So, let me get this straight, Madison Cawthorn smuggles multiple weapons into the US capitol then distributes them to his right wing congressional pals? Isn't that an illegal transfer of firearms? If he was taped saying this on Charlie Kirk's show on January 6th, 2021, why isn't he, and anyone else who did the same thing, in jail? Do these people really get a pass just because they hold a seat in the House, (or Senate, if applicable)?
Actually, they get a pass because of the stupendous timidity of Kevin McCarthy. We should all hope, for our country's sake, that McCarthy fails to become Speaker of the House. He's the big guy in his party. And he won't do anything to discipline gun toters or racists. What else does one need to know about his character?
Democrats need to keep the majority in the House. McCarthy is from a very conservative area of California so I think he’s likely to be re-elected. But I’ve also heard that if we turn out the voters we can retain our House majority.
Unfortunately, if the Republicans take control of the House, it won't be Kevin McCarthy as speaker. It will be the abominable Jim Jordan. That is why we absolutely MUST focus on holding the House!
The thought of Jim Jordan wresting control of the speaker's gavel is terrifying. Is there any other GOP leader more often on the wrong side of issues and more vocal about it? If FOX starts cheering him on, it will be all he needs. Ugh.
White conservative evangelicals will support GOP candidates in the midterms, read "Jesus & John Wayne", a disturbing book. It is imperative that Republicans do not win the Senate, or the House. Their conservative evangelical base does not trust science, nor reason to cope with the problems we encounter. They offer no HOPE for the future of America but only seek the power to transform our culture. As a theologian, I am inspired by Dietrich Bonhoeffer to confront their "cheap grace theology". This is why I support the poorpeolescampaign.org & their theology which glorifies God, read "We Cry Justice".
I have the book but haven't read it yet! My Republican friend started reading it and responded to me that it was clear that it was written by a Democrat! And I thought yes you would think that because of being addicted to Fox Entertainment Channel for years!
It was written by a professor from Calvin University. Tell your friend to read "The Power Worshippers" or "American Fascists" which also discuss the disturbing history of conservative evangelicals, & the GOP.
In which case, I hope it is just timid. Regardless, not fit for the Speaker's gavel. Though someone else mentioned the possibility that he could lose out to Jim Jordan. That horror show is, if possible, even worse.
Cathy, I couldn’t reasonably hide more than a few pistols in my chair. Not that I have tried, mind you.... He is an embarrassment to veterans. Good night, all. Beauty sleep, and all that.
That low??? 80 is barely functional, and not deriding people with low IQs. But our congressional representatives need a higher bar. But NO IQ tests - come on
100 in the Stanford-Binet is exactly "normal" intelligence. It means the person taking the test has age-appropriate intelligence. That's why "genius" IQ is so relatively low (125-165): The assumption is that a 10 year old is responding in ways that a 12-16 year-old might. So, yes, I'd be happy if the bar was set at 100. IQ represents potentiality, not performance. Looking at the crop of slubberdegullions in the extreme right of the GOP ranks has me thinking they're not performant due to laziness; it's because they don't have the necessary reasoning/problem-solving abilities baked in their brains.
He is a spoiled, arrogant little snot. Nothing short of jail time would make an impression on him. Sadly, he would use his disability to wangle special treatment while incarcerated.
It’s just another case of the “haves and the have nots”…it seems those in government or with $$$$$$ can get away with most everything. “I can shoot someone on 5th Avenue… I can grab their pussy”….And why is Matt Gaetz still walking free and then there is Prince Andrew lurking in the shadow of Epstein. 🤯
At least it would merit a thorough investigation as the "gentleman" in question has rarely been associated with telling the truth. This could be the one exception or indeed an attempt to further curry favour with you know who.
Listened to the Met's concert for Ukraine yesterday which started with the their national anthem. It ended with Ode to Joy from Beethoven's 9th. Inspiring people and music.
I guess the evangelical Putin lovers are good with the death of the pregnant woman and baby at Putin's hands. This is the party of "life." They have aligned with the devil. I am so disgusted and angry.
From where I stand, those who cry loudest about the purity of their Christian faith are often the ones whose acts are the most anathematic and whose love of neighbor only favor white racist, homophobic bigots.
Were Jesus to come back to earth today, because of his principles he would be excluded from evangelical churches. I find core tenets of Jesus in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. I do not find these in evangelical mega churches.
Core tenets of the world's religions all contain an element of how the aristocrats should treat the peasants, not that it has made a whole lot of difference.
Totally AGREE Keith. Evangelical mega churches are really really a new kind of Christianity---and those associated with Dominionism (like one in Fort Worth TX featured in the NYT )are even worse. It's really Christian Sharia Law (except that is an insult to true Islam and the teachings of Mohammed). end of the rant. but it will happen again on this topic. Someone in the field of Religion/History needs to take on an analysis of this---perhaps someone has (I'm not as involved as I used to be :-) ) Take care everyone. Peace and Courage.
Has been so for years, the “big switch” (when I noticed) came when Karl Rove made churches arms of the Republican Party, or made giant strides in the effort. Some resisted but the majority cozied up to the power play.
Well said. There is no Christianity (as it is trumpeted to be) there. I long ago lost any belief that following their version of Christ was not anything that was good for me.
Ally, Thank you for coming to the aid of me this morning. Allen just responded to me. Tanya's doing fine. He thinks because she got over the cold a little while back. He expects that they'll leave for Canada in a week.
Lois DITTO. I”Onward Christian soldiers, marching off to war, with the cross of Jesus”came to mind as I later studied the Crusades, when the Crusaders often were bloody avengers and Moslem Saladin responded in a ‘most Christian” manner.
Jesus heading an army is as ridiculous as Putin heading a Buddhist retreat focusing on love thy neighbor. Barbara Tuchman, in THE FOLLIES OF HISTORY, describes venal Julius II leading his ‘Christian warriors.’ AWWWK
No, but it has weapons from wars embedded in the flooring---you can walk on your enemies symbolically---just as the Egyptian pharaohs placed their feet on the images of enemies on their footstool when they sat on their throne. Lots of ritual there then and now.
This is a potent symbol/reality----alliance of church/eschatological vision, "greater Russia" and a violent, aggressive, jealous, vengeful (I could go on) Putin. Explosive mixture. The imagery is overwhelming (secular Icons---Stalin!!; in a way a "sacred" history; Kiev is a spiritual center for the MOSCOW patriarch---explains a lot! Same for the Crimea. Moscow wants what Kiev has in terms of sacred places. No total explanation, but just another piece in the puzzle.
putin always promotes 'traditional values' and decries the lack of 'family values.' he blames the low russian birth rate on the 'gay agenda.' (this business is probably why brittney griner was arrested. a 6'9" black lesbian who plays on the ekaterinberg championship team, she is more than putin can bear.) the low birth rate in russia goes back a long way, has little to do with any gay agenda. the soviet union fell apart not because reagan made the cold war too expensive, but because there weren't enough russians to hold it together any longer. too few russians were trying to control too many non-russians. it's even more difficult for them today. the low birth rate in russia? for awhile it was government policy. nowadays the fact is, russian women don't like russian men, and don't want to marry them. they marry foreigners whenever they get the chance, and leave russia.
Well said. Russian women also know the reality of the soviet feminism hypocrisy.
"too few russians were trying to control too many non-russians." I'll say it again: Xi Jinping claimed it takes autocracy to deal with the complexity of the modern world. Autocrats refuses to even see complexity as anything but a threat.
USSR collapsed largely because there were not enough people understanding and making the ressource distribution and development decisions. In Western economies the whole of the people do, and need to, get involved. Otherwise as you say complexity really provides them with the challenge they can't meet....see the logistical bugbears grinding Putin's invading forces to a halt.
Stuart The Soviets, with their Five Year Plans, sought to allocate resources from the top down and counted on a captive market. East Germany had the best Soviet empire computer company. When the Berlin Wall came down, this company went bankrupt. It’s computers were five generations behind those in the West. Ditto with some large manufacturing plants where the workers’ joke was “You pretend to pay us and we pretend to work.”
With all its oddities, the market place is the best way to work out the complexities of price, supply, and demand. Unfortunately, we have drifted into monopolies, where two or three companies dominant a market—meat packing and petroleum are just two examples.
Remember, Adam Smith in THE WEALTH OF NATIONS warned that businessmen, when they had an opportunity, would get together to try to fix the market.
Re your last point: I am seriously concerned that the big autocracies (Russia, China) are going to be extremely formidable if they fully align in this war. China can fund. Russia will continue to take as many lives as possible.
America has threatened China if they do support Russia. What levers do they have? I really can’t think of many that wouldn’t rebound tremendously back on America. It has been offshoring to China for 40 years. If anything, I would guess China has an economic stranglehold on America.
It appears that the pain of this local act of ugly aggression is going to be felt far beyond the area soon.
I also think that NATO cannot be held hostage to the nuclear threat forever. At some point we may have to let go of the stereotype of Putin as a deranged madman and see him for what he is - rationally, despicably evil.
China has an interesting dilemma here. As you said lots of business from the the U. S. We are one of the largest economies in the world. Do they risk that? We shall see.
'Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin appear to have strong personal ties. For example, the two discussed Ukraine during a phone call on Friday, with Xi simply stating that negotiations are desirable. There was no indication that Xi criticized Putin.'
'At the same time, China knows supporting Russia’s invasion would seriously damage its already strained relationships with the wealthy democracies that are its main trading partners, such as the United States, European Union countries, and Japan. Ties with these countries are already as bad as they have been since China began its policy of reform and opening in the 1970s. If China sided with Russia, such as by offering economic relief or agreeing to veto sanctions in the UN Security Council, then it would be hard to salvage those ties. Instead, most wealthy democracies would perceive China and Russia as being in a 1950s-style communist alliance. This would make it almost impossible for many countries to restart any form of engagement with China.' (CouncilonForeignRelations) See link below.
'The White House has warned China not to provide Russia with an economic lifeline as the Kremlin steps up its onslaught on Ukraine. The U.S. says it fears China, a key strategic ally of Moscow, may seek to cushion the impact of measures designed to destroy Russia’s economy if the war continues'
'There are concerns among market participants that Chinese companies could soon become embroiled in financial penalties after reports that Moscow had asked Beijing for assistance to support its Ukraine invasion' (cnbc) See link below.
Those are good points. I hadn’t fully explored in my mind what the downside is for China. Their (at least overt) hesitation to pump aid to Russia was a bit of a surprise to me. Especially as they are in a near parallel situation with Taiwan.
But they are an economic behemoth now. And they throw their weight around internally (Uighur) without much concern for the opinion of the West.
Eric, Your opening line, 'I am seriously concerned that the big autocracies (Russia, China) are going to be extremely formidable if they fully align in this war. China can fund.' raised questions and doubts in my mind. I didn't think that China would fully buy into Putin's war against Ukraine and doubted that would or could fund. Thus began our useful exchange.
The following may be of interest to you concerning China's role. I think this genocidal-like enterprise of Putin's is not conforming to his expectations.
'Can China, by offering itself as an alternative trading partner, bail out Putin’s economy?'
'No, it can’t.'
'Let’s talk first about the impact of those sanctions.'
'One thing the West conspicuously hasn’t done is try to block Russian sales of oil and gas — the country’s principal exports. Oh, the United States might ban imports of Russian oil, but this would be a symbolic gesture: Oil is traded on a global market, so this would just reshuffle trade a bit, and in any case U.S. imports from Russia account for only about 5 percent of Russian production.' (NYTimes, Krugman)
In addition, 'Russia, which currently sends natural gas to China via the Power of Siberia gas link, has been holding talks with the Asian nation over another major long-term deal for supplies via Mongolia. Currently, Russian gas-pipeline infrastructure isn’t capable of west- or eastbound redirections of gas flows. However, if the deal is reached, an interconnector will be built, decreasing Russia’s dependence on Europe to buy its energy.' (Al Jazeera Media Network)
'The West has, however, largely cut off Russia’s access to the world banking system, which is a very big deal. Russian exporters may be able to get their stuff out of the country, but it’s now hard for them to get paid. Probably even more important, it’s hard for Russia to pay for imports — sorry, but you can’t carry out modern international trade with briefcases full of $100 bills. In fact, even Russian trade that remains legally permitted seems to be drying up as Western companies that fear further restrictions and a political backlash engage in “self-sanctioning.”
'How much does this matter? The Russian elite can live without Prada handbags, but Western pharmaceuticals are another matter. In any case, consumer goods are only about a third of Russia’s imports. The rest are capital goods, intermediate goods — that is, components used in the production of other goods — and raw materials. These are things Russia needs to keep its economy running, and their absence may cause important sectors to grind to a halt. There are already suggestions, for example, that the cutoff of spare parts and servicing may quickly cripple Russia’s domestic aviation, a big problem in such a huge country.'
'But can China provide Putin with an economic lifeline? I’d say no, for four reasons.'
'First, China, despite being an economic powerhouse, isn’t in a position to supply some things Russia needs, like spare parts for Western-made airplanes and high-end semiconductor chips.'
'Second, while China itself isn’t joining in the sanctions, it is deeply integrated into the world economy. This means that Chinese banks and other businesses, like Western corporations, may engage in self-sanctioning — that is, they’ll be reluctant to deal with Russia for fear of a backlash from consumers and regulators in more important markets.'
'Third, China and Russia are very far apart geographically. Yes, they share a border. But most of Russia’s economy is west of the Urals, while most of China’s is near its east coast. Beijing is 3,500 miles from Moscow, and the only practical way to move stuff across that vast expanse is via a handful of train lines that are already overstressed.'
'Finally, a point I don’t think gets enough emphasis is the extreme difference in economic power between Russia and China.'
'Some politicians are warning about a possible “arc of autocracy” reminiscent of the World War II Axis — and given the atrocities underway, that’s not an outlandish comparison. But the partners in any such arc would be wildly unequal.'
