Emotions today, September 11, 2024, run the gamut from the joy at the remarkable experience of watching Kamala Harris mop the floor with Donald Trump in the debate last night to the horrific sadness of yet another commemoration of the 9/11 anniversary, 23 years later.
I was appalled to see Trump joining Biden and Harris in Pennsylvania today commemorating the 9/11 victims. Then he stood there shouting something to his faithful and to the press, like the crass, undignified asshole he is. Maybe those who say they are still undecided will come to their senses in the next 55 days. 🙏🏼
Wish someone would flush that sugar-honey-iced-tea (that what we kids would say, to keep from getting our mouths washed out with soap) down a toilet, if they can find one that wouldn't get clogged by all the stuff.
However, I am reading he still has the majority votes in the electoral college, so that is what is worrisome. I don't see him getting the popular vote, but he does not need to.
And this morning during the moment of silence he was photographed staring up at the freedom tower ..my read is that he was admiring the building and wondering how it was that he was not the creator..look at the pic..
I was astonished- no appalled- listening to the post ABC panel processing the debate and discussing- oh yes- Harris did a great job- but at the same time seeming to normalize what we had just all seen as being a debate between 2 “normal” people. One just did (mostly) better than the other!! Huh??!! How about calling out the crazy one the lie after effing lie- the rage- the danger- right there in front of everyone’s eyes. How about let’s get the media to stop normalizing him as just a candidate… Mr president- you must be kidding!
Bill, I think you tried a while back to give me the courage to say it, so here goes:
Trump is full of shit. No doubt in my mind. Perhaps what's why a lot of people have mentioned a rather unpleasant odor when they're within 100 feet from him, even if they're all outside. [Still can't unsee that picture of him at his golf course in at Lansdowne, VA, when his back was to the camera.]
Wow, what a weight is off my shoulders now! Thank you!
I apologize to Joyce, because she's a lot nicer than I could ever be.
And you can say it too, Trump is SHIT. And one day in the future, since I intend to outlive him, I will crap on his grave even if I am arrested. My only desire is to be the first and I had better not wait long. In fact where ever he is laid to rest, a fence is likely to be erected around the mausoleum so I will likely have to fling it from a distance.
Bill (and Jeanne), could I please join y'all in the flinging contest? If they install a moat around his gaudy mausoleum, or an electrified fence with concertina wire (like around jails), if someone you know has a drone with "dropping" equipment, that might work! Let me know when and where.
Speaking of that brown pile that Maria (above your comment) added, I wish I had the capability to email readers here. As it happened, I had received TWO letters with the return address 'PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP," which made my breakfast cereal start saying hello again. How they got my name scares me, but I figured out what to do with those envelopes.
I was about to change the cat box, which was full of surprises.
This sounds nasty, but I was wearing gloves. I put one of the envelopes down on the kitty litter and accidentally dropped a few of Petey's "droppings" over the envelope. Since his wimpy supporters didn't include an actual address for THE lifelong POTUS, I couldn't wrap the whole thing up and mail it back.
It grosses me out to think that the GQP has my name and address, because only Blue blood runs through my veins.
Oooh, I left out the most important part! I took a picture of my creative artwork. Thought I typed that already but I proofread this after the fact and realized I must have deleted that sentence?!?
No matter how evil, stupid, illegal, or outlandish his behavior, it seems to me that lightning ALWAYS misses him. Maybe Mother Nature is afraid of him.
Just keep them talking! It's way beyond a lot of trump voters' redlines and we're seeing many more of these voters, past hi-level GOP staff, and FINALLY current GOP officials starting to break their silence and expressing their disgust. So, MAGA buddies, just keep talking!
Thank you Joyce for framing the issues we face in the November election. Vice President Harris showed great talent when she focused on the thoughts of 800,000 Polish Americans in Pennsylvania who should be given pause by Trump’s unwillingness to support Ukraine or NATO as Putin will target Poland next should Ukraine fall. Let’s hope these voters deliver Pennsylvania for Harris.
Also, the debate made it abundantly clear that our choice for president is between an empathetic human being with a vision for our future (Harris) versus a candidate bereft of any humanity (Trump) with a dark dystopian vision. For those that were undecided going into the debate, please realize that Harris and all the Democrats down ballot are the only choice to restore Democracy and lessen the divisiveness that has gripped the United States this past decade. The cult of MAGA has swallowed up the old GOP so vote only for democrats for the Executive and Legislative branches of our government so that Roe can be restored, Presidential Immunity reversed, and SCOTUS be reformed.
I watched about 15 minutes of the debate, then had to change it to a movie I had downloaded to my TV. After hearing Trump call her "liar" over and over again, I couldn't stand it.
Do you suppose some fact-checker or another person with him or her counted the number of times he said that?
Bless his heart, he just can't help himself. Can't wait to find out what assisted living facility he's escaped from (I know, I know--but I have a rich fantasy life--I'm sure Richard Nixon's, uh, tenure had something to do with that).
Susan, I like that expression. I bet y'all could never imagine that years later, we would have the worst POTUS in the history of our country, and that his little pointed head would be sporting a yellow groundhog or beaver (who knows?) on top of that point, with its rear-end pointed towards his orange face. Quite appropriate, if you think about it.
What would make my day would be to find out that he picked up a LIVE animal instead, and that when he turned it around so its rear-end would be above his eyes, that the poor animal would get so scared that it would "shower" him with something yellow, and brown.
Speaking of yellow and brown things, how do they get those appropriate emojis?
Thank you for a good laugh, Dianne. I love the way you think, especially the "shower"… I just googled the brown emojis - look for poop emojis. You might have to copy and paste it somewhere that you could easily find it to copy and re-paste.
i wanted to say Pee and Poop, but I thought that would be too naughty. Heck with it!!! That's what I want to see. And I wish that animal (talking about a four-legged one, not him) had just finished eating a big bowl of pork & beans, and washed it down with a few big glasses of iced tea!!!!
