sorry that link is full of spam and other dire warnings. Not worth infecting my computer and I'm writing this as a warning for others reading this. I thought it was a good idea., but only if I had a computer I don't care about.
I use a ad blocker on all my browsers, and I saw no spam and dire warnings. As of 9AM, 2/19, the total raised by the Gilded conman was $432,976. The rubes are thick in this country.
Thanks. That was helpful info. I also enjoy the benefits of ad blockers. So I flagged that GFM.
Although I understand the importance of advertising to fund many sites. They wouldn't do well without such support.
Sometime soon, I'll begin disabling it in certain sites. I have strong distain for the trickery of most advertising, but also understand that it does have some importance.
I have also always used Macs, so a lot of the hackery and other harms are not an issue, so far. I have also long wondered why PC computers can't be made to protect their users better. I can't believe that it's not possible.
It was? I used it and went right to it and made my report. Well, you can just go to the Gofundme site, pull it up and do the same thing. My apologies. I wasn't aware it was spam.
Thank you. I just went to the site and filled out the form requesting this fundraiser not be allowed to use this site to defraud the American people yet again.
It's a legit link, and poster fixed it, was just a typo. I also looked up the people who started the fundraiser and they are real people and have been posting about it on their social media.
FYI Gofundme guidelines state that people CAN'T RAISE MONEY for those CONVICTED OF CRIMES, and Trump is not allowed to profit from his crimes due to the judgment... so you can use this language when you report the site.
The judgement against Trump is indeed fair and valid. This is nothing more than grift. Go Fundme should not allow this sort of fundraising for someone convicted lawfully in civil court.
Lisa59 Done. I don't usually do that type of thing on the internet, but tffg is such a scam artist, it seemed like one tiny thing to do today that might be helpful. Thank you.
Hi Jerry! not so long ago, running a Linux OS was a PITA (Pain In The A__) nightmare. To use programs from any other system, the operator had to set it up in the sub-routines. Tedious. The latest iteration of my OS (Ubuntu) now has all this built in. It also comes with a suite of office programs that rival those from Microsoft (well, not Office365 - yet) and Mac. Also, Linux OS's use much less disc space, so they work just fine on ageing computers like mine :)
The link worked correctly for me and I posted a claim that the fundraiser is misleading because it seeks to raise $$$ for an "illegal and invalid" $355 million judgement. I said the judgment is both valid and legal in U.S. civil court.
This is quite a story about the Lincoln-Biden connection and to read it on Presidents Day!
'Documents reveal Abraham Lincoln pardoned Biden’s great-great-grandfather'
'By David J. Gerleman is a 19th-century historian, Lincoln scholar and history instructor at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va.'
'President Biden’s Oval Office boasts both a portrait and a bust of Abraham Lincoln. But his family’s connection to the 16th president extends far beyond workplace ornamentation.'
'It dates to a late-night brawl during the Civil War.'
'On the evening of March 21, 1864, the quiet of a small corner of the Army of the Potomac’s sprawling winter camp along the Rappahannock River near Beverly Ford, Va., was disturbed when a fight broke out in one of the mess tents between Union Army civilian employees Moses J. Robinette and John J. Alexander.'
'The scuffle left Alexander bleeding from knife wounds, and Robinette was charged with attempted murder and incarcerated on a remote island near modern-day Florida. It would also cause an unexpected intersection in the histories of two American presidents, Lincoln and Biden — a story that has waited 160 years to be told.'
'Robinette, who received a pardon from Lincoln, was Biden’s great-great-grandfather.
Joseph Robinette Biden’s ancestral line has long been established and lists Moses J. Robinette among his paternal ancestors hailing from western Maryland, but very little has ever been chronicled about the man. Robinette’s court-martial records, discovered at the National Archives in Washington, show how the current president’s story is intertwined with that of the man who was president at the most perilous junction in U.S. history.'
'In 1861, Robinette was 42, married and running a hotel near the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad junction at Grafton, Va. Union sentiments ran high in Virginia’s mountainous western counties, which soon broke off to form the new state of West Virginia. As the nation lurched toward armed conflict that spring, smoldering resentments against Virginia’s politically dominant slaveholding elite flared into open defiance after northwestern delegates tried to block the secession movement and were expelled from the Virginia Convention.'
'Western Virginia became an early battleground as both sides fought to control the railroad. Union troops occupied Grafton in mid-June 1861 and drove Confederate forces out of the region within six months. The Robinette family suffered setbacks in the war’s early years: Moses’s wife, Jane, died, and his hotel was destroyed, allegedly by Union soldiers. Seeking safety for his youngest surviving children, Robinette appears to have left Virginia and returned to his extended family in Allegany County, Md.'
'Robinette was hired as a civilian veterinary surgeon by the U.S. Army Quartermaster’s Department in late 1862 or early 1863. He was assigned to the Army of the Potomac’s reserve artillery and tasked with keeping healthy the horses and mules that pulled the ammunition wagons. His qualifications for the position, as someone without formal medical training, were unstated, but such an appointment was not unusual in Civil War armies. Few veterinary colleges existed outside Europe in the 19th century, and Congress refused to authorize the creation of an official army veterinary corps until the First World War.'
'On that March evening near Beverly Ford, Alexander, a brigade wagon master, overheard Robinette saying something about him to the female cook and rushed into the mess shanty to demand an explanation. Tempers flared, expletives followed, and Robinette drew his pocketknife. A brief scuffle left Alexander bleeding from several cuts before camp watchmen arrived to arrest Robinette.'
'Nearly a month passed before Robinette’s military trial began. The charges specified that he had become intoxicated and incited “a dangerous quarrel,” violating good order and military discipline. Because a drawn weapon was involved, assault with “attempt to kill” was included among the charges.'
'Witnesses described Robinette as “full of fun, always lively and joking,” and testimony varied on whether either man had consumed alcohol before the fight broke out.'
'According to the trial transcript, Robinette stated in closing “that whatever I have done was done in self defence, that I had no malice towards Mr. Alexander before or since. He grabbed me and possibly might have injured me seriously had I not resorted to the means that I did.” (WAPO) Thank you to subscriber, Pete Hall, for providing the GIFTED link below. It is his gift to all of us!
Yes, this letter got me to thinking: what a great course for high schoolers, a course on the Civil War combined with sessions of critical thinking processes used to dissect, explain and understand what was going on, being said, and the reasons/implications/inferences for them.
Today, still, I see pundits pondering the make-up of Trump supporters. That issue was laid to rest, IMO, by Profs. David Norman Smith and Eric Hanley of the Univ. of Kansas in their study entitled "The Anger Games: Who Voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 Election, and Why?" You can google it. Or, click here: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0896920517740615
Let us celebrate a Happy Presidents Day for those that truly loved their country, its rule of law and despite all differences, a country that can work for ALL
Agreed. And it's not just about the great presidents, it's about our democratic system. It's never been perfect. As long as humans remain flawed, everything we do will be flawed. So, just like with our own lives, we do best when we value it and work to make it work. And, as in each of our lives, there are also plenty of outside influences that threaten to destroy. Currently, those seem to be tfg and everyone who has hitched their wagon to him, from the lowly maga trump cultist, the misinformed voters, the various politicians who have become the little don's slaves to Putin and the rest.
Vote Biden back in and vote Blue to preserve our system. At least till we're all so perfect that we no longer need it. Keep the faith.
It comes through in another historian's great work -- Bruce Catton's trilogy (now in a Library of America three volume boxed set), "The Army of the Potomac."
Its main fact: that the soldiers of Lincoln's armies really, truly believed in the war for which so many of them died and were otherwise mangled on battlefields.
I think Americans feel as strongly now for the democracy currently beleaguered by bribed, corrupt, perjured far right ideologues on the Supreme Court, by a U.S. Congress full of white trash illiterates, and by mobs who got their working-class jobs offshored by essentially criminal corporate elites.
We have several dozen really fine Dems in office at varying levels across the land. They could quote our humanities -- novels, memoirs, films, and songs -- which testify to the goading ranges of hurt abroad the land, and to the resonating beliefs yet animating America's promise.
Lincoln stood for that belief, for the people whose husbands and sons then sacrificed so much.
Our Dems could speak to that, if only they'd learn to quote humanities in the schools they attended.
Lincoln had a deep seated sense of decency, and I think he was interested in molding the country in such a way that people could live good, prosperous lives, and that he lacked interest in lining his own pockets. I suspect the soldiers felt that, and respected, and dare I say it--loved him for that.
I got that sense from a wonderful, but little known book, Rufus: A Boy's Extraordinary Experiences in the Civil War, by Phoebe Sheldon, which she constructed from her great great grandfather, Rufus Harnden's letters home. The book provides a soldier's eye view of the war.
And Lincoln, who picked so badly in the case of General McClellan, made up for it in picking Ulysses S. Grant, an incredibly decent man, who was well loved by his soldiers. (The book provides a fascinating window on the death of confederate general Stonewall Jackson, in which Harnden may have inadvertently played a major role, as well as the fact that apparently a lot of Union soldiers had a profound respect for him, including Harnden.) (I can't remember for certain whether Harnden was there when future Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. was shot up so badly he was almost left for dead, or whether I read that somewhere else. Holmes remained on the Court into his 90s.) (Rufus is a must for Civil War buffs. He enlisted in 1862 at 17, but he was preternaturally wise, and his observations and experiences are fascinating.)
To spend some time with Grant and his men during the Civil War, see Grant, by Ron Chernow. That book is >900 pages, and drags in spots, but is well worth reading, even if one skips over spots where it drags.
Lincoln carried on for the Union until the dismal tide turned. He carried on despite suffering the loss of beloved children, a wife with mental health issues, and his own depression. Thank goodness for Mr. Lincoln!
You charactetize Grant as an incredibly decent man. He was by no means. He drove Indigenous Peoples off their homelands w mounted soldiers forcing them into conentration camps in places that were inhabitable where they were forcibly starved, raped, tortured, given disease ridden blankets and denied promised life essential supplies.
True and awful. He maintained a horrific tradition. It is hard to say, but from a white European perspective, a white settlers (thieves of land) view, and the norm of the time, he was doing what was expected. As disgusting as it seems to us now. All of what you describe is indefensible in our minds.
It is entirely possible that if Lincoln had not selected him to prosecute the war, we would now be two countries. Some would argue that perhaps that would have been a good idea as the bigotry of many in the south has only intensified. Maybe we should have become three countries - a third for Native Americans!
But if you read Ron Chernow's "Grant" you will meet someone who had been selflessly dedicated to the service of his country. Grant literally saved the union and he did it in a way that was required. Brutally.
Grant was many things. He was humble. He wore the uniform of a private. He suffered all manner of ailments but forged on. He was an occasional drunkard but managed to rally when needed. He may have been one of the most respected generals in our history.
But yes, he and "we" did all those horrible things to Indigenous Americans. Most "whites" of the time would have supported him.
Tecumseh, a native American, wanted to, and I think tried to unite Indian tribes from the Great Lakes down to the Gulf of Mexico, when a lot of that land was still in Native American hands.I haven't gotten very far in Peter Stark's book, Gallop Towards the Sun, which covers that, but if he'd succeeded, what is now the United States would be a much more interesting and diverse place, or so I'd like to think. I'd love to be able to travel--on foot or by bicycle, through territory that was pretty much as it would have been under Indian governance two centuries ago. OK, so maybe I'm just a romantic. But it would be a much more interesting place.
Lincoln, as well, visited depredation on the native people. The Homestead Act, cited by Dr. R above, finalized the land grab on the plains. Natives were being driven off their lands, including in Minnesota, and kept in starving encampments. On December 26, 1862, due to Lincoln't order, 38 Dakota men were hanged at Mankato, MN, the largest execution in our country's history. They were participants in the Dakota War, which started when one group raided a settlement for food, resulting in five settlers dying. At the base of it all are the Papal bulls of the 14th century which created the Doctrine of Discovery, still part of our laws today.
