Just another lesson in "don't hitch your pony to trump because he will buck you off and stomp the shit out of you in the end." What's Marge gonna do now?
I couldn’t care less what Marge does now. Between her and Trump, mouths always wide open and yelling with nothing to say, I would view their disappearance from the Universe as an unalloyed blessing. I want America back. Full speed ahead.
I was just going to use that word, poetry. This is a delightful piece of writing, as well as a very important one. Go Tom! And good wishes from me for all the cats.
The glorious flag at the end almost made me cry. This has been a sad week for me personally, so I especially appreciate your optimism! And whatever is blooming today made that wind change not only hopeful, but fragrant!
Reading that article and the comparison with a becalmed sailing ship reminds me of Felix Mendelssohn’s Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage with its slow quiet start slowly building to a brilliant, exuberant climax as the windjammer finally flies toward its destination, sails billowing in the steady breeze. I hope this is a harbinger of better days and political tidings after the miasma of trumpism and Nixon’s Southern Strategy of the last sixty-odd years…one can hope for better days at last, fingers crossed.
Thanks, Dennis, and TC .Wasn’t familiar so I researched and listened to Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage.What a beautiful piece! Would also make for a wonderful, albeit short ballet.!🩰
We have been tacking upwind, but soon we’ll be able to jibe around the mark ,sheet in and sail downwind across the finish line In November ! (Couldn’t help myself with the sailing metaphors😜)
Please keep at it all! Still much work to do! ✍️📣📲💲🚶🏻💙
Watch out for the boom when sailing downwind. I've been clunked in the head more than once when the wind shifted a bit. Fortunately I was sailing a Sunfish so I didn't get knocked out. ;-)
Yep! When I was growing up, my family had a Lab mix who *loved* the water. When we were sailing upwind to somewhere local, she'd tack behind the Sunfish, covering at least five times the actual distance to get to where we were going. Once she was riding with me as I jibed twice to get around two little sandbars. The second jibe caught her by surprise and she went overboard. The water was pretty shallow, she was fine, and I've never forgotten the look on her face when she surfaced. "WTF" wasn't a thing back then but that was how she looked.
I just had the most peaceful few minutes with my eyes closed imagining the smooth seas with the graceful sailboat, in the soothingly calm beginning and then the slow-building run up to the happy, sparkling, bellied out spinnaker sail pulling the sleek ship over the waves to the home port!
Perfect description. Props on that one. Hope it happens in a few courtrooms in the near future as well, since by my lights it's long overdue there, too.
I have hope. My hope is that it's not too late to backstop Ukraine. My hope is that the US still has street cred on the world stage. My hope is that the magas will redirect their chanting, their delight in destruction, and their collective flatulence toward those in gated communities who've made common cause with them to hold on to power. And because I have a rich fantasy life, I'm hoping that the House vote tomorrow is the result of General Austin taking Mike Johnson into the a supply room, wrapping his big right meathook around Johnson's neck, hoisting him up against shelving laden with tissue and urinal cakes, staring hard into his bulged-eyed face from an inch away, and giving him a "reality update" through clenched teeth. I hope it was such a sissler than when Johnson's feet again touched the floor he realized he'd had an epiphany, that an evangelical God had indeed spoken to him via an uplifting and high ranking messenger.
Very well done! There was so much good in there, that I hardly know where to begin! But I loved that one of the good things to come out of the GOP finally breaking the logjam on aid for Ukraine -- "Jobs for Americans!!". While there are many good reasons to help Ukraine and protect Europe from Putin, the somehow "hidden" secret of the deal is that the money we're spending... is on ourselves! Yes, we send the arms to Ukraine, but we're not risking our blood on the battlefield! We're providing jobs for our own people, on our own soil, stimulating our economy and providing tax revenues back to the government. What could be better!?!