I saw a picture of Trump with his head up, looking around, while everyone else was having a moment of reflection/prayer. Amazing that the Evangelicals think that's ok during a sacred moment.
Love how you characterize the orange cocksplat. Don't know if you saw the pic of everyone else with a bowed head but that crass asshole, who was staring blankly into space. Looking for jeebus in the clouds perhaps.
The real horror of the Haitians eating pets story is, if you read the news in Springfield OH, that Trump's and Vance's lies have started rage and violence against the generally peaceful, law-abiding Haitian immigrants who have moved there to take jobs in Springfield businesses, "helping to revitalize the town." One 11-year-old boy, Aidan Clark, was killed when a Haitian's van crashed into a bus. It was terrible. But that boy's father has called for the use of is son's death as a political prop to stop! He said "he wished that his son had been killed by a 60-year-old white man, if only because the family would have been spared the barrage from “hate-spewing people. 'My son was not murdered,' he said. 'He was accidentally killed by an immigrant from Haiti.'" Just utterly shameful.
Thank you, Joyce, and thank you Jane for your comments above.
Years ago, when I was young and living on the upper west side of NYC, there were many Haitians living on my street. They would often sit on their stoops while chatting and singing, minding their children. One of the men told me he had enlisted a whole group of his friends who would watch me while I walked the 1.5 blocks to the garage where we kept our car. He told me I never needed to worry, they would make sure I was safe! Kind people.
Many years ago, when I was living in upstate NY, my house lay adjacent to a cornfield. For a few years before I left, the farmer hired Haitians to harvest the corn, because they did a more thorough job at less cost than the machinery he had. Occasionally I ran into them when they were working, and they were invariably courteous and friendly. Otherwise, they kept to themselves and made no trouble at all in the community. I have retained a favorable impression of those people ever since.
I happened to watch the documrntsry 9/11: The President’s War Room, that focused on President Bush’s actions that day. From seeing the films of the actual actions and hearing his later comments on what he thought @ did,
Two things were clear. 1)All his thoughts were for the good of the country and 2) Donald Trump is totally, completely unfit to be president.
That moment was right up there. Not because it was surprising but because it wasn't. It reminded me of how gullible and easily snookered he was as president when he had the likes of Stephen Miller and Ronny Jackson advising him.
Thanks Joyce. I watched the entire debate and came away with a greater sense of peace and comfort to know that Harris is a remarkable candidate for the presidency and will and has made us all proud as of last night for the legacy she is offering 🇺🇸🗽🗳️💙🥁🕯️🕊️
I cannot help it but this story reminds me of the blood libels against the Jews throughout history continuing to modern times. It's ugly and showing the worst of humanity . Read the Rolling Stone article from 9/9/24, two days ago, on background for the truthful story about what happened, is happening to Haitians there; it's shameful:
I must say we have Haitians here in Massachusetts and we have been so thankful for the difficult work that they do, with competence and good nature that others cannot or will not do.
Yes! That's a very, very important point to understand. Thank you. German concentration camps existed as early as 1933. It's a well-recognized tactic: insinuation that gets bolder and bolder as time goes on. We're living it. We must destroy the use of this tactic in our country or it will poison our society and the political traditions of our republic.
I am ashamed to admit that, in conversation with my son, I repeated something I had heard on NPR about the lack of motivation in Haiti. My son, who has been to Haiti, upbraided me in his calm way and said that the Haitians were the kindest, most hard working people he had ever met. May the goddess bless him!
Sometimes I cannot help but despair. The negativity, hate and divisiveness spewed by trump and his cult is spreading chaos and anarchy. That millions march in lockstep is terrifying.
Yes, I saw the parents speak out against Trump and Vance. It was powerful and heartbreaking. Trump’s goons are still at it with threatening people. I sure as hell hope that Chris Wray has assigned a task force to uncover these jerks!
Dr. Bandy Lee & other nationally known mental health experts will explore those mental-illness facts on Friday, September 27, 2024 at an All-day Conference the National Press Club. The afternoon session offers & question and answers from mental health experts. Dinner follows.
Psychiatriss have long had a legal duty-to-warn of violent actors. Dr. Lee led a Yale conference on that very subject.
Dr. Lee began this effort in 2016 -- had in 2017 had a book published, "The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump"* with dire warnings from other mental health professionals. She was VERY roundly criticized by people in her field for "diagnosing" the orange sadist without having done her own exam -- the "Goldwater Rule" (and then, of course, she would be forbidden in sharing it). Many of us (I'm a psychiatrist) rallied around her. Her contract with the Yale Medical School was not renewed in 2020. [*Interestingly, John Kelly used the book as a guide for how to deal with the monster!]
Another Clinical Psychologist has shared a great deal of impeccable details on DJT. She has written two books about him and the family dynamics that contributed to his insanity, the second one was just released (ironically) on Tuesday. She is his niece, Mary Trump, and also has a substack. She warns how dangerous he is, and that the danger will increase the more desperate he becomes to avoid potential jail time.
"Duty to warn" was always intended to a duty to warn an individual that they are a potential target of violence or murder. It could be extended to warning a group of the same. What Dr. Lee did, however, is different. And I am so happy that she did what she did, despite the personal harm that came to her as a result.
I was living in New York, teaching in Manhattan and living in Brooklyn that day. It took me a couple of days to put my thoughts together, and I hope you all don’t mind my laying my experience on you.
September 14, 2001
After the near perfect weather of the past three terrible days, this morning’s dark, cold, fall rain made it seem as if the City had come out of its initial shock and was now weeping for its dead. There was only one jogger in Central Park as I walked up from 57th and Seventh on my way to school this morning. All else was silent and dark and wet and cold. Earlier, as my Q train had topped the Manhattan Bridge on the way in from Brooklyn in the predawn dark, I like many of my fellow commuters peered out toward the southern end of the island, seeing the great light grey, backlit cloud hovering behind the buildings along the river where the remains of the Towers were being excavated in an increasingly hopeless search for survivors.
