If any of you here don't watch Heather's FB live lectures, I encourage you to do so. Tuesday's zeroed on (at about minute 30) on why the Jan. 6th hearings are so critical and why the GOP is so freaked out over them. As she put it, "This is where the rubber meets the road", in that the lies that have been bandied about by the Right, never under oath, are meeting the truth, under oath, from witnesses who have nothing to gain. It certainly put things into a new perspective for me.
Also, since even the MSM insists on using false equivalence in their coverage, or at the very least, give the Right face time in their reporting, the fact that Heather reminds us that Jim Jordan can blather on lie after lie on TV and pay no price, but once he's under oath, it's a different ball game entirely. They all know this, and, lily-livered sniveling worms that they are, they are terrified.
Thank you Sandra for alerting us to Heather's lecture on Facebook, which addressed the critical nature of the Commission's hearings with regard to January 6th insurrection. As Charlie replied earlier, I too have left Facebook years ago, foreseeing its likely affects on the country. If you or others know whether the lecture is yet on YouTube, please let us anti-FB people know about it. I will check YouTube to see whether the lecture is available there. I will also email Heather about the fact that some subscribers who will not use FB would appreciate another option for viewing her lectures in a timely way. One more favor, please write out abbreviations and acronyms to make reading easier for subscribers. Thank you.
As I commonly walk around the lake whilst listening to podcasts, I would encourage Heather to make her videos in an audio only format. It takes too much bandwidth (data) to listen to something that does not require video to appreciate.
Hello Fern. I despise Facebook and have for ages and, that said, I ONLY use Facebook for Heather's talks, twice weekly every week. She is the only reason I am willing to use that wretched platform. In fact, I have been known to frequently badger my friends who read and watch her on FB to subscribe to Substack for this, the comments section.
And I must say, if you are missing her talks, you are missing out on a lot! Both her History Chat and her History & Politics Chat are wonderful and continue to connect the dots for me.
She has also recently begun a podcast called "Now&Then" on Cafe with Joanne Freeman.
She addressed the transfer to YouTube a while back. The chats take quite a while to appear there because shockingly, she is very busy! But rest assured, she is aware.
Kathi, Thank you for your thoughtful and supportive response.
We feel the same about Facebook, but the important difference is that when an enterprise's profit motive leaves no - absolutely NO space for eliminating anti-public health protocols, anti-science and anti-Climate Change messaging; NO sufficient limitation on anti-democracy propaganda and conspiracy theories, which are a form of mind control and as anti-democratic you can get via communications businesses, I cannot BUY IN.
Facebook is an evil empire. Zuckerberg, along with Trump, much of the Republican Party, Charles Koch, the Mercer Family, Rupert Murdoch and too many others are the detonators of democracy.
This is strong porridge, Kathi, but it is mine. We remember the millions upon millions killed by lies, memory control, conspiracies, greed and power. Who and what are putting our country at great risk?
'In the Holocaust, the Soviet terror of the 1930s, the Chinese Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution, and Cambodia's 'killing fields', communism and fascism generated human tragedies on an immense scale'. (The Cambridge World History) Where has the USA been headed? It is our job to do our best to turn it around.
We need a powerful campaign to address social media - Elizabeth Warren? It is practically impossible to avoid making some contribution to the autocrats', white supremacists', morally corrupt profiteers' hold on our country. We have to pick and choose as carefully as we can. There is no failsafe.
Thank you, Fern. I've tried to leave before, but when my account was hacked and so was my debit card, I thought it was time. I gave a few days to notify friends and family and voila! I don't miss it. I agree that we have moved too far to the right of "free speech" while ignoring the "never cry fire in a crowded theater" aphorism of common sense use of restraints. It's the AK-15 equivalent of bearing arms. And don't get me started about Citizens United!
Fern, Her lectures do eventually come to YouTube, but I find they are almost 2 months behind current time. I only use Facebook these days to watch HCR and one or two others I can't find elsewhere.
I understand the issues one may have with FB and why one would not choose to be on but those issues are not avoided by going to YouTube which is owned by FB and has just as many crazy things :)
I stand corrected . . . I listened to my husband for a moment instead of "Googling it" :) Never-the-less, the rest of my comment stands. It's kind of like "pick your poison", tee hee.
Yes, it is. Just read a NYTimes piece on the Evil Empire of the five big tech companies - Apple, FB, Google, Microsoft and Amazon. They are, indeed, taking over.
Hey, Charlie. I hear you. Heather has said she started using FB because there was so much mis- and disinformation on there that she wanted people to be able to find a reliable place to read newsworthy news.
I started using Facebook years ago and continue to use it not as a collaborateur, but to a) stay in touch with a couple score of people across the Internet, some of whom I know in real life (Yay!!) and b) to follow several people besides Heather who are focal, clever, educated, and forthright in their truth-telling. Examples: Bruce Lindner, Jim Wright, Lori Gallagher Witt, Maureen Gill Ausbrook. These are people whom I do not hear of outside of Facebook, and I would miss them if I abandoned the platform.
There are also some FB groups for the village where I live, and the region, and these are important ways to pick up local info (where's that fire, what were the cops doing, there was a coyote seen loping down the street, etc.).
At the same time, I take steps to protect at least some of my privacy. I don't post pictures of children. I don't mention family relationships. I don't announce that I'm on vacation.
I use a web browser (Safari) that helps prevent FB from tracking my visits to other web sites (they even track people who do not have FB profiles; not by name specifically, but by behavior and computer/browser attributes.) Hint: If I used Windows, I'd probably use Firefox with the "Facebook container" extension, or the Brave browser.
In the past week, 62% of the sites I visited had Google trackers, 29% had Facebook trackers, and 25% had Amazon trackers. DuckDuckGo blocked them... I also use Firefox's Facebook Container.
Hi Bob. I have enjoyed Jim Wright's writing for a while. Thanks for mentioning others you find interesting. I often find sources people mention in this group quite helpful!
Excellent question. I've never heard of it before. Please tell us more about it.
I have used Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird for many years. I find webmail cumbersome and refuse to use Outlook, Internet Explorer or Google Chrome. Will immediately download FB container now that I know about it. I always use Private Window for any online searching or purchases so my commercial interests no longer show up as ads on my FB feed.
2) I'm curious to know about your experience about using a Private Window (different names in different browsers). That option really only stops your browser from saving your search history ON YOUR MACHINE. Web sites can still track you. Now, if you're shopping for a gift for a housemate who also uses your computer, use incognito mode (as it's generally known).
I trust everybody in my household; nevertheless I maintain a login password on all my devices. I never use incognito mode because I have no need to hide my browsing history from housemates.
Thank you for all of that. I'll devote time later today to exploring. As for Private mode, I do understand that it primarily stops my browser from saving my searches but it appears also to reduce or eliminate tracking, as far as I can tell. As I wrote, no ads for commercial sites I've searched are showing up in the FB 'ads' bar although they did once upon a time before I started using Private mode.
I like Malwarebytes as well and have subscribed in the past but don't seem to need it with the levels of protection I get from ESET which now includes ransomware protection. Another BTW, I use Duckduckgo for my internet searching; it doesn't collect or share personal info.
This is the same link, but with &ref+search added. I copied it directly from the address on FB. I think there is some wonkiness going on on some of these sites. I've had them freeze, slow to a crawl and/or not load. Maybe it's not you.
Hi Sandra. Thank you VERY MUCH for offering a hand. Very grateful. Unfortunately this is what I get:
"This Content Isn't Available Right Now
When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted.
Go to News Feed"
I don't think I said or did anything that would warrant being shut out from the group. I have been running up against similar blank walls for months now. I had given up, not sure exactly where to turn for help or guidance. I really miss them and I just would love to be able to join in on the chats again. So this is my last resort. Again, thanks.
The amount of lies, exaggerations, manipulations, and such out of trumplican and Republican mouths of late has had very dangerous consequences for out nation. And all transcribed and taped. Speaking under oath while also being videotaped and transcribed will create some VERY powerful campaign ads. The former president doesn’t care as he has established, but I’m sure elected GOP are terrified.
Feed FB, you trash the Bill of Rights and feed fascism… the big four deserve anti trust attention… as suggested by Senator Amy Jean Klobuchar… the poor do not have computers, internet, or the tech savvy to find their way on the FB fix… and they do not watch that Fox Fix…
Morning, all!! Morning, Dr. R!! While I am delighted by the progress that has been made, dividing the concept of infrastructure between hard and soft makes me chuckle. Why bother to have one -- roads and bridges -- without the other -- supporting the people who need to be able to use them. Just MHO.
Meanwhile, back to January 6 with the DOJ "clearing a path" towards accountability:
As well, today, July 29, a 25-ft 5,000-pound totem pole carved by the House of Tears Carvers of the Lummi Nation will conclude its cross-country journey in Washington, DC. The totem pole will be on view July 29–31, 2021, near the Smithsonian"s National Museum of the American Indian entrance. Their journey started on July 14 in Washington State, with stops at sacred sites in Idaho, Utah, New Mexico, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Michigan. Their purpose is to highlight the need for awareness about Indigenous "struggles to protect water, land, sacred sites, and [Indigenous People's] collective future."
Click on this link for a map of their journey. Then watch the 2+ minute video about the Red Road to DC Totem Pole Journey:
Wow, what a journey for the beautiful totem pole winding its way across the country!
Also on the move...Rev. William Barber and the Poor People's Campaign marching to Austin, Texas to rally support for voting rights, raising the minimum wage, and protections for undocumented immigrants:
Lynell! I’ve been waiting to hear an update about the saga of the totem pole that you have chronicled on the forum. What timing. My heart just soars. What sacred inspiration for our earth and all its living creatures.
I watched the blessing ceremony online when it passed through Minnesota and stopped at the line 3 encampment. Enbridge Oil company is seeking permits from Minnesota’s Public Utility to build a pipeline across Minnesota including crossing native lands- an obvious treaty violation. Part of the proposed route includes placing the pipeline underneath the Mississippi River.
Just imagine an oil spill’s effect in that river: the Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. How many millions of people along its journey from northern Minnesota to New Orleans , LA rely on it for drinking water or irrigation? How many millions of waterfowl winter along it south of the ice line that covers the river here? What happens when oil sludge kills off fish, frogs, and bugs that call it home, not to mention the crayfish so famous in Southern cuisine? How much of this country’s commerce relies on healthy Mississippi River?
Every Wednesday I go to a friend’s house to see a group of five very creative women. We knit, crochet , bead or some other creative task, have dinner together and catch up. We often make hats or blankets to give away. Last night, we watched the blessings of the Totem online, and, as a group, added our own prayers for the journey. We also undertook a new assignment to make items for kids on the White Earth Indian reservation near the pipeline’s route. My neighbor grew up on White Earth and has been collecting items to helps children who lost parents/guardians/grandparents to COVID. No brainer to help. But imagine what happens to their ability to feed themselves if the waters are fouled with oil and they can no longer gather wild rice or walleye or grow food on their lands?
The Waters Protectors’ commitment is inspiring but has become death defying. The future of the river and the planet are at stake. Please find a way to add your voice and support. Many thanks Lynell for posting!
