Yesterday, Kyle Cheney at Politico flagged a new document released last week by the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S.
Two noble Nobels against blatant Russian/Soviet invasions of sovereign nations:
1) The Russian publisher who received the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for his courageous and outspoken articles on Putin’s Russia has placed his Nobel award up for auction, with the proceeds to go to Ukraine. Heritage Auctions estimates that this may result in a $1 or 2 million bid by June 20th.
2) Niels Bohr, the famous Danish physicist, in 1939 auctioned off his Nobel Prize in Physics, with the proceeds going to the Finns, who were bravely resisting an unprovoked Soviet invasion.
My candidates for the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize (and/or Time Person of the year) are Zelensky, for his courageous leadership in Ukraine against Putin’s draconian invasion and Jose Andres, founder of World Central Kitchen, who has risked his life in providing countless million meals to Ukrainians both within Ukraine and in bordering countries and to hungry people in other disaster areas.
I am actually one of those people who loves most all animals...have had cats for many years, and lost the last one a couple of years ago to old age. I just haven't had the heart to bring another one in, of whatever persuasion. Maybe at some point, but for now, we are pet-free.
Keith Wheelock, you have highlighted character, accomplishments, service, support for humanity and the principles of Democratic Governance as criteria for candidates of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize. You have expressed the values we most prize and work to support.
'In the will he drafted in 1895, Nobel instructed that most of his fortune be set aside as a fund for the awarding of five annual prizes “to those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind.” (Britannica)
Hope I sit corrected! At 3:30 in the morning my mind reverted to when Time magazine was actually published, had a circulation of millions, and was a manly magazine. ‘Person’ also avoids the dilemma of gender at birth, which this curmudgeon finds confusing these days.
😂. Talk about confusing. I’m thinking what in the heck is a “curmudgeon “ ? Is it where Keith is from ? I can not believe I lived to be so old and sometimes not so happy let’s say and didn’t know what it was called. 😂.Blame it on where I live. Flori-duh ! But you keep it interesting for sure.👍
Wasn’t there a Yellow Pages (now I really date myself) ad that said ‘Let your fingers do the walking [talking?] And, of course, there is ‘finger food.’ AWWWK
As far as I know, there is no rule that one must post content that relates to what the Professor posts. If there is a rule, I have broken it many a time.
Keith's comment is like a palate cleanser before embarking on the next meal😉
Lynell Heather focuses most of her marvelously in-depth commentaries on one or two subjects. I often link my commentary to these plus kibitzing on other comments. I see no reason not to provide informative commentary on something related to a Heather past blog. I have found that when I venture into ‘economics,’ a great majority of the readers become glassy eyed.
Incidentally my noble Nobelhas garnered 224 likes so far, which suggests that some readers are not put off by my ‘off-the-wall’ comment.
Keith, don't get me wrong. There is nothing on your posts I dislike. Your insight as well of others enrich the space. You posted in reference to a past blog and I am coming to this blog for the fresh thoughts from Heather and others around the topic/s she presented. I am trying to follow the thread of comments related specifically to this post.
Not sure. I subscribed to Prof. Richardson's page and that is my "meal". I have no formed opinion on the subject of Keith's writing, however I don't think he is following the best etiquette. Interesting people like Keith should consider creating their own page.
Are you referring to Keith's post? I had the same thought, if so. I like Keith, and he is always gracious, but sometimes LFAA (as do all substacks) gets derailed for other purposes. Sometimes other contributors with their own substacks post here to bring attention to their own pages. Alas, even here—one of the best letters—we are not free of digressing and trolling.
Hope I do not have my own substack post. Often i post a principal commentary directly referenced to Heather’s nightly LFAA. In addition, I add other items, such as the noble Nobels that I sense would interest other subscribers.
NOT MEANING TO OFFEND, I SHALL SUSPEND ALL COMMENTS ON THE LFAA FOR AT LEAST 48 HOURS. There is too much offensive going on in our country and globally to have folks offended by my well-intentioned posts.
Perhaps we shall encounter one another sometime next week. (My great aunt Hope would agree, but my aunt Hope, who was a flaky love, marched to a different drummer.]
Keith, do not suspend. You have done nothing wrong. You contribute greatly to this community. Heather would never countenance your being silenced in this way.
Thanks for weighing in, Ellie. I had the same thought. Not only 235 likes, 32 off my comment to him, then the following back-and-forth among this community - all in support of Keith, certainly not against.
Lynell After sleeping on it, and reflecting on your and Ellie’s comments, I’ve decided not to be put off by Zelita, who was a new name to me, since I don’t recall any of her postings.
I believe that, on balance, Heather—a fellow professor—would be supportive of my commentaries, even those that don’t relate directly to her latest post.
My instinct, at 3:30 a. M. Was that Heather’s readers would appreciate my noble Nobel newsworthy insight (so far, 236 likes). When one swings for the fences, every ball won’t go for a home run. Indeed, I find that the likes for my ‘wild swings’ often are greater and spark more vibrant commentary than my more staid attaboys on Heather’s nightly post.
I see that Zelita was a former council person in Portsmouth, NH. I was an elected municipal official and spent fifteen years on town council, planning board, and zoning board of appeals for fifteen years. If she has a separate blog, I believe that we could converse on a topic not appropriate for Heather’s blog.
I found Hope’s comment off putting. She and I have had some upbeat exchanges.
Oh well, it something satisfied everyone, it would be tasteless gruel. And who knows, when I turn 89 later this year, I might lose the fire in my belly that, so far, has kept me vibrant. Is Geritol still available for oldies?
Keep posting your thoughts!! The commentary from the "regulars" in our community is often just as interesting and informative as HCR's original posting, regardless of whether "on topic" or tangential. 👍💜
I am so glad you've had a change of heart, Keith. I have been stewing on your behalf since last night.
I have also gone off topic only to find I garnered more "likes" than when I try to post within the confines of the day's Letter. Truth is, I do not have the breadth of knowledge as others, so avoid making my own commentary. As it is, I try to find topics (links) where people would perhaps be more informed, just like you did with your Nobels post. And 236 likes is NOT small potatoes!
As a retired court stenographer, I can kinda see where Zelita, and possibly Hope, would be put off by someone "straying" from the issue at hand. In the context of litigation, witnesses are instructed they must answer a direct question directly; those that try to deflect don't get away with it. But this community is not a litigation proceeding, nor, I would surmise, is it a council meeting.
FWIW, I believe we would have Heather's full approval for how we conduct ourselves here.
Anyway, thanks for reaching out to me. I feel much better having heard from you. As to the Geritol, good luck with that!
Barbara. When I have been manipulated into feeling powerless or terrified…and it has happened to me a few times… the event does not last. Because the threat has been manufactured and is really a bag of hot, stinking air. I am not disrespecting your feeling. In fact, I am disgusted and ashamed of an American political party elected to serve its constituents that so openly defies that oath of office and resorts to terrorism through defiance of our legal system.
My creed is it’s OK and understandable even to be afraid…feeling apprehension, reluctance, unhappiness. However, I am not scared. If Mo Brooks was standing in front of me spluttering about dirty Dems, he’d turn his treasonous tail after getting a few choice words from me. And I will poke a hole in their illegitimacy every chance I get.
Millions of Americans now have alternate facts, and they are running for local offices, and winning. They are taking over mayoral, school board, and city council seats, and we are powerless to stop them. And it's not the Dem base who are letting this happen, it's the 50% of Americans who never vote, and cannot be swayed to vote, no matter what. I for one am terrified.
I agree, however is it not worth exploring why some people never vote? You suggest people cannot be swayed and I think we should understand why this is the case.
I think about this from the perspective of living in South Carolina a solid red state. I've lived here for 30+ years and it is a rare election that my chosen candidate wins. My presidential, congressional and senatorial choices very rarely win. Never has my presidential candidate won. Same with Senate candidate, and only in one congressional race did my Democratic candidate win. What's more interesting is that the Republican often wins by a relatively narrow margin. The system of 'winner take all' negates the meaning of margin of victory. It's frustrating to realize that the victor who receives 51% of the vote completely undermines the will of the 49%. If there was proportional voting and no gerrymandering, Democrats would win or be extremely competitive in most races. We know now in modern day politics, the Electoral College favors a well positioned minority over the will of the majority. The Electoral College is not the hallmark of a democracy.
Republicans choose hot button issues and will go to any length to demonize the Democrats over these issues. Most of the time they misrepresent and lie about the Democrat's positions, but this doesn't matter to a hot button voter because they will believe what they want to believe. I cannot overemphasize the power of characterizing a hot button issue as them against us. Republicans realize that a political race is not decided in a court of law. Facts and evidence are immaterial. They lie to suit their needs. Democrats as a rule approach elections like they will be decided by a fair and impartial jury. They think truth and facts will win the day. It rarely does!
In a red state, politics is akin to religion. Republicans don't just join the party and attend rallies. A rally is like a coming to Christ moment where people passionately pledge fidelity to the candidate and the CAUSE (Trump and the Big Lie.) I think church congregations are divided as much by religious beliefs as political beliefs. Social gatherings are generally organized by political affiliation. You quickly learn where you're welcome and where you're not. People are polite and cordial to your face but if you scratch the surface, you discover their true feelings. This is particularly true between different races. Consider this - it was in the interest of Republicans to keep their flocks united in cause by ignoring and criticizing bans on social distancing. Social interaction is another key to Republican success. This is another dynamic Democrats don't fully utilize. People like to belong and feel included in common cause.
So, when I think about the people who don't vote, I wonder if it is because 1) they don't believe their vote will ever count; and 2) life is challenging enough that there is nothing to be gained by constructing barriers with certain members of society, especially when most of the power in a red state rests with Republicans. There is a lot of going along to get along.
Sad but true, the best way to get out the vote is focus on hot button items that people passionately care about. The "Big Tent" party has not been successful in this regard over the 40 years. They have not made the case and they have not brought home the bacon. Tens of millions of past union members have not forgotten how they were abandoned by the Democrats. Highly educated young people loaded with student debt are struggling and Democrats have not embraced their plight. People of color are still fighting for equality.
Republicans have really gone off the rails and have given Democrats several hot button items which Democrats should be using to persecute and crush the Republican Party. Strong language, yes but again characterizing them against us is fundamental to attracting and commanding loyalty to a cause. There never has been a better time for the Democratic Party to refine their message and hammer it home.
This is a long comment addressing the concerns you raised, Holly. I would like to get feedback because I know I don't have all the answers.
You touch on many disparate causes of voter “apathy”, and many of them are correct. But I think the behavior of voters can be expanded beyond what you have listed. Fear. That fear cuts in two directions. it not only weighs down voters who must conform to survive, it also arms extremists to riot due to misinformation being sold as truth. We are close to becoming WWI soldiers in trenches on both side. Not being able to safely put our heads up and see what’s going on, we retreat to our respective muddy trenches. There we can have intense conversations that reinforce our fear of the “others” just as they are reinforcing their fears about us. This takes us into our most primitive mind, no matter how “civilized” we think ourselves. “We have nothing to fear, but fear itself” is the only medicine that works and those of us on the side of democracy must take double doses of that medicine. Then we must do our best to see to it that the medicine is readily available to everyone. This is a long war. It will be just as hard as the COVID epidemic and then some.
That’s a lot of mixed metaphors, but that’s my diagnosis. We must all muddle on.
I think there is a degree of fear for those who think it is better to go along, to get along. Personal experiences of course dictate your thoughts and actions. Being the outlier as a Democrat in a Republican controlled state is obviously harder than being in a state controlled by Democrats. There is, as you say, an element of fear and intimidation, especially for people of color who instinctively know they are not welcomed.
Yes! And this really caught my attention, only because it reminds me how “unique” TFG was as a president. “Republicans don't just join the party and attend rallies. A rally is like a coming to Christ moment where people passionately pledge fidelity to the candidate and the CAUSE (Trump and the Big Lie.) I think church congregations are divided as much by religious beliefs as political beliefs”
TFG never stopped holding rallies, all through his presidency he was running for the next election. I remember thinking about the WW2 newsreels of huge crowds raising their collective voices and straight arm salutes. Trump rallies strategically placed women and POC behind his “dais” so the viewers not only saw the huge crowds but that he was a leader for “everyone.” Often the seemingly insignificant details are not insignificant. He was not a president. Dais: for kings and the master: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dais
TFG rallies were spectacles and at least in the beginning were standing room only. People caravanned across states to bear witness.
You make really great points and I keep saying it this is far more effective in getting out the vote than knocking on doors or sending out postcards/mailers. People are attracted to pageantries and extravaganzas. I mean talk about the party faithful.
Trump reminds me of Elmer Gantry who was an immoral, dishonest grifter and conman. The movie bears watching from time to time.
Heart button isn't working at the moment. I appreciate your thoughtful comment, especially as I live in a red pocket of a blue region, which affects local races rather than national ones. I don't have answers either. I have on occasion shared the apathy of "my vote doesn't matter," but I've never let it stop me from voting. When I think about why that is, I think about my parents setting the example of always voting and working at the polls plus American government classes in 8th and 12th grades. We just took it for granted that we'd register as soon as we turned 21 (the magic age in those days in California) and that we'd exercise our right to vote.
Same here. And I’m not sure what our next move is to confront and combat this. I am hopeful that democracy activist groups, like Indivisible will step in and give us some guidance. It is terrifying to think that organizing the vote is not the way to effect change in our country.
Indivisible stepped in when Trump was elected and they are still at work — as are thousands of others (if to millions). Don’t give fear a permanent place in your heart.
Millions of Americans now have the unvarnished truth and plethora of facts, and they are running for local offices, and continue to win. They have been fairly elected to mayoral, school board, and city and commissioner seats, and do not have to lie or overturn anything. We are as powerful as the truth we stand by. We will marshal forces and Americans in massive numbers will sway and sashay to the polls to vote. No matter what. To stand for democracy. We the People. All of us this time. I, for one, have complete faith in our efforts.
powerless? why powerless? Why are they more motivated than those for whom facts as we previously defined them (verifiable, you know) still matter? The alternate fact fringe is not a majority, but they can win if they are the majority of those who show up to vote.
Glad to know it’s ok to feel afraid, been my condition for decades. Still I plod on, feeling that evil is gaining. And I thought W/Dickie was as evil as they got.
I can't remember the song, but it was about a 15 year old boy fighting alongside an older soldier in the Civil War - and I've never forgotten the line the older soldier said about him "I never knew how brave he was, til' I saw how scared he was".
When I would go to my Dad with some problem (most likely whining and being a victim) he would hear me out. Then he would tell me to "get my Irish up" and go do something about the problem.
I recommend we "get our Irish up" and find our own particular way to fight back. I would imagine many heroes throughout history were terrified.
Come to think about it, I’d prefer an encounter with Cleta Mitchell. As she asked me to be a election official, after my posing as a Republican leaning Independent. I’d give her a thrashing she’d never forget. She is a disgrace and in the same club as Stefanik.
We all would. However there aren't enough hours in the day to confront all the scoundrels, liars, sociopaths and/or traitors on the political scene at this time. And this includes the media.
Barbara, I have been an environmental activist for most of the last 50 years. Powerless and terrified are quite familiar feelings. My suggestion is for you to consider doing something to promote voting in the 2022 election. For me, reducing anxiety comes from taking action. Here are a few suggestions.
