Thank you Heather.
We listened to President Biden’s press conference earlier today/Thu. To hear him articulate what’s what did us and US proud.
By comparison, Clarence and Ginny Thomas, tfg, tucker carlson… I’ve not yet given up hope that justice will be served, though I’m growing ever more frustrated and impatient. May these despicable people pay dearly for their treacheries.
We listened to President Biden’s press conference earlier today/Thu. To hear him articulate what’s what did us and US proud.
By comparison, Clarence and Ginny Thomas, tfg, tucker carlson… I’ve not yet given up hope that justice will be served, though I’m growing ever more frustrated and impatient. May these despicable people pay dearly for their treacheries.
After the Ginni Thomas news dropped yesterday I mused that Clarence checked into Sibley so he could be "ill" and unavailable for comment. He likely had a stroke upon learning that Ginni's, as well as his, duplicity was going to be exposed.
My take is that he is actually pretty sick, and will use his health to retire. Imagine Joe getting another SCOTUS pick. Imagine the fireworks fro the rethuglicans. Hang on, cuz it's gonna be a wild ride.
Ha, he was in on it from the git go, but neither worry, they can just scream that the leftists are after them and republicans will do their smear thing. It’s all they are good for anymore. What more proof do we need.
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Man, that disgusting perversion of the actual meaning and reality of lynchings that he used back then. It will still come to mind sometimes. Shame on him.
In a reality just parallel to our own, he is impeached.
I can’t quite bring myself to wish for the death of anyone…..but who am I kidding when I say that? When my brothers and I were little, we asked our life-long pacifist/activist English mother, who had served in the WRAF in London in WWII, what she would have done if fate had found her alone in a room with Hitler and she had a loaded gun (Would she kill him and thus change history?). We were always frustrated when she allowed that she would NOT kill him.
Throughout my life I have returned to that Big Time dilemma from time to time; when tfg had COVID, currently thomas, etc etc etc, I find myself torn. When trump had COVID was, perhaps, the perfect example. I sort of “officially” settled on wanting him to not die but, instead, to really, really suffer….to profoundly hurt, to come so close to death that he would fundamentally change, to, as Susan Collins so (what descriptor do I use here??) um, naively (I’m being generous) put it, “learn a lesson.”
Anyway, I am not as good or principled a person as my late mother. I am seriously torn on this issue. But if it were Hitler and I had the gun, and I seriously/honestly believed that my action could/would change history, well, I’d go for it. Sorry Mom….but it would be done for millions of right reasons.
Putin? Ditto.
trump, thomas, graham, hawley, cruz, mtg, etc, etc, etc? Well, probably not so much with the gun thing. But wishing them serious ill will, you bet, in half a heartbeat.
Of course, just so I don’t get a visit from any Secret Service types, this is not a threat. I would NOT off any one of the six horrible people listed above. But there is the old expression about “twitchy trigger fingers.” But, again, no I wouldn’t/couldn’t do it.
But to wish them agony that might, somehow, instill humility and decency? Hell yes.
My wish is that the law would swiftly and effectively work, giving people confidence that “no one is above the law”. And then I wish, to most effectively neuter their influence and actions, have their supporters turn on them.
Everyone has the right to employ a lawyer to defend their position. It should not matter if that lawyer agrees or disagrees with that position; it is their legal abilities that are being hired. The defeated former president and his acolytes do not understand that and use lawyers who believe in their position to start with and that is why they repeatedly lose in court. But doing that does buy time, resulting in the lengthy delays litigation involves, taking them out of the media spotlight.
Yes! Neutering, starting at the knees and working its way up, is what needs to happen. But they say “we have laws”. That’s the real problem. We have so many laws, so many interpretations that we have created a bottleneck. That red tape should be cut.
We need to be protected from evil beings in positions of power who plan great harm to others. Like surgery, killing is to be avoided wherever possible; but what you speak of here is killing to protect the lives of millions. If there is no other way, the morality is clear.
If we are guided by the conviction that all harmful actions will be paid for, our duty must be to do all we can to prevent harm. There is no joy in amputating a gangrened limb, it is a necessary act of benevolence. Hatred will always harm those who bear it, even only in thought. All actions must be guided by benevolence, desiring the best for others, very much including those the warrior must kill.
