Regarding history, sometimes the truth hurts. But I’d rather have hurtful truth than head-in-the-sand lies. Politicizing education might be the most damaging thing that could have been done to this country. Thanks for your post, Mary.
We'll still have the rest of the MAGA cult to deal with, and they're starting to separate themselves from the failing Dear Leader. Traitor Greene and Nick Fuentes are the ones to watch.
The MAGAot cult has always been here but it was the election of trump that encouraged and gave them permission to act out their repressed beliefs. What we, who are definitely in the majority, need to do is to resist the urge to lay low and wait for it to blow over. We need to resist the pressure to conform and work to see that trump is removed from a place of influence as soon as possible. Conviction and jail would be best, but unlikely. So, when the time comes, we need vote and get everyone we know to vote. We need to work had to win control of both houses of Congress. Then we have a chance to begin to restore what has been lost. The conditions that inspired the formation of the Electoral College no longer exist. We need to reform the election process and provide assurance that the winner of the vote actually wins the election. Doing this should mean that ideas that are shared by and inspire the majority of the country should be the ideas that get implemented.
Personally I do not get the "charisma" he just seems like an ignorant toad to me, but whatever. Even so to assume that Trump is the only one that has charisma is a very grave mistake. Some people argue that Hitler had charisma, and in some ways he did. There will always be people who have Charisma and will also be able to use this ability to do harm. It is up to the people to recognize whether someone has the people's interest verses their own personal interest as their first priority regardless of someone's alleged Charisma or lack thereof.
I dislike calling his hold over people charisma. Charisma implies charm. I prefer to think of his sway as toxic, like opium. The cult are all addicted to his toxicity & refuse to chance living without it, to their own peril. And ours - sadly we all lose because of their addiction.
All right you can call it what you want. The truth is Trump attracts certain people to his cause whatever it is that attracts them. This is very dangerous and cannot be ignored.
I was considering all the other Trumps (in response to the statement you put forth) who might want to take his place. I don't see anyone who has that pull on the cult.
Is charisma in the eye of the beholder? Hitler's charisma certainly was. What seems to gives some individual charisma is energy. Part of that energy is inborn, and part derives from "faith." They are true believers. Some are benign, others are malignant. Most people feel a need for such leaders.
First the fascists ban books. Now they are starving us into submission. My partner and I were fired from our civil service careers. We had to line up at a food bank again, use the same Halloween costumes as last year for our kids, and recycle their candy to give to trick or treaters.
I was picked up three months ago for acting confused and forced into remain in a nursing care facility. I’m being involuntarily medicated with diagnoses l never had before.
Love Powell Books! It is important to keep these independent book stores in business. We have a right to hear the truth and to listen to many points of view. We will not and should not allow the current administration to tell us how and what to think!
Read Project 2025 and the righteous right is following it exactly step by step. They needed the orange felon to be president for it to play out which makes me question the validity of the election.
IMHO, the electoral collage has to be abolished. Without it the felon wouldn't have been elected by a wide margin.
Authoritarian 101. Ban books that tell the real story of history; coerce school administrators that history isn't really true; install fear in the least educated that they are under attack by education; force teachers to modify instructions; withhold funds for those who will not comply; Dox resistors so they face physical violence and continue the propaganda campaign that I and I alone can solve your problems.
WHY?? Because an uneducated and uninformed population is easier to control and manipulate.
We must never surrender. Stay engaged, involved and resist.
"The really frightening thing about totalitarianism is not that it commits ‘atrocities’ but that it attacks the concept of objective truth; it claims to control the past as well as the future." — George Orwell
I was so saddened to hear Sesame Street was cancelled. My children, when young, learned so much about races, religion, empathy and kindness. An AMERICAN Treasure.
My granddaughter's college notified the students that they were not allowed to even mention "DEI" and that the DEI course would no longer be taught. However, to get around that ridiculous restriction, they changed the name of the DEI course to some abiguous term instead. Because the topic is an integral part of her major and career path (constitutional law), ignoring this important topic because it offends the MAGAt morons is just plain ignorant and downright stupid. DEI by any other name is still DEI; calling a rose a petunia doesn't change the fact that it's a rose.
True, but only at first. When an item is officially identified and named, therefore it is. Example: I can be called Susan, Sue, or Susie, but regardless, my birth certificate says I’m Susan. Although, I can legally change my name to Petunia, but I will always be known by those in the know as Susan. (I’m going to go lie down now, my brain hurts.)
Was thinking in more of an Orwellian direction war is Peace, Ignorance is Strength and Slavery is Freedom, rather than Gertrude Stein’s a rose by any other name is a rose. Reality and truth are consensually derived; yes could be no or even maybe.
