I pray we make it as a nation and that MAGA tears itself apart for the sake of all of us and we all wake up as a nation. This feels like the post apocalypse and we are struggling to live in this new reality.
It is kind of like that, especially since the majority voted for it. I know the popular theory is that they didn't know what they were doing because they were brainwashed by all the lies and misinformation. For some of course that's true but mostly I think they absolutely did know what they were doing. It's too bad that the Democrats didn't do more to stop it. I don't know what more they could have done - some say that even the day after the inauguration in 2020 was too late to stop trump. It's hard to believe that he got away with every crime, and that no one could do anything to stop any of it or bring him to justice. It's hard to continue to believe in the American justice system when this happens. The only thing left is to watch the people who voted for him, and the people who didn't vote at all, not get anything they want - whether it's cheaper prices or stopping wars or building walls and fences. With trump, no one gets what they want except him.
Most of the reasons people cited for voting for Trump are inaccurate, based on lies and overall ignorance of voters, too often willful ignorance, and, of course, the sexism and racism that runs through the veins of this country.
America will dramatically change tomorrow, as it's first ever President will be sworn in to report to a board of oligarchs who have bought him.
Tomorrow will be hard. We enter a defining epoch that will shape our nation and the globe for generations to come.
They seek to dismember democracy, eradicate our liberties and extinguish our resolve!
The Autocracy supported by corporatism will begin to forever change this country.
This is what MAGA voted for.
I will be wearing this "A convicted felon will never be my president" shirt the next four years 👇
Everyone, please stop saying ' the majority ! ' The traitor received 49.8 % of the reported vote. That's less than half, *not* even a simple majority of the vote !
You reference those who did not vote, good. On the order of 40% [ ! ] did not vote.
'Did not vote' won this election. Of the electorate, those citizens eligible to vote, about 30% voted for Harris, and 30% voted for the traitor, plus a get-out-of-jail free card. Barely, barely, barely. If less than 1% of only those who actually voted changed their vote to Harris, we would be celebrating.
We have a challenging fight, a monumental effort, to talk to the 70% who did not vote for this.
The overwhelming *super* majority of the electorate *did not vote* for this !
It's depressing as hell, but words are powerful. Giving them favors by saying 'they got the majority,' or 'the people voted for this,' hurts us bad. Nothing like !
We have to start, I believe, by always be alert to words and making the traitors who are taking power always hear that they are not legitimate, that they have a 'mindate,' the bare minimum, at the most, and ought to act like it, and we are still coming for them.
thanks for commenting, hope this exuberance is of service -- b.rad
ps one accounting is 30.5% for Harris, 31.5% for the traitor, and 36% did not vote, plus 'other.' My estimates are closer to 40% did not vote, so less than 30% voted for one or the other. None of those differences change the conversation in my mind.
pps -- 14th Amendment, every damn day ! He will not be legitimate at any time, and it will be exhausting to remind the media and the opposition of this, but it's the least we can do . . . !
Thank you, Brad. Of all the eligible voters in the US, one-third did not vote at all. The remaining two-thirds who voted were fairly evenly split between Trump, 49.80%, and Harris, 48.33% - a “victory” of only 1.47%. So we can safely say that one-third of the electorate voted for Trump, and two-thirds did not.
I console myself with this fact in these dark times. Trump has no mandate. He has always been a failure and a loser. Everything he touches dies. He can only win by cheating. He represents all that is wrong with humanity. He is globally distrusted and despised. As with all other autocrats in history, his downfall is inevitable.
We are the opposition. We must stand firm and never give in. As Dr. King wrote in his Letter from a Birmingham Jail:
“There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over, and men are no longer willing to be plunged into the abyss of despair.”
Stand fast, brothers and sisters. Our time is coming.
I’ve been seeing that 31% voted for trump. I personally believe that there was election hacking, as 45/7 admitted it twice last night at the rally. He likely signed his exit notice by saying this. He just can’t help himself.
Maybe he will do something stupid while in office that will piss off the American people and he will have to run to the basement of the white house to go hide in order to save his ass! I hope its coming! Give his ass back some of January 6th garbage that he pulled on others at our state capitol. See how he likes having to run and hide.
What comments he made leads to this belief? I think between him and Musk they bought the election. I didn't watch his rally, but did watch the earlier morning activities. thanks
And, unfortunately, some who did not vote are Democrats who didn’t vote for Harris because she is black, a woman, or both…they may not admit it, but I would love to see the breakdown of Democratic voters between 2020 and 2024.
We need to see that, and other reliable polls that can illuminate any differences between reported and expected votes. I hear they will come out slowly, in the next few months.
It’s maddening and dispiriting, to see that so many — just barely, just enough as reported, can’t forget the main point — could make such disgusting damaging decisions, so it’s hard to work on it all now, for me. Got to buck up.
It’s hard to believe any woman voted for the traitor, or stood next to him. Clear suspicion of voter fraud . . . I wish ! Remembering how our country was damaged by W and Cheney . . . for 8 years.
best luck to US, somehow, keep us posted if you find some good sources with good numbers — b.rad
Jennifer, unfortunately, racism and misogyny are not entirely tied to Republicans, although for Republicans they are essentials. Dems succumb to them too in numbers larger than one would wish, OK, one would wish none were racist and/or misogynistic, but white people and some others get racism from the cradle as do both women and men get misogyny pumped into our brains. It is something we have to fight, and win more than once in our lives.
I think that seeing those poor, poor Palestinian ppl had to factor into the loss too... Netanyahu had a right to make Hamas pay for the carnage they inflicted and instigated, but he carried the revenge on and on and on and on... JRB kept supplying war materials endlessly... Americans felt responsibility for what they were seeing on TV and stayed home, didn't vote...
If the non-voters somehow felt responsible for the carnage, I can't envision how they could conclude that a trump win would facilitate a better situation for Palestinians. It just doesn't compute as being logical.
FOX News needs to be removed from the air. Those reporters are nothing but scandalous liars. All the time twisting what is said for their dirty agendas.
LoC, the problem, those who chose not to vote for Harris because of Gaza forgot that Trump would like to see all of Gaza wiped out and himself given land to build (with other people's money) another Trump Tower. People so often get caught up in their own cause, but don't look what the ramifications are of their decisions, thus, we get Toddler-Trump for a second time.
Yes, thanks. One source with totals is <https://www.cfr.org/article/2024-election-numbers> Another number is 220,000 in a few key swing states . . . so if half of those voters had changed their vote to Harris . . . not all, half.
Well maybe the people will get mad enough to throw his ass out of office before he finishes his 4 years with an impeachment. The reason the democrats didn't get out and vote to stop that punk from winning is the WOKE ideology. Democrats, many of them are not for woke, gay marriages, having to pay for sex changes etc. This is why Harris didn't win and people didn't vote or they voted for Trump rather than for Harris. Democrats need to clean up their support for immorality or never have any voice in this country again.
I know exactly what they could have done: hold Biden to his promise to be a one-term president in Jan 2023 and allowed a real primary contest. Only one rep from MN was brave enough to try and everyone deferred to Biden. This is malpractice by the DNC and Blue leadership. And we still have Joe Biden insisting he could've prevailed over DJT! What fog they live in.
I believe Pres. Biden believed that because he served the USA for most of his life, did the best he could for the People of the USA, and Believed in the US Constitution, that the US Population would recognize this and vote for Him/Kamala. But the History of the USA shows that ....Most of the US Population, does not believe in Female leadership in Companies, Schools, Churches, etc. and also believes that Whites Males are the superior ... May the Lord Jesus Christ forgive those who voted for Donald Trump a Convict! In Jesus Name, Amen!
Lois, you are right, but an additional piece is that Toddler-Trump allows his followers to be toddlers too, act like 3-year-olds with bad parents. They say out loud their hates and pretend they are right to hate THOSE people; they're not, particularly if they are christian as they claim, but alas . . . Frustrated people, particularly those who prefer to be informed by the likes of Fox Not Nearly News rarely examine their frustration and its causes, and will put a name on it as soon as one is provided for them. They hear that THOSE people are doing something and of course, they believe they will be harmed by that something, even if they don't know anyone in that category. They love the lies. Most Americans, even the Trumpers and Trumpettes are not in favor of mass deportation, for example, but Toddler-Trump and his flunkies in the playground don't care. Their job is to do harm, cause pain, then blame it on someone else. That is what toddlers with bad parents do, often getting older siblings in trouble. We the People need to be the adults in every room, calling out the babies for their bad behavior and helping at least some of the toddlers in Trump's playground grow up to see and act differently. We need to be on this case every day because the toddler-patrol will be looking for every chance to do us harm on behalf of the rich white men who want to rule here permanently while the rest of us are just their serfs or slaves or whatever term they choose to use for us.
It's more than toddler behavior - it is actual criminal and corrupt behavior. Today in the Inauguration speech he said we're going to Mars, while the cameras panned to jubilant pipsqueak, E. Musk, raising his arms and smiling. This was supposed to be a question that the space guys determined, not one specific billionaire who wants to personally go to Mars. And, between Must and DJT, they bought the election, Musk with actual $$ and Trump with promises of access and government contracts. To the working people he offered no taxes on tips, no Overtime! - imagine all the transit and PD workers who collect 100-300K in overtime to pad their pensions and their own bank accounts? These are the promises to voters, borne of corruption. Oh, yes, let's not forget that billionaire is in charge of cutting costs too. Apparently Ramaswamy is going to run for governor so that leaves Musk alone to cut social programs.
Marlys, I contend that when adults decide to remain toddlers, criminal or just plain harmful behavior is often what happens. Most toddlers don't have a moral compass yet and are just learning what is acceptable in the world. When adults don't have those pieces, they can do whatever comes to their minds, even if their minds are in dementia. The younger toddlers know a little better, but they want what the older toddlers have, so will keep themselves from growing up. We now have a whole cadre of them from Supreme Court justices to the entirety of Toddler-Trump's nominees for high-level positions. OK, the Senate and House are filled with toddler-adults too, just check out the pathetic behavior and attitudes of Ted Cruz, Tuberville, Greene, and soo many others. And if you want to see toddler behavior on a tate level, just check out Idaho, Texas, and the rest of the confederacy and confederate wannabees. They put no check on their behavior and only win because they got masses of money from the billionaires who got their money from We the People. It is shameful, but they don't know any shame because, oh wait, they are toddlers!
Hopefully it all backfires before those a-holes are out of office and it all gets shoved right up their asses by very angry mobs of people. It will not surprise if this country ends up in another Civil War. Or if the UN steps in and declares that our government no longer works. That is when they send in their UN Troops and the UN takes over and places in our government who they want to run it. And if Trump thinks he is going to make Canada the 51st state, He is badly mistaking. NATO will wipe us off the map. And the same thing with attacking Greenland. It belongs to Denmark.
Plutocracy dumbs the masses and gulls the gullible. We've had a resurgence since Reagan, and this is where it has led. Plutocracy in populist clothing. Hopefully subsequent events force even the stupid and close-minded from seeing the awful truth. Then we can start to rebuild from the ruins.
Reagan and Orange County, CA, is the birthplace of the anti-tax movement, too. I believe the changes are undoable at this point - we are cooked for sure. Maybe, like in Syria recently, an opposition (revolution) 25-30 years from now, will sweep away the dictator's dynasty.
Lois, I agree with you. The people who voted for him did know what they were getting. They didn't care. They are believing that somehow, Trump is going to save them lots of money and the hell with the middle class. Trump is the reason our last 4 years of inflation has gone through the roof. And its only go to get worse. They will be crying again just like they did after his first 4 years in office. The democrats will win again with another landslide in 4 more years. And whatever, you do don't be nice to MAGA a-holes who you know voted for him.
It seems that they (Biden Administration) didn't stop him because for whatever reasons, they didn't want to. I despise Trump and his cabal, but I hold Biden and Garland and Schumer and Pelosi in little less contempt. The insider stock trading bill is a glaring example. They don't want equity, and they also will each prosper or at least easily survive the coming years. Democrats have no more moral authority base to speak from, even though Trump is vile and criminal, with no consideration for humans other than as landscape.
While 45/47 and his followers have claimed the majority vote, this is yet one more LIE they are proclaiming. Remember, if their lips are moving, they are lying. They want your money - and if you're without, too bad. If you're gone, "great."
Joe, your words capture the weight of what so many of us are feeling right now. It does feel like we’re navigating the aftermath of something profoundly broken, struggling to find footing in a new and uncertain reality. The division and chaos make it hard to hold onto hope, but your prayer for awakening and healing resonates deeply.
The thought of MAGA tearing itself apart is a sobering one, but perhaps necessary for truth to emerge from the fractures. As painful as this time is, I believe the struggle to hold onto justice, dignity, and humanity will bear fruit, even if the path is long and fraught.
Thank you for voicing what so many of us feel but sometimes struggle to articulate. Your hope and prayer remind us that even in difficult times, the possibility for change remains.
Joe, I continue to believe that they will create their own demise, as they have done so many times before. We will keep our democracy. It may be hard, will take grit and we will do it. The alternative is The Man in The High Castle. We will
keep on fighting and standing strong. We will come through stronger than before.
Sadly, I believe the damage is complete at this point - it is too late. Look at the history of GOP mendacious behavior over decades, no demise. The ground has shifted and Vance will take over in time.
Please don’t give up on our country! If you do and others follow we will allow those MONSTERS to win! Why should we allow that, they don’t deserve our country they want to destroy us ! We have to fight them not roll over like what happened in Germany! No Way! Trump has DEMENTIA and they know it and that’s how totally disgusting these Republicans truly are! Using a man who is incredibly out of it on his way to ALZHEIMERS exactly what his parents died from is so SICKENING! The Republican Party is basically the updated NAZI party now and there are still more of us than them!
Suzy, I feel the fire in your words, and I deeply understand your urgency. Giving up on the country would mean handing it over to those who seek to dismantle its very foundation, and you’re absolutely right—they don’t deserve that.
History has shown us the dangers of apathy and compliance, and it’s a lesson we can’t afford to forget. The rise of the Third Reich depended on fear, division, and silence. What stopped them wasn’t rolling over but people choosing to resist—choosing to believe in a future where truth, justice, and human dignity could prevail.
I encourage you to keep that fight alive, Suzy, and invite you to read my essay, What You Still Can Do When They Take All the Power. It’s about the steps we can take, both big and small, to resist and reclaim agency. We are still more than them, and together, we can ensure they don’t succeed.
Thank you for your passion—it’s a call to action we all need.
A slight correction Wild Lion*esses: The Third Reich was not defeated from within Germany but from without. There was no uprising within Germany such as we saw when the Berlin Wall came down. As late as a few years ago, I listened to an elderly German woman deny the Holocaust. She couldn't have said that in Germany, she had emigrated to the US where she was able to say it. And look at Germany now.
