At 3 p.m. this afternoon, inside the Indian Treaty Room of the White House, the President of the United States entered to full ceremonial fanfare. "Hail to the Chief" blared through the speakers. The crowd and the invited guests rose to their feet. He walked in slowly, deliberately, pausing to shake hands and soak in the applause. And scattered throughout the audience, like props on a set, were men in construction hardhats. Placed there to send us this message: Donald Trump, who has made $4 billion since taking office, who was surrounded by representatives of the wealthiest technology companies on the planet, is somehow just like us. Just a regular working American who knows what it's like to sweat over an electric bill. Who is fighting for our rights and not the man who has spent the last thirteen months selling them to the highest bidder, mocking them, and stripping them bare. And the reason for this supposedly historic roundtable...
Tragically we are seeing our Democracy die by one more of a thousand cuts every day. It's becoming predictable that the failing, mentally deranged "leader" who has lost touch with reality, is providing cover for the cruelty, chaos, and corruption his regime and the Republican Party is inflicting on the American people and now, the rest of the world every day. Thank you for being a voice of truth.
The inconvenience of American servicemen and women’s ultimate sacrifice to the regime’s PR campaign is palpable. Why is it in the front pages? Because no-one knows what they gave their lives for! The latest spin is that there was an assassination plan by Iran to target Tdump…well, one would hope the security services are constantly on alert for such threats and if they knew about this one…it’s no longer a threat? American people deserve to know why the decision, made without Congressional approval, to plunge the Middle East and further afield into military, economic and home security mayhem.
Thanks as always Heather for continuing to show up here every night and help us all understand the truth. With the Administration crafting an alternate reality that’s built only to serve their financial machine fueled by the narcissistic fraternity of tech bro sycophants, it’s vital that you help us see through it.
This reality is harsh and painful with real loss of life and uncounted damage to families but our nation and the world cannot improve without a building on a foundation of real facts — as ugly and difficult as they are. Thanks for helping us keep that real world in sight.
Tech bro sycophants? I believe it is the other way around. Trump is a puppet, and for the right amount of money, you too could stick your hand up his butt and work his mouth. There's shit on the hands of the tech oligarchs.
I live in the Berkshires in Massachusetts where this winter it has snowed every day, sometimes twice a day, pausing only when a big snow storm came through, then resuming the daily snowfall. This morning I walked out to get my newspaper and there was the tap tap tap of a woodpecker and the cacophony of birds in the bushes across the street. Overnight! It reminded me, as that cool bird you saw did you, that life goes on. Seasons change. Critters crawl out from under the snow and return to their normal habits of alternating making our lives difficult (looking at you voles and bears) or enriching our existence (every creature except ticks, voles and bears).
We live on a beautiful planet. We either take care of it, or it will show us the door. All of us, gone. All of the shit we cared about, all of the stuff we owned, all of the big ideas poof gone. It has happened before - who are we to think we are so special? Because we have created the invisible God who cares about us? Excuse me while I roll my eyes.This is our planet at the moment. It is our mother and we take care of our mother. We do not let these horrible people mistreat our family. We fight back. We fight with everything at our disposal. If it is words, great. If it is a vote, good. If it is through building a community around us, supporting those who need help and saying "no" to bad, bad people, that is what we do. We speak truth to power. And we will prevail.
I live in the Boston area and there are lots of birds, and lots of snow, probably not quite as much as you but I had 50 inches in three weeks. However last week a day after the last storm, there was a Robin all fluffed up in the snow picking up the pieces of the suet that the other birds had knocked down. Poor Robin but he had food and he was busy keeping himself alive, as we all have to do.
Thanks as always, Heather for speaking truth to power. President Trump, as a stupid pathological narcissist, believes he can shape reality with his words—that there are enough people, starting with himself, who will believe that what he says is true because he says it, that he can control the world, make it like his insane fantasies. Fortunately there are more than enough folks who think on the basis of evidence, and enough occasions like the mid-terms, and enough knowledgeable observers and public communicators like yourself, who will faithfully represent the real truth. Onward and upward!
It is sickening. Thank you for reporting this tech bro meeting, the first I’ve read about it in detail.. and thank you for keeping the Epstein victims front and center.
The sight of this caustic BARF O RAMA and these people slathering praise on The Mad King as he slouches there, one second away from his nap, should tell us all exactly what is happening. He puts his very mentally sick cabinet out in front to run wild and retreats to his couch to watch TV and eat Cheeseburgers.
Heather you are right. The more we push back the more outrageous it becomes and we should not dismiss that as a bad thing. This is the deal with narcissists. They NEVER stop no matter what until they stop breathing. So we must keep pushing.
It’s a pleasure reading your commentary and I’m struck by the articulate reasoning and memorable examples that capture the essence of the challenges we face from this authoritarian regime. We’re counting on you to be a voice of reason in the darkness.
