This idea that crimes committed in public office should just be allowed to slip by unpunished goes back to the country club nature of inside Washington. I am so done with the likes of Jeffries, Schumer, Johnson and Thune standing around with their hands in their pockets while presidents, justices, and cabinet officers routinely abuse and defecate on the law and the Constitution.
The Civil War, the theft of Hawaii, and 100 years of Jim Crow pretty much proved that there are never consequences for the worst behavior, esp. toward the Homeland, a 2nd/3rd world nation-state or its citizens, e.g., rebellion/overthrow/lynching.
We've been kissing the worst criminals' asses ever since before 1865. As long as they are not women, Jewish, or a member of a minority.
A recent example.
Jonathan Ross [ICE] shot and killed Renée Nicole Macklin Good, a 37-year-old American woman.
Shot her in the face. Attempts to bring him to justice have failed miserably, as the US Gov't moves the Gov't hitman around like the Catholic Church moves pedo-Priests from parish to parish in a twisted shell game.
Trump pardoned a US Navy SEAL who slaughtered an Iraqi man who was handcuffed.
Now the Administration has fired all 22 members of the National Science Board, so, perversely, killers walk, but no member of the Science intelligentsia goes unpunished. China, you've got a clear path.
Soooo good!!! This nation rejected a king as a founding principle and yet here we are with a king. There's a great deal of complaining and name calling but little progress towards accountability. Democratic leaders just sit back while we, the base, are out crying for affordability and accountability.
The following is from the final draft (hopefully) of the piece I expect to post on my Substack newsletter within the next 24 hours, subject to further revision:
Our Democratic Party leadership has been far too willing to give concessions and has shown little willingness to move ahead with boldness and vigor. Some of our leaders have sold us out for personal advantage or to hold on to power. But could it be that the Democratic base has been MIA, withdrawn, or lacking a sense of vision or a fighting spirit?
Have we all compartmentalized our thoughts somehow to artificially separate politics, social complexities, economics, religion, philosophy, etc., into domains and divisions which are never distinctly separable and always parts of a comprehensive whole? If we the people have been too cozy with our counterparts and our own leaders or too satisfied with being treated like second-class citizens and not demanding more decisive action, maybe we are responsible for the retarded and inept responses on the part of most leaders.
Regrettably, in twelve years of school and four years of college, it was possible to avoid any serious study of Shakespeare and to barely become familiar enough to recall part of the line from Cassius where he said, “Men at some time are masters of their fates; and the fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves that we are underlings.”
The lesson to be learned from that, is that it is foolish to ever assume that we are forced to allow external factors to prevent us all from finding the will and the power to take proactive steps to have some agency in what happens in our future. Unfortunately, school for most of us has worked very effectively to rob us of the sense that we invariably have opportunities at various points, and more importantly, an obligation to act in ways which place some control over our “fates” to prevent someone like Caesar or Trump or Republican (or Democratic) leaders from getting and keeping us under their thumb.
The tentative title of my article is: Democrats, Liberals & Progressives, Must Fight for Fundamental Values Instead of Fighting Proxy Battles.
The subtitle is: The War for Democracy & Against Fascism Will be Won or Lost in Schools.
“We the people” are the problem, I’m afraid. Too many of us have been clinging to the superstitious mythology from our past and we are trained to place ourselves in the hands of external others with greater power and agency than ourselves, who we hope will take us where we need or wish to go. This is not purely accidental.
Sometimes, when you know how you could make a significant change, you have to ask, "Do I want to be a martyr?" And even if you are willing, you must ask, "Do I want to sacrifice my family, who may not have chosen this path?"
Thom, thank you so much for this. Much as I admire Barack Obama, I believe his failure to litigate the damage of the war mongers and banksters who preceded him leaves an indelible stain on his presidency. (His and Michell’s subsequent chumminess with Bush is salt in the wound). We’ve been relentlessly normalizing unaddressed corruption since Gerald Ford let Nixon walk, encouraging it to metastasize into what we face today. Contemporary corporate Democrats of the Schumer/Jeffries ilk are all too willing to stay that course. We reinforce the notion that corruption is merely business as usual at our fatal peril.
