I believe that all groups are now open for discrimination. Being old certainly has been and is particularly under this oldest of incoming presidents. Getting rid of or attacking social security and medicare is just that, and it is apparently being discussed by Musk as being on the chopping block. Whether or not they can do that under our current laws is besides the point, since instituting martial law with not enough opposition in Congress can make many laws disappear.
Like many Americans who have immigrated from oppressive regimes or had family who did, I have had family live under authoritarian rule. My family was divided in the East-West split of Germany. So, I have long been a student of authoritarian life, and refused to visit relatives when I was a child who were on the other side of the wall, even when offered a visa, because even as a child I knew how scary the DDR government was. My aunt who went to visit relatives behind the wall there would have to go out to a big field to talk privately with her cousin to hear how things were. When I then visited after the wall was down, everyone seemed socially-emotionally stunted. I think we need to look at what is ahead with eyes wide open. I just hope that when the time comes, Americas can rise to the occasion as the South Koreans just did.
Linda, thanks for your wise observation from personal experience of the effects of tyranny in East Germany: "When I then visited after the wall was down, everyone seemed socially-emotionally stunted." That stunting is an intentional by-product of all tyranny. Trumpists vs. Dems is not just about "policies" or even "rights," but about a vision of who we are as human beings and who we wish to become. When people vote for the repression of rights they become oppressors and that quickly begins to feel comfortable. Trump has now been a major force in our political culture for 10 years. He and the new Republican majority -- however thin are the new normal. He and his tribe are remaking not just government but Americans in their own image and likeness. This is why it is so difficult to talk across the old Liberal vs. Conservative divide, which used to be at least ostensibly a line between two views of government, but has become a
division between two different visions of humanity, of who we are, and the world we live in. Trumpists see the opposition as "vermin," and "enemies" and once that happens any form of oppression is permissible even laudable because transsexual, homosexual, liberal, immigrant, are just terms for the other, the monster (look at the depiction of transsexauls in Trumps campaign ads), to which "God fearing Americans" owe neither affection nor respect, mercy nor kindness.
Yes Patrick. I am very concerned about this growth stunting, because I see the same thing from Covid. It is apparently having a big impact on Gen-Zers, and perhaps Millennials as well. For one, it has turned them into big, big tech addicts, and for a lot that is social media.
I shared an article with my 19-year-old daughter today, about how 77% of Germans want Australia's new tech laws, that no one under 16 can sign up for social media and they have to provide proof of age. Tech companies are responsible for this, and can be fined a lot of money. In the article it says her age group, so 17-24 is also big on tech, and average 159 times a day checking their media. She told me she is above average. She is averaging 199 a day.
I am not surprised because I am just back from visiting her over the weekend. She has an online business and it is a nuisance, because she is constantly checking to see if someone wants something from her shop. This is supposed to be a hobby, and yet, it is consuming her. My daughter might be intellectually on target, even mature in her insights, and in some social insights as well, but her cautiousness in life is reminding me how sheltered so many people this age are from experiences that are part of growing up. They need to be out there living life. Forced to to be entertained. Perhaps that is just how things are evolving, but I am not ready to give into it just yet.
Recently Prof. Timothy Snyder was talking about how each new technology from the printing press to now, has caused huge social upheaval, so that is what we are in. Let us see what the light can be at the end of the tunnel. Blue Sky is a light because people are leaving X for it, and Mastadon too. It can be a thing, and then Musk will want to buy these platforms too, so he can destroy them. However, people who do want the mercy and kindness you are talking about are going to have to stay one step ahead to find platforms he and his ilk are not destroying for sane folks.
Years ago, I went to a lecture by a man whose parents had immigrated from Russia. At some point he had an opportunity to visit Russia and connect to his relatives. One anecdote he related really stuck with me. He was telling him about his life in America and his family was shocked that in America you didn't need anyone's permission to move to another city or even state. They were also amazed that when he moved he didn't need to register his address with the local police. They seemed convinced that without all the control that they lived under in Russia, America must be absolute chaos and very scary.
My reaction at the time was that the Russians have been brainwashed to FEAR freedom and how bizarre that was. Now, I think that that is exactly what Trump is trying to do!
I recently watched the 2006 German film "The Lives of Others," about life in East Germany under the Stasi. It's a brilliant, gripping film. Available on YouTube and Apple TV and elsewhere.
Bob, I have seen it some summers ago here in Germany. There are a bunch of shows and movies like that or were a few years ago, when examining that DDR time seems to have been in vogue. I want to understand the life that my family had that kind of destroyed them.
When my aunt would go into the field to talk with her cousin in the DDR that was because they felt no one could come up on them, or spy on them or hear them, but now-adays, the technology is there to spy on each word, every minute of the day wherever you are. It is like "1984" or something like that. I think Joyce Vance said she was rereading it. I think we should be rereading Lord of the Flies too, so we understand what we are seeing as the immature folk, who are in power, go after each other. I mean, tell me if any of these characters are full adults socially-emotionally.
I am reading Kara Swisher's book Burn Book, and she is describing the Tech Bros as she reported on them, and it just affirms what I am saying.
