I was born in 1956 and grew up as a white male in one of the nation's most "racist" cities - Memphis. I lived there during the infamous "garbage workers" strike (we didn't say sanitation back then), which culminated in the assassination of Martin Luther King. As I've gotten older I realize now that even though I thought of myself as far from being racially biased, I was raised, quite insidiously, to be a racist. I attended an all white high school in which our mascots were the "rebels," confederate flags flew in the hallways, "Dixie," was played at every athletic event (you get the picture) because Memphis was the last city in the south to integrate it's schools (in the 1970's!); "garbage men" often suffered serious injuries from dog bites because they were required to retrieve garbage from people's back yards, etc. A black neighborhood existed behind my favorite donut shop just a mile from my home that I didn't realize was there because there were no street lights, sidewalks, paved roads, etc. I came to the abrupt realization that I was not nearly as enlightened about race while, as a student at Memphis State University, I casually used a clearly racist term in front of another black student (Trent) who I thought of as a friend. We were discussing something that was broken and I said. "Well, we can n****r-rig it." He looked at me with a great deal of hurt (not anger) on his face and asked me to repeat what I said. Instead of apologizing I passed it off as a common turn-of-phrase, but I was deeply ashamed and I have never used that phrase (or any other with that word in it) again. Trent distanced himself from me from then on and I often think of him and hope he has since found better friends than I was. I owe him an apology and a large degree of gratitude because he forced me to see what I was and to question everything I thought about the situation there. Every time I return to Memphis, a city I truly love and still think of as home, I am forced to see that not much has changed. This week the rest of the nation got a dose of the reality that is Memphis - a beautiful city with a rich cultural heritage that is still deeply divided racially. I'm so sorry Trent.
Thank you Robert. And thank you William Carlton too. My friend who just recently moved to CT from living in Memphis for years and years said that there are still classified ads for Klan meetings. What?!! So awful.
I wanted to alert people that PostcardsToVoters.org launched postcards for the three super important February 7th Special Elections for PA State House. They are in fairly safe blue districts but Special Elections are tricky if people think no need to go out or they don't know about them-- if we lose one of the three, we will not have the majority in the PA House…so critical we keep the majority we miraculously won in PA State House in November with the huge help of Giving Circles with The States Project!!! Please help if you can! Even a small number helps! You can get addresses & scripts from Abby the bot 24-7 if you sign up with PostcardsToVoters.org by either emailing join@tonythedemocrat.org or texting "join" to Abby the bot at 484-275-2229.
Also we will be writing for Jennifer McClellan for her Feb. 21st Special Election for US Congress as soon as PA is done, I believe!
Where O’Where, did Robert Hubbell come from? Amidst the scarred and depressing news each day, Robert reminds us of what makes America great and what makes mankind so special. He reminds us of the good we are capable of and the special qualities of love and caring we possess.
I sent his truly empathetic and poetic piece on his kippah to my 6 grandchildren. As Jews surrounded by rising antisemitism , Robert’s admiration of our traditions and embracing their significance in his life was a message I wanted my family to see.
While there are legions of Jews to admire, Jamie Raskin and Adam Schiff are amongst our proudest. Their integrity and love of country are models of what statesmanship, politics, humanity, dignity should be like.
While Trump has become a model for some, Raskin and Schiff, Jews, steeped in the traditions that Robert admires so, makes us proud to be Americans and gives us strength in times of trouble.
I agree about Adam Schiff for Senate. that said, whichever of the three wins the primary will make an effective senator. But for me, Schiff is uniquely qualified by experience and knowledge to face down the threat from MAGA, which will not be going away regardless of what happens to Trump.
Rob, your essays are saturated in kindness. Your messages are kind. Your clarity declaring stark truth, as you’ve done in today’s Edition, is doing a kindness. The message on your now-son-in-law‘s shirt is a good one.  Yes, may we be kind to one another. 
Key change (new topic): on occasion, do you find yourself musing about possibilities of President Raskin? President Schiff? I pray I live that long. 
To all of those who cling to the hope that they will wake up to the news that Trump has been indicted only to be disappointed, here's a different take to cheer you up. Trump has already been indicted and convicted by a jury of his peers..all of us who vote. He lost the 2016 election by several million votes, lost to Biden by several million as well, and ruined the mid-term results for the GOP doing away with their anticipated rout. He is the epitome of irrelevance by every definition and a loser, something he has been trying to escape since childhood. We are all fine..he isn't. Yes, our democracy faces continuing challenges brought to the surface by his autocratic behavior but Americans have united to deal with those threats and we are already better for it. More work to do. Our right to vote and to use that right will always remain our greatest weapon and it will never be banned.