Yes, and that Doctrine of Discovery was finally repudiated by the Catholic church in March of last year, 2023.
Elaine, is that Mankato, MN where the massacre occurred? I know of Mankato but not Makato. (I used to teach on Native American reservations, hence my interest.)
Yes, Mankato. I will fix it, migwech. They still ride, the Dakota 38+2, to honor those who died that day.
The Dakota 38+2 Reconciliation Ride began in 2005 and has continued every year to promote reconciliation between American Indians and non-Native People. Horseback riders, runners and supporters alike make the 330-mile journey from Lower Brule, South Dakota to Mankato, Minnesota during the dead of winter. StJo.org
Thanks for th einformation and link, Elaine. I had never heard about this event: I've been away from the reservations for along time. (I taught at Marty, S.D., a boarding school for about 500 kids.)
After perusing the St. Jos. Indiana School website, I am hoping the school is as dedicated to the native population as the site portrays. The boarding schools underwent so much criticism and even hatred due to past abuse and alienation of the students from their families and cultures. But this one seems to be thriving even!
the land grabs began in the early 1800s. William Henry Harrison, who later became president, was involved in that. These began in what's now Ohio and Indiana.
And much before that as well, and continuing today. Think of Manhattan, Plymouth, the west coast, Texas, all that land seized and presented fait accompli upon statehood.
Different from what occurred before that. What I'm talking about is where and how it became Federal policy. In contrast, Manhattan, Plymouth, et al. were much more haphazard.
War does not bring out the best of any group even in the 21st century. Was is distructive and cruel. Currently, some nations have moved toward democracy and diplomacy. Biden has a cabinet and departments of diplomats negotiating solutions. GOP has a stable of representatives shouting opinions and promoting violence.
It’s human! It’s that simple. We are complex beings and the more complexities we face, the more complex we become. Some of each person’s decisions and actions turn out well, others not so well to badly, all for a variety of reasons.
Susan, think of a musical instrument say a piano. From very high to low. Yes, positive if well played. I think we all must know at least one person who can be charming, smart and admirable but have another darker side that is frightening: a violent temper and a belief system that seems at odds with his-her other side. That’s the more extreme of course like Ted Bundy?
NOt clear who you're saying had a serious drinking problem. Grant definitely did. I've never heard of that in Lincoln's case, and I've read Doris Kearns Goodwin's book, Team of Rivals, twice. (Although not recently)
My husband's Lakota relatives remember Lincoln as a man who ordered the execution of a number of Native Americans involved in an uprising. He could have had more executed, but did not execute all of them. I had no idea about this until one of them told me about it. Another perspective.
I see that now. It wasn't there when I posted or just up, I wasn't reading carefully. I had no idea until there was some modern happening and I don't remember what, and I had to ask and then I learned. I see pictures of the ride posted from hubby's relatives every year.
Lincoln himself considered Blacks inferior to caucasians until Frederick Douglass visited him in the White House. It was a different era. (Nonetheless, Lincoln still felt Blacks shoiuld be freed. I don't know what he thought about native Ameircans.)
As others have thanked you below here, David, I thank you, too.
During the Viet war, I was in the army as Viet translator-interpreter (Spec 5, enlisted), and I read Grant's memoirs. I'd already long known of Lee's General Order #9, dismissing his Army of Northern Virginia. In it he claimed loss to the North's "overwhelming numbers and resources."
Grant in his memoirs said no. His men won that war for two reasons: 1) they could all read and write and 2) they believed in their fight.
I remember publishing that bit of info in one of the many underground rags we had then -- so many G.I.s absolutely not believing a thing "the best and the brightest" had to say in all their Ivy League idiot abstractions then defending that mass stupidity.
You're most welcome Phil. thank you for providing this additional perspective. (I do think our resources were superior to those of the South. If I remember correctly, that was in Chernow's book.)
OK. Going to the used book store on Wed (sale day), or the library today. I am sure my brother has one or two by Chernow (all his books are his favorite child). There has been so much talk of genocide here that I picked up "The Nazi Doctors" by Robert Jay Lifton, which had a long chapter on genocide. 25 cents.
Learned recently that the Christian Nationalist’s favorite spiritual guru is Gerhardt Kittle, a German Protestant theologian who was also Hitler’s personal counselor. He was anti Semitic, of course.
Read Chernow's Hamilton and agree, but I found Ron White's biography of Grant much more sympathetic, noting that in striving to overcome his problem with alcohol, he always turned his glass upside down at social gatherings. Also mentioned the severe and extended isolation he experienced when stationed far from family. I thought White's tone matched Grant's memoirs, which reflect the type of character our Founding Fathers declared as virtuous (love of country and its laws).
You may need to order it on Amazon. Sheldon did a damn good job with the book, but she self published it, and is not great at getting it out there. And I the title wrong. It's Rufus: A Boy's EXtraordinary EXPERIENCES in the Civil War. (Not "adventures")
Grant and Sherman were among the greatest generals ever—far better than Lee. Oliver Wendell Holmes was wounded severely at Ball’s Bluff, very early in the war. When he recovered—not fully—he was assigned to the defenses of Washington, being not fit for field service. In 1864, a Confederate raid got as far as the Washington lines, where Holmes was serving. According to a possibly apocryphal story, he saw a tall civilian strand up in the trenches and yelled, “Get down, you fool!” only to realize it was the President.
David There has been almost at much written about Lincoln than about Jesus.James McPherson’s Pulitzer-winning BATTLE CRY OF FREEDOM for me is the best single volume related to the Civil War. Doris Kearns Goodwin’s LEADERSHIP highlights Lincoln’s remarkable skills. Walt Whitman’s poem at the time of Lincoln’s assassination still bring tears to my eyes.
In my youth I read Sanders’s Lincoln volumes and have been fixated by Lincoln’s extraordinary news ever since. An individual with sadness, sense of mission, and the salvation of humor.
Yes, I was also heartened to read of the support of Union soldiers for Lincoln, who expressed his sadness at the war so profoundly when he lost his own son. Another parallel to Biden. How the Republicans today have spit on his loss. Their voting block against VA funding and compensation for Burn Pit victims seemed almost designed to break him. Their despicable fist bump when they did. Cruz trying to be a man. ugh
Trump's disdain of all service members. It must make Biden want to, well, we can't imagine ... and then the latest, nasty fiction of Biden supposedly forgetting the date of his son's Death from the cancer he suffered from his service to our country. The standard just keeps dropping.
And yet, there is no recourse. Has that slime Hurr been recommended to the bar? Reprimanded and taken off the rarefied list of future Special Counsels? Anything at all?
Please someone reply and tell me yes. Tell me Garland DID something.
In Brazil they call this swallowing the frog. Biden and the rest of us are swallowing the frog. Every day.
Well, I for one have a Very sore throat.
I am now just at the very beginning of comprehending the toll such un-repudiated injustice must take on black Americans. Still. Today! I can feel Willis holding back her rage in my bones.
I feel privileged to have belonged to a senior group for many years who have read through various members’ recommendations books both fiction and non that delve deeply into the history of Blacks and Indians in the ‘settling’ of America. My stomach turns at the savage cruelty both groups of Americans have endured and still do without accountability for such crimes. And it still goes on. Witness Trump’s promise to turn our police forces into vigilantes who are free to go after anyone they even suspect of wrong doing and freely teach them a lesson. Some say he doesn’t mean it. A commentator wisely said if so that he’d dare say such a thing indicates that he is too mentally ill to qualify to run for president. As my Black friends who a racist Trump and his racist MAGAs especially intend this
for, continue to live in fear. I will work with others as this election approaches as we do all we can to stop these vile people.
Such a great book. I cried all the way through it and I can still bring on the waterworks just thinking about several scenes. When the horse laid his head in his lap and died--we should all be so lucky. (sob)
I still haven't picked up the two books, one about cotton slavery and one about the removal of Native Americans from the southeast, because they made me sick and I couldn't continue to read. Right now I am in ancient history which is terribly bloody, but distant enough: a history of Rome and Persia(at first, Parthia) for 700 years. Now I am reading about the Sumerians including the problems with excavations during the colonial period. Then we went to war with Iraq and secured oil, but not the national museum which was looted. Then ISIS which looted sites to sell what they could....I think Chik-Fill-A top dog bought some for his Bible museum. Talk about aiding and abetting...then ISIS destroyed the sites.
A gentle reminder from our "gentle" historian that things have been bad before, as they most certainly were in the months leading up to the 1864 election. As the saying goes, "the darkest hour is just before dawn", and looking at that year people in the spring and early summer probably were feeling pretty dire. However, things took some unexpected turns in the late summer going into the autumn and fortunes changed for the better. I pray to God above if we find ourselves in similar straits this year that somehow things will all turn out for the best as they did in 1864. We must all work toward that end.
And don't forget, President Joseph Biden is also a good and honest man and with more wisdom from his long history of service to this country than so many others. Really! If not Joe then who? Those that still have not, look up Hopium Chronicles with Simon Rosenberg. We must stay focused and learn the facts about how and why we are so much better off than we were with ter-ump and honestly numerous others that have served as President.
Various factions have been trying to figure out how to replace President Biden with someone younger since he was elected. But Biden has been building goodwill with Americans for over 50 years and has accomplished more than any President since LBJ. Most of the legislation help all Americans and not just the one percent. Thousands of infrastructure projects are in progress or have already been completed. Alliances with our allies and trading partners around the globe have been rebuilt. And he has brought us back from the worst pandemic in the history of the world better than any other country.
And yet, his detractors rail on his age instead of his wisdom and leadership. Lincoln was 55 years old when he was reelected, ten years past the life expectancy at the time. And Biden is fewer years past life expectancy and is surrounded by an extremely competent cabinet and staff.
Thank you Heather for another enlightening history lesson and Happy President's Day.
I am so fed up with the media, pouncing on--or initiating--opinions about President Biden's age and mostly letting Trump slide. And Fur's "report" should have been vetted by the AG before his subjective statements went out the door.
I am fed up as well. The NYT did a piece on memory loss, memory recall and decision making. TFFG seems to have trouble with recall, losing memories be likely had, being terrible at decision making and claiming to not be able to recall things that happened under his watch (like in the Mueller report).
The phrase "my brain is full" should apply to Biden because he is making decisions on national importance from the time he wakes up and maybe before. TFFG is constantly thinking about who on his enemies list he should attack. And often it's Republicans. But never Putin or any of the other dictaors.
Biden has many other skills and talents that TFFG hasn't ever acquired. Biden is able to delegate. TFFG almost never delegates which is one of the reasons he accomplished so little during his term.
As many have said, "Trump is uniquely unqualified to be President."
And Hur's report? I am conflicted on whether it should have been vetted. It has already become yesterday's news. I don't think it changed anybody's vote and it made Garland look less political and Hur like a pathetic loser.
The way to slam someone is how Engoran slams Trump and his crime family on page 87 of the ruling. It's personal without being personal. And I have yet to see anyone report on it. Now that's pathetic.
He starts out by saying that Trump has a history, and even today saw no need for changes, the cites the Trump University case and the charitable funds case, plus the fact that his head manager plead guilty to all those counts, then says there is reason to continue and enhance the monitor.
I wish I could. I tried to cut and paste it from the NYTimes and couldn't so I downloaded the entire verdict and I still couldn't. Sorry. Maybe someone else can, but I'm an idiot.
DT did Biden and the Democrats a favor with his "Putin can do whatever the hell he wants" comment, which mostly shoved Hur's editorial comments out of the news cycle. Also, I'd like to see Engoron's comments on page 87 of his ruling, please :)
The English poet Alexander Pope (1688-1744) first declared, “To err is human, to forgive is divine.” Defendants apparently are of a different mind. After some four years of investigation and litigation, the only error (“inadvertent,” of course) that they acknowledge is the tripling of the size of the Trump Tower Penthouse, which cannot be gainsaid. Their complete lack of contrition and remorse borders on pathological. They are accused only of inflating asset values to make more money. The documents prove this over and over again. This is a venial sin, not a mortal sin. Defendants did not commit murder or arson. They did not rob a bank at gunpoint. Donald Trump is not Bernard Madoff. Yet, defendants are incapable of admitting the error of their ways. Instead, they adopt a “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” posture that the evidence belies.