So, yes, I feel the tide turning also. I don't want to wish away the Spring and Summer - time moves quickly enough as it is - but I'm really looking forward to November. There is nothing good ahead for Trump - only endless court cases, bankruptcy and inevitable incarceration. MAGA is doomed. The Republican Party is going to have to start from scratch and attempt somehow to rebuild themselves, hopefully taking a more moderate view. Let all the far-right crazies crawl back under their rocks. The Democrats will be in charge of government in January, and then we can really start turning this ship around and head in the right direction.
It won't be easy; there's plenty of work still to do, but I can see blue skies ahead.
One of your best Tom. It sings. 12 07 41 on the Enterprise overpowered me with your narrative and the glorious Flag. And I had just finished Jacqueline Windspear’s The White Lady. Almost too much powerful writing. 🙏
I'm reminded of a scene in one of WEB Griffin's books. Marines are on an island and awaiting a supply mission that was engineered by finding a crypto device and reaching the Navy on Oahu, and identities confirmed via the lyrics of the Marines' Hymn. Sub breaks surface, and runs the National Colors up the pole. One Marine turns to another and says "Look at that fuckin' flag" with tears in his eyes.
Lord, it’s dangerous to feel hope but I’m gonna. I have thought for years that we are the ones who are the metaphorical Humpty Dumpty. We may be battered and worn but if enough cretins slime back under their rocks, I will rejoice. I may even forgive a few useful idiots. I have no illusions that all MAGAt morons will accept anything besides power over every libtard. May spineless chump finally learn what toddlers have to learn from parents who have a spine. It ain’t all about you. Also, would be nice if Christian’s started reading the gospels again.
I noticed a long time back that many of the people wearing MAGAt hats and referring to the Bible etc. also admitted to never attending church, so I suspect most of them are CINOs.
At the Methodist church I attended when Obama was elected, the vitriol was immediate and ridiculous. Some are dedicated idiots. Plenty of CINOs around though
I'm feeling it too. Fox turning on MTG was not on my bingo card at all, and while their interest is the survival of the Republican Party, country less so, the enemy of my enemy, etc. etc.
We don't need to campaign like we're 10 points down. Let's comport ourselves as champions, because our side is starting to win.
I'd take Mr. Brown's advice one day further, and not let up until a Biden and two Democratic majorities are definitive winners. We've been through too much s*** to let go of the tiller until we see the harbor and it's clear of mines.
Yes and no. Too many in this country let their inner evil and weaker characters grow strong during Trump's administration because they had permission to do so. A win by any amount is what we need, but a win that sends a message and suppresses bigotry and inhumanity is what gives us the strategic advantage. So, we'll take what we can get but hopefully get what it will take for a strategic, societal change win! (I suppose I should have worked something about winds in there...) ; )
These conversations can get plenty windy without changing anything. I agree that sending an unmistakable message is the strong preference, but if we can only get a small step or three, we've started down the right path. There are cultists who we won't reach any time soon, and there are "I've always voted GOP"ists who might be persuadable. The first group we need to get activated, however, is the nominal Democrats or Independents who are inclined to sit out.
Absolutely right. This pathetic crew of monsters has sapped so much of our precious collective time and energy we need to grind them all into the dustbin of history. I have been reminded all day about how my little brother at around age 10 gloried in fart jokes and now we have grown up “leaders” doing the same in Congress. That is about as lame as it gets.
I agree we need to campaign hard. The point I was trying to make was about mindset. Using your Guadalcanal analogy, think of how the soldiers, sailors and Marines were under Admiral Ghormley. Everyone understood they had to win, but they were not getting the leadership from the top that said they really could win--then Halsey came in, and he was the spark that drove the forces, sea, land, and air, to victory--because he led with full confidence in victory.
We're so used to D's being feckless, and now we really do have a fighting Democrat at the top of the ticket. Biden is no Al Gore, or John Kerry, or (shudder) Michael Dukakis--Joe Biden understands what it takes to win, and he's doing it, and when they go low, he f**ks up their shit.
