I’m glad and scared at the same time. This is so messy and dangerous because of Trump. He is the worst thing that has happened to the world since Hitler.
I’ve suggested before….be afraid, but not scared. I am afraid about the threats to our democracy. That is a normal reaction for someone that loves our democracy. However, I will not allow that feeling to freeze me into inaction. I will not be scared. I will stand up to every authoritative attempt to curb my rights and my citizenry. I will fight for community and the common good. I will support our current leaders of democracy at every level even though they might not have been my choice at the polls. My vote will be for democracy, whoever represents it best in my opinion. I will not give an iota of passion in argument with someone who supports traitors of democracy and authoritarianism. I will not support misinformation. I will not be involved with wishing for an orange jumpsuit for Mr. Trump. I will remain in confidence that rule of law will prevail in litigating any of the myriad of his gross offenses and crimes against the people and institutions of this country in a decision that he may not run again and gain entry into the White House. Ever again. That will suffice for me. My only wish regarding Mr. Trump is that a day will come where I do not hear his name or read the name of this naked emperor. That is the greatest threat to his psyche. No attention given to a loser.
United, ScannyDo! For the People, all of us this time. 🙋🏻🙋🏼🙋🏽🙋🏾🙋🏿
And for good measure, if I want to wear a mask anywhere, I will. And if a mask-less someone stares at me in a mocking or stupid or threatening way, I will stare back, toss my head and flounce my hair, reach into my jeans pocket and put a second mask on. And then stare again.
There is not a single authority that can force me not to wear a mask or to wear one.
I support the common goods of our democracy. Optimal health for everyone is a biggie.
Christine, I may have to put that in my arsenal. NYS has just dropped the mask mandate and every covidiot is out in spades degrading those that continue to be safe. Grocery shopping the other evening I was told 4 times " you know you don't have to wear that anymore".
I hear you Linda loud and clear. I’m glad I’m a professional educator because the wearing a mask or not has become a playground brawl for some kind of “cred”.
When actually asked by a stranger in a grocery store “you know you don’t ‘have’ to wear that anymore?”, I reply, “you know that not wearing a mask is the same as being a bully about not protecting yourself and others, right?” And then I toss my head.
Christine, I find that saying, "what, there is no more covid, it's gone!" Generally that stops them in their tracks as well as saying " I'm wearing my mask because I'm smart" . They can take it from there. I do have others I use, but we're in mixed company.....😉
In Oregon the mask mandate is supposed to go away at the end of March and I am already prepared for that. Fortunately we shop at a store, who won't let anyone shop there now without one. I doubt anyone will bother us at that store. I intend to wear one whenever I am indoors in a public place.
I agree - there were people in the grocery store before the mandate was lifted - in fact I stopped & asked one of the employees "isnt there still a mask mandate in effect" - she of course at that time was wearing one. Then next time still several like me wearing one but majority not!
But not this. Which seems fearfully self contradictory. "There is not a single authority that can tell me not to wear a mask or to wear one. I support the common goods of our democracy. Optimal health for everyone is a biggie."
You seem by almost every measure sincere *and strategic* in your activism for good government - and then personal feelings seem to take priority over shared goals.
Government mask mandates serve optimal health for everyone, in a big way. And therefor use the democratic process to serve the common good. I am sure it would not take a mandate for you to follow the science - but it does for many others.
I believe a mandate for vaccines is completely necessary. Masking has taken center stage politically and tarnished the primary science regarding the efficacy and safety of vaccines.
All are based on provisional truths derived through reasoned debate of empirical evidence. All are compromised by emotionalism.
We know masks are a most effective defense against viral spread. And usually in a shared crisis people of differing opinions unite. But our entire pandemic response was/is undermined by anti science opportunism - a convergence of antivaxx, religious extremist, and Republican intransigence.
I got called a sheep in the grocery store by a non-masker. I laughed heartily, and said, "Me a sheep??? You follow and do whatever the orange idiot says. Hahaha!" She walked off.
I'm called a sheep idiot and much worse including b**** and c*** by my in-laws for wearing a mask and getting vaccinated. A person I volunteer with who I sort of respected told me today vaccines don't work and it's natural immune systems that keep you from getting the virus
Not true but I have to see this woman every day. Do I educate or just stay away from her? In these new times not alway easy to decide.
I am really so sorry. ThankYou for posting this. We need to hear these stories to know what people are up against.
I had a MIL like that. The issue was second hand smoke - with a newborn with respiratory problems and who later developed asthma. Stay as far away as possible. For the rest, you can lead by example and keep as disengaged as possible.
I have sadly given up on a long time colleague and friend. Over the past decade she has gone down the antivaxx rabbit hole and that is her happy place. She is in total denial and bitterly angry at everyone who can't see she is right. I brought up vaccination exactly three times - when they were first available, when boosters came available, when Delta emerged. Rage, rage, rage.
Nothing constructive to be done. Keep away. The information is widely available. Wearing a mask shows where you stand. If anyone asks politely for your opinion the share it. Otherwise protect your physical and mental health.
What boggles the mind, they actually do know masks work. They cover their face when they sneeze and taught their kids to do it too! But NOW it doesn’t work. Don’t argue with then, there lies annoyance, at best. You do you. Stay safe.
And, just yesterday I was laughed at for providing a visual on how masks work. The two responders stated firmly with zero evidence that masks don't work. I'm over the top sick of belligerence.
I guess I don't mind being called a b****, but the c*** is a deplorable name to be called. I can't imagine the type of person that would use that word toward anyone. Idiot is a runner up on deplorable name-calling. As for the person who is ignorant of COVID vaccine protection, I'd print of a short, precise info sheet and hand it to her. Then you can say you tried and leave the will to learn up to her. She can be belligerent and refuse or willing to give it a go. The odds are very high that she learned her misinformation from someone else.
"My vote will be for democracy, whoever represents it best in my opinion."
OK. That scares me.
There is no personal wiggle room for the opposition. Unite behind Democratic candidates to preserve/expand the Democratic majority in Congress and in the states.
Other than introducing the danger of sacrificing the opportunity of achieving our shared goal to expressing a personal opinion, I'm with you.
Yes! Don't let fear freeze you into inaction. But also, please don't let feelings/personal opinion drive your vote.
In my opinion, Biden was not the primary contender who best represented democracy - and then the brilliant student of American history and political strategist Rep. Jim Clyburn opened my eyes.
Agree, lin. I am an NPA. Don’t let my vote for democracy scare you. I am very proficient in voting for the candidate who best can be a voice for the common good, not just politics….whether it’s a local vote for school board or a vote for President-VP.
Of course I will be voting to preserve the Democratic majority this year.
And no, I will not join in trashing any of the candidates or incumbents that we must vote for nor will I join in the incessant criticism of our current leaders, and in particular, our attorney general.
When I say the word “Unite” or “United” on this forum, I mean it.
ThankYou. I was pretty sure you meant that. But my experience with left wing independents committed to 'putting person over party' has over sensitized me.
Here in Maine, left wing voters - following self funded pied piper political gadfly Elliot Cutler - handed the governorship to Trump before Trump racist TeaParty Paul LePage. Twice. LePage is back from Florida tanned, ready, and rabid. I am dreading Cutler or a Cutler showing up.
We instituted RankedChoiceVoting to mitigate the 'person not party' Cutler effect - but a quirk of wording in our state constitution prohibits its use in the gubernatorial race ...
Yes. Technically. In Maine the status is Unenrolled.
But there are voters who are registered in a party, often to participate in primaries, but self identify as independent voters who will always put person over party.
Universal open primaries and Ranked Choice Voting might go a long way to more representative government. It would depend on states instituting them ...
I have a nephew who its representative of others in my family in that he wants so badly to change the way things are into the ways things should be that he often fails to see that - in a democracy - you still need agreement. It doesn't mean that everyone has to agree yet (or before anything can be done), but enough people (voters) do have to agree to make it work and have a lasting affect. *sigh* So, we all need to keep standing up, respectfully speaking out (vocally or in writing) as we move toward being good influencers ourselves. Have you noticed how often HCR repeats things? It's on purpose. Have you noticed how much more aware and progressive many of us "feel" as our own eyes slowly open? As other readers of HCR recommend books, articles, and organizations? This really is how it is most effectively done. There's a certain amount of serendipity involved, like HCR has been out there writing and speaking for more than 20 years before most of us tripped over her. The last administration pulled so many of us out of our complacency. Lots of bad things have been being built and laid out already (throughout much of our history, as we see now) and many of us simply didn't know about or notice it before. It took these years of truly egregious behaviors to make it happen and to - literally - wake many of us up. It still won't be easy, but I sure am hopeful and excited about us, the sleeping dragons who are determined to make a difference - for all of us this time.
You are so right on the agreement aspect. That's why the Republicans need to pass laws that overrule the agreements that elections may communicate. Not many people agree with them.
Coming to consensus through reasoned debate of empirical evidence. How we transfer power through elections. How we pass legislation. How we interpret the constitutionality of laws and legal decisions. How we amend the Constitution. Good governance as translating the Scientific Method and the Golden Rule into civic communal life.
I live in a Red state… there aren’t many strangers I feel comfortable talking politics with. We all must vote. Take nothing to chance. I find articles like these sad (for the waste of human life) but more clearly the numbers may have shifted in some areas … https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/01/25/covid-partisan-divide/
In 2012, I repeatedly canvassed for Democrats in a red district of Virginia, an hour or so SouthWest of NoVA.
Many people, in this fairly new planned suburban neighborhood, leaned or stood Democratic - but told me they never talked to their neighbors about it and asked me not to mention their support to any neighbor who might ask. Just saying ... you may not be as alone as you think. I hope not.
In 2012, I did speak to many people…this was in the days before we actually heard “can we start killing Democrats?” There are allies here, people I know like me. But I’m not expanding my circle today.
Yes. Exactly. Your dilemma spotlights the bravery of Democratic candidates and others who step up in the open. But they also get some protection by their public visibility.
Your stance in the voting booth and in your circle is a significant contribution. ThankYou.
I live in a military community (Navy) which I have been told heavily leans Red and yet, I receive verbal positive remarks about my bumper sticker "Nasty Women Vote" from the Clinton campaign and even more about the sticker well attached to the back of my winter (red) jacket which is the picture of Trump behind bars with an "Impeached" banner across the picture. (Sounds pretty Democrat to me.) 90% of these remarks come from women. Cashiers give me a Thumbs Up signal but quietly whisper they best not say more while on the job. Maybe there are more voters moving to a better if not "right" position than we think.
ThankYou. Heartening. I did letter writing to Norfolk and Virginia Beach for Sierra Club. I don't think they would have done GOTV for that state race were there not some hope:)
HaHa. I have learned from each person I have volunteered with and every voter I've spoken with.
Be nice, be respectful, be positive, and listen. Use the script when you feel tongue tied, tweak it as you gain confidence. Don't argue - it only makes people dig in. Find common ground and work from there. Where people agree with you, ask questions which give them the opportunity to reinforce and expand on the agreement.
You are intruding on someone's life. Sometimes they will want to tell you more than you have time for. Politely get back on topic. Take 'no' for an answer. Don't ever go inside a house or apartment, especially when canvassing alone. If you feel uncomfortable on the doorstep, smile, back away, and leave. On the very rare case of an irrationally angry or threatening person, mark it down to warn others - in decades, this has only happened to me a few times. I was shaken but nothing bad happened.
And whether canvassing or phone-banking, make sure to keep hydrated. Seriously.
We can flip a Republican Congressional seat in Michigan! "Dr. Bob" Lorinser is a superb Democratic candidate with not only public health experience but 10 years of sevice in the U.S. Diplomatic Corps overseas. https://www.votedrbob.com/
I recommend Robert Hubbell, who is also on Substack, for many concrete ideas and suggestions for how to work to ensure that Democrats keep the majority.
He’s just a symbol of the collective consciousness that was brewing anyway. It’s now had the light shone on it. He is not the problem. He’s just the logo.
Absolutely agree. When he won it was a wake up call of the peril. That so many voted for him a second time... There is a dangerous ugliness that has settled into the soil of America. Growing.
The confederacy, just a part of the white supremacy mindset in the US, lives on in the hearts of a country that has never told itself or its children the sordid truth of its founding.
Rosalind - they could be told and it would not matter very much IMO. We find this week in the hate crime trial that the perpetrators of the Armond Arbury killing indeed have exhibited plenty of racist rhetoric and behavior prior to the murder. Duh. Anybody surprised? Not me. I see it in my own family. Anyone who has lived in the deep south (I certainly have), knows just how pervasive racism against blacks has been, and to only a slightly less extent, still is. It colors everything; not a day goes by where the average Georgia whitey doesn't at least mutter some derogatory word about blacks. It is a fundamental component of white peoples' psyches - something that doesn't seem to go away. In too many anyway. Well that element of human behavior is alive and well not just in the deep south - it's just more overt and more concentrated there. And I believe that racism is a very important element of the Trump appeal nationwide. He exploited it just as he has exploited religion to jazz up the religious right. As a result these people became emboldened. It is evil, corrupt, soulless. I am afraid that as long as racism is alive and well in this country, we are going to have to contend with Trumpy people at the voting booth and Trumpy people in power. The best thing to do IMO, is what we did to the south in the civil war. And that is to forcefully beat them into submission and keep them there. That can be done in the voting booth and also in the department of justice. Only this time don't let them sneak back into power. For this reason, it is time for our Democratic controlled government to stick it to the perpetrators of the insurrection - the evidence is obvious. Give them what they deserve. Perhaps more racists will crawl back under the rocks they were hiding under before Trump won in 2016.
Jay, I’m a native Georgian, and have long referred to racists as the roaches that crawled out of the woodwork. But here’s the thing. The Tangerine Terrorist didn’t start this. The Tea Party and its advocates did, in 2008. Suddenly, it was A-OK to say the quiet parts out loud, not to mention stringing up the president in effigy in front of a gas station, or a church. By the time 2016 rolled around, the seedbed had been well fertilized by rampant racism against a man who DARED to president while black. These idiots were scared s***less that their supremacy was at stake, and they still are. Trump was just another load of manure.
