The man authorities have identified as the shooter who murdered eight people and wounded at least seven others at a mall in Allen, Texas, on Saturday, Mauricio Garcia, appears to have been a white supremacist. He sported Nazi tattoos and wore a patch on his vest that said “RWDS,” which stands for “Right Wing Death Squad.” (Hispanic-Americans often identify as white, and as scholar of white power movements Kathleen Belew noted on Twitter, today’s militant right holds together largely because of their interest “in hurting vulnerable communities, antisemitism, anti-Islam, anti-trans, misogynist violence.”)
An incredibly somber and sobering letter today. One that scares me more than any recent one because of lack of media coverage of the Trump/Orban statements and the implications that there is a widening globalized movement of these far right extremists. Trump is moving to ever more extreme language and positions with the support of his minions like Gosar.
I woke up too early this morning and made the decision to read HCR's letter. That extra hour of sleep that I needed isn't happening! I agree this letter is truly frightening. I simply cannot get my head around how dangerous things really are and how evil has taken hold. We have been seeing this unfold over the years like a train wreck in slow motion but now it is clearly speeding up and I fear it doesn't end until there is a total collapse. :(
Someone who urges action and not gloom is Simon Rosenberg and he has, IMO, a knowledgeable background. If I don’t plant a seed of hope from time to time, I won’t make it. His Substack is called Hopium Chronicles.
MLM, It's so strange that you mention the Hopium Chronicles. Just an hour ago, a friend on FB posted a video, and the person in the video referenced it! Synchronicity -- "God's way of communicating with us", Carl Jung.
In the meantime, Rs have walked out of the Oregon senate for the fifth day because of "partisan" bills, one about abortion and the other, about gun control. They are using the excuse that they are not written simply enough.
My husband and I are were discussing the Texas shooter and the Texas driver and we have concluded, as no doubt many others have, that this will continue.
This week my ex-classmate in Elkhart posted a meme about the border and immigration. I deleted it and then changed my mind and reminded her and that most of us are on stolen land and that real border crisis occurred when Europeans stepped onto the continent. I also told her that until the 19th century most of the continent was controlled by Native Americans and all the awful things interactions with Europeans has brought them. I added that we had helped create many of the problems in the countries south of us. She is quite religious and I am about to tell her the next time that the blood from these types of mass shootings is on her hands and others like her.
Definitely. For those here not familiar with the state constitutional amendment that Michele refers to (and I had forgotten about), here's the gist. Approved by 68% of voters in November 2022, it would bar legislators from re-election if they accrue 10 unexcused absences..
Imagine a state of mind that rationalizes not doing your job because your party doesn't have a majority. I guess these Republicans only believe in democracy when they're in power.
Thanks to MSNBC, I have had a good look at Tucker Carlson. He looks like the fraternity boy that stupid girls dated, a moral vacuum considered “cute.” He is as dangerous as Hitler.
You may want to remind your classmate in Elkhart (Indiana sends guns to Chicago, BTW) that American enterprise has supported every Latin American dictator from Batista (Cuba) to names I cannot remember, and managed the overthrow of a reasonable Chilean government. (The CIA didn’t like him). Sorry I haven’t filled in the blanks, but there are those reading these posts who can
Spent a week in Costa Rica. Learned that Americans had planted non-native species in the strip of jungle that we Americans were enjoying.
I never let one of her nonsense posts go by. I am not surprised that Indiana sends guns to Chicago. Our foreign policy is in part responsible for a lot of the problems we see today. The list is long. This person, btw, is the one who is so thankful she is not as well educated as I am.
I think that what has been happening is that the conservatives have used certain tactics in meddling in the affairs of other countries (from South and Central America to the Middle East, Shock Doctrine is a very good account of this) and is now turning those tactics on their own country. They've been practicing for a long time.
Read Greg Olear's list today in his substack if you wish to add to your arsenal. He pulls no punches, but the list is IMHO, on mark. I find it still so difficult to talk with people who seem to have created their own fantasy world. Thank you to the fake and self serving MSM.
Sorry for the delay. Busy time, and connection issues..... I just assumed it was easy to get to, and discovered that it was not so self evident when I did the search myself. Will be careful to provide links in future.
She THINKS she is religious. So for her and the the other idiots like her, they are ok with lying, slaughter, racism, etc. Because they are certain that God is with them. So they are divinley pardoned.
Barry Goldwater warned us about the evangelicals. And he was spot on.
Native Americans came over the Bering Strait. We all came from Africa. It was inevitable that people moved, spread and took land for hunting a gathering, and then farming and technology. The human species grew and expanded. The issue now is tolerance acceptance and respect, a big order.
If we created problems, we have also solved many inevitable as we all expanded. We have not solved the looming climate crisis issues. But we are not now responsible for the problems that that "global South" or the countries south of us have today. There is just so much guilt that we need absorb. They have agency.
We interfered all over the world, sometimes because of worries about communism, at the behest of corporations like United Fruit, sometimes for raw materials (read Lawrence In Arabia). I know about our origins, both in Africa and for Native Americans, across the Bering Strait. In fact, I just finished a book about Native American genes....sometimes hard to come by because in the past they were treated with no respect. Until the 19th century Native Americans controlled most of the continent. After European came, they pillaged as they did in South America, brought diseases, spread discord among Native American nations, deliberately killed buffalo, destroyed crops, deliberately killed Native Americans, moved them all over the place, sent the children to schools where they tried to destroy language and culture, and defaced sacred places....Mt. Rushmore for example. I am not responsible for what happened, but I am not going to pretend it didn't happen and doesn't have ramifications for problems we see today. Also in terms of climate change, we, in about 500 years or so have managed to destroy quite a bit of the natural world. In the 19th century, a lot of industrialism was founded on cotton slavery. So yes, our history is responsible for a lot of the problems we see today. I also recently read a book on the British Empire and we can also thank them and other colonial powers for many of the problems now as well.
Reading or listening to a podcast series on Lewis & Clark is instructive too. It wasn't always unfriendly and lack of respect. We and they are not all good and all bad. Encounters that spread disease were inevitable. Native Americans were custodians of the land- they had a different "world view" entirely than Europeans. Maybe they thought it was theirs. It's not reasonable to think that they could've continued to control the land. But we did fight and conquer, made treaties too. Might made right back then. We are still working on that one. The good of us try to make it up to them now, and to the descendants of slaves. We try. But again people are not all bad nor all good. I still reject the broad statement that you make about our (meaning this country in particular) history being responsible for a lot of the problems we see today. We have also been remedial and progressive.
The British brought much good along with bad aspect of colonialism: exploitation, the attitude of the "white man's burden" (white supremacy). Pretending this did not happen is not what I am talking about, guilt is.
We have arrived to today. How do we behave, what do we do today? Asking what we owe collectively is valid.
But neither you nor I nor anyone needs to own guilt especially from a selective reading of long years, centuries of collective history ... "500 years or so we have managed to destroy ...." We collectively have produced some pretty good and glorious things as well.
I have said clearly that I do not feel guilty or responsible for what happened in the past. I do feel responsible for doing my best to garden organically for example and buy from local farmers, preferably organic. However, I have Mr. Chemical living across the street who mows his lawn every other day with a big honking riding lawn mower for his postage stamp lawn. I find your explanation of our interaction with Native Americans disgusting. History does matter and people have long memories. My husband has Lakota ancestry and we are in touch with many of his relatives and believe me, they are still suffering and quite aware of our awful history with them. As for the British Empire, ask their former colonies and read Legacy of Violence which is about said empire and it is quite clear that many problems today, the Middle East for example, are a direct result. Yes, there are good people, but not so many among the most powerful who are usually opportunists and often criminals...think Bush and death star families. If we have an economic crisis over the debt and ordinary people suffer, the greeds will be read to swoop in to get whatever they can at a bargain price. As for the climate crisis, it is here. And we will have more floods, droughts, horrific storms, raising sea level, extinction, etc. I am 80 and have no children, so no direct family to face the future. I have ex-students who are not going to have children and some who have only one. The wealthy think their money will save them and some of the religious think there will be a second coming, so why worry....after all, they are among the saved. I do know many good individuals who are doing their best, so I do not view everyone as bad. As for progress, we have made some in social issues which the Rs are going their best to destroy. And yes, I do appreciate music and art, so I see some good there. Btw, there is a new book out about artists and writers who produced great work, but were terrible human beings....a conundrum perhaps for their admirers.
The 60s started out as the 50s had ended - the United States was a suddenly extremely wealthy country and people were mesmerized by the baubles and trinkets of a materialistic society. But there was an implicit bargain - people were expected to marry young and have children early, thus proving the superiority of the West over the USSR which had suddenly become who knew how powerful and were guaranteed to use that power in menacing ways. Hence the Communist witch hunts, the birth of the domino theory, the gradual involvement in the tangle between the Vietnamese and their former colonial masters, the French. It was, for the vast majority of white, home owning climbers into the middle class a comfortable bargain. Unsurprisingly it was a decade dominated by Republicans. Dominated, but in a benign way by the Eisenhower administration which curbed the worst instincts of the richest with a 91% tax level on earnings over $400 000, American society was peaceful, business-oriented and largely unaware of geopolitical events unless they involved the USSR.
But not for Black people. They were becoming more and more distressed at being deliberately left out of the American dream. The Great Migration north had ameliorated some of the worst horrors of their lives, but they still encountered pervasive racism in the large cities of the North and brutality in the South.
Led from the pulpit a slow but fierce struggle engaged Blacks to begin to fight for their rights under a novel method of non-violence. When their struggles were brutally repressed, there were now television cameras to catch the horror of white on Black violence. This drew significant white support and for the first time the comfortable, cold rules of Jim Crow were under siege.
The young did *not* see the world as their parents did. They were intolerant of the excesses of their materialistic parents in their “ticky-tacky houses” and they took to the streets in a more generalized movement against society. Of course they had money to be able to afford to do this, and in many cases their parents supported them. Nonetheless they galvanized a broader movement, inspired partly by the most powerful outburst of popular music in our time. They grew their long, began to take drugs in defiance of the strongest societal mores, and gradually turned their attention towards protesting America’s increased involvement in a war 10 000 miles from, a war in which an uncomfortable number of Americans were dying, a war which eventually produced a military draft.
By the late 1960s America was in the throes of a social movement the force of which the 20th century Tea Party could only dream about. Blacks achieved stunningly sweeping legislation under LBJ who seriously supported their cause. But he was trampled underground by History because he could not end the Vietnam war.
Women looked at the subjugations, both petty and hugely significant which enclosed their lives and they too began to rebel. Pope Paul’s refusal in his 1968 encyclical to give Catholic support to the use of the Pill enraged them, for the Pill could swing open the door to their full emancipation.
By 1973 women had won the right to abortion at the Supreme Court, a breathtaking victory.
Universities were the site of fierce rebellion for their support of the status quo in Vietnam. (Nobody would have dreamed of petitioning for “safe spaces” in those days, except for Chancellors and Presidents.)
The police were under relentless attack and they fought back with studied brutality. Four students were shot to death at Kent State University by the National Guard. Ronald Reagan, Governor of California called for a confrontation against students.
Unsurprisingly the greater part of the 1960s came during Democratic rule, but the height of the struggle largely took place after Nixon became President.
It is an axiom that every action produces an equal and opposite reaction. Significant numbers of Americans felt that America was careening out of control. They longed for an end to turbulence. And slowly, with much groaning in the machinery, the hinge of history began to shift into counter reaction. Louis Powell wrote his famous memo in 1971, fearing that capitalism might be breathing its last. He abjured corporations to take up the challenge and fight to restore an American democracy dominated by capitalism. Once the significance of the 1973 abortion ruling sunk in, wave after wave of Americans organized to fight it. And this fight would be strategic, patient, long term - and successful.
Slowly the steam went out of the movement, although women continued to fight tenaciously for their rights. The oil embargo’s distracted and annoyed Americans. Inflation rose and pocketbook issues took pre-eminence in people’s minds. Hippies aged out. And along came Ronald Reagan promising sunnier times.
Today Heather vividly captured the desperate situation America is in 40 years later. The forces of reaction prevailed and in their time of success are becoming more and more extreme. Bit by bit we are being transported back to the Fifties - as today’s leaders envision them. We sometimes laugh and are sometimes appalled by today’s Republican culture wars. We do so at our own peril. Take them seriously or we may look around one day and find ourselves in an alien world.
Sorry to be so garrulous. I promise to practice shorter comments in future. :)
You blame boomers? I was born in 1961, at the tail end, but my perspective was that it was my generation and those slightly younger that embraced Reaganism to the greatest degree. The 1980s were fueled by young people looking to get rich quick. I think that what really turned the tide is that people became complacent about the power they had won with the labor wars up to the New Deal and bought into the idea that capitalism, especially free market capitalism, necessarily led to peace, prosperity, and democracy and the myth that unions were the biggest drag on the economy. Unions served so many purposes, not only for collective bargaining, but also political power and social integration and interaction. Once the war on unions gained traction, then it was easy to divide people who had previously been united. So much of the country voted for Democrats and progressive politicians in the 60s and 70s and many of those people now vote GOP because they have been divided. The labor economy has turned into a gig economy where it's every person for themselves (and there's more, which is too long to get into, concerning changes in corporate compensation, financial instruments, etc., which put company's decision making into the realm of finance rather than corporate health for the long run). Those voters were all boomers. They didn't decide to vote with their wallets, they fell for the propaganda. Suddenly, the connections that they had with fellow workers, which could happen across racial lines, etc., were destroyed. Companies have also lost the loyalty of employees. The GOP cries of freedom and liberty are nothing but divide and conquer. It's not the boomers I fear at this point, it's the young true believers who never lived under or in the shadow of the New Deal and are willing to throw everyone's lives away.
You put so much together so well in this comment. I’m so glad you raised the point about unions being a force for social engagement.
I am unletsuaded that the Boomers, writ large, are the authors of the mess America was in or even especially large contributors. Many pursued the best ideals of their generation all through their lives. A number of them live on an island off the coast of BC where I live today. Some grew dispirited and turned to life’s realities as the movement reached its end. And of course the vast majority of Boomers were never involved in any social Justice movements.
My point was to draw the connection between the audacious events of the Sixties and the counter-reaction they provoked. That movement has taken fully half a century to reach its ugly apotheosis. It will be very difficult for the arc of American history to start bending back decisively to a more generous, honest and equal society.
Orban’s Hungary aspires to be America’s 50s - on steroids.
So true. It is a huge aspect. I remember the Willie Horton ads in the 1988 election. Lee Atwater is the evil mind at the base of this strategy. Was Nixon publicly racist?
Your point that Boomers don’t get credit for what they did in the flame of youth is one I have been annoyed about for some time. People view us contemptuously, mockingly even. Yet, a group of us took on the power of the State to reach for a new society.
Thank you for joining my Substack. It is a compliment I appreciate, but am not sure I deserve. :)
Eric, Stephen Kinzer’s book “The Brothers: John Foster Dulles and Allen Dulles and Their Secret World War” will add fuel to your tirade! Never having known how and why the pair were responsible for leading US astray, as I read am learning real eye-openers.
We are in a civil war of sorts and Texas had the latest casualties. We need to do more than vote this right extremist movement into the dustbin. A million mom March on Washington maybe? The DOJ doing its job perhaps? ( all investigation , no indictments of the high political figures) Everyday without indictments is a day of growing dangers. E. Jean Caroll is a warrior not just a plaintiff, others need to follow her example.
I share your feelings about this, it saddens me greatly as well. My head doesn't want to fully comprehend how bad it is and how much this evil has taken root. I still believe that we have hope and that we can win.
When someone who sought, but failed, to overthrow the U.S. government is still the choice of a great many of Americans, we all know that there is a huge cancer on the body politic. We can't ignore it. The question, can we mobilize quickly enough and in sufficient numbers to preserve our democracy? On the other note, demand side economics works, supply side doesn't, for the obvious reason - no one is going to produce more of anything if there isn't anyone with money to buy it.
And they are growing the Fear that is fertile ground for their brainwashing.
