When I see Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL), and other voices from our right wing, siding with Russian President Vladimir Putin in his demand that President Joe Biden debate him or pretending that the January 6 attack on the Capitol wasn’t a big deal, or Republicans voting to overturn a legitimate election or trying to keep Americans from voting, sometimes I despair of our democracy.
This is profoundly disturbing. It is essential that we bring back the Fairness Doctrine and make it illegal for any form of broadcast publication or media to lie the way the right wing extremists have done for the past 34 years.
Our great democracy will not survive the continued attack on its very existence.
‘We will grow like the flame that fuels us and spread like the love that guides us.’ What in god’s green earth is this kind of love? A love that guilds people to kill/hurt people they disagree with? This is the mother of all Big lies. Black is white if I say so and if you disagree with me you have no value at all. You are disposable. Father knows best, I am hitting you because I ‘love’ you. Children, women, all people of colour or a different sexual orientation than the one I feel comfortable with should be seen and used for my own profit but not heard or have equal human rights. This attitude is fuelled by fear and acted out with a fragile veneer of bravado that is trying to hide a yawning pit of insecurity and hate. There is no real Love in it at all. We all know what real Love feels like. It is not some sentimental hallmark card. It is both kind, courageous and fearless. It is open not closed. Inclusive not xenophobic. It cannot be put in the service of anything that degrades, hurts or makes less any sentient being. It created and continues to create every good thing. That some deluded, immature thug thinks he has Love on a leash like a pet to be trotted out to lull the masses with this phoney proclamation is tragically ridiculous. Fortunately Love cannot be domesticated for any cause. It enlightens, comforts, defends, and banishes darkness indiscriminately. Love endures.
Thank you, Heather. It must be difficult for you to write this kind of missive, but I'm sure you feel compelled to do it. It's like trying to expel a precipitous infection for me. I think the Fairness Doctrine is a key element in getting more of our fellow countryfolk back to reality!
“Meanwhile, the lawyer for Schaffer, the Indiana man, is trying to get leniency for his client by arguing that the man was encouraged by Trump. ‘People have the right to believe the highest elected official…. My client is not responsible for what happened on January 6.’”
Once again, the classic defense for behaving badly:
“I was only following orders.”
It seems as if they’re throwing the former president under the bus to weasel out of responsibility for breaking the law.
And this by people who adamantly oppose government telling people how to live their lives. Only “sheeple” let government officials tell them what to do. You know, like wearing masks in public, getting vaccinated, and so on.
It is not a very in-depth article but gets the point across that there can be something done about fake news. As usual a real solution takes time and takes the kind of effort that spans many years but that is the truth.
The fairness doctrine or some update of it is a public statement that we want to push back on fake news but we all understand that in our current world it won’t stop the proliferation of lies on all the various venues that lies are currently spread. Individuals in the end have to grow the skills to tell falsehood from truth.
All the telling comments today about the problems in education underscore the difficulties we face. I believe that medicine and education are bell-weather humanitarian fields that can be used to spearhead movement toward a better method for crafting our society. What happens in these two disciplines guides what happens over all, or could. The first move is to pry control of these disciplines out of the hands of finance people. The path toward this capability is long and probably difficult but it is not really obscure.
1. The For The People Act. With out this I do despair.
2. Revision of the Fairness doctrine or some revision of our beloved right to free speech that makes sense in our current world along with consideration of what happens to liars or those who incite riot. (Trump did lie and incite for years. Why did we have to wait until the actual riot happened? Or until the big lie has become so entrenched?)
3. The creation of a subset of our economy that recognizes and empowers humanitarian professions and supports their efforts as self-governing elements of society with transparency as its global tenant.
I personally believe that those teachers who are using their class rooms as platforms for lies or for the promotion of their personal “truths” without concern for guiding critical thinking or historical reflection are well known to their colleagues just as poor physicians were and are well known to those who are working with them. As it stands calling these individuals out on their behavior, or their lack of skill, puts the accuser at substantially more risk than the embedded liar. And, like in medicine actual teachers probably already know what they need to do and what it will take to arm our children for their complex future.
