Whoa you must have touched someone’s nerve. Good for you TC. I’ve been putting it out there ever since the lies started about the size of his crowd, as soon as the Lincoln Project was started, I joined and still support today, we know how to hold their feet 🦶 to the fire and have no qualms about doing it. It’s been very clear to me ever since that insipid imbecile was sworn in to office that our democracy was in dire straits. It still is and has only gotten worse. My stand has cost me friendships that I thought were dear both within my family and the people I do business with. I won’t pretend that it’s ok because it’s not, blood 🩸 is thicker than water but the oath I took to this nation supersedes every thing else. I read one time that after his son sided with the monarchy, Benjamin Franklin refused to ever speak with him again, when I pointed that out to my cousin, he said that I was no Ben Franklin, and in that of course, he's right, I however have had no problem emulating him. The mirror in the morning tells the tale 👍😎🙏
One sister and two parents are ejected from my life as a result of their cognitive blind spots and for supporting and defending their orange god-king and all that he stands for.
That's tough. I had a similar experience during the Vietnam War. 10 years later the honest parent admitted I was right (the other denied the fights had ever happened).
I don't expect them to admit anything. The malignant evangelicalism metastasized long ago. Continuing the relationship would be like taking up smoking again: toxic and self-destructive.
Sounds like you made the right decision. The one parent here who was honest was responsible for me being here the way I am, and "Mommie Dearest" got a "Ding dong! The witch is dead!" dance when I hung up the phone from learning she had made America great again, permanently.
I hesitate to hit the "love" button on that - some people are a negative force in the world of human affairs. Some people are bad for the planet. Some people are object lessons in who we should avoid emulating. Some people are just better off when they don't breathe anymore. Sad, but also true. American greatness has never permeated the fabric of us. It shines through here and there. Maybe one day it will break through and human equity will actually exist from sea to sea.
Oh man I feel for you, the Jesuits taught me over 50 years ago that the truth mattered, everything had to be based on an un-reducible truth, without that your arguments were based on sand. What we witnessed from the day the clown took office was an unending stream of lies every time he opened his yap, it was relentless. Our Justice Dept. is depicted by a blindfolded woman holding the scales of justice, lying in a courtroom is punishable by a long time in prison, and it should be, that's why the repugnatcins are so terrified of the House Jan 6 committee. The only hope the perps of the Jan 6 attack have is to reelect the clown who will pardon them all, unless that happens a lot of them are going to jail. They shit all over their dinner plate, have a nice meal guys and girls.
I am inclined to think that Someone felt compelled to let you know that he/she was unsubscribing. He/she needed to broadcast, like a child, I am not going to be friends with you anymore. A silent exit would not be enough drama. Let Someone go from your mind.
For me, it is facing the fact that this is "on our watch" and that our choices, what we do or don't do, matter for the future, our own and generations after us. But it is easy to be defeated by the overwhelming need for change at every level of society and in every part of the planet. The temptation, and it is a strong one, is to disengage-- (just for mental health in TFG's reign). Sanity in today's society means a constant effort to get a handle on context in the midst of fragmentation. Ain't easy! Reading both you and HCR helps me a lot to stay in the struggle. Thank you.
TC, I appreciate your thoughtful tangled musings. It takes courage and fortitude to put them in writing. By doing so, one might find the strength to do or not do. I was with you all the way. Thank you.
A quote that got me through some dark times is this one: "When you come to the end of all the light you know, and it's time to step into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing that one of two things shall happen: Either you will be given something solid to stand on or you will be taught to fly." Edward Teller
For me, "faith" did not translate as religious faith, but just an acceptance that either I was going to crash and burn or I was not, and either way, it was a choice and I hopefully would survive. You know like Mark Twain's two roads? Making the tough choice or the easy choice was going to land me somewhere.