Biden is doing an amazing, almost superhuman, job at strengthening our democracy in ways that he has the power to, but what is the answer to the violent terrorists they have thrown at us? And most especially the blaring of lies by media sources?
I don't know the answer. Our school systems have failed in many instances by not teaching us how to think critically. We are overcome with confirmation bias in our thinking. We can't separate fact from fiction. Thomas Frank, in his book, "What's the Matter with Kansas" showed how the gullible are deceived with the propagation of wedge issues: abortion, immigration, homophobia and misogyny.
I will not put that burden on our public school system. The burden should fall on society and our lack of support and nurturing for parents of young children. We’re all in this together. Too many just want to raise their own kids to be rich with money stashed away and accumulating material possessions instead of making sure all children are given what they need when they are at their youngest and most vulnerable. Anyone can be a Big Brother or Sister and share our awe and curiosity.
One of the problems in schools is the standardized test which teaches only how to take the test and pass it. I did teach critical thinking in my classes. One of my ex-students and her mother took me out for hight tea for my 80th this week. One of the things that the student remembered was that she would ask me a question and I would answer that she was able to find the answer herself. I did my best to show students how to do research and assess bias, so they knew how to go about it. She happens to be a park ranger and does a wonderful job teaching kids about nature.
I had one class in high school that today I believe that included critical thinking. She told us about The American Civil Liberties Union. ACLU. I believe this was an Advance Speech and Debate class. That was so many years ago....62 in fact. That is all I remember about the class. She was way beyond her time and a great teacher!
I would say, that if there is one single thing that our schools need to do, it is to teach our children how to think logically, rationally, competently.
I watched Firing Line with Margaret Hoover this weekend. Her guest was Richard Dreyfuss, who has founded an organization whose mission is to get civics classes back in schools starting in the fourth grade and continuing through high school. The elimination of those courses has cost society greatly. It will take generations to rebuild that crucial base of knowledge.
See my post above and also we have seen many a discussion about the far right trying to impose doctrine instead of education. They don't want people to be able to think critically.
My MAGA brother sat pontificating about the homeless while not asking his psychiatrist sister or his public policy and economics son a single question.
Christy, we don't give up ideals that promote a better country....a better place for everyone to live and a place for everyone to be able to contribute, we don't give into violence, we don't promote lies. We protect the lives and care for everyone as much as is possible.
At the same time we must make our citizens aware of voices promoting hatred and violence.....ideas that separate us and the ways in which they may be used to destroy our freedoms, our nation, even their own desires to live out their faith. Our houses of worship are being wrongfully used for the spreading of propaganda. In the Christian faith, we are supposed to confront hatred and self-centeredness. Coming to faith is not a one time thing...it is an everyday confrontation with self in the face of Christ: Savior, Lord.....an example of love and healing towards everyone.....no forcible acceptance required. This expression of "living the faith" belongs to my being....I do not attend worship to be told what to believe or who to vote for. I also believe each one has the right to worship as one may choose or NOT.
The bottom line is that we live in a country that is free....but as the saying goes,
"Freedom is Not Free!" We must counter lies with truth and we cannot stop and we must work to do this peacefully and with the love, clarity, reason, steadiness and the respect we could receive. The truth will"out".....but it is not easy to confront old ideologies.....just as our amazing people of color or LGBTQ citizens can speak to.
In sharing the above, I want to praise and promote President Joe Biden, Jill Biden, our Vice President and the MANY amazing staff and those working everyday to confront danger towards our country, to build up fledgling democracies , to encourage and strengthen freedom throughout the world, even have found ways to work with those some call "our enemies", etc, etc. The work of freedom goes on....call Joe "old" if you like but no one can dispute the good that has come from his administration, in spite of struggles, storms, and innumerable challenges...he and his administration have met them....he does not center on himself but on his job as President of the USA....for all of us!!!! Thank you JOE!!!! May GOD continue to strengthen you.....and protect our troops!
Religion has been used thruout our history to foment hate and violence. I’m all about the golden rule and if not loving at least tolerating each other, but I believe we need a come to Jesus moment about figuring out what we can do about the use of religion to divide us.
Christianity has been filled with violence..... Christ Himself was beaten to the bone... and falsely.accused by the Pharasees....before the Roman leaders.....His disciples left Him except for John and His mother who remained at the foot of the cross. (in my faith, He took upon Himself what I deserved) and even at the cross, there were criminals being crucified...even there, one belirved and one had the freedom, not to believe..... In sharing this, I agree that the Christian faith has been used and misused.
Hitler's regeme had many Jews and Christians killed....Hitler wanted no competion regarding allegiance. This is what I see happening today. Those who are true believers, I pray will wake up but only they can make the choice. If they would only examine the character between Biden and Trump they could see the difference.....but they must be willng to stand alone....to be rejected by "friends".
I agree 100%. So way do most of the media focus on Joe's age rather than his accomplishments. With all that this administration has accomplished I can't understand the low poll numbers. I have to contribute this to, as you said, the lack of the ability for critical thinking.
Rex, they focus on his age because that is all they can focus on.....he is a great guy and his team is accomplishing so much good that there is not enough space to print all of it ...here in the US and throughout the world and President Biden would be the first to say, he and the Democratic leaders are not done yet!!! and isn't H. Jefferies a Great! addition!
I’ve been wondering if many big businesses now consider American consumers an unimportant profit source. With the rising middle class in some nations (eg China), businesses have greener pastures available. Ford paid his workers enough to buy Ford cars. These days?
The comments are positively nutty. Based on those comments, our massive deficit is unrelated to the constant tax cutting on rich white folks and Corporations that Republicans have sponsored for 43 years.
BUT? If we only had zero spending on poor folks all would be well.
Unbelievable.
We waste $20 trillion dollars on two pointless wars, cut taxes every time we get a chance, bail out banks run by white male criminal incompetents, make sure the military contractors can give 12% raises to their all white employee workforce, and??
let us not forget Reagan's $1 Trillion dollar toss into the trash can of STAR WARS, BUT.......????
The only thing driving our massive deficits is???
---> Poor folks on food stamps and if we JUST make them poorer by cutting off all that help, well, all will be well. Never mind that we forced their ancestors onto slave ships, whipped them into submission and kept them starving for 250 years, then, "freed" them into Angola Prison down in LA where they could do "work study".
Honestly, it is a mess here. Really. I have never read a more nutty set of comments in my life.
It is almost like some movie I watched 30 years ago about Zombies taking over during the day.
Mike S: My mind is in such a jumbled state, I gladly will read the NYT article...perhaps it will cushion my jump to reality or send me deeper into this country abyss. Have great respect for anyone who can use history to help understand current events. Thank you for your comments.
Probably some people the WSJ picked up from Foxxed News. The WSJ still pubishes some credible stories, but I guess we can't hold them responsible for the comments.
This is the basic question I ask: "How poor do we want our poor people to be?"
Every society has always had them, and Jesus said they will always be with us.
So how poor do we want them? Should they be Norway poor or India poor?
Conservatives, as you say, want to make our poor poorer, and then they complain about homeless encampments, drugs, street trash, crime and feeling unsafe.
I agree...I NEVER read the comments section of the WaPo or Times any more. Entirely too depressing. Hard to believe there the people who write such nonsense read (even digitally) newspapers. Actually it's hard to believe they can read, period; they spout such stupidity and are evidently unable to understand that what they are supporting will only end with them losing the very freedoms they claim to treasure.
Mike S - "I subscribe to the WSJ and the NY Times and today I made the mistake of reading the comments on one the Opinion columns:"
I do not subscribe to the WSJ and am "firewalled out." However, for some reason that I don't fully understand, if I do a Google search for "Federal Spending Soars, Revenue Falls," I am able to get full access to the article through the RealClearPolitics listing with the same Link:
"firewalled out" probably means they detected some writing of yours that made sense. Then, immediately blocked you from ever doing something so dastardly again!
Mike S - "firewalled out" probably means they detected some writing of yours that made sense. Then, immediately blocked you from ever doing something so dastardly again!
<Chuckle> Yes, I meant "Paywalled." Subscribing would have gotten me past it.
Besides how could anyone take offense at what I ever have written. LOL
It’s the Wall Street Journal - an editorial completely in line with what one would expect from that publication. Are their journalists welcome at CPAC in Budapest? I don’t know but wouldn’t be surprised at all. This publication, like Fox News, is one of the Murdoch controlled media outlets as part of News Corp.
Wouldn't it be nice to have the fruit of the Strategic Defense Initiative in place to defend the U.S. against nuclear missiles, considering Russian nuclear Sabre rattling? North Korea? China?
It waa scrapped by Clinton and converted to a theatre-level Defense system. We now have the Patriot Defense system helping Ukraine now, and defending Isrsel against missile barrages from Hamas and Hezbolla. We have various constellations of satellites providing us with early weather and wildfire warning, never mind monitoring the environment and providing intelligence on adversaries' activities.
Maybe it was too ambitious? I don't think so. But obviously you do. I worry about "all or nothing" policies on either side. We need a strong defense, and we need a strong social safety net.
First, our whole strategy was geared toward funding military contractors instead of peace and safety. It was not geared toward "protecting" us.
However, thank you for your observations and reminding me of the word definition utilized: Strategic Defense System.
I think that a better approach to world peace in 1945 forward would have been: Instead of inventing, then using nuclear weapons on a civilian population in Japan (twice), if the United States had, upon realizing that someday every rogue country on earth (like us for example) would have access to annihilation of all species except, perhaps, roaches well....
IF we had STOPPED at the end of WW II, and NOT dropped two of the nuke weapons on a civilian population since we KNEW we could blockade Japan for two weeks and have it all over....BUT we wanted to show how powerful we were....
IF we had then, in the aftermath of winning a conventional war, pushed for nuclear non-development (not nuclear non-proliferation but elimination).....and had STOPPED our own development instead of producing 73,000 nuclear weapons since the first one....
THEN, maybe the world would look a lot different today.
NOW? We don't need SDI because no defense system is perfect and once a few nukes get through them it does not matter that 80% were destroyed.
The whole strategy was geared toward funding military contractors instead of peace and safety.
Flawed from the very start. BUT, good news, military contractors made out like bandits on Gunsmoke.
I understand that you wish we'd not gone down the path of using nuclear bombs on Japan. That's quite rational. But we did, and we found ourselves in a crazy MAD arms race. That arms race is now a part of our foreign policy whether it's a good thing or not. (I personally know it's not, in case you're wondering).
Given that we are in an arms race, is it better to build more weapons or to make them ineffective?
I, for one, am grateful that our missile defense systems can disrupt the flight of hypersonic drones. I am grateful that NATO has the option of a measured response in the event of a hypothetical Russian nuclear attack.
And it does matter if 80% of missiles are destroyed before they hit their target One, humanity will have a chance to survive and two, the aggressor might think twice before trying to guess which missiles will get through.
So, it's not a pretty picture. I grant you that. But it's a realistic one.
If we were at a bar, I suspect that some of us would have to hand over our keys & get taken home by a designated driver or taxi as we tried to dull the impact of this news. I'd go to my local bar but it's 2 : 22 a.m.
Rachael Maddow, last night, talked about the white nationalist event trump is holding at one of his Florida properties this week. His son Eric and Eric’s wife have been spouting white nationalist hate at speaking events around the country. This is what the Republican Party is and will only get worse. Very frightening times for our democracy.
I gave the LFAA a ❤️ but I really mean 🤮😱. TFG madman is trying to stir up his magats against the state AGs who brought cases against him. Time for Federal Justice to get going —now. Loud and clear. The bizarro staged a coup against his own government and VP and he gets to go to Ireland and play golf?! And we let him back in!! ITS NOT POLITICAL to shut him up. It’s the law.
Such a contrast: yesterday it was a sweet and beautiful letter, and now it's such a hard-hitting, down-to-earth letter. I absolutely agree with you, it scares me just as much as the previous letters, but it sounds sad. Regardless, I hope we can get out of this sad story.
Robert Hubbell today speaks to our necessary response for those interested in not saving, but practicing and believing in democracy. It is, after all, what is here. Not what is being suggested to replace it. I go with the strength of democracy.
There was more on Rachel (MSNBC) last night that is happening in Florida with the extremists for tfg. You may be able to watch the clip. That was really scary last night! I guess we shouldn't be surprised.
Heather, what is the path out of this nightmarish landscape? We can’t just give up to the suppression. Why aren’t there dozens of law suits challenging this takeover of our democracy? I am tearing my hair out. Thank you for your work on behalf of all of us. A million thanks.....
Elizabeth - This is like being sprayed in the face with pepper spray then having my head dunked in a bucket of ice - cold water or even liquid nitrogen after the peaceful message yesterday. I'm still processing it. No amount of " thoughts & prayers " can accomplish a damned thing. Canada is looking pretty good right now, except for the lack of relatives there.
Canada is looking very good to me right now, i have been checking out real estate ads there before i got on here. I don't have any relatives there either, but i don't care, most all of my relatives are in love with Donald TUMP and we aren't on speaking terms anyway. It appears to me that these Fascists are going to get their way here, it seems no one from our side is trying to stop the unlawful voting restrictions these traitors are installing.. I just don't get it, i am wondering too why there aren't numerous law suits being filed by our side??? It has gotten to the point where i am even afraid to go to a grocery store in fear of getting killed by some right wing extremist with an AR rifle. It's sad and frightening to see our nation has gotten this extreme. I for one am not going to live here if TUMP gets in, in 2024. I am not going to put up with an authoritarian type of government with TUMP being dictator.
John, you express my thoughts exactly about relatives being in love with Trump and Biden haters. One close relative let it slip the "Biden is corrupt." Where does this hate come from? Are they stupid? Can't they see all the good Briden has accomplished? Is this RWDS and the like movement going to take over the country? Scares me. I no longer talk politics and have lost touch on purpose with lifelong friends.
Linda, it scares me too. Haters are going to hate but now they can carry guns! I think one thing that Biden and us Democrats have done wrong is, that we don't talk about all the good things Biden and other Democrats have done. In my home state of Michigan, we are starting to talk about it but, honestly, we should be screaming from the top of every hill!
The ONLY reason that's true is that literally hundreds of people worked for several years to change the power of redistricting from the GOP-controlled legislature to a nonpartisan citizen commission and worked successfully to put voter expansion measures on the ballot--where they passed by large majorities.
My daughter is married to a Canadian living in Canada and I have spent a fair amount of time there. Yes, overall I find Canadian society more sane and empathic there than here, but a lot of the same issues, such as the anti-democratic power of mega-money, are in play there as well, and creepy Stephan Harper was prime minister for nine years. And if the US goes full fascist, I'm not sure how safe Canada will be.
I have read about that Stephan Harper creep. I didn't like what he stood for either very much. I just hope the full fascist thing doesn't happen here. If it does, i will probably be beat to death or some other bad things because i am NOT going along with their Christian Nationalist BS. My grown daughter has suggested going to Sweden, but i didn't much like that idea because of the language barrier. As deluded as the Rethuglican voters are, and now i hear that some Democratic voters don't want Biden for president. That seems to put us in a bad place right now. I was very disappointed to hear that news yesterday. And the polling is not good right now, but sometimes these polls are rigged and biased against Democrats, i don't believe that Nate Sliver jerk either, they always say he is accurate, but i have found out that he isn't very accurate and don't believe a thing he says. I just don't see how so many of the ignorant voters would want a lifelong criminal like TUMP as the leader of our nation. It just doesn't make sense. By the way, which province does your daughter live in? If i go to Canada, i would want to live in Nova Scotia or New Brunswick. I have read that the western provinces had many more lunatics that like TUMP much more than the far eastern provinces.
Damn, I am depressed. Even if Dumbkopf Donny is too old, senile & infirm, the GQP will probably find yet another version of him who is slicker, smarter, less boorish, more competent, less of a pompous attention whore buffoon that the Cult of the Orange Antichrist would approve of ( I use the term " Antichrist " even though I'm not even nominally religious, not anymore ).
I don't trust the RepubliKlan party any further than I could toss Mt. Kilimanjaro or retrieve the Titanic with magnetized TWEEZERS. I need a drink then some sleep.
