I am reminded of this quote by the great Elie Wiesel: “The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference.”
Our voices cut through the darkness. We are making a difference. Keep going.
Horribly so. That he survived and was able and willing to use his humanity to, should we read and pay attention, help us reach better was a great gift if only …
Well spoken Al! Now let’s reverse the process a bit and ask; The opposite of being????, it’s APATHY!!!! My first quess might be what prevents One from being “an American Patriot!”
Thank you, Steven. More than ever, it is clear that it is up to us to break through the noise and chaos. We are in uncharted waters. The boat is being tossed and turned. The seas are angry.
Yet our North Star is always in view. It exists above the turbulent seas of change and will direct us. We don’t know if our ship will survive this storm, but we can do our best to stay the course toward the only home most of us have ever known; a place where the Mother of Exiles Statue of Liberty lives. A place for “your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…” I think at this moment, that is each and every one of us.
Somewhere I read where a third of a population will kill another third of that population while the remaining third watches. I hope we will disprove that observation.
The human species has such capacity for good; it is sad to see how easily that can and does turn to cruelty and evil.
Last night, while driving through a small town in NJ, we saw a few men holding a poster of Charlie Kirk and waving an American flag. It was disheartening to see the glorification of someone who spouted so much hatred, as horrific as his murder was.
Yes, he was exercising his right to free speech, including saying that gun deaths were the price to be paid in order to protect the Second Amendment. I wonder if he truly would have felt that way if he knew that he himself was going to be part of that payment.
Kirk was abusing his right to speak freely to speak with hate. We should not be afraid to say so (even if MSNBC fired one of their analysts for a similar, generic observation.)
Yes, and I will never watch MSNBC again. They have always had some real losers (MAGA explainers) on there, but I will give up Maddow to protest the firing of Dowd. That is the end of any TV news for me. I will get all my news from Beschloss, Heather Cox Richardson and some from Joyce Vance.
Your calm, reassuring voice helps us all to stand with courage and the strength of our convictions. The only way out is through, and with people like you speaking truth, we will come out on the other side, bruised, but still strong. Thanks for your courage and dedication to the cause of democracy.
Grifting to turn grief into grievance, manipulating the many’s mourning, Donald Trump solicits rage that he can exploit for violence. He does not seek to quench the Nation’s anger, he seeks to inflame the moment, stoking the fire. It is he and Kirk that traded in violent rhetoric. They monetized it like the money changers they are. They gaslighted the rest of us when a fire breaks out, and they simultaneously fanned those flames while pouring the gasoline on the fire. https://hotbuttons.substack.com/p/bilious-hate-mongering?r=3m1bs
Political violence is one of those phrases that mean nothing to me. Violence is violence. Tacking on "political" seems like an effort to remove it from the person performing it and to attach it to a movement or a group of people. A husband killing his wife and children is violence. Someone shooting a dog is violence (yes, Kristi, it is). People have been doing violent things to each other since Grok took Erk's piece of flint and Erk got angry and smashed his skull.
It is a classification of violence as are the terms animal cruelty, domestic violence or familial violence. What separates different classifications are things like who commits the acts, their intent, motive or means and who is harmed. To you it may not matter but the immediate affects and the responses differ for different kinds of violences.
As far as the bombing of Qatar by Israel is concerned....the largest military base of the US in the Middle East is located less than 20 miles from the bombing side, and they did not notice the Israelis coming?????
thanks you Steven for the informative script. Yes so much chaos , it seem every five minutes something new crops up . Putin sending drones into Poland , prodding and poking at NATO. Netanyahu bombing Qatar without informing Mr. Trump. The world is just spinning along and it appears Mr. Trump is not included. He seems to be of no import with the rest of the world. I feel that the legal and illegal brown and black immigrants been rounded up for incarceration and possible deportation get lost in the mix. ICE gestapo units appreciate all the news going forth so they can quietly slither around and brutalize immigrant families. The Epstein files are burning brightly on a daily basis. The assassination of Mr. Kirk , a abhorrent criminal act may give Mr. Trump an excuse to start thinking about Martial Law.
Thank you, Steven, for keeping your head above water and helping us all swim frantically to shore — or wherever we can envision landing on the other side of this madness. I count on you and the many others in our community to press on. Every day I take some small step to remind myself that I am not giving up. Still, it’s daunting to think we are only 8 1/2 months into this…
Steven, Kirk was an extremist, a young white supremacist whose life was snuffed out by an equally young shooter…a 22 year old. This guy was not a professional sniper using a long range rifle. He left behind so many clues. Did Kirk deserve to die a violent death? No, he didn’t. Would I have liked to see him serve a prison term for inciting people? Yes. Charlie Kirk is not to be revered or admired. He is to be abhorred for divisive rhetoric. I feel empathy for his family and for the people who attended his rally. They are all deeply traumatized. But here is what we need to do and that is cloak ourselves in any joy that we can find because that is something “they” cannot take from us.
Thank you for these promises, Steven. Your words are inspiring and soothing.
⬇️
“…. But I refuse to be overwhelmed and I will not be subdued.
Even on days when I struggle to decide where to focus my spotlight, I pledge to you that I will do the best I can to identify the stories and measure their meaning with all the energy and wit that I have. I remain convinced that knowledge is power and our collective power can overcome this hateful regime.”
Let history be our guide. Let We The People not be so afraid, worried, weak, and desperate in the created-chaos (not to mention the self-imposed economic downturn) that we choose a strongman because only he can fix it.
I am reminded of this quote by the great Elie Wiesel: “The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference.”
Our voices cut through the darkness. We are making a difference. Keep going.
Ellie Wiesel was a wise man.
