Although few Americans paid much attention at the time, the events of February 18, 2014, in Ukraine would turn out to be a linchpin in how the United States ended up where it is a decade later.
It's still amazing to me how many people are willfully blind to these facts. I appreciate you doing what you do, Prof. Richardson. Is there other any way to get them to understand the importance?
I wrote about it in a couple of places in the Timeless & Timely newsletter:
I'm afraid the Republican war on education is running it course. MAGA peeps are conditioned to just follow Trump in whatever he says or does, along with the many cowardly Republicans who are OK with Putin and are ok with destroying democracy despite what they have said in the past. Their deceased relatives who fought for democracy must be turning over in their graves. I, for one, will not forget my grandfather and father's military sacrifices in fighting for democracy. I'm so disgusted by the cowardly Republican Party.
The Rebublican war on education began in California in response to the Free Speech Movement at UC Berkeley in the 1960s. The Rebublican power structure knew, as evidenced by the FSM, that an educated population would never vote for them, and as Heather has pointed out numerous times, they resorted to measures to disenfranchise voters and to call election results into question. But since that time, the dumbing down of the puplic education system was their most effective endeavor. When Ronnie Raygun became Governor in 1966, his first action was to appoint Max Rafferty as Superintendant of Public Instruction. Over night, curriculum focusing on critical thinking, the arts, civics, social studies and history were slashed, and replaced by regimented 3 Rs, Reading, Riting, Rithmatic. After a few generations of this program rammed down school districts across the country, what you see is what we got. We have only realized within the past few years that the Right wing has quietly been subverting our core institutions for decades, while screaming about the Commies doing the subverting. The MSM fell for this in spades.
And Bill Lee in Tennessee. Actually, any number of Republicans led states are following that path. It’s not only in the state houses though. It’s in the local BoEd with right wing Christian Nationalists quietly gaining the majority and turning public education dollars over to charters and vouchers. What is wrong with us Democrats who don’t see these manipulative actions until it’s almost too late? Here in Tennessee the most recent legislation wants to make it easy for charters to take surplus education properties and make it the responsibility of the County to fund renovations of said buildings. Talk about stealing public dollars for private education! It sickens me how we never see how dirty and self-serving these monsters are, nor can we believe how low they will go. Thank you, Dr. Richardson, for these daily reminders of the vigilance democracy requires.
One of Putin's strokes of genius was to allow religion back into Russia. It had been discouraged, to say the least, under communism. Putin recognized its power in controlling the poorly educated with superstition. And Reagan's poorly educated in this country comprise the base of the Republican Party.
Reagon.. ugh, and I'd add to your statement that "Reagan's poorly educated"...(etc) COMPLETES the picture. Russia has always had churches, but since the 1920's religion has not run the show. The 'olden days' of Russia were a much happier time for the peasant class, and worshipers, dukes and duchesses and bishops et al. Today, no one can fully fathom what goes on in countries like Russia or China because it is so suppressed. Not 'depressed', as the population has become used to it.., normalized is good. The (R) is becoming conditioned with a kind of perverse lifestyle.. "under God" and the testaments, which you can still choose.
And Ronnie helped in his unknown to him ignorant way with,"tear down this wall" and then thinking, ok job done.
I am leaving a lot unsaid but the US left its guard down when the USSR fell in 1991.
As one general that left Russia, I believe put it ( paraphrase) " we, the gov, KGB kept the Voy in check but they are loose on the world now." File under be careful what you want, you just might get it. Now the Voy & Putin as the government are one. And oligarchs in the west are loose among us to influence the western democracies. The GOP accepts their $ they have put it to use. Apparently, Putin is our friend now, gee who knew?Old Ronnie wouldn't believe it even in his sundowning grandpa stages.
Sorry, to say I didn't watch the news when I was younger. Now I hardly miss it and have it recorded so I can watch later if I am away from the house. Like, I will be at the Democrat meeting on Tuesday night during the time of the broadcasting. In 2021 when I was running for Treasurer I was told not to post anti-Republican messages on Facebook....because I would lose votes because of it. This year I will not hold my tongue. They can block me if they don't like what I post.
When political parties loose, they have two choices. Work new strategies to grow their base or work to decrease the voter rolls in general. Attacking public education is one of those. It’s subtle like gerrymandering, voter roll purges, reduction in polling places, etc etc. It’s all just modern poll tax and modern Jim Crow. We have a lot of work to do. We have to pass our vigilance to the next generation.
Can anyone tell me why Biden hasn't nominated a pro-post office person or two to the board of Govs yet? I thought he could now, and that that way we could get DeJoy away from power that he is so obviously abusing. So frustrating. My Republican mom complains about "how slow the mail is now, with Biden." ugh.
What is wrong with Dems who don't see? Well, "It's Complicated". I see that has become a commonly used trope nowadays. Ransom Rideout up above uses another popular trope coined by John Taylor Gatto in his 1992 book "Dumbing Us Down". I read that back then. It was a hell of a read. Anyway, it is 2024, 32 years since and yes, we have been dumbed down, dems and repugs. In 2005, George Carlin performed a routine that centered around education. It's Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PB4QpuuNF6c&t=5s If you haven't heard it, It is worth a watch.
Thank you...he spoke the truth....and wasn't careful with his words....however there are no better words he could have used. I am finding that out now that I am old. I can blame the fact that I have no filter...anymore.
Today's comments feel like a throwback to my younger years. My brother in law participated in the Free Speech Movement at Berkeley and Jack Gatto was a friend of mine at Cornell.
Barbara, I referred to John Taylor Gatto's book. Are we talking about the same guy? He was named Teacher Of The Year in NYS and NYC a few times. I we are, that is very cool.
I have no idea what "BoEd" stands for (the Ed part yes, but I've never seen the acronym "Bo"). Please enlighten me and probably many others, and please refrain from using obscure acronyms. (In one of my worlds, "ICE" stands for "internal combustion engine," and in another, ASM stands for American Society for Microbiology." I'm guessing you're not familiar with either.
There are basically three things that I have tended to give Reagan favorable credit for: Appointment of Sandra Day O’Conner to the Supreme Court, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall” and “Progress is our most important product” - oooppps, but that last one was GE or their PR company.
Not so fast on Sandy! As a former gop party operative in Arizona she could not do the right thing in 2000 because that would mean a democrat would become president!
Ronnie the grade B actor loved the sound bite! What he said had little to do with the what happened to the Soviet Union!
The Gorbachev comment that the Reaganites give credit to ending the USSR is nonsense. It was all Gorbachev's doing it had nothing to do with that comment.
You can stop giving Reagan credit for the second one, it was a line he delivered. He was good at delivering lines. And I doubt Sandra Day O'Connor was his idea.
She gave us W. Sorry but she was just one of the crowd, but she was not alone. Does Gorbachev get any credit, or just the script writer for a B star. Yeh, I'll give GE credit where credit is due.
Time Magazine in November, 2000 at an Election Watch party reported that “Justice O’Conner, upon hearing the network’s calling the election for Mr. Gore, exclaimed, “Oh, no. This is bad.”
She then went on some weeks later to turn her horror at a Gore win into a vote to stop the recount.
IMO, she was a dishonorable hack politician, just like Scalia and Rhenquist, using a legal education to force her political beliefs on the country.
What is strange is my friend believes that Ronnie was our Savior! I had never thought about it one way or the other. However, I now realize that he isn't the smartest cookie on the block and has only been lucky in life as far as financially. He was in Insurance for over 40 years. State Farm Innsurance!
Many years ago, Dr. Helen Caldicott, then president of Physicians for Social Responsibility, spoke at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Rockford, IL, which Iw as then serving a Sr. Minister. She told us that Reagan's daughter Maureen, had arranged for Dr. Caldicott to meet with her father at the White House. She reported that when she left the White House, she was in a panic. She took out a check list of symptoms of Altheimer's Disease, and Reagan was 10 for 10 while serving as our president.
Pattie Ormond, the goal is complete privatization of k-12 education. You can't afford to send your kids to school. Too bad . Just like in every other third world country.
What happens when you don't have money for private schools? We sent one of daughters to a very nice private school (our "problem" child-sound familiar but she was much much nicer ). We got a scholarship and a loan to pay for it. What if you are poor and cant get a loan? You get no education?
Karen Jacob, that is precisely why we need public education. It is for the common good, so that every child can get a quality K-12 education. For decades the GOP has intentionally defunded and demeaned public education to purposely engineer poor education outcomes for students. And in low-income areas in particular, they have infiltrated public education just to be sure to destroy it from every angle.
Why you say? To turn public sentiment against public education. So, they can say, look those children aren't getting a good education, but they forget to tell the public that that was their plan and they've been working on it for decades. The GOP has no principles. They only want power. Your child can suck dirt for all they care.
Their biggest donors want an end to public education; they want only privatization. Why? They all want taxpayer money to fund "their investments" in charter schools, religious schools, and other private schools, so they can make a higher profit off the backs of kids. Further, they want taxpayer money to "fund their scholarships" at "their schools" so they can make a higher profit off the backs of kids. And of course, privatization with taxpayer dollars means they can provide a poor quality education because the GOP will never legislate common and decent standards of curriculum or adequate levels for student proficency. Why? Because that would eat into their biggest donors' profits off the backs of kids, with taxpayer money, and no accountability for the quality of education they provide.
Private schools are fine, if they are privately funded for the reasons I've mentioned. I hope that you can see how using taxpayer money to fund them, as I have stated is an intentional ploy, one of many being perpetrated on the American people, to destroy public education and privatize it for their biggest donors. The GOP care only about attaining and retaining power. That's it. That's all. Kids can suck dirt for an education. The GOP doesn't care. But we should.
Karen Jacobs, P.S. I agree with your concern for undervalued children getting an education. They can only do so, if we stop underfunding education and instead fully fund it and honestly evaluate and improve practices within the education system. For undervalued communities, we especially need serious equitable funding.
As an example of not what to do, after Hurricane Katrina, the GOP swooped into a devastated, vulnerable, under-valued community and charter-schooled the education system, not to provide quality, uplifting education for our devastated children but to line the pockets of their big donors. This is the lens we must look through if we want our children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and so on, and all children to have a quality, public education now and in the future, something essential to Democracy. And the GOP know it.
Like Betsy DeVos in Michigan. But thankfully, we now have women at the top of our state government working to undo her evil. Isn’t it a shame when one has so much money, they use it for evil instead of good?
And the idiots running in the primary are blathering about Dems wanting to give money to illegals. No pushback, just abortion messaging. Dems had better wake up
I’m either a native Seattleite or a native Bostonian—it’s hard to tell! (I was conceived in the one, born in the other, and at 2 months old I returned to the first.) But I also went to UC Berkeley. And Ray Gun was worse than a curse.
And Ethereal Fairy Natalie, I really like your name. Partly because my border collie is Natalie. The first to parts of your name go so well with the last.
When FSM tried to engage UCLA, they asked students to attend a large hall, and the room was packed. A group of students who took the name RFSM
( RFSM: Responsible Free Speech Movement; but everyone knew they meant: Ratfuck Free Speech Movement) went in, sat in a star-shaped formation and began to question those on stage. RFSM used a tactic Communists had to disrupt a meeting. One after another they asked things like “You say you’re for Free Speech
. Why is it only you on stage?” RFSM disrupted the event and emptied the hall.
And never forget the campaign to pass Proposition 13--sold as a way to keep Grandma in her home, when in reality it was a massive gift to California's biggest corporations.
Ransom, I agree with you in part. But I grew up in San Francisco, and I was in grade school & college (the 1st time) in the 60s and 70s, and I got history, civics, and the arts in the form of live theater, (which was where I spent most of my time). Also, slightly off track, in high school I was able to take classes in Shakespeare and Science Fiction & Fantasy as Literature; I doubt kids can do that now! And from what I see, they don't seem to get any history - or am I wrong? I'd love to hear from others about this. So anyway, although the dumbing down of ed. started then, it took a while to take effect. (Lucky me.)
I agree, I grew up in Sacramento the same time you were in SF and I had the same education experience only music dept instead of theater. And remember, we also had geography! Latin was also a language class option. All public school experience. CA was in the top 10 states for best education then, I believe. The dumbing down was the result of Prop 13. That took away the investment of good education for the greater populous. We were very lucky!
Freeman’s remarks were reported the next day in the San Francisco Chronicle under the headline “Professor Sees Peril in Education.” According to the Chronicle article, Freeman said, “We are in danger of producing an educated proletariat. … That’s dynamite! We have to be selective on who we allow [to go to college].”
“If not,” Freeman continued, “we will have a large number of highly trained and unemployed people.” Freeman also said — taking a highly idiosyncratic perspective on the cause of fascism —“that’s what happened in Germany. I saw it happen.”
This is how college became so expensive. Among other attempts to dumb down Americans. It certainly appears to be working.
We are all more than disgusted. Giving up on democracy - holy cow. Dictators need to general fear and hatred to subjugate the other. For those who think that they are ok with a fascist dictator, I hope they pray and thank god that they are not considered one of the other for if they are not - look out.
Harvey Kravetz, they can't see the truth that history and our life experiences shows us, that eventually it will come to fruition that everyone is an other to a dictator and will suffer greatly.
Looking back 50+ years ago, very little was pushed on history. Civil and Revolutionary wars were big topics. I don't remember much except a few page handout about the Vietnam War (this was 1968). I think colleges should have an America history requirement so "recent" history is fresh in new voters' minds.
And now, Barbara, just a month b4 Russia's election, Novalny has been murdered, warning any other opposition candidate what is in store for them should they decide to oppose Putin.
Rachel Maddow's new book, "Prequel" talks about the even more subtle war against truth, and how it has been used by authoritarian regimes to sever citizens from reality and science to make them distrustful of "others" and especially of institutions, making people easier to lead. "Orwellian"
Think of the McCarthy hearings and how they eroded trust in government and justice.
Who was behind him? In a way he spawned the most cynical Republican tricksters, first Nixon, then Roger Stone and Manafort, even Justice Kavanaugh. The Republican War On Truth is built into their ideology. And it has been very successful.
But I hope part of their con is to make us forget that We are the majority, Democrats and Independents who are resistant to the lies.
And as Navalny said, we can't give up. I wish I had his vision for the future.
Thank you, Heather, for nudging back into the present the not very distant past. So much has happened in those 10 years, it's hard to keep all the pieces straight — and how they fit together.
We can all see the pivot point Ukraine teeters on. Tragically, a minority of U.S. members of Congress have left a still-free and courageous Ukraine potentially facing a horrible future. It's a future that America and its NATO allies can still prevent.
And let's drop the niceties: those Republicans, led by Putin-loving Trump, are working on Russia's behalf. They must be stopped.
Thank you Michael. To annotate those 10 years, exactly 4 years & 5 months after 2/18/14 on 7/18/19 and per the Center for American Progress, DJT withheld $250,000.00 in U.S. military aid from Ukraine & 1 week later on 7/25/19 in another "perfect" call DJT telephoned VOLODYMYR 🇺🇦 ZELENSKY urging him to contact Giuliani & William Barr to fabricate a fraud against then Vice President Biden. History is repeating itself on 2/18/24.
Doing the same today. Mt Gaetz-aligned Rep is a former military general of some other high rank, not sure. But I am amazed at his strict loyalty to trump, as orange man disses our military men and supports a dictator. I have often wondered how our rep kept his job in the military because he is a traitor to our country. It’s said a leopard doesn’t change his spots…
Is it the "battered wife" syndrome? You keep going back to the one who hurts you. or the military obeys orders no matter what and prefer to have a single person in charge of everything. However, there are generals who are appalled by what is going on. I only hope there will be some rational ones around when it comes time to carryout military actions. Someone who will filter the man who wants to blow up hurricanes with nuclear weapons. "Ding, ding, ding, ding, boom! Whoosh, boom!" trump's description of a nuclear bomb.
Don't forget the publicity supplied by Tucker (Sucker) Carlson. Russia is wonderful. Why are so many leaving that the Finns are closing down their border entrances?
Indictment. 'Facts' don't exist for many until proven in a court of law. Some people are 'above the law' until they are made to answer for violations of the law. The less we enforce the laws, the more they will be broken. There is a bevy of criminal activity mentioned in Heather's post tonight and but for Manafort's conviction/pardon, no one has been brought to account in a court of law. Merrick Garland has been a lap dog, perhaps appointed to counter GOP claims of bias which they make regardless of reality, so why bother with their 'concerns'?
I am getting the impression that Garland is going out of his way to try to remain impartial. Is he the one who assigns republicans to do reports on people like Hunter and Biden ( that last one was a doozy (nice old man with a bad memory?)
Scott, I’m not certain the cause for ignorance entirely is willful blindness. Frankly, I pin much of the blame on Bill Barr, whose truncated 2 1/2 page summary of the Mueller report had failed to capture Mueller’s detailed account of the collusion, admittedly not rising to the level of conspiracy based on the evidence investigators were able to obtain, between Russian operatives and the 2016 Trump campaign. The tragedy, despite the Mueller report including summaries for each section that carefully had been vetted for classified material and thus immediately could have been released to the public, was, instead, DOJ, for a full month, allowing the public access only to Barr’s deceptive and distorted synopsis, for which, accordingly, he never had to answer. I would add that Mueller’s I dare say seemingly impaired performance when he testified before Congress didn’t help.
My point is that the public, willfully being fed a junk synopsis vs. substantially drafted summaries, largely explains, in my view, the current climate of thought.
And even today, after telling Trump that he didn't win the election & describing Trump as being "Unfit for office", Bill Barr says he will vote for Trump over Biden.