So glad to hear from you, Sheila. I knew there were very in-the-know folks on this page who could expand the narrative in sharp image. So thank you! By your writing, we are in such disrepair. I have been using my limited skills by giving support and signing petitions re Enbridge Lines 3 and 5, Bears Ears, The Snake River, The Tongass, Black Hills and more.
On the contrary, Lynell, thank you! The infrastructure package includes electrifying transportation across this country - a critical piece of switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy, while creating great jobs and lowering carbon emissions. Lots of moving pieces and ALL efforts are needed. Appreciate the nod to the Red Road journey. Mni wiconi - water is life.
Yes, we must continue to protect Mother Earth. We are still fighting Enbridge in Michigan, the pipeline lwas placed on the floor of Lake Michigan by the Mackinac Bridge 72 years ago, and now they plan to dig a tunnel for it, despite our Governor ordering it closed in May (they ignored the orders). Like the Mississipi, the Great Lake encompass a huge, sensitive and important ecosystem. Our Water Protectors inspire us all. But it is a terrible fight. Latest news is a 15,000 pound anchor came loose, somewhere...
That pipeline is, in some way, almost worse than Line 3. That Enbridge is defying Governor Whitmer's order to cease construction is almost beyond belief. An oil spill in one of the Great Lakes would be utterly catastrophic. Gads, there is a lot to do. Stay well and safe - hope your air quality is OK (worst air quality measurements ever recorded in MN today - Canadian wildfires are within 1 mile of the Minnesota border and we have a cold front coming in from Canada. Some days, ya just can't win....)
Morning Lynnel. I've been following this for a while...a really fabulous, epic voyage and symbol for the future. I'm in Beaune currenly stopping of in an extremely pleasant place on my way wn to the house in Provence for the rest of the summer. Ducks swimming in the stream in front of the hotel and a great meal in Volnay last night. Life is hard.
Thank you for sharing this post complete with sites to visit. My spouse has Lakota Sioux ancestry. His cousins have taught us much about the history and current problem of indigenous peoples. I love the plan to visit sacred sites and emphasize that they are indeed sacred. Here in Oregon some parcels of land have been returned to indigenous peoples finally. We live in Salem very close to Chemawa, a boarding school and I know its grounds contain a cemetery. In southern Oregon where is a severe drought there is now a water shortage and the latest iteration of the problems between the indigenous people there and the farmers and ranchers. I do not know where this will go and some followers of the notorious Ammun Bundy are present. The Bootleg fire is not too far away for these people as well. We also have R obstruction and pot stirrers like Timber Unity financed by out of state sources. Finally, like many other places, cases of COVID are growing again, so we will put on our masks to go grocery shopping and return to takeout only for our favorite restaurant.
(Waves from Eugene) I am constantly stunned at the "Timber Unity" people. I have been following (not closely) the stories out of Chemawa and some of the horrors there.
Waving back and hoping to be in Eugene for women's basketball games at the UO. When we had the fires up the Santiam Canyon last fall, hay trucks delivered a lot of bales to people for their animals, but they had Timber Unity signs plastered all over them and also political signs for Kim Thatcher, a local R obstructionist, from Keizer. Maybe this happened up the McKenzie in your area as well. I was glad to see the hay, but I think donations should be made without trying to make political hay, so to speak. After the initial articles, there has been nothing about Chemawa in the local rag.
Actually it's Gannett and they have reduced the SJ to practically nothing. We do it online and the RG as well. We have our season tickets and hopefully can attend although the cases are going in the wrong direction because people will not get vaccinated. Sigh.
Thank you for sharing your story, Michele! How wonderful that you have cousins (by marriage) who have continued the history of the Lakota Sioux to your husband and you. Imagine how different life would be if all the treaties our government signed never had been broken.
Yes, very different. I have started to read a book called Unworthy Republic which is about moving indigenous people out of the eastern half of the country and across the Mississippi. I have had to lay it down because it was making me so angry. I did enjoy a history of the Lakota and learned a great deal that I didn't know. It is written by someone at Oxford which did surprise me a little. When I look at climate change, the results of which are upon us in Oregon, I think we could use the outlook of indigenous peoples about our treatment of the planet. This is one of the reasons that the obstruction of the Rs makes me want to weep and also makes me very angry.
Thank you for sharing this, I had no idea! Maybe this is a good place to say I just finished reading an amazing YA novel (at almost 60, I still love a good YA book and there's plenty out there!) about a strong young Ojibwe woman who becomes involved in an undercover investigation of meth distribution in her community in Michigan's UP. It's called Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley. It was recommended by the NYT book review and rightly so.
I'll look for it at my library - thanks for the recommendation. I have been reading a lot of YA myself as my daughter enters her teen years. A good one I'm reading now is All Boys Aren't Blue by George Johnson - his journey through childhood and now as a LGBTQIA+ activist.
excellent point Lynell..'Why bother...'! Repubs agree because some of this $$$ will go to their "favored" contractors who will then refill the campaign coffers! Repubs do not care about the commonweal of Mom and Pop citizens!
Good morning, everyone. This may be my only post here today because I may retreat to a darkened room, I am so damn angry. I'm angry that the will of the minority are putting the rest of us at risk: the risk of spreading COVID by not getting vaccinated nor wearing a mask. I'm angry that so many parents especially here in Florida seem to think that it is ok for their kids to put the other kids who cannot yet be vaccinated, at risk and are actively protesting wearing masks. The local school boards are having meetings where parents are threatening to home school their kids rather than let them wear a mask. I'm angry that our governor would rather give a speech in Utah than focus on the virus here and continues to rail against Dr. Fauci who has done so much to protect us. I'm angry at the Republican congresspeople who not only don't have the decency to watch the hearings where the brave police officers testified, but now disparage them in public and now try to blame Speaker Pelosi for the insurrection. I'm angry at the vitriol and hatred that I have heard directed at Simone Biles for being brave and recognizing that it is more important for her own health, and actually for the performance of her team, pulled out of the competition. I'm angry at the vitriol and hate that has been directed at Officer Fanone (have you heard the disgusting voicemail that someone left him?) I'm angry that a sliver of the elected officials have decided to put in place laws that threaten our democracy and that those that have the power to do something sit on their hands. And I'm angry that people have lost their minds...denying the realities that are before their eyes. I am at my wit's end. That's it for now.
You are heard and your feelings are valued, Annette.
Keep your focus on our President, our Commander in Chief…and be grateful that we have one that understands the angst of our nation. He knows what to do. And our trust in him will propel our democracy forward.
Feel the spirit that couples the summer thunderstorm with a shining sun and a rainbow. And pray for every American that flees to safety from a consequence of climate change.
Let’s focus on the healing. That alone brings power and truth to it.
Annette, your feelings are shared by many of us in these dangerous times, but as pointed out by others, we have to keep fighting for what we believe is right. I have been an activist for over 50 years, and have often looked for a darkened room, but then rebooted to finish the work at hand. While there were many setbacks and often unsatisfactory outcomes, there were also some huge victories. We have to all stay in the game and push on those who are making decisions.
So many share your feelings! On the way to golf yesterday (I was the chauffeur) my buddies and I ranted during the hour drive about how angry we are about everything you state. For the rest of the day we put it out of our heads and on the way home while stuck in greater Boston 24/7 traffic, acted very immaturely and laughing so hard, we had other fellow (windows open) travelers laughing . . we were careful around the car with the license plate "Lucifer" and made sure things were moving a bit in case we needed an escape :) My "darkened room" today is sitting on the screened porch, feeling the breeze, enjoying sunny, 70 degree temp and no humidity, listening to the birds, and not paying heed that I am "not getting anything done today" and probably won't for many days to come! Hang in there kids!!
Annette, Please no darkened room for you. Your anger is justified as far as I am concerned. This morning, I, too, thought of some of the governors, of course, including DeSantis, who are killing the people of the United States. We cannot seep in our anger. The possibility of one, perhaps, even two - the infrastructure bill and The American Families Plan:
being passed; working toward extensions of - stimulus checks - increased food stamps - expanded unemployment insurance; vociferously supporting FOR THE PEOPLE ACT 2021. There is so much for us to do. We must stay in the fight -- that means you and me, Annette, and many more millions of us, together.
Annette, as others have noted, you are not alone in the extreme anger you feel, for all the reasons you give.I have spent today avoiding, and trying out the new phone app I have which identifies bird song. It's wonderful! https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/download/
Annette, you sum up the source of our collective anger so well. The darkened room is in fact our country. Daily interactions with those who 'trigger' are, for me, most difficult. I see them as injured. I try to identify the points of light in the darkness. It's tough.
I'm with you, Annette! I believe there are many of us feeling the same way - NOW if ALL of them contact their "supposed representatives" and make that known - would it do any good? I wonder. My oldest granddaughter lives & works in Florida - shes had both shots of the vaccine, but I worry - her job (equine barn manager) means shes in contact with many people - some from overseas. So I worry. I have a good friend in California - at this point shes safer than some - she lives out near the mountains - not many neighbors and shes CAREFUL when she goes "to town". All my other family is pretty close by. But of course I still worry about them. Thought last week when I went to do my grocery shopping that more people were wearing masks? Well this week - not so much. Its scary.
Because of covid - as bad as it is here and, from what I'm reading, in other countries, too - the less travel the better. With more variants cropping up - travel from country to country right at the present time, with so many unvaccinated, is dangerous. And honestly, travel within this country is scary. The numbers of people refusing to get the vaccine only endangers all of us.
The U.S. is requiring a negative covid test 3(?) days prior to boarding a plane to the U.S. Without that, even for U.S. citizens vaccinated in the U.S., no entry. My sister just returned from Italy and her party had to go to the local farmacia in a small town in Tuscany for the test (2 hour wait), then wait while Italian doctor traveled to nearby office to translate the negative test validation into English and bring it back to them.
No surprise - the way this virus is cranking up we're going to be back where we were last year. I hope that doesnt happen, but with so many unvaccinated ?
I contacted Chuck Schumer's office AND my 2 Senators a few days ago. It made me feel more empowered to voice my opinion on the infrastructure bill and how we are going back into covid with the delta strain killing unvaccinated citizens. I also have taken a break from my ALWAYS TRUMP, STOP THE STEA,L, unvaccinated, conspiracy believing next door neighbor for now. I'm writing as many Postcards to Voters in FLA as I can. Because of HCR laboring to clarify our events each day and because of this LFAA forum, and Heathersherd, I will not give up! Thank you, all of you, for holding me up when I needed it. Whether you believe in a Higher Power, male and female, bless all of you
I have "voiced my opinions" on so many different subjects to Schumer & Gillibrand, plus the current Repub representative, I get responses from 2 out of the 3. One of my subjects is the situation with our Wild Horses & in that area, both responses are the party (BLM) line (Bureau of Land Management). However, I keep on commenting & emailing regardless! Bless you too.
“The study pointed to federal stimulus checks as the more important piece of this development. Those checks alone raised 12.4 million people out of poverty. Taken all together, recent antipoverty measures reduced child poverty from 30.1% to 5.6%.”
I can’t help but think this is a “feel good” moment versus any structural change in reducing child poverty. We have a tendency to spend money on societal issues and then pat ourselves on the back on “success”. Are children experiencing better nutrition, education, housing because of stimulus checks? Those would be the things that would have a long term impact on actually reducing poverty across the board. We don’t know because we are not measuring those metrics and we are looking at one or two years based on an income only number.