Linda and Bob, thanks for the reading and viewing suggestions. We are in an incredibly difficult spot as a nation. We have elected as a President a man who is proud of his infantile behavior and lack of control -- insulting and lying, refusing to make sense, and he attracting more boy men -- Musk, Ramaswamy, Patel, Hegseth -- to his club and many young men see these guys as cool. This would be perhaps forgivable had Trump just descended on the golden escalator, but we had 4 years of his presidency and we rejected him. He is older now, but not one bit more mature. "Don't Trust Anyone over 30" was a watchword of my generation growing up. The Republicans and some Democrats seem to be saying, don't trust any leaders who act mature, who are in control of their emotions, who can string sentences together in a way that makes sense and who are not afraid of disagreement or discussion among their teams. We did not make these bros our enemies, but we must understand and counter them and realize that although we are playing with babies, these kids can kill us and our country. .
I am glad you brought up failure of imagination. I ask we exercise it by imagining leaving the America of Trump behind us and explore the philosophical and pragmatic reasons for secession by some or all of the remaining blue states. Lincoln struggled with the Southern rebellion when he was composing his first state of the union address to Congress. Had he known about Jim Crow he might have changed his mind. On the other hand there is North Carolina etc that argue for sticking with what we’ve got. I can understand Lincoln’s agony. But that America may never come and these red and purple states will continue to have vehement minorities to make governance almost impossible. Climate collapse, gun violence, propaganda, rule of the robber barons and discrimination will take years to turn back. Look at Chile if you want to do some sober thinking. At least we have a large enough country where geography does not impose the stranglehold that thwarts our South American friends fighting for a better future. Let’s get our people and our best minds to work on this.
Yes, if they are not the right kind of straight, White "Christian" men. And if they are Democrat, too young, too old, too fat, not good looking enough, balding, not wealthy, not American, not healthy, married to the wrong color woman, etc... Because everyone is in more than one group in the real world, only in a narrow world view is that a category on its own. And, we know that anyone who does not get with the program is hated too. We have media filled with straight, White, "Christian" men, and if they write the wrong thing they will be discriminated against too. In fact, anyone who loses their wealth, loses their home to a fire or flood, does not have enough money or insurance to manage a catastrophe, an illness, paying out of pocket for surgery, a lot of income besides social security, any kind of chronic health issue etc...
Also, I was reading an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education that was saying that more White, well-off people are choosing not to go to college percentage wise than other Black, Latino/a, Asian students. So, there grows the white college uneducated Trump voting population. There was a big divide, but the Chronicle also tells us that more White, male college students voted for Trump, a 19 point swing since 2020 to 52%. So, when it comes to these kind of superficial cult-like identity groupings it is easy to get out. Think of it as a fraternity where if you mess up at all you are out. Kevin McCarthy is out, even though he doesn't know it.
So, where is this going? We need face-to-face conversations with these folks. We need to be finding common ground where it is to be found. We also have to change our expectations, and be observant about what is going on, and be careful not to be sucked up into things that we know are wrong, just because they are easier.
I was thinking the same, Jon. It will, I fear, soon be against the law TO "discriminate" against straight white "Christian" males (lots of quotes for irony in that sentence).
It's already unlawful to discriminate on the basis of sex (gender), race, religion, etc. That goes for discrimination against whites as well as Blacks, Asians or others. And for discrimination against men as well as women. Christians cannot be the subject of discrimination any more than Muslims or Jews. Indeed, such cases of "reverse" discrimination provide a number of useful precedents for those of us who fight discrimination. A colleague studied cases in the Northern District of Georgia (Atlanta and environs) a few years ago, and discovered that the only ones that were not thrown out before trial were those involving "reverse" discrimination.
I am sorry to say that the reason the steps to protect democracy in this country were not taken when Democrats had the power to do so was due to the occupant of the White House being unable to see that the "go along to get along" philosophy he had run his political life on from the beginning no longer made sense, so he killed those moves. Joe Biden has a lot in common with Maurice Gamelin, the French General whose inability to comprehend that the Germans were not going to fight the war in 1940 he way he expected and planned for as an extension of the way war was fought in 1918, was responsible for the French defeat.
And today the Senate Democrats voted to keep the damn ninnies whose inabilities were why they were in the minority, in office. The day Trump invokes the Insurrection Act, "Wall Street Charlie" Schumer will announce he and Dick Durbin are going to the White House to negotiate the extent of the imposition of martial law, and they're bringing a nice cheese plate with them.
At least the House is moving to get some actual "infantry officers" into office. Congratulations to Jerry Nadler for seeing his day is done and leaving gracefully. Now if all the aging Senate boomers would do the same (and I say that as a contemporary). The Senate should have the same age restriction that airline pilots have, since their decisions affect lots of people, too.
Agree with you, Tom! Durbin has been egregiously lax in not dealing with SCOTUS' flagrant ethics abuses. Schumer attended a NY event where Trump spoke, normalizing him as a legit candidate. These two old pols operate with their eyes in the rearview mirror -- they're (and we're) gonna get smacked in the face!
Schumer and Durbin. Pelosi's still the only one who undestands what's going on in the House and what's needed (who do you think orchestrated Nadler's decision to step down so Jaime Raskin could replace him without a fight?). Se has more balls than the rest of them combined.
Balls are the most fragile thing on a man's body. Pelosi has more STRENGTH in her pinky finger than most men I know. I still think she needs to retire.
I disagree about Pelosi. She's full of fire, clear sight, and effectiveness. She is not an "old pol with their eyes in the rearview mirror"--thank you, SCS, a brilliant characterization of 90% of the Democrats in power.
This argument ignores the basic reality of Biden’s first two years. There was no “Trifecta” because the Senate majority was not real—Senators Man him and Sinema would not vote to expand the Supreme Court. To everyone’s amazement, Biden persuaded Mam Jin to let the Inflation Reduction.Act pass, but court expansion was never I the cards. It will not be possible until we get a solid Democratic majority.
