Another contrast between Joe Biden's Memorial Day statement and action and Donald Trump's. Trump begins his statement with the inane: "Happy Memorial Day." Memorial Day is neither a birthday nor the New Years holiday nor any other day which is easily preceded by the word "Happy." Memorial Day is a day for contemplation -- which Joe Biden demonstrated through his thoughtful comments.
We know Trump is many (disturbing) things but 'thoughtful' has never been one of those things. Indeed, Trump's projective use of "human scum" tells us all exactly what he is.
I know many retired military folks and it's frightening how many of them are rabbit hole deep into Trump worship.....and it boggles my mind that these (generally good) folks have selected such a piece of human waste as an object to admire and vote for. Why, why, why...I just cannot fathom why?
Thank you...I thought I was the only one who thought Trump's eyes had become very pig-like...the older, meaner and 'non compos mentos' he gets, the more his face has changed to reflect his inner ugliness. (And to all true swine, (Sus domesticus) accept my apologies for the comparison)
What’s truly sad is how many didn’t and won’t ever pay attention. Those low info voters, along with all of those with “Fox News brain” will vote for him again. My three brothers and my Mother plan to vote for him a third time. They’ve asked me what’s wrong with ME? A sad thing to see up close.
I also have family like that who are close to me and I feel your pain. In their cases it’s Christian Nationalism at work. I’m a Christian too but I’m sure my faithfulness has come into question in their minds. It’s an upside down world!
This Christian Nationalism is neither Christian nor patriot. Have we ever asked them how they square their thinking with the diversity of religious beliefs among all of global humanity? Religion??
Most of the grassroots groups don't have the budget to put it on to a national audience. They post on social media to get followers to make it go viral or they run it as a digital ad to a targeted audience. An ad like this on might run in swing states in a local TV market near a military base
I know that Lincoln Project makes some ads for a target "audience of one" and will schedule an ad based on where Trump will be (e.g., Mar a Logo or his Bedminster Golf Club in NJ). Rick Wilson excels at PsyOPs and getting under Trump's extremely thin skin.
Yet half the country out of grievance of what they believe they are entitled to support a man wholly without values, empathy, integrity and honor.
What has become of America who so many have sacrificed for. God bless all those veterans and the living who will not let our country lose the idea that all are created equal and have voice in how the country moves forward. Thanks Robert!
That Trump started his Memorial Day message railing against “ human scum” and denying-again!- that he does not know E Jean Carroll is telling and tiring.His messages are all becoming like listening to a broken record where the dissonant music is entirely the screaming of his hateful, nasal voice over and over again. I am glad I am on Joe’s team.
I honestly can't decide which is worse - Trump's incessant and blatant lying or the fact that most of the GOP simply doesn't care and/or is gullible enough to believe him!
Have hope, Cheryl! Remember how many voters in Republican primaries have voted for Nikki Haley AFTER she withdrew from the race. Remember, too, that polls are not to be believed. They are badly constructed. We have won elections in 2020, 2022 and 2024 that we were not expected to win. We must remain hopeful, and WORK hard to make sure that Biden wins, and we win back the house.
Yes, I agree. It is hard to get your head around the endless, incessant lying. What kind of hubris,or phobia, does it take to deny knowing someone that you have been convicted twice of violating?? It never stops and I think that is the point. Keep the lies coming and everyone will be so confused that they will stop paying attention., Whatever it is, I cannot wait for the days that I don't have to hear his hateful lying voice anymore.
Yup, the way he speaks is extremely strange, isn't it? Aside from the hyperbole, even. Also, I have actually been wondering if there is a specific diagnosis for someone for whom everything is absolutely the worst the world has ever seen or is absolutely best the world has ever seen, delivered in that weird style.
His mental health has deteriorated quite a bit since 2016. It's pretty evident that he is narcissistic and sociopathic, but it looks as if there may also be dementia there. He IS scary, which makes it even harder to understand why so many are saying they will vote for him.
