People do not know if they are going to have a paycheck. And you want to fundraise from us? Talk about out of touch insensitivity.
Start doing your jobs! Congress used to hold the purse strings. What are you doing about this hostile takeover of our government institutions and payment systems???
Good for you. I told a DNC caller today that I am disgusted by the inaction of Dem leadership; I'm not giving anything until they show up and call out the illegal DOGE and purges of FBI & GOV employees.
Nevertheless, no one in power, or in the media, is willing to call this what it is — a literal Nazi coup of the country.
Name the regime:
Threatened and intimidated its geopolitical neighbors
Cozied up to foreign dictators and created a new alliance of aggression
Scapegoated communists, socialists and Marxists
Scapegoated Jews, Black & brown people, immigrants, LGBTQ, disabled
Wants submissive women. Banned abortion.
Systematically radicalized and mobilized violent young men as enforcers
Created concentration camps
Targeted the previous government for retribution — despite a peaceful transfer of power
Seized all aspects of the administrative state
Made the legislative and judicial branches subservient to the dictator
Attacked the press as dishonest and cracked down on dissidents
Attacked education, unions and liberalism
This is not history rhyming it is plagiarism. The next steps I anticipate are a 21st century version of the Reichstag Fire, the Enabling Act, and the Night of the Long Knives — which Mike Flynn has already threatened.
I have seen no concerted effort from anyone to stop this train which only ends in suffering and death. And yet this is how the Vichy corporate media is trying to spin it:
he New York Times asserts that Democrats are debating whether we actually agree with this jaw-dropping authoritarian coup — or, they suggest, maybe it’s just a “messaging” problem after all.
No, the problem is weakness. The problem is lack of moral clarity. The problem is dishonesty. No one is willing to openly confront this threat because they are afraid of it. It’s a pandemic of cowardice.
The new DNC Chair, Ken Martin, seems like a nice man who has absolutely no idea what he’s walking into. He’s not facing a political problem, he’s been sucked up into a coup of the US government by enemies foreign and domestic.
As with any chronic, self-defeating disorder, the first step is admitting the problem.
It’s the goddamned Nazis again. To the people who were supposed to protect us: What are you going to do about it?
We have a whole new slate of officers at the DNC, as of today. Most of them are fighters, including David Hogg. let's give them a week to respond. I've long refused to donate to the DNC, because of their ineptitude. But I may reconsider now.
Bernie is always right on, except for his conclusion that 5 million LESS Democratic voters showed up in 2024. GtegPalast.com shows how approx 5 million MORE Dem votes were: disqualified, shunted off to non-counted Provisional votes, almost secretly removed from County voting rolls through dishonest address challenges, Gerrymandered even more-- in 2024, in all possible swing states and many more.
Red State Repubs passed HUNDREDS of new laws "allowing" these actions-- and the few cases that made it to the Repub-rigged Supreme Court before the election--were also allowed to stand.
Now grassroots Dems must pressure, lobby, contact their elected Senators, House members, and the DNC to FILE LAWSUITS objecting to ALL the illegal power grabs TRUMUSK is doing right now-- FIRING CAREER CIVIL SERVANTS IN ALL FED AGENCIES INCLUDING THE FBI AND DOJ, witch-hunts, loyalty oahs, etc.
Repubs and the Repub Party have been filing lawsuits for YEARS when out of official power as Minority Leader of the Senate (Chuck Schumer now) of the House (Hakeem Jeffreys now).
We can too, if those "leaders" are pressured enough RIGHT NOW.
I too look for a way to extract the country from the mass psychosis. Few stop to think about the root cause of this dilemma, but Carl Jung understood it well. Mass psychosis is the advent of deluded people. You see those questioned at a Trump rally and you say “How can they be that deluded?” And then you forget about that delusional interview you just watched with YOUR OWN EYES. You do not do the next step: add it all up. It adds up to Mass Psychosis. You are led by a psychopathic neo-fascist that has deluded masses of people.
Pied Piper. “A.D. 1284 – on the 26th of June – the day of St John and St Paul – 130 children – born in Hamelin – were led out of the town by a piper wearing multicoloured clothes. After passing the Calvary near the Koppenberg they disappeared forever.”
I think that this week even a lot of his cult now see that Trump stepped over the line.....
Yes I agree with you. Seventy seven million people voted for Trump because in part they believe in him. Believe he's going to make their lives better, lower food prices, deport the bad hombres who are taking their jobs and lowering their wages. Total BS but they believe him. The thin reed I'm hanging onto is that we will have nationwide midterm elections and that the high price of groceries will have enough people pissed off enough to vote for democrats. Ninety million eligible voters did not vote, if we can vote again, maybe a few million of them can turn the tide. Wishful thinking?
I’m afraid what is likely is that more people will just stay home and not engage at all. This would be founded on ‘both sides are the same, ‘it won’t make any difference’, or even, ‘my vote won’t count/be counted’.
And the Dems lefttown on 1/24 and are still out of town today as the House is out of session . They should have STAYED and had daily pressers, etc. I am sick of Dem leadership or lack thereof. We are in the midst of a COUP. What is your thought on the choice of Ken Martin?
And so we should not speak out and force our reps and senators to get with it? Only a few are doing anything of substance. Schumer and Jeffires are rolling over putting out milktoast statements.
At DOJ, some of the people affected may be union members. In my experience, these are some of the smartest, most knowledgeable lawyers in the country. Because of the Hatch Act, they can't speak for themselves while employed.
Unfortunately, I have some experience in data breaches as my security clearance was stolen by the Chinese military in 2014 via OPM records. Although we should have sued for damages, obtained judgments, we never did. My wife and I are retired federal employees-- in many federal databases. Many are concerned about stuff like SSA retirement benefits. Those funds come from a trust fund that should be solvent to about 2033.
Apparently DOGE has already decided to kill several agencies......
I'm hoping that there already are schisms of MAGAT House members.
1. Minority Republicans. How can they support someone who would discriminate against THEM on thee basis of DEI.?
2. Those who support Ukraine vs Putin
3. Those who oppose Musk.
More -- if they represent districts on the border that rely on Mexico and or Canada, and their local businesses are shut down because of tariff policy.
The majority that benefitted from DEI when I worked were white women and many were Republicans. They are now toast.
My MAGAT rep knows that her constituents are pissed....are mostly Democrats. Miami Herald: "The Trump administration has eliminated deportations protections for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans in the United States, leaving them vulnerable to be sent back to the South American country in 60 days when the protection expires, according to an official from the Department of Homeland Security".
I don't know this as a fact but some own US businesses, are bankers, etc. The defacto economic capitol of Venezuela is Baghdad By the Sea. Employ hundreds of thousands,,, many US citizens.
Multiply Venezuela by Cuba, Canada, Mexico. In my building many residents have dual citizenship. Have boucoups business interests in the old country.
PS Once again the Dems are failing at messaging and like it or not messaging is what it is all about when going up against the vast misinformation machines controlled by MAGA and the GOP. Everyone needs to get on the horn amd make them wake up.
Did you miss that Ds were out of town during the recess to elect a new head of the party? Someone needs to actually lead the party - that's now Martin. The ones in Congress are doing their jobs, hopefully get the few sane Rs to reject Tulsi, RFK Jr and Patel, and to start doing what they can with those sane Rs to counter President Skum and his patsy President Orange Snake.
So, yes, it's a 5 alarm fire. I'm a senior citizen so this morning I tried calling AARP to ask if they are taking a stand or making any statements about the possible take over of Social Security payments. I couldn't get transferred to anyone to help. So I looked on the website for contact information & I found Government Affairs. The only contact information is a mailing address. Now, I love snail mail but as I've posted on other Substacks, this is 5 alarm fire sending a letter is like mailing a bucket of water to a forest fire. I wrote the letter & delivered it to the post office. But by the time it gets there will my Social Security Number be selected for non-payment since I'm a registered Democrat?
I've been calling my representatives & will continue to call. Joyce Vance provided a list of Senators on the finance committee who I will be calling
AARP is the non profit arm of United Health Care. It is simply a cover for an insurance oligarch, that is why the don't want to talk to you. They aren't interested in anything but your membership dues.
Until the dems get some balls (Crockett doesn't need them, she's doing just fine) we need to take matters into our own hands. We need massive protests in every city, every day. Easy for me to say since I am retired but it must be done. If you can't march, call your congressman every day. Most of us are so financially tied down that they make it difficult to protest just as they do with voting, just like they planned. Also find some primary candidates who have some gumption.
Im' also disappointed with Jeffries, I thought he was one of the good guys. So obvious that we need to get rid of the old guard, except Bernie of course.
Read and bear in mind we have the beggings of a two tier justice system already, with Trump appointed and Trump fiendly judges and the High Unholy Opus Dei Court.
