I agree. The regime will not de-escalate anything. They are in power and their plan to strangle our Democracy and replace it with their version of autocratic rule will not stop. I don't believe for a second, that the "immigrant detention centers" being built around the country may well be used to detain any citizen who dares resist their chaos and rule. Take Al's advice...be vigilant, be informed, and smart. No one is coming to save us except, We The People.
I don't see any negotiation over DHS funding as complete until they have turned over the agents who committed crimes against people for prosecution. As long as there is no accountability for these crimes, we are funding murder and assault.
Perhaps I am a coward and faint of heart. I feel overwhelmed. I wonder if we can ever wrest the power from the malevolent forces now in charge.
Multiple Minotaurs guard the cave of democracy and we are trying desperately to break through. Can we? Will we? What will it take? The force of many? Do we need a battering ram to get through? Do we need a leader that is part Jason, part Hercules, part Minotaur-whisperer? The solution evades me. If we are heading toward complete autocracy in the form of elections that cannot be held or that can be manipulated by the power of the federal (I hesitate to call it)…government, we will not succeed in breaching the mouth of the cave to rescue the Golden Fleece of Freedom.
With our words and our examples of what it means to be moral, peaceful, directed and engaged citizens, we are all ‘Jasons’ now.
Ellen, I think that this is a do or die situation. Unlike Jason, we have no Golden Fleece, but perhaps we can confront the minotaurs hidden in the background of the current crises. As I recall, a spider's thread was key to that victory. And what might that entail? First of all, weaving a web of coherent narrative to both unite us and to catch the creepy crawly insects of this regime and its supporters. From that web we can trace various directions toward freedom. Fear is the most potent weapon of autocracy. We must not fall victim to it.
Our mythologies hold many keys to our potential. And if ever there was a time to consider who we are when we pay attention to this, it's now. If you haven't read The Hero With a Thousand Faces (I think!) or other works by Joseph Campbell, you might find inspirations there. We're shoulder to shoulder. Elbows up.
I find it increasingly necessary to visit and revisit sources of hope and inspiration, as part of a balancing act, an effort to remain upright and active on behalf of those things I know to be true and helpful. There is just so much sludge out there, and although I know that we can't turn away from seeing it, we also need to see that light at the end of the (minotaur's) tunnel. I mean, seriously, at the end of my day I open one of the inspiring books on my nightstand and read a few passages to get me through the night. And I swear to you, and to all of our brothers and sisters in the resistance, I will not go down without doing every single thing I can think of to defeat the enemies of human progress. Period; full stop.
I honestly thought I misheard when I first heard that Tom Homan was being sent to Minneapolis to calm things down. His rhetoric has been some of the most violent. Did one of the regime really think anyone has been sent to Minneapolis, or Maine, or Portland, to de-escalate anything? The dictator and his thugs want nothing more than to escalate the violence as they prepare to invalidate the midterms. What's happening in Georgia is a precursor of what is to come. We must not believe that the dt regime is backing down, and so we must not back down. In fact we must peacefully take our fight to a higher level if we are to have any chance of taking our country and its constitution back. Very dark times ahead
Here's what I wrote to Senator Schumer. Please fill his inbox if you're so inclined: To schumer: Senator Schumer,
Please no deal on any part of the budget without a full recalibration of how ICE operates. We have all seen the damage done to people exercising their First Amendment rights, including murder. Murder. On camera.
But it's worse -- ICE is creating a database of people who protest and are labeling them as terrorists. They are using drones and facial recognition and literally going to war with us, the people of the United States.
ICE is ignoring the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Shut this government down unless that database is removed, unless the Constitution is assiduously observed. ICE should not be 100 air miles from the border. Five miles, maybe. 100 is how we got into this mess. Rewrite how ICE works for the rest of the government to be funded, or don't fund it at all.
Please. This is truly now a matter of life and death. Please. For Renee Good and Alex Pretti and the many others who have died or been tortured and mistreated by ICE, just say NO. No more, no deal. We have rights and you have this moment to stand in the breach and preserve those rights for us, the people of the United States.