This week we will find out if Trump will be held responsible for working to prevent damning info from reaching American voters just before the '16 Election - just before the '24 Election.
Trump's fascination with his own woes and travails is understandable given the mountains of evidence that he's a bad guy. But that's actually what I wish millions of my fellow Americans would focus on: Trump's actually a bad guy. He's a proven liar and serial philanderer.Our nation has produced many similar bad guys - but we only elected one of them to be our president. And that was based on one of the most scurrilous disinformation campaigns to date - one which vilified Hillary and extolled Trump. Those knowingly supporting Trump in 2016 and 2020 should be ashamed. The bad news is: they're still at it.
At this point, I think of trump voters as co-conspirators and insurrectionists just like him, the Proud Boys, Roger Stone, Steve Bannon and every elected Republican who enabled him and did not vote to impeach him. They are unable or unwilling to accept the truth that the man is a liar and much more. After 7.5 or 8 years they too should not escape some accountability. As voters in a democracy it is their and our responsibility to be informed and defend our constitution.
Whoa wait, who is better qualified to recognize "human scum" than the King of Scum himself? The great American writer, William James said, "Act as if what you do matters. It does." Going all out to remove this stain on American Democracy is working , perhaps stealthfully much of the time, but all resistance counts. Alito, the SCOTUS Clown simply deepens resistance of the entire republican brand, especially within still yet undecided , registered voters. I am a glass half full stoic aligned proud US Navy Veteran. What you, and I do to rid us of this monster matters, anything, and everything.
Thank you so much for the time and thought you put into your newsletter. Drawing this contrast reinforces once again the stark choice we are facing and inspires me to do more for the Democrats here in NC.
I always believed it the little things that make a difference and President Biden and Vice President Harris are always doing the little things everyday that demonstrate their empathy and government experience with very little fanfare and always in small personnel groups where they can shake hands and look people in the eye. It’s easy to turn Trump’s rallies off and ignore his lying outrageous rhetoric but it’s more difficult to ignore the personally delivered messages of the Biden Administration. A political campaign manager once said “ that on Election Day in the polling booth people vote based on feelings not platforms “ and I am hoping this come November he is right.
Robert, your words are so spot on about the stark contrast between President Biden and the criminal, low life who aspires to his office.
As President Biden stated to the West Point cadets at their commencement exercise a few days ago, those young men and women are “graduates of democracy”, shouldering the responsibility of the oath each gave in carrying forward the legacy of those Americans who sacrificed their own lives to preserve and protect the right of each person in our country to live full, equal lives.
Let us all solemnly vow that these American patriots did not die in vain by defending our democracy in the voting booth this coming November.
There are several documented cases of enslaved people learning to read and write-even of them burying their slates and pencils in cloth wraps, underneath garbage heaps. Some slave "owners" taught selected chattel, mainly young men, to read the Bible. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson was one of them. Others, including Robert E. Lee, erupted in fury when their "property" was found to be literate.
Hi, Gary. This is a fascinating and difficult subject. After my visit to the Museum, I did some research about practices in the South regarding teaching (or allowing) enslaved people to read and write. What was shocking to me was how quickly I was directed to websites that portrayed enslaved people as having happy domestic lives when they "stopped working" for the day. Some sites mentioned that slaves were able to hold side-jobs for pay! The Ron DeSantis lies are taking root!
As the Museum made clear, even on estates like Jeffersons, families were ripped apart when Jefferson needed money to service his lavish lifestyle and building projects (including Monticello). Jefferson did not free his own children (with Sally Hemmings) until after his death, and even then he freed only a few; the others were forced to flee Monticello after Jefferson's death. So the notion being promoted that enslaved people were happy is a post facto romanticization of their lives to assuage the guilt of those whose fortunes, even today, are built on their illegal bondage.
It seems out of character for President Biden to have been silent over the deaths of the service members attacked during the withdrawal of Afghanistan. I searched the internet and found this article from the Hill, who reported that it was in 2023, two years after the withdrawal, that Biden issued a statement honoring those lives lost.
