as the the Secretary General, an African American (really the over-all Head) of a Law school in a developing country). I travelled there to be his "Admin Assistant."(In truth, I was a glorified secretary/schlepper.) His wife and I became very good friends. The Law School was initially funded by a prestigious American Foundation with contributing funds from a multilateral group of international agencies. My boss's wife told me that when they were younger--and he was taking courses in a Midwestern U.S. town--while there, they roomed in the home of a white American couple while he was studying. The white couple initially kept sneaking glances and trying to see the backs of the visiting couple. WHY? The white couple wanted to sneak a peek to see the TAILS of my friends!!! In their white folklore--that white couple had been told that Black people had TAILS!! Yes, TAILS. TRUE STORY!!!.
I was about to say the same.
If you are referring to the civil suit brought and found in favor of E. Jean Carroll, that is not criminal, it is civil. A civil suit is “won” by a preponderance or weight of the evidence, not beyond a reasonable doubt like a criminal case. I agree our former president’s behavior has opened the door for outlandish behavior which can certainly lead to criminal conduct…as he and others are finding out.
I believe the assault was called RAPE by the jury.
I'm rewriting my answer to make it less yucky. The jury ruled Trump guilty of sexual assault. The judge, in response to a question afterwards, agreed one could call it rape. When asked why, judge said that while the jury declined to find guilt on the rape charge, what happened was, to the judge, a distinction without a difference.
I get that Shane. I think he may be the Beast.
Oh, yeah, no doubt in my mind. He's 666 on two legs.
People in glass houses, Shane.
Not sure of your meaning. Please clarify.
Cool it on the ickily graphic, fake outraged comments about sexual assault. We have a LOT of women colleagues in common and women talk to each other, so I’d suggest you delete this conversation and don’t do it again unless you want me to get more detailed. Just cut it out.
Because you are a decent person offended by Trump's filth.
Thanks, Richard, appreciate that.
Trump has definitely played a big role and he's cunning. But it takes others who respond to him. Much of what we're seeing is coming out of hip shot fear. Some comes from long time religious indoctrination.. But really sad to say, the US public school system lags behind. European education is often longer, more expansive and deeper when it comes to history and classes that teach about other societies and other languages. The school hours tend to be longer. People travel to other countries as the distance is fairly close and the mass transport and trains are good. Many people don't own cars, or if they do, they use them mainly on weekends. America is, geographically big and not everyone can afford to even travel out of their state. Gen Z and millennials are traveling more and they've afforded online jobs which allows them to do so. Traveling abroad gives one a deeper, broader understanding of the US and the world at large. That's not to say the Europe hasn't occasionally had their own 'clowns.' German public school children go to classes 9 hours a day. They study English for at least two hours a day as English tends to be the international trade language. And many speak French as it once was the international language of diplomats. Washington, Jefferson, Ben Franklin all spoke French. Then there are the guns. Italy has more guns per capita and have never once had a mass shooting. Once by an immigrant. Historically, America is a gun culture.
Research indicates that even some under developed European countries score higher than America in student performance.
Yes! Yes! Yes! I spent 10 years in France (earlier traveled fairly extensively in Europe). Began to think of Americans as the spoiled teenagers on the block. Only ignorance allows US to think of ourselves as special.
I agree! Not 100% but overall. I lived in Italy for years and traveled in Europe.. love the trains! Then several years in S. America. Mainly Brazil.. Heart and mind opening!!
My husband loved the trains too, particularly the TGV, which we rode all over France. Before Covid I rode the Polish equivalent between Białystok and Warsaw. But inner city trolleys and buses in Bordeaux and Munich I also remember as outstanding. Hoping we will not go maglev, but TGV when we finally get fast trains, if we ever do. Do you know that in France, with climate change, travelers arriving by plane on Air France must change to trains for in-country travel? That’s impressive. Maybe the French will revive the French Line too. Even steerage was a great trip.
that's great!
"Italy has more guns per capita and have never once had a mass shooting."
See, that's the thing. America's problem is not "the gun" per se. It's that we have an extraordinarily violent culture. We resemble pre-World Wars Europe, in which rulers and the upper castes used violence--invasion and conquest, slaughter, mass rapes, amassing of all the money, and the Church to back it up--than the kindler and gentler postwar Europe we all admire.
Until we solve our cultural problem--IF we can solve it--we will get dumber and deader. The idea of that appalls me when there are such better options.
“I am so dismayed by the number of hateful people in this country.” Yes, me too, but at least it’s easy to identify them now.
“May those who love us, love us. May those who hate us have God turn their souls. If He can’t turn their souls, May he turn their ankles so we can see them coming.”
One of the lesser known Irish sayings
Does that mean God is responsible for their wearing those red ballcaps?
Good one.
I thought that too.
What you say is true, Christine, but the reason that they support him is that he carries their banner of white Christian nationalism: hate, fear and violence. Trump's supporters are such that they favor authoritarianism built on racism over democracy. It's been that way at least since the Civil War among most of the South and now the Midwest.
The potential for hate is always there. They are ripe for a demagogue like trump or a trump lites who will give them license to voice their hatred. Which we have witnessed. Leaders with integrity and those haters would be kept quiet and under their rocks.
I've just read the excellent piece by Timothy Snyder and the important article that he gives a link to. I hope that Jack Smith has read it too! Professor Richardson's Letter is painful to read but so necessary to be aware of what happened in Kansas just recently as well as the Lovejoy story of 1837. Eric Meyer sounds like a good man, and he has the sudden death of his mother to deal with as well as the restoration of his newspaper. It's heartwarming that so many are wanting to help.
Sally Jenks Roth (VT) - "I've just read the excellent piece by Timothy Snyder and the important article that he gives a link to."
Yesterday's NYT, also, had a thorough Opinion piece on the paper:
[Gift Link]
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/10/us/trump-jan-6-insurrection-conservatives.html?unlocked_article_code=tvCQIxJDckEGtxyDnJMHTNQ_uaO4ydxhV3b1JsdT3Pme55BSKS3PMhQziCoSJIMAKLUvfNWhNjjEKOu6KRnGZmS2jvKF9Yk8pd4zBV67dmb40hMh1V1HHupNkpqCqQBJQFVERPCrJyjSKuTaW59oetZa52fyJGKyrx51LncezVgvNwfrkFCji8pbry0empHptZ6tpzi2-68ZHvlVlzMIJV9EKmi_uL6fz2dI6wCcwctUB0TjkVjctqAWAjvEA1RVMeMuOC2nINNYlFy28dCZV5lHVtgEuBsEZSGDS0dl91HQ-dIJMJS6peMe4TzNUa0skQMtp7gt_NcsLgnh6DTP0t6nWVscRjkHlSlT&smid=url-share
Thank you for gifting this article!
Thanks for this article, Ron. I had been wondering about whether or not Trump would need to be convicted of engaging in insurrection before being disqualified from holding office, and it looks like he would not. It is also encouraging to see that there are at least two Federalist Society law professors who apparently are not selective about applying textualist standards to their work.
Ron, thank you for the link, have read it and passed it along.
Great article, especially considering the source. I overlooked it since it had the T word in the headline. Thanks for bringing it to our attention.
NMorgan - "I overlooked it since it had the T word in the headline."
