Today, President Joe Biden awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 17 individuals who Biden says “demonstrate the power of possibilities and embody the soul of the nation—hard work, perseverance, and faith. They have overcome significant obstacles to achieve impressive accomplishments in the arts and sciences, dedicated their lives to advocating for the most vulnerable among us, and acted with bravery to drive change in their communities—and across the world—while blazing trails for generations to come.”
In America, the land of guns, murder by gun is a normal everyday occurrence, but in Japan the gun laws are so strict even the Yakuza have a hard time getting guns. Just a little while ago Shinzo Abe, the former prime minister, was giving a campaign speech in the peaceful town of Nara, when a disgruntled man with a homemade gun, shot him at close range. It’s dubious that he will survive but at this point everyone is praying for his recovery. The current prime minister, trying to hold back his tears, gave a press conference condemning such cowardly brutality. This is the first gun incident in Japan this year.
I am happy to hear that the European Parliament condemned the Supreme Court for the majority's overturning of Roe. The court took us backward three steps, but the majority can't hide behind their specious and ahistorical arguments. Because we are at a point in history where the United States is no longer all-powerful and splendidly isolated from the rest of the civilized world, the Supreme Court is no longer the last word on the law here.
The last part of your letter so lightened my mood. I love Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter. Habitat for Humanity (created in 1976 by Linda and Millard Fuller in Georgia) and the building of homes for the homeless and others disadvantaged by living in the US and being poor, is an all-time inspiration for many of us. What do we need MORE than decent housing and good healthcare to flourish? You have given us a volume of information to chew on and digest. Happy 76th anniversary to a wonderful man and woman. We thank you for your service to HUMANITY!
Today was a big news day, and it’s a gift to see you leading with good news. President Biden recognized a diverse group of Americans to be honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. People who really Help Make America Great in sharp contrast to TFG who rewarded loyalty including Rush Limbaugh. Another example of what it means and what it looks like to be presidential. “Decorated athletes and military heroes, artists, civil rights giants, activists and trailblazing representatives, intellectuals, and innovators,” Biden tweeted. “That’s America. And these are our 2022 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients.”
Let’s face it. Insanity Rules... CIDER HOUSE RULES... AND IT IS WORLD WIDE TODAY. The assassination of a Japanese prime minister is a signal to the leaders of all nations... that dystopia can reign anywhere... today. Remember: Abraham Lincoln was assassinated... and the Reformation failed... The United States has failed in effort to end violence and racism - with daily MASS murder by young white mails expressing their anger... mostly at Blacks, and the Republican Party now recognized as a fascist element that sponsored our twice impeached rogue president that will soon be charged again and again for his criminality throughout his life - a grotesque figure of a man accused of rape, insurrection, sedition, and the destruction of democracy itself...
Meanwhile, the PM of the United Kingdom was dumped by his party for his dishonesty, and the dictator of Russia is trying to destroy the democracy and leadership of Ukraine with support from our last president... as FOX News, led by a racist from Australia, markets the worst of it to a huge audience of racists that have commanded the GOP, and 70 million Americans seem to believe that our electoral process is corrupt as their leader seeks to hijack the presidency and the congress and health care itself - as the leadership of that fascist racist party accuses the latest Justice confirmed to the Supreme Court of exactly what Putin accused Yeltsin’s enemies of - supporting pedophilia in court decisions... in an attempt to destroy her career... that has failed, so far. Ketanji Brown Jackson may be the only hope on SCOTUS.
Heather Cox Richardson’s nightly rendition of fact rolls on... and she fails to examine her campus’s racism... and the behavior of a white female senator I happen to know... whose tepid commitment to justice as led directly to the state by state violence that will result in the death to women and the destruction of fetal medicine and obstetrics nation wide... all in the name of GOD... as our 6-3 Court destroys life itself and attacks women in the name of the unborn, healthy or not, destroying medicine and the best in that field consider fleeing Arizona and elsewhere rather than risk jail for their principled efforts now characterized as murder...