Agreed, and I was happy to see Manchin gone, and didn't care that the seat went to a Republican. He and Sinema had too much power. They weren't the only Democrats who would have voted against expanding the court.
Yeh, I deal with age discrimination all the time. I usually beat them because I'm smarter than they are (and none of them can write like I do). But with these guys, you stay in the Senate 30-40 years, you get too comfortable, you lose "the fire in the belly," if you ever had it. Most of the airline pilots I have known would probably do just fine flying on past 60.
Robert, I too wish we had expanded the Supreme Court. But the reality was that although the Dems had a trifecta, it included Senators Manchin and Sinema. They refused to change the filibuster for voting rights. It is unlikely that they would have voted for expanding the courts.
One wonderful night in July, 1969, my camp counselor woke me from a sound sleep and told me the Camp Director needed to see me immediately. My first thought in my still-asleep brain was that something had happened to my parents, which woke me up right quick. We walked in the bright, moon-lit night to the Director’s cottage, where I found him, his wife, and two boys about my age (9) seated in front of the B&W TV set awaiting Armstrong’s imminent descent down the LM’s ladder to the surface of Luna. Together we watched humankind’s most astounding feat of scientific prowess unfold. Every time I look at the moon, no matter what phase it is in, I think of that night so long ago, and feel my 9-year-old’s sense of wonder return full force. It remains the most magical event in my life.
I was in the Peace Corps in South America. That night, I went out to lock my gate to keep the goats out of my garden. I looked up at the moon, which I remember as full and bright, and felt enormous pride and gratitude. Gratitude because I’d been in-country for a year and had come to understand, at a gut level, all we had in this country. I said a quiet thank you to my ancestors who, young and poor came to this country, worked hard and struggled so that their children and grandchildren could have a better life. What is happening now breaks my heart.
Thank you for your service in the Peace Corps in South America, Gina. And thank you for your beautifully expressed story. The beginning, middle, and ending. As for what is happening now, truly, it is heartbreaking.
I watched the moon landing with my brothers and parents. My sister was in Santiago, Chile on a student exchange. We knew she was watching, too. It was a wonder that we were all "together." The landing still sends shivers down my spine. We were a dominant, progressive Country, and the world became so small - all with that shared experience.
Me too! I was 9-years old as well. We had the Andersons, the Bradleys, the Buckleys and my family, the Cappellos, all together on a hot summer night, watching Neil Armstrong take one giant leap for mankind on our old black and white TV. Brings back such great memories of a different time.
without shouting into the void of my disappointment.
The charges are gone, swept like dust under a gilded rug,
and yet the truth remains, burning:
He was guilty.
You know it.
I know it.
The weight of it presses against my chest,
how a man so stained could hold the reins again.
He ran for power to shield himself,
a crown to escape the scales of justice.
He will pardon himself,
stand smug on the green of manicured lies,
a golf swing on our dime,
while we watch,
while we ache.
Do you remember?
He told them to march.
I saw it.
I was there, and the echoes of that day
still ricochet in my mind.
I will not forget.
I will not forgive.
Not the man who lit the match,
nor the hands that handed him the flame.
You who cast your vote,
for cheaper gas, for eggs, for promises spun from deceit,
or worse—
you, who saw the ugliness and shrugged.
He is a bigot, and it didn’t stop you.
He is cruel, and you let it slide.
You looked away, silent, complicit.
And in that silence, the cracks widened.
The grave error was yours,
but I do not have the breath left
to plead with you to see.
I will watch as it unfolds,
as the curtain lifts on this tragedy we have built,
brick by brick, with our denial.
And when the moment arrives—
when the mask slips and the monster stands revealed—
it will be too late.
Do you see the bodies yet?
The ones already fallen,
the ones to come?
They are part of the price,
written in the fine print of your choices.
There is no blanket thick enough to hide under now,
no silence deep enough to escape the echo of what is coming.
None of us will walk away unscathed.
Not even you.
Author Unknown
Could have written in 1937 Germany. We have been here before in the story of humanities evolution. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. One strong person will not save us, the aliens will not come to save us. Some think this is the end times, and the second coming of Christ is at hand but IMHO it is the christ inside all of us - the goodness and kindness and grit and determination to dispel the evil forces that threaten our world, that will come to the fore again as it did in WW2 We have to save ourselves… with the help of universal love, one person, one choice at a time.
Well, you do make a point - as does Robert! The very sad thing is that some felt it necessary to "protect" the office of the presidency rather than maintain the rule of law.
This sentimental notion of protection - not unlike the notion that one should not pack the high court - flies in the face of common sense which the founders sought to overcome through establishing checks in the hope of achieving balance and not creating a de facto king.
Time to move on and not be so 'sensitive' to what has become customary. Never bothered Sen Mitch Mcconnell who perverted the 'rules' to gain an end.
Robert, I would like to add my thank you. You have courage to continue to speak the truths about so many areas of great concern. There have been many threats made against anyone who is in disagreement with the new administration. The words and actions of the 'old orange guy' continues to arm his followers in all kinds of ways. So we need your voice to make us all more educated and tenacious as we move ahead. I will be looking for ideas to pick up and run with, here on your sub stack. ONWARD....
I agree with all you have said, Robert, although I would also add Independents (like me!). In Texas, we do not register by party. I consider myself an Independent, although most of my (almost full-time) volunteering and financial support goes to Democrat candidates.
