On February 1, 1862, in the early days of the Civil War, the Atlantic Monthly published Julia Ward Howe's "Battle Hymn of the Republic,” summing up the cause of freedom for which the United States troops would soon be fighting.
We interrupt America's progress toward liberty, justice, and respect for all to bring you the Trump regime. We must start now to oppose Trump, his accomplices, and his policies and to defeat Congressional Republicans in 2026 and 2028 elections. Get active with a pro-democracy group, support the groups opposing Trump policies in court. Contact your Members of Congress, regardless of party, to demand they protect and defend our country from the authoritarianism, bigotry, and corruption now taking over America.
As Josh Marshall points out, one of the more effective means to oppose will be to force votes as much as possible on unpopular policies and to highlight these. Democrats don't have the power to stop what is going on. They do have the power to highlight and communicate to the American people the deep malice towards everyone of GOP policy.
"Democrats don't have the power to stop what is going on. They do have the power to highlight and communicate to the American people the deep malice towards everyone of GOP policy."
I called both my senator's and representative's offices yesterday and pleaded with them to get on every social media platform, news outlet, podcasts, write editorials, etc. to swarm every news outlet to retaliate, update, reveal the lies and obfuscations.......
It is not about the democrats vs R, it is about any American of any party, as John Lewis says, to battle not only for the soul of American but for the constitution. The Pentagon is full of people who took an oath to the Constitution. Why are they obeying in advance?
No, regardless of what so many of them are up to, a one party system will never be democratic. They need reforming, as, in a different way, clearly do the Democrats.
Spoiler alert - I speak as a lifelong Independent. It’s a place far more of us need to be.
Without Trump, Republicans would have self destructed had they gone with the impeachments esp Jan 6th. As well MAGA had pretty much taken over the party's base by then.
This iteration, surely, Apache. These so-called Republicans are not the party of Reagan, let alone Eisenhour! They are not, as Heather has pointed out, 'conservatives' - they are radicals, and we must quit allowing them to fly under this false flag. Make them strike their true colors!!
As the felon rapist and his minions destroy everything and steal everything we can have a national strike. Buy nothing but the essentials, starve the beast.
Laurie, I really believe that planning must encompass the likelihood that there will be no more elections. (As the Führer said so lightheartedly at one of his endless campaigns. Not, of course, that he had anything to do with Project 2025 - he said so.).
Yes. I heard him say that, too. It is a great concern, and I do not know how to ensure that we will have an election again snd can vote and have our votes counted fairly. We need all the wise brain power possible working on preserving our elections and rights full time.
I really hope we'll stop this talk of no more elections. Not saying it couldn't happen but it's highly unlikely as our elections are for national, state and local offices, not to mention ballot initiatives. Also, there's whole lot of people and organizations that earn income or make profits from elections. They wouldn't be quiet.
JP4M, apropos of nothing, I read a comment (can’t remember where) that said TFFFG’s utterances were like “farts in a hurricane”….OK, now THAT term will stay with me 🤪….if only he didn’t wield such “power” as the perceived “leader” of our country 🤮.
So far, his moron stupidity has gotten his bullshit smacked down with each thing he is doing, and he's now instituted the Lawyer's Full Employment Act with all the things he is being sued on and will be (the "firings" that didn't follow the rules).
Do our hopes reside with the Supreme Court as it receives a flurry of lawsuits? Will it shed its MAGA leanings and take collective action to reverse or deny the worst of Trump's policies? But then someone once said that if men were angels we'd never need government. Then Madison came along and said, supposedly, if we're not a virtuous people, we're fucked!
Yes, Anne -Louise, I too am fearful if we continue on this path there will be no more elections. Yesterday Musk took control of the United States Treasury where all the billions in commitments are paid out of. This is ominous when a non-elected oligarch can casually shove out the person empowered to carry out that work to gain control of our finances. God help us!
The DNC is holding a Convention to chose their new Leader tomorrow in DC... Lets see if they are clued in to the Purge happening in the FBI, and Justice Department... Elon Musk's Minions on-site seem to be orchestrating these Purges... The DNC still haven't figured out how they lost to DJT who did everything he could to lose the Election... If the hopelessly compromised DNC can't get a Reality-Check, is it time to create a Viable Alternative...
I hate to point this out, but Trump lost to a white man. Lost the popular vote to a white woman, but won the electoral vote by the skin of his teeth. He beat a Black woman in the popular vote and the electoral college. Sexism and racism are why the Dems lost. Trump did not increase his share of the electorate that voted for him in 2016 and 2020, but many people who voted for Biden stayed home in 2024. I suspect that most of them would not admit to themselves that they couldn't get themselves to vote for a woman. When people were polled about policies without attributing the policies to a particular candidate, they overwhelming favored Harris' policies. See Michael Podhorzer for more detailed analysis https://www.weekendreading.net/p/how-trump-won
I’ve said for a long time that this country would not elect a woman to the presidency in my lifetime. At 81 it seems even more unlikely. Hard to imagine that trump could be elected twice. Sad. We are still a racist, sexist country.
This is what I believe. I'm no expert, but in my experience, things I've read, and people I've talked to, many women did not want to vote for Kamala. I was initially very surprised about this. I really believed, and still do, that she would have made a good president. I heard comments like, "What has she done? What qualifications does she have? All she does is laugh and smile. She doesn't answer questions. She doesn't say what she's going to do." They didn't listen to her and had a prejudice against her because she was a woman. It's as though their prejudice prevented them from even trying to listen to Kamala. They felt safer with Trump. At least he'll close the border and we won't be giving out all this aid to the "illegals." We live 1500 miles from the southern border and most of these same women have deceived the government in order to receive aid when they are far from being refugees themselves. These are suburban and city women that I know. They don't like that gay and transgender people work in the government. They like having that "one black friend" and think gay people are "cool," but don't want to live with people of color and don't mind "gays" as long as they don't influence their children. They just so happen to lack a higher education and believe, though, that they have more common sense because they have better "life skills." It was as though they had not achieved or experienced Kamala's successes, so they couldn't fathom that she could be president.
I don't blame Biden, Kamala, or the Democrats for "losing." I agreed with the Democrats' decisions, however, I underestimated the prejudices and fear that many people in the US feel which has been ignited by their lack of education, honesty, and ethics, and now they feel supported and justified by many people in the state and federal governments and within some Christian churches.
Hello Michael.... See Phil Balla's response below... The key Constituency were those that did not Vote... Why did they not Vote? Maybe they have given up hope? DJT, if nothing else, is a Cult Leader... Factoid:
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31-Jan-2025: WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House stenographers have a problem. Donald Trump is talking so much, the people responsible for transcribing his public remarks
are struggling to keep up with all the words.
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If Joe Biden's Primary Mission was to keep DJT out of the Presidency, then MISSION FAILURE... Merrick Garland was the WRONG CHOICE FOR AG... Now DJT is destroying the DoJ, and the USA.... By Destroying the DoJ, and FBI, WE are losing the Lawful Tools To Hold Them Accountable...
I don’t think, Apache, that even the most advanced AI could keep up with recording the bloviating mumble-mouth spew-o-meter that is the Bronze-O-Nator Ferret-Pelted Crook-In-Chief. Hmmmm, just now singing in my head about TFFFG is the Scarecrow’s song “if I only had a brain”!!!
Meta and x have the capacity to weld what has always been the gop’s greatest political weapon. Build apathy and distrust through confusion, contradictions, and obstructive policy. Do that long enough, and people just stay home. Now Silicon Valley has the digital profiling tools to identify those who are the most vulnerable to this tactic. They have been profiled, evaluated, and marked. Zombification and radicalization are just a scroll and newsfeed away….
Yes I believe that with my heart. My heart sunk when it was announced Harris was running, I know that a big population of men hate women worse than people of color. Harris would have been wonderful for this country. Democrats need soneone running for President right now, the same as Trump did the whole time Biden was in office, NOW IS THE TIME!!!!!
I would say it was more like ignorance and lack of understanding of the reality of the threats that made some people think it was about the high cost of necessities. I can’t even imagine thinking this foul mouthed overweight person who has never worked a day in his life could take us anywhere but to hell. Let’s be serious for a moment: those thousands of people who voted for trump were wrong and we will all suffer for it. We must stay calm and support each other as best we can.
Don’t hate to point this out! We need EVERYONE to let us know of ANY appropriate action to take, And make sure to contact your Congressional representatives…they must act as our representatives not just play it safe.
