Heather: You bravely walk a tightrope. On one hand, you are an esteemed historian. On another hand, you are a daring, observant, and insightful commentator on the day-to-day unfolding politics of this country. On the third hand, you are wisely and generously willing to say that some of your day-to-day observations may, over time, prove less than prescient. I am glad that you are willing to walk this tightrope, and am confident that we will all become wiser if we walk it with you!
Well said. Both the insightful commentary and the historical perspective are invaluable, and I know I am more informed and better prepared to joust with the disloyal opposition because of these analyses.
This is my first time making a comment. Hi everyone. (But I e been reading these wonderful Heather letters for a while.) I love the practical undramatic way that events are unraveled and placed in the present as well as an historical context.
Tonight I am flummoxed by all the criticism Joe Biden is receiving in the NYT for not placing sanctions on Saudi Arabia and leveling no consequences for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. If you understand all the sides of this, I’d love to know.
Now that we don't need their oil, we ought to let those 7th-century camel fornicators go back to being the desert nomad barbarians they were prior to 1921 when Abdul Azziz created Saudi Arabia. Their "Wahabbi Fundamentalist Islam" IS the jihadi islam we are supposedly fighting in the War on Terror (16 of 19 of the 9/11 hijackers were Saudis and it's well known the attack was financed by rich Wahabbis who supported Bin Laden - the hijackers are known to have gotten support and assistance from people in the Saudi embassy in Washington). They are directly responsible for most of the islamic radicalism of the past 30 years, as they have planted Wahabbi schools throughout the islamic world and transformed the religion. I have Muslim friends in Malaya who would personally like to kill every damn Saudi they could find for what those jihadi madrassahs have done to civil society there. Biden was right to call them "pariahs" and it's what we ought to make them. In 30 years, the only "good" Saudi I've ever heard of was Kashoggi, and the ones I have met have not been "good ambassadors" shall we say.
TC as usual giving it to us without the gilded finish. He knows whereof he speaks, however harsh the delivery may appear. I have to agree. Pariahs. Kashoggi being the only good Saudi we know who is in the public eye. I find it amazing that no one in the press ever puts the words “Saudi national“ in front of the name “Osama bin Laden.” I have to assume that the press is muzzled in some way, or the journalists have to avoid talking about Saudi Arabia when discussing 9/11. Maybe it’s the oil industry’s influence, I don’t know. Dick Cheney pulled off one of the biggest scams in recent US history by diverting all the attention away from Saudi Arabia and deflecting to Iraq, a relative non-combatant in the 9/11 plot. The Bush family is all oil money, they’ve been in bed with the Saudi‘s forever, so Georgie was completely motivated to provide cover for them. Oh well. Another nasty event in human history, not like there’s a shortage.
I have to agree, Roland. I remember waking up one day hearing about US going after Iraq and thinking, huh? I couldn't make the connection to 9/11. Surprise! There was no there there.
I had read Shrub, by Molly Ivins a couple of months before 9/11. One of the serious points she made in the book was how obsessed W was about Iraq, and how he wanted to avenge his father, or prove himself to his father... It seemed like he was just looking for an excuse to attack Iraq, and 9/11 provided that opportunity.
But there was a lot of there there with the Saudi's and Bushes. And when we were under NO FLY, guess who was allowed to fly out of America? At least that was what I remember. There was also a very large plane flying very, very low up the CT river, north towards Canada, which many of us called in. We never heard who that airplane belonged to. It did not look military.
I thought exactly the same thing. A few days later, when a group of us were discussing it at the office, another person told me that I was unpatriotic (after explaining why I believed there was no connection). She went on a rant about WMD and other Fox/Cheney yakity yak. If I told her today that those theories had been debunked, she'd be glad to tell me that I'm wrong.
Thanks, Roland, words like that cause wars... And my adopted, ½ Iranian daughter was called a "camel jockey" and worse in high school. It was pure racist by white boys who were not used to being around a nappy-headed, olive complexioned female. When she finally got tired of it, she demonstrated that she wrestle them and pin them to the ground and sit on them. I had to pull her off a couple of times after school at pick-up. Behind the scenes I let her know that I wished I had her spunk and muscle when I was her age. But it is her brilliant brain I wanted her to hone to outdo them. She did hone that, but I think the young bucks stopped teasing her due to her fierce show of strength over them muscle-wise in front of the other young bucks. She did not hurt them, but she embarrassed them, which come to think of it, was using her brain!
Name-calling should be judicially done and factual. We have had a poor role model in our so-called "leader" for the past four years. I myself have gotten suspended on Youtube and and slammed for using the words seditionist, white supremacist, Nazi (...and maybe wanker) in the recent past, but I have facts to back me up. ;-)
Penelope, your daughter sounds aaaMAZing! And I hope she continues to be fierce, as well was developing her intellectual talents: may she succeed with bells on in whatever she does. I agree that racist language should really be out of bounds especially on this platform. But I draw the line at wanker--which is not racist; it is just an accurate description of the behavior of some members of the human race with, um, dangling members. It is a word my students find amusing when I use it to refer to historical figures, but if the shoe fits . . .!
That said, I agree with Roland and TC (for all his usual attempts to out-Jim Wright that plain-speaking Texan). The US alliance with Saudi Arabia has been toxic for the US and many of its other allies and enormously beneficial for Saudi Arabia, which has been able to sustain its stranglehold on politics in the Middle East while continuing to be protected and ignored concerning its enslavement of South Asians and Pacific Islanders (as domestic workers), its virtual enslavement of all women, its abysmal human rights record especially with respect to Muslims who are not adherents of Wahabbism, and its very clear connections to Osama bin Ladin and Al-Qaeda. All but 2 of the 9-11 assassins were Saudis and they had been well protected by the Saudi government. But the Bushes and the Cheneys were in the pockets of the Saudis--and had been for decades--and so they prevented that essential fact from becoming the primary one, instead diverting attention and blame to the execrable--but absolutely blameless in terms of 9-11--Iraqi regime. It was the ultimate bait-and-switch and a playbook for the kinds of misinformation the just-past administration turned into a high art. And it is one reason why, while I appreciate Liz Cheney's condemnation of Drumpf with all my heart, I don't trust her about almost anything else.
Thank you Linda. The only thing I would add is that the Saudi elites, all those multi millionaires supposedly related to each other, are vicious and medieval in their ability to backstab each other and do incredibly dirty and violent things to each other. I only pray I never come back in a family like that, I would disown them. We are so blessed and so naïve in America. Except for maybe the mob, or a few other groups hiding under rocks, we don’t see the kind of vicious murderous behavior that people like MBS and his relatives engage in amongst themselves. In that way, they do resemble the royals of history.
Roland, royals--and other autocrats--who have actual power are indeed a murderous bunch. I was telling the story of Clovis, the first "Christian" king of the Merovingian Franks, to my students the other day and there was a lot of face palming going on. Because of the laws of inheritance (this is an issue in Islamicate law too), Clovis decided he had to eliminate all his male relatives in order to guarantee the succession of his three sons (that didn't turn out particularly well, but that is a story for another day), so he lured them to court and murdered them all. In his old age, according to Gregory of Tours, he moaned and moaned that he was "all alone" with no relatives who could take care of him. Gregory points out that Clovis was not saying this in order to garner sympathy, but in order to see if any other male relatives were hiding under the floorboards, so to speak, so that he could do away with them.
If you take that and multiply by a hundred, because of the laws allowing polygamy, you have the perfect scenario for internecine violence in families of power in the Middle East. But really: if the British royal family actually had maintained the power they enjoyed in the 15th century do you think they would behave any differently? 🤣
No. I was not aware of Clovis but thank you for the history lesson. I went to public schools growing up and my second career of teaching was primarily special Ed to inner city illegal immigrants of middle school age. I used to try to teach civility to them. I’m so glad I didn’t have to teach these characters civility during the DT time.
A much needed skill here too....but not politically correct as it is said to stigmatize the illegal immigrant. The people complaining about such incivility are of course "just racist"! a strange upside-down view of the world which is very Trumpian! What irony!
All with the possible exception of polygamy! They showed the way in Europe after all for a very long time as the country was unified somewhat ahead of the competion and difficult of agressive acces from its geography.
Linda, do you think Henry was behind the death of his brother William Rufus? Cf. DW Grinnell-Milne, The killing of William Rufus: An investigation in the New Forest. His detailed account of Rufus's last hours is pretty convincing, but he wasn't really a medievalist. Presumably we'll never know for certain if it was accident or murder.
Fern, actually I don't. With the sole exception of the family supporting Mary's coming out as a lesbian and her marrying her partner, I consider the family's (and the Bush family's) utter beholden-ness to the fossil fuel industry; their refusal to support women's bodily autonomy; their militarism and promotion of the military-industrial complex; and their obsession with the aggrandizement of Wyoming--the state with the smallest population in the USA--to be appalling. Liz is not a pol with whom I have any agreement except on treating LGBTQ people (and she is not friendly to trans people, btw) as human beings and the malignancy that is Trumpism.
Fern, I am not contesting that she belongs to the anti-Trump wing of the party. I am stating that I still don't agree with anything else she says. You have every right to defend her, but I also may choose to consider her voting record to be malign to all kinds of people--including women who believe the their bodies and their choices ought to be their own. And I cannot accept that as a humane and reasonable position. Even when one claims "religion" as a motive.
You have described L. Cheney's position about women in fiercely negative terms. She is pro-life as are many other women. I was not defending the positions held by Liz Cheney, which you find abhorrent. My effort was to report more fully on her record. The country needs a functioning government and one without a Republican Party working against democratic principles as it supports white supremacy. Liz Cheney is one of the few knowledgeable Republican leaders trying to bring her party back from its current neo-fascistic tendencies. I would like to see more moderate Republicans in national and state government,, but,, in lieu of that, Liz Cheney is one of the few Republican leaders to have stood up to Trump and other extremists in the Republican Party. I think that she is a fair representative of the opposing party.
Liz Cheney is a neo-conservative, so her positions reflect that political philosophy. She has not supported discrimination against women, and it is easy to relay her positions on the environment:
"Yesterday, I joined the Petroleum Association of Wyoming to discuss the value of oil and gas. Fossil fuels are treasures on which our national security and economy depend. I will continue working with President Trump to reduce unnecessary regulations so the industry can thrive." (twitter.com)
"Wyoming is resilient. Together we can end the war on fossil fuels & get our jobs back." (twitter.com)
"I applaud this important step by the Trump Administration to replace the damaging Obama Clean Power Plan with a rule that will return flexibility to the states and to our coal industry. The Obama Clean Power Plan killed jobs, strangled our economy, and attempted to destroy our coal industry. Ensuring the reliability of our power grid by supporting coal -- a crucial baseload power source -- is an economic and national security priority." (votesmart.org)
"Going forward, I'll continue to fight for the best interest of energy producers and consumers so costs are kept low and access to resources remains abundant. I'll also fight against the absurd Green New Deal, and the efforts by Democrats to upend our economic system and abolish the energy industry our families and nation rely on." (votesmart.org)'
Liz Cheney's positions, however, are not one note:
She condemned the Turkish invasion of the Kurdish areas in Syria, which was made possible by Trump's decision to withdraw US military forces that served as a buffer between Turkey and the Kurdish areas in Syria, saying, "The U.S. is abandoning our ally the Kurds, who fought ISIS on the ground and helped protect the U.S. homeland. This decision aids America’s adversaries, Russia, Iran, and Turkey, and paves the way for a resurgence of ISIS."[65] 'Cheney partly blamed the Democratic Party and the impeachment inquiry into Trump for Turkey's actions, saying, "It was not an accident that the Turks chose this moment to roll across the border."[66][67] A spokesperson for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Cheney's claim about the impact of U.S. presidential impeachment proceedings on the invasion "delusional".[66]
'At a House Republican Conference in July 2020, some Republicans, such as Jim Jordan of Ohio and Andy Biggs of Arizona, criticized Cheney for defending Dr. Fauci amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and for previously endorsing Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie's primary opponent.[68]'
My conclusion about L. Cheney is that unlike Mark Meadows, Jim Jordan, Devin Nunes, Matt Gaetz and Louie Gohmert, et al., she is a politician to work with when possible.
Don't be depressed. She certainly is not a top banana in popularity at this point. The politicians ranking that high in the Republican Party are far worse. L. Cheney is part of a the very small number of knowledgeable, and sane politicians in the opposing party.
A difficult decision i must admit but it doubles the need to be sure of our understanding of where the other is coming from and triples our need to question our own assumptions before criticizing the "drivel" that the other is spouting.
I am an analyst and I have also struggled to understand where they are coming from, enough to want to destroy our democracy. It hurts my head. But, I will admit, I do paint some mighty big brushstrokes these days because I am exhausted after five years. There is a very large part of me that is heartened that all of this trauma and chaos are labor pains as we birthing a new, wiser, inclusive and more understanding nation, beyond our self-absorbed adolescence phase and into a hopefully, responsible adult nationhood.
Ok, I’m back. I was working at the LA warehouse. Penelope I have to respond to you first, and this is also for Reid. Listen, if you guys think I’m being an apologist for TC, and that me or him need to be raked over the coals, by all means say so. I am not conflict averse. I happen to think TC is not racist, otherwise I would not be nearly so forgiving. As a truck driver believe me, I have had more than one white a—h—-e talk to me in confidence as a fellow white boy about ragheads or whatever racist terminology was coming out of their potty mouth. I don’t mind profanity where it’s justified, but I do not tolerate racist terminology for the sake of being racist. However, any of you reading this may have a different take, and by all means don’t put up with anything you don’t want to put up with. I doubt very much that TC uses the term camel-anything anywhere else in life except online where he is protected by his anonymity. If I were him, I would be perfectly clear that I am talking about the Saudi elite that deserve those insults, not the Saudi people as a whole. That’s the difference. OK, I’m done defending myself. If you think I’m full of it, don’t hold back. And of course Penelope I think your daughter is way cool.
Oh, Roland, you misunderstood my comment. I loved that you asked readers to "look past the fornicator part." I wish I was as succinct as you and TPC can be. My comment was more about TC's unnecessary use of the racist statement.
The story of my daughter was is an example of how people of color have to cope with racial ignorance in America. And though she is amazing and I admire her, there are invisible scars. I have always told her that some people are just jealous because she is a Golden Child and beautifully exotic. I know the scars from just being a white woman dealing with sexism, male lack of control, and deeply inhibited freedom to walk alone in certain places such as the woods or the sand dunes of a deserted beach. Yet, I am still of privileged color.
But, add darker pigment to the skin of a woman. No way of blending in and being unseen. So, they have to be stronger, smarter, more courageous, more able to ignore idiots. I am a privileged little peanut compared to my darker daughter and my black/brown/yellow female peers. But the atrocities committed on my paternal Cherokee side, only evident in my cheekbones, vies with the Daughter of the American Revolution on my maternal side.
Within me is the oppressed and the oppressor. It keeps me awake and vigilant. It prevents me from feeling the word "Patriotic" because of the genocide of my ancestors by my other ancestors.
And I like that the complexity of the world is inside of my body, and I believe, helps the light of my burning flame of justice stay balanced and empathic. I am no better than anyone else, because I am Everyone. (Whoa! Deep hunh?)
Anyway, I am not sure if that is what makes me able to stand up and fight for justice when anyone is treated unfairly or has a knee on their neck. And that is exactly why I feel like a pit bull surrounding these Seditionists who have acted against our country. I am not about to let go of them paying the consequences of their actions against our country.
For the first time, I feel a sense of patriotism, thanks to He Who Shall Not Be Named and his GOP cult. When I traveled across country here, after having traveled in most of the countries of Europe. I was awakened for the first time of how small the scale of Europe actually is compared to that of the USA. I visited Mount Rushmore for the first time and got a real perspective.
What we are trying to do here in this Great Experiment on this giant landmass Under One Government. I stood there and read the Declaration of Independence, in awe and tears, under all those flags of our nation. (30 of the 43-44 Euro countries can fit into the USA).
My heart broke open for this country, despite its colonial foundation of cruel genocide and slavery. There is something here unlike any other country on our planet. And that is HOPE. That we can do what others cannot or are even interested in. But the world knows what we are attempting to do and many of them want to live here, too.
We are indigenous people, and people from around the world—born here, dragged here, emigrated here or seeking asylum here from dictators and warlords. We encompass so many traditions, languages, religious beliefs (or not), skin colors and ancestral histories. Does everyone understand how remarkable this Thing is we are trying to LIVE (warts and all)? We are participating in the most beautiful (sometimes very painful) thing and we need to help our children understand that and participate in it with us. Because we ALMOST LOST IT. And the lives and deaths our our indigenous people, our slaves and our soldiers better well be damned worth it all to be here with our freedoms today.
Okay, okay, this feeling I am experiencing right now must be what a real Patriot feels like, I suppose, so I now own it— thanks to these fricking Seditionists who have revealed to me to my Self. I now own the mantel of an "Patriot": a person who vigorously supports their country and is prepared to defend it against enemies or detractors (and I add seditionists/oppressors). But I will never be blinded by that mantel and how we got here, and the path ahead.
What an exquisite post. To Penelope and whoever sees this message: at this time of day, when I am on the road, this discussion becomes unmanageable with my poor little iPhone with its tiny little screen. If you don’t get a reply from me, that’s why. By the time I get home to my laptop, it will be 5 AM Pacific time on Sunday morning and bed time for me. If ever you need a reply from me, go back a few days on HCR and send a reply to one of my posts.
Stay safe, man; don't become a driver-distraction statistic. Whenever I call, the first question is "are you driving?" It's worth waiting to call again.
Hi, Diane. I just signed a petition to stop gerrymandering in Florida. I am attaching the link in case you're interested in signing it and passing it along to others here in Florida.
Roland, you are astute, kind and tolerant. Nothing to apologize for. TC steps over the line at times and someone always calls him out. We police ourselves quite well on this forum.
I'm with you, Diane. TC often has important things to say, but a lousy way of delivering them, so much of the time people react to the tone and have trouble getting to the message. Roland: your delivery is much more nuanced, and you can convey your passion about a subject in ways that make all of us grateful for your participation in this forum.
I tone down my own language a lot here because I think of this as a serious group of engaged people--I save my foul-mouthed screeds for Facebook! There my family and friends are used to it and find it amusing. But that is also because I am very careful about whom I "befriend" on FB. Actually, we all post more about our dogs and cats than about anything else. . .
Love that you save it for FB!! This is a very special forum without bots and trolls for the most part. And we usually do have such respectful, even if a little heated, discussions that we all benefit and learn from. TCinLA keeps us on our toes to things that make us respond. And this muscular exercise for how to respond in the world outside of HCR. I love this forum and feel assaulted by the comments and drivel I read occasionally expose myself to in the main stream media.
TC's language possibly comes as a reaction to spending his time writing scripts for tv shows or hollywood where sometimes one has difficulty differentiating soap from garbage.....with little residue left afterwards. It's nice to be able to exaggerate and let oneself go with a bunch of intelligent people talking about intelligent things.
Your daughter sounds like a true young woman of TODAY! Good for her. Its a shame that many children lack her confidence! Two of my granddaughters do not!
Hi Penelope— the smartest friend I have had for about 43 years occasionally reminds me of the fact that we humans are animals continually evolving. I get it and it helps me to comprehend the outrageous behavior of some humans.
At some point you might even have a laugh, Penelope, with your daughter as the Camel Jockey's in the Arab world actually can make a great deal of money. They are mostly young Pakistani boys who are treated like champion jockey's in Europe or America....as long as they stay firmly in the shadow of one royal haras or another and don't try to run away.
Interesting, Stuart! She is now of an age where I think she might laugh. I never really told her how clever one must be to ride a camel, at speed, and stay on and not injured...you know, down below!
Well, again, I liked that Roland politely asked us to not focus on the racist statement and look at the content of what TC was saying. We all know that TCinLA lets loose sometimes. Rather than slapping him down, I told a family story about racism, that I hope was educational for him, or someone. It was safer than sicking my daughter on him!
I guess I will defend TC as well altho I once also took him to task for hurling a rude insult to another poster. However his indecorous comments about 7th Century desert nomad barbarians – applying it to the very current actions of the Crown Prince’s barbarism didn’t bother me. As you said, maybe “boys will be boys.” However, that puts us into the archaic dichotomy of language too impolite to speak in the presence of ladies. I come from the counter-culture era when that was completely abandoned and “ladies” could be as foul-mouthed as the guys.
Personally, I find it cathartic to express my feelings honestly. I have been calling #45 an Asswipe for years (along with other Repugnants). I occasionally do a verbal impression of Samuel L. Jackson when really upset. Venting may be a way to let off steam. Notice the description by neighbors of most serial killers after they were caught – “He was always such a nice, quiet, polite man.”
Please don’t cancel! I’ve only been around here for a short while. Just find the commenters you enjoy learning from. Ignore others. Blogs mirror cultures. Good, bad and ugly. There’s no perfect place.
I’m glad that Kay came right out and said it, “boys will be boys,” because I could sense people were thinking it. It’s a natural conclusion, I don’t really object. But I will say in my defense that this is not a “boys will be boys “group of guys. In particular I have not had a close male friend since college, because they all disappoint me. My closest Inner Circle friends are all women. I’ve never been part of the boys club, never. The sister who is closest to me calls me androgynous, as far back as elementary school I can remember having a huge problem with the whole macho male identity thing. I always felt completely on my own when it came to identity, I had to forge my own identity. I don’t naturally gravitate to men that’s for sure, and I certainly don’t defend them just because they’re men. So many men are just complete jerks. I am respectful and cordial with the truck drivers, but unless it’s a black or Latino truck driver who is anti-Trump, I don’t have much in common with them.
Yes words cause wars. Camel jockey is only 1 of the very offensive terms being used on this thread. And the fact that TCLA doesn’t seem to be as popular as others who are posting hateful rhetoric is just as disturbing. Let’s attack TCLA but not others.
Yes, what he said is wrong. But others have joined in and posted just as disturbing comments as TCLA. So their comments don't hold as much weight? I'm not following your logic here, Reid.
This feels too much to me like moral relativism, a way of justifying his racist comment by saying, "but everyone is doing it!" Just because I am not calling out every racist does not make my criticism of his racist comment any less valid. I guess the question I would ask you to ask yourself is, why did you feel the need to point out to me that others were also making racist comments if you weren't trying in some way to justify his?
Perhaps I didn't make myself clear. I wasn't justifying ANY of the racist comments here. Just finding it bizarre that all the attention seems to be on TCLA's post when in fact many others have used like language throughout the comments here.
I understand what you're saying. But I think it's dangerous to focus on that question rather than the broader question of racism. Why even bring it up rather than use your energy to repudiate all of the racist comments? Asking why I criticised his comment and not others opens the door, if only a crack, to justification and rationalization. There is no place for that in civil discourse.
Let's just say that expletives have a cultural context and this particular one is quite common-place in middle eastern parlance. In France, one of the less interesting additions to the French Culture that has been offered by descendants of Arab immigration is "Nique ta mère" used to fend off any criticism of some otherwise unacceptable street aggressivity. The best translation would be "Go F*uck your mother". It is somewhat interesting to speculate whether in the minds of the perpetrating users, they consider Oedipian relations to be worse than Zoophilia.
You are attempting to justify a bigoted characterization with false equivalencies and arguments about how other countries say bad things to each other? Bigotry is bigotry and should be unacceptable to us.
Hmmmm..we’ll they like to think they’re so sexually sophisticated that it’s ok to take advantage of underaged humans. I think they lump it all together equally. I have a French sister in law whose father abused her sisters children. He admitted to the whole family. As she explained to me — it’s common.
Lots of this coming out in the press now. Its really messing up what referr to here as "the caviar socialist" scene where it is mostly situated as with Strauss-Khan etc!
100%, Kay. Roland is commendably fair-minded, but I prefer insights without insults from TCinLA.
On my FIRST DAY here TC told me to "Go f--- yourself, you millennial f---wit." I almost canceled my subscription on the spot, but received reassurance from Substack that he's monitored as abusive.
It's not just the insupportable vulgarity, bigotry and insults. The frequent violent fantasies and suggestions to harm others are frankly unnerving. and just look at today's LFAA; a single crack about camels sends the discussion careening off track. This is bad trouble, not good trouble.
TPJ, I agree 100%. TC has much to contribute but his many descents into abusive language—and his cruelty toward others in this community—leave me less than inclined to admire his talents as a writer. He reminds me of a former boyfriend... brilliant but quickly former because of a drinking problem and a temper. TC is looking more and more like that inconsiderate bully. Thank you for calling out persistent bad behavior.
TC is knowledgeable and he’s accomplished. I admire all that, too. But with age I am less willing to tolerate bigotry and bullying. I am thankful to our friends here who call it out. You don’t come across as a “boys club” kind of guy, but as a dear friend I haven’t met yet. This is a real—not just virtual—community because of the warm humanity of participants like you, Roland! So glad you’re here. In other news, I’ve just finished efiling our taxes and am ready to head out for my reward—a snowshoe hike :) Take care and thanks for your response.
Thanks, Adker. I'm used to the rough-&-tumble of political or scholarly exchange. so am less concerned about harassment directed at me. But many LFAAers are here for an an enjoyable, informative experience, not verbal mud-wrestling. A Like or supportive comment without insult is good human contact and validation.
The fact that he’s still here, and that posters on this story have described Saudis as lowlifes, inbred, camel jockeys, evil, the country is a hell hole, never would waste $ as a tourist, and more than I care to type out, is disgusting. I can’t believe what I’ve read to date.
Yep. It’s a little bit like judging US residents based on the behavior of trumpers—those in and out of government. It saddens me that the world sees us through that lens. And it’s just as sad that folks here have such stereotyped views of KSA, and don’t hesitate to share them. We all have much to learn and I am grateful for the teachings of Heather and all here.
“On my FIRST DAY here TC told me to "Go f--- yourself, you millennial f---wit." I almost canceled my subscription on the spot,”
Wow, I forgot about that. The guy who professes to despise Trump is just as bad and usually much worse in his insulting behavior. I’m sorry TPJ, that totally sucks. I’m starting to think that I’ve been acting like a schmuck. The problem is we don’t have a search feature: I can’t go back and review just how many times, and just how viciously, TC has been derogatory. He’s like the homeless guy on the street corner who is ranting and making nasty insults nonstop. The problem is that I have a bad habit sometimes of being loving and kind to someone even when they don’t deserve it anymore. I’m not surprised that Kay Ingram mistakes that for the white boy protecting the other white boy, it can sure look that way.
Sorry, no; it's ignorance from someone who doesn't know me. (Also trying not to be a f---wit, I believe with some success.) My age encompasses the millennial years, but no one knows the number. Calendars weren't invented back then.
If this forum was moderated I’m sure comments about Saudis such as inbred lowlifes, evil, camel jockeys, hell hole of a country, etc would have been removed by now. Appalling.
In this regard, it’s quite possible I’m being a schmuck. I am reevaluating my position and my behavior in this matter.
Thank you for your kindness.
I am doing well. I’m actually having the happiest year of my life, if you can believe it. When I woke up in the hotel I called my ex-wife, who is still a dear friend of both me and my current wife, and spent almost 2 hours on the phone. My February’s are usually crap. Predictably. I have had a very good month, including multiple breakthroughs with my science fiction story project. So this is an unprecedented February. I would have to call it excellent.
Not a schmuck, and most of us can attribute any happiness we're experiencing to the absence of the Orange Menace, although his total silence would be better. Good luck arrived in November.
Well, tried to go back & see exactly what unenlightened statement that I made, but too many comments and frankly, I have breakfast to get for my animals & myself. I believe I laughed at something that possibly was not politically correct?? You know, up to this point this has been such a pleasure like talking to old friends - friends I dont always agree with and of course who dont always agree with me. I think It was my reply to Liz - and quite honestly, if that was the issue? The pleasure I have gotten here has just taken a dive. This kind of, well not sure I could call it censure - but seems a bit like it. I agree that TC sometimes goes over the line - one that regardless of opinion, I would cross. But really? I guess I'll take a break - is that what is necessary?
OBL was stripped of his Saudi citizenship in 1994, years before Sept 11 and his later demise. He was arguably still Saudi, but definitely not a Saudi national while the world was aware of him.
