You’re so right about a lot of this. I hope (I have to) that you are not right about it all. I’ll still protest, I’ll still resist - we could in fact be preventing even worse things. Maybe we’ll never know if this is true. But not every law firm, college, judge, media outlet etc has capitulated. So I’ll keep pushing and hoping Congress and many others open their eyes and grow a freaking backbone.
We had a wonderful Presidential candidate in Kamala Harris, who was the best qualified candidate in scores of years, in the company with George H.W. Bush.
The election was close, when it should have been a landslide in favor of Kamala Harris.
I am not sure the impeachments and prosecutions did much good.
I think it hardened the Aryan-core and, in the dark comedy of American politics, created out of an Orange-Carnival-Barker a Martyr.
Plus, the assassination attempts gave the Orange-Clown a Martyr's halo.
That the MAGA people are stupid, does not lessen their zeal.
As a matter of fact, their stupidity and racism motivates violent instincts.
Under the Biden Administration, NATO was the strongest ever.
Under Trump-I, Emmanuell Macron called NATO "brain dead."
Under Biden, NATO expanded its territory like never before. Under Biden, NATO's territory, including Finland and Sweden, creates strategic depth for armed opposition to Putin's expansion.
Biden provided NATO a significant strategic advantage over Russia, and our combined aid to Ukraine was turning the tide against Putin, who had to rely on Syria, Iran and North Korea for aid in its war of aggression against Ukraine.
Ukraine shows itself heroic in the face of war crimes.
Orange-Trump shames America in his Putin-Blowjobs, and Trump disgraced us by treating Volodymyr Zelinsky -- a war hero -- to a humiliating dictator's-Tantrum.
That was extremely painful to watch, especially in the knowledge of how heroic Zelinsky has been in fighting the West's War with Putin.
Yet America voted for the Orange-Carnival-Barker.
There is no excuse.
Protests would not have changed the vote.
We had reason, compassion, hope, joy, STRATEGIC-DEPTH, Liberal-Democratic values -- all of these and more -- on our side.
The right had Aryan-Nation: "Immigrants poison our blood." "Haitian immigrants steal your pets and eat the little kitties and puppies in blood rituals." The 1939-style, Aryan-Nation Event in Manhattan Square Garden.
To anyone with eyes to see, ears to hear, it was clear what the choice was.
Americans voted for Aryan-Nation, with Brown-Shirt-like Goon-Squads from ICE, covering their FACES in a cowardly way, since they do not have the spine to face the innocent protesters they seek to torment.
I am angry at the state of my country, and I served her for 28 years uniformed service in the Reserves as an Air Force judge advocate (Lt Col, Retired) and 32 years civil service in Navy Office of the General Counsel (GS-905-15, Retired, 2016), for a total of 41-years combined Federal service between the Departments of Air Force and the Navy.*
* Armando speaks for himself only. The Navy and Air Force publish policy and official positions only through official media. The Navy and Air Force reject any implication that Armando would speak for them, and Armando returns the favor.
The sight of Brownshirt-ICE Goons in a children's park in LA is the height of dark humor with potential deadly harm to innocent persons.
So no, it is definitely NOT -- Oh, if we had only protested more . . .
The monstrous contrast was obvious to any who had eyes to see and ears to hear.
I am with Annabel Ascher and Mary Mac, who inherit the liberal Democratic ideals of John Locke, Edmund Burke, the Declaration of Independence, The Federalist Papers, Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt, the Civil Rights Movement from W.E.B. DuBois through Dr. Martin Luther King through Medgar Evers through the recently deceased, so dearly loved John Lewis ("Make good trouble") -- one of the most lovable of persons, Reverend Wm Barber, the late Congressman Elijah Cummings, and, not least, the late Harvard Professor John Rawls ("Theory of Justice," "Liberalism").
This is the heritage we three promulgate, along with our friends who share core values.
We expressed these with full-throated love and enthusiasm before the 2024 election.
We express these values from the rooftop today.
To take an old Spiritual, which gave the title to a great Novel of James Baldwin, "Go tell it on the Mountain."
Unfortunately, I agree with you. I am 76, and I have lived in other countries, including some that are so called "third world" because my Dad worked for USAID. I am delighted at the massive protests: but, at least for now, they are futile. Trump and Regime have consistently defied, ignored and avoided the Constitution, which is the basis for our system of government, and...... surprise, he has always, always gotten away with it. Which means the Constitution doesn't work, and a new system has, like it or not, been put in place: an autocracy funded by the oligarchs of America, and supported by a corrupt media that has an immense propaganda machine, and, like all precursors of fascist governments, a military in place and a majority of the populist population who is easily manipulated. we are NO LONGER a democracy.
Can this change? Better minds than mine question. I do not think we can look on the systems we have assumed were in place to change things. It may take a revolution, and who knows, that may be a good thing, maybe not. I do note that the short lived democracy of Russia ended when Putin came to power, and nothing has changed since. Most Russians are poor, and have no control over what their government does, and keep their mouths shut for practical reasons. Did they want to lose their sons and daughters in a war with Ukraine? Probably not, but they knew they had no choice in the matter. I hope we are not the same situation. For myself, I have no illusions now, and I prepare to live under very different assumptions than I held say 7 months ago. And so did many Russians - but life goes on, as I think they dealt with. That is what I will do, and protest as I may, and hope for the best in the future.
