Here is a fabulous article making the case that overturning Roe would be an unconscionable infringement on the religious freedom of orthodox Jews. Jewish law goes back over 5,000 years or something like that. I had really been wondering why Freedom of Religion wasn't part of the discussion arguing against Alito's draft position on Roe. Alito also ignores Amendment 9 of the Bill of Rights which should be an integral part of originalist thinking. "The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people." The Constitution explicitly says it is not naming all the rights RETAINED BY THE PEOPLE. To me that means if the significant majority of the people say it is their right it is a right. Time to impeach Alito and Thomas.
Another thing I like about the explanation of Jewish Law in this article is a theme I've been stating many times over. The OR world of black and white is just not sufficient in dealing with all the implications of many issues in life and most certainly in a women's choice. To me Patriarchy is the OR world - you're right or wrong, one up or one down, very primitive. The AND world is egalitarianism where you have the Synergy of multiple perspectives brought together to come up with better solutions for all.
This was a very good article and actually, surprising for me to know that the Orthodox Jews want to protect the woman. Traditionally, the man is seen as the breadwinner, the ruler of the home, etc. The wife is the cook, the cleaner, the educator. I am happy to see there is somewhat of a realistic and caring viewpoint from them.
Per the Mishna and Talmud, the fetus is a part of the woman's body ("like her thigh bone") until it has left her body. And it is not fully human until "God breathes life into it as He did to Adam."
There are several faith traditions that the fetus is not alive until it's first breath.
Can't wait to see what the theocrats on the Supreme Court do with these facts.
Respectfully, those aren't facts, those are beliefs. The concept of viability is relatively new, due to observations of prenatal development, and modern medicine's ability to keep a premature birth alive by mechanical interventions. Thus, viability becomes earlier and earlier– weeks before a newborn could survive out of the womb. Even though most Americans want legal abortions, there is an uncomfortable gray area about when a fetus becomes a baby. Personally, I ask myself if I could abort a pregnancy in the final trimester, and I could not unless things went terribly wrong. These are the dilemmas many Americans face; no abortions vs all abortions whenever. The majority opinion lies somewhere in between. I believe Roe vs. Wade needs revamping, not dissolution, and certainly not by a mandate of 5 very strange guys on the SCOTUS.
The point is, different religions have different beliefs, none of which should be running our secular government, but also none of which represent all religious people. Third trimester abortions happen when a pregnancy goes terribly wrong. Intruding politicians into such difficult times does no good to any one.
I think you hit the nail on the head. We are supposed to have a clear separation of church and state. The Bill of Rights states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion“. This is often interpreted to require separation of church and state.” There are still issues in balancing the establishment clause and the free exercise clause. There are several US Supreme Court cases revolving around this issue trying to parse what is and is not a violation of the establishment clause.
The question of when a fetus becomes a person was settled for Catholics when the Pope decided the soul enters the body at conception. This standard seems to have been taken up by evangelicals, even though they don’t recognize papal authority. The whole conservative stand on abortion turns on a religious answer to what should be a scientific question. But science can’t answer this particular question in a way Christian conservatives like, and apparently they don’t care what Jews think, either.
I agree with your ideas here, Hope. But as Joan says, no one's religious beliefs or personal choices should be running our government. And I personally think men should butt out of the conversation. It falls largely to the woman to bear and raise the child. It's mainly her "labor" which births and nourishes the child through at least the first years. Men have no idea of the cost of a woman's energies in doing this. (And, in addition, many women work full time jobs and care for their parents and take care of the house!)
Viability is also a delicate idea, at best. I recently read a piece by a Neonatologist that described the process of ATTEMPTING to keep a very premature infant alive, and it fails most of the time. These babies are too underdeveloped to survive without extreme measures that too often are simply not enough, and the babies that do survive often have severe disabilities. It's a slippery slope.
Hope, You have interest in further inquiry into the role of religion with reference to the abortion rights and to Roe v. Wade. The following is just one source.
'Abortion, Justice, and Religion - Center for American'
'Feb 17, 2022 — So, laws banning abortion are a freedom of religion on two fronts. First of all, they theoretically impose one notion about when life begins or... '
In traditional Jewish communities, the ideal occupation for a man is religious study. Although scholars are partially supported by other men who work in paying jobs, wives commonly produce income (and quite literally make the bread). It’s a very different culture from Christian fundamentalism.
Did you know that Steve Schmidt is completing his studies to become a Jew? Republican to Democrat. Christian to Jewish. Steve seems to be getting it right.
He also tweeted this week that Rupert Murdoch is a naturalized citizen and there is a process for denaturalizing. Apparently is happened to Murdoch in England.
From WaPo in Jan 1981 “At a dinner last month in Washington Honoring MR Murdoch for his work on behalf of Mr. Reagan, Representative Jack Kemp, a New York Republican, said “Rupert Murdoch used the editorial page, the front page, and every other page necessary to elect Ronald Reagan President.” “. Rupert has been the power behind the evil for more decades than is commonly known. His take over of our communication system was planned, executed and put in place while Reagan Democrats were still celebrating. Bill Moyers noticed
Religion and Politics are really two sides of the same coin. Both require moral “decisions” and “tribal” loyalties (loosely interpreted). Schmidt’s dual switch is not only unsurprising, but predictable. Good for him.
That has always been a standard in that culture. I’ve seen it in many Jewish homes that I grew up with having many Jewish friends in junior high school.
Thank you for my first big grin of the am here on the left coast. Just up with my first cup of coffee which fortunately I was not drinking when I read your post.
Smart woman. I’m still learning that coffee should be sipped and swallowed before reading. That way, my cat doesn’t get showered and I don’t have to clean up one more time before continuing to read. 😎
Wait! Orthodox men separate themselves from women. At least in NYC, women must sit in the back of busses, walk behind men and all the other trappings of unreformed beliefs. Of course, as with conservative Catholics and all religions, appreciate the person, but religions restrictions are so outdated regardless.
In Ultra Orthodox practices, women walk ten paces behind the man. My viewpoint about religion is that mostly all of them create barriers. My parents used to tell me I would marry a Jewish lawyer or a doctor. I rebelled and married a nice Irish Catholic boy. We had two girls and we claimed their religion was JIrish. This marriage has lasted 46 years.
No one claimed that Orthodox Judaism is a feminist practise. The claim is twofold: one, Orthodox Judaism is not Christian fundamentalism. two, government laws forbidding abortion violate the religious freedom of Orthodox Jews, whose religious law not only places such decisions in the hands of the pregnant person, but actually requires abortion when it is necessary to save the life of the pregnant person.
This is relevant to the Roe v Wade discussion because the reactionaries are claiming to speak in the name of all religion. They do not. They do not even speak in the name of all right wing religious people. Many Orthodox Jews in the US have in fact seen Republicans as the lesser evil and voted accordingly. They are a group some of whom are going to vote differently as a result of the Alito opinion.
I've said this before but it bears repeating, a great read is A J Jabob's book "A Year of Living Biblically" So enlightening, so darn right spit out your coffee funny, so sincere, its among the top ten books I always recommend!
I believe that all religion is humanly created mumbo jumbo mind control. But as a "goy" who has lived with and loved Jews for 50 plus years, I have always respected the continuous discussion factor. There is this endless re-examination of how traditions and rules should apply to an ever changing world. In a sense, it's how the Founders of our Nation viewed the Constitution.
I guess the only religious tradition I find even slightly worthwhile is a Seder. There is a discussion! Hardship followed by success! I like the food :) There is wine. Lots of wine.
And I can attest from more than one personal experience, the role of the woman, the mother, the sister in Jewish life is powerful in a way that is quite special. And often, quite wise.
The tradition I truly admire is the Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah, the coming of age ceremony for young teenagers, something sorely missing in American culture. In front of the entire community, they recite all the passages studied and memorized, receive testimony, and generally are told -here are all these great privileges you now have....and here are your new responsibilities. Young people are desperate for an opportunity to demonstrate their readiness for adulthood if we would just give them the chance.
Unfortunately, my experience was that, after several years of Hebrew school (after regular school 4 days/wk), I could read Hebrew, like a parrot, but did not know what the words meant. So the passage of the Torah I read during my Bar Mitzvah was a complete mystery to me. Neither the Rabbi nor anyone else ever discussed it with me. A great waste of time and a lost opportunity. At the time I was a "good boy" and just did what I was told. When I visited Israel many years later, I realized the depth of the problem. Now in (sort of) old age (81) I've taken up the study of Hebrew for enlightenment, but also as a form of "revenge". I've heard from several friends and acquaintances that this method of teaching was common in Hebrew schools at the time. I don't know about now. Also, as far as I know, there were no Bat Mitzvahs in those days, and the women in our congregation sat upstairs in the gallery of the synagogue, separate from the men. It was an Orthodox but not fanatic congregation, although, with the separation of the sexes, one may dispute that. I have no comment.
Coming of age rituals are missing in so many different ways, and the various kinds of wisdom passed down from elders in those initiations. That's what Robert Bly and James Hollis created in their men's groups, and I am honored to be in one modeled on their inspiration.
Recipe for a perfect world. How comprehensive, inclusive and inspiring. I imagine this document generates lively discussion in your classroom. If our Founding Fathers had access to this document when framing The Constitution generations ago, there would be a lot less ambiguity for the Supreme Court to quibble over.
..."religion is humanly created mumbo jumbo mind control." I disagree with your statement. Religions were manifested to give voice to that other part of ourselves that realizes beatific visions in nature, the rapture of seeing a birth, and the explicable yearning for that which lifts us up. The basic concepts are pure. There are millennia of pure devotees to a religion just as there are are people who will deface anything for their own use.
I personally believe that until humanity regains their spiritual center either through an organized religion or a personal spiritual journey based on some core fundamentals we will never ever respect and care of this planet.
Religion can and has connected us with that undefinable sacred center in ourselves.
It sounds as if you are referring to a type of personal spirituality. I suspect that brings you peace and happiness. Sounds great. I have mine as well.
When I say "religion" I am referring to the institutions that have declared theirs to be "the one true faith" and slaughtered those who did not agree. There are a few admirable faith systems for sure. But most organized religions have an awful track record.
I suspect that if we sat down over a cup of coffee and compared values, we would find much in common. But as far as I can see right now, most "Christians" have left the teachings of Jesus in the dust and are now leading promoters of intolerance, exclusion, hate and pure evil.
I like the science of the mind of Tibetan Buddhism. The study and practice of Buddhist concepts keeps me on my mental toes; especially for my Western mind. It's the meditation aspect that settles my dust and actually makes me a nicer person to be around.
And the Tao is so lovely. With its own set of challenges. Those koans....... Wait a minute. Zen has the koans. Right? My apology.
"Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose." -- from the great song "Me & Bobby McGee" by Kris Kristofferson. Thanks for the article Cathy. Making laws about something that is a decision that should be made by a woman and her doctor is totally wrong. If Roe is overturned by this so-called "Supreme" court, all hell will break lose. That hell being what over 20 states using what is called 'triggers' to make a woman's right to choose illegal and in many cases a felony for her. These mostly old men have no right to overturn Roe, for if they do, many women will likely die. One wonders if we could then charge the majority of the court with at least manslaughter or perhaps murder. And these folks who use religion in their argument against abortion have a right to their views. But they have no right to impose those views on the rest of us. Whatever happened to the separation of church and state?
I think this is not about abortion for most to the people pushing this rift, Richard. I think it is more that they see it as an opening gambit for power and control, with the clear intent to move on to other opportunities that banning abortion would open up. There is a tremendous backlash, but no way to tell what the outcome of that will be. Maybe the "Court" will come back to basic principles of the rights entrained in the Declaration of Independence, which would be a welcome relief. Or maybe they'll pick out a few things in Roe that would open some control to the states, or even send it to lower courts for review (unlikely, but would certainly make for a strange time). Or maybe they'll overturn it with less strained reasoning than the "Alito draft". In which case there is a movement already in motion to bypass that. I hope to hell it doesn't come to that. Abortion has been a woman's choice from the beginning of time, with the exception of the eugenics movement. Gotta keep that in mind too. That movement began in the early 20th century in the USA.
"One wonders if we could then charge the majority of the court with at least manslaughter or perhaps murder."
It is my understanding that all judges - Supreme or not - have essentially total immunity from both civil and criminal liability from consequences of their decisions. They have been granted this immunity because otherwise they would susceptible to 'outside pressure' - and no other profession is granted such free license to behave corruptly. We, the people, have no legal means of redress when judges behave badly.
Separation of Church and State is in the First Amendment to the Constitution. I do not believe there are any laws on the books, either state or federal making violations criminal.
The only route I know of is to find someone with standing who can bring a case to court that claims they are being harmed by the lack of separation of church and state.
That's a hard find. And with the religious zealots now in majority on the,Supreme Court, I doubt anyone would have any success.
‘Originalist’…PT Barnum must have ‘coined’ that word! Consider, the ‘Originals’ who wrote the Constitution allowed for only white men to vote!…..stop..think about it!….the so called originalists should be advocating for a return to that limitation…..now that I think about it, seems like the red states wacky legislators are trying to blast us back to that era with their restrictive voting laws!
It’s hard for me to believe that a modern man, let alone a Supreme Court Justice, would hinge a judgment on the mentality of antiquity. It’s just so backwards! What is happening to the progress of life, liberty & the pursuit
Alioto had to go back to England for a "common law" reference. In American "common law" in the earliest non-Catholic settlements, abortion was not illegal until 1820, and it was only illegal then "after the time of the quickening." Per midwives and church records, 16-20 weeks. For many centuries, that's when God breathed The Holy Spirit into the developing human being--ensoulment.
I don't think it a coincidence that the international average gestational age for a woman to be able to make her own decision to end her pregnancy is 16 weeks.
That was my point all along. Abortion bans are a war on the woman VOTER, not just the women. Same as Immigration restrictions are a war against Black and Brown VOTERS All these “minority” groups will be majority over the White voters within the next 10 years. Women already are more than 50% over men voters
YES, and I have been saying that all along! The inter-mingling of different races and cultures should actually be encouraged because only then, will these white supremacists be brought down to their knees.
At 16, I was (happily) kicked out of conservative Jewish consecration class for making that same point, Marlene. We were encouraged by our teacher, the rabbi's wife to socialize solely within our tribe. After pointing out that that approach would likely result in others fearing us and possibly hating us for being different, I was pointed to the door. Diversity, at least of thought, is an essential component of a democracy. I guess the more observant value debate, only amongst themselves.
We never had consecration classes! I was raised conservative also. You see, Wendy, they all want to manage our lives. Thank goodness there are plenty of people who see beyond that and say “no thank you”.
The perfect recipe for women & people of color to go to any length to VOTE! I am hopeful that these Republican tactics will be an exercise in shooting them selves in the foot! 🌊🌊🌊🌊
Both/and thinking usually creates a more positive outcome than either/or thinking. The Republican Taliban is actually quite primitive when you think about it.
I first ran into them just before Carter was elected President. At the time, it was vaguely amusing. First, God wanted Republican Reagan elected, then changed his mind and went for Democrat Carter. Go figure.
Thank you, Cathy. This is an informative article. I also like your second paragraph about black and white thinking. I wonder why so many prefer to be told what is right rather than to deal with complexities and take agency in making decisions for themselves. I wonder what the root is, psychologically.
Daniel Kahnemann would tell you that thinking takes energy, it's hard work. People are mentally lazy and save their psychic energy for choosing which Macdo to eat.
Partially. I’m certain that there are people who thrive on being told what to do and how to do it. There is a comfort (for some) in having that rigid structure.
My brother & I were talking about this in regards to our adult children & how our sons are into black & white thinking & get irate with grey areas. We are a bit dumbfounded because we don't see that among our 8 siblings, so where did this come from?
Yes. I’ve not been much of a fan of “either-or”…much to my dad’s pride and dismay. I’m more of a “but-and” kind of person. It’s just so much more inclusive and fun.
Thank you for sharing this link. It's time to either begin impeachment proceedings and/or expand this Stench Bench. Six extremists, five of whom are Catholic, do not have the authority - whether they have a lifetime appointment to wear a robe or not - to overturn the first amendment to our Constitution and dictate their own religious beliefs to an entire nation and over half of its citizens. This is not the 12th century, and they are not the Catholic Inquisition reinstated, no matter what they think about themselves. They are a bunch of unregulated, spoiled, dishonest thugs that WE pay to sit on those thrones and "judge" others.
Well one can of course try to talk to the extreme right (or often these days even the extreme left) about protecting the jewish religion and culture but.......history and much current political and ideological stupidity might suggest that they would be more than somewhat motivated to gleefully continue on their way while thanking you for bringing them such good news.....and probably with rude gestures to accompany their disdainful words.
