At 8:30 this morning, with just hours left before the ceasefire between the United States and Iran was set to expire, the President of the United States was on the phone with Joe Kernen on CNBC’s Squawk Box, making it clear that he had absolutely no intention of backing down on the looming deadline. He told Kernen, “I expect to be bombing,” if a deal isn’t reached, adding that he didn’t want to extend the ceasefire because “we don’t have that much time.” And with just a few sentences, he sent the world back into waiting mode, watching to see how Donald Trump would escalate an already tense situation. And then, as the deadline approached and no agreement materialized, he...
Heather, in a few days time our King is coming to visit your Mango Mandarin. There is huge opposition to this here in the UK as people worry that the optics imply tacit agreement to the wayward direction the USA has taken. He has more diplomatic skills in his little fingernail than Trump has in his whole being. But, and here's the important thing, King Charles is not political and he's coming to celebrate your 250 years. And THAT'S the point. This is 4 years (please God!) of aberrational madness - you have 250 years under your belt and will have that and more again. Hang on in there and we and the rest of the world will be here for you. We'll make you a nice cuppa and have a chat about the weather, and art, and culture and all the great things that real people do. Until then, keep fighting the good fight. There is hope out there...
Oh Jane ~ that was a lovely post we really needed those words ~ to remind us of what was and what we will return to being a Country with empathy towards others here and abroad. It may take a while to earn back respect and stop the division that’s been caused by him.
All agreed but the only way through this is hope. Speaking from a different country and therefore a possibly different perspective, it seems clear that this administration is corrupt beyond belief and the actions of this 'man' have massive global consequences (I can't possibly comment on domestic repercussions). From tariffs to oil prices and beyond. And I don't even have loved ones being bombed and displaced on the whim of a power-crazed lunatic. It is easy to say here 'WHY did they vote for him?' and to feel a certain resentment that those voters have landed the whole world in this and impotence that we didn't get to vote. But, that's democracy at its very finest. One assumes there was a reason? (as yet, not fully obvious). If it is not within the power to remove this man from office before the end of his term (why not?) then we need to hold onto the hope. My comment was trying to say that we feel your pain and are feeling it too. Maybe, just maybe some lessons will come from this - the reinstatement of the rule of law with an independent judiciary? the capping of donations to political causes/parties/people? the great irony of all of this is that the constitution was built from the premise of your forefathers not wanting to replicate the monarchic system of having one man have too much power. not sure that worked out splendidly. Where are the checks & balances? and why is no one using them?
You are so right, Jane, that hope is all we have. It’s what keeps us trying everything we can to keep from falling off the cliff. Thank you for supporting us from across the pond. It means a lot to us.
I’m hoping we’ve reached the 3.5 goal, considering all the people who had to work, or couldn’t be out for other reasons (elderly, sick, it’s flu season, etc.) A significant majority of special elections have gone in favor of democrats, even in Florida! Our other problem is our complicit democratic congress. We have to vote them out and completely rebuild our entire country.
Hi Heather - thank you so much for pulling together and making sense out of the swirl of undigested stuff in my head. You write so simply and so clearly about such uncertain, complex, and contradictory events and threads.
Excellent, Heather! There is enough of a story now to enable continuing focus on the breakup as it grows and proliferates. You are right—the action is shifting, and favorably, as we approach a new "morning in America" with the mid-terms.
This is actually a serious question...This war with Iran is undisputably Tramp's personal war (because he acted without necessary approval). Can the United States sue Donald J for the cost of this war??? He should be paying for the extravagant price of it all, not us.
the United States can’t sue a president personally to pay for a war, because military decisions are considered official acts protected by presidential immunity. You can thank the Supremes for that.
But...he can be impeached and removed from office if the Dems gain enough seats.
After leaving office, Trump can face consequences like investigations or prosecution but not billed personally for the cost of a war.
I appreciate your response, thank you. Yeah, I kinda thought that was the answer but had to try. That presidential immunity decision needs to be revisited.