Hi, Lynell. Here is what Biden said four days after the 13 Americans were killed in Afghanistan:
And still, the men and women of the United States military, our diplomatic corps, and intelligence professionals did their job and did it well, risking their lives not for professional gains but to serve others; not in a mission of war but in a mission of mercy. Twenty servicemembers were wounded in the service of this mission. Thirteen heroes gave their lives.
I was just at Dover Air Force Base for the dignified transfer. We owe them and their families a debt of gratitude we can never repay but we should never, ever, ever forget.
Renee, this August 2021 article speaks directly against the lies being told today, three years later. Thank you for digging deeper than I did.
The question that remains is why aren't the witnesses to the "dignified transfer" that President Biden oversaw speaking up in his defense against these lies - the service members carrying the caskets, the press pool covering the President, and the others standing by the President during this event?
Notice to any postcard writers out there: Postcards to Voters (www.postcardstovoters.org) has a new campaign for Michael Kripchak for a special election in OH-06 on June 11. Kripchak is a veteran, and is running on a platform of protecting reproductive rights, public education and workers' rights.
It is a seriously red district, but turnout for this election is expected to be low. In addition, the GOP candidate would be a disaster for the people of OH - he was a sponsor for the heartbeat bill when he was in the OH legislature and his slogan is guns, oil, and Trump.
Thanks for posting - Mom & I are writing post cards as fast as we are able (Mom - lots, me - not so much, since I'm working, etc., but I'm doing my best!). The only potential problem for newbies is that getting the addresses feels tedious at first. Once you're used to their system (which is designed to discourage trolls, I believe) it's easy!
My goodness, Jocelyn, how awesome that you both have a share in taking action. And seems managing however much we can and finding balance—this too is an art! Lovely to be acquainted with mother and daughter who are working on their shared masterpiece! How lovely, and inspiring!
Thanks so much, Jean! Mom is a long-time Democrat from WI, and she brought us up right! (Sadly, most of her sibs are or were republicans, and the type that you can't reason with.) Anyway, yup, finding the balance is important, and so is working with my Mom! Thanks again - and lovely to be acquainted with you, too!
Sounds like you learned from your Mom’s example, Jocelyn. And she indeed taught you well! (I too know the sadness that comes with not sharing, what comes down to, my worldview with family members. Perhaps that’s part of the gift of this community.) Thank you for sharing your appreciation of, and joy in working with your Mom! And no wonder … it’s admirable and lovely at once! Wishes for a good evening to you both!
Robert, thank you for your usual but extraordinary judgment in highlighting President Biden's Memorial Day message in which he extolled the United States as "an idea like no other." This will be seen by the media as a usual ceremonial missive, not newsworthy, but Joe Biden's statement speaks to his greatness and rightness for our times.
Biden recognizes that the United States is "an idea," one that has inspired people the world over since 1776, years before we were a nation. On the most basic level Trump wouldn't recognize an idea or an ideal anymore complicated than a scheme to work an advantage. He manifests the moral complexity of an amoeba -- action and reaction. Biden recognizes that it is the "idea" of the United State that we all must work to serve and for which citizens have lived long lives fighting for even when they knew it was imperfectly realized (John Lewis, Rosa Parks, and millions of others come to mind) and have sacrificed their young lives in service of. Thank you. Trump sees our nation as a failed country (even though he was President of that country), the land of the grift and the home of the depraved. Joe Biden holds a brighter mirror up to the U.S. and says, see what we can become. Trump sees us as a land filled with Human Scum. The choice is clear.
I would hope that the DNC, the Biden campaign, and the Lincoln Project would cover all of the media with both of those Memorial Day messages and ask the citizens of America which country they would choose to live in.
But then, I became afraid of the answer. It used to amaze me, now it frightens me. Still, we can win this. I don’t believe that the majority of Americas are cruel, racist, and greedy.