Yes, Stuart, that is my fear. Having been raised Jewish by Holocaust victims, in a small southern Baptist town, is a reminder of what may come. I am not a very religious person but I do support my heritage, my own history.
Jews believe life begins upon the exit from the womb. Not before. Jews do not hold baby showers. They wait until that wee creature in swaddling clothes is viable. As to the reversal of Roe: This has been a long slog for evangelical faux Christians. Alito sees himself as the new "Don of the Supreme Court", writing a terribly pithy opinion. Those Justices, so concerned about the fetus, can care less once that wee being is out into the world. Republicans love to hang on the coat tails of those driven by sinister and evil beliefs.
Lots of people say it that (wrong) way. It was said by all the characters on "The West Wing" years ago. Of course it's clear what you (and they) meant, but it's easy to say it correctly, and it makes sense that way!
Yes, but....this is not a unilateral position, as the article points out. I am aware of situations in my work where Orthodox women have told their physicians they did not want to continue a pregnancy because of the severe genetic complications and were forced by their rabbis and husbands to do so. Maybe some Orthodox women are "empowered" but by and large many are not. I'm glad this woman had an option, but, it is also of note that we are not told what her choice was. The cultural and religious pressure she was under may have in the end, proved determinative.
If you read the article, it says clearly that there is a range of opinions among Orthodox rabbis. (That’s actually a safe statement on any topic whatsoever. Judaism values conflicting opinions as a path to understanding.) Any woman is going to be dealing with pressures within her family and community when making important choices. Strengthening womens positions within those contexts is another part of the work. The point here, is that Jewish law says it is her choice to make - and that laws taking away that choice violate her ability to do so.
The same would apply if a state law took away her choice to have a baby. Keep in mind that the era of illegal abortion was also a time of forced sterilization of women of color. The white supremacists are openly saying their goal is a larger ratio of white people. That’s the “logic” behind mass shootings.
On a less grim note, according to Jewish law a fetus - no matter how eagerly expected - becomes a person at its first breath outside the woman’s body. It’s a theological question. There’s a Jewish joke that a fetus is not considered viable until it graduates from medical school.
In any case, in Jewish law a woman is a person. A pregnant woman is one person, and that person is the woman.
Thank you for bringing up our history of forced sterilization. What concerns me the most about overturning Roe v Wade is a government that has the power to determine you can’t have an abortion is a government that can turn around and determine you can’t have children when it suits its purpose. Be that forced sterilization, or as former policy in China, a restriction on how many children you are allowed to have.
Thanks, Joan. In you last paragraph you wrote "The white supremacists are openly saying their goal is a lager ratio of white people." I agree with you, but I believe they would like that ration to be 100% white to 0% people of color. America is a Gun, that's a short poem of just a few lines that make perfect sense.
Cafe Insider Preet Bharara writes this letter to his readers. All that follows is a direct quote from him:
Dear Reader,
Justice Clarence Thomas is famously reticent on the bench. He doesn’t talk much. He doesn’t ask questions often. He once went a full decade without making a single query of counsel at oral argument. But in the wake of the leaked Alito draft opinion that would undo Roe v. Wade and the ensuing protests, Thomas is raising his voice. But it is impossible to accept the truth of the matters he has asserted in recent out-of-court statements.
Speaking at a judicial conference in Georgia two weeks ago, Thomas said that, as a society, "we are becoming addicted to wanting particular outcomes, not living with the outcomes we don't like.” He went on: "We can't be an institution that can be bullied into giving you just the outcomes you want. The events from earlier this week are a symptom of that."
Well, that’s almost as rich as Elon Musk.
Let’s talk about outcomes and discuss who the addicts are. Thomas willfully ignores 49 years of agitation by anti-abortion activists who have never been able to abide an outcome they didn’t like.
Because of an addiction to a particular outcome, legislatures in at least 13 states have passed so-called trigger laws, which would ban abortion to varying degrees in the event Roe is overturned. The legislature in Texas, in passing the bounty provisions in SB8, and the legislature in Mississippi, in passing the anti-abortion law now being considered by the Supreme Court, announced loudly and clearly that they could not abide the outcome in Roe, which has been settled law for half a century.
Consider the endless campaign to alter the balance of the Court, a counter-majoritarian effort undertaken with particular zeal and focus. And the singular agenda item was to undo an outcome they have never liked or learned to live with.
Consider also the record of violence and murder (and bullying) by anti-abortion forces over the years.
In fact, in the wake of pervasive harassment and obstruction outside abortion clinics, in 1994 Congress passed the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act) to protect the rights guaranteed by Roe.
In July 1994, Paul Hill, an anti-abortion protester and former pastor, murdered Dr. John Bayard Britton and James H. Barrett, a clinic volunteer. The attack took place outside of a women’s health center.
In January 1998, anti-abortion activist Eric Rudolph planted and detonated a bomb outside of an abortion clinic in Birmingham, Alabama, killing Robert Sanderson, a security guard for the clinic. The other victim was Emily Lyons, a nurse at the clinic, who was maimed and left half-blind.
In October of that year, anti-abortionist James Kopp killed Dr. Barnett Slepian with a high-powered rifle. Dr. Slepian was standing in his kitchen with his family when Kopp shot him through the window.
In November 2015, Robert Lewis Dear Jr., shot 12 people in a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs. Three were killed while nine others were injured. Dear later turned himself in stating, “I am a warrior for the babies.”
According to an analysis by Vox, between 1977 and 2015, there were eight murders, 17 attempted murders, 42 bombings, and 186 arsons targeted at abortion clinics and providers across the United States.
Clarence Thomas is up in arms over some peaceful protests. He might think about all the murder and mayhem visited upon doctors and women and clinics since Roe was decided.
There is, of course, another rich irony in Thomas’s lecturing us about accepting outcomes. What, in recent times, is the least accepted outcome on the part of a radical group of conspiracy-theorists in America? It’s the election of 2020. We had a free and fair process. The outcome was that Biden won, and Trump lost. And yet we have legions of elected officials and Kraken lawyers and cable television hosts who have not learned to live with that outcome.
More than that, we had a group of violent rioters try to bully a co-equal branch of government into doing that which they could not achieve fair and square at the ballot box – installing Donald Trump in the White House for a second term. They didn’t hold up some signs on a street; they stormed the Capitol, chanted “Hang Mike Pence,” and looked for members of Congress to hurt.
More than that, among the group of deniers and insurrectionist sympathizers is Justice Thomas’s very own wife, who was advocating to the Trump circle that the election outcome must be reversed. Given his wife’s involvement in the Big Lie, instead of doing the ethical thing and recusing himself from matters relating to January 6th, Thomas has the nerve to berate peaceful pro-choice advocates about the need to accept outcomes they don’t like.
Here’s the thing about outcomes. People are more likely to live with one if the process leading to the outcome has indicia of fairness and good faith. If there is a perception of cheating or gamesmanship or mendacity, acceptance will naturally be more difficult. For many, the near certainty that Roe will be overruled is a hard pill to swallow for just these reasons. The denial of a seat to Merrick Garland; the rush to seat Amy Coney Barrett; the insincere reverence for settled precedents mouthed by various Republican nominees at their confirmation hearings; and the bad faith constitutional arguments contained in the draft opinion – all of these conspire to undermine the legitimacy of this new outcome, perceived to be wrought by radicals who couldn’t live with the last outcome.
Whatever else may be true, on the issue of living with outcomes you don’t like, Clarence Thomas should sit this one out.
Does he LAY it out! And this line for Thomas, 'Well, that’s almost as rich as Elon Musk.' Thank you Lynell. This is one hell of a letter from Preet Bharara. Bravo!
Morning, Lynell! When I read Dr Richardson’s letter this morning and Justice Thomas’s statement about “not living with outcomes we don’t like,” I choked. Literally.
Lecture your wife, you hypocrite. And by the way, understand that some of her friends see your interracial marriage as an abomination and seek to make it illegal.
Preet should be AG. He’s a man of strong clear legal opinions and takes action. That’s why Trump fired him. Why isn’t he on the front lines instead of off to the side making commentary?
And the cretin has the unmitigated gall to whine that the respect for the court is diminishing, what a tool. Preet, thank you for the reminders of the horror, we need them
Yes, Preet, this outline of the recent history of who doesn't like outcomes is perfect. And implicates (again) how complicit Thomas is in his "decisions". I hope he is impeached.
These people are descending on our democracy like a murder of crows. I hope the DOJ springs into action soon after the hearings on the events of January 6 and the attempt to overturn the 2020 election begins in June.
I’ve always loved the phrase of an investigation “ferreting out information”. Such a clever animal… the ferret. Well, it’s a “business of ferrets”! Hahahahaha! I’m going to keep that in my mind for the House Select Committee as they continue the business of ferrets in finding all the dirt and the dirtballs involved in the Jan 6th insurrection. The mudpie is growing enormously.
As unbearable as she can definitely be, I wish we had a few more like Pelosi. Smart, wise to the details of how the government functions, patient, a heat-seeking missile when she finally springs. I can't imagine where we would be if young AOC had succeeded in bumping her out of her position. I'm actually not sure we would survive a pandemic of Pelosi's. I have now fed my grandson Skittles and broccoli. My karma is trashed.
They're two old warriors and this last few years have been exactly this--a competition to determine the winner and, as usual, the liberal Democrat can't or won't sign on for a tough strategy and then deliver a couple of gut punches to Implement it. I absolutely do not understand what happens between. good policies/goals and the inability or unwillingness to get a little dirt on your hands to defend them.
"...skittles and broccoli" in that order? Or together? Inquiring minds want to know! And did anyone else watch the PBS documentary on Pelosi? My respect grew in leaps and bounds.
I have to confess I've always liked Pelosi. But, then, I generally like obnoxious, opinionated women of a certain age, being one myself. I have a small, one-serving custard bowl. I put four pieces of raw broccoli four raw baby carrots and sprinkled some Skittles pm top.
The Pope warned the U.S. Bishops not to "weaponize" the Eucharist but the San Fran Archbishop is one of those ultra-right, anti- Francis guys. He says his decision is "pastoral" but it is totally political and drippingly punitive.
Hi, Cathy. I wish the Catholic Church would stop shooting itself in the foot. Truly stupid behavior. I have had the impression for a long time that when human beings band together in large groups we don't act our best. Add religion to the mix and we turn into monsters and idiots.
That particular SF Archbishop routinely denies communion to anyone he thinks may be a member of the LGBTQ community (in SF!!), and anyone who is known to be active in the pro-choice movement or made public statements about supporting or having had an abortion. He has also publicly stated that the alleged pedophilia by Catholic priests is greatly exaggerated. A real gem of a priest.
Shame on the church's position on women, period! It's one major religion that does not permit women to officiate. The last I heard, churches were told to discontinue having girls be altar attendants, too. Right up there with the Mormons. (Don't get me started!)
I recommend Eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven for an understanding of the Catholic Church's view of sexual matters. It's been around for awhile and female professor lost her job at a Catholic university of writing it if memory serves me. I found out out, among other things, that women are up to all kinds of nefarious activities in the minds of men. And of course, to save ourselves from the temptations of women, let's go out and sit on top of a pillar in the desert. Both Augustine and Francis of Assisi had a good old time before they became more devoted to the religious life.
Me too! Thank you for this link, I'll use it right now ("a crash of rhinos", wow, never read that one) and likely wake up even more. I've become habituated to checking Letters From an American when I ought to be sleeping.
I protest the word "RANT". She is describing fact, clarifying the unhealthy atmosphere that the Rip-publicans are spreading on behalf of Trump. Nothing rant-y about her words....
Agree 100%- Heather's letters describe what's going on and always document the source of the information. It's the absence of ranting that lends so much gravitas to these letters.
Oops! Missed her word "rant". I completely agree with you. Heather is careful as a professional historian and essayist who hews to fact-based argument and completely avoids ad hominem attacks. Not so the person who used the word "rant" to denigrate Heather's well-composed essays without providing her own logic to support this claim. The denial of carefully-drawn, deductive reason is what makes listening to and responding to the current GOP and far right so frustrating. Self-reflection, even the capacity for it, are absent. In its place is willfulness; an I feel, therefore it's true state of mind. It's perfectly reflective of a selfish, self-centered way of living; anti-social and therefore necessarily un-democratic.
That's how I start my morning! But coffee is first, then my good friend Heather's letter (not rant even though I'm sure you meant it in the kindest of ways), then Wordle and then Quordle.
That's remarkably similar to my routine, though I do relish Wordle. (That, plus being a crossword addict, are attempts to keep my mind from turning to complete mush.) Friends and colleagues daily do a wide range of these Wordle-type puzzles--there are even some devoted to choral music and to classical music--but I try to exercise some restraint, or else I'd spend an entire day puzzle-solving! I'm already sedentary enough!!
6:13 EST, up since a 7-year-old climbed into my bed at 4:00. Is there a noun of multiplicity for a ? (feels like) a multiplicity of boys?? Suggestions welcome?
If you've ever had one of the free-range former-pet parrot flocks here in Los Angeles decide to take up residence in your neighborhood for awhile, you'll have a whole new definition of pandemonium. Personally, I love the little guys, all escapees to freedom.
Just like our dog that just loved stirring up other dogs who were "guarding" their gardens and making them impotently bark themselves silly as we passed by......with a big smile on our dog's face.
There is (was? been a few years) small flock of them in the Beverly neighborhood of the south side of Chicago. My brother used to feed them. Actually it fit, he had a beautiful yard with a deck around an above ground pool--he nurtured about a dozen potted palms he'd drag in every winter and they were all around the deck in the warm weather. He'd hoist a big pirate flag. The parrots added to the ambience!
I like a "coalition of cheetahs!" The name of the software program that I used in my working days was named Cheetah, to indicate to the user that they were the fastest at getting transcripts into the hands of their clients. It served me well for 40+ years.
Agreed. They take care of their young and carefully line up when they are moving to protect the most vulnerable. Their symbol should be something blood sucking....leeches maybe.
My singer colleagues came up with one for counter-tenors, or male altos/falsettists: a "hand-bag". Having a ton of counter-tenor friends, I can vouch for the aptness of "a hand-bag of counter-tenors..."
Oh, what a nest of lying vipers these lawyers have turned out to be! And as for Ginni she’s a quiver of cobras rolled into one!
Catherine Engelbrecht, leader of a bask of crocodiles, couldn’t hide her traitor’s glee either: "Jim [Bopp, a lawyer for True the Vote] was on a call this evening with [Trump lawyer] Jay Sekulow, [South Carolina Senator] Lindsey O. Graham, [Fox News Channel personality] Sean Hannity, and Larry Ellison…. He explained the work we were doing and they asked for a preliminary report asap, to be used to rally their troops internally, so that's what I'm working on now."
I'm still gobsmacked at the involvement of someone from a media concern at the higher echelons of our government. Imagine what the outcry from the right would be if someone from CNN, or MSNBC, or any mainstream media organisation was in the inner circle of the presidency, and still even broadcasting! (I think it was Jon Stewart who nicknamed Hannity "Lumpy", I think in honour of the doofus character on "Leave It To Beaver". That always made me smile...)
Larry Ellison giving millions to Lindsey O. Graham - The list of fascist billionaires and the puppets they fund continues to grow. These uber-rich fascists are using the money they grift from their “customers” to destroy our nation.
You insult crows with your linking of them to those who want to destroy our democracy. Crows are very intelligent birds that even recognize individual human faces in the wild. (I don't think they would fall for Trump's lies.) I much prefer Cathy L.'s "crash of rhinos". Rhinos are extremely near-sighted and not terribly smart, but are very aggressive and destructive when aroused.
I agree that rhinos have sight issues, but please don’t denigrate them by comparing them to this Republican morass. They, too, are very protective of their young and there’s nothing more joyful than a baby rhino “zooming” and full of energy. They’re also horribly endangered - unfortunately not the case with the current crop of traitors and insurrectionists.
On a happier note - a tower of giraffes. What a perfect visual.
I apologize. I had the image of Van Gogh's last painting in mind – the cornfield with crows descending upon it – accompanied by the knowledge that the artist then committed suicide. The tragedy seemed to match our current political crisis; our desperation; the metaphorical, impending suicide of our cherished democracy.
A murder of democracy is correct ... in plain site with enormous financial backing and committed supporters from every branch of government except the current administration (hopefully) that seems to be holding on with threads not quite sure how to subdue the evil of multiples. Meanwhile the conspiracy keeps growing in plain site and becomes more deeply embedded like a cancer. I am not sure our democracy has ever seen anything quite this systematic and pervasive before and has imagined any real treatments strong enough to combat this problem without destroying the foundations of a fragile democracy itself.