I CAN'T bring myself to trust a Republican - especially an Evangelical " Christian " Republican one & I can't see why anyone with critical thinking & an IQ above the single digits would. My own Evangelical cousin thinks that they're saints & / or superheroes. Pretty damn PATHETIC.
I even sent her something about Jimmy Carter that was reasonably apolitical ( about hi work with Habitat for Humanity, among other things ) & she reacted like I was trying to persuade her to start worshiping Baal, Beelzebub, Moloch, Set or Satan. As I said, PATHETIC. & also STUPID.
I agree re Canada. My grandfather was born there many decades ago - I am ancient. He came here as a child and became a citizen when he gave up all allegiance to Queen Victoria! (I said I am ancient). Anyway, If I was younger I would be tempted to leave….
Don’t give up! I hope you’ll stay and keep fighting this onslaught with us. I see a lot of fatalistic comments here this morning. We can’t afford fatalism! If we give up, give in, and resign ourselves to the authoritarians rolling over us, THEN they will have won.
John T Phillips I have had same thoughts although what happens here affects the entire world so it is hard to escape. Granted on a daily basis Canada may provide peace. I am counting on huge backlash for everything the Republicans have done and will do before the next election. I also believe Democrat voters are now energized as never before and will put some effort into the next elections. Here I quote Robert Hubbell: "If you are looking for a place to join in common cause with other like-minded people defending democracy, Markers For Democracy is a welcoming, positive place to be. The Markers For Democracy newsletter link is here: The MFD Newsletter."
Daniel and John T, I agree Canada is looking good these days. In fact it was already looking pretty good back in 1972 when I was on the lam from basic training and considering every option that didn't involve having to shoot at anyone. But I think if the progressive part of our population somehow moves to Canada en masse, within a few years the victorious forces of USA Fascism will own Canada too and hunt us all down.
I'm basically a pacifist, but if I have to blow the arms & legs off of a " Proud Boy ( what are they so damn proud of ? What reason ? ) ", I can, although I'd prefer NOT to get embroiled in a civil war. Only as a last remaining option. My Evangelical cousin would probably blow away or eviscerate liberals without a second thought, then burn the bodies, while throwing textbooks on them.
Canada. Oh, Canada. Canada could have had French culture, British politics, and American know-how. Instead they have American culture (just at 1/10th scale), French politics, and British know-how. There is no place to run. We have to stay here and fix what we can.
I'm old and far from wealthy, so I don't think any other country on earth would have me, frankly. So do I stay and fight, or do I stay, put on my headphones, shut out the world and wait to die?
Michael. You have your own remedy. Clearly you stay and fight. The pathway to old age is fraught with peril. That pathway comes with winning in virtually every category wherein which we find successful endeavor, not to mention out right good luck. Against all odds we are still here. To fight the good fight. Each May we win the Kentucky Derby again. Hell yes we stand! What have we got to lose? I would be scared if I was thirty. Or 20. At 72 I am formidable.
At 78, I have lost all ability to fight. Haven't been able to run for years, can barely walk without falling (better with a brace for my foot drop), bad eyesight, can't aim a gun so well, just point & shoot at close range. So, Hell Yes, I sit! And squeeze off six rounds to whatever fascist comes to take me out. Srsly, haven't much more to lose after what age has already taken.
I agree with all of the above comments. I am 76 and too old to run away even if I wanted to and I don't want to, I want to stay and make the maga nuts miserable. Let them leave and make another country such as Hungary or possibly Russia great again.
As I have posted above (apologies for repetition) we can do this: please subscribe (free) to the SPANISH version of progressive Brian Tyler Cohen's Youtube channel and routinely run a few, if they algorithm catches fire, it will be seen by more and more Hispanics who are being successfully lured away by the GOP.
Canada is off the list for me as a Native woman. I can't stand their policies and attitudes re: Native people. I have friends talking about Portugal, Ecuador, Belize. A relative has gone to Turkey where the politics are even more problematic than here, and there seem to be problems everywhere. I have a clear choice, stay and fight, or at least resist, or go hide someplace. I can just as easily hide here. The devil I know beats the one I don't know. I stayed when Nixon won. I stayed when Reagan won. I stayed when Trump won. Those were all hard years, culminating in the mess we have now. It seems we didn't fight hard enough, though fight we did. In the last decade, I'm down to resistance. Call me Mikinaak (Turtle).
A woman that I got to know through her website then via email left for Canada after GWB was " reelected ". I basically implied that she was a damned COWARD for deserting rather than staying & resisting. Dubbya was a LOT of things, but at least he wasn't an overgrown, narcissistic spoiled attention whore man - brat who demanded unearned RESPECT & unquestioning, blind, drone - like loyalty like the Orange Ogre did & still does, Mikinaak.
Lynell, come to Idaho. So much to do here in every category. The road is always uphill against impossible odds. Have you ever watched wild geese fight to hold their territory? Awesome, no really. I was thinking about putting together a wagon train in Michigan. Leading them to Idaho. Can you imagine what that many Michiganders might be capable of?
LOL, Pat. Our wild geese seem to prefer a more peaceful coexistence. However, it's not a bad idea to head to Idaho. I get my equine supplements from there, so would save on shipping costs, for sure! That said, I'd be willing to start a Go Fund Me account to send a team of Michiganders to Idaho. Those potato-pushing folks would get straightened out in short order, don't you think?
I've been curious about Japan & Korea, I had penfriends there back in the 70's & 80's. I used to know a little of the language, but that was back in the 70's & 80's as well. Then there's the little matter of MONEY..... Maybe I could become a Buddhist monk.
and Canada is colder than I like...I don't want to go any further north than MD, where I am now, but the politics going south from here suck....and Mexico doesn't feel like a safe option any longer.
Mt. Athos in Greece is full of history, but it's a large monastic community for Eastern Orthodox renunciates / hermits, & I wouldn't want to go there under false pretenses because I'm not religious. They even make deliveries using a basket elevator. I guess they couldn't smuggle a beautiful Greek or Eastern European model in a large sack using the basket.
Right now I'm thinking France or Portugal might be good...or Italy. It's like pick the food and wine you like and go for it. 30 years ago my office manager had a place in San Miguel in Mexico. She & her husband loved it...loved the people. As the years went on, they spent more & more time there. Sadly they have both passed on...or I'd go for an extended visit.
BUDGET. I'm on one. & to use an old phrase that probably dates back to pre - dynastic Egypt, " money doesn't grow on trees ". Actually the saying was " your camel will never crap gold nuggets ". 🐫😆
Mike, France is really expensive but I have heard that Portugal is very nice. We live in southern Spain for half of each year (without residencia we can only stay 90 days at a time). It costs us about half of what it costs to live in the midwest. The only thing more expensive is gas for the car (between $8-$9 a gallon). The people are lovely, the food is great and the wine is fabulous! If you haven't considered Spain, take a look.
Mike, I lived in Buffalo for 25 years. I left 20 years ago and came back to Georgia. I couldn’t take the cold any more. I left NY politics for Georgia politics, right before Crooked Deal was elected governor. It was a nicer place in the 70s.
I have been looking at real estate in Iceland and Googling countries where it might be easier for Americans to move to. I'm retired, so my options are now limited, but I keep doing job searches for my adult children - one of whom is also freaking out about what CHAT GPT is going to do to the world!!
CHAT GPT - Skynet Lite. My computer is proof that an AI uprising will simply consist of annoying the CRAP out of human users until our heads explode from rising blood pressure.
Places for Americans to move to - I exchanged Youtube comments a few hours ago with some guy stationed in Antarctica. I wonder how much a nice cozy condo on an ice floe would cost ? Amazon drone drops would provide supplies & one would have to really dress for sub - zero weather, basically.
Elisabeth - I have had several " snail - mail " relationships in the 70's - 80's with people in Japan, Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines to Guyana & Morocco, so if I had to / or felt compelled to leave, I think that I could live in 1 of those countries, although language would be a large problem at 1st.
I would think that, given the foundational importance of the right to vote to unalienable rights, that there would be a basis for citizens to sue if wrongly deprived of their right to vote or were unreasonably encumbered in their efforts to vote such as hours of waiting to cast a vote, that a responsible society could easily make readily accessible. I think there are equal justice issues here as well.
I used to have faith the SC would always be an obstacle for blatant disregard of rights. No more, and that causes despair. They’re MORE corrupt and untouchable than politicians.
You have a good point. However, Rs have stacked the courts so heavily and judges these days seem to have no consequences for poor ethics and corruption.
I figure that if the right to vote is worth going to jail to obtain, worth dying for, deprivation of it or interference with it is well worth a lawsuit.
Yes, I want to know a way out of the unpublished hellscape too. I live in voter-suppressed Ohio and saw the new bill here in action last week as I worked our local election.
Yes! I would love to hear HCR weigh in at the end of her wonderful letters with some historically informed solutions to this nightmare...! How can we disrupt this never ending cycle??
I started writing letters and post cards to voters at the suggestion of a frequent commenter to this forum.
I have already posted the below, it can't hurt and it doesn't cost us anything:
As I have posted above (apologies for repetition) we can do this: please subscribe (free) to the SPANISH version of progressive Brian Tyler Cohen's Youtube channel and routinely run a few, if they algorithm catches fire, it will be seen by more and more Hispanics who are being successfully lured away by the GOP.
I catch Brian Taylor Cohen's program on YouTube almost once per day. Beyond his own podcast, he often shares his channel with Glenn Kirschner, a former federal prosecuter, and they dissect the political and legal issues of the day, cover many pertinent points. And yes, he's been noting his new podcasts now offered in Spanish - to attract another demographic. Check them out.
I click on the list of his videos and choose one to play. There is an option to "play all" and I sometimes will click that and let them play. Each one of his videos are about 8 minutes in length.
I am also concerned about these issues. I'd like to know what Heather thinks about it and what ways she sees it. But even so, you can see how much she does for us. Thanks to her for that.
The ramping up of violence in this Country is doing nothing more than proving tyranny works. The fact that a few cellar dwellers are not the reason for this level of violence should positively scare the shit out of you. These murders are the effort of well defined groups. As long as States are encouraging this type behavior with non existent gun regulations, the murders will not stop.
Your comment about ‘ “cellar dwellers” not being the reason for this level of violence’ is exactly my opinion also. As I mentioned in my comment here, these right wing whacko issues do not have grass roots.
Thank you, Linda, for sharing your opinion on this. I find it interesting every time I read your comments. They will probably continue to help the gun business until something really terrible happens. I so hope these are my silly assumptions, because I don't want that to be the trigger for their actions.
And this week, Herr Paperhanger, er, I mean Drumpf, is holding his own Nuremberg Rally down at Merde A Loco. His favorite Nazi punks will be offering anti-semitisim, misogyny, racism, Holocaust denial, election denial, homophobia transschrecktlikeit and paeans to the Nazi dictator of Russia.
This, this warning needs to be heeded and acted upon because otherwise with voter suppression AND the monsters out there with easy access to AR-15s and similar weapons, democracy will falter as the mass murders (and these are murders not just "shootings") continue in this country. This is just insane. After Sandy Hook, it's incredible that this is still happening. Words fail me tonight.
"Election lawyer Marc Elias recently warned that “we cannot out-organize voter suppression” and that the myth that we can “minimizes the real world effects of repeated, targeted suppression laws. It shifts the burden from the suppressors to the voters. It suggests that victims of voter suppression simply need to be better ‘organized.’”"
I have the same thoughts as you. Every time, I can't believe this is even possible. Our suffrage is being suppressed, and these beasts have such an easy way to get AR-15s and similar weapons. It's insane in the truest sense of the word.
When you note,"Ohio, Arkansas, South Dakota, Idaho, and Florida have all passed voter suppression laws this year," it is important to observe that this destructive politics has all been fascilitated by permissive Supreme Court rulings. It is incredible and unacceptable that the Supreme Court has undermined the foundations of democracy.
Yes, voter suppression is real, and getting worse, but only because of robust voter self-suppression. “Voter turnout for the 2022 U.S. congressional elections was the 2nd highest for a nonpresidential election year since 2000, with 52.2% of the citizen voting-age population participating.” Ooooh! 52! 🤬 Only 47.8% off registered voters didn’t show. That’s not just voter suppression, or gerrymandering, that’s mostly just a lot of apathy. 2020 on the other hand, had the highest voter turnout of the 21st century, at 66.8%, so only 33.2% no-shows. Still bad, but not 52.2% bad. But according to Elias, I’m supposed to believe voter suppression increased by 14.6% of the vote in 2 years? I can hear it now, “midterms are always lower...” And look where that landed us! It’s apathy x decades, folks, and the word the DNC dare not speak.
I used to believe that apathy played a big part in low voter turnout. Now, I think that message is part of the game Rs play. Rs blame voter apathy for low turnout and pretend that they don’t put huge roadblocks to voting along every step of the process.
In some parts of the US, voting is accessible only to those of a particular socio-economic status. If you have to walk or take public transportation to a location miles away from where you live, if you can’t leave work because your absence puts your job at risk, if you’re unable to wait in line for hours and hours on end (due to work, or lack of childcare, or health concerns), it’s not voter apathy.
Nothing I wrote suggested voter suppression wasn’t a problem. Nothing you mentioned explains 14.6% difference. In our blue county, with free mail in ballots, we couldn’t muster 50% of voters to participate. I guess I’ll never understand the apathy and denial about voter apathy.
Wonder what the demographics are in that percentile. Strange that this apathy, if that’s what it is, seems to be ever present. Maybe during WWII
citizens voted in larger numbers, and many believed “my one vote won’t make a difference”. But what we seem to be facing right now should bring huge numbers to the polls, so it must be ignorance. But how to enlighten them? With blustering
fear tactics, demonstrations, more profound speaches?
People talking about moving to Canada or other countries. I want to fight, but I don’t know how to.
Heard the story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody? There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have.
I wish we could declare voting day (at least Presidential ) a national holiday or, have the polls open later, or making voting day always on a weekend, or over a 2-3 day period....
In 1992 I proposed an amendment to the Maine Democratic Party platform that Election days be declared legal holidays. The platform committee defeated it 19 to 2. It was not allowed to be considered at the convention. Republicans don’t believe in the Republic, Democrats don’t believe in Democracy. Get mad.
Sometimes, when a game is rigged against one team that it’s impossible to win, players quit. Who wouldn’t? This is exactly what Marc Elias was saying - that greater voter participation won’t change the outcomes with successful voter suppression .
On Sunday, there was a Congress critter (R) from NC on a Sunday news show claiming she won her seat in a “ competitive race “ by 10 points. Oh honey, first, you live in NC, where gerrymandering runs rampant; second, 10 points doesn’t sound competitive.
When we’re told repeatedly, and with authority, that it’s impossible, many of us begin to believe it, then some attack those who can do the math and question that conventional wisdom. The origin of “conventional” wisdom from “convenient” (Galbraith) should not be overlooked here. Introspection is difficult and it takes work, sure, but without it, we’ve got the GQP. The quiet game of quitting voting for decades is killing us. It’s not impossible now, but we’ll be there sooner with a bunch of resigned quitters. More attacks in 3...2...1......
Cool your duels dude! I agree with you, and so do most of those on this thread. But we have to speak to the voter apathy to bring voters to the polls. It happened in 2016, that a rigged social media stirred the new Trump fans while painting HRC as a racist and causing voter apathy in key states. This country needs a wake-up call to voters about the importance of voting in every election, even if the map is rigged against them.
The best way “to speak to the voter apathy” is to first not pretend it doesn’t exist, second acknowledge that it’s a huge problem, and third, admit it’s our problem, not something we can blame on others. Dem candidates need to inspire, be trustworthy, and have a solid message of hope, not the despair that “it’s all rigged against us.” That negative victim language does the opposite.
As I have posted above (apologies for repetition) we can do this: please subscribe (free) to the SPANISH version of progressive Brian Tyler Cohen's Youtube channel and routinely run a few, if they algorithm catches fire, it will be seen by more and more Hispanics who are being successfully lured away by the GOP.
It’s not just apathy-it’s also fear. Certain people are easily targeted. Remember the show DeSantis’s concocted with his “election police”. Two white males were also convicted for robocalls in 2016 to Black folks telling them if they voted they’d be arrested at the polling place because of warrants, back taxes etc.
