74 Comments
Mar 9, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

Thank you Robert for your thoughtful and supportive comments re: the continuing attacks on LGBTQ Americans. As a parent and ally of the trans community, I am terrified at the many hateful bills and rhetoric. I’m deeply worried for my kiddo’s safety and future. These attacks are akin to the antisemitism of the 20th century. The ember of hate directed at a group of people can easily explode in violence as happened in Rwanda. This is unbearable for me to consider, and I believe it is possible, it could happen here. Also - I completely agree with the need for calm and caution regarding Ukraine. Putin is a brutal, evil, vengeful man who is playing games with nuclear deterrence. We can not survive a nuclear war, and we must never threaten it. I am very grateful Biden is measured, calm, and and deeply aware of the dangers and parameters of responsible leadership and the principle of MAD. The world can’t survive a nuclear war; we must never play games with such an outcome.

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Well said, "The ember of hate." That is what these anti-LGBTQ bills are: Embers of hate. Stay strong, Janice, and continue your good work for the trans community.

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Mar 9, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

My sentiments exactly on all counts. I an the mother of a beautiful, just, kind, generous transgender person. They deserve every degree of sober and full regard accorded to each member of humanity. The evil attacks on LGBTQ+ people must be viewed with the same lens we now apply to transgressions against Jewish people by Hitler and Black people by Southern oligarchs. This is our fight today and I pray we will land on the right side of history on this one.

I give thanks every day that Biden is in the White House and I am working every day to expand the Democratic majority.

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Thaks for being a supportive mother of your transgender child. Know that most Americans are with you in this fight. It will take time, but we will arrive at a place where it is no longer socially acceptable to pick on any group because of their innate humanity.

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I’m with you Gene! Thank you again Robert for being a strong ally!

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Mar 9, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

Yes, and must add: thank you Robert for a dose of hope every day! I am so happy to be a paid subscriber. Any little thing I can do to support your work is my privilege.

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If you have not already done so, I urge all to visit the website of Kyiv Independent (https://kyivindependent.com/). Please support this important "on-the-ground" independent news source for events and the rapidly changing situation in Ukraine. You can also subscribe to their Ukraine Daily update newsletter there. There is no charge for the Newsletter but if you are able you can make donations to support their work on this webpage also. My friends in Ukraine as well as ex-pat Ukrainians tell me they rely heavily on this news source for reliable updates and information.

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Mar 9, 2022·edited Mar 10, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

Thank you for your work. I've come to count on this newsletter at the end of the day not only for the analysis but the strong dose of hope. I feel as though I should put the concluding thoughts of all the newsletters on some kind of a loop.

I'd like to share something I just heard from an interview with Mariame Kaba: “Hope is a discipline. It’s less about 'how you feel,' and more about the practice of making a decision every day, that you’re still going to put one foot in front of the other, that you’re still going to get up in the morning. And you’re still going to struggle, (...)

It’s work to be hopeful. It’s not like a fuzzy feeling. Like, you have to actually put in energy, time, and you have to be clear-eyed, and you have to hold fast to having a vision. It’s a hard thing to maintain. But it matters to have it, to believe that it’s possible, to change the world."

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Mar 9, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

Love Mariame Kaba! Love "Hope is a discipline" quote. Feel like Robert is a shining example of this maxim.

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Thanks for sharing the quote from Mariame. I will remember and use it!

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Mar 9, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

Thank you so much for your full throated comments about the attacks on the LGBTQ community. I recently had to explain to a friend, who sees the world differently from me, and who feels the “problem” is so many trying to make “too many changes too fast” and that she and her children “don’t hate gays or people of other colors or races” so we should just slow it down and know that the next generation will make some more changes and we shouldn’t be trying to “push change” on folks who aren’t ready for it. I had to explain to her that my rights, and those of any other stigmatized community, do not need to wait until people who are judging us for being who we are, to be comfortable. We too, have this one lifetime and we deserve to be comfortable as well.

Racism in America (she believes we are not racist and we’re not founded with systemic racism) proves to us that people have the ability to fight their entire lifetimes to achieve what should never have been denied them, knowing full well they will never see it in their lifetimes or maybe even their children's. That is bravery, courage, and commitment. It is also proof that human rights are WORTH IT. Not something to be granted when the privileged have had time to “process and absorb” it.

Your words matter and your sharing them is deeply appreciated.

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Hi, Patti. I hear those comments from readers from time to time--although it is a tiny fraction of the comments I receive. Still, it takes my breath away every time I hear it. One reader recently sent a note saying "God made only two genders." I sent him two articles--one on the percentage of intersex births and one on the variations of chromosomes (e.g. XXY, XYY, XXXY). He wrote back and said, "God made only two genders except for those few exceptions you mention." He did not see how the exceptions disproved the rule.