Write postcards to voters. There are many organizations that offer this. I offer three ideas and invite anyone reading this to pile onto this list:
After I lost my husband in 2020, I couldn't stand the thought of talking with people about politics so I wrote postcards last year and felt like I had done something of value. It relieved my sense of angst too.
One more suggestion of things to do is to join an organization that works to ensure free and fair elections. I joined my local League of Women Voters and just in the first few months of membership, have learned a lot about what's happening here in Minnesota and what to do about it. Another group that has been great is The Union, an offshoot of the Lincoln Project: https://jointheunion.us/ They have lots of ideas about boycotts of corporations that are supporting insurrectionist politicians, ideas about how to communicate the many great accomplishments of President Biden and the Democrats and much more. If you need ideas and can either write a letter or make a phone call once in a while, it might be worth your while to join.
Finally, I've joined my local Democrats in my state Senate/House district. I can't attend many meetings but I read the notes and take action where and when I am able to do so.
Tomorrow, I will be working with a team of 21 others to get out the vote here in our district. It isn't work that I enjoy - 50 plus years of doing that stuff means I'm a little toasty at the edges and sometimes have trouble keeping my temper. But I've worked back up to being able to talk with folks about politics and therefore, will take action because I can - and because I know that, as President Kennedy often said; "From those to whom much is given, much is required." I am blessed with a tolerance for and an ability to talk smack about politics. Therefore, I'm required to do what I can - and working to get out the vote is critical this year.
Whatever you can do, do it. Reading HCR is critical. If you can add on a task or two, do it. And know that you are not alone. We The People. All Of Us This Time!!
Sheila, bless you! I have been fighting the fight for over 50 years also. Keep the faith, as they used to say. Like JFK said to us “Ask not what we can do for you. Ask what you can do for this country.” Fight FIght FIGHT FOR OUR RIGHTS! VOTE, our lives literally depend on it!
😎 Thank you Marlene for your commitment! As you say, vote! And help to get out the vote. (And recruit some younger folks to pick up the banner and carry on. Getting old is hard enough work, lol.
Sheila, I don't have your decades of experience. But I was, for about three years, fervently writing postcards for Postcards to Voters. Those cards helped win important elections. But when you know that election boards in swing states (and not swing states) are being filled with Republican partisans and all the related horrors that Heather enumerated here, it's much harder to find the hope and energy it takes to write those cards. I'm still doing it, but I have to tell myself that there will be people fighting on the side of right to get those votes heard. However, the thought of those protracted fights, the likely violence that will go along with them, and the not unreasonable chance that we will still become, in effect, a one-party state after the 2022 elections, makes the usual ways we fight for democracy feel much less effective.
Yes ,I am with you on this. The more I read on this the more frightened that I am that even if millions of voters come out to vote for Democrats , that the thievery of Republicans and their”election officials” will make it impossible for Dems to win. This really has gone beyond terrifying.
This Republican “election officials” idea is not only scary; it is traitorous. These people are the spawn of the traitorous Confederacy. Being from NC, I grew up thinking the Civil War and people like Robert E. Lee were just “complicated.” Lee was a traitor, plain and simple. These Republicans are traitors too.
Fellow North Carolinian here going to work the polls in a red district in Nov. Not my first go round but it definitely is in this poisonous atmosphere. The audacity of so many to believe such a bunch of bald face hooey is mind blowing. And to beat it all, they seem to be quite proud of believing it.
Thank you. We’ll see how it goes. As long as I’m not the registrar or judge, I’ll be fine I think. If we can continue electing Democratic governors this state will be ok.
Agreed. So now the real need is to do something about it. While the exposure of the outrageous "legal" maneuvers performed by the fascists in our midst dominate the headlines, they can only be addressed within the twists and turns of the legal process, which is a wheel that grinds exceedingly slowly.
In the meantime, we're only 5 months away from what may be the most important midterm elections of our lifetime, which can only be won in hundreds of local "ground wars" in potential swing districts. The time for like-minded individuals to begin organizing these efforts is now. Maybe it would help if all these local groups call themselves "The Heathers".
You might Google LWVUS, I belong to Maine’s group. Lots to do, is already organized, needs more good men and women to work for democracy. Some projects: vote411 the voter guide, studying universal vote by mail, defending women’s rights, one person one vote, registering voters, holding forums, developing legislation including making it a crime to interfere at a polling site, voter education, youth engagement and so forth.
My mother, b.1900, was a charter member of LWV.. My father joined as soon as men were let in. Both were active members and citizens until they died in the early '90s. As he would say to us now - Carry on.
Humans have been settling their political differences with violence for millennia. We would have an uneasy peace when there was a balance of power, and war when there was not.
The U.S. Constitution and the government it created was an attempt to offer an alternative (at least for domestic conflicts) to this endless cycle – to substitute reason for primal emotion, the rule of law for raw power, and rational debate for violence. By mutual agreement, ideological differences were to be decided by the will of the majority in democratic elections, with the vanquished minority ceding power peacefully to the victorious majority, while retaining all rights to continue the battle in the next election. The U.S. was by no means the world’s first democracy, but it was arguably the first to envision participation by all classes, rather than restricting it to moneyed aristocrats.
It has been marginally successful at avoiding civil bloodshed, save for the obvious exception of the Civil War, when the South, infuriated that the will of the majority of the United States of America would not acquiesce to the chattel slavery of Black people, seceded, formed the Confederacy and waged an ultimately unsuccessful war that cost hundreds of thousands of lost lives on both sides.
The only thing that keeps us from each other’s throats is our dedication to the Constitution and the will of the people. When either side is disloyal to that dedication, we inch towards civil war.
When the Republicans upset the balance the of power by gerrymandering districts, we took a step towards civil war.
When the Republicans sought to disenfranchise those who would likely oppose them at the ballot, we took a step towards civil war.
When Mitch McConnell denied Barack Obama an appointment to the Supreme Court, we took a step towards civil war.
When Trump and his cronies failed to accept the results of a free and fair election that they had lost, and sowed distrust of the electoral system with unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud, we took a step towards civil war.
When Trump and his cronies failed to peacefully transfer power to the incoming duly elected president, we took a giant step towards civil war.
We know from history that when we fail to dedicate ourselves to the Constitution and the rule of law, when the will of the majority of the governed is thwarted, civil war is inevitable.
MLK said, “You know my friends, there comes a time when people get tired of being trampled by the iron feet of oppression. There comes a time my friends, when people get tired of being plunged across the abyss of humiliation, where they experience the bleakness of nagging despair. There comes a time when people get tired of being pushed out of the glittering sunlight of life's July and left standing amid the piercing chill of an alpine November. There comes a time.”
Simply brilliant, Frank! We are in a major civil war and how shameful is that? The Pro-Rape party threw their hoods off and revealed their ugliness to us in real time. We have every single thing they have done on digital video and now the January 6th Committee has them as well as documents. MLK’s statement of “people get tired of being pushed out of the glittering sunlight…”, well that’s us. We tired, frustrated, angry at the Pro-Rape party adeptness to manipulate our nation. The rich and powerful must be brought to their knees and stripped naked before us. Let’s use whatever weapons we possess, such as marching, calling, and writing without killing machines.
Let us do it in droves of all colors, shapes, and sizes, of our nation.
League of Women Voters is doing election poll observer training and recruiting poll observers. I have to say I am worried for poll workers and the potential for violence. I will do observing in the fall election.
I agree, Jennifer. I am worried for the poll workers and voters here in Georgia, where Republican lawmakers passed a concealed carry law- (disgustingly called “constitutional carry”). Anyone in the state -21 and over- can carry a gun anywhere without a permit.
Our idiot governor says : “People don’t have to carry if they don’t want to,” he told reporters. “But this is a constitutional authority that people have, and they certainly shouldn’t have a piece of paper from the government to be able to legally carry a weapon.”
I have thought to myself that I would not at all be surprised of gun violence at a polling place. Of course, it's everywhere now so I guess that is a no brainer.
California has had mail-in ballots for many years. It works beautifully and that is what upsets the Pro-Rape party. CA also does not allow poll workers to be observed. Grateful to be living in this state, even with all of our outrageous gas prices at over $6 a gallon. That’s another story for another time. (Sigh)
how do I volunteer? Just moved into a red-turning-blue district. I was a poll worker in my old district, but happy to hang around a poll in a Blue shirt...
You can google LWV and start looking at all the info. States each have LWV too. I am in Maine, so LWVME. Go to your state and ask about becoming an observer. Become a member. You’ll be a natural after being a poll worker.
Citizens, republican or Democrat, will not sit idly by while some "party" tries to manipulate our election(s). Are we still that naive? We surely were in 2016. But, to think one party will salt down elections across our nation without committing acts so blatantly wrong (fraudulent) within themselves as to not attract overwhelming attention from starving lawyers is ludicrous. The fear that the big Arse hissef will create an "army" sans 'defectors' ....hahahaa. Think again. This fine "Letter" by HCR is not alone. There are others. My point being, this whole country is awash in 'headline journalism', but many are turning to page 44 to read "the rest of the story". We have before us, not a problem..., but an Opportunity to Excell. Let's hit it.
I understand your need to be enlightened, Meg. But, I have race motors to put together, big lawn to mow, races to commit to (or cx from due to distance & diesel), student pilots to teach, and a summer that is way too short. I get up at 0430 just to read HCR. I often spend way too much time (probably like you) creating the comments I post. If you're 79 like me you've had a ton of life experiences to work from. I've enjoyed typing these 5 run-on sentences without answering one iota of my rationale other than sentence 5. I'm much too wordy and may type things which you would take exception to (which I am open to). Gotta go. We'll see.
Don't disengage. Evil men succeed when good men remain silent. These people are serial failures. They've lost every single effort to derail the committee and the DOJ hurricane that's coming for them. Keep fighting.
At it's very core, I believe what has transpired in the past 5-6 years is that Trump has basically taken the way he's run his business for years and tried to move that theory, concept and practice into running this country. He bullies , he lies, he cheats and does anything he can think of to "win" at whatever it is he wants. Truth and facts be damned...they simply do not matter. What matters most to him...is not being a "loser" and having the power to do anything that pleases him. Audacity is his hallmark. You are "great", "the best" as long as you support his every whim...and the moment you question his motives, his intelligence...his "perfection"...then he doesn't know you very well...or you were just a minor player. And then you are vilified. He is always the Hero or the Victim ...and it can flip in a moment. He is never, ever the villain...He is the King. It's that simple and that classic. Kiss his ring and live...
Those charges will likely never be forthcoming. Greg Olear lays out the Don's history of being part of the mafia. He is likely a CI for the government which makes him valuable as a source of information. Sadly, no justice served.
Thanks, Martyrita— I do try to help keep my peeps' hearts up during this chaotic time of really significant and painful change. I know it looks very dark right now, but the rogue trumplicans have revealed, and continue to reveal, more of our shadows and bring to our consciousness the repairs we must make to so many of our systems. We have to face our white supremacist caste system and deal with it. Time to balance the scales...and Justice is coming to help!
Martyrita, Olear is in his own narrow silo. like most conspiracy oriented theorists, he is selective in his facts and ignores what doesn't fit. Save your sanity and ignore him. Other people have treate these (not obscure) issues with more clarity. Olear gets in the way of thinking coherently on them.
Olear's essay is one of those kinds of things I read, absorb, think about, then tuck away into my subconscious. I don't go to the extreme of swearing it is gospel truth, nor will I dismiss it outright, but it is certainly food for thought. As time goes along, things Olear talks about may, or may not, come to pass. Whatever. There are SO many alternate realities floating around these days it can be dizzying trying to keep them all sorted out. Olear's ideas are interesting to consider, but "consider" is all I will do at present. We have to keep our eyes and ears open in these "black is white and up is down" times. If you can systematically and confidently refute what he says, then please share that.
True for me too. Heather and many of her correspondents often send me looking to see what other observers have to say. As she has so often said, look beyond just what is on LFAA to enlarge our views on the things she talks about. I was trained to evaluate things people write and see what themes guided their perspective. When it is too narrow and lacks context, I look elsewhere. This is the case with Olear: he may get some details right, but there is so much missing I can't accept his interpretations. Though this and other resources, I hope I am getting a much wider sense of what things are going on and what is driving them. (This is why I like Heather's history talks: they provide so much info about how we got to today. As a side effect of that, I now have to add another bookshelf for all the books I've acquired in the last two and a half years!)
Mafia don is one of my nicknames for him along with death star donny. When I first read this letter this am, I was scared and then I read the many responses here. We already donate to organizations that register voters and get out the vote. Now it will be donating to various candidates here in Oregon and elsewhere. As I read I also thought about the Trumper clerk in Clackastan who is absolutely incompetent. My hope that the voters will turn her out in November. It is troubling to me that so many people think criminality is OK.
Well, I think you need to listen to this episode of Glenn Kirschner's new take on Merrick Garland, whom he has been very frustrated with for taking so long. This might be a heartening moment after today's rather grim LFAA letter.
Glenn Kirschner June 1, 2022
Durham case fails; Judge Walton takes on the Supremes; Norm Eisen on AG Garland "coming for Trump"
Thanks for the link. I am a fan of both Kirschner and Eisen. I hope Eisen is correct about Garland, as justice, to be effective must be "swift and sure." That said, I do not see the necessity to defer to the 1/6 Committee. In fact, if the Committee's work should be supported by Garland why have subpoenas not been quickly enforced by the DOJ?
Stampede? It has been a year and a half since Garland took office. "Justice delayed is justice denied." So, I do hope Eisen is right, better late then never.
Again, thanks for the link.....and the encouragement.
I fail to see how justice that merits its name can be both swift AND sure. That fits in with regimes like those of Xi, Putin or Erdogan, in which the judiciary exists primarily as a means for the direct transmission of executive power.
I must have been influenced early on by Montesquieu's associating haste in the exercise of justice with despotism, that form of government in which fear is of the essence. Hence his insistence on the need to prioritize thoroughness, with judicial proceedings taking such time as is necessary to guarantee sound judgment.
Despite the fine principles contained in the Declaration of Independence, there seems all along to have been an element of rule by fear in American criminal justice; fear, as exemplified by the massive use of imprisonment, primarily that of blacks and other minorities; and fear in combination with horse-trading, largely for the purpose of speeding up court proceedings.
In one particularly egregious instance of party political expediency trumping both justice and correct electoral practice, I simply could not believe the incecent haste with which the judiciary let itself be stampeded into interrupting the vote recount in Florida in order to hand the presidency to George W. Bush in 2000.
Now, there's swift and unsure for you -- unsure and unsound.
Should we be surprised then by today's shenanigans which, if not sharply curtailed, may soon deliver a regime uncomfortably similar to that of Putin?
Rick Wilson said, “Everything Trump touches dies.” Steve Schmidt said, “The Republican Party should be burnt to the ground.” Hopefully, tRump and the R’s will burn themselves to the ground with all their hateful machinations.
Mike, that’s a perfect description of TFG and his History. I was thinking that he’s never faced “real”consequences for even illegal dealings. Our federal government is working on forgiveness of some college loans, including fraudulent programs. TFG operated a “college” that was deemed fraudulent. The courts mandated he pay back 25 million dollars. That’s only one of his failed and crooked deals. Still voters knowing his record as a crook voted for him in 2016. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/feb/06/trump-university-court-upholds-25m-settlement-to-give-students-money-back
A lot of them agreed with his racism, misogyny, etc. Also some of them have another agenda vis a vis abortion and a "Christian" nation, so to them the end justifies the means.
