I also can't understand what the dems are doing. They should be shouting in the streets and in the media about the proposals that were passed in the House and how they would help so many citizens only to be sent to the Senate where they just sit with no action and apparently without being brought up for a vote. On a couple of occasions I talked with someone who said Trump was for them and when asked how they were helped, simply said they would not discuss and walked off. WOW, talk about the power of a cult!! The Dems are diverse and rightly so while the Repubs walk in lock step which is a big reason to not vote for any. I guess I'm just not smart enough to get it. "We have met the enemy and they are us"! Too many believe that they would rather do nothing than vote for someone with whom they may not agree on everything. I am 80 and worry not for myself, since my time is ending but for my children and grandchildren.
By joining in with the others on the Supreme Court I guess Roberts has decided that it is ok that his legacy will be in tatters and it is not worth the effort to stand up and be counted. Sad to see no Chaney or Kinzenger there. I guess we'll see in November how voters really feel!
When the history of this period is written, Andrew McCabe will have a very complicated legacy. He has done some things that actively undermined democracy. At other times he defended the constitution mightily. But his firing two days before his retirement was beyond the pale; everyone involved in that decision should be in jail. It was despicable.
I'm so sorry to learn of your rebound covid infection, but so appreciate your positive attitude -- 3 weeks of super-duper immunity! -- and your parable on masks. I am the only one in my NYC apartment building who still wears a mask in the elevator and the lobby, and I can tell I'm regarded as some kind of nut job. I am not deterred! I hope you'll be over this rebound soon!
My wife and I went to a professional baseball game about four weeks ago. We were the only two people in a stadium of 38,000 people wearing masks. People looked at us like we were terrorists. But we did not contract COVID at the ballpark.
Put me in the group who believes Cipollone will add nothing of value to the case against the amoral trump. Matt Naham’s article citing one of the top legal ethics experts convinces me that ‘Patty boy’ is as ethicaly bankrupt as his ‘masta’ trump.
What else should we expect from the most corrupt administration in the nation’s history? Like a crime boss on speed, trump gets the IRS to squeeze Comey (who got him elected) and his successor!
I did not include other low lights of Cipollone's career. During the first impeachment of trump, Cipollone lied to Congress about whether he had surreptitiously granted access to republican members of Congress to a democratic secure room where Democrats were planning their case against trump. Who does that? Especially if you are someone who has founded a Catholic organization whose mission is to instill Catholic values in the federal government. See this excerpt from Heavy.com:
"Cipollone was previously on the board of directors of the Catholic Information Center. (As of January 2020, Cipollone was no longer listed on the website). The group’s mission statement explains that the group is “committed to making the Catholic Church alive in the hearts and minds of men and women living and working in our nation’s capital."
The Catholic Church in the DC area which was led by now defrocked Cardinal McCarrick who covered the sex abuse of thousands of boys by priests in DC and his previous diocese Newark NJ.
That Catholic Church?
As I commented before, the Catholic Church whose barbarian crusaders massacred thousands of Muslims are the antecedents to the rogue right wing Catholics on the court!
Reflecting on that sentence, the Roberts’ court has shown itself to be current day barbarian crusaders!
What happened to the Founding Fathers fervent desire to separate the church from the state?
Despite all the faux pious religionists who occupied positions in the administration and within the White House, the corruptly amoral trump ran ruffshod over all of them and our democracy!
You mention the only cure for exhaustion is action - what action is there to take? I have written to every Senator and Congressperson I can get to, every talk show host, the White House, NYT editorial, Washington Post editorial, written responses on journalists pages. I have marched and yet our democracy is being taken over by Christian Nationalists and facists. What does work is meditation and taking a longer view of history which as Julian of Norwich says, "this too shall pass and all shall be well." It sure is hard to believe that but I now believe that the time I meditation is the best action I can take for it informs my next action when needed but seriously -- what action do you think we should take? Does our voice really matter? Hundreds of thousands of us marched right after Donald Trump was inaugurated -- where did that get us? We march for Right for LIfe, Right to Live -- you name it and all that gets is one cycle of the news. Sometimes broken or as Fr. Richard Rohr says, "disorder" is necessary to allow a new order to take hold. I do get impatient as I assume we all do but again I would really like to know -- what action do you recommend?
