Joyce, your never-ending ability to do 10 things at once just blows my mind. Once I started to read this, the angrier I got, not at you, but "all things Trump." I can't stand it anymore.
It's impossible for me to think of ANY redeeming qualities in the SCOTUS, among the Trumpublicans, almost all of Congress, and a lot of the GOP Senators. And don't even get me started on Cannon!
Growing up, we were always told to never hate anyone, because that's too harsh. We were supposed to say we "don't like" someone. Now that I'm in my 70's, I guess it should be okay to say that I really DO hate more than one person right now. It would break the hearts of both of my parents, but under the circumstances (they were lifetime Democrats), I think they'd understand.
Your Civil Discourse serves not just to inform and teach us, but it's also kind of a real support group because we have so much in common and can share ideas without fear of criticism. Thank you for getting us through this nightmare.
With any luck, the event I pray every day will appear in my newsfeed will happen Thursday, when El Jefe Del Mar A Lardo gives the performance of a lifetime with his massive fatal myocardial infarction, at the debate, in front of the country.
In today's bizarre world the Trump fringe would immediately go into overdrive with fake news and ridiculous conspiracy theories, while the Republican Party contains plenty of clones ready to fill the void. Be careful what you wish for!
Thanks, Barbara. I'm weird. I go to sleep with dread on my mind, and then wake up crying. Whatever I dream about --- if at all --- between those two things is a mystery.
Diane and Barbara, ladies do you take mental health breaks? Listen to music, go outside, read fiction, shop online, watch an old movie, phone a friend, organize your closet (a favorite of mine!) or knit like Joyce. Anything but mainlining the fear all day long. Save your tears for later. You might not need them at all if Nov. goes BLUE!!!!
Diane, it's hard not to dwell on maga when smart, informed people like we are (Joyce's readers) can see what's going on. I was on overload and feeling anxious all the time. I'm still tuned in, but I do take breaks now. I continue reading but I watch less TV. Nicolle and/or Lawrence, that's it. Oh and Rachel but that's just once a week. I'm enjoying listening to a lot of Linda Ronstadt and Kacey Musgraves, and my closet is in great shape! I will watch the debate tomorrow, but I might use the mute button as needed!
Excellent articles, Eric. I appreciate starting off my week with these important messages in mind. I am saving them to refer to in the future. I urge all to read them!
Thanks, Eric, for sharing these helpful articles. As both an ordained minister (no, NOT a Christian nationalist or even close) and a psychotherapist, I am well-steeped in the theory and theology of tolerance. But we do need to know where to draw the line, and these writers have done so with eloquence.
My husband says it is all sending me into depressive cycles! I tell him it should be doing the same for us all. What other delaying tactics do Cannon’s handlers have in mind? She isn’t IMHO the brain behind all these. One big obscenity daily.
I think its likely that a majority of us who read & comment here have already lived through the 1950s etc - to go back to that time is NOT going to make America anywhere near "great"! Women aborting themselves with any tool they can find or going to some unqualified person in a back alley? Women - black and white - being treated as slightly (or less) deserving of being treated as an individual who has a mind & actual rights? Black and brown people being treated as something less than? And all of the above not allowed to get a loan or buy a home in their own right?
Gee, let me list the ways!! There are so many more.
Right at this point in time, we are "governed" by corporations & their CEOs making the rules of how much we must pay - for groceries, for homes, for apartments, and on and on. THAT must be corrected. Perhaps all these 1%ers arent generic white men as to many of the ones who right now ARE - but the mindset is the same.
Diane, I grew up in a similar household. We focused on kindness. When I first came out on FB as hating Trump, I almost felt guilty. I did say almost. Like you, my hate has spread to all the Trumpers! I fret about MAGA on the Supreme Court, in the Senate, in the House with the Speaker of the House ready to take over the Vice Presidency, should there be a need. I fret about the kind of thugs that are out there and how fragile our Executive branch could be. Yet, Joyce helps me to be calm, with all my new knowledge.
Well, he just proposed an immigrant fight league. I can’t tell if he’s thinking Roman gladiators, many of whom were slaves and prisoners of war, or if he’s thinking Hunger Games. Given his anti-immigrant rhetoric, I’m inclined to think he means the latter. So each day seems to bring a new low.
Let's help Trump improve upon his fight league idea by putting his money where his mouth is: The Orange Menace could fatten his wallet going a few rounds in the ring with Melania. (But I think he's too scared.)
Some other interesting matches would be Lindsay Graham "fighting" Senator John (fake accent) Kennedy, Ted Cruz versus Ron DeSantis or Elise Stephanik versus Tulsi Gabbard. (That one could be really ugly.)
Come on Donald, put your sychphants to work for you doing more than just wearing matching red ties and standing in a clump at your trials. They're just taking up space on this planet and collecting undeserved paychecks, while immigrants have much better things to do than fighting, like working to keep this country going and paying taxes.
Dana White, the head of UFC tried to play it down as Trump just joking, but that seems to be a common tactic after all TFG’s more outrageous statements.
There are various video clips and reports of his comments on an immigrant fight league from rallies on Saturday. I saw it from The Daily Beast and Huffington Post and both had video. He claims it isn’t the worst idea he’s ever had. Which is pretty damn ominous as well as disgusting.
Sioux, Roman gladiators is exactly where my mind went when I heard that news, and I'm glad someone else went there, too. I'm not familiar with Hunger Games, but if it's anti-immigrant, I take your point. Although, trump is also pro-slavery and thinks POWs are suckers and losers, so in that sense I think gladiators would be up there with Hunger Games.
The Hunger Games are a series of dystopian young adult novels written Suzanne Collins that were made into movies. The story line is that an authoritarian government punishes the districts (think regions bigger than states by a bit) which rebelled against it by holding an annual gladiator like contest where one male and female between the ages of 12 and 18 is chosen from each district. They are chosen by lottery, brought to the capital and forced to fight each other to the death until one is left, the Victor. The capital is made up of people who largely profit off exploring the work of the districts, with an idle wealthy class, not unlike ancient Rome in some ways. There’s a lot more to it than that and I recommend both the books and the movies highly.