It’s true that sexism and racism are why the Dems lost but it’s also true that, as much as I thought Biden was a great president in many respects, he needed to stick to his commitment to be a one term president and allow a vigorous D Democratic primary…. This was a grievous error…
I have a friend at church who got a call from another church member. My friend frequently talks to this church member but never about politics. After the election this church member called my friend and the member told her that she couldn't vote for Harris because she didn't think she had any foreign policy experience.
Oh? You mean throw the baby out with the bath water just the way MAGAts want us to? Too many people think MAGAts are a "viable" alternative. I don't know about you but I don't consider Fascism a viable alternative. It's time to work with the Democratic party instead of throwing spit balls at them. Something people are much more willing to do to them than they are at the MAGA party. I guess everyone does love a circus, no matter how vile the act is.
Notice that the assumption is that the Democratic Party should be led by a guy—preferably white. I got an email from Stacy Abrams yesterday, and I hope she's regained her strength. When we worry about the working class, we should remember that it's not all white and male. Also, I think Biden made a huge mistake in throwing all his weight behind Netanyahu. I've read that if Harris had opposed him a bit, she could have improved her chances. Trump has made a lot of noise about being woke and DEI; he knows his people. But do we know ours?
Yes, Apache, Dems still clueless. Out of touch with America's working classes.
How is it Republicans are so triumphal -- so proudly in thrall to such rank criminality?
Let's note how the Constitution clearly cites, for instance, what the U.S. House must do, and how – defying the Constitution – the Mike Johnson Howdy Doody House has turned over its duties to favorite convicted criminal (and he turning duties over to unelected Elon Musk) – just as the Clarence court spurned the Constitution’s insurrection disqualification clause to favor its favorite orange felon (same fat guy).
How to turn to such spineless, sycophancy? Simple, language.
For sycophancy, language need resemble that of today's Republicans. It need follow the diction Diane Ravitch tracks in “The Language Police.” It need concur with why “The ogre cannot master speech,” as Auden put it in “August, 1968.” It need immunize one to all truth, as George Orwell saw in “Politics and the English Language.”
In place of the truth, sycophants need neutered speech. Then, they can avoid human pain as did they in “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” -- who rid themselves of all emotions. Learned to speak in the slogans the orange felon uses when he lies today.
Liars ever hue to cliché, abstractions, the group-think of testing and packaged textbooks, the buzz words keying tech billionaires’ algorithms.
Opposite this some yet have awareness of emotions – are awake to others – can access language our artists show in all our best humanities.
So fitting of Heather today to celebrate song, first, a long ago era's national anthem. Fitting she celebrates this, while the civil rights era also relied so on such great songs.
The Democratic party is not "clueless" they are busy trying to clean out the Augean stable created by the jerks who decided to sit this one because they were too stupid, too lazy, or just oblivious to pay attention to the Democratic platform or to participate. No matter how high falutin the discourse, it comes down to one thing....did you vote? That whole shibboleth about being "out of touch" with the working class? Garbage. How about a goodly segment of the working class not being able to see past carnival barkers and Reality TV shills? How about being just plain bought by snake oil and lies that pander to their prejudices? Let's see how the "working class" likes losing all those benefits and advances those "out of touch" Dems have brought them. You know, the programs the Democrats wanted to put in place in terms of health care, child care, education, caps on interest rates, home buying opportunities, all those "out of touch" proposals. By the way, after Springfield, Ohio was put on the map for the malicious lies about emigrants, who were the life blood of the town, eating cats and dogs and allegedly were horrified by the prejudice against them? That town, that alleged to care so much for those good people, voted an overwhelming 64% for the Convict-in-Chief. The largest Republican win in 96 years. You can't beat prejudice like that now can you? Stop playing into the blame game so loved by the MAGAts and maybe start helping to get out the vote. Let's try something new and exciting - get more that 70% of eligible voters to make the effort. Approximately 40 of the country didn't think voting was worth their while. Out of touch is a sorry excuse, a very sorry excuse to excuse laziness.
I had not seen that vote statistic an Springfield Ohio. The orwellian up is down has feet and is on the move. Your defense of Dems is right on. We don't want to match their drivel with drivel. We've got history on our side If only we could infiltrate the news cycle and make truth and civility cool again.
Out of touch, however, remain true when so many good films, novels, memoirs, and histories communicate the experiences of decent fellow Americans, and elites spend years in college learning only to ignore them all.
It’s the Roberts court … Thomas and Alito keep everybody’s attention off Roberts - the money is speech guy. That’s why he doesn’t do anything about them.
Joe Biden was an Institutionist... Joe Biden failure to get re-elected has paved the way for DJT 2.0 ... He did not see how dangerous DJT is... The GOP of TDR, Eisenhower, or even Reagan is gone... Like Animals, the DNC haa to adapt or Die... The MAGAs are implementing a Purge... Like you said Cindy, if they don't realize this, the DNC, the Democratic Party will become History...
Oh, please. Just stop it. I'm beginning to believe you're part of that large group of unwashed who just bitch, moan, complain and always are looking to point a finger and blame to cast. Where were you in 2016? Pulling the same routine? Time for you to try a different dialogue or just find a different stage. Being part of the problem instead of part of the solution is sooooo yesterday.
Carol-Ann... Are You Referring To Me? I am not 'Unwashed'... I have Studied with Distinction at Nationally Recognized Top Tiered Universities... I have served with Distinction in Nat-Sec, Finance, and Law Enforcement among other things... I recognize that there are many Accomplished People on this Substack as Well... Each makes their Contribution... Politically, I am more Bernie Sanders, than Hillary Clinton... I even Contribute $$$ to the DNC... I am disappointed that the DNC does not seem to realize that they are becoming Irrelevant...
Ah, yes, Bernie, the Independent, will be with us always. Like a burr under a saddle. Never could win a primary as a Democrat or against a woman. That's why he has always run as an Independent. Democrats are not irrelevant. It goes back to the American population has gone from being one of the most educated countries in the world to one of the most mediocre. Why is that? The republicans through the auspices of the Koch family, set out 50 years ago to annihilate the public school system. How did they do that? They found the dumbest bunnies in the forrest and run them for school boards. What are the least participated elections in the country? School board election. The first thing to go was civics and the rest is history. The Democratic party saved this country's bacon after the last go 'round with the Convict-in-Chief. Biden's administration did it through raising standards, putting in place rules and regs, and managing to get through Congress a bill that would put manufacturing back in this country high paying jobs that would help the working class - but they aren't clowns, they try not to lie, and they work hard to raise the standards. Irrelevant - only if you can be duped into swallowing the snake oil and thinking a corpulent felon is prince charming come to save you.
We are in the midst of a purge. There may not be any shootings or defenestrations - not yet, anyway. I do not know how long it will last. Musk seems to think September. That is the issue of the day. The FBI, the leadership of the military, the civil service, etc., etc., etc., are all being crippled. This damage will take a generation to repair. Why aren't we and the news media talking about the implications of this purge may have on average people?
This is still New... People are still in Shock that this is Happening... Wait to see if there is Movement on the Streets when the Pain Starts happening with a Collapsing USG... I have faith in the Military... There are Smart Disciplined People in Charge with Vast Resources...
It has seemed to me, as a "lifelong" Democrat that my party has had too little to say about human values, the better angels of our nature, and the brutal struggle that is often required to defend them. A vivid philosophy or life and government. I find that in historical political rhetoric. I see it in Lincoln. A vision. A prize to aim for, and a passion to focus on the things that matter most. Do recall leaders who had that gift? Who stirred the spirit? Who provided a focus around which like minds would gather? Not cheap theatrics, but exceptional clarity.
they lost by a sliver Apache, and a lot of that had more to do with things like post-pandemic inflation overloaded on whoever held the White House. The border immigration thing... blown up sadly out of all proportion, for which we can thank a non stop Maga propaganda machine with Trump spewing repulsive nonsense , 'millions and millions of criminals' tainting good America blood, it doesn't get more demagogic than that. Now the T 2.0 was coming, voter sentiment on the economy miraculous switched up after Nov 2024, though nothing whatsoever has changed, except the rich will get to keep more of their outsized wealth and social support programs will get reduced or axed, per the Freedom Caucus.
Exactly I always get push back when I say it but the wimpy Dems who bent down to the elites to get funding while spending our tax dollars on a genocide and a proxy war gave us Trump. I have very little hope that the Dems will do much to get us out of this mess. HCR has her own share of this mess by kissing Biden’s ass and ignoring his foreign policy and lack of doing things for the poor and working class that have mostly given up on both parties.
The Achilles Heel of both Parties is that both Feed-From-The-Same-Trough... TV Ads are expensive... Conventions, Rally s are Expensive.... DJT spent less Money than Kamala because his Handlers realized that the new Media has become important... Dems need to listen to the Disaffected, and offer easy, quick remedies...
