I would like to make a modest suggestion. I suggest you devote a couple of letters to the issue of fascism in America. I think it is a huge and growing problem that much misunderstood. And I think it needs to be well-understood to be combatted. Many people think that because Hitler was a fascist it is about antisemitism. Although Hitler is an extreme example of fascism, fascism is about much more. It requires a strong leader, millions of followers (eg Brownshirts), an objective of some kind of societal purity, a demonization of groups of people in a objective to advance the power of the leader and his followers. Here are some current examples: Trump and Mexican rapists, Asians and Kung flu, Muslim ban; DeSantis and LBGT people; Marjorie Greene and white Christian nationalists. Fascism is manifested in many ways, including attacks on local school boards and libraries and school curricula. And it can occur on the left, too - especially as directed at Jews. The threat on the left is serious but less immediate. It is not (yet) led by a strong-man leader.
That is my first try at a definition. If I have it wrong please speak up. We need to understand the threat in order to see and deal with it. This is a real issue and isn’t a word game.
When I googled back in 2015 what Americans hate most Fascist topped Communist and Socialist. It is probably still so. The other day MT (pronounced empty) Greene called her opponents (us) all three of these things. Most people, especially the ones who listen to her, do not know the meaning of those terms, so it is critical that we define, them as the note above does for “fascism”. And if you are a proud socialist or communist be sure to explain what you believe in and not simply use the term. It seemed to me such a handicap that Bernie so often explained his “socialism “ as a defense of the word. We keep talking about smart messaging. IMO it means knowing the audience isn’t as informed and educated as we wish they were.
It's explained well in Historian Timothy Snyder's book, "On Tyranny." It's a very small, short paperback book with short chapters that lay out the pieces that lead to fascism. He published it in early 2017 and I am afraid a lot of the chapter checklist are happening. Everyone should read it and then double down on helping to win every election we can...via PostcardsToVoters.org, phone banking, canvassing, etc, starting now. President Biden is doing an amazing job so people should stop talking about his age or how he tripped etc. If we end up with Trump again...
I have mentioned more than once on this thread Madeleine Albright’s brilliant book ‘On Fascism’. She takes the reader through history and speaks one by one to each of the the fascist leaders of the past. All the leaders have the same characteristics, methods, and personalities. She ends the book with the orange idiot and it is spot on for the present occurrences, and he has the same personality defects as the others.
Heather Cox Richardson wrote a brilliant essay last week on fascism, describing a brochure on the topic our government sent to soldiers during WWII. Along with her commentary, it was one of the clearest description on the topic that I’ve read. And I agree - Americans in general need to be brought up to date on this in order to better recognize the dangers presented by some in the current Republican Party. I find it rather dismaying that they have moved the needle so much without any significant public protests.
Jun 3, 2023·edited Jun 3, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
I agree with you very much. Shinning a light in dark corners is always a good thing. I hope there might be an emphasis on the new America, too. There should be a campaign which highlights the best of the people and activities of the minorities we have, so that they (we) can see the good that results in the best for us all...you know, sort of like our moms did when we were children afraid there was a monster in the closet. Open the door and show us there was nothing to be afraid of.
Hi, Doug. Tom Hartman has been focusing strongly on fascism in his sub-stack articles. One feature he points out that I hadn't given much attention is how fascist leaders find a small subset of the population that can be demonized easily with the right propaganda. Once they have achieved their objective of eliciting hatred and violence toward that group, they know that their success then allows them to broaden propaganda efforts outward to other larger groups. I think that Hitler focused on gay men.
Gay men, lesbians, gypsies, and Jews was Hitler’s focus. Daughter of Holocaust victims here, granddaughter of two grandparents gassed in a van with others at the camp called Chelmno.
I've been shouting this from the rooftops. The world didn't wake up to Hitler murdering 6 million people overnight. He came to power over 15+ years, having tried it once and failing. He learned from the mistakes and that's how it came to be.
It is happening now in the U.S. with state houses that are banning humanity. The evangelicals are not going to stop until everyone looks and sounds like them, white & racist.
Douglas, did you see Heather Cox Richardson's post from May 29? It goes to the heart of what you commented, and should be a must-read for every voter and civics curriculum. Check out out:
Thank you Robert! I am always screaming from the rooftops about your newsletter and writing postcards to voters and our Giving Circle because all three keep me going and hopeful.
Thank you for all you do. The pollywog thing is funny! Your reach and impact are huge already!