I have to take heart in this huge grassroots movement. Of my MAGA friends/acquaintances, not ONE is an activist. They watch FOX news, perpetuate misinformation, and vote, but there is no action. We are a huge army and HAVE to continue this activity…I truly believe the strategic work must happen at the TOP of the party, and we are at the ready. I do not mean we are merely worker bees. I actually think we must DEMAND better party leadership. I am curious about the DNC chair position and wonder what others think. Here in Texas, our long time chair has resigned, and I think that is probably a good thing.
Ben Wikler is asking to be the DNC chair. I listened to some interviews and read Bob Reich's column about him (misspelling his name, I believe; Wikler is correct). I think Ben is an energetic, visionary person who will work hard and bring new, effective, 21st century ideas to Democratic organizing. Also, he's not just about fundraising (the chair's traditional function); he's also about activism and organizing, the way Obama was, which we desperately need.
Not a bad moon shot, Robert! Besides keeping my fingers crossed for the last 2 seats in CA, I've also been keeping an eye on the Presidential vote count. Trump's Red Tsunami has been under 50% for a bit, and the gap with Kamala is now at 1.48% vs 1.55% last week. That just brings a smile to my face. I'm hoping it drops to 1.4% by the end. I don't get what it is with ex-Obama political staffers crapping on Kamala's campaign. I dropped the Substack of one of them last week. He repeatedly mentioned the need for "difficult conversations" but apparently found it too difficult to spell out what that means. Of course, there will then be whining that they're misunderstood as calling for throwing some element of the D coalition under the bus. Gee...it's so unfair someone would interpret the vagueness as suggesting that.
One more comment in terms of thanks. Not sure if everyone saw yesterday’s posts by Olivia Troye, a former Trump administrative official in counterintelligence who became a whistle blower relatively early. She has spoken out against Kash Patel, who is now threatening her with lawsuits. She is a hero, and she continues to be as she demonstrates the retaliation that has already started.
One thing we have been consistently silent about is the threats that have been documented, by MAGA people against those they do not like. Career ruin, threatened violence against family members. Mitt Romney says he pays $5,000 a day (?) to hire security to protect his family due to ongoing threats from the Trump people because Mitt didn't toe the political line.
I recommend David Daley's "Unrigged" about people fighting back against gerrymandering, and winning, most of the time. It is a follow-up to "Ratf**ked" about how we got here.
Thank you, I've been wondering about how gerrymandering works and why Democrats have paid no attention to it, either doing it or outlawing it (it seems immoral to me). I'll check that book out. I was also surprised to learn (I think) that you can't do it just any old time. You have to wait ten years and do it at census time. Do Democrats have enough will power to mark our calendars and remember to do something YEARS from now at the next census? We never have before.
Definitely read "Ratf**ked" first. FYI, it is a legitimate and appropriate word. I read it a long time ago, but remember that someone tried to warn Nancy Pelosi about what the Republicans were doing, and he was ignored. We can't wait 10 years, the work has to start now. That's why you should read "Unrigged" too.
Do you honestly believe we will have a trifecta again? If trump is able to do what he says, I have no lack of imagination of where we are quickly headed. How can we citizens fight against the strongest military in the world? Won’t the very fact that the House is so close encourage Maga/J6 Mike Johnson even more to recess and give trump full power? Republicans seem to surprise us at every turn with their evil machinations, breaking “norms” and blatently breaking laws. I am not proposing we capitulate in advance but trying to rationally and logically figure out how to stop this. I firmly believe our best opportunity is NOW, before the inauguration, even if it means breaking with the Constitution, as republicans themselves intend to do imminently. Biden needs to imagine the worst and act upon it now.
Personally I expect Trump to overreach, and to make some mistakes that will erode whatever larger popularity he might have. I can't allow myself to despair.
There is a lot of work to be done at the state level .
What you said, Susan, AND "lack of imagination." The imagination is a powerful force that is too often linked to "making things up," i.e. things that are not true, but it it also a visionary, moral, and human activity. I think that's what Robert has in mind.
I am always surprised when people say, "I can't imagine what you are going through." Of course, you can. Try. Or "I couldn't imagine that Trump would do x." I want to say, have you not read a book about dictators anytime in your life. I recommend today, Ann Applebaum's "Autocracy, Inc." It's short and rich about 170 pages. It shows how, in your excellently named terms, "learned paralysis and fear of their corporate overloads" and many other qualities so apparent in public and private life today can sink a country.
I'm still waiting for "Loving" to be revisited. As long as most other human rights and freedoms are on the chopping block, let's see Clarence tackle that one.
I believe that all groups are now open for discrimination. Being old certainly has been and is particularly under this oldest of incoming presidents. Getting rid of or attacking social security and medicare is just that, and it is apparently being discussed by Musk as being on the chopping block. Whether or not they can do that under our current laws is besides the point, since instituting martial law with not enough opposition in Congress can make many laws disappear.
Like many Americans who have immigrated from oppressive regimes or had family who did, I have had family live under authoritarian rule. My family was divided in the East-West split of Germany. So, I have long been a student of authoritarian life, and refused to visit relatives when I was a child who were on the other side of the wall, even when offered a visa, because even as a child I knew how scary the DDR government was. My aunt who went to visit relatives behind the wall there would have to go out to a big field to talk privately with her cousin to hear how things were. When I then visited after the wall was down, everyone seemed socially-emotionally stunted. I think we need to look at what is ahead with eyes wide open. I just hope that when the time comes, Americas can rise to the occasion as the South Koreans just did.