"The Black Cabinet was an unofficial group of African-American advisors to President Franklin D. Roosevelt. African-American federal employees in the executive branch formed an unofficial Federal Council of Negro Affairs to try to influence federal policy on race issues. In his twelve years as president, Roosevelt did not appoint or nominate a single African American to be either a secretary or undersecretary in his presidential cabinet, but by mid-1935, there were 45 African Americans working in federal executive departments and New Deal agencies."
Amen! All lives matter. Maybe except the ones of soulless billionaires like Musk, Bezos and Zuckerberg. They ha e all sold their souls for greed and power. I want to live long enough to watch Karma in action!
Follow the money and pay attention to what Musk is doing with funding freezes, employee purges, and worming into our Treasury check-writing system. This is alarming. But it helps us with clarity in the midst of their flooding the zone and capitalizing on recent disasters.
We have many organizations for grassroots activism and filing lawsuits. Find at least one that resonates with you. Find your local squad of people you can meet in person. Diversify your financial holdings. Take care of your health. Like Joyce Vance says, we're in this together.
Thank you for this important message. Yes we absolutely must stand up for our country and freedoms. Do we need to take any particular steps to be certain we still will have our election?
I think it's to our advantage that elections are controlled by the states and the localities in them. That's why we have to pay attention to who's running the show locally.
"In 2025 the U.S. government under President Donald Trump has revoked a 60-year-old executive order that protected equal opportunity in employment and has called for an end to all diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. This February 1, neither the Pentagon nor the State Department will recognize Black History Month."
The students protesting at Woolworth's were such an inspiration. Where are the protests today? Why aren't the youth rising up? What has happened??
totally! not just Dems, after all there are more "independents" than the major parties combined. With neither the Pentagon or State Department recognizing Black History month, you really have to ask yourself "whither the USA"? And whoever thinks American institutions can stand up to this Project 2025 onslaught? Check out all the dismissals and firings, across the board. Otherwise sign up as a White Christian Nationalist and enjoy your newfound privilege!
During the darkest days of the AIDS crisis, we buried our friends in the morning, we protested in the afternoon, and we danced all night.
The dance kept us in the fight because it was the dance we were fighting for. It didn't look like we were going to win then and we did. It doesn't feel like we re going to win now but we could. Keep fighting, keep dancing… Dan Savage
Guess it’s high time to start thinking seriously how to counter the Hate show happening in Washington, or as Paine put it…
THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated.
"The U.S. government under the felon has just revoked the 60-year-old executive order that protects equal opportunity in employment and called for an end to all diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.Neither the Pentagon nor the State Department will be recognizing Black History Month."
Well, personally I plan to post essential Black history every single day of this month on my Substacks and social media. Hope others will as well.
You know how to boycott. Start by refusing them your business. Every day, call out the lies—do not let them go unchallenged. Do it on Fox News, NYT, call in to NPR and demand pushback. Call your Rep and Senators and let them know you haven’t been fooled and you expect the same of them.
Second, we need to word HARD to gain majorities in the House and Senate in two years. At the same time, we need to brace ourselves and organize for something more concerning.
The American Crisis was written to give heart to the few soldiers left in Washington's army after the New York defeat, when they were hiding in the woods of eastern Pennsylvania. It was first read in public to those men on Christmas Eve, 1776, after which they crossed the Delaware and took Trenton Barracks and saved the Revolution at its lowest point (which is why the paragraphs following the opening are explanations of why the war has gone as it has). I've recently been given information that not only my eighth Great Grandfather (who I knew about) but his two brothers and his youngest brother's son were among those soldiers who heard it the first time. It's the best piece of political writing for a time like this.
I grieve for the country and am finding ways I can resist in my own small corner of the country. I am volunteering at my tiny local elementary school to help in their reading program. 8
I am writing my two senators nearly every day. I am donating small monthly amounts to the DNC, the ACLU, Common Cause and Democracy Now. I am doing my best to stay informed… I am hoping and believe that if we all do what we can, we can somehow turn this around…
I think it helps. Thank you for doing what you are doing. I like the concept of ‘altruistic cooperation’ which I read in regards to a French Tibentan monk Matthieu Ricard. I think that the pressure both socially and economically that the trump regime is placing on the people of the nation can be dissipated with a mass concerted effort of altruistic cooperation. It exists as a spectrum of course, small kindnesses in action spanning to debt jubilee or rent jubilee etc from those who can afford to do so. We mist find and embody ways to hang together (or surely we will hang apart)
I'm in a virtual group of about 75 people reading Ricard's book Happiness right now, and I find it a source of mental relief from all the negativity around us. He's a brilliant man.
My sermon came inside a Pittsburgh steel mill; I pray for that man almost every day. 🙏
"If we are to have another contest in the near future of our national existence, I predict that the dividing line will not be Mason and Dixon's but between patriotism and intelligence on the one side, and superstition, ambition and ignorance on the other." -- General / President Grant. ✌🏽
Well at least now businesses can hire 100% black, women and LGBT workers without breaking a diversity quota. More power to them. Let the straight white males work the fields and sweep the streets.
None of the federal, state, or local nondiscrimination statutes have been repealed. The Exec Order revocation applies only to federal government agencies.
History makes it clear: one side fights for freedom, the other fights to erase it.
From abolition to civil rights, the same forces have always resisted progress. Now, Trump is trying to erase Black history and roll back rights. But justice doesn't disappear just because they wish it would--and neither will we.
I cannot refrain from chiming in. The other day the incomparable Ann Telnaes (her substack page is called "Open Windows" for anyone who's interested - I highly recommend it) published a cartoon referencing our current-day Caligula's purge of the dedicated and honorable DOJ officials and line attorneys who accepted the assignment to investigate and prosecute His Unholiness for his various crimes against our Republic. It depicted him hacking off the arm with which Lady Justice carries her scales. My spur-of-the-moment commentary, with acknowledgement to and begging indulgence of Julia Ward Howe, follows here:
"Our eyes have seen the gory monster thinking he's the Lord.
He is trampling over ev'rything our people have adored.
He has severed poor Justicia's scales, but still she has her sword!
Happy Black History Month (while I'm still permitted to say that). And I say "while I'm still permitted to say that" because tonight Rachel Maddow reported the BREAKING NEWS that Trump is about to fire EVERY member of the FBI that had ANYTHING to do with the Jan 6th prosecutions... not just Jack Smith prosecuting him but ALL the Jan 6th prosecutions that put people in jail. THIS MEANS THE FBI WILL BECOME TRUMP'S PERSONAL RETRIBUTION FORCE.
Here's the link to Rachel's report. Be afraid. Be very afraid!
I saw this reported in real time, Steve, and watched slack-jawed. The expression on Rachel’s face—and she’s seen A LOT—was very sobering. Then as I watched/listened a thought was building in my mind…given WHO all, dedicated public servants to our collective security, was being seriously impacted……whoa TFFFG should be careful, like really really really careful, who he pisses off. Just sayin’…..🤷🏻♀️
I prayed this dictatorial action leads to a very, very public event by all FBI agents in which they declare they will not obey! And every Democratic member of Congress should be standing with them when they say that! This is war for public opinion. Not a shooting war, but a war nonetheless. And Barack Obama should get his ass down to Washington and stop hanging out in Chicago.
My vision was very dark and disturbing…NOT something I want to see played out in our country, but he is taunting the populous and (assume) he feels as invincible as usual. Who knows?
My spouse came across a photo of T**** from the back... the bullet-proof vest he is wearing is rather obvious under his jacket. No wonder he sweats - that Kevlar can be toasty. Though probably lighter than the ceramic plates I wore in Phu Bai. She asked why he didn't also wear a helmet. AIM HIGH.
That is the comment I posted on the YouTube video of Rachel‘s report. They should very publicly altogether for the cameras for history books say WE WILL NOT OBEY!
Let the open rebellion begin! (What’s Trump gonna do, order they all be shot?)
Order they all be shot? Yes. I think he would. He’d summon the Jan 6 crowd to FBI hq. A gunfight between FBI agents and a street full of rioters would be something to see. I’m
I am fighting tears reading this. I know the flaws of my country. I know the blemishes of its history. I know we’ve failed many times before successes. I can’t grasp that we’ve willingly chosen to consign its future to hate, ignorance, intolerance, vindictiveness, greed and terror.
Our divisive and shortsighted President may have put the kaibosh on all cultural observances from Black History and Women’s History months to National Hispanic Heritage Month to the Holocaust Remembrance Day to Martin Luther King, Jr’s Day etc but that doesn’t mean that the people cannot create the biggest and most joyous local celebrations ever. Our voices and our inclusion will not be silenced.