Oops, I missed the note in the past to not share via social media, but am so glad we can now share as I repost on my social media of both you and Heather. I know that it has grown an audience for Heather because people have asked me about her. Hopefully it will do the same for you. Sane voices must be shared. Intelligent commentary on the daily onslaught of misinformation must get through. Have a relaxing weekend. 🥸
I agree with you. I'm glad to know I can share Rob's posts. I've always appreciated the optimism he focuses on, and I've taken that to the next level with Simon Rosenberg's Hopium Chronicles. Simon has incredible knowledge of elections, polling, and economic data, and he consistently advises that we all need to get LOUD about the incredible achievements by Biden and Democratic administration's. I've taken that to heart by amplifying positive stories, and putting less emphasis on the latest horrendous thing said or done by MAGA extremists.
I will be happy to help in my tiny way to spread the word about this newsletter. Robert, you write with passion, compassion and a desire for justice. And you have that rare talent for balance. You ring the alarms when necessary. But you always end with optimism, action plans and compliments for others. Speaking of which, "Hopium" is indeed a must read. After you have digested LFAA, Joyce Vance and Thom Hartmann. Substack "rules"!
That being said, I would suggest a piece that is titled "Crisis Created". Yes, we averted disaster. But it was just many months of pure manufactured needless bullshit. The debt ceiling? A non existent distraction.
Every moment wasted on this subject by our Congress was a moment we were not talking about the reality of the Climate Crisis. Moments when we weren't discussing income and asset inequality. Moments when we weren't talking about food insecurity and shrinking supplies of decent drinking water.
With reference to the "debt ceiling", our President handled it deftly. But the fact that he had to spend more than five minutes on such a stupid and needless issue makes me angrier than I have been in years.
Not to mention the severe anxiety it provoked for ordinary Americans who feared for their financial viability -- not pay SS or Medicare or vets' benefits?? The fear mongering on BOTH sides (screaming emails from Schumer seeking donations, of all things!!) was unconscionable! We need to be better than this.
I agree with you, Bill, that this entire months-long campaign from BOTH parties was unseemly, unnecessary and un-American. While Biden thankfully pulled us out of the ditch at the last minute, he and all the other pols in DC drove us there in the first place.
Let's not celebrate too much the fact that the arsonists finally put out their own fire, ok? (From a former District resident who survived -- but detested -- this very type of narcissistic politics for a dozen years)
I agree. However, the extent of the US (total) national debt is becoming a bigger problem. It’s connected with the looming inability of the Social Security system to pay people’s full pensions.
In my opinion, the problem is that Americans (collectively) need to pay more taxes in order to pay for the benefits we expect. *Somehow*, elected officials need to educate the public about the root of the problem, rather than skip from one temporary fix to another.
I disagree. It is not the people who need to pay the taxes by themselves. It is the large corporations who are not paying their fair share and haven’t been since Citizens United came into play. Why else are there so many billionaires?!
One more thought about fascism. There are three recent comments on this issue that I recommend. Professor Richardson
recent letter about a US Army publication in 1943 (!!) defining fascism; a recent Bret Stephens op Ed about Erdogan and especially the first paragraph thereof, and a letter a few days ago by Joyce Vance, aptly entitled something like “Dare we call it fascism?”
And don’t forget “Ultra” the 8 episode podcast by Rachel Maddow on the rise of Fascism in the US in the early 1940’s, and its defeat. Eye opening to see the signs of it in action, and how it infiltrated the government, etc.
I had recommended Robert’s newsletter to one of my best friends awhile back. Today Mason made a point of thanking me! He reads Robert’s newsletter religiously. I can’t tell you how many times family and friends have thanked me for giving me Robert’s email address to get his newsletter. And thank you Frank for doing the same for me!
Guns are are number one killer of children and teens in the US. I always feel frustrated by the lack of political will to do ANYTHING about it.
Then I heard about Here 4 the Kids which is organizing a sit-in of 25,000+ white women from around the country on Monday, June 5, at 5am in Denver, Colorado. They are calling on Colorado Governor Jared Polis to sign an Executive Order to ban guns and implement a statewide buyback program. I checked out their website www.here4thekids.com and was impressed with what I read. I'm in Maryland so I can't join them Monday but what a bold and necessary action. Keep your eyes open for news about what happens Monday. I hope this movement spreads. Politicians have failed to act. Peacefully, respectfully, courageously it's up to us.
