If we survive, a new kind of American will have to sieze the minds and hearts of those who believe the great experiment is not over, but merely interrupted. I hope my children and surely their children will be among them, courageous enough and learned enough to raise the flag, embrace the goals, and form, again, a more perfect government of the peoples and by the peoples who will inevitably unite for ever, not merely for one or two election cycles. Happy 4th of July, 2025.
Thank you for posting this Tom. I read it the other day after seeing Judge Luttig with Ryan Lizza on Substack. It is a remarkable essay. Another big mistake George W made, besides the Iraq war, was nominating Alito and Roberts to the Supreme Court instead of Judge Luttig. He was one of the nominees Bush was considering at that time.
I have posted this on Heather Cox Richardson's "Letter" comments, and am posting it here, hoping against hope that someone can make this a reality. If anyone agrees and can put this idea out in the world, please do so.
The Eagles song "All She Wants to Do is Dance" keeps running through my mind. I have absolutely zero technical skills, but someone reading this either does, or knows someone who does, and I HOPE they take this idea and run with it. We need a video parody, not "amusing" like our wonderful Randy Rainbow, but serious, like perhaps the Lincoln Project could do.
I have had lyrics and visuals running through my head:
They're picking up IMMIGRANTS and putting them in a pen (cut to visual of El Salvador and Alligator Auschwitz)
And all HE wants to to is dance, dance (cut to Trump doing that stupid double hand jerk dance)
RACISTS BEEN RACISTS (cut to clip of Charlottesville)
since I don't know when (insert any Confederate photo from the Civil war)
and all HE wants to do is dance (Trump dance clip)
MAGA Kool-aid the local drink (photo of Trump wine, Trump water, Trump vodka_
And all HE wants to do is dance (Trump dance clip)
--I am at a loss for some lyrics here. Please help!
And all HE wants to do is dance.
Crazy people walking round with blood in their eyes (photos of outrageously dressed MAGAts at rallies, including the ones wearing diapers or kotex on their ears)
And all HE wants to do it dance, dance, dance
Wild-eyed pistol-wavers
Democracy will die (clip of the nuts with guns)
(Chorus)
And all HE want to do is
All HE wants to do is dance.
And make romance (photos with Putin, Kim Jung Un)
He can't feel the heat, coming off the streets (photos of NO KINGS massive crowds)
He wants to party
He wants to get down (photos of Mar a Largo ballroom)
All HE wants to do is,
All HE wants to do is dance (Trump dance clip)
HERITAGE FOUNDATION bribed the judges
in the SUPREME COURT (photos of Thomas, etc)
And all HE wants to do is dance, dance
They keep the boys selling'
Democracy away (visual of Trump signing Big Beautiful Bill)
And He wants to do is dance.
Nothing keeps the menace
from makin' a buck or two (photos of Trump watch, Trump NFTS, Trump guitar, Trump cologne, etc)
And all HE wants to do is dance, dance
NOEM and MILLER tell the army
Do all the evil you can do (photos of Noem cos-play and Miller sputtering on FOX)
Repeat Chorus
Golden palace left the airport
The grift is getting out (clips of the "gifted" jet)
Yeah well ... forgive this cynical old Aussie, but for many outsiders America is mostly a symbol of the rawest and most brutal capitalism, where Greed and Money are the only Religion, and Wealth is the only measure of a person's qualities and character. Sure, it's all dressed up in fine parchment documents written by slave-owning aristocrats, and has 250 years of pagentry and flag-waving, but really it's all a smokescreen - the wealthiest say 20,000 families got control of a bounteous continent, and every law, every court decision, every education program, every newspaper, every church sermon, and every war - are all conducted in the services of those 20,000 families and their perpetual control of staggering wealth.
There's a lot to admire about the US, but the way that governance, legislation, and the justice system are mere bootlicking for capital, is pretty hard to rationalise away. That's why so many go crazy on 4 July - they want to believe in something, like Santa Claus I guess. But Happy Independence Day anyway, from Down Under.
