I like the astronomy talk. It helps keep perspective about where we are in the overall scheme of things. I don't mean that as a put down. that a small being on a small planet orbiting a small star on the outer edge of a small galaxy can look out at creation and comprehend it shows how incredible we actually are.
I couldn't agree more TC. Thank you for continuing to educate us, Robert. I loved reading about Mr. Messier!! And, I am always a bit flummoxed to see that you are taking your incredible photos in LA!! I clearly have an erroneous image of that city's night sky in my mind!! Your pictures are beautiful!! Thank you!
You know, with so many people urging Harris to choose Mark Kelly as VP, this could be an excellent theme for him to frame his speeches with. “We occupy an amazing, fragile Blue Marble. The space we have explored already does not include life like ours. I should know. I’ve been there. What we do going forward in the next four years will determine if we look like the moon, or begin healing our precious earth, and all its life-supporting systems.”
I would love Mark Kelly, but I worry about how we would replace him as a Senator in the current system? Does the Governor of Arizona make the choice, or would there be an election? That's a concern for me!
The governor will appoint a Democrat to the Senate seat but the question may be about who the potential appointees may be. Are there others who would be good choices?
I've never seen Mark Kelly and Mr. Hubbell in the same room together. Maybe they are the same person? LOL just kidding. I love the fact that we are all incredibly small but still trying to make the world a better place. Us being here in this moment with each other is incredible. Let's not forget it.
ditto! thanks so much, Robert, for all you do to help us keep a healthy perspective. stars, galaxies, and nebulae are just icing on our little tiny cake.
Finally! As a dual UK/US citizen residing mostly in Wales I read the Guardian every day. I have been appalled at the bias they have towards treating Trump as if he is just a normal person running for office in America. That and their ‘Biden can’t find the podium’ journalism made me sputter expletives into my coffee each morning. I started writing letters to the Editors about 6weeks ago calling them out every time they engaged in lazy click bait columns and unbalanced information. So, now they have woken up and made a pledge! Yay! I will hold them to it. My father stormed the beaches at Normandy to help save Britain from fascism, it’s only right and proper for Brits to return the favour and help us ride the blue wave. 😻💙🇺🇸🏴🙏
I am living in Germany mostly as a dual US/German citizen and I have written the Guardian regularly to complain. I am going to stop giving them money too. I have asked what is the point of being independent if they tow the party line. I basically think they are all too chummy with the US press. I have complained to Politico Berlin too for also parroting what the US press has said. I am seeing all journalism more critically, and seeing how poor the journalistic training is appearing to be. It should be mandatory to learn how to cover a campaign with a fascist candidate from people who are experts in fascism like Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Timothy Snyder, Anne Applebaum and others. Prof. Kathleen Belew contributed to a A Field Guide to White Supremacy, after writing Bring the War Home: The White Power Movement and Paramilitary America. Her book is quite necessary to them understanding what we are seeing with these so called, "Lone Wolf" shooters that I do not see any evidence the press is aware of. I think journalists should do more reading and less writing and put some historical context in their articles.
That’s what my goal is in writing letters to the editors. Perhaps they’ll all come around to balance and fairness and let the voters decide for themselves.
Robin, Richard, Linda and many others who are writing letters to editors, broadcasters and other "opinion leaders," not to mention legislators.
I have written several letters myself, and I cheer on you more diligent and attentive eagle-eyed readers and responders. You can have an impact and that impact gets multiplied. One might call you watchdogs, but I think Raptors for Democracy would be a good term. You fly above the fray and see when journalists and quasi-journalistic newsreaders are wrong, and just plain lazy. And then you strike. David Brooks's piece in the NYT that Robert mentions is a good target. He presumes to give Kamala Harriet letter grades, such as a C in composure, and quotes as evidence his own 2019 (notice the date) column on her Presidential campaign and the story that his "colleagues," i.e. highly paid savants of the NYT, who did a story on her last February, and insiders who say she can be "ruthless" and tough to work for. Golly, I'm shocked, I think I better vote for a person whose closes colleagues have called him a "moron" and whose energy is spent on Truth Social tweets and playing golf. Fasten your seat belts ladies and gentlemen and transitioning and non-binary fellow citizens, it's going to be a bumpy flight when we get Made for Hillary insults 2.0, and "why is she so snarky" comments, and veiled charges that she is being "uppity" when she simply points out that the person on the debate stage against her is a vicious liar, adjudicated sexual predator, with the morals and leadership ability and personality of horny toad, and the "composrure" of a rattlesnake. Time to have the conversations when people repeat this crap and to call it out when we see it, not to win the battle of the press, but to pierce the bubble of the "of course, you agree with me" that comes from the media elites and our backyard conservative neighbors. As I talk to family and friends, many marvel at my political engagement this year, which is beaucoup modest compared to almost everyone in the Hubbell Community, and caution that I should take it easy, get more sleep or take a walk in nature -- all good advice, but it is of a piece with those who would turn political passion in defense of liberty into a pathology. The pathology is on those on the right who want to impose their regressive agenda on the rest of us. Well, we can be full of passionate intensity too and you all give me and many more courage to speak up, speak out, work and share the courage you give me. Thank you.