From June 6th to June 12th, a 19-year-old, Sam Schwartz, who lost his cousin/best friend in the Parkland mass shooting, is hosting a Sit-In in Washington D.C. I hope to get down there from NYC to join him. Maybe you can come down from Maryland. You can read all about it in a newsletter I publish weekly. I made it the focus of the intro note a couple of weeks ago: https://us17.campaign-archive.com/?u=5d39856e5e769397f8feaaa33&id=f45cdb3ec6
The photo of Sam and his cousin says it all. I just read mentioned in a New Yorker piece that there have been 17,000 deaths by gun in this country since beginning of 2023. Meanwhile in Holland and many countries in Europe people are not allowed to own guns. My guess is no deaths by gun there this year. And certainly no mass shootings, while we have had 100 in last five months. THE WAY TO GET THIS CHANGED IS TO GET NEW PEOPLE ELECTED!!! WE CAN DO IT!!!!
Thank you for all your positive vibes!!!! Especially In the midst of the daily doom and gloom.
You help to keep me from going over the edge. Really, your positive attitude and clear reasoning is like the best yoga class!!!! I have shared your newsletter with many, and will continue to do so.
Thank you, Robert, not only for all you do with supporting grassroots actions for democracy, but now with taking it next level adding a QR code to your newsletter. This is great!
Now more than ever Truth Matters and making this newsletter available to as many people as possible only helps spread the truth to all voters. The economy is In great shape with more
people employed than ever before and wages higher than ever. Post pandemic inflation is lower and except where there is still price gouging the cost of living is coming down. The media has never given the Biden Administration the credit it deserves for effectively managing the country through a financial crisis in part exasperated by Trump and Republican mismanagement. We need to shout to the roof tops about this because in Presidential politics is “ always about the economy”.
I told you so. I told you President Biden knew what he was doing and that we would not default. And here we are. My point here is not self-congratulations.
My main concerns are as follows.
The MAGAs are extremely good at fear mongering through threats, displays of rage and outlandish lies. They had the full attention of the Nation and they used it.
The media can convince through repetition and their own version of fear based "reporting" and exaggeration. Their 24/7 news cycle dinging those smart phones incessantly is designed to hook you in; to hang on to their every word. And the media milked this situation for everything they could.
So crisis? I don't know. Four years of trump were a crisis.
I voted for Joe Biden and I trust him to do his job. It was very sad to see people suffer from the debt ceiling machinations. I read comments in Mr. Hubbell's newsletter that showed real suffering. Did President Biden not have an array of tools at his disposal, a deep and talented bench of advisors and savvy Congressional Democratic leaders? Remember McConnell saying at the very beginning we would not default? Were not the MAGAs outnumbered, outmaneuvered and just plain stupid?
My point. We are in a war. Many serious things are going to happen. They want us scared, scatterbrained and exhausted. We don't have that luxury.
I have prayed for those commenters to Mr. Hubbell's newsletter who were in immense pain. I hope you are able to recoup, heal and take care of yourself.
Nolite Te Bastardes Carborundorum*
Don't let the bastards grind you down.
This is from the last chapter of the book-The Handmaid's Tale. It's carved into the wall of the wardrobe.
Well said, AGAIN, Robert. I know you’ll be embarrassed to read this, but you really are an inspiration to tens of thousands of people. Have a good weekend. Take it for rest. You and Jill deserve it.
Robert, you certainly do bring “perspective, hope, and calm to a news ecosystem that thrives on fear and spectacle.” Thank you always for that! I do share your letters, not every day, but will certainly do so more often.
To more pollywogs in small ponds working for democracy. Together we can (and are) making a good difference.
It's hard to know what the right wing MAGA crowd will take away from our recent lesson in good bipartisan governance.
Biden's "fireside" chat yesterday, is an excellent kickoff to 2024..he layed out his administration's great 2 year record and how he saved Republicans from destroying the economy.
We have 18 months of hard work ahead of us to consolidate a trifecta win in 24 so we can complete Biden's social agenda; voting rights, equal rights, women's health, SCOTUS issues and so forth..
I would like to make a modest suggestion. I suggest you devote a couple of letters to the issue of fascism in America. I think it is a huge and growing problem that much misunderstood. And I think it needs to be well-understood to be combatted. Many people think that because Hitler was a fascist it is about antisemitism. Although Hitler is an extreme example of fascism, fascism is about much more. It requires a strong leader, millions of followers (eg Brownshirts), an objective of some kind of societal purity, a demonization of groups of people in a objective to advance the power of the leader and his followers. Here are some current examples: Trump and Mexican rapists, Asians and Kung flu, Muslim ban; DeSantis and LBGT people; Marjorie Greene and white Christian nationalists. Fascism is manifested in many ways, including attacks on local school boards and libraries and school curricula. And it can occur on the left, too - especially as directed at Jews. The threat on the left is serious but less immediate. It is not (yet) led by a strong-man leader.