Yes, Liz. Here in MA we benefited from Marty's stewardship as Boston Globe editor. Ironically, his reputation owes much to Liev Schreiber's performance in Spotlight along with his own work.
This is racist and should be deleted. There is no place for this kind of bigotry here. You entirely undermine the talking points you present when you use that language.
It is racist. But read through many, many more comments here and they are just as bad regarding how Saudis are being described and referenced. Commenters forget that there is an a tire nation of citizens under oppression in the KSA. It’s wrong to assume that all Saudis mirror the leaders we hear about through MSM.
It's because his comment so closely echoes a 19C bigot. You and I had a tense exchange a couple of weeks ago, but I came away from it respecting you. Keep the comments coming.
I commented that I wouldn't travel to SA, because of the way that women are treated. If the leadership was different, that would change my opinion. It has nothing to do with race.
However, having lived and socialized amongst the Saudis (children, women and men) I learned so much about their culture, religious beliefs, and government. Why not learn up close and personal about other cultures and beliefs? Aside from that, the Arabian desert and other geographical regions (i.e. farming, sustainable living, dairy) is absolutely amazing.
I envy you the opportunity to do that. Were you allowed to go out unescorted, drive, etc.? Of course, living there full time and having the opportunity to forge relationships lends a very different cast to the experience. My perspective in going as a tourist, and knowing how oppressed their citizens are, and not knowing the intricacies of their customs, I'd worry about running afoul through my ignorance. The closest parallel I can think of is that on a trip to China, I chatted with a young woman who was our tour guide on a day trip. I recall telling her how much I was enjoying her commentary, and asked if she'd ever been to the US. Immediately, her entire demeanor changed, she looked nervously at a man who was on tour with us, although clearly a local and not a tourist, and she ended up not responding, and avoided me for the rest of the tour. My husband and I assumed that the man was a government watchdog, and was observing us and some other tourists because of information on our visas about occupations, etc. We had been warned by people familiar with tourism in China that our hotel room would be wired and we'd be observed while visiting. Rather unsettling.
Thank you for this kind comment, Nancy. We lived on a very large, gated compound and I would drive a car around it but outside of that community I always had a driver. Always sat in the back seat. It was really nice, actually, because traffic and driving patterns was an absolute hell. Yes, it would take some time for you to experience the cultural nuances. But there are good travel guides you can read and ex pat groups that could help you with some basic rules. Saudi Arabia wasn't open to tourism when I was there so I'm sure they relaxed some -- like no public displays of affection, wearing abayas and head scarves, woman can't talk to men in public, etc.
Your experience must have been life-changing. With your description, I can see a few avenues that could compromise my safety. Thanks so much for your insights, Tricia.
Not sure what you're getting at with your response here. I can't delete TC's comment. I was only mentioning that there's a ton of pretty awful comments throughout this thread today regarding Saudi's. And again, I'm coming at this as a person who lived in the KSA. I'm talking about the citizens. NOT the brutal governmental leaders or religious police. There are a lot of generalizations here today.
Apologies for not being clear, Tricia; I amended the previous comment. The delete suggestion is for moderators at Substack. Subscribers can delete only their own comments. You are 100% right about stereotyped remarks on the Middle East.
Moderators at Substack? TPJ you think moderators are reading through over 500 posts on just this one day? I don’t even think Substack has moderators.
After a little research, here’s what popped up:
Most of subject moderation involves the writers, not readers. In other words, Heather is responsible for moderation. Here is one paragraph I can find:
[Substack site quote begin]
SUBSTACK READERS
The philosophy behind these guidelines also applies to Substack readers. We believe that writers are most capable of managing their communities, but there are some occasions when we will review reports of readers’ behavior.
Thank you for the reply, TPJ. Appreciate it. Yes, the stereotyping going on here today is absolutely appalling to me. But then again, having traveled the world and lived abroad for many years, Americans in general are real good at stereotyping. Sad but true.
Thank you TCînLA! Perhaps betrayal is why GWB had such a quizzical look on his face when he first heard the news on 9/11. I’ve never forgotten that image. ❤️🤍💙
I have nothing profound to contribute here. “Follow the money” has most often been a true factor in so much body politic. But, coincidentally, I came across a photo of my daughter from 9/15/2001 where she and her friends had set up a lemonade stand with a sign that said “all money goes to Red Cross.” Remember those days of care and concern for fellow citizens? My daughter turns 30 next month and I am pulling together an album/scrap book as her gift. It started out as a plan to choose a photo from each birthday to mark the years. Seeing that photo of the Red Cross effort from a 10-year old and her friends caused me pause. She is the same empathetic individual to this day, did social work for troubled Alaskan youth using wilderness environs to teach transferable skills to every day life. She was incredibly frustrated, and disappointed, at the beginning of the pandemic when the simple act of community care was to wear a mask but it became so political. Not sure how this fits with today’s comments, but thought it interesting that 9/11 was brought up, and I had just come across that photo.
"go back to being the desert nomad barbarians they were prior to 1921 when Abdul Azziz created Saudi Arabia" (with apologies to Omar Sharif)......with a little help from their friends, Laurence of Arabia and the Allied powers fighting the Ottoman Empire, bedfellow of Kaiser Wilhelm. I think things will get a little cooler in the Alliance and a "more acceptable" face will be put on the Saudi regime, which will only thinly mask the reality. It's another case of my enemy's enemy i'm afraid as well as the financial heft of what is left of their oil riches. Given that they are now unfreezing relations with Isreal, this report is not likely to be allowed to get in the way of dealing with Iran.
With oil/gas going up in price, I think the Saudi's are doing just fine currently and we don't currently have the green infrastructure in place to not need oil. Additionally, looking at Germany who invested quite a bit into their green/renewable infrastructure shows it is not robust enough to serve their needs which is why they are all in on the Russian pipeline which is about 90% completed. Imagine being dependent upon Russia for your energy needs. So I believe Saudi Arabia will still be relevant as a large player/option in the energy sector. Incidentally, if we are going to reindustrialize to decrease our dependence and exposure to China, our energy needs will only increase.
And Germany needs desperately to phase out their pollution disaster aging brown coal (lignite) burning stations which they had to resuscitate after "courageously" and quickly shutting down their nuclear capacity.
Take out some of the colorful descriptors you’ve used here and I agree with your brief historical analysis of the kingdom. Having lived in Saudi for 10 years and studied its culture, government, and propaganda up close and personal, I feel for its citizens. The Saudis I knew and socialized with were not jihadists or radicals — those would be the religious police, the government leaders, the ultra wealthy who removed their ghutras on a flight out of the kingdom and once out of Saudi airspace and downed Glenlivet like water. Those in power and much like we see in our own nation, right?
If you look close enough and long enough, you can see parallels. And God help us if Trump is re-elected in 2024 and Kushner reasserts himself and his friendship with BSM. There is a chance BSM will be king eventually.
Given the chance I’d return to live in KSA for the rest of my life if I could. I’d love to immerse myself in international human rights again. Especially children and women.
On a side note, ‘The Kingdom: Arabia and the House of Sa’ud’ is worth reading.
Bullseye, Tricia. Lacey's The Kingdom was my early intro to Saudi Arabia. Iranians and Saudis in their millions yearn to be unmolested by their governments and fully participate in the modern world.
I got to thinking a bit and MBS was 14-years-old when I lived in KSA. At the time something like 55% of the male population was under the age of 18 and I remember being briefed by the Saudi consulate about the significance of that fact and what could happen to the country over the next 20 years or so. Those words ring pretty true today. I won't drop names in a public forum like this but we socialized with people who knew things and did things. It was a foreign world to me, literally and figuratively, but I learned a lot about international politics. And cultures and peoples of course. I'm not Saudi defender but those years in the KSA taught me a lot. As did my life abroad in general. I've never been happy living in the USA since returning. We are such a shallow people. Myself included.
Perhaps you need to find more diverse people to hang out with who are not like you. Do you know people who make less than $40,000 per year? That would be 50% of the U.S. adult population.
Your quote: "I've never been happy living in the USA since returning. We are such a shallow people. Myself included."
What makes a person shallow? One way is to only engage with people who you are comfortable to be with. Often those people are very much like u. Comfortable people in the USA usually have access to secure finances. Hence the expression, a comfortable, convenient life is not a real life - the more comfortable, the more shallow.
Rajneesh.
"When we are comfortable and inattentive, we run the risk of committing grave injustice absentmindedly." Chinua Achebe
Shallow people do not solely seek comfort after a difficult task. They follow comfort every minute of every day. As soon as they feel some discomfort they change the subject or walk away. Therefore, they are weak at empathy. However, they are FUN to be with! Quick to laugh and often adventurous!
The racist and rude rhetoric that TC uses should not tarnish your view of the kingdom. See my comment up thread but having lived and worked in Saudi for 10 years, I’d go back in a minute. Beautiful country. Beautiful and suppressed people. The government, religious police, propaganda, and jihads are barbaric — and some of their practices mirror what the Trump administration was trying to do .. and successfully in some ways.
I've felt for years that many Americans don't venture beyond our shores, because there truly is so much to see and do here. However, travel helps to broaden one's horizons. It's too easy to stereotype people, based on someone else's interpretation. We would all benefit from leaving our comfort zone. Perhaps this is the reason that Europeans and Asians are more open-minded and sophisticated in many ways, and also explains the "ugly American," who is so comfortable with feeling entitled and superior.
So true, with the same feeling here. We can travel so far, see so much, yet never leave America. It lowers the horizon over the rest of the world. We are not the whole world.
PS, any fans of Rick Steves' Europe here? It's a fun, fine stand-in until we can travel again.
TP, I have an Indian acquaintance who was born in Zambia and now lives here. Do you have any information about the origins of Indians' arrival in Zambia?
VERY briefly, there is a millennium-long South Asian presence in the East African coast, Red and Arabian Seas. Also a corresponding but smaller African presence across the Indian Ocean.
Large-scale migration began in the 19C, bringing indentured labor for sugar in Natal, and the railroad in Kenya. From there "Indians" (millions are Africans now for several generations) spread inland, and into commerce, business and other middling occupations. Success as a market-dominant minority has drawn a reputation for sharp dealing, and discriminatory laws and treatment in several African countries, some expelling them altogether.
The feature film "Mississippi Masala" is a marvelous look at "Indian" immigrants, from Ugandan exile to settling in America. Watch and discuss with your acquaintance. If you want good friends, have African friends. Cheers!
K Chaudhuri, Trade & Civilisation in the Indian Ocean
F&L Dotson, Indian Minority of Zambia, Rhodesia, Malawi
TPJ, thanks so much for all of this information. I suspected that his family arrived as indentured labor, but not knowing the culture, I didn't want to offend him by asking. He's in his mid-to-late 40's, married, and has two children. He came here to attend Georgia Tech, staying with relatives, but was unable to afford the tuition, so went to a technical school and became an automotive technician and now has a successful business. He told me that his was an arranged marriage, at his choice. His family hired a matchmaker who went to their original area of India and found a woman who was distantly related. He's a brilliant and lovely person, and my entire family patronizes his business. I'll ask about his observations now that I can learn more and ask intelligent questions.
Thanks for kind words, Nancy. HCR gets regular requests for more info, but others will help to reduce the burden. That wealth comes cheaply for LFAAers. Heck, I pay to be here!
I add my welcome. This is a highly talented and civil group.
Non-expert here. Big grain of salt needed. I think unreservedly that this is very canny behavior by Biden and Co.
It’s measured and nuanced. Biden no doubt realized that his days of talking only with the King are numbered. He is 85 and losing his grip mentally. There was debate as to how much of the conversation he even understood.
The Saudis know Biden knows that. So I would say it’s even more of a slap in the face to MBS that Biden choose to talk with a leader with dementia over the presumptive heir. No doubt that would sting MBS, given what we know about him.
To an extent Biden can only do so much in re-litigating the past - with Khashoggi, with the Russians, and with the war on Yemen. The Times, I believe it was, had an article in which an expert said that Yemen could be facing the worst humanitarian crisis ever seen. That sounds hyperbolic to me - it would have to go some to surpass the Holodomor - but nonetheless this is a *current* situation - one which the US may wish to ameliorate. Stepping on the toes of MBS (with whom he will surely be dealing in the not too distant future) as he did is a stark warning. The big guns (so to speak) can be held in abeyance.
I feel exactly as sanguine about his first shot across the bow with Russia. He spoke softly, but indicated the big stick.
I think America is back - in a measured but resolute way. Time will tell if he follows through with consistency, but this is a good start.
Now, if we could only deal firmly and swiftly with our own most refractory citizens.
Welcome! At this time of night, it’s usually the people living in Europe, the night owls in America, and people in the US who are working a night shift like me. I’m in California working a night shift as a truck driver. I’ll get back to you with a comment on your question about Biden and MBS, but chances are there will be lots of other people replying to you.
Good morning, Roland. I’m an early riser in SoCal, up at 4:30 am so I can read HRC and fellow readers’ illuminating posts before caring for my husband and trying to get some writing work done. Thanks to you and so many others, I learn so much I’d spend hours searching for elsewhere. Today was especially helpful re Saudi Arabia.
Morning Roland! I am glad to say that after a brutal week I managed to get a decent night's sleep! I hope you have had a safe night shift and that you have a restful weekend!
ACK! I just tried it to the rhythms of "Hernando's Hideaway" and IT WORKS!! You've forever ruined the poem for me...or maybe "Hernando's Hideaway" will never be the same!! ;-)
I swear, Bruce, I was just thinking the other day I haven't "seen" you around in some time, and now here you are! Sorry to corrupt the beauty of the poem and Hernando's Hideaway for you, but am thankful you resurrected that wonderful tune!
Awww...you're sweet...thank you! I've just been busy with other little things and don't get to reading HCR's letters until later in the day. By then, with 300+ comments on here, trying to catch up and follow all the threads becomes daunting. We're suffering with our own popularity, I guess. More people have showed up on here, which is a GOOD thing, but more comments and participation means it can take more time to get to everything! I love it and it's interesting seeing what people think, but there aren't enough hours in the day!!
This from fellow reader Richard Bearman: "I love that poem, even though my wife and I once abused it by having a group chant it to the tune of Fernando's Hideaway while we danced what was meant to be a comic tango."
I love that poem, even though my wife and I once abused it by having a group chant it to the tune of Fernando's Hideaway while we danced what was meant to be a comic tango.
You’re so right TPJ— after 3 commutes bringing my tango shoes and all I realized that this guy was boring and I didn’t learn how to tango—I also dropped my dream of dancing with a real Argentinian in Buenos Aires but that still is on my bucket list— I bet I could learn the tango fast with a ranchero-/ maybe not though at 80.
Fellow reader Bruce Sellers replied to me thusly: "ACK! I just tried it to the rhythms of "Hernando's Hideaway" and IT WORKS!! You've forever ruined the poem for me...or maybe "Hernando's Hideaway" will never be the same!! ;-)" Seems you and your wife, Richard, are not alone!
Yes. I know Frost’s poetry from high school a capella choir singing. There was a music arranger who turned several of the poems into choral music. Hauntingly beautiful before I understood the deeper meanings. The Road Not Taken was another we sang. I understood that 😊
Welcome aboard, Bonnie. Don't let this be your last comment.
Hopefully today's steps are just the first from Biden (at least with SA more than Syrian bombings). Apart from progressive sanctions, the admin is adopting a careful, painstaking approach toward security threats and major crimes, whether committed in the Middle East, at American military bases, or the US Capitol grounds. I say take the necessary time to build rock-solid prosecutions, then lower the boom. Boom!
It is very frustrating that MBS seemed to get a slap on the wrist. I imagine, however, there may be something happening in the backroom that we don’t know about. Biden will only converse with the King and apparently he told him that their country’s violations of human rights will not be tolerated and the possibility of sanctions are there. I don’t get why those sanctions weren’t enforced immediately when Biden took ownership.
I think Biden is giving the King a chance to discipline his son or something himself, rather than going straight to sanctions or other heavy-duty reactions. There's more than one way to get results.
Nice Laura! MBS is only 35. Spoiled rotten I’m sure, like any lifetime multimillionaire. Gets away with murder and all kinds of other nasty misdeeds. The Saudi elites, with some individual exceptions, as a group are rotten to the core. They understand the Bushes’ and Trumps’ greedy selfish ways. What they don’t understand is principled Americans. They are scared of America, because they see what happened to Saddam. They know we could regime-change them in a heartbeat if we wanted to. Don’t believe the royalty crap. It’s a self-imposed label. They are as Royal as my Royal vacuum cleaner from the 80s.
Ibn Saud was a warlord who crushed his opponents, ruthlessly exploited resources at hand, and placed a crown on his own head. (Come to think of it, that's true for most founders of dynasties.) The House of Saud, with its connections to Wahhabism, marks a century-long rupture in more longstanding patterns of religious and political authority in the Arabian peninsula. It succeeds with oil money, military force, co-opting an elite, and the cachet that comes with guarding Islam's Holy Places. That is no formula for longterm stability. The brutal war in Yemen may be contained through international efforts, or it may commence a great unraveling in Arabia -- something the world cannot afford. Nothing is guaranteed.
PS, Yemen, with its shattered health system, damaged civil society, and poor monitoring and data-keeping, is potentially a monumental global health risk. It's the kind of state where diseases, including Covid-19, become endemic, survive and burst out in future pandemic or epidemic outbreaks.
They are so scared that they come and go as they please, spend a lot of time in the US, use the Mayo clinic etc as if they own it (which they could do), invest in real estate in New York and elsewhere......just as they do in Paris and London. Money talks!
I love the vacuum cleaner metaphore......and they are just as efficient in their running of their country....leaving dirt everywhere. What they do efficiently however is hoover up the money we pay them for the oil making sure that nothing remains on the ground and all stays firmly stuck to their magic flying carpet all the way back to Western Banks etc.
I remember my first contracts in Nigeria...the locals said that in 1974 it cost $100 million to get rid of a dictater and by the time I last went in 1992 it cost $1 Billion and none of the oil money to this day ever touches the African shore. Quid erat demonstrandum! (QED)
I knew a couple who lived in Saudi Arabia for years on a consultancy basis. The wife told me that at a dinner party she asked a question pertaining to the status of women and the man explained simply that it’s because women don’t have souls ...bone chilling.
Friends of mine lived in Abu Dhabi on contrat to develop and run the port. They complained ..tongue in cheek..that they had to get a permit to buy alcohol; the permit allowed them to order a truck load. Hypocracy rampant!
Not all Muslim sects are quite so blatant but this was and continues to be a debate in theological circles. Of course, it was also a debate in early Christianity, too . . .
My point is the Arabs are particularly dismissive of female rights and are mostly comfortable with total control of them. I’m sure the question of who have souls or not is still being debated. As a devout Anglican I can only tell you I don’t think Jesus had any question about women having souls. I’m at the point where I wonder about my dogs’ souls.
Can you imagine what evil can be justified by the belief that someone, including all women, does not have a soul? With all due respect to Mecca, I don’t think Saudi Arabia society is a Mecca for anything else. I don’t think anybody in their right mind would think of it as a tourist destination.
Mecca is the world's greatest travel destination, the centerpiece of all hajjis' lives. Largely off limits to "gringos" except for essential business, the prime visitors are the millions of annual pilgrims. Tourists in the sense of being on tour, they will talk of the Kaaba ritual spectacle their whole lives, as others talk of Notre Dame or Gettysburg.
While it's not rank consumerism, the pilgrim industry is a mighty economic engine. Physical infrastructure, lodging, security, food, health and other services, and not least almsgiving (one of Five Pillars), all drive a productive regional commerce well beyond SA itself. The pilgrim trade thrived long before the oil industry, and will flourish long after the black gunk dries up.
I'm not worried about the "royalty" of the king, or how spoiled his son indubitably is. His son is still his subject, and he has been extraordinarily ruthless in the past even with family members who created trouble for either the king or the kingdom. MBS has done both, and who knows what will happen. I think Biden has made it clear that something will if MBS isn't dealt with.
He has myriads of Brothers and Sisters who are extremely wary of him. A coup against him by the opportunistic and threatenedfamily members is more likely than a decision by the father. MBS has spent much of his energy trying to make sure this doesn't happen....putting the family in jail as fast as he can expose their own corruption....without touching his own of course. This is entirely normal in a dictatership.....and the reason why male Pharoah of ancient Egypt married their sisters and vice-versa....old as the hills. Killing each other is the only way they can advance in this system.
This point may be trivial, but I am struck by how much press Mohammed bin Salman gets. His actions have warranted it, but the fact that his name is so catchily abbreviated to MBS makes him a more appealing subject for the media. It also gives him a quasi-titular/institutional status, like the CIA, FBI, or SCOTUS/POTUS.
Somebody has done an effective bit of branding work for him; he may be second in line to the throne, but in the public eye (at least during the last four years) the amount of eyeballs he has drawn have already put him there.
I disagree emphatically. Marketing and what is getting attention is never trivial, when I am able I think of it as much as possible. My wife worked 20 yrs in getting smoking out of public places. She has told me stories about Burson Marsteller, a scumbag PR outfit that did media spin and damage control for tobacco companies. You think the Saudi dictatorship is nasty . . . 🤮
Thanks — I actually don’t think it’s a trivial point, but I haven’t seen it noted anywhere. Would the world have been so swamped with news about Jennifer Lopez if her name didn’t shorten so cutely to JLo, and if people didn’t feel so cool for knowing that little mnemonic? (Or Bennifer, or ARod (did their publicist introduce them to each other?) MBS sounds so coldly efficient, and that in itself makes appealing the act of writing about him, reading about him (we’re in the know!), while also semaphoring his stature on the world stage, however aspirational it is at this point.
Which is precisely why your bringing it into the conversation is so seminal, so vital. We often don’t know that we’re being scammed, duped, misdirected and even brainwashed, so anytime we can remind ourselves of propaganda and marketing, it helps us look away. Maybe there is a Saudi prince who is an actual human being and not ruthless and evil. THAT’S who we should be paying attention to. THAT’S who we need to be putting eyes on. Forget MBS, Murder By Saudi. Do we have an undiscovered or unknown human rights adherent, a mensch, in Saudi Arabia who should and could run that country?
Today's power politicking may be even more sharp-elbowed than we realize. MBS is King Salman's third heir in six years since he ascended the throne. While he appears strong now, he's faced serious opposition in the past, not least within the royal family. Wishful thinking for the demise of a monster? Sure. But given America's long record of foreign intervention, and Biden's vast experience in arm-twisting, MBS's coronation is hardly guaranteed. We shall see. Be surprised at nothing.
In this case, I think Biden's reputation for being a benign grandfather is serving him well. He smiles, reasons, cajoles, but beneath all of that, I'm beginning to see that he knows all the angles and has the steely resolve to manipulate all of them when necessary. He was undervalued for decades.
Roland, that is so nice of you! I love all of your commentary, too - especially when you stop to clean up some of TC's colorful language, which I love, too. I should have added to my earlier post that I also undervalued Biden - my bad.
Yes, nothing would surprise me and what chance would there be that whatever sibling/relative who might dethrone MBS would be any better? Seems the system itself, a "royal" dictatorship propped up by religious tribalism, is the problem.
MBS is an outrageous criminal against humanity, and even Mr Khashoggi's cruel demise pales compared to the horrific war in Yemen. Let's take our chances with almost any other Saudi prince. As my dad said decades ago, If people do something wrong they should be punished. "Let justice be done though the heavens may fall!"
But why is it the American government's job to punish this criminal? Let them take care of their own. Biden has performed an excellent chess move here. Stop arms sales. Make USA position on Yemen known. Refuse to talk to any Saudi official aside from the King.
I agree that the role of the world's policeman shouldn't be ours. However, from a practical standpoint, Saudi Arabia is an uncomfortable ally, and as such we must maintain a dialogue with them, while letting them understand that we do not condone the deplorable actions of MBS or his cohorts. At any time, he could become King - whether we like it or not. Chess is our only current option, hoping that King Salman can manage to replace him.
Blinken was such a good choice. It's frustrating that Biden's cabinet choices have been criticized by so many Democrats as not being progressive enough. He has chosen the very people who can help him clear the rubble of the last four years. I don't believe that he's simply an antique Obama wannabe - no offense to Obama, but it's becoming increasingly clear that he has his own agenda.
I think he’s gotten kind of sexy in his enormous confidence— such an accomplished decent man— I wish all the factions of the Democratic Party would just stop the bickering and let’s see where this we’ll chosen team takes us— a little patience please.
Agreed Tricia; the US is too prone to throwing around its weight overseas. But in this case Biden may "induce" some welcome changes in Saudi Arabia. MBS will smart from the sting of Biden's snub for some time. His choice of who he talks to or names is rhetorically brilliant.
I would love MBS to face his karma in terms of both Kashoggi and Yemen but this is a huge decision for the king and he is tough but MBS will not go down easily.
I read this on Wikipedia: "The current ruler of Saudi Arabia is King Salman, who succeeded King Abdullah on his death on 23 January 2015. On the same day, Prince Muqrin became Crown Prince only to be replaced three months later by Muhammad bin Nayef at the order of Salman.
On the morning of 21 June 2017, Muhammad bin Nayef was deposed as Crown Prince and Salman's son Mohammad bin Salman was appointed to the position. The current crown prince is a grandson of Ibn Saud, the second of his generation to be officially placed first in the line of succession. The Allegiance Council was created in 2006 to facilitate the royal transfer of power."
Don’t know how many sons he has or how they keep track of sons with their harems but I’m betting MBS isn’t the one he loves best just thought he was the one who’d take charge.
Yes, MBS does have serious opposition within the royal family. Remember, he had members detained. The lust for power commonly runs stronger than the ties of blood. The man is evil, probably why Trump got along with him so well.
I would even go farther and say Biden might be giving the King a chance to name a new Crown Prince. Although if I remember correctly MBS has consolidated his power and a considerable portion of the wealth to himself.
Exactly. Biden is showing respect (whether you agree that is the way to approach this or not) to the Saudis culture and practices. I respect and fully understand what Biden is doing here and I think much of the world leaders feel the same.
I’m not sure where I heard this but I believe the State Department has evidence of the planes MBS used in flying in the assassins to Turkey. I think it’s all going to come out soon— the mountain of evidence that DT was concealing so he and Jared could cozy up to MBS and the Arab oil money.
They’re cooking something up that they’re not telling us about yet. I agree Marlene. I also have a sneaking suspicion that there are all kinds of communications taking place that are not part of that official Biden talk with the king.
Yes to this. And to the basic idea that citizens rarely know what is going on in real time. It will be more clear in about 25 years. Thank goodness for the “kitten in string “ skills of HCR! We at least have clues.
Yes, I agree. While it would have been extremely edifying to see this autocratic murderer get his comeuppance publicly and immediately, SA is still a very powerful ally in an unstable region. Biden can afford to make it clear that MBS needs to be curbed by the king (I assume one of the conditions is that he will no longer be the designated crown prince) and then wait to see what happens. He still has direct sanctions in his pocket if he needs them.
New here commenting, hello all. I’d read intel chief and intervention squad WERE sanctioned by Joe now. Why is no sanctions claimed? Because the king himself was not sanctioned? Please clear this up for a confused seeker. Thanks.
Hello, and welcome to Heather’s Cafe! I am not as knowledgeable about this issue, but you will find a big batch of very intelligent and well-read folks here that will surely answer all your questions and provide links and sources to everything you may want to know.
Often your references go right over my head, TPJ, but this time I’ll take my peppermint julep tea and sit down in my favorite booth to read about The South Winning the Civil War.
I read the Nytimes every day and think that what you are referring to has to do with timing. Biden now has made a reversal in terms of foreign diplomacy. So under DT the State Department was part of the so called deep state and he did everything he could to dismantle it. Biden has returned to the traditional protocols. So the NYTIMES correct reported when there were no sanctions and now Biden has clearly signaled this is changing.
The information from the investigation has just been released and is new to most people. Perhaps Biden is giving the King a chance to do the right thing with the prince. It is a crime that happened there and during the former president.
Hi Bonnielou. Welcome to the participation of thoughts side of HCR’s letters. I’m also a fan of the way HCR blends current events with historical content, and she never fails to bring my heart rate down after watching the, hair on fire, news.
I’ll let more intellectual opinion writers answer your question about NYT criticism on Biden’s decision, but my first thought was, whaaaat? That’s it? Not even one tiny sanction?