An important argument for Section 230 repeal is that it would lead to the downsizing of Facebook and Twitter. In their current mode of operation, these companies depend on not being held responsible for defamatory items in third party content. If they were subject to the same sort of liability as their competitors in print and broadcast media, they would have to spend far more money in viewing and moderating posts and ads.
Jan 27, 2023·edited Jan 27, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
Robert and others, I want to quickly post a link to a New York Times article where professors of criminology and criminal justice profile 50 years of mass killings and summarize the underlying cause as a rise of deaths of despair. They see mass shootings being related to suicide and recommend that we must take measures to strengthen the mental health and crisis support system in addition to strengthening laws to address the proliferation of guns and prevent their becoming instruments of tragedy. Here is the link. If you have trouble getting past the paywall, respond to this comment and I can send a limited number of gift links to the article. Its title is "We Profiled the ‘Signs of Crisis’ in 50 Years of Mass Shootings. This Is What We Found" by Jillian Peterson and James Densley.
After reading Letters From American this evening and Timothy Snyder earlier, in which there is no longer doubt about the Trump=Russian connection, plus the machinations of their toadies, plus the pervasive gun deaths, plus a congressman bringing defused grenades into congress yesterday, I have to ask myself, is the repeated and terrible life-ending behavior by police officers also part of everything gone wrong in the universe? Who in god's name is organizing all of this? It's just too many times for a coincidence. What is going wrong with law enforcement when cops keep doing murders. Excuse my paranoia, but it's just too much.
Take the rest you need. We can sort out Meta on our own, appreciate Adam Schiff, and appreciate the cumulative responsibility of several presidents holding onto papers they should not have had -- all on our own.
When you have your energy back, there is a nightmare to contemplate. In 60-40 Democratic California, four outstanding Democrats (Add Ro Khanna) with 15% each and two Republicans with 20% each making the run off. Let's find a way to consolidate early on behalf of one of those outstanding Democratic Members of Congress.
I am an admirer of Adam Schiff and once thought a potential future President -- and still consider that a real possibility. That said, I am equally an admirer if Reps. Katie Porter and Barbara Lee. This is going to be a tough one.
On the subject of Adam Schiff, this tweet thread is ominously revealing on numerous issues, including McCarhy’s motive for removing Schiff from the Intelligence Committee.
Robert, you are such a reliable source of kindness, thoughtful analysis, and consistent pursuit of the truth and a stronger democracy. I know I rely on hearing your calming voice, even when you are discussing distressing news. You deserve all the rest and recuperation from your overwhelming week that it takes to regather your spirit. My sincere thanks and concern for your well-being and sorrow over your recent loss will be with you, and I know so many here are also sending prayers, sympathy, and gratitude your way.
in 'musical support' (and apologies for trying to attach a link) i offer the following huzzahs to robert for today's encouragement to 'love one another' (from the song 'revolution 1x1):
I'm gonna start a revolution; I'm gonna take it to the street,
I'm gonna smile at every solitary person that I meet!
I'm gonna wave at total strangers no matter where they're from.
I'm gonna start a revolution… gonna win it one by one.
The secret of this movement I'm about to share with you:
You just pick somebody that you don't know – that's all you have to do.
You don't need no other weapon than the smile that's on your face,
Just say hello, lettum know we're all part of the human race.
And if we should encounter (as I'm sure we will),
Some disbelievin' cynic who is disbelievin' still...
We're gonna open all his windows, unlock every door.
We're gonna sweep out every corner, we're gonna mop up every floor,
'Til he goes a dancin' in the jaw of the dragon and sleepin' in the lions den,
Dreamin' in the arms of angels...and he falls in Love again.
This revolution's bound to change a million hearts,
Totally disarm the enemy before the fighting starts.
We're gonna laugh in the face of evil (that misdirected fool).
We're gonna start a revolution... yeah, we're gonna win it, me and you...
But we're a raggle-taggle army - 'got no uniform or guns
Still we been called by coincidence so maybe we're the ones
To take this revolution to the street.
Smile at every solitary person that we meet.
We're gonna wave at total strangers no matter where they're from.
Gonna start a revolution... gonna win it one by one.
