At about 1:30 this morning, local time, the Dali, a 985-foot (300 m) container ship operating under a Singapore flag, struck the steel Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, that spans the lower Patapsco River and outer Baltimore Harbor.
Such a busy day today. Thank you for this. I find it odd that with everything going on in the world, the thing that had me in tears was the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. I'm glad so few people were hurt, but it is symbolic to me of some of the old established ideas that have become outdated and brittle, which need to be replaced and updated. We need to rebuild not only the literal bridges, but we need to re-weave the fabric of our democratic society— with steel and courage, kindness and inclusivity, and with equal justice under the law for every one of us. Let's build that.
Another metaphor, apt but less inspiring than Deb Pierce McCabe's:
The Great Divider and his work are well represented by the ship with its vast bulk... losing power... losing control... then blundering into the bridge that brings Americans together, and destroying it.
There's one essential difference: regardless of having or losing power, the Great Divider never deviated from his intent to destroy every bridge that unites Americans.
Yes, we can rebuild the Key bridge. The metaphoric bridge, if it ever existed, is another story. The America that Republicans want (and have wanted since about 1880) is more-or-less the America we had up to about 1964, which was ruled by white Christian nationalists from one political party or the other. The MAGAts (a majority of white Americans) want that America back. Desparately.
We have a bridge joining New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island in eastern Canada, built in the 90s. (anyone wanting a scenic vacation, this is an area to head for) Its support towers are massively protected at water level. Why? Ice. I'm sure that aspect of the Baltimore Key's rebuild will cover against anything like this.
Yes! Was on PEI for vacation with friends during COVID; had a wonderful trip. Felt safe, with all the testing being done. And that is some bridge. Oh Canada!
Much quieter here, relatively speaking. Mass gun shootings are a relative rarity, USA being an anomaly. Canada went Medicare a long time ago, along with all other OECD nations, except for... USA! Glad you enjoyed your trip. Sorry about the price of gas :)
Frank, in watching the coverage of the Maryland disaster yesterday, a commentator said that the bridge was vulnerable, due to its design during the 70's, so would be built more sturdily when it is replaced. Having visited New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, I'm familiar with your impressive bridge. I love that area.
I have ancestors who lived there before migrating to this country, and a few of whom originally lived on Long Island, but were loyal to the Crown during the Revolution and ended up in PEI after being hunted by Patriots. The King granted several of these men 300 acres each, in gratitude for their service to England, and many still live in Canada. One governor of a Northeastern state is a descendant of these Loyalists, and I find the irony amusing.
Which governor of a northeastern state is a descendant of those Loyalists? That sounds like a very fun fact!
I must say, I came to like Queen Elizabeth quite a bit during her last year, in no small part due to her great sense of humor, as well as her having served the Mother Country as a mechanic during WWII, and having used her driving skills to scare the bejesus out of a leader of an Arab country where women weren't allowed to drive. And I also like King Charles. So I would not be unhappy if the USA were a member of the British Commonwealth.
David, I found that my fourth great grandfather on my maternal line was Jesse Mills (my maternal grandmother's mother was Janet Mills, who came to Massachusetts from Nova Scotia when she married). Jesse was born in Bedford, Long Island in 1750. When I found his information, I investigated to see whether he'd fought in the Revolutionary War, only to read that he and many of his relatives were Loyalists. The Patriots were looking for him (probably planning to kill him) and found him at his sister's home. They pursued Jesse, and shot at him, wounding his hand, which was useless for the remainder of his life. Fortunately for Jesse, he escaped and went to Nova Scotia, and many of his Loyalist family members did the same. I'm unclear about details, but do know that King George III granted him hundreds of acres of land in Nova Scotia for his loyalty. He married and had ten children.
There has been some confusion about some of his siblings, especially Reuben Mills, and it has apparently been proven by DNA that Jesse and Reuben are not brothers, but probably otherwise related. At some point, when I am no longer bedeviled with the state of our democracy, I'll dive into the genealogical rabbit hole again and sort it all out.
Meanwhile, learning that Maine's governor is a Mills, I did a search, and discovered that Janet Mills is, indeed, related to the Loyalist Mills family, and we share a (fifth, I think) great grandfather. The caveat to all of this is that my information could be faulty, since others contributing to the genealogical websites are often careless with their connections. Therefore, Janet Mills might not be related to me or to the (in)famous Jesse Mills - this, in case Gov. Mills somehow discovers our conversation and decides to sue me for slander.
I, too, was a great admirer of Queen Elizabeth, not only for her unwavering work ethic and dedication to service, but also for her sense of humor. On the other hand, England's long history of colonialism and its ill treatment of its conquests, as well as the treatment of the Irish, make me grateful that the Patriots prevailed over the Crown and the Loyalists - yet another reason to leave DJT in the dust, despite polls indicating otherwise. I prefer to believe that Joe Biden will win in a landslide!
The Canadian Maritimes are one of my favorite and cherished places -- when I was young, my family took us on a few camping vacations on PEI (the old way, by ferry.) My wife and I brought my parents back to PEI in 2006 when we celebrated our 30th anniversary, this time by the Confederation Bridge. When my parents died, I tucked a vial of PEI red clay soil into their caskets.
Hey Kathy, just remember, it's not all about PEI! There is a ton of coastal scenery and nice beaches along the way. Cape Breton highlands/park is a great destination, albeit to the "ends of the earth"...
With the MAGA history of every accusation being a confession, I have to keep reeling my mind back from going there!! It’s an effort, but the ship’s mayday call apparently saved lives, so there is much to be grateful for. Seems like a giant loss for the economic prosperity of the area and also reaching far and wide, even beyond the terrible tragedy of the lives that were lost. I would not be surprised, once the investigation is done to find that Republican deregulation of simple safety precautions played a part. 😢❤️🩹
Christy, I imagine that future bridge designs will include much stronger fenders designed to protect from massive ships. I also think that there will be a push to add protection to existing bridges that are similar in traffic loads.
I was thinking more along the line of something more immediate like the use of tugs. I posted a link under Frank’s comment that suggested that the ships are averse to paying for them any more than required. I certainly hope the ship’s company and or their insurance has to cover some of the cost of all the damage they did
The coverage that I saw this morning with MD's Senator Ben Cardin said that the ship had been led out by tugs as far as is currently the practice there and that extending that would be something that the investigation would look into. The other part of the current practice is for a pilot who knows the waterway guides the ship in the area where they were, rather than the ship's crew. We'll see what the investigation reveals, but it seems that it was genuinely an accident caused by a mechanical failure on an otherwise reliable ship. A true tragedy.
I read that the specific tide at the time figured into it as well. There was a local pilot, and there were tugs, but between the loss of power and the sea, the ship stood no chance of avoiding the bridge.
I'd like to mention that the ships operating everywhere are significantly more enormous nowadays than when the Key Bridge (and probably many more bridges, btw) was built.
Angela, the link I posted, did discuss how far the tugs went, and also suggested they were close by when shit went down. It would seem a provision for loss of power when that close to such a critical structure like that needs to be planned for. If that had happened at rush hour., they would be looking for far more than 6 bodies. 😳 Accidents by definition can be learned from so we can do better. I’m not saying the ship was unreliable, we know it passed inspections, but just like when an airplane crashes we need to figure out how to do better. Just because the companies aren’t mandated to have tug escorts past the bridge doesn’t mean they shouldn’t. The Republican Party has a long history of making us all less safe by de-regulation.
And yes, the cargo ships are required to hire pilots that know the port well. The poor pilot was from Baltimore. 😢 I’m sure he is absolutely heart broken. 💔
Yes! Like after the Loma Prieta Earthquake in California, all bridges & buildings in California we’re required to be retrofitted for protection against earthquakes!
Unfortunately, once hooked, conspiracy theorists run amok full-time... and while any pretext may seem better than none, they need none...
I knew one who'd been deeply shocked. He'd gone up on the roof of a tall building in Manhattan to photograph the skyline on the morning of September 11th 2001...
After that, beset by theories about 9/11 as an inside job... then every nasty event evoked a conspiracy...
Good at finding flaws in official accounts but even better at jumping to conclusions on that basis.
I am sure it will. I am thinking that it depends upon who is doing the inspecting as well. Also involved in another accident in Belgium. It is clear to me that all forms of transport must pass rigorous inspections.
Thank you Deb and Peter for getting the blog off with excellent posts using the bridge as metaphor. It was heartening to read also that Ronna is out (didn't take long) with special thanks to posters here who let NBC know they had made a huge mistake. Nice also to see a D win a swing district in Alabama. And fie on the opportunists who use every tragedy to put out a conspiracy theory while selling stuff. They are shameless. And death star selling Bibles is enough to make any sane person vomit.
Do you mean, Lynn, that on the other shore they know only walls and dream of bridgeheads?
*
I remembered how, way back in 2016 when he was still campaigning, the Pope angered DT (not hard to do) by saying we need to build bridges to neighbors, not walls against them...
Peter, I think the red staters/christofascists/white supremacists/etc., DO NOT WANT US TO BE IN AMERICA (some of them don't want us even to be on the planet). They regard our opinions and goals as profoundly wrong and immoral, and repellent to the extent that we are regarded as slightly (or completely) subhuman (as if we were all Black!, or women!, or Jews!, or something!). So yes, possibly, only walls, with razor wire and AR-15-armed guards on perpetual patrol.
Poor wretches, kapos imprisoned in a mental concentration camp of their own making. They must have a dreadful sense of inferiority to need to dominate like that, standing on a box, on a plinth... Or to have had a brute for a father.
People whose forebears were oppressed in Europe or wherever, and needed others to oppress in the New World.
Deb, While your words inspire, the hard part is galvanizing increasingly more civic involvement uniting, arousing, and engaging increasingly more people, who know we are under threat, to commit to creating a renewed definition of ourselves as citizens—something closer to the nation of active stakeholders to which America’s most cherished social movements persistently have aspired.
Barbara Jo, please make note of one shining bit of information in today’s LFAA - that we the people, along with many employees including on-air personalities, created such a furor over the hiring of a known election denier that the decision was reversed. How many times has that happened in your lifetime? Not enough perhaps but the push back was instantaneous and it worked. (And was gobsmackingly fun to participate in!)
I am a lifetime activist - began 56 years ago this month helping plan the tiny Earth Day protest in Minneapolis. 56 years. I see more folks participating than I’ve seen since the 70’s, and evidence of a significant rise in civic mindedness all across the country - as evidenced by the win in Alabama - wowza (Pew Trust is my go to for research, not the 538). More folks speaking up and building bridges. Even the reluctant. Even the “Minnesota Nice.”
My perspective is from the heartland. From the Congressional district that was the most expensive race in the country in 2020, one of the most expensive in 2022 and is again the target of the RNC and lots of dark money in 2024. Are we tired of having a target painted on us? Damn straight! But we know that giving up leads to hell. So postcards to voters, door-knocking, texts, phone calls, being election officials, and calling out the lies and propaganda. Rinse, repeat. Heading east to help our Wisconsin neighbors. Sending $$ to Planned Parenthood here in MN because we are now the safe place in the region for women seeking healthcare. This is retirement? Gads….
Your enthusiasm is admirable but would be more effective if devoted to a contest where a win is possible. CD 4 is R+13, the most Republican district in Colorado.
Sheila, I don’t dispute any of your astute assertions. Still, I urge we don’t lose sight of the fact that these are unprecedented times in our nation’s history—we have a fascist presumptive presidential nominee who has absorbed one of our two major political parties and is eager (and clearly able) to consolidate power, wherein the rule of law could be subjugated to an individual.
Accordingly, despite a dynamic grassroots movement, I’m not as confident as you that we are sufficiently visible to the public-at-large. Hence, as I mentioned to one reader in this thread, I’m nearing the point of reaching out to courageous, moral, high profile figures to help carry the flame of truth: uniting, inspiring, and energizing people broadly, who know we are under threat, and also, hopefully, waking up those asleep to the necessity and urgency.
Kathy, A dear friend has worked closely with lightening rod type figure in a state legislature. My first pass, I understand in retrospect, did not pass muster. Lucky for me, my friend gave me sound counsel as to how to revise before she would pass my material to said figure. If anything concrete emerges from my efforts, be assured I will post about it.
Didn't you find it interesting and disappointing that the media credited only the MSNBC hosts for creating the furor that led to McDaniel's ouster, with no word whatsoever about the viewers who called in or wrote to NBC?
I didn’t think much about that Mim, because as a former news producer, I would expect that the corporate types - the President, CEO, the Chair of the Board, would have what was called chain of command when scandals or issues about staff hit. When NBC and the MSNBC on-air personalities called out the decision very publicly during their own programs, the first thing the execs likely thought about was their advertisers and shareholders. If ten thousand subscribers cancel, that’s one thing. If ten major advertisers at 10M to 100M ( or more) per year leave, shareholders will revolt and you will be fired - quickly. The execs did damage control. But they will pay dearly for this hubris if they also lose thousands of subscribers in addition to producing a royal uproar from their staff and other media.