I suspect as the Magats get going more it will be even scarier to vote. Black people did not vote for many years because of laws, trickery, threats and violence. These tactics worked for a long time-Black people trying to vote in the South lost their lives and livelihoods as did other people who supported voting rights efforts.
With AR-15s they can gun down a line of voters (certain voters) in minutes. Who will show up to vote then? Especially since many states are ruling out drop boxes and mail in ballots.
Suppressing votes from Black folks and “liberals” is what will make America great again. Racism trumps everything. It’s the American way. We have to pay attention to the role that “whiteness” plays in our society. It’s a delusion that’s been with us for centuries.
People really believe that organizing society based on skin color is valid-only White people are “real” Americans. Heather mentioned that Hispanics consider themselves “white”. Truly over 80% self identify this way on the census which now counts “non-Hispanic” whites as well as “whites only”.
It’s crazy living with racism! No surprise that we’ve gotten to this point-we take “whiteness” for granted and talking about race is taboo. If people only understood the true history of America then maybe we could make the changes needed to save our country. Our grand “experiment” is evidently failing..
The solution does involve education-that’s why the Rs have attacked all levels of education. Trump is promising to takeover accreditation by setting new standards to enforce white supremacy. The Ds are woefully lacking when it comes to messaging. Time to take the gloves off and tell the truth-loudly and often.
This is a VERY disturbing report. I'm going to be working a VERY conservative event next week and I'm now very curious about the content. Is Victor Orban going to be praised and held up as a beacon of light and truth ? These people don't tend to be Trumpers, they seem more "old school" conservatives. So we will be paying close attention and sending back "Post Cards from the Edge".
Some people may ask..."why do you work for these people?" ...mainly because I get to hear them first hand and we also hear what's bubbling under the surface. The things that are not verbalized on stage with a microphone.
I've worked this event at least 5 times. These guys are verbal, not physical. Most of the conservative events I have worked in DC, the folks are fine to be around, they aren't the Proud Boys. I've never worked a Trump event and would not, because he focuses anger on folks with cameras and microphones. He's dangerous and no one else has done that to us. Actually I have felt more threatened or out of place at a couple of let's call them liberal "feminist" events, where the audience is 90% women and our crew is mostly male...and also liberal for the most part...but we can feel kind of alien and not very welcome. That's just an observation from 2-3 events, out of hundreds over 20 years. For the record, the only event that I almost left my camera and walked out on, was a VERY conservative awards show. It was hard to listen to...and my desire was to walk out and take the mostly black & brown service staff with me. My loyalty to the rest of the production crew is the only thing that kept me there. If I get to the point that I know I'm retiring from Live Events...and that happens again...I just might walk. Mic drop...cymbal crash.
How do we stop the MAGA juggernaut? Jack Smith must indict ALL of the suits who were involved in the planning and execution of Trump's January 6 coup attempt. NOW! Bottom line: Rule of Law.
Jack Smith is a tireless workhorse (thank god) but he is not the deciding factor. We need to direct our encouragement toward Merritt Garland - who is the only one who can (swiftly??) bring charges against all the conspirators! He needs to live up to Biden's appointment of him as AG.
I arrived as a Freshman at UCLA in1966 to find all the University of California campuses under fierce political attack led by then Governor Ronald Reagan. On January 20, 1967 at the first UC Regents Meeting Attended by Reagan, "Ronnie" was able to engineer the firing of Clark Kerr as the President of the University of California system in a 14 to 8 vote. My tuition was less than $70 a Quarter in 1966 not that much more than about $25 a Semester paid by my Uncle 2 decades earlier in WWII. Tenure was under attack as well as the make-up of the student population. The LAPD had undercover police agents attending certain lectures most notoriously in a history class when students hounded an outed Agent out of the class who made his escape in a waiting car. Protection of 18 to 30 year old's voting rights (students or not) is a critical element of 2023-24 organized resistance. Maybe it is time to reorganize students for a democratic society a good name then & now.
I must check out 'Origin of Life'; My Biology lecturer had a huge impact on me & nearly changed my professional life plans. The Professor (cannot remember his name) did not spend much time on Cell Division; the lectures delved deeply into what was going to happen in the decades ahead : Microbiology, DNA, virology.... The TA was like having another Professor; on good weather days our TA meetings were held in the UCLA Arboretum. Just behind, political science, psychology & biology was my afternoons at the UCLA film school. HCR's LFAA last night triggered some deep memories. 🙏
The stuff I did with origin of life had to do (mostly) with analyzing tRNA sequences using on line databases. Remarkably, tRNA is 100% ordered: RNA repeats and inverted repeats. I solved tRNA evolution as a puzzle. The tRNA puzzle solution tells a surprising story about pre-life (>4 billion years ago). The puzzle was surprisingly easy to solve. I am a little chagrined that this work isn't better known. It's the stuff that biologists, gamers, logicians and computer folks should love. It's the story of molecular genesis (well, half the story, the top-down part). Can't make life in a test tube (bottom-up) yet, but I have lots of ideas. Go Bruins!
Well retired Trial Attorneys are into deductive reasoning as well. Yes, 'Go Bruins' & they did they did go well go in those days, The then 'Lew Alcindor' had to sit in the frontt row of my Poli Sci lecture as he did not fit in any other row.
"His [Trump's] drive for authoritarianism dovetailed with a religious movement to create a new ideology for the Republican Party, one that explicitly rejects democracy."
Federalist Society honcho, Opus Dei acolyte, and the plutocrat's useful man - shell company entrepreneur Leonard Leo - was explicitly working to repurpose our democratic republic as a clerical fascist state when Trump was merely a racist landlord sexually assaulting women and Orban was a politician promoting democracy.
My teenaged daughter was having lunch with one of her friends, who is trans, at a local sandwich shop yesterday. They were sitting at an outside table. A man pulled beside them in his truck, called them “scum,” and refused to leave. My daughter called me, and I could hear him shouting at them. My husband and I told them not to engage and get up and leave immediately. They did, and were safe, but rattled. Rhetoric has consequences.
Rhetoric does have consequences as we saw today when the Jury dellivered liability findings swiftly that are now attached to tfg, the sexual abuser, batterer & malicious defamer of the victim.
Hallelujah!!! Thank you to E Jean Carroll for her COURAGE and persistence! And thank you jury of 9 for giving us a big win for what is best in us!! 🤩🥳🥂🎉 It feels so good! I sure hope he is forced to pay that 5 million!!! And only 3 hours! 🙏
And, E Jean had 8 supporting witnesses which helped a lot with demonstrating tfg's modus operandi to say nothing of tfg's "Neanderthal Defense" basically admitting male sexual assault.
And smirking while admitting it, as if saying “try and stop me”!! His delusions seem to protect him from humiliation. His lawyer was so thrilled the jury didn’t call him a rapist, nothing else mattered.
I have been following the reports about the Texas shooting. I do have questions about this that have come to mind after learning his military release only 3 months after joining, and his Neo-Nazi embrace.
First, Garcia had mental issues. How in the hell did he acquire the weapons he had, tactical gear, etc? How does anyone walk into any gun shop, gun show, or anywhere else and purchase this stuff?
Second, he’s a member of a Neo-Nazi organization. How does anyone with this relationship to an organization such as this walk into any gun shop snd purchase these, or any, weapons and tactical gear of any kind?
What SHOULD have happened when he walked in the gun shop and purchased these weapons snd tactical gear is this. The gun dealer should have picked up the phone and notified the local law enforcement agency.
Now, for all those that say “why should he do that? No laws were broken.”
This may be very true, but, who buys AR-15s, semi automatic pistols, full tactical gear, and the like? Who wears, Carrie’s, this stuff hunting for dear or something? I can answer this. Not one person. The ONLY reason anyone is purchasing tactical gear is to possibly do something stupid, like kill people and protect himself from return fire.
At the very least, it would have afforded the local law enforcement agencies to look into him, and learn everything about him that they are now learning, AFTER the fact. AFTER he kills 8 people at a mall.
This just reinforces what I said on a previous post:
The regulations to purchase/own firearms had to be changed.
A. Extend the waiting period from 3 days to 30-60 days.
B. Change the Application to Purchase a Firearm. Make it more extensive than simple “yes” “no” answers. Get the individuals medical history, cross Minsk history, have them list every firearm they currently own, with serial numbers. The gun dealer must enter this application to the Federal “Cloud” for all agencies to automatically have instant access so background checks may begin.
C. The individual must have a complete medical/psychological assessment completed.
D. The individual, irregardless of prior firearms education/training must successfully complete a Federal Firearms Safety Course.
F. ALL law enforcement agencies (local, county, state, and federal) must complete a thorough background investigation of the individual.
G. A National Firearms Database must be established for the gun dealers to enter any firearm/ammunition sold, prior to it being delivered to the individual and leaving the premises.
H. All gun dealers should be required, by law, to check this database to ensure any individual isn’t going to numerous gun dealers to purchase numerous firearms.
I. No firearm may be sold at the same time as purchasing ammunition. There must me minimum of 3-5 day waiting period prior to being able to purchase ammunition for any firearm. If an individual goes into a gun dealer to purchase ammunition, an “Application to Purchase a Firearm/Ammunition must be completed. Then a minimum 3-5 day waiting period for all checks to be completed before the individual my pick up the ammunition.
J. The penalties for violations should be extremely harsh.
For firearms dealers, if an individual purchases a firearm, and the stipulations/law isn’t followed to the letter, or the dealer fails to do his diligence on the computer checks, entering the information, or checking fir prior purchases as laid out in the law, a felony charge shall be imposed, and his firearms license to sell be immediately revoked with no opportunity for reinstatement.
For individuals, a felony charge should be imposed if they are found to have lied on the Application to Purchase a Firearm/Ammunition. If, during the 30-60 day waiting period this individual is found to be incompetent, mentally, to own/possess or have in his/her possession or premises any firearm, then his Application shall be immediately flagged, his immediate family notified, and given them the opportunity to remove all firearms from the residence where this individual resides. If the family doesn’t complete this, then the authorities shall remove them.
K. Weapons of mass destruction, weapons used by military/law enforcement, shall not be manufactured or sold to the general public, by any licensed gun dealer, or individual.
Yes, mental health is an issue for someone owning a firearm, and knowing when/how to use it properly. But, not every case of masa shootings have individuals with mental health issues committing them. Case in point. This last mass shooting in Texas was committed by an individual with ties to Neo-Nazi groups. That’s not mental health, Governor. That’s just plain old fashioned white supremacy!
Unfortunately, the culture wars do resonate with voters. Fear mongering has succeeded in mobilizing voters against the very values they believe they are defending. Iowa's just completed legislative session passed new laws allowing child labor ostensibly as protection of parental rights, forbidding medical care to LGBTQ+ youth, instituting school vouchers, banning books, relaxing standards to recruit teachers because of significant teacher shortages. Many more dreadful measures have passed. It has been disheartening to witness the path this state is following.
An incredibly somber and sobering letter today. One that scares me more than any recent one because of lack of media coverage of the Trump/Orban statements and the implications that there is a widening globalized movement of these far right extremists. Trump is moving to ever more extreme language and positions with the support of his minions like Gosar.
I woke up too early this morning and made the decision to read HCR's letter. That extra hour of sleep that I needed isn't happening! I agree this letter is truly frightening. I simply cannot get my head around how dangerous things really are and how evil has taken hold. We have been seeing this unfold over the years like a train wreck in slow motion but now it is clearly speeding up and I fear it doesn't end until there is a total collapse. :(
Someone who urges action and not gloom is Simon Rosenberg and he has, IMO, a knowledgeable background. If I don’t plant a seed of hope from time to time, I won’t make it. His Substack is called Hopium Chronicles.
At 1 o'clock ET today we can all watch some good news.
"A New Version of"With Democrats Things Get Better" Hits This Tuesday" from Simon Rosenberg.
https://simonwdc.substack.com/p/a-new-version-ofwith-democrats-things?r=a4wu5&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
Thank you for this link to Hope-ium, Marrtyrita! I just subscribed, because I desperately need to hear words of hope.
MLM, It's so strange that you mention the Hopium Chronicles. Just an hour ago, a friend on FB posted a video, and the person in the video referenced it! Synchronicity -- "God's way of communicating with us", Carl Jung.
Oh I sure hope God’s involved!!
In the meantime, Rs have walked out of the Oregon senate for the fifth day because of "partisan" bills, one about abortion and the other, about gun control. They are using the excuse that they are not written simply enough.
My husband and I are were discussing the Texas shooter and the Texas driver and we have concluded, as no doubt many others have, that this will continue.
This week my ex-classmate in Elkhart posted a meme about the border and immigration. I deleted it and then changed my mind and reminded her and that most of us are on stolen land and that real border crisis occurred when Europeans stepped onto the continent. I also told her that until the 19th century most of the continent was controlled by Native Americans and all the awful things interactions with Europeans has brought them. I added that we had helped create many of the problems in the countries south of us. She is quite religious and I am about to tell her the next time that the blood from these types of mass shootings is on her hands and others like her.
Make that six days in a row. They should be expelled and lose pay for failing to do their jobs.
I am going to be interested in seeing what happens with the measure the voters passed.
Definitely. For those here not familiar with the state constitutional amendment that Michele refers to (and I had forgotten about), here's the gist. Approved by 68% of voters in November 2022, it would bar legislators from re-election if they accrue 10 unexcused absences..
Imagine a state of mind that rationalizes not doing your job because your party doesn't have a majority. I guess these Republicans only believe in democracy when they're in power.
https://www.opb.org/article/2023/05/08/oregon-republican-lawmakers-walkout-measure-113-2022-election/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=First%20Look%20May%209%202023&utm_content=First%20Look%20May%209%202023+CID_c6ebbe40240d4302be28d13479e60086&utm_source=firstlook&utm_term=Learn%20more
Michele, tell her now. She needs to hear it.
Thanks to MSNBC, I have had a good look at Tucker Carlson. He looks like the fraternity boy that stupid girls dated, a moral vacuum considered “cute.” He is as dangerous as Hitler.
You may want to remind your classmate in Elkhart (Indiana sends guns to Chicago, BTW) that American enterprise has supported every Latin American dictator from Batista (Cuba) to names I cannot remember, and managed the overthrow of a reasonable Chilean government. (The CIA didn’t like him). Sorry I haven’t filled in the blanks, but there are those reading these posts who can
Spent a week in Costa Rica. Learned that Americans had planted non-native species in the strip of jungle that we Americans were enjoying.
I never let one of her nonsense posts go by. I am not surprised that Indiana sends guns to Chicago. Our foreign policy is in part responsible for a lot of the problems we see today. The list is long. This person, btw, is the one who is so thankful she is not as well educated as I am.
I think that what has been happening is that the conservatives have used certain tactics in meddling in the affairs of other countries (from South and Central America to the Middle East, Shock Doctrine is a very good account of this) and is now turning those tactics on their own country. They've been practicing for a long time.
Read Greg Olear's list today in his substack if you wish to add to your arsenal. He pulls no punches, but the list is IMHO, on mark. I find it still so difficult to talk with people who seem to have created their own fantasy world. Thank you to the fake and self serving MSM.
link?
Just looked as his list. Yes, on the mark.
Thanks for the heads up.
https://gregolear.substack.com/p/the-gopyramid-a-hierarchy-of-republican
Sorry for the delay. Busy time, and connection issues..... I just assumed it was easy to get to, and discovered that it was not so self evident when I did the search myself. Will be careful to provide links in future.
She THINKS she is religious. So for her and the the other idiots like her, they are ok with lying, slaughter, racism, etc. Because they are certain that God is with them. So they are divinley pardoned.
Barry Goldwater warned us about the evangelicals. And he was spot on.
With god on your side your vision is blessed and, as the venerable tfg aide, steven miller, might put it, “not to be questioned!”
Or the "venerables" on the Supreme court. We don't need no stinkin' regulations....
Native Americans came over the Bering Strait. We all came from Africa. It was inevitable that people moved, spread and took land for hunting a gathering, and then farming and technology. The human species grew and expanded. The issue now is tolerance acceptance and respect, a big order.