So maybe we can look at it this way. We have a winning message, not just on abortion rights and the economy, but about who we are as Americans, and I think at the end of the day most people want that. So why don't we campaign like that? We can give them a reason to vote for Biden and all Democrats; not all will recieve it, but enough.
We've already beaten Trump in 2020, and beat the R's soundly in the last few election cycles at the national level.
“MAGA woke up sweating in the middle of the night as adherents disbelievingly read Trump’s Truth UnSocial rant which included his newest Rally theme song https://youtu.be/Efl0G4SUdiM?si=rat6Ax8EO2MyKOd8
After a tense 45 minutes, followers were relived to find the post was amended to remove the implication with a note saying Trump’s Personal Account was hacked. Melania declined a request for comment from Cub Reporter Dave”
I'll take it -- along with old Arabic proverb "Trust in God but tie your camel." (I used to know the Arabic version but that was a while ago.) I'll try to think of the U.S. as a sailing ship becalmed, but most of the time I think of the U.S. (which is to say US) as a somewhat befuddled individual who's maybe done too much (whatever) and is finally starting to come clean. Recovery doesn't happen overnight. We've got a long road ahead, but maybe, just maybe, if we stick to it, we can put the Civil War to bed once and for all.
Finally it's our turn to win, the maggots and the scum that rely on them for support are going to be getting an endless stream of very bad news, their world, which was always built on lies is going to run aground on the truth, this is going to be as inversely painful for a lot of them as the last 8 years have been for most of us. The emperor turns out to not be wearing any clothes other than his diaper which is fully loaded, and if you think his face is loathsome his bloated personhood will make any sane person want to puke. We've got a jury seated in NYC and a real judge, the next few weeks are going to be really sweet, as nail after nail is pounded into his coffin, it would almost make me feel sorry for him, but then I remember what he has cost us, how many lives were made shorter because of his inflated ego. We all have egos, it's what you do with it that matters, karma has a long memory, what a huge debt to be burdened with, all of the money in the world wouldn't be worth a second of it.
As someone who loved someone with incontinence issues, I wish we could find other ways to express ourselves. Although we need humor, of course, and he is absolutely worthy of ridicule.
This guy took children, even babies, from their parents at the border and kept no useful records. Worse than needing adult diapers. It just doesn’t lend itself to jokes. As we used to say, “That’s as funny as a dead baby.”
Wow. Amazing piece, Tom. Poetry!
Just another lesson in "don't hitch your pony to trump because he will buck you off and stomp the shit out of you in the end." What's Marge gonna do now?
I have a few good suggestions, which probably won't offend any readers here, but we can all do better in our imaginations than "putting it on screen."
I couldn’t care less what Marge does now. Between her and Trump, mouths always wide open and yelling with nothing to say, I would view their disappearance from the Universe as an unalloyed blessing. I want America back. Full speed ahead.
Yes indeed!!!!
Go Susan !
We hear Marge is quite popular in Russia these days.
https://newrepublic.com/post/180847/marjorie-taylor-greene-popular-russia-television
I was just going to use that word, poetry. This is a delightful piece of writing, as well as a very important one. Go Tom! And good wishes from me for all the cats.
The glorious flag at the end almost made me cry. This has been a sad week for me personally, so I especially appreciate your optimism! And whatever is blooming today made that wind change not only hopeful, but fragrant!
I had to stop, collect my thoughts, and dry the tears running down my face. This was an excellent piece. The flag did it for me. Thank you, Tom!!
It was a most apt closing.
Same effect on me!!
Reading that article and the comparison with a becalmed sailing ship reminds me of Felix Mendelssohn’s Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage with its slow quiet start slowly building to a brilliant, exuberant climax as the windjammer finally flies toward its destination, sails billowing in the steady breeze. I hope this is a harbinger of better days and political tidings after the miasma of trumpism and Nixon’s Southern Strategy of the last sixty-odd years…one can hope for better days at last, fingers crossed.
I'm going to put a link to that music in the post. You're right about it being good.
