I agree with you Steven, that violence is not the answer. But I would feel ever so much better if the Dem leaders would stand up and forcefully, clearly state what their goals for resistance to this coming chaos will be. Again, where are THEIR spines and plans and guidance? Step on some toes like Joe has done, dammit! Speak out on this wave of insanity that approaches. Let us know that you are there to protect American Values everywhere you can and we will be so encouraged and relieved. For now I am disgusted by their apparent hiding, not supporting Joe, and lack of clear messaging of courageous resistance. As long as that void is left, the more vigilantes will surface.
“It isn’t the things that happen to us in our lives that cause us to suffer, it’s how we relate to the things that happen to us that cause us to suffer.” - Pema Chodron
I have great respect for Pema Chodron, but we can't all be Buddhist nuns. And as I think most of us know, even Buddhist nuns and monks struggle with their inner selves. Sometimes things really do get to be too much and it's no sin to get angry and depressed; it's human. So while it's useful to try to control our reactions, we shouldn't feel too bad when we fail.
Thank you, Steven. Yours is the least lauded, but highest form of courage. I am so appreciative of your message of kindness, mercy and care. I follow you gladly, and hopefully, bravely, in to this next fraught time. No one said it would be easy. Finding the way to to persist in our defense of truth and fairness without resorting to hate and violence, is our generation’s challenge. Thank you for your voice in this wilderness.
I will continue to live my life according to the principles I have always upheld, and I will fight back against tyranny in any way that I can. But that said, I no longer have any faith in the future of democracy in America. There will always be those of us who resist, but truthfully, in my heart of hearts, I believe we are doomed. It hurts me so much to say this because I believed for so long that the guardrails provided by our democratic institutions would hold. But I have learned a life-changing lesson these past couple of years: those guardrails depend entirely on people -- ordinary people as well as those who hold immense power -- believing in the sanctity of those guardrails and being willing to adhere to and support them, even when, for example, they lose an election. But this is no longer the case. Even the supreme court has abandoned the guardrails of democracy. So here come the oligarchs and the billionaires. PS: I don't condone the murder of the CEO, but I refuse to feel sorry for him. Instead, I feel sorry for the millions of people he harmed, harm that I hold him personally responsible for.
"But we still have the possibility to pull back from widespread violence leading to an increasingly cruel and unlivable society. That’s not just up to those in power: It’s up to each of us to decide how we want to live with each other and navigate this treacherous moment."
As I read those words, nodding my head in agreement, I was reminded that when it came right down to it, We the People, the last line of defense to protect, preserve, and defend the Constitution, failed in that endeavor. Almost half the voting public voted to surrender our Democratic Republic and the Rule of Law to autocracy, the rule of a despot, and control by oligarchs. Simply put, I don't think many will rise to this occasion to hold back our violent impulses. The trajectory may be too firmly set.
Your analysis of our national crisis resonates even more deeply with me as I write to you from a position of both privilege and precarity. As one of the few Substack writers still focused on Christmas wonder, I find myself living a contradiction that perhaps illuminates the depths of our national emergency.
Here I sit in my home with my beloved wife, our lesbian marriage a testament to how far America had progressed - and now a potential target for the gathering storm. The love and dedication we share, the life we've built together, the rights we've finally secured - all of it feels terrifyingly fragile as we watch a would-be dictator promise retribution against those he considers enemies. When people dismiss such fears as hyperbolic, I wonder: Are we not seeing history repeat itself? The parallels to Germany 1933 are not hysterical observations but historically documented patterns: the demonization of minorities, the promises of retribution, the cult of personality, the weaponization of grievance.
At 73, as a white woman in a same-sex marriage who has always voted Democratic and believed in America's promise, I find myself writing about Christmas peace while harboring a deep terror about what's coming. People say we're being dramatic when we voice our fears about the erosion of LGBTQ+ rights, about the potential for systematic oppression, about the very real possibility that everything we've gained could be stripped away. But is it really dramatic when the incoming president has explicitly promised to be a dictator "on day one"? When he's openly studying Hitler's strategies? When he's promised to weaponize the Justice Department against his enemies?
The fury and fear I feel as I try to write about holiday wonder creates an almost unbearable cognitive dissonance. Each sentence about peace on earth feels like a battle against the rising tide of dread and bone deep revulsion in my heart. The gap between the Christmas messages I'm trying to share and the vindictive thoughts I'm actually feeling has become a chasm so wide it threatens to swallow whatever remnants of hope I still possess.