That is the point that I keep making (well, trying to anyway.) Refusing to consider a (any) source because of a personal bias is not very useful. If one is exposed to all sides (opinions), it is easy to come to the correct conclusion. I suppose is an easy cop-out to believe that exposure to a bad idea (opinion) is like a Covid exposure. It is not. The more one is exposed to differing opinions, the easier it is to separate the wheat from the chaff. With that process you can easily discover, within the first couple sentences of any article, it's value and that of the author. (And not, necessarily, of the Media) My triggers are any sentence that includes "those dirty rascals" or words to that effect. I need not read further. YMMV
Another rule I have is the need for a minimum of two independent sources.
As a last resort, I rely on Mediabias[dot]com and adfontesmedia[dot]com. That, for the most part, provides comfort that exposure to all sources is not going to contaminate me.
FWIW, this is the Ad Fontes Media process:
𝘌𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘴–𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵-, 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳-, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵-𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘔𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢 𝘈𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺, 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘞𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘺𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘺𝘴𝘵’𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘮.
𝘈𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯; 𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴.
𝘞𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. 𝘙𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘸𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘧𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘶𝘮 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘴, 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺, 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.
𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘺𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘪𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘐𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘴, 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘯𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺’𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮.
𝘔𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵-𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘵 $20/𝘩𝘳., 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘶𝘮 𝘰𝘧 9 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬.
In this day and age, how can anyone be "center" politically?
Thank you for mentioning this article by Timothy Snyder! https://snyder.substack.com/p/we-can-have-the-constitution
We must all contact our state secretaries to demand that Donald Trump not be allowed on the ballot to elect the president in 2024. We can do this as citizens. We must do this as citizens. It's our duty.
It would seem tfg’s statement about wanting to abolish the Constitution is all we need to prove his ineligibility. I’m going to write my state’s Secretary of State. This needs to be a National movement.
Go ahead. Write to your State's Sec. of State. It will be ignored. Better to throw the rascals out of the State governments that they have contaminated, when they come up for re-election.
Not all secretaries of state will ignore such letters. By all means, work hard to remove the insurrectionists and fascists among our leaders.
But do not discount the value of a good letter-writing campaign.
Usually, their staff counts the letters. That is the extent of a good letter-writing campaign to elected officials. They get the numbers, but never see the letters. To bring about change, voters are better targets of letter (or postal card) writing campaigns as offered by Activate America which you can reach at https://www.activateamerica.vote/
Remember when tfg refused to show his financials as a candidate in 2015? Too bad Congress did not pass a law making financial disclosure the law and a prerequisite for ballot inclusion.
I think that refusal is what got him so many fans. He was doing what so many citizens of this country wish to do. The spirit of caring for those unable to care for themselves has all but disappeared here. Ayn Rand's philosophy was embraced by those who do not have the soul to share and care about anybody but themselves. That is the spirit of Trump and Trumpism. It's all about me.
With all due respect, I submit that the more appropriate response is to overwhelmingly reject his candidacy by the ballot box. Otherwise we will truly face a civil war as his supporters in large numbers would insist that they were deprived of their constitutional right to vote!
I personally think it is disgusting that he is even on the ballot. It makes us the laughing stock of the world.
With all due respect, Ira, why aren't all legitimate efforts to disallow Trump from representing this country by any means worthwhile pursuits by the citizens of the US?
The government is pursuing all legitimate efforts by virtue of Jack Smith’s superb complaints in two major cases and Georgia’s expected action next week. It does not benefit our legitimate reliance on the courts of law to exclude Trump arbitrarily from our democratic system of free and fair judicial process. The alternative of violent civil war is unacceptable! The reasoning of two legal scholars is no substitute for our democracy!
No one has suggested bypassing the courts, DOJ and 'the rule of law', about which there is legitimate fault to find. Citizens contributing their voices by contacting elected officials, the DOJ, etc., is part of our role as citizens of the US.
Or makes us look like the dumbest country on Earth.
The name of Jan 6 Defendant 1078 should not appear on any official ballot; his jock straps can write that individual in. No deprivation of civil rights, just adhering to the requirements of Article 14 Clause 3. That individual is ineligible from holding any elected office. And if his followers riot as a consequence? Well, THAT is what the Insurrection Act (colloquially known as the FAFO Act) is for. I don't want to see that, but I didn't want them to riot and try it on Jan 6, either.
Thank you
In your letter to your secretary of state, point out that the penalty of disqualification from office is not a criminal penalty. It is a deliberately political penalty for a political offense.
Point to the last sentence of Section 3: " But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability."
The conclusion to be drawn is that responsible political actors are fully empowered to remove the name of a known insurrectionist or rebel from the ballot. Let the offender attempt to recover his claim to hold office in the political arena of the United States Congress.
Your secretary of state is a responsible political actor, no?
Remember, under Section 3, no one goes to prison. There would be no offense against due process. (After all, the due process clause as applied to the states is found in the same Amendment XIV!)
It's really very simple. This is what can happen when someone already indicted, awaiting trial, is allowed to declare ''IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I'M COMING AFTER YOU,' without being remanded to the hands-on custody of the court, where a gag order can be enforced, by incarceration if necessary. Americans cannot be asked to surrender their Constitutional rights because of fear of violent reactions by the supporters of the indicted, defeated, former president, a group not unlike the criminal perpetrators of this present-day tragedy in Marion, Kansas and its historic precedent in Alton, Illinois.
Agree. So much damage already done out of fear of his base.
https://open.substack.com/pub/snyder/p/we-can-have-the-constitution?r=sqcz0&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
My same sentiments emphasis on the Meyer Family. Peace be with you🙏☮️😔
The overall message is a gathering crowd shouting ...VOTE THEM OUT.
There has been over a very long scheming plan an execution of law and order and little accountability is forecast as one of our own failings too. A child learns by the time they are 3 what they can get away with and how to manipulate. This has been going on a lot longer than that.
This country is still a child. An experiment in the works and critical thinking needs self evident, and an apparent number of voters where the self evidence is colored/covered/criticized and questioned !
We are accordingly all presumed innocent , until proven guilty , but when the system has been rigged , waters muddied, and laws overlooked ...WE’RE IN TROUBLE.
If you’re a felon you can’t vote? ...correct? or maybe just in some states 😏?
But if you’re a felon you can run -or even BE PRESIDENT?
Talk about mixed messages! 😳🤦♀️
It’s the bad parent syndrome ‘ do as I say not as I do’?
Believe me. Trust me. Vote for me. “ I can shoot a person on 5th Avenue and get away with it” ...does this say also - [I] am above ethics, moral accounting, and the law.
It’s not too late but accountability’s time is nigh...
and everyone is on trial....
💙💙VOTE💙💙
The only problem with Snyder's argument is that Trump has yet to be tried. The US Senate had the opportunity to at least prevent him from ever running for office again, twice, but (most) Republican senators failed in their constitutional duty. It is likely that the "January 6th" trial will occur before the 2024 election, but if that jury convicts Trump he will appeal. The fate of our democracy rests on an election that may or may not be free and fair. Frightening.
Points well made, and the chances of a free and fair election don't look good in many cases. In terms of the "January 6" trial, this is a letter of mine that was published in today's edition of The Ledger regarding that prospect: " Jack Smith, the Special Prosecutor, is not stupid. And, for Trump's attorneys to have even a small chance of persuading a jury that Trump didn't know that he had lost the election, they would have to prove that Trump is the most stupid man in America, perhaps the world. But, all of that is not going to be necessary, I think. And here's why.
