Thank you so much, Bryan, kimceann, and Barbara, for the lyrics to "Anthem" and "Democracy." Wow. Clearly I need a *lot* more Leonard Cohen. He is the prophet of our time.
much of his poetry evolved over long periods of time. He was a thoughtful philosopher, brooded over words and implications. His last album is astounding, as is Bowie's.
I would not in any way reprimand you. I think you are fabulous. I just had my second baby grand. Was so diff than first. Could not go to hospital and saw her for first time when she got home yesterday. My son-in-law (who has the ability to converse with a barn door if he has to) had one sided convo with nurse as she was in room for test or procedure with his newborn or attending to Mama. She (the nurse) rambled on how, even though the hospital was well vaccinated, the problem in FL is as the gov stated, “all because of infected dirty migrants coming into state from Mexico spreading Covid, not because of unvaccinated citizens here in FL.” 😳 From a nurse in a hospital! I asked my son-in-law if he pointed out that those “dangerous immigrants” must have been awfully good swimmers to get to Florida.
While I always appreciate the beautifully serene photographs that you send us on a Saturday night, I must tell you how much I have appreciated tonight's letter. It has lifted me from a dispirited moodiness into a sense of relief and, dare I say, hope. It pleases me no end to think that today's news is, indeed, a game changer. I'm crossing everything that is crossable! Thank you so much for these rosy tidings.
“….strikes me as being a game changer.” I am going on record that I hope you are correct. However, I am not sure what is meant by the statement. Are all these people that blindly supported and continue to support Trump and his form of the Republican Party going to all of a sudden wake up and admit rather than he being the savior of “America”, he is actually the most destructive and divisive president ever to be elected? I do not think so. The greatest failure of the public education system in the United States is the failure to teach people that it is ok to accumulate information and learn from that information. Instead, we have whole swaths of the country that are influenced by superficiality(Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc.) and once indoctrinated would rather fight than do the right thing. The problem is ego. When you force people to observe just how ignorant they have been, the result is the opposite of what it should be. They become even more intrenched with their original attitude rather than accepting the reality. So, I agree that some of the testimonies SHOULD be game changers, but how do you get people to accept just how stupid and manipulated they have been for the past several years?
First of all, stop with the would, “SHOULD”, could game. Today is about “light finding the cracks which are in everything”. Please support possible today, not impossible. Democracy has always been about possible. Fascism is about impossible.
Thank you, Christine, Jake cohn, and any others who refuse to cower in a corner. We all know that we're in a bad place, forced there by the criminal idiot who occupied the White House for four long years, and supported by his minions and dark money. However, the nasty truth that anyone with a grain of sense has seen since Day One is oozing out. I sincerely hope that this will be the watershed moment for this country, and that we will emerge from this disaster. Certainly, those who believe QAnon and other crazytown fables will not be returned to sanity, but as proved in the 2020 elections, we managed to elect a sane president and gain a razor-thin majority in the senate. Yes, we're still in mortal danger, but these facts that are being uncovered must encourage us to fight even harder so that we can build on the good that Biden has begun. We must determine that we have to remain vigilant and take lessons from what we've managed to overcome and keep it from happening again. There are over 40 million more of us than them, and hopefully the revelations now becoming public will convince enough of the still-sane Republicans that they can't ever again support an insane fascist. The icing on the cake would be for Crazy Man to be tried and convicted, but I'm not foolish enough to pin my hopes on that.
The elephant in the room is voting rights, and I should have added that I fear what will happen to our 40 million voters advantage if the voting rights bills are not passed immediately, and if DOJ and successful legislation do not address the worst part of these repressive state laws, which is voter nullification. Mea culpa, I was distracted by my own sunshine theory!
I for one am working with several NYS-based election integrity advocates to both improve state laws and urge better election administration.
Please consider doing the same! (I know we are many of us overwhelmed).
At the state level, it's harder because there's often less media coverage, but it's still possible to make progress. Here are my thoughts, not necessarily in priority order:
1. Learn how your state legislature works. Learn their web sites. In NYS, with a bicameral legislature, the web sites are: nyassembly.gov and nysenate.gov. AND ... they work differently.
For example, on the NY Senate web site, people can sign up for email alerts when actions occur (like a bill moves out of committee). Not so the NY Assembly web site. BUT the NY Assembly web site has a better description of bill text.
2. Learn your state reps. Whether you agree with them or not. Check their official web sites, and Wikipedia entries. Hint: I have Google Alerts set up for my two Albany reps. I pick up bits of info about them and am beginning to learn what they are interested in.
3. Find an issue on which you agree with your state rep, and tell them why and how you agree. You will begin to develop a relationship with them or with their staff. My NY Senator, Jim Tedisco (R,C,I-Glenville) is interested in helping small landlords with the lack of income because of the rent moratorium. Me too! Those landlords need to pay taxes, keep up their properties, and, uh, they *live* on the rental income.
4. Find groups that advocate for voting rights and election reform (not always identical). I concentrate on security of voting machines and voting systems. The more I learn, the better I can ask well-prepared questions. One place to start: VerifiedVoting.org. Use it to find out what voting machines are in use in your county, and get an independent description of how they work. BTW, VV is quite responsive to my emails asking them to improve their descriptions.
Election security is wide, and deep, and murky. Get started, ease into it, expect setbacks in your learning. Hey, we didn't get this far in life by being helpless in the face of adversity.
Thank you, Bob, for this information. I live in Georgia, and as I'm sure you know, our Rethuglican governor and legislature have approved Draconian voter suppression laws, including the establishment of voter nullification provisions, despite having held three recounts (our voting machines are new and work fine) and declaring the election results free of fraud. We absolutely must have laws protecting future elections and banning the employment of voter nullification, and it has to happen immediately. It appears that AG Garland is working to accomplish some of this, but we can't just dither until it's too late. I know that there is a great deal of activity, energized by the Texas Democrats, but it would be comforting to have an idea whether this can be accomplished soon, and whether the Manchin/Sinema duo will agree to have a filibuster carve-out for this crucial legislation, as well as other vital activity.
I will investigate the sources that you've provided. This forum is not just an echo chamber, as some have suggested, but many knowledgeable contributors provide us with essential, practical assistance - thank you for that!
Bob, Thank you for this excellent outline acquainting us with functions of our state and its voting system. While the processes are different from state to state, you indicate aspects of the system, learning which functions may be accessible and for each of us to decide the most suitable area given voting issues as well as our own interests and skills. Clearly, finding the right spots is a process in and of itself, and the work will probably take us to various functions of government.
Thanks for the info Bob. I live on Long Island and am very aware of who my representatives are, but was not aware of those links. We have our own issues here with our Governor which isn't making me warm feel all warm and fuzzy.
What is it with the USA and voting rights? We have just had our annual notification from our local authority to check that the electoral register is up to date. The necessary qualifications to vote (which apply to the whole country) are: over 18, resident in the UK and a British Citizen. That's all (apart from a few extra details relating to Commonwealth and EU citizens). And when we turn up to vote we are encouraged to bring our poll card with us, but it is not mandatory. Why is it so difficult for the USA to do the same thing? I know the answer of course but if anyone wants to see a copy of the paperwork we receive in its simplicity, message me on Richard.barr@paston.co.uk
Thank you, Richard, for the no-nonsense procedure. Would that we could bring ourselves to do the same. On a good day, our citizens are a fractious lot, but with the advent of the Republican party since the '70s, our system has devolved into the Democrats of various stripes v. the autocratic, racist, greedy opposition. The Democrats are not blameless, since we argue among ourselves, but the Republicans can't afford to miss any opportunity to toss obstacles that make it difficult for Democrats to vote - we're the majority party, and the Republicans would rather cheat than offer workable solutions to our country's needs - together. Imagine - no mandatory voter identification . . . .
These are dangerous times, and we are certainly not immune from the kind of influences that plague the USA. Our Prime Minister has more than once been termed "Trump with a thesaurus" and some of his recent remarks have a trumpian undertone. But so far no one has interfered with our voting rights...yet!
"One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we've been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We're no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It's simply too painful to acknowledge, even to ourselves, that we've been taken. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back." Nancy, how long do you think the Kochs/fascistGOP/Putin have been bamboozling US voters?
"One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we've been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We're no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It's simply too painful to acknowledge, even to ourselves, that we've been taken. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back.”
Here’s a quote from Goodreads summary of of the book: ”We live in an age where unethical persuasion is applied every day, all day, to subvert reasoning through direct appeals to one’s emotions. Throughout history, people have been unwittingly influenced to act against their own better interests. But today, more sophisticated forms of influence have been devised, posing a significant threat to a free and open society. It is persuasion so sinister and subtle that it can derail critical thinking and overwhelm even the most intelligent of people, reducing them into unthinking compliance.
Manipulation, undue influence and brainwashing, or whatever one chooses to call such exploitive persuasion, challenges the very notion of human rights. The use of it by unscrupulous cults, totalitarian groups and abusive individuals is growing at an alarming rate. Yet, undue influence remains a well-kept secret in the media and for the general public. This book will show how the human mind is cajoled into submitting to unethical, uninvited external influence”
I am so encouraged by the original message today and delighted to hear quotes from some of my favorite artists such as Mr Cohen and Dr Sagan! Enjoy your Sunday and let us forge ahead in doing what we can to expose and condemn Trump for the 4 years of hell he put us through.
You are so right. Alas, it is human nature (unless we're aware of it) that we will do what we can to make our beliefs and allegiances "right." Religions, political beliefs, institutions, or following the pied piper, are filled with examples of our nature to justify what gives our lives credibility and purpose even in the light of evidence to the contrary.
Please stop blaming things on "human nature." Our current situation was largely engineered by public policy and court decisions going back centuries. For an antidote, I heartily recommend Heather McGhee's _The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs All of Us and How We Can Prosper Together."
Hello? Are we on the same page? Carl Sagan was correct that we (all) have a tendency to deny truth when it is presented if we have been foolish and "snookered." I am responding to H.A, Rose's comment, which I took to mean the Trumpists and anti-vaxxers. Racism is real, insidious, and exists everywhere, but perhaps most virulent in the USA. It is every bit as true that many, many of us (here) are on board with revealing it for what it is. No argument there.
Hey John, looks like a synchronous moment with our posts, which we put up simultaneously and have the same subject of “ignorant followers” whom we wish would “do the right thing.” Like you, I hope for a game changer, but like all these ignorant ppl still refusing to get vaccinated against a deadly airborne virus, I have my doubts.
Maybe the Darwinian moment will take care of those folks, Rob. After all, the states where idiot governors are digging in their heels, thinking that keeping their snufflers up TFG's arse will help them in 2022, are experiencing a surge among their own supporters and constituents. I also think that the pandemic is becoming the leveler that it was predicted to be: when people start seeing their children get very sick and die they tend to start to think differently about their stance. Happened with people who opposed the polio vaccine . . .
Not so much case closed. Because I live in Florida and there are a whole lot of people questioning his knowledge of geography and asking if these so called “infected, dirty immigrants” swam the dang Gulf of Mexico to get here. Nothing like meeting preposterous with bravado. Same with his new idea of extending Hope Scholarships to parents seeking to put their children in schools with NO MASKS which means his pet private schools. So a parent stands up at the state board mtg giving approval to this and says “so that means those of us that want our children masked will get a scholarship to put our kids at a school that requires masks, right?”
The meeting dissolved into chaos and was ended.
Desantis doesn’t believe any of his bullsh*t. He’s been directed to propagate the messaging.
Reminds me that an anticipated 700,000 are heading to Sturgis on their bikes for mingling and sharing. In a couple of weeks, those 700,000 will return home to their buddies and voila! Darwin will once again take over the headlines.
At most a few percent of the population opposed the polio vaccine. It appears that at least 30% of Americans have succumbed their epistemological challenges on the covid vaccine. This
difference in scale means we’re stuck with covid and it’s inevitable, more lethal variants, beyond the foreseeable future.
