In confirmation hearings this week for her elevation to a Supreme Court seat, the highly qualified and well-respected Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson endured vicious attacks from Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee, who vow to reject her confirmation despite the fact that her record is stronger than those of recent Republican nominees and that 58% of Americans want her to be confirmed.
I find it deeply disturbing that statements like those attributed to Madison, made by Republicans like Barr and those on the committee questioning Justice Jackson, are not corrected and clarified to the greater public. Where are the headlines and stories telling the truth? I fear that my
children and grandchildren will lose the rights we thought were guaranteed by the Constitution and the Supreme Court.
"Madison was on to something when he warned that there was a connection between establishing a religion and destroying American democracy. At the same time Republican lawmakers are now talking about rolling back popular civil rights in order to serve Christianity, they are also taking away the right to vote and appear to be looking to set a minority into power over the majority."
The GOP are destroying every single democratic lifeline in this country! They are hell bent on ruling and immersing the US into totalitarian mire!
Rowshan, With each reading of your comment, I grow increasingly outraged that far too many, despite apparent threats nearly everywhere we look, don’t fully appreciate how precious basic liberal democracy is, how hard it is to cultivate, and how hard it is to sustain.
If we’re now in an era wherein liberal democracy and openness between nations is backsliding, then what’s largely going to rescue us is us and, perhaps, the Ukrainians, who, in large measure, are showing us the way. Accordingly, let’s give them everything they say they need short of us provoking a shooting war with a nuclear power.
Barbara, what I'm afraid of is that we already have given them everything they say they need. We didn't give it willingly; it was cleverly taken from us. Now we are alarmed that our democracy is at risk. I didn't see much alarm before the grand theater and threat of nuclear war and a full-out war in Europe.
Americans are remarkable at not seeing what is unpleasant and might cause us any discomfort and, so, since Mr. Reagan, since Nixon's Southern Strategy, since ever single Republican since then, the proverbial handwriting has been on the wall. These folks are not even subtle or secretive about what they are doing. They don't have to be.
Dean, If one believes, as I do, that were Putin to annex Ukraine, he would expand his fascist mission, then short of putting American and NATO troops on the ground or in the air, in my view, we must 1) continue to resupply Ukraine with needed munitions and 2) provide the weaponry Ukraine requires to enforce its own no-fly zone.
Barbara, I mostly agree and have reservations only about the no-fly zone which I think most people, clamoring for one, dom't understand--which you clearly do. Too many I've talked to, seem to have the idea that we declare a no-fly zone snd they don't fly. Whew
George, Though I appreciate your kinds words, I would note that I referenced the Ukrainians because, against all odds, they are resisting Putin’s efforts to humiliate them and bring them to their knees until they have no choice but to agree to be who he says they are.
I have to add an interesting fact. I have been registered as an independent since age 18, but I voted for Reagan, twice, because of his tough stance on Russia. I was afraid of what they could do then! The irony of this is now brought home every day. There is no LeCarre novel where a Democratic president and a band of Ukrainian fighters take down a Russian autocrat! It breaks my heart that what’s left of the “greatest generation” is willing to follow a baboon off a cliff, but I have deep and abiding hope that Biden and Zeilinsky will lead the rest of us to a better world.
In the spirit of AG Barr let me rephrase his words: The law, I say, “is being used as a battering ram to break down traditional democratic values” through judicial interpretation. I (we) call for saving that extraordinarily unique American experiment of the right of the people to govern themselves by recentering and reinvigorating that essential American democratic ideal.
That’s why we have to organize, register voters, organize, canvass, organize, phone bank, never rest for the midterms. Mitch can NOT get the reins back or he’ll Garland the rest of SC.
If we had only done those things even a decade ago, but it's late in the game now. The Supreme Court has cut any federal backup for voting rights right out from under us as, state by state, they are manipulated and destroyed. I've lost track of the number of states passing these laws that will make it very hard to vote or to tally votes with any integrity.
Dean, I think you will see the GOP start over riding votes during the midterms in the 19 States they have effectively voter suppressed. They have made it clear they are out for blood and will stop at nothing to get it.
The Federalist Society has been around in one form or another for a long time. They are the folks who had a list of young, alt-right, judges--many with no experience at all--waiting for Mr. Trump's election. They gave the list to McConnell who used it to bargain with the new president for a few items he wanted. The list was long enough to fill the empty federal benches coast to coast. Young, untried, grateful, many not too bright, appointed for life. And if you want a skin-crawling experience (I lasted not quite ten minutes) go to YouTube and watch Mike Pence's speech. That man has been handled, polished, and rehearsed. I had one moment during my ten when I thought I was watching a clip from The Manchurian candidate.
Mr. Pence is bankrolled by the remaining Koch brother who has renounced Trump but not his policies.
Rowshan, I agree entirely. That Bill Barr stated that "people are inherently evil," and he apparently fraternizes with only Republicans, I can see how his thinking has been corrupted by the evil in those that he supports, i.e., Donald Trump and most of the current GOP legislators. The utopia that he envisions is one in which the president has unlimited power, and the minority will be able to rule with unfettered power. Apparently, even Christianity isn't a valid prerequisite, since so many that he admires couldn't possibly qualify. So many who claim to be Christians are anything but that. Since he claims to be such a scholar, we should assume that his Madison comments were deliberately misconstrued, and not taken from the original text.
These folks are incredibly well organized and have worked themselves into positions of power. Their greatest weakness seems to be that they are certifiably unwell. They have come close to a coup on our precious democracy and we should all take them very seriously. This is worth a look. https://mobile.twitter.com/DempseyTwo/status/1507499972165517316
I agree with you.These lies being attributed to Madison and other Founding Fathers need to be pointed out by the mainstream media as the lies that they are.Separation of church and state is clearly talked about in the U S Constitution.I am appalled that these right wing extremists are talking about Jesus Christ as if he would agree with any of the things being attributed to him.It just keeps getting worse with these zealots.
For me, it seems to boil down to a need to eliminate Citizen's United. Transparency is emphatically needed for the voter to actually understand the larger, now essentially invisible, forces that grab for power and influence in our government. IMHO, it frequently seems that the radical religious right will not be happy until they can once again (as in Europe from which our founding father fled)dictate their version of reality and morality). Barr's comments were stunning in 2019 and I never understood why it did not cause more public outcry from .....????
Agree. Some are calling out Christian leadership as if leadership believes in the teachings of Jesus. The political Christians USE…they are the bishops in this political chess game and it has been true since at least the first crusades, in order to gain resources and revenue for the crown. Payout for the church. Pawns … the general mostly white small town public, won’t likely gain this understanding until in some fashion, they are willing to cross cultural lines / even by reading/ meeting people/ to understand the point of view and history of people that were killed or enslaved, people not in their cultural group. We have to risk being uncomfortable. Without question, Christians and the right are in the judicial process of whitewashing…banning all that think differently and those that see the scam for a reason….the right makes it abt gender differences and race and immigration and bug infestations and disease… because that is what populations fear and will fight against. Anything to divide, conquer and separate is useful to they that want control… their minions will hand it to them because they are fearful of stepping outside comfort zones
As long there are cars, alcohol, sugar, fast food and tv… many see life as good…
My question is : who is representing the crown? Who will stand to profit most from the complete social ransacking we will surely get?
They talk of freedom as if it is for we the people. It is freedom from us, for them. Who is them? Who are these oppressors?
I am hopeful more people will see through this giant social scam, and stop trading away their rights to those that will eventually eat them for dinner.
Oh wow K. Barnes your comment struck like both hinds to the forehead. The image of religion being the ultimate demise of European royalty has been banging around in my head all morning.
Of course, I was referring to the idea that our earliest forefathers struck out across the ocean in order to escape the Royal dictates of oppressive state religions. Full circle it would seem. Does that help your head?
Victoria, I agree, however, it appears to me that too many of the talking heads in today's MSM are as clueless of the history and correct context as that segment of their audience who needs such instruction! There seems to be a real dearth of intellectual curiosity among the public. Maybe it was always there and I just missed it.
I wrote about this yesterday...so many Americans, especially on the Right, are seemingly content to let the talking heads interpret everything FOR them rather than taking the effort to read or research things for themselves. It is intellectual laziness. They'll argue a point because they saw/heard it on right-wing media, without going to the source themselves to check for validity. They can't be bothered with the truth. They only ascribe to the truth AS TOLD TO THEM. Responsible citizens, especially now in these days of so much misinformation and manipulation of information, owe it to themselves to expend a little effort to get to the facts. They need to stop letting the "nattering nabobs" (wasn't that a Spiro Agnew turn of phrase?) of their press determine everything they believe and stop accepting anything they hear as factual. As has so often been said "democracy is NOT a spectator sport"!
We train children to believe the “truth” AS TOLD TO THEM in fundamentalist and evangelical churches. Then we wonder why they don’t question talking heads that start with statements that they’ve already heard delivered with the same emphasis as that used by their favorite preacher.
Again, people who go to fundamentalist/evangelical/Pentecostal churches don't seem to question what their clergy tells them. It's the same sort of authoritarianism--letting their leaders define EVERYTHING for them so they don't have to expend any energy searching for the truth--like we see in how they approach current events. A reminder: these are the same people who favour LITERAL interpretation of the Bible...no arguments, no dissent, no questions...believe these words just as they are...or else! (No use trying to tell them their "version" is a translation of a translation of a translation of a translation of a translation etc.) It's keeping your "flock" in line by scaring them to death. If you have to resort to fear to get your adherents to trust in what you're preaching, then you've got a faulty product you're trying to sell. This atmosphere of churches run by spiritual dictatorships is one of the main reasons I turned my back on these sects long ago, became a confirmed Episcopalian/Anglican, and never looked back.
The talking heads need to read these letters for historical perspective, but so many are interested in what sells. With the internet a lot of the public have become experts in science, medicine, international relations, and the Constitution, etc. I was at the dentist fairly recently and listened to an ignoramus tout his "scientific" background while denying global warming. I was there for a cleaning, not an argument, so I just listened and rolled my eyes. In the debates I have had on other threads, it's always know-it-alls who insist they have done the research, but usually default to personal insults because they have nothing. However, I know many people who I would not describe as intellectual who understand how awful and regressive Rs are which gives me hope.
Jesus (that I grew up with) has NO resemblance to the evil of today. They are not true believers in the biblical Jesus or they would be in fear for their immortal soul. It’s all in the Bible folks, you know, the Gospels
However, like the constitution they cherry-pick the bits and pieces of the scriptures that support their talking points. The evil genius of the repugs is they are ALL able to get behind a message (wrong though it may be) and control the airwaves and propaganda being spewed to the masses.
Money talks and money in politics distorts: follow the money: look at the websites for Donor's Trust and Federalist Society or the Koch Foundation. Frightening
Jeri, YES. The Good News. Still works, as simply defined by “that Nazarene.”
I haven’t labeled myself a “Christian” for a long time. Simply a follower of Christ. Absolutely fine with the real Madison, not the Barrian lie. (As I said to Mike S: Barr and his ilk want an intolerant autocratic theocracy to replace our beloved democracy. Their deity is the Self, not the Creator — whether they realize it or not. And it is always about heaven or hell, isn’t it.)
Judging is way, way above my pay grade; however, we are given the ability to “know” (Paul) the wolves, and call them out — and RUN.
I had to carefully read several times this letter in order to understand the subtleties of Madison’s thinking. I doubt that MSM with it’s need for concise sound bites that don’t really connect ideas of any complexity either understand or have the ability to educate the public on something that requires real thinking. We are becoming a nation of moronic sheep, led by charlatans who in truth are despicable, evidence of that was on full display during the Jackson hearing’s earlier this week, that woman has the patience of a saint, the scum that were questioning her integrity weren’t fit to polish her shoes much less sit in judgment about her fitness for the SC.
Rachel Maddow has chosen a bad time to leave her show!! She’s been doing the crucial work that we desperately need to understand these issues. Does she have any blogs or podcasts on current events that you know of?
Chris Hayes is trying to expand his coverage of the deeper problems we are facing, and I’ve appreciated his efforts.
She's working so hard on her production regarding Spiro Agnew ("Bag Man") - who knew all this would come up right when she took the leave to do that work?? She was back for a few days at the start of the Ukraine war, but was gone again too soon. I miss her too, but it seems to me the rest of her team is doing their best to fill the space. Sigh.
the media have no interest in fact-checking. first off, too many facts to check. second, they want people upset, yelling and throwing popcorn at the screen. they want a horse race. it's good for ratings. when things are explained, people calm down. that's called, bad tv.
Thank you Leslie, I strongly encourage that the Jan 6th Committe serve a subpoena to Ginni Thomas to come testify under oath about her "well doing" before, during & after the Jan 6th attack on the constitutional rule of law. There are many more Ginni Thomas communications to be published.
Not only Ginni Thomas should be subpoenaed but her husband, as well. Nobody can tell me he and “his bride”, as he calls her, didn’t quietly discuss her (their) plans. Isn’t it just so convenient that Clarence suddenly became ill after Ginni’s emails were leaked?
He should recuse himself from more than just the Jan6th cases. Thomas Clarence was the only SCOTUS vote against a discovery subpoena served on tfg. Per NYT's Johnny Diaz today, Clarence has been discharged from Sibley Sibley Memorial Hospital after being treated for an unspecified infection. I believe it was for virulent conflicts of interest.
He's not going to recuse himself unless Chief Justice Roberts insists. And probably not even then. Has it occurred to him and to his white wife that reinstating laws making interracial marriage illegal would make their own marriage illegal?
Thank you Michael for the Link. FYI, the Jan 6th Committee is
looking closely at Ginni Thomas's text to Mark Meadows referencing her talk with her " ... closest best friend just now" & other coordination & overt acts.
Why are the lies not corrected? Well, for one thing, not enough of us are standing up and correcting them, and insisting that mass media do so. And we can do that. Those of you who are on social media can post on your Facebook or Instagram or, Heaven forfend, your TikTok pages your protests against the lies, and your support for democracy. Those of us too old fashioned (or perhaps smart) for such outlets can write letters and to the editor and contribute to online comments calling out editors who do not respect truth. Those of use who take such actions already can do more of them.