Along with holding CPAC in Hungary. They aren’t even hiding the fact that they want to destroy the America we live in. No American press allowed. RED FLAGS
Just because the DOJ is quiet and careful about disclosing their investigative methods does not mean they are inactive. I was apprehensive myself until several months ago when they hired a federal prosecutor (and more staff) specifically to fan out from insurrection to attempts to overturn the election. I believe Garland's promise to us. My man is Jaimie Raskin who said last month, "The committee hearings in June will expose every facet of the assault against our democracy and Constitution on 1/6" and that the revelations will "Blow the roof off the House." I'm so ready....
Sure hope you are right as I know this too what I want to happen. Still based on the past failures from Mueller to two failed impeachments. Important to note that the Fascist far right in all cases, blocked and then rallied around Trump and the agenda to destroy Democracy.
I love crows....maybe like vultures although they do have a role to play in nature. They are like bad air raising from the swamp and poisoning everything or cancer destroying the body from within.
I think I understand why the DOJ is being so quiet about this. The DOJ is waiting until after the November elections to give any visibility to what they are doing so they do not energize the MAGAettes and cause more Republicans to get out and vote.
How about before the November elections to energize the Democratic base and the centrists? But of course, Comey idiotically demonstrated how powerful a revelation can be before an election, so the DOJ is now loathe to repeat that error – to the detriment of our democracy!
I guess the calculus is whether you will energize more Democrats or more Republicans. I think the overturn of Roe is going to energize Democrats and Independents. I think going after the former guy would truly rile his base.
I admit you may be right. Perhaps, these days, truth isn't much appreciated in our country. The great unknown is by what percentage of the population is truth recognized, and if recognized, valued. Mmm, not so much, I think. So I sadly, wistfully, grudgingly, I agree.
Ellison's a strange guy. 30 years ago, he was a Clintonite, then he "got religion" and decided he was a Jew after all, and he became an Uber-Zionist and major partner/supporter with Netanyahu, or as I call him, Nitwityahoo, and has moved progressively right. Mostly he's just another good argument in favor of grabbing up the billionaire class, stuffing them in Musk's rockets, and firing them into the sun to Make The Universe Great Again.
TC Ellison has had as many divorces [4] as he’s had mega yachts. He loves to buy people and things. He spent zillions on the America Cup yacht race, often losing, but scoring an astonishing come from behind (1-8 to a 9-8 victory) against New Zealand last decade.
He’s like a little boy with an unlimited credit card—a billion here, a billion there…it begins to add up.
Wasn’t it Everett Dirksen who said “a billion here and a billion there, pretty soon you’re talking about real money.” He May have used “million” back then. We have progressed so much, hahahaha
Jeri In my youth a millionaire was someone who had a million in assets. Now it takes $10-50 million annually to operate some mega yachts. The rich get richer—don’t we have fun. Now there is a kerfuffle about folks who insist on taking a helicopter between NYC and the Hamptons for $800 one way/per person. (The bus or train is about $25).
He is still a clown with a flame thrower. A MAGAt who lives on the floor below me is a devotee. Has pics and signs all over. He is still her hero as she wears a shirt with Biden and parasite under it
Lived in his Redwood City neighborhood for a while. Ignored the building permits when building his house and just paid the fine. Same with am/pm times allowed for flying in/out small airport, just kept paying the fines until they barred him. BFF with Mark Zuckerberg also.
Ellison built an outrageously expansive Japanese-style home in Woodside, CA, $11 million or so at the time 20+ years ago. Local property taxes are what fund the public schools in certain affluent communities in CA. They are called Basic Aid districts. The tax proceeds on Larry’s ego mansion were significant for the local school district in which my children were students. He insisted that the county assessor reassess the property to reduce his tax burden as the estate was so unique, reselling it in the future would be difficult and he would not recoup his original investment. The property was reassessed at a lower value and the school district lost a tremendous amount of funding. I would flip Larry the bird every time I drove past the guard house. I still do, in fact, all this time later.
Jeri, I think that you vastly understate Peter Thiel. Wrote a comment about him once having to do with is backing of Trump's social media -- whatever happened with that and other matters he is/was engaged with. Next time I'm on his case, I'll post you.
As the list of co-conspirators in the 2020 tragi-comic attempt to defraud the American people of their duly elected president, President Biden, grows ever longer, I find myself getting very upset, even very very upset. Then, Sidney Powell and Rudi Guilty-who-me, pull up in front of the What House in a clown car and request that the day be cancelled for TOTAL lack of interest, President Trump in his hair helmet-hardhat waltzes around the crowd of cracked incompetents with his Covid-19 breath spray and his trick lapel flower squirt gun that never fails to get lots of laughs. I slap myself twice because none of the criminal conspirators shows any sign that anything awful has, and is, happening, and I wonder if I've fallen asleep and wasn't getting the joke. Now, the windpower EKG I'm wearing with the propeller cap feeding on all the hot air about the place sends me flashing red lights that indicate I'm really getting upset, almost angry. Perhaps I exaggerate a bit, maybe cheesed-off is better. I respond by speed-dialing my pay-by-the month dial-a-prayer number and Bob Dylan tells me if I'm not annoyed, almost angry about what I see happening, I'm probably near 9 out of 8 on the brain-death scale. I silently start to raise my voice, muttering gee gosh, holy moly, pants on fire, but I turn any rage I feel inside my personal black hole and ask Alice when the Keystone Cops will arrive to remove these crispy Creeps to a free AttaBoy buffet at the Not Ok Corral for the Ring-a-ding-ding signet ring kissing party. Plato comes out of his coo-coo clock and confesses no one ever admits to doing evil on purpose. With reality-tv, don't get upset, tell yourself you don't feel the actual pain you feel twisting your ear like a wind-up child's duck, swear in nine languages—just wait for the moment of complete calm that comes with the commercial break. I must be cross wired, I still feel very, very upset as a coup happens before my own eyes and no one but I finds it odd that it's all happening without proper chickens. Watching this outrageous display of anger might be really upsetting for you. Sorry. There's a pill for everything. I suggest the blue one.
Your comment is wonderfully long because it doesn't stop laughing. Oh, sorry, it was me laughing. I had to collect myself after each line and that got harder and harder to do. Can't wait to read your notes each day of the hearings. Where can I get me a 'windpower EKG' sadpanic? Good name, (yours) perfect fit. Thanks!
Sadpanic, you've put into words the way many of us feel....is this for real? or are we living inside the mini-car with a bunch of clowns waiting to be free from this foolishness?
I'll never forget the response of Justice Scalia to all of us who felt hit and run over by the 2000 Bush-Gore presidential race, decided for Bush by nine registered voters of the Supreme Court after a potty-break; so carefully reasoned, and tactfully articulated, in the guy-spirit of equal USA citizen to USA citizen. He said, if you recall, "Get over it." As a birth certified Boomer ('46), let me ask, "Isn't it the right time for liberals to make the future their main talking-point: it's time to clear out the files, empty the waste-paper baskets and pass the baton to fresh intelligence, before the dead-on-arrival reactionaries bring in more fraternity and sorority rusher-gladhanders like Gaetz, Green, Hawley, and Co, short on "IQ" and long on "Q". And, from behind the curtain, remember the cyborg master of the puppet show Stephen Miller, a medium grind pole dancer with a bald-guy complex (I'm partially bald). McConnell dreams of nothing other than preserving his political aims of governance obstruction by getting toadies elected and packing the courts with mindless Ivy League School graduates given degrees to get rid of them sooner rather than later. As I look forward to the fatal welcome of the victory lap ahead, I see McConnell slapping the backs of the race officials trying to get the rules changed to allow running with an eleven-speed electric-powered walker and and off-camera hand-held video-game controls needed to communicate with the micro-chips animating the titanium joints of the venerable members of the still electable walking dead. It was some time back in the palpable ago that Bob Dylan suggested, checking his zodiac wrist-watch with the blood-pressure sensor, that "The Times They Are A'Changing." Sadpanic (my schizo-other) and I are so appreciative of your kind and dangerous recognition—for which (warning) you may receive trash messages.
A number of years ago, the earth slipped a micro, whatever tiny measurement, on its axis. I’m convinced we entered an alternative universe at that time. IMO there is no other explanation for the shit show we are in. 😵💫
Lyneli, I can't thank you enough for the symbol with the colors of Ukraine's flag, a blue sky over a field of wheat. You're making me cry, and I was only trying to be very upset about the January 6, 2020 attempted heist. A good cry goes a long way.
Jeri There is hope for us ‘black holders.’ Did you see the extraordinary Hubble photos of a black hole? I think I saw my ancestor’s home there. They got out of it—and so shall we!
I am gobsmacked that so many perpetrators in the BIG LIE and January 6th insurrection against Congress and the Constitution are able to protest 1/6 committee subpoenas interminably—presumably until the Republicans control the House and deep six the 1/6 committee.
As a non-lawyer, I thought that the unanimous Supreme Court 1974 ruling on the Nixon Watergate tapes established that criminal action abolished any White House claim of ‘executive privilege’ in withholding documents. Clearly, all of these shenanigans by Eastman, Powell, Giuliani, and countless other gum shoes are awash in conspiracy and a coup against the Constitution.
The public hearings of the 1/6 House Committee are scheduled to commence (far too late) in June. I impatiently await for Attorney General Garland to drop the other shoe with indictments against the Trump Mafiosos and, perhaps, against Jabba the Hutt.
This is late May, 2022. The BIG LIE commenced in November, 2020 followed by the January 6, 2021 insurrection. To quote Elisa in My Fair lady: MOVE YOUR BLOODY ARSE!
Morning, all!! Morning, Dr. R!! Wow, these voting machines that are counting lots of wins for R's (both in 2020 and primary) really need to be reined in. Thanks, Pillow Guy!!!
Speaking of Secretary of State ABLinken, who not only is a rock star but makes a pretty good ambassador for all things USA, weighs in with Stephen Colbert. Below are the links to his interview. Sorry this is in pieces but that's how I could find all of it, and to me all of it is well worth watching.
I love these links! Blinken is a great representative for the US. Not only that, he has a terrific sense of humor and plays the guitar. What’s not to love?
On playing the guitar, when he said, "The best audience we have tends to be very young children who haven't developed critical faculties," I nearly fell out of my chair! The best argument for teaching critical thinking skills?
Each day of late I think why do not We The People file a Class Action Lawsuit against these politicians and against the Supreme Court. Who is set to adjudicate such a case? Currently it seems like the President is not allowed to even exist in his job because every single thing he does the Republicans go to court and the Republican dominated Supreme Court just overturns whatever he does. I think We The People need to sue the Republicans for undermining our system of government. And, I think it is time for Democrats to start openly saying that we will not accept any election in which Republicans just put Republicans in place, or deny Democrats opportunities to vote. We will sue and we should use the Republican playbook. No point in reinventing the wheel. We can take things up to the Supreme Court and if we do not like what the Supreme Court says we can deny it and get everyone saying this is not legitimate, just like the Republicans have been doing, only the difference is that we will be right. We can start off by saying STOP THE STEAL! Let us see how they handle that. I am advocating that everyone on this list serve put this right back in their faces, and in the words of John Lewis, make good trouble. We need to start doing it now, so that while they are all gathering all self assured in Hungary we are getting ready to salvage our democracy. We need to let them know that a government that the people do not accept as legitimate is not going to fly. What need to do what we should have done when Al Gore was deposed by the so called hanging chads. We should not accept anything that does not seem legitimate. Any state where they make laws that do not jibe with free and fair elections we need to take it to court. If they refuse then there is going to be massive non acceptance of the legitimacy of the government and there should be planning now on what that will look like. I am a big believer in contingency plans.
I think we have to have elections first where they actually do steal the vote and then we can do this, but should be ready for it because I see it coming. I did mention it to Moveon. org that their political team think of adding that to their strategies in addition to supporting candidates. They said they would consider it. I guess the first thing is to find a lawyer or lawyers who would be willing to take this on. I can ask at the U of C policy Institute if they have any suggestions. That is where I will start and see where it will lead.
Yes. They are trying to Steal the elections by making statements like I will choose the electors for my state if I win, and things like that, instead of using the electors that win for the state. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/may/22/pennsylvania-josh-shapiro-democrat-republican-rival-doug-mastriano Or not letting people vote. Removing them from the roles. Not letting them vote by mail, or throwing ballots out if they are likely to be democratic.
I think it is becoming plain as day now that, unless the January 6 committee public hearings make such huge waves that the corrupt Trump ship is capsized, the Republicans will wipe out our democracy. There will be several Trumpist Secretaries of State elected in a few purple states who will throw the election to their side. Lawsuits may be filed but anyone who trusts our current Supreme Court to maintain our democracy just has not been paying attention. And when angry progressive voters and Democrats scream about a stolen election the Republicans will just jeer. “Hey,” they will say, “where were you when we cried about our stolen election in 2020?” Unless the January 6th committee really has an impact, Democrats won’t have a powerful answer.
Let’s not forget though, there are two Repubs on this committee thus, making it bipartisan. Whatever the 1/6 committee has discovered, believe me, it will be sent to the Justice department, if it hasn’t already.
"The Justice Department wants the transcripts; the [January 6] committee wants any relevant evidence the Justice Department has. Legal analyst Glenn Kirschner tweeted: “Whether this was always the DOJ plan (& whether the J6 committee knew it or not), important info has been developed by the J6 panel that would not have been developed had the witnesses been subpoenaed to the grand jury (as they would have pled the 5th).” He added: “If the J6 committee investigation HAD taken a back seat to a DOJ grand jury investigation, we would go years w/out knowing what any of the 1000+ witness[es] had said. But now, we’ll have a front row seat to it all beginning June 9 AND all of those transcripts can be used in the GJ!”
This is exactly why the Republiqans cried “foul” about the J-6 committee; they were afraid that information gathered would be shared with DOJ and used against them. Oh well, too bad, so sad 😁.
This Scenario has been my nightmare. There was plenty of election fraud in 2020, on the Repub side. If repubs even come close to winning in 2024, Rupert Murdoch will have a field day blathering self-righteous crap, and Dems will have NO voice that can drown out the horror. Propaganda is nothing if not loud, persistent and successful.
Particularly if one is over 40! I keep telling my kids to get a move on …..time is running out! Hell, I’m more than willing to be nanny to Jacinda Ardern’s child!
We can only hope that the Committee members can cut through the noise and figure out just how much of what these people are doing is based on their fanaticism and malevolence, and how much is intentional "culture jamming".
They're taking brutal advantage of our legal system's insistence on objectivity, and that forces the 'good guys' to consider their clown antics as gravely as they must those times when the clown pulled a knife and cut somebody. I just hope when this is all over that besides bringing these criminals to justice, that we learn how to proof our system aginst recurrances.
A good start beyond fixing Citizens United might be a hardened code of judicial ethics, along with specific punishments for political malpractice.
Yes, that is one of the purposes of the Committee......to gather evidence to determine what new legislation is needed, and where, to prevent the Jan 6 insurrection from happening again. They have no power to indict or convict.
The DOJ will. Had these insurrectionists first been subpoened by the DOJ, they all would have taken the 5th:
"The Justice Department wants the transcripts; the [January 6] committee wants any relevant evidence the Justice Department has. Legal analyst Glenn Kirschner tweeted: “Whether this was always the DOJ plan (& whether the J6 committee knew it or not), important info has been developed by the J6 panel that would not have been developed had the witnesses been subpoenaed to the grand jury (as they would have pled the 5th).” He added: “If the J6 committee investigation HAD taken a back seat to a DOJ grand jury investigation, we would go years w/out knowing what any of the 1000+ witness[es] had said. But now, we’ll have a front row seat to it all beginning June 9 AND all of those transcripts can be used in the GJ!”
You're right! All of which makes holding the House and preventing a GOPer takeover so important. This would be one of the significant consequences of blowing the midterms.
Thank you for this powerful letter Heather. I absolutely love some of the conversations today. Lately I've been trying to determine when America lost a shared sense of ethics, morals, and holding offenders accountable. Public schools are one issue. Teachers are paid so poorly and teaching to testing has been a failure. That there are so many who believe and support the lies astounds. Also, when athletes and ¨stars¨ have gotten away with cheating, lying, abusive behavior, many young people have begun to see that integrity and ethics don't matter. The Me Too movement finally began to hold abusers accountable around the world, but, in the U.S., that could change. Here in Europe many, many were shocked that America voted for Trump. And this, ¨Justice Thomas was apparently talking about the leak of the draft decision overturning Roe v. Wade when on May 6 he told a group of judges and lawyers that our justice system is in danger if people are unwilling to “live with outcomes we don’t agree with,” is the keg of dynamite we are sitting on now because it says what they all now believe. If they don't want it, they'll create their own and damn the rest of us because one of them became president of the United States and got away with every deadly sin. And grew richer while in office. I'm beginning to visualize the dissolution of the states and the creation of countries. California would be the 5th largest country in the world and would no longer have to support those poor Southern states where the worst offenders holding office reign. There is just nothing united about my country anymore, and if the democrats don't take the mid terms.......................................