As I read your comments about Grisham, the thought kept flashing in my mind that almost every person who got caught up in that "celebrity" nightmare of the orange dumpster began to change PHYSICALLY. I called it the Pinocchio Syndrome. But instead of growing longer noses to accompany their lies, their FACES began to change - almost to melt. Look at Sarah Huckabee Sanders before and after pics - heck look at Lindsey Graham. Their cheeks sag, their eyes are puffy, they look perpetually hung over. They look desperate and angry. They ARE desperate and angry. All the time. I guess it's easy to wake up every morning and go through another day of being desperate and angry and sputter through telling oneself lie after lie...than to do as you did - look in the mirror and face the truth and the consequences of that truth.
Oh my gosh, Ellen, I thought of that quote too and was going to post it. I don't use a planner any longer but have that quote tucked into the pocket at the front. Thank you.
People wax poetic when talking about American exceptionalism. But as you wrote native indigenous people have always known how tarnished the American brand is and how the reality of America has NEVER lived up to the promise of the idea. Despite the fine words of Jefferson, Madison, Adams, Hamilton, etc. white supremacy has always been the reality of America. The South has lived under authoritarian rule for generations. We are now seeing how fragile our institutions are and that their guardrails were “norms and traditions”. We have counted on men’s good character to do the right thing to uphold democracy. Now that people on the dark side are in Congress, we see how counting on someone’s good character is a shaky foundation for a country, especially with regard to the presidency. We need a system update in America; compromises from 240 years ago are putting us in peril today. The electoral college enables the minority vote getter to win the presidency is an example we have being played out to its logical conclusion. For lack of vision the people perish, I hope; I pray good people will stop evil from flourishing.
“Do or Do not. There is no Try.” I have always believed that’s what the Nike slogan was all about.
I find it fascinating how many athletes I talk to understand this very thing you discuss with us, TC. I asked a premier athlete once why “Just Do It” became such an iconic slogan. I had to laugh when the reply was….”when most people get to the point of giving up, they say ‘well, at least I tried.’ So Nike knew they better not put “Just Try” next to their swoop.”
And this was a college athlete.
Leads me to remember to put some real muscle behind my convictions.
Ellen Massey - what a great quote from of all people Edward Teller! And what a thoughtful piece of writing today, TC of LA, and a call to stand up, speak up, and keep going despite the awful stuff the gop of the former "president" is still doing to create a Belarus of the West. We've got plenty of those guys and gals in Michigan and they believe their seats are assured even with a citizen led redistricting process, which of course they have fought tooth, nail and in the courts since the voters passed it by a 62% margin! They've already named their leadership for the state house and the state senate in 2022! They figure they'll win. And they might just because of the drip drip drip of lies from the gop over 20 years of controlling the state has weakened the intellectual capacity of too many Michiganders, and perhaps Americans, to allow them to ask questions of what they're hearing and who is rattling on from the heights. So thank you. Plenty to think about and to act upon. Plus - I've shared this column with friends who are committed to stay standing no matter what. Whatever we do, we can't do it totally alone. We need compatriots.
TC, I have been privileged to read your comments on Professor Richardson's Substack and did not realize until today that you, too, write here. So here I am, another subscriber, because I Geel I gain knowledge and insight from the two of you, and I appreciate the opportunity to support you both with my small stipend. Your writing today is thought provoking, and more than a little frightening, but I will say this: Never in my history of voting (and there have been quite a few elections under this old girl's belt!) have I been more motivated to speak out and take action, and I attribute part of that willingness to writing from the two of you. I thank you for aiding my motivation, and I hope it helps in some small way to keep us from losing our democracy...if [it is even possible to keep it at this stage.
Best advice since the (possibly apocryphal) Churchillian comment - "When you're going through hell, the best thing to do is keep going." In respect of "nice, easy, comfortable, safe, WRONG choices." are we discussing the current President who seems to be digging it deeper every day and, if so, who represents in effective, electable improvement?
I don't think the current guy is "digging deeper." I think he's in a "political sand trap" right now. My bet would be that if the BIF and the BBB bills get through and get signed, that people will forget all the "sausage making" as Good Things start to show up. As to the pandemic, if we keep pushing the mandates and getting to 90+% everywhere but the wingnuts, sanity may return for the majority of us, and the wingnuts will be seen as the authors of their own pandemic. Right now the best advice to give The Current Guy is that Churchill advice. At the other end of this long slog at 50+% approval ratings.
