Both of tRUMP's Scottish golf course perchased with cash from Russia as openly admitted to a reporter at one point by genius Don Jr.
It is a little disconerting that if a black man steals a loaf of bread from a convenience store anywhere in the western world, he will spend quality years in Attica......
but, a fat white guy with money, no scruples, no boundaries and who ignores ALL laws
If the day comes when justice is finally done and Trump is sent to prison, it will be as emotional for me as the day when Obama was first elected president. Two days of unrestrained joy and relief.
Jeri, I confess, your "quality years" made my day! I better go off now and make myself a "quality breakfast." I fully expect it to be a "quality good time"; this Swiss knife expression has legs! That doesn't mean it can't have blades too, or so I'm told.
I finished two books so far this year on unrelated topics , but both books shared the same fact. The US has now more incarcerated people than Stalin ever had at one time, and more than any country in the world, the majority of which are of one minority race. The Germans have a word for it, it means how we hide our real unemployment rate.
We are, in many ways, a truly disgusting nation filled with truly disgusting people. I know some people here are going to sputter and say, "Well, I'm not disgusting, I do my share", and "Daria, that's a negative attitude." And yes, most people here are informed and are focused on setting things right. And no, I'm not being negative, just not willing to swallow anymore crap about what a swell democracy we have when, as Ted points out, we lock up those who most challenge our perceptions of good and decent people.
It seems to me there are those who say, "I didn't know"; there are those who know and help perpetuate the bigotry; there are those who know speak out and stand up against the bigotry; but worst of all, are those who say, "I don't care". There are a lot of people who just don't care.
Daria-I don't think you're being negative at all. I've been chewing on the crap for a long time and decided not to swallow it but to spit it out. The reason America has an immigrant "problem" is because many people with passion, hope and creativity come here in search of the "American Dream". They want "life liberty and the pursuit of happiness". Then when the reality of America hits they sort themselves into the categories you articulated.
The democracy we have been working to perfect is hanging by a thread because our American brand of "capitalism" places profits above the well being of people. Capitalists and politicians have hijacked our "nation of laws" for their own selfish benefit.-Whether the issues are criminal "justice", education, disease care, climate change, gun control, pharmaceuticals, defense, energy-you name it-many of our systems are broken because "justice for all" is not the focus. Greed rules the day. Corrupt lawmakers use their power selfishly and take their marching orders from people who believe in greed, white supremacy and patriarchy.
HCR's letter tied many things together. If we follow the money many of the corrupt acts and players can be exposed on a global level. We also need the players to face the consequences of playing their evil games. These are indeed perilous times and I agree we need more people to care. Let's hope exposing the truth about malice and corruption will wake more people up. I still have hope that "we the people" can overcome.
I appreciate the history, present day news, future possibilities and truth found in HCR's letters as well as the analytical, insightful and inspirational comments offered by the folks in this group. Thanks for being in the caring persons category.
Whenever I come across the word “justice”, my mind goes to several quotations that I find useful and illuminating. One in particular seems to address much of what we are currently facing. Here is an excerpt: “The best beloved of all things in My sight is Justice; … By its aid thou shalt see with thine own eyes and not through the eyes of others, and shalt know of thine own knowledge and not through the knowledge of thy neighbor. … Verily justice is My gift to thee and the sign of My loving-kindness. Set it then before thine eyes.”
Excerpted from The Hidden Words, No. 2 from the Arabic
I especially agree with "making the players face the consequences of their evil games." That absolutely has to happen. That and confusing "Fulfillment Centers" with freedom.
Creating Apathy towards the process has been a Libertarian Strategy for over 40 years. Create the illusion that government can't do anything good and obstructionist party tactics to reinforce that lie and nilism. Create a toxicity no one wants any part of. Now its cherry on top is political violence, and/or the threat of political violence. Then all above is strengthened by both gerrymandering and campaign money from the Koch's and their right wing nut foundations, +NRA gun and fear hysteria, +Christian Evangelicals on abortion, + the jet fuel of Russian Embezzled money donations, + fox and media supporting the narrative of the crisis of the republic. All these forces have aligned to cement power of the one party state. I thought the business lobby and Wall Street would see what is coming. You wont own your business like you think you will if this pre Fascist BS continues. Just look to Hungry or Russia to see what's ahead for business. The creative economy will tank. That's when the real fighting would start, but it will be too late.
"I thought the business lobby and Wall Street would see what is coming. You won't own your business like you think you will if this pre Fascist BS continues."
You'd think THAT in and of itself would be an eye opener.
Hi Daria, The good news is that there are some organizations in this country (not necessarily political) that are doing something about this. I just learned and started patronizing and donating to an organization called "Planting Justice". You can find it on the Web. They work inside prisons to help inmates develop horticultural skills and then help them find living wage jobs in their organization after they leave prison--something that is vital. If you want to read something positive, check out their year-end-newsletter. Happy New Year!
And Stalin's USSR had less than half as many people as the US does today. Not saying that the number of incarcerated is a good thing--althgough I could think of some people who ought to be behind bars--but some perspective is worthwhile.
Also Trump properties in Florida where Russian women flock so that they may have dual citizen babies. From 2018:
Roman Bokeria, the state director of the Florida Association of Realtors told NBC News that Trump- branded buildings in the Sunny Isles Beach area north of Miami are particularly popular with the Russian birth tourists and Russian immigrants.
"Sunny Isles beach has a nickname — Little Russia — because people who are moving from Russian-speaking countries to America, they want … a familiar environment."
"Also Trump properties in Florida where Russian women flock so that they may have dual citizen babies."
News to me, but not at all surprising. Thank you.
Trump and the MAGA Mob are concerned only with Latin-Americans "pouring" across our southern border for more or less the same reasons. When the time comes, the Russian immigrants will be reliable Republican/MAGA voters, so...
The MAGA mob is probably ignorant of this Russian incursion. And Trump GAINED Latino voters in Texas in 2020, relative to 2016, undoubtedly because they worry about losing jobs to new immigrants who are more exploitable by employers because they are ignorant of laws protecting workers, and because they are willing to be paid less, partly because compared to what they were getting in their home countries, even bad wages by US standards are better than what they are used to.
I think some MAGA-naughts do "get" Russia. It's okay with them that Russia interfered with the 2016 election for the benefit of Trump. It's okay that Putin is an authoritarian oligarch. If it makes money, everything is fine; if Putin knocks heads of protestors, well, that's right up their strong-armed, anti Black Lives Matter alley. As for the Latinos, the anti-abortion (I refuse to write Pro-Life, because it isn't,) anti-gay movement is very compelling. Many Latinos are becoming Evangelicals or remaining true Catholics.
Ralph, Trump was against 'tourist births'. It also does not appear that he profited from it. You may be interested is the following stories.
'WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is imposing new visa rules aimed at restricting “birth tourism,” in which women travel to the United States to give birth so their children can have U.S. citizenship. The regulations, which take effect Friday, address one of President Donald Trump’s main political priorities.
The regulations seek to chip away at the number of foreigners who take advantage of the constitutional provision granting “birthright citizenship” to anyone born in the United States, a particular peeve of Trump’s. Under the new rules, pregnant applicants will be denied a tourist visa unless they can prove they must come to the U.S. to give birth for medical reasons and they have money to pay for it or have another compelling reason — not just because they want their child to have an American passport.'
'Elena Balmiler, the founder of the Florida firm AIST USA, which caters to Russian mothers-to-be, said she did not expect the new rules would stop her business. She said her business gets about 60 queries a month and had 45 clients last year, because Trump has been unable to end birthright citizenship.
“So far it has resulted in nothing but intentions, guesses, publications and projections,” she said. “Not a single person has changed their mind to fly to the USA because Trump plans to stop (birthright) citizenship.” (AP) see link below.
'It's not just the Russians who are coming. Chinese moms-to-be have been flocking to Southern California to give birth for years.
'What they are doing is completely legal, as long as they don't lie on any immigration or insurance paperwork. In fact, it's protected by the 14th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which says anyone born on American soil is automatically a citizen.'
'The child gets a lifelong right to live and work and collect benefits in the U.S. And when they turn 21 they can sponsor their parents' application for an American green card'.
'As president, Donald Trump has indicated he is opposed to so-called chain migration, which gives U.S. citizens the right to sponsor relatives, because of recent terror attacks. And as a candidate, he called for an end to birthright citizenship, declaring it in one of his first policy papers the "biggest magnet for illegal immigration."
"You have to get rid of it," he said on "Meet the Press" on NBC. "They're having a baby and all of a sudden — nobody knows — the baby is here. You have no choice."
'In a twist, as the Daily Beast first reported, condo buildings that bear the Trump name are the most popular for the out-of-town obstetric patients, although the units are subleased from the individual owners and it's not clear if building management is aware.'
'There is no indication that Trump or the Trump Organization is profiting directly from birth tourism; the company and the White House did not respond to requests for comment.'
'Roman Bokeria, the state director of the Florida Association of Realtors told NBC News that Trump- branded buildings in the Sunny Isles Beach area north of Miami are particularly popular with the Russian birth tourists and Russian immigrants.
"Sunny Isles beach has a nickname — Little Russia — because people who are moving from Russian-speaking countries to America, they want … a familiar environment."
"They go across the street, they have Russian market, Russian doctor, Russian lawyer," he added. "It's very comfortable for them."
.“I wanted to give birth in the place that has the best medical service and is comfortable and relaxing,” she said, as her husband, who owns a business in Russia, looked after the baby upstairs. Not incidentally, the weather is a lot more pleasant in Miami than Moscow in the winter. “But I can’t wait to get back to Russia.”
'Like everyone else, she did, of course, fill out the necessary paperwork for Emily. It’s not as if citizenship isn’t viewed as something that might one day come in handy. Maybe it could help a kid get into a U.S. college, or set up a business in New York, or buy a house in Sunny Isles Beach, said Moscow resident Anna Bessolnova, 42, who had a girl in Miami in 2014, days before Russia’s annexation of Crimea triggered waves of international sanctions.'
“I don't know whether my daughter will end up using the passport or not, but it's good to have different options,” she said.' (nbcnews) See link below.