Welcome! I’ve commented a few times throughout this thread today and especially in Saudi being that I lived and worked in the kingdom for 10 years. So my perspective on news about the KSA comes from personal insight. I’d suggest reading (or listening to since it’s on audio now) ‘The Kingdom: Arabia and the House of Sa’ud’.
From what I perused, it was written in 2009 and based on his time there for about 3 years. Just ordered a copy. Interested in his perceptions and how things have changed since I left. The Kingdom was written in 1982.
This Letter from an American ignores the American architect of the policies reflected in the actions discussed: Antony Blinken, Secretary of State, son of Donald, nephew of Alan, grandson of the owner of The Sherry Netherlands Hotel, a brilliantly educated diplomat and statesman known for his character and decency. The Blinken family are Jews with a deep understanding of fascism and a healthy respect and love for American Blacks. They loathe Trump Inc. They are conservative liberals with a developed understanding of America and the world. Antony is deeply loved by those that know him. He will restore State and have the backs of American diplomats that respect the rights of all people. Antony will not cave for MBS, Russia’s Putin, or oligarchs. America is back at State. The Saudi murder of a US journalist in Istanbul is duly noted. This step will jar any number of dictators starting with China, N. Korea, Manila, Hungary, Turkey, Poland, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Israel, Brazil, Venezuela, and Russia. Antony will reflect Joe Biden, and Joe Biden will reflect Antony. The UN Ambassador is part of the growing image of the Biden Blinken State department. She is Black and her heart is pure Blinken Biden. America is back and Black women will rise. Remember Joe Knows Us.
Thanks for the additional information about Antony Blinken. I am looking forward to watching the highly qualified Biden Cabinet work and try to make this country a better place for all the people.
Well said, Elizabeth. I am disappointed but not discouraged about the Biden Harris administration based on the 15 dollar minimum wage. I see traction being gained as a small snowball of hope (Executive branch doing its job) beginning to roll. We all need to help push.
Your list of countries included Venezuela but did not mention Honduras, Guatemala, or El Salvador. Why is Venezuela listed when they were the proto type for staging the world to denounce an elected leader? I challenge anyone on this list to research the charlatan who self proclaimed himself the true elected leader. He is as qualified asTrump.
HCR dedicates today's newsletter to US relations with Saudi Arabia, and to Biden's determination to renew America's position as a country that still counts - makes a crucial difference - in a world in ferment. The President wants our friends and adversaries to know that Trump's neglectful foreign policy is now in the past and that the US Government again has its finger on the world's pulse, and is not yet in decline. In addition, Biden is warning that the US will do what it must to forestall foreign meddling in our elections This is, of course, positive and long overdue.
However.... The NYT yesterday suggested that the $15 minimum wage - after the Senate parliamentarian nixed it as part of the big spending bill subject to "reconciliation" - was as good as dead on arrival, and that this irritates - or worse - progressive Democrats.
Well, it sure as hell irritates me and makes me wonder why the Democrats cannot simply do away with the filibuster, read Manchin and Sinema the riot act (politely, behind closed doors, but in public if necessary) and then ram this bill down the GOP's throats. If Biden thinks he will get any meaningful bipartisanship from more than an insignificant number of GOP outliers (Romney? and....), he must be drinking a new kind of Kool-aid.
I mean, in theory the main thing that distinguishes the DEMs from the GOP is that we are in it for the good of the nation, while they are in it for the money. Is Joe Manchin unwilling to risk defeat next time, even if taking this risk is clearly in the Amercan people's vital interest? Or is he just in it for the money? I don't know much about Sinema, but I would ask her the same questions.
Sure, ditching the filibuster would piss-off both the Trump and anti-Trump wings of the GOP. They would vow revenge and fight back with every lie and sleazy tactic and criminal act they can muster. We would have to put any hope of bipartisanship to rest. But what do our more "moderate" Democrats really think? That the GOP would hesitate to eliminate the filibuster if they thought doing so might serve their nefarious ends? Or pack the SCOTUS with rightwing ideologues (Oh, they already did).
Don't people realize that we are way beyond "polite" bipartisan Senate politics as usual, and that there is no going back? That the future of our species hangs in the balance? I could go on, but there's no need to exaggerate....
Insert rant here: What frustrates me is thinking we are working with normal people in our government. Why should seditionists even be on our payroll, much less allow them to vote on other people's income...America?
Exactly. Each and every one of the seditionist congresscritters* must be held to account. That they continue to be permitted to hold their seats and vote on measures is unacceptable.
*Professor Richardson's term, used in lieu of acknowledging congressmen and congresswomen, which are really long words and subject to dyslexic conversions in my corner of the typing world.
Because DT got to be prez for a term and instead of governing he’d tweet for hours to his “I love the uneducated” base. He is a very effective charlatan bamboozler with television skills who looks up to dictators.
Since there are at most 47 votes to kill the filibuster, a fallback might be to modify it. Require actual stand in the Senate and talk, not a quiet little email. Instead of 60 votes to end debate, require 40 votes at any moment to continue it. This idea comes from the Atlantic, link not handy at the moment.
Hi Joan. Sure, we could go back to the Mr. Smith/Jimmy Stewart sort of filibuster and see how much stamina pampered GOP senators really have, but even this would require yes votes from 50 DEM senators and the tie-breaker from Kamala Harris, unless one or two Republicans got on board (which I doubt).
But what is really the point of the filibuster? In theory it guarantees a full and open debate, but it has almost always been used by the minority to simply block the will of the majority, nothing more complicated or morally uplifting than that. The Constitution provides for a simple majority to pass legislation in the Senate. It makes no mention of any filibuster. And our glorious sacred-cow Senate is already rigged to give far more power to a rural minority at the expense of the modern America's Urban majority. I can't see anything to feel nostalgic or sentimental about here.
And the "Don't throw out the baby with the bathwater" argument really holds no water IMHO, if we assume the filibuster is the bathwater and essential legislation is the baby.
I agree that the real need is to eliminate the filibuster, which originated as and continues to be a tool of white supremacy with no good reason to exist. My point is that the Dems don't have the votes to do that, but might have the votes to modify it as described. Making the filibuster harder to use might decrease its effectiveness. At the very least, making it more visible would help build momentum for getting rid of it.
Well, this is probably where things are headed under Biden and Schumer. It's called "incrementalism", or perhaps "GOP lite". It is how Democrats have governed ever since the Carter administration. But I would prefer for Biden to find his inner FDR or, even better, given what sort of scoundrels people the modern GOP, his inner LBJ.
I grew up in a Republican household, always a stranger in a strange land. I had no understanding of “what was wrong with me” until my teens when I discovered political thought.
The only saving grace was my mother, a Republican, but, also an ardent feminist who passionately loved her children.
It taught me tolerance and sharpened my debate skills. It was
and still is exhausting. We have to find ways to coexist. We also need to be more assertive. Bipartisanship should never equate to submission. We must exploit every legal advantage we have firmly, but, without rancor. The velvet hammer.
Hi Diane— in high school I joined the debate team just so I could go on debate trips with the smartest guys in the school. My mother was mentally ill so she gave me great motivation to succeed in school and be out of the house a lot.
I too am frustrated by Joe Manchin, but we must remember the razor thin line he navigates in red-WV. If he is defeated in the next election, who will replace him? Most certainly not another Democrat, which means 50-50 becomes 51-49, Mitch returns, and we lose ground faster than you can say filibuster. I say cut him some slack.
Well, Susan, you may be right. If Joe Manchin voted to eliminate the filibuster, he might offend some WVa voters and lose to a Republican next time, and the GOP would retake the Senate and perhaps even gain a several vote majority in the House, and Biden would thereafter be stymied at every turn and that would be the end of American Democracy as we want it to be. You have very concisely stated the conventional wisdom about this, and I am sure many earnest Democrats agree with you.
When the Allies invaded Normandy in WW2 they believed that in order to defeat the Nazis they had to first establish a beachhead in France and open a second front. If they had not succeeded and, instead, been slaughtered on the beach, it is likely that our history would be quite different today. But FDR and Churchill and some other pretty competent leaders took a big, big risk. And won the war.
Which is to say we can proceed cautiously against the GOP, score some minor victories and hope rural white men are transformed slowly, and that our oligarchs figure out that well-paid working stiffs spend more money than people struggling in poverty and that government is not an enemy in need of drowning. We can also hope that enough GOP Senators will see the light and begin seeking compromise with their DEM brothers and sisters for the good of the nation. In other words, we can act like whipped dogs.
Unfortunately, we have been seeing reruns of this movie repeatedly over the past 3-4 decades, and even 2 superstar DEM Presidents have played an important role in the widespread acceptance of GOP ideology and the consolidation of GOP power, so I believe it really is time to do things differently, take a risk on behalf of underpaid American workers and give them a raise. As this cannot be done if Republicans filibuster every new piece of legislation desperately need by millions of Americans, then Democrats need to vote 51 to 50 to eliminate the filibuster. This is simple and it is necessary, not just an option.
I think millions of Americans will express their gratitude by turning out in huge numbers in 2022 to elect more Democrats. I suppose that makes me an optimist.
Yes, now is the time to act. But how can we do this when Manchin and Sinema won't vote to end the filibuster? I'm hoping Biden and his team are working hard and quietly to get them on board. As someone said recently, "Manchin must want something." Not ideal, but it's how it works.
Well, if either Manchin or Sinema want some special advantage for their respective states and are willing to horse trade, then that avenue should be explored, but if they really like the filibuster then they need to be strong-armed to vote against it. The DEMs can run more progressive candidates against them in upcoming primaries, just like the GOP does, no law against it.
Maybe non violently— I was thinking of our former guy also a don— so completely thuggish— who’d bet he never had somebody quietly knocked off a person declined to get out of his way to build a gleaming tower?
I bet Manchin wants and needs a lot for w Virginia and I guess it’s all negotiable— Lincoln was great at this kind of deal making pragmatism — so was LBj.
I don't disagree, I just understand Manchin's trepidation. Speaking personally, now is the time to get rid of the filibuster and go all out, hoping that beneficial legislation can speak louder than grievance. A lot is at stake and it's time to just do it.
I would understand Manchin's trepidation if the consequences of voting with the GOP instead of his own party were something like a firing squad or jail time or even a stiff fine and loss of free health insurance, but no, the worst likely to happen to him is he might be replaced by a Republican next go-round and have to accept some well remunerated position on the board of a big oil or coal company to round out his no doubt already robust retirement savings. A few decades of daiquiris and golf before REALLY retiring is not so bad.
I’m an optimist too. I wanted to make a bet with my husband last year that not only would this country elect a democratic prez but that both houses would end up with a democratic edge. He wouldn’t do the bet even though it was for an intangible— like if you win I’ll never yell at you again. I would argue — it’s such a good bet— what are the odds this would happen? And it did happen.
Not too long ago WV was a blue state and could be again. Progressives are very active there and are fighting back. Overall WV is a poor state and can be swung back to blue with Democratic legislation that improves their lives. Manchin is betting on getting Trump voters by siding with Republicans. It might work on issues like immigration but on something like $15/hr, I don't think so. Same for Sinema. Call their bluffs make them explain to a large voting block why they didn't think a living wage is good for people living on less than that.
I’ve been to W VA once and loved it. Went by myself to hike part of the Appalachian trail on a 4th of July weekend— it was brutally hot, I got bitten by something bad got lost for a while and happily gave up.
Fight fire with fire. That has to be the message we tell ourselves.
“ then ram this bill down the GOP's throats.”
Before the Trump administration, I probably would’ve found this statement offensive. Not anymore. I’m using similar language. 👍😡👍
Now it’s so obvious that the old social order of racism and sexism will batter and bruise any way it can to stay intact and to get its way. Fuck them. My patience has evaporated completely. Use every political tool and criminal prosecution and social cudgel to beat the snot out of the social lepers of the old white supremacy female-suppression gay-suppression social order.
You're right about that, Roland. The last time I struck another person in anger I was 14 years old and had just been rudely pushed out of the high school lunch line by Stevie Schwartzman. In fact, I didn't actually punch him, I just said "fuck you, Schwarzman" and pushes him back, and to my - and his - infinite surprise he fell flat on his ass, and the others in line started laughing.
That was at a Quaker prep school in 1966. But, yeah, I too have lost patience with how our country has not only failed to make enough progress in the meantime but has instead regressed and coarsened and been corrupted and dumbed down and has now fallen behind in so many ways. And to think I got all choked up and cried like a baby listening to Obama give a campaign speech at the U. of Colorado in the fall of 2008. Lots of water under the bridge since those heady, hopeful days.
In any case, I guess we have to reason with people and convince them, and figuratively ram things down their throats sometimes and try to get our country back on a better track. And if they take up arms, they must be arrested, tried and jailed. And everyone needs to vote.
I love you, Roland!! I agree, they only respect toughness. But we are seeing Biden being able to do his job in such an amazing way of being firm but calling them out at least t***p out, genteely. I hope there is a method to the madness in allowing the seditionists to remain in our halls. Perhaps, behind the scenes, their removal is at hand very soon by the DOJ. Justice sometimes is meted out way too slowly. I think we they should all have been sat on the curb outside until further notice, maybe in stocks. They are being given way too much respect and voice when they do not deserve anything but a tossing of rotten tomatoes from our citizenry.
The problem with this line of thought is that these folks were duly elected by their constituents, albeit in gerrymandered districts.
I appreciate the notion of stocks in the public square. Our citizenry: co-opted by the Big Lie. Sanctioned or censured by congress would be a good place to begin.
The rabid reception of Josh Jawley and Ted CanCun is concerning. Reports of R's jumping ship are enough to bring a smile, though.
Thank you so much David Herrick for highlighting what grabbed my attention yesterday and depressed me no end. Every urgency every step to pass this must happen now leading up to 2022 midterm elections. This is an important message of support which every Democratic candidate can advertise. That, plus it’s just the decent thing to do 360. ❤️🤍💙
Yes Deborah— it’s good old fashioned American decency. The fringe groups are still the fringe at least so far and by far most of us are generous and decent.🙏
My understanding is that Kamala Harris has the power to override the Parliamentarian. If she won’t for $15 min wage it only shows me that she and Joe Biden and just as willing to turn their backs on their constituents as Manchin is.
Oh and this idea I see floating around that we can’t hold Biden accountable because it is up to Congress to legislate is complete crap in my opinion. Sure Biden can’t force the Congress, but he could sure as hell use his bully pulpit, the most powerful one in all of the world, to call out Democrats like Manchin and Sinema, rather than quietly leak that he is giving up on the minimum wage.
Do people here still think that these failures are going to go unnoticed by disillusioned voters, or that the lack of real help for those who were at the end of their rope even before Trump won’t just check out of politics even more than the may already have? Or do we think that shaking our fists at Republicans will always be enough to get the poor to tow the party line as the country further descends into becoming an oligarchy?
Yes, that would be aggravating. But Biden and Dems probably hope to have our VP voting as little as possible. They desire larger vote margins, and prefer to avoid dealmaking which depletes valuable political capital. If Dems can pass their agenda with no 50+1 votes, that's great!
Like HCR, I can't find a common thread to these unrelated stories, other than it is apparent we have a functioning executive branch again.
Re MBS; It is not the first time we've done business with a bunch of murderers, but we never called them allies. It is good we suspended the Saudi arms sales. I think we should look into all the deals Kushner made to get Arab states and Israel to play kissy-face. Arming every Arab state to the teeth isn't in anybody's interest.
Re Kilimnik/Manafort; The more we find out about the Russian connection to the 2016 election the better. Since Manafort was pardoned, he can't hide behind the 5th Amendment if asked/forced to testify, and I don't think his pardon would cover new acts of perjury.
Re Syrian bombing; I would like to see unilateral US military actions without congressional approval come to a halt, if we had a functioning congress. At least Biden listened to the military and conferred with allies, unlike the former president.
Spring is in the air, I got my first Covid shot, and have an appointment for my second, and soon my little red roadster comes out of the barn with the top down.
Actually, Cary, my LRR was owned by Nancy Drew, or someone very much like her. When I bought it, used, from a dealer, I didn't know what the "WW" decals on the windows meant until friends pointed out they were the Wonder Woman logo.
"House Democrats passed their sweeping $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid package in a party-line vote early Saturday morning, advancing President Biden’s top legislative priority.
Lawmakers passed the bill 219-212, with two Democrats — Reps. Jared Golden (Maine) and Kurt Schrader (Ore.) — joining all Republicans in voting against it. Democrats could only afford up to four defections with their narrow House majority."
Democrats to add to the We Will Remember list:
Reps. Jared Golden (Maine) and Kurt Schrader (Ore.)
FYI--In addition to HR51/S51, Washington, D.C. Admission Act there is this with 11 R sponsors.
H.R.472 — 117th Congress (2021-2022) District of Columbia-Maryland Reunion Act
"To reduce the size of the seat of the Government of the United States to the area comprised of the principal Federal monuments, the White House, the United States Capitol, the United States Supreme Court Building, and the Federal executive, legislative, and judicial office buildings located adjacent to the Mall and the United States Capitol, to provide for the retrocession of the remaining area of the District of Columbia to the State of Maryland, and for other purposes.
I want to fight for this cause and I believe part of the January 6th horror show was the too complicated divisions between intelligence and security which resulted in great communication difficulties on top of however DT was impeding the rescue.
Hopefully LI statehood goes beyond a pipe dream. If so, the key issue is whether the departure of Brooklyn and Queens (remember Queens, B girl?) would turn the NY rump into a purple state. If not, then go for it.
I venture to say there are many native residents of Northeast, Southeast/Anacostia that encompass that 68 miles who can speak with authority about what the reality is.
A US-Saudi alliance made sense in Feb 1945 when King Ibn Saud met FDR in Egypt on his way to the Yalta summit. It brought benefits to both countries, much wealth to certain parties, and helped keep America on the road for decades. But times change and now Saudi Arabia's entanglement with the US represents a great deal that is wrong with both countries and the world. Relentless pursuit of mega-profits; heartless military adventurism; cruel repression of domestic dissent; a Middle East that is less stable, not more; and looming over all, the consequences of fossil fuels’ economic primacy for the global environment, including worsening climate disruption. There is a crooked but clear path that leads from Saudi oil contracts to the murder of Mr Khashoggi, to next year’s raging wildfires and hurricanes, and even to the Great Texas Winter of 2021.
Is the Biden admin capable of disentangling us from the morass of Saudi influence? We can be only somewhat sanguine about the prospect, and reshaping the relationship involves far more change than merely some new treaties -- especially from us. (Can you say "energy conservation," boys and girls?) In the 21C Americans need to stay off the road more than in the 20C. The sooner these things happen, the better it is for a large swath of the earth. Few bilateral relations have such a fateful impact as those between these two countries. It's good
A Bacevich, America’s War for the Greater Middle East
Mind you, for women, SA is hardly alone. Islam as it is often practiced is behind such suppression and subservience of women. It is a growing battle here in Europe with the expanding immigrant communities. European women have fought hard to achieve the levels of equality and freedom that they now enjoy and are seeing it threatened by Islamic influence.
You could be talking about the Republican Party as well.
Can you please say more about how European women's rights are threatened by Islam? And where do Islamic women in Europe fit in the picture -- as Muslims or as Europeans?
Women having to cover themselves from head to foot while the men do as they please. Women married at 12 on orders from father. Girls under authority of brothers. Men in street sexually harrassing "uncovered" women of any origin as they are by definition prostitutes. Imposing seperate swimming hours for women in the local municipal pools. Refusal to let male doctors treat women patients. Need i go on...this could last a long time!
Christendom is not much better. I ride my bike shirtless on Miami Beach. Women cannot do that. facebook has pix of shirtless men (showing male nipples) but you cannot show female nipples. We had to make a law here in Floriduh not to harass nursing mothers. Christian Shariah.
Well we stopped converting recalcitrants with an axe a few centuries ago but quite evidently have a way to go. By the way do you know of any studies comparing skin cancer rates for men and women in Florida...perhaps the girls are on to something...not that they really cover up much to possibly profit from it. Sun-burnt nipples ...ouch!
IDK the current stats on skin cancer in FL, but consider a lot of it will be ppl like me raised in the north (St. Louis) who turned white as kids in the winter, then got peeling sunburns in the summer sun every year. Sunburns are the cause of skin cancers later in life like me basal cell carcinoma after I moved to Sunny Florida. Gradual year round tanning not so much as the tan itself is a protective. On the other hand, natural Vitamin D from sun helps prevent prostate cancer. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. And my nipples don’t get any more burnt than the rest of my exposed skin.
BTW, women can go shirtless in NY, since the women of Rochester took it to court and won that right on the 14th Amendment of equal rights. It is a silly prejudice of our culture that the sight of women’s breasts are harmful. To Children? Think about that.
Of course but it harks back to the stream today on christianity not being as advanced as we might think in terms of female liberation as we hide erogenous zones to prevent men getting "overheated" and not for health considerations.
Another thought on Islamic influence concerns treatment of animals. To avoid bathtub ritual slaughter of sheep at one point on their religious calendar, the government allowed slaughterhouses to deviate from strict killing regulations to provide "halal" meat with consequent increased suffering for the beast. The result, as "halal" costs are significantly lower...a massive increase in production of "halal" meat by all concerned. The last study i read talked of 10% of demand being for this product but it represents 40% of production. Money in the capitalist pocket thru misslabeling is the result...and increased suffering for the animals.
And how is this different than our slaughter houses. I live 25 miles from one of the largest beef slaughter houses on the west coast. Toured it for 4 hours two years ago and watched cattle arrive on trucks and all the way the freezer. One of the most inhumane and horrid experiences of my life.
I'm no vegetarian by any stretch, but after watching videos of horse slaughter & the absolute brutality involved from horses being dumped at auctions - if not sold the first time - trucked to yet another auction until they are sold - then hauled to either Canada or Mexico to slaughter plants - the idea of ANY animal slaughter changed my view of meat. And hearing the excuse that "certain animals are raised to be eaten"? Nope!
Right? After my visit and tour of the meat packing plant, I literally wept every time I saw a cow in pasture and for a really long time. I can't even stand to look at the meat department in a store.
me either. Havent bought beef or pork or absolutely no lamb in years. Stick to ground turkey (and theres another issue) & fish. I dont think I ever bought veal but after seeing a barn full of TINY calves at a nearby farm - too small for a halter to even fit on them - had nightmares over them. I realize not everyone goes off the deep end about animals as I do - We had chickens & ducks years ago - and they all had a great retirement program - know what I mean?
Halal animal slaughter is done by cutting the animal’s throat quickly with a sharp knife. As far as I know, the approved European method is to gas the animals the way the Nazis gassed human beings. That is not morally superior.
I think with the halal the animals are bled to death without preparation whereas the law stipulated that they first be stunned before being shot in the head and thereafter bled
Slamming an animal in the head and then shooting it is not less painful or less scary for the animal than directly cutting its throat. Both are brutal.
In Florida there is an exception to the state animal cruelty law to accommodate Kosher slaughter. (Jews & Muslims seem to have so many common dietary requirements). Santeria animal sacrifice is also protected by this law on religious grounds.
The only differences are that halal, unlike kosher, permits seafood and permits mixing meat with dairy. Also, observant Jews but not observant Muslims may consume alcohol.
My understanding is thaJews and Palestinians etc were once a part of the same family and the rift was a family rift which is the toughest kind of rift.
and the meat packing and slaughter business is hardly known for its moral scruples! just look at Trump's waivers to the packers and the resultant death rate from covid of the black workers. Cash is the only game in town!
Almost true. The European rules against halal slaughter (and therefore against kosher slaughter, which is the same) were motivated by bigotry against the group(s) doing it, not by concern for animals as claimed and not even by cash (unless the "Christian" slaughterers were concerned about competition from halal meat).
Years ago, Hebrew National frankfurters had a very successful advertising campaign based on precisely the fact that kosher (like halal) has its own inspection system which (ideally) is literally followed religiously. The ad said: "We answer to a Higher Authority." And in fact, you can count on kosher hot dogs to be all beef, no pig, no grunge fillers, for that very reason.
None, I suppose. No doubt halal procedures reflect current sanitary knowledge. But regarding law and practice in France, I assume liability issues matter, as they do elsewhere. And as you note, stakeholders influence decisionmaking.
One of my favorite memories (not at the time, however) was my now ex-husband being hauled off into a Saudi jail because he was wearing shorts in public. He had decided to take our small children out for ice cream after dinner. The children came home in the back of a police car and were delivered safely to me. While in the jail he was also accused of having alcohol on his breath. Our employer had to get involved in order that my husband, and our entire family, not be ordered to leave the country immediately. For wearing shorts in public. A tall, white man of European descent.
On a side note, it never bothered me to wear my abaya and head scarf in public. All women did. And all men dressed conservatively. Male Saudi nationals wore their thobes and ghutras, of course. I just always respected the cultural expectations (even if I didn't agree or believe with the theory behind it) of any country I was visiting while living and traveling abroad.
When in Rome...! If only we were paid the same "courtoisie" when they come here to live! When people come to the US to live you expect them to become American...so do we here!
Oh yes! I agree with you. It's one of the most maddening things of re-patronizing that I experience. The fact that English should be the primary language of the USA and that it is not, never ceases to amaze me.
It has never been the only language...just the "lluingua franca" dominating most others. A question of facility and sheer numbers...which can change. english is itself in part an arrangement between native peasants and invading norman vikings...plus nearly a thousand years of evolution since. Anyway only the english learn english anymore and all others learn the latest international medium. In the 18thC it used to be French
With ref to Klein...With the choice for we poor survivors of the climate crisis of heavy handed state or local idependent tribalism. I'm heading for the cabin in the woods!
Beware of woods being deforested to build the cabins.
As a longtime resident and Francophile, would you kindly recommend a couple of Eng-lang works on France? My knowledge is dated so I'm partial to older authors like Marc Bloch, Fernand Braudel, Georges Lefebvre, Robert Darnton and Natalie Davis. Recently I discovered the more current work of John Merriman, Graham Robb and Daniel Roche.
Thank you Tricia. I excluded TK in favor of Lacey's more recent ITK, though the former was a valuable early intro. I regularly recommend A Hourani, History of the Arab Peoples, which is far superior to typical college survey texts.
PS. I knew the Blinken family to this extent. Alan and I were partners for one year. He ran for the senate in Idaho. We have not spoken in decades. We were never clise. Antony’s personal behavior is outstanding. His father is widely and deeply respected. Again, those that know Antony worship him. He is a guiding light in the Biden Harris administration. Governments the world over will take note of Antony. He speaks for the best of America. His family and that of the new AG have similar histories. This administration will reflect values well understood by FDR’s wife. Focus there.
Sandy thank you so much for this inside look into Anthony Blinken. I appreciate it very much. Personal experience is so much more reliable than news reports. Carries great weight. Having you personally endorse him this way completely removes any doubt I had about his character. Thanks again.
Correction, spelling of his first name ... Alan John Blinken is Antony's uncle... and was my senior partner at Model Roland for an interesting year... during which I liquidated a few hundred thousand shares of NYKA stock in an interesting series of trades... for the Sulzberger family, those that preferred clipping coupons and did not work... these were voting shares until I sold them for that family... Alan Blinken was in sales... I lasted at Model for a year... and moved on to Dean Witter, from which I was fired for appearing on the McGovern national letterhead, unbeknownst to me, put there by my nutty mother who gave George $400,000, I did not give him a cent.. Bill Witter, the SF CEO of Dean Witter had shit for brains and fired me with a letter... saying he did not want a member of the communist party as a 2% shareholder and SVP of his family firm...
Study Meier Blinkin or Blinken, the great grandfather of Antony, Alan and Donald’s grandfather, a famous writer and immigrant from Ukraine. His son, Antony’s grandfather, owned the Sherry Netherlands. He is not mentioned in the record we have. Donald established the household that raised Antony. His branch of this fascinating family is worthy of study. The writings of the great grandfather were known and respected. They are not known now.
Heather didn't mention CPAC tonight but I wanted to comment on it since it brought up two conflicting emotions in me. When reading what Heather wrote about all that went on today in the Biden Administration, CPAC felt remote and irrelevant when we have real governing going on. But, my other reaction during the day as CPAC was covered was one of worry, even fear. How can the Congress function, how can President Biden get through his agenda in a timely fashion with the Republican cult acting as the anti-democratic party and adding the dead weight of opposition to any and all legislation even when the legislation is so popular with the majority of the People. We need the $15 minimum wage, for instance, to strengthen the economy. I like Senator Sanders proposal to do what should have been done when the corporate tax cut was passed and give the corporations an incentive to make the life of their workers better with raises and a living wage. It feels like saving democracy is not getting the strategic thinking and action plan it needs for democracy to survive.