Your observations about our degrading national discourse don't begin to capture the visceral terror and boiling anger of watching rights you've fought decades to secure suddenly become bargaining chips in someone else's power game. The "boiling cauldron" you describe isn't just political anymore - it's deeply personal for those of us who remember what it was like before these rights were secured, who know how quickly they can be taken away.
Even as I write about Christmas miracles and seasonal joy, I find myself understanding impulses I once would have condemned without hesitation. The fact that someone like myself - someone in a loving, committed marriage, someone dedicated to sharing the wonder of this sacred season - can feel such darkness rising within tells me we've entered territory from which there most likely will be no return.
Your piece serves as a mirror, reflecting back not just our national divide, but the profound personal crisis many of us face as we struggle to maintain our highest ideals while confronting what feels like an existential threat to everything we hold dear. For those of us in the LGBTQ+ community, this isn't just political theory - it's about our lives, our marriages, our basic human rights to exist and love freely.
The gap between our public declarations of seasonal hope and our private fears and fury may be the most telling indicator of just how far we've fallen as a nation. And for those of us who could be early targets of what's coming, the weight of that gap feels impossible to bear.
There is no mercy coming to sooth our spirits. Just a vitriolic psychopath who would say Let him die about his nephew's son, killer of thousands during the pandemic, whose open mouth spews lies & hatred & motto is Get even. A big time crook who has gotten away with everything & now being kowtowed to by foreign leaders, our supposed govt leaders, and millions of poor saps. The head of Facebook just gave him $1million to save himself. I feel ashamed of Jill Biden talking it up all smiles with him, wearing his latest con, Fight perfume & into that joy business for Christmas time.
It is hard to believe people are cheering over the CEO's death. I wonder if we would should trump, in any way, take his last stolen breath? Yes, but we so righteously being for law & order with pleasant thoughts towards all, would do it silently, but believing this mistake of birth is in no way worth the destruction of our Constitutional Republic, The United States of America. We are getting thunder clouds, wishing for a rainbow 🌈.
When justice is denied continuously to citizens with no respite in sight after election of a felon, traitor, conman, rapist - citizens will turn to violence. I'd like to feel sorry for this person - however I'm going to reserve the little sympathy I have left for the women dying in parking lots after being denied healthcare by a corrupt court, lawmakers and oh yeah, insurance companies run be despicable folks willing to kill people for profit every damn day.
And I agree, there is NO JOY for me over ANY murders. WHEN T45/47’s ear was shot at I was sad because I want him in prison.—-
I ache that certain members and organizations of our planet’s inhabitants are still uncivilized and demonstrate that by inciting wars and violence resulting in us murdering each other. Usually that happens only because of fighting over dirt and rocks.
DIRT AND ROCKS —-
I am not saying a country shouldn’t defend itself. I am lamenting that bloody invasions are initiated in the first place causing the need to defend.—-
We should be more highly evolved by now!
It is SO STUPID to spend gazillions of $ on killing each other instead of spending it to solve problems threatening human life such as our contributions to killing our planet, our home, or starvation, or water shortages, diseases, etc.
We are behaving primitively by killing our own humans that share our genetic code and harming our planet our home.
Thank you, Steven. I too have been surprised by the silence of @VP in this critical time. I’m also grateful to President Biden who is guided by a sense of mercy and his eternal soul. I restacked the essay. A sense of discernment is essential when others are calling for revenge and chaos.
Haven’t we all received mercy at some time? Hopefully we have all given mercy.
I heard a reporter imply President Biden was pardoning a large swath of people to distract from his pardon of his son. He’s had a teams looking at different types of pardons. Pardons are often given near the end of a term. Only in magaworld would it be done on a dollar or a whim.
As for the homicide in New York, I fear our society has added to the kooks always attracted to high profile criminals a growing normalization of vigilantism. Lawless politics and the faction of Americans who believe violence is an answer to problems. Texas put added a version of “citizen justice” as a tool in their anti-abortion legislation.
It’s true that United Healthcare abuses their power in the marketplace. It has 2x the denial rate of the industry (32%). Denied by AI. Try arguing with that. It makes much of its profit from its PBM. (I think 20%?) This pushes “competitors” to do the same. They own the pharmacy that determines costs — and that you pay more if you don’t buy from them. Your insurer determines whether they cover the medication.
The problem is the market based system that incentivizes profit over people.
In the ‘70s the FBI documented roughly 2500 bombings in less than 2 years. The comparatively few injuries and deaths let it become the new normal. Little attention was paid after the Weathermen had an accidental detonation that destroyed a townhouse and did serious damage nearby residences including one belonging to Dustin Hoffman. It didn’t bring us reforms to make society better. It boosted Nixon and J Edgar Hoover.
