Rest easy, and please take Sunday off as well. We in CA remain under threat of high heat, lightening and potential wildfires. Until we are safe, politics can take a backseat for a few days. Keep us in your thoughts. Thank you for all you do to keep us sane.
I read the comments here by so many caring and smart people and know how much you mean to all of us and I just can't understand how our country is in such deep trouble. Thank you for all you mean to all of us and rest well. And to all of you here, the same.
Patti Rogness, it is scary out there. My retirement savings took a bit of a tank in the last six months. While it is coming back, I am still nervous. I have a decent pension, but I have been remodeling my house. It was a big job and I needed to get money from savings to pay for it. I took a job as an enumerator for the U.S. Census for extra money to avoid taking those dips into the "safety net". I can tell you people are scared especially people who live out in the country. While I am happy to see Biden signs out in the country and many more than I expected to see in the leaning Republican town I live it I will be nervous until the election.
I am so grateful for your updates, HCR. They help me avoid the black hole of doom-scrolling. Your wisdom, resilience, and integrity are helping so many of us hold on to sanity and hope.
The natural world is truly an amazing and inspiring place. Thank you for all you have been doing. Thank you to your daughter for this inspiring photo. Thank you to all the engaged readers who congregate here—you give me hope that as we move forward, this well-informed community will be equipped to build a better future. Yesterday there was a post in Pennsylvania Women for Biden/Harris asking if anyone followed Heather Cox Richardson. There was a long string of enthusiastic responses from current subscribers and many who said they would be signing on! It made me smile.
Thank you! You are an oasis of clarity in this otherwise chaotic wasteland. There’s beauty in the world but it’s really hard to keep hope alive. Somehow, you do this for us.
If anyone deserves a day off, it’s you. Rest up so you can tell us all about the RNC - I for one cannot imagine watching that insanity, and I’ll need your perspective on all of it.
I'm writing from Vinalhaven in a Penobscot Bay thick fog, having just finished Laura Walls's moving biography of Thoreau. And you're right--all this comes together with your daughter's photo to re-affirm that the world is indeed a splendid place and will persist long after we humans have put away our toys and disappeared. My only wish is that we could all find more ways to love and honor this great world which we're so privileged to inhabit for a brief space.
I often think of your Letters as a table of contents to the day's news. I confess, that at now 73 years of age, I have been a continuous NY Times subscriber and news and political junkie since I was 10 years old. I still cannot imagine my day beginning without a cup of morning coffee and the NY Times. Now I add to that your Letters which help me understand what is most important to pay attention to and give some perspective about how to think about it. Have a blessed day and enjoy your respite from your labors. They say even God took a day to rest after a tough week.
I always appreciate your fine effort and persistence. Reading your letters has provided me with a healthy balance. Prior to coming across your site, I felt ping-ponged among other news sources. Not so much now. I do have one question for you: Do you have an understanding why the average citizen(if there is such a person) who is Christian or otherwise are supporting Trump? I cannot fathom how people overlook the immorality, criminality, disregard for citizens and believe he is caring for them, not raising taxes and taking care of them. How do these folks get so blind-sided? I have talked to a few and part of it is their news sources who interpret info and exaggerate it. Still, why folks don't see through that is beyond me unless they no longer read or question things. What is your understanding? I wish to know how others as yourself understand this phenomenon. Thank you. Claudia MacLeod
I'm no expert on this, but I've seen this asked many times. Those who truly hold Christian values often answer with phrases like "chosen by God" and "imperfect vessel." Some with more intense beliefs seem to think resident trump will usher in Armageddon, so there's that. I tend to think that he has skillfully matched his language to align with their beliefs, which are fairly straightforward and not a secret. In short, he tells them what they want to hear, so they can rationalize his flaws and support him. To give the devil his due, he is delivering for them. Specifically in the courts. Unfortunately, while I think Christian values, properly understood, are fine as a moral compass, they should not be the basis of government or judicial policy.
Many people I know, Catholics for one, have one issue: Trump says he is anti-abortion (which I don’t believe) and nothing else matters. I cannot square this with them as people or what I know of Catholicism. Of course, many of them are actually only pro-birth. I do think, however, the plank In the dem platform which appears to be “all abortion,” and their seeming habit of excluding pro-life Repubs tends support to that. If it were modified in any way, that might help.
Many people can’t understand how I can be Catholic and pro-choice at the same time. I try to explain that we are pro-choice, not pro abortion. Pro-choice means giving women the choice to raise their children with health care, a decent wage and a support system. It means if they face the difficult decision of an unwanted pregnancy we give them the support necessary to help them. And, if they must make the choice to end their pregnancy we support them in that too and not merely force them to have a child and then abandon them once the child is born. I stumbled upon a meme yesterday that said something along the lines of people being against the one thing that Jesus never mentioned in the Bible (abortion) while ignoring all the other things that he said were important.