AND...while Georgians are holding forth...in an area that is still overwhelmingly pro-T***p, it must be noted that a large proportion of them may not use the N-word per se, but the new monikers are "hoodlum" or "thug". And then around here, they will tack on "Atlanta" before it, since all these hoodlums and thugs, of course, are coming up from Atlanta to prey on us. Uh-huh...right. There are sites aplenty one can go to and read this kind of language, one of the worst being the "NextDoor" one. I use it for its practical side (things for sale, businesses and individuals to refer to for services, etc.), but the right-wing trolls do regularly show up and turn even the more benign topics into politics. (It's also remarkable to read it and see what people do to the English language...) Now I'm reading more and more about people who are moving here from other parts of the country because "...people around here still love America and have the right kinds of values..." and crap like that. The bulk of the people I keep in my circle are like-minded, so we kind of keep a low profile, but it is galling when you still see evidence of so much hatred and ignorance and feel surrounded by it.
Jay, my great grandfather's gravestone in the Palatka, FLA "White" cemetery proudly boasts, "A Lover of Christ and a Friend to his Fellow Man." The footing boasts in large letters: KKK. 200-plus years of white racists in my maternal family. I agree with what you say. Believe me, as we say in the South, you're preaching to the choir.
I’ve been thinking about trump as a logo. The discontent has been there. He’s just found a way to monetize it - for his personal benefit, of course. How terribly sad that his most successful use of branding (think unsuccessful steaks, wine, university) has been to undermine our democracy.
Speaking of logos, Josh Halsey is selling a coffe mug with his infamous 1)6 photo complete w/ fist raised high in a solidarity with the rioters. Anything for attention and profit!
More profit (and cover) being president than running casinos, a university, prime time contests, or selling steaks and wine. Regulation you can ignore with impunity, free advertisement, and income that gets laundered at government expense. Perfect business model. And you breed an endless stream of customers without ever having to create an actual product. And, finally you get Congress to stand behind you all the way and a Supreme Court to rewrite the constitutionality of the Model for perpetuity. Couldn't be better. Yep, Raskin is write. Institutionalized Authoritarianism.
He may fit the politicians who are Republican right now but Disagree with you that he fits all Republicans. It’s so easy to throw everyone in a basket. I know a lot of great Republicans who want the same things I do, Who are good solid people and who care about others deeply.
So the barrel I am talking about is those who put and kept Trump in power and would do so again - no matter how he might offend their image of themselves. Or as Clinton said 'the deplorables.'
There are many good solid caring Republicans who had to hold their collective nose to vote for Trump, for the sake of what they most profoundly care about - guns, zygotes, the primacy of religious creed, GOP small government, dominating the Supreme Court.
There were Republicans who voted for Biden. But not enough.
I despise the man and his antics, but he is not the worse in the world since Hitler -- look at Al Bashir, Milosevic, Putin, al-Sisi, XinJinping, etc., etc.
Yes, many horrible controllers and manipulators. Trump’s impact —making it clear to the other dictators of the world that America would no longer stand in their way —seems greater to me. But that might be because I’m affected personally now and wasn’t before. All my privilege showing.
That there are or were worse autocrats is certainly a source for lessons to learn from on what to do. No equivalence or well that's how the world of politics goes thinking for me though. Trump is leading the destruction of OUR democracy. I'm past the stage of understanding and theorizing about who and how we got here. Time is not on our side, you think?
I want to remind people that the Republicans have been patiently, slowly, and mercilessly building toward anti-democratic rule for decades. As a formerly right leaning moderate, I have not yet sorted my feelings about how unseriously I took those actions.
Trump is the monster that came out of their systematic undermining of what most of us hold dear in this country. They did not pick him; almost none of them wanted him; and they feared him. They wanted to continue their dirty work on the quiet, in a controlled manner and PICK their dictator. But in the worst kind of way, he catapulted the right wing's agenda to the point where only those consumed with the most depraved self-interest, a chilling disregard for anyone or any law that gets in their way, with an "ambition" unleashed that would murder and maim in the name of maintaining this malignant power are in control of their so-called party.
He IS the worst thing that has happened to the world since Hitler. A very different personality with none of Hitler's *long term* strategic abilities (short term, he's a master; long term he's hopeless), he has, with lots of help from our enemies within and without, unleashed something akin to what Hitler unleashed. I still, however, hold out hope that the explosive revelation of what has really been going on in our cherished country can yet save us. If the quiet march had continued, would millions of us know as we do now??
Please don't misunderstand me. I know that at BEST we are in for many many protracted legal fights in 2022, violence of an unknowable level. And at worst, well, I do not need to write out those words, and, frankly cannot. I am terrified. Four months ago, in yet another acute state of panic, I stopped reading or listening to all political news with the exception of Heather's letter. I had no choice if I wanted to preserve some part of my ability to function.
I still get panicked. But at least I'm not spending hours a day down Twitter rabbit holes nearly incapacitated. And I can remember just a little more easily that we do not know what is going to happen. Ever. At any moment. And to try now to stay in the present. That doesn't mean I've stopped doing what I can to help, but in a manner that doesn't destroy me every moment, every breath.
Interesting point about Trump and how he shone a light, in the most horrifying way, on the malevolence of what Republicans were doing quietly for decades. While he fired up so many followers and inspired so much hatred and division, he also woke us up, made us pay attention. I just hope it’s not too late.
Isn’t it ironic that someone can say “he is the worst thing that has happened to the world since Hitler” and you realize that it doesn’t sound like hyperbole?
What an horrendous scenario looms before us should the GOP take control of Congress! While we all want to see tfg and his clan behind bars, the mayhem such a reality now portends is nothing short of disturbing -- ominous, to be more precise.
"[T]here is a twist to it: if Republicans can convince their voters that Democrats have engaged in partisan prosecutions of Trump and his allies, the Republicans can justify partisan prosecutions of Democrats as soon as they get the opportunity, just as Gingrich suggested. If this rhetoric works, Trump can undercut legitimate prosecutions, while Democrats will become fair game for partisan prosecutors.
This is indeed, ... the language of authoritarianism."
Many thanks to you, Heather, for being our truthsayer with incomparable truthsense -- no ifs nor buts.
Thanks for the link. I also always think of Indigenous and Black peoples who have endured unspeakable horrors and are, like the mountains and rivers, still here.
Other NYC real estate barons have served time. Leona Helmsley comes to mind. As HCR has pointed out more than once, financial crimes are relatively easy to prove, as all the evidence is there in b&w. Trump himself told the world just a few days ago that his properties are all worth much more than stated in their filings. A big question is whether he will throw his kids under the bus. After all, he does have one more male heir in reserve.
"Eric? Never hear of him. He may have brought coffee once or twice."
The double edged sword that tfg used to raise valuations for loan purposes while subsequently lowering them for tax reasons means, as he now claims their value is higher still, the other edge of the sword becomes sharper
Cant we just put them in a leaky rowboat? Why do we have to pay for their tickets? We have been paying for years for his stupid campaign rallies. He never attended any event where there might be more democrats than repubs including the Kennedy Center.
We can flip a Republican Congressional seat in Michigan! "Dr. Bob" Lorinser is a superb Democratic candidate with not only public health experience but 10 years of sevice in the U.S. Diplomatic Corps overseas. https://www.votedrbob.com/
When you know who will be opposing Rep. John Moolenaar on the Democratic ticket, post it here on HCR's site with a link! I am in awe of and so grateful for all the readers who have supported our campaign to elect Democrat "Dr. Bob" Lorinser of Marquette to oust our current Northern Michigan/Upper Peninsula Republican seditionist Rep. Jack Bergman (of Louisiana - bought a cabin in the UP to claim residency). Moolenaar had an excellent Democratic opponent in the last election. There is hope!
John Moolenaar was a nice kid and his family a little religious. Then, along with a lot of other Midland, Michigan kids, he grew up to promote the company bible, too. Dow Chemical is the dollars behind The Heritage Foundation, and Rep. Moolenar is a voice of The Family (which hosts The National Prayer Breakfast). When I lobbied at our Capitol in Lansing, he was always very nice to me, and asked about my sister (childhood friends), then voted against our cause. Michigan's new redisticting plan puts the city of Midland in Rep. Kildee's district which includes Flint. Saginaw and Bay City. Kildee is a Democrat. So Moolenar is "moving" so he does not have to run against the popular Kildee, and can still represent the remaining part of Midland county and beyond. There could be hope.
P.S. Many thanks to my sister for educating me through the many books she has sent me, and inspiring me through many discussions about The Republican Party, The Family, The Heritage Foundation and much more.
Kevin McCarthy admitted years ago that that’s all Benghazi was, and he lost the speakership because he blabbed. “Partisan witch hunts” are nothing new for the GOP.
They just hate it when they’re being (justifiably) investigated. There MUST be consequences. If 1/6 dies on the vine and they regain majority, no good will come of it.
Rowshan Nemazee, the GOP already has done what Gingrich is threatening. They had 9 Benghazi investigations. They are changing elections laws to undo democracy. We are at war now. To draw a parallel, Putin has 150,000 soldiers and equipment lined up along Ukraine’s border and has broken the ceasefire many times, but technically, he has not yet started the war. But the GOP did start the war. We are at war now.
Trump and his mimics are acting right out of Putin’s play book. If we lose the Democrats and all of their fair and honest leaders in our White House we are f—-!
Maybe our team will learn to play their way. Fair and honest and Legal seem to be losing in America.😢
I'm sorry, I don't mean to offend, but to my mind, using the name of "Hitler" as a model for today's Republicans diminishes the horror of the extermination of 6 million Jews.
Certainly, one can compare their agenda with that of totalitarianism and authoritarian regimes, but not with the so-called "man" himself.
Absolutely no intention to diminish the horror, but to my mind, we should elevate chump to his level of evil as laid out in Mein Kampf. To not recognize where he is headed is folly. A section of Murphy's translation made my blood run cold. Twitter certainly didn't like the comparison, although with Goebbels. Yes, Nazi will do, but isn't that what they call Dems??
I have made comparisons to his use of "Hitler's Playbook" as early as March 2016. They are obvious and even more respected politicians (Obama) have later drawn the comparison & danger of not acknowledging these facts. The Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels even coined "The Big Lie" which we are dealing with currently.
Yes, Rowshan. Completely agree. I keep names out of my mouth. The fight is against authoritarianism. Not against any vile, naked, disgraced and long dead emperor.
HCR daily gives clarity and historical reference to the battle that is upon us so that the people can unite and defend our democracy. Then it will be possible for us to burnish it.
I have up until lately been on board with your way of thinking. But not so much anymore. I believe that Trump, given the chance, has the potential to be as evil as any of the most evil dictators in history. That includes Hitler. To declare Hitler off limits only works to desensitize us to Trump's and his party's actions today. Bring it on.
I was shocked years ago when Rove, Gingrich, and especially Fox used Goebbels propaganda strategies, then chump used the big lie on Obama, then HRC, and then his coup de gras re the election. This comes right out of Mein Kampf (Murphy translation). “For The grossly impudent lie always leaves traces behind it, even after it has been nailed down, a fact which is known to all expert liars in this world and to all who conspire together in the art of lying.”
This would include the entire Republican Party; not sure about the cult nuts who apparently believe the insanity, but innocent, they are not…
I only wish democratic leaders could be fair and honest. Sadly, our system of candidacy requires begging for shocking amounts of dollars from big money interests.
You can almost smell the desperation and fear in Trump's screeds. He's not swaying new supporters to his corner but trying to stop defections. He makes Hillary Clinton sound like a female James Bond with super powers. Talk about unhinged.
The sooner the Jan. 6 committee can present a damning, easy-to-grasp narrative of his coup attempt, the better. Same for New York officials who need to publicly quantify how many millions of dollars Trump has avoided in taxes.
But the banks that loaned him hundreds of millions of dollars may be the first to bring Trump to his knees, a blow that would be far more humiliating for his eggshell psyche. It's reasonable ask whether he can emotionally and even physically withstand the accelerating cracking and ultimate crushing of that egg.
Have banks cut him off and the creditors call in their loans, and all of a sudden he doesn't even own a suit to wear to his sentencing. I want to see him penniless.
If Trump were penniless he still has his megaphone and his anger and his lunatic fringe followers. Hitler was sent to jail but after he came out he was more powerful than ever and created the Final Solution.
Back in the day when you could comment on Yahoo news, after the "hamberder" incident, I posted that we "should all engage Door Dash or Uber Eats to send cheezberders/XL fries/XL Diet Cokes to the WH" to aid mother nature. I got some REAL NASTY replies, LOL!
And I wonder how his fellow inmates would treat him, too. Or would he have special protection as a former president. Secret service following him about. Talk about an awful assignment!
But I have to wonder if that is still to be counted on since MBS took over, and especially since the relationship has been corrupted by chump and Jared. BTW, the two events that you mention makes my cognitive dissonance spin like a top
I spent the first half of my military career in communications, which required a high level security clearance. We were frequently evaluated for any vulnerabilities that would make us a target for blackmail or susceptible to bribes to divulge classified info. Financial problems were one of the most common causes for a clearance to be suspended or pulled altogether. While I’d love to watch tfg’s financial house of cards go up in flames, I think in his desperation for $$ he would sell out any and all classified intel he had from his days in the WH in the blink of an eye.
What could you imagine was the topic of discussion when he and Putin had that private meeting at the 2019 G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany. After meeting tRump took his interpreter's notes and told him not to discuss the meeting with anyone, including other U.S. officials!
Yes, that's the image still in my mind -- you could see frm Trump's body language how beholden and obsequious he acted toward Putin. Trump grasped Putin's hand like a man being pulled from shark infested waters -- while Putin smirked in response! And now we see a major change in attitude in Putin as he challenges NATO and western allies in Ukraine, exactly Trump's stance during his presidency.
So what about that interpreter. Don’t you think they have found that person and had him reconstruct the conversation. I would think it would be a matter of national security.
Her name is Marina Gross. Here's a good look at who she is and the issues that would arise if she were forced to testify. Keep in mind that Trump's infamous meeting with Putin in Helsinki isn't relevant to the work of the Jan. 6 committee.
Thanks, Michael. I understand (now) the reason she is not subpeonaed but don't you think this situation is different, given what we now know about tfg? Do we not all smell a skunk? Why would tfg tear up the notes? Has any other president done this? Does a president have carte blanche in dealing with foreign leaders? "Congressional Democrats have said they want to gain access to Gross' notes to understand what Trump may have spoken about with Putin."