I too wonder when America lost it's sense of ethics. When lobbiests became office holders? Citizens United decision wasn't even enough to wake up the masses.
How will we deal with the traitors of our country?
‘As the hearings on the events of January 6th and the attempt to overturn the 2020 election approach, the extent of the operation is becoming clearer.’ (Letter)
What followed was a parade of shady characters made smaller as their plans to overthrow the United States of America were described. Upon finishing it, the country’s founding documents, presidents and national holidays came to mind. But, no, I’ll begin at the beginning, instead, to see this band of traitors against the country’s earliest days.
‘1492: An Ongoing Voyage’
‘What Came To Be Called “America”
'By 1492 people had lived in the Western Hemisphere for tens of thousands of years. For much of this time it is believed that they experienced virtually no recorded, sustained contact with other parts of the world—Europe, Africa, or Asia.'
'Millions of people lived in an area some five times the size of Europe. In strikingly diverse habitats and climates they developed possibly the most varied and productive agriculture in the world. Their lifestyles and belief systems differed widely and they spoke hundreds of distinct languages.'
'Throughout the hemisphere, states and centers of high civilization had risen and fallen. The dynamic Mexica (Aztec) and Inca empires were still expanding at this time and internal migration and warfare were common. The peoples did not see themselves as part of an entity. Only later would this area be given a unifying name—America—and the people labeled “Indians” by Europe.'
'We have focused on five geographical areas of the region to represent the variety and complexity of peoples and cultures before 1492: the Caribbean, Middle America, the Andean region, the South Atlantic, and North America. In order to understand what came to be called America we are often dependent on European observations.'
'In late August, 1619, 20-30 enslaved Africans landed at Point Comfort, today's Fort Monroe in Hampton, Va., aboard the English privateer ship White Lion. In Virginia, these Africans were traded in exchange for supplies. Several days later, a second ship (Treasurer) arrived in Virginia with additional enslaved Africans. Both groups had been captured by English privateers from the Spanish slave ship San Juan Bautista. They are the first recorded Africans to arrive in England's mainland American colonies.'
'The landing of the first Africans in Virginia is one of the most significant events we interpret. Although English colonists in Virginia did not invent slavery, and the transition from a handful of bound African laborers to a legalized system of full-blown chattel slavery took many decades, 1619 marks the beginning of race-based bondage that defined the African American experience.'
'The United States dates its origins to not one but two founding moments: the drafting of the Constitution in 1787 and the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The foundation of the American government, its purpose, form, and structure, are in the Constitution of the United States. The Constitutional Convention adopted the Constitution on September 17, 1787.'
We formed a system of government with all the eligible members of a state, through elected representatives.
The Constitution of the United States is a document that serves as the fundamental law of the country. It established how the federal and state governments should be organized, and it guarantees a number of basic rights and liberties to American citizens.
The Bill of Rights is the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution. It spells out Americans’ rights in relation to their government. It guarantees civil rights and liberties to the individual—like freedom of speech, press, and religion. It sets rules for due process of law and reserves all powers not delegated to the Federal Government to the people or the States. And it specifies that “the enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.” There are 27 Constitutional Amendments in all. The 27th Amendment, which was originally proposed in 1789, was not ratified until 1992.'
The first three words of the Constitution are “We the People.” The document says that the people of the United States choose to create the government. “We the People” also explains that people elect representatives to make laws. This is a form of self-government.
The United States of America has moved forward and backward in carrying out its obligations to these democratic principles. The band of traitors featured in today's Letter are a small number of the entire cast out to destroy all we have created in their own self interest. The BAND of TRAITORS are the enemies of 'we the people' -- enemies of all Americans and of our democracy.
These traitors think that they are not done with us, but, in truth, WE ARE NOT DONE WITH THEM.
“Authored by a former California state senator and gun rights fundamentalist named H.L. Richardson, “Confrontational Politics” is essentially a how-to guide for a Christian nationalist insurgency in the United States. “There can be no compromises with the Left,” Richardson writes. “We are ideologically at opposite ends of the spectrum with no arbitration possible. Either they win or we do. They will run the government or we will. That’s the only choice open to either of us. They know it — shouldn’t we?”
Richardson prescribes an aggressive style of politics that’s always, always on the offensive, that is constantly attacking its opponents, provoking them, screaming over them, and wearing them down. Never apologize. Exploit “hot button issues” that inspire “deep emotion” and “moral righteousness” to gain followers.”
Steve, I'm not surprised that you brought a bucket of HOT STUFF. Although not unfamiliar with what has been happening in Idaho, the article you linked told me how little I knew beyond a broad outline. I was attentive to Idaho, lieutenant governor, Janice McGeachin's election results, but now realize that no relief is warranted as a result of her loss. My mind went WILD as I read the article - another state on the frontier of madness. I visited a friend who used to live in Boise couple of times about 10 years ago -- have times changed!
The article is filed on my computer and know that you will keep the stream of knowledge open between us.
How are you doing? I'm not going to brag but still clean, cook, research, advocate and care. Here's to you dropping a line when you can. With interest!
NOT DONE WITH THE BAND OF TRAITORS! Hello, Steve! Great to see you. I completed your 'No, - ' because I couldn't figure out what you were referring to. I didn't think I was that slow this morning. Cheers, Steve!
Have you heard of the “Greater Idaho” movement? We’ve got counties in Oregon that want to secede to Idaho because their values are “better represented”. I’ve got other (mostly retired cop friends) moving there in droves.
MaryPat, Good morning. Please a few words about you, either here or on TAFM. Haven't been there yet -- having trouble keeping my head up. How about just a few words here?
Thank you, Barbara. I regretted that I hadn't highlighted the whites taking over, but that's obvious to most on the forum. Next time, I'll do better. Cheers!
If all of this wasn't so disturbing, it would be laughable. Eastman's defense, and those of others, defy logic. Were the coup perpetrators so drunk on their fervor for power and hatred of democracy that they believed none of this would ever come to light? If they weren't so dangerous they'd be seen as buffoons.
The facts are coming together. Only a fool argues with the Truth when it’s staring him in the face. Or one who believes he (or she) is above the Law. Todays letter gathers together facts that are backed by evidence. These fools are in our government. Or are wannabes. REPUGS. . They suffer from an ancient disease.
Diagnosis: HUBRIS
“English picked up both the concept of hubris and the term for that particular brand of cockiness from the ancient Greeks, who considered hubris a dangerous character flaw capable of provoking the wrath of the gods. In classical Greek tragedy, hubris was often a fatal shortcoming that brought about the fall of the tragic hero. Typically, overconfidence led the hero to attempt to overstep the boundaries of human limitations and assume a godlike status, and the gods inevitably humbled the offender with a sharp reminder of their mortality.”
If you don’t already follow Seth Abramson, I recommend that you do so. He started writing about Ginni Thomas & her involvement in the January 6th insurrection on 01/30/22.
I’m hoping that the public hearings have an impact on those voters who lean conservative but don’t blindly follow Trump. The elections this year are key for the ability of Congress to dig deep & reveal the truth behind this attempt to overthrow our government.
And that's what we need now, turning the tide. The J6 committee is gathering facts that the DOJ can then use to prosecute. But, what we most need is to change public opinion among good, moderate Republicans against the fascism of tRump.
I watched them also. It was the contents of the tapes--Nixon's vile opinions and plotting and scheming--did more than Sam Erwin to turn people against him. And neither turned all the Republicans turned against him; many felt he'd been railroaded to resign by the Goldwater branch of the Republicans.
The justification of the coup includes the complete demonization of the party of reason, the party that does not support an oligarchy / theocracy / authoritarian government. Nancy Pelosi has now been denied communion, as was Joe Biden previously, by the Catholic Church. Would that not make this church a political organization, thereby becoming ineligible for tax-exempt status? Because it seems to me the church is being pointedly political in choosing one “sin” for denying communion in a media blitz, and it’s not for actually having an abortion but for politically supporting a woman’s right to make that choice— what about divorce? Adultery? Sexual assault? Treason? Lying? Bullying? Theft? Deceptive business practices? Cheating? Ignoring the needs of the poor? Racism? Assault? Is communion denied for any of these sins, with an accompanying media blitz, with the goal of influencing elections? No. The church has grows more and more hollow with every such pronouncement, and meanwhile, our democracy is burning. As for our Supreme Court, I fear they are cheering for the arsonists.
A Roman Catholic friend of mine related the story of how when she attended mass in an church in another city where she was visiting, the priest specifically told those present how to vote. She stood up, addressing him, saying "Father, you cannot do that." Her words were ignored, and when she asked a friend how to contact that city's Archbishop, she was told not to bother, "they're all like that." Of course they are not ... but many are. And this applies to other faiths as well.
Hi Jack, the " many are" you refer to have unfortunately taken the leadership reins of the US Conference of Bishops. The Conference is almost as ideologically divided as our country. They climbed into bed with the far right evangelicals and Republican big donors a while back. The internal politics of the contemporary U.S. church rivals any external politics! But, clearly, their choice to be politically partisan in the public arena ( under guise of a pro-life (really pro-birth) and religious freedom agenda) has not only gambled with their tax exemption status but also has frittered away any moral capital they may have had left after the debilitating clergy sexual abuse scandal. A few high placed Bishops see things differently but, not unlike the Dems, are seemingly paralyzed in the face of it all.
https://www.jta.org/2022/05/19/opinion/overturning-roe-would-be-an-unconscionable-infringement-on-the-religious-freedom-of-orthodox-jews
Here is a fabulous article making the case that overturning Roe would be an unconscionable infringement on the religious freedom of orthodox Jews. Jewish law goes back over 5,000 years or something like that. I had really been wondering why Freedom of Religion wasn't part of the discussion arguing against Alito's draft position on Roe. Alito also ignores Amendment 9 of the Bill of Rights which should be an integral part of originalist thinking. "The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people." The Constitution explicitly says it is not naming all the rights RETAINED BY THE PEOPLE. To me that means if the significant majority of the people say it is their right it is a right. Time to impeach Alito and Thomas.
Another thing I like about the explanation of Jewish Law in this article is a theme I've been stating many times over. The OR world of black and white is just not sufficient in dealing with all the implications of many issues in life and most certainly in a women's choice. To me Patriarchy is the OR world - you're right or wrong, one up or one down, very primitive. The AND world is egalitarianism where you have the Synergy of multiple perspectives brought together to come up with better solutions for all.
This was a very good article and actually, surprising for me to know that the Orthodox Jews want to protect the woman. Traditionally, the man is seen as the breadwinner, the ruler of the home, etc. The wife is the cook, the cleaner, the educator. I am happy to see there is somewhat of a realistic and caring viewpoint from them.
Per the Mishna and Talmud, the fetus is a part of the woman's body ("like her thigh bone") until it has left her body. And it is not fully human until "God breathes life into it as He did to Adam."
There are several faith traditions that the fetus is not alive until it's first breath.
Can't wait to see what the theocrats on the Supreme Court do with these facts.
Respectfully, those aren't facts, those are beliefs. The concept of viability is relatively new, due to observations of prenatal development, and modern medicine's ability to keep a premature birth alive by mechanical interventions. Thus, viability becomes earlier and earlier– weeks before a newborn could survive out of the womb. Even though most Americans want legal abortions, there is an uncomfortable gray area about when a fetus becomes a baby. Personally, I ask myself if I could abort a pregnancy in the final trimester, and I could not unless things went terribly wrong. These are the dilemmas many Americans face; no abortions vs all abortions whenever. The majority opinion lies somewhere in between. I believe Roe vs. Wade needs revamping, not dissolution, and certainly not by a mandate of 5 very strange guys on the SCOTUS.
The point is, different religions have different beliefs, none of which should be running our secular government, but also none of which represent all religious people. Third trimester abortions happen when a pregnancy goes terribly wrong. Intruding politicians into such difficult times does no good to any one.
Amen, Joan!
Agree!
I think you hit the nail on the head. We are supposed to have a clear separation of church and state. The Bill of Rights states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion“. This is often interpreted to require separation of church and state.” There are still issues in balancing the establishment clause and the free exercise clause. There are several US Supreme Court cases revolving around this issue trying to parse what is and is not a violation of the establishment clause.
The question of when a fetus becomes a person was settled for Catholics when the Pope decided the soul enters the body at conception. This standard seems to have been taken up by evangelicals, even though they don’t recognize papal authority. The whole conservative stand on abortion turns on a religious answer to what should be a scientific question. But science can’t answer this particular question in a way Christian conservatives like, and apparently they don’t care what Jews think, either.
Well stated!
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I agree with your ideas here, Hope. But as Joan says, no one's religious beliefs or personal choices should be running our government. And I personally think men should butt out of the conversation. It falls largely to the woman to bear and raise the child. It's mainly her "labor" which births and nourishes the child through at least the first years. Men have no idea of the cost of a woman's energies in doing this. (And, in addition, many women work full time jobs and care for their parents and take care of the house!)
Viability is also a delicate idea, at best. I recently read a piece by a Neonatologist that described the process of ATTEMPTING to keep a very premature infant alive, and it fails most of the time. These babies are too underdeveloped to survive without extreme measures that too often are simply not enough, and the babies that do survive often have severe disabilities. It's a slippery slope.
Don't forget the one strange Handmaiden.
White is not white, Black is not black. Abortion is horrible; the alternative may be far worse.
Hope, You have interest in further inquiry into the role of religion with reference to the abortion rights and to Roe v. Wade. The following is just one source.
'Abortion, Justice, and Religion - Center for American'
Progresshttps://www.americanprogress.org › article › abortion-j...
'Feb 17, 2022 — So, laws banning abortion are a freedom of religion on two fronts. First of all, they theoretically impose one notion about when life begins or... '
Thank you, Fern. I so respect your many inputs here that I wish we could meet in person someday. Namaste!
Namaste. Do we live near one another? Wouldn't it be wonderful if groups of us could meet together semi-annually?
IGNORE, if it doesn't make THEIR case.
In traditional Jewish communities, the ideal occupation for a man is religious study. Although scholars are partially supported by other men who work in paying jobs, wives commonly produce income (and quite literally make the bread). It’s a very different culture from Christian fundamentalism.
Did you know that Steve Schmidt is completing his studies to become a Jew? Republican to Democrat. Christian to Jewish. Steve seems to be getting it right.
He also tweeted this week that Rupert Murdoch is a naturalized citizen and there is a process for denaturalizing. Apparently is happened to Murdoch in England.
and Australia made it clear Rupert Murdoch and his media empire were not particularly welcome.
I look forward to a critical analysis of the “King of the Snake Pit” some day.
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From WaPo in Jan 1981 “At a dinner last month in Washington Honoring MR Murdoch for his work on behalf of Mr. Reagan, Representative Jack Kemp, a New York Republican, said “Rupert Murdoch used the editorial page, the front page, and every other page necessary to elect Ronald Reagan President.” “. Rupert has been the power behind the evil for more decades than is commonly known. His take over of our communication system was planned, executed and put in place while Reagan Democrats were still celebrating. Bill Moyers noticed
Religion and Politics are really two sides of the same coin. Both require moral “decisions” and “tribal” loyalties (loosely interpreted). Schmidt’s dual switch is not only unsurprising, but predictable. Good for him.
That has always been a standard in that culture. I’ve seen it in many Jewish homes that I grew up with having many Jewish friends in junior high school.
The woman is the rib???
Well, I’ve always said, without the ribs, a man would deflate like a punctured balloon full of hot air.
Thank you for my first big grin of the am here on the left coast. Just up with my first cup of coffee which fortunately I was not drinking when I read your post.
Smart woman. I’m still learning that coffee should be sipped and swallowed before reading. That way, my cat doesn’t get showered and I don’t have to clean up one more time before continuing to read. 😎
“Man was created out of woman’s rib because he should stand beside her, not rule over her or stamp her under his foot”.
Better source material than the dust man was fashioned from.
Wait! Orthodox men separate themselves from women. At least in NYC, women must sit in the back of busses, walk behind men and all the other trappings of unreformed beliefs. Of course, as with conservative Catholics and all religions, appreciate the person, but religions restrictions are so outdated regardless.
In Ultra Orthodox practices, women walk ten paces behind the man. My viewpoint about religion is that mostly all of them create barriers. My parents used to tell me I would marry a Jewish lawyer or a doctor. I rebelled and married a nice Irish Catholic boy. We had two girls and we claimed their religion was JIrish. This marriage has lasted 46 years.
No one claimed that Orthodox Judaism is a feminist practise. The claim is twofold: one, Orthodox Judaism is not Christian fundamentalism. two, government laws forbidding abortion violate the religious freedom of Orthodox Jews, whose religious law not only places such decisions in the hands of the pregnant person, but actually requires abortion when it is necessary to save the life of the pregnant person.
