Your ability to summarize hundreds of years of our history, in engaging and understandable language, without losing the string, and in just enough words, is not only amazing but a gift to us and to history. Thank you for sharing it!
Patti, thank you, you have said it well. We gave many subscriptions of Letters as holiday gifts. It is our hope for America that we read first thing 5 and often 6 days a week. I encourage all to SHARE. Thank you Dr. H. C. Richardson!
Absolutely, and I have to discipline myself to move on at some point. Oft times I get so involved with the fabulous comments and opinions of all of Heather’s Cafe! So many brilliant people here sharing so much knowledge!
I feel like I am a member of a very incredible body of people here. I am honored to be here!
I am amazed by the range of diverse comments that are sparked by Heather’s nightly crafting of daily incidents into a far broader historical context. It’s almost like a history PhD oral exam at which outsiders are permitted to kibitz. I have learned a lot as I struggle to recall what I tried to teach my students over decades.
Perhaps the most important lesson in American history is the constitutional system of checks and balances in which the Executive, Congress, and Supreme Court were crafted to check one another. When, as often happens, this gets out of kilter, nasty things occur. Trump as president and now the Stench Court. Will this teeter board ever be in balance again?
Hi Fern, I fear, were the joint Republican/ Federalist Society’s project to weaken the Federal government by granting increasingly greater powers to the States to succeed, that the devastation left in its wake would be unbearable. Still, relying on memory, a subscriber on today’s thread stated something to the effect that the more we understand the more effective we can be.
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One way to get these ideas out is for each of us to write a letter to the editor of our local or regional paper and summarize what HCR says. I share on FB and twitter almost daily.
I love the idea of Heather's Cafe. I had a local make a rather stupid comment on the last letter and I informed her about Dr. Richardson and the posters here. This is a person who does gritty hard work with the unhoused and I admire that, but if she stubs her toe at home, it's because she is in Salem. In answer to me, I got the usual potpourri of what's wrong with society.
I am with you, Cynthia. I often feel overwhelmed by all the news available but want to read all sides to ensure broad perspectives and factual information. HCR pulls the most important pieces with focus and the extra added history lesson, how fortunate we all are, and honored as you say.
I often tell friends who say "I cannot read the news anymore, I get too depressed". I tell them if you read nothing else, read HCR. Thanks HCR.
I lost patience sometime ago with simple reporting. Out of context, those "breaking news" stories don't tell you much, so I'm looking for commentary that puts the facts in useful context. HCR is a great resource, as is Now & Then, the podcast she does with Joanne Freeman. I value Lucian Truscott's Substack because he's a great writer and journalist who's been around the block a few times and has a good grasp of military matters. Since I'm especially interested in the legal and constitutional perspective on current events, I follow Dahlia Lithwick, Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance (on Cafe Insider), and #SistersInLaw. There's plenty more out there, but the combination of accurate reporting + intelligent commentary is unbeatable.
Agree, Susanna and thanks for all this great information. Familiar with all the names, but didn't know about Cafe Inside and just learned of SistersInLaw thank you!
Ta-Nehisi Coates Between the World and Me changed way of thinking, such a beautiful letter to his son. What an honor for you to have worked with this incredible author/person.
I keep running into others who were lucky enough to be part of the Horde -- mainly because none of us can stop talking about how great it was. I don't think TNC ever trademarked the phrase "Talk to me like I'm stupid" but every time I use it I think of him.
I don’t think whoever it was that taught us American history in my HS had anything like the understanding of our history that Heather has probably forgotten, much less informs the letters that she share’s with us. I truly believe that this community is participating in an advanced level history course at one of our finest universities. I feel honored to be in this community, in addition to our professor I am awed by the brilliance exhibited by so many of you.
Regina62, not sure you were asleep at the wheel. History in Texas in the 1960s was a potpourri of "Lincoln Freed the Slaves," "The Alamo was a Great Victory for Davy Crockett" and "The Texas Rangers are Law-Abiding and Awesome Citizens." There were days when I was probably snoozing in class, but we had to read the text books...and those were so whitewashed they didn't even mention Latinx history--in TEXAS! Some days it feels like HCR is rewriting history and then it hits me: for the first time in my life I'm hearing history as it REALLY was.
My sister and I were discussing the recent book burning fervor and even though we both graduated from the same high school what we were taught was dependent upon which teacher we had. She had been taught about the Holocaust and it's deeper resonances to this day and I do not even remember the Holocaust being mentioned and I was a history lover even then.
I assumed that too, but I don’t believe they really taught much… which when you consider the depth of knowledge necessary for every presidential term, it’s so much?!
Of course, Heather Cox Richardson has at least one PhD in the subject of which she speaks, and she does an excellent job telling her students and the rest of us about it!
Your wonderful sweep across history in response to Lauren Boebert’s comment “Today is 1776” brought to mind a comment made by One of my astute black friends early in the Trump years, just as our heads began to spin with the Republican chaos.
“Republicans don’t govern and no one expects them to. Republicans start wars.
The Democrats get stuck with all the governance, and if there are any problems left behind by the Republicans, the Democrats are expected to fix them. The Democrats are the only ones who govern.
This idea shocked me at the time but I have been thinking about it ever since. After all, I spent most of my adult life voting Republican. Never once did I question if Republicans “governed.” I had been taught that Republicans “stood for what was right”, lowered taxes, got rid of onerous regulations that hindered all of us from starting our own businesses …
But did they govern ? Did they make their states a better place to live & work? Did they increase opportunities for all, believing a rising tide lifts all boats?
The longer I pondered the question the more I realized my friend’s observation rang embarrassingly true. The answer was no. The Republicans did not govern.
The Democrats govern, while the Republicans deregulate, posture about ideals, and start wars. It’s a simplistic view, but your history lesson today gives it context. 1860 indeed. Your closing paragraph says it best. ❤️
Agreed! I often use the analogy of the Elephant (the gop symbol) in the circus! Say what? There is always someone walking behind the elephant to pick up it’s ‘road chips’ while it parades around the big tent! Likewise, a Democratic administration always has to clean up 4 years of droppings left behind by an ‘elephant’!
Ouch! Yes… but it kills me that the GOP has the elephant as their ‘logo’! Show me an Trumper that is smarter than an elephant and I’ll show you an empty room!
And why do you think the 'patriots' who invaded the Capitol on January 6, 2021, carried the flag of those who rebelled against democracy in 1861? And why do you think, as HCR points out, Representative Boebert looks back to the days of the failed Articles of Confederation rather than to the Constitution which ultimately rescued the country from those like her and John Calhoun?
“Liberty is not a universal right but should be reserved for the intelligent, patriotic, the virtuous and deserving” -John C Calhoun
I disagree-liberty should be a universal right. Calhoun’s call for intelligence, patriotism and virtue though counts out Calhoun, Boebert, Republicans and some others. Civil rights is one thing and human rights another. African Americans having been legally declared “property” have had to fight for human and civil rights. Even the constitution disregarded African Americans as fully human and while amendments have helped us to make progress-we’re still trying to convince folks that “Black Lives Matter”. Many thanks to all of you who care about having a country that honors humanity no matter gender, skin color, religion etc.
Calhoun’s statement, on its face, sounds noble to those who would apply it with the noblest intentions, but offers duplicitous cover to those Who are racist or classist. It is another example of providing fine-sounding language to justify the same old trope: denying equal human rights to all. Yes! Liberty IS a human right; it is the birthright of every child. Yes, it can be mismanaged and squandered. If it is squandered on crimes that harm others, you can even lose it’s privileges and end up in jail or some other restrictive space.
But Liberty as a human right? It is either a birthright for all, or a birthright for none.
Some of the most fine-sounding political speeches I have ever read were uttered by men (yes, always males, of course) representing the conquistador élite in Central American countries where armies and death squads practiced mass murder without let or hindrance. (Least of all from Uncle Sam wherever US industrial or financial interests had a finger in the pie...)
If you read these marvels of eloquence you'd have thought the man who spoke them was a candidate for canonization...
Good point-I think the Republicans are so good at using words and phrases that sound noble-they often use liberty, patriot, freedom etc to name campaigns, organizations and legislative initiatives (e.g. “Election integrity”-Newt Gingrich said words and language matter-he’s wrong about so much but right about language
Yes! Interpretation by courts, states, and private citizens, the citizenry, has created openings and flaws in protecting civil rights and human rights.
Boebert comes from the Talent agency and watching her prance around when she talks reminds me of what my daughter was taught by one when she was 11. Little girls grow out of that but Boebert is using it now because it keeps the attention on her body instead of her shrill words. They’re waiting for her to expose herself and grab the pole. They made her head of communications for one of their groups because it’s best to put people with the ability to distract out front. This way you don’t see the filthy background. I also think Trump was the shill to distract. They know what they’re doing but only care about the immediate attention, the facade of love.
I have a friend who criticizes me for often taking a realistic and pessimistic view into the future of our democracy. She recgnizes the many crises, military and othewise, which the country has survived and has great faith in the American people to successfully deal with our present challenges. She has a point.
Regulations are put in place for a reason - like mandatory addition of seatbelts in cars.
Did you know the EU has banned over 1000 chemicals which are permitted in USA products? USA banned 9.
Did you know some of these chemicals give obesity, anxiety, and depression a hand? They’re included in many fragrance products including air fresheners and laundry products.
Did you know the Fragrance & Flavors industry polices itself and that due to a Trade Secret Loophole, they don’t have to tell you the ingredients (ingredients are the ones deliberately added and not the accidental and possibly dangerous byproducts resulting from the chemical interactions-like dioxane which is a byproduct in a lot of hair care products including children’s products)?
Remember what happened after the deregulation of banking?
Regulations also protect workers.
Don’t ever give anyone blanket permission to deregulate.
Lisa, thank you for the reminder of the responsibility of a government to protect us, which isn’t happening. Readers can check out more of the references in your post, by looking at Environmental Working Group https://www.ewg.org/. And traveling Internationally I’ve seen graffiti scrawled with “USA Monsanto” and drawings of skeletons and thumbs down” referring to USA selling known carcinogens not only to our American citizens but to the world. Especially poor countries. And we still don’t always ban known carcinogens that have been banned in other countries. There is a known cancer causing chemical used in some strawberry farming in California that was finally banned. Then TFG lifted the ban. Another reason to buy organic. Which is too expensive for many, many Americans.
Amazing, on top of a history lesson from HCR, I get a science lesson too!
Unfortunately, the media does not continuously expose the dangers of the chemicals in products we regularly use because some ‘media corp head’ would find it too depressing to remind us about the issue!
However, the same ‘media head’ encourages repeating the lies of the cult!
Also, the wealthy people who own the media also own stock in those companies, sell advertising to those companies, have friends, family, & neighbors who own the companies, or own stock, or are members of the Board of Directors.
Corporations, Politicians, Mainstream Media, Organized Religion, Ad/Marketing companies, Lobbyists, Research Laboratories (and their funders), Ivy League Colleges (and their funders), etc. are part of a big network and have regular people trapped within the circle.
Is it this newsletter or another where the evils of deregulation were discussed? To your point, anti monopoly laws have been neutered by the right wing libertarian policies of the last decades. For example, at one time a newspaper group could not own a tv or radio outlet in the same market, not true any longer. Facebook gobbles up any and all similar platforms ie messenger, instagram, WhatsApp…! Disney owns ESPN which controls collegiate sports programming on tv! NBC paid for tv rights of pending Olympics in China which is a mini supper spreader in the making and they shamelessly promote the disaster to be on regular programming!
We have lost the concept of “governance”. It goes from the mundane keeping bridges maintained and water free of lead to running open and fair elections.
Maybe we lost it when we stopped teaching civics in school.
Now, to bring back civics, schools will be under attack from the right for teaching CRT!
Oddly enough, I just finished reading an article by Carolyn Hax of the Washington Post a long thread on Twitter about stay-at-home moms and working dads , and how the housework and parenting responsibilities fall overwhelmingly to the mom. The parallel is striking!
My grandson just hit this section in his sociology class. There is truly a gender gap that will never change. I do think they left out how this works in a homosexual marriage, especially with lesbians, but perhaps it’s covered in the Marriage and Family course. It would have been taboo 40 years ago when I had the class. I always try to use real examples he can see right now to help him remember these concepts. Woman have always carried the greater responsibilities. When women go to work their responsibilities double. Both my parents worked. My father mowed the lawn once a week. My mother cooked, did laundry and cleaned every single day. Doesn’t seem like a fair exchange. My husband and I share and we have often had a housekeeper come in every 2 weeks because of my disability. But I think he does more than me.
Unfortunately, since the Democrats are the only ones governing, they are the only ones that get blamed when things don't go well. The R's are completely left out of the media narratives.
What is different now is that the Republicans have moved from being incompetent grandstanders and complainers to active saboteurs and, dare I say it, traitors. They have become dangerous, and there is no neat Mason-Dixon line to divide us this time. We are now going to have to figure out how to fight our very own families, friends, neighbors and colleagues and win - because failure is not an option.
Now THAT’S an apt assessment! And trust me, in ninth grade I moved to East Tennessee from our liberal Ohio town. They called me a carpet bagger… Every single one of them did reenactments of the Civil War and the education was stupefying. Born again, bibles out in the obvious, in the halls between classes. And, it was the “good lab school” on the ETSU campus in Johnson City, TN. Out the the top ten states with hate groups, TN has the title with 35 (THIRTY FIVE) hate groups. Theirs is triple the average.
Have to add, there’s amazing people in TN….but not going back. Deliverance.
And to think, somewhere there are some old Soviet generals and leaders looking at themselves in the mirror and thinking, “We spent all this money on weapons to defeat the Americans when all we had to do was surreptitiously take over one of their political parties and make sure that a dictator-wannabe wins a presidential election there. Then the Americans will do everything else on their own and we won’t have to spend money on a single gun!”