Thanks again Thom, yes I'm all for accountability for trump, his cabinet and the rest of the high profile republicans who have aided and abetted his criminal presidency. However, we have to have free and fair midterms to gain majorities in both the house and senate. If only the house goes majority dems and not the senate - what's the point of impeaching him again if he won't be convicted by the senate? Hopefully he will die of natural causes or choke to death on a big mac. Another 2 years and 8 months of him and them would be a slow motion lobotomy.
It has succeeded. The only questions are how badly we are damaged and whether we can recover to attain anything like the stature we once had in the world. Faced with a rabid, mangy POS POTUS whose main goal in life seems to be marking everything as his "territory" by defacing as much as he can with his hideous name and likeness and the cowardice and cooptation of both Democrats and Republicans by the great god money, betting on anything else is a fool's choice. Brutal, I know. But we live in the worst era for this country in my 78 years, the worst since our Civil War. I don't think the good guys will win this time. The corruption, ignorance and bigotry are too wide and deep. I am utterly ashamed to be an American, and my first ancestors came here in 1620.
Truman committed US troops under a UN authorized response to the surprise attack by North Korea on South Korea, sim liar to what Poppy Bush did in response to Saddam's surprise attack on Kuwait. Not comparable to the wars of aggression based on lies: Vietnam, Iraq 2, Iran.
I disagree. On the surface he may seem to be winning, but the total history, the court cases which will ensue, the judgement of future courts and legislatures, these histories are yet to be written. He has take no care to avoid being remembered as the most evil of men ever elected to high public office in the United States of America. The best platform the Democratic Party will be able to run on in 2028 will be restoration of the country.
This idea that crimes committed in public office should just be allowed to slip by unpunished goes back to the country club nature of inside Washington. I am so done with the likes of Jeffries, Schumer, Johnson and Thune standing around with their hands in their pockets while presidents, justices, and cabinet officers routinely abuse and defecate on the law and the Constitution.
Well said, Jeffrey.
The Civil War, the theft of Hawaii, and 100 years of Jim Crow pretty much proved that there are never consequences for the worst behavior, esp. toward the Homeland, a 2nd/3rd world nation-state or its citizens, e.g., rebellion/overthrow/lynching.
We've been kissing the worst criminals' asses ever since before 1865. As long as they are not women, Jewish, or a member of a minority.
A recent example.
Jonathan Ross [ICE] shot and killed Renée Nicole Macklin Good, a 37-year-old American woman.
Shot her in the face. Attempts to bring him to justice have failed miserably, as the US Gov't moves the Gov't hitman around like the Catholic Church moves pedo-Priests from parish to parish in a twisted shell game.
Trump pardoned a US Navy SEAL who slaughtered an Iraqi man who was handcuffed.
Now the Administration has fired all 22 members of the National Science Board, so, perversely, killers walk, but no member of the Science intelligentsia goes unpunished. China, you've got a clear path.
#VOTE for intelligence. #Send Barron to Iran.
Soooo good!!! This nation rejected a king as a founding principle and yet here we are with a king. There's a great deal of complaining and name calling but little progress towards accountability. Democratic leaders just sit back while we, the base, are out crying for affordability and accountability.
The following is from the final draft (hopefully) of the piece I expect to post on my Substack newsletter within the next 24 hours, subject to further revision:
Our Democratic Party leadership has been far too willing to give concessions and has shown little willingness to move ahead with boldness and vigor. Some of our leaders have sold us out for personal advantage or to hold on to power. But could it be that the Democratic base has been MIA, withdrawn, or lacking a sense of vision or a fighting spirit?
