Authoritarian prime minister Viktor Orbán of Hungary visited former president Trump in Florida on Friday, and on Sunday, Orbán assured Hungarian state media that Trump “will not give a penny in the Ukraine-Russia war. Therefore, the war will end, because it is obvious that Ukraine can not stand on its own feet.” Russian state media gloated at the news, and that Trump’s MAGA allies in Congress are already helping him end support for Ukraine.
How does trump keep getting away with this?!? We’re being torn apart and if something doesn’t happen soon, I’m afraid it will be irreparable. What can we the people do when the politicians and media won’t do their jobs?
Biden is doing a great job under unbelievable circumstances and is not being given close to enough credit for all he’s accomplished. How can so few hold us all hostage?
Thank you, Heather, for once again reminding us that we’ve been here before and our reluctance to aid democracies under attack didn’t end well. We have a choice now: send ammunition and equipment to Ukraine to stop Putin or send ammunition, equipment and US SOLDIERS to the first NATO country that Putin decides to attack after he defeats Ukraine.
Can someone explain to me why the House Republicans who WANT to fund Ukraine do not join with the Dems, vote out Johnson and then vote in a non-MAGA Republican?
I need a real answer on this. I'm doctor ordered (yes) not to read the news except Heather's letters. But for this I have searched and cannot find anything. They'd have safety in numbers; it's what Americans want; they KNOW it's absolutely critical and a disaster for the free world if it doesn't happen soon: I don't get it.
The design of our political system developed by the Founding Fathers was based one on assumption that we now can see was a fundamental flaw: The assumption that our elected representatives might differ on the way America could continuously become “a more perfect union” but that they would always act so as to keep America safe and secure from “all enemies both foreign and domestic”. They never imagined the “domestic enemies” of America would take over a major political party!
And, of course, in his Farewell Address, George Washington warned against the creation of separate political parties in the first place, knowing they would divide the nation. But that’s a subject for another time. 
TFG is a fool and only interested in his own financial and political advantage. He is a disgrace to this country and the presidency. Such words should be grounds for treason.
Once this is over—when Trump is defeated in November—we must put back the protections we all enjoyed that prevented propaganda as “news” reporting. The consolidation of media—traditional and social—is dividing us. We can’t count on the media to ferret out the story. No longer is the media working for truth. They are now slaves to profit and ratings. It’s disgusting. Vote blue in November so our national nightmare can end once and for all!
Lend-Lease was as important as said, but it did not go into action as easily as one might assume reading this account. Part of the law was that when American units upgraded their equipment, what they replaced was to be returned to the factories for reconditioning so they could be sent on to the allies through lend-lease. The American military, which was also beginning its expansion at this time, didn't want to let go of things. In April 1941 FDR had to sign a secret Executive Order formally ordering the military to get its actions in line with the policy. I personally saw the result of this back in 1995, when the paint was stripped from an American P-40C that had been retrieved from the forests outside Archangel in the USSR where it had laid since it was shot down i 1943. Under the Russian paint was American Olive Drab and Neutral Gray, and the markings of the 20th Pursuit Group, circa the summer of 1941. I was the only one in the hangar where the work was being done who recognized what I saw, being a serious scale airplane modeler. With the knowledge of the unit, I was able to put the airplane back "into history." The 20th PG had traded in their P-40Cs for P-40Es in June 1941, and the 48 P-40Cs were returned to the Curtiss Airplane factory in Buffalo. One June 22, 1941, Hitler attacked the USSR, and Churchill immediately offered his old enemy Stalin an unconditional alliance, and as proof he was serious, he directed that 100 P-40s that were on Lend-Lease to Britain be diverted to the Soviet Union. There was no paperwork to any of this, but what happened was Curtiss was stuck with 48 P-40s it didn't know what to do with that were the same type going to Britain, so they disassembled them, crated them up, and sent them as half of the 100 sent to the USSR (and got paid for them a second time). When they got to Murmansk, the Russians didn't care how they were painted, they painted their colors over them and they went into battle. And one survived in the forest for 60 years as a wreck until it was pulled and returned first to Britain, then sent on to Planes of Fame here to restore, and was later sold to Paul Allen. Today it sits in his museum up in Seattle, the only actual evidence of FDR's secret order.
