People in Florida are evacuating before Hurricane Milton is expected to hit the state’s Gulf Coast on Wednesday evening, bringing tornadoes, high winds, a dramatic storm surge, and upwards of 15 inches of rain.
People in the Tampa Bay Area are terrified. Nearly half of our Pinellas County population of 500,000 is under mandatory evacuation. Roads are overwhelmed, gas is hard to find, flights are cancelled tomorrow. We are a peninsula, vulnerable to storm surge from three sides. We are still recovering from major flooding from Helene.
Neighbors are using Nextdoor to help each other out with information, supplies, labor and encouragement. In the middle of this unfolding tragedy, MAGA people are posting lies about FEMA and accusing Democrats of actually creating the storm to win the election.
Why doesn't the god of the MAGA pseudo-Christians selling bibles just rebuke Milton and send it back? If that sounds crazy, it's a mild variety of crazy compared to actually believing that any political party can create a hurricane. Such is definitely beyond the pay grade of any self-important political operatives of ANY political party or all of them combined. Wishing you safe through this, Diane.
Some appropriate reading for the likes of DeSantis and his ilk this evening would be that long poem by John Milton. Such readers might well pause and reflect a bit on the line that it is "better to reign in hell than serve in heaven." They might also consider to which character Milton assigns the line and then go have a long stare in a mirror.
Everyone knows John Milton is a woke Marxist Socialist Commie who wants to recruit our children for sex change operations <s>. I'm so sick of the crazies dominating the conversation. That the Crazy-In-Chief could again be POTUS fills me with near intolerable angst.
Insantis is like crazy t a psychopath.look it up if He’d rather people in FL die than accept that there might be something actuallly called ‘climate change’ driving these hurricanes 🌀 into massive categories that he claims have been created by my words here, those crazy green commies. Milton may indeed be a monster. Insantis is far far more dangerous!
Actually it's even worse...not only is DeSatan denying the danger of the hurricane, he's also denying any aid from the Woke Federal Government. My only is that if he continues to deny aid, the people of Florida will in fact wake up, and vote him OUT!
The meteorologists cannot hide their fear and dismay over the reality of climate change, the severity of these storms, and the utter destruction resulting from these natural disasters.
"Mother Nature" is not discriminating according to political leanings.
MAGA and Project 2025 plan to eliminate NOAA.
Trump has already PROVEN he withholds aid from those affected by disasters according to whether he thinks they are loyal to him. He is UNFIT for any elected office.
I really think suing needs to happen across the country. These false radical statements are hurting people. This has to be beyond "free speech". Do what the right wing has been doing for years. Recruit people with provable injuries. Supply them with legal aid. Get them in front of liberal judges. The Haitians have many grounds. The damages from hurricanes result from lack of progress on climate change. Florida governance is doing the opposite.
Interesting that people are referencing the poet and his last name. Hurricanes, or I guess now, himacanes, use first names. In this case, it named after all the first named Milton.
MisTBlu, I agree. When I read this letter i was aghast at their behavior made even worse because they often call themselves "Christians". I was especially struck by the disinformation around hurricane response and then calling a forecaster a climate militant.
responders are feeling threatened which can hinder their progress. You can't keep looking over your shoulder to see if some deranged gun toting guy is threatening you.
Welp.. If you're so filled with "intolerable angst" may I suggest that you close your door and go FYS. Invite your friends, while yer at it. Good grief!
Craig, it is better to serve God than to reign in hell, but the famous British philosopher was correct in suggesting that we have sympathy for the devil. Otherwise, how do I recognize the devil when he’s coming for me?
In other words, with reference to Vice President Harris comment that “they somehow have decided that they’re in a better position to tell you what’s in your best interest than you are to know what’s in your own best interest,” it’s not good enough to just leave that at “somehow.” We need to understand specifically “how.”
Or maybe some people are not interested, but I can tell you this. If you understand this knowledge, you will find it useful in defeating MAGA, and regardless of who understands it, MAGA is using it against us. Anyway, what follows is specifically "how."
The unconscious mind forms unconscious intent, and then it asks the conscious mind to play one of two roles. The first is conscious deliberation, and the second is often referred to as the “press secretary” role, aka gaslighting. Think Sarah Huckleberry Sanders (to whatever extent you’re able to stomach that thought).
For example, DeSantis is gaslighting. There’s always a way to rationalize any decision because literally nothing is rational outside of a “perspective,” aka “what interest is being served.” So, what they do is bob and wave by presenting logic from one perspective, and the moment their logic is challenged, they simply change perspective. I’ve seen five-year-old's who are masters at this technique.
Why does an individual’s unconscious mind inform and trigger conscious deliberation in lieu of gaslighting? Because it is a sufficiently mature unconscious mind, which is to say that its (unconscious) “circle of concern” encompasses the individual’s (actual) “circle of influence.” The only thing worse than people like Ron DeSantis is people who are as immature with more power, as in POTUS 45 until POTUS 46’s inauguration.
Translation: vote for and do whatever you can to support D candidates.
The unconscious can influence more than we can imagine, never thought about that dichotomy. Seems to apply across the board. Gaslighting used to be the subject of a rare movie. Now it’s behind the podium. We all are being driven nuts.
JD, to me my intelligence has never been so insulted, but what's worse IMHO is being deceived. Call it "lied to", but I call it "being deceived".., with evil intent. And, so subtly, that I have been forced to "fact check" every angle of it. So, again, being lied to seems just kind of straight forward, a verb. But, being "deceived" is a whole-nuther matter loaded with trip-lines and pitfalls that elude our grasp. Our sense of trust and decency has been ripped open. Fact checks? Fact checkers? Whose "facts(?)" might I ask. Kelly Ann's? YGTBSM. We're plainly being "deceived", so plainly. And, it's intention is to cause harm. I believe that last part is against the law.
Deception is the goal. Hard not to choke when chump said he had no knowledge of Project 2025. I thought we’re not that stupid. Of course, I’ve been saying that since W/Dickie, lied, redacted, and spun every issue into the opposite of what it was. Chump said, I can do that better. And he has.
Craig and Ed, when we visited Stuart, Florida, and my cousin several years ago, we decided that if it had ever been a paradise, it had been lost for a long time. We noted the many manufactured homes which would be toothpicks in a strong storm. I note that the evaluation orders for Milton specifically mention people in them to evacuate. I have some ex-students and classmates living in Florida. Two of the classmates are rich nut case Rs who live on the west side. I am having trouble caring if they have problems. They would be the type to call a forecaster a climate militant in all caps of course.
Yup..., their mind is made up and they won't be confused with what we know are 'the facts'. Not until they need an 'air evac unit' to haul them to a crowded gymnasium. Sick puppies.
What level would DeSantis and trump be on in Dante's Inferno? Trump hasn't a prayer. He qualifies for Levels 2(lust), 3 (gluttony, 4(greed), 5 (anger), 7(violence), 8 (fraud), and 9 (treachery). Level niners get to be eaten by Satan for betraying people (Judas, Cassius, Brutus). When the book was written trump wasn't around, but I'm sure he would have made the list many times and personally made a fine fatted calf dinner for Satan.. I wonder if he would have another first being someone who had to be on the most levels.
I find it fascinating how an essay by a 4th century monk (Evagrius Ponticus) writing in Greek would end up providing a seven point list of human evils that was still being taught as such in catechism classes in the 1960s, and perhaps still is. Dante made a rather interesting creative use of that list, and expanding it back toward Ponticus's original eight and then a bit more.
That said, in common English usage, we have allowed the good and bad forms of pride (number seven on Ponticus's list as modified by Pope Gregory I) to be blended together, which I think is something that needs some work. I suspect that Dante would have linked Pride to the eighth circle since pride and vainglory are arguably necessary elements of the fraudulent.
Perhaps DeSantis should read this article by Matt Stoller, who usually writes about Anti-Trust issues and cases, but this time writes about how the government and Florida should handle hurricane Milton.
If one has read Project 2025 like my Democrats Abroad book club is doing, you would know that the next Trump administration plans to cut the purposes of FEMA, and the amount of funding a community would receive to 25% of needed funds, relying on hard hit communities, who are suffering to raise their own FEMA funds. That along with so many other aspects of Project 2025 that would be in place, which would mean manpower shortages for rescue, clean up and rebuilding after millions of immigrants are deported. That will also of course lose each tax base by billions, and more people will be unemployed, so there will be a snowball effect of catastrophes.
Colette, I was just thinking that TFFFG might have some purloined nukes hidden amongst the top secret documents in that Mar-a-Lago bathroom he could offer to Ron to get rid of the hurricane bearing down on them. What could possibly go wrong?
One thing about our system and country, is our stubborn independence. It's not a universal trait, but it is one of the things that makes Americans different from the people of many other countries. I don't think the typical American military officer with access to nukes would obey an order to move one outside of standard operating procedures for them, and even if one were to try, I don't think that even a 3 star could manage it. While some are quite small (the ones I saw in full size mock-up were roughly the size of a basketball), even getting onto a base where they are located is quite an involved procedure with a lot of checks and double checks. Actually getting near one is more difficult still.
Craig, given our penchant for all types of weapons—AK-47, “ghost” guns, etc.—I halfway expect a new weapons franchise to open, backed by the NRA, to be “Nukes ‘R Us”. I’m kidding of course….kinda….☹️
This is what Christian Nationalism is. It has nothing to do with Christianity…actually closer to Satanism. It is simply a tool of those who would control us for their own greed and advantage. It has been done before…PolPot, Hitler etc. There are always the simple minded fools who support them until the horror of their reign is recognized. It is becoming more apparent daily in the US, but it hasn’t gotten bad enough to wake up those supporting Trump. It will in time, but until it does the reality will be horrible.
I just hope MSM starts doing the right thing and exposes the danger that these MAGA lies and MAGA politicians are putting people in...talk about having blood on your hands.
I had made a comment about Project 2025 in an answer which I gave to a trump supporter. I was glad I was sitting down when this person said that they had never heard of it!
It is my impression that Trump voters are generally not well informed. If you use Fox News for your major source of information or Social Media, you are getting lots of disinformation and lies. So dangerous when there is a crisis that you need to be informed on.
When I google anything, I usually look at several different articles especially when numbers are concerned The numbers vary according to the sourceI like to use various Fact Check pages like Snopes.
If trump gets in, there will be no more protests like Jan 6th. These trumpers may have something to protest like the high prices of goods when they were promised lower prices. trump has said he would use extreme violence to teach them a lesson so no one else would protest. Don't think they would care for that.
I grew up in the Lutheran church (before and after their big split over stupid nuances), but when I came to understand the maxim imposed on scientific thinking, which demands humility (i.e. constant skepticism) once an explanation of known data has been postulated consistent with Occam's Razor, this orientation demanded that I apply that line of thinking to all things. While I think that is consistent with the salvaged written teachings of Jesus that St. Jerome pulled together after the collapse of the papyrus trade led to what came to be called the bible, which was well after the first council of Nicaea, well skepticism demanded that I set the whole divinity part of those stories aside, pending the appearance of some extraordinary proof. The rest I think is spot on, and totally consistent with that little essay by Evagrius Ponticus which got condensed into the seven deadly sins by Gregory I. If one uses that list of seven (or eight) as a check list, it is amazing how many of them Trump and DeSantis check off.
Also, the way Evagrius Ponticus wrote about them (for him it was eight), in his essay, in effect it became the accepted working definition of human evil in the sixth century church. I think we can still run with that, even if we don't ascribe something supernatural to the concept. Milton's poem still works perfectly well as an allegory, except for maybe the misogynist aspect that he kept from the Torah as assembled from oral traditions more than a eight hundred years after they supposedly happened (the book of Numbers nonsense aside) by the scribes working for King Josiah.
With all of that in mind, I tend not to think that guys like Trump and DeSantis actually believe what they say. Rather, I tend to think they say whatever they think will be effective with their base. It could be pure manipulation, not some sort of faith on their part. That said, I do know one person who has the curious ability to knowingly tell a lie and then instantly believe it themselves. It's a very curious psychosis, that aligns well with James' argument about the subconscious. So I'm open to either explanation.
Now that said, the news today that Trump secretly sent COVID tests to Putin amid the shortage suggests he was acting out of conscious intent rather than something triggered by his unconscious mind.
Whatever the wellspring of their behavior was and is, Ponticus's application of the term evil to it seems to be appropriate. They speak and act in a manner that is antithetical to morality, so evil it is - no supernatural explanation required.
Mega Republicans better face reality and come to senses about climate change instead of blaming others. This outrageous and irrational behavior and because they choose to be defiant and in denial more people in the state of Florida will be affected.
