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Jan 5, 2022·edited Jan 5, 2022

Representative Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland) and member of the January 6th committee was on Rachel Maddow's show last night to highlight his "Unthinkable: Trauma, Truth, and the Trials of American Democracy".

It has been just one year since the worst thing that can ever happen to a parent happened to his family - the loss of a child. His beloved 25 year old son, Tommy, committed suicide on New Year's Eve. The funeral was January 5th. That alone was an unimaginable and tragic situation. On January 6th he, one of his daughters, and his son-in-law were in the Capitol building. His description of the moments when the building was breeched and they all were being moved was gut and heart wrenching on all levels.

Raskin was appointed lead House manager of the 2nd impeachment of trump on January 12th and he is a member of the January 6th investigative committee. This man's strength, fortitude, conviction, and physical/mental ability to get up every day to fight on a personal level and for this country is simply awe inspiring. I, as so many others are, am so grateful for who he is, what he stands for, and that which he has accomplished. IMO, Representative Jamie Raskin stands out as an American hero.

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I completely agree with you, Janet, Raskin is the perfect foil to all of these scummy and corrupt so-called politicians and conservatives on the right. I had the pleasure of briefly meeting Representative Raskin in early December at an event in DC and he was just as much of a great guy as I expected: very personable connecting eye to eye and really made me feel like he was listening, it was quite an extraordinary experience for me. Raskin, along with Rep Adam Schiff, are my personal heroes. I so very much hope they will prevail and manage to bring the truth to light and some accountability because these other people are trying, and succeeding, to ruin our democracy. There is nothing that will heal the pain he has been through with the loss of his son, but hopefully helping too restore some sense of morality and justice to this country will hopefully help.

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Well said, Professor S.

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Jamie Raskin and Adam Schiff have worked strenuously to bring out the truth, and they have done exactly that. The problem is the people who REFUSE to acknowledge the truth and let trump and the pond scum sedition caucus get away with traitorous actions. Both Raskin and Schiff proved their cases the R’s just refused to accept the truth and let trump off. Donald Trump should spend the rest of his life in jail.

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I totally agree. Jamie Raskin is a hero in my opinion. A friend of mine was a college teacher of his son, Tommy. She said Tommy was an amazing young man and had a bright future ahead of him. That Jamie had to suffer with that loss, and then pull up his big boy pants and lead the impeachment trial is something every rethuglican should see as an example of a true American.

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Jan 5, 2022·edited Jan 5, 2022

And, that he is so brilliantly articulate and composed is incredible. I'm curled up in the fetal position just knowing the story! His unwavering dedication, the ability for he and his family to face their personal trauma in such a profound way and then for him to fight to save this country as he has done is nothing short of remarkable. I'm not an organized religious person, but when he said his son was in his heart on January 6th and he got him, his daughter, and son-in-law through that day, I sincerely believe that is exactly what happened.

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I'm assuming his written word is as articulate as his spoken. Just ordered the book.

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Amen, Janet! Representative Raskin is a true man of integrity, courage, humility, strength, dignity…he is a true hero in my book, and one that many in our country would do well to emulate.

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We need more leaders like Jamie Raskin. An intelligent and kind person.

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Hard-nosed as well. He’ll be a bear this year on the committee. Relentless. Wouldn’t want him, or in truth, Liz Cheney on my trail.

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They will all be relentless and provide the public the information and facts we really need to hear or see. I see them being a conduit to the DOJ’s investigation and this is a very good thing.

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Thank you for this nice tribute to Raskin and his son. I, honestly, was not aware of his son's suicide and just read about it. Very, very tragic.

My own son is 23 and today's youth do have challenges, both real and imagined, that were not in my head at 23, but, unfortunately, they also have all the ones that I did have.

So, my heart is heavy and goes out to Raskin.

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Jamie Raskin was on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross too. This Maryland resident is so proud of him!

https://www.npr.org/2022/01/04/1070032923/jamie-raskin-jan-6-capitol-unthinkable

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Thank you for that link to Fresh Air; I caught part of C-Span’s coverage of a Senate Rules Committee hearing a few weeks ago in which Jamie Raskin was replying to each Senator who spoke and it was just mesmerizing….he was so articulate and forceful and knowledgeable. Knowing his family situation made him even more amazing.

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Ditto

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January 6 Virtual Vigil - Day of Remembrance and Action

January 6th @ 6 pm PT (Pacific Time)

https://www.mobilize.us/democracyvigils/event/433376/

The event is being hosted by Fix Democracy First, the League of Women Voters of Washington and Seattle Supports Democracy.

We'll be joined by guest speakers, including special musical guest Brittain Ashford, and Charles Douglas III, Executive Director of Common Power.

We will also discuss actions we can take to prevent another January 6th insurrection from taking place in our country, as well as have the opportunity to share our own stories from January 6th.

Please reach out if you have any questions - cindy@fixdemocracyfirst.org.

Thank you and see you then!

Cindy Black Fix Democracy First Executive Director

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January 6 Day of Remembrance and Action

Thursday marks one year since the January 6 insurrection.

On that day, Donald Trump and some elected Republicans incited a violent and deadly attack against all Americans – against our country, our democracy, and our freedom as voters to choose the leaders that represent us so that we have a government of, by, and for the people.

The promise of democracy is not a partisan issue but a calling that unites us as Americans. To prevent this kind of attack from happening again, our elected leaders must pass urgent legislation — including the Freedom to Vote Act, John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, Protecting Our Democracy Act, and DC statehood — that will protect this country from anti-democratic forces who are continuing their efforts to destroy it. We must defend and strengthen our democracy.

One year later, Americans across race, place, party, and background are holding candlelight vigils and pro-democracy events to say: In America, the voters decide the outcome of elections. Click the link to learn more and join an in-person or virtual event near you.

https://www.mobilize.us/dailykos_3/

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Even in small places these events are happening-I'm attending one in Brattleboro VT, population 12,406.