Even addressing this subject is horribly painful, but there is no room for sentimentality.
Here is a case of a man full of hatred for Hitler and the Nazis, who shot him in the last months of the war:
“I saw him once more at close range. This was in the autumn of 1932, as the fever began to take hold of Germany. Friedrich von Miicke and I were dining at the Osteria Bavaria in Munich when Hitler entered and crossed the restaurant to the table next to ours - alone, by the way, and without his usual bodyguard.
I had driven into town, and since at that time, September 1932, the streets were already quite unsafe, I had a loaded revolver with me. In the almost deserted restaurant, I could easily have shot him. If I had had an inkling of the role this piece of filth was to play, and of the years of suffering he was to make us endure, I would have done it without a second thought. But I took him for a character out of a comic strip, and did not shoot.”
Friedrich Reck-Malleczewen : Diary of a Man in Despair
Peter, do you think we might evolve to the point where we can keep evil from positions of power? Does that sound ridiculous to you? Seems like our mother ship might not last that long?
Bear in mind that we are all a mixture, we all have our shadow side, we all change and our behavior changes with circumstances, with temptations... especially when we have responsibility for others, power over others.
Would you please recommend one? I have only read On Tyranny and Our Malady. I’ve been on the fence about which one to read next, they all look so interesting. Thank you.
There’s supposedly an old saying from the shtetl - Gd bless and keep the Czar far away from us. We can pray for Clarence Thomas, and for that matter at least one more of the court partisan hacks, to be happy in retirement very soon as Biden nominees create a different majority on the court.
hopefully it doesn't require a continuance of partisanship politics for this post - as it is one that by its proclamations should be non-partisan. Congress should be seeking to place people of great integrity and a love of the law that do not bend to partisan politics....perhaps I may seem wholly unrealistic in this thought - but what a dream if all on the supreme court were free of these pressures and biases and performed their jobs as they are designed....doing away with shadow dockets or reserving them to real emergencies and keeping to a minimum - not as a vehicle to enforce treacherous partisan politics as what just took place for Wisconsin voting rights
Peter, I nightly wish for the evil in the world to be exterminated, however that may be. Every morning when I bring up the news, I am hoping the headlines will announce the death of the former guy and the arrests of many who follow in his wake. Am still waiting.....
What matters is that they must be indicted, tried, made to pay in full for their crimes. And punishment must be exemplary enough to deter would-be imitators.
Thanks so much for your very kind words about my images. Heather is an extraordinarily wonderful person and it's a true honor to have my work thus shared..... And, yep, it IS great having all of us in the LFAA classroom/family. We are blessed and each need to spread the word about LFAA at every opportunity!
Peter, I agree with you and the expression the end justifies the means comes to mind. All the people you mentioned are ones I have a hard time viewing as "people". They don't strike me as souls like you or I. I won't feel bad when they eventually pass, as we all will someday.
Also for those aforementioned, my late Irish Catholic Mom would make an exception as well.
Very good point. Agreed, 100%. But the basic question remains unanswered, as it has throughout my life. Would one “do it” if one thought it would prevent unimaginable mass suffering?
Time to let go of that haunting cycle, friend. In the real world, you know that assassinations do not accomplish peace. Why invent an imaginary world Where they do, then wonder what your imaginary counterpart would do? Its enough to keep us busy working out how to do actual good in this world. I've prayed for peace for Justice Thomas and protection for people threatened by his power, and I stop there. That keeps my heart in a functional place where I can have hope of bringing good into the world. The other thoughts are not about who you actually are.
I'd have to be angry enough to lose self control. I'm rarely angry enough, now that I'm 73; it does happen, but usually I'm just disappointed. Maybe there IS a reason for women's testosterone level to be relatively higher in old age.
Congratulations. I know it's hard to curb your temper.., when there seems to be no other choice. Uncle Stan said to count to ten. I asked, "What if you're still angry, what should I do? ".
He said, " Count to ten again". It's a hard lesson to learn and i too often forget.
For heaven's sake, you sound just like the worst of them, cursing your own countrymen, however deluded.