I believe with all my heart that democracy in this country has died and no amount of CPR is going to bring it back. We may stumble along for a couple of years under Biden (until the gerrymandered midterms), but the Republicans are firmly under Trump's control (see the antics at CPAC), and they have abdicated any semblance of governance. We no longer have a functioning government, and we no longer have a two-party system; we have one party and a cult. The Covid-19 package passed without a single Republican vote. Not one.
I tend to agree with you. I've had these exact same thought, actually, that Biden is just a temporary band-aid while Trump and his ilk simply take a breath and get ready for 2024. I do hope I'm wrong but more and more I'm thinking I just need to step away from all things politic. It is not serving me well. This is what 'they' want, of course, to exhaust the citizens to the point of apathy. I get that. But good gawd it's exhausting.
I see the same awful things as you, T and K. But I still take my stand with the better angels of our nature. If we re-summon the spirit of the North which preserved union, democracy and expanded freedom, the new Confederates will fare no better than the old.
I’m right there with both of you. I was simultaneously incensed and deflated by the news coming out of CPAC the last two days, if it is possible to have such conflicting feelings. And then to find out that not one Republican voted for the COVID relief package left me speechless and deeply discouraged. The relief package has “bipartisan” support from a majority of Americans, but not their elected representatives. I had to take a break today, which is why I am just coming to this discussion now. I know we have to stay strong and engaged, but it is nigh impossible to deal with this insanity.
For those who, like 99% of the rest of us, don't really know that much about the internal workings of Ukraine, it might be good to understand that we aren't necessarily supporting "angels" there. I have a number of Ukrainian friends (it's a planetary center of creativity in the field of creating and producing really interesting plastic scale models - I'll bet 100:1 odds you didn't know that :-) ) and have had Ukrainian politics explained to me. Going waaaaaaayyyyy back to the days of the Russian Revolution, Ukraine has had a long history of anti-Soviet beliefs. This has manifested in some pretty rancid far right political movements. A guy who was the biggest collaborator with the Nazis in World War II is considered a Ukraine national hero. There are several far right neo-fascist/neo-Nazi paramilitary groups in the country - in fact several US white supremacist/neo-Nazi types are known to have gone over there and gotten military training in recent years fighting the Russians. The far right types in the country are the ones most willing to fight the Russians in eastern Ukraine, so they have a lot more popular credibility than they would otherwise.
At the same time there's these folks running around, there are a lot of very good, very interesting Ukrainians - who mostly abjure politics - at least publicly - because it's a bit too easy to end up face down in a dark alley from unknown assailants for your politics there. They're the ones who elected President Volodymyr Zelensky.
All that said, Ukraine is a country with a long tradition of opposing Russia. They only became part of Greater Russia in the 18th century when they were conquered by Catherine the Great and her General Peter Potemkin. They have good reason to hate the Stalinists, since they were the part of the country that suffered the most when Stalin went after the Kulaks and killed several million people through starvation when they collectivized agriculture. Krushchev is still hated there as the Ukrainian who carried out Stalin's orders - his nickname there is "The Butcher."
The whole business with Crimea is a historical gordian knot. Crimea was the first part of Ukraine Catherine's army conquered, and they made it part of Russia before going on to conquer the rest of the country. Then in 1955, Krushchev, who was balancing regional power centers while establishing himself as the second Red Czar (er, General Secretary of the Communist Party) put Crimea back in Ukraine to get rid of an opposing party boss in Sevastopol. The Ukrainians have always seen it as part of Ukraine and the Russians have always (at least since the 1770s) seen it as part of Mother Russia.
So into this ancient mess comes the US, following our national tradition since the first settlers arrived in Jamestown of declaring ignorance of the local situation as deep knowledge and then telling everyone what they should be doing.
Right on TC! But hopefully, this time they are on the side of the people and not just opening the place up for business. I think Biden, through past activity to get rid of corrupt Ukrainian Prosecutors and of course a little thru his son (cough, cough) is not wading in blindly and knows what he wants out of this...for the people.
We’ve had many a mention here of how to reach across the great progressive-conservative divide. My German-born father, who doesn’t move a millimeter from his rockhard positions, has perhaps soured me a bit on the possibility of softening a conservative. The Northern California-born truck drivers I talk to are a different story.
This long-read charming New Hampshire ballad of a left-wing journalist reaching out to his neighbors, who are nearly all Trump voters, is heartwarming. Enjoy.
Thanks, Roland. It is a good read – thanks for posting it.
The narrator got one person from his town and one person from a neighboring town to speak with him. Neither conversation seems to have softened his interlocutors’ political position, but the conversations were civil, and in the case of his neighbor – friendly. That’s progress of a sort, but it also puts in sharp relief the distance we now find ourselves from many of our neighbors.
Like the narrator, I spend summers in a conservative hamlet in upstate NY. Recently, it has been inundated with folks from the city who fled to escape Covid19. I expect it is much changed since I was last home in 2019 and I also expect some difficult conversations.
But I look forward to them. Because even though we hold different political views, there is a bond of friendship and trust that will hopefully buffer the impact of those differences. I hope to learn some things – how my old friends are faring, how their kids and grandkids are doing, how they are coping with the passing of loved ones, and how they feel about the health of our Democracy.
Sacramento, Bakersfield, there’s no difference. This company isn’t based in the Bay Area. I am a complete anomaly as a white truck driver. Now the Latino and black guys that I work with, that’s a different story. 😁
I highly recommend it if you love driving. All the women drivers I’ve known, with one exception, were excellent: safe, smart, professional, competent. Any woman on this forum, I kid you not, would be an outstanding truck driver, I have no doubt about that. I would hire practically anybody off this forum sight unseen for a driver training program if I had one. Smart people make excellent drivers.
Right now I’m on my 30 minute break, halfway between LA and Sacramento. It’s a gorgeous full moon out. I’m listening to Kings County radio, which is the 1950s 1960s music station on this drive, excellent Motown I’ve never even heard before, instant classics that are brand new to me. The tractor is a 2020 International. A few years ago they completely re-designed the interior, it’s like a luxury automobile. Talk about being pampered. The company I work for has an outstanding maintenance crew, the best I’ve ever had in my career, so it’s always a joy driving these pieces of equipment. The 2017’s aren’t luxury interiors, but perfectly reliable even with 3-400k miles on them. When you’re driving 400 miles down and back, then down and back, each week, reliability matters. I’m having probably the best year of my life. Super happy. Not every day, but I always come back to happy. I’m grateful for so many things, I don’t wanna bore you here with a long list but I have a long list. If you have to drive a thousand miles a week including commute, this is definitely the way to do it. I love this time of my life. Being here on HCR of courts is one of my gratitudes. But the primary Joy is my destiny work. Knowing who I am and what I came here to do has eradicated any despair or depression.
Roland it’s a Virgo full moon and it is beautiful and gratitude is a sure way to happiness. I can’t tell you how many things I’m grateful for but one of the newest is that I’m getting my first vaccine shot on Tuesday and by the spring I hope to travel again. My son is a very good astrologer so his website is GeoffvanWyck.com if anyone has astrological questions.
My father landed on Omaha beach on D day. He was a private who helped to maintain artillery. He survived for about 10 days and was hit with shrapnel on a morning when he stuck his head up to sip coffee. He got morphine and was shipped back to England
where it took at least 10 hours to pull each get all the bits of metal out of the left side of his body without anesthesia.He was 21 and always said that it was just
fate if you did or didn’t get killed. He also used to say that we were just cannon fodder. The year Private Ryan came out I pressed him for more information about the landing and I got him to go to the film with me. He left after the gruesome beginning of the film muttering I was there and took a taxi home. He had severe ptsd though it wasn’t understood then. He was a dear, sweet intelligent man and he’s been dead for 20 years.
We kids back then didn't realize what had happened, and nobody ever talked about it. I remember a kid who told me his father was a paratrooper who dropped on D-Day. The one and only time I ever went over to that kid's house, his father was what we called back then "one of the scary ones." My father never told me in detail about surviving his ship being sunk by the kamikazes until what turned out to be our last long talk together before he died six months later back in 1988. I have a photo of me, age 1 year, reaching for my first kitty; in the background is a ghastly-looking figure in a Chief Petty Officer's uniform. He told me that 5 minutes before, his orders had come ending his survivor's leave and sending him to another radar picket destroyer for the invasion of Japan. He figured he was going to die, and thought he was looking at me for the last time ever.
This is why I say I hate politics. Having to be nice to low-life scum. (And, that includes having to be “bipartisan” with the Repugnant Party, which has never done that when they had the majority).
We wage war on the Muslim hellholes in the Middle East under the pretext of bringing equality and democracy to them, yet we ally ourselves with Saudi Arabia, which is just as barbaric. It’s nothing new. Franklin Roosevelt in the 1940s reportedly said of Nicaragua's dictator, "He may be a son of a bitch. But he's our son of a bitch." Politics it seems requires lying down with pigs and pretending we don’t stink as bad.
Speaking of Russian Oligarchy, remember when the United States Oligarchs (United Fruit) owned Central America and our CIA toppled democratically elected governments?
So, we denounce “communism” yet let our capitalist Oligarchs get rich by outsourcing our production to China. Those same Oligarchs who support the Repugnant Party, insist on a decades old $7.25 minimum wage, which no one can live on working a 40-hour week.
Sorry for the negativity, it came pouring out after a long lifetime of U.S. Lies, Wars, Racism and Oppression of the Working Class. If I weren’t so intelligent, I could easily be a conspiracy theorist by extrapolating from the facts of our nations historical misdeeds.
We live in a time when hiding ugly truths is getting harder and harder. As we acknowledge and come to terms with our past, and current, sins we face the inevitable denial and push back.
Republicans are dealing with this great awakening by creating their alternative reality. Senator Cruz looked like a huckster yesterday at CPAC spouting nonsense. They don’t see their own absurdity rolling out the golden Trump bust. Their desperation is showing.
Oligarchs, authoritarians and conservative media are working in concert to obfuscate and distort facts. It’s the only path they see to retaining power. They will make it ugly for awhile, but, they can’t hold back the tide forever.
Many years ago we attended a lecture by Russell Means from AIM, The American Indian Movement. The title was “For America to Live, Europe Must Die”. His message was clear: white colonial patriarchy would destroy our nation and our future unless found another way. The battle is on...
Your comment made me think a little deeper. And especially with all the Saudi culture bashing sprinkled in the comments today and that distract from the truth of the news regarding the ruthlessness of the KSA’s government.
The darkness in which our country was founded, Natuve America history, racism, white nationalism, gun violence, misogyny, sexual assault, extreme wealth, and on and on and combined with our dysfunctional government — how are we any better than any other country out there in the world today?
Indeed. no more exceptional than the Europe that many of you came from genetically speaking....and then if you want to look, Africa is no less exceptional either....and China!
IMO we are paying the price of the CIA interference in SA with so many people fleeing corrupt governments. We owe some responsibility to the fleeing masses.
When the U. S. Military occupied Honduras in the 1980's, it upset the economy so when the military left, the conditions were laid for the eventual overthrow of the democratically elected government to be overthrown by the drug lords and set up a mafia state. So many children of Honduras became orphans, the government "cleaned up the streets" by killing up to 1,000 homeless children in the capital.
The U.S. shipped the homeless orphans of New York out West by train. So maybe we are as guilty as Honduras. We had a chance to repair our karma when the orphans of Honduras were sent to the U.S. during Obama's presidency. I would like to say the U.S is not as bad as Honduras. I wonder what happened to them?
Thanks for that summary. I remember the Iran-Contra scandal but not the details. Our foreign policy has always left a lot to be desired, for the US and the world.
Rob, You have a problem: your long-term memory is in good working order and you’ve stood witness to the contradictions and failures of american foreign policy over the few decades we’ve been top dog in the international theater. You know the dark side of American exceptionalism. You are a prime example of why Repub-run states don’t want the NY Times 1619 Project taught in their public schools and why Fox News, OAN, and NewsMax continue to broadcast their frantic gibberish. Still I continue to hope that we as a nation can do better going forward - have you read Steven Pinker’s “Enlightenment Now”? His dense tome, complete with graphs, should help to reassure you that things we care about - life, health, food, education, freedom, even democracy - really are increasing and improving, not just in the U.S., but t/out the world.
I always believed humanity was on an uphill path, a very slow curve but the last 4 years convinced me of (Engel's?) pendulum theory. We just keep swinging back and fourth but little progress is made. I don't mean technology but the human condition. (Forgive me, it's been 50 years since I was in school.)
Well, it has taken decades of dumbing Americans down via lack of truthful education, tv, social media, the internet, addictions, corporate control of people's minds and bodies. I did not watch the CPAC, but I hear it is more media coverage of the white male dinosaurs. It will take a few decades for them to fall into the tar pits and for us to make significant changes to have an "informed" citizenry.
Social service programs that support young parents are the best investment. That and a living minimum wage and FREE birth control methods. But GOP knows how to ensure a never ending supply of slave labor. As long as they control bombs and propaganda they have no worries of revolutions.
We do have to deal with our shadow side/s and our reality of our genocidal and slavery foundations by our colonial ancestors as we move forward. And female oppression. I have said multiple times over the past decades that it is time for women to finally fully step into highest forms of leadership roles, all colors of women. America's earliest symbol was female ("Uncle Sam's "older, classier sister", Garance, Frank-Ruta, The Atlantic 2013). Our "Columbia, a "feminization of Columbus, is akin to other countries with feminine symbols—Britain has Britannica, France has Marianne, Italy has Italy Turrita (Wikipedia). It has not been lost on me how Lady Columbia morphed into Lady Liberty (Merci, France!) And it is also a feminine icon who holds our Scales of Justice.
Ironically, it is men who warred, founded and ran countries who appeared to adopt feminine symbols. What did that strong female symbol connote for them? Was it prescient for these days of change? Looking at this from Jungian terms, the male energy has done its' work in building the framework, structures and premises of our land. Now we may be ready for the feminine energies to bring it all into balance (Lady Justice) Women have risen to the highest leadership positions around the world, perhaps nature's attempt to create balance, moral balance.
"Lady Justice (Latin: Iustitia) is an allegorical personification of the moral force in judicial systems.[1][2] Her attributes are a blindfold, a beam balance, and a sword. She often appears as a pair with Prudentia, who holds a mirror and a snake.
Lady Justice originates from the personification of Justice in Ancient Roman art known as Iustitia or Justitia,[3] who is equivalent to the Greek goddess Dike."
Are we ready for a new leadership style? I think so.
Accountability? Well thought out and measured responses? I almost forgot this was possible. It is such a relief to have adults in charge again. (Also, my cursing is down considerably.)
She is. Her vast knowledge of our government, and ability to play world class ping pong with the correspondents while always showing respect mixed with quick wit is amazing. Films should be used in teaching public speaking.
Totally! After the people DT had speaking for him she so shines as a mature and brilliant woman who is at the height of her powers— if I were teaching still I’d arrange for periods where the class could watch her. Interestingly Biden and his team had to work hard to convince her to take it on.
Omg TPJ it’s so exciting to see real communication after these years of the locusts —using real language to actually communicate to constituents who care— it’s like the first sip of water after you’ve been rescued from quicksand in the desert.
fortunately the Minstrels were still able to do their rounds and sing about the awful things that the dragon in the castle on the hill was doing so the people could not lose all track of reality and they could call on the new St George to do his stuff.
Jean d'Arc came to a sticky end though ...sold out by the French and "grilled" by the English...Perfide Albion. Possibly Harris will be more like Britannia and not just Boadicea.
I find it interesting that Senator Cornyn chose to stay in TX to be with Biden, while "Cancun cRuz" was at CPAC making fun of his trip to Mexico and getting lots of laughs from the crowd. The maskless crowd who booed when asked by those running the show asked people to put on masks. What a bunch of true "losers" run by the biggest "loser" of all. They deserve each other and their worship of the golden cow. I hope thr press will give as little as possible to this weekends shenanigans.
The message is pretty clear: the adults are back in the room and bullying actions will have consequences so straighten up your act, not just Saudi Arabia but Russia as well. What would seem to be a pretty straightforward action on our part in terms of Saudi Arabia and MBS is fraught with diplomatic land mines and in order to get the outcome we want Americans would be advised to play the long game which is what Biden has initiated.
That CPAC rolled out a gold statue of trump as part of their decorations as well as using an old Nazi piece to iconography to form their stage tells me that they are evenly more firmly entrenched in their worship of white privilege/supremacy and the message of hate from trump.
Heather: You bravely walk a tightrope. On one hand, you are an esteemed historian. On another hand, you are a daring, observant, and insightful commentator on the day-to-day unfolding politics of this country. On the third hand, you are wisely and generously willing to say that some of your day-to-day observations may, over time, prove less than prescient. I am glad that you are willing to walk this tightrope, and am confident that we will all become wiser if we walk it with you!
Thank you, Mark. Your reply to Heather is so well stated.
Even if some of your points fizzle, I’m grateful you tell us where to look.
Well said. Both the insightful commentary and the historical perspective are invaluable, and I know I am more informed and better prepared to joust with the disloyal opposition because of these analyses.
Yes Heather walks a vibrating tightrope and we are blessed to walk it with her in this newsletter.
This is my first time making a comment. Hi everyone. (But I e been reading these wonderful Heather letters for a while.) I love the practical undramatic way that events are unraveled and placed in the present as well as an historical context.
Tonight I am flummoxed by all the criticism Joe Biden is receiving in the NYT for not placing sanctions on Saudi Arabia and leveling no consequences for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. If you understand all the sides of this, I’d love to know.
Now that we don't need their oil, we ought to let those 7th-century camel fornicators go back to being the desert nomad barbarians they were prior to 1921 when Abdul Azziz created Saudi Arabia. Their "Wahabbi Fundamentalist Islam" IS the jihadi islam we are supposedly fighting in the War on Terror (16 of 19 of the 9/11 hijackers were Saudis and it's well known the attack was financed by rich Wahabbis who supported Bin Laden - the hijackers are known to have gotten support and assistance from people in the Saudi embassy in Washington). They are directly responsible for most of the islamic radicalism of the past 30 years, as they have planted Wahabbi schools throughout the islamic world and transformed the religion. I have Muslim friends in Malaya who would personally like to kill every damn Saudi they could find for what those jihadi madrassahs have done to civil society there. Biden was right to call them "pariahs" and it's what we ought to make them. In 30 years, the only "good" Saudi I've ever heard of was Kashoggi, and the ones I have met have not been "good ambassadors" shall we say.
TC as usual giving it to us without the gilded finish. He knows whereof he speaks, however harsh the delivery may appear. I have to agree. Pariahs. Kashoggi being the only good Saudi we know who is in the public eye. I find it amazing that no one in the press ever puts the words “Saudi national“ in front of the name “Osama bin Laden.” I have to assume that the press is muzzled in some way, or the journalists have to avoid talking about Saudi Arabia when discussing 9/11. Maybe it’s the oil industry’s influence, I don’t know. Dick Cheney pulled off one of the biggest scams in recent US history by diverting all the attention away from Saudi Arabia and deflecting to Iraq, a relative non-combatant in the 9/11 plot. The Bush family is all oil money, they’ve been in bed with the Saudi‘s forever, so Georgie was completely motivated to provide cover for them. Oh well. Another nasty event in human history, not like there’s a shortage.
I have to agree, Roland. I remember waking up one day hearing about US going after Iraq and thinking, huh? I couldn't make the connection to 9/11. Surprise! There was no there there.
I had read Shrub, by Molly Ivins a couple of months before 9/11. One of the serious points she made in the book was how obsessed W was about Iraq, and how he wanted to avenge his father, or prove himself to his father... It seemed like he was just looking for an excuse to attack Iraq, and 9/11 provided that opportunity.
always the argument that the father didn't finish the job. The father had more sense.
But there was a lot of there there with the Saudi's and Bushes. And when we were under NO FLY, guess who was allowed to fly out of America? At least that was what I remember. There was also a very large plane flying very, very low up the CT river, north towards Canada, which many of us called in. We never heard who that airplane belonged to. It did not look military.
Our government facilitated the operation that flew out the entire bin Laden family
"A Lannister (Bush) always pays his debts."
I thought exactly the same thing. A few days later, when a group of us were discussing it at the office, another person told me that I was unpatriotic (after explaining why I believed there was no connection). She went on a rant about WMD and other Fox/Cheney yakity yak. If I told her today that those theories had been debunked, she'd be glad to tell me that I'm wrong.
I know it’s not easy, but try to look past the camel fornicator part. Just look at his facts.
Thanks, Roland, words like that cause wars... And my adopted, ½ Iranian daughter was called a "camel jockey" and worse in high school. It was pure racist by white boys who were not used to being around a nappy-headed, olive complexioned female. When she finally got tired of it, she demonstrated that she wrestle them and pin them to the ground and sit on them. I had to pull her off a couple of times after school at pick-up. Behind the scenes I let her know that I wished I had her spunk and muscle when I was her age. But it is her brilliant brain I wanted her to hone to outdo them. She did hone that, but I think the young bucks stopped teasing her due to her fierce show of strength over them muscle-wise in front of the other young bucks. She did not hurt them, but she embarrassed them, which come to think of it, was using her brain!
Name-calling should be judicially done and factual. We have had a poor role model in our so-called "leader" for the past four years. I myself have gotten suspended on Youtube and and slammed for using the words seditionist, white supremacist, Nazi (...and maybe wanker) in the recent past, but I have facts to back me up. ;-)
Penelope, your daughter sounds aaaMAZing! And I hope she continues to be fierce, as well was developing her intellectual talents: may she succeed with bells on in whatever she does. I agree that racist language should really be out of bounds especially on this platform. But I draw the line at wanker--which is not racist; it is just an accurate description of the behavior of some members of the human race with, um, dangling members. It is a word my students find amusing when I use it to refer to historical figures, but if the shoe fits . . .!
That said, I agree with Roland and TC (for all his usual attempts to out-Jim Wright that plain-speaking Texan). The US alliance with Saudi Arabia has been toxic for the US and many of its other allies and enormously beneficial for Saudi Arabia, which has been able to sustain its stranglehold on politics in the Middle East while continuing to be protected and ignored concerning its enslavement of South Asians and Pacific Islanders (as domestic workers), its virtual enslavement of all women, its abysmal human rights record especially with respect to Muslims who are not adherents of Wahabbism, and its very clear connections to Osama bin Ladin and Al-Qaeda. All but 2 of the 9-11 assassins were Saudis and they had been well protected by the Saudi government. But the Bushes and the Cheneys were in the pockets of the Saudis--and had been for decades--and so they prevented that essential fact from becoming the primary one, instead diverting attention and blame to the execrable--but absolutely blameless in terms of 9-11--Iraqi regime. It was the ultimate bait-and-switch and a playbook for the kinds of misinformation the just-past administration turned into a high art. And it is one reason why, while I appreciate Liz Cheney's condemnation of Drumpf with all my heart, I don't trust her about almost anything else.
Thank you Linda. The only thing I would add is that the Saudi elites, all those multi millionaires supposedly related to each other, are vicious and medieval in their ability to backstab each other and do incredibly dirty and violent things to each other. I only pray I never come back in a family like that, I would disown them. We are so blessed and so naïve in America. Except for maybe the mob, or a few other groups hiding under rocks, we don’t see the kind of vicious murderous behavior that people like MBS and his relatives engage in amongst themselves. In that way, they do resemble the royals of history.
Roland, royals--and other autocrats--who have actual power are indeed a murderous bunch. I was telling the story of Clovis, the first "Christian" king of the Merovingian Franks, to my students the other day and there was a lot of face palming going on. Because of the laws of inheritance (this is an issue in Islamicate law too), Clovis decided he had to eliminate all his male relatives in order to guarantee the succession of his three sons (that didn't turn out particularly well, but that is a story for another day), so he lured them to court and murdered them all. In his old age, according to Gregory of Tours, he moaned and moaned that he was "all alone" with no relatives who could take care of him. Gregory points out that Clovis was not saying this in order to garner sympathy, but in order to see if any other male relatives were hiding under the floorboards, so to speak, so that he could do away with them.
If you take that and multiply by a hundred, because of the laws allowing polygamy, you have the perfect scenario for internecine violence in families of power in the Middle East. But really: if the British royal family actually had maintained the power they enjoyed in the 15th century do you think they would behave any differently? 🤣
Clovis had the best PR available -- the backing of the Church.
Hand in hand, terrestial and spiritual...totally locking down power and revenue generating capacity.
Founder of St Cloud where I live.... facing Paris.
No. I was not aware of Clovis but thank you for the history lesson. I went to public schools growing up and my second career of teaching was primarily special Ed to inner city illegal immigrants of middle school age. I used to try to teach civility to them. I’m so glad I didn’t have to teach these characters civility during the DT time.
A much needed skill here too....but not politically correct as it is said to stigmatize the illegal immigrant. The people complaining about such incivility are of course "just racist"! a strange upside-down view of the world which is very Trumpian! What irony!
All with the possible exception of polygamy! They showed the way in Europe after all for a very long time as the country was unified somewhat ahead of the competion and difficult of agressive acces from its geography.
Yeah--Cnut was the only one to be a "real" polygamist but Henry I certainly got around! 20+ illegitimate children . . .
Linda, do you think Henry was behind the death of his brother William Rufus? Cf. DW Grinnell-Milne, The killing of William Rufus: An investigation in the New Forest. His detailed account of Rufus's last hours is pretty convincing, but he wasn't really a medievalist. Presumably we'll never know for certain if it was accident or murder.
Yes but Knut had other pretensions. He figured he could order the seas to retreat. He might have been better doing a Henry!
Certain meant.
No I do not.
Roland do you know any trucking companies who are hiring 71 year old women who love to drive???
Completely agree— it’s the only time I have felt good about a Cheney and I can’t wait for the Monday announcement from Biden about Saudi Arabia Linda.
Agree. Enough bamboozlement by big oil.
You seemed to jump from a factual historical report to, I believe, too strong an association of Liz Chaney's character with her father's.
Fern, actually I don't. With the sole exception of the family supporting Mary's coming out as a lesbian and her marrying her partner, I consider the family's (and the Bush family's) utter beholden-ness to the fossil fuel industry; their refusal to support women's bodily autonomy; their militarism and promotion of the military-industrial complex; and their obsession with the aggrandizement of Wyoming--the state with the smallest population in the USA--to be appalling. Liz is not a pol with whom I have any agreement except on treating LGBTQ people (and she is not friendly to trans people, btw) as human beings and the malignancy that is Trumpism.
Linda, Two more crucial points to make about Liz Cheney:
1. She does not subscribe to The BIG LIE
2, She is not part of the White supremacist-wing of the
Republican Party.
Fern, I am not contesting that she belongs to the anti-Trump wing of the party. I am stating that I still don't agree with anything else she says. You have every right to defend her, but I also may choose to consider her voting record to be malign to all kinds of people--including women who believe the their bodies and their choices ought to be their own. And I cannot accept that as a humane and reasonable position. Even when one claims "religion" as a motive.
You have described L. Cheney's position about women in fiercely negative terms. She is pro-life as are many other women. I was not defending the positions held by Liz Cheney, which you find abhorrent. My effort was to report more fully on her record. The country needs a functioning government and one without a Republican Party working against democratic principles as it supports white supremacy. Liz Cheney is one of the few knowledgeable Republican leaders trying to bring her party back from its current neo-fascistic tendencies. I would like to see more moderate Republicans in national and state government,, but,, in lieu of that, Liz Cheney is one of the few Republican leaders to have stood up to Trump and other extremists in the Republican Party. I think that she is a fair representative of the opposing party.