I'd be doing follow-up if it were me, you bet! Yes, national security is at stake. Why we don't hear more about that meeting, is a mystery to me. Lots of unanswered questions about tfg's allegiances and deals.
Trisha I too held top secret/code word clearance. Regarding his classified intel, be assured that he flushed away these liquid assets. Hmmm, will he claim a tax deduction for ‘lost assets?’
Did you notice that nobody is speaking about the classified documents he took home with him as momentos? It would be hard to convince me he wasn't already planning on selling secrets.
Martha For Trump nothing was classified except data on his and The Trump Organization’s finances. I recall his meeting with a foreign leader where he blurted out Top Secret/NoForn info that could have identified a key Israeli intelligence source in, I believe, Syria.
Also, as one who had held Tope Secret/Codeword clearance, little highly classified material has much value a year or two later, unless it related to the manner of collection (including sensitive sources.) Besides, Blabbermouth Donald would be incapable of distinguishing between classified and unclassified material. Remember that he took bromance Putin’s word over the highly classified intelligence from his own government.
Not sure what the chances of J6 committee succeeding on this, but it sure will be a cause for celebration if they do!!
“The House Oversight Committee is asking the General Services Administration to consider terminating the lease for the Trump International Hotel in Washington, DC, before the former president's business can sell it, in light of allegations that the Trump Organization submitted false financial statements to the federal government.“ https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2022/02/17/politics/trump-hotel-old-post-office/index.html
I keep wondering if the GSA has a clause in the lease requiring GSA approval of whomever said lease might be sold. In San Diego, where there are numerous leases on public parkland in Mission Bay Park, the leases have such a clause. I'm not aware that sale of a lease was ever blocked but it did enable requirements that the potential buyer provide documentation of their financial ability to properly operate the leasehold. Lease revenues above a given cap (City Charter) go into a fund established to provide funding for projects in Mission Bay and other San Diego City regional parks. Surely GSA would have similar requirements. And were do the D.C. hotel revenues go, for what publicly beneficial purpose?
Logically, if Hillary was all that and a cup of tea besides....why didn't she win, huh, orange idjit?
Every drone in that party is so busy ramping up the hysterics they never stop to think whether their narrative is even credible...oh, wait...I'm talking about the party in truth denial: the party of no platform, no new ideas, no policies other than profit, hatefulness and revenge at any cost.
Everyone would like to see Trump's knees buckle, but the thing with sociopaths is that they lack consciences and accountability and sleep well at night because they don't give a sh*t.
Yet he *does* "give a sh*t" if his personal estimation of his wealth is questioned in any way. And I believe he also "gives a sh*t" about being portrayed as a LOSER! Sociopaths have egos even bigger than the average egotist.
He is most deserving of every horror filled indwelling moment as his reality dissipates like beach fog being burned off during a bright sunny morning...the truth will set us FREE from his twisted deceptions soon, and forevermore...and even longer!
Thank you, but this word AU THO RIT AR IAN ISM just won't do.
Six damned syllables to stick in any throat even before they fail to enter thick skulls.
This is the language of TYRANNY, the verbiage of oppressors...
This is "What dictators do / The elderly rubbish they talk".
The successors of Mussolini, of Hitler, of Stalin have risen up in another attempt to destroy democracy. And democracy lies critically ill. Now. In what claimed to be its heartland.
We -- We the People -- have to find the faith, seek the words, do whatever it may take to defend, revive, restore it.
For our children's future.
For the future of the planet we are so privileged to inhabit.
Well, doing something about Trump is not so easy. The entire structure of the United States of America is set up to protect him from every possible threat.
Easy is what that man and his backers want. Exclusive freedom for them to do whatever they like, and exclusive ownership and control of what will once have been "the Law".
The fools don't even realize that "easy" is not healthy... Least of all for themselves.
Having said which, the priority of priorities is to do with DT what must be done to protect America and the world. The choice is simple:
Justice or tyranny.
#
As for my comment, for heaven's sake let's use words with resonance, words that everyone can understand!
Ads must split-screen Trump saying that pleading the Fifth is for losers in contrast to his own “I can’t recall” responses and pleading of the Fifth Amendment. No doubt, questions will be asked which make that kind of answer look pretty shabby. I can’t wait for Trevor Noah, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel. . .
Lawrence showed tape of Trump's deposition in the Trump U prosecution. He couldn't tell the truth if you threatened him with a loaded gun aimed at his head. All they have to do is "needle" him in the questioning, and he'll explode. He's the kind of client no lawyer ever wants on the stand.
Yes, TC. That is what we need to remember. It is the reason every fight is made to keep him off the stand. He will implode right after he explodes. My key takeaway from Professor Richardson today is that it’s moving to a point where “taking the fifth” is not going to be an option.
He'll get caught as soon as he says "I didn't say that", when AG James has the letter he wrote saying he did. He is a lawyers worst nightmare as he can't keep his mouth shut.
Maybe a bit of knowledge will encourage all of our understanding of a process few of us realize must be precise, because if his pronouncement is premature the enormous tragedy suffered by all of us will most certainly be Authoritarianism rule by the moneyed elite.
to wit:
Garland wrote his 235-page honors thesis on industrial mergers in Britain in the 1960s. Garland graduated from Harvard in 1974 as class valedictorian with an A.B. summa cum laude and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Garland then attended Harvard Law School, where he was a member of the Harvard Law Review.
Totally disrespectful, in my opinion, to discredit Atty Gen Garland who was handed the judiciary in complete and total criminal disarray. It physically shocks me to hear a fellow patriot on this forum suggest that he has crawled under a rock like an insect.
I agree, Christine. That comment was so despicable I thought it must be a troll. The work of the DOJ is ongoing and successful, and much of it has to be SECRET, or America loses democracy.
Absolutely! I'd like to hear the judge soon say, "No more delays. No more appeals. If you don't show up for trial, you're in contempt of court and will go immediately to jail. If you do show up and disrupt the courtroom with outbursts, you will be watching your trial from your jail cell."
A NY State Supreme Court justice rules that TFG and offspring must submit to subpoenas and testify in a NY state civil trial. They intend to appeal...to whom? To the entire NY State Supreme Court panel of justices? When does one reach the end of the trail with respect to appeals?
He’ll definitely appeal to SCOTUS, claiming a violation of the c US Constitution. His game is not to win, but to drag out the proceedings. Once all appeals are exhausted, he’ll sit for a deposition and respond “I don’t recall” to all questions.
Those poor children and their loving father! Good, honest business people (I nearly said workers), and yet you'd say they are very anxious about something. What can the matter be? Wouldn't it all be easier if they just complied, and lied? That's worked well for them in the past. In fact, their supporters only believe lies, it's an act of faith. And if they swear an oath on the Bible, that's fine, they've done so before: it makes no difference to anything, and it looks impressive in a photo, even if the Bible turns out to be upside down. They need to be careful about taking the Fifth, though: it does tend to look like self-accusation.
We've got to stop saying or implying that TFG held the Bible upside-down. He didn't and that's been verified many times. It just looks like he did because he was so awkward with it, no surprise What he did that day with his photo-op stunt was bad enough.
Thank you. I could see that right away. Has anyone ever seen bookmark ribbons hanging from the top of the bible? Besides, the words "Holy Bible" are clearly visible at the upper part of the spine.
My cousin said that he has his mothers Bible and using it for his inauguration. She is certain that he has read parts of that family Bible. Trumps mother did not know English when she came to this country. Her family Bible has to be written in Gaelic. I don’t believe that Trump has ever read any portion of that Bible.
Be aware that in New York State 'the Supreme Court' refers to the New York County trial court, which is comparable to the Superior Court in, say, California, and other states. Some states refer to the trial court as a Circuit Court, or some other court of original jurisdiction. In Massachusetts, the term Supreme Court in colonial times meant the Massachusetts legislature, so, to differentiate the highest appellate court in that state, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts designates its appellate court as the Supreme Judicial Court. It's one of the vagaries of American history. As I recall, there is an Appellate Division in New York State that acts as an intermediate appellate court; but having never practiced law in New York State, I know only what I hear from others. Nonetheless, Judge Engoron's eight-page Memorandum of Decision and Order is bulletproof. I saw no appealable issues worthy of even a cursory review. The fact that Trump's lawyers intentionally misrepresented the legal issues in the case is not going to help Donald Trump or any of the Trump family defendants in the case. Essentially, they are whining about the happenstance of a civil suit and a criminal investigation proceeding in parallel. As Judge Engoron noted, the existence of a criminal investigation does not act as a bar to a civil suit in which a defendant may be compelled to testify under oath. Judge Engoron also ruled that the Trumps' Fifth Amendment protections against criminal defendants being compelled to testify against themselves remains available to the Trumps, and in the civil depositions, they are free to decline to answer on grounds that a truthful answer would likely subject them to criminal liability. On the other hand, the defendants' 'pleading the fifth' in the civil case creates an inference that the Trier of Fact may use to decide that any answer that the defendants might have given on the merits of the case would be adverse to their defense; in effect, 'pleading the fifth' is a tacit admission that they are guilty of crimes that would negate their civil case defenses. They cannot have it both ways. Their choice is to tell the truth, or have their silence interpreted by the court as an acknowledgment of their guilt. They have the chance to tell their side of the story if there is anything in their version of the facts that would be favorable to them in the civil case; with the Trumps, their refusals to answer the questions directly and forthrightly automatically set them up for a finding by the court that they have no legal defense to the charges brought against them. That default judgment would be used by the appellate court as reason enough to reject the Trumps' appeal in summary fashion. The appellate panel assigned to hear the case can also readily see that the appeal was interposed for delay only, with nothing going to the merits. Given that posture, there is no requirement for the appellate court to require a briefing schedule and oral argument on a case that has no legs whatsoever. Nothing in the law requires a court to waste its time hearing off-the-point arguments that go nowhere. In the meantime, the Trumps are required to appear for their depositions and answer the questions put to them, such answers as they might choose to give. Whatever consequences they suffer were of their own making.
In NY the lowest state courts are called “Supreme” courts. Their decisions can be appealed to appeals courts and ultimately to the state Supreme Court. See:
I can't help but think back to Trump's visits to Russia to see Putin and China to see Jinping where I assume he asked them what moves he should make to take absolute power. Because when he returned home and was asked about the visits he said they were very informative! It appears so. He has learned their methods well. I have never in my life heard a former US president sound like a Politburo apparatchik until Trump. It is uncanny.
As a child, I was taught that personal integrity, honesty, courage, compassion, generosity and like things constituted good and Godly character. But this - “… if Republicans can convince their voters that Democrats have engaged in partisan prosecutions of Trump and his allies, the Republicans can justify partisan prosecutions of Democrats as soon as they get the opportunity, just as Gingrich suggested. - There’s no honor here - only depraved souls hellbent on the death of our society and nation.
Heather’s defending our constitution and society by doing what she does. I think of us LFAA readers as firefighters in a bucket brigade - pitching in to extinguish the fires of liars.
You should see the behaviors of the dumpty supporters. The parents are creating a huge mess they’ll have to deal with for the rest of their lives! You contact them about behavior and they literally do nothing to help discipline their child! And suggest that their child didn’t even do it or they did it because I hate them. And the other extreme rarely but sometimes, the child craving affection. Starved for what they aren’t getting at home. I just keep focusing on integrity, self discipline, and compassion. So far they haven’t figured out a way to twist it that I’m not a fit teacher.
Please hang in there! Our “baby girl”––my love name for her––teaches 9th grade social studies and history. Whenever we talk with her we hear some of the horror stories that are taking place in our schools today.
The dismantling of our civilization––such as it is––is a tragedy and a crime. It is happening at the foundational level––our schools––and at the tippy-top of society––our governmental institutions!
I truly believe that we must begin rebuilding our communities from the ground up. Organizing and reorganizing our neighborhoods may provide some protection should the worst-case scenario come to pass. No matter what the future brings––short- or long-term––we will need reimagined institutions to take the place of those that are torn down, or collapse from the sheer weight of their corruption.
If we can link up with like-minded neighbors and begin planning for every eventuality, we will find life in the immediate future more bearable, and our children and grands will have a much more productive and fulfilling existence.
Hi. AshleyR! I appreciate your support of the idea but must admit that the last line was really meant as a sort of, rah, rah, win one for the Gipper exhortation. Sort of like mr unmentionable’s, “let’s march to the Capitol, boys; I’ll be right there with you” (or words to that effect).
I, too, am a 2nd or 3rd shift kinda guy. If I’m conscious at sunrise, I’ve been up all night!
Hang in there, Denise. Let them rail (because you can’t do anything to stop their performance anyway). You can’t know which children are seeing you as an example, especially if their parents are unstable.
When I worked at public schools, the bullies were in jr high mostly, not administration. Yes, some parents wanted to bully the school but admin was not in cahoots.
Wishing you all success! And I'm a little bit regretful that I am 74 and poor and so having to live in a far away country. About all I can do is absentee ballot vote. But I live for Heathers posts, which I often share and try to offer moral support. What else can I do?
Keep spreading the word about HCR. Last time I saw my hairdresser we talked politics and she'd not heard of her. When I called to make my next appointment the first thing she said to me was, "Thank you for HCR, She's saved my sanity." Of course more action needs to be taken, but, educating and informing is always important so keep at it, Susan. Everything you do matters.
Postcards are a good suggestion for many but if one is poor, buying postcards and paying postage can be a struggle, even more so if one lives in a "far away country".
Yeah, you're correct about that. You might want to see if Democracy Summer is at work where-ever you are. Jamie Raskin's now deceased son started it, and Raskin talks about it in his book, which is absolutely terrific.
I'd run, but Massachusetts doesn't need me, and I'm too old to move to the sort of place where I wouldn't know anyone. But I'm giving a lot of money, and I will probably try to do other things like phone banking.
An ‘enlightened’ editor posted my most recent New York Times comments:
1) “Trump seems like a human Bitcoin—his ‘wealth’ fluctuates wildly on a whim, and there seems no way to assess his underlying assets, with emphasis placed on ‘lying.’”
2) “A special dinner at Trump hotels: [Al] Capone a la Trump with Mafioso sauce.”
3) “The Trump family is attending court testimony school, practicing ‘I can’t remember’ and ‘Fifth Amendment.’ Trump has previously done badly when testifying under oath. Soon he will be contesting facts backed by mountainous evidence with his ‘false facts.”
The manbaby with the best crocodile tears must definitely testify to James in person. No written answers as he got away with for Mueller.