Thanks for your excellent response. Although I’ve unsubscribed from the NYT, I still write letters to the Editor when our friends on Sub Stack refer to such damming articles. I just had one accepted! I’ll follow with David Brooks to let him know my disappointment.
Well said! Three things: 1) David Brooks' opinions aren't worth my time nor energy; and 2) the advice you cite (Take it easy, get more sleep, take a walk) smacks of patronizing which most women have endured forever, it seems. I'm sure Kamala Harris has felt it too and knows how to respond, and 3) If someone once said she was "tough" to work for - that sounds more like sour grapes than anything to me. I've been called "soft in manner with a spine of steel" and that means I don't back down, I hold high expectations for myself and others, etc. That's "tough" for those whose work ethic is questionable.
Ellen, you are surely right about the patronizing implications of those "rest up" comments and the frequency with which they have been applied to women. One of my other favorite cloaks for patronization is: "You are taking this all (or worse, yourself) too seriously. Lighten up." When I worked as the Associate Dean of Faculty at a prominent women's college, I led programs for women's leadership outside the classroom and worked hard to help young women take their ambitions and themselves seriously in a world that often doesn't take them seriously. Interestingly, when I became the president of a college for men, I found that young men as well as young women often faced pressures to "relax" don't take life, politics, studies, etc. too seriously. This experience has led me to be particularly encouraged by young leaders male and female, gay, straight, non-binary, non-heteronormative, whatever, who are taking their lives, politics, and their power very seriously.
What an affirming response. Thank you. Your own personal leadership no doubt has resulted in many of those young people having successful lives and leaving their own mark on society. I call that legacy building!
Loved your comment Patrick! I was a Zoo Keeper for 40 years and worked with many Raptors. They are ferocious and relentless. Their soaring flights above our house on the edge of Snowdonia National forest are very beautiful and deadly. The hawks in the morning and the owls at night is our motto. One day the cats were acting weird and I went into the lounge and a short-eared owl was sitting on our sofa. I transferred it outside and felt blessed by the visit.
My friends and family also have remarked with trepidation about my active engagement in the current US political cycle. I am returning to Seattle for Sept and oct to get out the vote, But, heck, the danger and dread is palatable. And the media has not been doing a good job of informing the public of the very real danger to Democracy happening right before our eyes. I have never read David Brooks, mostly because my dearly departed dance partner Dennis said every time he saw his name in the NYT he thought, ‘thank god! Something I can skip reading and enjoy an extra 30min of enjoying my life’.
So, since I just got up from a nap and read the latest news I can now go down to the Irish Sea and breathe some salty air. Then it’s back to the fight tomorrow, riding the blue wave.
Beautiful writing, Robin. I was an English professor for many years. Beautifully done and your motto inspired in me a bit of verse that is not quite a poem, but maybe a serviceable cheer for the work ahead.
Nice! 😻 I particularly like to think of one small orange corpulent mouse with a rather too large ear bandage scurrying furtively through the long grass of American Politics as the eagle on the dollar bill drops the arrows from one talon and, with deadly aim, swoops down for the kill. With the olive branch in the other talon he then flys over the fruited plains and scatters the tiny bones of deceit, deception and delusion to the four winds as he finishes off his somewhat distasteful meal. Fight! fight! Fight! Indeed!
Good chuckle at your vivid scenario. I see a dramatic animated video, one probably too strong for an ad. You painted it in rich detail though. I can really see it. May your work in Seattle bring success and satisfaction and appreciation. Wales to Washington -- two beautiful places and the despoiling of even the less dramatic beautiful natural world, like here in Indiana, is yet another reason why we must stop Project 2025 and retain some sanity as a nation.
Interesting that you use the word "pledge." I replied to Ms. Warren's email asking in the subject line, "Is that a pledge?" and noting that finally we have a major news organization with some integrity, unafraid to include context in reporting and not trapped by its own narrow-minded and facile interpretation of "balance."
My exhortation: "Now do it. Every day. I, and millions of other readers, will be watching."
As the swift-boaters currently must work 24/7 to concoct a mud campaign against the new nominee I'd like to share my two-cents worth on the personality of the VP. I had the pleasure of a lengthy one-on-one with her in 2016 when she was the AG in California. Germany didn't have any cases or other pending issues within her jurisdiction but as part of our networking efforts of the Consulate General I had asked for a courtesy visit. It could have been over after 20 minutes of exchanging some pleasantries. I wanted to make it worth her time, though, and came well prepared talking about how we dealt with certain aspects of issues which fell into her area of responsibility as AG in California. She was gracious, sharp, intellectually curious, asked questions and follow-up questions. The meeting lasted 45 minutes in the end, she was committed and on top of her game throughout.