The fact that we're among the best-informed people, and we're having trouble keeping track, shows what the people who don't have a clue are going through.
Did I mention I also still believe in the Easter Bunny?
This morning in the doctor's office, I ran into an old friend I hadn't seen in years. She was a staunch Republican (the old fashioned kind) and I had assumed she was a trumpet. We agreed to hug, since we were both vaccinated and masked (that should have been a clue) and then she said, "I read everything you post on FB. Every word." Well, that shocked me. I use FB as my political platform and I had no idea she was still following me. That means she reads YOUR newsletter, as well as HCR, Lucian, Greg Olear and all the other newsletters I share, as well as articles from WaPo. So, keep believing in the Easter Bunny. Maybe he reads your newsletters too! It seems my friend's sanity has returned to her; if reading my FB stuff helped, I'm tickled pink.
Can you ask the Easter Bunny to bring Joe Manchin a basket of chocolate? His intransience continues to be a road block to everything we need and just yesterday came out again in support of the filibuster. I am getting weary of doing the fighting for him when he won't give an assist.
All of your bets look good but I'd be nervous about putting money on the likelihood of the two bills getting signed. .500 is a decent batting average in politics and I'm guessing he'll have to be content with the BIF because Congress will pretty soon start using the coming election as an excuse to stop doing business. If I had a choice, I'd take the Lewis Voting Rights bill over BBB because there's a fair amount in BBB that is at best wants rather than needs and not worth losing control of either house or (gasp) '24 to the dfp.
I'm good with the Easter Bunny, not sure how I feel about the Great Pumpkin.
Wow. Someone asked to be de-listed because of this. I must have done something right.
For those who want to do that, that's why there's an "unsubscribe" option in the e-mail notification you get.
Whoa you must have touched someone’s nerve. Good for you TC. I’ve been putting it out there ever since the lies started about the size of his crowd, as soon as the Lincoln Project was started, I joined and still support today, we know how to hold their feet 🦶 to the fire and have no qualms about doing it. It’s been very clear to me ever since that insipid imbecile was sworn in to office that our democracy was in dire straits. It still is and has only gotten worse. My stand has cost me friendships that I thought were dear both within my family and the people I do business with. I won’t pretend that it’s ok because it’s not, blood 🩸 is thicker than water but the oath I took to this nation supersedes every thing else. I read one time that after his son sided with the monarchy, Benjamin Franklin refused to ever speak with him again, when I pointed that out to my cousin, he said that I was no Ben Franklin, and in that of course, he's right, I however have had no problem emulating him. The mirror in the morning tells the tale 👍😎🙏
One sister and two parents are ejected from my life as a result of their cognitive blind spots and for supporting and defending their orange god-king and all that he stands for.
That's tough. I had a similar experience during the Vietnam War. 10 years later the honest parent admitted I was right (the other denied the fights had ever happened).
I don't expect them to admit anything. The malignant evangelicalism metastasized long ago. Continuing the relationship would be like taking up smoking again: toxic and self-destructive.
Sounds like you made the right decision. The one parent here who was honest was responsible for me being here the way I am, and "Mommie Dearest" got a "Ding dong! The witch is dead!" dance when I hung up the phone from learning she had made America great again, permanently.
I hesitate to hit the "love" button on that - some people are a negative force in the world of human affairs. Some people are bad for the planet. Some people are object lessons in who we should avoid emulating. Some people are just better off when they don't breathe anymore. Sad, but also true. American greatness has never permeated the fabric of us. It shines through here and there. Maybe one day it will break through and human equity will actually exist from sea to sea.
Oh man I feel for you, the Jesuits taught me over 50 years ago that the truth mattered, everything had to be based on an un-reducible truth, without that your arguments were based on sand. What we witnessed from the day the clown took office was an unending stream of lies every time he opened his yap, it was relentless. Our Justice Dept. is depicted by a blindfolded woman holding the scales of justice, lying in a courtroom is punishable by a long time in prison, and it should be, that's why the repugnatcins are so terrified of the House Jan 6 committee. The only hope the perps of the Jan 6 attack have is to reelect the clown who will pardon them all, unless that happens a lot of them are going to jail. They shit all over their dinner plate, have a nice meal guys and girls.
