I guess my mom must have been a pessimist. I do not remember her ever saying "it will all work out in the end" or any such tripe. She knew full well people have to make it work out and usually need to work hard and with others to do it. You know those topics people were never supposed to talk about at the table. politics and religion, well, those were regular areas of discussion nearly every evening when we ate dinner together. My dad was Catholic and my mother protestant (a small denomination, Schwenkfelder). My mother claimed to be Republican and my dad Democrat. If we made a statement at the table, we were expected to be able to back it up, well after age 10 or so. With 5 daughters, my parents knew sexist attitudes were unacceptable even though we didn't have the word sexist at the time. We were expected to go to college even though 2 of us were visually impaired and our family had no money. Three of us did graduate from college. We did not hide our politics or religion when guests came to eat with us and most of them appreciated the open discussions and that their opinions were heard too, and sometimes challenged. My parents were not helicopter parents and trusted us after age 4 or so to follow the outside rules (don't go into the street without looking, watch out for other kids to help if possible, and come home for dinner when the bell was rung - yes, we had a dinner bell). It has been hard, but we have all made decent lives for ourselves and continue to discuss politics and religion when together when the occasion arises. We do believe the world should be better and that we all have responsibility to do our part to make that happen. Knowing how human beings can be, we know the good Earth won't happen by itself. So Garland, let's get to indicting the insurrectionists. ?Santos (or whatever your name is), resign from Congress you don't belong there. McCarthy, grow up and be a responsible adult. Tell your caucus they must raise the debt ceiling or get rid of it altogether (that would be best). McConnell, the filibuster was not meant as a plaything to make your party look strong by trying to do minority rule in a democracy. You know you would hate that if the tables were turned, so stop the childishness. Gov. DeSantis, you are not the king of Florida. Why anyone thinks you should be is beyond comprehension. Leave school districts alone. Hide your bias toward trans persons and let each person be the person they need to be. The idea is building up people not tearing them down so they don't have to get paybacks, as Putin is claiming he is doing in his fear of everything not Russian. Ant Putin, stop the stupid war. Neither your people nor Ukrainians deserve your killing people to salve your fears. Men, back off and assume women's bodily autonomy and only comment or get involved in any way if asked. Women can handle decisions about their bodies without male dictatorship. Thanks Mom for not feeding us the "everything will turn out fine in the end" nonsense.
Ruth, it felt so good to read your story. Thank you for sharing it :)
Like your family, my family broke all the table talk rules and talked politics, religion and money for hours. As kids, our adults' conversations were so interesting, we worked our tails off to study and learn what they were talking about so we could join their conversations.
As an adult, my family dinner table, was table talk time. The number of kids that managed to be at our house at dinnertime still astounds me. All those kids wanted to do was join those conversations.
My kids are in their thirties now, and we still have dinner together once a week and talk for hours.
Just like I once did, my kids tell us that they learned more history, finance, politics, and religion at the dinner table than they did from kindergarten through college.
Society has changed a lot. The thing I regret most, is the loss of the family dinner time where everyone sits down at the table to eat and talk together. Other than dinner time, I can't see any other time where families can get together and really talk every day.
Texting doesn't fill you up, the way conversation does.
People are doing the killing and the guns, no matter what the type, are the instruments these maladjusted social misfits have chosen to accomplish the task. I personally have owned dozens of weapons, from pop guns to big boomers. My family's roots came from hunters and that tradition was installed in me as I grew up. As a result, I taught my wife to shoot as well as all my children. Each one of us had a shotgun, a hunting rifle, a pistol, and a 22. Throw in the black powder fun guns and we as a family of 5 had a good number of firearms. I also had the weapons that were handed down to me from deceased family members. Add in about 10,000 rounds of ammunition and as far as a group goes we were well-equipped. My kids were competitive shooters that loved the outings we spent as a family deer hunting every year. I dearly understand the relevance of gun ownership in this country but something has to change. The world is in shock by what they see happening here. I'm no miracle worker but it doesn't take a genius to see, as a society, we must address the gun violence that takes place in this country almost on a daily basis. We need to form a committee composed of a bipartisan group of thinkers whose job it will be to determine the outcome of gun ownership. No matter how painful we view this effort, our citizenship is dealing with the grief we feel each and every day directed to the families who have lost loved ones. Change is the substance that creates progress. It's time to face that fact and fix the problem. We have far too many guns in this country, and we must restrict their availability to the general public, plain and simple. Weapons change drastically from generation to generation, what we currently have at our disposal will pale in comparison to what's on the horizon, the merchants of death are never satisfied. If left alone the horrors of the situation will be upon us before we have the ability to deal with the results these new weapons will have on our once-great nation. It's time to take a stand and swallow the pill that's so tough to get down. In the end, after the dust has settled, life will again be peaceful for everyone.
Why oh why are we still asking “why” when we know as you have said so well Donald, that it is because there was a Gun!!!!!! No confusion there.
As a young child I was a Bambi fan. When Bambi’s mother was killed in the forest fire I had to be carried out of the theatre sobbing. My father who worked for the state Fish and Game explained to me why we had hunting season every year. If we didn’t control the number of deer they would starve to death in the winter. I could see the reasoning. The season was highly regulated and everyone had to have a license . Guns were registered. Game wardens helped to make sure laws were followed.
Later in life my Father questioned why he hunted and he sold his deer rifle.
I carry a copy of the United States Constitution in my purse. No where in it does it say to arm everyone and throw away the rules. We have National Guard Units for armed militia.
As my sister so eloquently wrote in response to a gun issue in the NYT: giving anyone who thinks he /she needs to be armed is not freedom for all, it is tyranny against many. My freedom is impinged on every time someone else is armed near me. I lose my freedom to be safe.
This is not hard to understand. As many have said: license and tax firearms. Just like autos. And if your firearm hurts me you are liable for all hurt that occurs. Gun owners must have insurance policies too. Ones simply for the protection of those who lose their freedoms when guns are surrounding us.
Why are we so accepting of insanity when sanity is staring at us? Get guns regulated like the dangerous drugs that they are. We went to the moon.. didn’t we?
I sit here reading your rebuttal, speechless. I'm in full agreement with basically everything you said. Where did you get the idea I was against gun control? I'm for the position where hunting is a necessary because we've killed off all the predators that in nature would control the herd's populations and over all health of the animals in question, but we have to find a way to reduce the number of firearms in the hands of the general public. No military style weapons at all. Where do we differ?
Oh, I am sorry to have made that sound like it was a personal response. You and I do agree. I am talking to all who think freedom means doing whatever one wants, no matter the consequences.
And weren't the weapons for the militias kept in a community storehouse of some sort? I seem to remember references to such an item in some of the revolutionary period reading.
It would help a lot, I think, if military grade weapons, were banned from private use. They weren't developed for the citizenry; they were developed as weapons of war for the military. That would leave ordinary, one-shot guns available for the hunters.
Raffey, what a pleasure to hear that your family used dinner as family time too. I know I learned a lot from our discussions and was able to contribute too, particularly when the Vietnam War was at its height. We had a lot of discussions about that and held different positions until one day, we realized that all of us felt the war was wrong and that we needed to stand against it in whatever way we could. For me it was singing peace songs in our school's talent show. My sisters who were old enough found other ways. One sister wore a bracelet with the name of an American MIA with the date he went missing, for years. Those actions came from our dinner discussions. Even our parents turned against the war. Family dinners are a loss that I wish could be found again.
How fortunate for you Ruth. We didn't dare talk at the table and if we did we received a hard look from our dad. He was from the old school. "Children are to be seen and not heard". Tough at the Nelson house. It wasn't until a stint in the reform school and a couple of mentors that hung around for a couple of years that I found my voice. A turning point. Now as in the past I have never got down of my soap box and if someone is brave enough or knowledgable enough about politics and religion to talk about it...I'm there. Again, you were fortunate Ruth. Thanks for opening up with a little of your history.
Gerald, I am sorry to learn of your silent dinner table. I never saw the value of it except perhaps that it let Dad think he was master of all he surveyed and there was no opportunity for anyone to challenge him, maybe with something he didn't already know about or an idea different from his. I do feel lucky that even though our family had a lot of problems as most families have, we were trusted to figure things out and ask for help when we needed it. Our dinner table was not always serious politics and religion talk. My dad was a professional entertainer and he would often try out jokes and funny stories on us. We were a tough audience and if we laughed and particularly if Mom laughed, he knew he had a good one. I am glad you were able to find your voice and continue to use it. I just wonder what happens to those raised with the silent table who didn't have the opportunity to find their voice.