Their goal is bigger than donald. He is a chaos-change vehicle to keep us diverted. Project 2025 is about the takeover and remaking of New Deal Liberalism. They want a corporate/christian nationalist state. They all think they stand to win in such a situation. People of color, LBGTQ+, and women will all be subservient to the mask of white-heterosexual hierarchical power. “As god intended”, they will say.
@MLRGRMI, Thank you for your sound reply to KMD’s question. I simply would add I view the so-called good people standing silently on the sidelines as moral accomplices whom we must reach if we’re to show that their human rights would be violated as well.
Yes, Barbara Jo Krieger, reaching those silent side-liners is an on-going greater goal. How to penetrate their apathy is a huge conundrum. We all have them in our lives, or cross our path daily. Those are our thousand chances a day to move-the-needle. But how to do it to make a true impact, and not just judge, lecture, and shut them up further? One sage observer said we will have to listen our way to their opening up. Because they so much do not feel heard. Until that happens, there’s no-room-at-the-inn for any other ideas to enter. Perhaps they’re constipated with fear and hate?
@KMD, I don’t believe I would answer your question any better than @MLRGRMI’s reply to you. I simply would add that we must reach out to the so-called good people standing silently on the sidelines—the moral accomplices, in my view—to show that their human rights also could be violated.
Sarah, I don’t believe I would answer your question any better than @MLRGRMI’s reply to KMD, both part of this thread. I trust you’ll find the reply and my follow-up response useful.
President Joseph R. Biden's message to the MAGA Republicans: "History is Watching ," (Letter) and the message has spread.
'Speaker Johnson says he has priorities. So why hasn’t he acted on them?'
'Four months into his speakership, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) is a leader in name only, failing to act on the policies he says are his priorities'
'Johnson has spoken repeatedly and sometimes vehemently about pending issues. He has called for tougher policies to halt the surge of migrants coming across the U.S.-Mexico border. He has said he favors additional aid for Ukraine in its war against Russian aggression and more assistance for Israel in its war with Hamas. But he has delivered on none of this, even when given the opportunity for action.'
'Johnson’s actions fall far short of words. In fact, they have been in conflict. Johnson keeps finding loopholes or excuses or rationales to avoid acting on the very priorities he claims to support. He is another exhibit in what has become the story of House Republicans, which is a failure to meet or even recognize the demands of governing, one of them being a willingness to compromise.'
'On Friday, the world was shaken by the news that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny had died in a Russian prison. Johnson said in a statement that Russian President Vladimir Putin must be met “with united opposition,” adding, “As Congress debates the best path forward to support Ukraine, the United States, and our partners, must be using every means available to cut off Putin’s ability to fund his unprovoked war in Ukraine and aggression against the Baltic states.”
'One means for supporting Ukraine is legislation approved on a strong bipartisan vote in the Senate that would provide $95 billion in assistance for Ukraine and Israel, humanitarian assistance for Gaza and other funds. But Johnson immediately denounced the bill.'
“House Republicans were crystal clear from the very beginning of discussions that any so-called national security supplemental legislation must recognize that national security begins at our own border,” he said in a statement. Calling the Senate bill a “status quo” measure, he added, “The mandate of national security supplemental legislation was to secure America’s own border before sending additional foreign aid around the world.”
'It was an exercise in circular logic by the speaker. Previously he had declared as “dead on arrival” in the House a bipartisan Senate proposal that included provisions to secure the border as well as aid for Ukraine and Israel. That bill was the result of months of difficult negotiations among Republican and Democratic senators. Those talks had begun only because Republicans had insisted that Democrats and President Biden act on border security, saying they would not accept a Ukraine-Israel funding bill without something on immigration.'
'The proposal amounted to the most conservative bipartisan immigration legislation proposed in decades. But once former president Donald Trump denounced it, it had no future in either the Senate or House. Republican senators ran away from the measure, and it was defeated there.'
'Johnson knows that to put the newly passed $95 billion aid package on the floor for a vote would put his speakership at risk. Not to do so threatens the future of Ukraine’s efforts to hold off the Russians. Biden put the House on notice on Friday during an appearance whose main purpose was to hail the courage of Navalny and to blame Putin for his death.'
“History is watching the House of Representatives,” he said. “The failure to support Ukraine at this critical moment will never be forgotten. … The clock is ticking, and this has to happen. We have to help now.” He expressed exasperation that the House is in a two-week recess at a time when it could be acting to help Ukraine.'
'Johnson is an accidental leader. He is the product of a dysfunctional Republican majority that ousted Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from the speakership after less than a year in office and then pummeled other prospective candidates for the top job until, exhausted and embarrassed, House Republicans settled on the little-known Johnson.'
'He was put in the position of trying to lead with the narrowest of majorities and in the face of a faction of hard-right rebels who can neither be persuaded nor appeased. It is a difficult job, made the more so by Johnson’s lack of experience in high-stakes governing. That is an explanation but hardly an excuse for what he has done to date.'
'Johnson is a leader in name only, buffeted on all sides to the point of immobility.'
(by Dan Balz, WAPO) See link below, which is not be gifted.
Thanks, Fern, as always. We must watch what Speaker Johnson does and ignore what he says. And I, for one, am glad he isn’t successfully pursuing his REAL priorities, ie obliterating the separation between Church and State.
To a very significant extent, the GOP, esp the MAGA centre, have become an embodiment of white mostly Protestant Christian nationalists indeed. Everyone else is "lesser" or under Satanic influence. It's preached in many a self-righteous church, and has been, for years.
We have not evolved as a species (at least a lot of us) if we continue to fall under the spell of such nonsense. It's no different than the babblings of witch doctors or the teachings of Jim Jones or L Ron Hubbard or Joseph Smith - all crap made up by some convincing con man. What is missing in the human brain that requires allegiance to such BS?
Worship this. Worship that. Pray to the sun. Pray to a thousand gods. Pray to just one god. Which one? MY god of course. It's the only true god. All those other gods that billions of people worship are false gods. They are all wrong. I am the only one who knows. Trust me. How do I know. HE told me so!
There is a sucker born every day. And it's getting really old.
I need a Wow emoticon here, i always shake my head and cringe whenever i hear born again apocalyptic concert / mass events. We all live enmeshed in our cultural worlds, but this stuff "runneth over". Thanks for the vivid deals. "in the air" scene of course is straight out of one of Paul's letters.
A white Christian nationalist. Read Tim Alberta's "The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory". Absolutely stunning review of evangelical churches and their pastors.
Would be great if it can be done legally. How about throwing in those Russian Oligarch's assets, too! How about adding some of the "windfall profits" our homegrown Oligarchs are raking in? ok. i'm done
There is an old saying: "You can't fix stupid," reflecting Barbara Bryniaski's sentiments. And ignorance. These MAGA Republicans have no clue about history so I can't say that they ever knew it and forgot it. I think that it is safe to say that in many, many ways our public school system failed to teach an extremely important skill to its students: critical thinking. And, lurking there, and it has now come to the surface, is the ugly fact of racism. We are literally re-fighting the Civil War.
I feel that the old timey America of decades ago, one which saw citizens read the newspapers in the morning or after dinner, followed by watching trusted network news, allowed for a much more well-informed public. Americans are now so bombarded by untrustworthy news sources that they are easily swayed by misinformation and thus have surrendered their decision making rights. True facts on paper suggest that Trump isn't qualified to run a hot dog stand, yet MAGA white walkers whose brains have been set to Pause, line up to support him. Morons support morons.
HCR wrote “ The government voided the election and called for a do-over. ”. I would like to know a whole lot more about how that can be done so we can be ready—just in case.
well, just ask one of Trump's team! They have all kinds of plans being put into action as we speak. I sure hope the FBI and the most of the National Guard aren't in on them.
And I hope the DNC is ready. Ha! And Merrick Garland! oy.
For those who have no appreciation of what democracy means versus fascist dictatorship let Navalnhy's murder remind them that is how any significant opposition is dealt with. Is that what trump's cultists want? Maybe they do, if so my dear fellow Americans be careful for what you wish for.
I work to follow Heather's advise several times every day, "take up oxygen" and get the facts out there. All I can do is give the facts, people still post "Haha's" at me. That's on them, not me.
His hard core sees this litany as strength. They’re ok with having a king or dictator when they have no idea what that means. Watched a piece on YouTube where several MAGAs were asked if these things would keep them from voting for trump, and what did he do for them that would cause them to ignore his criminal activity. Most couldn’t really name anything in particular, were ok with his being a dictator because that’s what we need to make things right, but one older couple, when asked about TFG being a dictator, first said yes, and the interviewer asked, “like Hitler?” Well, they didn’t want him to be like Hitler, so he offered “like Mussolini?” Yeah, that would be ok!
I spit out my coffee. This is the level of ignorance we are dealing with.
Hmmm. Wondering what the definition of “stupid” is. I don’t think it’s IQ in this context, or even education. I’m thinking it’s a strange brew of fear, anger, lack of critical thinking, belief in the hierarchy, need for an authoritarian…. What do you think?
Think of how supercilious the median Democrat is, and realize half of them are more unbearable than that.
I’m a Democrat, myself. But somehow the terrific HCR seems to attract commenters who—when they’re not patting the like-minded on the shoulder over some too-precious turn of phrase, are making the judgement that people vote for Trump because they’re too stupid to know better. I know a lot of Trump voters whose main motivation is to avoid a large group of smug and superior smarty-pants people.
Wow- so “owning the libs” really is their preferred national policy? I find the rhetoric of some leftist extremists problematic but really? That’s all your Trump voters care about?
Define median Democrat please. I am not sure what that is. I think I am am Independent because I believe all people are created equal and should have the same right to health care, justice, education and the right to vote. I do not believe that one religion is superior to any other and that all religions are cults. If someone wants to worship and pray to their God so be it, but forcing anyone to pray to their God in schools or government buildings is bullshit. I am opposed to the patriarchy and therefore I cannot support any Republican. I am oppsed to Xenophobia because almost all of had ancestors that came to the US in the past 300 years. I am willing to support the US Constitution and the laws of the US but I will not pledge allegiance to a flag -- what a ridiculous concept that is. I believe we all have the right to be happy and/or content. I don't support repressive regression which Is the prevailing ideology of the Republican Party. Most Republicans feel superior to people of color especially immigrants and women and the rights I listed above. It seems to me the median Republican is the supercilious party.
Carlin was a comedian. Surely it’s no surprise that we have a spectrum of intelligence in this country. So how did some of us decide that those on the lower end of the spectrum are only worth insulting? Do we think there are no stupid Democrats? (A twist on the old joke: if you think there are no stupid Democrats, then you’re one of the stupid Democrats).
Great politicians like FDR didn’t separate people like this. He found a way to appeal to everyone. Same with RFK.
Especially demeaning insults toward voters only freeze them in their positions. If you think that insults are at all effective in discouraging rival voters, or encouraging Dem voters, I would love to know what observed behavior you’re basing that on.
All that you say is music to the ears of the MAGA nation. That racist group doesn’t have enough voters to defeat Biden and the Democrats. Many republicans will desert him and vote for Biden or not vote for President. Without a full GOP vote Trump can’t win. All the Democrats have to do is vote.
You missed his cheating to avoid Vietnam (Private Bone-Spurs), his paying others to take his school tests, his mocking of a handicapped reporter, his boast that his Vietnam was avoiding STDs…….
I had forgotten about the murder of Paul Klebnikov, another martyr for democracy. It would be interesting to a list of people who have been killed because they pursued free speech and human rights in the last 20 years. Navalny is just the latest…I appreciate your good work so much!
It is sad that the government didn't even allow the flowers in honoring/remembering Navalny remain. At night they were put in garbage bags. I personally have never heard of that before.
It’s remarkable to me how Putin just has his adversaries killed. Why can’t the US do something about this? The guy is a maniac. Does he ever leave the Kremlin? The millennials don’t remember the Cold War. They don’t get it! How do we educate them???😫
One of those evenings where I think about all the scum mentioned in this post and can only say, "if my thought dreams could be seen, they'd put my head in a guillotine."
There is nothing too bad that can happen to any of the Trumpscum.
I'm afraid that I, too, have indulged in some rather ugly thoughts involving certain public figures.
I really don't think Trump will win against Biden in 2024. But I do think we are all quietly praying for long life and good health for Biden.
If Trump did manage to install himself as "president for life," old age will take him out within another couple of decades. The damage he would do is incalculable, of course. But Germany as a nation survived Hitler, though many of its citizens -- and citizens of other places -- did not. The big difference, of course, is the nuclear stockpile, which did not exist in 1945. And Trump is not Hitler: he's crazier, and more reckless.
Since I'm going down this dark road, I'm curious about the limits of military loyalty. The President is CIC, of course, but in the event of some kind of coup that calls the legitimacy of the President into question, there is the question of where military loyalties lie. That's an age-old question. I've heard the Praetorian ran the declining Western Roman Empire in some centuries, and kept the Pope prisoner.
But my deepest concern is the inviable fantasy of the US economy under both the left and the right. There are few things that MUST be done, starting with heavily taxing accumulated individual wealth and putting it into unprofitable projects that have only social benefit. This was (apparently) clearly understood in the 1890-1940 half-century. No one seems to understand it now. The accumulation of unlimited wealth by individuals, who have no legal or sacred obligation to use it to benefit the material well-being of others, and the world, is shaping a very, very ugly future. We all feel it. We see it in the idea that a person facing difficult times is defective and deserves to starve on the street, and that they must "pull themselves up by their bootstraps," which is (of course) impossible. You cannot pull yourself up by your bootstraps. It's in the idea of building rockets to "escape this rock" before we destroy it, instead of simply ceasing to destroy it. Our wealth-trapped democracy is rapidly becoming an impediment to survival, and the problem centers in the growing disconnect between wealth, and human responsibility.
I see no path forward on this under Democrats, and (of course) it is anathema to Republicans. Social Responsibility? What, is that woke?
Political affiliation is of little benefit to the starving, or those who cannot breathe the air.
Yes. It's a suggestive, but inaccurate analogy to be sure. Should there be a world war against a US with a mad dictator, it's unlikely that two sticks would be left standing anywhere in the world. Which is an exaggeration, of course. Many small communities around the world might not even know there had been a war.
Well said. The national treasure has been stolen. It needs to be clawed back and applied to these principles:
Housing and food security
Potable water (w/o microplastics and PFAs)
Health care as a human right
Education from day care to employment by highly trained and very well paid pros
A complete revamping of our food production systems to restore soil, diversify past mono-cropping and eliminate the use of toxic chemicals
An immigration system that processes the much needed workers applying at our border - to fill the jobs that are not being done. People who will pay taxes and will balance our demographics. Balance the social safety net accounts. We are aging out. We NEED younger workers. Jobs are not being filled.
The big one. Erect a wall. An impenetrable and permanent wall between "church and state". Believe whatever you want but keep it to yourself and fellow "believers".
"Christian Nationalism" is Fascism. And it isn't very christian. While Democrats have been complicit in the flow of wealth to the top, they are the party that is actually shifting (too slowly) to correct it. The GOP is the party of hate and greed. "Hate will not Make America Great"
Bill: you checked off all my wishes. I’ve always felt that THIS is the America we should and could have. Now that I’m 71 I wonder if I will ever see even one wish fulfilled.
PS- add universal voting and a fair and impartial justice system (vs mass incarceration and prisoner-slaves working free for corporations).
American “exceptionalism” may once have a been exceptional, but we would do well to learn from our “betters” in healthcare, education, Justice, etc. Good column, Bill!
Themon the Bard, the Democratic Party is our only hope and viable option forward to a more just and fair society. There are concrete legislative examples of them doing so. Do they need to do more for the people? Yes, absolutely. But the point is, they are moving us forward.
I agree that, of the two choices, the Democrats represent the better immediate hope. My DEEP concern is that the Democrats have swallowed the same poison that has driven the Republicans insane, and are simply taking better pain-killers.
I hate to point to difficult books that seem a bit tangential, but the books Debt, by David Graeber, and The Dawn of Everything, by Graeber and Wengrow, have given me a much deeper insight into the crisis that is the US. The book Debt makes the role of coinage clear in a way I had never understood before. Money is NOT wealth. In some ways, they are opposites. And The Dawn of Everything delves into history , anthropology, and archaeology to explore the enormously different ways our "primitive" forebears lived, and lived quite well, in large communities.
Capitalism is a diseased economic model, and our current stories about capitalism are supportive fantasies.
Let me put it this way. Capitalism is as deadly as COVID. Republican stories about capitalism are tales about ivermectin and bleach. Democratic stories about capitalism throw in some aspirin.
Themon the Bard, I'm not familiar with those books. But I am a fan of books that make us think and see not just details, but the big picture, especially patterns in our history.
I do think though that when we talk about concepts and label them with words, such as, capitalism, we limit our thinking and set ourselves up to posture either, a for or against stance. Instead of labels for emotionally charged concepts like capitalism, and the other isms, that have no common agreement on definition among mainstreet, I prefer the word, commerce system.
Then we can talk about fairness, who should make the rules for the system, and such. That would be productive, rather than being trapped within the confines of a word, that divides us and obscures the fact that many of us agree that the system should be fair and just. Then, we could get on with talking about the, "How?".
Charlie Kirk or one of his ilk recently outed the fact that he is in Trump's Militia. with like, Praetorian Guard level!" You're right. We can't assume that our armed forces, and especially the National Guard, will choose the side of democracy. They've been hard hit with disinfo, and it goes well with a history of conservatism and misogyny.
I just commented on the same fear myself up there somewhere.