You are not the only one thinking this, Ian, but missing from this discussion are the actions of the CIA against legitimately elected presidents, like in Guatemala and Iran in the 50s, Chile in the 70s, the many attempts to assassinate Castro, and the proxy wars in Nicaragua, Panamá, and El Salvador of the 80s. These surreptitious maneuvers were accepted by most Americans (if they even knew or cared anything about them) because they were "preventing Communism in our back yard". So the US emerged triumphant from the Cold War only to have our democracy eroded from within. Hubris leading to Nemesis.
Beatrice, Though your point is spot-on, my understanding is that much of the U.S.’s 20th century involvement in overthrowing governments (some which were democratically elected) was due to said governments nationalizing their industries, perceived by stakeholders as a detriment to U.S. interests. A great reference is a book titled Overthrown.
Barbara, I think nationalization of industry was regarded by the US as "socialism which leads to communism", which throughout the 20th century years was regarded as antithetical to "democracy". It was not usually stated that socialism is an economic system and capitalism is also an economic system. Both are used and/or combined in successful democracies. Nationalization of industries in which the US has interests was largely confused with anti- "democracy". This confusion led to the official justification for overthrowing democratically elected presidents in Guatemala, Iran and Chile. And the fear of nationalization of industries in which the US had interests led to the proxy wars in Central America and the effort to overthrow Castro.
Beatrice, Your two comments, taken together, provide a thorough and accessible account of U.S. misadventures from the recent past. Thanks for the clarification.
There wasn't the internet during the Cold War. Incredible, mindboggling disinformation is posted minute by minute by forces hostile to the United States. I can see it clearly in the comments sections of the Washington Post whenever there is an article on the Biden Administration. There is a clear agenda to stir dissension and hatred among Americans. And the most insistent drumbeat of propaganda in the comments? It is that America needs to dissolve the Union of the States. Can you imagine? Our whole southern border would be exposed. Putin could walk right in and those Southern States would fold so easily.
And finally. The smartest thing trump/putin did was abscond with what Patriotism and Democracy really are. Listen to any MAGA, Hannity, Boebert etc. They are pounding on the emotional drum of that intangible sense of Patriotism. Boebert's re-interpretation of 1776 and the whole pantheon of what a Democracy or a Constitution are makes sense in the trump/putin game plan. I have never seen so many people draped in American flags. Even the anti Vietnam war protesters didn't do that as much as we see now. So now the fascists have covered everything up with an American flag.
I'll leave their takeover of the educational system for another day.
I sincerely apologize for being on such a negative trip this morning. Have a good week everyone.
Barbara I am appalled to see Trumpists wrap themselves in my American flag. When I served in the Foreign Service in the Congo, it was under OUR American flag. How dare they sully this symbol of our democracy on which new states were added up-to-50 so far.
As a false symbol, it reflects the ‘pro life’ motto, which is anathema to basic women’s rights. I favor taking back OUR flag. Also, I propose that we highlight that great, inclusive national anthem—GOD BLESS AMERICA. I consider this ‘god’ universal. Kate Smith, who launched Irving Berlin’s song, has been ‘blacklisted’ for a song she sang in 1933 which, I believe, was written by a Black composer. When will this subversive nonsense end? GOD BLESS AMERICA!
Thanks Keith. The saddest thing? The other day I saw a truck with the American flag a'waving. I cringed. From a young child I have always thought the flag of the United States of America was the prettiest of all. I still love to see our flag atop a flag pole in the breeze.
Let's keep our Democracy and our flag will follow. Gosh we have so so much work to do in order to accomplish this.
Barbara I had the same feeling in the summer of 2020 when a bunch of trucker Yahoos, with American flags flying, raced down the streets of NJ’s North Fork. At times I regretted that I had left my M-16 in the Congo.
And Trump couldn’t wrap an American flag around his ‘bone spur’ ankle, from which he got a phony exemption from the Vietnam war, because he couldn’t remember which ankle it was.
Ah, but that’s exactly my point. We were far more united because the Soviets didn’t do any of the stuff that the Russians (and Chinese, and Iranians, I’m sure) are now doing.
Americans have always needed an outside “bogeyman” against whom to unite. Right now it seems to me that all our bogeymen are internal and that does not bode well.
Todays letter was yet another wonderfully concise recap of American history. Was I absent that day or was it just too long ago. Thank you, Heather.
But now we are showing those generals that they are wrong, that the genius of democracy alone is the ability to regenerate itself, if only the people will show the will and energy (and, sadly today, spend the money) to do so.
And the undereducated or ignorant by design or through the poverty of their opportunities, or as now, their education sabotaged by their trusted adults, don’t know how to connect the dots: the truth through literature, books, stories, movies, media, always an important part of the conversation of reality. 1984, Animal Farm, Dr.Zhivago, Main Street, Sinclair Lewis, the newspapers. Past and present and future. The list is never ending. Truth.
States' rights do not exist. States' rights are a fiction created in the constitution to protect slave owners from a federal government that would possibly outlaw slavery. The same reason we have an electoral college, and a senate. Neither have anything to do with democracy, and everything to do with slavery. Both should be abolished. The legislative branch does not need any more than the House of Representatives, which is democratic, and named for what it is supposed to do.
We never have been a "united" states of America. We have always been fifty divided states with fifty set of rules for voting, for educating our children, and for the rights of women. And damned few states are doing any good in any of this.
Senate.gov says : "The framers of the Constitution created the United States Senate to PROTECT THE RIGHTS OF THE INDIVIDUAL STATES and to SAFEGUARD MINORITY OPINION in a system of government designed to give greater power to the National government."
The Fourteenth Amendment went a long way in the acknowledging what our rights actually are and who is protected, but the 14th is far too often being ignored for states' rights. Any one that supports states' rights is against human rights.
States don't have rights. People do. And in a democracy the majority rules for a reason.
Related point: corporations are not people. However, if corporations are people with rights, then they also should accept responsibilities and be accountable when they commit crimes. At this point in our history corporations are being allowed to become unregulated willful children full of self indulgent rights and without any boundaries and curbs on dangerous behavior. Look to Wall Street and Silicon Valley for vivid examples of this dangerous reality.
Corporations should be accountable when they commit crimes, and they should pay the taxes they owe. Just think R’s voted against enforcing tax laws already on the books. Let me repeat. THE REPUBLICANS VOTED AGAINST ENFORCING LAWS ALREADY ON THE BOOKS!!!! They are not a party. They are a gang/cult. They have elements of both gangs and cults.
"The same reason we have an electoral college, and a senate. Neither have anything to do with democracy, and everything to do with slavery. Both should be abolished. "
Correct, take a look at the Massacheussett's Constitution, written in 1780, (by John Adams, alone in his childhood home) without the overlay of slavery to mess up true representative government.
"States don't have rights. People do. And in a democracy the majority rules for a reason." My take-away for today! (and of course Heather's history lesson)
Ah. I see your trust in the American system of mechanized, automated elections is unshaken.
There never has been a robust, independent, evidence-based audit of the election results that decided that Mitch McConnell ("Moscow Mitch") won over Amy McGrath.
Well, election reform is wide, deep, and murky (hard to understand). I'd start at the state level.
Aim for good, evidence-based election audits, completed BEFORE the results are certified.
But there are lots of good intermediate steps to take. Some reform groups focus on extending voting rights, and access to the polls. That's good, and necessary, but might not be sufficient, esp. if bad actors tamper with the vote *count.*
I focus on *election security*, which includes the verifiability of the voting machines and the accuracy of the vote count.
You might try this (primitive, a labor of love) web site, which provides links that can be helpful:
If you're physically able, sign up to "volunteer" as an election inspector (poll worker) at the next election. Do what you're told. Learn that job from the ground up. Keep your eyes open.
Get in touch with honest, evidence-based election reform groups in your state.
Learn about your state legislative representative, which issues interest them, how the state legislative web site(s) work. (In NYS, the NY Senate and NY Assembly web sites have different designs and functions. For example, nysenate.gov lets you sign up with an email/password, then subscribe to specific bills; nyassembly.gov does not have this function.)
I just heard about a group called Transparent Elections North Carolina. I went to votewell.net to see if Transparent Elections NC was listed. It is!
And I found, on the web site of Transparent Elections NC, fine descriptions of election reform goals:
"Our mission is to confirm that every eligible vote is counted as the voter intended by working with elections officials to ensure that elections are secure, transparent, robustly audited, and publicly verified."
...and, a definition of "evidence-based elections:"
Evidence Based Elections
“The principle of ‘evidence-based elections’ is that local election officials should not only find the true winner(s) of an election, but they should also provide the electorate convincing evidence that they did.” - Andrew Appel & Philip Stark
Well, no. States do have rights. States are not creatures of the Constitution, but its building blocks. The Constitutional Convention was called by the states. Indeed, the Constitution of the United States was largely based on the Constitution of Massachusetts, adopted in 1780, and the oldest extant governing document in the world. And for all of its imperfections and frustrations, our federal system has proved not only resilient, but also flexible. Many, if not most of the legal achievements that we celebrate in the federal government were first adopted by the states, which is why they have been called (by Justice Brandeis, I think) the laboratories of democracy. So, while states are not and must not be superior to the federal government, they are an integral part of our nation.
What about the Supreme Court’s interpretation? Second Amendment? Gun laws? How are some citizens protected at the same time others invoke their rights?
Certainly, you are right much of the time. On the other hand, when the federal government wanted to relax air-pollution regulations, California claimed that it had the right to enact tougher standards, and it won. California effectively sets standards for the country, because the market there is so large that car makers must sell cars that can pass its tests, and because other states have enacted California's limits as their own.
And when Trump was President and Republicans had majorities in both the House and Senate the Democrats only way to stop the majority from running roughshod over the minority was in the Senate.
So maybe the importance of safeguarding the minority opinion depends which party is in the minority?
We needed this refresher history lesson. So thank you. Those seeking to take the nation backwards care nothing about achieving a more perfect union. Their quest is unfettered power to wield as they see fit, especially against people of color and other minorities. As the professor shows us, they are forever relentless. And as the The Big Lie and coup attempt show, they will stop at nothing to achieve their goal. The Boeberts of the world are mere pawns utterly clueless about the principles on which the nation was founded.
The Boeberts of this world will be shocked to the core if what they get what they think they want. They won’t be the ones in power. They don’t have enough education to understand what it takes to run a state, let alone a country like the US. The perspective of today’s letter is helpful - it is good to remember the broader picture. And as another commenter said, Boebert herself probably has no understanding of what happened in 1776, and probably has never read the Constitution.
I would bet a substantial amount of money that Boebert doesn't know the difference between the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Does she believe the world is flat?
Here in Spain it is precarious. There are five major political parties and different regional governments with a central ( Federal) government that regions like Catalonia and the Basque country often don't want to be part of. Many in Catalonia want to be a separate entity. All regions want more voice in decisions made by Madrid. They refused to cooperate and demanded the right to handle covid in their own way. The far right is gaining more seats.
Yep. People around the world have been shocked by the lack of interest by Americans in the deliberate dismantling of their rights and their democracy. I'm often asked by those who remember Franco - their parents and grandparents were imprisoned or worse - why Americans are allowing this to happen in their own country without a fight.
Hypnotized by media and consumer culture influences, running around like chickens with heads cut off finding ways to make money to pay for the freedoms we are too busy to appreciate or truly enjoy.
Gotta go level up in my game, and join other game players in a raid against some serious "bosses" -- all of which has zip, zero, nada, to do with real life, getting along with people, noticing how your behavior affects them.
One of my favorite web sites describes our needs (interesting variety), what we feel when our needs are met, and what we feel when our needs are not met.
I have the book but never thought to check into a possible website. Thanks for the link Bob.
Reminds me of Erickson’s hierarchy of needs. Every person with power over others should be required to understand this. But even that will not stop evil intentions
Substack wouldn’t let me “like” your comment, Peter, but you’re right on target. What we’re suffering from in these United––“Untied?”––States is affecting and infecting every part of the Globe.
People everywhere are confused by the blinding pace of material progress and are grasping at the shiniest object they see. They are desperate to feel needed and important. They are “sitting ducks” for any insatiate charlatan with reasonable aim with a socio-political “shotgun”
But darkness and light are not equals. Light shines, dispels darkness. Darkness cannot dispel light. Dark clouds may come, tornadoes of delusion may cross the Great Plains. They pass. Truth remains.
They will try try to place a lid on Truth, they will try to screw it down. We know their foolishness will fail. We know that we are free -- we know that we ARE Freedom. So we shall overcome.
Let us be aware of this now -- aware no less of the immense task, the immense responsibility that lies upon all men and women of goodwill -- and move forward now, drawing on the power of certainty that Truth will prevail. They cannot bury the light, they cannot unshine the sun.
A striking line, Peter, 'Thy cannot bury the light, they cannot unshine the sun.' Beautiful and poetic, it rings true.
'They' cannot unshine the sun, but in truth the sun will unshine one day.
'Will the Sun ever stop shining?'
'Yes, but not for a very, very long time. Stars shine because a huge amount of energy is created in their cores by a process called nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion happens when lighter elements, like hydrogen, are combined into heavier elements, like helium. In about 5 billion years, the hydrogen in the Sun's core will run out and the sun will not have enough fuel for nuclear fusion. So, in about 5 billion years, the Sun will stop shining.' (Cool Cosmos, IPAC at Caltech partners with NASA, NSF, JPL and the world-wide research community to advance exploration of our Universe.)
Mercury, planet of communication is retrograde—till Feb. 3. I am starting to think it is really a thing. Our political theatre and media appear to be in chronic Merc. Ret.
Yesterday we could refresh the page and then either see the Heart we clicked on or could click on it and see it. Today, refreshing the page simply lets us see if the Heart "took" the first time or not but cannot click on it and see it "take." I assume Substack support is aware of this problem, but we might want to call it to their attention in case they're not.
It is, as if, we have been infected with a planetary stupid virus. I'm afraid some sort of collapse may be necessary before we see a transformation. My 2 cents.
Switzerland is VERY decentralized to the 26 Cantons (and they are constitutional). And even has liberal laws (compared to the rest of Europe) about firearms. But they also have a bildung-like cultural heritage/education and, of course, a very different history than we do. They also have direct democracy at the lowest levels and can very easily create constitutional referendums for nationwide vote.