Stock price matters first. Then income - pissing off major advertisers. Then losing subscribers - also income butvit adds up more slowly.
Someone will be fired over this; not certain whose head is in the vise yet. Just my opinion and speculation.
Sheila B it’s gratifying to know that you are such an engaged activist in Minnesota. Thank you!
As a former resident of Lake County in District 8, I am sickened that Pete Stauber now holds the seat previously held by Jim Oberstar. I can only hope that your efforts will somehow rub off on voters “up north.”
Deb, While I agree, because we have but a small window to protect the key mechanisms of American democracy, without which progress of any kind is doomed, I urge we not lose sight of the fact that we’ve nearly run out the clock.
... With Trumputin's “Little Greene Gals 'n' Men” holding hostage both Congress and—through Congress—America and Ukraine. Thus endangering NATO and all of Europe…
Trump could have saved money by just printing bibles with the Old Testament and the Book of Revelations. Those are the parts most important to Trump-supporting Christians. They would hardly notice if the rest was missing, Jesus’s admonition to love thy neighbor as thyself, especially.
I do believe Americans are rising up all around the country and joining forces in grassroots organizations hell bent on saving our democracy. I am so encouraged by this and the pushback toward NBC has opened even more eyes that we the people won’t stand for the lies and will fight for the truth. 💙
Yes to that Deb, and civic involvement for the right reasons please, not by people who exploit vulnerabilities and step in with admirable-sounding words promising admirable-sounding deeds who are at root, furthering their interests for (fill in the blanks). There are limits to the speed and growth of change. Back to the Constitution, and gratitude for nature's non-negotiables. "A renewed definition of ourselves as citizens" -- that's a prompt worthy of contemplation.
Joan, To clarify, when I invoked mirroring “America’s most cherished social movements,” I had in mind liberal causes and programs all of which were opposed by conservatives. For example: 1) ending slavery, 2) getting women and African Americans the right to vote, 3) creating social security, 4) ending segregation 5) passing the civil and voting rights acts, 6) creating Medicare, 7) passing the clean air and clean water acts, and so forth.
Note that each, quoting Deb, is a concrete example of “reweav[ing] the fabric of our democratic society,” thereby affirming our capacity to re-“build that.”
When people derisively accuse Black people of voting for Democrats because they want handouts, I remind them that business owners didn't set the slaves free, the government did. While there may be some outliers, this applies to all of America's cherished social movements. Many Americans have forgotten this or aren't aware because conservatives have persuaded them to demonize and vilify a government that works for all.
Tracy, I sense in your remarks a strong start to convincingly arguing for Democrats to be laser-focused on not allowing conservative deceptions and distortions to go unanswered.
For now, Democrats have to be laser-focused on getting their voters to the polls. Dobbs will help, as it did in the Alabama state-house district that HCR discussed today. Focus on that. And hope that Biden starts hammering it himself instead of delegating the talking point to his VP. Conservative distortions will continue to motivate magats. Nothing we can do will change that. Focus on our voters. We have sufficient numbers if we get them to vote.
Wonderful list of what really makes America great. I notice half of these achievements are under attack. The only thing in the news that actually made me laugh, but just for an instant, is tfg selling bibles. How about vials of water from Mar-a-Lago.
Marj, My hope largely rests with reaching out to moral, courageous high profile figures to carry the flame of truth: uniting, inspiring, and energizing people broadly, who know we are under threat, and also, hopefully, waking up those asleep to the necessity and urgency.
Deb, you and Peter are spot on in speaking metaphorically about the FSK Bridge collapse and the out-of-control MAGA group (formerly known as the Republican Party) crashing into and destroying our democratic republic. I think of Pres. Abraham Lincoln:
"Of the people, by the people and for the people." Of the people, by the people and for the people? Not in MAGA world. Those famous words by perhaps the most outstanding president this country ever had, Abraham Lincoln, now ring hollow with the MAGA/KKK members.
Millions have now served to keep intact Lincoln's dream: "Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure."
Donald Trump is now hell bent on a crusade to destroy Lincoln's dream. What Trump advocates and promises is not a government of, by and for the people. It specifically excludes non-Christians, Jews, Muslims, the LGBTQ community and many others who are not white evangelical Christians. .
There is a reason why the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution specifically rejects the idea of religion guiding politics. Religious wars had wracked Europe for two centuries before our nation was founded. The Founding Fathers wanted nothing of those problems. It is time now to send TFFG and the evangelicals back to the pulpit where they belong, tending to the lost souls while leaving government to those who want to serve all the people.
Richard, I have always thought the separation between Church and State is the most profound concept in our democracy. I saw confirmation of that when I helped resettle refugees from the Balkan wars twenty years ago. Catholics vs Orthodox Christians vs Muslims. The experiences and fears those refugees brought with them made me grateful and proud that it would never happen here. (Right?)
One refugee who had shared my home for over a year told me he was still afraid of my <middle class> neighborhood because “I look at them and can’t tell what (religion) they are.” He wanted me to tell him who belonged to what religion and was stunned when I told him I didn’t have the faintest idea. I had to explain America. He wasn’t sure he believed me.
Interesting, Marge. What you experienced with your guest was an example of the Ketman, disagreeing with the tenets of a religion, for example, but remaining silent. Your guest didn't know what he could or couldn't say given that he didn't know the other person's religious beliefs. We desperately need to preserve our freedom to discuss all matters openly.
In college (lo these many years ago), I learned about sociologist Harold Garfinkle. He proposed and tested hidden social rules for behavior. Ultimately, the conclusion was that we can only identify those rules by violating them. (Of course the learning came from experiencing the consequences of those rules!) Imagine the sheer number of new social rules in a new country?! All the refugees I knew were violating and learning social rules every day. But the fear attached to the question of religion was overwhelming for those who were driven from their homes, tortured or witnessing torture simply because of their faith. I have never cried as often in my life as those years when I found out what people will do to each other in the name of their religion. (And I'm agnostic, so I don't have a dog in this fight.)
Dead on about keeping religion and governing at bay in the Constitution, and also they had first hand experience in the colonies themselves to reinforce that attitude. They all knew the tendency for the religious righteous to muscle their way over all of society. Christianity's holy books spell that out loud and clear. Judaism's all consuming monotheism has cast an abiding historical spell over masses of human beings, giving rise to Christianity then Islam. where "being good is not enough"....
lol no kidding... as i understand it, it was mainly cliffhanger states with significant black urban populations, the kind of populations GOPs like to accuse of being grifters... from a very long way back, like the Civil War period. The Arizona ninja audits were outrageous, financed by the legislative Republicans. Such a farce. And most Republican legislators under Ronna McDaniel knew it, as of course her! Bravo for her quick removal from NBC. I wonder what influence that recollection might have come November. Most republicans would like to get mail in ballots more back on track too, i bet. Trump sadly is a genius at partisan vitriolic incendiary. I hear Roger Stone egged him onto how much Republican voters hated latino immigration at the southern border. That has turned into a shibboleth. Sorry if i wandered. Been listening to a Maggie Haberman interview during morning exercises. I also listened to a CNN interview with Arnold Schwarzenegger, in which he bluntly said true believers will only attend to what they want to believe. And... how long can you watch Fox before feelings of repulsion force you to switch the channel?
Deb, thank you. You have written the most powerful single paragraph I can recall ever reading. Your final two sentences are elegant in their simplicity and powerful in their message delivered.
Thanks for this comment/metaphor. What has had me in tears is the lack of attention and concern given to the construction workers (Mexican, Guatemalan, and
Salvadoran immigrants) who apparently died, and their families. For them that is the real tragedy. I wish Biden had acknowledged them, and offered a word of compassion.
“ Our prayers are with everyone involved in this terrible accident, and all the families waiting for the news of their loved ones right now. I know every minute in that circumstance seems like a lifetimes," Biden said.
The same happened to me. I had news on in the background on youtube, and when this report went live, I found myself welling up. I live in DC and I've been on that bridge. I'm sad for the construction workers (working at 1 am) and their families. May they be blessed with comfort and real support during this tender time. And may your beautiful vision of "re-weaving the fabic of our democratic society" inspire the work we all need to do to accomplish that. Thank you, Deb!
Deb, I have a dear friend who lived in Maryland (several places) and DC in her teens and early 20's. She was shaken to the core with this news.
She shared a video that was meshed with the local PD radio traffic regarding this event, and (as someone who generated my share of radio traffic) I was moved by the transmissions between someone (presumably a supervisor) and a unit on scene. <NOT DIRECT QUOTES, PARAPHRASE> On Scene: "Roger, once I get traffic stopped here, I'll cross and stop traffic on the other side". Other conversation, then "You need to cross and stop traffic". "Negative, the bridge is in the water; you'll have to get county to block the other side". That was chilling to me.
Deb, thank you so much for your stirring words—they inspire me and I’m sure that they inspire others. In that reweaving, we need to include protection for that justice, just as the new literal bridge needs multiple layers of protective “dolphin” fenders to keep future ships from being able to hit the support structure. Our democracy cannot stand on just one pylon any more than the bridge could; if enough people stay home, the minority becomes the majority.
Agree that we need to rebuild bridges between opposing ideas. Democracies depends on mutual respect and commom decency. But, not sure we've turned the corner. Bad behavior as political strategy is still Trump's hallmark. The election will tell the tale.
It is nigh impossible to build bridges with brainwashed cult members who cannot critically think. They have and continue to be marinated in fear, chaos, gaslighting, and
hatred/superiority and bizarre conspiracy theories. Trust has been utterly dissolved. I understand now how hitler successfully shredded trust between friends, family and neighbors and made them fearful of one another. As long as trump & cabal are allowed to continue 24 hr. brainwashing tactics, this is a waste of precious time. I sincerely appreciate those who try. Witnessing MSNBC commit that hideous antic of hiring Ronna, was truly frightening to see another MSM start the slide into the alternative realty. For what exactly? Money. So despicable. I am so proud that we all stood together and shouted "No! She should be in jail!" We showed a corporation what collective power is. We need to use this power EVERYWHERE. TOGETHER. I would say it is time for trump's arse to be jailed and we need to demand action from judges, not gag orders and appeals that drag justice out. We need to demand citizen trump be treated like we would be treated if we tried to violently overthrow the government. WTH.
Mar 27·edited Mar 27Liked by Heather Cox Richardson
Thank you Heather. Your letters always inform us and I truly appreciate them and you. The collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge is a mammoth tragedy. So far, 6 people are missing and presumed dead, shipping lanes will be disrupted for months, people's lives and the way they get to and from their jobs will have to be re-routed, etc. etc. But, right away the conspiracy theorists are there to spin this tragedy so they can make money, throw dirt on their "opponents", and cause chaos. Did the orange menace do or say anything positive for the people who have lost a loved one or had their world turned upside down? I only hear crickets from him and his ilk. It must be very hard to always see the enemy behind every tree, to see the world as if everyone is out to get you, or to look at every situation as a way to make you more money. I wish people were smart enough to turn off the likes of the Alex Jones' and stop looking at the sites like "Truth Social" (now that is an oxymoron). Vote Blue all the way through! We need to get these thugs out of our lives!
When asked by the press throughout the day when rebuilding of a new bridge would start, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and Governor Wes Moore of Maryland kept insisting that their immediate focus was on the families of those whose lives were lost and of the people who were involved in the tragedy.
Notable was President Biden's pledge to bring financial support to Maryland for the clean-up and rebuilding that will be necessary.
That’s interesting. The care for the families of the lost. Then a commitment to rebuild, that’s our taxes well spent for the benefit of all. It contrasts with billionaires throwing billions at a penny stock offering that lost tens of millions and has no profit, with less than 1/2 million monthly users. Isn’t conspiring with others to artificially pump up a stock illegal? Could foreign investment also be contributing to the high flying price? It smells like a loan and/or like a dark money campaign donation! This is how corruption works in America.
I suspect the stock will tank by the 6 month holding limit. But its possible he will find a way to sell his shares for billions before that with the collusion of supporters on the company board. If he does, it may well become his biggest con ever (aside from getting elected president).
Truth Social Stock will be rated very quickly by many analysts as essentially worthless. As Martha said, it's just a day traders tool. A meme stock at best. The shorts and sharks are headed for the bloody waters within days - if not hours. And yes, I bet there are law firms gearing up for some juicy billable hours.
Suckers will buy it, traders will make money on the collapse.
Maybe it was billionaires buying the stock but I think it was day traders trying to make a dollar here and there. The value will probably plunge just as suddenly. Nobody is fooled that suddenly that old horse and buggy is a Ford Mustang.
“Truth Social” really is the unfunniest joke. I laughed when I first heard it, knowing full well that so many would be inspired with his hypocrisy. Why isn’t Alex Jones in prison or so poor that he is homeless, friendless, and witless. Social media is a cesspool. Schitty lies swirling in consort…
I was absolutely sure that when he said that the Sandy Hook massacre was a hoax, he would be toast. That so many ignoramuses bought that crap was an omen that I couldn't ignore. Gave me a clue how deranged and idiotic so many were. People that I thought were like me. They are NOT.