I went to a forum a few years ago (put on by one of the local NPR stations). The a panel (and room) comprised of all White individuals including Governor Baker to ostensibly tout the success of the reduction of gun violence in Boston. A half hour in, a group of about 20 young Black kids followed a Black woman and stood quietly at the back of the room. When the Q&A discussion, began, the woman called out that forum so powerfully with the reality of what the Black community experiences every single day..
Each young Black person in that room had a family member killed/injured by gun violence and/or had been shot themselves. There were daily shootings/gunfire and parents could not bring themselves to allow their children to wait for school buses. The neighborhoods were (and are) still living in constant fear. Think about the psychological impact on everyone in those neighborhoods. But, according to the forum participants and “statistics”, Boston was (is) doing great “reducing gun violence” as there were no mass shootings (unspoken but meant) of white kids.
The lack of representation of those in communities that are actually impacted by societal shortcomings happens all the time. The gathering and interpretation of statistics without valuable experiential input as part of the narrative may make us feel better but we also turn our attention away from a “problem solved”, when in fact it isn’t.
Thank you for sharing this story and for stating what I was thinking too. How can a $2-3K stimulus check "lift a family out of poverty"??? It sounds like a permanent condition, doesn't it - being lifted out? My state, right next to Boston, last week announced the median monthly rent on a two bedroom apartment (0.6% vacancy, essentially 0) for each county. These stimulus checks would barely cover two months of the state median rent. I'd like to see some numbers around just how long this will keep those children out of poverty and how exactly that happens. Sounds like magical thinking to me.
Throwing money at the problem will not solve poverty any more than a bandaid will cure cancer. Child poverty exists due to a lack of well-paying jobs for the parents or caregivers. Well paying jobs depend on employers, consumers, and users paying the real cost of services and products. It also depends on our political representatives stepping up and becoming leaders creating policies that bring careers to their constituents. Here in WV our governors and representatives have profited from keeping us dependent on coal for decades beyond when any clear sighted person could see it was going out. The Manchin and Justice families have sorely cost this state for their own personal benefit. Much of rural WV may well not afford broadband at over $100/month even as it becomes available.
Actually, it's my understanding that throwing money at the problem is one of the best ways to solve it, IF the money goes directly to the poor with no strings attached.
The fact is, the best money micro-managers in the world ARE the poor. They don't have the luxury of wasting it. When you give them money, they typically spend it on the most important useful things that have the biggest impact on their lives. Their problem isn't poor management skills. Their problem is lack of money.
Agree 1000%, Joseph. When examining poverty, it must be done not only with an eye formed from values of middle class but with a knowledge of the values AND strong resources of the poverty culture.
And let me ask a question of everyone on this forum….. what socioeconomic class do you consider yourself a member of : poverty, middle, or upper class?
I'm kind of no-class, dependent upon social security. I own my manufactured home, but not the land upon which it sits, paying a landlord $400/month for a "lease." I never thought I would end up here, but lost my 'money' in California real estate. I'm happy, but this situation depends upon politicians and could be devastating. I'm a doctorally prepared RN, retired after an amazing and wondrous career, and totally dependent upon social security.
I agree with this sentiment except that there are many more reasons in addition to lack of well-paying jobs. Medical concerns, childcare, transportation, stacking and segregating poor families in areas of no available employment, lack of any quality education opportunities, and much more.
My school district is registering students for the next school year. The vast majority white middle to upper class families. I belong to a FB group of many of these families. So many parents are complaining and being very hateful on the fees charged to them for various supplies, music and sports enrollments, graduation fees, driver’s Ed, etc. the fees range from about $150 to about $800 total depending on age and how involved a child is. I was quite sick of it, and had to remind them that most were getting $250 per child x two months that would most likely cover those expenses. And add to that the “free” $12,585 per child taxes pay per year. One family with three children will be receiving $1500 in unexpected monies by the time these fees are due. While no one agreed with me, there was silence after that observation.
Please remember politics is the art of the possible. One has to start somewhere. I spent my career working with severely mentally ill people, all poor and some with children. There's no doubt in my mind that an extra bit of cash will help them and us, their advocates, find solutions to some problems. Half a loaf is better than no bread at all and it's not helpful to trash something because it's not the total solution. The ACA is a good example of something that missed the ultimate mark -- single payer-- but is still very valuable.
I don't believe anyone here is trashing the program, just disputing the conclusion that it has ended poverty for those receiving the short-term extra money. There's no question in my mind that it's program that is helping many people but, unless/until it's a permanent program, it cannot actually "end poverty".
Lifting people out of poverty is about SO much more than money. Being an educator, I felt myself stymied so many times by the challenges I felt because I compared myself as a member of the “middle class” and applied my values instead of trying to understand the power of theirs. It wasn’t until I became a student and advocate of Dr. Ruby Payne that my entire perspective of the “poverty culture” changed dramatically. I’ll reference her landmark text.
Same question occurred to me. Not to mention that the stimulus checks are not a permanent source of income for those receiving it though I've read that the extra $$ have helped some to focus on education and/or retraining so they can (hopefully) lift themselves out of poverty.
The stimulus checks afforded me the opportunity to repair my 2000 Subaru and continue to have wheels. I volunteer at the local foodbank and benefit from their services. To be old and poor is no joke, even though over-educated and cognitively intact.
2019 seems like a lifetime ago which is why I was thinking a "few" years ago :)
My husband and I just finished watching "The Wire" (2002-2008). Watching the video of the forum within the context of the complexities of the show in my head . . . we have gone nowhere!
I should qualify that while it was not explicitly stated, my takeaway (not intended to sensationalize) was that most of the Black kids in the room had a family member killed/injured and/or they had been shot . . . but without more specific information, it is probably more accurate to state that, at the very least, most had been exposed/witness to the horrors of gun violence on a regular basis. Certainly, the point Monica was driving home relative to the PTSD that the community experience. It is as real as being in any other war zone.
Wow! What a powerful statement that made. I’m guessing it would have been recorded by NPR? Could you please tell us what the local station there is? Excellent example for how to use your voice. I LOVE this!
I found this. Wish this community event with folks speaking up and using their voices could be elevated in the news cycle. The more who see it will feel empowered to speak up as well. Which would really help us all. Time to take the megaphone away from the spinners and liars. Thank you so much for sharing this Janet. ❤️ https://commonwealthmagazine.org/guns/students-interrupt-wbur-gun-violence-event/
Yes. And, in the show "The Wire", which is about crime and drugs in Baltimore , each season focuses on a different sub sector that feeds the narrative beast: politics, education, law enforcement, media, organized crime. It isn't just Baltimore or Chicago . . . it is most cities and the masses do not (are "not allowed" to see it).
Two things really stuck out for me (and my now jaded soul) about tonight’s letter:
“but Republicans demanded that funds to increase funding for the IRS to enable it to crack down on tax cheats, who cost the United States about $1 trillion a year, be stripped from the bill.” SERIOUSLY, WTF! So, so much wrong about this that I can’t even form a coherent sentence. And . . .
“It is always possible that the Republicans cannot muster the 10 votes they need to pass the bill, and continuing to tinker with it is simply a way to run out the clock on the congressional session so that the Democrats cannot get the infrastructure deal they want so badly.” This seems like the most logical reason for last night’s vote by retrumplicans to move the bill forward. I don’t see any possible way the final bill will get the 10 “R” votes to pass it; they will never allow President Biden a win (IMHO).
Oh, and seriously, what is up with Krysten Sinema???? 😡
Hi Cathy. I was struck by the same things, but I have a little bit of a different perspective. RE the Irs - My thought was, 'figures, Republicans don't want their big donors or themselves to be investigated." They are simply protecting big donor money. I can hear the phone calls now.
RE infrastructure bill - Republicans seem to be waking to the fact that this is a very popular bill and that to not pass it would not help them in coming elections. Given that winning elections and keeping big donor money is really their only concern, I think the Republican party will jump on any bandwagon that serves that purpose. Even McConnell is starting to sound reasonable - shocking! Using campaign money to promote vaccines??? (maybe he has been possessed? LOL)
RE Sinema - She seems to enjoy the notariety, but she is also making a point to her constituents as a moderate. Again, it is all about being re-elected. Politicians pander to their constituants, not to their values - if they have any.
She's not up for re-election till '24. Perhaps she needs attention. Perhaps one of her big donors needs something. Will be interesting to see how she positions her ask/demand.
She ran against Kelly Ward, who is very behind the "audit" of 2020 ballots. At one time she was heroic among Democrats for helping to get rid of exSheriff Joe Arpaio, one of TFGs friends. She has some history protecting undocumented immigrants.
Sinema? You tell me. I think she has totally lost it. Spoiled brat behavior gets her press coverage. One term Senator but a PITA for the rest of her term.
I had the same WTF reaction. Has anyone heard any Republican try to justify this? Has anyone heard any reporter ask this question of one of the Republicans negotiating the Bill? It’s easy to believe all of the nefarious reasons for doing this, but how do they justify this to their constituents?
"Biden explicitly tied the expansion of broadband to the nation’s 1936 expansion of access to electricity through the Rural Electrification Act. " I've long wondered why this expansion was not applied to broadband.
As for "could regulation of publicly supported broadband help address the problem of disinformation on social media?) " I'm afraid it will be more like when the Internet began. Back then everyone was hopeful it would expand democracy around the world. The reality was quite different. Expanded broadband to rural areas has the potential to make things worse in red rural America if it's not used to read good stuff like LFAA. It's up to content providers to keep that from happening by offering a balanced menu of content.
It's just common sense, huh? It should be for conservatives also who are currently against it. Connectivity to their rural American voters should be a no-brainer. Maybe they are afraid fact-based news might catch on?
Sorry I wasn't more specific but that was implied. Yes, of course, in addition to wrapping the internet under the umbrella, it has to be re-instituted in the broadcast media that uses the people's airwaves.
This will be possible if the government provides the access to rural America and not the private monopolies. It was the government that made the rates for rural electricity affordable, not the private monopolies.
Some thing should be socialized when it applies to the commons and communications is a common for us all.
I believe this new project for broadband will do for internet connectivity what the Rural Electrification did for electricity. The whole reason to hookup rural America to the electric grid was the private sector wouldn't do it, so the federal government did. The principle is like the Postal Service where it costs the same to send a letter across the country as it is across town.
My thoughts went along similar lines. Can we even expect regulation of publicly owned broadband to work when we can't regulate disinformation on publicly owned airwaves?
Morning Christopher. I think will happen once the “fairness” of access for all, especially rural areas, is established. I look ahead and see this kind of step following Biden’s agenda getting activated with a big infrastructure bill getting signed into law. Along with the big step of voting rights.
I agree that an internet fairness doctrine would be wonderful, but it would be orders of magnitude more difficult than it was for broadcast media, and even that could not stand legal muster. Maybe I am too negative, but that seems hopeless to me.
No, you just have to narrow the scope to news providers which would come from regulations aimed squarely at FB, Twitter, Google and every news organization.
