Sleep well- thanks for all you do to keep us so well informed. The days you take a break give all of us needed respite. These past few weeks your letters have been incredibly valuable. May we all find our voice and help protect this fragile democracy I think many of us have taken for granted. Thanks for the succinct, clear headed education of our history so we can help to write our future.
Totally agree with Suzanne. Sanity would be impossible with your daily columns that keep us connected to history both past and current. Forever grateful, Scotty
I have to admit that I am tired and not always the best at caring for me. So I am glad to see you take a break and take care of yourself Heather. Your letter last night connected all of the ominous dots that I don’t think we all see in our busy lives. Thank you for all that you do
Morning Lynell. I always have “old phone” to pull out and use with kids when we play. They are always fascinated. When I first would hand them receiver and tell them to “make a call”, they look at it for a moment and then put a finger into each circle and press. Just like on their cell phones. When I show them rotary dial function, they are fascinated. Then I’d tell them, way back in the day, people had phone numbers that started with a word. So, one would have to be good with spelling to get the first two circles to turn. Like if it was “Evergreen” the first two numbers would match E and V….or 3 and 8. So then they would make their own spelling list for week of words that could begin phone numbers. It was riotous. We had numbers starting with “Playground” “Football” “Chicken” etc. And then of course, we talk about change and the differences in the phone of the past and now. And why those changes are made. I always felt it helped to ground the students in history of past and present and help them understand change. Any why change happens.
Christine I remember our phone number, 236, which had no word. We would simply give it to the operator. During summers the operator, when my mother tried calling a friend, at times would say that Mrs. Erdman was not at home, she was having lunch at the Hunters. (Could she possibly have been eavesdropping?) Also, the party line on which talkative teenage girls intruded could spark a neighborly spate. I recall that our black phones were deigned to last 50 years, were transportable, and required no password. Ah, those were the days.
Ditto! When I returned to teaching as a history professor at age 58 ( I had taught for a year at age 21), I did not relate to how my colleagues taught. I decided to build my classes around daily THINK essays and the portfolio method. Though I was reading about 160 THINK essays weekly along with additional longer essays, I felt that this was a better teaching model, which I continued to age 80. Those students who appreciated an opportunity to think rather than simply regurgitate facts seemed to enjoy my class. Some, years later, would contact me to express their appreciation. THINK or swim? (An old IBM slogan)
Remarkable, Christine! I spent my youth pretty much asking Why? Why? Why? Grown-ups mostly considered me a pest. I think that's because they themselves didn't know why. Wish I had had more grown-ups like you back in those early days...morning!!
Fabulous Lynell. So now you ARE the grown-up that you wish you had back during rotary phone time. And posting Dan Rather to share now so we can all think about change.
I can’t find it online 🤷♀️ but has anyone else seen the Morgan Freeman commercial in which he asks “Why…”? At the end he asks, “Why do we have boom mics?” 😊
Love it! My brother held onto an old Snoopy phone -- not quite as old as the vintage black ones -- and, today, his grandchildren continue to play with it.
Morning Rowshan! My 3 yr old baby grand has her Minnie Mouse play phone but also my old flip phone in her toy drawer which she calls her open-close phone.
Isn’t is funny, Daria, how instantly well people remember those phone numbers from decades ago? And now, most people just get to a call through contacts. A name, rather than number.
I asked my students once if they could think of any advantage of the rotary phone over the cell phone of today. One student said, oh yes, it woujd be easier to find if you lost it. (Lol) So then I explained that this was a phone that stayed in the home. One didn’t take it in the car or their pocket or outside or at a restaurant.
We always talked about that for a LONG time. They had a million questions…”but, Miss, how did you find out stuff?” Or, “what if you have to talk to somebody and you are not home?”
There were so many things we got to discuss using that black rotary phone as a “starter”.
History can be so engaging with children. It was always my best way to teach them that change is the only permanent thing and that I wanted them to be bold about change, not timid or afraid. I find that have served me well also.
As bad as this sounds I know three telephone numbers by heart these days, my own cell, my daughters cell and my husbands cell numbers. Every other number is written in my address book or stored in my cell phone contact list.