The Third Reich has been called a dual state, since the normal judicial system coexisted with the arbitrary power of Hitler and the police. Yet, like most areas of public life after the Nazi rise to power in 1933, the German system of justice underwent "coordination" (alignment with Nazi goals). All professional associations involved with the administration of justice were merged into the National Socialist League of German Jurists. In April 1933, Hitler passed one of the earliest antisemitic laws, purging Jewish and also Socialist judges, lawyers, and other court officers from their professions. Further, the Academy of German Law and Nazi legal theorists, such as Carl Schmitt, advocated the nazification of German law, cleansing it of "Jewish influence." Judges were enjoined to let "healthy folk sentiment" (gesundes Volksempfinden) guide them in their decisions.
Hitler determined to increase the political reliability of the courts. In 1933 he established special courts throughout Germany to try politically sensitive cases. Dissatisfied with the 'not guilty' verdicts rendered by the Supreme Court (Reichsgericht) in the Reichstag Fire Trial, Hitler ordered the creation of the People's Court (Volksgerichtshof) in Berlin in 1934 to try treason and other important "political cases." Under Roland Freisler, the People's Court became part of the Nazi system of terror, condemning tens of thousands of people as "Volk Vermin" and thousands more to death for "Volk Treason." The trial and sentencing of those accused of complicity in the July Plot, the attempt to kill Hitler in July 1944, was especially unjust.
Why does all this have such a familiar ring to me? Despite all the urgent warnings, I recall too many times when there was great optimism and talk about turning things around finally, via the next election or some other dramatic event. Just last week was there not the hope expressed that in 2026, if we could just hang on, we might retake the House and possibly the Senate, also? False hope is no hope. Could this all be so familiar because I have been totally and insultingly ignored when I insisted that the first order of business must be to do what must be done to assure that the public is not miseducated, indoctrinated with right-wing moralism, conformity, and niceties, and that arbitrary authority in traditional schools via forced attendance was responsible for a mindset of obedience to authority?
Thom just wrote: "The greatest danger America is facing today — because Democratic messaging and outrage have been so weak for so long — is that average people won’t realize what’s happening until it’s too late." Democratic messaging is not getting through because the people have been somnambulated, pacified, and misinformed through twelve years of authoritarian training and bureaucratization and by facile trivial pursuits misnamed "education". No one wanted to hear it. Instead, we heard that our schools rate AAA+ and are "the best in the world". What nonsense. For over a century extremely articulate and eloquent critics have spelled out in intimate detail how schools are failing and how students are being cheated of education and opportunity because of a harmful and deceptive paradigm. Blame anyone you want; parents, teachers' unions, privatizers, video games and technology, etc., etc. The real problem is the false belief that education can be forced on children and that a system founded on that bizarre concept will somehow overcome built-in defects and affects. Democracy is wholly dependent on a well-educated and well-informed population, as we have heard so many times in this space. Yet, all we get is false optimism that the schools will be reformed - soon, with more money and more effort and that "the media" will change and offset the deficiencies we are creating leading to ignorant citizens unable to distinguish between a fascist and a patriot. I am sick of it. School matters and the "school climate" and the daily environment and relationships between student and teacher matter. The media didn't vote for Trump. The people voted for him, and they failed to see that the game was being fixed, and votes were being suppressed because they saw what they wanted to see, and they have an aversion for intellectual things and for books, thanks to anti-intellectual schools. Oh, have I gone on too long? No one has read this far, have they? People hate reading lengthy messages and they especially hate thinking after being forced to read junk and propaganda and not ever being given a chance to stop and merely think. Let's go stick our heads in the sand again.
Mr. Elliott, as a former college professor I am in agreement. You must know this. The Founders were clear about the importance of a form of education which informs the public. Jefferson went so far as to found a college based on the French model. The concrete foundations of the buildings are all that remains of his dream, however. It seems proper education was doomed, or at least hampered from the start. And yes, there are still some of us who read for no other reason than curiosity, or to become better informed citizens. As quaint as that sounds.
Children should be informed about the ideas of Henry David Thoreau. He recommended that one should make up one's own mind on public issues independent of the force of social conventions. As a sociologist it is quite difficult for me to say this. Because the force of social convention is almost the topic of my discipline; especially as I am a Symbolic Interactionist.
gerald, should, should have, shouldn't. We are way past the shoulds. He who controls the past, controls the present, he who controls the present controls the future.
st
Well the past is being censored, rewritten and ignored, and to date not a damn thing has been done about it, other than bitching and kvetching.
Do we or any of us control education, maybe a little now, but Education is high on the agenda of Herr Kevin Roberts and his band of stooges.
I personally find it non productive at this point in kvetching about what should have been, what was wrong. It was all wrong, otherwise we wouldn't be i this predicament,
and what we need is a way forward. How to escape the noose, the snare that is being tightened around us every minute of every day.
Your specialty most probably has a great deal of relevance to the issues in schooling and education in which I have been interested and involved. I am not familiar with the term or field of study called, Symbolic Interaction. However, social convention is certainly under-studied and under-appreciated as a factor and force in schooling. Assuming that “peer influence” and “peer pressure” are the central focus, I would say that it is of utmost significance. I am not a scientist and I do not try too hard to delve into the specific dynamics or to look for recommendations and formulae for applications in pedagogy. I am only approaching from the outside and asking questions about why meaningful change is such a threat and a rarity.
I might have referred you once before to the writings of Richard Mitchell. He had a popular newsletter called, “The Underground Grammarian” and I believe I read a series of books that he published about 20-30 years ago before he died. His criticism was scathing and often humorous, but always brilliant. I do not have any illusions about returning to some past time when schools were much more intellectually demanding and rigorous in terms of prefect grammar, elevated standards in many fields or disciplines, or expectations for total devotion to academics and literature. While some students did perform at a very high level and the average was oriented toward more intellectual pursuits even if the ideal was distant and unachievable for them, all that is more myth than reality. If fifteen percent of students functioned and performed at such a high level, more were discouraged, rejected, or driven off before they got very far in the “system”.
In my estimation, schools should be focused much more on broad developmental lines and metrics, on socialization in the real world (not the artificial school world, which is contrived, perverted, and excessively competitive), on providing social services of all kinds, and on fostering a sense of community and active interactions with and participation in community. Jefferson’s ideal for preparing citizens in schools places way too much emphasis on education and academic disciplines, which must be sought through individual initiative. The “cult of school” which has evolved is a consequence of expectations for schools and unkept promises for schools which are entirely unrealistic and unattainable.
For a kid like Thom Hartmann with a sky-high IQ the ideal is great. For the rest of us, school is punishing and a waste of time 80% of the time. The negatives outweigh the positives and the damage done to a majority of students is terrific and turns them off to anything remotely resembling intellectual curiosity and discovery, especially if it involves reading, which has become a boring and often humiliating experience in classes. The implications for democracy should be obvious. But denial and mythology prevent people from figuring out what’s happening and just how bad it is. Real education happens outside of school or when a person seeks information because of personal interest or some immediate motive. Real knowledge must be created by students using prior knowledge (which is largely unknown and inaccessible to teachers and supposed experts) and by processing information without undue influence or interruption in mostly private contemplation and rumination in answering spontaneous questions. Schools cannot provide those experiences when students who are not there voluntarily are present and occupying the time of instructors.
I read that far because I know why education has failed. I love “meeting” people who care about education since I know it’s why democracy failed. I just published a book explaining it in detail. https://geni.us/whitechalkcrime I promise you if you read it you’ll understand why education is what it is. Fascists took it over decades ago and the unions found common ground. I’ve been trying to expose this since 1995. I have whistleblowers at WhiteChalkCrime.com explaining what’s going on but we’re powerless. We need people like you to help! You’ll find my contact information at that site.
Several months ago, when you posted a comment, I contacted you and read a great deal of the material on a couple of websites, as I recall. One was for your organization, and I believe one was for teachers. I also looked up your book and had expected to order it but have been forced to put it on the back burner for now. This political crisis is my highest priority for the time being and family and financial issues have me in a vise.
I am assuming you can read my reply to Mr. (Professor) Dobbertin posted earlier. That should give you a pretty good idea of what I am thinking about our educational/school dilemma. Unfortunately, I suspect that you are one of the people who tend to overestimate the ability of teachers to modify the “system” and to compensate for all that is wrong. That is some of that ‘false hope’ I had written about this morning. The strait jacket which prohibits meaningful change is the compulsory attendance law and the endless cascade of regulations, statutes, rules, prohibitions, conditions, accountability measures, etc., etc. and the faceless bureaucracy which necessarily follow. The most dedicated, competent, and loving teachers are merely cogs in a machine which chews up human beings routinely. If democracy survives, I will be hoping to see what practical things you offer and the details from your direct interactions with the destructive machine.
Thanks for your comments. My plan for schools deals with the issues you describe. There’s a lot in my book explaining history and what could be. I do get that with what’s going on now fixing them seems not to be a priority yet understanding their role in destroying democracy and what could be gives people perspective and hope. Plus the leader who learns what they did to democracy and reads my book and understands what to do will earn power as schools are the biggest issue for a strong middle class. We need to get this information to a future leader. That’s our only hope to get democracy back. So it is an issue for now. Then once people learn from my book they can run for school boards on a democracy platform. We can takeover schools via boards. There’s little else like that that we can do now. So don’t overlook this as a political route. If you contact me at my website I’ll send you a free PDF or audiobook. You will see I come at it from a very different angle. You will see it differently when you see I came up with a way teachers like me could lead. That’s what must be.