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Robert, I learned long ago that some minds will never be changed. But we just keep trying and soon enough of them will be changed that we can all live decently. In just my lifetime, the willingness to say “I am an ally” and not keep silent has changed so much. I no longer expect hatred, I’m just not surprised when I see it. If we are all willing to say “I’m an exception” they will have to face the fact that someone they care about is also one. That’s what changes minds.

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Well said Patti. The problem with what your friend is saying: rights that have been hard earned and should be self-evident are now being taken away by a minority of Americans fueled by fear and hate. We have come to the change step by step. Now voting rights are being taken away from many, especially black and brown Americans, and the minority is trying to label LGBT people and ally’s as criminals. People need to be educated. First they come for others, then they come for me.

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Mar 9, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

As a Clinical Social Worker for 37 years I have seen the confusion, anxiety and depression that LGBTQ children and teens struggle with as well as adults. These bills are about power and control, marginalizing the most vulnerable parts of our society as a way to act out rage and attain power mostly by powerful white men. Whether it’s people of color, those in poverty, women or the LGBTQ community, the goal is to divide and conquer. It is psychopathology at its core and it is despicable. I subscribe to Jessica Craven and guided by her email, wrote all major companies in Texas about the impact of Abbott’s bill against trans youth and parents. I will write her today about doing the same thing in FL.

Robert, you are so right that we take it one day at a day, no crystal balls, we must just act over and over again to benefit the world and the generations to come.

Thank you for your newsletters and this community!

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Angela, thanks for your work supporting LGBTQ children and teens. It is maddening that the GOP platform for 2022 wants to tell these children and teens they don't exist because "there are two genders." The ignorance of Rick Scott is staggering.

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Mar 9, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

I wrote them too! They should be inundated!

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Mar 9, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

How to subscribe to Jessica Craven? I want to write too!

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Put Chop Wood Carry Water in your search engine and you’ll find her. Be well.

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Thanks, Angela. I’m in Florida and a fan/follower of Jessica. She’s fighting hard for the LGBTQ community.

Not feeling “the magic” of Disney : https://www.npr.org/2022/03/08/1085130633/disney-response-florida-bill-dont-say-gay

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Thank you! She is and I’m also not happy with Disney!

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“Coming to the defense of those being stigmatized is a moral duty, not a culture war”: magnificent, Robert! I think we should discuss Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham and their ilk as Lord Haw-Haw and Tokyo Rose. They are perilously close to traitors, although we are not officially at war.

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Yep! Three days ago, I made the comparison of MJT and Boerbert to Tokyo Rose and The Georgia Peach.

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How could I have missed that? Maybe I just absorbed it!

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We are at war with them and their ilk.

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Mar 9, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

Thank you for your newsletter! And for sticking up for LGBTQIA rights. This is an attack on those rights not seen since late 1970’s with Anita Bryant and the arrival of the AIDS crisis. In Texas, clinics have already stopped dispensing gender affirming to be transgender people. Between Fla, Texas, Ohio, Iowa and dozen more states, many LGBTQIA youth and adults will attempt and some succeed at suicide. One transgender activist in Lincoln, NE took his life last week trying to prevent an anti-transgender measure from being placed on the ballot there. Hate should have no place in our society.

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You are right on all counts, and I am saddened to hear of the death of the transgender activist in Lincoln, NE. As I said, it is a moral duty to defend those who are the object of hate.

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Oh my god how sad. So glad to see so many ally’s here. Not surprising, because Robert is such a powerful ally.

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I'd like to thank you for today's "Concluding Thoughts." So very powerful, and true. Michael J. Fox said something like, "I've learned not to worry about the worst that might happen, because if it does, then I've lived through the pain of it twice." Worry is a drain on our energy and the media thrives on feeding that fire, which only burns all our internal fuel. Instead, we must, as you say, work to SHAPE the future we desire. Thank you for your continued optimism, which is always grounded in facts and bolstered by information about ways we can all help. And THANK YOU for pushing back on readers who are "tired" of LGBTQ content. You said it best, the GOP is (across so many issues) creating a culture war. It is our moral obligation to stand up (like Zelensky) and say, "No, we will not accept that, we will not bow to your 'power,' we will fight until good prevails."

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"Worry is a drain on our energy"

What a great statement! Thanks

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“There is much more, but I want to return to my call for calm and perspective in a dangerous situation. What is happening in Ukraine is inhumane and immoral. But the answer cannot be to start a nuclear war. Some readers continue to argue that Putin is bluffing and that we should engage in direct military confrontation in Ukraine to stop Putin. That cannot happen and (thankfully) will not happen on Joe Biden’s watch. Putin has threatened nuclear deterrence in response to direct military intervention. Anger and outrage are not substitutes for sober assessments by the US intelligence community. Though we should do all we can for Ukraine short of direct military intervention, we must stay our current course—for the sake of humanity and the world.”