Anecdotal? Sure. But still...I will sleep well at night knowing her in the White House. We all should.
Thanks for sharing,Stefan.As the mud-slinging campaign against VP Kamala will be 24/7 until Nov 5, wanted to share with readers Jay Kuo’s post on how to counter attacks and blunt assaults.
Robert, you go with the astronomical talk. It's a refreshing and educational end to the sometimes seeming drudgery of the daily political news. I really enjoy how you brilliantly weave stories of the cosmos and politics. Your photos are incredible. Thank you Robert for your insight and wisdom!
Talk about nimble and lightning-fast responses, how about all these record-breaking zoom calls fundraising for Kamala Harris?
On today's white women Answer the Call 2024 zoom, Glennon Doyle noted that "our silence will not protect us," if Trump becomes president, we along with our rights and freedoms will be mass cancelled, we need to step up our grassroots work (door-knocking, phone banking, and talking to our friends, family, and neighbors) even if it feels uncomfortable, and keeping focus on our Why will help us persist through the coming 100 days.
The follow up organizing zoom by Women for Kamala Harris (formerly Women for Biden-Harris) is set for Monday at 7 pm ET (originally scheduled for Sunday but is now on Monday due to such high demand). Sign up for Monday here: https://events.democrats.org/event/653900/
How to volunteer, even from home, for Harris for President 2024:
P.S. Sparked by the epic Black Women's zoom for Kamala Harris on Sunday night (the same day as when Biden announced he was endorsing her!), Black men, white women, AAPI, Youths, LGBTQ, and others have followed suit in the 4 days since then. What's up, progressive white men for Kamala Harris?
I started out on the young voters Zoom and then switched to the “White women’s” call. Simply amazing. And, hopefully, all the money raised will help in many ways including countering the negative ads that are to come.
There was a White Men Against MAGA (or something to that effect) call last night that my husband joined right before I joined the WW for KH call - it was organized by SURJ and was similar to the WW Against MAGA call that I attended Wednesday night. I believe I heard somewhere that there is/will be a WM for KH call organized soon. So they're coming on board but just not as fast as the women did :-)
One main difference I've seen between Kamala and Biden thus far is getting new people out to vote and motivating the youth. Hopefully that overcomes Kamala's weakness right now with the > 65 crowd that Biden was doing better with. Overall though there is excitement and it shows that one party was willing to listen to the American people.
The glee felt by hate-filled trumpsters as they attack decent people is the glee I feel as Kamala's campaign fires back. I feel represented, protected, defended. What a good feeling!
The more it backfires, the more negative they will double down and get further in the mud to sling dirt at Kamala it only makes them look worse. Just the other day on Fox News they also called her a ‘Hawk Tuah girl’ in sexist outburst from Alec Lace who also called her a DEI hire.
These are not serious people... When party leadership has to remind normal people to not be racist or sexist, maybe you are on the wrong team. What a bunch of hateful people. I'm happy Biden and Kamala are showing them what real leadership, happiness and love for your fellow citizen look like. They seem to only be happy when they can put other people down.
Thank you for the interesting astronomy info, particularly the Messier Catalog. I'd never heard of it. I'm loving these photographs you've been sharing. I can't even grasp how it's possible that we can measure the distances you speak of --- hundreds, thousands, millions of light years! And that most of the cosmos is a vacuum? Fabulously wondrous!!!
Yes, please continue with the astronomy info & pictures! I ended up subscribing to space.com after one of your posts where one of your followers recommended an article at their site (sorry I don’t remember who it was, but a big “thank you!” to them.)
"The RNC just announced it will spend $68 million to attack Kamala Harris."
Sixty-eight million dollars. From morbidly wealthy donors, I'm sure. $68M squandered on a losing candidate, by rich donors hoping to preserve EVEN MORE of the cash they have never needed.
Can you imagine the mouths that 68 million dollars is not feeding?
This is a fact that should be amplified. Greed over compassion…Musk and his compatriots…plan on running this country for their endless greed and they have come too close to succeeding. Time to stop them is way overdue.
That $68M is just a days earning if they get more tax breaks. That is why they are willing to put so much money behind Trump / Vance. They view it as an investment.
The colossal wealth of the billionaire class is daunting. Elon Musk's net worth alone is somewhere around $230 billion dollars. So if he took one billion and put in a long term savings account for a year, he would earn around $50 million. So he could take 1% of his net worth. $2.3 billion dollars and save that for a year he would be able to give $100 million to the Trump campaign and be not a cent "poorer." ( He earlier apparently promised $45 million a month, but has recently said that the amount is less than that.) But even it is $50 million a month and he started on August 1st and gave the same amount monthly until November AND never made another cent of profit on any of his assets during that 4 month period. He would decrease his net worth only to the 229,900,000,000, which would be more than enough to live on in unimaginable luxury and an amount equivalent to the net worth of 116,000 Americans at the median. The signers of the Declaration of Independence pledged their "lives," their fortunes, and their "sacred honor," and many lost the first two items.