If we created problems, we have also solved many inevitable as we all expanded. We have not solved the looming climate crisis issues. But we are not now responsible for the problems that that "global South" or the countries south of us have today. There is just so much guilt that we need absorb. They have agency.
We interfered all over the world, sometimes because of worries about communism, at the behest of corporations like United Fruit, sometimes for raw materials (read Lawrence In Arabia). I know about our origins, both in Africa and for Native Americans, across the Bering Strait. In fact, I just finished a book about Native American genes....sometimes hard to come by because in the past they were treated with no respect. Until the 19th century Native Americans controlled most of the continent. After European came, they pillaged as they did in South America, brought diseases, spread discord among Native American nations, deliberately killed buffalo, destroyed crops, deliberately killed Native Americans, moved them all over the place, sent the children to schools where they tried to destroy language and culture, and defaced sacred places....Mt. Rushmore for example. I am not responsible for what happened, but I am not going to pretend it didn't happen and doesn't have ramifications for problems we see today. Also in terms of climate change, we, in about 500 years or so have managed to destroy quite a bit of the natural world. In the 19th century, a lot of industrialism was founded on cotton slavery. So yes, our history is responsible for a lot of the problems we see today. I also recently read a book on the British Empire and we can also thank them and other colonial powers for many of the problems now as well.
Reading or listening to a podcast series on Lewis & Clark is instructive too. It wasn't always unfriendly and lack of respect. We and they are not all good and all bad. Encounters that spread disease were inevitable. Native Americans were custodians of the land- they had a different "world view" entirely than Europeans. Maybe they thought it was theirs. It's not reasonable to think that they could've continued to control the land. But we did fight and conquer, made treaties too. Might made right back then. We are still working on that one. The good of us try to make it up to them now, and to the descendants of slaves. We try. But again people are not all bad nor all good. I still reject the broad statement that you make about our (meaning this country in particular) history being responsible for a lot of the problems we see today. We have also been remedial and progressive.
The British brought much good along with bad aspect of colonialism: exploitation, the attitude of the "white man's burden" (white supremacy). Pretending this did not happen is not what I am talking about, guilt is.
We have arrived to today. How do we behave, what do we do today? Asking what we owe collectively is valid.
But neither you nor I nor anyone needs to own guilt especially from a selective reading of long years, centuries of collective history ... "500 years or so we have managed to destroy ...." We collectively have produced some pretty good and glorious things as well.
I have said clearly that I do not feel guilty or responsible for what happened in the past. I do feel responsible for doing my best to garden organically for example and buy from local farmers, preferably organic. However, I have Mr. Chemical living across the street who mows his lawn every other day with a big honking riding lawn mower for his postage stamp lawn. I find your explanation of our interaction with Native Americans disgusting. History does matter and people have long memories. My husband has Lakota ancestry and we are in touch with many of his relatives and believe me, they are still suffering and quite aware of our awful history with them. As for the British Empire, ask their former colonies and read Legacy of Violence which is about said empire and it is quite clear that many problems today, the Middle East for example, are a direct result. Yes, there are good people, but not so many among the most powerful who are usually opportunists and often criminals...think Bush and death star families. If we have an economic crisis over the debt and ordinary people suffer, the greeds will be read to swoop in to get whatever they can at a bargain price. As for the climate crisis, it is here. And we will have more floods, droughts, horrific storms, raising sea level, extinction, etc. I am 80 and have no children, so no direct family to face the future. I have ex-students who are not going to have children and some who have only one. The wealthy think their money will save them and some of the religious think there will be a second coming, so why worry....after all, they are among the saved. I do know many good individuals who are doing their best, so I do not view everyone as bad. As for progress, we have made some in social issues which the Rs are going their best to destroy. And yes, I do appreciate music and art, so I see some good there. Btw, there is a new book out about artists and writers who produced great work, but were terrible human beings....a conundrum perhaps for their admirers.
The Boomers did it.
The 60s started out as the 50s had ended - the United States was a suddenly extremely wealthy country and people were mesmerized by the baubles and trinkets of a materialistic society. But there was an implicit bargain - people were expected to marry young and have children early, thus proving the superiority of the West over the USSR which had suddenly become who knew how powerful and were guaranteed to use that power in menacing ways. Hence the Communist witch hunts, the birth of the domino theory, the gradual involvement in the tangle between the Vietnamese and their former colonial masters, the French. It was, for the vast majority of white, home owning climbers into the middle class a comfortable bargain. Unsurprisingly it was a decade dominated by Republicans. Dominated, but in a benign way by the Eisenhower administration which curbed the worst instincts of the richest with a 91% tax level on earnings over $400 000, American society was peaceful, business-oriented and largely unaware of geopolitical events unless they involved the USSR.
But not for Black people. They were becoming more and more distressed at being deliberately left out of the American dream. The Great Migration north had ameliorated some of the worst horrors of their lives, but they still encountered pervasive racism in the large cities of the North and brutality in the South.
Led from the pulpit a slow but fierce struggle engaged Blacks to begin to fight for their rights under a novel method of non-violence. When their struggles were brutally repressed, there were now television cameras to catch the horror of white on Black violence. This drew significant white support and for the first time the comfortable, cold rules of Jim Crow were under siege.
The young did *not* see the world as their parents did. They were intolerant of the excesses of their materialistic parents in their “ticky-tacky houses” and they took to the streets in a more generalized movement against society. Of course they had money to be able to afford to do this, and in many cases their parents supported them. Nonetheless they galvanized a broader movement, inspired partly by the most powerful outburst of popular music in our time. They grew their long, began to take drugs in defiance of the strongest societal mores, and gradually turned their attention towards protesting America’s increased involvement in a war 10 000 miles from, a war in which an uncomfortable number of Americans were dying, a war which eventually produced a military draft.
By the late 1960s America was in the throes of a social movement the force of which the 20th century Tea Party could only dream about. Blacks achieved stunningly sweeping legislation under LBJ who seriously supported their cause. But he was trampled underground by History because he could not end the Vietnam war.
Women looked at the subjugations, both petty and hugely significant which enclosed their lives and they too began to rebel. Pope Paul’s refusal in his 1968 encyclical to give Catholic support to the use of the Pill enraged them, for the Pill could swing open the door to their full emancipation.
By 1973 women had won the right to abortion at the Supreme Court, a breathtaking victory.
Universities were the site of fierce rebellion for their support of the status quo in Vietnam. (Nobody would have dreamed of petitioning for “safe spaces” in those days, except for Chancellors and Presidents.)
The police were under relentless attack and they fought back with studied brutality. Four students were shot to death at Kent State University by the National Guard. Ronald Reagan, Governor of California called for a confrontation against students.
Unsurprisingly the greater part of the 1960s came during Democratic rule, but the height of the struggle largely took place after Nixon became President.
It is an axiom that every action produces an equal and opposite reaction. Significant numbers of Americans felt that America was careening out of control. They longed for an end to turbulence. And slowly, with much groaning in the machinery, the hinge of history began to shift into counter reaction. Louis Powell wrote his famous memo in 1971, fearing that capitalism might be breathing its last. He abjured corporations to take up the challenge and fight to restore an American democracy dominated by capitalism. Once the significance of the 1973 abortion ruling sunk in, wave after wave of Americans organized to fight it. And this fight would be strategic, patient, long term - and successful.
Slowly the steam went out of the movement, although women continued to fight tenaciously for their rights. The oil embargo’s distracted and annoyed Americans. Inflation rose and pocketbook issues took pre-eminence in people’s minds. Hippies aged out. And along came Ronald Reagan promising sunnier times.
Today Heather vividly captured the desperate situation America is in 40 years later. The forces of reaction prevailed and in their time of success are becoming more and more extreme. Bit by bit we are being transported back to the Fifties - as today’s leaders envision them. We sometimes laugh and are sometimes appalled by today’s Republican culture wars. We do so at our own peril. Take them seriously or we may look around one day and find ourselves in an alien world.
Sorry to be so garrulous. I promise to practice shorter comments in future. :)
You blame boomers? I was born in 1961, at the tail end, but my perspective was that it was my generation and those slightly younger that embraced Reaganism to the greatest degree. The 1980s were fueled by young people looking to get rich quick. I think that what really turned the tide is that people became complacent about the power they had won with the labor wars up to the New Deal and bought into the idea that capitalism, especially free market capitalism, necessarily led to peace, prosperity, and democracy and the myth that unions were the biggest drag on the economy. Unions served so many purposes, not only for collective bargaining, but also political power and social integration and interaction. Once the war on unions gained traction, then it was easy to divide people who had previously been united. So much of the country voted for Democrats and progressive politicians in the 60s and 70s and many of those people now vote GOP because they have been divided. The labor economy has turned into a gig economy where it's every person for themselves (and there's more, which is too long to get into, concerning changes in corporate compensation, financial instruments, etc., which put company's decision making into the realm of finance rather than corporate health for the long run). Those voters were all boomers. They didn't decide to vote with their wallets, they fell for the propaganda. Suddenly, the connections that they had with fellow workers, which could happen across racial lines, etc., were destroyed. Companies have also lost the loyalty of employees. The GOP cries of freedom and liberty are nothing but divide and conquer. It's not the boomers I fear at this point, it's the young true believers who never lived under or in the shadow of the New Deal and are willing to throw everyone's lives away.
You put so much together so well in this comment. I’m so glad you raised the point about unions being a force for social engagement.
I am unletsuaded that the Boomers, writ large, are the authors of the mess America was in or even especially large contributors. Many pursued the best ideals of their generation all through their lives. A number of them live on an island off the coast of BC where I live today. Some grew dispirited and turned to life’s realities as the movement reached its end. And of course the vast majority of Boomers were never involved in any social Justice movements.
My point was to draw the connection between the audacious events of the Sixties and the counter-reaction they provoked. That movement has taken fully half a century to reach its ugly apotheosis. It will be very difficult for the arc of American history to start bending back decisively to a more generous, honest and equal society.
Orban’s Hungary aspires to be America’s 50s - on steroids.
One important aspect that you missed is the switch from Democrats to Republicans in the use of racism as a campaign strategy.
Racism and other forms of hate have become dominant in Republican strategy beginning with Nixon.
So true. It is a huge aspect. I remember the Willie Horton ads in the 1988 election. Lee Atwater is the evil mind at the base of this strategy. Was Nixon publicly racist?
Depends on how you read between the lines and/or interpret dog whistles.
Apparently he was really nasty on the tapes, but is that public?
Well the tape of he and Reagan enjoying a racist joke is clearly public.
Eric, you added another very important part of OUR history - the one Boomers don’t get credit nearly enough for MY THANKS To You!
Your point that Boomers don’t get credit for what they did in the flame of youth is one I have been annoyed about for some time. People view us contemptuously, mockingly even. Yet, a group of us took on the power of the State to reach for a new society.
Thank you for joining my Substack. It is a compliment I appreciate, but am not sure I deserve. :)
Eric, Stephen Kinzer’s book “The Brothers: John Foster Dulles and Allen Dulles and Their Secret World War” will add fuel to your tirade! Never having known how and why the pair were responsible for leading US astray, as I read am learning real eye-openers.
Thank you Virginia. I know of the Dulles, but not nearly enough.
Eric, a minor point: abjure - solemnly renounce (a belief, cause, or claim)
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=abjure
Thanks J. :)
I meant ‘adjure’. Always get those two words crossways.
Garrulous is as garrulous does, Eric!
Let your fine words flow!
Fright is a flight or fight response. So, which will it be?
FIGHT.
We are in a civil war of sorts and Texas had the latest casualties. We need to do more than vote this right extremist movement into the dustbin. A million mom March on Washington maybe? The DOJ doing its job perhaps? ( all investigation , no indictments of the high political figures) Everyday without indictments is a day of growing dangers. E. Jean Caroll is a warrior not just a plaintiff, others need to follow her example.
I share your feelings about this, it saddens me greatly as well. My head doesn't want to fully comprehend how bad it is and how much this evil has taken root. I still believe that we have hope and that we can win.
When someone who sought, but failed, to overthrow the U.S. government is still the choice of a great many of Americans, we all know that there is a huge cancer on the body politic. We can't ignore it. The question, can we mobilize quickly enough and in sufficient numbers to preserve our democracy? On the other note, demand side economics works, supply side doesn't, for the obvious reason - no one is going to produce more of anything if there isn't anyone with money to buy it.
And they are growing the Fear that is fertile ground for their brainwashing.
Biden is doing an amazing, almost superhuman, job at strengthening our democracy in ways that he has the power to, but what is the answer to the violent terrorists they have thrown at us? And most especially the blaring of lies by media sources?
I don't know the answer. Our school systems have failed in many instances by not teaching us how to think critically. We are overcome with confirmation bias in our thinking. We can't separate fact from fiction. Thomas Frank, in his book, "What's the Matter with Kansas" showed how the gullible are deceived with the propagation of wedge issues: abortion, immigration, homophobia and misogyny.
I will not put that burden on our public school system. The burden should fall on society and our lack of support and nurturing for parents of young children. We’re all in this together. Too many just want to raise their own kids to be rich with money stashed away and accumulating material possessions instead of making sure all children are given what they need when they are at their youngest and most vulnerable. Anyone can be a Big Brother or Sister and share our awe and curiosity.
One of the problems in schools is the standardized test which teaches only how to take the test and pass it. I did teach critical thinking in my classes. One of my ex-students and her mother took me out for hight tea for my 80th this week. One of the things that the student remembered was that she would ask me a question and I would answer that she was able to find the answer herself. I did my best to show students how to do research and assess bias, so they knew how to go about it. She happens to be a park ranger and does a wonderful job teaching kids about nature.
I had one class in high school that today I believe that included critical thinking. She told us about The American Civil Liberties Union. ACLU. I believe this was an Advance Speech and Debate class. That was so many years ago....62 in fact. That is all I remember about the class. She was way beyond her time and a great teacher!
I would say, that if there is one single thing that our schools need to do, it is to teach our children how to think logically, rationally, competently.
I watched Firing Line with Margaret Hoover this weekend. Her guest was Richard Dreyfuss, who has founded an organization whose mission is to get civics classes back in schools starting in the fourth grade and continuing through high school. The elimination of those courses has cost society greatly. It will take generations to rebuild that crucial base of knowledge.
See my post above and also we have seen many a discussion about the far right trying to impose doctrine instead of education. They don't want people to be able to think critically.
Schools that I have had connections with in my 67 years have all done that and more
Republican controlled states....like Indiana... will not let that happen!
Rich with money, poor in curiosity.
My MAGA brother sat pontificating about the homeless while not asking his psychiatrist sister or his public policy and economics son a single question.
Questions, or even the acknowledgement of another person, are for the weak. /s
The truth will burst his bubble
A Nation in Peril (Reagan)was the study that gave rise to "standards based teaching". And the public bought in to it.
They spend more time on learning how to code than on civics in the schools, of that I am sure. Rethinking is needed badly.
Christy, we don't give up ideals that promote a better country....a better place for everyone to live and a place for everyone to be able to contribute, we don't give into violence, we don't promote lies. We protect the lives and care for everyone as much as is possible.
At the same time we must make our citizens aware of voices promoting hatred and violence.....ideas that separate us and the ways in which they may be used to destroy our freedoms, our nation, even their own desires to live out their faith. Our houses of worship are being wrongfully used for the spreading of propaganda. In the Christian faith, we are supposed to confront hatred and self-centeredness. Coming to faith is not a one time thing...it is an everyday confrontation with self in the face of Christ: Savior, Lord.....an example of love and healing towards everyone.....no forcible acceptance required. This expression of "living the faith" belongs to my being....I do not attend worship to be told what to believe or who to vote for. I also believe each one has the right to worship as one may choose or NOT.
The bottom line is that we live in a country that is free....but as the saying goes,
"Freedom is Not Free!" We must counter lies with truth and we cannot stop and we must work to do this peacefully and with the love, clarity, reason, steadiness and the respect we could receive. The truth will"out".....but it is not easy to confront old ideologies.....just as our amazing people of color or LGBTQ citizens can speak to.