'Putin may dream of restoring Soviet-era greatness, but China’s economy, which was roughly the same size as Russia’s 30 years ago, is now 10 times as large. For comparison, Germany’s gross domestic product was only two and a half times Italy’s when the original Axis was formed.'
'So if you try to imagine the creation of some neofascist alliance — and again, that no longer sounds like extreme language — it would be one in which Russia would be very much the junior partner, indeed very nearly a Chinese client state. Presumably that’s not what Putin, with his imperial dreams, has in mind.'
'China, then, can’t insulate Russia from the consequences of the Ukraine invasion. It’s true that the economic squeeze on Russia would be even tighter if China joined the democratic world in punishing aggression. But that squeeze is looking very severe even without Chinese participation. Russia is going to pay a very high price, in money as well as blood, for Putin’s megalomania.'(NYTimes,Krugman) See link below.
Good post Eric. I also see India aligning to fund Russia because they see it as strategically possible. Israel remains way to quiet because they want to crush the Palestinians. Meanwhile I wonder what African nations and South America are contemplating.
Putin’s ‘family values’ include having a mistress (and children with her) long before he divorced his wife and then tucking his mistress and four children in a secluded Swiss chalet while he murders thousands of children in Ukraine. There are divisions within the Russian Orthodox Church as to whether Putin’s ‘family values’ are godly.
Of course, all this is just talk from him and the Rs here. And they all would see to it that abortion would be available to their mistresses if need be.
Meanwhile, slaughtering your neighboring country integrated through family to Ukraine. I’m beyond….a maternity hospital and your kin…how does that meet their concern as white supremests, that they’re numbers are dwindling.🤯
Heartbreaking and crimes against humanity! I have to cry to see people lining up to cross a border to safety. Leaving behind everything and hoping to keep family together and able to continue. Little children. Over and over. What’s also tragic is this war is televised and we’re helpless to stop it. Or are we?
I watched war with my dinner in the 60’s. I can’t do it again. I catch up in the morning (early, it seems), and deal with the vagaries of old age otherwise.
Yes. The Secret Sauce “ is to get as many Allies involved to make Putin’s life a living Hell ! They are asking to have dialogue. Ukraine’s answer is “ Only if you stop bombing “. So hopefully VZ will have a better outlook to report to Congress on Wednesday ?
Happily there remain a few Kitzingers and Cheneys around to represent the classic, small "d" democratic opposition and on which they survivors of this storm can build
/s/ So long as that baby was born and breathing air, it was fair game. The only time it's off limits is between conception and birth. /S/. Oh man, I'm so burnt out on the hypocrisy.
Well-said. I am similarly disgusted and angry with little tangible to do other than to contribute to several of the humanitarian efforts to help the Ukrainian people.
They are the party of death in so many ways. And hatred of course. They ought to take WWJD much more seriously and maybe read the first three Gospels. I haven't seen a report on the week long 24 hour a day campout on the capitol grounds here in Salem lately. I hope they are miserably wet.
There is nothing pro-life about those killing, abusing and/or instilling terror and fear into other humans, especially children, PERIOD! For shame is their claim to be Godly and righteous!! This piece really hit home for me as I was weaned on Developmental Trauma which brainwashes its victims and leaves them in a helpless death march, and then repeats the self/other-hatred cycle onto the next generation until we stop it! I am living proof of this phenomenon and know the abject horror I speak of, and I am so grateful to now be free of that lie (and alive). I know 100% the only thing that can save our species from the manmade hell wrought of unloved and tormented egos is LOVE, ONE LOVE for all creation!
This tactic, indeed all the social media manipulation tactics, have been tested and proven right here in the US, right down to the phrase 'crisis actor'. That the US didn't take a more active and involved role in mitigation of this tripe being pedaled through silicon valley is pretty reprehensible. But then, when you look at who's on the board of these private companies and who is downstream in the largesse they produce, it's reasonably easy to comprehend both the potential for mayhem and the political apathy to do something about it.
I am urging everyone in this group, as we struggle with more than we can grasp or fix, to use your assets and gifts. Use what you have, and work at what you are good at, in other words. If we try to do it all, we will be overcome by overload and a helpless sense of guilt.
Some have wealth; there is much need. Climate, candidates, humanitarian Ukraine issues.
Some are very good with politics. Others, like me, aren’t; we are needed elsewhere.
Some of us are experts in information and teaching, as is our professor.
Some are gifted scientists, already at work on global climate and ecology.
Some are counselors and healers. Keep us healthy and wise, and ethical.
Some are spiritually gifted. There is great power to be used. Love, and Light!
Some are experts at Law, or communication, or government, or motivation.
We need Mothers and Workers and Helpers, to make it all happen.
I could go on, but don’t waste energy on worry or frustration!
Lift where you stand. Use what you have. Employ your gifts. Keep your heads!
This group has an abundance of unique individuals, whom I admire and learn from! Every single one of you contributes wisdom, knowledge, inspiration, and so much more to each other, by your expertise, experience, even your thoughtful questions. There is a Reason we have found each other, some to learn, some to teach, others to motivate. I find that I need you all, and I’m so glad to be here, and able to offer what I have to the ‘pot.’ Thank you all!
Lynell, Yes, I was very lucky! One of my very best friend's dad was on his Secret Service detail, but he won't tell me nuthin! Jimmy Carter is the only president I ever met, and up until Presidents Obama and Biden, the only president I ever truly believed -- and believed IN. Absolutely no guile in any of these men.
I love this, Gus. I am an old woman, and I am finally learning from HCR and you all. I wish I was younger, but I really think I may have lived mentally blind during the "glory days". It is going to take more strength in the future than I have currently! I am still fighting but I get tired!
Sharon, I so sympathize with you! I'm almost 72, and don't regret anything about it -- except in these times I do wish to be 20 years younger because I believe I could do so much more to help. Of course, 20 years ago I was "mentally blind" myself!
Please remember: your health comes first! Do whatever you can to de-stress; we ancients are especially vulnerable to stress....and the world needs us right now! Thank you!
I am starting to feel the stress. Now with running for Treasurer of my county and never experiencing campaigning in all my 78 years I am totally stressed. I don't want to lose in a Republican county!
Yes, music. I read a report that a group of Ukranians hunkered down in a shelter kept singing, both to keep spirits up and because it helped keep them warm.
A young Ukrainian girl sang in a basement bomb shelter. And Yo-Yo Ma (a great mensch all his life) played the cello last week outside the Russian Embassy, in honor of Ukrainians, and many orchestras play and/or sing the Ukrainian national anthem before concerts.
I also saw, and wept, as a woman took the dust cover off her white piano and played some Chopin before she left it and the rubble of what was once her home. You can see her too, here:
Dear Gus, I restate what I have said before: if you and I were in school together, you would be the kid I'd try to sit next to. Thank you for your light and loving posts. They almost always lift me up in some way. You are a gift to us.
Becky, I didn't hear it the first time, but thank you so much! I can't read more than maybe 200 posts and letter, someday not that many. But thank you! You could find me at the very front in the classes I liked, and the very back in the ones I didn't. Or in the principal's office....
Becky, I'm afraid you would lose that bet! Over the years we did have a pretty good relationship. My offenses probably wouldn't warrant detention today, and the Army did a good job of working out my rebellious kinks.
YES, Daria! We have to have the Artists! I left out so many gifts and talents, but we all know what we have, and this group is richly endowed. I just don't want anyone to burn out or blow a fuse at the enormity of need in these times. Thanks for the compliment.
And bless you, Gus. I think your posts today must be the reason I am up and reading LFAA this early in the morning. (I am famously not a morning person.) At this point I really needed to hear this. I am trying out here, and making some headway, but yesterday someone went head to head on me out of the blue over some imagined slight. We are all so stressed, and so invested that sometimes it gets too much. Thank you for the wisdom you just gave us, and your reminder to focus on what we CAN do, not on trying to all do the same thing. Bless YOU.
I don't know where in the Pacific Northwet you are, but sending you a blast of love from Eugene, OR. (Northwet is intentional this morning; we've had steady rain since I went to band rehearsal last night.)
Thanks for the blast of love, Ally. I needed it. I wish I were still in the PacNW where I grew up, went to college, raised my family. You just gave me a taste of why I miss it so much. Sadly, I am currently stuck in Vermont, which has its own merits, but misses feeling like home for me.
I was born in PDX during the war. Parents moved to southern Oregon post-war, where I grew up, started college and married. Moved to Portland, raised my kids and finished college as a single parent. Joined my brothers in Washington State, went to grad school and started working for State of WA (environmental specialist) my second term in. Love both those states: that is home to me. Here in VT, we are just emerging from what I hope is our last big snowstorm, the sun is coming out, and the air has a decided spring feel to it. This is the first real "Vermont winter" that we've had in about a decade. I'm ready for rain.
I started at SOC (as it was then) in 1965! Still have friends from that era. One is a "brother from another mother" I've known since the year between jr high and senior high, who still lives there, retired from teaching at SOU. When I can get out there, I always make a special trip to visit him and his family, stay at least a week. They are family. My original extended family was just about its own community in the western hills of the valley. But with the elders dying out, and younger people going afield, I don't think I have any blood relatives there now. Most in Washington, pretty close to each other (we tend to be like that. Though "stuck in Vermont" (we have a tongue in cheek tv show by that name), I do have a family here: my daughter came out to go to school, meet a nice young man, and ended up staying. I have been adopted by their friends and families of their friends, and by my son-in-law's family. It all amazes me.
Thank you for this as always Professor. My jaw dropped at the Tweet about Cawthorne and although it tracks, and falls squarely into the “no shit, Sherlock” category of politics, it is still just GOBSMACKING to see it laid out there. As always you do this work for us and how can we even quantify how many person-hours of doomscrolling you save us all?!?
Thank you for another profound "Letter from an American." I am grateful every day for the work you do for us assembling, analyzing, and reporting on the important topics each and every day! And accompanying it all with documentation allowing us to get a deeper understanding. Thank you is not forceful enough to convey what you give us your readers.
Thank you Kathleen for the words i could not assemble as I read Professor Richardson’s letter tonight. I can’t seem to get my head around the events unfolding on this planet. It’s hard to comprehend the terror the Ukrainian citizens must be living through and literally dying from. All the while the Russian army was moving toward Ukraine, our search for the rot that’s been lurking in our own midst which exploded January 6 of last year. Yet they are getting away with IT and I cannot understand how or why that is possible. Can the light of freedom overcome the darkness once again? That’s my fervent prayer.
Pat, mine as well. And I pray for all of us, as our hearts and minds strain at their seams with everything we are trying to comprehend and find our place in.
This is so true. Heather is a phenomenon, only possible in a country where there is free speech. She is showing us exactly who and what these Republicans are. We know it in our hearts but the facts just more than underscore how much they are a menace.
On another note entirely… is there a playwright in this group who can imagine a play about the marriage of Clarence and Ginni Thomas? Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. On steroids
That may come later if we survive, now a little comeuppance would be be nice. I heaved when I read Thomas’ screed about the danger of politicizing the court.
You and me both. Biden regrets his role in Thomas' confirmation, but he more than makes up for it now. It was part of his learning process to be a GREAT president. Mistakes are necessary for development-- if we are willing to actually learn from them.
However, if mistakes were the only way to learn, I would be a genius....
I wish republicans understood that our country is in the mess we are in, domestically and globally, because they allowed the amplification of Russian disinformation through their online-created echo chamber and validated their anger by voting for Donald Trump in 2016.
Right on, Rupert’s propaganda machine was just what Reagan ordered. From a dinner honoring Rupert Murdoch in Jan 1981, Jack Kemp was quoted as saying “Rupert Murdoch used the editorial page, the front page, and every other page necessary to elect Ronald Reagan president.” Bill Moyers warned us where this would lead. As always, follow the money…
Reagan: the beginning of "me" vs "we". We went from "compassion and sacrifice for others" to "greed is good" in that election. And people lapped it up. Layer on the Olsteens and Grahams and our society headed for the bottom - where the new Christianity became a call to selfishness, arrogance and exclusion.
And the parties have been ultra-divided since. It’s a monumental fete to pass legislation that helps children, society as a whole or addresses poverty, inequality, racism. TFG was elected with all his greediness and dishonesty in full view. I didn’t mention morals. Amoral? By both wealthy to keep their wealth and the poor who believed his lies.
I'm sorry, but IMO the biggest threat to our democracy (which I really feel is slipping away from us) is that trump and his minions have gotten away with what essentially amounts to treason and the January 6th plot to overthrow the legitimately elected Biden administration. The DOJ has waited too long and quite frankly many people feel we now live in a country where the rule of law no longer exists. When trump took office, I said he is a Russian agent. There certainly is enough evidence to get him on anything from tax fraud to sedition and everything in between. The U.S. and the world is paying a very heavy price for our years of sitting back and wringing our collective hands and educated minds while the whirling dervish of evil takes over.
Among my S. Sudanese "Lost Boys" (who came to the U.S. 20 years ago after surviving the horrors of their homeland) there has been a constant political dialogue explaining/apologizing about trump and being Black in America. I have found it impossible to explain what is going on now with putin's invasion but they see it pretty clearly - a desperate dictator who will destroy everything for no reason. They are still dealing (remotely) with family members living under unbearable conditions in S. Sudan - watching the war in Ukraine in real time brings back overwhelmingly difficult memories for them. We all feel sickened.
I think the Biden Administration is doing an amazing job walking the gauntlet of a near impossible situation - and that is to keep putin from pulling the chemical/nuclear trigger and starting WWIII. And, of course China is a major part of what has become a complicated 3-D chess game with no room for a miscalculation. This sequence (trump, pandemic, invasion of Ukraine) is taking a big toll on all of us.
Ginni Thomas says she did not help organize the White House rally? She has been hand in glove with Leonard Leo funneling money - which Leo has moved through his shell game apparatus - to right wing extremist groups, including some involved in the rally.
I would suggest that a more fruitful (and strategic) place to start might be with Kavanaugh. Yes, the Thomases need investigating, but let's start with the entitled white boy with questionable qualifications and doubtful capabilities.