Like minds…Good point about the anti-vaxxers. Truthfully, I have less comprehension of Anti-vaxxers than I do of people who voted for Trump. And less tolerance.
As a former educator who sometimes taught government, I can say that you can bring a horse to water, but.... In my government class we studied the Bill of Rights and they did a lot of library research. It was clear to me then that many of them were not going to become informed voters or even voters at all. I also taught expository writing and we always assessed the bias of a source. I included an exercise on the internet which was just getting underway as a source of info. I was also the librarian and even then there were students who insisted that if it was on the internet, it was true. Finally, since there is a large streak of anti-intellectualism in this country, it is difficult to counter that. Now everyone is an "expert" on everything even very complicated fields like immunology. Judging from local threads, I live in the midst of a very large research area. I have called for cites, but usually i get nothing. One person did send me to a QAnon source and a far right wing nut site. He had one valid source which he had misread. No education system is going to remedy this sort of nonsense.
I might also add that I have one FB friend, an ex-h.s. classmate, who told me that she was so glad she wasn't as educated as I am because my political views are different than hers. I told her that my views on such things as racism had nothing to do with my education, but my sense from about the age 7 (when I witnessed some racism in Chicago) that it was wrong. My education provides the background of how pervasive racism is. Her problem is her conservative Christianity which means she wants Roe overturned and getting there by any means is OK. So far it's crickets from her on January 6th. But she did post a meme that was getting at being responsible for what happened in the past vis a vis racism. The worst one was a meme about the fires in CA happening because God was punishing them because some people there are atheists (I guess there are none in Indiana). She got an earful on that one and it was difficult for me to remain polite. We had had the terrible labor day fires here in Oregon by then and I reminded her that they happened in largely in R areas full of her type of Christians. She did back down sorta by telling me that she posted it because she disagreed with it. Rubbish.
You are sadly correct on all that you say and you would have seen a lot more than many of us, having been an educator. Good for you for speaking up.. even if/when it seems pointless. Maybe the planet has finally had enough of our greed, stupidity, and heartlessness.
Lots of people have misconceptions about education which has become increasingly difficult. Our teachers made a big difference in the lives of many our students. Many of them are still friends (as am I) with some of their students. Sometimes it takes the students a while to thank teachers, but many of them do. I just had a lovely comment from one of mine who wasn't my best student, but still said she gained a lot from the class (ancient and English history). It's so sweet to read something like that. The planet is speaking loud and clear that it has had enough. I was just on a short walk (thanks to one of my ex-students who is encouraging me to do so) and it is 9:30 with high humidity. I noticed it is no longer as shady (ice storm and tree butchers, inc) as it was. We are also having very warm temps and almost no rain. This week is another hot one. So I am putting off planting my fall garden. All I am doing is picking and watering in the am. I can't tell you how gut wrenching the Labor Day fires were. The sky turned red and there was smoke and ash everywhere. People are still trying to rebuild and it is slow. Now we have another round of fire with drought and lack of water. I foresee food shortages. Delta is also surging in Oregon setting us back thanks to the people who refuse to get vaccinated. It is difficult to be optimistic and I am thankful that we are older.
Thanks for writing, Michele. I will be thinking of you and hoping (and praying) that you continue even through these hard times. I live in Indiana, so I too have experienced Indiana prejudice against education, even influencing my grandkids! I find for myself it's best not to be argumentative (as I'm prone to be) but it's really important to continue speaking the truth in the best way I know. At least they will know I had no doubts or misgivings. I emphasize that anyone who supports The Big Lie is way off base and certainly not to be trusted in a role of leadership.
I am a native Hoosier from Elkhart happily living in Oregon. I grew up in a R household and I always argued with my father when I visited. I sometimes lay into my relatives in Indiana and Illinois if they post something beyond the pale as I do with the ex-classmate. Most times I just remove the post from my feed, but I refuse to let some things go by.
That because awareness of nonsense starts when our students are not yet in our classes. I will estimate developmental ages of 2-4 yrs of age. So it’s parent education of this very guiding skill that must happen. I know that, as an educator, it takes diligence and time not to root out intolerance in a young mind, but to bring acceptance of a mental model of tolerance through example and experience and then allow them to choose. I always told my students that is the thrill of living in a country of democracy. Because of the common good of public education, students have exposure to different attitudes. Teachers are there to present them. It still remains the student’s choice to follow a path. I always held hope as an educator that I taught my students the power of wise discernment.
But teachers everywhere are still doing that exact thing. It’s the art of teaching. Those that have the calling have the instinct to do the right thing.
I guess I am thinking of one of my very bright students, who became a special ed teacher and left the profession a couple years ago because she ended up too often in the ER. About the same time there were photos, articles, and complaints from teachers about students tearing up rooms and basically making learning by anyone impossible. Since I am long out of it, I cannot comment from personal experience, but from only what I see and read. Also the general society seems to be running amok with very little concern for others and wanting to do whatever these types damn well please.
John, there’s more than enough blame to go all around. Teachers (public education) mostly work their hearts out and do that within the demands of parents and standards and administrators and legislators and very needy children while barely making a living. Mostly to blame is our consumer culture, valuing “things” (and power/status) over the recognition of worth within every precious being. Nurturing curiosity and a love for learning and the freedom to learn needs to start at birth. Many of the most devout, unfortunately, fear that knowledge is an enticement to “sin” (abstinence only just for one example). If our moral compass is forced on us by authorities instead of grown within us by guidance and trial and error we don’t develop our on compass and are vulnerable to authorities. It’s up to all of us to change the game by being better role models and talking about how we do that.
Teachers in general are the single most unappreciated resource in society. They are generally dedicated, hard working, and caring people that are worked practically 24/7 and utterly underpaid. I, personally, find it disgusting how often people simple do not recognize how much energy goes into teaching and dealing with the administrative bullshit that is imposed on them by bureaucrats and politicians. I was a school board member at my sons’ public school district and whenever some greedy cheap f…g local citizen confronted me on the street complaining that our local taxes were too high(the school district accounted for 80% of the costs paid by taxes), I would tell them that I wish I could raise taxes even more in order to pay teachers a higher salary for having to put on them all the BS from parents and administrators. I bow done to all of you whom have dedicated yourselves to educating our children. Thank you.
Christy, I agree with your last sentence. However, so many folks are overcome with fear if they take action. BTW, I think Biden and the elite Democrats also have that problem.
Because this group is so easily manipulated, makes it easier to change the narrative. Are we going to get all back? NO a large swath are lost forever. But allowing the few Republicans with some sense to take steps away from the trump crazy train. Allows more to do the same.
John A. Selzer, Yes, how do you get people to accept just how stupid and manipulated they have been for the past several years? The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind. Dylan was so right.
I ask this question: When you find out that you have been wrong, do you feel bad because you were wrong, or good because now you are better off than you were before?
One way to defang the shame: "Those ideas" were not so good. "These ideas" are better. And, later, I might find "other ideas" that are even better.
I adopt ideas. I don't assume that my ideas make me who I am. I'm in the process of gettin' better 'n' better. It's a real pleasure.
“Trump’s focus on immigration enabled another classic propaganda technique: telling lies that seem convincing because they build on a grain of truth, in this case the fact that large numbers of foreigners do indeed cross the border. Omitting vital information such as when they arrived and with what motives is part of the ruse. So, some lies are accepted because they seem to confirm what people think they know.
Often, people just want to believe the liar. Personality cults increase the leader’s credibility, since they present him as possessed of special powers or ruling with a divine mandate, making him seem infallible (the slogan “Mussolini is always right” says it all). Strongmen also know how to be persuasive, especially if they previously worked as journalists (Mussolini and the Congo’s Mobutu Sese Seko), in television (Italy’s Silvio Berlusconi and Trump) or were professional dissemblers (Putin was a KGB case officer). These practiced liars work hard to seem authentic --- just look at Narendra Modi’s Instagram performances.
Moreover, once people bond with the leader, they may be inclined to dismiss any evidence that conflicts with his claims, or overlook contradictions in his messages. They believe him because they believe in him. Or, in an interesting twist, they know he is lying, but they decide that they don’t care: better him than his enemy (who, as they have been taught to believe, lies even more). And some people actually approve of all the lying, seeing it as rule-breaking by a rogue they adore.
Hannah Arendt observed that Nazism and Communism made people less able over time to distinguish between fact and fiction, truth and falsehood. Today's illiberal leaders encourage a similar atrophying of critical skills, as do the social media platforms that so many use as a primary information source. Investing in media literacy is essential, but so is education about the damages of authoritarian models of power that turn leaders into infallible god-like figures--and lying into official state policy.” Ruth Ben-Ghiat is also on substack. Check out Lucid if you’re curious.
Some Republicans are showing signs of a vestigial backbone in the wake of Susan Wright's defeat in the GOP primary for TX-06. 45 poured a lot of money and talk into that one and she still lost. Others are looking for similar signs -- that contradicting the former guy won't cost them their seats. Mind you, they're still gutless wonders and I wouldn't trust any of them in a position that required intelligence, integrity, knowledge of the Constitution, and commitment to their districts. John, your analysis may well apply to members of 45's base, but elected officials are generally motivated by self-interest. What they're interested in is getting re-elected, which requires (1) votes, and (2) money. Once they get the idea that they can dissociate themselves (somewhat) from TFG, the bolder among them are going to start pushing the boundaries, and if nothing bad happens, others will follow.
Mr. Selzer. Thank you for this astute post. It is noteworthy, I think, that even Ms. Richardson retreats from the hopeful "strikes me as being a game changer" tone at the outset of her letter to this concluding paragraph, which allows for the worst, including the evisceration of the democracy through state legislation that will wholly disfigure the electoral landscape to the G.O.P.'s advantage not simply in the 2022, but indefinitely thereafter..
"Tonight’s vote suggests that Republicans are not all going to continue to move in lockstep with the former president. Those cracks could well widen as more and more information about his administration comes out. "
Are not "__all___going to continue to move in lockstep.?" But he has never had all (e.g. Romney, Murkowski) and that has not deterred him or his acolytes in Congress and especially state legislatures proceeding in lockstep with him, with devastating results, especially insofar as voting rights are concerned. "Could well widen?" Uncharacteristically for the usually precise Ms. Richardson (one of distinguishing aspects of her letters) that is classic waffle language, room, wide enough to allow for the worst. Indeed, the crack, even now, is small: 17 Republican Senators for the bipartisan infrastructure bill, none for either the reconciliation bill or any voting rights legislation.
TFG does seem to be losing some of his power. His endorsement does not win a primary. His fund-raising has slowed, which is why the second quarter figures he reported were pumped up by transfers between different fund raising fronts. All to the good, but it does not remove the very real threat of the radical right oligarchs slashing voting enough to make it meaningless so they can achieve and hold tight to full control of the government.
I am fairly convinced that, within certain groups of the Republican Party, there is a concerted effort not to properly educate the population so that they can be easily manipulated.
John, I have thought that for a very long time. Those 'certain groups' are quite large: Bush's "no child left behind" law seemed to me to blame the alleged laziness of teachers for the poor state of education, as its fix was to require reams of paperwork and lots of class time diverted to teaching for their tests. The result was dedicated teachers (which is the great majority of teachers) unable to do their jobs as well as they had been, and education getting worse.
I often think that the evangelical congregations have a narrow curriculum to educate parishioners. The list of acceptable topics is far, far sorter than the list of banned topics and behaviors. And the “going to hell” punishment needs an ignorant follower.
A couple of decades ago, maybe in the nineties, the Texas Board of Education decided that critical thinking should not be in public school curricula. That board is the de facto arbiter of what goes into text books for the whole country and the rest, as they say, is History.
Re Critical Thinking, why do I think of Critical Race Theory? Another thought: Far too often, the idea of religious freedom seems to be an excuse for intolerance.