Agree about that "master of all he surveyed" description, Ruth. That was my dad. His word was law, and if I disagreed, a firestorm would rain down on me, at aircraft-level decibels.
Same with my dad, to his dying day at 98. He did his best to destroy our lives all in the name of his right. And he did succeed. In the age of change, 60s & 70s advancements with voting rights, the War on Poverty including Head Start, the Ecumenical World Council & multiple commitments to relieving hunger & disease through missions of giving to others for the greater good, Martin Luther King & Jack Kennedy & his brother Bobby, Rosa Parks, Albert Schweitzer - so many who lauded the betterment of humankind - men, women, children, of all nations, colors, ethnicities & spiritual or religious beings, with values of decency and dignity, opportunity for education & improving your own life and those of others - all squandered. All lost to the rise of the “new Republicanism that was beginning during those same years and led us through the Tea Party malice to Republican thuggery and MAGA insanity today. Dad was right there in the midst of it, to his dying day admiring DJT’s “billion dollars” and noting “that’s a lot of money” - this from a man who was a hard working, hard scrabble farmer who turned everything and everybody in hi his power or control to making money - “getting out of the outhouse” he called it. Yes we talked politics & some religion at the dinner table, but in the end, the dinner table became dad’s pulpit, and his grand effort to brainwash us into submission on every topic my mother held dear - respect & dignity for everyone, love for one another & treating others as we wished to be treated, art music and dancing, beauty, peace and tranquility. Yep, Dad was a MAGA Republican before his time, and shouted it out by joining the Republican Party about the time of John Kennedy’s election. Neo Edwardian Victorian that he was, to the end he was blinded by the light of the mighty dollar and the illusion that taking from others makes a person a “big man”, someone worthy of respect man or woman, and children - well children, in his world, by the end - should be seen as little as possible and not heard, ever. So here we are, Dad’s world hurrying to kill us all in the most brutal ways possible, for what? Because it;s “their turn”. They’ve finally learned to take the reins of power by reverting to the old ways, the old days - what we used to call “the Wild West” when dignity & honor were often trampled by the coarse & lawless, by the “ways” of empire - theft, corruption, malice, greed, vicious vengeance for any difference, by the bloody boot, by cut throat & rampant treachery & deceit. By dishonor. So, here we are, and it reeks of the putrefaction, of the rot & death of many immortal souls, whether spiritual or corporal.
And I thought MY dad was bad! Yours sounds like a holy terror, Marva.
I really don't know how my dad voted. He was definitely a conservative, but he just believed in keeping his head down and working hard. He probably initially voted for Nixon, but I know he thought hanging was too good for Tricky Dick after Watergate. He would never have voted for Obama (he was a knee-jerk racist), but he would have loathed TFG, just for his dishonesty. So, he was probably a Romney or McCain Reoublican.
He did mellow out a tiny bit in his last couple years, but he was still a hard man, still determined to never show emotion, because that was weakness. I count myself fortunate that my mom was his polar opposite, as you say your mom was.
Denise, I had friends with dads like yours, loud, blustery and couldn't be challenged, often violent. Our society over the millennia have allowed men to remain children with their whining, tantrums, inability to be challenged, then we put them in power in the public sphere as well as at home. How sad for all of us. It's time we start kicking the men like your dad out of office and encouraging other kinds of men and the amazing women out here to run for office. Tuesday's State of the Union address showed me what child-men and child-women in power look like and it ain't pretty.
My dad terrified me when he yelled at me. He never had to lay a hand on my brother or me, because the threat was enough---we believed him. But he wasn't loud and blustery as a rule; instead he was cold. He'd raise his voice when challenged, but otherwise, he was quiet on speech and movement.
Could not agree more about the license for violence men have always had, and the unsuitability for office of those who still think it's the mythological Wild West.
About the SOTU....oh, YEAH! It's a real shame that public tantrums are acceptable now.
Boebert's recent comment "Boys and girls we need to get more guns" said a lot to me. Her kind are not statecrafters who "use their words", but rather act like wayward children using power as weapons.
Elizabeth, isn't it sad that so many of our "leaders" are people who never grew up in more than age. They whine, throw tantrums, yell stupid stuff like middle schoolers, believe they are the only person that matters and that they can lie about and hurt anyone who does not cater to them. We the People are clearly not doing our job when we keep electing these child-adults to important offices, then wonder why nothing positive is done for us, only for the rich and famous, just the folks one would expect children to idolize.
Exact same way I was raised. Now I find myself having to keep my Democratic thoughts to myself. Discussing politics has become a no-no in our neighborhood unfortunately. I live in Texas.
Oh Loraine, how sad that you can't even discuss religion or politics with neighbors. I suspect they grew up either with the silent dinner table or the table where Daddy dictated what the children were to believe. How horrible. I love the way Abbott and DeSantis whine that schools are indoctrinating the children when he and his closed-minded buddies are doing far worse than any school could do to warp children's thinking.
Ruth, your family sounds lovely - a great atmosphere for child development.
BUT, I have to disagree with exclusively blaming Putin for the stupid war. If the U.S. EVER wants the damned war to end, we would be advocating negotiation. Instead, we seem to be just profiteering by selling/giving arms and fighting until the last Ukrainian. There is little doubt that this is a PROXY war between our own National Security Agency and Putin. If the U.S. was truly interested in ending this war we would be pushing NEGOTIATION instead of profiteering and KILLING people.
It seems that DEATH has become our most important export.
Jerry, I agree the Putin war is horrific and needs to end, but what's to negotiate? Putin began the war, supplied the troops to keep it going, worked hard to destroy the infrastructure and civilian population of a neighbor from whom he/Russia had already stolen significant portions of that neighbor's land. What would Russia demand, more of Ukraine's land? We won't bomb you if you surrender to us. I can't figure it out. I am one who thinks war is the most ridiculous human invention, but this time, I can't see what diplomats can do when one party is the victim and the other party is a paranoid dictator.
Jerry, you know the Afghanistan situation and Ukraine are not the same at all. Afghanistan is not our country being taken over by people from a neighboring country. Even though the Taliban were encouraged by Pakistan, they are predominantly Afghans. Putin has attacked and tried to take over a neighbor and had done his best to destroy it. It is not the first time "Russia" has tried to destroy Ukraine for Russia's benefit. In the 1930s it was called the Soviet Union and the same in the '40s. Nobody wants Russia either to take it over or to let it take over any other country. Russia clearly has enough trouble just keeping its people surviving. Putin needs to leave Ukraine immediately. He won't, but he should.
Jerry M ; How does anyone negotiate with a bully, who attacks a sovereign country, murdering and raping even children ? Lies to his 'subjects' threatening them with long prison terms even for holding blank signs of protest and inflicting terror?! Destroying infrastructure so people can't have sanitary facilities or clean water? He is worse than even a carnivorous animal, working for the very wealthy criminals who steal from the workers. Who install people like George Santos into 'our' People's House against our laws and wills!
This is the most important conflict since WWII for our side to win. It is long past negotiable. The US has gotten involved in many wars it shouldn't have, but for this one it has to do everything possible to ensure a Ukrainian victory.
Russia invaded Ukraine completely unprovoked for the purpose of expanding empire, annihilating the Ukrainian people, replacing them with Russians, & taking all their resources, even if it means destroying the country. Putin is absolutely ruthless & unscrupulous & the most dangerous man in history. He must be stopped here & now, or he will continue to attack his neighbors & gobble up territory in perpetuity. This should be very obvious to anyone paying any attention. Stop him now!
Unprovoked? I suppose you're too young to remember the Cuban Missile Crisis. The USA was provoked and we very nearly had a nuclear war. And the missiles were 90 miles distant. In Ukraine they would be a hundred yards. Did you know the Soviet subs had nuclear tipped torpedos? The captain ordered their use, but required two other officers to agree, one didn't. He deserves our thanks. Read:
What missiles in Ukraine are a hundred miles away from the Russian border? If there were any such thing, Russia wouldn't have invaded Ukraine. If Ukraine was actually building or positioning such missiles, then you might consider that a kind of provocation. But imagining that some missiles might at some vague point in the future be in Ukraine is a provocation only in your mind. I stand firmly with my original statement.