Ralph, If you read the AP article for which I provided a link, along with the comment, he did indeed make tourist births a bit less easy.
'From imposing a ban on Chinese-made drones to rolling back rules on sexual harassment, from cracking down on robocalls to letting states legalize marijuana, Trump changed some key areas of federal policy in ways that may have lasting impact well after he’s gone.'
'But here’s the thing — between all the news coverage of the president himself, a global pandemic and various other upheavals, there’s a good chance you missed a lot of them. So here is POLITICO’s list of 30 important policy changes Trump made as president, how they’ve affected our lives, families and businesses, and the prospects they will survive the incoming Biden administration.' (Politico)
You may be interested in the following: '30 Donald Did as President You Might Have Missed' Link is below
He has indeed gained from the tourist birth market. I posted the same article hours ago, as well as others. Whether the money goes directly to him or to one of his endeavors, he benefits. Peace or something approximating it, for God's sake.
Before I retired, I’d see Russian men. Usually 2 or 3 together coming into our small beach office to buy expensive real estate. They were all elbows and no grace, often giving me the creeps. They were funneled to a couple of agents.
Walking on the beach during high season, we’d see a high percentage of condos with dark windows. No one lives there, they are parking lots for foreign money.
And like Eastern Europe, Putin would claim ownership of American territory with Russian speaking residents. Should we offer him Florida in exchange for Ukraine? Then Trump could live at Mara Logo and Russia at the same time. And De Santis could be the Governor of the Russian Republic of Florida. Don't worry, we can build a shipping canal below Georgia and make Florida an island.
“ Don't worry, we can build a shipping canal below Georgia and make Florida an island.
When DeSantis was declaring the “War On (commercial)Christmas” (not to be confused with 2020’s War On Christmas) he actually stated we should reroute the cargo ships from Long Beach to Fl ports so a canal would work!
Just don’t leave me stranded on this island with Gilligan DeSantis !!😂
Heather was right! It reads like a block buster spy thriller! Where are you Oliver Stone when we need you! Much of the script is already written for you!
This is from Barbara...You assked me in a reply "to whom did I 'send this'"
Today I used this web site to contact both the College Democrats of North Carolina and North Carolina Association of Teen Democrats: https://ydnc.org/#contact
Thanks, Barbara. This helped me find the site for the Young Democrats of Washington, though I wasn't absolutely sure it was WA state rather than DC until I saw a picture of the Space Needle on the home page.
YES. YES! YES! Finally, it’s being said! Kushner’s, Blackstone, Leon Black, Michael Milken (one of tRump’s pardoned felons). Like Jeff Sessions working with Mogilevich and Firtash re: Highrock & Global Options projects, who pulled in Neil Livingstone—best friends with Ryan Zinke (tRump Sec. Of Interior)—or Senior Advisory Board member of RU Alpha Bank, Richard Burt, who is connected to Rand Paul…Thomas Barrack (tRump mega donor and private equity real estate, investor and founder of REIT, Colony Capital) who also has connections to NorthStar Realty Finance Corp. (as well as other, oil-related deals); (indicted) VanderZwann’s firm represented Tom Barrack. Vanderzwann’s father-in-law, German Khan of Alpha Bank, oversaw procurement of American servers and computer infrastructure with Polozov Mgt. IT Dept . . .How can we forget Wilbur Ross and his Bank of Cyprus? ALL of these lead back to Mogilevich and Putin. All of them. And then there’s THE KUSHNERS—Silicon Valley Bank and Apollo Global Mgmt (which also owns Academi/Blackwater…Eric Prince, Betsy & Dick DeVoss, who own Spectrum Health, which received “pings” from Alpha Bank. Remember how Eric Prince got caught meeting with Kirill Dmitriev (Gazprom Bank and RDIF) in the Seychelles? Meanwhile, back in Manhattan, Schwartzman-Blackstone and Leon Black of Apollo were on the board of the RDIF (Russian Direct Investment Fund), parent company of Vnesheconombank. Jared Kushner met with Sergey Gorkov, CEO of Vnesheconombank, even though it was on the sanction list. On and on and on…and if little ol’ Me knows about this Tip of the Iceberg, WTF is the FBI, who most certainly have a bigger picture??????????
Sophie, I think that is what's upsetting to me the most. We have a long history, as a country, of kicking all the unpleasant cans down the road, or ignoring the toxicity in our society until it reaches critical mass and it can't be ignored any longer. At that point, we become a powderkeg. Like now. Today, we are faced with a bunch of people who have gotten away with any number of crimes for decades. Some of their fathers, grandfather's and beyond did as well...the legacy of familial corruption is staggering. All of these players have been able to bribe an official, give someone a condo, pay tuition, etc. They have embedded themselves in our politics, judiciary, government and entertainment. They dictate healthcare protocols, voting rights, civil rights, women's rights, education, environmental policy and everything else under the sun. They hold their so called god aloft as justification for their abhorrent behaviors. We know it. We see it. We hear it. And we haven't been able to do a damned thing about it on a permanent basis for more than a decade or two at a time. Ever.
Any of us who read, watch and listen to Heather have heard over and over again what happened to the indigenous Americans, what precipitated the civil war, what happened during reconstruction, what happened in the west, what happened during the crash and dust bowl, Jim Crow, after WWII, the Civil Rights Era, and on and on and on. But what of those who won't listen to the messages about our history and the consequences that she delivers in a no frills, easy to understand manner?
I absolutely respect Heather, her scholarship and her willingness to speak to the root causes of the issues we face and that have become business as usual in our country. I respect any person who takes the truth about our shortcomings and acts upon them with the goal of making a difference. Beyond that, I have no idea what is going to curtail the red tide that is suffocating the United States. Clearly tens of millions are not bothered enough to care.
I think it IS because the antics are so in your face and outrageous. I don't know how they can call themselves Americans either. It's beyond both belief and comprehension.
Cyrus Vance and Robert Mueller may have dropped the ball - on Trump Org. and Bayrock money laundering through Trump SoHo - but NY State AG Letitia James is running with it.
L. James must have a stronger case than Vance? Or he uncovered more state law crimes and passed to her? Or he has, or is worried about future Justice Dept interference if power changes parties? NY State would have better/safer jusidiction?
For the former guy to get those loans approved, after 3 bankruptcies and not paying contractors....the loans had to be underwritten by Supernatural powers or was divine intervention right? ha ha :)
Subpoena the Commercial Real Estate Appraisers. Analyze the sales of Drumf Properties AFTER he won the R nomination. Why were sooo many of his properties sold to Dark LLC's at higher than appraised market comparables?
If the US is serious about stopping Putin from money laundering and donating a portion of that dark money to campaigns (100's of millions!?!?!?!) , then stop participating in it and make it illegal to do so. Sorry big city Commercial Real Estate brokers, your game is up.
There was an interesting tv show when I was living in NY, even before tfg ran for President, I believe. It focused on his real estate dealings and not in the best light. What I remember is a NY real estate dealer saying that for some reason, tfg loved the spotlight. He and his fellow real estate dealers in NYC, he said, preferred to keep a very low profile. Either this man or the show reported that compared to others in the city, tfg’s business was actually rather small. Given that it seems a lot of money laundering goes on through high stakes real estate, it figures others would know to keep a low profile but the guy on the tip of your tongue would be incapable of it.
Exactly. The desire for the spotlight (his ego) is why the Russian Agencies targeted him early. Back in the 1980s. When you are truly successful you are too busy for the PR nonsense, everything is already sold or in high demand, so you don't really need to blow your own horn when the substance is real.
When you are desperate, you crave any PR good or bad, any press is good. When you are doing shady business deals, you don't want any profile, you want things hush hush. Once you take their money, there is no way out other than a jail cell or grave or witness protection, ...or the Presidency. Oh dear.
There is a downside to being old and having a good memory - and living through a time when America was the biggest bully on the world stage. The Reagan/Bush/Chaney years made me ashamed of what we had become. Then came the biggest bully of all. Now, Dickie is a champion of democracy. NO fictional version could come close to the insanity of reality. Chops to the Biden people trying to make sense of this jigsaw Challenge.
Ezra Klein has a must-read over at the Times, about getting involved, rather than engaging in "political hobbyism".
"Real political work... is the intentional, strategic accumulation of power in service of a defined end. It is action in service of change, not information in service of outrage."
It's not an implied criticism of anyone, just a little kick in the pants for me to get off the computer and back to the real work of organizing, and showing up on the local level.
Yes, Kara, I saw that article. I am just about to join my local Library's Board since some folks have put pressure on it of late around some books on their shelves. Having read Farenheit 451 long, long ago.....that got my attention as a long, long time fan of libraries. Also, Common Cause found my email somehow.......so........am manning the the phone banks.
Over the next year I plan to run for my local school board where meetings have mostly been out of control for 8 months now.
As pointed out in Klein's essay, which, is true, real power is local. (I am not sure that exact sentence is there, but, that was my takeaway).
Farenheit 451 also influenced me as a youth. I think it is a must read for every student - actually, everyone. And then there was the 1966 film with Oskar Werner and (sigh) Julie Christie.... I left the theater spellbound.
When you do run, Mike, please set up a GoFundMe and let the community here know. Even running for school board requires campaign signs and materials (at least in my SW Chgo suburb) and I (and I am sure others here as well) could toss in a few bucks for you.
Those monthly donations begin to add up in a very short period of time...after full disclosure is fact checked...thereby assuring every precious hard earned penny is effectively returning America to a country "...of the people by the people for the people..."
Excellent! I served on our library board. Our campaign slogan was "Vote for the top six!" - in order to kick the disruptive Mr. Z.. off the Board. Sent postcards to every registered voter. It worked! It's such an important and influential place to be. I, too, like "I Like Mike!" Just make sure there's not a disruptive tRumper Mike running, too!
We need good information, but as Klein writes, we can't get bogged down because Steven Bannon and the Republicans are not. They are building from the local level to go up.