This Court is not constituted to judge morality; it is constituted to find facts and apply the law. In this particular case, in applying the law to the facts, the Court intends to protect the integrity of the financial marketplace and, thus, the public as a whole. Defendants’ refusal to admit error—indeed, to continue it, according to the Independent Monitor—constrains this Court to conclude that they will engage in it going forward unless judicially restrained.
Indeed, Donald Trump testified that, even today, he does not believe the Trump Organization needed to make any changes based on the facts that came out during this trial.
Engoran's "Ruling" is precise and will stand for aspiring 'judicals' ( :)) ) who will read it. Hur's tabloid level drivel will just end up in the waste-can, cause 'we're' the only ones who read it. Huh? C'mon... it's written to an 8th grade reading level so the only way it has gotten out to the general (tabloid nation) public is the MSM reading it to the mag-gots. They sure as hell won't read it.. THEY CAN'T READ fer crisssakes. Next!
According to a guest neurologist in the NYTimes the problem isn't with Biden's memory, it's with his memory recall. Almost all of his have this issue regardless of our age, although it does get worse as we get older.
Remember when Mueller sent TFFG a list of questions and Trump answered many of them. I don't recall. I call bullshit on the Republicans questioning Biden's memory.
Well, yeah! Each and every election denying MAGAt is 10 pounds of shit in a 5 pound bag. How pathetic that the worst mud they can sling at Biden is "he's old and forgetful." Not a rapist, not a tax fraud, not a grifter, not a traitor. There's a great interview on The Bulwark between Tim Miller and Robbie Kaplan (Carroll's att'y) about her OTHER class action suit against Trump Org for the pyramid scheme to sell videophones.
I agree that President Biden accomplished many goodthings for us working class Americans. He went as far as someone within the confines of the corporation controlled Democratic Party would be allowed to do.I’m sick of his age being brought up too but let’s be real, he could go down fast with diminished cognitive skills and we do need someone younger.Yes I’m someone you will not convince to vote for him again, but stifling me like Archie said to Edith isn’t democracy.
You hit the nail on the head John with "corporation controlled Democratic Party." Both parties are, of course, but this is why I remain an Independent that never votes for a Republican.
My Congressman does not take PAC money only personal donations which have a cap I believe. He's a Democrat in a rural district and he's been reelected as well as unseating a Republican. He is not supportive of the corporatocracy even though he has General Dynamics, GE and LL Bean in his district.
Republicans can't even pass a single budget bill which would help people in their own districts. And they are Putin lovers.
Democrats have the aim to overturn Citizens United, and the institutional framework to “make it happen” if votes put them in charge. A third party vote will be a vote for Trump. Anyone may voice an opinion, but disagreement with that opinion is not censorship.
Well Did you listen to HCR’s politics chat last Tuesday Gail? I was dumped on and she blocked me . I wasn’t rude or insulting, just standing up for RFKJR. It seems pretty unfair to me.
Neither does Jason Crow, my former rep. It's now Ken Buck, whom at last I called to thank for his Majorca's vote. We WILL elect a democrat from this district this year!
I am so sorry that you feel this way. The man is nearly as much a wack job as drumpf. And he has no excuse. As a scientist I cannot imagine where he gets his bullsit. He should have a rudimentary ability to reason from his career, yet he seems not to.
And most of the people who I know are supporting RFKJR are former young Trump supporters.So all this democratic fear about taking votes away from the president is wrong
He may have a sane moment, but he is a spoiler, just like the genius Nadar. Loved his message but was not fooled by his chances. Both have egos that soar to the heavens. Real is much better than ethereal.
So age is your criteria? Listen to the multigeneraltional GOP set in Congress and running for office; then comment on diminished or deranged cognitive skills.
We don't need anyone younger. People from Biden's generation usually live longer than their parents. Biden's father lived to 86, and his mother to 92, both compos mentis to the end.
My take away from this post is not the dawn will break and we will all be saved (a white Christian version of his-story). My take away is the people who are screaming their support for the psychopath, gathering in mobs at his rallies and engaging in brutality on his behest have always been part of this country.
Some were my ancestors, gggrandfather was a Confederate who died at the Battle of the Wilderness. Had ancestral cousins who were murdered by vigilantes because they would not fight for the South. I recognize that the South was wrong and I know better. Back then, some did, some didn’t. No excuse today. MAKE RACISM WRONG AGAIN
Yes, they have. Those psychopath supporters are direct descendants of the slave powers who should have been jailed for treason and barred from ever holding office again. Instead, Johnson pardoned them - as long as they bent the knee and stroked his own ego. It's one of the greatest tragedies of this country. I only hope we will be able to recover from that horrific mistake this year. The alternative is madness.
"My take away from this post is not the dawn will break and we will all be saved (a white Christian version of his-story)."
That wasn't my take either. I was merely pointing out the similarity of how, at an early point in the year of 1864, people most likely didn't have a clue as to how much things were going to change. Things looked really bad for Lincoln early on in that year, but then sh!t happened, as it tends to do. We could easily be in a similar situation right now. It is still very early going and any number of events could happen and completely change things by November. That is my point. HCR is very good at looking back in our history and finding examples of where we've been in similar situations before. Human beings do seem to have a propensity for doing the same things over and over again. Things worked out in 1864, and it is my hope that they will once more, but they won't work out if we're complacent.
Yes, they are. Reality. But we can fight to save our democracy, and not bury our heads in the sand pass on our fear and exhaustion to another strongman.
Indeed we must (work towards that end), and we shall! But I get the feeling that so many of us realize that that we're going to come out OK. Just look at what happened in New York's Third (I think) district from which Santos was just booted. Santos had won his election by 8 points. This time, the Democrat beat the GOPer by 8 points.
He and his partner, Tom Bonier, consistently denied there would be a “red wave” in 2022, based on their data analysis. They were right. Simon is worth listening to.
David Pepper ("laboratories of Autocracies") agrees: No red wave for 2024 either, based on past 2 years of local and state elections, though we still have much work to do.
My dad served on the destroyer USS Farragut during WWII. He never said a word about his time in the NAVY even though he was a disabled veteran. But he did repeat that phrase many times.
That's so heartwarming to read, Gary. My father was in the (segregated) infantry in WWII on PNG & other islands. He never spoke about it either. After my mother passed, he did share some about the plant and animal life he saw.
I'm wondering if that's how most people react when returning from war. I was lucky that I missed the draft by a year. My dad-- not so lucky I guess. Was your dad drafted?
The Lincoln at Gettysburg pbs special I watched last night noted in Lincoln's time, news came from the papers, and they were partisan and radical, right and left. Much as today's social media.
Was EVERYTHING bought by money as it is today. I know about Hearst, and others like him, but in my lifetime, the change has been stunning. Maybe just because I have watched it happen in real time.
I love the way you draw on lessons from history in your columns. This is so important and I wish that everyone would read them and appreciate their value for current political issues.
I am constantly shifting from absolutely certain about Biden’s victory and complete dread that Biden is failing to communicate his worth to America, when his opponent communicates his intentions clearly, to the delight to his bully minions.
It’s not Biden’s failure to communicate - it is purely the MSM’s failure to communicate. The day after Hur’s report came out, The NY Times had 4 (four) stories on the front page about Biden’s age, with only a passing reference to the conclusions reached: Biden was not responsible for the retention of classified info. To make matters worse, Hur claimed info was found in Biden’s “notebooks”, which were actually diaries, and diaries are specifically exempt from classification. Hur did a hit job on Biden, and the press failed in their job to report the TRUTH.
And I haven't seen a single story in any paper with Erdogan's slapping down of TFFG. It was beautiful. Of course it was on page 87 of 92 but it's their job to report on the entire verdict.
We must not let anyone re-write our history. We must look at people's weaknesses and strengths, at situations that seemed to be lost but that were won, and we must learn from our past that whatever the consequences, we must do what is right, we must be humble but determined in the face of adversity, and we must act in the best interest of our democracy.
Betsy Smith, you are so right and if we do what is right and and always in the best interest of our democracy, we've done the best we could and my bet is on us!!
Repub political ads are doing that every day. Wish Dems would push back. Instead they just blather abortion rights. BOTH are needed. Men tend to rule women around here, hell, everywhere.
Quite relevant today, this year, this article. In all the years this country has existed, we are near the cliff's edge as to whether we continue this experiment in democracy or fall into a dictatorship the way other countries have done so.
“We can not have free government without elections; and if the rebellion could force us to forego, or postpone a national election it might fairly claim to have already conquered and ruined us.”
If we replaced the word "rebellion" with "insurrection", and drop the "postpone", leaving only "forego", we would have exactly what happened on 01/06/21
Did anyone see or hear about TFFG getting booed in Philly? It's about Trump getting booed during his visit to Philadelphia. This is the news I want to see everyday in the NYTimes, WAPO, Chicago Tribune and on the networks.
Another story about Trump getting booed was at my alma mater Iowa State. Trump thought it was a good idea to go to a fraternity. They booed him there. Go cyclones!!!
As President Trump spoke to Republicans attending the GOP retreat in Philadelphia, several thousand protesters took to the streets to express their dissent. Whether holding signs stating "Protect my health care," and "Water is Life," or booing at the arrival of the president, protesters tried to get their voices heard by the GOP and the president at Thursday's protest.
While the president was focused on hitting on familiar themes from his campaign, including helping American workers, ending illegal immigration and rebuilding the country's military, protesters were outside for everything from immigration rights to reproductive rights.
"I'm here because I want history to show that I resisted, that I did not choose this president, 3 million people did not choose this president and my future great-grandchildren and grandchildren will be affected by these policies. I want them to understand that I resisted," said Sandra Sanchez, a protester.
"I'm an immigrant. I'm a U.S. citizen. I've always considered myself an American until now. I feel rejected by the society that has brought this man to power," Sanchez stated.
From a march that started at the corner of Broad St and Arch St to a die-in staged a block away from the Loews individual protesters as well as social justice groups from different organizations in the city, including Juntos and Black and Brown Worker's Collective.
Ethel Towns, a participant in the die-in, shared that she thought healthcare was one of the overarching issues that could affect the highest amounts of people. "As a senior, we need our Medicare, we need our healthcare, we need our every kind of care we can get as a senior," Towns stated. "And I'm also here for my grandchildren, so that as they come of age, they'll have something to look forward to, as far their voting rights. So they don't have to go the back alleys if they choose to get an abortion to get it."
The protesters traveled from the intersection of 13th and Market Street around City Hall to the BNY Melon Center, where they then charged the building. Those who made it inside were removed, and the police formed a blockade preventing participants from going inside the building.
The protest during the day had several thousand participants with participants increasing as the day went on into the night.
"I'm not black, I never will be. I don't know what it's like to be black in this country. I'm not an immigrant, I'm the grandchild of them. I'll never be an immigrant. I am not covered under Obamacare - fortunately my husband ha coverage under his job so we're not dependent on that. I'm not gay and I'm not going to be gay. But my feeling is if people feel oppressed and people are suffering in some way, I as a privileged person and by privileged I mean as someone if you are not one of those categories you are privileged," said Julie Izzo a protester. "As a person of privilege, you have a social responsibility to work with those who need your help."
Additional protests are set to continue on Friday as the GOP retreat reaches its end.
Let's also remember that President Joe Biden's son lost his life by cancer due to exposure serving our country near the "burn pits" ...... lost his life...SERVING......something Donald Trump mocks.
Happy Presidents day Messrs Pierce, Buchanan, A. Johnson, Hoover, Reagan, Bush 1 and 2, and Trump. So far we have survived despite your civil wars, voodoo economics, lies, and sedition.