This is relevant to the Roe v Wade discussion because the reactionaries are claiming to speak in the name of all religion. They do not. They do not even speak in the name of all right wing religious people. Many Orthodox Jews in the US have in fact seen Republicans as the lesser evil and voted accordingly. They are a group some of whom are going to vote differently as a result of the Alito opinion.
I've said this before but it bears repeating, a great read is A J Jabob's book "A Year of Living Biblically" So enlightening, so darn right spit out your coffee funny, so sincere, its among the top ten books I always recommend!
I believe that all religion is humanly created mumbo jumbo mind control. But as a "goy" who has lived with and loved Jews for 50 plus years, I have always respected the continuous discussion factor. There is this endless re-examination of how traditions and rules should apply to an ever changing world. In a sense, it's how the Founders of our Nation viewed the Constitution.
I guess the only religious tradition I find even slightly worthwhile is a Seder. There is a discussion! Hardship followed by success! I like the food :) There is wine. Lots of wine.
And I can attest from more than one personal experience, the role of the woman, the mother, the sister in Jewish life is powerful in a way that is quite special. And often, quite wise.
The tradition I truly admire is the Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah, the coming of age ceremony for young teenagers, something sorely missing in American culture. In front of the entire community, they recite all the passages studied and memorized, receive testimony, and generally are told -here are all these great privileges you now have....and here are your new responsibilities. Young people are desperate for an opportunity to demonstrate their readiness for adulthood if we would just give them the chance.
Unfortunately, my experience was that, after several years of Hebrew school (after regular school 4 days/wk), I could read Hebrew, like a parrot, but did not know what the words meant. So the passage of the Torah I read during my Bar Mitzvah was a complete mystery to me. Neither the Rabbi nor anyone else ever discussed it with me. A great waste of time and a lost opportunity. At the time I was a "good boy" and just did what I was told. When I visited Israel many years later, I realized the depth of the problem. Now in (sort of) old age (81) I've taken up the study of Hebrew for enlightenment, but also as a form of "revenge". I've heard from several friends and acquaintances that this method of teaching was common in Hebrew schools at the time. I don't know about now. Also, as far as I know, there were no Bat Mitzvahs in those days, and the women in our congregation sat upstairs in the gallery of the synagogue, separate from the men. It was an Orthodox but not fanatic congregation, although, with the separation of the sexes, one may dispute that. I have no comment.
Thanks you for sharing your personal experience & observations, only-oldish J.!
Coming of age rituals are missing in so many different ways, and the various kinds of wisdom passed down from elders in those initiations. That's what Robert Bly and James Hollis created in their men's groups, and I am honored to be in one modeled on their inspiration.
Recipe for a perfect world. How comprehensive, inclusive and inspiring. I imagine this document generates lively discussion in your classroom. If our Founding Fathers had access to this document when framing The Constitution generations ago, there would be a lot less ambiguity for the Supreme Court to quibble over.
..."religion is humanly created mumbo jumbo mind control." I disagree with your statement. Religions were manifested to give voice to that other part of ourselves that realizes beatific visions in nature, the rapture of seeing a birth, and the explicable yearning for that which lifts us up. The basic concepts are pure. There are millennia of pure devotees to a religion just as there are are people who will deface anything for their own use.
I personally believe that until humanity regains their spiritual center either through an organized religion or a personal spiritual journey based on some core fundamentals we will never ever respect and care of this planet.
Religion can and has connected us with that undefinable sacred center in ourselves.
It sounds as if you are referring to a type of personal spirituality. I suspect that brings you peace and happiness. Sounds great. I have mine as well.
When I say "religion" I am referring to the institutions that have declared theirs to be "the one true faith" and slaughtered those who did not agree. There are a few admirable faith systems for sure. But most organized religions have an awful track record.
I suspect that if we sat down over a cup of coffee and compared values, we would find much in common. But as far as I can see right now, most "Christians" have left the teachings of Jesus in the dust and are now leading promoters of intolerance, exclusion, hate and pure evil.
I make a distinction between spirituality and religion, too.
So agree, Bill. Many a current-day “Christian” could hardly declare themselves true Jesus followers.
Nice. I had not jumped to a specific assumption about your personal path. But reflecting on your original comment, it makes so much sense!
I am at my best when I follow the Tao. I need to revisit the book. I keep it nearby. It helps me "settle my dust".
I like the science of the mind of Tibetan Buddhism. The study and practice of Buddhist concepts keeps me on my mental toes; especially for my Western mind. It's the meditation aspect that settles my dust and actually makes me a nicer person to be around.
And the Tao is so lovely. With its own set of challenges. Those koans....... Wait a minute. Zen has the koans. Right? My apology.
Beautiful thoughts.
"Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose." -- from the great song "Me & Bobby McGee" by Kris Kristofferson. Thanks for the article Cathy. Making laws about something that is a decision that should be made by a woman and her doctor is totally wrong. If Roe is overturned by this so-called "Supreme" court, all hell will break lose. That hell being what over 20 states using what is called 'triggers' to make a woman's right to choose illegal and in many cases a felony for her. These mostly old men have no right to overturn Roe, for if they do, many women will likely die. One wonders if we could then charge the majority of the court with at least manslaughter or perhaps murder. And these folks who use religion in their argument against abortion have a right to their views. But they have no right to impose those views on the rest of us. Whatever happened to the separation of church and state?
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I think this is not about abortion for most to the people pushing this rift, Richard. I think it is more that they see it as an opening gambit for power and control, with the clear intent to move on to other opportunities that banning abortion would open up. There is a tremendous backlash, but no way to tell what the outcome of that will be. Maybe the "Court" will come back to basic principles of the rights entrained in the Declaration of Independence, which would be a welcome relief. Or maybe they'll pick out a few things in Roe that would open some control to the states, or even send it to lower courts for review (unlikely, but would certainly make for a strange time). Or maybe they'll overturn it with less strained reasoning than the "Alito draft". In which case there is a movement already in motion to bypass that. I hope to hell it doesn't come to that. Abortion has been a woman's choice from the beginning of time, with the exception of the eugenics movement. Gotta keep that in mind too. That movement began in the early 20th century in the USA.
"One wonders if we could then charge the majority of the court with at least manslaughter or perhaps murder."
It is my understanding that all judges - Supreme or not - have essentially total immunity from both civil and criminal liability from consequences of their decisions. They have been granted this immunity because otherwise they would susceptible to 'outside pressure' - and no other profession is granted such free license to behave corruptly. We, the people, have no legal means of redress when judges behave badly.
https://globalwrong.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/judicial-immunity.pdf
I was taught that we have laws that uphold the separation of church & state in high school. Has the law changed? Or is it just not being enforced?
Not being enforced
Not enforced.😔😡
So if it’s not being enforced, who do we petition to get the law that separates church from state then?
Separation of Church and State is in the First Amendment to the Constitution. I do not believe there are any laws on the books, either state or federal making violations criminal.
The only route I know of is to find someone with standing who can bring a case to court that claims they are being harmed by the lack of separation of church and state.
That's a hard find. And with the religious zealots now in majority on the,Supreme Court, I doubt anyone would have any success.
Pretty pitiful, isn't it?
‘Originalist’…PT Barnum must have ‘coined’ that word! Consider, the ‘Originals’ who wrote the Constitution allowed for only white men to vote!…..stop..think about it!….the so called originalists should be advocating for a return to that limitation…..now that I think about it, seems like the red states wacky legislators are trying to blast us back to that era with their restrictive voting laws!
There’s a reason Alito’s draft references an English male judge from the 1300s who burned women as witches. That’s where he wants to go.
It’s hard for me to believe that a modern man, let alone a Supreme Court Justice, would hinge a judgment on the mentality of antiquity. It’s just so backwards! What is happening to the progress of life, liberty & the pursuit
of happiness?
Alioto had to go back to England for a "common law" reference. In American "common law" in the earliest non-Catholic settlements, abortion was not illegal until 1820, and it was only illegal then "after the time of the quickening." Per midwives and church records, 16-20 weeks. For many centuries, that's when God breathed The Holy Spirit into the developing human being--ensoulment.
I don't think it a coincidence that the international average gestational age for a woman to be able to make her own decision to end her pregnancy is 16 weeks.
That was my point all along. Abortion bans are a war on the woman VOTER, not just the women. Same as Immigration restrictions are a war against Black and Brown VOTERS All these “minority” groups will be majority over the White voters within the next 10 years. Women already are more than 50% over men voters
YES, and I have been saying that all along! The inter-mingling of different races and cultures should actually be encouraged because only then, will these white supremacists be brought down to their knees.
At 16, I was (happily) kicked out of conservative Jewish consecration class for making that same point, Marlene. We were encouraged by our teacher, the rabbi's wife to socialize solely within our tribe. After pointing out that that approach would likely result in others fearing us and possibly hating us for being different, I was pointed to the door. Diversity, at least of thought, is an essential component of a democracy. I guess the more observant value debate, only amongst themselves.
It is so important to go off script.
We never had consecration classes! I was raised conservative also. You see, Wendy, they all want to manage our lives. Thank goodness there are plenty of people who see beyond that and say “no thank you”.
Powerful, Wendy, and by 16 (perhaps before)!
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The perfect recipe for women & people of color to go to any length to VOTE! I am hopeful that these Republican tactics will be an exercise in shooting them selves in the foot! 🌊🌊🌊🌊
Both/and thinking usually creates a more positive outcome than either/or thinking. The Republican Taliban is actually quite primitive when you think about it.
Ah! Yes! They go with the Shiite Christians, right?
Absolutely. Something sub.
The Christo-fascists don't care about anyone's freedom of religion but their own. And they want to force it on the rest of us.
This is so true. They have been organizing for years.
I first ran into them just before Carter was elected President. At the time, it was vaguely amusing. First, God wanted Republican Reagan elected, then changed his mind and went for Democrat Carter. Go figure.
They have been very focused and adamant, and I fear that we are less so, and may lose a lot because of this.
My hope is that many who are silent pay attention and will vote.
If overturning Roe v Wade would pose an "unconscionable infringement" to Jews the anti-Jewish zealots in this Country would be happy.
Thank you, Cathy. This is an informative article. I also like your second paragraph about black and white thinking. I wonder why so many prefer to be told what is right rather than to deal with complexities and take agency in making decisions for themselves. I wonder what the root is, psychologically.
Daniel Kahnemann would tell you that thinking takes energy, it's hard work. People are mentally lazy and save their psychic energy for choosing which Macdo to eat.
I'm reading The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis now. It's amazing how illogical and biased the human mind, even a "scientific" mind, can be.
Yes, I think laziness is a human trait, something we all have to grapple with. Cynicism, though, is a judgment.
Laziness.
Partially. I’m certain that there are people who thrive on being told what to do and how to do it. There is a comfort (for some) in having that rigid structure.
My brother & I were talking about this in regards to our adult children & how our sons are into black & white thinking & get irate with grey areas. We are a bit dumbfounded because we don't see that among our 8 siblings, so where did this come from?
Yes. I’ve not been much of a fan of “either-or”…much to my dad’s pride and dismay. I’m more of a “but-and” kind of person. It’s just so much more inclusive and fun.
Thank you for sharing this link. It's time to either begin impeachment proceedings and/or expand this Stench Bench. Six extremists, five of whom are Catholic, do not have the authority - whether they have a lifetime appointment to wear a robe or not - to overturn the first amendment to our Constitution and dictate their own religious beliefs to an entire nation and over half of its citizens. This is not the 12th century, and they are not the Catholic Inquisition reinstated, no matter what they think about themselves. They are a bunch of unregulated, spoiled, dishonest thugs that WE pay to sit on those thrones and "judge" others.
‘Stench bench’….a brilliant name for a foul group of 6!
Well one can of course try to talk to the extreme right (or often these days even the extreme left) about protecting the jewish religion and culture but.......history and much current political and ideological stupidity might suggest that they would be more than somewhat motivated to gleefully continue on their way while thanking you for bringing them such good news.....and probably with rude gestures to accompany their disdainful words.
Yes, Stuart, that is my fear. Having been raised Jewish by Holocaust victims, in a small southern Baptist town, is a reminder of what may come. I am not a very religious person but I do support my heritage, my own history.
Jews believe life begins upon the exit from the womb. Not before. Jews do not hold baby showers. They wait until that wee creature in swaddling clothes is viable. As to the reversal of Roe: This has been a long slog for evangelical faux Christians. Alito sees himself as the new "Don of the Supreme Court", writing a terribly pithy opinion. Those Justices, so concerned about the fetus, can care less once that wee being is out into the world. Republicans love to hang on the coat tails of those driven by sinister and evil beliefs.
" Those Justices, so concerned about the fetus, can care less once that wee being is out into the world. " I think you mean "couldn't care less".
I always seem to confuse that term! But, in fairness, my thought is not lost -- I hope.
Lots of people say it that (wrong) way. It was said by all the characters on "The West Wing" years ago. Of course it's clear what you (and they) meant, but it's easy to say it correctly, and it makes sense that way!
Got it. Point made.
I’m an AND; the ORs are those who see the world as a round hole and only the “roundest” fit.
Yes, but....this is not a unilateral position, as the article points out. I am aware of situations in my work where Orthodox women have told their physicians they did not want to continue a pregnancy because of the severe genetic complications and were forced by their rabbis and husbands to do so. Maybe some Orthodox women are "empowered" but by and large many are not. I'm glad this woman had an option, but, it is also of note that we are not told what her choice was. The cultural and religious pressure she was under may have in the end, proved determinative.
If you read the article, it says clearly that there is a range of opinions among Orthodox rabbis. (That’s actually a safe statement on any topic whatsoever. Judaism values conflicting opinions as a path to understanding.) Any woman is going to be dealing with pressures within her family and community when making important choices. Strengthening womens positions within those contexts is another part of the work. The point here, is that Jewish law says it is her choice to make - and that laws taking away that choice violate her ability to do so.
The same would apply if a state law took away her choice to have a baby. Keep in mind that the era of illegal abortion was also a time of forced sterilization of women of color. The white supremacists are openly saying their goal is a larger ratio of white people. That’s the “logic” behind mass shootings.
On a less grim note, according to Jewish law a fetus - no matter how eagerly expected - becomes a person at its first breath outside the woman’s body. It’s a theological question. There’s a Jewish joke that a fetus is not considered viable until it graduates from medical school.
In any case, in Jewish law a woman is a person. A pregnant woman is one person, and that person is the woman.
And according to Jewish law, a girl becomes a woman and a boy becomes a man at the age of thirteen. I love that Jewish joke about a fetus!
Thank you for bringing up our history of forced sterilization. What concerns me the most about overturning Roe v Wade is a government that has the power to determine you can’t have an abortion is a government that can turn around and determine you can’t have children when it suits its purpose. Be that forced sterilization, or as former policy in China, a restriction on how many children you are allowed to have.
One has to wonder if once birth control is outlawed, will the Republicans next demand involuntary mandatory insemination?
Thanks, Joan. In you last paragraph you wrote "The white supremacists are openly saying their goal is a lager ratio of white people." I agree with you, but I believe they would like that ration to be 100% white to 0% people of color. America is a Gun, that's a short poem of just a few lines that make perfect sense.
Thanks for your clear thinking on this.
Great share! Thank you.
Cafe Insider Preet Bharara writes this letter to his readers. All that follows is a direct quote from him:
Dear Reader,
Justice Clarence Thomas is famously reticent on the bench. He doesn’t talk much. He doesn’t ask questions often. He once went a full decade without making a single query of counsel at oral argument. But in the wake of the leaked Alito draft opinion that would undo Roe v. Wade and the ensuing protests, Thomas is raising his voice. But it is impossible to accept the truth of the matters he has asserted in recent out-of-court statements.
Speaking at a judicial conference in Georgia two weeks ago, Thomas said that, as a society, "we are becoming addicted to wanting particular outcomes, not living with the outcomes we don't like.” He went on: "We can't be an institution that can be bullied into giving you just the outcomes you want. The events from earlier this week are a symptom of that."
Well, that’s almost as rich as Elon Musk.
Let’s talk about outcomes and discuss who the addicts are. Thomas willfully ignores 49 years of agitation by anti-abortion activists who have never been able to abide an outcome they didn’t like.
Because of an addiction to a particular outcome, legislatures in at least 13 states have passed so-called trigger laws, which would ban abortion to varying degrees in the event Roe is overturned. The legislature in Texas, in passing the bounty provisions in SB8, and the legislature in Mississippi, in passing the anti-abortion law now being considered by the Supreme Court, announced loudly and clearly that they could not abide the outcome in Roe, which has been settled law for half a century.