If a substantial majority of Americans would protect a woman’s right to control of her own body, the right to freedom from religion as well as freedom of religion, and above all the right to choose those who lead us, why are those rights in danger? Because we do not work hard enough to defeat those who would shout us down. It really is that simple.
I use FB primarily for keeping in touch with friends and watching Heather's talks, and checking up on local issues. I need to reach beyond that silo if I am going to make a difference.
So I write letters directly to the writer or the editor, not with name-calling or blaming, but by pointing out what I object to and why, and point them to resources they could have used. This works for me because I read a lot across a variety of platforms, and sometimes actually become a resource.
But they need to hear from people who simply want more accurate and equitable coverage. They need to understand that is what we need and expect. I highly advise to leave out the snark and focus on building a relationship with media. My letters often result in real changes in how things are covered.
I also write supportive letters to politicians and nonprofits, even ones I don't belong to who are working for right causes, because so much of what they get is flak, and it wears them down. I don't have a lot of money, but I do give what I can as I can to support what they do for my grandchildren's future.
I think a lot of newer folk might not know, having come here by referral. You can find her easily: just type in Heather Cox Richardson in the search box and she should just pop up. The letters are in her posts, and have a different discussion group than substack.
And the treasure: look under the Video tab for her talks (she doesn't like to call them lectures, but they make for wonderful listening and learning). She does them live, usually twice a week, believe it or not, and each is around an hour, often a little more. Tuesday at 4, and I think Thursday at 2 (Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong about the time on this one- it changed recently with Heather's schedule and I'm not sure I've got it right).
One is a talk based on questions solicited from the folks who follow her. She selects several and stitches together a story with her answers. The other is a straight history talk on subjects she chooses, sometimes around the history behind current events and sometimes straight history, primarily in her specialty, the history of American politics. She is a terrific story-teller.
Welcome: you are just about to step into history wonderland.
She also does a podcast with another historian (and I apologize that her name escapes me: I'm never strong on names and I am tired*), the link to which is often posted on her FB page.
(* This just means that as soon as I go to bed, the other name will pop into my head)
Leslie, thank you for making this point. Other than a writer like Dr. Richardson, and those of us who have discovered her, I don't believe I've ever seen this sort of distortion of truth confronted in the media. There will occasionally be an op-ed piece in the NYTimes but where are the headlines?
"Investigation Into Clinton's Emails Re-Opened" two weeks before the election. Front page. Lead article.
"Investigation Opened: In An Attempt to Explain That America was Intended to have a National Religion, William Barr Uses Falsified Statements from Constitution Framer, James Madison" From page? Lead article?
I have never seen any such thing. Our mainstream media are remarkably silent on subjects like this, and the 24-hour news cycle guarantees that they disappear quickly.
I am afraid that we had lost this war before most of us realized it was much more than a skirmish. I look at my grandson, almost seven, and cannot imagine either his life so far or the world that lies ahead for him.
Dean, as a rational (?) grandparent I cannot imagine even the next two years for my family, or anyone else’s. Afraid you could be right, yet fighting hard because we must. Thank you, for saying out loud without resignation, what we all are are dealing with in our heads. Fight on, the kids deserve it!
Cliches don't make change and don't solve problems.
There are plenty of responsible media outlets out there, struggling to keep going. Try reading some. Try contributing to some: many of the best have become non-profits. Some of the very best are produced on a shoestring by people who are amazingly dedicated, or they would not be willing to do the work they do for what they get paid.
Let’s see… I support The Nation Mother Jones, TPM, The American Prospect, Anand Giridharadas, Laura Flanders, The Intercept, The New Republic, LFAA, all the podcasts at Cafe and more, but the problem with small outlets is there are so many, the competition for scarce dollars limits their ability.
I also subscribe to The Independent (guilty tabloid junky), NYT, WaPo and The Guardian. I’m knowledge rich and subscription poor.
I prefer to keep my posts short and snappy vs. some long drawn out tome. My H.S. English teacher taught me that if you can’t say it in a 50 word paragraph, maybe you don’t have anything to say.
Christopher, sounds like rationalization to me. Tell me: did you think a cliche was saying something meaningful to the conversation? Your HS teacher may have been right with his idea of a 50 word paragraph, but the way I was taught that is that by putting something down in a few sentences, you begin to see the relationships between thoughts. I was also taught to just begin writing: usually the theme becomes clear after getting the bits and pieces down. Often I found that the piece I was writing began in the third paragraph; the first two were just leading me there. You might try that and discover you actually have something other people might want to hear instead of stuff just taking up space.
Inherent Racism On Display by Republicans in Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Confirmation Hearings -
Conservative Republicans, including our own Texas Governor Abbott and Senator Ted Cruz, continue to object to all discussions on diversity, equity, and inclusion as lies designed to convince Americans that we are an inherently racist nation not just historically but today as well. Then they put that inherent racism on display continually in legislation they propose and pass, and this week in their shameful performance in the questioning of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson during her confirmation hearings.
It was an embarrassment to watch Republican performative questioning and comments during this week’s confirmation hearings. Add to this such outrages as Indiana Republican Senator Mike Braun opining publicly in an interview this week that “the question of permitting interracial marriage should be left up to individual states.” Republican racism and white supremacist tendencies on public display. Instead of worrying about CRT being taught in public schools we should immediately begin teaching it along with classes in Constitutional Law in both houses of Congress.
For the benefit of those who do not recognize the evidence of systemic racism in American society not simply historically but today, I strongly suggest checking the resources available through the Urban Institute here:
The Urban Institute is a nonprofit research organization that provides data and evidence to help advance upward mobility and equity. They are a trusted source for changemakers who seek to strengthen decisionmaking, create inclusive economic growth, and improve the well-being of families and communities. For more than 50 years, the Urban Institute has delivered facts that inspire solutions. Their Mission: To open minds, shape decisions, and offer solutions through economic and social policy research.
We have significant and deeply embedded systemic, inherent racism in American society. Failing to acknowledge and confront that reality serves only to perpetuate it. That is morally wrong and weakens us as a nation and diminishes us as a society.
So here are my own thoughts on inherent racism in America stated briefly. Inherent, systemic racism has and continues to exist in America. We must, not just should, but must recognize that, it is a moral imperative. Inherent, systemic racism is morally wrong. Should we be pursuing, teaching, and stressing diversity, equity, and inclusion training and teaching efforts? Yes. To whom should we be teaching it? Everyone, everywhere, everyday. Today would be a great day to start, tomorrow would be good if we need time to organize and prepare the lessons. When should we start that training for youngsters? My own view is preschool and daycare is not too early to put it in practice, habits and attitudes are formed early in children. Are there any groups requiring special attention and remedial education in diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts? Well … do you really want my opinion on that question? … OK, for all those who may think this is not their problem but only is something others suffer, everyone is part of the problem and no one is exempt. If you do not recognize that reality, you are part of the problem. Until we all recognize that truth and commit to addressing it we will not make progress addressing it. Every time I hear someone say, “I am not a racist …”. My thought is yes, you are and not realizing it is a part of the problem. Allowing the existence of inherent, systemic racism to continue to exist without acknowledging its existence and working to overcome it makes us all a part of the problem.
That is so true, Leslie. The Democrats should hire Heather as a consultant. They clearly need her factual historical input. Heather's description of the Republicans questioning Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as abusive was spot on. By not calling out and stopping their verbal and psychological abuse, the Dems enabled it.
Not sure I agree with that, Imogene. First, the Dems did and are calling out the abuse. Second, the smartest move is not to engage in it. THAT would be enabling it, but treating it as a threat to the process when what it is really are extremists afraid of losing their jobs in the upcoming election. They are performing for the people who they think are their base. This looks like it might backfire on them, big time. Best to let them hoist themselves on their own petard, as the old saying goes
Thank you Heather. You finally clarified what "originalism" and "originalists" are. It is the act of bending the words and meaning of dead men by living originalist (idiots also come to mind) men in pursuit of verity for their original ephianny. Rather like the guy who can't correctly read Greek preparing a factual (the originalist) translation of parts of the Bible. Brilliant is Barr, until someone like HCR comes along with the actual text and context to debunk this originalist's malarkey.
Barr remains a licensed attorney in good standing with not even one reprimand!
Attorneys are most certainly a strange brotherhood, Eh!?
Barr’s deceptiveness is his clever distortion of historic fact into palatable lies to underhandedly ensnare those gullible misguided fools into contributing money into the coffers for one purpose without realizing that it is all swallowed up and gulped down by the most despicable of the human accident.
It is beyond obvious that the R’s god is that printed folding paper they daily sell their soul for to jam into their over-stuffed bulging wallets…their creed is the hypocrisy they proudly pontificate aloud upon the pedestal of continuous lies, “Do what I say, not what you catch me doing.”
The R’s do not know who GOD is as evidenced by the arrogance of their self-aggrandizement’s bragging about the higher elite status they have “Earned” by their good deeds as compared to the “Others.”
Everything from Bill Barr and indeed from all the "originalists" and the supporters of Trump depends on some squirrely way of turning the truth on its head, whether it's a simple insistence on Fox that Trump won the election or a deviously constructed interpretation of the founding fathers at a religious symposium. But if we stand back in astonishment at these things and pinch ourselves, aren't we inclined to laugh at their foolishness?
Why can't we simply demolish the arguments that they have laboriously patched together and imposed on us through political manipulation and dark-money spending? This occurs to me especially at this moment when Professor Richardson cites the overwhelming support among our people for all the things the far right wants to overthrow.
We know that the Fox propagandists and Barr and even Trump are in disarray after Trump's 2020 defeat and Biden's response to Russian aggression. We have resistance in many states to Republican gerrymanders and ill-conceived voter-suppression measures, and I think this will only grow. We have finally prevailed on Facebook and Twitter to somewhat rein in the so-called free speech of propagandists.
What we need now, I think, in addition to what we are already doing, is for mainstream Christians who are not Dominionists and who support such things as the separation of church and state to come out and unequivocably say so. I am not myself a Christian but I am quite confident that mainstream Christians must be troubled by the direction that the originalists are trying to take us. They are in a better position in many ways than I am to say why the Dominionists are wrong and should be resisted.
William Bart’s “legal theories” are bs conspiracy type theories and exactly the opposite of what the the framers were trying to do. So far the only truthful thing to come out of Barr’s mouth is the voter fraud in the 2020 election was bullshit.
Way more extreme than that. These Dominionists (I know that spelling is wrong) are serious whackos. I didn't know much about Barr and had no idea that he had this religious pathology. Nor did I know what it was. Once I looked it us, I was horrified. Dangerous folks, spouting Scripture, quoting founding documents and principles--all twisted but smooth. As a cradle Episcopalian and now a former Episcopalian and former Christian, I can say with confidence that none of what Barr espouses religiously has anything remotely to do with Christianity. I agree with Nevoustrumpezpas that people who are Christians need to howl as loud as they can to shut this craziness down.
I thought it was implied he belongs to those "dark side" groups. Simply put he's the kind of Catholic who would hook up with Nazis....in the name of the lord of course.
It is disturbing. Have you thought of writing a letter to a newspaper reporter or editor, or a tv news dept expressing your concerns? You could use exactly the same language that you used in your comment. Your words express your concern elegantly. I think that is the sort of thing that can make a media outlet rethink how they are doing things. And it may be one of the strongest tools we have.
“My reports didn’t contain lies, but that’s exactly how propaganda works: You take reliable facts, mix them up, and a big lie comes together. Facts are true, but their mix is propaganda.”
- Zhanna Agalakova, Russian Channel One news anchor and foreign correspondent
I had not read this about Barr. But it's not surprising. He and the rest of his radical right-wing theocrats have no problems lying grotesquely in service of their goals.
“This is a fight of good versus evil,” and "Meadows continued: “Evil always looks like the victor until the King of Kings triumphs. Do not grow weary in well doing. The fight continues….”
Aye. I used to hear this stuff on Sunday morning about the long list of "evil" that would send one to hell and I puzzled on this because:
Well, like Lincoln, I actually read the entire Bible by age 16 or so. And, in Mathew 7 I read:
"Judge not, that ye be not judged.
[2] For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again."
So, it seemed to me that, assuming that Christianity was actually formed around the teachings of Jesus that it was NOT clear what evil was BUT it WAS clear that I am not the judge.
So, by age 16 I had already started to evolve to a point where I thought it was not my place to decide what is right and wrong.
Hence, when driving one evening past a bunch of people crowded around a new building at A&M with my then girlfriend and she indicated that was the new and first "Gay" bar at Texas A&M, I was not intrigued, rather, I was nonplussed.
However, I knew, from what I had read, that it was not my place to judge.
Southern Baptists in particular DO believe that they have divine insight into what is right and wrong and they DO have a long list of stuff that will send one to hell. Mark Meadows statement is funny and chilling.
Now, do you guys know what is REALLY funny about all this??
Southern Baptists split with Northern Baptists a long while back and why?
Well, because GOD definitely was certain that SLAVERY was totally OK. You can't be gay, but? You CAN whip a man to death for not working 20 hours a day.
Ladies and gentlemen, if you meet anyone who believes that they have insight into who is and is not going to hell.
Your post reminds me of something I saw when we lived in Knoxville in the 90's. The Alcoa Hwy leads from Knoxville to the airport. There was a section of woods and on a small tree right by the road was a small neatly painted sign which read HELL IS HOT complete with flames painted at the bottom. This was up for a long time until someone put up another neatly lettered sign which read "So was your wife". Both signs were gone the next day.
I remember driving on the highway to a conference in Indiana in the mid 2000’s when I came across a huge billboard that simply read, “You’re going to hell” with Christian symbols on it and scary red flames. It was so shocking to me I had to pull over and take a photo of it. I rememberr thinking to myself, ‘if going to hell gets me away from the lunatics who put up this silly billboard then I’ll be happy to go there.’ It seems to me that things in this country have just gotten even more loony since then, unfortunately.