BUT I am very wary of what sounds like the old "all politicians are alike" PR line running through your comment. "No one seems to understand it now." Luckily you are exaggerating. Robert Reich is very well known. All my kids (18 and 21) and their friends talk about is how extreme/late stage capitalism is killing the planet and depriving them of the opportunities that their parents and grandparents had. Of course, this is a middle class white American and Australian family we're talking about, so they're also aware of their, and our generation's, privilege. They are disgusted by the injustice they see everywhere, as you said, on the streets and in the news. On their phones.
The word "oligarchy" is in wide use. Most Americans know about how the rich are sucking up all the money and that trickle down was a trick. The rise of unionization, from it's barely warm corpse, is certainly a good sign. Especially as it's being led by a diverse group of Young people.
The Most effective way to let the Oiligarchy win is by repeating the lie that both parties are the same. Think about this. What if the Republican Party Gileads its way into oblivian. What if the Democrats are then the "conservative" party, and the Democratic Socialists, or People's Party or Green Party can fill the vacuum. That can happen faster if we get people to Vote Blue, which is the closest thing to green we've got.
We can't throw out the vote. There will not be a violent revolution to overthrow the Capitalist class. We have to work from the inside out, and from the bottom up.
Even Ol' Joe has come a looooooong way toward accepting the vision of freedom and justice and a return to a green planet than he had before his VP days.
He chooses wise, intelligent, informed, empathetic Young people to advise him and he listens and helps them do their job but delegating it to them and the experts. That is good leadership.
To say you "see no path forward under Democrats" is indulging in doom thinking, and we can't afford to do that. Please don't discourage people from voting blue, and green when green can win against red. That's exactly what the Oligarchs want you to do.
If you must give up, please don't bring others down with you.
Our common enemy is corporate greed, not "the government." Our government may be our best tool we have to diminish the Oligarchs' power. Corporations haven't been around that long. We can defeat their takeover. We have to use what we have.
A thought exercise: If you could press a button which would cause a single random Trump supporter to develop pancreatic cancer would you? Even if you would never learn their identity?
I thoroughly detest their views, but they make 35% of our country, and we need to learn to live with them.
I find it frightening when our anger dehumanizes us.
It is, but I have seen them dehumanize every effort that has been made for the past 50 years (I have personal knowledge of) to bring the world to some semblance of detente (to use a word that Kissinger bastardized). Republicans signed on to the power above all for the sole purpose of greed, which aligns perfectly with power plays. Some with full knowledge, some with $signs, some with religious fervor, and some just looking for someone lower to peck. I know many of these and have tried to live with them. Most need to go back under their rocks or be ashamed of their lapse of humanity. The majority needs to rule again. Crap on rule by a crazy cult.
I am fortunate to live in a blue state and a very blue town ( the poor towns are republicans, seriously), and my friends and family are democrats. I am lucky. I don't talk politics with my in-laws though ( some are from TN and the others just don't talk politics.) I have not had any direct discussions with them.
Funny story: I was at the Buttigieg rally, and I was the only white hat in a sea of reds in a restaurant. Was chatting with some people. We all agreed on things to different degrees like climate change until they said that the democrats were responsible for polluting Lake Michigan. oookay.
Oh Yes, I have started conversations in my assisted living facility, and been brought up short. As leaving an elevator, one women said in a loud voice that she hated Joe Biden for putting all the guns on the streets. Rather shocked, I said where did you hear that crap, that's the biggest lie I've heard lately. (after the shooting at Allan, TX). She stammered as I continued my rant against lies. Then she didn't understand why I thought she had lied. She did not have dementia. Just a Foxer. Still I call it what it is. Living in a sea of red is a mind warp. Lucky you!
It is the NRA and the republicans ( and any live free or die type) who have put the guns on the street.
FYI: Ironically Russia has some of the same problems with guns as we do (the school shootings, gangs, illegal guns), and lately they have been tightening regulations. You have to be 21. No conceal carrying. Background checks, federal test, classes, and limited number of guns to be owned The BBC claimed you had to have a psychiatrist reference and a visit to the eye doctor. That would b a good idea.
The 2020 election was held before the insurrection. I know several Republicans who became never Trumpers after 1/6.
And also millions of women abhor the Dobbs decision and what has become of women's health in the US. Why would anyone who wants to become an OB/GYN attend medical school where abortion is illegal and they could be arrested for performing a life saving abortion?
Thousands of good OB/GYNs have retired, moved or become GPs.
“Several” is about the right descriptor. They’re self-converted, I presume, that being about the only means of conversion for such misguided souls. I don’t know any converts, which I think is more common. In any case, “several” isn’t going to help. A few percent (like 2% or 3%) would do it, though, and Donbs might give us that.
I see a difference between sociopaths like Trump and the dupes that believe him. Not that's an excuse, but I know that some of the Trump supporters are not beyond redemption. They seem stuck in a self-reinforcing delusion. Japan and Germany healed after the war. Some crimes had to prosecuted, but not all who had hailed Hitler. The thing was that Hitler and Japanese aggression had to be stopped. Unfortunately, it had not been stopped before millions died.
The right wing mega donors know what they're going to get is someone for sale. They don't realize they'll get an unstable United States. Or what do you mean?
Sadly, those dupes are the power behind the sociopaths. Not discounting the money power, but it’s the money that gives the leaders the gravitas to fool the dupes. This results in (and has through history) upheaval, death and destruction on Everest scale. The majority is hamstrung by deceit, lies, and manipulation by the powerful few and their “dupes.” When they have no shame, what is left? Ike is gone…
I fear that the Ukrainian issue may become like the Domino Theory. I think WWII history should have a stronger focus put on it or at least have the kids see a few documentaries on the topic. Sometimes people learn better by visual aids. Wouldn't that be so weird if someone is watching one and actually sees a relative?
And those who lived through Hiroshima survived, and Vietnam veterans survived, and Holocaust victims survived, but they all needed much support and maybe mental health services.
I detest their views. They dehumanize me on at least 3 fronts. How about I wish for them what they wish for me?
I still have trouble with that…
I’d rather send the lot of them to cult deprogramming. I do not mind opposing views that are reasoned, thought out, and are based in fact, and that are presented in a reasonable, thought out manner.
Well, they say don't ask a question if you don't want to hear the answer. :-) Trouble is, well... I've occasionally visited some of their right-wing comment forums - I can only take a few minutes or my blood pressure starts to rise - and I invariably find unmitigated, vicious hatred. It's really, really ugly, so I try to mitigate my own anger. To a right-winger, that makes me weak, but I won't let them define me.
More than a few. Perhaps millions.And they have been replaced by millions of Gen-Zers and more each day. And what woman of child bearing age doesn't realize that their health care is under attack by crazy white men? Even the are faux-Christian Nationalists have to be aware that women's health care in red states is only going to suffer.
Total covid death count was 1.3 million on 2022, with Republican-led areas experiencing higher death rates. The excess deaths were documented by the NY Times amd others, but the difference is likely nowhere near "millions". And the deaths concentrated in cities, which were more liberal. Note that what I just wrote is based on memory and not on recent research. However, this specific data analysis prompted me to subscribe to 3 newspapers, and I was paying attention.
I meant millions of Republican voters have died from everything not just Covid-19. Republican voters skew over 60.
I don't disagree about your numbers. TFFG SHOULD have closed all of the International Airports when he prohibited Asian flights. If he had, it's likely the NYC number of Covid-19 cases and deaths would have been substantially lower as well as many of the East Coast states.
But, as you recall Jerry, the Trump administration discarded the pandemic plan that worked so well under Ebola. And then Trump kept lying about the virus and making shit up.
Republicans pretend that Trump was only President for 3 years when his 4th year was a fiasco.
No, I wouldn’t press the button. I don’t advocate murdering them. However, I do wish they were dead, and I celebrate the demise of any of them who fall.
I think most people are muddling through, and abuse of media explains a lot of it. That said, just as in the case of the climate emergency, there was a lot more that could have been done and was not. I saw a lot of the warning signs decades ago, but I guess I hoped for a natural "pendulum swing" correction. Instead we kept adapting to the new "normal", as plutocrats became ever more brazenly corrupt. we are still, as a society, loathe to acknowledge the scale of potential peril on a number of fronts.
There is no pendulum in global warming. It’s unidirectional unless people stop putting carbon dioxide in the air. The science has been solid on this since 1980. The models are more sophisticated now, and it’s a little worse than Hansen and other scientists predicted over 40 yesrs ago. Still going in the same direction. Faster.
I am sleepless in Simsbury and have plenty of time to think about these things. Guillotine? too quick and painless. It would be in a snow cave Navalny was in.
"The Putin wing of the GOP", as Liz Cheney calls it, is on the verge of allying our country with Russia and destroying our democracy. It is mind-blowing to me that the pugs have elected to go this route. Such hypocrisy leaves me speechless.
I am listening every day. Like many, the pandemic has slid me from the middle class. We’ve been endangered since Reagan, but Trump (sending most of the money to a few) and the pandemic left most charitable Americans unable to fund what they had been funding for years.
M, Congress Critters is what HCR has called members of Congress many times. It captures the actions of today’s legislative branch so beautifully, so I borrowed it.
The Maga wing wants what Putin has. He has 100+ billion that he has embezzled out of Russian mineral extraction and exporting it, skimming, payoffs, laundering it abroad. In Russia Putin has free rein, unlimited power from mostly oil. The Maga/ Putin wing wants that too for themselves.
I think the MAGA wing is too stupid to understand anything. They just get off on the orange sadist acting like a fool. It's fun! Like watching TV! (I really do think that's what the vast majority of the maggots feel.)
Yup. Agree, but I’m talking about the leadership and what they are after. Greed and corruption are bedfellows. Putin has laid the path. Manafort told them how to follow it.
American Oligarchs, such as Michael Bloomberg have rolled out the red carpet for Russian investors. The have welcomed them with open arms for decades. American Oligarchs have incestuous relationships with Russia, Saudis and China. They don't care where the money comes from. They don't care how dirty, corrupt, laundered or dark it is. As long as they can horde it, it's all good.
Bloomberg/Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. I admire when billionaires donate a majority of their wealth to good causes that serve the public good. So I don’t chalk him as bad as Elum Musk, Koch, Thel, Murdoch, Mercer. These guys I see as evil and enemies to democracy. But yes, that $ should go to the public good from taxes on those billions instead on philanthropy.
The word perfect fits for making a great pie. Not in regards to humans. However, integrity does. Which is pretty shortsighted in the world of American Oligarchs.
Couldn't agree more, but some keep comparing Joe to the perfect iteration. Integrity, well, Joe has plenty, but one couldn't find any with a microscope in any repub in office, and most peering in through the windows.
Wonderful history. Thank you for the reminder. Some of us remember this vividly. And still, we are flummoxed daily at the ignorance of our fellow citizens.
This is crucially important information right now. Thanks Professor, for so clearly illustrating how Russia has bought and paid for trump and his terrorist organization.
It's only fair, reciprocal, Gwen, that Russia support those Americans all now on the far-right.
Americans originally rushed in to invest in the most corrupt of the Soviet Union's former nomenklatura (and secret police) following the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Largely U.S. Ivy League grads in high finance and M.B.A.s had as goal simply to make money for all amoral grads of the U.S. biz ed edifice. The U.S. Department of State helped them find the most willing over there to take U.S. investment and seize control of all formerly public assets, now for strictly private profiteering.
Why did the U.S. Department of State do this? Because for the previous 20, ever since the Powell memo organized it, predator commerce in the U.S. was on steroids. "Capitalism" was good, good, good, so the U.S. at the federal level gave all these cutthroats all the aid they coveted.
We made Putin. We helped those who would turn Russia into a land of serfs again -- massive cuts to its formerly good health care systems, huge unemployment, reduced mortality for men, increased alcoholism, epidemic tuberculosis.
But remember, too, Gwen, this savagery was the same by which those implementing the Powell memo ended up killing humanities in U.S. schools and then offshoring the millions of American working-class jobs, too. Dark money was underwriting the U.S.'s far right agenda as essentially the same coterie of biz ed whiz kids aided the oligarchs also taking over Russia.
Interesting reminder Phil. I flew from San Francisco to Magadan on one of the first Aeroflot flights to the USSR in 1991 to visit Soveiet science collegues in Vladivostok and to spend almost two months traveling all over the USSR with a Tajik sedimentologist friend I made on the first Societ/US joint scientific project. I was seated next to a Polish KGB operative, with quite few other KGB guys seated all around, heading home after making the rounds of Silicon Vally pedling high tech Soviet wares. I will never forget the industrial diamond he handed me, of many he was negotiating production contracts for. He dropped it into my hand and it yanked it to the floor, it was so heavy. My chemistry prowess had slipped by then, and yes, it’s mass was far greater than lead.
Those were heady, optimistic times. I slipped beyond officialdom, taking a 12 hour midnight to noon taxi ride to Vladivostok and never showed my passport again, leaning on my friend’s shoulder on trains like a passed out drunk and the conductors just walked by, not asking to see it. I met many wonderful people in cities all over the country who thought highly of our country and could not believe all the military bullshit.
Since 1987 I'd been in Hungary, and then since 1989 in neighboring Slovakia. There during the fall of the Berlin Wall. I saw my students (I was a Fulbrighter) rise to the occasion, joining the nationwide student strikes to rid the university system of the secret police corruption that had long been ruling.
Some reforms passed. But the roles of the secret police is another story. A sad one. Pathetic. They kept their old power, under new guises, and also under the protection of the U.S. Department of State, which prioritized friendly terms with the former powers-that-had-been (all that nomenklatura) so that the hordes of new U.S. capitalists could more easily ally with them.
Hello, the new oligarch classes. Hello Putin. Hello genocidalists in Serbia. Hello Orban and hate-filled nationalists near everywhere there.
Free Speech Movement and Reagan's Max Raferty, 1967. Humanities were the biggest threat to Republican ambitions. No educated populace would ever vote for them.
Also, Ransom, our commercial classes reduce life to things they can package.
They then market things to us as if we were but units in consumer demographics (or algorithm-likely to go largely to hate, fear, or sensationalism sites, or numbers or rank-&-files set by standardized testing).
Point for them is, there are no individuals as individuals, nothing is personal -- as all good humanities attest.
Evolution is a process of the expansion of viable diversity. Liberty is a diversity of responsible choices, is it not? Pooling and exchanging our diverse perspectives, foci, talents, etc. is a key Homo sapiens superpower.
I'd rather your vocabulary rely on active verbs, rather than the copulative "is" only (three times) -- but your key noun, "diversity" (also three times) nicely nabs both human and natural particularity, individuality, specificity, with all their nuances.
In a democracy, the rule of law and our best institutions protect all that -- free us to inhabit, treasure all that -- contrary to our billionaire classes and their guaranteed vulgarities for money, for pushing their packaged reductions of life.
The troublesome side of diversity and freedom is that some choices are predatory, or unacceptably irresponsible. It can be tricky to untangle what we simply don't care for from what we should not tolerate, but some of the widely recognized crimes include theft, rape, murder, etc. At what point is concentration of wealth deleterious to the health and happiness of a society as a whole? Again, there are clear cut examples, but also situations more difficult to call. Wisdom defies precise definition, but I think that part of it is taking care not to pull the rug from under one another.
"Accustomed to trample on the rights of those around you, you have lost the genius of your own independence, and become the fit subjects of the first cunning tyrant who rises."
I lived in DC when he came. It was an amazing, hopeful sight to see the Soviet and American flags together on all the lampposts around the White House and the Old Executive Office Building.
Hate that guy’s ignorant views! On almost everything. My sister has suggested I read him, as she really hates the war and believes peace can just be “negotiated”. I soon discovered he was nothing but an apologist for Russia. I believe he’s one of the people that say the world has nothing to fear from Putin.
I remember this very well. And I remember Rachel Maddow tracing the whole sordid sequence. Yanukovych. Manafort. Deripaska. Just like it was yesterday. This isn't ancient history. This is...yesterday.
Wasn’t Manafort responsible for the slogan, “Lock her up!”
Quess where he got that slogan? In Ukraine, Yanochovich destroyed the career of an economist, former Treasury secretary and former President of Ukraine, Yulia Tymoshenko.
Dr. Richardson, you have given us all an extremely valuable history lesson here this evening. A lot of this I had forgotten.
What this reveals is one simple fact. If our Congress, the Senate (who this evening passed a package for assistance to Ukraine and others investigating over in conflicts in Europe) and the House of Representatives, who Speaker Johnson has declared the House will not pass any bill for any assistance to Ukraine of any kind, don’t pass this bill the deaths which Putin inflicts upon the Ukrainian people as well as the deaths which will occur in other countries he marches across after taking Ukraine will be the sole responsibility of our Congress. Namely the Republicans in the House of Representatives.
There’s absolutely no excuse, none whatsoever for their actions on this matter. If we vote, in ANY election between now and at least 2030, and leave any of these Republicans in office, then we will be responsible for the destruction of our Democracy and our Constitution. Every single one of them needs to be voted out of office. We must make the Senate, and especially the House of Representatives, a Super Majority of Democrats.
Since the Republican Party has taken the majority in the House of Representatives there has not been one meaningful thing accomplished. No bills passed that benefit us. All they have done is spend our taxpayer dollars trying to impeach Biden, find corruption in the Biden family and administration, and most of all, they have listened to, and done, exactly what their ‘leader’ has told them to do.
I agree wholeheartedly with you save for one point---I do not think that Putin has Hitler-ian aims on other countries. First of all, his forces are already stretched way too thin, and his economy and political support is not there for such ambitions. Secondly, his homicidally imperial aim is all about what he conceives to be "Holy Mother Russia", not some vast European empire.