Jeri, when Sandy Hook did not lead to immediate weapons control measures, I knew we'd never get it without some serious changes in "messaging". So far, we haven't. Not even the debacle at Uvalde has budged the needle.
I read within the last few days that the Sandy Hook parents have yet to see a dime from the POS Jones, the court system is failing us, no matter what our standing, everything he owns should have been seized and sold and given to the victim’s families. That that didn’t happen just shows how incompetent our justice system really is. How long ago was it that he was found liable for nearly a billion dollars in damages, he’s still dancing on those children’s graves, a bullet between the eyes would be almost a waste of a dollar, but not quite.
Tfg has lived his entire life seeing the enemy behind every tree...and every situation as a transactional way to make money. Talking about the need for religion and peddling Bibles is--so far--the utmost hypocrisy on his part.
TFG selling Bibles! This makes me recall Flannery O'Connor's short story, Good Country People. Her Bible salesman, Manly Pointer, was a cruel liar, finally revealed as a nihilistic atheist. Sound familiar?
I think people who listen to Alex Jones, et all...are people who are VERY angry and feel alone. It gives them a sense of community.
If this forced-birthers movement continues...we will have many more individuals like that. Children who are raised in under resourced homes, knowing only insecurity. Anyone who thinks a woman who lacks emotional and physical support can find a way to raise a child, is either evil, ignorant, or living off of the sound bytes of forced-birther politicians.
In Texas, Abbott said the restrictive abortion laws would be okay because the state would eliminate rape (really!). Then Abbott's idea of supporting a woman through parenthood is to give her a few diapers and parenting classes.
Understand, Texas has a failed juvenile justice system, a failed foster care system, a failed healthcare system, and now is trying to dismantle public education.
They are not critical thinkers. They continue to listen to these people, they don't try to find facts especially if those facts were in conflict with their own fears and ideas. The GQP and the Christian right should not be calling themselves "pro-life" because they are only Pro-Birth. After a baby is born, they don't want anything to do with the mother or the baby unless they can make money off of them.
Susan, incurable optimist that I am, I have Texas on my list of states Joe Biden needs to win if he wants a landslide with long coattails. I know, sounds impossible, but at least a few formerly undecideds will figure out how badly Texas is being governed on its road to ruin and/or seccession. Big turnout needed.
And instead of being as the Bible says, Love God with your whole Heart and Soul and secondly love your neighbor as yourself. But what does the orange man do sell bibles which he has no knowledge what is in the book. All he thinks of is a way to abuse more of his followers. Sick, sick man.
If you take note of the 20 point swing in popularity the Democrats got in Alabama, you can see there really is no safe Republican seat anywhere in America in 2024 unless it goes unchallenged.
I hear you, although Wisconsin is just a little less gerrymandered now that we got new maps. SCOTUS allowed for gerrymandering to go on way too long in my State by stating that they didn't want to weigh in on political matters and the gerrymandering was a case for the States and Congress to get their act together.
Although Wisconsin was hopelessly gerrymandered, they allowed to let it stand. Democrats & Independent were outraged and we elected Judge Janet Protasiewicz, swinging the Court's majority more liberal. One set of maps was changed but not the other. Hopefully we can make the most of it and send these extremists home.
Simply by having democrats running in even gerrymandered districts will help pull extremists back to the center. And those races will now cost them money, pulling funds, perhaps, from less safe seats where democrats have a better chance. Even if democrats have little chance of winning, it’s worth running. Unopposed politicians tend to be more extreme than those who have opponents.
Unfortunately, once they are elected they revert to their true Mr. Hyde. Or if they were sincere, their Republican colleagues know how to bring them to heel. Carrots: good Committee assignments and money-making tips.If they are bad, they will never get a bill past first base or an invitation to the bars where the real deals are cooked up. (Yes, I’m cynical!)
Trump has never lost his religion. It is my opinion that he has never had any religion. In fact, I do not see any semblance of spirituality about this guy. Wonder if his soul left?
I like it that the Dems can take credit for "competence in government matters" by their rebuilding of the bridge in Pennsylvania in record time and getting the infrastructure spending done and their ducks in a row. It shows who know how to get things done!!!
Years ago (~2016), I read a piece (sorry, I've forgotten where - the Atlantic?) describing DT as ascribing to the 'Prosperity Gospel', which essentially says "If you're rich, it's because you're special (chosen?); if you're poor, it's because you're stupid (and thus okay to exploit).
As I was attending our local Southern Baptist church as a young person, I was taught that the concern for the well being of others was the top priority‼️That seems to fly in the face of “Prosperity Gospel!”
Republicans’ favorite New Testament verse, from which their ‘spirituality’ is derived:
“For to him who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away." — Matthew 13:11–12, RSV.
Trump should be selling indulgences while he’s at it. Maybe there’s still a buck to be made there.
Send him the suggestion, but demand a % of the profits! It’s perfect. If he can pardon people as President for $$$, why not pardon them for their sins for $$$!!
Trump believes in what's best for Trump and that's all. He said in his Bible spiel, "We have to make America pray again", a stunning authoritarian statement. Real prayer is only driven by God, no one else, but some who've forgotten Constantine's sham want to use religious faith instead.
I was amused to see someone comment under that video that he misspelled "prey", and that is Trump in a nutshell.
Michael, it's not about spirituality, any more than it's about constitutionality. It's about corporate clerical fascism.
“Religion and Christianity are the biggest things missing from this country, and I truly believe we need to bring them back…. That’s why our country’s going haywire—we’ve lost religion in our country.” " - Donald Trump
"Freedom of religion has a much more tangible meaning, from a legal standpoint. It protects the right of conscience, not just in houses of worship but in workplaces, schools, hospitals, government offices, and anywhere else we go in this world."
- Leonard Leo
And that is exactly what we heard yesterday in Erin Hawley's Supreme Court oral argument to outlaw mifepristone. She is now known as "the woman arguing against the abortion pill." She is also the wife of Sen. Josh Hawley, who before his Jan 6 Bambi sprint away from the violent insurrections he'd earlier fist bumped, on his way to procedurally obstruct the transfer of power, was touted as front runner GOP presidential material for 2024. He's still making his obstructionist GOP bones. While she's making hers targeting reproductive healthcare for women. Ivy League versions of the QAnon Shaman and Marjorie Taylor Greene. Headed to a White House near you? What you say, the GOP populist base embracing Yale lawyers? Well, any stranger than the Evangelicals embracing the profane Donald Trump and Melania Knaus Trump (who'd been featured in a sexually explicit photo shoot with another female model for a 1997 issue of Max, a French men's magazine.) The politically savvy will overlook a lot, when keeping their eye on the prize of the Supreme Court. Back to Leonard Leo. Josh Hawley is one of the co-founders of The Teneo Network. Which fresh from his court capture MCConnell Trump triumph and supercharged with $1.6 billion tax free, Leo is building as "a Federalist Society for everything that's messed up in America." That would be whichever civil rights have not yet been taken by the FedSoc Supremes. Can we all say together Corporate Clerical Fascism? Because if we don't unite to defeat Trump - then we'll be living it.
"... what an amazing turn of events, thanks to our 45th president. Who could have imagined that the author of the Hobby Lobby decision in the Tenth Circuit would become the newest member of the U.S. Supreme Court?"- Leonard Leo
The real work is being done by investigative journalists at ProPublica, TrueNorth, Accountable US, The New York Times, The Washington Post et al. And Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (ThankYou Rhode Island.) And on Mt. Desert Island, Maine activists who for years have held protests of Leo's agenda, outside his estate.
A noticeably and inexplicably missing voice is that of HCR - who never misses the opportunity to miss an opportunity to mention Leonard Leo.
They have gotten wonderfully creative. A Supreme Court entry in the local bed race. They've done a lot with the eggs issue. For Easter time. I wish I could post photos people have sent. And yes, Leo doesn't like it. He got one activist arrested - the DA threw it out of court and Bar Harbor had to settle a civil rights lawsuit. And The NYTimes reported on Leo out on the road chalking the names of protestors. But it almost has nothing to do with Leo personally - it's about spotlighting his corporate
Thanks for the NBC report. Sigh. If only all that malignant wealth could be funneled to worthy causes. The insidious nature of their diabolical glee is terrifying.
Maybe his evil daddy didn't have one either. Both parents were inadequate and so much more than that. My parents were inadequate and flawed, but they had good intentions for their children and did the best they could with the knowledge they had. Not true for chump children. They had no soul on which to build a foundation. You have to start somewhere. Sorry, chu;mp.
I thought he should have priced them at $66.60 US. These Christian nationalists have apparently forgotten the Trump descriptor:
2 Thessalonians 2:11-12 (NKJV): "And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness." This passage is part of a section where Paul is talking about the coming of the "lawless one" and the conditions that will prevail before the Day of the Lord. The "strong delusion" is mentioned as a consequence for those who refuse to love the truth and so be saved. For Christians it's a stark warning of the importance of seeking and adhering to truth in Christian doctrine not this bastardization we are seeing in MAGA circles.
You never know just "where you are" when you're among the "right" folk! This is part of the counter accusation stuff that always goes in when views get extreme. Paul is a fun read, but all too human, an outright fanatic.
Not Paul. He was a literalist. In the early centuries of Christianity, a group (mainly Alexandria i think) developed an allegorical approach, modelled after Philo, a Jewish scholar. Others got on board, and one major motivation was to counter repulsion to the crude violence you find in the OT. As a kid I remember rollecking through my illustrated Bible of all the battles etc, lapping it all up. Nothing allegorical about that! lol
I wonder if he will add an autograph... He's got enough chutzpah to do it. I would run away from any 'church' that goes along with supporting the p*ssy grabber in any way. Sorry, 'evangelicals'. You have lost your way, Bah, bah, black sheep.
Is that true? That would be enough to make any genuine Christians vote blue. Who told him that would be a good idea? Did he think we all fell for that bible-holding photo op outside the church? (not even near the door).
I remember when he mentioned "the two Corinthians". This man does not have a Christian bone in his entire body. This 'patriot' only has bone spurs when it comes to serving his Country
His favorite book, he says! Ha. I’ll bet he can quote more from Hitler’s speeches than he can from the Bible. His campaign speeches and tweets sure reflect Hitler more than anything remotely Christian.
The rhetoric of the eternally aggrieved. That was Hitler, without a doubt, though it could be argued Germany at least had some basis, given its treatment at Versailles, the acute, violent divisions between communists and fascists, the hyperinflation of the 20s, the disastrous results of the credit collapse that brought on the Great Depression.... Trump's MAGA don't know how truly well off the United States is, considering. And so much for Jesus' care for the poor and ill in society. Strip down social supports is GOP's answer, more $ to the rich. Big military to defend modern corporate global capitalism, esp of the USA variety. That's America's "national interest". Explains quite a lot, when you look back.
The "Marshall Plan" was political strategy, and it worked. In any case, Hitler appealed to lost glory, and the word "fascist" harks back to the Roman Empire. "Follow me and rule the world." We fight it in every generation.
I think it's a near certainty. Ivana reportedly told Trump's lawyer that Don kept a book of Hitler's speeches by his bedside, and the person who gave him the book (" My New Order") recalls the gift.
Speaker Mike Johnson? Perhaps it’s a plug for MTG as VP.😂
“WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Widening a rift among House Republicans, Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters on Sunday that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene “makes a prominent appearance” in the Bible’s most apocalyptic book.
“I was in church this morning, just kind of flipping through the Bible,” Johnson said. “And as I was reading the Book of Revelation, all of a sudden I was like, ‘Holy cow, that’s Marge!’”
"Donald Trump took to Truth Social to once again compare himself to Jesus Christ as he complained about the criminal and civil cases against him, which he views as politically motivated persecution.
On Monday, Mr Trump claimed that he received a message stating: “It’s ironic that Christ walked through His greatest persecution the very week they are trying to steal your property from you.”
“Beautiful, thank you!” Mr Trump responded, seemingly moved by the message that his $464m fine for decades of financial fraud is on the same level as the crucifixion and subsequent resurrection of Jesus Christ. "
Morning, Ally! BTW, do you read Dan Rather's Steady substack? Sunday's Reason to Smile was a gem. I thought of you the entire time while watching the video link. Here's the link in case you haven't seen it. The video is 39 minutes long. I gagged at the thought of having to sit through its length. But then shortly into it, I was so glad I was watching it!
Now that filthy orange moron and criminal is no longer 'only' a traitor, but a heretic and blashemer, too. Are there some really good Christians that 'buy' his s..t, including a real Bible?
I'm actually surprised it took him this long to start! Now I wonder how long it'll be before he takes over and squeezes Lee Greenwood out of the grift, but that'd depend on whether his Babbles sell, wouldn't it... if they don't, Lee gets it all back.
Thank you. Long day for you. Hope you’re getting enough rest.
Watching the tape of the Baltimore bridge incident was chilling. Glad they had at least a little warning and reacted so quickly, or it could have been worse.
