There is much in us that fears the “other”. I don’t think we can rationally hope to create a social structure based on loving kindness (and what exactly is love?) Yet, we do not have to agree to a structure based on hatred, greed, hostile competition. An underlying principle well understood that what is good for all is good for each, that we have more of a well-lived life when our surroundings are pleasurably pleasant and creatively shared, sufficiently encouraged, modeled and memed …

The guilt The blame The don’t know what causes it The this is what causes it The industry quacks The ignorant hacks The pills that are miracles The relapse when all seemed well Break out of the spell We’re humans living out what we’ve learned, mislearned, gotten confused in a confusing world Give it a rest Give it a break Stop blaming Guilt-tripping Joining one defensive position or another Stop Look Listen Breathe Find out how to behave well with each other.

We who see Trump as a serious
dangerous threat to our rights and
rule of law are always being told
to work to understand the pro-Trump
advocates. You, too, have the
responsibility as Americans to work
to understand others’ views.

Tell me I can dance
The world becomes a mystery
an ecstasy, a history
of all who dance
for the joy
for the taste
of pure enchantment
in midst of the everyday
in this instant every wish
is granted
in the play
– body with bliss –
of celebration

Dare say it’s evil – the GOP plot to destroy
our economy and public health

I think I get the “holiday” “War on Christmas” hype – a distraction to keep us from the understanding that there is no holiday, but rather an orgy of consumption and stress.

"Computer #scientist and #Nobel laureate #GeoffreyHinton joins Ian Bremmer on the #GZERO World #podcast to talk about artificial intelligence, the #technology transforming our society
Hinton is known as the “Godfather of #AI.”
he’s turned from a tech evangelist to a #whistleblower, warning that the technology he helped create will displace millions of jobs and eventually destroy #humanity itself." https://www.youtube.com/watchv=UpikeSpkeaY

Not in Gratitude


Gratitude implies obligation
Lilting happiness delights
in gracious embrace.
Happy in my natural rhythm,
receptive to pleasure;
balming luscious nectars,
warm melt of sunshine,
elation, charismatic exultation.
I am in awe, a true believer;
not on my knees in supplication.
Supine, welcoming grace.

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/november-20-2025

..."#Trump spent this morning calling a group of #military #veterans in #Congress traitors and saying they “should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL.” Their crime, in Trump’s eyes, was their release Tuesday of a video reminding military and intelligence officers that they must refuse illegal orders.
...
Restating the law is not sedition, and Fox News Channel legal ."...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61I4hlig78w

Nazism is a pernicious form of devil worship
(not Satan, predatory evil)

When we talk about threats to #democracy, it may seem some
philosophical argument without real daily life immediacy.
Think, though – we are talking about our long, hard, mortally
fought for rights: our ability to be who we are and demand more,
hope for better futures, power to speak our minds, to demand
our human dignity, our possibility to improve the background
rules we live by, to not be helpless against uncaring aristocrats
and ignorant mobs.

it seems to generally be the nonvoters that are the bulk of the electorate – abdication of democracy
perhaps because we don’t emphasize that voting is the minimum duty of citizens in a democracy
or perhaps because we who claim our great concern about how our nation is run are not doing our due diligence in getting out the vote – finding out what keeps people from voting and doing all we can to make it easier for them

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/october-23-2025

..."Julia Ainsley and Didi Martinez of NBC News reported today that Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s rush to get new recruits onto the street has meant they have pushed into their training program more than 200 people who have disqualifying criminal backgrounds, fail drug testing, or don’t meet the academ"...

https://hartmannreport.com/p/the-coup-that-finally-worked-how-178

The #Coup That Finally Worked: How #MikeJohnson Succeeded Where the #Insurrection Failed
Through procedural paralysis, the Speaker has done what violence could not: silence Congress and hand Donald Trump the powers of a king...
#ThomHartmann

..."Without ever proclaiming it out loud, Mike Johnson has accomplished what open insurrection never could: the methodical, bureaucratic nullification of Congress itself, eliminating its ability to perform oversight over Trump."...

According to what I understand about Jesus’ message (peace, love, brotherhood, throwing the money changers out of the Temple, you know the drill) a great many people who profess to be Christian haven’t got a clue as to what that means.

Basic education
How things work
How they can malfunction
How to fix them
How to improve them
How to keep them healthy,
and adapting for future demands

For Goodness Sake

Why not
different truth sets
truths we can learn or discover
truths we feel, experience
truths we know we do not know
truths that change with
point of view
or time
Why fight
over truth, under stubborn banner?
Truth is neither
question nor answer.
What matters is what we do
in all humility
from our core.

I never self-identified
in gender
Yet I suffer from others
identifying me.
Where is our zone of privacy?
How can be be ourselves
while fulfilling our needs
to pay our bills
selling our skills
in the market square?

https://hartmannreport.com/p/are-the-streets-of-chicago-showing

Are the Streets of #Chicago Showing Us the Future of #American #Democracy?
When federal agents turn weapons on citizens, it’s not just a local scandal — it’s a national reckoning.
Thom Hartmann

..."Federal agents, dressed like soldiers and armed with the weapons of war, rammed a civilian vehicle on 105th Street, using a maneuver outlawed by Chicago police, and then fired tear gas into a crowd of bystanders and local officers."...