170 Comments

It is, I think, interesting how a community has grown out of your letters and lectures, and a sizable one at that. Your letters are a grounding of sorts with reminders of our recorded history, and informed commentary on the absurd and sometimes frightening events of the day. There are many people in this community that offer additional valuable context and perspective.

No one expects you to write on the weekend, but you typically do, just to let us know you’re getting some rest, or a well deserved day on a boat, or just had an exhausting day. You often give us photos from Buddy, which are, without exception, beautiful. Tonight’s evocative photo from Peter is fabulous. It is a lovely thing how you care for us, even when you have no time to write. Frankly, I think many of us look forward to the brief posts with some stunning photograph. You give us something to remind us of the beauty that remains, even now.

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Candace,

So wonderfully articulated. I am always amazed at the stunning depth of intelligence in the community of people that follow Heather. Thank you to Heather and all those that she has inspired. It maintains my belief that a great % of people in our world are so interesting, thoughtful, and have so much to offer. :)

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Yes. I look forward to Heather's letter and the photos she posts. I also enjoy the many posts from all over the country and abroad. I have and continue to learn so much. Thank you, Heather, and all of you who post here.

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Candace, well said.

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Candace, thank you for saying so beautifully what many of us feel.

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I join the members of our community who thank you because we recognize how we feel in your beautiful and moving comment. Blessings'

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So well put.

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Candace, I would love to say that you took the words right out of my keyboard, but that would be wrong. These are yours entirely, and I agree with them deeply. Thank you.

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I'm a newbie commenter but this one from Candace says it all. Thank you!

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Perfectly written; thank you for expressing how we all (except the ubiquitous trolls) feel about Dr. Heather. 💜 She is a national treasure and I wish there was a way to formally recognize her for all her time, energy and efforts in educating and inspiring us. Our community has the power to act to save our democracy, and despite some very dark Letters, there is still hope, because of all us together here. Kudos to all! 👍💜

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Very well said, Candace! I agree wholeheartedly.

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Oh, Candace, you captured perfectly the thoughts and feelings that so many of us have. I can't count the number of times I've thought how wonderful it would have been to have had a professor who could engage our intellect and enlarge our viewpoint as Heather does so consistently. We are indeed fortunate beyond measure to have such a treasured ally.

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I was just exchanging texts with a friend and we were both singing your praises. Thank you again, professor, for your daily letters with your insight. Best of luck with the new book.

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That’s a regular activity for me — sharing and discussing Heather’s LFAA.

And what a stunning photograph to ponder tonight!

Sailing home against

the colors of a Vermeer.

Heartwarming hues that

beckon to the artist

in every wistful soul.

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Please rest well!! And what a stunning picture!!

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Brilliant photo

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I love the geometry of this photo!

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Take care. You are our “lifeline”.

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You are amazing Heather! And thank Peter for a beautiful photo. We sail and have a boat on the Columbia in Hood River. Sailing can be so peaceful and/or challenging depending on the weather. Always good to be prepared. I hope you have a restful night.

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Stipes of life in light gray,, green/blue, dark green, shimmering off-white, a sailboat and long brick blockade; a painterly photograph of balance. Thank you, Peter.

HCR your thoughts put into words this week took the spray of deceit, law and officialdom to imagining "The Great Society' early this morning. What are we dreaming these days?

Two Guns in the Sky for Daniel Harris

by Raymond Antrobus

When Daniel Harris stepped out of his car

the policeman was waiting. Gun raised.

I use the past tense though this is irrelevant

in Daniel’s language, which is sign.

Sign has no future or past; it is a present language.

You are never more present than when a gun

is pointed at you. What language says this

if not sign? But the police officer saw hands

waving in the air, fired and Daniel dropped

his hands, his chest bleeding out onto concrete

metres from his home. I am in Breukelen Coffee House

in New York, reading this news on my phone,

when a black policewoman walks in, two guns

on her hips, my friend next to me reading

the comments section: Black Lives Matter.

Now what could we sign or say out loud

when the last word I learned in ASL was alive?

Alive — both thumbs pointing at your lower abdominal,

index fingers pointing up like two guns in the sky.

Raymond Antrobus is a Hackney-born British Jamaican poet, educator, editor and curator of the Chill Pill event series. His pamphlet, To Sweeten Bitter (2017), is published by Out-Spoken Press and debut collection The Perseverance was the winner of the Ted Hughes Award in 2018. He is a Complete Works III fellow and one of the world’s first recipients of an MA in Spoken Word education

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Fern, this too true and heartbreaking story is all the more poignant because the guns lead, they are out before words. And a person without words, no matter his or her innocence or guilt, Is guilty, especially a person of color, as if the gun has power of reason. We blame the guns, law enforcement, the times. Racism. Poverty. Timing. Is it America?

“With 120.5 civilian-owned firearms per 100 people, the United States has the highest rate of civilian gun ownership in the world—nearly double that of the second-place country, in fact.

https://worldpopulationreview.com › ...