What’s happening world wide - from Japan, to Russia, to China, to North Korea, to Washington, DC, London, Paris, Hungary, India, Burma, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and in dozens of states in The United States of America is simple: fascism that emerged with Mussolini and swept through Germany, Austria, France and much of Europe under Hitler - and now affects Israel as it does the West Bank and GAZA... is sweeping the world...
The forces of evil are winning... as those awarded by President Biden seek to bring sanity, those awarded by the former guy seek to bring insanity...
All of this is clear as a bell in Highland Park, Illinois where a relative of a high school chum of my wife was killed... she was a wonderful woman... and dozens more were slaughtered... as the daily slaughter in the USA continues with the NRA bribing its way and gun violence perpetuated by insanity in the young white male fearing Jews will replace him - and Blacks slaughtered by white cops - with support from their ranks... as law enforcement itself is corrupted by racism...
Letters from an American is useful for what HCR repeats nightly - and for what she is unable to say nightly... and her followers applaud her for both...
We are a racist nation, our historians cannot and will not interpret fact to hold up that cracked mirror... and the world we seek to lead is in disarray, with rising dystopia everywhere... warming denied by half off America.. and our teens, the sane ones, in despair - and our One Six Committee saved for the moment by a 26 year old assistant to a coward coming forward - to tell the truth... and her boss cowering somewhere near his fearless leader...
My view is simple: women of all races, Blacks of good education in America, and still sane teens must join hands as good men step aside... we must push the reset button... and we humans must find a way to honor Mother Nature and stop the relentless pursuit of destruction in the name of profit... and with intelligence and wisdom guide this planet back to a state where common sense rules and fascism is explained to those presently misled...
Or we will find the war in Ukraine and in our streets and in Japan sweeping the planet... the signs are everywhere.. WW I was started with one shot... and WW II was started by the Axis Powers... American isolationism nearly commanded us... till we were bombed into action in Hawaii...
What will it take to bring sanity to rise above racism... in Washington, London, Paris, Ukraine... Egypt, Israel, China... you name it..
What will it take? The bells are ringing, and the Bell Tolls for Us... Shinzo Abe is dead... and we are dying... right here in American, daily... in the name of freedom misused.. as we destroy a woman’s right and need to choose... and our children are afraid to go to school...
And I am afraid to go to a concert, and our prisons are choked with those Black men that never had a decent chance at life...
Alexis de Tocqueville came to study us and reported wisely in two volumes... what would that nobleman say today?
What historian today will call it like it is... and not waste time here as increasing numbers of writers and thinkers come to SUBSTACK to write.. and our daily newspapers fail us... and Timothy Snyder of YALE... teaches and writes his incredible wisdom - and he warns us again and again, support your weekly newspaper...
President Biden was elected and he seeks to protect the unborn and the women.. of America... and the world... as he navigates the insanity of the Born Again Fascists that highjack religion and democracy with their sexual dysfunction and polemical rants and are led in their chants by the GOP in DC...
The Party of Lincoln is destroyed... and his memory is forgotten...
Who will rise to reflect Abraham Lincoln when the good president we have is no longer? Will Trump rise to destroy us... will racism and silence on campus mislead our students nation wide?
See something, say something ... words can save us... speak...
It all starts at the kitchen table... and a woman’s right to choose... and the truth...
we are in trouble... big trouble, world wide.
Tonight, former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe was shot in the chest while he was giving a campaign speech in the city of Nara. His condition is critical. Police have arrested a male suspect in the shooting. Washington Post Tokyo/Seoul bureau chief Michele Ye Hee Lee tweeted: “Can't overstate how shocking this shooting is—not only because Abe is very popular and prominent, but also because gun violence is extremely rare incident in Japan, a country with some of the world's strictest gun laws.”
President of the European Council Charles Michel tweeted that Abe is “a true friend, fierce defender of multilateral order [and] democratic values.” He promised that the European Union stands with Japan and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Regarding Abe shooting, NYTimes reports that "(i)n 2021, there were only 10 reported shootings in Japan which contributed to death, injury or property damage, according to statistics from the country’s National Police Agency. Of those gun-related incidents, only one person was killed and four were injured." Maybe European Parliament will next mention guns?
