Yesterday, news broke that, under pressure from Republican leaders, Republican-dominated Tennessee will no longer conduct vaccine outreach for minors. Only 38% of people in Tennessee are vaccinated, and yet the state Department of Health will no longer reach out to urge minors to get vaccinated.
Question for members of the Tennessee state legislature;
Have you ever had polio? No? Why do you suppose that is?
When I was a kid in the 50's we ALL got the Salk vaccine and a little later the boostershot.
Later on, we ALL took the Sabin oral polio vaccine on a sugar cube. (Much later on I would take some of Dr. Timothy Leary's medicine on a sugar cube, but that's another story.)
Nobody complained, nobody refused, and nobody gets polio any more.
This is insane. The Republican Party is descending into collective madness, and they are doing all they can to take the rest of us with them.
I was very young when the first polio vaccine came out and the needle was very long! There was no debate, my brothers and I got the shots as did everyone else. And, then we all lined up in school to receive the sugar cube (which, in hindsight was a bit ironic years later for the Boomer generation 😆) and then the oral version in a little cup. There was no debate, no discussion. Everyone’s parents were ecstatic that there was a vaccine. It was a miracle. Polio did not actually kill that many people but the disabling and crippling impact was devastating and it was more prevalent among children, hence the urgency.
Covid is a real killer that can also have some disturbing long term debilitating impacts. We have a safe, highly effective available vaccine developed in record time. That there are people who continue to refuse to get vaccinated is just crazy; that there are political “policies” to advocate against the vaccine is criminal. Cultists never believe their “leaders” are out to kill them. It is pitiful.
My husband had polio and was hospitalized as an 18 month old for six months. This was before the Salk vaccine in the mid-1940s. As soon as possible he was given the polio vaccine even though he had had polio. Our three sons and their families all ran as fast as they could to get the Covid vaccine. People are nuts today. Politics should have nothing to do with this.
Your comment inspired me to think that perhaps we are witnessing a collective natural selection process by those apparently willing to embrace a debilitating, possibly fatal, disease.
I have patients who are not angry and hateful but rather kind and sincerely confused. When Fox News is on all around them their entire lives they simply do not know what to think. I wish there was a class action lawsuit against Fox for the suffering they have perpetuated
Certainly the families of the deceased would have cause. I’m guessing there would be plenty of health providers who could testify to the very real confusion and fear they are seeing from their patients re getting or not getting vaccinated
Not Fox News but Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham personally. Fox has deeeep pockets. Thought Carlson and Ingraham aren't poor I think the threat of a multi-BILLION dollar civil suit might make them not just back down but admit they're wrong and get vaccinated on air. That latter part is a bit of a fantasy as I'd bet my mortgage payment that they're both fully vaccinated, as are their family members.
What do you think of #45’s strategy of filing a lawsuit just for the publicity it gains. I think it is a meaningful statement for activists to quote broadly when Sydney Powell said “No reasonable person would conclude that the statements were truly statements of fact” when sued for defamation by Dominion. Also the long list of lawsuits might be helpful for anyone with the skills and resources to look into it? https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/coronavirus/a-complete-guide-to-the-coronavirus-outbreak-legal-issues/
I have thought that too. The people I feel for are the frontline workers who have just not gotten a break. I would not blame them for up and leaving their jobs.
Far too many of them have died and many have quit. There are many jobs in health care that don't involve treating or caring for patients who believe Tucker and Laura instead of Dr. Fauci.
As a scientist friend once said "a pandemic is evolution;s IQ test. The question is "Are you intelligent enough to take this information and modify your behavior so as to maximize your chances of survival? - It's pass/fail." I'm fine with the "fail" being they Make America Great Again. Permanently.
Years ago I attended a lecture given by Herbert Marcuse in which he posited that human kind was in thrall to Thanatos - the Death Wish. That was in the context of global wars. I wonder what he'd say about the lemmings in the Republican Party who are jumping to their deaths by their willful ignorance.
Hitler, by sending the German people to war, killed about 5 million German citizens (even aside from concentration camp victims). So sending your followers into a pointless, self-destructive course of action is perfectly normal in "hot" war.
Not exactly. After all, we don't imagine an American death wish in connection with WW1 or WW2, yet many Americans died. I think this is just another case of generals sending their troops into a battle in which the odds for their survival are poor. What is the battle in this case? Trump's fight against Joe Biden's success, which depends on deploying more vaccines and suppressing Covid.
No kidding! I do remember digging in my feet and my mother having to drag me in all the while telling me this was for my own good! 😂. I outgrew the needle phobia and am now very brave! 😉. However, I never got over the dentist drilling cavities without novocaine!
I saw a cartoon the other day: "Mommy, what's that scar on your arm?" "That is my smallpox vaccine." "Why don't I have one?" "Because no one gets smallpox anymore."
I went to Europe for the first time in 1969. Before heading overseas, I had to get a bunch of vaccine updates, including ANOTHER smallpox vaccine (mine went hot, so clearly the first one hadn't taken), diphtheria, and typhoid. Because Europe was still dealing with such outbreaks--because Europeans were vaccine averse (the French still are totally stupid about this).
The very interesting early 18th-century diarist and travel writer Lady Mary Wortley Montagu was married to the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire. In Constantinople (as it was then called and I admit what I still call it) she observed that women in the Ottoman harem were having their physicians (this is in the 1820s, folks!!) infect the children with cow pox in very small doses by scratching their arms with needles on which the cow pox had been introduced. She decided to have her own children treated. And experienced a storm of controversy. But her kids did not get smallpox at a time when it was absolutely rampant in Britain and Europe. QED.
I just have to share this parallel story for all who have not yet enjoyed Ibram X. Kendi's rich history: "Stamped from the Beginning". He mentions, (p. 71-72) an early reference to the idea of inoculation as the populations in Boston and elsewhere were being decimated by small pox. According to Kendi, the standard question in Boston households that was asked of all new African slaves coming into their household was "Have you ever had small pox?". Around 1706, Cotton Mather recorded, in his copious diaries, a notable answer from a slave known as Onesimus: "Yes and no." He then learned that for "hundreds of years" Africans had long used a rudimentary form of inoculation against disease, scratching a bit of pus from an infected patient into the skin of a heathy individual. This was long rejected as "too primitive" for the modern European medicine of the time. As small pox decimated the Boston population, Cotton Mather investigated Onesimus' reported practice and around 1721, he presented his research to the medical community. Only one physician, Zabadial Boylston responded, announcing that he had successfully inoculated his son and two slaves. According to Kendi, the medical community was "horrified" and one physician, Dr. William Douglas, concocted a conspiracy theory that it was a grand plot concocted by the African people to kill their masters by convincing them to be inoculated. And the stories go on from there......
The older we get....the more things stay the same.....
That same history of vaccination is told by Charles Eastman, MD, Lakota, in his book "From the Deep Woods to Civilization." 1916, Eastman's father encouraged his son to embrace the white man's education and religion (Christian), feeling that, in general, it was "superior" to their own, a rarely heard sentiment in our day -- and probably not PC to voice.
And excuse the typo in my post. Lady Mary was in Anatolia in the 1720s. Yep. I have chemo brain in the mornings. It was an uncomfortable summer while the smallpox vaccine spot healed and I have 2 scars as a result.
I can certainly sympathize - my son had cancer of one tonsil - had surgery, chemo & radiation - lost 50 pounds - tube in stomach (which just did not work for him) & did come out the other side - then was diagnosed with Lyme Disease! Went thru that treatment. Was a rough few years, but hes doing well now. I hope the same for you (end result that is). Really enjoy your comments - always learn something from them!!
I wish I had turned into a skinny b#$&h! That was supposed to be my silver lining. 😂 I’m so glad your son is doing well. Each one of these stories anchors me more firmly to my hope, and I hope does the same for Linda.
He also lost most of his hair - he was 51 at the time - It was really scary. At the time of the diagnosis - he also quit smoking! So there was a bit of a silver lining.
remember as a child in St. Louis in the 1950s all the other kids had little circular sores on their arms from smallpox vaccination. I can’t find one on my own arm, but I’m sure I was vaccinated (as well as getting the sugar cube for polio in school). Then I went into the military in 1963 and tho IDK what they jet-injected us with, smallpox vaccine was still likely as we could be sent anywhere in the world. Then in 1975 to travel overland to India, I actually got my International Vaccination Certificate card and got another smallpox shot (as well as yellow fever, cholera and typhoid). While working in a free clinic in rural India, I saw a young man with pockmark scars on his skin. That was the last year of any cases in India and smallpox was officially declared eradicated by 1980.
As a Tennessean, I can say definitively the Repubs of this state are batshit crazy. The disquisitions on CRT, the constant attempts to outlaw abortion through outrageous schemes and a governor who’s a “born again” Christian, it certainly screams loud and clear their care for fellow humans is nil. As every repug legislator in the country tries to out-outrage each other, we might as well settle in to watch the clown show ramp up. No vaccines for kids, including flu shots, shows you how much the TN legislature cares for its citizens.
Linda, You're on to something! Jamie Wheal, author of "Recapture the Rapture", which I'm now reading, quotes Nietzsche as saying "There was only one Christian, and He died on the cross." I'm inclined to agree with him. What passes for Christian doctrine now is right out of the Old Testament. An eye for an eye, and all that.
Sandra, you are so right. I hadn't thought of it that way but today's "Christian" is not Christian at all, but Old Testament full on with rules, condemnations, prejudices, and laws that punish those who step out of line.
The danger is that we get inured to the potential devastation of this “clown show”. Each step is but a little progression from the last, and the frequency of them dulls our capacity for outrage. Not to mention our ability to rise up and cry, “Enough!”
I don't know who you are speaking for, who are 'we' to 'get inured to the potential devastation of this 'clown show'? Your description doesn't seem to apply to subscribers here, the people I know or public responses to General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, likening 'Donald Trump’s effort to hold on to power after the 2020 election to Adolf Hitler, saying the president was preaching “the gospel of the Führer” with his lies about the election being stolen, according to a new book by two Washington Post reporters.' (New York Magazine)
Are you writing that each step revealing more information about Trump's anti-democratic actions and aspirations will dull 'our capacity for outrage'? Should there be no more about his acts of bad faith, to say the least?. The investigation of the January 6th insurrection will start soon and more books about Trump are on the way. That is what we do in a Democracy.
Fern, you are taking what I say and building it into your own narrative.
There *are* amazing groups like LFAA.
There *is* outrage in many quarters. And it received a fresh jolt with yesterday’s revelations.
But in any state that went democratic to authoritarian those factors were also present in the passage through. They just were not a majority and were drowned out.
Too many people remained indifferent to the doings of government, were fooled by what the minority was not buying, and/or were overwhelmed with their own personal cares in life.
My point remains the same, although you clearly see me as tainting the energy and will of the group. What is needed *now* is positive action by the government to turn around the momentum, to check the momentum of evildoers and to begin the long and arduous process of putting America back in track.
If the Voting Rights acts get passed and signed into law, this will be a first, a necessary, and a huge check on the Republicans. I pray this happens. It will give me the hope back that I held in many. Many posts I wrote after Biden’s inauguration.
Until then, it’s pointless for you to attack me as a naysayer or to claim that I don’t know things I’m perfectly conversant with. I’m not important. I merely write small opinions in a quality forum.
Eric, There is no contest between positive work on behalf of the American people, which the Biden administration is doing in abundance, v. continuing to report the mounting evidence of Trump's acts against the country and democratic principles. Putting this country together, so that it serves the people and getting to the truth about the damage done by Trump, Dark Money and the Republican Party are both crucial for our future.
According to the IRS, the first payment from the newly expanded child tax credit were sent out today to some 39 million families with about 65 million kids. "This can be life-changing for so many families," Mr. Biden said. He argued the expanded monthly Child Tax Credit has the ability to cut poverty in the way Social Security reduced poverty among the elderly.' (CBS News) The odds favor two very large Infrastructure plans will also be passed. That's positive work on behalf of Americans.
I don't see you tainting our energy and did not make that point. My reply to you was challenging the assumption that the American people learning more about Trump's malfeasance 'dulls our capacity for outrage', in your words. I regret that you felt attacked by our difference of opinion concerning the importance of exposing Trump's horrific acts against our country. My hope is that as the evidence builds against Trump, so will it seep into the consciousness of more Americans.
Fern, your point that the American people need to know more about the authoritarian, fascist government of Donald Trump and his minions than less is what is needed. Americans have trouble dealing with the credit due them to have kept this experiment alive and well since the election of George Washington and the formation of a revolutionary government. From the day that the founding fathers decided to risk their all and begin the way to a better life for the United States Citizens to now is nothing less than a miracle.
Our imperfect government structure with its imperfect supporters for over 200 years continues to stride in the right direction. Let me put it to this group's readers that "outrage" is the least emotion that we need at this time in our history.
Instead I would suggest that we need to think clearly and rationally and discover the real problems while providing the action necessary to protect the Constitution. Many Americans tend to seek solutions before they identify the problem It is a difficult tendency to overcome as rash action is so easy to do.
With the election of Joe Biden and the continued election of the Democrats in the House and Senate a strong move to discovering the problems and solutions will continue.
The freedom to vote is imperative. It is the next giant step forward for all of us.
Fern, with all due respect, I think Eric is right. Because any one of Trump’s misdoings would have resulted in weeks of media commentary had they been done by any other administration. Instead, they all just got lost in a tidal wave of malfeasance. And we all got used to it. Now, hopefully, we are unlearning that response, and our outrage is more productive again. I am thrilled with the work the administration is doing so far, and frustrated with the lack of (visible) progress on voting rights. Here’s hoping my repeated letter writing does some good, finally.
Eric, Thank you for your like. I liked it. Clearly, a number of subscribers here agree with you and cannot get how Trump could still be barking and scheming as a free man. There are, however, still signs, here and there, of his diminished thrust.
'Trump’s popularity with Republicans is really just pretty average. There is little doubt that the intensity among his strongest supporters is high, but this asterisk is overwhelmed by another important caveat. As Gallup notes: “Fewer Americans identify as Republicans or say they are Republican-leaning independents than did so in November 2016, the month Donald Trump was elected president.”
'It may be that Trump is popular among people who identify as Republicans, simply because the Republicans who don’t like him are… no longer Republicans. In others words: Trump’s approval rating in his party climbs because his party is shrinking.' (Daily Beast)
As to the largest stumbling block, it appears the only way to get one or two significant national voting rights bill passed will be 'to amend the U.S. Senate filibuster in order to carve out laws that are directly tied to constitutionally protected rights, including voting.' (Newsweek) The link below is to an article covering Jim Clyburn's advice to Biden on the matter:
I actually partially wrote a reply, got distracted, and whoosh it was gone.
I really appreciated that you pointed out the very positive news of the child tax credits going out starting today. I knew that, but the doomsday feeling in me prevented absorption.
This is a huge step forward. And the fact that 90% of child-rearing Americans get it will reduce the predictable performative blowback of anger that accompanies any help to struggling people. Our two countries have the disease of treating poverty as a question of morality. He doesn’t have any money - ergo he’s lacking in character. I do have money - nothing to see here. The supremely ugly Prosperity Gospel at its nadir.
I needed your reminder. Thank you.
Fewer Republicans and fewer Democrats are registered. 25% each, I read. So a hug ember of (I) voters.
A fitting letter I posit. To me it seems a reflection of the rise (once again ) of Libertarianism as an article of faith to hang on one’s laundry line for all to see.
And I think it may be unimportant. People may *register* (I), but still vote (D) or (R). Just to muddy the waters some more.
As long as millions of Americans have FOX news on 24/7 - the wallpaper of their homes, literally - those same millions continue to be indoctrinated with lies meant to hurt our democracy and control their minds. There is so much to be outraged about, one doesn't know which BS story is more outrageous than the next. We become inured to these outrages. But, clearly, many of the FOX-watching Americans are filled with hate and seemingly can't wait to maim, murder, and punish in the name of their Fuhrer, who is dumb as dirt, unread, lacks insight and intelligence, but remains in his realm powerful, faultless and worshipped. FOX needs to be banned as it is the leader in the indoctrination that is ruining the minds and hearts of millions of Americans. More books may be coming out and published but those who need to read them won't. Let's hope the courts of NY do their job to attach crimes to Trump that he can't get out of...and, will that even work?
I enjoyed how this trace expanded between Eric and Fern. I learned new stuff as you pared. Personally, I would prefer to never hear about TFG, except an obituary in two words: It's Dead. And I also know we have to promote and spread the messages of success from Joe and Kamela. They have redirected the focus back to the Americans who make up America, rather than the plutocrats and oligarchs who seem to be the heros of the opposition. Our progressive penchant for self-critism, while worthy of glorifying in theory, does run the risk in public discourse to be self-defeating through the ears of the unconvinced. Sometimes a hot dog is just a hot dog and we are better off without an autopsy report.
What are the younger people feeling about all of this? Are they buying into the cultists or are they realizing their vote is significant and they must vote these Republicans out of office?
A study from Tufts University found that the youth vote increased by as much as 25% in 2020 when compared to 2016.
“ Our calculations, based on votes counted as of November 18, suggest that 52%-55% of voting-eligible young people, ages 18-29, cast a ballot in the 2020 presidential election. Using the same methodology and data from a week after the election in 2016, we had previously estimated that youth voter turnout in 2016 was 42-44%.”