Consider the endless campaign to alter the balance of the Court, a counter-majoritarian effort undertaken with particular zeal and focus. And the singular agenda item was to undo an outcome they have never liked or learned to live with.
Consider also the record of violence and murder (and bullying) by anti-abortion forces over the years.
In fact, in the wake of pervasive harassment and obstruction outside abortion clinics, in 1994 Congress passed the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act) to protect the rights guaranteed by Roe.
In July 1994, Paul Hill, an anti-abortion protester and former pastor, murdered Dr. John Bayard Britton and James H. Barrett, a clinic volunteer. The attack took place outside of a women’s health center.
In January 1998, anti-abortion activist Eric Rudolph planted and detonated a bomb outside of an abortion clinic in Birmingham, Alabama, killing Robert Sanderson, a security guard for the clinic. The other victim was Emily Lyons, a nurse at the clinic, who was maimed and left half-blind.
In October of that year, anti-abortionist James Kopp killed Dr. Barnett Slepian with a high-powered rifle. Dr. Slepian was standing in his kitchen with his family when Kopp shot him through the window.
In November 2015, Robert Lewis Dear Jr., shot 12 people in a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs. Three were killed while nine others were injured. Dear later turned himself in stating, “I am a warrior for the babies.”
According to an analysis by Vox, between 1977 and 2015, there were eight murders, 17 attempted murders, 42 bombings, and 186 arsons targeted at abortion clinics and providers across the United States.
Clarence Thomas is up in arms over some peaceful protests. He might think about all the murder and mayhem visited upon doctors and women and clinics since Roe was decided.
There is, of course, another rich irony in Thomas’s lecturing us about accepting outcomes. What, in recent times, is the least accepted outcome on the part of a radical group of conspiracy-theorists in America? It’s the election of 2020. We had a free and fair process. The outcome was that Biden won, and Trump lost. And yet we have legions of elected officials and Kraken lawyers and cable television hosts who have not learned to live with that outcome.
More than that, we had a group of violent rioters try to bully a co-equal branch of government into doing that which they could not achieve fair and square at the ballot box – installing Donald Trump in the White House for a second term. They didn’t hold up some signs on a street; they stormed the Capitol, chanted “Hang Mike Pence,” and looked for members of Congress to hurt.
More than that, among the group of deniers and insurrectionist sympathizers is Justice Thomas’s very own wife, who was advocating to the Trump circle that the election outcome must be reversed. Given his wife’s involvement in the Big Lie, instead of doing the ethical thing and recusing himself from matters relating to January 6th, Thomas has the nerve to berate peaceful pro-choice advocates about the need to accept outcomes they don’t like.
Here’s the thing about outcomes. People are more likely to live with one if the process leading to the outcome has indicia of fairness and good faith. If there is a perception of cheating or gamesmanship or mendacity, acceptance will naturally be more difficult. For many, the near certainty that Roe will be overruled is a hard pill to swallow for just these reasons. The denial of a seat to Merrick Garland; the rush to seat Amy Coney Barrett; the insincere reverence for settled precedents mouthed by various Republican nominees at their confirmation hearings; and the bad faith constitutional arguments contained in the draft opinion – all of these conspire to undermine the legitimacy of this new outcome, perceived to be wrought by radicals who couldn’t live with the last outcome.
Whatever else may be true, on the issue of living with outcomes you don’t like, Clarence Thomas should sit this one out.
My best, Preet
Does he LAY it out! And this line for Thomas, 'Well, that’s almost as rich as Elon Musk.' Thank you Lynell. This is one hell of a letter from Preet Bharara. Bravo!
Yes, Fern, he lays it all out beautifully.
Morning, Lynell! When I read Dr Richardson’s letter this morning and Justice Thomas’s statement about “not living with outcomes we don’t like,” I choked. Literally.
Lecture your wife, you hypocrite. And by the way, understand that some of her friends see your interracial marriage as an abomination and seek to make it illegal.
Denial is not a river in Egypt, Clarence!
"Denial"? LOL!!
Preet should be AG. He’s a man of strong clear legal opinions and takes action. That’s why Trump fired him. Why isn’t he on the front lines instead of off to the side making commentary?
Well, maybe this way, he might reach the millions of people who are “undecided”.
Hypocrisy thy name is Clarence. Thanks so much for sharing, Lynell.
❤️You're welcome, Gail!
And the cretin has the unmitigated gall to whine that the respect for the court is diminishing, what a tool. Preet, thank you for the reminders of the horror, we need them
❤️Heart button on strike!
Did I read this right?? That “pro life” activists have murdered people in the name of PRO life?!?! 😱 Surely you jest!!
Yes, Cathy, I believe you did.
And my and our best back to Preet. That letter is a wham, bam, thank you ma’am.
You are sizzlin’ with the links today, Lynell.
Just glad there was enough bacon to go around...thanks, Christine (Have I already wished you "morning"?)
Yes, Preet, this outline of the recent history of who doesn't like outcomes is perfect. And implicates (again) how complicit Thomas is in his "decisions". I hope he is impeached.
Agree, Pam. Someone needs to get this guy a mirror!
Oh WOW, Lynell! Preet hit this one out of the park! The problem with Thomas is that he thinks he is white and right!
Oh, my, Marlene. Maybe so!
Look who he’s married to…
She's a "bute"!
Excellent. Glad to have read this, thanks.
Thanks for sharing this. I also shared it just now on my FB page, to amplify his well-written analysis.
Very nice, Ellen. I hope it gets the traction it deserves.
This is awesome. Thanks for sharing it.
Thank you for posting this. I haven’t listened to Preet’s podcast in a while, this reminded me. I am going to listen to him again. TY
You're welcome, Virginia. I hope you get to reconnect soon!
These people are descending on our democracy like a murder of crows. I hope the DOJ springs into action soon after the hearings on the events of January 6 and the attempt to overturn the 2020 election begins in June.
Always enjoy some of the wonderful nouns of multiplicity like a murder of crows and a parliament of owls or a crash of rhinos. Here are some more https://www.thewildlifediaries.com/collective-nouns-for-animals/ Enjoy!
I’ve always loved the phrase of an investigation “ferreting out information”. Such a clever animal… the ferret. Well, it’s a “business of ferrets”! Hahahahaha! I’m going to keep that in my mind for the House Select Committee as they continue the business of ferrets in finding all the dirt and the dirtballs involved in the Jan 6th insurrection. The mudpie is growing enormously.
Thank you, Cathy!
Salud, everyone. 🗽💫
As unbearable as she can definitely be, I wish we had a few more like Pelosi. Smart, wise to the details of how the government functions, patient, a heat-seeking missile when she finally springs. I can't imagine where we would be if young AOC had succeeded in bumping her out of her position. I'm actually not sure we would survive a pandemic of Pelosi's. I have now fed my grandson Skittles and broccoli. My karma is trashed.
I only wish Chuck Schumer had the political savvy that Nancy has. His leadership now is abysmal.
That’s exactly what I think. He has had years to figure out Mitch McConnell’s game and he gets out maneuvered every time.
They're two old warriors and this last few years have been exactly this--a competition to determine the winner and, as usual, the liberal Democrat can't or won't sign on for a tough strategy and then deliver a couple of gut punches to Implement it. I absolutely do not understand what happens between. good policies/goals and the inability or unwillingness to get a little dirt on your hands to defend them.
"...skittles and broccoli" in that order? Or together? Inquiring minds want to know! And did anyone else watch the PBS documentary on Pelosi? My respect grew in leaps and bounds.
I have to confess I've always liked Pelosi. But, then, I generally like obnoxious, opinionated women of a certain age, being one myself. I have a small, one-serving custard bowl. I put four pieces of raw broccoli four raw baby carrots and sprinkled some Skittles pm top.
Dean, I just love your broccoli & carrots à la skittles — a veritable rainbow of nutrition and cheer!
Yummy!!!
💕
I just read that Pelosi is going to be denied communion at her parish due to her stance on abortion 😢
The Pope warned the U.S. Bishops not to "weaponize" the Eucharist but the San Fran Archbishop is one of those ultra-right, anti- Francis guys. He says his decision is "pastoral" but it is totally political and drippingly punitive.
So glad I left the Catholic Church actually all churches. No regrets
Hi, Cathy. I wish the Catholic Church would stop shooting itself in the foot. Truly stupid behavior. I have had the impression for a long time that when human beings band together in large groups we don't act our best. Add religion to the mix and we turn into monsters and idiots.
Yes, I read that too. Fie on the Archbishop. Pastoral, my behind.
That particular SF Archbishop routinely denies communion to anyone he thinks may be a member of the LGBTQ community (in SF!!), and anyone who is known to be active in the pro-choice movement or made public statements about supporting or having had an abortion. He has also publicly stated that the alleged pedophilia by Catholic priests is greatly exaggerated. A real gem of a priest.
Oh my how revolting he is…
What is the “multiple” for evil priests
Sista’ Nancy can wear that as a badge of honor AFAIC💪
Hope she goes have some wine some where else!
Shame on the church's position on women, period! It's one major religion that does not permit women to officiate. The last I heard, churches were told to discontinue having girls be altar attendants, too. Right up there with the Mormons. (Don't get me started!)
I recommend Eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven for an understanding of the Catholic Church's view of sexual matters. It's been around for awhile and female professor lost her job at a Catholic university of writing it if memory serves me. I found out out, among other things, that women are up to all kinds of nefarious activities in the minds of men. And of course, to save ourselves from the temptations of women, let's go out and sit on top of a pillar in the desert. Both Augustine and Francis of Assisi had a good old time before they became more devoted to the religious life.
😅 skittles & broccoli.!
Perfect, Christine...morning!🌞
attempted like
Me too! Thank you for this link, I'll use it right now ("a crash of rhinos", wow, never read that one) and likely wake up even more. I've become habituated to checking Letters From an American when I ought to be sleeping.
First I read HCR’s daily rant then on to WORDLE. Throughly enjoy them both.
I protest the word "RANT". She is describing fact, clarifying the unhealthy atmosphere that the Rip-publicans are spreading on behalf of Trump. Nothing rant-y about her words....
Agree 100%- Heather's letters describe what's going on and always document the source of the information. It's the absence of ranting that lends so much gravitas to these letters.
Indeed. HCR’s summaries are the opposite of rant.
Oops! Missed her word "rant". I completely agree with you. Heather is careful as a professional historian and essayist who hews to fact-based argument and completely avoids ad hominem attacks. Not so the person who used the word "rant" to denigrate Heather's well-composed essays without providing her own logic to support this claim. The denial of carefully-drawn, deductive reason is what makes listening to and responding to the current GOP and far right so frustrating. Self-reflection, even the capacity for it, are absent. In its place is willfulness; an I feel, therefore it's true state of mind. It's perfectly reflective of a selfish, self-centered way of living; anti-social and therefore necessarily un-democratic.
Same here!
That's how I start my morning! But coffee is first, then my good friend Heather's letter (not rant even though I'm sure you meant it in the kindest of ways), then Wordle and then Quordle.
And Bardle!
That's what I did too! (With that site of animal noun-group words in between.)
My morning: cup of coffee, read essay. 2nd cup: read comments. 3rd cup: decide if I have anything to contribute.
As a dyslexic poor speller, Wordle and it’s derivatives are not for me!
That's remarkably similar to my routine, though I do relish Wordle. (That, plus being a crossword addict, are attempts to keep my mind from turning to complete mush.) Friends and colleagues daily do a wide range of these Wordle-type puzzles--there are even some devoted to choral music and to classical music--but I try to exercise some restraint, or else I'd spend an entire day puzzle-solving! I'm already sedentary enough!!
Me too. usually before 3 a.m.
2:31 a.m. Pacific.
3:52 am Mountain. Why am I doing this to myself?
Hahahahaha. Because we love the chase.
Salud, HH🌹
My cats love it, only three, I didn’t see a definition for multiples since they are tame and lazy
6:13 EST, up since a 7-year-old climbed into my bed at 4:00. Is there a noun of multiplicity for a ? (feels like) a multiplicity of boys?? Suggestions welcome?
Gang. You are outnumbered Dean!
Me too!
I kind of like the gaggle of geese or the “pandemonium of parrots”. The latter describes the Pro-Rape party, don’tcha think?
If you've ever had one of the free-range former-pet parrot flocks here in Los Angeles decide to take up residence in your neighborhood for awhile, you'll have a whole new definition of pandemonium. Personally, I love the little guys, all escapees to freedom.
I've got a flock of about 40-50 that I see most days when going for a walk in nearby Parc de St Cloud
Ours are the gaggle of geese that love to torment the horses, just by being there...morning, Stuart!
Just like our dog that just loved stirring up other dogs who were "guarding" their gardens and making them impotently bark themselves silly as we passed by......with a big smile on our dog's face.
Pet-parrot jailbreak. Famous escapees live on Telegraph Hill in SF not far from Pier 39.
There is (was? been a few years) small flock of them in the Beverly neighborhood of the south side of Chicago. My brother used to feed them. Actually it fit, he had a beautiful yard with a deck around an above ground pool--he nurtured about a dozen potted palms he'd drag in every winter and they were all around the deck in the warm weather. He'd hoist a big pirate flag. The parrots added to the ambience!
When I lived in Fullerton I got to experience these flocks quite a few times. LOUD but joyous!
Just found out for maggots its a grumble. How about a Grumble of MAGAettes?
Perfect!
LOVE THIS CATHY!!
Pro-Rape and Incest Party
I like a "coalition of cheetahs!" The name of the software program that I used in my working days was named Cheetah, to indicate to the user that they were the fastest at getting transcripts into the hands of their clients. It served me well for 40+ years.
Even cheetahs are not cheaters.
LOL, yep!
My favorite: “Elephants – parade, herd.” That party would live up to its name if it marches out of Washington permanently.
They don’t deserve elephants who are smart, loyal and devoted. Nor do we deserve asses since repubs are that by definition
Agreed. They take care of their young and carefully line up when they are moving to protect the most vulnerable. Their symbol should be something blood sucking....leeches maybe.
GQP leeches. 🎯🎯🎯
My Grandfather would say that my Grandmother would vote Democratic even if the jackasses were running.
We’ve made up some ourselves:
A pride of pickups
A rabble of Rangers (pickup variety)
A surfeit of Subarus
A blockade of trucks (18 wheelers using all 3 lanes to go up a steep grade)
A zoom of corvettes
A parade of cop cars (usually a fair number running with lights)
A sneak of cop cars (running a radar sting)
A litany of Lightnings? (The new all electric Ford F150)
Yes!!! And a majesty of mavericks (the compact electric pick-up)
All yours are really good ones, Ally!
My singer colleagues came up with one for counter-tenors, or male altos/falsettists: a "hand-bag". Having a ton of counter-tenor friends, I can vouch for the aptness of "a hand-bag of counter-tenors..."
That is funny!!!
This website will inspire so much wombat wisdom for the rest of my life. Thanks for sharing this link, Cathy!
Cathy, you have made my morning brighter
Me, Three!
Is that a Three of MaryPats.
Yes, my intramural frisbee team in college was called the "Murder Crows".
Drama at first sight on 'wildlife diaries'. Good morning, Cathy. Thank you.
Thanks for sharing 🐒🐑🦥🦘!
Oh, what a nest of lying vipers these lawyers have turned out to be! And as for Ginni she’s a quiver of cobras rolled into one!
Catherine Engelbrecht, leader of a bask of crocodiles, couldn’t hide her traitor’s glee either: "Jim [Bopp, a lawyer for True the Vote] was on a call this evening with [Trump lawyer] Jay Sekulow, [South Carolina Senator] Lindsey O. Graham, [Fox News Channel personality] Sean Hannity, and Larry Ellison…. He explained the work we were doing and they asked for a preliminary report asap, to be used to rally their troops internally, so that's what I'm working on now."
Traitors all, in plain sight. Joe has a job like none other, surviving the evil of multiples of the most odious animal of all, traitorous humans.
Yeah…sick!
I'm still gobsmacked at the involvement of someone from a media concern at the higher echelons of our government. Imagine what the outcry from the right would be if someone from CNN, or MSNBC, or any mainstream media organisation was in the inner circle of the presidency, and still even broadcasting! (I think it was Jon Stewart who nicknamed Hannity "Lumpy", I think in honour of the doofus character on "Leave It To Beaver". That always made me smile...)
Larry Ellison giving millions to Lindsey O. Graham - The list of fascist billionaires and the puppets they fund continues to grow. These uber-rich fascists are using the money they grift from their “customers” to destroy our nation.
You insult crows with your linking of them to those who want to destroy our democracy. Crows are very intelligent birds that even recognize individual human faces in the wild. (I don't think they would fall for Trump's lies.) I much prefer Cathy L.'s "crash of rhinos". Rhinos are extremely near-sighted and not terribly smart, but are very aggressive and destructive when aroused.