A better example would be to study what happened across Europe that brought the Berlin Wall down. It worked . . . for a few years.
Valerie, I appreciate your perspective, but I want to clarify something: I never claimed the Third Reich was brought down solely by a German uprising. My point was about the danger of silence and apathy. Certainly, it was the combined efforts of the Allied forces—and yes, some pockets of resistance within Germany—that ended the regime.
What I meant to emphasize is that oppressive movements rely on fear, division, and silence to maintain power. Whether resistance comes from within or from the outside, it’s the refusal to “roll over” that ultimately paves the way for change. We see this throughout history—including the peaceful protests that eventually brought down the Berlin Wall.
I understand how you interpreted my words, but I simply wanted to point out that a society under oppression isn’t helpless. People can stand up, speak out, and resist. It doesn’t always look like a widespread uprising, but every act of refusal to comply with hatred has its own power. That’s all I intended to convey. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and giving me a chance to clarify.
Thank you for clearing it up :) I agree that there were Dietrich Bonhoeffers and others who resisted. And died for their resistance.
To me, the challenge for resistance is the “how”—how do we resist when we live quiet lives, when there are no more marches, no more attending lectures on the evils of war, of extreme capitalism, etc? It was so much easier when I was a student at university in the early 1970s, we were all so energetic, we had a specific cause to protest, we had professors who led us. And yet we were all so naive about where the evil really lay. As Pogo said, “I have met the enemy and he is us.” Our selfishness, our desire to have things our way but still live the good life. t All you have to do is look at the detritus that was left behind after the protests. That is still left behind. We are so mortal.
Now I live in a town in rural Arizona that voted overwhelmingly for Trump, for MAGA. I live here because my only family live here and I am getting older, more fragile health wise. It’s not where I grew up, it doesn’t reflect my beliefs. I socialize with the small pockets of people who are not MAGA but we all feel the same. So very tired and, outside of the next election, what can we do except mirror kindness and goodness and hope that something rubs off. Not participate in hate speech, not give anyone any reason to think that they are justified in hating the “woke” people.
We tried so hard this year. I actually took money from my very small savings and paid to (legally) become a US citizen so I could vote. I encouraged my two voter-eligible grandchildren to vote. I am proud to say they voted against Trump. I donated what I could to Ruben Gallego and other anti-Trump, anti-hate candidates. What next? I honestly don’t know. Today my computer is off for any news stations. I will be going to one public event, an exercise class. Full of right-wing Christians who love Trump and can’t see the anomaly of pledging fealty to a man who is as anti-Christ as they come. Will I have an opportunity for a quiet “no”? Will anyone ask me if I am watching the inauguration? If they do, yes I will give a quiet, or maybe a firmly quiet “no”. And if they ask me why I will state that I regard him as an anti-Christ but refuse to be drawn into quarreling. Let my quiet statement sit with them.
Anyway, I think you and I are on the same wavelength.
There's a scary parallel between Trumpism and Nazism if my understanding is accurate. I've read that only 1 out of 3 Germans were actually members of the Nazi party and Trump's base is 30% (might as well say 1/3). Hope history isn't being repeated because so many people's willing blindness to what's being said and done right in front of their eyes.
Keith, I hear your frustration, but I have to push back—we’re not done. Saying “we’re done” hands them the victory they’re counting on, the one where we give up before the fight even begins. That’s how they consolidate their power: by convincing us it’s already over.
Germany fights the lies better than USA, I think. Germany still thankfully understands that "freedom of speech" does NOT mean a freedom to be domestic terrorist unlike USA which doesn't even recognize the domestic terrorism apparently.
Who cares if you’re right? All the more reason to fight them every step of the way. Unless you want to stand aside as they murder your posterity via carbon.
I didn't mean to say I wouldn't fight, and I'm 69 and still riding my bike and walking, but honestly, mostly because I don't want to give up my parking spot on the street. Just kidding. I won't stand aside, I've never owned a cell phone and never will, but I really fear that they got people hooked, and sure as shit, now comes AI, like that wasn't planned, right? And who's doing AI? Musk and Zuckerberg. If we don't start screaming out a warning loud enough to be heard, we're done.
May the cracks of this rupture be the pathways through which we can, as keepers of the flame, doulas of the emergent, agents of cultures of care, transformative visionaries, and heart and soul activists envision and co-create new systems of ever more humanistic, ecologically sustainable, world-centric, integrally informed democratic governance.
In the USA there are dozens of different Christian religious communities, so praying alone probably won't help. Not even Donald Almighty will know the exact number of religious communities. Maybe the citizens of the country should start thinking for themselves and stop believing the person who has accumulated the most money!
Good Day. If there is anything GOOD About MAGA, then I feel that whatever horrible comes from MAGA, will ultimately, Equally affect ALL OF US. SURPRISE MAGA WORSHIPPERS!!
It’s going to be cold … for days! Hang out a bird feeder with seed and a ball of suet.
“In God's wildness lies the hope of the world - the great fresh unblighted, unredeemed wilderness. The galling harness of civilization drops off, and wounds heal ere we are aware.”
I am going outside now to put Mandarin oranges out for my tiny birds, hang a clean hummingbird feeder, fill the feeding stations with delicious seeds for our wild friends, make sure fresh water is in all the containers, and be grateful for everything I have.
Tomorrow I will watch absolutely none of this sham, this perversion, this travesty.
We must not forget that tomorrow is MLK Day, ironically when a white supremacist takes office. Let's not forget all to lift up those who will go through hell in the next four years. We say we'll fight, I'm not sure how, but I speak out every chance I get. What else can we do? I live in Florida where voting is a sham due to gerrymandering, but we vote anyway. We vote, we protest, we're laughed at and watch media and businesses bow to the mad king. And we wake up the next day and do it all again until it stops, I guess. I too think greedy people in this administration will destroy each other. But Mary's right - Biden and Democrats did little to protect democracy by turning the other cheek way too much. But it's done, and here we are. An embarrassing day for a once great nation.
I love our backyard bird land. The squirrel likes oranges, too. I just got some seedballs 50% off due to they are Christmas ornament seed balls. I don't think the birds will notice. They love the seed balls!
I fear for the birds every day. I fear for all the creatures of the earth and try to not look at the handwriting on the wall. Many of us have been terrible stewards of the earth. For now, some of us do the best we can do, all the while knowing there are plenty who simply do not care. Tomorrow one of them will put his hand on a Bible and pretend that he cares.
Bitter wind chills and 2-3" of snow forecast for Houston tomorrow. The birds are cleaning out my feeders in 6 hours now. I never knew about oranges, either, but thank you for reminding me to put out water for them, Candace!
People who have lost their homes in natural disasters say “Thank god I am alive.” If there were a god who cared there would not have been a disaster. God is dead or never was. Stop invoking magic. You have to save yourself.
I’m with you, although I can’t say I would ever be so preachy. It was just a quote that reflects my sentiments, but far more eloquently than my own expressions. I thought of leaving god out (as I do in every aspect of life)…but that wouldn’t be fair to John Muir. He was a humanist, and the kind of god he was talking about was not a biblical one…well, maybe a touch of Job. This is more how he thought of it all:
“The mountains are fountains of humanity as well as of rivers, of glaciers, of fertile soil. The great poets, philosophers, prophets, able people whose thoughts and deeds have moved the world, have come down from the mountains—mountain-dwellers who have grown strong there with the forest trees in Nature’s workshops.” More like a Scottish Wallace Stevens. And if you don’t like Wallace Stevens, I can only say: you have to save yourself.
It is truly a dark time. As a member of the Lgbtq community, we are scared our rights will be stripped away. But we will keep fighting because giving up is not an option
Today feels so surreal. It feels like the last hours before our lives, and America’s values, will drastically change, possibly for the remainder of my lifetime. It makes me profoundly sad, but ready to do whatever I can to turn this around.
I feel like Armageddon is upon us, and I am trying to think what I can safely do on an individual level to protect those who are more vulnerable than I am. Advocacy at the state level?
Yes, it does seem unreal. I see our country taken over by monsters and I, like you, may not live to see this horror undone. I’m sad that MAGA and Republicans have done this to our great nation. I pray for our future 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
I also hope to live long and well and to see the damage undone, good people given credit, bullies ignored, the Supreme Court and other courts behaving honestly and standing up for our Constitution, and most of all, every human brighten being treated respectfully and everyone being respectful of every person’s rights and property. Meanwhile, we can stick together, educate ourselves, share sources, dig petitions, write to Congress, set good examples in our own lives, and let people know they are not alone. Maybe thee are other ways to stand up for what is right, and because of Mary’s goodness in having this newsletter, and because there are other like minded groups, individuals, and organizations, we have opportunities to learn from each other, to stick together, and to do what we can. Surely there are good people who will help.
We got through the Civil War. We can get through 4 years of Mary's bad uncle. I suspect that reading this book will make you more optimistic. Here's a review:
I had tears in my eyes reading this. Thank you, Mary. We're in for a tough four years. I will be wearing all black tomorrow. Not that it makes any difference but it puts my sentiments out there.
I honestly don’t think he will last 4 years his Dementia is getting more and more obvious! I know what I am talking about because my husband died of Dementia or Alzheimer’s and I see so many parallels. He is not well! He’s being used as he uses them they deserve each other! We cannot sit back and allow them to turn our country into an OLIGARCHY!
Not exactly something to look forward to. If trump dies or becomes incapacitated, he is replaced by Vance who is not constitutionally barred from running in 2028.
None of it is good, it’s so shocking how the Republican Party has gone so Fascist in such a short time beginning with the very awful Newt Gingrich but it has and we have to fight them. They are basically fascist or Nazis if you will there is no way of covering it, almost 100 years since Hitler ruined the great country of Germany the Republican Party along with Trump and his cronies are trying to do the same thing here. Don’t deny it, it’s that serious, we can’t let them do it. His strange fascination with Greenland, Canada and the Panama Canal! No president before has ever tried to steal another country it’s not our way that is until this mentally ill person came along!
Unfortunately, not too long ago, the United States did steal other countries. Think of the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Hawaii . I do think we’ve moved past this kind of abomination but it is who we’ve been.
Yes, we have taken other people’s land, including lands that were parts of Mexico and lands of Spanish and French control. Of course, there was “Seward’s Folly” or the Alaskan Putchase from Russia one long ago March, and definitely a lot of land from Native Americans. The old maps are fascinating to study, but they also tell of sad stories for so many people.
The fact remains that T. wants to own everything. He told Bob Woodward as much. I believe that T. not only wants whatever he can convince his followers to help him take in whatever ways he encourages, but that he also wants to be a buddy to as many dictators as possible, possibly so he can take their lands some day. I think he will not be happy until he can say that he owns the world, and he does not plan to take no as an answer in any situation. His suggestions, no matter how far fetched they might seem to us now, are his ways of planting seeds to encourage minds of followers and to win more followers, especially by suggesting a fascination of greatness, whether in land, or in perceived standing in the world, the world he wants to call his. I know this is a long comment, but I believe that is his goal. I would love to be wrong.
the terrorist quisling traitor tRumputin is tasked by his master the terrorist putin of russia i.e. the sadistic, monstrously evil ones to literally destroy America, NATO and the Modern West (and the world).
that America allows that - is the part that disturbs the most 'cause the good guys doing nothing significant to stop and defeat the evil ones - is how the evil "triumphs". it's what hurts me the most. I don't expect from the evil to change, I expect from the good guys to unite, despite all our internal differences that may be, to act out against the evil and to defeat the evil - if nothing else, then, by parting the ways. Have been writing in more details to that effect ever since the cursed nov 6th 2024 on. But when the good guys refuse searching for a solution and, instead, accept the role of masochists&stockholm syndrome sufferers&surrender, I don't know how to help anymore, more than I've always been i.e. Democratic Activist which exhausted me as I've been that my entire life but that doesn't match up sufficiently to the evil powers, so the good loses because it isn't cohesive enough. It's what the entire remainder of Modern West i.e. American Allies is/are saying to America.
We also know who is next in line after the V. P., yet we do have another election coming! We will keep the hope for betterment as we continue to study and vote.
Totalitarian feudalism is the plan and central top full control of global Banking cartel. the monetary system is in hands of Non Federal No Reserves bank and in other countries theirs. Research you will find this to be true. One piece at a time they are after and near full Control. People's dependency and disenfranchised the many, like tossed garbage just so a few little Emperor's strut under the surveillance and have their all. After more and more resources too.
I honestly think the heritage foundation will make sure he’s 25thed out by the end of the month. He’s clearly insane and they have no use for him anymore. He served up the MAGAts at the voting booth, then Elon trimmed as many Kamela votes as necessary to “win”. Agent Orange’s usefulness is over. All hail commandant JD.
I hope so but I can't rest all my hopes on hoping alone.
But let's say that is to happen - then we must find ways to defeat the coldblooded demagogue and manipulator jd vance, if nothing else but by trying to negotiate the separate ways away from his cult!!
We've had a neo- plutocracy since Reagan. Technology infiltration in our lives has increased its hold on us. Trumpism in part is anti-plutocratic, or that's what 98% of its adherents believe. Let' ee what happens when things get worse for these naive people.
I've been remarkably numb since the ghastly outcome of the election. Reading Mary's column today the waterworks started. I too will be wearing black to work. If anyone asks I'm going to tell them I'm in mourning for America. I'm still angry at the selfishness and loathing of many in this country.
Trump's back up crew are like a bunch of pit bulls. Blinken should join them. he has full on Israel mindset. But then again so talks Trump.. and the lot of them with their aligned banks are not getting ANYTHING from me for the WW3 already in place happening, just after the final salute solution.
what does Blinken have with tRumputinists, I'm not gonna even ask you.
also, the criminal netanyahu-kahanist regime does NOT represent the entire Israel!! neither do the hamas hezbolla terrorists all the Palestinians!!
Every nation, ethnicity must ideologically and practically fight the evil i.e. antidemocratic, anticivil, antihumanrights forces, within itself - first and foremost!!
My memory of Ronald Reagan remains mostly as his parts on General Electric Theater during Sunday nights in my growing up years. On it, he always played a nice man, I expect, although I cannot recall a single plot. I remember Sunday night sandwiches and being with my family much better, the treasured family times, not the program which just happened to be on those relaxing evenings.
Capitalists, now oligarchs, figured out the populace want an entertaining strong man, so they fronted the film star then the TV prop as their puppets. They own the despot and will get rid of him when the minions begin to look behind the curtain to discover them running the show. Reagan was, and the despot is, a distraction to keep us from paying attention to those who are truly in power. When we wise up, they will create a bigger distraction.