I don’t know. I do read that kids of fundamentalists are disturbed enough by their parents’ hypocrisy in embracing TFG they are walking away from their religious upbringing.
I was in elementary school in Dallas TX when the Sabin oral polio vaccine was distributed. According to news reports, the city of 900,000 residents at that time achieved a 90% vaccination rate over the course of just two weekends. That could never happen today. Today over 90% of deaths from Covid are people who have not been vaccinated. Republicans are literally willing to die to "own the libs."
In about 5th grade in the 1950s, there was a girl in my class a bit older than the rest, possibly from missing a school year who had an atrophied arm. I suspect that was from polio. We baby boomers who experienced all the “childhood diseases” the hard way also saw the remnants of Smallpox & Polio still active in the world.
Here's an idea: Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Johnson&Johnson, etc. for Democrats, mandatory doses of the good Dr. Leary's medicine for the GOP. Might be a game changer.
I think this is a brilliant plan. Biden should make this announcement: “I have heard from my friends across the aisle that they don’t want or need to be vaccinated. They feel that our vaccination program is intrusive. I am honoring their wishes. From now on, our vaccine programs will not include registered Republicans. We will only seek to vaccinate Democrats and independents.”
I imagine two reactions, both of which would be fun to watch. One, “How dare Biden leave Republicans to get sick and die!” which leads to a reply of, “So, you believe the vaccine is beneficial? That’s not what you’ve been saying.” Or two, stunned silence, leaving them nothing to complain about (vaccine-wise).
"Ted Cruz on acid". Now THERE'S a picture! Seriously, there is a lot of legitimate research being done at Johns Hopkins and other places on psychedelics in treating alcoholism, PTSD, depression and other ills. Check it out.
They aren't just handing out sugar cubes, of course; it's real scientific research, after all! 😎 Micro-dosing in conjunction with therapy/supervision is showing good results.
And this isn't new. It's what Leary and others were attempting to do decades ago. Michael Pollan's How to Change Your Mind gives a good history of this.
Pollan's book led me to some other sources, too. Now I've got his new one, "This is Your Mind on Plants", that I'm anxious to dig into, after I finish "Recapture the Rapture: Rethinking God, Sex. and Death in a World That's Lost Its Mind."
An acquaintance of, in his spiritual quest, did the ayahuasca retreats Pollan wrote about, and had positive results. Obviously not verifiable or quantifiable! Still, anecdotal testimonials are often helpful.
Love, love, love me some Michael Pollan. I've been reading his books for the last 10 years. 'How to Change Your Mind' is amazing and groundbreaking in its scope and breadth.
Christy, he'd probably have to really leave Earth first. Many astronauts had their perspective totally changed by seeing the Earth from space. OTOH, I doubt even that would phase Cruz.
My cousin contracted polio right before vaccine became available. His parents got him vaccinated. He's still here in his mid eighties today to talk about it.
Morning Lynell! A dear friend of mine, now approaching 70, grew up in the rural Midwest. He attended a birthday party for a 2 year old, and of 17 kids at that party, 15 came down with Polio. Research came out many years later that the reason for the Polio epidemic (at least in his corner of the world) came down to city water lines being installed around that time. No longer were the kids receiving homeopathic amounts of Polio from the environment (and probably well water), their water supply had been 'cleaned up' , thus the Polio outbreaks in the 40's.
What, hallucinogens in SMA? Yeah, its the hip, artsy, expat place to be. Never mind the fact that the State of Guanajuato is seeing and explosion of cartel related crime in the last couple of years. And it's too bad because the city of Guanajuato is one of the most vibrant visual and performing arts centers in the world, hosting the month long Cervantino every October.
I have been on every step you mentioned Ralph, and you are right this is insane. Ten years ago when I was a John McCain supporting Republican I would never have thought any of this was possible, now I pray 🙏 that the next several elections so thoroughly defeat the GOP that those with a brain come to their senses and the remnant fringe that remain, go howling off into the darkness where they belong. This nation needs a thorough restructuring to correct the many inequities that have been built in historically, it would be very helpful if we had a functioning 2 party system to help build it, if not we will build it without them. Thank god we have a president that is not insane.
I just thought of John McCain yesterday. What a gentleman. His legislative protocols are an example that is right there for Republicans to commemorate and follow.
I say a prayer every day that more than the few that there are will do so.
Wishful thinking, I’m afraid. Even with my rose colored glasses on, can I see that happening with what is left of this Republican Party. Remember the Lindsay Graham who John McCain called “ friend”?
But I think of retired Republican Sen Jeff Flake who Biden has announced for Ambassador to Turkey. Current Adam Kissinger…young and outspoken. Many retired Republicans who are not in office but important in the party. And they do not have to kiss any ring to keep that influence be cause they do not need former’s endorsement. Nor do they want it.
Dick, I wonder if former Republicans like you talking to current ones could help them see how the party isn’t the party it used to be. Have you spoken to any?
I have tried, I argued until I was blue in the face with my cousin, a man that I was very close to. To my everlasting shame I, like my cousin, voted for the insipid clown that was our president. I knew that we were in deep trouble from the day hestarted lying about the croud size for his inauguration, it was clear that he inspired only a fraction of the people that were motivated to attend Obama's event. I sent him countless, well thought out arguments that were all based on fact like the Jesuits tought me, only to get one or two word replies, or links to some lunatic conspiracy theory. I have been very vocal about my opposition to everything the insipid one stood for, I told him that you are on one side or the other in this, there is no middle ground, I truely believe that we are in a mortal battle for our democracy, I reminded him that Benjamin Franklin never again spoke to his son after he sided with the crown, his last reply to me was that I was no Benjamin Franklin, in that of course he was correct, but I aspire to have even a fraction of the courage and decency of our founders. I have done everything in my power to end that presidency and bring about a new senate. I'm still a member of the Lincoln Project and am proud of what we have done and will continue to do. I think that we have to get past the mid-terms and the next general election with decisive victories before we will have any time to breathe easily. Business relationships that I have had for decades are as strained as those with my cousin, I'm ok with that, maybe down the road they will have an awakening, I did, or maybe not, we might get to have a "what the hell were you thinking?" moment, I hope so. Today I write, it helps keep me sane as well as clearly formulate my thinking, this forum has been a blessing, I'm grateful to be part of this inspiring community, so thank you Marcy for your reply, it gave me food for thought.
Just to say thank you, Dick, for trying to talk with your Republican friends and cousin and for your work with the Lincoln Project. There's definitely something "wrong" with Republicans who refuse to acknowledge that DT is unfit for public office, to say nothing of the office of POTUS! He's unhinged and for them to continue to support him, tells me they are deliberately blind and willfully ignorant for reasons of their own. The best answer is to continue to speak the truth (Lincoln Project) and to get out the votes against his minions and him. Continue to overcome them time and time again in the voting booths. They must be beaten down b/c they will never be persuaded nor concede.
Your "courage and decency" are an example to others, even them ,although they wouldn't admit it, I'm sure. It sure is an encouragement to me to know there are courageous men and women like you willing and able to fight for our democracy! Thanks, again.
That's the thing, Ralph. Because vaccines ARE so effective, we no longer regularly see the evidence of what life was like without them. Same with the measles vaccines and anti-vaxers. They say, "Well, there aren't large measles outbreaks now, so why should I get my child vaccinated?" (I understand they believe all sorts of crap about the danger of the vaccines, as well, but that's a slightly different thing.)
Maybe it will take having some of these horrific diseases that have been conquered in the past come roaring back to wreak havoc, for Joe and Jill Six-pack to realize reality?
At the recent convention of Caucasian People Acting Crazy (CPAC), the invocation by a local megachurch "pastor" concluded, "And in the bible it says 'In he beginning, God created the heavens and earth.' That's all the science we need to know."
These people don't want to go back to 1850 - they want to go back to 1350.
There were already people--such as Roger Bacon and his students, among them William of Ockham who in turn taught John Wycliffe (from whom Martin Luther stole all his ideas)--in the 13th century who did not think that Genesis was reality. I suspect that even the Greeks were leery of Hesiod's Theogony as a presentation of reality. The "believe, don't think" crowd has been ever with us. But they didn't have Facebook and Twitter before this.
The cult of dopey don is not concerned about the commonweal of all fellow citizens! Rather they prefer an autocratic despot who will eventually lead them “to the cool aid”!
Folks might find this discussion on authoritarian cults in the US of interest. It’s This Sat. afternoon. Cost of a ticket is 0 to 25 dollars. Very interesting subject with some experts. Authoritarian Cults in America?
AUTHORITARIAN CULTS IN AMERICA? with the following speakers:
Steven Hassan, Ph.D. – leading expert on cults and mind control and the author of The Cult of Trump
Jon Atack – ex-Scientologist and author of several books including Opening Minds
David Weissman – former Trump cultist who has been bravely speaking out
James Cohen, Ph.D. – assistant professor of media studies at CUNY Queens College teaching social media and digital media literacies, with a focus on far right extremism
Becca Lewis – former researcher at the Data and Society Research Institute, co-author of Media Manipulation and Disinformation Online, and Ph.D. candidate at Stanford University
Co-hosts:
Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Ph.D. – leading historian at New York University, expert on authoritarians and their cults, and author of Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present
Bandy Lee, M.D., M.Div. – president of the World Mental Health Coalition, forensic psychiatrist and expert on dangerous personalities and street gangs, and editor of The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump
How will Tennessee Schools (and all schools) deal with a more transmissible and more deadly Delta variant with no ( none under 12 years old yet) to low vax rates and no mask mandates?
This CDC report from an Oklahoma gymnastics gym informs us:
The true history of the polio vaccine is the that the vaccine was developed well after polio started to recede. As with all viral etc. pandemics, eventually they lose steam and then only a few cases are found every year. But big Pharma jumped in and said they saved people because of the vaccine. I doubt it.
I don't think that is the true story, Elaine. The drop in occurrence of Polio in the US was precipitous when massive vacinnations started. It wasn't going away on its own. No herd immunity was developing. Polio has been also been found in countries other than the US where health conditions favor it's emergence as a child killing disease. It has pretty much been eradicated world-wide through vaccination programs over the last 75+ years. The Gates foundation has been instrumental in establishing such vaccination efforts.. There are polio watches conducted by citizen groups (Kiwanis?) and WHO. I periodically get updates on the verified cases from friends who track these. A great success story. Their counts worldwide are between 0 and 1 new case per year. The vacinnation counters the health conditions folks still try to live in in developing nations. I don't know what your sources are.
The Salk vaccine came out in 1955, so 65+ years ago. I remember being given a dose on a sugar cube in elementary school. The Sabin vaccine was available in the early 60s. I got that one, too.
The March of Dimes was founded to fund research on polio prevention.
The University of South Florida opened in 1960. It was the first university to be designed for easy handicapped access. There are no steps at building entries and all buildings have elevators. During its first years the campus served many polio victims and they could be seen all over campus, walking with braces or crutches and in wheelchairs. Polio was a scourge and feared. There was absolutely no mention of even possible herd immunity, even when it hit almost every child in a small town.
And better water treatment and delivery systems certainly aided the defeat of polio. But without the vaccine, because we're not committed to solid infrastructure in all parts of the country, there would always have been outbreaks and it would likely not have been eradicated completely.
Agree. Hot summer days in Central Illinois and standing water in the many unsuspected/uninspected private cisterns in small towns took a toll. Even at dad's parsonage.
I’m simply stating what is said in medical books. I would think you might want to research it before you bashed another person for the information therein. So I guess you made your own case.
Elaine, this article may help inform you of the actual sequence of events. It is an interview with Jonas' son in which he addresses some of the information spread in the anti-vax literature. One particular point you should note is that Jonas never patented or made much money from his discovery. He gave the knowledge away and the good story continues about how science and men of good conscience work to solve problems despite erroneous "medical" opinion. There are many good sources to add with a simple google search. Had the vaccine come a few months before, my wife might not have spent part of her childhood in an iron-lung or lives now with the post-polio effects. I hope you rethink where you are getting your information. Best.
What you claim may be true. I don't feel it's worth my time to research. Let's say it's true that polio was receding anyway. At what cost in human suffering? If the vaccines had not been widely distributed, what would the cost have been in further debilitating cases with life-long disabilities?
“Do not obey in advance”. This is Tim Synder’s #1 warning in his book, “On Tyranny”.
“Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. In times like these, individuals think ahead about what a more repressive Governent will want, and then offer themselves without being asked. A citizen who adopts in this way is teaching power what it can do.”
By not vaccinating, followers are demonstrating the above. They are willing to sacrifice their health, their children’s health, and possibly their lives for a political ideology.
Do we need more proof than that to demonstrate the radicalization of 1/2 our populace? What else are they willing to do for their group identity and dear leader? Surely this is pure madness.
Thanks for pointing out Snyder's warnings. Everyone should heed them. But I don't believe half the population has been radicalized. Republicans and independents who lean Republican number 40%, the lowest since Obama was elected to his second term. Those numbers don't by any means lessen the dire threat we face, especially in light of voter suppression and laws giving legislatures the power to overturn election results.
You may be surprised to learn that the Gallup poll taken the end of January, 2021, on the question "In politics, as of today, do you consider yourself a Republican, a Democrat or an independent?" the response was 25% Republican, 50% Independent, and 25% Democrat (100%). 50% Independent!! The latest poll in early June 2021 has it at 24% R, 44% I, 30% D (98%). That seems to show that Independents are seeing the Biden administration as an American President rather than a Democrat President. So when they say 41% of Republicans won't take the vaccine, that is just 10% of the voters.
Many Independents lean Democratic or lean Republican with some proportion of without partisan preferences. I checked with Pew Research and have not found any data about this for the past year.
Fern, you're right. In NC, independents (which are called "Unaffiliated" in NC) are the fastest growing voter registration. Dems were so excited to see the R numbers fall and the I's rise. Until we realized that most of those new I's were still voting R!!
I've wondered if registering as an Independent has more to do with the libertarianism that has swept the country?
I don't recommend long lectures. A casual, friendly conversation during which a matter of interest may fit in or be slipped in is the way I approach it. Comfort a sense of trust and listening are important factors, so is going slowly and avoiding rancor. There is often a next time.
Cannot answer that question. You might dig around for articles about libertarianism as well as about Independents. Check with Axios, Daily Beast, Politico, Vox, etc. as well as common outlets.
You'll see in the Gallup poll that as you get nearer to an election the Independents are forced to choose in many cases the lesser of two evils chosen for them in not very democratic processes (think super-delegates etc) between R and D. As an Independent I no longer feel represented by either party which have both taken more extreme left and right positions. I have no representation in this system. As John Adams said, "The worst evil to befall the Constitution would be the two-party system."
The voter suppression thing is overblown as a threat to democracy. Voting is easier than in most of our history. But the legislature override is not getting the attention it deserves. Unfortunately the Constitution could be interpreted by this Supreme Court as allowing elections to be treated as mere plebiscites.
I don't think voter suppression is overblown. But, correct -- the even bigger threat is the states allowing the legislature to override election results. This is extremely alarming.
Voting may be easier for some of us than at any point in our history. Women, for instance, find it easier to vote than 102 years ago when we had zero voting rights.
But it's not nearly easy enough for huge swaths of the population, for a wide array of reasons depending on who you are and where you live. And it's not nearly as easy as it should be.
It's not even that easy for your average middle aged working white Republican male in NH. Aside from Covid exceptions, in NH, in order to vote absentee you had to sign an affadavit stating one of three allowable conditions : On voting day, being absent from the voter’s city or town, a religious observance, disability or illness, and employment commitments (including caregiving) during the entire time the polls are open. My husband frequently ends up working out of town unexpectedly the entire day the polls are open. I might get called in to work at the hospital and miss the polling hours. So we have to plan way ahead, assume we might miss in person voting, complete an application, return it in person to our rural town clerk's office (which itself has wonky hours), to even get an absentee ballot.
When we can safely and securely transfer money in seconds, why can't we vote just as easily?
Just because voting is easier than ever, doesn't make it right, considering our history. But it is possible, with a lot of hard work, to work around voter restrictions. The legislature override is not good and I don't know if there is a work around for that. I suppose more post-election lawsuits which, while being valid this time around, would, to certain people, look like the Dems just doing what the GOP did after having denigrated it. Hopefully this issue will get more press. It seems to me it is a newer idea than the other stuff.
Hey, I hear air raid sirens blaring. But my point is that the numbers are on our side and growing. That's not a comfort right now under all the circumstances.
The virus doesn’t care, and it doesn’t know we exist. It has one goal, to replicate.It’s going to keep mutating. New strains will be the result of each outbreak. Outbreaks will cause more closures or more serious outbreaks. It takes 95% vax to stop measles. It’s going to take close to 85-90% vaccinations to stop this pandemic. HC workers are exhausted and many nurses have left the calling. It’s time to deploy more carrots and a few sticks to increase vaccination rates.
Ohio’s $5 million vaccination lottery prizes did not increase vaccination rates. I think it’s time to follow France’s lead and impose restrictions on what unvaccinated people can do. Want to go to a movie? Prove that you’re vaccinated.
I listened to TLP's "We're Speaking" last night. They interviewed Anne Applebaum. She talks about how Poland became authoritarian...not with tanks in the streets, but slowly, as the government took over the media, courts, etc. Very similar to what is happening now here. While this segment is long, scroll through to the interview itself which is about 20 minutes. Well worth the time and very scary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DIwqRu7OI8
You and I and the most others on here already know this and are scared. The question about it is to decide what to do about it without sacrificing democracy.