Liz Cheney is a neo-conservative, so her positions reflect that political philosophy. She has not supported discrimination against women, and it is easy to relay her positions on the environment:
"Yesterday, I joined the Petroleum Association of Wyoming to discuss the value of oil and gas. Fossil fuels are treasures on which our national security and economy depend. I will continue working with President Trump to reduce unnecessary regulations so the industry can thrive." (twitter.com)
"Wyoming is resilient. Together we can end the war on fossil fuels & get our jobs back." (twitter.com)
"I applaud this important step by the Trump Administration to replace the damaging Obama Clean Power Plan with a rule that will return flexibility to the states and to our coal industry. The Obama Clean Power Plan killed jobs, strangled our economy, and attempted to destroy our coal industry. Ensuring the reliability of our power grid by supporting coal -- a crucial baseload power source -- is an economic and national security priority." (votesmart.org)
"Going forward, I'll continue to fight for the best interest of energy producers and consumers so costs are kept low and access to resources remains abundant. I'll also fight against the absurd Green New Deal, and the efforts by Democrats to upend our economic system and abolish the energy industry our families and nation rely on." (votesmart.org)'
Liz Cheney's positions, however, are not one note:
She condemned the Turkish invasion of the Kurdish areas in Syria, which was made possible by Trump's decision to withdraw US military forces that served as a buffer between Turkey and the Kurdish areas in Syria, saying, "The U.S. is abandoning our ally the Kurds, who fought ISIS on the ground and helped protect the U.S. homeland. This decision aids America’s adversaries, Russia, Iran, and Turkey, and paves the way for a resurgence of ISIS."[65] 'Cheney partly blamed the Democratic Party and the impeachment inquiry into Trump for Turkey's actions, saying, "It was not an accident that the Turks chose this moment to roll across the border."[66][67] A spokesperson for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Cheney's claim about the impact of U.S. presidential impeachment proceedings on the invasion "delusional".[66]
'At a House Republican Conference in July 2020, some Republicans, such as Jim Jordan of Ohio and Andy Biggs of Arizona, criticized Cheney for defending Dr. Fauci amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and for previously endorsing Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie's primary opponent.[68]'
My conclusion about L. Cheney is that unlike Mark Meadows, Jim Jordan, Devin Nunes, Matt Gaetz and Louie Gohmert, et al., she is a politician to work with when possible.
How depressing to have Liz Cheney as top banana in the GOP bunch. Still, we must persist.
Don't be depressed. She certainly is not a top banana in popularity at this point. The politicians ranking that high in the Republican Party are far worse. L. Cheney is part of a the very small number of knowledgeable, and sane politicians in the opposing party.
A top banana in respect for the law, perhaps? Which in 2021, after 4 years of mob rule, we are desperate for?
I still stand by “The Repugnant Party.” It ain’t name-calling if it’s true.
And they sure are repugnant!! Cant deny that.
ah but only to us. What percentage of the population do you need to agree for an opinion to become a fact?
Well, it seems to only take 30-40% for the current Rs opinions to become fact, right?
Fortunately we are not responsible for the lack of understanding of others only for understanding how and why they got that way.
Not responsible, yes, but understanding how & why? Not so much. Not as sure about that.
Do you have to count those who are brainwashed by constant propaganda, Stuart?
A difficult decision i must admit but it doubles the need to be sure of our understanding of where the other is coming from and triples our need to question our own assumptions before criticizing the "drivel" that the other is spouting.
I am an analyst and I have also struggled to understand where they are coming from, enough to want to destroy our democracy. It hurts my head. But, I will admit, I do paint some mighty big brushstrokes these days because I am exhausted after five years. There is a very large part of me that is heartened that all of this trauma and chaos are labor pains as we birthing a new, wiser, inclusive and more understanding nation, beyond our self-absorbed adolescence phase and into a hopefully, responsible adult nationhood.
Ok, I’m back. I was working at the LA warehouse. Penelope I have to respond to you first, and this is also for Reid. Listen, if you guys think I’m being an apologist for TC, and that me or him need to be raked over the coals, by all means say so. I am not conflict averse. I happen to think TC is not racist, otherwise I would not be nearly so forgiving. As a truck driver believe me, I have had more than one white a—h—-e talk to me in confidence as a fellow white boy about ragheads or whatever racist terminology was coming out of their potty mouth. I don’t mind profanity where it’s justified, but I do not tolerate racist terminology for the sake of being racist. However, any of you reading this may have a different take, and by all means don’t put up with anything you don’t want to put up with. I doubt very much that TC uses the term camel-anything anywhere else in life except online where he is protected by his anonymity. If I were him, I would be perfectly clear that I am talking about the Saudi elite that deserve those insults, not the Saudi people as a whole. That’s the difference. OK, I’m done defending myself. If you think I’m full of it, don’t hold back. And of course Penelope I think your daughter is way cool.
Oh, Roland, you misunderstood my comment. I loved that you asked readers to "look past the fornicator part." I wish I was as succinct as you and TPC can be. My comment was more about TC's unnecessary use of the racist statement.
The story of my daughter was is an example of how people of color have to cope with racial ignorance in America. And though she is amazing and I admire her, there are invisible scars. I have always told her that some people are just jealous because she is a Golden Child and beautifully exotic. I know the scars from just being a white woman dealing with sexism, male lack of control, and deeply inhibited freedom to walk alone in certain places such as the woods or the sand dunes of a deserted beach. Yet, I am still of privileged color.
But, add darker pigment to the skin of a woman. No way of blending in and being unseen. So, they have to be stronger, smarter, more courageous, more able to ignore idiots. I am a privileged little peanut compared to my darker daughter and my black/brown/yellow female peers. But the atrocities committed on my paternal Cherokee side, only evident in my cheekbones, vies with the Daughter of the American Revolution on my maternal side.
Within me is the oppressed and the oppressor. It keeps me awake and vigilant. It prevents me from feeling the word "Patriotic" because of the genocide of my ancestors by my other ancestors.
And I like that the complexity of the world is inside of my body, and I believe, helps the light of my burning flame of justice stay balanced and empathic. I am no better than anyone else, because I am Everyone. (Whoa! Deep hunh?)
Anyway, I am not sure if that is what makes me able to stand up and fight for justice when anyone is treated unfairly or has a knee on their neck. And that is exactly why I feel like a pit bull surrounding these Seditionists who have acted against our country. I am not about to let go of them paying the consequences of their actions against our country.
For the first time, I feel a sense of patriotism, thanks to He Who Shall Not Be Named and his GOP cult. When I traveled across country here, after having traveled in most of the countries of Europe. I was awakened for the first time of how small the scale of Europe actually is compared to that of the USA. I visited Mount Rushmore for the first time and got a real perspective.
What we are trying to do here in this Great Experiment on this giant landmass Under One Government. I stood there and read the Declaration of Independence, in awe and tears, under all those flags of our nation. (30 of the 43-44 Euro countries can fit into the USA).
My heart broke open for this country, despite its colonial foundation of cruel genocide and slavery. There is something here unlike any other country on our planet. And that is HOPE. That we can do what others cannot or are even interested in. But the world knows what we are attempting to do and many of them want to live here, too.
We are indigenous people, and people from around the world—born here, dragged here, emigrated here or seeking asylum here from dictators and warlords. We encompass so many traditions, languages, religious beliefs (or not), skin colors and ancestral histories. Does everyone understand how remarkable this Thing is we are trying to LIVE (warts and all)? We are participating in the most beautiful (sometimes very painful) thing and we need to help our children understand that and participate in it with us. Because we ALMOST LOST IT. And the lives and deaths our our indigenous people, our slaves and our soldiers better well be damned worth it all to be here with our freedoms today.
Okay, okay, this feeling I am experiencing right now must be what a real Patriot feels like, I suppose, so I now own it— thanks to these fricking Seditionists who have revealed to me to my Self. I now own the mantel of an "Patriot": a person who vigorously supports their country and is prepared to defend it against enemies or detractors (and I add seditionists/oppressors). But I will never be blinded by that mantel and how we got here, and the path ahead.
Thank you Penelope for the truly beautiful and inspiring words!
It was my pleasure and very therapeutic to write.
Oops! I meant I admire Roland and TPJ (not TPC!) for their succinctness... I tend to write novelas and am shocked anyone bothers reading so much!
Thanks Penelope. Your comments are consistently worthwhile.
Wow, that is a lovely honor coming from you, whom I highly respect!! Merci!
Wish he'd tell us what TPJ stands for. Inquiring minds want to know!
Now I have to live up to my press clippings. Oh dear!
Penelope Simpson Adams, I salute you.
I am honored, Lynell! Mutual admiration.
What an exquisite post. To Penelope and whoever sees this message: at this time of day, when I am on the road, this discussion becomes unmanageable with my poor little iPhone with its tiny little screen. If you don’t get a reply from me, that’s why. By the time I get home to my laptop, it will be 5 AM Pacific time on Sunday morning and bed time for me. If ever you need a reply from me, go back a few days on HCR and send a reply to one of my posts.
Stay safe, man; don't become a driver-distraction statistic. Whenever I call, the first question is "are you driving?" It's worth waiting to call again.
Safe travels, Rolling Roland!
🙏 Very kind of you
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6Q2uTqB3lM
Penelope for President!
So true.
Hi, Diane. I just signed a petition to stop gerrymandering in Florida. I am attaching the link in case you're interested in signing it and passing it along to others here in Florida.
https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/we-need-to-put-an-end-to-gerrymandering-in-florida/?link_id=1&can_id=f511b0c51036257e2d663ca80d65cfc2&source=email-the-most-extreme-gerrymandering&email_referrer=email_1090732&email_subject=the-most-extreme-gerrymandering
Thanks Annette, I will sign & forward widely.
Roland, you are astute, kind and tolerant. Nothing to apologize for. TC steps over the line at times and someone always calls him out. We police ourselves quite well on this forum.
I'm with you, Diane. TC often has important things to say, but a lousy way of delivering them, so much of the time people react to the tone and have trouble getting to the message. Roland: your delivery is much more nuanced, and you can convey your passion about a subject in ways that make all of us grateful for your participation in this forum.
I tone down my own language a lot here because I think of this as a serious group of engaged people--I save my foul-mouthed screeds for Facebook! There my family and friends are used to it and find it amusing. But that is also because I am very careful about whom I "befriend" on FB. Actually, we all post more about our dogs and cats than about anything else. . .
Love that you save it for FB!! This is a very special forum without bots and trolls for the most part. And we usually do have such respectful, even if a little heated, discussions that we all benefit and learn from. TCinLA keeps us on our toes to things that make us respond. And this muscular exercise for how to respond in the world outside of HCR. I love this forum and feel assaulted by the comments and drivel I read occasionally expose myself to in the main stream media.
TC's language possibly comes as a reaction to spending his time writing scripts for tv shows or hollywood where sometimes one has difficulty differentiating soap from garbage.....with little residue left afterwards. It's nice to be able to exaggerate and let oneself go with a bunch of intelligent people talking about intelligent things.
🙏🙏
Your daughter sounds like a true young woman of TODAY! Good for her. Its a shame that many children lack her confidence! Two of my granddaughters do not!
Actually 2 granddaughters and one great-granddaughter - all three speak up for themselves and others - they make me proud.
White racists are at CPAC. This guy is job hunting.
Hi Penelope— the smartest friend I have had for about 43 years occasionally reminds me of the fact that we humans are animals continually evolving. I get it and it helps me to comprehend the outrageous behavior of some humans.
Though sometimes i feel that we are insulting other animals by the comparison.
At some point you might even have a laugh, Penelope, with your daughter as the Camel Jockey's in the Arab world actually can make a great deal of money. They are mostly young Pakistani boys who are treated like champion jockey's in Europe or America....as long as they stay firmly in the shadow of one royal haras or another and don't try to run away.
Interesting, Stuart! She is now of an age where I think she might laugh. I never really told her how clever one must be to ride a camel, at speed, and stay on and not injured...you know, down below!
As one who rides horses (mediocre at best) my helmet's off to your daughter, Penelope!
Penelope, I have spoken up about TCinLa’s language before. Trust me, he does not care. Roland defends him. Oh, well, “boys will be boys,” right?
Well, again, I liked that Roland politely asked us to not focus on the racist statement and look at the content of what TC was saying. We all know that TCinLA lets loose sometimes. Rather than slapping him down, I told a family story about racism, that I hope was educational for him, or someone. It was safer than sicking my daughter on him!
Tasteless. Ignore him.
I guess I will defend TC as well altho I once also took him to task for hurling a rude insult to another poster. However his indecorous comments about 7th Century desert nomad barbarians – applying it to the very current actions of the Crown Prince’s barbarism didn’t bother me. As you said, maybe “boys will be boys.” However, that puts us into the archaic dichotomy of language too impolite to speak in the presence of ladies. I come from the counter-culture era when that was completely abandoned and “ladies” could be as foul-mouthed as the guys.
Personally, I find it cathartic to express my feelings honestly. I have been calling #45 an Asswipe for years (along with other Repugnants). I occasionally do a verbal impression of Samuel L. Jackson when really upset. Venting may be a way to let off steam. Notice the description by neighbors of most serial killers after they were caught – “He was always such a nice, quiet, polite man.”
I find it interesting that TCinLa’s defenders seem to me male. Defend him all you want. I have canceled my subscription.
Please don’t cancel! I’ve only been around here for a short while. Just find the commenters you enjoy learning from. Ignore others. Blogs mirror cultures. Good, bad and ugly. There’s no perfect place.
I agree-- I hope Kay doesn't cancel!
I’m glad that Kay came right out and said it, “boys will be boys,” because I could sense people were thinking it. It’s a natural conclusion, I don’t really object. But I will say in my defense that this is not a “boys will be boys “group of guys. In particular I have not had a close male friend since college, because they all disappoint me. My closest Inner Circle friends are all women. I’ve never been part of the boys club, never. The sister who is closest to me calls me androgynous, as far back as elementary school I can remember having a huge problem with the whole macho male identity thing. I always felt completely on my own when it came to identity, I had to forge my own identity. I don’t naturally gravitate to men that’s for sure, and I certainly don’t defend them just because they’re men. So many men are just complete jerks. I am respectful and cordial with the truck drivers, but unless it’s a black or Latino truck driver who is anti-Trump, I don’t have much in common with them.
Yes words cause wars. Camel jockey is only 1 of the very offensive terms being used on this thread. And the fact that TCLA doesn’t seem to be as popular as others who are posting hateful rhetoric is just as disturbing. Let’s attack TCLA but not others.
That is unacceptable. This kind of bigotry must be called out and shouted down wherever it occurs. Shame on us if we look past it.
Absolutely
Look through ALL the comments on this diary. Look at the names of posters. TCLA just happens to be the 1 person who has become the lightening rod.
What he said was wrong and racist. What other people do and say is irrelevant to that fact.
Yes, what he said is wrong. But others have joined in and posted just as disturbing comments as TCLA. So their comments don't hold as much weight? I'm not following your logic here, Reid.
This feels too much to me like moral relativism, a way of justifying his racist comment by saying, "but everyone is doing it!" Just because I am not calling out every racist does not make my criticism of his racist comment any less valid. I guess the question I would ask you to ask yourself is, why did you feel the need to point out to me that others were also making racist comments if you weren't trying in some way to justify his?
Perhaps I didn't make myself clear. I wasn't justifying ANY of the racist comments here. Just finding it bizarre that all the attention seems to be on TCLA's post when in fact many others have used like language throughout the comments here.
I understand what you're saying. But I think it's dangerous to focus on that question rather than the broader question of racism. Why even bring it up rather than use your energy to repudiate all of the racist comments? Asking why I criticised his comment and not others opens the door, if only a crack, to justification and rationalization. There is no place for that in civil discourse.
One garnish too many
Let's just say that expletives have a cultural context and this particular one is quite common-place in middle eastern parlance. In France, one of the less interesting additions to the French Culture that has been offered by descendants of Arab immigration is "Nique ta mère" used to fend off any criticism of some otherwise unacceptable street aggressivity. The best translation would be "Go F*uck your mother". It is somewhat interesting to speculate whether in the minds of the perpetrating users, they consider Oedipian relations to be worse than Zoophilia.
You are attempting to justify a bigoted characterization with false equivalencies and arguments about how other countries say bad things to each other? Bigotry is bigotry and should be unacceptable to us.
Hmmmm..we’ll they like to think they’re so sexually sophisticated that it’s ok to take advantage of underaged humans. I think they lump it all together equally. I have a French sister in law whose father abused her sisters children. He admitted to the whole family. As she explained to me — it’s common.
Lots of this coming out in the press now. Its really messing up what referr to here as "the caviar socialist" scene where it is mostly situated as with Strauss-Khan etc!
And I’m glad.
Very enlightening on la France contemporaine, but at the end I'd just say "Oh, gross!"
I think it’s truly disgusting.
I love how you and Roland say so much with so few words!!
Moi Aussie Penelope!
You always defend him, Roland. Not a good look for you.
100%, Kay. Roland is commendably fair-minded, but I prefer insights without insults from TCinLA.
On my FIRST DAY here TC told me to "Go f--- yourself, you millennial f---wit." I almost canceled my subscription on the spot, but received reassurance from Substack that he's monitored as abusive.
It's not just the insupportable vulgarity, bigotry and insults. The frequent violent fantasies and suggestions to harm others are frankly unnerving. and just look at today's LFAA; a single crack about camels sends the discussion careening off track. This is bad trouble, not good trouble.
TPJ, I agree 100%. TC has much to contribute but his many descents into abusive language—and his cruelty toward others in this community—leave me less than inclined to admire his talents as a writer. He reminds me of a former boyfriend... brilliant but quickly former because of a drinking problem and a temper. TC is looking more and more like that inconsiderate bully. Thank you for calling out persistent bad behavior.
Hi Adker. I am reevaluating my relationship with TC. He’s been way over the line on far more occasions than I can even remember now.
TC is knowledgeable and he’s accomplished. I admire all that, too. But with age I am less willing to tolerate bigotry and bullying. I am thankful to our friends here who call it out. You don’t come across as a “boys club” kind of guy, but as a dear friend I haven’t met yet. This is a real—not just virtual—community because of the warm humanity of participants like you, Roland! So glad you’re here. In other news, I’ve just finished efiling our taxes and am ready to head out for my reward—a snowshoe hike :) Take care and thanks for your response.
Thanks, Adker. I'm used to the rough-&-tumble of political or scholarly exchange. so am less concerned about harassment directed at me. But many LFAAers are here for an an enjoyable, informative experience, not verbal mud-wrestling. A Like or supportive comment without insult is good human contact and validation.
The fact that he’s still here, and that posters on this story have described Saudis as lowlifes, inbred, camel jockeys, evil, the country is a hell hole, never would waste $ as a tourist, and more than I care to type out, is disgusting. I can’t believe what I’ve read to date.
Yep. It’s a little bit like judging US residents based on the behavior of trumpers—those in and out of government. It saddens me that the world sees us through that lens. And it’s just as sad that folks here have such stereotyped views of KSA, and don’t hesitate to share them. We all have much to learn and I am grateful for the teachings of Heather and all here.
“On my FIRST DAY here TC told me to "Go f--- yourself, you millennial f---wit." I almost canceled my subscription on the spot,”
Wow, I forgot about that. The guy who professes to despise Trump is just as bad and usually much worse in his insulting behavior. I’m sorry TPJ, that totally sucks. I’m starting to think that I’ve been acting like a schmuck. The problem is we don’t have a search feature: I can’t go back and review just how many times, and just how viciously, TC has been derogatory. He’s like the homeless guy on the street corner who is ranting and making nasty insults nonstop. The problem is that I have a bad habit sometimes of being loving and kind to someone even when they don’t deserve it anymore. I’m not surprised that Kay Ingram mistakes that for the white boy protecting the other white boy, it can sure look that way.
I'm still around. And loving kindness is a good bad habit.
I’m glad you’re still around. And I don’t regret my good bad habit. I’m just wondering if it’s time for a change.
and often very disconcerting to the one doing the insulting. Thus destabalized he is more open to reason....or goes away!
A soft answer turneth away wrath.
If people here are offended by language referring to intimate male anatomy, I'm surprised to see the word schmuck being used. It's Yiddish for penis.
I knew that, and I'm not Jewish. 😜
TPJ, you’re a millennial?
Sorry, no; it's ignorance from someone who doesn't know me. (Also trying not to be a f---wit, I believe with some success.) My age encompasses the millennial years, but no one knows the number. Calendars weren't invented back then.
Guessed you weren't a millennial; knew you weren't the other.
Hahaha. I thought not from your comments, but I was being sarcastic.
T, what exactly does this mean? “. . . received reassurance from Substack that he's monitored as abusive.”
I have no knowledge of any moderation by Substack. Until this post of yours I had no evidence either.
If this forum was moderated I’m sure comments about Saudis such as inbred lowlifes, evil, camel jockeys, hell hole of a country, etc would have been removed by now. Appalling.
I am changing my opinion, I am changing my decisions, and I am changing my behavior. About TC.
Roland, you are never a schmuck. You are intelligent, kind, and thoughtful. I wish you all the best. Cheers!
In this regard, it’s quite possible I’m being a schmuck. I am reevaluating my position and my behavior in this matter.
Thank you for your kindness.
I am doing well. I’m actually having the happiest year of my life, if you can believe it. When I woke up in the hotel I called my ex-wife, who is still a dear friend of both me and my current wife, and spent almost 2 hours on the phone. My February’s are usually crap. Predictably. I have had a very good month, including multiple breakthroughs with my science fiction story project. So this is an unprecedented February. I would have to call it excellent.
What Kay said. Never a schmuck.
🙏
Not a schmuck, and most of us can attribute any happiness we're experiencing to the absence of the Orange Menace, although his total silence would be better. Good luck arrived in November.
Yeah, you’ve got a point. I’m thinking about it, that’s what this thread today’s doing.
Yet, he is still here.
Right?
I thought camels are really tall just wondering how the Bedouins —
Oh Liz, you're going to get jabbed for that one!!!! I got a good laugh out of it - even before my coffee this am!
I’m watching Lawrence of Arabia today— one of my favorite movies ever! I love giving anyone a good laugh
God god.
Have to admit, tho, sort of an eye catcher wasnt it?
If by that you mean it was an effective way to get me to read what he had to say, the answer is no, because I stopped reading after the racial slur.
No, I meant exactly what I said - wasnt referring to you or anyone in particular.
But please be specific, Maggie. Why was it an eye catcher of a statement? Please enlighten.
Well, tried to go back & see exactly what unenlightened statement that I made, but too many comments and frankly, I have breakfast to get for my animals & myself. I believe I laughed at something that possibly was not politically correct?? You know, up to this point this has been such a pleasure like talking to old friends - friends I dont always agree with and of course who dont always agree with me. I think It was my reply to Liz - and quite honestly, if that was the issue? The pleasure I have gotten here has just taken a dive. This kind of, well not sure I could call it censure - but seems a bit like it. I agree that TC sometimes goes over the line - one that regardless of opinion, I would cross. But really? I guess I'll take a break - is that what is necessary?
Humph! -- "I find it amazing that no one in the press ever puts the words “Saudi national“ in front of the name “Osama bin Laden.”"
OBL was stripped of his Saudi citizenship in 1994, years before Sept 11 and his later demise. He was arguably still Saudi, but definitely not a Saudi national while the world was aware of him.
His family disowned him as well. I lived a few blocks from his family compound in Riyadh. Never met them but they were respected citizens.
Interesting. Well, you can take the man out of the country but that doesn’t mean you can take the country out of the man.
I loved seeing the PBS interview with Marty Baron of Washington post who is retiring in a few days. He is a journalistic super hero.
Yes, Liz. Here in MA we benefited from Marty's stewardship as Boston Globe editor. Ironically, his reputation owes much to Liev Schreiber's performance in Spotlight along with his own work.
It was a terrific performance. But please give Mr. Baron his due. He transformed both The Globe and The Post and did so with real courage and skill.
For sure—I loved that film
This is racist and should be deleted. There is no place for this kind of bigotry here. You entirely undermine the talking points you present when you use that language.
It is racist. But read through many, many more comments here and they are just as bad regarding how Saudis are being described and referenced. Commenters forget that there is an a tire nation of citizens under oppression in the KSA. It’s wrong to assume that all Saudis mirror the leaders we hear about through MSM.
"the only 'good' Saudi I've ever heard of was Kashoggi" -- TCinLA
"The only good Indians I ever saw were dead." -- Phil Sheridan
Substack, please delete TC's full comment.
You want substack to delete TC's full comment because of something a 19th Century Indian fighter said?
It's because his comment so closely echoes a 19C bigot. You and I had a tense exchange a couple of weeks ago, but I came away from it respecting you. Keep the comments coming.
Yes, I agree. Well said.
It’s helpful when discussing any nationality to distinguish between the government and the citizens.
I commented that I wouldn't travel to SA, because of the way that women are treated. If the leadership was different, that would change my opinion. It has nothing to do with race.
However, having lived and socialized amongst the Saudis (children, women and men) I learned so much about their culture, religious beliefs, and government. Why not learn up close and personal about other cultures and beliefs? Aside from that, the Arabian desert and other geographical regions (i.e. farming, sustainable living, dairy) is absolutely amazing.
I envy you the opportunity to do that. Were you allowed to go out unescorted, drive, etc.? Of course, living there full time and having the opportunity to forge relationships lends a very different cast to the experience. My perspective in going as a tourist, and knowing how oppressed their citizens are, and not knowing the intricacies of their customs, I'd worry about running afoul through my ignorance. The closest parallel I can think of is that on a trip to China, I chatted with a young woman who was our tour guide on a day trip. I recall telling her how much I was enjoying her commentary, and asked if she'd ever been to the US. Immediately, her entire demeanor changed, she looked nervously at a man who was on tour with us, although clearly a local and not a tourist, and she ended up not responding, and avoided me for the rest of the tour. My husband and I assumed that the man was a government watchdog, and was observing us and some other tourists because of information on our visas about occupations, etc. We had been warned by people familiar with tourism in China that our hotel room would be wired and we'd be observed while visiting. Rather unsettling.
Thank you for this kind comment, Nancy. We lived on a very large, gated compound and I would drive a car around it but outside of that community I always had a driver. Always sat in the back seat. It was really nice, actually, because traffic and driving patterns was an absolute hell. Yes, it would take some time for you to experience the cultural nuances. But there are good travel guides you can read and ex pat groups that could help you with some basic rules. Saudi Arabia wasn't open to tourism when I was there so I'm sure they relaxed some -- like no public displays of affection, wearing abayas and head scarves, woman can't talk to men in public, etc.
Your experience must have been life-changing. With your description, I can see a few avenues that could compromise my safety. Thanks so much for your insights, Tricia.
Not sure what you're getting at with your response here. I can't delete TC's comment. I was only mentioning that there's a ton of pretty awful comments throughout this thread today regarding Saudi's. And again, I'm coming at this as a person who lived in the KSA. I'm talking about the citizens. NOT the brutal governmental leaders or religious police. There are a lot of generalizations here today.
Apologies for not being clear, Tricia; I amended the previous comment. The delete suggestion is for moderators at Substack. Subscribers can delete only their own comments. You are 100% right about stereotyped remarks on the Middle East.
Moderators at Substack? TPJ you think moderators are reading through over 500 posts on just this one day? I don’t even think Substack has moderators.
After a little research, here’s what popped up:
Most of subject moderation involves the writers, not readers. In other words, Heather is responsible for moderation. Here is one paragraph I can find:
[Substack site quote begin]
SUBSTACK READERS
The philosophy behind these guidelines also applies to Substack readers. We believe that writers are most capable of managing their communities, but there are some occasions when we will review reports of readers’ behavior.
[Substack site quote end]
Also worth reading
https://blog.substack.com/p/substacks-view-of-content-moderation
Thank you for the reply, TPJ. Appreciate it. Yes, the stereotyping going on here today is absolutely appalling to me. But then again, having traveled the world and lived abroad for many years, Americans in general are real good at stereotyping. Sad but true.
"Americans in general are real good at stereotyping."
Your point?
Hahahah!
Your point?
Thank you TCînLA! Perhaps betrayal is why GWB had such a quizzical look on his face when he first heard the news on 9/11. I’ve never forgotten that image. ❤️🤍💙
I have nothing profound to contribute here. “Follow the money” has most often been a true factor in so much body politic. But, coincidentally, I came across a photo of my daughter from 9/15/2001 where she and her friends had set up a lemonade stand with a sign that said “all money goes to Red Cross.” Remember those days of care and concern for fellow citizens? My daughter turns 30 next month and I am pulling together an album/scrap book as her gift. It started out as a plan to choose a photo from each birthday to mark the years. Seeing that photo of the Red Cross effort from a 10-year old and her friends caused me pause. She is the same empathetic individual to this day, did social work for troubled Alaskan youth using wilderness environs to teach transferable skills to every day life. She was incredibly frustrated, and disappointed, at the beginning of the pandemic when the simple act of community care was to wear a mask but it became so political. Not sure how this fits with today’s comments, but thought it interesting that 9/11 was brought up, and I had just come across that photo.