Jack Smith, when he and his team drafted the indictment, they drew it up in such a way that they knew that they would have to prove to the jury that Trump did what he did knowing that he had lost the election. Why could they be so sure that they could prove this to the jury? I submit that they did this because there are several people extemely close to Trump who are not indicted: Mark Meadows, Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump. Not being indicted means that they are most likely cooperating. And then there are those who are indicted - Rudy Giuliani, for one. Would Rudy sing like a songbird if he could avoid spending the rest of his life in prison? Does the Pope count his beads? The same holds true for the others as well.
The case may not go to trial. When Trump and his attorneys are confronted with the evidence against him, they may cut a deal - Trump to spend the rest of his life confined to Mar-a-Lago.
I live in Los Angeles and went to a spot popular with tourists the other day and saw a man wearing a black tee shirt with large red letters “CNN IS FAKE NEWS”. It astonished me how many in our country have aloud themselves to be brainwashed and aren’t capable of actually thinking things through. If something comes out in the press that Trump doesn’t like, it’s automatically Fake News, without any justification. The irony here is that this man more than likely watches Fox News and it’s been proven that they really are Fake News and they’ve paid dearly with the $787M Dominion settlement. More to come on that front with Smartmatic. We can only hope that when this case is settled, it hurts Fox News dramatically.
That may have been my nephew. I didn't realize that he ever got more than 30 miles from home.
I had a vivid dream last night, that might not be all that strange. I dreamed that TFG actually tore in half a pocket size version of the Constitution at one of his rallies, and the crowd (i.e. mob) cheered.
And, Ellen, you would have been right on. Make no mistake about it, they prefer shredding the Constitution and installing a white Christian Nationalist regime.
'Raid of Small Kansas Newspaper Raises Free Press Concerns'
'The search of Marion County Record’s office led to the seizure of computers, servers and cellphones of reporters and editors.' (NYTimes) excerpts
'Raids of news organizations are exceedingly rare in the United States, with its long history of legal protections for journalists. At The Record, a family-owned paper with a circulation of about 4,000, the police seized computers, servers and cellphones of reporters and editors. They also searched the home of the publication’s owner and semiretired editor as well as the home of a city councilwoman.'
'The searches, conducted on Friday, appeared to be linked to an investigation into how a document containing information about a local restaurateur found its way to the local newspaper — and whether the restaurant owner’s privacy was violated in the process. The editor of the newspaper said the raids may have had more to do with tensions between the paper and officials in Marion, a town of about 2,000 north of Wichita, over prior coverage.'
'The raid is one of several recent cases of local authorities taking aggressive actions against news organizations — some of which are part of a dwindling cohort left in their area to hold governments to account. And it fits a pattern of pressure being applied to local newsrooms. One recent example is the 2019 police raid of the home of Bryan Carmody, a freelance journalist in San Francisco, who was reporting on the death of Jeff Adachi, a longtime public defender.'
'In an email, Marion’s chief of police, Gideon Cody, defended the raid, which was earlier reported online by The Marion County Record and by Kansas Reflector, a nonprofit news organization.'
“I believe when the rest of the story is available to the public, the judicial system that is being questioned will be vindicated,” Mr. Cody said. He declined to discuss the investigation in detail.'
'On Sunday, more than 30 news organizations and press freedom advocates, including The New York Times, The Washington Post and Dow Jones, the publisher of The Wall Street Journal, signed a letter from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press to Mr. Cody condemning the raid.'
'The Marion County Record is uncommonly aggressive for its size. Mr. Meyer said that the newspaper, which has seven employees, has stoked the ire of some local leaders for its vigorous reporting on Marion County officials, including asking questions about Mr. Cody’s employment history.' (NYTimes) See link to full article below. Sorry that I couldn't provide a gifted link.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/13/business/media/kansas-marion-newspaper-police-raid.html
Merrick Garland must immediately launch a Justice Department investigation. What’s happened in Kansas is a microcosm of what Republicans like Trump would do nationwide.
As decimated as local media is, journalists across the country are still trying to report the news and especially hold local officials to account.
I fully agree. Imma retired law enforcement officer and it pisses me off when officers take the law into their own hands. These officers, the magistrate that issued the warrants, all should be held accountable and charged with this woman’s death.
Those responsible for this outrage will rue the day they decided to stomp on the Constitution. Instead of suppressing revelations involving them, they have kicked the proverbial hornets nest. Media from around the country will descend on Marion, Kansas and find out more than the local journalists might have otherwise — and create a firestorm of publicity sure to trigger criminal investigations and lawsuits.
I speak from experience: take tangible steps to keep journalists from doing their job, especially when they're hot on a story like this, and you motivate them more than you can imagine.
Michael, I sure hope this comes to pass. I am so so so saddened that her last hours were fear and angst-ridden. I would have wished for her a more gentle passing, hopefully after a full life well lived. I can only imagine that those who precipitated this will carry the burden of “knowing” the impact of their actions.
The illegal raid produced the death of an elderly lucid woman whose dedication to truth now becomes a victim of murder. These so-called law and order henchmen must face a jury of their peers. If capital punishment still existed, they would each be executed. They must be made to serve imprisonment for a very long long time. Unconscionable!
Here's a good overview of what's happened, including reaction from various media outlets. It's by Tom Jones, who writes about journalism for the Poynter Institute.
https://mailchi.mp/poynter/ko344mf6tf?e=6d6692c838
Thank you. When those entrusted with law enforcement neglect or abuse the law, how can respect for law and rule of law be sustained in a society? A nation of laws, not of the whims of those with power. Respect is cooperative, and cuts both ways.
It cannot be sustained with what we are seeing over the past few years. Law enforcement has lost its collective way.
I was thinking the same thing, Ally, and you should know. Here in Salem and Keizer, we have a police problem in terms of too often some of them have sided with people like the Proud Boys. The ones in Keizer were particularly bad when the Flynn/Stone hatred show was in Keizer. I had read about the raid in Kansas, but had not realized that it had resulted in the death of editor's mother. That alone is a travesty aside from a completely illegal raid of a newspaper and the illegal seizure of computers, etc. I hope somehow all involved are brought to justice. Our local newspaper is a Gannett rag as is yours now. We do have some independent online newspapers and writers who give us some information. We take the local rag online mostly for the obits. Of course, since the SJ charges an enormous amount, often there is no obit although I see now and then a reference to look on a funeral home site.
Michele, I had a dear friend whose Mom passed this January; her mom was an avid genealogy enthusiast . When Fletcher wrote the original obit, it would have been $500. She rewrote it at said in the obit “the only reason for publication is to honor my mother’s wishes based on her interest in genealogy; the exorbitant price makes this an impossibility for my family.”
She. Went several rounds with the RG, but ended up with a good obit for $150.
I paid 120 for the bare basics several years ago in the SJ for an elderly friend. When the funeral person asked me if I wanted to write more, I said I wasn't going to give that rag any more than I had to. Good for your friend.
Weren’t obits free years ago?
Ally, this must be painful for you to see and read about. I am certain you came across a few jerks in law enforcement but this is outrageous! No soul amongst thieves.
Marlene, my profession is tarnished beyond repair, I’m afraid.