When the Japanese attacked us, the British and Soviets were worried we would cut back on Lend-Lease and at first that's exactly what the War Department did, embargoing military exports. It took the British and Soviet ambassadors directly appealing to FDR to get that order rescinded at the end of January 1942, and L-L was restored.
For those interested, Doris Kearns Goodwin's "No Ordinary Time", a history of FDR's moves to prepare for war beginning in May 1940 when France was attacked, and the politics he used to run the war, is a solid source and very well-written. I've used it as a source for three of my books.
I said it when Congress killed the Border Bill - IT WAS NEVER ABOUT THE BORDER! It’s about doing Putin’s bidding. With Democrats, all Putin gets from America is law and order; his influence and his concentrated wealth buy him nothing here. But with the MAGA Republicans, who have equated money with legislation favorable to the wealthy, Putin and his oligarchs have real-world power. And the simplicity of a half-dozen or so men ruling the world appeals to those who want to abandon the messy and pedantic rule of law.
As I recall (and remember I was 6 years old in 1939, so it might be faulty) FDR was opposed by the Republicans then, as Joe Biden is opposed by the formerly Republican party today, for trying to aid the "common" man and America from her foes. Obviously history does repeat itself. if not exactly pretty damned close. I just hope the maggots don't get us into WW3 in their effort to help Putin.
Thank you Heather, for laying it down so clearly. Your, I hesitate to say followers, but how about appreciators, are certainly on the same page as you. But lately, you are taking a much stronger stance, owing to the gravity of our situation, at home and abroad. Stepping beyond your academic mantle is a welcome expansion of your presenatation in your letters.
Does the Brian Butler story today pair well with the latest on U.S. Republicans supporting dictators?
Butler was just helping the orange fat guy deceive and cheat the U.S. authorities, but how many others holding higher office have been doing similarly for dictators and thieves such as Orban, Erdogan, Putin?
Think smirking Speaker of the House Howdy Doody. Think justices on the Clarence court conveniently forgetting the oath they took to the U.S. Constitution, which happens to have an Article 14, section three. Think so many Republican members of Congress who also conveniently forget the oaths they took.
Our Heather celebrates history -- the Brits who stood up to Hitler in that darkest hour. F.D.R. who galvanized U.S. Lend Lease for the few still standing for democracy then.
Good lessons all. Good for one thing -- good for the many more millions of Americans who may also turn out in massive numbers by this November to annihilate, overcome all that U.S. white trash, all those bribed by the cynical U.S. billionaire classes, all those illiterate to democracy and to America's and the world's great humanities undergirding it, which in America should overwhelmingly triumph by this November.
Gnashing of teeth and preaching to the choir are worthless self-flagellation. This year is a time for ACTION, what I did on three presidential campaigns for Obama and Hillary when I was younger and still able. From my home in the Santa Cruz Mountains, about 70 miles S of San Francisco, I drove about 320 miles NE to work around Reno, Carson City, NV, and several small towns knocking on doors, running errands, spending time on the phones. Local supporters opened their spare bedrooms to me, and to other volunteers. I was retired, and could do that. I blew out both knees running up and down stairs in Reno in 2016 for Hillary (many of our voters live in low cost housing), so at 82, my wife and I are reduced to sending money.
Please don't waste your time and energy venting here, trying to make yourself feel good. Get off your butt and DO something. Volunteers are often needed in swing states on weekends. Volunteers are hand-writing letters and postcards to voters in swing states. My wife has done that. Spend your vacation time saving the democracy! All of the volunteer work I did was VERY satisfying, and I met a LOT of great people. I met Jon Tester in a small town in NV when he came to campaign for Obama in 2008, Harry Reid and Chicago Congressman Luis Gutierrez in Sparks on later campaigns. That's in addition to the great volunteers I worked with.
Many of us live close enough to swing states to spend time there -- NV was mine, there's PA, OH, MI, WI, NC. And there are Senate and House races we can work on. Every seat matters! Don't talk about "what the Democrats are doing" -- that's US. Get off your butt and DO something. If you've got some spare cash, SPEND it on our Democracy, rather than a vacation!
I'm a White guy from WV, a veteran of the Civil Rights Movement in Chicago and in Cairo, Il. It was hard work, often challenging, but extremely satisfying. My kids respect me more because I did it. Give yours another reason to respect YOU more! And give them a country!
How does trump keep getting away with this?!? We’re being torn apart and if something doesn’t happen soon, I’m afraid it will be irreparable. What can we the people do when the politicians and media won’t do their jobs?