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Rep. Jamie Raskin and his deep commitment to authenticity as a human being and as a hero in the public square...heartens me and lifts my spirit with memories of O.T. prophets...."here I am, send me"

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Amen, sister!

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Agree! His personal sacrifice is enormous yet, I selfishly wish that he would one day be President.

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Not selfish at all!

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I would like to see him head up the DOJ!!

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Yes. He personifies what this nation is about - honesty, integrity and compassion.

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With all the focus on the numbskulls standing in the way of progress and whose only claim to fame is to say or do something outrageous to gain media attention, it is so inspiring to take a step back and acknowledge the REAL servant leaders who are working hard every day for us, for our democracy and our country. Would that they enjoyed as much attention as those who will soon fade away into courtrooms and possibly jail cells. I'm glad Jamie Raskin wrote the book and so thankful that he's getting this opportunity to become more widely known as the American hero he truly is.

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Raskin's new book is next on my reading list. A shame his mother--who died at 61 of cancer--is not around to see what he's doing.

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Well said, Ellen.

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He was also the guest on Fresh Air with Terry Gross for the full hour.

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Washington Post Live has a conversation with Jamie Raskin today at 11am. I plan to watch and, yes, I also believe he is a hero.

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Raskin’s book on his experiences last year is being published in January. For me, this is a modern-day Profile in Courage.

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Raskin's book came out yesterday. Just ordered it

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The book is amazing, heartbreaking, and profound. Don’t miss it.

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Can't wait to get it tomorrow.

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Hi Cynthia!

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Hey you! Hello! I was thinking about you this morning! Glad you’re here!

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Hello there sweetheart!

I’ve been thinking about you for some days. I knew you were probably lurking here.

I’m not on an overnight work schedule anymore, I’m on a shift that goes from roughly noon to midnight, so by midnight I normally am calling it quits and going to bed. But tonight I plan on staying up long enough to post something about January 6, because that morning I was here on Heather’s LFAA when I found out about the riot. I was here along with you, TPJ, TC, Lynell, Marcy Meldahl, Linda Bailey and Linda Michell, and many others I don’t see much these days.

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Yes, he should be honored as Man of All Years.

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I want to know more about right wing religious extremist activist Ginni (Mrs. Justice Clarence) Thomas' role as a Trump advisor. From the beginning, she met regularly with Trump, to draw up an 'enemies list' of Executive Branch officials serving in positions she wanted filled by like minded Trump loyalists. And at the end she was on social media promoting the Jan 6 rally. In between, the Thomases dined at the White House. The phrase 'Thick as Thieves' comes to mind.

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Reported that she also gave or raised funds for buses to Washington on January 6th.

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There was no evidence for Ginni Thomas funding buses. The claim grew out of Thomas' involvement with Turning Point USA , Charlie Kirk's incubator for America's 'Hitler Youth', which did send buses. TPUSA and its offshoots, help ensure the future of racist right wing religious extremism by 'making provocative claims and publicly inciting outrage.' So Jan 6 was a natural fit.

TPUSA is also a conduit for funneling GOP big donor money to their student activists, and in turn funneling student personal data to GOP candidates such as Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and Trump. It also publicizes watchlists of undesirables - professors, courses, and now school boards.

TPUSA has received dark money funding from notorious dark money group The 85 Fund, which funnels money through the notorious dark money Donors Trust, a donor-advised nonprofit group that funnels money from wealthy conservative financiers to other organizations. For instance, TP USA received $200,000 for a "TP Campus Project" from The 85 Fund run by Federalist Society dark lord of dark money Leonard Leo - long time crony of Clarence, now Justice and Mr. Ginni, Thomas - who has a finger in every Republican racist right wing religious extremist pot, uh, plot. Yup, Thick as Thieves.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/11/technology/no-there-is-not-evidence-that-ginni-thomas-paid-for-buses-to-bring-people-to-the-capitol-siege.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turning_Point_USA

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/08/09/the-big-money-behind-the-big-lie

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I so appreciate your listing your sources, lin. (Not sure how reliable Wikipedia is, but I’m always grateful when writers can back up their comments.)

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I like Wikipedia for the citations and links to original sources which I can then check for myself.

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Exactly. Wikipedia’s very format invites dishonesty.

But its practices are such that I have found it an unimaginably good resource in writing the book I’m terrified I’ll never finish.

See the sources listed. Look them up. Evaluate.

It’s decently accurate on its own - 80% (https://libguides.canisius.edu/wikipedia/accuracy), but is far too reviled for the overall value. A treasure if used intelligently.

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I got a little lump in my throat here, Eric. I worked at the Bouwhuis Library for 16 years. We had recently subscribed to LibGuides when I left in ‘03. Whoever put this one together did a very good job. Thanks for sharing it.

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Oh that’s right. She was driving the bus, and had others pay for them. 😂😂

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Same here, lin. Elaine Cho as well.

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This makes me wonder about a profile of all SC families. Are Thomas and wife alone in being so obviously biased and activist? Are any other families so obviously involved in politics? Is there a case to be made that Thomas and wife’s activism are unique and form the basis for a violation of his oath as a SC Justice? Could he be impeached on that basis?

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I am interested in Capitol Hill bible study groups. For instance, the wives of long time cronies Mueller and Barr were in bible study classes together. And of course, there was the notorious GOP bible study and sex scandal townhouse down the street from the RNC.

And then there is the right wing religious extremist Council for National Policy of which Federalist Society honcho Leonard Leo is a board member and of which Ginni Thomas is a member along with

" the leaders of the Heritage Foundation, the Federalist Society, the National Rifle Association, Club for Growth, Americans for Tax Reform, Alliance Defending Freedom, Judicial Watch, ALEC, and Turning Point USA, plus many more. James Bopp, the republican campaign finance lawyer behind the infamous Citizens United v. FEC lawsuit is a member, as is the 2020 Trump campaign lawyer Cleta Mitchell."