So many questions. Where is Barr? Has he been called to testify to Jan 6 committee?
What’s a good word for someone who flushes incriminating documents down the toilet?? Did they burn out all their shredder motors? Or is it another big repub red herring?
Lying is wrong and never justified unless it’s “no those pants don’t make you look fat” — unless you are talking to manbaby 45.
Has there ever been a more desperate and caged criminal? Instead of hiding, TFG is blaming everything and everyone he can think of and threatening retribution. He never knows when to stop. Let Shakespeare have the last word, “… me thinks thou dost protest too much.”
A close friend who helped me through my divorce said now the whole world knows what it must have been like for you living with your Ex. She was speaking about all of the antics! Does dumpty also have Borderline Personality Disorder? Or just an alphabet soup of disorders?
Malignant narcissist, antisocial personality disorder (a mental disorder in which a person consistently shows no regard for right and wrong and ignores the rights and feelings of others.) and probably Borderline Pesonality Disorder. All three are Axis 2 diagnoses which indicates they are difficult, if not impossible, to treat. Characterological disorders all.
No therapy regimen, huh. Hahahahaha Some of these diagnoses likely apply to some of the cultists. At least a few that I have known. Some just Pharisees.
I'm looking forward to the day when we've changed this world to one of equality for all -- in the law, in our respect for each other. Tonight I'm inspired by Josh Groban's song "You Raise Me Up"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Czs82sDv6jg It's for all of us to stand on mountains, to walk on these stormy seas and be more than we can be. It takes all of us. We the People, all of us this time, all of us NOW!
Thank you Heather. Today's letter gave me a feeling of ice water in my stomach. I'm doing research for a project, and am learning about the Great Depression and how many Americans went to Russia and supported Communism. Russia was the only country to fight against the authoritarian threat of Mussolini, Hitler, and Franco. The Europeans and America could have lent support to those fighting against the fascists but didn't. This is how I'm feeling about Americans now. Where are the marches and voices decrying the evil that calls itself Republican?
Here at my daughter's house, my grandsons brought out the photo journal of the anti-nuclear rally in NYC, "You can't Hug with Nuclear Arms." It was a glorious effort. The kids found my picture: in front of the barricade at the Russian Embassy and then being carted away by a very nice police force. I was young then.
Decades later, my NYC church, Judson Memorial, made the golden calf that became an icon at the Occupy Wall Street sit-in. We opened our doors for the protesters - toilets and water, etc. Thanks, Gailee and Gus. I've been asking myself the same thing. Black Lives Matter is still trying to make headway...
It's about time that you started to get into the war-time Murmansk convoys by which the Allies both fed and rearmed Stailn so that he could resist Hitler's onslaught at Stalingrad before the red army could start moving forward.
That's not my focus now. I'm on different soil that literally ran red with the blood of the innocent while America and other countries watched as they were begged for help, and American wealth supported the oppressors.
Oh dear i seem to have trodden on your toes! A knee jerk reaction on my part Unfortunately based upon your original assertion the Stalin was left on his own to fight fascism. I should have realized that such a limited view was accidental and wouldn't apply elsewhere. Sorry!
They are being gunned down and run over in the streets. They have to find another way, so they use the law,, which after all, is more respectable, keeping to the higher moral level of behavior.
The capable legal reporter, Josh Gerstein, has article up at CNN. "Judge Orders Trump to Sit for Deposition ..." which contains a link to the Judge`s 8 page Order which lays out the procedural history of this "special proceeding". Trump(s) must produce documents in 14 days & sit for deposition(s) in 21 days. Delay has always been TFG 's main legal strategy but prospects for review of a discovery Order are very slim particularly since TFG shot himself in both feet with a self defeating public rant which was basically [paraphrasing] "Only I Know Everything".
Trump's language is belligerent and menacing. But what's scarier is that it's been normalized. His followers support him- and every one else keeps quiet. Before Trump, this kind of name-calling and the constant threats of violence would have shocked us. One of the early defenses of Trump was that his words don't matter. But words do matter and Trump has lowered the threshold for what's politically acceptable. What used to be outrageous now gets a shrug. At the moment, I'm worried that this debasement of political discourse is beginning to spread to Canada as well.
Richard, The decline in language signals a decline in society. Thank you for reminding us; it's part of Trump's performance style. He is far from alone in practicing this brand of criminality but, perhaps, quite exceptional at it.
George Orwell continues to be a fine instructor on the subject.
“But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.” — George Orwell, 1946
His essay, 'Politics, Propaganda, and War: the Debasement of Language in the 20th Century' written in 1946, is worth reading. See the link below. For a summary of the essay, see the link at the end of this comment.
Ashley, a deep knowledge of the uses of language and keenly perceptive, Orwell was generally crystal clear in communicating his understanding. The attention we pay to language is best for all of us. It is worth considering the degrading use of language when depicting opponents/enemies, without tying ropes around music and art. Negative experiences and feelings need to be forcefully expressed, which does not mean making up words and twisting sentences into replicas of the ugly monsters. It may be less easy to covey our feelings using the English language, but that is one of the aspects of civil society we are working to protect.
Yes, Ashley, and I mean to rule out rigidity. Play, inventiveness and experiments with language are part of its life. Degrading, however, is increasing along with the hate, and sometimes feels like a wildfire.
I am going to start calling the family of TFG, “The Whiner Family”. Eric took the 5th and now the rest of these thieves want to do the same. No matter, as it looks like Letitia is armed and dangerous with lots of evidence against them. Newt is a slimeball and always has been and I sure wish he’d go away, like 6ft. under.
Good gravy, YES! I've loathed that creature ever since he came out with the list of negative evocative words for Republicans to use while campaigning against Dems. He is a slimy sleazy parasite of the next to the lowest order.
I can envision TFG escaping the deposition (after inevitable appeals are exhausted) by some kind of health stunt. Remember, he has manipulated physicians very easily in the past, including the White House physician. Commander Bone Spurs could come out of retirement.
Or a health crisis could be real, if not before a state deposition, then between now and 2024. After all, you can only deal with large quantities of cortisol for so long — and his body is probably making it by the liter these days. I’m not a doctor, can’t say for sure. Just common sense is all. He has created a rigidly small place for his mind to live, where his self-worth depends on myths that are about to be exposed, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if his own body takes him to the sidelines, or worse.
How his troops might react then is anybody’s guess; I am expecting things to go badly no matter what happens — even if, heaven forbid, he somehow returns to the White House. But I also expect that we have bigger problems on our hands, and so, right now, does Himself.
Vermontgirl57, like many other abilities and endowments, if you have to claim your virility, you simply don't have it.
It's why men buy the biggest motorcycles, yachts, trucks, etc. They are making up for something that was critically lacking at birth. Most males know that, and some even might feel sorry for the disendowed person. In Jabba's case, I don't....
I’m glad and scared at the same time. This is so messy and dangerous because of Trump. He is the worst thing that has happened to the world since Hitler.
I’ve suggested before….be afraid, but not scared. I am afraid about the threats to our democracy. That is a normal reaction for someone that loves our democracy. However, I will not allow that feeling to freeze me into inaction. I will not be scared. I will stand up to every authoritative attempt to curb my rights and my citizenry. I will fight for community and the common good. I will support our current leaders of democracy at every level even though they might not have been my choice at the polls. My vote will be for democracy, whoever represents it best in my opinion. I will not give an iota of passion in argument with someone who supports traitors of democracy and authoritarianism. I will not support misinformation. I will not be involved with wishing for an orange jumpsuit for Mr. Trump. I will remain in confidence that rule of law will prevail in litigating any of the myriad of his gross offenses and crimes against the people and institutions of this country in a decision that he may not run again and gain entry into the White House. Ever again. That will suffice for me. My only wish regarding Mr. Trump is that a day will come where I do not hear his name or read the name of this naked emperor. That is the greatest threat to his psyche. No attention given to a loser.
United, ScannyDo! For the People, all of us this time. 🙋🏻🙋🏼🙋🏽🙋🏾🙋🏿
And for good measure, if I want to wear a mask anywhere, I will. And if a mask-less someone stares at me in a mocking or stupid or threatening way, I will stare back, toss my head and flounce my hair, reach into my jeans pocket and put a second mask on. And then stare again.
There is not a single authority that can force me not to wear a mask or to wear one.
I support the common goods of our democracy. Optimal health for everyone is a biggie.
Christine, I may have to put that in my arsenal. NYS has just dropped the mask mandate and every covidiot is out in spades degrading those that continue to be safe. Grocery shopping the other evening I was told 4 times " you know you don't have to wear that anymore".
I hear you Linda loud and clear. I’m glad I’m a professional educator because the wearing a mask or not has become a playground brawl for some kind of “cred”.
When actually asked by a stranger in a grocery store “you know you don’t ‘have’ to wear that anymore?”, I reply, “you know that not wearing a mask is the same as being a bully about not protecting yourself and others, right?” And then I toss my head.
Christine, I find that saying, "what, there is no more covid, it's gone!" Generally that stops them in their tracks as well as saying " I'm wearing my mask because I'm smart" . They can take it from there. I do have others I use, but we're in mixed company.....😉
Loud and clear. Have a great weekend, Linda. And as you always close, “Be safe. Be well”. Exactly the point!
I have a silly image in my mind when envisioning mask wearing at a nudist camp!
Hahahahahaha!
Thanks for the comic relief 😅
Its called a condom.
I just tell them that I don’t know if there’s someone near me who’s vulnerable. I don’t want anyone to get sick or die because of me.
In Oregon the mask mandate is supposed to go away at the end of March and I am already prepared for that. Fortunately we shop at a store, who won't let anyone shop there now without one. I doubt anyone will bother us at that store. I intend to wear one whenever I am indoors in a public place.
And my response: “Not until you don’t have to breathe anymore.”
I agree - there were people in the grocery store before the mandate was lifted - in fact I stopped & asked one of the employees "isnt there still a mask mandate in effect" - she of course at that time was wearing one. Then next time still several like me wearing one but majority not!
May I 'like' most of your comment? A lot?
But not this. Which seems fearfully self contradictory. "There is not a single authority that can tell me not to wear a mask or to wear one. I support the common goods of our democracy. Optimal health for everyone is a biggie."
You seem by almost every measure sincere *and strategic* in your activism for good government - and then personal feelings seem to take priority over shared goals.
Government mask mandates serve optimal health for everyone, in a big way. And therefor use the democratic process to serve the common good. I am sure it would not take a mandate for you to follow the science - but it does for many others.
My personal feelings about shared goals are exactly what makes shared goals my utmost priority in the upcoming elections at every level.
Which Side Are You On, archival
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BEwE0R_7TDc
Bread and Roses, film Pride
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jDdvbqbmM4o
StepAfrika Mask Up
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9rpW1V8-H4g
I believe a mandate for vaccines is completely necessary. Masking has taken center stage politically and tarnished the primary science regarding the efficacy and safety of vaccines.
Yes.
Science. Public Health Policy. Politics.
All are based on provisional truths derived through reasoned debate of empirical evidence. All are compromised by emotionalism.
We know masks are a most effective defense against viral spread. And usually in a shared crisis people of differing opinions unite. But our entire pandemic response was/is undermined by anti science opportunism - a convergence of antivaxx, religious extremist, and Republican intransigence.
I got called a sheep in the grocery store by a non-masker. I laughed heartily, and said, "Me a sheep??? You follow and do whatever the orange idiot says. Hahaha!" She walked off.
I like to call him the Manchurian Canteloupe.
Carla, yeah, but his followers won't know who you are talking about.
I'm called a sheep idiot and much worse including b**** and c*** by my in-laws for wearing a mask and getting vaccinated. A person I volunteer with who I sort of respected told me today vaccines don't work and it's natural immune systems that keep you from getting the virus
Not true but I have to see this woman every day. Do I educate or just stay away from her? In these new times not alway easy to decide.
I am really so sorry. ThankYou for posting this. We need to hear these stories to know what people are up against.
I had a MIL like that. The issue was second hand smoke - with a newborn with respiratory problems and who later developed asthma. Stay as far away as possible. For the rest, you can lead by example and keep as disengaged as possible.
I have sadly given up on a long time colleague and friend. Over the past decade she has gone down the antivaxx rabbit hole and that is her happy place. She is in total denial and bitterly angry at everyone who can't see she is right. I brought up vaccination exactly three times - when they were first available, when boosters came available, when Delta emerged. Rage, rage, rage.
Nothing constructive to be done. Keep away. The information is widely available. Wearing a mask shows where you stand. If anyone asks politely for your opinion the share it. Otherwise protect your physical and mental health.
What boggles the mind, they actually do know masks work. They cover their face when they sneeze and taught their kids to do it too! But NOW it doesn’t work. Don’t argue with then, there lies annoyance, at best. You do you. Stay safe.
And, just yesterday I was laughed at for providing a visual on how masks work. The two responders stated firmly with zero evidence that masks don't work. I'm over the top sick of belligerence.
I guess I don't mind being called a b****, but the c*** is a deplorable name to be called. I can't imagine the type of person that would use that word toward anyone. Idiot is a runner up on deplorable name-calling. As for the person who is ignorant of COVID vaccine protection, I'd print of a short, precise info sheet and hand it to her. Then you can say you tried and leave the will to learn up to her. She can be belligerent and refuse or willing to give it a go. The odds are very high that she learned her misinformation from someone else.
HaHa. You might have said " Baaah - to your humbug."
Maybe we need N95s that say "COVID". Let them wonder.
(If they ask, I will just nod).
"My vote will be for democracy, whoever represents it best in my opinion."
OK. That scares me.
There is no personal wiggle room for the opposition. Unite behind Democratic candidates to preserve/expand the Democratic majority in Congress and in the states.
Other than introducing the danger of sacrificing the opportunity of achieving our shared goal to expressing a personal opinion, I'm with you.
Yes! Don't let fear freeze you into inaction. But also, please don't let feelings/personal opinion drive your vote.
In my opinion, Biden was not the primary contender who best represented democracy - and then the brilliant student of American history and political strategist Rep. Jim Clyburn opened my eyes.
Agree, lin. I am an NPA. Don’t let my vote for democracy scare you. I am very proficient in voting for the candidate who best can be a voice for the common good, not just politics….whether it’s a local vote for school board or a vote for President-VP.
Of course I will be voting to preserve the Democratic majority this year.