That's religious "liberty" that is a screen for my "right" to treat you badly. It's a one-way right: businesses such as bakeries have the "right" to refuse service to gay couples, but not the right to insist that during a respiratory disease plague customers wear masks.
Yes, this is a problem. When I taught government and ancient and English history, we did not use textbooks. Teachers can teach critical thinking on their own by asking students to assess sources. Sadly, now because of standardized testing, it is teaching for the test. We have a friend who teachers in a heavily Hispanic and Old Russian district. He teachers elementary students some kind of creative writing class which was a coup for him. I know he is teaching those students to think on their own. He is also the world's greatest punner and speaks fluent Spanish, so his classes must be full of good fun.
Once again, as a former educator, I have to take exception to this. The school where I worked is in a small community that is both rural and a bedroom community for those who work in Salem. It is also heavily Catholic with a Catholic education system along side the public school system. Some of our students came from further up the canyon populated in many instances by people from the upper south who came for logging and the wood mills. Those up the canyon experienced the Labor Day fires either by losing their homes and/or being on level three evacuation notices. Where I worked, it was level two and all of us had plenty of smoke. Now we have the Bootleg fire in southern Oregon and are the people there learning anything from that. Nope, it's the govmint's fault or liberals, etc. I am sure they are anti-intellectual as well, so no amount of education is going to help. Some fire fighters in no. CA were greeted by guns when they came to evacuate people. Then there are those against the vaccine, one of whom was set up across the street from the Saturday Market, complete with his flag because as we all know, "real patriots" love the party of death. This is a state of mind that it is difficult to eradicate with education. I might also add the school board elections here are now hotly fought. Here in Salem the progressives prevailed, but other places they did not. In Albany, south of us, the new board promptly fired the excellent superintendent who had done good work with inclusion.
The kids' attitudes depend almost entirely on what they learn at home beginning at age 2, as another person here noted. Very few of us are going to be swayed away from our parents' attitudes unless we achieve a higher level of education.
I agree. The saddest case we had was a kid we all worked hard to help and I read the hopeful story he wrote for creative writing. Then while in Washington State, his father told him to kill someone which he did. No changing that.
As regards El Blobbo del Mar A Lardo, it's time to recall Napoleon's statement to his generals during the Battle of Asuterlitz (perhaps his greatest military victory) when they advocated he take a move against the Austrian Army: "Never interfere with an enemy who is defeating himself."
Someone advised El Blobbo that in light of the information out there, for him to make any move to block Rosen et al from testifying would be to insure even some of his supporters realized he had something to hide. And the fact that 18 Republican Senators voted as they did is important, though I would be more interested in knowing the votes of those R Senators who will be running for re-election next year. If any of them were among the 18, that is really important.
I'll make my prediction again about 2024. Trump won't be running for president because he will be either (a) dead due to one too many hamberders; (b) already in prison following conviction; or (c) in the midst of either the political trial in Fulton County over the phone call, or in NYC on major tax fraud.
Morning, TC!! Can you explain why The Loser decided not to replace Rosen with Clark? I am wondering about this since this was a tact that he used liberally (ha-ha) elsewhere during his time in office.
Morning Lynell.....and all. When the whole top hierarchy was going to resign in public and tell all about T's intentions...the "optics" wouldn't have been proptitious.....bad TV ratings.
“El Blobbo del Mar A Lardo“ still too friendly of a nickname for a most despicable, deranged, piece of turd who has somehow managed to manipulate the minds and soil the hearts of almost half the country.
Some say, no one’s all good or all bad… But djt is nothing less than bad, Nothing! I did get a chuckle from the nickname— so thanks 🤣
I decided from now on to refer to 45 as "The Loser." Not as sexy as TC's choice, for sure, but would I imagine it would get under his skin more. Still not sure, though, if I want to honor that title with capital letters.
Did some digging . . . Of the 18 R’s who voted to advance the Infrastructure bill, 8 of them will be up for re-election in 2022. It looks like 5 of the 8 are currently listed as “open seats” or unknown, with only 3 listed as “not open” seats.
Not as much “bravery” on the part of R’s as it appears.
Thanks for “digger” info Cathy. What’s important is that 17 Repubs are there with the vote. Ones that will go with next vote and next vote.
Manchin’s houseboat parties perhaps have been bipartisan ones. I hold my nose with one hand, but the other is furiously fanning the fires of democracy.
The word 'bravery' in conjunction with Republican, that does not pass muster in social studies or math classes, perhaps, in literature under 'satire' or as antonyms in the dictionary.
Rowshan, 'Farce' is off the mark as it is a comic drama of improbable situations and 'travesty', a distorted and inferior imitation of something - a parody - as both are far removed from the menacing cruelty, corruption, deep deception and enormous number of unnecessary deaths perpetrated by Trump and his enabler's. There were elements of farce and travesty in those years but they were not at the root of his destruction of democratic principles and the spread of hatred.
That's excellent info Cathy. Yeah 5 retiring R's can afford to be "brave." I will give the three running for re-election a bit of credit. I learned with my stepsons that if you give them credit for doing something right, no matter how small, "doing something right" can grow like a snowball rolling downhill. So, baby steps, R's, but better than no steps.
I would like to go on the record saying that your weekend photos are something that I look forward to..... alot. It's something from you that I can look at and see a calm, beauty.
It's very difficult to watch a Nation sitting on the ledge of disaster.
As we all watch the direction of the tide for Trump, I just don't know how far it will go. In any other country this would spell a definitive fall that would produce prosecution and appropriate reprimand. In this country, I'm just not sure.
Most definitely the testimony from Rosen is spectacular. This isn't just hearsay, it's testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee with not one syllable in Trump's favor. Let's hope this is the spark that burns down the curtain that protects Trump.
Although I miss your photo tonight, this is a gem. We have all known what trump was trying to pull off and here is the proof. Thank You Heather! Also your letter last night was one of the best genuine history lessons I have received in my 67 years.
It's gratifying to see evidence that The Cheeto may be wearing orange over his skin as well as on it, but that isn't the point of all this.
The point is to observe the US American legal immune system put up a response to an infection.
Trump was an infection, and if the US system of governance cannot fight off that kind of infection, it doesn't matter if we succumb to this infection, or rally. With no response to infection, our collective future as a nation will be short and brutal.
It isn't about Trump. It's about definitively kicking an attempt at dictatorship to the curb. That it couldn't happen to a nicer guy is just a bonus.
Great post, Joseph! He's always been a potent disease vector, first to our democracy, and then literally. Your excellent metaphor extends further: serious, life-threatening infections often come with a high fever and delirium.
Morning, all!! Morning, Dr. R!! Now this Letter is worth losing sleep over! Add to it, this buffer: "The Right to Vote Act, introduced in the House by Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.) and in the upper chamber by Sens. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), would for the first time establish a statutory right to vote in federal elections, shielding Americans from laws making it harder to cast ballots.
"Amid ongoing nationwide Republican voter suppression efforts, a trio of congressional Democrats on Wednesday introduced a bill described by its lead Senate sponsor as the 'first-ever affirmative federal voting rights guarantee for all U.S. citizens.'"
Can anyone explain what a "statutory right to vote" means?
But wait...there's more! DNC's Chair Jaime Harrison introduces Welcome to the Party podcasts:
"Welcome to the Party is a new podcast from the Democratic National Committee that breaks down some of the biggest issues facing America today with the people who are fighting to address them. Each episode, DNC Chair Jaime Harrison talks to an influential member of the party about leadership and the ways Democrats across the country are delivering for the American people. Chair Harrison will also highlight the work that is being done by volunteers, local elected leaders, and races to watch."
The first such podcast conducts an interview with Beto O'Rourke. About the last 2+ minutes of this podcast, Rena Walters-Morgan, the DNC's voting rights/voter protection guru, describes how past practices of filing lawsuits after an election will give way to real time support by partnering with organizations who register voters:
I keep one clock in the house permanently set at 5 o'clock, just in case -you understand. It's out in the workshop where I've been known to disappear on occasion. But this is happy news. Going to the bakery now and get muffins to celebrate.
LMAO, any more it seems as if a bill that isn't at least 1,000 pages doesn't even get noticed. Maybe this will start a trend toward legislation that people can understand and that has a clear enough objective to achieve its goals.
I appreciate being able to read the reflections of a careful scholar and being able to go to this newsletter and find that on a regular basis. Rarely does one find such among the talking heads and agenda-pushing editorial producers featured on corporate mainstream media.
A friend, a district court judge, told me a couple of years ago that if the Rule of Law held we would be all right. It is somewhat reassuring that the Rule of Law held in the DOJ last January and the then-president (love the sound of that) backed off from the people in DOJ who held to principal. We still need to see SCOTUS uphold the Rule of Law versus dismantle precedent. Then maybe it will be time to breath a little easier but not yet.
I’ve held since he was confirmed that Merrick Garland would find the cracks and let the light in. I suppose the higher power gives some reason now to the fact that President Obama’s choice for a Supreme Court Justice was denied for this task now before Atty Gen Garland. Organizing the troops.
Sad to say, given that SCOTUS has been corrupted by the Federalist Society and it's dark money donors, I strongly doubt they will uphold the Rule of Law in the long run.
Yes! I wonder if we’ll ever know how that all played out. But I sure hope it is examined and taught as a history lesson. I’m reminded of Fred Rogers telling us to look for the helpers. They may not be perfect but they did not let the country down when it was all on the line. Harder to fire a handful and get away with it than just one brave soul.
Thank you for being a true recorder of our current history. You help all of us follow and understand the events of these tumultuous times. This one brings me hope. May we all sleep well and awake refreshed so that we can continue to fight the good fight to secure a democracy for everyone.
I think that the information Professor Richardson Cox outlined today will be a “game changer” - for historians of this period. It’s long past the time, if ever there was one, when irrefutable evidence and honest testimony is going to effect things on the ground one iota. Believers gonna believe. It’s a stretch for me to believe that cultists are going to leap off the Trump train in droves upon hearing about Rosen’s testimony, if indeed they do hear about it.
I see no connection between that news and the infrastructure bill possibly being passed. Those aren’t defectors from Trump voting for it, if indeed they do. Those are Senators making a cold calculation that it is important that a bill be passed that a:) bears some Republican influence, b:) will be supported by Americans, and c:) comes after as much delay as possible . I’m sure it doesn’t come as a surprise to them that Trump tried to influence the DOJ to corrupt the election results.
We are more than halfway through 2021. There is no movement of note on the voting bills. The 2022 elections loom.
Meanwhile red states run amok with legislation of a type that will obviate the need for a future Trump to have to try to overthrow an election. Individual states will do that for him.
If the second infrastructure bill passes by means of Reconciliation, that will be a game changer in the lives of millions of Americans.
But the voting rights bills remain the top priority for the long term. Climate change is here with a vengeance. Ceding power to the Republicans to be the ones who grapple with it is terrifying.
A game changer, yes, a money changer, no. After reading Jane Mayer's article 'The Money Behind the Big Lie', I realized that much of the traction the Big Lie has comes from donors with deep pockets. This country has no shortage of corrupt individuals, but mostly what we're good at is corrupting systems, so that honest folks are either unaware or powerless to change what is going on (think CDC or NOAA climate change scientists). It is a game changer in that we now have a powerful tool to expose just how corrupting Trumpism is to the systems of government we rely on. Money/resource changing? No. Not one iota. Huge anti-democratic corporate, media, government, and other interests are still very active, still very focused, and corrupt enough to destroy 245 years of American democracy for short term financial gain and a warped sense of social ascendancy.