I am convinced the core Trump supporters are actually "for" very little other than re-electing Trump. I have attempted conversations to identify issues, policies, or a vision they have for the country. I get some of Trump's rally talking points but, in the main, the response is about what they think they oppose. There seems to be little, other than Trump, himself they are actually for. This is not unlike the king of stooges they support.
Claudia, like you I can not wrap my mind around the fact that anyone can support him. My mom delicately broached the subject with her niece (a tRump supporter), and asked her why she she supported him. It should be noted that this niece is from a family of wealth, and is an evangelical christian. Her answer to my mom was “nobody’s perfect”.
At that point my mom changed the subject to keep peace in the family.
You beat me to bed tonight! Lol! I'll have to blame the kittens I'm fostering and their feeding/clean-up schedule... But that only covers the last couple of weeks. Hmmm.... Guess I'll just have to confess to being a night owl despite all my good intentions to get more sleep.
I hope you take tomorrow off too, and not just so we get another gorgeous photo from your talented family to enjoy. 😉 Thank you for shining a light in the darkness for us. Blessings to you and your family.
I am so grateful for your letters, your weekly history hour and history in politics talks. Please take this time to recharge, you need it and we need it too. Sometimes all the madness that surrounds us is so overwhelming. You are one of the brightest lights in this time of National darkness.
What a lovely hopeful photograph, with thanks to your daughter. I'm glad you listened to your body and went to sleep. I'm grateful to you, Heather, for this day, and for hopeful tomorrows.
Every blessing on you and your family. Thanks for the great photo, thanks for your consistently excellent dispatches, and thanks for remembering that rest is as valuable as effort. Enjoy the rest!
Rest easy, and please take Sunday off as well. We in CA remain under threat of high heat, lightening and potential wildfires. Until we are safe, politics can take a backseat for a few days. Keep us in your thoughts. Thank you for all you do to keep us sane.
Stay safe!
Please do.
I am holding you and my friends and family in California in my thoughts and prayers for safe deliverance from the raging fires.
My thoughts are with you...
Tina Chase, prayers sent to you and your family! Stay safe!
I read the comments here by so many caring and smart people and know how much you mean to all of us and I just can't understand how our country is in such deep trouble. Thank you for all you mean to all of us and rest well. And to all of you here, the same.
Patti Rogness, it is scary out there. My retirement savings took a bit of a tank in the last six months. While it is coming back, I am still nervous. I have a decent pension, but I have been remodeling my house. It was a big job and I needed to get money from savings to pay for it. I took a job as an enumerator for the U.S. Census for extra money to avoid taking those dips into the "safety net". I can tell you people are scared especially people who live out in the country. While I am happy to see Biden signs out in the country and many more than I expected to see in the leaning Republican town I live it I will be nervous until the election.
I am so grateful for your updates, HCR. They help me avoid the black hole of doom-scrolling. Your wisdom, resilience, and integrity are helping so many of us hold on to sanity and hope.
The natural world is truly an amazing and inspiring place. Thank you for all you have been doing. Thank you to your daughter for this inspiring photo. Thank you to all the engaged readers who congregate here—you give me hope that as we move forward, this well-informed community will be equipped to build a better future. Yesterday there was a post in Pennsylvania Women for Biden/Harris asking if anyone followed Heather Cox Richardson. There was a long string of enthusiastic responses from current subscribers and many who said they would be signing on! It made me smile.
Thank you! You are an oasis of clarity in this otherwise chaotic wasteland. There’s beauty in the world but it’s really hard to keep hope alive. Somehow, you do this for us.
If anyone deserves a day off, it’s you. Rest up so you can tell us all about the RNC - I for one cannot imagine watching that insanity, and I’ll need your perspective on all of it.
Another beautiful picture to remind us of what this country is.
I'm writing from Vinalhaven in a Penobscot Bay thick fog, having just finished Laura Walls's moving biography of Thoreau. And you're right--all this comes together with your daughter's photo to re-affirm that the world is indeed a splendid place and will persist long after we humans have put away our toys and disappeared. My only wish is that we could all find more ways to love and honor this great world which we're so privileged to inhabit for a brief space.
I often think of your Letters as a table of contents to the day's news. I confess, that at now 73 years of age, I have been a continuous NY Times subscriber and news and political junkie since I was 10 years old. I still cannot imagine my day beginning without a cup of morning coffee and the NY Times. Now I add to that your Letters which help me understand what is most important to pay attention to and give some perspective about how to think about it. Have a blessed day and enjoy your respite from your labors. They say even God took a day to rest after a tough week.