That is my first try at a definition. If I have it wrong please speak up. We need to understand the threat in order to see and deal with it. This is a real issue and isn’t a word game.
When I googled back in 2015 what Americans hate most Fascist topped Communist and Socialist. It is probably still so. The other day MT (pronounced empty) Greene called her opponents (us) all three of these things. Most people, especially the ones who listen to her, do not know the meaning of those terms, so it is critical that we define, them as the note above does for “fascism”. And if you are a proud socialist or communist be sure to explain what you believe in and not simply use the term. It seemed to me such a handicap that Bernie so often explained his “socialism “ as a defense of the word. We keep talking about smart messaging. IMO it means knowing the audience isn’t as informed and educated as we wish they were.
It's explained well in Historian Timothy Snyder's book, "On Tyranny." It's a very small, short paperback book with short chapters that lay out the pieces that lead to fascism. He published it in early 2017 and I am afraid a lot of the chapter checklist are happening. Everyone should read it and then double down on helping to win every election we can...via PostcardsToVoters.org, phone banking, canvassing, etc, starting now. President Biden is doing an amazing job so people should stop talking about his age or how he tripped etc. If we end up with Trump again...
I have mentioned more than once on this thread Madeleine Albright’s brilliant book ‘On Fascism’. She takes the reader through history and speaks one by one to each of the the fascist leaders of the past. All the leaders have the same characteristics, methods, and personalities. She ends the book with the orange idiot and it is spot on for the present occurrences, and he has the same personality defects as the others.
Very scary.
It is scary. I'm going to get that book. Thank you. We must get out the vote.
Heather Cox Richardson wrote a brilliant essay last week on fascism, describing a brochure on the topic our government sent to soldiers during WWII. Along with her commentary, it was one of the clearest description on the topic that I’ve read. And I agree - Americans in general need to be brought up to date on this in order to better recognize the dangers presented by some in the current Republican Party. I find it rather dismaying that they have moved the needle so much without any significant public protests.
Yes she sure did and what an eye-opener that was!
I agree with you very much. Shinning a light in dark corners is always a good thing. I hope there might be an emphasis on the new America, too. There should be a campaign which highlights the best of the people and activities of the minorities we have, so that they (we) can see the good that results in the best for us all...you know, sort of like our moms did when we were children afraid there was a monster in the closet. Open the door and show us there was nothing to be afraid of.
Hi, Doug. Tom Hartman has been focusing strongly on fascism in his sub-stack articles. One feature he points out that I hadn't given much attention is how fascist leaders find a small subset of the population that can be demonized easily with the right propaganda. Once they have achieved their objective of eliciting hatred and violence toward that group, they know that their success then allows them to broaden propaganda efforts outward to other larger groups. I think that Hitler focused on gay men.
Gay men, lesbians, gypsies, and Jews was Hitler’s focus. Daughter of Holocaust victims here, granddaughter of two grandparents gassed in a van with others at the camp called Chelmno.
Marlene, thank you for sharing. Please keep telling your story. It is important.
What a tragic loss, Marlene. We must do whatever it takes to keep this from happening again.
I've been shouting this from the rooftops. The world didn't wake up to Hitler murdering 6 million people overnight. He came to power over 15+ years, having tried it once and failing. He learned from the mistakes and that's how it came to be.
It is happening now in the U.S. with state houses that are banning humanity. The evangelicals are not going to stop until everyone looks and sounds like them, white & racist.
Douglas, did you see Heather Cox Richardson's post from May 29? It goes to the heart of what you commented, and should be a must-read for every voter and civics curriculum. Check out out:
https://open.substack.com/pub/heathercoxrichardson/p/may-29-2023?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Thanks for the link.
Thank you Robert! I am always screaming from the rooftops about your newsletter and writing postcards to voters and our Giving Circle because all three keep me going and hopeful.
Thank you for all you do. The pollywog thing is funny! Your reach and impact are huge already!
I liked the pollywog comment too. My neighbor got me on to this newsletter and thank goodness she did.