The billionaires on the right will not risk their lives or their fortunes. By supporting Donald Trump they have already lost the last item in that triad. But rich doesn't make you smart, and even smart doesn't make you right. We will beat them in caring, in working, in including all Americans, and in good fighting for the right.
Just a little capsule of how the energy has changed in KY...our Louisville Dem Volunteers hold a monthly post carding event at a local brewery. Normally we have 5-10 people...last night we had 37 show up...multicultural, multigenerational and SO much excitement. Many are agreeing to door knock with us. Another group, Freedom Summer 2024 (program in conjunction with HBCU Simmons College) , is organizing/training to knock doors of people who either don't vote or vote very infrequently. We'll have conversations about what matters to them and hope to encourage them to make a plan to vote! We're holding Freedom Summer political education meetings at different community centers and the attendance is steadily picking up. We know we are a blue dot in an ultra red state but we also have our dedicated, wonderful Democratic Governor, Andy Beshear. Hopeful and grateful and doing the good work of protecting Democracy
The ad is brilliant and so refreshing… it’s a political as I will watch and share again and again because it actually made me feel good! It was energizing, relevant, and uplifting.
As the Harris Campaign is “reaching for the stars” so should you Robert. You have continually identified the asteroid “Project 2025” and hopefully it passes the earth.
Thiel is a pathetic shell of a man whose only goal in life is accumulating ever more wealth. Are Americans going to allow this person and those who share his obsession to destroy our country? NO!
Couldn't agree more. I know we are supposed to embrace several opinions - but his are disgusting. Frankly I think he is intentionally provocative and wants to get under our skin. Judging by the number and intensity of the comments - he succeeds
Thank you for the photos and your astronomy education. your enthusiasm is contagious! The beauty and certainty of the universe is a great antidote to this uncertain time on our little world.
The calmness, but not complacency, of far less folks commenting a couple hours (5 am EST/2 PST) after you dropped your perspective Robert, speaks volumes.
Several begin with praising your astronomical input. I recall less about a week ago that you were going to cease this as an unnecessary distraction. Wise choice to keep it open to the sky.
My former college roommate is a renowned astrophysicist who, together with her astrophysicist husband, devoted her career to, among other things, charting the galaxies of the universe. The two of them were among the first galactic cartographers . I’m going to forward your recent editions to her. I think she will enjoy them! I’m sure you know about the new radio telescope in Chile set to go online next year. That’s her project. I mention all of this because I’m so grateful that you’re reminding us how very important it is to keep our perspective at this pivotal time in our nation’s history.
Finally, I want to thank you for helping us get through the long, dark tunnel of the last month. We’re finally seeing the light. May we be victorious in this fight to save not only the soul of the nation, but the republic itself.
I like the astronomy talk. It helps keep perspective about where we are in the overall scheme of things. I don't mean that as a put down. that a small being on a small planet orbiting a small star on the outer edge of a small galaxy can look out at creation and comprehend it shows how incredible we actually are.
I couldn't agree more TC. Thank you for continuing to educate us, Robert. I loved reading about Mr. Messier!! And, I am always a bit flummoxed to see that you are taking your incredible photos in LA!! I clearly have an erroneous image of that city's night sky in my mind!! Your pictures are beautiful!! Thank you!
You know, with so many people urging Harris to choose Mark Kelly as VP, this could be an excellent theme for him to frame his speeches with. “We occupy an amazing, fragile Blue Marble. The space we have explored already does not include life like ours. I should know. I’ve been there. What we do going forward in the next four years will determine if we look like the moon, or begin healing our precious earth, and all its life-supporting systems.”
I would love Mark Kelly, but I worry about how we would replace him as a Senator in the current system? Does the Governor of Arizona make the choice, or would there be an election? That's a concern for me!
Gov. Katie Hobbs would appoint a replacement für Mark Kelly.
U.S. Senate Vacancies: How Are They Filled?:
https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF11907
To replace Kelly with another Democrat to fill his Senate seat could be difficult.
Democrats need Kelly to stay in the Senate.
So which of you is correct about replacing Kelly in the Senate? You're saying different things.
The governor will appoint a Democrat to the Senate seat but the question may be about who the potential appointees may be. Are there others who would be good choices?
Excellent! You could be his speech writer!
Jocelyn B, you are too kind.
:-)
Yes, indeed TC. Nothing at all is nebulous about what transpires in the next hundred days, is there?
Not. At. All.
I've never seen Mark Kelly and Mr. Hubbell in the same room together. Maybe they are the same person? LOL just kidding. I love the fact that we are all incredibly small but still trying to make the world a better place. Us being here in this moment with each other is incredible. Let's not forget it.