Thank you, Sioux. I am pretty sure I would not be able to handle either the books or the movies - too much adrenaline for me. In my old age, I stay as far away from unnecessary outside adrenaline stimulation as I can (I'm very good at producing enough adrenaline without getting it from outside).
Sioux, thank you for that explanation. I had heard of Hunger Games from commercials on TV. Did they make that into video games? I've never been into gladiator-type games or movies. They're just too violent. Makes me long for the 90's when my son would play Nintendo a lot. By today's standards, Mario and his buddies would be considered wimps.
As scared and nervous as I am to dare read Project 2025, I'm going to follow Joyce's advice and read the table of contents for now. I did google Project 2025 a few hours ago and was blown away at all the choices.
So far as I know The Hunger Games operates less like a franchise compared to other top movies and never made any games. Since the hunger games gladiator like event are an important part but not the main event in some ways, the main story lines are politics, intrigue and interpersonal relationships and they don’t lend themselves as readily to video games the way Star Wars or Harry Potter do. I’ve also never seen any merch although there may very well be some. The books are darker and more bleak than the movies, IMO although both are great.
I’ve been reading Project 2025 for some months now off and on. The biggest challenge for me is the way the chapters are written makes it hard to see what the proposed changes are for many of them. The civil service changes are the most obvious and as Joyce Vance and many others on Substack point out, very concerning. I didn’t know that much about how the Federal Election Commission works, for example, so I had to dig into that before I could even start to parse what might be different. That chapter seems to mostly focus on actually getting vacancies filled, something that has been stalled for Biden for about 2 years. There are supposed to be 3 democrats and 3 republicans and right now there are two of each. So far as I know, Biden’s nominee to fill the vacant democratic seat has not even had hearings since being nominated in 2022. I expected more overtly nefarious plans here and there are hints to do with challenging how elections are run but no smoking gun that I saw in that chapter. Most of the chapters don’t spell out how things are different but I haven’t read them all yet.
More disgusting for sure, but it's even more disturbing that so many people actually accept/embrace the tffg. Is life so bad for so many in the US that they cling to this Hitler-like clone for some sort of redemption or salvation (that he cannot/will not ever deliver)? I am trying to stay positive but some days it is hard.
Oh, yes indeed! It's already a long, hot summer, and it's just getting started. The disgust gets stronger with each new day. I forgot how to really laugh, like a belly laugh. My favorite hobby in the world is working outside and tending to my flowers. Most of them have died, still in their tiny black containers, waiting to be planted.
I never knew that disgust could drag a person down that much.
I also buy plants to make me happy, these days mostly house plants, but some of them I seem to be really good at killing… Lynn and Dianne, you are not alone.
It's funny that you mention that! I was in line at Home Depot this afternoon.
Ironically, the woman behind me had a cart loaded with flowers. Like me, she never got around to planting half of what she had, so she was back to buy replacements.
Patris, it can't be that bad. Can it? I go to different nurseries and Home Depot, too, so no one remembers me. Plus, it gives me more plants to choose from.
"There is no cavalry coming. No miracle solution. No saviors. In the end, we, the American people - not any of our institutions - have to save our democracy by voting in defense of that democracy this fall.
I am predicting the Supreme Court will leave the Trump immunity decision to be the very last decision announced this week -- and then they will be gone. If they were going to decide on no immunity it would already have been announced. They are cowards.
There is so much my elderly brain doesn’t grasp. For instance, the presidential immunity cast. Trump is arguing that he has this immunity from prosecution because his actions were covered under being part of his duty as president. So inciting a riot and a storming of the Capitol to disrupt the certification of the Electoral College votes is considered to be part of presidential duty??? That makes absolutely no sense to me! What am I missing or not understanding here???
Susan, as a fellow senior, I totally understand your frustration. Sometimes, when I'm watching "Law and Order," I get really ticked off at the outcome, especially when the defendant gets on my nerves. When I turn off the TV later on, I might still be upset about the way it went, but I ultimately get over it. That's because I know it's fiction.
Watching and hearing about all the crap (sorry, but I can't help it) that over and over and over again proves that Lady Justice could CARE LESS about anything, especially when someone tips one side of the scale a little. With Trump, they're no longer discrete about tipping the scale. If they could, they'd knock that statue down and break it into a million pieces, laughing all the way out the door.
I'd love to get my hands on a real, live Job Description for the position of POTUS. I know that there IS none, but that's beside the point. All of us had to follow OUR job descriptions or find work elsewhere. In this regard:
1. It's doubtful that a President would be required to incite an insurrection on Capitol Hill.
2. It's also doubtful that prior to that insurrection, he or she would have to make a speech and tell those involved to "fight like hell!"
3. That job description would never require a President to know the best way to influence how the Electoral College votes.
4. And finally, it's really doubtful that he or she would have to make a public statement that as President, they can go down to Fifth Avenue in broad daylight and shoot someone, without being arrested.
Or that a convicted felon can’t join the military but could possibly be its commander in chief. God how I hate that smug I’m the president patriotic smirk on his face around troops.
You know what makes me just as sick as his smirk around troops? Him standing in front of OUR flag. Such a hypocrite!
If I had a million dollars, I'd bet every penny that (1) he has absolutely no idea what those stars and stripes stand for, and (2) that should he become president he'll change the entire design of the flag. I don't dare to imagine how horribly un-American that would look like.
Susan, what you are missing is that the Gang if Six now make whatever new law they want and there’s really nothing we can do about it unless we vote for a Congress and President that will expand the court
Susan, I've also got the "elderly brain" issue. I really don't think what you're dealing with is an age issue. It's more that it's just plain crazy. trump and SCOTUS and the Heritage Foundation are trying to turn our world upside down, and make it into something they want, which has nothing to do with how our world has been pretty much all our lives, or what the majority of Americans want. My husband says that your "problem" is that you have a rational-thinking brain. I agree!
