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Our country needs a new story. A story where justice and courage and character matter. Where those qualities do in the end, prevail over corruption , cronyism, crime, raw power plays, deceit. Where uncivil, immoral, criminal behavior and cheating is arrested and punished. Where accountability cannot be delayed indefinitely. Where national interest outweighs party interest in decision making. Where political power has checks and balances. At every level and at every desk. Where our freedoms carry enforceable responsibility.

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Mark, In my view, you’ve hit all the right notes. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t imagine one could persevere towards realizing your vision were one living without hope. To clarify, I would submit that hope has nothing to do with optimism. I imagine most of us are not presently optimistic about America nor, perhaps, about the plight of the human species overall. There simply is not enough evidence to infer that things are going to get better. Still, I expect we agree that one can remain hopeful even as one calls optimism into question.

As a final point, I would note that the narrative you’ve portrayed leads me to believe that hope, which I view as a choice, is essential to one’s existence, and that living without hope would be devastating. I also would conclude that to persevere towards the goals you’ve set requires that one be willing to acknowledge that there is no triumph around the corner, but that one persists because one believes his or her cause is right and just and moral.

I would welcome your thoughts if you wish to comment.

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Even if I knew the world would go to pieces tomorrow, still I would plant my apple tree. -- Martin Luther.

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That requires accountability for actions, which has largely gone out of favor…,

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Mark, the new story is a very old story we are too lazy to employ. It is the story, the myth, of Sisyphus. Our story tells of an end to struggle and suffering. Sisyphus tells quite a different story. He tells of contentment within the struggle and suffering.

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Ahh yes. I did see that analogy. That's what it feels like when your work is demanding in some way and no matter how hard you work you can never seem to get ahead. That's why unions (where they function properly) are so important.

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Consider this: It's about going to work every day, as well - having a job and working for a living. Back in my USPS days, Sisyphus was a joke on the workroom floor. You could arrive at the station with 15 trays of mail on the floor next to your route, along with as many tubs of magazines and junk mail, then clean it up and take it to the street. By the time you got back, about half that much was already on the floor, and by the next day, half again as much as you had the previous day was waiting to greet you! Sisyphusian!

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DZK and John Prine. Great poets and song writers have worked for the postal service or other boring jobs. Great creativity hides in boredom.

"That's the way the world goes round

in a half an inch of water and you think your gonna drown."

~John Prine

I guess John Prine was a Sisyphus. . .and you! Life gives us all a boulder and a mountain. The mountains are all different heights and the boulders different weights. Therin lies the challenge-the regression to the mean. That law gives us wars and revolutions.

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I used to like saying: "If necessity is the mother of invention, then brain-numbing boredom is it's father!"

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a lot of smart people agree with that statement

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You've >clearly< rolled your own boulder! (Not to mention Chaz Mingus!)

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DZK, I imagine you know that Camus, in his book The Myth of Sisyphus (1955), compares the plight of Sisyphus to the struggle of the modern worker who “works everyday in his life at the same tasks.” I suppose if you were asked, you’d have no trouble justifying this comparison. Hence, kudos to JAB’s contribution to this thread, who looks to unions as a feasible remedy.

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Justify it ‽ I've >lived< it! LOL! (I missed the Camus'. I got all gummed up with him discussing walking up to the guillotine like it was an old friend, reaching out to shake hands with it - "The Stranger." I think I next found myself buried in a stack of paperwork in Kafka's "The Castle" shortly thereafter. My job at the time made me wonder if I was a land surveyor! The sense lingered with me for years! LOL! )

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DZK, Each time I revisit Meursault’s thoughts on the eve of his execution, l’m left with increasingly more questions concerning Camus’ views about morality and about the meaning of life.

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David, Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe your reference to Sisyphus refers to Albert Camus’ provocative slant on a character from Greek mythology: Camus invites us to ponder the significance of Sisyphus’ perseverance in the absence of hope. I underscore this point, mostly, because a theory I believe could most sustain us in the weeks, months, and, perhaps, years ahead was developed by Humanist and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl. Frankl maintains, that by finding meaning in one’s suffering, people may, even under the most dangerous, brutal, and degrading conditions, choose to act according to the highest humanitarian principles.

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You are right about Frankl and Sisyphus. They both were compelled to live in the absurd. Camus spoke of carrying on in the absurd or choosing death/suicide.

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Yep! I don't know about Camus, but what you say >clearly describes< bein' a letter carrier! LOL! ];-)>

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Great. Another Google search… thanks anyway ;-)

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Thank you!

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In July 2019 my spouse and I, already in our 70s, attended a weekend conference in Miami named “Zero Hour”. Its logo was a clock about to strike midnight for Climate Change. The whole event was planned and choreographed by teens and pre-teens and the most seats were filled with teens. One of the event by-lines was to register to vote AND TO VOTE. Most of them will be at least eighteen in November.