I think people are missing a lot of the authoritarianism in progressivism. People losing their jobs for rather inconsequential comments and opinions. Chilling effect. Ugly stuff. Not good for democracy.
You wrote, "People losing their jobs for rather inconsequential comments and opinions." If you have time, could you expound on the connection between that statement and authoritarianism or progressivism. Also, I'm failing to understand how progressive ideas are any way authoritarian. As a progressive, I thought I was supporting equal rights and more inclusivity.
I don't think you directed this comment to me but as a progressive and as a fallible human any idea or group can become authoritarian. I think that is part of the problem with the left today. Trump shows himself to be horrible but that doesn't mean we can't go off the rails.
Please provide some examples of when that has happened related to progressivism. Not saying it's not possible for there to be an authoritarian bent within progessivism, but curious when you've seen it happen where a clear line can be drawn between the two.
Are you referring to what the right increasingly refers to as the danger of "cancel culture"? Because that's just accountability. We've been boycotting for years. I get to choose where I spend my dollars and what I give my attention to and am not obligated to support people or organizations that are clearly aligned with what I see as a philosophy that's dangerous to democracy.
I have made attempts to discuss these things with several people around me. I’ve been rebuffed with “It’s too depressing.” or “I get too angry.” or “I’m too busy with work and kids and I don’t have time.” So many just want it to go away, but don’t see any need or responsibility to help make it go away.
The ticket might be to invite them to join you and some neighbors for a potluck and invite some ball of fire to come and educate and inspire....someone with connection power and passion...or....start a consciousness raising group centered around "connection" and "you are us and we matter" ...."the more we are we together the greater our power to make a difference for ourselves and each other"...."we're coming together to learn how we can have each other's backs".....Don't call it a consciousness raising group call it something else, like "wanting to know you better and wanting you to know me better"....
A good idea, although these are mostly family in other states, via phone. I have spread the word about Heather to people I see locally, including the nurse in the hospital after my recent spinal surgery. We all need to do something, whatever we can.
The work you are doing is exactly what we need to do. It is hard to go back to the people who rebuff reality. I'm getting ready to return to a few. Leaving the door open for the next time is important. Sometimes I go on briefly to easier topic and leave him or her with a smile. Opening with a question about school, the wildfires or health makes an easier transition to more controversial matters.
Huh. Small comfort, but at least they KNOW about it. I often wonder what percentage of the non-Trump population knows we are in such peril. I sure it's a scary low percentage, though.
I so agree - and think this every day. My fb friends always respond to posts of art, nature, mindfulness quotes. Rarely to important political or economic news that affects them. It is as though they don't want to know or become part of the fight against the deliberate destruction of their rights and freedoms
Yes, exactly. Closely related to "all politicians are crooks," and "both parties suck." I really would like to know how many Americans know that our very existence as a democracy is at stake, that we could become a fascist state, that things like "authoritarianism," something that used to exist only in far off oh-how-terrible-for-those-poor-people lands, is potentially one national election away.
Sadly, it seems many don’t know/remember that democracy is at the core of our foundation as a nation. I fear a lot of folks just think “I’m not a Democrat (liberal)!” How did our country plummet to the point where a too-large population embraces such hate and “anti” behavior?!
Good to read HRC's summary update every morning. Some of the comments add useful information from additional sources. But in the end, action is imperative.
At a local Democratic committee meeting representing communities in our Maine county, a guest citizen spoke up. He reported that Democrats and commonsense minded citizens must show up at town meetings, school board meetings and get elected or appointed to local offices. This is essential to counter the growing attendance and influence of Republican extremists who are intimidating our elected and public officials. Extremists are advocating all kinds of actions such as censorship of history and science in public schools, countering public health advisories and vaccines, criminalization of activity and information Republicans are now against.
A friendly neighbor who supports Trump complained that Obama and Biden paid China to develop covid19, telling me they read this in a short Facebook post. I offered to look into this. Of course I easily found articles about this, explaining that both the Obama and Trump administrations provided funds to infectious disease labs around the world to find and track animal diseases that have started to infect humans, as a jump start precaution against a new pandemic. The Trump administration suspended this funding shortly before covid19 was discovered. We need more effective fact checking corrections distributed as public health and information warnings in the media where this kind of misinformation is generated.
That is part of the success of their propaganda. Taking one little nugget of truth available in MSM and then distorting and pushing it out there to vulnerable minds
My first reaction reading this was Isaac Asimov’s spot on observation:
“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'” And, the cult of ignorance in Tennessee goes back to before 1925 with the “Scopes Monkey Trial.”
Asimov also said "When stupidity is considered patriotism, it is unsafe to be intelligent." We see the horrors of this in those Muslim hellholes of the Middle East, and with the withdrawal of our military from Afghanistan, the Taliban will take over again. But, whether they do that today or a century from today the outcome will be the same as the cult of ignorance seems to flourish in religious theocracies whether with the Muslim Taliban in the Middle East or the Christian Puritan in the Deep South.
The former poser president in his vulgarity referred to “Shithole Nations.” Ironically, from his ignorant malfeasance and that of the Repugnant Party, the United States is fast becoming a Shithole Nation.
Well said; there are people who pride themselves on their ignorance. I see no difference between Sharia Law and what the Evangelical Christians believe. With respect to the US becoming a "shithole nation", I offer you Mississippi and Missouri: I have a dear friend who lives in Mississippi who describes it as "Third World America" and he isn't wrong.
Fundamentalism is its own religion, whether masquerading as "christian," "muslim", "jew" or "hindu." It revels in ignorance, misogyny, patriarchy, and aggression, the principles on which it is created..
I love your comment! Would only take issue with your last sentence. I think many are awakening to the shitholeness (not shitholiness🤣) that the Republican Party has become over decades and working industriously to keep them from turning our country into the shithole they want it to be.
In 2017, Noam Chomsky described the Republican Party as the most dangerous organization in world history.
When pressed on it, he backed off a little, but then said, “Has there ever been an organization in human history that is dedicated, with such commitment, to the destruction of organized human life on Earth? Not that I’m aware of. Is the Republican organization—I hesitate to call it a party—committed to that? Overwhelmingly. There isn’t even any question about it.”
That was four years ago. They are far worse now and have a surge of momentum which must be checked.
The day (many years ago now) that my Republican college educated cousin posted propaganda from Pravda on my Facebook page, attempting to make a political point, was my first eyes wide open moment. 😳 I did not imagine things could get so bad so fast though.
Go read his essay "The Paranoid Style in American Politics," written in 1964, in which he showed this craziness has been around a long time. But I think the good doctor would agree that today's version is all the others on steroids.
With 96-99% of the covid-19 deaths now coming from the unvaccinated and most of those people coming from the GQP science deniers and fear mongers I guess if the GQP is trying to thin the ranks of their voters they are doing a fine job. With the delta variant (accounting for almost 60% of current deaths) becoming the dominant strain we will probably see another surge with an increase in deaths this fall/winter. I feel sorry for those people who live in those states that have to deal with the madness face to face everyday. I deal with it everyday in the medical field, but at least here in OH in the area where I live it isn't all out blatant craziness such as is on display in TN, TX, FL ......
I am glad that Gen Miley recognized the danger that trump represented, but we will not be out of the woods until we can control the House and Senate on a national level as well as at least getting moderate (are there any out there) republicans in our state houses. As disheartening as it is don't give up yet.
Though it seems that the Republicans are “culling” their own herd with their dangerous rhetoric and push back regarding the vaccines, I fear too many Black, Brown and poor Democrats in those states will suffer the consequences by not having the vaccines available to them through outreach.
So. Shall we sit on our couches writing more letters and emails and calling about this?Or stuff our righteous indignation, frustration, outrage? Sit in front of our computers wringing our hands while allowing hopelessness and a sense of defeat to eat away at ourselves? Or - organize, put our masks on, ask high school band kids to join the effort, and git out on the streets and start being public - raising caine - making public spectacles - community drama - around what really matters to us--- and for those who think they see the handwriting on the wall, become strategic in bringing the world/city/ to a halt and making demands en mass. Stand up and stand out for voting rights for all races. Pretty essential isn't it? March in fidelity with the gutsy Texas democrats! I sure want to know who is funding these republicans with murderous intentions, and these traitors to democracy who are ripping away our neighbors' right to vote, and these governors et al whose brutalities are on display. Follow the money!
One of their donors might -- I don't know for sure -- might share my last name. BUT NOT RELATED. There is still a lot of dark money in circulation. It's even odds some of it coming from offshore.
We definitely have a battle on our hands, but 150 corporations just signed a letter condemning voter suppression, including major ones like Pepsi!
It's not to late to call Toyota, I did and they very carefully listened to my concerns and gave me all the time I needed to vent my anger at what they had done, I told them that they needed to claw back the money they had given, every dime of it, we'll see if they do.
And what's really scary is that the Federalist Society takes Dark Money. This is especially alarming since they've achieved their goal of controlling SCOTUS. We're seeing the results...
Follow the money is always a good idea! And you are right to want to know who is funding the republicans. I know who some of them are and when possible, I won't give them my money. There are local establishments and franchises whose owners are Republican - I try to never patronize their business. I like to think I'm hitting them where it hurts the most. Every day we can vote with our pocketbooks.
I think that a mistake on their part and good for the Dem primaries. Already good candidates emerging that by the time Fall 2022 comes around, will be poised to beat Republican rightist cultist Q-ist trumpist candidates. And Dem candidates that will receive votes from Republicans horrified to see what their loyalty to Trump got them besides sickness, loss of relationship, and a peculiar orange skin tone.
After a short stint of going maskless, I'm back to wearing a mask indoors anywhere I go here in FL. I know too many Pfizer vaccinated folks who got Covid-19 almost like magic 6 months out from being vaxxed. I have given over to Darwin to deal with the stupidity of non-vaxers. It's their children I'm angry about! 😷
KellyS would you please site a source or provide a link about Covid breakthrough infections in vaccinated people? Or is this your personal experience? I’m concerned because I’m 6 months out from my Pfizer vaccines and high risk. How seriously ill did they get? I mask in medical establishments and crowded stores, but, have begun going to restaurants during off hours. This is disheartening and if true on a large level, dangerous both medically and politically.
Then, several friends in the first group vaccinated, coincidentally all Pfizer, came down with Covid. The first I learned about got sick July 2nd. Then, right after the holiday, Pfizer was in the news about its booster after 6 months, which is still under development. Search: Pfizer booster. Pick your favorite news source. All my friends had "mild" cases but were pretty miserable for about 5 days with 102⁰ temps and lethargy. You could say the vaccine worked as planned. None were hospitalized. I found it eye-popping that I would personally know 5 people, known to be careful all this time, all having had Pfizer, and all getting Covid right at 6 months out from vax. They are all concerned about becoming long-haulers and damge to organs, given their advanced age. Take it for what it's worth. I live in NE Florida.
Good grief, just when I was beginning to feel safe. Thanks so much for the info. I have close family and one dear friend who aren’t vaccinated. Time to get my guard back up.
Sigh. While my daughter is vaccinated, her Trumpet husband is not and, of course, my 16 year old granddaughter who does anything her daddy does, had not been vaccinated. I worry every day for them......especially my precious granddaughter. It will give me no satisfaction to say "I told you so".
I think you need to look more closely at the numbers. The percentage death-toll from COVID is very small. The problem from the beginning was that there were not enough hospital resources for that small percentage (but huge absolute number). Compared to the hospital resources, it was a tidal wave.
Compared with collateral death in a war for the good of the Reich, it is barely a ripple.
It will not significantly thin the ranks of the Reich supporters. But it will have a huge propaganda value if Biden cannot "save all those lives," especially if most of them are Republicans. Even given that the majority of victims (effectively) tore open their shirts and cut out their own lungs in an obscene religio-political frenzy.
Less than 1 million hospital beds in the US. Less than 1/2 of those are ICU beds. Extra Ventilators are worthless without highly trained nurses and respiratory therapists.
The great danger now, with a 3x as transmissible virus shedding 1,000x more virus , is that people have gone 18 months without treatments. Hospitals are full of those who had to wait for care. The ICUs in our country are nearly full of recovering and vulnerable.
We are now in a far greater crisis than at anytime last year.
I have spent almost all of 2021 fighting a cancer which might have been prevented by the HPV vaccine, had it been available when I was a young woman. To say I’m appalled by what is happening in Tennessee is a massive understatement. The corollaries to Covid are unmistakable. I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy.
I think people who have never experienced cancer don't understand the emotional and mental toll it takes well beyond the physical. If people understood how fortunate we are to have the HPV vaccine they would race to have their kids get it. Stay strong, Kathy.
Exactly this, Daria. And while I’ve been open on this forum, and with some dear friends, I have chosen not to be very public about my diagnosis. I wrestled with it, because I’d like to advocate for vaccination and condom use as Beth says above, but in the end I decided my privacy to heal was more important.
Kathy, healing yourself is of the utmost importance. After that you can tackle the "wild boars" among us. When I was undergoing treatment and during recovery I "banished" anyone and everyone who came to me whining about their personal problems. I simply could not deal with anyone else's issues. I had strict instructions who could be admitted to my hospital room during my 10 week stay and who could visit me at home after. There is a time to stand up and fight for others. Now is not your time to do that. Now is your time to heal, from the inside out. Be kind and gentle to yourself.
It’s amazing how it has focused my desire to interact with fewer people, and only those I dearly care about. All in all, that’s been a good thing! We got our first Covid times dinner invite from some former neighbors, and it just feels like too much effort. But then you want to be polite! And I do like them. It’s a tough one.
Do what your brain and body tell you to do in re the dinner invite. Ignore your heart (at least for the time being!). And yes, who knew that cancer could bring certain good things to us? I sure didn't!
Yes! People look shocked when I say that not everything about a cancer diagnosis is bad. If you’re self reflective, like I am, it can change you in a good way. My marriage is stronger and better, and it’s been a joy to see my sometimes squabbling children be supportive towards each other, as well as to me. But for sure I am not the same person I was 7 months ago, and I imagine that unexpected survival will change me more, and that’s interesting to contemplate. Tiring, though. It’s hard work to keep my mental game strong, even if it’s invisible.
My mother experienced cancer, 1995, which could have been prevented by the HPV vaccine. The treatment was very unpleasant and the emotional toll extreme. Her cancer was eradicated and she lived until well into her nineties. Sending all good thoughts and energy your way.
I echo Daria: Stay strong. Fighting cancer is a full time commitment that we don't have the luxury of focusing on in the light of life going on around us. (My own adventure in that world was 15 years ago lest anyone think this is current events for me.)
To know that it could have been prevented by a not-yet available vaccine (and I note that because it predominantly impacts women, there may be a tiny little reason why <s>) and to see a state prohibit that vaccine from being made available to those who could benefit from it has got to be a special kind of incendiary thought.
GYN nurse here putting in a plug for condoms as well. The HPV vaccine is amazing but it isn't 100% of course (what vaccine is?). So using condoms helps protect against all strains of HPV as well as other STIs of course. But then again, condoms are just another thing most rethuglicans don't want us sharing with young people................
All good wishes to you, Kathy, for a full and rapid recovery from this challenge!
Horses are doing great! I rode yesterday for the first time in months, and it felt like putting a huge piece of the puzzle that is my life back into place. Thank you for asking.
Glad to catch this answer, Kathy! Didn't want to keep asking if it didn't happen yet. So was it Hudson you rode? I got them confused now, thinking Peter is the newest one.
No, Peter is my old guy, and I rode him. Hudson requires a huge amount of core strength which is sorely lacking after 6 months of toxins, surgery, and inactivity! It was so great, Lynell. Walk, trot, canter, yay!
Yes, I remember you telling me about your needing more strength for the new guy. Just got the names backwards.
This reminds me of the time when I had a suspicious x-ray where further tests needed to be taken. I took a picture of Dover with me to the clinic and told everyone that I needed to get better because this horse and I had unfinished business that needed taking care of! I showed that picture around to any caregiver that came near me.
Anyway, so glad for your ride. Many more to come, I'm sure!
FYI, below is the email I sent to Archbishop Jose Gomez, president of the US Council of Catholic Bishops outlining my concerns with the draft “Eucharistic Document.”
Subject: Eucharist Document: Worthiness to receive Communion
Dear Archbishop Jose Gomez,
I am deeply concerned about portions of the draft Eucharist Document, specifically those addressing the worthiness to receive Communion where some clergy would like to withhold Christ’s precious Body and Blood from politicians and others who hold certain political or social views that would appear to be contrary to Catholic teaching. Christ’s precious Body and Blood is necessary spiritual nourishment for the soul, particularly for repentant sinners. Only God knows the true mind and heart of an individual. At the Last Supper, the Passover Meal, Christ broke the bread and poured the wine and blessed these natural elements to be transformed into His precious Body and Blood that were given to all twelve apostles, even Judas, with the full knowledge that Judas would betray Christ committing the gravest sin in human history.
I find some clergy’s opinions in this matter hypocritical because they did not declare such punitive action against other politicians who support the death penalty; favor inhumane actions towards immigrants, the poor, and the marginalized; support childhood marriages; pass voter suppression laws; engage in racism, human trafficking, and other perverse and corrupt behaviors, plus many more despicable acts, the worst being the support of diabolical donald trump, the most evil, perverse, corrupt president in US history - an egotistical, psychotic man who has made a career of corruption and injuring God’s people.