Yes but it is not just Trump that believes he does not have to be accountable, it is the like of Elon Musk and many more uber wealthy. They believe their wealth exempts them from having to ‘play’ by the rules of the little people. We are headed for a country shaking, foundational fight, in my opinion. I will fight but have also accepted at this point it may be some years of awful until we get back to accountability and rule of law. It is time for all to rise up, as the saying goes.
I agree! People often seem to overlook that he lost the 2020 election. It’s hard to figure,if you look at it dispassionately, how a party would renominate such a loser (making the L sign on my forehead now :)
It's up to them. The Trumpers will sink on the Trumptanic with him...the others never supported him, or have jumped ship. Will he create his own party ?
I don't think he has to...the MAGAs who want tfg have already remade the R's into the party of Drumpf. The Republicans who jumped ship or whom otherwise view Dump as a massive mistake are the ones who will have to create their own party.
That's entirely possible. I think it could go either way. Trump has SUCH an ego I think he'd love a party to call his own. The establishment R's could always resurrect the Bull Moose Party.
But it isn't just Trump and his acolytes. Just about every Republican who has stayed silent or voted for him is complicit. something's truly wrong when more than the majority of registered Republicans in the US believe Biden's election wasn't above board.
Morning, all!! Morning, Dr. R!! "This sucks," she said after having read today's Letter. Here's my opinon (like you know what, everybody's got one): Listening to Anne Applebaum's interview yesterday, toward the end she said this:
"I had a very depressing conversation a few days ago with somebody who works in the Biden White House, who was talking about the new infrastructure bill.
"And he said, 'you know, everybody criticizes us for not talking enough about it. These are concrete, practical solutions to things that people say they care about, like the bridge falling down, or the road having potholes. And we are going around the country, and we’re making announcements about investments, and nobody appears to be interested.'
"I worry that Americans, especially in the area of national politics, are so caught up in the culture wars, and in these — as I said, these existential arguments — that it’s very hard even to get people interested in the business of governing, or the business of building.
"And that’s a very dangerous moment. It’s certainly — as I say, it’s a traditional argument. It’s what many people have argued for years would be a way to solve these kinds of conflicts. But can that still work in a time when people aren’t even focused on the outer world? They’re just focused on online, or theoretical conflicts between narratives."
So I thought, what if we picked up that gauntlet and started having conversations with our friends and neighbors about what is going on in our state that the Biden Administration has provided through the infrastructure bill. What if we tooted this horn along with them.
Here's what's going on in my state; I encourage you to find out what's going on in yours...then spread the word!
Senator Mark Warner: "Because there are 530 bridges in Virginia in poor condition, we’re getting $578 million to strengthen and protect them. Roads all across the Commonwealth – from interstates like I-81 and I-95 to smaller rural highways – are also getting targeted investments to improve quality and safety.
"It’s clear that broadband is an absolute necessity – that’s why I personally secured provisions not only to extend broadband to more communities , but also to create a benefit to make it more affordable . 23% of Virginians are eligible, and you might be among them. Learn more here .
"Our airports aren’t in great shape these days, so we’re getting a $400 million investment to make improvements all over the Commonwealth and make travel smoother for employees and passengers. (And if you’re interested in air travel, it’s also worth noting that we just convinced Boeing they should move their HQ to Virginia! )
"Ports are key for our economy and our national security – so we secured money for critical upgrades and resiliency to natural disasters.
"Public transit is key to getting Virginians where they need to go affordably and quickly – but too many places either don’t have any resources or what they already have isn’t functioning well. That’s why we secured a targeted investment in transit systems across the entire Commonwealth.
"I could keep going, but I’ll keep it short and just say that there are tons of other investments, programs, and grants as part of this law that are going to be huge for Virginia. If you’re interested in learning more about what we’ve already secured, you can read more through my website here.
"The law also created a number of competitive grant programs that are just starting to be announced. If you’re a school or college administrator, or a stakeholder for a local or tribal government, transit authority, or lab, you might be eligible to apply for competitive funding through this law. You can read more about those opportunities here."
Nope, Joe campaigned about the "soul" of our nation. He needs to take on these culture wars. The collective vs the individual (why wearing a mask and getting a vaccine is the right and moral thing to do).
Why banning books is certainly not "freedom".
Similarly, why passing discriminatory, hateful, "don't say gay law" under disguise of "parental rights" is authoritarian.
Morning Lynell. Way to go and i applaud your vision of reality.....but this means taking responsibility for your lives and for your government and many people throughout the democratic part of the world and not just in the US don't really want to bother, they just want someone else to "bother" with that "boring stuff", that they moan about but take for granted, while they get on with their little lives. If they are not woken up by a direct at cataclysmic threat to that "little life" then they might not like what they will inherit by their inattention and inaction.....then they'll be mad but it will be too late.
Reminds me of something that has rarely left my mind since chump. Milton Mayer, “They Thought They Were Free, The Germans, 1933-45”. “Each step was so small, so inconsequential, so well explained, or on occasion, regretted, that unless one (saw) what the whole thing was in principle, what all these ‘little measures’ must one day lead to, one no more saw it developing from day to day than the farmer in the field sees the corn growing - each act is worse than the last, but only a little worse. You wait for the next and the next. You wait for one great shocking occasion, thinking that others, when such a shock comes, will join you in resisting somehow.
You don’t want to act, or even talk, alone, you don’t want to go out of your way to make trouble. But the one great shocking occasion, when the tens, or hundreds, or thousands, will join you never comes. That’s the difficulty. The forms are all there, all untouched, all reassuring, the houses, the jobs, the shops, the mealtimes, the visits, the concerts, the cinema, the holidays. But the spirit, which you never noticed, because you made the lifelong mistake of identifying it with the forms, is changed. Now you live in a world of hate and fear, and the people who hate and fear do not even know it themselves. When everyone is transformed, no one is transformed. You have accepted things you would not have accepted five years ago, a year ago. Things your father never could have imagined.”
Except that now the steps are giant, with no thought of subtlety, just chaos upon chaos. Lie upon lie, deceit upon deceit…
I remember when you posted this sometime ago. This, to me, is the most chilling part and true. I wrote it down then. Thanks.
"The forms are all there, all untouched, all reassuring, the houses, the jobs, the shops, the mealtimes, the visits, the concerts, the cinema, the holidays. But the spirit, which you never noticed, because you made the lifelong mistake of identifying it with the forms, is changed."
I remember reading this, too, thank you for the reminder that change can be so steady that we might not notice until it’s too late. That’s our life today. For many, It’s not an earthquake or a hurricane but a steady rocking that’s with us, not yet enough to cause extreme discomfort. So the same people who have been on the protest line for years don’t realize the extreme dangers. Add the Pandemic, and survival becomes about germs, lockdowns or personal freedom and we’re too late. And shootings, gun laws, inflation and the feeling we have no control. Or the other scenario is we wake up in time.
Morning, Stuart! Your "applause" means a lot to me. And I totally agree with what you say here! However! Many years ago my mom and dad took us to this upscale restaurant for dinner. My mom was totally immersed in all the ambience emanating from the room. My dad, ever the pragmatist, retorted, "But you can't eat atmosphere!"
I must be more like my dad, so I will continue to praise and enjoy those "shiny objects" that the Biden Administration will be providing to my state.
The problem around here is that some of the far leftists think that dissing Biden is the thing to do. I have suggested that they take a closer look and stop with the establishment D label. I have also suggested they read this letter. In their favor, they are fearless in confronting the bad guys who show up around here. They also offer to help anyone who feels scared when certain events are going on. They, however, do not seem to understand the realities of where we are at the moment.
What if? Sounds real to me, Lynell. That’s making OUR conversation count instead of having our necks yanked into their fascist stream of utter bull dookie.
Unita, Lynell. And thank you for great post and links.
I love that idea! One of our Senators and both of our Representatives should be talking up all that the Biden Admin. has done for Maine. Our other senator, Susan Collins is, sadly, far too deep into Turtleface McConnell's pocket to so much as utter a word without his approval.
Classic strategy of the would-be autocrat as it allows them to control and alter the people's view of history and of reality today. They thus implant a new story that glorifies their usurpation of power rendered necessary by their "heroic defense of the soul of the nation" against evil external or internal forces.
Heather’s latest revelations about Trump and his Mafiosos’ blatant initiatives to conspire against the Constitution brings to mind Sir Walter Scott’s
OH WHAT A TANGLED WEB WE WEAVE WHEN FIRST WE PRACTICE TO DECEIVE.
It’s as if we are watching a modern version of The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight. It’s certainly an update to Nixon taping himself with the Watergate ‘smoking gun’ that obliged him to resign the presidency and sent over a dozen of his sycophants to jail.
According to the press, the Department of Justice is conducting three and more probably four grand jury investigations, with the fourth focused on criminality that might include False Facts Donald. With so many smoking guns, indictments and convictions should be swiftly initiated.
I think it's a pipe-dream to hope that justice will prevail over a political problem. Justice comes later, or not at all. I'd be happy with a political verdict. It's all about turn-out. I think the math suggests that the Party of No would be crushed if the remainder of the electorate would show up as the Party of Anything But...
“It looks like now the Trump forces are going directly after the legal system itself and that should concern everyone.” Any American who isn’t afraid isn’t paying attention. Your letter today is a roadmap from beginning to end of the hubris and experiences of TFG and his followers who have so far managed to escape real consequences and/or prosecution for criminal behavior that we all have been watching. Smoke and mirrors, the magic of gaslighting and denial. We’re waiting now for real consequences. This could be a long wait. Or not. Meanwhile elections continue and how will we know if they are fair or manipulated behind the scenes? I voted last week in my California election. Every registered voter is mailed a ballot to complete, mail back or place into drop boxes or at election offices. I placed my ballot in a drop box at the government center and today was notified my ballot was received. Now it’s out of my hands.
I live in Japan but am registered to vote in a small town in California. I’m working on my ballot now and plan to fax it. Since the year 2000, it’s been getting harder and harder to vote and don’t even know if it’s counted. If you’re signature isn’t the same as the one they have on record, they’ll throw out your vote. Fortunately it’s a small town, so I had my brother go to the office and check. Now I know how I need to sign it, with no variations. Then I was spending about $50 to send my ballots by DHL, not FedEx, to make sure they got there. But this time, it took over a month to get here and was only the voter information guide, no ballot. So I emailed the office and they sent me a link to print out a ballot. There’s no time to mail it, so at least I’ll save $50 this time, but I have to find a fax machine somewhere. why can’t America be like Australia? Everyone gets a ballot, no gerrymandering. Not to mention no gun massacres.
We are also from California, live in Spain and are doing the same. Thank you for this information. Fortunately, California is awesome regarding voting and encouraging voting.
Well, I have to say THANK YOU for going though all that, as there are many living within a very short walking distance from their polling place, and even if it is a beautiful sunny 70 degree day, they won't bother voting.
I had the luxury last month of being able to fill out my ballot at home, and only because of my procrastination dropped it off on election day. I quit mailing my ballot when NoJoy became Postmaster General and they started tearing out mailboxes in our community.
Because Oregon is a vote by mail state, there are no polling places nor is there any place for a poll watcher.
This explains why they oppose vote by mail so vigorously--no poll workers. I hadn't realized that. In my precinct the poll workers are assigned to any precinct in the county vs their closest one. Which can cut both ways. And DTS voters are fortunately included, despite being a closed primary state.
Our mess only in the sense that it was handed to us to fix in the first place. We were perhaps a little naive in assuming that we could do it alone. I don't see that naivete in young people of today, for the most part. And I have long since lost mine. Going for bear, now.
Ah, yes... I have been remembering my own and that of my friends. I am also grateful for it, and grateful to have had teachers who encouraged "lively" discussion. It set the stage for my continued commitment. I am excited watching the young people now who speak out unafraid and ACT. There lies my hope for the future, which is theirs.
Tell her not to get discouraged. My Millennial kids and younger nieces/nephews all vote way ahead of Election Day. They view Election Day is the end of the voting period--even in red states.
There does not seem an end to the astonishing lies, misinformation, manipulation of facts in this political landscape. I just became a uSA citizen the day after the massacre in Texas! I’m wondering what’s next! The information in this column is quite unsettling; what’s the path forward cause can’t help wondering if indeed there is one.
We make a lot of Mr. John Lewis's 'Good Trouble.' I am 63. I always told my daughters they would have to bail me out when I was an old lady. I am out there trying to get arrested. Anyone can question their elected officials and confront them in public. I intend to try talking my republican neighbor into voting democrat. He loves my cooking and a free beer will sweeten the deal. He's not that committed and he loved my anti-trump signs.
I'm 70, and my Millennial son is afraid I'll get shot now that we live in a red-turning-blue district surrounded by red districts. An adaptation of Thomas Macaulay's "Lays of Ancient Rome" seems appropriate:
My first thought was that this was written by a man. Second was a man saying the best way for a woman to die. So, I looked it up and it is actually for ¨man¨ not woman which makes a bit more sense to me. When will men lose the lust for war and carnage and the need to fight?
Yes, I changed Macauley’s classic to fit. The story of “man” on this earth is one of violence, with some exceptions. Don’t know what might change that.
I was chastised recently by a Facebook friend (that I do know IRL, peripherally) in a post he wrote that asked, globally to his friends "why do you still have these vile people on your feed?" My answer is that first, they are friends, and second, that if I am able to bend them slightly around to a more reasonable position, I have a responsibility to do so. My track record on this is with gay marriage; when Oregon had a "marriage definition one man/one woman" amendment on the ballot in the mid 2000's, I had several co-workers who specifically voted against that because of who I was; they knew my (now) wife, and one of them summed it up succinctly by saying "you guys aren't different than me and my wife; this is wrong".
We HAVE to engage and connect with folks who are opposite politically on a foundational level. We don't have to talk politics, we just have to engage, even if it isn't about a specific topic.
That happened to me, also, Ally. It actually was our dentist and his wife (who my husband had grown up with) who made vile comments on my page. I tried reasoning and letting them spew because I wanted people to see what this angry population was about. I “unfriended” them from my Fb page. Enough was enough!
Congratulations on your citizenship, Ingrid, and welcome. We are in a crisis in this country, but many of us believe we will endure with a lot of hard work. We need everyone's voices and actions to squash the lies and propaganda techniques the Party of Sedition & Fascism produces daily. We are up for this and Light will be breaking through as the hearings become public and more indictments come rolling out of these anti-Americans who follow the cult of trumplicans. There are many more good people here than the brainwashed. More and more are leaving the party daily and others don't like their party but would never say it outlaid to the bully leaders. Voting is our right. Voter suppression is against the law. They are committing crimes daily and against their own party. I trust their blatancy is going to bite them in their rear ends. We see who they are and we will never forget. When they are out of power, we have a lot to repair and fine-tuning to do to our country to prevent rogue terrorists from rising to power again.
Welcome Citizen. And this newsletter and comments are exceptionally grim today. The path forward is always the same: Show Up. Showing up is to Volunteer at polls, to mail postcards, to make phone calls, to register voters, whatever you are able to do.
It’s scandalous! They are all crooks! How we’re going to upset the Rethuglican’s criminal cart is beyond me!
“Nick Penniman, who founded the nonpartisan election watchdog group Issue One and now is its chief executive officer, told Przybyla, ‘This is completely unprecedented in the history of American elections that a political party would be working at this granular level to put a network together…. It looks like now the Trump forces are going directly after the legal system itself and that should concern everyone.’”