As am I, Ally. It’s totally disgusting to see the actions of some of these law enforcement agencies today. Allowing their officers to act as they do.
It has and hasn't as far as I can see, but corruption has become wide and deep. We are still not at the totalitarian state level across the board, but not for lack of trying my plutocrats, and POC still bear the brunt of our state-supported despotism.
"Nip the shoots of arbitrary power in the bud, is the only maxim which can ever preserve the liberties of any people."
– John Adams
FINALLY pursuing the crimes of powerful civil servants, after about four decades of throwing up our hands, may have turned a corner. Even impeaching Trump on substantiated grounds, while knowing that Republicans would cynically and corruptly kill the inquiry, was a step in that direction. Since the birth of the Republic, there has never been more at stake.
Just as in the Nuremburg trials, they probably will say they were just "following orders."
Daniel, agreed! This was a lawless action in every way against an innocent citizen.....everything about it was wrong.
I am so thankful there are journalists working hard everyday to report the truth. I am fearful that the "truth" is becoming more difficult to find.
Thank you HEATHER (and JOYCE VANCE) and others who "now a days"......may be taking their lives into their hands to report the truth.
Prof. Richardson's letter today is chilling from the first paragraph. Then she moves effectively to the fight for "liberty of the press" in the Missouri and Illinois of that brave defender who paid with his life, Lovejoy. She concludes with the breathtaking calmness of the man who saved the country, Abraham Lincoln. Move over Gibbon. Make room for Richardson.
Daniel; the ghost of Sheriff Buford T Justice rides again
I have been thinking that exact same thing!
Thank you Daniel...well said!
🙏
I wanted to add…”get’em Daniel” 🤣
👍🔥
Michael, exactly. Freedom of the press is essential to having a vibrant democracy. It smacks of local authorities overreaching. I’m very glad that HCR is bringing it to our attention as well as sharing a historical parallel.
"No inference is here intended that the laws provided by the states against false & defamatory publications, should not be enforced. he who has time renders a service to public morals, & public tranquility, in reforming these abuses by the salutary coercions of the law. but the experiment is noted to prove that, since truth & reason have maintained their ground against false opinions, in league with false facts, the Press, confined to truth, needs no other legal restraint. the public judgment will correct false reasonings & opinions, on a full hearing of all parties; and no other definite line can be drawn between the inestimable liberty of the press, and it’s demoralising licentiousness. if there be still improprieties which this rule would not restrain, it’s Supplement must be sought in the Censorship of Public opinion." - Jefferson
Republicans are already doing these things, Michael. What about the "obtaining" (insert term: steal / theft / other,...) of contents from Hunter Biden's personal and private laptop by Fooliani who passed them onto others including the sick MTG who publicly displayed them with intentional malice? Or the theft of Joe Biden's daughter's personal and private diary by GOP operatives who sold it to the far right wing conspiracy group Project Veritas?
These were not newspapers but the illegal theft of personal info from private citizens for the purposes of political hit jobs is a far cry from obtaining a legal search warrant to obtain access to tfg's Twit account. So why do it legally when one can get away with it illegally?
I think MTG should be charged with any “revenge porn” statutes that may exist, I was really stunned that she pulled this egregious stunt. The woman is shameless and should be held accountable for her actions.
Amen to that, i think she should be held accountable and should be put in jail,, I have never seen anyone so ignorant and so arrogant in my life, she is a horrible insult to all the good women in the world, sometimes, I don't even think she is s woman, she is something that crawled out of a swamp somewhere and is some unknown species of a monster. She should be caged in a zoo somewhere.
We’d all like to see that.
The MTG exhibit, “Here, ladies and gentlemen is a MAGArilla. Caught in the wild while roaming the Mall in Washington D.C., c2023.
Although there are many archetypes of this creature in the area, they are varied in appearance but have similar qualities and temperament. This particular example displays the basic behaviors of M-rillas found in this species.
They usually appear human in form with slight but detectable differences.
More mature M-rillas have pronounced features such as “The Oligarch Hump”. Where it appears as if another group of humanlike creatures ride upon their backs. Another common feature is “Lying Mouth”. This feature is something both heard and seen. A shrill noise emits from a round (pie hole shaped) opening located in the head when appearing on the FOX entertainment savanna. No one is exactly sure of it purpose but some theories suggest it may double as a sphincter.
The geriatric MAGArillas are known to resemble rotted out tree stumps, dumpster fires and ATM machines that only accept deposits.
The MTG ‘rilla has low functioning cognitive abilities. It appears to have the usual MAGArilla penchant for violence and grossly exaggerated grievance issues along with deep rooted fantasies of being “above the law”. It also possesses a brain one third the size of its fully human counterparts, scientifically referred to as “Pea Brained.”
It can reach land speeds of up to 2 pipe bombs per insurrection.
The most outstanding features of the MTG MAGArilla are the 3 toed feet and frequent mispronunciation and use of the common language, something even the honking MAGA-gaggle find repulsive. Abandoned by its own, the MTG MAGArilla was found starving for attention and hiding from one of its natural enemies, Karma.
(Sorry, up early and bored).
You nailed it Karen.
Up early usually makes me a slug, good on you
Here's to boredom 👏👏👏 Nicely done!
Enjoyed this....you should be up early and bored often.
I have no idea about being bored, or up early. Looks, and reads, like you need to be up early and bored a lot more often!
Ignorant and arrogant, what a popular combo…
I so agree. As a female, I am embarrassed by her behavior and the behavior of some of the other female pols. I do agree with your assessment that she is a swamp monster. She belongs in jail.
This is a late post - 5:00 EST here on Sun but just saw an article that was not up early this AM when I first posted. Given the level of feelings for MTG here is yet another example of she and her team's open level of contempt for the people,...a settlement from the discovery that they literally pocketed / Stole $ raised for the families of those hurt by the recent train derailment in E Palestine, unbelieveable:
https://www.salon.com/2023/08/13/marjorie-taylor-greenes-campaign-manager-to-pay-25k-for-ohio-train-disaster-scam/
Saw that…and why am I not surprised? No wonder she and her buddies are so smitten w/ TFFG. Of course, as I recall, the article did not implicate her directly, so am only responding based on the company she keeps, the folks she professes to admire and the hateful BS she spews.
BK.....horrible to hear about the theft....this personal attack on President Joe Biden's daughter.....stealing her personal property. Instead of working on building up our country and encouraging our citizens and healing relationships here and worldwide....this is what the Republicans are spending their time and resources on.....
No wonder our "Good-standing " throughout the world is diminishing!!!
Thank you for reminding us of the earlier theft. The Republicans have no shame.
They are suing. Subscribing might be useful support. $35/year. https://marionrecord.com/credit/subscription:MARION+COUNTY+RECORD
Done..thanks for link.Trying to be careful with my resources for political action, this subscription seemed an easy and just action.
The paper could also initiate a crowdfunding campaign to attract attention and financial support.
Don’t hold your breath waiting for the obsequious Garland to do the proper thing. Given a few months of journalistic pressure, perhaps he will appoint a special prosecutor to investigate this travesty.
Such is the state of equal protection under the law in America today. Trumpism has indelibly stained the Constitution and moral values of our nation. It will take many years of dedicated work to remove the stench.