I was reading this with great interest. So much (and such diverse happenings) is pulled together as one continues through the piece - amazing, profoundly so. Wow!
I'm gratified that Diane Nash received the Medal. Her efforts to nonviolently end segregation were key to the ultimate success of the movement, and up till now she hasn't been adequately recognized. This was also a vindication of SNCC as she and other founding members originally conceived it.
While the 17 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom are an inspiration to us all by their embodiment of "hard work, perseverance and faith", there is not a single teacher, librarian, author, scientist, or mathematician on the list. Did someone accidentally get left out?
On the "deep audit" of Comey & McCabe, Yogi Berra said. "You can learn alot by watching". McCabe was fired 2 days before his retirement vested. Comey was a target the moment he promised "honesty" to the tfg.The time is now to appoint a Special Prosecutor to insulate the investigation & delve deeper into what the NYT's, Michael Schmidt has uncovered. Signature work Mike.
Luckily I happened to turn as CNN as this presidential event was just beginning. I enjoyed it so much— it was so uplifting to see these truly inspiring human beings honored in such a tremendous way by our great President Biden. Thank God he’s healthy and working hard every day!
Thank you Heather for unpacking a heavy day of news. So much to read.
I was struck by the shear variety of people who were bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom. None of which were political paybacks for President Biden.
Dr. Richardson, as Cassidy Hutchison testified, and as Sarah Matthews prepares to testify to the Jan 6 committee, both have said they were proud of the legacy Trump was leaving. Can you tell us what, exactly, they were proud of? I know I hated pretty much everything Trump did, so I am curious what these young, white women found to be proud of.
What a loaded letter today. The list of medal recipients is a list to be proud of. It is a clear statement of fine values. Good job, Joe. The list that TFG provided was a pathetic statement from a little abused boy in a large soulless old man suit.
Heather continues to wrap up her letters with a powerful closing. Wow. Jimmy Carter failed to effectively navigate the swampy waters of DC influence peddling and political machinations. But his example and his actions establish him as one of our finest Presidents. His activities after office are examples of dedication and service. I speak as an agnostic.
In America, the land of guns, murder by gun is a normal everyday occurrence, but in Japan the gun laws are so strict even the Yakuza have a hard time getting guns. Just a little while ago Shinzo Abe, the former prime minister, was giving a campaign speech in the peaceful town of Nara, when a disgruntled man with a homemade gun, shot him at close range. It’s dubious that he will survive but at this point everyone is praying for his recovery. The current prime minister, trying to hold back his tears, gave a press conference condemning such cowardly brutality. This is the first gun incident in Japan this year.
I am happy to hear that the European Parliament condemned the Supreme Court for the majority's overturning of Roe. The court took us backward three steps, but the majority can't hide behind their specious and ahistorical arguments. Because we are at a point in history where the United States is no longer all-powerful and splendidly isolated from the rest of the civilized world, the Supreme Court is no longer the last word on the law here.
The last part of your letter so lightened my mood. I love Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter. Habitat for Humanity (created in 1976 by Linda and Millard Fuller in Georgia) and the building of homes for the homeless and others disadvantaged by living in the US and being poor, is an all-time inspiration for many of us. What do we need MORE than decent housing and good healthcare to flourish? You have given us a volume of information to chew on and digest. Happy 76th anniversary to a wonderful man and woman. We thank you for your service to HUMANITY!
Today was a big news day, and it’s a gift to see you leading with good news. President Biden recognized a diverse group of Americans to be honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. People who really Help Make America Great in sharp contrast to TFG who rewarded loyalty including Rush Limbaugh. Another example of what it means and what it looks like to be presidential. “Decorated athletes and military heroes, artists, civil rights giants, activists and trailblazing representatives, intellectuals, and innovators,” Biden tweeted. “That’s America. And these are our 2022 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients.”