When we gain enough seats for very clear majorities in both Houses, let the impeachment of Thomas begin. he has been an embarrassment since the day he was nominated.
Who are these people arming themselves against? Do they think we all own the same high capacity pistols and assault rifles as them? Do they really believe we have the same desire to form irregular militias to enforce our views at the ballot box, in legislatures and courts? The only weapons I own are the strength of my convictions and the power of the pen, to mark my ballot. If they are hoping for a shooting war over political power, they're going to have to shoot at themselves. I'll let sanctioned forces like the police, the military and the national guard bear arms on my behalf, in the assurance that they all swore to defend the constitution. God help us all if our law enforcement and military turn against the principles on which our nation was founded and has operated for over 200 years. If they want to act like the patriots of old, how about those tri-corner hats, muskets and flintlock pistols...
Nathan, YES! Thank you! You must be reading my mind. Your words: “The only weapons I own are the strength of my convictions and the power of the pen to mark my ballot…” and I don’t want to touch a lethal weapon.
After the fall of the Soviet Union, David Duke spent 5 years in Russia. There been cross pollination between American and European racists since before WW2. Putin has been their Great White Hope for years.
David Duke…shiver me timbers!! Yes, he was there. I tried to forget about him but how can you forget a nasty SOB like that? The Donald was back and forth in Russia for 10 years (my understanding) cozying up to the oligarchs so he could open a hotel. I agree cross pollination definitely has existed for way too long. Let’s not forget the Republicans who went to Moscow on July 4th.
Oh, there was racism in Russia long before David Duke. Romanis lived in constant fear. In Moscow, my hosts shocked me with the way they regarded the Romanis, and in the east, the reluctance to even talk about the indigenous people. It is sad: they are all in the same boat, but as always the divisions are exploited for no purpose other than diversion away from the reality of living under authoritarianism.
Used to be that Uber Conservatives would crush any citizen that had a whiff of Russian scent on his elbow as McCarthyism reigned. How far the chosen have fallen, but don’t teach bad history to our little comrades in training
Now I am clear on the profound stupidity of ultra right-wing posters of Obama the “fascist/socialist” that showed up before his first election. Always thought it was a funny way to “meet in the middle of a political circle! 😈
The posters I saw in Texas made me wonder how he could survive one term, much less two. The venom was palpable. And the socialist crap was obvious, as HST said “Socialism is their name for almost anything that helps all the people.”
I was interested to see that in the 2008 election, the Democrats had the choice to pick either a white woman (who's reputation had been being battered since her husband was the Governor of Arkansas and who was also completely qualified by experience to be President) and a young, Black man. I had flippantly wondered which "ism" would be the worst burden to bear. I think now that while H. Clinton would have had as much opposition and resistance from the Republiqans, I think that what Obama's election did was rip the scab off of the injury of racism and reveal that it was not healing, but infected, and unleashed the blatant expression of racism that we are reaping the benefits of today.
"American focus on the horrors unleashed on Ukraine has clarified our own struggle between democracy and authoritarianism here at home."
For some of us perhaps. But I am wondering what democracy loving American citizens are prepared to suffer in opposition to the very possible voter fraud and manipulation that may usher in a Republican majority in both the House and the Senate in the mid-terms. Are enough Americans awake to the real threat? I don't know.
Are a sufficient number of Americans prepared to do what is necessary to ensure democracy's continuation here? I don't know.
You said it! I see signs that say, “Drive as if your kids lived here.” Between now and November we need a few million signs that say, “Vote as if democracy is at stake.”
Ally, half of Congress is not the same thing as "half our government." Our government includes a lot more than just Congress. Voting against impeachment doesn't translate to "enemies of democracy" without a whole lot of analysis of the motivations behind the individual votes. That leap is so far from critical thinking I don't even know what to call it.
Speaking of which . . . thanks for the reminder. I need a second cup. Can't go into details, pretty minor but time-consuming anyway (up late and up early. Some elements here have got some work to do on lateral communication, it seems. I'm exhausted. Coffee . . .
Professor Richardson, Your details about our democracy and how close to losing it on Jan 6: “At the same time, the findings of the January 6 committee reveal that the pro-Putin wing of the Republican Party appears to have been willing to overturn our own liberal democracy so long as it could get what it wanted” are a perfect lead into the PBS FRONTLINE interview I just now finished. An absolute must watch and the follow up episode will be March 15. “Putin’s Road to War”
“In an interview for the FRONTLINE documentary “Putin’s Road to War,” journalist Julia Loffe discusses Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine — and why she believes the Russian leader is now “more dangerous than he’s ever been at any point in the last 22 years.” I hope sometime in the next week to take a deep breath. And you, too, Heather. Thank you!
Thank you for your clear, dispassionate distillation of the day’s events. Even after reading your letters I get so overwhelmed that I just want to crawl in a hole and whimper. But then I remember that we once had a “civil” war fought over slavery, that the American Nazi party marched in New York as Hitler tightened his grip on power in Germany, and threat of nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis 60 years ago. We managed to overcome each crisis in the past. My hope that we can eventually get through the current crisis (and your letters) gives me the courage to stop whimpering, crawl out of that hole and face the day again.
Taking a cue from what HCR touches on as to the religious implications of the war on Ukraine, this past Sunday, I came upon this very probing essay by centrist Evangelical Christian David French on the not insignificant religious part of the equation that is driving Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine. I think it is a very important consideration that has heretofore largely not been as prominent on the radar screen but which is VERY pertinent. Putin, allied with the Russian Orthodox Church, is, in essence, seeking a return to Russian greatness not just from a secular chauvinistic, global political standpoint, but out of a religious mission rooted in the Russian Orthodox Church. This isn't at all strictly about politics. French goes into detailed explanations and evidence to back up the idea that this is very much a "holy" war and it makes total sense. He also asserts that this shows the worst of Christianity when a church allies itself with and becomes a mouthpiece for a state-sponsored war on another Christian nation. As he says, it's easy to see why our founders were so careful to avoid any mention of a state-sponsored church. But, he also is inspired by how the world, especially the religious world, is coming together for good and going out of its way to help Ukraine. Here's the bulk of his essay, a long-ish read, which I highly recommend...it is interesting and makes a LOT of sense. I read French's blog on Substack every Sunday and always find his viewpoint refreshing compared to so many of his Evangelical brethren. I do disagree with him at times, but he is someone who does actually THINK and is often very critical of his fellow Evangelicals (he is VERY anti-T***p, BTW).
"As you watch the horror unfolding in Ukraine, you are watching two immensely important, competing religious events unfold in real time. First, Russia’s invasion is laced with religious elements. In many ways, it’s a religious war, representing religion at its worst. Second, as we watch the Ukrainian and international church race to Ukraine’s aide, we’re seeing Christianity at its best. In one stark moment, we are seeing the extremes of what Christians can do, for evil and for good. Let’s start by describing the evil.
"There are times when you read an essay so illuminating and informative that you think about it for years. That happened to me in December 2014, several months after the Russian invasion of Crimea. The essay was by former National Security Agency analyst John Schindler, and it was called 'Putin’s Orthodox Jihad.' An Orthodox Christian himself, Schindler provided an analysis of Putin’s Russia I’d seen nowhere else.
"The essay is long and complex, but at the risk of oversimplifying the argument, Schindler described an ideological 'fusion' between the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) and the FSB, Russia’s intelligence service. This fusion culminated 'in the 2002 dedication of an Orthodox church at the Lubyanka, the FSB—and former KGB’s—notorious Moscow headquarters.'
"This ideological fusion, Schindler argued, was at the heart of Putin’s emerging ideology. In essence, Putin didn’t just seek Russian greatness out of a sense of secular national chauvinism, but out of religious mission, and that mission was rooted in the ROC.
"Moreover, the church provided the core of the Russian moral argument against the west. Again, here was Schindler:
"'ROC agitprop, which has Kremlin endorsement, depicts a West that is declining down to its death at the hands of decadence and sin, mired in confused unbelief, bored and failing to even reproduce itself. Patriarch Kirill, head of the church, recently explained that the “main threat” to Russia is “the loss of faith” in the Western style, while ROC spokesmen constantly denounce feminism and the LGBT movement as Satanic creations of the West that aim to destroy faith, family, and nation.'
"Indeed, Russia even adopted a term called 'spiritual security,' which 'gives the ROC a mission in defending Russia from negative Western spiritual influences, in partnership with Moscow’s intelligence agencies.'
"Since Schindler’s piece—little-noticed at the time—the evidence of Putin’s religious motivations has grown overwhelming. As Giles Fraser argued in the British website Unherd, 'Putin regards his spiritual destiny as the rebuilding of Christendom, based in Moscow.'
"But what does this have to do with Ukraine? It turns out that Kiev is of central importance in Russian Orthodoxy. It’s the birthplace of the ROC, the church’s 'Jerusalem' according to the Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill:
"'Ukraine is not on the periphery of our church. We call Kiev "the mother of all Russian cities." For us Kiev is what Jerusalem is for many. Russian Orthodoxy began there, so under no circumstances can we abandon this historical and spiritual relationship. The whole unity of our Local Church is based on these spiritual ties.'
"Now, let’s add one final ingredient. In 2019 large numbers of Ukrainian parishes separated from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which was formerly under the ROC, to join a new Orthodox Church of Ukraine. In a February report describing the religious dimensions of the war, Schindler noted that 'the schism rendered Moscow white-hot with rage. The ROC viewed this as a direct attack on its "canonical territory" and on world Orthodoxy itself.'
"To make this as simple as possible, Putin has fused Russian identity with the ROC, sees his nation and his church as a bulwark against western decadence, and is now not just attempting to seize his church’s 'Jerusalem' but potentially forcibly reuniting his church after a schism it rejects. There are nationalist, historical, and strategic reasons for Putin’s move against Ukraine, but the religious elements are real, and important.
"The religious dimension of this conflict is yet another reason why the Cold War analogies are incorrect. As I’ve said before, Putin isn’t trying to recreate the Soviet Union. The better analogy is to the deeply religious Russian Empire that existed before the Russian Civil War.
"This is the church at its worst, when it weds itself to state power and wields the sword to advance God’s kingdom on earth. We are watching the deep darkness of malevolent Christendom, a religious movement that will slaughter innocents to fight 'decadence' and bomb hospitals to combat 'sin.' When you see Putin’s armies advance, you can think, this is why our nation rejects established religion.
"But when great evil arises, great good answers. And in this case, the great good is also in the church. Yes, it’s represented by individual Christian Ukrainian soldiers laying down their lives in defense of their nation and their homes, but it’s also represented by a very different kind of institutional Christian response.
"I’m thinking, for example, of the report that the average Baptist World Alliance Church in Ukraine is 'feeding and sheltering 100 people.' I’m thinking of Samaritan’s Purse setting up an emergency field hospital outside of Lviv, Ukraine. I’m thinking of churches like First Baptist Church of Robertsdale, Alabama, sending a team to Moldova to help Ukrainian refugees.
"I’m also thinking of my colleague Harvest Prude’s moving story about the bonds between Christians in the United States and Christians in Ukraine:
"'It’s personal for us in the Southern Baptist world,' Brent Leatherwood, acting president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, told The Dispatch. 'Most folks don’t realize it, but Ukraine has the second largest population of Baptists in Europe.' In churches across America, Leatherwood said, pastors are utilizing prayer guides and partnering with Send Relief and other organizations helping on the ground.
"I have friends who’ve spent time in Ukraine. Our churches are praying for Ukraine. They’re sending people and goods to Ukraine, flooding Eastern Europe with tangible support for a people who are suffering from terrible harm.
"In this circumstance, national borders and national identities matter far less than the Christian brotherhood with Ukrainian churches and the shared humanity of Ukrainian refugees.
"This is Christianity at its best. It’s not pacifistic. Its members are resisting tyranny with the force of arms. But its focus isn’t on conquest, but rather compassion. A religious war is being met with a religious response, and that religious response represents the true face of the faith that Putin purports to defend.
[...]
"I’ve been frankly surprised at the number of people who’ve asked me why we don’t intervene directly to save Ukraine. In an extended piece for The Atlantic, I tried to explain in detail why direct intervention would be extraordinarily perilous. Vladimir Putin just might try to fight—and win—a limited nuclear war:
"'Since the dawn of modern warfare, the world’s most powerful countries have inflicted terrible destruction on the nations they conquer. But nuclear weapons raise the stakes higher still. It’s vitally important that Americans understand the true nature of Putin’s forces, and the doctrines that might dictate their use.'
"'It’s one thing to confront a potential nuclear conflict when both sides know they’ll lose. Mutual assured destruction kept the peace even during the darkest days of the Cold War. It’s another thing entirely to confront a potential nuclear conflict when one side believes it can win. That’s the most dangerous confrontation of all, and we may be close to that now.'"
Religion has been the “reason,” the cause of wars forever, at least centuries. FRONTLINE also documents Putin’s religious zeal. And then there’s antisemitism. Not only in Russia. Some of the quotes in your piece sound like USA, George W Bush, then TFG who were supported by Evangelical Christian churches at the pulpit.
Putin very successfully enlisted the evangelical faction in US for the benefit of Bush and Trump both by his manipulation of “family values.” They were knee capped and didn’t feel a thing. In my own opinion they were far more grievously damaged by their own self mutilation.
And speaking of failing to enforce the law, why didn't those pulpits lose their tax-exempt status? Or, at least pay penalties? Their videos were all over social media. Why wasn't the IRS enforcing the law? The sermon from the Sunday before the 2016 presidential election from the First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, Florida set my hair on fire.
Agreed. I think the antisemitism is pretty much a given and has long been a not-so-well-kept-secret of the traditional Russian Orthodox Church. The newer sect of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has embraced a more Western approach to morality and to antisemitism, and this is heretical to the ROC & Putin. As I noted, David French is an Evangelical who is very much against the church having anything to do with politics. His viewpoint is not the only one, thankfully, as the recently elected head of the Southern Baptist Convention in Dallas has spoken out very strongly on the church staying out of politics, citing their drastic loss of members in the past 10 years as proof that people, especially young people, are rejecting a church that comes across as interested more in political power. It's a very welcome step in the right direction.