Clearly, the situation has not changed nor will change as long as leadership (broadly and generously stated) remains. Trumpies take their cue from the lead dog. Until all reins are cut we can expect another crisis in Minneapolis and anywhere these malcontents gather. Bravo to all who continue to challenge, record, and fight against illegal policies, police action, and corrupt practices of the regime. Rule #1: Do not trust, verify.
Thank You Steven... Yes Trump said in his first term he wanted to be Kim Jong Un. He is succeeding . I am heart sick with my party. I am a life long democrat and they are making me sick. I don't want them making a deal to keep the government open. ICE is murdering people taking children and harmless people off the streets . I am losing all hope . lost in america.
Thanks Steven : Yes the more it changes the more it stays the same. This is not a draw down it is just a few hours and a coffee break and the ICE Gestapo will be up and running at full tilt. SS Bovino has bust been replace with SS Homan. Tom Homan has a calmer tone in his rhetoric while he quietly orders his gestapo agents to keep the pressure on "You know fellows we have to get Stephen Millers quotas up " SS Bovino with his Himmler hair cut ranting and acting like a true Nazi brought the cameras and cell phones out, he got too much media (Independent) coverage . Keep the protests , cell phones and cameras rolling, Nothing has changed but the head of the boil. Stay arms length from the vermin and keep the video rolling.
There’s not going to be a de-escalation or draw-down. These are terms that even Lawrence O’Donnell recognizes were used in media coverage during Vietnam. It’s more a shuffling of the deck, not reducing the number of the 3,000 just placing them in different places on the board. Instead of 100 in the concentration camps there it’s 200. Homan is more politically savvy in a way that Bovino never could be. Both are brutes and bully’s they just do it differently. Homan the architect of family separation in 2018. His mantra back then “maximize pain, maximize the catch”. Have heard the MSM go on and on about this “fantasy”. Look at how many rights have been eroding, or becoming “normalized” loosing 1st, even 2nd amendments. Then there’s the 4th and 14th being attacked. Next up all voting rights…
So tired of hearing “It’s not normal” from MSM, Dems in Congress - it’s well beyond time of this comment — “We Do Not Accept the Legitimacy of Your Presence”
It should be apparent, even to the most casual observer, that the congressional Democratic leaders, do not have the stomach for the fight that is required. We cannot rely on them. “You’re going to have to fight like hell, or you won’t have a country anymore.” Sound familiar… The time for pissing about, and writing comments, is slowly coming to an end.
Thank you Steven again. The Democrats in the Senate are trying to negotiate again. They cannot negotiate with Trump or the R’s. They are asking for certain things like “ Ice must remove masks”, “Ice must wear body cameras”. This is useless. They have already been given court orders to do this.
The white right has been aiming in this direction for at least a century. On one hand, it's infuriating that so many white liberal and progressive types, esp. the elected ones, didn't catch on sooner. OTOH, it's a relief that the Trump administration is as ham-handed as it is. Most of my life I've thought of "states' rights" as the rallying cry for neo-Confederates and their allies -- because that's what it was. In a sardonic sort of way, I'm enjoying the way it's become a rallying cry for the pro-democracy forces. Turnabout's fair play, y'all.
yup... and I gotta bridge to sell ya.... this is why the desricptive word for those in congress is "performative" ... there truly is no"no there there" absolutely disgusting
I think was Aldus Huxey who penned "...if we do not remember history we are bound to repeat " Excerpt From Diary of Ann Frank, 75th anniversary ed - entry, Jan 13, 1943: "...poor helpless people being dragged from homes, families torn apart, kids home fr school find no parents, women return fr shopping find families gone..."
We must divide our attention now, especially. Keep some on ICE, which is visible and dramatic, but also watch out for these preliminary efforts to monkey with the next election via a combination of intimidation and outright interference with balloting. We can't impeach Trump if we don't get a majority in congress.
Don’t be fooled. This is a feint.
We must witness, testify and resist. We must rally others. We must never be silent. We must never be complicit. We must stand.
And we must also be vigilant and smart.
