369 Comments

Learning. Second only to love, has to be the most important thing to making the most of life. Thank you Dr. Richardson for this opportunity to keep on learning.

Expand full comment

The White House was actively curtailing and straitjacketing the investigation and tips on Kavanaugh during his conformation hearing. It still makes me angry he could blubber so emotionally and still get confirmed. If it had been a woman her nomination would have been withdrawn instantly as unable to handle the job. Maybe we should all demand that "Justices" Kavanaugh and Thomas recuse themselves on anything to do with women's rights. That would make the court 4 to 3 with the liberal side of the court in the majority so Roe vs. Wade is not overturned. It is hard to listen to the anti-vaxxers crying "My body, my choice" and know they don't see the irony that they are also saying they support a women's right to choose.

Expand full comment

Here is Heather's second last paragraph, a weekend quote from Trump: “The radical left Democrat communist party rigged and stole the election,” he said.

So, now Democrats are communists. Apparently, being socialists wasn't effective enough or it was getting old, so now we who vote for democratic principles are communists.

When is this guy going to expire? It can't be soon enough for me.

Oh, and Flynn saying he just might take his new gift - a gun - to Washington. Another deranged person who has the nerve to call himself an American.

I will say one thing about the near-future: If Democrats don't take the time and effort to get voter IDs in states that now require them, and they fail to understand all the nuances of the new voting rules, the Republicans will run roughshod in the 2022 midterm elections and Democrats will be rendered powerless.

Sometimes I wish I was a hermit who had no exposure to all this crap.

Expand full comment

This is still another of Dr. Richardson's Letters that is a tour de force on prominent and important issues of 2021. It is a tight, succinct, powerful statement that is unsurpassed-- indeed unequaled-- by opinion writers in the New York Times, Washington Post, or other of the most prominent newspapers or any other sources of information or observation (which I read regularly). Her command of the details, relevance, and context of what is happening is stunning.

Expand full comment

Remember the fights over mandatory helmets for motorcycle riders? Seatbelts? Hang up and drive? Every one of them had those who believe in their god-given American rights to be total morons - "But Mah Fwee-dumbs!" It took years to get the laws on the books, with minumum fines. But they were also moving violations, and what happened was, you got one of those tickets, and the next thing you knew your insurance rate doubled for the next year. And now you never see a motorcyclist without a helmet, everybody buckles up before they start up, and even the really dumb SUV drivers use "hands free" cellphones. Turns out, when they have to pay to exercise their fwee-dumbs, the frwee-dumbs take a back seat to more money out of the checkbook.

And now we don't even have to fight for a law. The ACA requires you to have health insurance. So let the insurance companies everybody already hates anyway just tell people "You're not vaxxed? That will be a 25% premium increase, please." And you can bet the dumbest redneck in Alabama would be getting jabbed.

(I wrote about this at more length today at That's Another Fine Mess)

However, as regards the infrastructure, I'm still giving 5:1 that the Republicans pull the same stunt they pulled in 2010 on the ACA negotiations. You can't trust a modern Republican further than you can see him with your eyes closed.

And finally, I have no area of policy agreement with Adam Kinzinger, but I have total respect for him as a true patriot. Like Eric Swallwell said this week about Liz Cheney, "We can argue about policy after we're through saving the republic."

Expand full comment

I am nit prepared to comment beyond this tonight: Rest in peace, Bob Moses. May your memory be a blessing and and example for us all.

As for the rest of it, I'm outraged, almost to the point of incoherence. Please sleep well, Heather and all. Cherish your loved ones and stay safe. I'm afraid of what's heading our way.

Expand full comment

Must admit I so happy I can watch the Jan 6 committee hearings without having to turn it off while Jim Jordan blusters inanities. And, do we now have the first follower, Republican Adam Kinzinger following the lead of Liz Cheney to accept a position on the committee for the right reasons. Are we possibly going to start seeing a movement of Rs away from the extreme right? Please see this short video of the first follower. https://www.ted.com/talks/derek_sivers_how_to_start_a_movement

Please enjoy this 3 minute video on leadership and starting a movement. One isn't a leader until others are following.

Expand full comment

I had the great honor of hearing Bob Moses speak at Wagner College when my daughter was going there. I knew nothing about him, and left in awe of him! His ability to recall legal cases to support his statements for the students was amazing! I bought a book from him and thanked him for his work and being there that evening. So glad my daughter’s professor allowed me to join in. Rest in Power, indeed! I hope he inspired the students to do great things.

Expand full comment

It doesn’t get much worse. Trump, Gosar, McCarthy, the Ohio wrestling coach, liar and pedophile protector, Moscow Mitch McConnell and the GOP… Eisenhower is turning over in his grave, his party’s decline and fall has arrived.