Christianity has a long history of this kind of "ideological fusion" of religious and political powers. In every case the fusion hollows out and distorts the Gospel on which Christianity is based. It has certainly happened in the U.S., and is happening now, as the ultra-right Evangelicals and the ultra-conservative Roman Catholics join forces in the cultural wars. Their so called "religious freedom" platform sounds a lot like Putin's " spiritual security" .....We call it "religious" because it is being steered by the leadership ( not necessarily all of the membership) of powerful organizations--businesses really--which operate in the U.S. at least under the banner of a 501(c)(3) but which provide yet one more code label for the culture "war"! Once this fusion happens within various Christian denominations, the resulting entity is so far removed from religion ( and such a distortion) as to be anti- religion! But the reason French can identify "good" and "bad" players within Christianity is that some Christians remain tethered to Gospel values despite the actions of their leaders.
Exactly. And as French has pointed out in some of his other writings, the fact that organised religion is losing members right and left shows that people are sick of the bullsh!t they see masquerading as "representing" Christ on earth. Christ is unconditional love. Period. What does all this other stuff have to do with what is essentially a beautiful and simple message?
Organized religions have been the cause of/participants in wars, is what caused me to discount the organized religion that I grew up in, when in college (eons ago), with a couple of backslides since then :)
When religion becomes weaponized and becomes a club with which one brutalizes another it is no longer religion. A friend of mine who happens to be of the Flathead Tribe near St. Ignatius, MT., once told me - “the most dangerous animal on the planet was a middle aged Christian white lady”.
It makes sense to me that Putin is trying to recreate a time before the USSR because I heard all my life that communism dissed religion, and consequently destroyed much of the orthodoxy. What doesn’t make sense is that Putin is a religious man, maybe using religion as many power-hungry cretins do, but a believer? Beyond my comprehension.
Bruce, I had to read your “essay” one more time and it’s even more illuminating and disturbing. I see the debate as degrees of faith and Christianity. Interesting that the church in Ukraine competes with Putin’s ROC. My relatives, Jews from Kiev and Vilnius, Lithuania, left (escaped ?) in 1909 to USA. I believe a few remain but I’m not in touch. I don’t see any mention of Jews, but note the degrees of Christianity. Another article might tell us about the Inquisitions, about Christians, Jews and Muslims. Then and now. Thank you for sharing your research and connecting it to this war. Religions have a way of protecting their beliefs to the point of losing touch with what would seem to be “godly.” Frontline in some of its stories on Putin and Russia include the religious connections which are missing in much of other reporting. There is a line that is crossed from religious to fanatical that loses all perspective, which brings the conversation back to Putin’s beliefs and objectives in this war. Where to next?
As I said, David French, the author of the article I quoted, notes that this war is showing both the good and bad side of religion in a society. French is a staunch believer in separation of church and state, and fervently believes religion and government don't and should not mix. You should read his diatribes against the Falwells, Franklin Graham, and kooks like Pat Robertson. It is a refreshing take that is frequently at odds with so many of his Evangelical cohorts. There are some decent thinkers among them--they're not ALL nuts--and I am interested to see their views. His blog on Substack has a comments section like this one and attracts a wide range of religious views, believers of every stripe and non-believers. Some of the dialogue can get feisty. I'm surrounded down here by every sort of Evangelical group imaginable, so finding a fairly liberal Evangelical viewpoint is reassuring. French is not in any way supportive of Putin and his fake religiosity. And yes, where this will lead is anybody's guess.
Yes, I will check out the blog. And after reading my comment. I think I would add “religion” as I understand its not just Christianity that doesn’t mix with politics, but most, all Religion. And the different viewpoints about religion and politics within families is not new. Including my family.
The idea of a clear separation of church and government does seem to be a concept that has been specific to the US Constitution and as such hasn't been enshrined in too many other government systems around the globe. It goes hand in hand with our Constitution being a product of Enlightenment Era minds, an era that saw the rise of science and reasoning, and a waning of influence of religion, even going so far as questioning of its validity. When you think about it, it's fascinating how in a relatively short time of say a hundred years or so we went from a highly superstitious sort of mindset that could lead to such things as the Salem witch trials, all the way to coming up with documents like the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution. It shows the occurrence of a seismic shift in thinking that led to our founders jettisoning what had been a fairly general idea of a state religion. Have we always followed it exactly to the letter throughout our history? No, not really, but we've done pretty well keeping its influence at bay. I just hope we can keep it that way.
The intertwined uses of religion for politics and political power for religious power have long been around. Thanks for your summary of French's argument. Do you have a link/reference for it, and/or Schindler's article?
Oh my gosh. I thought tRUMP, his enablers and cronies said there were no weapons brought into the Capitol. I've always been leery of guys in wheelchairs with blankets over their laps. Once in an airport, the TSAs had me stripped practically naked as I set off all the alarms (titanium hips) while they pushed a guy in a wheelchair with a heavy blanket over his lap and never said a word to him. I made sure he wasn't on my flight before I got on. A chunk of C3 the size of a wheelchair makes a pretty good bang. Do they check Cawthorn before he enters the Senate?
Resonating with the titanium hip pat-down. A grey-haired granny gets multiple pat-downs every time after declaring that I got a metal hip on Dec. 21st 2013 at the Hospital for Special Surgery. Pat-pat-pat...
I got a pat down in a CA airport due to artificial knee. Side bar: I also had a right upper arm break (a break that cannot be cast, only splinted) and had to hold that arm up level with my shoulder for a prolonged pat down! It was excruciating, but no effort was made to accommodate my situation.
As horrible as the war is, it has jarred people who have ignored and sidestepped those among us who have aligned themselves with white supremacists, oligarchs, and dictators. Thanks for confirming what many of us were starting to see ourselves. Hard to know how to say or word it when it took something and someone as vile as Putin to shake cowards who were letting their party slide into what it has. Fingers crossed all the way around.
So, let me get this straight, Madison Cawthorn smuggles multiple weapons into the US capitol then distributes them to his right wing congressional pals? Isn't that an illegal transfer of firearms? If he was taped saying this on Charlie Kirk's show on January 6th, 2021, why isn't he, and anyone else who did the same thing, in jail? Do these people really get a pass just because they hold a seat in the House, (or Senate, if applicable)?
Actually, they get a pass because of the stupendous timidity of Kevin McCarthy. We should all hope, for our country's sake, that McCarthy fails to become Speaker of the House. He's the big guy in his party. And he won't do anything to discipline gun toters or racists. What else does one need to know about his character?
Maybe CA won't re-elect him in Nov. as I believe he is up for re-election.
All the House reps are up for election - every two years, like clockwork. HOPING McCarthy will NOT be re-elected.
I am sure he has lots of Russian money to campaign!
I wonder if Putin will call in all that money since his economy is floundering now?
Democrats need to keep the majority in the House. McCarthy is from a very conservative area of California so I think he’s likely to be re-elected. But I’ve also heard that if we turn out the voters we can retain our House majority.
That would be wonderful!
Unfortunately, if the Republicans take control of the House, it won't be Kevin McCarthy as speaker. It will be the abominable Jim Jordan. That is why we absolutely MUST focus on holding the House!
The thought of Jim Jordan wresting control of the speaker's gavel is terrifying. Is there any other GOP leader more often on the wrong side of issues and more vocal about it? If FOX starts cheering him on, it will be all he needs. Ugh.
Should I have said "wrestling"?
You got that right!
White conservative evangelicals will support GOP candidates in the midterms, read "Jesus & John Wayne", a disturbing book. It is imperative that Republicans do not win the Senate, or the House. Their conservative evangelical base does not trust science, nor reason to cope with the problems we encounter. They offer no HOPE for the future of America but only seek the power to transform our culture. As a theologian, I am inspired by Dietrich Bonhoeffer to confront their "cheap grace theology". This is why I support the poorpeolescampaign.org & their theology which glorifies God, read "We Cry Justice".
I have the book but haven't read it yet! My Republican friend started reading it and responded to me that it was clear that it was written by a Democrat! And I thought yes you would think that because of being addicted to Fox Entertainment Channel for years!
It was written by a professor from Calvin University. Tell your friend to read "The Power Worshippers" or "American Fascists" which also discuss the disturbing history of conservative evangelicals, & the GOP.
I also admire the Poor People's Campaign. May they grow ever stronger.
It would be great if McCarthy were voted out of office.
Point taken.
Can't you just see all the support K. McCarthy is getting from Russia!
McCarthy may not be so timid but rather more complicit.
In which case, I hope it is just timid. Regardless, not fit for the Speaker's gavel. Though someone else mentioned the possibility that he could lose out to Jim Jordan. That horror show is, if possible, even worse.
I don't think there is Speaker of The House material in in the GOP.
Liz Cheney would get my vote.
Apparently, the NC election board is trying to deny him access to the Nov ballot due to his activity on Jan 6. https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/08/politics/north-carolina-elections-board-madison-cawthorn-january-6/index.html
That would be decent of them!
As of March 10, the fight for keeping Cawthorn off the ballot was severely impaired: https://freespeechforpeople.salsalabs.org/20220309-cawthorn-appeal?fbclid=IwAR1IXbMJV6EoRnPiUR1t7mVz3vTgUf8OD0i69CxPf0Uxx1U_1_0zqY1G4bU
He put the weapons in his wheelchair!
Cathy, I couldn’t reasonably hide more than a few pistols in my chair. Not that I have tried, mind you.... He is an embarrassment to veterans. Good night, all. Beauty sleep, and all that.
“ Cawthorn was seriously injured while returning from a spring-break trip to Florida.” He is just another insane fascist loving scummer
And scammer.
... and he's likely a Russian asset, with sketchy ties to Russia plus openly supporting Putin.
…a FEW pistols! 3..4..5… enough to murder a dozen…two dozen …. What a silly remark. Cawthorn is far more than an mere embarrassment!!
Honestly, I think most Republicans have brain damage these days!
(snark intended) Brain injuries? Hmm. Explains a lot.
And apparently never recovered!
Thank you! Relieved. At one time he claimed 'military service,' so I assumed he was chaired in Iraq or Afghanistan. I really am bad at politics!
I know! Can you believe it? Insanely audacious.
Is this a fact? Oh, my goodness! How do these people get elected for our Representatives and Senators? Oh, that's right corrupt money!
Also, Cawthorn was recently charged with driving under a revoked license. I read more than one source - he may need remedial driving lessons given the number of times he has been pulled over in the past 2 years. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/rep-madison-cawthorn-charged-driving-revoked-license-rcna19461
He needs to be declared unfit for office. Maybe members of congress should have a higher minimum age level, like 30.
It'd be a better idea if they had a higher minimum IQ, like 100.
That low??? 80 is barely functional, and not deriding people with low IQs. But our congressional representatives need a higher bar. But NO IQ tests - come on
100 in the Stanford-Binet is exactly "normal" intelligence. It means the person taking the test has age-appropriate intelligence. That's why "genius" IQ is so relatively low (125-165): The assumption is that a 10 year old is responding in ways that a 12-16 year-old might. So, yes, I'd be happy if the bar was set at 100. IQ represents potentiality, not performance. Looking at the crop of slubberdegullions in the extreme right of the GOP ranks has me thinking they're not performant due to laziness; it's because they don't have the necessary reasoning/problem-solving abilities baked in their brains.
Hearts 💝💝💝
And they need to pass a test for qualifications instead of collecting our tax dollars!
He will simply scream discrimination against his disability!
He is a spoiled, arrogant little snot. Nothing short of jail time would make an impression on him. Sadly, he would use his disability to wangle special treatment while incarcerated.
Double up on the spoiled, arrogant little snot.
He must come from money!
My thoughts exactly!!!
Driving isn’t the only thing he needs remedial lessons in.
It’s just another case of the “haves and the have nots”…it seems those in government or with $$$$$$ can get away with most everything. “I can shoot someone on 5th Avenue… I can grab their pussy”….And why is Matt Gaetz still walking free and then there is Prince Andrew lurking in the shadow of Epstein. 🤯
At least it would merit a thorough investigation as the "gentleman" in question has rarely been associated with telling the truth. This could be the one exception or indeed an attempt to further curry favour with you know who.
Hard to know who is evil and who is just tagging along. I tend to paint them all with the same brush
He does seem to be a pathological liar.
It seems to me he isn't the only one!
No, they do not get a pass. Nor any honor. And a pittance of vote.
Listen to the national anthem of Ukraine, Daria. No wonder such a proud, brave, and beautiful people.
https://youtu.be/einTXaSeGAI
Slava Ukraini! ☮️
Listened to the Met's concert for Ukraine yesterday which started with the their national anthem. It ended with Ode to Joy from Beethoven's 9th. Inspiring people and music.
Слава Україні! Slava Ukraini!
Just had contact with Allen. He expects to leave for Canada in a week.
The St Louis Symphony opened its program this weekend with the Ukrainian national anthem. It brought tears to my eyes.
Great point Daria!
Thanks, G!
Apparently what is “Swift and Severe “ to you and I does NOT apply to all of us.
?
So do MoC get a pass on breaking DC's gun laws? #UniteAgainstTheRight
It seems that way, doesn't it?
He gets a pass because IOKIYAR.
Well, of course, because Jesus says so.
What do the abbreviations mean?
It’s OK If You are Republican
I guess the evangelical Putin lovers are good with the death of the pregnant woman and baby at Putin's hands. This is the party of "life." They have aligned with the devil. I am so disgusted and angry.
From where I stand, those who cry loudest about the purity of their Christian faith are often the ones whose acts are the most anathematic and whose love of neighbor only favor white racist, homophobic bigots.
As I’ve stated before you don’t hear them say “ What Would Jesus Do “ anymore do you ? And Rowshan, it comes from where I stand also.