Did it occur to you that a leader who could fix our schools could save democracy? I have the answers but most leaders overlook the issue that could win people back to a rational party. We can’t sell democracy if we don’t know how to build its foundation. Knowing about what education did and what it can do is our only path back. Check out WhiteChalkCrime.com. Doing something about this is our way back.
Few trust the parties who brought us these schools and did nothing about it. So they’re foolishly giving Trump a chance. When you learn about our schools from whistleblowers you’ll understand why our schools are the root cause we lost democracy. They are key to getting it back in that the leader who figures this out will be a hero.
Yes Karen. A leader, a fuhrer, can fix everything, so long as he has absolute power, but I don't think we will like the fixes.
You have the answers? Well then we need to build a movement, and rally the people around Karen Howitz.
It isn't just schools Karen, It is religion. Religion fucks with the mind, kills brain cells worse than alcohol.
What is the motivating force behind MAGA, the ideology that Trump rode to power?
Is it lack of education, poor education, misdirected education? Or is it more primal?
Fears and needs Karen, that is what motivates people, fears and needs.
Trump expressed and addressed those fears and needs, and exploited them.
That is the power of MAGA.
It has nothing to do with education. The poorly educated are MAGAts,the highly educated are also MAGAts. Trump;s base even includes doctors, lawyers, business onwers., realtors, franchisee's, car dealerships .and what binds them all? He promises top assuage their fears and fulfill their needs.
Which is the same as religion. People are born into a religion, stay in a religion or are attracted to a religion, because the religion assuages their fears and fulfills their needs.
Wrong again! I agree that school issues are not a top priority under the current circumstances. My post was to express my frustration and exasperation with people who have denied the disaster that our schools have been and have caused (which seems to include you). I am pointing fingers and placing blame, and I am indeed very angry. This could have been prevented. People have failed to listen to Thom, and he is reminding them of his predictions and warnings. Yet, my warnings were rudely ignored as you also continue to do, and ignorance will remain the primary problem until schools become havens instead of prisons. The documentation is overwhelming. In a dictatorship there will still be schools. They will be a lot like they are now, in fact, with top-down control. Maybe people will get it after a few years of oppression in society fashioned after schools.
Your ignorance is showing. I have said many times that I support the Department of Education, despite the failures of the traditional schools. I have consistently opposed the Libertarians and other nut cases who have imagined that eliminating federal oversight and services will solve anything just as I oppose people who delude themselves with happy myths about how marvelous the schools are under a compulsory paradigm. Take a long nap and find someone else to pester with your childishness when you wake up.
You really do not understand, do you. The solution to a compulsory paradigm which creates dysfunction is a voluntary paradigm. For the twentieth time. Have you suffered a bad fall recently or had a head injury?
Tell me about your bad experience with schools Robert. What happened to you that has led you to obsess over them, more important what is your solution Robert.
You seem to know what is wrong, so how would you think them.
I see your problem, you said that I have ignored your warning. Wow aren't you something. Well I do ignore you, you haven't made any warnings, just the usual bitch without a soultion to education.
And had people listened to Thom all of this could have been prevented.Thom must have one helluva megaphone. Last I saw, he could only reach people who watched Free Speech TV, turned on the dial to the few progressive AM radios, and the very few who subscribe to this substack. A limited audience.
Since I went to school 1945-1956, my teachers were 4 F's, spinsters and bored housewives with enough education to keep them out of the armaments industry. My algebra teacher was certifiable. honestly.
The curriculum was of course patriotic, civics, as I was in General ed, to start, I had a class in Latin. My problem was not the school and it's curriculum but the quality of the teacher. That actually improved when I left Phillie and moved to Louisiana. in 1956 Better teachers, actually, better curriculum. except for American History (war of Northern Aggression and all)., but that was then, I have no idea what schools are like now, north or south, and neither do you.
Here is the real problem Robert, all of that is in the past, history, going forward if Musk and Trump succeed, we know what schools will be like, Florida on stereoids.
Students will learn enough to read instructions, I would look to the education system of Germany 1933-1945, or Russia then and now.
That's the educational system that awaits, unless we somehow cause or witness the implosion of the Musk Trump world.
All this crap about education is nothing more than emotional venting, what was is irreversible what will be is whatever the powers to be say it will be, and the powers that be are in the process of deconstructing and reorganizing America from top to bottom, including education.
Yes Robert, I know, nobody listened to you, and that is why we are in the mess we are in, and you are upset and can't stop beating the dead horse.,
If only everybody had listened to you, we wouldn't be in this sorry state.
I agree. I get why William thinks as he does but you don’t solve a problem created by our schools ignoring it. He’s very wrong. Our schools are indeed the deep state Trump has sold to people despite making the deep state up. He just happened upon something that worked. They are fascist and the unions have found common ground with fascists. Democrats did nothing about it and frankly don’t know what to do. To really understand what they did you need to read my book. People don’t know the world of education. Thom doesn’t either. If he understood he could lead. We need an established leader to learn about it. That’s why I wrote a book. Once people understand they intentionally don’t reform schools because it’s their grift and the people who could reform them are powerless they’ll listen to people like me. It’s a Harvey Weinstein thing only he forced sex and these predators force stupidity. He never would have stopped without an investigation. Neither will these predators. I wrote my books so people would know what to do. One day the right person will read my 2024 book and they will discover gold. That’s my hope.
Abraham Lincoln said the way of the schoolroom in one generation will be the government in the next. It is.
In 2002 I started an organization for teachers like me who knew how corrupt our schools are so we’d build power to expose it. In 2017 the membership went way down. They turned to Trump to solve it. These were decent people disgusted with our schools. We lost them to Trump.
We will never get this democracy back until a leader figures out what our schools did to us and fixes it. It’s like finding and doing something about termites when your house keeps collapsing. Education is our foundation. Saying it’s not relevant now would be like saying learning about termites isn’t relevant when your house is collapsing.
William is like most people. It’s very hard to get people educated in this country to read my book. It’s a catch 22. I promise you once people do they will know exactly what to do.
Besides education explains how Trump happened. And that’s not of interest? How hollow we’ve become because of our schools.
Thank you. Fascism is now here and it will be much harder to fight, mostly because Democrats did not put their feet down and stop all the Republican assaults that came before. Unfortunately, many fully cooperated in allowing all of their initiatives to pass.
This siege was not CAUSED by Democrats. We are 49% of registered voters. It is the unaffiliated voters that determine elections. THEY voted to let Trump and Musk pick their pockets on behalf of Putin.
Trump keeps saying there is going to be some "pain" and the American people will understand. That's humorous.
Blame the people that voted, blame the people that didn't vote, blame voter suppression, blame Republicans for not convicting Trump during that last impeachment, and on and on. The truth is right in front of everyone's eyes.
We told the truth. We told them what Project 2025 was going to be. It's here. Democrats are not the American Idiots. We are not the thieves.
Neoliberalism has played a huge part in mucking everything up, and most people have no understanding of Neoliberalism/Trickle Down, before it, and where we are today. Every Democrat should be talking about this so people can understand why they think they are angry at the government.
Could the Democrats' Lack of Resistance Be a Green Light for Tyranny?
Whether it is or not in reality, it is being interpreted and perceived as such. Ergo, if perception is, in fact, reality the answer is what it is and Trump is acting accordingly.
The sky is literally falling (DC & Philly), but voters on both sides are ignoring it.
Frankly, I doubt that there is widespread political will to stop this. Trump is going to have to screw a lot more people for that to happen. I think MAGAs, like Trump, see his re-election as revenge. I note how many middle-aged people attend his rallies. Few look prosperous. Many squandered their opportunities and wealth for short-term pleasurers and now are too old to start over and build that nest egg they need for retirement. MAGAs seem to blame the government for that.
Like all fascists, Trump and the techno-monarchy just want to rule. So far they are doing an incompetent job of ruling much less governing. Health research is now dead. NIH and CDC funding has been frozen. Ignorant pols are banning medical treatments and medications. Government scientists have been barred from publishing or even communicating with colleagues domestically and abroad. We initiated a trade war for no reason. Trump is appointing incompetent unreliable people to run US intelligence. Co-president Musk has boasted about his ketamine substance abuse habit. That all will end cooperation from allies. In time, Russia will be able to annex the US just by declaration as our DOD will be a demoralized mob rather than a fighting team.
Tom this is umpttenth time this week I've heard the charge or complaint That Trump is incompetent, but I think this assumes that in the final analysis Trump wants the same thing that we want..
I don't think so. I think the Musk Trump regime has their own agenda, and they have advertised it in public. They don't want what we want.
Our salvation would be if he was indeed incompetent and screwed everything up, then it could reset.
His flurry of actions, executive orders, the unauthorized, unconstitutional, illegal gambits of Musk are designed to wrench as much control as they can into their hands and away from the administrative state.
sure they will experience some temporary set backs, as a non Trump judge hither and yon, lays down an injunction, but those are only temporary.