Because so many are Christian Nationalists and believe the End of Days is near, which means they do not care about the environment because they believe God will come and save them and leave the nasty world for the rest of us, or they believe God will only come when everyone is living a Godly life, so they are forced to force this upon the rest of us so he will come for them. Either way, what they are caring about is what they believe God is about, not what our laws or constitution says, or the planet.
So, who cares if there are public schools when you are homeschooling to protect your children from any other than your own sick ideas about the world and life. The rest of the MAGAs are just plain rich, greedy people, or blindly sexist and racist and accept the destruction of our nation just to punish people they hate like women and non-Whites, non-Christians, immigrants, people who are LGBTQ+ etc... Haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate!
Story: A policeman came to warn this man that a flood was imminent and that he should evacuate. The man said God will take care of me. The flood water is now in the streets. An all terrain vehicle comes by to give the man a ride. No, God will take care of me. The water is now on the 2nd floor and someone with a boat comes by to rescue him. No, God will take care of me. The man is now standing on his roof and a helicopter comes by, He declines the ride because God will take care of him. The next conversation is with God. Why didn't you take care of me? I sent the police, an all terrain vehicle, a boat and a helicopter. You need to help yourself a little bit. I am sort of busy.
People hated home schooling. They continually pushed to have schools reopen and not wear masks. Here is the perfect opportunity to teach children what you want them to learn, but parents don't want to do it. Complain, complain, complain.
A pattern of angry/irritable mood, argumentative/defiant behavior, or vindictiveness lasting at least 6 months as evidenced by at least four symptoms from any of the following categories, and exhibited during interaction with at least one individual who is not a sibling.
Angry/Irritable Mood
1. Often loses temper.
2. Is often touchy or easily annoyed.
3. Is often angry and resentful.
Argumentative/Defiant Behavior
4. Often argues with authority figures or, for children and adolescents, with adults.
5. Often actively defies or refuses to comply with requests from authority figures or
with rules.
6. Often deliberately annoys others.
7. Often blames others for his or her mistakes or misbehavior.
Vindictiveness
8. Has been spiteful or vindictive at least twice within the past 6 months.
The cruelest part of this is that innocent people die, are maimed , and have lives and livelihoods destroyed because of these fanatics. This is not reality tv.
MAGAs are missing good sources of information. Instead they get their news and information from specious social media and Fox News which is a spreader of disinformation. It would be great if someone created a website with the credibility of news and information sources.
Craig, I looked at it and while it seems like it covers what is being covered and compares coverage, I just mean a website that lists all news sources, and rates them for the level of factualness, say on a scale of 0-10, with 0 being the least factual, and 10 being the most.
It's a tall order. I worked for Boeing for 31 years, and virtually never did a story about the company that I read in the local press match up with the facts as I knew them in those instances where I had firsthand knowledge. PR people have the job of spinning things, and that makes the jobs of reporters and historians incredibly difficult when they are trying to get things right. And of course, as we all know, all too often a so-called news service is deliberately presenting things to fit their biases.
On a similar note, when I dig into something that catches my interest, I routinely dig into its deep history. It never ceases to amaze at just how much truly awful history is out there, even about things that are seemingly free of controversy such as how some bit of technology came into existence. It's not uncommon when following footnotes and bibliographic references to find several seemingly independent sources actually further referencing and thus converging on a single and obviously flawed root source.
This is why I think humility in all things is so very important. One always has to be open the possibility that something that one has been quite certain about just isn't so.
Trump is not just selling bibles, he is selling guns. A person who had gotten an ad for them is worried that Trump is trying to arm his voters. The AR-15 is called The Commander in Chief.
These are not only sources of grift for Trump, but sources legal bribes. In this way people like the Saudis, can buy say 1000 Trump watches at the cost of $100,000 and that buys them access legally, and if it is done with Bitcoin, it is not even traceable.
Another thing is that Elon Musk is using his 800 mil+ followers to push out his messages spreading the lies Trump and other MAGAs are spreading and amplifies them. He is also paying people $47 not to vote, but to sign people up. That gets around the law too. These criminals take great pleasure in openly flaunting the laws, and too many Americans admire them for it.
The god-king already tried it with one hurricane, marking a NWS map with his sharpie to direct the hurricane to continue into Alabama. Apparently, the hurricane had a mind of its own and turned north, as it always does, and proceeded up the East Coast.
Well the enemy is both powerful and weak. Plus God is both all powerful and all knowing but chooses not to help his supposed most beloved of all creation. The only consistency with MAGA folks is their inconsistency.
Democrats created the storm...54.6% of Pinellas county voted for climate change denier DeSantis...'good luck' with your decisions. I went through Hurricane Andrew and no such nonsense was ever heard! As a species we are regressing!
The part of the brain that perceives reality and can act on facts has been infected or obliterated in certain segments of the population. Where it's reproductive health care, COVID, climate change, gun control, the global economy, trying to bomb Hamas out of existence, you name it. Everywhere one looks one sees evidence of a major loss of mental capacity on the part of too many people.
Billionaires, ceo's, corporations and the Federalist society have managed to weaponize this country.
From our judicial system to the Supreme Court and by violating our constitution and our Democracy with is govern by the rule of law. Its up to the people who the power by their vote to change this and we will by voting for Harris in November.
Someone suggested those states that wanted succeed , in other words a two state union. Looks to me it’s the same scenario as North vs South age old battle…notably the south has the poorest stats, Republican dominated if I understood correctly.
Currently those ‘in charge’ are the ones most vocal..the ones propagating climate denial/the Big Lie/abortion bans, and other false narratives…correct me at any point please…
And you’re both welcome to join me in Danbury Federal Prison in CT ringing bells at the press conference that Steve Bannon will try to have as he tried the morning he turned himself in. It was hilarious protestors screamed as he and others tried to speak. Watch in on YouTube. It’s super funny. I’ll send y’all air taxis.
It doesn't.... but if it did, my family down there would be in more danger so it's a mixed blessing. I sure would love to see a hurricane take out Merde-a-Lago.
A tale as old as time, JD, only now these twin human follies are fixing to wipe most of us off the planet as the elements prevail. Perhaps those that remain on The Ark can build a kinder, gentler, more sustainable civilization.
These cretins are the poorest excuse for Christians that I have run into. They are just the inquisition on the move and who missed that in history class.
When I heard Steve Bannon say that they wanted to destroy the administrative state, my blood ran cold. Then chump proceeded to do just that. And he has attracted money and more greedy bastards since Kevin resurrected him from the trash bin. All this after chump and Putin colluded in 2016 and likely before. Helsinki nailed it for me.
I will drive to the prison on the day he is released and ring my bell since I live in CT. You’ll probably see me holding my book in the air while ringing my ole loud church bell.
Has anyone reviewed Florida's voter laws to see if living in a Motel 6, 200 miles away from what used to be your home allows you to legally vote in FL? I'd hate to think Republicans might cheat to win.
Show no mercy on the next campaign advert. Open with a quote from the hurricane specialist who warned Florida. Then a quote from President Biden issuing orders for an emergency for Tampa.
Then state: "Vice President Harris telephoned Governor Ron DeSantis." DeSantis did not take the call. While Vice President continues to lead the U.S. government in supporting state and local efforts, DeSantis sides with Trump, J.D. Vance, and their patrons who deny climate change.
"Ask the Tampans this straight-up question: who is on your side? President Biden and Vice President Harris or the lying, crying, whining, dining trio of Trump, Vance, and DeSantis? You make the call. Vote on November Fifth for the team that is your team."
Praying for Pinellas, have family in St.Pete Beach, you can see the Don Cesar from their house. Evacuated for Helene, 18” of water in their house. Now they have to leave where they’re staying. We’re in Hernando.
At 6 PM Eastern PBS reported that the last major hurricane in Tampa Bay was in 1921 -- 103 years ago, 3 Million folks now live in the region.
The storm surge per PBS will be in the 4-8 foot range with rain to 6 inches or so, The unique coastal geography of the Bay is an issue as sea & rain water outflow could be very
slow.
If you are into higher Love & safety then head to higher ground.
Indeed they will. This daughter of a meteorologist watches TWC in fascination, wishing I could talk with him about that. (Fat chance, he'd be 108 now. I do miss him so.)
I don’t know what to say. I wish you and all your good neighbours a safe journey through this. We should never let any MAGA forget that their cult were effectively actively wishing and enabling potential Democide upon innocent fellow citizens with their bitter ignorance.
I hope the people in Tampa Bay Florida remember that climate change is real and what Governor DeSantis is doing is wrong to prevent president Biden from helping out in anyway that he can.
I hope they will think twice before they vote for Trump and vote for Kamala in November.
I am so, so sorry. What a mess we humans have made. May you and yours and neighbors make it out to a safe place. But then what? What will you come "home" to? And I think of those who do not have a car - cannot escape. It truly is a mess. I hope Diane that you will write again - in a day or so - or next week and let us all know that you a safe and what is then happening on the ground.
I second this!! I have family on the east coast of Florida, and if they lived in Tampa I would be out of my mind right now with worry. I'm worried enough as it is, for everyone who lives in the storm surge area!
And MAGA wants to defund the NOAA and FEMA. We should be scared, very scared if they prevail this November. We'll be right back to the 1870s in more ways than one. Women will lose all autonomy. Which makes me really unable to understand how there are in fact so many women who still love Trump and his zealots.
Diane I am so sorry for you. That people do not know how to access good sources of information in a crisis is an indictment of our education system that people don't know better which sources to believe. It is also an indictment of the Florida leaderships. Florida's governor is embracing the Project 2025 agenda with open arms and it is one that turns the US into a third world country, by destroying our economy, our protections, and ultimately our people. DeSatan is clearly destroying the quality of life in Florida as a job interview move, sucking up to Trump, the chief fascist. In Project 2025 FEMA no longer provides states with assistance, only with Biden in charge FEMA still does, so what right does DeSatan have to prevent people from getting that help. It is just like Red states turning down subsidies for health care, where they only have to contribute 10% but they would rather enrich the wealthy in their states with tax breaks than take care of the people. It is shocking, shocking, shocking. Someone should offer DeSantis an all expenses paid vacation to Hungary, and then let someone else take over running the state in his absence.
Sending you prayers, Diane. My 2 adult grandsons are in Tampa and they are planning on staying. I don't know if their area is under mandatory evacuation.
Welp, a certain congressperson from Georgia has returned to the Jewish Space Lasers claim that Dems have special "space lasers" that are causing hurricanes, y'know . . .
Somebody needs to tell her point blank to either produce the evidence for this or shut up. Same goes for any MAGA who says that FEMA/Biden/Harris is refusing to help.
We honeymooned in Pinellas County 53 years ago next month and are/were planning to go the Gainesville area where our bridesmaid now lives. We can only imagine how it looks now and in the near future. The last time we were near there was Sept 11, 2001 on a beautifully clear day until we saw all the planes landing at Tampa (and none taking off).
The fact that Trump keeps normalizing ever-increasing levels of violence is abhorrent. The fact that MAGA maniacs are lying about FEMA in the midst of a crisis is cruel and abhorrent. That some politicians want to force a minority religious dogma on the rest of us is evil. That women are still being forced into second class status is infuriating. That my MAGA friends remain willfully ignorant as they benefit from a stable economy and look forward from benefits from the Inflation Reduction Act is mind blowing.
Thank Jerry, I have been silently sputtering reading Heather’s recent brilliant posts feeling such dread and growing foreboding. I too am feeling this viscerally, like we are careening down a steep house of horrors themed rollercoaster into its lowest point and the prospects of a brake-failing nosedive derailing seem more realistic than a swoop up to the next arc. My heart is in my stomach.
We need to support one another and channel our fear into action. MAGA has it wrong and they won’t back down. Their silly hats and slogans won’t save them. As Liz Cheney said “ Nobody wants to admit they’ve been conned, but you’ve been conned.”
Ditto. Dread & foreboding in the pit of my stomach , win or lose. Terror if we lose, but fear of violence if we win. This how I feel daily. I was hopeful for a while. It as the RETHUG rhetoric increases in scope & frequency, daily, I’m struggling to find any peace in my mind. As a believer, this bastardization of Christianity makes me ill. But I continue to pray that God will find a way so that ajustice & true democracy will prevail. And that laws will be passed separating church and state! That includes all the tax loopholes mega churches abuse.
Jerry- I am still not over CFDT desecrating the hallowed ground at Arlington which is dedicated to all of the brave Americans that have served in the military. This includes my father who is a disabled veteran.
And to think he may once again be Commander in Chief of those he calls "suckers and losers."