Sadness and dismay are overwhelming today. Thank you Professor, your letters are gravely important for keeping a record of the destruction of our Democratic Republic.
Bishop Marianne Budde Rev Al Sharpton, there are more. Sure the dividends extends to all churches, all peoples, cyber identity hate is that strong to split even families apart. No one is immune. It’s certain now that we will be called to physical resist and protest. For it to work it will take everyone we got. I’m not hung up what church or not that they got to, nor the color of their skin, nor what pronouns they use. Dig?
Even German Lutheran pastor Martin Niemöller finally saw the light but it was too late since he was arrested in 1937, imprisoned in Sachsenhausen and Dachau and wasn't released until the end of WW 2.
"First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me."
May many more of us see the light much sooner this time...like right now!
Not all Christians are Christian Nationalists. We don’t like their abuse of religion for political goals, and we think the First Amendment is a great thing.
They are in on the take over. My theory is that no one really believes in God any longer so they are just using the idea to get Earthly power. They are supporting a guy who has publicly violated every one of the ten commandments (if 'killing' can be homicide) and are encouraging their members to reject the teachings of Christ and to commit more. With every word and action, they scream 'Fuck the Golden rule, I want more money and power!'
Well, the Christian Church in the U.S. is not a singular body by a long shot. Fundamentalists and evangelicals tend to vote for the incumbent, and if you look at Project 2025, you can see their influence. Then there are the Roman Catholics who support the Pope, and those who ignore him. (Look at the Supreme Court.) There is, of course, the Black church, where I assume he has little appeal, and mainstream Protestants, mostly white but more diverse than they once were, whose numbers have been dwindling for a while. I was thrilled and inspired by Bishop Budde, and it was a joy to see how many people support her, but there are no longer any women in the pulpits of the Southern Baptist churches where I grew up.
But I was talking about "Christians" - not one particular church. If you believe in the teachings of Christ - how CAN you support trump? I don't think you can be a Christian and still support this man, who is the epitome of hatred and division.
Christian Nationalists have created a petty, vindictive and cruel deity who resembles themselves in character. Indeed, they see Trump as God’s chosen candidate, and he shows many of the same flaws as their own petty, vindictive and cruel deity.
It's not about praying - it's about bringing the religious community together to resist. In the first Trump administration I lived in rural Oregon. Local churches, Rabbis from Salem, the Sikh community, organized to protest the illegal detainment of immigrants in a local federal prison and helped to get them legal council and helped them emotionally by letting them know that there were people there to help them and were working to do so. The Sikh community was particularly impressive, always bringing vans laden with food to feed the hundred that showed up to protest. The religious community can do a lot, and as we saw with Bishop Budde, their voices can sometimes shock the conscience of the community.
I love Rev. Barber! But I like Rev. Sharpton also. He has seen and done a lot for over 50+ years. His contributions cannot be denied. The Bishop is my heroine and I know there are others out there like her.
"On February 1, 2023, Tyre Nichols’s family laid their 29-year-old son to rest in Memphis, Tennessee. He was so severely beaten by police officers on January 7, allegedly for a traffic violation, that he died three days later."
And this happened in the wee hours this morning:
Feb. 1, 2025, 12:21 a.m. ET1h ago NYTimes
Justice Dept. Fires Jan. 6 Prosecutors Amid Campaign of Retribution by Trump
"The administration also plans to scrutinize thousands of F.B.I. agents tied to the investigations of President Trump and his supporters, according to people familiar with the matter."
Combine that with Patel's statement: "Patel says he would let ‘good cops be good cops’ during confirmation hearing".
Same here. We’re watching a coup happen in front of our eyes and no one is saying a word. And it’s not Trump coup-ing this time, it’s Musk with his hard drives and his aides taking control of federal personnel while people watch helplessly. Wtf is wrong with us.
Once a dictator takes control (has the Congress, the SCOTUS, controls the message, has access to all the money in the world, and is convict-in-chief of the most powerful military in the world none of the following is going to do bupkis: counting on his MAGA cult "seeing the light", writing Congressional representatives, peaceful protesting, counting on the mid-term election . . . .
Lest we forget, once Hitler garnered the Chancellorship in 1933 (which took a few years), it only took 53 days for him to completely take down what was then a democratic Germany. It took years and WWII where 55 to 85 million souls perished (out of a world population of 2.3 billion and Russia alone lost 22million), and countries were reduced to rubble.
I have immediate and extended family members and friends (one couple survived the Altadena fire but dealing with trauma) already impacted by the chaos trump has created. The outright cruelty and uncertainty is doing no favors for anyone's mental health.
I turned on reruns of Home Improvement (1991-99) and fell asleep for two hours. I highly recommend that! :)
We interrupt America's progress toward liberty, justice, and respect for all to bring you the Trump regime. We must start now to oppose Trump, his accomplices, and his policies and to defeat Congressional Republicans in 2026 and 2028 elections. Get active with a pro-democracy group, support the groups opposing Trump policies in court. Contact your Members of Congress, regardless of party, to demand they protect and defend our country from the authoritarianism, bigotry, and corruption now taking over America.
As Josh Marshall points out, one of the more effective means to oppose will be to force votes as much as possible on unpopular policies and to highlight these. Democrats don't have the power to stop what is going on. They do have the power to highlight and communicate to the American people the deep malice towards everyone of GOP policy.
Pars Republicana delenda est!
"Democrats don't have the power to stop what is going on. They do have the power to highlight and communicate to the American people the deep malice towards everyone of GOP policy."
What real and effective protest is all about.
I called both my senator's and representative's offices yesterday and pleaded with them to get on every social media platform, news outlet, podcasts, write editorials, etc. to swarm every news outlet to retaliate, update, reveal the lies and obfuscations.......
Some Democrats are voting with the GOP and they should be ousted from office.
It is not about the democrats vs R, it is about any American of any party, as John Lewis says, to battle not only for the soul of American but for the constitution. The Pentagon is full of people who took an oath to the Constitution. Why are they obeying in advance?
Does that mean that the Republican Party must be Destroyed? Similar to, "Carthago Delenda Est!" ? ...
Precisely. Flattened. Sown with salt. Cue up The Rains of Castamere . . .
Who Said That The Knowledge Of The Classics Was Useless? ... :-)
We ignore history at our peril.
And hang Un-President Cletus J. Blather as the traitor he is.
Are you referring to Drumpf, the 💩….not my president!?
…also Refered to as the clown 🤡?!
Trump Delenda Est
TC, I am thoroughly enjoying your clever nom de plumes for POTUS.
Such are the GOP’s hope for the Drmocrstic Party.
Recall their old war cry of a permanent Republican majority (by hook or crook.)
Mostly "crook".
Oh, that would make my day.
No, regardless of what so many of them are up to, a one party system will never be democratic. They need reforming, as, in a different way, clearly do the Democrats.
Spoiler alert - I speak as a lifelong Independent. It’s a place far more of us need to be.
Without Trump, Republicans would have self destructed had they gone with the impeachments esp Jan 6th. As well MAGA had pretty much taken over the party's base by then.
This iteration, surely, Apache. These so-called Republicans are not the party of Reagan, let alone Eisenhour! They are not, as Heather has pointed out, 'conservatives' - they are radicals, and we must quit allowing them to fly under this false flag. Make them strike their true colors!!
At the very least, Dems need to pick up a dozen torches. And not just them.
All citizens of the Republic need to serve. No more “Thank you for your service” bullshit. Serve.
Serve the cause.
As the felon rapist and his minions destroy everything and steal everything we can have a national strike. Buy nothing but the essentials, starve the beast.
Laurie, I really believe that planning must encompass the likelihood that there will be no more elections. (As the Führer said so lightheartedly at one of his endless campaigns. Not, of course, that he had anything to do with Project 2025 - he said so.).
Yes. I heard him say that, too. It is a great concern, and I do not know how to ensure that we will have an election again snd can vote and have our votes counted fairly. We need all the wise brain power possible working on preserving our elections and rights full time.
I really hope we'll stop this talk of no more elections. Not saying it couldn't happen but it's highly unlikely as our elections are for national, state and local offices, not to mention ballot initiatives. Also, there's whole lot of people and organizations that earn income or make profits from elections. They wouldn't be quiet.
Thank you!
JP4M, apropos of nothing, I read a comment (can’t remember where) that said TFFFG’s utterances were like “farts in a hurricane”….OK, now THAT term will stay with me 🤪….if only he didn’t wield such “power” as the perceived “leader” of our country 🤮.