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Thanks from Baghdad By the Sea.

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Now that's what I call "a breath of fresh air." THANK YOU very much, RR.

Honestly,. I'm thankful the Supreme Court leaked their intentions to abolish women's rights, and roll back the clock 50 years. I'm hopeful this will give people another reason to get fired up and vote. I'm also hopefull that AG Garland cares about the Rule of Law. Last but not least, I'm hopeful that progressives can pick up enough Senate seats that we won't need a certain Senator who looks out for Billionaires, rather than his constituents who clearly need Build Back Better more than anyone.

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Wouldn't it be great to pick up 2-3 seats and be able to totally sideline Manchin!

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Forget 2-3 seats, aim for 50 new seats and be satisfied with 25. Destroy the Repuglycan Party. Devastate them in the Nouse too.

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🎉🎉Yes, let’s do it! And leave him standing with the losers he backs already. Let’s take them out of power for a generation!

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WV needs billboards: WV has no billionaires. That didn't stop Joe from voting NO to tax billionaires for investment in WV.

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Indeed! Maserati Joe, looking out for working West Virginians from his yacht in DC.

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May 16, 2022
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That's it! We need to show that we're moving forward with green solutions, and the Republicans think we can double-down on the fossil fuel policy of the past 50 years. Despite this climate crisis, they want to keep digging and drilling.

And now have a Republican-packed SCOTUS determined to turn the clock back 50 years on social policy. It's a simple choice: go forwards, or backwards 50 years?

I love to get wonky, but I think most voters want a simple choice. It's up to us to define what the race is about, and make it a simple choice. Defining the issues EARLY is very important. This race cannot be about inflation and baby formula. IMO, it's about moving forward (the future) and not going backwards (protecting women's rights).

Maybe that's still a little too wordy... but you got me thinking. Thanks!

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Hi Robert, PaulaOH (me) likes that you tackled the Hope Machine! Every story of success begins with trying! I might tweak it a bit. Your list for hope is touching, especially the reminder of how we eventually mainstream through debate, struggle, then enactment. Another hope machine for me is filled with the joy of planting native species, observing young people in my family caring about all of these issues that have emerged, and learning to get involved, debate and continue the struggle we engaged in back decades ago to ensure democracy.

We still need an Equal Rights Amendment, not just Roe v Wade. We need to protect the National Environmental Protection Act and, having grown up on a polluted Ohio River, our precious, life giving clean air and water...add to that oceans and wild places. We need universal preschool! And, if not Medicare for all...a truly fully enacted ACA. We can do that! And, as our dear President Biden has shown, we can get stuff done and build jobs even during discouraging times. Infrastrucure is an example.

And, separately forget about thinking Vance is ok. He isn’t. For those in Ohio-help Tim Ryan, Keep Hope Alive! And help elect a judiciary that believes in democracy. Having Justice Jennifer Bruner become Chief Justice Bruner here is critical. And add “Live With Love” to the Hope Machine”.

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Thank you, Paula OH.

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Welcome!

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A sense of humor and a song in your heart are >extremely< useful assets!

https://youtu.be/866dJeo68Uc

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I just copied your link to several friends, including one who has a folkie radio program! Keep the Faith!

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That's not me, but he and I are a bit alike!

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Along those lines, here's a complete silliness break courtesy of Eurovision... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adCU2rQyDeY

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You may enjoy this: https://youtu.be/QbC6dLG_dQY

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Thanks for the thought, but it doesn't seem to be available here in the US. That makes me doubly curious!

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Sorry about that - it's a link to the official youtube video for Norway's entry in the Eurovision 2022 song contest, Give That Wolf A Banana. Silly stuff. Maybe Google can find a USA-viewable version?

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I find hope in today's positive points made by Robert Reich. Onward and upward !

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Overwhelm the vote!

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Thanks for the list of Ten reasons to feel positive for the future! Another one is to add would be “history doesn’t have to repeat itself, Dems can win more seats in the midterms!

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Robert, all politics are local.

In Kentucky and West Virginia, a candidate who chews and plays bluegrass music has a much better chance to beat Republicans. Rand Paul is a carpetbagger. named for an atheist, who voted against all the social legislation that most of his constituents needed to survive. Recently, he blocked $40bn aid package to Ukraine despite a. GOP move to pass it. He got Russian campaign donations. A staffer took the fall and was pardoned by Trump. The primary is May 17. By that time, the Democratic candidate will be known.

I don't care who it is, if the candidate can play and sing Bill Monroe music, chew Red Man, and offer a Holy Ghost government, Paul is a goner! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDsfVA3TKPs

Same for house races in KY and WV.