And no, I will not join in trashing any of the candidates or incumbents that we must vote for nor will I join in the incessant criticism of our current leaders, and in particular, our attorney general.
When I say the word “Unite” or “United” on this forum, I mean it.
ThankYou. I was pretty sure you meant that. But my experience with left wing independents committed to 'putting person over party' has over sensitized me.
Here in Maine, left wing voters - following self funded pied piper political gadfly Elliot Cutler - handed the governorship to Trump before Trump racist TeaParty Paul LePage. Twice. LePage is back from Florida tanned, ready, and rabid. I am dreading Cutler or a Cutler showing up.
We instituted RankedChoiceVoting to mitigate the 'person not party' Cutler effect - but a quirk of wording in our state constitution prohibits its use in the gubernatorial race ...
What does NPA mean?
Independent voter is what is common nomenclature. No Party Affiliation is status assigned to neither a registered Dem or Repub.
Yes. Technically. In Maine the status is Unenrolled.
But there are voters who are registered in a party, often to participate in primaries, but self identify as independent voters who will always put person over party.
Universal open primaries and Ranked Choice Voting might go a long way to more representative government. It would depend on states instituting them ...
I have a nephew who its representative of others in my family in that he wants so badly to change the way things are into the ways things should be that he often fails to see that - in a democracy - you still need agreement. It doesn't mean that everyone has to agree yet (or before anything can be done), but enough people (voters) do have to agree to make it work and have a lasting affect. *sigh* So, we all need to keep standing up, respectfully speaking out (vocally or in writing) as we move toward being good influencers ourselves. Have you noticed how often HCR repeats things? It's on purpose. Have you noticed how much more aware and progressive many of us "feel" as our own eyes slowly open? As other readers of HCR recommend books, articles, and organizations? This really is how it is most effectively done. There's a certain amount of serendipity involved, like HCR has been out there writing and speaking for more than 20 years before most of us tripped over her. The last administration pulled so many of us out of our complacency. Lots of bad things have been being built and laid out already (throughout much of our history, as we see now) and many of us simply didn't know about or notice it before. It took these years of truly egregious behaviors to make it happen and to - literally - wake many of us up. It still won't be easy, but I sure am hopeful and excited about us, the sleeping dragons who are determined to make a difference - for all of us this time.
You are so right on the agreement aspect. That's why the Republicans need to pass laws that overrule the agreements that elections may communicate. Not many people agree with them.
Wow! Thanks.
Coming to consensus through reasoned debate of empirical evidence. How we transfer power through elections. How we pass legislation. How we interpret the constitutionality of laws and legal decisions. How we amend the Constitution. Good governance as translating the Scientific Method and the Golden Rule into civic communal life.
Thank you, Christine!! United for the People, all of us this time!!
What a manifesto! Thank you!
Love it, Christine❣️Onward and upward!
WOOO! HOOO! Christine!
PLEASE VOTE AND SUCCESSFULLY PURSUADE MANY OTHERS TO VOTE INTELLIGENTLY PLEASE
I live in a Red state… there aren’t many strangers I feel comfortable talking politics with. We all must vote. Take nothing to chance. I find articles like these sad (for the waste of human life) but more clearly the numbers may have shifted in some areas … https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/01/25/covid-partisan-divide/
In 2012, I repeatedly canvassed for Democrats in a red district of Virginia, an hour or so SouthWest of NoVA.
Many people, in this fairly new planned suburban neighborhood, leaned or stood Democratic - but told me they never talked to their neighbors about it and asked me not to mention their support to any neighbor who might ask. Just saying ... you may not be as alone as you think. I hope not.
In 2012, I did speak to many people…this was in the days before we actually heard “can we start killing Democrats?” There are allies here, people I know like me. But I’m not expanding my circle today.
Yes. Exactly. Your dilemma spotlights the bravery of Democratic candidates and others who step up in the open. But they also get some protection by their public visibility.
Your stance in the voting booth and in your circle is a significant contribution. ThankYou.
I live in a military community (Navy) which I have been told heavily leans Red and yet, I receive verbal positive remarks about my bumper sticker "Nasty Women Vote" from the Clinton campaign and even more about the sticker well attached to the back of my winter (red) jacket which is the picture of Trump behind bars with an "Impeached" banner across the picture. (Sounds pretty Democrat to me.) 90% of these remarks come from women. Cashiers give me a Thumbs Up signal but quietly whisper they best not say more while on the job. Maybe there are more voters moving to a better if not "right" position than we think.
ThankYou. Heartening. I did letter writing to Norfolk and Virginia Beach for Sierra Club. I don't think they would have done GOTV for that state race were there not some hope:)
I’d like to canvass with you next time. I’d learn so much!
HaHa. I have learned from each person I have volunteered with and every voter I've spoken with.
Be nice, be respectful, be positive, and listen. Use the script when you feel tongue tied, tweak it as you gain confidence. Don't argue - it only makes people dig in. Find common ground and work from there. Where people agree with you, ask questions which give them the opportunity to reinforce and expand on the agreement.
You are intruding on someone's life. Sometimes they will want to tell you more than you have time for. Politely get back on topic. Take 'no' for an answer. Don't ever go inside a house or apartment, especially when canvassing alone. If you feel uncomfortable on the doorstep, smile, back away, and leave. On the very rare case of an irrationally angry or threatening person, mark it down to warn others - in decades, this has only happened to me a few times. I was shaken but nothing bad happened.
And whether canvassing or phone-banking, make sure to keep hydrated. Seriously.
A very good article. Have shared it to my FB groups.
Vote strategically.
Vote Democratic.
Keep the majority and reform the party from within.
We can flip a Republican Congressional seat in Michigan! "Dr. Bob" Lorinser is a superb Democratic candidate with not only public health experience but 10 years of sevice in the U.S. Diplomatic Corps overseas. https://www.votedrbob.com/
Thank you for info on this race, MaryPat. On it.
Thank YOU!
Thanks for the info and the link!
I recommend Robert Hubbell, who is also on Substack, for many concrete ideas and suggestions for how to work to ensure that Democrats keep the majority.
Thank you.
He’s just a symbol of the collective consciousness that was brewing anyway. It’s now had the light shone on it. He is not the problem. He’s just the logo.
Absolutely agree. When he won it was a wake up call of the peril. That so many voted for him a second time... There is a dangerous ugliness that has settled into the soil of America. Growing.
Yes. As I said last week, Tr. is the Pandora who opened the box of the ugliness that is destroying our ever-fragile democracy.
Can I resist?
Growing. Fertilized by a whole lot of right wing BS being spread around.
and watered by money from oligarchs, foreign and domestic
The confederacy, just a part of the white supremacy mindset in the US, lives on in the hearts of a country that has never told itself or its children the sordid truth of its founding.
Rosalind - they could be told and it would not matter very much IMO. We find this week in the hate crime trial that the perpetrators of the Armond Arbury killing indeed have exhibited plenty of racist rhetoric and behavior prior to the murder. Duh. Anybody surprised? Not me. I see it in my own family. Anyone who has lived in the deep south (I certainly have), knows just how pervasive racism against blacks has been, and to only a slightly less extent, still is. It colors everything; not a day goes by where the average Georgia whitey doesn't at least mutter some derogatory word about blacks. It is a fundamental component of white peoples' psyches - something that doesn't seem to go away. In too many anyway. Well that element of human behavior is alive and well not just in the deep south - it's just more overt and more concentrated there. And I believe that racism is a very important element of the Trump appeal nationwide. He exploited it just as he has exploited religion to jazz up the religious right. As a result these people became emboldened. It is evil, corrupt, soulless. I am afraid that as long as racism is alive and well in this country, we are going to have to contend with Trumpy people at the voting booth and Trumpy people in power. The best thing to do IMO, is what we did to the south in the civil war. And that is to forcefully beat them into submission and keep them there. That can be done in the voting booth and also in the department of justice. Only this time don't let them sneak back into power. For this reason, it is time for our Democratic controlled government to stick it to the perpetrators of the insurrection - the evidence is obvious. Give them what they deserve. Perhaps more racists will crawl back under the rocks they were hiding under before Trump won in 2016.
Jay, I’m a native Georgian, and have long referred to racists as the roaches that crawled out of the woodwork. But here’s the thing. The Tangerine Terrorist didn’t start this. The Tea Party and its advocates did, in 2008. Suddenly, it was A-OK to say the quiet parts out loud, not to mention stringing up the president in effigy in front of a gas station, or a church. By the time 2016 rolled around, the seedbed had been well fertilized by rampant racism against a man who DARED to president while black. These idiots were scared s***less that their supremacy was at stake, and they still are. Trump was just another load of manure.
AND...while Georgians are holding forth...in an area that is still overwhelmingly pro-T***p, it must be noted that a large proportion of them may not use the N-word per se, but the new monikers are "hoodlum" or "thug". And then around here, they will tack on "Atlanta" before it, since all these hoodlums and thugs, of course, are coming up from Atlanta to prey on us. Uh-huh...right. There are sites aplenty one can go to and read this kind of language, one of the worst being the "NextDoor" one. I use it for its practical side (things for sale, businesses and individuals to refer to for services, etc.), but the right-wing trolls do regularly show up and turn even the more benign topics into politics. (It's also remarkable to read it and see what people do to the English language...) Now I'm reading more and more about people who are moving here from other parts of the country because "...people around here still love America and have the right kinds of values..." and crap like that. The bulk of the people I keep in my circle are like-minded, so we kind of keep a low profile, but it is galling when you still see evidence of so much hatred and ignorance and feel surrounded by it.
I came to metro Atlanta in 1995 thinking I was moving to the "New South." I was wrong, with some, but nowhere near enough, exceptions.
Jay, my great grandfather's gravestone in the Palatka, FLA "White" cemetery proudly boasts, "A Lover of Christ and a Friend to his Fellow Man." The footing boasts in large letters: KKK. 200-plus years of white racists in my maternal family. I agree with what you say. Believe me, as we say in the South, you're preaching to the choir.
True. Trump creates chaos. But for the rest, he just put his brand/logo on the GOP. Trump fits Republicans to a T.
I’ve been thinking about trump as a logo. The discontent has been there. He’s just found a way to monetize it - for his personal benefit, of course. How terribly sad that his most successful use of branding (think unsuccessful steaks, wine, university) has been to undermine our democracy.
Speaking of logos, Josh Halsey is selling a coffe mug with his infamous 1)6 photo complete w/ fist raised high in a solidarity with the rioters. Anything for attention and profit!
Entirely unrepentant tassel loafer insurrectionist.
More profit (and cover) being president than running casinos, a university, prime time contests, or selling steaks and wine. Regulation you can ignore with impunity, free advertisement, and income that gets laundered at government expense. Perfect business model. And you breed an endless stream of customers without ever having to create an actual product. And, finally you get Congress to stand behind you all the way and a Supreme Court to rewrite the constitutionality of the Model for perpetuity. Couldn't be better. Yep, Raskin is write. Institutionalized Authoritarianism.
Brilliant.
He may fit the politicians who are Republican right now but Disagree with you that he fits all Republicans. It’s so easy to throw everyone in a basket. I know a lot of great Republicans who want the same things I do, Who are good solid people and who care about others deeply.
So the barrel I am talking about is those who put and kept Trump in power and would do so again - no matter how he might offend their image of themselves. Or as Clinton said 'the deplorables.'
There are many good solid caring Republicans who had to hold their collective nose to vote for Trump, for the sake of what they most profoundly care about - guns, zygotes, the primacy of religious creed, GOP small government, dominating the Supreme Court.
There were Republicans who voted for Biden. But not enough.
Logo - great if unattractive way to describe him.
Yes.
I despise the man and his antics, but he is not the worse in the world since Hitler -- look at Al Bashir, Milosevic, Putin, al-Sisi, XinJinping, etc., etc.
Yes, many horrible controllers and manipulators. Trump’s impact —making it clear to the other dictators of the world that America would no longer stand in their way —seems greater to me. But that might be because I’m affected personally now and wasn’t before. All my privilege showing.
Well in fairness to Trump /s, he doesn’t live in a country where it is easy to become “the worst in the world since Hitler”.
Give him the opportunity and he could very well outdo all those whom you named.
That there are or were worse autocrats is certainly a source for lessons to learn from on what to do. No equivalence or well that's how the world of politics goes thinking for me though. Trump is leading the destruction of OUR democracy. I'm past the stage of understanding and theorizing about who and how we got here. Time is not on our side, you think?
Jamie Raskin's personal travels in Unthinkable is a must read. I fear we could be repeating the mistakes of the impeachment efforts.
Jeffrey Edward Epstein
I want to remind people that the Republicans have been patiently, slowly, and mercilessly building toward anti-democratic rule for decades. As a formerly right leaning moderate, I have not yet sorted my feelings about how unseriously I took those actions.
Trump is the monster that came out of their systematic undermining of what most of us hold dear in this country. They did not pick him; almost none of them wanted him; and they feared him. They wanted to continue their dirty work on the quiet, in a controlled manner and PICK their dictator. But in the worst kind of way, he catapulted the right wing's agenda to the point where only those consumed with the most depraved self-interest, a chilling disregard for anyone or any law that gets in their way, with an "ambition" unleashed that would murder and maim in the name of maintaining this malignant power are in control of their so-called party.
He IS the worst thing that has happened to the world since Hitler. A very different personality with none of Hitler's *long term* strategic abilities (short term, he's a master; long term he's hopeless), he has, with lots of help from our enemies within and without, unleashed something akin to what Hitler unleashed. I still, however, hold out hope that the explosive revelation of what has really been going on in our cherished country can yet save us. If the quiet march had continued, would millions of us know as we do now??
Please don't misunderstand me. I know that at BEST we are in for many many protracted legal fights in 2022, violence of an unknowable level. And at worst, well, I do not need to write out those words, and, frankly cannot. I am terrified. Four months ago, in yet another acute state of panic, I stopped reading or listening to all political news with the exception of Heather's letter. I had no choice if I wanted to preserve some part of my ability to function.
I still get panicked. But at least I'm not spending hours a day down Twitter rabbit holes nearly incapacitated. And I can remember just a little more easily that we do not know what is going to happen. Ever. At any moment. And to try now to stay in the present. That doesn't mean I've stopped doing what I can to help, but in a manner that doesn't destroy me every moment, every breath.