Isn't it funny how much things have changed in our lives? Can you imagine how kids today would gawk at a large metro area's phone book? The Yellow Pages? Or how about when the phone rang dinner and no one jumped up from the table to answer it?
I would have enjoyed being in your classroom, Christine.
You bring such energy and enthusiasm to any subject!
I found Mr. Rather's article reminiscent in tone to his old colleague Andy Rooney until the end. The last paragraph was vintage Rather and spot on. Thanks for sharing it Lynell.
Wow! Thanks, Lynell. That is, indeed, timely and relevant. And as Pam notes, language IS important, in fact, critical. If we can't agree on what words mean, or use the correct word to describe something, we are lost.
I used to argue with my husband over this. He didn't see the problem of using a word 'close' to make his point. I never could get him to see why saying 'blue', when you mean 'green' is more than just a 'shade off'. 😖
The word that seems to be disappearing is 'fewer', replaced by 'less' for almost any context. To me, 'fewer' refers to a reduction in quantity whereas 'less' refers to subtraction. But then, there's the now-common use of 'that' when referring to human being who should be 'who'. Or 'that' instead of which. Maybe picky but it irks me.
Lynell, you gifted us this morning. Along with your hello, you shared Dan Rather's essay with the forum. I am grateful to you for that. From Buddy's rich photograph to the iconic telephone starting Dan's piece, our eyes and minds were opened up. Dan used language to discuss language and used words to urge us all to think about the words we use for the political parties, policies and labels, etc., as they are now because a great deal has changed in a relatively short period of time. The essay provides a map for seeing anew and finding the words, which truly depict what is going on I hope subscribers read Dan's piece, it's a clear mindful.
Hi Lynell. I had difficulty trying to describe Dan's beautiful, clear as a bell message about defining our 'leaders', politics and circumstances as they are now. It is a great piece, which I will try to live up to. Wishing you a wonderful day, Lynell.
Lynell. you post is perfectly appropriate, here & now, on this early Monday morning just before this particular week in our rapidly changing, young nation. Thank you.
Morning, Lynell. Thanks for this piece. Language is very important, and I'm glad to read the warning to journalists. And I love the "old phone" analogy.
Thanks. That was wonderful. I wonder how many of my students would even begin to know how to use that phone, or what exactly one could do with it - which wasn't much, I guess.
This reminds me of a short-lived tv program which pitted parents and children in contests to identify and explain the use of various objects. The one I recall best is the plastic package of some white greasy stuff in 2/3 of the packet and orange stuff in the other 1/3. I'll bet many of us here remember those. Before that, you bought a block of the greasy stuff, softened it then mixed in the orange stuff..... to make it look like butter. At age 5 or so, my mother 'let' me dig my hands into the bowl and mix it up.
Love this video. I still have my beige rotary phone stashed. I kept wanting to cue the boys in to dialing all the way to the stopper then releasing it. Still feels like an automatic process.
Years ago, when it was my primary phone (early 80s?), it got knocked off the arm of an easy chair. For about a week, I received *no* phone calls. My boyfriend of the time told me he tried to call me, it rang (at their end) but I never picked up - didn't ring. I finally removed the base and discovered that there are a pair of nickel-sized batteries, face to face, which make the connection to the ringer; they had been dislodged. Put them back in place and voila! fixed.
I love the daily letters, but I worry about you burning out and then losing the letters entirely. Have you considered switching to a slower cadence? In the meantime, I’m always glad to see you taking a day off. :)
Looks like sunrise on Round Pound. Not much sleep when you go to bed or get up at sunrise. I see and hear the lobster boats leaving Friendship Harbor from 3 am until 6 am, most mornings, waking me to read the early edition of "Letters From An American".
Midsummer sunrise is closer to 3 am. Now its after 6 am. Sunrise is a beautiful time of day. Peace and calm on most days. Building during the day into strong breezes and clouds of all shapes, sizes and colors. Then calming down at night, to start again the next day.
To be sure our political world never sleeps. Those on the attack are ever working the "buttons" of power. Yours and theirs. Four years of late night early morning tweeting is enough to pull some plugs and just look at the sunrise and sunset and remember what it was like before Twitter, Twits, Facebook and Fakebook posts.