Hi, Theresa. thanks for your note, and I am glad you find respite in meditation. It is good practice on many levels.
I am going to respond to your question with an anecdote about which I have only partial recall, but the essential point comes through.
An anti-war protester showed up every day and silently protested in front of a government building. He was the only protester. This went on for months. A friend asked him why he bothered to protest every day by himself given that his protest would not change government policy. The protester replied, "I do not protest to change the government. I protest so that the government will not change me."
Keep writing those postcards and showing up at protests. The most important change they may bring is the change in you--to remain steadfast when the situation seems bleak.
You asked Robert, not me, but here's my response. Writing letters, marching, speaking out in those ways are fine, but the ballot box is where we can exercise actual power. Which is to say, don't just vote--work for Democratic candidates around the country, at the federal and/or state level, to help get out the vote in the places where it matters and stop the Republican advance. You can canvass, phonebank, write postcards. The prospect of Kevin McCarthy becoming Speaker of the House, which Robert discusses here, ought to be a powerful spur to all of us to do whatever we can to prevent the Republicans from gaining control of Congress in November. If you want a suggestion as to a place to start, here's one: https://togetherweelect.org/. Other readers will no doubt be able to provide other suggestions.
On the money. We should all be working to educate, register, and get out the voters. I bet that the vast majority of non-voters would support Dem positions, with a bit of prompting. Check out Field Team Six.
I am with you on this! Dorothy Day, the great peace activist, advised her volunteers to “make peace within” in order to best serve. Because otherwise we are still embroiled in ego identification and projection. I love fr Rohr’s teachings too and I hope by staying steady in my my own heart and learning how to squeeze out all the fury I feel at “them” I can contribute more peacefully to the unfolding taking place, the impetus of humanity towards greater love.
Interesting that some feel inaction is the answer. I am so involved pro-actively - it is the most exciting time since the late 60's and 70's. We can fight and we can change things. I am more active now than ever in the fight for democracy and the fight to elect good Dems who will represent the people and not their political gains. I am fighting for my kids and grandkids. I am fighting the good fight. there are days I am on zooms 6-7 times a day - I am involved with phone banks, postcards, fund raisers, etc. My husband laughs that he has to make an appointment to see me! When people ask why I have become so active - I say if not me than who?
Depression m needs clarification. Colloquial usage of depression-a downer; lack of optimism, overwhelmed by events; a recent loss of someone near and dear, eg a loved one, even a pet, etc are one thing, Clinical Depression has effects which vary in degree and type from patient to patient. It’s debilitating and requires professional help. The former can be overcome with resolve. Know the difference between the two and if the former you can still Fight The Good Fight and be rewarded with victory and cure. Even the latter can be treated and you can become a warrior, too! Smiling helps both.
First, Cipollone can’t be the John Dean of January 6th, because that was Cassidy Hutchinson.
As for the “Supreme” Court, it has been brought low from within, a casualty of a cabal of third-rate hacks who have neither a conception of what law should be (in the abstract), nor intellectual honesty. They have forgotten—or likely never understood—the wisdom of an earlier Justice Jackson, when he wrote that, “We are not final because we are infallible, we are infallible because we are final.” The realization of that truth should chill any justice to the marrow.
Rant over. Have a wonderful weekend of recovery, Robert, and let Jill get some rest, too
Agree 100%. One problem with the reactionary majority's opinion is their absolute certainty in their own moral rectitude. That sentiment drips off every page of Alito's opinion. The arrogance of those seeking to impose a religious viewpoint on those who do not share their faith is palpable. A political backlash is coming to the interference of segments of the Christian religion in the affairs of state. It may take a decade or more, but when it happens, the vestiges of the white Christian evangelical movement will have lost their power and will have driven away congregants who suddenly remember the teachings of Christ about the separation of church and state: "Render unto Caesar. . . "
I agree with you on both "rants"! I don't know why anyone is optimistic about Cipollone providing a shred of evidence one way or another. The very fact that he remains in the cult of trumpworld is telling - at least to me.