Mary, it’s clear how deeply you’re reflecting on the state of things. While I am from Germany and don’t share the same direct stake in American politics, I see the pain and urgency in your words. The struggle to protect democracy resonates globally, and it’s painful to watch it unravel, especially when it feels like so much is at risk. Thank you for sharing your perspective—it’s a powerful call to action and a reminder to keep fighting for truth, justice, and what’s right. To all of you from this side of the Atlantic, you are not alone and you are not powerless. I know it is difficult to see it this way, yet I have just shared "What You Still Can Do When They Take All the Power?!"
Emily, I concur—this isn’t just an American struggle; it’s a global one.
We’re seeing a resurgence of authoritarianism in so many places, and it often feels like the era of the so-called “strong man” is casting a shadow over democracy. But history reminds us that these systems, as imposing as they may seem, cannot endure when people resist, reclaim their agency, and refuse to believe the narrative of powerlessness.
I’ve lived under an oppressive, authoritarian system—not just politically but internally, within the framework my mother created and installed in my mind. For 46 years, I fought against that inner dictatorship, and now, having regained my true self, my voice, and my agency, I know I cannot and will not give that power away freely again.
"In the end, it comes down to a choice: who do you believe more? Yourself—what you know to be true within—or the system, dictating what you should feel, believe, and how you should behave?
This is where the true power of oppression lies: in convincing you to trust its narrative over your own truth. And it is here, too, that the seeds of its dissolution are sown. When you reclaim your inner knowing, the system’s grip begins to falter.
This is where your own agency and self-governance as well as dignity lies."
But I think the spreading anti-democracy contagion started with trump/trumpism. (Which did have roots back to Reagan, granted). His terrible manipulation of people and our legal system allowed him to get away with so much AND win the White House. Other bullies worldwide took note, and tried their own hands at it.
I’m still not convinced he won the election. Since Musk-Rat entered the picture with his bribes, trump was so certain he was going to win he kept saying he “didn’t need votes”-why was that? Maybe it’ll never be proven but it’s just too suspicious.
It's odd to have bomb threats at the same time in all the swing states. That didn't seem to get enough coverage. I didn't hear of a true investigation.
THAT IS what I kept saying ever since the nov. 6th 2024 on, but was, often, attacked with totally false allusive-and-delusive-equivalences of the Jan/6th/2021 insurrectionists as "conspiracy-theorist, election-denier-bla-bla-bla...." - by many of "mainstream" Democrats and thusly intimidated - only 'cause I refused to fold. that IS what's been hurting me the most ever since nov 6th 2024 - the Democrats' surrender. I'm traumatized by that surrender that is derived from the internalized stockholm-syndrome in much too many Democrats' heads.
Let me be clear, there should've been the important determination of refusing the sadism, of course, but also refusing the masochism!! Democrats should have fought much better psychologically because the truth and facts are on the Democratic side!! Therefore, Democrats should've never surrendered nor faltered - which, tragically, is what Biden chose to do since nov. 6th 2024.
Was it not for you also "deeply challenging and emotional time"??
Don't you hope you're "able too to find moments of peace and clarity amidst it all"??
Or, you're expecting me to "normalize" the psychopathological malignancy?? offering only a palliative "care in a hospice" to a person, symbolically or actually, dying of the criminal attack perpetrated by the criminals, without even thinking of searching for any other solution against the criminals?? Or, what.... "sane-washing" people into accepting the defeat and surrender and giving up to the criminal aggressors - when those people weren't defeated nor did they surrender nor give up??
I only care about the Democratic self-defensive actions and solutions!! If that isn't the priority to do ASAP, then, I may as well remove myself from the subscription. But, spare me of hopium of masochistic "sweet surrender" to the tRumputinist evil please, if you're doing nothing significant against the tRumputinist evil!!
And, please, if you dislike my comment, don't feel to argue with me!! No infighting nor arguing among the Democratic folks, I've been saying that since long time ago and these months and days especially!!
I think other bullies groomed him. His private meetings with Putin, Orban, Netanyahu, Ergodan... were all training sessions. He's not intelligent and knowledgeable enough to make these plans on his own, and carry them out. He's too self-serving and egotistical to actually plan a path to his end goals.
All the more reasons for America to treat him-eVIlonmusk&his as quislings, traitors and domestic terrorists! merrick garland's dereliction of duty was horrific!
Does this contagion of attitudes and behaviors remind you of the biological studies of the squirrels, both west of and east of the Rocky Mountains? Are these behaviors examples of emotional contagion, I wonder when the tide will turn to good and how it will be turned. I hope democracy and goodness, and caring for fellow man, woman, and child will return in my lifetime.
I've always only, only wanted democracy, goodness and caring for fellow man, woman, and child. Most unfortunately as a young civilian victim of kgb-instigated yugoslav wars in 1990ies, very early I had experienced the evil of creatures in humanoid shapes. Having legally immigrated to USA in 1997-2016 (the latter year is the year I could not stand anymore the tRumputinmania of the surrounding western Pennsylvania), I've noticed already upon g.w. bush's years and from then on all the evil symptoms akin to the yugoslav wars' war criminals in the so-called "republican party USA", to my utter dismay.
The only single hope appeared with President Barack Obama but it was immediately attacked by the terrorist "tea-party" movement which directly led to tRumputin. I knew that Democrats' craving for bipartisanship with such sadistic, terroristic monsters from the other side of the aisle - was gonna be mistaken for Democrats' weakness, instead of a unifying American virtue, and Democrats' worst detriment. Democrats' refusal to call spade a spade and Democrats' masochistic codependency on tea-party-repukkkes-tRumputinists for the sake of unity of USA - something already most unfortunately, destroyed by tRumputinists as a fait accompli - has always been reminiscent of a battered yet never self-defensive wife syndrome. It's all but impossible to help a masochist for as long as the masochist doesn't come to terms with his/her ailment and starts treating it with the delicate sense of balance i.e. only self-defensive always and forever, neither masochist nor sadist!!
Thank you for sharing your story, your wisdom from the perspective of experience, and perspectives I had not considered. How I wish everyone would care.
Long ago. many decades ago, following a government class, I expressed to the instructor that the categories made no sense to me. I was extremely young and told him that I did not understand how or why anybody would want to control anybody else. This conversation today brings that one to mind. The very kind instructor explained that there was much to know about people who insisted on being in such positions. I never would have thought any of this would happen here.
Your words also show me on a larger scale, reactions someone once described to me concerning individuals who consider the expected good manners and good will to be signs of weakness. I could never consider those expected and appreciated, polite ways to be signs of weakness. They are appropriate, and very in-line behaviors.
Now I am wondering how the bullies of the world can learn to use acceptable ways while still showing their true motivations and goals so we can keep everybody safe and free.
You have to know thine enemy, atop of knowing your true friends (if there are any), of course - if you want to be psychologically balanced and reasonably confident in the psyche of your life. The wisdom is in balance in everything!! To the bullies, psychopaths, sadists - being nice is weakness. So why are we good people expected to be always nice to the evil ones?? I never understood that.
Sometimes the "fire" of evil can only be extinguished by "fire" of good, speaking metaphorically, hence the quotation marks where needed. If one does not have, even worse, does not want to develop the self-defensive mechanisms, the harsh reality of life is that the one will perish - therefore, cognitive awareness of the evil and one's self-defense against it - are the most essential mechanisms of survival. What hurts me the most is that seemingly Democrats have underdeveloped self-defensive mechanisms. We/they must urgently quickly work on self-defense with all and by all means!! Isn't it enough already being too lenient to our own detriment?? In Stonewall Rebellion of 1969, we the LGBTIQA people knew what we must do!! And it was only a too long too overdue a start!!
And it really pains me to teach other people all this and even having to talk like this because I've been always an ANTIaggressive, not only NONaggressive, but ANTIaggressive person. But I also learned in my life never ever to conflate an aggressiveness with my sanctity of Self-Defense as I've always strived to lead the universally, humanely, common-sense, fairly to others and myself moral and ethical life of Golden Rule of not doing to others what you wouldn't want the others do to you/me (and, expecting the same in return from others) ; of UN Article on Human Rights - All human beings are born equal and free in their dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act toward each other in the spirit of brotherhood (if not brotherhood then friendship; if not friendship, then, at least, not enmity); and the rule - Everybody is/should be free to do anything that, objectively, does NOT harm others!!
But the sociopaths, psychopaths, bullies, sadists, bigots HATE these rules. they enjoy VIOLATING ALL THESE RULES!! they indulge in capriciously spitefully evilly DESTROYING ALL THESE RULES! THAT'S WHERE THE WHOLE PROBLEM IS!!
Yes, my life example is the worst nightmare to the bigoted, lying, antigay hypocrites of "religious right" BECAUSE MY LIFE EXAMPLE SHOWS HOW WRONG THEY ARE IN ALL THEIR SLANDERS, LIBELS, DEFAMATIONS OF GAY AND IMMIGRANT PEOPLE (THOUGH I DON'T CLAIM I'M PERFECT AS NOT A HUMAN IS PERFECT) and I welcome their hatred as I know God sees us all and am happy about it!! I wish my whole life was recorded for everybody to see all my words, deeds, thoughts, intentions and my strongest aversion to lying and my fervent determination to respect the facts and ONLY the facts!! I know it's hard to believe me - but all I can do is swear endlessly - I don't ever lie and have nothing to hide!! My conscience is clean because I've always put my personal responsibility and self-control in the first place!! And to let myself being abused by the criminals - is NOT acceptable at all without my Self-Defense against those criminals!!
And I feel very uncomfortable that often it is upon me to keep explaining this to other good people whom I have so much in common but to my utter dismay I find that those good humans lack this most important awareness i.e. that many humans, most unfortunately, are not only not good but downright evil and that the NONevil, NONbad i.e. good although still not perfect humans MUST HAVE THE DEVELOPED SELF-DEFENSE MECHANISMS, WISELY AND EFFECTIVELY!!
It's painful to me to be the bearer of bad news about a lots of humans - I still believe not a majority of humans are bad but dangerously close to half of all humans are bad as we've discovered more recently, just look at how they behaved during the worst plague of the century i.e. covid19 pandemic, too often violating all and every rules of personal protective measures- horror!! You can never ever bow down to them!! It's what basic Freedom is all about!!
Penny, "Those Who Would Be King" indeed—it seems like we’re living in an era where power-hungry figures rise by exploiting fear and division, claiming thrones built on the fragility of human trust. Yet, the truth is, their power can only thrive if we allow it to take root.
History shows us that no king rules forever, especially when people begin to see through the illusion of authority and reclaim their agency. These are challenging days, but they’re also a call to action—a reminder that resistance begins with refusing to internalize their narratives of control.
Thank you for sharing that perspective—it captures the weight of what we’re witnessing across the world. Let’s keep holding onto our voices and our truth. Together, we can weather this storm.
I live here in America but I would much prefer to live in Germany! I love your beautiful country so much! Trump apparently loves the horrible man that tried to ruin Germany! I have hopes that Trump at age 79 with many signs of dementia won’t last long! Hoping not all Republicans are wanting to kill our democracy!
Suzy, I completely understand your admiration for today’s Germany—it really is a different place compared to the dark parts of its past. However, I’m personally quite troubled by the remnants of those older, more troubling “Germanic” values that seem to run through Donald Trump’s lineage. Specifically:
- Großmannsucht (Megalomania): An overblown sense of self-importance and a craving for grand displays of power.
- Rigid Hierarchy and Authoritarianism: A near-obsession with “strong” leadership and dismissal of checks and balances.
- Aggressive Nationalistic Pride: Tying self-worth to notions of dominance, which can feed xenophobia or hostility toward outsiders.
- Disdain for ‘Weakness’: A tendency to belittle or mock those who don’t match a certain standard of toughness or loyalty.
These traits may not stem solely from someone’s heritage, but Trump does appear to have adopted attitudes reminiscent of that old-school authoritarian streak. Of course, this doesn’t mean all Republicans share his views—many are just as concerned about preserving democracy as the rest of us. But the unfortunate mix of arrogance and nostalgic nationalism that Trump displays feels like a direct inheritance of those ancient, more negative influences. It’s something I can’t help but be wary of, especially considering how quickly such attitudes can erode democratic norms.
You give such a perfect description with examples, and definitely, we must be wary, aware, and act wisely in standing up as safely and fully as we can.
Thank you, truly, for your thoughtful words. They warm my heart and remind me just how important it is that we stand together, carefully and courageously, whenever we sense that kind of bullying force gaining ground. It can feel daunting at times—like staring across a vast canyon, uncertain whether our voices will carry. Still, each of us choosing to speak up, however softly, helps echo the call for decency and respect.
I’m moved by your emphasis on being “wary, aware, and act[ing] wisely,” because it speaks to that delicate balance between self-preservation and taking a stand. It’s not always safe or easy to confront aggression. Sometimes, it’s about finding those moments when we can raise our voices without losing ourselves in the process and instead close our checkbooks.
Thank you again for your kindness and resonance. Your words remind me that we’re not alone in wanting a kinder, more inclusive world. May we keep walking this path, hand in hand, hearts open, and ready to protect the values that nurture true democracy.
All true except that you connect it with some wrong stereotype of "Germanic". All the nationalities, ethnicities, races, religions etc... on this planet have psychopaths, sociopaths and sadists. After WW2, ussr i.e. terrorist stalinist-his derivatives' russia has them the most in Europe. So it might as well be dubbed "Slavic" - but it's STILL important to avoid the generalizing stigmatizing traps of the ethnic-national-linguistic etc...etc... sort!!
IT'S ALL IN A PSYCHOPATHOLOGIC SETUP OF BRAIN OF AN INDIVIDUAL EVEN MORE OFTEN THAN A SINGLE FAMILY UNITY (AN EXAMPLE, TRUMPUTIN'S BROTHER AND HIS DAUGHTER I.E. THE FORMER ONE'S NIECE, OBVIOUSLY, WAS/IS MUCH BETTER THAN TRUMPUTIN!!), LET ALONE A WHOLE NATION, ETHNICITY, RACE ETC...ETC.... !! Dr. Seth Norrholm has been explaining that much better!! I recommend reading Dr. Seth Norrholm!!
Bravo! Thank you so much for sharing your kind words and encouragement. They make me cry but are equally extremely appreciated! Knowing that someone beyond our country cares means so much!
I’m touched by your words and so grateful we could connect across the miles. It’s moments like these that reassure me how truly universal care and kindness can be. Thank you for sharing your feelings—I’m honored and humbled that something I said could resonate so deeply. Let’s keep standing together in hope and compassion.
I will be 76 on the 29th. and will hold my head high and keep my integrity in tact while taking part in Dr. King’s Day and refuse to acknowledge the lawlessness in DC tomorrow. And never lose faith in America.
Katherine, your words are inspiring. To hold your head high, stand firm in your integrity, and honor Dr. King’s legacy amidst all the chaos is a powerful act of faith and resilience. Refusing to acknowledge the lawlessness is, in itself, a statement—a reminder of what truly matters and what endures when justice and truth are upheld.
