It has been rainy and foggy here for most of the summer, but Buddy caught this clear early morning a few weeks ago. He captioned it “Headed out to the gold fields,” which seems to me to work in this beautiful spot even for those of us who don’t fish for a living.
Buddy, thank you for this exquisite photograph. The reflection on the water and the lively sky seem to dance together at the start of day. HCR, your stronger than ever focus in the last few weeks has spelled the edge upon which our democracy has moved. My gratitude to you.
Freedom of the press stood out in your Letter today.
'Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. First Amendment to the United States Constitution (1791).'
July 19, 2023
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the House Judiciary Committee unanimously voted to pass Representatives Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Kevin Kiley’s (R-CA) Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying (PRESS) Act. The PRESS Act would establish a federal statutory privilege to protect journalists from being compelled to reveal their sources and prevent federal law enforcement from abusing subpoena power. The legislation would be the first federal press shield law of its kind.
“In a giant step forward for press freedom in America, the House Judiciary Committee passed our PRESS Act with unanimous bipartisan support,” said Rep. Raskin. “The Constitution promises that no law shall abridge the freedom of the press and instructs us to protect journalists from government overreach and abuse of power, and today this committee has made good on that promise. I’m thankful to my colleagues on the Judiciary Committee for unanimously supporting the PRESS Act, and I look forward to seizing this momentum to pass it into law.” (JamieRaskin, Serving Maryland’s Eighth District) See link below.
***
Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech.
Benjamin Franklin
The people shall not be deprived or abridged of their right to speak, or to publish their sentiments; and the freedom of the press, as one of the great bulwarks of liberty, shall be inviolable.
James Madison
Freedom of conscience, of education, of speech, of assembly are among the very fundamentals of democracy and all of them would be nullified should freedom of the press ever be successfully challenged.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
The Government's power to censor the press was abolished so that the press would remain forever free to censure the Government. The press was protected so that it could bare the secrets of government and inform the people. Only a free and unrestrained press can effectively expose deception in government.
Hugo Black
Freedom of the press is not just important to democracy, it is democracy.
Walter Cronkite
The ability of a free and independent press to hold political leaders accountable is what makes open government possible—it is the heartbeat of democracy. Trump is intent on stilling, or slowing down, that heartbeat. This is a gift to dictators, and coming from a chief executive of the United States, cause for shame.
Thank you for that image from Buddy! time to switch out Peter's photo for Buddy's for my desktop wallpaper. Rest well, and glad to see you are going offline at a more reasonable hour than most nights. Take care of yourself, as you are a national treasure.
Your comment about rain and fog, flashed me back to when I was 19, 51 years ago, when a friend's girlfriend asked me to go with her to an assigned film. My friend was in a lab that afternoon. Sj=he told me that the film would be difficult and she didn't want to go alone. It was Night and Fog directed by Alain Resnais. Difficult was an understatement, life altering would have been better. The film depicts the rise of Nazism and the horrible consequences in graphic detail. WE stand on that brink today, a place I never thought we would have to face. Have courage and strength, and fight the dying of the democratic light in our country. Contribute, vote, get out the vote and march in the streets. Remember, the first words of the Constitution are, "We the People." Have strength.
Saw this too, by Ruth Ben-Ghiat, substack "Lucid". > "Rep. Matt Gaetz, Praising "Force," Goes Full Fascist at the Iowa State Fair" > "These days, I'm often thinking about early Fascism: the years between 1922 and 1925, when Benito Mussolini was Prime Minister of a coalition government and focused on expanding his powers, including through the kinds of militia violence that had brought him to power.
Today's post takes us back to that period. It is prompted by a comment made by Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL), a MAGA extremist who loses no opportunity to wage war against our democracy and engage in mass indoctrination. For this seasoned information warrior, even the Iowa State Fair, a family event, is fair game: working in calls for violence while people are enjoying themselves is ideal for receptivity. Would you like some Fascism with your pork chop on a stick? Gaetz had come to the fair to support his cult leader, Donald Trump, the leading GOP presidential candidate, and he opened with a repetition of the Big Lie, addressing Trump as "Mr. President."
"I cannot stand these people that are destroying our country," said Gaetz. "They are opening our borders. They are weaponizing our federal law enforcement against patriotic Americans who love this nation as we should. We are having a great time at the fair. We love standing with you. But we know that only through force do we make any change in a corrupt town like Washington, D.C. And so to all my friends here in Iowa, when you see them come for this man, know that they are coming for our movement and they are coming for all of us."
The casual insertion of an incitement to violence in a "light" remark --"we are having a great time at the fair" is what makes this statement so chilling.' "
End of what I can see > a paywall stopper after that. Cheers
The photos that you post are always lovely, but this one has really connected and resonated in a visceral way. Thank you, and thanks to Buddy for his excellent eye and great photographic talents. You both give me a wonderful sense of groundedness!
Thank you so much for your time, your insight, your scholarship educating us mortal souls!
Buddy, thank you for this exquisite photograph. The reflection on the water and the lively sky seem to dance together at the start of day. HCR, your stronger than ever focus in the last few weeks has spelled the edge upon which our democracy has moved. My gratitude to you.