In less than 3 weeks, my husband and I move into a very large, CCRC (Continuing Care Retirement Community). This LFAA (and all previous Letters) have convinced me to once again work at our new polling place. And, I will find fellow Democrats in our new community somehow. If a Cleta Mitchell-Steve Bannon minion crosses my path they will be sorry they met me.
It seems to me that the Republican Party is convinced they can never prevail in a fair, honest, and open election based on debate of issues. They are a permanent, and shrinking, minority. The only option left to them is what that accuse others of doing; election fraud and theft, and voter intimidation.
The Republican Party is dying and it is not going to go quietly into this good night.
I can't bring myself to relish the thought of watching the Republican party as it once was known in the act of dying. A single party system of Democrats could be equally as fearsome as an overwhelmingly dominant party of fascists. I have always thought that our form of government works best precisely when it appears least efficient; one party occupies the executive, the other party controls either or both houses of the legislature. These are the times when negotiation and compromise are required to see anything of significance happen in our government. Sadly, there is no constitutional solution for an obstructionist strategy in the minority party while wielding the current form of veto power in the filibuster.
Should the Democrats become the only party, I'm sure it would split into a conservative wing, led by Joe Manchin perhaps, and a liberal wing led by maybe Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
To rise again as without the "magalomaniacs". The traditional "right" has its place conserving what is good to their mind, works well and fits the spirit of many of the people and obviously furthers their values.
She's one of the people about to be indicted for being part of a mafia style organized crime ring known as the former Trump administration. She, Bannon, Eastman, Stone, Powell, the Flynn brothers, and the trumps are all going to be RICOed. Tons of evidence, and good timing. Don't despair, fight back.
Cleta Mitchell 50 years ago would have been one of your heroes. Early feminist, major ERA supporter. Then she married money, got out of government and started earning big bucks as a lawyer, and as a New York Magazine profile said, "became stingy."
Paraphrasing a Jewish parable my adult son told me. ‘You don’t have to do the work alone, nor do you have to do it all. But you aren’t given a pass to do nothing.’ I hope people stop hand wringing and get involved.
"I am only one, but I am one. I can't do everything, but I can do something. The something I ought to do, I can do. And by the grace of God, I will." Edward Everett Hale
They want confrontation and chaos to choke democracy until it breathes no more. It’s a system hack. Just like one party choosing to oppose everything the party in power wants, regardless of merit.
We’re in an uncivil war without shots being fired, yet. Though hanging the Vice President on Jan. 6 would have been louder than guns.
I agree, Michael. We are in a new kind of war with 24 hours a day propaganda and brainwashing. We must stay focused and each choose our battlefronts to fight at whatever level capable for our age.
Dear Heather, why can’t we change our electoral college, a remnant of racism, and use our POPULAR VOTE to determine our election outcomes? I live in India, where as troubled as the political system is, every vote counts. When challenges occur, the vote is taken over. I am humbled by the power of the vote, in the world’s largest democracy.
Elisabeth I strongly empathize with your proposal that we change our Electoral College provisions. I find it rather bizarre that a president can be elected without gaining a majority or plurality of the popular vote.
HOWEVER, I believe that it is extremely unlikely that a popular presidential vote amendment will ever be enacted. There have only been 27 amendments, including the first ten amendments in 1791, since the Constitution was ratified.
According to the Constitution, two thirds of the House and the Senate must initiate a Constitutional amendment. Then three fourths of the states must approve this amendment.
Many of the smaller states would refuse to give up their votes for a situation where a few of the more populous states would dominate a presidential election. Sorry, it ain’t going to happen.
The Electoral College was created for the specific purpose of keeping the American political system from getting TOO democratic, of giving the uneducated masses too much say in how they were to be governed.
Talia I do not believe that the word ‘democracy’ was ever used during the Constitutional Convention or in the Federalist Papers. Democracy was not considered a positive word in the 18th century. Indeed, the Senate, with six year terms, as George Washington phrased it, was to ‘cool’ the actions of a possibly rambunctious House.
Until the 17th Amendment in 1913, Senators were elected by state legislatures. After that by a state’s electorate.
I believe technically the United States is a republic rather than a democracy. The word ‘democracy’ was highlighted in de Tocqueville’s 1835 book Democracy in America from which, I believe, Heather got her Letters from an American.
A republic is applied democracy- the direct election of delegates to bodies to represent our interests. The problem is that the required dedication to represent all of a constituecy has been eroded by people who are only beholden to specific groups within their constituencies, or, worse, who are beholden to the interests of people who are not even part of their constituency.
Anne As Socrates found, when a ‘democratic’ assembly in Athens condemned him to death for corrupting the youth, a shortcoming of ‘democracy’ is when the people seem wrong headed. Machiavelli, in his oft overlooked marvelous book on Livy, wrote that the least worst government is a republic with a highly educated middle class.
That 74 million Americans voted for Trump in 2020 would have been as puzzling for Machiavelli as it was to me.
Keith, reminder that Greek "democracy" more resembled that of the very early American version, only even more restricted as to who could participate. Indeed, I agree that a functioning democracy is messy, but the shortcomings are far-less than that of a wrong-headed autocrat. That also begs the question of whether our democracy is functional. It is still, and we know where the problems are. Our biggest impediment seems to be those "elected representatives" who do not share the actual values of the majority of the American people. As for Machiavelli, I think his wisdom is often overlooked (or misunderstood) by most of the people who are able to recognize his name outside his best known writing and the unfortunate distortion of his name as the adjective "Machiavellian", which does not reflect what he was trying to do. Written in Italian, not the then academic Latin, his book "The Prince", was satire, meant for a more popular audience as a warning of how politics can be manipulated against the interests of the people. I don't think he would be as puzzled by Trump as you think. He is more likely to recognize it as exactly what he was trying to warn against.
Keith, I do not know how useful it is to apply Machiavelli's Discourses to the USA's political abyss today. Can you comment on the following:
'Like The Prince, the Discourses on Livy admits of various interpretations. One view, elaborated separately in works by the political theorists J.G.A. Pocock and Quentin Skinner in the 1970s, stresses the work’s republicanism and locates Machiavelli in a republican tradition that starts with Aristotle (384–322 BC) and continues through the organization of the medieval city-states, the renewal of classical political philosophy in Renaissance humanism, and the establishment of the contemporary American republic.'
'This interpretation focuses on Machiavelli’s various pro-republican remarks, such as his statement that the multitude is wiser and more constant than a prince and his emphasis in the Discourses on Livy on the republican virtue of self-sacrifice as a way of combating corruption. Yet Machiavelli’s republicanism does not rest on the usual republican premise that power is safer in the hands of many than it is in the hands of one. To the contrary, he asserts that, to found or reform a republic, it is necessary to “be alone.” Any ordering must depend on a single mind; thus, Romulus “deserves excuse” for killing Remus, his brother and partner in the founding of Rome, because it was for the common good.'
'This statement is as close as Machiavelli ever came to saying “the end justifies the means,” a phrase closely associated with interpretations of The Prince.'
'Republics need the kind of leaders that Machiavelli describes in The Prince. These “princes in a republic” cannot govern in accordance with justice, because those who get what they deserve from them do not feel any obligation. Nor do those who are left alone feel grateful. Thus, a prince in a republic will have no “partisan friends” unless he learns “to kill the sons of Brutus,” using violence to make examples of enemies of the republic and, not incidentally, of himself.'
'To reform a corrupt state presupposes a good man, but to become a prince presupposes a bad man. Good men, Machiavelli claims, will almost never get power, and bad men will almost never use power for a good end. Yet, since republics become corrupt when the people lose the fear that compels them to obey, the people must be led back to their original virtue by sensational executions reminding them of punishment and reviving their fear.'
'The apparent solution to the problem is to let bad men gain glory through actions that have a good outcome, if not a good motive.' (Britannica)
The only thing that explains that 74 million is that the fear of "other" was so strong, and the hatred/anger so intoxicating (and the systemic destruction of our public school system so successful) that there really isn't a "highly educated middle class" any longer.
I recall a conversation with a former coworker around the 2016 election (cop, high school education from a rural community, not military but very tactically minded) and asking him just why he thought that someone with TFG's attitude towards women would be a good president, and he allowed as how he did not like that component of his personality, but thought that we should give a successful businessman a chance to run the country. I asked him to recall an administrator we had that was a "bean counter" and not someone who had the interests of line staff as a priority (this administrator was horrid, and really did some damage to our department); I then asked if that approach was something we should apply to the country. His reply was telling "well, maybe not, but I like his ideas." Sigh.
Its other avowed purpose of the Electoral College was for the Electors to prevent the election of someone who wasn't "suitable" to lead the nation and/or a demagogue. That worked out well, didn't it?
Jeri Unlike the Stench Court, I still have profound respect for the Constitution and its 27 Amendments. In my dreams I would like to change the wording of the 2nd Amendment and revise the Electoral College procedures [NOT in the way the Trumpites are endeavoring to do]. Then I wake up.
"It looks like now the Trump forces are going directly after the legal system itself and that should concern everyone.”
Before there was Trump, there were Federalist Society honcho and Opus Dei acolyte Leonard Leo, Rupert Murdoch, the Mercers and Kochs, - and Newt Gingrich and Mitch McConnell et al. There was the entire racist right wing religious extremist operation going back to the Civil War. And the unconscionable slave holder, then robber baron faction. And since Reagan they have strategically worked in concert to give the Republican party the incentives and abilities to fulfill their agenda.
While the left wing has indulged in a purity test and Pied Piper politics of personal expression - giving Republicans free rein and full power.
Here in Maine, independent candidates, following the self funding and self indulgence of child pornography creep Elliot Cutler, are at work in state and federal elections to once again hand Republicans elections. They blame Democrats for not being good enough for them - while they are complicit in every GOP atrocity and abuse.
I am not an introvert. Group processes, joining groups, etc. are anathema to me; I cannot stand those! Not a joiner (except for this community, that is!)
Two noble Nobels against blatant Russian/Soviet invasions of sovereign nations:
1) The Russian publisher who received the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for his courageous and outspoken articles on Putin’s Russia has placed his Nobel award up for auction, with the proceeds to go to Ukraine. Heritage Auctions estimates that this may result in a $1 or 2 million bid by June 20th.
2) Niels Bohr, the famous Danish physicist, in 1939 auctioned off his Nobel Prize in Physics, with the proceeds going to the Finns, who were bravely resisting an unprovoked Soviet invasion.
My candidates for the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize (and/or Time Person of the year) are Zelensky, for his courageous leadership in Ukraine against Putin’s draconian invasion and Jose Andres, founder of World Central Kitchen, who has risked his life in providing countless million meals to Ukrainians both within Ukraine and in bordering countries and to hungry people in other disaster areas.
This is a fine piece of news about four exceptional individuals in our time. Thanks, Keith.
Good morning, Lynell!
Morning, Alexander! We in deep kim chi here in Virginia, aren't we!
Hey, don't slam Kim Chi. I love the HOT Korean style, best described as rotten cabbage with chilis to burn your butt off.
Not only that, Allen, my beloved kitty was named Kim Chi! (Hope you are doing well)
I named my cats Thoughts and Prayers because they are useless
Great way to put it, Lynell, and I totally agree with you.
But on a lighter note, I see your profile has a feline persuasion in it...got two myself!
I am actually one of those people who loves most all animals...have had cats for many years, and lost the last one a couple of years ago to old age. I just haven't had the heart to bring another one in, of whatever persuasion. Maybe at some point, but for now, we are pet-free.
I second that motion.
Salud, Keith. 🗽
Always on the job to inform and inspire. Badly needed, thank you.
Love this so much. Thank you Keith
Keith Wheelock, you have highlighted character, accomplishments, service, support for humanity and the principles of Democratic Governance as criteria for candidates of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize. You have expressed the values we most prize and work to support.
'In the will he drafted in 1895, Nobel instructed that most of his fortune be set aside as a fund for the awarding of five annual prizes “to those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind.” (Britannica)
Whoa, Keith, that is Time's Person of the Year, no longer relegated to men alone. However, your candidates are well-deserving.
Hope I sit corrected! At 3:30 in the morning my mind reverted to when Time magazine was actually published, had a circulation of millions, and was a manly magazine. ‘Person’ also avoids the dilemma of gender at birth, which this curmudgeon finds confusing these days.
😂. Talk about confusing. I’m thinking what in the heck is a “curmudgeon “ ? Is it where Keith is from ? I can not believe I lived to be so old and sometimes not so happy let’s say and didn’t know what it was called. 😂.Blame it on where I live. Flori-duh ! But you keep it interesting for sure.👍
Maria This cur has smudged (past participle of slung mud) for eons—curmudgeon.
You have lots of company. Where I’m from they use Sign Language. Their Middle finger .
Digital communication. Very twenty-first century.
Keith has withheld his teaching chops from you, Marcia. In the case of cur·mud·geon | \ (ˌ)kər-ˈmə-jən \
Definition of curmudgeon
1: a crusty, ill-tempered, and usually old man
Might the word suit him on this occasion? What say you and what says Keith?
Wasn’t there a Yellow Pages (now I really date myself) ad that said ‘Let your fingers do the walking [talking?] And, of course, there is ‘finger food.’ AWWWK
👍👍👍🙏🇺🇦
I totally approve of your 2022 choices.
WELL DONE Keith!
Second!
I so agree!
Interesting and worthy, but I am wondering how this relates to Professor Richardson's post.
As far as I know, there is no rule that one must post content that relates to what the Professor posts. If there is a rule, I have broken it many a time.
Keith's comment is like a palate cleanser before embarking on the next meal😉
Agreed, Lynell. An amuse-bouche:) Keith shares a cornucopia of knowledge, life experiences and the essential….humor.
Lynell Heather focuses most of her marvelously in-depth commentaries on one or two subjects. I often link my commentary to these plus kibitzing on other comments. I see no reason not to provide informative commentary on something related to a Heather past blog. I have found that when I venture into ‘economics,’ a great majority of the readers become glassy eyed.
Incidentally my noble Nobelhas garnered 224 likes so far, which suggests that some readers are not put off by my ‘off-the-wall’ comment.
Off the wall, Keith? More like bringing a bright spot to an otherwise grim reality we are all having to cope with.
That you garnered 224 likes tells me I'm not the only one who appreciates your contribution today. Thank you!
Keith, don't get me wrong. There is nothing on your posts I dislike. Your insight as well of others enrich the space. You posted in reference to a past blog and I am coming to this blog for the fresh thoughts from Heather and others around the topic/s she presented. I am trying to follow the thread of comments related specifically to this post.
Not sure. I subscribed to Prof. Richardson's page and that is my "meal". I have no formed opinion on the subject of Keith's writing, however I don't think he is following the best etiquette. Interesting people like Keith should consider creating their own page.
Keith isn't doing anything negative. If you aren't interested in his apperitif- like banter, skip down to something in the main course.
Are you referring to Keith's post? I had the same thought, if so. I like Keith, and he is always gracious, but sometimes LFAA (as do all substacks) gets derailed for other purposes. Sometimes other contributors with their own substacks post here to bring attention to their own pages. Alas, even here—one of the best letters—we are not free of digressing and trolling.
Hope I do not have my own substack post. Often i post a principal commentary directly referenced to Heather’s nightly LFAA. In addition, I add other items, such as the noble Nobels that I sense would interest other subscribers.