This is you typical response to revealing our mistakes in history. Cover them up, shut up about it, it never happend! This is not the road to recovery, this is the road to keep repeating what we privileged white people do. The N word categorizes those to whom we've grudgingly granted "Forced Bussing and Integration" where we had defacto integration and since that; grudgingly allowed Section 8 Housing and SNAP benefits out of taxes. That is the reason Trump retains privilaged white support and that support has the money where tax favors for the rich count and SNAP benefits dont. Science has proven; black or brown skin is not the evidence of stupid or lazy but lack of hope and truth are.
P. S. Thank you Mary. You provide such a clear concise message. I've said it before and I'll say it many more times: Women have a clearer view point, usually more honest and ethical perspective. We definitely need them in office.
I live in the backwater swamp of Florida, infested with maga right-wing radical religious rednecks throughout the state....I'm embarrassed to admit I live here and horrified what this insane governor and his criminal minions have done to it....this is the worst state in the union for the illegal banning of books....among many other violations of citizens rights.
Regarding history, sometimes the truth hurts. But I’d rather have hurtful truth than head-in-the-sand lies. Politicizing education might be the most damaging thing that could have been done to this country. Thanks for your post, Mary.
MY REMAINING HOPE IS THAT WHEN tRUMP IS GONE THIS NATIOM WILL WAKE UP FROM ITS LONG NIGHTMARE, HIM.
Can we wait that long?
No.
We'll still have the rest of the MAGA cult to deal with, and they're starting to separate themselves from the failing Dear Leader. Traitor Greene and Nick Fuentes are the ones to watch.
The MAGAot cult has always been here but it was the election of trump that encouraged and gave them permission to act out their repressed beliefs. What we, who are definitely in the majority, need to do is to resist the urge to lay low and wait for it to blow over. We need to resist the pressure to conform and work to see that trump is removed from a place of influence as soon as possible. Conviction and jail would be best, but unlikely. So, when the time comes, we need vote and get everyone we know to vote. We need to work had to win control of both houses of Congress. Then we have a chance to begin to restore what has been lost. The conditions that inspired the formation of the Electoral College no longer exist. We need to reform the election process and provide assurance that the winner of the vote actually wins the election. Doing this should mean that ideas that are shared by and inspire the majority of the country should be the ideas that get implemented.
Don't forget Steven Miller.
Any same person wants to forget Nosferatu Miller, but he keeps haunting our nightmares. - oh, those aren't nightmares? They're the news? oh.
Trump can be replaced with another Trump!
None of them have the "charisma" he does.
Personally I do not get the "charisma" he just seems like an ignorant toad to me, but whatever. Even so to assume that Trump is the only one that has charisma is a very grave mistake. Some people argue that Hitler had charisma, and in some ways he did. There will always be people who have Charisma and will also be able to use this ability to do harm. It is up to the people to recognize whether someone has the people's interest verses their own personal interest as their first priority regardless of someone's alleged Charisma or lack thereof.
I dislike calling his hold over people charisma. Charisma implies charm. I prefer to think of his sway as toxic, like opium. The cult are all addicted to his toxicity & refuse to chance living without it, to their own peril. And ours - sadly we all lose because of their addiction.
All right you can call it what you want. The truth is Trump attracts certain people to his cause whatever it is that attracts them. This is very dangerous and cannot be ignored.
I was considering all the other Trumps (in response to the statement you put forth) who might want to take his place. I don't see anyone who has that pull on the cult.
He or She may have not shown his or her face (yet), in public, it is not over until it is over and done with.
Is charisma in the eye of the beholder? Hitler's charisma certainly was. What seems to gives some individual charisma is energy. Part of that energy is inborn, and part derives from "faith." They are true believers. Some are benign, others are malignant. Most people feel a need for such leaders.
Once they are done with him
they will not need charisma
Just their Soviet-like iron fists, massive surveillance, and brute force ( all currently waiting to let loose )
Yes. Hopefully the gay one.
I can only pray that you are correct!
👏
First the fascists ban books. Now they are starving us into submission. My partner and I were fired from our civil service careers. We had to line up at a food bank again, use the same Halloween costumes as last year for our kids, and recycle their candy to give to trick or treaters.
So many of us are struggling with DOGE and the MAGA shutdowns - any support makes a big difference: https://democracydefender2025.substack.com/p/emergency-furlough-maga-shutdown
My wife and I hit our county food bank with a donation and we are barely scraping by.
Thank you for doing that!
I was picked up three months ago for acting confused and forced into remain in a nursing care facility. I’m being involuntarily medicated with diagnoses l never had before.
I’m so sorry for what you’re going through. May you receive all the help you need.🌞🌅
Please donate and share:
https://teamfeed.feedingamerica.org/participants/Pissedoffbartender
Powell's City of Books here in Portland, OR, has entire section up front in their store labeled "Banned Books." It's a VERY popular section!!
