I dunno, Steven. I’m scared out of my wits, and becoming more so every day. I’m not afraid of the Liar-in-Chief per se. I’m afraid of the capitulating and lying propaganda sources that his cult followers listen to and read, which keeps the truth from them. Or rather, the truth about this guy and the war is too painful for them because they would have to realize that they are worshipping the forces of evil that they now believe are defending the forces of good. Of course, the truth is much more complicated, because nobody was a fan of the Iranian regime. Still, we just cannot admit that the Iranian culture is ancient and deep and somehow we can’t seem to wrap our arms around the fact that they just might not enjoy being wiped off the face of the earth at the whim of a politically thirsty dictator like Trump.
My husband was a very little boy during WWII in France. At that time, food was scarce and they ate what they raised and grew. As such, my father-in-law raised bees for honey, as sugar was scarce. My husband enjoyed watching his father tend them, and, as kids often are, was naturally curious and wanted to examine the bees up close. As he approached the hives, stick in hand, his mother warned him NOT to go near the bees. Nevertheless, he raised his stick and tapped the hives; gently at first, and then more aggressively.
All at once, the bees exploded from the hive in a swarm, covering him, chasing him as he ran for the house. My father-in-law, alarmed by the site, grabbed him, wrapped him in a wet blanket and ran with him to the house, where my mother-in-law subsequently applied tincture of arnica and rubbed him down all over. Needless to say, he survived and learned a valuable lesson.
Trump has tapped the hive in Iran; not once, but twice. Who is going to wrap our country in a blanket and ferry us to safety where we can attend to our wounds? The horror of war never has a truly happy ending, nor does it make us safer.
His cult is divided on this just as they were about tariffs. Megan Kelly and especially Tucker Carlson excoriated him. Tim Pool is another. Joe Rogan is a constant drumbeat of criticism. The theme is pretty consistent: Promises not kept. Not America First. Carlson also criticized the bombing of the girls school pointing out it was hit 2x in 40 minutes. He claims he was told trump is seeing polls that show this is popular (90/10).
This seems like a repeat of the split in trumplandia media over the Epstein files after Leavitt gave them Volume 1 binders of old info. They’d built up the event to their followers which is their bread and butter. Promised special insights to their enthused audiences. There was nothing and they told their audiences.
He sends the military to murder innocent people and then cuts veterans benefits. His goal is torture, death, and destruction, plus stealing. What does it say about a country which supports him.
Thank you sir. Samuel Adams said, “It does not take a majority to prevail... but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men.” We have the capability to eliminate the split screen. The courage to eliminate the demented creature on one side to reduce the fires around the world. Yet the courage is lacking from his lackeys in Congress to move forward to impeach on numerous issues. Will just his impeachment reduce the fires, no again courage, a tireless determination to fight everyone of these sycophants that have been placed by that same Congress that lacked courage, insight and determination. Will this occur with the present individuals in this legislature body, No. It may occur once our ‘tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires’ remove all of the cowards of this malignant MAGA cult. In the meantime be the brushfires alive with the calls and may we have the largest brushfire come March 28th. Stay safe and healthy.
It is a perverse cosmic joke that our country's 250th anniversary occurs while this "deranged despot" and his equally deranged cabinet are doing their best to destroy everything our country stood for.
Just going to share today is the 61st anniversary of Lyndon Johnson’s voting rights speech. As the Republicans are taking a bill for to restrict voting nights
The split screen analogy is perfect. Moving forward with a national “birthday party” holds to the same illogical nightmare that we are now experiencing. And your thoughts on the ultimate distraction, beginning a war to hide the terrible truth of T…p’s involvement with Epstein, and seeming to get a pass from critical press coverage, is as pathetic as it gets. We cannot let this happen.
I'm less interested in the current split screen than in the decades that led up to it, starting with the Reagan administration's efforts to undo as much as it could of the New Deal and its successors. The New Deal curbed the capitalist excesses that led to the stock market crash of 1929 and the worldwide depression that followed. World War II defeated the fascist regimes that arose from that depression. The Great Society extended at least some of the benefits of the New Deal to people of color, not to mention the right to vote -- and spawned the white/right backlash that's culminated in Trump I and Trump II. (Trump II's roots go deeper, back to the 1920s and '30s, capitalism über alles and America First.)