I agree. The astronomy photos and talk put some perspective on our earth and where we sit in an enormous universe.
ditto! thanks so much, Robert, for all you do to help us keep a healthy perspective. stars, galaxies, and nebulae are just icing on our little tiny cake.
I also appreciate your astronomy asides, Robert. Your photographs are beautiful and your commentary is enlightening.
I’m puzzled, though, by the clarity of your long-exposure photos taken from light-polluting LA. Are you using filters? What kinds?
Finally! As a dual UK/US citizen residing mostly in Wales I read the Guardian every day. I have been appalled at the bias they have towards treating Trump as if he is just a normal person running for office in America. That and their ‘Biden can’t find the podium’ journalism made me sputter expletives into my coffee each morning. I started writing letters to the Editors about 6weeks ago calling them out every time they engaged in lazy click bait columns and unbalanced information. So, now they have woken up and made a pledge! Yay! I will hold them to it. My father stormed the beaches at Normandy to help save Britain from fascism, it’s only right and proper for Brits to return the favour and help us ride the blue wave. 😻💙🇺🇸🏴🙏
I am living in Germany mostly as a dual US/German citizen and I have written the Guardian regularly to complain. I am going to stop giving them money too. I have asked what is the point of being independent if they tow the party line. I basically think they are all too chummy with the US press. I have complained to Politico Berlin too for also parroting what the US press has said. I am seeing all journalism more critically, and seeing how poor the journalistic training is appearing to be. It should be mandatory to learn how to cover a campaign with a fascist candidate from people who are experts in fascism like Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Timothy Snyder, Anne Applebaum and others. Prof. Kathleen Belew contributed to a A Field Guide to White Supremacy, after writing Bring the War Home: The White Power Movement and Paramilitary America. Her book is quite necessary to them understanding what we are seeing with these so called, "Lone Wolf" shooters that I do not see any evidence the press is aware of. I think journalists should do more reading and less writing and put some historical context in their articles.
Bravo! I have no doubt that your pestering had an impact. Thank you!!
That’s what my goal is in writing letters to the editors. Perhaps they’ll all come around to balance and fairness and let the voters decide for themselves.
Robin, Richard, Linda and many others who are writing letters to editors, broadcasters and other "opinion leaders," not to mention legislators.
I have written several letters myself, and I cheer on you more diligent and attentive eagle-eyed readers and responders. You can have an impact and that impact gets multiplied. One might call you watchdogs, but I think Raptors for Democracy would be a good term. You fly above the fray and see when journalists and quasi-journalistic newsreaders are wrong, and just plain lazy. And then you strike. David Brooks's piece in the NYT that Robert mentions is a good target. He presumes to give Kamala Harriet letter grades, such as a C in composure, and quotes as evidence his own 2019 (notice the date) column on her Presidential campaign and the story that his "colleagues," i.e. highly paid savants of the NYT, who did a story on her last February, and insiders who say she can be "ruthless" and tough to work for. Golly, I'm shocked, I think I better vote for a person whose closes colleagues have called him a "moron" and whose energy is spent on Truth Social tweets and playing golf. Fasten your seat belts ladies and gentlemen and transitioning and non-binary fellow citizens, it's going to be a bumpy flight when we get Made for Hillary insults 2.0, and "why is she so snarky" comments, and veiled charges that she is being "uppity" when she simply points out that the person on the debate stage against her is a vicious liar, adjudicated sexual predator, with the morals and leadership ability and personality of horny toad, and the "composrure" of a rattlesnake. Time to have the conversations when people repeat this crap and to call it out when we see it, not to win the battle of the press, but to pierce the bubble of the "of course, you agree with me" that comes from the media elites and our backyard conservative neighbors. As I talk to family and friends, many marvel at my political engagement this year, which is beaucoup modest compared to almost everyone in the Hubbell Community, and caution that I should take it easy, get more sleep or take a walk in nature -- all good advice, but it is of a piece with those who would turn political passion in defense of liberty into a pathology. The pathology is on those on the right who want to impose their regressive agenda on the rest of us. Well, we can be full of passionate intensity too and you all give me and many more courage to speak up, speak out, work and share the courage you give me. Thank you.
Thanks for your excellent response. Although I’ve unsubscribed from the NYT, I still write letters to the Editor when our friends on Sub Stack refer to such damming articles. I just had one accepted! I’ll follow with David Brooks to let him know my disappointment.
Congrats. I'll check out your letter.
Well said! Three things: 1) David Brooks' opinions aren't worth my time nor energy; and 2) the advice you cite (Take it easy, get more sleep, take a walk) smacks of patronizing which most women have endured forever, it seems. I'm sure Kamala Harris has felt it too and knows how to respond, and 3) If someone once said she was "tough" to work for - that sounds more like sour grapes than anything to me. I've been called "soft in manner with a spine of steel" and that means I don't back down, I hold high expectations for myself and others, etc. That's "tough" for those whose work ethic is questionable.