As always, I appreciate your handling of the key topics of the day. I totally agree with you about Adam Schiff and hope that he will be the next Senator from California. The fact that McCarthy noted in his letter to Hakeem Jeffries that kicking Schiff off the Intelligence Committee was a way to restore integrity is risible. I am sorry for the brouhaha that the House GOP has created with their destructive leadership but expect that they will relatively quickly fall apart. Bombast and incompetence likely will not thrive at the highest levels of Congress, especially in light of a Democratic majority in the Senate and the accomplishments of the Biden administration. And I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your friend. What a wonderful tribute you wrote for her and her religion. It is why Tony Dungy's behavior is so distressing. The year that the Massachusetts Supreme Court recognized gay marriage in May, the Catholic church was one of many groups working to get a gay marriage referundum on the ballot in November. After Mass one Sunday my mother was asked by a lay minister to sign the petition. She took the petition and the lay minister handed her a pen. She responded, "I do not need the pen. I just wanted to read the petition. Do you think Jesus would sign this? Jesus loved everyone." I do not know why so many "Christians" do not understand that simple message.
I left Facebook 3 years ago and have never looked back. I continually urge my friends to do the same with some success. This cynical move to allow T back might seal the deal. I hope people leave in droves. As Adam Schiff said in his closing arguments in T’s impeachment “he’ll do it again. “ Facebook just gave him a leg up.
I ,too , am thrilled that Adam Schiff is moving out of the House. I called his headquarters and donated immediately thru Act Blue on a monthly basis. My greatest wish is that Gavin Newsom convince Dianne Feinstein to retire early and appoint Schiff to her seat post haste. I really don’t want to see a primary with such great Democrat candidates vying for the same seat in the Senate. I called Feinstein’s and Newsom’s office and said the same. Schiff deserves this seat for all that he has done nationally for this country. Maybe Nancy Pelosi will have some sway with Feinstein and Newsom on this. This is a rare opportunity to counter the craven acts of stupidity going on in the House right now. No one knows that better than Schiff and Pelosi!
I hear what you mean about Adam Schiff, but i would also hate to lose Katie Porter!! And, then i read Katherine Terhune's post about yet another police killing of Keenan Anderson in LA, and I can think of nothing else!! I am literally sick to my stomach! God help us!!
I was born in 1956 and grew up as a white male in one of the nation's most "racist" cities - Memphis. I lived there during the infamous "garbage workers" strike (we didn't say sanitation back then), which culminated in the assassination of Martin Luther King. As I've gotten older I realize now that even though I thought of myself as far from being racially biased, I was raised, quite insidiously, to be a racist. I attended an all white high school in which our mascots were the "rebels," confederate flags flew in the hallways, "Dixie," was played at every athletic event (you get the picture) because Memphis was the last city in the south to integrate it's schools (in the 1970's!); "garbage men" often suffered serious injuries from dog bites because they were required to retrieve garbage from people's back yards, etc. A black neighborhood existed behind my favorite donut shop just a mile from my home that I didn't realize was there because there were no street lights, sidewalks, paved roads, etc. I came to the abrupt realization that I was not nearly as enlightened about race while, as a student at Memphis State University, I casually used a clearly racist term in front of another black student (Trent) who I thought of as a friend. We were discussing something that was broken and I said. "Well, we can n****r-rig it." He looked at me with a great deal of hurt (not anger) on his face and asked me to repeat what I said. Instead of apologizing I passed it off as a common turn-of-phrase, but I was deeply ashamed and I have never used that phrase (or any other with that word in it) again. Trent distanced himself from me from then on and I often think of him and hope he has since found better friends than I was. I owe him an apology and a large degree of gratitude because he forced me to see what I was and to question everything I thought about the situation there. Every time I return to Memphis, a city I truly love and still think of as home, I am forced to see that not much has changed. This week the rest of the nation got a dose of the reality that is Memphis - a beautiful city with a rich cultural heritage that is still deeply divided racially. I'm so sorry Trent.
Thank you Robert. And thank you William Carlton too. My friend who just recently moved to CT from living in Memphis for years and years said that there are still classified ads for Klan meetings. What?!! So awful.
I wanted to alert people that PostcardsToVoters.org launched postcards for the three super important February 7th Special Elections for PA State House. They are in fairly safe blue districts but Special Elections are tricky if people think no need to go out or they don't know about them-- if we lose one of the three, we will not have the majority in the PA House…so critical we keep the majority we miraculously won in PA State House in November with the huge help of Giving Circles with The States Project!!! Please help if you can! Even a small number helps! You can get addresses & scripts from Abby the bot 24-7 if you sign up with PostcardsToVoters.org by either emailing join@tonythedemocrat.org or texting "join" to Abby the bot at 484-275-2229.