What is marvellous is firstly the absolute ananymity of Swiss politicians outside the country and secondly the obligation to ask the people on all major...and some minor...issues. Bravo!
What is operative are Swiss banking laws - which continue to obstruct international law.
Legitimizing and profiting on serving the powerful and greedy is in play in all human society and all nations, but it is the defining characteristic of Swiss government policy.
The US broke the swiss banking secrecy years ago and the black money laundering industry moved where?...to the US, now the largest centre for clearing illgotten gains in the world.
Smaller is key. It seems the larger the "country" the more difficult to manage. (and the "like" button didn't work here until after I made this comment)
We are truly a HUGE experiment to have such a large country TRY to maintain a democracy on such a vast landspace. I grew so full of gratitude for what we try to attempt here after my first visit to Europe. But our Liberty bell has a crack in it...we need to patch it up...but again, as Leonhard Cohen says, "That's where the Light gets in."
Friends, sing me some songs or poems today, my heart needs to be lifted again.
Sure. Every part of human society has had to WILLFULLY decide to do these things--they do not happen on their own--and much more still has to be done. And it CAN, but it will be hard. We don't get to hand the controls over to the autopilot--we're nowhere close to that.
It will only happen if we want and are willing to fight for it (preferably, through the means of our existing government and social discourse. The longer we take to do this, and do things like VOTE IN FORCE this year, the more likely that becomes a lost opportunity). To paraphrase Michael Douglas in The American President, "If you want democracy, you gotta want it bad."
I believe they also still have a mandatory two year military service, much like our national guard. They learn a lot about team building and managing weapons. I was a bit shocked to learn what is underground and inside some of those doors in the beautiful mountains.... As a female, I never felt safer, or so respected, in any other country than I did in Switzerland (in the '80's). As along as those with level heads prevail there.
In France, the Regions (18 including the far flung islands) are another layer in the french administrative "Milles feuilles" ....a delicious multilayered, creamy, flakey patisserie....with little real independent power despite having local elected assemblies. They control part of the local transport system, senior levels of high schools, divy up some centrally determined social payments and provide either a purgatory for falling national politicians or a launch pad for future successful ones. Their real contribution is that they cost a fair amount of my tax dollars for little result and even less coherence with history.
Well, they pay my monthly retirement pension and superannuation without fail. Once a year they send me a form I have to take to the police station to get signed to prove that I "am alive, and has appeared before us" - that always make the officer break up! If I don't get it back to them within two months, payments will be suspended.
Canada and uk do likewise. France has the record for the number of 100+ pensionners and practically all live in North Africa...the French government doesn't check whether you are alive or dead ...they pay for evermore. One wonders why?
I can't escape this idea that there are the "me" people and the "we" people. Lauren Boebert and Ronald Reagan are the poster children for the "me". Christians embracing the Anti-Christ.
I have mornings when I readily embrace the idea of overcoming the selfish, frightened "crazies" - win the elections, return to sanity, embrace empathy. Save the Earth!
And then I have mornings when I feel as if the "me" folks should just have their own country where they can be what they want to be: haters and phony bible thumpers. We'll never bring a greater understanding to most of these radical right wing bigots. Boebert will always be a bonehead.
But then I ask what part of this beautiful country...what states...should they consolidate into? Is it possible we should have let the South secede? Of course not. There are too many fine folks there that would have suffered the persecution.
OK, back to educating, marginalizing and just plain winning elections. And accepting that the balance between tolerance, love and inclusion vs bigotry, hate and oppression must be a forever struggle.
But if you have been worrying about and fighting for a better world for decades, doesn't it make you weary and discouraged? If you had told me in 1972 that this would be the political landscape of today, I would have been incredulous. I would call it a sick joke. We were to make progress...what happened?
Bill, I graduated high school in 1972, full of the idea that we could change the world- and we did, often for the better. I spent a good portion of my career working to improve the environment- some parts are better. But the climate crisis looms….
Your point about the “we” people vs. the “me” people is spot on. And is the pivot point for what is happening in our country and indeed, in many countries around the world. I wish I could say it will get better if we just work hard enough but I’m not certain anymore.
What happened? Here in the richest, most powerful nation on the planet, we created several generations of people who feel “entitled.” “Life, liberty the pursuit of happiness” means I want mine. Don’t care if you get yours. Unlike the “Greatest Generation” who mostly understood the need for sacrifice, and working for the common good. Gads….
Like you, I’m pretty tired. Been at this a long time. But my dad was fond of quoting President Kennedy; “from those to whom much is given, much is required.” So yup, more work to do. Just have to take breaks more often. Old bones require more rest. 😎
Thanks for your camaraderie! You have captured my sentiment perfectly. My bones are tired, as well. Mostly from shoveling snow! We had a real bluster yesterday. But physical exhaustion has it's benefits. We get too tired to worry :)
I am headed out to do the final cleanup. And as I labor, I will toss the snow chunks as if they are the roadblocks in our way to a better democracy.
I also feel better after writing. If you are so inclined, here is some of my stuff. Best from MA.
I graduated h.s. in 69, and went from a middle class white suburb into the Kent State/anti-Viet Nam/civil rights/environmental awareness/women’ rights battle and it was a Baptism by Fire! It was such a whirlwind (I started to type ‘worldwind’, which would be appropriate too!
I have always been an activist, and I always believed. Believed. Period…. And yet now the worldwind is such a violent force and like a bird in a storm I’m trying desperately to hold onto my sprig of belief….
Familiar story. It seems I’ve been holding a sign since I was a kid. Graduation 1964!!! We have never been without conflict that we joined or started. Even the talk of war somewhere else was scary to kids. Now with internet and TV and cable and threats beyond war, Climate Change, who is caring for how children hear, process, act on these very real threats and conflicts. Rhetorical question.
In 1972 Nixon showed the way to attempting to overthrow a government by breaking into the Democratic National Committee with the hopes of co-opting their campaign.
It was the first, albeit clumsy, attempt to rig elections.
Republicans are smarter now and gaining more experience every day.
The memory of the Watergate Hearings gives me hope, Senator Sam with his Columbo style 'What do I know I'm just a country boy...' then hammering home irrefutable evidence of corruption. I believe our Jan 6 Committee is following in the footsteps of those heroic Senators.
We need to step back and remember the incredible violence of those years - bombings, real riots, assassinations, Kent State, Vietnam, not to mention Europe and South America.
Wow, Bill, you captured EXACTLY how I feel most days. You hit so many big points so eloquently in just your short commentary, I’ve read it several times now and shared it with friends. Thank you. It is comforting to benefit from your clear headdress as I try not to succumb to utter depression witnessing the downfall of our democracy and its takeover by what used to just be the laughable lunatic fringe. No more. What terrible fate awaits this crumbling Union this year and in 2024? For now I just remain grateful for the helpful exchanges among HCR’s community of readers and her incredible daily summaries of our current situation in historical framing. Thank you, Bill, and thank you all.
Yes! Exactly…. You are correct. I live for these discussions, I too often feel grim and helpless. Can we pull this country out? Get back on track?! Maybe there’s something in the water? I was just saying to my husband that all the energy, manpower, and time that is spent on negative thinking and behavior is such a huge waste! I don’t want to sound overly simplistic, but if everyone would just work hard, and seriously contribute to the potential of this country we would be so amazing! The advances that would be achieved across the board would be fantastic! Instead, we are in a fenced in schoolyard with a bunch of bullies, whose main goal is to keep us under their control, and reap the rewards of our work without contributing anything themselves.
We watched a great movie yesterday, and I highly recommend it. ‘Inherit the Wind’. Phenomenal cast, and the story was about the‘Scope Monkey Trial’ back in the 30’s. Then a play was produced in the 50’s , and then the movie was made… the play and the movie were subtly directed at the McCarthyism of that time. It could not have been more a case of synchronicity! It’s exactly what is going on at this very moment… being played out in courtrooms across the country and the Supreme Court!
Sorry for the rambling, but I am sad, mad, and scared. And to top it all off, listen to trump’s rant at his rally last night… I have to find a link, and I shall return!
What amazes me is trump and friends CAN NOT accept the fact that the majority of the people of the United States. Do not want them and never will want them to rule our country.
And one more add: I HATE anytime those traitorous idiots invoke "1776" or their GD "Tea Party." It roils my blood every time. Yes, I'm from MA, so it enrages me when they deceitfully hijack those things for their infernal uses.
A quote from John Adams (made while commenting on the squabbles between revolutionary military commanders in 1777) that speaks so well to what rests in these peoples' hearts: "I believe there is no one principle which predominates in human nature so much in every stage of life, from the cradle to the grave, in males and females, old and young, black and white, rich and poor, high and low, as this passion for superiority."
If we do not STRIVE to make a society that is not based on this feral instinct, we will never achieve it. Certainly not through conservative osmosis.
Many thanks for the quote from John Adams! I have copied it for posterity. As a long time admirer of Adams, I am not surprised he uttered this insightful words but I have never run across them before.
Growing up on a farm, before I spent large time in bigger groups of people, just my other co-workers (guys my age), everyone had a dog or two on their farm. When folks brought the dogs together, they would all fight. It could be a real problem.
Later on, working in corporations, I used to think about those days when, if we got three dogs together they would all fight.
Because, working in corporate America in my first 20 years of my career, seemed like a perpetual dog fight. It took me a while to perfect my own approach to my coworkers and my boss.
To enable me to do and push what I wanted, I would, in the last 20 years of my career, meet with a boss (or coworker), and HAVING ALREADY COMPLETED something that nobody knew I was doing, I would say: "Hey, Boss/Coworker, remember two months ago when you suggested this (idea that (invariably a he) had never heard of in his life)? He would look puzzled for a second, but, I would go right on describing how this new thing he suggested really worked out when I built the code structure and implemented it. Of course, people being what they are, it really never occurred to my boss/coworker (except for one who did call me on it but was still OK) that they had never, ever even heard of the idea and work before.
By the end of the conversation every boss I had in those last 20 years thought:
a) I was a GREAT guy on the team (worthy of good raises that is).
b) HE, the boss, was a spectacular genius. (because, of course, I taught him he was).
c) HE, the boss, was SUPERIOR to other bosses because of the many genius ideas implemented on our team.
My other coworkers started doing the same thing and pretty soon, our team was completely driving the product, which, was appropriate, we actually knew what we should be doing, not the boss.
BUT, the boss was in charge of one important thing: Giving raises. So, we fed him the food needed for us to get those: HIS SUPERIORITY.
In my last 20 years, my team never took any direction from a boss (mostly because they never had any worth taking) and we drove the product and the outcomes completely and the entire time whoever was the boss thought that they were the most superior person on earth because: We learned they needed to believe in that and simply served it up on a plate to them.
I only regret one thing: That I did not see John Adams quote when I was 25.
:-)
John Adams was no dummy. He is actually, "my hero" from the past. He worked like a "dog" to get to where he could be a lawyer and had serious obstacles but he overcame them all.
In contrast to your observations of dogs, I want to offer up my observation of the multiple basketball teams my sons played on. The teams that outperformed their individual abilities were those who learn effective teamwork and were able to put the team over their own egos. As humans we absolutely can learn to cooperate if the team goal is more important to us than our own individual ego needs
With teamwork, 1+1 can equal 3. With infighting 1-1 can go into negative numbers. Here's a thought. Do you think that maybe we are being pitted against one another? Set up for a dog fight? Goaded?
💯💯Scott, Yes! They’ve said it out loud from the very beginning. Maybe Putin hides it, maybe Koch’s/ALEC try to hide it but tfg and his Buddy Bannon have been right out front with it! They want chaos, they know that is how Mussolini’s and Hitler claim power.
Stir the soup. F things up. Claim nothing works. Government does not work. Never mind who stopped it from working. Create the chaos and then promote SELF as solution. Yup. We've seen that movie. History has shown us that movie. The price to produce it was high. Lots of people who didn't want to watch it, they had no choice. A chilling tale...
RE: Multiple dogs. My experience is that multiple dogs, untethered they quickly work things out, run together, play and perform just fine. When dogs meet other dogs, multiple dogs on a leash, that's when problems begin.
Thank you for this. We have lots of dog parks here. While dogs on leash can be defensive, dogs in the off-leash dog parks either ignore one another or play together.
My (not extensive) experience with gatherings of us boys headed off to hunt or fish, and, those who felt the need to bring a dog, is, the dogs fight. Eventually, they sort out what is what and stop, plus, they hurt each other.
I wondered because in the 1960s, my parents didn’t neuter our pet dachshund and he occasionally would disappear for a couple days. Things are different now.
That makes sense to me. These days, in cities, we are expected to neuter our male dogs and the licensing fees reflect whether or not the dog is neutered. In a bunch of non-neutered male dogs, though, the males probably need to establish a hierarchy.
Trump’s behavior with other world leaders always seemed to me to be just that - posturing to prove that he’s the alpha dog. It’s a far cry from Teddy Roosevelt’s “speak softly and carry a big stick” and also not how true alpha dogs really behave. It always seemed driven by deep insecurity, and alpha dogs are never insecure. Having a big stick, or a “bigger button” as Trump put it, isn’t enough. Character matters.
I was one of your 4 bosses it seems. Letting my staff develop their own goals and objectives placed the decisions in the right place. They only came to me for guidance and approval. Someone had to fulfill the role of boss for you because you didn't want the roll nor did any of your co-workers. But I'll still give you all the glory.
Do you get my point? Your bosses were only doing the best they could under the conditions that they worked. Without them recognizing that your level was where the real work gets done, you would have likely floundered and moved on to another company. Just sayin'... nearly all workers "for the man" are just trying to figure out a way to please "the man". Sounds like you were somewhat fortunate to have the bosses you had. They listened to you and let you act. In my book you just never recognized their method. -saw-
"Letting my staff develop their own goals and objectives placed the decisions in the right place. "
Steve, no, definitely, you were not the boss I described. Clearly, although you don't use the overused word, you were OK with something called empowerment.
That is completely different than scenarios I worked in.
