Who doesn’t love a new year, fresh and full of promise! I’m starting 2023 on a more upbeat note than 2022, and really, any year since Donald Trump hijacked our democracy. Of course, there’s no certainty, but I’m optimistic that 2023 is the year we start charting a course back to sanity.
We are in this together, but seriously don’t you want to throw some over the side of the life raft. How much more can the Country take — Elise Stafanik, Kevin McCarthy and DeSantis? Boebart, Goetz and MTG and now Santos… ??? The Secret Service that deleted all texts and doesn’t recall a thing about 1/6; the IRS who withheld the tax returns and didn’t audit them; Thomasgate at the Supreme Court; how long before we find out several of Trump companies got millions in Covid $$$?
I'm ecstatic that Sarah Palin, Kari Lake, Herschel Walker, Mehmet-Charlatan-Oz, and Herschel Walker were all humiliated and reduced to irrelevance! My advice, though you may not be a believer, is to "Let go, let God". Patience and faith are good. Anger & vengefulness kill the spirit and only hurt you, not the perpetrators. That said, I continue to hope I will live to see the day that the orange conman (and his enablers for that matter) is wearing an orange jumpsuit and that his family is ruined in the disgrace they deserve!
Thank you Jacki for reminding me to let go and let God. You are so right that anger and vengefulness only hurt me and not the individuals you enumerated and all the others who remain in the MAGA clown car. As a fellow believer I pray that I will not allow my spirit to be killed. And I pray that those in my life who have been drawn into that world and are filled with anger directed a folks like us will be healed from what is like a demonic curse, not that I believe in demons. The source of evil is in humans, as is all too apparent as we look at what is happening in Ukraine. My thanks to Joyce and all of you for being my companions as we head into a new year that hopefully will bring justice and peace.
The 12 steppers have the healthy approach to anger and hate. However … it’s been hard with this crowd.
As for ruin and disgrace, it’s on the way. Jr. (and the bimbo fiancée) are in Jan. 6 up to their hocks. Ivanka and Jared are said to have totally cut off communications with DT. Already stung by his ruining their social ambitions, entertaining Kanye and his guests at Mara-Loco made for a clean cut. (And Jared may yet get nicked for “giving” (OK, in spirit, selling) classified information to the Saudis.
I have been reading the transcripts and it seems bad memory retention is very prevalent in this group of people. Makes you wonder how they got so far in life with no ability to recall the past few years.
What makes it all the more remarkable is that they seem so clear on just how things were before the Civil War, or when the Constitution was being drafted. Strange, that!
Name of the game. The right has no agenda so they dig in to disrupt the flow toward chaos. Of course it’s madness and we all know this. A little tiger in a big shoe. I try to focus on all the courageous members of Congress who fight for us every day. Clowns cannot justify their existence by their actions. The country knows the playbook. Messaging is crucial to get to all the people in 2024 starting yesterday🙏
Joyce, I remember with great fondness having lunch with you as you were about to leave the Dept of justice and you were wondering what you were going to do next. I’ll admit superb MSNBC legal analyst, podcast and Substack newsletter were not on my bingo card! Thanks as always for your wit and wisdom and showing the nation that there are folks in Alabama who are not undereducated conservatives ( I’m trying hard not to use the term rednecks here!)
My cats prefer that I refer to it as a "lampshade." Will we see a cleaning of the house of IRS and Secret Service? Why is DeJoy still Postmaster General? Thank you for your love truth and your parsing of all things legal. I appreciate your good work. Your contributions draw us to pay attention and not lose sight of how fragile a democratic republic can be.
Thank you, Eleanor, for bringing up the travesty of Louis DeJoy still sitting as Postmaster General. This is a fairly recent article on the subject. https://prospect.org/politics/continued-survival-of-louis-dejoy/ I've always loved and marveled at the United States Postal Service. DeJoy is a black stain on the healthy survival of this beloved institution. This administration can now replace two men--Lee Moak and William Zollars--who have enabled DeJoy to remain and whose tenure on the board is up---unless Biden allows them to serve another year by not bringing in two new board members to take their seats. We need to let our politicians know we demand that DeJoy and his Trumpian stench be removed from any position within the USPS.
Haven't checked up on what DeJoy's status is now that it's the new year, and I believe his tenure was up on December 31. But here's the latest about USPS' investment in an electric fleet which should be a positive new beginning.
Thank you Joyce I’ve been feeling much the same and have found new purpose for myself. My dogs Big Fitbit and Little Abby are joy who have given me strength in many ways while Waldo kitty who adopted us watches the outside world making sure we know we are alert when necessary as when the mountain lion is on our roof.