Since the inception of Christ’s Mystical Body, - the Church, I ask you to think about how many clergy, laypersons, other Catholics have done despicable acts, like the sexual abuse of children, yet were allowed to receive Communion. Only God has the authority to judge His children! I ask you to abolish the ill conceived effort to withhold the Eucharist from any of God’s children knowing that God will enforce the proper adjudication and punishment.
Excellent! Though I am no longer a practicing Catholic nor do I practice any other organized religion, their leaders need to be called out and your letter did just that.
There have always been fringe groups that are anti-science and rail against vaccinations. But this is the first time in my lifetime - and I've been around for 83 years - that anti-vaccing has gone from being the ranting of kooks to the rantings of a national party and the policy of some states!
Trials for the Salem witches would problem find some eager witnesses these days!
What nobody talks about is the terrible stress put on docs, hospitals and health workers! Hospitals are becoming overwhelmed and unable to provide care for all of these unvaccinated idiots!
A nurse told me that, in her hospital, staff is so angry with unvaccinated Covid patients that they devote as little time and energy to them as possible.
I live in Spain. The same is happening here. We live in a tourist city. I've a friend who is a doctor. She works part time in the emergency wing. Overflowing with covid and delta patients - many of whom refuse to believe they have covid. Now that the government has oked mask free outdoors, most of us continue to wear masks but the tourists don't. It is so depressing.
If you are speaking of pro-life re: abortions, they are for that too but if you’re speaking about people and their lives, then yes! Just wanted to clarify.
Republicans are wiling to sacrifice their voters and their voters children?! They obviously don’t plan on needing their votes in the future or possibly don’t plan on having elections at all. My lord, the nazi comparison certainly seems on point.
As Eugene Robinson said tonight, every rule of journalism is you don't bring up the Nazis for comparison, "and then we have the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs calling it 'a Reichstag moment,' and you know not only is it as bad as you think it is, it's worse!"
They obviously have decided victory in 2022 is paramount to anything else and they’re sticking to this short term plan— McCarthy is quaking at the upcoming commission hearings.
It’s finally come down to what we all feared: the full faith and credit of these United States of America has come under fire. If you can ignore the rest of the political upheaval, you (and hopefully true Republicans) can’t ignore the gravitas that being “downgraded” as a NATION means…
While today’s missive also highlights the bizarre actions of Tennessean conservatives, I hope that their positions and rhetoric catch up with them soon; hopefully not at the cost of too many citizens. Vaccination is a PRIMARY source of public health and one that most would consider beyond reproach. That the Republicans would sell their own children off for a Trumpian-gambit is beyond deplorable. It’s criminal, or should be. We knew they would sacrifice their own; now we know they will sacrifice children.
Even the possibility of a bond rating downgrade will wake up business leaders and, for that matter, anyone with investments. The implications for the economy are frightening. But will it be enough to derail The Crazy Train barrelling downhill to fascism?
I thought the same thing until I read the report. If this was a fair assessment of what the report says, then I would definitely think that pro business Republicans would stop funding Republicans and hopefully they still do. That being said, the report actually says the biggest risk to our credit rating is the passage of the American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan.
Yes, I think this will be used by repetrolicans as their campaign material, blaming the President and the Democrats for the downgrade, and more immediately to fight infrastructure legislation with. Anybody know how reliable Fitch is? This stuff is not my strong area for sure....
She left out some context. Trump is horrible, but the bigger risk to our credit rating is the American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan. Again, Trump is horrible, but if you are going to insist that we not "ignore the gravitas that being 'downgraded' as a nation means", then you should read the whole report.
"The Negative Outlook on the rating reflects ongoing risks to the public finances and debt trajectory, notwithstanding the improvement in Fitch's fiscal and debt projections since its last review. Debt dynamics currently point to a broad stabilization in the debt ratio at a level where a further meaningful increase could lead to a downgrade. However, key variables including real interest rates and fiscal deficits may not follow the expected path, potentially creating downside risk. In light of developments since the last review and future risks, a deterioration in governance represents a further risk to the rating."
"A relative tightening in fiscal policy as pandemic relief spending rolls off is the key feature of Fitch's baseline fiscal forecasts. Fitch expects the general government deficit to narrow to 7% of GDP in 2022. Fitch has assumed that spending matches the CBO (current-law) baseline, but with 0.8% of GDP in spending added in both 2022 and 2023. The bipartisan framework on infrastructure agreed in late June would, if passed, add USD579 billion in new spending to the baseline over five years with partial revenue offsets.
A simple majority of 51 (Democratic) votes in the Senate could pass a further reconciliation bill that would include more spending, together with some revenue offsets. Fitch assumes that on a net basis this would add USD1 trillion to fiscal deficits over a decade. No fiscal 2022 budget resolution has been passed by the Democratic majorities in the House and Senate to date. In Fitch's view, future spending will fall considerably short of the administration's American Jobs Plan and American Families Plan."
What will be that last straw? The magic bullet or elixir that will finally wake up the followers on the right?
Many Hitler followers never saw the light again, but I think many eventually felt shame. McCarthy is changing his tune to save his own skin, though. I don’t believe he feels shame. Nor does Barr, nor McConnell. Only greed.
There’s a story by Victor Klemperer ( a Jewish professor and survivor of Nazi Germany) having a conversation with a brutally scared and Nazi veteran soldier as they flee Bombed out and flaming Dresden in complete ruins….“No, I do not think Hitler has lied to us ever! He will organize the counter attack, you shall see.” Demagogues create delusions that followers take to their graves.
I think it's worth taking a close look at the book "They Thought They Were Free: The Germans 1933-1945" by Milton Mayer, first published in 1955. The author interviewed 10 ordinary Germans from a small city.
Many insights into how normally law-abiding, church-going people can let things slide, and even join in. Everybody in the Nazi party had a job, was in charge of something; there were meetings and marches and, for the right sorts of people, as sense of national purpose and hope. It was claimed that all their problems were caused by someone else....
Which is how both fundamentalist megachurches work on new members and how the modern Republican party works on new activists. It's also how a cult operates.
I have a friend who is a Funeral Director. Over coffee recently he talked about that since and just prior to COVID-19, they have never been busier. He wasn't gloating. He would much prefer to be fishing off the dock of his camp this time of year. When he speaks to family members a common thread is "I think he/she had COVID and didn't go to the doctors". We will never know the true mortality rate from COVID-19. He is attributing his constant funerals to those people who may never had realized they had COVID, be it they lived alone, they lived in nursing homes or they flat out refused to go to the doctors or simply couldn't get an appointment . This is the real life or death effects of this pandemic. The death certificates are listing heart, respiratory, lung and organ failure. Certainly not all that he has a funeral for had COVID or the effects of.
Cancer, car accidents, long term illness will always be a reason.
I no longer get upset at those that refuse to believe science and stats. I think they will truly get what they deserve.
Darwin do your job and make way for the responsible people.
Linda, this Linda agrees with you. Some estimates I have seen is that there are twice as many covid-related deaths as are officially reported. It's not just people dying of covid-like maladies, but also the effects of poverty, food insecurity, and so on that the Revolting One refused to deal with for more than a year before his ass got kicked out of the white house. And the deaths probably started earlier than February 2020 as well.
I believe there is another related cost, and that will be in other medical deaths (cancer, heart problems, other maladies) that could have been prevented, or at least slowed by "routine" medical care that was deferred due to the Covid outbreak. We are already seeing some of these, but in the next few years, they will skyrocket.
My father got rheumatic fever in the service in WWII, and suffered the aftereffects of it all the rest of his life . I can only imagine how the aftereffects of Covid will be. And could have been prevented in some people if they had only gotten the vaccine.
I agree but the front line workers are bearing the brunt of others stupidity and selfishness. They should all just walk out in TN. How much more can they take?
Unfortunately, that wouldn’t work, except maybe as a psychological gambit. Once they’ve contracted Covid, their bodies will already be trying to make the antibodies that could have been developed by the vaccine. It’s too late to prevent them from contracting Covid, it’s a question of whether their bodies can develop antibodies quickly enough to recover or survive.
A good barometer of our plight: no one is shocked by the news that the nation's top military leader was coordinating with others in the military to block Trump from a potential coup attempt. I can't wait for Gen. Milley's testimony before the House Select Committee investigating the insurrection.
Well, hearing Barry McCaffrey talking on Lawrence's show tonight, and Lawrence going over what's in Phil rucker and Carol Leonnig's coming book about the end of Camp Runamuck, it's very clear we owe General Milley a vote of thanks. I have the privilege of knowing more than a few retired generals and admirals (it always makes this sailor a bit awed that I an frat'nizin' with admirals) from my work, and they have been the people over the past four years who have been the most upset with what was in the news. Last year, when people were complaining about Milley having shown up in Lafayette Park with El Blobbo del Mar A Lardo, one of them told me he knew Milley, knew that he'd been "ambushed" into that event (which it now turns out is what did happen) and that we were "damn lucky Mark's there" as he put it, and that "he won't let things go crazy." I also heard that from another senior guy you would all know if I name-dropped him, so I won't, but I think we can say over this past year that - despite all its problems - we're lucky the American military is the American military. And yeah, it could have gone another direction. There were after all 230+ generals and admirals came out in support of El Blobbo during the campaign, but the guys I know were all saying "everybody knows those guys are crazy - it's why they're retired" as one put it. Fortunately, it's the Eisenhowers and the Bradleys who get put in charge of running the show while they let the Pattons go perform for the press.
"El Blobbo del Mar A Lardo" Now, that's funny. And apt.
Beyond the humor, it's scary to know that "230+ generals and admirals came out in support of El Blobbo during the campaign". It seems to me that those 230+ have shamed themselves and should have written the label of "Careerist" or "Sold out" on their foreheads.
Few, if any, of the military leaders during WWII would have endorsed or badmouthed a president or presidential aspirant. They followed the unwritten principle of being apolitical, at least in their public stance. The most impressive military leader of the WWII era was General George C. Marshall, the U.S. Army Chief of Staff and the man President Roosevelt chose to build the WWII U.S. military. Gens. Eisenhower and Bradley were mentored by General Marshall and were in awe of him as were Presidents Roosevelt and Truman who used Marshall whenever they could. Marshall's immense intellect, integrity, and commitment to the American people is unparalleled in American history. Marshall was responsible for getting Eisenhower the command for the Normandy invasion (D-Day). (In post-WWII Washington, my father used to brief Marshall--then Sec. of State--daily on the Russian military situation. Dad said, "In my opinion, General Marshall was the most brilliant man in the U.S. Army. And, his character was impeccable.")
But that level of character in the high-level U.S. military was generally on the decline after WWII. For example, take the more recent case of General Colin Powell. He was also quite impressed by General Marshall (as noted in an A&E biography of Marshall). However, Powell chose to endorse Bush Jr. and Cheney's choice to quickly start a war with Iraq. We all know how that ended, and Powell publicly lost his integrity over that political endorsement and its aftermath.)
At the end of WWII, the U.S. was on top of the world and truly recognized as the shining star in world leadership. However, the roots of corruption slowly began to expand under the radar. Those roots grew until we ended up with Trump and his sycophants. Now, the rest of the world looks at us in disbelief when noting our decline.
We've squandered the capital the U.S. gained through actions in WWII. I'm not sure we can come back without experiencing further decline before then attempting to come back like the proverbial "Phoenix rising from the ashes."
I love your Eisenhower/Bradley to Patton analogy. Well put. I can understand how a "simple" sailor can feel when running amok with Admirals; I am glad you're there doing it. I'm gonna have to start taping The Last Word to watch at a different time. I've missed some good stuff from him.
Question for members of the Tennessee state legislature;
Have you ever had polio? No? Why do you suppose that is?
When I was a kid in the 50's we ALL got the Salk vaccine and a little later the boostershot.
Later on, we ALL took the Sabin oral polio vaccine on a sugar cube. (Much later on I would take some of Dr. Timothy Leary's medicine on a sugar cube, but that's another story.)
Nobody complained, nobody refused, and nobody gets polio any more.
This is insane. The Republican Party is descending into collective madness, and they are doing all they can to take the rest of us with them.
I was very young when the first polio vaccine came out and the needle was very long! There was no debate, my brothers and I got the shots as did everyone else. And, then we all lined up in school to receive the sugar cube (which, in hindsight was a bit ironic years later for the Boomer generation 😆) and then the oral version in a little cup. There was no debate, no discussion. Everyone’s parents were ecstatic that there was a vaccine. It was a miracle. Polio did not actually kill that many people but the disabling and crippling impact was devastating and it was more prevalent among children, hence the urgency.
Covid is a real killer that can also have some disturbing long term debilitating impacts. We have a safe, highly effective available vaccine developed in record time. That there are people who continue to refuse to get vaccinated is just crazy; that there are political “policies” to advocate against the vaccine is criminal. Cultists never believe their “leaders” are out to kill them. It is pitiful.
My parents saw their friends put into iron lungs. That incentivizes you to get the vaccine and make sure your children do too.
My husband had polio and was hospitalized as an 18 month old for six months. This was before the Salk vaccine in the mid-1940s. As soon as possible he was given the polio vaccine even though he had had polio. Our three sons and their families all ran as fast as they could to get the Covid vaccine. People are nuts today. Politics should have nothing to do with this.
Very well said.
Your comment inspired me to think that perhaps we are witnessing a collective natural selection process by those apparently willing to embrace a debilitating, possibly fatal, disease.
I have patients who are not angry and hateful but rather kind and sincerely confused. When Fox News is on all around them their entire lives they simply do not know what to think. I wish there was a class action lawsuit against Fox for the suffering they have perpetuated
I felt a strong urge to Retweet this comment, Christy. I agree with the need for a class action suit.
Certainly the families of the deceased would have cause. I’m guessing there would be plenty of health providers who could testify to the very real confusion and fear they are seeing from their patients re getting or not getting vaccinated
Not Fox News but Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham personally. Fox has deeeep pockets. Thought Carlson and Ingraham aren't poor I think the threat of a multi-BILLION dollar civil suit might make them not just back down but admit they're wrong and get vaccinated on air. That latter part is a bit of a fantasy as I'd bet my mortgage payment that they're both fully vaccinated, as are their family members.
We would all be better off if Faux Snooze could be shut down.
Word. I wish we could think of it as "Snooze" but it's more like Live Fire and it's helping destroy America.
Amen, Christy.
I agree but, no doubt, a lawsuit would have no teeth since no one is being forced to watch these despicable bad actors.
Mmm, sort of. Children growing up in the homes with it on all the time really have no choice
What do you think of #45’s strategy of filing a lawsuit just for the publicity it gains. I think it is a meaningful statement for activists to quote broadly when Sydney Powell said “No reasonable person would conclude that the statements were truly statements of fact” when sued for defamation by Dominion. Also the long list of lawsuits might be helpful for anyone with the skills and resources to look into it? https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/coronavirus/a-complete-guide-to-the-coronavirus-outbreak-legal-issues/
Why don't we, Christy???
Why doesn't This Happen???😡
I have thought that too. The people I feel for are the frontline workers who have just not gotten a break. I would not blame them for up and leaving their jobs.
Far too many of them have died and many have quit. There are many jobs in health care that don't involve treating or caring for patients who believe Tucker and Laura instead of Dr. Fauci.
As a scientist friend once said "a pandemic is evolution;s IQ test. The question is "Are you intelligent enough to take this information and modify your behavior so as to maximize your chances of survival? - It's pass/fail." I'm fine with the "fail" being they Make America Great Again. Permanently.
Natural Selection: Thinning the herd of its weakest minds.
Some folks are just exceptionally lucky. I wouldn’t put all my eggs in the Natural Selection basket in 2021.
This natural, or not so natural, selection reminds me of something in Germany in the 1940s.
A Republivan death wish?
Years ago I attended a lecture given by Herbert Marcuse in which he posited that human kind was in thrall to Thanatos - the Death Wish. That was in the context of global wars. I wonder what he'd say about the lemmings in the Republican Party who are jumping to their deaths by their willful ignorance.
Hitler, by sending the German people to war, killed about 5 million German citizens (even aside from concentration camp victims). So sending your followers into a pointless, self-destructive course of action is perfectly normal in "hot" war.
An American death wish?
Not exactly. After all, we don't imagine an American death wish in connection with WW1 or WW2, yet many Americans died. I think this is just another case of generals sending their troops into a battle in which the odds for their survival are poor. What is the battle in this case? Trump's fight against Joe Biden's success, which depends on deploying more vaccines and suppressing Covid.
Oh God, I'm still needle phobic as a result of that polio vaccine!
Me too. I have to look away, and I still cringe, even though the pain is minimal.
Still, I did not hesitate to get one and then the second Pfizer Covid vaccine as soon as I qualified.
No kidding! I do remember digging in my feet and my mother having to drag me in all the while telling me this was for my own good! 😂. I outgrew the needle phobia and am now very brave! 😉. However, I never got over the dentist drilling cavities without novocaine!
Oh, I hate going to the dentist. I generally load up on valium before I go (I don't drive myself, of course).
Me too, but i roll up my sleeve, look the other way, take a deep breath and hold it.
Me, too. Every shot, every time. But, I don't hesitate to protect myself and others.
Yeah, me too. 😐
I saw a cartoon the other day: "Mommy, what's that scar on your arm?" "That is my smallpox vaccine." "Why don't I have one?" "Because no one gets smallpox anymore."