Fear is the absence of hope. Never, ever give up hope. #never
Thank you, HCR, for completely explaining everything going on with the infrastructure bill. So much is being thrust at us regarding whether or not this will pass. It’s pretty amazing that 17 Republicans gave the proverbial finger to TFG and voted for it. Even Mitch said yes, which gives me shivers because I just know he has some knife to throw in to cause more problems. As far as the Progressives are concerned, I completely understand their reluctance. They (me too) want this bill to include human aspect. Is it ideal? No. Is it a significant start? Yes!
I continue to be puzzled and frustrated the Republicans won’t provide funds to enforce EXISTING IRS regs. OTOH, glad to hear Mo Brooks won’t be defended by DOJ in the Swallwell lawsuit.
What the Republicans are saying is that they support cheating on taxes. Which of course is a violation of federal law. As for Mo Brooks, it was reported today that was wearing body armor on Jan. 6. He also explained what he meant by "kicking ass" in his speech at the Trump rally that day. It reminds me of a child lying to avoid looming consequences.
Just once, let the lefties in the House take "yes" for an answer. The American Left normally never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity, and the far-left idiot wing is starting to say if it isn't perfect they'll take their football and go home. Hope they like losing next year and then losing for good in 2024.
We saw where Reagans’s “Just Say No” campaign led to. Ignored dangers of prescription drugs which is epicenter of drug problem today. So “no” to more of Reagan “no”tactics. Focus gets lost.
So progressives…”Just Say Yes” to the infrastructure plan. This is a win For the People. Signing it into law can be so huge for the Biden agenda and a swing delivering an out of the ballpark hit.
Can we celebrate this 67-32 vote in the Senate for one dang minute!
This is how democracy is supposed to work. It can lead to moving the voting rights along. It’s not everything that everybody wants but it is bipartisan workmanship and a trump card against tr*mp.
Your incoherent comment is reflective of the lack of intellectual merit that ignorant, uninformed Fox News listeners just repeat after hearing. Can you offer examples of the missed opportunities?? Take your football and shove up your brain!!!
Sorry for butting in here gentlemen, but, Ed, you apparently aren’t familiar with TC or his work. He’s an astute historian and author who often expresses frustration with Democrats penchant for fumbling the ball.
Barrack Obama had a more elegant way of expressing this frustration: “Don’t let perfect become the enemy of good enough.”
The sad part of this exchange is that we’re likely all on the same side here.
You really don't know what you're talking about or who you're talking to, but thanks for the public demonstration of what the term "fucking ignoramus" means.
What, name-calling on this forum? That's what Trump does when he has no force of argument. Sometimes computer courage gets the better of us. We're better than that.
Given that the idiot showed up here for the first time tonight and proceeded to put in an Oscar-worth performance as an ignorant asshole, pointing out that he is in fact a "fucking ignoramus" is not name-calling, but rather a statement of clearly-obvious fact.
Agreed. A sign of today’s deep divide in society when calm and reasoned discussion has been replaced with giant megaphones. Whoever screams the loudest must be right. 😩
Obviously, Republicans don't want to be audited! They practically gutted the IRS budget under Don the Con, and they shiver at the thought of a beefed up IRS.
It amazes me that any elected official could have the temerity to publicly express opposition to enforcement of tax law. Of course that has the effect of forcing IRS auditors to concentrate on the cheap and easy cases of average individuals, and ignore the higher priced but also much more productive cases of large corporations and wealthy individuals. It is imperative that this sham must be stopped. The IRS must receive full funding to allow it to do its job.
My thought too. The IRS has so few people, they can't even open their mail until months after it arrives, and good luck trying to reach them on the phone.
Fish where the fish are plentiful, even though the older big tuna might feed more ... if caught and beached. Cheaper and easier to pull in. Suspect IRS agents are rewarded for number of tax cheats at most offices.
Hope the focus, if increase in funding for IRS gets in the reconciliation version of infrastructure, is on setting examples for them let them catch me" crowd and getting evidence to revise loopholes.
Child poverty becomes adult poverty with all of the stresses, failures and broken lives that costs society everywhere from loss of labor to crime and incarceration to disruptions and poor outcomes in schools. This feeds back into more poverty and failure. In so many unaccounted ways, poverty, an Amethyst social infection, costs far more than politicians, business leaders and voters will ever invest in to correct.
Poverty is one of an increasing number of denials that Americans are unwilling to face and address. All of which are bringing our nation down, holding us back and turning us into the broken "has been" that so many once great nations become.
Has beens? I don’t agree. Generational poverty has been with us for a long time. Part of the class system but notably, a class with many traits and resources that enable survival and strong character.
More concerning to me is situational poverty which is rampant as a pandemic is likely to exacerbate. The stimulus money truly is a huge boost to helping families out of that situation.
My belief is more rooted in a cognitive approach to understanding poverty and designing community based solutions and education models for moving people out of poverty.
I referenced a book again by Dr. Ruby Payne on the stream today. I hope many on this forum will read, Charlie. In fact, my hope is that Dr Payne is known to those in government with their fingers on the purse strings. I advocate her work all the time in every activist connection I participate in.
A cognitive approach to understanding poverty COMBINED with money for solutions is a huge
Christine, thank you for this info. I was unaware of Dr. Payne. I will remedy that soon.
A friend of mine, who worked in social work for 20 years, said something the other day I had heard before but bore repeating. On social programs, it has been said, many (most?) Southerners won't support them because they don't see themselves as poor; they see themselves as 'temporarily strapped millionaires." Or words to that effect. And I have run into these people all my life, so I knew immediately whom she meant.
Re: new mask mandates. My nephew, 35 yrs old, healthy, who was vaccinated with Pfizer in May or June, contracted Covid (Dr could not tell him if it was Delta variant) last week. He had high fever for a couple of days and felt really horrible but is doing better. Feeling weak and has a foggy brain but is on the mend. He lives in Miami, FL & was teaching summer school. He will be back to wearing mask when school resumes (& receives negative test). I live in FL & have consistently worn paper mask everytime I go out to store--never stopped. I am 76 & was vaccinated in Jan 2021. I started wearing N95 last week. Be smart & stay safe out there everyone.
“but Republicans demanded that funds to increase funding for the IRS to enable it to crack down on tax cheats, who cost the United States about $1 trillion a year, be stripped from the bill.” Why don’t they add this to the soft bill?
Now that it appears we are getting around to government promoting general welfare perhaps we can move along to that bit about ensuring domestic tranquility if that's ok with Republicans.
Two rays of hope today. First was Texas Special Election where Jake Ellzey beat the DT endorsed Susan Wright, the widow of Ron Wright, the Congressman who died of COVID-19. Second is the 17 Republican votes for the procedural vote on the Infrastructure Bill again ignoring DT admonishment that they'd be primaried if they did. President Biden realizes a lot of citizens will be voting with their pocket books and having jobs in 2022 and 2024.
Yes. We have a lot if earthquakes here. This one was a bit big. I am a snowbird and spend summers here and winters in AZ, south of Tucson. Love it here; make the best of AZ. Hope you get a chance to visit.
If any of you here don't watch Heather's FB live lectures, I encourage you to do so. Tuesday's zeroed on (at about minute 30) on why the Jan. 6th hearings are so critical and why the GOP is so freaked out over them. As she put it, "This is where the rubber meets the road", in that the lies that have been bandied about by the Right, never under oath, are meeting the truth, under oath, from witnesses who have nothing to gain. It certainly put things into a new perspective for me.
Also, since even the MSM insists on using false equivalence in their coverage, or at the very least, give the Right face time in their reporting, the fact that Heather reminds us that Jim Jordan can blather on lie after lie on TV and pay no price, but once he's under oath, it's a different ball game entirely. They all know this, and, lily-livered sniveling worms that they are, they are terrified.
Thank you Sandra for alerting us to Heather's lecture on Facebook, which addressed the critical nature of the Commission's hearings with regard to January 6th insurrection. As Charlie replied earlier, I too have left Facebook years ago, foreseeing its likely affects on the country. If you or others know whether the lecture is yet on YouTube, please let us anti-FB people know about it. I will check YouTube to see whether the lecture is available there. I will also email Heather about the fact that some subscribers who will not use FB would appreciate another option for viewing her lectures in a timely way. One more favor, please write out abbreviations and acronyms to make reading easier for subscribers. Thank you.
As I commonly walk around the lake whilst listening to podcasts, I would encourage Heather to make her videos in an audio only format. It takes too much bandwidth (data) to listen to something that does not require video to appreciate.
( of course that would come from Seattle!). Agree. I think the LFAA combined would make an incredible Audible book!
Great idea, Stephen. It would also be possible to podcast just audio and or have transcripts available.
Her "Now&Then" podcasts are video only too.
Second that! Plus it would be great to download from Audible and access while en route anytime.
Hello Fern. I despise Facebook and have for ages and, that said, I ONLY use Facebook for Heather's talks, twice weekly every week. She is the only reason I am willing to use that wretched platform. In fact, I have been known to frequently badger my friends who read and watch her on FB to subscribe to Substack for this, the comments section.
And I must say, if you are missing her talks, you are missing out on a lot! Both her History Chat and her History & Politics Chat are wonderful and continue to connect the dots for me.
She has also recently begun a podcast called "Now&Then" on Cafe with Joanne Freeman.
She addressed the transfer to YouTube a while back. The chats take quite a while to appear there because shockingly, she is very busy! But rest assured, she is aware.
Kathi, Thank you for your thoughtful and supportive response.
We feel the same about Facebook, but the important difference is that when an enterprise's profit motive leaves no - absolutely NO space for eliminating anti-public health protocols, anti-science and anti-Climate Change messaging; NO sufficient limitation on anti-democracy propaganda and conspiracy theories, which are a form of mind control and as anti-democratic you can get via communications businesses, I cannot BUY IN.
Facebook is an evil empire. Zuckerberg, along with Trump, much of the Republican Party, Charles Koch, the Mercer Family, Rupert Murdoch and too many others are the detonators of democracy.
This is strong porridge, Kathi, but it is mine. We remember the millions upon millions killed by lies, memory control, conspiracies, greed and power. Who and what are putting our country at great risk?
'In the Holocaust, the Soviet terror of the 1930s, the Chinese Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution, and Cambodia's 'killing fields', communism and fascism generated human tragedies on an immense scale'. (The Cambridge World History) Where has the USA been headed? It is our job to do our best to turn it around.
I quit FB, Fern.
Hope, I am literally moved to tears.
We need a powerful campaign to address social media - Elizabeth Warren? It is practically impossible to avoid making some contribution to the autocrats', white supremacists', morally corrupt profiteers' hold on our country. We have to pick and choose as carefully as we can. There is no failsafe.
Democracy thanks you. I know it does.
Thank you, Fern. I've tried to leave before, but when my account was hacked and so was my debit card, I thought it was time. I gave a few days to notify friends and family and voila! I don't miss it. I agree that we have moved too far to the right of "free speech" while ignoring the "never cry fire in a crowded theater" aphorism of common sense use of restraints. It's the AK-15 equivalent of bearing arms. And don't get me started about Citizens United!
Fern, Her lectures do eventually come to YouTube, but I find they are almost 2 months behind current time. I only use Facebook these days to watch HCR and one or two others I can't find elsewhere.
Thank you, Sandra, for this response. It makes sense to alert Heather to this situation.