28 days from tomorrow, folks. In four weeks we have the chance to right this country by ridding it of Harris's opponent, as well as his acolytes and sycophants in Congress and state and local government who continue in their desire to deny health care and personal choice to women, forbid the shelving of certain books in school and other public libraries, spread false and dangerous narratives about real-time weather events, and so much more.
We are currently in Spain but we got our absentee ballots the day it was legal in Michigan for them to go out. Our City Clerk sent them to us via email, we filled them out, signed them and sent them the next day. She has already let us know that they have been received and will be counted! Chalk up two more votes for Harris/Walz, Elissa Slotkin and others.
Bless you!!! I have been Canvassing in North Carolina. I live here for work but have a residence in Maryland. The environment in NC is somewhat hostile. I have never been told to “go to hell” before while Canvassing. At the last minute and while visiting my Mom! I went to my local elections office in Maryland to see whether I could cast my vote as I don’t trust the election deniers in my county elections board. Maryland sent my ballot but I never received it. I successfully cast my ballot for Harris Walz and for Madeline Korbel Albright’s daughter Anna running for Appellate Court of Judge. 20 public officials in North Carolina have credibly participated in election denial activities. I have seen elimination of polling places. Post Offices closed in prominent areas. North Carolina General Assembly the group in charge of poll workers refuses to allocate proper funding to help staff polling places. Just one piece in the puzzle. Proud and happy I made the list minute decision to cast my ballot in Maryland today. Driving back to crazy North Cackalacky today!
I subscribe to the "Slack Tide" substack. A commenter on there said she didn't like trump, but was "terrified" at the prospect of Kamala becoming president. I replied asking her why the "terror" - I could see why trump as president would terrify anyone, and that she might not agree with all Kamala's policies - but "terror"? Unfortunately she's not replied. What level of propaganda have the Republican leaders been feeding people to cause such levels of anxiety in everyday people? And to cause them to accept (and even VOTE for!) the people who behave the way DeSantis has? In a normal society, he would be exiled to the outer darkness.
Lady Emsworth, I do not understand the mindset of the MAGAverse. Their fear (and please, can anyone explain it to me) of transgender people? Their absolute surety that all immigrants are vermin, killers, rapists and such boggles my mind. Their ability to ignore all the evidence that fpotus is completely and totally unfit for public office astounds me. The MAGAts in my world are all retired cops, or in some way associated with law enforcement in some way (marriage, employment in the CJS, etc.) and their undying belief that Harris (a former prosecutor and AG) is unfit to be president is just mind boggling.
Ally, it's actually really simple, but something that liberals don't want to verbalize because the idea is simply too archaic and scary... racism. And sexism too but mostly racism. Kamala is a black woman. That's it. Prosecutor? Eh! Attorney General? Meh! None of that matters. She is a black woman. White men, particularly the MAGA types are just petrified of the idea that a black woman can and should lead the country. Never mind that their candidate is a sexual predator, a liar, a tax cheat, a misogynist. None of that matters.
Sadly it is not mind boggling to me at all. Pathetic but definitely not mind boggling
Maybe she's been told that as soon as Harris is elected she's going to open the floodgates to every single murderer on Earth who wants to come to America. That's about the level of craziness we are seeing now.
Dear Pam, That is great! Our daughter lives in Durham, NC and she has told us stories about voter suppression and the crazy GOP guy running for governor! Keep the faith and get all your like minded friends and family to vote wherever they live!
I know.... I was doing postcards to PA and when the postguy asked if I was the person (because my first name was on the postcards) I was afraid at first, but it turns out he was on our side! He even left a page of 20 postcard stamps in my mailbox! So I send out 100 more to folks in Michigan. That's the thing -- one never knows, these days, if the public servants we interact with on a frequent or occasional basis are going to be hostile once they figure out which "side" we are on.
My postman was pleased to identify this postcard writer, which was a relief to me. She all but congratulated me on the numbers I am putting in the mailbox of my building.
Just did the same thing today in Maryland. Since DeJoy closed the busiest and most prominent post office in Mecklenburg county recently- that was my sign to go back to my home state of Maryland and cast my ballot. I live in NC for work and could have registered in NC this week but decided MD was the safer bet even though NC could use my vote.
It's really hard to know that we live in the same world as tffg, DeJoy (I hate that that's his name), De Santis, and on down the list. How can such people even exist?? (Sorry, just had to post a pointless rant.)
I'm lucky to live in blue NY (albeit a red area of NY), but I know my vote would mean more if I lived in a red state. At least I can vote blue in the local and state elections as well. I have a lot of Harris/Walz signs in my neighborhood!
It is necessary that we get people to show up at the polls in 4 weeks. But it is not sufficient. We know the MAGAs and Christian Nationalists and Theil-type billionaires are going to try to steal this election if Trump does not win outright. If Harris manages to win, the question is what can we do to prevent the steal?!! Especially since we have a Supreme Court that will be willing to give the election to Trump if they can.
Also, as important is holding the Senate. If there is a Dem Pres and Dem Senate majority, we can keep the federal courts from being more corrupted. Maybe we could even get Harris to appoint an extra 3 Supreme Court Justices and take the SCOTUS back!
Well fortunately we can probably limp along for 2 years if we have the White House but not the Senate which is what my "crystal ball" currently indicates says week happen sigh. Not ideal but a GOP Senate can not SUBMIT their own judges, ONLY the President can do that (which is why i still see the presidency as the critical issue in this election.)
It will be a two year struggle with out a Democratic Senate but we will survive with Harris in the White House. And 2026 presents us with a much much better chance of taking back the Senate with 20 GOP seats up for election and only 12 Democratic seats (the exact opposite of this election).
So there is hope, we just ABSOLUTELY need to do everything we can to get Harris elected because a Trump presidency could mean the beginning of the end, sigh.
Don't get your hopes up sigh. It's possible but very very unlikely. The west Virginia (Manchin) and Montana (Tester) seats are almost certainly going to go GOP this election. With no other changes, the GOP would lead 51-49 in the Senate. 21 Democratic seats are up this year vs 12 GOP seats so the odds of switching even one GOP seat are tough indeed. You have to look at the odds realistically, sigh. There are other democratic seats that are vulnerable too albeit not as much as those two. Sherrod Brown in Ohio could lose although his MAGA opponent isn't well liked even in Ohio. The best chances of picking up a GOP seat are amazingly in Texas (Cruz) and Florida (Scott). Both of those races are pretty close but the GOP guys are well known and have been around a while. It's not impossible we could turn one or even both but not very likely.
In the end without any wishful thinking or fantasies, the Senate will be just slightly GOP for the next two years. Best chance is to win it back in 2026 when the GOP have a bunch of vulnerable seats up for grabs.
You are certainly entitled to your opinion but I choose to look at reality clearly and not through rose-colored glasses. "Anything is possible" to me is just an excuse to not do the work of figuring out what reality is. Of course anything is possible. The whole world could be destroyed by a meteorite this week too. But looking at evidence rather than speculation it isn't likely, just about as likely as the Democrats holding the Senate in this election.
You are absolutely right though. In November we will know for sure. But as someone who believes in evidence, I am about 95% confident we already know. 51-49, at worst 52-48 GOP in the Senate.
The stiff Olde Guard doing the only sh*t they know how to do. Change and progress are their enemies. Not even expecting any death bed confessions of wrongdoing either.
Yeah that is a problem. If Harris appears to win the SCOTUS will clearly feel free to step in. If Trump appears to win, they will be happy to throw up their hands and say "not our job!"
Voted last week with my husband who is an election judge. I am awaiting deployment to Florida with Red Cross health services. Can't help but wonder how this will effect voter turnout in effected areas.
We voted yesterday. And I learned last night that Elon Musk is propping up the Trump supported 30 year old former NASCAR driver when is a forced birther and hates immigrants.
Elon has given over $475,000 to his campaign so far.
Sometimes it is just too much to take in. Hurricane Milton is headed straight for Tampa, Florida. Just after Hurricane Helene. I lived through Irma and Maria in 2017 on St. Croix, United States Virgin Islands. Pretending it “isn’t that bad” is just idiotic. Spending a night listening to howling winds and looking out in the morning at devastation is horrible. What is DeSantis trying to prove by refusing Kamala’s call? Without adequate planning and resources the people of Florida will have a worse nightmare than they need to. There’s a special place in h*#l for so called leaders who have only their own greed and pursuit of power in mind.
Desantis is, quite simply, a punk. He doesn’t care about his constituents. He only cares about his image in the MAGAverse and he has made the calculation that his 2028 political prospects are bolstered by being a climate denier. I am quite certain though that 2 days after the Tampa area is devastated by Milton he’ll be on camera in those ridiculous white boots trying to claim credit for the strong federal response that will be forthcoming
Governor DEATH SENTENCE as many in Floriduh call the little lift boots call him is setting out to prove how much of a CON DON BUTT LEACH he really is. He can’t lie about the hurricaine however he can lie about the reason he didn’t talk to MVP. Like the great orange creep, GOV. Death Sentence is a small man with small man complex!
I think that the report from John Morales its one of the most horrifying things I have heard. To doubt a weatherman because of politics and lies is unspeakably dangerous and irresponsible.
Exactly, the propaganda has been constant and vitriolic for 40+ years. Way more time than Goebbels had in Germany. But he left a legacy that the cretins use to max effect
There's a page on FB called Firsthand Weather and it's full of people denying the severity or telling people that the government is controlling the weather.
Sad that there's so many clueless people.
I blame faux snooze, homeschooling, religion and the donvict.
A Sharpie and a law banning the use of the words "climate change" will do nothing to change the direction or prevent a Category 5 hurricane from following a Category 4 hurricane through much of the same territory in a matter of weeks. Eliminating FEMA and NOAA is like hiding your head in the sand (or anywhere else you're inclined to put it), thinking that that will protect you from whatever is threatening you. I cannot believe that at least some of the deniers understand the danger and the truth. Their deliberate disinformation is all the more heinous when destruction ensues from their supposed ignorance. It is all the more tragic when people believe the lies and then lose their lives.
It makes me think of Galileo and the Church all over again: “In February 1616, an Inquisitorial commission declared heliocentrism to be "foolish and absurd in philosophy, and formally heretical since it explicitly contradicts in many places the sense of Holy Scripture".
I liken them to the vicious ignoramuses who thought God anointed them in their destructive pursuit of land and minerals way back in the days of colonization. The mindset is the same; the ignorance is generational—all the more reason to acknowledge Indigenous People's Day next week.
What is REALLY strange is how close to Trump s own fortress these last two hurricanes have come. When he lived in New York he never worried much because although NY does get hurricanes they are usually pretty weak by the time they get that far up the coast. Both Helene and Milton would have devastated Mar-Lago if they hit Miami head on.
Great post, so sad to see this happening to our fellow citizens.
Marjorie Merriweather Post who built Mar-A-Lago in the 1920's, note the excessive 1920's gaudiness, and the UGH Architecture... Built it with 3-foot Thick Walls, and a Lagoon Buffer in order to withstand Hurricanes...
If Mar-A-Largo got a direct hit, the storm surge would gut it. I live about an hour north of there & the 2004 hurricanes wiped out a lot of more modern structures, theoretically built under stricter building codes.
We have a place just like it in California. San Simeon. The former home of William Randolph Hearst. He built it up high on a mountain. No storm surge will ever get that high at least not in our lifetime!
We can only hope. The season is not over, despite DJT's saying the hurricanes are late in the year (paraphrase). If the Dems made it happen, as he alludes to, a Cat 6 specifically sent to M-a-L would be coming.
Climate Change has been warned about for along time... Larger, More Violet Storms will be the result of putting more Energy into the Atmosphere... Other Phenomena include Heavier Rains, Droughts, Tornadoes, Forest-Fires etc... The Property & Casualty Insurance Companies, which assess Future Risk are taking a hit... I hope DJT's Mar-A-Largo gets Washed Out... Mike Johnson will probably reconvene the House for more FEMA $$$... I hope that Ron DeSantis gets Washed-Out... The MAGAs may Plot, and Scheme, but they Forget that 'Man-Proposes-But-God-Disposes'....
Well I don't wish anyone, even my worst enemies to get washed out. Hurricanes are tragic, can cost lives as well as property, and like it or not even our political enemies have lives and loved ones. But I understand the sentiment, especially towards those who would at first deny this can even happen and then accept our help when it does AND THEN ACT LIKE WE DIDN'T GIVE IT TO THEM. Such a pathetic look. Sigh...
You are a much better person than I am. I have been thinking that every elected official (and those yahoos who wrote Project 2025) who is a climate change denier, needs to be placed right in the path of one of these monster storms and see if it doesn't effect a change in how they think about climate change.