I am inclined to think that Someone felt compelled to let you know that he/she was unsubscribing. He/she needed to broadcast, like a child, I am not going to be friends with you anymore. A silent exit would not be enough drama. Let Someone go from your mind.
Oh yeah, they're gone. It was a freebie person anyway.
😂😂😂😂
Wow, is right, did they say what rankled them?
Have the easily-offended ever told you why? I've never heard. :-)
For me, it is facing the fact that this is "on our watch" and that our choices, what we do or don't do, matter for the future, our own and generations after us. But it is easy to be defeated by the overwhelming need for change at every level of society and in every part of the planet. The temptation, and it is a strong one, is to disengage-- (just for mental health in TFG's reign). Sanity in today's society means a constant effort to get a handle on context in the midst of fragmentation. Ain't easy! Reading both you and HCR helps me a lot to stay in the struggle. Thank you.
Be afraid. Be very afraid. Then muster up the courage to do what you can to change it.
TC, I appreciate your thoughtful tangled musings. It takes courage and fortitude to put them in writing. By doing so, one might find the strength to do or not do. I was with you all the way. Thank you.
This was thought provoking. Thank you.
A quote that got me through some dark times is this one: "When you come to the end of all the light you know, and it's time to step into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing that one of two things shall happen: Either you will be given something solid to stand on or you will be taught to fly." Edward Teller
For me, "faith" did not translate as religious faith, but just an acceptance that either I was going to crash and burn or I was not, and either way, it was a choice and I hopefully would survive. You know like Mark Twain's two roads? Making the tough choice or the easy choice was going to land me somewhere.
As I read your comments about Grisham, the thought kept flashing in my mind that almost every person who got caught up in that "celebrity" nightmare of the orange dumpster began to change PHYSICALLY. I called it the Pinocchio Syndrome. But instead of growing longer noses to accompany their lies, their FACES began to change - almost to melt. Look at Sarah Huckabee Sanders before and after pics - heck look at Lindsey Graham. Their cheeks sag, their eyes are puffy, they look perpetually hung over. They look desperate and angry. They ARE desperate and angry. All the time. I guess it's easy to wake up every morning and go through another day of being desperate and angry and sputter through telling oneself lie after lie...than to do as you did - look in the mirror and face the truth and the consequences of that truth.
That's what happens when you work for a Soul-Eater. Which they all did.
Oh my gosh, Ellen, I thought of that quote too and was going to post it. I don't use a planner any longer but have that quote tucked into the pocket at the front. Thank you.
How about Robert Frost?
People wax poetic when talking about American exceptionalism. But as you wrote native indigenous people have always known how tarnished the American brand is and how the reality of America has NEVER lived up to the promise of the idea. Despite the fine words of Jefferson, Madison, Adams, Hamilton, etc. white supremacy has always been the reality of America. The South has lived under authoritarian rule for generations. We are now seeing how fragile our institutions are and that their guardrails were “norms and traditions”. We have counted on men’s good character to do the right thing to uphold democracy. Now that people on the dark side are in Congress, we see how counting on someone’s good character is a shaky foundation for a country, especially with regard to the presidency. We need a system update in America; compromises from 240 years ago are putting us in peril today. The electoral college enables the minority vote getter to win the presidency is an example we have being played out to its logical conclusion. For lack of vision the people perish, I hope; I pray good people will stop evil from flourishing.
“Do or Do not. There is no Try.” I have always believed that’s what the Nike slogan was all about.
I find it fascinating how many athletes I talk to understand this very thing you discuss with us, TC. I asked a premier athlete once why “Just Do It” became such an iconic slogan. I had to laugh when the reply was….”when most people get to the point of giving up, they say ‘well, at least I tried.’ So Nike knew they better not put “Just Try” next to their swoop.”
And this was a college athlete.
Leads me to remember to put some real muscle behind my convictions.
Great post, TC. Sizzlin’.
BRAVA!!!
Most excellent, clarion call. I think Bernie may have heard you...