By furloughing, firing, reassigning, threatening all important civil service workers, he has
stopped the gears, and they will be almost impossible to start up again, he and Musk have thrown sand in the machinery, the gears of government.
Drain an engine of oil, and see how long it can run, and what happens if you run an engine without lubricant.
I don't think Russia will annex the USA, more likelyi t is George Orwells world come into fruition. Oceania (America at it's core), Eurasia . Russia at it's core, East Asia (China at it's core) and AfriAsia, with Riyadh at it's core I am sure that Bibi has fevered dreams of Eratz Ysrael, but he doesn't have the resources to back up his dream.
It now becomes clear that Dems were and still are accomplices to von trump and his billionaires fascist coup! Incredible but true. It always takes two to tango! Shame on them. Those morons can all burn in hell.
Your choice is Ds, warts and all, or going to sleep and let Trump/Skum win. I saw Ds all weekend standing up to them on MSNBC. I voted for all Ds - did you?
Eva, MSNBC is an outlier. And it's viewers are almost all AARP eligible,like moi
The truth is these days Gen X, Y, Z don't even watch TV,many don't even own a computer or a tablet, they stream their entertainment, get their news from social media.
I sit at my computer, dependent on a router, my wife sits behind her tablet, dependent on a cell phone. She gets news before me.
MSNBC ranked as the No. 2 cable news network in primetime and total day total viewers for the month of January, with 734,000 and 506,000 viewers, respectively. In the demo, the network attracted 63,000 viewers in primetime and 45,000 viewers during total day
Out of a population of over 350,000,0000 and what do they advertise? That tells you about their viewers. Medicare Advantage, car Insurance and Pharmaceuticals.
If nobody watches them, they can't get a message across..
Then who is there? Joe Rogan? Meidas Touch is all against Trump, and seems to reach millions. And he does podcasts. Who in media can get the folks you're talking about to care? I'm old, and old school - I don't do social media/Facebook/Twitter/podcasts. Look at who's on these comments sections - it's those of us who aren't the hipsters, who don't do streaming, etc.; we're people who READ and do watch the old school media, save for entertainment purposes. You and people like you need to get involved and found a new media to combat Trump. I can't do it; I don't know how to do it; and I don't watch or listen to it. And I venture to say that is most of us on these comments. And if you think Ds are failing, then go find them and give them the expertise they're lacking.
BTW, I very much doubt most of MAGA does the hip media either. They watch Fox, NewsMas, OAN who feed them the entertainment they want.
i and people like me need to get involved Eva. Like how.
FYI I'm 85, handicapped and with deficits, So how am I suppose to get involved.
I don't even own a cell phone, and am not about to get one either
I would love to get the Democratic party a tongue lashing, but they won't listen, they haven't listened. They have learned nothing from the Bernie Experience, or from AOC, what they have done is try to run progressives out of the party though.
As an example. Sen Markey of MA is a great progressive. Rep Joe Kennedy Jr, a DINO like his uncle, want to be a Senator, Nancy backed Joe against Sen Markey.
Another example a straight and a gay were running for a house seat, Nancy threw her weight behind the straight, not only straight but an outspoken homophobe.
Another example AOC and the Squad, Nancy hates them, and has championed primary challenges,fortunately they live in very safe districts.
The Democrrats, rather than choose someone who can actually win the General election, put their thumb on the scale for old tired race horses, that have paid their dues, earned their credentials and stood patiently in line until they are called to the starting gate, then they put their thumb on the scale for their choice and wind up losing.
Examples Hillary, Terri McAuliffe, Kamala. Biden 46 was an outlier, in that election Trump was so unpopular that a cabbage could have beat him, also in that election the Muslims of Wi, Mi, PA turned to vote for Biden, thanks to Trumps famous "Muslim ban"., but because Biden supported Israel in it's war with the terror organization HAMAS, the Muslim ummah got very upset, because first and foremost their loyalty is to the ummah and not America, and they got their wish, and now regret the hell out of being so stupid.
I informed my Democratic congressmen that I felt betrayed by their short-sighted colleagues- like Ossoff & Fettermen- who voted for the Laken Riley Act. Such “going along with Republicans “to get along” is a strategy of appeasement. Look up Neville Chamberlain to see if that strategy worked with Fascist Germany in averting WWII. I demanded assurances from each of my congressmen that their future votes would be based on the tried & true progressive principles of the Democratic party. Each congressman responded to me within 2 days with emails that addressed my concerns. So, I am hopeful that they will fight.
Fetterman, the worst primary vote I ever cast. I was warned by my very involved in politics plastic surgeon. She told me he’d do stuff like this. I wish I’d listened.
Constitutionally I am with you Neal, but in reality it is the stead fast, open borders stance on immigration that is mainly responsible for Trump winning the election.
The same thing is happening in Europe, liberals are standing by their open handed attitude, while the right wing is running on the fear of migrants.
Granted that the migrant situation in Europe is very different, as regards fears and concerns, than that in America.
But it is migration that is driving the right to power.
We need common sense approaches to immigration and frankly Laken Riley seems to be the first step in that direction, as it applies to immigrants that have records of violent offenses.
I realize that alone is problematic and can be twisted.
Bujt the real swing to the right are Democrats aligned with Republicans on culture war issues, and in that I refer to two Texas Democrats, Cuellar and Gonzales, and Cuellar is under investigation for corruption.
BTW, on practically all issues, I am a progressive, but I do draw the line at immigration.
In my case it is because the immigrants we let in are tomorrows right wing culture warriors.
The ones we did let in, naturalized and voted Republican.
Or have you not heard of Enrique Tarrio or Nicholas Fuentes., leaders of the Proud Boys.
And then there is Ali ,Stop the Steal,Akbar Alexander, not a Hispanic,
I have seen articles calling Musk a "Prime Minister". Actually "Grand Vezier" might be a better term. This was the chief officer in some Muslim countries, including the Ottoman and Mughal empires. (The title was also used in Star Wars.) This person demanded total obedience, exercised vast powers and was subject only to the absolute ruler who appointed him...if that person was paying attention. Some were competent and a number became virtual masters of their empires. In some cases they gained almost unlimited power as their states weakened and decayed. They show up a lot in the Arabian Nights with some portrayed as evil, like Jafar in the "Aladdin" movie. Perhaps life imitates art.
It seems obvious that he's not exactly a warm and fuzzy person. And although his family wasn't from the hard core racists who ran South Africa for half a century he does seem to have some of the same general attitude towards anyone "below" him. The New Yorker reported that his mother wrote a book about growing up in South Africa...and never mentioned people of color once! How we have fallen from the days of LBJ's "War on Poverty", but then the have-nots weren't even mentioned in the last campaign. He's an endpoint of power and money over all.
I don't believe he isn't but would like to see hard evidence before calling a person that (or any other term). His family wasn't in the really nasty group who originated apartheid, though like many whites they went along with it, just like many people have gone along with terrible governments as it is easier than fighting them, especially when it gives them something. I gather his background is a mix of Boer and English, which may or may not moderate things. I guess it comes down to knowing someone by the company they keep and Mr. Trump is not exactly open minded on the subject. At the end of the day I'd say he probably is but knows how to keep it covered. (At least for now.)
I just got another fundraising letter from Democrats.org. I responded to them:
Dear Democrats.org,
People do not know if they are going to have a paycheck. And you want to fundraise from us? Talk about out of touch insensitivity.
Start doing your jobs! Congress used to hold the purse strings. What are you doing about this hostile takeover of our government institutions and payment systems???
The American people want action!
I am only giving to those who are actually trying to do something at this point. AOC etc.
Good for you. I told a DNC caller today that I am disgusted by the inaction of Dem leadership; I'm not giving anything until they show up and call out the illegal DOGE and purges of FBI & GOV employees.
From: https://www.mind-war.com/p/to-whom-we-have-extended-our-trust
Nevertheless, no one in power, or in the media, is willing to call this what it is — a literal Nazi coup of the country.
Name the regime:
Threatened and intimidated its geopolitical neighbors
Cozied up to foreign dictators and created a new alliance of aggression
Scapegoated communists, socialists and Marxists
Scapegoated Jews, Black & brown people, immigrants, LGBTQ, disabled
Wants submissive women. Banned abortion.
Systematically radicalized and mobilized violent young men as enforcers
Created concentration camps
Targeted the previous government for retribution — despite a peaceful transfer of power
Seized all aspects of the administrative state
Made the legislative and judicial branches subservient to the dictator
Attacked the press as dishonest and cracked down on dissidents
Attacked education, unions and liberalism
This is not history rhyming it is plagiarism. The next steps I anticipate are a 21st century version of the Reichstag Fire, the Enabling Act, and the Night of the Long Knives — which Mike Flynn has already threatened.
I have seen no concerted effort from anyone to stop this train which only ends in suffering and death. And yet this is how the Vichy corporate media is trying to spin it:
he New York Times asserts that Democrats are debating whether we actually agree with this jaw-dropping authoritarian coup — or, they suggest, maybe it’s just a “messaging” problem after all.