Yup, perfect comparison. Wayne Wheeler, the principal key figure in prohibition movement. It is absolutely jaw-dropping how one human could have so much influence on politicians in BOTH parties. Even after it became so blatantly evident that the law was out of step with the citizens wishes AND actually causing more harm than good (e.g. birth of the Mafia), politicians continued following Wheeler’s extreme lobbying message. Unfathomable.
In the 11th hour of his term in office, outgoing President Trump handed out 144 pardons and sentence commutations in a chaotic flurry of activity. Trump successfully assembled his band of seditious operatives, including Manafort, Flynn, Stone, Bannon, to name a few, in exchange for their loyalty. How is this not being invested as a clear example of corruption and an abuse of executive power?
HCR indicated in the Letter today that two big stories this week, our diplomatic meetings with Russia and passage of voting rights legislation in America are related, and that's because both represent gigantic efforts on behalf of democracy. 'And our democracy remains unstable.' (Letter) Could that line underestimate how dangerously close the country is to the tipping point? Seeing access to the vote and the election systems of many states torn apart are appalling examples of a fragmented America, but even that doesn't provide a full picture.
While Omicron infests the nation, governors fight public health protocols and Americans cruise the streets, shops and restaurants without wearing facemasks and the schools open and close with little advance notice. 'Fueled by gun violence, cities across the US are breaking all-time homicide records this year' (CNN) and polls show that roughly two-thirds of Republicans still believe Trump’s big lie about Biden’s election.
'With the Build Back Better Act stalled in the Senate, the White House has recently shifted its focus to voting rights legislation. President Biden and Vice President Harris are expected to travel to Georgia later this week to promote the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Freedom to Vote Act.' (Washington Post) Do the Democrats appear to have made a rather late start with their national voting rights campaign ?
'Manchin delivers blow to Democrats as he signals opposition to changing Senate rules to advance voting bill' '... the pivotal Senate swing vote, made clear on Tuesday that he remains deeply skeptical of overhauling the chamber's rules on a simple majority basis to advance voting legislation, a clear sign that a frantic push by Democrats to win his support to change the filibuster and pass one of the party's core priorities is likely doomed.' (CNN)
House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) lambasted Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) on Sunday for saying a vote on changing voting rights laws must be bipartisan.
Appearing on "Fox News Sunday," Clyburn told Fox News anchor Bret Baier that's Manchin's suggestion of requiring bipartisan support for voting tights caused him "pain."
“I am, as you know, a Black person, descended of people who were given the vote by the 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution. The 15th Amendment was not a bipartisan vote. It was a single-party vote that gave Black people the right to vote," Clyburn told Baier.
"Manchin and others need to stop saying that because that gives me great pain for somebody to imply that the 15th Amendment of the United States Constitution is not legitimate because it did not have bipartisan buy-in," he added.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) urged the Senate to pass the Freedom to Vote Act, which Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) will push in the next two weeks. “What the Republicans are doing across the country is really a legislative continuation of what they did on January 6, which is to undermine our democracy, to undermine the integrity of our elections, to undermine the voting power, which is the essence of a democracy,” she said. There also appear to be several Democrats blocking the way as dissension trumps agreement.
"Manchin and others need to stop saying that (single party voted legislation is not valid) because that gives me great pain for somebody to imply that the 15th Amendment of the United States Constitution is not legitimate because it did not have bipartisan buy-in,"
Great quote Fern. Lots of FDR's stuff including the Glass Steagall Act was either single party or nearly so.
Unfotunately for all of us, Pubs proposed the Glass Steagall Act repeal in the late 90's and Clinton signed the legislation making it one of the single largest bi-partisan blunders in history.....leading to the legalization of banking "derivatives" in 2001.
Just because it is "bi-partisan" does not mean it is the right thing to do.
The five Supreme Court Justices who voted to gut the Voting Rights Act were Roberts, Scalia, Kennedy, Thomas, and Alito. Does this group sound bi-partisan to anyone?
Manchin enjoys his run as “the most powerful man in the world.” He is just Nero watching Rome burn. I hope I live long enough to see him become irrelevant. Will donate all I can to that cause.
It will take a John Le Carré plot twist for this late push on behalf of voting rights to bear fruit. It’s dead and buried. Senate Majority Leader Manchin has the barest fig leaf of “principled” cover for refusing the abolition of the filibuster or even carve outs to it. Barring the LeCarre twist - the emergence of 10 or so Republicans, blinking in the sunlight after hiding in the darkness of their dens for so long - it’s over. All that remains is the noise and tumult that this week will bring. This banging of pots and pans will serve no practical purpose now. The best hope is that it creates a tsunami of urgency that digs every possible Democratic voter out of every crack in time for the next election.
I have been long amazed and angered at the timorousness of the governing party to bring this forward. The “summer of action” was an honest impetus to Biden and Co. to get the legislation moving. Good people were ignored by a government trying to pass legislation on infrastructure.
In the meantime the Republicans have skipped nimbly ahead, bringing out the heavy artillery of legislative power to oversee elections. So even were the bills to pass now, they would be decently corrective but in some sense, antiquated.
I do not however leap to conclude that losing the midterms is a foregone conclusion. People’s comments above indicate that there may be a groundswell of activism around these elections. The results of the redistribution of seats have been analyzed and found not to torpedo Democratic opportunity. And Trump’s endorsement power is creating Frankenstein candidates who amplify him so much that they well be intolerable to a majority of voters. The stench they create would then redound upon Trump who would cement his status as a loser.
One can (must) hope. Just not this week. Unless there is another plot twist in the making. All of America politically is playing by Manchin rules. I don’t see him creating a surprise happy ending. When was the last time a single Senator has had, and wielded, so much power?
As HCR writes, "And our democracy remains unstable," the time is now for each of us to do our part as citizens to push the Senate to support the cornerstone of democracy by passing voting rights legislation. It's time to make a big push this week ahead of the Senate vote by January 17 (MLK Day, as promised by Schumer) on the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021 and/or Manchin's Freedom to Vote Act.
For the most effective ways for us to take an action through an organization, click any of these:
The John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Freedom to Vote Act, both essential to the preservation of democracy in the United States (and the continuing of Democratic majorities in Congress) will not become law unless and until the Senate filibuster is eliminated or its rules changed. But even if that happens, the SCOTUS can upset the applecart as they did in 2013 when their Shelby vs. Holder decision weakened the 1965 Voting Act. So, even such progressive legislation really is not the final answer. Reform must dig deeper. And wondering what to do about the defeated former president and his supporters is, right now, distracting energy and resources from that crucial issue of voters' rights.
Ellie, My one concern was your “and/or” insert with respect to these two companion voter protection bills. As we follow developments leading to Schumer’s scheduled vote on the filibuster by January 17th, I urge everyone be clear that VRAA, though important because it reinstates pre clearance, is not preemptive and therefore cannot overturn state voter suppression and nullification legislation that already has passed. Conversely the Freedom to Vote Act that Manchin helped draft, whose provisions provide the necessary safeguards against both voter suppression and election subversion, would supersede state law in conflict with any of its stipulations. To clarify, though both pieces of legislation matter, only the Freedom to Vote Act can reverse the anti-democracy legislation that GOP controlled state legislatures already unilaterally have passed.
FYI a group of LFAA Substackers has formed to turn good talk here into good action, including to push for passage of voting protection bills. For more info, you can email:
Very relevant and important; however, Gorbachev did not "step down"... he was ousted. It was a coup, and it was a coup that set the stage for the Russia that emerged. I believe Gorbachev would have been the best situated for joining Russia with the modern democratic world.
Yes. After touring the West, he recognized that communism wasn't working. He realized that lives in the West were better than the lives of those living under communism.
Not to put too fine a point on it, the US and our allies could turn Russia into a third-world nation without firing a shot. The question is whether we have the resolve. And we can protect democracy here at home, if we can muster the resolve. That’s not just a matter for Biden, Schumer, Pelosi, et als. We can all play a part. And we must.
Jon I would be delighted if we ‘could turn Russia into a third-world nation without firing a shot.’ We could expel Russia from SWIFT (an international financial clearinghouse) and ratchet up economic sanctions. However, the past record of the effectiveness of economic sanctions I don’t find encouraging. There is a lot of ‘leakage’ in the sanctions net. Iran, for example, has been shipping oil to China and elsewhere, despite ‘tough sanctions.’ Russian money has been flowing into America, including Trump properties, despite sanctions.
We could cause further economic unpleasantness in Russia with draconian sanctions (would NATO allies agree?), but this would probably not deter Putin’s top-of-the-pile politics.
SWIFT is the thermonuclear weapon of sanctions and economic warfare. Throw Russia out and it becomes like Iran and North Korea. And they are not superpowers, even with nuclear weapons.
diana from sf: the last German king (Kaiser) abdicated the throne in 1918. The Treaty of Versailles gave Germany a raw deal, laying blame only on Germany whereas all of the participants were, to greater or lesser degrees, responsible for the war. Colonial greed was at stake. So Germany was economically brutalized, leaving the nation impoverished. The ensuing misery and anger made fertile ground for Hitler, who gave the people target for their misery: the Jewish people along with other "undesirables" such as homosexuals, the Roma, mentally and physically compromised, socialists, etc. etc.
You are correct in regard to the similarity between Trump and Hitler, in that both were/are mentally unstable with delusions of grandeur. They both know/knew how to manipulate the anger of those who felt disenfranchised.
Having gotten to know a number of very interesting Ukrainians though a hobby I love in which the companies they have created are producing the things that are the "bleeding edge" of the hobby, I have discovered a whole lot of "model geeks" just like myself. There's a lot of very interesting things going on in that country - besides the stuff that involves me - and we really need to prevent that Stalinoid pig Vladimir Putin from going in and wrecking all of that.
"Practically, what this means is that Putin has no more right to the Crimea than Germany has to the Sudetenland, or to Bohemia-Moravia. Russia’s occupation of Ukraine’s sovereign territory in the Crimea is no different, fundamentally, than Nazi Germany annexing Austria. That the West allowed this naked conquest to happen is shameful."
An absolutely GREAT read Roland.
"That the West allowed this naked conquest to happen is shameful"
I remember the invasion. At that time, we had much of our Army in Afghanistan still focussed on killing brown people for profit.