Happy New Year Joyce! You are my ZEN column antidote to the NYT, WAPO, and even The Dispatch! I am going to remain optimistic, based on the mid-term results & consequences. Here's hoping to justice being served in 2023🥂1
Forward that cone to Donald when the pup is done. The least loving progressives can do is keep him from licking his wounds after Jack Smith gets done kinking his a__. A choker would be nice, too.
Happier New Year, Joyce. You're correct, we are all in this together, even those who lost their way by sticking with trump all these years. I actually like trump's rant about running as a 3rd party candidate because it would/should keep us in the WH for at least 4 more yrs. I do think he is bluffing and only continuing the grift as he does. My New Year's wish is that trump be prosecuted & sent to solitary confinement for 25 yrs. No contact with the outside world is what we all need from him this new year. That would free up Don Jr. to go shark fishing all he wants. It would be nice to see a whole bunch of his cronies to go down the tubes with him, too (too many to name) along with Jared Kushner. Ginni Thomas is one more I'd like to see spanked legally, and the unmasking of the dark money peeps by destroying Citizens United would be my icing on that cake. Reality needs to set in: HARD for those insurrection peeps, White Supremacists and the like, too. Blessings to you and the family, including the chickens and dog. Carry on!
Thank you Judith and Lisa! I was thinking I should send this same soft cone information. The fact that two of Joyce's many readers (and probably more) had the same idea just proves what a wonderful group of people follow her newsletter. I lost my beloved big furry child years ago and miss him very much. Dogs (and many other animals) are one of the biggest joys in life. Happy New Year to you both, to your "furry children" and to all the lovely people reading this who serve at the pleasure of their dogs, cats, birds, horses and whatever other creatures they nurture and love. Wishing everyone, with or without pets, peace and joy in the coming year.
Thanks, again, Joyce for all you do for us. You didn't ask for this, and maybe this isn't the source of you not getting enough sleep (as you are so busy), but I hope you won't mind my sharing it. Maybe someone on this thread can use it. An hour or so before bed, find a quiet place to sit, one favorite lamp (not an overhead light), maybe some soothing music, a notebook and a pen, and just jot every random word or thought or a phrase that sums up a thought, down in the notebook. This is almost like a list. No sentences, it is not a journal. It's called a brain dump. Having a low-stim environment mimics the silence of bedtime. In that silence all the thoughts/worries that we push aside during the day flood us when there are no other distractions. The "brain dump" gives you a chance to empty them before you try to sleep. Writing by hand has the greatest effect for processing memory. I think my brain recognizes that these thoughts IT thinks are important for me to remember are now down, on paper, and my brain can relax. The first time I did this it was 45 minutes before I stopped having any new thought to write down. It has helped a lot of people I work with, maybe others here can find some relief. Here's to a new year with moments of joy and awe, to all.
Please tell Bella that I hope her ear(s) feel better (I can sort of relate). May your chickens lay many eggs and all be healthy in the New Year. I'm glad Joyce is going to try to get some sleep. I watch her on tv and can't fathom where Joyce gets the ability to stay awake and give super and easy-to-digest analysis.
We are in this together, but seriously don’t you want to throw some over the side of the life raft. How much more can the Country take — Elise Stafanik, Kevin McCarthy and DeSantis? Boebart, Goetz and MTG and now Santos… ??? The Secret Service that deleted all texts and doesn’t recall a thing about 1/6; the IRS who withheld the tax returns and didn’t audit them; Thomasgate at the Supreme Court; how long before we find out several of Trump companies got millions in Covid $$$?
I'm ecstatic that Sarah Palin, Kari Lake, Herschel Walker, Mehmet-Charlatan-Oz, and Herschel Walker were all humiliated and reduced to irrelevance! My advice, though you may not be a believer, is to "Let go, let God". Patience and faith are good. Anger & vengefulness kill the spirit and only hurt you, not the perpetrators. That said, I continue to hope I will live to see the day that the orange conman (and his enablers for that matter) is wearing an orange jumpsuit and that his family is ruined in the disgrace they deserve!
Mercy to the guilty is cruelty to the innocent. ~ Adam Smith
Not anger & vengefulness, but justice.
Yes, JUSTICE, as in that meted out by the legal system and I don't mind the "poetic" type as well!:)
Don't forget Adam's sharp jury Consultancy with Abigail.
That kind of black/white thinking has caused plenty of grief over the decades and centuries. How is mercy to the guilty cruelty to the innocent?
Mercy to the guilty is mercy.