Were Jesus to come back to earth today, because of his principles he would be excluded from evangelical churches. I find core tenets of Jesus in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. I do not find these in evangelical mega churches.
I agree! They are scary!
Core tenets of the world's religions all contain an element of how the aristocrats should treat the peasants, not that it has made a whole lot of difference.
Totally AGREE Keith. Evangelical mega churches are really really a new kind of Christianity---and those associated with Dominionism (like one in Fort Worth TX featured in the NYT )are even worse. It's really Christian Sharia Law (except that is an insult to true Islam and the teachings of Mohammed). end of the rant. but it will happen again on this topic. Someone in the field of Religion/History needs to take on an analysis of this---perhaps someone has (I'm not as involved as I used to be :-) ) Take care everyone. Peace and Courage.
Has been so for years, the “big switch” (when I noticed) came when Karl Rove made churches arms of the Republican Party, or made giant strides in the effort. Some resisted but the majority cozied up to the power play.
It was really Ralph Reed and some of his contemporaries that pulled them from the inside
Now you're talking!
Precisely.
Well said. There is no Christianity (as it is trumpeted to be) there. I long ago lost any belief that following their version of Christ was not anything that was good for me.
Sheep in wolf’s clothing.
Or as Saint Paul wrote to his Church in Corinth, conservative evangelical pastors are "mere peddlers of God's word".
Ally, Thank you for coming to the aid of me this morning. Allen just responded to me. Tanya's doing fine. He thinks because she got over the cold a little while back. He expects that they'll leave for Canada in a week.
Terrific new Fern. Thanks.
Yes, G. We just spoke, and it was fun. He's got great spirit. Communicating with Allen, even in this limited way feels lively.
How are u contacting. Just curious. They are amazing and brave. So are thousands of Ukrainians.
Excellent!!
❤️
Did you see this story in the Guardian? An orthodox cathedral in a military theme park🤯?
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/20/orthodox-cathedral-of-the-armed-force-russian-national-identity-military-disneyland
Yes and I remember it from a Sunday school song: “A mighty fortress is our God.” Does this cathedral have machine gun turrets?
I remember being a young kid in Sunday School singing “Onward Christian soldiers marching off to war”! Yikes!!
Lois DITTO. I”Onward Christian soldiers, marching off to war, with the cross of Jesus”came to mind as I later studied the Crusades, when the Crusaders often were bloody avengers and Moslem Saladin responded in a ‘most Christian” manner.
Jesus heading an army is as ridiculous as Putin heading a Buddhist retreat focusing on love thy neighbor. Barbara Tuchman, in THE FOLLIES OF HISTORY, describes venal Julius II leading his ‘Christian warriors.’ AWWWK
No, but it has weapons from wars embedded in the flooring---you can walk on your enemies symbolically---just as the Egyptian pharaohs placed their feet on the images of enemies on their footstool when they sat on their throne. Lots of ritual there then and now.
This is a potent symbol/reality----alliance of church/eschatological vision, "greater Russia" and a violent, aggressive, jealous, vengeful (I could go on) Putin. Explosive mixture. The imagery is overwhelming (secular Icons---Stalin!!; in a way a "sacred" history; Kiev is a spiritual center for the MOSCOW patriarch---explains a lot! Same for the Crimea. Moscow wants what Kiev has in terms of sacred places. No total explanation, but just another piece in the puzzle.
I have seen this so often!
Yes. Perfect description.
putin always promotes 'traditional values' and decries the lack of 'family values.' he blames the low russian birth rate on the 'gay agenda.' (this business is probably why brittney griner was arrested. a 6'9" black lesbian who plays on the ekaterinberg championship team, she is more than putin can bear.) the low birth rate in russia goes back a long way, has little to do with any gay agenda. the soviet union fell apart not because reagan made the cold war too expensive, but because there weren't enough russians to hold it together any longer. too few russians were trying to control too many non-russians. it's even more difficult for them today. the low birth rate in russia? for awhile it was government policy. nowadays the fact is, russian women don't like russian men, and don't want to marry them. they marry foreigners whenever they get the chance, and leave russia.
Well said. Russian women also know the reality of the soviet feminism hypocrisy.
"too few russians were trying to control too many non-russians." I'll say it again: Xi Jinping claimed it takes autocracy to deal with the complexity of the modern world. Autocrats refuses to even see complexity as anything but a threat.
USSR collapsed largely because there were not enough people understanding and making the ressource distribution and development decisions. In Western economies the whole of the people do, and need to, get involved. Otherwise as you say complexity really provides them with the challenge they can't meet....see the logistical bugbears grinding Putin's invading forces to a halt.
Stuart The Soviets, with their Five Year Plans, sought to allocate resources from the top down and counted on a captive market. East Germany had the best Soviet empire computer company. When the Berlin Wall came down, this company went bankrupt. It’s computers were five generations behind those in the West. Ditto with some large manufacturing plants where the workers’ joke was “You pretend to pay us and we pretend to work.”
With all its oddities, the market place is the best way to work out the complexities of price, supply, and demand. Unfortunately, we have drifted into monopolies, where two or three companies dominant a market—meat packing and petroleum are just two examples.
Remember, Adam Smith in THE WEALTH OF NATIONS warned that businessmen, when they had an opportunity, would get together to try to fix the market.
He also said you had to be a nation of laws that protected the property of all men in order to have wealth. That part I think was lost in Russia.
Not much consideration for the client in either system. Both are profit maximizers for those controlling capital and equipment.
Re your last point: I am seriously concerned that the big autocracies (Russia, China) are going to be extremely formidable if they fully align in this war. China can fund. Russia will continue to take as many lives as possible.
America has threatened China if they do support Russia. What levers do they have? I really can’t think of many that wouldn’t rebound tremendously back on America. It has been offshoring to China for 40 years. If anything, I would guess China has an economic stranglehold on America.
It appears that the pain of this local act of ugly aggression is going to be felt far beyond the area soon.
I also think that NATO cannot be held hostage to the nuclear threat forever. At some point we may have to let go of the stereotype of Putin as a deranged madman and see him for what he is - rationally, despicably evil.
China has an interesting dilemma here. As you said lots of business from the the U. S. We are one of the largest economies in the world. Do they risk that? We shall see.
'Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin appear to have strong personal ties. For example, the two discussed Ukraine during a phone call on Friday, with Xi simply stating that negotiations are desirable. There was no indication that Xi criticized Putin.'
'At the same time, China knows supporting Russia’s invasion would seriously damage its already strained relationships with the wealthy democracies that are its main trading partners, such as the United States, European Union countries, and Japan. Ties with these countries are already as bad as they have been since China began its policy of reform and opening in the 1970s. If China sided with Russia, such as by offering economic relief or agreeing to veto sanctions in the UN Security Council, then it would be hard to salvage those ties. Instead, most wealthy democracies would perceive China and Russia as being in a 1950s-style communist alliance. This would make it almost impossible for many countries to restart any form of engagement with China.' (CouncilonForeignRelations) See link below.
'The White House has warned China not to provide Russia with an economic lifeline as the Kremlin steps up its onslaught on Ukraine. The U.S. says it fears China, a key strategic ally of Moscow, may seek to cushion the impact of measures designed to destroy Russia’s economy if the war continues'
'There are concerns among market participants that Chinese companies could soon become embroiled in financial penalties after reports that Moscow had asked Beijing for assistance to support its Ukraine invasion' (cnbc) See link below.
https://www.cfr.org/in-brief/china-russia-war-ukraine-taiwan-putin-xi
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/15/ukraine-crisis-china-wants-to-avoid-us-sanctions-over-russias-war.html
Those are good points. I hadn’t fully explored in my mind what the downside is for China. Their (at least overt) hesitation to pump aid to Russia was a bit of a surprise to me. Especially as they are in a near parallel situation with Taiwan.
But they are an economic behemoth now. And they throw their weight around internally (Uighur) without much concern for the opinion of the West.
They hold a significant amount of American debt and could weaponize that if America tries to subdue their activity. https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3112343/us-debt-china-how-big-it-and-why-it-important#:~:text=China%20holds%205.2%20per%20cent%20of%20all%20US,may%20not%20be%20attributed%20to%20the%20actual%20owners.
And they make so much of what America consumes. Cutting off trade in any key area could really hurt America.
This misadventure of Putin’s - too polite a word, I realize - is going to widen in surprising and possibly epic ways. It’s tremendously worrying.
Eric, Your opening line, 'I am seriously concerned that the big autocracies (Russia, China) are going to be extremely formidable if they fully align in this war. China can fund.' raised questions and doubts in my mind. I didn't think that China would fully buy into Putin's war against Ukraine and doubted that would or could fund. Thus began our useful exchange.
The following may be of interest to you concerning China's role. I think this genocidal-like enterprise of Putin's is not conforming to his expectations.
'Can China, by offering itself as an alternative trading partner, bail out Putin’s economy?'
'No, it can’t.'
'Let’s talk first about the impact of those sanctions.'
'One thing the West conspicuously hasn’t done is try to block Russian sales of oil and gas — the country’s principal exports. Oh, the United States might ban imports of Russian oil, but this would be a symbolic gesture: Oil is traded on a global market, so this would just reshuffle trade a bit, and in any case U.S. imports from Russia account for only about 5 percent of Russian production.' (NYTimes, Krugman)
In addition, 'Russia, which currently sends natural gas to China via the Power of Siberia gas link, has been holding talks with the Asian nation over another major long-term deal for supplies via Mongolia. Currently, Russian gas-pipeline infrastructure isn’t capable of west- or eastbound redirections of gas flows. However, if the deal is reached, an interconnector will be built, decreasing Russia’s dependence on Europe to buy its energy.' (Al Jazeera Media Network)
'The West has, however, largely cut off Russia’s access to the world banking system, which is a very big deal. Russian exporters may be able to get their stuff out of the country, but it’s now hard for them to get paid. Probably even more important, it’s hard for Russia to pay for imports — sorry, but you can’t carry out modern international trade with briefcases full of $100 bills. In fact, even Russian trade that remains legally permitted seems to be drying up as Western companies that fear further restrictions and a political backlash engage in “self-sanctioning.”
'How much does this matter? The Russian elite can live without Prada handbags, but Western pharmaceuticals are another matter. In any case, consumer goods are only about a third of Russia’s imports. The rest are capital goods, intermediate goods — that is, components used in the production of other goods — and raw materials. These are things Russia needs to keep its economy running, and their absence may cause important sectors to grind to a halt. There are already suggestions, for example, that the cutoff of spare parts and servicing may quickly cripple Russia’s domestic aviation, a big problem in such a huge country.'
'But can China provide Putin with an economic lifeline? I’d say no, for four reasons.'
'First, China, despite being an economic powerhouse, isn’t in a position to supply some things Russia needs, like spare parts for Western-made airplanes and high-end semiconductor chips.'
'Second, while China itself isn’t joining in the sanctions, it is deeply integrated into the world economy. This means that Chinese banks and other businesses, like Western corporations, may engage in self-sanctioning — that is, they’ll be reluctant to deal with Russia for fear of a backlash from consumers and regulators in more important markets.'
'Third, China and Russia are very far apart geographically. Yes, they share a border. But most of Russia’s economy is west of the Urals, while most of China’s is near its east coast. Beijing is 3,500 miles from Moscow, and the only practical way to move stuff across that vast expanse is via a handful of train lines that are already overstressed.'
'Finally, a point I don’t think gets enough emphasis is the extreme difference in economic power between Russia and China.'
'Some politicians are warning about a possible “arc of autocracy” reminiscent of the World War II Axis — and given the atrocities underway, that’s not an outlandish comparison. But the partners in any such arc would be wildly unequal.'
'Putin may dream of restoring Soviet-era greatness, but China’s economy, which was roughly the same size as Russia’s 30 years ago, is now 10 times as large. For comparison, Germany’s gross domestic product was only two and a half times Italy’s when the original Axis was formed.'
'So if you try to imagine the creation of some neofascist alliance — and again, that no longer sounds like extreme language — it would be one in which Russia would be very much the junior partner, indeed very nearly a Chinese client state. Presumably that’s not what Putin, with his imperial dreams, has in mind.'
'China, then, can’t insulate Russia from the consequences of the Ukraine invasion. It’s true that the economic squeeze on Russia would be even tighter if China joined the democratic world in punishing aggression. But that squeeze is looking very severe even without Chinese participation. Russia is going to pay a very high price, in money as well as blood, for Putin’s megalomania.'(NYTimes,Krugman) See link below.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/07/opinion/china-russia-sanctions-economy.html
Good post Eric. I also see India aligning to fund Russia because they see it as strategically possible. Israel remains way to quiet because they want to crush the Palestinians. Meanwhile I wonder what African nations and South America are contemplating.
Putin’s ‘family values’ include having a mistress (and children with her) long before he divorced his wife and then tucking his mistress and four children in a secluded Swiss chalet while he murders thousands of children in Ukraine. There are divisions within the Russian Orthodox Church as to whether Putin’s ‘family values’ are godly.
Of course, all this is just talk from him and the Rs here. And they all would see to it that abortion would be available to their mistresses if need be.
What about the "family values" of Donald Trump, whom 85% of conservative evangelicals still support?
Brian Try ‘dysfunctional family values’ for Trump (and Putin).
Meanwhile, slaughtering your neighboring country integrated through family to Ukraine. I’m beyond….a maternity hospital and your kin…how does that meet their concern as white supremests, that they’re numbers are dwindling.🤯
Heartbreaking and crimes against humanity! I have to cry to see people lining up to cross a border to safety. Leaving behind everything and hoping to keep family together and able to continue. Little children. Over and over. What’s also tragic is this war is televised and we’re helpless to stop it. Or are we?
I watched war with my dinner in the 60’s. I can’t do it again. I catch up in the morning (early, it seems), and deal with the vagaries of old age otherwise.