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/04/mueller-barr-and-their-pre-trump-friendship/588151/

https://www.politico.com/story/2009/07/c-st-where-scandal-meets-spirituality-025139

https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2021/10/25/god-trump-closed-door-world-council-national-policy/

https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Council_for_National_Policy

https://documented.net/investigations/council-for-national-policy-recordings

https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Leonard_Leo

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Ah, one might suggest that “her freedoms” to undermine the Government are contained within the very Constitution she hides behind

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Thomas is an advocate of Republican right wing religious extremism. Certainly the advocacy is constitutional, but the agenda is not. The Constitution protects us from the imposition of a state religion and it protects government from impositions of religion itself.

The Founders saw government as a way of coming to consensus through reasoned debate of empirical evidence. The leap of faith - leaving reason behind to embrace belief - is the height of irrationality. Rejecting the agreed legal framework of the Constitution and replacing it with religious creed, is the height of folly. Proof of which is the Republican 'politics of faith' which paved the way from Reagan to Trump, from christian reconstructionism to the QShaman, from Rousas Rushdooney to Leonard Leo.

The difference between Reagan and Trump, between jelly beans and raw meat, is the same as the difference between Amy Coney Barrett and Margorie Taylor Greene - a difference of style not substance. Sugar coated racist right wing religious extremism is still racist right wing religious extremism. Commonly known as the Republican party of god, guns, and greed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_reconstructionism

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https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/24/us/politics/trump-purge-ginni-thomas.html

Interesting. Thanks lin. I was not aware of Ginni Thomas.

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Jan 5, 2022·edited Jan 5, 2022

It is not possible that the threat of major networks boycotting a live speech by trump Jan.6 2022 sucked all the power from it? He should have to use his vast fortune from donations to buy air time. When he ran against Hillary he was like coke up the nostrils of all of the media, and he was wily enough to keep just enough rage and crudity in hie “performances” to bring him millions of dollars worth of free airtime. Free campaign TV that Hillary never got. If a tree falls alone in the forest and there was no one to hear it, did it fall? If we can stop being curious about him, he will not be able to have enough oxygen to survive. It will take legions of us to tell news outlets that we refuse to see or listen to him.

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I absolutely agree with ¨stop being curious¨. I don't read anything that is about him in an press. If more did this, the press may stop making him front page news.

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Thank you, Nancy and Gailee! I refuse to click on an article whose headline leads with Trump anything, unless it’s Mary Trump or DJT’s legal issues. Even during his presidency, I refused to listen to him or watch him speak.

These choices are powerful. They have very real consequences in the business world, the media world. In these LFAA comments are repeated exhortations to engage in direct action: contact politicians and officials, write op-eds, etc.

We also demonstrate political power in our choices on the internet. I am not on FB and Tw. I don’t click on DJT or Republican propaganda of any kind. You help to change the world in positive ways by choosing how you use the Internet and what you say on the Internet.

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Jan 5, 2022·edited Jan 5, 2022

Galilee and Roland I’m with you. I carried a Bluetooth remote speaker or darkened the TV picture so I wouldn’t have to see him. Wrote a letter to MSNBC asking them to quit showing “fawning pictures of the grifter in our White House. If you turn the sound off, people could think they were watching FOX news.”

I don’t go on Fb, which costs me participation in my local Indivisible chats, and news and chats with family and friends. I won’t go near tw, although I did follow Schmidt (Lincoln Project) and a few others for a while early on, but NEVER tweeted. Couldn’t bring myself to be in the same cyberspace as the Master Blaster! Don’t laugh, I’m crazy, but serious.

If we would all just loudly boycott everything about Jabba (I stole the name from somebody in this group), except as you say, regarding investigations, and pass the word, I believe it would make a difference. Came this close to cancelling Dish today. Hard to do, but I’m gonna do it.

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He is the devil in orange skin instead of a blue dress, his ugly visage permeates our world and poisons it. When I heard that ATT funded the start up for OAN I wanted to scream. They have the resources to have set up a network to counter the Fox propaganda instead of add to it. Never again ATT.

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I switched to Verizon because of that, I had been a 20+ year customer

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Lol I have referred to his revolting physical appearance as being similar to Jabba the Hut's, although I don't remember in which Substack. I refuse to look at anything with his image, and wish the media would stop talking about him and stop publishing photos of him. Even his voice as he lies about everything is disgusting.

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Just Janice, the name and image fits him perfectly, doesn’t it? A giant drooling slug that doesn’t move much, who eats Republican primary opponent cheeseburgers alive, with a woman chained at his side, a little hideous Giuliani sycophant with a crazy laugh bouncing around and a giant ugly Bannon monster in the basement. Too perfect! Couldn’t help myself, had to steal it. Now I use it everywhere, but I don’t take credit for it....Thank you!

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Amen. I boycott as well and have grown weary of contacting the major outlets begging them to stop putting former guy photos everywhere. I don't own a TV or smart phone. By using my laptop I still feel fully engaged.

I still support the Lincoln Project. They are still in the fight. Give them a look again.

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Barbara, No TV or smart phone? Now I REALLY am in awe of you!

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Whenever I am around a television set I am appalled at the noise level. How do people do that level all day long? No wonder so many people are upset and angry. People are screaming at them all day via the tv.

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I agree Roland— I take it a step further when I avert my eyes from articles with pictures of him.

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Same here, FB and Twitter (sad to say) tolerated violations to their “community standards” by cult nuts long enough to grow a legion of “followers”. As TCinLA told us in His quote “There go my followers, and I must run after them, for I am their leader”

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100% agree. I formed the habit from 2016 forward of ignoring any media on the former guy. I refuse to support the media's obsession and the filling of their bank accounts with constant coverage of him.

And yes the 24/7 exposure of him over Hillary Clinton definitely impacted the outcome of the election.

Not that any media mogul or media employee cares but I have never trusted or liked the media since 2016.

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Yes Barbara, he became the new soap opera, with a cast of one.

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As others have said, I wish that the coverage of tRump would just stop. Do not put him on the air. Do not give him the platform he so craves. I do like that he "cancelled" his plans for 6 January; if he did something noteworthy, I'd much rather have a 2 or three sentence report from the news talking head without any "live" bits, or even his freaking photo.