I too love listening to the diesel engines leaving the harbor at sunrise. It never fails to bring me memories of my Dad being among them many years ago. Thank you David for the images. The beauty and promise of a new day dawning lifts the heart with hope. ❤️
My husband, a product of the West Indies in the Caribbean, would echo your sentiments, David, re sunrises and sunsets on or near the water, especially those times waiting ashore for the fishermen to return with the day's catch, spread a tarp-like cloth above the shoreline, pour the buckets of sea food onto the cloth, and have his pick of the evening's dinner and beyond.
The stillness and serenity reflected in Buddy's photo definitely call for you to rest up and rest well tonight. Judging by the past weeks, politics may be more than hopping in the days ahead.
Many thanks for your skill and dedication HCR. Reminder for readers to call your senators and reps to support freedom to vote and John Lewis voting acts. Yes, even Grassley, Graham, Collins, Murkowski, Romney, Mitch, and the rest of the airheads who lack a sense of decency. Their legacy is poo poo.
I've noticed that Buddy's photos, as well as being beautiful and well composed, always suggest a story and so provide a beautiful place to rest my eyes while my mind takes a mini-vacation. Thank you, dear Heather, for all you do for us. Take good care of yourself.
Middle of he night, icing my knee (just had it replaced this month), listening to crickets chirping through the open window, and this beautifully serene photo pops up in my email! Ahhhh!! Thank you for all that you do to help us understand this crazy world!
Thank you, Heather. We are a more knowledgable, informed, and connected world here because of you. We are more appreciative of the healing power of peaceful water mages because of Buddy.
Profound gratitude for you and all of your efforts, Heather. Your contributions are very important. As it has evolved you, from your professional knowledge and wisdom, are able to share context and clarity concisely in this time in the US - like no other. I, like so many thousands! of others, am most appreciative.
Someone in this community recommended Hubbell. I disagree with his alignment of Heather’s LFAA with Kagan’s essay and would suggest Heather and Hubbell seem to be closer to the same wavelength. I do think his essay today is a great antidote for Kagan’s dire predictions. https://roberthubbell.substack.com/p/todays-edition-not-dead-yet
Enjoyed his countering of Kagan's predictions. Fundamentally, it seems to me, is that as we get mired in the tragedy and uncertain about what will happen and worry to the point of angst as we read daily the story unfolding is that we suspend analysis and sink into a self-fulfilling hypothesis: All is terrible, we can't stop the enviable, the enemy is stronger, and we begin to make the false realty. I think reading Richardson (and Hubbell and Rather) helps me keep my hand on the tiller of my destiny and recognize how strong (and threatened for sure) the vessel is that leaves harbor each morning and comes back safely each evening year in and year out despite the storms that blow in and blow out. Every few days I need to be reminded of such about vessel Democracy and We the People tending the helm, the nutrition of crew, and the even heartbeat of the diesel engines propelling our inevitable journey.
Hey, Christy. Reading your comment again, I agree with you that Heather is more aligned with Hubbell than she is with Kagan. Through these many months she has consistently "told it like it is." But she also has challenged all of us to do something about it. She has said in her chats a few times that if she thought all was lost, she would not even bother to be out here with us on the front line.
Perhaps we each respond differently to pessimism? I found Hubbell’s conclusion helpful: “So, I reject Kagan’s conclusions even though most of his observations of the current state of the Republican Party are accurate. I am not giving up. Neither should you. We should contest every race in 2022 and 2024, fight a Trump candidacy with all our might, litigate every illegal maneuver by the GOP, show up at every protest, boycott every corporate funder, and punish every politician who enables or ignores the slow rolling effort to subvert the Constitution.
Concluding Thoughts.
I have said enough. There are tens of millions of us. We have work to do. Let’s not waste our time fretting over predictions of disaster we have the ability to avert. Democracy is not dead yet. With our shared effort and passion, it will endure long after the crooks and charlatans of the GOP have been assigned to the ash heap of history.”
Now see there you go. What if our Forefathers, the Framers from start to finish never got the whole Life,Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness beyond a Draft and tossed it in a can with some saying” I think we are being too hopeful .” Not a thing wrong with you Sugar being too Hopeful. Spread it like CoVid Nancy !