Thanks for another great history lesson. When Ezra Klein did a podcast the other day suggesting that Biden should bow out of seeking re-election for the good of the country because of public concerns over his fitness for the job, I immediately thought of Lincoln's standing in 1864, and how the punditry of that time was declaring him politically feeble and not up to the task before him, much as they are doing with Biden now (albeit for different reasons). Klein even used the 1860 Republican convention as a historical basis for why the Democrats should pursue an open convention in 2024 to similarly "organize victory." But the better comparison to Biden in 2024 may be Lincoln in 1864, as I suggested in my own post yesterday:
From an interview with Marilynne Robinson today in the NYT:
“Frankly, I’m less than a year younger than Joe Biden, so I believe utterly in his competence, his brilliance, his worldview. I really do. You have to live to be 80 to find this out: Anybody under 50 feels they’re in a position to condescend to you. You get boxed into this position where people who deal with you are making assumptions about your intellect. It’s very disturbing. Most people my age are just fine. What can I say? It’s a kind of good fortune that America is categorically incapable of accepting: that someone with a strong institutional memory, who knows how things are supposed to work, who was habituated to their appropriate functioning is president. I consider him a gift of God. All 81 years of him.”
Someone please ask these blowhards who say Biden is too old despite his doing a great job as president, what they think of Ben Franklin. After they talk about how he is a sacred Founding Father, remind them that Franklin was 81yo at the Constitutional Convention of 1787! "Benjamin Franklin was 81 years old and nearing the end of his life when the 1787 Constitutional Convention...He proved to be instrumental at the Constitutional Convention as well, helping the process to move forward and recommending the adoption of document despite its faults." https://www.benjaminfranklin.net/franklin-and-constitutional-convention.jsp
Ben did more in his old age than most do as pups. As has Joe. Chump doesn’t even have an iota of the wisdom usually attributed to elders. All he learned to do was look in the mirror.
Old is a spectrum of competence and health. Some are old early, some are young late. Chump is an idiot at any age. Some have a core of decency, some of mush. Some say, there go my followers, I must follow them.
Just ten days short of 91 years, I can’t tell you how much I resent the head patting or how much I appreciate the kindness shown to old age. I don’t see Biden as infirm or incomprtant,whereas Trump appears unhinged. Today he’s peddling sneakers. In the face of all that’s happening he’s promoting shoes.! How much ridicule does that deserve?
The extreme right has its MAGAs and conspiracy theories not grounded in reality. The extreme left has its Kleins, Cornell Wests, Dean Phillips etc. also not grounded in reality, instead pining for an idyllic state of affairs that has never existed and cannot do so given current realities. What they both have in common is that they are fervent in their misguided zeal, are ready to destroy the status quo built by practical reasonable well intentioned but imperfect people. Both zealots have no meaningful realistic alternative to serve as a replacement for the current realities they seek to destroy. Both these groups are useless, acting out their childhood traumas in public and give me a headache.
“Anybody under 50 feels they’re in a position to condescend to you. You get boxed into this position where people who deal with you are making assumptions about your intellect. It’s very disturbing.” -a section of my earlier post today.
What was it that Reagan said about not holding his opponents youth and inexperience against him. Good line, sort of tragic considering that his brain was melting. But chump doesn’t even have youth, and his experience has been graft, revenge and an ego run amok.
Klein really pissed me off suggesting that Joe step aside. Who the hell does he think could do a better job in dealing with Putin, Netanyahu, and Trump??
No one has the guts or knowledge or experience President Joe Biden has. He will stand up to Putin, Netanyahu and Trump.
All three must go somewhere .... a place where the rest of the world would be safer...decent people cared for and encouraged and given 'a hand up", hope for their future....hope for their children and the future of this planet.....and an opportunity to worship or not as they choose!
Just maybe if the countries with leaders or persons attacking us would take President Joe
Biden's advice and copy his example, we would NOT have problems with our shipping pathways....foreigners would NOT infiltrate foreign countries to use their people to steal and remove the riches of those countries....resources that could be used to strengthen families and educate their populations.
OKAY....I am reminding myself of the song " IMAGINE" so maybe we will never be perfect but there is always the opportunity to be better!!!!
President Joe Biden and his team are working daily on "BETTER"!!!
There are equally egregious autocrats in the wings to replace those "leaders"; thus diplomatic leadership teams of the Biden appointed and lead Administration are to hearlded and remain in service to our nation.
I have friends who are baling on Biden, and the Times has been full of suggestions as to how he can step aside. My view is that he does so at our peril.
Of course, TFFG as President again is totally untenable but even if Biden dies after he is reelected Harris is the best VP we've had since Teddy Roosevelt, except for Biden.
I trust her to be President especially if she keeps the phenomenal cabinet and national security council that Biden picked. Many of them will likely leave but many won't.
I like Ezra Klein, but like I said above, Lincoln was 55 when he was reelected when the life expectancy was 45. Life expectancy in 2021 was 76.1 years. Biden will be 81 when he is reelected. Lincoln had lots of detractors like Biden, but he easily won reelection because the people believed in what he was doing.
Life Expectancy statistics usually include infant mortality data, and give a view of overall health of a country, not expected age of senility or death.
What a turnabout of events for Lincoln. He persisted with what he felt was right, he was vindicated, and the Union was saved. Let us hope that we can continue to keep it together in a democratic fashion.
And, of course, he lost his life for his efforts. No matter how many people lose their lives to our failure to regulate guns, we continue to take that risk.
well, Trump was considered a surprise, too. And while things looked dark for Lincoln, there were many abolitionists working secretly and also Openly to bring the issues to light, in spite of moneyed interests having control of much of the media and the political process. Lincoln's win was not his alone. We must remember that.
Lincoln's votes were hard earned. We have to do the hard part now. Get Out The Vote like your children's lives depend on it.
Our lives, the hope of freedom and decency ..... the education of our children.....the continuation of "Building Back Better".....the safety of our supply of clean drinking water.... the air we breathe....rebuilding our infrastructure, strengthening our relationships with our allies, supporting governments by the people and for the people, supporting our troops, and so much more DOES DEPEND ON PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN'S RE-ELECTION!!!
Yes Patrice, many others WERE working behind the scenes to bring Lincoln's view of what the nation was and could be, much like Biden today, because he knew himself to be standing for the right as the founders had described and then did their best to write into our Declaration of Independence and Constitution. When one bravely stands for what is right, despite the personal dangers of doing so, others see and want to follow and support that vision. That is a true leader. We have another true leader in Biden, doing his best to chose the right path through thorny thickets of competing rights; kinda like the Wilderness campaign which drained so many during that fateful time.
As always, thank you so much for all that you give to our understanding of our history and system of government. I thought 2020 would make your work easier. I'm often wrong but sorry in this case to be so wrong.
When you have a winning team, you don’t switch coaches mid season, regardless of what your opponent says. In 1864, Weed was upset that Lincoln was trying to make life better for ordinary Americans and was unelectable. Today, there are those who are upset that Biden is trying to make life better for ordinary Americans by working to create good-paying jobs that the workers can do with pride instead of giving tax cuts to their well-heeled friends. We need to keep the winning team together for another season.
Gary Loft, exactly. I’ve often been told that one of the strengths of great coaches is the ability to assemble a spectacular coaching team (as opposed to 45).
This is as timely as it is profound. Thank you Heather.
Just a side note, Let's send a message; https://www.gofundme.com/f/stand-with-trump-raise-the-settlement. Hit the "report the fundraiser". Click that and follow. Gofundme has turned into Gogriftme. Report this so we can shut him down.
sorry that link is full of spam and other dire warnings. Not worth infecting my computer and I'm writing this as a warning for others reading this. I thought it was a good idea., but only if I had a computer I don't care about.
I just used the link with no problem. The false staement I cited was, "Fund the $355M Unjust Judgment". This judgment is in fact valid and just.
I just did the same - the judgment is in fact valid and just. At long last, Trump has no shame, shades of Joseph McCarthy.
I use a ad blocker on all my browsers, and I saw no spam and dire warnings. As of 9AM, 2/19, the total raised by the Gilded conman was $432,976. The rubes are thick in this country.
A lot of the donation no doubt came from Russia/Putin.
Which is where Eric trump stated years ago that most of the trump money came from....
Thanks. That was helpful info. I also enjoy the benefits of ad blockers. So I flagged that GFM.
Although I understand the importance of advertising to fund many sites. They wouldn't do well without such support.
Sometime soon, I'll begin disabling it in certain sites. I have strong distain for the trickery of most advertising, but also understand that it does have some importance.
I have also always used Macs, so a lot of the hackery and other harms are not an issue, so far. I have also long wondered why PC computers can't be made to protect their users better. I can't believe that it's not possible.
It was? I used it and went right to it and made my report. Well, you can just go to the Gofundme site, pull it up and do the same thing. My apologies. I wasn't aware it was spam.
I reported the comment with the link. Not clear if it was intentional but used gogundme instead of gofundme
Oh, shit I spelled it wrong! I fixed it, my bad. My ADHD brain runs over words like a lawnmower.
And spelchek only exacerbates the problem.
:-)
Thank you. I was about ready to click on the link.
Thank you. I just went to the site and filled out the form requesting this fundraiser not be allowed to use this site to defraud the American people yet again.
It's a legit link, and poster fixed it, was just a typo. I also looked up the people who started the fundraiser and they are real people and have been posting about it on their social media.
FYI Gofundme guidelines state that people CAN'T RAISE MONEY for those CONVICTED OF CRIMES, and Trump is not allowed to profit from his crimes due to the judgment... so you can use this language when you report the site.
Done. Disgusting. Some damn fool gave him ten grand, or so it says
Probably a fake.
Reported...this is what I wrote.
The judgement against Trump is indeed fair and valid. This is nothing more than grift. Go Fundme should not allow this sort of fundraising for someone convicted lawfully in civil court.
Thank you for doing that. We need to call out the hypocrisy.
"Billionaire needs GoFundMe". You cant make this shit up.
Right!! And dumb asses donate. King Shitpants knows how to work the grift.
Lisa59 Done. I don't usually do that type of thing on the internet, but tffg is such a scam artist, it seemed like one tiny thing to do today that might be helpful. Thank you.
Used the link with no problems. I use a Linux based OS, so viruses are generally not a problem. Thanks Lisa59!
How do you run standard office or technical apps o programs? I know this is off today's topic, but I'm curious.
Hi Jerry! not so long ago, running a Linux OS was a PITA (Pain In The A__) nightmare. To use programs from any other system, the operator had to set it up in the sub-routines. Tedious. The latest iteration of my OS (Ubuntu) now has all this built in. It also comes with a suite of office programs that rival those from Microsoft (well, not Office365 - yet) and Mac. Also, Linux OS's use much less disc space, so they work just fine on ageing computers like mine :)
Thanks, Steve.
Thank you!
The link worked correctly for me and I posted a claim that the fundraiser is misleading because it seeks to raise $$$ for an "illegal and invalid" $355 million judgement. I said the judgment is both valid and legal in U.S. civil court.
Done.
Done: message: insulting grifter at large
Go Fund Me not Go Grund Me.
🤣 Sorry about that.
Done and thank you.
Done.
Thanks, Gail.
This is quite a story about the Lincoln-Biden connection and to read it on Presidents Day!
'Documents reveal Abraham Lincoln pardoned Biden’s great-great-grandfather'
'By David J. Gerleman is a 19th-century historian, Lincoln scholar and history instructor at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va.'
'President Biden’s Oval Office boasts both a portrait and a bust of Abraham Lincoln. But his family’s connection to the 16th president extends far beyond workplace ornamentation.'
'It dates to a late-night brawl during the Civil War.'
'On the evening of March 21, 1864, the quiet of a small corner of the Army of the Potomac’s sprawling winter camp along the Rappahannock River near Beverly Ford, Va., was disturbed when a fight broke out in one of the mess tents between Union Army civilian employees Moses J. Robinette and John J. Alexander.'
'The scuffle left Alexander bleeding from knife wounds, and Robinette was charged with attempted murder and incarcerated on a remote island near modern-day Florida. It would also cause an unexpected intersection in the histories of two American presidents, Lincoln and Biden — a story that has waited 160 years to be told.'