Interesting point about Trump and how he shone a light, in the most horrifying way, on the malevolence of what Republicans were doing quietly for decades. While he fired up so many followers and inspired so much hatred and division, he also woke us up, made us pay attention. I just hope it’s not too late.
It is breathtakingly frightening, Nomi. But we must, however we can, overcome the darkness.
Isn’t it ironic that someone can say “he is the worst thing that has happened to the world since Hitler” and you realize that it doesn’t sound like hyperbole?
We need to include Putin too!
I did!
No. The worst thing that has happened since Hitler is the 74 million voters who think Trump and hus sycophants are patriots.
Until January 6, 2021, I would have called this an exaggeration. After January 6, I have to agree.
What an horrendous scenario looms before us should the GOP take control of Congress! While we all want to see tfg and his clan behind bars, the mayhem such a reality now portends is nothing short of disturbing -- ominous, to be more precise.
"[T]here is a twist to it: if Republicans can convince their voters that Democrats have engaged in partisan prosecutions of Trump and his allies, the Republicans can justify partisan prosecutions of Democrats as soon as they get the opportunity, just as Gingrich suggested. If this rhetoric works, Trump can undercut legitimate prosecutions, while Democrats will become fair game for partisan prosecutors.
This is indeed, ... the language of authoritarianism."
Many thanks to you, Heather, for being our truthsayer with incomparable truthsense -- no ifs nor buts.
"We are the mountains and rivers..." Please read Hubbell, https://roberthubbell.substack.com/p/persisting-during-challenging-times?utm_source=url
Thanks for the link. I also always think of Indigenous and Black peoples who have endured unspeakable horrors and are, like the mountains and rivers, still here.
I’m a daily reader—I recommend Hubbell, as well
I get a good shot of positivity from reading Hubbell with my morning coffee.
Nice routine, Daphne. I’ve found Hubbell’s spoken version soothing in the evening, as I transition from work to chill mode.
Me too
Thank you for sharing Hubble, Kim!
Terrifying
Indeed the possibilities are frightening. Perhaps TFG will be where he belongs- behind bars. Yes, I know, dream on.
Other NYC real estate barons have served time. Leona Helmsley comes to mind. As HCR has pointed out more than once, financial crimes are relatively easy to prove, as all the evidence is there in b&w. Trump himself told the world just a few days ago that his properties are all worth much more than stated in their filings. A big question is whether he will throw his kids under the bus. After all, he does have one more male heir in reserve.
"Eric? Never hear of him. He may have brought coffee once or twice."
The double edged sword that tfg used to raise valuations for loan purposes while subsequently lowering them for tax reasons means, as he now claims their value is higher still, the other edge of the sword becomes sharper
He is ignorant to a fault
He is not ignorant, he is arrogant.
I won't be satisfied until he and his gang are stripped of their US citizenship and given a one way ticket to Moscow
Cant we just put them in a leaky rowboat? Why do we have to pay for their tickets? We have been paying for years for his stupid campaign rallies. He never attended any event where there might be more democrats than repubs including the Kennedy Center.
I would not wish them on the people of Russia.
Let me see… How many boxes of Top Secret classified info are still at Mar-a-lago and to what extent is he using it to blackmail our Nation’s security?
He shall be Al Caponed.
We can flip a Republican Congressional seat in Michigan! "Dr. Bob" Lorinser is a superb Democratic candidate with not only public health experience but 10 years of sevice in the U.S. Diplomatic Corps overseas. https://www.votedrbob.com/
Thank you for alert to this race, MaryPat. Will support. On it.
THANK YOU!!!
To elect a Georgia governor who would undo the repressive voter suppression laws that Kemp is enacting, along with Kemp's aim to stop fundraising by his opponents (https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/02/15/abrams-perdue-fight-gop-fundraising/), please consider supporting the campaign of Stacey Abrams: https://staceyabrams.com/
Also please contribute to the campaign of Sen. Raphael Warnock (https://ballotpedia.org/Raphael_Warnock) so we don't lose him as the other Democratic senator from Georgia: https://warnockforgeorgia.com /contribute/
Thanks.
Mim Eisenberg, years ago, I was a “damn yankee” (Northerner living in GA). We need both victories!
MaryPat Sercu - MI, thanks. I will checkout Dr. Bob's race!
Thank YOU!!!
Wish he was in my district. I have to desl with Moolanoor
When you know who will be opposing Rep. John Moolenaar on the Democratic ticket, post it here on HCR's site with a link! I am in awe of and so grateful for all the readers who have supported our campaign to elect Democrat "Dr. Bob" Lorinser of Marquette to oust our current Northern Michigan/Upper Peninsula Republican seditionist Rep. Jack Bergman (of Louisiana - bought a cabin in the UP to claim residency). Moolenaar had an excellent Democratic opponent in the last election. There is hope!
https://www.votedrbob.com/
John Moolenaar was a nice kid and his family a little religious. Then, along with a lot of other Midland, Michigan kids, he grew up to promote the company bible, too. Dow Chemical is the dollars behind The Heritage Foundation, and Rep. Moolenar is a voice of The Family (which hosts The National Prayer Breakfast). When I lobbied at our Capitol in Lansing, he was always very nice to me, and asked about my sister (childhood friends), then voted against our cause. Michigan's new redisticting plan puts the city of Midland in Rep. Kildee's district which includes Flint. Saginaw and Bay City. Kildee is a Democrat. So Moolenar is "moving" so he does not have to run against the popular Kildee, and can still represent the remaining part of Midland county and beyond. There could be hope.
https://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw-bay-city/2021/12/kildee-moolenaar-to-avoid-2022-election-showdown-despite-midlands-congressional-map-shift.html
P.S. Many thanks to my sister for educating me through the many books she has sent me, and inspiring me through many discussions about The Republican Party, The Family, The Heritage Foundation and much more.
Kevin McCarthy admitted years ago that that’s all Benghazi was, and he lost the speakership because he blabbed. “Partisan witch hunts” are nothing new for the GOP.
They just hate it when they’re being (justifiably) investigated. There MUST be consequences. If 1/6 dies on the vine and they regain majority, no good will come of it.
Damn, I knew that at the time. Must be a genius. Hahahaha
Rowshan Nemazee, the GOP already has done what Gingrich is threatening. They had 9 Benghazi investigations. They are changing elections laws to undo democracy. We are at war now. To draw a parallel, Putin has 150,000 soldiers and equipment lined up along Ukraine’s border and has broken the ceasefire many times, but technically, he has not yet started the war. But the GOP did start the war. We are at war now.
Yes, we are, but it's going to get much worse -- deadlier, in fact -- if they're in the majority.
Trump and his mimics are acting right out of Putin’s play book. If we lose the Democrats and all of their fair and honest leaders in our White House we are f—-!
Maybe our team will learn to play their way. Fair and honest and Legal seem to be losing in America.😢
We will ALWAYS win if we ALL vote.
PLEASE VOTE AND SUCCESSFULLY PURSUADE MANY OTHERS TO VOTE INTELLIGENTLY PLEASE
I would say out of Hitler’s playbook, it’s the Republican way, long before chump, but he’s the master
I'm sorry, I don't mean to offend, but to my mind, using the name of "Hitler" as a model for today's Republicans diminishes the horror of the extermination of 6 million Jews.
Certainly, one can compare their agenda with that of totalitarianism and authoritarian regimes, but not with the so-called "man" himself.
Absolutely no intention to diminish the horror, but to my mind, we should elevate chump to his level of evil as laid out in Mein Kampf. To not recognize where he is headed is folly. A section of Murphy's translation made my blood run cold. Twitter certainly didn't like the comparison, although with Goebbels. Yes, Nazi will do, but isn't that what they call Dems??
They do, but should we lower ourselves to their level?
I have made comparisons to his use of "Hitler's Playbook" as early as March 2016. They are obvious and even more respected politicians (Obama) have later drawn the comparison & danger of not acknowledging these facts. The Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels even coined "The Big Lie" which we are dealing with currently.
Yes, Rowshan. Completely agree. I keep names out of my mouth. The fight is against authoritarianism. Not against any vile, naked, disgraced and long dead emperor.
HCR daily gives clarity and historical reference to the battle that is upon us so that the people can unite and defend our democracy. Then it will be possible for us to burnish it.
I have up until lately been on board with your way of thinking. But not so much anymore. I believe that Trump, given the chance, has the potential to be as evil as any of the most evil dictators in history. That includes Hitler. To declare Hitler off limits only works to desensitize us to Trump's and his party's actions today. Bring it on.
I was shocked years ago when Rove, Gingrich, and especially Fox used Goebbels propaganda strategies, then chump used the big lie on Obama, then HRC, and then his coup de gras re the election. This comes right out of Mein Kampf (Murphy translation). “For The grossly impudent lie always leaves traces behind it, even after it has been nailed down, a fact which is known to all expert liars in this world and to all who conspire together in the art of lying.”
This would include the entire Republican Party; not sure about the cult nuts who apparently believe the insanity, but innocent, they are not…
Georgia Girl, we already are f--!
I only wish democratic leaders could be fair and honest. Sadly, our system of candidacy requires begging for shocking amounts of dollars from big money interests.
And from those of us retirement annuities
yes, reality beckons.........wonder if Bernie has the power to get them out for Democrats.
Yes, Sophia! While not voting-focused, these youth put a smile on my face:
https://youtu.be/Lzt3gFgYVYk
You can almost smell the desperation and fear in Trump's screeds. He's not swaying new supporters to his corner but trying to stop defections. He makes Hillary Clinton sound like a female James Bond with super powers. Talk about unhinged.
The sooner the Jan. 6 committee can present a damning, easy-to-grasp narrative of his coup attempt, the better. Same for New York officials who need to publicly quantify how many millions of dollars Trump has avoided in taxes.
But the banks that loaned him hundreds of millions of dollars may be the first to bring Trump to his knees, a blow that would be far more humiliating for his eggshell psyche. It's reasonable ask whether he can emotionally and even physically withstand the accelerating cracking and ultimate crushing of that egg.
Have banks cut him off and the creditors call in their loans, and all of a sudden he doesn't even own a suit to wear to his sentencing. I want to see him penniless.
If Trump were penniless he still has his megaphone and his anger and his lunatic fringe followers. Hitler was sent to jail but after he came out he was more powerful than ever and created the Final Solution.
Hitler was 34 when that happened. Trump is 75 - any jail time for him will be "life". He won't be leading any revolutions from inside a pine box.
Fred Trump, Trump's father, lived to be 93.
That means Trump has 18 years left if he matches his Dad's extended stay on this planet.
So, plenty of time for him to spend 6 months in jail and exit and build an American Treblinka.
Fred was trim and fit. I’ll bet his intake of MickyD was minimal by comparison.
Back in the day when you could comment on Yahoo news, after the "hamberder" incident, I posted that we "should all engage Door Dash or Uber Eats to send cheezberders/XL fries/XL Diet Cokes to the WH" to aid mother nature. I got some REAL NASTY replies, LOL!
Lordy, most depressing post yet.
Point well taken.
One can only hope!
And I wonder how his fellow inmates would treat him, too. Or would he have special protection as a former president. Secret service following him about. Talk about an awful assignment!
I have a guess that if convicted TFG would be held under house arrest. I have no idea what the law would be in this case.
He shall be Al Caponed. In prison.
The concept is pleasing—yes he’s almost 80.
Rupert Murdoch’s evil reach just expanded as he aged. He is way past pine box time.
And Hitler could read.
🤣😂
WaIting…
I would like to see Trump penniless, but it would be up throwing to see him butt naked.
Jared Kushner is lining up the necessary financial backing in the Middle East.
Just in case.
https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2022/2/10/jaredkushnermet-with-saudi-crown-prince-on-recent-regional-tour
Maybe Jared will move the Saudi based Al Qaeda to the US now? Fight the Democrats?
"It would appear so. A puzzle." Like chessmail at mindspring.com
That was his mission, as I recall: Jared was going to fix up the Middle East problem.
With the Saudis in charge of all. What could go wrong….
Given their support for 9/11 and chopping Khashoggi into pieces, being a backstop for Trump comes as no surprise.
But, Saudi Arabia is a long-standing American ally. 🤷🏻
But I have to wonder if that is still to be counted on since MBS took over, and especially since the relationship has been corrupted by chump and Jared. BTW, the two events that you mention makes my cognitive dissonance spin like a top
Trump will probably send Giuliani to get legal advice from Mohammed bin Salman
Wearing that barrel in Fifth Avenue.
And the emperor has no clothes, except an orange jumpsuit.
He didn’t have any the day of the escalator ride. I thought we really aren’t that crazy, but “we” were
And naked.
I spent the first half of my military career in communications, which required a high level security clearance. We were frequently evaluated for any vulnerabilities that would make us a target for blackmail or susceptible to bribes to divulge classified info. Financial problems were one of the most common causes for a clearance to be suspended or pulled altogether. While I’d love to watch tfg’s financial house of cards go up in flames, I think in his desperation for $$ he would sell out any and all classified intel he had from his days in the WH in the blink of an eye.
What could you imagine was the topic of discussion when he and Putin had that private meeting at the 2019 G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany. After meeting tRump took his interpreter's notes and told him not to discuss the meeting with anyone, including other U.S. officials!
Yes, that's the image still in my mind -- you could see frm Trump's body language how beholden and obsequious he acted toward Putin. Trump grasped Putin's hand like a man being pulled from shark infested waters -- while Putin smirked in response! And now we see a major change in attitude in Putin as he challenges NATO and western allies in Ukraine, exactly Trump's stance during his presidency.
Exactly the picture I have, "whatever you say Vlad"
So what about that interpreter. Don’t you think they have found that person and had him reconstruct the conversation. I would think it would be a matter of national security.
Her name is Marina Gross. Here's a good look at who she is and the issues that would arise if she were forced to testify. Keep in mind that Trump's infamous meeting with Putin in Helsinki isn't relevant to the work of the Jan. 6 committee.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/interpreter-marina-gross-notes-trumps-putin-meeting/story?id=60374126
Thanks, Michael. I understand (now) the reason she is not subpeonaed but don't you think this situation is different, given what we now know about tfg? Do we not all smell a skunk? Why would tfg tear up the notes? Has any other president done this? Does a president have carte blanche in dealing with foreign leaders? "Congressional Democrats have said they want to gain access to Gross' notes to understand what Trump may have spoken about with Putin."