That is a fabulous reply. My Mom always sang a ditty based on a Ken-L-Ration ad that was on TV in the 60's: "My god is better than your god, my god is better than yours. My god is better 'cause he eats Ken-L-Ration, my god is better than yours.
Thank you for my first good laugh of the day. It's rolling around in my head, too! Enjoy the trip with your grandson! I'm sure that will make you forget about the earworm!
I am originally from Lenoir, NC. Our claim to fame was Broyhill and Bernhardt furniture. I had been visiting my mom and was driving towards the Charlotte airport when I spotted a sign at the The First Christian Church of Lenoir. This church is on Hwy 321. I took a picture of it and have it displayed in my house. It reads “Dusty Bibles Lead to Dirty Lives”!
Barr and his ilk want an intolerant autocratic theocracy to replace our beloved democracy. Their deity is the Self, not the Creator — whether they know it or not. And it is always about heaven or hell, isn’t it.
There are two movies I think all teenagers should see. Twelve Years a Slave and Amsted. There is an interesting back story about why Spielberg made Amsted. He if I remember correctly was involved in a seminar with some high school students and was ask why he hadn't made a movie on slavery and a few years later Amsted came out.
I also have a Blacksmithing friend who said the hardest thing he ever did was to make the chains and shackles for the movie. Not because the work was so hard but because what similar items were used for. He worked at Mistic Seaport.
Thank you for the correct spelling, I should have checked. My poor excuse is that I am dyslectic and a really poor speller. I wasn't sure so I should have checked, my bad.
Those who but-into the conversation to "Educate" by prognosticating others consequential after-life direction are NOT Christian.
Their acquiescence into personal temptations have overpowered their focus into a holier than thou posture encouraging the battling inequalities plaguing America today.
They have chosen a deliberate obedience to the Great Deceiver's promise of power and wealth.
The war in Ukraine poses an existential threat to life on earth, with Putin becoming more isolated and hinting at using nuclear weapons. The implications of him using nuclear or chemical/biological weapons are too horrible for me to wrap my brain around. But the threat to democracy here at home, from home-grown authoritarians/terrorists, scares me more than Putin. Telling us that freedom to chose which religion to follow, or not, is only a step away from telling us that two plus two equals five. That should scare each one of us to our very bones.
For years I was grateful that I won the birth lottery and was born here in America. I believed that I lived in a country that was far from perfect, but at least was moving along a path that arched towards equal justice and opportunity for all. Now with the likes of McConnell, Graham, Cawthorn, Hawley, Barr, et al, corrupting the promise of the Declaration of Independence, I fear like I’ve never feared before.
That’s why I say repeatedly, for the very reasons you state, that I am afraid of their intent, histrionics, and corrupted representation of constituents. However, I am not scared. They. Will. Not. Prevail.
Yes, fran talarowski, there is much fear here. As I've written here before, I recommend all people read the book "HIROSHIMA" BY John Hershey. It is about the first nuclear bomb detonated on a city and what it did. That was the first of the two nuclear bombs ever used, which were dropped by our country, of course. If that doesn't scare the shit our of what could happen now, I don't know what would. Now, here is a book you may find helpful to quell our fears: It is entitled "FEAR: ESSENTIAL WISDOM FOR GETTING THROUGH THE STORM by the late Thich Nhat Hanh. Another book by Thich Nhat Hanh that might also help is PEACE IS EVERY STEP.
I haven't read Hiroshima, but Lesley Blume's book, "Fallout," about John Hersey's reporting, is an excellent book. What was disturbing is that the US government attempted to cover up the devastation caused by the bomb, and it was only because of Hersey's brave behind-the-lines investigation and reporting that Americans found out.
They covered up the effects of the early bomb tests i Nevada, too. Military personnel were the guinea pigs at close range, and were lied to. I once had in my possession a booklet distributed to them that claimed there the bombs had no bad effects, a flat-out deliberate lie, with instructions to simply not look directly at the detonation. Little "towns" were built to simulate potential target areas: they simply disappeared. So the effects of the bombs on Japan were known. "Saving of American lives" was the excuse used, and they lied to Truman too. Bogus: intel already knew that Japan was preparing to make a principled surrender (meaning that the emperor and the Japanese people kept their dignity. Instead, thousands died unnecessarily.
In America, guinea pig vets died at a high rate from cancers caused by those tests, which resumed after the war. As did those living downstream. One of them was my aunt, who died in the late 1950s of a rare form of leukemia. My family was certain that it was because she was living in the "safe zone" outside the testing area.
The US had no dignity by killing hundreds of thousands of Japanese people two days in August 1945. That's not to mention the many more who died from radiation poisonings for years after. Don't forget all governments lie, and most of those lies are not tiny. The horror! The horror! The horror!
The 1956 movie The Conqueror was filmed near St. George, UT and was down wind of nuclear tests at the time of filming. According to the Wikipedia article about the film "Of the 220 film crew members, 91 (comprising 41.36% of the crew) developed cancer during their lifetime, while 46 (or 20.91%) died from it. When this was learned, many suspected that filming in Utah and surrounding locations, near nuclear test sites, was to blame" and The exterior scenes were shot near St. George, Utah, which is 137 miles (220 km) downwind of the United States government's Nevada National Security Site and received the brunt of nuclear fallout from testing active in this period."
Thanks, diana from SF, thanks to Lesley Blume for "Fallout." Governments do not want the dirty things they do exposed. That is exactly why the U.S. government(both D's and R's) are attacking Julian Assange for exposing the reality of what the U.S. did. It speaks volumes about governmental attacks on journalism and democracy. And it appears the f*#king U.S. government is going to send Julain to the U.S. So much for Biden's human rights ideas.
I read Hiroshima some 50+ years ago and found it to be chilling and eye-opening. (It was required reading at my high school.). Equally chilling was visiting the Atomic Bomb Dome, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, and the Sadako Peace Monument with its thousands of origami cranes. Visiting those sites, and standing out as an American English speaker, made me acutely aware of the horror of of even a single, small (by today's standards) nuclear weapon. Using such weapons must never be permitted again.
fran, if such weapons, which are at least ten times more powerful than those used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, were to be used today, we would barely have time to kiss our asses goodbye before human kind would cease to exist. So much for such things a money and attitudes about race, what could be taught in schools, abortions, birth control, the enemy, for they all won't exist any more. Our government and overstuffed Pentagon just don't get it.
I nearly chocked when I read "unable to tell right from wrong and, in turn, creating “immense suffering, wreckage, and misery.” Talk about the pot calling the kettle "black" (not meant as a racial slur here): when Opus Dei cleans up the pedophilia element of The church, I will pay attention to it's "moral" leadership and not before.
So Barr’s statement that the democracy rests on citizens’ self-governance doesn’t extend to the citizens choosing to marry a same-sex partner of a different race? Citizens only get to choose things that are on a pre-determined, limited list? How does this resemble democracy?
Government under a dogmatic theocracy and self-governance are inherently self-contradictory. Barr has spent too many years using his good brain for pretzel logic to support his religious beliefs. The ultimate twist was his writing about a criminal seditious president whom he said he would again vote for because Democrats are evil. It’s back to the Crusades!
Republicans seem to be intent on banishing the separation between church and state, seeking to impose Christianity as the country’s sole religion. This, and In light of their growing censorship of books, ideas and historical records that don’t conform to their “high” moral standards, one can’t help but wonder if their goal is to usher us back into the Dark Ages…
They are NOT imposing Christianity. They are imposing Fundamentalism, which as as much to do with actual Christianity as it has to do with actual Judaism, Islam or Hinduism. Fundmanetalism is its own religion and it is time to stop calling these Fundamentalist scum "Christians," "Jews," "Muslim" or "Hindu."
I had a friend recently ask me “why Christianity had turned to be a bad word”? I explained that it was not the word but the doers that called themselves by that word. True Christian’s are those that just follow the teachings of Christ. I do not see any such actions by our government,especially Republicans today. I do hope that we are headed for some sort of reckoning. It is so disheartening to watch evil continue to succeed.
Indeed. While I am a practicing Catholic, there are parts of the dogma I don't agree with (why do I continue to attend? Many reasons, too much to explain here) .I have always liked the "WWJD?" that came out of the conservative faction, what a shame that they don't FOLLOW that thought. And come to think of it, I see less and less of WWJD? these days.
Thank you, TCinLA. Fundamentalists in the traditions you name interpret the texts of their traditions in ways that use literalism to understand single words and sentences, argue that the text is inerrant (has no relationship to the culture or audience of its time because humans did not write it), miss the foundational breadth of love that undergirds the ideas being presented, and have no time for ambiguity. They miss the point and endanger everyone because the point of faith is an expansive welcome to others rather than a wall-building project.
You're so right. The quote below, while a Christian reference, applies to all other major religions as well.
"Love and justice go together. Justice without love can be brutal, and love without justice can be banal. Love is the heart of justice, and justice is the social form of love."
Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan, The First Paul: Reclaiming the Radical Visionary behind the Church’s Conservative Icon (New York: HarperCollins, 2009), 26, 138, 204–205.
Professor Marcus J. Borg served as Canon Theologian at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Portland, Oregon for many years.
His Sermons and Bible study classes were, and remain today in my memory, truly inspirationally life transforming!
Professor Borg, mostly with John Dominic Crossan have authored many must read, (in my humble opinion), easy to read scholarly concepts most pertinent to today's life living situations.
Just read on the web [okay, I know] “ The most well‐known fundamentalist denominations in the United States are the Assemblies of God, the Southern Baptist Convention, and the Seventh‐Day Adventists. Organizations such as these often become politically active, and support the conservative political “right,” including groups like the Moral Majority.
Interestingly, the “Moral Majority” now includes Mormons because Jesus coming to America is the epitome of US Fundamentalists’ dream. And for the commonality with the Catholic Church on women’s roles, reproduction, and LGBTQs.
Chris, I disagree that Fundamentalism is not "another religion" but comes from the "core" of religious traditions, and here is why: Think about the "originalism" of some of our Supreme Court justices. It follows the same damaged and damaging rubric about the Constitution as Fundamentalists do about the texts on which they rely. Interpretation of founding documents (Constitution and Declaration of Indepence for the U.S. and the Bible for Jews and Christians) is a complex and ever-evolving enterprise UNLESS you are an "originalist" or a Fundamentalist. Then, you grab onto the understanding of the texts that most fits your political or theocratic goals which, in both cases, aim to rule over others in detrimental ways. Fundamentalism is limited and limiting and doesn't honor the richness of the texts under examination. That is what makes it a different "religion."
Melinda, great insight. What I take away from your comment is that fundamentalism is basically an over-simplification of concepts, and using that over-simplification to control others.
I believe that Melinda Quivik has your answer, just below. She is more eloquent than what my initial response to your question would have been. She says it better.
Ally, were you replying to me or to Chris Buzinski? Melinda wrote a deeply insightful response to Chris's first post. Chris responded with what can only be called a truly bonehead reinterpreation of what Melinda wrote. My brief response was to Chris (brief because I saw no need to point out the apparently deliberate misreading Chris gave to what Melinda wrote. I agree with you that Melinda writes with clarity and eloquence.
As fast as they can, but they have corrupted the teachings of Jesus as only evil can. Why their self-righteous blather is the best evidence that they are Pharisees.
Jeri, it could be argued that the Pharisees were the original fundamentalists of Judaism. Their legalism was what has become an identifier of today's fundamentalist aberration of any given religion. Paul was a Pharisee, licensed to kill under LAW. Fortunately the Pharisees restricted themselves (in the main) to their fellow Jews, both politically and within religious boundaries.
Hey, thanks for all your comments and replies to others tonight! I always slow down and think about what you have to say, and have largely restrained myself from joining all the discussions. A lot of good stuff to read...
The monotheistic God is almost always interpreted as patriarchal. He is the Father and we are the children. You pray to him for personal protection ("I alone can fix it"). You want to please him, "or else". You have a personal relationship with him/his son, making you and what you want quite special and important, and it gives you the right to go and take it. Sound familiar?
The goal of the far right religious leaders, since at least the 1980s, has been to take over the government at all levels, in order to impose their views on the rest of us. I remember very clearly reading, in the late 1980s, about how they were organizing using fax machines, phone trees and mail, before the internet and social media, to get their members to pressure Congress on social issues and anything their leaders decided was “evil” (pretty. Y h anything they didn’t agree with). Anyone remember the uproar over Robert Maplethorpe’s photos? That was all manufactured by those religious leaders ( with help from Jesse Helms and his ilk) and they continue to do the same- they have always been very open about their goals and no one seemed to take them seriously. And now here we are.
To know more about how the Roberts Court has eviscerated the Voting Rights Act of 1965 as amended here is a teach in on voting rights . Join the fight to overcome the attack by our current Supreme Court on voting rights. We need to convince every US Senator that the Senate must exercise its powers under Article 1.4 and the 14th and 15th Amendments to protect the right to vote. Thus the Senate must end the filibuster.
I don't believe that most Americans understand the real impact of individual States controlling the rules for voting OR that their zip code directly controls whether they can cast their ballots and what barriers they may have to overcome in order to vote.
Below are links to the script and a brief powerpoint presentation I gave Thursday to the Mid-peninsula Chapter of the ACLU of Northern CA.
These slides explain VERY SIMPLY election law from the original text in the Constitution, and how voting rights improved after the passage of the Voting Rights Act 1965 and its amendments. Protecting voting rights led to the election of our first black president in 2008. Thereafter, Chief Justice Roberts has led the Supreme Court's evisceration of the protections of our Voting Rights, step by step. This is explained visually.
My goal is to explain what has happened so that people will get angry and they themselves will advocate the President and their Senators and their Congressional representatives for the passage of the Freedom to Vote John R Lewis Act (HR5746). The powerpoint shows visually what passage of HR5746 would mean to all Americans and includes tools in the slides for taking action.