Thank you Steven for your character. It is refreshing to read your words. History tells of struggling times and how it is difficult on common people. We are also reminded that people of wealth are not subjected to the cruelty. We all know if things get really uncomfortable in the U.S. under the next administration, the wealthy will get on planes and escape the chaos. History reflects these tales. In a world where people were raised by many different values it is easy to understand why people are different. Billionaires taking money from people with less is never ok.
This is a profound essay, Steven. Thank you for shaping your thoughts into these heartfelt words.
The fact, alas, is that we no longer have a moral compass. But how could it be otherwise when the one value that points the way in our society is the maximization of profit?
How would it be remotely possible otherwise that we would choose a twice-impeached, morally bankrupt, unintelligent, psychotic, racist, misogynistic thug as our President? One whose utter unsuitability for the job was on public display during his first ignominious term.
If any good is to come out of this, may it be to unite us in striving to replace hatred, greed, ignorance and the drive to accumulate wealth by any means whatsoever, with compassion, kindness, education and enlightenment.
The road ahead will be rocky and hard. It will be an uphill climb. We have no choice, though, but to follow it.
Yes, it has gotten chilly. It’s up to us to stay grounded and connected with each other through the storm. It is vital that we be able to ask questions, where is VP Harris?, without getting slammed. We must be able to talk with each other, ask questions, offer differing opinions about what is on our minds. If we cannot successfully communicate with each other, we will not be able to defend or win back our democracy.
Based on observations over these past years, and having some sense of human nature, at least of my own. I feel obliged to mention a factual element that is not being discussed much that I can see. That is the dangerously closely walked line bumping up against the pitfalls of our own hypocrisy. As I am fully confident that many many people have their own short list of scumbags and miscreants who have deliberately caused pain and or death to loved ones or other citizens, who have betrayed this country we all love, that if they were to read or hear that one of them fell victim to a similar fate as that CEO, a smile would find it's way to their face.
I agree with you Steven, that violence is not the answer. But I would feel ever so much better if the Dem leaders would stand up and forcefully, clearly state what their goals for resistance to this coming chaos will be. Again, where are THEIR spines and plans and guidance? Step on some toes like Joe has done, dammit! Speak out on this wave of insanity that approaches. Let us know that you are there to protect American Values everywhere you can and we will be so encouraged and relieved. For now I am disgusted by their apparent hiding, not supporting Joe, and lack of clear messaging of courageous resistance. As long as that void is left, the more vigilantes will surface.
Ck out IndiMarin for Next Steps. Online Sunday 12/15/24.
Bravo, Joe! Keep showing the way.
“It isn’t the things that happen to us in our lives that cause us to suffer, it’s how we relate to the things that happen to us that cause us to suffer.” - Pema Chodron
I have great respect for Pema Chodron, but we can't all be Buddhist nuns. And as I think most of us know, even Buddhist nuns and monks struggle with their inner selves. Sometimes things really do get to be too much and it's no sin to get angry and depressed; it's human. So while it's useful to try to control our reactions, we shouldn't feel too bad when we fail.
I think that’s her point here.
Thank you, Steven. Yours is the least lauded, but highest form of courage. I am so appreciative of your message of kindness, mercy and care. I follow you gladly, and hopefully, bravely, in to this next fraught time. No one said it would be easy. Finding the way to to persist in our defense of truth and fairness without resorting to hate and violence, is our generation’s challenge. Thank you for your voice in this wilderness.
Thank you, Virginia. We’re all in this.
I will continue to live my life according to the principles I have always upheld, and I will fight back against tyranny in any way that I can. But that said, I no longer have any faith in the future of democracy in America. There will always be those of us who resist, but truthfully, in my heart of hearts, I believe we are doomed. It hurts me so much to say this because I believed for so long that the guardrails provided by our democratic institutions would hold. But I have learned a life-changing lesson these past couple of years: those guardrails depend entirely on people -- ordinary people as well as those who hold immense power -- believing in the sanctity of those guardrails and being willing to adhere to and support them, even when, for example, they lose an election. But this is no longer the case. Even the supreme court has abandoned the guardrails of democracy. So here come the oligarchs and the billionaires. PS: I don't condone the murder of the CEO, but I refuse to feel sorry for him. Instead, I feel sorry for the millions of people he harmed, harm that I hold him personally responsible for.
"But we still have the possibility to pull back from widespread violence leading to an increasingly cruel and unlivable society. That’s not just up to those in power: It’s up to each of us to decide how we want to live with each other and navigate this treacherous moment."