Well of course! The minute you ban a book, the more desirable it is! What stupid, lying, evil people.
It makes me hope my books get banned.
One of the best book stores in the world! Hurrah for Powell's!
Love Powell Books! It is important to keep these independent book stores in business. We have a right to hear the truth and to listen to many points of view. We will not and should not allow the current administration to tell us how and what to think!
Read Project 2025 and the righteous right is following it exactly step by step. They needed the orange felon to be president for it to play out which makes me question the validity of the election.
IMHO, the electoral collage has to be abolished. Without it the felon wouldn't have been elected by a wide margin.
The EC and Citizens United are distractions. Kick Republicans out of state legislatures and out of Congress.
Second only to the convicted felon, the Electoral College is our biggest enemy!!
Not so! Republicans in Congress and the state legislatures are the enablers of Trumpism.
What you say is currently true, but if we didn’t have Electoral College, the convicted felon would never have been president.
Authoritarian 101. Ban books that tell the real story of history; coerce school administrators that history isn't really true; install fear in the least educated that they are under attack by education; force teachers to modify instructions; withhold funds for those who will not comply; Dox resistors so they face physical violence and continue the propaganda campaign that I and I alone can solve your problems.
WHY?? Because an uneducated and uninformed population is easier to control and manipulate.
We must never surrender. Stay engaged, involved and resist.
Hmmmmm, only one worst case state and no surprise that it's Flor-i-do-da!
That's why it's called FloriDUH.
Texass says hold my beer....
I question the graphic, that Montana and Alabama have banned no books. Really?
"The really frightening thing about totalitarianism is not that it commits ‘atrocities’ but that it attacks the concept of objective truth; it claims to control the past as well as the future." — George Orwell
ANYONE SEEKING THE POWER OF A DICTATOR MUST WIPE OUT, #1, THE RULE OF LAW, #2M FREEDOM OF SPEECH.
tRUMP IS WELL UNDERWAY ON BOTH FRONTS.
I was so saddened to hear Sesame Street was cancelled. My children, when young, learned so much about races, religion, empathy and kindness. An AMERICAN Treasure.
Netflix bought it and will continue it.
https://youtu.be/QZ4BtDqFpBI
Also still available on PBS KIDS
I included a link, but basically on nov. 10 it will air new 11 minute episodes and will eventually make 90 favorite episodes available.
I think another station is continuing it.
My granddaughter's college notified the students that they were not allowed to even mention "DEI" and that the DEI course would no longer be taught. However, to get around that ridiculous restriction, they changed the name of the DEI course to some abiguous term instead. Because the topic is an integral part of her major and career path (constitutional law), ignoring this important topic because it offends the MAGAt morons is just plain ignorant and downright stupid. DEI by any other name is still DEI; calling a rose a petunia doesn't change the fact that it's a rose.
Isn’t it possible that the name of a rose is as arbitrary as that of a petunia?
True, but only at first. When an item is officially identified and named, therefore it is. Example: I can be called Susan, Sue, or Susie, but regardless, my birth certificate says I’m Susan. Although, I can legally change my name to Petunia, but I will always be known by those in the know as Susan. (I’m going to go lie down now, my brain hurts.)
Was thinking in more of an Orwellian direction war is Peace, Ignorance is Strength and Slavery is Freedom, rather than Gertrude Stein’s a rose by any other name is a rose. Reality and truth are consensually derived; yes could be no or even maybe.
This is you typical response to revealing our mistakes in history. Cover them up, shut up about it, it never happend! This is not the road to recovery, this is the road to keep repeating what we privileged white people do. The N word categorizes those to whom we've grudgingly granted "Forced Bussing and Integration" where we had defacto integration and since that; grudgingly allowed Section 8 Housing and SNAP benefits out of taxes. That is the reason Trump retains privilaged white support and that support has the money where tax favors for the rich count and SNAP benefits dont. Science has proven; black or brown skin is not the evidence of stupid or lazy but lack of hope and truth are.
P. S. Thank you Mary. You provide such a clear concise message. I've said it before and I'll say it many more times: Women have a clearer view point, usually more honest and ethical perspective. We definitely need them in office.
They should read books, not ban them. Oh, wait...We're talking MAGATs here. Reading is not in their skillset, is it?
I live in the backwater swamp of Florida, infested with maga right-wing radical religious rednecks throughout the state....I'm embarrassed to admit I live here and horrified what this insane governor and his criminal minions have done to it....this is the worst state in the union for the illegal banning of books....among many other violations of citizens rights.
Thank you Mary
Good to know I live in one of four states that haven’t banned any books. If you don’t like a book , DON’T READ IT. Simple