Let’s face it. Insanity Rules... CIDER HOUSE RULES... AND IT IS WORLD WIDE TODAY. The assassination of a Japanese prime minister is a signal to the leaders of all nations... that dystopia can reign anywhere... today. Remember: Abraham Lincoln was assassinated... and the Reformation failed... The United States has failed in effort to end violence and racism - with daily MASS murder by young white mails expressing their anger... mostly at Blacks, and the Republican Party now recognized as a fascist element that sponsored our twice impeached rogue president that will soon be charged again and again for his criminality throughout his life - a grotesque figure of a man accused of rape, insurrection, sedition, and the destruction of democracy itself...
Meanwhile, the PM of the United Kingdom was dumped by his party for his dishonesty, and the dictator of Russia is trying to destroy the democracy and leadership of Ukraine with support from our last president... as FOX News, led by a racist from Australia, markets the worst of it to a huge audience of racists that have commanded the GOP, and 70 million Americans seem to believe that our electoral process is corrupt as their leader seeks to hijack the presidency and the congress and health care itself - as the leadership of that fascist racist party accuses the latest Justice confirmed to the Supreme Court of exactly what Putin accused Yeltsin’s enemies of - supporting pedophilia in court decisions... in an attempt to destroy her career... that has failed, so far. Ketanji Brown Jackson may be the only hope on SCOTUS.
Heather Cox Richardson’s nightly rendition of fact rolls on... and she fails to examine her campus’s racism... and the behavior of a white female senator I happen to know... whose tepid commitment to justice as led directly to the state by state violence that will result in the death to women and the destruction of fetal medicine and obstetrics nation wide... all in the name of GOD... as our 6-3 Court destroys life itself and attacks women in the name of the unborn, healthy or not, destroying medicine and the best in that field consider fleeing Arizona and elsewhere rather than risk jail for their principled efforts now characterized as murder...
What’s happening world wide - from Japan, to Russia, to China, to North Korea, to Washington, DC, London, Paris, Hungary, India, Burma, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and in dozens of states in The United States of America is simple: fascism that emerged with Mussolini and swept through Germany, Austria, France and much of Europe under Hitler - and now affects Israel as it does the West Bank and GAZA... is sweeping the world...
The forces of evil are winning... as those awarded by President Biden seek to bring sanity, those awarded by the former guy seek to bring insanity...
All of this is clear as a bell in Highland Park, Illinois where a relative of a high school chum of my wife was killed... she was a wonderful woman... and dozens more were slaughtered... as the daily slaughter in the USA continues with the NRA bribing its way and gun violence perpetuated by insanity in the young white male fearing Jews will replace him - and Blacks slaughtered by white cops - with support from their ranks... as law enforcement itself is corrupted by racism...
Letters from an American is useful for what HCR repeats nightly - and for what she is unable to say nightly... and her followers applaud her for both...
We are a racist nation, our historians cannot and will not interpret fact to hold up that cracked mirror... and the world we seek to lead is in disarray, with rising dystopia everywhere... warming denied by half off America.. and our teens, the sane ones, in despair - and our One Six Committee saved for the moment by a 26 year old assistant to a coward coming forward - to tell the truth... and her boss cowering somewhere near his fearless leader...
My view is simple: women of all races, Blacks of good education in America, and still sane teens must join hands as good men step aside... we must push the reset button... and we humans must find a way to honor Mother Nature and stop the relentless pursuit of destruction in the name of profit... and with intelligence and wisdom guide this planet back to a state where common sense rules and fascism is explained to those presently misled...
Or we will find the war in Ukraine and in our streets and in Japan sweeping the planet... the signs are everywhere.. WW I was started with one shot... and WW II was started by the Axis Powers... American isolationism nearly commanded us... till we were bombed into action in Hawaii...
What will it take to bring sanity to rise above racism... in Washington, London, Paris, Ukraine... Egypt, Israel, China... you name it..
What will it take? The bells are ringing, and the Bell Tolls for Us... Shinzo Abe is dead... and we are dying... right here in American, daily... in the name of freedom misused.. as we destroy a woman’s right and need to choose... and our children are afraid to go to school...
And I am afraid to go to a concert, and our prisons are choked with those Black men that never had a decent chance at life...
Alexis de Tocqueville came to study us and reported wisely in two volumes... what would that nobleman say today?