I agree that rhinos have sight issues, but please don’t denigrate them by comparing them to this Republican morass. They, too, are very protective of their young and there’s nothing more joyful than a baby rhino “zooming” and full of energy. They’re also horribly endangered - unfortunately not the case with the current crop of traitors and insurrectionists.
On a happier note - a tower of giraffes. What a perfect visual.
Indeed let's please not insult crows, which are extraordinarily intelligent beings.
Absolutely! But I think an intrusion of cockroaches or a scourge of mosquitos might work.
A repugnant of Republicans.
Yes, we are witnessing an intrusion of cockroaches. Although we might be insulting the cockroaches too!
Exactly
I apologize. I had the image of Van Gogh's last painting in mind – the cornfield with crows descending upon it – accompanied by the knowledge that the artist then committed suicide. The tragedy seemed to match our current political crisis; our desperation; the metaphorical, impending suicide of our cherished democracy.
More likely a murder of democracy...a good collective name for all of them.
A murder of democracy is correct ... in plain site with enormous financial backing and committed supporters from every branch of government except the current administration (hopefully) that seems to be holding on with threads not quite sure how to subdue the evil of multiples. Meanwhile the conspiracy keeps growing in plain site and becomes more deeply embedded like a cancer. I am not sure our democracy has ever seen anything quite this systematic and pervasive before and has imagined any real treatments strong enough to combat this problem without destroying the foundations of a fragile democracy itself.
Along with holding CPAC in Hungary. They aren’t even hiding the fact that they want to destroy the America we live in. No American press allowed. RED FLAGS
Yes, for all of them; an astonishing collection of our species, capable of sabotaging or denying the social compliment of their humanity.
A malicious mangle of money-driven marmots.
well done
Wow, don’t take it personally marmots
These people are more like a huge swarm of locusts destroying so much in its path.
Just found out the noun for maggots is a Grumble. How about a Grumble of MAGAettes?
Ooooooo…good one!
Just because the DOJ is quiet and careful about disclosing their investigative methods does not mean they are inactive. I was apprehensive myself until several months ago when they hired a federal prosecutor (and more staff) specifically to fan out from insurrection to attempts to overturn the election. I believe Garland's promise to us. My man is Jaimie Raskin who said last month, "The committee hearings in June will expose every facet of the assault against our democracy and Constitution on 1/6" and that the revelations will "Blow the roof off the House." I'm so ready....
Sure hope you are right as I know this too what I want to happen. Still based on the past failures from Mueller to two failed impeachments. Important to note that the Fascist far right in all cases, blocked and then rallied around Trump and the agenda to destroy Democracy.
I hope the DOJ does something! This is scary!!!
and soon, please.
I love crows....maybe like vultures although they do have a role to play in nature. They are like bad air raising from the swamp and poisoning everything or cancer destroying the body from within.
I think I understand why the DOJ is being so quiet about this. The DOJ is waiting until after the November elections to give any visibility to what they are doing so they do not energize the MAGAettes and cause more Republicans to get out and vote.
Hopefully some of the damage caused by Comey’s October Surprise will be undone by Garland’s October Surprise
Comey was sure arrogant and put himself above the law.
How about before the November elections to energize the Democratic base and the centrists? But of course, Comey idiotically demonstrated how powerful a revelation can be before an election, so the DOJ is now loathe to repeat that error – to the detriment of our democracy!
I guess the calculus is whether you will energize more Democrats or more Republicans. I think the overturn of Roe is going to energize Democrats and Independents. I think going after the former guy would truly rile his base.
I admit you may be right. Perhaps, these days, truth isn't much appreciated in our country. The great unknown is by what percentage of the population is truth recognized, and if recognized, valued. Mmm, not so much, I think. So I sadly, wistfully, grudgingly, I agree.
Ellison's a strange guy. 30 years ago, he was a Clintonite, then he "got religion" and decided he was a Jew after all, and he became an Uber-Zionist and major partner/supporter with Netanyahu, or as I call him, Nitwityahoo, and has moved progressively right. Mostly he's just another good argument in favor of grabbing up the billionaire class, stuffing them in Musk's rockets, and firing them into the sun to Make The Universe Great Again.
TC Ellison has had as many divorces [4] as he’s had mega yachts. He loves to buy people and things. He spent zillions on the America Cup yacht race, often losing, but scoring an astonishing come from behind (1-8 to a 9-8 victory) against New Zealand last decade.
He’s like a little boy with an unlimited credit card—a billion here, a billion there…it begins to add up.
Wasn’t it Everett Dirksen who said “a billion here and a billion there, pretty soon you’re talking about real money.” He May have used “million” back then. We have progressed so much, hahahaha
Jeri In my youth a millionaire was someone who had a million in assets. Now it takes $10-50 million annually to operate some mega yachts. The rich get richer—don’t we have fun. Now there is a kerfuffle about folks who insist on taking a helicopter between NYC and the Hamptons for $800 one way/per person. (The bus or train is about $25).
❤️
Jeri Like me, you are not 'old.' Like me, your thinking is 'late middle age,' with an allergy to Republican plutocrats and to MAGAboobs..
Beautifully put, dearest Not-Doc Wheelock!
It was Senator Sam Nunn
Now I know who you really hang with!
Chump's kind of guy.
I bet they wouldn't give TFG the time of day right now. I am convinced TFG is no longer a viable political presence.
He is still a clown with a flame thrower. A MAGAt who lives on the floor below me is a devotee. Has pics and signs all over. He is still her hero as she wears a shirt with Biden and parasite under it
I always have the feeling they are trying too hard.
Lived in his Redwood City neighborhood for a while. Ignored the building permits when building his house and just paid the fine. Same with am/pm times allowed for flying in/out small airport, just kept paying the fines until they barred him. BFF with Mark Zuckerberg also.
Ugh! Zuckerberg makes me ill.
A perfect description of the entitled little asshole.
I want Zuckerman on the first launch.
Ha! Sizzlin’ griddle on the weekend I see, TC.
Salud to some breakfast!
Ellison built an outrageously expansive Japanese-style home in Woodside, CA, $11 million or so at the time 20+ years ago. Local property taxes are what fund the public schools in certain affluent communities in CA. They are called Basic Aid districts. The tax proceeds on Larry’s ego mansion were significant for the local school district in which my children were students. He insisted that the county assessor reassess the property to reduce his tax burden as the estate was so unique, reselling it in the future would be difficult and he would not recoup his original investment. The property was reassessed at a lower value and the school district lost a tremendous amount of funding. I would flip Larry the bird every time I drove past the guard house. I still do, in fact, all this time later.
Didn’t know he was ever anything but another Peter Thiel. I’m definitely a MUGA
Jeri, I think that you vastly understate Peter Thiel. Wrote a comment about him once having to do with is backing of Trump's social media -- whatever happened with that and other matters he is/was engaged with. Next time I'm on his case, I'll post you.
As the list of co-conspirators in the 2020 tragi-comic attempt to defraud the American people of their duly elected president, President Biden, grows ever longer, I find myself getting very upset, even very very upset. Then, Sidney Powell and Rudi Guilty-who-me, pull up in front of the What House in a clown car and request that the day be cancelled for TOTAL lack of interest, President Trump in his hair helmet-hardhat waltzes around the crowd of cracked incompetents with his Covid-19 breath spray and his trick lapel flower squirt gun that never fails to get lots of laughs. I slap myself twice because none of the criminal conspirators shows any sign that anything awful has, and is, happening, and I wonder if I've fallen asleep and wasn't getting the joke. Now, the windpower EKG I'm wearing with the propeller cap feeding on all the hot air about the place sends me flashing red lights that indicate I'm really getting upset, almost angry. Perhaps I exaggerate a bit, maybe cheesed-off is better. I respond by speed-dialing my pay-by-the month dial-a-prayer number and Bob Dylan tells me if I'm not annoyed, almost angry about what I see happening, I'm probably near 9 out of 8 on the brain-death scale. I silently start to raise my voice, muttering gee gosh, holy moly, pants on fire, but I turn any rage I feel inside my personal black hole and ask Alice when the Keystone Cops will arrive to remove these crispy Creeps to a free AttaBoy buffet at the Not Ok Corral for the Ring-a-ding-ding signet ring kissing party. Plato comes out of his coo-coo clock and confesses no one ever admits to doing evil on purpose. With reality-tv, don't get upset, tell yourself you don't feel the actual pain you feel twisting your ear like a wind-up child's duck, swear in nine languages—just wait for the moment of complete calm that comes with the commercial break. I must be cross wired, I still feel very, very upset as a coup happens before my own eyes and no one but I finds it odd that it's all happening without proper chickens. Watching this outrageous display of anger might be really upsetting for you. Sorry. There's a pill for everything. I suggest the blue one.
Your comment is wonderfully long because it doesn't stop laughing. Oh, sorry, it was me laughing. I had to collect myself after each line and that got harder and harder to do. Can't wait to read your notes each day of the hearings. Where can I get me a 'windpower EKG' sadpanic? Good name, (yours) perfect fit. Thanks!
Sadpanic, you've put into words the way many of us feel....is this for real? or are we living inside the mini-car with a bunch of clowns waiting to be free from this foolishness?
I'll never forget the response of Justice Scalia to all of us who felt hit and run over by the 2000 Bush-Gore presidential race, decided for Bush by nine registered voters of the Supreme Court after a potty-break; so carefully reasoned, and tactfully articulated, in the guy-spirit of equal USA citizen to USA citizen. He said, if you recall, "Get over it." As a birth certified Boomer ('46), let me ask, "Isn't it the right time for liberals to make the future their main talking-point: it's time to clear out the files, empty the waste-paper baskets and pass the baton to fresh intelligence, before the dead-on-arrival reactionaries bring in more fraternity and sorority rusher-gladhanders like Gaetz, Green, Hawley, and Co, short on "IQ" and long on "Q". And, from behind the curtain, remember the cyborg master of the puppet show Stephen Miller, a medium grind pole dancer with a bald-guy complex (I'm partially bald). McConnell dreams of nothing other than preserving his political aims of governance obstruction by getting toadies elected and packing the courts with mindless Ivy League School graduates given degrees to get rid of them sooner rather than later. As I look forward to the fatal welcome of the victory lap ahead, I see McConnell slapping the backs of the race officials trying to get the rules changed to allow running with an eleven-speed electric-powered walker and and off-camera hand-held video-game controls needed to communicate with the micro-chips animating the titanium joints of the venerable members of the still electable walking dead. It was some time back in the palpable ago that Bob Dylan suggested, checking his zodiac wrist-watch with the blood-pressure sensor, that "The Times They Are A'Changing." Sadpanic (my schizo-other) and I are so appreciative of your kind and dangerous recognition—for which (warning) you may receive trash messages.
A number of years ago, the earth slipped a micro, whatever tiny measurement, on its axis. I’m convinced we entered an alternative universe at that time. IMO there is no other explanation for the shit show we are in. 😵💫
❤️👏👏 What a gift you have!
Sad panic You have cleared the bases with a grand slam home run. I’m awaiting the Disney movie.
Sadpanic, you're the beginning, the end, and all in between today and always. Saving this one when I feel a desperate cry coming on. Thank you!
Lyneli, I can't thank you enough for the symbol with the colors of Ukraine's flag, a blue sky over a field of wheat. You're making me cry, and I was only trying to be very upset about the January 6, 2020 attempted heist. A good cry goes a long way.
Hard to tell, Sadpanic, but right below the Blue and Yellow are the sunflowers! Proud to cry right along with you.
💙💛
Hey, Ashley; and thank you!
What an absolute pleasure reading about your “thoughts” Like Fern, I was laughing and grinning and boy, that felt so good!
My upset meter exploded long ago, now I’m just a spent black hole. Glad you are not.
Jeri There is hope for us ‘black holders.’ Did you see the extraordinary Hubble photos of a black hole? I think I saw my ancestor’s home there. They got out of it—and so shall we!
I am gobsmacked that so many perpetrators in the BIG LIE and January 6th insurrection against Congress and the Constitution are able to protest 1/6 committee subpoenas interminably—presumably until the Republicans control the House and deep six the 1/6 committee.
As a non-lawyer, I thought that the unanimous Supreme Court 1974 ruling on the Nixon Watergate tapes established that criminal action abolished any White House claim of ‘executive privilege’ in withholding documents. Clearly, all of these shenanigans by Eastman, Powell, Giuliani, and countless other gum shoes are awash in conspiracy and a coup against the Constitution.
The public hearings of the 1/6 House Committee are scheduled to commence (far too late) in June. I impatiently await for Attorney General Garland to drop the other shoe with indictments against the Trump Mafiosos and, perhaps, against Jabba the Hutt.
This is late May, 2022. The BIG LIE commenced in November, 2020 followed by the January 6, 2021 insurrection. To quote Elisa in My Fair lady: MOVE YOUR BLOODY ARSE!
Morning, all!! Morning, Dr. R!! Wow, these voting machines that are counting lots of wins for R's (both in 2020 and primary) really need to be reined in. Thanks, Pillow Guy!!!
Speaking of Secretary of State ABLinken, who not only is a rock star but makes a pretty good ambassador for all things USA, weighs in with Stephen Colbert. Below are the links to his interview. Sorry this is in pieces but that's how I could find all of it, and to me all of it is well worth watching.
First part: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/missingchildren/ukraine-is-going-to-be-around-a-lot-longer-than-vladimir-putin-sec-antony-blinken/vi-AAXrCcw?category=foryou
Blinken on Zelenskyy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_9rwvTSOGk
Blinken on what does the State Department actually do, and why he is a rock star: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AFUBkjO0Wo
I love these links! Blinken is a great representative for the US. Not only that, he has a terrific sense of humor and plays the guitar. What’s not to love?
On playing the guitar, when he said, "The best audience we have tends to be very young children who haven't developed critical faculties," I nearly fell out of my chair! The best argument for teaching critical thinking skills?
And early Ed in the arts
Absolute rock star. Good morning links, Lynell, you fabulous cheetah. See you at the giraffe tower.
Salud!
ABlinken 😂
You can't make this up, Becky. Thanks for noticing!
Morning Lynell.
Thank you so much for sharing these links!
Absolutely, my pleasure!
Morning,Lynell! Great links, and thank you.
Thank You Lynell!!
Each day of late I think why do not We The People file a Class Action Lawsuit against these politicians and against the Supreme Court. Who is set to adjudicate such a case? Currently it seems like the President is not allowed to even exist in his job because every single thing he does the Republicans go to court and the Republican dominated Supreme Court just overturns whatever he does. I think We The People need to sue the Republicans for undermining our system of government. And, I think it is time for Democrats to start openly saying that we will not accept any election in which Republicans just put Republicans in place, or deny Democrats opportunities to vote. We will sue and we should use the Republican playbook. No point in reinventing the wheel. We can take things up to the Supreme Court and if we do not like what the Supreme Court says we can deny it and get everyone saying this is not legitimate, just like the Republicans have been doing, only the difference is that we will be right. We can start off by saying STOP THE STEAL! Let us see how they handle that. I am advocating that everyone on this list serve put this right back in their faces, and in the words of John Lewis, make good trouble. We need to start doing it now, so that while they are all gathering all self assured in Hungary we are getting ready to salvage our democracy. We need to let them know that a government that the people do not accept as legitimate is not going to fly. What need to do what we should have done when Al Gore was deposed by the so called hanging chads. We should not accept anything that does not seem legitimate. Any state where they make laws that do not jibe with free and fair elections we need to take it to court. If they refuse then there is going to be massive non acceptance of the legitimacy of the government and there should be planning now on what that will look like. I am a big believer in contingency plans.
So right about 2000, that was the tipping point. Maybe W can make a speech and admit that. Freud was so right about so much…
you start the process and I , for one would sign on
I think we have to have elections first where they actually do steal the vote and then we can do this, but should be ready for it because I see it coming. I did mention it to Moveon. org that their political team think of adding that to their strategies in addition to supporting candidates. They said they would consider it. I guess the first thing is to find a lawyer or lawyers who would be willing to take this on. I can ask at the U of C policy Institute if they have any suggestions. That is where I will start and see where it will lead.
I'm ready. Where do I sign?
I'm guessing Linda means that with all their shenanigans, they're the ones trying to steal.
Yes. They are trying to Steal the elections by making statements like I will choose the electors for my state if I win, and things like that, instead of using the electors that win for the state. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/may/22/pennsylvania-josh-shapiro-democrat-republican-rival-doug-mastriano Or not letting people vote. Removing them from the roles. Not letting them vote by mail, or throwing ballots out if they are likely to be democratic.
This is so scary, Linda.
It has all been seeming very dystopian to me.