'Robinette, who received a pardon from Lincoln, was Biden’s great-great-grandfather.
Joseph Robinette Biden’s ancestral line has long been established and lists Moses J. Robinette among his paternal ancestors hailing from western Maryland, but very little has ever been chronicled about the man. Robinette’s court-martial records, discovered at the National Archives in Washington, show how the current president’s story is intertwined with that of the man who was president at the most perilous junction in U.S. history.'
'In 1861, Robinette was 42, married and running a hotel near the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad junction at Grafton, Va. Union sentiments ran high in Virginia’s mountainous western counties, which soon broke off to form the new state of West Virginia. As the nation lurched toward armed conflict that spring, smoldering resentments against Virginia’s politically dominant slaveholding elite flared into open defiance after northwestern delegates tried to block the secession movement and were expelled from the Virginia Convention.'
'Western Virginia became an early battleground as both sides fought to control the railroad. Union troops occupied Grafton in mid-June 1861 and drove Confederate forces out of the region within six months. The Robinette family suffered setbacks in the war’s early years: Moses’s wife, Jane, died, and his hotel was destroyed, allegedly by Union soldiers. Seeking safety for his youngest surviving children, Robinette appears to have left Virginia and returned to his extended family in Allegany County, Md.'
'Robinette was hired as a civilian veterinary surgeon by the U.S. Army Quartermaster’s Department in late 1862 or early 1863. He was assigned to the Army of the Potomac’s reserve artillery and tasked with keeping healthy the horses and mules that pulled the ammunition wagons. His qualifications for the position, as someone without formal medical training, were unstated, but such an appointment was not unusual in Civil War armies. Few veterinary colleges existed outside Europe in the 19th century, and Congress refused to authorize the creation of an official army veterinary corps until the First World War.'
'On that March evening near Beverly Ford, Alexander, a brigade wagon master, overheard Robinette saying something about him to the female cook and rushed into the mess shanty to demand an explanation. Tempers flared, expletives followed, and Robinette drew his pocketknife. A brief scuffle left Alexander bleeding from several cuts before camp watchmen arrived to arrest Robinette.'
'Nearly a month passed before Robinette’s military trial began. The charges specified that he had become intoxicated and incited “a dangerous quarrel,” violating good order and military discipline. Because a drawn weapon was involved, assault with “attempt to kill” was included among the charges.'
'Witnesses described Robinette as “full of fun, always lively and joking,” and testimony varied on whether either man had consumed alcohol before the fight broke out.'
'According to the trial transcript, Robinette stated in closing “that whatever I have done was done in self defence, that I had no malice towards Mr. Alexander before or since. He grabbed me and possibly might have injured me seriously had I not resorted to the means that I did.” (WAPO) Thank you to subscriber, Pete Hall, for providing the GIFTED link below. It is his gift to all of us!
https://wapo.st/3T7b68o
Yes, this letter got me to thinking: what a great course for high schoolers, a course on the Civil War combined with sessions of critical thinking processes used to dissect, explain and understand what was going on, being said, and the reasons/implications/inferences for them.
Today, still, I see pundits pondering the make-up of Trump supporters. That issue was laid to rest, IMO, by Profs. David Norman Smith and Eric Hanley of the Univ. of Kansas in their study entitled "The Anger Games: Who Voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 Election, and Why?" You can google it. Or, click here: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0896920517740615
As usual, Richard, thank you for your critical thinking and generosity. I will open the link later in the day. Salud!
Here is the article without the paywall.
https://wapo.st/3T7b68o
Pete Hall, thank you for your thoughtful generosity. I hope that you will not mind
my copying and pasting the link within the comment and crediting you for your
gift to us all.
Not necessary, Fern. Please feel free to use that URL.
Thank you for your kind consideration, Pete.
I just love these history lessons from HCR. Especially about times when everything is hanging in the balance. It is my daily "fix."
Never give up, never surrender.
Let us celebrate a Happy Presidents Day for those that truly loved their country, its rule of law and despite all differences, a country that can work for ALL
Agreed. And it's not just about the great presidents, it's about our democratic system. It's never been perfect. As long as humans remain flawed, everything we do will be flawed. So, just like with our own lives, we do best when we value it and work to make it work. And, as in each of our lives, there are also plenty of outside influences that threaten to destroy. Currently, those seem to be tfg and everyone who has hitched their wagon to him, from the lowly maga trump cultist, the misinformed voters, the various politicians who have become the little don's slaves to Putin and the rest.
Vote Biden back in and vote Blue to preserve our system. At least till we're all so perfect that we no longer need it. Keep the faith.
Thank you, Professor. Simply thank you. The world is a mess right now and I have no words except thank you to you.
Me too. This is one that was like a drink of cool water on a hot day. I feel better.
Time to turn to another fact of that war.
It comes through in another historian's great work -- Bruce Catton's trilogy (now in a Library of America three volume boxed set), "The Army of the Potomac."
Its main fact: that the soldiers of Lincoln's armies really, truly believed in the war for which so many of them died and were otherwise mangled on battlefields.
I think Americans feel as strongly now for the democracy currently beleaguered by bribed, corrupt, perjured far right ideologues on the Supreme Court, by a U.S. Congress full of white trash illiterates, and by mobs who got their working-class jobs offshored by essentially criminal corporate elites.
We have several dozen really fine Dems in office at varying levels across the land. They could quote our humanities -- novels, memoirs, films, and songs -- which testify to the goading ranges of hurt abroad the land, and to the resonating beliefs yet animating America's promise.
Lincoln stood for that belief, for the people whose husbands and sons then sacrificed so much.
Our Dems could speak to that, if only they'd learn to quote humanities in the schools they attended.
Lincoln had a deep seated sense of decency, and I think he was interested in molding the country in such a way that people could live good, prosperous lives, and that he lacked interest in lining his own pockets. I suspect the soldiers felt that, and respected, and dare I say it--loved him for that.
I got that sense from a wonderful, but little known book, Rufus: A Boy's Extraordinary Experiences in the Civil War, by Phoebe Sheldon, which she constructed from her great great grandfather, Rufus Harnden's letters home. The book provides a soldier's eye view of the war.
And Lincoln, who picked so badly in the case of General McClellan, made up for it in picking Ulysses S. Grant, an incredibly decent man, who was well loved by his soldiers. (The book provides a fascinating window on the death of confederate general Stonewall Jackson, in which Harnden may have inadvertently played a major role, as well as the fact that apparently a lot of Union soldiers had a profound respect for him, including Harnden.) (I can't remember for certain whether Harnden was there when future Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. was shot up so badly he was almost left for dead, or whether I read that somewhere else. Holmes remained on the Court into his 90s.) (Rufus is a must for Civil War buffs. He enlisted in 1862 at 17, but he was preternaturally wise, and his observations and experiences are fascinating.)
To spend some time with Grant and his men during the Civil War, see Grant, by Ron Chernow. That book is >900 pages, and drags in spots, but is well worth reading, even if one skips over spots where it drags.
I'm staggered by the depth of Lincoln.
His core was as solid as an old oak, same with Joe.
Lincoln carried on for the Union until the dismal tide turned. He carried on despite suffering the loss of beloved children, a wife with mental health issues, and his own depression. Thank goodness for Mr. Lincoln!
Anne-Louise, such a wonderful expression of extolling someone or something!
I'm staggered by the shallowness of Trump and the Republicans.
You charactetize Grant as an incredibly decent man. He was by no means. He drove Indigenous Peoples off their homelands w mounted soldiers forcing them into conentration camps in places that were inhabitable where they were forcibly starved, raped, tortured, given disease ridden blankets and denied promised life essential supplies.
True and awful. He maintained a horrific tradition. It is hard to say, but from a white European perspective, a white settlers (thieves of land) view, and the norm of the time, he was doing what was expected. As disgusting as it seems to us now. All of what you describe is indefensible in our minds.
It is entirely possible that if Lincoln had not selected him to prosecute the war, we would now be two countries. Some would argue that perhaps that would have been a good idea as the bigotry of many in the south has only intensified. Maybe we should have become three countries - a third for Native Americans!
But if you read Ron Chernow's "Grant" you will meet someone who had been selflessly dedicated to the service of his country. Grant literally saved the union and he did it in a way that was required. Brutally.
Grant was many things. He was humble. He wore the uniform of a private. He suffered all manner of ailments but forged on. He was an occasional drunkard but managed to rally when needed. He may have been one of the most respected generals in our history.
But yes, he and "we" did all those horrible things to Indigenous Americans. Most "whites" of the time would have supported him.
Nothing is simple.
Tecumseh, a native American, wanted to, and I think tried to unite Indian tribes from the Great Lakes down to the Gulf of Mexico, when a lot of that land was still in Native American hands.I haven't gotten very far in Peter Stark's book, Gallop Towards the Sun, which covers that, but if he'd succeeded, what is now the United States would be a much more interesting and diverse place, or so I'd like to think. I'd love to be able to travel--on foot or by bicycle, through territory that was pretty much as it would have been under Indian governance two centuries ago. OK, so maybe I'm just a romantic. But it would be a much more interesting place.
Lots of cognitive dissonance to be had in our history, and today…
Lincoln, as well, visited depredation on the native people. The Homestead Act, cited by Dr. R above, finalized the land grab on the plains. Natives were being driven off their lands, including in Minnesota, and kept in starving encampments. On December 26, 1862, due to Lincoln't order, 38 Dakota men were hanged at Mankato, MN, the largest execution in our country's history. They were participants in the Dakota War, which started when one group raided a settlement for food, resulting in five settlers dying. At the base of it all are the Papal bulls of the 14th century which created the Doctrine of Discovery, still part of our laws today.
Yes, and that Doctrine of Discovery was finally repudiated by the Catholic church in March of last year, 2023.
Elaine, is that Mankato, MN where the massacre occurred? I know of Mankato but not Makato. (I used to teach on Native American reservations, hence my interest.)
Yes, Mankato. I will fix it, migwech. They still ride, the Dakota 38+2, to honor those who died that day.
The Dakota 38+2 Reconciliation Ride began in 2005 and has continued every year to promote reconciliation between American Indians and non-Native People. Horseback riders, runners and supporters alike make the 330-mile journey from Lower Brule, South Dakota to Mankato, Minnesota during the dead of winter. StJo.org
Thanks for th einformation and link, Elaine. I had never heard about this event: I've been away from the reservations for along time. (I taught at Marty, S.D., a boarding school for about 500 kids.)
After perusing the St. Jos. Indiana School website, I am hoping the school is as dedicated to the native population as the site portrays. The boarding schools underwent so much criticism and even hatred due to past abuse and alienation of the students from their families and cultures. But this one seems to be thriving even!
the land grabs began in the early 1800s. William Henry Harrison, who later became president, was involved in that. These began in what's now Ohio and Indiana.
And much before that as well, and continuing today. Think of Manhattan, Plymouth, the west coast, Texas, all that land seized and presented fait accompli upon statehood.
Different from what occurred before that. What I'm talking about is where and how it became Federal policy. In contrast, Manhattan, Plymouth, et al. were much more haphazard.
War does not bring out the best of any group even in the 21st century. Was is distructive and cruel. Currently, some nations have moved toward democracy and diplomacy. Biden has a cabinet and departments of diplomats negotiating solutions. GOP has a stable of representatives shouting opinions and promoting violence.
We are “products” of our times.
Hmmm...two sides of the same man...how does that fit together?
It just does. As does LBJ’s sides..
It’s human! It’s that simple. We are complex beings and the more complexities we face, the more complex we become. Some of each person’s decisions and actions turn out well, others not so well to badly, all for a variety of reasons.
Susan, think of a musical instrument say a piano. From very high to low. Yes, positive if well played. I think we all must know at least one person who can be charming, smart and admirable but have another darker side that is frightening: a violent temper and a belief system that seems at odds with his-her other side. That’s the more extreme of course like Ted Bundy?