What historian today will call it like it is... and not waste time here as increasing numbers of writers and thinkers come to SUBSTACK to write.. and our daily newspapers fail us... and Timothy Snyder of YALE... teaches and writes his incredible wisdom - and he warns us again and again, support your weekly newspaper...
President Biden was elected and he seeks to protect the unborn and the women.. of America... and the world... as he navigates the insanity of the Born Again Fascists that highjack religion and democracy with their sexual dysfunction and polemical rants and are led in their chants by the GOP in DC...
The Party of Lincoln is destroyed... and his memory is forgotten...
Who will rise to reflect Abraham Lincoln when the good president we have is no longer? Will Trump rise to destroy us... will racism and silence on campus mislead our students nation wide?
See something, say something ... words can save us... speak...
It all starts at the kitchen table... and a woman’s right to choose... and the truth...
we are in trouble... big trouble, world wide.
Tonight, former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe was shot in the chest while he was giving a campaign speech in the city of Nara. His condition is critical. Police have arrested a male suspect in the shooting. Washington Post Tokyo/Seoul bureau chief Michele Ye Hee Lee tweeted: “Can't overstate how shocking this shooting is—not only because Abe is very popular and prominent, but also because gun violence is extremely rare incident in Japan, a country with some of the world's strictest gun laws.”
President of the European Council Charles Michel tweeted that Abe is “a true friend, fierce defender of multilateral order [and] democratic values.” He promised that the European Union stands with Japan and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Regarding Abe shooting, NYTimes reports that "(i)n 2021, there were only 10 reported shootings in Japan which contributed to death, injury or property damage, according to statistics from the country’s National Police Agency. Of those gun-related incidents, only one person was killed and four were injured." Maybe European Parliament will next mention guns?
I was reading this with great interest. So much (and such diverse happenings) is pulled together as one continues through the piece - amazing, profoundly so. Wow!
I'm gratified that Diane Nash received the Medal. Her efforts to nonviolently end segregation were key to the ultimate success of the movement, and up till now she hasn't been adequately recognized. This was also a vindication of SNCC as she and other founding members originally conceived it.
Say what you will about Boris Johnson, he was a staunch supporter of Ukraine. The Carters celebrating 76 years made me so happy.
While the 17 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom are an inspiration to us all by their embodiment of "hard work, perseverance and faith", there is not a single teacher, librarian, author, scientist, or mathematician on the list. Did someone accidentally get left out?
On the "deep audit" of Comey & McCabe, Yogi Berra said. "You can learn alot by watching". McCabe was fired 2 days before his retirement vested. Comey was a target the moment he promised "honesty" to the tfg.The time is now to appoint a Special Prosecutor to insulate the investigation & delve deeper into what the NYT's, Michael Schmidt has uncovered. Signature work Mike.
Luckily I happened to turn as CNN as this presidential event was just beginning. I enjoyed it so much— it was so uplifting to see these truly inspiring human beings honored in such a tremendous way by our great President Biden. Thank God he’s healthy and working hard every day!
Thank you Heather for unpacking a heavy day of news. So much to read.
I was struck by the shear variety of people who were bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom. None of which were political paybacks for President Biden.
Be safe. Be well. Let freedom ring.
Dr. Richardson, as Cassidy Hutchison testified, and as Sarah Matthews prepares to testify to the Jan 6 committee, both have said they were proud of the legacy Trump was leaving. Can you tell us what, exactly, they were proud of? I know I hated pretty much everything Trump did, so I am curious what these young, white women found to be proud of.
What a loaded letter today. The list of medal recipients is a list to be proud of. It is a clear statement of fine values. Good job, Joe. The list that TFG provided was a pathetic statement from a little abused boy in a large soulless old man suit.
Heather continues to wrap up her letters with a powerful closing. Wow. Jimmy Carter failed to effectively navigate the swampy waters of DC influence peddling and political machinations. But his example and his actions establish him as one of our finest Presidents. His activities after office are examples of dedication and service. I speak as an agnostic.
A letter of almost normalcy, a welcome respite, though tinged with sadness at the attack on Abe. And, Now & Then today was outstanding!