So what *is* "our mission"? It's not clear to me. What does seem clear is that plenty of us think Trump came out of nowhere, that Trump I and certainly Trump II were aberrations. Others among us see Trump as the endgame we're stuck with because we the people weren't paying close enough attention, and because too many upper-level Democrats were trying hard to marginalize the Dems who talked about economic power and economic justice.
So what exactly does the rallying cry of "Save our democracy" mean? I hope it means going forward, not trying to restore a democracy whose flaws got us into the huge mess we're in now.
Dismal Facts and inspiration: another split screen.
Excerpts that moved me:
“We may be live in a split-screen world, but we can decide how to manage it: Holding onto a vision of a better world, while also confronting the reality of a Trump regime embracing sadism, cruelty and violence…”
“Maybe perversely, I like this split screen.
I’m grateful to be living now. This is our chance to prove—on this 250th anniversary—that we are not about to forsake our values, allow the demise of our democratic project or let the country we love and our progressive future be stolen by these enemies within.”
If any further evidence was needed (on top of the mountain that already exists) that Trump is Putin's poodle, please consider the fact that Trump, having raised the price of oil dramatically by means of his brutal war, has now lifted the sanction against purchasing the commodity from Russia.
Russia - a gas station armed with nuclear weapons (to quote others) - has its back to the wall economically. Putin's only hope to keep funding his savagery against the people of Ukraine is to earn revenue through the sale of oil. His puppet, our so-called "President" - a psychopathic, child-molesting, murderous, criminal thug - has delivered.
One thing missed while the focus is on Russia and oil, Iran has increased its oil exports. Its oil goes primarily to China. Meanwhile, the US military stockpile is greatly diminished and we don’t have weapons to spare for Ukraine or for the EU to purchase for Ukraine. That is despite Ukraine offering the US technical info to counter Iranian drones.
I re-watched an important documentary last night, "Bad Faith." It is about the rise and creeping political influence of White Christian Nationalism. Primarily evangelical, they have used the Supreme Court, Donald Trump and now, Project 2025 to achieve their scary goals. The thing that I was most struck by was how the folks on that side of the screen truly believe that the other side, a progressive, pro-democracy side, is evil and a threat. Our side believes that the WCN's, MAGA are evil and a threat. We are stuck in a doom loop, facing off, while Trump, et al. continue to create and stoke deep and destructive divisions. Both sides are organized, each united and certain of their positions, and therein lies the rub: a stalemate. Physics--Newton's Third Law of Motion--tells us that every action has an equal and opposition reaction. Apply this to political and cultural issues: the manner of how DEI, civil rights and progressive issues was pushed and implemented into the general ethos, with cancel culture, impunity and shaming, gave rise to the cruel and vengeful reaction. We were heady with our successes, certain that the path forward for the country was positive and righteous. And it was/is. And if we don't realize this, use our energies to undo the nightmare of this authoritarian experiment, we are screwed. We must acknowledge that our approach must be tempered by wisdom and kindness, a more gentle but determined path forward. If not, we will end up back where we started: stalemate. We are most certainly at war but it is with ourselves, left vs. right, red vs. blue, two screens in opposition. Imagine a united nation, ready to take on the serious challenges ahead. Imagine loving and trusting your neighbors again. Imagine a renewal that includes both sides. Imagine one screen not two, a reflection of the hard work ahead. We start now: protests, elections, blueprints. We overcame a Civil War once before. Surely we can do it again.
Chris Rufo developed the strategy to oppose certain types of social change by selecting terms & redefining them. He stated his goal was to “recodify” critical race theory (CRT) to encompass a wide range of "cultural constructions that are unpopular with Americans" … "eventually turn it toxic, as we put all of the 'various cultural insanities' under that brand category." Make the public immediately think of "something 'crazy' in the newspaper" when they heard CRT. Did the same with DEI. The shaming and so on greased his wheels.