Oops, I missed the note in the past to not share via social media, but am so glad we can now share as I repost on my social media of both you and Heather. I know that it has grown an audience for Heather because people have asked me about her. Hopefully it will do the same for you. Sane voices must be shared. Intelligent commentary on the daily onslaught of misinformation must get through. Have a relaxing weekend. 🥸
Exactly. I post HCR every day and am now thrilled I can post this one.
✨✨✨✨
I agree with you. I'm glad to know I can share Rob's posts. I've always appreciated the optimism he focuses on, and I've taken that to the next level with Simon Rosenberg's Hopium Chronicles. Simon has incredible knowledge of elections, polling, and economic data, and he consistently advises that we all need to get LOUD about the incredible achievements by Biden and Democratic administration's. I've taken that to heart by amplifying positive stories, and putting less emphasis on the latest horrendous thing said or done by MAGA extremists.
Simon is great. I highly recommend him to anyone who reads this newsletter or HCR.
I also am reading Simon Rosenberg. Brava to you! The more of us, the louder the message✨🎉
I will be happy to help in my tiny way to spread the word about this newsletter. Robert, you write with passion, compassion and a desire for justice. And you have that rare talent for balance. You ring the alarms when necessary. But you always end with optimism, action plans and compliments for others. Speaking of which, "Hopium" is indeed a must read. After you have digested LFAA, Joyce Vance and Thom Hartmann. Substack "rules"!
That being said, I would suggest a piece that is titled "Crisis Created". Yes, we averted disaster. But it was just many months of pure manufactured needless bullshit. The debt ceiling? A non existent distraction.
Every moment wasted on this subject by our Congress was a moment we were not talking about the reality of the Climate Crisis. Moments when we weren't discussing income and asset inequality. Moments when we weren't talking about food insecurity and shrinking supplies of decent drinking water.
With reference to the "debt ceiling", our President handled it deftly. But the fact that he had to spend more than five minutes on such a stupid and needless issue makes me angrier than I have been in years.
Not to mention the severe anxiety it provoked for ordinary Americans who feared for their financial viability -- not pay SS or Medicare or vets' benefits?? The fear mongering on BOTH sides (screaming emails from Schumer seeking donations, of all things!!) was unconscionable! We need to be better than this.
I agree with you, Bill, that this entire months-long campaign from BOTH parties was unseemly, unnecessary and un-American. While Biden thankfully pulled us out of the ditch at the last minute, he and all the other pols in DC drove us there in the first place.
Let's not celebrate too much the fact that the arsonists finally put out their own fire, ok? (From a former District resident who survived -- but detested -- this very type of narcissistic politics for a dozen years)
I agree. However, the extent of the US (total) national debt is becoming a bigger problem. It’s connected with the looming inability of the Social Security system to pay people’s full pensions.
In my opinion, the problem is that Americans (collectively) need to pay more taxes in order to pay for the benefits we expect. *Somehow*, elected officials need to educate the public about the root of the problem, rather than skip from one temporary fix to another.
I disagree. It is not the people who need to pay the taxes by themselves. It is the large corporations who are not paying their fair share and haven’t been since Citizens United came into play. Why else are there so many billionaires?!
One more thought about fascism. There are three recent comments on this issue that I recommend. Professor Richardson
recent letter about a US Army publication in 1943 (!!) defining fascism; a recent Bret Stephens op Ed about Erdogan and especially the first paragraph thereof, and a letter a few days ago by Joyce Vance, aptly entitled something like “Dare we call it fascism?”
And don’t forget “Ultra” the 8 episode podcast by Rachel Maddow on the rise of Fascism in the US in the early 1940’s, and its defeat. Eye opening to see the signs of it in action, and how it infiltrated the government, etc.
thanks Douglas Schwab! 3 citations on fascism
I had recommended Robert’s newsletter to one of my best friends awhile back. Today Mason made a point of thanking me! He reads Robert’s newsletter religiously. I can’t tell you how many times family and friends have thanked me for giving me Robert’s email address to get his newsletter. And thank you Frank for doing the same for me!
Guns are are number one killer of children and teens in the US. I always feel frustrated by the lack of political will to do ANYTHING about it.
Then I heard about Here 4 the Kids which is organizing a sit-in of 25,000+ white women from around the country on Monday, June 5, at 5am in Denver, Colorado. They are calling on Colorado Governor Jared Polis to sign an Executive Order to ban guns and implement a statewide buyback program. I checked out their website www.here4thekids.com and was impressed with what I read. I'm in Maryland so I can't join them Monday but what a bold and necessary action. Keep your eyes open for news about what happens Monday. I hope this movement spreads. Politicians have failed to act. Peacefully, respectfully, courageously it's up to us.