No, the problem is weakness. The problem is lack of moral clarity. The problem is dishonesty. No one is willing to openly confront this threat because they are afraid of it. It’s a pandemic of cowardice.
The new DNC Chair, Ken Martin, seems like a nice man who has absolutely no idea what he’s walking into. He’s not facing a political problem, he’s been sucked up into a coup of the US government by enemies foreign and domestic.
As with any chronic, self-defeating disorder, the first step is admitting the problem.
It’s the goddamned Nazis again. To the people who were supposed to protect us: What are you going to do about it?
We have a whole new slate of officers at the DNC, as of today. Most of them are fighters, including David Hogg. let's give them a week to respond. I've long refused to donate to the DNC, because of their ineptitude. But I may reconsider now.
Bernie is always right on, except for his conclusion that 5 million LESS Democratic voters showed up in 2024. GtegPalast.com shows how approx 5 million MORE Dem votes were: disqualified, shunted off to non-counted Provisional votes, almost secretly removed from County voting rolls through dishonest address challenges, Gerrymandered even more-- in 2024, in all possible swing states and many more.
Red State Repubs passed HUNDREDS of new laws "allowing" these actions-- and the few cases that made it to the Repub-rigged Supreme Court before the election--were also allowed to stand.
Now grassroots Dems must pressure, lobby, contact their elected Senators, House members, and the DNC to FILE LAWSUITS objecting to ALL the illegal power grabs TRUMUSK is doing right now-- FIRING CAREER CIVIL SERVANTS IN ALL FED AGENCIES INCLUDING THE FBI AND DOJ, witch-hunts, loyalty oahs, etc.
Repubs and the Repub Party have been filing lawsuits for YEARS when out of official power as Minority Leader of the Senate (Chuck Schumer now) of the House (Hakeem Jeffreys now).
We can too, if those "leaders" are pressured enough RIGHT NOW.
I too look for a way to extract the country from the mass psychosis. Few stop to think about the root cause of this dilemma, but Carl Jung understood it well. Mass psychosis is the advent of deluded people. You see those questioned at a Trump rally and you say “How can they be that deluded?” And then you forget about that delusional interview you just watched with YOUR OWN EYES. You do not do the next step: add it all up. It adds up to Mass Psychosis. You are led by a psychopathic neo-fascist that has deluded masses of people.
https://open.substack.com/pub/hotbuttons/p/comes-a-time?r=3m1bs&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
Pied Piper. “A.D. 1284 – on the 26th of June – the day of St John and St Paul – 130 children – born in Hamelin – were led out of the town by a piper wearing multicoloured clothes. After passing the Calvary near the Koppenberg they disappeared forever.”
I think that this week even a lot of his cult now see that Trump stepped over the line.....
Yes I agree with you. Seventy seven million people voted for Trump because in part they believe in him. Believe he's going to make their lives better, lower food prices, deport the bad hombres who are taking their jobs and lowering their wages. Total BS but they believe him. The thin reed I'm hanging onto is that we will have nationwide midterm elections and that the high price of groceries will have enough people pissed off enough to vote for democrats. Ninety million eligible voters did not vote, if we can vote again, maybe a few million of them can turn the tide. Wishful thinking?
Nah. It's all about hate. Hate Trumps policy.
Bingo Daniel.
Hate arises out of fear.
Fear arises out of a perceived danger
The Danger may be real, like a fire, flood, venomous snake, a hostile human.
Fear also arises out of uncertainty, loss of control. This is the domain of politics, religion, the culture war.
I’m afraid what is likely is that more people will just stay home and not engage at all. This would be founded on ‘both sides are the same, ‘it won’t make any difference’, or even, ‘my vote won’t count/be counted’.
And the Dems lefttown on 1/24 and are still out of town today as the House is out of session . They should have STAYED and had daily pressers, etc. I am sick of Dem leadership or lack thereof. We are in the midst of a COUP. What is your thought on the choice of Ken Martin?
I did not hit "like" because this is an example of the divide and conquer, shit where you eat mentality.
https://www.citizensforethics.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/PEER-Complaint.pdf
And so we should not speak out and force our reps and senators to get with it? Only a few are doing anything of substance. Schumer and Jeffires are rolling over putting out milktoast statements.
I guess you don't watch MSNBC. They were all over all the shows.
The DNC held a press conference. "Ken Martin and Kamala Harris were winners Saturday. Billionaires and the old guard took a hit." https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/01/dnc-chair-election-takeaways-ken-martin-00201948
Law suits have been filed.... I'm hoping that behind the scenes some MAGAT Republicans will repent....MSM will not help us....
More lawsuits need to be filed and people need to hit the streets. I hope Ken Martin is effective as Harrison was a bust.
I attached the CREW suit. I worked in the government + 30 years. I was "superHatched" until I retired.
Support CREW. https://www.citizensforethics.org/legal-action/lawsuits/trumps-plan-to-fire-government-workers-is-illegal/
https://www.citizensforethics.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/PEER-Complaint.pdf
At DOJ, some of the people affected may be union members. In my experience, these are some of the smartest, most knowledgeable lawyers in the country. Because of the Hatch Act, they can't speak for themselves while employed.
Unfortunately, I have some experience in data breaches as my security clearance was stolen by the Chinese military in 2014 via OPM records. Although we should have sued for damages, obtained judgments, we never did. My wife and I are retired federal employees-- in many federal databases. Many are concerned about stuff like SSA retirement benefits. Those funds come from a trust fund that should be solvent to about 2033.
Apparently DOGE has already decided to kill several agencies......
I'm hoping that there already are schisms of MAGAT House members.
1. Minority Republicans. How can they support someone who would discriminate against THEM on thee basis of DEI.?
2. Those who support Ukraine vs Putin
3. Those who oppose Musk.
More -- if they represent districts on the border that rely on Mexico and or Canada, and their local businesses are shut down because of tariff policy.
The majority that benefitted from DEI when I worked were white women and many were Republicans. They are now toast.
My MAGAT rep knows that her constituents are pissed....are mostly Democrats. Miami Herald: "The Trump administration has eliminated deportations protections for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans in the United States, leaving them vulnerable to be sent back to the South American country in 60 days when the protection expires, according to an official from the Department of Homeland Security".
I don't know this as a fact but some own US businesses, are bankers, etc. The defacto economic capitol of Venezuela is Baghdad By the Sea. Employ hundreds of thousands,,, many US citizens.
Multiply Venezuela by Cuba, Canada, Mexico. In my building many residents have dual citizenship. Have boucoups business interests in the old country.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congressional_Hispanic_Conference
WRONG TARGET. Democrats controlled the news cycle over the weekend.
Thank you!
PS Once again the Dems are failing at messaging and like it or not messaging is what it is all about when going up against the vast misinformation machines controlled by MAGA and the GOP. Everyone needs to get on the horn amd make them wake up.
Did you miss that Ds were out of town during the recess to elect a new head of the party? Someone needs to actually lead the party - that's now Martin. The ones in Congress are doing their jobs, hopefully get the few sane Rs to reject Tulsi, RFK Jr and Patel, and to start doing what they can with those sane Rs to counter President Skum and his patsy President Orange Snake.
So, yes, it's a 5 alarm fire. I'm a senior citizen so this morning I tried calling AARP to ask if they are taking a stand or making any statements about the possible take over of Social Security payments. I couldn't get transferred to anyone to help. So I looked on the website for contact information & I found Government Affairs. The only contact information is a mailing address. Now, I love snail mail but as I've posted on other Substacks, this is 5 alarm fire sending a letter is like mailing a bucket of water to a forest fire. I wrote the letter & delivered it to the post office. But by the time it gets there will my Social Security Number be selected for non-payment since I'm a registered Democrat?
I've been calling my representatives & will continue to call. Joyce Vance provided a list of Senators on the finance committee who I will be calling
Make some noise, people!!!
AARP is the non profit arm of United Health Care. It is simply a cover for an insurance oligarch, that is why the don't want to talk to you. They aren't interested in anything but your membership dues.
I don't think the SSA retirement trust fund is in jeopardy-- . should be viable until 2023. However, SSI may be targeted.
2023?
We have two political parties. One party is guilty of dereliction, the other of treason.
Well said Tom: Pithy and correct.
Until the dems get some balls (Crockett doesn't need them, she's doing just fine) we need to take matters into our own hands. We need massive protests in every city, every day. Easy for me to say since I am retired but it must be done. If you can't march, call your congressman every day. Most of us are so financially tied down that they make it difficult to protest just as they do with voting, just like they planned. Also find some primary candidates who have some gumption.
Im' also disappointed with Jeffries, I thought he was one of the good guys. So obvious that we need to get rid of the old guard, except Bernie of course.
Read Polirtico article above.
Musk should be arrested. What he has done is an act of war. We must rise up.
Where are the US MARSHALS . They need to grab him by the scruff of the neck and throw his ass in jail. That is our money.
US Marshalls work for DOJ, DOJ is in the hands of Bondi James:
Here is something that I am watching for:https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/law-and-justice-in-the-third-reich
Read and bear in mind we have the beggings of a two tier justice system already, with Trump appointed and Trump fiendly judges and the High Unholy Opus Dei Court.