It fits beautifully, Diane. Youngers like your daughter gonna save the world.
Thank you. Such an uphill battle. Simply to recognize humans for humans and help the environment.
"go back to being the desert nomad barbarians they were prior to 1921 when Abdul Azziz created Saudi Arabia" (with apologies to Omar Sharif)......with a little help from their friends, Laurence of Arabia and the Allied powers fighting the Ottoman Empire, bedfellow of Kaiser Wilhelm. I think things will get a little cooler in the Alliance and a "more acceptable" face will be put on the Saudi regime, which will only thinly mask the reality. It's another case of my enemy's enemy i'm afraid as well as the financial heft of what is left of their oil riches. Given that they are now unfreezing relations with Isreal, this report is not likely to be allowed to get in the way of dealing with Iran.
With oil/gas going up in price, I think the Saudi's are doing just fine currently and we don't currently have the green infrastructure in place to not need oil. Additionally, looking at Germany who invested quite a bit into their green/renewable infrastructure shows it is not robust enough to serve their needs which is why they are all in on the Russian pipeline which is about 90% completed. Imagine being dependent upon Russia for your energy needs. So I believe Saudi Arabia will still be relevant as a large player/option in the energy sector. Incidentally, if we are going to reindustrialize to decrease our dependence and exposure to China, our energy needs will only increase.
And Germany needs desperately to phase out their pollution disaster aging brown coal (lignite) burning stations which they had to resuscitate after "courageously" and quickly shutting down their nuclear capacity.
Take out some of the colorful descriptors you’ve used here and I agree with your brief historical analysis of the kingdom. Having lived in Saudi for 10 years and studied its culture, government, and propaganda up close and personal, I feel for its citizens. The Saudis I knew and socialized with were not jihadists or radicals — those would be the religious police, the government leaders, the ultra wealthy who removed their ghutras on a flight out of the kingdom and once out of Saudi airspace and downed Glenlivet like water. Those in power and much like we see in our own nation, right?
If you look close enough and long enough, you can see parallels. And God help us if Trump is re-elected in 2024 and Kushner reasserts himself and his friendship with BSM. There is a chance BSM will be king eventually.
Given the chance I’d return to live in KSA for the rest of my life if I could. I’d love to immerse myself in international human rights again. Especially children and women.
On a side note, ‘The Kingdom: Arabia and the House of Sa’ud’ is worth reading.
Bullseye, Tricia. Lacey's The Kingdom was my early intro to Saudi Arabia. Iranians and Saudis in their millions yearn to be unmolested by their governments and fully participate in the modern world.
I got to thinking a bit and MBS was 14-years-old when I lived in KSA. At the time something like 55% of the male population was under the age of 18 and I remember being briefed by the Saudi consulate about the significance of that fact and what could happen to the country over the next 20 years or so. Those words ring pretty true today. I won't drop names in a public forum like this but we socialized with people who knew things and did things. It was a foreign world to me, literally and figuratively, but I learned a lot about international politics. And cultures and peoples of course. I'm not Saudi defender but those years in the KSA taught me a lot. As did my life abroad in general. I've never been happy living in the USA since returning. We are such a shallow people. Myself included.
If only all "shallow" people had your depth.
Perhaps you need to find more diverse people to hang out with who are not like you. Do you know people who make less than $40,000 per year? That would be 50% of the U.S. adult population.
Not following your comment. A bit confused. Would you kindly be a bit more specific so I can understand your message? Thank you so very much.
Your quote: "I've never been happy living in the USA since returning. We are such a shallow people. Myself included."
What makes a person shallow? One way is to only engage with people who you are comfortable to be with. Often those people are very much like u. Comfortable people in the USA usually have access to secure finances. Hence the expression, a comfortable, convenient life is not a real life - the more comfortable, the more shallow.
Rajneesh.
"When we are comfortable and inattentive, we run the risk of committing grave injustice absentmindedly." Chinua Achebe
Shallow people do not solely seek comfort after a difficult task. They follow comfort every minute of every day. As soon as they feel some discomfort they change the subject or walk away. Therefore, they are weak at empathy. However, they are FUN to be with! Quick to laugh and often adventurous!
I think they’re evil and I have no plans to travel there.
The racist and rude rhetoric that TC uses should not tarnish your view of the kingdom. See my comment up thread but having lived and worked in Saudi for 10 years, I’d go back in a minute. Beautiful country. Beautiful and suppressed people. The government, religious police, propaganda, and jihads are barbaric — and some of their practices mirror what the Trump administration was trying to do .. and successfully in some ways.
I've felt for years that many Americans don't venture beyond our shores, because there truly is so much to see and do here. However, travel helps to broaden one's horizons. It's too easy to stereotype people, based on someone else's interpretation. We would all benefit from leaving our comfort zone. Perhaps this is the reason that Europeans and Asians are more open-minded and sophisticated in many ways, and also explains the "ugly American," who is so comfortable with feeling entitled and superior.
My thoughts exactly. Thank you.
So true, with the same feeling here. We can travel so far, see so much, yet never leave America. It lowers the horizon over the rest of the world. We are not the whole world.
PS, any fans of Rick Steves' Europe here? It's a fun, fine stand-in until we can travel again.
I watch even his replays. Can't wait to travel again.
As an Africanist who lived in Zambia for a couple of years, I'm all too familiar with equally uninformed views of the continent's people.
TP, I have an Indian acquaintance who was born in Zambia and now lives here. Do you have any information about the origins of Indians' arrival in Zambia?
VERY briefly, there is a millennium-long South Asian presence in the East African coast, Red and Arabian Seas. Also a corresponding but smaller African presence across the Indian Ocean.
Large-scale migration began in the 19C, bringing indentured labor for sugar in Natal, and the railroad in Kenya. From there "Indians" (millions are Africans now for several generations) spread inland, and into commerce, business and other middling occupations. Success as a market-dominant minority has drawn a reputation for sharp dealing, and discriminatory laws and treatment in several African countries, some expelling them altogether.
The feature film "Mississippi Masala" is a marvelous look at "Indian" immigrants, from Ugandan exile to settling in America. Watch and discuss with your acquaintance. If you want good friends, have African friends. Cheers!
K Chaudhuri, Trade & Civilisation in the Indian Ocean
F&L Dotson, Indian Minority of Zambia, Rhodesia, Malawi
B Lal, Encyclopedia of the Indian Diaspora
H Tinker, A New System of Slavery
TPJ, thanks so much for all of this information. I suspected that his family arrived as indentured labor, but not knowing the culture, I didn't want to offend him by asking. He's in his mid-to-late 40's, married, and has two children. He came here to attend Georgia Tech, staying with relatives, but was unable to afford the tuition, so went to a technical school and became an automotive technician and now has a successful business. He told me that his was an arranged marriage, at his choice. His family hired a matchmaker who went to their original area of India and found a woman who was distantly related. He's a brilliant and lovely person, and my entire family patronizes his business. I'll ask about his observations now that I can learn more and ask intelligent questions.
You're just a wealth of information.
Thanks for kind words, Nancy. HCR gets regular requests for more info, but others will help to reduce the burden. That wealth comes cheaply for LFAAers. Heck, I pay to be here!
Let me know when your subscription expires. I'll pay the next installment.
I worked with several Indian families on projects in Kenya.
Amen
Jenner & Block. Step one, body slam. 7 No Trump. Step two. Closes the casino. Billions to trillions. MBS may be rolled.
That term —camel fornicator kills me.
Why do, Liz?
Meant to say, Why so, Liz? Really interested in understanding why 'camel fornicator' kills you.
I add my welcome. This is a highly talented and civil group.
Non-expert here. Big grain of salt needed. I think unreservedly that this is very canny behavior by Biden and Co.
It’s measured and nuanced. Biden no doubt realized that his days of talking only with the King are numbered. He is 85 and losing his grip mentally. There was debate as to how much of the conversation he even understood.
The Saudis know Biden knows that. So I would say it’s even more of a slap in the face to MBS that Biden choose to talk with a leader with dementia over the presumptive heir. No doubt that would sting MBS, given what we know about him.
To an extent Biden can only do so much in re-litigating the past - with Khashoggi, with the Russians, and with the war on Yemen. The Times, I believe it was, had an article in which an expert said that Yemen could be facing the worst humanitarian crisis ever seen. That sounds hyperbolic to me - it would have to go some to surpass the Holodomor - but nonetheless this is a *current* situation - one which the US may wish to ameliorate. Stepping on the toes of MBS (with whom he will surely be dealing in the not too distant future) as he did is a stark warning. The big guns (so to speak) can be held in abeyance.
I feel exactly as sanguine about his first shot across the bow with Russia. He spoke softly, but indicated the big stick.
I think America is back - in a measured but resolute way. Time will tell if he follows through with consistency, but this is a good start.
Now, if we could only deal firmly and swiftly with our own most refractory citizens.
Welcome! At this time of night, it’s usually the people living in Europe, the night owls in America, and people in the US who are working a night shift like me. I’m in California working a night shift as a truck driver. I’ll get back to you with a comment on your question about Biden and MBS, but chances are there will be lots of other people replying to you.
I’m on the east coast still on my teacher’s schedule— in bed before nine— up around 4.
Me, too, Liz, though usually up at around 2:00.
Great time to get things done when others are sleeping!
Congrats, early birds. No worms for me, please; this night owl is up late.
Good morning, Roland. I’m an early riser in SoCal, up at 4:30 am so I can read HRC and fellow readers’ illuminating posts before caring for my husband and trying to get some writing work done. Thanks to you and so many others, I learn so much I’d spend hours searching for elsewhere. Today was especially helpful re Saudi Arabia.
Morning Roland! I am glad to say that after a brutal week I managed to get a decent night's sleep! I hope you have had a safe night shift and that you have a restful weekend!
Thank you Linda! Sorry you had a brutal week.
Hi, Roland!
Hi Marlene! Don’t you ever go to sleep?
We'll sleep when we're dead.
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
BY ROBERT FROST
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
It took me a while to realize this poem was about death and how we make choices that count before the end but it’s such a masterpiece.
Morning Lynell!! Glad you like New England poets.
Your comment about not sleeping til we're dead made me think of the venerable Robert Frost.
I often think of Frost and his poetry.
ACK! I just tried it to the rhythms of "Hernando's Hideaway" and IT WORKS!! You've forever ruined the poem for me...or maybe "Hernando's Hideaway" will never be the same!! ;-)
I swear, Bruce, I was just thinking the other day I haven't "seen" you around in some time, and now here you are! Sorry to corrupt the beauty of the poem and Hernando's Hideaway for you, but am thankful you resurrected that wonderful tune!
Hiding in Hernando's Hideaway ... or is it Bruce's?
I have no clue, TPJ. It's a rabbit hole I just hopped into...
Awww...you're sweet...thank you! I've just been busy with other little things and don't get to reading HCR's letters until later in the day. By then, with 300+ comments on here, trying to catch up and follow all the threads becomes daunting. We're suffering with our own popularity, I guess. More people have showed up on here, which is a GOOD thing, but more comments and participation means it can take more time to get to everything! I love it and it's interesting seeing what people think, but there aren't enough hours in the day!!
Right! If only I could unhear this! :-)
This from fellow reader Richard Bearman: "I love that poem, even though my wife and I once abused it by having a group chant it to the tune of Fernando's Hideaway while we danced what was meant to be a comic tango."
I love that poem, even though my wife and I once abused it by having a group chant it to the tune of Fernando's Hideaway while we danced what was meant to be a comic tango.
That sounds so fun— I once took tango lessons from an instructor at MiT
MIT dancers move with grace and mathematical precision.
You’re so right TPJ— after 3 commutes bringing my tango shoes and all I realized that this guy was boring and I didn’t learn how to tango—I also dropped my dream of dancing with a real Argentinian in Buenos Aires but that still is on my bucket list— I bet I could learn the tango fast with a ranchero-/ maybe not though at 80.
Fellow reader Bruce Sellers replied to me thusly: "ACK! I just tried it to the rhythms of "Hernando's Hideaway" and IT WORKS!! You've forever ruined the poem for me...or maybe "Hernando's Hideaway" will never be the same!! ;-)" Seems you and your wife, Richard, are not alone!
This is my happy place: HRC plus hero Frost
Woops. HCR
HRC fought the good fight against DJT. Like Jimmy Carter in 1980, her loss was a tragedy for humanity.
❤️
Laugh emoji.
Wasn't there a song...
Yes. I know Frost’s poetry from high school a capella choir singing. There was a music arranger who turned several of the poems into choral music. Hauntingly beautiful before I understood the deeper meanings. The Road Not Taken was another we sang. I understood that 😊
My son’s godfather had a mother who taught poetry at Wellesley and she had been personal friends with Frost— I just toured his former home in Vermont
😂😂
Welcome aboard, Bonnie. Don't let this be your last comment.
Hopefully today's steps are just the first from Biden (at least with SA more than Syrian bombings). Apart from progressive sanctions, the admin is adopting a careful, painstaking approach toward security threats and major crimes, whether committed in the Middle East, at American military bases, or the US Capitol grounds. I say take the necessary time to build rock-solid prosecutions, then lower the boom. Boom!
Welcome to this marvelous group!
It is very frustrating that MBS seemed to get a slap on the wrist. I imagine, however, there may be something happening in the backroom that we don’t know about. Biden will only converse with the King and apparently he told him that their country’s violations of human rights will not be tolerated and the possibility of sanctions are there. I don’t get why those sanctions weren’t enforced immediately when Biden took ownership.
I think Biden is giving the King a chance to discipline his son or something himself, rather than going straight to sanctions or other heavy-duty reactions. There's more than one way to get results.
Nice Laura! MBS is only 35. Spoiled rotten I’m sure, like any lifetime multimillionaire. Gets away with murder and all kinds of other nasty misdeeds. The Saudi elites, with some individual exceptions, as a group are rotten to the core. They understand the Bushes’ and Trumps’ greedy selfish ways. What they don’t understand is principled Americans. They are scared of America, because they see what happened to Saddam. They know we could regime-change them in a heartbeat if we wanted to. Don’t believe the royalty crap. It’s a self-imposed label. They are as Royal as my Royal vacuum cleaner from the 80s.
Ibn Saud was a warlord who crushed his opponents, ruthlessly exploited resources at hand, and placed a crown on his own head. (Come to think of it, that's true for most founders of dynasties.) The House of Saud, with its connections to Wahhabism, marks a century-long rupture in more longstanding patterns of religious and political authority in the Arabian peninsula. It succeeds with oil money, military force, co-opting an elite, and the cachet that comes with guarding Islam's Holy Places. That is no formula for longterm stability. The brutal war in Yemen may be contained through international efforts, or it may commence a great unraveling in Arabia -- something the world cannot afford. Nothing is guaranteed.
PS, Yemen, with its shattered health system, damaged civil society, and poor monitoring and data-keeping, is potentially a monumental global health risk. It's the kind of state where diseases, including Covid-19, become endemic, survive and burst out in future pandemic or epidemic outbreaks.
And a source of future and actual mercenary terrorists.....driven by despair , anger and poverty.
The Kingdom: Arabia and the House of Sa'ud
They are so scared that they come and go as they please, spend a lot of time in the US, use the Mayo clinic etc as if they own it (which they could do), invest in real estate in New York and elsewhere......just as they do in Paris and London. Money talks!
I love the vacuum cleaner metaphore......and they are just as efficient in their running of their country....leaving dirt everywhere. What they do efficiently however is hoover up the money we pay them for the oil making sure that nothing remains on the ground and all stays firmly stuck to their magic flying carpet all the way back to Western Banks etc.
I remember my first contracts in Nigeria...the locals said that in 1974 it cost $100 million to get rid of a dictater and by the time I last went in 1992 it cost $1 Billion and none of the oil money to this day ever touches the African shore. Quid erat demonstrandum! (QED)
I knew a couple who lived in Saudi Arabia for years on a consultancy basis. The wife told me that at a dinner party she asked a question pertaining to the status of women and the man explained simply that it’s because women don’t have souls ...bone chilling.
Friends of mine lived in Abu Dhabi on contrat to develop and run the port. They complained ..tongue in cheek..that they had to get a permit to buy alcohol; the permit allowed them to order a truck load. Hypocracy rampant!
I have many countries still on my bucket list— I wouldn’t go near there.
It might be good for kicking the bucket. I'd rather see Trinidad myself.
I’d rather go to Mars.
Got room for one more, Liz?
Not all Muslim sects are quite so blatant but this was and continues to be a debate in theological circles. Of course, it was also a debate in early Christianity, too . . .
My point is the Arabs are particularly dismissive of female rights and are mostly comfortable with total control of them. I’m sure the question of who have souls or not is still being debated. As a devout Anglican I can only tell you I don’t think Jesus had any question about women having souls. I’m at the point where I wonder about my dogs’ souls.
Your point about Saudi sexism was crystal clear.
Well they don't reckon much on Jesus..just Abraham. I don't wonder about dogs but i think they wonder about us! And with good reason.
Actually I discovered recently that Jesus, I called him Joshua because that’s his original name, is very much a part of Islam.
but not as important as for Christians....another prophet.
He is mentioned in the Koran I forget a hundred or so times.
After all we started some 700 years before them and have had time to round off a few edges.
Muslim reformation needs to learn from Christian, might not take as long.
Not having a hierarchical structure doesn't help.
Uh oh.
Who do you talk with is the politicians question?
Can you imagine what evil can be justified by the belief that someone, including all women, does not have a soul? With all due respect to Mecca, I don’t think Saudi Arabia society is a Mecca for anything else. I don’t think anybody in their right mind would think of it as a tourist destination.
Mecca is the world's greatest travel destination, the centerpiece of all hajjis' lives. Largely off limits to "gringos" except for essential business, the prime visitors are the millions of annual pilgrims. Tourists in the sense of being on tour, they will talk of the Kaaba ritual spectacle their whole lives, as others talk of Notre Dame or Gettysburg.
While it's not rank consumerism, the pilgrim industry is a mighty economic engine. Physical infrastructure, lodging, security, food, health and other services, and not least almsgiving (one of Five Pillars), all drive a productive regional commerce well beyond SA itself. The pilgrim trade thrived long before the oil industry, and will flourish long after the black gunk dries up.
I'm not worried about the "royalty" of the king, or how spoiled his son indubitably is. His son is still his subject, and he has been extraordinarily ruthless in the past even with family members who created trouble for either the king or the kingdom. MBS has done both, and who knows what will happen. I think Biden has made it clear that something will if MBS isn't dealt with.
Yes exactly. MBS is an evil little shit. And I agree, I think you’re right that Biden is putting his foot down. Nice call.
He has myriads of Brothers and Sisters who are extremely wary of him. A coup against him by the opportunistic and threatenedfamily members is more likely than a decision by the father. MBS has spent much of his energy trying to make sure this doesn't happen....putting the family in jail as fast as he can expose their own corruption....without touching his own of course. This is entirely normal in a dictatership.....and the reason why male Pharoah of ancient Egypt married their sisters and vice-versa....old as the hills. Killing each other is the only way they can advance in this system.
This point may be trivial, but I am struck by how much press Mohammed bin Salman gets. His actions have warranted it, but the fact that his name is so catchily abbreviated to MBS makes him a more appealing subject for the media. It also gives him a quasi-titular/institutional status, like the CIA, FBI, or SCOTUS/POTUS.
Somebody has done an effective bit of branding work for him; he may be second in line to the throne, but in the public eye (at least during the last four years) the amount of eyeballs he has drawn have already put him there.
“This point may be trivial,”
I disagree emphatically. Marketing and what is getting attention is never trivial, when I am able I think of it as much as possible. My wife worked 20 yrs in getting smoking out of public places. She has told me stories about Burson Marsteller, a scumbag PR outfit that did media spin and damage control for tobacco companies. You think the Saudi dictatorship is nasty . . . 🤮
Thanks — I actually don’t think it’s a trivial point, but I haven’t seen it noted anywhere. Would the world have been so swamped with news about Jennifer Lopez if her name didn’t shorten so cutely to JLo, and if people didn’t feel so cool for knowing that little mnemonic? (Or Bennifer, or ARod (did their publicist introduce them to each other?) MBS sounds so coldly efficient, and that in itself makes appealing the act of writing about him, reading about him (we’re in the know!), while also semaphoring his stature on the world stage, however aspirational it is at this point.
“ but I haven’t seen it noted anywhere.”
Which is precisely why your bringing it into the conversation is so seminal, so vital. We often don’t know that we’re being scammed, duped, misdirected and even brainwashed, so anytime we can remind ourselves of propaganda and marketing, it helps us look away. Maybe there is a Saudi prince who is an actual human being and not ruthless and evil. THAT’S who we should be paying attention to. THAT’S who we need to be putting eyes on. Forget MBS, Murder By Saudi. Do we have an undiscovered or unknown human rights adherent, a mensch, in Saudi Arabia who should and could run that country?
Deliberately no doubt..a very rich contract for some PR professional..the selling MBS
It always had a gangster connotation to me.
It’s actually like a Shakespearean tragedy about to happen—King Lear a la the desert.
Explains close bro relationship with Jared, doesn’t it?
Like attracts like.
I call him Mortgage Backed Securities.
Murdered By Saudis.
Grace that’s a cool way to think of this guy.
Ha! Thanks Liz.
The sunday Times of London called MBS this morning Mr Bone Saw!
That’s the best!
Whoa, good one, maybe the best!
Love that!
Birds of a feather flock together.
Agreed.
Loved- "They are as royal as my Royal vacuum cleaner from the 80s" !!!
Love this vacuum cleaner simile Kathy.
I have a certain respect for the Bush family and would never lump them together with DT and his progeny.
Another father that might have done a better job of bringing up his sons!
Is the vacuum still working? :-)
Today's power politicking may be even more sharp-elbowed than we realize. MBS is King Salman's third heir in six years since he ascended the throne. While he appears strong now, he's faced serious opposition in the past, not least within the royal family. Wishful thinking for the demise of a monster? Sure. But given America's long record of foreign intervention, and Biden's vast experience in arm-twisting, MBS's coronation is hardly guaranteed. We shall see. Be surprised at nothing.
In this case, I think Biden's reputation for being a benign grandfather is serving him well. He smiles, reasons, cajoles, but beneath all of that, I'm beginning to see that he knows all the angles and has the steely resolve to manipulate all of them when necessary. He was undervalued for decades.
Nancy I consistently love absolutely everything you write
Roland, that is so nice of you! I love all of your commentary, too - especially when you stop to clean up some of TC's colorful language, which I love, too. I should have added to my earlier post that I also undervalued Biden - my bad.
Yes, nothing would surprise me and what chance would there be that whatever sibling/relative who might dethrone MBS would be any better? Seems the system itself, a "royal" dictatorship propped up by religious tribalism, is the problem.
👌
MBS is an outrageous criminal against humanity, and even Mr Khashoggi's cruel demise pales compared to the horrific war in Yemen. Let's take our chances with almost any other Saudi prince. As my dad said decades ago, If people do something wrong they should be punished. "Let justice be done though the heavens may fall!"
But why is it the American government's job to punish this criminal? Let them take care of their own. Biden has performed an excellent chess move here. Stop arms sales. Make USA position on Yemen known. Refuse to talk to any Saudi official aside from the King.
I agree that the role of the world's policeman shouldn't be ours. However, from a practical standpoint, Saudi Arabia is an uncomfortable ally, and as such we must maintain a dialogue with them, while letting them understand that we do not condone the deplorable actions of MBS or his cohorts. At any time, he could become King - whether we like it or not. Chess is our only current option, hoping that King Salman can manage to replace him.
I agree that it’s a thinking ahead 4 moves by Blinken and we’re so lucky Biden has him.
Blinken was such a good choice. It's frustrating that Biden's cabinet choices have been criticized by so many Democrats as not being progressive enough. He has chosen the very people who can help him clear the rubble of the last four years. I don't believe that he's simply an antique Obama wannabe - no offense to Obama, but it's becoming increasingly clear that he has his own agenda.
I think he’s gotten kind of sexy in his enormous confidence— such an accomplished decent man— I wish all the factions of the Democratic Party would just stop the bickering and let’s see where this we’ll chosen team takes us— a little patience please.
I love the chess analogy. Excellent.
Agreed Tricia; the US is too prone to throwing around its weight overseas. But in this case Biden may "induce" some welcome changes in Saudi Arabia. MBS will smart from the sting of Biden's snub for some time. His choice of who he talks to or names is rhetorically brilliant.
Certainly not the first time that regime-change would have been "engineered". Iran, Chile and the list goes on.
I would love MBS to face his karma in terms of both Kashoggi and Yemen but this is a huge decision for the king and he is tough but MBS will not go down easily.
I read this on Wikipedia: "The current ruler of Saudi Arabia is King Salman, who succeeded King Abdullah on his death on 23 January 2015. On the same day, Prince Muqrin became Crown Prince only to be replaced three months later by Muhammad bin Nayef at the order of Salman.
On the morning of 21 June 2017, Muhammad bin Nayef was deposed as Crown Prince and Salman's son Mohammad bin Salman was appointed to the position. The current crown prince is a grandson of Ibn Saud, the second of his generation to be officially placed first in the line of succession. The Allegiance Council was created in 2006 to facilitate the royal transfer of power."
Don’t know how many sons he has or how they keep track of sons with their harems but I’m betting MBS isn’t the one he loves best just thought he was the one who’d take charge.
Yes, MBS does have serious opposition within the royal family. Remember, he had members detained. The lust for power commonly runs stronger than the ties of blood. The man is evil, probably why Trump got along with him so well.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/06/world/middleeast/saudi-royal-arrest.html
And before that, he had members of his own family arrested.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-arrests-crownprince-insight/a-house-divided-how-saudi-crown-prince-purged-royal-family-rivals-idUSKBN1DA23M
I would even go farther and say Biden might be giving the King a chance to name a new Crown Prince. Although if I remember correctly MBS has consolidated his power and a considerable portion of the wealth to himself.
Exactly. Biden is showing respect (whether you agree that is the way to approach this or not) to the Saudis culture and practices. I respect and fully understand what Biden is doing here and I think much of the world leaders feel the same.
Agreed. And he’s still the King.
Yes, I think this is what diplomacy looks like. But it has been such a long time...
I’m not sure where I heard this but I believe the State Department has evidence of the planes MBS used in flying in the assassins to Turkey. I think it’s all going to come out soon— the mountain of evidence that DT was concealing so he and Jared could cozy up to MBS and the Arab oil money.
No love lost between MBS the turkish pasha. Nothing `will stop the details coming out.
Yes they will come out thank god after all the suppression of our former wannabe dictator u know who.
They’re cooking something up that they’re not telling us about yet. I agree Marlene. I also have a sneaking suspicion that there are all kinds of communications taking place that are not part of that official Biden talk with the king.
Yes to this. And to the basic idea that citizens rarely know what is going on in real time. It will be more clear in about 25 years. Thank goodness for the “kitten in string “ skills of HCR! We at least have clues.
Yes, I agree. While it would have been extremely edifying to see this autocratic murderer get his comeuppance publicly and immediately, SA is still a very powerful ally in an unstable region. Biden can afford to make it clear that MBS needs to be curbed by the king (I assume one of the conditions is that he will no longer be the designated crown prince) and then wait to see what happens. He still has direct sanctions in his pocket if he needs them.
Just wondering if MBS and Jared are still communicating, back channel, acting as if dad-in-law is still in charge?
more probably Jared is finding out just how shallow the "friendship" actually was.
Shallower, shallowest honestly it’s all just about the money power and narcissistic achievements with them
Hard to imagine that they don’t. Two birds of a feather. Will we ever know their WhatsApp confidences. Perhaps the US’s “prince” (yuck!) is more complicit than anyone wants to believe. After all, the shroud covering all the evil sometimes slips away with time. https://www.inquirer.com/columnists/attytood/trump-jamal-khashoggi-murder-cover-up-saudi-arabia-mbs-20191001.html
New here commenting, hello all. I’d read intel chief and intervention squad WERE sanctioned by Joe now. Why is no sanctions claimed? Because the king himself was not sanctioned? Please clear this up for a confused seeker. Thanks.