I would love to hear Harris (or Walz, though prefer Harris) to say the following:
"If Donald Trump applied for a job in any school in the country, after a background check he would be refused. As a convicted felon, and adjudicated sexual violator, he couldn't work in one school in the country. Is the bar for running for President of the United States so low that half (more or less) of the people in the country might vote for a man who shouldn't be in a classroom with children? WHAT IS WRONG WITH AMERICA THAT A DEBASED, DEPRAVED MAN COULD BE VOTED TO THE HIGHEST OFFICE IN THE COUNTRY?"
And of course, she would never do that because she wouldn't insult voters for their choices, even if they are not informed with facts (as agreed upon in the marketplace of ideas). Today my husband and I met a 79 year old shop owner in a small town while on vacation. What started as a somewhat rushed conversation close to closing time gradually became an exchange of life stories. He launched into complaints of the California state government making "ridiculous" regulations about fisheries based on stupid theories about silly orcas wanting the same fish as we (humans) want to eat, "why don't they just eat something else?" he opined, and my husband and I just listened respectfully, he was tired and clearly had made up his mind about the election, after refusing to watch the news or take any information from social media (that gained during our brief conversation). But when he said candidly that neither candidate could be trusted, my husband quietly but insistently restated the comments from my first paragraph above, basically that the United States had vetted the Democratic candidate for four years when she served as vice president and she was the person agreed upon by thousands of consensuses, not a perfect candidate, but competent. The "other" party on the other hand time and again insisted that the only person they would run for office couldn't even be a teacher in a school, or do any number of other service jobs, because of his criminal background, who again and again twisted facts and flat out lied about issues of urgent importance to the health of the country, and the world. All of this in a quiet shop with no other customers, and this gentleman listened. We parted almost half an hour after closing time, exchanged best wishes, and I think he heard, maybe for the first time, why Donald Trump should not be President of the United States from people who liked and respected him, even after such a short visit. I think he will consider what we said. I think he might even mention it to someone he cares about. He may even take credit for those thoughts. But I know it will occur to him again. And maybe again.
My husband and I think and talk with each other a lot about meeting new people, and how to talk with people, and really listen to them, ESPECIALLY people we might not agree with on many issues. And we practice by talking with people everywhere we go, practicing active listening, and caring for people--friends we don't yet know--with the hope that we might learn something, and maybe even make a difference to them.
Good for you! After years of doing various tasks to impact the vote, I’ve started simply asking shop keepers and others a few friendly questions before leaving them: are you registered, planning to vote, etc. It’s Informal canvassing of sorts. I’ve been amazed how willing, talkative and responsive many folks become. In the end they often agree it’s time to register or time to vote. I don’t get pushy but do encourage them to act this year. I’ve found wearing funny political tee shirts is a conversation starter.
One on one... that still makes the most difference. Yelling slogans from a pulpit read off of a teleprompter doesn't win elections. Looking someone in the eye and explaining what is going on might. Great job!
Thank you for writing about your experience. Honestly I have a hard time with this. I reject out of hand what these people believe. I feel like they are at best stupid. It is good to hear someone talk about their experience this way thank you.
Patricia, I appreciate this, a lot. My husband and I sometimes have to talk each other down, and ourselves, reminding ourselves that all the MAGA retorts in the world wouldn't move the needle on what we believe, but those who ask us questions about what WE believe do make us think about why we have come to our conclusions. Issues such as immigration and homelessness are so very complicated, and hit all people in a place that is deep and authentic. It's our reactions that make us more or less sympathetic to the problems. Those conversations do make us think, and even question ourselves. Isn't that the best? Neither "side"--D or R--can afford to paint the other with their (our!) "stupid brush" (as a friend used to call it). All of us should feel a tiny bit uncomfortable about our thinking, otherwise we as a society and (supposed) civilization are sunk. So...I know how you feel, at my core. Thanks for your response!
Heather, you wrote, “ The Committee for a Responsible Budget noted today that a moderate reading of Harris’s economic plans suggest they would increase the U.S. debt by about $3.5 trillion through 2035.”
When asked by “60 Minutes” tonight, Harris said that the cost of her economic plans would be paid by getting the ultra rich oligarchs and corporations to pay their fair share in taxes. That, of course, assumes that the Democrats can win the trifecta, and the polls are so close that such a win is by no means a given, alas.
"Meanwhile, today, Trump openly embraced the race science favored by Nazis. In a scattered call to right-wing host Hugh Hewitt’s show, Trump called Harris a communist and lied—again—that she has let 13,000 murderers into the country. And then he claimed that murder is in a person’s genes, and “we got a lot of bad genes in our country right now.” He has also noted that “it would be very dangerous” for anyone to admit they were voting for Kamala Harris at one of his rallies because they would “get hurt.”"
Trump must be incarcerated immediately. If he were a sitting president, he would be at Walter Reade Medical Center in a straight jacket.
As my blood pressure can't handle listening to Trump or Hewitt, much less both at the same time, I wonder if anyone can say if Hugh pushed back on the race science thing. Claiming murder is a genetic trait carried only by undocumented migrants is insane.
Thank you for telling the story of disinformation about FEMA and NOAA.
It appears that the overarching aim of the Trump club is to make his supporters angry at the current administration even if it harms them in the process. So, his supporters are told that they will only get $750 to help them recover from Hurricane Helene rather than up to $40,000 if they qualify. The end result is that they don’t apply for the additional funding. They’re told that they don’t need to evacuate for Hurricane Milton because the meteorologist is “pushing an agenda”. That disinformation can lead to loss of life. The casual cruelty is mind-blowing.
Governor DeSantis, Trump, and the Project 2025 crew—here’s a reminder: Mother Nature always bats last. You can scrub “climate change” from your laws and call it a leftist agenda, but no amount of political posturing will stop a Category 5 hurricane fueled by Gulf waters hotter than ever before. Ignoring science won’t make the storms weaker, nor will it shield your voters from disaster. The climate isn’t playing games—and neither should you.
As a resident of Central Florida, I’ve dealt with hurricanes all my life. Normally, cooperative folks pull together in these times. But Morales is right, things have changed.
DeSantis spent a large portion of his press conference yesterday complaining about a locked gate at a debris dump site. With him and the rest of his ilk, it’s all about attacking and controlling the other side.
He’s a petty, little man, just like his hero and idol.
If you mean Trump, I don't think DeSantis is exactly idolizing him all that much these days, not since Trump handed him his *ss on a platter during the primaries LOL!
It is so disheartening to hear all these lies continuing to spew from the MAGA right. And now with these devastating hurricanes, people’s lives are endangered. What is Governor DeSantis thinking of???
People in the Tampa Bay Area are terrified. Nearly half of our Pinellas County population of 500,000 is under mandatory evacuation. Roads are overwhelmed, gas is hard to find, flights are cancelled tomorrow. We are a peninsula, vulnerable to storm surge from three sides. We are still recovering from major flooding from Helene.
Neighbors are using Nextdoor to help each other out with information, supplies, labor and encouragement. In the middle of this unfolding tragedy, MAGA people are posting lies about FEMA and accusing Democrats of actually creating the storm to win the election.
It’s dangerous and disheartening.
Why doesn't the god of the MAGA pseudo-Christians selling bibles just rebuke Milton and send it back? If that sounds crazy, it's a mild variety of crazy compared to actually believing that any political party can create a hurricane. Such is definitely beyond the pay grade of any self-important political operatives of ANY political party or all of them combined. Wishing you safe through this, Diane.
Some appropriate reading for the likes of DeSantis and his ilk this evening would be that long poem by John Milton. Such readers might well pause and reflect a bit on the line that it is "better to reign in hell than serve in heaven." They might also consider to which character Milton assigns the line and then go have a long stare in a mirror.
Everyone knows John Milton is a woke Marxist Socialist Commie who wants to recruit our children for sex change operations <s>. I'm so sick of the crazies dominating the conversation. That the Crazy-In-Chief could again be POTUS fills me with near intolerable angst.
Honestly, I am not sure Ron or his supporters know who Milton is or would care. Ron sure does lack the ‘moral’ part of a moral imagination.
Insantis is like crazy t a psychopath.look it up if He’d rather people in FL die than accept that there might be something actuallly called ‘climate change’ driving these hurricanes 🌀 into massive categories that he claims have been created by my words here, those crazy green commies. Milton may indeed be a monster. Insantis is far far more dangerous!
Actually it's even worse...not only is DeSatan denying the danger of the hurricane, he's also denying any aid from the Woke Federal Government. My only is that if he continues to deny aid, the people of Florida will in fact wake up, and vote him OUT!
See above.
I wish we could sue him (a massive class action) for intentional infliction of emotional distress.
All we can do is win the election. https://www.mobilize.us/events/phone-bank-volunteer-opportunities/
Just because that fool, DeSantis, denies climate change doesn’t mean deadly storms won’t come. Mother Nature won’t be mocked.
I keep thinking "let them deny gravity."
The cult is insane.
The meteorologists cannot hide their fear and dismay over the reality of climate change, the severity of these storms, and the utter destruction resulting from these natural disasters.
"Mother Nature" is not discriminating according to political leanings.
MAGA and Project 2025 plan to eliminate NOAA.
Trump has already PROVEN he withholds aid from those affected by disasters according to whether he thinks they are loyal to him. He is UNFIT for any elected office.
Susan Jane,
I really think suing needs to happen across the country. These false radical statements are hurting people. This has to be beyond "free speech". Do what the right wing has been doing for years. Recruit people with provable injuries. Supply them with legal aid. Get them in front of liberal judges. The Haitians have many grounds. The damages from hurricanes result from lack of progress on climate change. Florida governance is doing the opposite.
Trump has sure made work for the legal system.
Not to mention murder.
Interesting that people are referencing the poet and his last name. Hurricanes, or I guess now, himacanes, use first names. In this case, it named after all the first named Milton.
Wow... good catch!
MisTBlu, I agree. When I read this letter i was aghast at their behavior made even worse because they often call themselves "Christians". I was especially struck by the disinformation around hurricane response and then calling a forecaster a climate militant.
responders are feeling threatened which can hinder their progress. You can't keep looking over your shoulder to see if some deranged gun toting guy is threatening you.
Welp.. If you're so filled with "intolerable angst" may I suggest that you close your door and go FYS. Invite your friends, while yer at it. Good grief!
Rude.
Craig, it is better to serve God than to reign in hell, but the famous British philosopher was correct in suggesting that we have sympathy for the devil. Otherwise, how do I recognize the devil when he’s coming for me?
In other words, with reference to Vice President Harris comment that “they somehow have decided that they’re in a better position to tell you what’s in your best interest than you are to know what’s in your own best interest,” it’s not good enough to just leave that at “somehow.” We need to understand specifically “how.”
Or maybe some people are not interested, but I can tell you this. If you understand this knowledge, you will find it useful in defeating MAGA, and regardless of who understands it, MAGA is using it against us. Anyway, what follows is specifically "how."
The unconscious mind forms unconscious intent, and then it asks the conscious mind to play one of two roles. The first is conscious deliberation, and the second is often referred to as the “press secretary” role, aka gaslighting. Think Sarah Huckleberry Sanders (to whatever extent you’re able to stomach that thought).
For example, DeSantis is gaslighting. There’s always a way to rationalize any decision because literally nothing is rational outside of a “perspective,” aka “what interest is being served.” So, what they do is bob and wave by presenting logic from one perspective, and the moment their logic is challenged, they simply change perspective. I’ve seen five-year-old's who are masters at this technique.
Why does an individual’s unconscious mind inform and trigger conscious deliberation in lieu of gaslighting? Because it is a sufficiently mature unconscious mind, which is to say that its (unconscious) “circle of concern” encompasses the individual’s (actual) “circle of influence.” The only thing worse than people like Ron DeSantis is people who are as immature with more power, as in POTUS 45 until POTUS 46’s inauguration.
Translation: vote for and do whatever you can to support D candidates.
The unconscious can influence more than we can imagine, never thought about that dichotomy. Seems to apply across the board. Gaslighting used to be the subject of a rare movie. Now it’s behind the podium. We all are being driven nuts.
JD, to me my intelligence has never been so insulted, but what's worse IMHO is being deceived. Call it "lied to", but I call it "being deceived".., with evil intent. And, so subtly, that I have been forced to "fact check" every angle of it. So, again, being lied to seems just kind of straight forward, a verb. But, being "deceived" is a whole-nuther matter loaded with trip-lines and pitfalls that elude our grasp. Our sense of trust and decency has been ripped open. Fact checks? Fact checkers? Whose "facts(?)" might I ask. Kelly Ann's? YGTBSM. We're plainly being "deceived", so plainly. And, it's intention is to cause harm. I believe that last part is against the law.
