Today two leading Republican politicians attempted to stake out turf for the 2024 (that's not a typo) presidential race, as Trump tried to strengthen his hand for the 2020 election. This morning, Governor Larry Hogan of Maryland, a Republican who has won high marks for his response to the coronavirus crisis in his state, published an excerpt from his forthcoming book,
Can I just say, it is such an incredible mental relief to come over here and see intelligent and respectful discussion? It's just so calming to hear real, smart dialogue in this moment, and I'm learning so much from you all.
OK. Will stop being astonished and mushy and get to reading....
So we have The Lincoln Project’s possible choice in Hogan and a replacement leader for the displaced diehard Trump supporters. Both seem ominous.
America cannot continue as a corporate / religion owned country for which Republicans lean more strongly.
Corporations are only out for themselves. Religion, while wonderful if done with tolerance and moderation, is still a nightmare when combined with politics.
Look at the Middle East now and history to see what our future would be like.
We need a government that is separate from religion to keep Religious Freedom in America.
We want a strong workforce and for our corporations to succeed, but not at the expense of our health, environment, and quality of life.
We need to fix the Middle Class and not let the poorest of Americans suffer because people prize Kardashians over the work of ditch diggers.
Hogan and Pomposity are two sides of the same counterfeit coin. Hogan's the kind of R that can get elected in a blue state, while Pomposity is your red state bombthrower. And as big a disgrace to West Point as his previous First In His Class, Robert E. Lee.
This part made me laugh out loud: "'that every human being is imbued with dignity and bears responsibilities toward fellow human beings'". What about wearing masks and social distancing? and not protesting governors who are trying to protect the health and lives of their citizens?
Heather, your letters provide a valuable place for people of many different mind sets, opinions, and believes to have meaningful dialogue via the written word. Thank you. This is such an important service.
I live in Portland, Oregon. The destruction of property within our downtown core mostly occurred in the original protests from the George Floyd killing. It is wide spread and the setting of the federal building on fire was a major crime and threatened the lives of prisoners and personnel on upper floors. As you wrote, most of those involved were immediately arrested. We have continued to have nearly nightly violence, which has occurred after the peaceful protesters have gone home. Our local police have worked to contain the actions without causing the situation to escalate. While I do believe our local leaders have been a bit timid and could have done more to quell the random violence, the national media and the White House have blown this entirely out of proportion. I don't think anyone here is afraid to go downtown. And hardly anyone in going there at 1 or 2 a.m when these violent protesters decide to do damage. They are cowards causing damage and playing to the media and national attention. As I wrote before, the use of extraordinary force by federal officers and the media attention from the White House just feels a little too coincidental to be a coincident.
It's not only Ivanka Trump that's living in another world! She's stuck her head in a can of beans but Pompeo is retreating into the blood and thunder world of old-time, tub thumping fundamentalist, hate filled religious bigots....Spanish Inquisition here we come!
Along with arrival of a new feeling of freedom in the "minds" of relative "pipsqueaks" like Hogan. Is this not a sign that Trump is losing control of the GOP. The fear tactic is breaking up in the face of unelectability for the Senate. This could be a prelude for a split in the Republican Party reflecting it's two main streams of thought: Taft and Eisenhower.
I always find it amusing when politicians uses Christianity and the Bible to defend their greed and intolerance. I feel they really do not understand that Jesus was a brown-skin Jewish teacher who apparently owned no property, who preached loving one's neighbor and caring for those less fortunate. It is telling that the message he preached was threatening to the establishment and government of his day. And I know, there are things in the scriptures I read and go "What!?!" Yet in all scripture there is over and over again the mandate to care for the less fortunate. There are many times that I feel I am reading a different Bible from many evangelicals and politicians.
I am not amused when politicians like Mr Pompeo stirs his base with the accusation that "Protestant Christianity" is under attack in this country. I do not see anyone being told not to practice their religion as an individual, which is one of the precepts of Protestantism that each person worships according their conscience. I see statements from the like of Mr Pompeo and some evangelical leaders as an attempt to create a theocracy in this country. And I believe such a movement is counter to the philosophy of the founding of this country. I remember the contest between John F Kennedy and Richard Nixon although I was very young at the time. I remember the attempts to smear Kennedy because he was Catholic. The slogan was that if Kennedy was elected, the Pope would be the true leader of the United States. Sounds pretty lame today, but many people believed this.
I have views on the statues but have gone on too long. Thank you Dr. Richardson for all the work you do.
Is this the America we once loved? Masked, unidentifiable federal mobsters in the streets arresting peaceful Americans? Do we have a historical parallel to this? Every day there is a new astonishing or absurd event.
Tell me, why Portland? Is it because OR is a good place to spread further division between fellow Americans?