I say this so as to help us focus on the task at hand, to assist our friend and nascent Republic Ukraine survive and overcome the barbaric invasion from their Russian once and future overlords, and to realize that in spite of our powers, we are not the World's policemen, and moreover, we do not exist so as to make perpetual profits for the military industrial complex
I find your comment naive. Putin has stated publicly that his wish is to restore the Soviet Union. Why do you think Georgia and Moldavia have asked to be accepted into NATO? "On 2 February 2023, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov declared that Moldova might have Ukraine's fate (meaning to be attacked by Russia) if the Moldovan president Maia Sandu wants Moldova to unite with Romania and join NATO."wikipedia.
As thought experiments go, there is the one that imagines the global community without a republic with leaders like Washington, Lincoln and FDR capable of persuading its citizens and allies to fight the good fight for liberty and the alleviation of human suffering. Caring and voting can and will get us there.
Daniel, Putin is going to do anything he can to take these countries to expand Russia to what the USSR used to be, if not by her. He Durant care what it cost him in lives of his soldiers. If he did, he would have given up on Ukraine a long time ago. He thought that would be a “walk in the park”, but it’s turned out to be a tough battle fur him. He had in get help from China and North Korea fur supplies to continue the battle.
No, Putin will march on if he can take Ukraine. That’s his intentions.
Veronica, I fear you're conflating naivete with realism. Putin has certainly spoken wistfully of the "tragedy" of the collapse of the Soviet Union. He has never stated an intention to restore it.
Yes, Georgia and Moldova are understandably concerned.
Yet there is no evidence of any Russian bellicose build up toward those countries. Further, Russia is already bleeding itself unduly in Ukraine.
My point is simply thar those of us engaged in the noble cause of supporting Ukraine's self defense, should not buy into the preposterous Hitler comparison
I fully understand you, Daniel, and I’m definitely not buying into all this “Hitler” talk being done by the MAGA Queen and his followers.
I’m looking at this by what Putin himself said some years ago about taking this country without firing a shot, and my 26+ years experience dealing with criminals and the criminal element. A good one never ever tells you what he’s going to do ahead of time. 99% of the time, it’s done, then they start taking credit for their actions. Putin didn’t tell anyone a thing about his invading Ukraine. He just did it. It will be the same with his walk across Europe and the NATO countries. If he can figure out how to do it, he’ll do it. He doesn’t care about how many troops he gets killed, or anything else. All he wants is to be the “supreme leader” of the world. His biggest mistake was taking Frumpy under his wing. Now he has donn m wine that can’t keep his mouth shut and has let the ‘cat out of the bag’ so to speak.
I think he would like to restore the Russian Empire, which would require taking many now-independent nations. But I agree that he probably doesn’t have the resources (yet) to do so. He and his crony oligarchs have looted the Russian treasury to the point that they would have to sell a helluva lot of dachas to fight a war that big. But Putin is a megalomaniac and might just try.
As a life-long idealist, (you'd think I would mature one day,) I am grieving Navalny. He was cut from a page of modern heroism. Conversely, Putin is simply chilling as he rides the crest of his evil-doing. Now there is the possibility of a nuclear weapon satellite being launched by Russia.
While many of us shake our heads at the Putin-Republican love affair and ask why, remember that Putin is reputed to be the world's wealthiest man. His fellow oligarchs are similar in their pursuit of wealth and power, as are the admiring toadies in Congress. Money. Money. Like Trump, they worship Mammon. The pursuit of Money has no national boundaries. Loyalty to country is meaningless.
As Trump has demonstrated, what's a crime or two in pursuit of money and power? Some of his supporters even threaten death to anyone who exposes his wrong-doing— a page out of the Putin play book.
Don’t they realize they can’t take a penny with them to the other side, absolutely nothing, the only thing that will accompany them is their karma and payback is going to be hell to pay. 🙏
It’s so troubling to see how prior circumstances and happenings have foreshadowed what is happening today. I don’t understand how any American can be anything , but alarmed. How can those in government, no matter which party, not do everything in their power to fight against Putin? Can they truly be so blind to the urgency of backing Ukraine?
A reminder of how Russia has been aided and abetted by US citizens and the scum boosting death star. Stone and Manefort are truly scum as TC says and the pols standing in the way of helping Ukraine are traitors. Notice when death star appeared all the vermin came out of the walls.
I don't think they've been threatened by anything, simply sold their souls through greed. It's starting to feel very much like Lord of The Rings 2024 : Joe Biden is Gandalf, Vladimir Putin is Sauron and tRump is Lord of the Orks !
Yes, history IS watching. It is watching republicans sell out Ukraine & democracy around the world because they have sold their souls to trump! I can't imagine anyone being so stupid as to sell their soul to a con man. But like the saying goes, "There's one born every minute!" Those individuals are pathetic & I would love to see them on the manure pile of history but I fear they have enough idiots supporting them that they may prevail to some degree. And, how riduculous is it that the trump faithful still send him money when they see what he will have to pay due to his fraud & lying all these years. Really, people, you may as well use that money to light your cigarette or start your bar-b-que. At least if you used it for that you'd get some immediate gratification, a hit of nicotine from the cigarettes or maybe a nice bar-b-qued burger or chicken, my guess is you can't afford a steak, besided beef prices being really high you've already spent your money paying trump's leagl fees. Get a clue, support your country not your con man or idiot representatives that wouldn't know a history book if someone hit them over the head with one!
There are many of them that do. Their sources are suspect (and I’m being kind here) but they believe with all their enlarged gray-matter amygdalae that those sources are the “one, true way.”
This evening my wife and I watched the Netflix movie Einstein. I will not attempt to list the similarities between what has happened since the 2016 election in the US and what happened in the mid 30s in Germany with the election of Hitler. We had best get our head & *** wired together. Just remember this is 2024 not 1933. Because we move at light speed, make a mistake and we may not be able to recover.
I was so taken by your essay. I “warned” my friends before the election if Trump were elected we were in trouble. Here is my story why I was so sure.
I was very fortunate to be born on July 4, 1945 into a “white” upper middle class family. I had three siblings a brother 9 years older and twin sisters 6 years older. Each of my siblings would play significant roles in my life.
I want to get to the point so I will reserve any comments about my family for another chapter.
I was so sure because I recall an evening in 1968 when my “Father” and Mom walked to the home of a very prominent Republican who lived a block away from my home. John Erlichman was the key note speaker. I was sitting on the couch in our TV room when my Father returned. He came into the room. His face was ashen. A short little man whose wrinkled face said everything.
He turned to me and related how he was grazing at the table in the dinning after Erlichman addressed the attendees. He overheard Erhlichman say to a very small group, “Americans are stupid and they will do exactly what we we’ll them to do”.
It’s Sunday morning and we are about to have breakfast. I promise I will send you more.
I am 78 so while I do my very best with computers I at times fat finger my typing. I must apologize but the gentleman speaking at the party was H R Halderman not Erlichman. I promise to do better and check my work before I release it.
Amazing story. I was eleven in 1968 and living with family in Australia. Though from Republican families, my mother detested and my father was indifferent toward President Nixon. My mother cried when Senator Humphrey lost. Things were somber. We moved back to the United States two months later. Everything had changed. I felt like a stranger in my own land.
Thank you, Mort, for taking the time two write out your story; it really stirs a lot within me. As Mary Pate points out, Haldeman versus Ehrlichman is a distinction without a difference.
I hope I do not alienate you by saying this now but President Clinton ended my days as a Democrat. But Trump? He is worse than Presidents Nixon and Clinton put together, much worse. President Nixon had a tragic flaw; Trump is a tragic flaw.
Thank you for the compliment. As to prescience, I am not sure; I suspect that many of us living in N.Y.C. in the 1990s felt the same way about Trump. Nonetheless, I appreciate you taking the time to compliment me; very gracious on your part. My worry is what will happen if a likeable Trump comes trotting along -- fascism with a human face.
I so enjoyed reading your article. Despite growing up in an environment as I briefly described I am in my heart a very kind person (my Chinese friends would say Big heart Emily head) or as my Mon said to me, “a sweet boy”.
She was a beautiful woman in her prime 5’10” 145 pounds full of life and vigor. She would die from Cancer age 70.
When I was in the Marines in Vietnam 68-69 I was always more comfortable with the enlisted men. I was 22 and had a tank platoon outside of Danang. The young Marines with me were wonderful and my Sargents, staff NCOs made sure I did not **** up too much.
I watched it last night too. My little chemist brain was thrilled with his scientific insights, and saddened by his pacifism. I spent a lot of time in Los Alamos and there is an air of sadness that hangs over the place.
I have visited New Mexico to study yoga. The teachers were marvelous. A visit like mine would be a far cry to a visit back to Los Alamos. Your description of the sadness really says it all as we consider its purpose and the results.
From the actual videos of Einstein I want to believe his remark “had he known “about Germany failures in the production of the Atomic Bomb “he would not have gone ahead with the program”. Unlike todays world where technology AI has placed doubts on everything.
When will they learn? When will they figure out it was the Russians that controlled the 2016 election, the 2020 insurrection, and will try to game the 2024 election? That’s the real psy-op, engineered by Putin, Stone, Manafort, and Flynn to cultivate Trump’s cult.
It’s difficult to put in words that the mindless puppets in our very own congress are sitting on their hands allowing the entire free world to be subjected to elected “un-Americans” aide, abet and allow the destruction of our very freedoms. Those that elected them will be as guilty as those they elected.
I just finished watching a documentary about Navalny on CNN. I'd seen it before, shortly after he was imprisoned after he returned to Russia, but it was particularly poignant now, with his death having been announced. His final message was that we should not be afraid, that we should be active. While Russians were his main audience, it's clearly a timely reminder for us all. Last I heard, the authorities had refused to give his body back to his mother as she had requested. At the end of the film, it mentions an exposé Navalny's team had made, Putin's Palace, available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_tFSWZXKN0. It's long, and I've only watched the beginning, but the end product of the corruption Navalny fought against is mind-blowing.
It's still amazing to me how many people are willfully blind to these facts. I appreciate you doing what you do, Prof. Richardson. Is there other any way to get them to understand the importance?
I wrote about it in a couple of places in the Timeless & Timely newsletter:
https://www.timelesstimely.com/p/it-can-happen-here
https://www.timelesstimely.com/p/tyrants-at-the-gate
I'm afraid the Republican war on education is running it course. MAGA peeps are conditioned to just follow Trump in whatever he says or does, along with the many cowardly Republicans who are OK with Putin and are ok with destroying democracy despite what they have said in the past. Their deceased relatives who fought for democracy must be turning over in their graves. I, for one, will not forget my grandfather and father's military sacrifices in fighting for democracy. I'm so disgusted by the cowardly Republican Party.
The Rebublican war on education began in California in response to the Free Speech Movement at UC Berkeley in the 1960s. The Rebublican power structure knew, as evidenced by the FSM, that an educated population would never vote for them, and as Heather has pointed out numerous times, they resorted to measures to disenfranchise voters and to call election results into question. But since that time, the dumbing down of the puplic education system was their most effective endeavor. When Ronnie Raygun became Governor in 1966, his first action was to appoint Max Rafferty as Superintendant of Public Instruction. Over night, curriculum focusing on critical thinking, the arts, civics, social studies and history were slashed, and replaced by regimented 3 Rs, Reading, Riting, Rithmatic. After a few generations of this program rammed down school districts across the country, what you see is what we got. We have only realized within the past few years that the Right wing has quietly been subverting our core institutions for decades, while screaming about the Commies doing the subverting. The MSM fell for this in spades.
And Bill Lee in Tennessee. Actually, any number of Republicans led states are following that path. It’s not only in the state houses though. It’s in the local BoEd with right wing Christian Nationalists quietly gaining the majority and turning public education dollars over to charters and vouchers. What is wrong with us Democrats who don’t see these manipulative actions until it’s almost too late? Here in Tennessee the most recent legislation wants to make it easy for charters to take surplus education properties and make it the responsibility of the County to fund renovations of said buildings. Talk about stealing public dollars for private education! It sickens me how we never see how dirty and self-serving these monsters are, nor can we believe how low they will go. Thank you, Dr. Richardson, for these daily reminders of the vigilance democracy requires.
One of Putin's strokes of genius was to allow religion back into Russia. It had been discouraged, to say the least, under communism. Putin recognized its power in controlling the poorly educated with superstition. And Reagan's poorly educated in this country comprise the base of the Republican Party.
Reagon.. ugh, and I'd add to your statement that "Reagan's poorly educated"...(etc) COMPLETES the picture. Russia has always had churches, but since the 1920's religion has not run the show. The 'olden days' of Russia were a much happier time for the peasant class, and worshipers, dukes and duchesses and bishops et al. Today, no one can fully fathom what goes on in countries like Russia or China because it is so suppressed. Not 'depressed', as the population has become used to it.., normalized is good. The (R) is becoming conditioned with a kind of perverse lifestyle.. "under God" and the testaments, which you can still choose.
And Ronnie helped in his unknown to him ignorant way with,"tear down this wall" and then thinking, ok job done.
I am leaving a lot unsaid but the US left its guard down when the USSR fell in 1991.
As one general that left Russia, I believe put it ( paraphrase) " we, the gov, KGB kept the Voy in check but they are loose on the world now." File under be careful what you want, you just might get it. Now the Voy & Putin as the government are one. And oligarchs in the west are loose among us to influence the western democracies. The GOP accepts their $ they have put it to use. Apparently, Putin is our friend now, gee who knew?Old Ronnie wouldn't believe it even in his sundowning grandpa stages.
Amen seems appropriate here.
Yes, THIS. What IS wrong with us? The silent majority who "refuse to talk about it" and brag about "i don't watch the news".
Sorry, to say I didn't watch the news when I was younger. Now I hardly miss it and have it recorded so I can watch later if I am away from the house. Like, I will be at the Democrat meeting on Tuesday night during the time of the broadcasting. In 2021 when I was running for Treasurer I was told not to post anti-Republican messages on Facebook....because I would lose votes because of it. This year I will not hold my tongue. They can block me if they don't like what I post.
When political parties loose, they have two choices. Work new strategies to grow their base or work to decrease the voter rolls in general. Attacking public education is one of those. It’s subtle like gerrymandering, voter roll purges, reduction in polling places, etc etc. It’s all just modern poll tax and modern Jim Crow. We have a lot of work to do. We have to pass our vigilance to the next generation.
All ready I see a slowing down of mail delivery in my area.
Can anyone tell me why Biden hasn't nominated a pro-post office person or two to the board of Govs yet? I thought he could now, and that that way we could get DeJoy away from power that he is so obviously abusing. So frustrating. My Republican mom complains about "how slow the mail is now, with Biden." ugh.
As then newly minted Speaker Johnson announced on his first night in office - a new government!
What an annoying insect....
That is exactly what is happening in New Hampshire too!
What is wrong with Dems who don't see? Well, "It's Complicated". I see that has become a commonly used trope nowadays. Ransom Rideout up above uses another popular trope coined by John Taylor Gatto in his 1992 book "Dumbing Us Down". I read that back then. It was a hell of a read. Anyway, it is 2024, 32 years since and yes, we have been dumbed down, dems and repugs. In 2005, George Carlin performed a routine that centered around education. It's Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PB4QpuuNF6c&t=5s If you haven't heard it, It is worth a watch.
Very good. It is worth a watch.
Agree!
Thank you...he spoke the truth....and wasn't careful with his words....however there are no better words he could have used. I am finding that out now that I am old. I can blame the fact that I have no filter...anymore.
Today's comments feel like a throwback to my younger years. My brother in law participated in the Free Speech Movement at Berkeley and Jack Gatto was a friend of mine at Cornell.
Barbara, I referred to John Taylor Gatto's book. Are we talking about the same guy? He was named Teacher Of The Year in NYS and NYC a few times. I we are, that is very cool.
George Carlin!
I admire your Justins.
I have no idea what "BoEd" stands for (the Ed part yes, but I've never seen the acronym "Bo"). Please enlighten me and probably many others, and please refrain from using obscure acronyms. (In one of my worlds, "ICE" stands for "internal combustion engine," and in another, ASM stands for American Society for Microbiology." I'm guessing you're not familiar with either.
I am assuming that BoEd is Board of Education, but I don't know what MSM is.
MSM is mainstream media
Damn, Ronnie’s evil goes way back. It took a while for Texas to be dumbed down, but W was the crowning glory.
There are basically three things that I have tended to give Reagan favorable credit for: Appointment of Sandra Day O’Conner to the Supreme Court, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall” and “Progress is our most important product” - oooppps, but that last one was GE or their PR company.
Not so fast on Sandy! As a former gop party operative in Arizona she could not do the right thing in 2000 because that would mean a democrat would become president!
Ronnie the grade B actor loved the sound bite! What he said had little to do with the what happened to the Soviet Union!
I know, I know that they’re weak - with the strongest being words written (scripted) by others that he just recited on GE Theater!
The Gorbachev comment that the Reaganites give credit to ending the USSR is nonsense. It was all Gorbachev's doing it had nothing to do with that comment.
Fun how party propaganda works so well wherever you go. People...sigh.
Repubs never had any problem with taking credit for anybody and everybody's efforts or successes.
You can stop giving Reagan credit for the second one, it was a line he delivered. He was good at delivering lines. And I doubt Sandra Day O'Connor was his idea.
She gave us W. Sorry but she was just one of the crowd, but she was not alone. Does Gorbachev get any credit, or just the script writer for a B star. Yeh, I'll give GE credit where credit is due.