Telling people they are among the privileged when they feel excluded & are struggling makes DEI seem exclusive; an obstacle. To your point about wisdom & kindness, people remember who helps them. They remember broken promises, being stereotyped & insults. Not all trump voters are Maga voters. Even Maga is not a monolith. The Manhattan Institute surveyed after the election to match trump voters with their political ideas. Ex: 47% over age 50 believe Christians don’t get enough favorable treatment. Under age 50, 22%.
Going into the 2024 election the economy was the most important issue for trump voters (93%). Immigration came in 2nd at 82%. Neither made it to the top for Dems. So trump voter concerns on the economy were dismissed as a cover story.
I feel certain trump did not do this on purpose, but the consistent issues of his campaign aligned with the first 2 tiers of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. First, basic survival - food, shelter, water etc. Second, safety & security. Everything was tied to those 2 tiers. Ex: ‘crooked’ Dems are corrupt & robbing ‘you’; giving away tax dollars to other (DEI) people. The immigrants were dangerous criminals & getting housing citizens can’t afford. (The 3rd level is a feeling of belonging & community. Maga is a community & an identity.)
Dem voters were focused on Democracy (a concept) and Supreme Court Justices. A very different mindset. In 2025-6 Dems are on the ‘affordability’ page & winning with solutions — not scapegoating & demonizing. Dems have flipped 28 state legislative seats. GOP has flipped 0. The US Senate passed a bi-partisan housing bill after trump told Mike Johnson no one gives a F… about housing. The House & Senate have both put so-called “affordability” issues at the top of their priorities. Not the new SAVE Act.
I’m not sure the GOP has enough fans left to engage in a civil war if we play our cards right.
Triple "likes" Ann! Your analysis is spot on and points to a way forward. The trick now is whether or not all, and I mean all, Dem candidates get the message, stay on it until November and win this thing. For current electeds who are running, they should have their staffs be busy preparing plans, strategies, tactics, blueprints with what and how the new majorities will wield their power. Personally, I think the first order of business is to oust Schumer and Jeffries, and bring in new, clear-headed, authentically spoken people to the tasks ahead.
Candidates need to run according to their state or district. But life being unaffordable can be used everywhere. Chances are that it will be a much more serious issue soon. They will need to address other issues but may be able to tie many back to the economy.
I would be so glad to demote that mealy mouthed white nationalist who pretends to be ‘Christian’ removed as Speaker & sent to the bleachers. Oh well.
I can say I’m grateful to be alive. Not at the point where the 250th opportunity is one I savor. That may come later or maybe not.
“The forest was shrinking but the trees kept voting for the axe, for the axe was clever and convinced the trees that because his handle was made of wood, he was one of them.“
That’s why Donnie went to Hebron, a small unincorporated town of roughly 7,000 people. He then stood in the packed warehouse with about 1,000 adoring fans and made a fool of himself. (It was raining and the line outside was a quarter of a mile long they say instead of admitting about 500 people were outside.) It is hard to say how many in the crowd could understand what he was saying.
His main objectives were to look like a winner & undermine a thorn in his side, Thomas Massie & his re-election campaign, over release of the Epstein files. There was a medical emergency in the crowd. Here is his bizarre response: He called for a doctor, and told emergency workers to “take your time, please.” 🙄
(Yes there was a hardy small group of protestors who remained outside.)
Do we want to be free from this? What will it take?
“Freedom is not something that anybody can be given. Freedom is something people take, and people are as free as they want to be” - James Baldwin
I dunno, Steven. I’m scared out of my wits, and becoming more so every day. I’m not afraid of the Liar-in-Chief per se. I’m afraid of the capitulating and lying propaganda sources that his cult followers listen to and read, which keeps the truth from them. Or rather, the truth about this guy and the war is too painful for them because they would have to realize that they are worshipping the forces of evil that they now believe are defending the forces of good. Of course, the truth is much more complicated, because nobody was a fan of the Iranian regime. Still, we just cannot admit that the Iranian culture is ancient and deep and somehow we can’t seem to wrap our arms around the fact that they just might not enjoy being wiped off the face of the earth at the whim of a politically thirsty dictator like Trump.