Sleep well- thanks for all you do to keep us so well informed. The days you take a break give all of us needed respite. These past few weeks your letters have been incredibly valuable. May we all find our voice and help protect this fragile democracy I think many of us have taken for granted. Thanks for the succinct, clear headed education of our history so we can help to write our future.
So we’ll said , Suzanne
Totally agree with Suzanne. Sanity would be impossible with your daily columns that keep us connected to history both past and current. Forever grateful, Scotty
I have to admit that I am tired and not always the best at caring for me. So I am glad to see you take a break and take care of yourself Heather. Your letter last night connected all of the ominous dots that I don’t think we all see in our busy lives. Thank you for all that you do
Thank you for this respite complete with Buddy's photo, Dr. R. We all need it.
Not sure if this is appropriate here and now, but I found Dan Rather's essay yesterday very helpful about our history of words.
https://steady.substack.com/p/we-need-a-new-vocabulary-for-our
Morning Lynell. I always have “old phone” to pull out and use with kids when we play. They are always fascinated. When I first would hand them receiver and tell them to “make a call”, they look at it for a moment and then put a finger into each circle and press. Just like on their cell phones. When I show them rotary dial function, they are fascinated. Then I’d tell them, way back in the day, people had phone numbers that started with a word. So, one would have to be good with spelling to get the first two circles to turn. Like if it was “Evergreen” the first two numbers would match E and V….or 3 and 8. So then they would make their own spelling list for week of words that could begin phone numbers. It was riotous. We had numbers starting with “Playground” “Football” “Chicken” etc. And then of course, we talk about change and the differences in the phone of the past and now. And why those changes are made. I always felt it helped to ground the students in history of past and present and help them understand change. Any why change happens.
Christine I remember our phone number, 236, which had no word. We would simply give it to the operator. During summers the operator, when my mother tried calling a friend, at times would say that Mrs. Erdman was not at home, she was having lunch at the Hunters. (Could she possibly have been eavesdropping?) Also, the party line on which talkative teenage girls intruded could spark a neighborly spate. I recall that our black phones were deigned to last 50 years, were transportable, and required no password. Ah, those were the days.
Ah, the party line, Keith. That is amazing to think about in this day.
Christine, you are the teacher we all wish we had.
Ditto! When I returned to teaching as a history professor at age 58 ( I had taught for a year at age 21), I did not relate to how my colleagues taught. I decided to build my classes around daily THINK essays and the portfolio method. Though I was reading about 160 THINK essays weekly along with additional longer essays, I felt that this was a better teaching model, which I continued to age 80. Those students who appreciated an opportunity to think rather than simply regurgitate facts seemed to enjoy my class. Some, years later, would contact me to express their appreciation. THINK or swim? (An old IBM slogan)
Remarkable, Christine! I spent my youth pretty much asking Why? Why? Why? Grown-ups mostly considered me a pest. I think that's because they themselves didn't know why. Wish I had had more grown-ups like you back in those early days...morning!!
Fabulous Lynell. So now you ARE the grown-up that you wish you had back during rotary phone time. And posting Dan Rather to share now so we can all think about change.
How lucky we are!
Cheers.
I still do why? why? and I’m certainly not a little kid anymore, chronologically at least.
Big kid. Weeeeeeeee!
🙋🏼
Because it's a critical thinking question!
I can’t find it online 🤷♀️ but has anyone else seen the Morgan Freeman commercial in which he asks “Why…”? At the end he asks, “Why do we have boom mics?” 😊
I found this: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=morgan+freeman+why+do+we+have+boom+mics&refig=0fe637e93c104a958484e14f20a77feb&ru=%2fsearch%3fq%3dmorgan%2bfreeman%2bwhy%2bdo%2bwe%2bhave%2bboom%2bmics%26form%3dANNTH1%26refig%3d0fe637e93c104a958484e14f20a77feb&view=detail&mmscn=vwrc&mid=9253A999AB9A47F4ED749253A999AB9A47F4ED74&FORM=WRVORC
Thank you for sharing this.
You're welcome, Kathleen!
You make me wish I was still teaching social studies. My husband saved a rotary phone and you just wrote a lesson plan for sharing it!