Deception is the goal. Hard not to choke when chump said he had no knowledge of Project 2025. I thought we’re not that stupid. Of course, I’ve been saying that since W/Dickie, lied, redacted, and spun every issue into the opposite of what it was. Chump said, I can do that better. And he has.
Reading is not a strong suit for dah Sanctus ! He knows it all!
Craig and Ed, when we visited Stuart, Florida, and my cousin several years ago, we decided that if it had ever been a paradise, it had been lost for a long time. We noted the many manufactured homes which would be toothpicks in a strong storm. I note that the evaluation orders for Milton specifically mention people in them to evacuate. I have some ex-students and classmates living in Florida. Two of the classmates are rich nut case Rs who live on the west side. I am having trouble caring if they have problems. They would be the type to call a forecaster a climate militant in all caps of course.
Yup..., their mind is made up and they won't be confused with what we know are 'the facts'. Not until they need an 'air evac unit' to haul them to a crowded gymnasium. Sick puppies.
The good thing about Biden, he didn't whip out his sharpie and predict where the storms were going to hit. he let the experts do that.
What level would DeSantis and trump be on in Dante's Inferno? Trump hasn't a prayer. He qualifies for Levels 2(lust), 3 (gluttony, 4(greed), 5 (anger), 7(violence), 8 (fraud), and 9 (treachery). Level niners get to be eaten by Satan for betraying people (Judas, Cassius, Brutus). When the book was written trump wasn't around, but I'm sure he would have made the list many times and personally made a fine fatted calf dinner for Satan.. I wonder if he would have another first being someone who had to be on the most levels.
I find it fascinating how an essay by a 4th century monk (Evagrius Ponticus) writing in Greek would end up providing a seven point list of human evils that was still being taught as such in catechism classes in the 1960s, and perhaps still is. Dante made a rather interesting creative use of that list, and expanding it back toward Ponticus's original eight and then a bit more.
That said, in common English usage, we have allowed the good and bad forms of pride (number seven on Ponticus's list as modified by Pope Gregory I) to be blended together, which I think is something that needs some work. I suspect that Dante would have linked Pride to the eighth circle since pride and vainglory are arguably necessary elements of the fraudulent.
pride cometh before the fall.
Which is a pretty good description of many, but not all, of the issues at my former employer Boeing.
Perhaps DeSantis should read this article by Matt Stoller, who usually writes about Anti-Trust issues and cases, but this time writes about how the government and Florida should handle hurricane Milton.
https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/what-happens-if-a-hurricane-smashes
If one has read Project 2025 like my Democrats Abroad book club is doing, you would know that the next Trump administration plans to cut the purposes of FEMA, and the amount of funding a community would receive to 25% of needed funds, relying on hard hit communities, who are suffering to raise their own FEMA funds. That along with so many other aspects of Project 2025 that would be in place, which would mean manpower shortages for rescue, clean up and rebuilding after millions of immigrants are deported. That will also of course lose each tax base by billions, and more people will be unemployed, so there will be a snowball effect of catastrophes.
Wow. That’s a good one!
Didn't he once think we could "drop a nuke" into the eye of the storm to stop it? He is and they are just morons.
Colette, I was just thinking that TFFFG might have some purloined nukes hidden amongst the top secret documents in that Mar-a-Lago bathroom he could offer to Ron to get rid of the hurricane bearing down on them. What could possibly go wrong?
One thing about our system and country, is our stubborn independence. It's not a universal trait, but it is one of the things that makes Americans different from the people of many other countries. I don't think the typical American military officer with access to nukes would obey an order to move one outside of standard operating procedures for them, and even if one were to try, I don't think that even a 3 star could manage it. While some are quite small (the ones I saw in full size mock-up were roughly the size of a basketball), even getting onto a base where they are located is quite an involved procedure with a lot of checks and double checks. Actually getting near one is more difficult still.
Craig, given our penchant for all types of weapons—AK-47, “ghost” guns, etc.—I halfway expect a new weapons franchise to open, backed by the NRA, to be “Nukes ‘R Us”. I’m kidding of course….kinda….☹️
Why am I not laughing. They could show up in the illegal markets.
Amusing to think that the gold toilet is actually a silo.
All of this blatant and willful worship of ignorance is unbelievable.
Wow! 2 nukes with 2 or 3 weeks. FL will be radio active for years.
This is what Christian Nationalism is. It has nothing to do with Christianity…actually closer to Satanism. It is simply a tool of those who would control us for their own greed and advantage. It has been done before…PolPot, Hitler etc. There are always the simple minded fools who support them until the horror of their reign is recognized. It is becoming more apparent daily in the US, but it hasn’t gotten bad enough to wake up those supporting Trump. It will in time, but until it does the reality will be horrible.
"it hasn't gotten bad enough to wake up those supporting Trump. It will in time..."
No it won't. They have wrapped themselves in the Groper-in-Chief's promise to Make America White Again and that promise is their only reality.
When their daughters die and their houses are washed away, what then?
The Groper-in-Chief would not have let it happen. Biden and Harris let it happen.
I just hope MSM starts doing the right thing and exposes the danger that these MAGA lies and MAGA politicians are putting people in...talk about having blood on your hands.
I call it Corporate Christianity. And the foolish fall for it over and over again.
I agree. That is what Project 2025 is, a blueprint for turning our nation into. Christian Nationalist Theocracy.
One nation, under water…
I had made a comment about Project 2025 in an answer which I gave to a trump supporter. I was glad I was sitting down when this person said that they had never heard of it!
It is my impression that Trump voters are generally not well informed. If you use Fox News for your major source of information or Social Media, you are getting lots of disinformation and lies. So dangerous when there is a crisis that you need to be informed on.
When I google anything, I usually look at several different articles especially when numbers are concerned The numbers vary according to the sourceI like to use various Fact Check pages like Snopes.
Terry. Very irritating and true
If trump gets in, there will be no more protests like Jan 6th. These trumpers may have something to protest like the high prices of goods when they were promised lower prices. trump has said he would use extreme violence to teach them a lesson so no one else would protest. Don't think they would care for that.
They won't notice, because they are trained to see what they believe not the other way around.
😔
I grew up in the Lutheran church (before and after their big split over stupid nuances), but when I came to understand the maxim imposed on scientific thinking, which demands humility (i.e. constant skepticism) once an explanation of known data has been postulated consistent with Occam's Razor, this orientation demanded that I apply that line of thinking to all things. While I think that is consistent with the salvaged written teachings of Jesus that St. Jerome pulled together after the collapse of the papyrus trade led to what came to be called the bible, which was well after the first council of Nicaea, well skepticism demanded that I set the whole divinity part of those stories aside, pending the appearance of some extraordinary proof. The rest I think is spot on, and totally consistent with that little essay by Evagrius Ponticus which got condensed into the seven deadly sins by Gregory I. If one uses that list of seven (or eight) as a check list, it is amazing how many of them Trump and DeSantis check off.
Also, the way Evagrius Ponticus wrote about them (for him it was eight), in his essay, in effect it became the accepted working definition of human evil in the sixth century church. I think we can still run with that, even if we don't ascribe something supernatural to the concept. Milton's poem still works perfectly well as an allegory, except for maybe the misogynist aspect that he kept from the Torah as assembled from oral traditions more than a eight hundred years after they supposedly happened (the book of Numbers nonsense aside) by the scribes working for King Josiah.
With all of that in mind, I tend not to think that guys like Trump and DeSantis actually believe what they say. Rather, I tend to think they say whatever they think will be effective with their base. It could be pure manipulation, not some sort of faith on their part. That said, I do know one person who has the curious ability to knowingly tell a lie and then instantly believe it themselves. It's a very curious psychosis, that aligns well with James' argument about the subconscious. So I'm open to either explanation.
Now that said, the news today that Trump secretly sent COVID tests to Putin amid the shortage suggests he was acting out of conscious intent rather than something triggered by his unconscious mind.
Whatever the wellspring of their behavior was and is, Ponticus's application of the term evil to it seems to be appropriate. They speak and act in a manner that is antithetical to morality, so evil it is - no supernatural explanation required.
In regards to the 7 deadly sins try the 9 levels of Dante's Inferno. he has a solid 7 locked up.
Mega Republicans better face reality and come to senses about climate change instead of blaming others. This outrageous and irrational behavior and because they choose to be defiant and in denial more people in the state of Florida will be affected.
I hope FL voters remember how their governor betrayed them and wished them ill on November 5.
Because so many are Christian Nationalists and believe the End of Days is near, which means they do not care about the environment because they believe God will come and save them and leave the nasty world for the rest of us, or they believe God will only come when everyone is living a Godly life, so they are forced to force this upon the rest of us so he will come for them. Either way, what they are caring about is what they believe God is about, not what our laws or constitution says, or the planet.
https://project2025istheocracy.substack.com/p/what-is-a-christian-nationalist
https://open.substack.com/pub/project2025istheocracy/p/what-is-the-new-apostolic-reformation?r=f0qfn&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
So, who cares if there are public schools when you are homeschooling to protect your children from any other than your own sick ideas about the world and life. The rest of the MAGAs are just plain rich, greedy people, or blindly sexist and racist and accept the destruction of our nation just to punish people they hate like women and non-Whites, non-Christians, immigrants, people who are LGBTQ+ etc... Haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate!
You're spot on, Linda. The rapture will save them....until it doesn't.
Story: A policeman came to warn this man that a flood was imminent and that he should evacuate. The man said God will take care of me. The flood water is now in the streets. An all terrain vehicle comes by to give the man a ride. No, God will take care of me. The water is now on the 2nd floor and someone with a boat comes by to rescue him. No, God will take care of me. The man is now standing on his roof and a helicopter comes by, He declines the ride because God will take care of him. The next conversation is with God. Why didn't you take care of me? I sent the police, an all terrain vehicle, a boat and a helicopter. You need to help yourself a little bit. I am sort of busy.
People hated home schooling. They continually pushed to have schools reopen and not wear masks. Here is the perfect opportunity to teach children what you want them to learn, but parents don't want to do it. Complain, complain, complain.
Oppositional Defiant Disorder (DSM-V)
A pattern of angry/irritable mood, argumentative/defiant behavior, or vindictiveness lasting at least 6 months as evidenced by at least four symptoms from any of the following categories, and exhibited during interaction with at least one individual who is not a sibling.
Angry/Irritable Mood
1. Often loses temper.
2. Is often touchy or easily annoyed.
3. Is often angry and resentful.
Argumentative/Defiant Behavior
4. Often argues with authority figures or, for children and adolescents, with adults.
5. Often actively defies or refuses to comply with requests from authority figures or
with rules.
6. Often deliberately annoys others.
7. Often blames others for his or her mistakes or misbehavior.
Vindictiveness
8. Has been spiteful or vindictive at least twice within the past 6 months.
The cruelest part of this is that innocent people die, are maimed , and have lives and livelihoods destroyed because of these fanatics. This is not reality tv.
This article was in Kiplinger Report today. Not my first source of news, but still instructive. https://www.kiplinger.com/real-estate/will-your-house-flood-we-ask-the-experts?utm_term=FFAA7F6E-CE37-4606-8D52-7E5B1019EA6D&lrh=e6d46431cdf0846602708a306aa3299b6c2cb41fa3b3e069d0efe897c74a21ad&utm_campaign=612C3EA0-A804-46AC-A9B0-4B75E8B9DE17&utm_medium=email&utm_content=3F2E9402-6F90-41FD-917E-C46E3C4616EC&utm_source=SmartBrief
MAGAs are missing good sources of information. Instead they get their news and information from specious social media and Fox News which is a spreader of disinformation. It would be great if someone created a website with the credibility of news and information sources.
Ground News sort of does this. They don't fact check things, but they do calculate coverage bias.
Craig, I looked at it and while it seems like it covers what is being covered and compares coverage, I just mean a website that lists all news sources, and rates them for the level of factualness, say on a scale of 0-10, with 0 being the least factual, and 10 being the most.
It's a tall order. I worked for Boeing for 31 years, and virtually never did a story about the company that I read in the local press match up with the facts as I knew them in those instances where I had firsthand knowledge. PR people have the job of spinning things, and that makes the jobs of reporters and historians incredibly difficult when they are trying to get things right. And of course, as we all know, all too often a so-called news service is deliberately presenting things to fit their biases.
On a similar note, when I dig into something that catches my interest, I routinely dig into its deep history. It never ceases to amaze at just how much truly awful history is out there, even about things that are seemingly free of controversy such as how some bit of technology came into existence. It's not uncommon when following footnotes and bibliographic references to find several seemingly independent sources actually further referencing and thus converging on a single and obviously flawed root source.
This is why I think humility in all things is so very important. One always has to be open the possibility that something that one has been quite certain about just isn't so.