It has been just over three days now since the Assistant Head quietly pulled me out of a history class to ask if I had any family members working in or near the Towers, then informed me of the two aircraft hits and that the TV was on in the library for faculty if we wanted to see what was happening.
As in all such moments, the mind at first refused to give credence to what the eyes were seeing. Indeed, the Towers and other monumental structures have been so often destroyed in Hollywood studios that it was almost possible to imagine that the video of the second aircraft plowing into the upper portion of that famous steel symmetry was simply one more wondrous computer graphic advertising yet another early fall blockbuster. But it was not possible to remain in a state of denial for long, and the enormity of what we were watching began to crash into our consciousness.
That process is far from complete, and there is no sure way of knowing how long it will take. The horrors of attempting to imagine the last moments of those trapped in both the buildings themselves and in the aircraft whose fiery deaths triggered the cataclysm are made, if possible, harder still by the cell phone technology that has enabled us to hear the voices of the doomed far more often than we might wish. The sight of toiling rescue workers dwarfed by piles of rubble so vast that one cannot imagine they could be removed in the labor of a thousand years reminds me without any merciful softening just how long it is going to take for a physical recovery, let alone an emotional one.
Many fleeting fragments of memory go through the mind as it begins to adjust to a new reality. The extraordinary quiet of the city streets as I started home on Tuesday brought back the rows of silent and uncomprehending eyes along the streets of Washington and the deadening cadence of the drums at John Kennedy’s funeral procession. The nervous uncertainty that the attacks might not be over brought back pale reminders of the days of the Cuban missile crisis, when, as a schoolboy myself, I waited, almost unable to breath, for resolution or Armageddon. There was the shock and growing rage for revenge and saber rattling reincarnated by the old, grainy video echoes of the days after Pearl Harbor. I also had crazy images of all the books, honest, foolish, and exploitative that will soon flood the bookstores, people working madly on scripts for the TV movie, scam artists stripping the gullible and hopeful of funds claimed to be for the victims. The historian in me remembered that another warm September day along a Maryland creek might now have to be replaced as the deadliest one in our history.
I have been extremely fortunate in that I have lost no family members, nor, to the best of my current knowledge, friends either. But all during this I have watched with numb sorrow the growing straggles of relatives and friends circling hopefully and fearfully from hospital to hospital seeking to find the living or, failing that, at least to confirm the dead. Signs and pictures of the missing papered walls used to softer things. Announcements about blood collections covered lamp posts. Church doors opened and announced special prayer services.
There were the successive realizations of common things that were suddenly no longer the same. Sirens took on an ominous edge. The sounds of jet engines overhead were now preceded by the agile, menacing forms of fighter jets instead of familiar jetliners. Long accepted subway routes became erratic, and new faces appeared on them, sometimes those of rescuers headed home for breaks, gray-grimed and bearing the thousand-yard stare of exhaustion and trauma. Stores I had patronized for years were unreachable; bridges and tunnels that had always led me to and from the City were inaccessible. A great pall of smoke hung with apparent permanence above the south end of the island. Most terrible was the gap itself in the pictures of the welter of buildings at the Battery. Sometimes it seemed almost impossible that it should be there, and at others it was already hard to remember clearly what else had been there just days ago.
It also felt very odd to be able to walk in so many places that seemed utterly normal, as if instead a great shroud ought to be hanging from the trees and light standards, and a dirge should play all day from every window in the City.
Behind and through it all remains the utterly incomprehensible image of the lovely banked curve of a jet in full flight ending where it simply could not have ended. I know that each time for the rest of my life that I see that few seconds of film I will be screaming silently, "No! Pull out! Pull out!" But it never, ever will.
I may have skipped over it, but did you leave out the big smiles and the thumbs up by the orange monster at the 9/11 memorial service?? Exact parallel to his sickening behavior at Arlington Cemetery.
The ubiquitous blue suit, white shirt, and red tie—how terribly American but also Russian. And there stood JD in the same attire, looking like a mini-Trump.
Completely tone deaf. He has a Pavlovian reaction to the presence of any camera, no matter what the occasion: ridiculous and inappropriate smile and thumbs-up.
Oh God help us all. He really did it. He's the bottom of life. Ick. And those families, survivors, as well as the first responders that occupy both of those sad categories. He's a waste of space and oxygen.
And during the moment of silence most had eyes closed and heads bowed but T’s head was swivelling around eyes darting like the snake he is. Not snake- worm. Did you know that a worm is really just one long asshol*
Joyce writes: "It's not just that the Haitian story is ridiculous. It's not just that it’s a lie. It is both of those things, but it is more than that; it is also dangerous." I add that it's distinctly and overtly racist and that racism runs like blood through the body of the Trump/Vance campaign and through their ambitions for our country. I'm amazed. I'm also amazed that Vance's wife put up with it.
Racism "runs like blood" through the U.S. body politic and has since the country was founded. Remember how in the wake of 9/11 "patriots" attacked and sometimes killed anyone they thought "looked Muslim"? This included Sikhs and others. Last year in Vermont three young Palestinian-American men were shot apparently because two of them were wearing keffiyehs; one of them is permanently paralyzed from the chest down. Several mass shooters have been motivated by racism or antisemitism.
Agreed. He doesn’t read but he sure does a lot of talking and it was written by many that were part of his team. He does not have to read it to know very well what it says. Remember the promise dictator on day one. I don’t doubt that he’ll set that in motion immediately.
You’re right. He was probably shown an abbreviated, illustrated version of it(like his PDB)so that all he had to do was nod his head in glee. While it wasn’t nearly as interesting as reading about Hitler, there’s no doubt in my mind that it made him very happy. JD Vance’s contribution was just icing on the cake.