They will do their best to steal
I think it is becoming plain as day now that, unless the January 6 committee public hearings make such huge waves that the corrupt Trump ship is capsized, the Republicans will wipe out our democracy. There will be several Trumpist Secretaries of State elected in a few purple states who will throw the election to their side. Lawsuits may be filed but anyone who trusts our current Supreme Court to maintain our democracy just has not been paying attention. And when angry progressive voters and Democrats scream about a stolen election the Republicans will just jeer. “Hey,” they will say, “where were you when we cried about our stolen election in 2020?” Unless the January 6th committee really has an impact, Democrats won’t have a powerful answer.
Unless all this political discourse (with 5th grade explanations) is on the boob tube, soon. Democracy is lost.
Let’s not forget though, there are two Repubs on this committee thus, making it bipartisan. Whatever the 1/6 committee has discovered, believe me, it will be sent to the Justice department, if it hasn’t already.
And the Justice Department will…???
DOJ WILL ACT:
From 5-17-22:
"The Justice Department wants the transcripts; the [January 6] committee wants any relevant evidence the Justice Department has. Legal analyst Glenn Kirschner tweeted: “Whether this was always the DOJ plan (& whether the J6 committee knew it or not), important info has been developed by the J6 panel that would not have been developed had the witnesses been subpoenaed to the grand jury (as they would have pled the 5th).” He added: “If the J6 committee investigation HAD taken a back seat to a DOJ grand jury investigation, we would go years w/out knowing what any of the 1000+ witness[es] had said. But now, we’ll have a front row seat to it all beginning June 9 AND all of those transcripts can be used in the GJ!”
This is exactly why the Republiqans cried “foul” about the J-6 committee; they were afraid that information gathered would be shared with DOJ and used against them. Oh well, too bad, so sad 😁.
Fabulous, MaryPat. My opinion also 1000%.
MaryPat An adaption of WW II’s “Praise the Lord, and pass the ammunition”; ‘Praise the House 1/6 Committee and pass the transcripts to the DOJ’
Halleluiah!
❤️
Brilliant!
Thanks for that share! My popcorn has been ready for 2 years!
This Scenario has been my nightmare. There was plenty of election fraud in 2020, on the Repub side. If repubs even come close to winning in 2024, Rupert Murdoch will have a field day blathering self-righteous crap, and Dems will have NO voice that can drown out the horror. Propaganda is nothing if not loud, persistent and successful.
New Zealand will start looking even better
it is almost impossible to emigrate to New Zealand
Particularly if one is over 40! I keep telling my kids to get a move on …..time is running out! Hell, I’m more than willing to be nanny to Jacinda Ardern’s child!
Almost
The R’s tried hard to steal the 2020, they are pissed because they were unsuccessful.
So pissed, that they are holding meetings outside of the United States in Hungary! Surprised they didn’t go to Russia.
But wrote the blueprint for the next Republican to do so, sadly
We can only hope that the Committee members can cut through the noise and figure out just how much of what these people are doing is based on their fanaticism and malevolence, and how much is intentional "culture jamming".
They're taking brutal advantage of our legal system's insistence on objectivity, and that forces the 'good guys' to consider their clown antics as gravely as they must those times when the clown pulled a knife and cut somebody. I just hope when this is all over that besides bringing these criminals to justice, that we learn how to proof our system aginst recurrances.
A good start beyond fixing Citizens United might be a hardened code of judicial ethics, along with specific punishments for political malpractice.
Yes, that is one of the purposes of the Committee......to gather evidence to determine what new legislation is needed, and where, to prevent the Jan 6 insurrection from happening again. They have no power to indict or convict.
But the DOJ does and by God, I hope he follows through!
The DOJ will. Had these insurrectionists first been subpoened by the DOJ, they all would have taken the 5th:
"The Justice Department wants the transcripts; the [January 6] committee wants any relevant evidence the Justice Department has. Legal analyst Glenn Kirschner tweeted: “Whether this was always the DOJ plan (& whether the J6 committee knew it or not), important info has been developed by the J6 panel that would not have been developed had the witnesses been subpoenaed to the grand jury (as they would have pled the 5th).” He added: “If the J6 committee investigation HAD taken a back seat to a DOJ grand jury investigation, we would go years w/out knowing what any of the 1000+ witness[es] had said. But now, we’ll have a front row seat to it all beginning June 9 AND all of those transcripts can be used in the GJ!”
❤️
I do so hope so!
You're right! All of which makes holding the House and preventing a GOPer takeover so important. This would be one of the significant consequences of blowing the midterms.
Thank you for this powerful letter Heather. I absolutely love some of the conversations today. Lately I've been trying to determine when America lost a shared sense of ethics, morals, and holding offenders accountable. Public schools are one issue. Teachers are paid so poorly and teaching to testing has been a failure. That there are so many who believe and support the lies astounds. Also, when athletes and ¨stars¨ have gotten away with cheating, lying, abusive behavior, many young people have begun to see that integrity and ethics don't matter. The Me Too movement finally began to hold abusers accountable around the world, but, in the U.S., that could change. Here in Europe many, many were shocked that America voted for Trump. And this, ¨Justice Thomas was apparently talking about the leak of the draft decision overturning Roe v. Wade when on May 6 he told a group of judges and lawyers that our justice system is in danger if people are unwilling to “live with outcomes we don’t agree with,” is the keg of dynamite we are sitting on now because it says what they all now believe. If they don't want it, they'll create their own and damn the rest of us because one of them became president of the United States and got away with every deadly sin. And grew richer while in office. I'm beginning to visualize the dissolution of the states and the creation of countries. California would be the 5th largest country in the world and would no longer have to support those poor Southern states where the worst offenders holding office reign. There is just nothing united about my country anymore, and if the democrats don't take the mid terms.......................................
I too wonder when America lost it's sense of ethics. When lobbiests became office holders? Citizens United decision wasn't even enough to wake up the masses.
What will. Went to vote at noon and I was the only one there. It’s Kardashians rule of the stupid
😪😪😪
I wonder if there is a study being done and how to find it.
How will we deal with the traitors of our country?
‘As the hearings on the events of January 6th and the attempt to overturn the 2020 election approach, the extent of the operation is becoming clearer.’ (Letter)
What followed was a parade of shady characters made smaller as their plans to overthrow the United States of America were described. Upon finishing it, the country’s founding documents, presidents and national holidays came to mind. But, no, I’ll begin at the beginning, instead, to see this band of traitors against the country’s earliest days.
‘1492: An Ongoing Voyage’
‘What Came To Be Called “America”
'By 1492 people had lived in the Western Hemisphere for tens of thousands of years. For much of this time it is believed that they experienced virtually no recorded, sustained contact with other parts of the world—Europe, Africa, or Asia.'
'Millions of people lived in an area some five times the size of Europe. In strikingly diverse habitats and climates they developed possibly the most varied and productive agriculture in the world. Their lifestyles and belief systems differed widely and they spoke hundreds of distinct languages.'
'Throughout the hemisphere, states and centers of high civilization had risen and fallen. The dynamic Mexica (Aztec) and Inca empires were still expanding at this time and internal migration and warfare were common. The peoples did not see themselves as part of an entity. Only later would this area be given a unifying name—America—and the people labeled “Indians” by Europe.'
'We have focused on five geographical areas of the region to represent the variety and complexity of peoples and cultures before 1492: the Caribbean, Middle America, the Andean region, the South Atlantic, and North America. In order to understand what came to be called America we are often dependent on European observations.'
https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/1492/america.html
'In late August, 1619, 20-30 enslaved Africans landed at Point Comfort, today's Fort Monroe in Hampton, Va., aboard the English privateer ship White Lion. In Virginia, these Africans were traded in exchange for supplies. Several days later, a second ship (Treasurer) arrived in Virginia with additional enslaved Africans. Both groups had been captured by English privateers from the Spanish slave ship San Juan Bautista. They are the first recorded Africans to arrive in England's mainland American colonies.'
'The landing of the first Africans in Virginia is one of the most significant events we interpret. Although English colonists in Virginia did not invent slavery, and the transition from a handful of bound African laborers to a legalized system of full-blown chattel slavery took many decades, 1619 marks the beginning of race-based bondage that defined the African American experience.'
https://hampton.gov/3580/The-1619-Landing-Report-FAQs
'The United States dates its origins to not one but two founding moments: the drafting of the Constitution in 1787 and the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The foundation of the American government, its purpose, form, and structure, are in the Constitution of the United States. The Constitutional Convention adopted the Constitution on September 17, 1787.'
We formed a system of government with all the eligible members of a state, through elected representatives.
The Constitution of the United States is a document that serves as the fundamental law of the country. It established how the federal and state governments should be organized, and it guarantees a number of basic rights and liberties to American citizens.
The Bill of Rights is the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution. It spells out Americans’ rights in relation to their government. It guarantees civil rights and liberties to the individual—like freedom of speech, press, and religion. It sets rules for due process of law and reserves all powers not delegated to the Federal Government to the people or the States. And it specifies that “the enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.” There are 27 Constitutional Amendments in all. The 27th Amendment, which was originally proposed in 1789, was not ratified until 1992.'
The first three words of the Constitution are “We the People.” The document says that the people of the United States choose to create the government. “We the People” also explains that people elect representatives to make laws. This is a form of self-government.
https://www.usa.gov/history#:~:text=and%20Records%20Administration.-,U.S.%20Constitution,10%20amendments%20to%20the%20Constitution.
The United States of America has moved forward and backward in carrying out its obligations to these democratic principles. The band of traitors featured in today's Letter are a small number of the entire cast out to destroy all we have created in their own self interest. The BAND of TRAITORS are the enemies of 'we the people' -- enemies of all Americans and of our democracy.
These traitors think that they are not done with us, but, in truth, WE ARE NOT DONE WITH THEM.
No, we are not. Here is a link to a Huffpost article on tactics being used by the far right in Idaho. It is not pretty. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/far-right-idaho_n_628277e2e4b0c84db7282bd6?utm_source=pocket_discover
Holy S**t.
“Authored by a former California state senator and gun rights fundamentalist named H.L. Richardson, “Confrontational Politics” is essentially a how-to guide for a Christian nationalist insurgency in the United States. “There can be no compromises with the Left,” Richardson writes. “We are ideologically at opposite ends of the spectrum with no arbitration possible. Either they win or we do. They will run the government or we will. That’s the only choice open to either of us. They know it — shouldn’t we?”
Richardson prescribes an aggressive style of politics that’s always, always on the offensive, that is constantly attacking its opponents, provoking them, screaming over them, and wearing them down. Never apologize. Exploit “hot button issues” that inspire “deep emotion” and “moral righteousness” to gain followers.”
Open manipulation and the right eats it up.
Another Holy Schitt
Steve, I'm not surprised that you brought a bucket of HOT STUFF. Although not unfamiliar with what has been happening in Idaho, the article you linked told me how little I knew beyond a broad outline. I was attentive to Idaho, lieutenant governor, Janice McGeachin's election results, but now realize that no relief is warranted as a result of her loss. My mind went WILD as I read the article - another state on the frontier of madness. I visited a friend who used to live in Boise couple of times about 10 years ago -- have times changed!
The article is filed on my computer and know that you will keep the stream of knowledge open between us.
How are you doing? I'm not going to brag but still clean, cook, research, advocate and care. Here's to you dropping a line when you can. With interest!
Working in SE Idaho, it was like a Peace Corps experience in a third-world country.
NOT DONE WITH THE BAND OF TRAITORS! Hello, Steve! Great to see you. I completed your 'No, - ' because I couldn't figure out what you were referring to. I didn't think I was that slow this morning. Cheers, Steve!
Have you heard of the “Greater Idaho” movement? We’ve got counties in Oregon that want to secede to Idaho because their values are “better represented”. I’ve got other (mostly retired cop friends) moving there in droves.
Yep. I’m also stamping my foot and tossing my hair with my chin up.
Salud, Fern.
As always, Thank You Fern!
MaryPat, Good morning. Please a few words about you, either here or on TAFM. Haven't been there yet -- having trouble keeping my head up. How about just a few words here?
I love your closing. Thank you for the powerful positive. I am going to carry this with me all day.
Thank you, Barbara. I regretted that I hadn't highlighted the whites taking over, but that's obvious to most on the forum. Next time, I'll do better. Cheers!
If all of this wasn't so disturbing, it would be laughable. Eastman's defense, and those of others, defy logic. Were the coup perpetrators so drunk on their fervor for power and hatred of democracy that they believed none of this would ever come to light? If they weren't so dangerous they'd be seen as buffoons.
Sort of like the Watergate break-in criminals.
So much worse. Watergate was a kindergarten dress rehearsal for these duplicitous slime toads.
Agreed.
A million times worse I fear.
Don’t mistake them for buffoons, or at least acknowledge that we need an adjective for multiples of buffoons…
A "bevy of buffoons"....a "blob of buffoons" and on and on.
Morass of buffoons
So drunk on power that their hangover will do them in.
Salud, Michael.
I believe they actually thought they would prevail, and be the ones in power. They would then have no fear of prosecution for what they did.
Exactly
Dangerous buffoons are the worst….
Not buffoons and certainly not stupid….but their ARROGANCE is off the charts.
The facts are coming together. Only a fool argues with the Truth when it’s staring him in the face. Or one who believes he (or she) is above the Law. Todays letter gathers together facts that are backed by evidence. These fools are in our government. Or are wannabes. REPUGS. . They suffer from an ancient disease.
Diagnosis: HUBRIS
“English picked up both the concept of hubris and the term for that particular brand of cockiness from the ancient Greeks, who considered hubris a dangerous character flaw capable of provoking the wrath of the gods. In classical Greek tragedy, hubris was often a fatal shortcoming that brought about the fall of the tragic hero. Typically, overconfidence led the hero to attempt to overstep the boundaries of human limitations and assume a godlike status, and the gods inevitably humbled the offender with a sharp reminder of their mortality.”
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hubris
Hoping this Democracy can recover.
Where are the gods? We need them.
Maybe the USD will show up not to be almighty.
If you don’t already follow Seth Abramson, I recommend that you do so. He started writing about Ginni Thomas & her involvement in the January 6th insurrection on 01/30/22.
I’m hoping that the public hearings have an impact on those voters who lean conservative but don’t blindly follow Trump. The elections this year are key for the ability of Congress to dig deep & reveal the truth behind this attempt to overthrow our government.
I remember watching the Watergate hearings as a college student. I have heard historians say televising those hearings turned the tide against Nixon.
And that's what we need now, turning the tide. The J6 committee is gathering facts that the DOJ can then use to prosecute. But, what we most need is to change public opinion among good, moderate Republicans against the fascism of tRump.
I watched them also. It was the contents of the tapes--Nixon's vile opinions and plotting and scheming--did more than Sam Erwin to turn people against him. And neither turned all the Republicans turned against him; many felt he'd been railroaded to resign by the Goldwater branch of the Republicans.
The justification of the coup includes the complete demonization of the party of reason, the party that does not support an oligarchy / theocracy / authoritarian government. Nancy Pelosi has now been denied communion, as was Joe Biden previously, by the Catholic Church. Would that not make this church a political organization, thereby becoming ineligible for tax-exempt status? Because it seems to me the church is being pointedly political in choosing one “sin” for denying communion in a media blitz, and it’s not for actually having an abortion but for politically supporting a woman’s right to make that choice— what about divorce? Adultery? Sexual assault? Treason? Lying? Bullying? Theft? Deceptive business practices? Cheating? Ignoring the needs of the poor? Racism? Assault? Is communion denied for any of these sins, with an accompanying media blitz, with the goal of influencing elections? No. The church has grows more and more hollow with every such pronouncement, and meanwhile, our democracy is burning. As for our Supreme Court, I fear they are cheering for the arsonists.
A Roman Catholic friend of mine related the story of how when she attended mass in an church in another city where she was visiting, the priest specifically told those present how to vote. She stood up, addressing him, saying "Father, you cannot do that." Her words were ignored, and when she asked a friend how to contact that city's Archbishop, she was told not to bother, "they're all like that." Of course they are not ... but many are. And this applies to other faiths as well.
Hi Jack, the " many are" you refer to have unfortunately taken the leadership reins of the US Conference of Bishops. The Conference is almost as ideologically divided as our country. They climbed into bed with the far right evangelicals and Republican big donors a while back. The internal politics of the contemporary U.S. church rivals any external politics! But, clearly, their choice to be politically partisan in the public arena ( under guise of a pro-life (really pro-birth) and religious freedom agenda) has not only gambled with their tax exemption status but also has frittered away any moral capital they may have had left after the debilitating clergy sexual abuse scandal. A few high placed Bishops see things differently but, not unlike the Dems, are seemingly paralyzed in the face of it all.
Add this to the narrative the electorate should read.....or hear.
👌🏼