Absolutely nothing, Susan. TFG is grasping for any straw that might keep him out of jail or being a convicted criminal and having to deal with the consequences. The more baffling question for me is the number of people who think this argument holds any water!!
It's stunning how many people have never learned the principle of the harvest. You always reap what you sow, and you always reap in a different season. Don't know why I'm so surprised that over 60% of Americans blame Biden for the economic woes caused by tRump's incompetence or that 17% blame Biden for the Dobbs decision.
Not only does the ignorance surprise me, but the heartlessness. I know no large percentage of men have had a partner who had an ectopic pregnancy, but it seems like most should have known a relation, friend, or wife or daughter of a friend or relation who did or faced some other life or future fertility threatening complication. If they are so pro-life, they would be demanding protections in the law for such cases.
Seems to me that contraception is the basis of reproductive freedom, but I always have and will continue to vote for candidates who support abortion access because our elected representatives and courts have proven time and again they will not protect the health and lives of mothers. It just should not be something the government has any say in. Not to mention all the exploitation, rape, incest and commoditization of women in our society.
Our first attempt at pregnancy was an ectopic pregnancy putting at risk having a healthy future pregnancy. Thank goodness it was many, many years ago when healthcare decisions were still in the hands of doctors and patients and not some hypocritical religious zealot legislator.
Don, I really appreciate what you've said. One of my sisters had an ectopic pregnancy many years ago, and at that time, the doctors kept thinking she was just being a hypochondriac. Fortunately she did finally get help. The thing that annoys me the most is that these people are "pro-life" only for a fetus and only as along as it's in the womb. They don't deserve to have wives or female partners or children. And don't get me started on the subject of ignoring the trauma of rape and incest, and forcing additional trauma on the victims by requiring them to carry their fetus to term. Living in Texas, I have been absolutely floored by what the courts have done to some of the women (who very much wanted their pregnancies to be successful) who have had the courage to speak out about what they went through.
So true! Most "pro-lifers" love predator drone strikes, the death penalty, the CIA setting foreign policy agenda and the for-profit war industry.
My lady friend had a tubal pregnancy early on in life, and even though she was never able to conceive after that, prompt medical attention saved her life. She was a Mormon gal, and was essentially ostracized. It really bothers me that so many people don't care about the life and future fertility.
I have always maintained that if the choice is between the life of a woman and the life of a fetus, the woman should have priority. I don't know if my sister's fertility was ruined by the ectopic pregnancy, but in her case it wouldn't have mattered since she didn't want children anyway. I'm sorry your lady friend went through such unpleasant results.
So true. In nature, there is nothing more important than the life of females of child-bearing age. Animal mothers will go to incredible lengths to protect their young, but have no choice but to flee in the face of predators that threaten their lives.
Only humans make a society where less economically advantaged girls go off to war while Don Jr and Eric go to play, not to mention all the male professional athletes sitting home.
I think what you just said proves that women are stronger than (most) men, and less likely to rest on their laurels. The big problem that I see is that (most) men like it that way, and have every intention of making sure the status quo doesn't change.
Geez I’m drowning in legalese! One thing about Cannon is if she fails to rule then Jack has his ammo to head to the 11th district. It’s gonna be interesting if she overrules the DC judge and this would push the appeals court in addition to those 1000 letters from regular citizens of her blatant favoritism towards TFG to not only slap her hands but take it away. They would tell her she’s not experienced and is too partial. Boy wouldn’t that really piss her off and her elders that told her to give that case up are gonna be snickering and pointing “We told you so!”. What I wouldn’t give to be a fly on the wall if that happens.
Rusty— I need to be pdantic & suggest you correct what I think is a typo in your key sentence about appeals court: “They would tell her she’s not experienced and is too impartial.” I believe the final phrase “too impartial” should actually be the opposite, i.e., “too partial” or perhaps “ not adequately impartial”.
Rusty, I enjoy how you think, and your optimism. Guess I'm getting too nervous, but I feel like we're taking one step forward and two steps back every time you turn around these days.
While tomorrow marks the second anniversary of Dobbs and its decimation of Roe v. Wade … I might note that it also marks the second anniversary of the Court’s demolition of stare decisis.
Although all the right wing (now) justices swore to the sanctity of precedence while they testified before Congress, it wasn’t until after Justice Amy Coney Barrett was sworn in (October 2020) that the near fifty years of Roe magically became “egregious.”
It is interesting to further note that in the recent Texas v. New Mexico and Colorado, Justice Gorsuch lamented “Upending 100 Years of Precedent” (Newsweek. 6/21/24).
Where was the lamentation after Dobbs upended those 50 years of Roe?
When the US Supreme Court abandoned the concept of stare decisis, they necessarily abandoned the foundation of lifetime appointments to the judiciary. A price needs to be paid for doing that and the price is to eliminate lifetime appointments. 10 years maximum as a judge in the federal courts - including the supreme court.
I really like your thinking, William! I would love to see lifetime appointments be a thing of the past, and to have the appointments of the current conservative justices cut short. Like tomorrow.
It would be nice if SCOTUS would do cases involving don first. But they, like the republicans magas, aren’t interested in anything but delays. It is sickening. If only the trial for don could move forward so people could see the felon and ALL his crimes.
Have we not always danced this merry jig of chaos and contradiction? From our lofty ideals to our basest instincts, has this grand experiment not forever teetered on the precipice of brilliance and folly?
Were we not born of revolution, yet steeped in oppression? Did we not proclaim liberty while shackling millions? Have we not always wrapped ourselves in the flag of exceptionalism, even as our flaws lay bare for all to see?
Indeed, one might argue our current state is but the latest verse in a song as old as our nation - a cacophonous ballad of progress and regression, unity and division, hope and despair. Are we not simply seeing, with crystal clarity, the eternal struggle between our better angels and our darker demons?
So perhaps, the question is not whether how have we become this "this fucked up," as a nation but whether we have ever been anything else - and whether we shall ever transcend this dance of duality that has defined us from our very inception.