Linda, thanks for your wise observation from personal experience of the effects of tyranny in East Germany: "When I then visited after the wall was down, everyone seemed socially-emotionally stunted." That stunting is an intentional by-product of all tyranny. Trumpists vs. Dems is not just about "policies" or even "rights," but about a vision of who we are as human beings and who we wish to become. When people vote for the repression of rights they become oppressors and that quickly begins to feel comfortable. Trump has now been a major force in our political culture for 10 years. He and the new Republican majority -- however thin are the new normal. He and his tribe are remaking not just government but Americans in their own image and likeness. This is why it is so difficult to talk across the old Liberal vs. Conservative divide, which used to be at least ostensibly a line between two views of government, but has become a
division between two different visions of humanity, of who we are, and the world we live in. Trumpists see the opposition as "vermin," and "enemies" and once that happens any form of oppression is permissible even laudable because transsexual, homosexual, liberal, immigrant, are just terms for the other, the monster (look at the depiction of transsexauls in Trumps campaign ads), to which "God fearing Americans" owe neither affection nor respect, mercy nor kindness.
Yes Patrick. I am very concerned about this growth stunting, because I see the same thing from Covid. It is apparently having a big impact on Gen-Zers, and perhaps Millennials as well. For one, it has turned them into big, big tech addicts, and for a lot that is social media.
I shared an article with my 19-year-old daughter today, about how 77% of Germans want Australia's new tech laws, that no one under 16 can sign up for social media and they have to provide proof of age. Tech companies are responsible for this, and can be fined a lot of money. In the article it says her age group, so 17-24 is also big on tech, and average 159 times a day checking their media. She told me she is above average. She is averaging 199 a day.
I am not surprised because I am just back from visiting her over the weekend. She has an online business and it is a nuisance, because she is constantly checking to see if someone wants something from her shop. This is supposed to be a hobby, and yet, it is consuming her. My daughter might be intellectually on target, even mature in her insights, and in some social insights as well, but her cautiousness in life is reminding me how sheltered so many people this age are from experiences that are part of growing up. They need to be out there living life. Forced to to be entertained. Perhaps that is just how things are evolving, but I am not ready to give into it just yet.
Recently Prof. Timothy Snyder was talking about how each new technology from the printing press to now, has caused huge social upheaval, so that is what we are in. Let us see what the light can be at the end of the tunnel. Blue Sky is a light because people are leaving X for it, and Mastadon too. It can be a thing, and then Musk will want to buy these platforms too, so he can destroy them. However, people who do want the mercy and kindness you are talking about are going to have to stay one step ahead to find platforms he and his ilk are not destroying for sane folks.
Years ago, I went to a lecture by a man whose parents had immigrated from Russia. At some point he had an opportunity to visit Russia and connect to his relatives. One anecdote he related really stuck with me. He was telling him about his life in America and his family was shocked that in America you didn't need anyone's permission to move to another city or even state. They were also amazed that when he moved he didn't need to register his address with the local police. They seemed convinced that without all the control that they lived under in Russia, America must be absolute chaos and very scary.
My reaction at the time was that the Russians have been brainwashed to FEAR freedom and how bizarre that was. Now, I think that that is exactly what Trump is trying to do!
I agree with your comment and so I’m sorry to nit pick, but I’d rather not become like MTG.. it’s martial law, not Marshall.
Although it would be really great if we could live under (George) Marshall law!
Thank you Pamsy. Noted.
I recently watched the 2006 German film "The Lives of Others," about life in East Germany under the Stasi. It's a brilliant, gripping film. Available on YouTube and Apple TV and elsewhere.
Trailer:
https://youtu.be/YsShZNHmpGE
One of several reviews:
https://youtu.be/xCP2ctOEPw0
Bob, I have seen it some summers ago here in Germany. There are a bunch of shows and movies like that or were a few years ago, when examining that DDR time seems to have been in vogue. I want to understand the life that my family had that kind of destroyed them.
When my aunt would go into the field to talk with her cousin in the DDR that was because they felt no one could come up on them, or spy on them or hear them, but now-adays, the technology is there to spy on each word, every minute of the day wherever you are. It is like "1984" or something like that. I think Joyce Vance said she was rereading it. I think we should be rereading Lord of the Flies too, so we understand what we are seeing as the immature folk, who are in power, go after each other. I mean, tell me if any of these characters are full adults socially-emotionally.
I am reading Kara Swisher's book Burn Book, and she is describing the Tech Bros as she reported on them, and it just affirms what I am saying.
Linda and Bob, thanks for the reading and viewing suggestions. We are in an incredibly difficult spot as a nation. We have elected as a President a man who is proud of his infantile behavior and lack of control -- insulting and lying, refusing to make sense, and he attracting more boy men -- Musk, Ramaswamy, Patel, Hegseth -- to his club and many young men see these guys as cool. This would be perhaps forgivable had Trump just descended on the golden escalator, but we had 4 years of his presidency and we rejected him. He is older now, but not one bit more mature. "Don't Trust Anyone over 30" was a watchword of my generation growing up. The Republicans and some Democrats seem to be saying, don't trust any leaders who act mature, who are in control of their emotions, who can string sentences together in a way that makes sense and who are not afraid of disagreement or discussion among their teams. We did not make these bros our enemies, but we must understand and counter them and realize that although we are playing with babies, these kids can kill us and our country. .
