Hi, all. As noted in the newsletter, I am locking down the comments section to paid subscribers so I don't have to monitor for public trolls. Wonderful discussion today, everyone!
I love Harriz/Walz. I just love them. This is a movement about hope, joy, optimism, and KINDNESS. I can’t believe how much has changed in a couple weeks!
I could not be happier about this ticket. Both Harris and Walz represents two sides of the same progressive coin: a woman of color from the city, and a white guy from the country. And both have very progressive records that are focused on taking care of THE PEOPLE, not giving corporations massive tax breaks and giveaways. Nothing could be more perfect.
The contrast is so stark: Trump ticket is nothing but doom and gloom. The complete opposite and absolutely soul draining. This is refreshing. Kamala/Walz are offering more than policy!
Can't wait to celebrate wearing this GREAT reminder on Tuesday, November 5 👇
Well, it’s been a full month in which I’ve been exulting over the rise of Kamala. However, last night might be the turnaround. Last night, Donald Trump, speaking to one of his crowd of minions, launched a devastating blow against Kamala, when he proclaimed “I am more beautiful than she is.“ I dunno, but how can she trump this broadside attack?
Excuse me everyone, I recognize the satire but want to proclaim “DJT is the most repulsive human being, both physically and morally, a soulless human being who has way too many followers enjoying his vitriolic persona.”
Yes I don’t think it captures her personality at all, which is joyous. (Does anyone believe that Trump has ever felt joy? Maybe something close when he has closed multi million deals - but no - I don’t think that’s the word for what he feels.)
Harris has a sense of humor about life, as should we all, and a true passion to connect. I didn’t like the illustration because it didn’t capture those tremendous qualities that we can see on her face in real life every day.
I've seen a few photos of him baring his teeth, in what he must think is a smile, but looks more like a grimace to me. It's certainly not authentic, whatever it is!
Remember The Grinch? The way he hulked his shoulders, rubbed his “hands” together and grinned that evil grin? That’s how trump must look when he closed a deal.
I get what you're saying, and yet I find myself drawn to the image. I see determination and looking forward, fighting for the future, building on our successes. It reminds of things she says, such as, "we're not afraid of hard work", and "when we fight, we win." I think it's hard to capture in one image everything she is to everyone. But I like this aspect of her very much.
I wonder if it was intentional. A photograph of her radiant face and luminous eyes (at one rally after another) that radiates joy may be too captivating a subject for Time magazine, and long list of other publications, for that matter.
Agree and that poster by the artist that did the Obama HOPE poster, is awful! It doesn’t look like her and he put his stupid logo on the front. What a wasteful shame in both cases.
I am as far from a content creator or communications expert as anyone could be, but it just hit me this morning. While I don't think Harris herself should stoop to nicknaming in the Trumpian style, I think "Grump" for "Trump" has the great advantage of absolutely capturing what is going on with him right now. He just seems to be a grumpy, elderly man shouting at the TV.
"A grumpy, elderly criminal" better describes him. We forget that he has absolutely zero respect for the rule of law at our country's and our personal peril. No matter how "normal" the MSM presents him.
This week I got some great earrings which are a laser cut photo of VP Harris's lovely smiling eyes and face. They make people smile. A T-shirt is not really within dress code at work, but any earrings are OK, so it's a great idea. I also just received my "Mind your own damn business" T shirt. Love it!
I'm back from my vacation and ready to do the work! My MAGA Congressman is one of the 18 vulnerable House seats that went Red in 2022 in a district that elected Biden. We must elect John Mannion to NY-22.
Every time Kamala Harris smiles or laughs, I feel the joy! I've been feeling the joy since the day after Biden passed the torch, when I made and installed a HARRIS bumper sticker on my car! I love your third paragraph, JP, about the two sides of the same progressive coin.
In the midst of all this welcome joy, we must never take our movement moment for granted nor ignore the many threats that are around every corner. For example, I refer folks to a Sunday Times article, “For Abortion Providers, a Tough Business Gets Tougher.”
Great to hear. I'm more than a third of the way through a stack of 300 cards, this batch to go to Ohio. My goal is to get an additional hundred, maybe 200, done by the late October mailing date.
Diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks: I've found that writing cards while watching a baseball game gives me the best of both worlds -- I can catch the tenor and best plays of the game as I generate a satisfyingly large pile of completed cards.
As in past years, I get the cards and other materials from Postcards to Swing States (https://turnoutpac.org/postcards/), one of several worthy sources.
I saw this on an "Occupy Democrats" post. So forgive me for re-sharing. But it has the ring of truth:
"I keep hearing people ask, "Is America ready for a woman president? Or a gay president?"
Funny thing is I never heard anyone ask if America was ready for an incompetent, vindictive, mentally unstable, misogynistic, homophobic, racist, traitorous egomaniac and yet, here we are."
Sad thing is that we weren't "ready for an incompetent, vindictive, mentally unstable, misogynistic, homophobic, racist, traitorous egomaniac," and still aren't. We have until November 5.
We shouldn't have to be ready for "an incompetent, vindictive, mentally unstable, misogynistic, homophobic, racist, traitorous egomaniac" as President as he shouldn't be on a ballot anywhere in this country. The Trumpites, on the SCOTUS and elsewhere, seemingly do not give a damn about this country and the respect it has earned over the years. They'd give it all away to make Trump richer.
And, yes, we aren't perfect and may never reach that goal but should always be striving for it. I, for one, am not going back.
Your closing paragraph reminds me of a single sentence from a fascinating book I read recently, Swimming in the Sacred, which goes, as I recall, Our spiritual mission is to give and receive love.