NOT MEANING TO OFFEND, I SHALL SUSPEND ALL COMMENTS ON THE LFAA FOR AT LEAST 48 HOURS. There is too much offensive going on in our country and globally to have folks offended by my well-intentioned posts.
Perhaps we shall encounter one another sometime next week. (My great aunt Hope would agree, but my aunt Hope, who was a flaky love, marched to a different drummer.]
Keith, do not suspend. You have done nothing wrong. You contribute greatly to this community. Heather would never countenance your being silenced in this way.
Aren't we in an era of learning to not let a minority power against the majority? You have a ratio of 2 criticisms to 235 likes!
Thanks for weighing in, Ellie. I had the same thought. Not only 235 likes, 32 off my comment to him, then the following back-and-forth among this community - all in support of Keith, certainly not against.
Morning, Keith! I won't rest easy til I "see" you live on Heather's Letters from an American. I'll be over on LFAA 's 6/3/22 post.
Lynell After sleeping on it, and reflecting on your and Ellie’s comments, I’ve decided not to be put off by Zelita, who was a new name to me, since I don’t recall any of her postings.
I believe that, on balance, Heather—a fellow professor—would be supportive of my commentaries, even those that don’t relate directly to her latest post.
My instinct, at 3:30 a. M. Was that Heather’s readers would appreciate my noble Nobel newsworthy insight (so far, 236 likes). When one swings for the fences, every ball won’t go for a home run. Indeed, I find that the likes for my ‘wild swings’ often are greater and spark more vibrant commentary than my more staid attaboys on Heather’s nightly post.
I see that Zelita was a former council person in Portsmouth, NH. I was an elected municipal official and spent fifteen years on town council, planning board, and zoning board of appeals for fifteen years. If she has a separate blog, I believe that we could converse on a topic not appropriate for Heather’s blog.
I found Hope’s comment off putting. She and I have had some upbeat exchanges.
Oh well, it something satisfied everyone, it would be tasteless gruel. And who knows, when I turn 89 later this year, I might lose the fire in my belly that, so far, has kept me vibrant. Is Geritol still available for oldies?
Keep posting your thoughts!! The commentary from the "regulars" in our community is often just as interesting and informative as HCR's original posting, regardless of whether "on topic" or tangential. 👍💜
I am so glad you've had a change of heart, Keith. I have been stewing on your behalf since last night.
I have also gone off topic only to find I garnered more "likes" than when I try to post within the confines of the day's Letter. Truth is, I do not have the breadth of knowledge as others, so avoid making my own commentary. As it is, I try to find topics (links) where people would perhaps be more informed, just like you did with your Nobels post. And 236 likes is NOT small potatoes!
As a retired court stenographer, I can kinda see where Zelita, and possibly Hope, would be put off by someone "straying" from the issue at hand. In the context of litigation, witnesses are instructed they must answer a direct question directly; those that try to deflect don't get away with it. But this community is not a litigation proceeding, nor, I would surmise, is it a council meeting.
FWIW, I believe we would have Heather's full approval for how we conduct ourselves here.
Anyway, thanks for reaching out to me. I feel much better having heard from you. As to the Geritol, good luck with that!
Yes, that is for sure.
I think it might be “graveyard” humor.
Feeling powerless and terrified by this information.
Barbara. When I have been manipulated into feeling powerless or terrified…and it has happened to me a few times… the event does not last. Because the threat has been manufactured and is really a bag of hot, stinking air. I am not disrespecting your feeling. In fact, I am disgusted and ashamed of an American political party elected to serve its constituents that so openly defies that oath of office and resorts to terrorism through defiance of our legal system.
My creed is it’s OK and understandable even to be afraid…feeling apprehension, reluctance, unhappiness. However, I am not scared. If Mo Brooks was standing in front of me spluttering about dirty Dems, he’d turn his treasonous tail after getting a few choice words from me. And I will poke a hole in their illegitimacy every chance I get.
United!
Millions of Americans now have alternate facts, and they are running for local offices, and winning. They are taking over mayoral, school board, and city council seats, and we are powerless to stop them. And it's not the Dem base who are letting this happen, it's the 50% of Americans who never vote, and cannot be swayed to vote, no matter what. I for one am terrified.
I agree, however is it not worth exploring why some people never vote? You suggest people cannot be swayed and I think we should understand why this is the case.
I think about this from the perspective of living in South Carolina a solid red state. I've lived here for 30+ years and it is a rare election that my chosen candidate wins. My presidential, congressional and senatorial choices very rarely win. Never has my presidential candidate won. Same with Senate candidate, and only in one congressional race did my Democratic candidate win. What's more interesting is that the Republican often wins by a relatively narrow margin. The system of 'winner take all' negates the meaning of margin of victory. It's frustrating to realize that the victor who receives 51% of the vote completely undermines the will of the 49%. If there was proportional voting and no gerrymandering, Democrats would win or be extremely competitive in most races. We know now in modern day politics, the Electoral College favors a well positioned minority over the will of the majority. The Electoral College is not the hallmark of a democracy.
Republicans choose hot button issues and will go to any length to demonize the Democrats over these issues. Most of the time they misrepresent and lie about the Democrat's positions, but this doesn't matter to a hot button voter because they will believe what they want to believe. I cannot overemphasize the power of characterizing a hot button issue as them against us. Republicans realize that a political race is not decided in a court of law. Facts and evidence are immaterial. They lie to suit their needs. Democrats as a rule approach elections like they will be decided by a fair and impartial jury. They think truth and facts will win the day. It rarely does!
In a red state, politics is akin to religion. Republicans don't just join the party and attend rallies. A rally is like a coming to Christ moment where people passionately pledge fidelity to the candidate and the CAUSE (Trump and the Big Lie.) I think church congregations are divided as much by religious beliefs as political beliefs. Social gatherings are generally organized by political affiliation. You quickly learn where you're welcome and where you're not. People are polite and cordial to your face but if you scratch the surface, you discover their true feelings. This is particularly true between different races. Consider this - it was in the interest of Republicans to keep their flocks united in cause by ignoring and criticizing bans on social distancing. Social interaction is another key to Republican success. This is another dynamic Democrats don't fully utilize. People like to belong and feel included in common cause.
So, when I think about the people who don't vote, I wonder if it is because 1) they don't believe their vote will ever count; and 2) life is challenging enough that there is nothing to be gained by constructing barriers with certain members of society, especially when most of the power in a red state rests with Republicans. There is a lot of going along to get along.
Sad but true, the best way to get out the vote is focus on hot button items that people passionately care about. The "Big Tent" party has not been successful in this regard over the 40 years. They have not made the case and they have not brought home the bacon. Tens of millions of past union members have not forgotten how they were abandoned by the Democrats. Highly educated young people loaded with student debt are struggling and Democrats have not embraced their plight. People of color are still fighting for equality.
Republicans have really gone off the rails and have given Democrats several hot button items which Democrats should be using to persecute and crush the Republican Party. Strong language, yes but again characterizing them against us is fundamental to attracting and commanding loyalty to a cause. There never has been a better time for the Democratic Party to refine their message and hammer it home.
This is a long comment addressing the concerns you raised, Holly. I would like to get feedback because I know I don't have all the answers.
You touch on many disparate causes of voter “apathy”, and many of them are correct. But I think the behavior of voters can be expanded beyond what you have listed. Fear. That fear cuts in two directions. it not only weighs down voters who must conform to survive, it also arms extremists to riot due to misinformation being sold as truth. We are close to becoming WWI soldiers in trenches on both side. Not being able to safely put our heads up and see what’s going on, we retreat to our respective muddy trenches. There we can have intense conversations that reinforce our fear of the “others” just as they are reinforcing their fears about us. This takes us into our most primitive mind, no matter how “civilized” we think ourselves. “We have nothing to fear, but fear itself” is the only medicine that works and those of us on the side of democracy must take double doses of that medicine. Then we must do our best to see to it that the medicine is readily available to everyone. This is a long war. It will be just as hard as the COVID epidemic and then some.
That’s a lot of mixed metaphors, but that’s my diagnosis. We must all muddle on.
I think there is a degree of fear for those who think it is better to go along, to get along. Personal experiences of course dictate your thoughts and actions. Being the outlier as a Democrat in a Republican controlled state is obviously harder than being in a state controlled by Democrats. There is, as you say, an element of fear and intimidation, especially for people of color who instinctively know they are not welcomed.
Yes! And this really caught my attention, only because it reminds me how “unique” TFG was as a president. “Republicans don't just join the party and attend rallies. A rally is like a coming to Christ moment where people passionately pledge fidelity to the candidate and the CAUSE (Trump and the Big Lie.) I think church congregations are divided as much by religious beliefs as political beliefs”
TFG never stopped holding rallies, all through his presidency he was running for the next election. I remember thinking about the WW2 newsreels of huge crowds raising their collective voices and straight arm salutes. Trump rallies strategically placed women and POC behind his “dais” so the viewers not only saw the huge crowds but that he was a leader for “everyone.” Often the seemingly insignificant details are not insignificant. He was not a president. Dais: for kings and the master: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dais
TFG rallies were spectacles and at least in the beginning were standing room only. People caravanned across states to bear witness.
You make really great points and I keep saying it this is far more effective in getting out the vote than knocking on doors or sending out postcards/mailers. People are attracted to pageantries and extravaganzas. I mean talk about the party faithful.
Trump reminds me of Elmer Gantry who was an immoral, dishonest grifter and conman. The movie bears watching from time to time.
Yes!
Heart button isn't working at the moment. I appreciate your thoughtful comment, especially as I live in a red pocket of a blue region, which affects local races rather than national ones. I don't have answers either. I have on occasion shared the apathy of "my vote doesn't matter," but I've never let it stop me from voting. When I think about why that is, I think about my parents setting the example of always voting and working at the polls plus American government classes in 8th and 12th grades. We just took it for granted that we'd register as soon as we turned 21 (the magic age in those days in California) and that we'd exercise our right to vote.
Same here. And I’m not sure what our next move is to confront and combat this. I am hopeful that democracy activist groups, like Indivisible will step in and give us some guidance. It is terrifying to think that organizing the vote is not the way to effect change in our country.
Indivisible stepped in when Trump was elected and they are still at work — as are thousands of others (if to millions). Don’t give fear a permanent place in your heart.
I feel differently, Holly.
Millions of Americans now have the unvarnished truth and plethora of facts, and they are running for local offices, and continue to win. They have been fairly elected to mayoral, school board, and city and commissioner seats, and do not have to lie or overturn anything. We are as powerful as the truth we stand by. We will marshal forces and Americans in massive numbers will sway and sashay to the polls to vote. No matter what. To stand for democracy. We the People. All of us this time. I, for one, have complete faith in our efforts.
Salud.
powerless? why powerless? Why are they more motivated than those for whom facts as we previously defined them (verifiable, you know) still matter? The alternate fact fringe is not a majority, but they can win if they are the majority of those who show up to vote.
Glad to know it’s ok to feel afraid, been my condition for decades. Still I plod on, feeling that evil is gaining. And I thought W/Dickie was as evil as they got.
Dickie was a piker in comparison to what is going on now
The reality of the situation, as pointed out in this letter, is quite scary. Denial will not make it go away.
If someone told me Jeri Chilcutt was a scairdy cat, I’d guffaw and splutter.
You are a warrior, plain and simple, Jeri.
A warrior is one who can "feel the fear and do the mission anyway". Jeri is a warrior.
Salud
Morning, Christine, and I agree about Jeri. No scaredy cat there.
Morning, Pam.
Unita!
I can't remember the song, but it was about a 15 year old boy fighting alongside an older soldier in the Civil War - and I've never forgotten the line the older soldier said about him "I never knew how brave he was, til' I saw how scared he was".
I hope that helps
"The threat has been manufactured," and other fine things said by my fine friend, Christine...
The threat in Germany in the 30s was manufactured, too.
Yes it was, Holly. I am the daughter of Holocaust victims.
When I would go to my Dad with some problem (most likely whining and being a victim) he would hear me out. Then he would tell me to "get my Irish up" and go do something about the problem.
I recommend we "get our Irish up" and find our own particular way to fight back. I would imagine many heroes throughout history were terrified.
We should all think of the job that V. Zelenskyy has had thrust upon him!
I follow the lawyer and MSNBC occasional commentator John Flannery, who often gets his Irish up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LR35YMTqYgI
Remember that the only way they win is to lie. And stand up for the truth.
Hi Christine -
I too am terrified yet mustering the courage, the patriotic fortitude, to square off against the lies and liars.
We will not go silently.
Come to think about it, I’d prefer an encounter with Cleta Mitchell. As she asked me to be a election official, after my posing as a Republican leaning Independent. I’d give her a thrashing she’d never forget. She is a disgrace and in the same club as Stefanik.
We all would. However there aren't enough hours in the day to confront all the scoundrels, liars, sociopaths and/or traitors on the political scene at this time. And this includes the media.
Barbara, I have been an environmental activist for most of the last 50 years. Powerless and terrified are quite familiar feelings. My suggestion is for you to consider doing something to promote voting in the 2022 election. For me, reducing anxiety comes from taking action. Here are a few suggestions.
Write postcards to voters. There are many organizations that offer this. I offer three ideas and invite anyone reading this to pile onto this list:
Postcards to Voters: https://postcardstovoters.org/
Postcards to Swing States: https://www.turnoutpac.org/postcards/
Field Team 6: https://www.fieldteam6.org/
After I lost my husband in 2020, I couldn't stand the thought of talking with people about politics so I wrote postcards last year and felt like I had done something of value. It relieved my sense of angst too.
One more suggestion of things to do is to join an organization that works to ensure free and fair elections. I joined my local League of Women Voters and just in the first few months of membership, have learned a lot about what's happening here in Minnesota and what to do about it. Another group that has been great is The Union, an offshoot of the Lincoln Project: https://jointheunion.us/ They have lots of ideas about boycotts of corporations that are supporting insurrectionist politicians, ideas about how to communicate the many great accomplishments of President Biden and the Democrats and much more. If you need ideas and can either write a letter or make a phone call once in a while, it might be worth your while to join.
Finally, I've joined my local Democrats in my state Senate/House district. I can't attend many meetings but I read the notes and take action where and when I am able to do so.
Tomorrow, I will be working with a team of 21 others to get out the vote here in our district. It isn't work that I enjoy - 50 plus years of doing that stuff means I'm a little toasty at the edges and sometimes have trouble keeping my temper. But I've worked back up to being able to talk with folks about politics and therefore, will take action because I can - and because I know that, as President Kennedy often said; "From those to whom much is given, much is required." I am blessed with a tolerance for and an ability to talk smack about politics. Therefore, I'm required to do what I can - and working to get out the vote is critical this year.
Whatever you can do, do it. Reading HCR is critical. If you can add on a task or two, do it. And know that you are not alone. We The People. All Of Us This Time!!
Sheila, bless you! I have been fighting the fight for over 50 years also. Keep the faith, as they used to say. Like JFK said to us “Ask not what we can do for you. Ask what you can do for this country.” Fight FIght FIGHT FOR OUR RIGHTS! VOTE, our lives literally depend on it!
😎 Thank you Marlene for your commitment! As you say, vote! And help to get out the vote. (And recruit some younger folks to pick up the banner and carry on. Getting old is hard enough work, lol.
No shit, Sheila!
Thank you! You've inspired me.