Biden is doing a great job under unbelievable circumstances and is not being given close to enough credit for all he’s accomplished. How can so few hold us all hostage?
Thank you, Heather, for once again reminding us that we’ve been here before and our reluctance to aid democracies under attack didn’t end well. We have a choice now: send ammunition and equipment to Ukraine to stop Putin or send ammunition, equipment and US SOLDIERS to the first NATO country that Putin decides to attack after he defeats Ukraine.
Is Trump selling national security secrets he stole to now help pay for the $500 million he owes in court judgments?
Will we ever have proof of what seems quite plausible if not likely?
Can someone explain to me why the House Republicans who WANT to fund Ukraine do not join with the Dems, vote out Johnson and then vote in a non-MAGA Republican?
I need a real answer on this. I'm doctor ordered (yes) not to read the news except Heather's letters. But for this I have searched and cannot find anything. They'd have safety in numbers; it's what Americans want; they KNOW it's absolutely critical and a disaster for the free world if it doesn't happen soon: I don't get it.
The design of our political system developed by the Founding Fathers was based one on assumption that we now can see was a fundamental flaw: The assumption that our elected representatives might differ on the way America could continuously become “a more perfect union” but that they would always act so as to keep America safe and secure from “all enemies both foreign and domestic”. They never imagined the “domestic enemies” of America would take over a major political party!
And, of course, in his Farewell Address, George Washington warned against the creation of separate political parties in the first place, knowing they would divide the nation. But that’s a subject for another time. 
We are so screwed!
TFG is a fool and only interested in his own financial and political advantage. He is a disgrace to this country and the presidency. Such words should be grounds for treason.
Once this is over—when Trump is defeated in November—we must put back the protections we all enjoyed that prevented propaganda as “news” reporting. The consolidation of media—traditional and social—is dividing us. We can’t count on the media to ferret out the story. No longer is the media working for truth. They are now slaves to profit and ratings. It’s disgusting. Vote blue in November so our national nightmare can end once and for all!
Lend-Lease was as important as said, but it did not go into action as easily as one might assume reading this account. Part of the law was that when American units upgraded their equipment, what they replaced was to be returned to the factories for reconditioning so they could be sent on to the allies through lend-lease. The American military, which was also beginning its expansion at this time, didn't want to let go of things. In April 1941 FDR had to sign a secret Executive Order formally ordering the military to get its actions in line with the policy. I personally saw the result of this back in 1995, when the paint was stripped from an American P-40C that had been retrieved from the forests outside Archangel in the USSR where it had laid since it was shot down i 1943. Under the Russian paint was American Olive Drab and Neutral Gray, and the markings of the 20th Pursuit Group, circa the summer of 1941. I was the only one in the hangar where the work was being done who recognized what I saw, being a serious scale airplane modeler. With the knowledge of the unit, I was able to put the airplane back "into history." The 20th PG had traded in their P-40Cs for P-40Es in June 1941, and the 48 P-40Cs were returned to the Curtiss Airplane factory in Buffalo. One June 22, 1941, Hitler attacked the USSR, and Churchill immediately offered his old enemy Stalin an unconditional alliance, and as proof he was serious, he directed that 100 P-40s that were on Lend-Lease to Britain be diverted to the Soviet Union. There was no paperwork to any of this, but what happened was Curtiss was stuck with 48 P-40s it didn't know what to do with that were the same type going to Britain, so they disassembled them, crated them up, and sent them as half of the 100 sent to the USSR (and got paid for them a second time). When they got to Murmansk, the Russians didn't care how they were painted, they painted their colors over them and they went into battle. And one survived in the forest for 60 years as a wreck until it was pulled and returned first to Britain, then sent on to Planes of Fame here to restore, and was later sold to Paul Allen. Today it sits in his museum up in Seattle, the only actual evidence of FDR's secret order.
When the Japanese attacked us, the British and Soviets were worried we would cut back on Lend-Lease and at first that's exactly what the War Department did, embargoing military exports. It took the British and Soviet ambassadors directly appealing to FDR to get that order rescinded at the end of January 1942, and L-L was restored.
For those interested, Doris Kearns Goodwin's "No Ordinary Time", a history of FDR's moves to prepare for war beginning in May 1940 when France was attacked, and the politics he used to run the war, is a solid source and very well-written. I've used it as a source for three of my books.