He also had a serious drinking problem
NOt clear who you're saying had a serious drinking problem. Grant definitely did. I've never heard of that in Lincoln's case, and I've read Doris Kearns Goodwin's book, Team of Rivals, twice. (Although not recently)
My husband's Lakota relatives remember Lincoln as a man who ordered the execution of a number of Native Americans involved in an uprising. He could have had more executed, but did not execute all of them. I had no idea about this until one of them told me about it. Another perspective.
If you scroll up you will see a post by Elaine in MI which discusses the Mankato MN massacre. I only learned about it a couple years ago.
I see that now. It wasn't there when I posted or just up, I wasn't reading carefully. I had no idea until there was some modern happening and I don't remember what, and I had to ask and then I learned. I see pictures of the ride posted from hubby's relatives every year.
Lincoln himself considered Blacks inferior to caucasians until Frederick Douglass visited him in the White House. It was a different era. (Nonetheless, Lincoln still felt Blacks shoiuld be freed. I don't know what he thought about native Ameircans.)
See posts above.
As others have thanked you below here, David, I thank you, too.
During the Viet war, I was in the army as Viet translator-interpreter (Spec 5, enlisted), and I read Grant's memoirs. I'd already long known of Lee's General Order #9, dismissing his Army of Northern Virginia. In it he claimed loss to the North's "overwhelming numbers and resources."
Grant in his memoirs said no. His men won that war for two reasons: 1) they could all read and write and 2) they believed in their fight.
I remember publishing that bit of info in one of the many underground rags we had then -- so many G.I.s absolutely not believing a thing "the best and the brightest" had to say in all their Ivy League idiot abstractions then defending that mass stupidity.
You're most welcome Phil. thank you for providing this additional perspective. (I do think our resources were superior to those of the South. If I remember correctly, that was in Chernow's book.)
Thanks for these recommendations, David!
You're welcome Lynell!
"Grant" by Chernow was a revelation. What a complex person. The general we needed.
But then, please read ANTHING by this fine author.
OK. Going to the used book store on Wed (sale day), or the library today. I am sure my brother has one or two by Chernow (all his books are his favorite child). There has been so much talk of genocide here that I picked up "The Nazi Doctors" by Robert Jay Lifton, which had a long chapter on genocide. 25 cents.
Learned recently that the Christian Nationalist’s favorite spiritual guru is Gerhardt Kittle, a German Protestant theologian who was also Hitler’s personal counselor. He was anti Semitic, of course.
Read Chernow's Hamilton and agree, but I found Ron White's biography of Grant much more sympathetic, noting that in striving to overcome his problem with alcohol, he always turned his glass upside down at social gatherings. Also mentioned the severe and extended isolation he experienced when stationed far from family. I thought White's tone matched Grant's memoirs, which reflect the type of character our Founding Fathers declared as virtuous (love of country and its laws).
Thanks for the recommendation, Bill!
Read Hamilton by Ron Chernow as many have, and will check this book out.
Thanks, David. Will order Sheldon's book "Rufus" to add to our Civil War book collection. Bruce Catton grew up 15 miles from here.
You may need to order it on Amazon. Sheldon did a damn good job with the book, but she self published it, and is not great at getting it out there. And I the title wrong. It's Rufus: A Boy's EXtraordinary EXPERIENCES in the Civil War. (Not "adventures")
Found on Amazon. Thanks!
You are most welcome! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I actually proofed the book.
Grant and Sherman were among the greatest generals ever—far better than Lee. Oliver Wendell Holmes was wounded severely at Ball’s Bluff, very early in the war. When he recovered—not fully—he was assigned to the defenses of Washington, being not fit for field service. In 1864, a Confederate raid got as far as the Washington lines, where Holmes was serving. According to a possibly apocryphal story, he saw a tall civilian strand up in the trenches and yelled, “Get down, you fool!” only to realize it was the President.
Thomas (Stonewall) Jackson was also a terrific general. His death was a great boon to the North.
David There has been almost at much written about Lincoln than about Jesus.James McPherson’s Pulitzer-winning BATTLE CRY OF FREEDOM for me is the best single volume related to the Civil War. Doris Kearns Goodwin’s LEADERSHIP highlights Lincoln’s remarkable skills. Walt Whitman’s poem at the time of Lincoln’s assassination still bring tears to my eyes.
In my youth I read Sanders’s Lincoln volumes and have been fixated by Lincoln’s extraordinary news ever since. An individual with sadness, sense of mission, and the salvation of humor.
I copied your comment into my file of books I want to read.
David Check our Walt Whitman’s O CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN Lincoln eulogy.
Thanks for the recommendations, Keith!
Thanks. To search for it, the title is Rufus: A Boy's Extraordinary "Experiences," not Adventures.
Thanks. You're right. Damn these H. sapiens brains!
Chernow's Grant is unforgettable. Strongly recommended.
Grant is excellent.
Yes, I was also heartened to read of the support of Union soldiers for Lincoln, who expressed his sadness at the war so profoundly when he lost his own son. Another parallel to Biden. How the Republicans today have spit on his loss. Their voting block against VA funding and compensation for Burn Pit victims seemed almost designed to break him. Their despicable fist bump when they did. Cruz trying to be a man. ugh
Trump's disdain of all service members. It must make Biden want to, well, we can't imagine ... and then the latest, nasty fiction of Biden supposedly forgetting the date of his son's Death from the cancer he suffered from his service to our country. The standard just keeps dropping.
And yet, there is no recourse. Has that slime Hurr been recommended to the bar? Reprimanded and taken off the rarefied list of future Special Counsels? Anything at all?
Please someone reply and tell me yes. Tell me Garland DID something.
In Brazil they call this swallowing the frog. Biden and the rest of us are swallowing the frog. Every day.
Well, I for one have a Very sore throat.
I am now just at the very beginning of comprehending the toll such un-repudiated injustice must take on black Americans. Still. Today! I can feel Willis holding back her rage in my bones.
Very much respect, and feel, too, your burning, smoldering, ongoing rage, disbelief, Patrice.
I feel privileged to have belonged to a senior group for many years who have read through various members’ recommendations books both fiction and non that delve deeply into the history of Blacks and Indians in the ‘settling’ of America. My stomach turns at the savage cruelty both groups of Americans have endured and still do without accountability for such crimes. And it still goes on. Witness Trump’s promise to turn our police forces into vigilantes who are free to go after anyone they even suspect of wrong doing and freely teach them a lesson. Some say he doesn’t mean it. A commentator wisely said if so that he’d dare say such a thing indicates that he is too mentally ill to qualify to run for president. As my Black friends who a racist Trump and his racist MAGAs especially intend this
for, continue to live in fear. I will work with others as this election approaches as we do all we can to stop these vile people.
(Love your last name! La chat. 😽 )
Well put. I’ve just finished “Horse” by Geraldine Brooks. It was shattering.
Such a great book. I cried all the way through it and I can still bring on the waterworks just thinking about several scenes. When the horse laid his head in his lap and died--we should all be so lucky. (sob)
My husband was shocked by the tears running down my face. Theo’s death had such a ring of reality.
I loved "March" and "People of the Book". Waiting to read "Horse".
I still haven't picked up the two books, one about cotton slavery and one about the removal of Native Americans from the southeast, because they made me sick and I couldn't continue to read. Right now I am in ancient history which is terribly bloody, but distant enough: a history of Rome and Persia(at first, Parthia) for 700 years. Now I am reading about the Sumerians including the problems with excavations during the colonial period. Then we went to war with Iraq and secured oil, but not the national museum which was looted. Then ISIS which looted sites to sell what they could....I think Chik-Fill-A top dog bought some for his Bible museum. Talk about aiding and abetting...then ISIS destroyed the sites.
Hurr has just charged the FBI informant who made up the whole slur about Burisma and the Bidens. Just came out yesterday.
That is interesting. That is really interesting! btw, just one "r". Hur.
Thank you! I had been spelling Hur with one “r”, but seeing it spelled with two, thought I might have missed something.
Nope. You didn't miss anything.
Love your words, Phil.
You've said it, Phil Balla. Superbly. And that's something that attracts and promises, not threatens. A good dinner, or a hamberder?
I'm living in a small river valley town in the mountains of Kyushu, Japan, Anne-Louise.
No hamburger possibilities anywhere near here.
But lots of very good food otherwise.
I'm very glad to know that HCR's letters reach to the other side of the globe
Best, Swbv, the decent conversations among those also reading her on her Substack.
Ooh, who needs a hambURGer when you can get a bento. How beautiful! my imagination soars.
A gentle reminder from our "gentle" historian that things have been bad before, as they most certainly were in the months leading up to the 1864 election. As the saying goes, "the darkest hour is just before dawn", and looking at that year people in the spring and early summer probably were feeling pretty dire. However, things took some unexpected turns in the late summer going into the autumn and fortunes changed for the better. I pray to God above if we find ourselves in similar straits this year that somehow things will all turn out for the best as they did in 1864. We must all work toward that end.
And don't forget, President Joseph Biden is also a good and honest man and with more wisdom from his long history of service to this country than so many others. Really! If not Joe then who? Those that still have not, look up Hopium Chronicles with Simon Rosenberg. We must stay focused and learn the facts about how and why we are so much better off than we were with ter-ump and honestly numerous others that have served as President.
Various factions have been trying to figure out how to replace President Biden with someone younger since he was elected. But Biden has been building goodwill with Americans for over 50 years and has accomplished more than any President since LBJ. Most of the legislation help all Americans and not just the one percent. Thousands of infrastructure projects are in progress or have already been completed. Alliances with our allies and trading partners around the globe have been rebuilt. And he has brought us back from the worst pandemic in the history of the world better than any other country.
And yet, his detractors rail on his age instead of his wisdom and leadership. Lincoln was 55 years old when he was reelected, ten years past the life expectancy at the time. And Biden is fewer years past life expectancy and is surrounded by an extremely competent cabinet and staff.
Thank you Heather for another enlightening history lesson and Happy President's Day.
I am so fed up with the media, pouncing on--or initiating--opinions about President Biden's age and mostly letting Trump slide. And Fur's "report" should have been vetted by the AG before his subjective statements went out the door.
I am fed up as well. The NYT did a piece on memory loss, memory recall and decision making. TFFG seems to have trouble with recall, losing memories be likely had, being terrible at decision making and claiming to not be able to recall things that happened under his watch (like in the Mueller report).
The phrase "my brain is full" should apply to Biden because he is making decisions on national importance from the time he wakes up and maybe before. TFFG is constantly thinking about who on his enemies list he should attack. And often it's Republicans. But never Putin or any of the other dictaors.
Biden has many other skills and talents that TFFG hasn't ever acquired. Biden is able to delegate. TFFG almost never delegates which is one of the reasons he accomplished so little during his term.
As many have said, "Trump is uniquely unqualified to be President."
And Hur's report? I am conflicted on whether it should have been vetted. It has already become yesterday's news. I don't think it changed anybody's vote and it made Garland look less political and Hur like a pathetic loser.
The way to slam someone is how Engoran slams Trump and his crime family on page 87 of the ruling. It's personal without being personal. And I have yet to see anyone report on it. Now that's pathetic.
Can you add that slam from page 87?
He starts out by saying that Trump has a history, and even today saw no need for changes, the cites the Trump University case and the charitable funds case, plus the fact that his head manager plead guilty to all those counts, then says there is reason to continue and enhance the monitor.
I wish I could. I tried to cut and paste it from the NYTimes and couldn't so I downloaded the entire verdict and I still couldn't. Sorry. Maybe someone else can, but I'm an idiot.