Sheila, I don't have your decades of experience. But I was, for about three years, fervently writing postcards for Postcards to Voters. Those cards helped win important elections. But when you know that election boards in swing states (and not swing states) are being filled with Republican partisans and all the related horrors that Heather enumerated here, it's much harder to find the hope and energy it takes to write those cards. I'm still doing it, but I have to tell myself that there will be people fighting on the side of right to get those votes heard. However, the thought of those protracted fights, the likely violence that will go along with them, and the not unreasonable chance that we will still become, in effect, a one-party state after the 2022 elections, makes the usual ways we fight for democracy feel much less effective.
Yes ,I am with you on this. The more I read on this the more frightened that I am that even if millions of voters come out to vote for Democrats , that the thievery of Republicans and their”election officials” will make it impossible for Dems to win. This really has gone beyond terrifying.
This Republican “election officials” idea is not only scary; it is traitorous. These people are the spawn of the traitorous Confederacy. Being from NC, I grew up thinking the Civil War and people like Robert E. Lee were just “complicated.” Lee was a traitor, plain and simple. These Republicans are traitors too.
Fellow North Carolinian here going to work the polls in a red district in Nov. Not my first go round but it definitely is in this poisonous atmosphere. The audacity of so many to believe such a bunch of bald face hooey is mind blowing. And to beat it all, they seem to be quite proud of believing it.
Former North Carolinian here…my hat is off to you, Sarah! Be safe!
Thank you. We’ll see how it goes. As long as I’m not the registrar or judge, I’ll be fine I think. If we can continue electing Democratic governors this state will be ok.
The cat is out of the bag so to speak. We know the enemy, what they are doing and can counteract it. There are more of us than them. And we will win.
Remember HCR's Letter on Senator Chase Smith? McCarthy's reign of terror was eventually taken down.
Agreed. So now the real need is to do something about it. While the exposure of the outrageous "legal" maneuvers performed by the fascists in our midst dominate the headlines, they can only be addressed within the twists and turns of the legal process, which is a wheel that grinds exceedingly slowly.
In the meantime, we're only 5 months away from what may be the most important midterm elections of our lifetime, which can only be won in hundreds of local "ground wars" in potential swing districts. The time for like-minded individuals to begin organizing these efforts is now. Maybe it would help if all these local groups call themselves "The Heathers".
You might Google LWVUS, I belong to Maine’s group. Lots to do, is already organized, needs more good men and women to work for democracy. Some projects: vote411 the voter guide, studying universal vote by mail, defending women’s rights, one person one vote, registering voters, holding forums, developing legislation including making it a crime to interfere at a polling site, voter education, youth engagement and so forth.
I am a member of LWV in Michigan. Note to all men can join also,
My mother, b.1900, was a charter member of LWV.. My father joined as soon as men were let in. Both were active members and citizens until they died in the early '90s. As he would say to us now - Carry on.
I think your terror is entirely justified.
Humans have been settling their political differences with violence for millennia. We would have an uneasy peace when there was a balance of power, and war when there was not.
The U.S. Constitution and the government it created was an attempt to offer an alternative (at least for domestic conflicts) to this endless cycle – to substitute reason for primal emotion, the rule of law for raw power, and rational debate for violence. By mutual agreement, ideological differences were to be decided by the will of the majority in democratic elections, with the vanquished minority ceding power peacefully to the victorious majority, while retaining all rights to continue the battle in the next election. The U.S. was by no means the world’s first democracy, but it was arguably the first to envision participation by all classes, rather than restricting it to moneyed aristocrats.
It has been marginally successful at avoiding civil bloodshed, save for the obvious exception of the Civil War, when the South, infuriated that the will of the majority of the United States of America would not acquiesce to the chattel slavery of Black people, seceded, formed the Confederacy and waged an ultimately unsuccessful war that cost hundreds of thousands of lost lives on both sides.
The only thing that keeps us from each other’s throats is our dedication to the Constitution and the will of the people. When either side is disloyal to that dedication, we inch towards civil war.
When the Republicans upset the balance the of power by gerrymandering districts, we took a step towards civil war.
When the Republicans sought to disenfranchise those who would likely oppose them at the ballot, we took a step towards civil war.
When Mitch McConnell denied Barack Obama an appointment to the Supreme Court, we took a step towards civil war.
When Trump and his cronies failed to accept the results of a free and fair election that they had lost, and sowed distrust of the electoral system with unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud, we took a step towards civil war.
When Trump and his cronies failed to peacefully transfer power to the incoming duly elected president, we took a giant step towards civil war.
We know from history that when we fail to dedicate ourselves to the Constitution and the rule of law, when the will of the majority of the governed is thwarted, civil war is inevitable.
MLK said, “You know my friends, there comes a time when people get tired of being trampled by the iron feet of oppression. There comes a time my friends, when people get tired of being plunged across the abyss of humiliation, where they experience the bleakness of nagging despair. There comes a time when people get tired of being pushed out of the glittering sunlight of life's July and left standing amid the piercing chill of an alpine November. There comes a time.”
I fear that time has come.
Simply brilliant, Frank! We are in a major civil war and how shameful is that? The Pro-Rape party threw their hoods off and revealed their ugliness to us in real time. We have every single thing they have done on digital video and now the January 6th Committee has them as well as documents. MLK’s statement of “people get tired of being pushed out of the glittering sunlight…”, well that’s us. We tired, frustrated, angry at the Pro-Rape party adeptness to manipulate our nation. The rich and powerful must be brought to their knees and stripped naked before us. Let’s use whatever weapons we possess, such as marching, calling, and writing without killing machines.
Let us do it in droves of all colors, shapes, and sizes, of our nation.
Well said.
That's how people who try to manipulate folks want you to feel.
League of Women Voters is doing election poll observer training and recruiting poll observers. I have to say I am worried for poll workers and the potential for violence. I will do observing in the fall election.
I agree, Jennifer. I am worried for the poll workers and voters here in Georgia, where Republican lawmakers passed a concealed carry law- (disgustingly called “constitutional carry”). Anyone in the state -21 and over- can carry a gun anywhere without a permit.
Our idiot governor says : “People don’t have to carry if they don’t want to,” he told reporters. “But this is a constitutional authority that people have, and they certainly shouldn’t have a piece of paper from the government to be able to legally carry a weapon.”
Stacey - get that cretin out of that office!! Come on gurl!!
You are the sort of person we truly need...grassroots, ethical, and courageous.
Thank you, Hope. There are many of us, and hopefully as people grasp that the very soul of our country is at stake, there will soon be more.
I have thought to myself that I would not at all be surprised of gun violence at a polling place. Of course, it's everywhere now so I guess that is a no brainer.
It's enough to request mail-in ballots for everyone as in Oregon. et al.
California has had mail-in ballots for many years. It works beautifully and that is what upsets the Pro-Rape party. CA also does not allow poll workers to be observed. Grateful to be living in this state, even with all of our outrageous gas prices at over $6 a gallon. That’s another story for another time. (Sigh)
how do I volunteer? Just moved into a red-turning-blue district. I was a poll worker in my old district, but happy to hang around a poll in a Blue shirt...
You can google LWV and start looking at all the info. States each have LWV too. I am in Maine, so LWVME. Go to your state and ask about becoming an observer. Become a member. You’ll be a natural after being a poll worker.
Citizens, republican or Democrat, will not sit idly by while some "party" tries to manipulate our election(s). Are we still that naive? We surely were in 2016. But, to think one party will salt down elections across our nation without committing acts so blatantly wrong (fraudulent) within themselves as to not attract overwhelming attention from starving lawyers is ludicrous. The fear that the big Arse hissef will create an "army" sans 'defectors' ....hahahaa. Think again. This fine "Letter" by HCR is not alone. There are others. My point being, this whole country is awash in 'headline journalism', but many are turning to page 44 to read "the rest of the story". We have before us, not a problem..., but an Opportunity to Excell. Let's hit it.
Experience of the past 6 years has reinforced exactly what you are denying. From where are you getting this hopeful outlook?
I understand your need to be enlightened, Meg. But, I have race motors to put together, big lawn to mow, races to commit to (or cx from due to distance & diesel), student pilots to teach, and a summer that is way too short. I get up at 0430 just to read HCR. I often spend way too much time (probably like you) creating the comments I post. If you're 79 like me you've had a ton of life experiences to work from. I've enjoyed typing these 5 run-on sentences without answering one iota of my rationale other than sentence 5. I'm much too wordy and may type things which you would take exception to (which I am open to). Gotta go. We'll see.
Don't disengage. Evil men succeed when good men remain silent. These people are serial failures. They've lost every single effort to derail the committee and the DOJ hurricane that's coming for them. Keep fighting.
Thanks, Loree. Yes.
Thanks, Loree, for talking me down. I get so freaked at what is happening daily in this country.
You and me, both, Victoria. It’s hard to not get freaked out by their evil machinations.
Absolutely, Loree!
Thank you Professor Richardson.
You have written many Letters that shake the ground – today’s shakes it to its core.
At it's very core, I believe what has transpired in the past 5-6 years is that Trump has basically taken the way he's run his business for years and tried to move that theory, concept and practice into running this country. He bullies , he lies, he cheats and does anything he can think of to "win" at whatever it is he wants. Truth and facts be damned...they simply do not matter. What matters most to him...is not being a "loser" and having the power to do anything that pleases him. Audacity is his hallmark. You are "great", "the best" as long as you support his every whim...and the moment you question his motives, his intelligence...his "perfection"...then he doesn't know you very well...or you were just a minor player. And then you are vilified. He is always the Hero or the Victim ...and it can flip in a moment. He is never, ever the villain...He is the King. It's that simple and that classic. Kiss his ring and live...
He is a mafia Don. It's why they call him the Teflon Don. It also exposes him to RICO charges.
Those charges will likely never be forthcoming. Greg Olear lays out the Don's history of being part of the mafia. He is likely a CI for the government which makes him valuable as a source of information. Sadly, no justice served.
https://gregolear.substack.com/p/tinker-tailor-mobster-trump?s=r
Glenn Kirschner June 1, 2022
Durham case fails; Judge Walton takes on the Supremes; Norm Eisen on AG Garland "coming for Trump"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cNQDaD2Xxs&t=3s This is worth your time to feel better about our DOJ and Merrick Garland. We need to have faith a little longer!
Pensa, I frequently perk up when I read one of your comments. They are quite spot on.
True, this is a worthwhile and hopeful video/message. Thank you!
Thanks, Martyrita— I do try to help keep my peeps' hearts up during this chaotic time of really significant and painful change. I know it looks very dark right now, but the rogue trumplicans have revealed, and continue to reveal, more of our shadows and bring to our consciousness the repairs we must make to so many of our systems. We have to face our white supremacist caste system and deal with it. Time to balance the scales...and Justice is coming to help!
Thanks, Pensa. Good listen. Thoughtful analysis. I appreciate the link.
I have to admit that I was fascinated by Olear's proposition. It struck me as an explanation of why Trump has traveled so far with so few impediments.
Martyrita, Olear is in his own narrow silo. like most conspiracy oriented theorists, he is selective in his facts and ignores what doesn't fit. Save your sanity and ignore him. Other people have treate these (not obscure) issues with more clarity. Olear gets in the way of thinking coherently on them.
Olear's essay is one of those kinds of things I read, absorb, think about, then tuck away into my subconscious. I don't go to the extreme of swearing it is gospel truth, nor will I dismiss it outright, but it is certainly food for thought. As time goes along, things Olear talks about may, or may not, come to pass. Whatever. There are SO many alternate realities floating around these days it can be dizzying trying to keep them all sorted out. Olear's ideas are interesting to consider, but "consider" is all I will do at present. We have to keep our eyes and ears open in these "black is white and up is down" times. If you can systematically and confidently refute what he says, then please share that.
Thank you for this information. Can you let me know about Glenn Kirschner if you know anything about him?
Annie, I appreciate this cautionary remark. It is a daily challenge for me to know whose "facts" to trust.
My community here in the Letter comments section helps me find true north, over and over again.
True for me too. Heather and many of her correspondents often send me looking to see what other observers have to say. As she has so often said, look beyond just what is on LFAA to enlarge our views on the things she talks about. I was trained to evaluate things people write and see what themes guided their perspective. When it is too narrow and lacks context, I look elsewhere. This is the case with Olear: he may get some details right, but there is so much missing I can't accept his interpretations. Though this and other resources, I hope I am getting a much wider sense of what things are going on and what is driving them. (This is why I like Heather's history talks: they provide so much info about how we got to today. As a side effect of that, I now have to add another bookshelf for all the books I've acquired in the last two and a half years!)
I would have posted that link if you had not. Thanks, Martyrita.
Mafia don is one of my nicknames for him along with death star donny. When I first read this letter this am, I was scared and then I read the many responses here. We already donate to organizations that register voters and get out the vote. Now it will be donating to various candidates here in Oregon and elsewhere. As I read I also thought about the Trumper clerk in Clackastan who is absolutely incompetent. My hope that the voters will turn her out in November. It is troubling to me that so many people think criminality is OK.
If tfg actually runs in '24, I'm going to produce a bunch of "Trump for Emperor" signs and post them wherever I see a Republican ticket sign.
Will anybody have the guts.
Certainly not Garland and this DOJ. Turtles move with more conviction and resolve.
Well, I think you need to listen to this episode of Glenn Kirschner's new take on Merrick Garland, whom he has been very frustrated with for taking so long. This might be a heartening moment after today's rather grim LFAA letter.
Glenn Kirschner June 1, 2022
Durham case fails; Judge Walton takes on the Supremes; Norm Eisen on AG Garland "coming for Trump"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cNQDaD2Xxs&t=3s This is worth your time to feel better about our DOJ and Merrick Garland. We need to have faith a little longer!
Oh, I hope so, but I put so much faith in Mueller and somehow the slime slithered on, unscathed.
Thanks for the link. I am a fan of both Kirschner and Eisen. I hope Eisen is correct about Garland, as justice, to be effective must be "swift and sure." That said, I do not see the necessity to defer to the 1/6 Committee. In fact, if the Committee's work should be supported by Garland why have subpoenas not been quickly enforced by the DOJ?
Stampede? It has been a year and a half since Garland took office. "Justice delayed is justice denied." So, I do hope Eisen is right, better late then never.
Again, thanks for the link.....and the encouragement.
I fail to see how justice that merits its name can be both swift AND sure. That fits in with regimes like those of Xi, Putin or Erdogan, in which the judiciary exists primarily as a means for the direct transmission of executive power.
I must have been influenced early on by Montesquieu's associating haste in the exercise of justice with despotism, that form of government in which fear is of the essence. Hence his insistence on the need to prioritize thoroughness, with judicial proceedings taking such time as is necessary to guarantee sound judgment.
Despite the fine principles contained in the Declaration of Independence, there seems all along to have been an element of rule by fear in American criminal justice; fear, as exemplified by the massive use of imprisonment, primarily that of blacks and other minorities; and fear in combination with horse-trading, largely for the purpose of speeding up court proceedings.
In one particularly egregious instance of party political expediency trumping both justice and correct electoral practice, I simply could not believe the incecent haste with which the judiciary let itself be stampeded into interrupting the vote recount in Florida in order to hand the presidency to George W. Bush in 2000.
Now, there's swift and unsure for you -- unsure and unsound.
Should we be surprised then by today's shenanigans which, if not sharply curtailed, may soon deliver a regime uncomfortably similar to that of Putin?
Jukebox firing up, Pensa! https://youtu.be/6Cs3Pvmmv0E
Gotta have faith! We’re trying !