The Third Reich has been called a dual state, since the normal judicial system coexisted with the arbitrary power of Hitler and the police. Yet, like most areas of public life after the Nazi rise to power in 1933, the German system of justice underwent "coordination" (alignment with Nazi goals). All professional associations involved with the administration of justice were merged into the National Socialist League of German Jurists. In April 1933, Hitler passed one of the earliest antisemitic laws, purging Jewish and also Socialist judges, lawyers, and other court officers from their professions. Further, the Academy of German Law and Nazi legal theorists, such as Carl Schmitt, advocated the nazification of German law, cleansing it of "Jewish influence." Judges were enjoined to let "healthy folk sentiment" (gesundes Volksempfinden) guide them in their decisions.
Hitler determined to increase the political reliability of the courts. In 1933 he established special courts throughout Germany to try politically sensitive cases. Dissatisfied with the 'not guilty' verdicts rendered by the Supreme Court (Reichsgericht) in the Reichstag Fire Trial, Hitler ordered the creation of the People's Court (Volksgerichtshof) in Berlin in 1934 to try treason and other important "political cases." Under Roland Freisler, the People's Court became part of the Nazi system of terror, condemning tens of thousands of people as "Volk Vermin" and thousands more to death for "Volk Treason." The trial and sentencing of those accused of complicity in the July Plot, the attempt to kill Hitler in July 1944, was especially unjust.
Why does all this have such a familiar ring to me? Despite all the urgent warnings, I recall too many times when there was great optimism and talk about turning things around finally, via the next election or some other dramatic event. Just last week was there not the hope expressed that in 2026, if we could just hang on, we might retake the House and possibly the Senate, also? False hope is no hope. Could this all be so familiar because I have been totally and insultingly ignored when I insisted that the first order of business must be to do what must be done to assure that the public is not miseducated, indoctrinated with right-wing moralism, conformity, and niceties, and that arbitrary authority in traditional schools via forced attendance was responsible for a mindset of obedience to authority?
Thom just wrote: "The greatest danger America is facing today — because Democratic messaging and outrage have been so weak for so long — is that average people won’t realize what’s happening until it’s too late." Democratic messaging is not getting through because the people have been somnambulated, pacified, and misinformed through twelve years of authoritarian training and bureaucratization and by facile trivial pursuits misnamed "education". No one wanted to hear it. Instead, we heard that our schools rate AAA+ and are "the best in the world". What nonsense. For over a century extremely articulate and eloquent critics have spelled out in intimate detail how schools are failing and how students are being cheated of education and opportunity because of a harmful and deceptive paradigm. Blame anyone you want; parents, teachers' unions, privatizers, video games and technology, etc., etc. The real problem is the false belief that education can be forced on children and that a system founded on that bizarre concept will somehow overcome built-in defects and affects. Democracy is wholly dependent on a well-educated and well-informed population, as we have heard so many times in this space. Yet, all we get is false optimism that the schools will be reformed - soon, with more money and more effort and that "the media" will change and offset the deficiencies we are creating leading to ignorant citizens unable to distinguish between a fascist and a patriot. I am sick of it. School matters and the "school climate" and the daily environment and relationships between student and teacher matter. The media didn't vote for Trump. The people voted for him, and they failed to see that the game was being fixed, and votes were being suppressed because they saw what they wanted to see, and they have an aversion for intellectual things and for books, thanks to anti-intellectual schools. Oh, have I gone on too long? No one has read this far, have they? People hate reading lengthy messages and they especially hate thinking after being forced to read junk and propaganda and not ever being given a chance to stop and merely think. Let's go stick our heads in the sand again.
Mr. Elliott, as a former college professor I am in agreement. You must know this. The Founders were clear about the importance of a form of education which informs the public. Jefferson went so far as to found a college based on the French model. The concrete foundations of the buildings are all that remains of his dream, however. It seems proper education was doomed, or at least hampered from the start. And yes, there are still some of us who read for no other reason than curiosity, or to become better informed citizens. As quaint as that sounds.
Children should be informed about the ideas of Henry David Thoreau. He recommended that one should make up one's own mind on public issues independent of the force of social conventions. As a sociologist it is quite difficult for me to say this. Because the force of social convention is almost the topic of my discipline; especially as I am a Symbolic Interactionist.
gerald, should, should have, shouldn't. We are way past the shoulds. He who controls the past, controls the present, he who controls the present controls the future.
st
Well the past is being censored, rewritten and ignored, and to date not a damn thing has been done about it, other than bitching and kvetching.
Do we or any of us control education, maybe a little now, but Education is high on the agenda of Herr Kevin Roberts and his band of stooges.
I personally find it non productive at this point in kvetching about what should have been, what was wrong. It was all wrong, otherwise we wouldn't be i this predicament,
and what we need is a way forward. How to escape the noose, the snare that is being tightened around us every minute of every day.
Mr. Dobbertin,
Your specialty most probably has a great deal of relevance to the issues in schooling and education in which I have been interested and involved. I am not familiar with the term or field of study called, Symbolic Interaction. However, social convention is certainly under-studied and under-appreciated as a factor and force in schooling. Assuming that “peer influence” and “peer pressure” are the central focus, I would say that it is of utmost significance. I am not a scientist and I do not try too hard to delve into the specific dynamics or to look for recommendations and formulae for applications in pedagogy. I am only approaching from the outside and asking questions about why meaningful change is such a threat and a rarity.
I might have referred you once before to the writings of Richard Mitchell. He had a popular newsletter called, “The Underground Grammarian” and I believe I read a series of books that he published about 20-30 years ago before he died. His criticism was scathing and often humorous, but always brilliant. I do not have any illusions about returning to some past time when schools were much more intellectually demanding and rigorous in terms of prefect grammar, elevated standards in many fields or disciplines, or expectations for total devotion to academics and literature. While some students did perform at a very high level and the average was oriented toward more intellectual pursuits even if the ideal was distant and unachievable for them, all that is more myth than reality. If fifteen percent of students functioned and performed at such a high level, more were discouraged, rejected, or driven off before they got very far in the “system”.
In my estimation, schools should be focused much more on broad developmental lines and metrics, on socialization in the real world (not the artificial school world, which is contrived, perverted, and excessively competitive), on providing social services of all kinds, and on fostering a sense of community and active interactions with and participation in community. Jefferson’s ideal for preparing citizens in schools places way too much emphasis on education and academic disciplines, which must be sought through individual initiative. The “cult of school” which has evolved is a consequence of expectations for schools and unkept promises for schools which are entirely unrealistic and unattainable.
For a kid like Thom Hartmann with a sky-high IQ the ideal is great. For the rest of us, school is punishing and a waste of time 80% of the time. The negatives outweigh the positives and the damage done to a majority of students is terrific and turns them off to anything remotely resembling intellectual curiosity and discovery, especially if it involves reading, which has become a boring and often humiliating experience in classes. The implications for democracy should be obvious. But denial and mythology prevent people from figuring out what’s happening and just how bad it is. Real education happens outside of school or when a person seeks information because of personal interest or some immediate motive. Real knowledge must be created by students using prior knowledge (which is largely unknown and inaccessible to teachers and supposed experts) and by processing information without undue influence or interruption in mostly private contemplation and rumination in answering spontaneous questions. Schools cannot provide those experiences when students who are not there voluntarily are present and occupying the time of instructors.
I read that far because I know why education has failed. I love “meeting” people who care about education since I know it’s why democracy failed. I just published a book explaining it in detail. https://geni.us/whitechalkcrime I promise you if you read it you’ll understand why education is what it is. Fascists took it over decades ago and the unions found common ground. I’ve been trying to expose this since 1995. I have whistleblowers at WhiteChalkCrime.com explaining what’s going on but we’re powerless. We need people like you to help! You’ll find my contact information at that site.
Ms. Horowitz,
Several months ago, when you posted a comment, I contacted you and read a great deal of the material on a couple of websites, as I recall. One was for your organization, and I believe one was for teachers. I also looked up your book and had expected to order it but have been forced to put it on the back burner for now. This political crisis is my highest priority for the time being and family and financial issues have me in a vise.
I am assuming you can read my reply to Mr. (Professor) Dobbertin posted earlier. That should give you a pretty good idea of what I am thinking about our educational/school dilemma. Unfortunately, I suspect that you are one of the people who tend to overestimate the ability of teachers to modify the “system” and to compensate for all that is wrong. That is some of that ‘false hope’ I had written about this morning. The strait jacket which prohibits meaningful change is the compulsory attendance law and the endless cascade of regulations, statutes, rules, prohibitions, conditions, accountability measures, etc., etc. and the faceless bureaucracy which necessarily follow. The most dedicated, competent, and loving teachers are merely cogs in a machine which chews up human beings routinely. If democracy survives, I will be hoping to see what practical things you offer and the details from your direct interactions with the destructive machine.