I think as humans we are in large part reactive. Our revolution was about reacting to the abuses of England towards our colonies, they envisioned a better country and set out to create it. But in addition to the inherent flaws such as enslavement, no rights for women, and our treatment of the indigenous people already here we then went on to enact everything from the KKK to Jim Crow laws to incarceration of Japanese American and German American people during world war 2. This current rise of fascism and Christian nationalism is more of the same. I think we will always be fighting our baser instincts as a people, although as individuals we can see a better way.
Very, very true. If one reads books like The 1619 Project, and/or Caste, the truth of what you said becomes even more obvious. It's really too bad that our schools have never taught our real history.
I also think we never knew how much our country was run by winks and handshakes until Trump came along. We have to tighten up our laws and policies, or else.
Yes, yes, a thousand times yes! We were taught a whole bunch of stuff about how government works, but they didn't tell us it was all based on good will and gossamer wings. All that stuff they taught us needs to be codified, NOW!
Louise L, — Unfortunately, winks and handshakes have been around for a long time; however, it seems way beyond that, presently. The dishonesty and greed that permeates and adversely affects our lives seems to be in our face, now. This new movement came into full swing during the financial meltdown in 2008 and it seems to be a measuring of just how far billionaires, corporate leaders and even whole industries can push the law and the public for the sake of profit. These are conscienceless people.
If the Court decides to effectively scrap the Chevron doctrine, it could have major implications for environmental policymaking and regulation on issues ranging from air pollution and climate change to clean water rules, public lands management, endangered species protection, and more. But, the ultimate impact of the decision would go well beyond environmental considerations to agency authority and expertise in general, shifting substantial power for the last word on policy from the executive and the legislative branches to the judiciary. So take your pick: unelected agency experts or, unknowledgeable, unelected judges having ever more authority to decide critical issues affecting everyday life. Another rabid right solution in search of a problem and the potential to add even more uncertainty to life in these United States.
Had the Biden administration not intervened in managing the health crisis, the consequences would have been catastrophic, with millions of additional deaths and infections from Covid-19.
Experts are experts because they have knowledge and experience. Elections are irrelevant with regard to them, because the people who would choose between candidates don't have the knowledge to properly evaluate them. Personally, I'm sick of old white male judges thinking they know more than people like Dr. Fauci who have spent a long lifetime working hard at helping people. Or more than all the OB/GYNs in the country who work with women.
If there is a 'positive' to the possible loss of Chevron, it may be a last straw for the younger voters among us. The various 'Gen ( insert letter )' voters already see climate change as THE driving factor affecting their futures, and knowing that Republican operatives on the court, in the House, and in the Senate are behind overturning Chevron will bring out numbers voting against them rarely if ever before seen.
Thank you Joyce for keeping up with so many judicial balls in the air! It feels to me like this Court and the many right leaning activist groups who read the legal tea leaves have created a super legislative agenda, not a judicial one. Next year’s docket items might be identified as SC Resolution 01 rather than Smith Vs. Arizona. SC Resolution 02 rather than appeal of some ruling by the Fifth Circuit. Maybe they should simply name cases after the right they want to limit next like, Birth Control v. SCOTUS!
We are truly at a fork in the road (or maybe a barrier) If the unconstitutional 6 decide that fascism will serve them better than freedom for American Citizens we are either doomed or at war,
Joyce, your never-ending ability to do 10 things at once just blows my mind. Once I started to read this, the angrier I got, not at you, but "all things Trump." I can't stand it anymore.
It's impossible for me to think of ANY redeeming qualities in the SCOTUS, among the Trumpublicans, almost all of Congress, and a lot of the GOP Senators. And don't even get me started on Cannon!
Growing up, we were always told to never hate anyone, because that's too harsh. We were supposed to say we "don't like" someone. Now that I'm in my 70's, I guess it should be okay to say that I really DO hate more than one person right now. It would break the hearts of both of my parents, but under the circumstances (they were lifetime Democrats), I think they'd understand.
Your Civil Discourse serves not just to inform and teach us, but it's also kind of a real support group because we have so much in common and can share ideas without fear of criticism. Thank you for getting us through this nightmare.
With any luck, the event I pray every day will appear in my newsfeed will happen Thursday, when El Jefe Del Mar A Lardo gives the performance of a lifetime with his massive fatal myocardial infarction, at the debate, in front of the country.
TC, I'm with you, and I thank you for a good laugh.
In today's bizarre world the Trump fringe would immediately go into overdrive with fake news and ridiculous conspiracy theories, while the Republican Party contains plenty of clones ready to fill the void. Be careful what you wish for!
Good point.
They will make him a martyr. Better when he’s lost the election and is in private life.
Another good point. There's also the argument in favor of a stroke leaving him speechless and unable to move on his own.
That would be nice!
Diane -- I too can't stand it anymore. I don't mind confessing i go to sleep with tears on many nights. I empathize with you.
Thanks, Barbara. I'm weird. I go to sleep with dread on my mind, and then wake up crying. Whatever I dream about --- if at all --- between those two things is a mystery.
Don’t worry. Investor Kathy Woods just announced support for Trump and every investment she makes turns sour so our fate is assured. Biden wins.
Diane and Barbara, ladies do you take mental health breaks? Listen to music, go outside, read fiction, shop online, watch an old movie, phone a friend, organize your closet (a favorite of mine!) or knit like Joyce. Anything but mainlining the fear all day long. Save your tears for later. You might not need them at all if Nov. goes BLUE!!!!
Pamela, thank you for those good suggestions! I'm letting Trump and his cult stay in my head rent-free for way too long.
Diane, it's hard not to dwell on maga when smart, informed people like we are (Joyce's readers) can see what's going on. I was on overload and feeling anxious all the time. I'm still tuned in, but I do take breaks now. I continue reading but I watch less TV. Nicolle and/or Lawrence, that's it. Oh and Rachel but that's just once a week. I'm enjoying listening to a lot of Linda Ronstadt and Kacey Musgraves, and my closet is in great shape! I will watch the debate tomorrow, but I might use the mute button as needed!