In sharing the above, I want to praise and promote President Joe Biden, Jill Biden, our Vice President and the MANY amazing staff and those working everyday to confront danger towards our country, to build up fledgling democracies , to encourage and strengthen freedom throughout the world, even have found ways to work with those some call "our enemies", etc, etc. The work of freedom goes on....call Joe "old" if you like but no one can dispute the good that has come from his administration, in spite of struggles, storms, and innumerable challenges...he and his administration have met them....he does not center on himself but on his job as President of the USA....for all of us!!!! Thank you JOE!!!! May GOD continue to strengthen you.....and protect our troops!
Religion has been used thruout our history to foment hate and violence. I’m all about the golden rule and if not loving at least tolerating each other, but I believe we need a come to Jesus moment about figuring out what we can do about the use of religion to divide us.
Christianity has been filled with violence..... Christ Himself was beaten to the bone... and falsely.accused by the Pharasees....before the Roman leaders.....His disciples left Him except for John and His mother who remained at the foot of the cross. (in my faith, He took upon Himself what I deserved) and even at the cross, there were criminals being crucified...even there, one belirved and one had the freedom, not to believe..... In sharing this, I agree that the Christian faith has been used and misused.
Hitler's regeme had many Jews and Christians killed....Hitler wanted no competion regarding allegiance. This is what I see happening today. Those who are true believers, I pray will wake up but only they can make the choice. If they would only examine the character between Biden and Trump they could see the difference.....but they must be willng to stand alone....to be rejected by "friends".
I agree 100%. So way do most of the media focus on Joe's age rather than his accomplishments. With all that this administration has accomplished I can't understand the low poll numbers. I have to contribute this to, as you said, the lack of the ability for critical thinking.
Rex, they focus on his age because that is all they can focus on.....he is a great guy and his team is accomplishing so much good that there is not enough space to print all of it ...here in the US and throughout the world and President Biden would be the first to say, he and the Democratic leaders are not done yet!!! and isn't H. Jefferies a Great! addition!
Biden gives us hope in this confrontation. How good it is that he is with us.
I’ve been wondering if many big businesses now consider American consumers an unimportant profit source. With the rising middle class in some nations (eg China), businesses have greener pastures available. Ford paid his workers enough to buy Ford cars. These days?
Georgia,
I subscribe to the WSJ and the NY Times and today I made the mistake of reading the comments on one the Opinion columns:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/congressional-budget-office-federal-spending-tax-revenues-mitch-mcconnell-kevin-mccarthy-f8652e40?mod=opinion_lead_pos2
The comments are positively nutty. Based on those comments, our massive deficit is unrelated to the constant tax cutting on rich white folks and Corporations that Republicans have sponsored for 43 years.
BUT? If we only had zero spending on poor folks all would be well.
Unbelievable.
We waste $20 trillion dollars on two pointless wars, cut taxes every time we get a chance, bail out banks run by white male criminal incompetents, make sure the military contractors can give 12% raises to their all white employee workforce, and??
let us not forget Reagan's $1 Trillion dollar toss into the trash can of STAR WARS, BUT.......????
The only thing driving our massive deficits is???
---> Poor folks on food stamps and if we JUST make them poorer by cutting off all that help, well, all will be well. Never mind that we forced their ancestors onto slave ships, whipped them into submission and kept them starving for 250 years, then, "freed" them into Angola Prison down in LA where they could do "work study".
Honestly, it is a mess here. Really. I have never read a more nutty set of comments in my life.
It is almost like some movie I watched 30 years ago about Zombies taking over during the day.
That's what the comments section read like.
I am beginning to suspect they ARE zombies. Are their brains are addled by mercury (air), lead (water) or PFAs (everywhere in everything)?
Yes, zombies led by a witch.
Mike S: My mind is in such a jumbled state, I gladly will read the NYT article...perhaps it will cushion my jump to reality or send me deeper into this country abyss. Have great respect for anyone who can use history to help understand current events. Thank you for your comments.
Sue,
It was WSJ article. The comments on the NY Times are not like what I saw at the Wall Street Journal, just to clarify.
Probably some people the WSJ picked up from Foxxed News. The WSJ still pubishes some credible stories, but I guess we can't hold them responsible for the comments.
This is the basic question I ask: "How poor do we want our poor people to be?"
Every society has always had them, and Jesus said they will always be with us.
So how poor do we want them? Should they be Norway poor or India poor?
Conservatives, as you say, want to make our poor poorer, and then they complain about homeless encampments, drugs, street trash, crime and feeling unsafe.
You get what you (don't) pay for.
I agree...I NEVER read the comments section of the WaPo or Times any more. Entirely too depressing. Hard to believe there the people who write such nonsense read (even digitally) newspapers. Actually it's hard to believe they can read, period; they spout such stupidity and are evidently unable to understand that what they are supporting will only end with them losing the very freedoms they claim to treasure.
I'm sure there are people that go onto the WaPo or Times websites JUST to submit their comments, not to read with the purpose of learning something.
It’s difficult to believe they are actual people and not some bot programmed to spew 💩💩💩
Mike S - "I subscribe to the WSJ and the NY Times and today I made the mistake of reading the comments on one the Opinion columns:"
I do not subscribe to the WSJ and am "firewalled out." However, for some reason that I don't fully understand, if I do a Google search for "Federal Spending Soars, Revenue Falls," I am able to get full access to the article through the RealClearPolitics listing with the same Link:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/congressional-budget-office-federal-spending-tax-revenues-mitch-mcconnell-kevin-mccarthy-f8652e40?mod=opinion_lead_pos2
Thanks for the tip. I refuse to pay Murdoch a dime.
Ron,
"firewalled out" probably means they detected some writing of yours that made sense. Then, immediately blocked you from ever doing something so dastardly again!
Mike S - "firewalled out" probably means they detected some writing of yours that made sense. Then, immediately blocked you from ever doing something so dastardly again!
<Chuckle> Yes, I meant "Paywalled." Subscribing would have gotten me past it.
Besides how could anyone take offense at what I ever have written. LOL
It’s the Wall Street Journal - an editorial completely in line with what one would expect from that publication. Are their journalists welcome at CPAC in Budapest? I don’t know but wouldn’t be surprised at all. This publication, like Fox News, is one of the Murdoch controlled media outlets as part of News Corp.
Wouldn't it be nice to have the fruit of the Strategic Defense Initiative in place to defend the U.S. against nuclear missiles, considering Russian nuclear Sabre rattling? North Korea? China?
It waa scrapped by Clinton and converted to a theatre-level Defense system. We now have the Patriot Defense system helping Ukraine now, and defending Isrsel against missile barrages from Hamas and Hezbolla. We have various constellations of satellites providing us with early weather and wildfire warning, never mind monitoring the environment and providing intelligence on adversaries' activities.
Maybe it was too ambitious? I don't think so. But obviously you do. I worry about "all or nothing" policies on either side. We need a strong defense, and we need a strong social safety net.
Jerry,
First, our whole strategy was geared toward funding military contractors instead of peace and safety. It was not geared toward "protecting" us.
However, thank you for your observations and reminding me of the word definition utilized: Strategic Defense System.
I think that a better approach to world peace in 1945 forward would have been: Instead of inventing, then using nuclear weapons on a civilian population in Japan (twice), if the United States had, upon realizing that someday every rogue country on earth (like us for example) would have access to annihilation of all species except, perhaps, roaches well....
IF we had STOPPED at the end of WW II, and NOT dropped two of the nuke weapons on a civilian population since we KNEW we could blockade Japan for two weeks and have it all over....BUT we wanted to show how powerful we were....
IF we had then, in the aftermath of winning a conventional war, pushed for nuclear non-development (not nuclear non-proliferation but elimination).....and had STOPPED our own development instead of producing 73,000 nuclear weapons since the first one....
THEN, maybe the world would look a lot different today.
NOW? We don't need SDI because no defense system is perfect and once a few nukes get through them it does not matter that 80% were destroyed.
The whole strategy was geared toward funding military contractors instead of peace and safety.
Flawed from the very start. BUT, good news, military contractors made out like bandits on Gunsmoke.
Mike,
I understand that you wish we'd not gone down the path of using nuclear bombs on Japan. That's quite rational. But we did, and we found ourselves in a crazy MAD arms race. That arms race is now a part of our foreign policy whether it's a good thing or not. (I personally know it's not, in case you're wondering).
Given that we are in an arms race, is it better to build more weapons or to make them ineffective?
I, for one, am grateful that our missile defense systems can disrupt the flight of hypersonic drones. I am grateful that NATO has the option of a measured response in the event of a hypothetical Russian nuclear attack.
And it does matter if 80% of missiles are destroyed before they hit their target One, humanity will have a chance to survive and two, the aggressor might think twice before trying to guess which missiles will get through.
So, it's not a pretty picture. I grant you that. But it's a realistic one.
“Not a pretty picture” we both definitely agree on!
Those WSJ comments shouldn't be a surprise. WSJ, brought to you by Rupert Murdoch and Newscorp.
Georgia these murderers couldn't possibly be more clear in their messaging and Trump has their ear.
If we were at a bar, I suspect that some of us would have to hand over our keys & get taken home by a designated driver or taxi as we tried to dull the impact of this news. I'd go to my local bar but it's 2 : 22 a.m.
Rachael Maddow, last night, talked about the white nationalist event trump is holding at one of his Florida properties this week. His son Eric and Eric’s wife have been spouting white nationalist hate at speaking events around the country. This is what the Republican Party is and will only get worse. Very frightening times for our democracy.
I gave the LFAA a ❤️ but I really mean 🤮😱. TFG madman is trying to stir up his magats against the state AGs who brought cases against him. Time for Federal Justice to get going —now. Loud and clear. The bizarro staged a coup against his own government and VP and he gets to go to Ireland and play golf?! And we let him back in!! ITS NOT POLITICAL to shut him up. It’s the law.
Such a contrast: yesterday it was a sweet and beautiful letter, and now it's such a hard-hitting, down-to-earth letter. I absolutely agree with you, it scares me just as much as the previous letters, but it sounds sad. Regardless, I hope we can get out of this sad story.
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/what-countries-have-authoritarian-government. This link contains a list of all the countries and their populations living under authoritarian governments. The numbers are sobering. Will the real MSM, PLEASE STAND UP??
Robert Hubbell today speaks to our necessary response for those interested in not saving, but practicing and believing in democracy. It is, after all, what is here. Not what is being suggested to replace it. I go with the strength of democracy.
https://open.substack.com/pub/roberthubbell/p/why-joe-biden-will-win-in-2024?
Salud, Georgia!
🗽
There was more on Rachel (MSNBC) last night that is happening in Florida with the extremists for tfg. You may be able to watch the clip. That was really scary last night! I guess we shouldn't be surprised.
Heather, what is the path out of this nightmarish landscape? We can’t just give up to the suppression. Why aren’t there dozens of law suits challenging this takeover of our democracy? I am tearing my hair out. Thank you for your work on behalf of all of us. A million thanks.....
Elizabeth - This is like being sprayed in the face with pepper spray then having my head dunked in a bucket of ice - cold water or even liquid nitrogen after the peaceful message yesterday. I'm still processing it. No amount of " thoughts & prayers " can accomplish a damned thing. Canada is looking pretty good right now, except for the lack of relatives there.
Canada is looking very good to me right now, i have been checking out real estate ads there before i got on here. I don't have any relatives there either, but i don't care, most all of my relatives are in love with Donald TUMP and we aren't on speaking terms anyway. It appears to me that these Fascists are going to get their way here, it seems no one from our side is trying to stop the unlawful voting restrictions these traitors are installing.. I just don't get it, i am wondering too why there aren't numerous law suits being filed by our side??? It has gotten to the point where i am even afraid to go to a grocery store in fear of getting killed by some right wing extremist with an AR rifle. It's sad and frightening to see our nation has gotten this extreme. I for one am not going to live here if TUMP gets in, in 2024. I am not going to put up with an authoritarian type of government with TUMP being dictator.
John, you express my thoughts exactly about relatives being in love with Trump and Biden haters. One close relative let it slip the "Biden is corrupt." Where does this hate come from? Are they stupid? Can't they see all the good Briden has accomplished? Is this RWDS and the like movement going to take over the country? Scares me. I no longer talk politics and have lost touch on purpose with lifelong friends.
Linda, it scares me too. Haters are going to hate but now they can carry guns! I think one thing that Biden and us Democrats have done wrong is, that we don't talk about all the good things Biden and other Democrats have done. In my home state of Michigan, we are starting to talk about it but, honestly, we should be screaming from the top of every hill!
And you’re in a state with sane leaders and no political gerrymandering…
The ONLY reason that's true is that literally hundreds of people worked for several years to change the power of redistricting from the GOP-controlled legislature to a nonpartisan citizen commission and worked successfully to put voter expansion measures on the ballot--where they passed by large majorities.
Yes, that's true BUT we were horribly gerrymandered for 40 years until this last census and the subsequent redrawing of our districts.
And how do we get the media to amplify it? They respond to $$. Perhaps we need to aggregate our funds and start buying up media???
That's the $64,000 question! I don't know.
I think progressives should make use of billboards. Everyone sees them....
Personally, I don't do FB or social media, but for those who do, they should post this link whenever they can!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrTjoj4-I0Q
I feel the same as you. Losing touch with family and lifelong friends is really hard.
My daughter is married to a Canadian living in Canada and I have spent a fair amount of time there. Yes, overall I find Canadian society more sane and empathic there than here, but a lot of the same issues, such as the anti-democratic power of mega-money, are in play there as well, and creepy Stephan Harper was prime minister for nine years. And if the US goes full fascist, I'm not sure how safe Canada will be.
If the USA were to go full fascist, pull out and destroy NATO, and ally with China and Russia, the rest of the world would be sitting ducks.
Sitting ducks like Vietnam? Afghanistan?
Iraq?
I have read about that Stephan Harper creep. I didn't like what he stood for either very much. I just hope the full fascist thing doesn't happen here. If it does, i will probably be beat to death or some other bad things because i am NOT going along with their Christian Nationalist BS. My grown daughter has suggested going to Sweden, but i didn't much like that idea because of the language barrier. As deluded as the Rethuglican voters are, and now i hear that some Democratic voters don't want Biden for president. That seems to put us in a bad place right now. I was very disappointed to hear that news yesterday. And the polling is not good right now, but sometimes these polls are rigged and biased against Democrats, i don't believe that Nate Sliver jerk either, they always say he is accurate, but i have found out that he isn't very accurate and don't believe a thing he says. I just don't see how so many of the ignorant voters would want a lifelong criminal like TUMP as the leader of our nation. It just doesn't make sense. By the way, which province does your daughter live in? If i go to Canada, i would want to live in Nova Scotia or New Brunswick. I have read that the western provinces had many more lunatics that like TUMP much more than the far eastern provinces.
Damn, I am depressed. Even if Dumbkopf Donny is too old, senile & infirm, the GQP will probably find yet another version of him who is slicker, smarter, less boorish, more competent, less of a pompous attention whore buffoon that the Cult of the Orange Antichrist would approve of ( I use the term " Antichrist " even though I'm not even nominally religious, not anymore ).
I don't trust the RepubliKlan party any further than I could toss Mt. Kilimanjaro or retrieve the Titanic with magnetized TWEEZERS. I need a drink then some sleep.
“another version of him who is slicker, smarter, less boorish, more competent, less of a pompous attention whore buffoon”
Add to that a lying president-wannabe and you have our current republican governor of Virginia.
I CAN'T bring myself to trust a Republican - especially an Evangelical " Christian " Republican one & I can't see why anyone with critical thinking & an IQ above the single digits would. My own Evangelical cousin thinks that they're saints & / or superheroes. Pretty damn PATHETIC.
I even sent her something about Jimmy Carter that was reasonably apolitical ( about hi work with Habitat for Humanity, among other things ) & she reacted like I was trying to persuade her to start worshiping Baal, Beelzebub, Moloch, Set or Satan. As I said, PATHETIC. & also STUPID.