A cartoon illustrated Mein Kampf comes to mind. Hmmm. Having just spelled out the name of that disgusting tome, it struck me that trump's initial family surname was Drumpf. Maybe it was just an attempt to get back to his family roots. :)
Really grateful for your thoughts through all this madness. Thank you, as ever. (You seem to have days with 5 extra hours built in them, incredible to see how productive you are. Plus knitting!)
The next creepy thing is a conservative offered $5K for evidence that Haitians were eating cats. Seeing the problem with this offer, a jokester said they were heading to Springfield with a pot and their cat because "5 K is 5 K." The offeror quickly said the evidence had to pre-date the debate.
I am a 77 year old white male grandfather. We are absolutely disgusted by Trump. I was a 3rd grade teacher. Trump is operating at a level of a young children. I was required to intervene with bullying behavior. Trump exhibits those behaviors. I was a VISTA volunteer in the late 60's . I had a co-VISTA friend who needed an abortion. Of course, as back then, the abortion went "South". She came close. I am worried about the futures of my grandchildren. Donald Trump is the most terrible attack on our Democracy in my 77 years. Remember, it not only a women problem, it is a men problem too
I had intended to watch 30 minutes but due to elusive sleep Monday night without warning and a full afternoon with delightful Bible students in Assisted Living, I just went to bed. I have contributed to Kamala Harris' campaign twice and purchased her "Unburdened" sign when available. When absentee ballot arrives I'll cast it right away. Who knows what DeJoy [no joy] will invoke to help Donald Trump. Please vote as soon as you are able.
Do you have drop boxes for your mail-in ballots, as we do here in MD? I fill my ballot out and take it to the nearest drop box so USPS can't mess with it. MD Election Board is so efficient that I even get an acknowledgement that it has been received.
I am across the river in VA. We have had, assume this year too. I've been successful with a nearby USPS as informed when retrieved and when received by electoral board.
I’m thankful I found out about your work. Thanks for simplifying complex issues into layperson terms. And, yes, misogyny and racism are still prevalent in mainstream media. Go, Kamala!
Well thank you! I looked up and learned a new word today. Never heard the word “bogarting”before but yes! Trump was definitely guilty of it and many times over. A delicious new word is a good thing. Thanks again!
Watch EASY RIDER, a quintessential road movie from 1969. "Don't Bogart That Joint, My Friend" is on the soundtrack, and there are plenty of visual illustrations of what it's about.
You were a “square” boomer. Most were so your in the majority. I was a hippie. I sold weed on the street at the tender age of 14. You might say I developed my sense of business on the street. Now, would you like to buy some art. Or perhaps my book, “Donald’s Vanity Tantrums?”
Same here. Never knew it so, like you, I looked it up. So now I have two good terms that pertain to what’s-his-face; gish gallop and bogarting. Learn something new every day.
I was appalled to see Trump joining Biden and Harris in Pennsylvania today commemorating the 9/11 victims. Then he stood there shouting something to his faithful and to the press, like the crass, undignified asshole he is. Maybe those who say they are still undecided will come to their senses in the next 55 days. 🙏🏼
Yeah, just like he did a thumbs up and big smile at Arlington National Cemetery. I am sorry, but in this regard, he is a piece of 💩.
We had a saying on the wall when I was a Zoo Keeper. “shit washes off”.
There isn’t enough water or disinfectant on our planet to clean Trump up.
Big well-deserved smile emoji!
Wish someone would flush that sugar-honey-iced-tea (that what we kids would say, to keep from getting our mouths washed out with soap) down a toilet, if they can find one that wouldn't get clogged by all the stuff.
Wow!
I hope it was framed. I own a framing business if it isn’t, lol.
However, I am reading he still has the majority votes in the electoral college, so that is what is worrisome. I don't see him getting the popular vote, but he does not need to.
Remember that the polls can reflect a two week delay.
Desperado has 2 more cards to play. No oligarchic demographic has had 20m armed cult to mobilize, but there is another move. Mid-October.
??
Maga billionaires won't risk all their decades of efforts on the slim margins of a flawed electoral system.
And this morning during the moment of silence he was photographed staring up at the freedom tower ..my read is that he was admiring the building and wondering how it was that he was not the creator..look at the pic..
I was astonished- no appalled- listening to the post ABC panel processing the debate and discussing- oh yes- Harris did a great job- but at the same time seeming to normalize what we had just all seen as being a debate between 2 “normal” people. One just did (mostly) better than the other!! Huh??!! How about calling out the crazy one the lie after effing lie- the rage- the danger- right there in front of everyone’s eyes. How about let’s get the media to stop normalizing him as just a candidate… Mr president- you must be kidding!
Sane-washing
Your observations are probably spot-on.
However, I don't trust him. Call me the worst cynical person on Joyce's substack, but I think he also had nefarious things on his mind.
You can say shit here.
Bill, I think you tried a while back to give me the courage to say it, so here goes:
Trump is full of shit. No doubt in my mind. Perhaps what's why a lot of people have mentioned a rather unpleasant odor when they're within 100 feet from him, even if they're all outside. [Still can't unsee that picture of him at his golf course in at Lansdowne, VA, when his back was to the camera.]
Wow, what a weight is off my shoulders now! Thank you!
I apologize to Joyce, because she's a lot nicer than I could ever be.
In all regards, he is a piece of 💩
And you can say it too, Trump is SHIT. And one day in the future, since I intend to outlive him, I will crap on his grave even if I am arrested. My only desire is to be the first and I had better not wait long. In fact where ever he is laid to rest, a fence is likely to be erected around the mausoleum so I will likely have to fling it from a distance.
Thanks for the laugh Bill. Let's have a shit flinging contest when the glorious time arrives.
Bill (and Jeanne), could I please join y'all in the flinging contest? If they install a moat around his gaudy mausoleum, or an electrified fence with concertina wire (like around jails), if someone you know has a drone with "dropping" equipment, that might work! Let me know when and where.