I understand the issues one may have with FB and why one would not choose to be on but those issues are not avoided by going to YouTube which is owned by FB and has just as many crazy things :)
Janet, it is my understanding that YouTube is owned by Google.
I stand corrected . . . I listened to my husband for a moment instead of "Googling it" :) Never-the-less, the rest of my comment stands. It's kind of like "pick your poison", tee hee.
Yes, it is. Just read a NYTimes piece on the Evil Empire of the five big tech companies - Apple, FB, Google, Microsoft and Amazon. They are, indeed, taking over.
I don't do Facebook because of their morally corrupt business model. Are these lectures available elsewhere?
Hey, Charlie. I hear you. Heather has said she started using FB because there was so much mis- and disinformation on there that she wanted people to be able to find a reliable place to read newsworthy news.
To echo an old adage, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." That's the way I approach the conundrum of things like Facebook.
The Bible: know thine enemy.
I started using Facebook years ago and continue to use it not as a collaborateur, but to a) stay in touch with a couple score of people across the Internet, some of whom I know in real life (Yay!!) and b) to follow several people besides Heather who are focal, clever, educated, and forthright in their truth-telling. Examples: Bruce Lindner, Jim Wright, Lori Gallagher Witt, Maureen Gill Ausbrook. These are people whom I do not hear of outside of Facebook, and I would miss them if I abandoned the platform.
There are also some FB groups for the village where I live, and the region, and these are important ways to pick up local info (where's that fire, what were the cops doing, there was a coyote seen loping down the street, etc.).
At the same time, I take steps to protect at least some of my privacy. I don't post pictures of children. I don't mention family relationships. I don't announce that I'm on vacation.
I use a web browser (Safari) that helps prevent FB from tracking my visits to other web sites (they even track people who do not have FB profiles; not by name specifically, but by behavior and computer/browser attributes.) Hint: If I used Windows, I'd probably use Firefox with the "Facebook container" extension, or the Brave browser.
I am a Windows user. I use Firefox with DuckDuckGo as my search engine. I use DuckDuckGo as my browser on my Android phone.
In the past week, 62% of the sites I visited had Google trackers, 29% had Facebook trackers, and 25% had Amazon trackers. DuckDuckGo blocked them... I also use Firefox's Facebook Container.
Hi Bob. I have enjoyed Jim Wright's writing for a while. Thanks for mentioning others you find interesting. I often find sources people mention in this group quite helpful!
Hi Bob, why is the Brave browser better than say Google to look at Facebook? Thx
Excellent question. I've never heard of it before. Please tell us more about it.
I have used Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird for many years. I find webmail cumbersome and refuse to use Outlook, Internet Explorer or Google Chrome. Will immediately download FB container now that I know about it. I always use Private Window for any online searching or purchases so my commercial interests no longer show up as ads on my FB feed.
1) Well, I mighta opened a can o' worms, but I mentioned Brave because stronger privacy advocates than I have recommended it.
I primarily use Apple products, and Safari is adequate for me for privacy protection in the current environment of the World-Wide Web.
Here's one review that jumps into the deep end:
https://www.techradar.com/reviews/brave-web-browser
2) I'm curious to know about your experience about using a Private Window (different names in different browsers). That option really only stops your browser from saving your search history ON YOUR MACHINE. Web sites can still track you. Now, if you're shopping for a gift for a housemate who also uses your computer, use incognito mode (as it's generally known).
I trust everybody in my household; nevertheless I maintain a login password on all my devices. I never use incognito mode because I have no need to hide my browsing history from housemates.
Here's a thorough coverage of "incognito mode:"
https://blog.malwarebytes.com/privacy-2/2021/05/what-is-incognito-mode-our-private-browsing-101/
BTW, here's help on using Private Window for various browsers. This seems accurate and current, but I have not tested this advice:
https://www.lifewire.com/browsing-incognito-445990
Thank you for all of that. I'll devote time later today to exploring. As for Private mode, I do understand that it primarily stops my browser from saving my searches but it appears also to reduce or eliminate tracking, as far as I can tell. As I wrote, no ads for commercial sites I've searched are showing up in the FB 'ads' bar although they did once upon a time before I started using Private mode.
I like Malwarebytes as well and have subscribed in the past but don't seem to need it with the levels of protection I get from ESET which now includes ransomware protection. Another BTW, I use Duckduckgo for my internet searching; it doesn't collect or share personal info.
YouTube
Try opening this link.
https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/videos/516181346162013/
If you are on iPhone, you might be able to open in new tab without membership to Facebook.
Thanks, Christine. I did try on three devices. No go.
This is what I keep getting:
This Content Isn't Available Right Now
When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=516181346162013&ref=search
This is the same link, but with &ref+search added. I copied it directly from the address on FB. I think there is some wonkiness going on on some of these sites. I've had them freeze, slow to a crawl and/or not load. Maybe it's not you.
Hi Sandra. Thank you VERY MUCH for offering a hand. Very grateful. Unfortunately this is what I get:
"This Content Isn't Available Right Now
When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted.
Go to News Feed"
I don't think I said or did anything that would warrant being shut out from the group. I have been running up against similar blank walls for months now. I had given up, not sure exactly where to turn for help or guidance. I really miss them and I just would love to be able to join in on the chats again. So this is my last resort. Again, thanks.
Agree
Charlie, u will like NYT article by Max Fischer
The amount of lies, exaggerations, manipulations, and such out of trumplican and Republican mouths of late has had very dangerous consequences for out nation. And all transcribed and taped. Speaking under oath while also being videotaped and transcribed will create some VERY powerful campaign ads. The former president doesn’t care as he has established, but I’m sure elected GOP are terrified.
“MSM” = mainstream media.
Thanks, Christine. Oversight on my part.
I sense this desperation in McCarthy’s recent statements and actions.
McCarthy, McMoron
What’s going on in the house is leverage in the Senate.
Feed FB, you trash the Bill of Rights and feed fascism… the big four deserve anti trust attention… as suggested by Senator Amy Jean Klobuchar… the poor do not have computers, internet, or the tech savvy to find their way on the FB fix… and they do not watch that Fox Fix…
Morning, all!! Morning, Dr. R!! While I am delighted by the progress that has been made, dividing the concept of infrastructure between hard and soft makes me chuckle. Why bother to have one -- roads and bridges -- without the other -- supporting the people who need to be able to use them. Just MHO.
Meanwhile, back to January 6 with the DOJ "clearing a path" towards accountability:
https://www.npr.org/2021/07/27/1021144336/justice-department-clears-way-for-trump-officials-to-testify-about-jan-6th
As well, today, July 29, a 25-ft 5,000-pound totem pole carved by the House of Tears Carvers of the Lummi Nation will conclude its cross-country journey in Washington, DC. The totem pole will be on view July 29–31, 2021, near the Smithsonian"s National Museum of the American Indian entrance. Their journey started on July 14 in Washington State, with stops at sacred sites in Idaho, Utah, New Mexico, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Michigan. Their purpose is to highlight the need for awareness about Indigenous "struggles to protect water, land, sacred sites, and [Indigenous People's] collective future."
Click on this link for a map of their journey. Then watch the 2+ minute video about the Red Road to DC Totem Pole Journey:
https://redroadtodc.org/?fbclid=IwAR2X8UtmmOiyII02zif9APkpZiFc5qxFNXI31rj5ihWSexvWc65agU6eghw
Here is a Sierra Club "postcard" about the journey:
https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/postcard-red-road-dc?utm_source=insider&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter
And this from the Smithsonian:
https://americanindian.si.edu/explore/exhibitions/item?id=984
Wow, what a journey for the beautiful totem pole winding its way across the country!
Also on the move...Rev. William Barber and the Poor People's Campaign marching to Austin, Texas to rally support for voting rights, raising the minimum wage, and protections for undocumented immigrants:
https://actionnetwork.org/events/georgetown-to-austin-march-for-democracy
(At least one HCR Substacker is participating!)
Morning, Ellie!! Thank you...Thank you! In my zeal to follow Red Road, I lost sight of the Poor People's agenda.
People on the streets standing up for their beliefs and values in all possible non-violent ways is what is needed to protect democracy.
😊
Thanks for sharing!
Lynell! I’ve been waiting to hear an update about the saga of the totem pole that you have chronicled on the forum. What timing. My heart just soars. What sacred inspiration for our earth and all its living creatures.
Thank you!
Morning, Christine!! You're welcome🙂
I watched the blessing ceremony online when it passed through Minnesota and stopped at the line 3 encampment. Enbridge Oil company is seeking permits from Minnesota’s Public Utility to build a pipeline across Minnesota including crossing native lands- an obvious treaty violation. Part of the proposed route includes placing the pipeline underneath the Mississippi River.
Just imagine an oil spill’s effect in that river: the Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. How many millions of people along its journey from northern Minnesota to New Orleans , LA rely on it for drinking water or irrigation? How many millions of waterfowl winter along it south of the ice line that covers the river here? What happens when oil sludge kills off fish, frogs, and bugs that call it home, not to mention the crayfish so famous in Southern cuisine? How much of this country’s commerce relies on healthy Mississippi River?
Every Wednesday I go to a friend’s house to see a group of five very creative women. We knit, crochet , bead or some other creative task, have dinner together and catch up. We often make hats or blankets to give away. Last night, we watched the blessings of the Totem online, and, as a group, added our own prayers for the journey. We also undertook a new assignment to make items for kids on the White Earth Indian reservation near the pipeline’s route. My neighbor grew up on White Earth and has been collecting items to helps children who lost parents/guardians/grandparents to COVID. No brainer to help. But imagine what happens to their ability to feed themselves if the waters are fouled with oil and they can no longer gather wild rice or walleye or grow food on their lands?
The Waters Protectors’ commitment is inspiring but has become death defying. The future of the river and the planet are at stake. Please find a way to add your voice and support. Many thanks Lynell for posting!
So glad to hear from you, Sheila. I knew there were very in-the-know folks on this page who could expand the narrative in sharp image. So thank you! By your writing, we are in such disrepair. I have been using my limited skills by giving support and signing petitions re Enbridge Lines 3 and 5, Bears Ears, The Snake River, The Tongass, Black Hills and more.
On the contrary, Lynell, thank you! The infrastructure package includes electrifying transportation across this country - a critical piece of switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy, while creating great jobs and lowering carbon emissions. Lots of moving pieces and ALL efforts are needed. Appreciate the nod to the Red Road journey. Mni wiconi - water is life.
So thrilled to have Pete Buttigieg in charge of infrastructure!
🙂
Yes, we must continue to protect Mother Earth. We are still fighting Enbridge in Michigan, the pipeline lwas placed on the floor of Lake Michigan by the Mackinac Bridge 72 years ago, and now they plan to dig a tunnel for it, despite our Governor ordering it closed in May (they ignored the orders). Like the Mississipi, the Great Lake encompass a huge, sensitive and important ecosystem. Our Water Protectors inspire us all. But it is a terrible fight. Latest news is a 15,000 pound anchor came loose, somewhere...