Rick Wilson said, “Everything Trump touches dies.” Steve Schmidt said, “The Republican Party should be burnt to the ground.” Hopefully, tRump and the R’s will burn themselves to the ground with all their hateful machinations.
I think it's going to split...actually it already has, but we will see the results in the mid terms
Mike, that’s a perfect description of TFG and his History. I was thinking that he’s never faced “real”consequences for even illegal dealings. Our federal government is working on forgiveness of some college loans, including fraudulent programs. TFG operated a “college” that was deemed fraudulent. The courts mandated he pay back 25 million dollars. That’s only one of his failed and crooked deals. Still voters knowing his record as a crook voted for him in 2016. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/feb/06/trump-university-court-upholds-25m-settlement-to-give-students-money-back
A lot of them agreed with his racism, misogyny, etc. Also some of them have another agenda vis a vis abortion and a "Christian" nation, so to them the end justifies the means.
Yes but it is not just Trump that believes he does not have to be accountable, it is the like of Elon Musk and many more uber wealthy. They believe their wealth exempts them from having to ‘play’ by the rules of the little people. We are headed for a country shaking, foundational fight, in my opinion. I will fight but have also accepted at this point it may be some years of awful until we get back to accountability and rule of law. It is time for all to rise up, as the saying goes.
…” What matters most to him...is not being a "loser" …” the irony of it all is that HE is such a “loser” to the core!!!
I agree! People often seem to overlook that he lost the 2020 election. It’s hard to figure,if you look at it dispassionately, how a party would renominate such a loser (making the L sign on my forehead now :)
The party of Drumpf is quite clearly busy putting in the fix just so the tfg can run and NOT lose--his biggest fear.
Totally agree with you but what about the rest of the GOP...
It's up to them. The Trumpers will sink on the Trumptanic with him...the others never supported him, or have jumped ship. Will he create his own party ?
I don't think he has to...the MAGAs who want tfg have already remade the R's into the party of Drumpf. The Republicans who jumped ship or whom otherwise view Dump as a massive mistake are the ones who will have to create their own party.
That's entirely possible. I think it could go either way. Trump has SUCH an ego I think he'd love a party to call his own. The establishment R's could always resurrect the Bull Moose Party.
But it isn't just Trump and his acolytes. Just about every Republican who has stayed silent or voted for him is complicit. something's truly wrong when more than the majority of registered Republicans in the US believe Biden's election wasn't above board.
Morning, all!! Morning, Dr. R!! "This sucks," she said after having read today's Letter. Here's my opinon (like you know what, everybody's got one): Listening to Anne Applebaum's interview yesterday, toward the end she said this:
"I had a very depressing conversation a few days ago with somebody who works in the Biden White House, who was talking about the new infrastructure bill.
"And he said, 'you know, everybody criticizes us for not talking enough about it. These are concrete, practical solutions to things that people say they care about, like the bridge falling down, or the road having potholes. And we are going around the country, and we’re making announcements about investments, and nobody appears to be interested.'
"I worry that Americans, especially in the area of national politics, are so caught up in the culture wars, and in these — as I said, these existential arguments — that it’s very hard even to get people interested in the business of governing, or the business of building.
"And that’s a very dangerous moment. It’s certainly — as I say, it’s a traditional argument. It’s what many people have argued for years would be a way to solve these kinds of conflicts. But can that still work in a time when people aren’t even focused on the outer world? They’re just focused on online, or theoretical conflicts between narratives."
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/17/podcasts/anne-applebaum-ezra-klein-interviews.html
So I thought, what if we picked up that gauntlet and started having conversations with our friends and neighbors about what is going on in our state that the Biden Administration has provided through the infrastructure bill. What if we tooted this horn along with them.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/01/14/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-hits-the-ground-running-60-days-into-infrastructure-implementation/
Here's what's going on in my state; I encourage you to find out what's going on in yours...then spread the word!
Senator Mark Warner: "Because there are 530 bridges in Virginia in poor condition, we’re getting $578 million to strengthen and protect them. Roads all across the Commonwealth – from interstates like I-81 and I-95 to smaller rural highways – are also getting targeted investments to improve quality and safety.
"It’s clear that broadband is an absolute necessity – that’s why I personally secured provisions not only to extend broadband to more communities , but also to create a benefit to make it more affordable . 23% of Virginians are eligible, and you might be among them. Learn more here .
"Our airports aren’t in great shape these days, so we’re getting a $400 million investment to make improvements all over the Commonwealth and make travel smoother for employees and passengers. (And if you’re interested in air travel, it’s also worth noting that we just convinced Boeing they should move their HQ to Virginia! )
"Ports are key for our economy and our national security – so we secured money for critical upgrades and resiliency to natural disasters.
"Public transit is key to getting Virginians where they need to go affordably and quickly – but too many places either don’t have any resources or what they already have isn’t functioning well. That’s why we secured a targeted investment in transit systems across the entire Commonwealth.
"I could keep going, but I’ll keep it short and just say that there are tons of other investments, programs, and grants as part of this law that are going to be huge for Virginia. If you’re interested in learning more about what we’ve already secured, you can read more through my website here.
"The law also created a number of competitive grant programs that are just starting to be announced. If you’re a school or college administrator, or a stakeholder for a local or tribal government, transit authority, or lab, you might be eligible to apply for competitive funding through this law. You can read more about those opportunities here."
Here's an audio version on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarkWarner/status/1501280427172151300?s=20&t=Q2Cx9Oo6qCKVo-LeZj-X5Q
What if we turned the conversation back to the business of governing.
Nope, Joe campaigned about the "soul" of our nation. He needs to take on these culture wars. The collective vs the individual (why wearing a mask and getting a vaccine is the right and moral thing to do).
Why banning books is certainly not "freedom".
Similarly, why passing discriminatory, hateful, "don't say gay law" under disguise of "parental rights" is authoritarian.
Hey, Lynn, absolutely. However, unlike Ted Cruz, I do not wish to limit the amount of "doors" the collective can choose to enter.
Morning Lynell. Way to go and i applaud your vision of reality.....but this means taking responsibility for your lives and for your government and many people throughout the democratic part of the world and not just in the US don't really want to bother, they just want someone else to "bother" with that "boring stuff", that they moan about but take for granted, while they get on with their little lives. If they are not woken up by a direct at cataclysmic threat to that "little life" then they might not like what they will inherit by their inattention and inaction.....then they'll be mad but it will be too late.
Reminds me of something that has rarely left my mind since chump. Milton Mayer, “They Thought They Were Free, The Germans, 1933-45”. “Each step was so small, so inconsequential, so well explained, or on occasion, regretted, that unless one (saw) what the whole thing was in principle, what all these ‘little measures’ must one day lead to, one no more saw it developing from day to day than the farmer in the field sees the corn growing - each act is worse than the last, but only a little worse. You wait for the next and the next. You wait for one great shocking occasion, thinking that others, when such a shock comes, will join you in resisting somehow.
You don’t want to act, or even talk, alone, you don’t want to go out of your way to make trouble. But the one great shocking occasion, when the tens, or hundreds, or thousands, will join you never comes. That’s the difficulty. The forms are all there, all untouched, all reassuring, the houses, the jobs, the shops, the mealtimes, the visits, the concerts, the cinema, the holidays. But the spirit, which you never noticed, because you made the lifelong mistake of identifying it with the forms, is changed. Now you live in a world of hate and fear, and the people who hate and fear do not even know it themselves. When everyone is transformed, no one is transformed. You have accepted things you would not have accepted five years ago, a year ago. Things your father never could have imagined.”
Except that now the steps are giant, with no thought of subtlety, just chaos upon chaos. Lie upon lie, deceit upon deceit…
I remember when you posted this sometime ago. This, to me, is the most chilling part and true. I wrote it down then. Thanks.
"The forms are all there, all untouched, all reassuring, the houses, the jobs, the shops, the mealtimes, the visits, the concerts, the cinema, the holidays. But the spirit, which you never noticed, because you made the lifelong mistake of identifying it with the forms, is changed."
I remember reading this, too, thank you for the reminder that change can be so steady that we might not notice until it’s too late. That’s our life today. For many, It’s not an earthquake or a hurricane but a steady rocking that’s with us, not yet enough to cause extreme discomfort. So the same people who have been on the protest line for years don’t realize the extreme dangers. Add the Pandemic, and survival becomes about germs, lockdowns or personal freedom and we’re too late. And shootings, gun laws, inflation and the feeling we have no control. Or the other scenario is we wake up in time.
Hi Irenie, Let's hope enough of us wake up in time. I see HCR's daily writing as the repeated shakes to get us awake and up out of bed!!!!!
So as Heather constantly reminds: it's up to us to change the narrative; hence my focus on infrastructure.
Morning, Stuart! Your "applause" means a lot to me. And I totally agree with what you say here! However! Many years ago my mom and dad took us to this upscale restaurant for dinner. My mom was totally immersed in all the ambience emanating from the room. My dad, ever the pragmatist, retorted, "But you can't eat atmosphere!"
I must be more like my dad, so I will continue to praise and enjoy those "shiny objects" that the Biden Administration will be providing to my state.
If all goes wrong in November th "shiny objects" might prove somewhat ephemeral.
Good morning Stuart.
And a very good morning to you too, Lynn
The problem around here is that some of the far leftists think that dissing Biden is the thing to do. I have suggested that they take a closer look and stop with the establishment D label. I have also suggested they read this letter. In their favor, they are fearless in confronting the bad guys who show up around here. They also offer to help anyone who feels scared when certain events are going on. They, however, do not seem to understand the realities of where we are at the moment.
🙋🏽♀️Boy Howdy, Michele!
What if? Sounds real to me, Lynell. That’s making OUR conversation count instead of having our necks yanked into their fascist stream of utter bull dookie.
Unita, Lynell. And thank you for great post and links.
Marsha Blackburn is most Definite NOT interested in what’s good for her constituents. Ever.
I love that idea! One of our Senators and both of our Representatives should be talking up all that the Biden Admin. has done for Maine. Our other senator, Susan Collins is, sadly, far too deep into Turtleface McConnell's pocket to so much as utter a word without his approval.
Exactly! Thanks, T L!
Can it drown out Rupert and clones propaganda machine, 10 years ago, maybe
I really don't care if it drowns out or not. This is the conversation I want to have. I am not interested in countering or debating!
I mistakenly clicked on collapse after reading your last comment. Can you send it again. A very important for all of us.
I love this. Thank you.
Morning, Lynell! I had no clue Boeing was leaving Seattle. Doesn't surprise me, however.
Classic strategy of the would-be autocrat as it allows them to control and alter the people's view of history and of reality today. They thus implant a new story that glorifies their usurpation of power rendered necessary by their "heroic defense of the soul of the nation" against evil external or internal forces.
"Hands Off My Ballot!"
Heather’s latest revelations about Trump and his Mafiosos’ blatant initiatives to conspire against the Constitution brings to mind Sir Walter Scott’s
OH WHAT A TANGLED WEB WE WEAVE WHEN FIRST WE PRACTICE TO DECEIVE.
It’s as if we are watching a modern version of The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight. It’s certainly an update to Nixon taping himself with the Watergate ‘smoking gun’ that obliged him to resign the presidency and sent over a dozen of his sycophants to jail.
According to the press, the Department of Justice is conducting three and more probably four grand jury investigations, with the fourth focused on criminality that might include False Facts Donald. With so many smoking guns, indictments and convictions should be swiftly initiated.
SO GET ON WITH IT!
Keith, “Tangled Web” has become a daily mantra for everything trump.
Dept of Justice?? Really,
Glenn Kirschner June 1, 2022
Durham case fails; Judge Walton takes on the Supremes; Norm Eisen on AG Garland "coming for Trump"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cNQDaD2Xxs&t=3s This is worth your time to feel better about our DOJ and Merrick Garland. We need to have faith a little longer!
I think it's a pipe-dream to hope that justice will prevail over a political problem. Justice comes later, or not at all. I'd be happy with a political verdict. It's all about turn-out. I think the math suggests that the Party of No would be crushed if the remainder of the electorate would show up as the Party of Anything But...
OH WHAT A TANGLED WEB WE WEAVE WHEN FIRST WE PRACTICE TO DECEIVE.
But after a while we get pretty good at it.
“It looks like now the Trump forces are going directly after the legal system itself and that should concern everyone.” Any American who isn’t afraid isn’t paying attention. Your letter today is a roadmap from beginning to end of the hubris and experiences of TFG and his followers who have so far managed to escape real consequences and/or prosecution for criminal behavior that we all have been watching. Smoke and mirrors, the magic of gaslighting and denial. We’re waiting now for real consequences. This could be a long wait. Or not. Meanwhile elections continue and how will we know if they are fair or manipulated behind the scenes? I voted last week in my California election. Every registered voter is mailed a ballot to complete, mail back or place into drop boxes or at election offices. I placed my ballot in a drop box at the government center and today was notified my ballot was received. Now it’s out of my hands.
I live in Japan but am registered to vote in a small town in California. I’m working on my ballot now and plan to fax it. Since the year 2000, it’s been getting harder and harder to vote and don’t even know if it’s counted. If you’re signature isn’t the same as the one they have on record, they’ll throw out your vote. Fortunately it’s a small town, so I had my brother go to the office and check. Now I know how I need to sign it, with no variations. Then I was spending about $50 to send my ballots by DHL, not FedEx, to make sure they got there. But this time, it took over a month to get here and was only the voter information guide, no ballot. So I emailed the office and they sent me a link to print out a ballot. There’s no time to mail it, so at least I’ll save $50 this time, but I have to find a fax machine somewhere. why can’t America be like Australia? Everyone gets a ballot, no gerrymandering. Not to mention no gun massacres.
We are also from California, live in Spain and are doing the same. Thank you for this information. Fortunately, California is awesome regarding voting and encouraging voting.
Well, I have to say THANK YOU for going though all that, as there are many living within a very short walking distance from their polling place, and even if it is a beautiful sunny 70 degree day, they won't bother voting.
I had the luxury last month of being able to fill out my ballot at home, and only because of my procrastination dropped it off on election day. I quit mailing my ballot when NoJoy became Postmaster General and they started tearing out mailboxes in our community.
Because Oregon is a vote by mail state, there are no polling places nor is there any place for a poll watcher.
This explains why they oppose vote by mail so vigorously--no poll workers. I hadn't realized that. In my precinct the poll workers are assigned to any precinct in the county vs their closest one. Which can cut both ways. And DTS voters are fortunately included, despite being a closed primary state.
They will have to fix our mess, if any fix is to be had…
Our mess only in the sense that it was handed to us to fix in the first place. We were perhaps a little naive in assuming that we could do it alone. I don't see that naivete in young people of today, for the most part. And I have long since lost mine. Going for bear, now.
Agree Maggie. Young people will not put up with the nonsense. They are brash in their optimism.
Ah, yes... I have been remembering my own and that of my friends. I am also grateful for it, and grateful to have had teachers who encouraged "lively" discussion. It set the stage for my continued commitment. I am excited watching the young people now who speak out unafraid and ACT. There lies my hope for the future, which is theirs.
I went to vote today with my daughter, who is in her late 30s. She commented that once again, she was the only young person in the room.
Tell her not to get discouraged. My Millennial kids and younger nieces/nephews all vote way ahead of Election Day. They view Election Day is the end of the voting period--even in red states.
There does not seem an end to the astonishing lies, misinformation, manipulation of facts in this political landscape. I just became a uSA citizen the day after the massacre in Texas! I’m wondering what’s next! The information in this column is quite unsettling; what’s the path forward cause can’t help wondering if indeed there is one.