"In his defense of the middle class as the engine of economic growth and his declaration that the days of trickle-down economics are over, "
In fact, they never even dripped.
I said it when Congress killed the Border Bill - IT WAS NEVER ABOUT THE BORDER! It’s about doing Putin’s bidding. With Democrats, all Putin gets from America is law and order; his influence and his concentrated wealth buy him nothing here. But with the MAGA Republicans, who have equated money with legislation favorable to the wealthy, Putin and his oligarchs have real-world power. And the simplicity of a half-dozen or so men ruling the world appeals to those who want to abandon the messy and pedantic rule of law.
RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA! It was always RUSSIA!
As I recall (and remember I was 6 years old in 1939, so it might be faulty) FDR was opposed by the Republicans then, as Joe Biden is opposed by the formerly Republican party today, for trying to aid the "common" man and America from her foes. Obviously history does repeat itself. if not exactly pretty damned close. I just hope the maggots don't get us into WW3 in their effort to help Putin.
Thank you Heather, for laying it down so clearly. Your, I hesitate to say followers, but how about appreciators, are certainly on the same page as you. But lately, you are taking a much stronger stance, owing to the gravity of our situation, at home and abroad. Stepping beyond your academic mantle is a welcome expansion of your presenatation in your letters.
“It appears as though Trump is deliberately undermining the national security of the United States.” Trump is a traitor.
Does the Brian Butler story today pair well with the latest on U.S. Republicans supporting dictators?
Butler was just helping the orange fat guy deceive and cheat the U.S. authorities, but how many others holding higher office have been doing similarly for dictators and thieves such as Orban, Erdogan, Putin?
Think smirking Speaker of the House Howdy Doody. Think justices on the Clarence court conveniently forgetting the oath they took to the U.S. Constitution, which happens to have an Article 14, section three. Think so many Republican members of Congress who also conveniently forget the oaths they took.
Our Heather celebrates history -- the Brits who stood up to Hitler in that darkest hour. F.D.R. who galvanized U.S. Lend Lease for the few still standing for democracy then.
Good lessons all. Good for one thing -- good for the many more millions of Americans who may also turn out in massive numbers by this November to annihilate, overcome all that U.S. white trash, all those bribed by the cynical U.S. billionaire classes, all those illiterate to democracy and to America's and the world's great humanities undergirding it, which in America should overwhelmingly triumph by this November.
Orban speaking on behalf of trump is akin to nailing the coffin shut on trump's presidential campaign!
imagine the conservative slogan this year: Trump/Orban 2024
We can't make this up! Thank God conservatives group together in a proverbial circular, firing squad
Gnashing of teeth and preaching to the choir are worthless self-flagellation. This year is a time for ACTION, what I did on three presidential campaigns for Obama and Hillary when I was younger and still able. From my home in the Santa Cruz Mountains, about 70 miles S of San Francisco, I drove about 320 miles NE to work around Reno, Carson City, NV, and several small towns knocking on doors, running errands, spending time on the phones. Local supporters opened their spare bedrooms to me, and to other volunteers. I was retired, and could do that. I blew out both knees running up and down stairs in Reno in 2016 for Hillary (many of our voters live in low cost housing), so at 82, my wife and I are reduced to sending money.
Please don't waste your time and energy venting here, trying to make yourself feel good. Get off your butt and DO something. Volunteers are often needed in swing states on weekends. Volunteers are hand-writing letters and postcards to voters in swing states. My wife has done that. Spend your vacation time saving the democracy! All of the volunteer work I did was VERY satisfying, and I met a LOT of great people. I met Jon Tester in a small town in NV when he came to campaign for Obama in 2008, Harry Reid and Chicago Congressman Luis Gutierrez in Sparks on later campaigns. That's in addition to the great volunteers I worked with.
Many of us live close enough to swing states to spend time there -- NV was mine, there's PA, OH, MI, WI, NC. And there are Senate and House races we can work on. Every seat matters! Don't talk about "what the Democrats are doing" -- that's US. Get off your butt and DO something. If you've got some spare cash, SPEND it on our Democracy, rather than a vacation!
I'm a White guy from WV, a veteran of the Civil Rights Movement in Chicago and in Cairo, Il. It was hard work, often challenging, but extremely satisfying. My kids respect me more because I did it. Give yours another reason to respect YOU more! And give them a country!