I went to Europe for the first time in 1969. Before heading overseas, I had to get a bunch of vaccine updates, including ANOTHER smallpox vaccine (mine went hot, so clearly the first one hadn't taken), diphtheria, and typhoid. Because Europe was still dealing with such outbreaks--because Europeans were vaccine averse (the French still are totally stupid about this).
The very interesting early 18th-century diarist and travel writer Lady Mary Wortley Montagu was married to the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire. In Constantinople (as it was then called and I admit what I still call it) she observed that women in the Ottoman harem were having their physicians (this is in the 1820s, folks!!) infect the children with cow pox in very small doses by scratching their arms with needles on which the cow pox had been introduced. She decided to have her own children treated. And experienced a storm of controversy. But her kids did not get smallpox at a time when it was absolutely rampant in Britain and Europe. QED.
I just have to share this parallel story for all who have not yet enjoyed Ibram X. Kendi's rich history: "Stamped from the Beginning". He mentions, (p. 71-72) an early reference to the idea of inoculation as the populations in Boston and elsewhere were being decimated by small pox. According to Kendi, the standard question in Boston households that was asked of all new African slaves coming into their household was "Have you ever had small pox?". Around 1706, Cotton Mather recorded, in his copious diaries, a notable answer from a slave known as Onesimus: "Yes and no." He then learned that for "hundreds of years" Africans had long used a rudimentary form of inoculation against disease, scratching a bit of pus from an infected patient into the skin of a heathy individual. This was long rejected as "too primitive" for the modern European medicine of the time. As small pox decimated the Boston population, Cotton Mather investigated Onesimus' reported practice and around 1721, he presented his research to the medical community. Only one physician, Zabadial Boylston responded, announcing that he had successfully inoculated his son and two slaves. According to Kendi, the medical community was "horrified" and one physician, Dr. William Douglas, concocted a conspiracy theory that it was a grand plot concocted by the African people to kill their masters by convincing them to be inoculated. And the stories go on from there......
The older we get....the more things stay the same.....
That same history of vaccination is told by Charles Eastman, MD, Lakota, in his book "From the Deep Woods to Civilization." 1916, Eastman's father encouraged his son to embrace the white man's education and religion (Christian), feeling that, in general, it was "superior" to their own, a rarely heard sentiment in our day -- and probably not PC to voice.
Fascinating! Thanks for this bit of history Linda. That must have been a shock when you found out your first vaccine hadn't taken!
And excuse the typo in my post. Lady Mary was in Anatolia in the 1720s. Yep. I have chemo brain in the mornings. It was an uncomfortable summer while the smallpox vaccine spot healed and I have 2 scars as a result.
Chemo brain is real. You seem to do very well wading through that swamp.
Hugs for the chemo brain. I have it all day 😂
Rest today, Linda. ❤
thank you for the story, with our without typos!
with our without... lol
Would love to say I intended it ;)
I can certainly sympathize - my son had cancer of one tonsil - had surgery, chemo & radiation - lost 50 pounds - tube in stomach (which just did not work for him) & did come out the other side - then was diagnosed with Lyme Disease! Went thru that treatment. Was a rough few years, but hes doing well now. I hope the same for you (end result that is). Really enjoy your comments - always learn something from them!!
Bravo for your son!
Thanks, Daria - hes fine now but it was an experience neither he nor anyone else will forget!
I wish I had turned into a skinny b#$&h! That was supposed to be my silver lining. 😂 I’m so glad your son is doing well. Each one of these stories anchors me more firmly to my hope, and I hope does the same for Linda.
He also lost most of his hair - he was 51 at the time - It was really scary. At the time of the diagnosis - he also quit smoking! So there was a bit of a silver lining.
remember as a child in St. Louis in the 1950s all the other kids had little circular sores on their arms from smallpox vaccination. I can’t find one on my own arm, but I’m sure I was vaccinated (as well as getting the sugar cube for polio in school). Then I went into the military in 1963 and tho IDK what they jet-injected us with, smallpox vaccine was still likely as we could be sent anywhere in the world. Then in 1975 to travel overland to India, I actually got my International Vaccination Certificate card and got another smallpox shot (as well as yellow fever, cholera and typhoid). While working in a free clinic in rural India, I saw a young man with pockmark scars on his skin. That was the last year of any cases in India and smallpox was officially declared eradicated by 1980.
Fascinating and relevant support for the truth as usual, Linda. Appreciation and good morning!
As a Tennessean, I can say definitively the Repubs of this state are batshit crazy. The disquisitions on CRT, the constant attempts to outlaw abortion through outrageous schemes and a governor who’s a “born again” Christian, it certainly screams loud and clear their care for fellow humans is nil. As every repug legislator in the country tries to out-outrage each other, we might as well settle in to watch the clown show ramp up. No vaccines for kids, including flu shots, shows you how much the TN legislature cares for its citizens.
Marcy maybe these Christians that love to kill people should be called "dead again" Christians instead of "born again."
The Republican Party certainly does seem like a death cult.
This.
💀💀💀
Linda, You're on to something! Jamie Wheal, author of "Recapture the Rapture", which I'm now reading, quotes Nietzsche as saying "There was only one Christian, and He died on the cross." I'm inclined to agree with him. What passes for Christian doctrine now is right out of the Old Testament. An eye for an eye, and all that.
Sandra, you are so right. I hadn't thought of it that way but today's "Christian" is not Christian at all, but Old Testament full on with rules, condemnations, prejudices, and laws that punish those who step out of line.
😂
The danger is that we get inured to the potential devastation of this “clown show”. Each step is but a little progression from the last, and the frequency of them dulls our capacity for outrage. Not to mention our ability to rise up and cry, “Enough!”
I don't know who you are speaking for, who are 'we' to 'get inured to the potential devastation of this 'clown show'? Your description doesn't seem to apply to subscribers here, the people I know or public responses to General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, likening 'Donald Trump’s effort to hold on to power after the 2020 election to Adolf Hitler, saying the president was preaching “the gospel of the Führer” with his lies about the election being stolen, according to a new book by two Washington Post reporters.' (New York Magazine)
Are you writing that each step revealing more information about Trump's anti-democratic actions and aspirations will dull 'our capacity for outrage'? Should there be no more about his acts of bad faith, to say the least?. The investigation of the January 6th insurrection will start soon and more books about Trump are on the way. That is what we do in a Democracy.
Fern, you are taking what I say and building it into your own narrative.
There *are* amazing groups like LFAA.
There *is* outrage in many quarters. And it received a fresh jolt with yesterday’s revelations.
But in any state that went democratic to authoritarian those factors were also present in the passage through. They just were not a majority and were drowned out.
Too many people remained indifferent to the doings of government, were fooled by what the minority was not buying, and/or were overwhelmed with their own personal cares in life.
My point remains the same, although you clearly see me as tainting the energy and will of the group. What is needed *now* is positive action by the government to turn around the momentum, to check the momentum of evildoers and to begin the long and arduous process of putting America back in track.
If the Voting Rights acts get passed and signed into law, this will be a first, a necessary, and a huge check on the Republicans. I pray this happens. It will give me the hope back that I held in many. Many posts I wrote after Biden’s inauguration.
Until then, it’s pointless for you to attack me as a naysayer or to claim that I don’t know things I’m perfectly conversant with. I’m not important. I merely write small opinions in a quality forum.
Eric, There is no contest between positive work on behalf of the American people, which the Biden administration is doing in abundance, v. continuing to report the mounting evidence of Trump's acts against the country and democratic principles. Putting this country together, so that it serves the people and getting to the truth about the damage done by Trump, Dark Money and the Republican Party are both crucial for our future.
According to the IRS, the first payment from the newly expanded child tax credit were sent out today to some 39 million families with about 65 million kids. "This can be life-changing for so many families," Mr. Biden said. He argued the expanded monthly Child Tax Credit has the ability to cut poverty in the way Social Security reduced poverty among the elderly.' (CBS News) The odds favor two very large Infrastructure plans will also be passed. That's positive work on behalf of Americans.
I don't see you tainting our energy and did not make that point. My reply to you was challenging the assumption that the American people learning more about Trump's malfeasance 'dulls our capacity for outrage', in your words. I regret that you felt attacked by our difference of opinion concerning the importance of exposing Trump's horrific acts against our country. My hope is that as the evidence builds against Trump, so will it seep into the consciousness of more Americans.
Fern, your point that the American people need to know more about the authoritarian, fascist government of Donald Trump and his minions than less is what is needed. Americans have trouble dealing with the credit due them to have kept this experiment alive and well since the election of George Washington and the formation of a revolutionary government. From the day that the founding fathers decided to risk their all and begin the way to a better life for the United States Citizens to now is nothing less than a miracle.
Our imperfect government structure with its imperfect supporters for over 200 years continues to stride in the right direction. Let me put it to this group's readers that "outrage" is the least emotion that we need at this time in our history.
Instead I would suggest that we need to think clearly and rationally and discover the real problems while providing the action necessary to protect the Constitution. Many Americans tend to seek solutions before they identify the problem It is a difficult tendency to overcome as rash action is so easy to do.
With the election of Joe Biden and the continued election of the Democrats in the House and Senate a strong move to discovering the problems and solutions will continue.
The freedom to vote is imperative. It is the next giant step forward for all of us.
Fern, with all due respect, I think Eric is right. Because any one of Trump’s misdoings would have resulted in weeks of media commentary had they been done by any other administration. Instead, they all just got lost in a tidal wave of malfeasance. And we all got used to it. Now, hopefully, we are unlearning that response, and our outrage is more productive again. I am thrilled with the work the administration is doing so far, and frustrated with the lack of (visible) progress on voting rights. Here’s hoping my repeated letter writing does some good, finally.
Eric, Thank you for your like. I liked it. Clearly, a number of subscribers here agree with you and cannot get how Trump could still be barking and scheming as a free man. There are, however, still signs, here and there, of his diminished thrust.
'Trump’s popularity with Republicans is really just pretty average. There is little doubt that the intensity among his strongest supporters is high, but this asterisk is overwhelmed by another important caveat. As Gallup notes: “Fewer Americans identify as Republicans or say they are Republican-leaning independents than did so in November 2016, the month Donald Trump was elected president.”
'It may be that Trump is popular among people who identify as Republicans, simply because the Republicans who don’t like him are… no longer Republicans. In others words: Trump’s approval rating in his party climbs because his party is shrinking.' (Daily Beast)
As to the largest stumbling block, it appears the only way to get one or two significant national voting rights bill passed will be 'to amend the U.S. Senate filibuster in order to carve out laws that are directly tied to constitutionally protected rights, including voting.' (Newsweek) The link below is to an article covering Jim Clyburn's advice to Biden on the matter:
https://www.newsweek.com/jim-clyburn-urges-filibuster-carveout-laws-protecting-constitutional-rights-like-voting-1608558
I actually partially wrote a reply, got distracted, and whoosh it was gone.
I really appreciated that you pointed out the very positive news of the child tax credits going out starting today. I knew that, but the doomsday feeling in me prevented absorption.
This is a huge step forward. And the fact that 90% of child-rearing Americans get it will reduce the predictable performative blowback of anger that accompanies any help to struggling people. Our two countries have the disease of treating poverty as a question of morality. He doesn’t have any money - ergo he’s lacking in character. I do have money - nothing to see here. The supremely ugly Prosperity Gospel at its nadir.
I needed your reminder. Thank you.
Fewer Republicans and fewer Democrats are registered. 25% each, I read. So a hug ember of (I) voters.
A fitting letter I posit. To me it seems a reflection of the rise (once again ) of Libertarianism as an article of faith to hang on one’s laundry line for all to see.
And I think it may be unimportant. People may *register* (I), but still vote (D) or (R). Just to muddy the waters some more.
As long as millions of Americans have FOX news on 24/7 - the wallpaper of their homes, literally - those same millions continue to be indoctrinated with lies meant to hurt our democracy and control their minds. There is so much to be outraged about, one doesn't know which BS story is more outrageous than the next. We become inured to these outrages. But, clearly, many of the FOX-watching Americans are filled with hate and seemingly can't wait to maim, murder, and punish in the name of their Fuhrer, who is dumb as dirt, unread, lacks insight and intelligence, but remains in his realm powerful, faultless and worshipped. FOX needs to be banned as it is the leader in the indoctrination that is ruining the minds and hearts of millions of Americans. More books may be coming out and published but those who need to read them won't. Let's hope the courts of NY do their job to attach crimes to Trump that he can't get out of...and, will that even work?
You echo my thoughts and those of so many more. Thank you.
I enjoyed how this trace expanded between Eric and Fern. I learned new stuff as you pared. Personally, I would prefer to never hear about TFG, except an obituary in two words: It's Dead. And I also know we have to promote and spread the messages of success from Joe and Kamela. They have redirected the focus back to the Americans who make up America, rather than the plutocrats and oligarchs who seem to be the heros of the opposition. Our progressive penchant for self-critism, while worthy of glorifying in theory, does run the risk in public discourse to be self-defeating through the ears of the unconvinced. Sometimes a hot dog is just a hot dog and we are better off without an autopsy report.
What are the younger people feeling about all of this? Are they buying into the cultists or are they realizing their vote is significant and they must vote these Republicans out of office?
I think there is reason for optimism there.
A study from Tufts University found that the youth vote increased by as much as 25% in 2020 when compared to 2016.
“ Our calculations, based on votes counted as of November 18, suggest that 52%-55% of voting-eligible young people, ages 18-29, cast a ballot in the 2020 presidential election. Using the same methodology and data from a week after the election in 2016, we had previously estimated that youth voter turnout in 2016 was 42-44%.”
https://circle.tufts.edu/latest-research/election-week-2020#youth-voter-turnout-increased-in-2020
And it beggars belief that more than a small minority of those votes went Republican.
This is their future. They are clear on that.
I don’t know. I do read that kids of fundamentalists are disturbed enough by their parents’ hypocrisy in embracing TFG they are walking away from their religious upbringing.
I dread being a witness to the deadly results (all due to parental posturing) for children in Tennessee.
I was in elementary school in Dallas TX when the Sabin oral polio vaccine was distributed. According to news reports, the city of 900,000 residents at that time achieved a 90% vaccination rate over the course of just two weekends. That could never happen today. Today over 90% of deaths from Covid are people who have not been vaccinated. Republicans are literally willing to die to "own the libs."
In about 5th grade in the 1950s, there was a girl in my class a bit older than the rest, possibly from missing a school year who had an atrophied arm. I suspect that was from polio. We baby boomers who experienced all the “childhood diseases” the hard way also saw the remnants of Smallpox & Polio still active in the world.
I remember Billy who sat next to me grade school in the 50's had to walk with a leg brace after having polio.
Here's an idea: Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Johnson&Johnson, etc. for Democrats, mandatory doses of the good Dr. Leary's medicine for the GOP. Might be a game changer.
I think this is a brilliant plan. Biden should make this announcement: “I have heard from my friends across the aisle that they don’t want or need to be vaccinated. They feel that our vaccination program is intrusive. I am honoring their wishes. From now on, our vaccine programs will not include registered Republicans. We will only seek to vaccinate Democrats and independents.”
I imagine two reactions, both of which would be fun to watch. One, “How dare Biden leave Republicans to get sick and die!” which leads to a reply of, “So, you believe the vaccine is beneficial? That’s not what you’ve been saying.” Or two, stunned silence, leaving them nothing to complain about (vaccine-wise).
Major snark props to you this AM
Oh man….. that is a total shade fest. The fools would prob go for it.
Bring it ON!
Nice idea, but we might create an even bigger monster. I don't like imagining Ted Cruz on acid.
"Ted Cruz on acid". Now THERE'S a picture! Seriously, there is a lot of legitimate research being done at Johns Hopkins and other places on psychedelics in treating alcoholism, PTSD, depression and other ills. Check it out.
They aren't just handing out sugar cubes, of course; it's real scientific research, after all! 😎 Micro-dosing in conjunction with therapy/supervision is showing good results.
And this isn't new. It's what Leary and others were attempting to do decades ago. Michael Pollan's How to Change Your Mind gives a good history of this.
Pollan's book led me to some other sources, too. Now I've got his new one, "This is Your Mind on Plants", that I'm anxious to dig into, after I finish "Recapture the Rapture: Rethinking God, Sex. and Death in a World That's Lost Its Mind."
An acquaintance of, in his spiritual quest, did the ayahuasca retreats Pollan wrote about, and had positive results. Obviously not verifiable or quantifiable! Still, anecdotal testimonials are often helpful.
Love, love, love me some Michael Pollan. I've been reading his books for the last 10 years. 'How to Change Your Mind' is amazing and groundbreaking in its scope and breadth.
I was about to say that maybe when he comes back to earth he could be a changed man? 😁overly optimistic for sure!
Christy, he'd probably have to really leave Earth first. Many astronauts had their perspective totally changed by seeing the Earth from space. OTOH, I doubt even that would phase Cruz.
Or Mitch McConnell. Yeah, maybe you're right.
That would be a very scary trip to witness!
You mean there is another reason for his ‘sorry ass’ behavior?
Thanks for the chuckle this morning!
Hi Kathy. Humor is a good antidote to fear and loathing, not only in Las Vegas.
Ha!
Ohhhhhhh, indeed. In San Miguel de Allende, MX there is apparently a widespread use of hallucinogens to cure what ails you.
And, if it doesn't cure you, you don't care!
Yup!