Yes. The Secret Sauce “ is to get as many Allies involved to make Putin’s life a living Hell ! They are asking to have dialogue. Ukraine’s answer is “ Only if you stop bombing “. So hopefully VZ will have a better outlook to report to Congress on Wednesday ?
They joined the wrong side a long time ago, but as with all fanatics, they look in. The mirror and fail to seee what they have become.
Happily there remain a few Kitzingers and Cheneys around to represent the classic, small "d" democratic opposition and on which they survivors of this storm can build
Hopefully, but the power virus is more lethal than Covid. Devin Nunes told us so “All this goes away if we lose.”
/s/ So long as that baby was born and breathing air, it was fair game. The only time it's off limits is between conception and birth. /S/. Oh man, I'm so burnt out on the hypocrisy.
Boggles the mind, doesn’t it?!?!
And that poor woman who died was PREGNANT; her unborn child died along with her.
Well-said. I am similarly disgusted and angry with little tangible to do other than to contribute to several of the humanitarian efforts to help the Ukrainian people.
That story took my breath away.
They are the party of death in so many ways. And hatred of course. They ought to take WWJD much more seriously and maybe read the first three Gospels. I haven't seen a report on the week long 24 hour a day campout on the capitol grounds here in Salem lately. I hope they are miserably wet.
It was a catchy slogan and something to stamp on little rubber bracelets but WWJD was never a question most of them took seriously in the first place.
Yes, I know.....should have said I am a hypocrite.
There is nothing pro-life about those killing, abusing and/or instilling terror and fear into other humans, especially children, PERIOD! For shame is their claim to be Godly and righteous!! This piece really hit home for me as I was weaned on Developmental Trauma which brainwashes its victims and leaves them in a helpless death march, and then repeats the self/other-hatred cycle onto the next generation until we stop it! I am living proof of this phenomenon and know the abject horror I speak of, and I am so grateful to now be free of that lie (and alive). I know 100% the only thing that can save our species from the manmade hell wrought of unloved and tormented egos is LOVE, ONE LOVE for all creation!
Apparently misinformation is being spread on social media that footage of the carnage at the hospital was played by "crisis actors". https://leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2022/03/fact-check-real-patients-were-killed-injured-in-russian-bombing-of-mariupol-maternity-hospital.html
This tactic, indeed all the social media manipulation tactics, have been tested and proven right here in the US, right down to the phrase 'crisis actor'. That the US didn't take a more active and involved role in mitigation of this tripe being pedaled through silicon valley is pretty reprehensible. But then, when you look at who's on the board of these private companies and who is downstream in the largesse they produce, it's reasonably easy to comprehend both the potential for mayhem and the political apathy to do something about it.
Yes, I'm reminded of how survivors of mass shootings at schools were actually accused of making it up. And then there are the holocaust deniers.
How dreadful!!!!
I am urging everyone in this group, as we struggle with more than we can grasp or fix, to use your assets and gifts. Use what you have, and work at what you are good at, in other words. If we try to do it all, we will be overcome by overload and a helpless sense of guilt.
Some have wealth; there is much need. Climate, candidates, humanitarian Ukraine issues.
Some are very good with politics. Others, like me, aren’t; we are needed elsewhere.
Some of us are experts in information and teaching, as is our professor.
Some are gifted scientists, already at work on global climate and ecology.
Some are counselors and healers. Keep us healthy and wise, and ethical.
Some are spiritually gifted. There is great power to be used. Love, and Light!
Some are experts at Law, or communication, or government, or motivation.
We need Mothers and Workers and Helpers, to make it all happen.
I could go on, but don’t waste energy on worry or frustration!
Lift where you stand. Use what you have. Employ your gifts. Keep your heads!
Bless you all.
This group has an abundance of unique individuals, whom I admire and learn from! Every single one of you contributes wisdom, knowledge, inspiration, and so much more to each other, by your expertise, experience, even your thoughtful questions. There is a Reason we have found each other, some to learn, some to teach, others to motivate. I find that I need you all, and I’m so glad to be here, and able to offer what I have to the ‘pot.’ Thank you all!
Plus, you live in the same state as our beloved President Jimmy Carter!
Yes, beloved. Met him a few times, on Habitat sites and at Emory. Been to his Library several times, talked with members of his Sunday School class.
How I wish....
Lucky you. He's the best, and so is Rosalynn.
Lynell, Yes, I was very lucky! One of my very best friend's dad was on his Secret Service detail, but he won't tell me nuthin! Jimmy Carter is the only president I ever met, and up until Presidents Obama and Biden, the only president I ever truly believed -- and believed IN. Absolutely no guile in any of these men.
Agree 100%, Gus. And kudos to that Secret Service agent!
I love this, Gus. I am an old woman, and I am finally learning from HCR and you all. I wish I was younger, but I really think I may have lived mentally blind during the "glory days". It is going to take more strength in the future than I have currently! I am still fighting but I get tired!
If you are on this forum, Sharon, you are strong and always have been.
United!
Thank you, Christine! I needed that!
Sharon, I so sympathize with you! I'm almost 72, and don't regret anything about it -- except in these times I do wish to be 20 years younger because I believe I could do so much more to help. Of course, 20 years ago I was "mentally blind" myself!
Please remember: your health comes first! Do whatever you can to de-stress; we ancients are especially vulnerable to stress....and the world needs us right now! Thank you!
I am starting to feel the stress. Now with running for Treasurer of my county and never experiencing campaigning in all my 78 years I am totally stressed. I don't want to lose in a Republican county!
Brava, Sharon! It takes a lot of energy and courage to run for any public office and to do so at 78 is impressive!
Thank you, Mary Anne!
You go, girl!
Sharon you have my utmost respect! The fact that you are running for an elected office is a giant win all by itself!
Surround yourself with family and/or friends.
Seek the best, most experienced help you can find.
Accept help.
Ask for help!
Delegate details.
Breathe once in a while, and enjoy the experience as often as you can. You'll get younger!
Thank you so much, Gus!
Stone Soup:))
Exactly. Add musicians.
YES! Musicians! Life would be intolerable without music. And Jesters, like me!
And Poets! And Scribes! We have more gifts and talents than I could imagine....
Yes, music. I read a report that a group of Ukranians hunkered down in a shelter kept singing, both to keep spirits up and because it helped keep them warm.
A young Ukrainian girl sang in a basement bomb shelter. And Yo-Yo Ma (a great mensch all his life) played the cello last week outside the Russian Embassy, in honor of Ukrainians, and many orchestras play and/or sing the Ukrainian national anthem before concerts.
I also saw, and wept, as a woman took the dust cover off her white piano and played some Chopin before she left it and the rubble of what was once her home. You can see her too, here:
https://www.news18.com/news/buzz/ukrainian-woman-plays-piano-one-last-time-at-home-ruined-in-russian-shelling-4876664.html
Here's Yo-Yo Ma performing:
https://www.classicfm.com/artists/yo-yo-ma/cellist-plays-russian-embassy-protest/
Substack isn't letting me post multiple links in one comment, so here's the young girl:
https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2022/03/07/let-it-go-frozen-kyiv-shelter-ukraine-ac360-wknd-sot-intl-ovn-vpx.cnn
Thanks for these Mim. To add to the queue, this is from a few years ago but the fact that it's the EU's chosen theme song only adds to it now:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceX5jJ5fggs
Note that the little girl stands in her spot until the end. I think she got her euro's worth.
Thanks so much, Mim.
You are welcome, Lynell.
And Poets!!!
Irenie, that's You!
Sorry, Autospell will not let me correct your name this morning.
Dear Gus, I restate what I have said before: if you and I were in school together, you would be the kid I'd try to sit next to. Thank you for your light and loving posts. They almost always lift me up in some way. You are a gift to us.
Becky, I didn't hear it the first time, but thank you so much! I can't read more than maybe 200 posts and letter, someday not that many. But thank you! You could find me at the very front in the classes I liked, and the very back in the ones I didn't. Or in the principal's office....
Aw, I'll bet in those cases the principal just wanted to enjoy your company :)
Becky, I'm afraid you would lose that bet! Over the years we did have a pretty good relationship. My offenses probably wouldn't warrant detention today, and the Army did a good job of working out my rebellious kinks.
Aw right you two, get a room.
😳
And visual artists! Thank you, Gus, for once again promoting inclusion and solidarity. You are a gifted, gentle leader.
YES, Daria! We have to have the Artists! I left out so many gifts and talents, but we all know what we have, and this group is richly endowed. I just don't want anyone to burn out or blow a fuse at the enormity of need in these times. Thanks for the compliment.
Very helpful advice, Gus!
Gus Koch you inspire me today! Be the helpers healing our world. And trust that doing
What we can, Where we can, When we can is pushing against the entropy of darkness. Every Moment is Transforming!
Michele, YES! Thank you
And bless you, Gus. I think your posts today must be the reason I am up and reading LFAA this early in the morning. (I am famously not a morning person.) At this point I really needed to hear this. I am trying out here, and making some headway, but yesterday someone went head to head on me out of the blue over some imagined slight. We are all so stressed, and so invested that sometimes it gets too much. Thank you for the wisdom you just gave us, and your reminder to focus on what we CAN do, not on trying to all do the same thing. Bless YOU.
Annie, you and Sharon are exactly the kind of people I was trying to reach. Thanks for your blessing!
I don't know where in the Pacific Northwet you are, but sending you a blast of love from Eugene, OR. (Northwet is intentional this morning; we've had steady rain since I went to band rehearsal last night.)
Thanks for the blast of love, Ally. I needed it. I wish I were still in the PacNW where I grew up, went to college, raised my family. You just gave me a taste of why I miss it so much. Sadly, I am currently stuck in Vermont, which has its own merits, but misses feeling like home for me.
I was born in PDX during the war. Parents moved to southern Oregon post-war, where I grew up, started college and married. Moved to Portland, raised my kids and finished college as a single parent. Joined my brothers in Washington State, went to grad school and started working for State of WA (environmental specialist) my second term in. Love both those states: that is home to me. Here in VT, we are just emerging from what I hope is our last big snowstorm, the sun is coming out, and the air has a decided spring feel to it. This is the first real "Vermont winter" that we've had in about a decade. I'm ready for rain.
I grew up in Medford, and graduated from Southern Oregon in 1981. My sister and sister-in-law still live there.
I started at SOC (as it was then) in 1965! Still have friends from that era. One is a "brother from another mother" I've known since the year between jr high and senior high, who still lives there, retired from teaching at SOU. When I can get out there, I always make a special trip to visit him and his family, stay at least a week. They are family. My original extended family was just about its own community in the western hills of the valley. But with the elders dying out, and younger people going afield, I don't think I have any blood relatives there now. Most in Washington, pretty close to each other (we tend to be like that. Though "stuck in Vermont" (we have a tongue in cheek tv show by that name), I do have a family here: my daughter came out to go to school, meet a nice young man, and ended up staying. I have been adopted by their friends and families of their friends, and by my son-in-law's family. It all amazes me.
Thank you for this as always Professor. My jaw dropped at the Tweet about Cawthorne and although it tracks, and falls squarely into the “no shit, Sherlock” category of politics, it is still just GOBSMACKING to see it laid out there. As always you do this work for us and how can we even quantify how many person-hours of doomscrolling you save us all?!?
Thank you once again louder for the people in the back❤️
No surprise, but gobsmacked, my permanent condition for much longer than chump has has been our worst nightmare…
Amen
Thank you for another profound "Letter from an American." I am grateful every day for the work you do for us assembling, analyzing, and reporting on the important topics each and every day! And accompanying it all with documentation allowing us to get a deeper understanding. Thank you is not forceful enough to convey what you give us your readers.
Thank you Kathleen for the words i could not assemble as I read Professor Richardson’s letter tonight. I can’t seem to get my head around the events unfolding on this planet. It’s hard to comprehend the terror the Ukrainian citizens must be living through and literally dying from. All the while the Russian army was moving toward Ukraine, our search for the rot that’s been lurking in our own midst which exploded January 6 of last year. Yet they are getting away with IT and I cannot understand how or why that is possible. Can the light of freedom overcome the darkness once again? That’s my fervent prayer.
Pat, mine as well. And I pray for all of us, as our hearts and minds strain at their seams with everything we are trying to comprehend and find our place in.
They are doing it in broad daylight. And Democrat’s Trojan Horses have signed on.
My fervent prayer as well.
This is so true. Heather is a phenomenon, only possible in a country where there is free speech. She is showing us exactly who and what these Republicans are. We know it in our hearts but the facts just more than underscore how much they are a menace.
On another note entirely… is there a playwright in this group who can imagine a play about the marriage of Clarence and Ginni Thomas? Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. On steroids
That may come later if we survive, now a little comeuppance would be be nice. I heaved when I read Thomas’ screed about the danger of politicizing the court.
How could he even keep a straight face speaking those very words.
You and me both. Biden regrets his role in Thomas' confirmation, but he more than makes up for it now. It was part of his learning process to be a GREAT president. Mistakes are necessary for development-- if we are willing to actually learn from them.
However, if mistakes were the only way to learn, I would be a genius....
Biden did vote against Thomas.
Yes, he did, Rebecca.
Joan, a theatrical rendering of their mingling ... Thanks for the image.
😂
Waiting on 'January 6th, The Musical' here. It'll never be produced if the election changes to disenfranchise certain voters stand.
I wish republicans understood that our country is in the mess we are in, domestically and globally, because they allowed the amplification of Russian disinformation through their online-created echo chamber and validated their anger by voting for Donald Trump in 2016.
My horrifying belief is they DO know, and revel in it.
Right on, Rupert’s propaganda machine was just what Reagan ordered. From a dinner honoring Rupert Murdoch in Jan 1981, Jack Kemp was quoted as saying “Rupert Murdoch used the editorial page, the front page, and every other page necessary to elect Ronald Reagan president.” Bill Moyers warned us where this would lead. As always, follow the money…
Reagan: the beginning of "me" vs "we". We went from "compassion and sacrifice for others" to "greed is good" in that election. And people lapped it up. Layer on the Olsteens and Grahams and our society headed for the bottom - where the new Christianity became a call to selfishness, arrogance and exclusion.
