A time to give thanks and be reenergized for the fight ahead
Friends,
First, I wish you a happy Thanksgiving. It’s an opportunity for us to give thanks as well as to celebrate Indigenous peoples. And to extol our common good — the ideals that bind us together, rather than the xenophobia, racism, and misogyny that pull us apart.
The Thanksgiving holiday is also an opportunity to become reenergized for the historic fight we face in coming months, when the anti-democracy forces of neofascism and bigotry seek to take over America.
Please try to avoid two large traps that some people are already falling into:
Denial. Some don’t want to accept that these anti-democracy forces are significant and growing, that Donald Trump has a realistic chance of being reelected president notwithstanding his attempted coup and upcoming criminal trials, and that if he succeeds, everything we believe in will be seriously threatened.
But unless we see this for what it is, we cannot possibly summon the energy and determination necessary to stop Trumpist neofascism.
Cynicism. Others are not in denial about the stakes ahead, but they are cynical that anything can be done to stop Trump and Trumpism from succeeding. They have basically given up on America.
But cynicism is a self-fulfilling prophesy. If we give up, the anti-democracy movement wins. And if we lose our democracy, there is nothing we are able to do — reverse climate change or combat widening inequality or overcome institutional racism or avoid nuclear war or reduce any of the other existential threats we face.
So let us use this day of gratitude to recommit ourselves to fighting for our ideals — for democracy, inclusion, tolerance, decency, and social justice — and refuse to be trapped by denial or cynicism.
My best wishes to you and yours.
RR
Happy Thanksgiving to you, Professor! And I do give thanks for your observations and eloquence. You do us all a great service, with humility and good humor and common sense.
I Compare Trump’s Behavior to the Fires in Canada
If you don’t Eradicate it in its infancy it will become uncontrollable! Trump and his lawyers have the Justice Department tied up in knots! The judges are having to deal with this man-child and his indecent assault on them, their law clerks, witnesses, etc….
I am completely disgusted and embarrassed for our country that this blowhole has been able to skirt the law and continue his assault on the people! He has created a hostile society within our country the likes of which we haven’t seen since the Civil War!
The GOP, (Gullible, Obnoxious, party), are not hiding their plans for the country should they regain the Presidency!
Everyone knows “History Repeats Itself”. Our historians like Heather Cox Richardson, Jon Meacham, Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Doris Kearns Goodwin, and an American television news host and political commentator, Rachel Maddow, in her book, “Prequel”, are telling us that these tactics have been used in the United States history many times before.
The Department of Justice has got to stop this nonsensical behavior by this American conman ASAP! The longer he is allowed to engage in this destructive rhetoric the harder it will be!
“What we continue to allow, we Empower”!!
On a positive note: wishing everyone in America a happy and healthy Thanksgiving