There's a lot to be said for the observation that the US is a feudal society. After the Gilded Age when 1% lost out to unions formed by the working class, they found a way to keep the wealth flowing upward by turning the working class into the consumer class so they could take back all they were forced to cede by unions. All those things we've been convinced to buy trick us into believing we have risen above the poor. And in the process we've lost what used to be good and noble. This is how we end up with someone like Trump at the helm, a man full of fraud, deceit, greed, and mean spiritedness, with a following that either forgives or aspires to all that.
And after effectively destroying the union movement (including widespread infiltration of the AFL-CIO by FBI and CIA stooges), the ruling class has spent the last couple of generations vehemently trying to undo The New Deal, and destroying the electoral system by allowing untold donor money, and voter suppression laws. All of this is pretty-much part of the capitalist playbook, but to see virtually half the population vote for their own oppression - and do it twice - is a whole new level of cognative disonance. But we gotta keep the trannies out of girls bathrooms!
Agree with much. Our promise outstripped our ability to meet it. There have been greedy bastards at all stages. This group respects nothing about the promise …
Hear hear to all the comments above. Judge Luttig seems to be showing up on the radar more and more, a good thing, amplifying his truthful, scholarly wisdom to the general populace!
Yes, truly a tragedy he’s not on our Supreme Court. And indeed, his essay IS gold, to borrow the term from another reader.
Thank you for posting, with perfect timing!
Hearing him yesterday with Ryan Lizza was a delight (definitely worth searching for the recorded video… Maybe around 30 minutes in length?).
He speaks of an article he has coming up - to be published maybe even today - telling of challenges that prompted him to halt his writing at some point, almost as if throwing up his hands and saying, “I can’t do this!” - but then, pivoting, he got back to work and suggested he’ll be done soon. (teaser: the focus of the article is the unconstitutionality of Felon47’s EO’s - 99.99%—💯 is the range!)
What prompted his pause was overwhelm when, one day, three EO‘s were issued in rapid fire, and he felt like every day he spent writing required massive revision of what he’d written the day before… So he clicked on pause. Respite! (Familiar topic much?!) Smart man! But he did not give up. After stepping back, he reassessed, and then returned to the project, with resolve to persevere. Commitment to his ethics to serve.
You know, just as many personalities parted ways from mainstream media and are here on SUBSTACK - I recall Paul Krugman as one of the first to remark how freed he felt, no longer restricted by corporate supervision.
So in this moment, it may be a blessing Judge Luttig is not on the court because he can muster all he has to say and share the truth more freely than if he could if he were on the court.
The obvious flipside is, he would’ve been contributing sound Constitution-based opinions to SCOTUS decisions all this time…
Always delightful hearing backstories by and about people we esteem, not just commentary on the issue at hand. With Ryan, the judge is professional, but not hiding his humanity. It’s delightful.
Such integrity! Heartening to witness in these times, yes? But it’s there to be found, and I guess we’re all like the original 49ers, looking, searching, watchful for the gold and delighting at the tiniest flake (no pun intended there, but I have a personal sensitivity to the word… when applied to people).
I didn't get to "Jim Thorpe, All American" as I planned on this 4th. His story will be on the History Channel tomorrow night, and I'll catch it then. Today I'm watching the rain, reading selections about America in Sydney Harris' "Pieces of Eight" and reflecting on all those things the kindly Judge Luttig reminds us of in this piece, Tom.
Oh, and I tried out the new marching shoes for when we militant pollyanas take over the streets again later this month. Unfortunately, our Arab and Hispanic neighbors may not show up for it because ICE is reported to be all over Southwest Detroit. And we have less crime in this area than there was in congress yesterday.
He talked about this yesterday wasn’t it? There is a lot of really poignant writing today on Substack but this is gold!
The judge said, “It wrote itself.” That’s humility. ❤️🤍💙
If we survive, a new kind of American will have to sieze the minds and hearts of those who believe the great experiment is not over, but merely interrupted. I hope my children and surely their children will be among them, courageous enough and learned enough to raise the flag, embrace the goals, and form, again, a more perfect government of the peoples and by the peoples who will inevitably unite for ever, not merely for one or two election cycles. Happy 4th of July, 2025.
Thank you for posting this Tom. I read it the other day after seeing Judge Luttig with Ryan Lizza on Substack. It is a remarkable essay. Another big mistake George W made, besides the Iraq war, was nominating Alito and Roberts to the Supreme Court instead of Judge Luttig. He was one of the nominees Bush was considering at that time.