Daniel, the crazy just keeps coming. Now it’s the Democrat Mayor of NYC! Mind boggling.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/04/nyregion/adams-religion-prayer.html?unlocked_article_code=IneS1OExf0uyN332x_luZU1lwmNFxygUQFmzGWesyhLge1iK5QDhuTp0Dz5Vt3imnf7TEQwYZeZ93_Er6lOY4RItXLWz3TWlqEysSfHuR_B57Y5e0Ok_bb7GflEm8GL-v0KA31H_RczeKPOeo0AENJhbVrU4zIjZHO0ZsxRiO54xmJi-PcPli6dqt7eA7MTllY7zzaLgNjtYOKpzI-42AnVU1VVjI4lwAAzlOUKI5s4ESRlEjABWTpihqUVEbeh81H6o26pjPVKB0zk9s7UwAk4EkxyJMhAKUCklqwBaDuxnLenk_maBUpjTGBo0BQeacO2qiIHYGD-5p7ffhrMyfg&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
Thank you. I've essentially been up since before 2 : 00 & I need a break from this crazier - than - a shithouse - rat news.
&I have a sinus headache, too. Auf weidersehn, Leslie.
OMGosh, you know it’s bad when they are hearing voices in their heads.
I agree re Canada. My grandfather was born there many decades ago - I am ancient. He came here as a child and became a citizen when he gave up all allegiance to Queen Victoria! (I said I am ancient). Anyway, If I was younger I would be tempted to leave….
Don’t give up! I hope you’ll stay and keep fighting this onslaught with us. I see a lot of fatalistic comments here this morning. We can’t afford fatalism! If we give up, give in, and resign ourselves to the authoritarians rolling over us, THEN they will have won.
TY Elizabeth! Waiting for another to show up here with some grit!
John T Phillips I have had same thoughts although what happens here affects the entire world so it is hard to escape. Granted on a daily basis Canada may provide peace. I am counting on huge backlash for everything the Republicans have done and will do before the next election. I also believe Democrat voters are now energized as never before and will put some effort into the next elections. Here I quote Robert Hubbell: "If you are looking for a place to join in common cause with other like-minded people defending democracy, Markers For Democracy is a welcoming, positive place to be. The Markers For Democracy newsletter link is here: The MFD Newsletter."
There are so many different democratic organizations I wish they would all come together and pool resources
At least unite in their goals. Confusing to the point I cannot keep straight which I have supported or their central purpose.
Daniel and John T, I agree Canada is looking good these days. In fact it was already looking pretty good back in 1972 when I was on the lam from basic training and considering every option that didn't involve having to shoot at anyone. But I think if the progressive part of our population somehow moves to Canada en masse, within a few years the victorious forces of USA Fascism will own Canada too and hunt us all down.
Better to make a last stand on home turf.
I'm basically a pacifist, but if I have to blow the arms & legs off of a " Proud Boy ( what are they so damn proud of ? What reason ? ) ", I can, although I'd prefer NOT to get embroiled in a civil war. Only as a last remaining option. My Evangelical cousin would probably blow away or eviscerate liberals without a second thought, then burn the bodies, while throwing textbooks on them.
Yes, civil wars happen
😒
Look before you leap, Daniel. All is not what it seems in Canada:
https://toronto.citynews.ca/2023/01/25/proud-boys-terrorist-designation-alt-right-wing-groups-canada/
Canada. Oh, Canada. Canada could have had French culture, British politics, and American know-how. Instead they have American culture (just at 1/10th scale), French politics, and British know-how. There is no place to run. We have to stay here and fix what we can.
I'm old and far from wealthy, so I don't think any other country on earth would have me, frankly. So do I stay and fight, or do I stay, put on my headphones, shut out the world and wait to die?
Michael. You have your own remedy. Clearly you stay and fight. The pathway to old age is fraught with peril. That pathway comes with winning in virtually every category wherein which we find successful endeavor, not to mention out right good luck. Against all odds we are still here. To fight the good fight. Each May we win the Kentucky Derby again. Hell yes we stand! What have we got to lose? I would be scared if I was thirty. Or 20. At 72 I am formidable.
At 78, I have lost all ability to fight. Haven't been able to run for years, can barely walk without falling (better with a brace for my foot drop), bad eyesight, can't aim a gun so well, just point & shoot at close range. So, Hell Yes, I sit! And squeeze off six rounds to whatever fascist comes to take me out. Srsly, haven't much more to lose after what age has already taken.
You are my hero! As seniors, we should be the first on the front lines of this good vs evil war ... for the sake of our grandchildren.
I am the same as you. I think we must stay and fight and do whatever we can.
I agree with all of the above comments. I am 76 and too old to run away even if I wanted to and I don't want to, I want to stay and make the maga nuts miserable. Let them leave and make another country such as Hungary or possibly Russia great again.
As I have posted above (apologies for repetition) we can do this: please subscribe (free) to the SPANISH version of progressive Brian Tyler Cohen's Youtube channel and routinely run a few, if they algorithm catches fire, it will be seen by more and more Hispanics who are being successfully lured away by the GOP.
https://www.youtube.com/@briantylercohenespanol
At night, I run a few on my computer with the sound off since I do not speak Spanish.
Yes, thank you.
Stay and fight. Sometimes we have to.
Great comment, Steve. I plan on staying in "the good ol' USA" through thick and thin.
It's rather academic, anyway I'm pretty much retired & on disability & one has to have kin to be considered for citizenship in the Great White North.
Living as a nomad in the Gobi or doing archeology in the Atacama desert, maybe ?
Canada is off the list for me as a Native woman. I can't stand their policies and attitudes re: Native people. I have friends talking about Portugal, Ecuador, Belize. A relative has gone to Turkey where the politics are even more problematic than here, and there seem to be problems everywhere. I have a clear choice, stay and fight, or at least resist, or go hide someplace. I can just as easily hide here. The devil I know beats the one I don't know. I stayed when Nixon won. I stayed when Reagan won. I stayed when Trump won. Those were all hard years, culminating in the mess we have now. It seems we didn't fight hard enough, though fight we did. In the last decade, I'm down to resistance. Call me Mikinaak (Turtle).
A woman that I got to know through her website then via email left for Canada after GWB was " reelected ". I basically implied that she was a damned COWARD for deserting rather than staying & resisting. Dubbya was a LOT of things, but at least he wasn't an overgrown, narcissistic spoiled attention whore man - brat who demanded unearned RESPECT & unquestioning, blind, drone - like loyalty like the Orange Ogre did & still does, Mikinaak.
As my husband says, GWB (who I never liked as president) looks like a saint compared to the Orange Ogre.
No worries, Daniel. I had thought about Canada a time or two until I discovered their copycat ways in the right wing arena!
As for Gobi or Atacama, I'd first want to look into New Zealand or Tahiti maybe?
If you think Canada is difficult to get into, New Zealand is far worse. The only more difficult place to move to is the Galapagos.
Not leaving my country (USA). I'm needed to fix too many things!
Lynell, come to Idaho. So much to do here in every category. The road is always uphill against impossible odds. Have you ever watched wild geese fight to hold their territory? Awesome, no really. I was thinking about putting together a wagon train in Michigan. Leading them to Idaho. Can you imagine what that many Michiganders might be capable of?
LOL, Pat. Our wild geese seem to prefer a more peaceful coexistence. However, it's not a bad idea to head to Idaho. I get my equine supplements from there, so would save on shipping costs, for sure! That said, I'd be willing to start a Go Fund Me account to send a team of Michiganders to Idaho. Those potato-pushing folks would get straightened out in short order, don't you think?
I've been curious about Japan & Korea, I had penfriends there back in the 70's & 80's. I used to know a little of the language, but that was back in the 70's & 80's as well. Then there's the little matter of MONEY..... Maybe I could become a Buddhist monk.
and Canada is colder than I like...I don't want to go any further north than MD, where I am now, but the politics going south from here suck....and Mexico doesn't feel like a safe option any longer.
Mt. Athos in Greece is full of history, but it's a large monastic community for Eastern Orthodox renunciates / hermits, & I wouldn't want to go there under false pretenses because I'm not religious. They even make deliveries using a basket elevator. I guess they couldn't smuggle a beautiful Greek or Eastern European model in a large sack using the basket.
Right now I'm thinking France or Portugal might be good...or Italy. It's like pick the food and wine you like and go for it. 30 years ago my office manager had a place in San Miguel in Mexico. She & her husband loved it...loved the people. As the years went on, they spent more & more time there. Sadly they have both passed on...or I'd go for an extended visit.
BUDGET. I'm on one. & to use an old phrase that probably dates back to pre - dynastic Egypt, " money doesn't grow on trees ". Actually the saying was " your camel will never crap gold nuggets ". 🐫😆
Spain and Portugal are both affordable.
Mike, France is really expensive but I have heard that Portugal is very nice. We live in southern Spain for half of each year (without residencia we can only stay 90 days at a time). It costs us about half of what it costs to live in the midwest. The only thing more expensive is gas for the car (between $8-$9 a gallon). The people are lovely, the food is great and the wine is fabulous! If you haven't considered Spain, take a look.
Mike, I lived in Buffalo for 25 years. I left 20 years ago and came back to Georgia. I couldn’t take the cold any more. I left NY politics for Georgia politics, right before Crooked Deal was elected governor. It was a nicer place in the 70s.
I have been looking at real estate in Iceland and Googling countries where it might be easier for Americans to move to. I'm retired, so my options are now limited, but I keep doing job searches for my adult children - one of whom is also freaking out about what CHAT GPT is going to do to the world!!
CHAT GPT - Skynet Lite. My computer is proof that an AI uprising will simply consist of annoying the CRAP out of human users until our heads explode from rising blood pressure.
Places for Americans to move to - I exchanged Youtube comments a few hours ago with some guy stationed in Antarctica. I wonder how much a nice cozy condo on an ice floe would cost ? Amazon drone drops would provide supplies & one would have to really dress for sub - zero weather, basically.
Australia is pretty nice - and safely far away.
Daniel, I’ve moved to India (long story) but it is a peaceful choice for me.
Elisabeth - I have had several " snail - mail " relationships in the 70's - 80's with people in Japan, Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines to Guyana & Morocco, so if I had to / or felt compelled to leave, I think that I could live in 1 of those countries, although language would be a large problem at 1st.
Daniel, I felt about the same as you did when I read this article after that nice letter posted yesterday.
I would think that, given the foundational importance of the right to vote to unalienable rights, that there would be a basis for citizens to sue if wrongly deprived of their right to vote or were unreasonably encumbered in their efforts to vote such as hours of waiting to cast a vote, that a responsible society could easily make readily accessible. I think there are equal justice issues here as well.
I used to have faith the SC would always be an obstacle for blatant disregard of rights. No more, and that causes despair. They’re MORE corrupt and untouchable than politicians.
You have a good point. However, Rs have stacked the courts so heavily and judges these days seem to have no consequences for poor ethics and corruption.
I've thought about it too, we need a good reason for the lawsuit.
I figure that if the right to vote is worth going to jail to obtain, worth dying for, deprivation of it or interference with it is well worth a lawsuit.
Yes, I want to know a way out of the unpublished hellscape too. I live in voter-suppressed Ohio and saw the new bill here in action last week as I worked our local election.
Marc Elias of DemocracyDocket.com is doing this. We need to support him in his efforts.
Yes! I would love to hear HCR weigh in at the end of her wonderful letters with some historically informed solutions to this nightmare...! How can we disrupt this never ending cycle??
I started writing letters and post cards to voters at the suggestion of a frequent commenter to this forum.
I have already posted the below, it can't hurt and it doesn't cost us anything:
As I have posted above (apologies for repetition) we can do this: please subscribe (free) to the SPANISH version of progressive Brian Tyler Cohen's Youtube channel and routinely run a few, if they algorithm catches fire, it will be seen by more and more Hispanics who are being successfully lured away by the GOP.
https://www.youtube.com/@briantylercohenespanol
At night, I run a few on my computer with the sound off since I do not speak Spanish.
I catch Brian Taylor Cohen's program on YouTube almost once per day. Beyond his own podcast, he often shares his channel with Glenn Kirschner, a former federal prosecuter, and they dissect the political and legal issues of the day, cover many pertinent points. And yes, he's been noting his new podcasts now offered in Spanish - to attract another demographic. Check them out.
I absolutely love their shared "Legal Breakdown"! Thanks for mentioning it!
What is meant by “run a few?”
I click on the list of his videos and choose one to play. There is an option to "play all" and I sometimes will click that and let them play. Each one of his videos are about 8 minutes in length.
I am also concerned about these issues. I'd like to know what Heather thinks about it and what ways she sees it. But even so, you can see how much she does for us. Thanks to her for that.
Soooo grateful for Heather.
Morning Elizabeth. What to do? Robert Hubbell offers realistic suggestion. I practice it every day with every person I speak with regarding democracy.
https://open.substack.com/pub/roberthubbell/p/why-joe-biden-will-win-in-2024?
Salud!
🗽
Thank you Heather.
The ramping up of violence in this Country is doing nothing more than proving tyranny works. The fact that a few cellar dwellers are not the reason for this level of violence should positively scare the shit out of you. These murders are the effort of well defined groups. As long as States are encouraging this type behavior with non existent gun regulations, the murders will not stop.
Democracy loses and Tyranny wins.
Be safe. Be well.
Your comment about ‘ “cellar dwellers” not being the reason for this level of violence’ is exactly my opinion also. As I mentioned in my comment here, these right wing whacko issues do not have grass roots.
Thank you, Linda, for sharing your opinion on this. I find it interesting every time I read your comments. They will probably continue to help the gun business until something really terrible happens. I so hope these are my silly assumptions, because I don't want that to be the trigger for their actions.
Sabrina, thank you.
I completely agree with you. They only way around this is for something even more diabolical to happen. I honestly don't know what it could be.
That children of republicans are murdered by the very same whackos they helped to create.
And this week, Herr Paperhanger, er, I mean Drumpf, is holding his own Nuremberg Rally down at Merde A Loco. His favorite Nazi punks will be offering anti-semitisim, misogyny, racism, Holocaust denial, election denial, homophobia transschrecktlikeit and paeans to the Nazi dictator of Russia.
The Dark Lord of the GOP Sith still kisses Emperor Putintine's ass. What a world.....
I liked that, ''Merde A LOCO'' for the TUMP shack in south Desatan state. I sometimes call it, ''Mar A Lardo''.
Another play on words I believe I invented here on Substack. The opportunities are endless.
All good...but I think of it more as Mar a Diablo.
Okay, so Garcia was a militant neo-nazi, but more importantly, was he a Drag Queen or a woke teacher or librarian--something really dangerous. <sigh>
Thanks for this moment of "levity", Earl. The AR-15 is fine, books are not...
😢
This, this warning needs to be heeded and acted upon because otherwise with voter suppression AND the monsters out there with easy access to AR-15s and similar weapons, democracy will falter as the mass murders (and these are murders not just "shootings") continue in this country. This is just insane. After Sandy Hook, it's incredible that this is still happening. Words fail me tonight.
"Election lawyer Marc Elias recently warned that “we cannot out-organize voter suppression” and that the myth that we can “minimizes the real world effects of repeated, targeted suppression laws. It shifts the burden from the suppressors to the voters. It suggests that victims of voter suppression simply need to be better ‘organized.’”"
I have the same thoughts as you. Every time, I can't believe this is even possible. Our suffrage is being suppressed, and these beasts have such an easy way to get AR-15s and similar weapons. It's insane in the truest sense of the word.
When you note,"Ohio, Arkansas, South Dakota, Idaho, and Florida have all passed voter suppression laws this year," it is important to observe that this destructive politics has all been fascilitated by permissive Supreme Court rulings. It is incredible and unacceptable that the Supreme Court has undermined the foundations of democracy.
Absolutely right, ethics and laws are no longer fundamental to the supreme court.
Yes, voter suppression is real, and getting worse, but only because of robust voter self-suppression. “Voter turnout for the 2022 U.S. congressional elections was the 2nd highest for a nonpresidential election year since 2000, with 52.2% of the citizen voting-age population participating.” Ooooh! 52! 🤬 Only 47.8% off registered voters didn’t show. That’s not just voter suppression, or gerrymandering, that’s mostly just a lot of apathy. 2020 on the other hand, had the highest voter turnout of the 21st century, at 66.8%, so only 33.2% no-shows. Still bad, but not 52.2% bad. But according to Elias, I’m supposed to believe voter suppression increased by 14.6% of the vote in 2 years? I can hear it now, “midterms are always lower...” And look where that landed us! It’s apathy x decades, folks, and the word the DNC dare not speak.