Except this year has seen some of the fewest storms. Hence we are only still towards the beginning of the alphabet with names.
Trump is not just selling bibles, he is selling guns. A person who had gotten an ad for them is worried that Trump is trying to arm his voters. The AR-15 is called The Commander in Chief.
https://www.auto-ordnance.com/commander-in-chief-ar15/
These are not only sources of grift for Trump, but sources legal bribes. In this way people like the Saudis, can buy say 1000 Trump watches at the cost of $100,000 and that buys them access legally, and if it is done with Bitcoin, it is not even traceable.
Another thing is that Elon Musk is using his 800 mil+ followers to push out his messages spreading the lies Trump and other MAGAs are spreading and amplifies them. He is also paying people $47 not to vote, but to sign people up. That gets around the law too. These criminals take great pleasure in openly flaunting the laws, and too many Americans admire them for it.
Sickening.
Here in Western NC I have been seeing signs "Vote for the outlaw and the hillbilly".
That is just disgusting. Juicy Dingleberry is no hillbilly; I think TC had it right with "shillbilly".
Yes -- surely those thoughts and prayers they go on about could get a good work out while the rest of the population leaves for safer ground.
The god-king already tried it with one hurricane, marking a NWS map with his sharpie to direct the hurricane to continue into Alabama. Apparently, the hurricane had a mind of its own and turned north, as it always does, and proceeded up the East Coast.
Why Governor Gipper is my fave among the final four. He reminds me of President Ford, another son of the great MidWest. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-o0bZ3QigVI
EDIT: Vice President Harris is a very close second. Governor Gipper is more familiar to me.
Well the enemy is both powerful and weak. Plus God is both all powerful and all knowing but chooses not to help his supposed most beloved of all creation. The only consistency with MAGA folks is their inconsistency.
Or - praising same god for the few inevitable miracle stories of survival while thousands of others are either dead or ruined.
Democrats created the storm...54.6% of Pinellas county voted for climate change denier DeSantis...'good luck' with your decisions. I went through Hurricane Andrew and no such nonsense was ever heard! As a species we are regressing!
The part of the brain that perceives reality and can act on facts has been infected or obliterated in certain segments of the population. Where it's reproductive health care, COVID, climate change, gun control, the global economy, trying to bomb Hamas out of existence, you name it. Everywhere one looks one sees evidence of a major loss of mental capacity on the part of too many people.
As a friend often says, " That vaccine for Willful Ignorance can't come soon enough."
There ain’t no dumbass vaccine.
It might already be here in the form of the "Darwin Awards".
That is what happens when people trust autocrats and strong men to do their thinking for them.
As a species, we have been hoodwinked by greed and power.
Billionaires, ceo's, corporations and the Federalist society have managed to weaponize this country.
From our judicial system to the Supreme Court and by violating our constitution and our Democracy with is govern by the rule of law. Its up to the people who the power by their vote to change this and we will by voting for Harris in November.
They need to be tarred and feathered by Veterans Day…
Someone suggested those states that wanted succeed , in other words a two state union. Looks to me it’s the same scenario as North vs South age old battle…notably the south has the poorest stats, Republican dominated if I understood correctly.
Currently those ‘in charge’ are the ones most vocal..the ones propagating climate denial/the Big Lie/abortion bans, and other false narratives…correct me at any point please…
Does Mar-a-lago lay in Milton’s path please?
No problem if Maralogo is leveled, he will just scam the insurance company and make more money.
I would move as fast as I could crawl.
I'd come and get you, JD.
And you’re both welcome to join me in Danbury Federal Prison in CT ringing bells at the press conference that Steve Bannon will try to have as he tried the morning he turned himself in. It was hilarious protestors screamed as he and others tried to speak. Watch in on YouTube. It’s super funny. I’ll send y’all air taxis.
I'd try to get to the Texas state line, dangerous territory these days. Thanks, some like-minded sane people give me hope.
It doesn't.... but if it did, my family down there would be in more danger so it's a mixed blessing. I sure would love to see a hurricane take out Merde-a-Lago.
And I sure would hope that it's occupant would be home.
A tale as old as time, JD, only now these twin human follies are fixing to wipe most of us off the planet as the elements prevail. Perhaps those that remain on The Ark can build a kinder, gentler, more sustainable civilization.
These cretins are the poorest excuse for Christians that I have run into. They are just the inquisition on the move and who missed that in history class.
Or maybe we'll be the ones Raptured, leaving the mess to the ones that made it and are stuck in it.
I doubt that any God would take this crowd of cretins, just pretenders with not an iota of humanity.
Your is the best comment.
When I heard Steve Bannon say that they wanted to destroy the administrative state, my blood ran cold. Then chump proceeded to do just that. And he has attracted money and more greedy bastards since Kevin resurrected him from the trash bin. All this after chump and Putin colluded in 2016 and likely before. Helsinki nailed it for me.
I will drive to the prison on the day he is released and ring my bell since I live in CT. You’ll probably see me holding my book in the air while ringing my ole loud church bell.
I’ll crawl to join you.
And I note for the record that Ringo the Cat just now insisted on sniffing Babe’s behind. Babe is also a cat.
Yes, that's it in a nutshell.
Where are our truth tellers. They can’t even recognize the carnival barker and his shtick
Has anyone reviewed Florida's voter laws to see if living in a Motel 6, 200 miles away from what used to be your home allows you to legally vote in FL? I'd hate to think Republicans might cheat to win.
Many (40 I believe) polling places have been destroyed already by Helene.
What a mess and it's about to get worse.
You are correct.
Show no mercy on the next campaign advert. Open with a quote from the hurricane specialist who warned Florida. Then a quote from President Biden issuing orders for an emergency for Tampa.
Then state: "Vice President Harris telephoned Governor Ron DeSantis." DeSantis did not take the call. While Vice President continues to lead the U.S. government in supporting state and local efforts, DeSantis sides with Trump, J.D. Vance, and their patrons who deny climate change.
"Ask the Tampans this straight-up question: who is on your side? President Biden and Vice President Harris or the lying, crying, whining, dining trio of Trump, Vance, and DeSantis? You make the call. Vote on November Fifth for the team that is your team."
Florida, "Are You Better Off Than You Were 4 Years Ago?"
Right now, that's a more meaningless question than usual.
You are assuming that the MSM is not bought
Perhaps. But this would be advertising time.
Ned, you got that right in. The crazies don’t listen or hear truth. Even when it’s bitting in the A__
Please stay safe Diane 🙏
Praying for Pinellas, have family in St.Pete Beach, you can see the Don Cesar from their house. Evacuated for Helene, 18” of water in their house. Now they have to leave where they’re staying. We’re in Hernando.
God promised there would never be another flood like what happened in Genesis,
These Hurricanes are worse in many ways.
Good luck to all those in the path of this storm.
At 6 PM Eastern PBS reported that the last major hurricane in Tampa Bay was in 1921 -- 103 years ago, 3 Million folks now live in the region.
The storm surge per PBS will be in the 4-8 foot range with rain to 6 inches or so, The unique coastal geography of the Bay is an issue as sea & rain water outflow could be very
slow.
If you are into higher Love & safety then head to higher ground.
I just saw 10-14 feet storm surge forecast.
Wow...
Yes, Ally, the Weather Station this morning estimating 10-14 feet. Counter-clockwise winds will be intense.
Indeed they will. This daughter of a meteorologist watches TWC in fascination, wishing I could talk with him about that. (Fat chance, he'd be 108 now. I do miss him so.)
Think I'll get a spear gun. I get all my exercise getting ready for hurricanes.
National Hurricane Ctr only projects over 9ft, as projected for Tampa-St. Pete.
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at4+shtml/032137.shtml?inundation#contents
"only"
Do 10-14 feet fit in the definition of "over 9 feet"?
I don’t know what to say. I wish you and all your good neighbours a safe journey through this. We should never let any MAGA forget that their cult were effectively actively wishing and enabling potential Democide upon innocent fellow citizens with their bitter ignorance.
I hope the people in Tampa Bay Florida remember that climate change is real and what Governor DeSantis is doing is wrong to prevent president Biden from helping out in anyway that he can.
I hope they will think twice before they vote for Trump and vote for Kamala in November.
He’s not “preventing “, he’s refusing to coordinate. Federal support is either already there or on the way. DeSantis playing politics is sickening.
I am so, so sorry. What a mess we humans have made. May you and yours and neighbors make it out to a safe place. But then what? What will you come "home" to? And I think of those who do not have a car - cannot escape. It truly is a mess. I hope Diane that you will write again - in a day or so - or next week and let us all know that you a safe and what is then happening on the ground.
I second this!! I have family on the east coast of Florida, and if they lived in Tampa I would be out of my mind right now with worry. I'm worried enough as it is, for everyone who lives in the storm surge area!
And MAGA wants to defund the NOAA and FEMA. We should be scared, very scared if they prevail this November. We'll be right back to the 1870s in more ways than one. Women will lose all autonomy. Which makes me really unable to understand how there are in fact so many women who still love Trump and his zealots.
Diane I am so sorry for you. That people do not know how to access good sources of information in a crisis is an indictment of our education system that people don't know better which sources to believe. It is also an indictment of the Florida leaderships. Florida's governor is embracing the Project 2025 agenda with open arms and it is one that turns the US into a third world country, by destroying our economy, our protections, and ultimately our people. DeSatan is clearly destroying the quality of life in Florida as a job interview move, sucking up to Trump, the chief fascist. In Project 2025 FEMA no longer provides states with assistance, only with Biden in charge FEMA still does, so what right does DeSatan have to prevent people from getting that help. It is just like Red states turning down subsidies for health care, where they only have to contribute 10% but they would rather enrich the wealthy in their states with tax breaks than take care of the people. It is shocking, shocking, shocking. Someone should offer DeSantis an all expenses paid vacation to Hungary, and then let someone else take over running the state in his absence.
Sending you prayers, Diane. My 2 adult grandsons are in Tampa and they are planning on staying. I don't know if their area is under mandatory evacuation.
Welp, a certain congressperson from Georgia has returned to the Jewish Space Lasers claim that Dems have special "space lasers" that are causing hurricanes, y'know . . .
Somebody needs to tell her point blank to either produce the evidence for this or shut up. Same goes for any MAGA who says that FEMA/Biden/Harris is refusing to help.
I wonder what the MAGA people will say after the storm hits and does its worst? Thoughts and prayers?
"I wish I hadn't canceled my homeowner's insurance."
"I wonder why FL has the highest home owner's insurance rates in the country."
"This is all Kamala's fault."
"Thank you Ron, for caring about us, even though we no longer have two nickels to rub together."
"It would have been much worse if Ron hadn't been here to protect us."
Etc.
you forgot 'chump will help us, he said so'.
How are you as we speak, Diane??
Probably too busy to stay on here.
We honeymooned in Pinellas County 53 years ago next month and are/were planning to go the Gainesville area where our bridesmaid now lives. We can only imagine how it looks now and in the near future. The last time we were near there was Sept 11, 2001 on a beautifully clear day until we saw all the planes landing at Tampa (and none taking off).
Wow.
The fact that Trump keeps normalizing ever-increasing levels of violence is abhorrent. The fact that MAGA maniacs are lying about FEMA in the midst of a crisis is cruel and abhorrent. That some politicians want to force a minority religious dogma on the rest of us is evil. That women are still being forced into second class status is infuriating. That my MAGA friends remain willfully ignorant as they benefit from a stable economy and look forward from benefits from the Inflation Reduction Act is mind blowing.
Sometimes these letters hit in a visceral way.
Thank Jerry, I have been silently sputtering reading Heather’s recent brilliant posts feeling such dread and growing foreboding. I too am feeling this viscerally, like we are careening down a steep house of horrors themed rollercoaster into its lowest point and the prospects of a brake-failing nosedive derailing seem more realistic than a swoop up to the next arc. My heart is in my stomach.
We need to support one another and channel our fear into action. MAGA has it wrong and they won’t back down. Their silly hats and slogans won’t save them. As Liz Cheney said “ Nobody wants to admit they’ve been conned, but you’ve been conned.”
Ditto. Dread & foreboding in the pit of my stomach , win or lose. Terror if we lose, but fear of violence if we win. This how I feel daily. I was hopeful for a while. It as the RETHUG rhetoric increases in scope & frequency, daily, I’m struggling to find any peace in my mind. As a believer, this bastardization of Christianity makes me ill. But I continue to pray that God will find a way so that ajustice & true democracy will prevail. And that laws will be passed separating church and state! That includes all the tax loopholes mega churches abuse.
Jerry- I am still not over CFDT desecrating the hallowed ground at Arlington which is dedicated to all of the brave Americans that have served in the military. This includes my father who is a disabled veteran.