Thank you Jacki for reminding me to let go and let God. You are so right that anger and vengefulness only hurt me and not the individuals you enumerated and all the others who remain in the MAGA clown car. As a fellow believer I pray that I will not allow my spirit to be killed. And I pray that those in my life who have been drawn into that world and are filled with anger directed a folks like us will be healed from what is like a demonic curse, not that I believe in demons. The source of evil is in humans, as is all too apparent as we look at what is happening in Ukraine. My thanks to Joyce and all of you for being my companions as we head into a new year that hopefully will bring justice and peace.
Amen to that!
Lauren Bobo came pretty close to losing too. I'll take all the good omens I can get!
The 12 steppers have the healthy approach to anger and hate. However … it’s been hard with this crowd.
As for ruin and disgrace, it’s on the way. Jr. (and the bimbo fiancée) are in Jan. 6 up to their hocks. Ivanka and Jared are said to have totally cut off communications with DT. Already stung by his ruining their social ambitions, entertaining Kanye and his guests at Mara-Loco made for a clean cut. (And Jared may yet get nicked for “giving” (OK, in spirit, selling) classified information to the Saudis.
How do we know he didn’t? It’s a strategy game of chess.
How do we know he didn't what?
I have been reading the transcripts and it seems bad memory retention is very prevalent in this group of people. Makes you wonder how they got so far in life with no ability to recall the past few years.
What makes it all the more remarkable is that they seem so clear on just how things were before the Civil War, or when the Constitution was being drafted. Strange, that!
Very good point Susanna.
They remember. A motly crew
Ps. Happy New Year!
Name of the game. The right has no agenda so they dig in to disrupt the flow toward chaos. Of course it’s madness and we all know this. A little tiger in a big shoe. I try to focus on all the courageous members of Congress who fight for us every day. Clowns cannot justify their existence by their actions. The country knows the playbook. Messaging is crucial to get to all the people in 2024 starting yesterday🙏
Thank you Mike ... I totally agree !!
Joyce, I remember with great fondness having lunch with you as you were about to leave the Dept of justice and you were wondering what you were going to do next. I’ll admit superb MSNBC legal analyst, podcast and Substack newsletter were not on my bingo card! Thanks as always for your wit and wisdom and showing the nation that there are folks in Alabama who are not undereducated conservatives ( I’m trying hard not to use the term rednecks here!)
Joyce is an outstanding example for the good of the whole state.
Happy 2023 to everyone! Hope Bella feels better soon.
I love your column and your commentary on MSNBC. And of course pictures of all your critters. Keep the faith
Yes. I found the understanding and determination promising that gave me new hope.
My cats prefer that I refer to it as a "lampshade." Will we see a cleaning of the house of IRS and Secret Service? Why is DeJoy still Postmaster General? Thank you for your love truth and your parsing of all things legal. I appreciate your good work. Your contributions draw us to pay attention and not lose sight of how fragile a democratic republic can be.
Thank you, Eleanor, for bringing up the travesty of Louis DeJoy still sitting as Postmaster General. This is a fairly recent article on the subject. https://prospect.org/politics/continued-survival-of-louis-dejoy/ I've always loved and marveled at the United States Postal Service. DeJoy is a black stain on the healthy survival of this beloved institution. This administration can now replace two men--Lee Moak and William Zollars--who have enabled DeJoy to remain and whose tenure on the board is up---unless Biden allows them to serve another year by not bringing in two new board members to take their seats. We need to let our politicians know we demand that DeJoy and his Trumpian stench be removed from any position within the USPS.
Thanks, CC, for this update.
Haven't checked up on what DeJoy's status is now that it's the new year, and I believe his tenure was up on December 31. But here's the latest about USPS' investment in an electric fleet which should be a positive new beginning.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/12/20/biden-%e2%81%a0harris-administration-announces-historic-investment-to-electrify-u-s-postal-service-fleet/?link_id=6&can_id=fd80a86766186aa12fbef1b71efa86b9&source=email-open-for-this-weeks-team-joe-newsletter&email_referrer=email_1772612&email_subject=your-final-team-joe-newsletter-of-2022-nil
We have got to get DeJoy out of there.
Happy New Year everyone. Starting off optimistic. It’s Joyce and the gang that makes that possible.
Happy New Year to you also!
Thank you Joyce I’ve been feeling much the same and have found new purpose for myself. My dogs Big Fitbit and Little Abby are joy who have given me strength in many ways while Waldo kitty who adopted us watches the outside world making sure we know we are alert when necessary as when the mountain lion is on our roof.