It would be Chamberlain all over again, wouldn’t it. Spot on! Putin desiring to re- draw the map of Europe, bring back Stalin’s Soviet Union. I am hardly a hawk and I see this- Of concern is continued support by US that Republican lawmakers are creating waves against. Digressing I saw a documentary on US military weaponry a few years back and US was going to decommission tanks as obsolete weapons - until it was noticed that Putin scaling up tank production. Right then, US military, knew Putin planned land war. Invasion- they just didn’t know where.
What a myth: Chamberlain knew war W/Germany THEN would be a disaster. During the interim the country improved the "Spits' and increased production. Without that Britain would have been invaded.
Ruth you are a valued member of this group. As Robert said we need to stay in the game as frustrating as it can be at times. Sure enjoyed Joe's state of the union address.
Ruth you are spot on about the things that need to be addressed as poor public policy and a complete lack of understanding of community standards. The elected officials who were mentioned in your comments can only see their own needs. Know your neighbors, create a senses of everyone belongs, and support everyone’s right to be respected for who they are.
I've never comprehended why men waste so much time and energy arguing about a choice they will never have to personally make? It's like me arguing why any pharmaceutical like Viagara should be banned from drug stores. It just isn't a situation that will personally affect me.
Dianna, I have not understood male involvement with women's reproductive decision-making. What I wonder about even more is how we women have permitted it. We worry about a conservative white Texas judge's decision about banning an abortion medication. Why? He has no authority, no understanding, no enforcement mechanism except what we give him! We need the women everywhere to tell him to shut up and act like an adult, letting other adults live their lives without his interference. We need "Jane" groups all across the country who can take care of abortions as the Janes in Chicago did in the Late 1960s and early 1970s. The drug manufacturers are not going to be happy about this judge's ban. Doctors won't be pleased. Women everywhere will not be pleased either, yet we all will act as though what he says matters. The Supreme Court in 1954 9-0 decision declared segregation in schools to be unacceptable, yet schools all over the country as well as neighborhoods and other facilities are still segregated nearly 70 years later. Congress passed a voting rights act in 1965 but the Supreme Court decided it didn't care and ditched the most important parts and yep, the Jim Crow South and the confederate wannabee states jumped right in to suppress votes, something that is clearly unconstitutional. In short, the Courts do not speak for the American people unless the people want them to. Well, this child-judge does not speak for us either, so we need to tell him "no." There are not enough prisons for all the women and a few men in this country who don't want this safe medication banned. I am so sick of male ignorance and the whiny women who cling to it for the power glow they get. We can't seem to get past a whiny religious clan that wants men to rule and control every aspect of women's lives (men's too). They are a pathetic minority that we have somehow given far too much power to. Let's stop the insanity. I wish I knew how to get things moving. It's time!
"Justice delayed is justice denied" . It angers me that the "Lock her up " guy, who NEVER mentioned due process, is given every consideration by our legal system.
And, through Trump's very shady past, understands how to use the court system to delay, delay, delay ever seeing his day in court. Usually, his victims give up trying to get what Trump agreed to and write it off as a "business loss" or settle for pennies on the dollar because they do not have enough money to continue to fight Trump in court. Trump learned, presumably from his father, a long time ago that you can use your wealth to crush others.
Jim Remedes: Are you saying his signature style preference for "gold" (bizarre when applied to everyday items like toilets) exists as he was raised to value gilt and disregard guilt? (Sorry, as a "which" I am fond of spelling) 😺
Brilliant piece, Professor Reich. I read it three times. Let’s hope your lovely mother was right and that the tide turns soon on all of your talking points.
You motivate me to do more and more to ensure that I can at least be proactive in my own small way. Thank You.
I agree, a brilliant piece. Thank you. We each need to take responsibility to right the wrongs…but it is difficult to find the most effective ways. After the Bucha crimes against humanity were revealed, I urged all my email contacts to be aware that their consumption of petroleum products was funding Putin’s genocidal war. Remember when the price of oil went negative during the pandemic shutdown? Obviously my Paul Revere email did not go viral.
Secretary/professor Reich, I think your mother may have been trying to make the same point to a youth as Dan Savage, “It gets better.” My father met my frustrations with, “consider what little difference this will make a fortnight hence” and when that didn’t to the trick, “Don’t let the bastards get you down.” (Love the mantra from “Shrinking”, Not everyone in high school is a f**king idiot.) Yeah, don’t personalize it and get distracted by resentment and revenge. Focus on making the system fairer.
What if this substack community changed focus from complaining about what is, and strategized on the most effective actions we could make together?
"People often say that I am optimistic. But I reject that. What I am is hopeful
Optimism is a passive quality. The optimist expects that somehow everything will be just fine, regardless of whatever indications there may be to the contrary. Hopefulness, on the other hand, is the mindset of activism. Together with faith in the possibility of success, and charity towards our fellow human beings, hope motivates and inspires."
The above is from an explanation of the meaning of the title "Feathers of Hope", my substack publication ( jerryweiss.substack.com ) The site is a meeting place for activists. We are currently engaged in a campaign to remove Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House because of his empowering the radical MAGA minority faction in the chamber.
If you agree with Prof. Reich that doing something is better than just talking about it, I invite you to join us at "Feathers of Hope": jerryweiss.substack.com
I'm with you all the way on this Robert. If 78% of Santos constituents want him gone - request a recall election. He's not going to resign and McCarthy thinks he needs him. The Democrats could request a progress report on trump from Merrick Garland, they can even ask for one in complete secrecy then all they'd need to say is they are or are not satisfied with the report. It does not have to be made public. On Ukraine, if the best we can do is offer armament fine, get it there like NOW not in 2024. Somethings like Putin are far beyond our control, but what we can control we should.
Fay, I really like your idea of the Dems requesting a report of AG Garland's progress, in secret if necessary. It is time that guy either get moving or be replaced. Who cares what things look like? The American people already have mostly forgotten January 6th and many don't know who Garland is and what his job is. It's time. My dad used to say that it is possible to collect so much information there is no time or energy to go through it all. He was right and it's time to say "enough!" and get the indictments out for the leaders of January 6th.
I've probably been harder on Garland than most others ---- mainly because I grew up -- worked "inside baseball." I especially do not understand why the low hanging fruit -- not Trump -- weren't prosecuted. Once upon a time, my wife's job was to sent out target letters. 90% of the time, the targets wanted a deal...almost immediately. I.E. Many people have asked for pardons. IMHO there is probable cause to bring them to a grand jury to find out why they thought they needed one. Other people have made inconsistent statements under oath that may be perjury. This stuff leads to more evidence.
However, I think there should be a complete firewall between politics and the law. Garland's job requires that he be completely independent.
Daniel, I agree that the law and politics need to be firewalled, but so much crossover has been taking place, particularly in the courts at all levels and the inability of various congressional committees to question members of congress who clearly were involved with the insurrection and possibly other of Trump's illegal activities. I would like those who asked for pardons to be questioned as to why they thought they needed a pardon as you suggest. I can't help but feel that Garland is waiting for things to blow over or 2024 to come so he can declare he can't do anything to indict anyone running for office, a ridiculous rule made up to help future Nixons. I can see a 60 day period before the general election (which of course Comey violated in 2016) but more than that is ridiculous.
As of today. despite referrals to DOJ by Congress, there has been NO crossover.
The best things happening in the courts is because Trump hangs himself in his own noose in civil cases. By filing the frivolous case against HRC and half of DC in SDFL, he had been hit with sanctions of more than a $million, with more to follow. By filing a frivolous appeal, he has exposure for double sanctions. IMHO this will lead to discovery in aid of execution and he will have to be questioned under oath.
He faces certain trial dates in his civil damages case in NY and in his defamation case that will force him to give up his DNA. If his DNA would have exonerated him why hasn't he given it up by now?????
I am just as angry that the DC Attorney General hasn't brought criminal charges for some of the Jan 6 perpetrators who were on the ground on Jan 6. IMHO Giuliani's "trial by combat" comment, standing alone, is a crime under DC law.