Time Magazine in November, 2000 at an Election Watch party reported that “Justice O’Conner, upon hearing the network’s calling the election for Mr. Gore, exclaimed, “Oh, no. This is bad.”
She then went on some weeks later to turn her horror at a Gore win into a vote to stop the recount.
IMO, she was a dishonorable hack politician, just like Scalia and Rhenquist, using a legal education to force her political beliefs on the country.
Funny how tear down that wall became Putin, our friend. Thanks, GOP.
What is strange is my friend believes that Ronnie was our Savior! I had never thought about it one way or the other. However, I now realize that he isn't the smartest cookie on the block and has only been lucky in life as far as financially. He was in Insurance for over 40 years. State Farm Innsurance!
Had no idea. Indeed strange
Many years ago, Dr. Helen Caldicott, then president of Physicians for Social Responsibility, spoke at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Rockford, IL, which Iw as then serving a Sr. Minister. She told us that Reagan's daughter Maureen, had arranged for Dr. Caldicott to meet with her father at the White House. She reported that when she left the White House, she was in a panic. She took out a check list of symptoms of Altheimer's Disease, and Reagan was 10 for 10 while serving as our president.
Abbott, not content with simply dumbing down public education, wants to defund it by giving away the public $$$ to private education.
Pattie Ormond, the goal is complete privatization of k-12 education. You can't afford to send your kids to school. Too bad . Just like in every other third world country.
What happens when you don't have money for private schools? We sent one of daughters to a very nice private school (our "problem" child-sound familiar but she was much much nicer ). We got a scholarship and a loan to pay for it. What if you are poor and cant get a loan? You get no education?
Karen Jacob, that is precisely why we need public education. It is for the common good, so that every child can get a quality K-12 education. For decades the GOP has intentionally defunded and demeaned public education to purposely engineer poor education outcomes for students. And in low-income areas in particular, they have infiltrated public education just to be sure to destroy it from every angle.
Why you say? To turn public sentiment against public education. So, they can say, look those children aren't getting a good education, but they forget to tell the public that that was their plan and they've been working on it for decades. The GOP has no principles. They only want power. Your child can suck dirt for all they care.
Their biggest donors want an end to public education; they want only privatization. Why? They all want taxpayer money to fund "their investments" in charter schools, religious schools, and other private schools, so they can make a higher profit off the backs of kids. Further, they want taxpayer money to "fund their scholarships" at "their schools" so they can make a higher profit off the backs of kids. And of course, privatization with taxpayer dollars means they can provide a poor quality education because the GOP will never legislate common and decent standards of curriculum or adequate levels for student proficency. Why? Because that would eat into their biggest donors' profits off the backs of kids, with taxpayer money, and no accountability for the quality of education they provide.
Private schools are fine, if they are privately funded for the reasons I've mentioned. I hope that you can see how using taxpayer money to fund them, as I have stated is an intentional ploy, one of many being perpetrated on the American people, to destroy public education and privatize it for their biggest donors. The GOP care only about attaining and retaining power. That's it. That's all. Kids can suck dirt for an education. The GOP doesn't care. But we should.
Karen Jacobs, P.S. I agree with your concern for undervalued children getting an education. They can only do so, if we stop underfunding education and instead fully fund it and honestly evaluate and improve practices within the education system. For undervalued communities, we especially need serious equitable funding.
As an example of not what to do, after Hurricane Katrina, the GOP swooped into a devastated, vulnerable, under-valued community and charter-schooled the education system, not to provide quality, uplifting education for our devastated children but to line the pockets of their big donors. This is the lens we must look through if we want our children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and so on, and all children to have a quality, public education now and in the future, something essential to Democracy. And the GOP know it.
I wish I could refute any part of your post. Sadly, I cannot. This is exactly their goal.
Like Betsy DeVos in Michigan. But thankfully, we now have women at the top of our state government working to undo her evil. Isn’t it a shame when one has so much money, they use it for evil instead of good?
Desantis does as well.
After they purge our libraries.
TN doesn't want to accept federal education money because they don't want to follow the rules to get the money.
Ann Richards must be twirling in her grave! How much we miss her progressive policies! She was a woman before her time!
So does Lee of Tennessee. Desperately.
And the idiots running in the primary are blathering about Dems wanting to give money to illegals. No pushback, just abortion messaging. Dems had better wake up
It seems like Texas wants to dumb itself on many different levels. Actually, I wouldn't mind if they seceded....
I remember. I'm a native Californian who went to public schools, then to UC Berkeley. Ray-gun was a curse.
I’m either a native Seattleite or a native Bostonian—it’s hard to tell! (I was conceived in the one, born in the other, and at 2 months old I returned to the first.) But I also went to UC Berkeley. And Ray Gun was worse than a curse.
And Ethereal Fairy Natalie, I really like your name. Partly because my border collie is Natalie. The first to parts of your name go so well with the last.
Yeah, their accusations were confessions of their aims. Lewis Powell Memo
Ransom Rideout, MSM duped or complicit in the past? I wonder. Today the MSM literally is the propaganda arm of the R Party machine.
Ransom Rideout, what we have now is "reading, riting, and revenge."
When FSM tried to engage UCLA, they asked students to attend a large hall, and the room was packed. A group of students who took the name RFSM
( RFSM: Responsible Free Speech Movement; but everyone knew they meant: Ratfuck Free Speech Movement) went in, sat in a star-shaped formation and began to question those on stage. RFSM used a tactic Communists had to disrupt a meeting. One after another they asked things like “You say you’re for Free Speech
. Why is it only you on stage?” RFSM disrupted the event and emptied the hall.
And never forget the campaign to pass Proposition 13--sold as a way to keep Grandma in her home, when in reality it was a massive gift to California's biggest corporations.
What’s even sadder; lots of MAGA people think they are patriotically against Democrats, whom they feel are Communists, Socialists.
Amy Roberts, and don't forget some think they are following Jesus and God in their obedient and "just" actions.
Ransom, I agree with you in part. But I grew up in San Francisco, and I was in grade school & college (the 1st time) in the 60s and 70s, and I got history, civics, and the arts in the form of live theater, (which was where I spent most of my time). Also, slightly off track, in high school I was able to take classes in Shakespeare and Science Fiction & Fantasy as Literature; I doubt kids can do that now! And from what I see, they don't seem to get any history - or am I wrong? I'd love to hear from others about this. So anyway, although the dumbing down of ed. started then, it took a while to take effect. (Lucky me.)
I agree, I grew up in Sacramento the same time you were in SF and I had the same education experience only music dept instead of theater. And remember, we also had geography! Latin was also a language class option. All public school experience. CA was in the top 10 states for best education then, I believe. The dumbing down was the result of Prop 13. That took away the investment of good education for the greater populous. We were very lucky!
JFC!
I was at Berkeley ‘63-‘67. Your retrospective is right on, thanks.
The saddest thing: the RFSM thought they were being patriotic. They believed FSM Was a Communist front
Roger Freeman. From the link:
Freeman’s remarks were reported the next day in the San Francisco Chronicle under the headline “Professor Sees Peril in Education.” According to the Chronicle article, Freeman said, “We are in danger of producing an educated proletariat. … That’s dynamite! We have to be selective on who we allow [to go to college].”
“If not,” Freeman continued, “we will have a large number of highly trained and unemployed people.” Freeman also said — taking a highly idiosyncratic perspective on the cause of fascism —“that’s what happened in Germany. I saw it happen.”
This is how college became so expensive. Among other attempts to dumb down Americans. It certainly appears to be working.
https://theintercept.com/2022/08/25/student-loans-debt-reagan/
The MSM wanted the same thing.
I am getting too old (70), I keep seeing just capitalize "letters" MSM, JFC, RFSM , what the heck without using the words they are?
BTW lol. I'm your age and feel the same way about abbreviations. I do know NATO.
It’s maddening I know. I’m 65. I have learned I can look them up online.
MSM is mainstream media.
Educated folks tend to vote. R’s hate that.
We are all more than disgusted. Giving up on democracy - holy cow. Dictators need to general fear and hatred to subjugate the other. For those who think that they are ok with a fascist dictator, I hope they pray and thank god that they are not considered one of the other for if they are not - look out.
Harvey Kravetz, they can't see the truth that history and our life experiences shows us, that eventually it will come to fruition that everyone is an other to a dictator and will suffer greatly.
Looking back 50+ years ago, very little was pushed on history. Civil and Revolutionary wars were big topics. I don't remember much except a few page handout about the Vietnam War (this was 1968). I think colleges should have an America history requirement so "recent" history is fresh in new voters' minds.
Karen Jacobs, that's an excellent idea, a mandatory class!
Ditto!!
And now, Barbara, just a month b4 Russia's election, Novalny has been murdered, warning any other opposition candidate what is in store for them should they decide to oppose Putin.
Rachel Maddow's new book, "Prequel" talks about the even more subtle war against truth, and how it has been used by authoritarian regimes to sever citizens from reality and science to make them distrustful of "others" and especially of institutions, making people easier to lead. "Orwellian"
Think of the McCarthy hearings and how they eroded trust in government and justice.
Who was behind him? In a way he spawned the most cynical Republican tricksters, first Nixon, then Roger Stone and Manafort, even Justice Kavanaugh. The Republican War On Truth is built into their ideology. And it has been very successful.
But I hope part of their con is to make us forget that We are the majority, Democrats and Independents who are resistant to the lies.
And as Navalny said, we can't give up. I wish I had his vision for the future.
Thank you, Heather, for nudging back into the present the not very distant past. So much has happened in those 10 years, it's hard to keep all the pieces straight — and how they fit together.
We can all see the pivot point Ukraine teeters on. Tragically, a minority of U.S. members of Congress have left a still-free and courageous Ukraine potentially facing a horrible future. It's a future that America and its NATO allies can still prevent.
And let's drop the niceties: those Republicans, led by Putin-loving Trump, are working on Russia's behalf. They must be stopped.
Thank you Michael. To annotate those 10 years, exactly 4 years & 5 months after 2/18/14 on 7/18/19 and per the Center for American Progress, DJT withheld $250,000.00 in U.S. military aid from Ukraine & 1 week later on 7/25/19 in another "perfect" call DJT telephoned VOLODYMYR 🇺🇦 ZELENSKY urging him to contact Giuliani & William Barr to fabricate a fraud against then Vice President Biden. History is repeating itself on 2/18/24.
Fraud seems to be the watch word describing Trump's entire life.
What is the scale to use to rate the many frauds perpetrated by Trump?
Everest as opposed to the hill outside my window.
Good one Jeri; I keep going back to Tenneseee Wliiams' "sea of mendacity".
Because of his bad health, Trump likely takes 20 breaths a minute. So how about a fraud scale of 28,800 times every 24 hours.
Reading this is making me physically sick! The potential consequences of the repugnants' stupidity are devastating.
I wrote my Gaetz-aligned representative, Tim Burchett, a scathing email yesterday. He doesn’t care but at least I made my fury known.
Doing the same today. Mt Gaetz-aligned Rep is a former military general of some other high rank, not sure. But I am amazed at his strict loyalty to trump, as orange man disses our military men and supports a dictator. I have often wondered how our rep kept his job in the military because he is a traitor to our country. It’s said a leopard doesn’t change his spots…
Is it the "battered wife" syndrome? You keep going back to the one who hurts you. or the military obeys orders no matter what and prefer to have a single person in charge of everything. However, there are generals who are appalled by what is going on. I only hope there will be some rational ones around when it comes time to carryout military actions. Someone who will filter the man who wants to blow up hurricanes with nuclear weapons. "Ding, ding, ding, ding, boom! Whoosh, boom!" trump's description of a nuclear bomb.
*5 years 5 months 😏👍
Don't forget the publicity supplied by Tucker (Sucker) Carlson. Russia is wonderful. Why are so many leaving that the Finns are closing down their border entrances?
Indictment. 'Facts' don't exist for many until proven in a court of law. Some people are 'above the law' until they are made to answer for violations of the law. The less we enforce the laws, the more they will be broken. There is a bevy of criminal activity mentioned in Heather's post tonight and but for Manafort's conviction/pardon, no one has been brought to account in a court of law. Merrick Garland has been a lap dog, perhaps appointed to counter GOP claims of bias which they make regardless of reality, so why bother with their 'concerns'?
All their claims are confessions, have been for most of my long life.
I am getting the impression that Garland is going out of his way to try to remain impartial. Is he the one who assigns republicans to do reports on people like Hunter and Biden ( that last one was a doozy (nice old man with a bad memory?)
And now, even those facts in court seem to not matter
Scott, I’m not certain the cause for ignorance entirely is willful blindness. Frankly, I pin much of the blame on Bill Barr, whose truncated 2 1/2 page summary of the Mueller report had failed to capture Mueller’s detailed account of the collusion, admittedly not rising to the level of conspiracy based on the evidence investigators were able to obtain, between Russian operatives and the 2016 Trump campaign. The tragedy, despite the Mueller report including summaries for each section that carefully had been vetted for classified material and thus immediately could have been released to the public, was, instead, DOJ, for a full month, allowing the public access only to Barr’s deceptive and distorted synopsis, for which, accordingly, he never had to answer. I would add that Mueller’s I dare say seemingly impaired performance when he testified before Congress didn’t help.
My point is that the public, willfully being fed a junk synopsis vs. substantially drafted summaries, largely explains, in my view, the current climate of thought.
And even today, after telling Trump that he didn't win the election & describing Trump as being "Unfit for office", Bill Barr says he will vote for Trump over Biden.
What is wrong with these people?!
Their goal is bigger than donald. He is a chaos-change vehicle to keep us diverted. Project 2025 is about the takeover and remaking of New Deal Liberalism. They want a corporate/christian nationalist state. They all think they stand to win in such a situation. People of color, LBGTQ+, and women will all be subservient to the mask of white-heterosexual hierarchical power. “As god intended”, they will say.
@MLRGRMI, Thank you for your sound reply to KMD’s question. I simply would add I view the so-called good people standing silently on the sidelines as moral accomplices whom we must reach if we’re to show that their human rights would be violated as well.
Yes, Barbara Jo Krieger, reaching those silent side-liners is an on-going greater goal. How to penetrate their apathy is a huge conundrum. We all have them in our lives, or cross our path daily. Those are our thousand chances a day to move-the-needle. But how to do it to make a true impact, and not just judge, lecture, and shut them up further? One sage observer said we will have to listen our way to their opening up. Because they so much do not feel heard. Until that happens, there’s no-room-at-the-inn for any other ideas to enter. Perhaps they’re constipated with fear and hate?
@KMD, I don’t believe I would answer your question any better than @MLRGRMI’s reply to you. I simply would add that we must reach out to the so-called good people standing silently on the sidelines—the moral accomplices, in my view—to show that their human rights also could be violated.
I agree! Why doesn’t he retract his erroneous conclusions now?
Sarah, I don’t believe I would answer your question any better than @MLRGRMI’s reply to KMD, both part of this thread. I trust you’ll find the reply and my follow-up response useful.
I thought everybody knew all this.
Where I am everybody does know this.
It's just one of the things that makes all the shenanigans going on over there seem so bizarre.
The level of ignorance and misdirection is astounding.
It has been replaced by a shitload of chaos every hour of every day, courtesy of republicans. And then there were the Kardashians…
Beyond astounding. I keep searching for the best descriptive words, but can’t find one. May have to make them up.
President Joseph R. Biden's message to the MAGA Republicans: "History is Watching ," (Letter) and the message has spread.
'Speaker Johnson says he has priorities. So why hasn’t he acted on them?'
'Four months into his speakership, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) is a leader in name only, failing to act on the policies he says are his priorities'
'Johnson has spoken repeatedly and sometimes vehemently about pending issues. He has called for tougher policies to halt the surge of migrants coming across the U.S.-Mexico border. He has said he favors additional aid for Ukraine in its war against Russian aggression and more assistance for Israel in its war with Hamas. But he has delivered on none of this, even when given the opportunity for action.'
'Johnson’s actions fall far short of words. In fact, they have been in conflict. Johnson keeps finding loopholes or excuses or rationales to avoid acting on the very priorities he claims to support. He is another exhibit in what has become the story of House Republicans, which is a failure to meet or even recognize the demands of governing, one of them being a willingness to compromise.'
'On Friday, the world was shaken by the news that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny had died in a Russian prison. Johnson said in a statement that Russian President Vladimir Putin must be met “with united opposition,” adding, “As Congress debates the best path forward to support Ukraine, the United States, and our partners, must be using every means available to cut off Putin’s ability to fund his unprovoked war in Ukraine and aggression against the Baltic states.”
'One means for supporting Ukraine is legislation approved on a strong bipartisan vote in the Senate that would provide $95 billion in assistance for Ukraine and Israel, humanitarian assistance for Gaza and other funds. But Johnson immediately denounced the bill.'
“House Republicans were crystal clear from the very beginning of discussions that any so-called national security supplemental legislation must recognize that national security begins at our own border,” he said in a statement. Calling the Senate bill a “status quo” measure, he added, “The mandate of national security supplemental legislation was to secure America’s own border before sending additional foreign aid around the world.”
'It was an exercise in circular logic by the speaker. Previously he had declared as “dead on arrival” in the House a bipartisan Senate proposal that included provisions to secure the border as well as aid for Ukraine and Israel. That bill was the result of months of difficult negotiations among Republican and Democratic senators. Those talks had begun only because Republicans had insisted that Democrats and President Biden act on border security, saying they would not accept a Ukraine-Israel funding bill without something on immigration.'