Those percentages of people believing that Fake45 won the election and those who think too much time is being spent on the insurrection, is astounding. I almost want to feel sorry for their ignorance but then I am reminded that most are unstable and are gun lovers.
Matt Gaetz and the others, McCarthy, Biggs, Brooks, crazy Gosar, etc. are all traitors to our nation. Their hateful and damaging rhetoric is what is destroying our democracy.
Your opening lines have been my reality for months, Heather. "I despair of our democracy" every single time the GOP, who represent our citizens in the Capitol, vote against a move to improve our lives and our plight following the destruction that 45 inflicted upon our systems and institutions. "I despair of our democracy" every single time the GOP leaders open their mouths to commit more deeply to their fascist lies. "I despair of our democracy" every single time 45 is praised or excused for what he did to stir and encourage the insurrection. "I despair of our democracy" every single time I realize that the Matt Gaetzes of this world are allowed to get away with their treasonous words and deeds. And "I despair of our democracy" every single day that passes without 45 and his clan having been arrested for their crimes! Thank you, Heather, for standing beside those of us who, like you, despair.
Thank you, Heather! Seldom does a day pass when I do not despair of our democracy. Your letters and Press Secretary Jen Psaki's daily press briefings help fuel my hope and optimism.
I certainly hope President Biden does not patronize Putin by agreeing to a debate. What a nightmare. I recall Trump's behavior at the debates. Makes my skin crawl.
True, as far as it goes. Even more fundamentally, however, i first read it as "I despair of our sanity."
It all makes me wonder if there's any way back to a collaborative political process, in that while we live in the most advanced and informed society in history, such ignorance still receives such recognition. How the Gaetzes and Gohmerts and Greenes and Jordans get elected, given their basic lack of qualifications, or an agenda beyond obstruction, or even a modicum of common sense, escapes my comprehension.
For any big lie to work it must be told and told again, over and over. In the same exact way, with the power of personality and the conviction of a Southern Baptist preacher, the truth must me repeatedly told. Over and over and over. It’s not so much lies shouldn’t be told, they shouldn’t. It’s more about telling stories reinforcing truth. Over and over and over, again and again, and never stop. Truth and love is more powerful than hate and lies, but only when we project it. Former President Trump teaches the power of repetition. The power of doubling down. If reading this strikes you as bizarre then you’re reading it upside down. President Biden gets it. We all must push the truth like it’s a vocation, or a lust for aggrandizement. For every Indianan man with vitriol and lies, tens of thousands of zealot truth tellers must be there to drown out the lies. As a country, are we winning the war on truth? I think we aren’t doing a great job and can do better. What’s the truth about government institutions and its preservation of freedom and democracy? This truth needs telling and from both sides of the isle. I’m using A Starting Point, the app, to hear it position statements from the politicians themselves. No Like buttons. Their unvarnished videos gives me ground truth about what they say and I use critical thinking with diversity of information to then tell others the good things going on. It’s uplifting and I call it The Big Truth.
As a high school instructor for 28 years I have had a different experience than some out there. My school is a mix of working class, middle class, and upper middle class. Minorities make up roughly 30% .
