Mar 3, 2023·edited Mar 3, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
Thank you for your fiery description of DeSantis! Not many commentators are willing to speak so bluntly about DeSantis and his threat to America. You listed even more reasons to deprive him of power and keep him from becoming a candidate for President. Now we have to figure out why so many Floridians and other Republicans support him with votes, money, and publicity. Those people are a threat as well. Is there a way to persuade them that they deserve better and that they won't like being ruled by a demagogue?
Once again you have rung the bell to hold fast to what is true and real to establish our views on direction. DeSantis does not represent the “United States “, nor does he desire to. We must be vigilant in our thoughts to rule out “personal agendas” and SPEAK UP for what we really believe -what defines our history and how we got here. No shame, no coverups- just truth and pride to push on. THANKS!
I love it when you get 'feisty!!' I can't imagine where we/I would be without the amazing reporting done by people like you!! It has empowered so many of us ... we can have hope .. and confidence .. as we tackle the biggest fight of our lives! xx's
Masterful, courageous takedown of that little Hitler, Ron DeSantis. Bold, passionate writing in defense of the Constitution and the moral norms of civil society is what being an American is all about. That same democratic spirit saturates the posts of Heather Cox Richardson as well, and that's why I hit those subscription paid buttons every time they appear. And your "fiery description" of DeSantis, to borrow Laurie Caplan's phrase, is why I'm hitting the "Upgrade to founding" button this morning. Your newsletter is a brilliant beacon of Truth guiding us through the thick fog of fascist GOP propaganda.
Mar 3, 2023·edited Mar 3, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
The MAGA GOP is abandoning American principles of liberal democracy and fully embracing illiberalism. Viktor Orban has become the de facto leader of the Republican Party. DeSantis is a poster boy of Orban's political playbook.
What we view as civil liberties and constitutional rights, the "Orbanese" cast as depravity and vulgar decay of our culture. Our focus on "the common good" is viewed as a deep state corruption. Our tolerance for free thinking, open intellectual debate and academic freedom is twisted into leftist extremism.
Whereas the GOP has historically provoked "social issues" to fuel their political platforms, they had functioned within the boundaries of our democratic system. With this new aggressiveness, disregard for majority rule and creating an alternative fantasy state of reality, an underbelly shrill of violent intolerance pulsates beneath their extreme rhetoric.
The DOJ is now our protective bulwark, insisting that our laws be respected and extremism that threatens our constitutional order must be contained. The evidence could not be clearer and the call to action obvious.
Mar 3, 2023·edited Mar 3, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
Dear Robert and Community,
To those of you in the Los Angeles area, heartfelt condolences on the loss of a ‘voice for the voiceless,’ Bishop David O’Connell. (Truly a loss felt near and far.)
For those of you who may be unaware, Bishop David lost his life, tragically, to gun violence while sleeping at home in Hacienda Heights on February 18.
I am hardly one to write of his life, though perhaps like some of you over these last days, I have learned that Bishop Dave was an Irish-born priest who came to the US more than forty years ago to serve those on the margins, working with and on behalf of the poor, street gangs, the forgotten. He was known as a peacemaker, a beloved servant.
Last night, I watched the live-streamed Vigil Mass that took place at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles. During the homily, Cardinal Roger Mahony spoke of how the pastor didn’t visit elected officials alone; he invited members of the community to go with him, to “raise their voices,” to have a voice.
At the close of the Mass, Bishop Dave’s niece read a poem by the Irish poet, philosopher and theologian, John O’Donohue:
On the Death of the Beloved
~ By John O’Donohue
“Though we need to weep your loss,
You dwell in that safe place in our hearts
Where no storm or night or pain can reach you.
Your love was like the dawn
Brightening over our lives,
Awakening beneath the dark
A further adventure of color.
The sound of your voice
Found for us
A new music
That brightened everything.
Whatever you enfolded in your gaze
Quickened in the joy of its being;
You placed smiles like flowers
On the alter of the heart,
Your mind always sparkled
With wonder at things.
Though your days here were brief,
Your spirit was alive, awake, complete.
We look toward each other no longer
From the old distance of our names;
Now you dwell inside the rhythm of breath,
As close to us as we are to ourselves.
Though we cannot see you with outward eyes,
We know our souls gaze is upon your face,
Smiling back at us from within everything
To which we bring our best refinement.
Let us not look for you only in memory,
Where we would grow lonely without you.
You would want us to find you in presence,
Beside us when beauty brightens,
When kindness glows
And music echoes eternal tones.
When orchids brighten the earth,
Darkest winter has turned to spring;
May this dark grief flower with hope
In every heart that loves you.
May you continue to inspire us:
To enter each day with a generous heart.