That pipeline is, in some way, almost worse than Line 3. That Enbridge is defying Governor Whitmer's order to cease construction is almost beyond belief. An oil spill in one of the Great Lakes would be utterly catastrophic. Gads, there is a lot to do. Stay well and safe - hope your air quality is OK (worst air quality measurements ever recorded in MN today - Canadian wildfires are within 1 mile of the Minnesota border and we have a cold front coming in from Canada. Some days, ya just can't win....)
😔
Isn't Enbridge a Canadian company? How can they defy Whitmer's order?
$64 billion dollar question.
Morning Lynnel. I've been following this for a while...a really fabulous, epic voyage and symbol for the future. I'm in Beaune currenly stopping of in an extremely pleasant place on my way wn to the house in Provence for the rest of the summer. Ducks swimming in the stream in front of the hotel and a great meal in Volnay last night. Life is hard.
Morning, Stuart!! Nice to know you have been following this journey. Enjoy the rest of your summer. You, dear sir, deserve it.
Fabulous, Stuart! Keep on painting a summer visual picture.
Thank you for sharing this post complete with sites to visit. My spouse has Lakota Sioux ancestry. His cousins have taught us much about the history and current problem of indigenous peoples. I love the plan to visit sacred sites and emphasize that they are indeed sacred. Here in Oregon some parcels of land have been returned to indigenous peoples finally. We live in Salem very close to Chemawa, a boarding school and I know its grounds contain a cemetery. In southern Oregon where is a severe drought there is now a water shortage and the latest iteration of the problems between the indigenous people there and the farmers and ranchers. I do not know where this will go and some followers of the notorious Ammun Bundy are present. The Bootleg fire is not too far away for these people as well. We also have R obstruction and pot stirrers like Timber Unity financed by out of state sources. Finally, like many other places, cases of COVID are growing again, so we will put on our masks to go grocery shopping and return to takeout only for our favorite restaurant.
(Waves from Eugene) I am constantly stunned at the "Timber Unity" people. I have been following (not closely) the stories out of Chemawa and some of the horrors there.
Waving back and hoping to be in Eugene for women's basketball games at the UO. When we had the fires up the Santiam Canyon last fall, hay trucks delivered a lot of bales to people for their animals, but they had Timber Unity signs plastered all over them and also political signs for Kim Thatcher, a local R obstructionist, from Keizer. Maybe this happened up the McKenzie in your area as well. I was glad to see the hay, but I think donations should be made without trying to make political hay, so to speak. After the initial articles, there has been nothing about Chemawa in the local rag.
I believe the Statesman-Journal and the Register Guard are both Gatehouse publications. Need I say more?
Hope you get down to watch some basketball. I got to watch the 209-20 team play once. Ionescu is amazing.
Actually it's Gannett and they have reduced the SJ to practically nothing. We do it online and the RG as well. We have our season tickets and hopefully can attend although the cases are going in the wrong direction because people will not get vaccinated. Sigh.
Thank you for sharing your story, Michele! How wonderful that you have cousins (by marriage) who have continued the history of the Lakota Sioux to your husband and you. Imagine how different life would be if all the treaties our government signed never had been broken.
Yes, very different. I have started to read a book called Unworthy Republic which is about moving indigenous people out of the eastern half of the country and across the Mississippi. I have had to lay it down because it was making me so angry. I did enjoy a history of the Lakota and learned a great deal that I didn't know. It is written by someone at Oxford which did surprise me a little. When I look at climate change, the results of which are upon us in Oregon, I think we could use the outlook of indigenous peoples about our treatment of the planet. This is one of the reasons that the obstruction of the Rs makes me want to weep and also makes me very angry.
Thank you—adding Unworthy Republic to Mount Books.
Angry and sad at the same time. I think many of us could learn a thing or two from these good people.
Thank you for sharing this, I had no idea! Maybe this is a good place to say I just finished reading an amazing YA novel (at almost 60, I still love a good YA book and there's plenty out there!) about a strong young Ojibwe woman who becomes involved in an undercover investigation of meth distribution in her community in Michigan's UP. It's called Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley. It was recommended by the NYT book review and rightly so.
I'll look for it at my library - thanks for the recommendation. I have been reading a lot of YA myself as my daughter enters her teen years. A good one I'm reading now is All Boys Aren't Blue by George Johnson - his journey through childhood and now as a LGBTQIA+ activist.
Thank you for the book review! Will order it! My husband's Ojibway family is from northeast of The Soo.
Good for you, Beth! A good YA book is just my speed.
Thx, on my reading list.
Thanks for sharing. This is wonderful and I am now a follower.
Yay, Margaret!
Cool!
excellent point Lynell..'Why bother...'! Repubs agree because some of this $$$ will go to their "favored" contractors who will then refill the campaign coffers! Repubs do not care about the commonweal of Mom and Pop citizens!
Exactly true, Louis!
Morning, Lynell! Thanks for this update!
Morning, Ally!! They traveled through Oregon but didn't stop there. I think that counts.
Thank you so very much for lifting our hearts with this.
Good morning, everyone. This may be my only post here today because I may retreat to a darkened room, I am so damn angry. I'm angry that the will of the minority are putting the rest of us at risk: the risk of spreading COVID by not getting vaccinated nor wearing a mask. I'm angry that so many parents especially here in Florida seem to think that it is ok for their kids to put the other kids who cannot yet be vaccinated, at risk and are actively protesting wearing masks. The local school boards are having meetings where parents are threatening to home school their kids rather than let them wear a mask. I'm angry that our governor would rather give a speech in Utah than focus on the virus here and continues to rail against Dr. Fauci who has done so much to protect us. I'm angry at the Republican congresspeople who not only don't have the decency to watch the hearings where the brave police officers testified, but now disparage them in public and now try to blame Speaker Pelosi for the insurrection. I'm angry at the vitriol and hatred that I have heard directed at Simone Biles for being brave and recognizing that it is more important for her own health, and actually for the performance of her team, pulled out of the competition. I'm angry at the vitriol and hate that has been directed at Officer Fanone (have you heard the disgusting voicemail that someone left him?) I'm angry that a sliver of the elected officials have decided to put in place laws that threaten our democracy and that those that have the power to do something sit on their hands. And I'm angry that people have lost their minds...denying the realities that are before their eyes. I am at my wit's end. That's it for now.
You are heard and your feelings are valued, Annette.
Keep your focus on our President, our Commander in Chief…and be grateful that we have one that understands the angst of our nation. He knows what to do. And our trust in him will propel our democracy forward.
Feel the spirit that couples the summer thunderstorm with a shining sun and a rainbow. And pray for every American that flees to safety from a consequence of climate change.
Let’s focus on the healing. That alone brings power and truth to it.
Blessings
Annette, your feelings are shared by many of us in these dangerous times, but as pointed out by others, we have to keep fighting for what we believe is right. I have been an activist for over 50 years, and have often looked for a darkened room, but then rebooted to finish the work at hand. While there were many setbacks and often unsatisfactory outcomes, there were also some huge victories. We have to all stay in the game and push on those who are making decisions.
So many share your feelings! On the way to golf yesterday (I was the chauffeur) my buddies and I ranted during the hour drive about how angry we are about everything you state. For the rest of the day we put it out of our heads and on the way home while stuck in greater Boston 24/7 traffic, acted very immaturely and laughing so hard, we had other fellow (windows open) travelers laughing . . we were careful around the car with the license plate "Lucifer" and made sure things were moving a bit in case we needed an escape :) My "darkened room" today is sitting on the screened porch, feeling the breeze, enjoying sunny, 70 degree temp and no humidity, listening to the birds, and not paying heed that I am "not getting anything done today" and probably won't for many days to come! Hang in there kids!!
Annette, Please no darkened room for you. Your anger is justified as far as I am concerned. This morning, I, too, thought of some of the governors, of course, including DeSantis, who are killing the people of the United States. We cannot seep in our anger. The possibility of one, perhaps, even two - the infrastructure bill and The American Families Plan:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/04/28/fact-sheet-the-american-families-plan/
being passed; working toward extensions of - stimulus checks - increased food stamps - expanded unemployment insurance; vociferously supporting FOR THE PEOPLE ACT 2021. There is so much for us to do. We must stay in the fight -- that means you and me, Annette, and many more millions of us, together.
Annette, as others have noted, you are not alone in the extreme anger you feel, for all the reasons you give.I have spent today avoiding, and trying out the new phone app I have which identifies bird song. It's wonderful! https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/download/
Thank goodness for nature. But of course if the rethugs had their way, we wouldn't have that either!
Just updated my Merlin app! Thanks!
You are not alone Annette. It takes effort to stay positive. Hummingbirds at my feeder help keep me sane.
Hi Diane FL friend…. Did you know that hummingbirds are the totem for JOY in some indigenous cultures?
Annette, you sum up the source of our collective anger so well. The darkened room is in fact our country. Daily interactions with those who 'trigger' are, for me, most difficult. I see them as injured. I try to identify the points of light in the darkness. It's tough.
From across the country, I’m feeling what you’re feeling.
I'm with you, Annette! I believe there are many of us feeling the same way - NOW if ALL of them contact their "supposed representatives" and make that known - would it do any good? I wonder. My oldest granddaughter lives & works in Florida - shes had both shots of the vaccine, but I worry - her job (equine barn manager) means shes in contact with many people - some from overseas. So I worry. I have a good friend in California - at this point shes safer than some - she lives out near the mountains - not many neighbors and shes CAREFUL when she goes "to town". All my other family is pretty close by. But of course I still worry about them. Thought last week when I went to do my grocery shopping that more people were wearing masks? Well this week - not so much. Its scary.
Maggie: contact from people overseas is worrisome to you? How so?
Because of covid - as bad as it is here and, from what I'm reading, in other countries, too - the less travel the better. With more variants cropping up - travel from country to country right at the present time, with so many unvaccinated, is dangerous. And honestly, travel within this country is scary. The numbers of people refusing to get the vaccine only endangers all of us.
The U.S. is requiring a negative covid test 3(?) days prior to boarding a plane to the U.S. Without that, even for U.S. citizens vaccinated in the U.S., no entry. My sister just returned from Italy and her party had to go to the local farmacia in a small town in Tuscany for the test (2 hour wait), then wait while Italian doctor traveled to nearby office to translate the negative test validation into English and bring it back to them.
No surprise - the way this virus is cranking up we're going to be back where we were last year. I hope that doesnt happen, but with so many unvaccinated ?
I contacted Chuck Schumer's office AND my 2 Senators a few days ago. It made me feel more empowered to voice my opinion on the infrastructure bill and how we are going back into covid with the delta strain killing unvaccinated citizens. I also have taken a break from my ALWAYS TRUMP, STOP THE STEA,L, unvaccinated, conspiracy believing next door neighbor for now. I'm writing as many Postcards to Voters in FLA as I can. Because of HCR laboring to clarify our events each day and because of this LFAA forum, and Heathersherd, I will not give up! Thank you, all of you, for holding me up when I needed it. Whether you believe in a Higher Power, male and female, bless all of you
I have "voiced my opinions" on so many different subjects to Schumer & Gillibrand, plus the current Repub representative, I get responses from 2 out of the 3. One of my subjects is the situation with our Wild Horses & in that area, both responses are the party (BLM) line (Bureau of Land Management). However, I keep on commenting & emailing regardless! Bless you too.
I’m right there with you.
😞
Epidemic of morons = Midemic.