I fully believe that we must ultimately heed this imperative in order to accomplish what you so beautifully propose in that great last paragraph of yours..........."We can do so by creating and maintaining a system of governance that allows civilization to flourish, promotes knowledge and scientific inquiry, and values human dignity. From a distance, that is the grand endeavor in which we are engaged. Try to maintain that perspective as we work our way through the challenging days and months ahead."
That reminds me of a quote I read recently by musician Nick Cave:
"Humans are messy, and it can be dangerous to deny our common fallibility by drawing up lines that separate and divide. Right side? Wrong side? Mostly, we are the mess in the middle, dazed within a fog of unknowing, stunned by life and amazed by it too, and all the more beautiful for it."
Your photographic images showcase some of the aspects of daily life that are simply stunning when we stop to notice, and Robert's astronomy photos remind us of the wonder and amazement of being a speck of intelligent life in the midst of seemingly infinite stars and galaxies.
The other aspect of Nick's quote that I hope will become true after the election in November is that perhaps if the cultish influence of tffg can be diminished or quelled, families and friends may reconcile their differences in peace. Probably too optimistic of me, but hope springs eternal.
To draw inspiration within the universe as our fuel for this tiny, life-filled, earthly moment, well, this is good. I have many more people to love between now and Nov 5 and Jan 20.
@Peter. Thanks for directing me to Swimming in the Sacred. I talk about the human need to give and receive daily as one of the key reasons to live in shared housing.
I'm a spiritual teacher, and that is the exact thing that I teach my students: We are here to learn and master giving and receiving love in a pure form. I also add that the form is unique for every individual. And we are doing that whether we know it or not. Nice to know others are on the same wavelength! Thank you for sharing that!
Robert, my favorite photo is the last one where the stars were put back in. It is awesome.
I’m still pumped full of joy with the Harris-Walz team. My only worry is that some will get complacent and feel like they don’t even need to vote. Everyone needs to stay committed. I just ordered a second batch of postcards to Swing States. If everybody does even one or two small things it will bring about victory.
I am really enjoying perspective and those photographs. This week I am going to be a kinder more empathetic person.
I agree. I write letters through Vote Forward, currently working on letters to North Carolina citizens. I’ve written to fellow Wisconsinites and Michiganders as well. I worked at Central Count last week where our absentee ballots are counted in Milwaukee for our state primary. GOP observers were not rude or intrusive….it may not be so in November, but we shall see. So excited to join my people in downtown Milwaukee to see Harris-Walz on Tuesday!
I am also writing letters for https://votefwd.org/. When I have finished writing to all the swing states plus California and New York, I will have completed 260 letters to be mailed in October. This is one of three ways I have been able to contribute. I am writing postcards for our local Blue Action Democrats and donating money. I agree that we must stay committed throughout this time to elect Harris/Walz. I am very hopeful with a small dose of anxiety of what the opposition will do when they lose. Vote Forward can use your help, if you are able.
The Universe is VAST. The photos are magnificent and the points well made - we may be the only intelligent life in the Universe. Of all the life species here on earth, some have brains, some not. And of those that do have brains, there is only one out of billions and billions that has the capacity of the homo sapiens. There could be and potentially could be life "out there," but does it have a brain, or something comparable?
I see many people worried about complacency, and I gotta tell you, that’s the least of my concerns in this election. I have never seen anything like this movement in well over four decades of being a follower, participant, and student of politics. Nobody is taking this lightly, and I’ve never seen this many people wanting to get involved. It doesn't matter what anyone does either; all that matters is that people do something, and there's both anecdotal and empirical evidence that they are.
I've seen many comparisons to 2016; frankly, those don't apply. People were complacent then. As Democrats, we had an eminently qualified but intensely disliked candidate to go along with an unknown, crass but dynamic performer as the Republican opponent. In 2024, that opponent may be the same candidate, but he is not the same man. In the seventies there was an ad for cassette tapes that asked “Is it live or is it Memorex?” well, let me tell you, this Trump is Memorex. Meanwhile, we have not only a dynamic candidate but also a dynamic ticket in Harris/Walz. As we all have noticed, the energy is electric.
Look, I'm by no means telling people to take their foot off the pedal, far from it, but I am saying that we can and are combating our collective PTSD from 2016 into action in 2024. Worrying saps some of that energy, so keep doing what you’re doing and ride the wave. There is no guarantee of victory; there never is, but we are in one of those moments in history, and as long as we realize that and act accordingly, I like our chances. Most importantly, let the joy overcome the anxiety because, trust me, we deserve to enjoy this while we work.
This captures what I am feeling exactly! ALso, Obama was finally nominated after a long, and sometimes bitter, contest against Hillary, with lots of people saying or implying he was out of turn, and Hillary was owed the nomination. Thus it pitted whites/feminists against the status quo, except of course for Obama being bi-racial. It was no fun at all. I remember reading convention delegate counts every day. By the time he was nominated, people were worn out. And there was zero focus on State Legislatures. In PA the Democratic party was completely distracted, and while Obama won handily, the Legislature was barely Democratic and switched in the 2010 midterms.
Since 2016, that has all changed. There is enormous Democratic attention here in PA to State Senate and House races. Much more emphasis on people donating to, and supporting these candidates all across the state. I didn't even know my own State Rep's name! Now I have worked on a dozen of these campaigns at least!
We have worn our shirts in the neighborhood. No one has commented except one contractor who showed up at our house. Given biases and human nature, I just assumed that a male contractor in his 40s who drives a a pickup truck would be Trump supporter. He said, "Great shirt!" ("Dems make life better.") He whipped out his phone and his home screen was a photo of him and Kamala Harris!
Got my Harris/Walz shirt Friday and wore yesterday with similar experience …👍👍up and a cashier asking me where I purchased. Another long and heartfelt conversation in Publix that started with an elderly caregiver lamenting about the price of eggs.