'The proposal amounted to the most conservative bipartisan immigration legislation proposed in decades. But once former president Donald Trump denounced it, it had no future in either the Senate or House. Republican senators ran away from the measure, and it was defeated there.'
'Johnson knows that to put the newly passed $95 billion aid package on the floor for a vote would put his speakership at risk. Not to do so threatens the future of Ukraine’s efforts to hold off the Russians. Biden put the House on notice on Friday during an appearance whose main purpose was to hail the courage of Navalny and to blame Putin for his death.'
“History is watching the House of Representatives,” he said. “The failure to support Ukraine at this critical moment will never be forgotten. … The clock is ticking, and this has to happen. We have to help now.” He expressed exasperation that the House is in a two-week recess at a time when it could be acting to help Ukraine.'
'Johnson is an accidental leader. He is the product of a dysfunctional Republican majority that ousted Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from the speakership after less than a year in office and then pummeled other prospective candidates for the top job until, exhausted and embarrassed, House Republicans settled on the little-known Johnson.'
'He was put in the position of trying to lead with the narrowest of majorities and in the face of a faction of hard-right rebels who can neither be persuaded nor appeased. It is a difficult job, made the more so by Johnson’s lack of experience in high-stakes governing. That is an explanation but hardly an excuse for what he has done to date.'
'Johnson is a leader in name only, buffeted on all sides to the point of immobility.'
(by Dan Balz, WAPO) See link below, which is not be gifted.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/02/17/speaker-johnson-fails-act/
Thanks, Fern, as always. We must watch what Speaker Johnson does and ignore what he says. And I, for one, am glad he isn’t successfully pursuing his REAL priorities, ie obliterating the separation between Church and State.
here's an awful thought: What if by some cruel twist of fate, he ends up president?
Such stray thoughts detract from the issues at hand; let's keep our 'eyes on the ball'.
Don't worry. Stray thought only. I spend most of my time trying fact check things that ARE pertinent.
To a very significant extent, the GOP, esp the MAGA centre, have become an embodiment of white mostly Protestant Christian nationalists indeed. Everyone else is "lesser" or under Satanic influence. It's preached in many a self-righteous church, and has been, for years.
And there should be no separation of church and state.
We have not evolved as a species (at least a lot of us) if we continue to fall under the spell of such nonsense. It's no different than the babblings of witch doctors or the teachings of Jim Jones or L Ron Hubbard or Joseph Smith - all crap made up by some convincing con man. What is missing in the human brain that requires allegiance to such BS?
Worship this. Worship that. Pray to the sun. Pray to a thousand gods. Pray to just one god. Which one? MY god of course. It's the only true god. All those other gods that billions of people worship are false gods. They are all wrong. I am the only one who knows. Trust me. How do I know. HE told me so!
There is a sucker born every day. And it's getting really old.
Bill, I totally agree with you. So many religions, so many gods and holy books. I always say, “They can’t all be right… but they could all be wrong.”
That type of religion assuages their fear.
I need a Wow emoticon here, i always shake my head and cringe whenever i hear born again apocalyptic concert / mass events. We all live enmeshed in our cultural worlds, but this stuff "runneth over". Thanks for the vivid deals. "in the air" scene of course is straight out of one of Paul's letters.
😮. “Runneth over”… like an overfilled 💩 🚽!
Would love for them all to be at that meeting up in the air.
A white Christian nationalist. Read Tim Alberta's "The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory". Absolutely stunning review of evangelical churches and their pastors.
As former ambassador Faul said, use Putin's frozen assets to pay & buy military aid for Ukraine
Would be great if it can be done legally. How about throwing in those Russian Oligarch's assets, too! How about adding some of the "windfall profits" our homegrown Oligarchs are raking in? ok. i'm done
Speak up. Speak out. Keep hammering away with the TRUTH.
There is an old saying: "You can't fix stupid," reflecting Barbara Bryniaski's sentiments. And ignorance. These MAGA Republicans have no clue about history so I can't say that they ever knew it and forgot it. I think that it is safe to say that in many, many ways our public school system failed to teach an extremely important skill to its students: critical thinking. And, lurking there, and it has now come to the surface, is the ugly fact of racism. We are literally re-fighting the Civil War.
This public school system has been intentionally hamstrung, just like the oligarchs want.
True, because an educated electorate scares the hell out of them!! Uneducated voters are much easier to manipulate.
I feel that the old timey America of decades ago, one which saw citizens read the newspapers in the morning or after dinner, followed by watching trusted network news, allowed for a much more well-informed public. Americans are now so bombarded by untrustworthy news sources that they are easily swayed by misinformation and thus have surrendered their decision making rights. True facts on paper suggest that Trump isn't qualified to run a hot dog stand, yet MAGA white walkers whose brains have been set to Pause, line up to support him. Morons support morons.
HCR wrote “ The government voided the election and called for a do-over. ”. I would like to know a whole lot more about how that can be done so we can be ready—just in case.
well, just ask one of Trump's team! They have all kinds of plans being put into action as we speak. I sure hope the FBI and the most of the National Guard aren't in on them.
And I hope the DNC is ready. Ha! And Merrick Garland! oy.
For those who have no appreciation of what democracy means versus fascist dictatorship let Navalnhy's murder remind them that is how any significant opposition is dealt with. Is that what trump's cultists want? Maybe they do, if so my dear fellow Americans be careful for what you wish for.
Understand importance? No. Owning libs is important, that’s the extent of being loyal to tribe
I work to follow Heather's advise several times every day, "take up oxygen" and get the facts out there. All I can do is give the facts, people still post "Haha's" at me. That's on them, not me.
His hard core sees this litany as strength. They’re ok with having a king or dictator when they have no idea what that means. Watched a piece on YouTube where several MAGAs were asked if these things would keep them from voting for trump, and what did he do for them that would cause them to ignore his criminal activity. Most couldn’t really name anything in particular, were ok with his being a dictator because that’s what we need to make things right, but one older couple, when asked about TFG being a dictator, first said yes, and the interviewer asked, “like Hitler?” Well, they didn’t want him to be like Hitler, so he offered “like Mussolini?” Yeah, that would be ok!
I spit out my coffee. This is the level of ignorance we are dealing with.
OMG!!!!! I believe I saw that piece and was absolutely dumbfounded when I heard those answers. Really?
I saw that, too! Unreal!!
Hoyt: Not to be too picky but Carlin should have said median not average. :-)
"While it's not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservative" John Stuart Mills
Hmmm. Wondering what the definition of “stupid” is. I don’t think it’s IQ in this context, or even education. I’m thinking it’s a strange brew of fear, anger, lack of critical thinking, belief in the hierarchy, need for an authoritarian…. What do you think?
Think of how supercilious the median Democrat is, and realize half of them are more unbearable than that.
I’m a Democrat, myself. But somehow the terrific HCR seems to attract commenters who—when they’re not patting the like-minded on the shoulder over some too-precious turn of phrase, are making the judgement that people vote for Trump because they’re too stupid to know better. I know a lot of Trump voters whose main motivation is to avoid a large group of smug and superior smarty-pants people.
Wow- so “owning the libs” really is their preferred national policy? I find the rhetoric of some leftist extremists problematic but really? That’s all your Trump voters care about?
Define median Democrat please. I am not sure what that is. I think I am am Independent because I believe all people are created equal and should have the same right to health care, justice, education and the right to vote. I do not believe that one religion is superior to any other and that all religions are cults. If someone wants to worship and pray to their God so be it, but forcing anyone to pray to their God in schools or government buildings is bullshit. I am opposed to the patriarchy and therefore I cannot support any Republican. I am oppsed to Xenophobia because almost all of had ancestors that came to the US in the past 300 years. I am willing to support the US Constitution and the laws of the US but I will not pledge allegiance to a flag -- what a ridiculous concept that is. I believe we all have the right to be happy and/or content. I don't support repressive regression which Is the prevailing ideology of the Republican Party. Most Republicans feel superior to people of color especially immigrants and women and the rights I listed above. It seems to me the median Republican is the supercilious party.
Well, ok then?! Btw what is a median democrat? I am an independent and have often voted republican.
Carlin was a comedian. Surely it’s no surprise that we have a spectrum of intelligence in this country. So how did some of us decide that those on the lower end of the spectrum are only worth insulting? Do we think there are no stupid Democrats? (A twist on the old joke: if you think there are no stupid Democrats, then you’re one of the stupid Democrats).
Great politicians like FDR didn’t separate people like this. He found a way to appeal to everyone. Same with RFK.
I hope we get there again.
I’m sure there are many. We were discussing tfg . And this is merely a commentary on how uninformed the American public is.
And the interviewer didn’t shame the couple.
Wasn’t replying to you. Was referring to the person who used the word “stupid”. Has used it many times. On this substack and others.
Especially demeaning insults toward voters only freeze them in their positions. If you think that insults are at all effective in discouraging rival voters, or encouraging Dem voters, I would love to know what observed behavior you’re basing that on.
All that you say is music to the ears of the MAGA nation. That racist group doesn’t have enough voters to defeat Biden and the Democrats. Many republicans will desert him and vote for Biden or not vote for President. Without a full GOP vote Trump can’t win. All the Democrats have to do is vote.
I hope you’re correct …. I worry every day … get solace when I read Heather and Joyce Vance and people like you who comment on their articles …
Same here.
You missed his cheating to avoid Vietnam (Private Bone-Spurs), his paying others to take his school tests, his mocking of a handicapped reporter, his boast that his Vietnam was avoiding STDs…….
So true. The lists are overwhelming and each episode of ugliness becomes small in comparison with the sun total of evil.
Great summary. Do you mind if I share it to remind a few people of the depth of his depravity?
I had forgotten about the murder of Paul Klebnikov, another martyr for democracy. It would be interesting to a list of people who have been killed because they pursued free speech and human rights in the last 20 years. Navalny is just the latest…I appreciate your good work so much!
they were killed because they opposed Putin...
And if trump regains the White House he will do the same thing, killing those he feels are disloyal to him.
And Tucker will be there to support him.
Good news is that Tucker isn't on Fox.
Seems like he would if he could. A man with now conscience.
He has promised as much.
He recently said he will give police complete immunity so they can kill whenever they want w no consequences.
And America is next on Putins calender. Not Poland. It's already happening and it's not as costly as Ukraine.
He's got a certain general on the hit list so far.
Well we have the recent quote about leaders murder people from Tucker Carlson to prove your point!
And because they had popular support.
Dictator standard operating procedure.
Oh yeah, and Tucker just made it explicit in a Cairo interview the other day, killing is necessary for people like Putin. Zero apologies.
It is sad that the government didn't even allow the flowers in honoring/remembering Navalny remain. At night they were put in garbage bags. I personally have never heard of that before.
CNN had a documentary on Navalny last nite. What an inspiring politician! His death causes much heartache.
Something just caught my eye (I didn't read it) about a movie made about him and his death. The movie was made in 2021 I believe
Sergei Magnisky
Anna Politskya
Alexander Litvencinko
Boris Berezovsky
Boris Nemtsov
And there are a lot more.
Navalny was,alive and looking well the day before he was murdered. I have no doubts. He knew his days were counted...
Those murdered are just the ones we've heard about....add many more to that list.
Naa they just slipped and fell out of all those sky scraper windows. 🤪
It’s remarkable to me how Putin just has his adversaries killed. Why can’t the US do something about this? The guy is a maniac. Does he ever leave the Kremlin? The millennials don’t remember the Cold War. They don’t get it! How do we educate them???😫
Putin has/had a death squad. Seriously.
Add to the record the unprecedented number of journalists killed in Gaza. Some with their whole families.
One of those evenings where I think about all the scum mentioned in this post and can only say, "if my thought dreams could be seen, they'd put my head in a guillotine."
There is nothing too bad that can happen to any of the Trumpscum.
I'm afraid that I, too, have indulged in some rather ugly thoughts involving certain public figures.
I really don't think Trump will win against Biden in 2024. But I do think we are all quietly praying for long life and good health for Biden.
If Trump did manage to install himself as "president for life," old age will take him out within another couple of decades. The damage he would do is incalculable, of course. But Germany as a nation survived Hitler, though many of its citizens -- and citizens of other places -- did not. The big difference, of course, is the nuclear stockpile, which did not exist in 1945. And Trump is not Hitler: he's crazier, and more reckless.
Since I'm going down this dark road, I'm curious about the limits of military loyalty. The President is CIC, of course, but in the event of some kind of coup that calls the legitimacy of the President into question, there is the question of where military loyalties lie. That's an age-old question. I've heard the Praetorian ran the declining Western Roman Empire in some centuries, and kept the Pope prisoner.
But my deepest concern is the inviable fantasy of the US economy under both the left and the right. There are few things that MUST be done, starting with heavily taxing accumulated individual wealth and putting it into unprofitable projects that have only social benefit. This was (apparently) clearly understood in the 1890-1940 half-century. No one seems to understand it now. The accumulation of unlimited wealth by individuals, who have no legal or sacred obligation to use it to benefit the material well-being of others, and the world, is shaping a very, very ugly future. We all feel it. We see it in the idea that a person facing difficult times is defective and deserves to starve on the street, and that they must "pull themselves up by their bootstraps," which is (of course) impossible. You cannot pull yourself up by your bootstraps. It's in the idea of building rockets to "escape this rock" before we destroy it, instead of simply ceasing to destroy it. Our wealth-trapped democracy is rapidly becoming an impediment to survival, and the problem centers in the growing disconnect between wealth, and human responsibility.
I see no path forward on this under Democrats, and (of course) it is anathema to Republicans. Social Responsibility? What, is that woke?
Political affiliation is of little benefit to the starving, or those who cannot breathe the air.
It also took the entire rest of the planet to defeat Hitler.
Yes. It's a suggestive, but inaccurate analogy to be sure. Should there be a world war against a US with a mad dictator, it's unlikely that two sticks would be left standing anywhere in the world. Which is an exaggeration, of course. Many small communities around the world might not even know there had been a war.
Until the wind brought the radiation in the atmosphere for a visit.
Well said. The national treasure has been stolen. It needs to be clawed back and applied to these principles:
Housing and food security
Potable water (w/o microplastics and PFAs)
Health care as a human right
Education from day care to employment by highly trained and very well paid pros
A complete revamping of our food production systems to restore soil, diversify past mono-cropping and eliminate the use of toxic chemicals
An immigration system that processes the much needed workers applying at our border - to fill the jobs that are not being done. People who will pay taxes and will balance our demographics. Balance the social safety net accounts. We are aging out. We NEED younger workers. Jobs are not being filled.
The big one. Erect a wall. An impenetrable and permanent wall between "church and state". Believe whatever you want but keep it to yourself and fellow "believers".
"Christian Nationalism" is Fascism. And it isn't very christian. While Democrats have been complicit in the flow of wealth to the top, they are the party that is actually shifting (too slowly) to correct it. The GOP is the party of hate and greed. "Hate will not Make America Great"
Bill: you checked off all my wishes. I’ve always felt that THIS is the America we should and could have. Now that I’m 71 I wonder if I will ever see even one wish fulfilled.
PS- add universal voting and a fair and impartial justice system (vs mass incarceration and prisoner-slaves working free for corporations).
Totally with you on voting and "for profit" prisons. It's criminal.
You might enjoy this.
https://billalstrom.substack.com/p/a-better-democracy-is-possible
American “exceptionalism” may once have a been exceptional, but we would do well to learn from our “betters” in healthcare, education, Justice, etc. Good column, Bill!
Agreed! Well said.
Themon the Bard, the Democratic Party is our only hope and viable option forward to a more just and fair society. There are concrete legislative examples of them doing so. Do they need to do more for the people? Yes, absolutely. But the point is, they are moving us forward.
I agree that, of the two choices, the Democrats represent the better immediate hope. My DEEP concern is that the Democrats have swallowed the same poison that has driven the Republicans insane, and are simply taking better pain-killers.
I hate to point to difficult books that seem a bit tangential, but the books Debt, by David Graeber, and The Dawn of Everything, by Graeber and Wengrow, have given me a much deeper insight into the crisis that is the US. The book Debt makes the role of coinage clear in a way I had never understood before. Money is NOT wealth. In some ways, they are opposites. And The Dawn of Everything delves into history , anthropology, and archaeology to explore the enormously different ways our "primitive" forebears lived, and lived quite well, in large communities.
Capitalism is a diseased economic model, and our current stories about capitalism are supportive fantasies.
Let me put it this way. Capitalism is as deadly as COVID. Republican stories about capitalism are tales about ivermectin and bleach. Democratic stories about capitalism throw in some aspirin.
Themon the Bard, I'm not familiar with those books. But I am a fan of books that make us think and see not just details, but the big picture, especially patterns in our history.
I do think though that when we talk about concepts and label them with words, such as, capitalism, we limit our thinking and set ourselves up to posture either, a for or against stance. Instead of labels for emotionally charged concepts like capitalism, and the other isms, that have no common agreement on definition among mainstreet, I prefer the word, commerce system.
Then we can talk about fairness, who should make the rules for the system, and such. That would be productive, rather than being trapped within the confines of a word, that divides us and obscures the fact that many of us agree that the system should be fair and just. Then, we could get on with talking about the, "How?".
Wow.
I feel exactly like you do.
You can't pull yourself up by boot straps if you have no boots.
You can't do it even if you have boots. With bootstraps. :-)
Charlie Kirk or one of his ilk recently outed the fact that he is in Trump's Militia. with like, Praetorian Guard level!" You're right. We can't assume that our armed forces, and especially the National Guard, will choose the side of democracy. They've been hard hit with disinfo, and it goes well with a history of conservatism and misogyny.