Neo Christians, unrecognizable by Christ’s teachings; the money changers and their acolytes
Dave, so we'll put! Add the Pharisees to the lot of them ...
And the parties have been ultra-divided since. It’s a monumental fete to pass legislation that helps children, society as a whole or addresses poverty, inequality, racism. TFG was elected with all his greediness and dishonesty in full view. I didn’t mention morals. Amoral? By both wealthy to keep their wealth and the poor who believed his lies.
I miss Bill Moyers terribly. We need him now. But Dr. Richardson is doing very nicely in his place!
I think you are right.
White, male, cisgendered, heterosexual, Christian dominance is what they want, and they really don't care how they get there.
If only that was the totality of the problem.........
I'm sorry, but IMO the biggest threat to our democracy (which I really feel is slipping away from us) is that trump and his minions have gotten away with what essentially amounts to treason and the January 6th plot to overthrow the legitimately elected Biden administration. The DOJ has waited too long and quite frankly many people feel we now live in a country where the rule of law no longer exists. When trump took office, I said he is a Russian agent. There certainly is enough evidence to get him on anything from tax fraud to sedition and everything in between. The U.S. and the world is paying a very heavy price for our years of sitting back and wringing our collective hands and educated minds while the whirling dervish of evil takes over.
Among my S. Sudanese "Lost Boys" (who came to the U.S. 20 years ago after surviving the horrors of their homeland) there has been a constant political dialogue explaining/apologizing about trump and being Black in America. I have found it impossible to explain what is going on now with putin's invasion but they see it pretty clearly - a desperate dictator who will destroy everything for no reason. They are still dealing (remotely) with family members living under unbearable conditions in S. Sudan - watching the war in Ukraine in real time brings back overwhelmingly difficult memories for them. We all feel sickened.
I think the Biden Administration is doing an amazing job walking the gauntlet of a near impossible situation - and that is to keep putin from pulling the chemical/nuclear trigger and starting WWIII. And, of course China is a major part of what has become a complicated 3-D chess game with no room for a miscalculation. This sequence (trump, pandemic, invasion of Ukraine) is taking a big toll on all of us.
I said same, way back there, easy to see, but we gave him the keys to the kingdom. That he used them should shock no one.
And, this . . .
NYTime's - March 15th Two Refugees, Both on Poland’s Border. But Worlds Apart.
A young man fleeing war in Sudan and a young woman evacuating Ukraine crossed into Poland at the same time. They had very different experiences.
"𝘖𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘨𝘦𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘦, 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘵. 𝘈𝘭𝘣𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘰, 𝘈𝘭𝘣𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, 𝘣𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵. 𝘒𝘢𝘵𝘺𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘶𝘱 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵."
[Gift Link]
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/14/world/europe/ukraine-refugees-poland-belarus.html?unlocked_article_code=AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACEIPuomT1JKd6J17Vw1cRCfTTMQmqxCdw_PIxftm3iWka3DODm8eiPsSGYyMvErQf617apwu3C6SRdlMdaUiSuF9w-JEelRqTwCurt6OlZAMOTgu74KvW2d8l7T8YYcFyx64JG-oNLU4g7SloxONNDX3W_Pc2X1xIlp6oJY0dEWtjXAC2v-RELJqj4V9jv0qVs8uETgAdzDK66ezc2h2ONqGbBnY6AkkCaoOCXyIw4nqu_9Xex5SCFnGUHp-_W47jdtcM9kcN6v4RAUyLIu82f5CTzw1c_r6QsE5VIPWlL51sLPSqRHqyMG-xfU-Eak8r6oc96jqpx7NCj_CCtDl4r_Z&smid=url-share
Imagine the toll it is taking on President Biden.
No kidding! I cannot even imagine.
Ginni Thomas says she did not help organize the White House rally? She has been hand in glove with Leonard Leo funneling money - which Leo has moved through his shell game apparatus - to right wing extremist groups, including some involved in the rally.
She must be getting worried. Back on 01/08/21, she was cheering on the Capitol’s rioters and sending her blessings and love to them: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/01/ginni-thomas-donald-trump-clarence-thomas-capitol-riot.html
And
https://abovethelaw.com/2021/01/what-ginni-thomas-yes-wife-of-clarence-really-did-to-support-the-siege-on-the-capital/?amp=1
She lies! Let’s give her truth serum and see what happens.
just starting an enquiry into the complicity of her husband would be a good place to start too.
Yes, he should resign but his ego and Leonard Leo won’t let him.
I would suggest that a more fruitful (and strategic) place to start might be with Kavanaugh. Yes, the Thomases need investigating, but let's start with the entitled white boy with questionable qualifications and doubtful capabilities.
Way past time
Stuart, I agree. They both are a disgrace to the country.
Spontaneous combustion
When we gain enough seats for very clear majorities in both Houses, let the impeachment of Thomas begin. he has been an embarrassment since the day he was nominated.
Who are these people arming themselves against? Do they think we all own the same high capacity pistols and assault rifles as them? Do they really believe we have the same desire to form irregular militias to enforce our views at the ballot box, in legislatures and courts? The only weapons I own are the strength of my convictions and the power of the pen, to mark my ballot. If they are hoping for a shooting war over political power, they're going to have to shoot at themselves. I'll let sanctioned forces like the police, the military and the national guard bear arms on my behalf, in the assurance that they all swore to defend the constitution. God help us all if our law enforcement and military turn against the principles on which our nation was founded and has operated for over 200 years. If they want to act like the patriots of old, how about those tri-corner hats, muskets and flintlock pistols...
Nathan, YES! Thank you! You must be reading my mind. Your words: “The only weapons I own are the strength of my convictions and the power of the pen to mark my ballot…” and I don’t want to touch a lethal weapon.
Sadly, many of those who swore to protect have been hoodwinked. Pray they are not a significant number…
After the fall of the Soviet Union, David Duke spent 5 years in Russia. There been cross pollination between American and European racists since before WW2. Putin has been their Great White Hope for years.
David Duke…shiver me timbers!! Yes, he was there. I tried to forget about him but how can you forget a nasty SOB like that? The Donald was back and forth in Russia for 10 years (my understanding) cozying up to the oligarchs so he could open a hotel. I agree cross pollination definitely has existed for way too long. Let’s not forget the Republicans who went to Moscow on July 4th.
Kaye Granger my cross to bear, she has corrupted more politics in Texas than Dan Patrick
I see you have gotten very little sleep tonight, Jeri. Me too. Will soak in a warm bath. Nighty night.
Oh, there was racism in Russia long before David Duke. Romanis lived in constant fear. In Moscow, my hosts shocked me with the way they regarded the Romanis, and in the east, the reluctance to even talk about the indigenous people. It is sad: they are all in the same boat, but as always the divisions are exploited for no purpose other than diversion away from the reality of living under authoritarianism.
Used to be that Uber Conservatives would crush any citizen that had a whiff of Russian scent on his elbow as McCarthyism reigned. How far the chosen have fallen, but don’t teach bad history to our little comrades in training
Well, you can’t teach anything that would make them feel guilty or ashamed! (Funny how the far Right looks like their caricatures of the”woke” Left.)
Now I am clear on the profound stupidity of ultra right-wing posters of Obama the “fascist/socialist” that showed up before his first election. Always thought it was a funny way to “meet in the middle of a political circle! 😈
The posters I saw in Texas made me wonder how he could survive one term, much less two. The venom was palpable. And the socialist crap was obvious, as HST said “Socialism is their name for almost anything that helps all the people.”
I was interested to see that in the 2008 election, the Democrats had the choice to pick either a white woman (who's reputation had been being battered since her husband was the Governor of Arkansas and who was also completely qualified by experience to be President) and a young, Black man. I had flippantly wondered which "ism" would be the worst burden to bear. I think now that while H. Clinton would have had as much opposition and resistance from the Republiqans, I think that what Obama's election did was rip the scab off of the injury of racism and reveal that it was not healing, but infected, and unleashed the blatant expression of racism that we are reaping the benefits of today.
I completely agree, Ally. But Arkansas, not Alabama.
Sigh. Those “A” states. At last I didn’t say Alaska.
😂 they could’ve seen Russia from there at least.
Ha!!!
Didn’t know that, always thought Duke was a bridge too far, even for the tea party types. But those villages were losing their hateful idiots.
"American focus on the horrors unleashed on Ukraine has clarified our own struggle between democracy and authoritarianism here at home."
For some of us perhaps. But I am wondering what democracy loving American citizens are prepared to suffer in opposition to the very possible voter fraud and manipulation that may usher in a Republican majority in both the House and the Senate in the mid-terms. Are enough Americans awake to the real threat? I don't know.
Are a sufficient number of Americans prepared to do what is necessary to ensure democracy's continuation here? I don't know.
I do know the Ukrainians are.
We need to show up for the 2022 midterms as if we were Ukrainians:
https://twitter.com/donwinslow/status/1502820776302444545?s=20&t=k8X4JibB33fAEZc3kLgxgA
You said it! I see signs that say, “Drive as if your kids lived here.” Between now and November we need a few million signs that say, “Vote as if democracy is at stake.”
"Vote as if this were a democracy"
Yep, that's it. We are all Ukrainians now.
The best thing I've seen this week is the new slogan "2022, Vote Like A Ukranian"!
Half of our government are enemies of democracy.
Statistics always call for citations. Yours?
How about the half of congress that failed, twice, to convict the 45th President in an impeachment trial, for starters.
Ally, half of Congress is not the same thing as "half our government." Our government includes a lot more than just Congress. Voting against impeachment doesn't translate to "enemies of democracy" without a whole lot of analysis of the motivations behind the individual votes. That leap is so far from critical thinking I don't even know what to call it.
Call it not enough coffee.
Speaking of which . . . thanks for the reminder. I need a second cup. Can't go into details, pretty minor but time-consuming anyway (up late and up early. Some elements here have got some work to do on lateral communication, it seems. I'm exhausted. Coffee . . .
Professor Richardson, Your details about our democracy and how close to losing it on Jan 6: “At the same time, the findings of the January 6 committee reveal that the pro-Putin wing of the Republican Party appears to have been willing to overturn our own liberal democracy so long as it could get what it wanted” are a perfect lead into the PBS FRONTLINE interview I just now finished. An absolute must watch and the follow up episode will be March 15. “Putin’s Road to War”
https://youtu.be/kSNo2FPQDQw
“In an interview for the FRONTLINE documentary “Putin’s Road to War,” journalist Julia Loffe discusses Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine — and why she believes the Russian leader is now “more dangerous than he’s ever been at any point in the last 22 years.” I hope sometime in the next week to take a deep breath. And you, too, Heather. Thank you!
Thank you Irenie, Julia Loffe needs to be heard. Wow!
Thank you, Pat, it really ties details together. And the newest FRONTLINE will be quite enlightening!
Thank you for your clear, dispassionate distillation of the day’s events. Even after reading your letters I get so overwhelmed that I just want to crawl in a hole and whimper. But then I remember that we once had a “civil” war fought over slavery, that the American Nazi party marched in New York as Hitler tightened his grip on power in Germany, and threat of nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis 60 years ago. We managed to overcome each crisis in the past. My hope that we can eventually get through the current crisis (and your letters) gives me the courage to stop whimpering, crawl out of that hole and face the day again.
Taking a cue from what HCR touches on as to the religious implications of the war on Ukraine, this past Sunday, I came upon this very probing essay by centrist Evangelical Christian David French on the not insignificant religious part of the equation that is driving Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine. I think it is a very important consideration that has heretofore largely not been as prominent on the radar screen but which is VERY pertinent. Putin, allied with the Russian Orthodox Church, is, in essence, seeking a return to Russian greatness not just from a secular chauvinistic, global political standpoint, but out of a religious mission rooted in the Russian Orthodox Church. This isn't at all strictly about politics. French goes into detailed explanations and evidence to back up the idea that this is very much a "holy" war and it makes total sense. He also asserts that this shows the worst of Christianity when a church allies itself with and becomes a mouthpiece for a state-sponsored war on another Christian nation. As he says, it's easy to see why our founders were so careful to avoid any mention of a state-sponsored church. But, he also is inspired by how the world, especially the religious world, is coming together for good and going out of its way to help Ukraine. Here's the bulk of his essay, a long-ish read, which I highly recommend...it is interesting and makes a LOT of sense. I read French's blog on Substack every Sunday and always find his viewpoint refreshing compared to so many of his Evangelical brethren. I do disagree with him at times, but he is someone who does actually THINK and is often very critical of his fellow Evangelicals (he is VERY anti-T***p, BTW).
"As you watch the horror unfolding in Ukraine, you are watching two immensely important, competing religious events unfold in real time. First, Russia’s invasion is laced with religious elements. In many ways, it’s a religious war, representing religion at its worst. Second, as we watch the Ukrainian and international church race to Ukraine’s aide, we’re seeing Christianity at its best. In one stark moment, we are seeing the extremes of what Christians can do, for evil and for good. Let’s start by describing the evil.
"There are times when you read an essay so illuminating and informative that you think about it for years. That happened to me in December 2014, several months after the Russian invasion of Crimea. The essay was by former National Security Agency analyst John Schindler, and it was called 'Putin’s Orthodox Jihad.' An Orthodox Christian himself, Schindler provided an analysis of Putin’s Russia I’d seen nowhere else.
"The essay is long and complex, but at the risk of oversimplifying the argument, Schindler described an ideological 'fusion' between the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) and the FSB, Russia’s intelligence service. This fusion culminated 'in the 2002 dedication of an Orthodox church at the Lubyanka, the FSB—and former KGB’s—notorious Moscow headquarters.'
"This ideological fusion, Schindler argued, was at the heart of Putin’s emerging ideology. In essence, Putin didn’t just seek Russian greatness out of a sense of secular national chauvinism, but out of religious mission, and that mission was rooted in the ROC.