LOL (:-) I can't wait for that to occur, Daniel. I'm glad I don't live in New York. I also don't understand McCarthy's rationale, (if he's capable of that much thought) I understand he thinks he needs all the votes he can get to stay in power, but can't he consider the blemish Santos spread to the entire Republican party. Obviously Mitt Romney sees it. I also place a lot of blame on the Democratic party in my State (California) for not going after McCarthy. I know that region, It was part of my territory when I was an Implementation Coordinator. The people there are not all ignorant, stubborn, Republicans. They are more conservative than we urban Progressives, but if we (dems) gave them a viable candidate, most of the Mountain folks would listen to reason. They don't hero worship losers like McCarthy.
McCarthy made his pact with the devil long ago. Maybe back when he was caught on tape noting that Trump was being paid by Russia, & Ryan said to "keep it in the family". Once you go down that road, there's no turning back. Ryan's only escape was to quit, as hungry for power as he was. McConnell knows the corner he's put himself in, & you can see him squirming all the time. I think McCarthy senses it, too, but he's too craven to let go of any of the power he's been dreaming of all his life. He's betting on the wheels of justice grinding so slowly that they'll never reach him before the republofascist machine takes over completely & permanently, which he is counting on. Of course, when (if) that happens, all bets are off. It'll eventually be "every man for himself", & I don't see McCarthy winding up on top of the heap (of trash)
I too am a glass half full kind of person. Bad things happen to good people, it’s how we recover and respond that differentiates us from the doom and gloomers of the world; to be paralyzed by doom is a response we cannot afford.
We need a pep talk. We need to rally and take action. The ole good vs evil fight.
I keep thinking of the quote of Mark Twain’s when he was asked what was the turning point in his life he replied “ When Caesar crossed the Rubicon”.
What will be the transformative moment in our society, our lives that will take us back from the brink of disaster? I would have thought the gun violence, the massacres of schoolchildren would have compelled our government to implement better gun laws and a better mental health system. Tragedy does not warrant action? It is hard to predict the event/s that will be the turning point for change. There is no crystal ball we can look into to show us the way or when the wicked witch will be dead.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if each and every person would become a beacon of hope and compassion so that there was more light than darkness.
That may be wishful thinking but better to be an ambassador of hope than not.
What made me think like this?? I’m not sure about Caesar’s crossing the Rubicon but maybe when my ancestors crossed the Atlantic!
Thinking of the people of Ukraine and Turkey and Syria.
I agree with everything in this except including MLK and his comment. The rest of the quotes are coming from people urging patient waiting. King was hardly waiting patiently for the universe to bend toward justice. He was pouring his life into the struggle and offering hope that it might eventually prevail. Garland seems to have seen the successful prosecution of several hundred vandals as more urgent than protecting congress and the White House from seditionists.
"People often say that I am optimistic. But I reject that. What I am is hopeful
Optimism is a passive quality. The optimist expects that somehow everything will be just fine, regardless of whatever indications there may be to the contrary. Hopefulness, on the other hand, is the mindset of activism. Together with faith in the possibility of success, and charity towards our fellow human beings, hope motivates and inspires."
The above is from the explanation of the meaning of the title "Feathers of Hope", my substack publication ( jerryweiss.substack.com ) The site is a meeting place for activists, and we are currently engaged in a campaign to remove Kevin McCarthy as Speaker.
If you agree with Prof. Reich that doing something is better than just talking about it, I invite you to join us at "Feathers of Hope": jerryweiss.substack.com
Vigorous prosecution might cause people to suddenly see value in the System and feel motivated to participate. An increased number of people voting in elections comes to mind.
Entirely agree. From the UK it looks insane that Trump and Santos are still at large, but we have our own endless procrastinations and intentional delays while the powerful reconvene.
I loved this bullet point article that describes my state of mind perfectly! I mean your end analysis pal not your mothers!! Love reading your thoughts.
Problems seem insurmountable when one is living in the middle of them . Solutions seem easy after they are reached. But global warming, the fracturing of our middle class and its political consequences seem exponentially more threatening than what has come before. I hope I live to see a successful resolution that does not spawn unintended consequences.
Dr. King's "arc of the moral universe" is usually quoted in a way that encourages complacency. In an earlier speech, he had a different assessment of the assumption of the inevitability of moral progress: "There are those individuals who argue that only time can solve the problem of racial injustice in the United States, in South Africa or anywhere else; you’ve got to wait on time. ... We have heard and we have lived with the myth of time. The only answer that I can give to that myth is that time is neutral. It can be used either constructively or destructively. And I must honestly say to you that I’m convinced that the forces of ill will have often used time much more effectively than the forces of goodwill."
The backlash against civil rights, brazenness of white supremacists & open embrace of facism, Supreme Court's gutting of Voting Rights Act & reproductive rights, are recent proofs that King's earlier statement is the accurate one.
Everything you said, Robert Reich! Is it effective to call Senators and Congress representatives? Can one petition the Supreme Court? I wonder what might be the most effective way to message?
Jerry King: Maybe the question should be "how does an average human citizen message congress?" But I think I answered that. I will add: Call, text your representative or support Inequality Media and other sites like Move On, to get the word out.
raffey ; when I asked Richie Neal to release tfg's taxes,. they came out a couple days later! I can let you know that! Coincidence? Maybe. Was I alone in my petitioning? Nope! Can't hurt to try!
raffey ; How I did it ; I simply picked up the phone and talked to a nice lady who took my simple message ; " Hi !, I'm Laurie Blair, and a constituent of Representative Neal and I would like to see former President Donald Trump's tax records released to the public" I gave pertinent information, like my address and zip code as required.
Depends on your representative. In Kevin McCarthy's district, I got thank you letters for my support of what I wrote or called to oppose. Reminded me of Enron accounting. If McCarthy logs every call or letter as support, then every call or letter I send means I am working against myself.
I have not tried here in Kentucky yet, but I will soon.
raffey, good for you : keep trying. It's worth it! I have received the dodgy 'vanilla' letters thanking me for my interest (without specific reference to the issue I mentioned, of course). It seems like they hide behind these phony messages because they can 't honestly deal with what concerns you, as a constituent. It would be interesting to see the messages sent to constituents in Long Island who have Santos to 'represent' them.
if there's one so-called bible verse that i believe in -- and it's not even found in the bible!! -- it's this:
god helps those who help themselves.
if we ALL are not activists in the protection of at least one thing that we hold dear -- politics, economics, climate change, biodiversity -- we have no right to be viewed or treated respectfully as fully-formed people.
I guess my mom must have been a pessimist. I do not remember her ever saying "it will all work out in the end" or any such tripe. She knew full well people have to make it work out and usually need to work hard and with others to do it. You know those topics people were never supposed to talk about at the table. politics and religion, well, those were regular areas of discussion nearly every evening when we ate dinner together. My dad was Catholic and my mother protestant (a small denomination, Schwenkfelder). My mother claimed to be Republican and my dad Democrat. If we made a statement at the table, we were expected to be able to back it up, well after age 10 or so. With 5 daughters, my parents knew sexist attitudes were unacceptable even though we didn't have the word sexist at the time. We were expected to go to college even though 2 of us were visually impaired and our family had no money. Three of us did graduate from college. We did not hide our politics or religion when guests came to eat with us and most of them appreciated the open discussions and that their opinions were heard too, and sometimes challenged. My parents were not helicopter parents and trusted us after age 4 or so to follow the outside rules (don't go into the street without looking, watch out for other kids to help if possible, and come home for dinner when the bell was rung - yes, we had a dinner bell). It has been hard, but we have all made decent lives for ourselves and continue to discuss politics and religion when together when the occasion arises. We do believe the world should be better and that we all have responsibility to do our part to make that happen. Knowing how human beings can be, we know the good Earth won't happen by itself. So Garland, let's get to indicting the insurrectionists. ?Santos (or whatever your name is), resign from Congress you don't belong there. McCarthy, grow up and be a responsible adult. Tell your caucus they must raise the debt ceiling or get rid of it altogether (that would be best). McConnell, the filibuster was not meant as a plaything to make your party look strong by trying to do minority rule in a democracy. You know you would hate that if the tables were turned, so stop the childishness. Gov. DeSantis, you are not the king of Florida. Why anyone thinks you should be is beyond comprehension. Leave school districts alone. Hide your bias toward trans persons and let each person be the person they need to be. The idea is building up people not tearing them down so they don't have to get paybacks, as Putin is claiming he is doing in his fear of everything not Russian. Ant Putin, stop the stupid war. Neither your people nor Ukrainians deserve your killing people to salve your fears. Men, back off and assume women's bodily autonomy and only comment or get involved in any way if asked. Women can handle decisions about their bodies without male dictatorship. Thanks Mom for not feeding us the "everything will turn out fine in the end" nonsense.