Speaking of that brown pile that Maria (above your comment) added, I wish I had the capability to email readers here. As it happened, I had received TWO letters with the return address 'PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP," which made my breakfast cereal start saying hello again. How they got my name scares me, but I figured out what to do with those envelopes.
I was about to change the cat box, which was full of surprises.
This sounds nasty, but I was wearing gloves. I put one of the envelopes down on the kitty litter and accidentally dropped a few of Petey's "droppings" over the envelope. Since his wimpy supporters didn't include an actual address for THE lifelong POTUS, I couldn't wrap the whole thing up and mail it back.
It grosses me out to think that the GQP has my name and address, because only Blue blood runs through my veins.
Thought this would make you smile!
Oooh, I left out the most important part! I took a picture of my creative artwork. Thought I typed that already but I proofread this after the fact and realized I must have deleted that sentence?!?
In all things he has not one redeeming anything!
Worse yet, apparently he brought Laura Loomer with him, a 9-11 denier.
Holy hell! I just heard that!!!! This proves there is no God, or he would have been struck by lightning 10,000 times by now.
No matter how evil, stupid, illegal, or outlandish his behavior, it seems to me that lightning ALWAYS misses him. Maybe Mother Nature is afraid of him.
I've given up on 40% of my fellow Americans. The rest of us ARE the majority and are no longer passive.
Even the devil doesn’t want him
If I didn't know better, I'd say that Trump IS that red creature with the pitchfork.
She is a nut case
Was she his date?
In an icky way probably yes. She tends to be effusive about him.
She must be good at ah something 🤔
What a sweet couple they'd make.
Haha
New girl friend
Just keep them talking! It's way beyond a lot of trump voters' redlines and we're seeing many more of these voters, past hi-level GOP staff, and FINALLY current GOP officials starting to break their silence and expressing their disgust. So, MAGA buddies, just keep talking!
Thank you Joyce for framing the issues we face in the November election. Vice President Harris showed great talent when she focused on the thoughts of 800,000 Polish Americans in Pennsylvania who should be given pause by Trump’s unwillingness to support Ukraine or NATO as Putin will target Poland next should Ukraine fall. Let’s hope these voters deliver Pennsylvania for Harris.
Also, the debate made it abundantly clear that our choice for president is between an empathetic human being with a vision for our future (Harris) versus a candidate bereft of any humanity (Trump) with a dark dystopian vision. For those that were undecided going into the debate, please realize that Harris and all the Democrats down ballot are the only choice to restore Democracy and lessen the divisiveness that has gripped the United States this past decade. The cult of MAGA has swallowed up the old GOP so vote only for democrats for the Executive and Legislative branches of our government so that Roe can be restored, Presidential Immunity reversed, and SCOTUS be reformed.
Agree 1000%! As I canvass I also emphasize down ballot partisan and Dem-endorsed nonpartisan candidates.
Very important!! In Arizona we MUST FLIP THE LEGISLATURE!
Trump’s MAGA have too much power
Paula, thank you for helping out with the Harris campaign.
Very well written. Down ballot races cannot be overlooked.
In Red Indiana, down ticket races are the reason we canvas and work to GOTV.
Dr. Gregory, excellent comments!
I watched about 15 minutes of the debate, then had to change it to a movie I had downloaded to my TV. After hearing Trump call her "liar" over and over again, I couldn't stand it.
Do you suppose some fact-checker or another person with him or her counted the number of times he said that?
Sure there is a record
Do we have to do a FOIA request?
Bless his heart, he just can't help himself. Can't wait to find out what assisted living facility he's escaped from (I know, I know--but I have a rich fantasy life--I'm sure Richard Nixon's, uh, tenure had something to do with that).
I would have said, "bless his little pointed head" (a phrase from my childhood).
Susan, I like that expression. I bet y'all could never imagine that years later, we would have the worst POTUS in the history of our country, and that his little pointed head would be sporting a yellow groundhog or beaver (who knows?) on top of that point, with its rear-end pointed towards his orange face. Quite appropriate, if you think about it.
What would make my day would be to find out that he picked up a LIVE animal instead, and that when he turned it around so its rear-end would be above his eyes, that the poor animal would get so scared that it would "shower" him with something yellow, and brown.
Speaking of yellow and brown things, how do they get those appropriate emojis?
Thank you for a good laugh, Dianne. I love the way you think, especially the "shower"… I just googled the brown emojis - look for poop emojis. You might have to copy and paste it somewhere that you could easily find it to copy and re-paste.
i wanted to say Pee and Poop, but I thought that would be too naughty. Heck with it!!! That's what I want to see. And I wish that animal (talking about a four-legged one, not him) had just finished eating a big bowl of pork & beans, and washed it down with a few big glasses of iced tea!!!!
I didn't know that he has one. News to me.
Tricky Dicky was an altar boy compared to Trump.
Tfg and his enablers will be blasting a fire hose of lies from here on out.
Assemble your crew.
I saw a picture of Trump with his head up, looking around, while everyone else was having a moment of reflection/prayer. Amazing that the Evangelicals think that's ok during a sacred moment.
They probably think he was talking to God...
Love how you characterize the orange cocksplat. Don't know if you saw the pic of everyone else with a bowed head but that crass asshole, who was staring blankly into space. Looking for jeebus in the clouds perhaps.
The real horror of the Haitians eating pets story is, if you read the news in Springfield OH, that Trump's and Vance's lies have started rage and violence against the generally peaceful, law-abiding Haitian immigrants who have moved there to take jobs in Springfield businesses, "helping to revitalize the town." One 11-year-old boy, Aidan Clark, was killed when a Haitian's van crashed into a bus. It was terrible. But that boy's father has called for the use of is son's death as a political prop to stop! He said "he wished that his son had been killed by a 60-year-old white man, if only because the family would have been spared the barrage from “hate-spewing people. 'My son was not murdered,' he said. 'He was accidentally killed by an immigrant from Haiti.'" Just utterly shameful.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/11/us/trump-vance-aiden-clark-springfield-ohio.html
Thank you, Joyce, and thank you Jane for your comments above.