Gun Ownership by Country 2022 - World Population Review”

We lead in religious zeal and violence.

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Irenie, Your reply brought me a couple of minutes in which I felt your words; the facts and the impact of America's violent ecstasy. It could not have been expressed as deeply without you knowing what the United States of America has bred.

I hope that you will not object to me sending Raymond Antrobus' poem and your response to my friend, Peter.

Shalom,

Fern

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Gratitude, Fern. Please share with your friend. I think we all write from the heart. The story you shared is truly heartbreaking and there’s so much news the humanity is often loss. If we were there we would cry. We are crying. ❤️

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Please get rested and thank you for all that you illuminations of the threads between them and now (kind of like highlighting a spider web at night). Thank you, Peter, for such a restful landscape rendering.

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Please tell us about your new book.

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I’ll wait and buy it. Want to support HCR every way possible

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I was hoping that you would take a night off this weekend to rest and recharge! Thank you for sharing this picture and all that you do…hugs!

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Ah! Boston. Our first grandchild rows the Charles in her single early and late, is in grad school. Was there last week at The Eliot Hotel in 704. Medical visit. Opthalmologist. Dermatologist. DMD. PCP. Endocrinologist. My Graves’ Disease is gone after two years of Methimazole. On their sabbath Saturday 10.5.1908, my dad was born in Brookline. His mother’s first of two. She was not nice. On Friday, October 5, 2018, Nadia Murad won The Nobel Peace Prize. She is nice. She was sleeping at The Charles in Cambridge when I awoke her with the news. She combined with two to do her book while living and cooking Yazidi here in Essex, New York at www.Lewisfamilyfarm.com. Has round the clock. ISIS is not going away. Lots of docs in Boston. And The Red Sox. Dad was a bat boy. GHR was a pitcher, then. They both came to New York. Ruth first. Died 1948. Dad died in 1978 at 69. Temple Emanuel was packed. They refused him at first. Cardinal Spellman offered with a caveat. Tell Ace Greenberg Emanuel is best for NYC’s best. He had not paid his dues: did not care. His telephone operators wept. Gov. Hugh Carey arrived 30 minutes late to read what I gave him. Terrible speaker. He was sent by Herbert Allen Jr. And that’s a story.

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I'm glad you're responding well to treatment. Thanks, Sandy. Sleep well.

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Time for bed. Sad. CWS swept the Yankees. Won the series. Oldest manager in MLB. Yanks did not hit. No hugs, please. Mask up. And don’t inhale in the elevator.

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Ditto what Daria said. Thanks for the update, Sandy.

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So many memories. Thanks for sharing.

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Kathy Clark... we can have far less than 2% here. Memory, a good memory, can be a Godsend or a nightmare, often it’s both. It’s involuntary. It commands. “Let your conscience be your guide.” “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.” Remember FDR? His chats? Your parents faces when he died? Mine said they hated him. Yet they shed tears when his death came by AM radio. Not TV. There was no TV. They rarely cried. Often lied - to themselves. Kids know, sort of.

It now falls to us. Vote your conscience. The FB founder cannot do this. Tucker cannot. Our most wealthy do not care. Many whites are unfeeling.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson needs our help.

Vote. Vote. Vote. And drive those in need. To vote.

President Biden needs our help.

Vote. Vote. Vote.

Save your country.

Sandy

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https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/05/social-media-democracy-trust-babel/629369/

My younger Republican brother sent this Atlantic article to me asking for my comments. It had been sent to him and others by an MIT alumnus as recommended reading for his group of colleagues involved in some business/political dialogue. It's a very long but effective article on the influence of social media on our thinking, communication and ability to accomplish anything necessary and productive. I already sent my comments where I explored the how history can be both a tool and a story of like sets of conditions and results that we should learn from. In the Atlantic article, history is used as a tool to explain the point of transformation from social media as useful to becoming destructive. And what those changes were in social media that changed it to destructive.

It's worth looking at our lives together through different lenses. Not necessarily from opposing political lenses. But from the lenses of history, science, language, culture, etc. They seem often to come to similar conclusions which can be helpful in finding reality.

The term "abortion" has captured my attention. It has been used si much as a negative term that its use along creates disagreeable feelings and attitudes. How often is "abortion" used to describe the creation of an awful or poorly produced piece of work, art or other activity? And yet pilots "abort" their landings or others abort their plans realizing there is a change in circumstances or conditions that would make proceeding unsafe or unsuccessful. Many pregnancy terminations are for the health and safety of the mother, and yet few debates adequately address the many reasons for terminations. Many pregnancies, about one million per year I have read are terminated naturally via miscarriages. Most before a woman knows she is pregnant which appears to be menstruation. And others which can come quite late and be tragic for the would be parents. Some pregnancies occur via rape which are already quite traumatic for the female. Some of which involve children as young as 10. In the 1930s, a 5 year old in south America was raped by her father and gave birth via C section to a boy, raised as her brother. Are these situations better than terminations of pregnancy? It seems that starting with a word that stigmatizes, we develop narratives that depart from reality that then prevent us from rational, compassionate and empathetic solutions that would benefit our society. It also prevents us from establishing an array of positive solutions that would reduce unexpected pregnancies and provide best healthcare for each situation without prejudice.