Hey, Shawn. Your dog walk / pickup truck tale outcome was not what I expected. (It counters my experience over these last years here in the northeast.)
Jean, sorry to hear that. My parents in Michigan had their Hillary yard signs vandalized 3 times. I’ve felt like this year has been less angry. I amy loving the Joy that Harris and Walz are bringing and I hope you find safe spaces to show your dem pride.
I'll be honest, Robert. I love gazing at these photos that you share...however, my ability to comprehend what you are saying and I am seeing would take eons of time. So, to make myself feel better, I turn to Jill for a dose of the every day. One of her recent videos - "CBD?" - was just such the antidote; particularly, her layperson's perspective of whether a CBD Pillow would be a safe buy. I'll be sure to keep the "woo woo" factor in mind, should I consider acquiring one or two of these pillows!
I had fun watching Jill and smiling at her woo-woo comments in that episode of her vlog. Potential woo-woo averted by pitching the spray that came with the pillow, with Robert as the test pillow pilot that first night! Lol!
That comment about using Robert cracked me up! Reminded me of a friend of mine who would say to her husband "boy job" when she wanted/needed him to do something...like capture the snake from underneath the deck and other such "boy jobs"!
Jill is a treasure. She "talked me down" with her "Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week" blog. After we learned of SCOTUS' ruling that presidents can be kings, she dismissed it as nothing compared to the troubles she had trying to buy a new bathing suit. In no time, I was doubled over in laughter!
BTW, was that you who commented on her video? I just spent 20 minutes trying to get my comment posted to her and kept getting blocked. I've signed up and logged in a dozen times with no luck. I'll work on it later, though.
I know, she is such a shining light in her posts! It is always a joy to see what she has to say, even when it is a more somber subject. And yeah, I'm the 'natrg' commenter on the posts - haven't been able to figure out how to change my profile to add a profile pic or my actual name. I also have occasional issues with commenting on the posts as well. If I switch browsers I can get past the issue sometimes (I have Firefox and Chrome on my phone), but there are times when nothing I try works. I wasn't able to leave a comment to congratulate her on their anniversary a few days ago. 😕 I couldn't even get a comment text box to show up after flipping between browsers and I was supposedly logged in. Sometimes I think the platform just completely seizes up and there is no getting around it.
Looking in vain for LIFE in the vast universe. We have it here, on EARTH. Looking for GREEN Grass. Any grass. Photosynthesis is GREEN. Grass is green. Germany’s 1925 Physics Nobel James Franck devoted his last 20 years to solving photosynthesis and he failed. Father of the H Bomb Edward Teller admired Opa Franck. Said Franck needed another twenty years to solve photosynthesis. Franck’s heart failed him a 4th and last time. Near Munich.
The “Hand of God” is GREEN. We have not found green life elsewhere in the universe. Photosynthesis is life.
Are we alone? Will warming destroy us? Can humans survive themselves? Warming? Wars? MAD is real. Warming is real. Don’t Look Up is a movie, a film, a metaphor akin to warming.
Vice President Kamala Harris understands. The governor of Minnesota understands. They will win. As president and vice president, will they lead us?
Harris/Walz is the ticket. Vote, vote, vote America. The Republicans are lost. Our 16th President was so good. President Biden is so good. Vice president Harris is so good.
May they lead us to the promised land! Moses tried. Lincoln trued. President Obama tried.
Yes, we can. In Chicago this week. On November 5th coming.
To Germans, Franck was a Jew, who had to emigrate. Wound up working on the atomic bomb in the Manhattan Project, University of Chicago, where an institute is named for him.
Artificial Photosynthesis, solar energy is used to produce hydrogen from water. By using this hydrogen and the CO₂ emitted from factories and power plants to produce olefin, a large shift will be made to a CO₂ absorption process from chemical product production processes that previously emitted CO₂.
Opa Franck was a grandfather to eight, one the mother of our six. He was the sole Nobel that fingered Adolf Hitler in 1932, rose to depart Germany for the USA, focusing the NAZIS, fascism, bringing the Manhattan Project staff to Chicago. His two daughters came to the United States to raise 8 children, one a Rhodes Scholar, in theoretical physics at Princeton University.. James Franck authored and organized The Franck Report.. ignored by President Harry S Truman -
SB, are we alone??…agree that, for our purposes/existence, we essentially are (Fermi paradox, Drake equation, “great filter” and other theories/observations)….that makes it even more tragic that we are mucking up our only “home”. Sigh. I wish that more Homo sapiens (I call us Hubris sapiens) would look to other species that share our “pale blue dot” and try better (some folks ARE interested and making the effort) to communicate with Earth’s (some are alien-seeming) species. I am amused & saddened that humans think that we “are all that” and have become the apex predator. I have long wondered what other intelligent (that we know of) species think of us…..what comes to my mind sometimes is how a dolphin/porpoise will surface alongside a watercraft and look at us with sparkling eyes and that cheeky grin….as if they know something we don’t and they are kinda laughing at how so many humans just don’t get the secret to living and “being”. We have about 5 billion years, give or take a day or two, before our sun goes all red giant on us and most/all of our solar system will be toast, so have wondered if we will evolve in a way that doesn’t suck our planet dry or if the Anthropocene (I call it the Plasticocene) will just be a sliver-thin layer of Earth’s bedrock by then.
Alone? Living as if we are alone? Selfishly? Do we care?
St. Francis of Assisi saw it coming.