Years ago, when I was young and living on the upper west side of NYC, there were many Haitians living on my street. They would often sit on their stoops while chatting and singing, minding their children. One of the men told me he had enlisted a whole group of his friends who would watch me while I walked the 1.5 blocks to the garage where we kept our car. He told me I never needed to worry, they would make sure I was safe! Kind people.
Many years ago, when I was living in upstate NY, my house lay adjacent to a cornfield. For a few years before I left, the farmer hired Haitians to harvest the corn, because they did a more thorough job at less cost than the machinery he had. Occasionally I ran into them when they were working, and they were invariably courteous and friendly. Otherwise, they kept to themselves and made no trouble at all in the community. I have retained a favorable impression of those people ever since.
Sally - Thanks for sharing Sally the story of the Haitian who told the truth and helped maintain peace in the neighborhood.
For me, the worst part of that was Trump just assuming the story was real and repeatable as a fact because he saw it on TV.
Perhaps, but please remember--this individual does not care. At all. Except about himself.
And his judgment on this and other matters is crap.
I happened to watch the documrntsry 9/11: The President’s War Room, that focused on President Bush’s actions that day. From seeing the films of the actual actions and hearing his later comments on what he thought @ did,
Two things were clear. 1)All his thoughts were for the good of the country and 2) Donald Trump is totally, completely unfit to be president.
PS i am no great admirer of W.
That moment was right up there. Not because it was surprising but because it wasn't. It reminded me of how gullible and easily snookered he was as president when he had the likes of Stephen Miller and Ronny Jackson advising him.
Thanks Joyce. I watched the entire debate and came away with a greater sense of peace and comfort to know that Harris is a remarkable candidate for the presidency and will and has made us all proud as of last night for the legacy she is offering 🇺🇸🗽🗳️💙🥁🕯️🕊️
And on what station. I wonder.
In his fantasies
I am puzzled as to why this wasn't called out by Harris as a weak reply, not just weak but ridiculous!
I cannot help it but this story reminds me of the blood libels against the Jews throughout history continuing to modern times. It's ugly and showing the worst of humanity . Read the Rolling Stone article from 9/9/24, two days ago, on background for the truthful story about what happened, is happening to Haitians there; it's shameful:
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/haitian-migrants-not-eating-cats-ohio-1235098109/
I must say we have Haitians here in Massachusetts and we have been so thankful for the difficult work that they do, with competence and good nature that others cannot or will not do.
Yes! That's a very, very important point to understand. Thank you. German concentration camps existed as early as 1933. It's a well-recognized tactic: insinuation that gets bolder and bolder as time goes on. We're living it. We must destroy the use of this tactic in our country or it will poison our society and the political traditions of our republic.
He also said that his son was a loving person, and would not "hate" the person who killed him.
This is a tragic story not just because of the loss of a little boy, but because he’s used without any regard as a political tool. It’s sickening.
Stochastic terrorism.
I am ashamed to admit that, in conversation with my son, I repeated something I had heard on NPR about the lack of motivation in Haiti. My son, who has been to Haiti, upbraided me in his calm way and said that the Haitians were the kindest, most hard working people he had ever met. May the goddess bless him!
Sometimes I cannot help but despair. The negativity, hate and divisiveness spewed by trump and his cult is spreading chaos and anarchy. That millions march in lockstep is terrifying.
They have no shame…
Yes, I saw the parents speak out against Trump and Vance. It was powerful and heartbreaking. Trump’s goons are still at it with threatening people. I sure as hell hope that Chris Wray has assigned a task force to uncover these jerks!
🙁😔
I don't usually comment but I want you to know I find this subscription valuable.
I save all of them and it's great being able to go back and read
You are a very intelligent and kind woman.
Thank you for your hard work and dedication.
Trump is mentally ill. The media et al need to CALL IT. He is seriously sick
Dr. Bandy Lee & other nationally known mental health experts will explore those mental-illness facts on Friday, September 27, 2024 at an All-day Conference the National Press Club. The afternoon session offers & question and answers from mental health experts. Dinner follows.
Psychiatriss have long had a legal duty-to-warn of violent actors. Dr. Lee led a Yale conference on that very subject.
The New York Times Management is not invited.
Dr. Lee began this effort in 2016 -- had in 2017 had a book published, "The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump"* with dire warnings from other mental health professionals. She was VERY roundly criticized by people in her field for "diagnosing" the orange sadist without having done her own exam -- the "Goldwater Rule" (and then, of course, she would be forbidden in sharing it). Many of us (I'm a psychiatrist) rallied around her. Her contract with the Yale Medical School was not renewed in 2020. [*Interestingly, John Kelly used the book as a guide for how to deal with the monster!]
Another Clinical Psychologist has shared a great deal of impeccable details on DJT. She has written two books about him and the family dynamics that contributed to his insanity, the second one was just released (ironically) on Tuesday. She is his niece, Mary Trump, and also has a substack. She warns how dangerous he is, and that the danger will increase the more desperate he becomes to avoid potential jail time.
She's marvelous! I've watched her evolution from being a very shy and insecure commentator on MSNBC, to being a buoyant and delightful one!
Was she not shunned by colleagues and Yake? Did she not sue Yale and lose?
Yes, she sued Yale but the case was dismissed. I don't know about the shunning. Could you tell me more? Thanks.
Again, There's Yale....
"Duty to warn" was always intended to a duty to warn an individual that they are a potential target of violence or murder. It could be extended to warning a group of the same. What Dr. Lee did, however, is different. And I am so happy that she did what she did, despite the personal harm that came to her as a result.
I seriously wish I could attend.
Do you know if this will be televised? recorded? transcribed?
I couldn’t agree more, seriously. He needs to be in a straight jacket.
His family also need to call it.
But you know they most likely won't.