As you approach your 76th, I hope you take pride not only in your steadfastness but in the hope and strength you inspire in others. Never losing faith in America, even in challenging times, is a testament to your enduring belief in the possibility of better days.
Thank you for sharing your resolve—it’s a gift to all of us.
Jay, thank you for your kind words. I do stand firm in my integrity and to my loyalty to the Constitution. I took an oath twice and when it wasn’t popular for females nor was it popular with my friends and family, I have and always have stood firm for the words of Dr. Martin Luther King.
I am so glad to read your words. I am older than you are, but I heard him speak when I was a freshman in college, and I stood next to him as he signed my cousin’s autograph book. It was my first week in college, and six of us splurged to squeeze into a taxi so we could go attend that special event.
Thank you. I wasn’t able to witness and hear the words from the great man in person, however, he inspired me throughout my life. I congratulate you on being able to feel his presence and loving energy. Such a beautiful memory for you.
I had so many thoughts I meant for my comment on this post. But I just can’t seem to form words right now to describe them. Instead I am going to release my own stress & talk about today.
I had a seriously sh*tty day today in Baton Rouge (which including a privileged woman yelling at me for using a cane to walk at Costco). She apparently had a meltdown because one cart separated her from her husband who was holding their toddler-child whilst EXITING the store, & apparently me wobbling with my cane behind said cart person, whom I did not know, caused her to lose her sh*t.
I even stopped to let her pass me & that is when she yelled at me!?! Anyway, my point is, the people that voted for dumpypants are filling up on their hate of everyone “other” so tuning out tomorrow is a GOOD idea. They were out in force in Louisiana TODAY!
Jane, I’m so sorry you had to deal with that today. It’s infuriating and deeply disheartening to be met with such hostility when you’re simply trying to navigate your day. Moments like that reveal so much about the state of some people’s hearts—overflowing with anger and misplaced frustration, spilling out onto others. You didn’t deserve that, and I hope you can release any of her negativity that might have lingered.
Your decision to tune out tomorrow is valid and wise. Protecting your peace is an act of resistance in itself, especially in environments charged with so much divisiveness and hate.
Please know that your words, even when it feels hard to find them, are meaningful and valued here. Sending strength and calm your way.
I am so sorry you were mistreated! Having to use a cane at times, I have discovered that there are various types of people. Fortunately, most of them are good, and I hope you meet only the kind ones in the future. I have also noticed that when cane use is needed only at times, there can be some people who are fortunate enough not to understand the need, and they have made undeserved accusations of “putting on”.
I have both a broken toe & a severely bruised opposite knee. So the cane keeps me from falling over both directions. Than you for recognizing this. She was on my broken toe side.
Sorry you had to deal with that, Jane. Maybe that woman was just as frustrated as you are, and for the same reasons. I try to remember that everyone we meet is going through things that we don't know about. It doesn't give them a right to be mean or nasty, but we humans often don't handle our emotions very well, and lash out against the universe when we're triggered. Hope you have a better day, and find a way to enjoy some peace!
Oh, my goodness, Mary. I, too, hate that your uncle gets the Oval again. Your dark words were so depressing!But I am enthusiastic about being a part of the Resistance. And I’ve donated to the ACLU to make sure they have the means to take him and them to court for every fascist move they make.
We are all culpable, from the minute we gave our kids Smart phones and turned them over to Musk and Zuckerberg, and let them shop Amazon instead of going to the mall with friends. And they had their phones tuned to Tik Tok during Civics class. We allowed the dumbing down and disatisfaction of not measuring up to the Influencers. This all out fault, for the sake of all the wonderful conveniences of a Smart phone.
First of all, this is not “all of our fault” I raised my child as a single Mother. Her father mostly absent. I am a Veteran with a disability that works for the VA. When my daughter was still very young I went back to school and have taken care of my kid (35) ever since. When she thought she was going to be a gangster and a hoodlum, I called the police, the city and I said I wanted to press charges. That was at least 10 years of hell. I was home every night, I spent all of my free time with her. She could read at a 10th grade level by 2nd grade. I did not buy her a cell phone ever. I told her to get a job and buy one. I did buy her a car, but mad her pay for insurance. I sold it the minute she got a DUI. She works for law enforcement now and is engaged to a police officer, but, it was hell getting to this point. I have MS which was made 10 times worse from the Covid vaccine. The government has been taking money from me since I had my first job at 15; without my permission. So, I will be able to have something to live on when I retire. The billionaire boys club, wants to do away with Social Security. I can’t believe people voted for him! You know how to tell when he’s lying? His lips are moving. All of these unwanted children? Who’s going to raise them, love them, keep them safe. The billionaires? Congress? How about the lying Justices? Those of you who have been brainwashed by this jackass need to wake up. HE DOESN’T CARE ABOUT YOU!! He only care about himself!
Glad to have you on our side. Congratulations on everything you've met head-on and overcome, and on your very hard-earned success with your daughter. She's lucky.
Keith, I hear the weight of frustration and accountability in your words, and I agree that the conveniences we’ve embraced have come at a cost. Yet, while it’s easy to feel culpable, I’d also argue that this isn’t entirely our fault—it’s the result of systems deliberately designed to exploit connection and attention for profit. Musk, Zuckerberg, and others built ecosystems meant to monopolize time and erode critical thinking, all while shifting the blame onto individuals like us.
The question now is, how do we reclaim what’s been lost? How do we model values of presence, engagement, and agency, especially for the next generation? The tools that have disconnected us can also be repurposed—they don’t have to define us or dictate the future.
It’s a tough reckoning, but it’s not the end of the story. Thank you for naming this—it’s an important conversation we all need to have.
Thank you. Instead of burning books, let's have our kids read them and burn their phones instead. Tie the limit on their credit cards to the check marks on their completed chores list and send them to the mall. Hopefully, they'll discover what's really fun and fulfilling and flip a middle one to the "influencers."
Or maybe the park or library or even progressive church, instead of the mall. Seems to me the generation who grew up being entertained in the caves of capitalism, surrounded by marketing, is the generation who first lost touch with connection to self and others.
Mark my words; our new leader will take ownership of everything of that goes right & blame Joe for everything that doesn’t. Same old song and dance. Money is the root of all evil, believe it! If you have never read the Bible-cover to cover- it is absolutely fascinating. I highly recommend.
Yes, but this not all of it, but a big part of it.
Started way before tic toc and smart phones, once Reagan was elected. Exacerbated, to the max, by Clinton going Democratic light in the 90s. Then SCOTUS gave us W, who spent our treasure fighting the wrong country. Then Obama gave us the Affordable Care Act, saved our economy, but was too detached and academic for many folks who saw him as condescending. Trump, backed by far right wing groups, individuals and corporations beat Hillary, who didn’t campaign in key states and insulted Trump supporters. After people saw this crass incompetence of Trump, Biden was able to beat him, pass a lot of good legislation, rebuild our alliances and end the pandemic. However, he did not pay enough attention to the border, letting Trump use it as a cudgel.
In the background, Republican operatives along with a corrupt SCOTUS, billionaires, tech bros and corporations worked to limit voting rights, declare corporations are people, money is speech and political gerrymandering is just fine. My question: Where the hell were the Democrats? Too many speeches like Biden’s speaking of the glory and values of democracy, but not fighting to defend it. No game plan. No coordinated effort. Too much infighting and grasping onto power. Not letting enough voices, like Bernie’s, be heard and supported. And all the DNC ever did was ask for more money.
All of this took place with a supine and complicit media and press. Were left needing to dig ourselves out of a 100 foot hole which is about to get a lot deeper, with many, many people being hurt.
Great synopsis. Obama was charming but had a LOT to learn as a first-term Senator. Democrats screwed up bad when they chose him over a vastly more qualified woman. Imagine if we'd done the right thing - Hillary Clinton with Obama as VP, with 8 years to learn what he needed to learn from her experience. He would have been unbeatable at the end of Clinton's term, and another 8 years of a Democrat having the White House, which brings us to 2024. Trump would have never even been. But we, collectively, were all too stupid to think long term, and too reluctant to elect a woman. Like I said, our fault.
I think it’s blasphemous that his inauguration is on MLK day. I think he doesn’t have enough nerve to have the ceremony outside, that’s why he moved it inside. Does anyone else find it peculiar that he buddies up to all of the world’s psychotic dictator’s?
And to have Washington DC - the most Democratic-voting American Territory, be AGAIN now violated, defiled and raped by the the tRumputinist antiAmerican insurgents&terrorists, is the most disturbing thing America allowed.
Yeah, they made lots of Democrats stay home on election day and gave us Trump part 2. And now Trump will use Tik Tok as a state-owned medium for his fascist propaganda, and China will continue gathering data on our kids. Win win, just not for the good guys. Let's see how THAT works out.
The pain to come will be legendary but hopefully very clarifying. The people clearly have forgotten that the rich are the enemy and needed to be reminded. Heres hoping the billionaires fuck everybody over so hard like the robber barons of the 1920s that it causes another depression and people wake the fuck up. FDR had a mandate after the first depression, we need another. We need a New Deal in America that elevates the people above corporations again, but that won't happen until the myths the rich have sold us about the necessity of their wealth hoarding and general benovalance are once again destroyed for a generation.
Caroline, thank you for sharing so openly. I want to gently say: please don’t give them your dissociation. While it can feel like a way to endure, dissociation ultimately serves the oppressor, not the oppressed. It isolates, erodes autonomy, and often leaves us with lasting pain—anxiety, depression, and a diminished sense of self.
The system thrives on fear and disconnection, convincing us that resistance is futile. But it’s not. You have power—true power—when you reclaim your voice and agency. This is the foundation of self-governance, dignity, and freedom.
If you have the time, I’d love for you to read my latest essay, What You Still Can Do When They Take All the Power. It explores ways to resist oppression, even when the ground feels like it’s crumbling beneath you. Together, we can hold onto our truth and refuse to let them define us.
Remember that feeling you got when the second plane hit the twin towers and you realized what was going on? You should’ve have that same feeling again, right now.
America has not fallen yet, Mary. However, we all fear the 4yrs of havoc wreaking chaos and the dismantling of government agencies that will weaken America to the point that we may be susceptible to further terror attacks, or worse, war. But let’s not forget that we still have laws and governance in place. We also have hope that in 2026 we can regain the house and senate. Keep the faith 🇺🇸💪🏼
This horrific outcome was decided by 1% of the voters. If 1% of the voters for the traitor had changed their minds at the last minute, to Harris, we would be celebrating.
In the next 2 years we have to work to elect a strong progressive majority in our House, a very strong progressive majority in the Senate ( that story this past election may be even more tragic than the presidency, we haven't focused on it enough, it's too depressing . . . )
If you see 10 adult citizens walking down a representative street --
4 did not vote ( DID NOT VOTE won. Again. )
3 voted for a patriot, Harris.
3 voted for a known traitor. [ 14th Amendment, every damn day ! ]
--
7 did not vote for this. That's the same fraction we see every time a national issue is presented to the electorate, and we hear the opposite of the policy and law that has been enacted.
The 3 are yanking us all around by the neck.
That should not be.
We have to talk to the 7. The majority of the zillionaires will be opposing US.
We have Trillions. The richest zillionaire has billions. Musk has 2 or 3 thousandths ( 2 / 1000ths ! ) of our accounted and reported wealth.
We need to start acting like it, and to oppose the traitorous lies in Congress that say that we can't afford to build good lives for our citizens, and even that We are 'broke.' Insane, and traitorous, from the floors of our Congress.
thanks again, keep these insightful messages coming please -- b.rad
That idea is so true about money not buying love. While I was thinking of how money and greed for it and power are the main forces driving the incoming administration of T. and company, a slight change in another song came to mind. The changes in the wording involve the pronouns. “It’s only make believe they love him, only make believe that he loves them.” I do not remember the rest of the song to go farther in the idea, but because greedy people are simply sticking together for money and power, “It’s Only Make Believe” comes to mind.
I pray we make it as a nation and that MAGA tears itself apart for the sake of all of us and we all wake up as a nation. This feels like the post apocalypse and we are struggling to live in this new reality.
It is kind of like that, especially since the majority voted for it. I know the popular theory is that they didn't know what they were doing because they were brainwashed by all the lies and misinformation. For some of course that's true but mostly I think they absolutely did know what they were doing. It's too bad that the Democrats didn't do more to stop it. I don't know what more they could have done - some say that even the day after the inauguration in 2020 was too late to stop trump. It's hard to believe that he got away with every crime, and that no one could do anything to stop any of it or bring him to justice. It's hard to continue to believe in the American justice system when this happens. The only thing left is to watch the people who voted for him, and the people who didn't vote at all, not get anything they want - whether it's cheaper prices or stopping wars or building walls and fences. With trump, no one gets what they want except him.
Most of the reasons people cited for voting for Trump are inaccurate, based on lies and overall ignorance of voters, too often willful ignorance, and, of course, the sexism and racism that runs through the veins of this country.
America will dramatically change tomorrow, as it's first ever President will be sworn in to report to a board of oligarchs who have bought him.
Tomorrow will be hard. We enter a defining epoch that will shape our nation and the globe for generations to come.
They seek to dismember democracy, eradicate our liberties and extinguish our resolve!
The Autocracy supported by corporatism will begin to forever change this country.
This is what MAGA voted for.
I will be wearing this "A convicted felon will never be my president" shirt the next four years 👇
https://libtees-2.creator-spring.com/listing/cfelon
Indeed, Maga voters, thanks to you, you have F-America
Brain fog appears to be a common abnormality in the United States
Uh, brain ROT.
T-shirt ordered, and thanks for the link. Never surrender; never forget.
You’re welcome! 😉
Protest, resist, fight but never surrender!
Everyone, please stop saying ' the majority ! ' The traitor received 49.8 % of the reported vote. That's less than half, *not* even a simple majority of the vote !
You reference those who did not vote, good. On the order of 40% [ ! ] did not vote.
'Did not vote' won this election. Of the electorate, those citizens eligible to vote, about 30% voted for Harris, and 30% voted for the traitor, plus a get-out-of-jail free card. Barely, barely, barely. If less than 1% of only those who actually voted changed their vote to Harris, we would be celebrating.
We have a challenging fight, a monumental effort, to talk to the 70% who did not vote for this.
The overwhelming *super* majority of the electorate *did not vote* for this !
It's depressing as hell, but words are powerful. Giving them favors by saying 'they got the majority,' or 'the people voted for this,' hurts us bad. Nothing like !
We have to start, I believe, by always be alert to words and making the traitors who are taking power always hear that they are not legitimate, that they have a 'mindate,' the bare minimum, at the most, and ought to act like it, and we are still coming for them.
thanks for commenting, hope this exuberance is of service -- b.rad
ps one accounting is 30.5% for Harris, 31.5% for the traitor, and 36% did not vote, plus 'other.' My estimates are closer to 40% did not vote, so less than 30% voted for one or the other. None of those differences change the conversation in my mind.
pps -- 14th Amendment, every damn day ! He will not be legitimate at any time, and it will be exhausting to remind the media and the opposition of this, but it's the least we can do . . . !