So far, his moron stupidity has gotten his bullshit smacked down with each thing he is doing, and he's now instituted the Lawyer's Full Employment Act with all the things he is being sued on and will be (the "firings" that didn't follow the rules).
And we'll undoubtedly be watching our tax dollars disappear with each passing motion.
Muskrat wants our treasury trough. Direct into his pockets.
An old cohort of mine described death as 'being farted into the wind eternal.' An appropriate end for TFFFG.
Lol…James, the eternal “raspberry!!!!” 🤣 Maybe new lyrics to the song “dust in the wind”?????
Do our hopes reside with the Supreme Court as it receives a flurry of lawsuits? Will it shed its MAGA leanings and take collective action to reverse or deny the worst of Trump's policies? But then someone once said that if men were angels we'd never need government. Then Madison came along and said, supposedly, if we're not a virtuous people, we're fucked!
Act like we will until we don't.
Yes, Anne -Louise, I too am fearful if we continue on this path there will be no more elections. Yesterday Musk took control of the United States Treasury where all the billions in commitments are paid out of. This is ominous when a non-elected oligarch can casually shove out the person empowered to carry out that work to gain control of our finances. God help us!
I do not believe in hell. But I propose building one for certain people who need to go their. Their leader is,an orange helium balloon!
The DNC is holding a Convention to chose their new Leader tomorrow in DC... Lets see if they are clued in to the Purge happening in the FBI, and Justice Department... Elon Musk's Minions on-site seem to be orchestrating these Purges... The DNC still haven't figured out how they lost to DJT who did everything he could to lose the Election... If the hopelessly compromised DNC can't get a Reality-Check, is it time to create a Viable Alternative...
I hate to point this out, but Trump lost to a white man. Lost the popular vote to a white woman, but won the electoral vote by the skin of his teeth. He beat a Black woman in the popular vote and the electoral college. Sexism and racism are why the Dems lost. Trump did not increase his share of the electorate that voted for him in 2016 and 2020, but many people who voted for Biden stayed home in 2024. I suspect that most of them would not admit to themselves that they couldn't get themselves to vote for a woman. When people were polled about policies without attributing the policies to a particular candidate, they overwhelming favored Harris' policies. See Michael Podhorzer for more detailed analysis https://www.weekendreading.net/p/how-trump-won
I’ve said for a long time that this country would not elect a woman to the presidency in my lifetime. At 81 it seems even more unlikely. Hard to imagine that trump could be elected twice. Sad. We are still a racist, sexist country.
This is what I believe. I'm no expert, but in my experience, things I've read, and people I've talked to, many women did not want to vote for Kamala. I was initially very surprised about this. I really believed, and still do, that she would have made a good president. I heard comments like, "What has she done? What qualifications does she have? All she does is laugh and smile. She doesn't answer questions. She doesn't say what she's going to do." They didn't listen to her and had a prejudice against her because she was a woman. It's as though their prejudice prevented them from even trying to listen to Kamala. They felt safer with Trump. At least he'll close the border and we won't be giving out all this aid to the "illegals." We live 1500 miles from the southern border and most of these same women have deceived the government in order to receive aid when they are far from being refugees themselves. These are suburban and city women that I know. They don't like that gay and transgender people work in the government. They like having that "one black friend" and think gay people are "cool," but don't want to live with people of color and don't mind "gays" as long as they don't influence their children. They just so happen to lack a higher education and believe, though, that they have more common sense because they have better "life skills." It was as though they had not achieved or experienced Kamala's successes, so they couldn't fathom that she could be president.
I don't blame Biden, Kamala, or the Democrats for "losing." I agreed with the Democrats' decisions, however, I underestimated the prejudices and fear that many people in the US feel which has been ignited by their lack of education, honesty, and ethics, and now they feel supported and justified by many people in the state and federal governments and within some Christian churches.
Our Father who art the bullshit of conquest..
Hello Michael.... See Phil Balla's response below... The key Constituency were those that did not Vote... Why did they not Vote? Maybe they have given up hope? DJT, if nothing else, is a Cult Leader... Factoid:
.
.
31-Jan-2025: WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House stenographers have a problem. Donald Trump is talking so much, the people responsible for transcribing his public remarks
are struggling to keep up with all the words.
.
.
If Joe Biden's Primary Mission was to keep DJT out of the Presidency, then MISSION FAILURE... Merrick Garland was the WRONG CHOICE FOR AG... Now DJT is destroying the DoJ, and the USA.... By Destroying the DoJ, and FBI, WE are losing the Lawful Tools To Hold Them Accountable...
I don’t think, Apache, that even the most advanced AI could keep up with recording the bloviating mumble-mouth spew-o-meter that is the Bronze-O-Nator Ferret-Pelted Crook-In-Chief. Hmmmm, just now singing in my head about TFFFG is the Scarecrow’s song “if I only had a brain”!!!
Meta and x have the capacity to weld what has always been the gop’s greatest political weapon. Build apathy and distrust through confusion, contradictions, and obstructive policy. Do that long enough, and people just stay home. Now Silicon Valley has the digital profiling tools to identify those who are the most vulnerable to this tactic. They have been profiled, evaluated, and marked. Zombification and radicalization are just a scroll and newsfeed away….
Fight back…this is your government you must defend it to the best of your ability!
Pretty soon, Ted, they will “dose” the water to encourage complacency and disengagement (dystopian I know…but if the shoe fits…).
Among other things..
Yes I believe that with my heart. My heart sunk when it was announced Harris was running, I know that a big population of men hate women worse than people of color. Harris would have been wonderful for this country. Democrats need soneone running for President right now, the same as Trump did the whole time Biden was in office, NOW IS THE TIME!!!!!
The time is now, the place is here.
Racism and misogyny came roaring to life.
People who reelected GWB were polled as not liking his policies either. It seems the more entertaining candidate tends to win, and policy is boring
MB you say “ Sexism and racism are why the Dems lost.”
That’s too strong, but those were certainly important contributing factors.
I would say it was more like ignorance and lack of understanding of the reality of the threats that made some people think it was about the high cost of necessities. I can’t even imagine thinking this foul mouthed overweight person who has never worked a day in his life could take us anywhere but to hell. Let’s be serious for a moment: those thousands of people who voted for trump were wrong and we will all suffer for it. We must stay calm and support each other as best we can.
Those people were out-Foxed.
https://www.gregpalast.com/trump-lost-vote-suppression-won/
https://www.gregpalast.com/election-theft-in-the-context-of-racism/
Ditto Hillary, Teresa….interesting info if one digs deep enough. Am so very sad that the USA is still this way.
Don’t hate to point this out! We need EVERYONE to let us know of ANY appropriate action to take, And make sure to contact your Congressional representatives…they must act as our representatives not just play it safe.
The GOP stole that election fair and square..
You are 1000% correct. No typo here.
It’s true that sexism and racism are why the Dems lost but it’s also true that, as much as I thought Biden was a great president in many respects, he needed to stick to his commitment to be a one term president and allow a vigorous D Democratic primary…. This was a grievous error…
I have a friend at church who got a call from another church member. My friend frequently talks to this church member but never about politics. After the election this church member called my friend and the member told her that she couldn't vote for Harris because she didn't think she had any foreign policy experience.
Oh? You mean throw the baby out with the bath water just the way MAGAts want us to? Too many people think MAGAts are a "viable" alternative. I don't know about you but I don't consider Fascism a viable alternative. It's time to work with the Democratic party instead of throwing spit balls at them. Something people are much more willing to do to them than they are at the MAGA party. I guess everyone does love a circus, no matter how vile the act is.
I have a sense Wikler could help pull us through.
The one who will be the light is David Hogg, who is running for vice chair.
I like David Hogg... Dangerous Times Demand Fresh Thinking...
Yeah, unfortunately, the "establishment candidate" is ahead in the polls. Wikler should be the guy. We'll see.
Notice that the assumption is that the Democratic Party should be led by a guy—preferably white. I got an email from Stacy Abrams yesterday, and I hope she's regained her strength. When we worry about the working class, we should remember that it's not all white and male. Also, I think Biden made a huge mistake in throwing all his weight behind Netanyahu. I've read that if Harris had opposed him a bit, she could have improved her chances. Trump has made a lot of noise about being woke and DEI; he knows his people. But do we know ours?
Stop reading the polls, TC! I want Wikler too!
TC... How did You Make It Thru The Fires?
Yes, Apache, Dems still clueless. Out of touch with America's working classes.
How is it Republicans are so triumphal -- so proudly in thrall to such rank criminality?