My husband was a very little boy during WWII in France. At that time, food was scarce and they ate what they raised and grew. As such, my father-in-law raised bees for honey, as sugar was scarce. My husband enjoyed watching his father tend them, and, as kids often are, was naturally curious and wanted to examine the bees up close. As he approached the hives, stick in hand, his mother warned him NOT to go near the bees. Nevertheless, he raised his stick and tapped the hives; gently at first, and then more aggressively.
All at once, the bees exploded from the hive in a swarm, covering him, chasing him as he ran for the house. My father-in-law, alarmed by the site, grabbed him, wrapped him in a wet blanket and ran with him to the house, where my mother-in-law subsequently applied tincture of arnica and rubbed him down all over. Needless to say, he survived and learned a valuable lesson.
Trump has tapped the hive in Iran; not once, but twice. Who is going to wrap our country in a blanket and ferry us to safety where we can attend to our wounds? The horror of war never has a truly happy ending, nor does it make us safer.
Tincture of arnica, Anyone?
Sight, not ‘site’. Sorry for the typo!
His cult is divided on this just as they were about tariffs. Megan Kelly and especially Tucker Carlson excoriated him. Tim Pool is another. Joe Rogan is a constant drumbeat of criticism. The theme is pretty consistent: Promises not kept. Not America First. Carlson also criticized the bombing of the girls school pointing out it was hit 2x in 40 minutes. He claims he was told trump is seeing polls that show this is popular (90/10).
This seems like a repeat of the split in trumplandia media over the Epstein files after Leavitt gave them Volume 1 binders of old info. They’d built up the event to their followers which is their bread and butter. Promised special insights to their enthused audiences. There was nothing and they told their audiences.
https://abcnews.com/US/trumps-iran-decision-sparks-backlash-tucker-carlson-maga/story?id=130622270
He sends the military to murder innocent people and then cuts veterans benefits. His goal is torture, death, and destruction, plus stealing. What does it say about a country which supports him.
Israel? Because he’s popular in Israel. Not so popular in the US.
Thank you sir. Samuel Adams said, “It does not take a majority to prevail... but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men.” We have the capability to eliminate the split screen. The courage to eliminate the demented creature on one side to reduce the fires around the world. Yet the courage is lacking from his lackeys in Congress to move forward to impeach on numerous issues. Will just his impeachment reduce the fires, no again courage, a tireless determination to fight everyone of these sycophants that have been placed by that same Congress that lacked courage, insight and determination. Will this occur with the present individuals in this legislature body, No. It may occur once our ‘tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires’ remove all of the cowards of this malignant MAGA cult. In the meantime be the brushfires alive with the calls and may we have the largest brushfire come March 28th. Stay safe and healthy.
it just proves he is certifiably insane....immunity just unleashed this monster... it starts with 6 maga supremes ...
It is a perverse cosmic joke that our country's 250th anniversary occurs while this "deranged despot" and his equally deranged cabinet are doing their best to destroy everything our country stood for.
It is.
Just going to share today is the 61st anniversary of Lyndon Johnson’s voting rights speech. As the Republicans are taking a bill for to restrict voting nights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbFmicUTb_k
Thank you Steven
Always clarity and truth
We have to act and speak in ways that prove we know right from wrong and truth from lies,
The split screen analogy is perfect. Moving forward with a national “birthday party” holds to the same illogical nightmare that we are now experiencing. And your thoughts on the ultimate distraction, beginning a war to hide the terrible truth of T…p’s involvement with Epstein, and seeming to get a pass from critical press coverage, is as pathetic as it gets. We cannot let this happen.