They're human beings, they too are entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness... even if their idea of liberty is irresponsible, even if the manner in which they pursue happiness is stupid.
Too much fascistic mind pollution in the air... Relax... relax...
I find that old age has caused me to express myself more bluntly.
I've seen my GOP tribalist nephew cheer at wildfires and drought in California, because that industrial powerhouse state does not share his prejudices. An attitude that's so senseless for one who worships the flag as to be well-nigh suicidal...
The point's simple. Americans will have to learn to live together as one nation regardless of differences. It will take one hell of a lot of doing -- but how can it even begin until those on either side of the divide grow out of their enslavement to abstract concepts and recognize themselves and their compatriots as fellow human beings?
Can't we see the consequences of vile, divisive politics staring us in the face in Ukraine today?
He needs to resign from the bench. Now. This should recuse him from participating in any decisions regarding the January 6th insurrection, and frankly, anything that ever comes to that body about anything that touches on Trump or anyone in Trump's inner circle (of hell). And Tucker Carlson needs to be removed from the air. He is now directly courting treason in my book. His excuse that he is just an "entertainer" can't stand.
Just saw a discussion on 'All In' on MSNBC (Friday 3/25) that there is a U.S. statute which forbids a judge to sit on a case in which a spouse has a substantial interest. The big question is.... how can that be enforced against a Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court if he refuses to recuse himself on any cases having to do with the January 6 insurrection.
You said it out loud this time, but softer, TC. It is hard not to feel how yummy this fact is. Is there an iota of conscience? Or fear of the bright Light of Justice turning the tables on he and Ginni? Whatever, may he decide to immediately step down!
I don’t, for a nanosecond, believe that Ginni Thomas actually has a genuine love for the America that she thinks “god” favors. She is phony through and through. But not stupid. She thinks she is invincible and cannot be touched. May she be so wrong…
I’m curious, Jeri. I think Ginni “has a genuine love for the America that she thinks ‘God’ favors.” The clue for me is “that she thinks”. She and others like her have a vision of America they truly, deeply believe is righteous. HOW she can view America this way is a mystery to me. Was it Eisenhower (?) who counseled “ Never question a man’s belief. Question his wisdom.” That’s the rubric I use with Ginni & co.
Belief is such a weird thing, in this circumstance (frankly, in many others as well,) Belief that flies in the face of reason, logic, facts, and truth is what, exactly?
Thank you Heather.
We listened to President Biden’s press conference earlier today/Thu. To hear him articulate what’s what did us and US proud.
By comparison, Clarence and Ginny Thomas, tfg, tucker carlson… I’ve not yet given up hope that justice will be served, though I’m growing ever more frustrated and impatient. May these despicable people pay dearly for their treacheries.
Hopefully Thomas will suffer a relapse over the weekend that will result in a "negative outcome."
After the Ginni Thomas news dropped yesterday I mused that Clarence checked into Sibley so he could be "ill" and unavailable for comment. He likely had a stroke upon learning that Ginni's, as well as his, duplicity was going to be exposed.
My take is that he is actually pretty sick, and will use his health to retire. Imagine Joe getting another SCOTUS pick. Imagine the fireworks fro the rethuglicans. Hang on, cuz it's gonna be a wild ride.
If this happens, I think he should nominate another black woman!
Well if we’re wishing: we need to honor Indigenous Americans with a SCOTUS seat!
Yes!!! Absolutely Christy!
If we can have wishful thinking, I think I'd like a transgendered person. Ohhh can you just imagine the kerfuffle over that!?
Ah, it's Friday. A little levity during this time of madness. I'm worn out.
How about an Asian American
Ha! That would be so great.
Pam, from your lips to whatever pure power for good resides in our universe...
Now THERE's something I can pray for.
Agree, Pam.
Let it be!!
I think he had a stroke knowing that the facts are coming out now about her actions and how they could implicate him!
Ha, he was in on it from the git go, but neither worry, they can just scream that the leftists are after them and republicans will do their smear thing. It’s all they are good for anymore. What more proof do we need.
Repubs are really good at yelling, aren’t they? Round ‘em up in a corral. Rope ‘em like they love watching the cowboys do to cattle in a rodeo.