I didn’t know about the SC nomination. I second your comment wholeheartedly.
He blew it in more ways than I can count…
What a great article!!
I have posted this on Heather Cox Richardson's "Letter" comments, and am posting it here, hoping against hope that someone can make this a reality. If anyone agrees and can put this idea out in the world, please do so.
The Eagles song "All She Wants to Do is Dance" keeps running through my mind. I have absolutely zero technical skills, but someone reading this either does, or knows someone who does, and I HOPE they take this idea and run with it. We need a video parody, not "amusing" like our wonderful Randy Rainbow, but serious, like perhaps the Lincoln Project could do.
I have had lyrics and visuals running through my head:
They're picking up IMMIGRANTS and putting them in a pen (cut to visual of El Salvador and Alligator Auschwitz)
And all HE wants to to is dance, dance (cut to Trump doing that stupid double hand jerk dance)
RACISTS BEEN RACISTS (cut to clip of Charlottesville)
since I don't know when (insert any Confederate photo from the Civil war)
and all HE wants to do is dance (Trump dance clip)
MAGA Kool-aid the local drink (photo of Trump wine, Trump water, Trump vodka_
And all HE wants to do is dance (Trump dance clip)
--I am at a loss for some lyrics here. Please help!
And all HE wants to do is dance.
Crazy people walking round with blood in their eyes (photos of outrageously dressed MAGAts at rallies, including the ones wearing diapers or kotex on their ears)
And all HE wants to do it dance, dance, dance
Wild-eyed pistol-wavers
Democracy will die (clip of the nuts with guns)
(Chorus)
And all HE want to do is
All HE wants to do is dance.
And make romance (photos with Putin, Kim Jung Un)
He can't feel the heat, coming off the streets (photos of NO KINGS massive crowds)
He wants to party
He wants to get down (photos of Mar a Largo ballroom)
All HE wants to do is,
All HE wants to do is dance (Trump dance clip)
HERITAGE FOUNDATION bribed the judges
in the SUPREME COURT (photos of Thomas, etc)
And all HE wants to do is dance, dance
They keep the boys selling'
Democracy away (visual of Trump signing Big Beautiful Bill)
And He wants to do is dance.
Nothing keeps the menace
from makin' a buck or two (photos of Trump watch, Trump NFTS, Trump guitar, Trump cologne, etc)
And all HE wants to do is dance, dance
NOEM and MILLER tell the army
Do all the evil you can do (photos of Noem cos-play and Miller sputtering on FOX)
Repeat Chorus
Golden palace left the airport
The grift is getting out (clips of the "gifted" jet)
As it taxied down the runway
All of Europe shouts
"Don't come back here, Yankee
We have no trust in you.
Just shove those tariffs"
Repeat chorus
For inspiration, here is the Eagles' clip
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eud5AurOxm0
I sincerely hope this gets made. I hope someone who reads this can do it and make it even better.
Fingers crossed.
I love your idea and hope someone will run with it. And all he wants to do is dance because he can't play the fiddle.
Judge Luttig has been telling America the truth for years. It’s a shame his fellow Republicans consistently ignore him.
Thank you for this Tom.
This is what America 🇺🇸
is!
Just wow! Thank you and Judge Lettig!! 🇺🇸🇺🇸
Yeah well ... forgive this cynical old Aussie, but for many outsiders America is mostly a symbol of the rawest and most brutal capitalism, where Greed and Money are the only Religion, and Wealth is the only measure of a person's qualities and character. Sure, it's all dressed up in fine parchment documents written by slave-owning aristocrats, and has 250 years of pagentry and flag-waving, but really it's all a smokescreen - the wealthiest say 20,000 families got control of a bounteous continent, and every law, every court decision, every education program, every newspaper, every church sermon, and every war - are all conducted in the services of those 20,000 families and their perpetual control of staggering wealth.
There's a lot to admire about the US, but the way that governance, legislation, and the justice system are mere bootlicking for capital, is pretty hard to rationalise away. That's why so many go crazy on 4 July - they want to believe in something, like Santa Claus I guess. But Happy Independence Day anyway, from Down Under.