“As decimated as local media is, journalists across the country are still trying to report the news and especially hold local officials to account.”
Not as much as one might hope this to be real. Many local newspapers and radio stations have been bought out by large corporations. These corporations then gut the staff including reporters to such an extent that there is little reporting of “local” news.
These newspapers are so short staffed the reporters still working at them have little to no time to do any investigative reporting.
I believe Gannett is one of the corporations that have bought out a large amount of the “local” media throughout the country. One affect of the monopolies of newspaper ownership is much (if not most) of the printed stories come from one source. The news becomes homogenized. Where I live the “local” newspapers stories (90+%) come from “USA Today”.
In that regard what you wrote (below) rings of truth. IMHO It’s not so much a ‘would do’ as an ‘already are doing’
“What’s happened in Kansas is a microcosm of what Republicans like Trump would do nationwide.“
We need anti-trust laws to be enforced to counter these media take overs by large corporations. I think I read the majority of all media in our country is currently owned by only four corporations. I’ll see if I can find the article which discusses / reports on the mass take over of the media by large corporations in the USA.
Found the article but it’s about the demise of newspapers. Here’s the title and the first two of paragraphs. Note the quote of Walter Lippmann in between the two paragraphs!
———-
What the Death of Newspapers Really Means
What fills the void is what’s threatening democracy.
by Eric Alterman
People treat the death of newspapers as a matter of concern only to journalists. This could hardly be more misguided. Responsible journalism is the foundation of our collective ability to address our problems as a society: to improve “the common good.” Almost all of that collective ability, historically, has come from newspaper reporting. As the then-wunderkind Walter Lippmann wrote in one of the most prescient articles ever, in a 1919 edition of The Atlantic:
“Men who have lost their grip upon the relevant facts of their environment are the inevitable victims of agitation and propaganda. The quack, the charlatan, the jingo, and the terrorist, can flourish only where the audience is deprived of independent access to information. But where all news comes at second-hand, where all the testimony is uncertain, men cease to respond to truths, and respond simply to opinions. The environment in which they act is not the realities themselves, but the pseudo-environment of reports, rumors, and guesses. The whole reference of thought comes to be what somebody asserts, not what actually is.”
But Lippmann was living in a relative informational paradise compared to today. Sure, there were those in his day who would eagerly excite the passions of the masses for nefarious purposes. But there were multiple daily newspapers in virtually every major city; dozens in New York City if you count the foreign-language press. Most important, sources of deliberate disinformation were as ants to the elephants when compared to today’s Murdoch empire, the Koch network, just about all of talk radio, pretty much every one of Facebook’s most visited sites, and all of the various sources promoting racism, sexism, antisemitism, islamophobia, and so on, in the wake of Trump’s takeover of the Republican Party. Their purpose is to undermine truth specifically for the reasons laid out in Lippmann’s prophetic piece, with predictably deleterious results for what remains of our democracy.
Agreed, with both positions. This is a microcosm of what the RepubliQans are doing nationwide, and the Justice Department must investigate. Local media has been decimated, both by the decline of local newspapers and by the acquisition of most of broadcast local news (at least in my corner of the world) by Sinclair media.
Merrick Garland and "immediately" don't really go well together. Not at all.
Garland may well be more accurately defined by the words "sloth like".
This goes beyond party politics. It is a serious and dangerous abuse of power and must be prosecuted as such. People need to go to jail.
Milquetoast Merrick will have to be shamed into doing anything and even then it’ll take him years sadly.
This is really sad news tonight. I respect the way you tied it in to the same type of thing that happened in our nations history. Excellent job on that, Dr. Richardson.
I want to comment on this recent occurrence. I’m a retired law enforcement officer. This crap makes me mad as hell. I spent 26+ years wearing the badge, protecting the citizens of the county, city, state which I worked in. I took an Oath, the sake as any other public official that takes a job, to uphold the laws of the State, Country, and the Constitution. The same oath every elected official, justice, takes. Yet, here we have these idiots taking the law in their own hands. Plus, their illegal actions caused the death of that woman. That’s murder, plain and simple. They lied to get the warrants. That’s a criminal offense. The magistrate that issued the warrants without the sworn affidavits violated the law. He/she should be held accountable as well.
Attorney General Garland needs to step in and assign a Special Prosecutor and top notch investigative team to this and dig away. This type of crap shouldn’t be tolerated one bit.
Now, with all this being said. I’m going to jump on my political bandwagon. If we don’t get all of these Republicans voted out of office in ‘24, ‘26, ‘28, and beyond, including every election in between, there will be more of this nonsense going on across this country. Not one American will be safe in their homes from thus happening to them.
One more thing. If we don’t keep Biden/ Harris in office next term, our economy will go to hell, again, our infrastructure will go to hell, worse than it is already (which Biden is trying his best to fix), and we will lose a hell of a lot more freedoms than we’ve lost already. Women’s tights have been backed up to the 18th century already. Our biting right are being hacked up that far in every Republican state in the nation. Immigrants can’t enter this country anymore. This nation was built by immigrating from other countries!
Daniel,I am not religious (at all) but you get a big AMEN for this comment!
I am not religious either as said, ''Amen reply to an earlier comment you made.
Daniel Cooper. Thanks for your comments and your service.
Another "non-religious" Amen from me.
Thank you for commenting, as I agree with everything you wrote and you've saved me the effort of coherently expressing my outrage and disgust at this incident which resulted in the death of a 98 year old - I can only imagine her mental anguish after the raid and no doubt the strain it put on her heart. I have no words.
Nice comment Daniel. I agree with you 100%.
Nice typos, too:
"Women's tights backed up to the 18th century". Hmmm, a lively topic.
And I didn't even know we had "biting rights", but I can certainly imagine the GOP turning to biting when all else fails.
Seriously, thanks for your 26 years of service to fellow citizens.
I am curious why some folks feel a need to point out typos and grammatical errors?
Well Marj, I suspect most people who comment here hope they will be understood and would prefer not to commit typos and grammatical errors.
When I post a comment and then reread it, if I notice a typo or other error, especially one that makes the comment unclear, I correct it with the edit function. I usually just ignore typos unless they are humorous or confusing. I don't exactly "feel a need" to correct typos, but it is a small --perhaps even useful -- service I can provide to other commenters, many of whom are frequent victims of autocorrect and tiny smartphone keyboards. I know I am, but I don't think it's anything to be ashamed of.
Probably they may have been, or are, educators. It’s in their blood. Just like me. As a law enforcement officer, every time I get taken out for a drive around, or to my doctors appointment by my caregiver, I point out every violation I see. Once that type of profession is in your blood, it’s there forever. No matter what.
Besides, I don’t look at it as a negative. I look at it as a positive and it strives me to be better with my writing.
A reminder to Daniel and others who may not be aware that one CAN go back and edit and fix typos. Click on the 3 dots to the right of "Reply" (I suppose one could call the dots an "ellipsis", but not everyone may be aware of that terminology). One will then see the word "Edit". If one clicks on it, your post will then reappear, ready for you to correct or amend. This is a feature available only for the original author of the post. Then hit "Save", and Bob's your uncle . . .
“Edit” feature must disappear after time. I tried to just edit this, but I’m not able to. Thanks for this advise. I wasn’t aware what those three dots meant. Actually, I never paid attention to them!