From a distance, as distant as I can get, the meaning of evangelical as used by right wing politicians is anti-abortion, anti-gay. (There will always be abortion and homosexuality; they will either be legal or illegal.) I am deeply bothered by the encroachment of religious fundamentalism into our government, which uses Trump as a rubber stamp. How many of us are aware that ALL conservative SCOTUS justices are Catholic? (Gorsuch was raised Catholic, now attends an Episcopal church.) Barr is also a conservative Catholic, while Pence and Pompeo are evangelicals. They are on the fast track to install themselves as powerful administrators of their outmoded religious beliefs. That they foresee themselves resurrected Founding Fathers is both specious and deplorable.
I am reading Octavia Butler's second "Parable..." novel. She understood that the nation would come to this moment, and then, worse. She says that when she followed the implications of a historical change to its logical outcomes, this is where the ideas took her. She published the "Parable of the Sower" in 1992 with the narrator looking back, beginning from the year 2032! She illustrates how easy it is for a politician to claim righteousness of religion as a shield against criticism and how fragile governments are.
What? Did coronavirus and COVID-19 suddenly go away yesterday? This is why I detest politics so much, always planning and scheming for the next campaign instead of focusing on fixing the problems at hand.
Your commentary is, of course, worthwhile and cogent as usual. Mr. Pompeo is of course engaging in demagoguery, but his citation of pulling down statues and of the 1619 Project raises concerns. I believe that while the pulling down of statues by protesters is in some ways understandable, if it is allowed to stand we are allowing a small number of people to make decisions for the rest of us, never a good idea. Quite a few statues deserve to be removed, but the decision to do so should be made by elected officials or those designated by them, or perhaps by a public referendum, not by a small group of protestors. As for the 1619 Project, it was generally a worthwhile project that shed light on aspects of US history not always covered in secondary school textbooks or even in college curricula. However, the introduction by Nikole Hannah-Jones, in charge of the project, contained a serious distortion in making the statement that a major motivating factor for some of those leading the movement for US independence was a fear that Britain might, before much longer, decree the abolition of slavery in the colonies. As far as I know, no serious historian believes this, and after large protests the editors modified the wording of the introduction. Since then, I have never trusted Ms. Hannah-Jones and her work and worry that she or someone like her might eventually be made editor of the New York Times op-Ed page. Allowing some on the left to bring down statues without popular of governmental consent and seriously distort history can only play into the hands of the likes of Mr. Pompeo.
The use of federal units in Oregon without the governor's request is a violation of the Constitution. What has happened to the Republican Party and their staunch defense of states rights? The President is testing how much martial law he can get away with. Trouncing on the rights of states and the people for a statue! We might as well call these troops Brown Shirts. And when you say just wait for November, I keep worrying that we might not even have an election in November with the virus or something else as the excuse. We may have already voted in the last election we'll have the right to vote in. Wake up Senators!
Can I just say, it is such an incredible mental relief to come over here and see intelligent and respectful discussion? It's just so calming to hear real, smart dialogue in this moment, and I'm learning so much from you all.
OK. Will stop being astonished and mushy and get to reading....
So we have The Lincoln Project’s possible choice in Hogan and a replacement leader for the displaced diehard Trump supporters. Both seem ominous.
America cannot continue as a corporate / religion owned country for which Republicans lean more strongly.
Corporations are only out for themselves. Religion, while wonderful if done with tolerance and moderation, is still a nightmare when combined with politics.
Look at the Middle East now and history to see what our future would be like.
We need a government that is separate from religion to keep Religious Freedom in America.
We want a strong workforce and for our corporations to succeed, but not at the expense of our health, environment, and quality of life.
We need to fix the Middle Class and not let the poorest of Americans suffer because people prize Kardashians over the work of ditch diggers.
I am pursuing Life, Liberty and the Resolve to never vote for a Republican as long as I live.
Hogan and Pomposity are two sides of the same counterfeit coin. Hogan's the kind of R that can get elected in a blue state, while Pomposity is your red state bombthrower. And as big a disgrace to West Point as his previous First In His Class, Robert E. Lee.
This part made me laugh out loud: "'that every human being is imbued with dignity and bears responsibilities toward fellow human beings'". What about wearing masks and social distancing? and not protesting governors who are trying to protect the health and lives of their citizens?
Heather, your letters provide a valuable place for people of many different mind sets, opinions, and believes to have meaningful dialogue via the written word. Thank you. This is such an important service.
I live in Portland, Oregon. The destruction of property within our downtown core mostly occurred in the original protests from the George Floyd killing. It is wide spread and the setting of the federal building on fire was a major crime and threatened the lives of prisoners and personnel on upper floors. As you wrote, most of those involved were immediately arrested. We have continued to have nearly nightly violence, which has occurred after the peaceful protesters have gone home. Our local police have worked to contain the actions without causing the situation to escalate. While I do believe our local leaders have been a bit timid and could have done more to quell the random violence, the national media and the White House have blown this entirely out of proportion. I don't think anyone here is afraid to go downtown. And hardly anyone in going there at 1 or 2 a.m when these violent protesters decide to do damage. They are cowards causing damage and playing to the media and national attention. As I wrote before, the use of extraordinary force by federal officers and the media attention from the White House just feels a little too coincidental to be a coincident.