There's a lot to be said for the observation that the US is a feudal society. After the Gilded Age when 1% lost out to unions formed by the working class, they found a way to keep the wealth flowing upward by turning the working class into the consumer class so they could take back all they were forced to cede by unions. All those things we've been convinced to buy trick us into believing we have risen above the poor. And in the process we've lost what used to be good and noble. This is how we end up with someone like Trump at the helm, a man full of fraud, deceit, greed, and mean spiritedness, with a following that either forgives or aspires to all that.
And after effectively destroying the union movement (including widespread infiltration of the AFL-CIO by FBI and CIA stooges), the ruling class has spent the last couple of generations vehemently trying to undo The New Deal, and destroying the electoral system by allowing untold donor money, and voter suppression laws. All of this is pretty-much part of the capitalist playbook, but to see virtually half the population vote for their own oppression - and do it twice - is a whole new level of cognative disonance. But we gotta keep the trannies out of girls bathrooms!
Agree with much. Our promise outstripped our ability to meet it. There have been greedy bastards at all stages. This group respects nothing about the promise …
Hear hear to all the comments above. Judge Luttig seems to be showing up on the radar more and more, a good thing, amplifying his truthful, scholarly wisdom to the general populace!
Yes, truly a tragedy he’s not on our Supreme Court. And indeed, his essay IS gold, to borrow the term from another reader.
Thank you for posting, with perfect timing!
Hearing him yesterday with Ryan Lizza was a delight (definitely worth searching for the recorded video… Maybe around 30 minutes in length?).
He speaks of an article he has coming up - to be published maybe even today - telling of challenges that prompted him to halt his writing at some point, almost as if throwing up his hands and saying, “I can’t do this!” - but then, pivoting, he got back to work and suggested he’ll be done soon. (teaser: the focus of the article is the unconstitutionality of Felon47’s EO’s - 99.99%—💯 is the range!)
What prompted his pause was overwhelm when, one day, three EO‘s were issued in rapid fire, and he felt like every day he spent writing required massive revision of what he’d written the day before… So he clicked on pause. Respite! (Familiar topic much?!) Smart man! But he did not give up. After stepping back, he reassessed, and then returned to the project, with resolve to persevere. Commitment to his ethics to serve.
You know, just as many personalities parted ways from mainstream media and are here on SUBSTACK - I recall Paul Krugman as one of the first to remark how freed he felt, no longer restricted by corporate supervision.
So in this moment, it may be a blessing Judge Luttig is not on the court because he can muster all he has to say and share the truth more freely than if he could if he were on the court.
The obvious flipside is, he would’ve been contributing sound Constitution-based opinions to SCOTUS decisions all this time…
Always delightful hearing backstories by and about people we esteem, not just commentary on the issue at hand. With Ryan, the judge is professional, but not hiding his humanity. It’s delightful.
Such integrity! Heartening to witness in these times, yes? But it’s there to be found, and I guess we’re all like the original 49ers, looking, searching, watchful for the gold and delighting at the tiniest flake (no pun intended there, but I have a personal sensitivity to the word… when applied to people).
“We the People” WILL PREVAIL!
Tom, it’s in the spirit of the above that I so enjoyed the story you told about meeting with Paul Newman.
I didn't get to "Jim Thorpe, All American" as I planned on this 4th. His story will be on the History Channel tomorrow night, and I'll catch it then. Today I'm watching the rain, reading selections about America in Sydney Harris' "Pieces of Eight" and reflecting on all those things the kindly Judge Luttig reminds us of in this piece, Tom.
Oh, and I tried out the new marching shoes for when we militant pollyanas take over the streets again later this month. Unfortunately, our Arab and Hispanic neighbors may not show up for it because ICE is reported to be all over Southwest Detroit. And we have less crime in this area than there was in congress yesterday.
That was truly a high-crime area yesterday.
Grateful for well spoken patriots Thomas Paine & Judge Luttig as we enter the ' catacombs of project 2025.Thanks TC.
Thanks so much for sending this out.
We're running out of time to prevent a King here.
There was King Aethelred the Unready in English history. What shall we call djt? King Donald the Weak? King Donald the Demented? Donald the Pretender?
I saw another one King Donald the Insatiable.