My thoughts too. It was very convenient! Funny his hospitalization happened right before the Ginni news broke! It is just a bit consequential.
👍🏼
Neither are worried, just victims of antifa. Tried and true bull Schitt…
It’s a “high-tech lynching.”
I can’t heart you, but your comment is very apropos.
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Man, that disgusting perversion of the actual meaning and reality of lynchings that he used back then. It will still come to mind sometimes. Shame on him.
In a reality just parallel to our own, he is impeached.
It is quite a coincidence!
Once again serious internal conflict.
I can’t quite bring myself to wish for the death of anyone…..but who am I kidding when I say that? When my brothers and I were little, we asked our life-long pacifist/activist English mother, who had served in the WRAF in London in WWII, what she would have done if fate had found her alone in a room with Hitler and she had a loaded gun (Would she kill him and thus change history?). We were always frustrated when she allowed that she would NOT kill him.
Throughout my life I have returned to that Big Time dilemma from time to time; when tfg had COVID, currently thomas, etc etc etc, I find myself torn. When trump had COVID was, perhaps, the perfect example. I sort of “officially” settled on wanting him to not die but, instead, to really, really suffer….to profoundly hurt, to come so close to death that he would fundamentally change, to, as Susan Collins so (what descriptor do I use here??) um, naively (I’m being generous) put it, “learn a lesson.”
Anyway, I am not as good or principled a person as my late mother. I am seriously torn on this issue. But if it were Hitler and I had the gun, and I seriously/honestly believed that my action could/would change history, well, I’d go for it. Sorry Mom….but it would be done for millions of right reasons.
Putin? Ditto.
trump, thomas, graham, hawley, cruz, mtg, etc, etc, etc? Well, probably not so much with the gun thing. But wishing them serious ill will, you bet, in half a heartbeat.
Of course, just so I don’t get a visit from any Secret Service types, this is not a threat. I would NOT off any one of the six horrible people listed above. But there is the old expression about “twitchy trigger fingers.” But, again, no I wouldn’t/couldn’t do it.
But to wish them agony that might, somehow, instill humility and decency? Hell yes.
I’m pretty sure Mom would understand.
My wish is that the law would swiftly and effectively work, giving people confidence that “no one is above the law”. And then I wish, to most effectively neuter their influence and actions, have their supporters turn on them.
Too bad the law doesn’t act as swiftly to hold the rich people accountable as it does to hold the poor people accountable.
Absolutely!!!
Everyone has the right to employ a lawyer to defend their position. It should not matter if that lawyer agrees or disagrees with that position; it is their legal abilities that are being hired. The defeated former president and his acolytes do not understand that and use lawyers who believe in their position to start with and that is why they repeatedly lose in court. But doing that does buy time, resulting in the lengthy delays litigation involves, taking them out of the media spotlight.
Yes! Neutering, starting at the knees and working its way up, is what needs to happen. But they say “we have laws”. That’s the real problem. We have so many laws, so many interpretations that we have created a bottleneck. That red tape should be cut.
Perfect! This will help to keep me from checking for news of Clarence Thomas’ health status.
Along with his Republican supporters.
TFG has figured out how to beat the law!
We need to be protected from evil beings in positions of power who plan great harm to others. Like surgery, killing is to be avoided wherever possible; but what you speak of here is killing to protect the lives of millions. If there is no other way, the morality is clear.
If we are guided by the conviction that all harmful actions will be paid for, our duty must be to do all we can to prevent harm. There is no joy in amputating a gangrened limb, it is a necessary act of benevolence. Hatred will always harm those who bear it, even only in thought. All actions must be guided by benevolence, desiring the best for others, very much including those the warrior must kill.
Even addressing this subject is horribly painful, but there is no room for sentimentality.
Here is a case of a man full of hatred for Hitler and the Nazis, who shot him in the last months of the war:
“I saw him once more at close range. This was in the autumn of 1932, as the fever began to take hold of Germany. Friedrich von Miicke and I were dining at the Osteria Bavaria in Munich when Hitler entered and crossed the restaurant to the table next to ours - alone, by the way, and without his usual bodyguard.