Have we all compartmentalized our thoughts somehow to artificially separate politics, social complexities, economics, religion, philosophy, etc., into domains and divisions which are never distinctly separable and always parts of a comprehensive whole? If we the people have been too cozy with our counterparts and our own leaders or too satisfied with being treated like second-class citizens and not demanding more decisive action, maybe we are responsible for the retarded and inept responses on the part of most leaders.
Regrettably, in twelve years of school and four years of college, it was possible to avoid any serious study of Shakespeare and to barely become familiar enough to recall part of the line from Cassius where he said, “Men at some time are masters of their fates; and the fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves that we are underlings.”
The lesson to be learned from that, is that it is foolish to ever assume that we are forced to allow external factors to prevent us all from finding the will and the power to take proactive steps to have some agency in what happens in our future. Unfortunately, school for most of us has worked very effectively to rob us of the sense that we invariably have opportunities at various points, and more importantly, an obligation to act in ways which place some control over our “fates” to prevent someone like Caesar or Trump or Republican (or Democratic) leaders from getting and keeping us under their thumb.
The tentative title of my article is: Democrats, Liberals & Progressives, Must Fight for Fundamental Values Instead of Fighting Proxy Battles.
The subtitle is: The War for Democracy & Against Fascism Will be Won or Lost in Schools.
“We the people” are the problem, I’m afraid. Too many of us have been clinging to the superstitious mythology from our past and we are trained to place ourselves in the hands of external others with greater power and agency than ourselves, who we hope will take us where we need or wish to go. This is not purely accidental.
Sometimes, when you know how you could make a significant change, you have to ask, "Do I want to be a martyr?" And even if you are willing, you must ask, "Do I want to sacrifice my family, who may not have chosen this path?"
Between Democratic “leadership” and a corporate fourth estate, we’ve been betrayed nearly to death.
Thom, thank you so much for this. Much as I admire Barack Obama, I believe his failure to litigate the damage of the war mongers and banksters who preceded him leaves an indelible stain on his presidency. (His and Michell’s subsequent chumminess with Bush is salt in the wound). We’ve been relentlessly normalizing unaddressed corruption since Gerald Ford let Nixon walk, encouraging it to metastasize into what we face today. Contemporary corporate Democrats of the Schumer/Jeffries ilk are all too willing to stay that course. We reinforce the notion that corruption is merely business as usual at our fatal peril.
Thanks again Thom, yes I'm all for accountability for trump, his cabinet and the rest of the high profile republicans who have aided and abetted his criminal presidency. However, we have to have free and fair midterms to gain majorities in both the house and senate. If only the house goes majority dems and not the senate - what's the point of impeaching him again if he won't be convicted by the senate? Hopefully he will die of natural causes or choke to death on a big mac. Another 2 years and 8 months of him and them would be a slow motion lobotomy.
Excellent post today. Thank you. I just increased my subscription in support. It’s encouraging to read such clear, sane writing.
It has succeeded. The only questions are how badly we are damaged and whether we can recover to attain anything like the stature we once had in the world. Faced with a rabid, mangy POS POTUS whose main goal in life seems to be marking everything as his "territory" by defacing as much as he can with his hideous name and likeness and the cowardice and cooptation of both Democrats and Republicans by the great god money, betting on anything else is a fool's choice. Brutal, I know. But we live in the worst era for this country in my 78 years, the worst since our Civil War. I don't think the good guys will win this time. The corruption, ignorance and bigotry are too wide and deep. I am utterly ashamed to be an American, and my first ancestors came here in 1620.
Truman committed US troops under a UN authorized response to the surprise attack by North Korea on South Korea, sim liar to what Poppy Bush did in response to Saddam's surprise attack on Kuwait. Not comparable to the wars of aggression based on lies: Vietnam, Iraq 2, Iran.
I disagree. On the surface he may seem to be winning, but the total history, the court cases which will ensue, the judgement of future courts and legislatures, these histories are yet to be written. He has take no care to avoid being remembered as the most evil of men ever elected to high public office in the United States of America. The best platform the Democratic Party will be able to run on in 2028 will be restoration of the country.