In my scenario I found a scam to empower myself. In your scenario, you empowered everyone up front to get the best out of the team.
It's early on in the McCullough book, from his Board of War days in early '77. I'm re-reading the book 20 yrs later. Yes, your workplace sounds suspiciously like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNCrMEOqHpc
Robert, I will take a look later at the link. I had four different workplaces, but, remarkably, they all had the same boss, just in a different body.
After Bowen's nice biography I did take up McCollough's book, which sort of starts where Bowen left off. But, for whatever reason, his writing style left me somewhat bored and I never finished. Maybe now that it is routinely below 5F for a while I will take it up again.
Yeah, it's pithy but broadly-capturing of "boss genius." Actually, in the military, I rarely encountered this, but I've heard stories like these from the private sector for decades.
I bet you read "How to Manage your Boss" by Hegarty. It certainly changed my work world...for the better. Bosses are insecure little puppies who think being a tough dog will make them look smart. So, obviously, you get it. Make them look smart and go back to being productive.
Thank you, John Adams had his trials and rose to the challenges like few others. “…passion for superiority.” Damn, I keep puking over the term “white supremacists” as none who are so self-identified can claim even an iota of exceptionalism, in my view. They are just smug, condescending, and mean.
Boebert and others throwing around "1776" and using the "Don't Tread on Me" snake flag really don't know what they are talking about. They have instead reversed the process...anyone supporting Trumps attempt to stay in power and/or storming the Capitol doesn't want democracy, they want tyranny, they don't want equality they want supremacy....and they certainly don't want to teach or learn accurate history.
I grew up in the South. You have the history exactly right of course. Our current crisis is indeed a re-run of Civil War motivations. Reagan began the present Republican Party era by declaring, in Mississippi, “I am in favor of States Rights” - which everyone knew meant opposed to civil rights and in favor of suppression of people of color. And the predictable resistance of wealthy business against all regulation further fuels the resistance to government “by and for all the people”. Thank you!
And please, let’s not forget that women of all colors or lack thereof are still not mentioned in the Constitution; nor has the Equal Rights Amendment ever passed.
Thank you for posting this article. I had bought the MSM info that it was dead because too much time had elapsed. I’m a little taken back as to why the Biden administration hasn’t made it happen.
I told my lifelong friend who I visited this past October that we are heading towards another Civil War and she almost laughed in my face… it just seems so inevitable!
I haven’t heard much from the “strict constructionists” on the SCROTUS regarding women and our rights since we aren’t mentioned in the constitution. Not even mentioned in the 19th: “…on the basis of sex.”
" If the Founders were only referring to 'males' they would have said so." Well, there were referring to males, particularly white males. Or they would have said so. That is why were now say, "ALL The People this time." No ability to be exclusive.
Professor, I also thought about Boebert’s battle tweet, and all I had was questions. No time to find answers. Your Letter today answered all of them, and much, much more. Thank you for using part of your Saturday to bring us the information we need. The more we understand, the more effective we can be. Please get some good rest and recreation on your one day off....
“The more we understand, the more effective we can be.”
So much truth to this statement; it frightens me to my core to see states banning the teaching of things that “make children uncomfortable”. Without clear knowledge of the past they will lack any ability to create a better future.
Lauren Boobert sounds like what she is - an uneducable high school dropout ignoramus and professional juvenile delinquent (who married her statutory rapist, also a juvenile delinquent). Raised in Nowhereville and soon to return to the obscurity from which she came. The perfect demonstration of the term "Deplorable."
On many levels I agree about her but we don’t get anywhere by calling people the worst words we can come up with. Deplorable didn’t help Hillary at all. The way I see it is we’ve all got some deplorable stuff going on and so we all have to try to see our better selves and especially in the other side. I think it’s the only way we’re ever getting back an old fashioned sense of being the United States.
It's not "calling names" to accurately describe the shallow end of the gene pool as the shallow end of the gene pool. "Deplorable" is the politest word I can come up with for the "Gammas."
My deep appreciation, Heather, for this piece of beautiful historical revelations that end with such characteristic distinction -- none of my immediate reaction: "the woman and her fellow insurrectionists haven't a clue about historical, watershed events," but rather:
"The insurrectionists’ cries of 1776 remind me not of the Founding era, but of 1860. In that time, too, people believed they were creating a new country and recorded their participation. In that time, too, the rebels wanted a country with a weak federal government, so they could be sure people like them would rule forever."
As always, BRAVA for your revelatory writing and your grace!
Yes, Heather nails it...and the weak central Govt worked against the success of the Confederacy, as each Governor wanted what he wanted, where he wanted it. They all agreed on maintaining & protecting the institution of slavery....beyond that, it was a mess. They had no heavy industry, poor railroads, etc. Power and authority is always an issue as so many of the people who want ultimate power are not healthy human beings, like Trump, Napoleon, Hitler, Pol Pot etc
Certain states are passing laws to keep historical events and atrocities toward people of color out of school books and classes. They claim they do not want this pain of guilt to be handed to their children. Seems to me that what they want to keep from their children is the actions of their forefathers that were put upon these people. Hopefully their children will see them for who they are. Who were actually and are the shameful actors in Histoty?
“Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.” James Baldwin. This I witnessed many times as a high school counselor, sad to say.
I think a lot of white folks in power were shocked to see so many young white people marching for BLM which is why there’s such a focus on banning CRT, certain books, lectures etc. I have faith in our youth though. They are learning beyond the classroom through the internet, travel, relationships and even music. Most of them want to live peacefully and safely in a multicultural world. Supporting youth groups with this kind of mission can make a difference.
Interference by corrupt and totally incompetent politicians with the exercise of professional judgment by competent experts will soon come down to ratcatcher level.
Judges are forced to practice gross injustice, physicians have to put up with politicians who turn the mob on them when they try to work for public health (quite apart from surviving the crossfire between ambulance-chasing lawyers, back-seat driver insurance companies, big pharma, big money and ten thousand irrelevancies), teachers are grossly overworked, underpaid and undervalued, in addition to which they must take instruction from the benighted. Seems that in this society the blind (or blindfolded) lead the blind and no one else is allowed to.
As for such patent absurdities as Citizens United (whereby in effect only the voice of Mammon and its prostituted lobbyists is audible) or the perverse and murderous interpretation of the 2nd Amendment... it's better that I shouldn't utter in this company the thoughts that arise in the minds of Europeans...
It also explains why many of us so mistrust American justice that we fear to see extradition to the US.
A bad example, and one that has, of course, been followed.
Among those "sensitive" topics: "Last week, a Florida House committee approved a bill that would ban discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity in schools. ...{snip}....Part of a class of legislation colloquially known as “don’t say gay” bills, which have been introduced in several state legislatures in recent years, the Florida bill, if passed, could easily be construed as a directive to educators to erase all mention of marginalized people’s lives from the classroom." https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2022/01/florida-lgbtq-parental-rights-desantis.html
Our sad and terrifying, racist, xenophobic, patriarchal story seems stuck on repeat due, it appears, to the construction of our constitution. ALEC would enshrine that story. And, we need a re-vision of the constitution to bring it, and our nation, up to speed in this era. Unable to imagine a safe constitutional convention at present...
Careful what you ask for. A "revisiion" to the Constitution, underr Article V, gives the delegates (chosen by state governments) the same open-ended power those delegates had in 1787, You want the Constitution revised by the majority vote of delegates from the 26 Trump states?
As Heather wrote in her letter: "ALEC formed in 1973 to bring businessmen, the religious right, and lawmakers together behind legislation. So far, 15 Republican-dominated states have passed legislation proposed by ALEC to call such a convention. In another nine similar states, at least one house has passed such bills, and lawmakers have introduced such bills in 17 other states." Do we really thing they would play fair if a Constitutional convention is convened? There does not appear to be a limit on the number of amendments which may be proposed even if there was a single specific purpose proposed initially for convening a CC.
Just taking a moment to let it sink in that most of this has happened and is happening because we white people (especially white men and white Christians) believe we deserve more than any other human. It’s hard to fathom when you think about it.
Your ability to summarize hundreds of years of our history, in engaging and understandable language, without losing the string, and in just enough words, is not only amazing but a gift to us and to history. Thank you for sharing it!
Patti, thank you, you have said it well. We gave many subscriptions of Letters as holiday gifts. It is our hope for America that we read first thing 5 and often 6 days a week. I encourage all to SHARE. Thank you Dr. H. C. Richardson!
It’s how I start my day.
Absolutely, and I have to discipline myself to move on at some point. Oft times I get so involved with the fabulous comments and opinions of all of Heather’s Cafe! So many brilliant people here sharing so much knowledge!
I feel like I am a member of a very incredible body of people here. I am honored to be here!
I am amazed by the range of diverse comments that are sparked by Heather’s nightly crafting of daily incidents into a far broader historical context. It’s almost like a history PhD oral exam at which outsiders are permitted to kibitz. I have learned a lot as I struggle to recall what I tried to teach my students over decades.
Perhaps the most important lesson in American history is the constitutional system of checks and balances in which the Executive, Congress, and Supreme Court were crafted to check one another. When, as often happens, this gets out of kilter, nasty things occur. Trump as president and now the Stench Court. Will this teeter board ever be in balance again?
That is the question, Can the 'United' States of America be the democracy we and the entire world need?
Hi Fern, I fear, were the joint Republican/ Federalist Society’s project to weaken the Federal government by granting increasingly greater powers to the States to succeed, that the devastation left in its wake would be unbearable. Still, relying on memory, a subscriber on today’s thread stated something to the effect that the more we understand the more effective we can be.
Money talks, and as complicated as this issue is, we need to pay more attention, including to our pensions and IRA mutual funds.
My latest wake up call was about Autocracy Inc. by Anne Applebaum, as reminded by Leigh McGowan AKA Politics Girl, in case anyone missed it:
https://twitter.com/anneapplebaum/status/1460215744743067648?s=20
https://twitter.com/IAmPoliticsGirl/status/1483590198130720770?s=20
Some resourceful members of this forum offer the following:
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Hub
https://www.csrhub.com/
This group organizes and analyzes massive amounts of data from many sources in order to rate on a reliable relative scale the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) ratings of virtually every publicly traded and many private organizations as well. You can enter the name of any company or their trading symbol here to see their ratings and learn more about the details of those ratings as well.
As You Sow:
https://www.asyousow.org/
"As You Sow is the nation’s non-profit leader in shareholder advocacy. Founded in 1992, we harness shareholder power to create lasting change by protecting human rights, reducing toxic waste, and aligning investments with values."
The Shareholder Action Guide: Unleash Your Hidden Powers to Hold Corporations Accountable.
Andrew Behar, CEO of As You Sow.
https://shareholderactionguide.org/
You mean "kibitz", not "kibbutz". A kibbutz is a type of communal settlement in Israel.
Spot on. I stayed on a kibbutz in 1954. Happy memories!
One way to get these ideas out is for each of us to write a letter to the editor of our local or regional paper and summarize what HCR says. I share on FB and twitter almost daily.
My paper only takes 150 words. I have been thinking of how to get solid points communicated in 150 words!
Good challenge!
FYI you can check out a group of HCR Substackers who've formed to turn good talk into good action, as you do:
heathersherd@gmail.com
Yea!
I like Heather's Cafe! I feel so fortunate to be here!
I love the idea of Heather's Cafe. I had a local make a rather stupid comment on the last letter and I informed her about Dr. Richardson and the posters here. This is a person who does gritty hard work with the unhoused and I admire that, but if she stubs her toe at home, it's because she is in Salem. In answer to me, I got the usual potpourri of what's wrong with society.
I have been late leaving for work because I get so engrossed.
I am with you, Cynthia. I often feel overwhelmed by all the news available but want to read all sides to ensure broad perspectives and factual information. HCR pulls the most important pieces with focus and the extra added history lesson, how fortunate we all are, and honored as you say.
I often tell friends who say "I cannot read the news anymore, I get too depressed". I tell them if you read nothing else, read HCR. Thanks HCR.
I lost patience sometime ago with simple reporting. Out of context, those "breaking news" stories don't tell you much, so I'm looking for commentary that puts the facts in useful context. HCR is a great resource, as is Now & Then, the podcast she does with Joanne Freeman. I value Lucian Truscott's Substack because he's a great writer and journalist who's been around the block a few times and has a good grasp of military matters. Since I'm especially interested in the legal and constitutional perspective on current events, I follow Dahlia Lithwick, Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance (on Cafe Insider), and #SistersInLaw. There's plenty more out there, but the combination of accurate reporting + intelligent commentary is unbeatable.
Adding Robert Hubbell's Substack to the list for intelligent commentary with a positive eye and links to action (He also reads LFAA):
https://roberthubbell.substack.com/
Agree, Susanna and thanks for all this great information. Familiar with all the names, but didn't know about Cafe Inside and just learned of SistersInLaw thank you!
Same here. The last time I felt this way was when I was a bit player in Ta-Nehisi Coates's "Horde" at the Atlantic.
Ta-Nehisi Coates Between the World and Me changed way of thinking, such a beautiful letter to his son. What an honor for you to have worked with this incredible author/person.
I keep running into others who were lucky enough to be part of the Horde -- mainly because none of us can stop talking about how great it was. I don't think TNC ever trademarked the phrase "Talk to me like I'm stupid" but every time I use it I think of him.
what? I don't understand!! please tell me more... I adore him and am trying to read everything he has written...
It's long gone -- it dwindled as Coates was devoting more and more time to writing the essays that have made him such a major player, like the one on reparations, and I think had vanished for good by 2015. But it's very fondly remembered by those who participated. Here are two online appreciations of it: https://www.theatlantic.com/notes/2015/09/horde/407902/ and https://longreads.com/2015/02/04/its-yours-a-short-history-of-the-horde/.
Amen!
Yes, yes, yes! My most trusted NEWS source. Gratitude!
News and history we were never taught
The way I like to start mine. I am a bit late today!
Great idea.
I so agree! I'm sure I was asleep at the wheel when this was covered in American History class. HCR makes it so interesting. So grateful for her.