It’s just real diplomacy has kicked in with Biden again and language becomes more subtle.
Because MBS was not sanctioned and the country itself was not, just others who were involved in the plot.
Thanks!
Welcome, Cary!
Hey, Cary!
Welcome. Make yourself at home, Cary.
Hello, and welcome to Heather’s Cafe! I am not as knowledgeable about this issue, but you will find a big batch of very intelligent and well-read folks here that will surely answer all your questions and provide links and sources to everything you may want to know.
I like that, Heather's Cafe!
I'll have a West From Appomattox green tea, please.
Good choice!
Hoping they deliver; walking is hard on my Wounded Knee.
Often your references go right over my head, TPJ, but this time I’ll take my peppermint julep tea and sit down in my favorite booth to read about The South Winning the Civil War.
Not as slick as you but it’ll have to do
Then again I flunked the Julian calendar trivia question
I read the Nytimes every day and think that what you are referring to has to do with timing. Biden now has made a reversal in terms of foreign diplomacy. So under DT the State Department was part of the so called deep state and he did everything he could to dismantle it. Biden has returned to the traditional protocols. So the NYTIMES correct reported when there were no sanctions and now Biden has clearly signaled this is changing.
I think the Times headline and "angle" is just sophomoric. The President's response is more nuanced than that.
The information from the investigation has just been released and is new to most people. Perhaps Biden is giving the King a chance to do the right thing with the prince. It is a crime that happened there and during the former president.
Hi Bonnielou. Welcome to the participation of thoughts side of HCR’s letters. I’m also a fan of the way HCR blends current events with historical content, and she never fails to bring my heart rate down after watching the, hair on fire, news.
I’ll let more intellectual opinion writers answer your question about NYT criticism on Biden’s decision, but my first thought was, whaaaat? That’s it? Not even one tiny sanction?
Welcome! I’ve commented a few times throughout this thread today and especially in Saudi being that I lived and worked in the kingdom for 10 years. So my perspective on news about the KSA comes from personal insight. I’d suggest reading (or listening to since it’s on audio now) ‘The Kingdom: Arabia and the House of Sa’ud’.
Is Robert Lacey's Inside the Kingdom a thoroughly new book, or a revised and updated Kingdom?
From what I perused, it was written in 2009 and based on his time there for about 3 years. Just ordered a copy. Interested in his perceptions and how things have changed since I left. The Kingdom was written in 1982.
ThanxxxxxxTPJ
Welcome, Bonnielou!
This Letter from an American ignores the American architect of the policies reflected in the actions discussed: Antony Blinken, Secretary of State, son of Donald, nephew of Alan, grandson of the owner of The Sherry Netherlands Hotel, a brilliantly educated diplomat and statesman known for his character and decency. The Blinken family are Jews with a deep understanding of fascism and a healthy respect and love for American Blacks. They loathe Trump Inc. They are conservative liberals with a developed understanding of America and the world. Antony is deeply loved by those that know him. He will restore State and have the backs of American diplomats that respect the rights of all people. Antony will not cave for MBS, Russia’s Putin, or oligarchs. America is back at State. The Saudi murder of a US journalist in Istanbul is duly noted. This step will jar any number of dictators starting with China, N. Korea, Manila, Hungary, Turkey, Poland, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Israel, Brazil, Venezuela, and Russia. Antony will reflect Joe Biden, and Joe Biden will reflect Antony. The UN Ambassador is part of the growing image of the Biden Blinken State department. She is Black and her heart is pure Blinken Biden. America is back and Black women will rise. Remember Joe Knows Us.
Thanks for the additional information about Antony Blinken. I am looking forward to watching the highly qualified Biden Cabinet work and try to make this country a better place for all the people.
Well said, Elizabeth. I am disappointed but not discouraged about the Biden Harris administration based on the 15 dollar minimum wage. I see traction being gained as a small snowball of hope (Executive branch doing its job) beginning to roll. We all need to help push.
So much for "Trump's neglectful foreign policy." His foreign policy was anti-American principles and interests.
Thank you for this.
Your list of countries included Venezuela but did not mention Honduras, Guatemala, or El Salvador. Why is Venezuela listed when they were the proto type for staging the world to denounce an elected leader? I challenge anyone on this list to research the charlatan who self proclaimed himself the true elected leader. He is as qualified asTrump.
HCR dedicates today's newsletter to US relations with Saudi Arabia, and to Biden's determination to renew America's position as a country that still counts - makes a crucial difference - in a world in ferment. The President wants our friends and adversaries to know that Trump's neglectful foreign policy is now in the past and that the US Government again has its finger on the world's pulse, and is not yet in decline. In addition, Biden is warning that the US will do what it must to forestall foreign meddling in our elections This is, of course, positive and long overdue.
However.... The NYT yesterday suggested that the $15 minimum wage - after the Senate parliamentarian nixed it as part of the big spending bill subject to "reconciliation" - was as good as dead on arrival, and that this irritates - or worse - progressive Democrats.
Well, it sure as hell irritates me and makes me wonder why the Democrats cannot simply do away with the filibuster, read Manchin and Sinema the riot act (politely, behind closed doors, but in public if necessary) and then ram this bill down the GOP's throats. If Biden thinks he will get any meaningful bipartisanship from more than an insignificant number of GOP outliers (Romney? and....), he must be drinking a new kind of Kool-aid.
I mean, in theory the main thing that distinguishes the DEMs from the GOP is that we are in it for the good of the nation, while they are in it for the money. Is Joe Manchin unwilling to risk defeat next time, even if taking this risk is clearly in the Amercan people's vital interest? Or is he just in it for the money? I don't know much about Sinema, but I would ask her the same questions.
Sure, ditching the filibuster would piss-off both the Trump and anti-Trump wings of the GOP. They would vow revenge and fight back with every lie and sleazy tactic and criminal act they can muster. We would have to put any hope of bipartisanship to rest. But what do our more "moderate" Democrats really think? That the GOP would hesitate to eliminate the filibuster if they thought doing so might serve their nefarious ends? Or pack the SCOTUS with rightwing ideologues (Oh, they already did).
Don't people realize that we are way beyond "polite" bipartisan Senate politics as usual, and that there is no going back? That the future of our species hangs in the balance? I could go on, but there's no need to exaggerate....
Insert rant here: What frustrates me is thinking we are working with normal people in our government. Why should seditionists even be on our payroll, much less allow them to vote on other people's income...America?
Exactly. Each and every one of the seditionist congresscritters* must be held to account. That they continue to be permitted to hold their seats and vote on measures is unacceptable.
*Professor Richardson's term, used in lieu of acknowledging congressmen and congresswomen, which are really long words and subject to dyslexic conversions in my corner of the typing world.
Agree. It's infuriating.
Because DT got to be prez for a term and instead of governing he’d tweet for hours to his “I love the uneducated” base. He is a very effective charlatan bamboozler with television skills who looks up to dictators.
Since there are at most 47 votes to kill the filibuster, a fallback might be to modify it. Require actual stand in the Senate and talk, not a quiet little email. Instead of 60 votes to end debate, require 40 votes at any moment to continue it. This idea comes from the Atlantic, link not handy at the moment.
Hi Joan. Sure, we could go back to the Mr. Smith/Jimmy Stewart sort of filibuster and see how much stamina pampered GOP senators really have, but even this would require yes votes from 50 DEM senators and the tie-breaker from Kamala Harris, unless one or two Republicans got on board (which I doubt).
But what is really the point of the filibuster? In theory it guarantees a full and open debate, but it has almost always been used by the minority to simply block the will of the majority, nothing more complicated or morally uplifting than that. The Constitution provides for a simple majority to pass legislation in the Senate. It makes no mention of any filibuster. And our glorious sacred-cow Senate is already rigged to give far more power to a rural minority at the expense of the modern America's Urban majority. I can't see anything to feel nostalgic or sentimental about here.
And the "Don't throw out the baby with the bathwater" argument really holds no water IMHO, if we assume the filibuster is the bathwater and essential legislation is the baby.
For the DEMs it's now or never.
I agree that the real need is to eliminate the filibuster, which originated as and continues to be a tool of white supremacy with no good reason to exist. My point is that the Dems don't have the votes to do that, but might have the votes to modify it as described. Making the filibuster harder to use might decrease its effectiveness. At the very least, making it more visible would help build momentum for getting rid of it.
Well, this is probably where things are headed under Biden and Schumer. It's called "incrementalism", or perhaps "GOP lite". It is how Democrats have governed ever since the Carter administration. But I would prefer for Biden to find his inner FDR or, even better, given what sort of scoundrels people the modern GOP, his inner LBJ.
It remains to be seen how much power if any accrues to the Dems after passing their covid/economy relief bill. That could help the next one, etc.
I grew up in a Republican household, always a stranger in a strange land. I had no understanding of “what was wrong with me” until my teens when I discovered political thought.
The only saving grace was my mother, a Republican, but, also an ardent feminist who passionately loved her children.
It taught me tolerance and sharpened my debate skills. It was
and still is exhausting. We have to find ways to coexist. We also need to be more assertive. Bipartisanship should never equate to submission. We must exploit every legal advantage we have firmly, but, without rancor. The velvet hammer.
Hi Diane— in high school I joined the debate team just so I could go on debate trips with the smartest guys in the school. My mother was mentally ill so she gave me great motivation to succeed in school and be out of the house a lot.
Strategic thinking from an early age: priceless.
Yes— a gift.
I too am frustrated by Joe Manchin, but we must remember the razor thin line he navigates in red-WV. If he is defeated in the next election, who will replace him? Most certainly not another Democrat, which means 50-50 becomes 51-49, Mitch returns, and we lose ground faster than you can say filibuster. I say cut him some slack.
Well, Susan, you may be right. If Joe Manchin voted to eliminate the filibuster, he might offend some WVa voters and lose to a Republican next time, and the GOP would retake the Senate and perhaps even gain a several vote majority in the House, and Biden would thereafter be stymied at every turn and that would be the end of American Democracy as we want it to be. You have very concisely stated the conventional wisdom about this, and I am sure many earnest Democrats agree with you.
When the Allies invaded Normandy in WW2 they believed that in order to defeat the Nazis they had to first establish a beachhead in France and open a second front. If they had not succeeded and, instead, been slaughtered on the beach, it is likely that our history would be quite different today. But FDR and Churchill and some other pretty competent leaders took a big, big risk. And won the war.
Which is to say we can proceed cautiously against the GOP, score some minor victories and hope rural white men are transformed slowly, and that our oligarchs figure out that well-paid working stiffs spend more money than people struggling in poverty and that government is not an enemy in need of drowning. We can also hope that enough GOP Senators will see the light and begin seeking compromise with their DEM brothers and sisters for the good of the nation. In other words, we can act like whipped dogs.
Unfortunately, we have been seeing reruns of this movie repeatedly over the past 3-4 decades, and even 2 superstar DEM Presidents have played an important role in the widespread acceptance of GOP ideology and the consolidation of GOP power, so I believe it really is time to do things differently, take a risk on behalf of underpaid American workers and give them a raise. As this cannot be done if Republicans filibuster every new piece of legislation desperately need by millions of Americans, then Democrats need to vote 51 to 50 to eliminate the filibuster. This is simple and it is necessary, not just an option.
I think millions of Americans will express their gratitude by turning out in huge numbers in 2022 to elect more Democrats. I suppose that makes me an optimist.
Yes, now is the time to act. But how can we do this when Manchin and Sinema won't vote to end the filibuster? I'm hoping Biden and his team are working hard and quietly to get them on board. As someone said recently, "Manchin must want something." Not ideal, but it's how it works.
Well, if either Manchin or Sinema want some special advantage for their respective states and are willing to horse trade, then that avenue should be explored, but if they really like the filibuster then they need to be strong-armed to vote against it. The DEMs can run more progressive candidates against them in upcoming primaries, just like the GOP does, no law against it.
Agreed, all options on the table.
Make them an offer they can't refuse ....
That’s mafioso though like the don...
Whoops ... nonviolently, of course!
Maybe non violently— I was thinking of our former guy also a don— so completely thuggish— who’d bet he never had somebody quietly knocked off a person declined to get out of his way to build a gleaming tower?
The Unnamed Former knows somebody who knows somebody who can arrange matters.
I bet Manchin wants and needs a lot for w Virginia and I guess it’s all negotiable— Lincoln was great at this kind of deal making pragmatism — so was LBj.
Every man has his price. Can you say "earmarks," boys and girls?
I can say it and thanks for the reminder of the term for political horse trading
I don't disagree, I just understand Manchin's trepidation. Speaking personally, now is the time to get rid of the filibuster and go all out, hoping that beneficial legislation can speak louder than grievance. A lot is at stake and it's time to just do it.
C'mon Susan, just say it: "Joe Manchin had better vote to eliminate the filibuster, OR ELSE!" It's worth a good night's sleep.
I just did a primal scream for you Susan in my car. Do u feel better??😱
You are too kind :-)
LOL! Joe, get with Joe!
I would understand Manchin's trepidation if the consequences of voting with the GOP instead of his own party were something like a firing squad or jail time or even a stiff fine and loss of free health insurance, but no, the worst likely to happen to him is he might be replaced by a Republican next go-round and have to accept some well remunerated position on the board of a big oil or coal company to round out his no doubt already robust retirement savings. A few decades of daiquiris and golf before REALLY retiring is not so bad.
A few decades during retirement works for me!
Totally agree!
I’m an optimist too. I wanted to make a bet with my husband last year that not only would this country elect a democratic prez but that both houses would end up with a democratic edge. He wouldn’t do the bet even though it was for an intangible— like if you win I’ll never yell at you again. I would argue — it’s such a good bet— what are the odds this would happen? And it did happen.
Not too long ago WV was a blue state and could be again. Progressives are very active there and are fighting back. Overall WV is a poor state and can be swung back to blue with Democratic legislation that improves their lives. Manchin is betting on getting Trump voters by siding with Republicans. It might work on issues like immigration but on something like $15/hr, I don't think so. Same for Sinema. Call their bluffs make them explain to a large voting block why they didn't think a living wage is good for people living on less than that.
Sinema and Manchin revel in their positions as swing votes. It's quite heady to have all of DC coming to lay gifts at their feet.
I’ve been to W VA once and loved it. Went by myself to hike part of the Appalachian trail on a 4th of July weekend— it was brutally hot, I got bitten by something bad got lost for a while and happily gave up.
Agreed.
Fight fire with fire. That has to be the message we tell ourselves.
“ then ram this bill down the GOP's throats.”
Before the Trump administration, I probably would’ve found this statement offensive. Not anymore. I’m using similar language. 👍😡👍
Now it’s so obvious that the old social order of racism and sexism will batter and bruise any way it can to stay intact and to get its way. Fuck them. My patience has evaporated completely. Use every political tool and criminal prosecution and social cudgel to beat the snot out of the social lepers of the old white supremacy female-suppression gay-suppression social order.
You're right about that, Roland. The last time I struck another person in anger I was 14 years old and had just been rudely pushed out of the high school lunch line by Stevie Schwartzman. In fact, I didn't actually punch him, I just said "fuck you, Schwarzman" and pushes him back, and to my - and his - infinite surprise he fell flat on his ass, and the others in line started laughing.
That was at a Quaker prep school in 1966. But, yeah, I too have lost patience with how our country has not only failed to make enough progress in the meantime but has instead regressed and coarsened and been corrupted and dumbed down and has now fallen behind in so many ways. And to think I got all choked up and cried like a baby listening to Obama give a campaign speech at the U. of Colorado in the fall of 2008. Lots of water under the bridge since those heady, hopeful days.
In any case, I guess we have to reason with people and convince them, and figuratively ram things down their throats sometimes and try to get our country back on a better track. And if they take up arms, they must be arrested, tried and jailed. And everyone needs to vote.
Yes yes yes.
I love you, Roland!! I agree, they only respect toughness. But we are seeing Biden being able to do his job in such an amazing way of being firm but calling them out at least t***p out, genteely. I hope there is a method to the madness in allowing the seditionists to remain in our halls. Perhaps, behind the scenes, their removal is at hand very soon by the DOJ. Justice sometimes is meted out way too slowly. I think we they should all have been sat on the curb outside until further notice, maybe in stocks. They are being given way too much respect and voice when they do not deserve anything but a tossing of rotten tomatoes from our citizenry.
The problem with this line of thought is that these folks were duly elected by their constituents, albeit in gerrymandered districts.
I appreciate the notion of stocks in the public square. Our citizenry: co-opted by the Big Lie. Sanctioned or censured by congress would be a good place to begin.
The rabid reception of Josh Jawley and Ted CanCun is concerning. Reports of R's jumping ship are enough to bring a smile, though.
Now there's a stock market to invest in. Not NYCE -- Nice!
Truly indebted to you for giggles, smiles, and out loud guffaws! You rock, no matter who you are!
What’s the D and D character that brings lightness and playfulness? Opposite of troll. Leprechaun?
Tiny tree spirits?
Dunkin & Donuts? Yeah no, they bring weight & sloth.
Popovers...
I don't know D&D, but gnomes, wood sprites, and leprechauns are all good places to be
Roland tell us what you really think. You’re funny.
Thank you so much David Herrick for highlighting what grabbed my attention yesterday and depressed me no end. Every urgency every step to pass this must happen now leading up to 2022 midterm elections. This is an important message of support which every Democratic candidate can advertise. That, plus it’s just the decent thing to do 360. ❤️🤍💙
Yes Deborah— it’s good old fashioned American decency. The fringe groups are still the fringe at least so far and by far most of us are generous and decent.🙏
"Trump's neglectful foreign policy " that's an understatement.
My understanding is that Kamala Harris has the power to override the Parliamentarian. If she won’t for $15 min wage it only shows me that she and Joe Biden and just as willing to turn their backs on their constituents as Manchin is.
Oh and this idea I see floating around that we can’t hold Biden accountable because it is up to Congress to legislate is complete crap in my opinion. Sure Biden can’t force the Congress, but he could sure as hell use his bully pulpit, the most powerful one in all of the world, to call out Democrats like Manchin and Sinema, rather than quietly leak that he is giving up on the minimum wage.
Do people here still think that these failures are going to go unnoticed by disillusioned voters, or that the lack of real help for those who were at the end of their rope even before Trump won’t just check out of politics even more than the may already have? Or do we think that shaking our fists at Republicans will always be enough to get the poor to tow the party line as the country further descends into becoming an oligarchy?
Nice comment. Give 'em hell!
There is not much point to over-ruling when Manchin and Sinema won't vote for the bill as-is anyway.
Yes, that would be aggravating. But Biden and Dems probably hope to have our VP voting as little as possible. They desire larger vote margins, and prefer to avoid dealmaking which depletes valuable political capital. If Dems can pass their agenda with no 50+1 votes, that's great!
Like HCR, I can't find a common thread to these unrelated stories, other than it is apparent we have a functioning executive branch again.
Re MBS; It is not the first time we've done business with a bunch of murderers, but we never called them allies. It is good we suspended the Saudi arms sales. I think we should look into all the deals Kushner made to get Arab states and Israel to play kissy-face. Arming every Arab state to the teeth isn't in anybody's interest.
Re Kilimnik/Manafort; The more we find out about the Russian connection to the 2016 election the better. Since Manafort was pardoned, he can't hide behind the 5th Amendment if asked/forced to testify, and I don't think his pardon would cover new acts of perjury.
Re Syrian bombing; I would like to see unilateral US military actions without congressional approval come to a halt, if we had a functioning congress. At least Biden listened to the military and conferred with allies, unlike the former president.
Spring is in the air, I got my first Covid shot, and have an appointment for my second, and soon my little red roadster comes out of the barn with the top down.
Things are looking up.
Are you Nancy Drew? Adore your little red roadster. Grateful you and my husband got your first shots. Aslan is on the move! Cheers!
Actually, Cary, my LRR was owned by Nancy Drew, or someone very much like her. When I bought it, used, from a dealer, I didn't know what the "WW" decals on the windows meant until friends pointed out they were the Wonder Woman logo.
Cool, cool, cool? Enjoy that baby!
Agree on all points and congrats on the jab!
Good comment and good car, Ralph. I'd like to ride shotgun: can I be your new best friend?
Yay!
Breaking news:
"House Democrats passed their sweeping $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid package in a party-line vote early Saturday morning, advancing President Biden’s top legislative priority.
Lawmakers passed the bill 219-212, with two Democrats — Reps. Jared Golden (Maine) and Kurt Schrader (Ore.) — joining all Republicans in voting against it. Democrats could only afford up to four defections with their narrow House majority."
Democrats to add to the We Will Remember list:
Reps. Jared Golden (Maine) and Kurt Schrader (Ore.)
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/540805-house-democrats-pass-sweeping-19t-covid-19-relief-bill-with-minimum-wage-hike
Thanks for the update, Ellie!
Many thanks — great news.
It is not surprising that Schrader voted as he did. He represents a pretty conservative area of the state.
What a difference a leader makes! Taking hold of issues and getting a grip on things that are long overdue! A grip on reality no reality tv.
Thanks Heather!
I meant to say not reality tv. But No reality tv fits the situation too! Lol!
You've heard the joke about how Washington DC is defined --- 68 square miles surrounded by reality.
I want those 68 square miles to become a state. I love the city.
FYI--In addition to HR51/S51, Washington, D.C. Admission Act there is this with 11 R sponsors.
H.R.472 — 117th Congress (2021-2022) District of Columbia-Maryland Reunion Act
"To reduce the size of the seat of the Government of the United States to the area comprised of the principal Federal monuments, the White House, the United States Capitol, the United States Supreme Court Building, and the Federal executive, legislative, and judicial office buildings located adjacent to the Mall and the United States Capitol, to provide for the retrocession of the remaining area of the District of Columbia to the State of Maryland, and for other purposes.
I want to fight for this cause and I believe part of the January 6th horror show was the too complicated divisions between intelligence and security which resulted in great communication difficulties on top of however DT was impeding the rescue.
Statehood for DC preferred, please. Unfortunately the half loaf of retrocession to MD may be all that's doable.
Hmmm— statehood for DC
Baronies and ego always stop good things happening and efficient operations.
Anything to stop the election of another couple of Democratic Senators
Exactly
I loved living there too.
Long Island too
That would be too complicated because Brooklyn wouldn’t be in NYC
Would that be so bad?
I think so because I’m a Brooklyn girl.
Hopefully LI statehood goes beyond a pipe dream. If so, the key issue is whether the departure of Brooklyn and Queens (remember Queens, B girl?) would turn the NY rump into a purple state. If not, then go for it.
That’s a little like gerrymandering and frankly I’m an independent so whatever...
I venture to say there are many native residents of Northeast, Southeast/Anacostia that encompass that 68 miles who can speak with authority about what the reality is.
One of the things I love about DC— diverse and way intelligent.
“no reality TV!!!!”
What a misnomer. Reality TV is noticeably unrealistic, even unreal.
It was the name the cheapskates in Hollywood came up with to substitute for "We make shows that don't hire members of the WGA."
I remember that.
But it’s cheap to produce
Raison d'etre
I hate really tv
Alleluia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W51h4zZLG2Q
The Great Storm Is Over
words and music by Bob Franke
The thunder and lightning gave voice to the night,
The little lame child cried aloud in her fright,
Hush little baby, a story I'll tell,
Of a love that has conquered the powers of hell.
Alleluia, the great storm is over,
Lift up your wings and fly!
Alleluia, the great storm is over,
Lift up your wings and fly!
Sweetness in the air and justice on the wind
Laughter in the house where the mourners have been
The deaf shall have music, the blind have new eyes
The standards of death taken down by surprise.
Release for the captives, an end to the wars
New streams in the desert, new hope for the poor,
The little lame children will dance as they sing,
And play with the bears and the lions in spring.
Hush little baby, let go of your fear,
The lord loves his own and your mother is here,
The child fell asleep as the lantern did burn,
The mother sang on 'til her bridegroom's return.
A US-Saudi alliance made sense in Feb 1945 when King Ibn Saud met FDR in Egypt on his way to the Yalta summit. It brought benefits to both countries, much wealth to certain parties, and helped keep America on the road for decades. But times change and now Saudi Arabia's entanglement with the US represents a great deal that is wrong with both countries and the world. Relentless pursuit of mega-profits; heartless military adventurism; cruel repression of domestic dissent; a Middle East that is less stable, not more; and looming over all, the consequences of fossil fuels’ economic primacy for the global environment, including worsening climate disruption. There is a crooked but clear path that leads from Saudi oil contracts to the murder of Mr Khashoggi, to next year’s raging wildfires and hurricanes, and even to the Great Texas Winter of 2021.
Is the Biden admin capable of disentangling us from the morass of Saudi influence? We can be only somewhat sanguine about the prospect, and reshaping the relationship involves far more change than merely some new treaties -- especially from us. (Can you say "energy conservation," boys and girls?) In the 21C Americans need to stay off the road more than in the 20C. The sooner these things happen, the better it is for a large swath of the earth. Few bilateral relations have such a fateful impact as those between these two countries. It's good
A Bacevich, America’s War for the Greater Middle East
N Klein, This Changes Everything
R Lacey, Inside the Kingdom
D Yergin, The Prize
Also add suppression of women's rights, in both countries.
NB, It's good that Biden is signaling to tyrants that America is NOT open for business.
Mind you, for women, SA is hardly alone. Islam as it is often practiced is behind such suppression and subservience of women. It is a growing battle here in Europe with the expanding immigrant communities. European women have fought hard to achieve the levels of equality and freedom that they now enjoy and are seeing it threatened by Islamic influence.
You could be talking about the Republican Party as well.
Can you please say more about how European women's rights are threatened by Islam? And where do Islamic women in Europe fit in the picture -- as Muslims or as Europeans?
Women having to cover themselves from head to foot while the men do as they please. Women married at 12 on orders from father. Girls under authority of brothers. Men in street sexually harrassing "uncovered" women of any origin as they are by definition prostitutes. Imposing seperate swimming hours for women in the local municipal pools. Refusal to let male doctors treat women patients. Need i go on...this could last a long time!
Christendom is not much better. I ride my bike shirtless on Miami Beach. Women cannot do that. facebook has pix of shirtless men (showing male nipples) but you cannot show female nipples. We had to make a law here in Floriduh not to harass nursing mothers. Christian Shariah.
Well we stopped converting recalcitrants with an axe a few centuries ago but quite evidently have a way to go. By the way do you know of any studies comparing skin cancer rates for men and women in Florida...perhaps the girls are on to something...not that they really cover up much to possibly profit from it. Sun-burnt nipples ...ouch!
IDK the current stats on skin cancer in FL, but consider a lot of it will be ppl like me raised in the north (St. Louis) who turned white as kids in the winter, then got peeling sunburns in the summer sun every year. Sunburns are the cause of skin cancers later in life like me basal cell carcinoma after I moved to Sunny Florida. Gradual year round tanning not so much as the tan itself is a protective. On the other hand, natural Vitamin D from sun helps prevent prostate cancer. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. And my nipples don’t get any more burnt than the rest of my exposed skin.
BTW, women can go shirtless in NY, since the women of Rochester took it to court and won that right on the 14th Amendment of equal rights. It is a silly prejudice of our culture that the sight of women’s breasts are harmful. To Children? Think about that.
Of course but it harks back to the stream today on christianity not being as advanced as we might think in terms of female liberation as we hide erogenous zones to prevent men getting "overheated" and not for health considerations.
Another thought on Islamic influence concerns treatment of animals. To avoid bathtub ritual slaughter of sheep at one point on their religious calendar, the government allowed slaughterhouses to deviate from strict killing regulations to provide "halal" meat with consequent increased suffering for the beast. The result, as "halal" costs are significantly lower...a massive increase in production of "halal" meat by all concerned. The last study i read talked of 10% of demand being for this product but it represents 40% of production. Money in the capitalist pocket thru misslabeling is the result...and increased suffering for the animals.
And how is this different than our slaughter houses. I live 25 miles from one of the largest beef slaughter houses on the west coast. Toured it for 4 hours two years ago and watched cattle arrive on trucks and all the way the freezer. One of the most inhumane and horrid experiences of my life.