Thank you, Brad. Of all the eligible voters in the US, one-third did not vote at all. The remaining two-thirds who voted were fairly evenly split between Trump, 49.80%, and Harris, 48.33% - a “victory” of only 1.47%. So we can safely say that one-third of the electorate voted for Trump, and two-thirds did not.
I console myself with this fact in these dark times. Trump has no mandate. He has always been a failure and a loser. Everything he touches dies. He can only win by cheating. He represents all that is wrong with humanity. He is globally distrusted and despised. As with all other autocrats in history, his downfall is inevitable.
We are the opposition. We must stand firm and never give in. As Dr. King wrote in his Letter from a Birmingham Jail:
“There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over, and men are no longer willing to be plunged into the abyss of despair.”
Stand fast, brothers and sisters. Our time is coming.
I’ve been seeing that 31% voted for trump. I personally believe that there was election hacking, as 45/7 admitted it twice last night at the rally. He likely signed his exit notice by saying this. He just can’t help himself.
He CHOOSES not to help himself. HE is responsible.
Maybe he will do something stupid while in office that will piss off the American people and he will have to run to the basement of the white house to go hide in order to save his ass! I hope its coming! Give his ass back some of January 6th garbage that he pulled on others at our state capitol. See how he likes having to run and hide.
Exactly, Anna McConville and brad schrick!! Correct!!
What comments he made leads to this belief? I think between him and Musk they bought the election. I didn't watch his rally, but did watch the earlier morning activities. thanks
And, unfortunately, some who did not vote are Democrats who didn’t vote for Harris because she is black, a woman, or both…they may not admit it, but I would love to see the breakdown of Democratic voters between 2020 and 2024.
We need to see that, and other reliable polls that can illuminate any differences between reported and expected votes. I hear they will come out slowly, in the next few months.
It’s maddening and dispiriting, to see that so many — just barely, just enough as reported, can’t forget the main point — could make such disgusting damaging decisions, so it’s hard to work on it all now, for me. Got to buck up.
It’s hard to believe any woman voted for the traitor, or stood next to him. Clear suspicion of voter fraud . . . I wish ! Remembering how our country was damaged by W and Cheney . . . for 8 years.
best luck to US, somehow, keep us posted if you find some good sources with good numbers — b.rad
Jennifer, unfortunately, racism and misogyny are not entirely tied to Republicans, although for Republicans they are essentials. Dems succumb to them too in numbers larger than one would wish, OK, one would wish none were racist and/or misogynistic, but white people and some others get racism from the cradle as do both women and men get misogyny pumped into our brains. It is something we have to fight, and win more than once in our lives.
I think that seeing those poor, poor Palestinian ppl had to factor into the loss too... Netanyahu had a right to make Hamas pay for the carnage they inflicted and instigated, but he carried the revenge on and on and on and on... JRB kept supplying war materials endlessly... Americans felt responsibility for what they were seeing on TV and stayed home, didn't vote...
Now they have 45 and Jared Kushner will get to build the resort he has talked about in Gaza. Trump will give Bibi the go ahead to mow it down.
If the non-voters somehow felt responsible for the carnage, I can't envision how they could conclude that a trump win would facilitate a better situation for Palestinians. It just doesn't compute as being logical.
They watch Fox News... so of course, there's nothing they can do. Foolish, impotent behavior.
Hate to be contrary, but history shows us that it's the liberals/Democrats who don't vote.
FOX News needs to be removed from the air. Those reporters are nothing but scandalous liars. All the time twisting what is said for their dirty agendas.
LoC, the problem, those who chose not to vote for Harris because of Gaza forgot that Trump would like to see all of Gaza wiped out and himself given land to build (with other people's money) another Trump Tower. People so often get caught up in their own cause, but don't look what the ramifications are of their decisions, thus, we get Toddler-Trump for a second time.
We get stupid uneducated stupid Trump for a second time.
He only won by 1.4% of the vote.
Yes, thanks. One source with totals is <https://www.cfr.org/article/2024-election-numbers> Another number is 220,000 in a few key swing states . . . so if half of those voters had changed their vote to Harris . . . not all, half.
THANK YOU!!
Well maybe the people will get mad enough to throw his ass out of office before he finishes his 4 years with an impeachment. The reason the democrats didn't get out and vote to stop that punk from winning is the WOKE ideology. Democrats, many of them are not for woke, gay marriages, having to pay for sex changes etc. This is why Harris didn't win and people didn't vote or they voted for Trump rather than for Harris. Democrats need to clean up their support for immorality or never have any voice in this country again.
I know exactly what they could have done: hold Biden to his promise to be a one-term president in Jan 2023 and allowed a real primary contest. Only one rep from MN was brave enough to try and everyone deferred to Biden. This is malpractice by the DNC and Blue leadership. And we still have Joe Biden insisting he could've prevailed over DJT! What fog they live in.
I believe Pres. Biden believed that because he served the USA for most of his life, did the best he could for the People of the USA, and Believed in the US Constitution, that the US Population would recognize this and vote for Him/Kamala. But the History of the USA shows that ....Most of the US Population, does not believe in Female leadership in Companies, Schools, Churches, etc. and also believes that Whites Males are the superior ... May the Lord Jesus Christ forgive those who voted for Donald Trump a Convict! In Jesus Name, Amen!
Tell people what they want to hear from a person who has charisma and has the business intellect to serve himself and the bankers. The last hurrah.
Lois, you are right, but an additional piece is that Toddler-Trump allows his followers to be toddlers too, act like 3-year-olds with bad parents. They say out loud their hates and pretend they are right to hate THOSE people; they're not, particularly if they are christian as they claim, but alas . . . Frustrated people, particularly those who prefer to be informed by the likes of Fox Not Nearly News rarely examine their frustration and its causes, and will put a name on it as soon as one is provided for them. They hear that THOSE people are doing something and of course, they believe they will be harmed by that something, even if they don't know anyone in that category. They love the lies. Most Americans, even the Trumpers and Trumpettes are not in favor of mass deportation, for example, but Toddler-Trump and his flunkies in the playground don't care. Their job is to do harm, cause pain, then blame it on someone else. That is what toddlers with bad parents do, often getting older siblings in trouble. We the People need to be the adults in every room, calling out the babies for their bad behavior and helping at least some of the toddlers in Trump's playground grow up to see and act differently. We need to be on this case every day because the toddler-patrol will be looking for every chance to do us harm on behalf of the rich white men who want to rule here permanently while the rest of us are just their serfs or slaves or whatever term they choose to use for us.
It's more than toddler behavior - it is actual criminal and corrupt behavior. Today in the Inauguration speech he said we're going to Mars, while the cameras panned to jubilant pipsqueak, E. Musk, raising his arms and smiling. This was supposed to be a question that the space guys determined, not one specific billionaire who wants to personally go to Mars. And, between Must and DJT, they bought the election, Musk with actual $$ and Trump with promises of access and government contracts. To the working people he offered no taxes on tips, no Overtime! - imagine all the transit and PD workers who collect 100-300K in overtime to pad their pensions and their own bank accounts? These are the promises to voters, borne of corruption. Oh, yes, let's not forget that billionaire is in charge of cutting costs too. Apparently Ramaswamy is going to run for governor so that leaves Musk alone to cut social programs.
Marlys, I contend that when adults decide to remain toddlers, criminal or just plain harmful behavior is often what happens. Most toddlers don't have a moral compass yet and are just learning what is acceptable in the world. When adults don't have those pieces, they can do whatever comes to their minds, even if their minds are in dementia. The younger toddlers know a little better, but they want what the older toddlers have, so will keep themselves from growing up. We now have a whole cadre of them from Supreme Court justices to the entirety of Toddler-Trump's nominees for high-level positions. OK, the Senate and House are filled with toddler-adults too, just check out the pathetic behavior and attitudes of Ted Cruz, Tuberville, Greene, and soo many others. And if you want to see toddler behavior on a tate level, just check out Idaho, Texas, and the rest of the confederacy and confederate wannabees. They put no check on their behavior and only win because they got masses of money from the billionaires who got their money from We the People. It is shameful, but they don't know any shame because, oh wait, they are toddlers!
Ruth, your points of further information are true and I acknowledge your more emotional/psychological detailed view.
Hopefully it all backfires before those a-holes are out of office and it all gets shoved right up their asses by very angry mobs of people. It will not surprise if this country ends up in another Civil War. Or if the UN steps in and declares that our government no longer works. That is when they send in their UN Troops and the UN takes over and places in our government who they want to run it. And if Trump thinks he is going to make Canada the 51st state, He is badly mistaking. NATO will wipe us off the map. And the same thing with attacking Greenland. It belongs to Denmark.
Plutocracy dumbs the masses and gulls the gullible. We've had a resurgence since Reagan, and this is where it has led. Plutocracy in populist clothing. Hopefully subsequent events force even the stupid and close-minded from seeing the awful truth. Then we can start to rebuild from the ruins.
Reagan and Orange County, CA, is the birthplace of the anti-tax movement, too. I believe the changes are undoable at this point - we are cooked for sure. Maybe, like in Syria recently, an opposition (revolution) 25-30 years from now, will sweep away the dictator's dynasty.
Lois, I agree with you. The people who voted for him did know what they were getting. They didn't care. They are believing that somehow, Trump is going to save them lots of money and the hell with the middle class. Trump is the reason our last 4 years of inflation has gone through the roof. And its only go to get worse. They will be crying again just like they did after his first 4 years in office. The democrats will win again with another landslide in 4 more years. And whatever, you do don't be nice to MAGA a-holes who you know voted for him.
It seems that they (Biden Administration) didn't stop him because for whatever reasons, they didn't want to. I despise Trump and his cabal, but I hold Biden and Garland and Schumer and Pelosi in little less contempt. The insider stock trading bill is a glaring example. They don't want equity, and they also will each prosper or at least easily survive the coming years. Democrats have no more moral authority base to speak from, even though Trump is vile and criminal, with no consideration for humans other than as landscape.
While 45/47 and his followers have claimed the majority vote, this is yet one more LIE they are proclaiming. Remember, if their lips are moving, they are lying. They want your money - and if you're without, too bad. If you're gone, "great."
Joe, your words capture the weight of what so many of us are feeling right now. It does feel like we’re navigating the aftermath of something profoundly broken, struggling to find footing in a new and uncertain reality. The division and chaos make it hard to hold onto hope, but your prayer for awakening and healing resonates deeply.
The thought of MAGA tearing itself apart is a sobering one, but perhaps necessary for truth to emerge from the fractures. As painful as this time is, I believe the struggle to hold onto justice, dignity, and humanity will bear fruit, even if the path is long and fraught.
Thank you for voicing what so many of us feel but sometimes struggle to articulate. Your hope and prayer remind us that even in difficult times, the possibility for change remains.
With solidarity,
Jay
Fight them. Every step of the way. Fuck hugging these monsters or hoping they wake up.
👍✊🇺🇸😎
Joe, I continue to believe that they will create their own demise, as they have done so many times before. We will keep our democracy. It may be hard, will take grit and we will do it. The alternative is The Man in The High Castle. We will
keep on fighting and standing strong. We will come through stronger than before.
So be it.
I hope you’re right. I shudder to think of the damage they can do before they are gone.
Sadly, I believe the damage is complete at this point - it is too late. Look at the history of GOP mendacious behavior over decades, no demise. The ground has shifted and Vance will take over in time.
Not gonna happen. We're done.
Please don’t give up on our country! If you do and others follow we will allow those MONSTERS to win! Why should we allow that, they don’t deserve our country they want to destroy us ! We have to fight them not roll over like what happened in Germany! No Way! Trump has DEMENTIA and they know it and that’s how totally disgusting these Republicans truly are! Using a man who is incredibly out of it on his way to ALZHEIMERS exactly what his parents died from is so SICKENING! The Republican Party is basically the updated NAZI party now and there are still more of us than them!
Suzy, I feel the fire in your words, and I deeply understand your urgency. Giving up on the country would mean handing it over to those who seek to dismantle its very foundation, and you’re absolutely right—they don’t deserve that.
History has shown us the dangers of apathy and compliance, and it’s a lesson we can’t afford to forget. The rise of the Third Reich depended on fear, division, and silence. What stopped them wasn’t rolling over but people choosing to resist—choosing to believe in a future where truth, justice, and human dignity could prevail.
I encourage you to keep that fight alive, Suzy, and invite you to read my essay, What You Still Can Do When They Take All the Power. It’s about the steps we can take, both big and small, to resist and reclaim agency. We are still more than them, and together, we can ensure they don’t succeed.
Thank you for your passion—it’s a call to action we all need.
With solidarity and determination,
Jay
A slight correction Wild Lion*esses: The Third Reich was not defeated from within Germany but from without. There was no uprising within Germany such as we saw when the Berlin Wall came down. As late as a few years ago, I listened to an elderly German woman deny the Holocaust. She couldn't have said that in Germany, she had emigrated to the US where she was able to say it. And look at Germany now.
A better example would be to study what happened across Europe that brought the Berlin Wall down. It worked . . . for a few years.
Valerie, I appreciate your perspective, but I want to clarify something: I never claimed the Third Reich was brought down solely by a German uprising. My point was about the danger of silence and apathy. Certainly, it was the combined efforts of the Allied forces—and yes, some pockets of resistance within Germany—that ended the regime.
What I meant to emphasize is that oppressive movements rely on fear, division, and silence to maintain power. Whether resistance comes from within or from the outside, it’s the refusal to “roll over” that ultimately paves the way for change. We see this throughout history—including the peaceful protests that eventually brought down the Berlin Wall.
I understand how you interpreted my words, but I simply wanted to point out that a society under oppression isn’t helpless. People can stand up, speak out, and resist. It doesn’t always look like a widespread uprising, but every act of refusal to comply with hatred has its own power. That’s all I intended to convey. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and giving me a chance to clarify.
Thank you for clearing it up :) I agree that there were Dietrich Bonhoeffers and others who resisted. And died for their resistance.
To me, the challenge for resistance is the “how”—how do we resist when we live quiet lives, when there are no more marches, no more attending lectures on the evils of war, of extreme capitalism, etc? It was so much easier when I was a student at university in the early 1970s, we were all so energetic, we had a specific cause to protest, we had professors who led us. And yet we were all so naive about where the evil really lay. As Pogo said, “I have met the enemy and he is us.” Our selfishness, our desire to have things our way but still live the good life. t All you have to do is look at the detritus that was left behind after the protests. That is still left behind. We are so mortal.