Physics Nobel James Franck found his truth after Nagasaki and Hiroshima. He had begged Truman to drop on an island, demonstrate. J. Robert Oppenheimer drove the process… blocked The Franck Report, then the enormity of it all soon hit him, but not HST. He had a war to end. Harry was not troubled, No ambivalence in Truman. Yes.. clearly, in our stunning destructive creativity, we are destroying planet Earth. We are. We are destroying the smallest living things; antibiotic misuse and others are destroying our immune system, the most essential part of ourselves, of all animals. Plastic micro bits are found in the lungs of Brazilian natives, so-called primitives in the Amazon basin, yet none have ever seen plastic. Plastic bits are found in creatures at the dark bottom of the Pacific. Plastic destroys life. Some few knew this before that industry exploded. Mining hydrocarbons: well understood be Rachel Maddow. She is brilliant. Think Thanatos v. Eros. Civilization and Its Discontents. Freud’s last.he was dying. Living alone? There seems to be no green out there… photosynthesis is unique on Earth. Planet Earth. Yes, the Sun will burn out. Don’t Look Up is a metaphor. Are we alone? Well, save a child.. just one. Give your all, you will save yourself. Your loneliness will lessen. When we die, is there more. Does it matter? Save the child, save the planet… read childless Maddow. In her brilliance, in her tears - there is an answer. Aristotle saw it. He wrote for his son. More is less. Less is more. Are we alone? Yes, we are… in the end. Like I said, save a child… address addiction, ask why. And act. Action in accord with principle may lead to happiness, wrote Aristotle. Are the happy alone? Of Friendship by Francis Bacon attempts the question in three pages… it was his 10th draft. Ask David Brooks… he’s our most self-involved. Is David alone? He gets the question. And so do you.
Human life on Earth, probably, could not have evolved without our small rocky planet, our large Moon, our powerful magnetic field to protect from the solar wind and cosmic rays, and our Earth plate tectonics. If you want to observe the effects of republican-made global warming, look to Venus. If you want to observe the effects of a missing large Moon and exposure to the solar wind, look to Mars. If you want to find life on Enceladus, look for transfer RNA or a very similar molecule. The chances of intelligent life on Enceladus or elsewhere in our solar system are slim.
This excellent post from economist Dean Baker (Center for Economic and Policy Research) on X regarding the media's take on Kamala's economic proposals: "In an effort to promote hysteria, the media have jumped on the proposals laid out by Vice-President Harris, telling their audience that they will increase the deficit by $1.7 trillion over the next decade. This estimate comes from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget and includes a lot of guesswork, like the cost of Harris’ proposal for a first-time homebuyer tax credit, which is not well-defined at this point. However, the key point here is that almost no one knows how much money $1.7 trillion is over the next decade. When the media present this figure, they are essentially telling their audience nothing. It would take all of ten seconds to write this number in a way that would be meaningful to most people. GDP is projected to be $352 trillion over the next decade, so this sum will be a bit less than 0.5 percent of projected GDP. The country is projected to spend $84.9 trillion over this period, so Harris’ proposals would increase total spending by roughly 2.0 percent. If the point is to inform their audience, it is hard to understand why the media would not take the few seconds needed to put large budget numbers in context. On the other hand, if the point is to promote fears of exploding deficits, they are going a good route. "
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget has been characterized in the press as a billionaire’s front group that likes to portray itself as a neutral budget watchdog. The CFRB has ties to billionaire Peter G. Peterson and the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, which has advocated for drastic cuts to our social safety net programs.
I love the pics, Robert, and I like the sentiment you express at the end. The practicality of your argument is irrefutable, today. However, Science has a way of changing in surprising ways...just for your back-pocket.
Hi, all. As noted in the newsletter, I am locking down the comments section to paid subscribers so I don't have to monitor for public trolls. Wonderful discussion today, everyone!
Hope and optimism are back in play!
I love Harriz/Walz. I just love them. This is a movement about hope, joy, optimism, and KINDNESS. I can’t believe how much has changed in a couple weeks!
I could not be happier about this ticket. Both Harris and Walz represents two sides of the same progressive coin: a woman of color from the city, and a white guy from the country. And both have very progressive records that are focused on taking care of THE PEOPLE, not giving corporations massive tax breaks and giveaways. Nothing could be more perfect.
The contrast is so stark: Trump ticket is nothing but doom and gloom. The complete opposite and absolutely soul draining. This is refreshing. Kamala/Walz are offering more than policy!
Can't wait to celebrate wearing this GREAT reminder on Tuesday, November 5 👇
https://libtees-2.creator-spring.com/listing/wtpmelb
We've forgotten how to be joyful. And every time Kamala Harris smiles or laughs, I feel like that's possible again.
It's good to feel GOOD again!
The drawing of Kamala's face on the cover of Time lacks two things: the smiles in her eyes and her lips.
Well, it’s been a full month in which I’ve been exulting over the rise of Kamala. However, last night might be the turnaround. Last night, Donald Trump, speaking to one of his crowd of minions, launched a devastating blow against Kamala, when he proclaimed “I am more beautiful than she is.“ I dunno, but how can she trump this broadside attack?
🤣🤣🤣
🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂
Obviously he thinks she’s beautiful
Insane!!
And JEALOUS! JEALOUS! JEALOUS!
Do we need any more proof that he’s delusional? Dude’s got a face like a catcher’s mitt.
Why would she even respond, Dr. James?
Good point - he is so so so adorable
Excuse me everyone, I recognize the satire but want to proclaim “DJT is the most repulsive human being, both physically and morally, a soulless human being who has way too many followers enjoying his vitriolic persona.”
and such a broad side it is, too
LOL! Thanks!
Yes I don’t think it captures her personality at all, which is joyous. (Does anyone believe that Trump has ever felt joy? Maybe something close when he has closed multi million deals - but no - I don’t think that’s the word for what he feels.)