There is a palpable connection between mental fatigue and physical infections, including-in a great many cases (but not all), COVID-19 infections. There is only the building of resilience and a sense of personal discipline , which can overcome the fog of mental fatigue, which I know from having been in such a state, from 2011-14, after my wife's passing.
On a different note: I personally believe that life begins at conception. Yet, by all that is holy, to transpose that personal belief into a national piece of legislation is an abomination. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is in its place for a reason.
Hi, Gary. I am sorry to hear that you struggled for so long after your wife's passing. And like you, I share a complicated viewpoint. It may surprise readers to know that I am a practicing Catholic despite my strong condemnation of the decision in Dobbs and urging that women be restored to their full personhood under the Constitution. I don't like it when my pastor preaches about abortion from the pulpit, and I am offended as a citizen when the Catholic Church attempts to impose its worldview on the political order. It tried to do so many times in the past, to very bad result. Remember the Inquisition? Texas's "bounty law" is directionally the same as The Inquisition--punishing people for their private thoughts and beliefs.
And to those who say, "How can you remain a Catholic?," I say, "I ask myself that question every day."
Gary, I appreciate the testament your experience of grief brings to your perspective. And I love “by all that is holy:” the intensity of your personal belief and the primacy to democracy you pledge.
A comment about Action. If you are like me, still uncomfortable in large public crowds due to the pandemic, consider joining Swing Left or Vote Forward as a course of action. We are currently writing letters to registered democrats across the country encouraging them to vote in November. As Robert has stated in the past, the largest group of "voters" is those who do not vote. Where I live we have a group of dedicated letter writers. We used to meet in person, but now we deliver letters to hundreds folks and pick them up a month later. We don't mail the letters until just before the election. There are other opportunities to volunteer as well that do not require public appearances. I used to canvass, register people to vote and go to other public events, but I am not able to do these things right now. However, I can sit in my living room and write an impassioned letter about why I vote. Check it out. It does make a difference with voter turn out.
Robert, I am so sorry to hear of your relapse and hope that you continue to improve now. Thanks for continuing to inspire us, even when you’re not feeling well. I’d like to address the unlawful vindictiveness that your description of the IRS “audits” brings into focus. Readers here know that I follow The Lincoln Project. Recently they made us aware of the fact that Trump was unhappy with them. After the election was called for Biden, LP got word of all the potential lawsuits that Trump was planning to file. LP made ads going after the law firms of these “top tier” firms. They made it uncomfortable for these firms who risked losing clients. As a result, Trump turned to the clown show lawyer team. Trump then had a dossier made of the LP folks and then Mark Meadows sent it to Bill Barr for investigation. The LP lawyers are all over this now. But the bigger point here is the fact that Trump thought he could use all the levers of government to go after private citizens. Whether or not you like the LP, this thought is chilling.
It is despicable that members of the federal government abused government power to punish private citizens. Everyone who participates in that effort deserves to be in jail. And Republicans should be aghast that the power of the state has been weaponized against individuals. In the days before Trump, the GOP favored a limited government that stayed out of the lives of citizens.
The Lincoln Project is great. I donate to them occasionally. LP is run by Never Trumpers who don't always agree with my viewpoint, and I don't always agree with theirs. But they are true patriots who have risen to the moment. We need more like them.
I also can't understand what the dems are doing. They should be shouting in the streets and in the media about the proposals that were passed in the House and how they would help so many citizens only to be sent to the Senate where they just sit with no action and apparently without being brought up for a vote. On a couple of occasions I talked with someone who said Trump was for them and when asked how they were helped, simply said they would not discuss and walked off. WOW, talk about the power of a cult!! The Dems are diverse and rightly so while the Repubs walk in lock step which is a big reason to not vote for any. I guess I'm just not smart enough to get it. "We have met the enemy and they are us"! Too many believe that they would rather do nothing than vote for someone with whom they may not agree on everything. I am 80 and worry not for myself, since my time is ending but for my children and grandchildren.
By joining in with the others on the Supreme Court I guess Roberts has decided that it is ok that his legacy will be in tatters and it is not worth the effort to stand up and be counted. Sad to see no Chaney or Kinzenger there. I guess we'll see in November how voters really feel!