"Moreover, the church provided the core of the Russian moral argument against the west. Again, here was Schindler:
"'ROC agitprop, which has Kremlin endorsement, depicts a West that is declining down to its death at the hands of decadence and sin, mired in confused unbelief, bored and failing to even reproduce itself. Patriarch Kirill, head of the church, recently explained that the “main threat” to Russia is “the loss of faith” in the Western style, while ROC spokesmen constantly denounce feminism and the LGBT movement as Satanic creations of the West that aim to destroy faith, family, and nation.'
"Indeed, Russia even adopted a term called 'spiritual security,' which 'gives the ROC a mission in defending Russia from negative Western spiritual influences, in partnership with Moscow’s intelligence agencies.'
"Since Schindler’s piece—little-noticed at the time—the evidence of Putin’s religious motivations has grown overwhelming. As Giles Fraser argued in the British website Unherd, 'Putin regards his spiritual destiny as the rebuilding of Christendom, based in Moscow.'
"But what does this have to do with Ukraine? It turns out that Kiev is of central importance in Russian Orthodoxy. It’s the birthplace of the ROC, the church’s 'Jerusalem' according to the Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill:
"'Ukraine is not on the periphery of our church. We call Kiev "the mother of all Russian cities." For us Kiev is what Jerusalem is for many. Russian Orthodoxy began there, so under no circumstances can we abandon this historical and spiritual relationship. The whole unity of our Local Church is based on these spiritual ties.'
"Now, let’s add one final ingredient. In 2019 large numbers of Ukrainian parishes separated from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which was formerly under the ROC, to join a new Orthodox Church of Ukraine. In a February report describing the religious dimensions of the war, Schindler noted that 'the schism rendered Moscow white-hot with rage. The ROC viewed this as a direct attack on its "canonical territory" and on world Orthodoxy itself.'
"To make this as simple as possible, Putin has fused Russian identity with the ROC, sees his nation and his church as a bulwark against western decadence, and is now not just attempting to seize his church’s 'Jerusalem' but potentially forcibly reuniting his church after a schism it rejects. There are nationalist, historical, and strategic reasons for Putin’s move against Ukraine, but the religious elements are real, and important.
"The religious dimension of this conflict is yet another reason why the Cold War analogies are incorrect. As I’ve said before, Putin isn’t trying to recreate the Soviet Union. The better analogy is to the deeply religious Russian Empire that existed before the Russian Civil War.
"This is the church at its worst, when it weds itself to state power and wields the sword to advance God’s kingdom on earth. We are watching the deep darkness of malevolent Christendom, a religious movement that will slaughter innocents to fight 'decadence' and bomb hospitals to combat 'sin.' When you see Putin’s armies advance, you can think, this is why our nation rejects established religion.
"But when great evil arises, great good answers. And in this case, the great good is also in the church. Yes, it’s represented by individual Christian Ukrainian soldiers laying down their lives in defense of their nation and their homes, but it’s also represented by a very different kind of institutional Christian response.
"I’m thinking, for example, of the report that the average Baptist World Alliance Church in Ukraine is 'feeding and sheltering 100 people.' I’m thinking of Samaritan’s Purse setting up an emergency field hospital outside of Lviv, Ukraine. I’m thinking of churches like First Baptist Church of Robertsdale, Alabama, sending a team to Moldova to help Ukrainian refugees.
"I’m also thinking of my colleague Harvest Prude’s moving story about the bonds between Christians in the United States and Christians in Ukraine:
"'It’s personal for us in the Southern Baptist world,' Brent Leatherwood, acting president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, told The Dispatch. 'Most folks don’t realize it, but Ukraine has the second largest population of Baptists in Europe.' In churches across America, Leatherwood said, pastors are utilizing prayer guides and partnering with Send Relief and other organizations helping on the ground.
"I have friends who’ve spent time in Ukraine. Our churches are praying for Ukraine. They’re sending people and goods to Ukraine, flooding Eastern Europe with tangible support for a people who are suffering from terrible harm.
"In this circumstance, national borders and national identities matter far less than the Christian brotherhood with Ukrainian churches and the shared humanity of Ukrainian refugees.
"This is Christianity at its best. It’s not pacifistic. Its members are resisting tyranny with the force of arms. But its focus isn’t on conquest, but rather compassion. A religious war is being met with a religious response, and that religious response represents the true face of the faith that Putin purports to defend.
[...]
"I’ve been frankly surprised at the number of people who’ve asked me why we don’t intervene directly to save Ukraine. In an extended piece for The Atlantic, I tried to explain in detail why direct intervention would be extraordinarily perilous. Vladimir Putin just might try to fight—and win—a limited nuclear war:
"'Since the dawn of modern warfare, the world’s most powerful countries have inflicted terrible destruction on the nations they conquer. But nuclear weapons raise the stakes higher still. It’s vitally important that Americans understand the true nature of Putin’s forces, and the doctrines that might dictate their use.'
"'It’s one thing to confront a potential nuclear conflict when both sides know they’ll lose. Mutual assured destruction kept the peace even during the darkest days of the Cold War. It’s another thing entirely to confront a potential nuclear conflict when one side believes it can win. That’s the most dangerous confrontation of all, and we may be close to that now.'"
Religion has been the “reason,” the cause of wars forever, at least centuries. FRONTLINE also documents Putin’s religious zeal. And then there’s antisemitism. Not only in Russia. Some of the quotes in your piece sound like USA, George W Bush, then TFG who were supported by Evangelical Christian churches at the pulpit.
Putin very successfully enlisted the evangelical faction in US for the benefit of Bush and Trump both by his manipulation of “family values.” They were knee capped and didn’t feel a thing. In my own opinion they were far more grievously damaged by their own self mutilation.
And speaking of failing to enforce the law, why didn't those pulpits lose their tax-exempt status? Or, at least pay penalties? Their videos were all over social media. Why wasn't the IRS enforcing the law? The sermon from the Sunday before the 2016 presidential election from the First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, Florida set my hair on fire.
Agreed. I think the antisemitism is pretty much a given and has long been a not-so-well-kept-secret of the traditional Russian Orthodox Church. The newer sect of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has embraced a more Western approach to morality and to antisemitism, and this is heretical to the ROC & Putin. As I noted, David French is an Evangelical who is very much against the church having anything to do with politics. His viewpoint is not the only one, thankfully, as the recently elected head of the Southern Baptist Convention in Dallas has spoken out very strongly on the church staying out of politics, citing their drastic loss of members in the past 10 years as proof that people, especially young people, are rejecting a church that comes across as interested more in political power. It's a very welcome step in the right direction.
Bruce, thanks for the French article.
Christianity has a long history of this kind of "ideological fusion" of religious and political powers. In every case the fusion hollows out and distorts the Gospel on which Christianity is based. It has certainly happened in the U.S., and is happening now, as the ultra-right Evangelicals and the ultra-conservative Roman Catholics join forces in the cultural wars. Their so called "religious freedom" platform sounds a lot like Putin's " spiritual security" .....We call it "religious" because it is being steered by the leadership ( not necessarily all of the membership) of powerful organizations--businesses really--which operate in the U.S. at least under the banner of a 501(c)(3) but which provide yet one more code label for the culture "war"! Once this fusion happens within various Christian denominations, the resulting entity is so far removed from religion ( and such a distortion) as to be anti- religion! But the reason French can identify "good" and "bad" players within Christianity is that some Christians remain tethered to Gospel values despite the actions of their leaders.
Exactly. And as French has pointed out in some of his other writings, the fact that organised religion is losing members right and left shows that people are sick of the bullsh!t they see masquerading as "representing" Christ on earth. Christ is unconditional love. Period. What does all this other stuff have to do with what is essentially a beautiful and simple message?
I remember, W especially
Organized religions have been the cause of/participants in wars, is what caused me to discount the organized religion that I grew up in, when in college (eons ago), with a couple of backslides since then :)
When religion becomes weaponized and becomes a club with which one brutalizes another it is no longer religion. A friend of mine who happens to be of the Flathead Tribe near St. Ignatius, MT., once told me - “the most dangerous animal on the planet was a middle aged Christian white lady”.
First phrase that came to mind, The Dark Ages. Terrible times ahead. Selfish fanatics.
It makes sense to me that Putin is trying to recreate a time before the USSR because I heard all my life that communism dissed religion, and consequently destroyed much of the orthodoxy. What doesn’t make sense is that Putin is a religious man, maybe using religion as many power-hungry cretins do, but a believer? Beyond my comprehension.
Putin's "religion" has served him well.
https://www.bing.com/search?q=putin%27s+palace&form=ANNTH1&refig=a18c0a6ba9bf445fa7f513726336a03d&sp=5&qs=EP&pq=putin%27s+&sk=PRES1FT2LS2&sc=8-8&cvid=a18c0a6ba9bf445fa7f513726336a03d
Jeri, you put into words just what I was thinking. Religion is a tool, no more, to him.
Bruce, I had to read your “essay” one more time and it’s even more illuminating and disturbing. I see the debate as degrees of faith and Christianity. Interesting that the church in Ukraine competes with Putin’s ROC. My relatives, Jews from Kiev and Vilnius, Lithuania, left (escaped ?) in 1909 to USA. I believe a few remain but I’m not in touch. I don’t see any mention of Jews, but note the degrees of Christianity. Another article might tell us about the Inquisitions, about Christians, Jews and Muslims. Then and now. Thank you for sharing your research and connecting it to this war. Religions have a way of protecting their beliefs to the point of losing touch with what would seem to be “godly.” Frontline in some of its stories on Putin and Russia include the religious connections which are missing in much of other reporting. There is a line that is crossed from religious to fanatical that loses all perspective, which brings the conversation back to Putin’s beliefs and objectives in this war. Where to next?
As I said, David French, the author of the article I quoted, notes that this war is showing both the good and bad side of religion in a society. French is a staunch believer in separation of church and state, and fervently believes religion and government don't and should not mix. You should read his diatribes against the Falwells, Franklin Graham, and kooks like Pat Robertson. It is a refreshing take that is frequently at odds with so many of his Evangelical cohorts. There are some decent thinkers among them--they're not ALL nuts--and I am interested to see their views. His blog on Substack has a comments section like this one and attracts a wide range of religious views, believers of every stripe and non-believers. Some of the dialogue can get feisty. I'm surrounded down here by every sort of Evangelical group imaginable, so finding a fairly liberal Evangelical viewpoint is reassuring. French is not in any way supportive of Putin and his fake religiosity. And yes, where this will lead is anybody's guess.
Yes, I will check out the blog. And after reading my comment. I think I would add “religion” as I understand its not just Christianity that doesn’t mix with politics, but most, all Religion. And the different viewpoints about religion and politics within families is not new. Including my family.
The idea of a clear separation of church and government does seem to be a concept that has been specific to the US Constitution and as such hasn't been enshrined in too many other government systems around the globe. It goes hand in hand with our Constitution being a product of Enlightenment Era minds, an era that saw the rise of science and reasoning, and a waning of influence of religion, even going so far as questioning of its validity. When you think about it, it's fascinating how in a relatively short time of say a hundred years or so we went from a highly superstitious sort of mindset that could lead to such things as the Salem witch trials, all the way to coming up with documents like the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution. It shows the occurrence of a seismic shift in thinking that led to our founders jettisoning what had been a fairly general idea of a state religion. Have we always followed it exactly to the letter throughout our history? No, not really, but we've done pretty well keeping its influence at bay. I just hope we can keep it that way.
Hey, Bruce, this is excellent. Thank you.
I agree!
Morning, Lynell!
Do you know how tiny Robertsdale, AL is? In 2019, less than 7k people. It also happens to be the hometown of Apple CEO, Tim Cook.
The intertwined uses of religion for politics and political power for religious power have long been around. Thanks for your summary of French's argument. Do you have a link/reference for it, and/or Schindler's article?
Here's the link to the Schindler article from 2014 in Wordpress:
https://20committee.wordpress.com/2014/12/27/putins-orthodox-jihad/
Here's a link to David French's blog on Dispatch from last Sunday:
https://frenchpress.thedispatch.com/p/the-best-of-christian-compassion?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxMTkzNzQ4OSwicG9zdF9pZCI6NTAyMzQxNzIsIl8iOiJYb3JVWSIsImlhdCI6MTY0NzM2NzY3MSwiZXhwIjoxNjQ3MzcxMjcxLCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMjE3NjUiLCJzdWIiOiJwb3N0LXJlYWN0aW9uIn0.K-095sCqcHYNuyLXFeCiI1QWBSVvvYfydkNfpSBD-64&s=r
Thanks Bruce.
Oh my gosh. I thought tRUMP, his enablers and cronies said there were no weapons brought into the Capitol. I've always been leery of guys in wheelchairs with blankets over their laps. Once in an airport, the TSAs had me stripped practically naked as I set off all the alarms (titanium hips) while they pushed a guy in a wheelchair with a heavy blanket over his lap and never said a word to him. I made sure he wasn't on my flight before I got on. A chunk of C3 the size of a wheelchair makes a pretty good bang. Do they check Cawthorn before he enters the Senate?
Resonating with the titanium hip pat-down. A grey-haired granny gets multiple pat-downs every time after declaring that I got a metal hip on Dec. 21st 2013 at the Hospital for Special Surgery. Pat-pat-pat...
SMH 🙁
They lie
I got a pat down in a CA airport due to artificial knee. Side bar: I also had a right upper arm break (a break that cannot be cast, only splinted) and had to hold that arm up level with my shoulder for a prolonged pat down! It was excruciating, but no effort was made to accommodate my situation.
Disgusting - I was surprised to see how unfriendly the employees on the US side of the entry process were.
As horrible as the war is, it has jarred people who have ignored and sidestepped those among us who have aligned themselves with white supremacists, oligarchs, and dictators. Thanks for confirming what many of us were starting to see ourselves. Hard to know how to say or word it when it took something and someone as vile as Putin to shake cowards who were letting their party slide into what it has. Fingers crossed all the way around.