Harris has a sense of humor about life, as should we all, and a true passion to connect. I didn’t like the illustration because it didn’t capture those tremendous qualities that we can see on her face in real life every day.
Have never seen Orange Clown laugh or even smile. Don’t think he’s capable of either. Narcissists rarely are.
So true! And add in there that he is sociopathic, and you have a nasty cocktail!
I still cannot understand why ANYONE likes him!
Does anyone like him? I'm not aware of that.
Does anyone understand why people like him? Sadly, YES!
I've seen a few photos of him baring his teeth, in what he must think is a smile, but looks more like a grimace to me. It's certainly not authentic, whatever it is!
Remember The Grinch? The way he hulked his shoulders, rubbed his “hands” together and grinned that evil grin? That’s how trump must look when he closed a deal.
Agree. There are so many other pics of her they could have used.
I get what you're saying, and yet I find myself drawn to the image. I see determination and looking forward, fighting for the future, building on our successes. It reminds of things she says, such as, "we're not afraid of hard work", and "when we fight, we win." I think it's hard to capture in one image everything she is to everyone. But I like this aspect of her very much.
I wonder if it was intentional. A photograph of her radiant face and luminous eyes (at one rally after another) that radiates joy may be too captivating a subject for Time magazine, and long list of other publications, for that matter.
Agree and that poster by the artist that did the Obama HOPE poster, is awful! It doesn’t look like her and he put his stupid logo on the front. What a wasteful shame in both cases.
Are you referring to the "KH" as the artist's logo? Those are Kamala Harris's initials.
I personally like the Harris Forward poster by Shepard Fairey. To each their own.
I am as far from a content creator or communications expert as anyone could be, but it just hit me this morning. While I don't think Harris herself should stoop to nicknaming in the Trumpian style, I think "Grump" for "Trump" has the great advantage of absolutely capturing what is going on with him right now. He just seems to be a grumpy, elderly man shouting at the TV.
"A grumpy, elderly criminal" better describes him. We forget that he has absolutely zero respect for the rule of law at our country's and our personal peril. No matter how "normal" the MSM presents him.
GRUMP is perfect 🤩
Grump is a bit too sweet or nice for me. He’s mean and nasty. I’ve been calling him “dump” ( lower case) which covers what I’d like to happen to him.
Yes. We don’t need the prejudiced “elderly” part.
I personally like "Glowering Grumpypants"
I’ve called the GOP the Grumpy Old Party for many years. Trump the Grump fits in.
This week I got some great earrings which are a laser cut photo of VP Harris's lovely smiling eyes and face. They make people smile. A T-shirt is not really within dress code at work, but any earrings are OK, so it's a great idea. I also just received my "Mind your own damn business" T shirt. Love it!
I'm back from my vacation and ready to do the work! My MAGA Congressman is one of the 18 vulnerable House seats that went Red in 2022 in a district that elected Biden. We must elect John Mannion to NY-22.
Every time Kamala Harris smiles or laughs, I feel the joy! I've been feeling the joy since the day after Biden passed the torch, when I made and installed a HARRIS bumper sticker on my car! I love your third paragraph, JP, about the two sides of the same progressive coin.
In the midst of all this welcome joy, we must never take our movement moment for granted nor ignore the many threats that are around every corner. For example, I refer folks to a Sunday Times article, “For Abortion Providers, a Tough Business Gets Tougher.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/17/business/abortion-clinic-laws.html?unlocked_article_code=1.D04.kotH.4pVBafHqD8ER&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb
Our retirement community completed our 10th Saturday morning of 200 GOTV post cards. We have 9 more to go before the election.
Woo hoo, go Kathy and team! ✍️
Please partner with FT 6. https://www.fieldteam6.org/
Great to hear. I'm more than a third of the way through a stack of 300 cards, this batch to go to Ohio. My goal is to get an additional hundred, maybe 200, done by the late October mailing date.
Diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks: I've found that writing cards while watching a baseball game gives me the best of both worlds -- I can catch the tenor and best plays of the game as I generate a satisfyingly large pile of completed cards.
As in past years, I get the cards and other materials from Postcards to Swing States (https://turnoutpac.org/postcards/), one of several worthy sources.
Fabulous!! Thank you. Your efforts will best any ear rings, T-shirts or fun banter. GOTV = our #1 priority. Your retirement community is a role model.
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
I saw this on an "Occupy Democrats" post. So forgive me for re-sharing. But it has the ring of truth:
"I keep hearing people ask, "Is America ready for a woman president? Or a gay president?"
Funny thing is I never heard anyone ask if America was ready for an incompetent, vindictive, mentally unstable, misogynistic, homophobic, racist, traitorous egomaniac and yet, here we are."
Sad thing is that we weren't "ready for an incompetent, vindictive, mentally unstable, misogynistic, homophobic, racist, traitorous egomaniac," and still aren't. We have until November 5.
We shouldn't have to be ready for "an incompetent, vindictive, mentally unstable, misogynistic, homophobic, racist, traitorous egomaniac" as President as he shouldn't be on a ballot anywhere in this country. The Trumpites, on the SCOTUS and elsewhere, seemingly do not give a damn about this country and the respect it has earned over the years. They'd give it all away to make Trump richer.
And, yes, we aren't perfect and may never reach that goal but should always be striving for it. I, for one, am not going back.
Thank you, VP Kamala Harris!
I strikes me that your peering into the night skies has a profoundly pragmatic value. Thank you for that grounding perspective.
Your closing paragraph reminds me of a single sentence from a fascinating book I read recently, Swimming in the Sacred, which goes, as I recall, Our spiritual mission is to give and receive love.