It's not only Ivanka Trump that's living in another world! She's stuck her head in a can of beans but Pompeo is retreating into the blood and thunder world of old-time, tub thumping fundamentalist, hate filled religious bigots....Spanish Inquisition here we come!
Along with arrival of a new feeling of freedom in the "minds" of relative "pipsqueaks" like Hogan. Is this not a sign that Trump is losing control of the GOP. The fear tactic is breaking up in the face of unelectability for the Senate. This could be a prelude for a split in the Republican Party reflecting it's two main streams of thought: Taft and Eisenhower.
I always find it amusing when politicians uses Christianity and the Bible to defend their greed and intolerance. I feel they really do not understand that Jesus was a brown-skin Jewish teacher who apparently owned no property, who preached loving one's neighbor and caring for those less fortunate. It is telling that the message he preached was threatening to the establishment and government of his day. And I know, there are things in the scriptures I read and go "What!?!" Yet in all scripture there is over and over again the mandate to care for the less fortunate. There are many times that I feel I am reading a different Bible from many evangelicals and politicians.
I am not amused when politicians like Mr Pompeo stirs his base with the accusation that "Protestant Christianity" is under attack in this country. I do not see anyone being told not to practice their religion as an individual, which is one of the precepts of Protestantism that each person worships according their conscience. I see statements from the like of Mr Pompeo and some evangelical leaders as an attempt to create a theocracy in this country. And I believe such a movement is counter to the philosophy of the founding of this country. I remember the contest between John F Kennedy and Richard Nixon although I was very young at the time. I remember the attempts to smear Kennedy because he was Catholic. The slogan was that if Kennedy was elected, the Pope would be the true leader of the United States. Sounds pretty lame today, but many people believed this.
I have views on the statues but have gone on too long. Thank you Dr. Richardson for all the work you do.
Is this the America we once loved? Masked, unidentifiable federal mobsters in the streets arresting peaceful Americans? Do we have a historical parallel to this? Every day there is a new astonishing or absurd event.
Tell me, why Portland? Is it because OR is a good place to spread further division between fellow Americans?
Why your Letters are so important — I missed half this news today, and I was paying attention.
From a distance, as distant as I can get, the meaning of evangelical as used by right wing politicians is anti-abortion, anti-gay. (There will always be abortion and homosexuality; they will either be legal or illegal.) I am deeply bothered by the encroachment of religious fundamentalism into our government, which uses Trump as a rubber stamp. How many of us are aware that ALL conservative SCOTUS justices are Catholic? (Gorsuch was raised Catholic, now attends an Episcopal church.) Barr is also a conservative Catholic, while Pence and Pompeo are evangelicals. They are on the fast track to install themselves as powerful administrators of their outmoded religious beliefs. That they foresee themselves resurrected Founding Fathers is both specious and deplorable.
I can’t stop... pompous Pompeo the pontificator
I am reading Octavia Butler's second "Parable..." novel. She understood that the nation would come to this moment, and then, worse. She says that when she followed the implications of a historical change to its logical outcomes, this is where the ideas took her. She published the "Parable of the Sower" in 1992 with the narrator looking back, beginning from the year 2032! She illustrates how easy it is for a politician to claim righteousness of religion as a shield against criticism and how fragile governments are.
What? Did coronavirus and COVID-19 suddenly go away yesterday? This is why I detest politics so much, always planning and scheming for the next campaign instead of focusing on fixing the problems at hand.
Your commentary is, of course, worthwhile and cogent as usual. Mr. Pompeo is of course engaging in demagoguery, but his citation of pulling down statues and of the 1619 Project raises concerns. I believe that while the pulling down of statues by protesters is in some ways understandable, if it is allowed to stand we are allowing a small number of people to make decisions for the rest of us, never a good idea. Quite a few statues deserve to be removed, but the decision to do so should be made by elected officials or those designated by them, or perhaps by a public referendum, not by a small group of protestors. As for the 1619 Project, it was generally a worthwhile project that shed light on aspects of US history not always covered in secondary school textbooks or even in college curricula. However, the introduction by Nikole Hannah-Jones, in charge of the project, contained a serious distortion in making the statement that a major motivating factor for some of those leading the movement for US independence was a fear that Britain might, before much longer, decree the abolition of slavery in the colonies. As far as I know, no serious historian believes this, and after large protests the editors modified the wording of the introduction. Since then, I have never trusted Ms. Hannah-Jones and her work and worry that she or someone like her might eventually be made editor of the New York Times op-Ed page. Allowing some on the left to bring down statues without popular of governmental consent and seriously distort history can only play into the hands of the likes of Mr. Pompeo.
The use of federal units in Oregon without the governor's request is a violation of the Constitution. What has happened to the Republican Party and their staunch defense of states rights? The President is testing how much martial law he can get away with. Trouncing on the rights of states and the people for a statue! We might as well call these troops Brown Shirts. And when you say just wait for November, I keep worrying that we might not even have an election in November with the virus or something else as the excuse. We may have already voted in the last election we'll have the right to vote in. Wake up Senators!