Now I live in a town in rural Arizona that voted overwhelmingly for Trump, for MAGA. I live here because my only family live here and I am getting older, more fragile health wise. It’s not where I grew up, it doesn’t reflect my beliefs. I socialize with the small pockets of people who are not MAGA but we all feel the same. So very tired and, outside of the next election, what can we do except mirror kindness and goodness and hope that something rubs off. Not participate in hate speech, not give anyone any reason to think that they are justified in hating the “woke” people.
We tried so hard this year. I actually took money from my very small savings and paid to (legally) become a US citizen so I could vote. I encouraged my two voter-eligible grandchildren to vote. I am proud to say they voted against Trump. I donated what I could to Ruben Gallego and other anti-Trump, anti-hate candidates. What next? I honestly don’t know. Today my computer is off for any news stations. I will be going to one public event, an exercise class. Full of right-wing Christians who love Trump and can’t see the anomaly of pledging fealty to a man who is as anti-Christ as they come. Will I have an opportunity for a quiet “no”? Will anyone ask me if I am watching the inauguration? If they do, yes I will give a quiet, or maybe a firmly quiet “no”. And if they ask me why I will state that I regard him as an anti-Christ but refuse to be drawn into quarreling. Let my quiet statement sit with them.
Anyway, I think you and I are on the same wavelength.
There's a scary parallel between Trumpism and Nazism if my understanding is accurate. I've read that only 1 out of 3 Germans were actually members of the Nazi party and Trump's base is 30% (might as well say 1/3). Hope history isn't being repeated because so many people's willing blindness to what's being said and done right in front of their eyes.
'
Never give in – never say die.
Keith, I hear your frustration, but I have to push back—we’re not done. Saying “we’re done” hands them the victory they’re counting on, the one where we give up before the fight even begins. That’s how they consolidate their power: by convincing us it’s already over.
I’d really encourage you to read my essay, What You Still Can Do When They Take All the Power https://open.substack.com/pub/wildlionessespride/p/what-you-still-can-do-when-they-take?r=1sss7q&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false . It’s about refusing to let fear, isolation, or apathy dictate the outcome. Resistance doesn’t have to be grand or dramatic—it starts with refusing to comply with their narrative and reclaiming our own.
We are only done if we let ourselves be. Together, we still have the power to fight back, to stand for what’s right, and to keep hope alive.
With determination,
Jay
Exactly, Jay. And the more defeatist energy is spread out in the environment the weaker we get. Can’t do that. Keep a stiff upper lip and fight on.
Yes, Clare that why I am joining it from Germany and give my very personal insights into authoritarianism
it's like this:
whoever lies best wins the election
" especially in the USA " and Germany
Germany fights the lies better than USA, I think. Germany still thankfully understands that "freedom of speech" does NOT mean a freedom to be domestic terrorist unlike USA which doesn't even recognize the domestic terrorism apparently.
Who cares if you’re right? All the more reason to fight them every step of the way. Unless you want to stand aside as they murder your posterity via carbon.
I didn't mean to say I wouldn't fight, and I'm 69 and still riding my bike and walking, but honestly, mostly because I don't want to give up my parking spot on the street. Just kidding. I won't stand aside, I've never owned a cell phone and never will, but I really fear that they got people hooked, and sure as shit, now comes AI, like that wasn't planned, right? And who's doing AI? Musk and Zuckerberg. If we don't start screaming out a warning loud enough to be heard, we're done.
I'm 91, Keith. Yes, we must still keep fighting!!
Bless you, Jane, you are an inspiration.
Fair enough.
May the cracks of this rupture be the pathways through which we can, as keepers of the flame, doulas of the emergent, agents of cultures of care, transformative visionaries, and heart and soul activists envision and co-create new systems of ever more humanistic, ecologically sustainable, world-centric, integrally informed democratic governance.
In the USA there are dozens of different Christian religious communities, so praying alone probably won't help. Not even Donald Almighty will know the exact number of religious communities. Maybe the citizens of the country should start thinking for themselves and stop believing the person who has accumulated the most money!
Good Day. If there is anything GOOD About MAGA, then I feel that whatever horrible comes from MAGA, will ultimately, Equally affect ALL OF US. SURPRISE MAGA WORSHIPPERS!!
Tomorrow, I will lift my light in my local community: tend the park; the senior center; the homeless; weed the community garden.
Thank you Mary for all you have shared and continue to do for speaking truth.
It’s going to be cold … for days! Hang out a bird feeder with seed and a ball of suet.
“In God's wildness lies the hope of the world - the great fresh unblighted, unredeemed wilderness. The galling harness of civilization drops off, and wounds heal ere we are aware.”
― John Muir
Galling, is right!
I am going outside now to put Mandarin oranges out for my tiny birds, hang a clean hummingbird feeder, fill the feeding stations with delicious seeds for our wild friends, make sure fresh water is in all the containers, and be grateful for everything I have.
Tomorrow I will watch absolutely none of this sham, this perversion, this travesty.
We must not forget that tomorrow is MLK Day, ironically when a white supremacist takes office. Let's not forget all to lift up those who will go through hell in the next four years. We say we'll fight, I'm not sure how, but I speak out every chance I get. What else can we do? I live in Florida where voting is a sham due to gerrymandering, but we vote anyway. We vote, we protest, we're laughed at and watch media and businesses bow to the mad king. And we wake up the next day and do it all again until it stops, I guess. I too think greedy people in this administration will destroy each other. But Mary's right - Biden and Democrats did little to protect democracy by turning the other cheek way too much. But it's done, and here we are. An embarrassing day for a once great nation.
I love our backyard bird land. The squirrel likes oranges, too. I just got some seedballs 50% off due to they are Christmas ornament seed balls. I don't think the birds will notice. They love the seed balls!
♥️🐦⬛ Ahh, that sounds so good! Thank you!
I've fed the birds for 40+ years. It's an honor to help them.
I have, too; and I share that sentiment. They draw me out of myself, give me perspective. But I do fear for them…starting tomorrow, more than ever!
I fear for the birds every day. I fear for all the creatures of the earth and try to not look at the handwriting on the wall. Many of us have been terrible stewards of the earth. For now, some of us do the best we can do, all the while knowing there are plenty who simply do not care. Tomorrow one of them will put his hand on a Bible and pretend that he cares.
Bitter wind chills and 2-3" of snow forecast for Houston tomorrow. The birds are cleaning out my feeders in 6 hours now. I never knew about oranges, either, but thank you for reminding me to put out water for them, Candace!
I buy a bag of Mandarin oranges (they are small) and slice several in half each day. Tiny birds like them and so does the woodpecker.
People who have lost their homes in natural disasters say “Thank god I am alive.” If there were a god who cared there would not have been a disaster. God is dead or never was. Stop invoking magic. You have to save yourself.
I’m with you, although I can’t say I would ever be so preachy. It was just a quote that reflects my sentiments, but far more eloquently than my own expressions. I thought of leaving god out (as I do in every aspect of life)…but that wouldn’t be fair to John Muir. He was a humanist, and the kind of god he was talking about was not a biblical one…well, maybe a touch of Job. This is more how he thought of it all:
“The mountains are fountains of humanity as well as of rivers, of glaciers, of fertile soil. The great poets, philosophers, prophets, able people whose thoughts and deeds have moved the world, have come down from the mountains—mountain-dwellers who have grown strong there with the forest trees in Nature’s workshops.” More like a Scottish Wallace Stevens. And if you don’t like Wallace Stevens, I can only say: you have to save yourself.
It is truly a dark time. As a member of the Lgbtq community, we are scared our rights will be stripped away. But we will keep fighting because giving up is not an option
I am a hetero ally and stand with you totally.
Every person’s rights should be protected. I wish everyone well and all of us safe.
Today feels so surreal. It feels like the last hours before our lives, and America’s values, will drastically change, possibly for the remainder of my lifetime. It makes me profoundly sad, but ready to do whatever I can to turn this around.
But for today, the clock just keeps ticking down.
Tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock . . . .
I feel like Armageddon is upon us, and I am trying to think what I can safely do on an individual level to protect those who are more vulnerable than I am. Advocacy at the state level?
Yes, it does seem unreal. I see our country taken over by monsters and I, like you, may not live to see this horror undone. I’m sad that MAGA and Republicans have done this to our great nation. I pray for our future 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
I also hope to live long and well and to see the damage undone, good people given credit, bullies ignored, the Supreme Court and other courts behaving honestly and standing up for our Constitution, and most of all, every human brighten being treated respectfully and everyone being respectful of every person’s rights and property. Meanwhile, we can stick together, educate ourselves, share sources, dig petitions, write to Congress, set good examples in our own lives, and let people know they are not alone. Maybe thee are other ways to stand up for what is right, and because of Mary’s goodness in having this newsletter, and because there are other like minded groups, individuals, and organizations, we have opportunities to learn from each other, to stick together, and to do what we can. Surely there are good people who will help.
I think we all now know how the beheaded wives of Henry XIII felt the night before their executions.
Um I don't think there were 13 Henrys...
We got through the Civil War. We can get through 4 years of Mary's bad uncle. I suspect that reading this book will make you more optimistic. Here's a review:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/157981748-supercommunicators
I had tears in my eyes reading this. Thank you, Mary. We're in for a tough four years. I will be wearing all black tomorrow. Not that it makes any difference but it puts my sentiments out there.
I won’t be watching the inauguration of a pig.
Neither will I.
A real pig would be better.
I honestly don’t think he will last 4 years his Dementia is getting more and more obvious! I know what I am talking about because my husband died of Dementia or Alzheimer’s and I see so many parallels. He is not well! He’s being used as he uses them they deserve each other! We cannot sit back and allow them to turn our country into an OLIGARCHY!
Not exactly something to look forward to. If trump dies or becomes incapacitated, he is replaced by Vance who is not constitutionally barred from running in 2028.
None of it is good, it’s so shocking how the Republican Party has gone so Fascist in such a short time beginning with the very awful Newt Gingrich but it has and we have to fight them. They are basically fascist or Nazis if you will there is no way of covering it, almost 100 years since Hitler ruined the great country of Germany the Republican Party along with Trump and his cronies are trying to do the same thing here. Don’t deny it, it’s that serious, we can’t let them do it. His strange fascination with Greenland, Canada and the Panama Canal! No president before has ever tried to steal another country it’s not our way that is until this mentally ill person came along!
Unfortunately, not too long ago, the United States did steal other countries. Think of the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Hawaii . I do think we’ve moved past this kind of abomination but it is who we’ve been.
Yes, we have taken other people’s land, including lands that were parts of Mexico and lands of Spanish and French control. Of course, there was “Seward’s Folly” or the Alaskan Putchase from Russia one long ago March, and definitely a lot of land from Native Americans. The old maps are fascinating to study, but they also tell of sad stories for so many people.
The fact remains that T. wants to own everything. He told Bob Woodward as much. I believe that T. not only wants whatever he can convince his followers to help him take in whatever ways he encourages, but that he also wants to be a buddy to as many dictators as possible, possibly so he can take their lands some day. I think he will not be happy until he can say that he owns the world, and he does not plan to take no as an answer in any situation. His suggestions, no matter how far fetched they might seem to us now, are his ways of planting seeds to encourage minds of followers and to win more followers, especially by suggesting a fascination of greatness, whether in land, or in perceived standing in the world, the world he wants to call his. I know this is a long comment, but I believe that is his goal. I would love to be wrong.
the terrorist quisling traitor tRumputin is tasked by his master the terrorist putin of russia i.e. the sadistic, monstrously evil ones to literally destroy America, NATO and the Modern West (and the world).
that America allows that - is the part that disturbs the most 'cause the good guys doing nothing significant to stop and defeat the evil ones - is how the evil "triumphs". it's what hurts me the most. I don't expect from the evil to change, I expect from the good guys to unite, despite all our internal differences that may be, to act out against the evil and to defeat the evil - if nothing else, then, by parting the ways. Have been writing in more details to that effect ever since the cursed nov 6th 2024 on. But when the good guys refuse searching for a solution and, instead, accept the role of masochists&stockholm syndrome sufferers&surrender, I don't know how to help anymore, more than I've always been i.e. Democratic Activist which exhausted me as I've been that my entire life but that doesn't match up sufficiently to the evil powers, so the good loses because it isn't cohesive enough. It's what the entire remainder of Modern West i.e. American Allies is/are saying to America.
We also know who is next in line after the V. P., yet we do have another election coming! We will keep the hope for betterment as we continue to study and vote.
Im afraid your constitution is becoming less and less effective by the day.
Totalitarian feudalism is the plan and central top full control of global Banking cartel. the monetary system is in hands of Non Federal No Reserves bank and in other countries theirs. Research you will find this to be true. One piece at a time they are after and near full Control. People's dependency and disenfranchised the many, like tossed garbage just so a few little Emperor's strut under the surveillance and have their all. After more and more resources too.
Yes, I can see that type of expansion as part of his goal. Everyone in every business and geographical setting needs to be aware and act with care.
I honestly think the heritage foundation will make sure he’s 25thed out by the end of the month. He’s clearly insane and they have no use for him anymore. He served up the MAGAts at the voting booth, then Elon trimmed as many Kamela votes as necessary to “win”. Agent Orange’s usefulness is over. All hail commandant JD.
I hope so but I can't rest all my hopes on hoping alone.
But let's say that is to happen - then we must find ways to defeat the coldblooded demagogue and manipulator jd vance, if nothing else but by trying to negotiate the separate ways away from his cult!!
We've had a neo- plutocracy since Reagan. Technology infiltration in our lives has increased its hold on us. Trumpism in part is anti-plutocratic, or that's what 98% of its adherents believe. Let' ee what happens when things get worse for these naive people.
I've been remarkably numb since the ghastly outcome of the election. Reading Mary's column today the waterworks started. I too will be wearing black to work. If anyone asks I'm going to tell them I'm in mourning for America. I'm still angry at the selfishness and loathing of many in this country.
Thanks Mary! I am doing volunteer work tomorrow at the JCC in Manhattan making hygiene kits for the immigrants. I will start at 12 noon!
And I'm sure you will feel better about our situation as you do this helpful work!
Trump, and Ronald Reagan before him - figured out that the American public wants a Leading Man, not a president.
but Reagan played a leading man. Trump would never qualify.
Reagan only played a leading man in the movies. When he was POTUS, he laid the foundation for all the bad things that are happening now. :-(
Reagan cared (about public image at least); Trump cares not a whit. A white, maybe, but no whits. (Nor wits.)
Trump's back up crew are like a bunch of pit bulls. Blinken should join them. he has full on Israel mindset. But then again so talks Trump.. and the lot of them with their aligned banks are not getting ANYTHING from me for the WW3 already in place happening, just after the final salute solution.
what does Blinken have with tRumputinists, I'm not gonna even ask you.
also, the criminal netanyahu-kahanist regime does NOT represent the entire Israel!! neither do the hamas hezbolla terrorists all the Palestinians!!