I fully believe that we must ultimately heed this imperative in order to accomplish what you so beautifully propose in that great last paragraph of yours..........."We can do so by creating and maintaining a system of governance that allows civilization to flourish, promotes knowledge and scientific inquiry, and values human dignity. From a distance, that is the grand endeavor in which we are engaged. Try to maintain that perspective as we work our way through the challenging days and months ahead."
Thank you for this - and so much more - Robert.
That reminds me of a quote I read recently by musician Nick Cave:
"Humans are messy, and it can be dangerous to deny our common fallibility by drawing up lines that separate and divide. Right side? Wrong side? Mostly, we are the mess in the middle, dazed within a fog of unknowing, stunned by life and amazed by it too, and all the more beautiful for it."
Your photographic images showcase some of the aspects of daily life that are simply stunning when we stop to notice, and Robert's astronomy photos remind us of the wonder and amazement of being a speck of intelligent life in the midst of seemingly infinite stars and galaxies.
The other aspect of Nick's quote that I hope will become true after the election in November is that perhaps if the cultish influence of tffg can be diminished or quelled, families and friends may reconcile their differences in peace. Probably too optimistic of me, but hope springs eternal.
To draw inspiration within the universe as our fuel for this tiny, life-filled, earthly moment, well, this is good. I have many more people to love between now and Nov 5 and Jan 20.
@Peter. Thanks for directing me to Swimming in the Sacred. I talk about the human need to give and receive daily as one of the key reasons to live in shared housing.
I'm a spiritual teacher, and that is the exact thing that I teach my students: We are here to learn and master giving and receiving love in a pure form. I also add that the form is unique for every individual. And we are doing that whether we know it or not. Nice to know others are on the same wavelength! Thank you for sharing that!
Robert, my favorite photo is the last one where the stars were put back in. It is awesome.
I’m still pumped full of joy with the Harris-Walz team. My only worry is that some will get complacent and feel like they don’t even need to vote. Everyone needs to stay committed. I just ordered a second batch of postcards to Swing States. If everybody does even one or two small things it will bring about victory.
I am really enjoying perspective and those photographs. This week I am going to be a kinder more empathetic person.
I agree. I write letters through Vote Forward, currently working on letters to North Carolina citizens. I’ve written to fellow Wisconsinites and Michiganders as well. I worked at Central Count last week where our absentee ballots are counted in Milwaukee for our state primary. GOP observers were not rude or intrusive….it may not be so in November, but we shall see. So excited to join my people in downtown Milwaukee to see Harris-Walz on Tuesday!
I am also writing letters for https://votefwd.org/. When I have finished writing to all the swing states plus California and New York, I will have completed 260 letters to be mailed in October. This is one of three ways I have been able to contribute. I am writing postcards for our local Blue Action Democrats and donating money. I agree that we must stay committed throughout this time to elect Harris/Walz. I am very hopeful with a small dose of anxiety of what the opposition will do when they lose. Vote Forward can use your help, if you are able.
Printed mine for NC yesterday. Maybe in another week, Florida will be a swing state!
I also write for Swing States.
The Universe is VAST. The photos are magnificent and the points well made - we may be the only intelligent life in the Universe. Of all the life species here on earth, some have brains, some not. And of those that do have brains, there is only one out of billions and billions that has the capacity of the homo sapiens. There could be and potentially could be life "out there," but does it have a brain, or something comparable?
I see many people worried about complacency, and I gotta tell you, that’s the least of my concerns in this election. I have never seen anything like this movement in well over four decades of being a follower, participant, and student of politics. Nobody is taking this lightly, and I’ve never seen this many people wanting to get involved. It doesn't matter what anyone does either; all that matters is that people do something, and there's both anecdotal and empirical evidence that they are.
I've seen many comparisons to 2016; frankly, those don't apply. People were complacent then. As Democrats, we had an eminently qualified but intensely disliked candidate to go along with an unknown, crass but dynamic performer as the Republican opponent. In 2024, that opponent may be the same candidate, but he is not the same man. In the seventies there was an ad for cassette tapes that asked “Is it live or is it Memorex?” well, let me tell you, this Trump is Memorex. Meanwhile, we have not only a dynamic candidate but also a dynamic ticket in Harris/Walz. As we all have noticed, the energy is electric.
Look, I'm by no means telling people to take their foot off the pedal, far from it, but I am saying that we can and are combating our collective PTSD from 2016 into action in 2024. Worrying saps some of that energy, so keep doing what you’re doing and ride the wave. There is no guarantee of victory; there never is, but we are in one of those moments in history, and as long as we realize that and act accordingly, I like our chances. Most importantly, let the joy overcome the anxiety because, trust me, we deserve to enjoy this while we work.
This captures what I am feeling exactly! ALso, Obama was finally nominated after a long, and sometimes bitter, contest against Hillary, with lots of people saying or implying he was out of turn, and Hillary was owed the nomination. Thus it pitted whites/feminists against the status quo, except of course for Obama being bi-racial. It was no fun at all. I remember reading convention delegate counts every day. By the time he was nominated, people were worn out. And there was zero focus on State Legislatures. In PA the Democratic party was completely distracted, and while Obama won handily, the Legislature was barely Democratic and switched in the 2010 midterms.
Since 2016, that has all changed. There is enormous Democratic attention here in PA to State Senate and House races. Much more emphasis on people donating to, and supporting these candidates all across the state. I didn't even know my own State Rep's name! Now I have worked on a dozen of these campaigns at least!
Yes. And thank you, Joe Biden!
Hi team Hubbell, I’m the T-Shirt guy. 🛒👕.
BeantownStrong.com now has Harris/Walz tees.
Wore mine all day Saturday in Florida. I got a lot of eyeballs. On my dog walk, a pickup truck pulled over and the driver yelled I LOVE your shirt!