DT did Biden and the Democrats a favor with his "Putin can do whatever the hell he wants" comment, which mostly shoved Hur's editorial comments out of the news cycle. Also, I'd like to see Engoron's comments on page 87 of his ruling, please :)
Refusal to Admit Error
The English poet Alexander Pope (1688-1744) first declared, “To err is human, to forgive is divine.” Defendants apparently are of a different mind. After some four years of investigation and litigation, the only error (“inadvertent,” of course) that they acknowledge is the tripling of the size of the Trump Tower Penthouse, which cannot be gainsaid. Their complete lack of contrition and remorse borders on pathological. They are accused only of inflating asset values to make more money. The documents prove this over and over again. This is a venial sin, not a mortal sin. Defendants did not commit murder or arson. They did not rob a bank at gunpoint. Donald Trump is not Bernard Madoff. Yet, defendants are incapable of admitting the error of their ways. Instead, they adopt a “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” posture that the evidence belies.
This Court is not constituted to judge morality; it is constituted to find facts and apply the law. In this particular case, in applying the law to the facts, the Court intends to protect the integrity of the financial marketplace and, thus, the public as a whole. Defendants’ refusal to admit error—indeed, to continue it, according to the Independent Monitor—constrains this Court to conclude that they will engage in it going forward unless judicially restrained.
Indeed, Donald Trump testified that, even today, he does not believe the Trump Organization needed to make any changes based on the facts that came out during this trial.
Hur should have been told to edit out his opinions. They were not facts.
Engoran's "Ruling" is precise and will stand for aspiring 'judicals' ( :)) ) who will read it. Hur's tabloid level drivel will just end up in the waste-can, cause 'we're' the only ones who read it. Huh? C'mon... it's written to an 8th grade reading level so the only way it has gotten out to the general (tabloid nation) public is the MSM reading it to the mag-gots. They sure as hell won't read it.. THEY CAN'T READ fer crisssakes. Next!
I, for one, prefer "a kindly old man with memory problems" to an old man cereal rapist grifter with memory problems. Just sayin'.
According to a guest neurologist in the NYTimes the problem isn't with Biden's memory, it's with his memory recall. Almost all of his have this issue regardless of our age, although it does get worse as we get older.
Remember when Mueller sent TFFG a list of questions and Trump answered many of them. I don't recall. I call bullshit on the Republicans questioning Biden's memory.
Well, yeah! Each and every election denying MAGAt is 10 pounds of shit in a 5 pound bag. How pathetic that the worst mud they can sling at Biden is "he's old and forgetful." Not a rapist, not a tax fraud, not a grifter, not a traitor. There's a great interview on The Bulwark between Tim Miller and Robbie Kaplan (Carroll's att'y) about her OTHER class action suit against Trump Org for the pyramid scheme to sell videophones.
I agree that President Biden accomplished many goodthings for us working class Americans. He went as far as someone within the confines of the corporation controlled Democratic Party would be allowed to do.I’m sick of his age being brought up too but let’s be real, he could go down fast with diminished cognitive skills and we do need someone younger.Yes I’m someone you will not convince to vote for him again, but stifling me like Archie said to Edith isn’t democracy.
You hit the nail on the head John with "corporation controlled Democratic Party." Both parties are, of course, but this is why I remain an Independent that never votes for a Republican.
My Congressman does not take PAC money only personal donations which have a cap I believe. He's a Democrat in a rural district and he's been reelected as well as unseating a Republican. He is not supportive of the corporatocracy even though he has General Dynamics, GE and LL Bean in his district.
Republicans can't even pass a single budget bill which would help people in their own districts. And they are Putin lovers.
Democrats have the aim to overturn Citizens United, and the institutional framework to “make it happen” if votes put them in charge. A third party vote will be a vote for Trump. Anyone may voice an opinion, but disagreement with that opinion is not censorship.
And certainly share your view about overturning Citizens United. I listen to Thom Hartman and he makes a strong case against that decision.
Well Did you listen to HCR’s politics chat last Tuesday Gail? I was dumped on and she blocked me . I wasn’t rude or insulting, just standing up for RFKJR. It seems pretty unfair to me.
Neither does Jason Crow, my former rep. It's now Ken Buck, whom at last I called to thank for his Majorca's vote. We WILL elect a democrat from this district this year!
Yes , I think so. I want RFKJR, inspite iofThe DNC claiming he is a “stalking horse “ and the MSNBC campaign to exterminate him.
I am so sorry that you feel this way. The man is nearly as much a wack job as drumpf. And he has no excuse. As a scientist I cannot imagine where he gets his bullsit. He should have a rudimentary ability to reason from his career, yet he seems not to.
Then admit you want chump
Or, God help us, RFK Jr.
And most of the people who I know are supporting RFKJR are former young Trump supporters.So all this democratic fear about taking votes away from the president is wrong
He may have a sane moment, but he is a spoiler, just like the genius Nadar. Loved his message but was not fooled by his chances. Both have egos that soar to the heavens. Real is much better than ethereal.
Dude, RFKJR is our only hope
I definitely will NEVER vote for Trump. Why can’t you hear me?
Because it's a choice, not a bat signal. And RFKjr is nuts.
but will you stay home? I may be appalled by some positions of Dems, but I know the cost of self-righteous indignation..
Because a vote for anyone besides Biden is a vote for Trump.
So age is your criteria? Listen to the multigeneraltional GOP set in Congress and running for office; then comment on diminished or deranged cognitive skills.
Yes it’s McConnell and others too. Pelosi knew it was time and , like President Washington did , stepped aside.
We don't need anyone younger. People from Biden's generation usually live longer than their parents. Biden's father lived to 86, and his mother to 92, both compos mentis to the end.
My take away from this post is not the dawn will break and we will all be saved (a white Christian version of his-story). My take away is the people who are screaming their support for the psychopath, gathering in mobs at his rallies and engaging in brutality on his behest have always been part of this country.
Some were my ancestors, gggrandfather was a Confederate who died at the Battle of the Wilderness. Had ancestral cousins who were murdered by vigilantes because they would not fight for the South. I recognize that the South was wrong and I know better. Back then, some did, some didn’t. No excuse today. MAKE RACISM WRONG AGAIN
Yes, they have. Those psychopath supporters are direct descendants of the slave powers who should have been jailed for treason and barred from ever holding office again. Instead, Johnson pardoned them - as long as they bent the knee and stroked his own ego. It's one of the greatest tragedies of this country. I only hope we will be able to recover from that horrific mistake this year. The alternative is madness.
"My take away from this post is not the dawn will break and we will all be saved (a white Christian version of his-story)."
That wasn't my take either. I was merely pointing out the similarity of how, at an early point in the year of 1864, people most likely didn't have a clue as to how much things were going to change. Things looked really bad for Lincoln early on in that year, but then sh!t happened, as it tends to do. We could easily be in a similar situation right now. It is still very early going and any number of events could happen and completely change things by November. That is my point. HCR is very good at looking back in our history and finding examples of where we've been in similar situations before. Human beings do seem to have a propensity for doing the same things over and over again. Things worked out in 1864, and it is my hope that they will once more, but they won't work out if we're complacent.
One thing is true -- No matter what TFFG says or does between now and the election his MAGANAZIs will vote for him
Agree, mass media has given them a larger bullhorn to repeat and promote a false narrative
Yes, they are. Reality. But we can fight to save our democracy, and not bury our heads in the sand pass on our fear and exhaustion to another strongman.
Indeed we must (work towards that end), and we shall! But I get the feeling that so many of us realize that that we're going to come out OK. Just look at what happened in New York's Third (I think) district from which Santos was just booted. Santos had won his election by 8 points. This time, the Democrat beat the GOPer by 8 points.
I am very hopeful but not unwary.
AND Simon Rosenberg's grassroots Hopium Chronicles were very much involved in that success.
He and his partner, Tom Bonier, consistently denied there would be a “red wave” in 2022, based on their data analysis. They were right. Simon is worth listening to.
Take nothing for granted
David Pepper ("laboratories of Autocracies") agrees: No red wave for 2024 either, based on past 2 years of local and state elections, though we still have much work to do.
Much more postcards.
That win can be analyzed, for sure.
Yes, we must all be like David Farragut and embrace "damn the torpedoes--full steam ahead".
My dad served on the destroyer USS Farragut during WWII. He never said a word about his time in the NAVY even though he was a disabled veteran. But he did repeat that phrase many times.
That's so heartwarming to read, Gary. My father was in the (segregated) infantry in WWII on PNG & other islands. He never spoke about it either. After my mother passed, he did share some about the plant and animal life he saw.
I'm wondering if that's how most people react when returning from war. I was lucky that I missed the draft by a year. My dad-- not so lucky I guess. Was your dad drafted?
The Lincoln at Gettysburg pbs special I watched last night noted in Lincoln's time, news came from the papers, and they were partisan and radical, right and left. Much as today's social media.
Plus sa change...
Was EVERYTHING bought by money as it is today. I know about Hearst, and others like him, but in my lifetime, the change has been stunning. Maybe just because I have watched it happen in real time.
Propaganda was not the communication system of the time, as much as now.
On which planet do you live?
I love the way you draw on lessons from history in your columns. This is so important and I wish that everyone would read them and appreciate their value for current political issues.
I am constantly shifting from absolutely certain about Biden’s victory and complete dread that Biden is failing to communicate his worth to America, when his opponent communicates his intentions clearly, to the delight to his bully minions.
It’s not Biden’s failure to communicate - it is purely the MSM’s failure to communicate. The day after Hur’s report came out, The NY Times had 4 (four) stories on the front page about Biden’s age, with only a passing reference to the conclusions reached: Biden was not responsible for the retention of classified info. To make matters worse, Hur claimed info was found in Biden’s “notebooks”, which were actually diaries, and diaries are specifically exempt from classification. Hur did a hit job on Biden, and the press failed in their job to report the TRUTH.
And I haven't seen a single story in any paper with Erdogan's slapping down of TFFG. It was beautiful. Of course it was on page 87 of 92 but it's their job to report on the entire verdict.
I cancelled my NYT subscription ... finally. Anyway, DONE.
Whiplash
We must not let anyone re-write our history. We must look at people's weaknesses and strengths, at situations that seemed to be lost but that were won, and we must learn from our past that whatever the consequences, we must do what is right, we must be humble but determined in the face of adversity, and we must act in the best interest of our democracy.
Betsy Smith, you are so right and if we do what is right and and always in the best interest of our democracy, we've done the best we could and my bet is on us!!
Repub political ads are doing that every day. Wish Dems would push back. Instead they just blather abortion rights. BOTH are needed. Men tend to rule women around here, hell, everywhere.
Quite relevant today, this year, this article. In all the years this country has existed, we are near the cliff's edge as to whether we continue this experiment in democracy or fall into a dictatorship the way other countries have done so.
“We can not have free government without elections; and if the rebellion could force us to forego, or postpone a national election it might fairly claim to have already conquered and ruined us.”
Good call, JustJanice.
If we replaced the word "rebellion" with "insurrection", and drop the "postpone", leaving only "forego", we would have exactly what happened on 01/06/21
Did anyone see or hear about TFFG getting booed in Philly? It's about Trump getting booed during his visit to Philadelphia. This is the news I want to see everyday in the NYTimes, WAPO, Chicago Tribune and on the networks.
Another story about Trump getting booed was at my alma mater Iowa State. Trump thought it was a good idea to go to a fraternity. They booed him there. Go cyclones!!!
https://new.aldianews.com/en/local/philadelphia/trump-gets-booed-during
As President Trump spoke to Republicans attending the GOP retreat in Philadelphia, several thousand protesters took to the streets to express their dissent. Whether holding signs stating "Protect my health care," and "Water is Life," or booing at the arrival of the president, protesters tried to get their voices heard by the GOP and the president at Thursday's protest.
While the president was focused on hitting on familiar themes from his campaign, including helping American workers, ending illegal immigration and rebuilding the country's military, protesters were outside for everything from immigration rights to reproductive rights.
"I'm here because I want history to show that I resisted, that I did not choose this president, 3 million people did not choose this president and my future great-grandchildren and grandchildren will be affected by these policies. I want them to understand that I resisted," said Sandra Sanchez, a protester.
"I'm an immigrant. I'm a U.S. citizen. I've always considered myself an American until now. I feel rejected by the society that has brought this man to power," Sanchez stated.