Also we will be writing for Jennifer McClellan for her Feb. 21st Special Election for US Congress as soon as PA is done, I believe!
Where O’Where, did Robert Hubbell come from? Amidst the scarred and depressing news each day, Robert reminds us of what makes America great and what makes mankind so special. He reminds us of the good we are capable of and the special qualities of love and caring we possess.
I sent his truly empathetic and poetic piece on his kippah to my 6 grandchildren. As Jews surrounded by rising antisemitism , Robert’s admiration of our traditions and embracing their significance in his life was a message I wanted my family to see.
While there are legions of Jews to admire, Jamie Raskin and Adam Schiff are amongst our proudest. Their integrity and love of country are models of what statesmanship, politics, humanity, dignity should be like.
While Trump has become a model for some, Raskin and Schiff, Jews, steeped in the traditions that Robert admires so, makes us proud to be Americans and gives us strength in times of trouble.
I agree about Adam Schiff for Senate. that said, whichever of the three wins the primary will make an effective senator. But for me, Schiff is uniquely qualified by experience and knowledge to face down the threat from MAGA, which will not be going away regardless of what happens to Trump.
Rob, your essays are saturated in kindness. Your messages are kind. Your clarity declaring stark truth, as you’ve done in today’s Edition, is doing a kindness. The message on your now-son-in-law‘s shirt is a good one.  Yes, may we be kind to one another. 
Key change (new topic): on occasion, do you find yourself musing about possibilities of President Raskin? President Schiff? I pray I live that long. 
To all of those who cling to the hope that they will wake up to the news that Trump has been indicted only to be disappointed, here's a different take to cheer you up. Trump has already been indicted and convicted by a jury of his peers..all of us who vote. He lost the 2016 election by several million votes, lost to Biden by several million as well, and ruined the mid-term results for the GOP doing away with their anticipated rout. He is the epitome of irrelevance by every definition and a loser, something he has been trying to escape since childhood. We are all fine..he isn't. Yes, our democracy faces continuing challenges brought to the surface by his autocratic behavior but Americans have united to deal with those threats and we are already better for it. More work to do. Our right to vote and to use that right will always remain our greatest weapon and it will never be banned.
An important argument for Section 230 repeal is that it would lead to the downsizing of Facebook and Twitter. In their current mode of operation, these companies depend on not being held responsible for defamatory items in third party content. If they were subject to the same sort of liability as their competitors in print and broadcast media, they would have to spend far more money in viewing and moderating posts and ads.
Robert and others, I want to quickly post a link to a New York Times article where professors of criminology and criminal justice profile 50 years of mass killings and summarize the underlying cause as a rise of deaths of despair. They see mass shootings being related to suicide and recommend that we must take measures to strengthen the mental health and crisis support system in addition to strengthening laws to address the proliferation of guns and prevent their becoming instruments of tragedy. Here is the link. If you have trouble getting past the paywall, respond to this comment and I can send a limited number of gift links to the article. Its title is "We Profiled the ‘Signs of Crisis’ in 50 Years of Mass Shootings. This Is What We Found" by Jillian Peterson and James Densley.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/01/26/opinion/us-mass-shootings-despair.html
After reading Letters From American this evening and Timothy Snyder earlier, in which there is no longer doubt about the Trump=Russian connection, plus the machinations of their toadies, plus the pervasive gun deaths, plus a congressman bringing defused grenades into congress yesterday, I have to ask myself, is the repeated and terrible life-ending behavior by police officers also part of everything gone wrong in the universe? Who in god's name is organizing all of this? It's just too many times for a coincidence. What is going wrong with law enforcement when cops keep doing murders. Excuse my paranoia, but it's just too much.
Take the rest you need. We can sort out Meta on our own, appreciate Adam Schiff, and appreciate the cumulative responsibility of several presidents holding onto papers they should not have had -- all on our own.
When you have your energy back, there is a nightmare to contemplate. In 60-40 Democratic California, four outstanding Democrats (Add Ro Khanna) with 15% each and two Republicans with 20% each making the run off. Let's find a way to consolidate early on behalf of one of those outstanding Democratic Members of Congress.
I am an admirer of Adam Schiff and once thought a potential future President -- and still consider that a real possibility. That said, I am equally an admirer if Reps. Katie Porter and Barbara Lee. This is going to be a tough one.