I'm less interested in the current split screen than in the decades that led up to it, starting with the Reagan administration's efforts to undo as much as it could of the New Deal and its successors. The New Deal curbed the capitalist excesses that led to the stock market crash of 1929 and the worldwide depression that followed. World War II defeated the fascist regimes that arose from that depression. The Great Society extended at least some of the benefits of the New Deal to people of color, not to mention the right to vote -- and spawned the white/right backlash that's culminated in Trump I and Trump II. (Trump II's roots go deeper, back to the 1920s and '30s, capitalism über alles and America First.)
So what *is* "our mission"? It's not clear to me. What does seem clear is that plenty of us think Trump came out of nowhere, that Trump I and certainly Trump II were aberrations. Others among us see Trump as the endgame we're stuck with because we the people weren't paying close enough attention, and because too many upper-level Democrats were trying hard to marginalize the Dems who talked about economic power and economic justice.
So what exactly does the rallying cry of "Save our democracy" mean? I hope it means going forward, not trying to restore a democracy whose flaws got us into the huge mess we're in now.
Agree. Not more of the same. That includes accountability.
Hello, Steven
Powerful essential essay again.
Moved me to tears again.
Dismal Facts and inspiration: another split screen.
Excerpts that moved me:
“We may be live in a split-screen world, but we can decide how to manage it: Holding onto a vision of a better world, while also confronting the reality of a Trump regime embracing sadism, cruelty and violence…”
“Maybe perversely, I like this split screen.
I’m grateful to be living now. This is our chance to prove—on this 250th anniversary—that we are not about to forsake our values, allow the demise of our democratic project or let the country we love and our progressive future be stolen by these enemies within.”
///
Yes our chance to prove…
💙🇺🇸💙
Maybe the split screen should depict “We the People”, the result of our 250-year experiment.
One screen showing the common man, groveling in the dirt, and the other our cultivated group of oligarchs sipping champagne.
If you think a few well organized marches are going to fix this, I have a bridge to sell you.
If any further evidence was needed (on top of the mountain that already exists) that Trump is Putin's poodle, please consider the fact that Trump, having raised the price of oil dramatically by means of his brutal war, has now lifted the sanction against purchasing the commodity from Russia.
Russia - a gas station armed with nuclear weapons (to quote others) - has its back to the wall economically. Putin's only hope to keep funding his savagery against the people of Ukraine is to earn revenue through the sale of oil. His puppet, our so-called "President" - a psychopathic, child-molesting, murderous, criminal thug - has delivered.
One thing missed while the focus is on Russia and oil, Iran has increased its oil exports. Its oil goes primarily to China. Meanwhile, the US military stockpile is greatly diminished and we don’t have weapons to spare for Ukraine or for the EU to purchase for Ukraine. That is despite Ukraine offering the US technical info to counter Iranian drones.
I re-watched an important documentary last night, "Bad Faith." It is about the rise and creeping political influence of White Christian Nationalism. Primarily evangelical, they have used the Supreme Court, Donald Trump and now, Project 2025 to achieve their scary goals. The thing that I was most struck by was how the folks on that side of the screen truly believe that the other side, a progressive, pro-democracy side, is evil and a threat. Our side believes that the WCN's, MAGA are evil and a threat. We are stuck in a doom loop, facing off, while Trump, et al. continue to create and stoke deep and destructive divisions. Both sides are organized, each united and certain of their positions, and therein lies the rub: a stalemate. Physics--Newton's Third Law of Motion--tells us that every action has an equal and opposition reaction. Apply this to political and cultural issues: the manner of how DEI, civil rights and progressive issues was pushed and implemented into the general ethos, with cancel culture, impunity and shaming, gave rise to the cruel and vengeful reaction. We were heady with our successes, certain that the path forward for the country was positive and righteous. And it was/is. And if we don't realize this, use our energies to undo the nightmare of this authoritarian experiment, we are screwed. We must acknowledge that our approach must be tempered by wisdom and kindness, a more gentle but determined path forward. If not, we will end up back where we started: stalemate. We are most certainly at war but it is with ourselves, left vs. right, red vs. blue, two screens in opposition. Imagine a united nation, ready to take on the serious challenges ahead. Imagine loving and trusting your neighbors again. Imagine a renewal that includes both sides. Imagine one screen not two, a reflection of the hard work ahead. We start now: protests, elections, blueprints. We overcame a Civil War once before. Surely we can do it again.