As I read those words, nodding my head in agreement, I was reminded that when it came right down to it, We the People, the last line of defense to protect, preserve, and defend the Constitution, failed in that endeavor. Almost half the voting public voted to surrender our Democratic Republic and the Rule of Law to autocracy, the rule of a despot, and control by oligarchs. Simply put, I don't think many will rise to this occasion to hold back our violent impulses. The trajectory may be too firmly set.
God I hope you’re wrong!
Your analysis of our national crisis resonates even more deeply with me as I write to you from a position of both privilege and precarity. As one of the few Substack writers still focused on Christmas wonder, I find myself living a contradiction that perhaps illuminates the depths of our national emergency.
Here I sit in my home with my beloved wife, our lesbian marriage a testament to how far America had progressed - and now a potential target for the gathering storm. The love and dedication we share, the life we've built together, the rights we've finally secured - all of it feels terrifyingly fragile as we watch a would-be dictator promise retribution against those he considers enemies. When people dismiss such fears as hyperbolic, I wonder: Are we not seeing history repeat itself? The parallels to Germany 1933 are not hysterical observations but historically documented patterns: the demonization of minorities, the promises of retribution, the cult of personality, the weaponization of grievance.
At 73, as a white woman in a same-sex marriage who has always voted Democratic and believed in America's promise, I find myself writing about Christmas peace while harboring a deep terror about what's coming. People say we're being dramatic when we voice our fears about the erosion of LGBTQ+ rights, about the potential for systematic oppression, about the very real possibility that everything we've gained could be stripped away. But is it really dramatic when the incoming president has explicitly promised to be a dictator "on day one"? When he's openly studying Hitler's strategies? When he's promised to weaponize the Justice Department against his enemies?
The fury and fear I feel as I try to write about holiday wonder creates an almost unbearable cognitive dissonance. Each sentence about peace on earth feels like a battle against the rising tide of dread and bone deep revulsion in my heart. The gap between the Christmas messages I'm trying to share and the vindictive thoughts I'm actually feeling has become a chasm so wide it threatens to swallow whatever remnants of hope I still possess.
Your observations about our degrading national discourse don't begin to capture the visceral terror and boiling anger of watching rights you've fought decades to secure suddenly become bargaining chips in someone else's power game. The "boiling cauldron" you describe isn't just political anymore - it's deeply personal for those of us who remember what it was like before these rights were secured, who know how quickly they can be taken away.
Even as I write about Christmas miracles and seasonal joy, I find myself understanding impulses I once would have condemned without hesitation. The fact that someone like myself - someone in a loving, committed marriage, someone dedicated to sharing the wonder of this sacred season - can feel such darkness rising within tells me we've entered territory from which there most likely will be no return.
Your piece serves as a mirror, reflecting back not just our national divide, but the profound personal crisis many of us face as we struggle to maintain our highest ideals while confronting what feels like an existential threat to everything we hold dear. For those of us in the LGBTQ+ community, this isn't just political theory - it's about our lives, our marriages, our basic human rights to exist and love freely.
The gap between our public declarations of seasonal hope and our private fears and fury may be the most telling indicator of just how far we've fallen as a nation. And for those of us who could be early targets of what's coming, the weight of that gap feels impossible to bear.
Thank you for sharing your personal fears, Gloria. I hope honesty about what we’re facing will help us ride the storm.
Thank you, Steven.
There is no mercy coming to sooth our spirits. Just a vitriolic psychopath who would say Let him die about his nephew's son, killer of thousands during the pandemic, whose open mouth spews lies & hatred & motto is Get even. A big time crook who has gotten away with everything & now being kowtowed to by foreign leaders, our supposed govt leaders, and millions of poor saps. The head of Facebook just gave him $1million to save himself. I feel ashamed of Jill Biden talking it up all smiles with him, wearing his latest con, Fight perfume & into that joy business for Christmas time.
It is hard to believe people are cheering over the CEO's death. I wonder if we would should trump, in any way, take his last stolen breath? Yes, but we so righteously being for law & order with pleasant thoughts towards all, would do it silently, but believing this mistake of birth is in no way worth the destruction of our Constitutional Republic, The United States of America. We are getting thunder clouds, wishing for a rainbow 🌈.
When justice is denied continuously to citizens with no respite in sight after election of a felon, traitor, conman, rapist - citizens will turn to violence. I'd like to feel sorry for this person - however I'm going to reserve the little sympathy I have left for the women dying in parking lots after being denied healthcare by a corrupt court, lawmakers and oh yeah, insurance companies run be despicable folks willing to kill people for profit every damn day.