Expand full comment

So once again on the issue of infrastructure we see a political divide where one side wants to do something good for the country, everyone everywhere, and the other side is trying to advantage their own voters and political interests. I understand who is where and why, but it continues to be disappointing. This is why I will be marching this week with the Poor People’s Campaign from Georgetown to Austin. We need to organize, educate, and mobilize an overwhelming number of non-voters around the issues they care about to achieve overwhelming progressive electoral victories. It is the voice and power of We the People that can and will make a difference on so many issues. It is the path to achieving the changes we need.

Expand full comment

Michael Flynn deserves only to be called back into the military and immediately tried for treason.

Expand full comment

FERN MCBRIDE (NYC)just now

'There are a lot of moving pieces in this infrastructure bill that have more to do with politics than with infrastructure.' A few words from this line in today's Letter could be used to describe the letter itself, '...a lot of moving pieces' and those words apply to our country as well. The Letter may have been easier to absorb if the points raised were numbered. This was not a criticism of the Letter because it was a true reflection of America today; 'a lot of moving pieces' and all over the place. Heather didn't bring up the spike of Covid and barely mentioned our vaccine problem. Almost 20% of the population said it won't take the vaccine -- is Fauci filled with worry as never before? The enormous increase in gun violence wasn't raised, either, and, yet, the Letter seemed jam-packed, didn't it?

First, as to the 2 infrastructure plans, what makes Pelosi think that the 'willing' Republicans would go along with the larger infrastructure plan going ahead of the bi-partisan plan?

The Democratic Party and Republican Party are not in a tug of war; they are at WAR. We now have the privilege of watching the parties fight it out over mass transit v. roadways in rural America. They are to find a way to compromise. An Olympic political contest!

The Republican Party has become even more extreme and, yet, we cannot quite say it is in extremis. I did catch a glimpse of the former president and hear a few of his lines during the rally in Arizona. Almost everyone we know and quite a few mental health experts, including his niece, have called him deranged. I never doubted it, but subscribers, looking at him yesterday and thinking about his supporters, both the politicians and the civilians (I cannot call them 'citizens', my weakness), it is CRAZY QUILT. Imagine what that very thin, tiny group of the 'willing' Republicans say to themselves when they hear him. This is real. A significant portion of the American people and his enablers have turned America into THE TRUMP SHOW.

It the midst of this '..., just after hitting the six-month mark, Americans' optimism about the direction of the country has plummeted nearly 20 points, a new ABC News/Ipsos poll finds.'

'A majority -- 55% -- of the public say they are pessimistic about the direction of the country, a marked change from the roughly one-third (36%) that said the same in an ABC News/Ipsos poll published May 2.' The link for this poll is below:

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/americans-optimism-countrys-direction-year-drops-20-points/story?id=79036435

Biden and The Democratic Party need to pass the infrastructure plans because the country needs them and Biden & Co., are not looking good to most Americans. The Republican Party needs to get the bi-partisan infrastructure plan passed for the same reason, plus they have not done a thing for anyone but Trump. What's going to happen, 'There are a lot of moving pieces...' (Letter)

What are we going to do? We must continue work with the grassroots organizations. In addition to voting rights legislation, Climate Change, child care and abortions rights, this is the time for our voices to be heard.

https://indivisible.org/

https://fairfight.com/

https://www.lwv.org/

https://www.thetaskforceactionfund.org/

...and any of the grassroots organizations that you are working with.

Expand full comment

81+ million of us voted for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. We must continue to fight against the domestic terrorists in Congress and our nation. And also, I look forward, Dr. R. To your column on Dr. oses. May je indeed rest in power.

Expand full comment

Great letter tonight. Looking forward to the letter on Dr. Moses.

He was a genuine American hero in so many ways. Indeed, may he rest in power.

Expand full comment

Morning, all!! Morning, Dr. R!! Just wanted to squeeze in this article about climate. It starts thusly: "In 2015, 20 residents of Yahaba, a small town in northeastern Japan, went to their town hall to take part in a unique experiment."

https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/22552963/how-to-be-a-good-ancestor-longtermism-climate-change

And then, just when you think the SCOTUS got one right -- for tribal lands, no less -- backlash is popping out everywhere in Oklahoma:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/complete-dysfunctional-chaos-oklahoma-reels-after-supreme-court-ruling-on-indian-tribes/2021/07/23/99ba0b80-ea75-11eb-8950-d73b3e93ff7f_story.html

Expand full comment

Good morning Dr Richardson and all. I was so relieved to hear that Speaker Pelosi appointed Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) to the Jan 6 hearings. I wonder if she can find four more of his ilk that will not toe the McCarthy line. Since there were other republicans who voted for impeachment I would guess that she is or has been considering them as well. The likes of McCarthy, Gym Jordan and Banks should be concerned as their turn to testify is in the not too distant future.

I wonder since the FBI had the tips on Kavanaugh and turned them over to the trump WH which then immediately buried them, what legal recourse DOJ or the FBI has now. Sadly I believe we will have to live with that miscarriage for the rest of our lives.

Expand full comment