I don’t think whoever it was that taught us American history in my HS had anything like the understanding of our history that Heather has probably forgotten, much less informs the letters that she share’s with us. I truly believe that this community is participating in an advanced level history course at one of our finest universities. I feel honored to be in this community, in addition to our professor I am awed by the brilliance exhibited by so many of you.
"anything like the understanding" yes, nor cared as passionately as HCR does.
Yes!
Regina62, not sure you were asleep at the wheel. History in Texas in the 1960s was a potpourri of "Lincoln Freed the Slaves," "The Alamo was a Great Victory for Davy Crockett" and "The Texas Rangers are Law-Abiding and Awesome Citizens." There were days when I was probably snoozing in class, but we had to read the text books...and those were so whitewashed they didn't even mention Latinx history--in TEXAS! Some days it feels like HCR is rewriting history and then it hits me: for the first time in my life I'm hearing history as it REALLY was.
I remember the events were taught, but never the context that tied everything together. Now it all makes sense!
Yes. We were taught bullet points and dates with little extra explanation.
Exactly.
Taught The who, where and when but never the how and why
Exactly! And you always came away with the feeling that the bad stuff that happened ‘back-then’ but would never happen again…
My sister and I were discussing the recent book burning fervor and even though we both graduated from the same high school what we were taught was dependent upon which teacher we had. She had been taught about the Holocaust and it's deeper resonances to this day and I do not even remember the Holocaust being mentioned and I was a history lover even then.
Whoa?!
I assumed that too, but I don’t believe they really taught much… which when you consider the depth of knowledge necessary for every presidential term, it’s so much?!
+1
Of course, Heather Cox Richardson has at least one PhD in the subject of which she speaks, and she does an excellent job telling her students and the rest of us about it!
Your wonderful sweep across history in response to Lauren Boebert’s comment “Today is 1776” brought to mind a comment made by One of my astute black friends early in the Trump years, just as our heads began to spin with the Republican chaos.
“Republicans don’t govern and no one expects them to. Republicans start wars.
The Democrats get stuck with all the governance, and if there are any problems left behind by the Republicans, the Democrats are expected to fix them. The Democrats are the only ones who govern.
This idea shocked me at the time but I have been thinking about it ever since. After all, I spent most of my adult life voting Republican. Never once did I question if Republicans “governed.” I had been taught that Republicans “stood for what was right”, lowered taxes, got rid of onerous regulations that hindered all of us from starting our own businesses …
But did they govern ? Did they make their states a better place to live & work? Did they increase opportunities for all, believing a rising tide lifts all boats?
The longer I pondered the question the more I realized my friend’s observation rang embarrassingly true. The answer was no. The Republicans did not govern.
The Democrats govern, while the Republicans deregulate, posture about ideals, and start wars. It’s a simplistic view, but your history lesson today gives it context. 1860 indeed. Your closing paragraph says it best. ❤️
Agreed! I often use the analogy of the Elephant (the gop symbol) in the circus! Say what? There is always someone walking behind the elephant to pick up it’s ‘road chips’ while it parades around the big tent! Likewise, a Democratic administration always has to clean up 4 years of droppings left behind by an ‘elephant’!
Ouch! Yes… but it kills me that the GOP has the elephant as their ‘logo’! Show me an Trumper that is smarter than an elephant and I’ll show you an empty room!
Can we re-brand them as the Hypocrisy Party? Then they could have a Hippo instead! Agreed that Elephants just do not work for them anymore!!
No animal but a picture of a sesspool as the mascot!
yup!!!
Awesome analogy! I love it!
And why do you think the 'patriots' who invaded the Capitol on January 6, 2021, carried the flag of those who rebelled against democracy in 1861? And why do you think, as HCR points out, Representative Boebert looks back to the days of the failed Articles of Confederation rather than to the Constitution which ultimately rescued the country from those like her and John Calhoun?
“Liberty is not a universal right but should be reserved for the intelligent, patriotic, the virtuous and deserving” -John C Calhoun
I disagree-liberty should be a universal right. Calhoun’s call for intelligence, patriotism and virtue though counts out Calhoun, Boebert, Republicans and some others. Civil rights is one thing and human rights another. African Americans having been legally declared “property” have had to fight for human and civil rights. Even the constitution disregarded African Americans as fully human and while amendments have helped us to make progress-we’re still trying to convince folks that “Black Lives Matter”. Many thanks to all of you who care about having a country that honors humanity no matter gender, skin color, religion etc.
Calhoun’s statement, on its face, sounds noble to those who would apply it with the noblest intentions, but offers duplicitous cover to those Who are racist or classist. It is another example of providing fine-sounding language to justify the same old trope: denying equal human rights to all. Yes! Liberty IS a human right; it is the birthright of every child. Yes, it can be mismanaged and squandered. If it is squandered on crimes that harm others, you can even lose it’s privileges and end up in jail or some other restrictive space.
But Liberty as a human right? It is either a birthright for all, or a birthright for none.
Some of the most fine-sounding political speeches I have ever read were uttered by men (yes, always males, of course) representing the conquistador élite in Central American countries where armies and death squads practiced mass murder without let or hindrance. (Least of all from Uncle Sam wherever US industrial or financial interests had a finger in the pie...)
If you read these marvels of eloquence you'd have thought the man who spoke them was a candidate for canonization...
❤️
Good point-I think the Republicans are so good at using words and phrases that sound noble-they often use liberty, patriot, freedom etc to name campaigns, organizations and legislative initiatives (e.g. “Election integrity”-Newt Gingrich said words and language matter-he’s wrong about so much but right about language
You should read George Orwell's essay, "Politics and the English Language". It's available online.
Thanks for the suggestion-will do.
Yes! Interpretation by courts, states, and private citizens, the citizenry, has created openings and flaws in protecting civil rights and human rights.
Lauren Boebert is not the brightest tool in the shed. I doubt she knows any history.
I don't think she's even *in* the shed.
None. Nunca. Nada.
Boebert comes from the Talent agency and watching her prance around when she talks reminds me of what my daughter was taught by one when she was 11. Little girls grow out of that but Boebert is using it now because it keeps the attention on her body instead of her shrill words. They’re waiting for her to expose herself and grab the pole. They made her head of communications for one of their groups because it’s best to put people with the ability to distract out front. This way you don’t see the filthy background. I also think Trump was the shill to distract. They know what they’re doing but only care about the immediate attention, the facade of love.
So scary. This patriots are out in the open with their Trump and Confederate flags and becoming more bold, their guns. 1776!? 2022.
I have a friend who criticizes me for often taking a realistic and pessimistic view into the future of our democracy. She recgnizes the many crises, military and othewise, which the country has survived and has great faith in the American people to successfully deal with our present challenges. She has a point.
Jack, but as do you. Reality is not always popular, but it is necessary my friend.
Regulations are put in place for a reason - like mandatory addition of seatbelts in cars.
Did you know the EU has banned over 1000 chemicals which are permitted in USA products? USA banned 9.
Did you know some of these chemicals give obesity, anxiety, and depression a hand? They’re included in many fragrance products including air fresheners and laundry products.
Did you know the Fragrance & Flavors industry polices itself and that due to a Trade Secret Loophole, they don’t have to tell you the ingredients (ingredients are the ones deliberately added and not the accidental and possibly dangerous byproducts resulting from the chemical interactions-like dioxane which is a byproduct in a lot of hair care products including children’s products)?
Remember what happened after the deregulation of banking?
Regulations also protect workers.
Don’t ever give anyone blanket permission to deregulate.
Lisa, thank you for the reminder of the responsibility of a government to protect us, which isn’t happening. Readers can check out more of the references in your post, by looking at Environmental Working Group https://www.ewg.org/. And traveling Internationally I’ve seen graffiti scrawled with “USA Monsanto” and drawings of skeletons and thumbs down” referring to USA selling known carcinogens not only to our American citizens but to the world. Especially poor countries. And we still don’t always ban known carcinogens that have been banned in other countries. There is a known cancer causing chemical used in some strawberry farming in California that was finally banned. Then TFG lifted the ban. Another reason to buy organic. Which is too expensive for many, many Americans.
I love the EWG (Environmental Working Group) website. I’m glad you shared it.
Me too! It’s good to know we still have access to reality and there are those organizations that inform and protect the public.
I knew none of this! Thanks!
I reposted part of your comment and the link to EWG on my FB page, no names just citing a fellow reader!
Amazing, on top of a history lesson from HCR, I get a science lesson too!
Unfortunately, the media does not continuously expose the dangers of the chemicals in products we regularly use because some ‘media corp head’ would find it too depressing to remind us about the issue!
However, the same ‘media head’ encourages repeating the lies of the cult!
Also, the wealthy people who own the media also own stock in those companies, sell advertising to those companies, have friends, family, & neighbors who own the companies, or own stock, or are members of the Board of Directors.
Corporations, Politicians, Mainstream Media, Organized Religion, Ad/Marketing companies, Lobbyists, Research Laboratories (and their funders), Ivy League Colleges (and their funders), etc. are part of a big network and have regular people trapped within the circle.
Is it this newsletter or another where the evils of deregulation were discussed? To your point, anti monopoly laws have been neutered by the right wing libertarian policies of the last decades. For example, at one time a newspaper group could not own a tv or radio outlet in the same market, not true any longer. Facebook gobbles up any and all similar platforms ie messenger, instagram, WhatsApp…! Disney owns ESPN which controls collegiate sports programming on tv! NBC paid for tv rights of pending Olympics in China which is a mini supper spreader in the making and they shamelessly promote the disaster to be on regular programming!
We have lost the concept of “governance”. It goes from the mundane keeping bridges maintained and water free of lead to running open and fair elections.
Maybe we lost it when we stopped teaching civics in school.
Now, to bring back civics, schools will be under attack from the right for teaching CRT!
The R’s don’t govern. They just break things. Then when Dems come and have to fix the broken things, the R’s call them “tax and spend Democrats.”
Oddly enough, I just finished reading an article by Carolyn Hax of the Washington Post a long thread on Twitter about stay-at-home moms and working dads , and how the housework and parenting responsibilities fall overwhelmingly to the mom. The parallel is striking!
... with moms who work outside the home, as well... and we are often responsible for cleaning up the remaining "road chips", too.
My grandson just hit this section in his sociology class. There is truly a gender gap that will never change. I do think they left out how this works in a homosexual marriage, especially with lesbians, but perhaps it’s covered in the Marriage and Family course. It would have been taboo 40 years ago when I had the class. I always try to use real examples he can see right now to help him remember these concepts. Woman have always carried the greater responsibilities. When women go to work their responsibilities double. Both my parents worked. My father mowed the lawn once a week. My mother cooked, did laundry and cleaned every single day. Doesn’t seem like a fair exchange. My husband and I share and we have often had a housekeeper come in every 2 weeks because of my disability. But I think he does more than me.
Here are two books from the 1990s by sociologist and author Stephanie Coontz (Titles speak volumes): “The Way We Never Were” and a sequel. https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-way-we-never-were-american-families--the-nostalgia-trap_stephanie-coontz/247642/
Still worth a read. It’s history.
Unfortunately, since the Democrats are the only ones governing, they are the only ones that get blamed when things don't go well. The R's are completely left out of the media narratives.
What is different now is that the Republicans have moved from being incompetent grandstanders and complainers to active saboteurs and, dare I say it, traitors. They have become dangerous, and there is no neat Mason-Dixon line to divide us this time. We are now going to have to figure out how to fight our very own families, friends, neighbors and colleagues and win - because failure is not an option.
Now THAT’S an apt assessment! And trust me, in ninth grade I moved to East Tennessee from our liberal Ohio town. They called me a carpet bagger… Every single one of them did reenactments of the Civil War and the education was stupefying. Born again, bibles out in the obvious, in the halls between classes. And, it was the “good lab school” on the ETSU campus in Johnson City, TN. Out the the top ten states with hate groups, TN has the title with 35 (THIRTY FIVE) hate groups. Theirs is triple the average.
Have to add, there’s amazing people in TN….but not going back. Deliverance.
And to think, somewhere there are some old Soviet generals and leaders looking at themselves in the mirror and thinking, “We spent all this money on weapons to defeat the Americans when all we had to do was surreptitiously take over one of their political parties and make sure that a dictator-wannabe wins a presidential election there. Then the Americans will do everything else on their own and we won’t have to spend money on a single gun!”
I can’t be the only one thinking this, can I?
Fox is soviet Psy Ops!
You aren’t. They did.
Trump became the Soviets useful idiot
You are not the only one thinking this, Ian, but missing from this discussion are the actions of the CIA against legitimately elected presidents, like in Guatemala and Iran in the 50s, Chile in the 70s, the many attempts to assassinate Castro, and the proxy wars in Nicaragua, Panamá, and El Salvador of the 80s. These surreptitious maneuvers were accepted by most Americans (if they even knew or cared anything about them) because they were "preventing Communism in our back yard". So the US emerged triumphant from the Cold War only to have our democracy eroded from within. Hubris leading to Nemesis.
Beatrice, Though your point is spot-on, my understanding is that much of the U.S.’s 20th century involvement in overthrowing governments (some which were democratically elected) was due to said governments nationalizing their industries, perceived by stakeholders as a detriment to U.S. interests. A great reference is a book titled Overthrown.
Barbara, I think nationalization of industry was regarded by the US as "socialism which leads to communism", which throughout the 20th century years was regarded as antithetical to "democracy". It was not usually stated that socialism is an economic system and capitalism is also an economic system. Both are used and/or combined in successful democracies. Nationalization of industries in which the US has interests was largely confused with anti- "democracy". This confusion led to the official justification for overthrowing democratically elected presidents in Guatemala, Iran and Chile. And the fear of nationalization of industries in which the US had interests led to the proxy wars in Central America and the effort to overthrow Castro.
Beatrice, Your two comments, taken together, provide a thorough and accessible account of U.S. misadventures from the recent past. Thanks for the clarification.
We were far more united as a country throughout the cold war. Would have been a tad difficult back then.