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He is ugly, inside and out and reeks of rot. A real life Dorian Gray; the portraits he commissions and inspires are the biggest propaganda of all.

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They are always shot from a low angle 📐 making him look heroic, the very word that has no place within a hundred miles of him.

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I read that he will be having a "rally" on the 15th, I think - with HUUUUGE crowds!!Right.

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Hopefully the TikTok crew is on it with tickets! Another feeble crowd would be great.

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Yeah - sure do hope so.

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Still haven't fixed my cable for TV viewing since late November. Sounds like I'm not missing anything (except University of Michigan's loss 😔).

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Mary Pat, good on yer. Sorry about Michigan.

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Especially his goddamn photo

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Nancy, excellent comment! Hope everyone here reads it. I wrote a letter to MSNBC, partially excerpted in my reply to Roland, and I think a lot of other viewers did, because several of the hosts including Wallace, Maddox, and ODonnell indicated they wouldn’t quote Jabba anymore, and the picture frequency and tone changed noticeably. Still there, but less of them, and less adoring. So yes, it works. Of course, soon after that I stopped watching most TV content, and now none at all, so I don’t know if the effect lasted.

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Thank you, Nancy. Over the last week there was major resisrance by Dean of Journalism types & media commenters to not cover Trump 's January 6th gaslighting with at least one recalling the infamous image circa 2015 of Trump's empty lectern with the promotional Ad, "Trump to speak in 10 minutes." Not this time.

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I think we are curious the same way we would be if there was a snake in the house - watching and wanting to know where it is at all times while we figure out how to get it out!

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A snake is in our house, and chump said that we knew what he was when we let him in. Snakes are great at fooling fools

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High as Hitler, too.

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" If a tree falls alone in the forest and there was no one to hear it, did it fall?" Living out in the woods, I can say definitively that if a tree fell alone and there was no one to hear it, it definitely fell, usually across the road and the power lines during the night, requiring an early-morning session with chain saw and tractor and a call to the power company.

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I couldn’t flip the channel fast enough, but his evil was rerun ad nauseam.

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It's early, lots of family (unpolitical) stressors right now and probably crabby because it is day 5 of dieting, but:

I am SO FREAKING SICK of the entire group of anti-vaxxers!! THIS BLIZZARD is EXACTLY what we feared would happen, thanks to all of them. I am tired of hearing "I'm doing my own research" and if you say, really? What is your source for your abstracts? Is it peer reviewed? Double blind? What is the hypothesis? ANY OF THAT and you get a blank stare, F-no you are NOT doing any "research"!! What you are doing is running a needle in a flame and taking out a splinter in your pinky finger and comparing yourself to a heart transplant surgeon. No comparison. PERIOD.

I have also tried the approach of logic, saying, you know how you get an antibiotic and the doctor says to take the ENTIRE prescription? It's because if you cut off early, you don't eliminate all the bacteria and they can get stronger then. THIS is why we want to get as many people vaxxed so there aren't people left to catch and be a living petri dish to incubate mutating viruses!! (And I do a face palm when I hear that they take it till they feel better than save it for the NEXT time they have an infection. These type seem to get a LOT of infections.)

HOW many people have to die till this gets through these thick skulls? The ONLY part of this that is worthy to me is that the GQP is decimating their own! However, having family/friends who are immunocompromised and vulnerable makes me ..........good grief there aren't words.

Be you Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Pagan............any person who has belief in a higher power of some kind, lets all take a moment this morning to appeal to that power to get this pandemic under control!

Apologies for the capitalizations and the overall rant, and I know, preaching to the choir. :(

I encourage you to use my analogies here if you find them suitable. Disseminate them like dandelion seeds and perhaps they will take root.

Have a good day all.

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Anti vaxers, anti maskers, anti mandaters; each and every one of them should abandon all expectations of going to the ER/ICU to be "saved" by our absolutely tapped out hospital/medical teams.

I had a (non) exchange with a friend recently, who posted some tripe about not living in fear and knowing that God would take care of them with respect to COVID-19. I asked if they were familiar with a meme (they were, they had posted it) of a guy on a roof waiting to be saved in the aftermath of a hurricane: a guy in a boat came by, and said "Hey, I'll rescue you, get in my boat" and the fellow on the roof answers "No, my God will provide". A bit later, a helicopter comes by and offers rescue, and the fellow says "No, my God will provide". Man on roof drowns, and hits the Pearly Gates. He cries "My God, why did you not save me?" God replies "I sent you an evacuation order, a man in a boat, and a helicopter."

When my friend said "yes" that they remembered, I said "Well, what to you call restrictions on large gatherings, mask requirements, and a vaccine?" They said "Government overreach." TFP.

.

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For the haters of initials, "TFP" is something I have appropriated from Jim Wright: "These

F-ing people." Profanity is my second language. Or third, with the other language being Sarcasm.

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Jan 5, 2022·edited Jan 5, 2022

Ally, it is really hard to see how folks can be so brainwashed UNLESS you once were subject to said brainwashing, which, I do believe I was to some degree.

If you grow up in an environment where (too much respect) is accorded (the wrong people......the preacher, the banker, the principal) and you are sort of trained to listen to these people, then, if they are not reasonable, it can profoundly impact those listening.

Unfortunately, there are many, many more people like this than I realized.

But, Ally: When I was in undergraduate school, I would not go in a bar with my best friend, who was a great guy, because, I was afraid that if Jesus came back while I was in a bar, I would be left behind. No joke, no lie.

So, it is definitely possible to shake off the yoke of ignorance promulgated by respected figures in fairly isolated communities.

But, it is not easy IF you never leave those communities. It might be impossible.

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Being raised in an alcoholic and abusive home puts quite a few of those irrational fears and ideas in a child's brain.