Ruth, it felt so good to read your story. Thank you for sharing it :)
Like your family, my family broke all the table talk rules and talked politics, religion and money for hours. As kids, our adults' conversations were so interesting, we worked our tails off to study and learn what they were talking about so we could join their conversations.
As an adult, my family dinner table, was table talk time. The number of kids that managed to be at our house at dinnertime still astounds me. All those kids wanted to do was join those conversations.
My kids are in their thirties now, and we still have dinner together once a week and talk for hours.
Just like I once did, my kids tell us that they learned more history, finance, politics, and religion at the dinner table than they did from kindergarten through college.
Society has changed a lot. The thing I regret most, is the loss of the family dinner time where everyone sits down at the table to eat and talk together. Other than dinner time, I can't see any other time where families can get together and really talk every day.
Texting doesn't fill you up, the way conversation does.
Donald Hodgins <silencenotbad@gmail.com>
9:56 AM (0 minutes ago)
Donald Hodgins
People are doing the killing and the guns, no matter what the type, are the instruments these maladjusted social misfits have chosen to accomplish the task. I personally have owned dozens of weapons, from pop guns to big boomers. My family's roots came from hunters and that tradition was installed in me as I grew up. As a result, I taught my wife to shoot as well as all my children. Each one of us had a shotgun, a hunting rifle, a pistol, and a 22. Throw in the black powder fun guns and we as a family of 5 had a good number of firearms. I also had the weapons that were handed down to me from deceased family members. Add in about 10,000 rounds of ammunition and as far as a group goes we were well-equipped. My kids were competitive shooters that loved the outings we spent as a family deer hunting every year. I dearly understand the relevance of gun ownership in this country but something has to change. The world is in shock by what they see happening here. I'm no miracle worker but it doesn't take a genius to see, as a society, we must address the gun violence that takes place in this country almost on a daily basis. We need to form a committee composed of a bipartisan group of thinkers whose job it will be to determine the outcome of gun ownership. No matter how painful we view this effort, our citizenship is dealing with the grief we feel each and every day directed to the families who have lost loved ones. Change is the substance that creates progress. It's time to face that fact and fix the problem. We have far too many guns in this country, and we must restrict their availability to the general public, plain and simple. Weapons change drastically from generation to generation, what we currently have at our disposal will pale in comparison to what's on the horizon, the merchants of death are never satisfied. If left alone the horrors of the situation will be upon us before we have the ability to deal with the results these new weapons will have on our once-great nation. It's time to take a stand and swallow the pill that's so tough to get down. In the end, after the dust has settled, life will again be peaceful for everyone.
A. Lincoln: "This too shall pass."
Then he was shot.
Why oh why are we still asking “why” when we know as you have said so well Donald, that it is because there was a Gun!!!!!! No confusion there.
As a young child I was a Bambi fan. When Bambi’s mother was killed in the forest fire I had to be carried out of the theatre sobbing. My father who worked for the state Fish and Game explained to me why we had hunting season every year. If we didn’t control the number of deer they would starve to death in the winter. I could see the reasoning. The season was highly regulated and everyone had to have a license . Guns were registered. Game wardens helped to make sure laws were followed.
Later in life my Father questioned why he hunted and he sold his deer rifle.
I carry a copy of the United States Constitution in my purse. No where in it does it say to arm everyone and throw away the rules. We have National Guard Units for armed militia.
As my sister so eloquently wrote in response to a gun issue in the NYT: giving anyone who thinks he /she needs to be armed is not freedom for all, it is tyranny against many. My freedom is impinged on every time someone else is armed near me. I lose my freedom to be safe.
This is not hard to understand. As many have said: license and tax firearms. Just like autos. And if your firearm hurts me you are liable for all hurt that occurs. Gun owners must have insurance policies too. Ones simply for the protection of those who lose their freedoms when guns are surrounding us.
Why are we so accepting of insanity when sanity is staring at us? Get guns regulated like the dangerous drugs that they are. We went to the moon.. didn’t we?
I sit here reading your rebuttal, speechless. I'm in full agreement with basically everything you said. Where did you get the idea I was against gun control? I'm for the position where hunting is a necessary because we've killed off all the predators that in nature would control the herd's populations and over all health of the animals in question, but we have to find a way to reduce the number of firearms in the hands of the general public. No military style weapons at all. Where do we differ?
Oh, I am sorry to have made that sound like it was a personal response. You and I do agree. I am talking to all who think freedom means doing whatever one wants, no matter the consequences.
Thank you for your well thought out comments.
Thank you also, nothing like a boost for a poor self image. LOL
And weren't the weapons for the militias kept in a community storehouse of some sort? I seem to remember references to such an item in some of the revolutionary period reading.
It would help a lot, I think, if military grade weapons, were banned from private use. They weren't developed for the citizenry; they were developed as weapons of war for the military. That would leave ordinary, one-shot guns available for the hunters.
Raffey, what a pleasure to hear that your family used dinner as family time too. I know I learned a lot from our discussions and was able to contribute too, particularly when the Vietnam War was at its height. We had a lot of discussions about that and held different positions until one day, we realized that all of us felt the war was wrong and that we needed to stand against it in whatever way we could. For me it was singing peace songs in our school's talent show. My sisters who were old enough found other ways. One sister wore a bracelet with the name of an American MIA with the date he went missing, for years. Those actions came from our dinner discussions. Even our parents turned against the war. Family dinners are a loss that I wish could be found again.
But sometimes it’s all we have. I like ityourway better too.
How fortunate for you Ruth. We didn't dare talk at the table and if we did we received a hard look from our dad. He was from the old school. "Children are to be seen and not heard". Tough at the Nelson house. It wasn't until a stint in the reform school and a couple of mentors that hung around for a couple of years that I found my voice. A turning point. Now as in the past I have never got down of my soap box and if someone is brave enough or knowledgable enough about politics and religion to talk about it...I'm there. Again, you were fortunate Ruth. Thanks for opening up with a little of your history.
Gerald, I am sorry to learn of your silent dinner table. I never saw the value of it except perhaps that it let Dad think he was master of all he surveyed and there was no opportunity for anyone to challenge him, maybe with something he didn't already know about or an idea different from his. I do feel lucky that even though our family had a lot of problems as most families have, we were trusted to figure things out and ask for help when we needed it. Our dinner table was not always serious politics and religion talk. My dad was a professional entertainer and he would often try out jokes and funny stories on us. We were a tough audience and if we laughed and particularly if Mom laughed, he knew he had a good one. I am glad you were able to find your voice and continue to use it. I just wonder what happens to those raised with the silent table who didn't have the opportunity to find their voice.
Agree about that "master of all he surveyed" description, Ruth. That was my dad. His word was law, and if I disagreed, a firestorm would rain down on me, at aircraft-level decibels.