There wasn't the internet during the Cold War. Incredible, mindboggling disinformation is posted minute by minute by forces hostile to the United States. I can see it clearly in the comments sections of the Washington Post whenever there is an article on the Biden Administration. There is a clear agenda to stir dissension and hatred among Americans. And the most insistent drumbeat of propaganda in the comments? It is that America needs to dissolve the Union of the States. Can you imagine? Our whole southern border would be exposed. Putin could walk right in and those Southern States would fold so easily.
And finally. The smartest thing trump/putin did was abscond with what Patriotism and Democracy really are. Listen to any MAGA, Hannity, Boebert etc. They are pounding on the emotional drum of that intangible sense of Patriotism. Boebert's re-interpretation of 1776 and the whole pantheon of what a Democracy or a Constitution are makes sense in the trump/putin game plan. I have never seen so many people draped in American flags. Even the anti Vietnam war protesters didn't do that as much as we see now. So now the fascists have covered everything up with an American flag.
I'll leave their takeover of the educational system for another day.
I sincerely apologize for being on such a negative trip this morning. Have a good week everyone.
Barbara I am appalled to see Trumpists wrap themselves in my American flag. When I served in the Foreign Service in the Congo, it was under OUR American flag. How dare they sully this symbol of our democracy on which new states were added up-to-50 so far.
As a false symbol, it reflects the ‘pro life’ motto, which is anathema to basic women’s rights. I favor taking back OUR flag. Also, I propose that we highlight that great, inclusive national anthem—GOD BLESS AMERICA. I consider this ‘god’ universal. Kate Smith, who launched Irving Berlin’s song, has been ‘blacklisted’ for a song she sang in 1933 which, I believe, was written by a Black composer. When will this subversive nonsense end? GOD BLESS AMERICA!
Thanks Keith. The saddest thing? The other day I saw a truck with the American flag a'waving. I cringed. From a young child I have always thought the flag of the United States of America was the prettiest of all. I still love to see our flag atop a flag pole in the breeze.
Let's keep our Democracy and our flag will follow. Gosh we have so so much work to do in order to accomplish this.
Barbara I had the same feeling in the summer of 2020 when a bunch of trucker Yahoos, with American flags flying, raced down the streets of NJ’s North Fork. At times I regretted that I had left my M-16 in the Congo.
The American Flag reimagined now ready to purchase with blue lines. Or next to Confederate flags and symbols or
whatever a Patriot can dream up. Just check the internet. I admit I’m intimidated by this blatant display of pseudopatriotism.
I am too. And that is their intent; to menace.
Picture of Trump slinking on stage, literally wrapped in a flag and rubbing his smirking face against it.
Oh gosh I remember that now. It was just awful.
And Trump couldn’t wrap an American flag around his ‘bone spur’ ankle, from which he got a phony exemption from the Vietnam war, because he couldn’t remember which ankle it was.
Oh no Barbara! Not a negative trip at all….a serious reality check is more like it!
Yes! Well said.
Ah, but that’s exactly my point. We were far more united because the Soviets didn’t do any of the stuff that the Russians (and Chinese, and Iranians, I’m sure) are now doing.
Americans have always needed an outside “bogeyman” against whom to unite. Right now it seems to me that all our bogeymen are internal and that does not bode well.
Todays letter was yet another wonderfully concise recap of American history. Was I absent that day or was it just too long ago. Thank you, Heather.
But now we are showing those generals that they are wrong, that the genius of democracy alone is the ability to regenerate itself, if only the people will show the will and energy (and, sadly today, spend the money) to do so.
And the undereducated or ignorant by design or through the poverty of their opportunities, or as now, their education sabotaged by their trusted adults, don’t know how to connect the dots: the truth through literature, books, stories, movies, media, always an important part of the conversation of reality. 1984, Animal Farm, Dr.Zhivago, Main Street, Sinclair Lewis, the newspapers. Past and present and future. The list is never ending. Truth.
Spot on Ian.
States' rights do not exist. States' rights are a fiction created in the constitution to protect slave owners from a federal government that would possibly outlaw slavery. The same reason we have an electoral college, and a senate. Neither have anything to do with democracy, and everything to do with slavery. Both should be abolished. The legislative branch does not need any more than the House of Representatives, which is democratic, and named for what it is supposed to do.
We never have been a "united" states of America. We have always been fifty divided states with fifty set of rules for voting, for educating our children, and for the rights of women. And damned few states are doing any good in any of this.
Senate.gov says : "The framers of the Constitution created the United States Senate to PROTECT THE RIGHTS OF THE INDIVIDUAL STATES and to SAFEGUARD MINORITY OPINION in a system of government designed to give greater power to the National government."
The Fourteenth Amendment went a long way in the acknowledging what our rights actually are and who is protected, but the 14th is far too often being ignored for states' rights. Any one that supports states' rights is against human rights.
States don't have rights. People do. And in a democracy the majority rules for a reason.
Related point: corporations are not people. However, if corporations are people with rights, then they also should accept responsibilities and be accountable when they commit crimes. At this point in our history corporations are being allowed to become unregulated willful children full of self indulgent rights and without any boundaries and curbs on dangerous behavior. Look to Wall Street and Silicon Valley for vivid examples of this dangerous reality.
Corporations should be accountable when they commit crimes, and they should pay the taxes they owe. Just think R’s voted against enforcing tax laws already on the books. Let me repeat. THE REPUBLICANS VOTED AGAINST ENFORCING LAWS ALREADY ON THE BOOKS!!!! They are not a party. They are a gang/cult. They have elements of both gangs and cults.
"States don't have rights. People do."
I like this point. It should be made every time that an authoritarian state politician like Texas Governor Abott takes the stage.
"The same reason we have an electoral college, and a senate. Neither have anything to do with democracy, and everything to do with slavery. Both should be abolished. "
Correct, take a look at the Massacheussett's Constitution, written in 1780, (by John Adams, alone in his childhood home) without the overlay of slavery to mess up true representative government.
Have you read Shaun King's North Star?
Hmm, the only ‘North Star’ by Shaun King I could find is a podcast?!
It's on Substack. I've already subscribed.
I typed "The North Star Shaun King" and found it.
Thanks!
David. I have not, but, I will take a look. Thank you..
Brilliant! Thank you.
Have to check it out as well!
I will definitely do that. Thank You.
"States don't have rights. People do. And in a democracy the majority rules for a reason." My take-away for today! (and of course Heather's history lesson)
Ah. I see your trust in the American system of mechanized, automated elections is unshaken.
There never has been a robust, independent, evidence-based audit of the election results that decided that Mitch McConnell ("Moscow Mitch") won over Amy McGrath.
https://www.dcreport.org/2020/12/19/mitch-mcconnells-re-election-the-numbers-dont-add-up/
Very Good point. Thank you for this link.
Do you think we can ever shake out the truth about this?!
Well, election reform is wide, deep, and murky (hard to understand). I'd start at the state level.
Aim for good, evidence-based election audits, completed BEFORE the results are certified.
But there are lots of good intermediate steps to take. Some reform groups focus on extending voting rights, and access to the polls. That's good, and necessary, but might not be sufficient, esp. if bad actors tamper with the vote *count.*
I focus on *election security*, which includes the verifiability of the voting machines and the accuracy of the vote count.
You might try this (primitive, a labor of love) web site, which provides links that can be helpful:
http://www.votewell.net
Other sources:
The Brennan Center
Verified Voting
Your county Board of Elections web site
Your state Board of Elections web site
Basically, start... anywhere.
If you're physically able, sign up to "volunteer" as an election inspector (poll worker) at the next election. Do what you're told. Learn that job from the ground up. Keep your eyes open.
Get in touch with honest, evidence-based election reform groups in your state.
Learn about your state legislative representative, which issues interest them, how the state legislative web site(s) work. (In NYS, the NY Senate and NY Assembly web sites have different designs and functions. For example, nysenate.gov lets you sign up with an email/password, then subscribe to specific bills; nyassembly.gov does not have this function.)
I just heard about a group called Transparent Elections North Carolina. I went to votewell.net to see if Transparent Elections NC was listed. It is!
And I found, on the web site of Transparent Elections NC, fine descriptions of election reform goals:
"Our mission is to confirm that every eligible vote is counted as the voter intended by working with elections officials to ensure that elections are secure, transparent, robustly audited, and publicly verified."
...and, a definition of "evidence-based elections:"
Evidence Based Elections
“The principle of ‘evidence-based elections’ is that local election officials should not only find the true winner(s) of an election, but they should also provide the electorate convincing evidence that they did.” - Andrew Appel & Philip Stark
https://www.transparentelectionsnc.org
Well, no. States do have rights. States are not creatures of the Constitution, but its building blocks. The Constitutional Convention was called by the states. Indeed, the Constitution of the United States was largely based on the Constitution of Massachusetts, adopted in 1780, and the oldest extant governing document in the world. And for all of its imperfections and frustrations, our federal system has proved not only resilient, but also flexible. Many, if not most of the legal achievements that we celebrate in the federal government were first adopted by the states, which is why they have been called (by Justice Brandeis, I think) the laboratories of democracy. So, while states are not and must not be superior to the federal government, they are an integral part of our nation.
What about the Supreme Court’s interpretation? Second Amendment? Gun laws? How are some citizens protected at the same time others invoke their rights?
Those who invoke states’ rights always have plans to discriminate against one group and privilege another group.
Certainly, you are right much of the time. On the other hand, when the federal government wanted to relax air-pollution regulations, California claimed that it had the right to enact tougher standards, and it won. California effectively sets standards for the country, because the market there is so large that car makers must sell cars that can pass its tests, and because other states have enacted California's limits as their own.
and why states are now called "Laboratories of Autocracy:"
https://www.c-span.org/video/?515525-3/washington-journal-david-pepper-discusses-book-laboratories-autocracy
And when Trump was President and Republicans had majorities in both the House and Senate the Democrats only way to stop the majority from running roughshod over the minority was in the Senate.
So maybe the importance of safeguarding the minority opinion depends which party is in the minority?
Right. If a demagogue can so sway the electorate that he (usually it's a he, but see Maggie Thatcher)
... a seeming majority of them (actually, just a majority of the votes *as they are counted*)
... can take over the White House and both Houses of Congress (the Supreme Court having been packed by other means)
... then the rights of many of us ("others")
... can be, bit by bit and often unnoticed taken away or ignored (see the P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act).
Brilliant!
We needed this refresher history lesson. So thank you. Those seeking to take the nation backwards care nothing about achieving a more perfect union. Their quest is unfettered power to wield as they see fit, especially against people of color and other minorities. As the professor shows us, they are forever relentless. And as the The Big Lie and coup attempt show, they will stop at nothing to achieve their goal. The Boeberts of the world are mere pawns utterly clueless about the principles on which the nation was founded.
The Boeberts of this world will be shocked to the core if what they get what they think they want. They won’t be the ones in power. They don’t have enough education to understand what it takes to run a state, let alone a country like the US. The perspective of today’s letter is helpful - it is good to remember the broader picture. And as another commenter said, Boebert herself probably has no understanding of what happened in 1776, and probably has never read the Constitution.
American Taliban.
I would bet a substantial amount of money that Boebert doesn't know the difference between the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Does she believe the world is flat?
It seems that giving power to individual states may be the problem. Does this distribution of power exist in more stable European countries?
Here in Spain it is precarious. There are five major political parties and different regional governments with a central ( Federal) government that regions like Catalonia and the Basque country often don't want to be part of. Many in Catalonia want to be a separate entity. All regions want more voice in decisions made by Madrid. They refused to cooperate and demanded the right to handle covid in their own way. The far right is gaining more seats.
Note the implications for the whole world if the toxic crazies have their way.
Yep. People around the world have been shocked by the lack of interest by Americans in the deliberate dismantling of their rights and their democracy. I'm often asked by those who remember Franco - their parents and grandparents were imprisoned or worse - why Americans are allowing this to happen in their own country without a fight.
Hypnotized by media and consumer culture influences, running around like chickens with heads cut off finding ways to make money to pay for the freedoms we are too busy to appreciate or truly enjoy.
Gotta go level up in my game, and join other game players in a raid against some serious "bosses" -- all of which has zip, zero, nada, to do with real life, getting along with people, noticing how your behavior affects them.
One of my favorite web sites describes our needs (interesting variety), what we feel when our needs are met, and what we feel when our needs are not met.
Here is CNVC's list of needs:
https://www.cnvc.org/training/resource/needs-inventory
Here is their list of feelings:
https://www.cnvc.org/training/resource/feelings-inventory
I have the book but never thought to check into a possible website. Thanks for the link Bob.
Reminds me of Erickson’s hierarchy of needs. Every person with power over others should be required to understand this. But even that will not stop evil intentions
Exactly
Substack wouldn’t let me “like” your comment, Peter, but you’re right on target. What we’re suffering from in these United––“Untied?”––States is affecting and infecting every part of the Globe.
People everywhere are confused by the blinding pace of material progress and are grasping at the shiniest object they see. They are desperate to feel needed and important. They are “sitting ducks” for any insatiate charlatan with reasonable aim with a socio-political “shotgun”
But darkness and light are not equals. Light shines, dispels darkness. Darkness cannot dispel light. Dark clouds may come, tornadoes of delusion may cross the Great Plains. They pass. Truth remains.
They will try try to place a lid on Truth, they will try to screw it down. We know their foolishness will fail. We know that we are free -- we know that we ARE Freedom. So we shall overcome.
Let us be aware of this now -- aware no less of the immense task, the immense responsibility that lies upon all men and women of goodwill -- and move forward now, drawing on the power of certainty that Truth will prevail. They cannot bury the light, they cannot unshine the sun.
A striking line, Peter, 'Thy cannot bury the light, they cannot unshine the sun.' Beautiful and poetic, it rings true.
'They' cannot unshine the sun, but in truth the sun will unshine one day.
'Will the Sun ever stop shining?'
