I live in Columbus, Ohio: a big blue dot in a red state. What inspires me here are two things:
1. When I see over 4,000 of my neighbors turn out for No Kings Day and it wasn't even the main rally at the Ohio Statehouse. We carried the signs you mention in your column and we were pointed, joyous and peaceful. Later that day, almost 15,000 turned out at the Statehouse.
2. Columbus has become "home" for immigrants from many lands since we moved here in 1986...and it struck me these past weeks how many of them are courageously living their lives, working their jobs and trying to live the American dream, even while Trump's ICE Gestapo trolls the streets looking to scoop them up without cause, warrants or any other reason than "they look different."
I pray we throw off this would-be tyrant and his team of horribles the way we threw off King George in 1776.
I agree only partially because his psychotic cabal of sycophants and dark money supporters are the real puppet masters. These horribles, unless they are physically rounded. up, removed from power, their wealth confiscated, will continue their destruction of our democracy with a Trump alternative.
That said, I am still grateful for being alive today, to marvel at the beauty of our country, to appreciate the kindness of others and that I am still free to live as I wish. That I can speak my mind and pursue my artistic modes of expression even amidst current personal crises. Thank you Steven for providing this forum to remind us, that despite our superficial differences, our blood is the same color and that we are one.
I hold living in Florida dear. Before my very eyes, I am seeing the state turn blue-purple. It is because of the work the people are putting in. In an attempt to 'stay in my lane' or else I'd go crazy, I focus on public education. We are Ground Zero, specifically in Sarasota, for billionaire's charter schools to legally squat in taxpayer funded public schools. Here is a petition ANYONE can sign. Would appreciate it. https://c.org/JNhP8mBD7P Also I'm excessively grateful to bloggers who are brave enough to speak truth to power. I wish mainstream media hadn't fallen so short. Thanks, Steven.
I hold dear the understanding that America is essentially an idea that its citizens treasure. An idea that some have described as the “soul” of America. It needs to be nurtured and protected or it will become mangled into wreckage or dust or an empty space in our hearts, much like what happened last week at the Whit House.
America’s current president is a psychopath. There is no path one can take to reason with him. He’s as crazy as a rabid dog and he’s off leash. All we can do is work toward preserving what will be left of our nation after its bankrupt of funds and bankrupt of decency.
My mind goes first to the No Kings protest. The images show the things I value and cherish - the moral clarity, the joy and whimsy, the defense of those individuals and of our natural world that are most vulnerable to the worst in this nation, the Constitution at the core of what this nation is. As a child of Canadian immigrants who came to this country with so little and yet built an amazing life for our family and contributed in so many meaningful ways to our community, I see and feel deeply the heartache of those people being targeted. I struggle to process the daily evidence of corruption, cowardice and greed yet can still see beyond that to what I value and hold close to my heart - the caring communities and the amazing natural beauty of this county.
We WILL survive this stain on our history books . Keep teaching our children that freedom from political oppression is #1 goal. Independence of thought preserved with respect for others is an integral part of the game.
1. Our natural beauty found throughout the country in our wild spaces.
2. Our unique constitution which paved the way for democracy throughout the world.
3. Our amazing scientific accomplishments achieved through governmental commitment and support of brilliant minds from around the world.
All of these things are somehow viewed as worthless, or even worse, a threat, by Trump and his band of nefarious incompetent sycophants. Which is why they must be defeated if we are to remain a great nation and continue our journey toward a more perfect union.
I think of my childhood , we didn't have much in the way of financial assets but my Dad was the best role model a kid could ever ask for. He was a devoted Catholic and I knew if you didn't attend church with him on Sunday you were not leaving the house that day. As I ventured into adulthood I went through a divorce and made bad decisions regarding some of the relationships I chose. He could see through my smile as I worked hard as a single parent to raise and provide for my son. I had long left the Catholic Church and didn't believe in organized religion. It was a beautiful day and my Dad and I were sitting in my front yard talking about life. My Dad asked if I had attended churches of other denominations which I believed in. I had but they weren't for me. He was trying to help me and respect my choices although different from his. He respected my ideologies and never tried to impose his religious views on me. Thus, the freedoms in our Constitution protect our right to disagree. Growing up in a small town in Western Iowa that was predominantly white was my life back then. I never heard a racist remark from my Dad. He accepted everyone and respected all cultures. Then you have Trump, treating immigrants as we all are , with so much hatred. Trump is ignorant, yet he has his administration full of cowardly individuals who sit back and let him try to destroy our Democracy. I wonder if they had a wonderful father as I did would they have acted differently. Their complete lack of any empathy is something I will never understand
Our founding documents are inspiring, and I want them to be truer during my children’s lives then they have been for me, and for me they have been a constant source of pride and, up until 2016, armor that I believed was personally invincible. Not so now, and that is an insult to our very founding.