But, Dianne, I bet your parents would approve of your "Not Tolerating Intolerance" -- sure, even loathing bigots and those who harm others at scale.
These articles have helped me as I've struggled with similar feelings. Maybe you'll also find them helpful:
https://qz.com/1054694/a-philosophical-principle-coined-in-1945-could-be-a-key-us-defense-against-white-supremacists/
https://johnpavlovitz.com/2022/03/18/no-all-opinions-are-not-equally-valid/
https://lithub.com/rebecca-solnit-on-not-meeting-nazis-halfway/
Excellent articles, Eric. I appreciate starting off my week with these important messages in mind. I am saving them to refer to in the future. I urge all to read them!
Thanks, Eric! I never heard that expression before. I'm adding it to my unofficial book of sayings.
Thanks, Eric, for sharing these helpful articles. As both an ordained minister (no, NOT a Christian nationalist or even close) and a psychotherapist, I am well-steeped in the theory and theology of tolerance. But we do need to know where to draw the line, and these writers have done so with eloquence.
My husband says it is all sending me into depressive cycles! I tell him it should be doing the same for us all. What other delaying tactics do Cannon’s handlers have in mind? She isn’t IMHO the brain behind all these. One big obscenity daily.
I think its likely that a majority of us who read & comment here have already lived through the 1950s etc - to go back to that time is NOT going to make America anywhere near "great"! Women aborting themselves with any tool they can find or going to some unqualified person in a back alley? Women - black and white - being treated as slightly (or less) deserving of being treated as an individual who has a mind & actual rights? Black and brown people being treated as something less than? And all of the above not allowed to get a loan or buy a home in their own right?
Gee, let me list the ways!! There are so many more.
Right at this point in time, we are "governed" by corporations & their CEOs making the rules of how much we must pay - for groceries, for homes, for apartments, and on and on. THAT must be corrected. Perhaps all these 1%ers arent generic white men as to many of the ones who right now ARE - but the mindset is the same.
Enough already.
Yes. Exactly so. Thank you Dianne for putting my thoughts into words. Of course I thank Joyce.
Oh my gosh! You have nailed my daily emotional rollercoaster!
I’m right there with you!!
I feel exactly the same way! As a retired nurse, it almost shames me to say I wish some people dead!!!!
Diane, I grew up in a similar household. We focused on kindness. When I first came out on FB as hating Trump, I almost felt guilty. I did say almost. Like you, my hate has spread to all the Trumpers! I fret about MAGA on the Supreme Court, in the Senate, in the House with the Speaker of the House ready to take over the Vice Presidency, should there be a need. I fret about the kind of thugs that are out there and how fragile our Executive branch could be. Yet, Joyce helps me to be calm, with all my new knowledge.
The only question that will be left, in the end, is whether it is even possible to be more disgusted with T. and his GOP buffoons.
Well, he just proposed an immigrant fight league. I can’t tell if he’s thinking Roman gladiators, many of whom were slaves and prisoners of war, or if he’s thinking Hunger Games. Given his anti-immigrant rhetoric, I’m inclined to think he means the latter. So each day seems to bring a new low.
Let's help Trump improve upon his fight league idea by putting his money where his mouth is: The Orange Menace could fatten his wallet going a few rounds in the ring with Melania. (But I think he's too scared.)
Some other interesting matches would be Lindsay Graham "fighting" Senator John (fake accent) Kennedy, Ted Cruz versus Ron DeSantis or Elise Stephanik versus Tulsi Gabbard. (That one could be really ugly.)
Come on Donald, put your sychphants to work for you doing more than just wearing matching red ties and standing in a clump at your trials. They're just taking up space on this planet and collecting undeserved paychecks, while immigrants have much better things to do than fighting, like working to keep this country going and paying taxes.
I'd like to see HRC get a chance at kicking his A××
👍👍👍
The most interesting would be a match between MTG and BoBo. "Cat" fights are usually the nastiest.
Wait a minute! Didn't they already have a minor disagreement in THE ladies' room on The Hill? Or was that just Round One?
Remember Celebrity Death Match on MTV? Those two would have been great on that!
I was going to add exactly this matchup when I saw your comment.
Throw in some jello and maybe a wolverine and it would make millions.
Dana White, the head of UFC tried to play it down as Trump just joking, but that seems to be a common tactic after all TFG’s more outrageous statements.
Or might that be buried somewhere in the 900 pages of his plan to rule the world?
Is the title of that book Wacky Ideas and What to Sell To Putin”?
To say he’s just joking is an excuse and a coverup for his stupidity and ignorance.
Yep. H2P
I’d like to hope you’re kidding, and yet given his psychosis I sit here and realize my mouth is hanging open in shock.
There are various video clips and reports of his comments on an immigrant fight league from rallies on Saturday. I saw it from The Daily Beast and Huffington Post and both had video. He claims it isn’t the worst idea he’s ever had. Which is pretty damn ominous as well as disgusting.
This one left me speechless. And more afraid of the people cheering the idea than of TFG .
Sioux, Roman gladiators is exactly where my mind went when I heard that news, and I'm glad someone else went there, too. I'm not familiar with Hunger Games, but if it's anti-immigrant, I take your point. Although, trump is also pro-slavery and thinks POWs are suckers and losers, so in that sense I think gladiators would be up there with Hunger Games.
The Hunger Games are a series of dystopian young adult novels written Suzanne Collins that were made into movies. The story line is that an authoritarian government punishes the districts (think regions bigger than states by a bit) which rebelled against it by holding an annual gladiator like contest where one male and female between the ages of 12 and 18 is chosen from each district. They are chosen by lottery, brought to the capital and forced to fight each other to the death until one is left, the Victor. The capital is made up of people who largely profit off exploring the work of the districts, with an idle wealthy class, not unlike ancient Rome in some ways. There’s a lot more to it than that and I recommend both the books and the movies highly.
Thank you, Sioux. I am pretty sure I would not be able to handle either the books or the movies - too much adrenaline for me. In my old age, I stay as far away from unnecessary outside adrenaline stimulation as I can (I'm very good at producing enough adrenaline without getting it from outside).