We did nothing. Almost no comments at all. But, that is mostly because the military contractors were ALREADY fat and happy.
Agree. Personally I wonder what the hell the Europeans have been smoking. Then again, DJT and practically every Republican member of the House is kissing Putin’s ring these days.
When Russia’s leader is not acting like a Stalin, Mussolini, or ersatz Hitler, THEN that pipeline makes sense.
Me, too. Although facebook is still not allowing me to comment on anything political (46 hours left of my 30 day grounding) since I reposted a superb source from an HCR reader about Goebbles & Hitler.
What?????? you can't post anything political? I don't know what you posted but the comparison with Goebbles and Hitler is appropriate to today's situation.
Comparing our situation right now to Nazi Germany is absolutely apropos and timely. Hitler is FDR and Trump and Putin rolled into one. Goebbels is comparable to Bannon or Stephen Miller or Eastman or any number of people in that sewage tank.
Very sorry to repost. I will slow down tomorrow This is about contacting our Yound Democrat organization in every state.
Today I used this web site to contact both the College Democrats of North Carolina and North Carolina Association of Teen Democrats: https://ydnc.org/#contact
I wrote the following:
"I am so grateful for this context and sourced news--a daily blog about the history behind today's politics, Letters from an American, by Heather Cox Richardson, an American historian and professor of history at Boston College. https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com
I am sharing it with legislators (at every level), news outlets, and professors of political science and history in NC.
I would love for your organization to let your peers know about it.
Many Americans are being turned off by the repetitive bad news regarding America’s current events. Historical insights given daily by Dr. Richardson can be starters for engaging in a productive and hopeful discourse with those in your organizations…and yes, your friends and families.
Will you get the word out, please?"
And will you, on this blog, please help get the word out to Young Democrats in your state? We've got to mobilize. I'm over 80 and am finding ways that I can "work" from a place in my home; it is these young young people who will have the energy to make person-to person contacts in the 2022 election! Dr. Richardson's blog is a great tool.
May we now talk about all the irreparable damage Ronnie Ray-gun caused in his 8 years of alternating between sleeping 14 hours a day and trying to destroy the global economy? It isn't just the deregulation of the financial sector, which has made the USA one of the biggest loci for money laundering in the world. It's the deregulation of the insurance industry, making it possible for health insurance companies to be beholden to their investors instead of to the people who are dependent on insurance in order to pay for health care. It's the deliberate expansion of Nixon's Southern Strategy to ramp up all the bigotry and forms of oppression possible in order to turn what had been a reasonably legitimate and diverse political party into a bunch of white supremacist, misogynist Death Eaters. It's the destruction of public education (including higher education) by economic starvation that was perpetrated in order to wreck the relationship between the intellectual and scholarly community and the centers of government and to promote not only the celebration of ignorance and conformity that Ronnie and his ilk depended on, but also to demonize those for whom education, understanding, and critical thinking are watchwords. I could go on.
The ills we face today were invented by a "Republican" Party that decided that power was the only thing worth fighting for, after the disasters of the Nixon takedown tarred them with the brush of amorality and criminality. And they have pursued this goal relentlessly ever since. For most of my life I have watched this slow-moving avalanche happening while others looked the other way or twiddled their thumbs or engaged in ineffective handkerchief waving and woe-is-meism. The US has reaped what it sowed.
The Koch Conspiracy. Want to help diminish their power? Boycott Koch's Invista, Georgia-Pacific, Molex, Flint Hills Resources, Koch Pipeline, Koch Fertilizer, Koch Minerals, Matador Cattle Company, i360, and Guardian Industries. The firm employs 120,000 people in 60 countries, with about half of its business in the United States.
Oh darn, I forgot that....We all know that Trump was behind all of this. Who orchestrated the details? This would probably be Bannon or some other Trumpian henchman.
What could be added to the script of bizarre actions is the poisoning of then Ukrainian leader Alexandr Yuschenko almost certainly by Putin. And then the harassment and arrest of Yulia Tymeshenko leader of the opposition by the stooge put in power by Putin whom Manafort was working for. Gives a fairly clear idea of where the GOP under TFG would like to take America.
In any normal political era, a minor congressional representative like Jim Jordan would be known, hopefully for only 15 minutes, for howling at the wind. But in the current climate, an insignificant gnat like him can suck up to a narcissistic would-be despot, receive his blessings, and feel empowered to flaunt all conventions, lie with impunity, and thumb his nose at the law. Jordan is the embodiment of decaying democracy.
A lot of oligarch money laundering went through Manhatten and other US real eastate deals.
Any names come to mind? Perhaps someone, or a whole family, no legitimate banker would do business with?
It's on the tip of my tongue...
Both of tRUMP's Scottish golf course perchased with cash from Russia as openly admitted to a reporter at one point by genius Don Jr.
It is a little disconerting that if a black man steals a loaf of bread from a convenience store anywhere in the western world, he will spend quality years in Attica......
but, a fat white guy with money, no scruples, no boundaries and who ignores ALL laws
President.
I live to see the fat white guy as described spend quality years in Attica.
If the day comes when justice is finally done and Trump is sent to prison, it will be as emotional for me as the day when Obama was first elected president. Two days of unrestrained joy and relief.
That is beautifully put.
I will feel the same.
As do we all.
Thee & me.
Me too.
Jeri, I confess, your "quality years" made my day! I better go off now and make myself a "quality breakfast." I fully expect it to be a "quality good time"; this Swiss knife expression has legs! That doesn't mean it can't have blades too, or so I'm told.
"...if a black man steals a loaf of bread from a convenience store anywhere in the western world, he will spend quality years in Attica..."
Or DEAD.
Or DEAD if he jogs down the wrong street.
I finished two books so far this year on unrelated topics , but both books shared the same fact. The US has now more incarcerated people than Stalin ever had at one time, and more than any country in the world, the majority of which are of one minority race. The Germans have a word for it, it means how we hide our real unemployment rate.
We are, in many ways, a truly disgusting nation filled with truly disgusting people. I know some people here are going to sputter and say, "Well, I'm not disgusting, I do my share", and "Daria, that's a negative attitude." And yes, most people here are informed and are focused on setting things right. And no, I'm not being negative, just not willing to swallow anymore crap about what a swell democracy we have when, as Ted points out, we lock up those who most challenge our perceptions of good and decent people.
It seems to me there are those who say, "I didn't know"; there are those who know and help perpetuate the bigotry; there are those who know speak out and stand up against the bigotry; but worst of all, are those who say, "I don't care". There are a lot of people who just don't care.
Daria-I don't think you're being negative at all. I've been chewing on the crap for a long time and decided not to swallow it but to spit it out. The reason America has an immigrant "problem" is because many people with passion, hope and creativity come here in search of the "American Dream". They want "life liberty and the pursuit of happiness". Then when the reality of America hits they sort themselves into the categories you articulated.
The democracy we have been working to perfect is hanging by a thread because our American brand of "capitalism" places profits above the well being of people. Capitalists and politicians have hijacked our "nation of laws" for their own selfish benefit.-Whether the issues are criminal "justice", education, disease care, climate change, gun control, pharmaceuticals, defense, energy-you name it-many of our systems are broken because "justice for all" is not the focus. Greed rules the day. Corrupt lawmakers use their power selfishly and take their marching orders from people who believe in greed, white supremacy and patriarchy.
HCR's letter tied many things together. If we follow the money many of the corrupt acts and players can be exposed on a global level. We also need the players to face the consequences of playing their evil games. These are indeed perilous times and I agree we need more people to care. Let's hope exposing the truth about malice and corruption will wake more people up. I still have hope that "we the people" can overcome.
I appreciate the history, present day news, future possibilities and truth found in HCR's letters as well as the analytical, insightful and inspirational comments offered by the folks in this group. Thanks for being in the caring persons category.
Here is a fun fact. The richest man in the world is....Putin. And his wealth is mostly from Big Oil. Now everything starts to come into focus, right?
Gina, Thank you. You have nailed it. Completely.
Whenever I come across the word “justice”, my mind goes to several quotations that I find useful and illuminating. One in particular seems to address much of what we are currently facing. Here is an excerpt: “The best beloved of all things in My sight is Justice; … By its aid thou shalt see with thine own eyes and not through the eyes of others, and shalt know of thine own knowledge and not through the knowledge of thy neighbor. … Verily justice is My gift to thee and the sign of My loving-kindness. Set it then before thine eyes.”
Excerpted from The Hidden Words, No. 2 from the Arabic
I especially agree with "making the players face the consequences of their evil games." That absolutely has to happen. That and confusing "Fulfillment Centers" with freedom.
Creating Apathy towards the process has been a Libertarian Strategy for over 40 years. Create the illusion that government can't do anything good and obstructionist party tactics to reinforce that lie and nilism. Create a toxicity no one wants any part of. Now its cherry on top is political violence, and/or the threat of political violence. Then all above is strengthened by both gerrymandering and campaign money from the Koch's and their right wing nut foundations, +NRA gun and fear hysteria, +Christian Evangelicals on abortion, + the jet fuel of Russian Embezzled money donations, + fox and media supporting the narrative of the crisis of the republic. All these forces have aligned to cement power of the one party state. I thought the business lobby and Wall Street would see what is coming. You wont own your business like you think you will if this pre Fascist BS continues. Just look to Hungry or Russia to see what's ahead for business. The creative economy will tank. That's when the real fighting would start, but it will be too late.
"I thought the business lobby and Wall Street would see what is coming. You won't own your business like you think you will if this pre Fascist BS continues."
You'd think THAT in and of itself would be an eye opener.
"I thought the business lobby and Wall Street would see what is coming."
Very few are asking what will happen to the world economy when there is no longer any faith in the value of the dollar.
Hi Daria, The good news is that there are some organizations in this country (not necessarily political) that are doing something about this. I just learned and started patronizing and donating to an organization called "Planting Justice". You can find it on the Web. They work inside prisons to help inmates develop horticultural skills and then help them find living wage jobs in their organization after they leave prison--something that is vital. If you want to read something positive, check out their year-end-newsletter. Happy New Year!