Another contrast between Joe Biden's Memorial Day statement and action and Donald Trump's. Trump begins his statement with the inane: "Happy Memorial Day." Memorial Day is neither a birthday nor the New Years holiday nor any other day which is easily preceded by the word "Happy." Memorial Day is a day for contemplation -- which Joe Biden demonstrated through his thoughtful comments.
We know Trump is many (disturbing) things but 'thoughtful' has never been one of those things. Indeed, Trump's projective use of "human scum" tells us all exactly what he is.
I know many retired military folks and it's frightening how many of them are rabbit hole deep into Trump worship.....and it boggles my mind that these (generally good) folks have selected such a piece of human waste as an object to admire and vote for. Why, why, why...I just cannot fathom why?
"Not suckers or losers" works.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qY_tc-qxwPc&t=12s
I didn't see your post before I posted.
For all those who find it too painful to examine their own life choices and deeds done, pig eyes is their man.
Thank you...I thought I was the only one who thought Trump's eyes had become very pig-like...the older, meaner and 'non compos mentos' he gets, the more his face has changed to reflect his inner ugliness. (And to all true swine, (Sus domesticus) accept my apologies for the comparison)
More like Orwell's description of Napoleon in Animal Farm.
Exactly right. Napoleon of Animal Farm is right on the snout.
I originally used the phrase ‘dead pig eyes’ befitting eyes with no spark of someone inside. I adore pigs plain and simple.
I have the same question, TL. It makes no sense. I have to think they are not paying attention to the REAL news about what's going on.
Hopefully people paid attention.
What’s truly sad is how many didn’t and won’t ever pay attention. Those low info voters, along with all of those with “Fox News brain” will vote for him again. My three brothers and my Mother plan to vote for him a third time. They’ve asked me what’s wrong with ME? A sad thing to see up close.
Stay strong! It must be tough, but there are tens of millions of Americans who agree with you!
I also have family like that who are close to me and I feel your pain. In their cases it’s Christian Nationalism at work. I’m a Christian too but I’m sure my faithfulness has come into question in their minds. It’s an upside down world!
This Christian Nationalism is neither Christian nor patriot. Have we ever asked them how they square their thinking with the diversity of religious beliefs among all of global humanity? Religion??
Phenomenal. Thank you, Robert.
The comparison between President Biden and Defendant Trump is stark. Veterans and military families need to take stock and vote accordingly.
💙
see this recent ad from VoteVets:
https://votevets.org/ads/never-again-should-anyone-who-serves-have-to-salute-a-walking-talking-national-security-threat
Very powerful ad! thanks for posting.
Thanks for posting Cheryl. We need to support the military speaking out against Trump.
I agree.
This is fantastic!!
I'm sending to my vet family member who continues to support the Defendant. Thanks!!! 💙
Great!
Excellent, just shared
Great!
Powerful, this needs to go viral to all Americans!
Wow. Does anyone know where this ad will be shown? Maybe on Fox?
Most of the grassroots groups don't have the budget to put it on to a national audience. They post on social media to get followers to make it go viral or they run it as a digital ad to a targeted audience. An ad like this on might run in swing states in a local TV market near a military base
I know that Lincoln Project makes some ads for a target "audience of one" and will schedule an ad based on where Trump will be (e.g., Mar a Logo or his Bedminster Golf Club in NJ). Rick Wilson excels at PsyOPs and getting under Trump's extremely thin skin.
Thank you, Cheryl.
Yet half the country out of grievance of what they believe they are entitled to support a man wholly without values, empathy, integrity and honor.
What has become of America who so many have sacrificed for. God bless all those veterans and the living who will not let our country lose the idea that all are created equal and have voice in how the country moves forward. Thanks Robert!
Not half the country. MSM wants a horserace. We have the capacity to sweep. Register Democrats to save democracy.
https://www.fieldteam6.org/
and yet, Trump will never reciprocate that support, and will likely take away more of their current "entitlements".
That Trump started his Memorial Day message railing against “ human scum” and denying-again!- that he does not know E Jean Carroll is telling and tiring.His messages are all becoming like listening to a broken record where the dissonant music is entirely the screaming of his hateful, nasal voice over and over again. I am glad I am on Joe’s team.