We have had some really stupid and hateful incidents around race, gender preference etc. I would say these, while egregious, do not reflect the overwhelming positives our kids engage in. Our leadership supports the teachers temerity to take on uncomfortable issues while always being respectful of the minority idea (Trump supporters) for instance. We have adopted Anti-Racist practices woven into all teaching subjects. We all do this in our own way and to a level we feel comfortable with. "Respect for Human Differences" is a core belief. We say that "we don not teach you what to think, we teach you how to think." Yes it is all practiced imperfectly but we are not afraid of ideas. As a for instance, our kids totally organized their own march for BLM which was attended by hundreds of all walks of people, even politicians. I am more fearful of leadership and administrations that discourage and intimidate and punish authentic thinking (I have taught there too). I do not teach a core subject nor what would be considered an academic subject. But I am so encouraged by my students and their thoughts, incites and observations when I ask for their written responses to an article or book that we are reading. We do this intermittently to topics outside of my discipline . When asked why? I tell them because I am a human too and live in this world and the issues that confront us all race, human rights, environment, and politics do not exist in separate silos and disappear when you arrive in my setting. They know where I stand on issues, but I tell them not to believe or accept what I say, it is incumbent upon us all to fully interrogate the facts. This is how we all get to the truth of a matter. So fact check me as well as others. I guess what I really am trying to impress upon you is that I am not fearful of the young , I am so encouraged by what I see in them. It is our culture that will shape them ultimately and good education is a strong contributor to good culture. Hope this makes some sense.
So, it’s not just me. Altho, I have had this despair since Nov. 8, 2016. The despair of discovering how many ignorant, bigoted cultists followed a clearly insane, unqualified and dangerous conman and elected him to the highest office of the land. Also, the despair of seeing the depths of complicity in the Repugnant Party that also saw the danger of this unqualified madman and initially tried to stop him, but on seeing his cult appeal to the bigots and ignorant faction of their party acquiesced to his madness.
Since that time, 4 years ago I have feared for our nation as this madman roused his ignorant dangerous rabble using Hitler’s Playbook. (Ppl who used to call that comparison hyperbole now admit it is true). And then the attempted burning of the Reichstag happened on Jan. 6, 2021, and was thwarted, but the Nazi followers in the Repugnant Party are still here threatening our democracy and I still despair.
This is profoundly disturbing. It is essential that we bring back the Fairness Doctrine and make it illegal for any form of broadcast publication or media to lie the way the right wing extremists have done for the past 34 years.
Our great democracy will not survive the continued attack on its very existence.
‘We will grow like the flame that fuels us and spread like the love that guides us.’ What in god’s green earth is this kind of love? A love that guilds people to kill/hurt people they disagree with? This is the mother of all Big lies. Black is white if I say so and if you disagree with me you have no value at all. You are disposable. Father knows best, I am hitting you because I ‘love’ you. Children, women, all people of colour or a different sexual orientation than the one I feel comfortable with should be seen and used for my own profit but not heard or have equal human rights. This attitude is fuelled by fear and acted out with a fragile veneer of bravado that is trying to hide a yawning pit of insecurity and hate. There is no real Love in it at all. We all know what real Love feels like. It is not some sentimental hallmark card. It is both kind, courageous and fearless. It is open not closed. Inclusive not xenophobic. It cannot be put in the service of anything that degrades, hurts or makes less any sentient being. It created and continues to create every good thing. That some deluded, immature thug thinks he has Love on a leash like a pet to be trotted out to lull the masses with this phoney proclamation is tragically ridiculous. Fortunately Love cannot be domesticated for any cause. It enlightens, comforts, defends, and banishes darkness indiscriminately. Love endures.
Thank you, Heather. It must be difficult for you to write this kind of missive, but I'm sure you feel compelled to do it. It's like trying to expel a precipitous infection for me. I think the Fairness Doctrine is a key element in getting more of our fellow countryfolk back to reality!
When Sarah Palin famously said that she could see Russia from her home in Alaska, she was apparently describing the future of the Republican Party.
“Meanwhile, the lawyer for Schaffer, the Indiana man, is trying to get leniency for his client by arguing that the man was encouraged by Trump. ‘People have the right to believe the highest elected official…. My client is not responsible for what happened on January 6.’”
Once again, the classic defense for behaving badly:
“I was only following orders.”
It seems as if they’re throwing the former president under the bus to weasel out of responsibility for breaking the law.