The great negotiator…the peacemaker…the artist of the deal..the savior …the new Jesus…the ONLY person in the world..in history ..who could end a 4 year war in Ukraine in 24 hours…the winningest winner who ever lived. WHAT A JOKE. Schizophrenic loser who stuffs his and his cronies pockets non-stop with money from suckers who keep giving him more ..who fall for his Wizard of Oz bullshit. We’re the chumps..the ones who keep paying his bills…his lifestyle expenses ..his legal fees EVERYTHING he and his uber rich cohorts take from US…give NOTHING in return..no taxes…ZERO.
The tide is turning…we have reached our limit..they have run out of the lipstick they had been putting on the pig…they can’t cover for him anymore. The Iranians have pulled the curtain back…they have challenged him like no other and he’s backed into the corner with nowhere to go. What happens next? Does our Congress finally stop him or does the rest of the sane world step in and take over the negotiations from us? Time will tell but some things are certain..his walls are cracking..his foundation is crumbling..his rats are jumping ..his clock is running down and Americans are not giving up…we are going to push until it all falls down.
The tide is turning, Heather, and you’re a big part of why. If we all focus our positive energy into action— showing up at protests, contributing money to progressive leaders, doing small acts of kindness— our country will emerge from this nightmare stronger than ever.
At least we can ask the question: How do we come back from this? Well, why not look at two times in American history where we needed to "come back." First the Civil War. How did we come back after such a brutal bloodbath between citizens? First, we assassinated the good guy. Then we made rules about how the congressmen from the Confederacy could come back which were ignored. The South replaced slavery with Black Codes (slavery) and the government shot them down with the 13th and 14th Amendments. We put the military into the South and made sure they did what the former states needed to do before they could get back into the country including rewriting their constitutions and ratifying the new amendments. Of course, the white Southerners could not live side by side with the Black southerners so all kinds of shenanigans (torture and terror) arose in the South including the KKK. The 15th Amendment was passed and ignored. Finally, after 14 years or so, Reconstruction ended in a late night back room deal for the presidency. In other words, while the federal government passed amendments and kept a firm hand on the states formerly in rebellion, at the end of the day, the Southern congresspeople were basically the same as the ones who held office beforehand. Of course, during Reconstruction, there were some remarkable forward movements for the newly emancipated citizens but those were slim and fragile. Then came Jim Crow.
The second time was the resignation of the criminal Nixon. And we might have, as a nation, seen how shaky our government was if we had allowed a court case to be brought against him. But Ford pardoned him so we could move on and heal.
We have never healed and the Republican Party, led by Newt Gingrich's ideology and Ronald Reagan's cruelty began, at that moment, to create a long view plan to get to where we are today.
If we do not prosecute the offenders, we are leaving this country and its citizens - our children and grandchildren - a forthcoming storm that will destroy us. We will not survive the technocrats and oligarchs who will try to vacuum up every piece of freedom we have, every path to prosperity available to (most) Americans. They will put POCs back into servitude and women back into the kitchen, barefoot and pregnant. Gays in any form will not exist.
Yes, we must demand that these people are punished to the full extent of the law.
Thank you for the enlightenment. I feel a ripple of renewed hope. However, until our full, cowardly press/journalists start shouting out the facts, in a clear and frightening manner, as you have done, there will not be a significant shift. The wounds inflicted on me and our country are way too deep for me to remain optimistic. Each of us needs to be calling out the press and continue shouting out to every Republican.
Thank you for what you do, including as a recipient of disturbing messages because you describe the reality of our current time. At 75 I had a small window of time as a young adult before a government decided greed is good. My experience provides a vivid comparison to what we face now.