Ellen, you are surely right about the patronizing implications of those "rest up" comments and the frequency with which they have been applied to women. One of my other favorite cloaks for patronization is: "You are taking this all (or worse, yourself) too seriously. Lighten up." When I worked as the Associate Dean of Faculty at a prominent women's college, I led programs for women's leadership outside the classroom and worked hard to help young women take their ambitions and themselves seriously in a world that often doesn't take them seriously. Interestingly, when I became the president of a college for men, I found that young men as well as young women often faced pressures to "relax" don't take life, politics, studies, etc. too seriously. This experience has led me to be particularly encouraged by young leaders male and female, gay, straight, non-binary, non-heteronormative, whatever, who are taking their lives, politics, and their power very seriously.
What an affirming response. Thank you. Your own personal leadership no doubt has resulted in many of those young people having successful lives and leaving their own mark on society. I call that legacy building!
Loved your comment Patrick! I was a Zoo Keeper for 40 years and worked with many Raptors. They are ferocious and relentless. Their soaring flights above our house on the edge of Snowdonia National forest are very beautiful and deadly. The hawks in the morning and the owls at night is our motto. One day the cats were acting weird and I went into the lounge and a short-eared owl was sitting on our sofa. I transferred it outside and felt blessed by the visit.
My friends and family also have remarked with trepidation about my active engagement in the current US political cycle. I am returning to Seattle for Sept and oct to get out the vote, But, heck, the danger and dread is palatable. And the media has not been doing a good job of informing the public of the very real danger to Democracy happening right before our eyes. I have never read David Brooks, mostly because my dearly departed dance partner Dennis said every time he saw his name in the NYT he thought, ‘thank god! Something I can skip reading and enjoy an extra 30min of enjoying my life’.
So, since I just got up from a nap and read the latest news I can now go down to the Irish Sea and breathe some salty air. Then it’s back to the fight tomorrow, riding the blue wave.
Beautiful writing, Robin. I was an English professor for many years. Beautifully done and your motto inspired in me a bit of verse that is not quite a poem, but maybe a serviceable cheer for the work ahead.
We soar above the land of the free
Flying in hope and solidarity
Seeking justice, peace, and equality.
Like hawks in the morning and owls at night
We're Raptors of Democracy!
Fight! Fight! Fight!
Nice! 😻 I particularly like to think of one small orange corpulent mouse with a rather too large ear bandage scurrying furtively through the long grass of American Politics as the eagle on the dollar bill drops the arrows from one talon and, with deadly aim, swoops down for the kill. With the olive branch in the other talon he then flys over the fruited plains and scatters the tiny bones of deceit, deception and delusion to the four winds as he finishes off his somewhat distasteful meal. Fight! fight! Fight! Indeed!
Good chuckle at your vivid scenario. I see a dramatic animated video, one probably too strong for an ad. You painted it in rich detail though. I can really see it. May your work in Seattle bring success and satisfaction and appreciation. Wales to Washington -- two beautiful places and the despoiling of even the less dramatic beautiful natural world, like here in Indiana, is yet another reason why we must stop Project 2025 and retain some sanity as a nation.
Interesting that you use the word "pledge." I replied to Ms. Warren's email asking in the subject line, "Is that a pledge?" and noting that finally we have a major news organization with some integrity, unafraid to include context in reporting and not trapped by its own narrow-minded and facile interpretation of "balance."
My exhortation: "Now do it. Every day. I, and millions of other readers, will be watching."
As the swift-boaters currently must work 24/7 to concoct a mud campaign against the new nominee I'd like to share my two-cents worth on the personality of the VP. I had the pleasure of a lengthy one-on-one with her in 2016 when she was the AG in California. Germany didn't have any cases or other pending issues within her jurisdiction but as part of our networking efforts of the Consulate General I had asked for a courtesy visit. It could have been over after 20 minutes of exchanging some pleasantries. I wanted to make it worth her time, though, and came well prepared talking about how we dealt with certain aspects of issues which fell into her area of responsibility as AG in California. She was gracious, sharp, intellectually curious, asked questions and follow-up questions. The meeting lasted 45 minutes in the end, she was committed and on top of her game throughout.
Anecdotal? Sure. But still...I will sleep well at night knowing her in the White House. We all should.
Thanks for sharing,Stefan.As the mud-slinging campaign against VP Kamala will be 24/7 until Nov 5, wanted to share with readers Jay Kuo’s post on how to counter attacks and blunt assaults.
https://open.substack.com/pub/thinkbigpicture/p/kamala-harris-racist-misogynistic-attacks?r=fqsxl&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
😂 Ka-MALA: Make America Laugh Again.😂
Thanks for sharing, Kathy. Great piece (as usual) by Jay Kuo. It should be kept and bookmarked to be forwarded when needed. And it will be needed.