Sioux, thank you for that explanation. I had heard of Hunger Games from commercials on TV. Did they make that into video games? I've never been into gladiator-type games or movies. They're just too violent. Makes me long for the 90's when my son would play Nintendo a lot. By today's standards, Mario and his buddies would be considered wimps.
As scared and nervous as I am to dare read Project 2025, I'm going to follow Joyce's advice and read the table of contents for now. I did google Project 2025 a few hours ago and was blown away at all the choices.
So far as I know The Hunger Games operates less like a franchise compared to other top movies and never made any games. Since the hunger games gladiator like event are an important part but not the main event in some ways, the main story lines are politics, intrigue and interpersonal relationships and they don’t lend themselves as readily to video games the way Star Wars or Harry Potter do. I’ve also never seen any merch although there may very well be some. The books are darker and more bleak than the movies, IMO although both are great.
I’ve been reading Project 2025 for some months now off and on. The biggest challenge for me is the way the chapters are written makes it hard to see what the proposed changes are for many of them. The civil service changes are the most obvious and as Joyce Vance and many others on Substack point out, very concerning. I didn’t know that much about how the Federal Election Commission works, for example, so I had to dig into that before I could even start to parse what might be different. That chapter seems to mostly focus on actually getting vacancies filled, something that has been stalled for Biden for about 2 years. There are supposed to be 3 democrats and 3 republicans and right now there are two of each. So far as I know, Biden’s nominee to fill the vacant democratic seat has not even had hearings since being nominated in 2022. I expected more overtly nefarious plans here and there are hints to do with challenging how elections are run but no smoking gun that I saw in that chapter. Most of the chapters don’t spell out how things are different but I haven’t read them all yet.
What? An immigrant fight league?!
I couldn't be more disgusted, but I've said that before...
Isn’t it amazing that each day brings more disgusting behavior than the day before?
More disgusting for sure, but it's even more disturbing that so many people actually accept/embrace the tffg. Is life so bad for so many in the US that they cling to this Hitler-like clone for some sort of redemption or salvation (that he cannot/will not ever deliver)? I am trying to stay positive but some days it is hard.
There is plenty of video of Trump that will show him behaving in the worst possible manor and I’m sure this is being created as we speak.
Megan, don't apologize. You are not alone. As Joyce reminds us each time we check our inboxes, we're in this together.
Ditto!
Thanks for saying that. You’ve saved me the effort.
Likewise...
Oh, yes indeed! It's already a long, hot summer, and it's just getting started. The disgust gets stronger with each new day. I forgot how to really laugh, like a belly laugh. My favorite hobby in the world is working outside and tending to my flowers. Most of them have died, still in their tiny black containers, waiting to be planted.
I never knew that disgust could drag a person down that much.
Absolutely. I thought I was the only one who buys plants to make me happy and kills them with neglect before they even get into the ground
I also buy plants to make me happy, these days mostly house plants, but some of them I seem to be really good at killing… Lynn and Dianne, you are not alone.
I feel much better now. Thanks!
You are welcome, Dianne!
We should form a club.
It's funny that you mention that! I was in line at Home Depot this afternoon.
Ironically, the woman behind me had a cart loaded with flowers. Like me, she never got around to planting half of what she had, so she was back to buy replacements.
Ladies, go plant 'em! You've got this!!
I’m too ashamed to show my face there…
Patris, it can't be that bad. Can it? I go to different nurseries and Home Depot, too, so no one remembers me. Plus, it gives me more plants to choose from.
I understand what you are saying. This is a sad post. Please go buy some more flowers. No marigolds...look too much like trump.
It doesn't count as a flower, but as a plant or vine, POISON IVY comes to mind.
Mood.
Unfair to ban Marigolds just because they remind you of someone
Uh, joke. PLEASE people...let's not lose our sense of humor.
Former AG Eric Holder's remark bears repeating:
"There is no cavalry coming. No miracle solution. No saviors. In the end, we, the American people - not any of our institutions - have to save our democracy by voting in defense of that democracy this fall.
We are the cavalry. The responsibility is ours."
Maybe the unregistered folk who trend D are the cavalry.
FT6 has a weekly Florida phone banking program Thursdays from 2-4 Below is the link.
40,000 phone numbers and they need volunteers. .
https://www.mobilize.us/ft6/event/632594/
I am predicting the Supreme Court will leave the Trump immunity decision to be the very last decision announced this week -- and then they will be gone. If they were going to decide on no immunity it would already have been announced. They are cowards.
The Supreme Court is consistent. We're so close to losing so much of our light.
If they send it back to a lower court, does it resolve there or does it go back again to the Supreme Court? What if Biden wins the election?
More than cowards—paid to delay. These are strategic moves, IMO.
There is so much my elderly brain doesn’t grasp. For instance, the presidential immunity cast. Trump is arguing that he has this immunity from prosecution because his actions were covered under being part of his duty as president. So inciting a riot and a storming of the Capitol to disrupt the certification of the Electoral College votes is considered to be part of presidential duty??? That makes absolutely no sense to me! What am I missing or not understanding here???
Trump is a fool and hopes enough of the Supreme Court are too.
A tool more than a fool IMO
Susan, as a fellow senior, I totally understand your frustration. Sometimes, when I'm watching "Law and Order," I get really ticked off at the outcome, especially when the defendant gets on my nerves. When I turn off the TV later on, I might still be upset about the way it went, but I ultimately get over it. That's because I know it's fiction.
Watching and hearing about all the crap (sorry, but I can't help it) that over and over and over again proves that Lady Justice could CARE LESS about anything, especially when someone tips one side of the scale a little. With Trump, they're no longer discrete about tipping the scale. If they could, they'd knock that statue down and break it into a million pieces, laughing all the way out the door.