I have quoted this here to emphasize the importance of this cautionary advisory. Thank goodness we no longer have an unhinged and dangerous Commander and Chief in the Oval Office. I hesitate to think what might be happening were a less thoughtful President and unqualified and inexperienced “hands on the wheel” at present.

Just as we have seen the leadership qualities of Zelenski emerge in Ukraine, so have President Biden’s come to the fore also. The Ukraine Russia crisis is bringing out the best in both Zelenski and Biden as the world responds. Now is a time requiring leadership and a steady hand. American patriotism will face a crucial test as the consequences of this crisis evolve and become more apparent and impactful. We will be tested. Our test will not be as challenging as that of Ukraine but it will nevertheless be a test. My hope is that we all show at least a small portion of the courage and resolve of Ukrainians. My fear is that while I am confident in the courage of most, I fear the weaknesses and whining of those like Tucker Carlson who are either too weak, too dumb, too selfish, or too treacherous to stand up when courage, resolve, and real thought are required of all.

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Mar 9, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

Thank you again for your brilliant analyses! I often send out a sentence or two from your newsletter as the "quote of the day." Today's quote has to be RE LGBTQ - "Coming to the defense of those being stigmatized is a moral duty, not a culture war."

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I may have to add that as my e-mail "signature".

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Mar 9, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

Great idea!

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I simply cannot imagine the tough job that President Biden has when Fox not-news personalities broadcast Russian propaganda to millions of people and when our own Republican elected officials try to sabotage him at all times. No matter what he says, or what a good job he is doing, people pounce on it ready to distort it. Isn't there anything we can do with Rupert Murdoch and Tucker Carlson? I'm thinking Tokyo Rose here.

Now that I have gotten that off of my chest, I would like to share with you last night's "Breakdown" from the Lincoln Project. Tara Setmayer interviewed General Mark Hertling and he gave the best explanation of why we cannot implement a no-fly zone. He starts at minute 15:30 if you are short on time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf1luErC-8s

Finally, let me leave you with some good news. If you hadn't heard, Leonardo DiCaprio donated $10M to the Ukranian Armed Forces: https://twitter.com/OccupyDemocrats/status/1501291728900395009

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Mar 9, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

I try really hard not to click on any articles from or about Tucker Carlson & others like him. I figure if more people stop clicking, they will go down in the rankings & journalists will move to other topics.

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Annette, thanks for both links. I will check them out. I always appreciate it when readers refer me to sources.

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Mar 9, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

Thank you, Robert. I rely on "Today's Edition" too much to continue reading it for free, so I have subscribed. I've watched your publication evolve since 2020 when a friend forwarded it to me. He was trying to help me 'calm' down during the election period. I haven't stopped reading your posts since. I found everything you wrote today of import, especially the LGBTQ issue. I've ordered the book to which you provided a link. Thank you, again, for your hard work. Robert Reich's post today asked whether or not we should take a chance and support Ukraine with a no-fly zone via Germany. There was so much animus in the responses that I could not write anything for fear of stirring more anger. We've gone and will continue to go through tough times. But I believe that Ukraine standing firm as Russia attempts to scorch them may help our country, and others, regain their hearts and resolve to do good, to take 'right' actions, to be better human beings. It's only a feeling but we will more than survive this. We will emerge in victory...in time. This I do believe.

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Mar 9, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

Thank you. This is so timely on so many levels and, as always, hopeful.

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Well, I had my first Zoom meeting with fellow DFL (Democratic-Farm-Labor party in Minnesota) Monday night. I am getting involved in grass-roots, local elections and am now a delegate for our district nominating convention on April 9, and then, if elected as a delegate, the state nominating convention in May. It's unfamiliar territory for me and signed up for the committee that prepares name tags and checks people in so I can really start to see and meet others who are involved. There is little chance that I would be doing this without the encourage and direction of Robert and other readers. Thank you!

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DFL is great! Keep up the good work!

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BRAVO!!! 👏👏👏

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Mar 9, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

Regarding paid subscription--it is an honor to be able to support your amazing work!

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Hi, Jordan. Thanks for your support and counsel over the years. It means a lot.

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Mar 9, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

Great post!

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“The future is something that we can shape, but not something we can foresee. Let’s not waste energy worrying about the future. Instead, let’s put that energy into shaping it.”

We get the future we build together. And, if we work hard at that and make good choices, the future we have earned. The future, whatever it brings, will however, be the one we deserve. Worrying about the future is pointless as it is unknown and unknowable. Better to be engaged in making it.

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