Every nation, ethnicity must ideologically and practically fight the evil i.e. antidemocratic, anticivil, antihumanrights forces, within itself - first and foremost!!
My memory of Ronald Reagan remains mostly as his parts on General Electric Theater during Sunday nights in my growing up years. On it, he always played a nice man, I expect, although I cannot recall a single plot. I remember Sunday night sandwiches and being with my family much better, the treasured family times, not the program which just happened to be on those relaxing evenings.
Well said.
Capitalists, now oligarchs, figured out the populace want an entertaining strong man, so they fronted the film star then the TV prop as their puppets. They own the despot and will get rid of him when the minions begin to look behind the curtain to discover them running the show. Reagan was, and the despot is, a distraction to keep us from paying attention to those who are truly in power. When we wise up, they will create a bigger distraction.
Mary, it’s clear how deeply you’re reflecting on the state of things. While I am from Germany and don’t share the same direct stake in American politics, I see the pain and urgency in your words. The struggle to protect democracy resonates globally, and it’s painful to watch it unravel, especially when it feels like so much is at risk. Thank you for sharing your perspective—it’s a powerful call to action and a reminder to keep fighting for truth, justice, and what’s right. To all of you from this side of the Atlantic, you are not alone and you are not powerless. I know it is difficult to see it this way, yet I have just shared "What You Still Can Do When They Take All the Power?!"
Unfortunately, it seems like democracy is in trouble in many places around the world, not just the US. I guess the era of the strong man is upon us.
Emily, I concur—this isn’t just an American struggle; it’s a global one.
We’re seeing a resurgence of authoritarianism in so many places, and it often feels like the era of the so-called “strong man” is casting a shadow over democracy. But history reminds us that these systems, as imposing as they may seem, cannot endure when people resist, reclaim their agency, and refuse to believe the narrative of powerlessness.
I’ve lived under an oppressive, authoritarian system—not just politically but internally, within the framework my mother created and installed in my mind. For 46 years, I fought against that inner dictatorship, and now, having regained my true self, my voice, and my agency, I know I cannot and will not give that power away freely again.
"In the end, it comes down to a choice: who do you believe more? Yourself—what you know to be true within—or the system, dictating what you should feel, believe, and how you should behave?
This is where the true power of oppression lies: in convincing you to trust its narrative over your own truth. And it is here, too, that the seeds of its dissolution are sown. When you reclaim your inner knowing, the system’s grip begins to falter.
This is where your own agency and self-governance as well as dignity lies."
-- Jay Siegmann ( https://open.substack.com/pub/wildlionessespride/p/what-you-still-can-do-when-they-take?r=1sss7q&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false)
Emily, thank you for reminding us of the shared struggle—we are not alone, and together, we are stronger than the systems that seek to divide us.
Sending strength and solidarity from across the Atlantic.
But I think the spreading anti-democracy contagion started with trump/trumpism. (Which did have roots back to Reagan, granted). His terrible manipulation of people and our legal system allowed him to get away with so much AND win the White House. Other bullies worldwide took note, and tried their own hands at it.
I’m still not convinced he won the election. Since Musk-Rat entered the picture with his bribes, trump was so certain he was going to win he kept saying he “didn’t need votes”-why was that? Maybe it’ll never be proven but it’s just too suspicious.
It's odd to have bomb threats at the same time in all the swing states. That didn't seem to get enough coverage. I didn't hear of a true investigation.
THAT IS what I kept saying ever since the nov. 6th 2024 on, but was, often, attacked with totally false allusive-and-delusive-equivalences of the Jan/6th/2021 insurrectionists as "conspiracy-theorist, election-denier-bla-bla-bla...." - by many of "mainstream" Democrats and thusly intimidated - only 'cause I refused to fold. that IS what's been hurting me the most ever since nov 6th 2024 - the Democrats' surrender. I'm traumatized by that surrender that is derived from the internalized stockholm-syndrome in much too many Democrats' heads.
Let me be clear, there should've been the important determination of refusing the sadism, of course, but also refusing the masochism!! Democrats should have fought much better psychologically because the truth and facts are on the Democratic side!! Therefore, Democrats should've never surrendered nor faltered - which, tragically, is what Biden chose to do since nov. 6th 2024.
Vel, I can see this has been a deeply challenging and emotional time for you. I hope you’re able to find moments of peace and clarity amidst it all.
Was it not for you also "deeply challenging and emotional time"??
Don't you hope you're "able too to find moments of peace and clarity amidst it all"??
Or, you're expecting me to "normalize" the psychopathological malignancy?? offering only a palliative "care in a hospice" to a person, symbolically or actually, dying of the criminal attack perpetrated by the criminals, without even thinking of searching for any other solution against the criminals?? Or, what.... "sane-washing" people into accepting the defeat and surrender and giving up to the criminal aggressors - when those people weren't defeated nor did they surrender nor give up??
I only care about the Democratic self-defensive actions and solutions!! If that isn't the priority to do ASAP, then, I may as well remove myself from the subscription. But, spare me of hopium of masochistic "sweet surrender" to the tRumputinist evil please, if you're doing nothing significant against the tRumputinist evil!!
And, please, if you dislike my comment, don't feel to argue with me!! No infighting nor arguing among the Democratic folks, I've been saying that since long time ago and these months and days especially!!
I think other bullies groomed him. His private meetings with Putin, Orban, Netanyahu, Ergodan... were all training sessions. He's not intelligent and knowledgeable enough to make these plans on his own, and carry them out. He's too self-serving and egotistical to actually plan a path to his end goals.
yep!!
All the more reasons for America to treat him-eVIlonmusk&his as quislings, traitors and domestic terrorists! merrick garland's dereliction of duty was horrific!
Does this contagion of attitudes and behaviors remind you of the biological studies of the squirrels, both west of and east of the Rocky Mountains? Are these behaviors examples of emotional contagion, I wonder when the tide will turn to good and how it will be turned. I hope democracy and goodness, and caring for fellow man, woman, and child will return in my lifetime.
I've always only, only wanted democracy, goodness and caring for fellow man, woman, and child. Most unfortunately as a young civilian victim of kgb-instigated yugoslav wars in 1990ies, very early I had experienced the evil of creatures in humanoid shapes. Having legally immigrated to USA in 1997-2016 (the latter year is the year I could not stand anymore the tRumputinmania of the surrounding western Pennsylvania), I've noticed already upon g.w. bush's years and from then on all the evil symptoms akin to the yugoslav wars' war criminals in the so-called "republican party USA", to my utter dismay.
The only single hope appeared with President Barack Obama but it was immediately attacked by the terrorist "tea-party" movement which directly led to tRumputin. I knew that Democrats' craving for bipartisanship with such sadistic, terroristic monsters from the other side of the aisle - was gonna be mistaken for Democrats' weakness, instead of a unifying American virtue, and Democrats' worst detriment. Democrats' refusal to call spade a spade and Democrats' masochistic codependency on tea-party-repukkkes-tRumputinists for the sake of unity of USA - something already most unfortunately, destroyed by tRumputinists as a fait accompli - has always been reminiscent of a battered yet never self-defensive wife syndrome. It's all but impossible to help a masochist for as long as the masochist doesn't come to terms with his/her ailment and starts treating it with the delicate sense of balance i.e. only self-defensive always and forever, neither masochist nor sadist!!
Thank you for sharing your story, your wisdom from the perspective of experience, and perspectives I had not considered. How I wish everyone would care.
Long ago. many decades ago, following a government class, I expressed to the instructor that the categories made no sense to me. I was extremely young and told him that I did not understand how or why anybody would want to control anybody else. This conversation today brings that one to mind. The very kind instructor explained that there was much to know about people who insisted on being in such positions. I never would have thought any of this would happen here.
Your words also show me on a larger scale, reactions someone once described to me concerning individuals who consider the expected good manners and good will to be signs of weakness. I could never consider those expected and appreciated, polite ways to be signs of weakness. They are appropriate, and very in-line behaviors.
Now I am wondering how the bullies of the world can learn to use acceptable ways while still showing their true motivations and goals so we can keep everybody safe and free.
You have to know thine enemy, atop of knowing your true friends (if there are any), of course - if you want to be psychologically balanced and reasonably confident in the psyche of your life. The wisdom is in balance in everything!! To the bullies, psychopaths, sadists - being nice is weakness. So why are we good people expected to be always nice to the evil ones?? I never understood that.
Sometimes the "fire" of evil can only be extinguished by "fire" of good, speaking metaphorically, hence the quotation marks where needed. If one does not have, even worse, does not want to develop the self-defensive mechanisms, the harsh reality of life is that the one will perish - therefore, cognitive awareness of the evil and one's self-defense against it - are the most essential mechanisms of survival. What hurts me the most is that seemingly Democrats have underdeveloped self-defensive mechanisms. We/they must urgently quickly work on self-defense with all and by all means!! Isn't it enough already being too lenient to our own detriment?? In Stonewall Rebellion of 1969, we the LGBTIQA people knew what we must do!! And it was only a too long too overdue a start!!
Btw. a piece of an action NOW AND IMMEDIATELY!! https://www.impeachtrumpagain.org/?emci=b7ec0ad0-49d7-ef11-88d0-0022482a9d92&emdi=81e076a2-51d7-ef11-88d0-0022482a9d92&ceid=5213211
SPREAD AND SHARE!!
And it really pains me to teach other people all this and even having to talk like this because I've been always an ANTIaggressive, not only NONaggressive, but ANTIaggressive person. But I also learned in my life never ever to conflate an aggressiveness with my sanctity of Self-Defense as I've always strived to lead the universally, humanely, common-sense, fairly to others and myself moral and ethical life of Golden Rule of not doing to others what you wouldn't want the others do to you/me (and, expecting the same in return from others) ; of UN Article on Human Rights - All human beings are born equal and free in their dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act toward each other in the spirit of brotherhood (if not brotherhood then friendship; if not friendship, then, at least, not enmity); and the rule - Everybody is/should be free to do anything that, objectively, does NOT harm others!!
But the sociopaths, psychopaths, bullies, sadists, bigots HATE these rules. they enjoy VIOLATING ALL THESE RULES!! they indulge in capriciously spitefully evilly DESTROYING ALL THESE RULES! THAT'S WHERE THE WHOLE PROBLEM IS!!
Yes, my life example is the worst nightmare to the bigoted, lying, antigay hypocrites of "religious right" BECAUSE MY LIFE EXAMPLE SHOWS HOW WRONG THEY ARE IN ALL THEIR SLANDERS, LIBELS, DEFAMATIONS OF GAY AND IMMIGRANT PEOPLE (THOUGH I DON'T CLAIM I'M PERFECT AS NOT A HUMAN IS PERFECT) and I welcome their hatred as I know God sees us all and am happy about it!! I wish my whole life was recorded for everybody to see all my words, deeds, thoughts, intentions and my strongest aversion to lying and my fervent determination to respect the facts and ONLY the facts!! I know it's hard to believe me - but all I can do is swear endlessly - I don't ever lie and have nothing to hide!! My conscience is clean because I've always put my personal responsibility and self-control in the first place!! And to let myself being abused by the criminals - is NOT acceptable at all without my Self-Defense against those criminals!!
And I feel very uncomfortable that often it is upon me to keep explaining this to other good people whom I have so much in common but to my utter dismay I find that those good humans lack this most important awareness i.e. that many humans, most unfortunately, are not only not good but downright evil and that the NONevil, NONbad i.e. good although still not perfect humans MUST HAVE THE DEVELOPED SELF-DEFENSE MECHANISMS, WISELY AND EFFECTIVELY!!
It's painful to me to be the bearer of bad news about a lots of humans - I still believe not a majority of humans are bad but dangerously close to half of all humans are bad as we've discovered more recently, just look at how they behaved during the worst plague of the century i.e. covid19 pandemic, too often violating all and every rules of personal protective measures- horror!! You can never ever bow down to them!! It's what basic Freedom is all about!!
Or Those Who Would Be King Days in so many countries.
Penny, "Those Who Would Be King" indeed—it seems like we’re living in an era where power-hungry figures rise by exploiting fear and division, claiming thrones built on the fragility of human trust. Yet, the truth is, their power can only thrive if we allow it to take root.
History shows us that no king rules forever, especially when people begin to see through the illusion of authority and reclaim their agency. These are challenging days, but they’re also a call to action—a reminder that resistance begins with refusing to internalize their narratives of control.
Thank you for sharing that perspective—it captures the weight of what we’re witnessing across the world. Let’s keep holding onto our voices and our truth. Together, we can weather this storm.
And Musk is financing the extreme right contenders globally!
He's working hard at it & seems to casually insert himself into other countries politics &elections.
I live here in America but I would much prefer to live in Germany! I love your beautiful country so much! Trump apparently loves the horrible man that tried to ruin Germany! I have hopes that Trump at age 79 with many signs of dementia won’t last long! Hoping not all Republicans are wanting to kill our democracy!
Suzy, I completely understand your admiration for today’s Germany—it really is a different place compared to the dark parts of its past. However, I’m personally quite troubled by the remnants of those older, more troubling “Germanic” values that seem to run through Donald Trump’s lineage. Specifically:
- Großmannsucht (Megalomania): An overblown sense of self-importance and a craving for grand displays of power.
- Rigid Hierarchy and Authoritarianism: A near-obsession with “strong” leadership and dismissal of checks and balances.
- Aggressive Nationalistic Pride: Tying self-worth to notions of dominance, which can feed xenophobia or hostility toward outsiders.
- Disdain for ‘Weakness’: A tendency to belittle or mock those who don’t match a certain standard of toughness or loyalty.
These traits may not stem solely from someone’s heritage, but Trump does appear to have adopted attitudes reminiscent of that old-school authoritarian streak. Of course, this doesn’t mean all Republicans share his views—many are just as concerned about preserving democracy as the rest of us. But the unfortunate mix of arrogance and nostalgic nationalism that Trump displays feels like a direct inheritance of those ancient, more negative influences. It’s something I can’t help but be wary of, especially considering how quickly such attitudes can erode democratic norms.
Reminds me of the so-called "alpha male bros" who think they're so tough as long as they're bullying those who can't fight back.
Yep, that’s them!
Yes. That’s a perfect description. It’s the same type of thinking as that seen in younger bullies on a playground.
You give such a perfect description with examples, and definitely, we must be wary, aware, and act wisely in standing up as safely and fully as we can.
Thank you, truly, for your thoughtful words. They warm my heart and remind me just how important it is that we stand together, carefully and courageously, whenever we sense that kind of bullying force gaining ground. It can feel daunting at times—like staring across a vast canyon, uncertain whether our voices will carry. Still, each of us choosing to speak up, however softly, helps echo the call for decency and respect.