I hold dear the openness of our beautiful landscape, and the variety one can admire on a long road trip. Trips I take to clear the mind and the soul. This openness translates to the human spirit of possibilities, sometimes not always based on reality. But this idea, that I'm not articulating particularly well, can be felt in the lyrics of musical poets like Dylan, Springsteen and Marvin Gaye. This spirit was reignited, for me, by my No Kings attendance.
I hold dear our diversity, the heterogeneity of the immigrants who are the backbone of this country. I am the child of an immigrant father and a 1st generation mother. I grew up surrounded by immigrants. Then I lived in Greece for 35 years, until recently a mostly homogeneous country. My trips back to Boston and Cambridge always reminded me of the beauty and strength of our diversity. How ironic that after returning from living in Athens, the birthplace of democracy, I am now involved in the struggle to save democracy in the country where I was born.
Human morality and kindness toward others, was taught to me by my father. He was military intelligence during WWII, and CIA for the rest of his life. I followed in his footsteps thinking that the work I performed with the CIA was to preserve and protect our freedoms. During my twenty years abroad in Russia, Central Asia, and Ukraine this sense of morality, honesty, and justice was the guiding light for all that I did. As a consultant, I worked in Rwanda, Afghanistan, Peru, and other nations. Despite my “guiding light”, I witnessed and absorbed the atrocities of mankind.
The full horror of racism in Rwanda violently killed about 800,000 people in three short months. This chilling tribal war pitted Tutsis against Hutus. The lessons shared were not just about typical nonprofit tasks but were personal lessons about the extremes of hatred and humanitarian crisis – and racial strife. As I danced with a large group of laughing young orphans in a large thatched-roof hut on the dirt floor, I was sobbing. I wanted to share their joy while dancing to the rhythm of their ankle bells, their songs, and their other hand-made musical instruments. Instead, all I could see were the children’s scars of their war – some were missing a hand, an arm, an ear, an eye while others bore signs of brutality such as machete scars on their backs, stomachs, or even heads.
I thought this could never happen in the United States – my home. Yet in 2025, I have allowed myself to feel the hatred toward a man with no soul. His lies about “making American great” have hit the brick wall of reality. He is mindlessly destroying our country – our belief in humanity and goodness – as he lies his way through his daily routine of criminality and destruction.
The capacity of man to hate and to kill each other for no reason, is not something I grew up with or even imagined. My childhood had been sheltered from the big city crime, racial strife, and brutality experienced by others in our country. I lived with the fantasy of “America the Great”, and this message was repeated by our presidents and leaders.
Today, the United States is the opposite of that dream. Our leader is killing Blacks and Browns in large numbers. His unprovoked and unsubstantiated war on drugs in the Caribbean has killed innocent fishermen - thirty murders in about two weeks. His masked men have arrested immigrants, shipping them to uninhabitable concentration camps just like Hitler did with Jews across Europe. NPR “estimated that 14 million lives could be lost due to Trump aid cuts in Africa.” This number is more than twice the number of Jews slaughtered by Hitler. The magnitude of this reality is a moratorium on the man who believes he is the President of the United States. HE IS NOT my president, and I believe there are millions of Americans who feel the same way.
Yet there is another population living in this country that I have zero recognition of or understand. Here is an example: The caption of this New York Post, 10/25/2025
Photo reads: “A Texas man is behind bars after he allegedly shot his neighbor last week because he thought her horse was getting “too fat.”
The bottom line is that Ihave lost my beloved America, and have no illusions of her rebirth or revival.
I live in Columbus, Ohio: a big blue dot in a red state. What inspires me here are two things:
1. When I see over 4,000 of my neighbors turn out for No Kings Day and it wasn't even the main rally at the Ohio Statehouse. We carried the signs you mention in your column and we were pointed, joyous and peaceful. Later that day, almost 15,000 turned out at the Statehouse.
2. Columbus has become "home" for immigrants from many lands since we moved here in 1986...and it struck me these past weeks how many of them are courageously living their lives, working their jobs and trying to live the American dream, even while Trump's ICE Gestapo trolls the streets looking to scoop them up without cause, warrants or any other reason than "they look different."