I AM ASKING YOU TO review THE SLIDES. READ THE SCRIPT. THEN, tell me if you have SHARED THIS email WITH => 20 contacts with family/friends who LIVE IN : NH, ID, PA, IA, MT, WI, MI, IN, FL, GA, WV, TX, NC, SC, OK, OH, LA, AK, AL, ND, or SD. as these states are the most repressive. The slides visually detail the states' actions to repress the vote. We need to get Senators in these states to support the Right to Vote. Contact US Senators in ME, AK, ID, WV, AZ, VT, NH, OH, PA because their states supported the Voting Right Act in 1965 and ask them to stand up for voting rights now.
Frankly, when I watch the Ukrainians fighting for their democracy, I am very angry that Americans aren't fighting at home to stop the march backwards away from Civil Rights in America.
Time is critical. Please at least open the links and consider what you might do to ensure our zip code doesn't determine how, where, when and if you can vote.
Alice, I liked your link and it is a fountain of good information to be sure.
However, I never met a single Republican that would be able to focus long enough to read your document.
You need to get your document down to 140 characters or, better, less than that.
Because: Republicans don't read much at all. They listen to the white man at the front of whatever their church is (Fox News Tucker Carslon or Sean Hannity), or pick the TV preacher of your choice spewing fire and brimstone followed by a call to support (give money).
You need to say short, authoritative sentences with high confidence, perhaps with a few expletives and THEN you can communicate with a Republican.
I tend to agree with you, Mike. I read the links and I did forward onto about a dozen people. I don't have social media accounts. I have often spoken and posted here about Katie Porter and her whiteboard. Quite frankly, although I admire the powerpoint from Alice, I agree with you that many of the "poorly educated" won't read it. It needs to be less scholarly, sadly, to attract the masses. And how important all the information contained in the power point is!!
Yes Miselle. Thomas Jefferson was always worried about an uneducated, poorly read population losing Democracy. Hence, his lifelong pursuit of good public education. Which did work for a while.
But. When whites had to go to school with blacks those white folks decided they would rather be ignorant and rolled out to private schools where, as we used to say, “they don’t learn Jack”.
Please do so. I appreciate any edit. Please remember that this is a teach in with facts and figures. The script helps those who are looking at the slides to understand their import. Actually, turning racists into empathetic civil rights' advocates is a tough assignment. But Senators Sinema, Manchin, Collins, Romney, Mulkowski and Porter are my targets. I think they have some ability to act with dignity. One can only hope.
We in NH, have been being subjected to horrible laws being put forth in the NH legislature and signed by the RW governor. This is all being made more complex by elected radical libertarians who in essence believe there should be NO laws. They went so far as to promulgate a Constitutional amendment bill to secede from the Union this legislative session. Fortunately, it was massively voted down by a 323 NO to 13 yes.
That's what the Free State Project is. There have been multiple members elected to the NH legislature in the past several years and they caucus w/Republicans of course, who are in the majority at present. One thing they've been working on is defunding public education by the establishment of school vouchers in order to divert the monies to private and religious schools and home schoolers then cutting the public education even more. The governor and Commissioner of education are behind this (and gee- one of his employees worked for DeVos!) Part of the problem is that NH gets a good chunk of public school funding from property taxes. As a result, property taxes will go up, especially in poor towns.
We Mainers face the threat of the same problems should the upcoming governor's race be won by our national embarrassment, Paul LePage. LePage, who evidently cannot get enough public recognition and Republican praise to satisfy his ego in private life, has moved back to Maine to torment us with yet another campaign to win the governorship for a third (non-consecutive) term. He's now parroting the Repub/libertarian line about education and diverting public funds to charter schools and religious academies (letting our public schools rot, apparently). Makes me want to scream!
Thanks for that. One thing I don't have to look up now- people across the country are asking me about it because I live next door. The media (including some from groups who are fighting FOR democracy) got the news out about the bill, but didn't bother saying that it was roundly voted down. The only thing I got was that it was defeated, but not by how much. And that matters. People who live in NH should not be lumped in with the NH governor.
I agree with Mike S and others that the Powerpoint is too lengthy and dense. I think Republicans aren't the only ones whose attention will begin to wander after a certain point.
A specific criticism I have relates to the points at which you list states which, prior to 1920, allowed women to vote. These should be edited to make clear that the right to vote in a given state allowing women to vote was only for state and, I think, local elections. Women still were not legally allowed to vote in federal elections.
Excerpt from an interesting article: "A 1916 article in the Ladies’ Home Journal presented the potential significance of the women’s vote: “Four million women will have the privilege to vote for a President of the United States this year… These four million women represent twelve states, which cast ninety-one ballots in the electoral college which elects the President. As a President must receive two hundred and sixty-six electoral-college votes necessary to a choice, the twelve equal-suffrage states represent little more than one-third of the total necessary to a choice. At the last Presidential election, in 1912, just one-half, six, of the present total of states gave the privilege to women to vote, and those states cast only thirty-seven electoral votes… "
Whenever I'm tempted to call up my childhood teaching about all the good and evil in the world, I remember the passage in the New Testament where Jesus was asked "what are the greatest commandments of them all?", to which he answered "that you love the Lord your God with all your mind, your heart, your soul and that you love your neighbor as yourself"... Nothing included there about all of issues addressed by these constitutional rights and amendments that are supposedly degrading morality in our society. There's plenty enough immorality to go around, including all of those lilly-white heterosexual protestant Christian households with two kids, a two car garage and Fido in the back yard... (sounds alot like my own household). The "moral majority" has no lock on piety, sanctity, morality. The human rights elaborated and clarified over 200+ years in our constitution, it's amendments and Supreme Court rulings describe a playing field on which we can act out our personal and collective beliefs as well as both moral and immoral behaviors as we understand them. The real problems arise when we begin to conflate constitutional rights and the law with definitions of morality. Philosophical and religious forums are far more appropriate arenas in which to debate morality than the courts. I think we have ample historical evidence that one can neither legislate nor adjudicate morality/immorality with any measure of precision. We have plenty enough work to do refining definitions of legality within our appellate courts without confusing their role to include acting as moral tribunals.
Jesus Christ!!! What an abortion of the truth by the (dis)honorable William Barr. Another glaring example of Republican Orwellian truth. Using the exact opposite of what Madison meant to support shaky philosophy like a male supported and invented religion. Thank God I am an atheist.
I'm sorry - but has anyone looked at the Hubble telescope pics, or the emerging Webb telescope pics - it's the absolute height of human arrogance to think that a "god" - who has X x 10^12 stars, galaxies, black holes, you name them - to administer, could give a flying f**k about whether Fred (married) screwed his neighbour (fill in the blanks...). Remember, we made "god" in our own image - and attributed to "god" our instincts and behaviour! How wise of us.
Thomas Jefferson saw the issue of religion differently when talking about the separation of church and state.
“Extract from Thomas Jefferson’s Notes on the State of Virginia
The error seems not sufficiently eradicated, that the operations of the mind, as well as the acts of the body, are subjects to the coercion of the laws. But our rulers can have authority over such natural rights only as we have submitted to them. The rights of conscience we never submitted, we could not submit. We are answerable for them to our God.
The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.“
Thank you Heather for remarkable insights. I am reading re Bill Barr, his comments at UND and I am appalled at the utter replay of 1920s GOP power & control. It truly connects to the theocratic authoritarianism of that decade, GOPs obsession with self, power & wealth that, 30 years later, became 'movement conservative' (incorporating fascism into conservative white evangelicalism, bonding covertly the non-pentecostal with the pentecostal. Note: these are not the same as Christianity. I have a hyper religious family history that dates back to late 1800s, incl authoritarianism and evangelicalism, and a global evangelical outreach that influenced many with the white evangelical 'toxic faith'. I see, in hindsight, how MC's influences in white evangelicalism from the late 60s onward drove white EV policies, embedding various types of racism into its fabric (Southern Baptists being the most influential in that regard). I have watched over the past 40+ years how blatant power grabs by white EVs enmeshed them with politics (spurred at one point by Falwell Sr, Moral Majority, then Christian Coalition) even as white EVs eagerly adopted teachings that contradicted clearly with Christ's teachings. Simply put, it is all about their white entitlement and self, power and wealth.
The authoritarian root became embedded with white EVs in the 1990s, via their required teaching called 'spiritual formation'. It is authoritarianism through and through. White EV leaders, e.g., NAE, require all member churches and orgs to teach it and have depts for it or they cannot, and will not, be accredited. It is power and control by the white male leadership, clearly.
Like ALL authoritarians, like Putin is clearly doing now, they gaslight the public and supporters with statements intending to sound moral and righteous, but actually turn reality and morality on its head and deliver evil. Isn't this what Satin is known for in the Bible? Disguising himself to appear good?
I find it deeply disturbing that statements like those attributed to Madison, made by Republicans like Barr and those on the committee questioning Justice Jackson, are not corrected and clarified to the greater public. Where are the headlines and stories telling the truth? I fear that my
children and grandchildren will lose the rights we thought were guaranteed by the Constitution and the Supreme Court.
"Madison was on to something when he warned that there was a connection between establishing a religion and destroying American democracy. At the same time Republican lawmakers are now talking about rolling back popular civil rights in order to serve Christianity, they are also taking away the right to vote and appear to be looking to set a minority into power over the majority."
The GOP are destroying every single democratic lifeline in this country! They are hell bent on ruling and immersing the US into totalitarian mire!
Rowshan, With each reading of your comment, I grow increasingly outraged that far too many, despite apparent threats nearly everywhere we look, don’t fully appreciate how precious basic liberal democracy is, how hard it is to cultivate, and how hard it is to sustain.
If we’re now in an era wherein liberal democracy and openness between nations is backsliding, then what’s largely going to rescue us is us and, perhaps, the Ukrainians, who, in large measure, are showing us the way. Accordingly, let’s give them everything they say they need short of us provoking a shooting war with a nuclear power.
Barbara, what I'm afraid of is that we already have given them everything they say they need. We didn't give it willingly; it was cleverly taken from us. Now we are alarmed that our democracy is at risk. I didn't see much alarm before the grand theater and threat of nuclear war and a full-out war in Europe.
Americans are remarkable at not seeing what is unpleasant and might cause us any discomfort and, so, since Mr. Reagan, since Nixon's Southern Strategy, since ever single Republican since then, the proverbial handwriting has been on the wall. These folks are not even subtle or secretive about what they are doing. They don't have to be.
Oh, dear.
Dean, If one believes, as I do, that were Putin to annex Ukraine, he would expand his fascist mission, then short of putting American and NATO troops on the ground or in the air, in my view, we must 1) continue to resupply Ukraine with needed munitions and 2) provide the weaponry Ukraine requires to enforce its own no-fly zone.
Barbara, I mostly agree and have reservations only about the no-fly zone which I think most people, clamoring for one, dom't understand--which you clearly do. Too many I've talked to, seem to have the idea that we declare a no-fly zone snd they don't fly. Whew
☢️🔥
Barbara Jo Krieger:
Actually it is you BJK.
It is you and the millions like you who are showing us the way...
The only way is the same way we are loved by our FATHER in Heaven!
George, Though I appreciate your kinds words, I would note that I referenced the Ukrainians because, against all odds, they are resisting Putin’s efforts to humiliate them and bring them to their knees until they have no choice but to agree to be who he says they are.
Has been the goal since Reagan, and all republicans have signed on to it, every last one that I have knowledge of.
I have to add an interesting fact. I have been registered as an independent since age 18, but I voted for Reagan, twice, because of his tough stance on Russia. I was afraid of what they could do then! The irony of this is now brought home every day. There is no LeCarre novel where a Democratic president and a band of Ukrainian fighters take down a Russian autocrat! It breaks my heart that what’s left of the “greatest generation” is willing to follow a baboon off a cliff, but I have deep and abiding hope that Biden and Zeilinsky will lead the rest of us to a better world.
Yes. That “Moral Majority” Party 🤬💵🤬💵!
The “Moral Majority”…they are neither!!
You’re right but they’re like that squeaky wheel so they get all the press, right or wrong. Mostly wrong of course.
Penn State, 1977
In the spirit of AG Barr let me rephrase his words: The law, I say, “is being used as a battering ram to break down traditional democratic values” through judicial interpretation. I (we) call for saving that extraordinarily unique American experiment of the right of the people to govern themselves by recentering and reinvigorating that essential American democratic ideal.
The SC is on their side, MITCH RULED IT SO
That’s why we have to organize, register voters, organize, canvass, organize, phone bank, never rest for the midterms. Mitch can NOT get the reins back or he’ll Garland the rest of SC.
Laura, Mitch never turned over the reins to Schumer.
I’d appreciate some schooling on this please? Sure I’m not the only one?
If we had only done those things even a decade ago, but it's late in the game now. The Supreme Court has cut any federal backup for voting rights right out from under us as, state by state, they are manipulated and destroyed. I've lost track of the number of states passing these laws that will make it very hard to vote or to tally votes with any integrity.
Dean, I think you will see the GOP start over riding votes during the midterms in the 19 States they have effectively voter suppressed. They have made it clear they are out for blood and will stop at nothing to get it.
The current score is:
The Bad Guys: 21 states
THE GOOD GUYS: 29 STATES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
❤💛💙
INDEED!
VOTE INTELLIGENTLY!
DO IT!
PLEASE.
And the Federalist Society.
Federalist Society awash in dark money. Must pass something to at least diminish that ability
The Federalist Society has been around in one form or another for a long time. They are the folks who had a list of young, alt-right, judges--many with no experience at all--waiting for Mr. Trump's election. They gave the list to McConnell who used it to bargain with the new president for a few items he wanted. The list was long enough to fill the empty federal benches coast to coast. Young, untried, grateful, many not too bright, appointed for life. And if you want a skin-crawling experience (I lasted not quite ten minutes) go to YouTube and watch Mike Pence's speech. That man has been handled, polished, and rehearsed. I had one moment during my ten when I thought I was watching a clip from The Manchurian candidate.