Heather, in a few days time our King is coming to visit your Mango Mandarin. There is huge opposition to this here in the UK as people worry that the optics imply tacit agreement to the wayward direction the USA has taken. He has more diplomatic skills in his little fingernail than Trump has in his whole being. But, and here's the important thing, King Charles is not political and he's coming to celebrate your 250 years. And THAT'S the point. This is 4 years (please God!) of aberrational madness - you have 250 years under your belt and will have that and more again. Hang on in there and we and the rest of the world will be here for you. We'll make you a nice cuppa and have a chat about the weather, and art, and culture and all the great things that real people do. Until then, keep fighting the good fight. There is hope out there...
Oh Jane ~ that was a lovely post we really needed those words ~ to remind us of what was and what we will return to being a Country with empathy towards others here and abroad. It may take a while to earn back respect and stop the division that’s been caused by him.
Thanks and take care‼️
All agreed but the only way through this is hope. Speaking from a different country and therefore a possibly different perspective, it seems clear that this administration is corrupt beyond belief and the actions of this 'man' have massive global consequences (I can't possibly comment on domestic repercussions). From tariffs to oil prices and beyond. And I don't even have loved ones being bombed and displaced on the whim of a power-crazed lunatic. It is easy to say here 'WHY did they vote for him?' and to feel a certain resentment that those voters have landed the whole world in this and impotence that we didn't get to vote. But, that's democracy at its very finest. One assumes there was a reason? (as yet, not fully obvious). If it is not within the power to remove this man from office before the end of his term (why not?) then we need to hold onto the hope. My comment was trying to say that we feel your pain and are feeling it too. Maybe, just maybe some lessons will come from this - the reinstatement of the rule of law with an independent judiciary? the capping of donations to political causes/parties/people? the great irony of all of this is that the constitution was built from the premise of your forefathers not wanting to replicate the monarchic system of having one man have too much power. not sure that worked out splendidly. Where are the checks & balances? and why is no one using them?
You are so right, Jane, that hope is all we have. It’s what keeps us trying everything we can to keep from falling off the cliff. Thank you for supporting us from across the pond. It means a lot to us.
Well said.
I’m hoping we’ve reached the 3.5 goal, considering all the people who had to work, or couldn’t be out for other reasons (elderly, sick, it’s flu season, etc.) A significant majority of special elections have gone in favor of democrats, even in Florida! Our other problem is our complicit democratic congress. We have to vote them out and completely rebuild our entire country.
Thank you. I now can go to sleep with a bit more hope.
Me too
Thank you. Your nightly reports give me hope, especially this one. You are our spokeswoman who keeps confronting Trump and telling the truth.
Thanks for giving us some hope that the tide may be turning.
Proud to be a Virginian - we followed the example of many brave Virginians before us. And we won!
Hi Heather - thank you so much for pulling together and making sense out of the swirl of undigested stuff in my head. You write so simply and so clearly about such uncertain, complex, and contradictory events and threads.
This is exactly why I’m here and why I put my hard earned money in Heather’s subscription box. Thank you, Heather. Keep on keeping on.
Poor corrupt and deranged preznik. Once a moron, always a moron. Put an end to his misery. Lock him up!
And his enablers running the show.
Excellent, Heather! There is enough of a story now to enable continuing focus on the breakup as it grows and proliferates. You are right—the action is shifting, and favorably, as we approach a new "morning in America" with the mid-terms.
This is actually a serious question...This war with Iran is undisputably Tramp's personal war (because he acted without necessary approval). Can the United States sue Donald J for the cost of this war??? He should be paying for the extravagant price of it all, not us.
the United States can’t sue a president personally to pay for a war, because military decisions are considered official acts protected by presidential immunity. You can thank the Supremes for that.
But...he can be impeached and removed from office if the Dems gain enough seats.
After leaving office, Trump can face consequences like investigations or prosecution but not billed personally for the cost of a war.
I know, it sucks.
I appreciate your response, thank you. Yeah, I kinda thought that was the answer but had to try. That presidential immunity decision needs to be revisited.