There are several nuts to crack with reference to the future of the USA. You have pointed to one of them - 'dark money'. This crucial source of corruption/autocracy will be investigated by a large circle of investigative journalists: Jane Mayer, Brian M. Rosenthal, Dominic Gates, Steve Miletich, Mike Baker and Lewis Kamb, Chris Durrance, Barak Goodman, Adam Serwer, John Carreyrou, David Barstow, Susanne Craig, Russ Buettner, Stephanie Flanders, Jesse Eisinger, Fareed Zakaria, Matt Rocheleau, Vernal Coleman, Laura Crimaldi, Evan Allen and Brendan McCarthy, Eric Lipton, Nicole Allan, David A. Fahrenthold, Michael LaGorgia, Brian M. Rosenthal, Maya Miller... this just a random sample of a few. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Elizabeth Warren are just two within the government preparing to pounce.
Another crucial nut is the transfer of wealth in the country, going on for more than 40 years. Biden's administration is working hard on this as McConnell and company work against it. Voting rights and the Electoral College are a couple of more nuts.
I don't know what the odds are to reduce the threats sufficiently in order to have a fighting chance. It is fair to leave it at that because disclosures about Trump & Co., and the Republican Party as well as seeing what the Democrats pass and where we are with the pandemic will afford a better opportunity to assess our trajectory in about six months.
You raise obliquely the issue of a free press. Here I pin my hope. The United States has an almost doctrinal devotion to free speech. It has never seemed to me to be cloaked only Democratic blue or Republican red. It seems to be one of the few tenets that all Americans support.
Tucker Carlson may fawn over Viktor Orban in Hungary and pronounce his “illiberal democracy” sometimes and “Christian democracy” at others, to be a model that the United States could strive towards.
But Orban in Hungary and Erdogan in Turkey are the but the most recent poseurs to democracy. To hold to power and then consolidate it, they have followed the dark path of many who went before - muzzle the press and intimidate opposition.
There are competing issues to concern ourselves with, as you listed. But when Trump nibbled around the edges of free speech in refusing to allow certain reporters seating, he smacked hard by almost all the media.
When free speech becomes attenuated in America, then democracy here will be on a ventilator.
I have faith that this will not go easily and thus maintain my faith in American democracy’s continuance.
Eric, so glad to see you on the forum and to read your comments. You are correct to have seen that the free press is a foundation of our strength, and it is there that my argument unfolds. I am not as sure as you are about the free press having 'all Americans support' as you wrote and too pressed for time to flesh it out at this moment.
I must and will come back to this subject and enthusiastic that you are a partner in search of our country's options. Eric, you an honorary citizen in my mind, so deeply threaded into our identity. I will try to see you again tonight, right here in this space.
Eric, The first order of business for this country, from my point of view, is to confront The Lie. We have several outstanding big lies, but as perpetrated by Trump and much of the Republican party, the one delegitimizing our elections, at the root of democracy, is the most immediate, to be dealt with. This is where January 6th's Commission, the Department of Justice, the free press and several stalwarts, such as Nancy Pelosi, Sheldon Whitehouse, Elizabeth Warren, Jim Clyburn, Bernie Sanders, Stacy Abrams, Beto O’Rourke and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, among others, will be crucial players. Select Committee members such as Liz Cheney, Jamie Raskin, Adam Schiff, Adam Kinzinger, Stephanie Murphy and the rest will set the stage.
Our country has suffered greatly from the loss of local newspapers and the domination of social media. It will be up the remaining free-press and pressure exerted on Zuckerberg for channels within Facebook to reach most of the American people about the causes and actors behind the attempted insurrection of the country.
I think it worthwhile to provide some biographical information about Merrick Garland, whose mild outward demeanor and lack of charisma have led some to underestimate him. Garland's grandparents 'left the Pale of Settlement within the Russian Empire in the early twentieth century, fleeing anti-semitic pogroms and seeking a better life for their children in the United States.' Garland knows the trials of the 'other' and the cost of lies, such as those being embedded here. He grew up in Jewish family of modest means and was president of the student council of his high school'. 'He graduated in 1970 as the class valedictorian. Garland was also a Presidential Scholar and National Merit Scholar. He graduated from Harvard in 1974 as class valedictorian with an A.B. summa cum laude and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa'. 'During law school, Garland was a member of the Harvard Law Review. As an articles editor, Garland assigned himself to edit a submission by U.S. Supreme Court justice William Brennan on the topic of the role of state constitutions in safeguarding individual rights. This correspondence with Brennan later contributed to his winning a clerkship with the justice.' 'Garland graduated from Harvard Law in 1977 with a Juris Doctor magna cum laude.' (Wikipedia)
I will not crowd this space with more of Garland's accomplishments. Our country is particularly fortunate at this time to have an Attorney General who sees and feels our abyss, while knowing the importance of safeguarding the people's rights. Merrick Garland is one of our protectors.
For the People Act is part of our first order of business. Pivotal actors in our government are deeply engaged in bringing it forward.
Eric, I am a citizen who would most like to attend a couple of symposiums about the United States of American. Our social and civic fabric has been torn. The family, education, the church, economic security, sense of community and mutual understanding have been shorn.
You and I, along with other subscribers will explore if and how the country's foundation can be awakened and mended. I am eager for your response and to know what area or areas of pursuit you are interested in pursuing next.
Hi Eric, Did you receive my reply sent about 15 hours ago? It centered around the Big Lie.
Another subject occurred to me, which would be an exchange about. The Big Money Behind the Big Lie, by Jane Mayer, published in last week's the New Yorker. The title highlights the subject - the money, people and organizations funding of the Big Lie, aka voter suppression and subversion. I have read it and wonder if if you would like us to have an exchange about it. If you have not read the article, here is the link:
Morning Steve and others. Do not discount for one millisecond the deep pockets on “both sides”. Let them cancel each other out and time to quit acting like the “Dems” backers are poor stepchildren with only right purpose in their pockets. The money game has been set up for a long time and it is what it is until that changes.
We are still a democracy, however shaded by greed, but that can be cleaned up as long as we stay a democracy.
“Damn the torpedoes, Full speed ahead.”
I guess it’s what you think the torpedoes represent.
This… ** “Meanwhile red states run amok with legislation of a type that will obviate the need for a future Trump to have to try to overthrow an election. Individual states will do that for him.” This is where our individual efforts can, and must, make a difference. If only more people would learn to pay attention to local and state government elections. Too many voters only lift their heads from day to day living every four years during a Presidential race.
There’s a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in. Leonard Cohen
Now that is a thought to be held dear.
Leonard Cohen: "There's crack, a crack in everything; that's how the light gets in."
Excellent, Bryan. He also wrote, "I've seen the future, brother. It is murder."
Yes, in the song 'The Future'. I had to look up Leonard's other words in the same song:
"I have heard their stories, heard them all."
"But love's the only engine of survival."
Was just thinking of Cohen singing this ❤️❤️❤️ And your comment is the first one I read ❤️
Ha! I posted that not seeing you already had! It's the banner of my Twitter account.
https://twitter.com/BlueRootsRadio
https://youtu.be/mDTph7mer3I
Anthem/Leonard Cohen
Love it Christopher! Just knew you were a music man full of light! Well, it is Sunday so here goes!
https://youtu.be/QCN893hzueQ
That just got a follow
After reading your post, I started listening to Leonard’s posthumous album, Thanks for the Dance. Adam’s done good by his remarkable dad.
Oh, what song is “There’s a crack” from?
Most appropriately, from "Anthem"
https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/leonardcohen/anthem.html
It is worth the space to just leave them here:
"Anthem"
The birds they sang
At the break of day
Start again
I heard them say
Don't dwell on what
Has passed away
Or what is yet to be.
Ah the wars they will
Be fought again
The holy dove
She will be caught again
Bought and sold
And bought again
The dove is never free.
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.
We asked for signs
The signs were sent:
The birth betrayed
The marriage spent
Yeah the widowhood
Of every government
Signs for all to see.
I can run no more
With that lawless crowd
While the killers in high places
Say their prayers out loud.
But they've summoned, they've summoned up
A thundercloud
They're gonna hear from me.
Ring ring ring ring ring
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in
You can add up the parts
But you won't have the sum
You can strike up the march,
There is no drum
Every heart, every heart
To love will come
But like a refugee.
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.
That's how the light gets in.
That's how the light gets in.
I was cruising thru the lyrics of other songs in that link from the album "The Future." Here's a song about hope . So mote it be: "Democracy":
It's coming through a hole in the air,
from those nights in Tiananmen Square.
It's coming from the feel
that this ain't exactly real,
or it's real, but it ain't exactly there.
From the wars against disorder,
from the sirens night and day,
from the fires of the homeless,
from the ashes of the gay:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.
It's coming through a crack in the wall;
on a visionary flood of alcohol;
from the staggering account
of the Sermon on the Mount
which I don't pretend to understand at all.
It's coming from the silence
on the dock of the bay,
from the brave, the bold, the battered
heart of Chevrolet:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.
It's coming from the sorrow in the street,
the holy places where the races meet;
from the homicidal bitchin'
that goes down in every kitchen
to determine who will serve and who will eat.
From the wells of disappointment
where the women kneel to pray
for the grace of God in the desert here
and the desert far away:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.
Sail on, sail on
O mighty Ship of State!
To the Shores of Need
Past the Reefs of Greed
Through the Squalls of Hate
Sail on, sail on, sail on, sail on.
It's coming to America first,
the cradle of the best and of the worst.
It's here they got the range
and the machinery for change
and it's here they got the spiritual thirst.
It's here the family's broken
and it's here the lonely say
that the heart has got to open
in a fundamental way:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.
It's coming from the women and the men.
O baby, we'll be making love again.
We'll be going down so deep
the river's going to weep,
and the mountain's going to shout Amen!
It's coming like the tidal flood
beneath the lunar sway,
imperial, mysterious,
in amorous array:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.
Sail on, sail on ...
I'm sentimental, if you know what I mean
I love the country but I can't stand the scene.
And I'm neither left or right
I'm just staying home tonight,
getting lost in that hopeless little screen.
But I'm stubborn as those garbage bags
that Time cannot decay,
I'm junk but I'm still holding up
this little wild bouquet:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.
Saluting from under my rock. This is amazing.
Whoa…
Such a cause for pause and consideration.
Reminds me of The Teacher’s words, “All is vanity, a chasing after the wind.”
Wow. Thank you kimceann. I love this song and it has found its way to our community! What a picture for Sunday. Here’s to you Heather and Buddy!
Thank you Kimceann and Barbara. Reading these two powerful songs as poetry this morning broke me open. Nothing like a good cry to clear the deck.
Thank you.
Oh, my… :’-( :’-)
Thank you so much, Bryan, kimceann, and Barbara, for the lyrics to "Anthem" and "Democracy." Wow. Clearly I need a *lot* more Leonard Cohen. He is the prophet of our time.
Just learned it took Leonard Cohen many years before Anthem evolved to its final form. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/music/article-leonard-cohen-anthem-oral-history/
much of his poetry evolved over long periods of time. He was a thoughtful philosopher, brooded over words and implications. His last album is astounding, as is Bowie's.
Thank you!
"ANTHEM"; " ... they're going to hear from me,"
Thank you, Bryan. Love Anthem.
I would not in any way reprimand you. I think you are fabulous. I just had my second baby grand. Was so diff than first. Could not go to hospital and saw her for first time when she got home yesterday. My son-in-law (who has the ability to converse with a barn door if he has to) had one sided convo with nurse as she was in room for test or procedure with his newborn or attending to Mama. She (the nurse) rambled on how, even though the hospital was well vaccinated, the problem in FL is as the gov stated, “all because of infected dirty migrants coming into state from Mexico spreading Covid, not because of unvaccinated citizens here in FL.” 😳 From a nurse in a hospital! I asked my son-in-law if he pointed out that those “dangerous immigrants” must have been awfully good swimmers to get to Florida.
Blessings Beth. Rooting for you!
Shades of Hungary.
that nurse needs some continuing education...
Came to my mind immediately; I can still hear Leonard 's certainty.