Mr. Pence is bankrolled by the remaining Koch brother who has renounced Trump but not his policies.
We walk in an alien landscape.
And those folks, for a very very long time, have been in charge of casting, stage sets, costumes, the whole show.
Right on (Write on) Rowshan. Barr on Madison is simply a liar---despite his "religious" credentials......
We already knew Barr not squeamish about lying—Mueller Report
😂😂👍
Rowshan, I agree entirely. That Bill Barr stated that "people are inherently evil," and he apparently fraternizes with only Republicans, I can see how his thinking has been corrupted by the evil in those that he supports, i.e., Donald Trump and most of the current GOP legislators. The utopia that he envisions is one in which the president has unlimited power, and the minority will be able to rule with unfettered power. Apparently, even Christianity isn't a valid prerequisite, since so many that he admires couldn't possibly qualify. So many who claim to be Christians are anything but that. Since he claims to be such a scholar, we should assume that his Madison comments were deliberately misconstrued, and not taken from the original text.
These folks are incredibly well organized and have worked themselves into positions of power. Their greatest weakness seems to be that they are certifiably unwell. They have come close to a coup on our precious democracy and we should all take them very seriously. This is worth a look. https://mobile.twitter.com/DempseyTwo/status/1507499972165517316
I agree with you.These lies being attributed to Madison and other Founding Fathers need to be pointed out by the mainstream media as the lies that they are.Separation of church and state is clearly talked about in the U S Constitution.I am appalled that these right wing extremists are talking about Jesus Christ as if he would agree with any of the things being attributed to him.It just keeps getting worse with these zealots.
For me, it seems to boil down to a need to eliminate Citizen's United. Transparency is emphatically needed for the voter to actually understand the larger, now essentially invisible, forces that grab for power and influence in our government. IMHO, it frequently seems that the radical religious right will not be happy until they can once again (as in Europe from which our founding father fled)dictate their version of reality and morality). Barr's comments were stunning in 2019 and I never understood why it did not cause more public outcry from .....????
Agree. Some are calling out Christian leadership as if leadership believes in the teachings of Jesus. The political Christians USE…they are the bishops in this political chess game and it has been true since at least the first crusades, in order to gain resources and revenue for the crown. Payout for the church. Pawns … the general mostly white small town public, won’t likely gain this understanding until in some fashion, they are willing to cross cultural lines / even by reading/ meeting people/ to understand the point of view and history of people that were killed or enslaved, people not in their cultural group. We have to risk being uncomfortable. Without question, Christians and the right are in the judicial process of whitewashing…banning all that think differently and those that see the scam for a reason….the right makes it abt gender differences and race and immigration and bug infestations and disease… because that is what populations fear and will fight against. Anything to divide, conquer and separate is useful to they that want control… their minions will hand it to them because they are fearful of stepping outside comfort zones
As long there are cars, alcohol, sugar, fast food and tv… many see life as good…
My question is : who is representing the crown? Who will stand to profit most from the complete social ransacking we will surely get?
They talk of freedom as if it is for we the people. It is freedom from us, for them. Who is them? Who are these oppressors?
I am hopeful more people will see through this giant social scam, and stop trading away their rights to those that will eventually eat them for dinner.
Oh wow K. Barnes your comment struck like both hinds to the forehead. The image of religion being the ultimate demise of European royalty has been banging around in my head all morning.
Of course, I was referring to the idea that our earliest forefathers struck out across the ocean in order to escape the Royal dictates of oppressive state religions. Full circle it would seem. Does that help your head?
"Both Hinds to The Forehead" Great line!👍
LOL
They were too busy chasing other squirrels no doubt.
Thank you +1 and rem acu tetigisti!!!
Victoria, I agree, however, it appears to me that too many of the talking heads in today's MSM are as clueless of the history and correct context as that segment of their audience who needs such instruction! There seems to be a real dearth of intellectual curiosity among the public. Maybe it was always there and I just missed it.
I wrote about this yesterday...so many Americans, especially on the Right, are seemingly content to let the talking heads interpret everything FOR them rather than taking the effort to read or research things for themselves. It is intellectual laziness. They'll argue a point because they saw/heard it on right-wing media, without going to the source themselves to check for validity. They can't be bothered with the truth. They only ascribe to the truth AS TOLD TO THEM. Responsible citizens, especially now in these days of so much misinformation and manipulation of information, owe it to themselves to expend a little effort to get to the facts. They need to stop letting the "nattering nabobs" (wasn't that a Spiro Agnew turn of phrase?) of their press determine everything they believe and stop accepting anything they hear as factual. As has so often been said "democracy is NOT a spectator sport"!
We train children to believe the “truth” AS TOLD TO THEM in fundamentalist and evangelical churches. Then we wonder why they don’t question talking heads that start with statements that they’ve already heard delivered with the same emphasis as that used by their favorite preacher.
Again, people who go to fundamentalist/evangelical/Pentecostal churches don't seem to question what their clergy tells them. It's the same sort of authoritarianism--letting their leaders define EVERYTHING for them so they don't have to expend any energy searching for the truth--like we see in how they approach current events. A reminder: these are the same people who favour LITERAL interpretation of the Bible...no arguments, no dissent, no questions...believe these words just as they are...or else! (No use trying to tell them their "version" is a translation of a translation of a translation of a translation of a translation etc.) It's keeping your "flock" in line by scaring them to death. If you have to resort to fear to get your adherents to trust in what you're preaching, then you've got a faulty product you're trying to sell. This atmosphere of churches run by spiritual dictatorships is one of the main reasons I turned my back on these sects long ago, became a confirmed Episcopalian/Anglican, and never looked back.
Yep. Trained to believe the white man at the front of the church (making up stuff).
Like: Tucker Carlson
"nattering nabobs of negativity" From Wikipedia: Agnew pleaded no contest to a single felony charge of tax evasion and resigned from office.
Another Republican luminary.
Perhaps you could share my talk with your contacts... if the pictures of the hurdles to the ballot box don't attract concern, we are doomed.
Alice, could you provide a link?
The talking heads need to read these letters for historical perspective, but so many are interested in what sells. With the internet a lot of the public have become experts in science, medicine, international relations, and the Constitution, etc. I was at the dentist fairly recently and listened to an ignoramus tout his "scientific" background while denying global warming. I was there for a cleaning, not an argument, so I just listened and rolled my eyes. In the debates I have had on other threads, it's always know-it-alls who insist they have done the research, but usually default to personal insults because they have nothing. However, I know many people who I would not describe as intellectual who understand how awful and regressive Rs are which gives me hope.
📣📣📣📣the Professor! You awaken curiosity by teaching, posting/commenting/sharing her wisdom
Thus: thx redux Prof Dr HCR❤️📣❤️
Jesus (that I grew up with) has NO resemblance to the evil of today. They are not true believers in the biblical Jesus or they would be in fear for their immortal soul. It’s all in the Bible folks, you know, the Gospels
However, like the constitution they cherry-pick the bits and pieces of the scriptures that support their talking points. The evil genius of the repugs is they are ALL able to get behind a message (wrong though it may be) and control the airwaves and propaganda being spewed to the masses.
Money talks and money in politics distorts: follow the money: look at the websites for Donor's Trust and Federalist Society or the Koch Foundation. Frightening
Cherry-pick then reinterpret to support their own "talking points".
Yes yes yes we have to organize even where that means holding our noses locally (I live in NYC so believe me,,our shit stinks)
Republicans “line up” very well. Have sine Ross Perot
Jeri, YES. The Good News. Still works, as simply defined by “that Nazarene.”
I haven’t labeled myself a “Christian” for a long time. Simply a follower of Christ. Absolutely fine with the real Madison, not the Barrian lie. (As I said to Mike S: Barr and his ilk want an intolerant autocratic theocracy to replace our beloved democracy. Their deity is the Self, not the Creator — whether they realize it or not. And it is always about heaven or hell, isn’t it.)
Judging is way, way above my pay grade; however, we are given the ability to “know” (Paul) the wolves, and call them out — and RUN.
FAST
I had to carefully read several times this letter in order to understand the subtleties of Madison’s thinking. I doubt that MSM with it’s need for concise sound bites that don’t really connect ideas of any complexity either understand or have the ability to educate the public on something that requires real thinking. We are becoming a nation of moronic sheep, led by charlatans who in truth are despicable, evidence of that was on full display during the Jackson hearing’s earlier this week, that woman has the patience of a saint, the scum that were questioning her integrity weren’t fit to polish her shoes much less sit in judgment about her fitness for the SC.
Rachel maddow tried
Rachel Maddow has chosen a bad time to leave her show!! She’s been doing the crucial work that we desperately need to understand these issues. Does she have any blogs or podcasts on current events that you know of?
Chris Hayes is trying to expand his coverage of the deeper problems we are facing, and I’ve appreciated his efforts.
Chris, unfortunately, doesn’t have Dr Maddow’s gravitas. Ari Melber comes closer on presence and at least has initials after his name
I agree, and unfortunately no one else does either, though they do try.
I had high hopes for Joshua Johnson to have a place on MSNBC but he was pulled away for some reason. He was developing a good program.
She's working so hard on her production regarding Spiro Agnew ("Bag Man") - who knew all this would come up right when she took the leave to do that work?? She was back for a few days at the start of the Ukraine war, but was gone again too soon. I miss her too, but it seems to me the rest of her team is doing their best to fill the space. Sigh.
Thanks for the update…Spiro Agnew’s story is worthwhile to document, but the timing isn’t too great considering the issues at hand.
❤️
the media have no interest in fact-checking. first off, too many facts to check. second, they want people upset, yelling and throwing popcorn at the screen. they want a horse race. it's good for ratings. when things are explained, people calm down. that's called, bad tv.
Amen
Thank you Leslie, I strongly encourage that the Jan 6th Committe serve a subpoena to Ginni Thomas to come testify under oath about her "well doing" before, during & after the Jan 6th attack on the constitutional rule of law. There are many more Ginni Thomas communications to be published.
Not only Ginni Thomas should be subpoenaed but her husband, as well. Nobody can tell me he and “his bride”, as he calls her, didn’t quietly discuss her (their) plans. Isn’t it just so convenient that Clarence suddenly became ill after Ginni’s emails were leaked?
He should resign. He has to recuse from all Jan 6th cases.
He should recuse himself from more than just the Jan6th cases. Thomas Clarence was the only SCOTUS vote against a discovery subpoena served on tfg. Per NYT's Johnny Diaz today, Clarence has been discharged from Sibley Sibley Memorial Hospital after being treated for an unspecified infection. I believe it was for virulent conflicts of interest.
First laugh of the am...thank you.
Yes!
😄
He's not going to recuse himself unless Chief Justice Roberts insists. And probably not even then. Has it occurred to him and to his white wife that reinstating laws making interracial marriage illegal would make their own marriage illegal?
HA! That is such a great point!
There is a move-on petition for him to be impeached.
Yes, the Constitutonal remedy: Impeachment.
Move-on petition Worthless —Biden can’t do anything.
Article 124
Clarence Thomas appears to have broken federal law by not recusing himself from two cases. The indomitable Jane Mayer explains. https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/legal-scholars-are-shocked-by-ginni-thomass-stop-the-steal-texts
Thank you Michael for the Link. FYI, the Jan 6th Committee is
looking closely at Ginni Thomas's text to Mark Meadows referencing her talk with her " ... closest best friend just now" & other coordination & overt acts.
Yeah Jane Myers!!!
That they were leaked probably made him very sick. He is an infection as far as I am concerned.
Dang straight!!
Word seems they call one another "best friend", implying he's the subject in her emails that she kept well informed of her actions.
I agree
Article 124 the asshole if Covid doesn’t kill him
Yes, after Clarence's recusal from pending related cases, many cases.
A good rule of thumb when countering anything said by Republicans:
Assume the opposite is true and find the proof to discredit them just as HCR did today with what Madison really said.
Why are the lies not corrected? Well, for one thing, not enough of us are standing up and correcting them, and insisting that mass media do so. And we can do that. Those of you who are on social media can post on your Facebook or Instagram or, Heaven forfend, your TikTok pages your protests against the lies, and your support for democracy. Those of us too old fashioned (or perhaps smart) for such outlets can write letters and to the editor and contribute to online comments calling out editors who do not respect truth. Those of use who take such actions already can do more of them.
If a substantial majority of Americans would protect a woman’s right to control of her own body, the right to freedom from religion as well as freedom of religion, and above all the right to choose those who lead us, why are those rights in danger? Because we do not work hard enough to defeat those who would shout us down. It really is that simple.
I use FB primarily for keeping in touch with friends and watching Heather's talks, and checking up on local issues. I need to reach beyond that silo if I am going to make a difference.
So I write letters directly to the writer or the editor, not with name-calling or blaming, but by pointing out what I object to and why, and point them to resources they could have used. This works for me because I read a lot across a variety of platforms, and sometimes actually become a resource.
But they need to hear from people who simply want more accurate and equitable coverage. They need to understand that is what we need and expect. I highly advise to leave out the snark and focus on building a relationship with media. My letters often result in real changes in how things are covered.
I also write supportive letters to politicians and nonprofits, even ones I don't belong to who are working for right causes, because so much of what they get is flak, and it wears them down. I don't have a lot of money, but I do give what I can as I can to support what they do for my grandchildren's future.
I must be the only one here who doesn’t know Heather has talks on FB. Rarely on it. Will try to find them. Thanks
I think a lot of newer folk might not know, having come here by referral. You can find her easily: just type in Heather Cox Richardson in the search box and she should just pop up. The letters are in her posts, and have a different discussion group than substack.
And the treasure: look under the Video tab for her talks (she doesn't like to call them lectures, but they make for wonderful listening and learning). She does them live, usually twice a week, believe it or not, and each is around an hour, often a little more. Tuesday at 4, and I think Thursday at 2 (Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong about the time on this one- it changed recently with Heather's schedule and I'm not sure I've got it right).