Love it! My brother held onto an old Snoopy phone -- not quite as old as the vintage black ones -- and, today, his grandchildren continue to play with it.
Morning Rowshan! My 3 yr old baby grand has her Minnie Mouse play phone but also my old flip phone in her toy drawer which she calls her open-close phone.
😂😂😂
What a great essay, Christine! We were HEmlock, my grandparents were JUniper. I still remember those numbers...
Isn’t is funny, Daria, how instantly well people remember those phone numbers from decades ago? And now, most people just get to a call through contacts. A name, rather than number.
I asked my students once if they could think of any advantage of the rotary phone over the cell phone of today. One student said, oh yes, it woujd be easier to find if you lost it. (Lol) So then I explained that this was a phone that stayed in the home. One didn’t take it in the car or their pocket or outside or at a restaurant.
We always talked about that for a LONG time. They had a million questions…”but, Miss, how did you find out stuff?” Or, “what if you have to talk to somebody and you are not home?”
There were so many things we got to discuss using that black rotary phone as a “starter”.
History can be so engaging with children. It was always my best way to teach them that change is the only permanent thing and that I wanted them to be bold about change, not timid or afraid. I find that have served me well also.
Unitad!
As bad as this sounds I know three telephone numbers by heart these days, my own cell, my daughters cell and my husbands cell numbers. Every other number is written in my address book or stored in my cell phone contact list.
Isn't it funny how much things have changed in our lives? Can you imagine how kids today would gawk at a large metro area's phone book? The Yellow Pages? Or how about when the phone rang dinner and no one jumped up from the table to answer it?
I would have enjoyed being in your classroom, Christine.
You bring such energy and enthusiasm to any subject!
We were LOcust -> I cringe at the thought, then remember my good childhood
Amen.
My dad's office was MAdison and our home phone JUstice.
Thanks for the sweet recall—GRover 5
Yes, Daria, I recognize "JUniper!"
We are DC Girls after all...
I found Mr. Rather's article reminiscent in tone to his old colleague Andy Rooney until the end. The last paragraph was vintage Rather and spot on. Thanks for sharing it Lynell.
Andy Rooney, yes!
Wow! Thanks, Lynell. That is, indeed, timely and relevant. And as Pam notes, language IS important, in fact, critical. If we can't agree on what words mean, or use the correct word to describe something, we are lost.
I used to argue with my husband over this. He didn't see the problem of using a word 'close' to make his point. I never could get him to see why saying 'blue', when you mean 'green' is more than just a 'shade off'. 😖
The word that seems to be disappearing is 'fewer', replaced by 'less' for almost any context. To me, 'fewer' refers to a reduction in quantity whereas 'less' refers to subtraction. But then, there's the now-common use of 'that' when referring to human being who should be 'who'. Or 'that' instead of which. Maybe picky but it irks me.
Husbands can be that way, yes, they can, Sandra!
Lynell, you gifted us this morning. Along with your hello, you shared Dan Rather's essay with the forum. I am grateful to you for that. From Buddy's rich photograph to the iconic telephone starting Dan's piece, our eyes and minds were opened up. Dan used language to discuss language and used words to urge us all to think about the words we use for the political parties, policies and labels, etc., as they are now because a great deal has changed in a relatively short period of time. The essay provides a map for seeing anew and finding the words, which truly depict what is going on I hope subscribers read Dan's piece, it's a clear mindful.
Thank you for this perfect explanation; morning, Fern!!
Hi Lynell. I had difficulty trying to describe Dan's beautiful, clear as a bell message about defining our 'leaders', politics and circumstances as they are now. It is a great piece, which I will try to live up to. Wishing you a wonderful day, Lynell.
Lynell. you post is perfectly appropriate, here & now, on this early Monday morning just before this particular week in our rapidly changing, young nation. Thank you.
So glad you see it that way, Bryan. Morning!
Me too. Morning Lynell.
Morning, Stuart!!
Morning, Lynell. Thanks for this piece. Language is very important, and I'm glad to read the warning to journalists. And I love the "old phone" analogy.
Morning, Pam! Yes, agree especially as to warning journalists.
Thanks for the link Lynell.
You're welcome, Steve. We share a last name, but I'm positive we're not related.