And FYI I’m not financially connected to the T-shirt sales. I just want everybody to dress like me.
We have worn our shirts in the neighborhood. No one has commented except one contractor who showed up at our house. Given biases and human nature, I just assumed that a male contractor in his 40s who drives a a pickup truck would be Trump supporter. He said, "Great shirt!" ("Dems make life better.") He whipped out his phone and his home screen was a photo of him and Kamala Harris!
That’s amazing. It’s nice to have stereotypes shattered. I saw a Kamala bumper sticker on a neighbor’s car and almost did a cartwheel.
Got my Harris/Walz shirt Friday and wore yesterday with similar experience …👍👍up and a cashier asking me where I purchased. Another long and heartfelt conversation in Publix that started with an elderly caregiver lamenting about the price of eggs.
🌊🛒👕
Hey, Shawn. Your dog walk / pickup truck tale outcome was not what I expected. (It counters my experience over these last years here in the northeast.)
How hopeful is that! LOVE it and TY!
Jean, sorry to hear that. My parents in Michigan had their Hillary yard signs vandalized 3 times. I’ve felt like this year has been less angry. I amy loving the Joy that Harris and Walz are bringing and I hope you find safe spaces to show your dem pride.
While I love some of the t's & other merch I will only purchase from official campaign sites so the profits go to the campaign
That’s a great policy, Ellen.
I support both http://www.DemsMakeLifeBetter.org and http://www.BeantownStrong.org
Because they use USA made and union made shirts.
I'll be honest, Robert. I love gazing at these photos that you share...however, my ability to comprehend what you are saying and I am seeing would take eons of time. So, to make myself feel better, I turn to Jill for a dose of the every day. One of her recent videos - "CBD?" - was just such the antidote; particularly, her layperson's perspective of whether a CBD Pillow would be a safe buy. I'll be sure to keep the "woo woo" factor in mind, should I consider acquiring one or two of these pillows!
Have a great Sunday...
I had fun watching Jill and smiling at her woo-woo comments in that episode of her vlog. Potential woo-woo averted by pitching the spray that came with the pillow, with Robert as the test pillow pilot that first night! Lol!
That comment about using Robert cracked me up! Reminded me of a friend of mine who would say to her husband "boy job" when she wanted/needed him to do something...like capture the snake from underneath the deck and other such "boy jobs"!
Jill is a treasure. She "talked me down" with her "Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week" blog. After we learned of SCOTUS' ruling that presidents can be kings, she dismissed it as nothing compared to the troubles she had trying to buy a new bathing suit. In no time, I was doubled over in laughter!
BTW, was that you who commented on her video? I just spent 20 minutes trying to get my comment posted to her and kept getting blocked. I've signed up and logged in a dozen times with no luck. I'll work on it later, though.
I've tried to comment as well with no luck. I'll investigate further. Agree, she's a treasure.
I know, she is such a shining light in her posts! It is always a joy to see what she has to say, even when it is a more somber subject. And yeah, I'm the 'natrg' commenter on the posts - haven't been able to figure out how to change my profile to add a profile pic or my actual name. I also have occasional issues with commenting on the posts as well. If I switch browsers I can get past the issue sometimes (I have Firefox and Chrome on my phone), but there are times when nothing I try works. I wasn't able to leave a comment to congratulate her on their anniversary a few days ago. 😕 I couldn't even get a comment text box to show up after flipping between browsers and I was supposedly logged in. Sometimes I think the platform just completely seizes up and there is no getting around it.
Thanks for sharing this. I just want her to know she has fans!
Jill who?
My wife, Jill Bickett.
https://www.everydaywithjill.com/
🤣👍💖
Would you please send me how to find Jill’s blog? Thanx!
Hey, Nina. This should do it:
https://www.everydaywithjill.com/
Incredible pics, thank you. Sunday morning rising with hope
Looking in vain for LIFE in the vast universe. We have it here, on EARTH. Looking for GREEN Grass. Any grass. Photosynthesis is GREEN. Grass is green. Germany’s 1925 Physics Nobel James Franck devoted his last 20 years to solving photosynthesis and he failed. Father of the H Bomb Edward Teller admired Opa Franck. Said Franck needed another twenty years to solve photosynthesis. Franck’s heart failed him a 4th and last time. Near Munich.
The “Hand of God” is GREEN. We have not found green life elsewhere in the universe. Photosynthesis is life.
Are we alone? Will warming destroy us? Can humans survive themselves? Warming? Wars? MAD is real. Warming is real. Don’t Look Up is a movie, a film, a metaphor akin to warming.
Vice President Kamala Harris understands. The governor of Minnesota understands. They will win. As president and vice president, will they lead us?
Harris/Walz is the ticket. Vote, vote, vote America. The Republicans are lost. Our 16th President was so good. President Biden is so good. Vice president Harris is so good.
May they lead us to the promised land! Moses tried. Lincoln trued. President Obama tried.
Yes, we can. In Chicago this week. On November 5th coming.
Sunday morning perspective.
Looking for green.
Are we alone? Yes. We are.
So far.
To Germans, Franck was a Jew, who had to emigrate. Wound up working on the atomic bomb in the Manhattan Project, University of Chicago, where an institute is named for him.
Artificial Photosynthesis, solar energy is used to produce hydrogen from water. By using this hydrogen and the CO₂ emitted from factories and power plants to produce olefin, a large shift will be made to a CO₂ absorption process from chemical product production processes that previously emitted CO₂.
We are working on a project to seed Mars.