None of our difficult cultural, social, political or economic situations are due to one cause. But causes can reinforce each other to create bad outcomes. So it is helpful to look broadly at how things work in the world to learn why they may not work to our satisfaction.

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Sorry but the “raped by her father” comment sort of distracted my thought. Is the world ready for nuance? Nah, focused propaganda is the cat’s meow…

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(OMG, she's human! she overdoes things!) You've done what had to be done, now rest and recover. Plato rather than Socrates...

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I think the jury is still out about being human . . . superhuman HCR resonates in my mind! When I had the opportunity to briefly speak with her when she was in Boston with Fiona Hill, I marveled that she could teach, do a podcast, participate in a public forum, go back to the hotel and write "the Letter", prepare for a trip out West, work on a book, etc. etc. etc. (and she goes at that pace every day!) And, me . . . I only had the latest Wordle to work on that evening!! 😂 😂

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HCR is amazing. Janet, give Quordle a shot.🌷. HCR, Wordle & Quordle, part of my morning routine.

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we share thoughts as well as a first name.

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She's very focused.

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Sweet dreams.

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HCR, I hope you get a long rest tonight.

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Ah, a perfect opportunity to share this without changing the subject ... (sleep well, professor - last night's letter was a work of art - you consistently earn a good rest!!)

NOTICE: ABOUT THE SUPREME COURT

WEDNESDAY, 5/25 - 7PM Eastern - JIM HIGHTOWER

$UPREME COUP: Happy Hour at the Chat & Chew Cafe with Hightower, Sen Whitehouse and Imani Gandy

With the recent leak of the abortion decision, the right-wing’s scheme to take over the Supreme Court is playing out--with huge consequences for our lives. This week at the Chat & Chew, we’re joined by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Imani Gandy, Senior Editor of Law and Policy for Rewire News Group and co-host of the podcast Boom! Lawyered, to discuss the dark money fueling the takeover of the courts and what We The People are going to do about it.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JLZYLdWP17A&feature=emb_imp_woyt

*******

Also, replay from 4/30/22

SUPREME INJUSTICE: Happy Hour with Hightower at the Lowdown Chat & Chew Cafe with Lisa Graves

For two decades, the GOP’s network of corporate and right-wing operatives has painstakingly fabricated the Supreme Court as its own political weapon. In short order, backed by a few billionaires, these anti-democracy zealots have incrementally been imposing on America an extremist political agenda that they could not win at the ballot box. Join Hightower as he sits down with right-wing dark money expert Lisa Graves to learn how this happened– and what we’ll do about it.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EQywbRBUExs&feature=youtu.be

https://m.facebook.com/100047192621598/videos/2183000535189833

*******

... and, this:

How the right wing captured the Supreme Court

https://hightowerlowdown.org/article/how-the-right-wing-captured-the-supreme-court/

Meet Leonard Leo: The capo behind the Supreme Court coup

https://hightowerlowdown.org/article/meet-leonard-leo-the-capo-behind-the-supreme-court-coup/

*****

https://truenorthresearch.org/2021/01/backgrounder-justice-coney-barretts-ties-to-shell-and-api-are-far-deeper-than-reported-her-father-could-be-deposed-in-climate-change-litigation/

http://fixthecourts.com/

*****

Take Back the Court takes off from the premise, shared by us in Lowdownland, that instead of defending Americans against attacks on their fundamental rights, the right-wing majority on the Supreme Court (expanded in recent years through Trump/McConnell/GOP thievery) “routinely sides with big business and wealthy Republican donors over working families.” Find Take Back the Court’s “Case for Court Expansion” at:

takebackthecourt.today

*****

The Alliance for Justice was founded in the wake of the infamous Powell Memo urging corporate titans and the US Chamber of Commerce to “to weaponize the courts to serve business interests.” AFJ is a national association of more than 120 organizations working to secure confirmation of “highly qualified, fair-minded, and diverse federal judges.”

afj.org

*****

The National Women’s Law Center fights for gender justice, not only in the courts, but also in policy and society broadly, working on issues central to the lives of women and girls–equal pay, child care, abortion rights, and more–and breaking down barriers that harm us all.

nwlc.org

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More than a few billionaires, I fear. My donations are a joke.

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Likewise, Jeri - the downside of shunning money is I have none to give ... still, so many needs - so many places to give - surely, there is a more efficient way to support fundamental needs so people can work on what matters to them/us without having to beg for money to make it happen ...I get so tired of the constant sales pitch/support pleas ... was there ever a time when money was not the first concern?!?

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