Yogi Berra also said, "You can learn alot by watching". McCabe was fired 2 days before his retirement date; time to appoint a Special Prosecutor.
When the history of this period is written, Andrew McCabe will have a very complicated legacy. He has done some things that actively undermined democracy. At other times he defended the constitution mightily. But his firing two days before his retirement was beyond the pale; everyone involved in that decision should be in jail. It was despicable.
On a + note, McCabe did fight back and was able to restore his pension.Perhaps his win will add to fuel to the fire with the IRS investigation..
https://www.npr.org/2021/10/14/1039690679/andrew-mccabe-lawsuit-trump-fbi
Thank you Kathy; I will review the DOJ Settlement Agreement terms.
I'm so sorry to learn of your rebound covid infection, but so appreciate your positive attitude -- 3 weeks of super-duper immunity! -- and your parable on masks. I am the only one in my NYC apartment building who still wears a mask in the elevator and the lobby, and I can tell I'm regarded as some kind of nut job. I am not deterred! I hope you'll be over this rebound soon!
My wife and I went to a professional baseball game about four weeks ago. We were the only two people in a stadium of 38,000 people wearing masks. People looked at us like we were terrorists. But we did not contract COVID at the ballpark.
You should have taken down the mask and explained that you have covid!
Ha ha!! Good for you.
We too have continued to wear k95 mask inside and outside in public. Get the looks too!
There's a U.S. based nonprofit company that sells N95 masks @ a reasonable price in various styles https://www.projectn95.org/
Put me in the group who believes Cipollone will add nothing of value to the case against the amoral trump. Matt Naham’s article citing one of the top legal ethics experts convinces me that ‘Patty boy’ is as ethicaly bankrupt as his ‘masta’ trump.
What else should we expect from the most corrupt administration in the nation’s history? Like a crime boss on speed, trump gets the IRS to squeeze Comey (who got him elected) and his successor!
I did not include other low lights of Cipollone's career. During the first impeachment of trump, Cipollone lied to Congress about whether he had surreptitiously granted access to republican members of Congress to a democratic secure room where Democrats were planning their case against trump. Who does that? Especially if you are someone who has founded a Catholic organization whose mission is to instill Catholic values in the federal government. See this excerpt from Heavy.com:
"Cipollone was previously on the board of directors of the Catholic Information Center. (As of January 2020, Cipollone was no longer listed on the website). The group’s mission statement explains that the group is “committed to making the Catholic Church alive in the hearts and minds of men and women living and working in our nation’s capital."
The Catholic Church in the DC area which was led by now defrocked Cardinal McCarrick who covered the sex abuse of thousands of boys by priests in DC and his previous diocese Newark NJ.
That Catholic Church?
As I commented before, the Catholic Church whose barbarian crusaders massacred thousands of Muslims are the antecedents to the rogue right wing Catholics on the court!
Reflecting on that sentence, the Roberts’ court has shown itself to be current day barbarian crusaders!
What happened to the Founding Fathers fervent desire to separate the church from the state?
Despite all the faux pious religionists who occupied positions in the administration and within the White House, the corruptly amoral trump ran ruffshod over all of them and our democracy!
Thanks for the additional update!
Covid hasn’t slowed down you analysis. But be careful and kind to you. No Superman wanted.
You mention the only cure for exhaustion is action - what action is there to take? I have written to every Senator and Congressperson I can get to, every talk show host, the White House, NYT editorial, Washington Post editorial, written responses on journalists pages. I have marched and yet our democracy is being taken over by Christian Nationalists and facists. What does work is meditation and taking a longer view of history which as Julian of Norwich says, "this too shall pass and all shall be well." It sure is hard to believe that but I now believe that the time I meditation is the best action I can take for it informs my next action when needed but seriously -- what action do you think we should take? Does our voice really matter? Hundreds of thousands of us marched right after Donald Trump was inaugurated -- where did that get us? We march for Right for LIfe, Right to Live -- you name it and all that gets is one cycle of the news. Sometimes broken or as Fr. Richard Rohr says, "disorder" is necessary to allow a new order to take hold. I do get impatient as I assume we all do but again I would really like to know -- what action do you recommend?