Same with my dad, to his dying day at 98. He did his best to destroy our lives all in the name of his right. And he did succeed. In the age of change, 60s & 70s advancements with voting rights, the War on Poverty including Head Start, the Ecumenical World Council & multiple commitments to relieving hunger & disease through missions of giving to others for the greater good, Martin Luther King & Jack Kennedy & his brother Bobby, Rosa Parks, Albert Schweitzer - so many who lauded the betterment of humankind - men, women, children, of all nations, colors, ethnicities & spiritual or religious beings, with values of decency and dignity, opportunity for education & improving your own life and those of others - all squandered. All lost to the rise of the “new Republicanism that was beginning during those same years and led us through the Tea Party malice to Republican thuggery and MAGA insanity today. Dad was right there in the midst of it, to his dying day admiring DJT’s “billion dollars” and noting “that’s a lot of money” - this from a man who was a hard working, hard scrabble farmer who turned everything and everybody in hi his power or control to making money - “getting out of the outhouse” he called it. Yes we talked politics & some religion at the dinner table, but in the end, the dinner table became dad’s pulpit, and his grand effort to brainwash us into submission on every topic my mother held dear - respect & dignity for everyone, love for one another & treating others as we wished to be treated, art music and dancing, beauty, peace and tranquility. Yep, Dad was a MAGA Republican before his time, and shouted it out by joining the Republican Party about the time of John Kennedy’s election. Neo Edwardian Victorian that he was, to the end he was blinded by the light of the mighty dollar and the illusion that taking from others makes a person a “big man”, someone worthy of respect man or woman, and children - well children, in his world, by the end - should be seen as little as possible and not heard, ever. So here we are, Dad’s world hurrying to kill us all in the most brutal ways possible, for what? Because it;s “their turn”. They’ve finally learned to take the reins of power by reverting to the old ways, the old days - what we used to call “the Wild West” when dignity & honor were often trampled by the coarse & lawless, by the “ways” of empire - theft, corruption, malice, greed, vicious vengeance for any difference, by the bloody boot, by cut throat & rampant treachery & deceit. By dishonor. So, here we are, and it reeks of the putrefaction, of the rot & death of many immortal souls, whether spiritual or corporal.
And I thought MY dad was bad! Yours sounds like a holy terror, Marva.
I really don't know how my dad voted. He was definitely a conservative, but he just believed in keeping his head down and working hard. He probably initially voted for Nixon, but I know he thought hanging was too good for Tricky Dick after Watergate. He would never have voted for Obama (he was a knee-jerk racist), but he would have loathed TFG, just for his dishonesty. So, he was probably a Romney or McCain Reoublican.
He did mellow out a tiny bit in his last couple years, but he was still a hard man, still determined to never show emotion, because that was weakness. I count myself fortunate that my mom was his polar opposite, as you say your mom was.
Denise, I had friends with dads like yours, loud, blustery and couldn't be challenged, often violent. Our society over the millennia have allowed men to remain children with their whining, tantrums, inability to be challenged, then we put them in power in the public sphere as well as at home. How sad for all of us. It's time we start kicking the men like your dad out of office and encouraging other kinds of men and the amazing women out here to run for office. Tuesday's State of the Union address showed me what child-men and child-women in power look like and it ain't pretty.
My dad terrified me when he yelled at me. He never had to lay a hand on my brother or me, because the threat was enough---we believed him. But he wasn't loud and blustery as a rule; instead he was cold. He'd raise his voice when challenged, but otherwise, he was quiet on speech and movement.
Could not agree more about the license for violence men have always had, and the unsuitability for office of those who still think it's the mythological Wild West.
About the SOTU....oh, YEAH! It's a real shame that public tantrums are acceptable now.
Boebert's recent comment "Boys and girls we need to get more guns" said a lot to me. Her kind are not statecrafters who "use their words", but rather act like wayward children using power as weapons.
Elizabeth, isn't it sad that so many of our "leaders" are people who never grew up in more than age. They whine, throw tantrums, yell stupid stuff like middle schoolers, believe they are the only person that matters and that they can lie about and hurt anyone who does not cater to them. We the People are clearly not doing our job when we keep electing these child-adults to important offices, then wonder why nothing positive is done for us, only for the rich and famous, just the folks one would expect children to idolize.
"wayward SOCIOPATHIC children."
Boebert and company are far beyond any parameters of mentally healthy.
Exact same way I was raised. Now I find myself having to keep my Democratic thoughts to myself. Discussing politics has become a no-no in our neighborhood unfortunately. I live in Texas.
Oh Loraine, how sad that you can't even discuss religion or politics with neighbors. I suspect they grew up either with the silent dinner table or the table where Daddy dictated what the children were to believe. How horrible. I love the way Abbott and DeSantis whine that schools are indoctrinating the children when he and his closed-minded buddies are doing far worse than any school could do to warp children's thinking.
Ruth, your family sounds lovely - a great atmosphere for child development.
BUT, I have to disagree with exclusively blaming Putin for the stupid war. If the U.S. EVER wants the damned war to end, we would be advocating negotiation. Instead, we seem to be just profiteering by selling/giving arms and fighting until the last Ukrainian. There is little doubt that this is a PROXY war between our own National Security Agency and Putin. If the U.S. was truly interested in ending this war we would be pushing NEGOTIATION instead of profiteering and KILLING people.
It seems that DEATH has become our most important export.
Jerry, I agree the Putin war is horrific and needs to end, but what's to negotiate? Putin began the war, supplied the troops to keep it going, worked hard to destroy the infrastructure and civilian population of a neighbor from whom he/Russia had already stolen significant portions of that neighbor's land. What would Russia demand, more of Ukraine's land? We won't bomb you if you surrender to us. I can't figure it out. I am one who thinks war is the most ridiculous human invention, but this time, I can't see what diplomats can do when one party is the victim and the other party is a paranoid dictator.
yes, war is a racket promoted by the weapons industry to sell their wares.
We don’t negotiate with terrorists.
You are correct, but I, like most reasonable people realize Trump was an anomaly. There’s a new sheriff in town & he will not kiss Putin’s arse!
Jerry, you know the Afghanistan situation and Ukraine are not the same at all. Afghanistan is not our country being taken over by people from a neighboring country. Even though the Taliban were encouraged by Pakistan, they are predominantly Afghans. Putin has attacked and tried to take over a neighbor and had done his best to destroy it. It is not the first time "Russia" has tried to destroy Ukraine for Russia's benefit. In the 1930s it was called the Soviet Union and the same in the '40s. Nobody wants Russia either to take it over or to let it take over any other country. Russia clearly has enough trouble just keeping its people surviving. Putin needs to leave Ukraine immediately. He won't, but he should.
Jared "the JUE"? Reported
Jerry M ; How does anyone negotiate with a bully, who attacks a sovereign country, murdering and raping even children ? Lies to his 'subjects' threatening them with long prison terms even for holding blank signs of protest and inflicting terror?! Destroying infrastructure so people can't have sanitary facilities or clean water? He is worse than even a carnivorous animal, working for the very wealthy criminals who steal from the workers. Who install people like George Santos into 'our' People's House against our laws and wills!
You're insulting carnivorous animals.
True! They act on instinct; the others are just evil! Or. At least sick!.
Yep!
You just described the USA in Viet Nam and Iraq, except probably raping kids.
One little publicized action was Iraq wan't permitted to import chlorine for water purification because it had dual use.
cleyet ; I'm sure many atrocities happened in many military actions. That does not negate my post.
This is the most important conflict since WWII for our side to win. It is long past negotiable. The US has gotten involved in many wars it shouldn't have, but for this one it has to do everything possible to ensure a Ukrainian victory.
Russia invaded Ukraine completely unprovoked for the purpose of expanding empire, annihilating the Ukrainian people, replacing them with Russians, & taking all their resources, even if it means destroying the country. Putin is absolutely ruthless & unscrupulous & the most dangerous man in history. He must be stopped here & now, or he will continue to attack his neighbors & gobble up territory in perpetuity. This should be very obvious to anyone paying any attention. Stop him now!
Jaime Ramirez ; I agree that it is necessary to take him out of power! He could continue through other countries if he is not stopped!
Unprovoked? I suppose you're too young to remember the Cuban Missile Crisis. The USA was provoked and we very nearly had a nuclear war. And the missiles were 90 miles distant. In Ukraine they would be a hundred yards. Did you know the Soviet subs had nuclear tipped torpedos? The captain ordered their use, but required two other officers to agree, one didn't. He deserves our thanks. Read:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_Missile_Crisis My sister was extremely frightened during the "39 days".
What missiles in Ukraine are a hundred miles away from the Russian border? If there were any such thing, Russia wouldn't have invaded Ukraine. If Ukraine was actually building or positioning such missiles, then you might consider that a kind of provocation. But imagining that some missiles might at some vague point in the future be in Ukraine is a provocation only in your mind. I stand firmly with my original statement.
Jerry M ; And Putin does not kill innocents? How would You stop him?
The US is ready to negotiate whenever Putin is serious about doing so.
How do you know he's not serious about negotiating?