Let's note how the Constitution clearly cites, for instance, what the U.S. House must do, and how – defying the Constitution – the Mike Johnson Howdy Doody House has turned over its duties to favorite convicted criminal (and he turning duties over to unelected Elon Musk) – just as the Clarence court spurned the Constitution’s insurrection disqualification clause to favor its favorite orange felon (same fat guy).
How to turn to such spineless, sycophancy? Simple, language.
For sycophancy, language need resemble that of today's Republicans. It need follow the diction Diane Ravitch tracks in “The Language Police.” It need concur with why “The ogre cannot master speech,” as Auden put it in “August, 1968.” It need immunize one to all truth, as George Orwell saw in “Politics and the English Language.”
In place of the truth, sycophants need neutered speech. Then, they can avoid human pain as did they in “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” -- who rid themselves of all emotions. Learned to speak in the slogans the orange felon uses when he lies today.
Liars ever hue to cliché, abstractions, the group-think of testing and packaged textbooks, the buzz words keying tech billionaires’ algorithms.
Opposite this some yet have awareness of emotions – are awake to others – can access language our artists show in all our best humanities.
So fitting of Heather today to celebrate song, first, a long ago era's national anthem. Fitting she celebrates this, while the civil rights era also relied so on such great songs.
The Democratic party is not "clueless" they are busy trying to clean out the Augean stable created by the jerks who decided to sit this one because they were too stupid, too lazy, or just oblivious to pay attention to the Democratic platform or to participate. No matter how high falutin the discourse, it comes down to one thing....did you vote? That whole shibboleth about being "out of touch" with the working class? Garbage. How about a goodly segment of the working class not being able to see past carnival barkers and Reality TV shills? How about being just plain bought by snake oil and lies that pander to their prejudices? Let's see how the "working class" likes losing all those benefits and advances those "out of touch" Dems have brought them. You know, the programs the Democrats wanted to put in place in terms of health care, child care, education, caps on interest rates, home buying opportunities, all those "out of touch" proposals. By the way, after Springfield, Ohio was put on the map for the malicious lies about emigrants, who were the life blood of the town, eating cats and dogs and allegedly were horrified by the prejudice against them? That town, that alleged to care so much for those good people, voted an overwhelming 64% for the Convict-in-Chief. The largest Republican win in 96 years. You can't beat prejudice like that now can you? Stop playing into the blame game so loved by the MAGAts and maybe start helping to get out the vote. Let's try something new and exciting - get more that 70% of eligible voters to make the effort. Approximately 40 of the country didn't think voting was worth their while. Out of touch is a sorry excuse, a very sorry excuse to excuse laziness.
I had not seen that vote statistic an Springfield Ohio. The orwellian up is down has feet and is on the move. Your defense of Dems is right on. We don't want to match their drivel with drivel. We've got history on our side If only we could infiltrate the news cycle and make truth and civility cool again.
Not just laziness. Read Palast’ statistics.
I sympathize with your urgency, Carol-Ann.
Out of touch, however, remain true when so many good films, novels, memoirs, and histories communicate the experiences of decent fellow Americans, and elites spend years in college learning only to ignore them all.
Contrast the prose of Lincoln vs First Felon.
It’s the Roberts court … Thomas and Alito keep everybody’s attention off Roberts - the money is speech guy. That’s why he doesn’t do anything about them.
They’re institutionalists. If they don’t make big changes fast they’ll be irrelevant.
Yes. I want more Jamie Raskin, less Chuck Schumer.
Joe Biden was an Institutionist... Joe Biden failure to get re-elected has paved the way for DJT 2.0 ... He did not see how dangerous DJT is... The GOP of TDR, Eisenhower, or even Reagan is gone... Like Animals, the DNC haa to adapt or Die... The MAGAs are implementing a Purge... Like you said Cindy, if they don't realize this, the DNC, the Democratic Party will become History...
Oh, please. Just stop it. I'm beginning to believe you're part of that large group of unwashed who just bitch, moan, complain and always are looking to point a finger and blame to cast. Where were you in 2016? Pulling the same routine? Time for you to try a different dialogue or just find a different stage. Being part of the problem instead of part of the solution is sooooo yesterday.
Carol-Ann... Are You Referring To Me? I am not 'Unwashed'... I have Studied with Distinction at Nationally Recognized Top Tiered Universities... I have served with Distinction in Nat-Sec, Finance, and Law Enforcement among other things... I recognize that there are many Accomplished People on this Substack as Well... Each makes their Contribution... Politically, I am more Bernie Sanders, than Hillary Clinton... I even Contribute $$$ to the DNC... I am disappointed that the DNC does not seem to realize that they are becoming Irrelevant...
Ah, yes, Bernie, the Independent, will be with us always. Like a burr under a saddle. Never could win a primary as a Democrat or against a woman. That's why he has always run as an Independent. Democrats are not irrelevant. It goes back to the American population has gone from being one of the most educated countries in the world to one of the most mediocre. Why is that? The republicans through the auspices of the Koch family, set out 50 years ago to annihilate the public school system. How did they do that? They found the dumbest bunnies in the forrest and run them for school boards. What are the least participated elections in the country? School board election. The first thing to go was civics and the rest is history. The Democratic party saved this country's bacon after the last go 'round with the Convict-in-Chief. Biden's administration did it through raising standards, putting in place rules and regs, and managing to get through Congress a bill that would put manufacturing back in this country high paying jobs that would help the working class - but they aren't clowns, they try not to lie, and they work hard to raise the standards. Irrelevant - only if you can be duped into swallowing the snake oil and thinking a corpulent felon is prince charming come to save you.
We are in the midst of a purge. There may not be any shootings or defenestrations - not yet, anyway. I do not know how long it will last. Musk seems to think September. That is the issue of the day. The FBI, the leadership of the military, the civil service, etc., etc., etc., are all being crippled. This damage will take a generation to repair. Why aren't we and the news media talking about the implications of this purge may have on average people?
This is still New... People are still in Shock that this is Happening... Wait to see if there is Movement on the Streets when the Pain Starts happening with a Collapsing USG... I have faith in the Military... There are Smart Disciplined People in Charge with Vast Resources...
No kidding! I am hoping they pick Wikler as chair. We need innovative, provocative, leaders who will shake things up, wake DEMS UP!
It has seemed to me, as a "lifelong" Democrat that my party has had too little to say about human values, the better angels of our nature, and the brutal struggle that is often required to defend them. A vivid philosophy or life and government. I find that in historical political rhetoric. I see it in Lincoln. A vision. A prize to aim for, and a passion to focus on the things that matter most. Do recall leaders who had that gift? Who stirred the spirit? Who provided a focus around which like minds would gather? Not cheap theatrics, but exceptional clarity.
they lost by a sliver Apache, and a lot of that had more to do with things like post-pandemic inflation overloaded on whoever held the White House. The border immigration thing... blown up sadly out of all proportion, for which we can thank a non stop Maga propaganda machine with Trump spewing repulsive nonsense , 'millions and millions of criminals' tainting good America blood, it doesn't get more demagogic than that. Now the T 2.0 was coming, voter sentiment on the economy miraculous switched up after Nov 2024, though nothing whatsoever has changed, except the rich will get to keep more of their outsized wealth and social support programs will get reduced or axed, per the Freedom Caucus.
Exactly I always get push back when I say it but the wimpy Dems who bent down to the elites to get funding while spending our tax dollars on a genocide and a proxy war gave us Trump. I have very little hope that the Dems will do much to get us out of this mess. HCR has her own share of this mess by kissing Biden’s ass and ignoring his foreign policy and lack of doing things for the poor and working class that have mostly given up on both parties.
The Achilles Heel of both Parties is that both Feed-From-The-Same-Trough... TV Ads are expensive... Conventions, Rally s are Expensive.... DJT spent less Money than Kamala because his Handlers realized that the new Media has become important... Dems need to listen to the Disaffected, and offer easy, quick remedies...
So well put! So where is the youth opposition? They are the one's that should be terrified....
Let's all celebrate BLACK HISTORY month in our classrooms, at our bookstores, in the malls, in our neighborhoods, in our libraries......
We can start here with our celebrations--pile on!
"The Black Cabinet was an unofficial group of African-American advisors to President Franklin D. Roosevelt. African-American federal employees in the executive branch formed an unofficial Federal Council of Negro Affairs to try to influence federal policy on race issues. In his twelve years as president, Roosevelt did not appoint or nominate a single African American to be either a secretary or undersecretary in his presidential cabinet, but by mid-1935, there were 45 African Americans working in federal executive departments and New Deal agencies."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Cabinet
As never before.