My cousin contracted polio right before vaccine became available. His parents got him vaccinated. He's still here in his mid eighties today to talk about it.
Morning Lynell! A dear friend of mine, now approaching 70, grew up in the rural Midwest. He attended a birthday party for a 2 year old, and of 17 kids at that party, 15 came down with Polio. Research came out many years later that the reason for the Polio epidemic (at least in his corner of the world) came down to city water lines being installed around that time. No longer were the kids receiving homeopathic amounts of Polio from the environment (and probably well water), their water supply had been 'cleaned up' , thus the Polio outbreaks in the 40's.
Wow. Have never heard that. Daria.
What, hallucinogens in SMA? Yeah, its the hip, artsy, expat place to be. Never mind the fact that the State of Guanajuato is seeing and explosion of cartel related crime in the last couple of years. And it's too bad because the city of Guanajuato is one of the most vibrant visual and performing arts centers in the world, hosting the month long Cervantino every October.
I have been on every step you mentioned Ralph, and you are right this is insane. Ten years ago when I was a John McCain supporting Republican I would never have thought any of this was possible, now I pray 🙏 that the next several elections so thoroughly defeat the GOP that those with a brain come to their senses and the remnant fringe that remain, go howling off into the darkness where they belong. This nation needs a thorough restructuring to correct the many inequities that have been built in historically, it would be very helpful if we had a functioning 2 party system to help build it, if not we will build it without them. Thank god we have a president that is not insane.
I just thought of John McCain yesterday. What a gentleman. His legislative protocols are an example that is right there for Republicans to commemorate and follow.
I say a prayer every day that more than the few that there are will do so.
Wishful thinking, I’m afraid. Even with my rose colored glasses on, can I see that happening with what is left of this Republican Party. Remember the Lindsay Graham who John McCain called “ friend”?
But I think of retired Republican Sen Jeff Flake who Biden has announced for Ambassador to Turkey. Current Adam Kissinger…young and outspoken. Many retired Republicans who are not in office but important in the party. And they do not have to kiss any ring to keep that influence be cause they do not need former’s endorsement. Nor do they want it.
🤞🙏🏻
I take heart in Kevin McCarthy's remark recently that Biden is the president and was legally elected. Many in his party jumped all over him.
And yet he is meeting his leader in NJ today.
Dick, I wonder if former Republicans like you talking to current ones could help them see how the party isn’t the party it used to be. Have you spoken to any?
I have tried, I argued until I was blue in the face with my cousin, a man that I was very close to. To my everlasting shame I, like my cousin, voted for the insipid clown that was our president. I knew that we were in deep trouble from the day hestarted lying about the croud size for his inauguration, it was clear that he inspired only a fraction of the people that were motivated to attend Obama's event. I sent him countless, well thought out arguments that were all based on fact like the Jesuits tought me, only to get one or two word replies, or links to some lunatic conspiracy theory. I have been very vocal about my opposition to everything the insipid one stood for, I told him that you are on one side or the other in this, there is no middle ground, I truely believe that we are in a mortal battle for our democracy, I reminded him that Benjamin Franklin never again spoke to his son after he sided with the crown, his last reply to me was that I was no Benjamin Franklin, in that of course he was correct, but I aspire to have even a fraction of the courage and decency of our founders. I have done everything in my power to end that presidency and bring about a new senate. I'm still a member of the Lincoln Project and am proud of what we have done and will continue to do. I think that we have to get past the mid-terms and the next general election with decisive victories before we will have any time to breathe easily. Business relationships that I have had for decades are as strained as those with my cousin, I'm ok with that, maybe down the road they will have an awakening, I did, or maybe not, we might get to have a "what the hell were you thinking?" moment, I hope so. Today I write, it helps keep me sane as well as clearly formulate my thinking, this forum has been a blessing, I'm grateful to be part of this inspiring community, so thank you Marcy for your reply, it gave me food for thought.
Just to say thank you, Dick, for trying to talk with your Republican friends and cousin and for your work with the Lincoln Project. There's definitely something "wrong" with Republicans who refuse to acknowledge that DT is unfit for public office, to say nothing of the office of POTUS! He's unhinged and for them to continue to support him, tells me they are deliberately blind and willfully ignorant for reasons of their own. The best answer is to continue to speak the truth (Lincoln Project) and to get out the votes against his minions and him. Continue to overcome them time and time again in the voting booths. They must be beaten down b/c they will never be persuaded nor concede.
Your "courage and decency" are an example to others, even them ,although they wouldn't admit it, I'm sure. It sure is an encouragement to me to know there are courageous men and women like you willing and able to fight for our democracy! Thanks, again.
That's the thing, Ralph. Because vaccines ARE so effective, we no longer regularly see the evidence of what life was like without them. Same with the measles vaccines and anti-vaxers. They say, "Well, there aren't large measles outbreaks now, so why should I get my child vaccinated?" (I understand they believe all sorts of crap about the danger of the vaccines, as well, but that's a slightly different thing.)
Maybe it will take having some of these horrific diseases that have been conquered in the past come roaring back to wreak havoc, for Joe and Jill Six-pack to realize reality?
At the recent convention of Caucasian People Acting Crazy (CPAC), the invocation by a local megachurch "pastor" concluded, "And in the bible it says 'In he beginning, God created the heavens and earth.' That's all the science we need to know."
These people don't want to go back to 1850 - they want to go back to 1350.
There were already people--such as Roger Bacon and his students, among them William of Ockham who in turn taught John Wycliffe (from whom Martin Luther stole all his ideas)--in the 13th century who did not think that Genesis was reality. I suspect that even the Greeks were leery of Hesiod's Theogony as a presentation of reality. The "believe, don't think" crowd has been ever with us. But they didn't have Facebook and Twitter before this.
And the fact that theocrats have social media is what makes them doubly dangerous (Christian, Muslim, whatever).
Preach it brother!
I believe you.
Ralph, all excellent points.
Thank you! I wish we could bookmark comments on this forum.
The cult of dopey don is not concerned about the commonweal of all fellow citizens! Rather they prefer an autocratic despot who will eventually lead them “to the cool aid”!
They're already drinking the cool-aid in Tennessee and other southern states.
Folks might find this discussion on authoritarian cults in the US of interest. It’s This Sat. afternoon. Cost of a ticket is 0 to 25 dollars. Very interesting subject with some experts. Authoritarian Cults in America?
AUTHORITARIAN CULTS IN AMERICA? with the following speakers:
Steven Hassan, Ph.D. – leading expert on cults and mind control and the author of The Cult of Trump
Jon Atack – ex-Scientologist and author of several books including Opening Minds
David Weissman – former Trump cultist who has been bravely speaking out
James Cohen, Ph.D. – assistant professor of media studies at CUNY Queens College teaching social media and digital media literacies, with a focus on far right extremism
Becca Lewis – former researcher at the Data and Society Research Institute, co-author of Media Manipulation and Disinformation Online, and Ph.D. candidate at Stanford University
Co-hosts:
Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Ph.D. – leading historian at New York University, expert on authoritarians and their cults, and author of Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present
Bandy Lee, M.D., M.Div. – president of the World Mental Health Coalition, forensic psychiatrist and expert on dangerous personalities and street gangs, and editor of The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/authoritarian-cults-in-america-tickets-162916352195
How will Tennessee Schools (and all schools) deal with a more transmissible and more deadly Delta variant with no ( none under 12 years old yet) to low vax rates and no mask mandates?
This CDC report from an Oklahoma gymnastics gym informs us:
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7028e2.htm
The true history of the polio vaccine is the that the vaccine was developed well after polio started to recede. As with all viral etc. pandemics, eventually they lose steam and then only a few cases are found every year. But big Pharma jumped in and said they saved people because of the vaccine. I doubt it.
I don't think that is the true story, Elaine. The drop in occurrence of Polio in the US was precipitous when massive vacinnations started. It wasn't going away on its own. No herd immunity was developing. Polio has been also been found in countries other than the US where health conditions favor it's emergence as a child killing disease. It has pretty much been eradicated world-wide through vaccination programs over the last 75+ years. The Gates foundation has been instrumental in establishing such vaccination efforts.. There are polio watches conducted by citizen groups (Kiwanis?) and WHO. I periodically get updates on the verified cases from friends who track these. A great success story. Their counts worldwide are between 0 and 1 new case per year. The vacinnation counters the health conditions folks still try to live in in developing nations. I don't know what your sources are.
The Salk vaccine came out in 1955, so 65+ years ago. I remember being given a dose on a sugar cube in elementary school. The Sabin vaccine was available in the early 60s. I got that one, too.
The March of Dimes was founded to fund research on polio prevention.
The University of South Florida opened in 1960. It was the first university to be designed for easy handicapped access. There are no steps at building entries and all buildings have elevators. During its first years the campus served many polio victims and they could be seen all over campus, walking with braces or crutches and in wheelchairs. Polio was a scourge and feared. There was absolutely no mention of even possible herd immunity, even when it hit almost every child in a small town.
Rotary International is the non-profit I was thinking of.
And better water treatment and delivery systems certainly aided the defeat of polio. But without the vaccine, because we're not committed to solid infrastructure in all parts of the country, there would always have been outbreaks and it would likely not have been eradicated completely.
Agree. Hot summer days in Central Illinois and standing water in the many unsuspected/uninspected private cisterns in small towns took a toll. Even at dad's parsonage.
Another blithering idiot heard from. Thanks for the reminder that the other species of hairless biped on the planet, Homo Sap, is all around us.
I’m simply stating what is said in medical books. I would think you might want to research it before you bashed another person for the information therein. So I guess you made your own case.
Elaine, this article may help inform you of the actual sequence of events. It is an interview with Jonas' son in which he addresses some of the information spread in the anti-vax literature. One particular point you should note is that Jonas never patented or made much money from his discovery. He gave the knowledge away and the good story continues about how science and men of good conscience work to solve problems despite erroneous "medical" opinion. There are many good sources to add with a simple google search. Had the vaccine come a few months before, my wife might not have spent part of her childhood in an iron-lung or lives now with the post-polio effects. I hope you rethink where you are getting your information. Best.
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/10/the-anti-vaccine-movement-is-forgetting-the-polio-epidemic/381986/
Nailed it!
What you claim may be true. I don't feel it's worth my time to research. Let's say it's true that polio was receding anyway. At what cost in human suffering? If the vaccines had not been widely distributed, what would the cost have been in further debilitating cases with life-long disabilities?
“Do not obey in advance”. This is Tim Synder’s #1 warning in his book, “On Tyranny”.
“Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. In times like these, individuals think ahead about what a more repressive Governent will want, and then offer themselves without being asked. A citizen who adopts in this way is teaching power what it can do.”
By not vaccinating, followers are demonstrating the above. They are willing to sacrifice their health, their children’s health, and possibly their lives for a political ideology.
Do we need more proof than that to demonstrate the radicalization of 1/2 our populace? What else are they willing to do for their group identity and dear leader? Surely this is pure madness.
Thanks for pointing out Snyder's warnings. Everyone should heed them. But I don't believe half the population has been radicalized. Republicans and independents who lean Republican number 40%, the lowest since Obama was elected to his second term. Those numbers don't by any means lessen the dire threat we face, especially in light of voter suppression and laws giving legislatures the power to overturn election results.
You may be surprised to learn that the Gallup poll taken the end of January, 2021, on the question "In politics, as of today, do you consider yourself a Republican, a Democrat or an independent?" the response was 25% Republican, 50% Independent, and 25% Democrat (100%). 50% Independent!! The latest poll in early June 2021 has it at 24% R, 44% I, 30% D (98%). That seems to show that Independents are seeing the Biden administration as an American President rather than a Democrat President. So when they say 41% of Republicans won't take the vaccine, that is just 10% of the voters.
https://news.gallup.com/poll/15370/party-affiliation.aspx
Great news about Independents. This is the poll on which my comment was based: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/04/07/gallup-survey-shows-largest-increase-democratic-party-affiliation-decade/7114860002/
Many Independents lean Democratic or lean Republican with some proportion of without partisan preferences. I checked with Pew Research and have not found any data about this for the past year.
Fern, you're right. In NC, independents (which are called "Unaffiliated" in NC) are the fastest growing voter registration. Dems were so excited to see the R numbers fall and the I's rise. Until we realized that most of those new I's were still voting R!!
I've wondered if registering as an Independent has more to do with the libertarianism that has swept the country?
I wonder if it can be explained to a degree by people who voted for Obama and then Trump?
I don't recommend long lectures. A casual, friendly conversation during which a matter of interest may fit in or be slipped in is the way I approach it. Comfort a sense of trust and listening are important factors, so is going slowly and avoiding rancor. There is often a next time.
Cannot answer that question. You might dig around for articles about libertarianism as well as about Independents. Check with Axios, Daily Beast, Politico, Vox, etc. as well as common outlets.
You'll see in the Gallup poll that as you get nearer to an election the Independents are forced to choose in many cases the lesser of two evils chosen for them in not very democratic processes (think super-delegates etc) between R and D. As an Independent I no longer feel represented by either party which have both taken more extreme left and right positions. I have no representation in this system. As John Adams said, "The worst evil to befall the Constitution would be the two-party system."
The voter suppression thing is overblown as a threat to democracy. Voting is easier than in most of our history. But the legislature override is not getting the attention it deserves. Unfortunately the Constitution could be interpreted by this Supreme Court as allowing elections to be treated as mere plebiscites.
I don't think voter suppression is overblown. But, correct -- the even bigger threat is the states allowing the legislature to override election results. This is extremely alarming.
Voting may be easier for some of us than at any point in our history. Women, for instance, find it easier to vote than 102 years ago when we had zero voting rights.
But it's not nearly easy enough for huge swaths of the population, for a wide array of reasons depending on who you are and where you live. And it's not nearly as easy as it should be.
It's not even that easy for your average middle aged working white Republican male in NH. Aside from Covid exceptions, in NH, in order to vote absentee you had to sign an affadavit stating one of three allowable conditions : On voting day, being absent from the voter’s city or town, a religious observance, disability or illness, and employment commitments (including caregiving) during the entire time the polls are open. My husband frequently ends up working out of town unexpectedly the entire day the polls are open. I might get called in to work at the hospital and miss the polling hours. So we have to plan way ahead, assume we might miss in person voting, complete an application, return it in person to our rural town clerk's office (which itself has wonky hours), to even get an absentee ballot.
When we can safely and securely transfer money in seconds, why can't we vote just as easily?
Just because voting is easier than ever, doesn't make it right, considering our history. But it is possible, with a lot of hard work, to work around voter restrictions. The legislature override is not good and I don't know if there is a work around for that. I suppose more post-election lawsuits which, while being valid this time around, would, to certain people, look like the Dems just doing what the GOP did after having denigrated it. Hopefully this issue will get more press. It seems to me it is a newer idea than the other stuff.
Okay, 40%. But more like 50% Surrendering their health, risking it all going un vaxed. Isn’t that a sign?
Hey, I hear air raid sirens blaring. But my point is that the numbers are on our side and growing. That's not a comfort right now under all the circumstances.
The virus doesn’t care, and it doesn’t know we exist. It has one goal, to replicate.It’s going to keep mutating. New strains will be the result of each outbreak. Outbreaks will cause more closures or more serious outbreaks. It takes 95% vax to stop measles. It’s going to take close to 85-90% vaccinations to stop this pandemic. HC workers are exhausted and many nurses have left the calling. It’s time to deploy more carrots and a few sticks to increase vaccination rates.
Michigan has incentives for vaccines! $500,000! Scholarships!
https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2021/07/01/michigan-covid-19-vaccine-lottery-sweepstakes-gretchen-whitmer/7821384002/
Ohio’s $5 million vaccination lottery prizes did not increase vaccination rates. I think it’s time to follow France’s lead and impose restrictions on what unvaccinated people can do. Want to go to a movie? Prove that you’re vaccinated.
Not yet. We're working on it!
Never underestimate the Democrats’ ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Crime rates and crazy identity politics will do it every time.
I listened to TLP's "We're Speaking" last night. They interviewed Anne Applebaum. She talks about how Poland became authoritarian...not with tanks in the streets, but slowly, as the government took over the media, courts, etc. Very similar to what is happening now here. While this segment is long, scroll through to the interview itself which is about 20 minutes. Well worth the time and very scary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DIwqRu7OI8
Hey, Annette. Very good interview with Anne Applebaum. Thank you!
You and I and the most others on here already know this and are scared. The question about it is to decide what to do about it without sacrificing democracy.
Those on the right do not read books. TV and the internet are their media choices, where it is easier find lies to support their illusions.
I think people are missing a lot of the authoritarianism in progressivism. People losing their jobs for rather inconsequential comments and opinions. Chilling effect. Ugly stuff. Not good for democracy.
You wrote, "People losing their jobs for rather inconsequential comments and opinions." If you have time, could you expound on the connection between that statement and authoritarianism or progressivism. Also, I'm failing to understand how progressive ideas are any way authoritarian. As a progressive, I thought I was supporting equal rights and more inclusivity.
I don't think you directed this comment to me but as a progressive and as a fallible human any idea or group can become authoritarian. I think that is part of the problem with the left today. Trump shows himself to be horrible but that doesn't mean we can't go off the rails.
Please provide some examples of when that has happened related to progressivism. Not saying it's not possible for there to be an authoritarian bent within progessivism, but curious when you've seen it happen where a clear line can be drawn between the two.