It would be Chamberlain all over again, wouldn’t it. Spot on! Putin desiring to re- draw the map of Europe, bring back Stalin’s Soviet Union. I am hardly a hawk and I see this- Of concern is continued support by US that Republican lawmakers are creating waves against. Digressing I saw a documentary on US military weaponry a few years back and US was going to decommission tanks as obsolete weapons - until it was noticed that Putin scaling up tank production. Right then, US military, knew Putin planned land war. Invasion- they just didn’t know where.
What a myth: Chamberlain knew war W/Germany THEN would be a disaster. During the interim the country improved the "Spits' and increased production. Without that Britain would have been invaded.
What's youre evidence he won't negotiate, and that he's a mad man?
JerryM who are you addressing? You contradict your own posts.
They are 2 different people, Jerry King & Jerry M.
I figured as much.
Ruth you are a valued member of this group. As Robert said we need to stay in the game as frustrating as it can be at times. Sure enjoyed Joe's state of the union address.
Thank you Ruth.
Ruth you are spot on about the things that need to be addressed as poor public policy and a complete lack of understanding of community standards. The elected officials who were mentioned in your comments can only see their own needs. Know your neighbors, create a senses of everyone belongs, and support everyone’s right to be respected for who they are.
I've never comprehended why men waste so much time and energy arguing about a choice they will never have to personally make? It's like me arguing why any pharmaceutical like Viagara should be banned from drug stores. It just isn't a situation that will personally affect me.
Dianna, I have not understood male involvement with women's reproductive decision-making. What I wonder about even more is how we women have permitted it. We worry about a conservative white Texas judge's decision about banning an abortion medication. Why? He has no authority, no understanding, no enforcement mechanism except what we give him! We need the women everywhere to tell him to shut up and act like an adult, letting other adults live their lives without his interference. We need "Jane" groups all across the country who can take care of abortions as the Janes in Chicago did in the Late 1960s and early 1970s. The drug manufacturers are not going to be happy about this judge's ban. Doctors won't be pleased. Women everywhere will not be pleased either, yet we all will act as though what he says matters. The Supreme Court in 1954 9-0 decision declared segregation in schools to be unacceptable, yet schools all over the country as well as neighborhoods and other facilities are still segregated nearly 70 years later. Congress passed a voting rights act in 1965 but the Supreme Court decided it didn't care and ditched the most important parts and yep, the Jim Crow South and the confederate wannabee states jumped right in to suppress votes, something that is clearly unconstitutional. In short, the Courts do not speak for the American people unless the people want them to. Well, this child-judge does not speak for us either, so we need to tell him "no." There are not enough prisons for all the women and a few men in this country who don't want this safe medication banned. I am so sick of male ignorance and the whiny women who cling to it for the power glow they get. We can't seem to get past a whiny religious clan that wants men to rule and control every aspect of women's lives (men's too). They are a pathetic minority that we have somehow given far too much power to. Let's stop the insanity. I wish I knew how to get things moving. It's time!
"Justice delayed is justice denied" . It angers me that the "Lock her up " guy, who NEVER mentioned due process, is given every consideration by our legal system.
And, through Trump's very shady past, understands how to use the court system to delay, delay, delay ever seeing his day in court. Usually, his victims give up trying to get what Trump agreed to and write it off as a "business loss" or settle for pennies on the dollar because they do not have enough money to continue to fight Trump in court. Trump learned, presumably from his father, a long time ago that you can use your wealth to crush others.
Jim Remedes: Are you saying his signature style preference for "gold" (bizarre when applied to everyday items like toilets) exists as he was raised to value gilt and disregard guilt? (Sorry, as a "which" I am fond of spelling) 😺
Brilliant piece, Professor Reich. I read it three times. Let’s hope your lovely mother was right and that the tide turns soon on all of your talking points.
You motivate me to do more and more to ensure that I can at least be proactive in my own small way. Thank You.
A.🌻
I agree, a brilliant piece. Thank you. We each need to take responsibility to right the wrongs…but it is difficult to find the most effective ways. After the Bucha crimes against humanity were revealed, I urged all my email contacts to be aware that their consumption of petroleum products was funding Putin’s genocidal war. Remember when the price of oil went negative during the pandemic shutdown? Obviously my Paul Revere email did not go viral.
Secretary/professor Reich, I think your mother may have been trying to make the same point to a youth as Dan Savage, “It gets better.” My father met my frustrations with, “consider what little difference this will make a fortnight hence” and when that didn’t to the trick, “Don’t let the bastards get you down.” (Love the mantra from “Shrinking”, Not everyone in high school is a f**king idiot.) Yeah, don’t personalize it and get distracted by resentment and revenge. Focus on making the system fairer.
What if this substack community changed focus from complaining about what is, and strategized on the most effective actions we could make together?
"People often say that I am optimistic. But I reject that. What I am is hopeful
Optimism is a passive quality. The optimist expects that somehow everything will be just fine, regardless of whatever indications there may be to the contrary. Hopefulness, on the other hand, is the mindset of activism. Together with faith in the possibility of success, and charity towards our fellow human beings, hope motivates and inspires."
The above is from an explanation of the meaning of the title "Feathers of Hope", my substack publication ( jerryweiss.substack.com ) The site is a meeting place for activists. We are currently engaged in a campaign to remove Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House because of his empowering the radical MAGA minority faction in the chamber.
If you agree with Prof. Reich that doing something is better than just talking about it, I invite you to join us at "Feathers of Hope": jerryweiss.substack.com
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I'm with you all the way on this Robert. If 78% of Santos constituents want him gone - request a recall election. He's not going to resign and McCarthy thinks he needs him. The Democrats could request a progress report on trump from Merrick Garland, they can even ask for one in complete secrecy then all they'd need to say is they are or are not satisfied with the report. It does not have to be made public. On Ukraine, if the best we can do is offer armament fine, get it there like NOW not in 2024. Somethings like Putin are far beyond our control, but what we can control we should.
Fay, I really like your idea of the Dems requesting a report of AG Garland's progress, in secret if necessary. It is time that guy either get moving or be replaced. Who cares what things look like? The American people already have mostly forgotten January 6th and many don't know who Garland is and what his job is. It's time. My dad used to say that it is possible to collect so much information there is no time or energy to go through it all. He was right and it's time to say "enough!" and get the indictments out for the leaders of January 6th.
I've probably been harder on Garland than most others ---- mainly because I grew up -- worked "inside baseball." I especially do not understand why the low hanging fruit -- not Trump -- weren't prosecuted. Once upon a time, my wife's job was to sent out target letters. 90% of the time, the targets wanted a deal...almost immediately. I.E. Many people have asked for pardons. IMHO there is probable cause to bring them to a grand jury to find out why they thought they needed one. Other people have made inconsistent statements under oath that may be perjury. This stuff leads to more evidence.
However, I think there should be a complete firewall between politics and the law. Garland's job requires that he be completely independent.
Meanwhile, I'm interested whether the Democrats on the Republican committee on weaponizing the federal government will get to question, say, Senators Johnson, Cruz, Hawley on their roles in 1. Attempting to bribe the Ukraine (Trump impeachment no 1) and in Jan 6 (Trump impeachment no 2. . https://judiciary.house.gov/subcommittees/committee-judiciary/select-subcommittee-weaponization-federal-government
Daniel, I agree that the law and politics need to be firewalled, but so much crossover has been taking place, particularly in the courts at all levels and the inability of various congressional committees to question members of congress who clearly were involved with the insurrection and possibly other of Trump's illegal activities. I would like those who asked for pardons to be questioned as to why they thought they needed a pardon as you suggest. I can't help but feel that Garland is waiting for things to blow over or 2024 to come so he can declare he can't do anything to indict anyone running for office, a ridiculous rule made up to help future Nixons. I can see a 60 day period before the general election (which of course Comey violated in 2016) but more than that is ridiculous.
As of today. despite referrals to DOJ by Congress, there has been NO crossover.
The best things happening in the courts is because Trump hangs himself in his own noose in civil cases. By filing the frivolous case against HRC and half of DC in SDFL, he had been hit with sanctions of more than a $million, with more to follow. By filing a frivolous appeal, he has exposure for double sanctions. IMHO this will lead to discovery in aid of execution and he will have to be questioned under oath.