I’m moved by your emphasis on being “wary, aware, and act[ing] wisely,” because it speaks to that delicate balance between self-preservation and taking a stand. It’s not always safe or easy to confront aggression. Sometimes, it’s about finding those moments when we can raise our voices without losing ourselves in the process and instead close our checkbooks.
Thank you again for your kindness and resonance. Your words remind me that we’re not alone in wanting a kinder, more inclusive world. May we keep walking this path, hand in hand, hearts open, and ready to protect the values that nurture true democracy.
All true except that you connect it with some wrong stereotype of "Germanic". All the nationalities, ethnicities, races, religions etc... on this planet have psychopaths, sociopaths and sadists. After WW2, ussr i.e. terrorist stalinist-his derivatives' russia has them the most in Europe. So it might as well be dubbed "Slavic" - but it's STILL important to avoid the generalizing stigmatizing traps of the ethnic-national-linguistic etc...etc... sort!!
IT'S ALL IN A PSYCHOPATHOLOGIC SETUP OF BRAIN OF AN INDIVIDUAL EVEN MORE OFTEN THAN A SINGLE FAMILY UNITY (AN EXAMPLE, TRUMPUTIN'S BROTHER AND HIS DAUGHTER I.E. THE FORMER ONE'S NIECE, OBVIOUSLY, WAS/IS MUCH BETTER THAN TRUMPUTIN!!), LET ALONE A WHOLE NATION, ETHNICITY, RACE ETC...ETC.... !! Dr. Seth Norrholm has been explaining that much better!! I recommend reading Dr. Seth Norrholm!!
Bravo! Thank you so much for sharing your kind words and encouragement. They make me cry but are equally extremely appreciated! Knowing that someone beyond our country cares means so much!
I’m touched by your words and so grateful we could connect across the miles. It’s moments like these that reassure me how truly universal care and kindness can be. Thank you for sharing your feelings—I’m honored and humbled that something I said could resonate so deeply. Let’s keep standing together in hope and compassion.
I will be 76 on the 29th. and will hold my head high and keep my integrity in tact while taking part in Dr. King’s Day and refuse to acknowledge the lawlessness in DC tomorrow. And never lose faith in America.
Katherine, your words are inspiring. To hold your head high, stand firm in your integrity, and honor Dr. King’s legacy amidst all the chaos is a powerful act of faith and resilience. Refusing to acknowledge the lawlessness is, in itself, a statement—a reminder of what truly matters and what endures when justice and truth are upheld.
As you approach your 76th, I hope you take pride not only in your steadfastness but in the hope and strength you inspire in others. Never losing faith in America, even in challenging times, is a testament to your enduring belief in the possibility of better days.
Thank you for sharing your resolve—it’s a gift to all of us.
Jay, thank you for your kind words. I do stand firm in my integrity and to my loyalty to the Constitution. I took an oath twice and when it wasn’t popular for females nor was it popular with my friends and family, I have and always have stood firm for the words of Dr. Martin Luther King.
I am so glad to read your words. I am older than you are, but I heard him speak when I was a freshman in college, and I stood next to him as he signed my cousin’s autograph book. It was my first week in college, and six of us splurged to squeeze into a taxi so we could go attend that special event.
Thank you. I wasn’t able to witness and hear the words from the great man in person, however, he inspired me throughout my life. I congratulate you on being able to feel his presence and loving energy. Such a beautiful memory for you.
I had so many thoughts I meant for my comment on this post. But I just can’t seem to form words right now to describe them. Instead I am going to release my own stress & talk about today.
I had a seriously sh*tty day today in Baton Rouge (which including a privileged woman yelling at me for using a cane to walk at Costco). She apparently had a meltdown because one cart separated her from her husband who was holding their toddler-child whilst EXITING the store, & apparently me wobbling with my cane behind said cart person, whom I did not know, caused her to lose her sh*t.
I even stopped to let her pass me & that is when she yelled at me!?! Anyway, my point is, the people that voted for dumpypants are filling up on their hate of everyone “other” so tuning out tomorrow is a GOOD idea. They were out in force in Louisiana TODAY!
Jane, I’m so sorry you had to deal with that today. It’s infuriating and deeply disheartening to be met with such hostility when you’re simply trying to navigate your day. Moments like that reveal so much about the state of some people’s hearts—overflowing with anger and misplaced frustration, spilling out onto others. You didn’t deserve that, and I hope you can release any of her negativity that might have lingered.
Your decision to tune out tomorrow is valid and wise. Protecting your peace is an act of resistance in itself, especially in environments charged with so much divisiveness and hate.
Please know that your words, even when it feels hard to find them, are meaningful and valued here. Sending strength and calm your way.
I am so sorry you were mistreated! Having to use a cane at times, I have discovered that there are various types of people. Fortunately, most of them are good, and I hope you meet only the kind ones in the future. I have also noticed that when cane use is needed only at times, there can be some people who are fortunate enough not to understand the need, and they have made undeserved accusations of “putting on”.
I have both a broken toe & a severely bruised opposite knee. So the cane keeps me from falling over both directions. Than you for recognizing this. She was on my broken toe side.
I'm so sorry that happened to you today, as well as for all the other days something similar happened. :-(
Sorry you had to deal with that, Jane. Maybe that woman was just as frustrated as you are, and for the same reasons. I try to remember that everyone we meet is going through things that we don't know about. It doesn't give them a right to be mean or nasty, but we humans often don't handle our emotions very well, and lash out against the universe when we're triggered. Hope you have a better day, and find a way to enjoy some peace!
Oh, my goodness, Mary. I, too, hate that your uncle gets the Oval again. Your dark words were so depressing!But I am enthusiastic about being a part of the Resistance. And I’ve donated to the ACLU to make sure they have the means to take him and them to court for every fascist move they make.
Thank you.
We are all culpable, from the minute we gave our kids Smart phones and turned them over to Musk and Zuckerberg, and let them shop Amazon instead of going to the mall with friends. And they had their phones tuned to Tik Tok during Civics class. We allowed the dumbing down and disatisfaction of not measuring up to the Influencers. This all out fault, for the sake of all the wonderful conveniences of a Smart phone.
First of all, this is not “all of our fault” I raised my child as a single Mother. Her father mostly absent. I am a Veteran with a disability that works for the VA. When my daughter was still very young I went back to school and have taken care of my kid (35) ever since. When she thought she was going to be a gangster and a hoodlum, I called the police, the city and I said I wanted to press charges. That was at least 10 years of hell. I was home every night, I spent all of my free time with her. She could read at a 10th grade level by 2nd grade. I did not buy her a cell phone ever. I told her to get a job and buy one. I did buy her a car, but mad her pay for insurance. I sold it the minute she got a DUI. She works for law enforcement now and is engaged to a police officer, but, it was hell getting to this point. I have MS which was made 10 times worse from the Covid vaccine. The government has been taking money from me since I had my first job at 15; without my permission. So, I will be able to have something to live on when I retire. The billionaire boys club, wants to do away with Social Security. I can’t believe people voted for him! You know how to tell when he’s lying? His lips are moving. All of these unwanted children? Who’s going to raise them, love them, keep them safe. The billionaires? Congress? How about the lying Justices? Those of you who have been brainwashed by this jackass need to wake up. HE DOESN’T CARE ABOUT YOU!! He only care about himself!
Glad to have you on our side. Congratulations on everything you've met head-on and overcome, and on your very hard-earned success with your daughter. She's lucky.
Keith, I hear the weight of frustration and accountability in your words, and I agree that the conveniences we’ve embraced have come at a cost. Yet, while it’s easy to feel culpable, I’d also argue that this isn’t entirely our fault—it’s the result of systems deliberately designed to exploit connection and attention for profit. Musk, Zuckerberg, and others built ecosystems meant to monopolize time and erode critical thinking, all while shifting the blame onto individuals like us.
The question now is, how do we reclaim what’s been lost? How do we model values of presence, engagement, and agency, especially for the next generation? The tools that have disconnected us can also be repurposed—they don’t have to define us or dictate the future.
It’s a tough reckoning, but it’s not the end of the story. Thank you for naming this—it’s an important conversation we all need to have.
Thank you. Instead of burning books, let's have our kids read them and burn their phones instead. Tie the limit on their credit cards to the check marks on their completed chores list and send them to the mall. Hopefully, they'll discover what's really fun and fulfilling and flip a middle one to the "influencers."
Or maybe the park or library or even progressive church, instead of the mall. Seems to me the generation who grew up being entertained in the caves of capitalism, surrounded by marketing, is the generation who first lost touch with connection to self and others.
Mark my words; our new leader will take ownership of everything of that goes right & blame Joe for everything that doesn’t. Same old song and dance. Money is the root of all evil, believe it! If you have never read the Bible-cover to cover- it is absolutely fascinating. I highly recommend.
Yes, but this not all of it, but a big part of it.
Started way before tic toc and smart phones, once Reagan was elected. Exacerbated, to the max, by Clinton going Democratic light in the 90s. Then SCOTUS gave us W, who spent our treasure fighting the wrong country. Then Obama gave us the Affordable Care Act, saved our economy, but was too detached and academic for many folks who saw him as condescending. Trump, backed by far right wing groups, individuals and corporations beat Hillary, who didn’t campaign in key states and insulted Trump supporters. After people saw this crass incompetence of Trump, Biden was able to beat him, pass a lot of good legislation, rebuild our alliances and end the pandemic. However, he did not pay enough attention to the border, letting Trump use it as a cudgel.
In the background, Republican operatives along with a corrupt SCOTUS, billionaires, tech bros and corporations worked to limit voting rights, declare corporations are people, money is speech and political gerrymandering is just fine. My question: Where the hell were the Democrats? Too many speeches like Biden’s speaking of the glory and values of democracy, but not fighting to defend it. No game plan. No coordinated effort. Too much infighting and grasping onto power. Not letting enough voices, like Bernie’s, be heard and supported. And all the DNC ever did was ask for more money.
All of this took place with a supine and complicit media and press. Were left needing to dig ourselves out of a 100 foot hole which is about to get a lot deeper, with many, many people being hurt.
Great synopsis. Obama was charming but had a LOT to learn as a first-term Senator. Democrats screwed up bad when they chose him over a vastly more qualified woman. Imagine if we'd done the right thing - Hillary Clinton with Obama as VP, with 8 years to learn what he needed to learn from her experience. He would have been unbeatable at the end of Clinton's term, and another 8 years of a Democrat having the White House, which brings us to 2024. Trump would have never even been. But we, collectively, were all too stupid to think long term, and too reluctant to elect a woman. Like I said, our fault.
I think it’s blasphemous that his inauguration is on MLK day. I think he doesn’t have enough nerve to have the ceremony outside, that’s why he moved it inside. Does anyone else find it peculiar that he buddies up to all of the world’s psychotic dictator’s?
And to have Washington DC - the most Democratic-voting American Territory, be AGAIN now violated, defiled and raped by the the tRumputinist antiAmerican insurgents&terrorists, is the most disturbing thing America allowed.
The real reason the Powers’s that ne don’t like Tik Tik is that they showed the genocide against the Palestinians. Can’t have that.
Yeah, they made lots of Democrats stay home on election day and gave us Trump part 2. And now Trump will use Tik Tok as a state-owned medium for his fascist propaganda, and China will continue gathering data on our kids. Win win, just not for the good guys. Let's see how THAT works out.
The pain to come will be legendary but hopefully very clarifying. The people clearly have forgotten that the rich are the enemy and needed to be reminded. Heres hoping the billionaires fuck everybody over so hard like the robber barons of the 1920s that it causes another depression and people wake the fuck up. FDR had a mandate after the first depression, we need another. We need a New Deal in America that elevates the people above corporations again, but that won't happen until the myths the rich have sold us about the necessity of their wealth hoarding and general benovalance are once again destroyed for a generation.
Thank you, Mary 💙.
My 4 year dissociation while being aware is my resistance.
Caroline, thank you for sharing so openly. I want to gently say: please don’t give them your dissociation. While it can feel like a way to endure, dissociation ultimately serves the oppressor, not the oppressed. It isolates, erodes autonomy, and often leaves us with lasting pain—anxiety, depression, and a diminished sense of self.
The system thrives on fear and disconnection, convincing us that resistance is futile. But it’s not. You have power—true power—when you reclaim your voice and agency. This is the foundation of self-governance, dignity, and freedom.
If you have the time, I’d love for you to read my latest essay, What You Still Can Do When They Take All the Power. It explores ways to resist oppression, even when the ground feels like it’s crumbling beneath you. Together, we can hold onto our truth and refuse to let them define us.
Sending you strength and solidarity, Jay
Thank you. Scary times indeed!
Remember that feeling you got when the second plane hit the twin towers and you realized what was going on? You should’ve have that same feeling again, right now.
America has not fallen yet, Mary. However, we all fear the 4yrs of havoc wreaking chaos and the dismantling of government agencies that will weaken America to the point that we may be susceptible to further terror attacks, or worse, war. But let’s not forget that we still have laws and governance in place. We also have hope that in 2026 we can regain the house and senate. Keep the faith 🇺🇸💪🏼
Thanks.
Tomorrow begins the effort.
This horrific outcome was decided by 1% of the voters. If 1% of the voters for the traitor had changed their minds at the last minute, to Harris, we would be celebrating.
In the next 2 years we have to work to elect a strong progressive majority in our House, a very strong progressive majority in the Senate ( that story this past election may be even more tragic than the presidency, we haven't focused on it enough, it's too depressing . . . )
If you see 10 adult citizens walking down a representative street --
4 did not vote ( DID NOT VOTE won. Again. )
3 voted for a patriot, Harris.
3 voted for a known traitor. [ 14th Amendment, every damn day ! ]
--
7 did not vote for this. That's the same fraction we see every time a national issue is presented to the electorate, and we hear the opposite of the policy and law that has been enacted.
The 3 are yanking us all around by the neck.
That should not be.
We have to talk to the 7. The majority of the zillionaires will be opposing US.
We have Trillions. The richest zillionaire has billions. Musk has 2 or 3 thousandths ( 2 / 1000ths ! ) of our accounted and reported wealth.
We need to start acting like it, and to oppose the traitorous lies in Congress that say that we can't afford to build good lives for our citizens, and even that We are 'broke.' Insane, and traitorous, from the floors of our Congress.
thanks again, keep these insightful messages coming please -- b.rad
<uswealthclock.com> $160 Trillion net US household wealth.
As the Fab Four sang, "But money can't buy me love."
That idea is so true about money not buying love. While I was thinking of how money and greed for it and power are the main forces driving the incoming administration of T. and company, a slight change in another song came to mind. The changes in the wording involve the pronouns. “It’s only make believe they love him, only make believe that he loves them.” I do not remember the rest of the song to go farther in the idea, but because greedy people are simply sticking together for money and power, “It’s Only Make Believe” comes to mind.