On the subject of Adam Schiff, this tweet thread is ominously revealing on numerous issues, including McCarhy’s motive for removing Schiff from the Intelligence Committee.
twitter.com/timothydsnyder/status/1618309363084718080?s=12 from Timothy Snyder’s Tweet
Snyder is a Yale history professor.
Robert, you are such a reliable source of kindness, thoughtful analysis, and consistent pursuit of the truth and a stronger democracy. I know I rely on hearing your calming voice, even when you are discussing distressing news. You deserve all the rest and recuperation from your overwhelming week that it takes to regather your spirit. My sincere thanks and concern for your well-being and sorrow over your recent loss will be with you, and I know so many here are also sending prayers, sympathy, and gratitude your way.
in 'musical support' (and apologies for trying to attach a link) i offer the following huzzahs to robert for today's encouragement to 'love one another' (from the song 'revolution 1x1):
I'm gonna start a revolution; I'm gonna take it to the street,
I'm gonna smile at every solitary person that I meet!
I'm gonna wave at total strangers no matter where they're from.
I'm gonna start a revolution… gonna win it one by one.
The secret of this movement I'm about to share with you:
You just pick somebody that you don't know – that's all you have to do.
You don't need no other weapon than the smile that's on your face,
Just say hello, lettum know we're all part of the human race.
And if we should encounter (as I'm sure we will),
Some disbelievin' cynic who is disbelievin' still...
We're gonna open all his windows, unlock every door.
We're gonna sweep out every corner, we're gonna mop up every floor,
'Til he goes a dancin' in the jaw of the dragon and sleepin' in the lions den,
Dreamin' in the arms of angels...and he falls in Love again.
This revolution's bound to change a million hearts,
Totally disarm the enemy before the fighting starts.
We're gonna laugh in the face of evil (that misdirected fool).
We're gonna start a revolution... yeah, we're gonna win it, me and you...
But we're a raggle-taggle army - 'got no uniform or guns
Still we been called by coincidence so maybe we're the ones
To take this revolution to the street.
Smile at every solitary person that we meet.
We're gonna wave at total strangers no matter where they're from.
Gonna start a revolution... gonna win it one by one.
As always, I appreciate your handling of the key topics of the day. I totally agree with you about Adam Schiff and hope that he will be the next Senator from California. The fact that McCarthy noted in his letter to Hakeem Jeffries that kicking Schiff off the Intelligence Committee was a way to restore integrity is risible. I am sorry for the brouhaha that the House GOP has created with their destructive leadership but expect that they will relatively quickly fall apart. Bombast and incompetence likely will not thrive at the highest levels of Congress, especially in light of a Democratic majority in the Senate and the accomplishments of the Biden administration. And I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your friend. What a wonderful tribute you wrote for her and her religion. It is why Tony Dungy's behavior is so distressing. The year that the Massachusetts Supreme Court recognized gay marriage in May, the Catholic church was one of many groups working to get a gay marriage referundum on the ballot in November. After Mass one Sunday my mother was asked by a lay minister to sign the petition. She took the petition and the lay minister handed her a pen. She responded, "I do not need the pen. I just wanted to read the petition. Do you think Jesus would sign this? Jesus loved everyone." I do not know why so many "Christians" do not understand that simple message.
I left Facebook 3 years ago and have never looked back. I continually urge my friends to do the same with some success. This cynical move to allow T back might seal the deal. I hope people leave in droves. As Adam Schiff said in his closing arguments in T’s impeachment “he’ll do it again. “ Facebook just gave him a leg up.
I ,too , am thrilled that Adam Schiff is moving out of the House. I called his headquarters and donated immediately thru Act Blue on a monthly basis. My greatest wish is that Gavin Newsom convince Dianne Feinstein to retire early and appoint Schiff to her seat post haste. I really don’t want to see a primary with such great Democrat candidates vying for the same seat in the Senate. I called Feinstein’s and Newsom’s office and said the same. Schiff deserves this seat for all that he has done nationally for this country. Maybe Nancy Pelosi will have some sway with Feinstein and Newsom on this. This is a rare opportunity to counter the craven acts of stupidity going on in the House right now. No one knows that better than Schiff and Pelosi!
I hear what you mean about Adam Schiff, but i would also hate to lose Katie Porter!! And, then i read Katherine Terhune's post about yet another police killing of Keenan Anderson in LA, and I can think of nothing else!! I am literally sick to my stomach! God help us!!