Well said, Steven.—-
And I agree, there is NO JOY for me over ANY murders. WHEN T45/47’s ear was shot at I was sad because I want him in prison.—-
I ache that certain members and organizations of our planet’s inhabitants are still uncivilized and demonstrate that by inciting wars and violence resulting in us murdering each other. Usually that happens only because of fighting over dirt and rocks.
DIRT AND ROCKS —-
I am not saying a country shouldn’t defend itself. I am lamenting that bloody invasions are initiated in the first place causing the need to defend.—-
We should be more highly evolved by now!
It is SO STUPID to spend gazillions of $ on killing each other instead of spending it to solve problems threatening human life such as our contributions to killing our planet, our home, or starvation, or water shortages, diseases, etc.
We are behaving primitively by killing our own humans that share our genetic code and harming our planet our home.
We must evolve! We must.
Hope and Prayers we do.
💙💙🇺🇸💙💙
O brave voices into the wind; the uncaring politicians and public, silent, barrel forth to punishing … and in return, are punished.
Thank you, Steven. I too have been surprised by the silence of @VP in this critical time. I’m also grateful to President Biden who is guided by a sense of mercy and his eternal soul. I restacked the essay. A sense of discernment is essential when others are calling for revenge and chaos.
Haven’t we all received mercy at some time? Hopefully we have all given mercy.
I heard a reporter imply President Biden was pardoning a large swath of people to distract from his pardon of his son. He’s had a teams looking at different types of pardons. Pardons are often given near the end of a term. Only in magaworld would it be done on a dollar or a whim.
As for the homicide in New York, I fear our society has added to the kooks always attracted to high profile criminals a growing normalization of vigilantism. Lawless politics and the faction of Americans who believe violence is an answer to problems. Texas put added a version of “citizen justice” as a tool in their anti-abortion legislation.
It’s true that United Healthcare abuses their power in the marketplace. It has 2x the denial rate of the industry (32%). Denied by AI. Try arguing with that. It makes much of its profit from its PBM. (I think 20%?) This pushes “competitors” to do the same. They own the pharmacy that determines costs — and that you pay more if you don’t buy from them. Your insurer determines whether they cover the medication.
The problem is the market based system that incentivizes profit over people.
In the ‘70s the FBI documented roughly 2500 bombings in less than 2 years. The comparatively few injuries and deaths let it become the new normal. Little attention was paid after the Weathermen had an accidental detonation that destroyed a townhouse and did serious damage nearby residences including one belonging to Dustin Hoffman. It didn’t bring us reforms to make society better. It boosted Nixon and J Edgar Hoover.
Thank you Steven for your character. It is refreshing to read your words. History tells of struggling times and how it is difficult on common people. We are also reminded that people of wealth are not subjected to the cruelty. We all know if things get really uncomfortable in the U.S. under the next administration, the wealthy will get on planes and escape the chaos. History reflects these tales. In a world where people were raised by many different values it is easy to understand why people are different. Billionaires taking money from people with less is never ok.
This is a profound essay, Steven. Thank you for shaping your thoughts into these heartfelt words.
The fact, alas, is that we no longer have a moral compass. But how could it be otherwise when the one value that points the way in our society is the maximization of profit?
How would it be remotely possible otherwise that we would choose a twice-impeached, morally bankrupt, unintelligent, psychotic, racist, misogynistic thug as our President? One whose utter unsuitability for the job was on public display during his first ignominious term.
If any good is to come out of this, may it be to unite us in striving to replace hatred, greed, ignorance and the drive to accumulate wealth by any means whatsoever, with compassion, kindness, education and enlightenment.
The road ahead will be rocky and hard. It will be an uphill climb. We have no choice, though, but to follow it.
Yes, it has gotten chilly. It’s up to us to stay grounded and connected with each other through the storm. It is vital that we be able to ask questions, where is VP Harris?, without getting slammed. We must be able to talk with each other, ask questions, offer differing opinions about what is on our minds. If we cannot successfully communicate with each other, we will not be able to defend or win back our democracy.
Based on observations over these past years, and having some sense of human nature, at least of my own. I feel obliged to mention a factual element that is not being discussed much that I can see. That is the dangerously closely walked line bumping up against the pitfalls of our own hypocrisy. As I am fully confident that many many people have their own short list of scumbags and miscreants who have deliberately caused pain and or death to loved ones or other citizens, who have betrayed this country we all love, that if they were to read or hear that one of them fell victim to a similar fate as that CEO, a smile would find it's way to their face.
It's a feeling that sometimes justice is actually served. I can certainly relate to that.