And to think he may once again be Commander in Chief of those he calls "suckers and losers."
Neither am I, Gary. I have friends buried at Arlington. That he even dares walk on that sacred ground is an anathema.
Trump is relentless and will do anything to win this election. Even if means causing violence and going to prison if he loses.
He'll lose. He has already lost anything that counts.
From your lips to God’s ears!
Amen!
👏👏👏👏
Pretty much always
These letters do hit in a visceral way, don't they. I cannot fathom the MAGAverse.
Yes. I have family members who take govt aid while still drinking the koolaid. 😤
28 days from tomorrow, folks. In four weeks we have the chance to right this country by ridding it of Harris's opponent, as well as his acolytes and sycophants in Congress and state and local government who continue in their desire to deny health care and personal choice to women, forbid the shelving of certain books in school and other public libraries, spread false and dangerous narratives about real-time weather events, and so much more.
Four weeks. Vote whenever you are able.
My wife and I voted as soon as we could. Went to the county and submitted the absentee ballot in person. Wouldn't want Louis DeJoy "losing" my ballot.
We are currently in Spain but we got our absentee ballots the day it was legal in Michigan for them to go out. Our City Clerk sent them to us via email, we filled them out, signed them and sent them the next day. She has already let us know that they have been received and will be counted! Chalk up two more votes for Harris/Walz, Elissa Slotkin and others.
Bless you!!! I have been Canvassing in North Carolina. I live here for work but have a residence in Maryland. The environment in NC is somewhat hostile. I have never been told to “go to hell” before while Canvassing. At the last minute and while visiting my Mom! I went to my local elections office in Maryland to see whether I could cast my vote as I don’t trust the election deniers in my county elections board. Maryland sent my ballot but I never received it. I successfully cast my ballot for Harris Walz and for Madeline Korbel Albright’s daughter Anna running for Appellate Court of Judge. 20 public officials in North Carolina have credibly participated in election denial activities. I have seen elimination of polling places. Post Offices closed in prominent areas. North Carolina General Assembly the group in charge of poll workers refuses to allocate proper funding to help staff polling places. Just one piece in the puzzle. Proud and happy I made the list minute decision to cast my ballot in Maryland today. Driving back to crazy North Cackalacky today!
I subscribe to the "Slack Tide" substack. A commenter on there said she didn't like trump, but was "terrified" at the prospect of Kamala becoming president. I replied asking her why the "terror" - I could see why trump as president would terrify anyone, and that she might not agree with all Kamala's policies - but "terror"? Unfortunately she's not replied. What level of propaganda have the Republican leaders been feeding people to cause such levels of anxiety in everyday people? And to cause them to accept (and even VOTE for!) the people who behave the way DeSantis has? In a normal society, he would be exiled to the outer darkness.
Lady Emsworth, I do not understand the mindset of the MAGAverse. Their fear (and please, can anyone explain it to me) of transgender people? Their absolute surety that all immigrants are vermin, killers, rapists and such boggles my mind. Their ability to ignore all the evidence that fpotus is completely and totally unfit for public office astounds me. The MAGAts in my world are all retired cops, or in some way associated with law enforcement in some way (marriage, employment in the CJS, etc.) and their undying belief that Harris (a former prosecutor and AG) is unfit to be president is just mind boggling.
Ally, it's actually really simple, but something that liberals don't want to verbalize because the idea is simply too archaic and scary... racism. And sexism too but mostly racism. Kamala is a black woman. That's it. Prosecutor? Eh! Attorney General? Meh! None of that matters. She is a black woman. White men, particularly the MAGA types are just petrified of the idea that a black woman can and should lead the country. Never mind that their candidate is a sexual predator, a liar, a tax cheat, a misogynist. None of that matters.
Sadly it is not mind boggling to me at all. Pathetic but definitely not mind boggling
She probably needs guidance from Fox News or Newsmax on how to answer. Few Trump voters are able to think for themselves.
Ignorant-and-proud-of-it is right there at the top of the Magat skill set.
Maybe she's been told that as soon as Harris is elected she's going to open the floodgates to every single murderer on Earth who wants to come to America. That's about the level of craziness we are seeing now.
Must be the Qanon bs. I think those of us on the left are accused of drinking baby blood.
Ooh, glad you reminded me. I've got to get my bottle out of the frig! Yum!
(JUST KIDDING!!!!)
Dear Pam, That is great! Our daughter lives in Durham, NC and she has told us stories about voter suppression and the crazy GOP guy running for governor! Keep the faith and get all your like minded friends and family to vote wherever they live!
Relief to know your City Clerk is working with you.
I know.... I was doing postcards to PA and when the postguy asked if I was the person (because my first name was on the postcards) I was afraid at first, but it turns out he was on our side! He even left a page of 20 postcard stamps in my mailbox! So I send out 100 more to folks in Michigan. That's the thing -- one never knows, these days, if the public servants we interact with on a frequent or occasional basis are going to be hostile once they figure out which "side" we are on.
My postman was pleased to identify this postcard writer, which was a relief to me. She all but congratulated me on the numbers I am putting in the mailbox of my building.
Good for you. Waiting on my ballot. But received txt saying it has been mailed. Yippee
Yep. We take our mail-in ballots directly to the courthouse for the same reason.
You know, in TN we cannot do that. MUST be postmarked. In Knox County, there is a PO directly across the street from the Election Commission’s office.
I put mine directly into the drop box at the post office. I don’t trust our local “red” officials.
Good idea, don’t trust the PO!
I voted absentee in AL as well…
Just did the same thing today in Maryland. Since DeJoy closed the busiest and most prominent post office in Mecklenburg county recently- that was my sign to go back to my home state of Maryland and cast my ballot. I live in NC for work and could have registered in NC this week but decided MD was the safer bet even though NC could use my vote.
It's really hard to know that we live in the same world as tffg, DeJoy (I hate that that's his name), De Santis, and on down the list. How can such people even exist?? (Sorry, just had to post a pointless rant.)
I'm lucky to live in blue NY (albeit a red area of NY), but I know my vote would mean more if I lived in a red state. At least I can vote blue in the local and state elections as well. I have a lot of Harris/Walz signs in my neighborhood!
Good for you. Frankly I wouldn't trust him either.
That's a parodic name.
So did we!
Same here.
It is necessary that we get people to show up at the polls in 4 weeks. But it is not sufficient. We know the MAGAs and Christian Nationalists and Theil-type billionaires are going to try to steal this election if Trump does not win outright. If Harris manages to win, the question is what can we do to prevent the steal?!! Especially since we have a Supreme Court that will be willing to give the election to Trump if they can.
Also, as important is holding the Senate. If there is a Dem Pres and Dem Senate majority, we can keep the federal courts from being more corrupted. Maybe we could even get Harris to appoint an extra 3 Supreme Court Justices and take the SCOTUS back!
Well fortunately we can probably limp along for 2 years if we have the White House but not the Senate which is what my "crystal ball" currently indicates says week happen sigh. Not ideal but a GOP Senate can not SUBMIT their own judges, ONLY the President can do that (which is why i still see the presidency as the critical issue in this election.)
It will be a two year struggle with out a Democratic Senate but we will survive with Harris in the White House. And 2026 presents us with a much much better chance of taking back the Senate with 20 GOP seats up for election and only 12 Democratic seats (the exact opposite of this election).
So there is hope, we just ABSOLUTELY need to do everything we can to get Harris elected because a Trump presidency could mean the beginning of the end, sigh.
It would be great if we could win both houses in November.
Don't get your hopes up sigh. It's possible but very very unlikely. The west Virginia (Manchin) and Montana (Tester) seats are almost certainly going to go GOP this election. With no other changes, the GOP would lead 51-49 in the Senate. 21 Democratic seats are up this year vs 12 GOP seats so the odds of switching even one GOP seat are tough indeed. You have to look at the odds realistically, sigh. There are other democratic seats that are vulnerable too albeit not as much as those two. Sherrod Brown in Ohio could lose although his MAGA opponent isn't well liked even in Ohio. The best chances of picking up a GOP seat are amazingly in Texas (Cruz) and Florida (Scott). Both of those races are pretty close but the GOP guys are well known and have been around a while. It's not impossible we could turn one or even both but not very likely.
In the end without any wishful thinking or fantasies, the Senate will be just slightly GOP for the next two years. Best chance is to win it back in 2026 when the GOP have a bunch of vulnerable seats up for grabs.
Forget the odds anything is possible with Dems taking over the senate. In November we will know or have a general idea were we stand in the senate.
You are certainly entitled to your opinion but I choose to look at reality clearly and not through rose-colored glasses. "Anything is possible" to me is just an excuse to not do the work of figuring out what reality is. Of course anything is possible. The whole world could be destroyed by a meteorite this week too. But looking at evidence rather than speculation it isn't likely, just about as likely as the Democrats holding the Senate in this election.
You are absolutely right though. In November we will know for sure. But as someone who believes in evidence, I am about 95% confident we already know. 51-49, at worst 52-48 GOP in the Senate.
On the other hand I sure hope I'm wrong.
Oh please, not Moscow Mitch again
Stepping down as leader in November? 82 but will "serve in senate till 2027. . . "
At which point he will crumble into dust. . .
They had a lot of nerve criticizing Biden for being 'old'!
Unless he's "staked" before then! ;-)
Well on his way to disintegration
The stiff Olde Guard doing the only sh*t they know how to do. Change and progress are their enemies. Not even expecting any death bed confessions of wrongdoing either.
Repeat, rinse, repeat
I thought he was retiring?
He is but his term isn't over until '26
He will die doing as much damage as he can
No concessions because if he wins, it will be by cheating. Just have to prove it.
As things stand, you have no Supreme Court.
Yeah that is a problem. If Harris appears to win the SCOTUS will clearly feel free to step in. If Trump appears to win, they will be happy to throw up their hands and say "not our job!"
We would be better off without one.
👍🏼👍🏼
VOTE BLUE FULL BALLOT
💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙
Voted last week with my husband who is an election judge. I am awaiting deployment to Florida with Red Cross health services. Can't help but wonder how this will effect voter turnout in effected areas.
You are awesome! What do you do with the Red Cross? Please stay safe.
We voted yesterday. And I learned last night that Elon Musk is propping up the Trump supported 30 year old former NASCAR driver when is a forced birther and hates immigrants.
Elon has given over $475,000 to his campaign so far.
🤮🤮🤮
Not even pocket change for Musk.
Sometimes it is just too much to take in. Hurricane Milton is headed straight for Tampa, Florida. Just after Hurricane Helene. I lived through Irma and Maria in 2017 on St. Croix, United States Virgin Islands. Pretending it “isn’t that bad” is just idiotic. Spending a night listening to howling winds and looking out in the morning at devastation is horrible. What is DeSantis trying to prove by refusing Kamala’s call? Without adequate planning and resources the people of Florida will have a worse nightmare than they need to. There’s a special place in h*#l for so called leaders who have only their own greed and pursuit of power in mind.
Desantis is, quite simply, a punk. He doesn’t care about his constituents. He only cares about his image in the MAGAverse and he has made the calculation that his 2028 political prospects are bolstered by being a climate denier. I am quite certain though that 2 days after the Tampa area is devastated by Milton he’ll be on camera in those ridiculous white boots trying to claim credit for the strong federal response that will be forthcoming
Them boots are made for squawking.
ROTFLMFAO!
Ooh, you're so fluent! I'll have to practise that. It's the LMFAO that's tricky if you don't do it very often.
Thank you, thank you, I'm here all week!
I may be wrong, but I don't think he'll get help from the federal gov't unless he asks.
I have always called him "DeSatan".
The only time I ever enjoyed something Trump uttered, was his nickname for DeSantis, Ron DeSanctimonious.
True! Trump was on target with that one!
Me too.
Governor DEATH SENTENCE as many in Floriduh call the little lift boots call him is setting out to prove how much of a CON DON BUTT LEACH he really is. He can’t lie about the hurricaine however he can lie about the reason he didn’t talk to MVP. Like the great orange creep, GOV. Death Sentence is a small man with small man complex!
"orange creep" is perfect. Leave off the word "great".
To Last sentence I say way past time
DeSantis is trying to prove he can say "Na-na-na-na-na-thrrrp!" better than anyone else.
God forbid he should ever come up with anything sane. . .
I think that the report from John Morales its one of the most horrifying things I have heard. To doubt a weatherman because of politics and lies is unspeakably dangerous and irresponsible.
Sounds to me like they are trying to vilify him the same way they did Dr. Fauci. More science denial. Pathetic!