I had driven into town, and since at that time, September 1932, the streets were already quite unsafe, I had a loaded revolver with me. In the almost deserted restaurant, I could easily have shot him. If I had had an inkling of the role this piece of filth was to play, and of the years of suffering he was to make us endure, I would have done it without a second thought. But I took him for a character out of a comic strip, and did not shoot.”
Friedrich Reck-Malleczewen : Diary of a Man in Despair
Cfr. https://archive.org/stream/DiaryOfAManInDespair/Reck-Malleczewen%2C+Friedrich+-+Diary+of+a+Man+in+Despair+-+A+Non-Fiction+Masterpiece+about+the+Comprehension+of+Evil+_djvu.txt
Just like many did about TFG!
But he IS a character from a comic strip!
Peter, thank you for posting this. I will read it today.
Peter, do you think we might evolve to the point where we can keep evil from positions of power? Does that sound ridiculous to you? Seems like our mother ship might not last that long?
What a question, Christy!
Bear in mind that we are all a mixture, we all have our shadow side, we all change and our behavior changes with circumstances, with temptations... especially when we have responsibility for others, power over others.
I suggest reading Timothy Snyder on this.
Would you please recommend one? I have only read On Tyranny and Our Malady. I’ve been on the fence about which one to read next, they all look so interesting. Thank you.
There’s supposedly an old saying from the shtetl - Gd bless and keep the Czar far away from us. We can pray for Clarence Thomas, and for that matter at least one more of the court partisan hacks, to be happy in retirement very soon as Biden nominees create a different majority on the court.
hopefully it doesn't require a continuance of partisanship politics for this post - as it is one that by its proclamations should be non-partisan. Congress should be seeking to place people of great integrity and a love of the law that do not bend to partisan politics....perhaps I may seem wholly unrealistic in this thought - but what a dream if all on the supreme court were free of these pressures and biases and performed their jobs as they are designed....doing away with shadow dockets or reserving them to real emergencies and keeping to a minimum - not as a vehicle to enforce treacherous partisan politics as what just took place for Wisconsin voting rights
I pray for Clarence Thomas's happiness in retirement beginning April 1st, 2022! I've learned it really helps to be specific with prayers.
Amen
Peter, I nightly wish for the evil in the world to be exterminated, however that may be. Every morning when I bring up the news, I am hoping the headlines will announce the death of the former guy and the arrests of many who follow in his wake. Am still waiting.....
What matters is that they must be indicted, tried, made to pay in full for their crimes. And punishment must be exemplary enough to deter would-be imitators.
Exactly!
Peter,
On a completely different, significantly lighter topic
(I preface as not to in any way diminish your seriously thought-provoking pondering of good eliminating evil),
a world of thanks to you for the photographic gifts you’ve given us via HCR. I find them meditative and soothing, much needed in this broken world.
Glad to be in this LFAA classroom with you.
Thanks so much for your very kind words about my images. Heather is an extraordinarily wonderful person and it's a true honor to have my work thus shared..... And, yep, it IS great having all of us in the LFAA classroom/family. We are blessed and each need to spread the word about LFAA at every opportunity!
Dear wonderful photographer Peter, thank you for making me feel less yucky about wishing agony would befall all those you mentioned.
Thanks so very much......
Peter, I agree with you and the expression the end justifies the means comes to mind. All the people you mentioned are ones I have a hard time viewing as "people". They don't strike me as souls like you or I. I won't feel bad when they eventually pass, as we all will someday.
Also for those aforementioned, my late Irish Catholic Mom would make an exception as well.
There are other ways to make a Hitler ineffective, create long term hell on earth for him, etc.
Very good point. Agreed, 100%. But the basic question remains unanswered, as it has throughout my life. Would one “do it” if one thought it would prevent unimaginable mass suffering?
Time to let go of that haunting cycle, friend. In the real world, you know that assassinations do not accomplish peace. Why invent an imaginary world Where they do, then wonder what your imaginary counterpart would do? Its enough to keep us busy working out how to do actual good in this world. I've prayed for peace for Justice Thomas and protection for people threatened by his power, and I stop there. That keeps my heart in a functional place where I can have hope of bringing good into the world. The other thoughts are not about who you actually are.