I'd be doing follow-up if it were me, you bet! Yes, national security is at stake. Why we don't hear more about that meeting, is a mystery to me. Lots of unanswered questions about tfg's allegiances and deals.
Some of the things our government security units are involved with is better that we are not exposed too...Eh!?
If that wasn’t damning enough??? Hope it was not forgotten by those who can crack eggs…
Kompromat. Trump looked like someone who was reminded that if he didn't do what Putin demanded, the world would learn about some very dark sins.
Trisha I too held top secret/code word clearance. Regarding his classified intel, be assured that he flushed away these liquid assets. Hmmm, will he claim a tax deduction for ‘lost assets?’
Early in his candidacy he actually referred to himself as an asset in terms of the relationship with Putin. He was off by a few letters.
Did you notice that nobody is speaking about the classified documents he took home with him as momentos? It would be hard to convince me he wasn't already planning on selling secrets.
Martha For Trump nothing was classified except data on his and The Trump Organization’s finances. I recall his meeting with a foreign leader where he blurted out Top Secret/NoForn info that could have identified a key Israeli intelligence source in, I believe, Syria.
Also, as one who had held Tope Secret/Codeword clearance, little highly classified material has much value a year or two later, unless it related to the manner of collection (including sensitive sources.) Besides, Blabbermouth Donald would be incapable of distinguishing between classified and unclassified material. Remember that he took bromance Putin’s word over the highly classified intelligence from his own government.
He would indeed, or sell his children
He did have 15 boxes of stuff stowed at Mar a Lago, much of it valuable to “collectors”.
Not sure what the chances of J6 committee succeeding on this, but it sure will be a cause for celebration if they do!!
“The House Oversight Committee is asking the General Services Administration to consider terminating the lease for the Trump International Hotel in Washington, DC, before the former president's business can sell it, in light of allegations that the Trump Organization submitted false financial statements to the federal government.“ https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2022/02/17/politics/trump-hotel-old-post-office/index.html
Woohoo
Love it!
I keep wondering if the GSA has a clause in the lease requiring GSA approval of whomever said lease might be sold. In San Diego, where there are numerous leases on public parkland in Mission Bay Park, the leases have such a clause. I'm not aware that sale of a lease was ever blocked but it did enable requirements that the potential buyer provide documentation of their financial ability to properly operate the leasehold. Lease revenues above a given cap (City Charter) go into a fund established to provide funding for projects in Mission Bay and other San Diego City regional parks. Surely GSA would have similar requirements. And were do the D.C. hotel revenues go, for what publicly beneficial purpose?
I long for the banks to crack the egg.
I. Think the egg is getting wobbly.
I've got a good omelette pan at the ready.
I don't think I'd soil my omelet pan with that mess.
Heart
Well, if that egg cracks open, you may want to stand back because it’s a rotten one!
Logically, if Hillary was all that and a cup of tea besides....why didn't she win, huh, orange idjit?
Every drone in that party is so busy ramping up the hysterics they never stop to think whether their narrative is even credible...oh, wait...I'm talking about the party in truth denial: the party of no platform, no new ideas, no policies other than profit, hatefulness and revenge at any cost.
BIGOTRY IS THE PLATFORM...ALWAYS HAS ALWAYS WILL BE
Cult all the way
The audience they're lying to isn't known for critical thinking skills.
Everyone would like to see Trump's knees buckle, but the thing with sociopaths is that they lack consciences and accountability and sleep well at night because they don't give a sh*t.
Yet he *does* "give a sh*t" if his personal estimation of his wealth is questioned in any way. And I believe he also "gives a sh*t" about being portrayed as a LOSER! Sociopaths have egos even bigger than the average egotist.
bigger and much more fragile. Like a huge soap bubble...
You nailed it.
He is most deserving of every horror filled indwelling moment as his reality dissipates like beach fog being burned off during a bright sunny morning...the truth will set us FREE from his twisted deceptions soon, and forevermore...and even longer!
Glory
Your words to G-d's ears.
Not without pulling the pin on his grenade
🙏🏻🙏🏻
Thank you, but this word AU THO RIT AR IAN ISM just won't do.
Six damned syllables to stick in any throat even before they fail to enter thick skulls.
This is the language of TYRANNY, the verbiage of oppressors...
This is "What dictators do / The elderly rubbish they talk".
The successors of Mussolini, of Hitler, of Stalin have risen up in another attempt to destroy democracy. And democracy lies critically ill. Now. In what claimed to be its heartland.
We -- We the People -- have to find the faith, seek the words, do whatever it may take to defend, revive, restore it.
For our children's future.
For the future of the planet we are so privileged to inhabit.
Well, doing something about Trump is not so easy. The entire structure of the United States of America is set up to protect him from every possible threat.
Nothing worthwhile is ever easy.
Easy is what that man and his backers want. Exclusive freedom for them to do whatever they like, and exclusive ownership and control of what will once have been "the Law".
The fools don't even realize that "easy" is not healthy... Least of all for themselves.
Having said which, the priority of priorities is to do with DT what must be done to protect America and the world. The choice is simple:
Justice or tyranny.
#
As for my comment, for heaven's sake let's use words with resonance, words that everyone can understand!
Cult evil.
Another step closer to getting trump and Jarvanka into the courtroom. I like it. I can't wait to see it happen.
Ads must split-screen Trump saying that pleading the Fifth is for losers in contrast to his own “I can’t recall” responses and pleading of the Fifth Amendment. No doubt, questions will be asked which make that kind of answer look pretty shabby. I can’t wait for Trevor Noah, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel. . .
Lawrence showed tape of Trump's deposition in the Trump U prosecution. He couldn't tell the truth if you threatened him with a loaded gun aimed at his head. All they have to do is "needle" him in the questioning, and he'll explode. He's the kind of client no lawyer ever wants on the stand.
Yes, TC. That is what we need to remember. It is the reason every fight is made to keep him off the stand. He will implode right after he explodes. My key takeaway from Professor Richardson today is that it’s moving to a point where “taking the fifth” is not going to be an option.
Waiting with glee
He'll get caught as soon as he says "I didn't say that", when AG James has the letter he wrote saying he did. He is a lawyers worst nightmare as he can't keep his mouth shut.
That’s if they get him on the stand. Not a sure thing, to say the least.
How about Merrick Garland?
I do believe Mr. Garland has found a proper rock for himself to crawl under and has, like Merlin's rabbit, disappeared.
Maybe a bit of knowledge will encourage all of our understanding of a process few of us realize must be precise, because if his pronouncement is premature the enormous tragedy suffered by all of us will most certainly be Authoritarianism rule by the moneyed elite.
to wit:
Garland wrote his 235-page honors thesis on industrial mergers in Britain in the 1960s. Garland graduated from Harvard in 1974 as class valedictorian with an A.B. summa cum laude and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Garland then attended Harvard Law School, where he was a member of the Harvard Law Review.
AND
https://www.politico.com/story/2016/06/merrick-garland-american-bar-association-224593
Totally disrespectful, in my opinion, to discredit Atty Gen Garland who was handed the judiciary in complete and total criminal disarray. It physically shocks me to hear a fellow patriot on this forum suggest that he has crawled under a rock like an insect.
Ewww
I agree, Christine. That comment was so despicable I thought it must be a troll. The work of the DOJ is ongoing and successful, and much of it has to be SECRET, or America loses democracy.
Not.
Wouldn't it be grand to have Noah, Colbert and Kimmel doing the questioning??
“Waiting” is the game Trump plays. Appeal,appeal,appeal….
We must shut him down!!!
Absolutely! I'd like to hear the judge soon say, "No more delays. No more appeals. If you don't show up for trial, you're in contempt of court and will go immediately to jail. If you do show up and disrupt the courtroom with outbursts, you will be watching your trial from your jail cell."
A NY State Supreme Court justice rules that TFG and offspring must submit to subpoenas and testify in a NY state civil trial. They intend to appeal...to whom? To the entire NY State Supreme Court panel of justices? When does one reach the end of the trail with respect to appeals?
It's not a federal question, so once the NY court rules, it's over.
With Trump it's never over. He'll find a friendly judge or official somewhere who'll help him appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Money talks
Good.
He’ll definitely appeal to SCOTUS, claiming a violation of the c US Constitution. His game is not to win, but to drag out the proceedings. Once all appeals are exhausted, he’ll sit for a deposition and respond “I don’t recall” to all questions.
Nathan I don’t believe that the Stench Court can save Trump’s fat ass on this state judicial matter.
Those poor children and their loving father! Good, honest business people (I nearly said workers), and yet you'd say they are very anxious about something. What can the matter be? Wouldn't it all be easier if they just complied, and lied? That's worked well for them in the past. In fact, their supporters only believe lies, it's an act of faith. And if they swear an oath on the Bible, that's fine, they've done so before: it makes no difference to anything, and it looks impressive in a photo, even if the Bible turns out to be upside down. They need to be careful about taking the Fifth, though: it does tend to look like self-accusation.
Letitia is tough in a good way. She’s not letting this slide away. The noose is tightening.
Such sly, wry humor.
Anne-Louise Is an oath on a Bible valid if you have never read it and hold it upside down?
Lying under oath, particularly when the prosecution already knows & can document the true answer, is perjury.
We've got to stop saying or implying that TFG held the Bible upside-down. He didn't and that's been verified many times. It just looks like he did because he was so awkward with it, no surprise What he did that day with his photo-op stunt was bad enough.
Thank you. I could see that right away. Has anyone ever seen bookmark ribbons hanging from the top of the bible? Besides, the words "Holy Bible" are clearly visible at the upper part of the spine.
Correct. I was sure he'd held it upside-down, but I checked with SNOPES and Youse (MaryB, and Judith Swink) are correct.
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-hold-bible-upside-down/
My cousin said that he has his mothers Bible and using it for his inauguration. She is certain that he has read parts of that family Bible. Trumps mother did not know English when she came to this country. Her family Bible has to be written in Gaelic. I don’t believe that Trump has ever read any portion of that Bible.
Trumps mother was Scottish. They speak English in Scotland.
Great question, Nathan: “When does one reach the end of the trail?”
Be aware that in New York State 'the Supreme Court' refers to the New York County trial court, which is comparable to the Superior Court in, say, California, and other states. Some states refer to the trial court as a Circuit Court, or some other court of original jurisdiction. In Massachusetts, the term Supreme Court in colonial times meant the Massachusetts legislature, so, to differentiate the highest appellate court in that state, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts designates its appellate court as the Supreme Judicial Court. It's one of the vagaries of American history. As I recall, there is an Appellate Division in New York State that acts as an intermediate appellate court; but having never practiced law in New York State, I know only what I hear from others. Nonetheless, Judge Engoron's eight-page Memorandum of Decision and Order is bulletproof. I saw no appealable issues worthy of even a cursory review. The fact that Trump's lawyers intentionally misrepresented the legal issues in the case is not going to help Donald Trump or any of the Trump family defendants in the case. Essentially, they are whining about the happenstance of a civil suit and a criminal investigation proceeding in parallel. As Judge Engoron noted, the existence of a criminal investigation does not act as a bar to a civil suit in which a defendant may be compelled to testify under oath. Judge Engoron also ruled that the Trumps' Fifth Amendment protections against criminal defendants being compelled to testify against themselves remains available to the Trumps, and in the civil depositions, they are free to decline to answer on grounds that a truthful answer would likely subject them to criminal liability. On the other hand, the defendants' 'pleading the fifth' in the civil case creates an inference that the Trier of Fact may use to decide that any answer that the defendants might have given on the merits of the case would be adverse to their defense; in effect, 'pleading the fifth' is a tacit admission that they are guilty of crimes that would negate their civil case defenses. They cannot have it both ways. Their choice is to tell the truth, or have their silence interpreted by the court as an acknowledgment of their guilt. They have the chance to tell their side of the story if there is anything in their version of the facts that would be favorable to them in the civil case; with the Trumps, their refusals to answer the questions directly and forthrightly automatically set them up for a finding by the court that they have no legal defense to the charges brought against them. That default judgment would be used by the appellate court as reason enough to reject the Trumps' appeal in summary fashion. The appellate panel assigned to hear the case can also readily see that the appeal was interposed for delay only, with nothing going to the merits. Given that posture, there is no requirement for the appellate court to require a briefing schedule and oral argument on a case that has no legs whatsoever. Nothing in the law requires a court to waste its time hearing off-the-point arguments that go nowhere. In the meantime, the Trumps are required to appear for their depositions and answer the questions put to them, such answers as they might choose to give. Whatever consequences they suffer were of their own making.
In NY the lowest state courts are called “Supreme” courts. Their decisions can be appealed to appeals courts and ultimately to the state Supreme Court. See:
https://ww2.nycourts.gov/courts/8jd/structure.shtml
I believe his attorney probably can appeal for a full NY SC en banc hearing.
I believe that Trump’s appeal to the full NY SC has as much chance as a snowball in hell—-and my apologies to being unkind to a snowball.
I can't help but think back to Trump's visits to Russia to see Putin and China to see Jinping where I assume he asked them what moves he should make to take absolute power. Because when he returned home and was asked about the visits he said they were very informative! It appears so. He has learned their methods well. I have never in my life heard a former US president sound like a Politburo apparatchik until Trump. It is uncanny.
As a child, I was taught that personal integrity, honesty, courage, compassion, generosity and like things constituted good and Godly character. But this - “… if Republicans can convince their voters that Democrats have engaged in partisan prosecutions of Trump and his allies, the Republicans can justify partisan prosecutions of Democrats as soon as they get the opportunity, just as Gingrich suggested. - There’s no honor here - only depraved souls hellbent on the death of our society and nation.
Heather’s defending our constitution and society by doing what she does. I think of us LFAA readers as firefighters in a bucket brigade - pitching in to extinguish the fires of liars.
You should see the behaviors of the dumpty supporters. The parents are creating a huge mess they’ll have to deal with for the rest of their lives! You contact them about behavior and they literally do nothing to help discipline their child! And suggest that their child didn’t even do it or they did it because I hate them. And the other extreme rarely but sometimes, the child craving affection. Starved for what they aren’t getting at home. I just keep focusing on integrity, self discipline, and compassion. So far they haven’t figured out a way to twist it that I’m not a fit teacher.
Please hang in there! Our “baby girl”––my love name for her––teaches 9th grade social studies and history. Whenever we talk with her we hear some of the horror stories that are taking place in our schools today.