Thanks for your comments. My plan for schools deals with the issues you describe. There’s a lot in my book explaining history and what could be. I do get that with what’s going on now fixing them seems not to be a priority yet understanding their role in destroying democracy and what could be gives people perspective and hope. Plus the leader who learns what they did to democracy and reads my book and understands what to do will earn power as schools are the biggest issue for a strong middle class. We need to get this information to a future leader. That’s our only hope to get democracy back. So it is an issue for now. Then once people learn from my book they can run for school boards on a democracy platform. We can takeover schools via boards. There’s little else like that that we can do now. So don’t overlook this as a political route. If you contact me at my website I’ll send you a free PDF or audiobook. You will see I come at it from a very different angle. You will see it differently when you see I came up with a way teachers like me could lead. That’s what must be.
Schools again huh Robert.
We are way past schools. Your bitch is only relevant in a democratic society, totally irrelevant in Der 4. Reich der Reichen
Did it occur to you that a leader who could fix our schools could save democracy? I have the answers but most leaders overlook the issue that could win people back to a rational party. We can’t sell democracy if we don’t know how to build its foundation. Knowing about what education did and what it can do is our only path back. Check out WhiteChalkCrime.com. Doing something about this is our way back.
Few trust the parties who brought us these schools and did nothing about it. So they’re foolishly giving Trump a chance. When you learn about our schools from whistleblowers you’ll understand why our schools are the root cause we lost democracy. They are key to getting it back in that the leader who figures this out will be a hero.
Yes Karen. A leader, a fuhrer, can fix everything, so long as he has absolute power, but I don't think we will like the fixes.
You have the answers? Well then we need to build a movement, and rally the people around Karen Howitz.
It isn't just schools Karen, It is religion. Religion fucks with the mind, kills brain cells worse than alcohol.
What is the motivating force behind MAGA, the ideology that Trump rode to power?
Is it lack of education, poor education, misdirected education? Or is it more primal?
Fears and needs Karen, that is what motivates people, fears and needs.
Trump expressed and addressed those fears and needs, and exploited them.
That is the power of MAGA.
It has nothing to do with education. The poorly educated are MAGAts,the highly educated are also MAGAts. Trump;s base even includes doctors, lawyers, business onwers., realtors, franchisee's, car dealerships .and what binds them all? He promises top assuage their fears and fulfill their needs.
Which is the same as religion. People are born into a religion, stay in a religion or are attracted to a religion, because the religion assuages their fears and fulfills their needs.
Wrong again! I agree that school issues are not a top priority under the current circumstances. My post was to express my frustration and exasperation with people who have denied the disaster that our schools have been and have caused (which seems to include you). I am pointing fingers and placing blame, and I am indeed very angry. This could have been prevented. People have failed to listen to Thom, and he is reminding them of his predictions and warnings. Yet, my warnings were rudely ignored as you also continue to do, and ignorance will remain the primary problem until schools become havens instead of prisons. The documentation is overwhelming. In a dictatorship there will still be schools. They will be a lot like they are now, in fact, with top-down control. Maybe people will get it after a few years of oppression in society fashioned after schools.
You must be ecstatic Robert, Musk is going to burn down the Dept of Education.
Your ignorance is showing. I have said many times that I support the Department of Education, despite the failures of the traditional schools. I have consistently opposed the Libertarians and other nut cases who have imagined that eliminating federal oversight and services will solve anything just as I oppose people who delude themselves with happy myths about how marvelous the schools are under a compulsory paradigm. Take a long nap and find someone else to pester with your childishness when you wake up.
OK Robert, I hope that you enjoyed your venting.
But for the 10th time I ask you, since you are such a critic of the compulsory paradigm.
What is your solution. You haven't answered and I am sure you will not answer
Solutions Robert, not reiteration of faults, problems criticisms.
You don't have one obviously, just a lot of complaints.
You really do not understand, do you. The solution to a compulsory paradigm which creates dysfunction is a voluntary paradigm. For the twentieth time. Have you suffered a bad fall recently or had a head injury?
Tell me about your bad experience with schools Robert. What happened to you that has led you to obsess over them, more important what is your solution Robert.
You seem to know what is wrong, so how would you think them.
I see your problem, you said that I have ignored your warning. Wow aren't you something. Well I do ignore you, you haven't made any warnings, just the usual bitch without a soultion to education.
And had people listened to Thom all of this could have been prevented.Thom must have one helluva megaphone. Last I saw, he could only reach people who watched Free Speech TV, turned on the dial to the few progressive AM radios, and the very few who subscribe to this substack. A limited audience.
Since I went to school 1945-1956, my teachers were 4 F's, spinsters and bored housewives with enough education to keep them out of the armaments industry. My algebra teacher was certifiable. honestly.
The curriculum was of course patriotic, civics, as I was in General ed, to start, I had a class in Latin. My problem was not the school and it's curriculum but the quality of the teacher. That actually improved when I left Phillie and moved to Louisiana. in 1956 Better teachers, actually, better curriculum. except for American History (war of Northern Aggression and all)., but that was then, I have no idea what schools are like now, north or south, and neither do you.
Here is the real problem Robert, all of that is in the past, history, going forward if Musk and Trump succeed, we know what schools will be like, Florida on stereoids.
Students will learn enough to read instructions, I would look to the education system of Germany 1933-1945, or Russia then and now.
That's the educational system that awaits, unless we somehow cause or witness the implosion of the Musk Trump world.
All this crap about education is nothing more than emotional venting, what was is irreversible what will be is whatever the powers to be say it will be, and the powers that be are in the process of deconstructing and reorganizing America from top to bottom, including education.
Yes Robert, I know, nobody listened to you, and that is why we are in the mess we are in, and you are upset and can't stop beating the dead horse.,
If only everybody had listened to you, we wouldn't be in this sorry state.
Not impressed.
I agree. I get why William thinks as he does but you don’t solve a problem created by our schools ignoring it. He’s very wrong. Our schools are indeed the deep state Trump has sold to people despite making the deep state up. He just happened upon something that worked. They are fascist and the unions have found common ground with fascists. Democrats did nothing about it and frankly don’t know what to do. To really understand what they did you need to read my book. People don’t know the world of education. Thom doesn’t either. If he understood he could lead. We need an established leader to learn about it. That’s why I wrote a book. Once people understand they intentionally don’t reform schools because it’s their grift and the people who could reform them are powerless they’ll listen to people like me. It’s a Harvey Weinstein thing only he forced sex and these predators force stupidity. He never would have stopped without an investigation. Neither will these predators. I wrote my books so people would know what to do. One day the right person will read my 2024 book and they will discover gold. That’s my hope.
Abraham Lincoln said the way of the schoolroom in one generation will be the government in the next. It is.
In 2002 I started an organization for teachers like me who knew how corrupt our schools are so we’d build power to expose it. In 2017 the membership went way down. They turned to Trump to solve it. These were decent people disgusted with our schools. We lost them to Trump.
We will never get this democracy back until a leader figures out what our schools did to us and fixes it. It’s like finding and doing something about termites when your house keeps collapsing. Education is our foundation. Saying it’s not relevant now would be like saying learning about termites isn’t relevant when your house is collapsing.
William is like most people. It’s very hard to get people educated in this country to read my book. It’s a catch 22. I promise you once people do they will know exactly what to do.
Besides education explains how Trump happened. And that’s not of interest? How hollow we’ve become because of our schools.
.
Thom
Thank you. Fascism is now here and it will be much harder to fight, mostly because Democrats did not put their feet down and stop all the Republican assaults that came before. Unfortunately, many fully cooperated in allowing all of their initiatives to pass.
Thank you, be safe and watch your six.
Steve Dundas
Support CREW.
This siege was not CAUSED by Democrats. We are 49% of registered voters. It is the unaffiliated voters that determine elections. THEY voted to let Trump and Musk pick their pockets on behalf of Putin.
Trump keeps saying there is going to be some "pain" and the American people will understand. That's humorous.
Blame the people that voted, blame the people that didn't vote, blame voter suppression, blame Republicans for not convicting Trump during that last impeachment, and on and on. The truth is right in front of everyone's eyes.
We told the truth. We told them what Project 2025 was going to be. It's here. Democrats are not the American Idiots. We are not the thieves.
Neoliberalism has played a huge part in mucking everything up, and most people have no understanding of Neoliberalism/Trickle Down, before it, and where we are today. Every Democrat should be talking about this so people can understand why they think they are angry at the government.
Bret we are way past neo liberalism, ideology or any kind of ism.
Could the Democrats' Lack of Resistance Be a Green Light for Tyranny?
Whether it is or not in reality, it is being interpreted and perceived as such. Ergo, if perception is, in fact, reality the answer is what it is and Trump is acting accordingly.
The sky is literally falling (DC & Philly), but voters on both sides are ignoring it.
Frankly, I doubt that there is widespread political will to stop this. Trump is going to have to screw a lot more people for that to happen. I think MAGAs, like Trump, see his re-election as revenge. I note how many middle-aged people attend his rallies. Few look prosperous. Many squandered their opportunities and wealth for short-term pleasurers and now are too old to start over and build that nest egg they need for retirement. MAGAs seem to blame the government for that.