Happy New Year Joyce! You are my ZEN column antidote to the NYT, WAPO, and even The Dispatch! I am going to remain optimistic, based on the mid-term results & consequences. Here's hoping to justice being served in 2023🥂1
Forward that cone to Donald when the pup is done. The least loving progressives can do is keep him from licking his wounds after Jack Smith gets done kinking his a__. A choker would be nice, too.
A cone would be too little for the orange headed monster. His losses are will haunt him forever.
Love and speedy recovery to Bella.
So glad to have you in my life, Joyce. Thanks for your intelligence but mostly your kindness and compassion.
Happier New Year, Joyce. You're correct, we are all in this together, even those who lost their way by sticking with trump all these years. I actually like trump's rant about running as a 3rd party candidate because it would/should keep us in the WH for at least 4 more yrs. I do think he is bluffing and only continuing the grift as he does. My New Year's wish is that trump be prosecuted & sent to solitary confinement for 25 yrs. No contact with the outside world is what we all need from him this new year. That would free up Don Jr. to go shark fishing all he wants. It would be nice to see a whole bunch of his cronies to go down the tubes with him, too (too many to name) along with Jared Kushner. Ginni Thomas is one more I'd like to see spanked legally, and the unmasking of the dark money peeps by destroying Citizens United would be my icing on that cake. Reality needs to set in: HARD for those insurrection peeps, White Supremacists and the like, too. Blessings to you and the family, including the chickens and dog. Carry on!
Poor Bella! 😞 Poor you…☹️
Our Bailey has had several encounters with the cone of shame — we found this alternative soft cone collar to be a kindness to her … less unwieldy and (marginally) more comfortable. https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwiOrKeb26b8AhXNEkwKHe_WClAYABAiGgJvYQ&ae=2&ohost=www.google.com&cid=CAESbeD2ronld4W6oI_3BKfoda6QHGqN4oAHvD9g3c_AqG-x4TPes6sGTSlwzw0v34DgreI_dKeiiXscVvZ7nZoKwBFYcgoTMAZBos1qWseg6D1tcvXxhX27HrwWiOzhK_3gWtChZYYcz-SuQoXP6oY&sig=AOD64_2yZTQ3suog4rnJBwT-XIWOKScitw&ctype=5&q=&ved=2ahUKEwiS0Z2b26b8AhUfkmoFHW58D3IQwg8oAHoECAUQUQ&adurl=
Thank you Judith and Lisa! I was thinking I should send this same soft cone information. The fact that two of Joyce's many readers (and probably more) had the same idea just proves what a wonderful group of people follow her newsletter. I lost my beloved big furry child years ago and miss him very much. Dogs (and many other animals) are one of the biggest joys in life. Happy New Year to you both, to your "furry children" and to all the lovely people reading this who serve at the pleasure of their dogs, cats, birds, horses and whatever other creatures they nurture and love. Wishing everyone, with or without pets, peace and joy in the coming year.
Agree just shared same
🙏
Happy New Year Joyce! Looking forward to your professional analysis, I am pouring through it as well, what a historic amazing record.
Thanks, again, Joyce for all you do for us. You didn't ask for this, and maybe this isn't the source of you not getting enough sleep (as you are so busy), but I hope you won't mind my sharing it. Maybe someone on this thread can use it. An hour or so before bed, find a quiet place to sit, one favorite lamp (not an overhead light), maybe some soothing music, a notebook and a pen, and just jot every random word or thought or a phrase that sums up a thought, down in the notebook. This is almost like a list. No sentences, it is not a journal. It's called a brain dump. Having a low-stim environment mimics the silence of bedtime. In that silence all the thoughts/worries that we push aside during the day flood us when there are no other distractions. The "brain dump" gives you a chance to empty them before you try to sleep. Writing by hand has the greatest effect for processing memory. I think my brain recognizes that these thoughts IT thinks are important for me to remember are now down, on paper, and my brain can relax. The first time I did this it was 45 minutes before I stopped having any new thought to write down. It has helped a lot of people I work with, maybe others here can find some relief. Here's to a new year with moments of joy and awe, to all.
Excellent suggestion! I'm not very disciplined about meditative practices, but I think this is doable. Going to try it.
Please tell Bella that I hope her ear(s) feel better (I can sort of relate). May your chickens lay many eggs and all be healthy in the New Year. I'm glad Joyce is going to try to get some sleep. I watch her on tv and can't fathom where Joyce gets the ability to stay awake and give super and easy-to-digest analysis.
Perhaps Joyce is a bit like RBG so fascinated with the law and justice she simply forgets about time❤️