Hi, Theresa. thanks for your note, and I am glad you find respite in meditation. It is good practice on many levels.
I am going to respond to your question with an anecdote about which I have only partial recall, but the essential point comes through.
An anti-war protester showed up every day and silently protested in front of a government building. He was the only protester. This went on for months. A friend asked him why he bothered to protest every day by himself given that his protest would not change government policy. The protester replied, "I do not protest to change the government. I protest so that the government will not change me."
Keep writing those postcards and showing up at protests. The most important change they may bring is the change in you--to remain steadfast when the situation seems bleak.
You asked Robert, not me, but here's my response. Writing letters, marching, speaking out in those ways are fine, but the ballot box is where we can exercise actual power. Which is to say, don't just vote--work for Democratic candidates around the country, at the federal and/or state level, to help get out the vote in the places where it matters and stop the Republican advance. You can canvass, phonebank, write postcards. The prospect of Kevin McCarthy becoming Speaker of the House, which Robert discusses here, ought to be a powerful spur to all of us to do whatever we can to prevent the Republicans from gaining control of Congress in November. If you want a suggestion as to a place to start, here's one: https://togetherweelect.org/. Other readers will no doubt be able to provide other suggestions.
On the money. We should all be working to educate, register, and get out the voters. I bet that the vast majority of non-voters would support Dem positions, with a bit of prompting. Check out Field Team Six.
I am with you on this! Dorothy Day, the great peace activist, advised her volunteers to “make peace within” in order to best serve. Because otherwise we are still embroiled in ego identification and projection. I love fr Rohr’s teachings too and I hope by staying steady in my my own heart and learning how to squeeze out all the fury I feel at “them” I can contribute more peacefully to the unfolding taking place, the impetus of humanity towards greater love.
Another fascinating look at SCOTUS, democracy, and the US Constitution is in this week's NYT's Ezra Klein Show. Ezra and Larry Kramer discuss intriguing possibilities to rebalance the Court as one of 3 co-equal branches, not the superior of the other two. Check out the podcast at https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/05/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-larry-kramer.html?searchResultPosition=1
thanks! several readers have urged me to listen to Klein's podcast. i will do so over the weekend.
Best wishes for a speedy and easy recovery, Robert. Stay well!
Interesting that some feel inaction is the answer. I am so involved pro-actively - it is the most exciting time since the late 60's and 70's. We can fight and we can change things. I am more active now than ever in the fight for democracy and the fight to elect good Dems who will represent the people and not their political gains. I am fighting for my kids and grandkids. I am fighting the good fight. there are days I am on zooms 6-7 times a day - I am involved with phone banks, postcards, fund raisers, etc. My husband laughs that he has to make an appointment to see me! When people ask why I have become so active - I say if not me than who?
Thank you, Pat!
Depression m needs clarification. Colloquial usage of depression-a downer; lack of optimism, overwhelmed by events; a recent loss of someone near and dear, eg a loved one, even a pet, etc are one thing, Clinical Depression has effects which vary in degree and type from patient to patient. It’s debilitating and requires professional help. The former can be overcome with resolve. Know the difference between the two and if the former you can still Fight The Good Fight and be rewarded with victory and cure. Even the latter can be treated and you can become a warrior, too! Smiling helps both.
Wise counsel. Thanks! I try to avoid using "depression" in my writing, but I do use "despair" a lot--perhaps the same thing.
First, Cipollone can’t be the John Dean of January 6th, because that was Cassidy Hutchinson.
As for the “Supreme” Court, it has been brought low from within, a casualty of a cabal of third-rate hacks who have neither a conception of what law should be (in the abstract), nor intellectual honesty. They have forgotten—or likely never understood—the wisdom of an earlier Justice Jackson, when he wrote that, “We are not final because we are infallible, we are infallible because we are final.” The realization of that truth should chill any justice to the marrow.