Forged in horror
Horribly so. That he survived and was able and willing to use his humanity to, should we read and pay attention, help us reach better was a great gift if only …
Thank you Al
Well spoken Al! Now let’s reverse the process a bit and ask; The opposite of being????, it’s APATHY!!!! My first quess might be what prevents One from being “an American Patriot!”
It is hard to keep up with everything that is happening but your writings are succinct and keep us well informed, thank you…
Thank you for your articles Steven. They remind me that sanity and calmness can prevail.
Thank you, Steven. More than ever, it is clear that it is up to us to break through the noise and chaos. We are in uncharted waters. The boat is being tossed and turned. The seas are angry.
Yet our North Star is always in view. It exists above the turbulent seas of change and will direct us. We don’t know if our ship will survive this storm, but we can do our best to stay the course toward the only home most of us have ever known; a place where the Mother of Exiles Statue of Liberty lives. A place for “your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…” I think at this moment, that is each and every one of us.
Somewhere I read where a third of a population will kill another third of that population while the remaining third watches. I hope we will disprove that observation.
The human species has such capacity for good; it is sad to see how easily that can and does turn to cruelty and evil.
Last night, while driving through a small town in NJ, we saw a few men holding a poster of Charlie Kirk and waving an American flag. It was disheartening to see the glorification of someone who spouted so much hatred, as horrific as his murder was.
Yes, he was exercising his right to free speech, including saying that gun deaths were the price to be paid in order to protect the Second Amendment. I wonder if he truly would have felt that way if he knew that he himself was going to be part of that payment.
Kirk was abusing his right to speak freely to speak with hate. We should not be afraid to say so (even if MSNBC fired one of their analysts for a similar, generic observation.)
Yes, and I will never watch MSNBC again. They have always had some real losers (MAGA explainers) on there, but I will give up Maddow to protest the firing of Dowd. That is the end of any TV news for me. I will get all my news from Beschloss, Heather Cox Richardson and some from Joyce Vance.
Your calm, reassuring voice helps us all to stand with courage and the strength of our convictions. The only way out is through, and with people like you speaking truth, we will come out on the other side, bruised, but still strong. Thanks for your courage and dedication to the cause of democracy.
Grifting to turn grief into grievance, manipulating the many’s mourning, Donald Trump solicits rage that he can exploit for violence. He does not seek to quench the Nation’s anger, he seeks to inflame the moment, stoking the fire. It is he and Kirk that traded in violent rhetoric. They monetized it like the money changers they are. They gaslighted the rest of us when a fire breaks out, and they simultaneously fanned those flames while pouring the gasoline on the fire. https://hotbuttons.substack.com/p/bilious-hate-mongering?r=3m1bs
Political violence is one of those phrases that mean nothing to me. Violence is violence. Tacking on "political" seems like an effort to remove it from the person performing it and to attach it to a movement or a group of people. A husband killing his wife and children is violence. Someone shooting a dog is violence (yes, Kristi, it is). People have been doing violent things to each other since Grok took Erk's piece of flint and Erk got angry and smashed his skull.
It is a classification of violence as are the terms animal cruelty, domestic violence or familial violence. What separates different classifications are things like who commits the acts, their intent, motive or means and who is harmed. To you it may not matter but the immediate affects and the responses differ for different kinds of violences.
Sharing your knowledge with us is very important, and that is why I continue to support your efforts.
As far as the bombing of Qatar by Israel is concerned....the largest military base of the US in the Middle East is located less than 20 miles from the bombing side, and they did not notice the Israelis coming?????
Insanity has met its match in ignorance. What could possibly go wrong out of this union?
We have no option but to stop this.
thanks you Steven for the informative script. Yes so much chaos , it seem every five minutes something new crops up . Putin sending drones into Poland , prodding and poking at NATO. Netanyahu bombing Qatar without informing Mr. Trump. The world is just spinning along and it appears Mr. Trump is not included. He seems to be of no import with the rest of the world. I feel that the legal and illegal brown and black immigrants been rounded up for incarceration and possible deportation get lost in the mix. ICE gestapo units appreciate all the news going forth so they can quietly slither around and brutalize immigrant families. The Epstein files are burning brightly on a daily basis. The assassination of Mr. Kirk , a abhorrent criminal act may give Mr. Trump an excuse to start thinking about Martial Law.
Thank you, Steven, for keeping your head above water and helping us all swim frantically to shore — or wherever we can envision landing on the other side of this madness. I count on you and the many others in our community to press on. Every day I take some small step to remind myself that I am not giving up. Still, it’s daunting to think we are only 8 1/2 months into this…
Steven, Kirk was an extremist, a young white supremacist whose life was snuffed out by an equally young shooter…a 22 year old. This guy was not a professional sniper using a long range rifle. He left behind so many clues. Did Kirk deserve to die a violent death? No, he didn’t. Would I have liked to see him serve a prison term for inciting people? Yes. Charlie Kirk is not to be revered or admired. He is to be abhorred for divisive rhetoric. I feel empathy for his family and for the people who attended his rally. They are all deeply traumatized. But here is what we need to do and that is cloak ourselves in any joy that we can find because that is something “they” cannot take from us.
Where are the Maureen Deans now? Where are the wives who say "No. Quit lying and fomenting Hatred. If you cannot quit then we are finished."
Thank you for these promises, Steven. Your words are inspiring and soothing.
⬇️
“…. But I refuse to be overwhelmed and I will not be subdued.
Even on days when I struggle to decide where to focus my spotlight, I pledge to you that I will do the best I can to identify the stories and measure their meaning with all the energy and wit that I have. I remain convinced that knowledge is power and our collective power can overcome this hateful regime.”
💙🇺🇸💙
Let history be our guide. Let We The People not be so afraid, worried, weak, and desperate in the created-chaos (not to mention the self-imposed economic downturn) that we choose a strongman because only he can fix it.