Thanks
Thanks, Dennis, and TC .Wasn’t familiar so I researched and listened to Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage.What a beautiful piece! Would also make for a wonderful, albeit short ballet.!🩰
We have been tacking upwind, but soon we’ll be able to jibe around the mark ,sheet in and sail downwind across the finish line In November ! (Couldn’t help myself with the sailing metaphors😜)
Please keep at it all! Still much work to do! ✍️📣📲💲🚶🏻💙
Watch out for the boom when sailing downwind. I've been clunked in the head more than once when the wind shifted a bit. Fortunately I was sailing a Sunfish so I didn't get knocked out. ;-)
I used to race sailboards so even less chance of a knockout.All that tacking upwind made me a better sailor.😉
Yep! When I was growing up, my family had a Lab mix who *loved* the water. When we were sailing upwind to somewhere local, she'd tack behind the Sunfish, covering at least five times the actual distance to get to where we were going. Once she was riding with me as I jibed twice to get around two little sandbars. The second jibe caught her by surprise and she went overboard. The water was pretty shallow, she was fine, and I've never forgotten the look on her face when she surfaced. "WTF" wasn't a thing back then but that was how she looked.
I did the same. I had to research it, too.
I just had the most peaceful few minutes with my eyes closed imagining the smooth seas with the graceful sailboat, in the soothingly calm beginning and then the slow-building run up to the happy, sparkling, bellied out spinnaker sail pulling the sleek ship over the waves to the home port!
Great suggestion. Wonderful, beautiful music and so appropriate!
Agreed!
RE: "No high drama; just procedural murder."
Perfect description. Props on that one. Hope it happens in a few courtrooms in the near future as well, since by my lights it's long overdue there, too.
I have hope. My hope is that it's not too late to backstop Ukraine. My hope is that the US still has street cred on the world stage. My hope is that the magas will redirect their chanting, their delight in destruction, and their collective flatulence toward those in gated communities who've made common cause with them to hold on to power. And because I have a rich fantasy life, I'm hoping that the House vote tomorrow is the result of General Austin taking Mike Johnson into the a supply room, wrapping his big right meathook around Johnson's neck, hoisting him up against shelving laden with tissue and urinal cakes, staring hard into his bulged-eyed face from an inch away, and giving him a "reality update" through clenched teeth. I hope it was such a sissler than when Johnson's feet again touched the floor he realized he'd had an epiphany, that an evangelical God had indeed spoken to him via an uplifting and high ranking messenger.
My, you Do have a rich fantasy life! Can you hear my applause from there?
That is wonderful!
Awesome Judith!
Very well done! There was so much good in there, that I hardly know where to begin! But I loved that one of the good things to come out of the GOP finally breaking the logjam on aid for Ukraine -- "Jobs for Americans!!". While there are many good reasons to help Ukraine and protect Europe from Putin, the somehow "hidden" secret of the deal is that the money we're spending... is on ourselves! Yes, we send the arms to Ukraine, but we're not risking our blood on the battlefield! We're providing jobs for our own people, on our own soil, stimulating our economy and providing tax revenues back to the government. What could be better!?!
So, yes, I feel the tide turning also. I don't want to wish away the Spring and Summer - time moves quickly enough as it is - but I'm really looking forward to November. There is nothing good ahead for Trump - only endless court cases, bankruptcy and inevitable incarceration. MAGA is doomed. The Republican Party is going to have to start from scratch and attempt somehow to rebuild themselves, hopefully taking a more moderate view. Let all the far-right crazies crawl back under their rocks. The Democrats will be in charge of government in January, and then we can really start turning this ship around and head in the right direction.
It won't be easy; there's plenty of work still to do, but I can see blue skies ahead.
Beautiful vision
One of your best Tom. It sings. 12 07 41 on the Enterprise overpowered me with your narrative and the glorious Flag. And I had just finished Jacqueline Windspear’s The White Lady. Almost too much powerful writing. 🙏
Indeed, TC’s writing can pierce the heart
Flattery will get you *everywhere* Jeri. :-)
Tis true. No propaganda here.