I agree. The regime will not de-escalate anything. They are in power and their plan to strangle our Democracy and replace it with their version of autocratic rule will not stop. I don't believe for a second, that the "immigrant detention centers" being built around the country may well be used to detain any citizen who dares resist their chaos and rule. Take Al's advice...be vigilant, be informed, and smart. No one is coming to save us except, We The People.
I don't see any negotiation over DHS funding as complete until they have turned over the agents who committed crimes against people for prosecution. As long as there is no accountability for these crimes, we are funding murder and assault.
Perhaps I am a coward and faint of heart. I feel overwhelmed. I wonder if we can ever wrest the power from the malevolent forces now in charge.
Multiple Minotaurs guard the cave of democracy and we are trying desperately to break through. Can we? Will we? What will it take? The force of many? Do we need a battering ram to get through? Do we need a leader that is part Jason, part Hercules, part Minotaur-whisperer? The solution evades me. If we are heading toward complete autocracy in the form of elections that cannot be held or that can be manipulated by the power of the federal (I hesitate to call it)…government, we will not succeed in breaching the mouth of the cave to rescue the Golden Fleece of Freedom.
With our words and our examples of what it means to be moral, peaceful, directed and engaged citizens, we are all ‘Jasons’ now.
Ellen, I think that this is a do or die situation. Unlike Jason, we have no Golden Fleece, but perhaps we can confront the minotaurs hidden in the background of the current crises. As I recall, a spider's thread was key to that victory. And what might that entail? First of all, weaving a web of coherent narrative to both unite us and to catch the creepy crawly insects of this regime and its supporters. From that web we can trace various directions toward freedom. Fear is the most potent weapon of autocracy. We must not fall victim to it.
That is so well said, Leigh. Thank you.
Our mythologies hold many keys to our potential. And if ever there was a time to consider who we are when we pay attention to this, it's now. If you haven't read The Hero With a Thousand Faces (I think!) or other works by Joseph Campbell, you might find inspirations there. We're shoulder to shoulder. Elbows up.
Yes. I am a big fan of the late Joseph Campbell!
I find it increasingly necessary to visit and revisit sources of hope and inspiration, as part of a balancing act, an effort to remain upright and active on behalf of those things I know to be true and helpful. There is just so much sludge out there, and although I know that we can't turn away from seeing it, we also need to see that light at the end of the (minotaur's) tunnel. I mean, seriously, at the end of my day I open one of the inspiring books on my nightstand and read a few passages to get me through the night. And I swear to you, and to all of our brothers and sisters in the resistance, I will not go down without doing every single thing I can think of to defeat the enemies of human progress. Period; full stop.
I honestly thought I misheard when I first heard that Tom Homan was being sent to Minneapolis to calm things down. His rhetoric has been some of the most violent. Did one of the regime really think anyone has been sent to Minneapolis, or Maine, or Portland, to de-escalate anything? The dictator and his thugs want nothing more than to escalate the violence as they prepare to invalidate the midterms. What's happening in Georgia is a precursor of what is to come. We must not believe that the dt regime is backing down, and so we must not back down. In fact we must peacefully take our fight to a higher level if we are to have any chance of taking our country and its constitution back. Very dark times ahead
Here's what I wrote to Senator Schumer. Please fill his inbox if you're so inclined: To schumer: Senator Schumer,
Please no deal on any part of the budget without a full recalibration of how ICE operates. We have all seen the damage done to people exercising their First Amendment rights, including murder. Murder. On camera.
But it's worse -- ICE is creating a database of people who protest and are labeling them as terrorists. They are using drones and facial recognition and literally going to war with us, the people of the United States.
ICE is ignoring the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Shut this government down unless that database is removed, unless the Constitution is assiduously observed. ICE should not be 100 air miles from the border. Five miles, maybe. 100 is how we got into this mess. Rewrite how ICE works for the rest of the government to be funded, or don't fund it at all.
Please. This is truly now a matter of life and death. Please. For Renee Good and Alex Pretti and the many others who have died or been tortured and mistreated by ICE, just say NO. No more, no deal. We have rights and you have this moment to stand in the breach and preserve those rights for us, the people of the United States.
Thank you.
Well said.