I'm no vegetarian by any stretch, but after watching videos of horse slaughter & the absolute brutality involved from horses being dumped at auctions - if not sold the first time - trucked to yet another auction until they are sold - then hauled to either Canada or Mexico to slaughter plants - the idea of ANY animal slaughter changed my view of meat. And hearing the excuse that "certain animals are raised to be eaten"? Nope!
Right? After my visit and tour of the meat packing plant, I literally wept every time I saw a cow in pasture and for a really long time. I can't even stand to look at the meat department in a store.
me either. Havent bought beef or pork or absolutely no lamb in years. Stick to ground turkey (and theres another issue) & fish. I dont think I ever bought veal but after seeing a barn full of TINY calves at a nearby farm - too small for a halter to even fit on them - had nightmares over them. I realize not everyone goes off the deep end about animals as I do - We had chickens & ducks years ago - and they all had a great retirement program - know what I mean?
Halal animal slaughter is done by cutting the animal’s throat quickly with a sharp knife. As far as I know, the approved European method is to gas the animals the way the Nazis gassed human beings. That is not morally superior.
Watched this when living in Middle East.
My French sister in law and her husband live in Marrakech and that quick slit of the goat or lambs throat is my understanding too.
I think with the halal the animals are bled to death without preparation whereas the law stipulated that they first be stunned before being shot in the head and thereafter bled
Slamming an animal in the head and then shooting it is not less painful or less scary for the animal than directly cutting its throat. Both are brutal.
In Florida there is an exception to the state animal cruelty law to accommodate Kosher slaughter. (Jews & Muslims seem to have so many common dietary requirements). Santeria animal sacrifice is also protected by this law on religious grounds.
The only differences are that halal, unlike kosher, permits seafood and permits mixing meat with dairy. Also, observant Jews but not observant Muslims may consume alcohol.
My understanding is thaJews and Palestinians etc were once a part of the same family and the rift was a family rift which is the toughest kind of rift.
Fast and less pain is best.
and the meat packing and slaughter business is hardly known for its moral scruples! just look at Trump's waivers to the packers and the resultant death rate from covid of the black workers. Cash is the only game in town!
Almost true. The European rules against halal slaughter (and therefore against kosher slaughter, which is the same) were motivated by bigotry against the group(s) doing it, not by concern for animals as claimed and not even by cash (unless the "Christian" slaughterers were concerned about competition from halal meat).
Very interesting but not surprising
Surely a technocratic concern for public health, and a pragmatic concern over liability, were also factors?
The initial savings from unregulated, unsanitary halal prep will likely be lost to higher health and liabilty costs. Penny wise and dollar dumb.
Years ago, Hebrew National frankfurters had a very successful advertising campaign based on precisely the fact that kosher (like halal) has its own inspection system which (ideally) is literally followed religiously. The ad said: "We answer to a Higher Authority." And in fact, you can count on kosher hot dogs to be all beef, no pig, no grunge fillers, for that very reason.
But they will not be paid by the same people!
What is your evidence that halal process is less sanitary? My local halal market in Massachusetts is quite as clean as the chain grocery stores.
None, I suppose. No doubt halal procedures reflect current sanitary knowledge. But regarding law and practice in France, I assume liability issues matter, as they do elsewhere. And as you note, stakeholders influence decisionmaking.
Unregulated is even less likely. Halal, like kosher, has its own inspection system. Cleanliness is one of the requirements.
Jesus. That wasn’t my experience as a woman living in Saudi for 10 years. Not of the Saudi women I knew.
No perhaps but it is growing in France with the burgeoning Salafist influnce on the Muslim community.
One of my favorite memories (not at the time, however) was my now ex-husband being hauled off into a Saudi jail because he was wearing shorts in public. He had decided to take our small children out for ice cream after dinner. The children came home in the back of a police car and were delivered safely to me. While in the jail he was also accused of having alcohol on his breath. Our employer had to get involved in order that my husband, and our entire family, not be ordered to leave the country immediately. For wearing shorts in public. A tall, white man of European descent.
On a side note, it never bothered me to wear my abaya and head scarf in public. All women did. And all men dressed conservatively. Male Saudi nationals wore their thobes and ghutras, of course. I just always respected the cultural expectations (even if I didn't agree or believe with the theory behind it) of any country I was visiting while living and traveling abroad.
When in Rome...! If only we were paid the same "courtoisie" when they come here to live! When people come to the US to live you expect them to become American...so do we here!
Oh yes! I agree with you. It's one of the most maddening things of re-patronizing that I experience. The fact that English should be the primary language of the USA and that it is not, never ceases to amaze me.
It has never been the only language...just the "lluingua franca" dominating most others. A question of facility and sheer numbers...which can change. english is itself in part an arrangement between native peasants and invading norman vikings...plus nearly a thousand years of evolution since. Anyway only the english learn english anymore and all others learn the latest international medium. In the 18thC it used to be French
Not to mention the universe women in China.
Totally agree
An excellent reading list.
I particularly appreciated the Klein book.
Thanks. All in all, a rather depressing group of books.
With ref to Klein...With the choice for we poor survivors of the climate crisis of heavy handed state or local idependent tribalism. I'm heading for the cabin in the woods!
Beware of woods being deforested to build the cabins.
As a longtime resident and Francophile, would you kindly recommend a couple of Eng-lang works on France? My knowledge is dated so I'm partial to older authors like Marc Bloch, Fernand Braudel, Georges Lefebvre, Robert Darnton and Natalie Davis. Recently I discovered the more current work of John Merriman, Graham Robb and Daniel Roche.
Merci en avance, mon vieux!
No place to hide, I know! So......i'll do a little research for new work on France. Any special periods?
They're all special, and so are you.
It may be best to answer using an upcoming LFAA. Thanks.
And ‘The Kingdom: Arabia and the House of Sa’ud’
Appreciate all of your historical analysis in the comments today.
Thank you Tricia. I excluded TK in favor of Lacey's more recent ITK, though the former was a valuable early intro. I regularly recommend A Hourani, History of the Arab Peoples, which is far superior to typical college survey texts.
Where does Israel fit in? I was always under the impression we kept an arms-length type of relationship with SA because of Isreal.
PS. I knew the Blinken family to this extent. Alan and I were partners for one year. He ran for the senate in Idaho. We have not spoken in decades. We were never clise. Antony’s personal behavior is outstanding. His father is widely and deeply respected. Again, those that know Antony worship him. He is a guiding light in the Biden Harris administration. Governments the world over will take note of Antony. He speaks for the best of America. His family and that of the new AG have similar histories. This administration will reflect values well understood by FDR’s wife. Focus there.
Sandy I hardly know Blinken at all but I’m intuitive and I’m so happy he is driving Biden’s foreign policy.
So good to hear! Thank You, Sandy!
Sandy thank you so much for this inside look into Anthony Blinken. I appreciate it very much. Personal experience is so much more reliable than news reports. Carries great weight. Having you personally endorse him this way completely removes any doubt I had about his character. Thanks again.
Correction, spelling of his first name ... Alan John Blinken is Antony's uncle... and was my senior partner at Model Roland for an interesting year... during which I liquidated a few hundred thousand shares of NYKA stock in an interesting series of trades... for the Sulzberger family, those that preferred clipping coupons and did not work... these were voting shares until I sold them for that family... Alan Blinken was in sales... I lasted at Model for a year... and moved on to Dean Witter, from which I was fired for appearing on the McGovern national letterhead, unbeknownst to me, put there by my nutty mother who gave George $400,000, I did not give him a cent.. Bill Witter, the SF CEO of Dean Witter had shit for brains and fired me with a letter... saying he did not want a member of the communist party as a 2% shareholder and SVP of his family firm...
It is Antony not Anthony.
Antony
Study Meier Blinkin or Blinken, the great grandfather of Antony, Alan and Donald’s grandfather, a famous writer and immigrant from Ukraine. His son, Antony’s grandfather, owned the Sherry Netherlands. He is not mentioned in the record we have. Donald established the household that raised Antony. His branch of this fascinating family is worthy of study. The writings of the great grandfather were known and respected. They are not known now.
Heather didn't mention CPAC tonight but I wanted to comment on it since it brought up two conflicting emotions in me. When reading what Heather wrote about all that went on today in the Biden Administration, CPAC felt remote and irrelevant when we have real governing going on. But, my other reaction during the day as CPAC was covered was one of worry, even fear. How can the Congress function, how can President Biden get through his agenda in a timely fashion with the Republican cult acting as the anti-democratic party and adding the dead weight of opposition to any and all legislation even when the legislation is so popular with the majority of the People. We need the $15 minimum wage, for instance, to strengthen the economy. I like Senator Sanders proposal to do what should have been done when the corporate tax cut was passed and give the corporations an incentive to make the life of their workers better with raises and a living wage. It feels like saving democracy is not getting the strategic thinking and action plan it needs for democracy to survive.
The Republicans appear to be th enemy of the people.
I believe with all my heart that democracy in this country has died and no amount of CPR is going to bring it back. We may stumble along for a couple of years under Biden (until the gerrymandered midterms), but the Republicans are firmly under Trump's control (see the antics at CPAC), and they have abdicated any semblance of governance. We no longer have a functioning government, and we no longer have a two-party system; we have one party and a cult. The Covid-19 package passed without a single Republican vote. Not one.
I've been weeping and grieving since 2 am.
I tend to agree with you. I've had these exact same thought, actually, that Biden is just a temporary band-aid while Trump and his ilk simply take a breath and get ready for 2024. I do hope I'm wrong but more and more I'm thinking I just need to step away from all things politic. It is not serving me well. This is what 'they' want, of course, to exhaust the citizens to the point of apathy. I get that. But good gawd it's exhausting.
I see the same awful things as you, T and K. But I still take my stand with the better angels of our nature. If we re-summon the spirit of the North which preserved union, democracy and expanded freedom, the new Confederates will fare no better than the old.
Thank you, TPJ. I agree, and hope we're correct.
I’m right there with both of you. I was simultaneously incensed and deflated by the news coming out of CPAC the last two days, if it is possible to have such conflicting feelings. And then to find out that not one Republican voted for the COVID relief package left me speechless and deeply discouraged. The relief package has “bipartisan” support from a majority of Americans, but not their elected representatives. I had to take a break today, which is why I am just coming to this discussion now. I know we have to stay strong and engaged, but it is nigh impossible to deal with this insanity.
Totally agree! Thank you for writing and encouraging support of $15 minimum wage. ❤️🤍💙
For those who, like 99% of the rest of us, don't really know that much about the internal workings of Ukraine, it might be good to understand that we aren't necessarily supporting "angels" there. I have a number of Ukrainian friends (it's a planetary center of creativity in the field of creating and producing really interesting plastic scale models - I'll bet 100:1 odds you didn't know that :-) ) and have had Ukrainian politics explained to me. Going waaaaaaayyyyy back to the days of the Russian Revolution, Ukraine has had a long history of anti-Soviet beliefs. This has manifested in some pretty rancid far right political movements. A guy who was the biggest collaborator with the Nazis in World War II is considered a Ukraine national hero. There are several far right neo-fascist/neo-Nazi paramilitary groups in the country - in fact several US white supremacist/neo-Nazi types are known to have gone over there and gotten military training in recent years fighting the Russians. The far right types in the country are the ones most willing to fight the Russians in eastern Ukraine, so they have a lot more popular credibility than they would otherwise.
At the same time there's these folks running around, there are a lot of very good, very interesting Ukrainians - who mostly abjure politics - at least publicly - because it's a bit too easy to end up face down in a dark alley from unknown assailants for your politics there. They're the ones who elected President Volodymyr Zelensky.
All that said, Ukraine is a country with a long tradition of opposing Russia. They only became part of Greater Russia in the 18th century when they were conquered by Catherine the Great and her General Peter Potemkin. They have good reason to hate the Stalinists, since they were the part of the country that suffered the most when Stalin went after the Kulaks and killed several million people through starvation when they collectivized agriculture. Krushchev is still hated there as the Ukrainian who carried out Stalin's orders - his nickname there is "The Butcher."
The whole business with Crimea is a historical gordian knot. Crimea was the first part of Ukraine Catherine's army conquered, and they made it part of Russia before going on to conquer the rest of the country. Then in 1955, Krushchev, who was balancing regional power centers while establishing himself as the second Red Czar (er, General Secretary of the Communist Party) put Crimea back in Ukraine to get rid of an opposing party boss in Sevastopol. The Ukrainians have always seen it as part of Ukraine and the Russians have always (at least since the 1770s) seen it as part of Mother Russia.
So into this ancient mess comes the US, following our national tradition since the first settlers arrived in Jamestown of declaring ignorance of the local situation as deep knowledge and then telling everyone what they should be doing.
Right on TC! But hopefully, this time they are on the side of the people and not just opening the place up for business. I think Biden, through past activity to get rid of corrupt Ukrainian Prosecutors and of course a little thru his son (cough, cough) is not wading in blindly and knows what he wants out of this...for the people.
We’ve had many a mention here of how to reach across the great progressive-conservative divide. My German-born father, who doesn’t move a millimeter from his rockhard positions, has perhaps soured me a bit on the possibility of softening a conservative. The Northern California-born truck drivers I talk to are a different story.
This long-read charming New Hampshire ballad of a left-wing journalist reaching out to his neighbors, who are nearly all Trump voters, is heartwarming. Enjoy.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2021/02/25/this-rural-liberal-set-out-talk-his-pro-trump-neighbors/?no_nav=true&tid=a_classic-iphone
Thanks, Roland. It is a good read – thanks for posting it.
The narrator got one person from his town and one person from a neighboring town to speak with him. Neither conversation seems to have softened his interlocutors’ political position, but the conversations were civil, and in the case of his neighbor – friendly. That’s progress of a sort, but it also puts in sharp relief the distance we now find ourselves from many of our neighbors.
Like the narrator, I spend summers in a conservative hamlet in upstate NY. Recently, it has been inundated with folks from the city who fled to escape Covid19. I expect it is much changed since I was last home in 2019 and I also expect some difficult conversations.
But I look forward to them. Because even though we hold different political views, there is a bond of friendship and trust that will hopefully buffer the impact of those differences. I hope to learn some things – how my old friends are faring, how their kids and grandkids are doing, how they are coping with the passing of loved ones, and how they feel about the health of our Democracy.
We’ll see how it goes.
Yes good communication has to be born of simple civility— if one can’t be civil how can one listen and if one can’t listen one can’t communicate.
Good luck 🍀
Excellent piece! Thanks for sharing, Roland!
Have to subscribe to read.
What about the truck drivers from Bakersfield? :-)
Sacramento, Bakersfield, there’s no difference. This company isn’t based in the Bay Area. I am a complete anomaly as a white truck driver. Now the Latino and black guys that I work with, that’s a different story. 😁
I wouldn’t mind being reincarnated as a free wheeling truck driver.
I highly recommend it if you love driving. All the women drivers I’ve known, with one exception, were excellent: safe, smart, professional, competent. Any woman on this forum, I kid you not, would be an outstanding truck driver, I have no doubt about that. I would hire practically anybody off this forum sight unseen for a driver training program if I had one. Smart people make excellent drivers.
Sure, you make mistakes in the first 3 to 5 years, that’s to be expected. But you have to pay your dues in developing any new skill.
Right now I’m on my 30 minute break, halfway between LA and Sacramento. It’s a gorgeous full moon out. I’m listening to Kings County radio, which is the 1950s 1960s music station on this drive, excellent Motown I’ve never even heard before, instant classics that are brand new to me. The tractor is a 2020 International. A few years ago they completely re-designed the interior, it’s like a luxury automobile. Talk about being pampered. The company I work for has an outstanding maintenance crew, the best I’ve ever had in my career, so it’s always a joy driving these pieces of equipment. The 2017’s aren’t luxury interiors, but perfectly reliable even with 3-400k miles on them. When you’re driving 400 miles down and back, then down and back, each week, reliability matters. I’m having probably the best year of my life. Super happy. Not every day, but I always come back to happy. I’m grateful for so many things, I don’t wanna bore you here with a long list but I have a long list. If you have to drive a thousand miles a week including commute, this is definitely the way to do it. I love this time of my life. Being here on HCR of courts is one of my gratitudes. But the primary Joy is my destiny work. Knowing who I am and what I came here to do has eradicated any despair or depression.
Roland it’s a Virgo full moon and it is beautiful and gratitude is a sure way to happiness. I can’t tell you how many things I’m grateful for but one of the newest is that I’m getting my first vaccine shot on Tuesday and by the spring I hope to travel again. My son is a very good astrologer so his website is GeoffvanWyck.com if anyone has astrological questions.
What part of World War II are you writing about these days?
Guadalcanal - the four months that changed everything.
My father landed on Omaha beach on D day. He was a private who helped to maintain artillery. He survived for about 10 days and was hit with shrapnel on a morning when he stuck his head up to sip coffee. He got morphine and was shipped back to England
where it took at least 10 hours to pull each get all the bits of metal out of the left side of his body without anesthesia.He was 21 and always said that it was just
fate if you did or didn’t get killed. He also used to say that we were just cannon fodder. The year Private Ryan came out I pressed him for more information about the landing and I got him to go to the film with me. He left after the gruesome beginning of the film muttering I was there and took a taxi home. He had severe ptsd though it wasn’t understood then. He was a dear, sweet intelligent man and he’s been dead for 20 years.
We kids back then didn't realize what had happened, and nobody ever talked about it. I remember a kid who told me his father was a paratrooper who dropped on D-Day. The one and only time I ever went over to that kid's house, his father was what we called back then "one of the scary ones." My father never told me in detail about surviving his ship being sunk by the kamikazes until what turned out to be our last long talk together before he died six months later back in 1988. I have a photo of me, age 1 year, reaching for my first kitty; in the background is a ghastly-looking figure in a Chief Petty Officer's uniform. He told me that 5 minutes before, his orders had come ending his survivor's leave and sending him to another radar picket destroyer for the invasion of Japan. He figured he was going to die, and thought he was looking at me for the last time ever.
This is why I say I hate politics. Having to be nice to low-life scum. (And, that includes having to be “bipartisan” with the Repugnant Party, which has never done that when they had the majority).
We wage war on the Muslim hellholes in the Middle East under the pretext of bringing equality and democracy to them, yet we ally ourselves with Saudi Arabia, which is just as barbaric. It’s nothing new. Franklin Roosevelt in the 1940s reportedly said of Nicaragua's dictator, "He may be a son of a bitch. But he's our son of a bitch." Politics it seems requires lying down with pigs and pretending we don’t stink as bad.
Speaking of Russian Oligarchy, remember when the United States Oligarchs (United Fruit) owned Central America and our CIA toppled democratically elected governments?
So, we denounce “communism” yet let our capitalist Oligarchs get rich by outsourcing our production to China. Those same Oligarchs who support the Repugnant Party, insist on a decades old $7.25 minimum wage, which no one can live on working a 40-hour week.
Sorry for the negativity, it came pouring out after a long lifetime of U.S. Lies, Wars, Racism and Oppression of the Working Class. If I weren’t so intelligent, I could easily be a conspiracy theorist by extrapolating from the facts of our nations historical misdeeds.
We live in a time when hiding ugly truths is getting harder and harder. As we acknowledge and come to terms with our past, and current, sins we face the inevitable denial and push back.
Republicans are dealing with this great awakening by creating their alternative reality. Senator Cruz looked like a huckster yesterday at CPAC spouting nonsense. They don’t see their own absurdity rolling out the golden Trump bust. Their desperation is showing.
Oligarchs, authoritarians and conservative media are working in concert to obfuscate and distort facts. It’s the only path they see to retaining power. They will make it ugly for awhile, but, they can’t hold back the tide forever.
Many years ago we attended a lecture by Russell Means from AIM, The American Indian Movement. The title was “For America to Live, Europe Must Die”. His message was clear: white colonial patriarchy would destroy our nation and our future unless found another way. The battle is on...
Your comment made me think a little deeper. And especially with all the Saudi culture bashing sprinkled in the comments today and that distract from the truth of the news regarding the ruthlessness of the KSA’s government.
The darkness in which our country was founded, Natuve America history, racism, white nationalism, gun violence, misogyny, sexual assault, extreme wealth, and on and on and combined with our dysfunctional government — how are we any better than any other country out there in the world today?
In my eyes, we don’t have much room to talk.
Projection is a cross cultural human flaw. It blinds is to our own truth and is exploited by those entrenched in the status quo.
Our strength is a system of government that allows for the ongoing struggle for a more perfect Union. And yes, we have a long way to go.
Yes, every generation has to learn the process we use to keep democracy alive. It’s not something we inherit.
The creed of American exceptionalism dissolves when confronted with the sordid aspects of our past and present.
Indeed. no more exceptional than the Europe that many of you came from genetically speaking....and then if you want to look, Africa is no less exceptional either....and China!
We had a lot of ideals to live up to, but sadly we are only human.
The Repubs needed to obfuscate and distort to win office in the first place.
IMO we are paying the price of the CIA interference in SA with so many people fleeing corrupt governments. We owe some responsibility to the fleeing masses.
When the U. S. Military occupied Honduras in the 1980's, it upset the economy so when the military left, the conditions were laid for the eventual overthrow of the democratically elected government to be overthrown by the drug lords and set up a mafia state. So many children of Honduras became orphans, the government "cleaned up the streets" by killing up to 1,000 homeless children in the capital.
The U.S. shipped the homeless orphans of New York out West by train. So maybe we are as guilty as Honduras. We had a chance to repair our karma when the orphans of Honduras were sent to the U.S. during Obama's presidency. I would like to say the U.S is not as bad as Honduras. I wonder what happened to them?
perhaps you should ask the United Fruit Company or perhaps quite pointedly for the Honduras the Dole Fruit Company......do you remember dear Bob Dole?
Thanks for that summary. I remember the Iran-Contra scandal but not the details. Our foreign policy has always left a lot to be desired, for the US and the world.
.news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/country_profiles/1225471.stm
We certainly have our shadows. And we have a lot of work to do on our country...and our people.
Rob, You have a problem: your long-term memory is in good working order and you’ve stood witness to the contradictions and failures of american foreign policy over the few decades we’ve been top dog in the international theater. You know the dark side of American exceptionalism. You are a prime example of why Repub-run states don’t want the NY Times 1619 Project taught in their public schools and why Fox News, OAN, and NewsMax continue to broadcast their frantic gibberish. Still I continue to hope that we as a nation can do better going forward - have you read Steven Pinker’s “Enlightenment Now”? His dense tome, complete with graphs, should help to reassure you that things we care about - life, health, food, education, freedom, even democracy - really are increasing and improving, not just in the U.S., but t/out the world.
I always believed humanity was on an uphill path, a very slow curve but the last 4 years convinced me of (Engel's?) pendulum theory. We just keep swinging back and fourth but little progress is made. I don't mean technology but the human condition. (Forgive me, it's been 50 years since I was in school.)
So essentially I agree with you..we’re a bunch of more evolved Homo sapiens who are still in various stages of evolution
We need an informed, engaged, and caring electorate. Are we moving in that direction?
Well, it has taken decades of dumbing Americans down via lack of truthful education, tv, social media, the internet, addictions, corporate control of people's minds and bodies. I did not watch the CPAC, but I hear it is more media coverage of the white male dinosaurs. It will take a few decades for them to fall into the tar pits and for us to make significant changes to have an "informed" citizenry.
Love the La Brea tar pits analogy. May the GOP suffer the same sticky fate.
Education matters, but our humanity matters more. Bruce Perry has done some work in that area. https://books.google.com/books/about/Born_for_Love.html?id=pltsIbjQqywC&printsec=frontcover&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_entity
Social service programs that support young parents are the best investment. That and a living minimum wage and FREE birth control methods. But GOP knows how to ensure a never ending supply of slave labor. As long as they control bombs and propaganda they have no worries of revolutions.
We do have to deal with our shadow side/s and our reality of our genocidal and slavery foundations by our colonial ancestors as we move forward. And female oppression. I have said multiple times over the past decades that it is time for women to finally fully step into highest forms of leadership roles, all colors of women. America's earliest symbol was female ("Uncle Sam's "older, classier sister", Garance, Frank-Ruta, The Atlantic 2013). Our "Columbia, a "feminization of Columbus, is akin to other countries with feminine symbols—Britain has Britannica, France has Marianne, Italy has Italy Turrita (Wikipedia). It has not been lost on me how Lady Columbia morphed into Lady Liberty (Merci, France!) And it is also a feminine icon who holds our Scales of Justice.
Ironically, it is men who warred, founded and ran countries who appeared to adopt feminine symbols. What did that strong female symbol connote for them? Was it prescient for these days of change? Looking at this from Jungian terms, the male energy has done its' work in building the framework, structures and premises of our land. Now we may be ready for the feminine energies to bring it all into balance (Lady Justice) Women have risen to the highest leadership positions around the world, perhaps nature's attempt to create balance, moral balance.
"Lady Justice (Latin: Iustitia) is an allegorical personification of the moral force in judicial systems.[1][2] Her attributes are a blindfold, a beam balance, and a sword. She often appears as a pair with Prudentia, who holds a mirror and a snake.
Lady Justice originates from the personification of Justice in Ancient Roman art known as Iustitia or Justitia,[3] who is equivalent to the Greek goddess Dike."
Are we ready for a new leadership style? I think so.
When America was Female, The Atlantic, 2013
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/03/when-america-was-female/273672/
The Personification (Columbia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_(personification)
Accountability? Well thought out and measured responses? I almost forgot this was possible. It is such a relief to have adults in charge again. (Also, my cursing is down considerably.)
On Jan 20 the White House went from adultery to adulthood.
orin the same optimistic vein....from bullying to the bully pulpit!
Excellent!
BWA HA HA! That sums its up perfectly!
Same here and I love the spokesperson Jen. She is amazing.
She is. Her vast knowledge of our government, and ability to play world class ping pong with the correspondents while always showing respect mixed with quick wit is amazing. Films should be used in teaching public speaking.
Totally! After the people DT had speaking for him she so shines as a mature and brilliant woman who is at the height of her powers— if I were teaching still I’d arrange for periods where the class could watch her. Interestingly Biden and his team had to work hard to convince her to take it on.
WH press conferences are no longer medieval melees. Hooray!
Omg TPJ it’s so exciting to see real communication after these years of the locusts —using real language to actually communicate to constituents who care— it’s like the first sip of water after you’ve been rescued from quicksand in the desert.
Fine use of similes and metaphors, Liz.
Thanks and Lawrence of Arabia is one of my favorite films— I’ve probably seen it 6 times
And it doesn’t hurt that Jen is beautiful at the same time.
fortunately the Minstrels were still able to do their rounds and sing about the awful things that the dragon in the castle on the hill was doing so the people could not lose all track of reality and they could call on the new St George to do his stuff.
If understood correctly, Biden is St George, right? And St Jeanne d'Arc is Harris?
Jean d'Arc came to a sticky end though ...sold out by the French and "grilled" by the English...Perfide Albion. Possibly Harris will be more like Britannia and not just Boadicea.
I find it interesting that Senator Cornyn chose to stay in TX to be with Biden, while "Cancun cRuz" was at CPAC making fun of his trip to Mexico and getting lots of laughs from the crowd. The maskless crowd who booed when asked by those running the show asked people to put on masks. What a bunch of true "losers" run by the biggest "loser" of all. They deserve each other and their worship of the golden cow. I hope thr press will give as little as possible to this weekends shenanigans.
This isn’t very nice of me, but I am going to hope that CPAC becomes a super spreader.
It no doubt will, and you don't have to apologize for your hopes. Maybe the super spread will be the final wake up call.
I think we have all been waiting for years for the final wake up call, but it never arrives.
The message is pretty clear: the adults are back in the room and bullying actions will have consequences so straighten up your act, not just Saudi Arabia but Russia as well. What would seem to be a pretty straightforward action on our part in terms of Saudi Arabia and MBS is fraught with diplomatic land mines and in order to get the outcome we want Americans would be advised to play the long game which is what Biden has initiated.
That CPAC rolled out a gold statue of trump as part of their decorations as well as using an old Nazi piece to iconography to form their stage tells me that they are evenly more firmly entrenched in their worship of white privilege/supremacy and the message of hate from trump.
Symbolism is so revealing. I always pay attention to symbolism.