'Yes, but not for a very, very long time. Stars shine because a huge amount of energy is created in their cores by a process called nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion happens when lighter elements, like hydrogen, are combined into heavier elements, like helium. In about 5 billion years, the hydrogen in the Sun's core will run out and the sun will not have enough fuel for nuclear fusion. So, in about 5 billion years, the Sun will stop shining.' (Cool Cosmos, IPAC at Caltech partners with NASA, NSF, JPL and the world-wide research community to advance exploration of our Universe.)
I need to read your response every morning when I wake up. Perhaps during the day once in a while when I get really "low"
Thank you Peter.
Amen
Why is that? I can’t like anything today or yesterday?
Mercury, planet of communication is retrograde—till Feb. 3. I am starting to think it is really a thing. Our political theatre and media appear to be in chronic Merc. Ret.
Maybe it's a technical fault. I find it's erratic - sometimes it works, then it doesn't. Since about a week now.
I "heart" you, Bill, in this heartless moment on substack!
Yesterday we could refresh the page and then either see the Heart we clicked on or could click on it and see it. Today, refreshing the page simply lets us see if the Heart "took" the first time or not but cannot click on it and see it "take." I assume Substack support is aware of this problem, but we might want to call it to their attention in case they're not.
https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/requests/new
The US and consumerism have been the main shiny object in the world. We are victims of our own “success”.
Hi, Bill!
Untied is definitely more like it!
Needy and greedy— a “perfect” union.
Hope you’re doing well. 💙
That happens to me a lot as well, I have learned to refresh the page and it seems to fix the problem
It is, as if, we have been infected with a planetary stupid virus. I'm afraid some sort of collapse may be necessary before we see a transformation. My 2 cents.
Ugh
Switzerland is VERY decentralized to the 26 Cantons (and they are constitutional). And even has liberal laws (compared to the rest of Europe) about firearms. But they also have a bildung-like cultural heritage/education and, of course, a very different history than we do. They also have direct democracy at the lowest levels and can very easily create constitutional referendums for nationwide vote.
What is marvellous is firstly the absolute ananymity of Swiss politicians outside the country and secondly the obligation to ask the people on all major...and some minor...issues. Bravo!
What is operative are Swiss banking laws - which continue to obstruct international law.
Legitimizing and profiting on serving the powerful and greedy is in play in all human society and all nations, but it is the defining characteristic of Swiss government policy.
The US broke the swiss banking secrecy years ago and the black money laundering industry moved where?...to the US, now the largest centre for clearing illgotten gains in the world.
It appears that we have a POTUS, at last, who sees the urgency of cleaning up the corruption. Can we keep this mindset in power long enough for their ideas to become actions that actually matter?? https://www.icij.org/investigations/pandora-papers/biden-calls-for-sweeping-new-push-to-expose-and-punish-financial-corruption/
Broke or muscled in on? Yes, the US as states like South Dakota and industries including Real Estate.
https://www.americanprogress.org/article/turning-tide-dirty-money/
It is also a smaller sized country, so it benefits them to be united in significant ways. Unlike what U.S. Republicans seem to want for the states.
Smaller is key. It seems the larger the "country" the more difficult to manage. (and the "like" button didn't work here until after I made this comment)
Substack is a bit buggy today…
Yes. They must have outsourced the code to (pick the slave labor country of your choice).
You too. Maybe Substack is reading these complaints!
We are truly a HUGE experiment to have such a large country TRY to maintain a democracy on such a vast landspace. I grew so full of gratitude for what we try to attempt here after my first visit to Europe. But our Liberty bell has a crack in it...we need to patch it up...but again, as Leonhard Cohen says, "That's where the Light gets in."
Friends, sing me some songs or poems today, my heart needs to be lifted again.
Hey, I just liked you and it worked!
But it took six centuries for a woman to get this "lofty" position ...
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/28/world/europe/lausanne-switzerland-night-watch.html?searchResultPosition=1
Sure. Every part of human society has had to WILLFULLY decide to do these things--they do not happen on their own--and much more still has to be done. And it CAN, but it will be hard. We don't get to hand the controls over to the autopilot--we're nowhere close to that.
I hope
It will only happen if we want and are willing to fight for it (preferably, through the means of our existing government and social discourse. The longer we take to do this, and do things like VOTE IN FORCE this year, the more likely that becomes a lost opportunity). To paraphrase Michael Douglas in The American President, "If you want democracy, you gotta want it bad."
I believe they also still have a mandatory two year military service, much like our national guard. They learn a lot about team building and managing weapons. I was a bit shocked to learn what is underground and inside some of those doors in the beautiful mountains.... As a female, I never felt safer, or so respected, in any other country than I did in Switzerland (in the '80's). As along as those with level heads prevail there.
In France, the Regions (18 including the far flung islands) are another layer in the french administrative "Milles feuilles" ....a delicious multilayered, creamy, flakey patisserie....with little real independent power despite having local elected assemblies. They control part of the local transport system, senior levels of high schools, divy up some centrally determined social payments and provide either a purgatory for falling national politicians or a launch pad for future successful ones. Their real contribution is that they cost a fair amount of my tax dollars for little result and even less coherence with history.
Well, they pay my monthly retirement pension and superannuation without fail. Once a year they send me a form I have to take to the police station to get signed to prove that I "am alive, and has appeared before us" - that always make the officer break up! If I don't get it back to them within two months, payments will be suspended.
Canada and uk do likewise. France has the record for the number of 100+ pensionners and practically all live in North Africa...the French government doesn't check whether you are alive or dead ...they pay for evermore. One wonders why?
They certainly check whether I'm alive or dead. See above post.
But where are you?
“Coherence with history”. What a thought…
I can't escape this idea that there are the "me" people and the "we" people. Lauren Boebert and Ronald Reagan are the poster children for the "me". Christians embracing the Anti-Christ.
I have mornings when I readily embrace the idea of overcoming the selfish, frightened "crazies" - win the elections, return to sanity, embrace empathy. Save the Earth!
And then I have mornings when I feel as if the "me" folks should just have their own country where they can be what they want to be: haters and phony bible thumpers. We'll never bring a greater understanding to most of these radical right wing bigots. Boebert will always be a bonehead.
But then I ask what part of this beautiful country...what states...should they consolidate into? Is it possible we should have let the South secede? Of course not. There are too many fine folks there that would have suffered the persecution.
OK, back to educating, marginalizing and just plain winning elections. And accepting that the balance between tolerance, love and inclusion vs bigotry, hate and oppression must be a forever struggle.
But if you have been worrying about and fighting for a better world for decades, doesn't it make you weary and discouraged? If you had told me in 1972 that this would be the political landscape of today, I would have been incredulous. I would call it a sick joke. We were to make progress...what happened?
Bill, I graduated high school in 1972, full of the idea that we could change the world- and we did, often for the better. I spent a good portion of my career working to improve the environment- some parts are better. But the climate crisis looms….
Your point about the “we” people vs. the “me” people is spot on. And is the pivot point for what is happening in our country and indeed, in many countries around the world. I wish I could say it will get better if we just work hard enough but I’m not certain anymore.
What happened? Here in the richest, most powerful nation on the planet, we created several generations of people who feel “entitled.” “Life, liberty the pursuit of happiness” means I want mine. Don’t care if you get yours. Unlike the “Greatest Generation” who mostly understood the need for sacrifice, and working for the common good. Gads….
Like you, I’m pretty tired. Been at this a long time. But my dad was fond of quoting President Kennedy; “from those to whom much is given, much is required.” So yup, more work to do. Just have to take breaks more often. Old bones require more rest. 😎
Thanks for your camaraderie! You have captured my sentiment perfectly. My bones are tired, as well. Mostly from shoveling snow! We had a real bluster yesterday. But physical exhaustion has it's benefits. We get too tired to worry :)
I am headed out to do the final cleanup. And as I labor, I will toss the snow chunks as if they are the roadblocks in our way to a better democracy.
I also feel better after writing. If you are so inclined, here is some of my stuff. Best from MA.
https://billalstrom.substack.com/p/how-we-win-part-two
VERY familiar with the effects of shoveling on old bones. You guys were hammered hard - be careful.
I like the notion of "Give people money they deserve."
Just signed up! Thanks
I graduated h.s. in 69, and went from a middle class white suburb into the Kent State/anti-Viet Nam/civil rights/environmental awareness/women’ rights battle and it was a Baptism by Fire! It was such a whirlwind (I started to type ‘worldwind’, which would be appropriate too!
I have always been an activist, and I always believed. Believed. Period…. And yet now the worldwind is such a violent force and like a bird in a storm I’m trying desperately to hold onto my sprig of belief….
Familiar story. It seems I’ve been holding a sign since I was a kid. Graduation 1964!!! We have never been without conflict that we joined or started. Even the talk of war somewhere else was scary to kids. Now with internet and TV and cable and threats beyond war, Climate Change, who is caring for how children hear, process, act on these very real threats and conflicts. Rhetorical question.
In 1972 Nixon showed the way to attempting to overthrow a government by breaking into the Democratic National Committee with the hopes of co-opting their campaign.
It was the first, albeit clumsy, attempt to rig elections.
Republicans are smarter now and gaining more experience every day.
The memory of the Watergate Hearings gives me hope, Senator Sam with his Columbo style 'What do I know I'm just a country boy...' then hammering home irrefutable evidence of corruption. I believe our Jan 6 Committee is following in the footsteps of those heroic Senators.
We need to step back and remember the incredible violence of those years - bombings, real riots, assassinations, Kent State, Vietnam, not to mention Europe and South America.
Specifically, Charles Koch, who masterminded this “libertarian” Me-Me-Me movement.
‘With a Little Help from their Friends’!
Wow, Bill, you captured EXACTLY how I feel most days. You hit so many big points so eloquently in just your short commentary, I’ve read it several times now and shared it with friends. Thank you. It is comforting to benefit from your clear headdress as I try not to succumb to utter depression witnessing the downfall of our democracy and its takeover by what used to just be the laughable lunatic fringe. No more. What terrible fate awaits this crumbling Union this year and in 2024? For now I just remain grateful for the helpful exchanges among HCR’s community of readers and her incredible daily summaries of our current situation in historical framing. Thank you, Bill, and thank you all.
Yes! Exactly…. You are correct. I live for these discussions, I too often feel grim and helpless. Can we pull this country out? Get back on track?! Maybe there’s something in the water? I was just saying to my husband that all the energy, manpower, and time that is spent on negative thinking and behavior is such a huge waste! I don’t want to sound overly simplistic, but if everyone would just work hard, and seriously contribute to the potential of this country we would be so amazing! The advances that would be achieved across the board would be fantastic! Instead, we are in a fenced in schoolyard with a bunch of bullies, whose main goal is to keep us under their control, and reap the rewards of our work without contributing anything themselves.
We watched a great movie yesterday, and I highly recommend it. ‘Inherit the Wind’. Phenomenal cast, and the story was about the‘Scope Monkey Trial’ back in the 30’s. Then a play was produced in the 50’s , and then the movie was made… the play and the movie were subtly directed at the McCarthyism of that time. It could not have been more a case of synchronicity! It’s exactly what is going on at this very moment… being played out in courtrooms across the country and the Supreme Court!
Sorry for the rambling, but I am sad, mad, and scared. And to top it all off, listen to trump’s rant at his rally last night… I have to find a link, and I shall return!
I just posted this now at the top, but here you go: https://twitter.com/acyn/status/1487632187713196035?s=21
What amazes me is trump and friends CAN NOT accept the fact that the majority of the people of the United States. Do not want them and never will want them to rule our country.
He just can’t BELIEVE that everyone doesn’t love him! And he’s pissed about it! And he will get even!
And one more add: I HATE anytime those traitorous idiots invoke "1776" or their GD "Tea Party." It roils my blood every time. Yes, I'm from MA, so it enrages me when they deceitfully hijack those things for their infernal uses.
A quote from John Adams (made while commenting on the squabbles between revolutionary military commanders in 1777) that speaks so well to what rests in these peoples' hearts: "I believe there is no one principle which predominates in human nature so much in every stage of life, from the cradle to the grave, in males and females, old and young, black and white, rich and poor, high and low, as this passion for superiority."
If we do not STRIVE to make a society that is not based on this feral instinct, we will never achieve it. Certainly not through conservative osmosis.
Robert.
Many thanks for the quote from John Adams! I have copied it for posterity. As a long time admirer of Adams, I am not surprised he uttered this insightful words but I have never run across them before.
Growing up on a farm, before I spent large time in bigger groups of people, just my other co-workers (guys my age), everyone had a dog or two on their farm. When folks brought the dogs together, they would all fight. It could be a real problem.
Later on, working in corporations, I used to think about those days when, if we got three dogs together they would all fight.
Because, working in corporate America in my first 20 years of my career, seemed like a perpetual dog fight. It took me a while to perfect my own approach to my coworkers and my boss.
To enable me to do and push what I wanted, I would, in the last 20 years of my career, meet with a boss (or coworker), and HAVING ALREADY COMPLETED something that nobody knew I was doing, I would say: "Hey, Boss/Coworker, remember two months ago when you suggested this (idea that (invariably a he) had never heard of in his life)? He would look puzzled for a second, but, I would go right on describing how this new thing he suggested really worked out when I built the code structure and implemented it. Of course, people being what they are, it really never occurred to my boss/coworker (except for one who did call me on it but was still OK) that they had never, ever even heard of the idea and work before.
By the end of the conversation every boss I had in those last 20 years thought:
a) I was a GREAT guy on the team (worthy of good raises that is).
b) HE, the boss, was a spectacular genius. (because, of course, I taught him he was).
c) HE, the boss, was SUPERIOR to other bosses because of the many genius ideas implemented on our team.
My other coworkers started doing the same thing and pretty soon, our team was completely driving the product, which, was appropriate, we actually knew what we should be doing, not the boss.
BUT, the boss was in charge of one important thing: Giving raises. So, we fed him the food needed for us to get those: HIS SUPERIORITY.
In my last 20 years, my team never took any direction from a boss (mostly because they never had any worth taking) and we drove the product and the outcomes completely and the entire time whoever was the boss thought that they were the most superior person on earth because: We learned they needed to believe in that and simply served it up on a plate to them.
I only regret one thing: That I did not see John Adams quote when I was 25.
