Has it been six months already? I hadn’t intended to write every day but with so much going on in the world, I had no choice.
One of my hopes when I began this newsletter six months ago was that you’d find sustenance here, particularly during these difficult times. The past six months have been grueling. I’ve felt the same anxieties many of you have felt, spilling over into some sleepless nights. Although the former guy is no longer in the Oval Office and the worst of the pandemic seems behind us (fingers crossed), the dark forces of authoritarianism, bigotry, and violence are still very much with us.
I’m getting to be an older man. I’ve served in several administrations. I’ve known and worked with many fine people. I’ve taught two (getting on three) generations of wonderful students. Along the way I have encountered spin, hype, falsehoods, and outright propaganda. But I’ve never before experienced such blatant attacks on the truth as we are now witnessing — both abroad and in America. Getting the truth out and showing what’s really happening is a vital part of what I’m trying to do here.
There is no simple solution, but part of the answer is to grow a community like you — people who believe in social justice, human rights, and democracy. Which is why I’m here and presumably why you are.
When I post on social media, it feels one-directional. Here it’s more like a conversation. I enjoy reading your comments and am moved by the stories of what brings you here. A few of you, like Jason, who had once been Republican, are drawn here because of arguments that you find logical and clearly expressed.
I'm a retired MD & lifelong Republican. I've been noticing a decline in ethics and reality in the Republican party for some time now but was especially stunned after the popularity of Sarah Palin. Then Trump seemed like Sarah Palin on steroids and was even more popular. Trump turned me into a Democrat though I've voted as an independent my entire life. (I've always voted for who I thought was the best person for the job regardless of party). I'm drawn to your posts because you seem to make complete sense and express it such a way as it's so easy to understand.
Others of you, like Patrick, a union member, are here because you want to understand how the economy really works.
I’m a member of the Teamsters Union and I appreciate your simple explanations of how the economy works. And your encouragement to have conversations with others who has a different perspective.
Some of you, like Valinda, have come because you want to make a difference, and you find here a community dedicated to telling the truth and preserving democracy.
Like so many others, I am frustrated with a status quo that the vast majority WANT to change, yet seem able to affect so little. Positive change seems so slow, and seems so quickly wiped out. I want to make a difference. I want to have contributed to making a more just and equitable society. Not to have simply grown increasingly bitter or apathetic. Living in Texas, it's particularly difficult to think lasting equality is achievable, and our governor, Abbott, terrifies me. He is as evil as the former guy, but far more capable of achieving his goals, and I suspect he has presidential aspirations. Forming a community aware of the implications of current events and dedicated to fighting growing authoritarianism is important to me. I am a former analyst in the Air Force; I worked to limit proliferation of WMD for 20 years. Now I am a retired/disabled veteran, a mother and grandmother. This is not the legacy I want to leave these new generations.
Some of you tell me you enjoy my drawings, such as the Sunday caption contest. Some of you say you are getting a lot out of my Friday class on Wealth and Poverty. Many of you have offered helpful feedback (thanks, and keep it coming!).
Whatever your reason for joining me on these pages, I’ve been overwhelmed by your enthusiasm and your kindness — and mostly by your determination to create a better world. Thank you. (And a special thanks to Kara Segal and Heather Lofthouse for their help and insights along the way.)
But rather than make assumptions, please tell me: What does bring you here?
Also please let me know how these pages can be even better: Don’t hold back on suggestions and constructive criticism!
Finally, thanks to so many of you who have joined this community as paying subscribers. If you have found these pages useful but are not a paid subscriber, please consider becoming one (or giving a gift subscription) so we can do even more. And please share this newsletter with others.
My abiding thanks,
RR
Six months, and all because of you