One is a talk based on questions solicited from the folks who follow her. She selects several and stitches together a story with her answers. The other is a straight history talk on subjects she chooses, sometimes around the history behind current events and sometimes straight history, primarily in her specialty, the history of American politics. She is a terrific story-teller.
Welcome: you are just about to step into history wonderland.
She also does a podcast with another historian (and I apologize that her name escapes me: I'm never strong on names and I am tired*), the link to which is often posted on her FB page.
(* This just means that as soon as I go to bed, the other name will pop into my head)
I’m looking forward to Republicans/SCOTUS reversing its own decision that UNmarried have access to birth control as married women had at the time.
Leslie, thank you for making this point. Other than a writer like Dr. Richardson, and those of us who have discovered her, I don't believe I've ever seen this sort of distortion of truth confronted in the media. There will occasionally be an op-ed piece in the NYTimes but where are the headlines?
"Investigation Into Clinton's Emails Re-Opened" two weeks before the election. Front page. Lead article.
"Investigation Opened: In An Attempt to Explain That America was Intended to have a National Religion, William Barr Uses Falsified Statements from Constitution Framer, James Madison" From page? Lead article?
I have never seen any such thing. Our mainstream media are remarkably silent on subjects like this, and the 24-hour news cycle guarantees that they disappear quickly.
I am afraid that we had lost this war before most of us realized it was much more than a skirmish. I look at my grandson, almost seven, and cannot imagine either his life so far or the world that lies ahead for him.
Again, thank you for your comment.
Dean, as a rational (?) grandparent I cannot imagine even the next two years for my family, or anyone else’s. Afraid you could be right, yet fighting hard because we must. Thank you, for saying out loud without resignation, what we all are are dealing with in our heads. Fight on, the kids deserve it!
We will fight them in the streets, we will fight them at the polling stations…we will never give up
They do. Thanks, Gus.
The business of news today isn't news, the business of news is business.
Cliches don't make change and don't solve problems.
There are plenty of responsible media outlets out there, struggling to keep going. Try reading some. Try contributing to some: many of the best have become non-profits. Some of the very best are produced on a shoestring by people who are amazingly dedicated, or they would not be willing to do the work they do for what they get paid.
Let’s see… I support The Nation Mother Jones, TPM, The American Prospect, Anand Giridharadas, Laura Flanders, The Intercept, The New Republic, LFAA, all the podcasts at Cafe and more, but the problem with small outlets is there are so many, the competition for scarce dollars limits their ability.
I also subscribe to The Independent (guilty tabloid junky), NYT, WaPo and The Guardian. I’m knowledge rich and subscription poor.
I prefer to keep my posts short and snappy vs. some long drawn out tome. My H.S. English teacher taught me that if you can’t say it in a 50 word paragraph, maybe you don’t have anything to say.
Now I’ve broken my own rule, and so it goes.
Christopher, sounds like rationalization to me. Tell me: did you think a cliche was saying something meaningful to the conversation? Your HS teacher may have been right with his idea of a 50 word paragraph, but the way I was taught that is that by putting something down in a few sentences, you begin to see the relationships between thoughts. I was also taught to just begin writing: usually the theme becomes clear after getting the bits and pieces down. Often I found that the piece I was writing began in the third paragraph; the first two were just leading me there. You might try that and discover you actually have something other people might want to hear instead of stuff just taking up space.
Inherent Racism On Display by Republicans in Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Confirmation Hearings -
Conservative Republicans, including our own Texas Governor Abbott and Senator Ted Cruz, continue to object to all discussions on diversity, equity, and inclusion as lies designed to convince Americans that we are an inherently racist nation not just historically but today as well. Then they put that inherent racism on display continually in legislation they propose and pass, and this week in their shameful performance in the questioning of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson during her confirmation hearings.
It was an embarrassment to watch Republican performative questioning and comments during this week’s confirmation hearings. Add to this such outrages as Indiana Republican Senator Mike Braun opining publicly in an interview this week that “the question of permitting interracial marriage should be left up to individual states.” Republican racism and white supremacist tendencies on public display. Instead of worrying about CRT being taught in public schools we should immediately begin teaching it along with classes in Constitutional Law in both houses of Congress.
For the benefit of those who do not recognize the evidence of systemic racism in American society not simply historically but today, I strongly suggest checking the resources available through the Urban Institute here:
https://www.urban.org/features/structural-racism-america
The Urban Institute is a nonprofit research organization that provides data and evidence to help advance upward mobility and equity. They are a trusted source for changemakers who seek to strengthen decisionmaking, create inclusive economic growth, and improve the well-being of families and communities. For more than 50 years, the Urban Institute has delivered facts that inspire solutions. Their Mission: To open minds, shape decisions, and offer solutions through economic and social policy research.
We have significant and deeply embedded systemic, inherent racism in American society. Failing to acknowledge and confront that reality serves only to perpetuate it. That is morally wrong and weakens us as a nation and diminishes us as a society.
So here are my own thoughts on inherent racism in America stated briefly. Inherent, systemic racism has and continues to exist in America. We must, not just should, but must recognize that, it is a moral imperative. Inherent, systemic racism is morally wrong. Should we be pursuing, teaching, and stressing diversity, equity, and inclusion training and teaching efforts? Yes. To whom should we be teaching it? Everyone, everywhere, everyday. Today would be a great day to start, tomorrow would be good if we need time to organize and prepare the lessons. When should we start that training for youngsters? My own view is preschool and daycare is not too early to put it in practice, habits and attitudes are formed early in children. Are there any groups requiring special attention and remedial education in diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts? Well … do you really want my opinion on that question? … OK, for all those who may think this is not their problem but only is something others suffer, everyone is part of the problem and no one is exempt. If you do not recognize that reality, you are part of the problem. Until we all recognize that truth and commit to addressing it we will not make progress addressing it. Every time I hear someone say, “I am not a racist …”. My thought is yes, you are and not realizing it is a part of the problem. Allowing the existence of inherent, systemic racism to continue to exist without acknowledging its existence and working to overcome it makes us all a part of the problem.
“Inherent, systemic racism has and continues to exist in America.”
Correct.
That is so true, Leslie. The Democrats should hire Heather as a consultant. They clearly need her factual historical input. Heather's description of the Republicans questioning Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as abusive was spot on. By not calling out and stopping their verbal and psychological abuse, the Dems enabled it.
Not sure I agree with that, Imogene. First, the Dems did and are calling out the abuse. Second, the smartest move is not to engage in it. THAT would be enabling it, but treating it as a threat to the process when what it is really are extremists afraid of losing their jobs in the upcoming election. They are performing for the people who they think are their base. This looks like it might backfire on them, big time. Best to let them hoist themselves on their own petard, as the old saying goes
Agree.
Thank you Heather. You finally clarified what "originalism" and "originalists" are. It is the act of bending the words and meaning of dead men by living originalist (idiots also come to mind) men in pursuit of verity for their original ephianny. Rather like the guy who can't correctly read Greek preparing a factual (the originalist) translation of parts of the Bible. Brilliant is Barr, until someone like HCR comes along with the actual text and context to debunk this originalist's malarkey.
It strikes me that if the folks who wrote the Constitution had been originalists, they’d have brought back the monarchy.
Especially to prevent future originalists from perverting their unanimously decided upon form of governance. Tee hee.
Leslie Peltz:
Here is what is destroying American democracy:
Barr remains a licensed attorney in good standing with not even one reprimand!
Attorneys are most certainly a strange brotherhood, Eh!?
Barr’s deceptiveness is his clever distortion of historic fact into palatable lies to underhandedly ensnare those gullible misguided fools into contributing money into the coffers for one purpose without realizing that it is all swallowed up and gulped down by the most despicable of the human accident.
It is beyond obvious that the R’s god is that printed folding paper they daily sell their soul for to jam into their over-stuffed bulging wallets…their creed is the hypocrisy they proudly pontificate aloud upon the pedestal of continuous lies, “Do what I say, not what you catch me doing.”
The R’s do not know who GOD is as evidenced by the arrogance of their self-aggrandizement’s bragging about the higher elite status they have “Earned” by their good deeds as compared to the “Others.”
Please vote them all out of office!
VOTE INTELLIGENTLY!
DO IT!!!
Everything from Bill Barr and indeed from all the "originalists" and the supporters of Trump depends on some squirrely way of turning the truth on its head, whether it's a simple insistence on Fox that Trump won the election or a deviously constructed interpretation of the founding fathers at a religious symposium. But if we stand back in astonishment at these things and pinch ourselves, aren't we inclined to laugh at their foolishness?
Why can't we simply demolish the arguments that they have laboriously patched together and imposed on us through political manipulation and dark-money spending? This occurs to me especially at this moment when Professor Richardson cites the overwhelming support among our people for all the things the far right wants to overthrow.
We know that the Fox propagandists and Barr and even Trump are in disarray after Trump's 2020 defeat and Biden's response to Russian aggression. We have resistance in many states to Republican gerrymanders and ill-conceived voter-suppression measures, and I think this will only grow. We have finally prevailed on Facebook and Twitter to somewhat rein in the so-called free speech of propagandists.
What we need now, I think, in addition to what we are already doing, is for mainstream Christians who are not Dominionists and who support such things as the separation of church and state to come out and unequivocably say so. I am not myself a Christian but I am quite confident that mainstream Christians must be troubled by the direction that the originalists are trying to take us. They are in a better position in many ways than I am to say why the Dominionists are wrong and should be resisted.
William Bart’s “legal theories” are bs conspiracy type theories and exactly the opposite of what the the framers were trying to do. So far the only truthful thing to come out of Barr’s mouth is the voter fraud in the 2020 election was bullshit.
He's old school Catholic conservatism
Way more extreme than that. These Dominionists (I know that spelling is wrong) are serious whackos. I didn't know much about Barr and had no idea that he had this religious pathology. Nor did I know what it was. Once I looked it us, I was horrified. Dangerous folks, spouting Scripture, quoting founding documents and principles--all twisted but smooth. As a cradle Episcopalian and now a former Episcopalian and former Christian, I can say with confidence that none of what Barr espouses religiously has anything remotely to do with Christianity. I agree with Nevoustrumpezpas that people who are Christians need to howl as loud as they can to shut this craziness down.
I thought it was implied he belongs to those "dark side" groups. Simply put he's the kind of Catholic who would hook up with Nazis....in the name of the lord of course.
It is disturbing. Have you thought of writing a letter to a newspaper reporter or editor, or a tv news dept expressing your concerns? You could use exactly the same language that you used in your comment. Your words express your concern elegantly. I think that is the sort of thing that can make a media outlet rethink how they are doing things. And it may be one of the strongest tools we have.
Thank you Annie for your encouraging reply.
Most of my comments are sent to many locations including my Oregon Senators where I am fairly well known.
“My reports didn’t contain lies, but that’s exactly how propaganda works: You take reliable facts, mix them up, and a big lie comes together. Facts are true, but their mix is propaganda.”
- Zhanna Agalakova, Russian Channel One news anchor and foreign correspondent
I had not read this about Barr. But it's not surprising. He and the rest of his radical right-wing theocrats have no problems lying grotesquely in service of their goals.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“This is a fight of good versus evil,” and "Meadows continued: “Evil always looks like the victor until the King of Kings triumphs. Do not grow weary in well doing. The fight continues….”
Aye. I used to hear this stuff on Sunday morning about the long list of "evil" that would send one to hell and I puzzled on this because:
Well, like Lincoln, I actually read the entire Bible by age 16 or so. And, in Mathew 7 I read:
"Judge not, that ye be not judged.
[2] For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again."
So, it seemed to me that, assuming that Christianity was actually formed around the teachings of Jesus that it was NOT clear what evil was BUT it WAS clear that I am not the judge.
So, by age 16 I had already started to evolve to a point where I thought it was not my place to decide what is right and wrong.
Hence, when driving one evening past a bunch of people crowded around a new building at A&M with my then girlfriend and she indicated that was the new and first "Gay" bar at Texas A&M, I was not intrigued, rather, I was nonplussed.
However, I knew, from what I had read, that it was not my place to judge.
Southern Baptists in particular DO believe that they have divine insight into what is right and wrong and they DO have a long list of stuff that will send one to hell. Mark Meadows statement is funny and chilling.
Now, do you guys know what is REALLY funny about all this??
Southern Baptists split with Northern Baptists a long while back and why?
Well, because GOD definitely was certain that SLAVERY was totally OK. You can't be gay, but? You CAN whip a man to death for not working 20 hours a day.
Ladies and gentlemen, if you meet anyone who believes that they have insight into who is and is not going to hell.
RUN.
Your post reminds me of something I saw when we lived in Knoxville in the 90's. The Alcoa Hwy leads from Knoxville to the airport. There was a section of woods and on a small tree right by the road was a small neatly painted sign which read HELL IS HOT complete with flames painted at the bottom. This was up for a long time until someone put up another neatly lettered sign which read "So was your wife". Both signs were gone the next day.
I remember driving on the highway to a conference in Indiana in the mid 2000’s when I came across a huge billboard that simply read, “You’re going to hell” with Christian symbols on it and scary red flames. It was so shocking to me I had to pull over and take a photo of it. I rememberr thinking to myself, ‘if going to hell gets me away from the lunatics who put up this silly billboard then I’ll be happy to go there.’ It seems to me that things in this country have just gotten even more loony since then, unfortunately.
My wife’s mother use to tell them she was “so sorry you have such an angry God”.
That is a fabulous reply. My Mom always sang a ditty based on a Ken-L-Ration ad that was on TV in the 60's: "My god is better than your god, my god is better than yours. My god is better 'cause he eats Ken-L-Ration, my god is better than yours.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7CjrsB4c-U
I well remember that ditty. Now as I prepare to take my grandson fishing I’ll never get it out of my head. Turd.
Thank you for my first good laugh of the day. It's rolling around in my head, too! Enjoy the trip with your grandson! I'm sure that will make you forget about the earworm!
😈
I remembered the tune and the "better than your ____" but I didn't remember the subject of the ad. How funny to be reminded after all these years!!!