Thanks. That was wonderful. I wonder how many of my students would even begin to know how to use that phone, or what exactly one could do with it - which wasn't much, I guess.
And yet, at one time it was everything.
Saw this a while ago and looked it up to post here. It was hard for me to believe they wouldn't know how to dial a phone! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHNEzndgiFI
I betcha I know the video you just posted. Going there now to have a look-see!
This reminds me of a short-lived tv program which pitted parents and children in contests to identify and explain the use of various objects. The one I recall best is the plastic package of some white greasy stuff in 2/3 of the packet and orange stuff in the other 1/3. I'll bet many of us here remember those. Before that, you bought a block of the greasy stuff, softened it then mixed in the orange stuff..... to make it look like butter. At age 5 or so, my mother 'let' me dig my hands into the bowl and mix it up.
Love this video. I still have my beige rotary phone stashed. I kept wanting to cue the boys in to dialing all the way to the stopper then releasing it. Still feels like an automatic process.
Years ago, when it was my primary phone (early 80s?), it got knocked off the arm of an easy chair. For about a week, I received *no* phone calls. My boyfriend of the time told me he tried to call me, it rang (at their end) but I never picked up - didn't ring. I finally removed the base and discovered that there are a pair of nickel-sized batteries, face to face, which make the connection to the ringer; they had been dislodged. Put them back in place and voila! fixed.
So true, Tom. Thanks.
Good morning, Lynell! Sharing wisdom is always appropriate and appreciated.🌷❤🌷
Especially appreciate your appreciation, Daria...morning!!
This is absolutely appropriate any day Lynell. Good food for thought.
Thank you.
You're welcome, Diane.
Morning, Lynell!
I shared that around yesterday as well. Very good food for thought.
I love the daily letters, but I worry about you burning out and then losing the letters entirely. Have you considered switching to a slower cadence? In the meantime, I’m always glad to see you taking a day off. :)
Yes, Josh. If DrR did them weekly she could get some rest and we would look forward to HCR day like A high holiday!
Looks like sunrise on Round Pound. Not much sleep when you go to bed or get up at sunrise. I see and hear the lobster boats leaving Friendship Harbor from 3 am until 6 am, most mornings, waking me to read the early edition of "Letters From An American".
Midsummer sunrise is closer to 3 am. Now its after 6 am. Sunrise is a beautiful time of day. Peace and calm on most days. Building during the day into strong breezes and clouds of all shapes, sizes and colors. Then calming down at night, to start again the next day.
To be sure our political world never sleeps. Those on the attack are ever working the "buttons" of power. Yours and theirs. Four years of late night early morning tweeting is enough to pull some plugs and just look at the sunrise and sunset and remember what it was like before Twitter, Twits, Facebook and Fakebook posts.
I too love listening to the diesel engines leaving the harbor at sunrise. It never fails to bring me memories of my Dad being among them many years ago. Thank you David for the images. The beauty and promise of a new day dawning lifts the heart with hope. ❤️
lovely, David. thousands of miles away, you've made me feel close.
My husband, a product of the West Indies in the Caribbean, would echo your sentiments, David, re sunrises and sunsets on or near the water, especially those times waiting ashore for the fishermen to return with the day's catch, spread a tarp-like cloth above the shoreline, pour the buckets of sea food onto the cloth, and have his pick of the evening's dinner and beyond.
The stillness and serenity reflected in Buddy's photo definitely call for you to rest up and rest well tonight. Judging by the past weeks, politics may be more than hopping in the days ahead.
Glad to see you're signing off at a more decent hour! 💜 Rest well, and take care of yourself and Buddy. Thanks to him for another beautiful image.
Many thanks for your skill and dedication HCR. Reminder for readers to call your senators and reps to support freedom to vote and John Lewis voting acts. Yes, even Grassley, Graham, Collins, Murkowski, Romney, Mitch, and the rest of the airheads who lack a sense of decency. Their legacy is poo poo.
Pretty rough talk so early in the morning!! ;-)
Descending to their obvious level of childness. 🤨
I've noticed that Buddy's photos, as well as being beautiful and well composed, always suggest a story and so provide a beautiful place to rest my eyes while my mind takes a mini-vacation. Thank you, dear Heather, for all you do for us. Take good care of yourself.