Dear Prof. HCR,
While I always appreciate the beautifully serene photographs that you send us on a Saturday night, I must tell you how much I have appreciated tonight's letter. It has lifted me from a dispirited moodiness into a sense of relief and, dare I say, hope. It pleases me no end to think that today's news is, indeed, a game changer. I'm crossing everything that is crossable! Thank you so much for these rosy tidings.
Blessings Rowshan!
Thank you, and to you, Christine❣️
“….strikes me as being a game changer.” I am going on record that I hope you are correct. However, I am not sure what is meant by the statement. Are all these people that blindly supported and continue to support Trump and his form of the Republican Party going to all of a sudden wake up and admit rather than he being the savior of “America”, he is actually the most destructive and divisive president ever to be elected? I do not think so. The greatest failure of the public education system in the United States is the failure to teach people that it is ok to accumulate information and learn from that information. Instead, we have whole swaths of the country that are influenced by superficiality(Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc.) and once indoctrinated would rather fight than do the right thing. The problem is ego. When you force people to observe just how ignorant they have been, the result is the opposite of what it should be. They become even more intrenched with their original attitude rather than accepting the reality. So, I agree that some of the testimonies SHOULD be game changers, but how do you get people to accept just how stupid and manipulated they have been for the past several years?
First of all, stop with the would, “SHOULD”, could game. Today is about “light finding the cracks which are in everything”. Please support possible today, not impossible. Democracy has always been about possible. Fascism is about impossible.
Thank you, Christine, Jake cohn, and any others who refuse to cower in a corner. We all know that we're in a bad place, forced there by the criminal idiot who occupied the White House for four long years, and supported by his minions and dark money. However, the nasty truth that anyone with a grain of sense has seen since Day One is oozing out. I sincerely hope that this will be the watershed moment for this country, and that we will emerge from this disaster. Certainly, those who believe QAnon and other crazytown fables will not be returned to sanity, but as proved in the 2020 elections, we managed to elect a sane president and gain a razor-thin majority in the senate. Yes, we're still in mortal danger, but these facts that are being uncovered must encourage us to fight even harder so that we can build on the good that Biden has begun. We must determine that we have to remain vigilant and take lessons from what we've managed to overcome and keep it from happening again. There are over 40 million more of us than them, and hopefully the revelations now becoming public will convince enough of the still-sane Republicans that they can't ever again support an insane fascist. The icing on the cake would be for Crazy Man to be tried and convicted, but I'm not foolish enough to pin my hopes on that.
The elephant in the room is voting rights, and I should have added that I fear what will happen to our 40 million voters advantage if the voting rights bills are not passed immediately, and if DOJ and successful legislation do not address the worst part of these repressive state laws, which is voter nullification. Mea culpa, I was distracted by my own sunshine theory!
I for one am working with several NYS-based election integrity advocates to both improve state laws and urge better election administration.
Please consider doing the same! (I know we are many of us overwhelmed).
At the state level, it's harder because there's often less media coverage, but it's still possible to make progress. Here are my thoughts, not necessarily in priority order:
1. Learn how your state legislature works. Learn their web sites. In NYS, with a bicameral legislature, the web sites are: nyassembly.gov and nysenate.gov. AND ... they work differently.
For example, on the NY Senate web site, people can sign up for email alerts when actions occur (like a bill moves out of committee). Not so the NY Assembly web site. BUT the NY Assembly web site has a better description of bill text.
2. Learn your state reps. Whether you agree with them or not. Check their official web sites, and Wikipedia entries. Hint: I have Google Alerts set up for my two Albany reps. I pick up bits of info about them and am beginning to learn what they are interested in.
3. Find an issue on which you agree with your state rep, and tell them why and how you agree. You will begin to develop a relationship with them or with their staff. My NY Senator, Jim Tedisco (R,C,I-Glenville) is interested in helping small landlords with the lack of income because of the rent moratorium. Me too! Those landlords need to pay taxes, keep up their properties, and, uh, they *live* on the rental income.
4. Find groups that advocate for voting rights and election reform (not always identical). I concentrate on security of voting machines and voting systems. The more I learn, the better I can ask well-prepared questions. One place to start: VerifiedVoting.org. Use it to find out what voting machines are in use in your county, and get an independent description of how they work. BTW, VV is quite responsive to my emails asking them to improve their descriptions.
Election security is wide, and deep, and murky. Get started, ease into it, expect setbacks in your learning. Hey, we didn't get this far in life by being helpless in the face of adversity.
Thank you, Bob, for this information. I live in Georgia, and as I'm sure you know, our Rethuglican governor and legislature have approved Draconian voter suppression laws, including the establishment of voter nullification provisions, despite having held three recounts (our voting machines are new and work fine) and declaring the election results free of fraud. We absolutely must have laws protecting future elections and banning the employment of voter nullification, and it has to happen immediately. It appears that AG Garland is working to accomplish some of this, but we can't just dither until it's too late. I know that there is a great deal of activity, energized by the Texas Democrats, but it would be comforting to have an idea whether this can be accomplished soon, and whether the Manchin/Sinema duo will agree to have a filibuster carve-out for this crucial legislation, as well as other vital activity.
I will investigate the sources that you've provided. This forum is not just an echo chamber, as some have suggested, but many knowledgeable contributors provide us with essential, practical assistance - thank you for that!
Good luck! You might check this org:
https://coalitionforgoodgovernance.org
Please apprise us as you take this journey deep into citizenship.
Bob, Thank you for this excellent outline acquainting us with functions of our state and its voting system. While the processes are different from state to state, you indicate aspects of the system, learning which functions may be accessible and for each of us to decide the most suitable area given voting issues as well as our own interests and skills. Clearly, finding the right spots is a process in and of itself, and the work will probably take us to various functions of government.
Thanks for the info Bob. I live on Long Island and am very aware of who my representatives are, but was not aware of those links. We have our own issues here with our Governor which isn't making me warm feel all warm and fuzzy.
😂 crazy times! United we stand. Divided…..that’s all else.
Full speed ahead, albeit carefully and with some grace, Nancy!
Oh Christine, we're always careful to gracefully proceed with speed!😜
What is it with the USA and voting rights? We have just had our annual notification from our local authority to check that the electoral register is up to date. The necessary qualifications to vote (which apply to the whole country) are: over 18, resident in the UK and a British Citizen. That's all (apart from a few extra details relating to Commonwealth and EU citizens). And when we turn up to vote we are encouraged to bring our poll card with us, but it is not mandatory. Why is it so difficult for the USA to do the same thing? I know the answer of course but if anyone wants to see a copy of the paperwork we receive in its simplicity, message me on Richard.barr@paston.co.uk
Thank you, Richard, for the no-nonsense procedure. Would that we could bring ourselves to do the same. On a good day, our citizens are a fractious lot, but with the advent of the Republican party since the '70s, our system has devolved into the Democrats of various stripes v. the autocratic, racist, greedy opposition. The Democrats are not blameless, since we argue among ourselves, but the Republicans can't afford to miss any opportunity to toss obstacles that make it difficult for Democrats to vote - we're the majority party, and the Republicans would rather cheat than offer workable solutions to our country's needs - together. Imagine - no mandatory voter identification . . . .
These are dangerous times, and we are certainly not immune from the kind of influences that plague the USA. Our Prime Minister has more than once been termed "Trump with a thesaurus" and some of his recent remarks have a trumpian undertone. But so far no one has interfered with our voting rights...yet!
So true - and while everyone is quoting singer/songwriters - "When will they ever learn?"
Right on, Christine!
Here’s to focusing/acting on the POSSIBLE!
Curious if folks will recognize who said this:
““We’ve had lots of empathy; we’ve had lots of sympathy, but we feel that for too long our leaders have viewed politics as the art of the possible.
“And the challenge now is to practice politics as the art of making what appears to be impossible possible.””
I didn't but Google told me: Hilary Clinton (as she then wasn't) at 21 years old
True, but with all of her flaws, look at what the alternative was.
"One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we've been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We're no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It's simply too painful to acknowledge, even to ourselves, that we've been taken. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back." Nancy, how long do you think the Kochs/fascistGOP/Putin have been bamboozling US voters?
what?
Sorry - “Hillary”
🙏❤️
Exactly as stated by Carl Sagan.
"One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we've been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We're no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It's simply too painful to acknowledge, even to ourselves, that we've been taken. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back.”
I’m just starting this. Mind opening. LOL 😆 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28159933-opening-minds#
Here’s a quote from Goodreads summary of of the book: ”We live in an age where unethical persuasion is applied every day, all day, to subvert reasoning through direct appeals to one’s emotions. Throughout history, people have been unwittingly influenced to act against their own better interests. But today, more sophisticated forms of influence have been devised, posing a significant threat to a free and open society. It is persuasion so sinister and subtle that it can derail critical thinking and overwhelm even the most intelligent of people, reducing them into unthinking compliance.
Manipulation, undue influence and brainwashing, or whatever one chooses to call such exploitive persuasion, challenges the very notion of human rights. The use of it by unscrupulous cults, totalitarian groups and abusive individuals is growing at an alarming rate. Yet, undue influence remains a well-kept secret in the media and for the general public. This book will show how the human mind is cajoled into submitting to unethical, uninvited external influence”
I am so encouraged by the original message today and delighted to hear quotes from some of my favorite artists such as Mr Cohen and Dr Sagan! Enjoy your Sunday and let us forge ahead in doing what we can to expose and condemn Trump for the 4 years of hell he put us through.
You are so right. Alas, it is human nature (unless we're aware of it) that we will do what we can to make our beliefs and allegiances "right." Religions, political beliefs, institutions, or following the pied piper, are filled with examples of our nature to justify what gives our lives credibility and purpose even in the light of evidence to the contrary.
Please stop blaming things on "human nature." Our current situation was largely engineered by public policy and court decisions going back centuries. For an antidote, I heartily recommend Heather McGhee's _The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs All of Us and How We Can Prosper Together."
Hello? Are we on the same page? Carl Sagan was correct that we (all) have a tendency to deny truth when it is presented if we have been foolish and "snookered." I am responding to H.A, Rose's comment, which I took to mean the Trumpists and anti-vaxxers. Racism is real, insidious, and exists everywhere, but perhaps most virulent in the USA. It is every bit as true that many, many of us (here) are on board with revealing it for what it is. No argument there.
Agreed. BTW, aren't Bamboozles related to cockroaches?
But we must try.
Hey John, looks like a synchronous moment with our posts, which we put up simultaneously and have the same subject of “ignorant followers” whom we wish would “do the right thing.” Like you, I hope for a game changer, but like all these ignorant ppl still refusing to get vaccinated against a deadly airborne virus, I have my doubts.
Maybe the Darwinian moment will take care of those folks, Rob. After all, the states where idiot governors are digging in their heels, thinking that keeping their snufflers up TFG's arse will help them in 2022, are experiencing a surge among their own supporters and constituents. I also think that the pandemic is becoming the leveler that it was predicted to be: when people start seeing their children get very sick and die they tend to start to think differently about their stance. Happened with people who opposed the polio vaccine . . .
Ugh, but Gov DeSantis is blaming the Covid surge on immigrants, and Biden's policies. Case closed. Constituents appeased.
Not so much case closed. Because I live in Florida and there are a whole lot of people questioning his knowledge of geography and asking if these so called “infected, dirty immigrants” swam the dang Gulf of Mexico to get here. Nothing like meeting preposterous with bravado. Same with his new idea of extending Hope Scholarships to parents seeking to put their children in schools with NO MASKS which means his pet private schools. So a parent stands up at the state board mtg giving approval to this and says “so that means those of us that want our children masked will get a scholarship to put our kids at a school that requires masks, right?”
The meeting dissolved into chaos and was ended.
Desantis doesn’t believe any of his bullsh*t. He’s been directed to propagate the messaging.
Reminds me that an anticipated 700,000 are heading to Sturgis on their bikes for mingling and sharing. In a couple of weeks, those 700,000 will return home to their buddies and voila! Darwin will once again take over the headlines.