That an unproven media group with an app "completely detached from any sort of fundamentals" more accurately named "Filth Vocal" can cause vulnerable people to buy it and financially support the grifting "perpetraitor" is actually yet one more metaphor for what he's done to their entire political party,....grifting their votes.
The last time Trump was involved with an IPO he ran it into the ground in 6 years. Truth Social's earnings. Their Price to Sales ratio is a 2000:1 and there cash on hand is worth about $2/share. It's ironic that Trump's biggest grift is likely his worst return on investment.
While Ronna has been detached from NBC and trading in ‘Truth Social’ also experiences a detachment from reality, I am grateful to all who expressed their outrage to NBC and the NBC News Division and they definitely earned the right to celebrate.
(Warning: There is a 'However' coming) ...
And remember it's NBC who gave us "The Apprentice". It's NBC who added Matt "No follow-up questions for my pal Trump" Lauer.
However, I won't be satisfied until all who continued to act either as co-conspirators or accessories after the fact in the attempt to disenfranchise millions of voters in the attempt to subvert a free and fair election. McDaniel should be under an investigatory microscope along with everyone else who willfully participated. She should be barred from ever holding public office -along with the rest -before she's being inaugurated as the next Governor of Wherever, United States.
Sorry. I thought NBC used public airwave frequencies licensed by the FCC to provide their programming. I didn’t realize it just magically existed inside my TV.
TV has given us an eye on history as it is occurring. If we hadn’t watched the January 6 attempted coup in real time and left it to the many who reported it falsely, we wouldn’t know the truth and the full story of the atrocities enacted that day. We wouldn’t have seen Biden’s triumphant inauguration. I could go back to one of the first memories I have watching the sad attempt to save three year old Kathy Fiscus from her fall into a hole in San Marino, CA. The Kennedy brother’s assassinations were another. We watched the JFK story unfold continuously, only stopping to attend a church service in his honor. There have been so many important events in my 83 years that I have had a front seat observing and understanding because of TV. I might add there is entertainment worthy of attention, and things to watch to numb the mind, especially during the Pandemic and an overdose of our current professional dealer of litigation delays. Tonight I’m attending a local county Democratic meeting on “Addressing Fascism.” Guess I’ll have to turn off HGTV.
Alabama and the rest of the South is majority red, but not monolithically so. Even during the Civil War, every southern state except South Carolina had volunteer units in the Union Army - to the tune of 250,000 troops (p. 237 - 238 American Nations by Colin Woodward). Indeed the State of WV was born from this reality. This is one of those facts that the "Lost Causers" have been trying to sweep under the rug for generations.
Ooo nice last paragraph! Topping off a difficult intro w the Baltimore accidental maritime disaster early this morning at the bridge.
Biden & his team are powering along as best as we can expect given the daily challenges. I Keep sending my best Prayers (wishes, hopes & dreams, too) to energize our beloved country to meet each challenge with Grace and Power… vote, talk we everyone who looks friendly or just lost. There’s so much heart break out there .. the cars falling from the bridge this morning. The metal twisting like an old erector set.
We are at war. And this time the fascists have taken over the GOP instead of Germany. And the sooner the people who run America’s news organizations get this FACT through their thick (ie used to the GOP being a political party rather than an domestic enemy) heads, the sooner We the People will be able to set the course of our nation firmly in the direction the Founding Fathers set for us: towards a future where ALL are supported in achieving “life, liberty, and happiness”.
Related, if you want to watch one cornerstone of American journalism wrapping her brain around this new truth, I recommend watching Steve Schmidt interviewing Katie Couric on Steve’s YouTube channel. It’s a brand new interview. I’ll post a link to it in a comment on this post. Katie is in her late 60s now and never imagined the GOP would become an enemy of democracy. But she’s shedding her many decades of belief in one reality in favor of the new reality. It’s fascinating to watch that happening while she talks to Steve about the good old days when John McCain was the candidate for POTUS of his party… a time that seems light years away from today.
The stock market launch of the Trump Media and Technology Group stock yesterday is the greatest financial scam in my lifetime. It is a convoluted Trump ‘special’ out of Truth Social, a minor internet platform for Trump’s bloviating.
This stock is ‘valued’ at over $7 billion, with Trump the greatest beneficiary. It is based on far more hot air than Trump expends in a two-hour performance before his MAGists. For the moment Trump cannot cash out on his massive stock holding, since he is legally forbidden to do this for six months.
The financials for this stock are extraordinarily underwhelming—in the millions for revenue and the tens of millions for annual losses, which renders the $7+ billion market valuation total foo foo dust.
By comparison, Bitcoin (based on nothing but a computerized calculation done by an unknown Japanese) is a ‘risk free’ investment. Madoff, who had a massive, fraudulent Ponzi scheme, would have tipped his hat (from jail) in admiration of Trump’s financial shenanigans.
I congratulate Trump for initiating such an outlandish financial scam that makes his Trump golden sneakers and his personalized Bible look extremely modest by comparison.
This stock house of cards will collapse long before Trump has the opportunity to cash out. I wonder how many of his cultists will invest in this Trumphonymania before it collapses.
Yeah pretty bizarre! That said, follow the money... Qatar,Saudis, Jeff Yass etc.etc.( it's chump change for these guys who led the charge.) They are all covering their political bets and creating, as you have pointed out a huge windfall potential. All of course at the expense of the folks at the bottom of this pyramid scheme.
There is a complex relationship between advertising and semi-addictive human behavior. There is almost certainly a significant relationship between susceptibility to advertising (i.e. click through rates) and gullibility for political nonsense. There is probably a similar correlation with gambling. We probably need to do a dramatically better job of teaching personal financial management in both primary and secondary education. Liberals are bad at this same kind of math, in that state legislatures controlled by Democrats have mostly been supporting of state lotteries, which really is a way of taxing the poor, or as we jokingly like to put it: taxing folks who are bad a math.
I don't think we can say enough about the link between growing up in a world of mass advertising and our lack of discernment in politics...so I think it's best that we ALL check our responses for critical thinking errors...and prioritize educating for the development of critical thinking skills!
I thought gambling was across the board, including online. You can buy all sorts of little tickets at the local gas stations etc where I live. Zero with politics. Don't forget to include RCC's bingo hall fundraising history. Stats probabilities are always answered with "If you don't play, you will never win!" lol (No, I don't play)
Such a busy day today. Thank you for this. I find it odd that with everything going on in the world, the thing that had me in tears was the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. I'm glad so few people were hurt, but it is symbolic to me of some of the old established ideas that have become outdated and brittle, which need to be replaced and updated. We need to rebuild not only the literal bridges, but we need to re-weave the fabric of our democratic society— with steel and courage, kindness and inclusivity, and with equal justice under the law for every one of us. Let's build that.
Another metaphor, apt but less inspiring than Deb Pierce McCabe's:
The Great Divider and his work are well represented by the ship with its vast bulk... losing power... losing control... then blundering into the bridge that brings Americans together, and destroying it.
There's one essential difference: regardless of having or losing power, the Great Divider never deviated from his intent to destroy every bridge that unites Americans.
And that we the people can rebuild that bridge, “moving heaven and earth” to do so.
MLMinET,
....and as President Joe Biden says, "Build Back Better" !!!!
And competence in government matters!!
Yes, we can rebuild the Key bridge. The metaphoric bridge, if it ever existed, is another story. The America that Republicans want (and have wanted since about 1880) is more-or-less the America we had up to about 1964, which was ruled by white Christian nationalists from one political party or the other. The MAGAts (a majority of white Americans) want that America back. Desparately.
In spite of the fact that that America never actually existed.
That America only existed in the ignorance of childhood; what we were allowed to see by authorities intent on protecting our innocent faith in them.
And our job is to make certain that does not happen. Together, we can do this.
And of all bridges, the one named after Francis Scott Key.
We have a bridge joining New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island in eastern Canada, built in the 90s. (anyone wanting a scenic vacation, this is an area to head for) Its support towers are massively protected at water level. Why? Ice. I'm sure that aspect of the Baltimore Key's rebuild will cover against anything like this.
Yes! Was on PEI for vacation with friends during COVID; had a wonderful trip. Felt safe, with all the testing being done. And that is some bridge. Oh Canada!
Much quieter here, relatively speaking. Mass gun shootings are a relative rarity, USA being an anomaly. Canada went Medicare a long time ago, along with all other OECD nations, except for... USA! Glad you enjoyed your trip. Sorry about the price of gas :)
Frank, in watching the coverage of the Maryland disaster yesterday, a commentator said that the bridge was vulnerable, due to its design during the 70's, so would be built more sturdily when it is replaced. Having visited New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, I'm familiar with your impressive bridge. I love that area.
I have ancestors who lived there before migrating to this country, and a few of whom originally lived on Long Island, but were loyal to the Crown during the Revolution and ended up in PEI after being hunted by Patriots. The King granted several of these men 300 acres each, in gratitude for their service to England, and many still live in Canada. One governor of a Northeastern state is a descendant of these Loyalists, and I find the irony amusing.
That bridge LOOKED vulnerable.
Which governor of a northeastern state is a descendant of those Loyalists? That sounds like a very fun fact!
I must say, I came to like Queen Elizabeth quite a bit during her last year, in no small part due to her great sense of humor, as well as her having served the Mother Country as a mechanic during WWII, and having used her driving skills to scare the bejesus out of a leader of an Arab country where women weren't allowed to drive. And I also like King Charles. So I would not be unhappy if the USA were a member of the British Commonwealth.
David, I found that my fourth great grandfather on my maternal line was Jesse Mills (my maternal grandmother's mother was Janet Mills, who came to Massachusetts from Nova Scotia when she married). Jesse was born in Bedford, Long Island in 1750. When I found his information, I investigated to see whether he'd fought in the Revolutionary War, only to read that he and many of his relatives were Loyalists. The Patriots were looking for him (probably planning to kill him) and found him at his sister's home. They pursued Jesse, and shot at him, wounding his hand, which was useless for the remainder of his life. Fortunately for Jesse, he escaped and went to Nova Scotia, and many of his Loyalist family members did the same. I'm unclear about details, but do know that King George III granted him hundreds of acres of land in Nova Scotia for his loyalty. He married and had ten children.
There has been some confusion about some of his siblings, especially Reuben Mills, and it has apparently been proven by DNA that Jesse and Reuben are not brothers, but probably otherwise related. At some point, when I am no longer bedeviled with the state of our democracy, I'll dive into the genealogical rabbit hole again and sort it all out.
Meanwhile, learning that Maine's governor is a Mills, I did a search, and discovered that Janet Mills is, indeed, related to the Loyalist Mills family, and we share a (fifth, I think) great grandfather. The caveat to all of this is that my information could be faulty, since others contributing to the genealogical websites are often careless with their connections. Therefore, Janet Mills might not be related to me or to the (in)famous Jesse Mills - this, in case Gov. Mills somehow discovers our conversation and decides to sue me for slander.
I, too, was a great admirer of Queen Elizabeth, not only for her unwavering work ethic and dedication to service, but also for her sense of humor. On the other hand, England's long history of colonialism and its ill treatment of its conquests, as well as the treatment of the Irish, make me grateful that the Patriots prevailed over the Crown and the Loyalists - yet another reason to leave DJT in the dust, despite polls indicating otherwise. I prefer to believe that Joe Biden will win in a landslide!
The Canadian Maritimes are one of my favorite and cherished places -- when I was young, my family took us on a few camping vacations on PEI (the old way, by ferry.) My wife and I brought my parents back to PEI in 2006 when we celebrated our 30th anniversary, this time by the Confederation Bridge. When my parents died, I tucked a vial of PEI red clay soil into their caskets.
On my bucket list.
Hey Kathy, just remember, it's not all about PEI! There is a ton of coastal scenery and nice beaches along the way. Cape Breton highlands/park is a great destination, albeit to the "ends of the earth"...
This struck a lot of us. I was in Trader Joes yesterday and a worker was shaken about the fact you mention.
I thought about that too. The name of the bridge.
Considering the political atmosphere in this country, and the name of the bridge, I sadly find it apropos.
Do we need a bigger sign?
With the MAGA history of every accusation being a confession, I have to keep reeling my mind back from going there!! It’s an effort, but the ship’s mayday call apparently saved lives, so there is much to be grateful for. Seems like a giant loss for the economic prosperity of the area and also reaching far and wide, even beyond the terrible tragedy of the lives that were lost. I would not be surprised, once the investigation is done to find that Republican deregulation of simple safety precautions played a part. 😢❤️🩹
Christy, I imagine that future bridge designs will include much stronger fenders designed to protect from massive ships. I also think that there will be a push to add protection to existing bridges that are similar in traffic loads.