We make a lot of Mr. John Lewis's 'Good Trouble.' I am 63. I always told my daughters they would have to bail me out when I was an old lady. I am out there trying to get arrested. Anyone can question their elected officials and confront them in public. I intend to try talking my republican neighbor into voting democrat. He loves my cooking and a free beer will sweeten the deal. He's not that committed and he loved my anti-trump signs.
Go for it, Loree!
Say it loud: "Hands Off My Ballot!"
Yes, Loree. Sounds like a perfect summer night in the neighborhood!
Go get ‘em
I'm 70, and my Millennial son is afraid I'll get shot now that we live in a red-turning-blue district surrounded by red districts. An adaptation of Thomas Macaulay's "Lays of Ancient Rome" seems appropriate:
"To every woman on this earth
Death cometh soon or late.
How can a woman die better
Than facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of her mothers,
And the temples of her gods."
My first thought was that this was written by a man. Second was a man saying the best way for a woman to die. So, I looked it up and it is actually for ¨man¨ not woman which makes a bit more sense to me. When will men lose the lust for war and carnage and the need to fight?
Yes, I changed Macauley’s classic to fit. The story of “man” on this earth is one of violence, with some exceptions. Don’t know what might change that.
Agree…if we don’t take risks, change will not come. It is a crying shame that we have had to fight so hard but there it is.
You go girl!!!! More should be like you!
I have continued to be a “golden rule gal” in my old age. Wish that had not gone out of style.
I was chastised recently by a Facebook friend (that I do know IRL, peripherally) in a post he wrote that asked, globally to his friends "why do you still have these vile people on your feed?" My answer is that first, they are friends, and second, that if I am able to bend them slightly around to a more reasonable position, I have a responsibility to do so. My track record on this is with gay marriage; when Oregon had a "marriage definition one man/one woman" amendment on the ballot in the mid 2000's, I had several co-workers who specifically voted against that because of who I was; they knew my (now) wife, and one of them summed it up succinctly by saying "you guys aren't different than me and my wife; this is wrong".
We HAVE to engage and connect with folks who are opposite politically on a foundational level. We don't have to talk politics, we just have to engage, even if it isn't about a specific topic.
That happened to me, also, Ally. It actually was our dentist and his wife (who my husband had grown up with) who made vile comments on my page. I tried reasoning and letting them spew because I wanted people to see what this angry population was about. I “unfriended” them from my Fb page. Enough was enough!
Where there is Light, which is the most abundant phenomena in the Universe, there is always a path forward.
How wonderful about your citizenship. Congratulations. You will find comraderie in this forum.
Congratulations on your citizenship, Ingrid, and welcome. We are in a crisis in this country, but many of us believe we will endure with a lot of hard work. We need everyone's voices and actions to squash the lies and propaganda techniques the Party of Sedition & Fascism produces daily. We are up for this and Light will be breaking through as the hearings become public and more indictments come rolling out of these anti-Americans who follow the cult of trumplicans. There are many more good people here than the brainwashed. More and more are leaving the party daily and others don't like their party but would never say it outlaid to the bully leaders. Voting is our right. Voter suppression is against the law. They are committing crimes daily and against their own party. I trust their blatancy is going to bite them in their rear ends. We see who they are and we will never forget. When they are out of power, we have a lot to repair and fine-tuning to do to our country to prevent rogue terrorists from rising to power again.
Welcome to the fray, Ingrid! Your vote this coming November will be a consequential one.
Welcome Citizen. And this newsletter and comments are exceptionally grim today. The path forward is always the same: Show Up. Showing up is to Volunteer at polls, to mail postcards, to make phone calls, to register voters, whatever you are able to do.
Welcome to US citizenship Ingrid, with all its attendant anxieties.
Wow. Congratulations on your citizenship, and thank you for seeing the good in most Americans and became one.
It’s scandalous! They are all crooks! How we’re going to upset the Rethuglican’s criminal cart is beyond me!
“Nick Penniman, who founded the nonpartisan election watchdog group Issue One and now is its chief executive officer, told Przybyla, ‘This is completely unprecedented in the history of American elections that a political party would be working at this granular level to put a network together…. It looks like now the Trump forces are going directly after the legal system itself and that should concern everyone.’”
I’m Old, been concerned for half my life. Pass it on…. The young need to know how we have screwed up.
In less than 3 weeks, my husband and I move into a very large, CCRC (Continuing Care Retirement Community). This LFAA (and all previous Letters) have convinced me to once again work at our new polling place. And, I will find fellow Democrats in our new community somehow. If a Cleta Mitchell-Steve Bannon minion crosses my path they will be sorry they met me.
Yes, Carla! You warrioress.
Go get ‘em Carla!
It seems to me that the Republican Party is convinced they can never prevail in a fair, honest, and open election based on debate of issues. They are a permanent, and shrinking, minority. The only option left to them is what that accuse others of doing; election fraud and theft, and voter intimidation.
The Republican Party is dying and it is not going to go quietly into this good night.
Yes, we are witnessing the death knell screams of the dying patriarchy grasping at anything and everything.
I can't bring myself to relish the thought of watching the Republican party as it once was known in the act of dying. A single party system of Democrats could be equally as fearsome as an overwhelmingly dominant party of fascists. I have always thought that our form of government works best precisely when it appears least efficient; one party occupies the executive, the other party controls either or both houses of the legislature. These are the times when negotiation and compromise are required to see anything of significance happen in our government. Sadly, there is no constitutional solution for an obstructionist strategy in the minority party while wielding the current form of veto power in the filibuster.
New parties will arise. Never fear. But this seditious, lying trumplican party is a cancer on our country and needs a permanent death.
Should the Democrats become the only party, I'm sure it would split into a conservative wing, led by Joe Manchin perhaps, and a liberal wing led by maybe Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
you're absolutely right; if there is no common enemy, the solution is to fight amongst yourselves!
To rise again as without the "magalomaniacs". The traditional "right" has its place conserving what is good to their mind, works well and fits the spirit of many of the people and obviously furthers their values.
So the people who created the "Big Lie" are the big lie and led by the biggest liar.
(btw, who the hell is Cleta Mitchell and why is anybody listening to her?)
She's one of the people about to be indicted for being part of a mafia style organized crime ring known as the former Trump administration. She, Bannon, Eastman, Stone, Powell, the Flynn brothers, and the trumps are all going to be RICOed. Tons of evidence, and good timing. Don't despair, fight back.
She used to be a Democrat for years but then sold her soul to the Repub devils.
Good Lord, who to trust. Apparently no one. Money rules all us fools
Gotta fight these fools, Jeri, with all of our might!
Cleta Mitchell 50 years ago would have been one of your heroes. Early feminist, major ERA supporter. Then she married money, got out of government and started earning big bucks as a lawyer, and as a New York Magazine profile said, "became stingy."
Sizzlin’ and correct, TC. Not only stingy, she’s a disgrace to her gender. And to abundance.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/22/politics/cleta-mitchell-trump-federal-election-advisory-board/index.html
🥺
She’s an attorney. If I remember correctly, she’s one of the people who was on that “perfect” phone call between Trump and Raffensburger.
Paraphrasing a Jewish parable my adult son told me. ‘You don’t have to do the work alone, nor do you have to do it all. But you aren’t given a pass to do nothing.’ I hope people stop hand wringing and get involved.
"I am only one, but I am one. I can't do everything, but I can do something. The something I ought to do, I can do. And by the grace of God, I will." Edward Everett Hale
They want confrontation and chaos to choke democracy until it breathes no more. It’s a system hack. Just like one party choosing to oppose everything the party in power wants, regardless of merit.
We’re in an uncivil war without shots being fired, yet. Though hanging the Vice President on Jan. 6 would have been louder than guns.
I agree, Michael. We are in a new kind of war with 24 hours a day propaganda and brainwashing. We must stay focused and each choose our battlefronts to fight at whatever level capable for our age.
Dear Heather, why can’t we change our electoral college, a remnant of racism, and use our POPULAR VOTE to determine our election outcomes? I live in India, where as troubled as the political system is, every vote counts. When challenges occur, the vote is taken over. I am humbled by the power of the vote, in the world’s largest democracy.
Elisabeth I strongly empathize with your proposal that we change our Electoral College provisions. I find it rather bizarre that a president can be elected without gaining a majority or plurality of the popular vote.
HOWEVER, I believe that it is extremely unlikely that a popular presidential vote amendment will ever be enacted. There have only been 27 amendments, including the first ten amendments in 1791, since the Constitution was ratified.
According to the Constitution, two thirds of the House and the Senate must initiate a Constitutional amendment. Then three fourths of the states must approve this amendment.
Many of the smaller states would refuse to give up their votes for a situation where a few of the more populous states would dominate a presidential election. Sorry, it ain’t going to happen.
The Electoral College was created for the specific purpose of keeping the American political system from getting TOO democratic, of giving the uneducated masses too much say in how they were to be governed.
And the result is that the uneducated masses now have too much power.
Irony at its best is deadly.
Talia I do not believe that the word ‘democracy’ was ever used during the Constitutional Convention or in the Federalist Papers. Democracy was not considered a positive word in the 18th century. Indeed, the Senate, with six year terms, as George Washington phrased it, was to ‘cool’ the actions of a possibly rambunctious House.
Until the 17th Amendment in 1913, Senators were elected by state legislatures. After that by a state’s electorate.
I believe technically the United States is a republic rather than a democracy. The word ‘democracy’ was highlighted in de Tocqueville’s 1835 book Democracy in America from which, I believe, Heather got her Letters from an American.
A republic is applied democracy- the direct election of delegates to bodies to represent our interests. The problem is that the required dedication to represent all of a constituecy has been eroded by people who are only beholden to specific groups within their constituencies, or, worse, who are beholden to the interests of people who are not even part of their constituency.
Anne As Socrates found, when a ‘democratic’ assembly in Athens condemned him to death for corrupting the youth, a shortcoming of ‘democracy’ is when the people seem wrong headed. Machiavelli, in his oft overlooked marvelous book on Livy, wrote that the least worst government is a republic with a highly educated middle class.
That 74 million Americans voted for Trump in 2020 would have been as puzzling for Machiavelli as it was to me.
Keith, reminder that Greek "democracy" more resembled that of the very early American version, only even more restricted as to who could participate. Indeed, I agree that a functioning democracy is messy, but the shortcomings are far-less than that of a wrong-headed autocrat. That also begs the question of whether our democracy is functional. It is still, and we know where the problems are. Our biggest impediment seems to be those "elected representatives" who do not share the actual values of the majority of the American people. As for Machiavelli, I think his wisdom is often overlooked (or misunderstood) by most of the people who are able to recognize his name outside his best known writing and the unfortunate distortion of his name as the adjective "Machiavellian", which does not reflect what he was trying to do. Written in Italian, not the then academic Latin, his book "The Prince", was satire, meant for a more popular audience as a warning of how politics can be manipulated against the interests of the people. I don't think he would be as puzzled by Trump as you think. He is more likely to recognize it as exactly what he was trying to warn against.
Keith, I do not know how useful it is to apply Machiavelli's Discourses to the USA's political abyss today. Can you comment on the following:
'Like The Prince, the Discourses on Livy admits of various interpretations. One view, elaborated separately in works by the political theorists J.G.A. Pocock and Quentin Skinner in the 1970s, stresses the work’s republicanism and locates Machiavelli in a republican tradition that starts with Aristotle (384–322 BC) and continues through the organization of the medieval city-states, the renewal of classical political philosophy in Renaissance humanism, and the establishment of the contemporary American republic.'
'This interpretation focuses on Machiavelli’s various pro-republican remarks, such as his statement that the multitude is wiser and more constant than a prince and his emphasis in the Discourses on Livy on the republican virtue of self-sacrifice as a way of combating corruption. Yet Machiavelli’s republicanism does not rest on the usual republican premise that power is safer in the hands of many than it is in the hands of one. To the contrary, he asserts that, to found or reform a republic, it is necessary to “be alone.” Any ordering must depend on a single mind; thus, Romulus “deserves excuse” for killing Remus, his brother and partner in the founding of Rome, because it was for the common good.'
'This statement is as close as Machiavelli ever came to saying “the end justifies the means,” a phrase closely associated with interpretations of The Prince.'
'Republics need the kind of leaders that Machiavelli describes in The Prince. These “princes in a republic” cannot govern in accordance with justice, because those who get what they deserve from them do not feel any obligation. Nor do those who are left alone feel grateful. Thus, a prince in a republic will have no “partisan friends” unless he learns “to kill the sons of Brutus,” using violence to make examples of enemies of the republic and, not incidentally, of himself.'
'To reform a corrupt state presupposes a good man, but to become a prince presupposes a bad man. Good men, Machiavelli claims, will almost never get power, and bad men will almost never use power for a good end. Yet, since republics become corrupt when the people lose the fear that compels them to obey, the people must be led back to their original virtue by sensational executions reminding them of punishment and reviving their fear.'
'The apparent solution to the problem is to let bad men gain glory through actions that have a good outcome, if not a good motive.' (Britannica)
The only thing that explains that 74 million is that the fear of "other" was so strong, and the hatred/anger so intoxicating (and the systemic destruction of our public school system so successful) that there really isn't a "highly educated middle class" any longer.
I recall a conversation with a former coworker around the 2016 election (cop, high school education from a rural community, not military but very tactically minded) and asking him just why he thought that someone with TFG's attitude towards women would be a good president, and he allowed as how he did not like that component of his personality, but thought that we should give a successful businessman a chance to run the country. I asked him to recall an administrator we had that was a "bean counter" and not someone who had the interests of line staff as a priority (this administrator was horrid, and really did some damage to our department); I then asked if that approach was something we should apply to the country. His reply was telling "well, maybe not, but I like his ideas." Sigh.
The US is a republic that elects its representatives in a democratic manner (ignoring the Electoral College).
Its other avowed purpose of the Electoral College was for the Electors to prevent the election of someone who wasn't "suitable" to lead the nation and/or a demagogue. That worked out well, didn't it?
Absolutely
We would rather commit political suicide, it seems
Jeri Unlike the Stench Court, I still have profound respect for the Constitution and its 27 Amendments. In my dreams I would like to change the wording of the 2nd Amendment and revise the Electoral College procedures [NOT in the way the Trumpites are endeavoring to do]. Then I wake up.
"It looks like now the Trump forces are going directly after the legal system itself and that should concern everyone.”
Before there was Trump, there were Federalist Society honcho and Opus Dei acolyte Leonard Leo, Rupert Murdoch, the Mercers and Kochs, - and Newt Gingrich and Mitch McConnell et al. There was the entire racist right wing religious extremist operation going back to the Civil War. And the unconscionable slave holder, then robber baron faction. And since Reagan they have strategically worked in concert to give the Republican party the incentives and abilities to fulfill their agenda.
While the left wing has indulged in a purity test and Pied Piper politics of personal expression - giving Republicans free rein and full power.
Here in Maine, independent candidates, following the self funding and self indulgence of child pornography creep Elliot Cutler, are at work in state and federal elections to once again hand Republicans elections. They blame Democrats for not being good enough for them - while they are complicit in every GOP atrocity and abuse.
As an obligate introvert and loner, groups of any kind have very little allure for me.
Ditto!
I am not an introvert. Group processes, joining groups, etc. are anathema to me; I cannot stand those! Not a joiner (except for this community, that is!)