Like all fascists, Trump and the techno-monarchy just want to rule. So far they are doing an incompetent job of ruling much less governing. Health research is now dead. NIH and CDC funding has been frozen. Ignorant pols are banning medical treatments and medications. Government scientists have been barred from publishing or even communicating with colleagues domestically and abroad. We initiated a trade war for no reason. Trump is appointing incompetent unreliable people to run US intelligence. Co-president Musk has boasted about his ketamine substance abuse habit. That all will end cooperation from allies. In time, Russia will be able to annex the US just by declaration as our DOD will be a demoralized mob rather than a fighting team.
Tom this is umpttenth time this week I've heard the charge or complaint That Trump is incompetent, but I think this assumes that in the final analysis Trump wants the same thing that we want..
I don't think so. I think the Musk Trump regime has their own agenda, and they have advertised it in public. They don't want what we want.
Our salvation would be if he was indeed incompetent and screwed everything up, then it could reset.
His flurry of actions, executive orders, the unauthorized, unconstitutional, illegal gambits of Musk are designed to wrench as much control as they can into their hands and away from the administrative state.
sure they will experience some temporary set backs, as a non Trump judge hither and yon, lays down an injunction, but those are only temporary.
By furloughing, firing, reassigning, threatening all important civil service workers, he has
stopped the gears, and they will be almost impossible to start up again, he and Musk have thrown sand in the machinery, the gears of government.
Drain an engine of oil, and see how long it can run, and what happens if you run an engine without lubricant.
I don't think Russia will annex the USA, more likelyi t is George Orwells world come into fruition. Oceania (America at it's core), Eurasia . Russia at it's core, East Asia (China at it's core) and AfriAsia, with Riyadh at it's core I am sure that Bibi has fevered dreams of Eratz Ysrael, but he doesn't have the resources to back up his dream.
https://bigthink.com/strange-maps/66-the-world-in-george-orwells-1984/
It now becomes clear that Dems were and still are accomplices to von trump and his billionaires fascist coup! Incredible but true. It always takes two to tango! Shame on them. Those morons can all burn in hell.
Your choice is Ds, warts and all, or going to sleep and let Trump/Skum win. I saw Ds all weekend standing up to them on MSNBC. I voted for all Ds - did you?
Eva, MSNBC is an outlier. And it's viewers are almost all AARP eligible,like moi
The truth is these days Gen X, Y, Z don't even watch TV,many don't even own a computer or a tablet, they stream their entertainment, get their news from social media.
I sit at my computer, dependent on a router, my wife sits behind her tablet, dependent on a cell phone. She gets news before me.
MSNBC ranked as the No. 2 cable news network in primetime and total day total viewers for the month of January, with 734,000 and 506,000 viewers, respectively. In the demo, the network attracted 63,000 viewers in primetime and 45,000 viewers during total day
Out of a population of over 350,000,0000 and what do they advertise? That tells you about their viewers. Medicare Advantage, car Insurance and Pharmaceuticals.
If nobody watches them, they can't get a message across..
Then who is there? Joe Rogan? Meidas Touch is all against Trump, and seems to reach millions. And he does podcasts. Who in media can get the folks you're talking about to care? I'm old, and old school - I don't do social media/Facebook/Twitter/podcasts. Look at who's on these comments sections - it's those of us who aren't the hipsters, who don't do streaming, etc.; we're people who READ and do watch the old school media, save for entertainment purposes. You and people like you need to get involved and found a new media to combat Trump. I can't do it; I don't know how to do it; and I don't watch or listen to it. And I venture to say that is most of us on these comments. And if you think Ds are failing, then go find them and give them the expertise they're lacking.
BTW, I very much doubt most of MAGA does the hip media either. They watch Fox, NewsMas, OAN who feed them the entertainment they want.
i and people like me need to get involved Eva. Like how.
FYI I'm 85, handicapped and with deficits, So how am I suppose to get involved.
I don't even own a cell phone, and am not about to get one either
I would love to get the Democratic party a tongue lashing, but they won't listen, they haven't listened. They have learned nothing from the Bernie Experience, or from AOC, what they have done is try to run progressives out of the party though.
As an example. Sen Markey of MA is a great progressive. Rep Joe Kennedy Jr, a DINO like his uncle, want to be a Senator, Nancy backed Joe against Sen Markey.
Another example a straight and a gay were running for a house seat, Nancy threw her weight behind the straight, not only straight but an outspoken homophobe.
Another example AOC and the Squad, Nancy hates them, and has championed primary challenges,fortunately they live in very safe districts.
The Democrrats, rather than choose someone who can actually win the General election, put their thumb on the scale for old tired race horses, that have paid their dues, earned their credentials and stood patiently in line until they are called to the starting gate, then they put their thumb on the scale for their choice and wind up losing.
Examples Hillary, Terri McAuliffe, Kamala. Biden 46 was an outlier, in that election Trump was so unpopular that a cabbage could have beat him, also in that election the Muslims of Wi, Mi, PA turned to vote for Biden, thanks to Trumps famous "Muslim ban"., but because Biden supported Israel in it's war with the terror organization HAMAS, the Muslim ummah got very upset, because first and foremost their loyalty is to the ummah and not America, and they got their wish, and now regret the hell out of being so stupid.
Of course never once for gop! We are all waiting the Dems to wake up (still no alternative) before mid term … hopefully.
Come on.....
What does everyone think about Ken Martin's vote to lead?
https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/2/2/2300880/-We-have-our-champion-The-DNC-Elects-Ken-Martin-a-knife-fighter-according-to-insiders
Mediocre Carol. Safe for the powers that be in the party, who are addicted to slopping at the donor trough.
I informed my Democratic congressmen that I felt betrayed by their short-sighted colleagues- like Ossoff & Fettermen- who voted for the Laken Riley Act. Such “going along with Republicans “to get along” is a strategy of appeasement. Look up Neville Chamberlain to see if that strategy worked with Fascist Germany in averting WWII. I demanded assurances from each of my congressmen that their future votes would be based on the tried & true progressive principles of the Democratic party. Each congressman responded to me within 2 days with emails that addressed my concerns. So, I am hopeful that they will fight.
Fetterman, the worst primary vote I ever cast. I was warned by my very involved in politics plastic surgeon. She told me he’d do stuff like this. I wish I’d listened.
Constitutionally I am with you Neal, but in reality it is the stead fast, open borders stance on immigration that is mainly responsible for Trump winning the election.
The same thing is happening in Europe, liberals are standing by their open handed attitude, while the right wing is running on the fear of migrants.
Granted that the migrant situation in Europe is very different, as regards fears and concerns, than that in America.
But it is migration that is driving the right to power.
We need common sense approaches to immigration and frankly Laken Riley seems to be the first step in that direction, as it applies to immigrants that have records of violent offenses.
I realize that alone is problematic and can be twisted.
Bujt the real swing to the right are Democrats aligned with Republicans on culture war issues, and in that I refer to two Texas Democrats, Cuellar and Gonzales, and Cuellar is under investigation for corruption.
BTW, on practically all issues, I am a progressive, but I do draw the line at immigration.
In my case it is because the immigrants we let in are tomorrows right wing culture warriors.
The ones we did let in, naturalized and voted Republican.
Or have you not heard of Enrique Tarrio or Nicholas Fuentes., leaders of the Proud Boys.
And then there is Ali ,Stop the Steal,Akbar Alexander, not a Hispanic,
That is a good sign. What specifics did the congressman give you?
I have seen articles calling Musk a "Prime Minister". Actually "Grand Vezier" might be a better term. This was the chief officer in some Muslim countries, including the Ottoman and Mughal empires. (The title was also used in Star Wars.) This person demanded total obedience, exercised vast powers and was subject only to the absolute ruler who appointed him...if that person was paying attention. Some were competent and a number became virtual masters of their empires. In some cases they gained almost unlimited power as their states weakened and decayed. They show up a lot in the Arabian Nights with some portrayed as evil, like Jafar in the "Aladdin" movie. Perhaps life imitates art.
Musk makes the greatest target defendant of all time.
Agreed. I also have been thinking of that South African immigrant as trumps grand vizier.
It seems obvious that he's not exactly a warm and fuzzy person. And although his family wasn't from the hard core racists who ran South Africa for half a century he does seem to have some of the same general attitude towards anyone "below" him. The New Yorker reported that his mother wrote a book about growing up in South Africa...and never mentioned people of color once! How we have fallen from the days of LBJ's "War on Poverty", but then the have-nots weren't even mentioned in the last campaign. He's an endpoint of power and money over all.
What about Musk makes you believe he isn't a hard core racist?
I don't believe he isn't but would like to see hard evidence before calling a person that (or any other term). His family wasn't in the really nasty group who originated apartheid, though like many whites they went along with it, just like many people have gone along with terrible governments as it is easier than fighting them, especially when it gives them something. I gather his background is a mix of Boer and English, which may or may not moderate things. I guess it comes down to knowing someone by the company they keep and Mr. Trump is not exactly open minded on the subject. At the end of the day I'd say he probably is but knows how to keep it covered. (At least for now.)