Agreed, Grover. That flag.
I'm reminded of a scene in one of WEB Griffin's books. Marines are on an island and awaiting a supply mission that was engineered by finding a crypto device and reaching the Navy on Oahu, and identities confirmed via the lyrics of the Marines' Hymn. Sub breaks surface, and runs the National Colors up the pole. One Marine turns to another and says "Look at that fuckin' flag" with tears in his eyes.
That photo brought the same reaction in me.
Lord, it’s dangerous to feel hope but I’m gonna. I have thought for years that we are the ones who are the metaphorical Humpty Dumpty. We may be battered and worn but if enough cretins slime back under their rocks, I will rejoice. I may even forgive a few useful idiots. I have no illusions that all MAGAt morons will accept anything besides power over every libtard. May spineless chump finally learn what toddlers have to learn from parents who have a spine. It ain’t all about you. Also, would be nice if Christian’s started reading the gospels again.
Love last line. So true.
It’s been awhile but if memory serves, love was his message. I seem to recall some
Disdain for “prosperity.”
It’s pretty messed up and distorted, which is what MAGA excels at. Very sad.
I noticed a long time back that many of the people wearing MAGAt hats and referring to the Bible etc. also admitted to never attending church, so I suspect most of them are CINOs.
At the Methodist church I attended when Obama was elected, the vitriol was immediate and ridiculous. Some are dedicated idiots. Plenty of CINOs around though
Mmm... I see the past tense in there.
not a new thing, sadly
Amen Jeri!!
It's five o'clock on Friday and I'm lifting my glass to a change in the breeze.
Let's all take a deep breath of fresh air and have a good weekend for a change. Then come back on Monday and fight like hell.
good idea
I’m with you on that one. Happy Friday to everyone 😊🌺🏖️
Yes!
I'm feeling it too. Fox turning on MTG was not on my bingo card at all, and while their interest is the survival of the Republican Party, country less so, the enemy of my enemy, etc. etc.
We don't need to campaign like we're 10 points down. Let's comport ourselves as champions, because our side is starting to win.
No, we need to follow Willie Brown's rule: Ignore the polls, run like you're ten points down till the polls close on election day, then celebrate.
Remember, Guadalcanal was a damned hard fight.
I'd take Mr. Brown's advice one day further, and not let up until a Biden and two Democratic majorities are definitive winners. We've been through too much s*** to let go of the tiller until we see the harbor and it's clear of mines.
I don't want a close defeat. I want them humiliated and marginalized. We can do it.
That's what we'd all like, but I'll take a win by the rules. 1-0 is just as good a victory as 10-1.
Yes and no. Too many in this country let their inner evil and weaker characters grow strong during Trump's administration because they had permission to do so. A win by any amount is what we need, but a win that sends a message and suppresses bigotry and inhumanity is what gives us the strategic advantage. So, we'll take what we can get but hopefully get what it will take for a strategic, societal change win! (I suppose I should have worked something about winds in there...) ; )
These conversations can get plenty windy without changing anything. I agree that sending an unmistakable message is the strong preference, but if we can only get a small step or three, we've started down the right path. There are cultists who we won't reach any time soon, and there are "I've always voted GOP"ists who might be persuadable. The first group we need to get activated, however, is the nominal Democrats or Independents who are inclined to sit out.
Absolutely right. This pathetic crew of monsters has sapped so much of our precious collective time and energy we need to grind them all into the dustbin of history. I have been reminded all day about how my little brother at around age 10 gloried in fart jokes and now we have grown up “leaders” doing the same in Congress. That is about as lame as it gets.
Yes.