I am angry there are dead fish ALL over the beaches. Our poor marinelife.
Indeed. Sickening. <^<< :’-(
I am also in this same “head space”. I’m so damn angry.
I am with you.
“The study pointed to federal stimulus checks as the more important piece of this development. Those checks alone raised 12.4 million people out of poverty. Taken all together, recent antipoverty measures reduced child poverty from 30.1% to 5.6%.”
I can’t help but think this is a “feel good” moment versus any structural change in reducing child poverty. We have a tendency to spend money on societal issues and then pat ourselves on the back on “success”. Are children experiencing better nutrition, education, housing because of stimulus checks? Those would be the things that would have a long term impact on actually reducing poverty across the board. We don’t know because we are not measuring those metrics and we are looking at one or two years based on an income only number.
I went to a forum a few years ago (put on by one of the local NPR stations). The a panel (and room) comprised of all White individuals including Governor Baker to ostensibly tout the success of the reduction of gun violence in Boston. A half hour in, a group of about 20 young Black kids followed a Black woman and stood quietly at the back of the room. When the Q&A discussion, began, the woman called out that forum so powerfully with the reality of what the Black community experiences every single day..
Each young Black person in that room had a family member killed/injured by gun violence and/or had been shot themselves. There were daily shootings/gunfire and parents could not bring themselves to allow their children to wait for school buses. The neighborhoods were (and are) still living in constant fear. Think about the psychological impact on everyone in those neighborhoods. But, according to the forum participants and “statistics”, Boston was (is) doing great “reducing gun violence” as there were no mass shootings (unspoken but meant) of white kids.
The lack of representation of those in communities that are actually impacted by societal shortcomings happens all the time. The gathering and interpretation of statistics without valuable experiential input as part of the narrative may make us feel better but we also turn our attention away from a “problem solved”, when in fact it isn’t.
Thank you for sharing this story and for stating what I was thinking too. How can a $2-3K stimulus check "lift a family out of poverty"??? It sounds like a permanent condition, doesn't it - being lifted out? My state, right next to Boston, last week announced the median monthly rent on a two bedroom apartment (0.6% vacancy, essentially 0) for each county. These stimulus checks would barely cover two months of the state median rent. I'd like to see some numbers around just how long this will keep those children out of poverty and how exactly that happens. Sounds like magical thinking to me.
Throwing money at the problem will not solve poverty any more than a bandaid will cure cancer. Child poverty exists due to a lack of well-paying jobs for the parents or caregivers. Well paying jobs depend on employers, consumers, and users paying the real cost of services and products. It also depends on our political representatives stepping up and becoming leaders creating policies that bring careers to their constituents. Here in WV our governors and representatives have profited from keeping us dependent on coal for decades beyond when any clear sighted person could see it was going out. The Manchin and Justice families have sorely cost this state for their own personal benefit. Much of rural WV may well not afford broadband at over $100/month even as it becomes available.
Actually, it's my understanding that throwing money at the problem is one of the best ways to solve it, IF the money goes directly to the poor with no strings attached.
The fact is, the best money micro-managers in the world ARE the poor. They don't have the luxury of wasting it. When you give them money, they typically spend it on the most important useful things that have the biggest impact on their lives. Their problem isn't poor management skills. Their problem is lack of money.
Agree 1000%, Joseph. When examining poverty, it must be done not only with an eye formed from values of middle class but with a knowledge of the values AND strong resources of the poverty culture.
And let me ask a question of everyone on this forum….. what socioeconomic class do you consider yourself a member of : poverty, middle, or upper class?
And more importantly….why?
I'm kind of no-class, dependent upon social security. I own my manufactured home, but not the land upon which it sits, paying a landlord $400/month for a "lease." I never thought I would end up here, but lost my 'money' in California real estate. I'm happy, but this situation depends upon politicians and could be devastating. I'm a doctorally prepared RN, retired after an amazing and wondrous career, and totally dependent upon social security.
Middle-class. I work for a living, and don't have the option of quitting. I'm paid well enough to not have to be a particularly good money manager.
I agree with this sentiment except that there are many more reasons in addition to lack of well-paying jobs. Medical concerns, childcare, transportation, stacking and segregating poor families in areas of no available employment, lack of any quality education opportunities, and much more.
My school district is registering students for the next school year. The vast majority white middle to upper class families. I belong to a FB group of many of these families. So many parents are complaining and being very hateful on the fees charged to them for various supplies, music and sports enrollments, graduation fees, driver’s Ed, etc. the fees range from about $150 to about $800 total depending on age and how involved a child is. I was quite sick of it, and had to remind them that most were getting $250 per child x two months that would most likely cover those expenses. And add to that the “free” $12,585 per child taxes pay per year. One family with three children will be receiving $1500 in unexpected monies by the time these fees are due. While no one agreed with me, there was silence after that observation.
Please remember politics is the art of the possible. One has to start somewhere. I spent my career working with severely mentally ill people, all poor and some with children. There's no doubt in my mind that an extra bit of cash will help them and us, their advocates, find solutions to some problems. Half a loaf is better than no bread at all and it's not helpful to trash something because it's not the total solution. The ACA is a good example of something that missed the ultimate mark -- single payer-- but is still very valuable.
I don't believe anyone here is trashing the program, just disputing the conclusion that it has ended poverty for those receiving the short-term extra money. There's no question in my mind that it's program that is helping many people but, unless/until it's a permanent program, it cannot actually "end poverty".
Word.
Lifting people out of poverty is about SO much more than money. Being an educator, I felt myself stymied so many times by the challenges I felt because I compared myself as a member of the “middle class” and applied my values instead of trying to understand the power of theirs. It wasn’t until I became a student and advocate of Dr. Ruby Payne that my entire perspective of the “poverty culture” changed dramatically. I’ll reference her landmark text.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1948244187/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_api_glt_fabc_36908SA0ATEJ6348E79H
Have posted Amazon link.
Also available through Dr. Payne’s company AHA Process
https://www.ahaprocess.com/
I tried to find out how they came up with their numbers. Seems there is a claim of research done. Maybe I’m just too tired to look further, but I’m no closer to understanding their claims for how they know that poverty levels are dropping. https://www.urban.org/research/publication/2021-poverty-projections-assessing-impact-benefits-and-stimulus-measures
Same question occurred to me. Not to mention that the stimulus checks are not a permanent source of income for those receiving it though I've read that the extra $$ have helped some to focus on education and/or retraining so they can (hopefully) lift themselves out of poverty.
The stimulus checks afforded me the opportunity to repair my 2000 Subaru and continue to have wheels. I volunteer at the local foodbank and benefit from their services. To be old and poor is no joke, even though over-educated and cognitively intact.
The forum (Tackling Gun Violence- WBUR March 2019) is now on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWrqtnfDwFY
Around 1 hour 20 mins in is when "Monica" spoke.
2019 seems like a lifetime ago which is why I was thinking a "few" years ago :)
My husband and I just finished watching "The Wire" (2002-2008). Watching the video of the forum within the context of the complexities of the show in my head . . . we have gone nowhere!
I should qualify that while it was not explicitly stated, my takeaway (not intended to sensationalize) was that most of the Black kids in the room had a family member killed/injured and/or they had been shot . . . but without more specific information, it is probably more accurate to state that, at the very least, most had been exposed/witness to the horrors of gun violence on a regular basis. Certainly, the point Monica was driving home relative to the PTSD that the community experience. It is as real as being in any other war zone.
Listening now, and that's pretty much exactly what she said about PTSD.
Just watched the portion where "Monica" spoke. She is a force.
❤️🙏thank you!
Wow! What a powerful statement that made. I’m guessing it would have been recorded by NPR? Could you please tell us what the local station there is? Excellent example for how to use your voice. I LOVE this!
Two local stations, WGBH and WBUR. I don't know which one she's referring to.
Exactly!
Janet, I’m wondering if this may have been the forum you are referring to? https://www.bu.edu/articles/2019/sph-forum-gun-violence/
I found this. Wish this community event with folks speaking up and using their voices could be elevated in the news cycle. The more who see it will feel empowered to speak up as well. Which would really help us all. Time to take the megaphone away from the spinners and liars. Thank you so much for sharing this Janet. ❤️ https://commonwealthmagazine.org/guns/students-interrupt-wbur-gun-violence-event/
Yes. And, in the show "The Wire", which is about crime and drugs in Baltimore , each season focuses on a different sub sector that feeds the narrative beast: politics, education, law enforcement, media, organized crime. It isn't just Baltimore or Chicago . . . it is most cities and the masses do not (are "not allowed" to see it).
Two things really stuck out for me (and my now jaded soul) about tonight’s letter:
“but Republicans demanded that funds to increase funding for the IRS to enable it to crack down on tax cheats, who cost the United States about $1 trillion a year, be stripped from the bill.” SERIOUSLY, WTF! So, so much wrong about this that I can’t even form a coherent sentence. And . . .
“It is always possible that the Republicans cannot muster the 10 votes they need to pass the bill, and continuing to tinker with it is simply a way to run out the clock on the congressional session so that the Democrats cannot get the infrastructure deal they want so badly.” This seems like the most logical reason for last night’s vote by retrumplicans to move the bill forward. I don’t see any possible way the final bill will get the 10 “R” votes to pass it; they will never allow President Biden a win (IMHO).
Oh, and seriously, what is up with Krysten Sinema???? 😡
Hi Cathy. I was struck by the same things, but I have a little bit of a different perspective. RE the Irs - My thought was, 'figures, Republicans don't want their big donors or themselves to be investigated." They are simply protecting big donor money. I can hear the phone calls now.
RE infrastructure bill - Republicans seem to be waking to the fact that this is a very popular bill and that to not pass it would not help them in coming elections. Given that winning elections and keeping big donor money is really their only concern, I think the Republican party will jump on any bandwagon that serves that purpose. Even McConnell is starting to sound reasonable - shocking! Using campaign money to promote vaccines??? (maybe he has been possessed? LOL)
RE Sinema - She seems to enjoy the notariety, but she is also making a point to her constituents as a moderate. Again, it is all about being re-elected. Politicians pander to their constituants, not to their values - if they have any.
I should qualify that last statement. The best politician put their values on full display and are elected because of their values. The worst pander.
She's not up for re-election till '24. Perhaps she needs attention. Perhaps one of her big donors needs something. Will be interesting to see how she positions her ask/demand.
Where does Sinema get her campaign donations? From who mostly?
She ran against Kelly Ward, who is very behind the "audit" of 2020 ballots. At one time she was heroic among Democrats for helping to get rid of exSheriff Joe Arpaio, one of TFGs friends. She has some history protecting undocumented immigrants.
Sinema? You tell me. I think she has totally lost it. Spoiled brat behavior gets her press coverage. One term Senator but a PITA for the rest of her term.
Because she can. Na na nuh na na.
I had the same WTF reaction. Has anyone heard any Republican try to justify this? Has anyone heard any reporter ask this question of one of the Republicans negotiating the Bill? It’s easy to believe all of the nefarious reasons for doing this, but how do they justify this to their constituents?
Me, too! But again, because I feel many Republicans are a tad narcissistic, they fear their own tax cheats will be examined?
So, does this make them complicit to tax evasion/ cheating??
Someone needs to ask this question!