To serve the call of courage and love
Until we see your beautiful face again
In that land where there is no more separation,
Where all tears will be wiped from our mind,
And where we will never lose you again.”
~ To Bless the Space Between Us, A Book of Blessings by John O’Donohue
For those who may be inclined to watch / attend the Funeral Mass of Bishop David O’Connell, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, it will take place on Friday, March 3 at 11AM PT, 2PM ET at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Downtown, LA: https://youtu.be/dCLWupcq39Y
May Bishop David, and all those who have died by gun violence, somehow, call us to action, unwavering, until there is an end to the bloodshed.
Excellent analysis 👏 👍 sums up all the people's backs DeSantis has climbed over in his Sunshine 🌞 Reich in an attempt to be the big Honcho like his mortal nemesis, the orange Behemoth 🍊. He is showing that he is perfectly willing to do whatever it takes to steal ol Trumpo's throne 😉, buddying up with the Fox fake news to promote his new book Courage to be Free and take everyone else's while he's at it. Thanks for keeping tabs on the little Napoleon wanna be, hopefully America 🇺🇸 can be his Waterloo in 2024.
Glad to hear that Jack Smith and DOJ are starting to have success with holding those accountable for J6 including El Trumpo 😀 and that he can be held liable for injuries to Capitol police officers and Congressional staff if found guilty. Wonder how 🤔 much all his properties are worth,especially if he has to sell them for the going bankruptcy price instead of inflating their values 🤔 like he has all these years!
Mar 3, 2023·edited Mar 3, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
I called out DeSantis as a fascist in a comment when the NYT published an op ed about him. The comment was not published. I then wrote a comment lambasting the Times for covering DeSantis in lieu of so many other credible people and reminding them of how they and the other media entities helped elect trump. They published the comment.
We need to push back hard on the media concerning over coverage of DeSantis. I support Mr. Hubbell in resisting obsessing on DeSantis.
My friend says this about DeSantis: His ambition outgrew his knowledge and humanity.
The only voice I hear consistently calling him out is FL House Representative Anna V. Eskamani. It must be more her courageous voice. FYI I have created a fb group, Women For Florida’s Future. It’s purpose is to build community, be informed, & be ready to mobilize action on proposed legislation or other issues. I welcome you to join. https://m.facebook.com/groups/194467769550364/?ref=share&mibextid=S66gvF. Thanks! Susan Windmiller, Orlando FL.
Your first paragraph on DeSantis could be in a example of work as you apply to be a writer for Stephen Colbert. Bravo. Truth with humor=satire. Another talent you have.
As one of your Florida subscribers who has been writing about the DeSantis threat as a presidential candidate, it's great to have you ring the alarm bell so full throatedly.
Our Republican breatheren are desperately seeking a candidate who appears normal to suburban America but still attracts the MAGA base. For now, DeSantis is their man; a new, more effective guy who would "grow" into the job of the presidency while promoting the hard right agenda. SICK & SCARY.
DeSantis' slogan "Keeping Florida Free" perfectly captures Republican hipocracy. "We're for Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!" as long it's the "Freedom" we like".
Most have forgotten that DeSantis tried to create his own personal police force in Florida. A group of thugs who would be at his beck and call, able to intimidate and injure and arrest solely at DeSantis’ direction. This idea was fascism at its finest.
Your DeSantis expose' is spot on. We live in West Central Florida. DeSantis's "cloak of invisibility" is beginning to fade. His cannibalistic efforts to devour Florida's educational system, Pre K to Universities, began over a year ago with a $10,000 bonus to public school teachers. Instead of inspiring loyalty, he bought it. Grrr!
As a Florida resident (deep red Pasco County) I have been sounding the DeSantis alarm here and everywhere on a daily basis. Every day I wake up to read a new story of something outrageous that he, or his sycophants, are proposing. The Florida legislature tries so hard to please him that nobody is thinking of the constituents. It is deeply depressing. One reason why he got so many votes is because he has enticed Northern right wingers, such as those who lost their jobs due to not getting vaxxed to come here. Lost your NYPD job? No problem. One to Florida and teach school even if you’re not qualified. Over 500,000 people moved here! And, yes, I am angry that so many Dems stayed home and didn’t vote. I hope and pray that they are now sufficiently alarmed to not do that again.
Thank you for your fiery description of DeSantis! Not many commentators are willing to speak so bluntly about DeSantis and his threat to America. You listed even more reasons to deprive him of power and keep him from becoming a candidate for President. Now we have to figure out why so many Floridians and other Republicans support him with votes, money, and publicity. Those people are a threat as well. Is there a way to persuade them that they deserve better and that they won't like being ruled by a demagogue?