I honestly can't decide which is worse - Trump's incessant and blatant lying or the fact that most of the GOP simply doesn't care and/or is gullible enough to believe him!
Have hope, Cheryl! Remember how many voters in Republican primaries have voted for Nikki Haley AFTER she withdrew from the race. Remember, too, that polls are not to be believed. They are badly constructed. We have won elections in 2020, 2022 and 2024 that we were not expected to win. We must remain hopeful, and WORK hard to make sure that Biden wins, and we win back the house.
Yes, I agree. It is hard to get your head around the endless, incessant lying. What kind of hubris,or phobia, does it take to deny knowing someone that you have been convicted twice of violating?? It never stops and I think that is the point. Keep the lies coming and everyone will be so confused that they will stop paying attention., Whatever it is, I cannot wait for the days that I don't have to hear his hateful lying voice anymore.
Yup, the way he speaks is extremely strange, isn't it? Aside from the hyperbole, even. Also, I have actually been wondering if there is a specific diagnosis for someone for whom everything is absolutely the worst the world has ever seen or is absolutely best the world has ever seen, delivered in that weird style.
His mental health has deteriorated quite a bit since 2016. It's pretty evident that he is narcissistic and sociopathic, but it looks as if there may also be dementia there. He IS scary, which makes it even harder to understand why so many are saying they will vote for him.
A lot of people agree that there is dementia, and that's scary indeed, and I guess those people are just glossing over what is obvious to us.
This week we will find out if Trump will be held responsible for working to prevent damning info from reaching American voters just before the '16 Election - just before the '24 Election.
Trump's fascination with his own woes and travails is understandable given the mountains of evidence that he's a bad guy. But that's actually what I wish millions of my fellow Americans would focus on: Trump's actually a bad guy. He's a proven liar and serial philanderer.Our nation has produced many similar bad guys - but we only elected one of them to be our president. And that was based on one of the most scurrilous disinformation campaigns to date - one which vilified Hillary and extolled Trump. Those knowingly supporting Trump in 2016 and 2020 should be ashamed. The bad news is: they're still at it.
At this point, I think of trump voters as co-conspirators and insurrectionists just like him, the Proud Boys, Roger Stone, Steve Bannon and every elected Republican who enabled him and did not vote to impeach him. They are unable or unwilling to accept the truth that the man is a liar and much more. After 7.5 or 8 years they too should not escape some accountability. As voters in a democracy it is their and our responsibility to be informed and defend our constitution.
And among the most despicable are the ones without scruples - like JD Vance, Ted Cruz and others
Whoa wait, who is better qualified to recognize "human scum" than the King of Scum himself? The great American writer, William James said, "Act as if what you do matters. It does." Going all out to remove this stain on American Democracy is working , perhaps stealthfully much of the time, but all resistance counts. Alito, the SCOTUS Clown simply deepens resistance of the entire republican brand, especially within still yet undecided , registered voters. I am a glass half full stoic aligned proud US Navy Veteran. What you, and I do to rid us of this monster matters, anything, and everything.
Thank you so much for the time and thought you put into your newsletter. Drawing this contrast reinforces once again the stark choice we are facing and inspires me to do more for the Democrats here in NC.
How are you all faring, given this terrible weather?
We're having beautiful weather in NC. Thanks for asking.
Great! We keep seeing footage on the news about devastating storms,and I have several friends in NC. I worry.
Hello from a a fellow North Carolinian. I'm in Charlotte. How about you?
Hi!! I’m in Durham. I’ve been told that Charlotte is where it’s at for NC.
I’m in Durham, too! Precinct 3. We need to get Durham County Dems up off the couch and to the polls!
I always believed it the little things that make a difference and President Biden and Vice President Harris are always doing the little things everyday that demonstrate their empathy and government experience with very little fanfare and always in small personnel groups where they can shake hands and look people in the eye. It’s easy to turn Trump’s rallies off and ignore his lying outrageous rhetoric but it’s more difficult to ignore the personally delivered messages of the Biden Administration. A political campaign manager once said “ that on Election Day in the polling booth people vote based on feelings not platforms “ and I am hoping this come November he is right.