From June 6th to June 12th, a 19-year-old, Sam Schwartz, who lost his cousin/best friend in the Parkland mass shooting, is hosting a Sit-In in Washington D.C. I hope to get down there from NYC to join him. Maybe you can come down from Maryland. You can read all about it in a newsletter I publish weekly. I made it the focus of the intro note a couple of weeks ago: https://us17.campaign-archive.com/?u=5d39856e5e769397f8feaaa33&id=f45cdb3ec6
The photo of Sam and his cousin says it all. I just read mentioned in a New Yorker piece that there have been 17,000 deaths by gun in this country since beginning of 2023. Meanwhile in Holland and many countries in Europe people are not allowed to own guns. My guess is no deaths by gun there this year. And certainly no mass shootings, while we have had 100 in last five months. THE WAY TO GET THIS CHANGED IS TO GET NEW PEOPLE ELECTED!!! WE CAN DO IT!!!!
My friend’s granddaughter was murdered at Parkland. JFC! Sane people live in Holland while the crazies live here!
Thank you for all your positive vibes!!!! Especially In the midst of the daily doom and gloom.
You help to keep me from going over the edge. Really, your positive attitude and clear reasoning is like the best yoga class!!!! I have shared your newsletter with many, and will continue to do so.
I am forever grateful. ❤️🧘♂️
Thank you Robert, as my kids would say, “you’re the bomb!”
Thank you, Robert, not only for all you do with supporting grassroots actions for democracy, but now with taking it next level adding a QR code to your newsletter. This is great!
Now more than ever Truth Matters and making this newsletter available to as many people as possible only helps spread the truth to all voters. The economy is In great shape with more
people employed than ever before and wages higher than ever. Post pandemic inflation is lower and except where there is still price gouging the cost of living is coming down. The media has never given the Biden Administration the credit it deserves for effectively managing the country through a financial crisis in part exasperated by Trump and Republican mismanagement. We need to shout to the roof tops about this because in Presidential politics is “ always about the economy”.
Congratulations on your retirement! I hope your editor and you get time to enjoy yourselves and making memories in this next phase of life.
I told you so. I told you President Biden knew what he was doing and that we would not default. And here we are. My point here is not self-congratulations.
My main concerns are as follows.
The MAGAs are extremely good at fear mongering through threats, displays of rage and outlandish lies. They had the full attention of the Nation and they used it.
The media can convince through repetition and their own version of fear based "reporting" and exaggeration. Their 24/7 news cycle dinging those smart phones incessantly is designed to hook you in; to hang on to their every word. And the media milked this situation for everything they could.
So crisis? I don't know. Four years of trump were a crisis.
I voted for Joe Biden and I trust him to do his job. It was very sad to see people suffer from the debt ceiling machinations. I read comments in Mr. Hubbell's newsletter that showed real suffering. Did President Biden not have an array of tools at his disposal, a deep and talented bench of advisors and savvy Congressional Democratic leaders? Remember McConnell saying at the very beginning we would not default? Were not the MAGAs outnumbered, outmaneuvered and just plain stupid?
My point. We are in a war. Many serious things are going to happen. They want us scared, scatterbrained and exhausted. We don't have that luxury.
I have prayed for those commenters to Mr. Hubbell's newsletter who were in immense pain. I hope you are able to recoup, heal and take care of yourself.
Nolite Te Bastardes Carborundorum*
Don't let the bastards grind you down.
This is from the last chapter of the book-The Handmaid's Tale. It's carved into the wall of the wardrobe.
Well said, AGAIN, Robert. I know you’ll be embarrassed to read this, but you really are an inspiration to tens of thousands of people. Have a good weekend. Take it for rest. You and Jill deserve it.
Robert, you certainly do bring “perspective, hope, and calm to a news ecosystem that thrives on fear and spectacle.” Thank you always for that! I do share your letters, not every day, but will certainly do so more often.
To more pollywogs in small ponds working for democracy. Together we can (and are) making a good difference.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend?
It's hard to know what the right wing MAGA crowd will take away from our recent lesson in good bipartisan governance.
Biden's "fireside" chat yesterday, is an excellent kickoff to 2024..he layed out his administration's great 2 year record and how he saved Republicans from destroying the economy.
We have 18 months of hard work ahead of us to consolidate a trifecta win in 24 so we can complete Biden's social agenda; voting rights, equal rights, women's health, SCOTUS issues and so forth..
A great beginning...