Ellen Massey - what a great quote from of all people Edward Teller! And what a thoughtful piece of writing today, TC of LA, and a call to stand up, speak up, and keep going despite the awful stuff the gop of the former "president" is still doing to create a Belarus of the West. We've got plenty of those guys and gals in Michigan and they believe their seats are assured even with a citizen led redistricting process, which of course they have fought tooth, nail and in the courts since the voters passed it by a 62% margin! They've already named their leadership for the state house and the state senate in 2022! They figure they'll win. And they might just because of the drip drip drip of lies from the gop over 20 years of controlling the state has weakened the intellectual capacity of too many Michiganders, and perhaps Americans, to allow them to ask questions of what they're hearing and who is rattling on from the heights. So thank you. Plenty to think about and to act upon. Plus - I've shared this column with friends who are committed to stay standing no matter what. Whatever we do, we can't do it totally alone. We need compatriots.
Thanks!
Destiny takes the shape we give it. Thanks for the reminder. Time to fight.
TC, I have been privileged to read your comments on Professor Richardson's Substack and did not realize until today that you, too, write here. So here I am, another subscriber, because I Geel I gain knowledge and insight from the two of you, and I appreciate the opportunity to support you both with my small stipend. Your writing today is thought provoking, and more than a little frightening, but I will say this: Never in my history of voting (and there have been quite a few elections under this old girl's belt!) have I been more motivated to speak out and take action, and I attribute part of that willingness to writing from the two of you. I thank you for aiding my motivation, and I hope it helps in some small way to keep us from losing our democracy...if [it is even possible to keep it at this stage.
Flattery like this will get you EVERYWHERE. :-) Thanks!!
Best advice since the (possibly apocryphal) Churchillian comment - "When you're going through hell, the best thing to do is keep going." In respect of "nice, easy, comfortable, safe, WRONG choices." are we discussing the current President who seems to be digging it deeper every day and, if so, who represents in effective, electable improvement?
I don't think the current guy is "digging deeper." I think he's in a "political sand trap" right now. My bet would be that if the BIF and the BBB bills get through and get signed, that people will forget all the "sausage making" as Good Things start to show up. As to the pandemic, if we keep pushing the mandates and getting to 90+% everywhere but the wingnuts, sanity may return for the majority of us, and the wingnuts will be seen as the authors of their own pandemic. Right now the best advice to give The Current Guy is that Churchill advice. At the other end of this long slog at 50+% approval ratings.
The fact that we're among the best-informed people, and we're having trouble keeping track, shows what the people who don't have a clue are going through.
Did I mention I also still believe in the Easter Bunny?
This morning in the doctor's office, I ran into an old friend I hadn't seen in years. She was a staunch Republican (the old fashioned kind) and I had assumed she was a trumpet. We agreed to hug, since we were both vaccinated and masked (that should have been a clue) and then she said, "I read everything you post on FB. Every word." Well, that shocked me. I use FB as my political platform and I had no idea she was still following me. That means she reads YOUR newsletter, as well as HCR, Lucian, Greg Olear and all the other newsletters I share, as well as articles from WaPo. So, keep believing in the Easter Bunny. Maybe he reads your newsletters too! It seems my friend's sanity has returned to her; if reading my FB stuff helped, I'm tickled pink.
Yeah! That's good news!
Can you ask the Easter Bunny to bring Joe Manchin a basket of chocolate? His intransience continues to be a road block to everything we need and just yesterday came out again in support of the filibuster. I am getting weary of doing the fighting for him when he won't give an assist.
All of your bets look good but I'd be nervous about putting money on the likelihood of the two bills getting signed. .500 is a decent batting average in politics and I'm guessing he'll have to be content with the BIF because Congress will pretty soon start using the coming election as an excuse to stop doing business. If I had a choice, I'd take the Lewis Voting Rights bill over BBB because there's a fair amount in BBB that is at best wants rather than needs and not worth losing control of either house or (gasp) '24 to the dfp.
I'm good with the Easter Bunny, not sure how I feel about the Great Pumpkin.
I'll still keep my money on both. Never. Vote. Against. Pelosi.
Totally agree.