I was thinking more along the line of something more immediate like the use of tugs. I posted a link under Frank’s comment that suggested that the ships are averse to paying for them any more than required. I certainly hope the ship’s company and or their insurance has to cover some of the cost of all the damage they did
The coverage that I saw this morning with MD's Senator Ben Cardin said that the ship had been led out by tugs as far as is currently the practice there and that extending that would be something that the investigation would look into. The other part of the current practice is for a pilot who knows the waterway guides the ship in the area where they were, rather than the ship's crew. We'll see what the investigation reveals, but it seems that it was genuinely an accident caused by a mechanical failure on an otherwise reliable ship. A true tragedy.
I read that the specific tide at the time figured into it as well. There was a local pilot, and there were tugs, but between the loss of power and the sea, the ship stood no chance of avoiding the bridge.
I'd like to mention that the ships operating everywhere are significantly more enormous nowadays than when the Key Bridge (and probably many more bridges, btw) was built.
Angela, the link I posted, did discuss how far the tugs went, and also suggested they were close by when shit went down. It would seem a provision for loss of power when that close to such a critical structure like that needs to be planned for. If that had happened at rush hour., they would be looking for far more than 6 bodies. 😳 Accidents by definition can be learned from so we can do better. I’m not saying the ship was unreliable, we know it passed inspections, but just like when an airplane crashes we need to figure out how to do better. Just because the companies aren’t mandated to have tug escorts past the bridge doesn’t mean they shouldn’t. The Republican Party has a long history of making us all less safe by de-regulation.
And yes, the cargo ships are required to hire pilots that know the port well. The poor pilot was from Baltimore. 😢 I’m sure he is absolutely heart broken. 💔
Yes! Like after the Loma Prieta Earthquake in California, all bridges & buildings in California we’re required to be retrofitted for protection against earthquakes!
They'll blame Soros...
The conspiracy theorists are already running amok with this.
Unfortunately, once hooked, conspiracy theorists run amok full-time... and while any pretext may seem better than none, they need none...
I knew one who'd been deeply shocked. He'd gone up on the roof of a tall building in Manhattan to photograph the skyline on the morning of September 11th 2001...
After that, beset by theories about 9/11 as an inside job... then every nasty event evoked a conspiracy...
Good at finding flaws in official accounts but even better at jumping to conclusions on that basis.
I don't know about that. The bridge was built in 1976, and plans would have been underway for some time. Let's wait for the actual investigation.
I was thinking more about the tugboats, but it’s not my area of expertise, so I only know what I read
https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/community/transportation/baltimore-bridge-dali-tugboat-rules-E4DIYO7MUVDOFHR7Y3YJOGOY3A/
Christy, I think I heard that an inspection found something wrong with propulsion.
Yes, a later inspection did not show the same issues, but this will definitely be examined in the investigation.
https://gcaptain.com/breaking-mv-dali-cited-for-propulsion-issues-before-baltimore-incident/
I am sure it will. I am thinking that it depends upon who is doing the inspecting as well. Also involved in another accident in Belgium. It is clear to me that all forms of transport must pass rigorous inspections.
Registration of these container ships is never in US. I think this one was registered in Singapore?
The reason for registering them overseas is to avoid US rules.
No Doubt!!!
Thank you Deb and Peter for getting the blog off with excellent posts using the bridge as metaphor. It was heartening to read also that Ronna is out (didn't take long) with special thanks to posters here who let NBC know they had made a huge mistake. Nice also to see a D win a swing district in Alabama. And fie on the opportunists who use every tragedy to put out a conspiracy theory while selling stuff. They are shameless. And death star selling Bibles is enough to make any sane person vomit.
One must have a sole -- and a soul -- to sell shoes or bibles. He lacks the latter; as to the former, he acts solely for himself.
Well phrased, Doug.
Grifters have been selling Bibles in America for a long time, and suckers have been buying them.
LOL.
Truth be told
Well crafted, Peter.
There's no one on the other shore who will accept a bridge to this side, though.
Do you mean, Lynn, that on the other shore they know only walls and dream of bridgeheads?
*
I remembered how, way back in 2016 when he was still campaigning, the Pope angered DT (not hard to do) by saying we need to build bridges to neighbors, not walls against them...
Peter, I think the red staters/christofascists/white supremacists/etc., DO NOT WANT US TO BE IN AMERICA (some of them don't want us even to be on the planet). They regard our opinions and goals as profoundly wrong and immoral, and repellent to the extent that we are regarded as slightly (or completely) subhuman (as if we were all Black!, or women!, or Jews!, or something!). So yes, possibly, only walls, with razor wire and AR-15-armed guards on perpetual patrol.
Poor wretches, kapos imprisoned in a mental concentration camp of their own making. They must have a dreadful sense of inferiority to need to dominate like that, standing on a box, on a plinth... Or to have had a brute for a father.
People whose forebears were oppressed in Europe or wherever, and needed others to oppress in the New World.
Great comment!
A wonderful, and most apt, metaphor.
Thank you.
Deb, While your words inspire, the hard part is galvanizing increasingly more civic involvement uniting, arousing, and engaging increasingly more people, who know we are under threat, to commit to creating a renewed definition of ourselves as citizens—something closer to the nation of active stakeholders to which America’s most cherished social movements persistently have aspired.
Barbara Jo, please make note of one shining bit of information in today’s LFAA - that we the people, along with many employees including on-air personalities, created such a furor over the hiring of a known election denier that the decision was reversed. How many times has that happened in your lifetime? Not enough perhaps but the push back was instantaneous and it worked. (And was gobsmackingly fun to participate in!)
I am a lifetime activist - began 56 years ago this month helping plan the tiny Earth Day protest in Minneapolis. 56 years. I see more folks participating than I’ve seen since the 70’s, and evidence of a significant rise in civic mindedness all across the country - as evidenced by the win in Alabama - wowza (Pew Trust is my go to for research, not the 538). More folks speaking up and building bridges. Even the reluctant. Even the “Minnesota Nice.”
My perspective is from the heartland. From the Congressional district that was the most expensive race in the country in 2020, one of the most expensive in 2022 and is again the target of the RNC and lots of dark money in 2024. Are we tired of having a target painted on us? Damn straight! But we know that giving up leads to hell. So postcards to voters, door-knocking, texts, phone calls, being election officials, and calling out the lies and propaganda. Rinse, repeat. Heading east to help our Wisconsin neighbors. Sending $$ to Planned Parenthood here in MN because we are now the safe place in the region for women seeking healthcare. This is retirement? Gads….
Welcome to democracy. So not a spectator sport!
In CD 4 we've been the target of Charles Koch for decades. I feel your pain.
We're replacing Ken Buck with a Democrat. Watch us
Yes!! Let us know where to send $$. Buck at least has some integrity. A Dem would be superb !!
It sure has taken Buck a long time to find his integrity...just saying... rats and ships come to mind...
He had very little integrity. Never holds a town hall and unresponsive.
Your enthusiasm is admirable but would be more effective if devoted to a contest where a win is possible. CD 4 is R+13, the most Republican district in Colorado.
I sent my letter to 4 NBC execs early Tuesday morning. I'm certain it tipped the balance 🙃🤣👍💙
🤪🤣 Thank you!! (Fun, wasn’t it?)
Indeed it was. I pulled out my j-school lingo from mothballs. Let 'em have it (politely, of course 😎).
It’s inspiring and it is what will save us…regular people taking action…in any way they can. 💙
Sheila, I don’t dispute any of your astute assertions. Still, I urge we don’t lose sight of the fact that these are unprecedented times in our nation’s history—we have a fascist presumptive presidential nominee who has absorbed one of our two major political parties and is eager (and clearly able) to consolidate power, wherein the rule of law could be subjugated to an individual.
Accordingly, despite a dynamic grassroots movement, I’m not as confident as you that we are sufficiently visible to the public-at-large. Hence, as I mentioned to one reader in this thread, I’m nearing the point of reaching out to courageous, moral, high profile figures to help carry the flame of truth: uniting, inspiring, and energizing people broadly, who know we are under threat, and also, hopefully, waking up those asleep to the necessity and urgency.
Well, which high profile figures? just curious.
Kathy, A dear friend has worked closely with lightening rod type figure in a state legislature. My first pass, I understand in retrospect, did not pass muster. Lucky for me, my friend gave me sound counsel as to how to revise before she would pass my material to said figure. If anything concrete emerges from my efforts, be assured I will post about it.
Sheila and all,
Didn't you find it interesting and disappointing that the media credited only the MSNBC hosts for creating the furor that led to McDaniel's ouster, with no word whatsoever about the viewers who called in or wrote to NBC?
I didn’t think much about that Mim, because as a former news producer, I would expect that the corporate types - the President, CEO, the Chair of the Board, would have what was called chain of command when scandals or issues about staff hit. When NBC and the MSNBC on-air personalities called out the decision very publicly during their own programs, the first thing the execs likely thought about was their advertisers and shareholders. If ten thousand subscribers cancel, that’s one thing. If ten major advertisers at 10M to 100M ( or more) per year leave, shareholders will revolt and you will be fired - quickly. The execs did damage control. But they will pay dearly for this hubris if they also lose thousands of subscribers in addition to producing a royal uproar from their staff and other media.
Stock price matters first. Then income - pissing off major advertisers. Then losing subscribers - also income butvit adds up more slowly.
Someone will be fired over this; not certain whose head is in the vise yet. Just my opinion and speculation.
At last the top brass realized their huge miscalculation and rectified it quickly.
Sheila B it’s gratifying to know that you are such an engaged activist in Minnesota. Thank you!
As a former resident of Lake County in District 8, I am sickened that Pete Stauber now holds the seat previously held by Jim Oberstar. I can only hope that your efforts will somehow rub off on voters “up north.”
Thanks again for all you’re doing.
Jan, my dad was born and raised in Grand Marais. I share your abhorence of election denier Stauber. Ugh!
Sheila B, I get it. Thank you from Wisconsin. Rinse and repeat again!
No one said it was going to be easy. But that's what we must do.
Deb, While I agree, because we have but a small window to protect the key mechanisms of American democracy, without which progress of any kind is doomed, I urge we not lose sight of the fact that we’ve nearly run out the clock.
... With Trumputin's “Little Greene Gals 'n' Men” holding hostage both Congress and—through Congress—America and Ukraine. Thus endangering NATO and all of Europe…
Trump selling Bibles?? Now, that's funny!
People buying them from him?? Now, that's scary! How can they believe that he has any knowledge of the Bible other than using it as a prop?
Trump could have saved money by just printing bibles with the Old Testament and the Book of Revelations. Those are the parts most important to Trump-supporting Christians. They would hardly notice if the rest was missing, Jesus’s admonition to love thy neighbor as thyself, especially.
Do you suppose he autographed them?!
Monetizing Easter week.
Thank you, Peter, for broadening my comment to account for the potential upending of global alliances that have stabilized Europe for nearly 80 years.
I do believe Americans are rising up all around the country and joining forces in grassroots organizations hell bent on saving our democracy. I am so encouraged by this and the pushback toward NBC has opened even more eyes that we the people won’t stand for the lies and will fight for the truth. 💙
Yes to that Deb, and civic involvement for the right reasons please, not by people who exploit vulnerabilities and step in with admirable-sounding words promising admirable-sounding deeds who are at root, furthering their interests for (fill in the blanks). There are limits to the speed and growth of change. Back to the Constitution, and gratitude for nature's non-negotiables. "A renewed definition of ourselves as citizens" -- that's a prompt worthy of contemplation.
Joan, To clarify, when I invoked mirroring “America’s most cherished social movements,” I had in mind liberal causes and programs all of which were opposed by conservatives. For example: 1) ending slavery, 2) getting women and African Americans the right to vote, 3) creating social security, 4) ending segregation 5) passing the civil and voting rights acts, 6) creating Medicare, 7) passing the clean air and clean water acts, and so forth.
Note that each, quoting Deb, is a concrete example of “reweav[ing] the fabric of our democratic society,” thereby affirming our capacity to re-“build that.”
When people derisively accuse Black people of voting for Democrats because they want handouts, I remind them that business owners didn't set the slaves free, the government did. While there may be some outliers, this applies to all of America's cherished social movements. Many Americans have forgotten this or aren't aware because conservatives have persuaded them to demonize and vilify a government that works for all.
Tracy, I sense in your remarks a strong start to convincingly arguing for Democrats to be laser-focused on not allowing conservative deceptions and distortions to go unanswered.
For now, Democrats have to be laser-focused on getting their voters to the polls. Dobbs will help, as it did in the Alabama state-house district that HCR discussed today. Focus on that. And hope that Biden starts hammering it himself instead of delegating the talking point to his VP. Conservative distortions will continue to motivate magats. Nothing we can do will change that. Focus on our voters. We have sufficient numbers if we get them to vote.
I just get so frustrated, Barbara, I want to scream. To me it's always been obvious they were lying to Americans.
Wonderful list of what really makes America great. I notice half of these achievements are under attack. The only thing in the news that actually made me laugh, but just for an instant, is tfg selling bibles. How about vials of water from Mar-a-Lago.
George, could be fun to send that idea to Agent Orange- asking for a % of the profits, of course! 😉
Good clarification. #7 opens a huge space for challenging our everyday practices.