Thanks Stefan. It's very helpful to get this sort of up close one on one view of her. Gives me even more confidence in her than I already had.
“Swift boaters”! Wow - I’d forgotten (mentally buried?) that.
Robert, you go with the astronomical talk. It's a refreshing and educational end to the sometimes seeming drudgery of the daily political news. I really enjoy how you brilliantly weave stories of the cosmos and politics. Your photos are incredible. Thank you Robert for your insight and wisdom!
Thank you Henry. Well said for all of us.
Talk about nimble and lightning-fast responses, how about all these record-breaking zoom calls fundraising for Kamala Harris?
On today's white women Answer the Call 2024 zoom, Glennon Doyle noted that "our silence will not protect us," if Trump becomes president, we along with our rights and freedoms will be mass cancelled, we need to step up our grassroots work (door-knocking, phone banking, and talking to our friends, family, and neighbors) even if it feels uncomfortable, and keeping focus on our Why will help us persist through the coming 100 days.
https://www.youtube.com/live/8VxGlONBejg?si=FQ5IU2YO0iU3eGpp
The follow up organizing zoom by Women for Kamala Harris (formerly Women for Biden-Harris) is set for Monday at 7 pm ET (originally scheduled for Sunday but is now on Monday due to such high demand). Sign up for Monday here: https://events.democrats.org/event/653900/
How to volunteer, even from home, for Harris for President 2024:
https://events.democrats.org/
P.S. Sparked by the epic Black Women's zoom for Kamala Harris on Sunday night (the same day as when Biden announced he was endorsing her!), Black men, white women, AAPI, Youths, LGBTQ, and others have followed suit in the 4 days since then. What's up, progressive white men for Kamala Harris?
Please ask those folks to partner with Field Team 6. Register new Democrats -- save the world.
https://www.fieldteam6.org/
Donated!!!
I started out on the young voters Zoom and then switched to the “White women’s” call. Simply amazing. And, hopefully, all the money raised will help in many ways including countering the negative ads that are to come.
There was a White Men Against MAGA (or something to that effect) call last night that my husband joined right before I joined the WW for KH call - it was organized by SURJ and was similar to the WW Against MAGA call that I attended Wednesday night. I believe I heard somewhere that there is/will be a WM for KH call organized soon. So they're coming on board but just not as fast as the women did :-)
One main difference I've seen between Kamala and Biden thus far is getting new people out to vote and motivating the youth. Hopefully that overcomes Kamala's weakness right now with the > 65 crowd that Biden was doing better with. Overall though there is excitement and it shows that one party was willing to listen to the American people.
The White Dudes for Harris zoom on Monday, July 29, is being organized by the founder of Run For Something, Ross Rocketto:
https://x.com/rossmorock/status/1816832257430262069?t=G1vnalQqxYifVbjonWfCIA
Here you go. White Dudes for Harris on Monday, July 29 at 8:00 pm ET/ 5:00 pm PT:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfv8CbvFVggb-D6bQ1-oPUNULwk6f1qzkjufYGIWFiCQ0Z8RA/viewform
Vetted:
https://www.threads.net/@timfullerton/post/C9418EOOfHE/?xmt=AQGzhds2QrQzpuLcjXpitA5EJkJCjFJr9baG2bJukF6qSg
I love how positive Kamala Harris is compared to the gloom, doom, nastiness, & negativity of that old guy (don-OLD Trump)…. She has given us hope.
donOLDtrump. Love it Jean!
Can’t take credit for it as I saw George Conway use it when talking with Sarah Longwell on THE BULWARK YouTube video. So appropriate!
Reminds me of Mad Magazine Darn-old Duck.
The glee felt by hate-filled trumpsters as they attack decent people is the glee I feel as Kamala's campaign fires back. I feel represented, protected, defended. What a good feeling!
The more it backfires, the more negative they will double down and get further in the mud to sling dirt at Kamala it only makes them look worse. Just the other day on Fox News they also called her a ‘Hawk Tuah girl’ in sexist outburst from Alec Lace who also called her a DEI hire.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/kamala-harris-hawk-tuah-girl-b2585899.html
These are not serious people... When party leadership has to remind normal people to not be racist or sexist, maybe you are on the wrong team. What a bunch of hateful people. I'm happy Biden and Kamala are showing them what real leadership, happiness and love for your fellow citizen look like. They seem to only be happy when they can put other people down.
(Just looked up Hawk Tuah girl. Wow, way to be disgusting, Alec!) (Also, whoever said that Kamala had been "an escort" - seriously?!?
I was quite surprised when I learned Mikey Johnson had told the repubs to tone it down! Perhaps he has a shred of decency in him? Maybe?
Nah. Just about faking it.
YES! Kamala's team is doing a superb job, and I just love how they are using social media!