At most a few percent of the population opposed the polio vaccine. It appears that at least 30% of Americans have succumbed their epistemological challenges on the covid vaccine. This
difference in scale means we’re stuck with covid and it’s inevitable, more lethal variants, beyond the foreseeable future.
Like minds…Good point about the anti-vaxxers. Truthfully, I have less comprehension of Anti-vaxxers than I do of people who voted for Trump. And less tolerance.
As a former educator who sometimes taught government, I can say that you can bring a horse to water, but.... In my government class we studied the Bill of Rights and they did a lot of library research. It was clear to me then that many of them were not going to become informed voters or even voters at all. I also taught expository writing and we always assessed the bias of a source. I included an exercise on the internet which was just getting underway as a source of info. I was also the librarian and even then there were students who insisted that if it was on the internet, it was true. Finally, since there is a large streak of anti-intellectualism in this country, it is difficult to counter that. Now everyone is an "expert" on everything even very complicated fields like immunology. Judging from local threads, I live in the midst of a very large research area. I have called for cites, but usually i get nothing. One person did send me to a QAnon source and a far right wing nut site. He had one valid source which he had misread. No education system is going to remedy this sort of nonsense.
I might also add that I have one FB friend, an ex-h.s. classmate, who told me that she was so glad she wasn't as educated as I am because my political views are different than hers. I told her that my views on such things as racism had nothing to do with my education, but my sense from about the age 7 (when I witnessed some racism in Chicago) that it was wrong. My education provides the background of how pervasive racism is. Her problem is her conservative Christianity which means she wants Roe overturned and getting there by any means is OK. So far it's crickets from her on January 6th. But she did post a meme that was getting at being responsible for what happened in the past vis a vis racism. The worst one was a meme about the fires in CA happening because God was punishing them because some people there are atheists (I guess there are none in Indiana). She got an earful on that one and it was difficult for me to remain polite. We had had the terrible labor day fires here in Oregon by then and I reminded her that they happened in largely in R areas full of her type of Christians. She did back down sorta by telling me that she posted it because she disagreed with it. Rubbish.
You are sadly correct on all that you say and you would have seen a lot more than many of us, having been an educator. Good for you for speaking up.. even if/when it seems pointless. Maybe the planet has finally had enough of our greed, stupidity, and heartlessness.
Lots of people have misconceptions about education which has become increasingly difficult. Our teachers made a big difference in the lives of many our students. Many of them are still friends (as am I) with some of their students. Sometimes it takes the students a while to thank teachers, but many of them do. I just had a lovely comment from one of mine who wasn't my best student, but still said she gained a lot from the class (ancient and English history). It's so sweet to read something like that. The planet is speaking loud and clear that it has had enough. I was just on a short walk (thanks to one of my ex-students who is encouraging me to do so) and it is 9:30 with high humidity. I noticed it is no longer as shady (ice storm and tree butchers, inc) as it was. We are also having very warm temps and almost no rain. This week is another hot one. So I am putting off planting my fall garden. All I am doing is picking and watering in the am. I can't tell you how gut wrenching the Labor Day fires were. The sky turned red and there was smoke and ash everywhere. People are still trying to rebuild and it is slow. Now we have another round of fire with drought and lack of water. I foresee food shortages. Delta is also surging in Oregon setting us back thanks to the people who refuse to get vaccinated. It is difficult to be optimistic and I am thankful that we are older.
Thanks for writing, Michele. I will be thinking of you and hoping (and praying) that you continue even through these hard times. I live in Indiana, so I too have experienced Indiana prejudice against education, even influencing my grandkids! I find for myself it's best not to be argumentative (as I'm prone to be) but it's really important to continue speaking the truth in the best way I know. At least they will know I had no doubts or misgivings. I emphasize that anyone who supports The Big Lie is way off base and certainly not to be trusted in a role of leadership.
I am a native Hoosier from Elkhart happily living in Oregon. I grew up in a R household and I always argued with my father when I visited. I sometimes lay into my relatives in Indiana and Illinois if they post something beyond the pale as I do with the ex-classmate. Most times I just remove the post from my feed, but I refuse to let some things go by.
I always maintain that ignorance can be cured. Stupidity cannot.
That because awareness of nonsense starts when our students are not yet in our classes. I will estimate developmental ages of 2-4 yrs of age. So it’s parent education of this very guiding skill that must happen. I know that, as an educator, it takes diligence and time not to root out intolerance in a young mind, but to bring acceptance of a mental model of tolerance through example and experience and then allow them to choose. I always told my students that is the thrill of living in a country of democracy. Because of the common good of public education, students have exposure to different attitudes. Teachers are there to present them. It still remains the student’s choice to follow a path. I always held hope as an educator that I taught my students the power of wise discernment.
You sound like a wise and excellent teacher. I insisted that they respect each other and me in my classroom. I think now that is not so easy to do.
But teachers everywhere are still doing that exact thing. It’s the art of teaching. Those that have the calling have the instinct to do the right thing.
I guess I am thinking of one of my very bright students, who became a special ed teacher and left the profession a couple years ago because she ended up too often in the ER. About the same time there were photos, articles, and complaints from teachers about students tearing up rooms and basically making learning by anyone impossible. Since I am long out of it, I cannot comment from personal experience, but from only what I see and read. Also the general society seems to be running amok with very little concern for others and wanting to do whatever these types damn well please.
John, there’s more than enough blame to go all around. Teachers (public education) mostly work their hearts out and do that within the demands of parents and standards and administrators and legislators and very needy children while barely making a living. Mostly to blame is our consumer culture, valuing “things” (and power/status) over the recognition of worth within every precious being. Nurturing curiosity and a love for learning and the freedom to learn needs to start at birth. Many of the most devout, unfortunately, fear that knowledge is an enticement to “sin” (abstinence only just for one example). If our moral compass is forced on us by authorities instead of grown within us by guidance and trial and error we don’t develop our on compass and are vulnerable to authorities. It’s up to all of us to change the game by being better role models and talking about how we do that.
Teachers in general are the single most unappreciated resource in society. They are generally dedicated, hard working, and caring people that are worked practically 24/7 and utterly underpaid. I, personally, find it disgusting how often people simple do not recognize how much energy goes into teaching and dealing with the administrative bullshit that is imposed on them by bureaucrats and politicians. I was a school board member at my sons’ public school district and whenever some greedy cheap f…g local citizen confronted me on the street complaining that our local taxes were too high(the school district accounted for 80% of the costs paid by taxes), I would tell them that I wish I could raise taxes even more in order to pay teachers a higher salary for having to put on them all the BS from parents and administrators. I bow done to all of you whom have dedicated yourselves to educating our children. Thank you.
Thank you.
Sorry, I should have said “(teaching abstinence only as one example)” 🤷🏻♀️
Wise words Christy. I like your thoughts.
Christy, I agree with your last sentence. However, so many folks are overcome with fear if they take action. BTW, I think Biden and the elite Democrats also have that problem.
Because this group is so easily manipulated, makes it easier to change the narrative. Are we going to get all back? NO a large swath are lost forever. But allowing the few Republicans with some sense to take steps away from the trump crazy train. Allows more to do the same.
John A. Selzer, Yes, how do you get people to accept just how stupid and manipulated they have been for the past several years? The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind. Dylan was so right.
I ask this question: When you find out that you have been wrong, do you feel bad because you were wrong, or good because now you are better off than you were before?
One way to defang the shame: "Those ideas" were not so good. "These ideas" are better. And, later, I might find "other ideas" that are even better.
I adopt ideas. I don't assume that my ideas make me who I am. I'm in the process of gettin' better 'n' better. It's a real pleasure.
“Trump’s focus on immigration enabled another classic propaganda technique: telling lies that seem convincing because they build on a grain of truth, in this case the fact that large numbers of foreigners do indeed cross the border. Omitting vital information such as when they arrived and with what motives is part of the ruse. So, some lies are accepted because they seem to confirm what people think they know.
Often, people just want to believe the liar. Personality cults increase the leader’s credibility, since they present him as possessed of special powers or ruling with a divine mandate, making him seem infallible (the slogan “Mussolini is always right” says it all). Strongmen also know how to be persuasive, especially if they previously worked as journalists (Mussolini and the Congo’s Mobutu Sese Seko), in television (Italy’s Silvio Berlusconi and Trump) or were professional dissemblers (Putin was a KGB case officer). These practiced liars work hard to seem authentic --- just look at Narendra Modi’s Instagram performances.
Moreover, once people bond with the leader, they may be inclined to dismiss any evidence that conflicts with his claims, or overlook contradictions in his messages. They believe him because they believe in him. Or, in an interesting twist, they know he is lying, but they decide that they don’t care: better him than his enemy (who, as they have been taught to believe, lies even more). And some people actually approve of all the lying, seeing it as rule-breaking by a rogue they adore.
Hannah Arendt observed that Nazism and Communism made people less able over time to distinguish between fact and fiction, truth and falsehood. Today's illiberal leaders encourage a similar atrophying of critical skills, as do the social media platforms that so many use as a primary information source. Investing in media literacy is essential, but so is education about the damages of authoritarian models of power that turn leaders into infallible god-like figures--and lying into official state policy.” Ruth Ben-Ghiat is also on substack. Check out Lucid if you’re curious.
Some Republicans are showing signs of a vestigial backbone in the wake of Susan Wright's defeat in the GOP primary for TX-06. 45 poured a lot of money and talk into that one and she still lost. Others are looking for similar signs -- that contradicting the former guy won't cost them their seats. Mind you, they're still gutless wonders and I wouldn't trust any of them in a position that required intelligence, integrity, knowledge of the Constitution, and commitment to their districts. John, your analysis may well apply to members of 45's base, but elected officials are generally motivated by self-interest. What they're interested in is getting re-elected, which requires (1) votes, and (2) money. Once they get the idea that they can dissociate themselves (somewhat) from TFG, the bolder among them are going to start pushing the boundaries, and if nothing bad happens, others will follow.
Mr. Selzer. Thank you for this astute post. It is noteworthy, I think, that even Ms. Richardson retreats from the hopeful "strikes me as being a game changer" tone at the outset of her letter to this concluding paragraph, which allows for the worst, including the evisceration of the democracy through state legislation that will wholly disfigure the electoral landscape to the G.O.P.'s advantage not simply in the 2022, but indefinitely thereafter..
"Tonight’s vote suggests that Republicans are not all going to continue to move in lockstep with the former president. Those cracks could well widen as more and more information about his administration comes out. "
Are not "__all___going to continue to move in lockstep.?" But he has never had all (e.g. Romney, Murkowski) and that has not deterred him or his acolytes in Congress and especially state legislatures proceeding in lockstep with him, with devastating results, especially insofar as voting rights are concerned. "Could well widen?" Uncharacteristically for the usually precise Ms. Richardson (one of distinguishing aspects of her letters) that is classic waffle language, room, wide enough to allow for the worst. Indeed, the crack, even now, is small: 17 Republican Senators for the bipartisan infrastructure bill, none for either the reconciliation bill or any voting rights legislation.
TFG does seem to be losing some of his power. His endorsement does not win a primary. His fund-raising has slowed, which is why the second quarter figures he reported were pumped up by transfers between different fund raising fronts. All to the good, but it does not remove the very real threat of the radical right oligarchs slashing voting enough to make it meaningless so they can achieve and hold tight to full control of the government.
I am fairly convinced that, within certain groups of the Republican Party, there is a concerted effort not to properly educate the population so that they can be easily manipulated.
John, I have thought that for a very long time. Those 'certain groups' are quite large: Bush's "no child left behind" law seemed to me to blame the alleged laziness of teachers for the poor state of education, as its fix was to require reams of paperwork and lots of class time diverted to teaching for their tests. The result was dedicated teachers (which is the great majority of teachers) unable to do their jobs as well as they had been, and education getting worse.