I have little hope of the tuned out engaging. 2 of my friends stunned me the other day. Neither had heard of RFK and his presidential run.
If Biden loses, the fault will lie with RFK, a classic spoiler.
Jill Stein is really working hard to be a spoiler, too.
Yeah, but isn't that a good thing? We need to keep RFK off the airwaves.
Marj, My hope largely rests with reaching out to moral, courageous high profile figures to carry the flame of truth: uniting, inspiring, and energizing people broadly, who know we are under threat, and also, hopefully, waking up those asleep to the necessity and urgency.
Well said, Deb!
Deb, you and Peter are spot on in speaking metaphorically about the FSK Bridge collapse and the out-of-control MAGA group (formerly known as the Republican Party) crashing into and destroying our democratic republic. I think of Pres. Abraham Lincoln:
"Of the people, by the people and for the people." Of the people, by the people and for the people? Not in MAGA world. Those famous words by perhaps the most outstanding president this country ever had, Abraham Lincoln, now ring hollow with the MAGA/KKK members.
Millions have now served to keep intact Lincoln's dream: "Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure."
Donald Trump is now hell bent on a crusade to destroy Lincoln's dream. What Trump advocates and promises is not a government of, by and for the people. It specifically excludes non-Christians, Jews, Muslims, the LGBTQ community and many others who are not white evangelical Christians. .
There is a reason why the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution specifically rejects the idea of religion guiding politics. Religious wars had wracked Europe for two centuries before our nation was founded. The Founding Fathers wanted nothing of those problems. It is time now to send TFFG and the evangelicals back to the pulpit where they belong, tending to the lost souls while leaving government to those who want to serve all the people.
Richard, I have always thought the separation between Church and State is the most profound concept in our democracy. I saw confirmation of that when I helped resettle refugees from the Balkan wars twenty years ago. Catholics vs Orthodox Christians vs Muslims. The experiences and fears those refugees brought with them made me grateful and proud that it would never happen here. (Right?)
One refugee who had shared my home for over a year told me he was still afraid of my <middle class> neighborhood because “I look at them and can’t tell what (religion) they are.” He wanted me to tell him who belonged to what religion and was stunned when I told him I didn’t have the faintest idea. I had to explain America. He wasn’t sure he believed me.
Interesting, Marge. What you experienced with your guest was an example of the Ketman, disagreeing with the tenets of a religion, for example, but remaining silent. Your guest didn't know what he could or couldn't say given that he didn't know the other person's religious beliefs. We desperately need to preserve our freedom to discuss all matters openly.
In college (lo these many years ago), I learned about sociologist Harold Garfinkle. He proposed and tested hidden social rules for behavior. Ultimately, the conclusion was that we can only identify those rules by violating them. (Of course the learning came from experiencing the consequences of those rules!) Imagine the sheer number of new social rules in a new country?! All the refugees I knew were violating and learning social rules every day. But the fear attached to the question of religion was overwhelming for those who were driven from their homes, tortured or witnessing torture simply because of their faith. I have never cried as often in my life as those years when I found out what people will do to each other in the name of their religion. (And I'm agnostic, so I don't have a dog in this fight.)
Dead on about keeping religion and governing at bay in the Constitution, and also they had first hand experience in the colonies themselves to reinforce that attitude. They all knew the tendency for the religious righteous to muscle their way over all of society. Christianity's holy books spell that out loud and clear. Judaism's all consuming monotheism has cast an abiding historical spell over masses of human beings, giving rise to Christianity then Islam. where "being good is not enough"....
NEVER FORGET:
"Not one Republican who objected to Biden's victoryhas objected to
his/her own win on the same day,
on the same ballot,
using the same election system."
Rodney Brodis
lol no kidding... as i understand it, it was mainly cliffhanger states with significant black urban populations, the kind of populations GOPs like to accuse of being grifters... from a very long way back, like the Civil War period. The Arizona ninja audits were outrageous, financed by the legislative Republicans. Such a farce. And most Republican legislators under Ronna McDaniel knew it, as of course her! Bravo for her quick removal from NBC. I wonder what influence that recollection might have come November. Most republicans would like to get mail in ballots more back on track too, i bet. Trump sadly is a genius at partisan vitriolic incendiary. I hear Roger Stone egged him onto how much Republican voters hated latino immigration at the southern border. That has turned into a shibboleth. Sorry if i wandered. Been listening to a Maggie Haberman interview during morning exercises. I also listened to a CNN interview with Arnold Schwarzenegger, in which he bluntly said true believers will only attend to what they want to believe. And... how long can you watch Fox before feelings of repulsion force you to switch the channel?
Watching Fox? I can take somewhere between 3 and 5 minutes. Kudos to NBC for separating itself from Ronna McDaniel, an empty shirt of a person.
Deb, thank you. You have written the most powerful single paragraph I can recall ever reading. Your final two sentences are elegant in their simplicity and powerful in their message delivered.
Thank you.
👍👍
Thanks for this comment/metaphor. What has had me in tears is the lack of attention and concern given to the construction workers (Mexican, Guatemalan, and
Salvadoran immigrants) who apparently died, and their families. For them that is the real tragedy. I wish Biden had acknowledged them, and offered a word of compassion.
Laine, he did acknowledge them.
“ Our prayers are with everyone involved in this terrible accident, and all the families waiting for the news of their loved ones right now. I know every minute in that circumstance seems like a lifetimes," Biden said.
https://www.wbaltv.com/article/biden-baltimore-bridge-collapse-francis-scott-key/60309262
Thanks so much, Mary! I missed this!
The better angels of America. "Let's build that"
POTUS Joe is working hard at doing just that. Voting to keep him and Veep Harris in office is a crucial step in that direction 🤞🏼🤞🏼
Thank you Deb Pierce McCabe. This was the first comment I read today. Hear! Hear!
The same happened to me. I had news on in the background on youtube, and when this report went live, I found myself welling up. I live in DC and I've been on that bridge. I'm sad for the construction workers (working at 1 am) and their families. May they be blessed with comfort and real support during this tender time. And may your beautiful vision of "re-weaving the fabic of our democratic society" inspire the work we all need to do to accomplish that. Thank you, Deb!
Deb, I have a dear friend who lived in Maryland (several places) and DC in her teens and early 20's. She was shaken to the core with this news.
She shared a video that was meshed with the local PD radio traffic regarding this event, and (as someone who generated my share of radio traffic) I was moved by the transmissions between someone (presumably a supervisor) and a unit on scene. <NOT DIRECT QUOTES, PARAPHRASE> On Scene: "Roger, once I get traffic stopped here, I'll cross and stop traffic on the other side". Other conversation, then "You need to cross and stop traffic". "Negative, the bridge is in the water; you'll have to get county to block the other side". That was chilling to me.
That is extremely chilling. It went so fast.
Deb, thank you so much for your stirring words—they inspire me and I’m sure that they inspire others. In that reweaving, we need to include protection for that justice, just as the new literal bridge needs multiple layers of protective “dolphin” fenders to keep future ships from being able to hit the support structure. Our democracy cannot stand on just one pylon any more than the bridge could; if enough people stay home, the minority becomes the majority.
Agree that we need to rebuild bridges between opposing ideas. Democracies depends on mutual respect and commom decency. But, not sure we've turned the corner. Bad behavior as political strategy is still Trump's hallmark. The election will tell the tale.
It is nigh impossible to build bridges with brainwashed cult members who cannot critically think. They have and continue to be marinated in fear, chaos, gaslighting, and
hatred/superiority and bizarre conspiracy theories. Trust has been utterly dissolved. I understand now how hitler successfully shredded trust between friends, family and neighbors and made them fearful of one another. As long as trump & cabal are allowed to continue 24 hr. brainwashing tactics, this is a waste of precious time. I sincerely appreciate those who try. Witnessing MSNBC commit that hideous antic of hiring Ronna, was truly frightening to see another MSM start the slide into the alternative realty. For what exactly? Money. So despicable. I am so proud that we all stood together and shouted "No! She should be in jail!" We showed a corporation what collective power is. We need to use this power EVERYWHERE. TOGETHER. I would say it is time for trump's arse to be jailed and we need to demand action from judges, not gag orders and appeals that drag justice out. We need to demand citizen trump be treated like we would be treated if we tried to violently overthrow the government. WTH.
I recommend John Lewis’s book “Across That Bridge: A Vision for Change and the Future of America”.
Thank you.
Thank you for such an encouraging words in this clear and present crisis of American democracy.
Thank you Heather. Your letters always inform us and I truly appreciate them and you. The collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge is a mammoth tragedy. So far, 6 people are missing and presumed dead, shipping lanes will be disrupted for months, people's lives and the way they get to and from their jobs will have to be re-routed, etc. etc. But, right away the conspiracy theorists are there to spin this tragedy so they can make money, throw dirt on their "opponents", and cause chaos. Did the orange menace do or say anything positive for the people who have lost a loved one or had their world turned upside down? I only hear crickets from him and his ilk. It must be very hard to always see the enemy behind every tree, to see the world as if everyone is out to get you, or to look at every situation as a way to make you more money. I wish people were smart enough to turn off the likes of the Alex Jones' and stop looking at the sites like "Truth Social" (now that is an oxymoron). Vote Blue all the way through! We need to get these thugs out of our lives!
When asked by the press throughout the day when rebuilding of a new bridge would start, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and Governor Wes Moore of Maryland kept insisting that their immediate focus was on the families of those whose lives were lost and of the people who were involved in the tragedy.
Notable was President Biden's pledge to bring financial support to Maryland for the clean-up and rebuilding that will be necessary.
That’s interesting. The care for the families of the lost. Then a commitment to rebuild, that’s our taxes well spent for the benefit of all. It contrasts with billionaires throwing billions at a penny stock offering that lost tens of millions and has no profit, with less than 1/2 million monthly users. Isn’t conspiring with others to artificially pump up a stock illegal? Could foreign investment also be contributing to the high flying price? It smells like a loan and/or like a dark money campaign donation! This is how corruption works in America.
I suspect the stock will tank by the 6 month holding limit. But its possible he will find a way to sell his shares for billions before that with the collusion of supporters on the company board. If he does, it may well become his biggest con ever (aside from getting elected president).
Truth Social Stock will be rated very quickly by many analysts as essentially worthless. As Martha said, it's just a day traders tool. A meme stock at best. The shorts and sharks are headed for the bloody waters within days - if not hours. And yes, I bet there are law firms gearing up for some juicy billable hours.
Suckers will buy it, traders will make money on the collapse.
True….unless the price is supported by only a few very large shareholders holders who could live anywhere in the world
Sad and disgusting!
Maybe it was billionaires buying the stock but I think it was day traders trying to make a dollar here and there. The value will probably plunge just as suddenly. Nobody is fooled that suddenly that old horse and buggy is a Ford Mustang.
His name is John Paulson, hedge fund founder NYC.
I guess that is better than Vlad Putin.
Sad and true.
“Truth Social” really is the unfunniest joke. I laughed when I first heard it, knowing full well that so many would be inspired with his hypocrisy. Why isn’t Alex Jones in prison or so poor that he is homeless, friendless, and witless. Social media is a cesspool. Schitty lies swirling in consort…
WHY indeed is Alex Jones still standing. I thought the same. I thought his last fine crippled him?
I was absolutely sure that when he said that the Sandy Hook massacre was a hoax, he would be toast. That so many ignoramuses bought that crap was an omen that I couldn't ignore. Gave me a clue how deranged and idiotic so many were. People that I thought were like me. They are NOT.
Yep. I was sure when 26 babies and others were massacred in Newtown CT - and gun laws were not changed we were doomed. And doomed we are.
Greatful every day when my grands come home safely from school. My parents never had such worries.
Jeri, when Sandy Hook did not lead to immediate weapons control measures, I knew we'd never get it without some serious changes in "messaging". So far, we haven't. Not even the debacle at Uvalde has budged the needle.
Our national shame...
Only through the vote will we be able to change gun laws. First both houses and WH. Then enlarge the court.
I totally agree Jeri! I think I am more like you though!
I am embarrassed for some that I had respect for.
I was too at one point but not any longer.
I read within the last few days that the Sandy Hook parents have yet to see a dime from the POS Jones, the court system is failing us, no matter what our standing, everything he owns should have been seized and sold and given to the victim’s families. That that didn’t happen just shows how incompetent our justice system really is. How long ago was it that he was found liable for nearly a billion dollars in damages, he’s still dancing on those children’s graves, a bullet between the eyes would be almost a waste of a dollar, but not quite.
Well, you got one right... he is witless. But without any redeeming social value.
he's proud of being a bottom feeder.
Tfg has lived his entire life seeing the enemy behind every tree...and every situation as a transactional way to make money. Talking about the need for religion and peddling Bibles is--so far--the utmost hypocrisy on his part.
TFG selling Bibles! This makes me recall Flannery O'Connor's short story, Good Country People. Her Bible salesman, Manly Pointer, was a cruel liar, finally revealed as a nihilistic atheist. Sound familiar?
Elmer Gantry, too.