You’re so right about a lot of this. I hope (I have to) that you are not right about it all. I’ll still protest, I’ll still resist - we could in fact be preventing even worse things. Maybe we’ll never know if this is true. But not every law firm, college, judge, media outlet etc has capitulated. So I’ll keep pushing and hoping Congress and many others open their eyes and grow a freaking backbone.
Mary Mac: Agree wholeheartedly with you.
We had a wonderful Presidential candidate in Kamala Harris, who was the best qualified candidate in scores of years, in the company with George H.W. Bush.
The election was close, when it should have been a landslide in favor of Kamala Harris.
I am not sure the impeachments and prosecutions did much good.
I think it hardened the Aryan-core and, in the dark comedy of American politics, created out of an Orange-Carnival-Barker a Martyr.
Plus, the assassination attempts gave the Orange-Clown a Martyr's halo.
That the MAGA people are stupid, does not lessen their zeal.
As a matter of fact, their stupidity and racism motivates violent instincts.
Under the Biden Administration, NATO was the strongest ever.
Under Trump-I, Emmanuell Macron called NATO "brain dead."
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50335257
Under Biden, NATO expanded its territory like never before. Under Biden, NATO's territory, including Finland and Sweden, creates strategic depth for armed opposition to Putin's expansion.
Biden provided NATO a significant strategic advantage over Russia, and our combined aid to Ukraine was turning the tide against Putin, who had to rely on Syria, Iran and North Korea for aid in its war of aggression against Ukraine.
Ukraine shows itself heroic in the face of war crimes.
Orange-Trump shames America in his Putin-Blowjobs, and Trump disgraced us by treating Volodymyr Zelinsky -- a war hero -- to a humiliating dictator's-Tantrum.
That was extremely painful to watch, especially in the knowledge of how heroic Zelinsky has been in fighting the West's War with Putin.
Yet America voted for the Orange-Carnival-Barker.
There is no excuse.
Protests would not have changed the vote.
We had reason, compassion, hope, joy, STRATEGIC-DEPTH, Liberal-Democratic values -- all of these and more -- on our side.
The right had Aryan-Nation: "Immigrants poison our blood." "Haitian immigrants steal your pets and eat the little kitties and puppies in blood rituals." The 1939-style, Aryan-Nation Event in Manhattan Square Garden.
To anyone with eyes to see, ears to hear, it was clear what the choice was.
Americans voted for Aryan-Nation, with Brown-Shirt-like Goon-Squads from ICE, covering their FACES in a cowardly way, since they do not have the spine to face the innocent protesters they seek to torment.
I am angry at the state of my country, and I served her for 28 years uniformed service in the Reserves as an Air Force judge advocate (Lt Col, Retired) and 32 years civil service in Navy Office of the General Counsel (GS-905-15, Retired, 2016), for a total of 41-years combined Federal service between the Departments of Air Force and the Navy.*
_________________________________________________________________
* Armando speaks for himself only. The Navy and Air Force publish policy and official positions only through official media. The Navy and Air Force reject any implication that Armando would speak for them, and Armando returns the favor.
The sight of Brownshirt-ICE Goons in a children's park in LA is the height of dark humor with potential deadly harm to innocent persons.
So no, it is definitely NOT -- Oh, if we had only protested more . . .
The monstrous contrast was obvious to any who had eyes to see and ears to hear.
I am with Annabel Ascher and Mary Mac, who inherit the liberal Democratic ideals of John Locke, Edmund Burke, the Declaration of Independence, The Federalist Papers, Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt, the Civil Rights Movement from W.E.B. DuBois through Dr. Martin Luther King through Medgar Evers through the recently deceased, so dearly loved John Lewis ("Make good trouble") -- one of the most lovable of persons, Reverend Wm Barber, the late Congressman Elijah Cummings, and, not least, the late Harvard Professor John Rawls ("Theory of Justice," "Liberalism").
This is the heritage we three promulgate, along with our friends who share core values.
We expressed these with full-throated love and enthusiasm before the 2024 election.
We express these values from the rooftop today.
To take an old Spiritual, which gave the title to a great Novel of James Baldwin, "Go tell it on the Mountain."
Unfortunately, I agree with you. I am 76, and I have lived in other countries, including some that are so called "third world" because my Dad worked for USAID. I am delighted at the massive protests: but, at least for now, they are futile. Trump and Regime have consistently defied, ignored and avoided the Constitution, which is the basis for our system of government, and...... surprise, he has always, always gotten away with it. Which means the Constitution doesn't work, and a new system has, like it or not, been put in place: an autocracy funded by the oligarchs of America, and supported by a corrupt media that has an immense propaganda machine, and, like all precursors of fascist governments, a military in place and a majority of the populist population who is easily manipulated. we are NO LONGER a democracy.
Can this change? Better minds than mine question. I do not think we can look on the systems we have assumed were in place to change things. It may take a revolution, and who knows, that may be a good thing, maybe not. I do note that the short lived democracy of Russia ended when Putin came to power, and nothing has changed since. Most Russians are poor, and have no control over what their government does, and keep their mouths shut for practical reasons. Did they want to lose their sons and daughters in a war with Ukraine? Probably not, but they knew they had no choice in the matter. I hope we are not the same situation. For myself, I have no illusions now, and I prepare to live under very different assumptions than I held say 7 months ago. And so did many Russians - but life goes on, as I think they dealt with. That is what I will do, and protest as I may, and hope for the best in the future.