Exactly, the propaganda has been constant and vitriolic for 40+ years. Way more time than Goebbels had in Germany. But he left a legacy that the cretins use to max effect
There's a page on FB called Firsthand Weather and it's full of people denying the severity or telling people that the government is controlling the weather.
Sad that there's so many clueless people.
I blame faux snooze, homeschooling, religion and the donvict.
The stupid is STRONG with the GQP/MAGAt scumwads.
Everything is a conspiracy with that crowd.
Apparently they think the government is now more powerful than God?
Doubt or harass.
The squawkers playbook...
A Sharpie and a law banning the use of the words "climate change" will do nothing to change the direction or prevent a Category 5 hurricane from following a Category 4 hurricane through much of the same territory in a matter of weeks. Eliminating FEMA and NOAA is like hiding your head in the sand (or anywhere else you're inclined to put it), thinking that that will protect you from whatever is threatening you. I cannot believe that at least some of the deniers understand the danger and the truth. Their deliberate disinformation is all the more heinous when destruction ensues from their supposed ignorance. It is all the more tragic when people believe the lies and then lose their lives.
It makes me think of Galileo and the Church all over again: “In February 1616, an Inquisitorial commission declared heliocentrism to be "foolish and absurd in philosophy, and formally heretical since it explicitly contradicts in many places the sense of Holy Scripture".
We are NOT going back!
I liken them to the vicious ignoramuses who thought God anointed them in their destructive pursuit of land and minerals way back in the days of colonization. The mindset is the same; the ignorance is generational—all the more reason to acknowledge Indigenous People's Day next week.
What is REALLY strange is how close to Trump s own fortress these last two hurricanes have come. When he lived in New York he never worried much because although NY does get hurricanes they are usually pretty weak by the time they get that far up the coast. Both Helene and Milton would have devastated Mar-Lago if they hit Miami head on.
Great post, so sad to see this happening to our fellow citizens.
Marjorie Merriweather Post who built Mar-A-Lago in the 1920's, note the excessive 1920's gaudiness, and the UGH Architecture... Built it with 3-foot Thick Walls, and a Lagoon Buffer in order to withstand Hurricanes...
If Mar-A-Largo got a direct hit, the storm surge would gut it. I live about an hour north of there & the 2004 hurricanes wiped out a lot of more modern structures, theoretically built under stricter building codes.
You don't like the architecture? Fake medieval, fake Italian, fake Spanish, fake Norman, fake American.
We have a place just like it in California. San Simeon. The former home of William Randolph Hearst. He built it up high on a mountain. No storm surge will ever get that high at least not in our lifetime!
All those secret documents will be ruined!!!
Thanks for that background. Definitely important facts.
We can only hope. The season is not over, despite DJT's saying the hurricanes are late in the year (paraphrase). If the Dems made it happen, as he alludes to, a Cat 6 specifically sent to M-a-L would be coming.
Climate Change has been warned about for along time... Larger, More Violet Storms will be the result of putting more Energy into the Atmosphere... Other Phenomena include Heavier Rains, Droughts, Tornadoes, Forest-Fires etc... The Property & Casualty Insurance Companies, which assess Future Risk are taking a hit... I hope DJT's Mar-A-Largo gets Washed Out... Mike Johnson will probably reconvene the House for more FEMA $$$... I hope that Ron DeSantis gets Washed-Out... The MAGAs may Plot, and Scheme, but they Forget that 'Man-Proposes-But-God-Disposes'....
Well I don't wish anyone, even my worst enemies to get washed out. Hurricanes are tragic, can cost lives as well as property, and like it or not even our political enemies have lives and loved ones. But I understand the sentiment, especially towards those who would at first deny this can even happen and then accept our help when it does AND THEN ACT LIKE WE DIDN'T GIVE IT TO THEM. Such a pathetic look. Sigh...
You are a much better person than I am. I have been thinking that every elected official (and those yahoos who wrote Project 2025) who is a climate change denier, needs to be placed right in the path of one of these monster storms and see if it doesn't effect a change in how they think about climate change.
Ah just because I wouldn't do it doesn't mean I don't think about it LOL!
I would love to hear Harris (or Walz, though prefer Harris) to say the following:
"If Donald Trump applied for a job in any school in the country, after a background check he would be refused. As a convicted felon, and adjudicated sexual violator, he couldn't work in one school in the country. Is the bar for running for President of the United States so low that half (more or less) of the people in the country might vote for a man who shouldn't be in a classroom with children? WHAT IS WRONG WITH AMERICA THAT A DEBASED, DEPRAVED MAN COULD BE VOTED TO THE HIGHEST OFFICE IN THE COUNTRY?"
And of course, she would never do that because she wouldn't insult voters for their choices, even if they are not informed with facts (as agreed upon in the marketplace of ideas). Today my husband and I met a 79 year old shop owner in a small town while on vacation. What started as a somewhat rushed conversation close to closing time gradually became an exchange of life stories. He launched into complaints of the California state government making "ridiculous" regulations about fisheries based on stupid theories about silly orcas wanting the same fish as we (humans) want to eat, "why don't they just eat something else?" he opined, and my husband and I just listened respectfully, he was tired and clearly had made up his mind about the election, after refusing to watch the news or take any information from social media (that gained during our brief conversation). But when he said candidly that neither candidate could be trusted, my husband quietly but insistently restated the comments from my first paragraph above, basically that the United States had vetted the Democratic candidate for four years when she served as vice president and she was the person agreed upon by thousands of consensuses, not a perfect candidate, but competent. The "other" party on the other hand time and again insisted that the only person they would run for office couldn't even be a teacher in a school, or do any number of other service jobs, because of his criminal background, who again and again twisted facts and flat out lied about issues of urgent importance to the health of the country, and the world. All of this in a quiet shop with no other customers, and this gentleman listened. We parted almost half an hour after closing time, exchanged best wishes, and I think he heard, maybe for the first time, why Donald Trump should not be President of the United States from people who liked and respected him, even after such a short visit. I think he will consider what we said. I think he might even mention it to someone he cares about. He may even take credit for those thoughts. But I know it will occur to him again. And maybe again.
My husband and I think and talk with each other a lot about meeting new people, and how to talk with people, and really listen to them, ESPECIALLY people we might not agree with on many issues. And we practice by talking with people everywhere we go, practicing active listening, and caring for people--friends we don't yet know--with the hope that we might learn something, and maybe even make a difference to them.
Good for you! After years of doing various tasks to impact the vote, I’ve started simply asking shop keepers and others a few friendly questions before leaving them: are you registered, planning to vote, etc. It’s Informal canvassing of sorts. I’ve been amazed how willing, talkative and responsive many folks become. In the end they often agree it’s time to register or time to vote. I don’t get pushy but do encourage them to act this year. I’ve found wearing funny political tee shirts is a conversation starter.
One can learn from listening, never from talking. I remind myself of this often. But there is a place after the mind is calmed. Good for you
One on one... that still makes the most difference. Yelling slogans from a pulpit read off of a teleprompter doesn't win elections. Looking someone in the eye and explaining what is going on might. Great job!
Thank you for writing about your experience. Honestly I have a hard time with this. I reject out of hand what these people believe. I feel like they are at best stupid. It is good to hear someone talk about their experience this way thank you.
Patricia, I appreciate this, a lot. My husband and I sometimes have to talk each other down, and ourselves, reminding ourselves that all the MAGA retorts in the world wouldn't move the needle on what we believe, but those who ask us questions about what WE believe do make us think about why we have come to our conclusions. Issues such as immigration and homelessness are so very complicated, and hit all people in a place that is deep and authentic. It's our reactions that make us more or less sympathetic to the problems. Those conversations do make us think, and even question ourselves. Isn't that the best? Neither "side"--D or R--can afford to paint the other with their (our!) "stupid brush" (as a friend used to call it). All of us should feel a tiny bit uncomfortable about our thinking, otherwise we as a society and (supposed) civilization are sunk. So...I know how you feel, at my core. Thanks for your response!
Well done. Thank you
republicOns feverishly accomplishing nothing and coming up with solutions for problems that DONT exist.
VOTE BLUE🌊
Heather, you wrote, “ The Committee for a Responsible Budget noted today that a moderate reading of Harris’s economic plans suggest they would increase the U.S. debt by about $3.5 trillion through 2035.”
When asked by “60 Minutes” tonight, Harris said that the cost of her economic plans would be paid by getting the ultra rich oligarchs and corporations to pay their fair share in taxes. That, of course, assumes that the Democrats can win the trifecta, and the polls are so close that such a win is by no means a given, alas.
How much did tax cuts for the rich increase the deficit? Promoting the general welfare seems like a better swap, at least for the general public.
You are SO naive my friend! Trump doesn't give two f**ks about the general public (well unless it's Laura Loomer, probably LOL)
She seems to be Out now that Elon is In.
Until she comes up with another conspiracy theory like the Springfield, OH one.
She certainly got plenty of mileage out of that.
Oh c'mon we know where she got her mileage LOL.
You forgot that they also said that the donvicts plan would add $7.5 trillion.
With no idea on how to pay for it.
I saw that even the Wall Street Journal had an article about how much Trump's plan would cost!
Yes, the Trifecta is the Holy Grail for all of us who retain their sanity and their hopefulness. Think of all the good that Kamala could accomplish!
Are the polls really this close? How can we believe anything anymore?
"Meanwhile, today, Trump openly embraced the race science favored by Nazis. In a scattered call to right-wing host Hugh Hewitt’s show, Trump called Harris a communist and lied—again—that she has let 13,000 murderers into the country. And then he claimed that murder is in a person’s genes, and “we got a lot of bad genes in our country right now.” He has also noted that “it would be very dangerous” for anyone to admit they were voting for Kamala Harris at one of his rallies because they would “get hurt.”"
Trump must be incarcerated immediately. If he were a sitting president, he would be at Walter Reade Medical Center in a straight jacket.
As my blood pressure can't handle listening to Trump or Hewitt, much less both at the same time, I wonder if anyone can say if Hugh pushed back on the race science thing. Claiming murder is a genetic trait carried only by undocumented migrants is insane.
From news reports—no, Hewitt did not.
After I posted that I too heard that Hugh -- good Catholic boy that he is -- failed to call out the horrible expression.
Hugh Hewitt is the epitome of the pandemic of intellectual rot
Thank you for telling the story of disinformation about FEMA and NOAA.
It appears that the overarching aim of the Trump club is to make his supporters angry at the current administration even if it harms them in the process. So, his supporters are told that they will only get $750 to help them recover from Hurricane Helene rather than up to $40,000 if they qualify. The end result is that they don’t apply for the additional funding. They’re told that they don’t need to evacuate for Hurricane Milton because the meteorologist is “pushing an agenda”. That disinformation can lead to loss of life. The casual cruelty is mind-blowing.
As tfg said at one of his rallies.....I don't care about you, I just want your vote. And the idiots cheered! Unreal!
Deliberate cruelty
Intentional cruelty.
Nothing accidental. Calculated for max damage
Casual cruelty indeed.
"But no one can hide from the truth" Sure they can....just not, you know, successfully.
Governor DeSantis, Trump, and the Project 2025 crew—here’s a reminder: Mother Nature always bats last. You can scrub “climate change” from your laws and call it a leftist agenda, but no amount of political posturing will stop a Category 5 hurricane fueled by Gulf waters hotter than ever before. Ignoring science won’t make the storms weaker, nor will it shield your voters from disaster. The climate isn’t playing games—and neither should you.
But game playing is their modus operandi. I think I would drop my jaw if they did anything else!
The
The stupidity is so astounding! We now know how Hitler did it. 🤬
We do indeed. We have our Goebbels
As a resident of Central Florida, I’ve dealt with hurricanes all my life. Normally, cooperative folks pull together in these times. But Morales is right, things have changed.
DeSantis spent a large portion of his press conference yesterday complaining about a locked gate at a debris dump site. With him and the rest of his ilk, it’s all about attacking and controlling the other side.
He’s a petty, little man, just like his hero and idol.
If you mean Trump, I don't think DeSantis is exactly idolizing him all that much these days, not since Trump handed him his *ss on a platter during the primaries LOL!
I submit in evidence this:
https://www.threads.net/@thedailybeast/post/DA2QYBTR8qQ?xmt=AQGzZTNywIUxDit2i1ouuGOoWVWRrne0q3SEmJTZmRCxIQ
It is so disheartening to hear all these lies continuing to spew from the MAGA right. And now with these devastating hurricanes, people’s lives are endangered. What is Governor DeSantis thinking of???
How he might personally most benefit from the crisis.
I think you are being generous to suggest Ron DeSantis is actually capable of thinking... (just kidding of course but you get my drift!)
He’s the King of Pivot, crowned during Covid.