Brought back good memories—thank you for a welcomed chuckle 😄
Your Wife's Mother knew GOD is only love, no more and no less.
Reminds me of a Grateful Dead lyric: “I may be going to hell in a bucket, but I sure am enjoying the ride!”
I am originally from Lenoir, NC. Our claim to fame was Broyhill and Bernhardt furniture. I had been visiting my mom and was driving towards the Charlotte airport when I spotted a sign at the The First Christian Church of Lenoir. This church is on Hwy 321. I took a picture of it and have it displayed in my house. It reads “Dusty Bibles Lead to Dirty Lives”!
LOL😆!
Religious zealots in Knoxville aren’t putting up signs (billboards occasionally) but they are still trying to establish Christian Sharia law.
ML, Exactly! “Christian Sharia law.” Exactly....
Love this story.
Dave, that is even funnier than the Southern Baptist Convention. :-)
My laugh for the day, needed that.
😂😂😂👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
BIG SMILE!
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻😎
Slain😂
Love it
🤣
LOL!!!
As soon as anyone tells me they are a “good Christian”, I immediately think, “Shields up!”
I am so done with Pharisaic Christians.
Just remember what happened to the last guy who criticized the Pharisees.
:-)
Yes. The last perfect person was crucified and I cannot aspire to that honor.
So too CHRIST, Eh!?
Jesus was a Jew, correct?
INDEED
Amen, brother!
Barr and his ilk want an intolerant autocratic theocracy to replace our beloved democracy. Their deity is the Self, not the Creator — whether they know it or not. And it is always about heaven or hell, isn’t it.
Mike, I’m running!
Very good Gus. You have my vote!
Yes, indeed. I also recommend people see the movie "Twelve Years a Slave."
There are two movies I think all teenagers should see. Twelve Years a Slave and Amsted. There is an interesting back story about why Spielberg made Amsted. He if I remember correctly was involved in a seminar with some high school students and was ask why he hadn't made a movie on slavery and a few years later Amsted came out.
I also have a Blacksmithing friend who said the hardest thing he ever did was to make the chains and shackles for the movie. Not because the work was so hard but because what similar items were used for. He worked at Mistic Seaport.
Agree but the second movie is titled "Amistad".
Thank you for the correct spelling, I should have checked. My poor excuse is that I am dyslectic and a really poor speller. I wasn't sure so I should have checked, my bad.
Nailed them, ran for my life
well said.
Ahem!
Mike:
INDEED!
Those who but-into the conversation to "Educate" by prognosticating others consequential after-life direction are NOT Christian.
Their acquiescence into personal temptations have overpowered their focus into a holier than thou posture encouraging the battling inequalities plaguing America today.
They have chosen a deliberate obedience to the Great Deceiver's promise of power and wealth.
The lie will soon be realized too late.
The war in Ukraine poses an existential threat to life on earth, with Putin becoming more isolated and hinting at using nuclear weapons. The implications of him using nuclear or chemical/biological weapons are too horrible for me to wrap my brain around. But the threat to democracy here at home, from home-grown authoritarians/terrorists, scares me more than Putin. Telling us that freedom to chose which religion to follow, or not, is only a step away from telling us that two plus two equals five. That should scare each one of us to our very bones.
For years I was grateful that I won the birth lottery and was born here in America. I believed that I lived in a country that was far from perfect, but at least was moving along a path that arched towards equal justice and opportunity for all. Now with the likes of McConnell, Graham, Cawthorn, Hawley, Barr, et al, corrupting the promise of the Declaration of Independence, I fear like I’ve never feared before.
That’s why I say repeatedly, for the very reasons you state, that I am afraid of their intent, histrionics, and corrupted representation of constituents. However, I am not scared. They. Will. Not. Prevail.
I’m with you 100%
Yes, fran talarowski, there is much fear here. As I've written here before, I recommend all people read the book "HIROSHIMA" BY John Hershey. It is about the first nuclear bomb detonated on a city and what it did. That was the first of the two nuclear bombs ever used, which were dropped by our country, of course. If that doesn't scare the shit our of what could happen now, I don't know what would. Now, here is a book you may find helpful to quell our fears: It is entitled "FEAR: ESSENTIAL WISDOM FOR GETTING THROUGH THE STORM by the late Thich Nhat Hanh. Another book by Thich Nhat Hanh that might also help is PEACE IS EVERY STEP.
I haven't read Hiroshima, but Lesley Blume's book, "Fallout," about John Hersey's reporting, is an excellent book. What was disturbing is that the US government attempted to cover up the devastation caused by the bomb, and it was only because of Hersey's brave behind-the-lines investigation and reporting that Americans found out.
The documentary called “The Fog of War” also talks about the destruction caused by bombs….the amount of people killed. Everyone should see that.
They covered up the effects of the early bomb tests i Nevada, too. Military personnel were the guinea pigs at close range, and were lied to. I once had in my possession a booklet distributed to them that claimed there the bombs had no bad effects, a flat-out deliberate lie, with instructions to simply not look directly at the detonation. Little "towns" were built to simulate potential target areas: they simply disappeared. So the effects of the bombs on Japan were known. "Saving of American lives" was the excuse used, and they lied to Truman too. Bogus: intel already knew that Japan was preparing to make a principled surrender (meaning that the emperor and the Japanese people kept their dignity. Instead, thousands died unnecessarily.
In America, guinea pig vets died at a high rate from cancers caused by those tests, which resumed after the war. As did those living downstream. One of them was my aunt, who died in the late 1950s of a rare form of leukemia. My family was certain that it was because she was living in the "safe zone" outside the testing area.
The US had no dignity by killing hundreds of thousands of Japanese people two days in August 1945. That's not to mention the many more who died from radiation poisonings for years after. Don't forget all governments lie, and most of those lies are not tiny. The horror! The horror! The horror!
The 1956 movie The Conqueror was filmed near St. George, UT and was down wind of nuclear tests at the time of filming. According to the Wikipedia article about the film "Of the 220 film crew members, 91 (comprising 41.36% of the crew) developed cancer during their lifetime, while 46 (or 20.91%) died from it. When this was learned, many suspected that filming in Utah and surrounding locations, near nuclear test sites, was to blame" and The exterior scenes were shot near St. George, Utah, which is 137 miles (220 km) downwind of the United States government's Nevada National Security Site and received the brunt of nuclear fallout from testing active in this period."
Thanks, diana from SF, thanks to Lesley Blume for "Fallout." Governments do not want the dirty things they do exposed. That is exactly why the U.S. government(both D's and R's) are attacking Julian Assange for exposing the reality of what the U.S. did. It speaks volumes about governmental attacks on journalism and democracy. And it appears the f*#king U.S. government is going to send Julain to the U.S. So much for Biden's human rights ideas.
I read Hiroshima some 50+ years ago and found it to be chilling and eye-opening. (It was required reading at my high school.). Equally chilling was visiting the Atomic Bomb Dome, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, and the Sadako Peace Monument with its thousands of origami cranes. Visiting those sites, and standing out as an American English speaker, made me acutely aware of the horror of of even a single, small (by today's standards) nuclear weapon. Using such weapons must never be permitted again.
fran, if such weapons, which are at least ten times more powerful than those used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, were to be used today, we would barely have time to kiss our asses goodbye before human kind would cease to exist. So much for such things a money and attitudes about race, what could be taught in schools, abortions, birth control, the enemy, for they all won't exist any more. Our government and overstuffed Pentagon just don't get it.
And another good book is the Holy Bible, Eh!?
Simple curative solution:
Vote ALL R's out of office.
VOTE INTELLIGENTLY!
Help others to clearly understand the (1). Issues, (2). the Candidates, and (3) the Incumbents.
Thank you for another illuminating Letter, Dr. Heather.
I hope you have turned off your computer by now, and are off to sleep. I know it is very late where you are, even if tomorrow is Saturday.
Rest well and know that many many of us are so grateful for these Letters from you. 💜
Our daily blessing of trusted truth inspiring us to support each other by commenting intelligently, Eh!?
Harry Truman was right 74 years ago when he said "The only 'good Republicans' are pushing up daisies." He's only more right today.
It’s 2:00 a.m. and I’m laughing. Thank you, TC.
With the inscription that reads: Here LIES a ‘good Republican’.
HST a fav of mine, had a way with words
❤️
I nearly chocked when I read "unable to tell right from wrong and, in turn, creating “immense suffering, wreckage, and misery.” Talk about the pot calling the kettle "black" (not meant as a racial slur here): when Opus Dei cleans up the pedophilia element of The church, I will pay attention to it's "moral" leadership and not before.
Don’t hold your breath
Good things take time. :-)
Forgiveness is Devine/
Trust is all together another matter...it must be earned.
So Barr’s statement that the democracy rests on citizens’ self-governance doesn’t extend to the citizens choosing to marry a same-sex partner of a different race? Citizens only get to choose things that are on a pre-determined, limited list? How does this resemble democracy?
Government under a dogmatic theocracy and self-governance are inherently self-contradictory. Barr has spent too many years using his good brain for pretzel logic to support his religious beliefs. The ultimate twist was his writing about a criminal seditious president whom he said he would again vote for because Democrats are evil. It’s back to the Crusades!
Or Jesus’s instruction to love thy neighbor?
Linda, any resemblance to democracy is clearly beyond a coincidence.
Only acceptable citizens (cult nuts) count
Republicans seem to be intent on banishing the separation between church and state, seeking to impose Christianity as the country’s sole religion. This, and In light of their growing censorship of books, ideas and historical records that don’t conform to their “high” moral standards, one can’t help but wonder if their goal is to usher us back into the Dark Ages…
They are NOT imposing Christianity. They are imposing Fundamentalism, which as as much to do with actual Christianity as it has to do with actual Judaism, Islam or Hinduism. Fundmanetalism is its own religion and it is time to stop calling these Fundamentalist scum "Christians," "Jews," "Muslim" or "Hindu."
I had a friend recently ask me “why Christianity had turned to be a bad word”? I explained that it was not the word but the doers that called themselves by that word. True Christian’s are those that just follow the teachings of Christ. I do not see any such actions by our government,especially Republicans today. I do hope that we are headed for some sort of reckoning. It is so disheartening to watch evil continue to succeed.
Indeed. While I am a practicing Catholic, there are parts of the dogma I don't agree with (why do I continue to attend? Many reasons, too much to explain here) .I have always liked the "WWJD?" that came out of the conservative faction, what a shame that they don't FOLLOW that thought. And come to think of it, I see less and less of WWJD? these days.
Thank you, TCinLA. Fundamentalists in the traditions you name interpret the texts of their traditions in ways that use literalism to understand single words and sentences, argue that the text is inerrant (has no relationship to the culture or audience of its time because humans did not write it), miss the foundational breadth of love that undergirds the ideas being presented, and have no time for ambiguity. They miss the point and endanger everyone because the point of faith is an expansive welcome to others rather than a wall-building project.
Melinda. Best post of the day. No doubt.
This is just a super-perfect post. Thanks!
The Holy Bible is GOD talking to each one of us as the individual HE created.
Every time we re-read the same sentence of Scripture it's ever changing dynamics speaks to us about wisdom in the moment, from moment to moment.
So very fascinating!
I agree it is fundamentalism but they are clearly using Christianity to further their cause and attract evangelicals
Christianity has been used to “further causes” practically since The Council of Nicea in 325 AD
Indeed, Lee. That is why Barr mentioned "Christianity" (NOT Fundamentalism).
You're so right. The quote below, while a Christian reference, applies to all other major religions as well.
"Love and justice go together. Justice without love can be brutal, and love without justice can be banal. Love is the heart of justice, and justice is the social form of love."
Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan, The First Paul: Reclaiming the Radical Visionary behind the Church’s Conservative Icon (New York: HarperCollins, 2009), 26, 138, 204–205.
Professor Marcus J. Borg served as Canon Theologian at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Portland, Oregon for many years.
His Sermons and Bible study classes were, and remain today in my memory, truly inspirationally life transforming!
Professor Borg, mostly with John Dominic Crossan have authored many must read, (in my humble opinion), easy to read scholarly concepts most pertinent to today's life living situations.
"I can't believe what you say, because I see what you do." James Baldwin.
Yes. It’s heinous. They use Christianity as bait to further their gain of Fundamentalism.
What they are doing is imposing The Patriarchy. They are Patriarchists.
Just read on the web [okay, I know] “ The most well‐known fundamentalist denominations in the United States are the Assemblies of God, the Southern Baptist Convention, and the Seventh‐Day Adventists. Organizations such as these often become politically active, and support the conservative political “right,” including groups like the Moral Majority.
Interestingly, the “Moral Majority” now includes Mormons because Jesus coming to America is the epitome of US Fundamentalists’ dream. And for the commonality with the Catholic Church on women’s roles, reproduction, and LGBTQs.
Exactly
Precisely & marvelously cogent...Thank you!
Exactly. Thanks TC.
Chris, I disagree that Fundamentalism is not "another religion" but comes from the "core" of religious traditions, and here is why: Think about the "originalism" of some of our Supreme Court justices. It follows the same damaged and damaging rubric about the Constitution as Fundamentalists do about the texts on which they rely. Interpretation of founding documents (Constitution and Declaration of Indepence for the U.S. and the Bible for Jews and Christians) is a complex and ever-evolving enterprise UNLESS you are an "originalist" or a Fundamentalist. Then, you grab onto the understanding of the texts that most fits your political or theocratic goals which, in both cases, aim to rule over others in detrimental ways. Fundamentalism is limited and limiting and doesn't honor the richness of the texts under examination. That is what makes it a different "religion."
Melinda, great insight. What I take away from your comment is that fundamentalism is basically an over-simplification of concepts, and using that over-simplification to control others.
Well said
Seems to me you are seeing a lot of stuff in Melinda's post than is actually in there. Make me wonder why.
I believe that Melinda Quivik has your answer, just below. She is more eloquent than what my initial response to your question would have been. She says it better.