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Same here, from an undiagnosed PTSD WWII alcoholic father who taught me how to hate myself. I am now 77 and STILL have to deal with it even though I thought I was through. Just had an excruciating convo with my sister as she tries to pull me out of it. Cried the entire time.

They are called ANTS- Automatic Negative Thoughts. They are birthed when you are young and infest you your entire life, to be knocked out one by one if you can, but they can gang up and over run you as if you are covered in honey and squished against time, helpless.

I am trying to find my bravery and I sincerely hope you can also.

Keep slapping them down and don't give up! Peace to you.

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Carl,

Peace Be With You.

May the sun shine on your tomorrow.

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Thank you. Kindness of strangers.

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Carl, you described the ANTs extremely well. It's a constant fight to overcome them. And, 65 years is way too long for me. Peace be with you.

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Christi,

My folks were not alcoholics. In fact, no alcohol was in the house ever when I grew up because my mother's father had been an alcoholic.

In my case, I attended church at, for then, standard rural Baptist church and attended a few Friday night tent revivals (which were still a thing back in the day).

In those days, probably like today, the "end of times were nigh". In fact, as an undergraduate one of the big, loud nuts declared the end of the world on a specific date.

Of course, the world still went on.

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Mike, have you ever learn the practice of alcoholism by a nondrinker? Your mother may have carried it on. Alcoholism is often a legacy in families.

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Thanks for the insight, Mike. I appreciate it.

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If they see it, it was God. If you see, it's not God. I've actually been told that.

I've been asking how their behavior is compatible with the Golden Rule, but Michael Gerson explains it much better than I can and reaches the conclusion, "There is no version of the Golden Rule that would recommend Christian resistance to basic public health measures during a pandemic." https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/12/30/vaccine-resistance-evangelical-christianity/

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Yesterday on the local Next Door someone asked where she could shop for groceries where they required masks and said she didn't want commentary on the vaccine or politics. This was in the am and yesterday, this thread was still going strong when I went to bed with people claiming that the vaccinated are the ones filling up the hospitals. I only read a few and didn't comment, but what I saw tells a story about why we are still in this mess. And yes, they have done "research".

In another story the Oregon women will play Stanford there in an empty arena except for the players' families. All sorts of games for both men and women have been cancelled because of COVID protocols which means that they have tested positive, not necessarily that they are very ill.

As for God, the virus does not believe and doesn't care; it only seeks hosts.

I did smile about your TFP. For years in education I had to restrain myself; I am retired and no longer do and have a pretty salty tongue. One of my ex-students observed that he would have liked to have me as a teacher as I am now. I did laugh.

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My Mom taught HS English in the early 70’s; she had a rambunctious class one day and turned around and wrote “fuck” in very tiny letters.

One of the kids saw it and hollered “Mrs. House, I saw that!” Without missing a beat, mom said “you own it”. Never any further issues.

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I was the librarian and had a student start to write fuck you on the the table. He misspelled fuck (how can that be) and I caught him with the comment that most students know how to spell that word once they are in high school, much to the amusement to his fellow students.

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Thanks for the memory Michele. I was teaching a primary class in special education, a student wrote fuck on his paper and held it up for me to see. My response was “I’m glad u remembered to use the ‘ck’ ending with the short vowel sound”.

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Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo has been used more than once in reference to supporting the ignorant ideas people have concerning this entire pandemic. A doctor that has quite the history of weird medical ideas and willing to reiterate DeSantis' fight to not respond to the virus.

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Ally, I love TFP and plan to use it regularly. Thanks, and good morning!

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Similarly, I can't help it but every time I see TFG, my mind says That F-ing Guy

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My golfing girls and I started using TFG as soon as TFG ran for president and it continues today! We try to limit ourselves to just a few minutes per round so not to let him get into our heads :)

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I share your frustration. Your words bring to mind Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers. God only knows how many gullible souls he's influenced with his risible 'science.' Rodgers also said "I've done my research," as though sifting through internet trash is the equivalent of years of study and experience in the fields of virology and epidemiology, as I heard someone put it. Isaac Asimov observed many years ago that there has always been a strong anti-scientific, anti-intellectual strain in this country, a "celebration of ignorance" as he put it, and that "democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."

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Anti intellectualism in America, by Richard Hofstadter.

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Great reference, thank you. Hofstadter was brilliant, have always meant to read this title.

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I love so much about his work. Sometimes I wish I had unlimited funds so I could buy all the books I am learning about as well those unfamiliar to me.

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And unlimited time to read them all.

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I love my public library! Just finished Midnight in Washington by Adam Schiff.

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O I am a public library user for sure. But I want to write notes in my books and I need them at hand. My library has due dates....both in Alaska and in Arizona. I remember the first time I checked out a book from the library in village Alaska. I was five.

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A relative of mine, who at one time seemed to be an intelligent person, now reposts anti-health (and anti-Biden) messages along the lines of "I'm not being political, and I figured this out for myself, and <garbage>". For the love of what's holy, how do people reconcile what they used to know with these deadly lies?

Speaking of holy, preaching to the choir is not a bad idea - at least you know they are listening. Then go out and change the world.

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I took some hope from Katelyn Jetelina, this wonderful epidemiologist I subscribe to here on Substack. I needed it today following a call from the hospital telling me that my shoulder replacement scheduled for next week has been cancelled/postponed due to a lack of beds...at least I don't have cancer like some folks. https://yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/p/there-is-good-news

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She is fantastic, and has been one of my main sources of information re: Covid, and yesterday, provided some hope.

I’m sorry about your surgery. I spent half of 2021 being treated for cancer, and believe me, that was no fun in Covid times. Now I’m sitting here wondering if I’m vaccinated, or vaccinated and boosted, since my first two shots were during chemotherapy and radiation treatment. My booster is 4.5 months old, I’d like another damn shot! CDC guidance suggests I should get one, my docs say I’m fine, and I don’t believe them. So I’m hunkered down again, because of (thank you, Ally) TFP. Hunkered down, and angry.