Once again you have rung the bell to hold fast to what is true and real to establish our views on direction. DeSantis does not represent the “United States “, nor does he desire to. We must be vigilant in our thoughts to rule out “personal agendas” and SPEAK UP for what we really believe -what defines our history and how we got here. No shame, no coverups- just truth and pride to push on. THANKS!
I love it when you get 'feisty!!' I can't imagine where we/I would be without the amazing reporting done by people like you!! It has empowered so many of us ... we can have hope .. and confidence .. as we tackle the biggest fight of our lives! xx's
Masterful, courageous takedown of that little Hitler, Ron DeSantis. Bold, passionate writing in defense of the Constitution and the moral norms of civil society is what being an American is all about. That same democratic spirit saturates the posts of Heather Cox Richardson as well, and that's why I hit those subscription paid buttons every time they appear. And your "fiery description" of DeSantis, to borrow Laurie Caplan's phrase, is why I'm hitting the "Upgrade to founding" button this morning. Your newsletter is a brilliant beacon of Truth guiding us through the thick fog of fascist GOP propaganda.
The MAGA GOP is abandoning American principles of liberal democracy and fully embracing illiberalism. Viktor Orban has become the de facto leader of the Republican Party. DeSantis is a poster boy of Orban's political playbook.
What we view as civil liberties and constitutional rights, the "Orbanese" cast as depravity and vulgar decay of our culture. Our focus on "the common good" is viewed as a deep state corruption. Our tolerance for free thinking, open intellectual debate and academic freedom is twisted into leftist extremism.
Whereas the GOP has historically provoked "social issues" to fuel their political platforms, they had functioned within the boundaries of our democratic system. With this new aggressiveness, disregard for majority rule and creating an alternative fantasy state of reality, an underbelly shrill of violent intolerance pulsates beneath their extreme rhetoric.
The DOJ is now our protective bulwark, insisting that our laws be respected and extremism that threatens our constitutional order must be contained. The evidence could not be clearer and the call to action obvious.
Dear Robert and Community,
To those of you in the Los Angeles area, heartfelt condolences on the loss of a ‘voice for the voiceless,’ Bishop David O’Connell. (Truly a loss felt near and far.)
For those of you who may be unaware, Bishop David lost his life, tragically, to gun violence while sleeping at home in Hacienda Heights on February 18.
I am hardly one to write of his life, though perhaps like some of you over these last days, I have learned that Bishop Dave was an Irish-born priest who came to the US more than forty years ago to serve those on the margins, working with and on behalf of the poor, street gangs, the forgotten. He was known as a peacemaker, a beloved servant.
Last night, I watched the live-streamed Vigil Mass that took place at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles. During the homily, Cardinal Roger Mahony spoke of how the pastor didn’t visit elected officials alone; he invited members of the community to go with him, to “raise their voices,” to have a voice.
At the close of the Mass, Bishop Dave’s niece read a poem by the Irish poet, philosopher and theologian, John O’Donohue:
On the Death of the Beloved
~ By John O’Donohue
“Though we need to weep your loss,
You dwell in that safe place in our hearts
Where no storm or night or pain can reach you.
Your love was like the dawn
Brightening over our lives,
Awakening beneath the dark
A further adventure of color.
The sound of your voice
Found for us
A new music
That brightened everything.
Whatever you enfolded in your gaze
Quickened in the joy of its being;
You placed smiles like flowers
On the alter of the heart,
Your mind always sparkled
With wonder at things.
Though your days here were brief,
Your spirit was alive, awake, complete.
We look toward each other no longer
From the old distance of our names;
Now you dwell inside the rhythm of breath,
As close to us as we are to ourselves.
Though we cannot see you with outward eyes,
We know our souls gaze is upon your face,
Smiling back at us from within everything
To which we bring our best refinement.
Let us not look for you only in memory,
Where we would grow lonely without you.
You would want us to find you in presence,
Beside us when beauty brightens,
When kindness glows
And music echoes eternal tones.
When orchids brighten the earth,
Darkest winter has turned to spring;
May this dark grief flower with hope
In every heart that loves you.
May you continue to inspire us:
To enter each day with a generous heart.
To serve the call of courage and love
Until we see your beautiful face again
In that land where there is no more separation,
Where all tears will be wiped from our mind,
And where we will never lose you again.”
~ To Bless the Space Between Us, A Book of Blessings by John O’Donohue
For those who may be inclined to watch / attend the Funeral Mass of Bishop David O’Connell, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, it will take place on Friday, March 3 at 11AM PT, 2PM ET at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Downtown, LA: https://youtu.be/dCLWupcq39Y
May Bishop David, and all those who have died by gun violence, somehow, call us to action, unwavering, until there is an end to the bloodshed.