Ally, were you replying to me or to Chris Buzinski? Melinda wrote a deeply insightful response to Chris's first post. Chris responded with what can only be called a truly bonehead reinterpreation of what Melinda wrote. My brief response was to Chris (brief because I saw no need to point out the apparently deliberate misreading Chris gave to what Melinda wrote. I agree with you that Melinda writes with clarity and eloquence.
Good point, but the corruption of anything positive (teaching of Jesus) is universal with the Barr’s and Franklin Grahams of our society.
Their goal is to roll back the Enlightenment. Nothing less.
Their goal could also be stated as: the roll back of sharing power.
As fast as they can, but they have corrupted the teachings of Jesus as only evil can. Why their self-righteous blather is the best evidence that they are Pharisees.
Jeri, it could be argued that the Pharisees were the original fundamentalists of Judaism. Their legalism was what has become an identifier of today's fundamentalist aberration of any given religion. Paul was a Pharisee, licensed to kill under LAW. Fortunately the Pharisees restricted themselves (in the main) to their fellow Jews, both politically and within religious boundaries.
Hey, thanks for all your comments and replies to others tonight! I always slow down and think about what you have to say, and have largely restrained myself from joining all the discussions. A lot of good stuff to read...
The monotheistic God is almost always interpreted as patriarchal. He is the Father and we are the children. You pray to him for personal protection ("I alone can fix it"). You want to please him, "or else". You have a personal relationship with him/his son, making you and what you want quite special and important, and it gives you the right to go and take it. Sound familiar?
Blame those who “wrote” the Bible as we know it today. I’m surprised the translators included the statement that God created Man AND Woman.
"You never know when yhe Inquisition will come calling"
The Republicans would call Democrats the Inquisitors, except they don't know or can't spell that big word.
The goal of the far right religious leaders, since at least the 1980s, has been to take over the government at all levels, in order to impose their views on the rest of us. I remember very clearly reading, in the late 1980s, about how they were organizing using fax machines, phone trees and mail, before the internet and social media, to get their members to pressure Congress on social issues and anything their leaders decided was “evil” (pretty. Y h anything they didn’t agree with). Anyone remember the uproar over Robert Maplethorpe’s photos? That was all manufactured by those religious leaders ( with help from Jesse Helms and his ilk) and they continue to do the same- they have always been very open about their goals and no one seemed to take them seriously. And now here we are.
Yes
Of course it is. Back to the 1950’s and “Father Knows Best” and before Civil Rights took center stage.
I meant the 1650s.
To know more about how the Roberts Court has eviscerated the Voting Rights Act of 1965 as amended here is a teach in on voting rights . Join the fight to overcome the attack by our current Supreme Court on voting rights. We need to convince every US Senator that the Senate must exercise its powers under Article 1.4 and the 14th and 15th Amendments to protect the right to vote. Thus the Senate must end the filibuster.
I don't believe that most Americans understand the real impact of individual States controlling the rules for voting OR that their zip code directly controls whether they can cast their ballots and what barriers they may have to overcome in order to vote.
Below are links to the script and a brief powerpoint presentation I gave Thursday to the Mid-peninsula Chapter of the ACLU of Northern CA.
These slides explain VERY SIMPLY election law from the original text in the Constitution, and how voting rights improved after the passage of the Voting Rights Act 1965 and its amendments. Protecting voting rights led to the election of our first black president in 2008. Thereafter, Chief Justice Roberts has led the Supreme Court's evisceration of the protections of our Voting Rights, step by step. This is explained visually.
My goal is to explain what has happened so that people will get angry and they themselves will advocate the President and their Senators and their Congressional representatives for the passage of the Freedom to Vote John R Lewis Act (HR5746). The powerpoint shows visually what passage of HR5746 would mean to all Americans and includes tools in the slides for taking action.
I AM ASKING YOU TO review THE SLIDES. READ THE SCRIPT. THEN, tell me if you have SHARED THIS email WITH => 20 contacts with family/friends who LIVE IN : NH, ID, PA, IA, MT, WI, MI, IN, FL, GA, WV, TX, NC, SC, OK, OH, LA, AK, AL, ND, or SD. as these states are the most repressive. The slides visually detail the states' actions to repress the vote. We need to get Senators in these states to support the Right to Vote. Contact US Senators in ME, AK, ID, WV, AZ, VT, NH, OH, PA because their states supported the Voting Right Act in 1965 and ask them to stand up for voting rights now.
Frankly, when I watch the Ukrainians fighting for their democracy, I am very angry that Americans aren't fighting at home to stop the march backwards away from Civil Rights in America.
The Text:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1S-AI2GTMhL78yu0u0vGuZAQk7RYbCOAP/view?usp=sharing
The Slides:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ygEyuDaQY7HiqwK7OR0B9tAHmMdGT8rK/view?usp=sharing
Time is critical. Please at least open the links and consider what you might do to ensure our zip code doesn't determine how, where, when and if you can vote.
Thank you
Alice Schaffer Smith
Executive Director
National Voter Corps
www.nationalvotercorps.org
Alice, I liked your link and it is a fountain of good information to be sure.
However, I never met a single Republican that would be able to focus long enough to read your document.
You need to get your document down to 140 characters or, better, less than that.
Because: Republicans don't read much at all. They listen to the white man at the front of whatever their church is (Fox News Tucker Carslon or Sean Hannity), or pick the TV preacher of your choice spewing fire and brimstone followed by a call to support (give money).
You need to say short, authoritative sentences with high confidence, perhaps with a few expletives and THEN you can communicate with a Republican.
I tend to agree with you, Mike. I read the links and I did forward onto about a dozen people. I don't have social media accounts. I have often spoken and posted here about Katie Porter and her whiteboard. Quite frankly, although I admire the powerpoint from Alice, I agree with you that many of the "poorly educated" won't read it. It needs to be less scholarly, sadly, to attract the masses. And how important all the information contained in the power point is!!
Yes Miselle. Thomas Jefferson was always worried about an uneducated, poorly read population losing Democracy. Hence, his lifelong pursuit of good public education. Which did work for a while.
But. When whites had to go to school with blacks those white folks decided they would rather be ignorant and rolled out to private schools where, as we used to say, “they don’t learn Jack”.
Please do so. I appreciate any edit. Please remember that this is a teach in with facts and figures. The script helps those who are looking at the slides to understand their import. Actually, turning racists into empathetic civil rights' advocates is a tough assignment. But Senators Sinema, Manchin, Collins, Romney, Mulkowski and Porter are my targets. I think they have some ability to act with dignity. One can only hope.
We in NH, have been being subjected to horrible laws being put forth in the NH legislature and signed by the RW governor. This is all being made more complex by elected radical libertarians who in essence believe there should be NO laws. They went so far as to promulgate a Constitutional amendment bill to secede from the Union this legislative session. Fortunately, it was massively voted down by a 323 NO to 13 yes.
Good lord, “radical libertarians.” Another enemy of sanity…
That's what the Free State Project is. There have been multiple members elected to the NH legislature in the past several years and they caucus w/Republicans of course, who are in the majority at present. One thing they've been working on is defunding public education by the establishment of school vouchers in order to divert the monies to private and religious schools and home schoolers then cutting the public education even more. The governor and Commissioner of education are behind this (and gee- one of his employees worked for DeVos!) Part of the problem is that NH gets a good chunk of public school funding from property taxes. As a result, property taxes will go up, especially in poor towns.
We Mainers face the threat of the same problems should the upcoming governor's race be won by our national embarrassment, Paul LePage. LePage, who evidently cannot get enough public recognition and Republican praise to satisfy his ego in private life, has moved back to Maine to torment us with yet another campaign to win the governorship for a third (non-consecutive) term. He's now parroting the Repub/libertarian line about education and diverting public funds to charter schools and religious academies (letting our public schools rot, apparently). Makes me want to scream!
Ack. And to think I was recently considering moving there. Rethinking.
Thanks for that. One thing I don't have to look up now- people across the country are asking me about it because I live next door. The media (including some from groups who are fighting FOR democracy) got the news out about the bill, but didn't bother saying that it was roundly voted down. The only thing I got was that it was defeated, but not by how much. And that matters. People who live in NH should not be lumped in with the NH governor.
ThAnk you.
I agree with Mike S and others that the Powerpoint is too lengthy and dense. I think Republicans aren't the only ones whose attention will begin to wander after a certain point.
A specific criticism I have relates to the points at which you list states which, prior to 1920, allowed women to vote. These should be edited to make clear that the right to vote in a given state allowing women to vote was only for state and, I think, local elections. Women still were not legally allowed to vote in federal elections.
That’s not true because the first congresswoman was elected in 1917
I stand corrected.
Excerpt from an interesting article: "A 1916 article in the Ladies’ Home Journal presented the potential significance of the women’s vote: “Four million women will have the privilege to vote for a President of the United States this year… These four million women represent twelve states, which cast ninety-one ballots in the electoral college which elects the President. As a President must receive two hundred and sixty-six electoral-college votes necessary to a choice, the twelve equal-suffrage states represent little more than one-third of the total necessary to a choice. At the last Presidential election, in 1912, just one-half, six, of the present total of states gave the privilege to women to vote, and those states cast only thirty-seven electoral votes… "
https://library.whitman.edu/blog/presidential-election-1916/
Whenever I'm tempted to call up my childhood teaching about all the good and evil in the world, I remember the passage in the New Testament where Jesus was asked "what are the greatest commandments of them all?", to which he answered "that you love the Lord your God with all your mind, your heart, your soul and that you love your neighbor as yourself"... Nothing included there about all of issues addressed by these constitutional rights and amendments that are supposedly degrading morality in our society. There's plenty enough immorality to go around, including all of those lilly-white heterosexual protestant Christian households with two kids, a two car garage and Fido in the back yard... (sounds alot like my own household). The "moral majority" has no lock on piety, sanctity, morality. The human rights elaborated and clarified over 200+ years in our constitution, it's amendments and Supreme Court rulings describe a playing field on which we can act out our personal and collective beliefs as well as both moral and immoral behaviors as we understand them. The real problems arise when we begin to conflate constitutional rights and the law with definitions of morality. Philosophical and religious forums are far more appropriate arenas in which to debate morality than the courts. I think we have ample historical evidence that one can neither legislate nor adjudicate morality/immorality with any measure of precision. We have plenty enough work to do refining definitions of legality within our appellate courts without confusing their role to include acting as moral tribunals.
Well said…
"love the Lord your God with all your mind, your heart, your soul and that you love your neighbor as yourself". Yes. That's my religion. Amen.
P.S. God is Love.
Hopefully all the gods are. My “religion” is loving kindness
Jesus Christ!!! What an abortion of the truth by the (dis)honorable William Barr. Another glaring example of Republican Orwellian truth. Using the exact opposite of what Madison meant to support shaky philosophy like a male supported and invented religion. Thank God I am an atheist.
I'm sorry - but has anyone looked at the Hubble telescope pics, or the emerging Webb telescope pics - it's the absolute height of human arrogance to think that a "god" - who has X x 10^12 stars, galaxies, black holes, you name them - to administer, could give a flying f**k about whether Fred (married) screwed his neighbour (fill in the blanks...). Remember, we made "god" in our own image - and attributed to "god" our instincts and behaviour! How wise of us.
Add to this if the church is not separate it should be taxed.
Yesterday
Absolutely!
Handmaid's Tale. Here it is, folks.
That’s what I thought when I read Barr’s speech. I expect Barr lacks the ability to see himself in Atwood’s novel.
He would not take the time to read it, and then, if he did, he wouldn't get it.
Of course he wouldn't have that ability to see himself-he believes only his kind matter.
Yes. That’s why the luxury survival bunker industry is very profitable
Barr lacks the ability to READ Atwood’s novel.
It wouldn’t matter if Barr did see himself in Atwood’s novel. He and his ilk consider it a handbook
Thomas Jefferson saw the issue of religion differently when talking about the separation of church and state.
“Extract from Thomas Jefferson’s Notes on the State of Virginia
The error seems not sufficiently eradicated, that the operations of the mind, as well as the acts of the body, are subjects to the coercion of the laws. But our rulers can have authority over such natural rights only as we have submitted to them. The rights of conscience we never submitted, we could not submit. We are answerable for them to our God.
The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.“
He hadn’t run into our brand of Pharisees I assume
Wrote his own Bible—The Jeffersonian Bible—taking out the “directions” of the Apostles to Christians on how to think/believe. 6 year effort
Thank you Heather for remarkable insights. I am reading re Bill Barr, his comments at UND and I am appalled at the utter replay of 1920s GOP power & control. It truly connects to the theocratic authoritarianism of that decade, GOPs obsession with self, power & wealth that, 30 years later, became 'movement conservative' (incorporating fascism into conservative white evangelicalism, bonding covertly the non-pentecostal with the pentecostal. Note: these are not the same as Christianity. I have a hyper religious family history that dates back to late 1800s, incl authoritarianism and evangelicalism, and a global evangelical outreach that influenced many with the white evangelical 'toxic faith'. I see, in hindsight, how MC's influences in white evangelicalism from the late 60s onward drove white EV policies, embedding various types of racism into its fabric (Southern Baptists being the most influential in that regard). I have watched over the past 40+ years how blatant power grabs by white EVs enmeshed them with politics (spurred at one point by Falwell Sr, Moral Majority, then Christian Coalition) even as white EVs eagerly adopted teachings that contradicted clearly with Christ's teachings. Simply put, it is all about their white entitlement and self, power and wealth.
The authoritarian root became embedded with white EVs in the 1990s, via their required teaching called 'spiritual formation'. It is authoritarianism through and through. White EV leaders, e.g., NAE, require all member churches and orgs to teach it and have depts for it or they cannot, and will not, be accredited. It is power and control by the white male leadership, clearly.
It’s been a Father Coughlin reprise for decades now.
Like ALL authoritarians, like Putin is clearly doing now, they gaslight the public and supporters with statements intending to sound moral and righteous, but actually turn reality and morality on its head and deliver evil. Isn't this what Satin is known for in the Bible? Disguising himself to appear good?