Biden shook hands with each West Point graduate after delivering the commencement address. Here is a transcript of his speech:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2024/05/25/remarks-by-president-biden-in-commencement-address-to-the-united-states-military-academy-at-west-point-west-point-ny/
Biden IS a remarkable man! He is the antidote to Trump!
Robert, your words are so spot on about the stark contrast between President Biden and the criminal, low life who aspires to his office.
As President Biden stated to the West Point cadets at their commencement exercise a few days ago, those young men and women are “graduates of democracy”, shouldering the responsibility of the oath each gave in carrying forward the legacy of those Americans who sacrificed their own lives to preserve and protect the right of each person in our country to live full, equal lives.
Let us all solemnly vow that these American patriots did not die in vain by defending our democracy in the voting booth this coming November.
There are several documented cases of enslaved people learning to read and write-even of them burying their slates and pencils in cloth wraps, underneath garbage heaps. Some slave "owners" taught selected chattel, mainly young men, to read the Bible. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson was one of them. Others, including Robert E. Lee, erupted in fury when their "property" was found to be literate.
Hi, Gary. This is a fascinating and difficult subject. After my visit to the Museum, I did some research about practices in the South regarding teaching (or allowing) enslaved people to read and write. What was shocking to me was how quickly I was directed to websites that portrayed enslaved people as having happy domestic lives when they "stopped working" for the day. Some sites mentioned that slaves were able to hold side-jobs for pay! The Ron DeSantis lies are taking root!
As the Museum made clear, even on estates like Jeffersons, families were ripped apart when Jefferson needed money to service his lavish lifestyle and building projects (including Monticello). Jefferson did not free his own children (with Sally Hemmings) until after his death, and even then he freed only a few; the others were forced to flee Monticello after Jefferson's death. So the notion being promoted that enslaved people were happy is a post facto romanticization of their lives to assuage the guilt of those whose fortunes, even today, are built on their illegal bondage.
And people continue to try or succeed at banning books that tell these stories. Thanks for sharing your experience at the museum.
Frederick Douglass was taught to read by his master’s wife.
Thank goodness!
Thanks. I didn’t know that.
It seems out of character for President Biden to have been silent over the deaths of the service members attacked during the withdrawal of Afghanistan. I searched the internet and found this article from the Hill, who reported that it was in 2023, two years after the withdrawal, that Biden issued a statement honoring those lives lost.
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/4173016-biden-honors-service-members-killed-during-afghanistan-withdrawal/
If anyone has more accurate reporting, please post it here. Thanks.
Hi, Lynell. Here is what Biden said four days after the 13 Americans were killed in Afghanistan:
And still, the men and women of the United States military, our diplomatic corps, and intelligence professionals did their job and did it well, risking their lives not for professional gains but to serve others; not in a mission of war but in a mission of mercy. Twenty servicemembers were wounded in the service of this mission. Thirteen heroes gave their lives.
I was just at Dover Air Force Base for the dignified transfer. We owe them and their families a debt of gratitude we can never repay but we should never, ever, ever forget.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/08/31/remarks-by-president-biden-on-the-end-of-the-war-in-afghanistan/
Please help stop the right-wing lie that Biden did not address the deaths of those servicemen for more than two years.
Thank you, Robert!
Renee's USA Today story is a good source as well.
Like you Lynell I was skeptical that President Biden did not meet or speak with the families. I found this article that states otherwise. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/08/29/joe-biden-meets-families-13-service-members-killed-kabul-bombing/5641896001/
Biden, having lost a son himself to war related injuries, does not make grieving families into props.
So grateful to you for saying that. Because DJT always tries to make a buck out of everything; he attempts to monetize grief and loss.
Thank you for finding this story on Biden being present for the “dignified transfer” of those killed in the attack in Afghanistan.