“Bob’s your uncle.” I’ve heard, but never quite understood that phrase. Now I’ll have to Google it
It's one of a number of very handy British-isms I picked up and simply means something is well and truly done. Similar in American English to: ". . . and there you are!"; or French, "et voilá!"; or Dutch, ". . . en klaar is Kees!"
My husband, a Pennsylvanian, used the phrase. I understood the spirit, but never knew the background. Thank you. And for all the equivalents!
Sorry about the typos. I don’t have a habit of ‘proofreading’ my writing. Especially when I’m so pissed off! I do hope you, and everyone, understood what words were SUPPOSED to be there.
I agree 100% with your sentiments and thank you for your honorable service in Law Enforcement. I do want to add that the typos ( auto correct I'm sure) added a moment of levity!
Well said, brother. My 28 years of law enforcement was in Oregon, and I know that "things are different" here than in the south. Still, I swore that oath, and as an honorably retired LEO, I am still bound by parts of that oath as they may arise.
This case merits federal investigation. Ms. Herbel's death is a homicide; I don't know how Kansas law articulates the responsibility for a death that takes place during or as a result of criminal conduct, but it does meet the criteria for Murder in Oregon. It needs to be investigated at the federal level primarily because of the complicity of local law enforcement but also because it is a violation of the fundamental First Amendment rights establishing freedom of the press.
Daniel: And Project 2025 is already planning how to gut every environmental regulation. Republicans to the planet: Burn, Baby, Burn.”
Including my ancestors, yours too most likely.
Thanks, Daniel, I appreciate your comments and service. I thought you’d be interested in this story.Apparently the OC Sheriff was not pleased. Fl needs more LEO’s like you…
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2023/08/11/after-desantis-suspends-worrell-new-leadership-fires-staffer-on-maternity-leave/
Kathy, what an article! This has DeSantis, and his minion appointed State Attorney written all over it. It’s quite obvious that DeSantis is replacing every person in authority in every important department with his ‘like minded’ people. Plus, it appears that this termination of this employee is racially motivated.
I’m saying that, as a white ex-law enforcement officer. Thus stinks of ‘racism termination’!
DeSantis needs to be impeached. He’s violated so many laws, pushed his MAGA agenda until he’s sickening! I’m sure glad I left Florida 6 years ago (almost now)!
Thanks for the history, HCR. I remember Elijah Lovejoy, but did not recall the details of the story. I stay here because of the way you draw the parallels between history and today, I guess many others do as well.
Thank you for the historical perspective.
This story needs to be top of the line-up on every mass media platform. The corrupt scum (EVERYONE INVOLVED) must be prosecuted.
Anyone who asks “how could Germany allow the Nazis to grow”, needs to see the roots of that festering disease and hatred in this case.
Without aggressive prosecution, this evil WILL SPREAD.
It has spread, George. Yes, it must be stopped...as it needed to be continuously stopped beginning more than a couple of centuries ago,
The death of the 98 yer old human being was a homicide -- a death committed during a string of felonies specifically Murder.
This appaling travesty is subject to a Wrongful Death action against all perpetrators involved. No immunity defense will save them. The state goes first then l the Federal civil rights action.
Sunday Morning UPDATE: Daily Beast's, PILAR MENENDEZ, reports two (2) agencies were involved in the raids (plural) on the Newsroom AND the reporters' personal homes. The entire five (5) person police vigilante gang & Sheriffs. The CHIEF of the "Police" insisted on going personally to each of the attack sites which meant over a 2 hour delay waiting for his personal appearance at the debacle at one home. Thank you HCR for your brave & accurate reporting of history.
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. I had heard nothing of this. What a horrible, outrageous thing to do. I hope that it soon gets national attention and the culprits are brought to justice.
Now imagine this on a national level.
There was a time when that would have been unthinkable. No more. Our goal must be to get out the vote in November 2024. Period.
If this is standard practice, then we must double and triple our efforts to bring it to an end!!!
MM, I am confused by your response…are you implying this “standard practice” is acceptable and should not be called out? Really, I do want to know what you mean.
I live in the South, and i am about ready to run to Canada, or somewhere in the New England area.. i am sick and tired of these ignorant, uneducated, MAGA creeps here. They have gotten on my last nerve.
Massachusetts would welcome you. But as TC says "Southernism" is everywhere. In "The County" of Maine, Upstate New York and even the proudly progressive Commonwealth of MA. But stay within a 30 minute drive of cities with lots of colleges, and you will be fine :)
My brother and sister moved to FL as did some friends. I am regularly asked when I will move to FL. I live in MA. Respectfully, I cannot imagine a day I will willingly move to FL.
Mark, STAY IN MA! Trust me, I left Florida almost 6 years ago after being born and raised there. I’ll never, ever, return!
Don't go! We need your vote more here in the South!
Come to New Jersey!!!
Last I looked at a map, Kansas is in the Midwest.
"Southernism" is everywhere.
I was searching things on the ''Google Earth'' thing about a month ago, and on that, you can go down to street level views on there, and i saw a house in a rural area in New Brunswick, Canada, and at that house was one of those tacky, ugly, Confederate flag flying their yard on a flag pole. I could hardly believe my eyes. So i suppose ''Southernism'' is up there too. Made me sick. I guess even some Canadians have been sucked into the MAGA cult too... very disappointing to me.
Sadly, yes, it's everywhere. I can't in good conscience call it "Southernism" because I know too many great people who live in the South . . . but surely there's a word for it. "Detestables" was a candidate till it got so heavily politicized.
I love Google Earth!
Yep, sure is. Particularly in small towns in the Heartland.
Indeed.
To quote a grad school classmate of mine, “It’s just up south and down south.”
Never heard of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas?
And the recent attempts at outlawing abortion
Indeed, it is NOT only in the South anymore. I find it is less a "North vs South" mentality anymore, and has become endless varieties of "____ vs ____" on a whole national scale: "Urban vs rural", "Educated vs Uneducated", "Red vs blue", "People who love broccoli vs people who hate broccoli", and on and on and on ad infinitum. Pick your enemies. I live in Georgia too and yes, it can happen here, but to suppose for an instant it can't happen elsewhere is delusional. It does NOT have to be "standard practice" ANYWHERE if people stand up for what is right.
I've been here since 1995 and have no intention of returning to the North. I will continue to encourage people here and everywhere to vote blue in every election, up and down the ballot.
I moved from Chicago to Phoenix last year for family reasons, and find the people here the same as back North . . . most are pleasant to terrific, some are knuckleheads, and some are fire-breathing yahoos who shouldn't be wasting our oxygen. It's the Southwest rather than the South, but it's gone from deep red to purple/light blue in recent years. Like you, I'll stick around and help make light blue into dark.
My second choice would have been Arizona when I moved from New York, but I decided I wanted to experience four seasons, no matter how much I used to love the Sonoran desert.
I like cold weather and four seasons, so I get why you went that route. I moved here because my father was ill and, at 93, didn't have much longer to ride this planet around the sun. I sold everything and moved here to be with him and help my family care for him. I got almost a year of daily visits that I wouldn't have had otherwise, so the move was infinitely worth making: he was an outstanding man and father. Bonus: Now I get to hang out with mom, my sisters, and their kids.
This is the absolute, most important post. Because that is their goal.
Yes!