From a march that started at the corner of Broad St and Arch St to a die-in staged a block away from the Loews individual protesters as well as social justice groups from different organizations in the city, including Juntos and Black and Brown Worker's Collective.
Ethel Towns, a participant in the die-in, shared that she thought healthcare was one of the overarching issues that could affect the highest amounts of people. "As a senior, we need our Medicare, we need our healthcare, we need our every kind of care we can get as a senior," Towns stated. "And I'm also here for my grandchildren, so that as they come of age, they'll have something to look forward to, as far their voting rights. So they don't have to go the back alleys if they choose to get an abortion to get it."
The protesters traveled from the intersection of 13th and Market Street around City Hall to the BNY Melon Center, where they then charged the building. Those who made it inside were removed, and the police formed a blockade preventing participants from going inside the building.
The protest during the day had several thousand participants with participants increasing as the day went on into the night.
"I'm not black, I never will be. I don't know what it's like to be black in this country. I'm not an immigrant, I'm the grandchild of them. I'll never be an immigrant. I am not covered under Obamacare - fortunately my husband ha coverage under his job so we're not dependent on that. I'm not gay and I'm not going to be gay. But my feeling is if people feel oppressed and people are suffering in some way, I as a privileged person and by privileged I mean as someone if you are not one of those categories you are privileged," said Julie Izzo a protester. "As a person of privilege, you have a social responsibility to work with those who need your help."
Additional protests are set to continue on Friday as the GOP retreat reaches its end.
Thank you Heather. I hope that, like Lincoln, Joe Biden wins re-election to keep our democracy.
I agree.
"Lincoln won 78 percent of the soldiers’ vote.." The men who would be paying in blood backed Mr Lincoln. That is heroism.
Marshall,
Let's also remember that President Joe Biden's son lost his life by cancer due to exposure serving our country near the "burn pits" ...... lost his life...SERVING......something Donald Trump mocks.
How can any soldier support that cretin.
Need to stop playing Fox News in barracks.
Should have about 20 years ago. That was when a vet came to see me and told me that when he got out, it was Fox all the time.
Happy Presidents day Messrs Pierce, Buchanan, A. Johnson, Hoover, Reagan, Bush 1 and 2, and Trump. So far we have survived despite your civil wars, voodoo economics, lies, and sedition.
Ouch! what a gallery.
At least now historians can say that F Pierce was only the second-worst president in US history, thanks to DT :)
Never forget that Barbara Bush was his descendant, so GW had reinforced genes!
Unfortunately, so am I. My great grandfather (b. 1856) was named Franklin Pierce Abbott.
Clearly unlike Bush 2, you have overcome!
Rogues gallery.
I’d really like to add Harding and Wilson to that Rogue’s Gallery.
Thanks for another great history lesson. When Ezra Klein did a podcast the other day suggesting that Biden should bow out of seeking re-election for the good of the country because of public concerns over his fitness for the job, I immediately thought of Lincoln's standing in 1864, and how the punditry of that time was declaring him politically feeble and not up to the task before him, much as they are doing with Biden now (albeit for different reasons). Klein even used the 1860 Republican convention as a historical basis for why the Democrats should pursue an open convention in 2024 to similarly "organize victory." But the better comparison to Biden in 2024 may be Lincoln in 1864, as I suggested in my own post yesterday:
https://open.substack.com/pub/craiglazzeretti/p/what-the-pundits-dont-get-about-biden?r=tm6pf&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
From an interview with Marilynne Robinson today in the NYT:
“Frankly, I’m less than a year younger than Joe Biden, so I believe utterly in his competence, his brilliance, his worldview. I really do. You have to live to be 80 to find this out: Anybody under 50 feels they’re in a position to condescend to you. You get boxed into this position where people who deal with you are making assumptions about your intellect. It’s very disturbing. Most people my age are just fine. What can I say? It’s a kind of good fortune that America is categorically incapable of accepting: that someone with a strong institutional memory, who knows how things are supposed to work, who was habituated to their appropriate functioning is president. I consider him a gift of God. All 81 years of him.”
Marilynne Robinson
Someone please ask these blowhards who say Biden is too old despite his doing a great job as president, what they think of Ben Franklin. After they talk about how he is a sacred Founding Father, remind them that Franklin was 81yo at the Constitutional Convention of 1787! "Benjamin Franklin was 81 years old and nearing the end of his life when the 1787 Constitutional Convention...He proved to be instrumental at the Constitutional Convention as well, helping the process to move forward and recommending the adoption of document despite its faults." https://www.benjaminfranklin.net/franklin-and-constitutional-convention.jsp
Ben did more in his old age than most do as pups. As has Joe. Chump doesn’t even have an iota of the wisdom usually attributed to elders. All he learned to do was look in the mirror.
Old is a spectrum of competence and health. Some are old early, some are young late. Chump is an idiot at any age. Some have a core of decency, some of mush. Some say, there go my followers, I must follow them.
Just ten days short of 91 years, I can’t tell you how much I resent the head patting or how much I appreciate the kindness shown to old age. I don’t see Biden as infirm or incomprtant,whereas Trump appears unhinged. Today he’s peddling sneakers. In the face of all that’s happening he’s promoting shoes.! How much ridicule does that deserve?
GOOD one!
Considering that some folks day our days are numbered at birth, I have to agree.
I love that!!
That was the day I said I will never pay attention to another word from that fucking moron.
The extreme right has its MAGAs and conspiracy theories not grounded in reality. The extreme left has its Kleins, Cornell Wests, Dean Phillips etc. also not grounded in reality, instead pining for an idyllic state of affairs that has never existed and cannot do so given current realities. What they both have in common is that they are fervent in their misguided zeal, are ready to destroy the status quo built by practical reasonable well intentioned but imperfect people. Both zealots have no meaningful realistic alternative to serve as a replacement for the current realities they seek to destroy. Both these groups are useless, acting out their childhood traumas in public and give me a headache.
Hear! Hear!
The best term I know for the ones who claim to be on my side is "Bourgeois Bolsheviks." Also "Socialite Socialists."
How about "whiny little @#$%es? (hint: it's a word that rhymes with 'itches'). That's what we called 'em in my neighborhood.
These words really fit then don’t they?
“Anybody under 50 feels they’re in a position to condescend to you. You get boxed into this position where people who deal with you are making assumptions about your intellect. It’s very disturbing.” -a section of my earlier post today.
Ezra Klein is 39 years old.
They do indeed.
What was it that Reagan said about not holding his opponents youth and inexperience against him. Good line, sort of tragic considering that his brain was melting. But chump doesn’t even have youth, and his experience has been graft, revenge and an ego run amok.
Klein. He's well-named. Little.
And who knows how long he will live?
TC you are priceless!
Not priceless, they just haven't offered me enough yet. :-)
lol
💕
😂😉
I missed something TC…what day were you referring to?
Ezra Klein’s podcast, I think TC was referring to.
Ah, ok thanks
Klein really pissed me off suggesting that Joe step aside. Who the hell does he think could do a better job in dealing with Putin, Netanyahu, and Trump??
Marlene,
No one has the guts or knowledge or experience President Joe Biden has. He will stand up to Putin, Netanyahu and Trump.
All three must go somewhere .... a place where the rest of the world would be safer...decent people cared for and encouraged and given 'a hand up", hope for their future....hope for their children and the future of this planet.....and an opportunity to worship or not as they choose!
Just maybe if the countries with leaders or persons attacking us would take President Joe
Biden's advice and copy his example, we would NOT have problems with our shipping pathways....foreigners would NOT infiltrate foreign countries to use their people to steal and remove the riches of those countries....resources that could be used to strengthen families and educate their populations.
OKAY....I am reminding myself of the song " IMAGINE" so maybe we will never be perfect but there is always the opportunity to be better!!!!
President Joe Biden and his team are working daily on "BETTER"!!!
Sad that some Dems are aiding and abetting the opposition. They do so at all our peril. Could misogyny play a part.
The Democratic Party or The Russian Party. Take Your Pick Americans.
That is what it has shaken out to be.
There are equally egregious autocrats in the wings to replace those "leaders"; thus diplomatic leadership teams of the Biden appointed and lead Administration are to hearlded and remain in service to our nation.
I have friends who are baling on Biden, and the Times has been full of suggestions as to how he can step aside. My view is that he does so at our peril.
Of course, TFFG as President again is totally untenable but even if Biden dies after he is reelected Harris is the best VP we've had since Teddy Roosevelt, except for Biden.
I trust her to be President especially if she keeps the phenomenal cabinet and national security council that Biden picked. Many of them will likely leave but many won't.
I like Ezra Klein, but like I said above, Lincoln was 55 when he was reelected when the life expectancy was 45. Life expectancy in 2021 was 76.1 years. Biden will be 81 when he is reelected. Lincoln had lots of detractors like Biden, but he easily won reelection because the people believed in what he was doing.
Life Expectancy statistics usually include infant mortality data, and give a view of overall health of a country, not expected age of senility or death.
True MaryPat, but age of senility or even forgetfulness varies as widely as does IQ.
As Rex Tillerson so aptly stated, "Trump is a fucking moron." So he's old AND stupid. You don't see the networks or papers say that everyday.
What a turnabout of events for Lincoln. He persisted with what he felt was right, he was vindicated, and the Union was saved. Let us hope that we can continue to keep it together in a democratic fashion.
And, of course, he lost his life for his efforts. No matter how many people lose their lives to our failure to regulate guns, we continue to take that risk.
I wasn’t even thinking about that aspect of it. We’re all the Presidents who were attacked or assassinated Presidents harmed with guns??? I think so.
I believe so, and don't forget the ones like Ford and Reagan who survived assassination attempts.
Right. Another point in favor of gun control, except at this point half the country would like to get rid of one of the candidates!
History is full of surprises. This is astoundingly relevant today.
well, Trump was considered a surprise, too. And while things looked dark for Lincoln, there were many abolitionists working secretly and also Openly to bring the issues to light, in spite of moneyed interests having control of much of the media and the political process. Lincoln's win was not his alone. We must remember that.
Lincoln's votes were hard earned. We have to do the hard part now. Get Out The Vote like your children's lives depend on it.
Patrice,
Our lives, the hope of freedom and decency ..... the education of our children.....the continuation of "Building Back Better".....the safety of our supply of clean drinking water.... the air we breathe....rebuilding our infrastructure, strengthening our relationships with our allies, supporting governments by the people and for the people, supporting our troops, and so much more DOES DEPEND ON PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN'S RE-ELECTION!!!
Yes Patrice, many others WERE working behind the scenes to bring Lincoln's view of what the nation was and could be, much like Biden today, because he knew himself to be standing for the right as the founders had described and then did their best to write into our Declaration of Independence and Constitution. When one bravely stands for what is right, despite the personal dangers of doing so, others see and want to follow and support that vision. That is a true leader. We have another true leader in Biden, doing his best to chose the right path through thorny thickets of competing rights; kinda like the Wilderness campaign which drained so many during that fateful time.
They do…
As always, thank you so much for all that you give to our understanding of our history and system of government. I thought 2020 would make your work easier. I'm often wrong but sorry in this case to be so wrong.
When you have a winning team, you don’t switch coaches mid season, regardless of what your opponent says. In 1864, Weed was upset that Lincoln was trying to make life better for ordinary Americans and was unelectable. Today, there are those who are upset that Biden is trying to make life better for ordinary Americans by working to create good-paying jobs that the workers can do with pride instead of giving tax cuts to their well-heeled friends. We need to keep the winning team together for another season.
That "government of the people, by the people, for the people" would REALLY inconvenience the plutocrats.
J L -- that's such an inconvenient and unfortunate phrase........ for the MAGANAZIs and the white faux-nationalists.
I agree Mary, but Biden has an amazing team of assistant coaches.
Even Mayorkis who was given a tack hammer to pound in ten thousand railroad spikes, has done well.
Gary Loft, exactly. I’ve often been told that one of the strengths of great coaches is the ability to assemble a spectacular coaching team (as opposed to 45).