"...socially-emotionally stunted..." ✅✅✅
I am glad you brought up failure of imagination. I ask we exercise it by imagining leaving the America of Trump behind us and explore the philosophical and pragmatic reasons for secession by some or all of the remaining blue states. Lincoln struggled with the Southern rebellion when he was composing his first state of the union address to Congress. Had he known about Jim Crow he might have changed his mind. On the other hand there is North Carolina etc that argue for sticking with what we’ve got. I can understand Lincoln’s agony. But that America may never come and these red and purple states will continue to have vehement minorities to make governance almost impossible. Climate collapse, gun violence, propaganda, rule of the robber barons and discrimination will take years to turn back. Look at Chile if you want to do some sober thinking. At least we have a large enough country where geography does not impose the stranglehold that thwarts our South American friends fighting for a better future. Let’s get our people and our best minds to work on this.
All groups, Linda? Surely not straight, white “Christian” men? That would be unimaginable!
Yes, if they are not the right kind of straight, White "Christian" men. And if they are Democrat, too young, too old, too fat, not good looking enough, balding, not wealthy, not American, not healthy, married to the wrong color woman, etc... Because everyone is in more than one group in the real world, only in a narrow world view is that a category on its own. And, we know that anyone who does not get with the program is hated too. We have media filled with straight, White, "Christian" men, and if they write the wrong thing they will be discriminated against too. In fact, anyone who loses their wealth, loses their home to a fire or flood, does not have enough money or insurance to manage a catastrophe, an illness, paying out of pocket for surgery, a lot of income besides social security, any kind of chronic health issue etc...
Also, I was reading an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education that was saying that more White, well-off people are choosing not to go to college percentage wise than other Black, Latino/a, Asian students. So, there grows the white college uneducated Trump voting population. There was a big divide, but the Chronicle also tells us that more White, male college students voted for Trump, a 19 point swing since 2020 to 52%. So, when it comes to these kind of superficial cult-like identity groupings it is easy to get out. Think of it as a fraternity where if you mess up at all you are out. Kevin McCarthy is out, even though he doesn't know it.
So, where is this going? We need face-to-face conversations with these folks. We need to be finding common ground where it is to be found. We also have to change our expectations, and be observant about what is going on, and be careful not to be sucked up into things that we know are wrong, just because they are easier.
I was thinking the same, Jon. It will, I fear, soon be against the law TO "discriminate" against straight white "Christian" males (lots of quotes for irony in that sentence).
It's already unlawful to discriminate on the basis of sex (gender), race, religion, etc. That goes for discrimination against whites as well as Blacks, Asians or others. And for discrimination against men as well as women. Christians cannot be the subject of discrimination any more than Muslims or Jews. Indeed, such cases of "reverse" discrimination provide a number of useful precedents for those of us who fight discrimination. A colleague studied cases in the Northern District of Georgia (Atlanta and environs) a few years ago, and discovered that the only ones that were not thrown out before trial were those involving "reverse" discrimination.
I am sorry to say that the reason the steps to protect democracy in this country were not taken when Democrats had the power to do so was due to the occupant of the White House being unable to see that the "go along to get along" philosophy he had run his political life on from the beginning no longer made sense, so he killed those moves. Joe Biden has a lot in common with Maurice Gamelin, the French General whose inability to comprehend that the Germans were not going to fight the war in 1940 he way he expected and planned for as an extension of the way war was fought in 1918, was responsible for the French defeat.
And today the Senate Democrats voted to keep the damn ninnies whose inabilities were why they were in the minority, in office. The day Trump invokes the Insurrection Act, "Wall Street Charlie" Schumer will announce he and Dick Durbin are going to the White House to negotiate the extent of the imposition of martial law, and they're bringing a nice cheese plate with them.
At least the House is moving to get some actual "infantry officers" into office. Congratulations to Jerry Nadler for seeing his day is done and leaving gracefully. Now if all the aging Senate boomers would do the same (and I say that as a contemporary). The Senate should have the same age restriction that airline pilots have, since their decisions affect lots of people, too.
Agree with you, Tom! Durbin has been egregiously lax in not dealing with SCOTUS' flagrant ethics abuses. Schumer attended a NY event where Trump spoke, normalizing him as a legit candidate. These two old pols operate with their eyes in the rearview mirror -- they're (and we're) gonna get smacked in the face!
The Democratic Party is a center right party today. Schumer Pelosi Durbin … all of them. Need to retire yesterday.
Schumer and Durbin. Pelosi's still the only one who undestands what's going on in the House and what's needed (who do you think orchestrated Nadler's decision to step down so Jaime Raskin could replace him without a fight?). Se has more balls than the rest of them combined.
Balls are the most fragile thing on a man's body. Pelosi has more STRENGTH in her pinky finger than most men I know. I still think she needs to retire.
Given the incompetence of the alternatives, she's still valuable.
I disagree about Pelosi. She's full of fire, clear sight, and effectiveness. She is not an "old pol with their eyes in the rearview mirror"--thank you, SCS, a brilliant characterization of 90% of the Democrats in power.
This argument ignores the basic reality of Biden’s first two years. There was no “Trifecta” because the Senate majority was not real—Senators Man him and Sinema would not vote to expand the Supreme Court. To everyone’s amazement, Biden persuaded Mam Jin to let the Inflation Reduction.Act pass, but court expansion was never I the cards. It will not be possible until we get a solid Democratic majority.
Agreed, and I was happy to see Manchin gone, and didn't care that the seat went to a Republican. He and Sinema had too much power. They weren't the only Democrats who would have voted against expanding the court.
Well stated.
Yay! Let’s hear it for age discrimination!