Are you referring to what the right increasingly refers to as the danger of "cancel culture"? Because that's just accountability. We've been boycotting for years. I get to choose where I spend my dollars and what I give my attention to and am not obligated to support people or organizations that are clearly aligned with what I see as a philosophy that's dangerous to democracy.
As a woman you might want to pay more attention.
As a man you may want to learn to make constructive comments.
Inconsequential? Surely you jest...
Republicans as they are now are the biggest threat to democracy.
The biggest threat from the illiberal left is they energize and give ammunition to Republicans.
But you're right it is ugly stuff, almost as ugly as trumpkins.
Is lying good for democracy?
I am so concerned that this is all going under the radar of the average American.
I have made attempts to discuss these things with several people around me. I’ve been rebuffed with “It’s too depressing.” or “I get too angry.” or “I’m too busy with work and kids and I don’t have time.” So many just want it to go away, but don’t see any need or responsibility to help make it go away.
And they'll be the ones wailing "How did this happen?" when it goes down the tubes.
We've been "wailing" that for 5+ years! I recommend these letters, and comments, to anyone who will listen.
The ticket might be to invite them to join you and some neighbors for a potluck and invite some ball of fire to come and educate and inspire....someone with connection power and passion...or....start a consciousness raising group centered around "connection" and "you are us and we matter" ...."the more we are we together the greater our power to make a difference for ourselves and each other"...."we're coming together to learn how we can have each other's backs".....Don't call it a consciousness raising group call it something else, like "wanting to know you better and wanting you to know me better"....
A good idea, although these are mostly family in other states, via phone. I have spread the word about Heather to people I see locally, including the nurse in the hospital after my recent spinal surgery. We all need to do something, whatever we can.
I sent LFAA to all the young people I know. Explained why they should read it. I get questions now and then that gives me hope they are reading it!
I did that a couple of times many months ago and that was to adults. Thank you for the reminder and idea to go younger, too!
That is distressing.
Horrifying
The work you are doing is exactly what we need to do. It is hard to go back to the people who rebuff reality. I'm getting ready to return to a few. Leaving the door open for the next time is important. Sometimes I go on briefly to easier topic and leave him or her with a smile. Opening with a question about school, the wildfires or health makes an easier transition to more controversial matters.
Uncertainty creates a great deal of anxiety.
I get, "I do my job. I vote. Other than that, it's on our elected officials." 🙄
Huh. Small comfort, but at least they KNOW about it. I often wonder what percentage of the non-Trump population knows we are in such peril. I sure it's a scary low percentage, though.
I so agree - and think this every day. My fb friends always respond to posts of art, nature, mindfulness quotes. Rarely to important political or economic news that affects them. It is as though they don't want to know or become part of the fight against the deliberate destruction of their rights and freedoms
What's scarier to me is that they don't even know it's a fight to keep fascism at bay: They think it's "just politics."
I distinguish between "policy" "politics" and "partisanship."
Focus on developing and explaining good policy.
Find out what works and talk it up.
They average American is stuck in “the politics of inevitability”
Yes, exactly. Closely related to "all politicians are crooks," and "both parties suck." I really would like to know how many Americans know that our very existence as a democracy is at stake, that we could become a fascist state, that things like "authoritarianism," something that used to exist only in far off oh-how-terrible-for-those-poor-people lands, is potentially one national election away.
Nomi, you ask a very good question. I fear not as many as should realize how serious our situation is.
My fear is that far too many WANT a fascist state, an authoritarian to tell them what to do and who to hate.
…until they live it!
Sadly, it seems many don’t know/remember that democracy is at the core of our foundation as a nation. I fear a lot of folks just think “I’m not a Democrat (liberal)!” How did our country plummet to the point where a too-large population embraces such hate and “anti” behavior?!
We never REALLY want to believe that things are as bad as they are until there is no way of denying it....
It’s letters like this that make me appreciate news from a historian.
Good to read HRC's summary update every morning. Some of the comments add useful information from additional sources. But in the end, action is imperative.
At a local Democratic committee meeting representing communities in our Maine county, a guest citizen spoke up. He reported that Democrats and commonsense minded citizens must show up at town meetings, school board meetings and get elected or appointed to local offices. This is essential to counter the growing attendance and influence of Republican extremists who are intimidating our elected and public officials. Extremists are advocating all kinds of actions such as censorship of history and science in public schools, countering public health advisories and vaccines, criminalization of activity and information Republicans are now against.
A friendly neighbor who supports Trump complained that Obama and Biden paid China to develop covid19, telling me they read this in a short Facebook post. I offered to look into this. Of course I easily found articles about this, explaining that both the Obama and Trump administrations provided funds to infectious disease labs around the world to find and track animal diseases that have started to infect humans, as a jump start precaution against a new pandemic. The Trump administration suspended this funding shortly before covid19 was discovered. We need more effective fact checking corrections distributed as public health and information warnings in the media where this kind of misinformation is generated.
That is part of the success of their propaganda. Taking one little nugget of truth available in MSM and then distorting and pushing it out there to vulnerable minds
My first reaction reading this was Isaac Asimov’s spot on observation:
“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'” And, the cult of ignorance in Tennessee goes back to before 1925 with the “Scopes Monkey Trial.”
Asimov also said "When stupidity is considered patriotism, it is unsafe to be intelligent." We see the horrors of this in those Muslim hellholes of the Middle East, and with the withdrawal of our military from Afghanistan, the Taliban will take over again. But, whether they do that today or a century from today the outcome will be the same as the cult of ignorance seems to flourish in religious theocracies whether with the Muslim Taliban in the Middle East or the Christian Puritan in the Deep South.
The former poser president in his vulgarity referred to “Shithole Nations.” Ironically, from his ignorant malfeasance and that of the Repugnant Party, the United States is fast becoming a Shithole Nation.
Well said; there are people who pride themselves on their ignorance. I see no difference between Sharia Law and what the Evangelical Christians believe. With respect to the US becoming a "shithole nation", I offer you Mississippi and Missouri: I have a dear friend who lives in Mississippi who describes it as "Third World America" and he isn't wrong.
Fundamentalism is its own religion, whether masquerading as "christian," "muslim", "jew" or "hindu." It revels in ignorance, misogyny, patriarchy, and aggression, the principles on which it is created..
My family is from Mississippi. It has always been a third world nation (I have also visited & lived in 3rd world nations).
I love your comment! Would only take issue with your last sentence. I think many are awakening to the shitholeness (not shitholiness🤣) that the Republican Party has become over decades and working industriously to keep them from turning our country into the shithole they want it to be.
In 2017, Noam Chomsky described the Republican Party as the most dangerous organization in world history.
When pressed on it, he backed off a little, but then said, “Has there ever been an organization in human history that is dedicated, with such commitment, to the destruction of organized human life on Earth? Not that I’m aware of. Is the Republican organization—I hesitate to call it a party—committed to that? Overwhelmingly. There isn’t even any question about it.”
That was four years ago. They are far worse now and have a surge of momentum which must be checked.
I think their “shitholeness” is not in doubt.
The day (many years ago now) that my Republican college educated cousin posted propaganda from Pravda on my Facebook page, attempting to make a political point, was my first eyes wide open moment. 😳 I did not imagine things could get so bad so fast though.
I also love reading Richard Hofstadter, "Anti-Intellectualism in American Life".
Go read his essay "The Paranoid Style in American Politics," written in 1964, in which he showed this craziness has been around a long time. But I think the good doctor would agree that today's version is all the others on steroids.
https://harpers.org/archive/1964/11/the-paranoid-style-in-american-politics/
Have read it and I totally agree. Also "Uncollected Essays 1956 - 1965".
Wow early letter tonight. :)
With 96-99% of the covid-19 deaths now coming from the unvaccinated and most of those people coming from the GQP science deniers and fear mongers I guess if the GQP is trying to thin the ranks of their voters they are doing a fine job. With the delta variant (accounting for almost 60% of current deaths) becoming the dominant strain we will probably see another surge with an increase in deaths this fall/winter. I feel sorry for those people who live in those states that have to deal with the madness face to face everyday. I deal with it everyday in the medical field, but at least here in OH in the area where I live it isn't all out blatant craziness such as is on display in TN, TX, FL ......
I am glad that Gen Miley recognized the danger that trump represented, but we will not be out of the woods until we can control the House and Senate on a national level as well as at least getting moderate (are there any out there) republicans in our state houses. As disheartening as it is don't give up yet.
Though it seems that the Republicans are “culling” their own herd with their dangerous rhetoric and push back regarding the vaccines, I fear too many Black, Brown and poor Democrats in those states will suffer the consequences by not having the vaccines available to them through outreach.
No, it’s available, but too many of them don’t trust it.
So. Shall we sit on our couches writing more letters and emails and calling about this?Or stuff our righteous indignation, frustration, outrage? Sit in front of our computers wringing our hands while allowing hopelessness and a sense of defeat to eat away at ourselves? Or - organize, put our masks on, ask high school band kids to join the effort, and git out on the streets and start being public - raising caine - making public spectacles - community drama - around what really matters to us--- and for those who think they see the handwriting on the wall, become strategic in bringing the world/city/ to a halt and making demands en mass. Stand up and stand out for voting rights for all races. Pretty essential isn't it? March in fidelity with the gutsy Texas democrats! I sure want to know who is funding these republicans with murderous intentions, and these traitors to democracy who are ripping away our neighbors' right to vote, and these governors et al whose brutalities are on display. Follow the money!
One of their donors might -- I don't know for sure -- might share my last name. BUT NOT RELATED. There is still a lot of dark money in circulation. It's even odds some of it coming from offshore.
We definitely have a battle on our hands, but 150 corporations just signed a letter condemning voter suppression, including major ones like Pepsi!
The Lincoln Project recently shamed Toyota into ceasing political contributions. At least for now.
It's not to late to call Toyota, I did and they very carefully listened to my concerns and gave me all the time I needed to vent my anger at what they had done, I told them that they needed to claw back the money they had given, every dime of it, we'll see if they do.
I hope those of us who wrote/called/emailed Toyota had a little something to do with it, too.
And what's really scary is that the Federalist Society takes Dark Money. This is especially alarming since they've achieved their goal of controlling SCOTUS. We're seeing the results...
That will just further convince the right that they are under seige from wokeness. Corporations don’t vote, but people who hate corporations do.
Corporations now get to vote with their dark money, thanks to a minority dominated and politicized SCOTUS.
I believe more exposure of the leading(or any) tRump financial backers and then an organized boycott of their businesses may be quite effective.
Uline and Home Hardware come to mind.
Absolutely. We the People also vote with our money.
You took the words right out of my keyboard.
Home Depot, too.
Follow the money is always a good idea! And you are right to want to know who is funding the republicans. I know who some of them are and when possible, I won't give them my money. There are local establishments and franchises whose owners are Republican - I try to never patronize their business. I like to think I'm hitting them where it hurts the most. Every day we can vote with our pocketbooks.
“None of us are safe until all of us are safe”
https://apple.news/AYh333xShQCWCMm-LYjCgSw
There are no moderate Republicans running for office - who have any hope of being elected.
I think that a mistake on their part and good for the Dem primaries. Already good candidates emerging that by the time Fall 2022 comes around, will be poised to beat Republican rightist cultist Q-ist trumpist candidates. And Dem candidates that will receive votes from Republicans horrified to see what their loyalty to Trump got them besides sickness, loss of relationship, and a peculiar orange skin tone.
After a short stint of going maskless, I'm back to wearing a mask indoors anywhere I go here in FL. I know too many Pfizer vaccinated folks who got Covid-19 almost like magic 6 months out from being vaxxed. I have given over to Darwin to deal with the stupidity of non-vaxers. It's their children I'm angry about! 😷
KellyS would you please site a source or provide a link about Covid breakthrough infections in vaccinated people? Or is this your personal experience? I’m concerned because I’m 6 months out from my Pfizer vaccines and high risk. How seriously ill did they get? I mask in medical establishments and crowded stores, but, have begun going to restaurants during off hours. This is disheartening and if true on a large level, dangerous both medically and politically.
The first news I saw about this was late May and, frankly, it didn't really get my attention.
"COVID-19 Vaccine Breakthrough Infections Reported to CDC — United States, January 1–April 30, 2021 | MMWR" https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7021e3.htm
Then, several friends in the first group vaccinated, coincidentally all Pfizer, came down with Covid. The first I learned about got sick July 2nd. Then, right after the holiday, Pfizer was in the news about its booster after 6 months, which is still under development. Search: Pfizer booster. Pick your favorite news source. All my friends had "mild" cases but were pretty miserable for about 5 days with 102⁰ temps and lethargy. You could say the vaccine worked as planned. None were hospitalized. I found it eye-popping that I would personally know 5 people, known to be careful all this time, all having had Pfizer, and all getting Covid right at 6 months out from vax. They are all concerned about becoming long-haulers and damge to organs, given their advanced age. Take it for what it's worth. I live in NE Florida.
Good grief, just when I was beginning to feel safe. Thanks so much for the info. I have close family and one dear friend who aren’t vaccinated. Time to get my guard back up.
Sigh. While my daughter is vaccinated, her Trumpet husband is not and, of course, my 16 year old granddaughter who does anything her daddy does, had not been vaccinated. I worry every day for them......especially my precious granddaughter. It will give me no satisfaction to say "I told you so".
My feeling, exactly. My friends were shocked.
I think you need to look more closely at the numbers. The percentage death-toll from COVID is very small. The problem from the beginning was that there were not enough hospital resources for that small percentage (but huge absolute number). Compared to the hospital resources, it was a tidal wave.
Compared with collateral death in a war for the good of the Reich, it is barely a ripple.
It will not significantly thin the ranks of the Reich supporters. But it will have a huge propaganda value if Biden cannot "save all those lives," especially if most of them are Republicans. Even given that the majority of victims (effectively) tore open their shirts and cut out their own lungs in an obscene religio-political frenzy.
Less than 1 million hospital beds in the US. Less than 1/2 of those are ICU beds. Extra Ventilators are worthless without highly trained nurses and respiratory therapists.
The great danger now, with a 3x as transmissible virus shedding 1,000x more virus , is that people have gone 18 months without treatments. Hospitals are full of those who had to wait for care. The ICUs in our country are nearly full of recovering and vulnerable.
We are now in a far greater crisis than at anytime last year.
Morning Joseph, actually those numbers came from websites from across the country as well as the CDC. Some places are seeing small %s of deaths and some places where being unvaccinated is a badge of honor (stupidity) the %s approach or exceed the 99% mark. https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-941fcf43d9731c76c16e7354f5d5e187
I have spent almost all of 2021 fighting a cancer which might have been prevented by the HPV vaccine, had it been available when I was a young woman. To say I’m appalled by what is happening in Tennessee is a massive understatement. The corollaries to Covid are unmistakable. I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy.
I think people who have never experienced cancer don't understand the emotional and mental toll it takes well beyond the physical. If people understood how fortunate we are to have the HPV vaccine they would race to have their kids get it. Stay strong, Kathy.
Exactly this, Daria. And while I’ve been open on this forum, and with some dear friends, I have chosen not to be very public about my diagnosis. I wrestled with it, because I’d like to advocate for vaccination and condom use as Beth says above, but in the end I decided my privacy to heal was more important.
Kathy, healing yourself is of the utmost importance. After that you can tackle the "wild boars" among us. When I was undergoing treatment and during recovery I "banished" anyone and everyone who came to me whining about their personal problems. I simply could not deal with anyone else's issues. I had strict instructions who could be admitted to my hospital room during my 10 week stay and who could visit me at home after. There is a time to stand up and fight for others. Now is not your time to do that. Now is your time to heal, from the inside out. Be kind and gentle to yourself.
So, wow, to this news. Love you, too, Daria!
It’s amazing how it has focused my desire to interact with fewer people, and only those I dearly care about. All in all, that’s been a good thing! We got our first Covid times dinner invite from some former neighbors, and it just feels like too much effort. But then you want to be polite! And I do like them. It’s a tough one.
Do what your brain and body tell you to do in re the dinner invite. Ignore your heart (at least for the time being!). And yes, who knew that cancer could bring certain good things to us? I sure didn't!
Thank you, ladies, for sharing.
Yes! People look shocked when I say that not everything about a cancer diagnosis is bad. If you’re self reflective, like I am, it can change you in a good way. My marriage is stronger and better, and it’s been a joy to see my sometimes squabbling children be supportive towards each other, as well as to me. But for sure I am not the same person I was 7 months ago, and I imagine that unexpected survival will change me more, and that’s interesting to contemplate. Tiring, though. It’s hard work to keep my mental game strong, even if it’s invisible.
My mother experienced cancer, 1995, which could have been prevented by the HPV vaccine. The treatment was very unpleasant and the emotional toll extreme. Her cancer was eradicated and she lived until well into her nineties. Sending all good thoughts and energy your way.
I echo Daria: Stay strong. Fighting cancer is a full time commitment that we don't have the luxury of focusing on in the light of life going on around us. (My own adventure in that world was 15 years ago lest anyone think this is current events for me.)
To know that it could have been prevented by a not-yet available vaccine (and I note that because it predominantly impacts women, there may be a tiny little reason why <s>) and to see a state prohibit that vaccine from being made available to those who could benefit from it has got to be a special kind of incendiary thought.
GYN nurse here putting in a plug for condoms as well. The HPV vaccine is amazing but it isn't 100% of course (what vaccine is?). So using condoms helps protect against all strains of HPV as well as other STIs of course. But then again, condoms are just another thing most rethuglicans don't want us sharing with young people................