Agree. This is the bane of all the teachers I know.
I often think that the evangelical congregations have a narrow curriculum to educate parishioners. The list of acceptable topics is far, far sorter than the list of banned topics and behaviors. And the “going to hell” punishment needs an ignorant follower.
I've been thinking that for the last 40 years. Unfortunately, nothing has happened to change my perception.
I’m pretty sure there is plenty of proof.
A couple of decades ago, maybe in the nineties, the Texas Board of Education decided that critical thinking should not be in public school curricula. That board is the de facto arbiter of what goes into text books for the whole country and the rest, as they say, is History.
Re Critical Thinking, why do I think of Critical Race Theory? Another thought: Far too often, the idea of religious freedom seems to be an excuse for intolerance.
That's religious "liberty" that is a screen for my "right" to treat you badly. It's a one-way right: businesses such as bakeries have the "right" to refuse service to gay couples, but not the right to insist that during a respiratory disease plague customers wear masks.
Yes, this is a problem. When I taught government and ancient and English history, we did not use textbooks. Teachers can teach critical thinking on their own by asking students to assess sources. Sadly, now because of standardized testing, it is teaching for the test. We have a friend who teachers in a heavily Hispanic and Old Russian district. He teachers elementary students some kind of creative writing class which was a coup for him. I know he is teaching those students to think on their own. He is also the world's greatest punner and speaks fluent Spanish, so his classes must be full of good fun.
Once again, as a former educator, I have to take exception to this. The school where I worked is in a small community that is both rural and a bedroom community for those who work in Salem. It is also heavily Catholic with a Catholic education system along side the public school system. Some of our students came from further up the canyon populated in many instances by people from the upper south who came for logging and the wood mills. Those up the canyon experienced the Labor Day fires either by losing their homes and/or being on level three evacuation notices. Where I worked, it was level two and all of us had plenty of smoke. Now we have the Bootleg fire in southern Oregon and are the people there learning anything from that. Nope, it's the govmint's fault or liberals, etc. I am sure they are anti-intellectual as well, so no amount of education is going to help. Some fire fighters in no. CA were greeted by guns when they came to evacuate people. Then there are those against the vaccine, one of whom was set up across the street from the Saturday Market, complete with his flag because as we all know, "real patriots" love the party of death. This is a state of mind that it is difficult to eradicate with education. I might also add the school board elections here are now hotly fought. Here in Salem the progressives prevailed, but other places they did not. In Albany, south of us, the new board promptly fired the excellent superintendent who had done good work with inclusion.
The kids' attitudes depend almost entirely on what they learn at home beginning at age 2, as another person here noted. Very few of us are going to be swayed away from our parents' attitudes unless we achieve a higher level of education.
I agree. The saddest case we had was a kid we all worked hard to help and I read the hopeful story he wrote for creative writing. Then while in Washington State, his father told him to kill someone which he did. No changing that.
Wow! Really sad.
As regards El Blobbo del Mar A Lardo, it's time to recall Napoleon's statement to his generals during the Battle of Asuterlitz (perhaps his greatest military victory) when they advocated he take a move against the Austrian Army: "Never interfere with an enemy who is defeating himself."
Someone advised El Blobbo that in light of the information out there, for him to make any move to block Rosen et al from testifying would be to insure even some of his supporters realized he had something to hide. And the fact that 18 Republican Senators voted as they did is important, though I would be more interested in knowing the votes of those R Senators who will be running for re-election next year. If any of them were among the 18, that is really important.
I'll make my prediction again about 2024. Trump won't be running for president because he will be either (a) dead due to one too many hamberders; (b) already in prison following conviction; or (c) in the midst of either the political trial in Fulton County over the phone call, or in NYC on major tax fraud.
I like the hamberders option best!
Maybe we should send "El Blobbo" a gift of a years supply of hamberders.
Good idea, Pam. Let's start with 6 mos. We could be happily surprised and save some dough!
🤣
don't forget the double cheese and bacon. And, oh, yes super size the "Freedom Fries"
You're costing, Charlie. Let's settle on those 'Freedom Fries', they're loaded with fat and carbohydrates.
(So domestic, but sending bouquets to my air fryer for cooking the just-dug potatoes into perfect french fries with only a spritz of oil.)
More fat for Trump, please.
Yes indeed!
Hi, TC. You have attracted a big crowd eager to stuff El Blobbo del Mar A Lardo, until he has a gastric explosion. Great show, maestro!
Me too!!
You all had me ROTFL
Bloody optimist (grin).
Morning, TC!! Can you explain why The Loser decided not to replace Rosen with Clark? I am wondering about this since this was a tact that he used liberally (ha-ha) elsewhere during his time in office.
Morning Lynell.....and all. When the whole top hierarchy was going to resign in public and tell all about T's intentions...the "optics" wouldn't have been proptitious.....bad TV ratings.
Now, go tell T about 'propitious' -- WHAT?! It just wouldn't have looked good for him'; that much T could understand.
He's at a loss with words of more than one syllable.
Yes, but he likes the 'I's.
HAHAHA
Stuart nailed it.
I'll take that explanation, thanks, and Morning, Stuart!!
TY
Sizzlin, TC, sizzlin’. Put ‘dem hamberders on ‘da grill!
“El Blobbo del Mar A Lardo“ still too friendly of a nickname for a most despicable, deranged, piece of turd who has somehow managed to manipulate the minds and soil the hearts of almost half the country.
Some say, no one’s all good or all bad… But djt is nothing less than bad, Nothing! I did get a chuckle from the nickname— so thanks 🤣
I decided from now on to refer to 45 as "The Loser." Not as sexy as TC's choice, for sure, but would I imagine it would get under his skin more. Still not sure, though, if I want to honor that title with capital letters.
"Loser" is a word that drives him nuts when applied to him.
Yep
Good pont
I'm going with option A.
"El Blobbo del Mar A Lardo".......I love it!
(Roar of Laughter)…and I agree!
Is there a list somewhere of how senators voted?
And a list of who will be on the ballot in 2022??
Did some digging . . . Of the 18 R’s who voted to advance the Infrastructure bill, 8 of them will be up for re-election in 2022. It looks like 5 of the 8 are currently listed as “open seats” or unknown, with only 3 listed as “not open” seats.
Not as much “bravery” on the part of R’s as it appears.
Thanks for “digger” info Cathy. What’s important is that 17 Repubs are there with the vote. Ones that will go with next vote and next vote.
Manchin’s houseboat parties perhaps have been bipartisan ones. I hold my nose with one hand, but the other is furiously fanning the fires of democracy.
Full speed ahead!
Love this comment, you made me laugh!!
Me too, Cathy!
The word 'bravery' in conjunction with Republican, that does not pass muster in social studies or math classes, perhaps, in literature under 'satire' or as antonyms in the dictionary.
Fern, I think the words farce or travesty may fit in well, too!
Rowshan, 'Farce' is off the mark as it is a comic drama of improbable situations and 'travesty', a distorted and inferior imitation of something - a parody - as both are far removed from the menacing cruelty, corruption, deep deception and enormous number of unnecessary deaths perpetrated by Trump and his enabler's. There were elements of farce and travesty in those years but they were not at the root of his destruction of democratic principles and the spread of hatred.
That's excellent info Cathy. Yeah 5 retiring R's can afford to be "brave." I will give the three running for re-election a bit of credit. I learned with my stepsons that if you give them credit for doing something right, no matter how small, "doing something right" can grow like a snowball rolling downhill. So, baby steps, R's, but better than no steps.
https://ballotpedia.org/United_States_Senate_elections,_2022
Too early.
We know which races, not necessarily who will seek reelection.
Congressional Record.com
Bad link here but available with a search.
Couldn't remember the exact link, shouldn't rely on memory at 6AM.
Google the question.
These 1000 words are as pretty as a picture! Enjoy your weekend.
Thank you Heather.
I would like to go on the record saying that your weekend photos are something that I look forward to..... alot. It's something from you that I can look at and see a calm, beauty.
It's very difficult to watch a Nation sitting on the ledge of disaster.
As we all watch the direction of the tide for Trump, I just don't know how far it will go. In any other country this would spell a definitive fall that would produce prosecution and appropriate reprimand. In this country, I'm just not sure.
Most definitely the testimony from Rosen is spectacular. This isn't just hearsay, it's testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee with not one syllable in Trump's favor. Let's hope this is the spark that burns down the curtain that protects Trump.
Be safe, be well.
Although I miss your photo tonight, this is a gem. We have all known what trump was trying to pull off and here is the proof. Thank You Heather! Also your letter last night was one of the best genuine history lessons I have received in my 67 years.
Lovely news!
Something to keep in mind (notes to self).
It's gratifying to see evidence that The Cheeto may be wearing orange over his skin as well as on it, but that isn't the point of all this.
The point is to observe the US American legal immune system put up a response to an infection.
Trump was an infection, and if the US system of governance cannot fight off that kind of infection, it doesn't matter if we succumb to this infection, or rally. With no response to infection, our collective future as a nation will be short and brutal.
It isn't about Trump. It's about definitively kicking an attempt at dictatorship to the curb. That it couldn't happen to a nicer guy is just a bonus.
Great post, Joseph! He's always been a potent disease vector, first to our democracy, and then literally. Your excellent metaphor extends further: serious, life-threatening infections often come with a high fever and delirium.
What a fabulous metaphor! Trump as an infection to our system and our legal system as the antibiotic. Can I use your metaphor, please, please, please?
Yes. Metaphors are not subject to copyright, nor are ideas, concepts, themes, or plots. :-)
Morning, all!! Morning, Dr. R!! Now this Letter is worth losing sleep over! Add to it, this buffer: "The Right to Vote Act, introduced in the House by Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.) and in the upper chamber by Sens. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), would for the first time establish a statutory right to vote in federal elections, shielding Americans from laws making it harder to cast ballots.
"Amid ongoing nationwide Republican voter suppression efforts, a trio of congressional Democrats on Wednesday introduced a bill described by its lead Senate sponsor as the 'first-ever affirmative federal voting rights guarantee for all U.S. citizens.'"
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/08/05/democrats-introduce-right-vote-act-beat-gop-voter-suppression-blitz?utm_term=AO&utm_campaign=Daily%20Newsletter&utm_content=email&utm_source=Daily%20Newsletter&utm_medium=Email
Here's the 7-page bill:
https://www.ossoff.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Right-to-Vote-Act.pdf
Can anyone explain what a "statutory right to vote" means?
But wait...there's more! DNC's Chair Jaime Harrison introduces Welcome to the Party podcasts:
"Welcome to the Party is a new podcast from the Democratic National Committee that breaks down some of the biggest issues facing America today with the people who are fighting to address them. Each episode, DNC Chair Jaime Harrison talks to an influential member of the party about leadership and the ways Democrats across the country are delivering for the American people. Chair Harrison will also highlight the work that is being done by volunteers, local elected leaders, and races to watch."
The first such podcast conducts an interview with Beto O'Rourke. About the last 2+ minutes of this podcast, Rena Walters-Morgan, the DNC's voting rights/voter protection guru, describes how past practices of filing lawsuits after an election will give way to real time support by partnering with organizations who register voters:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/welcome-to-the-party/id1579080348?link_id=6&can_id=fd80a86766186aa12fbef1b71efa86b9&source=email-my-july-newsletter-4&email_referrer=email_1253495&email_subject=click-for-capture-firstname3-firstname-sanitize-endcapture-if-firstname3-firstname-sanitize-s-else-your-endif-august-team-joe-newsletter
The website below helps you find whether you are registered to vote and helps you register if you are not.
https://iwillvote.com/
Happy Sunday, Everyone!
It's to early for hard liquor, but, but!!
It’s 5:00 pm happy hour somewhere on the planet! Cheers!
Yeah, that's not too early. I'm working up a thirst!
It's after 5 somewhere.