Chris Rufo developed the strategy to oppose certain types of social change by selecting terms & redefining them. He stated his goal was to “recodify” critical race theory (CRT) to encompass a wide range of "cultural constructions that are unpopular with Americans" … "eventually turn it toxic, as we put all of the 'various cultural insanities' under that brand category." Make the public immediately think of "something 'crazy' in the newspaper" when they heard CRT. Did the same with DEI. The shaming and so on greased his wheels.
Telling people they are among the privileged when they feel excluded & are struggling makes DEI seem exclusive; an obstacle. To your point about wisdom & kindness, people remember who helps them. They remember broken promises, being stereotyped & insults. Not all trump voters are Maga voters. Even Maga is not a monolith. The Manhattan Institute surveyed after the election to match trump voters with their political ideas. Ex: 47% over age 50 believe Christians don’t get enough favorable treatment. Under age 50, 22%.
Going into the 2024 election the economy was the most important issue for trump voters (93%). Immigration came in 2nd at 82%. Neither made it to the top for Dems. So trump voter concerns on the economy were dismissed as a cover story.
I feel certain trump did not do this on purpose, but the consistent issues of his campaign aligned with the first 2 tiers of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. First, basic survival - food, shelter, water etc. Second, safety & security. Everything was tied to those 2 tiers. Ex: ‘crooked’ Dems are corrupt & robbing ‘you’; giving away tax dollars to other (DEI) people. The immigrants were dangerous criminals & getting housing citizens can’t afford. (The 3rd level is a feeling of belonging & community. Maga is a community & an identity.)
Dem voters were focused on Democracy (a concept) and Supreme Court Justices. A very different mindset. In 2025-6 Dems are on the ‘affordability’ page & winning with solutions — not scapegoating & demonizing. Dems have flipped 28 state legislative seats. GOP has flipped 0. The US Senate passed a bi-partisan housing bill after trump told Mike Johnson no one gives a F… about housing. The House & Senate have both put so-called “affordability” issues at the top of their priorities. Not the new SAVE Act.
I’m not sure the GOP has enough fans left to engage in a civil war if we play our cards right.
Triple "likes" Ann! Your analysis is spot on and points to a way forward. The trick now is whether or not all, and I mean all, Dem candidates get the message, stay on it until November and win this thing. For current electeds who are running, they should have their staffs be busy preparing plans, strategies, tactics, blueprints with what and how the new majorities will wield their power. Personally, I think the first order of business is to oust Schumer and Jeffries, and bring in new, clear-headed, authentically spoken people to the tasks ahead.
Thank you. (I live in trumplandia)
Candidates need to run according to their state or district. But life being unaffordable can be used everywhere. Chances are that it will be a much more serious issue soon. They will need to address other issues but may be able to tie many back to the economy.
I would be so glad to demote that mealy mouthed white nationalist who pretends to be ‘Christian’ removed as Speaker & sent to the bleachers. Oh well.
I can say I’m grateful to be alive. Not at the point where the 250th opportunity is one I savor. That may come later or maybe not.
“The forest was shrinking but the trees kept voting for the axe, for the axe was clever and convinced the trees that because his handle was made of wood, he was one of them.“
That’s why Donnie went to Hebron, a small unincorporated town of roughly 7,000 people. He then stood in the packed warehouse with about 1,000 adoring fans and made a fool of himself. (It was raining and the line outside was a quarter of a mile long they say instead of admitting about 500 people were outside.) It is hard to say how many in the crowd could understand what he was saying.
His main objectives were to look like a winner & undermine a thorn in his side, Thomas Massie & his re-election campaign, over release of the Epstein files. There was a medical emergency in the crowd. Here is his bizarre response: He called for a doctor, and told emergency workers to “take your time, please.” 🙄
(Yes there was a hardy small group of protestors who remained outside.)