He faces certain trial dates in his civil damages case in NY and in his defamation case that will force him to give up his DNA. If his DNA would have exonerated him why hasn't he given it up by now?????
I am just as angry that the DC Attorney General hasn't brought criminal charges for some of the Jan 6 perpetrators who were on the ground on Jan 6. IMHO Giuliani's "trial by combat" comment, standing alone, is a crime under DC law.
Fay - Re Santos: Criminal justice system to the rescue.
LOL (:-) I can't wait for that to occur, Daniel. I'm glad I don't live in New York. I also don't understand McCarthy's rationale, (if he's capable of that much thought) I understand he thinks he needs all the votes he can get to stay in power, but can't he consider the blemish Santos spread to the entire Republican party. Obviously Mitt Romney sees it. I also place a lot of blame on the Democratic party in my State (California) for not going after McCarthy. I know that region, It was part of my territory when I was an Implementation Coordinator. The people there are not all ignorant, stubborn, Republicans. They are more conservative than we urban Progressives, but if we (dems) gave them a viable candidate, most of the Mountain folks would listen to reason. They don't hero worship losers like McCarthy.
McCarthy made his pact with the devil long ago. Maybe back when he was caught on tape noting that Trump was being paid by Russia, & Ryan said to "keep it in the family". Once you go down that road, there's no turning back. Ryan's only escape was to quit, as hungry for power as he was. McConnell knows the corner he's put himself in, & you can see him squirming all the time. I think McCarthy senses it, too, but he's too craven to let go of any of the power he's been dreaming of all his life. He's betting on the wheels of justice grinding so slowly that they'll never reach him before the republofascist machine takes over completely & permanently, which he is counting on. Of course, when (if) that happens, all bets are off. It'll eventually be "every man for himself", & I don't see McCarthy winding up on top of the heap (of trash)
Bravo, Jaime, you understand McCarthy completely. He is and always has been the craven coward you named him.
My Mom used to say, "Everything comes out in the wash." I agree but, first, you have to turn it on.
Or, at least put the dirty things in hot water and start scrubbing.
I too am a glass half full kind of person. Bad things happen to good people, it’s how we recover and respond that differentiates us from the doom and gloomers of the world; to be paralyzed by doom is a response we cannot afford.
We need a pep talk. We need to rally and take action. The ole good vs evil fight.
I keep thinking of the quote of Mark Twain’s when he was asked what was the turning point in his life he replied “ When Caesar crossed the Rubicon”.
What will be the transformative moment in our society, our lives that will take us back from the brink of disaster? I would have thought the gun violence, the massacres of schoolchildren would have compelled our government to implement better gun laws and a better mental health system. Tragedy does not warrant action? It is hard to predict the event/s that will be the turning point for change. There is no crystal ball we can look into to show us the way or when the wicked witch will be dead.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if each and every person would become a beacon of hope and compassion so that there was more light than darkness.
That may be wishful thinking but better to be an ambassador of hope than not.
What made me think like this?? I’m not sure about Caesar’s crossing the Rubicon but maybe when my ancestors crossed the Atlantic!
Thinking of the people of Ukraine and Turkey and Syria.
I agree with everything in this except including MLK and his comment. The rest of the quotes are coming from people urging patient waiting. King was hardly waiting patiently for the universe to bend toward justice. He was pouring his life into the struggle and offering hope that it might eventually prevail. Garland seems to have seen the successful prosecution of several hundred vandals as more urgent than protecting congress and the White House from seditionists.
Outstanding observations, Catesby, especially about MLK.
Hope- passively waits for something to happen
Expectation- actively works to make something happen sooner rather than later
Hopium?
read The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide For Trying Times by Douglas Abrams and Jane Goodall
"People often say that I am optimistic. But I reject that. What I am is hopeful
Optimism is a passive quality. The optimist expects that somehow everything will be just fine, regardless of whatever indications there may be to the contrary. Hopefulness, on the other hand, is the mindset of activism. Together with faith in the possibility of success, and charity towards our fellow human beings, hope motivates and inspires."
The above is from the explanation of the meaning of the title "Feathers of Hope", my substack publication ( jerryweiss.substack.com ) The site is a meeting place for activists, and we are currently engaged in a campaign to remove Kevin McCarthy as Speaker.
If you agree with Prof. Reich that doing something is better than just talking about it, I invite you to join us at "Feathers of Hope": jerryweiss.substack.com
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Damn right, Robert. Haven't we seen enough of Trump, Putin, Santos and the rest? It's lime for the hammer to fall.
Vigorous prosecution might cause people to suddenly see value in the System and feel motivated to participate. An increased number of people voting in elections comes to mind.
Entirely agree. From the UK it looks insane that Trump and Santos are still at large, but we have our own endless procrastinations and intentional delays while the powerful reconvene.
I loved this bullet point article that describes my state of mind perfectly! I mean your end analysis pal not your mothers!! Love reading your thoughts.
Problems seem insurmountable when one is living in the middle of them . Solutions seem easy after they are reached. But global warming, the fracturing of our middle class and its political consequences seem exponentially more threatening than what has come before. I hope I live to see a successful resolution that does not spawn unintended consequences.
Dr. King's "arc of the moral universe" is usually quoted in a way that encourages complacency. In an earlier speech, he had a different assessment of the assumption of the inevitability of moral progress: "There are those individuals who argue that only time can solve the problem of racial injustice in the United States, in South Africa or anywhere else; you’ve got to wait on time. ... We have heard and we have lived with the myth of time. The only answer that I can give to that myth is that time is neutral. It can be used either constructively or destructively. And I must honestly say to you that I’m convinced that the forces of ill will have often used time much more effectively than the forces of goodwill."
The backlash against civil rights, brazenness of white supremacists & open embrace of facism, Supreme Court's gutting of Voting Rights Act & reproductive rights, are recent proofs that King's earlier statement is the accurate one.
That is a great quote I hadn't heard! It so resonates with what we're going through today.
Thank you for pointing out those still-relevant words from Dr. King, Alice. His prescience remains astounding.
Thank you for this. It is exactly what I needed to hear this night.
Everything you said, Robert Reich! Is it effective to call Senators and Congress representatives? Can one petition the Supreme Court? I wonder what might be the most effective way to message?
Laurie, the most effective way to message congress? Apparently, it's be filthy rich and BRIBE them.
Jerry King: Sadly it is legal for the obscenely wealthy to bribe and even buy government.
Not going to work for the average human.
Jerry King: Maybe the question should be "how does an average human citizen message congress?" But I think I answered that. I will add: Call, text your representative or support Inequality Media and other sites like Move On, to get the word out.
Laurie, when you find out, please share with us okay? Please make sure you tell us the process so we can follow your lead. :)
raffey ; when I asked Richie Neal to release tfg's taxes,. they came out a couple days later! I can let you know that! Coincidence? Maybe. Was I alone in my petitioning? Nope! Can't hurt to try!
Good job and thank you.
Thank you for the encouragement.
raffey ; How I did it ; I simply picked up the phone and talked to a nice lady who took my simple message ; " Hi !, I'm Laurie Blair, and a constituent of Representative Neal and I would like to see former President Donald Trump's tax records released to the public" I gave pertinent information, like my address and zip code as required.
Depends on your representative. In Kevin McCarthy's district, I got thank you letters for my support of what I wrote or called to oppose. Reminded me of Enron accounting. If McCarthy logs every call or letter as support, then every call or letter I send means I am working against myself.
I have not tried here in Kentucky yet, but I will soon.
raffey, good for you : keep trying. It's worth it! I have received the dodgy 'vanilla' letters thanking me for my interest (without specific reference to the issue I mentioned, of course). It seems like they hide behind these phony messages because they can 't honestly deal with what concerns you, as a constituent. It would be interesting to see the messages sent to constituents in Long Island who have Santos to 'represent' them.
raffey ; It's fun to show up with a few friends when they have in -person hours. Can be effective.
if there's one so-called bible verse that i believe in -- and it's not even found in the bible!! -- it's this:
god helps those who help themselves.
if we ALL are not activists in the protection of at least one thing that we hold dear -- politics, economics, climate change, biodiversity -- we have no right to be viewed or treated respectfully as fully-formed people.
GrrlScientist ; Yes, especially in the "Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave"!