And this by people who adamantly oppose government telling people how to live their lives. Only “sheeple” let government officials tell them what to do. You know, like wearing masks in public, getting vaccinated, and so on.
I’m going to repost this link by LH in case it gets lost down in the stack.
LH1 hr ago
Perhaps we could take a page from education in Finland. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/28/fact-from-fiction-finlands-new-lessons-in-combating-fake-news
It is not a very in-depth article but gets the point across that there can be something done about fake news. As usual a real solution takes time and takes the kind of effort that spans many years but that is the truth.
The fairness doctrine or some update of it is a public statement that we want to push back on fake news but we all understand that in our current world it won’t stop the proliferation of lies on all the various venues that lies are currently spread. Individuals in the end have to grow the skills to tell falsehood from truth.
All the telling comments today about the problems in education underscore the difficulties we face. I believe that medicine and education are bell-weather humanitarian fields that can be used to spearhead movement toward a better method for crafting our society. What happens in these two disciplines guides what happens over all, or could. The first move is to pry control of these disciplines out of the hands of finance people. The path toward this capability is long and probably difficult but it is not really obscure.
1. The For The People Act. With out this I do despair.
2. Revision of the Fairness doctrine or some revision of our beloved right to free speech that makes sense in our current world along with consideration of what happens to liars or those who incite riot. (Trump did lie and incite for years. Why did we have to wait until the actual riot happened? Or until the big lie has become so entrenched?)
3. The creation of a subset of our economy that recognizes and empowers humanitarian professions and supports their efforts as self-governing elements of society with transparency as its global tenant.
I personally believe that those teachers who are using their class rooms as platforms for lies or for the promotion of their personal “truths” without concern for guiding critical thinking or historical reflection are well known to their colleagues just as poor physicians were and are well known to those who are working with them. As it stands calling these individuals out on their behavior, or their lack of skill, puts the accuser at substantially more risk than the embedded liar. And, like in medicine actual teachers probably already know what they need to do and what it will take to arm our children for their complex future.
Those percentages of people believing that Fake45 won the election and those who think too much time is being spent on the insurrection, is astounding. I almost want to feel sorry for their ignorance but then I am reminded that most are unstable and are gun lovers.
Matt Gaetz and the others, McCarthy, Biggs, Brooks, crazy Gosar, etc. are all traitors to our nation. Their hateful and damaging rhetoric is what is destroying our democracy.
Your opening lines have been my reality for months, Heather. "I despair of our democracy" every single time the GOP, who represent our citizens in the Capitol, vote against a move to improve our lives and our plight following the destruction that 45 inflicted upon our systems and institutions. "I despair of our democracy" every single time the GOP leaders open their mouths to commit more deeply to their fascist lies. "I despair of our democracy" every single time 45 is praised or excused for what he did to stir and encourage the insurrection. "I despair of our democracy" every single time I realize that the Matt Gaetzes of this world are allowed to get away with their treasonous words and deeds. And "I despair of our democracy" every single day that passes without 45 and his clan having been arrested for their crimes! Thank you, Heather, for standing beside those of us who, like you, despair.
Thank you, Heather! Seldom does a day pass when I do not despair of our democracy. Your letters and Press Secretary Jen Psaki's daily press briefings help fuel my hope and optimism.
I certainly hope President Biden does not patronize Putin by agreeing to a debate. What a nightmare. I recall Trump's behavior at the debates. Makes my skin crawl.
".... sometimes I despair of our democracy."
True, as far as it goes. Even more fundamentally, however, i first read it as "I despair of our sanity."
It all makes me wonder if there's any way back to a collaborative political process, in that while we live in the most advanced and informed society in history, such ignorance still receives such recognition. How the Gaetzes and Gohmerts and Greenes and Jordans get elected, given their basic lack of qualifications, or an agenda beyond obstruction, or even a modicum of common sense, escapes my comprehension.