Amen! All lives matter. Maybe except the ones of soulless billionaires like Musk, Bezos and Zuckerberg. They ha e all sold their souls for greed and power. I want to live long enough to watch Karma in action!
As Robert Hubbell writes tonight, call it by its name: Coup
https://roberthubbell.substack.com/p/call-it-by-its-name-a-coup
Follow the money and pay attention to what Musk is doing with funding freezes, employee purges, and worming into our Treasury check-writing system. This is alarming. But it helps us with clarity in the midst of their flooding the zone and capitalizing on recent disasters.
We have many organizations for grassroots activism and filing lawsuits. Find at least one that resonates with you. Find your local squad of people you can meet in person. Diversify your financial holdings. Take care of your health. Like Joyce Vance says, we're in this together.
Resources:
https://chopwoodcarrywaterdailyactions.substack.com/
https://indivisible.org/
https://democracyforward.org/
https://www.citizensforethics.org/
Thanks, Ellie!
There is a substack writing ‘Off Message’ and the author has good ideas, a good voice and I think people here will be inspired and feel direction
Link?
https://www.offmessage.net/subscribe?utm_source=email&utm_campaign=email-subscribe&r=dntk7&next=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.offmessage.net%2Fp%2Fa-sustainable-resistance&utm_medium=email
Won't open page.
Try this and if clicking the link does not work, select all copy snd paste into browser https://www.offmessage.net/about?utm_source=subscribe_email&utm_content=learn_more
Thank you for this important message. Yes we absolutely must stand up for our country and freedoms. Do we need to take any particular steps to be certain we still will have our election?
I think it's to our advantage that elections are controlled by the states and the localities in them. That's why we have to pay attention to who's running the show locally.
Progwoman, thank you for that comforting thought. I hope it is enough to provide the security we need if we all pay close enough attention.
"His truth is marching on.” Thank you LaurieOregon.
"In 2025 the U.S. government under President Donald Trump has revoked a 60-year-old executive order that protected equal opportunity in employment and has called for an end to all diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. This February 1, neither the Pentagon nor the State Department will recognize Black History Month."
The students protesting at Woolworth's were such an inspiration. Where are the protests today? Why aren't the youth rising up? What has happened??
totally! not just Dems, after all there are more "independents" than the major parties combined. With neither the Pentagon or State Department recognizing Black History month, you really have to ask yourself "whither the USA"? And whoever thinks American institutions can stand up to this Project 2025 onslaught? Check out all the dismissals and firings, across the board. Otherwise sign up as a White Christian Nationalist and enjoy your newfound privilege!
Perhaps this inanity will help us birth Democracy 2.0….
During the darkest days of the AIDS crisis, we buried our friends in the morning, we protested in the afternoon, and we danced all night.
The dance kept us in the fight because it was the dance we were fighting for. It didn't look like we were going to win then and we did. It doesn't feel like we re going to win now but we could. Keep fighting, keep dancing… Dan Savage
Billie, a quote often attributed to Emma Goldman (maybe true, maybe not): “If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution.”
It's true.
Thanks,Barbara.I wasn’t aware of the quote so researched.Dancer here so I’ve found the messaging for my newest t-shirt! 👕🩰💃🏼
https://lilith.org/articles/invention-of-a-feminist-sound-bite/
What lovely encouragement! Thank you! Now dance songs are going through my head and making me smile!
"Dance, dance, wherever you may be..." (Lord of the Dance).
The Beach Boys Dance Dance Dance!
True, Billie. I was very much a part of that fight. Did you ever see that French film "120 BPM"
Guess it’s high time to start thinking seriously how to counter the Hate show happening in Washington, or as Paine put it…
THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated.
This is what is making my blood boil today:
"The U.S. government under the felon has just revoked the 60-year-old executive order that protects equal opportunity in employment and called for an end to all diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.Neither the Pentagon nor the State Department will be recognizing Black History Month."
Well, personally I plan to post essential Black history every single day of this month on my Substacks and social media. Hope others will as well.
You know how to boycott. Start by refusing them your business. Every day, call out the lies—do not let them go unchallenged. Do it on Fox News, NYT, call in to NPR and demand pushback. Call your Rep and Senators and let them know you haven’t been fooled and you expect the same of them.
Second, we need to word HARD to gain majorities in the House and Senate in two years. At the same time, we need to brace ourselves and organize for something more concerning.
I’ll be doing the same daily post, starting Feb 1 with the Greensboro sit-in protesters. On social media. Also remaining to White House.
The American Crisis was written to give heart to the few soldiers left in Washington's army after the New York defeat, when they were hiding in the woods of eastern Pennsylvania. It was first read in public to those men on Christmas Eve, 1776, after which they crossed the Delaware and took Trenton Barracks and saved the Revolution at its lowest point (which is why the paragraphs following the opening are explanations of why the war has gone as it has). I've recently been given information that not only my eighth Great Grandfather (who I knew about) but his two brothers and his youngest brother's son were among those soldiers who heard it the first time. It's the best piece of political writing for a time like this.
So interesting!
Thank you so much for sharing that quotation.
I grieve for the country and am finding ways I can resist in my own small corner of the country. I am volunteering at my tiny local elementary school to help in their reading program. 8
I am writing my two senators nearly every day. I am donating small monthly amounts to the DNC, the ACLU, Common Cause and Democracy Now. I am doing my best to stay informed… I am hoping and believe that if we all do what we can, we can somehow turn this around…
I think it helps. Thank you for doing what you are doing. I like the concept of ‘altruistic cooperation’ which I read in regards to a French Tibentan monk Matthieu Ricard. I think that the pressure both socially and economically that the trump regime is placing on the people of the nation can be dissipated with a mass concerted effort of altruistic cooperation. It exists as a spectrum of course, small kindnesses in action spanning to debt jubilee or rent jubilee etc from those who can afford to do so. We mist find and embody ways to hang together (or surely we will hang apart)
I'm in a virtual group of about 75 people reading Ricard's book Happiness right now, and I find it a source of mental relief from all the negativity around us. He's a brilliant man.
"A good example is the best sermon." -- Benjamin Franklin. 💡
This truism has helped me stem the tendency within me toward racism. 🪞
https://nedmcdletters.blogspot.com/2021/02/letter-170-to-my-hero-for-black-history.html 😲
My sermon came inside a Pittsburgh steel mill; I pray for that man almost every day. 🙏
"If we are to have another contest in the near future of our national existence, I predict that the dividing line will not be Mason and Dixon's but between patriotism and intelligence on the one side, and superstition, ambition and ignorance on the other." -- General / President Grant. ✌🏽
Hooray for your good work, Jane, and it is wonderful that you are volunteering help with reading!
Jane, every bit large or small, counts….thank you and carry on!!!!
🙏🏼🌈
Have you gotten replies from your senators? I have written but the replies I get are "I support the president." Nothing I say seems to matter.
Well at least now businesses can hire 100% black, women and LGBT workers without breaking a diversity quota. More power to them. Let the straight white males work the fields and sweep the streets.
Great reframe!
Yes, Tina, let’s flip the script and turn the tables on them….love it!!!
None of the federal, state, or local nondiscrimination statutes have been repealed. The Exec Order revocation applies only to federal government agencies.
Where are the people who took an oath to the Constitution? The Civil Rights Act
Right. Conscript them to do the jobs left vacant as a result of the mass deportation of immigrants.
I'd be afraid of how many of the conscripts wouldn't be competent, diligent, and ethical., though.
Love that, E.S. Pancoast.
History makes it clear: one side fights for freedom, the other fights to erase it.
From abolition to civil rights, the same forces have always resisted progress. Now, Trump is trying to erase Black history and roll back rights. But justice doesn't disappear just because they wish it would--and neither will we.
I cannot refrain from chiming in. The other day the incomparable Ann Telnaes (her substack page is called "Open Windows" for anyone who's interested - I highly recommend it) published a cartoon referencing our current-day Caligula's purge of the dedicated and honorable DOJ officials and line attorneys who accepted the assignment to investigate and prosecute His Unholiness for his various crimes against our Republic. It depicted him hacking off the arm with which Lady Justice carries her scales. My spur-of-the-moment commentary, with acknowledgement to and begging indulgence of Julia Ward Howe, follows here:
"Our eyes have seen the gory monster thinking he's the Lord.
He is trampling over ev'rything our people have adored.
He has severed poor Justicia's scales, but still she has her sword!
Our truth is marching on."
Ann Teinas’ cartoons are always exceptional!
Spot on, Nan!!!!
And when he is finally engulfed
In the Hellfires that he stokes
It will be Glory, Glory, Hallelujah!!!