He's their meal ticket.
Exactly, although Ivanka seems to have married someone with the same grifting skills.
She learned well.
Stephen, Problem is, so are all of his followers.
Touche'
I was living in New York, teaching in Manhattan and living in Brooklyn that day. It took me a couple of days to put my thoughts together, and I hope you all don’t mind my laying my experience on you.
September 14, 2001
After the near perfect weather of the past three terrible days, this morning’s dark, cold, fall rain made it seem as if the City had come out of its initial shock and was now weeping for its dead. There was only one jogger in Central Park as I walked up from 57th and Seventh on my way to school this morning. All else was silent and dark and wet and cold. Earlier, as my Q train had topped the Manhattan Bridge on the way in from Brooklyn in the predawn dark, I like many of my fellow commuters peered out toward the southern end of the island, seeing the great light grey, backlit cloud hovering behind the buildings along the river where the remains of the Towers were being excavated in an increasingly hopeless search for survivors.
It has been just over three days now since the Assistant Head quietly pulled me out of a history class to ask if I had any family members working in or near the Towers, then informed me of the two aircraft hits and that the TV was on in the library for faculty if we wanted to see what was happening.
As in all such moments, the mind at first refused to give credence to what the eyes were seeing. Indeed, the Towers and other monumental structures have been so often destroyed in Hollywood studios that it was almost possible to imagine that the video of the second aircraft plowing into the upper portion of that famous steel symmetry was simply one more wondrous computer graphic advertising yet another early fall blockbuster. But it was not possible to remain in a state of denial for long, and the enormity of what we were watching began to crash into our consciousness.
That process is far from complete, and there is no sure way of knowing how long it will take. The horrors of attempting to imagine the last moments of those trapped in both the buildings themselves and in the aircraft whose fiery deaths triggered the cataclysm are made, if possible, harder still by the cell phone technology that has enabled us to hear the voices of the doomed far more often than we might wish. The sight of toiling rescue workers dwarfed by piles of rubble so vast that one cannot imagine they could be removed in the labor of a thousand years reminds me without any merciful softening just how long it is going to take for a physical recovery, let alone an emotional one.
Many fleeting fragments of memory go through the mind as it begins to adjust to a new reality. The extraordinary quiet of the city streets as I started home on Tuesday brought back the rows of silent and uncomprehending eyes along the streets of Washington and the deadening cadence of the drums at John Kennedy’s funeral procession. The nervous uncertainty that the attacks might not be over brought back pale reminders of the days of the Cuban missile crisis, when, as a schoolboy myself, I waited, almost unable to breath, for resolution or Armageddon. There was the shock and growing rage for revenge and saber rattling reincarnated by the old, grainy video echoes of the days after Pearl Harbor. I also had crazy images of all the books, honest, foolish, and exploitative that will soon flood the bookstores, people working madly on scripts for the TV movie, scam artists stripping the gullible and hopeful of funds claimed to be for the victims. The historian in me remembered that another warm September day along a Maryland creek might now have to be replaced as the deadliest one in our history.
I have been extremely fortunate in that I have lost no family members, nor, to the best of my current knowledge, friends either. But all during this I have watched with numb sorrow the growing straggles of relatives and friends circling hopefully and fearfully from hospital to hospital seeking to find the living or, failing that, at least to confirm the dead. Signs and pictures of the missing papered walls used to softer things. Announcements about blood collections covered lamp posts. Church doors opened and announced special prayer services.
There were the successive realizations of common things that were suddenly no longer the same. Sirens took on an ominous edge. The sounds of jet engines overhead were now preceded by the agile, menacing forms of fighter jets instead of familiar jetliners. Long accepted subway routes became erratic, and new faces appeared on them, sometimes those of rescuers headed home for breaks, gray-grimed and bearing the thousand-yard stare of exhaustion and trauma. Stores I had patronized for years were unreachable; bridges and tunnels that had always led me to and from the City were inaccessible. A great pall of smoke hung with apparent permanence above the south end of the island. Most terrible was the gap itself in the pictures of the welter of buildings at the Battery. Sometimes it seemed almost impossible that it should be there, and at others it was already hard to remember clearly what else had been there just days ago.
It also felt very odd to be able to walk in so many places that seemed utterly normal, as if instead a great shroud ought to be hanging from the trees and light standards, and a dirge should play all day from every window in the City.
Behind and through it all remains the utterly incomprehensible image of the lovely banked curve of a jet in full flight ending where it simply could not have ended. I know that each time for the rest of my life that I see that few seconds of film I will be screaming silently, "No! Pull out! Pull out!" But it never, ever will.
Mr Quinn, your words from a few days after September 11 capture so much of the utter shock and tragedy of that day. Thank you for sharing
I may have skipped over it, but did you leave out the big smiles and the thumbs up by the orange monster at the 9/11 memorial service?? Exact parallel to his sickening behavior at Arlington Cemetery.
He is the most disgusting person I have ever seen—-and I’ve seen my share.
The ubiquitous blue suit, white shirt, and red tie—how terribly American but also Russian. And there stood JD in the same attire, looking like a mini-Trump.
Completely tone deaf. He has a Pavlovian reaction to the presence of any camera, no matter what the occasion: ridiculous and inappropriate smile and thumbs-up.
Trump likes almost any opportunity to be photographed
Oh God help us all. He really did it. He's the bottom of life. Ick. And those families, survivors, as well as the first responders that occupy both of those sad categories. He's a waste of space and oxygen.
And during the moment of silence most had eyes closed and heads bowed but T’s head was swivelling around eyes darting like the snake he is. Not snake- worm. Did you know that a worm is really just one long asshol*
LOVE IT!!!
Joyce writes: "It's not just that the Haitian story is ridiculous. It's not just that it’s a lie. It is both of those things, but it is more than that; it is also dangerous." I add that it's distinctly and overtly racist and that racism runs like blood through the body of the Trump/Vance campaign and through their ambitions for our country. I'm amazed. I'm also amazed that Vance's wife put up with it.