The DOJ must get involved in this, right away. It transcends state politics, being a direct assault on the constitutional rights of the press. Federal marshals or the FBI need to arrest the police and the sheriff's deputies and the magistrate who issued the warrant for the criminal attack on the paper. This cannot stand.
at the Rate AG Garland moves expect that in a year or so.
In a less imperfect world, the magistrate and the restaraunt owner will have adjacent prison cells.
‘The newspaper's first issue came off the press on September 24, 1869, just six months after Ulysses S. Grant had replaced Andrew Johnson as president and only eight years after Kansas had become a state.'
‘Since 1874, two families have been involved with the Record. The Hoch family owned it for 124 years. The Meyer family has been involved for more than 60 years.’ (Wikipedia)
'A conversation with the newspaper owner raided by cops' by MARISA KABAS (excerpts)
'Eric Meyer says his paper had been investigating the police chief prior to the raids on his office and home.'
'EM: It’s a very small rural community. I worked at the Milwaukee Journal for 20 years and then taught at the University of Illinois. And they'd say, where are you from? And I'd say I'm from Kansas. And they’d say where in Kansas? And I'd say, if you've heard of any place in Kansas, it’s 60 miles from there. It's kind of out in the middle of nowhere. We are on the boundary of an area code. We're on the boundary of three zip codes. We're on the boundary between two TV markets. It's a farming community that also has some resort activities. We have a couple of lakes which in Kansas is kind of unusual. But mostly it's a farming community.'
'But other than that, it's like a lot of small towns. We are unusual in that running the paper isn't my livelihood. I mean, I retired from the University of Illinois. I still have a pension from the Milwaukee Journal. I haven't even taken my social security yet. And I don't take a salary, unless I take a bonus at the end of the year if we made any money from the newspaper. So I don't get regularly paid, and it's not my livelihood. '
'I'm doing this because I believe that newspapers still have a place in the world and that the worst thing that a newspaper could do was shrink its reporting staff, stop reporting, fill itself with non-news when there's still news out there. And if you do a good job of providing news, you will get readers.
We try to be aggressive with the news and we try to be fearless with the news because as I say, we're doing this because we care about the community. And that's one of the points I've tried to make, is that it's really hard to commit journalism properly with people who don't care about the community they're serving. '
'MK: I just wanted to end with one last question: What do you think this raid on your paper and on your home says about the state of journalism in the country right now?'
'EM: I haven't been able to see enough of the outpouring from the people in this town. We've been getting incredible support from people outside this town. People in this town have been very supportive, but not publicly. And I talked to one person who said, “Oh, are you sure It's ok that I can talk to you because they might come and seize my computer?” They're afraid. They're really afraid that the police power is unchecked, and that they can be punished like this. And I think that's why I think it's important for us to fight this as much as we can, because it is destroying everything we're trying to do with democracy, which is to get people more involved.'
'We've been trying to get people involved because people are afraid that if they step up—in a small town particularly—they will get squashed. Someone will knife them in the back. They will tell all their friends to stop doing business with them, or they will shun them, or they won't take them to the country club.'
'It’s a way to dispirit people from becoming involved in government by making them think that if you do, there's gonna be consequences and they're going to be negative. And in a community that's largely a lot of older people, a lot of them have said, you know, I've fought all the battles. I don't want to have a new battle that I'm dealing with. So they'll all complain about something, but they'll do it very quietly. We won't hear about it. (TheHandbasket) See link below. Link is also in the Letter’s Notes/
https://thehandbasket.substack.com/p/a-conversation-with-the-newspaper?utm_source=substack&utm_campaign=post_embed&utm_medium=web
‘The Marion County Record is a weekly newspaper published in Marion, Kansas, and serves as the official newspaper of City of Marion and Marion County. The paper publishes every Wednesday.’
‘Over the years, the newspaper has won numerous awards from the Kansas Press Association, National Newspaper Association and various trade and industry associations. It twice won the national Edward Arnold Award for outstanding newspaper design. As editor, Meyer won virtually every statewide journalism award available: for public service, for mentoring and for lifetime achievement as a master editor.’
‘Editorially, the newspaper was instrumental in building or preserving numerous public improvements, including Marion Elementary School, Marion Reservoir, Marion's dike and levy, Marion County Hospital District No. 1 (which operates St. Luke Hospital), the Hill School on the National Register of Historic Places, Butler Community College of Marion, Warrior Stadium in Marion and Marion Public Library. ‘(Wikipedia) See link below.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marion_County_Record
Fern, your post brought this Buffalo Springfield song to mind: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp5JCrSXkJY
Haven't heard that song in a long time, Barbara. Today I was thinking about
the large number of Americans who aren't paying attention to climate change.
Many of them think what's happening is 'normal' climate activity. Gun violence, loosing our rights due to Republican state legislators and The Supreme Court...a whole lot of lying going on, too...you name it!
'For What It's Worth' by Buffalo Springfield.
Opening Lyrics
'There's something happening here
But what it is ain't exactly clear
There's a man with a gun over there
Telling me I got to beware
I think it's time we stop
Children, what's that sound?
Everybody look, what's going down?
There's battle lines being drawn
Nobody's right if everybody's wrong
Young people speaking their minds
Getting so much resistance from behind
It's time we stop
Hey, what's that sound?
Everybody look, what's going down?'
Yeah, Fern, it is so so so hard to be paying attention (like for DECADES) and see so many (not all) who blissfully ignore what’s plain as day in front of them. Still, I keep at it….and another song (which I have posted here a number of times, as it’s my anthem): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bmzimxfqgfw. And it has a danceable reggae back-beat to it!
That is a good one one as well, Barbara!
Love that
Vietnam years, Fern. It was a chilling piece by Buffalo Springfield. Stills, Young, and Messina went on to produce their own incredible music. Thanks for posting the lyrics and to Barbara for stirring the soul.
Thanks Fern.
That song has come to mind many, many times over many years.
Fantastic!
Barbara, thank You for posting that link to "For What It's Worth".
It's one of my all-time favorites.
I keep hoping we will see a resurgence of the cultural support for Rights, and for doing what's right, that we experienced in the '60s and early '70s.
I keep hoping for the kinds of music, and literature and poetry, and films and theater, and the Arts in general, that lifted our spirits and changed our lives half a century ago.
I think what I fear most is a widespread failure of imagination.
David, I am hopeful in seeing the stirring of our youth (David Hogg. Maxwell Frost, Katie Porter, etc.) stepping into the cauldron of politics…we need ALL of us…the seasoned “oldsters” (like Biden/Pelosi/Raskin/Lee/Schumer/Thompson/etc etc etc) who have dedicated their life to public service, not self-aggrandizement or financial gain….the mentors who will pass the torch to the younger generation. Just today, listening to an interview with the youngest Congressional rep (Frost), that $$$$$ is an impediment to service to our country in the legislature. It should NOT be that way….it should NOT be that only persons from well-to-do families have a shot at representing the public….after all, most of the public doesn’t have the means to do so. If we want a truly representative legislature we need ALL segments (dare I say “class”) of our society represented.
Barbara,
Amen.
I appreciate the specific references to the up-and-coming public servants.