Happy Black History Month (while I'm still permitted to say that). And I say "while I'm still permitted to say that" because tonight Rachel Maddow reported the BREAKING NEWS that Trump is about to fire EVERY member of the FBI that had ANYTHING to do with the Jan 6th prosecutions... not just Jack Smith prosecuting him but ALL the Jan 6th prosecutions that put people in jail. THIS MEANS THE FBI WILL BECOME TRUMP'S PERSONAL RETRIBUTION FORCE.
Here's the link to Rachel's report. Be afraid. Be very afraid!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQ1HWDhLOoQ
I saw this reported in real time, Steve, and watched slack-jawed. The expression on Rachel’s face—and she’s seen A LOT—was very sobering. Then as I watched/listened a thought was building in my mind…given WHO all, dedicated public servants to our collective security, was being seriously impacted……whoa TFFFG should be careful, like really really really careful, who he pisses off. Just sayin’…..🤷🏻♀️
I prayed this dictatorial action leads to a very, very public event by all FBI agents in which they declare they will not obey! And every Democratic member of Congress should be standing with them when they say that! This is war for public opinion. Not a shooting war, but a war nonetheless. And Barack Obama should get his ass down to Washington and stop hanging out in Chicago.
My vision was very dark and disturbing…NOT something I want to see played out in our country, but he is taunting the populous and (assume) he feels as invincible as usual. Who knows?
My spouse came across a photo of T**** from the back... the bullet-proof vest he is wearing is rather obvious under his jacket. No wonder he sweats - that Kevlar can be toasty. Though probably lighter than the ceramic plates I wore in Phu Bai. She asked why he didn't also wear a helmet. AIM HIGH.
What if they refused to obey? All the thousands of them?
That is the comment I posted on the YouTube video of Rachel‘s report. They should very publicly altogether for the cameras for history books say WE WILL NOT OBEY!
Let the open rebellion begin! (What’s Trump gonna do, order they all be shot?)
Order they all be shot? Yes. I think he would. He’d summon the Jan 6 crowd to FBI hq. A gunfight between FBI agents and a street full of rioters would be something to see. I’m
He and Stephen Miller are now musing “What would Hitler do?”
Biden was wise to pardon as much as he did. Maybe should have pardoned every non-MAGAt.
Thanks for the link.
You're welcome. Prepare to be shocked. Rachel looks shocked... and dismayed.
Yes. No laughter this time. Has he got enough red caps to replace the FBI with the GeStaPo?
That's the thing. He'll just fire the patriotic anti-rumpers and replace them with J6ers, Proud Boys, etc.
Tuck Frump and his Project 2025 puppet masters.
I am fighting tears reading this. I know the flaws of my country. I know the blemishes of its history. I know we’ve failed many times before successes. I can’t grasp that we’ve willingly chosen to consign its future to hate, ignorance, intolerance, vindictiveness, greed and terror.
Our divisive and shortsighted President may have put the kaibosh on all cultural observances from Black History and Women’s History months to National Hispanic Heritage Month to the Holocaust Remembrance Day to Martin Luther King, Jr’s Day etc but that doesn’t mean that the people cannot create the biggest and most joyous local celebrations ever. Our voices and our inclusion will not be silenced.
Sadness and dismay are overwhelming today. Thank you Professor, your letters are gravely important for keeping a record of the destruction of our Democratic Republic.
You know the biggest community in America that has the organisation already in place to rise up and reject trump?
The Christian Church - of all denominations.
They won’t. Too many of tho$e pa$tor$ have too much at $take.
Bishop Marianne Budde Rev Al Sharpton, there are more. Sure the dividends extends to all churches, all peoples, cyber identity hate is that strong to split even families apart. No one is immune. It’s certain now that we will be called to physical resist and protest. For it to work it will take everyone we got. I’m not hung up what church or not that they got to, nor the color of their skin, nor what pronouns they use. Dig?
Even German Lutheran pastor Martin Niemöller finally saw the light but it was too late since he was arrested in 1937, imprisoned in Sachsenhausen and Dachau and wasn't released until the end of WW 2.
"First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me."
May many more of us see the light much sooner this time...like right now!
Not all Christians are Christian Nationalists. We don’t like their abuse of religion for political goals, and we think the First Amendment is a great thing.
Wrong.
They are in on the take over. My theory is that no one really believes in God any longer so they are just using the idea to get Earthly power. They are supporting a guy who has publicly violated every one of the ten commandments (if 'killing' can be homicide) and are encouraging their members to reject the teachings of Christ and to commit more. With every word and action, they scream 'Fuck the Golden rule, I want more money and power!'
Christofascism defined.
Well, the Christian Church in the U.S. is not a singular body by a long shot. Fundamentalists and evangelicals tend to vote for the incumbent, and if you look at Project 2025, you can see their influence. Then there are the Roman Catholics who support the Pope, and those who ignore him. (Look at the Supreme Court.) There is, of course, the Black church, where I assume he has little appeal, and mainstream Protestants, mostly white but more diverse than they once were, whose numbers have been dwindling for a while. I was thrilled and inspired by Bishop Budde, and it was a joy to see how many people support her, but there are no longer any women in the pulpits of the Southern Baptist churches where I grew up.
But I was talking about "Christians" - not one particular church. If you believe in the teachings of Christ - how CAN you support trump? I don't think you can be a Christian and still support this man, who is the epitome of hatred and division.
Christian Nationalists have created a petty, vindictive and cruel deity who resembles themselves in character. Indeed, they see Trump as God’s chosen candidate, and he shows many of the same flaws as their own petty, vindictive and cruel deity.
And Christian Nationalism is a political movement not a religion.
All that praying won’t save us.
It's not about praying - it's about bringing the religious community together to resist. In the first Trump administration I lived in rural Oregon. Local churches, Rabbis from Salem, the Sikh community, organized to protest the illegal detainment of immigrants in a local federal prison and helped to get them legal council and helped them emotionally by letting them know that there were people there to help them and were working to do so. The Sikh community was particularly impressive, always bringing vans laden with food to feed the hundred that showed up to protest. The religious community can do a lot, and as we saw with Bishop Budde, their voices can sometimes shock the conscience of the community.
Absolutely and give me Reverend Barber any day!
I love Rev. Barber! But I like Rev. Sharpton also. He has seen and done a lot for over 50+ years. His contributions cannot be denied. The Bishop is my heroine and I know there are others out there like her.
But they have been hoodwinked, my experience, anyway
Happy Black History Month! Resist!
"On February 1, 2023, Tyre Nichols’s family laid their 29-year-old son to rest in Memphis, Tennessee. He was so severely beaten by police officers on January 7, allegedly for a traffic violation, that he died three days later."
And this happened in the wee hours this morning:
Feb. 1, 2025, 12:21 a.m. ET1h ago NYTimes
Justice Dept. Fires Jan. 6 Prosecutors Amid Campaign of Retribution by Trump
"The administration also plans to scrutinize thousands of F.B.I. agents tied to the investigations of President Trump and his supporters, according to people familiar with the matter."
Combine that with Patel's statement: "Patel says he would let ‘good cops be good cops’ during confirmation hearing".
I really cannot breathe or sleep.
Same here. We’re watching a coup happen in front of our eyes and no one is saying a word. And it’s not Trump coup-ing this time, it’s Musk with his hard drives and his aides taking control of federal personnel while people watch helplessly. Wtf is wrong with us.
Once a dictator takes control (has the Congress, the SCOTUS, controls the message, has access to all the money in the world, and is convict-in-chief of the most powerful military in the world none of the following is going to do bupkis: counting on his MAGA cult "seeing the light", writing Congressional representatives, peaceful protesting, counting on the mid-term election . . . .
Lest we forget, once Hitler garnered the Chancellorship in 1933 (which took a few years), it only took 53 days for him to completely take down what was then a democratic Germany. It took years and WWII where 55 to 85 million souls perished (out of a world population of 2.3 billion and Russia alone lost 22million), and countries were reduced to rubble.
I have immediate and extended family members and friends (one couple survived the Altadena fire but dealing with trauma) already impacted by the chaos trump has created. The outright cruelty and uncertainty is doing no favors for anyone's mental health.
I turned on reruns of Home Improvement (1991-99) and fell asleep for two hours. I highly recommend that! :)
We've got a lot of work to do. We've got to climb Mount Everest and make the summit.
But we can do it.
Little by little, step by step, inch by inch it can be done - if we can keep the glory in our sight.
There will be dark nights and freezing days but, if we stay steady, we can accomplish our goal.
Get up. Stand up. Take those first steps on the new journey.