Freedom of the press stood out in your Letter today.
'Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. First Amendment to the United States Constitution (1791).'
July 19, 2023
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the House Judiciary Committee unanimously voted to pass Representatives Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Kevin Kiley’s (R-CA) Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying (PRESS) Act. The PRESS Act would establish a federal statutory privilege to protect journalists from being compelled to reveal their sources and prevent federal law enforcement from abusing subpoena power. The legislation would be the first federal press shield law of its kind.
“In a giant step forward for press freedom in America, the House Judiciary Committee passed our PRESS Act with unanimous bipartisan support,” said Rep. Raskin. “The Constitution promises that no law shall abridge the freedom of the press and instructs us to protect journalists from government overreach and abuse of power, and today this committee has made good on that promise. I’m thankful to my colleagues on the Judiciary Committee for unanimously supporting the PRESS Act, and I look forward to seizing this momentum to pass it into law.” (JamieRaskin, Serving Maryland’s Eighth District) See link below.
***
Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech.
Benjamin Franklin
The people shall not be deprived or abridged of their right to speak, or to publish their sentiments; and the freedom of the press, as one of the great bulwarks of liberty, shall be inviolable.
James Madison
Freedom of conscience, of education, of speech, of assembly are among the very fundamentals of democracy and all of them would be nullified should freedom of the press ever be successfully challenged.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
The Government's power to censor the press was abolished so that the press would remain forever free to censure the Government. The press was protected so that it could bare the secrets of government and inform the people. Only a free and unrestrained press can effectively expose deception in government.
Hugo Black
Freedom of the press is not just important to democracy, it is democracy.
Walter Cronkite
The ability of a free and independent press to hold political leaders accountable is what makes open government possible—it is the heartbeat of democracy. Trump is intent on stilling, or slowing down, that heartbeat. This is a gift to dictators, and coming from a chief executive of the United States, cause for shame.
Madeleine K. Albright, Fascism: A Warning
https://raskin.house.gov/2023/7/rep-raskin-s-press-act-passes-judiciary-committee-with-unanimous-bipartisan-support
Thank you for that image from Buddy! time to switch out Peter's photo for Buddy's for my desktop wallpaper. Rest well, and glad to see you are going offline at a more reasonable hour than most nights. Take care of yourself, as you are a national treasure.
Your comment about rain and fog, flashed me back to when I was 19, 51 years ago, when a friend's girlfriend asked me to go with her to an assigned film. My friend was in a lab that afternoon. Sj=he told me that the film would be difficult and she didn't want to go alone. It was Night and Fog directed by Alain Resnais. Difficult was an understatement, life altering would have been better. The film depicts the rise of Nazism and the horrible consequences in graphic detail. WE stand on that brink today, a place I never thought we would have to face. Have courage and strength, and fight the dying of the democratic light in our country. Contribute, vote, get out the vote and march in the streets. Remember, the first words of the Constitution are, "We the People." Have strength.
Sleep well. It will likely be busy indeed.
Saw this too, by Ruth Ben-Ghiat, substack "Lucid". > "Rep. Matt Gaetz, Praising "Force," Goes Full Fascist at the Iowa State Fair" > "These days, I'm often thinking about early Fascism: the years between 1922 and 1925, when Benito Mussolini was Prime Minister of a coalition government and focused on expanding his powers, including through the kinds of militia violence that had brought him to power.
Today's post takes us back to that period. It is prompted by a comment made by Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL), a MAGA extremist who loses no opportunity to wage war against our democracy and engage in mass indoctrination. For this seasoned information warrior, even the Iowa State Fair, a family event, is fair game: working in calls for violence while people are enjoying themselves is ideal for receptivity. Would you like some Fascism with your pork chop on a stick? Gaetz had come to the fair to support his cult leader, Donald Trump, the leading GOP presidential candidate, and he opened with a repetition of the Big Lie, addressing Trump as "Mr. President."
"I cannot stand these people that are destroying our country," said Gaetz. "They are opening our borders. They are weaponizing our federal law enforcement against patriotic Americans who love this nation as we should. We are having a great time at the fair. We love standing with you. But we know that only through force do we make any change in a corrupt town like Washington, D.C. And so to all my friends here in Iowa, when you see them come for this man, know that they are coming for our movement and they are coming for all of us."
The casual insertion of an incitement to violence in a "light" remark --"we are having a great time at the fair" is what makes this statement so chilling.' "
End of what I can see > a paywall stopper after that. Cheers
Language! “It bids fair”.
I love speaking in poetry.
Beautiful photo. Thank you for the guiding light that you are!
The photos that you post are always lovely, but this one has really connected and resonated in a visceral way. Thank you, and thanks to Buddy for his excellent eye and great photographic talents. You both give me a wonderful sense of groundedness!
I would love to paint that Professor. Thank you for the beautiful imagery always.
I hope people click on the photos TWICE until it fills the entire screen. It's a stunning scene. Thanks, Buddy!
Great photo!
Good call for a break. I have a funny feeling next week is going to be a doozy!
Rest well. With lots of hope and truth, the best is yet to come!!
Magical photo! Have a good rest.
Rest well and sweet dreams.