Thank you for the interesting astronomy info, particularly the Messier Catalog. I'd never heard of it. I'm loving these photographs you've been sharing. I can't even grasp how it's possible that we can measure the distances you speak of --- hundreds, thousands, millions of light years! And that most of the cosmos is a vacuum? Fabulously wondrous!!!
Yes, please continue with the astronomy info & pictures! I ended up subscribing to space.com after one of your posts where one of your followers recommended an article at their site (sorry I don’t remember who it was, but a big “thank you!” to them.)
"The RNC just announced it will spend $68 million to attack Kamala Harris."
Sixty-eight million dollars. From morbidly wealthy donors, I'm sure. $68M squandered on a losing candidate, by rich donors hoping to preserve EVEN MORE of the cash they have never needed.
Can you imagine the mouths that 68 million dollars is not feeding?
This is a fact that should be amplified. Greed over compassion…Musk and his compatriots…plan on running this country for their endless greed and they have come too close to succeeding. Time to stop them is way overdue.
That $68M is just a days earning if they get more tax breaks. That is why they are willing to put so much money behind Trump / Vance. They view it as an investment.
The colossal wealth of the billionaire class is daunting. Elon Musk's net worth alone is somewhere around $230 billion dollars. So if he took one billion and put in a long term savings account for a year, he would earn around $50 million. So he could take 1% of his net worth. $2.3 billion dollars and save that for a year he would be able to give $100 million to the Trump campaign and be not a cent "poorer." ( He earlier apparently promised $45 million a month, but has recently said that the amount is less than that.) But even it is $50 million a month and he started on August 1st and gave the same amount monthly until November AND never made another cent of profit on any of his assets during that 4 month period. He would decrease his net worth only to the 229,900,000,000, which would be more than enough to live on in unimaginable luxury and an amount equivalent to the net worth of 116,000 Americans at the median. The signers of the Declaration of Independence pledged their "lives," their fortunes, and their "sacred honor," and many lost the first two items.
The billionaires on the right will not risk their lives or their fortunes. By supporting Donald Trump they have already lost the last item in that triad. But rich doesn't make you smart, and even smart doesn't make you right. We will beat them in caring, in working, in including all Americans, and in good fighting for the right.
Just a little capsule of how the energy has changed in KY...our Louisville Dem Volunteers hold a monthly post carding event at a local brewery. Normally we have 5-10 people...last night we had 37 show up...multicultural, multigenerational and SO much excitement. Many are agreeing to door knock with us. Another group, Freedom Summer 2024 (program in conjunction with HBCU Simmons College) , is organizing/training to knock doors of people who either don't vote or vote very infrequently. We'll have conversations about what matters to them and hope to encourage them to make a plan to vote! We're holding Freedom Summer political education meetings at different community centers and the attendance is steadily picking up. We know we are a blue dot in an ultra red state but we also have our dedicated, wonderful Democratic Governor, Andy Beshear. Hopeful and grateful and doing the good work of protecting Democracy
The ad is brilliant and so refreshing… it’s a political as I will watch and share again and again because it actually made me feel good! It was energizing, relevant, and uplifting.
I’m with her!!
Sharon, is there a link to this ad that you could post? I missed it.
Hi Jocelyn, try this… It was in a substack from TC
https://open.substack.com/pub/tcinla757/p/first-harris-ad?r=33q4a&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
As the Harris Campaign is “reaching for the stars” so should you Robert. You have continually identified the asteroid “Project 2025” and hopefully it passes the earth.
Thiel is a pathetic shell of a man whose only goal in life is accumulating ever more wealth. Are Americans going to allow this person and those who share his obsession to destroy our country? NO!
Couldn't agree more. I know we are supposed to embrace several opinions - but his are disgusting. Frankly I think he is intentionally provocative and wants to get under our skin. Judging by the number and intensity of the comments - he succeeds
Thank you for the photos and your astronomy education. your enthusiasm is contagious! The beauty and certainty of the universe is a great antidote to this uncertain time on our little world.
The calmness, but not complacency, of far less folks commenting a couple hours (5 am EST/2 PST) after you dropped your perspective Robert, speaks volumes.
Several begin with praising your astronomical input. I recall less about a week ago that you were going to cease this as an unnecessary distraction. Wise choice to keep it open to the sky.
Please take care of yourself!
My former college roommate is a renowned astrophysicist who, together with her astrophysicist husband, devoted her career to, among other things, charting the galaxies of the universe. The two of them were among the first galactic cartographers . I’m going to forward your recent editions to her. I think she will enjoy them! I’m sure you know about the new radio telescope in Chile set to go online next year. That’s her project. I mention all of this because I’m so grateful that you’re reminding us how very important it is to keep our perspective at this pivotal time in our nation’s history.
Finally, I want to thank you for helping us get through the long, dark tunnel of the last month. We’re finally seeing the light. May we be victorious in this fight to save not only the soul of the nation, but the republic itself.