All good wishes to you, Kathy, for a full and rapid recovery from this challenge!
Yes, Kathy, sending positive thoughts for a full and fast recovery!
Love you, Kathy.
You too, Lynell ❤️
Hi fabulous Kathy. I think about you every day. How are your horses?
Horses are doing great! I rode yesterday for the first time in months, and it felt like putting a huge piece of the puzzle that is my life back into place. Thank you for asking.
Glad to catch this answer, Kathy! Didn't want to keep asking if it didn't happen yet. So was it Hudson you rode? I got them confused now, thinking Peter is the newest one.
No, Peter is my old guy, and I rode him. Hudson requires a huge amount of core strength which is sorely lacking after 6 months of toxins, surgery, and inactivity! It was so great, Lynell. Walk, trot, canter, yay!
Yes, I remember you telling me about your needing more strength for the new guy. Just got the names backwards.
This reminds me of the time when I had a suspicious x-ray where further tests needed to be taken. I took a picture of Dover with me to the clinic and told everyone that I needed to get better because this horse and I had unfinished business that needed taking care of! I showed that picture around to any caregiver that came near me.
Anyway, so glad for your ride. Many more to come, I'm sure!
I’ll admit to being a tad sore today! But it was pure joy. Worth it.
That is fantastic! Ride on!
FYI, below is the email I sent to Archbishop Jose Gomez, president of the US Council of Catholic Bishops outlining my concerns with the draft “Eucharistic Document.”
From: Yvonne Whisenant <discodancer3752@outlook.com>
Sent: Sunday, July 11, 2021 5:37 PM
To: Office.Archbishop@la-archdiocese.org
Subject: Eucharist Document: Worthiness to receive Communion
Dear Archbishop Jose Gomez,
I am deeply concerned about portions of the draft Eucharist Document, specifically those addressing the worthiness to receive Communion where some clergy would like to withhold Christ’s precious Body and Blood from politicians and others who hold certain political or social views that would appear to be contrary to Catholic teaching. Christ’s precious Body and Blood is necessary spiritual nourishment for the soul, particularly for repentant sinners. Only God knows the true mind and heart of an individual. At the Last Supper, the Passover Meal, Christ broke the bread and poured the wine and blessed these natural elements to be transformed into His precious Body and Blood that were given to all twelve apostles, even Judas, with the full knowledge that Judas would betray Christ committing the gravest sin in human history.
I find some clergy’s opinions in this matter hypocritical because they did not declare such punitive action against other politicians who support the death penalty; favor inhumane actions towards immigrants, the poor, and the marginalized; support childhood marriages; pass voter suppression laws; engage in racism, human trafficking, and other perverse and corrupt behaviors, plus many more despicable acts, the worst being the support of diabolical donald trump, the most evil, perverse, corrupt president in US history - an egotistical, psychotic man who has made a career of corruption and injuring God’s people.
Since the inception of Christ’s Mystical Body, - the Church, I ask you to think about how many clergy, laypersons, other Catholics have done despicable acts, like the sexual abuse of children, yet were allowed to receive Communion. Only God has the authority to judge His children! I ask you to abolish the ill conceived effort to withhold the Eucharist from any of God’s children knowing that God will enforce the proper adjudication and punishment.
God Bless You,
Bravo. X 1000.
Excellent! Though I am no longer a practicing Catholic nor do I practice any other organized religion, their leaders need to be called out and your letter did just that.
I want to thank everyone for their overwhelming support for the email I sent to Archbishop Jose Gomez on this important issue.
There have always been fringe groups that are anti-science and rail against vaccinations. But this is the first time in my lifetime - and I've been around for 83 years - that anti-vaccing has gone from being the ranting of kooks to the rantings of a national party and the policy of some states!
Trials for the Salem witches would problem find some eager witnesses these days!
Finally Republicans have a policy! Their policy is pro disease spread, pro sickness, pro over run hospitals, and pro death.
What nobody talks about is the terrible stress put on docs, hospitals and health workers! Hospitals are becoming overwhelmed and unable to provide care for all of these unvaccinated idiots!
A nurse told me that, in her hospital, staff is so angry with unvaccinated Covid patients that they devote as little time and energy to them as possible.
I live in Spain. The same is happening here. We live in a tourist city. I've a friend who is a doctor. She works part time in the emergency wing. Overflowing with covid and delta patients - many of whom refuse to believe they have covid. Now that the government has oked mask free outdoors, most of us continue to wear masks but the tourists don't. It is so depressing.
So basically anything but pro-life.
If you are speaking of pro-life re: abortions, they are for that too but if you’re speaking about people and their lives, then yes! Just wanted to clarify.
Oh no! Just ask any one of them. They are pro-life all the way!
I see campaign ad and bumper sticker material.
Republicans are wiling to sacrifice their voters and their voters children?! They obviously don’t plan on needing their votes in the future or possibly don’t plan on having elections at all. My lord, the nazi comparison certainly seems on point.
As Eugene Robinson said tonight, every rule of journalism is you don't bring up the Nazis for comparison, "and then we have the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs calling it 'a Reichstag moment,' and you know not only is it as bad as you think it is, it's worse!"
Yes TC—much worse than we dreamed.
They obviously have decided victory in 2022 is paramount to anything else and they’re sticking to this short term plan— McCarthy is quaking at the upcoming commission hearings.
You bet he is, as are some other rethuglicans. Can't wait for the hearings to begin.
Not simply their children but their families and friends. Makes you want to scream in frustration at their inability/refusal to believe reality.
It’s finally come down to what we all feared: the full faith and credit of these United States of America has come under fire. If you can ignore the rest of the political upheaval, you (and hopefully true Republicans) can’t ignore the gravitas that being “downgraded” as a NATION means…
While today’s missive also highlights the bizarre actions of Tennessean conservatives, I hope that their positions and rhetoric catch up with them soon; hopefully not at the cost of too many citizens. Vaccination is a PRIMARY source of public health and one that most would consider beyond reproach. That the Republicans would sell their own children off for a Trumpian-gambit is beyond deplorable. It’s criminal, or should be. We knew they would sacrifice their own; now we know they will sacrifice children.
Even the possibility of a bond rating downgrade will wake up business leaders and, for that matter, anyone with investments. The implications for the economy are frightening. But will it be enough to derail The Crazy Train barrelling downhill to fascism?
I thought the same thing until I read the report. If this was a fair assessment of what the report says, then I would definitely think that pro business Republicans would stop funding Republicans and hopefully they still do. That being said, the report actually says the biggest risk to our credit rating is the passage of the American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan.
How is it we haven't seen you here before, comradeski? Get yourself back to the GRU barracks - no borscht for you tonight, loser troll.
Good spotting, eagle-eyed TCinLA.
Troll spotter.
Sizzling, TC.
No it doesn't. Go find your "truth" where you normally do - up your ass, comradski.
Yes, I think this will be used by repetrolicans as their campaign material, blaming the President and the Democrats for the downgrade, and more immediately to fight infrastructure legislation with. Anybody know how reliable Fitch is? This stuff is not my strong area for sure....
We knew that they would sacrifice children after Sandy Hook, when nothing changed.
She left out some context. Trump is horrible, but the bigger risk to our credit rating is the American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan. Again, Trump is horrible, but if you are going to insist that we not "ignore the gravitas that being 'downgraded' as a nation means", then you should read the whole report.
"The Negative Outlook on the rating reflects ongoing risks to the public finances and debt trajectory, notwithstanding the improvement in Fitch's fiscal and debt projections since its last review. Debt dynamics currently point to a broad stabilization in the debt ratio at a level where a further meaningful increase could lead to a downgrade. However, key variables including real interest rates and fiscal deficits may not follow the expected path, potentially creating downside risk. In light of developments since the last review and future risks, a deterioration in governance represents a further risk to the rating."
"A relative tightening in fiscal policy as pandemic relief spending rolls off is the key feature of Fitch's baseline fiscal forecasts. Fitch expects the general government deficit to narrow to 7% of GDP in 2022. Fitch has assumed that spending matches the CBO (current-law) baseline, but with 0.8% of GDP in spending added in both 2022 and 2023. The bipartisan framework on infrastructure agreed in late June would, if passed, add USD579 billion in new spending to the baseline over five years with partial revenue offsets.
A simple majority of 51 (Democratic) votes in the Senate could pass a further reconciliation bill that would include more spending, together with some revenue offsets. Fitch assumes that on a net basis this would add USD1 trillion to fiscal deficits over a decade. No fiscal 2022 budget resolution has been passed by the Democratic majorities in the House and Senate to date. In Fitch's view, future spending will fall considerably short of the administration's American Jobs Plan and American Families Plan."
Why don't you go back to FleeceBlock, where there are morons who will think you intelligent?
Yawn.
I think a fair answer to the Fitch report is that they omit the effect of
1) paying for the increased outlays through increased taxes on the super-rich (those making more than $400,000 a year!!) and wealthy corporations
and
2) the positive benefits of having more money circulating in the economy, generating positive economic effects.
And, what do Moody's, and Standard & Poor's, say? I admit I haven't looked this up.
Write your draft with orange crayon? Hmmmm?
What will be that last straw? The magic bullet or elixir that will finally wake up the followers on the right?
Many Hitler followers never saw the light again, but I think many eventually felt shame. McCarthy is changing his tune to save his own skin, though. I don’t believe he feels shame. Nor does Barr, nor McConnell. Only greed.
There’s a story by Victor Klemperer ( a Jewish professor and survivor of Nazi Germany) having a conversation with a brutally scared and Nazi veteran soldier as they flee Bombed out and flaming Dresden in complete ruins….“No, I do not think Hitler has lied to us ever! He will organize the counter attack, you shall see.” Demagogues create delusions that followers take to their graves.
I highly recommend Klemperer's diaries from before, during, and after WWII: "I Will Bear Witness."
I think it's worth taking a close look at the book "They Thought They Were Free: The Germans 1933-1945" by Milton Mayer, first published in 1955. The author interviewed 10 ordinary Germans from a small city.
Many insights into how normally law-abiding, church-going people can let things slide, and even join in. Everybody in the Nazi party had a job, was in charge of something; there were meetings and marches and, for the right sorts of people, as sense of national purpose and hope. It was claimed that all their problems were caused by someone else....
https://smile.amazon.com/They-Thought-Were-Free-Germans/dp/0226511928/ref=smi_www_rco2_go_smi_4368549507?_encoding=UTF8&%2AVersion%2A=1&%2Aentries%2A=0&ie=UTF8
Which is how both fundamentalist megachurches work on new members and how the modern Republican party works on new activists. It's also how a cult operates.
“The banality of Evil”- Hannah Arendt
Excellent!
Thank you Heather.
I have a friend who is a Funeral Director. Over coffee recently he talked about that since and just prior to COVID-19, they have never been busier. He wasn't gloating. He would much prefer to be fishing off the dock of his camp this time of year. When he speaks to family members a common thread is "I think he/she had COVID and didn't go to the doctors". We will never know the true mortality rate from COVID-19. He is attributing his constant funerals to those people who may never had realized they had COVID, be it they lived alone, they lived in nursing homes or they flat out refused to go to the doctors or simply couldn't get an appointment . This is the real life or death effects of this pandemic. The death certificates are listing heart, respiratory, lung and organ failure. Certainly not all that he has a funeral for had COVID or the effects of.
Cancer, car accidents, long term illness will always be a reason.
I no longer get upset at those that refuse to believe science and stats. I think they will truly get what they deserve.
Darwin do your job and make way for the responsible people.
Be safe, be well.
Linda, this Linda agrees with you. Some estimates I have seen is that there are twice as many covid-related deaths as are officially reported. It's not just people dying of covid-like maladies, but also the effects of poverty, food insecurity, and so on that the Revolting One refused to deal with for more than a year before his ass got kicked out of the white house. And the deaths probably started earlier than February 2020 as well.
I believe there is another related cost, and that will be in other medical deaths (cancer, heart problems, other maladies) that could have been prevented, or at least slowed by "routine" medical care that was deferred due to the Covid outbreak. We are already seeing some of these, but in the next few years, they will skyrocket.
My father got rheumatic fever in the service in WWII, and suffered the aftereffects of it all the rest of his life . I can only imagine how the aftereffects of Covid will be. And could have been prevented in some people if they had only gotten the vaccine.
Will trump ever be held accountable for his purposeful denigration of science to hoodwink the American people in hopes of political gain?
Linda, thanks for reminding me of the Darwin Awards. The COVID antivax crowd is a shoo-in win this year.
I agree but the front line workers are bearing the brunt of others stupidity and selfishness. They should all just walk out in TN. How much more can they take?
I agree. We also should not provide public medical resources to those who refuse the vaccine
William or force them to get the vaccine PRIOR to treatment.
Unfortunately, that wouldn’t work, except maybe as a psychological gambit. Once they’ve contracted Covid, their bodies will already be trying to make the antibodies that could have been developed by the vaccine. It’s too late to prevent them from contracting Covid, it’s a question of whether their bodies can develop antibodies quickly enough to recover or survive.
Danielle, I thought William was refering to any medical treatment, not just for COVID-19. In any event my response was for any treatment.
A good barometer of our plight: no one is shocked by the news that the nation's top military leader was coordinating with others in the military to block Trump from a potential coup attempt. I can't wait for Gen. Milley's testimony before the House Select Committee investigating the insurrection.
Well, hearing Barry McCaffrey talking on Lawrence's show tonight, and Lawrence going over what's in Phil rucker and Carol Leonnig's coming book about the end of Camp Runamuck, it's very clear we owe General Milley a vote of thanks. I have the privilege of knowing more than a few retired generals and admirals (it always makes this sailor a bit awed that I an frat'nizin' with admirals) from my work, and they have been the people over the past four years who have been the most upset with what was in the news. Last year, when people were complaining about Milley having shown up in Lafayette Park with El Blobbo del Mar A Lardo, one of them told me he knew Milley, knew that he'd been "ambushed" into that event (which it now turns out is what did happen) and that we were "damn lucky Mark's there" as he put it, and that "he won't let things go crazy." I also heard that from another senior guy you would all know if I name-dropped him, so I won't, but I think we can say over this past year that - despite all its problems - we're lucky the American military is the American military. And yeah, it could have gone another direction. There were after all 230+ generals and admirals came out in support of El Blobbo during the campaign, but the guys I know were all saying "everybody knows those guys are crazy - it's why they're retired" as one put it. Fortunately, it's the Eisenhowers and the Bradleys who get put in charge of running the show while they let the Pattons go perform for the press.
Thank you, TC. Sincerely, I salute you, this report, and Gen Milley and the likes of him and the Amer military.
Had more than a few restless moments in consideration of the former as Commander-in-Chief.
That role is on far better shoulders now.
(and please, consider more name dropping. Maybe on your Substack? Hmmmm?)
Blessings!
Thanks for your insight TC and your scathing humor. Can we expect your own newsletter/substack soon?
It’s here!
https://tcinla757.substack.com/p/the-scopes-monkey-trial-redux?r=l2aa7&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&utm_source=text
Thanks Christine! How did I miss this??
It’s all classic TC and so informative. Worth subscribing to.
Yay!
"El Blobbo del Mar A Lardo" Now, that's funny. And apt.
Beyond the humor, it's scary to know that "230+ generals and admirals came out in support of El Blobbo during the campaign". It seems to me that those 230+ have shamed themselves and should have written the label of "Careerist" or "Sold out" on their foreheads.
Few, if any, of the military leaders during WWII would have endorsed or badmouthed a president or presidential aspirant. They followed the unwritten principle of being apolitical, at least in their public stance. The most impressive military leader of the WWII era was General George C. Marshall, the U.S. Army Chief of Staff and the man President Roosevelt chose to build the WWII U.S. military. Gens. Eisenhower and Bradley were mentored by General Marshall and were in awe of him as were Presidents Roosevelt and Truman who used Marshall whenever they could. Marshall's immense intellect, integrity, and commitment to the American people is unparalleled in American history. Marshall was responsible for getting Eisenhower the command for the Normandy invasion (D-Day). (In post-WWII Washington, my father used to brief Marshall--then Sec. of State--daily on the Russian military situation. Dad said, "In my opinion, General Marshall was the most brilliant man in the U.S. Army. And, his character was impeccable.")
But that level of character in the high-level U.S. military was generally on the decline after WWII. For example, take the more recent case of General Colin Powell. He was also quite impressed by General Marshall (as noted in an A&E biography of Marshall). However, Powell chose to endorse Bush Jr. and Cheney's choice to quickly start a war with Iraq. We all know how that ended, and Powell publicly lost his integrity over that political endorsement and its aftermath.)
At the end of WWII, the U.S. was on top of the world and truly recognized as the shining star in world leadership. However, the roots of corruption slowly began to expand under the radar. Those roots grew until we ended up with Trump and his sycophants. Now, the rest of the world looks at us in disbelief when noting our decline.
We've squandered the capital the U.S. gained through actions in WWII. I'm not sure we can come back without experiencing further decline before then attempting to come back like the proverbial "Phoenix rising from the ashes."
I love your Eisenhower/Bradley to Patton analogy. Well put. I can understand how a "simple" sailor can feel when running amok with Admirals; I am glad you're there doing it. I'm gonna have to start taping The Last Word to watch at a different time. I've missed some good stuff from him.
"everybody knows those guys are crazy - it's why they're retired"
...this needs to be said more clearly.