Well, this may be the most disheartening column yet. We are clearly going to be dealing with the effects of Trump’s sedition for years to come.
For any big lie to work it must be told and told again, over and over. In the same exact way, with the power of personality and the conviction of a Southern Baptist preacher, the truth must me repeatedly told. Over and over and over. It’s not so much lies shouldn’t be told, they shouldn’t. It’s more about telling stories reinforcing truth. Over and over and over, again and again, and never stop. Truth and love is more powerful than hate and lies, but only when we project it. Former President Trump teaches the power of repetition. The power of doubling down. If reading this strikes you as bizarre then you’re reading it upside down. President Biden gets it. We all must push the truth like it’s a vocation, or a lust for aggrandizement. For every Indianan man with vitriol and lies, tens of thousands of zealot truth tellers must be there to drown out the lies. As a country, are we winning the war on truth? I think we aren’t doing a great job and can do better. What’s the truth about government institutions and its preservation of freedom and democracy? This truth needs telling and from both sides of the isle. I’m using A Starting Point, the app, to hear it position statements from the politicians themselves. No Like buttons. Their unvarnished videos gives me ground truth about what they say and I use critical thinking with diversity of information to then tell others the good things going on. It’s uplifting and I call it The Big Truth.
Dear Heather, I hope you can go to your favorite place today and take a little breather.
Enjoy this weekend, if anyone deserves a recharge, it's you. Much love to you.
To those who fear the kids.
As a high school instructor for 28 years I have had a different experience than some out there. My school is a mix of working class, middle class, and upper middle class. Minorities make up roughly 30% .
We have had some really stupid and hateful incidents around race, gender preference etc. I would say these, while egregious, do not reflect the overwhelming positives our kids engage in. Our leadership supports the teachers temerity to take on uncomfortable issues while always being respectful of the minority idea (Trump supporters) for instance. We have adopted Anti-Racist practices woven into all teaching subjects. We all do this in our own way and to a level we feel comfortable with. "Respect for Human Differences" is a core belief. We say that "we don not teach you what to think, we teach you how to think." Yes it is all practiced imperfectly but we are not afraid of ideas. As a for instance, our kids totally organized their own march for BLM which was attended by hundreds of all walks of people, even politicians. I am more fearful of leadership and administrations that discourage and intimidate and punish authentic thinking (I have taught there too). I do not teach a core subject nor what would be considered an academic subject. But I am so encouraged by my students and their thoughts, incites and observations when I ask for their written responses to an article or book that we are reading. We do this intermittently to topics outside of my discipline . When asked why? I tell them because I am a human too and live in this world and the issues that confront us all race, human rights, environment, and politics do not exist in separate silos and disappear when you arrive in my setting. They know where I stand on issues, but I tell them not to believe or accept what I say, it is incumbent upon us all to fully interrogate the facts. This is how we all get to the truth of a matter. So fact check me as well as others. I guess what I really am trying to impress upon you is that I am not fearful of the young , I am so encouraged by what I see in them. It is our culture that will shape them ultimately and good education is a strong contributor to good culture. Hope this makes some sense.
“...sometimes I despair of our democracy.”
So, it’s not just me. Altho, I have had this despair since Nov. 8, 2016. The despair of discovering how many ignorant, bigoted cultists followed a clearly insane, unqualified and dangerous conman and elected him to the highest office of the land. Also, the despair of seeing the depths of complicity in the Repugnant Party that also saw the danger of this unqualified madman and initially tried to stop him, but on seeing his cult appeal to the bigots and ignorant faction of their party acquiesced to his madness.
Since that time, 4 years ago I have feared for our nation as this madman roused his ignorant dangerous rabble using Hitler’s Playbook. (Ppl who used to call that comparison hyperbole now admit it is true). And then the attempted burning of the Reichstag happened on Jan. 6, 2021, and was thwarted, but the Nazi followers in the Repugnant Party are still here threatening our democracy and I still despair.