:-)
John Adams was no dummy. He is actually, "my hero" from the past. He worked like a "dog" to get to where he could be a lawyer and had serious obstacles but he overcame them all.
A truly great man. John Adams.
In contrast to your observations of dogs, I want to offer up my observation of the multiple basketball teams my sons played on. The teams that outperformed their individual abilities were those who learn effective teamwork and were able to put the team over their own egos. As humans we absolutely can learn to cooperate if the team goal is more important to us than our own individual ego needs
IF
With teamwork, 1+1 can equal 3. With infighting 1-1 can go into negative numbers. Here's a thought. Do you think that maybe we are being pitted against one another? Set up for a dog fight? Goaded?
💯💯Scott, Yes! They’ve said it out loud from the very beginning. Maybe Putin hides it, maybe Koch’s/ALEC try to hide it but tfg and his Buddy Bannon have been right out front with it! They want chaos, they know that is how Mussolini’s and Hitler claim power.
Stir the soup. F things up. Claim nothing works. Government does not work. Never mind who stopped it from working. Create the chaos and then promote SELF as solution. Yup. We've seen that movie. History has shown us that movie. The price to produce it was high. Lots of people who didn't want to watch it, they had no choice. A chilling tale...
Chapters in the tfg playbook.
RE: Multiple dogs. My experience is that multiple dogs, untethered they quickly work things out, run together, play and perform just fine. When dogs meet other dogs, multiple dogs on a leash, that's when problems begin.
Thank you for this. We have lots of dog parks here. While dogs on leash can be defensive, dogs in the off-leash dog parks either ignore one another or play together.
Madness, Nietzsche wrote, is rare in individuals, but in groups it is the norm. Could he have been right...
My (not extensive) experience with gatherings of us boys headed off to hunt or fish, and, those who felt the need to bring a dog, is, the dogs fight. Eventually, they sort out what is what and stop, plus, they hurt each other.
Just wondering about farm dogs. Were they spayed or neutered? If not, that may have contributed to the fighting. 😉
Catherine, I had the same thought! Perhaps we need leaders who are either female or castrati.
Testosterone poisoning? I am totally kidding but having raised both genders, there is a reason car insurance rates are higher for teenage boys.
Omg, KR and Cathrine, thank you! LOL!!! 💯
Dear KR, I read you clearly and agreeably through those initials! 💙
❤️ I’m glad you do, Ashley!
Catherine, no farm dog, back in 1960 and 1970 when I was a resident on one, was ever spayed.
If the dog was not needed, other things were done to manage that issue.
I wondered because in the 1960s, my parents didn’t neuter our pet dachshund and he occasionally would disappear for a couple days. Things are different now.
That makes sense to me. These days, in cities, we are expected to neuter our male dogs and the licensing fees reflect whether or not the dog is neutered. In a bunch of non-neutered male dogs, though, the males probably need to establish a hierarchy.
Trump’s behavior with other world leaders always seemed to me to be just that - posturing to prove that he’s the alpha dog. It’s a far cry from Teddy Roosevelt’s “speak softly and carry a big stick” and also not how true alpha dogs really behave. It always seemed driven by deep insecurity, and alpha dogs are never insecure. Having a big stick, or a “bigger button” as Trump put it, isn’t enough. Character matters.
I was one of your 4 bosses it seems. Letting my staff develop their own goals and objectives placed the decisions in the right place. They only came to me for guidance and approval. Someone had to fulfill the role of boss for you because you didn't want the roll nor did any of your co-workers. But I'll still give you all the glory.
Do you get my point? Your bosses were only doing the best they could under the conditions that they worked. Without them recognizing that your level was where the real work gets done, you would have likely floundered and moved on to another company. Just sayin'... nearly all workers "for the man" are just trying to figure out a way to please "the man". Sounds like you were somewhat fortunate to have the bosses you had. They listened to you and let you act. In my book you just never recognized their method. -saw-
"Letting my staff develop their own goals and objectives placed the decisions in the right place. "
Steve, no, definitely, you were not the boss I described. Clearly, although you don't use the overused word, you were OK with something called empowerment.
That is completely different than scenarios I worked in.
In my scenario I found a scam to empower myself. In your scenario, you empowered everyone up front to get the best out of the team.
Very different.
❤️ Had to 'like' you this way because substack would not accept my 'like' click. Here are another two likes, Mike, your response deserves them! ❤️❤️
In agreement with you, sister Fern❣️
❤️🪴
Leadership is what you are describing Steve.
😀😄😆😅😂🤣😭 ... thank you Mike, I needed that!!
:-)
Ah yes, the ego and the role it plays...
So much truth. The dogs taught you well…
Truth is useful when its useful.
Otherwise, it is just an encumbrance, yes?
It's early on in the McCullough book, from his Board of War days in early '77. I'm re-reading the book 20 yrs later. Yes, your workplace sounds suspiciously like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNCrMEOqHpc
Robert, I will take a look later at the link. I had four different workplaces, but, remarkably, they all had the same boss, just in a different body.
After Bowen's nice biography I did take up McCollough's book, which sort of starts where Bowen left off. But, for whatever reason, his writing style left me somewhat bored and I never finished. Maybe now that it is routinely below 5F for a while I will take it up again.
:-)
Yeah, it's pithy but broadly-capturing of "boss genius." Actually, in the military, I rarely encountered this, but I've heard stories like these from the private sector for decades.
I bet you read "How to Manage your Boss" by Hegarty. It certainly changed my work world...for the better. Bosses are insecure little puppies who think being a tough dog will make them look smart. So, obviously, you get it. Make them look smart and go back to being productive.
Robert, thanks for the link. Not exactly the same dynamic as I explained but EXACTLY the same boss and people responses.
Hilarious.
Thank you, John Adams had his trials and rose to the challenges like few others. “…passion for superiority.” Damn, I keep puking over the term “white supremacists” as none who are so self-identified can claim even an iota of exceptionalism, in my view. They are just smug, condescending, and mean.
... just a facade to mask the closeted insecurity that comes with inherited entitlement ...
Boebert and others throwing around "1776" and using the "Don't Tread on Me" snake flag really don't know what they are talking about. They have instead reversed the process...anyone supporting Trumps attempt to stay in power and/or storming the Capitol doesn't want democracy, they want tyranny, they don't want equality they want supremacy....and they certainly don't want to teach or learn accurate history.
Yep. More political theatre from the Gun Bunny.
Amen….well said Mike!
Amen!
I grew up in the South. You have the history exactly right of course. Our current crisis is indeed a re-run of Civil War motivations. Reagan began the present Republican Party era by declaring, in Mississippi, “I am in favor of States Rights” - which everyone knew meant opposed to civil rights and in favor of suppression of people of color. And the predictable resistance of wealthy business against all regulation further fuels the resistance to government “by and for all the people”. Thank you!
And please, let’s not forget that women of all colors or lack thereof are still not mentioned in the Constitution; nor has the Equal Rights Amendment ever passed.
https://msmagazine.com/2022/01/27/equal-rights-amendment-resolution-us-house-28th-amendment-constitution/
Maybe someday it will go into effect.
According to Constitutional scholars, it already has. To be decided in the first lawsuit under the ERA.
Thank you for posting this article. I had bought the MSM info that it was dead because too much time had elapsed. I’m a little taken back as to why the Biden administration hasn’t made it happen.
Yet, 2 days following publication of this article in MS Magazine, not a word from the "news" media about this!
Substack is not letting me edit my comment to "Yet, 2 days after publication in MS Magazine, not a word from the "news" media about this!"
Brava!! What year is this?!
I told my lifelong friend who I visited this past October that we are heading towards another Civil War and she almost laughed in my face… it just seems so inevitable!
1860, not 1776. That is the crux and key to this.
I haven’t heard much from the “strict constructionists” on the SCROTUS regarding women and our rights since we aren’t mentioned in the constitution. Not even mentioned in the 19th: “…on the basis of sex.”
The word “woman” is not mentioned.
SCROTUS!!! That.
Ha, that made my "heart" go red!
Ah, that is nice to know how to use magic!
I see what you did there.
" If the Founders were only referring to 'males' they would have said so." Well, there were referring to males, particularly white males. Or they would have said so. That is why were now say, "ALL The People this time." No ability to be exclusive.
Professor, I also thought about Boebert’s battle tweet, and all I had was questions. No time to find answers. Your Letter today answered all of them, and much, much more. Thank you for using part of your Saturday to bring us the information we need. The more we understand, the more effective we can be. Please get some good rest and recreation on your one day off....
“The more we understand, the more effective we can be.”
So much truth to this statement; it frightens me to my core to see states banning the teaching of things that “make children uncomfortable”. Without clear knowledge of the past they will lack any ability to create a better future.
Lauren Boobert sounds like what she is - an uneducable high school dropout ignoramus and professional juvenile delinquent (who married her statutory rapist, also a juvenile delinquent). Raised in Nowhereville and soon to return to the obscurity from which she came. The perfect demonstration of the term "Deplorable."
On many levels I agree about her but we don’t get anywhere by calling people the worst words we can come up with. Deplorable didn’t help Hillary at all. The way I see it is we’ve all got some deplorable stuff going on and so we all have to try to see our better selves and especially in the other side. I think it’s the only way we’re ever getting back an old fashioned sense of being the United States.
She called them exactly right
It's not "calling names" to accurately describe the shallow end of the gene pool as the shallow end of the gene pool. "Deplorable" is the politest word I can come up with for the "Gammas."
My deep appreciation, Heather, for this piece of beautiful historical revelations that end with such characteristic distinction -- none of my immediate reaction: "the woman and her fellow insurrectionists haven't a clue about historical, watershed events," but rather:
"The insurrectionists’ cries of 1776 remind me not of the Founding era, but of 1860. In that time, too, people believed they were creating a new country and recorded their participation. In that time, too, the rebels wanted a country with a weak federal government, so they could be sure people like them would rule forever."
As always, BRAVA for your revelatory writing and your grace!
Yes, Heather nails it...and the weak central Govt worked against the success of the Confederacy, as each Governor wanted what he wanted, where he wanted it. They all agreed on maintaining & protecting the institution of slavery....beyond that, it was a mess. They had no heavy industry, poor railroads, etc. Power and authority is always an issue as so many of the people who want ultimate power are not healthy human beings, like Trump, Napoleon, Hitler, Pol Pot etc
Certain states are passing laws to keep historical events and atrocities toward people of color out of school books and classes. They claim they do not want this pain of guilt to be handed to their children. Seems to me that what they want to keep from their children is the actions of their forefathers that were put upon these people. Hopefully their children will see them for who they are. Who were actually and are the shameful actors in Histoty?
“Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.” James Baldwin. This I witnessed many times as a high school counselor, sad to say.
I think a lot of white folks in power were shocked to see so many young white people marching for BLM which is why there’s such a focus on banning CRT, certain books, lectures etc. I have faith in our youth though. They are learning beyond the classroom through the internet, travel, relationships and even music. Most of them want to live peacefully and safely in a multicultural world. Supporting youth groups with this kind of mission can make a difference.
Florida’s HB 7 would restrict educators from teaching “sensitive” topics.
We need more like Rep Alexander ! We also need to thank/encourage legislators who speak the truth. I’m sure some Repubs were squirming…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTIa1oHs2wE
Interference by corrupt and totally incompetent politicians with the exercise of professional judgment by competent experts will soon come down to ratcatcher level.
Judges are forced to practice gross injustice, physicians have to put up with politicians who turn the mob on them when they try to work for public health (quite apart from surviving the crossfire between ambulance-chasing lawyers, back-seat driver insurance companies, big pharma, big money and ten thousand irrelevancies), teachers are grossly overworked, underpaid and undervalued, in addition to which they must take instruction from the benighted. Seems that in this society the blind (or blindfolded) lead the blind and no one else is allowed to.
As for such patent absurdities as Citizens United (whereby in effect only the voice of Mammon and its prostituted lobbyists is audible) or the perverse and murderous interpretation of the 2nd Amendment... it's better that I shouldn't utter in this company the thoughts that arise in the minds of Europeans...
It also explains why many of us so mistrust American justice that we fear to see extradition to the US.
A bad example, and one that has, of course, been followed.
Among those "sensitive" topics: "Last week, a Florida House committee approved a bill that would ban discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity in schools. ...{snip}....Part of a class of legislation colloquially known as “don’t say gay” bills, which have been introduced in several state legislatures in recent years, the Florida bill, if passed, could easily be construed as a directive to educators to erase all mention of marginalized people’s lives from the classroom." https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2022/01/florida-lgbtq-parental-rights-desantis.html
Already aligned with Kremlin policy...
Which harks back to the immortal statement that "We don't have sex in the Soviet Union..."
Our sad and terrifying, racist, xenophobic, patriarchal story seems stuck on repeat due, it appears, to the construction of our constitution. ALEC would enshrine that story. And, we need a re-vision of the constitution to bring it, and our nation, up to speed in this era. Unable to imagine a safe constitutional convention at present...
Careful what you ask for. A "revisiion" to the Constitution, underr Article V, gives the delegates (chosen by state governments) the same open-ended power those delegates had in 1787, You want the Constitution revised by the majority vote of delegates from the 26 Trump states?
Koch’s want it more than anyone.
As Heather wrote in her letter: "ALEC formed in 1973 to bring businessmen, the religious right, and lawmakers together behind legislation. So far, 15 Republican-dominated states have passed legislation proposed by ALEC to call such a convention. In another nine similar states, at least one house has passed such bills, and lawmakers have introduced such bills in 17 other states." Do we really thing they would play fair if a Constitutional convention is convened? There does not appear to be a limit on the number of amendments which may be proposed even if there was a single specific purpose proposed initially for convening a CC.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_to_propose_amendments_to_the_United_States_Constitution#Permissible_scope_of_proposed_amendments
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Constitutional_Convention_of_the_United_States#Scope_of_a_possible_convention
Just taking a moment to let it sink in that most of this has happened and is happening because we white people (especially white men and white Christians) believe we deserve more than any other human. It’s hard to fathom when you think about it.