Yeh, I deal with age discrimination all the time. I usually beat them because I'm smarter than they are (and none of them can write like I do). But with these guys, you stay in the Senate 30-40 years, you get too comfortable, you lose "the fire in the belly," if you ever had it. Most of the airline pilots I have known would probably do just fine flying on past 60.
Robert, I too wish we had expanded the Supreme Court. But the reality was that although the Dems had a trifecta, it included Senators Manchin and Sinema. They refused to change the filibuster for voting rights. It is unlikely that they would have voted for expanding the courts.
Thanks for the reminder thatcManchin and Sinema were indeed major stumbling blocks for thr Demicrats in thr Senate.
Judith, thank you for reminding Robert and everyone. I had the same thought as I read the piece.
As I recall there were more than 2 Senators that were not going to vote to expand the court, (democrats that is).
As my dad would say to me: could've, should've, would've (except for the pesky facts).
Thank YOU Robert, for a "job well done" and your encouragement to keep the faith!
One wonderful night in July, 1969, my camp counselor woke me from a sound sleep and told me the Camp Director needed to see me immediately. My first thought in my still-asleep brain was that something had happened to my parents, which woke me up right quick. We walked in the bright, moon-lit night to the Director’s cottage, where I found him, his wife, and two boys about my age (9) seated in front of the B&W TV set awaiting Armstrong’s imminent descent down the LM’s ladder to the surface of Luna. Together we watched humankind’s most astounding feat of scientific prowess unfold. Every time I look at the moon, no matter what phase it is in, I think of that night so long ago, and feel my 9-year-old’s sense of wonder return full force. It remains the most magical event in my life.
What a beautiful memory Derek. We need those in life.
I was in the Peace Corps in South America. That night, I went out to lock my gate to keep the goats out of my garden. I looked up at the moon, which I remember as full and bright, and felt enormous pride and gratitude. Gratitude because I’d been in-country for a year and had come to understand, at a gut level, all we had in this country. I said a quiet thank you to my ancestors who, young and poor came to this country, worked hard and struggled so that their children and grandchildren could have a better life. What is happening now breaks my heart.
Thank you for your service in the Peace Corps in South America, Gina. And thank you for your beautifully expressed story. The beginning, middle, and ending. As for what is happening now, truly, it is heartbreaking.
I watched the moon landing with my brothers and parents. My sister was in Santiago, Chile on a student exchange. We knew she was watching, too. It was a wonder that we were all "together." The landing still sends shivers down my spine. We were a dominant, progressive Country, and the world became so small - all with that shared experience.
Me too! I was 9-years old as well. We had the Andersons, the Bradleys, the Buckleys and my family, the Cappellos, all together on a hot summer night, watching Neil Armstrong take one giant leap for mankind on our old black and white TV. Brings back such great memories of a different time.
The Reckoning
I cannot let this day slip by
without shouting into the void of my disappointment.
The charges are gone, swept like dust under a gilded rug,
and yet the truth remains, burning:
He was guilty.
You know it.
I know it.
The weight of it presses against my chest,
how a man so stained could hold the reins again.
He ran for power to shield himself,
a crown to escape the scales of justice.
He will pardon himself,
stand smug on the green of manicured lies,
a golf swing on our dime,
while we watch,
while we ache.
Do you remember?
He told them to march.
I saw it.
I was there, and the echoes of that day
still ricochet in my mind.
I will not forget.
I will not forgive.
Not the man who lit the match,
nor the hands that handed him the flame.
You who cast your vote,
for cheaper gas, for eggs, for promises spun from deceit,
or worse—
you, who saw the ugliness and shrugged.
He is a bigot, and it didn’t stop you.
He is cruel, and you let it slide.
You looked away, silent, complicit.
And in that silence, the cracks widened.
The grave error was yours,
but I do not have the breath left
to plead with you to see.
I will watch as it unfolds,
as the curtain lifts on this tragedy we have built,
brick by brick, with our denial.
And when the moment arrives—
when the mask slips and the monster stands revealed—
it will be too late.
Do you see the bodies yet?
The ones already fallen,
the ones to come?
They are part of the price,
written in the fine print of your choices.
There is no blanket thick enough to hide under now,
no silence deep enough to escape the echo of what is coming.
None of us will walk away unscathed.
Not even you.
Author Unknown
Could have written in 1937 Germany. We have been here before in the story of humanities evolution. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. One strong person will not save us, the aliens will not come to save us. Some think this is the end times, and the second coming of Christ is at hand but IMHO it is the christ inside all of us - the goodness and kindness and grit and determination to dispel the evil forces that threaten our world, that will come to the fore again as it did in WW2 We have to save ourselves… with the help of universal love, one person, one choice at a time.
Well, you do make a point - as does Robert! The very sad thing is that some felt it necessary to "protect" the office of the presidency rather than maintain the rule of law.
This sentimental notion of protection - not unlike the notion that one should not pack the high court - flies in the face of common sense which the founders sought to overcome through establishing checks in the hope of achieving balance and not creating a de facto king.
Time to move on and not be so 'sensitive' to what has become customary. Never bothered Sen Mitch Mcconnell who perverted the 'rules' to gain an end.
Jay
Powerful. Truth. Heartbreaking.
Robert, I would like to add my thank you. You have courage to continue to speak the truths about so many areas of great concern. There have been many threats made against anyone who is in disagreement with the new administration. The words and actions of the 'old orange guy' continues to arm his followers in all kinds of ways. So we need your voice to make us all more educated and tenacious as we move ahead. I will be looking for ideas to pick up and run with, here on your sub stack. ONWARD....