The dismantling of our civilization––such as it is––is a tragedy and a crime. It is happening at the foundational level––our schools––and at the tippy-top of society––our governmental institutions!
I truly believe that we must begin rebuilding our communities from the ground up. Organizing and reorganizing our neighborhoods may provide some protection should the worst-case scenario come to pass. No matter what the future brings––short- or long-term––we will need reimagined institutions to take the place of those that are torn down, or collapse from the sheer weight of their corruption.
If we can link up with like-minded neighbors and begin planning for every eventuality, we will find life in the immediate future more bearable, and our children and grands will have a much more productive and fulfilling existence.
I say we get started as soon as the sun is up!
Steve Bannon’s vow to destroy the administrative state is well on the way. It must be countered at EVERY level.
Well said, Bill! This neighbor is on board with your plan, but prefers the not-sun-up shift!
Hi. AshleyR! I appreciate your support of the idea but must admit that the last line was really meant as a sort of, rah, rah, win one for the Gipper exhortation. Sort of like mr unmentionable’s, “let’s march to the Capitol, boys; I’ll be right there with you” (or words to that effect).
I, too, am a 2nd or 3rd shift kinda guy. If I’m conscious at sunrise, I’ve been up all night!
Hope you are well, and please stay safe.
Hang in there, Denise. Let them rail (because you can’t do anything to stop their performance anyway). You can’t know which children are seeing you as an example, especially if their parents are unstable.
Hang in there. Teachers like you are needed.
Thank You for ALL YOU DO and TEACH!
When I worked at public schools, the bullies were in jr high mostly, not administration. Yes, some parents wanted to bully the school but admin was not in cahoots.
And they won’t if you stay true to the moral oaths that you have chosen as an educator of children. Salud, Denise!
Jean-Pierre,
I can tell you that reading is good to inform you actions but reading these letters is not going to change anything.
Go find a public office to run for, and, run for it.
The Republicans are finding all the local offices and running for them with fervor.
That is what I am doing. Maybe it won't matter, but, mimic them. Get out and take over an office and then do what is right.
Reading this board is fascinating and ultimately informative but it is passive.
Also, make sure you can act more aggressively if needed. (that is all I will write here).
Wishing you all success! And I'm a little bit regretful that I am 74 and poor and so having to live in a far away country. About all I can do is absentee ballot vote. But I live for Heathers posts, which I often share and try to offer moral support. What else can I do?
Keep spreading the word about HCR. Last time I saw my hairdresser we talked politics and she'd not heard of her. When I called to make my next appointment the first thing she said to me was, "Thank you for HCR, She's saved my sanity." Of course more action needs to be taken, but, educating and informing is always important so keep at it, Susan. Everything you do matters.
Yes!
Susan-
I am in exactly the same position. I am now 75. I too can absentee vote.
What I want to know is what else can I do?
There is Democrats Abroad all over Europe. I don't know where else in the world though.
Susan and Heather, you could write Postcards to Voters: https://postcardstovoters.org/
Additionally, enjoy living in a “far away country,” especially if it offers you more solace than these crazy “united” states!
Postcards are a good suggestion for many but if one is poor, buying postcards and paying postage can be a struggle, even more so if one lives in a "far away country".
Such a great point, Judith! Maybe resistbot would be a better option.
Yeah, you're correct about that. You might want to see if Democracy Summer is at work where-ever you are. Jamie Raskin's now deceased son started it, and Raskin talks about it in his book, which is absolutely terrific.
I'd run, but Massachusetts doesn't need me, and I'm too old to move to the sort of place where I wouldn't know anyone. But I'm giving a lot of money, and I will probably try to do other things like phone banking.
“[T]he fires of liars.” I like it! It has a ring to it.
Me too
That's the biggest question, Jean-Pierre. Will good triumph over evil?
An ‘enlightened’ editor posted my most recent New York Times comments:
1) “Trump seems like a human Bitcoin—his ‘wealth’ fluctuates wildly on a whim, and there seems no way to assess his underlying assets, with emphasis placed on ‘lying.’”
2) “A special dinner at Trump hotels: [Al] Capone a la Trump with Mafioso sauce.”
3) “The Trump family is attending court testimony school, practicing ‘I can’t remember’ and ‘Fifth Amendment.’ Trump has previously done badly when testifying under oath. Soon he will be contesting facts backed by mountainous evidence with his ‘false facts.”
Yep, Trump can and does do whatever he wants.
The manbaby with the best crocodile tears must definitely testify to James in person. No written answers as he got away with for Mueller.
So many questions. Where is Barr? Has he been called to testify to Jan 6 committee?
What’s a good word for someone who flushes incriminating documents down the toilet?? Did they burn out all their shredder motors? Or is it another big repub red herring?
Lying is wrong and never justified unless it’s “no those pants don’t make you look fat” — unless you are talking to manbaby 45.
Some good news to brighten your weekend:
https://link.vanityfair.com/view/616d7f917c337309c024aca9fxp2f.za4/c5109ff1
He is reported to have "spoken with" the Select Committee in late January. I don't think it was under oath.
Barr Barr black sheep
Have you any bull
Yes judge, yes judge
Eight barrels full
Has there ever been a more desperate and caged criminal? Instead of hiding, TFG is blaming everything and everyone he can think of and threatening retribution. He never knows when to stop. Let Shakespeare have the last word, “… me thinks thou dost protest too much.”
A narcissist like him does not stop. Can't stop. He thinks he is 100% right. About everything.
and must project his own "dark side" on his victim to be able to live his fan(a)tasies
A close friend who helped me through my divorce said now the whole world knows what it must have been like for you living with your Ex. She was speaking about all of the antics! Does dumpty also have Borderline Personality Disorder? Or just an alphabet soup of disorders?
Malignant narcissist, antisocial personality disorder (a mental disorder in which a person consistently shows no regard for right and wrong and ignores the rights and feelings of others.) and probably Borderline Pesonality Disorder. All three are Axis 2 diagnoses which indicates they are difficult, if not impossible, to treat. Characterological disorders all.
No therapy regimen, huh. Hahahahaha Some of these diagnoses likely apply to some of the cultists. At least a few that I have known. Some just Pharisees.
Probably both.
Malignant narcissist if the most common one, I think
I don’t believe he thinks he is right. He thinks he is entitled to whatever he wants….more and more. He is a despicable pig.
Shakespeare also wrote: “It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury Signifying nothing.”
I'm looking forward to the day when we've changed this world to one of equality for all -- in the law, in our respect for each other. Tonight I'm inspired by Josh Groban's song "You Raise Me Up"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Czs82sDv6jg It's for all of us to stand on mountains, to walk on these stormy seas and be more than we can be. It takes all of us. We the People, all of us this time, all of us NOW!
When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary
When troubles come and my heart burdened be
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence
Until You come and sit awhile with me.
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders
You raise me up to more than I can be
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders
You raise me up to more than I can be
Excellent post. Finding ways to activate and stay positive for activation is needed.
It would appear so. A puzzle. More via chessmail at mindspring.com
My all time favorite! Thank You Cathy! Will play my old CD over & over today!
Thank you Heather. Today's letter gave me a feeling of ice water in my stomach. I'm doing research for a project, and am learning about the Great Depression and how many Americans went to Russia and supported Communism. Russia was the only country to fight against the authoritarian threat of Mussolini, Hitler, and Franco. The Europeans and America could have lent support to those fighting against the fascists but didn't. This is how I'm feeling about Americans now. Where are the marches and voices decrying the evil that calls itself Republican?
Galilee, I ask myself that same question every single day.
Here at my daughter's house, my grandsons brought out the photo journal of the anti-nuclear rally in NYC, "You can't Hug with Nuclear Arms." It was a glorious effort. The kids found my picture: in front of the barricade at the Russian Embassy and then being carted away by a very nice police force. I was young then.
Decades later, my NYC church, Judson Memorial, made the golden calf that became an icon at the Occupy Wall Street sit-in. We opened our doors for the protesters - toilets and water, etc. Thanks, Gailee and Gus. I've been asking myself the same thing. Black Lives Matter is still trying to make headway...
Roughly half the country is on board for a dictatorship by the fairly dumb white guys.
Because, it makes them "feel" comfortable.
For Republicans, it is all about how they "feel".
Rational, logical, analytical thought is simply not part of the culture that is supporting the Republican Party now.
And, that part of America, which was always large, is now focussed.
That and their "sincerely held beliefs" (which, in any translation, is how they "feel".)
Right, Ally — “sincerely held beliefs” about their white privilege!”
It would appear so. A puzzle. Chessmail agrees from a mind spring perspective.
It's about time that you started to get into the war-time Murmansk convoys by which the Allies both fed and rearmed Stailn so that he could resist Hitler's onslaught at Stalingrad before the red army could start moving forward.
That's not my focus now. I'm on different soil that literally ran red with the blood of the innocent while America and other countries watched as they were begged for help, and American wealth supported the oppressors.
Surprise, surprise. Rich Americans supported dictators.
Do tell.
No doubt they were white as well!
Oh well...whatever fits the purpose as long as you stay grounded in what was real as opposed to being ideologically convenient.
Shame on you.
Oh dear i seem to have trodden on your toes! A knee jerk reaction on my part Unfortunately based upon your original assertion the Stalin was left on his own to fight fascism. I should have realized that such a limited view was accidental and wouldn't apply elsewhere. Sorry!
He was being a bit mischievous, wasn't he ;-)
A bit something.
They are being gunned down and run over in the streets. They have to find another way, so they use the law,, which after all, is more respectable, keeping to the higher moral level of behavior.
The capable legal reporter, Josh Gerstein, has article up at CNN. "Judge Orders Trump to Sit for Deposition ..." which contains a link to the Judge`s 8 page Order which lays out the procedural history of this "special proceeding". Trump(s) must produce documents in 14 days & sit for deposition(s) in 21 days. Delay has always been TFG 's main legal strategy but prospects for review of a discovery Order are very slim particularly since TFG shot himself in both feet with a self defeating public rant which was basically [paraphrasing] "Only I Know Everything".
"Only I Know Everything", Ah, Bryan, perfect title for another book.
Trump's language is belligerent and menacing. But what's scarier is that it's been normalized. His followers support him- and every one else keeps quiet. Before Trump, this kind of name-calling and the constant threats of violence would have shocked us. One of the early defenses of Trump was that his words don't matter. But words do matter and Trump has lowered the threshold for what's politically acceptable. What used to be outrageous now gets a shrug. At the moment, I'm worried that this debasement of political discourse is beginning to spread to Canada as well.
Richard, The decline in language signals a decline in society. Thank you for reminding us; it's part of Trump's performance style. He is far from alone in practicing this brand of criminality but, perhaps, quite exceptional at it.
George Orwell continues to be a fine instructor on the subject.
“But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.” — George Orwell, 1946
His essay, 'Politics, Propaganda, and War: the Debasement of Language in the 20th Century' written in 1946, is worth reading. See the link below. For a summary of the essay, see the link at the end of this comment.
https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-foundation/orwell/essays-and-other-works/politics-and-the-english-language/
https://www.litcharts.com/lit/politics-and-the-english-language/summary
That clairvoyant, truly Orwellian.
From LitCharts:
“He contends that language is both prescriptive and descriptive of civilization’s decline.”
Eeeek.
Ashley, a deep knowledge of the uses of language and keenly perceptive, Orwell was generally crystal clear in communicating his understanding. The attention we pay to language is best for all of us. It is worth considering the degrading use of language when depicting opponents/enemies, without tying ropes around music and art. Negative experiences and feelings need to be forcefully expressed, which does not mean making up words and twisting sentences into replicas of the ugly monsters. It may be less easy to covey our feelings using the English language, but that is one of the aspects of civil society we are working to protect.
Dear Fern, I agree.
I am all but obsessed with words and languages, personally and professionally.
With communications both verbal and written, I’m often guided by:
thoughts lead to words and words lead to action. That mantra often governs my non-work words (past can haunt).
Your words resonate — it is important to be expressive and stand up to negativity, always.
Yes, Ashley, and I mean to rule out rigidity. Play, inventiveness and experiments with language are part of its life. Degrading, however, is increasing along with the hate, and sometimes feels like a wildfire.
I am going to start calling the family of TFG, “The Whiner Family”. Eric took the 5th and now the rest of these thieves want to do the same. No matter, as it looks like Letitia is armed and dangerous with lots of evidence against them. Newt is a slimeball and always has been and I sure wish he’d go away, like 6ft. under.
Newtie's the other one whose corpse should rot off the rope as it twists in the wind.
Good gravy, YES! I've loathed that creature ever since he came out with the list of negative evocative words for Republicans to use while campaigning against Dems. He is a slimy sleazy parasite of the next to the lowest order.
I hate this bug with a passion, and have from the moment he deliberately drove a wall between both sides.
WW.
Whining Works.
Oh, my goodness, did you ever watch The Whiners on Saturday Night Live? So funny! And so apt.
I can envision TFG escaping the deposition (after inevitable appeals are exhausted) by some kind of health stunt. Remember, he has manipulated physicians very easily in the past, including the White House physician. Commander Bone Spurs could come out of retirement.
Or a health crisis could be real, if not before a state deposition, then between now and 2024. After all, you can only deal with large quantities of cortisol for so long — and his body is probably making it by the liter these days. I’m not a doctor, can’t say for sure. Just common sense is all. He has created a rigidly small place for his mind to live, where his self-worth depends on myths that are about to be exposed, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if his own body takes him to the sidelines, or worse.
How his troops might react then is anybody’s guess; I am expecting things to go badly no matter what happens — even if, heaven forbid, he somehow returns to the White House. But I also expect that we have bigger problems on our hands, and so, right now, does Himself.
Trump will not have any health crisis. Trump is the luckiest man on earth.
A person with no true friends is unlucky in life. Ever grasping for more and more, he'll never experience joy or contentment
And the healthiest….and don’t forget virile….
With those large hands 😏
Vermontgirl57, like many other abilities and endowments, if you have to claim your virility, you simply don't have it.
It's why men buy the biggest motorcycles, yachts, trucks, etc. They are making up for something that was critically lacking at birth. Most males know that, and some even might feel sorry for the disendowed person. In Jabba's case, I don't....
Mike, Now he just needs to find a lawyer to attest to that.After all, he does have a talent for finding the "best" people....