Susan, thank you! I will check them out.
Yep. And I am going to throw their shit as well as all the treasonous shit back against the wall until something sticks.
And I’m going to toss my hair back and take careful aim when I do it.
Hmmmmmmph
You. Go. Girl!
Big Brother Joe did not bother incarcerating, he had them terminated!
And Stalin's USSR had less than half as many people as the US does today. Not saying that the number of incarcerated is a good thing--althgough I could think of some people who ought to be behind bars--but some perspective is worthwhile.
I do so fiercely want my pound of flesh!
Rump roast, Eh!?
Good one, George!
Also Trump properties in Florida where Russian women flock so that they may have dual citizen babies. From 2018:
Roman Bokeria, the state director of the Florida Association of Realtors told NBC News that Trump- branded buildings in the Sunny Isles Beach area north of Miami are particularly popular with the Russian birth tourists and Russian immigrants.
"Sunny Isles beach has a nickname — Little Russia — because people who are moving from Russian-speaking countries to America, they want … a familiar environment."
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/birth-tourism-brings-russian-baby-boom-miami-n836121
https://www.pbs.org/video/ttc-extra-russian-birth-tourism-trump-properties-qj0wgl/
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2018-12-16/there-s-no-stopping-the-russian-baby-boom-in-miami
"Also Trump properties in Florida where Russian women flock so that they may have dual citizen babies."
News to me, but not at all surprising. Thank you.
Trump and the MAGA Mob are concerned only with Latin-Americans "pouring" across our southern border for more or less the same reasons. When the time comes, the Russian immigrants will be reliable Republican/MAGA voters, so...
When I read about it in 2018 I wasn't the least surprised. Yup, Ralph, Eastern Europeans and Russians are nothing if not white.
The MAGA mob is probably ignorant of this Russian incursion. And Trump GAINED Latino voters in Texas in 2020, relative to 2016, undoubtedly because they worry about losing jobs to new immigrants who are more exploitable by employers because they are ignorant of laws protecting workers, and because they are willing to be paid less, partly because compared to what they were getting in their home countries, even bad wages by US standards are better than what they are used to.
I think some MAGA-naughts do "get" Russia. It's okay with them that Russia interfered with the 2016 election for the benefit of Trump. It's okay that Putin is an authoritarian oligarch. If it makes money, everything is fine; if Putin knocks heads of protestors, well, that's right up their strong-armed, anti Black Lives Matter alley. As for the Latinos, the anti-abortion (I refuse to write Pro-Life, because it isn't,) anti-gay movement is very compelling. Many Latinos are becoming Evangelicals or remaining true Catholics.
Latinos supporting chump are more ignorant than the white supremacist evil.
I was referring strictly to MAGA-naughts being ignorant of Russian birth tourism.
my nephew is one of these, although he is employed. still anti-immigrant, probably left over prejudice from his deceased Dad
That’s the plan, man
Oh geez! Noooo!
Ralph, Trump was against 'tourist births'. It also does not appear that he profited from it. You may be interested is the following stories.
'WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is imposing new visa rules aimed at restricting “birth tourism,” in which women travel to the United States to give birth so their children can have U.S. citizenship. The regulations, which take effect Friday, address one of President Donald Trump’s main political priorities.
The regulations seek to chip away at the number of foreigners who take advantage of the constitutional provision granting “birthright citizenship” to anyone born in the United States, a particular peeve of Trump’s. Under the new rules, pregnant applicants will be denied a tourist visa unless they can prove they must come to the U.S. to give birth for medical reasons and they have money to pay for it or have another compelling reason — not just because they want their child to have an American passport.'
'Elena Balmiler, the founder of the Florida firm AIST USA, which caters to Russian mothers-to-be, said she did not expect the new rules would stop her business. She said her business gets about 60 queries a month and had 45 clients last year, because Trump has been unable to end birthright citizenship.
“So far it has resulted in nothing but intentions, guesses, publications and projections,” she said. “Not a single person has changed their mind to fly to the USA because Trump plans to stop (birthright) citizenship.” (AP) see link below.
https://apnews.com/article/health-donald-trump-ap-top-news-international-news-politics-d4c42c5311ba8a6661855cadd12f0fed
'It's not just the Russians who are coming. Chinese moms-to-be have been flocking to Southern California to give birth for years.
'What they are doing is completely legal, as long as they don't lie on any immigration or insurance paperwork. In fact, it's protected by the 14th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which says anyone born on American soil is automatically a citizen.'
'The child gets a lifelong right to live and work and collect benefits in the U.S. And when they turn 21 they can sponsor their parents' application for an American green card'.
'As president, Donald Trump has indicated he is opposed to so-called chain migration, which gives U.S. citizens the right to sponsor relatives, because of recent terror attacks. And as a candidate, he called for an end to birthright citizenship, declaring it in one of his first policy papers the "biggest magnet for illegal immigration."
"You have to get rid of it," he said on "Meet the Press" on NBC. "They're having a baby and all of a sudden — nobody knows — the baby is here. You have no choice."
'In a twist, as the Daily Beast first reported, condo buildings that bear the Trump name are the most popular for the out-of-town obstetric patients, although the units are subleased from the individual owners and it's not clear if building management is aware.'
'There is no indication that Trump or the Trump Organization is profiting directly from birth tourism; the company and the White House did not respond to requests for comment.'
'Roman Bokeria, the state director of the Florida Association of Realtors told NBC News that Trump- branded buildings in the Sunny Isles Beach area north of Miami are particularly popular with the Russian birth tourists and Russian immigrants.
"Sunny Isles beach has a nickname — Little Russia — because people who are moving from Russian-speaking countries to America, they want … a familiar environment."
"They go across the street, they have Russian market, Russian doctor, Russian lawyer," he added. "It's very comfortable for them."
.“I wanted to give birth in the place that has the best medical service and is comfortable and relaxing,” she said, as her husband, who owns a business in Russia, looked after the baby upstairs. Not incidentally, the weather is a lot more pleasant in Miami than Moscow in the winter. “But I can’t wait to get back to Russia.”
'Like everyone else, she did, of course, fill out the necessary paperwork for Emily. It’s not as if citizenship isn’t viewed as something that might one day come in handy. Maybe it could help a kid get into a U.S. college, or set up a business in New York, or buy a house in Sunny Isles Beach, said Moscow resident Anna Bessolnova, 42, who had a girl in Miami in 2014, days before Russia’s annexation of Crimea triggered waves of international sanctions.'
“I don't know whether my daughter will end up using the passport or not, but it's good to have different options,” she said.' (nbcnews) See link below.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/birth-tourism-brings-russian-baby-boom-miami-n836121
Trump talked about a lot of things he never followed through on. Talking is al he knows, all he ever does.
Thank you.
Ralph, If you read the AP article for which I provided a link, along with the comment, he did indeed make tourist births a bit less easy.
'From imposing a ban on Chinese-made drones to rolling back rules on sexual harassment, from cracking down on robocalls to letting states legalize marijuana, Trump changed some key areas of federal policy in ways that may have lasting impact well after he’s gone.'
'But here’s the thing — between all the news coverage of the president himself, a global pandemic and various other upheavals, there’s a good chance you missed a lot of them. So here is POLITICO’s list of 30 important policy changes Trump made as president, how they’ve affected our lives, families and businesses, and the prospects they will survive the incoming Biden administration.' (Politico)
You may be interested in the following: '30 Donald Did as President You Might Have Missed' Link is below
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/01/18/trump-presidency-administration-biggest-impact-policy-analysis-451479
He has indeed gained from the tourist birth market. I posted the same article hours ago, as well as others. Whether the money goes directly to him or to one of his endeavors, he benefits. Peace or something approximating it, for God's sake.
Chump is against chain migration, yeah right. Except for his own in-laws. Hypocrite and Pharisee all rolled into one big fat blob
Truth.
Before I retired, I’d see Russian men. Usually 2 or 3 together coming into our small beach office to buy expensive real estate. They were all elbows and no grace, often giving me the creeps. They were funneled to a couple of agents.
Walking on the beach during high season, we’d see a high percentage of condos with dark windows. No one lives there, they are parking lots for foreign money.
I absolutely believe it.
So where is Marco Rubio on this? Wasn't he one of the ones talking about Russia being a threat? Oh, yeah, that was before tRump cozied up to Putin.
Rubio has gone full on disinformation fascist. The “nice young man” mask is off.
So is Trump Tower, apparently. And in London the problem has become epidemic, please excuse choice of words
All elbows and no grace, perfect description of chump, McConnell, and how many more republican pols
And like Eastern Europe, Putin would claim ownership of American territory with Russian speaking residents. Should we offer him Florida in exchange for Ukraine? Then Trump could live at Mara Logo and Russia at the same time. And De Santis could be the Governor of the Russian Republic of Florida. Don't worry, we can build a shipping canal below Georgia and make Florida an island.
“ Don't worry, we can build a shipping canal below Georgia and make Florida an island.
When DeSantis was declaring the “War On (commercial)Christmas” (not to be confused with 2020’s War On Christmas) he actually stated we should reroute the cargo ships from Long Beach to Fl ports so a canal would work!
Just don’t leave me stranded on this island with Gilligan DeSantis !!😂
😂Me either !
Marcia,thought you’d find this interesting..
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/brevard-county-florida-capitol-rioters-maga-politics_n_61d75b5fe4b0bb04a6425e0d
All true but way worse than this story states.
I like it!
Stranger things have happened.
Just such a project was started in 1930, though farther south. Thankfully, Nixon pulled the plug on it 51 years ago. https://www.chronicleonline.com/news/local/half-a-century-after-florida-barge-canal-project-was-axed-some-still-ponder-its-meaning/article_36af7fdc-5cd3-11eb-bd22-5f4fdc556d29.html
You can’t make stuff like this up!
Honest to God.
Heather was right! It reads like a block buster spy thriller! Where are you Oliver Stone when we need you! Much of the script is already written for you!