Not so much an oxymoron as standard "Republican" Orwellian mislabeling. "Lies Narcissistic" would seem a more honest descriptor.
Indeed, we need to get these thugs out of our lives! (and send them on their way).
Shades of "Gonna wash that man right outta my hair," eh?
Alex Jones needs to stop wearing his rectum as a hat.
Thanks for the laugh this morning!
🤣😂🤣😂
I think people who listen to Alex Jones, et all...are people who are VERY angry and feel alone. It gives them a sense of community.
If this forced-birthers movement continues...we will have many more individuals like that. Children who are raised in under resourced homes, knowing only insecurity. Anyone who thinks a woman who lacks emotional and physical support can find a way to raise a child, is either evil, ignorant, or living off of the sound bytes of forced-birther politicians.
In Texas, Abbott said the restrictive abortion laws would be okay because the state would eliminate rape (really!). Then Abbott's idea of supporting a woman through parenthood is to give her a few diapers and parenting classes.
Understand, Texas has a failed juvenile justice system, a failed foster care system, a failed healthcare system, and now is trying to dismantle public education.
They are not critical thinkers. They continue to listen to these people, they don't try to find facts especially if those facts were in conflict with their own fears and ideas. The GQP and the Christian right should not be calling themselves "pro-life" because they are only Pro-Birth. After a baby is born, they don't want anything to do with the mother or the baby unless they can make money off of them.
Susan, incurable optimist that I am, I have Texas on my list of states Joe Biden needs to win if he wants a landslide with long coattails. I know, sounds impossible, but at least a few formerly undecideds will figure out how badly Texas is being governed on its road to ruin and/or seccession. Big turnout needed.
Dreaming on, what about Florida and Ohio?
I used to have faith in Texas....but today, our criminal attorney general, Ken Paxton, was just released of all criminal charges against him. 😖
Very very true Colette!!You are absolutely right!!vote💙💙💙!!!
The new name for Trump's web company will be: "Truth Limited"
And instead of being as the Bible says, Love God with your whole Heart and Soul and secondly love your neighbor as yourself. But what does the orange man do sell bibles which he has no knowledge what is in the book. All he thinks of is a way to abuse more of his followers. Sick, sick man.
And they eat it up like candy to a baby! It is just another one of his grifts and a way to make money for him. Sadly, I think people are dumb.
If you take note of the 20 point swing in popularity the Democrats got in Alabama, you can see there really is no safe Republican seat anywhere in America in 2024 unless it goes unchallenged.
Not so fast my friend … that would seem to ignore those areas where gerrymandering played a key role in the nature of the makeup of the electorate
I hear you, although Wisconsin is just a little less gerrymandered now that we got new maps. SCOTUS allowed for gerrymandering to go on way too long in my State by stating that they didn't want to weigh in on political matters and the gerrymandering was a case for the States and Congress to get their act together.
Although Wisconsin was hopelessly gerrymandered, they allowed to let it stand. Democrats & Independent were outraged and we elected Judge Janet Protasiewicz, swinging the Court's majority more liberal. One set of maps was changed but not the other. Hopefully we can make the most of it and send these extremists home.
You need a NEW SC
“Extremists”. You are so charitable- and devilish?
I don’t believe the district in Ala had changed; same voters, different results. You can’t gerrymander out women.
Why does the phrase “women rule” circles through my brain? [ … because you do!?!?
Simply by having democrats running in even gerrymandered districts will help pull extremists back to the center. And those races will now cost them money, pulling funds, perhaps, from less safe seats where democrats have a better chance. Even if democrats have little chance of winning, it’s worth running. Unopposed politicians tend to be more extreme than those who have opponents.
Good point
Unfortunately, once they are elected they revert to their true Mr. Hyde. Or if they were sincere, their Republican colleagues know how to bring them to heel. Carrots: good Committee assignments and money-making tips.If they are bad, they will never get a bill past first base or an invitation to the bars where the real deals are cooked up. (Yes, I’m cynical!)
Let’s just hope the tides have turned. Well, not just hope, but vote and work for it.
Gerrymandering is still legal???
Apparently it depends on whether it is for political or racial purposes. Some sort of a cruel joke to me. How do you slice that pie with repubs…
I agree, that feels significant, happening in Alabama at this time. May truth prevail and the people's votes be protected and honored.
Trump has never lost his religion. It is my opinion that he has never had any religion. In fact, I do not see any semblance of spirituality about this guy. Wonder if his soul left?
I like it that the Dems can take credit for "competence in government matters" by their rebuilding of the bridge in Pennsylvania in record time and getting the infrastructure spending done and their ducks in a row. It shows who know how to get things done!!!
Great job as always Ms Richardson!
Years ago (~2016), I read a piece (sorry, I've forgotten where - the Atlantic?) describing DT as ascribing to the 'Prosperity Gospel', which essentially says "If you're rich, it's because you're special (chosen?); if you're poor, it's because you're stupid (and thus okay to exploit).
Religion for the rich. And the poor sign on for sixty bucks.
Prosperity Gospel is a great name for that backward philosophy!
As I was attending our local Southern Baptist church as a young person, I was taught that the concern for the well being of others was the top priority‼️That seems to fly in the face of “Prosperity Gospel!”
Joel Osteen's in Houston closed down after a shooting, but apparently it's back and open.
Ooh, now there's a name I see too often... the most unctuous of the televangelists. A reprehensible character. A real sleazeball.
Amen
He’s got millions in the bank!
Republicans’ favorite New Testament verse, from which their ‘spirituality’ is derived:
“For to him who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away." — Matthew 13:11–12, RSV.
Trump should be selling indulgences while he’s at it. Maybe there’s still a buck to be made there.
Don the Con might stoop to any measure!
Send him the suggestion, but demand a % of the profits! It’s perfect. If he can pardon people as President for $$$, why not pardon them for their sins for $$$!!
Steve: Ayn Rand said all of that, without the religion, and was very popular among the Republicans for many years.
Trump believes in what's best for Trump and that's all. He said in his Bible spiel, "We have to make America pray again", a stunning authoritarian statement. Real prayer is only driven by God, no one else, but some who've forgotten Constantine's sham want to use religious faith instead.
I was amused to see someone comment under that video that he misspelled "prey", and that is Trump in a nutshell.
Thanks, Michael, for highlighting the PA bridge collapse a couple of years ago. MD helped PA then; now PA is set to return the favor.
Just checked to see that Virginia Port began receiving other cargo ships destined for Baltimore, and will continue to do so.
https://www.wavy.com/news/top-stories/va-gov-youngkin-offers-support-amid-baltimores-key-bridge-collapse/
Michael, it's not about spirituality, any more than it's about constitutionality. It's about corporate clerical fascism.
“Religion and Christianity are the biggest things missing from this country, and I truly believe we need to bring them back…. That’s why our country’s going haywire—we’ve lost religion in our country.” " - Donald Trump
"Freedom of religion has a much more tangible meaning, from a legal standpoint. It protects the right of conscience, not just in houses of worship but in workplaces, schools, hospitals, government offices, and anywhere else we go in this world."
- Leonard Leo
And that is exactly what we heard yesterday in Erin Hawley's Supreme Court oral argument to outlaw mifepristone. She is now known as "the woman arguing against the abortion pill." She is also the wife of Sen. Josh Hawley, who before his Jan 6 Bambi sprint away from the violent insurrections he'd earlier fist bumped, on his way to procedurally obstruct the transfer of power, was touted as front runner GOP presidential material for 2024. He's still making his obstructionist GOP bones. While she's making hers targeting reproductive healthcare for women. Ivy League versions of the QAnon Shaman and Marjorie Taylor Greene. Headed to a White House near you? What you say, the GOP populist base embracing Yale lawyers? Well, any stranger than the Evangelicals embracing the profane Donald Trump and Melania Knaus Trump (who'd been featured in a sexually explicit photo shoot with another female model for a 1997 issue of Max, a French men's magazine.) The politically savvy will overlook a lot, when keeping their eye on the prize of the Supreme Court. Back to Leonard Leo. Josh Hawley is one of the co-founders of The Teneo Network. Which fresh from his court capture MCConnell Trump triumph and supercharged with $1.6 billion tax free, Leo is building as "a Federalist Society for everything that's messed up in America." That would be whichever civil rights have not yet been taken by the FedSoc Supremes. Can we all say together Corporate Clerical Fascism? Because if we don't unite to defeat Trump - then we'll be living it.
"... what an amazing turn of events, thanks to our 45th president. Who could have imagined that the author of the Hobby Lobby decision in the Tenth Circuit would become the newest member of the U.S. Supreme Court?"- Leonard Leo
Who indeed?
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/02/04/josh-hawley-2024-465756
https://www.becketlaw.org/leonard-leo-speech-2017-canterbury-medal-gala/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melania_Trump
https://www.propublica.org/article/leonard-leo-teneo-videos-documents
Thank you, lin, for keeping Leonard Leo front and center. He is no longer invisible in large part due to your contributions to LFFA!
HaHa! ThankYou.
The real work is being done by investigative journalists at ProPublica, TrueNorth, Accountable US, The New York Times, The Washington Post et al. And Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (ThankYou Rhode Island.) And on Mt. Desert Island, Maine activists who for years have held protests of Leo's agenda, outside his estate.
A noticeably and inexplicably missing voice is that of HCR - who never misses the opportunity to miss an opportunity to mention Leonard Leo.
I remember your early posts about the protests on Mt Desert Island and the chalk messages on the sidewalks. That seemed to really get under his skin😏…
They have gotten wonderfully creative. A Supreme Court entry in the local bed race. They've done a lot with the eggs issue. For Easter time. I wish I could post photos people have sent. And yes, Leo doesn't like it. He got one activist arrested - the DA threw it out of court and Bar Harbor had to settle a civil rights lawsuit. And The NYTimes reported on Leo out on the road chalking the names of protestors. But it almost has nothing to do with Leo personally - it's about spotlighting his corporate
clerical fascist agenda for the USA.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/leonard-leo-koch-networks-pour-millions-prep-potential-second-trump-ad-rcna144360
Thanks for the NBC report. Sigh. If only all that malignant wealth could be funneled to worthy causes. The insidious nature of their diabolical glee is terrifying.
Sale of soul for wealth and power. The art of the deal. It's classic.
His soul left his body way before his putrid body fades away, or he never had one. Just my two cents…
He never had one, I agree.
Maybe his evil daddy didn't have one either. Both parents were inadequate and so much more than that. My parents were inadequate and flawed, but they had good intentions for their children and did the best they could with the knowledge they had. Not true for chump children. They had no soul on which to build a foundation. You have to start somewhere. Sorry, chu;mp.
Jeri, 45 reminds me of a snarling dog bred and raised for dog fighting. One can regret the circumstances while recognizing that he is dangerous.
Great analogy, snarling from the crib. Describes him perfectly.
"Just today, Trump began to hawk Bibles for $59.99."
We live in an upside-down world.
I thought he should have priced them at $66.60 US. These Christian nationalists have apparently forgotten the Trump descriptor:
2 Thessalonians 2:11-12 (NKJV): "And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness." This passage is part of a section where Paul is talking about the coming of the "lawless one" and the conditions that will prevail before the Day of the Lord. The "strong delusion" is mentioned as a consequence for those who refuse to love the truth and so be saved. For Christians it's a stark warning of the importance of seeking and adhering to truth in Christian doctrine not this bastardization we are seeing in MAGA circles.
"Christian nationalists". Now there is an Oxymoron.
Oxymorons rule, the language of the morons…
That’s a good one JL!!!I agree with you!!
You’ve got that one right Michael!!It should have been 66.60!He should have his face on the cover too!Mr false prophet with an orange face!!
Not one of the cretins is worried about getting into heaven, proof than they have no real faith, just those $ signs.
You never know just "where you are" when you're among the "right" folk! This is part of the counter accusation stuff that always goes in when views get extreme. Paul is a fun read, but all too human, an outright fanatic.
Lots of allegory in religious texts like the Bible. Fun stuff.
Not Paul. He was a literalist. In the early centuries of Christianity, a group (mainly Alexandria i think) developed an allegorical approach, modelled after Philo, a Jewish scholar. Others got on board, and one major motivation was to counter repulsion to the crude violence you find in the OT. As a kid I remember rollecking through my illustrated Bible of all the battles etc, lapping it all up. Nothing allegorical about that! lol
I keep thinking about the verse in Revelations - “And they shall wear the mark of the beast upon their foreheads”. Red MAGA hat anyone!
I wonder if he will add an autograph... He's got enough chutzpah to do it. I would run away from any 'church' that goes along with supporting the p*ssy grabber in any way. Sorry, 'evangelicals'. You have lost your way, Bah, bah, black sheep.
I ran way before chump. The Obama vitriol spouted from the pulpit did it for me.
Jeri, and don’t forget the vitriol spouted about JFK by the Dixiecrats who warned against his having the Pope run the country.
I wish the Pope was running the country at this point. Instead we've got Opus Dei.
Carolyn, I like this pope better than any others in the last 60 years.