Rant over. Have a wonderful weekend of recovery, Robert, and let Jill get some rest, too
Agree 100%. One problem with the reactionary majority's opinion is their absolute certainty in their own moral rectitude. That sentiment drips off every page of Alito's opinion. The arrogance of those seeking to impose a religious viewpoint on those who do not share their faith is palpable. A political backlash is coming to the interference of segments of the Christian religion in the affairs of state. It may take a decade or more, but when it happens, the vestiges of the white Christian evangelical movement will have lost their power and will have driven away congregants who suddenly remember the teachings of Christ about the separation of church and state: "Render unto Caesar. . . "
What you said, Robert!
I agree with you on both "rants"! I don't know why anyone is optimistic about Cipollone providing a shred of evidence one way or another. The very fact that he remains in the cult of trumpworld is telling - at least to me.
There is a palpable connection between mental fatigue and physical infections, including-in a great many cases (but not all), COVID-19 infections. There is only the building of resilience and a sense of personal discipline , which can overcome the fog of mental fatigue, which I know from having been in such a state, from 2011-14, after my wife's passing.
On a different note: I personally believe that life begins at conception. Yet, by all that is holy, to transpose that personal belief into a national piece of legislation is an abomination. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is in its place for a reason.
Hi, Gary. I am sorry to hear that you struggled for so long after your wife's passing. And like you, I share a complicated viewpoint. It may surprise readers to know that I am a practicing Catholic despite my strong condemnation of the decision in Dobbs and urging that women be restored to their full personhood under the Constitution. I don't like it when my pastor preaches about abortion from the pulpit, and I am offended as a citizen when the Catholic Church attempts to impose its worldview on the political order. It tried to do so many times in the past, to very bad result. Remember the Inquisition? Texas's "bounty law" is directionally the same as The Inquisition--punishing people for their private thoughts and beliefs.
And to those who say, "How can you remain a Catholic?," I say, "I ask myself that question every day."
Ahhh, but you did characterize it as “practicing.” I assume that means you are still working on perfecting that discipline.
Gary, I appreciate the testament your experience of grief brings to your perspective. And I love “by all that is holy:” the intensity of your personal belief and the primacy to democracy you pledge.
A comment about Action. If you are like me, still uncomfortable in large public crowds due to the pandemic, consider joining Swing Left or Vote Forward as a course of action. We are currently writing letters to registered democrats across the country encouraging them to vote in November. As Robert has stated in the past, the largest group of "voters" is those who do not vote. Where I live we have a group of dedicated letter writers. We used to meet in person, but now we deliver letters to hundreds folks and pick them up a month later. We don't mail the letters until just before the election. There are other opportunities to volunteer as well that do not require public appearances. I used to canvass, register people to vote and go to other public events, but I am not able to do these things right now. However, I can sit in my living room and write an impassioned letter about why I vote. Check it out. It does make a difference with voter turn out.
Yes: consider joining Swing Left or Vote Forward!
Robert, I am so sorry to hear of your relapse and hope that you continue to improve now. Thanks for continuing to inspire us, even when you’re not feeling well. I’d like to address the unlawful vindictiveness that your description of the IRS “audits” brings into focus. Readers here know that I follow The Lincoln Project. Recently they made us aware of the fact that Trump was unhappy with them. After the election was called for Biden, LP got word of all the potential lawsuits that Trump was planning to file. LP made ads going after the law firms of these “top tier” firms. They made it uncomfortable for these firms who risked losing clients. As a result, Trump turned to the clown show lawyer team. Trump then had a dossier made of the LP folks and then Mark Meadows sent it to Bill Barr for investigation. The LP lawyers are all over this now. But the bigger point here is the fact that Trump thought he could use all the levers of government to go after private citizens. Whether or not you like the LP, this thought is chilling.
It is despicable that members of the federal government abused government power to punish private citizens. Everyone who participates in that effort deserves to be in jail. And Republicans should be aghast that the power of the state has been weaponized against individuals. In the days before Trump, the GOP favored a limited government that stayed out of the lives of citizens.
The Lincoln Project is great. I donate to them occasionally. LP is run by Never Trumpers who don't always agree with my viewpoint, and I don't always agree with theirs. But they are true patriots who have risen to the moment. We need more like them.
Thank you for linking Klarman’s video conference. It was fascinating, and extremely educational, especially to this lay person
Take care