I just commented on the same fear myself up there somewhere.
BUT I am very wary of what sounds like the old "all politicians are alike" PR line running through your comment. "No one seems to understand it now." Luckily you are exaggerating. Robert Reich is very well known. All my kids (18 and 21) and their friends talk about is how extreme/late stage capitalism is killing the planet and depriving them of the opportunities that their parents and grandparents had. Of course, this is a middle class white American and Australian family we're talking about, so they're also aware of their, and our generation's, privilege. They are disgusted by the injustice they see everywhere, as you said, on the streets and in the news. On their phones.
The word "oligarchy" is in wide use. Most Americans know about how the rich are sucking up all the money and that trickle down was a trick. The rise of unionization, from it's barely warm corpse, is certainly a good sign. Especially as it's being led by a diverse group of Young people.
The Most effective way to let the Oiligarchy win is by repeating the lie that both parties are the same. Think about this. What if the Republican Party Gileads its way into oblivian. What if the Democrats are then the "conservative" party, and the Democratic Socialists, or People's Party or Green Party can fill the vacuum. That can happen faster if we get people to Vote Blue, which is the closest thing to green we've got.
We can't throw out the vote. There will not be a violent revolution to overthrow the Capitalist class. We have to work from the inside out, and from the bottom up.
Even Ol' Joe has come a looooooong way toward accepting the vision of freedom and justice and a return to a green planet than he had before his VP days.
He chooses wise, intelligent, informed, empathetic Young people to advise him and he listens and helps them do their job but delegating it to them and the experts. That is good leadership.
To say you "see no path forward under Democrats" is indulging in doom thinking, and we can't afford to do that. Please don't discourage people from voting blue, and green when green can win against red. That's exactly what the Oligarchs want you to do.
If you must give up, please don't bring others down with you.
Our common enemy is corporate greed, not "the government." Our government may be our best tool we have to diminish the Oligarchs' power. Corporations haven't been around that long. We can defeat their takeover. We have to use what we have.
Hmmm. If I stand by my post above at all, its best virtue is that it inspired you to write your response. :-) Well-said.
You are, I hope, including among those to whom nothing too bad can happen the 74 million American voters who support the Trumpscum.
A thought exercise: If you could press a button which would cause a single random Trump supporter to develop pancreatic cancer would you? Even if you would never learn their identity?
I thoroughly detest their views, but they make 35% of our country, and we need to learn to live with them.
I find it frightening when our anger dehumanizes us.
It is, but I have seen them dehumanize every effort that has been made for the past 50 years (I have personal knowledge of) to bring the world to some semblance of detente (to use a word that Kissinger bastardized). Republicans signed on to the power above all for the sole purpose of greed, which aligns perfectly with power plays. Some with full knowledge, some with $signs, some with religious fervor, and some just looking for someone lower to peck. I know many of these and have tried to live with them. Most need to go back under their rocks or be ashamed of their lapse of humanity. The majority needs to rule again. Crap on rule by a crazy cult.
I am fortunate to live in a blue state and a very blue town ( the poor towns are republicans, seriously), and my friends and family are democrats. I am lucky. I don't talk politics with my in-laws though ( some are from TN and the others just don't talk politics.) I have not had any direct discussions with them.
Funny story: I was at the Buttigieg rally, and I was the only white hat in a sea of reds in a restaurant. Was chatting with some people. We all agreed on things to different degrees like climate change until they said that the democrats were responsible for polluting Lake Michigan. oookay.
Oh Yes, I have started conversations in my assisted living facility, and been brought up short. As leaving an elevator, one women said in a loud voice that she hated Joe Biden for putting all the guns on the streets. Rather shocked, I said where did you hear that crap, that's the biggest lie I've heard lately. (after the shooting at Allan, TX). She stammered as I continued my rant against lies. Then she didn't understand why I thought she had lied. She did not have dementia. Just a Foxer. Still I call it what it is. Living in a sea of red is a mind warp. Lucky you!
Give’m hell, Jeri. You won’t change their minds, but they need the lesson, and it might be cathartic for you.
It is the NRA and the republicans ( and any live free or die type) who have put the guns on the street.
FYI: Ironically Russia has some of the same problems with guns as we do (the school shootings, gangs, illegal guns), and lately they have been tightening regulations. You have to be 21. No conceal carrying. Background checks, federal test, classes, and limited number of guns to be owned The BBC claimed you had to have a psychiatrist reference and a visit to the eye doctor. That would b a good idea.
The 2020 election was held before the insurrection. I know several Republicans who became never Trumpers after 1/6.
And also millions of women abhor the Dobbs decision and what has become of women's health in the US. Why would anyone who wants to become an OB/GYN attend medical school where abortion is illegal and they could be arrested for performing a life saving abortion?
Thousands of good OB/GYNs have retired, moved or become GPs.
“Several” is about the right descriptor. They’re self-converted, I presume, that being about the only means of conversion for such misguided souls. I don’t know any converts, which I think is more common. In any case, “several” isn’t going to help. A few percent (like 2% or 3%) would do it, though, and Donbs might give us that.
I see a difference between sociopaths like Trump and the dupes that believe him. Not that's an excuse, but I know that some of the Trump supporters are not beyond redemption. They seem stuck in a self-reinforcing delusion. Japan and Germany healed after the war. Some crimes had to prosecuted, but not all who had hailed Hitler. The thing was that Hitler and Japanese aggression had to be stopped. Unfortunately, it had not been stopped before millions died.
As Mark Twain said, it's easier to fool people than convince them they've been fooled.
They haven’t been fooled. That’s the tragic part.
They've been fooled into thinking
Successful businessman
Attractive rich guy
?
The right wing mega donors know what they're going to get is someone for sale. They don't realize they'll get an unstable United States. Or what do you mean?
Sadly, those dupes are the power behind the sociopaths. Not discounting the money power, but it’s the money that gives the leaders the gravitas to fool the dupes. This results in (and has through history) upheaval, death and destruction on Everest scale. The majority is hamstrung by deceit, lies, and manipulation by the powerful few and their “dupes.” When they have no shame, what is left? Ike is gone…
And let's not forget arming the poorly educated with automatic weapons. That is deliberate too.
It's not just the ignorant, it's the pecking order also. Anybody "lesser" is a target. Rarely is a top tier, whitey targeted. Deliberate and Aimed...
I fear that the Ukrainian issue may become like the Domino Theory. I think WWII history should have a stronger focus put on it or at least have the kids see a few documentaries on the topic. Sometimes people learn better by visual aids. Wouldn't that be so weird if someone is watching one and actually sees a relative?
And those who lived through Hiroshima survived, and Vietnam veterans survived, and Holocaust victims survived, but they all needed much support and maybe mental health services.
35% that could make the US we know, disappear. I do not want to learn to live with them.
I detest their views. They dehumanize me on at least 3 fronts. How about I wish for them what they wish for me?
I still have trouble with that…
I’d rather send the lot of them to cult deprogramming. I do not mind opposing views that are reasoned, thought out, and are based in fact, and that are presented in a reasonable, thought out manner.
Would I press button.. hmm.. probably not on a random Trumpanzine, but I’d definitely push that button on any of the MAGAs in the House..
On ly one? I am afraid I have developed republican greed for more power.
Well, they say don't ask a question if you don't want to hear the answer. :-) Trouble is, well... I've occasionally visited some of their right-wing comment forums - I can only take a few minutes or my blood pressure starts to rise - and I invariably find unmitigated, vicious hatred. It's really, really ugly, so I try to mitigate my own anger. To a right-winger, that makes me weak, but I won't let them define me.
One of the dangerous byproducts of increasingly frustrating and unconscionable behavior.
And Covid took out a few Trump followers.
More than a few. Perhaps millions.And they have been replaced by millions of Gen-Zers and more each day. And what woman of child bearing age doesn't realize that their health care is under attack by crazy white men? Even the are faux-Christian Nationalists have to be aware that women's health care in red states is only going to suffer.
Total covid death count was 1.3 million on 2022, with Republican-led areas experiencing higher death rates. The excess deaths were documented by the NY Times amd others, but the difference is likely nowhere near "millions". And the deaths concentrated in cities, which were more liberal. Note that what I just wrote is based on memory and not on recent research. However, this specific data analysis prompted me to subscribe to 3 newspapers, and I was paying attention.
I meant millions of Republican voters have died from everything not just Covid-19. Republican voters skew over 60.
I don't disagree about your numbers. TFFG SHOULD have closed all of the International Airports when he prohibited Asian flights. If he had, it's likely the NYC number of Covid-19 cases and deaths would have been substantially lower as well as many of the East Coast states.
But, as you recall Jerry, the Trump administration discarded the pandemic plan that worked so well under Ebola. And then Trump kept lying about the virus and making shit up.
Republicans pretend that Trump was only President for 3 years when his 4th year was a fiasco.
not enough-trump survived-
No, I wouldn’t press the button. I don’t advocate murdering them. However, I do wish they were dead, and I celebrate the demise of any of them who fall.
I don't think it's 35%. I think it's more like 20% and the rest just are religious.
Rex, you go too far.
Hopefully enough will awake from their coma by November.
Yes.
I hope so too. The voters are to blame and deserves the same.
I think most people are muddling through, and abuse of media explains a lot of it. That said, just as in the case of the climate emergency, there was a lot more that could have been done and was not. I saw a lot of the warning signs decades ago, but I guess I hoped for a natural "pendulum swing" correction. Instead we kept adapting to the new "normal", as plutocrats became ever more brazenly corrupt. we are still, as a society, loathe to acknowledge the scale of potential peril on a number of fronts.
The pendulum is broken
There is no pendulum in global warming. It’s unidirectional unless people stop putting carbon dioxide in the air. The science has been solid on this since 1980. The models are more sophisticated now, and it’s a little worse than Hansen and other scientists predicted over 40 yesrs ago. Still going in the same direction. Faster.
Most definitely.
Manafort, Bannon, Stone and all of the rest them should be buried ass-up so people have a place to park their bicycles.
What a vision
That's what popped up in my head when I was reading HCR.
Love your visions, maybe Jung was right about much.
What a visual that is!!
GAG!!! 😉
😂🤣
Somehow, my normally Dorothy Day-esque soul is comforted by your Robespierrian side, TC!
But you’ve written a charming couplet!
From Bob Dylan's song "It's all right, Ma..."
Lisa's right.
"Disillusioned words like bullets bark
As human gods aim for their mark
Make everything from toy guns that spark
To flesh-colored Christs that glow in the dark
It's easy to see without looking too far
That not much is really sacred"
Hat tip to Robert Zimmerman, Hibbing Minnesota.
Bob PS: "lotta water under the bridge., lotta other stuff too "
[Caps, no caps, no periods & general lack of punctuation as per the author.]
Good one Bryan.
I am sleepless in Simsbury and have plenty of time to think about these things. Guillotine? too quick and painless. It would be in a snow cave Navalny was in.
I agree with you wholeheartedly. If only I could do something about it myself.
Absolutely nothing! 💥
TCinLA: nice rhyme!
"The Putin wing of the GOP", as Liz Cheney calls it, is on the verge of allying our country with Russia and destroying our democracy. It is mind-blowing to me that the pugs have elected to go this route. Such hypocrisy leaves me speechless.
kdsherpa, are you including all the Congress Critters who refused to certify the 2020 election?
When will they be officially declared traitors? Will every one of them be voted out of Congress please?
Yes: PLEASE!
Rosendale is one of them in MT. Sheehy is trying to unseat DJon Tester . Sheehy has tfg blessing , I am wondering how much he had to pay for it
Please everybody, send a donation to Jon Tester, the only farmer in Congress and a wise Democrat. In the 1970s when I first lived in Montana, Democrats were passing solid environmental and anti-nuclear legislation. Now it is as if Tester is alone with those values, facing crazy and frankly hostile Republicans. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/rjt-ads-230413-search-evergrn-dd-us?refcode=ads_search_23n014_230413_dd_US_tester_ad1&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA8sauBhB3EiwAruTRJiFGR5aeC-6Gv5gaK4DPbwABqSPeur188WOPfEZ-qS1_WBjwbV5B2RoCjmIQAvD_BwE
Thanks for the plug for a democrat is a sea of red!
Done
Sending.....
Just sent $50. (I've been sending small monthly donations to all Democrats running for the Senate for 12 months, now!)
Bravo! If I had just held on to my EXCON stock, would be doing likewise. Haunted by EXXON Valdese, finally sold it.
Is anyone listening: YEEEES!!
I am listening every day. Like many, the pandemic has slid me from the middle class. We’ve been endangered since Reagan, but Trump (sending most of the money to a few) and the pandemic left most charitable Americans unable to fund what they had been funding for years.
The party that howls about "Voter Fraud".
That's being controlled by a convicted fraudster and rapist. J.L., how could this happen in America? Were we just not paying attention?
That was a deliberate decision cooked up decades ago when repubs realized they weren’t going to win on ideas.
No, there are still a very few pugs (including Liz Cheney), who are still Americans.
Except they kicked her out. She is pretty far to the right, but not a Trump-Bot. Not a liar. That doesn't count as Republican any more.
I know. Sigh...
Mary Hardt, don't give critters a bad name. Ha ha.
M, Congress Critters is what HCR has called members of Congress many times. It captures the actions of today’s legislative branch so beautifully, so I borrowed it.
Mary Hardt, oh oh, so HCR is giving critters a bad name. Haha
The Maga wing wants what Putin has. He has 100+ billion that he has embezzled out of Russian mineral extraction and exporting it, skimming, payoffs, laundering it abroad. In Russia Putin has free rein, unlimited power from mostly oil. The Maga/ Putin wing wants that too for themselves.
I think the MAGA wing is too stupid to understand anything. They just get off on the orange sadist acting like a fool. It's fun! Like watching TV! (I really do think that's what the vast majority of the maggots feel.)
Exactly, reality crap appeals to those whose brains are arrested at the junior high level.
kd, I think you are spot on with this.
Yup. Agree, but I’m talking about the leadership and what they are after. Greed and corruption are bedfellows. Putin has laid the path. Manafort told them how to follow it.
American Oligarchs, such as Michael Bloomberg have rolled out the red carpet for Russian investors. The have welcomed them with open arms for decades. American Oligarchs have incestuous relationships with Russia, Saudis and China. They don't care where the money comes from. They don't care how dirty, corrupt, laundered or dark it is. As long as they can horde it, it's all good.
Bloomberg/Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. I admire when billionaires donate a majority of their wealth to good causes that serve the public good. So I don’t chalk him as bad as Elum Musk, Koch, Thel, Murdoch, Mercer. These guys I see as evil and enemies to democracy. But yes, that $ should go to the public good from taxes on those billions instead on philanthropy.
Dems dissed Bloomberg when they needed him. Sorry, but hard to find a perfect friend these days.
The word perfect fits for making a great pie. Not in regards to humans. However, integrity does. Which is pretty shortsighted in the world of American Oligarchs.
Couldn't agree more, but some keep comparing Joe to the perfect iteration. Integrity, well, Joe has plenty, but one couldn't find any with a microscope in any repub in office, and most peering in through the windows.
Agreed 👍
Nah, I can still rant and rave, but what seems like a fast switch was in the works to some degree when daddy Cheney was a powerful pup.
Wonderful history. Thank you for the reminder. Some of us remember this vividly. And still, we are flummoxed daily at the ignorance of our fellow citizens.
This is crucially important information right now. Thanks Professor, for so clearly illustrating how Russia has bought and paid for trump and his terrorist organization.
It's only fair, reciprocal, Gwen, that Russia support those Americans all now on the far-right.
Americans originally rushed in to invest in the most corrupt of the Soviet Union's former nomenklatura (and secret police) following the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Largely U.S. Ivy League grads in high finance and M.B.A.s had as goal simply to make money for all amoral grads of the U.S. biz ed edifice. The U.S. Department of State helped them find the most willing over there to take U.S. investment and seize control of all formerly public assets, now for strictly private profiteering.
Why did the U.S. Department of State do this? Because for the previous 20, ever since the Powell memo organized it, predator commerce in the U.S. was on steroids. "Capitalism" was good, good, good, so the U.S. at the federal level gave all these cutthroats all the aid they coveted.
We made Putin. We helped those who would turn Russia into a land of serfs again -- massive cuts to its formerly good health care systems, huge unemployment, reduced mortality for men, increased alcoholism, epidemic tuberculosis.
But remember, too, Gwen, this savagery was the same by which those implementing the Powell memo ended up killing humanities in U.S. schools and then offshoring the millions of American working-class jobs, too. Dark money was underwriting the U.S.'s far right agenda as essentially the same coterie of biz ed whiz kids aided the oligarchs also taking over Russia.
Interesting reminder Phil. I flew from San Francisco to Magadan on one of the first Aeroflot flights to the USSR in 1991 to visit Soveiet science collegues in Vladivostok and to spend almost two months traveling all over the USSR with a Tajik sedimentologist friend I made on the first Societ/US joint scientific project. I was seated next to a Polish KGB operative, with quite few other KGB guys seated all around, heading home after making the rounds of Silicon Vally pedling high tech Soviet wares. I will never forget the industrial diamond he handed me, of many he was negotiating production contracts for. He dropped it into my hand and it yanked it to the floor, it was so heavy. My chemistry prowess had slipped by then, and yes, it’s mass was far greater than lead.
Those were heady, optimistic times. I slipped beyond officialdom, taking a 12 hour midnight to noon taxi ride to Vladivostok and never showed my passport again, leaning on my friend’s shoulder on trains like a passed out drunk and the conductors just walked by, not asking to see it. I met many wonderful people in cities all over the country who thought highly of our country and could not believe all the military bullshit.