"Biden explicitly tied the expansion of broadband to the nation’s 1936 expansion of access to electricity through the Rural Electrification Act. " I've long wondered why this expansion was not applied to broadband.
As for "could regulation of publicly supported broadband help address the problem of disinformation on social media?) " I'm afraid it will be more like when the Internet began. Back then everyone was hopeful it would expand democracy around the world. The reality was quite different. Expanded broadband to rural areas has the potential to make things worse in red rural America if it's not used to read good stuff like LFAA. It's up to content providers to keep that from happening by offering a balanced menu of content.
We need a Fairness Doctrine for the Internet.
Agreed. Internet platforms should be held to the same laws as publishing companies and accountable for their content.
It's just common sense, huh? It should be for conservatives also who are currently against it. Connectivity to their rural American voters should be a no-brainer. Maybe they are afraid fact-based news might catch on?
We need a Fairness Doctrine for radio and television, too!
Sorry I wasn't more specific but that was implied. Yes, of course, in addition to wrapping the internet under the umbrella, it has to be re-instituted in the broadcast media that uses the people's airwaves.
This will be possible if the government provides the access to rural America and not the private monopolies. It was the government that made the rates for rural electricity affordable, not the private monopolies.
Some thing should be socialized when it applies to the commons and communications is a common for us all.
Agreed. And, making broadband available does not necessarily make it accessible/affordable.
I believe this new project for broadband will do for internet connectivity what the Rural Electrification did for electricity. The whole reason to hookup rural America to the electric grid was the private sector wouldn't do it, so the federal government did. The principle is like the Postal Service where it costs the same to send a letter across the country as it is across town.
My thoughts went along similar lines. Can we even expect regulation of publicly owned broadband to work when we can't regulate disinformation on publicly owned airwaves?
Which is why we should be demanding a Fairness Doctrine for the 21st century an beyond.
Morning Christopher. I think will happen once the “fairness” of access for all, especially rural areas, is established. I look ahead and see this kind of step following Biden’s agenda getting activated with a big infrastructure bill getting signed into law. Along with the big step of voting rights.
Nor more stalling imposed by former.
If I 'click ❤️' will it make it so? A modernized Fairness Doctrine is essential!
It will work if you do it while sticking your tongue out of the left side of your mouth. Always works for me. Your mileage may very. ;-)
I agree that an internet fairness doctrine would be wonderful, but it would be orders of magnitude more difficult than it was for broadcast media, and even that could not stand legal muster. Maybe I am too negative, but that seems hopeless to me.
No, you just have to narrow the scope to news providers which would come from regulations aimed squarely at FB, Twitter, Google and every news organization.
Fear is the absence of hope. Never, ever give up hope. #never
Thank you, HCR, for completely explaining everything going on with the infrastructure bill. So much is being thrust at us regarding whether or not this will pass. It’s pretty amazing that 17 Republicans gave the proverbial finger to TFG and voted for it. Even Mitch said yes, which gives me shivers because I just know he has some knife to throw in to cause more problems. As far as the Progressives are concerned, I completely understand their reluctance. They (me too) want this bill to include human aspect. Is it ideal? No. Is it a significant start? Yes!
I continue to be puzzled and frustrated the Republicans won’t provide funds to enforce EXISTING IRS regs. OTOH, glad to hear Mo Brooks won’t be defended by DOJ in the Swallwell lawsuit.
What the Republicans are saying is that they support cheating on taxes. Which of course is a violation of federal law. As for Mo Brooks, it was reported today that was wearing body armor on Jan. 6. He also explained what he meant by "kicking ass" in his speech at the Trump rally that day. It reminds me of a child lying to avoid looming consequences.
https://www.al.com/politics/2021/07/mo-brooks-was-wearing-body-armor-during-jan-6-speech-report.html
Exactly like a lying kid. Too late.
"Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without the words, and never stops at all." Emily Dickinson
Feeling cautiously hopeful. Thank you, Dr. Heather. 💜
I adore Emily. ❤️💙💜
Just once, let the lefties in the House take "yes" for an answer. The American Left normally never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity, and the far-left idiot wing is starting to say if it isn't perfect they'll take their football and go home. Hope they like losing next year and then losing for good in 2024.
Morning TC! I love opportunity.
We saw where Reagans’s “Just Say No” campaign led to. Ignored dangers of prescription drugs which is epicenter of drug problem today. So “no” to more of Reagan “no”tactics. Focus gets lost.
So progressives…”Just Say Yes” to the infrastructure plan. This is a win For the People. Signing it into law can be so huge for the Biden agenda and a swing delivering an out of the ballpark hit.
Can we celebrate this 67-32 vote in the Senate for one dang minute!
This is how democracy is supposed to work. It can lead to moving the voting rights along. It’s not everything that everybody wants but it is bipartisan workmanship and a trump card against tr*mp.
Thank you GOP liar!!!
Which shows how much you know, moron. But thanks for proving my point about you idiots.
Your incoherent comment is reflective of the lack of intellectual merit that ignorant, uninformed Fox News listeners just repeat after hearing. Can you offer examples of the missed opportunities?? Take your football and shove up your brain!!!
Sorry for butting in here gentlemen, but, Ed, you apparently aren’t familiar with TC or his work. He’s an astute historian and author who often expresses frustration with Democrats penchant for fumbling the ball.
Barrack Obama had a more elegant way of expressing this frustration: “Don’t let perfect become the enemy of good enough.”
The sad part of this exchange is that we’re likely all on the same side here.
You really don't know what you're talking about or who you're talking to, but thanks for the public demonstration of what the term "fucking ignoramus" means.
What, name-calling on this forum? That's what Trump does when he has no force of argument. Sometimes computer courage gets the better of us. We're better than that.
Given that the idiot showed up here for the first time tonight and proceeded to put in an Oscar-worth performance as an ignorant asshole, pointing out that he is in fact a "fucking ignoramus" is not name-calling, but rather a statement of clearly-obvious fact.
Agreed. A sign of today’s deep divide in society when calm and reasoned discussion has been replaced with giant megaphones. Whoever screams the loudest must be right. 😩
Most of us. It is useless, but some forget.
👍👍
Although Sinema seems to be playing that role this week.
Obviously, Republicans don't want to be audited! They practically gutted the IRS budget under Don the Con, and they shiver at the thought of a beefed up IRS.
If you were a crook embezzling money, would you want your books audited? Asking for a friend.
Sizzlin’ Charlie. Sizzlin’.
Wait...what? Oh.
It amazes me that any elected official could have the temerity to publicly express opposition to enforcement of tax law. Of course that has the effect of forcing IRS auditors to concentrate on the cheap and easy cases of average individuals, and ignore the higher priced but also much more productive cases of large corporations and wealthy individuals. It is imperative that this sham must be stopped. The IRS must receive full funding to allow it to do its job.
I have a feeling the Biden administration will find a way. They keep doing just that.
I wonder if it can be put into the soft infrastructure reconciliation bill.
My thought too. The IRS has so few people, they can't even open their mail until months after it arrives, and good luck trying to reach them on the phone.
Fish where the fish are plentiful, even though the older big tuna might feed more ... if caught and beached. Cheaper and easier to pull in. Suspect IRS agents are rewarded for number of tax cheats at most offices.
Hope the focus, if increase in funding for IRS gets in the reconciliation version of infrastructure, is on setting examples for them let them catch me" crowd and getting evidence to revise loopholes.
Gutting started back in little bush's admin and continued under the destructive mBitch in the Senate!
Child poverty becomes adult poverty with all of the stresses, failures and broken lives that costs society everywhere from loss of labor to crime and incarceration to disruptions and poor outcomes in schools. This feeds back into more poverty and failure. In so many unaccounted ways, poverty, an Amethyst social infection, costs far more than politicians, business leaders and voters will ever invest in to correct.
Poverty is one of an increasing number of denials that Americans are unwilling to face and address. All of which are bringing our nation down, holding us back and turning us into the broken "has been" that so many once great nations become.
Has beens? I don’t agree. Generational poverty has been with us for a long time. Part of the class system but notably, a class with many traits and resources that enable survival and strong character.
More concerning to me is situational poverty which is rampant as a pandemic is likely to exacerbate. The stimulus money truly is a huge boost to helping families out of that situation.
My belief is more rooted in a cognitive approach to understanding poverty and designing community based solutions and education models for moving people out of poverty.
Christine, Your last sentence says it all.
I referenced a book again by Dr. Ruby Payne on the stream today. I hope many on this forum will read, Charlie. In fact, my hope is that Dr Payne is known to those in government with their fingers on the purse strings. I advocate her work all the time in every activist connection I participate in.
A cognitive approach to understanding poverty COMBINED with money for solutions is a huge
B-I- N-G-O!
Christine, thank you for this info. I was unaware of Dr. Payne. I will remedy that soon.
A friend of mine, who worked in social work for 20 years, said something the other day I had heard before but bore repeating. On social programs, it has been said, many (most?) Southerners won't support them because they don't see themselves as poor; they see themselves as 'temporarily strapped millionaires." Or words to that effect. And I have run into these people all my life, so I knew immediately whom she meant.
Re: new mask mandates. My nephew, 35 yrs old, healthy, who was vaccinated with Pfizer in May or June, contracted Covid (Dr could not tell him if it was Delta variant) last week. He had high fever for a couple of days and felt really horrible but is doing better. Feeling weak and has a foggy brain but is on the mend. He lives in Miami, FL & was teaching summer school. He will be back to wearing mask when school resumes (& receives negative test). I live in FL & have consistently worn paper mask everytime I go out to store--never stopped. I am 76 & was vaccinated in Jan 2021. I started wearing N95 last week. Be smart & stay safe out there everyone.
Be safe. We are with you.
“but Republicans demanded that funds to increase funding for the IRS to enable it to crack down on tax cheats, who cost the United States about $1 trillion a year, be stripped from the bill.” Why don’t they add this to the soft bill?
My thought exactly!
Yup. No reason I know of unless some big dem donors also prefer less scrutiny.
Now that it appears we are getting around to government promoting general welfare perhaps we can move along to that bit about ensuring domestic tranquility if that's ok with Republicans.
A little domestic civility wouldn't be amiss either, Bruce. (Of course, the two are often seen hand in hand.)
I'll second that, Bruce!
Bravo!
Two rays of hope today. First was Texas Special Election where Jake Ellzey beat the DT endorsed Susan Wright, the widow of Ron Wright, the Congressman who died of COVID-19. Second is the 17 Republican votes for the procedural vote on the Infrastructure Bill again ignoring DT admonishment that they'd be primaried if they did. President Biden realizes a lot of citizens will be voting with their pocket books and having jobs in 2022 and 2024.
Morning Cathy. Sun was shining yesterday in spite of the thunderclouds. Seems to be our norm of the summer. I’ll take it. Love me a rainbow.
We were under a tsunami warning for several hours here. Fortunately nothing materialized. I am on high ground, for the most part.
Where are you Kathy?
Alaska...Kenai Peninsula.
A state on the visit list. Tsunami warning because of the earthquake there?
Yes. We have a lot if earthquakes here. This one was a bit big. I am a snowbird and spend summers here and winters in AZ, south of Tucson. Love it here; make the best of AZ. Hope you get a chance to visit.