Renee, this August 2021 article speaks directly against the lies being told today, three years later. Thank you for digging deeper than I did.
The question that remains is why aren't the witnesses to the "dignified transfer" that President Biden oversaw speaking up in his defense against these lies - the service members carrying the caskets, the press pool covering the President, and the others standing by the President during this event?
Notice to any postcard writers out there: Postcards to Voters (www.postcardstovoters.org) has a new campaign for Michael Kripchak for a special election in OH-06 on June 11. Kripchak is a veteran, and is running on a platform of protecting reproductive rights, public education and workers' rights.
It is a seriously red district, but turnout for this election is expected to be low. In addition, the GOP candidate would be a disaster for the people of OH - he was a sponsor for the heartbeat bill when he was in the OH legislature and his slogan is guns, oil, and Trump.
Thanks for posting - Mom & I are writing post cards as fast as we are able (Mom - lots, me - not so much, since I'm working, etc., but I'm doing my best!). The only potential problem for newbies is that getting the addresses feels tedious at first. Once you're used to their system (which is designed to discourage trolls, I believe) it's easy!
Thanks to your Mom and her daughter, Jocelyn! 💕
You're welcome, Jean! We feel pretty good about taking action, however much we can manage.
My goodness, Jocelyn, how awesome that you both have a share in taking action. And seems managing however much we can and finding balance—this too is an art! Lovely to be acquainted with mother and daughter who are working on their shared masterpiece! How lovely, and inspiring!
Thanks so much, Jean! Mom is a long-time Democrat from WI, and she brought us up right! (Sadly, most of her sibs are or were republicans, and the type that you can't reason with.) Anyway, yup, finding the balance is important, and so is working with my Mom! Thanks again - and lovely to be acquainted with you, too!
Sounds like you learned from your Mom’s example, Jocelyn. And she indeed taught you well! (I too know the sadness that comes with not sharing, what comes down to, my worldview with family members. Perhaps that’s part of the gift of this community.) Thank you for sharing your appreciation of, and joy in working with your Mom! And no wonder … it’s admirable and lovely at once! Wishes for a good evening to you both!
"Honor Those Who Serve And Protect The U.S. Constitution"
See how dictators mis-use the military to overthrow democracies and against civilians to round up Americans of Japanese descent during World War II.
https://thedemlabs.org/2024/05/27/honor-those-who-serve-and-protect-the-american-constitution/
Robert, thank you for your usual but extraordinary judgment in highlighting President Biden's Memorial Day message in which he extolled the United States as "an idea like no other." This will be seen by the media as a usual ceremonial missive, not newsworthy, but Joe Biden's statement speaks to his greatness and rightness for our times.
Biden recognizes that the United States is "an idea," one that has inspired people the world over since 1776, years before we were a nation. On the most basic level Trump wouldn't recognize an idea or an ideal anymore complicated than a scheme to work an advantage. He manifests the moral complexity of an amoeba -- action and reaction. Biden recognizes that it is the "idea" of the United State that we all must work to serve and for which citizens have lived long lives fighting for even when they knew it was imperfectly realized (John Lewis, Rosa Parks, and millions of others come to mind) and have sacrificed their young lives in service of. Thank you. Trump sees our nation as a failed country (even though he was President of that country), the land of the grift and the home of the depraved. Joe Biden holds a brighter mirror up to the U.S. and says, see what we can become. Trump sees us as a land filled with Human Scum. The choice is clear.
I would hope that the DNC, the Biden campaign, and the Lincoln Project would cover all of the media with both of those Memorial Day messages and ask the citizens of America which country they would choose to live in.
But then, I became afraid of the answer. It used to amaze me, now it frightens me. Still, we can win this. I don’t believe that the majority of Americas are cruel, racist, and greedy.
The same thought just came to me. I wanted to dare poll takers to present the 2 Memorial Dat messages without attribution and ask 2 questions:
Which message do you identify with the most?
Then, which candidate would you vote for?
The eternal optimist in me wants to believe that in the end, deep down, people would choose the best path.