Ditto, except that after all these years (83) I have now demoted NYT to the SECOND thing I read each morning...❤️
From Idaho, the Armpit of the GOP, thank you for being a news/history source we can count on. Take Good care. It’s still a long road ahead.
I giggled because I’m originally from “the Region,” NW Indiana, between Gary and Chicago. We called it the armpit of the Midwest.
I always appreciate your fine effort and persistence. Reading your letters has provided me with a healthy balance. Prior to coming across your site, I felt ping-ponged among other news sources. Not so much now. I do have one question for you: Do you have an understanding why the average citizen(if there is such a person) who is Christian or otherwise are supporting Trump? I cannot fathom how people overlook the immorality, criminality, disregard for citizens and believe he is caring for them, not raising taxes and taking care of them. How do these folks get so blind-sided? I have talked to a few and part of it is their news sources who interpret info and exaggerate it. Still, why folks don't see through that is beyond me unless they no longer read or question things. What is your understanding? I wish to know how others as yourself understand this phenomenon. Thank you. Claudia MacLeod
I'm no expert on this, but I've seen this asked many times. Those who truly hold Christian values often answer with phrases like "chosen by God" and "imperfect vessel." Some with more intense beliefs seem to think resident trump will usher in Armageddon, so there's that. I tend to think that he has skillfully matched his language to align with their beliefs, which are fairly straightforward and not a secret. In short, he tells them what they want to hear, so they can rationalize his flaws and support him. To give the devil his due, he is delivering for them. Specifically in the courts. Unfortunately, while I think Christian values, properly understood, are fine as a moral compass, they should not be the basis of government or judicial policy.
Many people I know, Catholics for one, have one issue: Trump says he is anti-abortion (which I don’t believe) and nothing else matters. I cannot square this with them as people or what I know of Catholicism. Of course, many of them are actually only pro-birth. I do think, however, the plank In the dem platform which appears to be “all abortion,” and their seeming habit of excluding pro-life Repubs tends support to that. If it were modified in any way, that might help.
Many people can’t understand how I can be Catholic and pro-choice at the same time. I try to explain that we are pro-choice, not pro abortion. Pro-choice means giving women the choice to raise their children with health care, a decent wage and a support system. It means if they face the difficult decision of an unwanted pregnancy we give them the support necessary to help them. And, if they must make the choice to end their pregnancy we support them in that too and not merely force them to have a child and then abandon them once the child is born. I stumbled upon a meme yesterday that said something along the lines of people being against the one thing that Jesus never mentioned in the Bible (abortion) while ignoring all the other things that he said were important.
I am convinced the core Trump supporters are actually "for" very little other than re-electing Trump. I have attempted conversations to identify issues, policies, or a vision they have for the country. I get some of Trump's rally talking points but, in the main, the response is about what they think they oppose. There seems to be little, other than Trump, himself they are actually for. This is not unlike the king of stooges they support.
Look up Sister Joan Chittister's writing on the difference between pro-life and just being pro-birth. Very encouraging!
Claudia, like you I can not wrap my mind around the fact that anyone can support him. My mom delicately broached the subject with her niece (a tRump supporter), and asked her why she she supported him. It should be noted that this niece is from a family of wealth, and is an evangelical christian. Her answer to my mom was “nobody’s perfect”.
At that point my mom changed the subject to keep peace in the family.
I still don’t get it!!
You beat me to bed tonight! Lol! I'll have to blame the kittens I'm fostering and their feeding/clean-up schedule... But that only covers the last couple of weeks. Hmmm.... Guess I'll just have to confess to being a night owl despite all my good intentions to get more sleep.
I hope you take tomorrow off too, and not just so we get another gorgeous photo from your talented family to enjoy. 😉 Thank you for shining a light in the darkness for us. Blessings to you and your family.
I am so grateful for your letters, your weekly history hour and history in politics talks. Please take this time to recharge, you need it and we need it too. Sometimes all the madness that surrounds us is so overwhelming. You are one of the brightest lights in this time of National darkness.
Thank you for keeping us steady and calm and thank your daughter for the wonderful photo. Nothing heals better than contemplative photo of the shore.
What a lovely hopeful photograph, with thanks to your daughter. I'm glad you listened to your body and went to sleep. I'm grateful to you, Heather, for this day, and for hopeful tomorrows.
Every blessing on you and your family. Thanks for the great photo, thanks for your consistently excellent dispatches, and thanks for remembering that rest is as valuable as effort. Enjoy the rest!