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Your last paragraph implies that Charles Booker, the Democratic candidate who opposes Rand Paul, doesn't meet your standards. I suggest you learn how he otherwise qualifies to beat the incumbent who is as bad as you and many other Kentuckians know. More broadly, learn the substantial differences between as many candidates as you can. It is, in addition, proverbial that a one-vote victory is still a victory.

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Thank you George M You certainly give me hope for a better future without that non-thinking imbecile (Paul Rand) in the Senate. Fay Reid

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Primary tomorrow.

Some of my classmates were on the Kentucky Supreme Court, I know McConnell from UofL, worked for Elaine for 8 years, and I did Black Lung hearings for over 20 years.

Needs to learn Charlie Pride songs, eat burgoo, and travel with Ashley Judd and bluegrass all stars, otherwise no hope in Eastern Kentucky.

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Oh my gosh, I hope you are right!

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I find hope in the stands at Dodger Stadium. I'm definitely a senior citizen, and I like to sit close to the field. Because of my age, I'm afraid of falling. When I go down to my seat, a kind usher frequently escorts me there. Other fans, seeing me carefully wending my way up or down, help me reach my goal. There are still good people in this world.

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Thank you for the long perspective. As usual, it is the best of times and the worst of times.

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Empathy,forgiveness,sensitivity and love. This should be the foundation of every American. The evil will be defeated. Empathy is the antidote for narcissism. They can’t exist in the same body.

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where do i find hope? that's a tough question, but i find hope in transparency, clearly reported truths, and diversity -- human as well as floral and faunal. it's extreeemely slow in coming, and therefore, even more precious once it arrives.

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I too see hope in the coming generations. As a newly retired teacher, I pay attention to the young people like Malala and Greta and so many others who are ready to put their lives on the line for the planet and for human rights. When I was their age, young people were being forced to put their lives on the line to kill other people. That still goes on, but hopefully will become less and less a part of life as time goes on and the need to save our planet becomes greater than the need of young males to kill. I also have hope that women will prevail in the abortion "debate," or rather, the anti-abortion insanity. If we come together to take care of each other, providing the services needed whether legal or not, we can be stronger. Oh yes, men can help too. Old pretty-ignorant white men can gradually be moved out of the way if we stick together, and I have hope that we can. R.Sheets

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Save the world. https://www.fieldteam6.org/

North Carolina

525,337 Unregistered Likely Democratic Women

Florida

770,734 Unregistered Likely Democratic Women

Wisconsin

385,213 Unregistered Likely Democratic Women

Pennsylvania

595,734 Unregistered Likely Democratic Women

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It’s always good to look at what’s going on from a historic view, AND globally. I agree it’s difficult, and we’ve been here before. We MUST stay strong💪

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Thanks to this blog and these informative heartfelt posted comments, my hope is encouraged.

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Here is a good, Democratic thought. EVERY SINGLE PERSON has to spend two years in community service after high school. Either the military or some community project that makes them work with people who are not like them. If they are white and male, make them work with females of color, just so they can find out what "the others" are like.

Then, after successfully completing that service, they get four years of state college or trade school for free.

You could also make that two years of community service a "co-operative education", by starting their college training while they are working.

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Take the military out of the equation, and put in charity work on a national field, not just community, and you might have a winner. The military is full of bigots and racists and violence-prone people. Not all, but too many to sacrifice our young folk to.

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But that is why you have to mix them. The all-volunteer army was a big mistake, It concentrated all those people together, with nothing to dilute them.

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You really think high school kids can stand up against military vets talking trash? Look at Buffalo. An 18 year old boy killed 10 people, and wanted to kill a lot more. He listened to the adults around him who convinced him people of colour were replacing white people, and they had to pay. He was too young to process the fact shooting a few Black people would make no difference in the numbers of people of colour in the world. I am not saying all high school graduates would get convinced to become racists, but why take the chance. Would you want your teenage child to be put in a cage with adult racists? So don't put "other people's children" there either!

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I served in the Air Force 30+ years ago. I think you over-state the risk, but again, my experience is 30+ years old. I saw and experienced the military as a great melting pot where diverse peoples focused on their jobs to support the larger mission. Working together over-powered individual differences and assumptions/misunderstandings.

My recent campaign is against the fundamentalist Christian nationalists who often harbor the racist positions advanced by Fox News, etc. I served as a contractor in the military more than a decade ago. I observed Fox News playing continuously in military offices and public spaces, so the military is (was) bombarded with conservative right-leaning "propaganda." So, again, my observations and fears/conclusions might no longer apply. I need updating.

And, there is plenty of evidence, I think, that the right-wing nationalist Christian fundamentalists seek to overthrow democracy and install a theocracy. They seem to own the Republican party. And the Supreme Court. If they take power...WATCH OUT! We stand to lose more than voting rights and abortion protections. The Founding Fathers designed the constitution to protect us from religious intrusion. These folks do not care about democratic norms and procedures. They want to invisibly and covertly win at any cost.

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