This is from Barbara...You assked me in a reply "to whom did I 'send this'"
Today I used this web site to contact both the College Democrats of North Carolina and North Carolina Association of Teen Democrats: https://ydnc.org/#contact
Thanks, Barbara. This helped me find the site for the Young Democrats of Washington, though I wasn't absolutely sure it was WA state rather than DC until I saw a picture of the Space Needle on the home page.
Yup. AND, Russians “secretly” flying into the Salt Lake City airport and buying real estate around Park City.
A new supply of targets for mormon door-to-door proselytization, Eh!?
😑
OH!
YES. YES! YES! Finally, it’s being said! Kushner’s, Blackstone, Leon Black, Michael Milken (one of tRump’s pardoned felons). Like Jeff Sessions working with Mogilevich and Firtash re: Highrock & Global Options projects, who pulled in Neil Livingstone—best friends with Ryan Zinke (tRump Sec. Of Interior)—or Senior Advisory Board member of RU Alpha Bank, Richard Burt, who is connected to Rand Paul…Thomas Barrack (tRump mega donor and private equity real estate, investor and founder of REIT, Colony Capital) who also has connections to NorthStar Realty Finance Corp. (as well as other, oil-related deals); (indicted) VanderZwann’s firm represented Tom Barrack. Vanderzwann’s father-in-law, German Khan of Alpha Bank, oversaw procurement of American servers and computer infrastructure with Polozov Mgt. IT Dept . . .How can we forget Wilbur Ross and his Bank of Cyprus? ALL of these lead back to Mogilevich and Putin. All of them. And then there’s THE KUSHNERS—Silicon Valley Bank and Apollo Global Mgmt (which also owns Academi/Blackwater…Eric Prince, Betsy & Dick DeVoss, who own Spectrum Health, which received “pings” from Alpha Bank. Remember how Eric Prince got caught meeting with Kirill Dmitriev (Gazprom Bank and RDIF) in the Seychelles? Meanwhile, back in Manhattan, Schwartzman-Blackstone and Leon Black of Apollo were on the board of the RDIF (Russian Direct Investment Fund), parent company of Vnesheconombank. Jared Kushner met with Sergey Gorkov, CEO of Vnesheconombank, even though it was on the sanction list. On and on and on…and if little ol’ Me knows about this Tip of the Iceberg, WTF is the FBI, who most certainly have a bigger picture??????????
WTF is right.
Wow Dawna. You should make friends with Greg Olear, both of you have a mountain of information.
https://gregolear.substack.com/p/what-we-talk-about-when-we-talk-about
Metastasizing like cancer throughout the human body
OMGosh. Tour de force. Amazing post!
That is exactly my belief. But pretty much most of the collective Intelligence in our country not just the FBI.
Oh glory, build more prisons, or empty the pot guilty and fill it back up.
Sophie, I think that is what's upsetting to me the most. We have a long history, as a country, of kicking all the unpleasant cans down the road, or ignoring the toxicity in our society until it reaches critical mass and it can't be ignored any longer. At that point, we become a powderkeg. Like now. Today, we are faced with a bunch of people who have gotten away with any number of crimes for decades. Some of their fathers, grandfather's and beyond did as well...the legacy of familial corruption is staggering. All of these players have been able to bribe an official, give someone a condo, pay tuition, etc. They have embedded themselves in our politics, judiciary, government and entertainment. They dictate healthcare protocols, voting rights, civil rights, women's rights, education, environmental policy and everything else under the sun. They hold their so called god aloft as justification for their abhorrent behaviors. We know it. We see it. We hear it. And we haven't been able to do a damned thing about it on a permanent basis for more than a decade or two at a time. Ever.
Any of us who read, watch and listen to Heather have heard over and over again what happened to the indigenous Americans, what precipitated the civil war, what happened during reconstruction, what happened in the west, what happened during the crash and dust bowl, Jim Crow, after WWII, the Civil Rights Era, and on and on and on. But what of those who won't listen to the messages about our history and the consequences that she delivers in a no frills, easy to understand manner?
I absolutely respect Heather, her scholarship and her willingness to speak to the root causes of the issues we face and that have become business as usual in our country. I respect any person who takes the truth about our shortcomings and acts upon them with the goal of making a difference. Beyond that, I have no idea what is going to curtail the red tide that is suffocating the United States. Clearly tens of millions are not bothered enough to care.
Rant over.
I think it IS because the antics are so in your face and outrageous. I don't know how they can call themselves Americans either. It's beyond both belief and comprehension.
And I thought I couldn’t be shocked anymore after W/Dickie.
Cyrus Vance and Robert Mueller may have dropped the ball - on Trump Org. and Bayrock money laundering through Trump SoHo - but NY State AG Letitia James is running with it.
https://www.npr.org/2017/11/07/560849787/trump-soho-a-shiny-hotel-wrapped-in-glass-but-hiding-mysteries
https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/federal-judge-advances-lawsuit-accusing-felix-sater-of-laundering-loot-through-trump-properties/
Dirty money: Trump and the Kazakh connection. Financial Times probe finds evidence a Trump venture has links to alleged laundering network.
https://www.ft.com/content/33285dfa-9231-11e6-8df8-d3778b55a923
The Trumps helped build a hotel in Azerbaijan that appears to be a corrupt operation engineered by oligarchs tied to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/03/13/donald-trumps-worst-deal
Yup, Letisha James is rockin’ it, lin!
(“LawandCrime.com”? Eeew)
An unknown source, a lazy grab. ThankYou for calling me out on it. I needed that. My apologies to the community, am usually more careful.
lin you’re great 🏆🏆
Aren't you a gentleone ...
Why did Cy Vance drop it? He is retiring isn’t he? Mueller was prevented from going into finances, as I understood it.
L. James must have a stronger case than Vance? Or he uncovered more state law crimes and passed to her? Or he has, or is worried about future Justice Dept interference if power changes parties? NY State would have better/safer jusidiction?
https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/why-didnt-manhattan-da-cyrus-vance-prosecute-the-trumps-or-harvey-weinstein
I'm shocked, shocked I say. Why it almost sounds like a, ah, criminal syndicate. /snark
Haha, Putin’s puppet of course
Show us those tax returns! Supernatural Deutsche bank records. :)
Subpoena ( darn spell checker oops!)
No, supernatural works.
For the former guy to get those loans approved, after 3 bankruptcies and not paying contractors....the loans had to be underwritten by Supernatural powers or was divine intervention right? ha ha :)
Subpoena the Commercial Real Estate Appraisers. Analyze the sales of Drumf Properties AFTER he won the R nomination. Why were sooo many of his properties sold to Dark LLC's at higher than appraised market comparables?
If the US is serious about stopping Putin from money laundering and donating a portion of that dark money to campaigns (100's of millions!?!?!?!) , then stop participating in it and make it illegal to do so. Sorry big city Commercial Real Estate brokers, your game is up.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/04/magazine/deutsche-bank-trump.html
https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/donald-trumps-financial-troubles-may-be-just-beginning
https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-fincen-files-shed-new-light-on-a-scandalous-episode-at-deutsche-bank
Trump actually made money for the Deutsche bank operatives who worked with him.
Leaves a very bitter after-taste, Eh!?
There was an interesting tv show when I was living in NY, even before tfg ran for President, I believe. It focused on his real estate dealings and not in the best light. What I remember is a NY real estate dealer saying that for some reason, tfg loved the spotlight. He and his fellow real estate dealers in NYC, he said, preferred to keep a very low profile. Either this man or the show reported that compared to others in the city, tfg’s business was actually rather small. Given that it seems a lot of money laundering goes on through high stakes real estate, it figures others would know to keep a low profile but the guy on the tip of your tongue would be incapable of it.
Exactly. The desire for the spotlight (his ego) is why the Russian Agencies targeted him early. Back in the 1980s. When you are truly successful you are too busy for the PR nonsense, everything is already sold or in high demand, so you don't really need to blow your own horn when the substance is real.
When you are desperate, you crave any PR good or bad, any press is good. When you are doing shady business deals, you don't want any profile, you want things hush hush. Once you take their money, there is no way out other than a jail cell or grave or witness protection, ...or the Presidency. Oh dear.
And also to do with something that sounds like a precious jewel that is a girl's best friend.
Yes, something to do with running after...
There is a downside to being old and having a good memory - and living through a time when America was the biggest bully on the world stage. The Reagan/Bush/Chaney years made me ashamed of what we had become. Then came the biggest bully of all. Now, Dickie is a champion of democracy. NO fictional version could come close to the insanity of reality. Chops to the Biden people trying to make sense of this jigsaw Challenge.
Ezra Klein has a must-read over at the Times, about getting involved, rather than engaging in "political hobbyism".
"Real political work... is the intentional, strategic accumulation of power in service of a defined end. It is action in service of change, not information in service of outrage."
It's not an implied criticism of anyone, just a little kick in the pants for me to get off the computer and back to the real work of organizing, and showing up on the local level.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/09/opinion/trump-bannon-trumpism-democracy.html
Yes, Kara, I saw that article. I am just about to join my local Library's Board since some folks have put pressure on it of late around some books on their shelves. Having read Farenheit 451 long, long ago.....that got my attention as a long, long time fan of libraries. Also, Common Cause found my email somehow.......so........am manning the the phone banks.
Over the next year I plan to run for my local school board where meetings have mostly been out of control for 8 months now.
As pointed out in Klein's essay, which, is true, real power is local. (I am not sure that exact sentence is there, but, that was my takeaway).
More power to you, Mike! Run For Something offers support for campaigning:
https://runforsomething.net/
OK. I will take a look. Thanks for the push!
Also FYI a group of HCR Substackers has formed to turn good talk here into good action in support of democracy. Email:
heathersherd@gmail.com
Bravo, Mike!
Way to go, Mike! May the wind be at your back.
Farenheit 451 also influenced me as a youth. I think it is a must read for every student - actually, everyone. And then there was the 1966 film with Oskar Werner and (sigh) Julie Christie.... I left the theater spellbound.
When you do run, Mike, please set up a GoFundMe and let the community here know. Even running for school board requires campaign signs and materials (at least in my SW Chgo suburb) and I (and I am sure others here as well) could toss in a few bucks for you.
I'll donate.