Thank you for being a Communicator: never has it been more important.
Tragically we are seeing our Democracy die by one more of a thousand cuts every day. It's becoming predictable that the failing, mentally deranged "leader" who has lost touch with reality, is providing cover for the cruelty, chaos, and corruption his regime and the Republican Party is inflicting on the American people and now, the rest of the world every day. Thank you for being a voice of truth.
Hi Heather,
The inconvenience of American servicemen and women’s ultimate sacrifice to the regime’s PR campaign is palpable. Why is it in the front pages? Because no-one knows what they gave their lives for! The latest spin is that there was an assassination plan by Iran to target Tdump…well, one would hope the security services are constantly on alert for such threats and if they knew about this one…it’s no longer a threat? American people deserve to know why the decision, made without Congressional approval, to plunge the Middle East and further afield into military, economic and home security mayhem.
Thanks as always Heather for continuing to show up here every night and help us all understand the truth. With the Administration crafting an alternate reality that’s built only to serve their financial machine fueled by the narcissistic fraternity of tech bro sycophants, it’s vital that you help us see through it.
This reality is harsh and painful with real loss of life and uncounted damage to families but our nation and the world cannot improve without a building on a foundation of real facts — as ugly and difficult as they are. Thanks for helping us keep that real world in sight.
Tech bro sycophants? I believe it is the other way around. Trump is a puppet, and for the right amount of money, you too could stick your hand up his butt and work his mouth. There's shit on the hands of the tech oligarchs.
I live in the Berkshires in Massachusetts where this winter it has snowed every day, sometimes twice a day, pausing only when a big snow storm came through, then resuming the daily snowfall. This morning I walked out to get my newspaper and there was the tap tap tap of a woodpecker and the cacophony of birds in the bushes across the street. Overnight! It reminded me, as that cool bird you saw did you, that life goes on. Seasons change. Critters crawl out from under the snow and return to their normal habits of alternating making our lives difficult (looking at you voles and bears) or enriching our existence (every creature except ticks, voles and bears).
We live on a beautiful planet. We either take care of it, or it will show us the door. All of us, gone. All of the shit we cared about, all of the stuff we owned, all of the big ideas poof gone. It has happened before - who are we to think we are so special? Because we have created the invisible God who cares about us? Excuse me while I roll my eyes.This is our planet at the moment. It is our mother and we take care of our mother. We do not let these horrible people mistreat our family. We fight back. We fight with everything at our disposal. If it is words, great. If it is a vote, good. If it is through building a community around us, supporting those who need help and saying "no" to bad, bad people, that is what we do. We speak truth to power. And we will prevail.
I live in the Boston area and there are lots of birds, and lots of snow, probably not quite as much as you but I had 50 inches in three weeks. However last week a day after the last storm, there was a Robin all fluffed up in the snow picking up the pieces of the suet that the other birds had knocked down. Poor Robin but he had food and he was busy keeping himself alive, as we all have to do.
Thank you for that image. That robin got to the party early and was trying to occupy himself before the others arrived.
Appaling to see these courtiers going lower and lower in front of a demented deranged old fascist cheat. Depressing even
Thanks as always, Heather for speaking truth to power. President Trump, as a stupid pathological narcissist, believes he can shape reality with his words—that there are enough people, starting with himself, who will believe that what he says is true because he says it, that he can control the world, make it like his insane fantasies. Fortunately there are more than enough folks who think on the basis of evidence, and enough occasions like the mid-terms, and enough knowledgeable observers and public communicators like yourself, who will faithfully represent the real truth. Onward and upward!
Yes all that, and each state's National Guard stationed at the polls to protect the voters.
Damn, I love your writing every day. Thank you!!!!
It is sickening. Thank you for reporting this tech bro meeting, the first I’ve read about it in detail.. and thank you for keeping the Epstein victims front and center.
And the idiots who hate immigrants, are creating a situation for MORE people to flee their own country and seek safety in another country🤬
It’s not safe here anymore, for immigrants or anybody else.
The sight of this caustic BARF O RAMA and these people slathering praise on The Mad King as he slouches there, one second away from his nap, should tell us all exactly what is happening. He puts his very mentally sick cabinet out in front to run wild and retreats to his couch to watch TV and eat Cheeseburgers.
Heather you are right. The more we push back the more outrageous it becomes and we should not dismiss that as a bad thing. This is the deal with narcissists. They NEVER stop no matter what until they stop breathing. So we must keep pushing.
Thanks for your great work.
It’s a pleasure reading your commentary and I’m struck by the articulate reasoning and memorable examples that capture the essence of the challenges we face from this authoritarian regime. We’re counting on you to be a voice of reason in the darkness.
Too long Heather. Trump and Netanyahu right to remove wicked Khomeini regime at last Rejoice and stop endless podcasts
Thank you, Ms. Reese.