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Kathy I empathize with your pandemic cancer ordeal. I am also hunkered down with moderate cancer that is being addressed every four months at a local day surgical center. So far going well. My wife and I cring at the thought of what Covid might do. You and I should have priority for another booster shoot. Meanwhile, stay safe.

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You too, Keith. I’m very sorry to hear your news, but glad you’ve got effective treatment. I think I can get a fourth shot, even without my doctor’s agreement, once I hit that five month threshold. In the meantime, I’m just trying to stay as safe as I can. Luckily, my husband isn’t teaching this semester, which helps on the isolation front. I’m so glad!

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Kathy and Doc, you are so dear to this community and beyond, I’m sure. Do continue to take good care of YOU!!

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Ashley, thank you! 6 months NED and working hard to regain my fitness! So damn easy to lose, so hard to get it back at 60.

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In September, I went to the local ER for possible cardiac issues (it was not). Even in blue MA, the big hospitals that do specialized cardiac care were jammed full. If I had needed more advanced doctoring, I could not have gotten it. People who did need that care, were not getting it. At the time, it seemed to be because of the backlog of people getting care delayed by the earlier rounds of covid.

A friend of mine has a condition that could benefit a lot from brain surgery. Not an option - the hospitals are full of covid patients again, the vast majority of them unvaccinated. Where has social responsibility gone?

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I’m waiting for the same message re my knee replacement scheduled for Jan 31!

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I have a Veteran friend who was scheduled for a bone marrow transplant in October; he found out on his way to Portland the surgery was postponed. He finally had it 3 weeks ago.

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Jan 5, 2022·edited Jan 5, 2022

Miselle, I don't know if this helps you, but, it has always helped me.

Something Iearned on my old East Texas Farm.

Life and Death go hand in hand.

No reason to be afraid of either of them. They are friends.

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I always look for and appreciate your posts. I have witnessed two peaceful deaths. (In my own family, one child was born on morning we waked one of our elders. We said they must have passed by each other on their journeys.)

Struggling to breathe is not in that scenario, in all my years as a healthcare worker (laboratorian, but I have assisted on various procedures, drawn blood way back in the day, and in general witnessed too many patients in various parts of the hospital) the WORST thing I've seen is people unable to breathe. I have witnessed intractable pain, and you know what, I'd take the pain over the terror of suffocating to death.

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Miselle, thank you for your nice compliment.

IF you die in India from Covid, it will be horrible. No intubation, no respirator and no morphine.

But, IF you are in a hospital in the US and are headed for expiration from Covid, you will be heavily sedated on morphine and pain killers. At least so far these drugs have not become in short supply.

My sister is a nurse. She says it is ugly and horrible but the folks who pass on are in fair comfort.

I sure hope she is right.

Lastly, I asked her about the unvaccinated and she said 95% of the ER and the ICU are filled with not vaccinated people. I said: " Don't let them in!!"

She said: "I am a nurse. The unvaccinated are people. I take care of ALL people".

So, I guess I have to say I am proud to be her brother.

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That's great but the fact is, people who chose to take on a higher risk of covid are preventing others from getting care. That is not fair.

The underlying problem of shortage of hospital space is not actually their fault. That has gotten worse for years, as many hospitals have closed as not profitable. Our medical infrastructure in this country is as rundown as our roads and bridges.

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God bless your sister for her dedication to duty and her love of humanity.

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Sorry ... but offering the taxpayer supported hospitals up to the unvaccinated who are clogging them up, hogging up the beds and the staff and CONTAMNATING them in the bargain should not be not a right they can claim. I really don't get it...Lepers had to go to leper colonies...

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Jan 5, 2022·edited Jan 5, 2022

Find your way through the suffering, Miselle. It is natural to go there, part of caring and mourning, and it's necessary to move forward as well. Peace.

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I almost missed this, Mike. I was going over old LFAA looking for an item and happened upon this gem! Thank you! I will carry it in my heart forever.

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There is nothing you can say to folks who are living, and dying, in an alternative reality. So new, it seems, to our society, is this failure to face facts, and a reality based on irrationality.......to the degree we see currently. Yes, we sing together on this page,.........and support is also here.

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are you living in my head? This was such a wonderful summary of exactly my thinking. The last 4 days have been incredibly stressful as we head back to work/school/out and about (groceries anyone?) with 1M infections A DAY. 1M A DAY. I can hardly get my data prone head around that number.

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And this doesn't include covid tests at home which don't get counted, something I hadn't thought about until the other day.

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I agree with the the change from patience to total exhaustion to the antics and ignorance of the people who are anti-vaccines and anti-masks. Shoot, I have had two exchanges with two people in the last few days who firmly state that this virus doesn't exist, and one said that it is a government hoax. (He didn't like that I mentioned that it was Trump's government who created the hoax by his observation.) I just state the facts and use the phrase "belligerent ignorance" a lot. I'm getting close to adding "stupid" to the description of these people.

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Jan 5, 2022·edited Jan 5, 2022

I hear you. I had taken my horses down to my trainer's in IL in anticipation of not being able to take care of them post surgery. She is a genius when it comes to horse training and rehab, but a total conspiracy nut about Covid. When I told her my surgery was cancelled because there were no beds available at the hospital, she launched into a tirade about how Covid is "just a cold"; people died last winter of flu, not covid (the tests are crap); and how hospitals get extra money for diagnosing Covid and for putting people on ventilators. Just what I needed...

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I've heard that, too, about hospitals getting huge amounts of money for diagnosing COVID. Where did that come from? Also, my doctor indicated that the flu cases last year was way, way down due to mask wearing.

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Interesting...

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And then there's Novak Djokovic, getting a medical exemption from the vaccine to play in the Australian Open. What???? Australians should be up in arms about this after their austere Covid measures over the last 20 months. What medical condition does he have that qualifies him for this exemption?

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After Australia has experienced one of the most rigid global lockdowns—even Australian citizens were not permitted to return home for many months—this ‘medical exemption’ for Djokovic is an inexplicable travesty. I hope that the public back lash will reverse this ‘boys will be boys, especially if he is ranked #1’ gross violation of strict Australian pandemic regulations.