Racism "runs like blood" through the U.S. body politic and has since the country was founded. Remember how in the wake of 9/11 "patriots" attacked and sometimes killed anyone they thought "looked Muslim"? This included Sikhs and others. Last year in Vermont three young Palestinian-American men were shot apparently because two of them were wearing keffiyehs; one of them is permanently paralyzed from the chest down. Several mass shooters have been motivated by racism or antisemitism.
And she is a woman of color! How do you figure that one?
Perhaps she agrees w/him.......
Don't think so. Hope not
Just Dumb (JD) Vance is just as hideous as Traitor/Rapist/Fraudster/34X felon Trump!!!
Thank you so much for defining his initials. Although I still enjoy (a la Monty Python) Sir Vancelot. :D
Yeah he is Yale's DEI.......
"Project 2025 (which he claimed last night he’d never read) "
Read? Trump? If there aren't penthouse photos on every page, I doubt he even leafed through it.
That's what his little Gollums like Vance are for, unless there are too many big words. Just sayin'
The same thought. Trump doesn't read which is, in my opnion, a good enough reason to dump him.
Agreed. He doesn’t read but he sure does a lot of talking and it was written by many that were part of his team. He does not have to read it to know very well what it says. Remember the promise dictator on day one. I don’t doubt that he’ll set that in motion immediately.
That may have been the only true statement he uttered all night.
You are spot on!
You’re right. He was probably shown an abbreviated, illustrated version of it(like his PDB)so that all he had to do was nod his head in glee. While it wasn’t nearly as interesting as reading about Hitler, there’s no doubt in my mind that it made him very happy. JD Vance’s contribution was just icing on the cake.
A cartoon illustrated Mein Kampf comes to mind. Hmmm. Having just spelled out the name of that disgusting tome, it struck me that trump's initial family surname was Drumpf. Maybe it was just an attempt to get back to his family roots. :)
Really grateful for your thoughts through all this madness. Thank you, as ever. (You seem to have days with 5 extra hours built in them, incredible to see how productive you are. Plus knitting!)
In Springfield they’re eating dogs
And now they’re eating cats
What can a childless Catman do
With those awful facts
Move to Katmandu
Leave on a catamaran
Or just move to Katmandu
He broke down the doorways
Of the Capital
They followed his directive
So tyrannical
(With a little help from readers)
The next creepy thing is a conservative offered $5K for evidence that Haitians were eating cats. Seeing the problem with this offer, a jokester said they were heading to Springfield with a pot and their cat because "5 K is 5 K." The offeror quickly said the evidence had to pre-date the debate.
They're eating the CATS of the SINGLE WOMEN!!! Now THAT'll swing all single women to the orange sadist's side!
Brilliant! And entertaining :D
Mister Katz! It would seem you have some serious skin in the game.
Meow. I said, “Meow.”
I identify as a cat.
It’s still a long road ahead but I think the energy is growing toward the “long arc of Justice” thanks Joyce!
First, Apparently, Bella is wise.
I am a 77 year old white male grandfather. We are absolutely disgusted by Trump. I was a 3rd grade teacher. Trump is operating at a level of a young children. I was required to intervene with bullying behavior. Trump exhibits those behaviors. I was a VISTA volunteer in the late 60's . I had a co-VISTA friend who needed an abortion. Of course, as back then, the abortion went "South". She came close. I am worried about the futures of my grandchildren. Donald Trump is the most terrible attack on our Democracy in my 77 years. Remember, it not only a women problem, it is a men problem too
Bella (who is beautiful btw) has it exactly right. “Wake me when this nightmare is over!”
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
I had intended to watch 30 minutes but due to elusive sleep Monday night without warning and a full afternoon with delightful Bible students in Assisted Living, I just went to bed. I have contributed to Kamala Harris' campaign twice and purchased her "Unburdened" sign when available. When absentee ballot arrives I'll cast it right away. Who knows what DeJoy [no joy] will invoke to help Donald Trump. Please vote as soon as you are able.
Do you have drop boxes for your mail-in ballots, as we do here in MD? I fill my ballot out and take it to the nearest drop box so USPS can't mess with it. MD Election Board is so efficient that I even get an acknowledgement that it has been received.
I am across the river in VA. We have had, assume this year too. I've been successful with a nearby USPS as informed when retrieved and when received by electoral board.
I’m thankful I found out about your work. Thanks for simplifying complex issues into layperson terms. And, yes, misogyny and racism are still prevalent in mainstream media. Go, Kamala!
Well thank you! I looked up and learned a new word today. Never heard the word “bogarting”before but yes! Trump was definitely guilty of it and many times over. A delicious new word is a good thing. Thanks again!
"Don't bogart that joint, my friend...." Must be a Boomer thang! Great word, use it liberally. Cheers!
heh
Little Feat!!!!
You obviously have not “smoked.” Or, heard the song about “bogarting that….”
Smoked yes but still never heard the term referring to the joint I was enjoying and I’m a Boomer.
Watch EASY RIDER, a quintessential road movie from 1969. "Don't Bogart That Joint, My Friend" is on the soundtrack, and there are plenty of visual illustrations of what it's about.
Let's see. Google says song by Little Feat. Wish I could remember specifically but probably smoked too much dope.
That is also my situation! And I’m also a boomer.
You were a “square” boomer. Most were so your in the majority. I was a hippie. I sold weed on the street at the tender age of 14. You might say I developed my sense of business on the street. Now, would you like to buy some art. Or perhaps my book, “Donald’s Vanity Tantrums?”
Same here. Never knew it so, like you, I looked it up. So now I have two good terms that pertain to what’s-his-face; gish gallop and bogarting. Learn something new every day.
Goes back to about 1967 for me.
Close. It was 1968. And it was used in the movie “Easy Rider” in 1969 which made it a cult classic.