The great negotiator…the peacemaker…the artist of the deal..the savior …the new Jesus…the ONLY person in the world..in history ..who could end a 4 year war in Ukraine in 24 hours…the winningest winner who ever lived. WHAT A JOKE. Schizophrenic loser who stuffs his and his cronies pockets non-stop with money from suckers who keep giving him more ..who fall for his Wizard of Oz bullshit. We’re the chumps..the ones who keep paying his bills…his lifestyle expenses ..his legal fees EVERYTHING he and his uber rich cohorts take from US…give NOTHING in return..no taxes…ZERO.
The tide is turning…we have reached our limit..they have run out of the lipstick they had been putting on the pig…they can’t cover for him anymore. The Iranians have pulled the curtain back…they have challenged him like no other and he’s backed into the corner with nowhere to go. What happens next? Does our Congress finally stop him or does the rest of the sane world step in and take over the negotiations from us? Time will tell but some things are certain..his walls are cracking..his foundation is crumbling..his rats are jumping ..his clock is running down and Americans are not giving up…we are going to push until it all falls down.
The tide is turning, Heather, and you’re a big part of why. If we all focus our positive energy into action— showing up at protests, contributing money to progressive leaders, doing small acts of kindness— our country will emerge from this nightmare stronger than ever.
At least we can ask the question: How do we come back from this? Well, why not look at two times in American history where we needed to "come back." First the Civil War. How did we come back after such a brutal bloodbath between citizens? First, we assassinated the good guy. Then we made rules about how the congressmen from the Confederacy could come back which were ignored. The South replaced slavery with Black Codes (slavery) and the government shot them down with the 13th and 14th Amendments. We put the military into the South and made sure they did what the former states needed to do before they could get back into the country including rewriting their constitutions and ratifying the new amendments. Of course, the white Southerners could not live side by side with the Black southerners so all kinds of shenanigans (torture and terror) arose in the South including the KKK. The 15th Amendment was passed and ignored. Finally, after 14 years or so, Reconstruction ended in a late night back room deal for the presidency. In other words, while the federal government passed amendments and kept a firm hand on the states formerly in rebellion, at the end of the day, the Southern congresspeople were basically the same as the ones who held office beforehand. Of course, during Reconstruction, there were some remarkable forward movements for the newly emancipated citizens but those were slim and fragile. Then came Jim Crow.
The second time was the resignation of the criminal Nixon. And we might have, as a nation, seen how shaky our government was if we had allowed a court case to be brought against him. But Ford pardoned him so we could move on and heal.
We have never healed and the Republican Party, led by Newt Gingrich's ideology and Ronald Reagan's cruelty began, at that moment, to create a long view plan to get to where we are today.
If we do not prosecute the offenders, we are leaving this country and its citizens - our children and grandchildren - a forthcoming storm that will destroy us. We will not survive the technocrats and oligarchs who will try to vacuum up every piece of freedom we have, every path to prosperity available to (most) Americans. They will put POCs back into servitude and women back into the kitchen, barefoot and pregnant. Gays in any form will not exist.
Yes, we must demand that these people are punished to the full extent of the law.
In a nutshell! And let’s add the number of German Nazis who were welcomed into the US after the fall of Hitlerism.
Thank you for the enlightenment. I feel a ripple of renewed hope. However, until our full, cowardly press/journalists start shouting out the facts, in a clear and frightening manner, as you have done, there will not be a significant shift. The wounds inflicted on me and our country are way too deep for me to remain optimistic. Each of us needs to be calling out the press and continue shouting out to every Republican.
I appreciate your posts but I can’t read them anymore because I’m tired. I’m worn out. I honestly don’t know how you do it. I’m taking a break. XOXO
Come back Suzy, we need you. Take a breather, but return for the victory lap!
Thank you for what you do, including as a recipient of disturbing messages because you describe the reality of our current time. At 75 I had a small window of time as a young adult before a government decided greed is good. My experience provides a vivid comparison to what we face now.
Thank you. Your contribution cannot be denied and I appreciate it more than you could ever know.