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Just read in the NYT that his actual entry into Australia is "questionable."

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He's been held at Melbourne airport for several hours now.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/01/05/novak-djokovic-medical-exemption-scott-morrison/ Headline: "Novak Djokovic in limbo after arriving for Australian Open"

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Fitting headline DJOKOVIC IN DEEP DOO DOO. Australia is known as the land of the boomerang—ZAP!

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I cringe when I see the name Hannity, just as I shudder when TFG is mentioned day after day! How any WH would want to have someone like Hannity as an advisor is beyond me. But, of course, the former WH was not just "any" WH! Evil binds itself to more evil, greed to greed, and thus, gains momentum.

"Hannity is apparently being represented in this matter by Jay Sekulow, a lawyer on Trump’s legal team, rather than lawyers from the Fox News Channel. While Sekulow has indicated he will object to the committee’s invitation on First Amendment grounds, the fact that the Fox News Channel seems to be standing back suggests that the corporation does not see the committee’s invitation as a First Amendment case involving freedom of the press and in fact might well be concerned that one of its lead personalities is connected to an event that should have been reported to the FBI." HCR

How I hope that Hannity will get his knickers in a twist and spill the beans, but my optimism is probably ill-founded in this case. Thank goodness that TFG will not be speaking on the 6th -- more than his name, I can't abide his voice!

“When evil men plot, good men must plan. When evil men burn and bomb, good men must build and bind. When evil men shout ugly words of hatred, good men must commit themselves to the glories of love. Where evil men seek to perpetrate an unjust ‘status quo’, good men must seek to bring into being a real order of justice.“

– Coretta Scott KIng from ‘The Words of Martin Luther King’ (London Collins Found, 1985, p.51)

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Very well said, Rowshan. Thank you for the Coretta Scott King quote.

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Thank you, Daria!

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Jan 5, 2022·edited Jan 5, 2022

Rowshan,

Your nice quote on evil men sounds remarkably similar Christ's response to "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth."

"But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also"

As a long time admirer of Christ's sermon on the mount and his other civilizing messages, I think that most of the time, Christ was correct.

However, there are times where the correct strategy is not to turn the other cheek, and, I am afraid we are headed into one now.

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Walter Wink, a biblical scholar and pacifist, interprets the turning-the-cheek saying in this way: If you are slapped on your right cheek, the slapper has likely used the back of his right hand in a gesture that demonstrates his superiority. Offering your left cheek means the slapper has to use a fist to hit you, making you equals, lowering the standing of the slapper.

Likewise, Jesus said that if a soldier forces you to carry his pack, insist on carrying it a second mile. Roman soldiers were allowed to coerce the peasants to go one mile but not more. (A pack weighed around 60 pounds). Forcing more on a peasant was a breach of the law. The soldier would get in trouble.

Finally, the saying "if someone takes your coat, give your tunic also" means that since your tunic is all you are wearing under your coat, you debase the thief by standing naked before him––a breach of cultural norms which shames the thief.

Jesus was a wily fox.

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Too bad his words are distorted, skewed, and used as weapons by evil these days. Too many "Christians" aren't, in my book.

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I refer to Wink's work in my sermons whenever that passage rolls up in the lectionary (Matthew 5:38ff). It really changes the tone of the lesson Jesus was teaching and makes "turn the other cheek" into less "roll over and take it" to "Try That Again, Bub." Jesus saw clearly into people and could clearly see the long road of consequences - would that we could all be a bit more like Jesus.

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Subtle but powerful, Molly. Brings to mind Mahatma Gandhi’s strategies. (I wonder if he studied Jesus’ teachings.) I’ve admired the Christianity that asks, What would Jesus do? (WWJD) Don’t see it in evidence much these days.

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Love this, Melinda

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I don’t think I’ve ever seen any of that information before. Nor have I ever seen Joshua called a wily fox. In the words of Arte Johnson:

https://youtu.be/krD4hdGvGHM

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Jan 5, 2022·edited Jan 5, 2022

" Offering your left cheek means the slapper has to use a fist to hit you, making you equals, lowering the standing of the slapper."

I guess the standing of the slapper would not be of too much interest to me, a regaular guy who is not the son of God.

Long before he got to that point, we would be just doing this human thing called fistfight. I would not be, at all, exposing much cheek.

:-)

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You may be quite correct, Mile.

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The first amendment prevents the government from punishing you for saying stuff it doesn't like. It does not prevent them from asking you questions about it. It does not prevent the government from punishing you for speech that leads directly to deadly violence.

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Well said, sir. His choice of attorney speaks volumes and I think lays to waste any hope of a First Amendment privilege he may claim for being on a cable tv "news" network. I agree on not seeing TFG on TV; I can neither abide his looks nor his voice.

I do find enjoyment in some of the sobriquets that adorn TFG, with "Jabba the Hut" and "Orange Asscactus" among my favorites, although I try not to use them.

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Ally, I've taken to calling Mar-a-Lago....Merde de Lardo

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And I call it, "Mar a Loco" as in loco in la cabeza. (Crazy in the head). Thus Mar a Loco is, for me, referring to their compound as, "The Crazies by the Sea."

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Ally Sad that you won’t spread my sobriquet. The Dastardly Dotard certainly looks like Jabba the Hutt, they both headed Mafioso gangs, and, so far, only Jabba was killed by his Mafiosos. Perhaps Orange Asscactus is not fair to cactuses.

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“A real order of justice”. Everything. Thank you Rowshan.

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Many thanks, Christine!

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“No lie can live forever.” MLK (from Famous Quotes on Twitter). Although it seems as if Rupert Murdoch just might. He must be worried that the news will affect their bottom line/legal jeopardy. No such thing as journalistic integrity there.

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Right on, Rowshan!!

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Sean Hannity: college flunkout who Roger Ailes famously said was a "loser with a talk show about to be canceled when I plucked him from obscurity because I knew he'd do what I told him."