I'd love to get my hands on a real, live Job Description for the position of POTUS. I know that there IS none, but that's beside the point. All of us had to follow OUR job descriptions or find work elsewhere. In this regard:
1. It's doubtful that a President would be required to incite an insurrection on Capitol Hill.
2. It's also doubtful that prior to that insurrection, he or she would have to make a speech and tell those involved to "fight like hell!"
3. That job description would never require a President to know the best way to influence how the Electoral College votes.
4. And finally, it's really doubtful that he or she would have to make a public statement that as President, they can go down to Fifth Avenue in broad daylight and shoot someone, without being arrested.
Etc. etc. etc.
Or that a convicted felon can’t join the military but could possibly be its commander in chief. God how I hate that smug I’m the president patriotic smirk on his face around troops.
You know what makes me just as sick as his smirk around troops? Him standing in front of OUR flag. Such a hypocrite!
If I had a million dollars, I'd bet every penny that (1) he has absolutely no idea what those stars and stripes stand for, and (2) that should he become president he'll change the entire design of the flag. I don't dare to imagine how horribly un-American that would look like.
Susan, what you are missing is that the Gang if Six now make whatever new law they want and there’s really nothing we can do about it unless we vote for a Congress and President that will expand the court
Susan, I've also got the "elderly brain" issue. I really don't think what you're dealing with is an age issue. It's more that it's just plain crazy. trump and SCOTUS and the Heritage Foundation are trying to turn our world upside down, and make it into something they want, which has nothing to do with how our world has been pretty much all our lives, or what the majority of Americans want. My husband says that your "problem" is that you have a rational-thinking brain. I agree!
Absolutely nothing, Susan. TFG is grasping for any straw that might keep him out of jail or being a convicted criminal and having to deal with the consequences. The more baffling question for me is the number of people who think this argument holds any water!!
It's stunning how many people have never learned the principle of the harvest. You always reap what you sow, and you always reap in a different season. Don't know why I'm so surprised that over 60% of Americans blame Biden for the economic woes caused by tRump's incompetence or that 17% blame Biden for the Dobbs decision.
Not only does the ignorance surprise me, but the heartlessness. I know no large percentage of men have had a partner who had an ectopic pregnancy, but it seems like most should have known a relation, friend, or wife or daughter of a friend or relation who did or faced some other life or future fertility threatening complication. If they are so pro-life, they would be demanding protections in the law for such cases.
Seems to me that contraception is the basis of reproductive freedom, but I always have and will continue to vote for candidates who support abortion access because our elected representatives and courts have proven time and again they will not protect the health and lives of mothers. It just should not be something the government has any say in. Not to mention all the exploitation, rape, incest and commoditization of women in our society.
Well said, Don! You're one in a million! It's important to hear from men regarding such an unnecessary, uncalled-for decision like Dobbs.
Thanks, Dianne!
Our first attempt at pregnancy was an ectopic pregnancy putting at risk having a healthy future pregnancy. Thank goodness it was many, many years ago when healthcare decisions were still in the hands of doctors and patients and not some hypocritical religious zealot legislator.
Don, I really appreciate what you've said. One of my sisters had an ectopic pregnancy many years ago, and at that time, the doctors kept thinking she was just being a hypochondriac. Fortunately she did finally get help. The thing that annoys me the most is that these people are "pro-life" only for a fetus and only as along as it's in the womb. They don't deserve to have wives or female partners or children. And don't get me started on the subject of ignoring the trauma of rape and incest, and forcing additional trauma on the victims by requiring them to carry their fetus to term. Living in Texas, I have been absolutely floored by what the courts have done to some of the women (who very much wanted their pregnancies to be successful) who have had the courage to speak out about what they went through.
So true! Most "pro-lifers" love predator drone strikes, the death penalty, the CIA setting foreign policy agenda and the for-profit war industry.
My lady friend had a tubal pregnancy early on in life, and even though she was never able to conceive after that, prompt medical attention saved her life. She was a Mormon gal, and was essentially ostracized. It really bothers me that so many people don't care about the life and future fertility.
I have always maintained that if the choice is between the life of a woman and the life of a fetus, the woman should have priority. I don't know if my sister's fertility was ruined by the ectopic pregnancy, but in her case it wouldn't have mattered since she didn't want children anyway. I'm sorry your lady friend went through such unpleasant results.
So true. In nature, there is nothing more important than the life of females of child-bearing age. Animal mothers will go to incredible lengths to protect their young, but have no choice but to flee in the face of predators that threaten their lives.
Only humans make a society where less economically advantaged girls go off to war while Don Jr and Eric go to play, not to mention all the male professional athletes sitting home.
I think what you just said proves that women are stronger than (most) men, and less likely to rest on their laurels. The big problem that I see is that (most) men like it that way, and have every intention of making sure the status quo doesn't change.
Geez I’m drowning in legalese! One thing about Cannon is if she fails to rule then Jack has his ammo to head to the 11th district. It’s gonna be interesting if she overrules the DC judge and this would push the appeals court in addition to those 1000 letters from regular citizens of her blatant favoritism towards TFG to not only slap her hands but take it away. They would tell her she’s not experienced and is too partial. Boy wouldn’t that really piss her off and her elders that told her to give that case up are gonna be snickering and pointing “We told you so!”. What I wouldn’t give to be a fly on the wall if that happens.
Busy week ahead for me too.
Right on target Rusty. I am hoping the case gets appealed and the 11th district takes it out of Cannon's hands.
And not a minute too soon!!!
Rusty— I need to be pdantic & suggest you correct what I think is a typo in your key sentence about appeals court: “They would tell her she’s not experienced and is too impartial.” I believe the final phrase “too impartial” should actually be the opposite, i.e., “too partial” or perhaps “ not adequately impartial”.
Thanks! It was late when I wrote it and had spent time in the sun and pool. Brain fried. 🤣
Rusty, I enjoy how you think, and your optimism. Guess I'm getting too nervous, but I feel like we're taking one step forward and two steps back every time you turn around these days.
I listen to Joyce and Andrew as I consider them the best.
Oof! My head is spinning! Thanks for the summaries of all the cases still to be decided by our illustrious (NOT) SCOTUS.