I pray we throw off this would-be tyrant and his team of horribles the way we threw off King George in 1776.
Appreciate the thoughts.
The Constitution (which does not seem to mean anything to the current president) and the right to free speech on the top of my list…..
The Constitution means NOTHING to Dear Leader and his Flying Monkeys intend to ignore it, also. (Republicans.)
I agree!
Peace of mind, a working government that wants to make sure that everyone is healthy, housed, and fed.
It’s the bare minimum.
A real shame we don't have that now. Hopefully he'll die soon and very painfully.
I agree only partially because his psychotic cabal of sycophants and dark money supporters are the real puppet masters. These horribles, unless they are physically rounded. up, removed from power, their wealth confiscated, will continue their destruction of our democracy with a Trump alternative.
That said, I am still grateful for being alive today, to marvel at the beauty of our country, to appreciate the kindness of others and that I am still free to live as I wish. That I can speak my mind and pursue my artistic modes of expression even amidst current personal crises. Thank you Steven for providing this forum to remind us, that despite our superficial differences, our blood is the same color and that we are one.
I hold living in Florida dear. Before my very eyes, I am seeing the state turn blue-purple. It is because of the work the people are putting in. In an attempt to 'stay in my lane' or else I'd go crazy, I focus on public education. We are Ground Zero, specifically in Sarasota, for billionaire's charter schools to legally squat in taxpayer funded public schools. Here is a petition ANYONE can sign. Would appreciate it. https://c.org/JNhP8mBD7P Also I'm excessively grateful to bloggers who are brave enough to speak truth to power. I wish mainstream media hadn't fallen so short. Thanks, Steven.
I hold dear the understanding that America is essentially an idea that its citizens treasure. An idea that some have described as the “soul” of America. It needs to be nurtured and protected or it will become mangled into wreckage or dust or an empty space in our hearts, much like what happened last week at the Whit House.
The freedoms of speech, the press, religion ,
… and ALL of those who have given their lives defending those rights.
America’s current president is a psychopath. There is no path one can take to reason with him. He’s as crazy as a rabid dog and he’s off leash. All we can do is work toward preserving what will be left of our nation after its bankrupt of funds and bankrupt of decency.
My mind goes first to the No Kings protest. The images show the things I value and cherish - the moral clarity, the joy and whimsy, the defense of those individuals and of our natural world that are most vulnerable to the worst in this nation, the Constitution at the core of what this nation is. As a child of Canadian immigrants who came to this country with so little and yet built an amazing life for our family and contributed in so many meaningful ways to our community, I see and feel deeply the heartache of those people being targeted. I struggle to process the daily evidence of corruption, cowardice and greed yet can still see beyond that to what I value and hold close to my heart - the caring communities and the amazing natural beauty of this county.
We WILL survive this stain on our history books . Keep teaching our children that freedom from political oppression is #1 goal. Independence of thought preserved with respect for others is an integral part of the game.
1. Our natural beauty found throughout the country in our wild spaces.
2. Our unique constitution which paved the way for democracy throughout the world.
3. Our amazing scientific accomplishments achieved through governmental commitment and support of brilliant minds from around the world.
All of these things are somehow viewed as worthless, or even worse, a threat, by Trump and his band of nefarious incompetent sycophants. Which is why they must be defeated if we are to remain a great nation and continue our journey toward a more perfect union.
I think of my childhood , we didn't have much in the way of financial assets but my Dad was the best role model a kid could ever ask for. He was a devoted Catholic and I knew if you didn't attend church with him on Sunday you were not leaving the house that day. As I ventured into adulthood I went through a divorce and made bad decisions regarding some of the relationships I chose. He could see through my smile as I worked hard as a single parent to raise and provide for my son. I had long left the Catholic Church and didn't believe in organized religion. It was a beautiful day and my Dad and I were sitting in my front yard talking about life. My Dad asked if I had attended churches of other denominations which I believed in. I had but they weren't for me. He was trying to help me and respect my choices although different from his. He respected my ideologies and never tried to impose his religious views on me. Thus, the freedoms in our Constitution protect our right to disagree. Growing up in a small town in Western Iowa that was predominantly white was my life back then. I never heard a racist remark from my Dad. He accepted everyone and respected all cultures. Then you have Trump, treating immigrants as we all are , with so much hatred. Trump is ignorant, yet he has his administration full of cowardly individuals who sit back and let him try to destroy our Democracy. I wonder if they had a wonderful father as I did would they have acted differently. Their complete lack of any empathy is something I will never understand
Our Constitution. The American people had better wake up. Trump is moving us towards Nazi authoritarianism.