I agree we need to campaign hard. The point I was trying to make was about mindset. Using your Guadalcanal analogy, think of how the soldiers, sailors and Marines were under Admiral Ghormley. Everyone understood they had to win, but they were not getting the leadership from the top that said they really could win--then Halsey came in, and he was the spark that drove the forces, sea, land, and air, to victory--because he led with full confidence in victory.
We're so used to D's being feckless, and now we really do have a fighting Democrat at the top of the ticket. Biden is no Al Gore, or John Kerry, or (shudder) Michael Dukakis--Joe Biden understands what it takes to win, and he's doing it, and when they go low, he f**ks up their shit.
So maybe we can look at it this way. We have a winning message, not just on abortion rights and the economy, but about who we are as Americans, and I think at the end of the day most people want that. So why don't we campaign like that? We can give them a reason to vote for Biden and all Democrats; not all will recieve it, but enough.
We've already beaten Trump in 2020, and beat the R's soundly in the last few election cycles at the national level.
Excellent!
Andrew, your comment sparked a DFN report
“MAGA woke up sweating in the middle of the night as adherents disbelievingly read Trump’s Truth UnSocial rant which included his newest Rally theme song https://youtu.be/Efl0G4SUdiM?si=rat6Ax8EO2MyKOd8
After a tense 45 minutes, followers were relived to find the post was amended to remove the implication with a note saying Trump’s Personal Account was hacked. Melania declined a request for comment from Cub Reporter Dave”
"...when they go low, he [Biden] f**ks up their shit." Thank You, Andrew!
That’s a good one 👍
Tom's right, Andrew - yes we need to campaign like we ARE 10 points down - we cannot let up! There are too many naysayers/magats on the other side!
And they use cult logic
Don’t assume too much
I'll take it -- along with old Arabic proverb "Trust in God but tie your camel." (I used to know the Arabic version but that was a while ago.) I'll try to think of the U.S. as a sailing ship becalmed, but most of the time I think of the U.S. (which is to say US) as a somewhat befuddled individual who's maybe done too much (whatever) and is finally starting to come clean. Recovery doesn't happen overnight. We've got a long road ahead, but maybe, just maybe, if we stick to it, we can put the Civil War to bed once and for all.
The country - a ship. The citizenry - as you describe.
Hmm -- that works!
Finally it's our turn to win, the maggots and the scum that rely on them for support are going to be getting an endless stream of very bad news, their world, which was always built on lies is going to run aground on the truth, this is going to be as inversely painful for a lot of them as the last 8 years have been for most of us. The emperor turns out to not be wearing any clothes other than his diaper which is fully loaded, and if you think his face is loathsome his bloated personhood will make any sane person want to puke. We've got a jury seated in NYC and a real judge, the next few weeks are going to be really sweet, as nail after nail is pounded into his coffin, it would almost make me feel sorry for him, but then I remember what he has cost us, how many lives were made shorter because of his inflated ego. We all have egos, it's what you do with it that matters, karma has a long memory, what a huge debt to be burdened with, all of the money in the world wouldn't be worth a second of it.
This was a beautifully written
piece Tom. Thank you for
making my day and for the
beautiful flag.
@tcinla
Great minds!!!!
Robert Hubble has praised this in his Substack!!
https://open.substack.com/pub/roberthubbell/p/biden-heads-to-florida?r=3hn50&utm_medium=ios
Robert is indeed a good guy. The work he does is so good he has Laurence Tribe as a subscriber.
Great summary TC. Thanks so much for all you give to us.
Putin may have to release the pee tape.
Whatever the future brings, however the chips fall, we will always have the pee tape.
Apparently, chips are falling in court.
As well as brown clouds.
I wonder if his poop is orange, too.
I laughed out loud.
I just read that there are brown clouds.
As someone who loved someone with incontinence issues, I wish we could find other ways to express ourselves. Although we need humor, of course, and he is absolutely worthy of ridicule.
This guy took children, even babies, from their parents at the border and kept no useful records. Worse than needing adult diapers. It just doesn’t lend itself to jokes. As we used to say, “That’s as funny as a dead baby.”