That the collection of clunks around Trump, and the head clunk himself, are such an obvious collection of losers and morons, it's downright embarrassing that these people are the major threat to the republic that they are. It's like being run over by the Energizer Bunny.

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They may be losers and morons, but they are dangerous losers and morons.

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My point exactly

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Correct.

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Oh no, you malign the Energizer Bunny! It's more like being flooded by a massive outpouring of clickety cockroaches from previously unnoticed nooks and crevices. /gag

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When the light illuminates the darkness, they crawl back into their holes. Shine on HCR! Now, if DOJ can go after them in their hidey holes.......

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Oh, well, that visual made my skin crawl!

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It was the word “clickety”. Yikes.

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Yikes is right.

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Don’t even malign cockroaches. They do have survival skills that I hope Fox evil lacks. Pond scum maybe.

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I don't mean to malign the Energizer Bunny, which is harmless and as sweet as a corporate creation can be. The point is that these people seem to be so "out there" that how could they ever be dangerous? But as we see, people flock to them. Unfortunately there are a lot of Homo Saps in Homo Sapiens.

And yes, your visual of the reality is accurate.

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Clowns with flamethrowers, I saw somewhere

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Yes - "clowns with flamethrowers, still have flamethrowers."

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Jan 5, 2022·edited Jan 5, 2022

Sean Hannity is a near perfect reincarnation of Goebbels. His propaganda machine knows no bounds.

So, we should take him very seriously.

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Actually, Hannity lacks the brains of a Goebbels - who really was intelligent in a twisted way. I've met many in Hollywood who could have easily been him. Hannity is just a guy Ailes could paste on the front of his machine. Ailes was Goebbels. Hannity's just an opportunist who probably wakes up every day wondering how he managed to get where he is, then decides it's because his genius was finally noticed.

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Maybe. But, my what used to be nice neighbor across the street listens to him every day and has converted him from neighbor to not speaking to me for reasons I can only guess at. None good.

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If you think about the men who were surrounding Hitler, weren’t they a bunch of sleazy operatives? The Energizer Bunny is a funny little character. The operatives were just as evil as Hitler.

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Many people viewed Hitler as the path to money. So, they gathered around and worshipped him and raked the money in.

For a while.

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Most people never think beyond the end of their nose.

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Watched them yesterday with hubby in memory care. Some were extraordinarily competent but didn’t bow low enough so were offed by their Fuhrer. Sound familiar?

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What I meant about the Energizer Bunny is that it appears harmless. As my late friend friend who witnessed the rise of the Nazis told me, the hardest thing for someone who recognized their danger was convincing everyone else that they weren't clowns. These guys are like clowns, but they're Pennywise.

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Exactly, and with unlimited resources (billionaire doners).

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Good one, TC! Great points, too.

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My first encounter with Hannity was many years ago when Curtis Sliwa, founder of NYC's "Guardian Angels." a private effort at law enforcement, and a conservtive stalwart of Radio Station WOR. recommended we also listen to a "this solid fellow from Rockville Center (Long Island)" who also had time on that station ... which also broadcast Dorothy Kilgallen every day, whose sudden death from cancer still intrigues those who believe JFK's assassination was part of a conspiracy. Sliwa, incidentally, ran very poorly as a Republican in the recent mayorality race in NYC.

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How do Hannity, Meadows, Jordon and the rest of them justify their subversion of our republic? They are traitors.

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The treason of the drooling morons.

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They are promoting the old culture of white supremacy and misogyny, but as TC suggests, they’re too stupid to realize what they’re doing. Lack of self-awareness. They just want the old culture to continue, whatever it takes, cheating and cultural subversion and criminal behavior if necy. The enemy is anybody promoting the transformation of our culture into the society where everyone has equal power. Yes they are traitors. The Nazis would be proud. Hitler wrecked-weakened the judiciary and legislature, those institutions were in the way of white supremacy.

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Roland, You got it. Reminds me of the old country saw that on Saturday night you'd go downtown, get drunk and 'be somebody'. They are trying to 'be somebody' all the well deep inside they know they are 'nobody'.

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Greed and power trump everything else.

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I'm afraid they know exactly what they are doing and they really should pay for it.

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They are seduced by power and greed, and motivated by the prospect of Bannon’s vision of a 100 year Republican reign, during which they will plunder us into oblivion.

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Doesn't it sound like a good day to UnFox your Cable Box? Robert Hubbell has the links:

"One of the reasons Hannity is immune from pressure by advertisers is that Fox News receives a share of the “basic cable” fees paid by cable subscribers like you and me. Even if you don’t watch Fox News, if you have cable that carries Fox News, you unintentionally support Sean Hannity’s dual roles as Trump confidant and news-provocateur. One way to pierce Hannity’s immunity is to join a campaign to have Fox News removed from your basic cable package. Details are at UnFox My Cable Box."

https://unfoxmycablebox.com/

While we're at it, let's brush up on who's who among corporations donating to the Sedition Caucus (the "GOP objectors," the 147 Republican members of Congress who voted on 1/6/2021 to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election) and those refusing to. Judd Legum's list of corporations refusing to donate to the Sedition Caucus: Airbnb, BASF, Eversource Energy, Lyft, Microsoft, Dow, American Express

https://popular.info/p/seven-major-corporations-pledge-not

https://roberthubbell.substack.com/p/the-worlds-most-anti-democratic-body

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Jan 5, 2022·edited Jan 5, 2022

I cancelled cable in 1991. I think my accrued savings, including ETF growth, is like $220,000.

We just go to the public library and get books instead.

:-)

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Libraries are wonderful. Mine even has a couple of streaming services for free. We never had cable, but I wish we had so I could cut it.

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Forgot to credit Judd Legum's co-writers Rebecca Crosby and Tesnim Zekeria.

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Right day, right action. Toward a happier new year!

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Done! Thanks, Ellie!

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Thanks. Done for 2 accounts.

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Thank you!!!

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Critical way to reach a tipping point…. Thank you

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