I cannot really argue with a word of what you so thoughtfully offer. My mother would have liked you, as do I.
Thanks for your thoughts. It's hard to keep on track sometimes. I needed To be reminded of the ripple effect.
I'd have to be angry enough to lose self control. I'm rarely angry enough, now that I'm 73; it does happen, but usually I'm just disappointed. Maybe there IS a reason for women's testosterone level to be relatively higher in old age.
Whenever I have those thoughts, this one arises: "Choose your enemies carefully...."
Indeed. Agreed.
But in the cases/names I cite, I believe that they are already the openly declared enemies of decency and all that is right and good. What then?
As someone said earlier:
"𝘐𝘵 𝘢𝘪𝘯'𝘵 𝘮𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘧 𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨." --Texas Aphorism
Amen, Peter.
I got booted from Twitter for voicing my opinion that it would be nice if Trump suffered an embolism.
Congratulations. I know it's hard to curb your temper.., when there seems to be no other choice. Uncle Stan said to count to ten. I asked, "What if you're still angry, what should I do? ".
He said, " Count to ten again". It's a hard lesson to learn and i too often forget.
Or even to eleven.
There are 74 million Americans without whom the planet would be better off.
For heaven's sake, you sound just like the worst of them, cursing your own countrymen, however deluded.
They're human beings, they too are entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness... even if their idea of liberty is irresponsible, even if the manner in which they pursue happiness is stupid.
Too much fascistic mind pollution in the air... Relax... relax...
I agree. A little too harsh for my liking.
Do you think so?
I find that old age has caused me to express myself more bluntly.
I've seen my GOP tribalist nephew cheer at wildfires and drought in California, because that industrial powerhouse state does not share his prejudices. An attitude that's so senseless for one who worships the flag as to be well-nigh suicidal...
The point's simple. Americans will have to learn to live together as one nation regardless of differences. It will take one hell of a lot of doing -- but how can it even begin until those on either side of the divide grow out of their enslavement to abstract concepts and recognize themselves and their compatriots as fellow human beings?
Can't we see the consequences of vile, divisive politics staring us in the face in Ukraine today?
I could go with “Homo sapiens,” but “human beings” gives them more esteem than Trump voters deserve.
Gosh Peter, my thoughts surely align with yours! I think your mom, like my parents, would definitely understand.
He needs to resign from the bench. Now. This should recuse him from participating in any decisions regarding the January 6th insurrection, and frankly, anything that ever comes to that body about anything that touches on Trump or anyone in Trump's inner circle (of hell). And Tucker Carlson needs to be removed from the air. He is now directly courting treason in my book. His excuse that he is just an "entertainer" can't stand.
And...Mitch McConnell?
Just saw a discussion on 'All In' on MSNBC (Friday 3/25) that there is a U.S. statute which forbids a judge to sit on a case in which a spouse has a substantial interest. The big question is.... how can that be enforced against a Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court if he refuses to recuse himself on any cases having to do with the January 6 insurrection.
He gets a virus and goes to hospital. Fixed.
You said it out loud this time, but softer, TC. It is hard not to feel how yummy this fact is. Is there an iota of conscience? Or fear of the bright Light of Justice turning the tables on he and Ginni? Whatever, may he decide to immediately step down!
watch what you ask for - as these kinds of thoughts for inflicting harm on any person is exactly what you are protesting -
On my knees praying!
I don’t, for a nanosecond, believe that Ginni Thomas actually has a genuine love for the America that she thinks “god” favors. She is phony through and through. But not stupid. She thinks she is invincible and cannot be touched. May she be so wrong…
I’m curious, Jeri. I think Ginni “has a genuine love for the America that she thinks ‘God’ favors.” The clue for me is “that she thinks”. She and others like her have a vision of America they truly, deeply believe is righteous. HOW she can view America this way is a mystery to me. Was it Eisenhower (?) who counseled “ Never question a man’s belief. Question his wisdom.” That’s the rubric I use with Ginni & co.
Belief is such a weird thing, in this circumstance (frankly, in many others as well,) Belief that flies in the face of reason, logic, facts, and truth is what, exactly?
If they are continually isolated, their get will die out.
Karma is always out there. Seen it too many times to believe it isn't.