Our founding documents are inspiring, and I want them to be truer during my children’s lives then they have been for me, and for me they have been a constant source of pride and, up until 2016, armor that I believed was personally invincible. Not so now, and that is an insult to our very founding.
I hold dear the openness of our beautiful landscape, and the variety one can admire on a long road trip. Trips I take to clear the mind and the soul. This openness translates to the human spirit of possibilities, sometimes not always based on reality. But this idea, that I'm not articulating particularly well, can be felt in the lyrics of musical poets like Dylan, Springsteen and Marvin Gaye. This spirit was reignited, for me, by my No Kings attendance.
Inaugration Day
by Lynn Geri
Peace Monument
It's dark on the capitol grounds.
Rain streaks the face of the sky.
The motorcade winds past peace.
Heads bowed, the two women watch.
A robe of wisdom wraps History's body.
Grief's arm hangs across her back.
With her head resting on History's shoulder
Grief covers her face with her hand.
I hold dear our diversity, the heterogeneity of the immigrants who are the backbone of this country. I am the child of an immigrant father and a 1st generation mother. I grew up surrounded by immigrants. Then I lived in Greece for 35 years, until recently a mostly homogeneous country. My trips back to Boston and Cambridge always reminded me of the beauty and strength of our diversity. How ironic that after returning from living in Athens, the birthplace of democracy, I am now involved in the struggle to save democracy in the country where I was born.
Human morality and kindness toward others, was taught to me by my father. He was military intelligence during WWII, and CIA for the rest of his life. I followed in his footsteps thinking that the work I performed with the CIA was to preserve and protect our freedoms. During my twenty years abroad in Russia, Central Asia, and Ukraine this sense of morality, honesty, and justice was the guiding light for all that I did. As a consultant, I worked in Rwanda, Afghanistan, Peru, and other nations. Despite my “guiding light”, I witnessed and absorbed the atrocities of mankind.
The full horror of racism in Rwanda violently killed about 800,000 people in three short months. This chilling tribal war pitted Tutsis against Hutus. The lessons shared were not just about typical nonprofit tasks but were personal lessons about the extremes of hatred and humanitarian crisis – and racial strife. As I danced with a large group of laughing young orphans in a large thatched-roof hut on the dirt floor, I was sobbing. I wanted to share their joy while dancing to the rhythm of their ankle bells, their songs, and their other hand-made musical instruments. Instead, all I could see were the children’s scars of their war – some were missing a hand, an arm, an ear, an eye while others bore signs of brutality such as machete scars on their backs, stomachs, or even heads.
I thought this could never happen in the United States – my home. Yet in 2025, I have allowed myself to feel the hatred toward a man with no soul. His lies about “making American great” have hit the brick wall of reality. He is mindlessly destroying our country – our belief in humanity and goodness – as he lies his way through his daily routine of criminality and destruction.
The capacity of man to hate and to kill each other for no reason, is not something I grew up with or even imagined. My childhood had been sheltered from the big city crime, racial strife, and brutality experienced by others in our country. I lived with the fantasy of “America the Great”, and this message was repeated by our presidents and leaders.
Today, the United States is the opposite of that dream. Our leader is killing Blacks and Browns in large numbers. His unprovoked and unsubstantiated war on drugs in the Caribbean has killed innocent fishermen - thirty murders in about two weeks. His masked men have arrested immigrants, shipping them to uninhabitable concentration camps just like Hitler did with Jews across Europe. NPR “estimated that 14 million lives could be lost due to Trump aid cuts in Africa.” This number is more than twice the number of Jews slaughtered by Hitler. The magnitude of this reality is a moratorium on the man who believes he is the President of the United States. HE IS NOT my president, and I believe there are millions of Americans who feel the same way.
Yet there is another population living in this country that I have zero recognition of or understand. Here is an example: The caption of this New York Post, 10/25/2025
Photo reads: “A Texas man is behind bars after he allegedly shot his neighbor last week because he thought her horse was getting “too fat.”
The bottom line is that Ihave lost my beloved America, and have no illusions of her rebirth or revival.
Thank you for sharing your wisdom from an amazing life of service.
I can barely read about the atrocities you describe because it hurts to know humans treat each other that way.
It is all greed and hatred of difference.
We need a revolution.
Down with the capitalist, supremacist patriarchy.