Middle of he night, icing my knee (just had it replaced this month), listening to crickets chirping through the open window, and this beautifully serene photo pops up in my email! Ahhhh!! Thank you for all that you do to help us understand this crazy world!
Feel better, Jean!
Thank you, Heather. We are a more knowledgable, informed, and connected world here because of you. We are more appreciative of the healing power of peaceful water mages because of Buddy.
Profound gratitude for you and all of your efforts, Heather. Your contributions are very important. As it has evolved you, from your professional knowledge and wisdom, are able to share context and clarity concisely in this time in the US - like no other. I, like so many thousands! of others, am most appreciative.
Someone in this community recommended Hubbell. I disagree with his alignment of Heather’s LFAA with Kagan’s essay and would suggest Heather and Hubbell seem to be closer to the same wavelength. I do think his essay today is a great antidote for Kagan’s dire predictions. https://roberthubbell.substack.com/p/todays-edition-not-dead-yet
Enjoyed his countering of Kagan's predictions. Fundamentally, it seems to me, is that as we get mired in the tragedy and uncertain about what will happen and worry to the point of angst as we read daily the story unfolding is that we suspend analysis and sink into a self-fulfilling hypothesis: All is terrible, we can't stop the enviable, the enemy is stronger, and we begin to make the false realty. I think reading Richardson (and Hubbell and Rather) helps me keep my hand on the tiller of my destiny and recognize how strong (and threatened for sure) the vessel is that leaves harbor each morning and comes back safely each evening year in and year out despite the storms that blow in and blow out. Every few days I need to be reminded of such about vessel Democracy and We the People tending the helm, the nutrition of crew, and the even heartbeat of the diesel engines propelling our inevitable journey.
Had to laugh at "the enviable". Inevitable, I'm sure you meant. Darn spellcheck.
Hey, Christy. Reading your comment again, I agree with you that Heather is more aligned with Hubbell than she is with Kagan. Through these many months she has consistently "told it like it is." But she also has challenged all of us to do something about it. She has said in her chats a few times that if she thought all was lost, she would not even bother to be out here with us on the front line.
❤️❤️❤️ thank you Lynell
Ah. That’s excellent, Christy. Good posting today. Total respect for all well written opinions such as Kagan’s. Yet, Hubbell fits my tone pretty well.
Salud!
Thanks for this post, Christy. I like that Hubbell guy and all he had to say.
I just finished his article. I like his perspective.
Thank you Lynell and Daria for your feedback. Me too!
Thanks, Christy, I signed up. However, the relevant history that comes with LFAA will be hard to beat.
💯Kathy. My purpose was to counter the Kagan piece only. LFAA is like my morning coffee. Can’t imagine going without it.
Finally some logic. People “ We have work to do !” Thank you Christy for Posting this. 👍
Thank you for sharing this. It is hopeful. I wonder if it is too hopeful? Perhaps we need to be a bit more pessimistic?
Perhaps we each respond differently to pessimism? I found Hubbell’s conclusion helpful: “So, I reject Kagan’s conclusions even though most of his observations of the current state of the Republican Party are accurate. I am not giving up. Neither should you. We should contest every race in 2022 and 2024, fight a Trump candidacy with all our might, litigate every illegal maneuver by the GOP, show up at every protest, boycott every corporate funder, and punish every politician who enables or ignores the slow rolling effort to subvert the Constitution.
Concluding Thoughts.
I have said enough. There are tens of millions of us. We have work to do. Let’s not waste our time fretting over predictions of disaster we have the ability to avert. Democracy is not dead yet. With our shared effort and passion, it will endure long after the crooks and charlatans of the GOP have been assigned to the ash heap of history.”
Now see there you go. What if our Forefathers, the Framers from start to finish never got the whole Life,Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness beyond a Draft and tossed it in a can with some saying” I think we are being too hopeful .” Not a thing wrong with you Sugar being too Hopeful. Spread it like CoVid Nancy !
Thanks for the link, Christy.
Thanks.
Buddy is quite the photographer and I'm so glad you're resting up. Please tell him how much we enjoy his work.
Angels in your dreams. ♥️
Thanks for all your work. And thank Buddy for his breath.