Shall we go there?
I keep one clock in the house permanently set at 5 o'clock, just in case -you understand. It's out in the workshop where I've been known to disappear on occasion. But this is happy news. Going to the bakery now and get muffins to celebrate.
Such a trendsetter, YoDad.
Any time you're ready.
I’m buying...
This is so inviting...You've made me happy, and I haven't even had a sip yet! Could not have imagined a better group of drinking buddies.
Morning, Lynell! (0500 PST for me). Thanks for the links, and the healthy dose of optimism.
You're welcome, and Morning, Ally!!
You're on it this morning Lynell. Imagine a 7 page bill that actually does something important. Thanks for this post.
Honestly, Dave. How many pages does it take to LET THE PEOPLE VOTE!
LMAO, any more it seems as if a bill that isn't at least 1,000 pages doesn't even get noticed. Maybe this will start a trend toward legislation that people can understand and that has a clear enough objective to achieve its goals.
Girl. Best Sunday sermon in awhile.
https://youtu.be/QCN893hzueQ
Thank you, Lynette. Shining!
Thanks, Christine, for lighting my candle...holding it dear and paying it forward!
Wow! Suddenly the world seems brighter! Thank you Lynell!
Right? 😀
Thank you, Lynell. I'm about to open all of the links.
I appreciate being able to read the reflections of a careful scholar and being able to go to this newsletter and find that on a regular basis. Rarely does one find such among the talking heads and agenda-pushing editorial producers featured on corporate mainstream media.
Yep, that's why we are here.
A friend, a district court judge, told me a couple of years ago that if the Rule of Law held we would be all right. It is somewhat reassuring that the Rule of Law held in the DOJ last January and the then-president (love the sound of that) backed off from the people in DOJ who held to principal. We still need to see SCOTUS uphold the Rule of Law versus dismantle precedent. Then maybe it will be time to breath a little easier but not yet.
I’ve held since he was confirmed that Merrick Garland would find the cracks and let the light in. I suppose the higher power gives some reason now to the fact that President Obama’s choice for a Supreme Court Justice was denied for this task now before Atty Gen Garland. Organizing the troops.
Damn the torpedoes. Full speed ahead!
Sad to say, given that SCOTUS has been corrupted by the Federalist Society and it's dark money donors, I strongly doubt they will uphold the Rule of Law in the long run.
AND, if democracy holds, there is the option of SCOTUS impeachment. There are more than a couple on that bench who are at risk.
But to think where we would be if Rosen hadn’t held to the rule of law. Yikes. The consequences of a dishonest education is to feel falsely secure .
I would say “but for one man” but sounds like he was not alone in threatening to resign and go public.
Yes! I wonder if we’ll ever know how that all played out. But I sure hope it is examined and taught as a history lesson. I’m reminded of Fred Rogers telling us to look for the helpers. They may not be perfect but they did not let the country down when it was all on the line. Harder to fire a handful and get away with it than just one brave soul.
I have far less confidence in SCOTUS when it comes to the "rule" of "law".
Morning Cathy!
Thank you for being a true recorder of our current history. You help all of us follow and understand the events of these tumultuous times. This one brings me hope. May we all sleep well and awake refreshed so that we can continue to fight the good fight to secure a democracy for everyone.
I think that the information Professor Richardson Cox outlined today will be a “game changer” - for historians of this period. It’s long past the time, if ever there was one, when irrefutable evidence and honest testimony is going to effect things on the ground one iota. Believers gonna believe. It’s a stretch for me to believe that cultists are going to leap off the Trump train in droves upon hearing about Rosen’s testimony, if indeed they do hear about it.
I see no connection between that news and the infrastructure bill possibly being passed. Those aren’t defectors from Trump voting for it, if indeed they do. Those are Senators making a cold calculation that it is important that a bill be passed that a:) bears some Republican influence, b:) will be supported by Americans, and c:) comes after as much delay as possible . I’m sure it doesn’t come as a surprise to them that Trump tried to influence the DOJ to corrupt the election results.
We are more than halfway through 2021. There is no movement of note on the voting bills. The 2022 elections loom.
Meanwhile red states run amok with legislation of a type that will obviate the need for a future Trump to have to try to overthrow an election. Individual states will do that for him.
If the second infrastructure bill passes by means of Reconciliation, that will be a game changer in the lives of millions of Americans.
But the voting rights bills remain the top priority for the long term. Climate change is here with a vengeance. Ceding power to the Republicans to be the ones who grapple with it is terrifying.
A game changer, yes, a money changer, no. After reading Jane Mayer's article 'The Money Behind the Big Lie', I realized that much of the traction the Big Lie has comes from donors with deep pockets. This country has no shortage of corrupt individuals, but mostly what we're good at is corrupting systems, so that honest folks are either unaware or powerless to change what is going on (think CDC or NOAA climate change scientists). It is a game changer in that we now have a powerful tool to expose just how corrupting Trumpism is to the systems of government we rely on. Money/resource changing? No. Not one iota. Huge anti-democratic corporate, media, government, and other interests are still very active, still very focused, and corrupt enough to destroy 245 years of American democracy for short term financial gain and a warped sense of social ascendancy.
There are several nuts to crack with reference to the future of the USA. You have pointed to one of them - 'dark money'. This crucial source of corruption/autocracy will be investigated by a large circle of investigative journalists: Jane Mayer, Brian M. Rosenthal, Dominic Gates, Steve Miletich, Mike Baker and Lewis Kamb, Chris Durrance, Barak Goodman, Adam Serwer, John Carreyrou, David Barstow, Susanne Craig, Russ Buettner, Stephanie Flanders, Jesse Eisinger, Fareed Zakaria, Matt Rocheleau, Vernal Coleman, Laura Crimaldi, Evan Allen and Brendan McCarthy, Eric Lipton, Nicole Allan, David A. Fahrenthold, Michael LaGorgia, Brian M. Rosenthal, Maya Miller... this just a random sample of a few. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Elizabeth Warren are just two within the government preparing to pounce.
Another crucial nut is the transfer of wealth in the country, going on for more than 40 years. Biden's administration is working hard on this as McConnell and company work against it. Voting rights and the Electoral College are a couple of more nuts.
I don't know what the odds are to reduce the threats sufficiently in order to have a fighting chance. It is fair to leave it at that because disclosures about Trump & Co., and the Republican Party as well as seeing what the Democrats pass and where we are with the pandemic will afford a better opportunity to assess our trajectory in about six months.
Hi Fern.
You raise obliquely the issue of a free press. Here I pin my hope. The United States has an almost doctrinal devotion to free speech. It has never seemed to me to be cloaked only Democratic blue or Republican red. It seems to be one of the few tenets that all Americans support.
Tucker Carlson may fawn over Viktor Orban in Hungary and pronounce his “illiberal democracy” sometimes and “Christian democracy” at others, to be a model that the United States could strive towards.
But Orban in Hungary and Erdogan in Turkey are the but the most recent poseurs to democracy. To hold to power and then consolidate it, they have followed the dark path of many who went before - muzzle the press and intimidate opposition.
There are competing issues to concern ourselves with, as you listed. But when Trump nibbled around the edges of free speech in refusing to allow certain reporters seating, he smacked hard by almost all the media.
When free speech becomes attenuated in America, then democracy here will be on a ventilator.
I have faith that this will not go easily and thus maintain my faith in American democracy’s continuance.
Eric, so glad to see you on the forum and to read your comments. You are correct to have seen that the free press is a foundation of our strength, and it is there that my argument unfolds. I am not as sure as you are about the free press having 'all Americans support' as you wrote and too pressed for time to flesh it out at this moment.
I must and will come back to this subject and enthusiastic that you are a partner in search of our country's options. Eric, you an honorary citizen in my mind, so deeply threaded into our identity. I will try to see you again tonight, right here in this space.
Fern you are way too kind. :)
I am much drawn to the breadth and depth of your vision. Your writing is impassioned, but measured.
Eric, The first order of business for this country, from my point of view, is to confront The Lie. We have several outstanding big lies, but as perpetrated by Trump and much of the Republican party, the one delegitimizing our elections, at the root of democracy, is the most immediate, to be dealt with. This is where January 6th's Commission, the Department of Justice, the free press and several stalwarts, such as Nancy Pelosi, Sheldon Whitehouse, Elizabeth Warren, Jim Clyburn, Bernie Sanders, Stacy Abrams, Beto O’Rourke and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, among others, will be crucial players. Select Committee members such as Liz Cheney, Jamie Raskin, Adam Schiff, Adam Kinzinger, Stephanie Murphy and the rest will set the stage.
Our country has suffered greatly from the loss of local newspapers and the domination of social media. It will be up the remaining free-press and pressure exerted on Zuckerberg for channels within Facebook to reach most of the American people about the causes and actors behind the attempted insurrection of the country.
I think it worthwhile to provide some biographical information about Merrick Garland, whose mild outward demeanor and lack of charisma have led some to underestimate him. Garland's grandparents 'left the Pale of Settlement within the Russian Empire in the early twentieth century, fleeing anti-semitic pogroms and seeking a better life for their children in the United States.' Garland knows the trials of the 'other' and the cost of lies, such as those being embedded here. He grew up in Jewish family of modest means and was president of the student council of his high school'. 'He graduated in 1970 as the class valedictorian. Garland was also a Presidential Scholar and National Merit Scholar. He graduated from Harvard in 1974 as class valedictorian with an A.B. summa cum laude and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa'. 'During law school, Garland was a member of the Harvard Law Review. As an articles editor, Garland assigned himself to edit a submission by U.S. Supreme Court justice William Brennan on the topic of the role of state constitutions in safeguarding individual rights. This correspondence with Brennan later contributed to his winning a clerkship with the justice.' 'Garland graduated from Harvard Law in 1977 with a Juris Doctor magna cum laude.' (Wikipedia)
I will not crowd this space with more of Garland's accomplishments. Our country is particularly fortunate at this time to have an Attorney General who sees and feels our abyss, while knowing the importance of safeguarding the people's rights. Merrick Garland is one of our protectors.
For the People Act is part of our first order of business. Pivotal actors in our government are deeply engaged in bringing it forward.
Eric, I am a citizen who would most like to attend a couple of symposiums about the United States of American. Our social and civic fabric has been torn. The family, education, the church, economic security, sense of community and mutual understanding have been shorn.
You and I, along with other subscribers will explore if and how the country's foundation can be awakened and mended. I am eager for your response and to know what area or areas of pursuit you are interested in pursuing next.
Hi Eric, Did you receive my reply sent about 15 hours ago? It centered around the Big Lie.
Another subject occurred to me, which would be an exchange about. The Big Money Behind the Big Lie, by Jane Mayer, published in last week's the New Yorker. The title highlights the subject - the money, people and organizations funding of the Big Lie, aka voter suppression and subversion. I have read it and wonder if if you would like us to have an exchange about it. If you have not read the article, here is the link:
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/08/09/the-big-money-behind-the-big-lie
Eager to read your replies,
Fern
Morning Steve and others. Do not discount for one millisecond the deep pockets on “both sides”. Let them cancel each other out and time to quit acting like the “Dems” backers are poor stepchildren with only right purpose in their pockets. The money game has been set up for a long time and it is what it is until that changes.
We are still a democracy, however shaded by greed, but that can be cleaned up as long as we stay a democracy.
“Damn the torpedoes, Full speed ahead.”
I guess it’s what you think the torpedoes represent.
This… ** “Meanwhile red states run amok with legislation of a type that will obviate the need for a future Trump to have to try to overthrow an election. Individual states will do that for him.” This is where our individual efforts can, and must, make a difference. If only more people would learn to pay attention to local and state government elections. Too many voters only lift their heads from day to day living every four years during a Presidential race.
At last, at long last, the record finally begins to document Trump’s actual seditious acts, with much more evidence surely to follow.
Dr. Richardson, from your lips to God’s ear.