An organization I have come to find supportive of this effort is the Newtown Action Alliance: https://www.newtownactionalliance.org/about-index#about-us
At another time, I may share my experience of participating in the #EndGunViolence Lunch & Lobby Sessions with Newtown Action Alliance: https://www.newtownactionalliance.org/endgunviolence-lunch-lobby-days
Síocháin, (Celtic word for Peace)
Jean
Excellent analysis 👏 👍 sums up all the people's backs DeSantis has climbed over in his Sunshine 🌞 Reich in an attempt to be the big Honcho like his mortal nemesis, the orange Behemoth 🍊. He is showing that he is perfectly willing to do whatever it takes to steal ol Trumpo's throne 😉, buddying up with the Fox fake news to promote his new book Courage to be Free and take everyone else's while he's at it. Thanks for keeping tabs on the little Napoleon wanna be, hopefully America 🇺🇸 can be his Waterloo in 2024.
Glad to hear that Jack Smith and DOJ are starting to have success with holding those accountable for J6 including El Trumpo 😀 and that he can be held liable for injuries to Capitol police officers and Congressional staff if found guilty. Wonder how 🤔 much all his properties are worth,especially if he has to sell them for the going bankruptcy price instead of inflating their values 🤔 like he has all these years!
I called out DeSantis as a fascist in a comment when the NYT published an op ed about him. The comment was not published. I then wrote a comment lambasting the Times for covering DeSantis in lieu of so many other credible people and reminding them of how they and the other media entities helped elect trump. They published the comment.
We need to push back hard on the media concerning over coverage of DeSantis. I support Mr. Hubbell in resisting obsessing on DeSantis.
My friend says this about DeSantis: His ambition outgrew his knowledge and humanity.
The only voice I hear consistently calling him out is FL House Representative Anna V. Eskamani. It must be more her courageous voice. FYI I have created a fb group, Women For Florida’s Future. It’s purpose is to build community, be informed, & be ready to mobilize action on proposed legislation or other issues. I welcome you to join. https://m.facebook.com/groups/194467769550364/?ref=share&mibextid=S66gvF. Thanks! Susan Windmiller, Orlando FL.
Ps, thank you Robert for inspiring us to act.
It's no coincidence that Bolsonaro fled to Florida.
Your first paragraph on DeSantis could be in a example of work as you apply to be a writer for Stephen Colbert. Bravo. Truth with humor=satire. Another talent you have.
THAK YOU, THANK YOU ROBERT.
As one of your Florida subscribers who has been writing about the DeSantis threat as a presidential candidate, it's great to have you ring the alarm bell so full throatedly.
Our Republican breatheren are desperately seeking a candidate who appears normal to suburban America but still attracts the MAGA base. For now, DeSantis is their man; a new, more effective guy who would "grow" into the job of the presidency while promoting the hard right agenda. SICK & SCARY.
DeSantis' slogan "Keeping Florida Free" perfectly captures Republican hipocracy. "We're for Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!" as long it's the "Freedom" we like".
Most have forgotten that DeSantis tried to create his own personal police force in Florida. A group of thugs who would be at his beck and call, able to intimidate and injure and arrest solely at DeSantis’ direction. This idea was fascism at its finest.
You, Robert, are an absolute master at describing Ron DeSantis! Your keen descriptors flow . . . like a poem.
May I remind our viewers of what you said about Florida's dangerous governor back on 12/15/22:
"... a small, petty man with limited ability and no conscience."
"...a calculating coward"
And on 1-24-23: "Put simply, DeSantis is ignorant and stupid. . . He is slow on his feet, eager to anger and a one-dimensional checkers player."
Hard to imagine, but he is all of these things. Now let's all stretch and add those "two-inch heels"!
Your DeSantis expose' is spot on. We live in West Central Florida. DeSantis's "cloak of invisibility" is beginning to fade. His cannibalistic efforts to devour Florida's educational system, Pre K to Universities, began over a year ago with a $10,000 bonus to public school teachers. Instead of inspiring loyalty, he bought it. Grrr!
As a Florida resident (deep red Pasco County) I have been sounding the DeSantis alarm here and everywhere on a daily basis. Every day I wake up to read a new story of something outrageous that he, or his sycophants, are proposing. The Florida legislature tries so hard to please him that nobody is thinking of the constituents. It is deeply depressing. One reason why he got so many votes is because he has enticed Northern right wingers, such as those who lost their jobs due to not getting vaxxed to come here. Lost your NYPD job? No problem. One to Florida and teach school even if you’re not qualified. Over 500,000 people moved here! And, yes, I am angry that so many Dems stayed home and didn’t vote. I hope and pray that they are now sufficiently alarmed to not do that again.