Those monthly donations begin to add up in a very short period of time...after full disclosure is fact checked...thereby assuring every precious hard earned penny is effectively returning America to a country "...of the people by the people for the people..."
I like Mike Well it was Eisenhowers I like Ike but I like “I like mike” That’s a lot of liking. Good on you Mike!
Excellent! I served on our library board. Our campaign slogan was "Vote for the top six!" - in order to kick the disruptive Mr. Z.. off the Board. Sent postcards to every registered voter. It worked! It's such an important and influential place to be. I, too, like "I Like Mike!" Just make sure there's not a disruptive tRumper Mike running, too!
Excellent!!!
We need good information, but as Klein writes, we can't get bogged down because Steven Bannon and the Republicans are not. They are building from the local level to go up.
Steve B must have read how Prohibition was passed against the wishes of the majority
Yup, perfect comparison. Wayne Wheeler, the principal key figure in prohibition movement. It is absolutely jaw-dropping how one human could have so much influence on politicians in BOTH parties. Even after it became so blatantly evident that the law was out of step with the citizens wishes AND actually causing more harm than good (e.g. birth of the Mafia), politicians continued following Wheeler’s extreme lobbying message. Unfathomable.
Steven Bannon is an evil clown. His broadcasts are pure poison dripping daily into the body politic. Isn’t there any way to shut him up?
Do you mean like the Epstein event...
Epstein’s evil was more private and focused on his own depravity. Bannon’s is a very public effort to turn Americans against their own country.
In the 11th hour of his term in office, outgoing President Trump handed out 144 pardons and sentence commutations in a chaotic flurry of activity. Trump successfully assembled his band of seditious operatives, including Manafort, Flynn, Stone, Bannon, to name a few, in exchange for their loyalty. How is this not being invested as a clear example of corruption and an abuse of executive power?
Indeed. They were the bulk of one of the Willard hotel “war rooms”. This is an amazing post with expert weaving of threads. Thank you Dr. Richardson.
It's breathtaking, isn't it!
IT IS
Maybe it is...we just don't know about it.
Yet.
🙏
It’s this the epitome of a criminal conspiracy?
HCR indicated in the Letter today that two big stories this week, our diplomatic meetings with Russia and passage of voting rights legislation in America are related, and that's because both represent gigantic efforts on behalf of democracy. 'And our democracy remains unstable.' (Letter) Could that line underestimate how dangerously close the country is to the tipping point? Seeing access to the vote and the election systems of many states torn apart are appalling examples of a fragmented America, but even that doesn't provide a full picture.
While Omicron infests the nation, governors fight public health protocols and Americans cruise the streets, shops and restaurants without wearing facemasks and the schools open and close with little advance notice. 'Fueled by gun violence, cities across the US are breaking all-time homicide records this year' (CNN) and polls show that roughly two-thirds of Republicans still believe Trump’s big lie about Biden’s election.
'With the Build Back Better Act stalled in the Senate, the White House has recently shifted its focus to voting rights legislation. President Biden and Vice President Harris are expected to travel to Georgia later this week to promote the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Freedom to Vote Act.' (Washington Post) Do the Democrats appear to have made a rather late start with their national voting rights campaign ?
'Manchin delivers blow to Democrats as he signals opposition to changing Senate rules to advance voting bill' '... the pivotal Senate swing vote, made clear on Tuesday that he remains deeply skeptical of overhauling the chamber's rules on a simple majority basis to advance voting legislation, a clear sign that a frantic push by Democrats to win his support to change the filibuster and pass one of the party's core priorities is likely doomed.' (CNN)
House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) lambasted Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) on Sunday for saying a vote on changing voting rights laws must be bipartisan.
Appearing on "Fox News Sunday," Clyburn told Fox News anchor Bret Baier that's Manchin's suggestion of requiring bipartisan support for voting tights caused him "pain."
“I am, as you know, a Black person, descended of people who were given the vote by the 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution. The 15th Amendment was not a bipartisan vote. It was a single-party vote that gave Black people the right to vote," Clyburn told Baier.
"Manchin and others need to stop saying that because that gives me great pain for somebody to imply that the 15th Amendment of the United States Constitution is not legitimate because it did not have bipartisan buy-in," he added.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) urged the Senate to pass the Freedom to Vote Act, which Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) will push in the next two weeks. “What the Republicans are doing across the country is really a legislative continuation of what they did on January 6, which is to undermine our democracy, to undermine the integrity of our elections, to undermine the voting power, which is the essence of a democracy,” she said. There also appear to be several Democrats blocking the way as dissension trumps agreement.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/04/politics/manchin-filibuster-change-voting-legislation/index.html
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/588924-clyburn-knocks-manchin-for-arguing-voting-rights-vote-must-be-bipartisan
"Manchin and others need to stop saying that (single party voted legislation is not valid) because that gives me great pain for somebody to imply that the 15th Amendment of the United States Constitution is not legitimate because it did not have bipartisan buy-in,"
Great quote Fern. Lots of FDR's stuff including the Glass Steagall Act was either single party or nearly so.
Unfotunately for all of us, Pubs proposed the Glass Steagall Act repeal in the late 90's and Clinton signed the legislation making it one of the single largest bi-partisan blunders in history.....leading to the legalization of banking "derivatives" in 2001.
Just because it is "bi-partisan" does not mean it is the right thing to do.
The five Supreme Court Justices who voted to gut the Voting Rights Act were Roberts, Scalia, Kennedy, Thomas, and Alito. Does this group sound bi-partisan to anyone?
Picked for the purpose
Yes, indeed.
Alito is an unfortunate name at the best of times. Look up "alito cattivo" in Italian.
I LOVE this.........bad breath😖
Justice Bad Breath. Has a certain ring to it.
"Just because it is "bi-partisan" does not mean it is the right thing to do."
...and just because it is not bi-partisan does not mean it is the wrong thing to do.
If only we lived in a “do the right thing” political climate today!
Manchin enjoys his run as “the most powerful man in the world.” He is just Nero watching Rome burn. I hope I live long enough to see him become irrelevant. Will donate all I can to that cause.
Outstanding summary, Fern.
It will take a John Le Carré plot twist for this late push on behalf of voting rights to bear fruit. It’s dead and buried. Senate Majority Leader Manchin has the barest fig leaf of “principled” cover for refusing the abolition of the filibuster or even carve outs to it. Barring the LeCarre twist - the emergence of 10 or so Republicans, blinking in the sunlight after hiding in the darkness of their dens for so long - it’s over. All that remains is the noise and tumult that this week will bring. This banging of pots and pans will serve no practical purpose now. The best hope is that it creates a tsunami of urgency that digs every possible Democratic voter out of every crack in time for the next election.
I have been long amazed and angered at the timorousness of the governing party to bring this forward. The “summer of action” was an honest impetus to Biden and Co. to get the legislation moving. Good people were ignored by a government trying to pass legislation on infrastructure.
In the meantime the Republicans have skipped nimbly ahead, bringing out the heavy artillery of legislative power to oversee elections. So even were the bills to pass now, they would be decently corrective but in some sense, antiquated.
I do not however leap to conclude that losing the midterms is a foregone conclusion. People’s comments above indicate that there may be a groundswell of activism around these elections. The results of the redistribution of seats have been analyzed and found not to torpedo Democratic opportunity. And Trump’s endorsement power is creating Frankenstein candidates who amplify him so much that they well be intolerable to a majority of voters. The stench they create would then redound upon Trump who would cement his status as a loser.
One can (must) hope. Just not this week. Unless there is another plot twist in the making. All of America politically is playing by Manchin rules. I don’t see him creating a surprise happy ending. When was the last time a single Senator has had, and wielded, so much power?
Maserati Manchin is a filthy, FILTHY coal advocate who, like McConnell, makes his fortune at the expense of the people he claims to represent. Period.
He is one I will donate to replace with humans til my well runs dry.
As HCR writes, "And our democracy remains unstable," the time is now for each of us to do our part as citizens to push the Senate to support the cornerstone of democracy by passing voting rights legislation. It's time to make a big push this week ahead of the Senate vote by January 17 (MLK Day, as promised by Schumer) on the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021 and/or Manchin's Freedom to Vote Act.
For the most effective ways for us to take an action through an organization, click any of these:
https://www.vote.org/action/?emci=f259ff4b-78b9-eb11-a7ad-501ac57ba3ed&emdi=95f35617-2cba-eb11-a7ad-501ac57b8fa7&ceid=13982010
https://represent.us/
https://www.mobilize.us/
https://demcast.com/
https://dfadcoalition.org/
https://chopwoodcarrywaterdailyactions.substack.com/
As Ezra Klein writes, "Real political work is...action in service of change, not information in service of outrage."
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/09/opinion/trump-bannon-trumpism-democracy.html?referringSource=articleShare
The John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Freedom to Vote Act, both essential to the preservation of democracy in the United States (and the continuing of Democratic majorities in Congress) will not become law unless and until the Senate filibuster is eliminated or its rules changed. But even if that happens, the SCOTUS can upset the applecart as they did in 2013 when their Shelby vs. Holder decision weakened the 1965 Voting Act. So, even such progressive legislation really is not the final answer. Reform must dig deeper. And wondering what to do about the defeated former president and his supporters is, right now, distracting energy and resources from that crucial issue of voters' rights.
Thank you for the links!
Thanks for the list. I had my comment already cued up when I read this. :)
Ellie, My one concern was your “and/or” insert with respect to these two companion voter protection bills. As we follow developments leading to Schumer’s scheduled vote on the filibuster by January 17th, I urge everyone be clear that VRAA, though important because it reinstates pre clearance, is not preemptive and therefore cannot overturn state voter suppression and nullification legislation that already has passed. Conversely the Freedom to Vote Act that Manchin helped draft, whose provisions provide the necessary safeguards against both voter suppression and election subversion, would supersede state law in conflict with any of its stipulations. To clarify, though both pieces of legislation matter, only the Freedom to Vote Act can reverse the anti-democracy legislation that GOP controlled state legislatures already unilaterally have passed.