Time$ have changed a lot.
You have just become someone I would very much like to have a beer with.
Be serious, guy. Or you were played.
Density of industrial diamond is 3.5 g/cc, that of lead is 11.4 g/cc. Diamond is less than 1/3 the weight of lead for a given size.
At warp speed.
Yes, heady times indeed, Ransom.
I, too, was there then.
Since 1987 I'd been in Hungary, and then since 1989 in neighboring Slovakia. There during the fall of the Berlin Wall. I saw my students (I was a Fulbrighter) rise to the occasion, joining the nationwide student strikes to rid the university system of the secret police corruption that had long been ruling.
Some reforms passed. But the roles of the secret police is another story. A sad one. Pathetic. They kept their old power, under new guises, and also under the protection of the U.S. Department of State, which prioritized friendly terms with the former powers-that-had-been (all that nomenklatura) so that the hordes of new U.S. capitalists could more easily ally with them.
Hello, the new oligarch classes. Hello Putin. Hello genocidalists in Serbia. Hello Orban and hate-filled nationalists near everywhere there.
Free Speech Movement and Reagan's Max Raferty, 1967. Humanities were the biggest threat to Republican ambitions. No educated populace would ever vote for them.
If educated to be observant, self-questioning, compassionate, and critically thinking citizens. Plutocracy wants obedience.
Also, Ransom, our commercial classes reduce life to things they can package.
They then market things to us as if we were but units in consumer demographics (or algorithm-likely to go largely to hate, fear, or sensationalism sites, or numbers or rank-&-files set by standardized testing).
Point for them is, there are no individuals as individuals, nothing is personal -- as all good humanities attest.
Evolution is a process of the expansion of viable diversity. Liberty is a diversity of responsible choices, is it not? Pooling and exchanging our diverse perspectives, foci, talents, etc. is a key Homo sapiens superpower.
Exactly, J L.
I'd rather your vocabulary rely on active verbs, rather than the copulative "is" only (three times) -- but your key noun, "diversity" (also three times) nicely nabs both human and natural particularity, individuality, specificity, with all their nuances.
In a democracy, the rule of law and our best institutions protect all that -- free us to inhabit, treasure all that -- contrary to our billionaire classes and their guaranteed vulgarities for money, for pushing their packaged reductions of life.
The troublesome side of diversity and freedom is that some choices are predatory, or unacceptably irresponsible. It can be tricky to untangle what we simply don't care for from what we should not tolerate, but some of the widely recognized crimes include theft, rape, murder, etc. At what point is concentration of wealth deleterious to the health and happiness of a society as a whole? Again, there are clear cut examples, but also situations more difficult to call. Wisdom defies precise definition, but I think that part of it is taking care not to pull the rug from under one another.
"Accustomed to trample on the rights of those around you, you have lost the genius of your own independence, and become the fit subjects of the first cunning tyrant who rises."
- Lincoln
Gorbachev seemed to want to do it right, but he was dropped like a rock.
I lived in DC when he came. It was an amazing, hopeful sight to see the Soviet and American flags together on all the lampposts around the White House and the Old Executive Office Building.
I felt the same way when he visited Minneapolis.
Yes, we were there when he visited
We screwed his effort, our repubs were worms then too
Excellent indictment of the Jeffrey Sachs regime, Phil
Hate that guy’s ignorant views! On almost everything. My sister has suggested I read him, as she really hates the war and believes peace can just be “negotiated”. I soon discovered he was nothing but an apologist for Russia. I believe he’s one of the people that say the world has nothing to fear from Putin.
..."So Mr Trump pardoned Manafort, Kushner and Stone, and they all lived happily ever after. The end."?
Power (and it's monomaniacal pursuit) tend to corrupt.
Absolutely.
I remember this very well. And I remember Rachel Maddow tracing the whole sordid sequence. Yanukovych. Manafort. Deripaska. Just like it was yesterday. This isn't ancient history. This is...yesterday.
I remember that, too. Andrew Weissman and others saw it, also. Thanks for the reminder.
Wasn’t Manafort responsible for the slogan, “Lock her up!”
Quess where he got that slogan? In Ukraine, Yanochovich destroyed the career of an economist, former Treasury secretary and former President of Ukraine, Yulia Tymoshenko.
Dr. Richardson, you have given us all an extremely valuable history lesson here this evening. A lot of this I had forgotten.
What this reveals is one simple fact. If our Congress, the Senate (who this evening passed a package for assistance to Ukraine and others investigating over in conflicts in Europe) and the House of Representatives, who Speaker Johnson has declared the House will not pass any bill for any assistance to Ukraine of any kind, don’t pass this bill the deaths which Putin inflicts upon the Ukrainian people as well as the deaths which will occur in other countries he marches across after taking Ukraine will be the sole responsibility of our Congress. Namely the Republicans in the House of Representatives.
There’s absolutely no excuse, none whatsoever for their actions on this matter. If we vote, in ANY election between now and at least 2030, and leave any of these Republicans in office, then we will be responsible for the destruction of our Democracy and our Constitution. Every single one of them needs to be voted out of office. We must make the Senate, and especially the House of Representatives, a Super Majority of Democrats.
Since the Republican Party has taken the majority in the House of Representatives there has not been one meaningful thing accomplished. No bills passed that benefit us. All they have done is spend our taxpayer dollars trying to impeach Biden, find corruption in the Biden family and administration, and most of all, they have listened to, and done, exactly what their ‘leader’ has told them to do.
These Republicans have to go!!!
Daniel, my brother (in nomenclature, at least),
I agree wholeheartedly with you save for one point---I do not think that Putin has Hitler-ian aims on other countries. First of all, his forces are already stretched way too thin, and his economy and political support is not there for such ambitions. Secondly, his homicidally imperial aim is all about what he conceives to be "Holy Mother Russia", not some vast European empire.
I say this so as to help us focus on the task at hand, to assist our friend and nascent Republic Ukraine survive and overcome the barbaric invasion from their Russian once and future overlords, and to realize that in spite of our powers, we are not the World's policemen, and moreover, we do not exist so as to make perpetual profits for the military industrial complex
I find your comment naive. Putin has stated publicly that his wish is to restore the Soviet Union. Why do you think Georgia and Moldavia have asked to be accepted into NATO? "On 2 February 2023, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov declared that Moldova might have Ukraine's fate (meaning to be attacked by Russia) if the Moldovan president Maia Sandu wants Moldova to unite with Romania and join NATO."wikipedia.
As thought experiments go, there is the one that imagines the global community without a republic with leaders like Washington, Lincoln and FDR capable of persuading its citizens and allies to fight the good fight for liberty and the alleviation of human suffering. Caring and voting can and will get us there.
Daniel, Putin is going to do anything he can to take these countries to expand Russia to what the USSR used to be, if not by her. He Durant care what it cost him in lives of his soldiers. If he did, he would have given up on Ukraine a long time ago. He thought that would be a “walk in the park”, but it’s turned out to be a tough battle fur him. He had in get help from China and North Korea fur supplies to continue the battle.
No, Putin will march on if he can take Ukraine. That’s his intentions.
The confiscated Russian funds can be sent to Ukraine! Easy peasy
Very true, Jen. But, tell Congress that. It’s already been brought up to this House of Representatives and they sidestepped it like the plague!
Veronica, I fear you're conflating naivete with realism. Putin has certainly spoken wistfully of the "tragedy" of the collapse of the Soviet Union. He has never stated an intention to restore it.
Yes, Georgia and Moldova are understandably concerned.
Yet there is no evidence of any Russian bellicose build up toward those countries. Further, Russia is already bleeding itself unduly in Ukraine.
My point is simply thar those of us engaged in the noble cause of supporting Ukraine's self defense, should not buy into the preposterous Hitler comparison
Wait and see....
Ha!
That's fair enough, Veronica.
Take care
I fully understand you, Daniel, and I’m definitely not buying into all this “Hitler” talk being done by the MAGA Queen and his followers.
I’m looking at this by what Putin himself said some years ago about taking this country without firing a shot, and my 26+ years experience dealing with criminals and the criminal element. A good one never ever tells you what he’s going to do ahead of time. 99% of the time, it’s done, then they start taking credit for their actions. Putin didn’t tell anyone a thing about his invading Ukraine. He just did it. It will be the same with his walk across Europe and the NATO countries. If he can figure out how to do it, he’ll do it. He doesn’t care about how many troops he gets killed, or anything else. All he wants is to be the “supreme leader” of the world. His biggest mistake was taking Frumpy under his wing. Now he has donn m wine that can’t keep his mouth shut and has let the ‘cat out of the bag’ so to speak.
I think he would like to restore the Russian Empire, which would require taking many now-independent nations. But I agree that he probably doesn’t have the resources (yet) to do so. He and his crony oligarchs have looted the Russian treasury to the point that they would have to sell a helluva lot of dachas to fight a war that big. But Putin is a megalomaniac and might just try.
Or just let Ukraine run out of ammunition so Putin can wipe the floor with them.
Right on!!
As a life-long idealist, (you'd think I would mature one day,) I am grieving Navalny. He was cut from a page of modern heroism. Conversely, Putin is simply chilling as he rides the crest of his evil-doing. Now there is the possibility of a nuclear weapon satellite being launched by Russia.
While many of us shake our heads at the Putin-Republican love affair and ask why, remember that Putin is reputed to be the world's wealthiest man. His fellow oligarchs are similar in their pursuit of wealth and power, as are the admiring toadies in Congress. Money. Money. Like Trump, they worship Mammon. The pursuit of Money has no national boundaries. Loyalty to country is meaningless.
As Trump has demonstrated, what's a crime or two in pursuit of money and power? Some of his supporters even threaten death to anyone who exposes his wrong-doing— a page out of the Putin play book.
Bingo
He became president because of his "brand". NBC helped create it.
And let's hope the justice system destroys it. It will take decades to fix the eduction system.
Don’t they realize they can’t take a penny with them to the other side, absolutely nothing, the only thing that will accompany them is their karma and payback is going to be hell to pay. 🙏
It’s so troubling to see how prior circumstances and happenings have foreshadowed what is happening today. I don’t understand how any American can be anything , but alarmed. How can those in government, no matter which party, not do everything in their power to fight against Putin? Can they truly be so blind to the urgency of backing Ukraine?
A reminder of how Russia has been aided and abetted by US citizens and the scum boosting death star. Stone and Manefort are truly scum as TC says and the pols standing in the way of helping Ukraine are traitors. Notice when death star appeared all the vermin came out of the walls.
They don't read. They don't think. They like reality tv and celebrity "influencers".
What have they been threatened with?
I don't think they've been threatened by anything, simply sold their souls through greed. It's starting to feel very much like Lord of The Rings 2024 : Joe Biden is Gandalf, Vladimir Putin is Sauron and tRump is Lord of the Orks !
Have you got a Frodo and an Aragorn?
Navalny was an Aragorn, maybe Hakeem Jeffries is our Frodo...
Make it be so!
How about Samwise?
Hm. Let's review the casting... How about young Pete as Frodo and Hakeem as Samwise?
I agree! They have sold their souls.
Yes, history IS watching. It is watching republicans sell out Ukraine & democracy around the world because they have sold their souls to trump! I can't imagine anyone being so stupid as to sell their soul to a con man. But like the saying goes, "There's one born every minute!" Those individuals are pathetic & I would love to see them on the manure pile of history but I fear they have enough idiots supporting them that they may prevail to some degree. And, how riduculous is it that the trump faithful still send him money when they see what he will have to pay due to his fraud & lying all these years. Really, people, you may as well use that money to light your cigarette or start your bar-b-que. At least if you used it for that you'd get some immediate gratification, a hit of nicotine from the cigarettes or maybe a nice bar-b-qued burger or chicken, my guess is you can't afford a steak, besided beef prices being really high you've already spent your money paying trump's leagl fees. Get a clue, support your country not your con man or idiot representatives that wouldn't know a history book if someone hit them over the head with one!
“support your country not your con man”
Wow, did you ever nail it with THAT phrase‼️
I think about 'zingers' whenever I can!!! ; )
Maybe it should be a bumper sticker.
Speaking of which, I saw a bumpers sticker the other day.
It was a picture of trump but it said, does this bumper sticker make my truck look big?
I do not believe that any of these common sense writings would be posted on any site where these cultists read. Doubt they do read anyway.
There are many of them that do. Their sources are suspect (and I’m being kind here) but they believe with all their enlarged gray-matter amygdalae that those sources are the “one, true way.”
This evening my wife and I watched the Netflix movie Einstein. I will not attempt to list the similarities between what has happened since the 2016 election in the US and what happened in the mid 30s in Germany with the election of Hitler. We had best get our head & *** wired together. Just remember this is 2024 not 1933. Because we move at light speed, make a mistake and we may not be able to recover.
Yeah, depressing. I wrote this essay in May 2016 as a warning from me to me.
https://nedmcdletters.blogspot.com/2016/05/letter-116-b-getting-historical.html
I was so taken by your essay. I “warned” my friends before the election if Trump were elected we were in trouble. Here is my story why I was so sure.
I was very fortunate to be born on July 4, 1945 into a “white” upper middle class family. I had three siblings a brother 9 years older and twin sisters 6 years older. Each of my siblings would play significant roles in my life.
I want to get to the point so I will reserve any comments about my family for another chapter.
I was so sure because I recall an evening in 1968 when my “Father” and Mom walked to the home of a very prominent Republican who lived a block away from my home. John Erlichman was the key note speaker. I was sitting on the couch in our TV room when my Father returned. He came into the room. His face was ashen. A short little man whose wrinkled face said everything.
He turned to me and related how he was grazing at the table in the dinning after Erlichman addressed the attendees. He overheard Erhlichman say to a very small group, “Americans are stupid and they will do exactly what we we’ll them to do”.
It’s Sunday morning and we are about to have breakfast. I promise I will send you more.
Please stay in touch.
Namaste 🙏🏻 Mort
I am 78 so while I do my very best with computers I at times fat finger my typing. I must apologize but the gentleman speaking at the party was H R Halderman not Erlichman. I promise to do better and check my work before I release it.
They blended into the same evil man in my Nixon-era mind.
Amazing story. I was eleven in 1968 and living with family in Australia. Though from Republican families, my mother detested and my father was indifferent toward President Nixon. My mother cried when Senator Humphrey lost. Things were somber. We moved back to the United States two months later. Everything had changed. I felt like a stranger in my own land.
Thank you, Mort, for taking the time two write out your story; it really stirs a lot within me. As Mary Pate points out, Haldeman versus Ehrlichman is a distinction without a difference.
I hope I do not alienate you by saying this now but President Clinton ended my days as a Democrat. But Trump? He is worse than Presidents Nixon and Clinton put together, much worse. President Nixon had a tragic flaw; Trump is a tragic flaw.
And Trump Will only continue to be our our Tragic Flaw. 🙏🏻Mort
Yes, Sir, it is on us to mitigate or cure that flaw.
Gov. Kasich was good. And, tragically, right. And you most prescient, sadly.
Thank you for the compliment. As to prescience, I am not sure; I suspect that many of us living in N.Y.C. in the 1990s felt the same way about Trump. Nonetheless, I appreciate you taking the time to compliment me; very gracious on your part. My worry is what will happen if a likeable Trump comes trotting along -- fascism with a human face.
"Likeable Trump": Now that's a nightmare.
Hi Ned,
I so enjoyed reading your article. Despite growing up in an environment as I briefly described I am in my heart a very kind person (my Chinese friends would say Big heart Emily head) or as my Mon said to me, “a sweet boy”.
She was a beautiful woman in her prime 5’10” 145 pounds full of life and vigor. She would die from Cancer age 70.
When I was in the Marines in Vietnam 68-69 I was always more comfortable with the enlisted men. I was 22 and had a tank platoon outside of Danang. The young Marines with me were wonderful and my Sargents, staff NCOs made sure I did not **** up too much.
I could go on and on. Anyway thanks again.
I watched it last night too. My little chemist brain was thrilled with his scientific insights, and saddened by his pacifism. I spent a lot of time in Los Alamos and there is an air of sadness that hangs over the place.
I have visited New Mexico to study yoga. The teachers were marvelous. A visit like mine would be a far cry to a visit back to Los Alamos. Your description of the sadness really says it all as we consider its purpose and the results.
From the actual videos of Einstein I want to believe his remark “had he known “about Germany failures in the production of the Atomic Bomb “he would not have gone ahead with the program”. Unlike todays world where technology AI has placed doubts on everything.
When will they learn? When will they figure out it was the Russians that controlled the 2016 election, the 2020 insurrection, and will try to game the 2024 election? That’s the real psy-op, engineered by Putin, Stone, Manafort, and Flynn to cultivate Trump’s cult.
It’s difficult to put in words that the mindless puppets in our very own congress are sitting on their hands allowing the entire free world to be subjected to elected “un-Americans” aide, abet and allow the destruction of our very freedoms. Those that elected them will be as guilty as those they elected.
Most appreciated Professor ⭐
I just finished watching a documentary about Navalny on CNN. I'd seen it before, shortly after he was imprisoned after he returned to Russia, but it was particularly poignant now, with his death having been announced. His final message was that we should not be afraid, that we should be active. While Russians were his main audience, it's clearly a timely reminder for us all. Last I heard, the authorities had refused to give his body back to his mother as she had requested. At the end of the film, it mentions an exposé Navalny's team had made, Putin's Palace, available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_tFSWZXKN0. It's long, and I've only watched the beginning, but the end product of the corruption Navalny fought against is mind-blowing.