Clearly, the situation has not changed nor will change as long as leadership (broadly and generously stated) remains. Trumpies take their cue from the lead dog. Until all reins are cut we can expect another crisis in Minneapolis and anywhere these malcontents gather. Bravo to all who continue to challenge, record, and fight against illegal policies, police action, and corrupt practices of the regime. Rule #1: Do not trust, verify.
What tricks are up their sleeves?
Thank You Steven... Yes Trump said in his first term he wanted to be Kim Jong Un. He is succeeding . I am heart sick with my party. I am a life long democrat and they are making me sick. I don't want them making a deal to keep the government open. ICE is murdering people taking children and harmless people off the streets . I am losing all hope . lost in america.
Don't lose hope, Mary. Keep the long view...
Thanks Steven : Yes the more it changes the more it stays the same. This is not a draw down it is just a few hours and a coffee break and the ICE Gestapo will be up and running at full tilt. SS Bovino has bust been replace with SS Homan. Tom Homan has a calmer tone in his rhetoric while he quietly orders his gestapo agents to keep the pressure on "You know fellows we have to get Stephen Millers quotas up " SS Bovino with his Himmler hair cut ranting and acting like a true Nazi brought the cameras and cell phones out, he got too much media (Independent) coverage . Keep the protests , cell phones and cameras rolling, Nothing has changed but the head of the boil. Stay arms length from the vermin and keep the video rolling.
There’s not going to be a de-escalation or draw-down. These are terms that even Lawrence O’Donnell recognizes were used in media coverage during Vietnam. It’s more a shuffling of the deck, not reducing the number of the 3,000 just placing them in different places on the board. Instead of 100 in the concentration camps there it’s 200. Homan is more politically savvy in a way that Bovino never could be. Both are brutes and bully’s they just do it differently. Homan the architect of family separation in 2018. His mantra back then “maximize pain, maximize the catch”. Have heard the MSM go on and on about this “fantasy”. Look at how many rights have been eroding, or becoming “normalized” loosing 1st, even 2nd amendments. Then there’s the 4th and 14th being attacked. Next up all voting rights…
So tired of hearing “It’s not normal” from MSM, Dems in Congress - it’s well beyond time of this comment — “We Do Not Accept the Legitimacy of Your Presence”
He needs to Go.
It should be apparent, even to the most casual observer, that the congressional Democratic leaders, do not have the stomach for the fight that is required. We cannot rely on them. “You’re going to have to fight like hell, or you won’t have a country anymore.” Sound familiar… The time for pissing about, and writing comments, is slowly coming to an end.
Thank you Steven again. The Democrats in the Senate are trying to negotiate again. They cannot negotiate with Trump or the R’s. They are asking for certain things like “ Ice must remove masks”, “Ice must wear body cameras”. This is useless. They have already been given court orders to do this.
Since when do the R’s and Trump follow the law?
The white right has been aiming in this direction for at least a century. On one hand, it's infuriating that so many white liberal and progressive types, esp. the elected ones, didn't catch on sooner. OTOH, it's a relief that the Trump administration is as ham-handed as it is. Most of my life I've thought of "states' rights" as the rallying cry for neo-Confederates and their allies -- because that's what it was. In a sardonic sort of way, I'm enjoying the way it's become a rallying cry for the pro-democracy forces. Turnabout's fair play, y'all.
yup... and I gotta bridge to sell ya.... this is why the desricptive word for those in congress is "performative" ... there truly is no"no there there" absolutely disgusting
‼️📢📢📢👊👊👊⚖️⚖️⚖️
Persistence ‼️Resistance ‼️
I think was Aldus Huxey who penned "...if we do not remember history we are bound to repeat " Excerpt From Diary of Ann Frank, 75th anniversary ed - entry, Jan 13, 1943: "...poor helpless people being dragged from homes, families torn apart, kids home fr school find no parents, women return fr shopping find families gone..."
Sound familiar?
We must divide our attention now, especially. Keep some on ICE, which is visible and dramatic, but also watch out for these preliminary efforts to monkey with the next election via a combination of intimidation and outright interference with balloting. We can't impeach Trump if we don't get a majority in congress.