Joyce—
While tomorrow marks the second anniversary of Dobbs and its decimation of Roe v. Wade … I might note that it also marks the second anniversary of the Court’s demolition of stare decisis.
Although all the right wing (now) justices swore to the sanctity of precedence while they testified before Congress, it wasn’t until after Justice Amy Coney Barrett was sworn in (October 2020) that the near fifty years of Roe magically became “egregious.”
It is interesting to further note that in the recent Texas v. New Mexico and Colorado, Justice Gorsuch lamented “Upending 100 Years of Precedent” (Newsweek. 6/21/24).
Where was the lamentation after Dobbs upended those 50 years of Roe?
When the US Supreme Court abandoned the concept of stare decisis, they necessarily abandoned the foundation of lifetime appointments to the judiciary. A price needs to be paid for doing that and the price is to eliminate lifetime appointments. 10 years maximum as a judge in the federal courts - including the supreme court.
I really like your thinking, William! I would love to see lifetime appointments be a thing of the past, and to have the appointments of the current conservative justices cut short. Like tomorrow.
It would be nice if SCOTUS would do cases involving don first. But they, like the republicans magas, aren’t interested in anything but delays. It is sickening. If only the trial for don could move forward so people could see the felon and ALL his crimes.
Monica, there's definitely "a method to their madness." Yes, it is sickening.
$ickening.
Have we not always danced this merry jig of chaos and contradiction? From our lofty ideals to our basest instincts, has this grand experiment not forever teetered on the precipice of brilliance and folly?
Were we not born of revolution, yet steeped in oppression? Did we not proclaim liberty while shackling millions? Have we not always wrapped ourselves in the flag of exceptionalism, even as our flaws lay bare for all to see?
Indeed, one might argue our current state is but the latest verse in a song as old as our nation - a cacophonous ballad of progress and regression, unity and division, hope and despair. Are we not simply seeing, with crystal clarity, the eternal struggle between our better angels and our darker demons?
So perhaps, the question is not whether how have we become this "this fucked up," as a nation but whether we have ever been anything else - and whether we shall ever transcend this dance of duality that has defined us from our very inception.
I think as humans we are in large part reactive. Our revolution was about reacting to the abuses of England towards our colonies, they envisioned a better country and set out to create it. But in addition to the inherent flaws such as enslavement, no rights for women, and our treatment of the indigenous people already here we then went on to enact everything from the KKK to Jim Crow laws to incarceration of Japanese American and German American people during world war 2. This current rise of fascism and Christian nationalism is more of the same. I think we will always be fighting our baser instincts as a people, although as individuals we can see a better way.
Beautifully expressed.
Very, very true. If one reads books like The 1619 Project, and/or Caste, the truth of what you said becomes even more obvious. It's really too bad that our schools have never taught our real history.
I also think we never knew how much our country was run by winks and handshakes until Trump came along. We have to tighten up our laws and policies, or else.
Yes, yes, a thousand times yes! We were taught a whole bunch of stuff about how government works, but they didn't tell us it was all based on good will and gossamer wings. All that stuff they taught us needs to be codified, NOW!
Louise L, — Unfortunately, winks and handshakes have been around for a long time; however, it seems way beyond that, presently. The dishonesty and greed that permeates and adversely affects our lives seems to be in our face, now. This new movement came into full swing during the financial meltdown in 2008 and it seems to be a measuring of just how far billionaires, corporate leaders and even whole industries can push the law and the public for the sake of profit. These are conscienceless people.
Well said. (As always)👍😀
Brilliantly and beautifully stated. Thank you.
If the Court decides to effectively scrap the Chevron doctrine, it could have major implications for environmental policymaking and regulation on issues ranging from air pollution and climate change to clean water rules, public lands management, endangered species protection, and more. But, the ultimate impact of the decision would go well beyond environmental considerations to agency authority and expertise in general, shifting substantial power for the last word on policy from the executive and the legislative branches to the judiciary. So take your pick: unelected agency experts or, unknowledgeable, unelected judges having ever more authority to decide critical issues affecting everyday life. Another rabid right solution in search of a problem and the potential to add even more uncertainty to life in these United States.
Woe unto us if another pandemic hits and Republicans are in control.
Had the Biden administration not intervened in managing the health crisis, the consequences would have been catastrophic, with millions of additional deaths and infections from Covid-19.
Experts are experts because they have knowledge and experience. Elections are irrelevant with regard to them, because the people who would choose between candidates don't have the knowledge to properly evaluate them. Personally, I'm sick of old white male judges thinking they know more than people like Dr. Fauci who have spent a long lifetime working hard at helping people. Or more than all the OB/GYNs in the country who work with women.
Or elected, inexperienced Congresspeople, who rely heavily on lobbyists!
If there is a 'positive' to the possible loss of Chevron, it may be a last straw for the younger voters among us. The various 'Gen ( insert letter )' voters already see climate change as THE driving factor affecting their futures, and knowing that Republican operatives on the court, in the House, and in the Senate are behind overturning Chevron will bring out numbers voting against them rarely if ever before seen.
We've fallen into an alt-right universe and can't get out!
As Nicolle and Maddow said back on earth 1.
The Con thinks the fix is set for November, so he can say whatever he wants. Let's hope we have tightened down the hatches enough that he fails again.
For him, that failing would be just the of beginning of things that nightmares are made of.
It’s going to be a nightmare either way!
Thank you Joyce for keeping up with so many judicial balls in the air! It feels to me like this Court and the many right leaning activist groups who read the legal tea leaves have created a super legislative agenda, not a judicial one. Next year’s docket items might be identified as SC Resolution 01 rather than Smith Vs. Arizona. SC Resolution 02 rather than appeal of some ruling by the Fifth Circuit. Maybe they should simply name cases after the right they want to limit next like, Birth Control v. SCOTUS!
We are truly at a fork in the road (or maybe a barrier) If the unconstitutional 6 decide that fascism will serve them better than freedom for American Citizens we are either doomed or at war,
Or both?