YOU'RE WELCOME, Robert, for your beautiful Thank You, from Millions of us who poured our hearts out for Kamala and Democracy in Every Way Possible.
I am hanging with the adage:
The Tide Always Turns
I agree with all you have said, Robert, although I would also add Independents (like me!). In Texas, we do not register by party. I consider myself an Independent, although most of my (almost full-time) volunteering and financial support goes to Democrat candidates.
I have to take heart in this huge grassroots movement. Of my MAGA friends/acquaintances, not ONE is an activist. They watch FOX news, perpetuate misinformation, and vote, but there is no action. We are a huge army and HAVE to continue this activity…I truly believe the strategic work must happen at the TOP of the party, and we are at the ready. I do not mean we are merely worker bees. I actually think we must DEMAND better party leadership. I am curious about the DNC chair position and wonder what others think. Here in Texas, our long time chair has resigned, and I think that is probably a good thing.
For today, I am calling and writing about Gabbard. I welcome folks to copy my emails: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Y61dw0aMgFQ8qbeptihFeXBqbh2pqmEbF3Hq2m5qQ5I/edit
Ben Wikler is asking to be the DNC chair. I listened to some interviews and read Bob Reich's column about him (misspelling his name, I believe; Wikler is correct). I think Ben is an energetic, visionary person who will work hard and bring new, effective, 21st century ideas to Democratic organizing. Also, he's not just about fundraising (the chair's traditional function); he's also about activism and organizing, the way Obama was, which we desperately need.
Not a bad moon shot, Robert! Besides keeping my fingers crossed for the last 2 seats in CA, I've also been keeping an eye on the Presidential vote count. Trump's Red Tsunami has been under 50% for a bit, and the gap with Kamala is now at 1.48% vs 1.55% last week. That just brings a smile to my face. I'm hoping it drops to 1.4% by the end. I don't get what it is with ex-Obama political staffers crapping on Kamala's campaign. I dropped the Substack of one of them last week. He repeatedly mentioned the need for "difficult conversations" but apparently found it too difficult to spell out what that means. Of course, there will then be whining that they're misunderstood as calling for throwing some element of the D coalition under the bus. Gee...it's so unfair someone would interpret the vagueness as suggesting that.
One more comment in terms of thanks. Not sure if everyone saw yesterday’s posts by Olivia Troye, a former Trump administrative official in counterintelligence who became a whistle blower relatively early. She has spoken out against Kash Patel, who is now threatening her with lawsuits. She is a hero, and she continues to be as she demonstrates the retaliation that has already started.
One thing we have been consistently silent about is the threats that have been documented, by MAGA people against those they do not like. Career ruin, threatened violence against family members. Mitt Romney says he pays $5,000 a day (?) to hire security to protect his family due to ongoing threats from the Trump people because Mitt didn't toe the political line.
I recommend David Daley's "Unrigged" about people fighting back against gerrymandering, and winning, most of the time. It is a follow-up to "Ratf**ked" about how we got here.
Thank you, I've been wondering about how gerrymandering works and why Democrats have paid no attention to it, either doing it or outlawing it (it seems immoral to me). I'll check that book out. I was also surprised to learn (I think) that you can't do it just any old time. You have to wait ten years and do it at census time. Do Democrats have enough will power to mark our calendars and remember to do something YEARS from now at the next census? We never have before.
Definitely read "Ratf**ked" first. FYI, it is a legitimate and appropriate word. I read it a long time ago, but remember that someone tried to warn Nancy Pelosi about what the Republicans were doing, and he was ignored. We can't wait 10 years, the work has to start now. That's why you should read "Unrigged" too.
Do you honestly believe we will have a trifecta again? If trump is able to do what he says, I have no lack of imagination of where we are quickly headed. How can we citizens fight against the strongest military in the world? Won’t the very fact that the House is so close encourage Maga/J6 Mike Johnson even more to recess and give trump full power? Republicans seem to surprise us at every turn with their evil machinations, breaking “norms” and blatently breaking laws. I am not proposing we capitulate in advance but trying to rationally and logically figure out how to stop this. I firmly believe our best opportunity is NOW, before the inauguration, even if it means breaking with the Constitution, as republicans themselves intend to do imminently. Biden needs to imagine the worst and act upon it now.
Personally I expect Trump to overreach, and to make some mistakes that will erode whatever larger popularity he might have. I can't allow myself to despair.
There is a lot of work to be done at the state level .
I hope you’re right, I desperately hope I’m wrong.
I fully understand your concern. We haven't been faced with the kind of threat that this administration will be.
Only the moons smile can cure the unseen scars of darkness. Nubia Khan ❤️💚🌙
Dear Robert, I don’t think it was “lack of imagination.” I think it’s cowardice, learned paralysis and fear of their corporate overlords.
What you said, Susan, AND "lack of imagination." The imagination is a powerful force that is too often linked to "making things up," i.e. things that are not true, but it it also a visionary, moral, and human activity. I think that's what Robert has in mind.
I am always surprised when people say, "I can't imagine what you are going through." Of course, you can. Try. Or "I couldn't imagine that Trump would do x." I want to say, have you not read a book about dictators anytime in your life. I recommend today, Ann Applebaum's "Autocracy, Inc." It's short and rich about 170 pages. It shows how, in your excellently named terms, "learned paralysis and fear of their corporate overloads" and many other qualities so apparent in public and private life today can sink a country.
I'm still waiting for "Loving" to be revisited. As long as most other human rights and freedoms are on the chopping block, let's see Clarence tackle that one.