Opa Franck was a grandfather to eight, one the mother of our six. He was the sole Nobel that fingered Adolf Hitler in 1932, rose to depart Germany for the USA, focusing the NAZIS, fascism, bringing the Manhattan Project staff to Chicago. His two daughters came to the United States to raise 8 children, one a Rhodes Scholar, in theoretical physics at Princeton University.. James Franck authored and organized The Franck Report.. ignored by President Harry S Truman -
SB, are we alone??…agree that, for our purposes/existence, we essentially are (Fermi paradox, Drake equation, “great filter” and other theories/observations)….that makes it even more tragic that we are mucking up our only “home”. Sigh. I wish that more Homo sapiens (I call us Hubris sapiens) would look to other species that share our “pale blue dot” and try better (some folks ARE interested and making the effort) to communicate with Earth’s (some are alien-seeming) species. I am amused & saddened that humans think that we “are all that” and have become the apex predator. I have long wondered what other intelligent (that we know of) species think of us…..what comes to my mind sometimes is how a dolphin/porpoise will surface alongside a watercraft and look at us with sparkling eyes and that cheeky grin….as if they know something we don’t and they are kinda laughing at how so many humans just don’t get the secret to living and “being”. We have about 5 billion years, give or take a day or two, before our sun goes all red giant on us and most/all of our solar system will be toast, so have wondered if we will evolve in a way that doesn’t suck our planet dry or if the Anthropocene (I call it the Plasticocene) will just be a sliver-thin layer of Earth’s bedrock by then.
Alone? Living as if we are alone? Selfishly? Do we care?
St. Francis of Assisi saw it coming.
Physics Nobel James Franck found his truth after Nagasaki and Hiroshima. He had begged Truman to drop on an island, demonstrate. J. Robert Oppenheimer drove the process… blocked The Franck Report, then the enormity of it all soon hit him, but not HST. He had a war to end. Harry was not troubled, No ambivalence in Truman. Yes.. clearly, in our stunning destructive creativity, we are destroying planet Earth. We are. We are destroying the smallest living things; antibiotic misuse and others are destroying our immune system, the most essential part of ourselves, of all animals. Plastic micro bits are found in the lungs of Brazilian natives, so-called primitives in the Amazon basin, yet none have ever seen plastic. Plastic bits are found in creatures at the dark bottom of the Pacific. Plastic destroys life. Some few knew this before that industry exploded. Mining hydrocarbons: well understood be Rachel Maddow. She is brilliant. Think Thanatos v. Eros. Civilization and Its Discontents. Freud’s last.he was dying. Living alone? There seems to be no green out there… photosynthesis is unique on Earth. Planet Earth. Yes, the Sun will burn out. Don’t Look Up is a metaphor. Are we alone? Well, save a child.. just one. Give your all, you will save yourself. Your loneliness will lessen. When we die, is there more. Does it matter? Save the child, save the planet… read childless Maddow. In her brilliance, in her tears - there is an answer. Aristotle saw it. He wrote for his son. More is less. Less is more. Are we alone? Yes, we are… in the end. Like I said, save a child… address addiction, ask why. And act. Action in accord with principle may lead to happiness, wrote Aristotle. Are the happy alone? Of Friendship by Francis Bacon attempts the question in three pages… it was his 10th draft. Ask David Brooks… he’s our most self-involved. Is David alone? He gets the question. And so do you.
Human life on Earth, probably, could not have evolved without our small rocky planet, our large Moon, our powerful magnetic field to protect from the solar wind and cosmic rays, and our Earth plate tectonics. If you want to observe the effects of republican-made global warming, look to Venus. If you want to observe the effects of a missing large Moon and exposure to the solar wind, look to Mars. If you want to find life on Enceladus, look for transfer RNA or a very similar molecule. The chances of intelligent life on Enceladus or elsewhere in our solar system are slim.
Very under-appreciated fact: "our powerful magnetic field to protect from the solar wind and cosmic rays."
Add to that Jupiter's protective role in clearing "killer asteroids" from the solar system and you have a good idea why Earth is so fortunate.
Sadly, I completely forgot to thank Jupiter today. Our solar system is very supportive of our human species. Love your astrophotography.
That's why I thought it was interesting that the ancients across many cultures believed that the liver was ruled by Jupiter - "as above, so below".
This excellent post from economist Dean Baker (Center for Economic and Policy Research) on X regarding the media's take on Kamala's economic proposals: "In an effort to promote hysteria, the media have jumped on the proposals laid out by Vice-President Harris, telling their audience that they will increase the deficit by $1.7 trillion over the next decade. This estimate comes from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget and includes a lot of guesswork, like the cost of Harris’ proposal for a first-time homebuyer tax credit, which is not well-defined at this point. However, the key point here is that almost no one knows how much money $1.7 trillion is over the next decade. When the media present this figure, they are essentially telling their audience nothing. It would take all of ten seconds to write this number in a way that would be meaningful to most people. GDP is projected to be $352 trillion over the next decade, so this sum will be a bit less than 0.5 percent of projected GDP. The country is projected to spend $84.9 trillion over this period, so Harris’ proposals would increase total spending by roughly 2.0 percent. If the point is to inform their audience, it is hard to understand why the media would not take the few seconds needed to put large budget numbers in context. On the other hand, if the point is to promote fears of exploding deficits, they are going a good route. "
Thank you, John, for forwarding meaningful *numbers* about proposdd tax plans.
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget has been characterized in the press as a billionaire’s front group that likes to portray itself as a neutral budget watchdog. The CFRB has ties to billionaire Peter G. Peterson and the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, which has advocated for drastic cuts to our social safety net programs.
Happy Anniversary Jill & Robert! Thank you both for sharing your heartwarming, inspiring Love Story!
I love the pics, Robert, and I like the sentiment you express at the end. The practicality of your argument is irrefutable, today. However, Science has a way of changing in surprising ways...just for your back-pocket.