FYI a group of LFAA Substackers has formed to turn good talk here into good action, including to push for passage of voting protection bills. For more info, you can email:
heathersherd@gmail.com
Ellie, Thank you. I will email my expressed interest this afternoon.
Good point--thank you for clarifying the differing impact of these two bills.
"And our democracy remains unstable."
And that is precisely the will of Putin, the puppeteer, and his wooden trumpster dumpsters!
Very relevant and important; however, Gorbachev did not "step down"... he was ousted. It was a coup, and it was a coup that set the stage for the Russia that emerged. I believe Gorbachev would have been the best situated for joining Russia with the modern democratic world.
Yes. After touring the West, he recognized that communism wasn't working. He realized that lives in the West were better than the lives of those living under communism.
Agreed. He was a decent man.
And our arrogance led to his ouster, in my opinion.
Not to put too fine a point on it, the US and our allies could turn Russia into a third-world nation without firing a shot. The question is whether we have the resolve. And we can protect democracy here at home, if we can muster the resolve. That’s not just a matter for Biden, Schumer, Pelosi, et als. We can all play a part. And we must.
Jon I would be delighted if we ‘could turn Russia into a third-world nation without firing a shot.’ We could expel Russia from SWIFT (an international financial clearinghouse) and ratchet up economic sanctions. However, the past record of the effectiveness of economic sanctions I don’t find encouraging. There is a lot of ‘leakage’ in the sanctions net. Iran, for example, has been shipping oil to China and elsewhere, despite ‘tough sanctions.’ Russian money has been flowing into America, including Trump properties, despite sanctions.
We could cause further economic unpleasantness in Russia with draconian sanctions (would NATO allies agree?), but this would probably not deter Putin’s top-of-the-pile politics.
SWIFT is the thermonuclear weapon of sanctions and economic warfare. Throw Russia out and it becomes like Iran and North Korea. And they are not superpowers, even with nuclear weapons.
diana from sf: the last German king (Kaiser) abdicated the throne in 1918. The Treaty of Versailles gave Germany a raw deal, laying blame only on Germany whereas all of the participants were, to greater or lesser degrees, responsible for the war. Colonial greed was at stake. So Germany was economically brutalized, leaving the nation impoverished. The ensuing misery and anger made fertile ground for Hitler, who gave the people target for their misery: the Jewish people along with other "undesirables" such as homosexuals, the Roma, mentally and physically compromised, socialists, etc. etc.
You are correct in regard to the similarity between Trump and Hitler, in that both were/are mentally unstable with delusions of grandeur. They both know/knew how to manipulate the anger of those who felt disenfranchised.
To mix metaphors, the sweep of history catches the low-hanging fruits when the equally-guilty get to hold the broom handle.
Having gotten to know a number of very interesting Ukrainians though a hobby I love in which the companies they have created are producing the things that are the "bleeding edge" of the hobby, I have discovered a whole lot of "model geeks" just like myself. There's a lot of very interesting things going on in that country - besides the stuff that involves me - and we really need to prevent that Stalinoid pig Vladimir Putin from going in and wrecking all of that.
The Ukraine Fallacies:
Americans are confused about the history of Ukraine. That’s just how Russia wants it.
https://gregolear.substack.com/p/the-ukraine-fallacies-with-victor
"Practically, what this means is that Putin has no more right to the Crimea than Germany has to the Sudetenland, or to Bohemia-Moravia. Russia’s occupation of Ukraine’s sovereign territory in the Crimea is no different, fundamentally, than Nazi Germany annexing Austria. That the West allowed this naked conquest to happen is shameful."
An absolutely GREAT read Roland.
"That the West allowed this naked conquest to happen is shameful"
I remember the invasion. At that time, we had much of our Army in Afghanistan still focussed on killing brown people for profit.
We did nothing. Almost no comments at all. But, that is mostly because the military contractors were ALREADY fat and happy.
Ike told us
There’s a reason I subscribe to Greg. 🏆🏆🏆🏆
Thank you for posting the link. It is sheer insanity to allow the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to go forward.
Agree. Personally I wonder what the hell the Europeans have been smoking. Then again, DJT and practically every Republican member of the House is kissing Putin’s ring these days.
When Russia’s leader is not acting like a Stalin, Mussolini, or ersatz Hitler, THEN that pipeline makes sense.
Yes. But not acting like some dictator would be an aberration, based on Russia's history. So it's not a good idea, period.
You’ll get no argument from me diana
This was a real eye opener for me today Roland. I’ve forwarded it widely. Thank you.
Me, too. Although facebook is still not allowing me to comment on anything political (46 hours left of my 30 day grounding) since I reposted a superb source from an HCR reader about Goebbles & Hitler.
Love you Mary Pat. I suggest telling Zuck to f*ck off.
Love you Christine!!! I would but I'd probably get grounded for 60 days!
What?????? you can't post anything political? I don't know what you posted but the comparison with Goebbles and Hitler is appropriate to today's situation.
Fuhrer Zuckerberg doesn't agree.
Facebook saw it as an instruction manual.
That's not fair - it's just a rigid algorithm.
Comparing our situation right now to Nazi Germany is absolutely apropos and timely. Hitler is FDR and Trump and Putin rolled into one. Goebbels is comparable to Bannon or Stephen Miller or Eastman or any number of people in that sewage tank.
Oh.
Aircraft models? WWII models? Post a link so we can look at it.
Very sorry to repost. I will slow down tomorrow This is about contacting our Yound Democrat organization in every state.
Today I used this web site to contact both the College Democrats of North Carolina and North Carolina Association of Teen Democrats: https://ydnc.org/#contact
I wrote the following:
"I am so grateful for this context and sourced news--a daily blog about the history behind today's politics, Letters from an American, by Heather Cox Richardson, an American historian and professor of history at Boston College. https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com
I am sharing it with legislators (at every level), news outlets, and professors of political science and history in NC.
I would love for your organization to let your peers know about it.
She also has a podcast: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/s/now-and-then and is on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson Instagram https://www.instagram.com/heathercoxrichardson/?hl=en and Twitter https://twitter.com/HC_Richardson?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
Many Americans are being turned off by the repetitive bad news regarding America’s current events. Historical insights given daily by Dr. Richardson can be starters for engaging in a productive and hopeful discourse with those in your organizations…and yes, your friends and families.
Will you get the word out, please?"
And will you, on this blog, please help get the word out to Young Democrats in your state? We've got to mobilize. I'm over 80 and am finding ways that I can "work" from a place in my home; it is these young young people who will have the energy to make person-to person contacts in the 2022 election! Dr. Richardson's blog is a great tool.
A very worthwhile effort, Barbara. I'll try to follow your lead in this.
Hurrah! (From another octogenarian who wonders what I can do since becoming rather immobile.)
Thank you Barbara!
May we now talk about all the irreparable damage Ronnie Ray-gun caused in his 8 years of alternating between sleeping 14 hours a day and trying to destroy the global economy? It isn't just the deregulation of the financial sector, which has made the USA one of the biggest loci for money laundering in the world. It's the deregulation of the insurance industry, making it possible for health insurance companies to be beholden to their investors instead of to the people who are dependent on insurance in order to pay for health care. It's the deliberate expansion of Nixon's Southern Strategy to ramp up all the bigotry and forms of oppression possible in order to turn what had been a reasonably legitimate and diverse political party into a bunch of white supremacist, misogynist Death Eaters. It's the destruction of public education (including higher education) by economic starvation that was perpetrated in order to wreck the relationship between the intellectual and scholarly community and the centers of government and to promote not only the celebration of ignorance and conformity that Ronnie and his ilk depended on, but also to demonize those for whom education, understanding, and critical thinking are watchwords. I could go on.
The ills we face today were invented by a "Republican" Party that decided that power was the only thing worth fighting for, after the disasters of the Nixon takedown tarred them with the brush of amorality and criminality. And they have pursued this goal relentlessly ever since. For most of my life I have watched this slow-moving avalanche happening while others looked the other way or twiddled their thumbs or engaged in ineffective handkerchief waving and woe-is-meism. The US has reaped what it sowed.
Well said, Linda.
If Trump wasn’t the head of a criminal conspiracy to stop Congress from declaring Biden president, then who was?
The Koch Conspiracy. Want to help diminish their power? Boycott Koch's Invista, Georgia-Pacific, Molex, Flint Hills Resources, Koch Pipeline, Koch Fertilizer, Koch Minerals, Matador Cattle Company, i360, and Guardian Industries. The firm employs 120,000 people in 60 countries, with about half of its business in the United States.
The KKKoch suckers own everything, right down to toilet paper. The single best way to get rid of them is to REPEAL CITIZENS UNITED.
ANTIFA (just kidding). My guess someone in the Trump cabal will try to blame their whole mess on... anyone, anyone but one of them.
But weren't they just tourists? that's what I heard.
Oh darn, I forgot that....We all know that Trump was behind all of this. Who orchestrated the details? This would probably be Bannon or some other Trumpian henchman.
Roger Stone and Steve Bannon
Charles Koch and his cabal of billionaires. Read “Dark Money” by Jane Mayer.
That's why I keep asking where Farage is at the moment.
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Farage+Trump+Interview&&view=detail&mid=2CC771E62BA9FFFDFA382CC771E62BA9FFFDFA38&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=%2Fvideos%2Fsearch%3Fq%3DFarage%2BTrump%2BInterview%26FORM%3DVDMHRS
What could be added to the script of bizarre actions is the poisoning of then Ukrainian leader Alexandr Yuschenko almost certainly by Putin. And then the harassment and arrest of Yulia Tymeshenko leader of the opposition by the stooge put in power by Putin whom Manafort was working for. Gives a fairly clear idea of where the GOP under TFG would like to take America.
And he will, Ginni Thomas has the enemies list ready
In any normal political era, a minor congressional representative like Jim Jordan would be known, hopefully for only 15 minutes, for howling at the wind. But in the current climate, an insignificant gnat like him can suck up to a narcissistic would-be despot, receive his blessings, and feel empowered to flaunt all conventions, lie with impunity, and thumb his nose at the law. Jordan is the embodiment of decaying democracy.
Debaucherous Gym Jordan...