I was surprised he didn't claim he had copies signed by the original jesus for the low price of 100 bucks.
More likely….he’ll “lay his hand” on the book….then mark it up 300 smackers
Is that true? That would be enough to make any genuine Christians vote blue. Who told him that would be a good idea? Did he think we all fell for that bible-holding photo op outside the church? (not even near the door).
I vaguely recall that when asked to name his favorite part of the Bible, Trump snapped back "That's private".
I remember when he mentioned "the two Corinthians". This man does not have a Christian bone in his entire body. This 'patriot' only has bone spurs when it comes to serving his Country
Oh, yeah, I like The Profitable Son, and the part were Jesus fed the fishes.
His favorite book, he says! Ha. I’ll bet he can quote more from Hitler’s speeches than he can from the Bible. His campaign speeches and tweets sure reflect Hitler more than anything remotely Christian.
The rhetoric of the eternally aggrieved. That was Hitler, without a doubt, though it could be argued Germany at least had some basis, given its treatment at Versailles, the acute, violent divisions between communists and fascists, the hyperinflation of the 20s, the disastrous results of the credit collapse that brought on the Great Depression.... Trump's MAGA don't know how truly well off the United States is, considering. And so much for Jesus' care for the poor and ill in society. Strip down social supports is GOP's answer, more $ to the rich. Big military to defend modern corporate global capitalism, esp of the USA variety. That's America's "national interest". Explains quite a lot, when you look back.
The "Marshall Plan" was political strategy, and it worked. In any case, Hitler appealed to lost glory, and the word "fascist" harks back to the Roman Empire. "Follow me and rule the world." We fight it in every generation.
I think it's a near certainty. Ivana reportedly told Trump's lawyer that Don kept a book of Hitler's speeches by his bedside, and the person who gave him the book (" My New Order") recalls the gift.
And we can't forget his infamous speech where he mentioned Two Corinthians. I still have a little chuckle about that from time to time.
Yeah, one Cornintian said to another...
Deep. Very deep.
A virtual cornucopia of cahcah.
“Who told him that would be a good idea?”
Speaker Mike Johnson? Perhaps it’s a plug for MTG as VP.😂
“WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Widening a rift among House Republicans, Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters on Sunday that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene “makes a prominent appearance” in the Bible’s most apocalyptic book.
“I was in church this morning, just kind of flipping through the Bible,” Johnson said. “And as I was reading the Book of Revelation, all of a sudden I was like, ‘Holy cow, that’s Marge!’”
https://open.substack.com/pub/borowitzreport/p/mike-johnson-claims-marjorie-taylor?r=fqsxl&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
I cringed when that event was aired. Milley got caught with his medals down!
"Donald Trump took to Truth Social to once again compare himself to Jesus Christ as he complained about the criminal and civil cases against him, which he views as politically motivated persecution.
On Monday, Mr Trump claimed that he received a message stating: “It’s ironic that Christ walked through His greatest persecution the very week they are trying to steal your property from you.”
“Beautiful, thank you!” Mr Trump responded, seemingly moved by the message that his $464m fine for decades of financial fraud is on the same level as the crucifixion and subsequent resurrection of Jesus Christ. "
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-jesus-christ-compare-truth-social-b2518772.html
Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's. No?
They never heard that one.
Well, but the problem is Trump thinks he IS Caesar!
... and God, Pax!
I was just thinking the same, Melinda!
One would think, but thinking seems to be anathema to them.
Oh, and Good Morning!
Morning, Ally! BTW, do you read Dan Rather's Steady substack? Sunday's Reason to Smile was a gem. I thought of you the entire time while watching the video link. Here's the link in case you haven't seen it. The video is 39 minutes long. I gagged at the thought of having to sit through its length. But then shortly into it, I was so glad I was watching it!
https://steady.substack.com/p/the-last-repair-shop
I do, and have been saving that for a quiet moment when I can devote the time to it!
Now that filthy orange moron and criminal is no longer 'only' a traitor, but a heretic and blashemer, too. Are there some really good Christians that 'buy' his s..t, including a real Bible?
Even if it were a mere movie line, critics might find it too dark and obnoxiously self serving to be believable.
I'm actually surprised it took him this long to start! Now I wonder how long it'll be before he takes over and squeezes Lee Greenwood out of the grift, but that'd depend on whether his Babbles sell, wouldn't it... if they don't, Lee gets it all back.
Will they be autographed?
What a sad joke that is!
Maybe a graphic novel format with very little dialogue? Trumps base would be receptive.....
Thank you. Long day for you. Hope you’re getting enough rest.
Watching the tape of the Baltimore bridge incident was chilling. Glad they had at least a little warning and reacted so quickly, or it could have been worse.
Talk about being in the right place but at the wrong time … how unfortunate.
That an unproven media group with an app "completely detached from any sort of fundamentals" more accurately named "Filth Vocal" can cause vulnerable people to buy it and financially support the grifting "perpetraitor" is actually yet one more metaphor for what he's done to their entire political party,....grifting their votes.
A fool and his money are soon parted……
I don't claim to understand IPOs, but it seems like the public offering of Trump's social media company stock is a Ponzi scheme of sorts.
The last time Trump was involved with an IPO he ran it into the ground in 6 years. Truth Social's earnings. Their Price to Sales ratio is a 2000:1 and there cash on hand is worth about $2/share. It's ironic that Trump's biggest grift is likely his worst return on investment.
Filth Vocal sounds about right
Many thanks to everyone here who wrote and emailed NBC executives to protest the hiring of Ronna McDaniel. Protest works!!!
Other news is pretty horrifying, except for the good election results in Alabama and signs of a good outcome for mifepristone access.
Kudos to Rachel for her 1/2 Hour refusal to accept the Seditionist on behalf of MicroSoft NBC (MSNBC) staff & employees.
I can't wait to watch that. But a LOT of people came through on this one.
And watch Lawrence O'Donnell's response, too. The MSNBC folk did the right thing, all of them.
Thanks, I will!
100% right!
Thank you Heather.
While Ronna has been detached from NBC and trading in ‘Truth Social’ also experiences a detachment from reality, I am grateful to all who expressed their outrage to NBC and the NBC News Division and they definitely earned the right to celebrate.
(Warning: There is a 'However' coming) ...
And remember it's NBC who gave us "The Apprentice". It's NBC who added Matt "No follow-up questions for my pal Trump" Lauer.
However, I won't be satisfied until all who continued to act either as co-conspirators or accessories after the fact in the attempt to disenfranchise millions of voters in the attempt to subvert a free and fair election. McDaniel should be under an investigatory microscope along with everyone else who willfully participated. She should be barred from ever holding public office -along with the rest -before she's being inaugurated as the next Governor of Wherever, United States.
NBC did not give you "The Apprentice" You had to turn on a TV to watch it.
Such crap is foisted on our citizens every day because people do turn on their tv’s. They are as ubiquitous as homes and cars. Sad but true
Sorry. I thought NBC used public airwave frequencies licensed by the FCC to provide their programming. I didn’t realize it just magically existed inside my TV.
I haven't had nor turned on a TV for sixty years. I won't go in a house where the TV is on.
All brainwashing. You forgot the /s :-)
TV has given us an eye on history as it is occurring. If we hadn’t watched the January 6 attempted coup in real time and left it to the many who reported it falsely, we wouldn’t know the truth and the full story of the atrocities enacted that day. We wouldn’t have seen Biden’s triumphant inauguration. I could go back to one of the first memories I have watching the sad attempt to save three year old Kathy Fiscus from her fall into a hole in San Marino, CA. The Kennedy brother’s assassinations were another. We watched the JFK story unfold continuously, only stopping to attend a church service in his honor. There have been so many important events in my 83 years that I have had a front seat observing and understanding because of TV. I might add there is entertainment worthy of attention, and things to watch to numb the mind, especially during the Pandemic and an overdose of our current professional dealer of litigation delays. Tonight I’m attending a local county Democratic meeting on “Addressing Fascism.” Guess I’ll have to turn off HGTV.
A Democrat won an election by 65% of the vote in Ala’ f’ing bama!
Alabama and the rest of the South is majority red, but not monolithically so. Even during the Civil War, every southern state except South Carolina had volunteer units in the Union Army - to the tune of 250,000 troops (p. 237 - 238 American Nations by Colin Woodward). Indeed the State of WV was born from this reality. This is one of those facts that the "Lost Causers" have been trying to sweep under the rug for generations.
I didn’t know that
Ooo nice last paragraph! Topping off a difficult intro w the Baltimore accidental maritime disaster early this morning at the bridge.
Biden & his team are powering along as best as we can expect given the daily challenges. I Keep sending my best Prayers (wishes, hopes & dreams, too) to energize our beloved country to meet each challenge with Grace and Power… vote, talk we everyone who looks friendly or just lost. There’s so much heart break out there .. the cars falling from the bridge this morning. The metal twisting like an old erector set.
Just think what Biden and his team could do if trumpie were actually respecting the election results of 2020.
Just think that if the Repub party had’t become a puppet of Putin
It’s time for “Operation Bluemap”!
Because there’s this… Scary!
https://x.com/jennycohn1/status/1772860325924114842?s=46&t=kI5GMhO6gEOF0JyMJg0Dng
Hidden in plain sight
Buying stock in any TFG-related company is to an investment strategy as buying lottery tickets is to a retirement plan.
“Conservatives are not necessarily stupid, but most stupid people are conservatives."
- John Stuart Mill
Love your name!
We are at war. And this time the fascists have taken over the GOP instead of Germany. And the sooner the people who run America’s news organizations get this FACT through their thick (ie used to the GOP being a political party rather than an domestic enemy) heads, the sooner We the People will be able to set the course of our nation firmly in the direction the Founding Fathers set for us: towards a future where ALL are supported in achieving “life, liberty, and happiness”.
Related, if you want to watch one cornerstone of American journalism wrapping her brain around this new truth, I recommend watching Steve Schmidt interviewing Katie Couric on Steve’s YouTube channel. It’s a brand new interview. I’ll post a link to it in a comment on this post. Katie is in her late 60s now and never imagined the GOP would become an enemy of democracy. But she’s shedding her many decades of belief in one reality in favor of the new reality. It’s fascinating to watch that happening while she talks to Steve about the good old days when John McCain was the candidate for POTUS of his party… a time that seems light years away from today.
Here’s Steve Schmidt interviewing Katie Couric
https://youtu.be/6XDxAKbqlto?si=MRE3jlQbimYS82q8
Many, many light years!
The stock market launch of the Trump Media and Technology Group stock yesterday is the greatest financial scam in my lifetime. It is a convoluted Trump ‘special’ out of Truth Social, a minor internet platform for Trump’s bloviating.
This stock is ‘valued’ at over $7 billion, with Trump the greatest beneficiary. It is based on far more hot air than Trump expends in a two-hour performance before his MAGists. For the moment Trump cannot cash out on his massive stock holding, since he is legally forbidden to do this for six months.
The financials for this stock are extraordinarily underwhelming—in the millions for revenue and the tens of millions for annual losses, which renders the $7+ billion market valuation total foo foo dust.
By comparison, Bitcoin (based on nothing but a computerized calculation done by an unknown Japanese) is a ‘risk free’ investment. Madoff, who had a massive, fraudulent Ponzi scheme, would have tipped his hat (from jail) in admiration of Trump’s financial shenanigans.
I congratulate Trump for initiating such an outlandish financial scam that makes his Trump golden sneakers and his personalized Bible look extremely modest by comparison.
This stock house of cards will collapse long before Trump has the opportunity to cash out. I wonder how many of his cultists will invest in this Trumphonymania before it collapses.
Yeah pretty bizarre! That said, follow the money... Qatar,Saudis, Jeff Yass etc.etc.( it's chump change for these guys who led the charge.) They are all covering their political bets and creating, as you have pointed out a huge windfall potential. All of course at the expense of the folks at the bottom of this pyramid scheme.
Always - follow the money.
Rickey That’s what Willy Sutton said.
There is a complex relationship between advertising and semi-addictive human behavior. There is almost certainly a significant relationship between susceptibility to advertising (i.e. click through rates) and gullibility for political nonsense. There is probably a similar correlation with gambling. We probably need to do a dramatically better job of teaching personal financial management in both primary and secondary education. Liberals are bad at this same kind of math, in that state legislatures controlled by Democrats have mostly been supporting of state lotteries, which really is a way of taxing the poor, or as we jokingly like to put it: taxing folks who are bad a math.
I don't think we can say enough about the link between growing up in a world of mass advertising and our lack of discernment in politics...so I think it's best that we ALL check our responses for critical thinking errors...and prioritize educating for the development of critical thinking skills!
We certainly need teach all how to interpret and evaluate (not necessarily run) statistics, and return to it again and again.
I thought gambling was across the board, including online. You can buy all sorts of little tickets at the local gas stations etc where I live. Zero with politics. Don't forget to include RCC's bingo hall fundraising history. Stats probabilities are always answered with "If you don't play, you will never win!" lol (No, I don't play)
So true.