I heard an interview recently with Maxwell Frost, currently our youngest Member of Congress, iirc. I was extremely impressed. Oh, to be represented by a young progressive, of which we have too few. (One of my previous Representatives from Wisconsin was Speaker of the House, and I am happy to report that I had trouble recalling his name just now!)
I would add one more thought: the task of the "conservatives" is simple -- they only need to maintain (or degrade) the status quo. The task of the Progressives, however, is far more difficult -- they need to lead the way into a better world and a brighter future for everyone, essentially inventing our future. They need our help.
Barbara,In case you didn’t know. ⬇️💙
“The organization, through a political action committee and super PAC, plans to recruit and support candidates under age 30 to run for state Legislatures, and candidates under age 35 to run for Congress”
https://floridapolitics.com/archives/627797-david-hogg-kevin-lata-launch-super-pac-supporting-young-progressives-running-for-office/
Kathy, I saw David interviewed on an MSNBC segment very recently where he talked about this. Our young people are living with the impact and tragedy of “the powers that be” largely dithering and arguing about critical issues (gun violence, climate change, homelessness, voting rights, etc) instead of proactively dealing with them, despite an overwhelming percentage of us being like-minded on solutions—tho’ there ARE those in elected positions who are trying & propose legislation, only to see it stymied. I admire that his terrible experience has galvanized him to action and to organize for change.
From practically being gunned down to being harASSed by crazy blonde woman to becoming a strong Gen Z political figure is an amazing accomplishment!
Katie does not need to be in opposition to Adam…
David,
There’s a lot of music out there
https://youtu.be/o_8UAYJLU98
Here’s a good one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQbLZTmfMtc
Lyrics
Blueneck
Song by Chris Housman
Lyrics Videos Listen
Grew up with cornfields in every direction
That's where I learned all of my lessons
About life and living without fences
In the land of the free to have opinions
If you work a job, you oughta make a livin'
George Straight or George Gay, there's no difference
People need help and I think that we should listen
Three chords and my truth is
I'm a good ole boy with a bleeding heart
Just a homegrown hick with a hybrid car
I think y'all means all and I know we all
Just wanna know that we belong
There's a lot more color in the mix
When you're loud and proud out in the sticks
I am what I am, you get what you get
Yeah, I guess I'm a red state Blueneck
My American dream is wide open spaces
Plenty of room for us all to be safe in
Yeah, that's a future that I'm chasin'
So I'm gonna go make it
I'm a good ole boy with a bleeding heart
Just a homegrown hick with a hybrid car
I think y'all means all and I know we all
Just wanna know that we belong
There's a lot more color in the mix
When you're loud and proud out in the sticks
I am what I am, you get what you get
Yeah, I guess I'm a red state Blueneck
I'm a red state Blueneck
Can a country kid wanna see the glass ceiling shatter?
Wanna see a world where Black Lives Matter
Liberty and Justice for just some of us
Ain't how the heartland brought me up
I'm a good ole boy with a bleeding heart
Just a homegrown hick with a hybrid car
I think y'all means all and I know we all
Just wanna know that we belong
There's a lot more color in the mix
When you're loud and proud out in the sticks
I am what I am, you get what you get
Yeah, I guess I'm a red state Blueneck
Yeah-eh-eh, yeah
Yeah, I'm a red state Blueneck
Yeah-eh-eh, yeah
Yeah, I'm a red state Blueneck
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Chris Housman
Dave, the album has several great songs still very relevant today.
JB is timeless, his messages delivered with conviction. Also “Looking East”, and more recently “Downhill from Everywhere”. His body of work from beginnings to now a testimony to the “American Condition”
Hey!!, that could be a song title. I claim it🎸😀
This Buffalo Springfield song takes me back to those days when many of us were feeling these words and inspired to protest what was happening in our world. It does feel like we are reliving it now.
Yeah, Carol, it’s deja vu all over again!
Certainly for me too.
still so current
This is at least the third time "For What It's Worth" has popped up here at LFAA. Timely as ever.
Thanks for including excerpts from the Marisa Kabas interview with Eric Meyer that HCR cites at the bottom of today’s letter. I read the interview and was somewhat encouraged by Meyer’s comment that response to this unlawful situation has resulted in an increased number of new subscriptions to the Marion Record from all over the country. An online subscription is only $34.99 PER YEAR! I thought I’d include the link here, should others in this Substack also wish to support independent, local journalism through this means:
https://marionrecord.com/credit/subscription:MARION+COUNTY+RECORD
subscribed. everyone should be following this story.
As the computers were stolen, are we sure subscribing will work? Is there a ‘secure’ way to donate? I went on to subscribe then began wondering…
One of their headlines online was the unlawful raid they were subjected to; I am sure they will continue in business. But I am not subscribing to give them money. (In the interview, Mr. Meyer said they don’t need money.) I subscribed to express my solidarity with independent journalism and to communicate to the Marion corrupt police that people around the country are aware of what happened and are siding with the truth.
Done.
I always look forward to your posts, Fern, and the research you do to complement Prof. Richardson's letters. Thank you.
Agreed!
Thank you, Carol, for being here and for protecting democracy. Salud!
With intimidation of the press, can voter intimidation be far behind especially aided by gerrymandering and states refusing to obey court decisions and aided and abetted by an indicted criminal that wants to be America's first illiterate dictator.
"DeSatan" is ahead of you on the intimidation of voters " issue.
The difference between Lovejoy and Meyer is an important one however. In the latter’s case it was two police agencies and a magistrate involved in this unconstitutional act. And I am absolutely positive that those jackbooted thugs will be covered by qualified immunity and we will see this happen across the country over and over again will little repercussion as the boys in blue (who are mostly trump supporters and increasingly infiltrated by white supremacists) learn that there is no cost to doing so.
You're probably right about police acting unconstitutionally but where does that leave the REPUBLICAN'TS as one minute they are defending the police and the next defunding them and the justice department. REPUBLICAN'TS are stuck again as they are trying to have both sides of the argument.
Don't look for consistency or logic. MAGA REpubs are 100% propagandists. Look how they complained that US Attorney Weiss not being made a special counsel was evidence of Biden's manipulation of the DOJ and then they turn around and complain that Weiss being made special counsel is evidence of Biden's manipulation of the DOJ!
Republicans give hypocrites a bad name. It's all "Heads we win, tails you lose" ideology.
William: it’s totally consistent. “Defend the police” when they violate their Oath and attack the Left. “Defund the police”when they refuse to attack the Left - or investigate a Republican.
Hope you are wrong, but hope can be a tease
Talk about a powerful reminder from history! The recent events definitely bring to mind the unwavering commitment to free speech and press freedom. It's fascinating how this echoes back to the past, where brave souls like Elijah Lovejoy stood up for the principles that are the bedrock of our democracy. The parallels between then and now are striking - the determination to hold onto our rights in the face of adversity is truly remarkable. Let's hope that the current situation sparks a similar sense of unity and determination to uphold the values that make our nation strong.
-Abe
AI-nformation
millionai.substack.com
history is doomed to be repeated due to human's limited memory
Well said, Abe.
Very Scary. Using our institutions to carry out personal agendas is dangerous.
Abuse of officially provided powers. AKA "Corruption".
I was appalled when I read this story on my Memeorandum news feed. The world needs to know what happened in Kansas. Great thanks for writing about it and for connecting it to earlier chapters in our history. And condolences to the the Meyer family. They deserved better.