I used to believe that apathy played a big part in low voter turnout. Now, I think that message is part of the game Rs play. Rs blame voter apathy for low turnout and pretend that they don’t put huge roadblocks to voting along every step of the process.
In some parts of the US, voting is accessible only to those of a particular socio-economic status. If you have to walk or take public transportation to a location miles away from where you live, if you can’t leave work because your absence puts your job at risk, if you’re unable to wait in line for hours and hours on end (due to work, or lack of childcare, or health concerns), it’s not voter apathy.
Nothing I wrote suggested voter suppression wasn’t a problem. Nothing you mentioned explains 14.6% difference. In our blue county, with free mail in ballots, we couldn’t muster 50% of voters to participate. I guess I’ll never understand the apathy and denial about voter apathy.
" In our blue county, with free mail in ballots, we couldn’t muster 50% of voters to participate.' That's HEARTBREAKING.
I’m sure Elias would just say, “Oh well, it’s rugged and stacked against us and impossible, just go home, nothing to see here.”
Wonder what the demographics are in that percentile. Strange that this apathy, if that’s what it is, seems to be ever present. Maybe during WWII
citizens voted in larger numbers, and many believed “my one vote won’t make a difference”. But what we seem to be facing right now should bring huge numbers to the polls, so it must be ignorance. But how to enlighten them? With blustering
fear tactics, demonstrations, more profound speaches?
People talking about moving to Canada or other countries. I want to fight, but I don’t know how to.
Heard the story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody? There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have.
Just a guess.
I wish we could declare voting day (at least Presidential ) a national holiday or, have the polls open later, or making voting day always on a weekend, or over a 2-3 day period....
In 1992 I proposed an amendment to the Maine Democratic Party platform that Election days be declared legal holidays. The platform committee defeated it 19 to 2. It was not allowed to be considered at the convention. Republicans don’t believe in the Republic, Democrats don’t believe in Democracy. Get mad.
They didn’t see the need for it then. You were thinking ahead.
That’s a good idea
Sometimes, when a game is rigged against one team that it’s impossible to win, players quit. Who wouldn’t? This is exactly what Marc Elias was saying - that greater voter participation won’t change the outcomes with successful voter suppression .
On Sunday, there was a Congress critter (R) from NC on a Sunday news show claiming she won her seat in a “ competitive race “ by 10 points. Oh honey, first, you live in NC, where gerrymandering runs rampant; second, 10 points doesn’t sound competitive.
When we’re told repeatedly, and with authority, that it’s impossible, many of us begin to believe it, then some attack those who can do the math and question that conventional wisdom. The origin of “conventional” wisdom from “convenient” (Galbraith) should not be overlooked here. Introspection is difficult and it takes work, sure, but without it, we’ve got the GQP. The quiet game of quitting voting for decades is killing us. It’s not impossible now, but we’ll be there sooner with a bunch of resigned quitters. More attacks in 3...2...1......
Cool your duels dude! I agree with you, and so do most of those on this thread. But we have to speak to the voter apathy to bring voters to the polls. It happened in 2016, that a rigged social media stirred the new Trump fans while painting HRC as a racist and causing voter apathy in key states. This country needs a wake-up call to voters about the importance of voting in every election, even if the map is rigged against them.
The best way “to speak to the voter apathy” is to first not pretend it doesn’t exist, second acknowledge that it’s a huge problem, and third, admit it’s our problem, not something we can blame on others. Dem candidates need to inspire, be trustworthy, and have a solid message of hope, not the despair that “it’s all rigged against us.” That negative victim language does the opposite.
Agreed. Motivate, do not deter.
As I have posted above (apologies for repetition) we can do this: please subscribe (free) to the SPANISH version of progressive Brian Tyler Cohen's Youtube channel and routinely run a few, if they algorithm catches fire, it will be seen by more and more Hispanics who are being successfully lured away by the GOP.
https://www.youtube.com/@briantylercohenespanol
At night, I run a few on my computer with the sound off since I do not speak Spanish.
At the suggestion of others on this forum, I started writing postcards and letters to voters. This I have to limit as postage keeps going up up up.
I like your sneakiness in gaming the algorithm. I'll check it out.
Again, what are you talking about? What is “run a few” and “algorithm catching fire?”
It’s not just apathy-it’s also fear. Certain people are easily targeted. Remember the show DeSantis’s concocted with his “election police”. Two white males were also convicted for robocalls in 2016 to Black folks telling them if they voted they’d be arrested at the polling place because of warrants, back taxes etc.
I suspect as the Magats get going more it will be even scarier to vote. Black people did not vote for many years because of laws, trickery, threats and violence. These tactics worked for a long time-Black people trying to vote in the South lost their lives and livelihoods as did other people who supported voting rights efforts.
With AR-15s they can gun down a line of voters (certain voters) in minutes. Who will show up to vote then? Especially since many states are ruling out drop boxes and mail in ballots.
Suppressing votes from Black folks and “liberals” is what will make America great again. Racism trumps everything. It’s the American way. We have to pay attention to the role that “whiteness” plays in our society. It’s a delusion that’s been with us for centuries.
People really believe that organizing society based on skin color is valid-only White people are “real” Americans. Heather mentioned that Hispanics consider themselves “white”. Truly over 80% self identify this way on the census which now counts “non-Hispanic” whites as well as “whites only”.
It’s crazy living with racism! No surprise that we’ve gotten to this point-we take “whiteness” for granted and talking about race is taboo. If people only understood the true history of America then maybe we could make the changes needed to save our country. Our grand “experiment” is evidently failing..
The solution does involve education-that’s why the Rs have attacked all levels of education. Trump is promising to takeover accreditation by setting new standards to enforce white supremacy. The Ds are woefully lacking when it comes to messaging. Time to take the gloves off and tell the truth-loudly and often.
This is a VERY disturbing report. I'm going to be working a VERY conservative event next week and I'm now very curious about the content. Is Victor Orban going to be praised and held up as a beacon of light and truth ? These people don't tend to be Trumpers, they seem more "old school" conservatives. So we will be paying close attention and sending back "Post Cards from the Edge".
Some people may ask..."why do you work for these people?" ...mainly because I get to hear them first hand and we also hear what's bubbling under the surface. The things that are not verbalized on stage with a microphone.
Yes, please publish a report, Mike. But watch your step while you’re in their midst.
I've worked this event at least 5 times. These guys are verbal, not physical. Most of the conservative events I have worked in DC, the folks are fine to be around, they aren't the Proud Boys. I've never worked a Trump event and would not, because he focuses anger on folks with cameras and microphones. He's dangerous and no one else has done that to us. Actually I have felt more threatened or out of place at a couple of let's call them liberal "feminist" events, where the audience is 90% women and our crew is mostly male...and also liberal for the most part...but we can feel kind of alien and not very welcome. That's just an observation from 2-3 events, out of hundreds over 20 years. For the record, the only event that I almost left my camera and walked out on, was a VERY conservative awards show. It was hard to listen to...and my desire was to walk out and take the mostly black & brown service staff with me. My loyalty to the rest of the production crew is the only thing that kept me there. If I get to the point that I know I'm retiring from Live Events...and that happens again...I just might walk. Mic drop...cymbal crash.
Ok, good. I look forward to your summation of the event. 👍🏻
Keep us posted, Mike.
Thank you for keeping your eyes and ears open, Mike, and letting us know what you discover.
How do we stop the MAGA juggernaut? Jack Smith must indict ALL of the suits who were involved in the planning and execution of Trump's January 6 coup attempt. NOW! Bottom line: Rule of Law.
Jack Smith is a tireless workhorse (thank god) but he is not the deciding factor. We need to direct our encouragement toward Merritt Garland - who is the only one who can (swiftly??) bring charges against all the conspirators! He needs to live up to Biden's appointment of him as AG.
And just how fast do you think it’s ALL supposed to happen?
I arrived as a Freshman at UCLA in1966 to find all the University of California campuses under fierce political attack led by then Governor Ronald Reagan. On January 20, 1967 at the first UC Regents Meeting Attended by Reagan, "Ronnie" was able to engineer the firing of Clark Kerr as the President of the University of California system in a 14 to 8 vote. My tuition was less than $70 a Quarter in 1966 not that much more than about $25 a Semester paid by my Uncle 2 decades earlier in WWII. Tenure was under attack as well as the make-up of the student population. The LAPD had undercover police agents attending certain lectures most notoriously in a history class when students hounded an outed Agent out of the class who made his escape in a waiting car. Protection of 18 to 30 year old's voting rights (students or not) is a critical element of 2023-24 organized resistance. Maybe it is time to reorganize students for a democratic society a good name then & now.
Another UCLA grad: BSc and PhD. Taught *Marxist* biochemistry and molecular biology lab at MSU (M for Michigan) for 30 years. Love the HRC community.
I must check out 'Origin of Life'; My Biology lecturer had a huge impact on me & nearly changed my professional life plans. The Professor (cannot remember his name) did not spend much time on Cell Division; the lectures delved deeply into what was going to happen in the decades ahead : Microbiology, DNA, virology.... The TA was like having another Professor; on good weather days our TA meetings were held in the UCLA Arboretum. Just behind, political science, psychology & biology was my afternoons at the UCLA film school. HCR's LFAA last night triggered some deep memories. 🙏
The stuff I did with origin of life had to do (mostly) with analyzing tRNA sequences using on line databases. Remarkably, tRNA is 100% ordered: RNA repeats and inverted repeats. I solved tRNA evolution as a puzzle. The tRNA puzzle solution tells a surprising story about pre-life (>4 billion years ago). The puzzle was surprisingly easy to solve. I am a little chagrined that this work isn't better known. It's the stuff that biologists, gamers, logicians and computer folks should love. It's the story of molecular genesis (well, half the story, the top-down part). Can't make life in a test tube (bottom-up) yet, but I have lots of ideas. Go Bruins!
Well retired Trial Attorneys are into deductive reasoning as well. Yes, 'Go Bruins' & they did they did go well go in those days, The then 'Lew Alcindor' had to sit in the frontt row of my Poli Sci lecture as he did not fit in any other row.
We’re working on that.
"His [Trump's] drive for authoritarianism dovetailed with a religious movement to create a new ideology for the Republican Party, one that explicitly rejects democracy."
Federalist Society honcho, Opus Dei acolyte, and the plutocrat's useful man - shell company entrepreneur Leonard Leo - was explicitly working to repurpose our democratic republic as a clerical fascist state when Trump was merely a racist landlord sexually assaulting women and Orban was a politician promoting democracy.
My teenaged daughter was having lunch with one of her friends, who is trans, at a local sandwich shop yesterday. They were sitting at an outside table. A man pulled beside them in his truck, called them “scum,” and refused to leave. My daughter called me, and I could hear him shouting at them. My husband and I told them not to engage and get up and leave immediately. They did, and were safe, but rattled. Rhetoric has consequences.
Rhetoric does have consequences as we saw today when the Jury dellivered liability findings swiftly that are now attached to tfg, the sexual abuser, batterer & malicious defamer of the victim.
Hallelujah!!! Thank you to E Jean Carroll for her COURAGE and persistence! And thank you jury of 9 for giving us a big win for what is best in us!! 🤩🥳🥂🎉 It feels so good! I sure hope he is forced to pay that 5 million!!! And only 3 hours! 🙏
And, E Jean had 8 supporting witnesses which helped a lot with demonstrating tfg's modus operandi to say nothing of tfg's "Neanderthal Defense" basically admitting male sexual assault.
And smirking while admitting it, as if saying “try and stop me”!! His delusions seem to protect him from humiliation. His lawyer was so thrilled the jury didn’t call him a rapist, nothing else mattered.
Thanks to her and Stormy so far
😢
I have been following the reports about the Texas shooting. I do have questions about this that have come to mind after learning his military release only 3 months after joining, and his Neo-Nazi embrace.
First, Garcia had mental issues. How in the hell did he acquire the weapons he had, tactical gear, etc? How does anyone walk into any gun shop, gun show, or anywhere else and purchase this stuff?
Second, he’s a member of a Neo-Nazi organization. How does anyone with this relationship to an organization such as this walk into any gun shop snd purchase these, or any, weapons and tactical gear of any kind?
What SHOULD have happened when he walked in the gun shop and purchased these weapons snd tactical gear is this. The gun dealer should have picked up the phone and notified the local law enforcement agency.
Now, for all those that say “why should he do that? No laws were broken.”
This may be very true, but, who buys AR-15s, semi automatic pistols, full tactical gear, and the like? Who wears, Carrie’s, this stuff hunting for dear or something? I can answer this. Not one person. The ONLY reason anyone is purchasing tactical gear is to possibly do something stupid, like kill people and protect himself from return fire.
At the very least, it would have afforded the local law enforcement agencies to look into him, and learn everything about him that they are now learning, AFTER the fact. AFTER he kills 8 people at a mall.
This just reinforces what I said on a previous post:
The regulations to purchase/own firearms had to be changed.
A. Extend the waiting period from 3 days to 30-60 days.
B. Change the Application to Purchase a Firearm. Make it more extensive than simple “yes” “no” answers. Get the individuals medical history, cross Minsk history, have them list every firearm they currently own, with serial numbers. The gun dealer must enter this application to the Federal “Cloud” for all agencies to automatically have instant access so background checks may begin.
C. The individual must have a complete medical/psychological assessment completed.
D. The individual, irregardless of prior firearms education/training must successfully complete a Federal Firearms Safety Course.
F. ALL law enforcement agencies (local, county, state, and federal) must complete a thorough background investigation of the individual.
G. A National Firearms Database must be established for the gun dealers to enter any firearm/ammunition sold, prior to it being delivered to the individual and leaving the premises.
H. All gun dealers should be required, by law, to check this database to ensure any individual isn’t going to numerous gun dealers to purchase numerous firearms.
I. No firearm may be sold at the same time as purchasing ammunition. There must me minimum of 3-5 day waiting period prior to being able to purchase ammunition for any firearm. If an individual goes into a gun dealer to purchase ammunition, an “Application to Purchase a Firearm/Ammunition must be completed. Then a minimum 3-5 day waiting period for all checks to be completed before the individual my pick up the ammunition.
J. The penalties for violations should be extremely harsh.
For firearms dealers, if an individual purchases a firearm, and the stipulations/law isn’t followed to the letter, or the dealer fails to do his diligence on the computer checks, entering the information, or checking fir prior purchases as laid out in the law, a felony charge shall be imposed, and his firearms license to sell be immediately revoked with no opportunity for reinstatement.
For individuals, a felony charge should be imposed if they are found to have lied on the Application to Purchase a Firearm/Ammunition. If, during the 30-60 day waiting period this individual is found to be incompetent, mentally, to own/possess or have in his/her possession or premises any firearm, then his Application shall be immediately flagged, his immediate family notified, and given them the opportunity to remove all firearms from the residence where this individual resides. If the family doesn’t complete this, then the authorities shall remove them.
K. Weapons of mass destruction, weapons used by military/law enforcement, shall not be manufactured or sold to the general public, by any licensed gun dealer, or individual.
Yes, mental health is an issue for someone owning a firearm, and knowing when/how to use it properly. But, not every case of masa shootings have individuals with mental health issues committing them. Case in point. This last mass shooting in Texas was committed by an individual with ties to Neo-Nazi groups. That’s not mental health, Governor. That’s just plain old fashioned white supremacy!
Brilliantly written, Dr Richardson. At least one person isn't afraid to speak out for democracy.
Unfortunately, the culture wars do resonate with voters. Fear mongering has succeeded in mobilizing voters against the very values they believe they are defending. Iowa's just completed legislative session passed new laws allowing child labor ostensibly as protection of parental rights, forbidding medical care to LGBTQ+ youth, instituting school vouchers, banning books, relaxing standards to recruit teachers because of significant teacher shortages. Many more dreadful measures have passed. It has been disheartening to witness the path this state is following.